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Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves Suspended Five Games

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3:04 p.m.: The league’s Department of Player Safety announced a five-game suspension for Reaves.

9:04 a.m.: The NHL has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will have a player safety hearing for his illegal hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse in last night’s 4-3 overtime win. Reaves was assessed a match penalty and a game misconduct on the play after his shoulder caught Nurse in the head as the Oilers defenseman circled behind his own net with the puck. It’s a phone hearing, not an in-person one, so his pending suspension won’t last more than five games.

Nurse hit the ice hard after the hit and appeared stunned as he looked around. Blood began to pour from a sizeable cut on Nurse’s head as the Oilers training staff attended to him. He remained on the ice for a few moments before he was assisted off the ice. The hit occurred at the 2:41 mark of the second period, leaving the crowd in silence as Nurse left the game and did not return. Reaves was escorted off the ice and had a heated verbal exchange with Oilers captain Connor McDavid before he exited the game.

The league has an interesting decision to make with regard to Reaves, the initial point of contact on the hit is Nurse’s head and it would meet the definition of a blindside hit. The Department of Player Safety will consider an illegal check to the head suspension but does retain the right to change course when they review the infraction.

Reaves does have a history of supplemental discipline during his career, having last been suspended during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs while he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. Reaves caught a two-game suspension for roughing and was also suspended one game during the 2020 postseason for an illegal hit to the head against Tyler Motte of the Vancouver Canucks. Reaves was also suspended three games back in 2016 for boarding.

As for Nurse, his status has yet to be updated, but he is out right now with an upper-body injury. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweeted that he’s heard from Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels that Nurse was joking with the team’s trainers and walking around after the game, which is certainly encouraging.

Devils Assign Justin Dowling And Nick DeSimone To AHL

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that they are sending forward Justin Dowling and defenseman Nick DeSimone to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. New Jersey has a four-day break in the NHL schedule and doesn’t play again until Thursday night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The gap between games likely makes these AHL assignments a cap move; however, we won’t know that for sure until later this week.

The Devils have three players who are currently out of their lineup in forwards Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian, as well as defenseman Santeri Hatakka.

Dowling has been anchoring New Jersey’s fourth line alongside Tomas Tatar and Kurtis MacDermid, a spot he has occupied for nine straight games. The 34-year-old appeared in his first NHL game this season at the end of October against his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, and has a single assist since being called up. The journeyman has spent much of his professional career in the AHL but has made NHL stops in Dallas and Vancouver.

DeSimone was brought up to the NHL back on November 8th and has been a healthy scratch during that time. The 29-year-old has yet to appear in an NHL game this season but has dressed in nine AHL games, tallying two assists. DeSimone was acquired by the Devils off waivers from the Calgary Flames back in January of this year.

Penguins Notes: Graves, O’Connor, Jarry

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves was a healthy scratch last night in favor of youngster Owen Pickering (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). Graves has become a magnet for criticism in Pittsburgh just a year and a bit into a six-year $27MM contract he signed in July 2023. Graves has had some better games this season but has been largely sheltered in a third-pairing role.

The scratch is another attempt by Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to send a message to Pittsburgh’s veteran depth players who have played uninspired hockey for much of this season. Pickering picked up an assist in his NHL debut last night against San Jose and looked like the Penguins’ best defenseman in the game.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Jim Parsons of The Hockey News believes that Penguins forward Drew O’Connor will receive trade interest from other teams because of his inexpensive cap hit. O’Connor is an unrestricted free agent next summer and is making $925K this season in the final season of a two-year deal. O’Connor’s cap hit will make an attractive commodity as the 26-year-old is capable of being a solid depth scorer for any team that fancies themselves a contender. O’Connor has three goals and three assists in 20 games this season and has played both center and the wing for Pittsburgh.
  • Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry returned to the NHL this week after a two-week stint in the American Hockey League. Jarry played well in the AHL but had a disastrous return to the NHL giving up five goals on 39 shots, including a goal on the first shot. He allowed goals on two of the first three shots he faced and never looked comfortable in his return. Jarry is likely unmovable at this point (as per Jim Parsons). with three years remaining on his contract (after this season) at an AAV of $5.375MM. PuckPedia’s Perri Salary Cap Relief Calculator estimates that it would take a top 10 NHL draft pick in order to move the remainder of Jarry’s salary, something the Penguins likely have no appetite to do.

Central Notes: Brodin, Martinez, Jets

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Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury and is being called day-to-day (as per Michael Russo of The Athletic).  The 31-year-old has become somewhat injury-prone in the last few seasons and appeared in just 62 games last year for the Wild. This season, Brodin has dressed in 15 contests and has registered one goal and five assists for six points.

Brodin’s injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue, but the frequency of his injuries is likely starting to concern him and the Wild. Especially given that the Karlstad, Sweden native has three years left on his current contract at a cap hit of $6MM annually.

In other Central Division Notes:

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alec Martinez will be a game-time decision this evening when the Blackhawks take on the Seattle Kraken (as per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). Martinez was activated off injured reserve earlier today and while his move paves the way for him to return to action, the team will decide closer to puck drop. No word yet on who will come out of the lineup if Martinez does return. The 37-year-old is in his first year with the Blackhawks after signing a one-year $4MM deal as a free agent this past summer. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion has played just four games this year and is -1 with a single assist.
  • David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the red-hot Winnipeg Jets could be looking to add to their already impressive lineup. Winnipeg is off to an incredible 15-1-0 start to the season and looks to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the first month and a half of the season. Pagnotta notes that the Jets have a good chunk of cap space that could be utilized to add to the roster if they are so inclined. Pagnotta believes that Winnipeg would target a defenseman if they were to make a move in the season and mentions Penguins defender Marcus Pettersson as a possibility. Given that Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas just declared nearly the whole Penguins roster is available, it is highly likely that Pettersson is in play. If Winnipeg was to show interest in the 28-year-old they would likely be competing with much of the league for the services of the stable defender.

Metro Notes: Johnson, Brindley, Eller, Ersson

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Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson is back practicing today for the first time since he injured his shoulder back on October 17th in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Johnson has missed ten consecutive games due to the injury he suffered when colliding with a Blue Jackets teammate.

The former fifth-overall pick played in just four games before the injury but was very productive, posting two goals and three assists while averaging 16:46 of ice time per game. Johnson looked as though he was ready to break out two seasons ago when he recorded a 40-point season as a 20-year-old. However, last season, his play fell off dramatically, as he tallied just six goals and ten assists in 42 games.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated forward Gavin Brindley off injured reserve and loaned him to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Brindley broke his finger in a preseason game on October 1st and ended up missing the first 15 games of the regular season. The 20-year-old  made his NHL debut at the end of last season in April after he was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. An undersized forward, Brindley had a very successful run in the NCAA with the Michigan Wolverines, recording 37 goals and 54 assists in 81 career games from 2022-24.
  • New acquired Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller will make his return to the Capitals lineup tomorrow night after he was acquired via trade from the Penguins this week (as per Tarik El Bashir of the NHL Network). Eller practiced today with the Capitals and centered the third line where he was flanked by Andrew Mangiapane and Jakub Vrana. Eller was one of the few bright spots for the Penguins this season and dealt with very difficult deployment in Pittsburgh, starting over two-thirds of his shifts in the defensive zone. Despite the unfavorable zone starts, the 35-year-old still managed to put up four goals and three assists in 17 games.
  • Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson left practice early yesterday after suffering a small tweak (as per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia). The issue is apparently not something that will keep Ersson out long-term, but it will keep him out of the lineup this evening as Aleksei Kolosov will be the backup to starter Ivan Fedotov. The Flyers already have three goaltenders on their roster and won’t need to make a roster in order to replace Ersson.

Evening Notes: Stone, Eller, Milano

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone will remain out of the lineup tonight when Vegas takes on the Anaheim Ducks tonight (Twitter link). Alexander Holtz will take Stone’s spot on the top line as Stone is dealing with a lower-body injury and will miss his third straight game. The Golden Knights play again on Friday against Utah and will presumably update Stone’s status before then. The 32-year-old has been exceptional this season when healthy, posting six goals and 15 assists in 13 games.

Stone has long had issues with his health, having played 80 or more games only once in his 13-year NHL career. His health has been a major concern over the past three seasons as Stone has missed 110 games dating back to the 2021-22 season.

In other evening notes:

  • Newly acquired Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller didn’t participate in the team’s optional morning skate today and did not dress for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (as per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News). Eller was acquired yesterday by the Capitals in exchange for two draft picks and likely won’t suit up for his new team until Friday night when they take on one of Eller’s former teams, the Colorado Avalanche.
  • Injured Capitals forward Sonny Milano is still not skating and remains sidelined with an upper-body injury (as per Sammi Silber). Milano remains on the injured reserve and has no definite timeline to return to the lineup (as per Silber). Milano has played just 21:38 this season in three games and has been a scratch even when healthy. His spot in the NHL lineup was precarious at best, and now with the Eller trade, it’s possible that the 28-year-old could be the odd man out.

Penguins Notes: Karlsson, Crosby, Lizotte

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Former Team Sweden head coach and general manager Johan Garpenlöv had some harsh criticism for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and his inclusion on Sweden’s entry to the 4 Nations Face-Off (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). Garpenlöv said that Karlsson’s defensive issues could present a massive problem for the team in a short tournament and doesn’t believe that Karlsson should be a member of the team.

Garpenlöv’s sharp words are certainly inflammatory, and there is no doubt that Karlsson’s defense leaves a lot to be desired. Pittsburgh fans have endured the full Karlsson experience this year as the three-time Norris Trophy winner has looked disinterested and lost on many nights, however, in other games, he has managed to take over and drive the Penguins’ offense to victory.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Jesse Marshall of The Athletic wrote a very thoughtful and detailed article about the goal-scoring prowess of Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. Marshall concedes in the article that Crosby won’t go down in history as one of the greatest goal-scorers but belongs in a category all by himself due to the creativity with which he scored most of his soon-to-be 600 career goals. Marshall highlights Crosby’s all-time great backhand shot, his ability to deflect pucks as well as his five-hole shooting, and while none of those skills are Crosby’s alone, he has put a unique twist on each of those skill sets.
  • Penguins forward Blake Lizotte left tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings after taking a puck to the face (Twitter link). The injury marks the second time this season that Lizotte has taken a puck to the face off the stick of a teammate as he was concussed by a Kris Letang shot during the preseason, an injury that forced him to miss the start of the regular season. Tonight’s injury came when Lizotte was hit in the face with a Drew O’Connor shot that appeared to hit the visor. Lizotte has been good for Pittsburgh this season, posting two goals in six games and putting up strong possession numbers in a bottom-six role.

Atlantic Notes: Hage, Harvey-Pinard, Bennett

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Montreal Canadiens center prospect Michael Hage has quietly shown the world why the Habs made him a first-round pick (21st overall) in this year’s NHL Entry Draft (as per Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler).  The 18-year-old has been putting together a stellar season in the NCAA as a member of the Michigan Wolverines and praised his coaching staff and teammates for his seamless move into the NCAA from the USHL.

Hage has five goals and four assists in his first nine games of the season and has a plus/minus of +6. His nine points are good enough to lead the Wolverines in scoring.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard sported a regular jersey at team practice today as he tries to work his way back into Montreal’s lineup (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). The 25-year-old had surgery in July to repair a broken leg that he suffered during a summer scrimmage. The original prognosis was that Harvey-Pinard would need four months to recover and given that he is skating in a regular sweater, he looks to be on schedule. The Saguenay, Quebec native dressed in 45 games last season for the Canadiens and struggled offensively with just two goals and eight assists.
  • Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett reportedly feels better today after he was scratched with an upper-body injury last night (as per Panthers’ content manager Jameson Olive). The news came from Panthers head coach Paul Maurice who was cautiously optimistic, adding that the team would look to see how Bennett looks tomorrow morning before making a call on his status going forward. Bennett is second in team scoring this season with nine goals and six assists in 15 games. The 28-year-old will be eager to get back onto the ice as he is less than eight months away from hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

East Notes: Ostapchuk, Malkin, Puljujarvi

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The Ottawa Senators have loaned forward Zack Ostapchuk to the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League. Ostapchuk was recalled earlier this week and has been shuttled back and forth a few times over the last seven days in paper moves that were most likely made to accrue cap space. It’s unknown if this move is for a similar purpose, but it is certainly a possibility.

The 21-year-old dressed in three games this week for Ottawa, going scoreless while averaging just under nine minutes of ice time per game. In six games this season, the former second-round pick has a single assist and carries a plus/minus of +1. The Senators are back in action on Tuesday night against their provincial rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that we haven’t seen the last of Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin on the wing. The Penguins experimented with Malkin on Sidney Crosby’s wing, and while the results were outstanding (as expected), it made the team extremely top-heavy. Crosby and Malkin were flanked by Rickard Rakell and the threesome dominated in possession and ignited Crosby and Malkin offensively. However, on Friday against the Capitals, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan moved Malkin back to center in an effort to get the team’s second line going. Vensel believes Sullivan could move Malkin back to the wing again in the future, particularly if the Penguins were to go out and get a second-line center next summer.
  • Matt Vensel writes about Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi and his deployment this season. Puljujarvi has been a healthy scratch three times this year for Pittsburgh and has played just over 11 minutes per game. Vensel writes that a lot of people have a bone to pick with how the 24-year-old has been used thus far this season. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was reportedly okay with using Puljujarvi earlier in the year when he was producing offense, and it was a palatable trade-off for some of his defensive shortcomings. However, in the last two weeks, Puljujarvi’s offense just hasn’t been there with one point in his past seven games. Sullivan is quoted as saying the details of Puljujarvi’s defensive game haven’t been there and have been slipping.

Marcus Pettersson Is The NHL’s Most Bodychecked Player

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson has been the most bodychecked player in the NHL dating back to the beginning of the 2018-19 season (as per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 28-year-old was acquired by the Penguins in December of 2018 and since that time he has become a staple in their top four, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game. Pettersson’s stable play has been a necessity for the Penguins as he’s been paired regularly with offensive-minded defensemen Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson.

Pettersson has been hit over 150 times more than any other player in the NHL dating back to 2018 but has remained relatively healthy during his time in Pittsburgh, playing in all 82 games last year. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan believes that Pettersson’s courage and bravery are the reason for him topping the list, but Pettersson believes that the Pittsburgh statistics guy is generous with his hits counting.

Pettersson is a pending unrestricted free agent and should cash in next summer with a productive 2024-25 season. However, he hasn’t had a great start to the year and has been surprisingly careless with the puck, committing 22 turnovers in just 16 games. That number is shockingly high, given that he committed just 32 turnovers in 82 games last year.

Pettersson’s future in Pittsburgh is unclear at this point. In September it was reported that the Penguins would begin contract talks with Pettersson, but, with the team’s uneven start to the season, it’s fair to wonder if Pittsburgh will move him at the trade deadline. Pittsburgh is not far off from entering a rebuild, and if their competitive window is closed, the team may find more value in picks and prospects over an aging defenseman who takes more hits than any other player in the league.

As mentioned earlier, Pettersson has been consistently healthy during his NHL career, however, as he enters his 30s it is fair to wonder if the physical toll of being bodychecked that much will start to affect the amount he can play and the impact he can have.

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