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Calgary Flames Reportedly Shopping Defensemen

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As the Calgary Flames transitioned behind the bench from Darryl Sutter to Ryan Huska over the summer, many of the players scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason wanted to take the ’wait-and-see’ approach in regards to signing a contract extension in Alberta. Needless to say, the Flames have not gotten off to a solid start, starting off 3-7-1, quickly alienating any chances that certain players will want to re-up on a new deal.

Aside from the potential departure of Elias Lindholm, Calgary is also set to lose five defensemen to the open market next July, leading the team to some difficult choices moving forward. This past summer, many reports indicated that defenseman Noah Hanifin was unwilling to sign an extension with the Flames, leading to plenty of trade rumors surrounding him and the organization.

In an earlier report today, Rick Dhaliwal relayed a note from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, saying that the Flames are actively engaging the market on Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov. Furthermore, it was reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Edmonton Oilers are showing the most interest in these defensemen.

It is reasonable to assume, especially if Calgary continues its current trajectory on the season, that more and more teams will come calling as the season nears the trade deadline. Of the three teams listed as having interest, the Oilers seem the least plausible, given that the Flames and Oilers have only made three trades with each other, the last one being the James Neal – Milan Lucic swap in 2019.

Especially if all three players are seen as rentals, the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers could all come calling at this year’s trade deadline. If any or all three are open to signing extensions with the respective acquiring clubs, teams such as the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes could certainly become interested, as well.

Given his ability to play a high amount of minutes each night, Hanifin will likely net Calgary the biggest return, although Tanev and Zadorov will also bring significant interest given their skill sets. If they are open to retooling or even a short-term rebuild, trading these three would be a logical way to start that process.

Nevertheless, there is a chance the Flames could turn their season around, leading them to hang onto their pending unrestricted free agents for a playoff run. However, if they are unable to straighten the ship, aside from a few trades over the years, there isn’t a precedent set for a trade of this magnitude being made so early in the season. If Calgary hangs on to all three as we get closer to the deadline, other playoff-bound teams’ desperation will increase their return overall.

Central Notes: Spurgeon, Duchene, Faksa, Olofsson

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Having already satisfied his long-term injured reserve requirements, Minnesota Wild captain, Jared Spurgeon, was eligible to return to the team’s game against the New York Rangers, but was still not fully available. Speaking with head coach Dean Evason today, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports that Spurgeon may return to the lineup on the team’s current road trip.

Because there has been no official word up to this point, it is unlikely that Spurgeon will be back in the lineup tomorrow as the Wild take on the New York Islanders, but with games against the Buffalo Sabres and Rangers at the end of the weeks, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see Spurgeon back at that point.

Minnesota could certainly use the help, as the team has allowed an average amount of high-danger scoring chances for the opposing team, but the conversion rate of 11.2% for the other team is the sixth worst in the NHL up to this point. Playing in 79 games for the team last year, Spurgeon scored 11 goals and 23 assists, keeping pace with his usual production over his career, all while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game.

Other notes:

  • In what is expected to be one of the more competitive games of the week, the Dallas Stars will take on the Boston Bruins tonight but will be without two forwards. Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News reports that forwards Matt Duchene (day-to-day) and Radek Faksa (day-to-day) will not be in the lineup tonight. This will likely be the only game Duchene misses due to his injury and will be Faksa’s third straight missed game.
  • Colorado Avalanche depth forward, Fredrik Olofsson is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury according to Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. In his first season in Colorado, Olofsson has played in 10 games, scoring one goal while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per night. It remains to be seen whether or not he will be in the lineup for the team’s game tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils.

San Jose Sharks Send Down Magnus Chrona

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Earlier today, San Jose Sharks beat writer, Curtis Pashelka, reported on the fact that goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen had returned to practice with the team, and could return as early as tomorrow night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sharks have seemingly confirmed that to be the case, as they announce goaltender Magnus Chrona has been sent down to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

Called up a few days ago to backup Mackenzie Blackwood in the team’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chrona would actually find himself in the net for much of the game, as Blackwood was pulled a little before halfway through after giving up six goals on 18 shots. Chrona faired a bit better, although not by much, as he was on the hook for four goals on 17 shots against.

It was a rude awakening for a young goaltender who had only come to the organization less than a year ago, signing as a college-free agent out of the University of Denver. Nevertheless, he is not returning to a positive situation in the AHL either, as the Barracuda hold a 2-4-3 record early in the year, with Chrona garnering a .871 SV% and a 4.82 GAA in four games played.

As the Sharks continue to seek out their first win of the year against Philadelphia tomorrow night, they will at least have the benefit of both their regular netminders being able to play. Given that both Kahkonen and Blackwood have allowed six goals in less than 20 shots in each of their most recent starts, it remains to be seen which goaltender will eventually get the nod to start.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Panthers, Red Wings

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For the most part, the Buffalo Sabres have been dealing with some inconsistent goaltending to start the 2023-24 season. After the injury to goaltender Eric Comrie, the team has been rolling with a combination of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, who have both played in five games on the year.

At still only 21 years old, much of Levi’s poor start could be attributed to growing pains, as he only has a 2-3-0 record, coupled with a .886 SV% and a 3.41 GAA. Luukkonen on the other hand has had incredible starts such as the one against the Colorado Avalanche on October 29th, earning a shutout against a solid offensive team. However, only two games later, Luukkonen would let in five goals on 19 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers, an offense that is not nearly as capable as Colorado’s.

To try and get more consistency out of his goaltenders, Lance Lysowksi of The Buffalo News reports that head coach Don Gronato is not keen on giving one starter a bulk of the starts, and will begin to rotate Levi and Luukkonen more regularly, in an attempt to create a hot hand in the net. This is largely the most logistical choice for the Sabres to make for the time being, as neither starter has shown the capacity to carry a majority of the load quite yet in their young careers.

Other notes:

  • Last week, it was reported that Florida Panthers’ defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour would be returning to practice in non-contact jerseys on Sunday, as both players are still recovering from shoulder surgery needed after the team’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. In an exciting update on their recovery process, Jameson Olive of the NHL reports that once the Panthers return from their West Coast road trip next week, there is a chance either one of them could appear in a game during that homestand. With a record of 5-4-1 to start the year, the team could certainly benefit from getting both of these defensemen back in the lineup.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that captain Dylan Larkin is questionable to play against the New York Rangers tomorrow night, and that forward Robby Fabbri will make his return to the lineup. Getting off to one of the hottest starts of his career, Larkin appeared to have an issue closing his right hand during the team’s recent game against the Boston Bruins, even leaving the bench for a short time. Ultimately, Larkin would return towards the end of the second period and scored the game-tying goal early in the third period.

Metropolitan Notes: Islanders, Backstrom, van Riemsdyk, Trade Interest

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Picking up eight points in their last five games, the New York Islanders were able to recorrect a tepid start to the season. Today, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News issued some updates on several members of the Islanders team, including Bo Horvat, Scott Mayfield, and Adam Pelech.

Rosner reports that Horvat is day-to-day with an injury, it he is questionable to play in the team’s game tomorrow night against the Minnesota Wild. Being one of the most important parts of their offense, Horvat’s offensive presence will be greatly missed even for a game or two on a team that is still struggling to score goals at a high rate.

Pelech, on the other hand, already missed the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes two nights ago due to a lower-body injury, but Rosner indicates that he looked good at practice today, but still remains questionable for tomorrow night. Dissimilarly, Mayfield was notably absent from the team’s practice today, but Rosner confirmed it was merely a maintenance day and that Mayfield is not dealing with any sustaining injuries.

Other notes:

    • Nearly a week ago, it was reported that Washington Capitals forward, Nicklas Backstrom, would be stepping away from the team due to a lingering injury that does not appear to be going away. In an earlier report from today, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network relayed a message from the General Manager of the team, Brian MacLellan, who says that is ’unlikely’ that Backstrom will return to the team this year. After missing much of the season last year, it appears that Backstrom will miss nearly two full seasons of hockey due to his ongoing hip injury.
    • Sticking with the Capitals, it was apparent during their game on Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, that defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk had sustained some sort of injury. The team was hoping that it would not be a long-term injury, and after proper evaluations, Tom Gulitti of the NHL reports that van Riemsdyk is only considered day-to-day, but will not practice with the team today.
    • Only a few weeks ago, multiple reports indicated that the Capitals were very interested in the idea of acquiring forward Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks. Although not mentioning Garland specifically, and now factoring in the absence of Backstrom in the lineup, Ethan Cadeaux of Monumental Sports Network confirms that Washington is indeed still looking for an addition to the team’s top six forward unit, and their motivation has increased since the news from Backstrom.

Calgary Flames Assign Three Players To AHL

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11/6: As expected, Ryan Pike confirmed today that the Flames organization had re-called all three players back up to the NHL club.

11/5: Ryan Pike of FlamesNation is reporting that the Calgary Flames have assigned forwards Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary, as well as defenseman Nick DeSimone to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Because the team does not play today, and considering Pospisil and DeSimone have already cleared waivers this year, it is entirely likely this is only a paper transaction. All three players should be on the Flames roster again shortly.

Since coming over to the Flames organization during the 2019-20 season, Pospisil has been a solid player at the AHL level when healthy. This season, when playing for the Wranglers, Pospisil has scored three goals and three assists in six games, sitting fourth on the team in points in the early days of the season. He made his NHL debut last night against the Seattle Kraken and scored his first NHL goal while getting a bit over 10 minutes of ice time.

Now in his third season with Calgary, DeSimone was called up to replace the minutes left behind by defenseman Jordan Oesterle, who had recently been placed on waivers in order to send him down to the AHL. DeSimone was also able to crack the lineup during last night’s game against the Kraken, where he provided one assist in 12 minutes of ice time.

Similarly to Pospisil, Zary is another young prospect in the Flames organization and has played in two games since being called up on an emergency loan on October 31st. In those two games played, Zary has provided Calgary with one goal and one assist, playing on the team’s second line next to Nazem Kadri and Yegor Sharangovich.

East Notes: Blue Jackets, McCabe, Timmins

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Going into the regular season, there was no question that the Columbus Blue Jackets were dealing with a roster glut, and have been keen on moving players up and down regularly given their current level of play. This was evidenced most recently on Friday, as the Blue Jackets decided to send down top-center prospect, Kent Johnson, in exchange for Yegor Chinakhov from the Cleveland Monsters.

In a Sunday article, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic touched on a few of these issues, most notably pointing out that Blue Jackets General Manager, Jarmo Kekalainen is still working the phones to move out a few players, and that scouts from the Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets organizations were seen at the team’s game this past Thursday.

The feeling around the organization is that trade must come sooner rather than later, as Portzline also mentions that Kirill Marchenko can only play in two more games before becoming waiver-eligible, and six games remain for Cole Sillinger. Although Marchenko was a prized goal-scorer for Columbus last season, his recent play led to new head coach, Pascal Vincent, scratching the young forward in the team’s game last night against the Washington Capitals.

Other notes:

  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, Jake McCabe, will return to practice with the team today. The team could certainly benefit from the return of his defensive prowess, as the team has lost four straight games since McCabe went down with a groin injury. It remains to be seen whether or not he will return to game action this week, as Toronto has an upcoming four-game homestand.
  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, similarly to McCabe, Mark Masters of TSN reports that Toronto defenseman, Conor Timmins, was seen skating today in practice. Working his way back from a lower-body injury, Timmins has been on long-term injured reserve since the beginning of the season. Although the Maple Leafs should have a full defensive unit upon his return, they could certainly improve upon the trio of Simon Benoit, William Lagesson, and Maxime Lajoie as their depth defenseman on the NHL roster.

Dylan Cozens Out Day-To-Day

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Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports is reporting that Buffalo Sabres’ forward, Dylan Cozens, will not play tonight and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Although no other specifics were given, it is likely due to the fight Cozens engaged in against Philadelphia Flyers’ forward, Garnet Hathaway, at the end of the game last night.

Playing in the first year of a seven-year, $49.7MM extension signed with the organization last year, Cozens has gotten off to a solid offensive start for the Sabres. In 11 games played up to this point, Cozens has scored three goals and four assists, coupled with a solid 61.4 CF%.

His play on the defensive side of the puck has left a little to be desired to start the year, but Cozens has never been a particularly solid defensive option down the middle of the ice. However, even after an individually strong start to this season, Buffalo has not gotten off to the start they were expecting, and Cozens showed visible frustration in last night’s loss to the Flyers.

In their first 11 games, the Sabres are carrying a 5-6-0 record into tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, primarily due to some inconsistencies within the high-danger moments of the game. To start the year, Buffalo has only converted on 6.9% of their high-danger scoring chances, while their opponents have executed on those high-danger scoring chances at a rate of 13.8% of the time.

New Jersey Devils Recall Max Willman

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Joining the team shortly before the start of the regular season, the New Jersey Devils announced they have recalled forward Maxwell Willman from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, and he will join the team as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks in their next game. Willman is likely getting this call up due to the recent injury to star forward for New Jersey, Jack Hughes.

Over the last two seasons, Willman had spent his time less than 100 miles from the Prudential Center, suiting up for the Devils’ division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers. Joining the team as a college free agent in 2021, Willman played in 50 games for the Flyers, scoring four goals and two assists.

Playing in Utica to start this season, Willman has already broken his point production over two years in Philadelphia, scoring four goals and three assists for the Comets in seven games. Although he will be joining the team on their trip to Chicago, depth forward Chris Tierney will likely get the nod in the lineup over Willman.

Nevertheless, it is detrimental for the Devils to lose a player of Hughes caliber even for a game or two, given how much they rely on his talents on the ice. However, when a star player goes down, it always becomes an opportunity for another player to prove his worth at the NHL level.

Flyers Recall Felix Sandstrom, Place Him On IR

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Less than a week ago, the Philadelphia Flyers had sent goaltender Felix Sandstrom to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for a conditioning stint. Normally, a team must recall a player on a conditioning loan within the next 14 days, but due to an upper-body injury suffered in last night’s game against the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Flyers have chosen to call up Sandstrom a bit earlier than expected.

This will now be the second goaltender in the last week who is set to miss some time within the Philadelphia organization, as it was reported that Carter Hart would miss a few days due to a mid-body injury. In the meantime, the Flyers are set to roll with a combination of Calvin Petersen and Samuel Ersson as their goaltending tandem.

Unfortunately for the team, at all levels of the organization, aside from Hart, the Flyers have been unable to get adequate goaltending across the board. In only two games played for the Phantoms over the conditioning stint, Sandstrom had a 0-0-1 record, with a .857 SV% and a 3.68 GAA. Primarily serving as a backup for Philadelphia last season, Sandstrom had a 3-12-3 record in 20 games played, posting a .880 SV% and a 3.72 GAA.

Out of training camp, the team opted to carry three goaltenders into the regular season, giving the primary backup position to Ersson. Much like Sandstrom’s subpar season last year, Ersson has gotten off to a similar start, holding a 1-2-1 record in four games, garnering a .815 SV% and a 3.90 GAA.

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