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Evening Notes: Chychrun, Kapanen, Bastian

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The Washington Capitals have announced that defenseman Jakob Chychrun won’t return to tonight’s game after suffering an upper-body injury. Chychrun suffered the injury in a game against the New York Rangers after he had played for just one minute and 50 seconds. Chychrun was +1 tonight in his limited appearance.

It’s a tough break for the 26-year-old, who is in his first season with Washington after a trade this past summer that saw Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick head back to Ottawa. Chychrun has been solid to start the year, posting two goals and two assists in seven games. Chychrun can ill afford to be out long term as his in the final year of his current contract with a cap hit of $4.6MM.

In other evening notes:

  • The St. Louis Blues have announced that forward Kasperi Kapanen is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not return to tonight’s game. Kapanen took a high hit in a game against the Ottawa Senators and appeared to hit his face on the boards. Kapanen did get to the bench under his own power but did not return. The 28-year-old was dressing in his first game since playing just 8:57 on October 24th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kapanen has struggled this season, with a single goal in seven games.
  • Forward Nathan Bastian will return to the New Jersey Devils lineup tomorrow night when the team takes on the Vancouver Canucks (as per Devils reporter Amanda Stein). Bastian hasn’t played since October 24th, as he has been a healthy scratch for the last two games. New Jersey has opted to use Kurtis MacDermid in Bastian’s place the past few days, but now the 26-year-old will have an opportunity to draw back into the lineup and add to the two goals and two assists that he has posted so far this season in ten games.

West Notes: Jiricek, Kesselring, Hague

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The St. Louis Blues have reassigned defenseman Adam Jiricek to the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs (news release). Jiricek was the 16th overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and will bring a wealth of experience to the Bulldogs, having already accumulated 31 games of professional experience in his native Czechia.

The younger brother of Columbus defenseman David Jiricek has played quite a bit internationally in the last few seasons, including appearances in the U17 World Hockey Challenge, U18 World Hockey Championships, Hlinka-Gretzky Cup & World Junior Hockey Championships.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Utah Hockey Club defenseman Michael Kesselring is out with an illness and will be a game-time decision tomorrow night (as per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune). Kesselring logged almost 23 minutes in ice time last night in a loss against the San Jose Sharks but woke up and was sick with a fever today. The 24-year-old has seen a huge increase in ice time this season, averaging over 20 minutes a night in the absence of top-four defensemen John Marino and Sean Durzi. Kesselring has filled in admirably, posting two goals and three assists in 10 games this season.
  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague has been officially ruled out for tomorrow night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings (as per Sin Bin Vegas). The 25-year-old skated by himself as he ramped up his efforts to get back into the lineup. Hague last played on October 25th and will miss his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Kaedan Korczak will likely continue to fill in for Hague on the Golden Knights backend. Korczak has dressed in three games this season, posting a single assist while averaging over 16 minutes of ice time per game.

Canadiens Notes: Guhle, Slafkovsky, Harvey-Pinard

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle was a full participant in today’s morning skate as he donned a regular jersey (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). Guhle was officially placed on injured reserve two days ago, but the 22-year-old has been out of the lineup since October 17th with an upper-body injury. Guhle is eligible to come off of IR at any time.

Guhle started the season well offensively, posting four points and a +4 rating in his first five games. The start was a bit of a surprise given that he missed almost all of the Canadiens training camp due to his recovery from appendectomy surgery. However, despite his impressive offensive numbers, Guhle had some major struggles away from the puck and was buoyed by a 113.2 PDO (as per Hockey Reference).

In other Montreal Canadiens notes:

  • Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky has dressed tonight after he declared himself pain-free and ready to play (as per Kenzie Lalonde of TSN). Slafkovsky clarified to the media that the issue plaguing him was in fact, not a shoulder injury but was a different issue that he called a “weird injury.” The 20-year-old missed three games with an upper-body injury and slotted in tonight on the second line alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia. The 2022 first-overall pick has had a strong start to the season with a goal and five assists in his first six games.
  • Montreal forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard practiced today for the first time since having surgery in July to repair a broken leg (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). The 25-year-old was wearing a non-contact jersey as he took to the ice with his teammates, Harvey-Pinard was originally ruled out until late November but could return to the lineup sooner than that, depending on the next few weeks of practice. Harvey-Pinard had a disappointing 2023-24, posting just two goals and eight assists in 45 games.

Connor McDavid Being Evaluated For Lower-Body Injury

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Oct. 29: McDavid has left the Oilers’ road trip and is returning to Edmonton for further evaluation, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters, including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, after yesterday’s 6-1 loss to the Blue Jackets. He’ll miss Thursday’s game against the Predators and should be considered highly doubtful for Sunday’s Battle of Alberta matchup.

Oct. 28: Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has left tonight’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets and will not return due to a lower-body injury (Twitter link). McDavid appeared to be tripped up by Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski at the Columbus blue line and looked as though he jammed his left leg into the boards as he slid the length of the defensive zone and into the corner.

McDavid attempted to continue his shift but appeared to be uncomfortable putting any weight on his left leg. He quickly ended his shift and skated gingerly towards the Oilers bench before leaving down the tunnel and back to the dressing room. The incident happened on McDavid’s first shift of the game, and he did not play again. His total ice time for the evening was 37 seconds.

There was no penalty on the play, although the video of the incident isn’t the best angle to see whether Werenski tripped McDavid or he caught an edge before falling. In any event, it’s extremely bad luck for McDavid and the Oilers as they are still trying to find their game after a slow start to the season. The club can ill afford to lose McDavid for any length of time as the forward scoring has been non-existent early in the season outside of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

McDavid has points in seven of his first nine games coming into tonight, but he hasn’t been able to find that next gear, posting just three goals and seven assists in ten games. The Oilers will go as far as McDavid and Draisaitl can take them, meaning that his return is a must for a club with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Evening Notes: Vesey, Hague, Joseph

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Mollie Walker of New York Post Sports reports that New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey has been upgraded from a non-contact jersey and skated in a regular one today at Rangers practice. The 31-year-old sustained a lower-body injury during the preseason and has yet to dress in a regular game after playing 80 games last season and 81 the year before.

The Boston, Massachusetts native only resumed skating last Thursday and could play at some point this week if he progresses. New York has been using a revolving group of forwards in Vesey’s absence and re-called Matt Rempe yesterday from Hartford to presumably fill in until Vesey is ready to return.

In other evening notes:

  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague remains day to day with a lower-body injury (as per Jesse Granger of The Athletic). The 25-year-old was injured in the second period of Friday night’s 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators after scoring his first goal of the season earlier in the game. Kaedan Korczak replaced Hague on Saturday against San Jose, and it appears as though Hague will miss tonight’s game against Calgary. Hague has a single point on the season in eight games and has struggled to start the year as his possession numbers have been abysmal with a 37.8 CF% at even strength (as per Hockey Reference).
  • St. Louis Blues forward Mathieu Joseph will be returning to St. Louis to be evaluated after he suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Montreal (as per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post Dispatch). Joseph will reportedly miss the remainder of the Blues road trip which sees them in Ottawa tomorrow night and Philadelphia on Thursday. Joseph has had a decent start in his first season with St. Louis posting two goals and two assists in nine games while being one of the team’s top penalty-killing options.

Snapshots: Drouin, Rempe, Lazar

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Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette is reporting that injured Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin is being upgraded to day-to-day, an indication that he could return to action soon. Drouin hasn’t dressed for a game since he suffered a lower-body injury in the first game of the season back on October 8th. The 29-year-old is reportedly still dealing with some pain but should be able to return when he is cleared to do so.

Colorado has not had issues putting the puck in the net this season. However, they are still without the services of several forwards and will be happy to have Drouin’s services when he gets back into the lineup.

In other notes from around the league:

  • The New York Rangers have reportedly recalled forward Matt Rempe from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL (as per AHL Transactions). The 22-year-old was assigned to the AHL on Friday and dressed in two games with Hartford, where he was held without a point and went -3. New York had lent Rempe to Hartford to try and get him more playing time, but with a matchup this week against the Washington Capitals, and more specifically, Tom Wilson, the Rangers opted to bring the big man back to the NHL.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Curtis Lazar left tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks and did not return (as per Mike Morreale of NHL.com). The 29-year-old collided with Ducks captain Radko Gudas when Gudas tried to execute an ill-timed hip check on Lazar, which resulted in an awkward-looking collision. Lazar appeared unable to put any weight on his left leg as he exited the game and did not return for the third period. He played just 4:40. In a post-game interview, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporter Gabriel Trevino that Lazar will miss some time.

Evening Notes: Martin, Colton, Wood, Rust

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Matt Martin’s recently signed one-year deal with the New York Islanders will pay him a prorated salary of $775K for the season (as per PuckPedia). Martin’s deal is a one-way contract with an AAV of $875K, meaning he will make $775K in the AHL or NHL. The contract also includes a $100K bonus if the 35-year-old plays ten games in the NHL this season.

The bonus in the contract is a bit peculiar given that the Islanders were likely the only suitor for Martin’s services after he lingered unsigned in free agency for over three months. However, the $100K bonus won’t impact New York much as they can roll any overage into next season when they will have over $20MM in cap space.

In other evening notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche forwards Miles Wood and Ross Colton are expected to play tonight when the Avalanche take on the Ottawa Senators (as per Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports). Both players missed team practice yesterday after they were banged up in Thursday night’s game against Utah. Colorado head coach Jared Bednar told the media yesterday that the team was trying to allow the players to recover so that they wouldn’t miss any game time. It would appear the tactic worked, which is good news for a team that has lost a pile of man games this season.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust left last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury (as per Ryan Gagne of The Hockey News). The 32-year-old was run into the boards by Canucks forward Nils Hoglander, who had some choice words for him as he left the ice. The Penguins were quick to rule the veteran out for the remainder of the game which isn’t a great sign for the struggling club moving forward. Pittsburgh has yet to provide an update and returned to Pittsburgh today after a disastrous road trip through Western Canada that saw the Penguins go 0-3-1. Pittsburgh plays at home on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.

Evening Notes: Matheson, Benson, Front Offices

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is in the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers (as per  Eric Engels of Sportsnet). Matheson left the Canadiens game last Thursday night with an apparent upper-body injury after playing just 7:35 during the first period. He didn’t return for the second period and was ruled out of the game. The 30-year-old then returned to the Canadiens lineup on Saturday night against the Islanders and played over 28 minutes, tallying an assist.

Matheson’s dressing tonight left fellow defenseman Arber Xhekaj on the outside looking in as the Hamilton, Ontario native was made a healthy scratch. It marks the second game in a row that the 23-year-old has had to watch from the press box as he didn’t dress in New York on Saturday night.

In other evening notes:

  • Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson sat out tonight’s game and has been dealing with an issue since the team opened the season in Prague (as per Joe Yerdon of Noted Hockey). Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff credited the youngster with trying to play through the injury but said the ailment was beginning to affect his play. The 13th overall pick in 2023 is pointless through six games this season but has very strong underlying numbers and could benefit from a bit of rest to try and deal with the issue that has been nagging him. Buffalo doesn’t play again until Saturday.
  • The Athletic ran a poll with 40 high-ranking league executives to see who they believe is the NHL’s top front office. Among the participants were scouting directors, senior advisors, general managers, and assistant general managers. The top three clubs in the rankings were the Dallas Stars at one, the Tampa Bay Lightning second, and the Florida Panthers in third. The Golden Knights and Bruins rounded out the top five.  It’s no surprise to see three recent Stanley Cup winners in the top five, but what is surprising is seeing the number one ranking go to a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1999. Although, the Stars did go to a Stanley Cup Final in 2020.

East Notes: Jarry, Blue Jackets, Ekman-Larsson

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Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry will be a healthy scratch for a second straight game tonight when the Pens take on the Calgary Flames. Jarry sat out Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and hasn’t played since he gave up three goals on five shots last Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Penguins are currently carrying three NHL goaltenders on their road trip through Western Canada and have been reportedly trying to get extra work in for Jarry in practice as he tries to steady his game and move on from the struggles that plagued him since late last season.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell isn’t in a hurry to add to his roster via trade despite a rash of injuries (as per James Murphy of Responsible Gambler). The Blue Jackets will be without key contributors Boone Jenner, Erik Gudbranson and Kent Johnson for quite a while, but as Waddell puts it, the team knows where they are at, and they know that acquiring short-term pieces doesn’t make sense at this stage of their rebuild. The Blue Jackets have been turning over their roster for five years now and appear unwilling to rush themselves back into the playoff picture by sacrificing the future. The Blue Jackets have several young players on their NHL roster who have performed well in the early going and have a decent pipeline of prospects on the way to the NHL.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been fined $5000 for running interference on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel in last night’s contest. On the play, Ekman-Larsson was the puck carrier and threw a reverse hit on an unsuspecting Guentzel knocking him to the ice. Guentzel remained down for a brief moment before getting back to his feet. OEL received a minor penalty on the play for interference. The fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the money from it will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Kraken Recall Cale Fleury, Vince Dunn To LTIR

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The Seattle Kraken have recalled defenseman Cale Fleury from the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League. Fleury is fresh off a hat trick on Friday night against San Diego in what was the Firebirds’ first win of the season.

The 25-year-old Fleury is in his fourth season in the Kraken organization and had a spectacular playoff run with the team last year, posting five goals and nine assists in 18 AHL playoff games. The Calgary, Alberta native has dressed in 22 NHL games for Seattle over parts of three seasons and has one assist.

In a corresponding move, the Kraken have placed defenseman Vince Dunn on the long-term injured reserve in a move that was retroactive to October 17th. The move signals that Dunn’s injury could be more serious than the Kraken previously believed or it could be Seattle trying to navigate the tight confines of the NHL salary cap. Dunn will not be eligible to play again until November 8th against the Ottawa Senators.

Dunn was having a good offensive start to his season before suffering an upper-body injury. In four games the 27-year-old had a goal and two assists and was logging just under 19 minutes of ice time per game. Despite the good scoring numbers, Dunn’s underlying numbers have not been great. His CF% thus far this year is 15% lower than last season and he has committed turnovers at an alarming rate.

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