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Shea Theodore Close To Returning For Vegas Golden Knights

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Jesse Granger of The Athletic tweeted today that defenseman Shea Theodore has started skating with the team for the first time since his injury in late March. Theodore has missed seven games with the undisclosed injury and is travelling with the team according to Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. While Theodore skating again is certainly encouraging, he did practice in a non-contact jersey leading one to believe that he has a few more hurdles to clear before he returns to game action.

Theodore is having another strong offensive season, albeit in limited action. The usually durable defenseman has missed 27 games this season but has still managed to put up 41 points in 54 games. Theodore hasn’t dealt with injuries often in his career and hasn’t missed significant time since joining Vegas for the 2017-18 season.

While Theodore’s powerplay time and production have dropped, the 27-year-old has never been better at even strength. Theodore has 28 points at five on five in 54 games, which is one off his career high that he set last year in 78 games. Despite his injuries this season, Theodore remains a strong offensive defenseman and would likely see significant time on the Golden Knights second unit when he does make his return.

Vegas appears to be getting healthy at exactly the right time as both Jack Eichel and Mark Stone also skated this morning. Stone was also in a blue non-contact jersey, while Eichel took the optional skate in a regular practice jersey. The Golden Knights have overcome an awful lot of injuries this season including long term injuries to Robin Lehner, Nolan Patrick, and Stone. Despite the man games lost the Golden Knights still find themselves as one of the favorites to come out of a wide-open Western Conference.

Capitals Notes: Laviolette, Oshie, Sheary, Smith

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Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic is reporting that the Washington Capitals are preparing for a potentially big offseason in which a lot of personnel decisions will need to be made. The Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 season and while much of their 2018 Stanley Cup championship roster has moved on, some very important pieces remain.

El-Bashir reports that there is no update on the status of head coach Peter Laviolette. The veteran coach is a free agent at the end of this season and would still be in demand should he or the Capitals elect to part ways and start fresh next season. It is believed that Laviolette still has the support of many of the veterans in the Washington dressing room, but the recent stretch of games would give anyone pause as the Capitals have seemed indifferent at times. Laviolette is in his third season as the Capitals head coach and is the eighth winningest coach in NHL history. The 58-year-old has led three different organizations to the Stanley Cup final in his career, including a Stanley Cup victory in 2005-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes. However, in Washington he hasn’t been able to get the Capitals back over the hump and out of the first round.

In other Washington notes:

  • T.J. Oshie was shut down earlier this week with the same back injury that has caused him problems all season. Oshie missed a total of 22 games this year after dressing in just 44 games last season. El-Bashir writes in The Athletic that he is being told that Oshie shouldn’t require surgery on his ailing back and that he should be able to recover with rest and rehab. For his part the 36-year-old Oshie has seen his offensive production slide the last two seasons. He’s failed to reach 40 points two years in a row now after missing that number just once in the previous 12 seasons. Oshie can still score, evidenced by his 19 goals this season in 58 games, but Washington will be counting on him to stay healthy going forward, especially with two years left on his contract.
  • El-Bashir also writes in The Athletic that he expects the Capitals to move on from Conor Sheary and Craig Smith. Sheary is in his third season with Washington and has been a good depth scoring option with 37 points in 80 games. His scoring is down from last year, but the 30-year-old two-time cup winner should find an NHL job for next season as a depth forward with speed who can chip in on offence.
  • Craig Smith will also be looking for a new job this summer. The former Nashville Predator has seen his numbers fall off a cliff this season as he bounced between the Boston Bruins and Washington. The 2009 fourth round pick had topped 30 points in five straight seasons as a dependable third liner but hasn’t been able to duplicate that success this season. He is in the final year of a three-year contract he originally signed with Boston and will likely be forced to take a one-year deal around league minimum to secure an NHL job in 2023-24.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Two Players From AHL

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The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have recalled forward Joël Teasdale and defenseman Frédéric Allard from the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis told both players after their game last night for Laval. The Canadiens will be back in action on Wednesday night as they try to play spoiler against the New York Islanders.

Teasdale has finally found his footing in the AHL after years of setbacks due to injuries. He has provided the Rocket with secondary scoring in a season that they have needed it due to the litany of recalls they’ve had to endure thanks to Montreal’s injury situation this season. Teasdale has 23 goals and 38 points in 57 games in his third year with the Rocket. The 24-year-old doesn’t play the prettiest brand of hockey but has put up numbers in the AHL by getting to the net and winning puck battles. His hard work has been rewarded as he will dress in his first career NHL game.

Frédéric Allard was a third-round pick of the Nashville Predators back in 2016 but has yet to establish himself as an everyday NHLer. He was acquired by the Canadiens from the Los Angeles Kings back in early March and has played one game for Montreal thus far. In 40 AHL games this season, the 25-year-old Allard has just two goals and five assists. His offensive numbers in the AHL this season have really fallen off from his previous five years in the league. Allard had established himself as a solid two-way defenseman capable of chipping in 20+ points but has failed to come close to replicating that offensive success this year.

The call-ups are an interesting move by the Canadiens, they could have called up Rafael Harvey-Pinard who has already scored 20 points in 34 games this season in the NHL, but they elected to call up players who play supporting roles in Laval. The Rocket also play tomorrow night against the Toronto Marlies in AHL action and are pushing towards the playoffs. Removing Harvey-Pinard from the lineup would have been a significant blow to the Rocket’s chances of knocking off the best team in the AHL’s North Division.

Thomas Greiss Out For The Rest Of The Season

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The St. Louis Blues have announced that goaltender Thomas Greiss will be out for the remainder of the season with a lower body injury. Greiss played in 21 games for the Blues and will finish the season with a 7-10-0 record to go with a .895 save percentage and a 3.64 GAA. He underwent a procedure this past Monday and it was being speculated that it would sideline him until the end of the year.

Greiss was signed in the offseason as a backup to Jordan Binnington and struggled in his first season with the Blues. It was his 14th season in the NHL and his second season in a row where he put up a save percentage under .900.

Greiss had a tremendous five year run with the New York Islanders from 2015-2020 which saw him win 101 games and put-up a save percentage of .915. However, by the time Greiss signed in St. Louis late last summer there was talk that he nearly retired due to a lack of interest in his services.

Now given his struggles the past two seasons it seems possible that the 37-year-old could hang up his skates after this season. It’ll be interesting to see what Greiss does, there remains a possibility that he could still find work as a backup, given how thin the free agent goaltending market will be this summer.

Robert Thomas Back Skating With St. Louis Blues

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Some good news for the St. Louis Blues as they enter the final week of the regular season. Lou Korac of NHL.com is reporting that Robert Thomas is back skating today at the team’s optional skate. Thomas has missed the last five games with an upper body injury but took a step towards returning as he did some drills with Blues assistant coach Steve Ott this morning.

Thomas had started to heat up just before his injury with three points in the two games prior to getting hurt. Before that he had been on a cold streak going pointless in four straight. Thomas has been streaky this year putting up points in bunches and then going cold for a handful of games. Despite this, he still has 19 goals and 63 points in 70 games this year.

The Blues have just three games left in the regular season, so it is not yet known whether Thomas will return before the Blues play game 82. St. Louis is already officially eliminated from the playoffs so there is little rush to bringing him back too soon, especially with his eight year $65MM dollar extension kicking in next season.

St. Louis will be an interesting team to watch this offseason. The team has been visibly frustrated with the play of goaltender Jordan Binnington, their defense is old and could use an injection of youth, and they’ve got a solid group of forwards led by Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. They aren’t that far removed from their 2019 Stanley Cup and will likely be looking to push for the playoffs again in 2023-24.

Seattle Kraken To Assign Shane Wright To AHL

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John Shannon of The Bob McCown Podcast is reporting that it looks as though the Seattle Kraken will assign 2022 first round pick Shane Wright to their AHL affiliate. Wright had his OHL season ended last night when his Windsor Spitfires were knocked out of the playoffs by the Kitchener Rangers.

Seattle could call Wright up to be an extra skater for the big club in their playoff push, but it appears as though they feel that some time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds would be better for his development.

Wright has had quite the rollercoaster ride during the 2022-23 season. He started the year by making the Kraken out of training camp after a solid showing. Following that he was used in a limited capacity before eventually being assigned to the AHL. In his first run with the Firebirds, Wright tore it up with four goals in five games before being called back up to Seattle. He then won gold with Team Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championships before being re-assigned to the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. The Windsor Spitfires then traded seven draft picks and two players for Wright and finished as the number one seed in the regular season. Finally, last night the Spitfires were swept in the first round by the number eight seed Rangers.

For all the highs and lows this season, Wright has produced offense more often than not. His only offensive struggles occurred at the NHL level as he has just a single goal and assist with the Kraken in eight games. Given his recent history, it makes sense that the Kraken would like to see Wright gain some traction in the AHL before making a return to the NHL.

Ryan Siedem Enters Transfer Portal

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Mark Divver of NHL.com is reporting that NCAA defenseman Ryan Siedem has entered the college transfer portal. Siedem is a senior at Harvard and just completed a season in which he registered 17 points in 34 games for the Crimson.

In college hockey the transfer portal is an online database that allows student athletes to declare their desire to transfer to a different school. Divver reports that he has heard rumors that Michigan is the favorite to land the 22-year-old New Jersey native.

Siedem was never drafted but he did attend the Washington Capitals 2022 development camp. He didn’t walk away with a contract or any type of a guarantee, but now as he finds himself in the transfer portal, it is being reported that he does have some AHL offers.

Siedem won’t put the puck in the net very often, in fact his lone goal this season came by the way of an empty netter. Looking back, he hasn’t put up more than four goals in any season since 2014-15. While he isn’t a shooter, he is a strong passer and can facilitate breakouts utilizing a good first pass.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Adam Henrique from IR

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The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they have activated centre Adam Henrique from the IR. Henrique has been sidelined with a sprained MCL since February 21. He has been effective this season for the lowly Ducks scoring 19 goals and 14 assists in 57 games.

The 33-year-old appeared on a lot of trade bait boards prior to the NHL’s trade deadline but was effectively removed from it when he went down to injury. He will likely remain a trade target for a lot of teams this summer as he enters the final year of his contract with Anaheim. Henrique is set to count $5.825MM against the cap and has a modified no trade clause. With the Ducks in the middle of a long rebuild Henrique would likely welcome a move to a contender.

It’s been a long road for Anaheim, they haven’t made the playoffs since they lost in the first round in 2018 and are currently in the running for the first overall pick, with the chance to draft Connor Bedard. Anaheim is tied for last place in the league with the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ducks do have some intriguing young pieces in place and some solid veterans that can be moved for additional draft capital and prospects. Henrique is likely to be at the top of the list of pieces the Ducks would like to move.

Chicago Wolves To Play As An Independent AHL Team

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Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News is reporting that the Chicago Wolves have e-mailed agents to let them know that the club is planning to end its affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of this season and operate as an independent organization without an NHL affiliate. They will become the first AHL independent organization since 1994-95.

In an e-mail that was obtained by The Hockey News Wolves GM Wendell Young reportedly let NHL teams know that Chicago would be open to receiving NHL players on loan. Young was also quoted in an article from The Athletic as saying this about the club’s relationship with the Hurricanes, “some organizations are development-only, but we think if we have development and win playoff games, guys learn how to win, which you’re trying to do all the time. That’s changed. It’s time to go independent and follow our own philosophy.”

Stoller tweeted today that he doesn’t see this as a surprise and that he thinks this is what Chicago has always wanted. It is hard to argue with Stoller’s thinking, given what Young had to say in the media. Stoller added that he doesn’t think any NHL team would sign an affiliation agreement with the Wolves.

The news today gives Chicago a lot of flexibility heading into next season, but it also makes Young’s job as general manager a whole lot more difficult. He will no longer have an NHL club providing players to the Wolves, which will require him to sign a lot more players to AHL contracts. The Wolves will also still be required to follow the AHL’s development roster rule which states that 13 of 18 skaters must have played 260 games or less of pro hockey.

Minnesota Wild Will Sign Mason Shaw This Summer

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Joe Smith of The Athletic is reporting that the Minnesota Wild intend to sign pending restricted free agent Mason Shaw to an extension this summer, despite his recent ACL tear. Shaw is expected to be out for eight to nine months after he was injured this past Saturday in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

For Shaw, this is the fourth time he’s torn an ACL in his young career. He’s had surgery three times already and will now need to go through it a fourth time. Smith reported that the feeling in the Wild dressing room was somber, with Shaw’s injury hitting his teammates hard.

By all accounts, Shaw is very popular within the Wild dressing room and has worked hard to get into the teams bottom six. Wild GM Bill Guerin said of Shaw’s contract, ““That won’t be something he’s going to have to worry about. We’ll figure something out. You don’t want to let go of guys like that.”

Minnesota is going to be in a tight cap crunch once again this summer with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts accounting for nearly $15MM in cap space next year. While Shaw may not return in the 2023 calendar year, he should return in early 2024 barring any setbacks. Shaw’s qualifying offer this summer will be just $787.5K, meaning that even with a modest raise Minnesota shouldn’t have any issue offering him a contract, despite their precarious cap situation.

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