Snapshots: Power, Benson, Othmann, Sharks
The Sabres received some good news on the injury front today, as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that defenseman Owen Power was a participant in practice after leaving yesterday’s win over the Red Wings in the third period with an undisclosed ailment. It’s believed to be an illness that kept him out of the third period Saturday for all but one shift, Lysowski adds.
Power’s presence is certainly a major factor in helping the Sabres keep their forward momentum. They’ve now won three in a row to get out of a tough 1-4-1 hole they put themselves in to begin the season, climbing back to .500 and third place in the Atlantic Division. Power’s been a big part of the turnaround with a goal and five assists in his last four games, although he’s currently tracking with the worst possession metrics of his four-year NHL career (although not by a significant amount).
The 2021 first-overall pick has been skating on Buffalo’s de facto second pairing with Bowen Byram. 22 next month, Power is in the first season of a seven-year, $58.45MM extension he signed just over a year ago.
In less positive news, Buffalo remains without sophomore winger Zach Benson, who wasn’t seen at practice today while he continues to rehab a nagging lower-body injury (per WGR Sports Radio 550’s Paul Hamilton). He’s missed three games with the injury this season, including each of the last two. When in the lineup, the 19-year-old has no points and a -4 rating through six games – clearly not himself after recording 30 points in 71 games during his rookie campaign last year.
More from around the league:
- Rangers left-wing prospect Brennan Othmann was left off the opening night roster and will now be out of action for the next little while. He’s expected to miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, AHL Hartford head coach Grant Potulny said last night (as relayed by USA Today Sports’ Vince Z. Mercogliano). It’s an unfortunate damper on a raucous start for the 21-year-old, who had five points (2 G, 3 A) and a +2 rating through three minor-league games. The 2021 first-round pick made his NHL debut last season, going without a point and registering six shots while averaging 9:05 through three games.
- The Sharks certainly weren’t expected to climb much higher out of last place this year, but few expected last season’s disastrous 19-54-9 record to not see any improvement. Unfortunately, a coaching change and significant roster turnover haven’t changed San Jose’s fortunes, at least so far. They’ve become the first team in NHL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine-game losing streaks, a stat first-year head coach Ryan Warsofsky called “truly embarrassing” following a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the hands of the Golden Knights last night. “I don’t think anyone’s happy by any means,” Warsofsky said post-game (via San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng). “There’s a lot of emotion in that locker room, frustration, anger, it’s tough right now.“
Golden Knights Activate William Karlsson, Move Victor Olofsson To IR
The Golden Knights activated center William Karlsson from injured reserve before last night’s win over the Sharks, per the NHL’s media portal, and as evidenced by his pair of points in his season debut. Right-winger Victor Olofsson was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
It’s all good news for Vegas, as Olofsson was already listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. His IR placement is retroactive to Oct. 15, so he can come off IR anytime. The transaction doesn’t impact his timeline for a return in the slightest.
Karlsson’s return is a significant boon to a Golden Knights squad already leading the league with 4.67 goals per game. After yesterday’s 7-3 thrashing of San Jose, Vegas sits atop the Pacific Division with a 6-2-1 record and a +14 goal differential, third in the league behind the Rangers and Jets. Captain Mark Stone leads the league outright in scoring with 17 points (4 G, 13 A) in nine games, while Jack Eichel is tied for second with 15 points (3 G, 12 A). Vegas’ stars have been dominant enough early on to quiet any concerns about the significant hits to their depth scoring over the offseason. However, players like Brett Howden (five goals) and Pavel Dorofeyev (seven points) are also doing their part as they settle into consistent top-nine roles.
The 31-year-old Karlsson is one of two expansion draft selections remaining on Vegas’ roster, joining defenseman Brayden McNabb. Now in his eighth season with the team and his 11th NHL campaign overall, he’s coming off his best offensive showing since his unfathomable 43-goal, 78-point breakout during the Knights’ inaugural season. Last year marked the first time he’d hit the 30-goal and 60-point plateaus since then, and he also won a career-best 56.2% of his draws. Karlsson’s possession metrics remained strong, logging a 51.8 CF% and 57.1 xGF% with 46 blocked shots, placing 18th in Selke Trophy voting. It was the first time he’d received consideration for the award since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns.
With Karlsson back, Vegas has its full complement of centers – Eichel on line one, Tomáš Hertl on line two, Karlsson on line three, and Nicolas Roy on line four. That’s a rare sight for a team that’s been plagued by its big-name forwards missing significant time with injuries over the past few seasons. For now, though, they have no restrictions up front aside from Olofsson’s absence and remain out of LTIR.
Karlsson had been out of action since the Knights’ exhibition schedule with an undisclosed injury.
Riley Tufte Clears Waivers
Saturday: Tufte has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.
Friday: The Bruins have placed winger Riley Tufte on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Providence, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
It’s no surprise, given how sparsely the 26-year-old has played to start the season. Signed to a one-way, league-minimum deal in the offseason, Tufte made the opening night roster but has been scratched six times in eight games to start the year. When in the lineup, the 6’6″, 230-lb winger has made little impact, posting a -1 rating and three hits while averaging 8:08 per game. He’s yet even to record a shot attempt.
A first-round pick of the Stars back in 2016, Tufte has just 20 NHL appearances to his name with Dallas, Colorado, and Boston, scoring twice and adding an assist. He’s coming off a career-best 23 goals and 45 points in the minors with AHL Colorado last year, adding 91 PIMs in 67 appearances. The Bruins thought that production might translate into him being an effective fourth-line energy piece on a semi-everyday basis, but it hasn’t worked out that way.
As such, the Bruins will open up a roster spot one way or another tomorrow, whether Tufte clears and is sent to the minors or is claimed by another team. They could use that spot to sign Tyler Johnson, who was never released from his professional tryout and is still practicing with the team.
Kailer Yamamoto Clears Waivers, Utah Expected To Activate Nick Bjugstad
Saturday: Yamamoto has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The team announced he has been sent to Tucson.
Friday: The Utah Hockey Club has winger Kailer Yamamoto on waivers today for the purposes of assignment to AHL Tucson, the team announced. After he clears or is claimed tomorrow, they’ll have an open roster spot to activate center Nick Bjugstad from injured reserve, per Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports.
It’s a tough break for Yamamoto, who hasn’t converted a strong training camp into a regular-season impact in Salt Lake. The 26-year-old was non-tendered by the Kraken at the end of last season and didn’t receive any guaranteed offers, instead landing a PTO with Utah for training camp. They signed him to a one-year, two-way deal the day before opening night rosters were due, and Bjugstad was slated to start the year on IR.
Even with Bjugstad out, though, there hasn’t been much opportunity for Yamamoto in the lineup. He was a healthy scratch for the first five games of the season before playing in each of Utah’s last three. He was held off the scoresheet, posting a -1 rating and taking just one shot on goal while averaging 10:40 per game.
On a two-way deal, there could be some interest in Yamamoto’s services on the waiver wire. The 2017 first-round pick is only one year removed from a 10-goal, 25-point campaign with the Oilers in 58 games, and he had a career-high 20 goals the year before that. That type of production from Yamamoto would require giving him consistent middle-six, if not top-six, minutes though, and he hasn’t done enough in the past couple of years to justify that ice time. Last year in Seattle, he averaged just under 12 minutes per game and saw his production suffer with 19 points (8 G, 8 A) in 59 games with a -9 rating.
Meanwhile, Bjugstad is set to make his season debut tomorrow against the Kings. It’s a little earlier than scheduled for his return, with a report from ALL City Network’s Craig Morgan at the beginning of the month stating he wouldn’t be back until Nov. 1.
He’ll be a boon to a Utah offense that has gone cold, scoring only twice in its last three games. The first-year club has dropped to a 4-3-1 record after a 3-0-0 start, dragged down by long-term injuries to defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino. Bjugstad, 32, is coming off one of the best offensive seasons of his career, posting 22 goals and 45 points with a +11 rating in 76 appearances last season for the Coyotes.
Pavel Novák Clears Unconditional Waivers
Saturday: Novák has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. That will pave the way for his deal to be terminated.
Friday: The Wild have placed right-winger Pavel Novák on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, the team announced Friday. It’s likely a mutual termination.
Novák, 22, was on assignment to ECHL Iowa to begin the season, going without a point and posting a -1 rating in two games. He also spent most of last season down a level with the Heartlanders, tying for fifth on the team in scoring with 27 points (14 G, 13 A) in 44 games.
It wasn’t groundbreaking production by any stretch, especially at the ECHL level. But it was a statement campaign for Novák, who had missed all of the 2022-23 campaign while undergoing treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The Minnesota 2020 fifth-round pick just lost too much development time when combined with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, though, and never got much of a chance to progress past the 58 points in 55 games that got him drafted out of WHL Kelowna five years ago.
The mutual termination will allow Novák to pursue professional opportunities in Europe, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. He also appeared in 13 AHL games for the Wild last season, recording two goals and an assist in 13 appearances.
Novák was in the final season of a three-year, entry-level contract worth $2.54MM that he signed back in 2022. He already earned an $80K signing bonus for this season and was earning a $75K salary while playing in the minors.
Rangers Sign Alexis Lafrenière To Seven-Year Extension
1:37 p.m.: Lafrenière’s deal has a front-loaded structure that includes an $8MM signing bonus when the deal goes into effect next season, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports. He’ll have a no-movement and a modified no-trade clause go into effect when he’s eligible for it beginning in 2027-28, he adds. PuckPedia has the full breakdown of the deal, adding it’s an eight-team no-trade list for the modified NTC:
2025-26: $2MM base salary, $8MM signing bonus
2026-27: $5.5MM base, $2MM SB
2027-28: $8.5MM base, $1MM SB
2028-29: $7.15MM base
2029-30: $6MM base
2030-31: $6MM base
2031-32: $6MM base
12:42 p.m.: The deal will come in at an actual AAV of $7.45MM, per PuckPedia. That’s a total value of $52.15MM.
11:54 a.m.: The Rangers are closing in on a seven-year extension with winger Alexis Lafrenière worth just under $7.6MM per season, sources tell Larry Brooks of the New York Post. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said earlier Friday that talks between the Rangers and the pending RFA had “intensified.”
That means the deal’s total value will be in the $50-53MM range. It’s a contract that would have been inconceivable for the 2020 first-overall pick less than two years ago, a clear demonstration of how much he’s improved since the beginning of last season.
Trade rumors swirled around Lafrenière after his third season in New York. During that time, he’d failed to average over half a point per game at any stage – not an acceptable performance from a first-overall forward, even that early into their career. However, a coaching change brought Peter Laviolette behind the Rangers bench, who got Lafrenière more ice time by shifting him to right-wing after years of sticking on his natural left side.
In essence, he’s been stapled on a line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, a pair with which he’s developed undeniable chemistry. Lafrenière played all 82 games in 2022-23, recording a career-high 28 goals and 29 assists for 57 points while averaging over 17 minutes per night. The trio formed the Rangers’ best two-way line last season that suited up together on a regular basis, controlling 55.6% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
The playoffs saw Lafrenière up his per-game production even further. While the President’s Trophy winners were bounced in the Eastern Conference Final by the eventual champion Panthers, Lafrenière tied Trocheck and Chris Kreider for the team lead in goals with eight and added six assists for 14 points in 16 games. He’s carried that momentum into 2024-25, lighting the lamp four times and adding three assists for seven points in seven games, still skating with Panarin and Trocheck and averaging nearly 18 minutes per game.
Lafrenière has now converted that production into a long-term commitment from the Blueshirts, who lock him up at an extremely affordable price through the 2031-32 campaign if he keeps up his recent offensive output. His deal will go into effect next season, keeping him from reaching restricted free agency for the second time in his career. The forward inked a two-year bridge deal worth a total of $4.65MM in August 2023, far less than what he’ll be making in a single season on his new contract.
He’ll be 30 when the deal expires – he turned 23 earlier this month. That allows him to cash in again on a long-term deal while being UFA eligible, although likely not as much as he could’ve garnered if he inked a five- or six-year extension with the Rangers. For New York, signing Lafrenière now likely provides a more affordable outcome than waiting until the end of the season, especially if he keeps up his point-per-game pace from the early going.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Rangers Reassign Chad Ruhwedel
Oct. 25: Ruhwedel cleared waivers today, per Friedman. He was assigned to Hartford shortly thereafter, per the team.
Oct. 24: The Rangers have placed defenseman Chad Ruhwedel on waivers for assignment to AHL Hartford, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
If Ruhwedel clears and is assigned to Hartford, it will be his first AHL action since the 2018-19 campaign. The 34-year-old has been on NHL rosters as a bottom-pairing/press box option for the better part of the last nine years, spending most of his professional career with the Penguins. Ruhwedel was initially an undrafted free agent signing out of UMass-Lowell by the Sabres in 2013 but spent most of his time with Buffalo in the minors before signing with the Pens in 2016.
Ruhwedel logged some AHL time with the Penguins, making 33 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton across a pair of seasons, but was otherwise an NHL fixture. A serviceable, physical right-shot defender, Ruhwedel posted 47 points and 90 PIMs with a -7 rating in 326 games for Pittsburgh, averaging 1.73 hits per game. But with the Pens slipping out of the playoff picture and his contract set to expire last summer, they traded him to the Rangers on deadline day for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
The San Diego native mostly sat in the press box down the stretch of the 2023-24 campaign. He logged five appearances for the Blueshirts, posting a -2 rating and 15 hits with one takeaway, averaging 14:08 per game. He didn’t suit up at all in the postseason.
While he was a UFA for nearly two weeks last summer, the Rangers brought Ruhwedel back on a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$400K). He was expected to compete for a roster spot as a No. 7 defenseman, a pathway that became quite clear after Ryan Lindgren began the season on injured reserve. But with Lindgren back in the lineup and rookie Victor Mancini catching the team’s attention in a bottom-pairing role with three points in his last three games, Ruhwedel finds himself on the outside looking in.
Ruhwedel had played once in the Rangers’ six games to start the year, serving as a healthy scratch for the other five. He skated 14:04 against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 19, recording a +2 rating with four blocks and two hits.
Devils Reassign Daniil Misyul
The Devils have assigned defenseman Daniil Misyul to AHL Utica, per a team release.
Misyul earned his first NHL call-up on Monday, a day before his 24th birthday. The Russian-born left-shot made his NHL debut the following night, posting a -1 rating in 12:23 of ice time against the Lightning.
With Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce coming off injured reserve and returning to the lineup in last night’s loss to the Red Wings, it’s no surprise to see the Devils shed a defender from the active roster. Misyul was initially summoned to give New Jersey a much-needed left-shot option, allowing rookie Seamus Casey to go from playing his off-side in limited NHL minutes to playing his natural right side in top-pairing duties with Utica. But with Hughes back in the fold, Misyul wouldn’t get NHL playing time ahead of him, Brenden Dillon, or Jonas Siegenthaler, so he naturally heads back to the minors.
The Devils selected Misyul 70th overall in the 2019 draft. He played the following four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl before arriving in North America for the 2023-24 campaign. Over his brief stint with Utica over the past year, he’s got 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 47 appearances with 55 PIMs and a -1 rating. The strong, stay-at-home defender will be an RFA with arbitration rights at the end of the season.
Canucks Recall Erik Brännström, Arshdeep Bains
Oct. 25: Both Brännström and Bains are back on the NHL roster today, according to Allvin. The moves were solely a paper transaction to accrue cap space, although Forbort could still be good to return for their next game.
Oct. 24: The Canucks sent defenseman Erik Brännström and winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford today, per general manager Patrik Allvin.
Brännström heads back to the minors with fellow defender Derek Forbort, who’s ready to return from a brief personal leave, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. Forbort never landed on the non-roster list, so the Canucks’ active roster is now at 21 players with the two reassignments.
The Canucks had three games over the past week with Forbort out and Brännström on the roster. The 25-year-old Swede played in all of them, recording an assist and a +2 rating while averaging 13:23 per game. The 2017 first-round pick struggled to control possession quality in his limited and sheltered minutes, posting a 33.3 xGF%. It was quantity over quality for Brännström, who controlled total shot attempts at even strength with a 52.1 CF%.
It was an okay showing for the recent trade pickup from the Avalanche, but not enough to keep him in the NHL. On Oct. 6, Vancouver acquired Brännström, who signed a one-year, $900K deal with Colorado over the summer, via trade, sending defenseman Tucker Poolman the other way to give the Avs some long-term injured reserve flexibility. He was placed on waivers that same day and cleared without incident. He had three assists and a +3 rating in two games for Abbotsford before getting the call-up to replace Forbort.
Bains, meanwhile, was left off the Canucks’ opening night roster but was recalled ahead of their second game of the season. The 23-year-old has made three appearances and scratched twice since. He’s still looking for his first NHL point after going scoreless this year and also in an eight-game trial last season. The hometown kid posted a -1 rating and had just one shot on goal while in the lineup this season, averaging 12:38 per game.
However, the pending RFA is still an intriguing prospect. An undrafted free agent signing out of WHL Red Deer in 2022, he’s far from a finished product and will get a lengthy runway to continue to build confidence in Abbotsford. He posted 55 points (16 G, 39 A) in 59 games for them last year, earning a spot on the AHL All-Star Game roster.
Sabres To Activate Nicolas Aubé-Kubel From Injured Reserve
The Sabres will activate right-winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel from injured reserve in the coming days, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today, including Heather Engel of NHL.com. He’s medically cleared to play but may not be in the lineup tomorrow against the Red Wings with only one full practice under his belt, Ruff said. He’ll return to the lineup no later than Monday against the Panthers.
Aubé-Kubel, 28, sustained a lower-body injury in the season opener against the Devils in Prague back on Oct. 4. He was placed on IR a few days later, after which Ruff said he’d miss the next three to six weeks. Today marks exactly three weeks since he sustained the initial injury, so this marks the best-case scenario for his return to the lineup.
Buffalo landed Aubé-Kubel over the summer as a free agent, inking him to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. The high-energy fourth-line piece had spent most of the last two seasons with the Capitals after they claimed him off waivers from the Maple Leafs early in the 2022-23 campaign. Aubé-Kubel shined as a depth piece in D.C., posting 16 points in 60 games last year while averaging a career-high 12:12 per game. He finished fifth on the team in hits with 159, and his +4 rating was tied for second. He also recorded 32 takeaways compared to 19 giveaways, one of the better differentials on the team.
The Alberta native was also part of the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Claimed off waivers from the Flyers early in the season, Aubé-Kubel went on to post a career-high 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 74 regular-season games.
The Sabres can recreate two-thirds of what was an extremely effective fourth line for Washington last year after also acquiring left-winger Beck Malenstyn via trade. They had the duo centered by Sam Lafferty for under six minutes on opening night before Aubé-Kubel sustained the injury.
Buffalo has a full 23-man roster and will need to make a corresponding transaction to activate Aubé-Kubel. That could be returning 2022 first-round pick Jiri Kulich, who’s been scratched twice and has been limited to a goal in six appearances despite averaging over 15 minutes per game, to AHL Rochester. It could also be placing winger Zach Benson on IR – the sophomore is day-to-day with a lower-body injury that’s kept him out of two games this season. He wasn’t at practice today, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.