Injury Notes: San Jose Sharks, Conor Sheary, Timothy Liljegren
San Jose Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov returned to the team’s practice for the first time since his October 24th finger injury. Barbanov did not take part in line rushes during the team skate, suggesting that he still isn’t ready to return just yet. The Sharks were also without top winger Tomas Hertl at the Thursday practice. Hertl has been out of action since November 25th with a mid-body injury.
The loss of the wingers is a hit to the Sharks forward group. Hertl substantially leads the team in points, scoring four goals and 16 points through his first 21 games. Fabian Zetterlund, who has nine points in 22 games, ranks second on the team in scoring – significantly behind Hertl. And while Barabanov has gone without a point through the six games he’s managed this season, he did record 15 goals and 47 points in 68 games last year – adding 20 penalty minutes and a -30. His point totals ranked fifth on the 2022-23 Sharks.
Other injury notes around the league:
- Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper shared that Conor Sheary is working closer to a return. Tampa is gearing up for a six-game road trip that begins in Nashville and then takes the team across the Northwest, beginning on December 7th. Cooper said that Sheary will likely play at some point on the road trip, albeit likely one of the later games.
- Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe shared that Timothy Liljegren has returned to on-ice activities but isn’t yet close to a return. Liljegren has been out since November 2nd with an ankle injury. The 24-year-old defenseman has appeared in 10 games this season, notching one assist and a -1. He totaled six goals and 18 points in 67 games last season.
Shea Theodore Week-To-Week After Successful Surgery
The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that top defenseman Shea Theodore is out week-to-week after undergoing a successful surgery. The surgery addressed the upper-body injury that has held Theodore out since November 22nd, although no other specifics were shared.
Theodore was in the midst of a fantastic start to the season, netting four goals and 18 points in 20 games so far this year. That mark leads the Golden Knights’ defensemen in scoring, despite Theodore missing the team’s last three games. In fact, the team’s second-highest-scoring defender, Alex Pietrangelo, only has nine points this season – half of Theodore’s total. Theodore also leads the team’s blue line in xGF% (expected goals-for-percentage) and ranks third in CF% (corsi-for-percentage), speaking to the prowess he’s had on the offensive side of the puck this year.
Theodore’s hot start comes in the wake of an impressive 2022-23 season, where the defenseman netted 41 points in 55 games, or 0.75 points per game. That was the second-highest point-per-game pace of Theodore’s career, only matched by the 42 points he scored in 53 games in the 2020-21 season. He has totaled 470 NHL games through his nine-year career, scoring 70 goals and 282 points. 417 of these games have come with Vegas, who took him from the Anaheim Ducks in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
Vegas is currently rostering ten different defenders, with Theodore and Daniil Miromanov on the team’s injured reserve, Alec Martinez currently day-to-day with injury and scratched, and Brayden Pachal serving as the healthy extra defenseman. Pachal slotted into the lineup while Zach Whitecloud was out with injury, playing in 13 games and recording one point.
Injury Notes: Chabot, Martin, Hamilton
The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch shared that star defenseman Thomas Chabot will return to the lineup in the team’s Friday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Chabot has missed the last 10 games with a broken right hand suffered on October 26th against the New York Islanders.
Chabot has appeared in seven games this season, recording three assists, two penalty minutes, and a -1. He’s coming off a career year, scoring 41 points in 68 games last season. It was the second-most that Chabot has scored in a single season, with his career-high coming in the 2018-19 season when Chabot scored 55 points in 70 games. Chabot, 26, is in the fourth season of an eight-year contract extension signed in 2019.
Other injury notes around the league:
- New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert shared that forward Matt Martin is close to returning to action, but that his activation from injured reserve was more precautionary than anything. Lambert said that forwards Simon Holmstrom and Cal Clutterbuck missed the team’s Monday practice with illness and were questionable for the team’s Tuesday night game against the New Jersey Devils. Both players suited up for the matchup – with Clutterbuck even scoring a goal – delaying Martin’s return.
- New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff shared that there is currently no timetable for Dougie Hamilton‘s return from an upper-body injury. He will remain questionable for the team’s Thursday night game in Philadelphia. Ruff also shared that center Erik Haula will be out against Philadelphia, and that Timo Meier returned to skating on his own on Wednesday.
Canucks Recall Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson, Send Akito Hirose Down
Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin shared that the team has recalled Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson, while sending defenseman Akito Hirose to the AHL.
Irwin is the only one of the trio to not yet appear in the NHL this season. He’s instead spent 13 games in the AHL, scoring two points and recording 10 penalty minutes. Irwin is in his first season with the Canucks organization, signing a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the team on July 1st. Vancouver becomes the seventh franchise that Irwin has been a part of throughout his 11-year career. The 36-year-old defender was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Jose Sharks following his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts in 2010. He has totaled 461 career NHL games, scoring 93 points and recording 211 penalty minutes. He’s also appeared in 262 AHL games and scored 121 points. This season marks the first time that Irwin has played in the AHL since 2016-17 when he appeared in four games with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Karlsson has only played in one NHL game this season, going without a point but recording a +1. He’s also managed 17 AHL games, where he’s scored 15 points, a mark that ranks second on the Abbotsford Canucks. Karlsson joined the Canucks via trade from the San Jose Sharks in 2019, with Vancouver sending Jonathan Dahlen the other way. Karlsson signed his entry-level deal with Vancouver last season. The 24-year-old Karlsson was originally drafted in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Sharks.
These roster moves swap Irwin into the seventh defenseman role that was previously held by Hirose. Hirose has played in three NHL games and 11 AHL games this season and is still looking for his first point of the year in either league. The Canucks signed the 24-year-old at the end of Minnesota State University-Mankato’s 2022-23 season. He appeared in seven NHL games last year, scoring three points, and made his AHL debut this season.
Sabres Send Jiri Kulich To AHL, Jordan Greenway Set To Return
The Buffalo Sabres have shared that Jordan Greenway is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday when the team takes on the St. Louis Blues. Greenway’s return required a player to be sent down, with Buffalo choosing to return rookie Jiri Kulich to the AHL. This move solidifies fellow rookie Isak Rosen‘s spot in the NHL lineup for the short term, with Brandon Biro‘s recent recall providing additional depth.
Greenway has missed a week of action due to personal reasons. He’s played in 19 games so far this season, recording two goals and six points. He’s also tallied 19 penalty minutes, ranking fourth on the Sabres roster in the stat. Greenway is in his first full season with the Sabres, joining the team midway through last season via trade. Greenway had previously spent six seasons with the Minnesota Wild, recording 317 games, 119 points, and 227 penalty minutes with the club.
Kulich and Rosen both made their NHL debut on November 25th. Neither player has scored their first NHL point yet, although Rosen did earn one more game than Kulich, slotting into the team’s most recent matchup. The duo has proven incredibly productive in the AHL, serving as the top two scoring leaders for the Rochester Americans. Rosen has scored eight goals and 19 points in 16 AHL games, while Kulich has netted 11 goals and 17 points in the same amount of games.
Biro ranks third in scoring at Rochester, with 12 points in 10 games. He has also played in two NHL games this season, netting his first two NHL goals and recording a +1. Biro signed with the Sabres as an undrafted free agent in 2020, following the conclusion of Penn State University’s 2019-20 season.
Flames Recall Jordan Oesterle
The Calgary Flames have recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the NHL. Oesterle has played in 12 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers so far this season, netting eight assists, two penalty minutes, and a -2. He’s also appeared in four games with the Flames this season, going without a point and recording a -2.
Oesterle is in his first season with the Flames, signing a one-year, $925K contract with the club in July. The Flames become the fifth franchise that Oesterle has been a part of, previously spending time with the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, and Detroit Red Wings. He’s totaled 353 career NHL games and scored 84 career points. He’s served as a role player for much of his career, with the 71 games he played in the 2018-19 season representing the most he’s played in one year. That season also marked Oesterle’s highest single-season scoring, with six goals and 20 points.
Oesterle signed with the Edmonton Oilers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, following the conclusion of his junior year at Western Michigan University. He received his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season, playing in six of the 25 games that he would total with the Oilers organization. After leaving Edmonton, Oesterle joined the Blackhawks, who traded him to the Arizona Coyotes alongside Marian Hossa and Vinnie Hinostroza.
Oesterle joins Nick DeSimone as an extra defenseman on the Flames roster. DeSimone has played in eight games with the Flames this season, recording four assists. He has also recorded four assists in six AHL games this year.
Predators Assign Spencer Stastney To AHL
The Nashville Predators have assigned defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Stastney was recalled on November 14th, a move that coincided with Thomas Novak‘s move to injured reserve. Stastney has since played in five games with the Predators, scoring his first NHL goal and recording a +4. He has also played in 10 AHL games this season, scoring four points.
Stastney was drafted by the Predators in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He went on to play four years at the University of Notre Dame, signing with Nashville following the conclusion of his senior year. Stastney totaled 143 career games in college and scored 63 points. Stastney played in his first full professional season last year when he recorded 13 points in 56 games with the Admirals. He also received his NHL debut last season, playing in eight games with the Predators and netting two assists.
Stastney’s assignment to the AHL lines up with Luke Schenn‘s return to action. Schenn was activated on November 26th and played in his second game of the season, after suffering a lower-body injury that held him out for roughly six weeks. Schenn is in his first year with the Predators, making Nashville the eighth club that he’s played games for. The Predators signed Schenn to a three-year, $8.25MM contract on July 1st. He brings 935 games of NHL experience to the club, netting 191 points and 3161 hits in that span. With the assignment of 23-year-old Stastney, and the return of 34-year-old Schenn, the average age of Nashville’s blue line goes from 28.5 to 30.
Snapshots: Vilardi, MacEwen, Foudy, Willman
The Winnipeg Jets have shared that Gabriel Vilardi is not yet ready to return, although he is continuing to progress in his recovery from a knee injury. The forward is expected to be a game-time decision for the Jets’ Thursday night matchup. Vilardi suffered an MCL sprain early on in the season and was expected to miss four to six weeks.
The 24-year-old Vilardi has only managed three appearances with Winnipeg this season, netting one assist and a -1. It’s his first year with the club after joining via trade in June, moving to Winnipeg alongside Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari in the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings. Winnipeg tendered a qualifying offer to Vilardi and was headed towards salary arbitration, before the avoided arbitration with a two-year, $6.9MM contract.
Vilardi had the best season of his young career last year, netting 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games with the Kings. He also added four points in five playoff games. The scoring brings his career totals up to 41 goals and 79 points through 155 games, stretched across the last four seasons. Vilardi was previously drafted 11th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season. He is one of four players from the 2017 draft class’ Top 15 to not yet eclipse 200 career NHL games, alongside Cody Glass, Cal Foote, and Lias Andersson.
Other notes from around the league:
- Ottawa Senators forward Zack MacEwen has been fined $2,018.23 – the maximum allowed under the CBA – for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty taken in Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers. MacEwen targeted Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk late in the game, receiving a five-minute match penalty for a check to the head in the game. MacEwen has appeared in six Senators games this season, scoring one assist and totaling 25 penalty minutes.
- Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar shared that forward Jean-Luc Foudy is suffering from a lower-body injury. Bednar also shared that the team doesn’t yet know when to expect Foudy back. Foudy has yet to play this season and is currently on the team’s injured reserve. He scored 36 points in 46 AHL games last season. He was also rewarded his first nine NHL games last year, going without a point and recording a -3.
- The New Jersey Devils have assigned forward Maxwell Willman to the Utica Comets of the AHL. Willman has appeared in four games with the Devils this season, netting one goal. He’s also appeared in seven AHL games, scoring four goals and seven points. The 28-year-old forward has totaled 54 NHL games and seven points across his career, making his debut with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2021-22 season.
Sabres Loan Devon Levi To AHL
The Buffalo Sabres have sent top goalie prospect Devon Levi to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Rochester is gearing up for a road trip with back-to-back games against the Belleville Senators on Friday and Saturday, which could present a good opportunity for Levi to get AHL conditioning. The 21-year-old goaltender has appeared in nine NHL games so far this season, setting a 3-4-1 record and a .876 save percentage.
Buffalo has faced a lot of questions with their goaltending this season, currently carrying three serviceable goalies in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Eric Comrie, and Levi. Luukkonen has taken on the starting job, at least in the short term, as he’s recorded a 6-3-1 record and .918 save percentage through 11 games this season. This includes the 25-save win that he recorded on Monday night, taking down the top-ranked team in the league, the New York Rangers. Comrie has matched Levi’s .876 save percentage while appearing in five games of his own.
Levi has yet to play in the AHL through his early career, joining the Sabres after the conclusion of Northeastern University’s 2022-23 season. He tallied a dazzling .933 save percentage in 34 games with Northeastern last season, a mark that was one-upped by his 2021-22 season when he recorded a .952 save percentage in 32 games – the sixth-highest, single-season save percentage in NCAA history. His two seasons of action at Northeastern University earned him a career .942 save percentage in college, the third-highest career save percentage of any collegiate goaltender, sandwiched between Connor Hellebuyck and Ryan Miller.
Levi has played a total of 16 career NHL games, recording a .890 save percentage in total. He is the youngest goalie to play in the NHL this season.
Penguins Waive Will Butcher, Release Mark Pysyk
The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Will Butcher on waivers. Butcher has yet to play this season, opening the year on season-opening injured reserve with an undisclosed injury that held him out of the entirety of training camp and the preseason. The Penguins’ AHL team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, has also released veteran professional Mark Pysyk from his professional tryout. The coupling of these moves could suggest that Butcher may be healthy enough to return to action soon.
The Penguins signed Butcher to a one-year, two-way, $775K contract this summer. The deal brought Butcher into his fourth NHL organization, with his career beginning with four seasons in New Jersey before he joined the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars for one season each. Butcher spent the entirety of the 2022-23 season on loan to the Texas Stars, where he led the team’s defensemen in scoring with 43 points in 65 games. The season was Butcher’s first experience in the AHL.
Butcher was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft but failed to sign with the team. Instead, he joined the Devils’ lineup ahead of the 2017-18 season, after completing four years at the University of Denver. This includes serving as the team’s top-scoring defenseman in 2016-17, when current Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery led the Pioneers to an NCAA championship win over Minnesota-Duluth.
Butcher’s rookie NHL season saw him record 44 points in 81 games and saw him rank ninth in Calder Trophy voting. He also earned Lady Byng votes in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons. He’s since totaled 275 career NHL games, scoring 114 points and recording a -37 over five years in the league.