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Morning Notes: Buchnevich, McMann, Czarnik, De Leo

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Last night, one negative came out of the St. Louis Blues shutout victory against the New Jersey Devils. The Blues organization announced that forward Pavel Buchnevich wouldn’t return to yesterday’s contest due to a lower-body injury partway through the second period.

Buchnevich fell awkwardly when entering the offensive zone and limped off the ice in apparent discomfort. He finished the evening with one assist and a +1 rating after skating in 8:54 of ice time.

An extended absence from Buchnevich would put a glaring hole in St. Louis’ top six. He had been skating on the team’s first line alongside Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours but may be unavailable for the team’s next game on Saturday. Expect Jordan Kyrou to reclaim a role on the team’s first line on Saturday should Buchnevich exit the lineup.

Other notes from this morning:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs also had some injury news with the team announcing forward Bobby McMann left last night’s contest with a lower-body injury. McMann registered zero points while skating in 10:21 of yesterday’s game. It’s more insult to injury to a Maple Leafs’ lineup that may be without a seventh forward due to injury in their upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
  • A pair of former NHL talents are reportedly leaving their respective teams in Europe. According to the Elite Prospects transaction page, forward Austin Czarnik is ending his tenure with the NL’s SC Bern while Chase De Leo is leaving the NL’s ZSC Lions. Czarnik’s departure will create a sizeable void for SC Bern after the veteran forward scored nine goals and 27 points through his first 22 games.

Penguins Reassign Valtteri Puustinen, Activate Blake Lizotte

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11/27: According to a team announcement, the Penguins have successfully reassigned Puustinen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and activated forward Blake Lizotte in advance of their matchup against the Vancouver Canucks tonight.

11/26: The Pittsburgh Penguins are creating additional room for their recent trade acquisition, Philip Tomasino. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Penguins have placed Valtteri Puustinen on waivers to eventually assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

It’ll be the first time Puustinen’s been on waivers after being a frequent call-up of the Penguins last season. He’s had an impressive pathway to the NHL after being the 203rd overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.

After being drafted, Puustinen put together an exceptional two-year stretch with HPK of the Finnish Liiga. He scored 38 goals and 81 points in 105 games from 2019 to 2021 while also suiting up in two games for Finland’s 2021 IIHF World Championship team.

He made his NHL debut the following season despite playing mostly for the AHL Penguins. Puustinen scored 20 goals and 42 points in 73 games during his rookie campaign in the AHL while tallying another three assists in six postseason contests. He improved dramatically the next year scoring 24 goals and 59 points in 72 games and became a legitimate prospect within the Penguins organization.

Puustinen saw an increased opportunity in the NHL last season. He suited up in 52 games for Pittsburgh throughout the regular season and produced respectably with five goals and 20 points overall. He posted adequate possession numbers with a 56.9% CorsiFor% at even strength and wasn’t a concern on the defensive side of the puck.

He quickly became a popular candidate for a consistent middle-six role with the Penguins this season. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone to plan with Puustinen only mustering two points in 10 games for the Penguins to start this season.

His performance this season may disinterest clubs from giving him a roster spot during his time on the waiver wire. Still, teams that could use an offensive jolt like the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders may claim Puustinen by tomorrow if they believe they can get his offensive production back on track.

Atlantic Notes: Lalonde, Matheson, Lundell, Chaffee, Gregor

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Analyst Darren Dreger shared worrying news for the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Derek Lalonde, in yesterday’s edition of TSN’s ’Insider Trading’. Dreger highlighted Detroit’s three-game homestand, which begins tonight, as the last chance for Lalonde to continue in his role behind the Red Wings bench.

Lalonde is in the final year of his contract originally signed before the 2022-23 NHL season. He’s compiled an 85-79-21 record as head coach of the Red Wings and has missed the playoffs in his two full seasons behind the bench. General manager Steve Yzerman has typically stayed patient with his head coaches since his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, it’s seemingly growing thin with Detroit’s lack of competitiveness.

The firing of Lalonde would mark a significant shift in how the Red Wings have approached coaching in the recent past. Detroit has not fired a coach in-season since the late Mike Illitch purchased the organization in 1982.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury. It’s concerning that Matheson has missed two games in a row but the Canadiens won’t play again until Saturday which should give Matheson plenty of time to recover if it’s a minor injury. He’s been an effective puck mover again this season with 12 assists in 20 games.
  • Chances are Anton Lundell’s availability for tonight won’t be decided until warm-ups. According to Colby Guy of the Associated Press, Lundell’s status is still in the air depending on his ability to see through a bubble shield after suffering a facial injury in the Florida Panthers’ last game against the Washington Capitals. The Panthers are expected to change their lines should Lundell not feel ready to go.
  • According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, forward Mitchell Chaffee won’t be in tonight’s lineup for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Chaffee only skated in 9:55 of Tampa Bay’s dominant win against the Colorado Avalanche Monday night after skating on the team’s second line next to Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. In his three recent games on the second line, Chaffee recorded one goal and three points.
  • Depth forward Noah Gregor will be a game-time decision for the Ottawa Senators tonight (X Link). Gregor has missed five straight games for the Senators after scoring two goals and three points in his first 16 contests.

Metro Notes: Chytil, Kreider, Lizotte, Glass, Romanov, Stillman

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According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the New York Rangers will operate without forwards Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider in the lineup tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. It’ll mark the second straight game without the pair of forwards.

Chytil has missed considerably more than Kreider having been out since New York’s November 14th matchup against the San Jose Sharks. He was reportedly close to a return on November 21st, but the upper-body injury is still afflicting him. He’s scored four goals and nine points in 15 games this season for the Rangers.

Kreider has only missed one game due to his upper-body injury. Through 19 games, he’s scored as many points as Chytil this year, though all in the form of goals. His offensive production has dipped so significantly that the Rangers are reportedly willing to engage interested teams in trade discussions for the veteran scorer.

Other Metro notes:

  • Josh Getzoff, play-by-play commentator of the Pittsburgh Penguins, gave a few injury updates for the team today. Getzoff shares that forward Blake Lizotte, who hasn’t played since November 13th, will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. There’s worse news regarding Cody Glass as Getzoff, unfortunately, shares he will miss his ninth straight game with a concussion.
  • Defenseman Alexander Romanov is expected back in the lineup for the New York Islanders this evening. According to line rushes provided by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Romanov took part in line rushes at practice with Noah Dobson on the first defensive unit. He seemingly missed the team’s last game due to the same nagging injury that’s kept him out for much of the regular season.
  • It was a short stay in the NHL for defenseman Riley Stillman. The Carolina Hurricanes announced they’ve reassigned Stillman to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, after only one day on the active roster. Carolina may have just used Stillman for another option at practice given that he was quickly recalled and reassigned before the Hurricanes’ next game.

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Meyers, Hinds

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Vancouver Canucks’ winger Brock Boeser will return to the lineup tonight after missing the last seven games with a concussion (X Link). Boeser’s concussion stems from the illegal check received from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot which warranted a three-game suspension.

The Canucks experienced a mild downturn in scoring since Boeser exited the lineup on November 7th. The team averaged 3.25 goals per game when Boeser was in the lineup but fell to 3.14 goals per game in the past seven games. Vancouver’s biggest downturn has been in the standings, posting a 3-4-0 record in Boeser’s absence after starting the year 7-2-3.

Boeser’s reintroduction into the lineup will surely help the Canucks build upon their 14th-ranked offense and will soften the blow of forward J.T. Miller landing on the injured non-roster list. He was off to a quick start before the concussion posting six goals and 11 points through his first 12 contests.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • After debuting with the third team of his young career, forward Ben Meyers is headed back to the American Hockey League. The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve reassigned Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a short while ago. In his first NHL action since last April Meyers picked up three games with the Kraken scoring zero points while averaging 7:56 of ice time.
  • According to the AHL transactions log, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Tyson Hinds from their affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. It’ll mark the second call-up of the year for Hinds after failing to make his NHL debut on the previous one. He’s collected one goal and three points in 16 games for the AHL Gulls this season.

Sharks Recall Jack Thompson, Reassign Yaroslav Askarov

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Defenseman Jack Thompson is staying on the San Jose Sharks roster after all. After reassigning Thompson yesterday evening to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, the organization announced they’ve recalled Thompson while sending goaltender Yaroslav Askarov back down to the AHL.

Thompson has been an effective blue-liner for the Sharks in his second year with the organization. He’s scored two goals and five points in 13 contests while averaging 15:55 of ice time per game. He’s third behind Jake Walman and Timothy Liljegren amongst defensemen with a 46.6% CorsiFor% at even strength and leads Sharks’ defensemen with a 92.7% on-ice save percentage in all situations.

He won’t land on many lists of top prospects for San Jose but Thompson is already developing into a serviceable two-way defenseman. He may even see his ice time climb to around 18 minutes per night should the Sharks move on from pending unrestricted free agents, Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta, by the end of the season.

With all due respect to Thompson and his solid start to the year, the headline of this transaction is surely Askarov. He’s not only the top goaltending prospect in the Sharks pipeline but remains one of the best goaltending prospects in the league.

San Jose acquired Askarov this past offseason for a package including Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025 and former first-round pick of the 2023 NHL Draft David Edstrom. Askarov debuted with the Sharks on November 21st due to an injury to netminder Vitek Vanecek.

He played phenomenally in two starts, managing a 1-0-1 record while posting a .927 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average. San Jose wants more seasoning in the AHL for Askarov where he’s already collected a 6-3-0 record for the Barracuda this season with a .939 SV% and 1.92 GAA. The team will likely wait closer to the 2025 trade deadline before making Askarov a full-time NHL netminder after peddling pending UFA’s Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood on the trade market.

Rangers Recall Chad Ruhwedel, Reassign Matt Rempe

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It’ll be another short stay in the NHL for New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe. The organization announced they’ve reassigned Rempe to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and recalled defenseman Chad Ruhwedel in a corresponding roster move.

The Rangers recalled Rempe only yesterday with veteran forward Chris Kreider out with a minor injury. He skated in 9:26 of New York’s loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues last night and also narrowly avoided supplemental discipline. Four minutes into the third period, Rempe hit St. Louis forward Jake Neighbours with a late hit and was called for roughing on the play. The NHL Department of Player Safety gave the penalty a closer look due to the lateness but did not think it was forceful enough to warrant a suspension or fine.

He’ll now return to a Wolf Pack team where he’s spent much of the season. Rempe has scored two goals and three points in 10 games for AHL Hartford this season while posting a -7 rating.

Ruhwedel will return to the NHL after a seven-game stint with the Wolf Pack to reclaim his role as the Rangers’ seventh defenseman. After acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, the organization re-signed Ruhwedel to a one-year, $775K contract this past summer.

He recently tallied two assists in Hartford for his first AHL points since the 2018-19 season. He barely edged out his total number of games played with New York where he’s collected no points in six contests since joining the team on March 8th, 2024.

Senators Place Artem Zub On LTIR, Recall Donovan Sebrango

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The Ottawa Senators have placed defenseman Artem Zub on long-term injured reserve as expected. In a corresponding roster move, the organization announced the LTIR placement and the recall of defenseman Donovan Sebrango from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

It’s an unfortunate but necessary transaction for the Senators after reports from this weekend indicated that Zub would be out ’for a while’ with a broken foot. Ottawa is likely still looking to add a defenseman via the trade market but will use Sebrango for now.

It’s becoming somewhat of a lost season for Zub. He’s already missed time in mid-to-late October with a concussion and could miss as many as two months due to the broken foot. As arguably the team’s best right-handed shooting defenseman, Sebrango will have big shoes to fill.

He’s in the second year of a four-year, $18.4MM extension originally signed in 2022. He’s tallied two assists over 11 games with the Senators this year and posted a respectable +0.5 E +/- according to Hockey Reference.

The only silver lining to the injury is that Sebrango has a clear path toward making his NHL debut. He was originally drafted with the 63rd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, making his way to the Senators organization in the trade sending Alex DeBrincat to Detroit over a year ago.

Sebrango, 22, is in his fourth professional season collecting seven goals and 31 points in 184 games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Belleville. There may be some initial discipline issues (149 PIMs in the AHL) but he allows Ottawa to win more puck battles in the defensive zone.

The Senators don’t play until tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks which would be an ideal matchup for Sebrango’s first game. They’ll likely play him next to Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson to lessen his initial responsibility if he does make his debut tomorrow.

Utah Loans Patrik Koch, Milos Kelemen To Czech Extraliga

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The Utah Hockey Club is sending a couple of AHL players to the Czech Extraliga. The organization has loaned defenseman Patrik Koch to HC Oceláři Třinec and forward Milos Kelemen to HC Dynamo Pardubice. Both players had already registered double-digit games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners this season.

It will be Koch’s second go around in the Extraliga. He played three years for the HC Vítkovice from 2020 to 2023 collecting six goals and 23 points in 156 contests. He’s in his second year with Utah (including one year with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes organization) after signing a one-year, $775K agreement on June 20th.

He’s been a solid presence for the Roadrunners over the last two years scoring one goal and 17 points in 73 AHL contests. There was some early indication that he might crack Utah’s opening night roster as a depth defenseman after a strong showing in the IIHF World Championships and the NHL preseason. He scored one goal and four points in eight tournament games for Team Slovakia and helped them earn a birth into the knockout round.

He’ll now be taking his talents back to Czechia with Kelemen. The latter was signed out of the Extraliga in 2022 after scoring five goals and 18 points in 44 games for BK Mladá Boleslav in 2021-22. He’s been a consistent middle-six scorer for the Roadrunners over the past three years scoring 31 goals and 68 points in 124 games. He’s the only one of the pair that has already made his NHL debut scoring one goal and two points in 24 games for the Coyotes from 2022 to 2024.

Without a real pathway to playing time in the NHL, the Utah Hockey Club is returning the two Slovakians to a more comfortable lifestyle. They are both playing on expiring contracts this year and may continue the rest of their professional careers overseas.

Pacific Notes: Hyman, Arvidsson, McGinn, Vlasic, Musty, Whitecloud, Karlsson

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The Edmonton Oilers won’t have a healthy forward core for the rest of the week. The team’s radio commentator, Bob Stauffer, shared a note from head coach Kris Knoblauch earlier this morning indicating that forwards Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson are still a week or more away from returning.

Hyman has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury dating back to the Oilers’ recent contest against the Ottawa Senators on November 19th. He’ll now miss his second straight week with Stauffer all but confirming Edmonton won’t have Hyman in the lineup for this weekend’s matchups against the Utah Hockey Club and Colorado Avalanche. It’s salt on the wound for Hyman who’s only mustered three goals and eight points in 20 games this season after scoring 54 goals in 80 games last year.

Arvidsson, who hasn’t played since November 12th, will now miss his third straight week for the Oilers. Edmonton placed him on the injured reserve over a week later on November 21st and he will now miss eight straight games after this weekend’s action. His production and availability are certainly not what the Oilers expected after giving the veteran forward a two-year, $8MM contract this past offseason.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, the Anaheim Ducks are placing forward Brock McGinn on injured reserve to make room for activating forward Mason McTavish this evening. McGinn’s injury is likely tied to crashing into the boards of last week’s game against the Dallas Stars and while he’s seemingly avoided a worse injury, he’ll still miss a few more games for Anaheim. McGinn had scored three goals and six points in 17 games this season before suffering the injury.
  • The San Jose Sharks may get one of their longtime veterans back during their upcoming road trip. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News wrote earlier that defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic is nearing a return to the active roster after being a full participant in the team’s practices on multiple occasions. Vlasic is now in his 19th season in San Jose but hasn’t skated for the team since April 18th, 2024 due to an injury in his upper back.
  • The Sharks also have some injury concerns further down their organizational hierarchy. Jeff Marek reported earlier that Sharks’ prospect Quentin Musty suffered a hand fracture in last night’s contest between the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and Oshawa Generals. The fracture will unfortunately keep Musty off Team USA’s roster for the upcoming 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships and may extend until the OHL trade deadline. Musty had scored eight goals and 20 points in 11 games for the Wolves this season while the team sits ninth in the OHL standings with a 12-8-3 record through 23 games.
  • There will be a few missing players for the Vegas Golden Knights this evening. The organization announced that defenseman Zach Whitecloud is out with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Vegas also added that forward William Karlsson won’t participate in tonight’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers due to personal reasons. The injury to Whitecloud will strain the Golden Knights’ blue line with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo set to miss his third consecutive game.

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