Jets Injury Notes: Ehlers, Reichel, Rittich
The Winnipeg Jets need a strong effort at home tonight to avoid falling down 3-1 in their First Round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Per The Athletic’s Murat Ates, they’ll again need to do it without forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who has still not been cleared to return to play by the team’s medical staff.
Ehlers hasn’t played in almost two weeks with an upper-body injury after registering 38 points in 45 regular season games. Depth pieces such as Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter, and Vladislav Namestnikov have stepped up in his absence against Vegas, but they haven’t gotten the most out of Mark Scheifele, who has just one goal in the series. They’ll need more strong performances from their secondary scorers in order to extend their season long enough for Ehlers to return.
- While the Jets are in the thick of their playoff battle, the postseason for their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, won’t start until next Friday. They’ll be playing without the services of forward Kristian Reichel, who the team confirmed today is out for the season after sustaining an upper-body injury on April 11. Reichel recorded 24 points in 61 games for the Moose this year and made two appearances for Winnipeg, registering an assist.
- Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun confirms that David Rittich will be unavailable to back up tonight due to a lower-body injury, paving the way for Arvid Holm to sit on the bench. Holm was recalled earlier today on an emergency basis. Rittich has played just one game since March 14, with Connor Hellebuyck taking the majority of starts to keep the Jets in playoff position.
Winnipeg Jets Recall Arvid Holm On Emergency Basis
The Winnipeg Jets recalled goaltender Arvid Holm from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on an emergency basis, the team said today. With David Rittich absent from practice for undisclosed reasons this morning, per Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun, Holm could serve as the backup to Connor Hellebuyck for tonight’s Game 4.
Holm, 24, has been the third netminder on Winnipeg’s depth chart this season, but a lack of injuries to the Winnipeg crease kept him out of action during the regular season. Holm finished his AHL regular-season campaign with a 2.67 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and an 18-11-4 record in 35 games.
It was a solid development step this season for the 6-foot-5 netminder, who Winnipeg selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He was expected to serve as the starter when Manitoba began their AHL playoff run next Friday, but pending the result of the Jets’ series and Rittich’s availability, he could remain with the NHL club past that date.
Holm’s recall gives Winnipeg four goalies on their active roster, although the younger Oskari Salminen is there to serve as a Black Ace. If Hellebuyck or Holm also becomes unavailable, however, Salminen would then be the team’s backup netminder.
Already down 2-1 in the series, the Jets hope they won’t have to utilize Holm or Salminen to try and keep their season alive.
Justin Braun Announces Retirement
Veteran defenseman Justin Braun has officially announced his retirement from the NHL after 13 seasons, the NHL Alumni Association said today.
A seventh-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2007, Braun would go on to play over 800 games, 607 of which came in a Sharks uniform. Braun would spend nine seasons with the Sharks, where he established himself as a reliable stay-at-home defenseman. He was then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019, where he spent the next three seasons before a short stint with the New York Rangers in the 2021-22 season. However, Braun would return to Philadelphia to finish his career.
Over his 13-year career, Braun scored 199 points and played in over 100 playoff games with San Jose. He was known for his strong defensive play, physicality, and leadership qualities, which made him a valuable asset during his time in San Jose.
Braun would routinely average over 20 minutes per game in San Jose but saw a decreased role during his time in Philadelphia. Things evaporated for Braun this season, unfortunately, as he registered just two assists in 51 games and played under 15 minutes per game. With his role decreasing quickly, the writing was on the wall for the 36-year-old Minnesota product.
His best season undoubtedly came at the age of 30 in 2017-18, recording career highs in assists (28), points (33), average time on ice (21:20), and hits (143).
Despite his late selection, Braun currently ranks third in games played among defensemen from the 2007 draft, sitting only behind Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh. He provided incredible value for the Sharks throughout his career and would likely go in the first round of most redrafts.
Matthew Tkachuk Avoids Suspension, Fined For Cross-Checking
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk has been fined the maximum allowable amount of $5,000 under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for a cross-checking incident involving Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at the end of the first period during yesterday’s Game 4 when Tkachuk was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking Hathaway. Given the strength of the check and its placement in a sensitive area on the side of Hathaway’s torso, some felt the play warranted a suspension. Hathaway returned to the game but stayed on the ice in pain after the incident.
It wasn’t the only penalty Tkachuk racked up in what was a physical game. He added another minor penalty for slashing midway through the third period before he was given a 10-minute misconduct for his actions in a scrum with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
It’s a lucky break for the Panthers, who need everything on their side in Game 5 to stave off another early playoff exit. They’ll need Tkachuk’s services to have any hope of doing so, as his physicality and two-way dominance almost single-handedly dragged Florida to a playoff spot this season.
He leads Florida in scoring during the series, registering two goals and three assists in four games.
Brayden Point Likely To Play In Game 4
Tampa Bay Lightning fans can breathe a sigh of relief as head coach Jon Cooper has indicated that Brayden Point may suit up for tonight’s pivotal Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a tweet Monday, David Alter of The Hockey News reported Cooper stated Point “should be in tonight” after he was shaken up from a collision with Maple Leafs defender Morgan Rielly in the third period of Saturday’s overtime loss.
While Cooper did note that Point’s status was still a game-time decision, his optimistic tone suggests the talented forward may be able to take the ice tonight. Point did return to Game 3 despite looking extremely uncomfortable immediately after the collision, skating 12 shifts and not showing any signs of decreased usage.
Injuries have affected Tampa significantly in this series, with a pair of key defenders, Victor Hedman and Erik Černák, both missing games. For a Lightning team not as deep as they’ve been in past seasons, it’s been a tough battle to overcome, although they outplayed Toronto for most of Game 3 despite the loss.
Point is one of three Lightning skaters with multiple goals thus far in the series, and they’ll rely on his historically clutch offense to help tie the series if he can play tonight. The 27-year-old has 40 goals and 81 points in 79 career playoff games for Tampa.
Martin Frk Inks Two-Year Deal In Switzerland
Earlier this month, we covered reports that talented minor-league forward Martin Frk would head overseas to Switzerland next season. That move is now official, as NL team SC Bern announced the signing of Frk to a two-year contract Monday morning.
The move to Europe comes after Frk’s impressive AHL performance in recent seasons, which no doubt caught the attention of overseas suitors. The 29-year-old forward will now bring his skills and experience to Switzerland‘s premier ice hockey competition, attempting to help SC Bern improve on last season’s eighth-place finish and quarterfinal loss.
Frk, born in Pelhrimov, Czechia, was a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has since spent time in the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues organizations. Known for his powerful shot and goal-scoring ability, Frk has consistently hovered around a point per game in the minors and notched back-to-back 30-goal seasons in 2022 and 2023.
SC Bern is one of the most successful clubs in Swiss history, capturing five league championships since 2010 and six consecutive Champions Hockey League appearances from 2015 to 2020. They haven’t advanced in the NL playoffs since winning the championship in 2019, however, and they’ll look to Frk’s electric offense to guide them back to contention.
The two-year contract offers Frk some stability, allowing him to settle into a more high-stakes role in European pro hockey. At this stage of his career, a full-time NHL role seems unlikely despite his enticing game.
Frk finished his 2022-23 campaign with 64 points in 67 games for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, failing to earn any NHL ice time with the Blues. He joins former NHL skaters Dominik Kahun, Éric Gélinas, Joel Vermin, Julius Honka, Oscar Lindberg, and Sven Baertschi on next year’s Bern roster.
Boston Bruins Will Have Multi-Million Dollar Cap Penalty Next Season
The Boston Bruins’ plan of bringing back Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí for one last ride panned out unquestionably. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they’ll need to pay a steep price for their decisions next season.
PuckPedia’s Hart Levine confirms in an article for Northstar Bets that Boston will face a $4.5MM cap penalty next season, created by performance bonus overages stemming from Bergeron and Krejčí’s unique contracts.
With Bergeron and Krejčí eligible to sign particular types of contracts reserved for players 35 or older, they’re also eligible to receive performance bonuses in their contract that are not incorporated into the cap hit of the deal. It operates in the same way as an entry-level contract, where rookies can earn millions of dollars per season based on their performance despite a six-figure cap hit.
That’s exactly what they did, with Bergeron’s contract entitling him to up to $2.5MM in bonuses, while Krejčí was eligible for up to $2MM. Thanks to Boston’s record-breaking season and subsequent playoff appearance, both players hit every benchmark required to receive all of their bonuses.
Unfortunately, since Boston used long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant, they weren’t able to accommodate Bergeron and Krejčí’s performance bonuses under the cap at the end of the regular season. It means Boston, along with 14 other NHL teams (albeit with much smaller amounts), will have a cap charge next season equivalent to the amount of performance bonuses earned that the team couldn’t fit under the cap at the end of the season.
To put it plainly: if Bergeron and Krejčí don’t return to the team next season, Boston will have a greater cap charge next season than their combined cap hits this year ($3.5MM).
The cap is, again, expected to only creep up by a $1MM increment to an $83.5MM ceiling next year. Per CapFriendly, a $4.5MM bonus overage charge leaves Boston with just $5.288MM in space heading into the offseason, with most of their forward core needing new contracts.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
We’re at the time of year when the field of focus for NHL fans splits evenly into two, with some eagerly watching postseason hockey while others look ahead to next season. Keeping that in mind, it’s time for another edition of the #PHRMailbag as teams’ trajectories have become clearer with the regular season behind us.
Our last mailbag focused on the future in Philadelphia, potential roster decisions in Pittsburgh, and what might happen with Toronto management.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
Winnipeg Jets Extend Dominic Toninato
The Winnipeg Jets signed forward Dominic Toninato to a two-year, two-way contract extension Wednesday, the team announced. The contract carries the league minimum cap hit of $775,000.
Toninato, 29, was a full-time fixture on Winnipeg’s fourth line in 2021-22. With younger talent forcing Winnipeg’s hand during training camp, though, Toninato has instead been relegated to an AHL role for the most part this season.
In his third year in the Jets organization, Toninato played 50 games in the minors after playing just five combined the previous two years. He’s done well enough with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, notching 35 points in 50 games. He also appeared in five games with the Jets during the first part of the season before clearing waivers in December.
Initially a 2012 fifth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it took Toninato another five years to land his first NHL contract – an entry-level commitment with the Colorado Avalanche after wrapping up four seasons at the University of Minnesota’s Duluth campus. After two seasons in the Avs’ system, Toninato, then a restricted free agent, was dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for depth defender Jacob MacDonald.
With Florida in 2020, Toninato would record 11 points in 46 games before making his playoff debut in the team’s Qualifying Round loss to the New York Islanders. Florida opted not to qualify Toninato at the end of the season, paving the way for him to sign as an unrestricted free agent with the Jets.
Now on his third contract with Winnipeg, Toninato is an experienced call-up option if needed in a pinch, with 175 regular-season and playoff games under his belt.
Minor Transactions: 04/19/23
Game 2s are getting underway tonight, including the only two home teams to escape their first playoff game with a win – the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. However, most European leagues are much further along in their seasons or complete altogether, as we covered yesterday, leading to an increase in activity on the minor transactions front. We’ll keep track of today’s moves here, as always.
- Former AHL farmhand Ryan Stanton is staying overseas next season, signing a one-year agreement with Italian side HC Pustertal in the ICEHL. Pustertal, located in the northern Italian, primarily German-speaking city of Bruneck, gains a defender with over 700 games of professional experience between the NHL, AHL, and DEL. Stanton last suited up in the NHL with the Washington Capitals in 2015-16 but spent the following six seasons in the minors before heading overseas.
- The Charlotte Checkers, AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, have signed free agent forward Wilmer Skoog to a one-year contract for 2023-24. The 23-year-old Swede just completed four years at Boston University, recording 16 goals and 31 points in 37 games during his senior season. Skoog, who has played in North America since 2018, will look to work his way toward earning an NHL contract in Charlotte.
This page will be updated throughout the day.