Jets Activate Gabriel Vilardi
The Winnipeg Jets activated forward Gabriel Vilardi off injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. Head coach Rick Bowness told reporters this morning, including Jets radio commentator Mitchell Clinton, that Vilardi will be a game-time decision tonight against the Oilers.
Vilardi, 24, had missed the past six weeks and 19 games with an MCL sprain sustained in the Jets’ third game of the season. Vilardi, who had notched one assist in his first two games as a Jet, was injured early in an October 17 contest against the Kings, his former team.
If he does play, it’s unclear where he’ll slot in the lineup. Vilardi began the season in a prominent role, skating on the first line alongside Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. It’s evident the Jets have high expectations for the young forward as he continues to overcome significant injuries, a common theme in his development since the Kings selected him 11th overall in 2017.
The most valuable piece sent to Winnipeg in exchange for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois last summer, Vilardi was coming off a breakout season in which he scored 23 goals and 41 points in 68 contests, all career-highs. He posted strong underlying numbers in the process and put up a solid 52.5% Corsi share at even strength. He continued his strong play in the postseason, notching four points in five games in the Kings’ first-round loss to the Oilers.
After missing significant time, don’t expect Vilardi to return to his previous first-line role, at least not immediately. Vilardi took line rushes with Morgan Barron and David Gustafsson on the team’s fourth line in practice today, likely indicating where he’ll skate tonight if he returns to the lineup. He’ll have to unseat Nikolaj Ehlers, who’s currently riding shotgun with Connor and Scheifele. Ehlers has had a somewhat disappointing start to the season, though, recording just 11 points in 21 games.
Vilardi is in the first season of a two-year deal signed with Jets post-trade, earning him $3.44MM per season. He will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.
Avalanche Recall Sam Malinski
The Colorado Avalanche recalled defenseman Sam Malinski from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on Thursday, per a team announcement. Malinski, 25, comes to the NHL roster to be injury insurance for the team’s upcoming three-game road swing through the southwestern United States.
Colorado is without defenseman Samuel Girard as he undergoes treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, which has allowed players like Malinski and Caleb Jones to slide into the lineup. Jones seems to have won out a spot as the team’s de facto seventh defenseman, playing in eight straight games while logging an assist and a +4 rating.
Meanwhile, Malinski has just one appearance this season, his first in the NHL. The undrafted free agent signing out of Cornell in March logged a +1 rating, one shot on goal, and one hit in 12:02 of ice time against the Kraken on November 13.
The Lakeville, Minnesota-born defender may not have ideal size for the pros, standing at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. However, his transition to professional life in the AHL has been rather smooth. Malinski has picked up where he left off after a strong showing with the Eagles to close out 2023, sitting tied for third on the team in scoring with nine points in 17 contests.
Malinski is under contract for one season after this at a cap hit of $850K. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in the summer of 2025.
Blue Jackets Recall Kent Johnson, Place Damon Severson On IR
The Columbus Blue Jackets brought top forward prospect Kent Johnson back up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on Thursday, per a team release. To make room on the roster, defenseman Damon Severson has been placed on injured reserve. He is one week into a six-week recovery timeline from an oblique injury.
This season started on a rough note for Johnson, Columbus’ fifth-overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was scratched by head coach Pascal Vincent for the team’s season opener and received minimal ice time when reinstated into the lineup, posting three points in eight games while averaging 12:49 per contest.
After being a healthy scratch twice in the Blue Jackets’ first ten games, there was another blow: Columbus opted to send him to the minors for the first time in his career. It was an unexpected move after the 21-year-old notched 16 goals and 40 points in 79 games during his rookie season last year.
The versatile, skillful forward quickly showed he didn’t belong at a lower level of play. Through ten games with the Monsters, Johnson registered five goals and ten assists for 15 points, positioning himself as second on the team in points despite missing seven out of 17 games while on the NHL roster.
In the final season of his entry-level contract, Johnson will make his case to stay on the Blue Jackets roster for the remainder of the season. The pending restricted free agent will not have arbitration rights next summer and is owed a qualifying offer of $874,125.
In his draft year, Elite Prospects labeled Johnson an “artist” with the puck and listed him as the tenth-best prospect available. Dobber Prospects lists Johnson as the second-best forward prospect in the Columbus system behind 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli, who has a respectable ten points in 24 games to kick off his NHL career.
Severson’s recovery remains status quo as he’s not expected to begin skating for a while yet. He remains on track to return to the lineup around New Year’s Day.
Kraken Place Jaden Schwartz On Injured Reserve
The Seattle Kraken placed winger Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve Thursday morning, per CapFriendly. Schwartz left Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks with a lower-body injury and did not return.
The move indicates Schwartz will miss at least seven days after sustaining the injury earlier in the week. Therefore, he has been ruled out of the Kraken’s next three games. The earliest he is eligible to return to the lineup is Thursday, December 7, against the Devils.
Schwartz, 31, had no points in his last five games after starting the season with eight goals, seven assists and 15 points in 18 games. Those 15 points remain tied for third on the team behind winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and defenseman Vince Dunn.
The Kraken have once again gotten solid depth production throughout their top nine, but the lack of a true superstar is beginning to haunt them after last season’s solid run. They sit with an 8-10-5 record and 21 points, fifth in the Pacific Division and three spots back of a Wild Card berth in the Western Conference.
Missing Schwartz certainly won’t help matters. He’s logged significant minutes for the team, averaging 17:15 per game, and his 53-point pace would be his highest total in five years. Despite the heavy usage and strong production, his possession numbers have left much to be desired – his 47.7% Corsi share is the worst among Kraken skaters with at least ten games played.
With Schwartz unavailable, recent call-up Marián Studenič will likely make his season debut tonight against the Maple Leafs. Moving Schwartz to IR opens up a roster spot for an additional recall from AHL Coachella Valley if the team wishes. They’re left with only 12 healthy forwards as Brandon Tanev remains sidelined with his second lower-body injury of the season but is still on the 23-man roster.
Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie, Mark Giordano Out Week-To-Week
10:30 a.m.: Giordano is now listed as week-to-week, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters this morning (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN). He’ll miss significantly more time than just tonight’s contest, meaning Lajoie will likely stick around on the NHL roster for quite a while. Expect the Maple Leafs to paper him up and down from the AHL in the coming days to extend his waiver-exempt status.
9:34 a.m.: The Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies Thursday morning, per a team announcement. He comes to the NHL roster after Mark Giordano sustained a hand injury in Tuesday’s shootout win over the Panthers.
Giordano has not been placed on IR. He’s only been ruled out of tonight’s contest against the Kraken at a minimum, and it’s unclear how much additional time (if any) he’ll miss. With ample cap space for a recall, given they have $3.1MM remaining of LTIR relief, no corresponding transaction needs to be made to bring Lajoie up to the NHL.
Lajoie is not expected to draw into the lineup tonight. Instead, he’ll likely serve as a healthy scratch while Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins comprise Toronto’s third pairing. William Lagesson is projected to slide into top-four duties to play alongside Jake McCabe, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays. John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren remain on long-term injured reserve.
This is Lajoie’s second recall of the season after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency and subsequently clearing waivers in October. The 26-year-old has 71 NHL games to his name, although he’s failed to play over ten games in a season since his 56-game rookie campaign with the Senators in 2018-19.
A strong skater and minor-league point producer, Lajoie spent the last three seasons in the Hurricanes organization, primarily with their AHL affiliate at the time, the Chicago Wolves. Last season, he captained the squad and posted 11 goals, 34 assists, 45 points, and a -2 rating in 63 games.
His start in the Maple Leafs organization has been underwhelming, recording five assists and a +4 rating through 14 games. Lajoie’s lone NHL appearance in 2023-24 came November 4 against the Sabres, recording a -1 rating, one shot attempt, and one hit in just 4:54 of ice time. He will not need waivers to return to the Marlies if his recall lasts less than 25 days and he plays less than nine games.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Chicago Blackhawks
As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Who are the Blackhawks thankful for?
Is there any debate here? Bedard represents the highlight of the Blackhawks’ roster for both the present and future. The 18-year-old leading the way with ten goals and seven assists in 20 games – on pace for 41 goals and 70 points – will be a repeated refrain throughout the next decade-plus. The team has struggled by design, not quite ready to emerge from their rebuild. Some veterans have stepped up to the plate to complement their star teenager. However, the leading point producer among those veterans, Corey Perry, is no longer a member of the organization after a workplace incident earlier this month resulted in the termination of his contract.
GM Kyle Davidson is a close second here. A strong performance at the 2023 NHL Draft in the later rounds has positioned the Blackhawks’ prospect pool even more robust than it already was. But make no mistake – this season is going exactly as planned. They currently rank last in the Central Division, remain in contention for a lottery pick in 2024, and have the rookie performance from Bedard that everyone expected.
Bedard’s strong play also serves the same role Patrick Kane had the past few seasons. His strong point production is boosting the numbers of the Blackhawks’ pending free agents, making players like Nick Foligno and Tyler Johnson likely to fetch better returns at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Jason Dickinson, also a pending UFA, may have the most value with 12 points through 20 games and a +4 rating, but he hasn’t seen much time with Bedard as a fellow centerman.
What are the Blackhawks thankful for?
A strong goalie trade market.
Multiple teams will be looking for help in the crease on the trade market. The Oilers’ need is the most publicized, but tandems for the Devils, Hurricanes and Wild have also stuttered. Those teams could look to make a short-term upgrade.
Luckily, the Blackhawks have one of the more appealing options in Petr Mrázek. While injuries and inconsistency have plagued him throughout his career, he has shown the ability to be a high-end tandem option in a good year. 2023-24 looks like one of those seasons.
With Mrázek in the crease, the Blackhawks’ record is 5-6-0 – much higher than it should be. He’s got a .906 SV% that remains above league average on a porous defensive team and has posted eight quality starts in 11 tries, according to Hockey Reference’s determination. He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $3.8MM that can easily be reduced via salary retention. There should be callers here. If the Blackhawks retain 50% of his contract to make his AAV $1.9MM for an acquiring team, they should be able to fetch a second-round pick. That would be quite the return on their investment after the Maple Leafs paid the Blackhawks to take on Mrázek’s contract by moving down 13 slots in the 2022 draft.
What would the Blackhawks be even more thankful for?
Signs of life from Lukas Reichel.
This season, the Blackhawks expected big things from Reichel, their 17th-overall selection in 2020. Behind Bedard, Reichel was supposed to anchor the team’s second line and build on last year’s strong showing, during which he notched 15 points in 23 games and put up nearly a point per game in the minors.
Unfortunately, the trains on the Reichel track have all come to a screeching halt. The German-born center/winger has scored just once in 20 games this season and has only five points overall, having a team-worst -15 rating and a 43.1% Corsi share at even strength that ranks near the bottom of the team.
The goal of this season is still development. With that in mind, it’s a bit confusing why there have been no reports of the Blackhawks considering assigning Reichel to the minors, especially given he still carries waiver-exempt status.
For now, it would make sense to keep him on the NHL roster on a performance basis. He’s one of the higher-ceiling players available to the team, and they’re in desperate need of secondary scoring after losing Taylor Hall for the rest of the season with a knee injury. However, given their place in their rebuild, that shouldn’t be the Blackhawks’ frame of thinking. Reichel’s development into a bonafide top-six forward needs to resume without haste. It would greatly relieve the organization if he could get things going one way or another as the calendar shifts to 2024.
What should be on the Blackhawks’ holiday wish list?
A clear, long-term linemate for Bedard coming into view.
Hall was supposed to be the solution to the above question. When the Blackhawks acquired him from the Bruins last summer, he had two years remaining on his contract and was likely to partner with Bedard for almost all of the 164 games he’d play in Chicago on that deal.
Injuries limited (and will limit) Hall to just ten games this season, after which he’ll be a pending UFA and is only signed through 2025.
Bedard is flanked by Foligno and Philipp Kurashev, the latter of whom has produced 12 points in 14 games. However, Kurashev is likely not a long-term top-line option, leaving the Blackhawks with more questions than answers about how they’ll fill out their top unit as they turn the corner to contention.
Could that linemate come in the form of U.S. National Team winger Cole Eiserman, a remarkable goal-scoring threat (25 in 19 games this season) expected to go second overall in 2024? Could it be more playmaking-inclined threats expected to go in the top ten of the 2024 draft, like Finn Konsta Helenius? WHL Spokane forward Berkly Catton? The options will be there for Davidson and company on draft day.
The only other internal option who’s a wing and carries a potential long-term first-line ceiling is University of Michigan winger Frank Nazar, who has 17 points in 16 contests this year after the Blackhawks selected him 13th overall in 2022. It’s important not to rule him out just yet.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ryan Hartman Suspended Two Games
Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended two games for tripping Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.
As already discussed, Hartman made an apparent slew-foot maneuver on DeBrincat midway through the third period of Sunday’s loss. NHL Player Safety gave the following rationale for the suspension:
It is important to note that Hartman has time and space to take a different angle down the boards in pursuing the puck that does not put him on a course to collide with DeBrincat. Instead, he chooses to approach DeBrincat from behind, and, while reaching for the puck, sweeps both of his feet, causing a dangerous backwards fall to the ice that gives DeBrincat little ability to defend or protect himself. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the intentional nature of this action, combined with a disciplinary history of related incidents, having been fined twice for slew-footing or tripping his opponents.
Hartman is considered a repeat offender under NHL rules, as he was suspended in April of last season, which also contributed to seeing this play rise to a suspension.
The supplemental discipline creates a salary cap headache for the Wild, who already have enough on their plate to deal with after making a head coaching change today. The Wild now have just 11 forwards on the active roster, as while Hartman does not count against the 23-man limit while suspended, he does count against the salary cap. The Wild will likely opt to roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen with a bare minimum roster of 18 skaters over the next two contests, as none of their seven defensemen are waiver-exempt. The team’s $617K in cap space is not enough to accommodate a recall from AHL Iowa.
Minnesota Wild Fire Dean Evason, Name John Hynes Head Coach
The Wild have relieved head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Bob Woods of their duties effective immediately, the team said in a statement Monday evening. Two hours later, they named former Devils and Predators bench boss John Hynes as their new head coach.
Wild GM Bill Guerin gave the following comment on the decision to part with Evason:
Dean did an excellent job during his tenure with the Minnesota Wild, especially as Head Coach of our team. I am very thankful for his hard work and dedication to our organization. I would also like to thank Bob for his hard work during his time as an Assistant Coach with the Wild. I wish Dean, Bob and their families all the best in the future.
Evason had been a member of the Wild organization since he was brought on as an assistant in 2018, while Woods joined the Wild bench one season prior. The 59-year-old Evason began his coaching career with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen as an assistant in 1998-99 after finishing out his playing career in Germany, working his way up the junior hockey ranks over the next handful of seasons. His first NHL job came courtesy of an assistant role with the Capitals immediately after the 2004-05 lockout, coaching Alex Ovechkin in his first seven NHL seasons.
After departing Washington in 2012, Evason spent the next several seasons working in the Predators organization as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. There, he helped guide more than a few future NHL stalwarts – namely Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Filip Forsberg, Calle Järnkrok, Viktor Arvidsson, and Kevin Fiala, among many others. After joining the Wild, he earned a promotion to head coach within two seasons when the Wild fired Bruce Boudreau late in the 2019-20 campaign.
Just a couple of years later, Evason had coached the Wild to their best season in franchise history. The 2021-22 campaign saw the Wild break the 50-win mark for the first time since their inception in 2000, nearly sitting atop the Central Division with 113 points. That was in an extremely tough group with the 119-point Stanley Cup champion Avalanche and the 109-point Blues, whom the Wild bowed out to in the first round of the playoffs. The Wild remain without a playoff series victory since the 2015 postseason and have not advanced to a Conference Final since the 2002-03 season.
So with the Wild now far out of the playoff picture with a 5-10-4 record, sitting bottom five in the league in both goals for and against, a change was necessary and expected. Injuries and goaltending have certainly played a factor in their poor play – captain Jared Spurgeon missed the first 13 games of the season, and Filip Gustavsson‘s and Marc-André Fleury‘s combined .878 SV% is near the bottom of the league.
They’ve likely been unlucky, too. The Wild have controlled a slim majority of scoring chances and a strong majority of high-danger chances during 5-on-5 play, a common theme for an organization that’s usually one of the more defensively stout in the league. But the culture around the team is evidently turning sour quickly, Kirill Kaprizov is on pace for a career-low 26 goals and has a team-worst -10 rating, and most of their depth defensemen have been significant liabilities. This roster is not all that different from the one that’s finished top-three in the Central Division for three straight seasons, and it’s certainly one that still has playoff aspirations.
Minnesota has not won since November 7 against the Islanders and is winless in seven straight.
Woods, who had worked on the Capitals’ bench with Evason briefly as an assistant in the early 2010s, is now on the open market after more than six seasons with the Wild. It’s unclear whether the Wild will opt to fill his vacancy.
Hynes, who was let go by the Predators after last season, is technically in the final season of his contract with Nashville. That means the Predators had to grant permission to their divisional rival to speak to their former head coach and that Hynes will be paid by both Minnesota and Nashville this season.
Now behind the bench of his third NHL franchise, he faces an uphill climb to get Minnesota back in the playoff picture. Hynes will suit up behind an NHL bench for a ninth consecutive season, as he was fired by the Devils and hired by Nashville midway through the 2019-20 campaign.
The Wild will certainly get a boost in the standings once Fleury and Gustavsson improve their play between the pipes, a likely scenario given their stellar performance last season. However, they again have the misfortune of being in quite a competitive division. The Avalanche and Stars occupy first and second place as expected powerhouses, while the Blues, Predators and Coyotes all sit at or above the .500 mark and, especially in Nashville’s case, have posted decent underlying numbers.
Hynes’ main job is simply to restore confidence in his group. This roster has the ability to play better – especially Kaprizov, who, despite the okay point production, has looked like a complete non-factor on some nights. The team also hopes a significant change behind the bench can boost their league-worst penalty kill, which is operating at just 66.7%. Penalty killing was an area of strength for Nashville last season, who finished tied for fourth in the NHL with an 82.6% success rate.
The Wild will be on the hook for the remainder of Evason’s contract, which runs through 2024-25 at just under $2MM per season.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo was the first to report the Hynes hire.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Capitals Place T.J. Oshie On Injured Reserve, Activate Martin Fehérváry
The Capitals made some roster moves this afternoon, most notably placing winger T.J. Oshie on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to November 24, according to the NHL’s media portal. Defenseman Martin Fehérváry was activated off IR in a corresponding transaction and replaced Oshie on the 23-man active roster.
While Washington has impressed this season and sits in playoff position in the Metropolitan Division, Oshie hasn’t been a significant factor. Oshie has seen ice time worth of a top-six forward, averaging 16:39 per game, but the 37-year-old is producing at (by far) the worst rate of his NHL career. Injuries have been a factor the last few seasons, but he still managed to stay relevant last year with 35 points in 58 contests. Now, he’s as snakebitten as ever, notching just one goal and one assist through 17 games. It’s worth noting he’s shooting at just 3.3% – the only time in his 16-year, 975-game career that he’s shot in the single digits.
This is not an unexpected move. He is listed as day-to-day, and it was reported last weekend that he would not travel with the team on their five-game West Coast road swing. Hopefully, the veteran can return to action when the team returns home, and he can continue on his quest to 1,000 games.
In placing Oshie on IR, the Capitals create space for the much younger Fehérváry to return to play tonight against the Sharks. The 24-year-old landed on IR over two weeks ago and missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained November 10 against the Devils. Selected 46th overall in 2018, the budding top-four defender has logged two assists in 12 games this season, averaging 18:20 per contest. His 50.3% Corsi share at even strength is a marked improvement over his first two full seasons in the NHL, and he continues to grow into a trusted complementary player who can handle significant defensive zone usage. He’ll assume a top-pairing alongside John Carlson in his return to the lineup tonight.
Coyotes List Vladislav Kolyachonok As Week-To-Week
The Coyotes announced Monday that defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok is out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury. No corresponding transaction has been made. However, PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan notes that injured defenders Mathew Dumba and Travis Dermott practiced with the team today and could return to the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Lightning. Dermott is on injured reserve and must be activated before returning to play.
Kolyachonok sustained the injury on a hit from Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault midway through the second period of Saturday’s 2-0 win. The 22-year-old Belarusian defender, who was making his season debut, skated just 6:09 through the first half of the game and did not return. Arizona recalled him earlier in the month after injuries to Dermott and Juuso Välimäki. However, he was a healthy scratch for four games to begin his first recall of the season.
A 2019 second-round pick of the Panthers, the Coyotes acquired Kolyachonok as a sweetener in the July 2021 trade that saw Arizona receive aging defender Anton Strålman, whom the Panthers no longer had cap space to afford. A puck-mover by nature, he’s failed to truly jump out in the NHL or AHL but remains on track to be a dependable long-term call-up option at minimum. He has 35 NHL games with the Coyotes, although 32 came in the 2021-22 season. The Coyotes stashed him in the minors for all but two games in 2022-23.
Kolyachonok was off to a decent start with the Tucson Roadrunners before his call-up, recording just three points in 11 games but had a +5 rating that is still tied for the team lead. He was the most polished call-up option to provide low-risk depth minutes for a Coyotes team that fully intends to make noise in the Western Conference Wild Card race.