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West Notes: Zegras, Pietrangelo, Bjugstad, Smith

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In an update today on Anaheim Ducks’ forward Trevor Zegras, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports that Zegras has been a full participant in two straight practices. Although there is still no set timetable for Zegras’ return, two full practices without restrictions indicate that he could be making his return to the lineup very soon.

It has been a season to forget for Zegras, both due to a broken ankle that has kept him out of the lineup for two months, and due to his play on the ice when he has been healthy. Only managing to suit up in 20 games for Anaheim this season, Zegras has scored four goals and seven points overall, while averaging 17:20 of ice time.

When Zegras eventually makes his return to the active roster, he will have much more responsibility upon his shoulders after the team parted with center Adam Henrique at the trade deadline. As Zegras was also mentioned in trade rumors throughout the deadline season, his play down the stretch may impact the offers that the Ducks receive for his services over the summer.

Other West notes:

  • After missing the team’s last game due to an illness, the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bruce Cassidy, states that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is feeling better but will be a game-time decision for their game tomorrow night against the Seattle Kraken (X Link). In Pietrangelo’s absence, the team lost an important game to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while still maintaining their grip on the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
  • Moving to the Central Division, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that forward Nick Bjugstad will make his return to the lineup tonight for the Arizona Coyotes. This confirms that Bjugstad has shaken off his day-to-day injury designation suffered in the team’s most recent game against the New Jersey Devils. A key offensive contributor for the organization over the last couple of weeks, Bjugstad has scored seven goals and 10 points in his last 13 games for the Coyotes.
  • Staying in Arizona, the team has announced they have returned forward Nathan Smith to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Smith was originally recalled via an emergency loan for insurance if Bjugstad could not play tonight. He will return to a Roadrunners team where he has scored nine goals and 27 points in 48 games this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs Make T.J. Brodie A Healthy Scratch

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Hoping to send a message to his veteran defenseman, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe, has decided to make T.J. Brodie a healthy scratch tonight according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Taking Brodie’s spot in the lineup will be defenseman Conor Timmins, who has not played a game for the Maple Leafs since January 24th.

It will mark the first time throughout his tenure in Toronto that Brodie finds himself a healthy scratch in the lineup. Although he is now a four-year veteran of the organization, Brodie’s play this year has left a lot to be desired, leading to this tough decision made by Keefe.

Sharing his reasoning behind the move, Keefe was quoted as saying, “Brods knows he hasn’t been at his best this season here, for most of the season, yet he’s taken on a lot for us …. hardest match-ups every single night & it’s been a lot. A chance for us to give him a night off“.

Playing in his first fully healthy year since the 2021-22 NHL season, Brodie has done much of the same for the Maple Leafs this season. In 66 games played, Brodie has averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per night, tallying 18 assists, and blocking a total of 139 shots.

Although his surface-level production is on par, Brodie has seen many of his defensive sub-metrics slip dramatically this season. His CorsiFor% and On-Ice Save Percentage In All Situations have slipped down to career lows of 43.8% and 89.6%, respectively. Furthermore, Brodie has seen his Expected +/- fall to 6.2 on the year, which would mark his lowest total since his last season with the Calgary Flames in 2019-20.

Nevertheless, Keefe’s quote holds in that Brodie has received some tough matchups this season, and the team may be looking to iron out his load management in time for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. With the blue line being one of the major question marks on this Toronto team leading into the postseason, they will need Brodie to find his game in the hopes of leveling out the Maple Leafs’ defensive core.

Injury Notes: Larkin, Reaves, Blackwell

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In a positive report for the Detroit Red Wings organization, captain Dylan Larkin was back at practice this morning as a full participant (X Link). It is undetermined whether or not Larkin will be available in the team’s important game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.

Working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered on March 2nd, the team as a whole as certainly looked different without their captain in the mix. Since Larkin’s exit after the game against the Florida Panthers, the team has produced a 2-6-0 record, coupled with a pedestrian 2.5 GF/G.

With only 13 games remaining in the regular season for Detroit, they will be hoping that Larkin’s return to the lineup will bring an added boost to the rest of the roster. Amid a battle for the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings are looking to break a seven-year playoff drought by the end of the season.

Other injury notes:

  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will miss tonight’s game due to an eye injury. The injury was suffered in the team’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers and was likely due to Reaves’ fight against Flyers grinder Nicolas Deslauriers. In Reaves’ absence, depth forward Noah Gregor will draw into the lineup after not having played since March 16th.
  • Sticking with the Original Six theme, the Chicago Blackhawks have some injury concerns as well, as Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that forward Colin Blackwell is out with an upper-body injury. Without much to play for down the final stretch of the season, it is still unfortunate news for the organization. Over the team’s last five games, Blackwell has been on a solid streak, scoring three goals and four points, with all three of those goals coming in a game against the Arizona Coyotes.

Bruins Sign Michael DiPietro To An Extension

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Shoring up some of their organizational goaltending depth for next season, the Boston Bruins announced they have signed goalie Michael DiPietro to a one-year, $775K two-way contract for the 2024-25 season. This extension will take DiPietro to his third season with the Bruins organization.

DiPietro was originally acquired by Boston two years ago, coming over from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jack Studnicka. Once a top goaltending prospect in Vancouver’s system, injuries limited DiPietro’s development leading to the eventual trade to the Bruins.

After some exceptional years with the Windsor Spitfires, DiPietro played well for the Utica Comets once joining the Canucks organization, but his inability to play in nearly the entirety of the 2021-22 AHL season, coupled with the emergency of Thatcher Demko, led to his movement out of British Columbia. DiPietro’s downward trend continued, as the Bruins opted to play him with their ECHL affiliate last season, the Maine Mariners.

Nevertheless, DiPietro has rebounded nicely this season for the Providence Bruins and has helped put them in a comfortable position to make the playoffs in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. On the year in Providence, DiPietro has produced a 17-8-0 record in 26 games, coupled with a .917 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average.

Although he has not become the goaltender that the Canucks were hoping he would be, there may be an opportunity for DiPietro to crack the Bruins’ roster as soon as next season. With the team having attempted to trade Linus Ullmark to the Los Angeles Kings at this year’s trade deadline, it appears that Boston is adamant about trading one of their All-Star goaltenders, giving DiPietro an opening to make the team at next year’s training camp.

Snapshots: Kovalenko, Chmelar, Joshua

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Earlier today, the Colorado Avalanche announced that the team had finally brought up-and-coming prospect, Nikolai Kovalenko, to North America. Not under the best pretenses, however, as the team announced Kovalenko would start with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, to rehabilitate from a leg injury suffered during his time in the Kontinental Hockey League.

The obvious hope for the Avalanche is that Kovalenko is eventually able to play at the NHL level at some point this season. Playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL for the last two years, Kovalenko has scored 32 goals and 89 points in 98 games after being a sixth-round pick by Colorado in the 2018 NHL Draft.

The Eagles do have a game tonight as well as one tomorrow against the Milwaukee Admirals, but it is unlikely that Kovalenko will draw into the lineup for either of those two matchups. After that, AHL Colorado does not have another game until March 29th, which may set a timeline for Kovalenko’s debut within the Avalanche organization.

Other snapshots:

  • Although nothing is official, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal is reporting that the New York Rangers are expected to sign Jaroslav Chmelar after his season with Providence College came to an end on Saturday. Chmelar was originally a fifth-round pick of the Rangers back in the 2021 NHL Draft and has spent the last two years in the United States after coming over from his native Finland. Over 59 games in the Hockey East Division, Chmelar scored 12 goals and 28 points overall, after a leg injury requiring surgery cut his season short this year.
  • Recently being put on the team’s long-term injured reserve, Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua is progressing with his injury recovery, but the team is still being cautious with his load management (X Link). An important depth scorer for the Canucks this season, Joshua has scored 13 goals and 26 points over 53 games this year.

Metropolitan Notes: Gruden, Wotherspoon, Marino

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With Jeff Carter out with an upper-body injury tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in a position to recall a forward to fill his spot in the active lineup. In doing so, the Penguins brought up Jonathan Gruden from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins via an emergency recall.

Recalled oftenly this season by Pittsburgh, this transaction will mark Gruden’s sixth call-up of the season in total. In now his fourth season with the Penguins organization, Gruden has accrued the most NHL games played in a single year for his short career, scoring one goal in 11 games for Pittsburgh this year.

While still failing to make a name for himself at the NHL level, Gruden is been an solid contributor to the WBS Penguins over the last four years. Over 204 regular season games overall, Gruden has scored 45 goals and 96 points in total, while also chipping in one goal and three points in five playoff games, as well.

Other Metro notes:

  • In a similar transaction, Pittsburgh’s opponent tonight, the New Jersey Devils, have recalled defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon by way of an emergency recall. In his second emergency recall in only his last week, Wotherspoon has had an elevated opportunity to play in the NHL due to multiple injuries on New Jersey’s back end. Unfortunately, Wotherspoon has yet to play with the Devils this season, but has registered four goals and 19 points in 54 games for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
  • Paving the way for another emergency recall to Wotherspoon, earlier reports indicated that defenseman John Marino would miss the game tonight due to an upper-body injury (X Link). With Marino now out with an injury for at least this evening, New Jersey will be without three of their top-four defensemen, leading to a 5-11-0 record over the last 16 games for the organization.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Carter Gylander

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In a public announcement coming from the organization, the Detroit Red Wings have signed college goaltender, Carter Gylander to a two-year entry-level contract, beginning in the 2024-25 NHL season. The team also stated that Gylander would be joining the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the remainder of the season on an amateur tryout agreement.

Originally drafted by the Red Wings with the 201st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, Gylander has spent the last four seasons playing for Colgate University of the ECAC Hockey Division. With his numbers dipping down a bit from last season, Gylander finished his NCAA career with a 14-14-4 season, coupled with a .901 save percentage and 2.93 goals against average over 32 games.

Gylander posted his best numbers during his junior season at Colgate, finishing with a 19-15-5 record in 39 games, posting a .914 SV% and a 2.46 GAA in the process. During the ECAC Hockey Tournament at the end of last season, Gylander led his team to a championship win over Harvard University, winning the tournament’s Most Oustanding Player award as well.

Unfortunately, Colgate’s run of success would end there, as the University of Michigan would eliminate them in a blowout game during the first round of the Frozen Four tournament. This season, Gylander and Colgate would make it to the second round of the ECAC Hockey tournament, but would be ousted by St. Lawrence University, officially ending Gylander’s collegiate career.

In Detroit, Gylander will join a growing list of young goaltending prospects that the team will be looking to graduate to the NHL at some point. With Sebastian Cossa still earning his stripes at the AHL level, the Red Wings still hold the signing rights to Trey Augustine, who is in the midst of a standout season with the Michigan State University Spartans.

Devils Return Tyler Wotherspoon, Max Willman To AHL

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March 17: Both Willman and Wotherspoon were returned to AHL Utica after yesterday’s loss to the Coyotes, per CapFriendly. The two depth pieces did not play during their call-ups, as they were healthy scratches against Arizona and the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

March 13: In light of some injuries over the last several days, the New Jersey Devils were put in a position to call up a few players from their AHL affiliate. Coming from the Utica Comets, the team has recalled defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon and forward Maxwell Willman.

Being the veteran of the two call-ups, Wotherspoon has less playing experience at the NHL level as compared to Willman. After being drafted 57th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2011 NHL Draft, Wotherspoon has only managed 30 games at the NHL level, tallying three assists in total.

In the American Hockey League, Wotherspoon has gained much more experience, playing in a total of 605 regular season games between the Flames, Flyers, and Devils organization. Now in a formal leadership role during the twilight years of his career, Wotherspoon has scored 37 goals and 209 points throughout his minor league career.

Willman is the only one of the two to have played with New Jersey this season, putting together a two-point season over 13 games up to this point. In his first year with the Devils organization, Willman was already a veteran of 50 NHL games over the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Outside of New Jersey, Willman has been a positive addition to the Comets this year, scoring 11 goals and 21 points in 31 games already. Currently sitting five points back of a playoff position in the AHL’s North Division, Utica will have to let go of their seventh-highest scorer for the time being.

West Injury Notes: Martinez, Eriksson Ek, Bjugstad

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Alec Martinez is finally back on the ice for practice for the Vegas Golden Knights a short while after being placed on the team’s injured reserve (X Link). Given that he was not in a non-contact jersey this afternoon, it is reasonable to assume that Martinez should be back in the lineup for the Golden Knights soon.

Once Martinez officially returns to the lineup for Vegas, the team will have a really good problem to have. After acquiring Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames on March 7th, the Golden Knights have put themselves in a position to place Martinez on the team’s bottom-pairing comfortably.

Unfortunately, this return likely spells the end of consistent playing time for either Nicolas Hague or Zach Whitecloud. Unless the team opts to run with seven defensemen, either Hague or Whitecloud will serve as a healthy scratch as the Golden Knights look to hang on to the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Other injury notes:

  • After missing the team’s game against the Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury, it appears that Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek may not join the team on their upcoming road trip to California. Joe Smith of The Athletic reported that Eriksson Ek is still considered day-to-day, and the team was waiting to see how he responded to the next couple of days of practice.
  • Earlier this evening, when the Arizona Coyotes matched up against the New Jersey Devils, Nick Bjugstad left the game after having only accrued 7:24 of ice time and did not return (X Link). It will be a tough blow to a Coyotes lineup if Bjugstad is unable to play for the foreseeable future, as he has recently been a focal point of their lineup. In the last 12 games, Bjugstad has scored seven goals and 10 points in total, averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per night.

Martin St. Louis Takes Leave Of Absence

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Today in a press release, the Montreal Canadiens announced that head coach Martin St. Louis would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. In the report, the Canadiens indicated that the leave of absence was due to family reasons, and that assistant coach Trevor Letowski would be taking over the reins for the time being.

In now his third season as the head coach of the winningest franchise in NHL history, St. Louis has guided the Canadiens to a 70-94-21 record in his 185 games behind the bench. Originally, St.Louis was brought in to take over behind the bench halfway through the 2021-22 NHL season after Montreal parted ways with former head coach, Dominique Ducharme.

With the leave of absence being indefinite, it is difficult to speculate as to when St. Louis will return to the Canadiens. Currently, on their longest road trip of the year, Montreal will not return to the Bell Centre until March 28th when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers.

Much like St. Louis when he originally joined the Canadiens, Letowski does not have any former experience being the head coach of an NHL team. In his third season as an assistant coach with the club, Letowski is the former head coach of the Windsor Spitfires and the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League.

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