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Pacific Notes: Dillon, Schmidt, Subban, Gudbranson

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Many in Toronto, after watching a San Jose Sharks’ hit against Auston Matthews Friday night, felt that the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon deserved to have the hit looked at by the Department of Player Safety. However, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Dillon won’t face any supplemental discipline for the hit as the belief is that the head was not the main point of contact.

Dillon hit Matthews at 11:30 in the second period of Friday’s game just as Matthews was entering the Sharks’ offensive zone as Dillon’s hands appeared to go high on the Maple Leafs’ forward. There was no penalty on the play. Matthews left the game and underwent concussion protocol. However, he did return in the third period.

  • After a embarrassing performance against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights got a hint at the potential return of one of their top players as Vegas’ head coach Gerard Gallant said that defenseman Nate Schmidt could be close to a return. “I’d love to have him in my lineup, trust me, and he’s going to be there soon,” said Gallant, via Ken Boehlke of Sinbin.vegas. Schmidt suffered a lower-body injury on the first game of the season and has been out ever since. However, he has resumed skating. Considered to be the team’s top defenseman, the team is eager to get him back into their lineup.
  • David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the Vegas Golden Knights could be getting back goaltender Malcolm Subban soon. The backup goaltender suffered a lower-body injury and has missed eight straight games. However, the scribe reports that his equipment was seen in front of his locker, which would suggest he’s ready to skate and could return to the lineup soon. Garrett Sparks is currently the backup for Vegas.
  • After attempting to add both Kevin Shattenkirk and Justin Faulk earlier this year, the Anaheim Ducks finally were able to trade for a veteran defenseman Friday when they acquired blueliner Erik Gudbranson. In fact, the Ducks had been interested in acquiring him for quite a while, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). “This is something we have been looking at for some time. We haven’t been tough enough to play against and hopefully Erik can help us address part of that need,” general manager Bob Murray said.

Penguins Activate Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced several moves today, which included activating several of their players off of  injured reserve. The team announced they activated forwards Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust (who was on long-term injured reserve) and both are expected to play in today’s lineup against Dallas.

The Penguins also changed the status of several players as Sam Lafferty, Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi all had their emergency recalls altered to regular recalls.

Rust has missed the entire season after blocking a shot in the preseason with his hand. The 27-year-old winger has also been a major missing piece in the Penguins’ lineup which also is missing Evgeni Malkin. The hope is that Rust can immediately supply the top-six with a prominent winger and add some offense to a suddenly struggling Pittsburgh squad. Rust scored a career-high 18 goals last season.

Bjugstad hasn’t appeared in a game since Oct. 5 after going down with a lower-body injury and should be a big addition to a team in need of some healthy veterans. The 27-year-old center has only appeared in two games this season, but scored nine goals and 13 points as a bottom-six center for the team in 32 games after the Penguins acquired him from Florida in February earlier this year.

Florida Panthers Acquire Jack Rodewald From Ottawa

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The Florida Panthers have acquired more depth for their team as the team announced they have traded for forward Jack Rodewald from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the rights to collegiate winger Chris Wilkie. The Panthers have assigned Rodewald to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.

The 25-year-old Rodewald has spent the last three years in the AHL after a year in the ECHL, but while he lacks the upside of a top NHL prospect, has proven to be a reliable depth player for the Senators over the years and a solid option at the AHL level as well. The undrafted forward scored 23 goals and 47 points last season for the Belleville Senators, but has gone scoreless in six games for Belleville this season. He has made 10 NHL appearances over his career, but has failed to register a point in any of them.

For Ottawa, the move makes quite a bit of sense. The Belleville squad, laden with a bunch of young prospects, needed to make room on their roster to get more playing time for some of their players. The move of Rodewald should free up more time for several prospects, including Jonathan Davidsson, Max Veronneau and Vitaly Abramov. Rodewald will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

In exchange for Rodewald, the team acquired the rights to Wilkie, who is in his fourth year of college after spending two years at the University of North Dakota and now is in his second year at Colorado College. In 20 games for the Tigers last season, Wilkie scored six goals and 19 points and seems headed for an even bigger season this year as he already has three goals and six points in three games. A sixth-round pick in 2015, Wilkie may opt to sign a deal once his collegiate season is over this year, but he could also wait until August and become a free agent where he can choose any team to sign with that he wants, assuming there is interest.

What the move also does is free up a contract for the Senators who had 49 contracts before this trade. With Wilkie unsigned, the Senators’ contract number will drop to 48, giving the team a little more maneuverability to make trade or sign players later this season.

 

 

Atlantic Notes: Mete, Trocheck, Krejci, Miller

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The Montreal Canadiens don’t have a lot on their plate this offseason when it comes to their own free agents. However, that isn’t stopping the franchise from trying to sign defenseman Victor Mete, who is playing in the final year of his entry-level contract. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Canadiens have already begun negotiations with the 21-year-old.

Mete surprised a few people several years ago when he made the roster out of training camp at 19 years old and his fast skating and defensive-first abilities might complement veteran Shea Weber. However, Weber got injured and Mete struggled, playing 49 games, but was often scratched due to the fact that he wasn’t ready. He settled in last season, playing 71 games and has been a solid defensive presence since then. Mete finally scored his first NHL goal last week after going scoreless in 126 straight games.

The Canadiens’ only other significant off-season contract that it will need to deal with other than Mete’s will be that of Max Domi, who will also be a restricted free agent next summer.

  • NHL.com’s Jameson Olive reports that Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck, who hasn’t played since Oct. 19 with an lower-body injury, was practicing with the team today in a yellow non-contact jersey. Trocheck who has a foot/ankle injury is travelling with the team and is listed as day-to-day. After a down season last year while dealing with a broken ankle, the team needs Trocheck to put up a big season. The 26-year-old has a goal and five assists in eight games.
  • NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty writes that Boston Bruins center David Krejci, who is out with an upper-body injury, is expected to miss both games this weekend. However, the scribe adds that Krejci is close and should be able to return at some point next week with a likely date of Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, although head coach Bruce Cassidy said a decision on that won’t be made until Monday. Haggerty also writes that defenseman Kevan Miller should be ready to practice at some point next week. Miller has been out with a fractured kneecap.

Kirby Dach Set To Make Chicago Blackhawks Debut

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The Chicago Blackhawks have been very careful with their 2019 first-round pick, Kirby Dach. The 18-year-old center, who was chosen with the third-overall pick, suffered a concussion in rookie camp to start the year, missing training camp. He began the season with an injured/non-roster designation and was immediately assigned to the AHL Rockford IceHogs on a conditioning stint last week. However, NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Dach, who was recalled by the Blackhawks on Friday is expected to play today’s game against the Washington Capitals.

Dach wasn’t particulary dominant in his three appearances for the IceHogs, scoring no points in his conditioning stint, so there is no guarantee that Dach will remain in Chicago for the rest of the season or eventually be returned to his junior club, the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. The Blackhawks can play him for up to nine games in the NHL before burning the first-year of his entry-level contract and the team might consider bringing him along slowly before having to make that decision.

The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that head coach Jeremy Colliton said they will be taking a game-by-game approach to see determine what to do with Dach. In fact, the coach wasn’t even sure where in the lineup Dach might play tonight. There is talk that Chicago might opt to play him on the wing to give him an easier time in his debut.

“I think he can play either one, which is a big benefit for us,” said Colliton. “Probably long term he’s a center, but it’s only a benefit to be versatile.”

Dach dominated the junior level at 17 years old. In 62 games, the 6-foot-4 center scored 25 goals and added 48 assists. He was considered to be one of the best playmaking centers in the draft and should be a key piece to the Blackhawks’ future whether that starts today or in the near future.

Injury Notes: Barkov, Little, Johnsson, Ladd, Simek, Paquette

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Florida Panthers fans were quite worried Saturday when star player Aleksander Barkov skated off the ice during his second shift and did not return for the rest of the game. The Panthers deemed the injury as an upper-body injury and head coach Joel Quenneville refused to comment on it. However, The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) reports that general manager Dale Tallon referred to the injury as “minor.”

How Barkov was injured is a different story, as it doesn’t look as if Barkov took a hit, but the 24-year-old was seen clutching his side after an icing call on his second shift. He still lined up for the face-off, but looked to be in obvious pain. The team flew back to home last night and have Sunday off, with a home match against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

  • The Winnipeg Jets are looking for some added punch to their lineup as TSN’s Brian Munz reports that center Bryan Little, who has been sidelined all season with a concussion, is expected to play Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 31-year-old has served as the team’s second line center for quite some time. He scored 15 goals and 41 points last season.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson was not at practice Sunday after blocking a Brandon Carlo shot Saturday and being forced out of the game and missing the third period, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. X-rays on Johnsson’s leg came back negative, suggesting the injury isn’t too serious and the forward isn’t expected to be out for long. The 24-year-old winger has two goals and five points in nine games with the Leafs so far.
  • The return of Andrew Ladd could be coming soon as Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that the 33-year-old winger was skating in a regular practice jersey Sunday, after several practices in an orange non-contact jersey. Ladd is coming off a torn ACL and was limited to just 26 games last season. If healthy, Ladd could make some key contributions on the team’s bottom-six. He scored three goals and 11 points in those 26 appearances last year. Gross in a separate tweet, reports that both Jordan Eberle and Casey Cizikas, each on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, skated today, but separately from the rest of the team.
  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek is expected to join the San Jose Sharks on their five-game road trip, but the blueliner said that he likely won’t play in any of those games due to his leg injury. He has been practicing so a return could come in the next few weeks, but his return to health has taken longer than the team expected.
  • NHL.com’s Bryan Burns reports that Tampa Bay Lighting forward Cedric Paquette is now considered to be day-to-day. The 26-year-old forward, out with an arm injury, hasn’t played a game this season yet, but could be close. Paquette scored a career-high 13 goals last season.

 

Toronto Will Have Some Tough Roster Decisions To Make Next Week

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are expecting to get back two key players from long-term injured reserve as defenseman Travis Dermott and forward Zach Hyman are both eligible to return on Saturday when Toronto faces Montreal. While that is great news for Maple Leafs fans, it might be quite a challenge as the team will have to make quite a few changes to their roster to fit those two back into their salary cap structure.

On Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that Toronto may have to clear four players from their roster in order to get Dermott and Hyman onto their roster. He said the moves could be demotions to the Toronto Marlies, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Toronto made a trade or put a player on waivers.

Elliotte Friedman suggested in the same segment that Toronto is seeking to trade Nic Petan, who the Maple Leafs acquired at the trade deadline last season and isn’t a favorite of head coach Mike Babcock. Petan only played five games after the trade last year and has only appeared in three this year.

Dermott is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, while Hyman had surgery to repair his ACL which he tore during the playoffs last season. With the two on LTIR, the Maple Leafs, who are under the cap by just $380K, have saved $3.11MM on the cap. But when activated, the Maple Leafs will have to clear that much in order to keep both on the roster. While Petan might be an obvious choice, none of their bottom-line players (offense or defense) make much more than the minimum, which likely would force the team to make multiple moves, barring a bigger trade.

Other players who could be out could include Jason Spezza, Nick Shore, Justin Holl, Kevin Gravel and Martin Marincin.

Brian Boyle Signs One-Year Deal With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers added some key veteran depth to their team Sunday when they announced they have signed unrestricted veteran free agent Brian Boyle to a one-year deal, one-way contract. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports the deal is worth $940K. The 34-year-old Boyle is expected to join the team in Coral Springs for practice on Monday.

“With over 700 games played in the NHL and over 100 more in the playoffs, Brian brings a wealth of experience to our club,” said general manager Dale Tallon. “He adds versatility and character to our lineup.”

Boyle, who will be now playing for his seventh NHL team and fifth team in the last three years, is coming off an 13-goal performance with the New Jersey Devils last year. However, with their season lost, the Devils traded Boyle to the Predators for a 2019 second-round pick. Boyle netted five goals in 26 games for the Predators. He scored 13 goals in 2017-18 for the Devils, and 13 goals in 2015-16 and 2016-17 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Boyle received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2017-18 for perseverence, sportsmanship and dedication for returning to hockey after being diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia.

The veteran is expected to immediately join their bottom-six, likely centering the fourth line. Head coach Joel Quenneville has spoken often about the importance of puck possession, which Boyle should help with. Throw in his 6-foot-6 frame and physical play and Boyle should add much needed grit to the Panthers this year. The team has already assigned youngster Henrik Borgstrom to the AHL to get more playing time, which should open up a spot on the team’s roster.

McKenzie was the first to report on the signing.

Minor Transactions: 10/20/19

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After a full slate of games Saturday, the NHL docket has just five matchups today. However, with injuries growing, several teams will be making roster moves today:

  • After being a healthy scratch for the past couple of games, the Florida Panthers announced they have loaned forward Henrik Borgstrom to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. The Panthers’ first-round pick in 2016 has struggled in Florida’s lineup through four games. He failed to score any points in that time and was averaging just 12:23 when on the ice. Borgstrom, who many felt would be a key prospect for the Panthers, played 50 games for Florida last year, scoring eight goals and 18 points. The hope is that a bigger role in Springfield can allow the 22-year-old to find his game in the minors.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have sent goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the Rochester Americans of the AHL as he is ready to start his professional career after undergoing offseason hip surgery. The 20-year-old netminder was dominant in his one junior season last year after being taken in the second round in the 2017 draft. He won the OHL’s Most Valuable Player award and was just the sixth goalie to win the award. He finished with 38 wins, a 2.50 GAA and a .920 save percentage for the Sudbury Wolves.
  • After making his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators Saturday, the team announced today that they are assigning forward Yakov Trenin to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward, who was dominating early in Milwaukee’s season with four goals in three games, played 12:35 in his debut on Nashville’s third line. He will likely continue to develop his skills in the AHL until the team needs his services again.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have assigned forward Markus Hannikainen to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The forward was recalled nine days previously, but served as an emergency forward and never appeared in a game. The 26-year-old will return to Cleveland where he has a goal in two games. Hannikainen played in 44 games for the Blue Jackets last year.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned forward Jordan Szwarz to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. The 28-year-old was recalled almost a week ago and saw action in three games, although when he did play, he saw little time on the ice, averaging 4:55 per game. The minor-league veteran will return to Belleville. He scored 23 goals for the Providence Bruins last season.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights added some depth to their team as the team announced they have recalled forward Nicolas Roy from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, giving the team the maximum 23 players now and 13 forwards. Roy has yet to appear in an NHL game despite already spending some time on Vegas’ roster. The 6-foot-4 forward could be a valuable asset on the teams’ fourth line. He was acquired during the offseason as part of the trade that sent Erik Haula to Carolina. Roy has been scoreless in three appearances with the Wolves.
  • The Calgary Sun’s Kristen Anderson reports that the Calgary Flames have recalled forward Alan Quine from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has fared well in limited action with Stockton, posting a goal and five points in four games this year. He played 13 games with the Flames, scoring three goals and five points. Anderson writes that head coach Bill Peters suggested there was an injury on the Flames’ roster, but didn’t divulge that information. Fan 960 Radio Host Pat Steinberg reports the Flames consequently assigned defenseman Oliver Kylington to Stockton.

Evening Notes: Turris, Bruins’ Forwards, Gaudette

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Despite rumors earlier in the week that the Nashville Predators would be willing to move center Kyle Turris in a trade, but his contract (five years at $6MM AAV) will be a major stumbling block for the team, writes the Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson.

After an impressive performance at the World Championships, the Predators were hoping that Turris would have a bounce-back season after a seven-goal, 23-point performance last year. Unfortunately, when Nashville added center Matt Duchene in free agency, it moved all the centers down in the order with Nick Bonino taking the No. 3 center role and Turris sliding down to the fourth line.

The only positive point is that Turris is faring well this season despite the limited minutes as he has two goals and five points in seven games, which could make him a tradeable commodity, assuming Nashville might be willing to retain some salary.

  • NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty writes that the Boston Bruins need to be aggressive with their struggles beyond the first line. Boston top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have been terrific. However, no forward outside of fourth-liner Sean Kuraly have more than one point so far this season. While head coach Bruce Cassidy said he will rely on his players to find their games, the scribe writes that it might be time to trade for some cheap top-six options, including Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi and New York Islanders’ Joshua Ho-Sang with the idea of buying low and letting them develop in top roles.
  • The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that the Vancouver Canucks might need to make a decision on what they intend to do with center Adam Gaudette. The 23-year-old impressed head coach Travis Green in training camp, which earned him a spot on the team. However, after only appearing in three games so far this season, the scribe wonders whether the team might have to decide on a what role to give to the young center. The team could move him permanently to the third line and slide Brandon Sutter to the wing, or maybe it would be better off giving him top-line minutes with the Utica Comets of the AHL.

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