Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The regular season is now in full swing, and all 32 teams are at least a few games into their schedule. There have been many recent storylines of impact, such as Oilers captain Connor McDavid‘s injury, a hefty suspension to Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, and the ever-closer return of free agent winger Patrick Kane from offseason hip surgery.
With a fair idea of where teams stand after a handful of contests, it’s time for another edition of the #PHRMailbag. Our last callout for questions resulted in a pair of articles that ran the last two weekends of September. The first one looked at the future of Sharks captain Logan Couture in San Jose and the brief and controversial tenure of Mike Babcock as head coach of the Blue Jackets. The second one examined some likely Calder Trophy candidates, the sometimes-frustrating NHL-CHL transfer agreement, and some key contract details often found in ELCs.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
East Notes: Bennett, Guhle, Bruins Injuries, Pysyk
The Florida Panthers got some good news this morning. Center Sam Bennett has returned to practice for the first time this regular season, per Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards. Bennett sustained a lower-body injury during the preseason that’s kept him out through six games thus far.
If he can get back into playing shape within the next 48 hours, he could make his season debut Saturday against the Kraken. That would likely coincide with a return to the lineup for captain Aleksander Barkov, says Richards, who missed the Panthers’ Tuesday contest against the Sharks with an illness. Bennett, 27, is in the third season of a four-year, $17.7MM extension signed with the Panthers in 2021. Last season was arguably the best of his career, logging a career-high 17:24 while producing 16 goals, 24 assists and 40 points in 63 games. The 2014 fourth-overall pick also finished fourth on the Panthers in playoff scoring, notching five goals and ten assists for 15 points in 20 games.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference this Thursday morning:
- Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle was a full participant in practice this morning and is nearing a return from an upper-body injury, notes The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. He will not enter the lineup tonight against the Blue Jackets, however, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie says. Guhle, who had an assist and a +4 rating through three games, has not played since October 17 against Minnesota. The Habs have gone 2-1-0 in his absence despite injuries also sidelining blueliner David Savard, forcing the emergency recall of Gustav Lindström from AHL Laval. The 16th overall pick in 2020 is in the second year of his three-year, entry-level contract, which counts $863K against the cap.
- Despite still being on assignment to AHL Providence, Boston Bruins forward Jesper Boqvist is practicing with the NHL squad today, Bruins independent reporter Joe Haggerty relays. That comes with the news that forwards Jakub Lauko and Milan Lucic are both listed as day-to-day with injuries and will miss between one and two weeks, head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters today. That means recalling Boqvist (or signing PTO invite Danton Heinen) will be necessary to fill out the Bruins’ roster for tonight’s game against Anaheim, as the team has just 11 healthy forwards even after recalling Patrick Brown from Providence this morning.
- Another unsigned player still with a team on a PTO is defenseman Mark Pysyk, who has returned to practice after sustaining a lower-body injury in preseason, relays Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Shelly Anderson. The 31-year-old spent last season under contract with Detroit but missed the entire campaign with an Achilles injury. He last suited up in an NHL game nearly 18 months ago, logging 12:51 in an April 29, 2022, game for the Sabres against the Blackhawks.
Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers
10/26/23: Mitchell has cleared waivers, according to Johnston, paving the way for his assignment to the Providence Bruins.
10/25/23: Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports Wednesday that the Bruins have placed defenseman Ian Mitchell on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Providence.
Mitchell, 24, made the Bruins’ opening night roster earlier this month after Boston acquired his signing rights in the Taylor Hall trade with the Blackhawks last summer. He’s appeared in just two of six contests this season, though, and can now be claimed by any team in the league after playing very limited minutes in his lone Bruins appearances.
Since turning pro with the Blackhawks in 2020, Mitchell has four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in 84 games. He dealt with injuries last season that limited him to just 35 games in Chicago and only five games with AHL Rockford, although he did light up the minors with two goals and four assists in those five appearances.
A second-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2017, Mitchell was looking like a slam-dunk prospect after three strong seasons at the University of Denver, where he amassed 18 goals, 71 assists and 89 points in 116 games. He has been solid in the AHL since turning pro, but the point totals haven’t translated to NHL play yet. That’s partly because he’s yet to average more than 16 minutes a night in a single season, posting rather poor possession numbers against weak competition. He’ll need to improve his defensive game to earn an everyday NHL job.
That said, his strong showings in AHL play could be enough to convince a team to take a flyer on him and put in a claim. After all, he is making the league minimum salary of $775K on a one-year, one-way deal and will be under team control at the end of the season as a restricted free agent.
Whether or not the Bruins will make a corresponding transaction tomorrow after Mitchell’s stint on the waiver wire is over remains unknown. Losing Mitchell on waivers or assigning him to Providence leaves the team with just 13 forwards and six defensemen on the active roster, including injured forward Milan Lucic, who’s sidelined on a day-to-day basis.
Shane Pinto Suspended 41 Games For Violating NHL’s Sports Wagering Rules
11:35 a.m.: The NHL has officially announced Pinto’s suspension. The Senators issued a statement on the matter, including in it a statement from Pinto himself which reads:
I want to apologize to the National Hockey League, the Ottawa Senators, my teammates, the fans and city of Ottawa and most importantly my family. I take full responsibility for my actions and look forward to getting back on the ice with my team.
10:43 a.m.: Contrary to expectation, Pinto’s 41-game suspension has been applied retroactively to the Senators’ first game of the season, Friedman reports. That means the clock has already begun on his 41-game absence, and he does not need to sign a contract with Ottawa to begin serving the suspension. That means he will be eligible to return for Ottawa’s 42nd game of the season, a January 21 contest against the Flyers – assuming he’s signed to a contract by then. Coincidentally, Pinto will be eligible to play this season even if he does not sign a contract before the normal December 1 signing deadline for RFAs, says Friedman.
10:12 a.m.: According to reports from TSN’s Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun, Ottawa Senators restricted free agent center Shane Pinto is set to be suspended by the NHL “for activities related to sports wagering.” The suspension could be up to 41 games in length, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later confirmed the 41-game penalty.
The clock on a suspension cannot start until Pinto is under contract and on the active roster. Garrioch adds that because of the looming suspension, the Senators have ended contract negotiations and “rescinded all previous offers.” That means Pinto will have to sign his qualifying offer – a one-year, $874,125 deal – to begin serving the suspension.
Friedman reports the league has not accused Pinto of wagering on NHL games but that a March 2022 memo from the league states that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is authorized to:
Discipline individuals determined to have engaged in improper gambling activities in any or all of the following respects: expulsion or suspension [for] a definite or indefinite period; cancelling any contract that such individual may have; and/or by imposing a fine. The League will act swiftly and aggressively in penalizing any League or Club personnel determined to have engaged in acts in violation of the NHL Gambling Policy.
An investigation into Pinto’s behavior began over the summer but did not intensify until the past few weeks when a hearing was held with the league, Friedman says. He also believes that Pinto has not asked for a trade despite the ongoing contract negotiations because “he appreciates the organization’s secrecy about the investigation.”
This is the first online sports gambling-related suspension in NHL history. Typically, players suspended without pay for off-ice conduct are not counted against the salary cap – meaning Pinto’s likely prorated $874,125 cap hit for this season won’t factor in until after the suspension has been served.
Ottawa selected Pinto, 22, with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he played in all 82 games, far eclipsing his previous career-high of 12, and notched 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points. Those totals came in some heavy minutes – averaging nearly 16 minutes per game with normal second-line center Joshua Norris missing nearly all of 2022-23 with a shoulder injury. Pinto has also dealt with a significant shoulder injury during his development, which sidelined him for nearly all of 2021-22.
Pinto was expected to play a major depth scoring role on the team this season, anchoring their third line with the help of offseason additions Dominik Kubalík or Vladimir Tarasenko. Yet again, however, the Senators have deviated from expectations early on in the season, failing to get an agreement with Pinto due to cap constraints and now involuntarily being without his services. After losing 6-4 to the division-rival Sabres on Tuesday, the Senators are 3-3-0 through six games and sit sixth in the Atlantic Division.
If Pinto signs his qualifying offer later today before the Senators’ game against the Islanders, the earliest he would be eligible to make his season debut is February 10, 2024, against Toronto. If a qualifying offer signing comes tomorrow, Pinto would need to wait until February 13 against Columbus.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Penguins Recall Vinnie Hinostroza, Radim Zohorna; Reassign Corey Andonovski
The Penguins have recalled forward Vinnie Hinostroza from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per a team announcement. In a corresponding transaction, Pittsburgh also reversed the Corey Andonovski and Radim Zohorna flip they made yesterday (as expected), bringing Zohorna back up to the NHL and returning Andonovski to the minors. The Penguins had recalled Andonovski temporarily to help optimize their salary capture when placing netminder Alex Nedeljkovic on LTIR yesterday.
Hinostroza is a new addition, however, earning his first recall since clearing waivers before the season started. The 29-year-old has been an effective volume point-producer in limited action over the past few seasons, but his grasp on an NHL job has slipped after suiting up in just 26 games with the Sabres last season. He’s off to a hot start in the minors, notching two goals and two assists through five games, tying for the team lead with four points.
By placing Nedeljkovic on LTIR, the Penguins now have the cap space for a 21st skater on the roster – which will be Hinostroza. He’s in his first season with the Penguins after signing a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K over the summer. A sixth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2012, Hinostroza has gone on to appear in 360 NHL games with Chicago, Buffalo, Arizona, and Florida, recording 53 goals and 95 assists for 148 points – a very respectable 0.41 points-per-game pace. The Notre Dame product’s possession numbers have been quite average throughout his career, too, making it a bit puzzling that he hasn’t received longer looks in teams’ lineups. He is prone to inconsistency, but he does have a pair of double-digit goal seasons under his belt. He’s a premier option to have stashed in the minors for a call-up.
Zohorna, 27, will stay in the NHL after notching a goal through his first two contests this season. He’s replaced Jansen Harkins on the Penguins’ third line after Harkins was waived a few days back, lining up with Lars Eller and Drew O’Connor.
Coyotes’ Jason Zucker Out Week-To-Week
Wednesday: The Coyotes announced that Jeník was returned to Tucson while CapFriendly reports that Sanford has also been sent back down.
Monday: Coyotes winger Jason Zucker is expected to be out for at least a few games with a lower-body injury, as the team says he’s been listed as week-to-week. In a pair of corresponding transactions, the Coyotes recalled forwards Jan Jeník and Zach Sanford from AHL Tucson, while CapFriendly reports Zucker was moved to injured reserve to accommodate two recalls. Zucker sustained the injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Ducks.
With two goals in five games thus far as a Coyote, Zucker has been decent after inking a one-year, $5.3MM contract in free agency last summer. He’s averaging 2.8 shots on goal per game and is currently shooting at 14.3%, nearly two points higher than his career average. He’s been paired mostly with Logan Cooley and either Matias Maccelli or Alexander Kerfoot on the opposite wing so far, a line that’s driven a lot of scoring chances when Maccelli is the third member. However, Zucker’s usage has not been advantageous – just 36.4% of his zone starts at even strength have come in the offensive zone, far below his 52.4% career average.
Hopefully, for the Coyotes, this is not a sign of things to come for the remainder of Zucker’s tenure. The 32-year-old has become rather injury-prone, most recently missing half of the 2021-22 campaign with lower-body and core muscle injuries. He also missed a significant chunk of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season with a lower-body injury. Dating back to 2020, Zucker has played in 157 of 220 possible games, or about 71%.
With Zucker now on IR, the 23-year-old Jeník could get the chance he’s been hoping for. Arizona’s 65th overall pick in 2018 has been on the rise since his draft year, posting a pair of strong offensive campaigns with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs before turning pro in 2020. He’s posted solid numbers with Tucson since, including a career-high 47 points in 51 contests in 2021-22. A contract dispute this summer stretched until mid-September when Jeník finally agreed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL with a $125K salary guarantee. Jeník was reportedly seeking trade options over the summer in search of a clearer path to an NHL role. He’s off to a strong start in the minors, posting three points in three games.
The Coyotes are off to a decent 3-2-0 start, largely in part due to spectacular netminding from both Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka, who’ve posted a combined .943 SV% and 1.80 GAA. Secondary scoring outside of Cooley, Maccelli, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz has been a major issue, one that will be tough to fix with Zucker out of commission for the foreseeable future.
NHL Teams Vote To Decentralize Entry Draft
NHL teams have voted in a majority to decentralize the NHL Entry Draft, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, ending the years-long tradition of front offices gathering for an in-person event. The change will likely take effect for the 2025 edition of the draft.
Friedman cited three primary reasons why support for a draft format that does not require in-person participation in a single venue had gained traction. The largest issue has arisen from a problem of the league’s own creation: the shortening distance between the draft and free agency, which decreased to just one day this past summer. Travel costs of teams’ front offices and scouting departments were another consideration. Friedman also added that “some teams felt their plans were being discovered because tables were too close and things were overheard.”
Notably, the 2024 NHL Draft, slated to take place in Las Vegas, does not have a confirmed venue. The Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena is booked for the desired dates, and the new Sphere venue has reportedly been considered as a potential venue. If a venue can’t be secured, it’s possible the transition away from in-person drafts begin as soon as 2024.
How a remote draft will look is anyone’s guess. It is certain to have more production value and added detail compared to the drafts conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic – the draft does generate some significant TV revenue and will need to maintain viewability for a television audience.
Perhaps the most uncertain portion of a decentralized draft is player/prospect participation. The league will need to figure out a suitable substitute for players getting called up to a podium and putting on their team’s jersey – one of the most seminal moments in many players’ pro careers.
Penguins Make Multiple Roster Moves, Place Alex Nedeljkovic On LTIR
5:14 p.m.: The Penguins have confirmed the moves and officially recalled Hellberg from the AHL.
4:16 p.m.: Per CapFriendly, the Penguins have immediately transferred Nedeljkovic to LTIR after swapping Zohorna for Andonovski on the NHL roster.
4:15 p.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins made a trio of roster moves Wednesday, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was placed on injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury in last night’s loss to Dallas, while forward Corey Andonovski was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Forward Radim Zohorna was also sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
As CapFriendly notes, the Andonovski/Zohorna swap is likely a precursor to placing Nedeljkovic on long-term injured reserve. Andonovski’s cap hit is slightly higher than Zohorna’s, which gets the Penguins closer to the $83.5MM Upper Limit before placing Nedeljkovic on LTIR and increases their accruable cap space limit. The cap space freed up by Nedeljkovic’s LTIR placement will then be used to recall a goalie from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, likely veteran farmhand Magnus Hellberg. Andonovski is unlikely to remain on the NHL roster, nor is Zohorna’s demotion expected to be permanent.
It’s unclear when exactly Nedeljkovic sustained the injury, which did not warrant him exiting the game. Last night was the goalie’s second appearance of the season and second appearance as a Penguin after joining the team in free agency last summer. He’ll go on the shelf after posting a 1-1-0 record, .914 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the two appearances.
The Penguins have three goalies under NHL contract stashed in the minors, so their recall options are plentiful. Hellberg, 32, carries the most NHL experience with 23 games, 18 of which came last season with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators. He did struggle, however, posting a 5-8-1 record and a poor .888 SV% overall, conceding more than seven goals above average. He’s made two appearances thus far with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, splitting them with a 1-1-0 record and a .917 SV%. Their top goalie prospect, 21-year-old Joel Blomqvist, is also a potential recall option with a .929 SV% through two games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, but the Penguins would likely prefer to give Blomqvist the starter’s net in the minors and more playing time and have Hellberg sit behind starter Tristan Jarry on the NHL roster.
Wild Move Jared Spurgeon To LTIR, Recall Jujhar Khaira
The Minnesota Wild have moved captain Jared Spurgeon to long-term injured reserve retroactive to the beginning of the season, per a team release. In a corresponding transaction, Minnesota recalled forward Jujhar Khaira from AHL Iowa. The Wild also announced that forward Frédérick Gaudreau is out with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team on their upcoming road trip.
Spurgeon, 33, has missed all of Minnesota’s six games this season with an upper-body injury sustained late in training camp. Listed as week-to-week, the LTIR placement automatically rules Spurgeon out of the Wild’s next four games. The earliest possible date the defenseman can make his season debut is November 4 against the Rangers.
He’s been a cornerstone of the Wild blueline for more than a decade now, racking up 110 goals, 269 assists, 379 points and a +112 rating in 851 games in the State of Hockey, holding the franchise record for defenseman in all of those categories except assists. Spurgeon has largely avoided major injuries, too, never playing less than 60 games in a full campaign during which he was a full-time NHLer.
For Gaudreau, this is another bump in the road in what’s been a rocky start to 2023-24. Fresh off signing a five-year, $10.5MM extension last April, the 30-year-old forward is pointless through six games and has a -2 rating while averaging 14:53 per game. With Gaudreau out of the lineup, it’s likely that Brandon Duhaime will slide into the top nine for the Wild’s three-game road swing through Philadelphia, Washington and New Jersey. The 26-year-old has become a staple on the Wild’s fourth line in recent years and has two goals through his first six games this season.
That gives Khaira the chance to make his Wild debut tomorrow, presumptively on a fourth-line centered by Connor Dewar and Vinni Lettieri on his opposite flank. Khaira, 29, joined the Wild on a two-way deal late in the summer and has started the season with four assists in four games in the minors after clearing waivers. He has 336 games and eight seasons of NHL experience to his name, putting up six goals and 14 points in 51 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season.
Blue Jackets Activate, Reassign Yegor Chinakhov
The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated winger Yegor Chinakhov off injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, according to a team release Wednesday.
Chinakhov, 22, sustained a back strain pre-season that sidelined him for most of training camp and the first six games of 2022-23. Now healthy, he heads to Cleveland, where he’s only played eight games since coming to North America in 2021. They’ve gone quite well, however, as the 2020 first-round pick has four goals and five assists for nine points in those AHL contests.
The early-season injury likely cost Chinakhov a roster spot, given the team’s influx of young wingers. However, don’t expect him to stick in the minors for long – he notched a respectable 13 points in 30 games with the Blue Jackets last season and posted solid possession numbers relative to his teammates. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound winger will surely be ticketed for top-line minutes in the minors while on assignment.
Assigning Chinakhov directly to the minors also means the team is intent on giving another young Russian winger, Dmitri Voronkov, at least a brief look in the NHL. The Blue Jackets recalled Voronkov earlier in the week when they placed forward Patrik Laine on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, but he hasn’t yet suited up in what will be his first NHL game. That’s expected to change tomorrow against the Canadiens, as Kent Johnson will serve as a healthy scratch so Voronkov can enter the lineup. Voronkov, 23, has played exclusively in Russia up until this season and had no points in four games with AHL Cleveland to start 2023-24.
Chinakhov has not played an NHL game since December 19, 2022, against Dallas, when he sustained an ankle injury on his first shift that sidelined him for the majority of 2022-23. After returning to health, Chinakhov finished out the season in Cleveland.