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Central Notes: Lundkvist, Beauvillier, Raddysh

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After leaving last night’s game against the Nashville Predators with a reported upper-body injury, it appears Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist could miss Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers as well. Speaking about the injury this morning, Bruce LeVine of 96.7 The Ticket reported that Lundkvist is experiencing concussion-like symptoms and the team would know more about his status tomorrow.

If Lundkvist is set to miss a significant amount of time with a concussion, it may motivate Stars General Manager Jim Nill to make a move for a defenseman well before the trade deadline, as the team has reportedly been sniffing around the defensive market. Including a few minutes in last night’s game, Lundkvist has registered two goals and 15 points in 43 games for Dallas this season while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game.

With Joel Hanley being the likely candidate to fill in for Lundkvist, the Stars will likely find more pressure on themselves to round out their defensive core. Although the top unit of Thomas Harley and Miro Heiskanen has played well for the team up to this point in the season, a right-handed shot defenseman to put next to Esa Lindell should become the team’s top priority over the next three weeks.

Other Central notes:

  • Now that forward Connor Bedard has returned to the Chicago Blackhawks after missing time with a broken jaw, Tracey Myers of the NHL suggests the team could see the return of another forward very soon. Since joining the Blackhawks via a trade on November 28th, Anthony Beauvillier has only managed 15 games for the team, suffering a left wrist injury on January 2nd against the Nashville Predators. In the report, Myers mentions that Beauvillier was a full participant in today’s practice, indicating that Beauvillier could return tomorrow or Monday.
  • It is not all positive news on the injury front for Chicago; however, as Myers also reported that forward Taylor Raddysh missed today’s practice with an injury to his right quad. Managing a 20-goal campaign as recently as last year for the Blackhawks, Raddysh’s offensive output has certainly stagnated this season, only registering five goals and 11 points in 49 games up to this point.

Blue Jackets Not Looking To Trade Boone Jenner

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With many teams in full preparation mode for the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8th, the Columbus Blue Jackets were expected to be one of the league’s busier sellers, as they currently sit 29th overall in the standings. However, only yesterday, the organization made a major change at the top of their front office hierarchy, firing General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen after 12 seasons with the club.

Over the last several weeks, players such as Ivan Provorov and Patrik Laine have seen their names mentioned in various trade boards across the media landscape, although each presents a separate array of challenges when it comes to building a trade around either player. Outside of Provorov and Laine, even team captain Boone Jenner has seen his name softly brought up in rumors, largely based on the poor play of the team and his perceived value across the league.

Today, the acting General Manager of the Blue Jackets John Davidson made sure to squash any rumors regarding Jenner, indicating that the team had no intention of moving out their captain (X Link).

At the end of the day, with two years and $7.5MM remaining on Jenner’s contract after this season, Columbus does not need to be in any rush to move on from Jenner. Even with forwards such as Laine and Johnny Gaudreau on the roster, there is a strong case to be made that Jenner is the most valuable forward on the roster, being that he still leads the team in goal-scoring with 16 with 10-15 fewer games played than his peers.

On the other side of the coin, with this deadline season quickly turning into a seller’s market, an offer may come across the desk of Davidson that he may not be able to refuse. Only two weeks ago, the Calgary Flames were able to acquire an established NHL player, two prospects, and a first-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks for what could only be a few months of Elias Lindholm.

Outside of some very legitimate health concerns surrounding Jenner, he is on a similar goal and faceoff win pace as Lindholm over the last three seasons, also displaying some serious defensive prowess as well. With Lindholm set to make more than twice what Jenner is earning over the next two years, a contending team may offer a serious package if they were previously unable to pry Lindholm out of Alberta.

Blake Wheeler Placed On LTIR, Out For Regular Season

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After appearing to hurt his leg in last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the New York Rangers are placing veteran forward Blake Wheeler on Long-Term Injured Reserve, and the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. Johnston also indicated that Wheeler could be out for the rest of the year, but that will largely be dictated by his recovery process and how deep the team goes in the playoffs.

It is unpleasant news for both player and team, as this injury will likely become the unceremonious end to Wheeler’s first season outside of the Winnipeg Jets organization since 2010-11. After being bought out by the Jets this past summer, Wheeler settled for a one-year, $800K contract with the Rangers with $100K bonuses after 10, 20, and 30 games played, respectively.

Although coming off another solid offensive year in Winnipeg throughout the 2022-23 season, his first campaign in New York did not start particularly well. Even with the team getting off to a strong start, it would take Wheeler 11 games to record his first assist, and another two games after that to register his first goal with the club.

Even as the month turned over into December, Wheeler’s offensive output had completely cratered, managing only two goals and six points through the organization’s first 26 games. However, since the team’s December 12th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wheeler had certainly reacquired some offensive touch, scoring seven goals and 15 assists over the next 28 contests.

For the Rangers specifically; the team has already been keeping tabs on the forward market for this season’s upcoming trade deadline, as they’re hoping to replace some of the lost value of center Filip Chytil who will also miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Now that Wheeler has suffered the same fate, it is almost certain the Rangers will make a move to beef up their forward depth by the end of the day on March 8th.

Snapshots: Parise, Rielly, Faulk, Perunovich

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As recently as this past offseason, veteran forward Zach Parise was undecided on his playing future, not knowing whether he would be with the New York Islanders, retire, or join a new organization entirely. Ultimately, the answer was uncovered several months later, as Parise decided to join the Colorado Avalanche by way of a one-year contract.

Now in his 19th season in the NHL, Parise has only been to the Stanley Cup Final once, coming back in 2012 with the New Jersey Devils before ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Kings. In joining the Avalanche, Parise joins one of the clear Stanley Cup contenders of the 2023-24 season and has confirmed that this will be his last attempt to win the coveted trophy.

In an article from Tom Gulitti of the NHL, Parise was quoted as saying, “Yeah, this is it. This is it”, meaning it will be Stanley Cup-or-bust for the 39-year-old veteran. As things currently stand, Colorado is well-positioned to make the playoffs, and MoneyPuck gives them the ninth-best odds of winning the Stanley Cup this year.

Other notes:

  • Yesterday, the Department of Player Safety issued a five-game suspension to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly due to cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig. Now appealing the suspension, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that Rielly will be offered an in-person appeal hearing in New York tomorrow. Because the suspension is not beyond five games, it will not require an independent arbitrator, meaning that Commissioner Gary Bettman will make the final decision to uphold the decision.
  • In an update today regarding two injured defensemen for the St.Louis Blues, Lou Korac of The Hockey News reports Scott Perunovich has returned to the ice for practice and is skating quite well, while Justin Faulk has not yet returned to the ice. Both players have been out since late January, with Faulk being out since January 23rd, and Perunovich being out since January 28th. In the meantime, the Blues will continue to rely on Matthew Kessel and Calle Rosen to fill in for the lost minutes.

Penguins Place Jake Guentzel On Injured Reserve, Recall Three

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In an announcement coming from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team has placed forward Jake Guentzel on injured reserve while recalling Jonathan Gruden, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Valtteri Puustinen from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In a subsequent announcement, Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Guentzel is expected to be out for around a month, putting his trade deadline candidacy into question.

Ultimately, Guentzel’s injury status will likely not steer any teams away from acquiring his services by March 8th, given that his playoff track record has been so strong since he first entered the league. As a team already on the bubble of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoff race, the absence of Guentzel will almost certainly hurt Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.

If the Penguins wait until March 8th to trade Guentzel, the acquiring team will only be missing Guentzel for about a week, unless there is an unexpected setback with his current injury. Because he may only miss a few games on a new team, Guentzel’s price tag likely won’t drop by the time the trade deadline rolls around.

In regards to the trio of players recalled in this transaction, Gruden and Hinostroza have both been in the AHL for a month or more. Of the three, Puustinen has been the most successful playing in Pittsburgh this season, scoring one goal and eight points in 21 games serving in a depth role.

Minnesota Wild Sign Mason Shaw

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Now fully recovered from the second ACL injury of his career, the Minnesota Wild have signed forward Mason Shaw to a one-year, $775K contract, per a team announcement. Shaw has already suited up for the organization’s AHL affiliate in Iowa this season, scoring four goals and seven points in nine games.

Originally drafted by the Wild with the 97th overall selection of the 2017 NHL Draft, it would take a few years for Shaw to eventually reach the organization in a full-time role, scoring 33 points in 76 games during the 2018-19 season in Iowa. Aside from a few shortened seasons from 2019-2021, Shaw finally made his debut in Minnesota over a three-game stint in 2021-22.

Last season, playing 59 games for the Wild of the NHL, Shaw scored seven goals and 17 points overall, before the second tear of his ACL would cut his year short on April 1st. Although he is not an offensive weapon by any stretch of the imagination, Shaw’s style of play does make the Wild more difficult to play against.

During his brief time in the NHL, Shaw’s workhorse mentality, his ability to finish his hits and play physically, and his strong defensive attributes make him a player that General Manager Bill Guerin has prioritized on his roster. Having already played a handful of games in Iowa this season, Shaw will join Minnesota for practice shortly, and will likely be available to play in a game in the near future.

Pacific Notes: Labanc, Kallionkieli, Joshua

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Suffering from what is becoming a career-worst season, San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc is looking for a fresh start outside of the Bay Area. In an article today, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now confirmed that both Labanc and his agent made the request clear, and referenced that they would like a resolution by the trade deadline or the offseason.

The resolution will eventually come, as Labanc is in the last year of a four-year, $18.9MM contract signed with the Sharks, allowing him to sign with any of the other 31 teams regardless of San Jose’s desires. Unfortunately, with only seven points in 32 games, Labanc may find his market to be incredibly limited both at the trade deadline and when free agency eventually rolls around.

In the article specifically, Peng notes that the Vancouver Canucks had an interest in acquiring Labanc as recently as last offseason, but could not confirm if they still hold any desire for him, especially with some of their additions already this season. Nevertheless, if the Sharks are unable to find a taker for Labanc by the trade deadline, a strong finish to the season should certainly be a priority for him in the hopes of boosting his free-agency stock by the summer months.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today that the Vegas Golden Knights have placed forward Marcus Kallionkieli on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. Having been drafted 139th overall by Vegas back in the 2019 NHL Draft, Kallionkieli has only managed 11 games in the Golden Knights under his belt with six of those coming in the AHL, and other five coming in the ECHL. Currently rostered for Kiekko-Espoo of the Finnish Liiga, Kallionkieli has scored one goal and five points in four games.
  • For their game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, the Vancouver Canucks will be without valuable depth forward Dakota Joshua (X Link). Supplementary reporting indicates that Joshua has injured his hand by way of a fight coming on Tuesday against Mackenzie Entwistle of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Vegas Golden Knights Updates

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As the Vegas Golden Knights took the ice for practice this morning in preparation for their upcoming game against the Minnesota Wild on Monday, they issued a plethora of updates regarding key players. The team announced that Mark Stone, Zach Whitecloud, and Jonas Rondbjerg would all miss practice due to illness, indicating that there may be a bug making its way around the team. In the same announcement, the team has also sent defenseman Kaedan Korczak to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

Outside of those missing practice, the team also announced that defenseman Shea Theodore was back at practice in a non-contact jersey, indicating that he may be close to returning. Out for much of the season, Theodore has scored four goals and 18 points in 20 games for the Golden Knights this year before an upper-body injury took him out of the lineup back on November 22nd.

Given that the team does not play until after the weekend, it would be reasonable to assume that Stone, Whitecloud, and Rondbjerg could all return without missing any games. However, it is important to note that Vegas has dealt with several injuries to key players throughout much of the season, and losing three players from illness would severely limit their depth moving forward.

In Korczak, this transaction will mark his third demotion of the season, with the other two coming in early January and early November, respectively. In December, Korczak suffered an undisclosed injury keeping him out of the lineup for nearly a month, limiting his play in Henderson to only five games on the year.

At the NHL level, Korczak has skated in 26 games for the Golden Knights this year, marking a career-high in terms of games played over the last three seasons. Averaging 16 and a half minutes of ice time a game, Korczak has scored one goal and nine points while also sporting a productive 50.4 CorsiFor% and a 94.2% On-Ice Save Percentage in All Situations.

Snapshots: Giordano, Timmins, Romanov, Ristolainen

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In tonight’s Battle of Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without a few notable defensemen as David Alter of The Hockey News reports that Mark Giordano will be out with a lower-body injury, and Conor Timmins is out with an illness. Alter did point out that Giordano is listed as day-to-day, but could be out longer as the injury was sustained in the team’s most recent game on Wednesday.

This news likely means that either William Lagesson or Maxime Lajoie will draw into the lineup this evening, with the latter having been recalled on an emergency loan yesterday. Of the two, Lagesson has certainly had more opportunity at the NHL level, playing in 21 games for the Maple Leafs this season compared to four for Lajoie.

Whatever the case may be, the depth of Toronto’s defensive core will be tested during their matchup tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Although his production has fallen significantly since his Norris Trophy-winning season of 2018-19, Giordano has been more than reliable for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring one goal and six points in 34 games, averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game.

Other snapshots:

  • The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Alexander Romanov this afternoon, as the team announced he is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Not much of an offensive threat from the blue line, Romanov has nevertheless been solid for the Islanders this season, skating alongside Noah Dobson at the top of the team’s defensive core. In 51 games for New York this year, Romanov has scored five goals and 13 points, producing a +15 rating while averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen will be back in the lineup tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers after missing the team’s last game due to illness (X Link). Struggling to live up to his relatively large contract in Philadelphia, Ristolainen has only skated in 30 games for the Flyers this season, missing much of the beginning of the season with an undisclosed injury. Averaging the lowest time on ice of his career up to this point, Ristolainen has scored one goal and four points for Philadelphia this year.

Atlantic Notes: Mittelstadt, Kane, Sanderson

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In an article this morning from Lyle Richardson of Spector’s Hockey, he mentions that the Buffalo Sabres are actively shopping forward Casey Mittelstadt in hopes of bringing a top-tier goaltender into the organization. Currently leading the Sabres in points with 42, Mittelstadt is set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end, likely hoping to get a long-term deal in Buffalo similar to Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson.

To put some cold water on the report, shortly after Richardson’s article was published in Spector’s Hockey, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News quickly downplayed the reports, citing that the Sabres are more than comfortable moving forward with a tandem of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. In Lysowski’s defence, Luukkonen has been rather remarkable over his last 10 games, putting together a 6-4-0 record since December 30th all while averaging a .940 SV%.

Ultimately, the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle regarding the future of Mittelstadt in Buffalo. Not meeting preseason expectations, General Manager Kevyn Adams is likely doing his due diligence in preparation for deadline season, as any General Manager would do in a similar situation to the Sabres.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • After missing the team’s last seven contests, Patrick Kane will return to the lineup tonight for the Detroit Red Wings as the team announced they have activated the veteran forward off of injured reserve. Although producing a solid 4-2-1 record in his absence, the Red Wings have only averaged three goals per game over that stretch, nearly a half-goal drop from their average over the entire regular season. With this recent injury being the only health concern for Kane since his return to the NHL, he has scored seven goals and 16 points in 19 games for Detroit since recovering from offseason hip resurfacing surgery.
  • Having confirmed that Jake Sanderson will be out of the lineup for the team’s game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bruce Garrioch of TSN is reporting that the Ottawa Senators are hoping Sanderson can return to skating next week. Without having a clear timeline for his return when originally injured, this update from Garrioch at the very least provides some idea as to when Sanderson could return to the lineup for the Senators. After a strong rookie campaign last year, Sanderson has continued to improve this season, scoring seven goals and 24 points through 47 games this year.

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