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Predators Place John Leonard On Waivers

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April 5: Leonard has cleared waivers and been assigned to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville announced today.

April 4: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Nashville Predators have placed forward John Leonard on waivers. Leonard was recalled by the Predators on an emergency loan yesterday. The forward was acquired by the Predators from the San Jose Sharks in the trade for Luke Kunin.

Leonard was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Sharks out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. As he made his transition to the NHL, Leonard scored three goals and 10 assists in his first 44 games in the professional leagues.

During last year, Leonard primarily played for the Sharks’ AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda, scoring 17 goals and 15 assists in only 45 games played. Although he was scoring over a 0.5 PPG basis in the AHL last season, Leonard posted a dreadful -28 +/-, leading to serious questions about his play on the defensive side of the puck.

As he was acquired from Nashville over the summer, Leonard has once again played a majority of his year in the AHL, this time playing for the Predators’ AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals. Although he is still scoring over a 0.5 PPG basis, his offensive output is slightly down this season. Playing in 61 games for the Admirals, the forward has 14 goals and 24 assists. For the next 24 hours, Leonard will be sitting in roster limbo, as every team will have the opportunity to claim him, or the Predators will stow him back down in the AHL.

Marco Scandella Out For Season

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Jim Thomas of the Post Dispatch reports today that St.Louis Blues defenseman Marco Scandella was seen in a walking boot on Sunday, and head coach Craig Berube confirms that he will be out for the rest of the season. The Blues currently have five games remaining in their season and are eliminated from playoff contention.

In a season to forget for Scandella, and largely the Blues as well, the St.Louis defenseman will only manage to play in 20 games this year, scoring two points in the process. At the beginning of the season, it was announced that Scandella would be out for six months with a hip injury. On February 20th, he was cleared to play but was once again injured with a lower-body injury in the team’s loss against the Nashville Predators.

Acquired during the season after their 2019 Stanley Cup-winning year, Scandella spent that year split between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens as well. He was originally acquired by the Sabres during the summer before the 2017-18 season, as he was sent to Buffalo along with Jason Pominville from the Minnesota Wild for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.

Spending a few more seasons in Buffalo, he was shipped to Montreal for a draft pick shortly before the 2020 trade deadline. As the deadline rolled around, Scandella was finally acquired by the Blues for a few draft picks. Although this season hasn’t gone as planned, Scandella has played in a total of 150 games wearing the blue note, scoring seven goals and 19 assists with a very respectable +37 +/-.

Ducks Reassign Andrej Sustr

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The Anaheim Ducks today announced that defenseman Andrej Sustr has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls. Sustr recently rejoined the Ducks, being one of the assets traded that landed John Klingberg on the Minnesota Wild.

Primarily playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning throughout his career, Sustr has played in a total of 362 games in the NHL, scoring 11 goals and 58 assists. After his first season in Anaheim during the 2018-19 season, Sustr went overseas, playing two years for the Kunlun Red Star of the KHL. Rejoining the Lightning for the 2021-22 season, Sustr would then return to the Ducks after being claimed off waivers.

Although signed by the Minnesota Wild before this year, Sustr only spent this season playing for their AHL affiliate Iowa Wild before his midseason trade back to Anaheim. In 39 games in Iowa, Sustr scored two goals and also racked up 10 assists. Similarly to his time in Minnesota, Sustr has only played in San Diego since being reacquired by the Ducks organization. In seven games so far for the Gulls, he has scored one goal and one assist.

Sadly, Sustr will not be playing any games into late April, as the Gulls are well outside the playoff picture as they have a current record of 20-44-2. The same holds if he were to receive playing time in the NHL this year, as the Ducks have a record of 23-44-10, and have been mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture for some time.

 

Zach Parise Plans To Continue Playing After This Season

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Longtime NHL veteran Zach Parise of the New York Islanders spoke with Kevin Kurz of The Athletic this morning and reiterates that he hopes to continue playing after this season. Parise is an 18-year NHL veteran and will turn 39 this summer when he will be an unrestricted free agent.

The Minneapolis, MN native was drafted 17th overall in the historic 2003 NHL draft class. Heading into the draft, Parise was ranked the ninth overall North American prospect, coming off of a tremendous 61-point season for the University of North Dakota. It didn’t take long for Parise to find his way to the NHL, joining the New Jersey Devils during the 2005-06 season.

In October of 2011, Parise was named the ninth captain in Devil’s history, replacing long-time captain Jamie Langenbrunner as the team leader. In 502 total games in New Jersey, Parise scored a total of 194 goals and 216 assists, helping lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

After his tremendous play in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Parise joined Ryan Suter as the top free agent heading in the 2012-13 season. On July 4th, 2012, Parise and Suter signed identical 13-year, $98 million contracts with his hometown Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, Parise and Suter would only play nine years of that contract, as both were bought out before the 2021-22 season. Playing in 558 games with the Wild, Parise scored 199 goals and 201 assists, failing to help Minnesota reach further than the second round of the playoffs.

After being bought out by the Wild, Parise joined his former GM Lou Lamoriello, signing on with the Islanders on a 1-year, $750K deal. In his first year with the Islanders, Parise scored 35 points in 82 games and has followed that up with similar production this year, scoring 32 points in 78 games.

Although Parise is in a race against father time, the forward is earnest on playing during the 2023-24 season. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, but it will be hard to imagine Parise leaving the Islanders. Parise has notably followed the footsteps of his late father J.P. Parise, who played for the historic Minnesota North Stars as well as the Islanders.

Columbus Signs Yegor Chinakhov To Extension

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that they have signed forward Yegor Chinakhov to a one-year, $800K extension for the 2023-24 season. In doing so, their former first-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has at least one more guaranteed season in Ohio.

A rookie last season, Chinakhov has played a total of 92 games for the Blue Jackets, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets and Chinakhov, the young forward was placed on injured reserve on December 20th of 2022, only to be taken off on February 27th of this year. Losing a couple of months at the beginning of his career will not be detrimental to his growth, but may be a cause for concern going forward for Columbus.

Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen touted the Columbus forward, saying, “Yegor has shown great improvement this season despite missing considerable time over the past few months due to injury. He is a talented player with a great work ethic and desire to improve, and we are very excited about his future with the Blue Jackets.”

Since his reinstatement from the injured reserve earlier this calendar year, Chinakhov has been playing for the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters. In seven games so far this season, Chinakhov has put up three goals and five assists. Unfortunately, Chinakhov will not be able to see playoff time this season, as both Columbus and Cleveland will not make the postseason this year.

David Carle Named Head Coach of U.S. National Junior Team

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In some exciting news for next season in the international scene, USA Hockey announces that David Carle will lead the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team from the bench. Carle, who is still only 33 years old, has been at the helm of the Denver University Pioneers for the last five years.

In every season since taking over as head coach, Carle has led the Pioneers to the Frozen Four Tournament every year, winning the title over Minnesota State during the 2021-22 season. Throughout his head coaching career, he has accrued an overall record of 116-53-13, giving him a career-winning percentage of .637.

For the United States National Junior team in particular, since the 2015 tournament, the team has earned two gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals. Typically engaging in legendary battles with Canada’s National Junior team, if Carle’s college pedigree is any predictor, the United States might be an even tougher challenge to the back-to-back defending champions.

The tournament will start later this year, starting on December 26th and ending on January 5th of 2024. The tournament will be played in Sweden, and the United States will be in Group B, including Czechia, Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

Maple Leafs Notes: Murray, Acciari, Cruikshank, Skirving

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In a recent article written by Luke Fox of Sportsnet, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have some more bad news with goaltender Matt Murray. After getting what appeared to be accidentally knocked down by Detroit Red Wings’ forward Lucas Raymond on Sunday night, head coach Sheldon Keefe relays on that Murray is now dealing with a head injury.

Murray has been injured several times this year, being placed on long-term injured reserve on both October 18th and February 15th of this season. When he is healthy, Murray has been an average goaltender at best for Toronto. In 26 starts this season, the goaltender has a record of 14-8-2 with a SV% of .903 and a GAA of 3.01. In some of the underlying numbers, Murray currently has a GA%- of 101, with a Goals Saved Above Average of -1.0.

Throughout his time with the Ottawa Senators, and even multiple times when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Murray has been a very injury-prone player throughout his career. Keefe mentioned that Murray would be considered day-to-day for now, and did not specify a timeline or if Murray would enter concussion protocol.

Fortunately for the Maple Leafs, their other goaltender acquisition from this past summer is enjoying the best season of his career. In 37 stars, Ilya Samsonov has a record of 25-10-4 with a .915 SV% and a 2.41 GAA. Even before the recent injury to Murray, Samsonov was going to be the clear-cut starter for Toronto in their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the hockey world did see last year that having a capable backup going into the playoffs is vitally important, evidenced by the superb play of backup Pavel Francouz for the Colorado Avalanche.

Other Maple Leafs notes:

  • In some positive injury news for the Maple Leafs, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports that forward Noel Acciari will be back in the lineup tonight as Toronto takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Acquired in the trade with the St.Louis Blues that also netted Toronto forward Ryan O’Reilly, Acciari has spent most of his time in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. In 17 games with Toronto, Acciari has added a valuable bit of depth goal-scoring, lighting the lamp three times for Toronto.
  • Traveling southwest of the Maple Leafs, their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies announced two signings today, picking up forward Grant Cruikshank from St.Cloud State University, as well as signing forward Todd Skirving from the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL. In 41 games for St.Cloud State, Cruikshank scored a solid 23 goals and 15 assists, being one of the better goal-scorers in the NCAA. Similarly, Skirving has also been a solid scorer in the ECHL this season, scoring 30 goals and 27 assists in 66 games.

Eastern Notes: Marner, Abruzzese, Capitals

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As the Toronto Maple Leafs square off against their original six rival Detroit Red Wings, they will be without several familiar faces in the lineup. Mark Masters of TSN was the first to report that Mitch Marner would be sitting out of tonight’s game. Furthermore, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports that defensemen Jake McCabe and Mark Giordano will be sitting out tonight as well.

Most of this is load management as Toronto gears up for their quest for the Cup, as none of these players are expected to be out longer than a game or two. Although the Maple Leafs will not reach as many points as they did last season, they are still playing extremely good hockey. As the team looks to finally make it out of the first round, they are resting some of their top players in the stretch run. When the playoffs officially start on April 17th, the Maple Leafs will likely be facing off against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Filling in tonight for the Maple Leafs is defenseman Conor Timmins, and veteran forward Wayne Simmonds. Both Timmins and Simmonds have been used sparingly this season, as neither player has played over 30 games this season.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Continuing with the Maple Leafs, the team announced that they have recalled forward Nicholas Abruzzese from their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies. Abruzzese suited up in nine games for Toronto last year in the NHL, scoring a total of one goal. Playing the entirety of this season in the AHL, Abruzzesse has put up 44 points in 65 games for the Maple Leafs’ top minor league team.
  • Tom Gulitti from the NHL reports that Sonny Milano will return to the ice for the Washington Capitals in today’s game. Milano had been sidelined with an upper-body injury since the Capitals took on the Chicago Blackhawks on March 23rd. Unfortunately for Washington, forward T.J. Oshie and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk are both sidelined with upper-body injuries. Both players have been out since the team’s March 30th game against the Lightning.

Dallas Stars Recall Scott Wedgewood

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From a press release earlier this morning, the Dallas Stars announced they have recalled goaltender Scott Wedgewood from his conditioning assignment. In a corresponding move, the team has sent down Matt Murray to their AHL affiliate Texas Stars.

The return of Wedgewood will be an important one for the Stars. The team has been without him since their February 18th game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wedgewood will not be the primary starter in Dallas, but his presence allows their regular netminder, Jake Oettinger, to get more rest before the playoffs begin. Oettinger currently sits third amongst all goalies in games played, as Juuse Saros and Connor Hellebuyck have both played one more.

This season, Wedgewood has made 16 starts, going 7-8-3 in the process, posting a save percentage of .913% and a GAA of 2.92. As the season winds down for the Stars in the regular season, expect Wedgewood to make several more stars to allow for a fully rested Oettinger come playoff time.

In their last 10 games, the Stars are 5-4-1, moving back to 3rd place in the incredibly tight Central Division playoff race. Losing a big game last night to the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars only play one playoff team in their remaining six games.

Snapshots: Gibson, Merilainen, Kessel

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Although he was set to join the Hershey Bears, goaltender Mitchell Gibson will instead be joining the Washington Capitals on an amateur tryout deal. Gibson will serve as a backup tonight for Darcy Kuemper, as goaltender Charlie Lindgren is out with an illness.

Gibson was selected 124th overall in the 2018 NHL draft by the Capitals and has spent the last four years playing for Harvard University. In what will now be his last season in the NCAA, Gibson played in 27 games for Harvard, producing a record of 18-7-2, garnering a .919 SV% and a 2.25 GAA. Unfortunately for Gibson and Harvard, the team was knocked out in the first round of the 2023 DI Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, losing to Ohio State University in a blowout contest.

Gibson will join a particularly interesting situation in Washington, as the team has its goaltenders locked up for at least the next three seasons. The Capitals signed Kuemper to a 5-year, $26.25MM contract, and they also signed Lindgren to a 3-year, $3.3MM deal, giving Gibson a difficult pathway to the crease. As the Capitals were sellers at this year’s deadline, they may need to move out one of their goalies shortly or let Gibson primarily grow in the AHL.

Other notes from around the league this morning:

  • Continuing with goaltending news, Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports that the Ottawa Senators have recalled Leevi Merilainen from their AHL affiliate Belleville Senators, as Mads Sogaard will be out of the lineup with an illness. Although the Senators have dealt with a goalie carousel this season, this will mark Merilainen’s first official call-up to the NHL, although it remains to be seen if he will play in any games. In his first and only start in Belleville, Merilainen recorded a shutout.
  • Because defenseman Marco Scandella left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, the St.Louis Blues have recalled Matt Kessel on an emergency loan. Kessel currently has 31 points in 66 games played this year in the AHL but has yet to crack the Blues’ roster.

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