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Atlantic Notes: Quinn, Greig, Kastelic, Walman

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Still working his way back from an Achilles tear suffered in late June of this past summer, Jack Quinn is making significant progress in returning from injury. There still is no firm timetable for his return, but Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports confirmed Quinn was practicing in full pads before the team’s practice today.

The recovery timeline for Achilles tears is anywhere between five and six months, meaning Quinn could reasonably return by next week, or even towards the end of the calendar year. Nevertheless, the fact that he is practicing is positive news for the Buffalo Sabres, who could certainly use his skill back in the everyday lineup.

In 75 games played last year, Quinn scored 14 goals and 23 assists, finishing eight on the team in scoring, and 12th in Calder Trophy voting. Quinn likely could have scored quite a bit more last season, but he was limited in his usage by head coach Don Granato, only averaging around 14 minutes of ice time per game.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The Ottawa Senators could be getting some reinforcements back into their forward core, as Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports Ridly Greig and Mark Kastelic were seen practicing today on their own. Both players have been on the injured reserve since November 2nd, and both have been considered week-to-week. Of the two, Greig has been one of the most impressive young forwards on the team, scoring two goals and five assists in nine games.
  • In the Detroit Red Wings loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their second game of the Global Series in Sweden, defenseman Jake Walman would leave the game with an injury, and his status was unknown up until now. Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside reports that Detroit plans on using seven defensemen tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils, meaning Walman will not miss any time due to the injury.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Eric Robinson

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In an effort to shake things up regarding their forward core, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have recalled Eric Robinson from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Playing on the second year of a two-year, $3.2MM contract with the Blue Jackets, Robinson has only been able to play in one game for Columbus this season.

A well-known problem throughout the league, the Blue Jackets offense has been anemic this year, not generating much from any level of their forward unit. Through 19 games, Columbus is averaging 2.68 G/GP, which puts them 27th in the league. Similarly, the organization’s powerplay has been equally as abysmal, generating a 9.84% success rate on the season, good for 30th in the league.

Although Robinson will not correct the ship on his own, he has been a quality depth scorer for the Blue Jackets over the last three seasons. Playing in 196 games since the start of the 2020-21 season, Robinson has scored 30 goals and 39 assists for the team, including five shorthanded points.

Before the callup, he was not tearing up the AHL level by any means but did score one goal and three assists in nine games for the Monsters. Given his playstyle, while he is back with Columbus, Robinson should feature in the bottom six of the team’s forward core.

Canadiens Recall Mattias Norlinder; Place Jordan Harris On IR

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In earlier reporting today, it was discovered that Montreal Canadiens’s defenseman, Jordan Harris, would be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. With a full 23-man roster, the Canadiens have chosen to place Harris on the injured reserve, giving them the ability to recall defenseman Mattias Norlinder from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Harris completed his first full rookie campaign last year for Montreal, scoring four goals and 13 assists in 65 games. Harris joins a growing list of young and promising Canadien defensemen and is playing on the first year of a tw0-year, $2.8MM extension signed last February.

Although Harris joined the team for their loss on Saturday at the hands of the Boston Bruins, he had actually missed the last couple of games before that with an upper-body injury. Seeing his playmaking ability slip a bit compared to last season, Harris has three assists in 16 games played this year, as well as carrying a -7 rating.

In Harris’ absence, Norlinder will get the opportunity to slide into the lineup over the next several games. He has not played in the NHL since the 2021-22 regular season, tallying one assist in six games for the Canadiens.

As the 64th overall selection by Montreal in the 2019 NHL Draft, Norlinder has played in 87 games for the Rocket over the last three seasons, scoring four goals and 19 assists in that time. Playing for Frolunda HC during his draft year, Norlinder has yet to see his strong skating ability or vision separate him from the pack in the AHL up to this point.

Not much of a playmaker during his time in the SHL, Norlinder had always been a strong defender at every level before making the jump to North America. If he is able to get back into the Montreal lineup during the callup, Norlinder will have to bring some of that expertise back into his game to have any staying power.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Dmitri Samorukov

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Adding some defensive depth into the organization, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have signed defenseman Dmitri Samorukov to a one-year, $775K contract for the 2023-24 season. Bouncing between the Kontinental Hockey League and the American Hockey League over the last several seasons, Samorukov has played in three NHL games the last two seasons, adding zero points.

Samorukov was originally drafted 84th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 NHL Draft, waiting until the 2019-20 season to join the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. After a two-goal, eight-assist performance for Bakersfield over 47 games, Samorukov left North America to join CKSA Moskva of the KHL for the 2020-21 season.

After a somewhat disappointing performance in the KHL, Samorukov came back to North America for the 2021-22 season, once again joining the Condors. In 51 games played at the AHL level, Samorukov played much better, chipping in three goals and 15 assists, earning an emergency recall in late December of that year, playing in one game for Edmonton.

In October of the 2022-23 NHL season, Samorukov was traded to the St.Louis Blues in exchange for forward Klim Kostin, immediately reporting to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. Throughout his one season with the Blues organization, Samorukov was called up twice last season, making two appearances at the NHL level.

Joining the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a minor league contract this summer, Samorukov has played in 15 games, scoring one goal and four assists, which puts him third amongst defensemen in scoring for the team. Now, with this new contract, Pittsburgh will have the option to bring Samorukov to the NHL level if depth is needed on the blue line.

Cody Glass Placed On Injured Reserve; Out Week-To-Week

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Last night, the Nashville Predators made an impressive comeback against their Central Division rival, the Colorado Avalanche, scoring two goals in the final minute of the game to earn the victory. Unfortunately, in his fourth game back after recovering from a lower-body injury, forward Cody Glass left the game with just over two minutes left in the third period.

In an update this afternoon, the Predators announced that Glass would be headed back to the injured reserve, this time with an upper-body injury. Looking to build on a strong 2022-23 regular season, Glass is struggling to stay healthy early in the season.

Last year, Glass had somewhat of a breakout season compared to the rest of his career, suiting up in 72 games in Nashville, scoring 14 goals and 21 assists. In the three seasons prior, Glass played in 74 games total between the Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights, only mustering nine goals and 14 assists.

There was some injury concern earlier in Glass’ career with the Golden Knights, as he missed one month of the 2019-20 regular season with a leg injury, before finally having his season ended by a knee injury in early March. However, since his arrival in Nashville, the same injury concern has not plagued Glass until this year.

This year, when healthy, Glass has played in nine out of a possible 17 games for the Predators, adding his first point on the year via an assist in last night’s contest against the Avalanche. Moving forward, as they have operated for the majority of their games this season, the team will be without Glass at the center position for the foreseeable future.

Evening Notes: Jokiharju, Moverare, Geekie

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Missing the team’s last two games due to an illness, the Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Henri Jokiharju would be making his return to the team tonight in their matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Aside from missing the last two contests, Jokiharju has gotten off to a relatively solid start for the Sabres in terms of scoring, chipping in two goals and five assists in his first 15 games, compared to 13 points in 60 games a season ago. Defensively, Jokiharju is staying true to a similar output over the course of his career to start the season, evidenced by his 89.5% oiSV% when he is on the ice.

Still, early into the season, Buffalo’s defense has already improved dramatically from last season, with similar goaltending behind them. Last year, the team was on the hook for 3.62 GA/G (26th in the NHL) and has seen that number fall to 3.24 GA/G (17th in the NHL) with a little under 80% of the season remaining.

Other notes:

  • 11/19: For the second time in four days, the Los Angeles Kings have announced they have loaned defenseman Jacob Moverare to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Primarily a paper transaction in order to keep roster and cap flexibility on their off days, Moverare has yet to suit up in a game for Los Angeles this season.
  • Signing a two-year, $4MM contract with the Boston Bruins over the offseason, forward Morgan Geekie has missed the team’s last three games with an undisclosed injury. On a positive note as to the status of Geekie, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reported today that Geekie was practicing with the rest of the team today in a red non-contact jersey.

Flyers’ Felix Sandstrom Clears Waivers

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Nov. 20: Sandstrom has cleared waivers and can be assigned to AHL Lehigh Valley, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

Nov. 19: Now that goaltender Felix Sandstrom is healthy and eligible to return to the team off of the injured reserve, the Philadelphia Flyers announce they have put Sandstrom on waivers for the purpose of assignment to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

At the end of October, the Flyers had originally sent Sandstrom down to the AHL on a conditioning loan, giving him 14 days to work on his game with the Phantoms. Unfortunately, due to an upper-body injury, Philadelphia recalled Sandstrom from his loan on November 4th and subsequently placed him on the injured reserve.

After a disastrous season serving as a backup goaltender last year, Sandstrom suffered to the tune of a .880 SV% and a 3.72 GAA. Even the more in-depth numbers such as ’Goals Saved Above Average’ and his ’Adjusted Goals Against Average’ computed by Hockey Reference suggest Sandstrom was even worse than the more topical numbers he produced throughout the season.

Now, with Carter Hart taking the bulk of the starting minutes for the Flyers, Sandstrom has been replaced in the backup role by Samuel Ersson, who signed a two-year, $2.9MM extension with Philadelphia early in August. Now, assuming that he does clear waivers, Sandstrom will share the net with fellow netminder, Calvin Petersen, in Lehigh Valley.

At 26 years old, Sandstrom is still relatively young for a goaltender in the NHL, meaning some teams may take a chance on him to serve in a backup role. Although there are some organizations that could certainly make an improvement to their current goaltending situation, Sandstrom does not project as an objective improvement in many or all of those situations, meaning he will likely go unclaimed over the next day.

Canadiens Place Rafael Harvey-Pinard On IR; Recall Jayden Struble

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Unable to play in the team’s last two games due to a lower-body injury, the Montreal Canadiens announced they have placed forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard on the injured reserve. In a corresponding move, in the same announcement, the Canadiens have recalled defenseman Jayden Struble from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

This is not the first time Harvey-Pinard has been injured this season, as he missed several games earlier this month, also with a lower-body injury. Only playing in 13 games for Montreal up to this point, Harvey-Pinard has tallied four assists while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per game.

Last year, Harvey-Pinard split time between the Canadiens and the Rocket, playing in 34 games and 40 games for each team, respectively. After a 14-goal and six-assist performance for Montreal last year, the team rewarded him with a two-year, $2.2MM contract, offering him a full-time spot on the roster.

Struble came over to the Canadiens as the 46th overall selection of the 2019 NHL Draft, playing for Northeastern University of the NCAA before joining Laval at the end of last season. In 12 games played for the Rocket this season, Struble has scored one goal and five assists up to this point.

Hypothetical Goalie Trade Targets For The Edmonton Oilers

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There is no doubt that the Edmonton Oilers have struggled defensively this year, and have struggled to generate much offense outside of their top-six forward group. However, the team has had a uniquely poor start with their goaltending, as the duo of Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell have produced a 5-10-1 record in 16 games played, as well as carrying a .873 SV% and a 3.70 GAA collectively.

Even looking deeper into the numbers of the tandem, according to Hockey Reference, they have generated a -14.0 Goals Saved Above Average, a 3.76 Adjusted Goals Against Average, and a 37.5% Quality Start Percentage.

In any trade to improve their goaltending, the Oilers’ dream scenario would be to include Campbell and his $5MM salary, but with most other teams carrying limited cap space through the season, that option becomes much more improbable.

The most recent comparable to Campbell’s situation would be a June 6th trade between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings were able to unload the two-year, $10MM remaining on Calvin Petersen’s contract, as well as the contract of defenseman Sean Walker, but did have to send a prospect, as well as a first-round pick in 2023, and a second-round pick in 2024 to Philadelphia just as a facilitator in the deal.

Essentially, the cost of $5.6MM in cap space for Los Angeles, without acquiring anything of value in return, was a prospect, and two high draft picks. If the Oilers are looking to improve their goaltending in a similar trade, the cost would certainly increase beyond that price.

To set the table, Edmonton does have all three of their first-round picks over the next three seasons, as well as two of their second-round picks (the 2025 selection is owned by the Arizona Coyotes) over the same time. Also, if any acquiring team is willing to buy out Campbell this offseason, they would be on the hook for $10.5MM spread out over the next six seasons.

Now, let’s look at a list of options and work a potential deal around them:

Petr Mrazek – Chicago Blackhawks (one-year, $3.8MM)

Not only would Chicago be able to absorb the contract of Campbell even after a buyout, but Mrazek is quietly having a very productive season even with a poor team in front of him. In 10 games played for the Blackhawks this season, Mrazek has a 4-5-0 record, coupled with a .915 SV% and a 2.89 GAA.

With only one year remaining on his contract, a trade for Mrazek would allow the Oilers to improve their goaltending situation down the stretch while giving them the financial flexibility to pursue a different goaltender in the offseason if they choose to do so.

In order to rid themselves of Campbell’s contract, Edmonton would need to attach their first-round pick in 2024, as well as their second-round pick in 2026, and potentially a third-to-fourth-round selection in either of the next three years simply to acquire Mrazek from the Blackhawks in the first place.

Karel Vejmelka – Arizona Coyotes (two-years, $5.45MM)

Even behind a struggling Coyotes defense for the last three seasons, Vejmelka has put up decent numbers and could benefit from a stronger team in front of him. Over the last three seasons in Arizona, he has played in 112 games and carries a 33-62-11 record coupled with a .899 SV% and a 3.51 GAA.

As the Coyotes are looking to exit their rebuild soon, they may not be inclined to take on Campbell’s contract, or even be inclined to buy him out after acquiring him. However, if the Oilers were willing to part ways with defenseman Cody Ceci in this hypothetical deal, Arizona could be more tempted.

With Matt Dumba, Troy Stecher, and Josh Brown all headed for free agency next summer, the Coyotes are going to have quite the hole on the right side of their defense. Ceci will be signed for one more after this season at $3.25MM and has offered quality defensive play over the course of his career.

Elvis Merzlikins – Columbus Blue Jackets (four-years, $21.6MM)

It’s tough to think of a more direct comparable to Campbell than the situation of Merzlikins over in Columbus. Both goalies are signed for the next four years, they are both coming off of poor 2022-23 seasons, and both have had a tough start to this year.

If Edmonton was able to frame this deal in the right way, it could become a change-of-scenery swap, with the Oilers not having to add too much extra in return. Even from the viewpoint of Columbus, playing in a much smaller market, Campbell may even be able to regain some of his lost confidence.

Unfortunately, there is a very real possibility that Merzlikins will fail to improve Edmonton’s goaltending situation, even after a change of scenery. In a disastrous year in the net for him last season, Merzlikins held a 7-18-2 record, carrying a horrid .876% and a 4.23 GAA.

Jake Allen – Montreal Canadiens (two-years, $7.7MM)

Similar to where the Canadiens are in the rebuild like the Coyotes, it is unreasonable to think Montreal would be inclined to take on the contract of Campbell, even in a buyout situation. With Allen making $3.85MM for this season, and next, Edmonton will once again look to salary match through different positions.

Over the last two seasons, the Canadiens have built up some serious young depth on defense, meaning the Oilers may have to part with some forwards to acquire Allen and his cap hit. Given this, a realistic package would revolve around Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele.

As a pending unrestricted free agent, Foegele will simply be on the Canadiens roster for the rest of the year, and move on next summer. When healthy, McLeod represents a bottom-six center option with the ability to play on both sides of the puck, allowing the Canadiens to comfortably replace Sean Monahan next year, and give them a long-term option on the third-line.

Juuse Saros – Nashville Predators (two-years, $10MM)

At last year’s trade deadline, the Oilers and Predators connected on a massive trade, sending Mattias Ekholm to Edmonton in exchange for a package surrounding Tyson Barrie, a prospect, and two draft picks. In the summer, Nashville showed a few more veterans the door and took a very aggressive approach to free agency.

Sitting at 28th place in the NHL entering Thanksgiving week, and unlikely to contend over the last two years of Saros’ contract, the Predators could be inclined to trade him this season. Saros has gotten off to a slow start this year but has finished top-10 in Vezina Trophy voting in each of the last three years.

Due to his track record, it will take a mammoth offer to pry Saros out of Nashville, and the Oilers would need to give up serious capital in return. If they are also willing to take on the contract of Campbell, a package including a young roster player such as McLeod or Dylan Holloway, one of Edmonton’s better prospects such as Philip Broberg or Xavier Bourgault, Edmonton’s first-round pick in 2024, as well as a conditional second-round pick in 2026 with the ability to turn into a first, that may be enough to get Saros from the Predators.

Damon Severson Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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A few minutes ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered their ninth straight loss, this time at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. To add insult to injury, after Ryan Poehling of the Flyers scored a short-handed goal in the second period, the Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Damon Severson would not return to the game due to an upper-body injury.

At this point, there has been no update on the severity of Severson’s injury, but more information should be made public before the team’s upcoming game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. On the night, Severson played in just under 10 minutes of the game and held a -1 rating due to the shorthanded goal.

Over the course of the season up to this point, Severson had played in 18 games for Columbus before tonight’s game, scoring three goals and five assists in total. In an effort to bolster the Blue Jackets defensive core, Severson was acquired as part of a sign-and-trade early in the offseason with the New Jersey Devils.

After doubling down on their core this past offseason, Columbus once again finds themselves in a precarious situation, sitting with a 4-11-4 record entering into Thanksgiving week. Not only do the Blue Jackets have the worst record in the Metropolitan Division, they hold the worst record in the Eastern Conference by a margin of three points.

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