Buffalo Sabres Sign Mark Jankowski
The Buffalo Sabres on Sunday signed forward Mark Jankowski to a one-year, $750,000 contract, per the team. They also loaned forward Arttu Ruotsalainen to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a corresponding move to create roster space for Jankowski.
Up to this point, Jankowski was on an AHL deal with the Americans after being cut from a professional tryout contract with the New Jersey Devils during training camp. Jankowski’s enjoyed offensive success this season, along with many other Rochester players, scoring five goals and seven assists in 13 games.
Drafted 21st overall by Calgary in 2012, Jankowski, now 27, looked like he was on a path to being a full-time NHL player when he put up 17-goal and 14-goal seasons back-to-back with Calgary in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Jankowski scored just seven points the following season, however, and Calgary opted not to qualify him. He signed with Pittsburgh in free agency but couldn’t make it work there either, scoring 11 points in 45 games.
This is now his third NHL opportunity, and it could very well be his last if it doesn’t work out. Jankowski will likely get more offensive opportunity on this squad than he did in Pittsburgh, and maybe more of a role can help him put more pucks in the back of the net.
Evander Kane Placed On Waivers
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was placed on waivers Sunday for the purpose of assignment to the AHL.
After scoring 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games last season, Kane has yet to suit up for the Sharks after he was suspended without pay for 21 games for a violation of the league’s COVID protocols after the start of the season.
Kane’s had off-ice issues that have persisted for much of the last calendar year. A bankruptcy filing shadowed over his 2020-21 campaign, while multiple investigations into allegations of gambling and domestic abuse by the league occurred over the offseason. Contrary to the result of the suspension, he was cleared by the league on both of those allegations.
A veteran of 769 NHL games, Kane will be assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda if he clears waivers. If he reports, it would be Kane’s first time playing in the AHL. He made the jump straight to the Atlanta Thrashers from the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in 2009.
Whether Kane will ever return to the Sharks organization at the NHL level remains unclear. Multiple reports surfaced this offseason that many players couldn’t get along with Kane, and the team may not want to jeopardize what seems to be a positive developing culture as the younger team gets off to a hot start. Still, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Kane returns and suits up for the Sharks again.
His AHL assignment could be an effort to allow teams an opportunity to scout him and see him back in action before making a trade to acquire him. The Sharks have let it be known that they’re willing to retain salary in a trade.
Kane has four seasons remaining on a contract with a $7MM cap hit.
Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News was the first to report this story.
Scott Mellanby Resigns As Canadiens Assistant GM
8:09 pm: The Canadiens have released a statement, confirming that Mellanby has resigned. The team thanks Mellanby for his work but says they have no further comment at this time.
6:49 pm: As originally reported by The Athletic’s Michael Russo, it appears Scott Mellanby will be resigning from his role as an assistant general manager for the Montreal Canadiens.
It’s one of the multiple reports surrounding the state of Montreal’s front office on Saturday night. Minutes before Russo’s report, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canadiens are requesting permission from the New York Rangers to speak with former general manager Jeff Gorton about a role within the organization. While nothing is confirmed, it’s rather logical to believe that they view him as a potential replacement for Mellanby.
Friedman says in his report that the team isn’t inquiring about Gorton with the intention of hiring him as general manager. Current boss Marc Bergevin is in the final season of his contract, and now TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the “widely held expectation inside the industry” is that the Habs will be hiring a French-speaking general manager to replace Bergevin. While Bergevin’s future with the team is still technically undecided, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that he won’t be back with the team after this season.
Mellanby likely won’t have any issue finding work elsewhere. He’s long been desired by other teams for roles, but Mellanby has opted to stay with the Canadiens when faced with the choice. A veteran of nearly 1,500 NHL games, the 55-year-old Mellanby has been with Montreal since the beginning of Bergevin’s tenure in 2012-13. He’s been the assistant general manager for the past eight of his ten seasons in Montreal.
The Canadiens are just 5-15-2, and their .273 points percentage is third-last in the league.
Philadelphia Flyers Move Patrick Brown To Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers moved forward Patrick Brown to injured reserve today, per a team tweet. Brown suffered a dislocated thumb earlier in November and is week-to-week.
The last update surrounding Brown’s condition from head coach Alain Vigneault said that he’s still working with doctors to determine whether rehab or surgery is the best option for him moving forward.
In his place, the team’s recalled forward Max Willman from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, continuing what’s been a wild ride up and down for him this season.
The 29-year-old Brown is actually a six-year veteran in the NHL but he’s only gotten into games sparingly, playing a total of 39 and a career-high of 14 in 2016-17 with Carolina. He was claimed off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights at the beginning of the season and played only six games with the Flyers before the injury.
His last game was November 16th against Calgary, where he took just five shifts and played 2:18 before sustaining the dislocated thumb.
Injury Notes: Rust, Kase, Wideman
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed today that right winger Bryan Rust won’t play Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. When talking about Rust’s injury, Sullivan said that “[Rust’s] continuing to be evaluated… I do not have an answer for you about if he will be on our upcoming road trip.” Rust was a late, unexpected scratch for Friday night’s game against the Islanders after suffering a lower-body injury during warmups. Rust has two goals and seven assists through 12 games this season, which has been a tough one for him so far with a variety of injuries and COVID concerns. It will be concerning if Rust doesn’t appear for Pittsburgh on their upcoming road trip, which ends on December 10th and includes stops against the red-hot Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Washington Capitals.
More injury notes from around the league:
- Forward Ondrej Kase won’t play for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night against Anaheim due to an upper-body injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today. Kase missed Toronto’s last game on their Western California swing, a 4-1 win against San Jose. He had an assist in 13:52 worth of ice time against their first California game against Los Angeles. Kase’s netted five goals and three assists through his first 21 games as a Maple Leaf after playing just three games last season due to injury. The one-time 20-goal scorer has looked good, but injuries remain a concern for the embattled Czech winger.
- Per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, defenseman Chris Wideman is out with an injury for the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night game versus Pittsburgh. Forward Michael Pezzetta will draw back into the lineup after the team had iced 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their last contest. Wideman, who’d signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with Montreal this past offseason to return to the league after a good season abroad in Russia, leads Canadiens defensemen in points with eight.
Anthony Duclair Day-To-Day After Unexpected Scratch
The Florida Panthers lost Friday night against the Washington Capitals in part because of an Alex Ovechkin hat trick, but they went into the game down one of their best forwards after winger Anthony Duclair was unexpectedly pulled from warmups and scratched.
Now, interim head coach Andrew Brunette says Duclair is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Speaking after the game, Brunette called the scratch “unexpected,” and that he was mostly pulled as a precaution. However, he does say that Duclair will be evaluated in the coming days.
Maxim Mamin, who has a goal in four games this season, filled in on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Bennett in Duclair’s absence.
Duclair was finally rewarded with some stability this offseason when the Panthers gave him a three-year, $9MM contract extension this offseason. He’s lit up the scoresheet this season, posting 17 points in 19 games en route to an extremely hot start for the Panthers.
Kraken Captain Mark Giordano Enters COVID Protocol
Seattle Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano has entered the NHL’s COVID protocol and is unavailable for Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, per a team tweet.
The 38-year-old Giordano hasn’t had the dreamiest season with his new Kraken club. He has seven points in 19 games on the season, but none in his last five. He’s seen his ice time dip to 20:52 per game this season, the lowest such mark for him in 12 seasons.
The former Norris Trophy winner was expected to be the biggest name on a strong defense in Seattle, but the team has struggled mightily out of the gate due to unexpectedly poor defense and goaltending. It’s likely that Haydn Fleury draws into the lineup in his place.
Giordano could potentially miss the team’s next five games if he’s absent for 10 days, and would miss four games if he’s absent for seven. Both of those timeframes include matchups against two of the league’s best in the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
Drake Caggiula Placed On Injured Reserve
The Buffalo Sabres today placed forward Drake Caggiula on injured reserve, per a tweet from the team’s public relations account. Caggiula is week-to-week with an upper-body injury after missing Buffalo’s last game, a 5-1 home loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
The team recalled forward Brett Murray from the AHL’s Rochester Americans today in his place. Buffalo has shuffled Murray up and down multiple times this season as they’ve faced injuries, but he’s only played one game this season (no points in 11:06 of ice time). Murray’s gotten into nine games with Rochester, however, tallying six goals and one assist.
Caggiula signed a one-year, $750,000 extension with the Sabres this offseason after the team claimed him off waivers from the Arizona Coyotes near the end of the 2020-21 campaign. He’d played in all 18 games this season for which he was healthy, scoring two goals and three assists while averaging nearly 15 minutes a night (a career-high).
At even strength, Caggiula’s line with Dylan Cozens and Vinnie Hinostroza has seen the most ice time of any forward grouping for Buffalo in 2021-22. It looks like Sabres head coach Don Granato will do some line shuffling in Caggiula’s absence, getting Arttu Ruotsalainen back into the lineup.
Adam Henrique Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique is out with an upper-body injury and has returned to Anaheim from the team’s road trip, per a Ducks tweet. He’s listed as day-to-day.
Henrique is in the midst of a wonderful bounce-back campaign after spending some time last season in the press box. Through 19 games, he’s third on the Ducks with 15 points (six goals, nine assists). His ice time has seen a significant uptick, too, playing 17:16 per game compared to 16:02 last season.
The 31-year-old native of Brantford, Ontario, scored his 200th NHL goal earlier this season, his 11th full one in the NHL. Prior to last season’s shortened 56-game schedule, Henrique had scored 40 or more points in seven consecutive seasons.
He’s been a big part of what’s been a resurgent season for a younger, faster, and better Anaheim Ducks team. While it doesn’t sound like his injury is serious, they’ll miss him for the next little while. Anaheim faces a pair of Canadian teams in Ottawa and Toronto next, before some in-division matchups against Los Angeles and Vegas.
Danny DeKeyser Enters COVID Protocol
According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser has entered the league’s COVID protocol.
While DeKeyser’s play has suffered over the past few seasons due to a variety of injuries, he’s played a semi-important role for Detroit this season. He’s been partnered with Calder Trophy candidate Moritz Seider on the blueline, but he still has just two assists in 19 games.
With DeKeyser out, Troy Stecher‘s injury, and Marc Staal dealing with illness, Detroit’s defensive depth is running thin. Dan Renouf was recalled from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins today, and he could make his season debut for Detroit Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues.
Detroit’s cooled off after a hot start, going 4-5-1 in their past ten games. While there have been encouraging signs of life out of this long-rebuilding franchise this season, their time to shine likely isn’t quite here yet.
In DeKeyser’s absence, increased minutes are likely coming for Nick Leddy, who’s been manning second-pairing duties with Filip Hronek.