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An Unlikely Option For The Maple Leafs

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Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet wrote a column for the Toronto Star wondering if the Toronto Maple Leafs might place captain Auston Matthews on long-term injured reserve later this season if his injury concerns continue. The 27-year-old hasn’t played since December 20th and has dealt with a nagging upper-body injury since the start of the season. Currently, he has no return date set, which adds to the speculation surrounding his health.

If Toronto were to place Matthews on LTIR, it would open up $13.25MM in cap space, and Kypreos wonders if Toronto might use that room under the salary cap to chase another top center. Toronto would only be able to do so if Matthews missed the remainder of the regular season, but it would not be unprecedented as the Tampa Bay Lightning had a similar situation in 2021 with star forward Nikita Kucherov when he didn’t play a single game during a shortened regular season and returned for the playoffs.

A move like that for Toronto would give them a huge boost for the playoffs and perhaps take some pressure off Matthews when he returns. It could also allow Toronto an opportunity to address their top defensive pairing, as they haven’t been able to give Morgan Reilly a steady defensive partner this season. The Maple Leafs started the year with Chris Tanev on the top pairing, but he has since moved to the second pairing and formed a very formidable unit with Jake McCabe.

While a move like that would give Toronto a boost, it would be a tough sell for Matthews who is set to lead Team USA into the 4 Nations Face-Off next month. His participation in the tournament is contingent on his health, but it will be a huge concern for the Maple Leafs if he returns before the tournament and reaggravates the injury once again.

Things are never boring when it comes to the Maple Leafs and the uncertainty around Matthews, as well as a team that is desperate for some semblance of playoff success should make for an interesting few months in Toronto.

Metro Notes: Jones, Fehervary, Ersson, Puljujarvi

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New York Rangers defenseman Zac Jones voiced his frustration when discussing his recent stretch of healthy scratches amid the Rangers losing skid (as per Sean O’Leary of The Score). Jones, who will sit for the fifth time in six games tomorrow, said that he feels as though he is rotting away. The 24-year-old was a regular for the Rangers prior to the team bringing in Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen.

Jones added that it is tough for him to improve when he isn’t playing, and he feels as though he has done some good things, but his playing time isn’t reflecting that. In 26 games this season, Jones has posted a goal and seven assists while averaging 16:42 of ice time per game. Jones has been with New York since the team took him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 95 games over the past five seasons, posting four goals and 21 assists.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary did not skate today during the team’s optional skate and is officially listed as day-to-day after taking a stick to the face from teammate Tom Wilson in yesterday’s win over Boston (as per Tarik El-Bashir of the Monumental Sports Network). He will be reevaluated tomorrow morning before the team takes on the Minnesota Wild in the evening. Fehervary has played every game this season after having injuries limit him to just 66 games last year. The 25-year-old is averaging the third most minutes of any Capitals skaters and has become a big piece of their defense core.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Samuel Ersson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The netminder left last night’s game after two periods with an undisclosed injury and did not return. The Flyers have said it is likely a short-term injury and he will be evaluated daily. The 25-year-old missed time earlier this season with a groin issue, meaning that he could have reaggravated that injury yesterday. Ersson is 9-6-2 on the season with an .884 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average.
  • Matt Vensel of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi hinted that he may have asked the Penguins for a trade prior to him being put on waivers earlier in the week. The former fourth-overall pick cleared waivers and remains with the Penguins, but he has been a healthy scratch in ten straight games. Puljujarvi had a long road back to good health, and it’s hard to fault him for wanting to play. He was at Penguins practice again today, and once again he was the odd man out during their line rushes. The 26-year-old has three goals and five assists in 21 games this season but hasn’t been able to get into the lineup after Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said that he needed to play better defense and have more attention to detail.

Avalanche Place Oliver Kylington On IR, Recall Oskar Olausson

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The Colorado Avalanche have placed defenseman Oliver Kylington on the injured reserve and recalled forward Oskar Olausson from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League. Kylington was placed on the IR retroactive to November 27th as he deals with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old was originally considered week-to-week but was downgraded to month-to-month this past Saturday, meaning that his return is certainly not imminent.

Kylington was likely happy to put 2024 in his rear-view mirror as it was a tumultuous year for the former second-round pick. Kylington had to settle for a one-year deal in free agency last summer and has been used sparingly in Colorado this season, dressing in just eight games and posting just two points. At one point this year, the Avalanche tried Kylington at forward, but it was without much success.

Olausson is a former first-round pick (28th overall in 2021) and is in his third professional season. He has seen limited NHL appearances, dressing just twice and failing to register a point. He hasn’t found much offensive success in the AHL, posting 27 goals and 23 assists and a -19 plus/minus in 129 AHL games.

The 22-year-old last saw NHL action in December of 2023, playing just a single game. He will be hoping for a longer stay this time around and could get it the way injuries have stacked up for the Avalanche this season.

Maple Leafs Notes: Matthews, Ekman-Larsson, Hakanpaa

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Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews has not been ruled out of a return to the lineup this weekend (as per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com). Matthews practiced again today, the second time he has done so since he reaggravated an upper-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for nine games in November.

The 27-year-old has been dealing with the injury since training camp that flared up again in a game against Buffalo on December 20th and will miss a sixth straight game tomorrow night. The Maple Leafs would like Matthews to get one more practice in before he plays again, but Toronto will not practice on Friday. The Maple Leafs play this weekend against Boston on Saturday and Philadelphia on Sunday, so it does remain an outside possibility that Matthew rejoins the team for one of those games.

In other Toronto Maple Leafs notes:

  • Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is expected to return to Toronto’s lineup tomorrow night (as per Joshua Kloke of The Athletic). Ekman-Larsson has been dealing with an illness but practiced today with the team, skating on the third pairing alongside Simon Benoit. He missed last night’s game against the Islanders but has dressed in 37 games this season, posting a goal and 12 assists. If the 33-year-old is good to go for tomorrow, it seems likely that Conor Timmins will come out of the lineup.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to the LTIR which means the team will gain $1.47MM in cap space (as per PuckPedia). The 32-year-old has dressed in just two NHL games this season, registering a single hit along with four blocked shots. Hakanpaa has been skating, but last night’s game was the 19th game in a row that he missed. The move could be short-lived given that he did skate before practice today, however, the Maple Leafs are likely to be cautious before any potential return.

Avalanche Activate Jonathan Drouin, Place Ivan Ivan On IR

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Dec. 31st: As expected, the Avalanche have officially activated Drouin from the injured reserve for today’s matchup. On the flip side, the team has also placed Ivan on the injured reserve with multiple reports indicating he’ll be out for the next few weeks.

Dec. 30th: The Colorado Avalanche are expected to activate forward Jonathan Drouin off the injured reserve tomorrow, meaning that the 29-year-old would be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets (as per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post). Drouin has been dealing with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 16 games, and it was his second extended absence of the season.

Drouin has been good when healthy, dressing in just five games this year for Colorado, posting two goals and two assists while averaging 20:40 of ice time. The former third-overall pick was terrific for Colorado last year with 56 points in 79 games but was unable to secure a long-term deal in free agency this past summer, opting instead to return to the Avalanche on a one-year deal worth $2.5MM. Drouin will have roughly half the season to prove his worth before hitting free agency once again next summer.

In other Avalanche news, forward Ivan Ivan has an upper-body injury and may miss some time, although he is still being evaluated. The 22-year-old was likely coming out of the lineup with the return of Drouin and could be scratched tomorrow regardless of his health. Ivan probably wasn’t ready to be thrust into an NHL role this season, but circumstance has allowed him to dress in 37 games for the Avalanche where he has played just over ten minutes a night, chipping in five goals and three assists.

Latest On The New York Rangers

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Elliotte Friedman commented today on the Sunday column from Larry Brooks of the New York Post. In the column, Brooks writes that the Rangers players have quit on just about everyone, including their head coach Peter Laviolette. As Friedman points out, the Rangers collapse has been historic after the team won the President’s Trophy and went to the Eastern Conference Finals just last season. In his column, Brooks writes that the Rangers collapse will eventually result in Laviolette losing his job, and another loss tonight to Florida certainly won’t help things.

Friedman comments that Brooks is incredibly plugged into the Rangers organization and feels that this column carries a ton of weight. He adds that Laviolette knows that hockey is results-driven, and with the Rangers losing 15 of their last 19 games, the results have been very poor.

The Rangers haven’t been shy about making hard choices in recent years, leveraging waivers as a means of sidestepping no-trade clauses, and moving on from long-time veterans. The Rangers just underwent a dramatic rebuild prior to the pandemic, and now, at a time when they should be competing for the Stanley Cup, they are amid their season unravelling. It is anyone’s guess as to what the Rangers will do next and there could be many more surprises in store in New York City.

General manager Chris Drury has already traded his captain, he’s traded a recent second overall pick, he’s called around the league and let teams know that most of their roster is available (including long-time veteran Chris Kreider). He hasn’t been shy about calling players out, or doing what he thinks is best to improve the team.

Now, with the team free-falling, Drury has some hard choices to make. He is unlikely to overhaul the roster into a contender this season, and given that the Rangers just exited a rebuild, it’s unlikely that the franchise has the appetite to endure another one. But, with each passing day, some sort of action will need to occur, and it seems likely (at least according to Brooks) that it will start with Laviolette.

Jets Recall Dominic Toninato, Haydn Fleury To IR

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The Winnipeg Jets have recalled forward Dominic Toninato from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and also placed defenseman Haydn Fleury on the injured reserve. A move was expected at some point before the Jets head out to Colorado to take on the Avalanche tomorrow night. Mason Appleton did not take to the ice for warm-up tonight against Nashville which led to the speculation that the Jets would bring someone up for insurance.

Toninato is the captain of the Moose and is receiving his first NHL recall of the season. The 30-year-old has dressed in 25 games this year for Manitoba, registering six goals and five assists. Last year, Toninato spent 15 NHL games with Winnipeg, tallying a goal and four assists.

The Jets placed Fleury on IR retroactive to December 23rd. The 28-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury that he suffered a week ago against Toronto. Fleury has been a regular for much of this season, dressing in 25 games and posting six assists. The former seventh-overall pick has bounced around to four different franchises in the past five seasons but was settling in with the Jets, playing some of his best hockey at the NHL level despite the unfavorable deployment.

Logan Stanley took Fleury’s spot in the lineup the past two games, playing almost 20 minutes on Saturday night against Ottawa.

Bruins Receiving Trade Interest In Trent Frederic

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Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic is reportedly receiving trade interest from multiple teams (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on Saturday Headlines). It is the second time in two weeks that Friedman has reported on the interest in Frederic, and it’s fair to wonder if Boston will move the 26-year-old given his current contract situation. Frederic is in the final season of a two-year $4.6MM contract that expires on July 1st, 2025, at which time he will become an unrestricted free agent. The teams calling on Frederic are asking if Boston intends to sign Frederic or what their thinking could be going forward.

The St. Louis, Missouri native had a career year last year, posting 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games with a +9 plus/minus rating. This year, Frederic has seen his offensive numbers fall to just five goals and six assists in 38 games. While the drop in production is concerning, the biggest issue for Frederic has been his shooting percentage which has dropped from 14.6% to 9.3%.

Given Boston’s current standing in the Atlantic Division (third place), it’s unlikely the Bruins would opt to be sellers. However, Boston has played significantly more games than Tampa Bay and Ottawa, so they may fall into a Wild Card spot. The Bruins could also look to move Frederic in the hopes of plugging a different hole in their roster but given Frederic’s ability to play center and wing, Boston may view his versatility more favorably than any potential returns via trade.

Penguins Have Tough Decisions To Make In Second Half Of Season

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will have some difficult choices to make as they inch towards the NHL trade deadline on March 7th, 2025. Pittsburgh has several intriguing trade possibilities, including defensemen Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk, and forward Drew O’Connor. The Penguins have played better as of late, turning things around from an early season run of poor hockey that had fans screaming for a coaching change. This run has further complicated the direction general manager Kyle Dubas can take this team in the second half of the season.

A 9-3-1 run heading into the holiday break had people wondering if Dubas should hang on to pending unrestricted free agents, however, the Penguins played a fairly uninspiring game last night against a division rival, dropping a 6-3 decision to the lowly New York Islanders. The loss kicks off an unofficial second half of the season for Pittsburgh, one in which the possibilities appear to be many. The month of January will be crucial for Pittsburgh to determine the direction in which the remainder of the season will go. If the Penguins play .500 hockey or below, it is likely that Dubas will opt to move on from Pettersson and company and keep his eyes on the future. However, if Pittsburgh is in the hunt, standing pat could be an option too.

Additions seem unlikely given that Dubas has been accumulating future assets for the past calendar year and has publicly expressed his desire to build for the future. Acquiring a young, controllable player could be a move that Dubas desires, similar to the recent trade for forward Philip Tomasino.

The other looming concern for Pittsburgh is franchise legend Sidney Crosby and the message it would send to him if Dubas were to move out veterans while the Penguins are in the thick of a playoff hunt. At 37 years old, Crosby only has a few high-level seasons left in him, and he has been on a tear as of late, rounding into mid-season form. Dubas has already said the Penguins won’t enter a full rebuild with Crosby on the roster, meaning they will continue to try and remain competitive with an eye toward the future.

The next two months in Pittsburgh should be interesting, Pettersson would fetch a solid return of futures. However, there aren’t many other players Dubas can move that will bring in anything of substance, which could be another factor in his decision before the deadline. O’Connor is an intriguing possibility for teams, but he hasn’t been able to recapture his offensive numbers from last season, which has impacted what the Penguins can get in a trade for him. The 26-year-old has just three goals and seven assists in 37 games this year.

Joey Daccord Not Travelling With Kraken, Burakovsky Day-To-Day

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Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times Sports is reporting that goaltender Joey Daccord isn’t travelling with the Seattle Kraken meaning that Philipp Grubauer will start in net tonight in Vancouver. Daccord reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury during last Sunday’s game against Colorado but managed to finish out the game.

The 28-year-old had a career year last season and is off to a great start this year as well, posting a 12-9-2 record with a .912 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average. On the surface, Daccord’s numbers look pretty pedestrian, however, his 9.2 goals saved above expected tells a more detailed story (as per Money Puck).

If Daccord is out for any length of time, Grubauer will likely see a lot more action. The former Stanley Cup Champion has struggled this season, posting a 3-10 record with an .877 save percentage and a 3.63 goals-against average.

Kate Shefte also reported that Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky is day-to-day with an illness. Like Daccord, Burakovsky also stayed back in Seattle and is not travelling with the team to Vancouver.

The 29-year-old Burakovsky has struggled to score this season, carrying over his lack of offensive production from last season. The Klagenfurt, Austria native is just three years removed from posting 61 points in 80 games with Colorado but has registered just 22 goals and 45 assists in 132 games since signing a massive five-year $27.5MM deal as a free agent in July 2022.

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