Luke Schenn Out Four To Six Weeks With Lower Body Injury
The Nashville Predators have announced that defenseman Luke Schenn will be out long-term after sustaining a lower-body injury. Schenn has been out of action since the team’s season opener. He played 15 minutes in the inaugural game, recording four hits, a blocked shot, and no points.
The source of Schenn’s lower-body injury hasn’t been narrowed down, but it will hold him out until closer to December. The Predators signed Schenn to a three-year, $8.25MM contract this summer, carrying an annual cap hit of $2.75MM. Schenn earned the deal after a strong 2022-23 season, split between the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs. Schenn played 70 games throughout the season, netting four goals and 22 points. But it was Schenn’s extra stats that stood out, with the defender recording 318 hits and 81 shot blocks throughout the year. His postseason earned a lot of attention as well, with Schenn showing out as a stalwart defender and a major piece of the Leafs first-round series win. Schenn added 54 hits in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games, the second-most “hits-per-game” of the postseason.
Dante Fabbro has slotted into the Predators lineup in place of Schenn. Fabbro appeared in 79 games for the Predators last season, recording 11 points and 50 penalty minutes. This was a step down in scoring from Fabbro’s 2021-22 campaign, where he netted 24 points in 66 games. The 25-year-old defender has tallied a total of 256 games and 59 points through his career so far, entering his sixth year of NHL experience.
The Predators are 1-3-0 to start the season, allowing an average of 3.5 goals-against. If and how they are able to reduce that number, despite being down their latest blue line signing, should be telling for the club.
Nick Bonino Day-To-Day With Lower Body Injury
The New York Rangers have announced that Nick Bonino, who did not practice with the team on Wednesday, is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Bonino has appeared in all three Rangers games so far this season and currently sits without any scoring.
The Rangers signed Bonino to a one-year, $800K contract on the first day of free agency this summer. Bonino split time between the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, playing in a total of 62 games and recording 19 points. His reunion with the Penguins was cut short when Bonino suffered a lacerated kidney that required Pittsburgh to place him on long-term injured reserve. This was an upsetting blow for Bonino, who was making his return to Pittsburgh for the first time since serving on their back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2015-16 and 2016-17. His LTIR designation walked him to free agency, where New York scooped him up.
Bonino is an 826-game veteran of the NHL who’s turned into a journeyman over recent years. After appearing in parts of five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks to start his career, Bonino has gone on to play with six other clubs over the course of his 15-year career. His career-high in scoring came during the 2013-14 campaign, when Bonino netted 22 goals and 49 points. He hasn’t recorded another 20-goal season, although he has had five other seasons of 15 or more goals.
The Rangers, who boast $675K in cap space, could likely afford to recall a player if Bonino was set to miss game time. They could also turn towards Jimmy Vesey, who is currently operating as the team’s 13th forward. Bonino will look to be healthy before the Rangers’ next game, on Thursday, October 19th.
Snapshots: Norris, Vladar, Dvorsky
Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun has reported that the Ottawa Senators are hopeful centerman Joshua Norris can make his season debut in their Wednesday night game. Norris has been absent for the entirety of the early season and much of training camp, continuing to nurse a shoulder injury that was initially suffered roughly one year ago.
The injury held Norris out of all but eight games in the 2022-23 season, cutting short what would have been his third NHL season. Norris played 66 games in the 2021-22 campaign, scoring a dazzling 35 goals and 55 points. His 35-goal mark was, at the time, the most scored by a Senator in a decade, although Brady Tkachuk tied it and Tim Stutzle topped it with 39 goals last year. Norris showed similar goal-scoring capabilities in his rookie season of 2020-21, netting 17 goals in 56 games, tied for third on the Ottawa roster.
Norris returned to practice centering the Senators’ third line, between Drake Batherson and Dominik Kubalik. Batherson has been one of Norris’ most common linemates throughout his first two NHL seasons, with the duo accounting for 75 goals for and 44 goals against through a combined 1042 minutes of ice time together.
More notes from around the league:
- The latest episode of the ‘Big Show with Rusic and Rose’ shared that Calgary is reengaging in preliminary trade talks for goaltender Daniel Vladar. They also shared that Calgary shopped Vladar this summer, but the cost was too high for interested teams. It’s unsure whether the Flames have changed their asking price now that the season has begun. Vladar has an expensive $2.2MM cap hit but could be a hot commodity for teams looking to bolster their goaltending room.
- 2023 NHL Draft Top 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky has mutually terminated his contract with IK Oskarshamn. Dvorsky was loaned to the Swedish club at the start of the year but has gone without a point through their first 10 games of the season. Dvorsky is expected to join the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL.
Minor Transactions: 10/17/23
It’s a busy hockey day across the world, as the Champions Hockey League prepares for Game Day 6. This brings together a slew of exciting matchups, including a bout between Sweden’s Farjestad and Germany’s Munich Red Bulls. Farjestad has excelled in the CHL so far this season, winning four of their five games and averaging 4.4 goals-for and 1.8 goals-against on a per-game basis. Munich is coming off a tough loss in their home league but boasts one of the few offenses that can keep up with Farjestad. Munich also has the league’s scoring leader: former NHL first-round pick Jonathon Blum.
Hockey fans will have plenty to keep them busy with seven CHL games, and nine NHL games, on the slate today. The transaction wire remains as busy as the action on the ice and, as always, we’ll track notable player movement here.
- Scott Harrington has been released from his professional try-out with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls and decided to head overseas, signing a one-year deal with the ZSC Lions of Switzerland’s National League. Harrington, now 30, joins a handful of NHL cast members on the Lions – including Dean Kukan, Mikko Lehtonen, and Yannick Weber. That’s a lot of former NHL talent on the Lions blue line, where Harrington will look to carve out a role. ZSC is also home to Montreal Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer, who is playing his first year with ZSC’s top team after playing for their U17 team prior to his move to Canada.
- Tyler Sikura has left the Wilks-Barre/Scranton Penguins in favor of HC Bolzano in Italy. Bolzano plays in the ICE Hockey League, or ICEHL, along with top teams like EC Salzburg Villacher SV. Bolzano now boasts seven North Americans in their forward group, including former 40th-overall pick Christian Thomas.
- Libor Hajek has signed a minor-league deal with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. This contract comes after Hajek attended the Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp on a professional try-out. Hajek split the 2022-23 season between the New York Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack, recording a single assist in 16 NHL games and six points in 24 AHL games. Hajek has been apart of the Rangers organization since 2018, when he was a feature of the trade that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Veteran forward Brendan Perlini has signed a PTO with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, per a team release. Perlini attended Carolina Hurricanes training camp this season on a PTO but did not earn a contract. With Charlotte, Perlini replaces forward Jonah Gadjovich on their roster, who was snapped up by the Checkers’ NHL affiliate, the Florida Panthers, on a one-year deal yesterday. The 2014 12th overall pick spent last season with the Chicago Wolves, recording ten goals and five assists for 15 points in 26 games. He last appeared in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in 2021-22, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be doing so again anytime soon.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Lindgren, Schmid, Mermis
Charlie Lindgren has been announced as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, after prematurely leaving the team’s Monday practice. Lindgren played the entirety of Washington’s recent game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, saving 31 of the 35 shots that he faced. Lindgren is in the second year of a three-year, $3.3MM contract with the Capitals. He played in 31 games last season, starting in 26, recording a 13-11-3 record and a .899 save percentage.
Washington has recalled Clay Stevenson in response to Lindgren’s injury. Stevenson has appeared in two games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears so far this season, recording a split record and .900 save percentage. Washington signed Stevenson out of Dartmouth College at the end of the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 36 ECHL games last season, recording a .916 save percentage.
Other notes from around the league:
- There have reportedly yet to be talks of a contract extension between the New Jersey Devils and goaltender Akira Schmid. This report comes after Elliotte Friedman speculated whether extension talks have started yet, as the Devils have shown a pattern of wanting to extend younger players earlier in the season. Schmid has played in one game this season, allowing three goals and recording an overtime loss.
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo expects the Wild to send defender Dakota Mermis to the AHL and recall a forward for the team’s upcoming three-game homestand – assuming they get through the final game of their road trip unscathed. The Wild only have $51K in cap space, limiting their options to recall. They currently have six forwards with a cap hit equal to, or less than, Mermis, including recent signee Jujhar Khaira.
Pacific Injury Notes: Vlasic, Vegas, Vancouver
William Carrier was spotted in a no-contact jersey at Vegas’ Monday practice, taking reps in his usual fourth-line role. He’s been announced as a game-time decision for the team’s next game. Of note, fellow Golden Knight Alex Pietrangelo was absent from the practice. Pietrangelo had a scary moment in the team’s Thursday night game against the San Jose Sharks when a high hit from Nicolas Hague left the defender bloodied.
Pietrangelo missed the team’s subsequent game and was announced as day-to-day, although the exact nature of the injury wasn’t disclosed. It appears he’s still grappling with this ailment as the team prepares for their October 17th game. Pietrangelo has recorded one point through two appearances so far this season. Kaedan Korczak stepped in for the injured Pietrangelo, playing in 14 minutes in the alternate captain’s absence.
Vegas has also sent Jonas Rondbjerg to the AHL, now that Brett Howden‘s suspension has expired.
Other Pacific Division injury notes:
- Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News has shared that defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic won’t play in the team’s Tuesday night matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Vlasic missed the team’s Monday morning practice, after sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period of the Sharks’ Saturday night game against the Colorado Avalanche. Vlasic scored 18 points in 78 games for the Sharks during the 2022-23 season, his 17th season with the club.
- Vancouver head coach Rick Tocchet shared optimism on Ilya Mikheyev‘s injury, saying there’s a chance he will play on the team’s upcoming four-game road trip. Tocchet also shared that Carson Soucy will be a game-time decision for the team’s upcoming match against the Flyers.
Seattle Forward Brandon Tanev Out Four-To-Six Weeks
The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward Brandon Tanev will miss the next four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. This injury was suffered in Seattle’s October 10th matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Tanev appeared in 10 minutes of that game, before taking an illegal check to the head from Vegas’ Brett Howden. Howden received a two-game suspension for this hit.
This is difficult news for Tanev, who was heavily limited during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, playing fewer than 35 games in each year. His 2020-21 season was cut short with upper-body injuries and a bout with COVID-19, and an ACL tear ended his 2021-22 campaign.
But despite past injuries, Tanev was able to appear in all 82 games for the Kraken last season. He tallied 16 goals and 35 points in that span, both career-highs. He also added 44 penalty minutes in those games, while playing in just over 14 minutes of ice time. Tanev was a stout member of Seattle’s roster, even earning a top-30 nomination for the 2023 Selke Award. This was the third time that Tanev has received Selke votes in his nine-year NHL career, speaking to the value he brings to an NHL lineup.
Seattle has yet to make any roster moves in response to Tanev’s long-term injury designation. Tye Kartye has served as the fill-in since Tanev’s injury, representing the first two games that he’s played during an NHL regular season. Kartye appeared in 10 postseason games with the Kraken this Spring, netting five points. He has yet to score this season but seems to be the team’s current go-to in Tanev’s absence.
Taylor Hall To Return To Lineup Monday
Oct. 16, 10:06 a.m.: Call it a miraculously short recovery period for Hall, who says he expects to draw into the lineup Monday night against Toronto. “I wouldn’t say I’m 110 percent, but definitely good enough to play and much better than I was even two days ago,” Hall said. It’s great news for Chicago, who wasn’t expecting to see their top-line winger for quite a while longer.
Oct. 13, 1:56 p.m.: Per Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, Taylor Hall has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day with an upper-body injury. NBCS Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, Hall told Richardson he feels like a “miracle healer” with how quickly he’s bounced back from the Wednesday night injury. He even felt good enough to skate at the Blackhawks’ practice today and, while he’s set to miss Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, could be eyeing a quick return.
This would be great news for Blackhawks fans, as Hall has spent nearly all of his ice time playing alongside rookie sensation Connor Bedard, even providing the primary assist on the 18-year-old’s first NHL goal. Their line, which is completed by winger Ryan Donato, has been a focal piece in Chicago’s early season, with Bedard averaging 21-and-a-half minutes of ice time through the first two games.
The Blackhawks acquired Hall this off-season, looking to add a sparkplug to work with Bedard. Hall has played for five different clubs over the last seven seasons and has struggled to return to the 90-point upside he flashed in the 2017-18 season. The closest he’s gotten was in 2021-22 when he netted 61 points in 81 games with the Boston Bruins. Hall will look to regain his former scoring potential, now playing alongside a historic talent and fellow first-overall draftee.
In Hall’s absence, Andreas Athanasiou joined Bedard and Donato on the team’s top line. However, it was Taylor Raddysh who skated with the duo at the team’s Friday practice, while Athanasiou worked with Raddysh’s old line of Lukas Reichel and Tyler Johnson. With Hall slated to miss at least one game, who the Blackhawks decide to pair with Bedard could be interesting.
Devon Toews Signs Seven Year Extension In Colorado
4:46 p.m.: PuckPedia has the full breakdown of Toews’ deal, which reads as follows. Toews has a full no-movement clause in 2024-25 and 2025-26, which downgrades to a 12-team no-trade list in 2026-27 and remains in place for the life of the deal.
2024-25: $7.75MM salary
2025-26: $7.75MM salary
2026-27: $5.25MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2027-28: $7.75MM salary
2028-29: $7.75MM salary
2029-30: $7.5MM salary
2030-31: $6MM salary
11:16 a.m.: Devon Toews has signed a seven-year contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche. The contract will start in the 2024-25 season and end following the 2030-31 season. The new deal carries an annual cap hit of $7.25MM, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, or a $50.75MM total value. The deal starts in Toews’ age-30 season and ends following his age-37 year. This likely means that Toews will spend the rest of his career with the Avalanche, something he expressed interest in before the season started. Toews joined the Avalanche via trade ahead of the 2020-21 season, when Colorado sent two second-round picks to the Islanders for him.
Since then, Toews has played in an even 200 games with the Avalanche, recording 139 points along the way. He’s become a featured piece of the Avalanche roster, averaging around 25 minutes of ice time each night through his first three seasons with the club. He was also a major piece of the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, playing in 20 games and netting 15 points while averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time through the postseason.
Despite multiple 50-point seasons and a track record of success with the Avalanche, Toews didn’t make the NHL until he was 24. The defender was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft, following his freshman year at Quinnipiac University. He would go on to play through his junior year, before moving to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL for the 2016-17 season. Toews recorded 45 points in 76 AHL games that year – his first season of pro hockey. He would go on to play in 54 more AHL games over the next two seasons, before playing his rookie season in the NHL in 2018-19. He appeared in 116 games with the Islanders over two seasons, scoring 47 points, before being dealt to Colorado.
Toews has one assist and a +2 rating in one game this season.
Kings Place Viktor Arvidsson On LTIR
Oct 13, 3:10 p.m.: The Kings reversed the AHL swaps today, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. Kaliyev is back up on the active roster to serve the final game of his suspension tomorrow, while Laferriere is also joined by Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Jordan Spence, who were brought up with the cap space afforded by Arvidsson’s LTIR placement. This move affords the Kings an extra skater on the roster for the time being, a number that will increase to two when Kaliyev is eligible to play.
Oct 12, 2:33 p.m.: The Los Angeles Kings have placed winger Viktor Arvidsson on long-term injured reserve. This will require him to miss at least 10 games or 24 days of action. The Kings have coupled this with a pair of AHL swaps – sending Arthur Kaliyev and Alex Laferriere to the AHL and recalling Alex Turcotte and Brandt Clarke.
Arvidsson, 30, originally suffered this lower-body injury at a team practice and was originally listed as day-to-day. He now finds himself on LTIR and will miss the rest of October. This is a major blow for a player who was slowly working his way back from bouts with the injury bug. Arvidsson played in 77 games last season, the most he’s played in one year since the 2017-18 season. He tallied 26 goals and 59 points in those games, ranking third on the team in goals and fourth in points.
The Kings now turn towards a pair of rookie talents in Turcotte and Clarke – two high-end prospects that have yet to find their way into consistent NHL playing time. Turcotte has seen 12 career NHL games over the last two seasons but has yet to record a point. This is contrary to the scoring he’s managed in the AHL, where he’s tallied 35 points through 59 games since 2021-22. Brandt Clarke appeared in nine games for the Kings last year, netting two points and recording six penalty minutes. This was an exciting cap to a journeyman season for Clarke; a year that saw him play in the OHL, AHL, and NHL. Both players are former top-10 draftees (Turcotte #5 in 2019, Clarke #8 in 2021) and will look to prove their worth as new members of the 2023-24 Kings roster.
By recalling Turcotte and Clarke prior to placing Arvidsson on LTIR, the Kings made enough cap space to afford the duo’s performance bonuses. They can send the pair down, and recall Kaliyev and Laferriere, prior to their Saturday game with Carolina if they would like.