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Evening Notes: Senators, Wild, Penguins

December 26, 2023 at 8:48 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 2 Comments

The Ottawa Senators announced today that they have recalled forwards Angus Crookshank and Jiri Smejkal from their AHL affiliate in Belleville. Both players had been previously assigned to the AHL after the Senators 5-4 overtime win on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Both Crookshank and Smejkal had been with the Senators on an emergency recall prior to the break and were unable to stay with the club because the emergency conditions wouldn’t be satisfied. But with the team in Toronto tomorrow night to take on the Maple Leafs both players were able to be recalled joining the club as they get set to begin a busy stretch of games over the next few weeks. The Senators play three times before the new year and 15 times in January as they try to play catchup to the rest of the Eastern Conference.

In other evening notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild announced a pair of recalls as they brought up Daemon Hunt and Jake Lucchini from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Both players were reassigned to Iowa on Sunday making this move a paper transaction similar to that of the Senators. Lucchini has spent most of the year in Iowa and played his first game with Minnesota on December 23rd. His recall could mean that forward Ryan Hartman will remain out of action when the Wild resume play against the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night. Hunt will likely serve as the Wild’s extra defenseman for tomorrow night’s game.
  • Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that he believes it is possible the Pittsburgh Penguins could hang on to pending unrestricted free agent Jake Guentzel until the end of the season and treat that as their big trade deadline acquisition. The Penguins currently sit five points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but hold three games in hand on the Tampa Bay Lightning who currently occupy that position. Kingerski believes that the Penguins will forgo a potential trade package for Guentzel if they remain within six points of the playoffs by the end of January.

Minnesota Wild| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins Angus Crookshank| Daemon Hunt| Jake Guentzel| Jake Lucchini| Jiri Smejkal| Ryan Hartman

2 comments

Red Wings Place Christian Fischer On IR, Recall Three Players

December 26, 2023 at 7:14 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 3 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings have announced that they’ve placed forward Christian Fischer on the injured reserve retroactive to December 23rd. The 26-year-old was hurt in Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils and will miss the next two games with the injury, making this upcoming Saturday the earliest he can return.

Fischer has dressed in 33 games and has two goals and six assists in his first season in the Motor City. It’s been a disappointing campaign so far for both Fischer and the Red Wings as both sides likely expected more when the Chicago, Illinois native was signed to a one-year deal back on July 2nd. Fischer had become an unrestricted free agent after he was non-tendered by the Arizona Coyotes.

In a trio of other roster moves the Red Wings recalled three players from their AHL affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins. Detroit has brought up forward Jonatan Berggren, center Austin Czarnik and defenseman Simon Edvinsson under emergency conditions.

Czarnik and Edvinsson were sent down just two days ago, and their recall is a paper transaction. Berggren on the other hand hasn’t played with Detroit since December 14th. During his most recent recall, the former second-round pick had a good showing as he posted two goals and an assist in three games, despite averaging less than ten minutes of ice time per game. In seven games this season with Detroit, Berggren has two goals and two assists.

Detroit is back in action tomorrow night against the Minnesota Wild and currently sits three points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit Red Wings Austin Czarnik| Christian Fischer| Jonatan Berggren| Simon Edvinsson

3 comments

Seattle Kraken Assign Kole Lind To AHL

December 23, 2023 at 3:30 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 3 Comments

Saturday: The Kraken announced that Lind has been returned to the Firebirds.  He played 5:59 on Wednesday against Los Angeles, his first NHL game of the season.

Tuesday: The Seattle Kraken have announced that they’ve recalled forward Kole Lind from their AHL affiliate on an emergency basis but did not go into detail as to the reason why. The Kraken lost several forwards to injury in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars last night but little is known about the circumstances surrounding Lind’s recall.

Lind is in his third season in the Kraken organization but has not dressed for them in an NHL game since the 2021-22 season. In 30 career NHL games split between the Kraken and the Vancouver Canucks, the 25-year-old has two goals and six assists and is -5.

The former second-round pick was the Kraken’s expansion pick from the Canucks in the 2021 expansion draft and has been a good offensive player for the team at the AHL level. This season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Lind has posted five goals and 16 assists in 23 games.

In last year’s Calder Cup playoffs, Lind had a coming out party in which he showed glimpses of the kind of player Seattle was hoping they were getting when they took him in the expansion draft. Lind had nine goals and 22 assists in 26 AHL playoff games as he helped the Firebirds to within a game of the Calder Cup championship. He provided some big moments for the team including a three-point night in game one of the Calder Cup finals.

AHL| Seattle Kraken| Transactions Kole Lind

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Morning Notes: Määttä, Celebrini, Zegras

December 23, 2023 at 8:52 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 5 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings have announced that defenseman Olli Määttä will be unavailable for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Määttä is dealing with an upper-body injury that forced him out of last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. There’s no word on a timetable for Määttä to return to the lineup but that could be provided in the coming days as Detroit gets set to head into the break. The Red Wings won’t be action again until Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild and an update should be provided before that time.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Määttä has settled into a role with the Red Wings since signing with the team as a free agent back in July 2022. Määttä had bounced around to a few teams after being traded away by the Penguins but has since found a home in Detroit. In 27 games this season, the 29-year-old has a goal and six assists and is +6 while playing almost 15 minutes a night.

In other morning notes:

  • The IIHF has announced that Team Canada forward Macklin Celebrini will not face any supplemental discipline for his boarding incident that occurred in Canada’s second pre-tournament game as they get prepared for this year’s World Junior tournament. Celebrini is projected to be the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL entry draft and would have been a huge loss for Canada had he been suspended. The 17-year-old had two assists in the first half of the game against Switzerland before he was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding. Canada plays their final pre-tournament game today against the United States and will begin the official tournament against Finland on Boxing Day.
  • NHL.com is reporting that Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras could return to the Ducks lineup tonight as they take on the Seattle Kraken. Zegras reportedly practiced yesterday on the Ducks’ top line alongside Alex Killorn and Troy Terry. The 22-year-old has missed the Ducks’ last 20 games with an upper-body injury and would presumably slide into Leo Carlsson’s spot as the top center as Carlsson is being evaluated for an injury as well. The native of Bedford, New York has had a rough start to his season as he started with just a goal and an assist in his first 12 games before going down to injury.

Anaheim Ducks| Detroit Red Wings| IIHF| Team Canada Alex Killorn| Leo Carlsson| Macklin Celebrini| NHL Entry Draft| Team Canada| Trevor Zegras| Troy Terry

5 comments

Arizona Coyotes Recall Justin Kirkland

December 23, 2023 at 7:55 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 1 Comment

The Arizona Coyotes have announced that they’ve recalled forward Justin Kirkland from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. The recall was done on an emergency basis last night and could provide the 27-year-old with his first look at NHL action this season after he dressed in seven NHL games last season with the Anaheim Ducks. He was held scoreless during that time.

Kirkland has played nine AHL games so far this season and has a single goal and nine assists. The native of Camrose, Alberta originally signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Coyotes back on July 15th and was waived at the start of the season before he was assigned to Tucson.

Kirkland dressed in 365 AHL games before he received an opportunity to play in the NHL. That chance came last December when he suited up in his first career game against the Los Angeles Kings. Unfortunately, his NHL run was cut short by a car accident on January 7th that he was involved in while he was on his way to a game against the Boston Bruins. Kirkland suffered some injuries in the crash and did not make it back to the NHL with the Ducks.

With his recall, Kirkland may get another opportunity to show he belongs in the NHL, and he has earned it after his solid start in the AHL this season.

Utah Mammoth Justin Kirkland

1 comment

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Nashville Predators

December 21, 2023 at 9:26 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 10 Comments

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Nashville Predators.

Who are the Predators thankful for?

Juuse Saros

Saros is a franchise goalie, even if he hasn’t been playing like one this year. The 28-year-old has struggled to start the season and is in danger of finishing with a save percentage below .914 for the first time in his career as he currently sits at a .908 save percentage.

Save percentage doesn’t always paint a clear picture of a goaltender’s level of play, however, a deeper dive into Saros numbers shows that his Goals Saved Above Expected is sitting at -3.2 according to Money Puck. To give that number some context, Saros finished last season with a Goals Saved Above Expected of 46.7 which led the league and was well above Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark.

Saros may have struggled in 25 games this year, but his body of work over the last seven years is hard to ignore. He has been in the conversation for the Vezina Trophy in each of the last three years and basically willed the Predators into the playoffs in two of those three seasons.

The most incredible thing about Saros play is that at a time when teams are coveting taller goaltenders, Saros has put up elite numbers while standing just 5’11″ tall and weighing just 180 pounds.

If Saros can find his game this season, it could be a real game-changer for a team that has been able to remain in the playoff picture despite not getting the goaltending from Saros that they’ve become accustomed to.

What are the Predators thankful for?

The 2023 trade deadline.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators made a trade back in March 2023 that couldn’t have been better for the Predators and worse for the Penguins. Pittsburgh sent a 2023 second-round pick to Nashville for Mikael Granlund and his $5MM cap hit. Granlund failed to fit in with the Penguins picking up just a goal and four assists in 21 games as Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Granlund was then a salary cap dump in the Penguins’ move for Erik Karlsson in August. The trade was likely the move that sealed the fate for the Penguins’ previous management regime who were terminated shortly after the season. Nashville was the benefactor of a good draft pick, and valuable cap space that was at a premium at the time. They used the savings in the Granlund trade to re-tool this offseason with some veteran free agent additions.

The Granlund move was a solid piece of business but was hardly their most notable move. The Predators made a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning in which they moved forward Tanner Jeannot in exchange for Cal Foote and a 2025 first-round pick (Top 10 protected), a second-round pick in 2024, and a third, fourth and fifth-round pick in 2023. Jeannot was a very effective forward for the Predators but was in the midst of a down year and due an extension in the offseason. The trade raised more than a few eyebrows as Nashville was able to extract full value for Jeannot, and then some.

The Predators also moved on from long-time defender Matthias Ekholm when they dealt him to the Edmonton Oilers. In return, Nashville was able to acquire veteran Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer as well as a first-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024.

It was likely a difficult decision for Nashville to make, but opting to move on from several veterans at last year’s trade deadline could pay massive dividends down the road and may allow Nashville to retool on the fly rather than going into a full rebuild. So far this season, they have been able to remain competitive while having improved their farm system in the process. It is something that few teams have been able to do and it’ll be interesting to see how Nashville fares going forward.

What would the Predators be even more thankful for?

A long-term direction.

The Predators had a very confusing offseason after having a spectacular trade deadline. Barry Trotz was brought in to run the club and he made some interesting moves to clear up the Predators cap situation by trading Ryan Johansen to the Colorado Avalanche in a retained salary transaction and then buying out the expensive long-term deal of Matt Duchene. The Johansen move made sense as he wasn’t anywhere close to an $8MM player, however, Duchene still had some value and was just a year removed from a 43-goal season. He was the Predators second-leading scorer last season on a team that struggled to put the puck in the net.

The thought was that perhaps Nashville was going to bottom out and go into a rebuild, however, Trotz quickly put that notion to rest on July 1st when he signed Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn and Gustav Nyquist to multi-year deals that used up the savings on Duchene and Johansen.

In a vacuum, there was nothing wrong with the signings, but when coupled with the curious buyout of Duchene it made for a bit of a confusing offseason for many people looking at the situation from the outside. The Predators theoretically lost some offense in the flurry of transactions, and for a team that already had struggled to score goals, it was a bit of a headscratcher.

The good news is that the offense has improved dramatically this season, and the teams’ overall play has as well as they currently sit in a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference which has put the conversation about the team’s direction to bed for now. However, if they falter down the stretch it could start to become a question once again as they head into the summer of 2024.

What should be on the Predators holiday wish list?

A Tyson Barrie trade.

Barrie was a throw-in last year when the Edmonton Oilers traded with the Predators for defenseman Ekholm. Barrie and his $4.5MM cap hit were included in the deal so that Edmonton could make the money work and facilitate the deal. Since coming over to Nashville, Barrie has had nowhere close to the kind of offensive impact he was having at the previous NHL stops during his 13-year NHL career.

Barrie has reportedly asked for a trade in recent weeks and the Predators have given the veteran permission to seek one out with other teams. Barrie and Predators management have both commented to the media that they didn’t think he was a good fit with the Predators after Barrie was a healthy scratch.

Both sides would like to move on, and it would probably be best if they do. At 32 years of age Barrie probably still has a few more years of hockey left in him, and the Predators probably don’t want a player in their dressing room that is hoping to move on to a different organization.

The difficult spot for Nashville when it comes to a trade is that Barrie does come with a pretty big price tag and with just a goal and 10 assists in 28 games, he hasn’t been particularly good this season.

Nashville Predators| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Thankful Series 2023-24

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Evening Notes: Hartman, Blankenburg, Makar

December 21, 2023 at 8:15 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Ryan Hartman will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury. Hartman’s injury is a microcosm of the kind of season it has been for the Wild this year. The 29-year-old spent roughly two weeks toiling on the Wild’s fourth line, only to get moved up in the lineup where he scored goals in back-to-back games before falling to this latest injury.

The Wild are dealing with injuries to key players at the moment as defensemen Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon are out, as is forward Mats Zuccarello. Despite the injury troubles, the Wild have been playing solid hockey under new head coach John Hynes as the team is 8-3 since he took over being the bench after a shaky 5-10-4 start to the season under former head coach Dean Evason.

In other evening notes:

  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Nick Blankenburg isn’t playing tonight due to an upper-body injury. The Washington, Michigan native has dressed in six games this season for Columbus and has yet to register a point. He was recalled earlier this month after spending the first two months of the season with the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate and dressed in 36 games last season for Columbus, tallying four goals and ten assists.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have announced that defenseman Cale Makar will return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury. The former Norris Trophy winner was considered a game-time decision but after taking warmup with the team it appears the decision was made for the 25-year-old to play against the Ottawa Senators. Makar has eight goals and 29 assists this season in just 27 games and will give a much-needed boost to the Avalanche team that has lost seven of their last 11 games.

Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Minnesota Wild Cale Makar| Jared Spurgeon| Jonas Brodin| Mats Zuccarello| Nick Blankenburg| Ryan Hartman

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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Montreal Canadiens

December 19, 2023 at 9:53 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 8 Comments

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Montreal Canadiens.

Who are the Canadiens thankful for?

Mike Matheson

Mike Matheson has had a tale of two careers.

He was good in his first few seasons in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, showcasing his terrific skating and his ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone. But shortly after signing an eight-year extension the warts in his game began to show and he became a lightning rod for criticism in the Sunshine State.

It wasn’t long after that Matheson was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Colton Sceviour for Patric Hornqvist. Matheson was able to rehabilitate his game and looked like a good fit with the Penguins long-term. However, Penguins general manager Ron Hextall inexplicably wanted to change up the Penguins’ defense and in one day bulldozed his defense core by trading John Marino to New Jersey and Matheson to the Canadiens. Both trades have been a disaster for the Penguins, but the Matheson one stings for several reasons.

Since coming over to Montreal, the 29-year-old Matheson has dressed in 79 games, during that time he has 13 goals and 42 assists and has averaged almost 25 minutes a night in ice-time. He has been a catalyst for the Canadiens offense, and a mentor to many of Montreal’s young defensemen.

Although he has dealt with some injury issues, Matheson has been a driving force for the Canadiens and one that should continue to be an important piece for them in the coming seasons.

What are the Canadiens thankful for?

The Jeff Petry trades.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens made a trade back in July 2022 that sent defenseman Matheson to Pittsburgh in exchange for veteran defenseman Petry and Ryan Poehling. It was a questionable trade at the time for the Penguins as they were giving up a much younger defenseman for a 36-year-old defender with an inflated cap hit. A year after the deal, it’s safe to say that the trade was an absolute heist by the Canadiens. Jeff Petry has been traded twice since the original trade and Poehling was non-tendered and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Petry was traded by the Penguins to the Canadiens this past August in a move that Pittsburgh had to make to facilitate the Erik Karlsson trade. The Penguins traded Petry, goalie Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick. Hoffman was then moved to the Sharks and Pitlick has toiled in the AHL.

The trade was a great move for Montreal to acquire two futures while unloading two bad contracts. But they weren’t done yet. The Canadiens then traded Petry to the Detroit Red Wings for little-used defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2025. Finally, Montreal was able to complete the trade tree by shipping DeSmith to the Vancouver Canucks for Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick.

When all was said and done, the Canadiens were able to turn Pitlick, Hoffman, and a retained salary on Petry into Legare, Pearson, Lindstrom, and three 2025 draft picks. It was a creative move by Montreal, that will help them continue to build up their farm system or allow them to acquire additional players should they be more of a contending team in 2025.

What would the Canadiens be even more thankful for?

A Josh Anderson resurgence.

Many critics panned the Canadiens’ trade for Anderson back in October 2020 and for good reason, the trade was followed by the announcement of a seven-year $38.5MM extension that seemed like a massive overpay. In hindsight, it probably was, given that Anderson is carrying a $5.5MM cap hit and hasn’t come close to the 47 points he put up during the 2018-19 season. Since joining Montreal, Anderson has topped out at 32 points (twice), but he did have 40 goals over the two seasons before the start of the 2023-24 season.

This year has seen Anderson struggle more than he has in previous seasons. Through 31 games, the 29-year-old has just four goals and five assists and has been a drag on almost everyone he has played with this season. It’s been a frustrating season for the Burlington, Ontario native, one that he has acknowledged publicly. Just two nights ago, Anderson had an incredible game against the New York Islanders in which he scored two goals and was named the first star of the game. Afterwards, during a post-game interview, Anderson was serenaded by the Canadiens faithful and seemed genuinely humbled by the applause. With any luck, Anderson can use the game to catapult himself back to the heights he experienced when he put up 27 goals with the Columbus Blue Jackets five years ago.

If he can get back to his game, it could go a long way to the Canadiens making an unlikely push for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.

What should be on the Canadiens holiday wish list?

A goal-scoring forward.

The Canadiens forwards need to score more as they rank near the bottom of the NHL in goals and are currently on pace to not have a single 25-goal scorer. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki both registered 26 goals last year but have just eight each thus far through 31 games, while Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher are far removed from the back-to-back 30-goal seasons, they each enjoyed from 2017-2019.

The Canadiens need a game-breaker, which is much easier said than done. Most teams are looking for this type of scorer and they are almost impossible to acquire in today’s NHL. The Canadiens do have a surplus of young defensemen they could choose to trade from, but they would need to find a trading partner that is interested in trading away one of the most coveted pieces in today’s NHL.

The Canadiens have been patient with their rebuild and have made some savvy moves to acquire good young prospects and defensive depth. At some point in the near future, they are going to have to take a risk on an offensively gifted forward. Whether that happens via trade or free agency remains to be seen but they will need to acquire a forward that can put the puck in the net.

Montreal Canadiens| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Thankful Series 2023-24 Casey DeSmith| Colton Sceviour| Erik Karlsson| Free Agency| Gustav Lindstrom| Jeff Petry| John Marino| Josh Anderson| Mike Hoffman| Mike Matheson| Nathan Legare| Nick Suzuki| Patric Hornqvist| Rem Pitlick| Ryan Poehling| Sean Monahan| Tanner Pearson

8 comments

Evening Notes: Blackwell, Kurashev, Broberg

December 19, 2023 at 8:01 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 5 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve activated forward Colin Blackwell from non-roster status, and he will make his season debut this evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Blackwell has been sidelined since February 27th as he has been dealing with a sports hernia. Blackwell suffered multiple setbacks through the summer, his rehab process, as well as during training camp and talked at length about his frustration, but it appears that he has overcome the struggles and is set to get back on the ice.

The 30-year-old posted two goals and eight assists last season with Chicago as he dressed in 53 games in his first year with the club. Blackwell has played with five different teams during his five-year NHL career and should have plenty of incentive as he gets back into the lineup. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency next July when his two-year $2.4MM contract will be set to expire.

In other evening notes:

  • Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev will miss tonight’s game due to an illness. Kurashev is hardly the only player suffering from sickness this time of year as a lot of players have missed games due to illness recently. The 24-year-old is on pace to shatter his career high in points as he has six goals and 11 assists in 24 games this season. The native of Munsingen, Switzerland has never topped 25 points in any NHL season but should do so this year barring any unforeseen slump or injury. No word yet on a timeline for return, but the Blackhawks play twice more before the holiday break.
  • TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that Philip Broberg is still expected to be a trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers, but perhaps not in the way many expected him to be. Dreger believes that Broberg could still be a central piece for the Oilers to add an impact player, but he also thinks that Broberg could become the sweetener in a deal to offload the contract of struggling goaltender Jack Campbell. Broberg has been relegated to AHL duties with the Bakersfield Condors but has been averaging over 25 minutes a night of ice time for the Oilers affiliate. Edmonton would do well to move on from Campbell, and it may cost them Broberg if they wish to do so.

Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers Colin Blackwell| Free Agency| Jack Campbell| Philip Broberg| Philipp Kurashev

5 comments

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Sanheim, Svechnikov, Wahlstrom

December 18, 2023 at 3:51 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 1 Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted today that forwards Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, as well as defenseman Chad Ruhwedel will all be game-time decisions when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Minnesota Wild this evening. The news was announced by Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan who has been trying to manage a litany of injuries up and down the Penguins lineup.

Pittsburgh has been mired in a cycle of inconsistent and sloppy play that has been a constant throughout the first third of the NHL season. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the Metropolitan division and are five points out of a wild card position.

The Penguins put forward Bryan Rust on IR just a few days ago, which left them with two big holes in their top 6, however, with the potential return of Rakell it seems likely that he will have an opportunity to fill one of those holes. Rakell has been practicing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and given his history with the duo it seems likely he return to that spot either tonight or later this week.

Acciari had been centering the Penguins’ fourth line before his injury and seems likely to take up that spot if and when he does return, while Ruhwedel will likely get a look on the Penguins’ third defensive pairing, presumably with youngster John Ludvig who has emerged on the backend for Pittsburgh in recent weeks.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was back at practice today and should be good for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Sanheim was dealing with an undisclosed illness and missed Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 27-year-old had been heating up before getting sick as he had posted two goals and three assists in his previous five games. Sanheim has been a huge part of the Flyers’ surprising start to the season as his 21 points in 29 games has him second in team scoring behind Travis Konecny.
  • Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff is reporting that Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was a full participant in today’s practice and even was seen taking power play reps with the team. Ruff goes on to add that the 23-year-old could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Svechnikov has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury and struggled the week prior to getting hurt. On the season, the former second-overall pick has just a single goal in 16 games, although he does have 10 assists as well. Carolina has underperformed so far this season but currently sits in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Getting Svechnikov healthy and productive once again could be a big boost for Carolina as they close in on the mid-way point of the season.
  • Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom missed practice today with an illness. The 23-year-old was unlikely to play in tomorrow night’s game even if healthy as he has been a healthy scratch for the Islanders in seven straight games. Wahlstrom has just two goals and three assists in 17 games this season and has been averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time a game when he has been in the lineup.

Carolina Hurricanes| New York Islanders| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Vegas Golden Knights Andrei Svechnikov| Bryan Rust| Chad Ruhwedel| Jake Guentzel| John Ludvig| Noel Acciari| Oliver Wahlstrom| Rickard Rakell| Sidney Crosby| Travis Konecny| Travis Sanheim

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