Adam Fox Activated From Injured Reserve
The New York Rangers won’t play again until next week but that didn’t stop them from activating Adam Fox from injured reserve today. The superstar defenseman was placed on IR at the end of January, missing the final three games before the All-Star break. To make room on the roster, Jarred Tinordi has been sent to the AHL.
In those three games without Fox, the Rangers went 2-1 including an impressive win over the Florida Panthers. The club now sits second in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins on a tiebreaker for home-ice advantage, should the playoff start today. A group loaded with talent from Fox to Artemi Panarin to Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are one of the teams most will be watching as the deadline approaches and rentals are sold off around the league.
Right now, they have a little while to practice and hone their systems before starting what will be a condensed second half. They don’t play until February 15, meaning it will be two weeks between games. Things are very cramped in March, however, with 16 games in a 30-day span. Hopefully, they’ll have Fox available for each and every one as he attempts to defend his Norris Trophy.
Through 44 games he is certainly putting up a good fight. The 23-year-old has already matched his offensive total from last season with 47 points and is once again averaging more than 24 minutes a night for the Rangers. Those 47 points tie him with Victor Hedman for the league among defensemen, though both do slightly trail Cale Makar in terms of points-per-game. Since he entered the league in 2019-20, only four defensemen have more points than Fox and he has quickly helped turn the Rangers from a rebuilding club into a contending one.
Brad Marchand, Marcus Foligno To Have Hearings With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety has a busy day, as both Brad Marchand and Marcus Foligno now have hearings scheduled for incidents that occurred last night. Marchand in particular appears likely to get a long suspension, given he has been offered an in-person hearing. That gives the league the ability to suspend him for more than five games, though does not guarantee that outcome.
Marchand’s incident happened in the final seconds of last night’s Boston Bruins-Pittsburgh Penguins game and included a punch and a high stick on goaltender Tristan Jarry. It resulted in a match penalty which automatically comes with a review from the DoPS and now could bring a hefty suspension. Marchand obviously has a long history of supplementary discipline including a three-game suspension for slew-footing earlier this season.
Foligno meanwhile is getting a hearing for kneeing, but not the variety most will be used to. The incident occurred with Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry already on the ice after a fight, with Foligno on top of him still trying to continue the scrap. The Minnesota Wild forward received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in addition to the fighting major.
Often, in-person hearings–which are currently held over Zoom–take more than a day before a suspension is handed out. Marchand’s does not yet have a time or date set. At the very least, one can assume that he won’t be available in tomorrow’s match against the Carolina Hurricanes. (UPDATE: Marchand’s hearing is set for this evening.)
Injury Notes: MacKinnon, Poolman, Dvorak, Sabres
The Colorado Avalanche could have Nathan MacKinnon back on Sunday, according to head coach Jared Bednar. The injured forward skated for the first time today after suffering a facial fracture and concussion on January 26. He won’t play tonight when the Avalanche take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, but will hopefully be back before long.
The injury, which was sustained on a collision with Boston Bruins forward Taylor Hall, forced MacKinnon to miss the All-Star game where he was set to be captain of the Central Division. It’s not the first time he’s been out of the lineup this season either; the 26-year-old has played in just 31 of Colorado’s 44 games to this point, yet the team is 32-8-4 on the year.
- Tucker Poolman has been moved to injured reserve as he continues to deal with an ailment that has kept him out since January 27. Unfortunately, Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic that the defenseman’s absence is related to “headaches and migraines.” There is no clear timetable for his return to this point, but with Quinn Hughes also missing due to COVID protocol, the team has activated Kyle Burroughs from injured reserve.
- Christian Dvorak still isn’t ready to return to the Montreal Canadiens lineup and will miss tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Dvorak has been out since suffering an upper-body injury in a January 24 match against the Minnesota Wild, and despite being cleared yesterday, will not play this evening. It’s been a tough year for the 26-year-old, who has just seven goals and 16 points in 34 games for his new club.
- The Buffalo Sabres have issued updates on all of their injured players, but the most important ones are Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who rejoin the team at practice today, and Casey Mittelstadt who is expected to be on the ice Wednesday. Mittelstadt consulted doctors recently with some complications from a surgery he had earlier this season–head coach Don Granato termed it as “some fluid” because of the recently increased intensity in rehab–but is now cleared to return to the main group.
Snapshots: Montreal, Matthews, Ovechkin
The Montreal Canadiens will be allowed to have 50 percent capacity at home games as of February 21, according to Quebec Premier Francois Legault today. By March 14, they will be back to full capacity under the current plan. The Canadiens have five home games between now and the first threshold, which means five more games of lost revenue for the team and league.
Recently, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman put some pressure on the government by suggesting that this summer’s draft could be pulled from Montreal if restrictions were not lifted. Should this plan move forward and there are no further complications that cause another shutdown, it would seem as though the Canadiens will host the event after all.
- Auston Matthews didn’t take part in practice but was feeling “pretty good” today according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who spoke to reporters including Joshua Kloke of The Athletic. Matthews left last night’s game late in the third period with what appeared to be a head or neck injury after colliding with Brett Pesce. The injury wasn’t before the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar scored another two goals, taking him to 31 in 40 games this season.
- Alex Ovechkin has cleared the COVID protocol and is available for the Washington Capitals today according to head coach Peter Laviolette. Ovechkin was asymptomatic during his All-Star isolation and is expected to be in the lineup when the team takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening. The team sent Brett Leason, who likely would have been in the lineup if Ovechkin had been unavailable, back to the AHL. Ilya Samsonov and Connor McMichael, who missed practice yesterday while awaiting results, have also been cleared according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Seattle Kraken Claim Austin Czarnik
The Seattle Kraken have nabbed a depth forward off waivers, selecting Austin Czarnik from the New York Islanders according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The veteran minor leaguer will join Seattle’s active roster.
Czarnik, 29, will actually be an interesting player to follow with the Kraken, given his obvious offensive upside. The 5’9″ forward has lit up the minor leagues over the years, routinely putting up point-per-game seasons. Even in the NHL he’s been relatively productive with 43 points in 136 career games, including five this year in 11 with the Islanders. If he’s given a more offensive role with the expansion club, perhaps some of that production can make its way to the Kraken scoresheet.
The fact that he carries a cap hit of just $725K also makes him a potential deadline trade piece, should a contender be dealing with any injury issues. Not that he’d bring much back in any deal, but a waiver claim from the Kraken does nothing but add an asset to the organization while they continue to try and find their way forward. It also could represent some insurance for a different trade, with players like Calle Jarnkrok and Marcus Johansson in the rumor mill as pending unrestricted free agents.
In any case, the move from New York to Seattle will probably be a good one for Czarnik, who should see some playing time when he arrives and gets acclimated. The Kraken are in action tomorrow night and have nine games left in February alone.
Dennis Cholowski Placed On Waivers
The Washington Capitals have placed Dennis Cholowski on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the second time he’s found himself there this season. The Capitals claimed Cholowski from the Seattle Kraken at the beginning of the season and now he could be on his way to another team.
The 23-year-old played just seven games for the Capitals during his stint in Washington, averaging fewer than 14 minutes of ice time whenever he did get into the lineup. It’s been a dramatic fall-off for a player that was selected 20th overall in 2016 and quickly made his way to the NHL. In 2018-19, Cholowski played 52 games as a rookie for the Detroit Red Wings, but has just 59 in the three years since.
It would certainly make sense for the Kraken to put in a claim, adding him back to their depth chart. That said, as a pending restricted free agent that very well may go unqualified, the team may decide to just move on. Cholowski was Seattle’s choice in the expansion draft but already it seems as though that was likely a mistake, given some of the other names available to them at the time.
Perhaps there is still more to come from the 6’2″ defenseman, but given he’ll turn 24 in a few days and has struggled to provide any level of consistency at the NHL level, the minor leagues appear to be in his immediate future.
Anaheim Ducks Add Scott Niedermayer To Hockey Ops
After helping in the search for the Anaheim Ducks new general manager, Scott Niedermayer will take on a role in the front office. The Ducks have announced that Niedermayer is now a special advisor to the hockey operations department and will work with new GM Pat Verbeek. In a statement, Verbeek explained:
I’m really excited that Scott has taken on an enhanced role within our hockey operations staff. His winning culture and great hockey mind will help all of our players and staff moving forward.
One of the most decorated defensemen in NHL history, Niedermayer spent five seasons with the Ducks at the end of his career and won the Conn Smythe while leading them to their only Stanley Cup in franchise history. A four-time Cup winner himself, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. It wasn’t just the NHL where he found success though. Niedermayer is a member of the Triple Gold club, with gold medals at the World Championships and Olympics, a gold medal winner at the World Cup and World Juniors, and a Memorial Cup winner (not to mention two-time WHL champion). Everywhere he goes, success followed him as he smoothly glided around the ice in control of any game he was part of.
For years, Niedermayer was also the owner of the Kootenay Ice of the WHL, but sold his part of the franchise a few years ago and rejoined the Ducks as a development coach for a time. He’ll now join the front office, even if it is in a limited role for the time being, and hope to drop a bit of that winning magic on the next wave of talent in Anaheim.
Philadelphia Flyers Add Daniel Briere To Hockey Ops
The Philadelphia Flyers have officially named Daniel Briere to the position of special assistant to the general manager, bringing him into the front office on a full-time basis. Briere had previously been with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, most recently as president and governor. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher explained what it means to have Briere join:
I’m very happy to add Danny to our hockey operations team in a full-time role. His insight and experience from 25 years in professional hockey, as well as first-hand knowledge of the Philadelphia Flyers, is a valuable asset for our organization and I look forward to working closely with him on a day-to-day basis.
Briere, 44, is considered a top up-and-coming executive and was even considered for the GM role with the Montreal Canadiens recently. He has been a development consultant with the Flyers for the past two years and before his time with Maine, served on the business operations side of the Philadelphia organization.
Now, according to Fletcher, Briere will be involved in all aspects of hockey operations including scouting and player development. A veteran of 973 regular season games, Briere racked up more than 300 goals in a long career that included a long stint with the Flyers. While his regular season production was excellent, it is the playoffs where most of the center’s memorable moments occurred. Briere was an outstanding postseason performer, racking up 116 points in 124 career playoff games and helping the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010, leading all players in scoring.
All of that experience will now come into play for the Flyers front office, where he’ll take the next step toward a likely eventual future at the helm of an NHL team.
AHL Shuffle: 02/08/22
The NHL returns to a full slate of games this evening with seven on the schedule, including a key Pacific Division matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid will try to make up some ground in the playoff race with a win and start what will be an incredibly busy second half. The Oilers have played just 42 games so far and currently sit eight points back of the Golden Knights, who lead the division with a 27-16-3 record. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Veleno from the AHL, where he was excellent for the Grand Rapids Griffins over the weekend. Veleno is finally starting to show that he can be relied on at the NHL level and has six points in 31 games for the Red Wings this season.
- Peyton Krebs, another young player that has been excellent in the minor leagues, has been recalled by the Buffalo Sabres. Mattias Samuelsson is coming with him this time, meaning he could get another chance to try and score his first NHL goal. The 21-year-old defenseman has played in eight games this season with the Sabres.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Darren Raddysh from the minor leagues, where he has spent most of the season. The 25-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut this season and has two games under his belt at that level.
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Ivan Prosvetov from the minor leagues after Scott Wedgewood was injured in practice. Wedgewood did not travel with the team according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, so Prosvetov will be the other goaltender for their short road trip.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Jakub Galvas, Josiah Slavin, Arvid Soderblom, while sending Collin Delia back down according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The team is still without Jonathan Toews for the moment, though Kevin Lankinen was on the ice ahead of practice and is getting closer to a return.
Pacific Division
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Stuart Skinner after Mikko Koskinen went on the COVID list yesterday. As PuckPedia explains on Twitter, because he’s up under emergency conditions, Skinner won’t count against the Oilers cap for the time being.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Tampa Bay Lightning Extend Pat Maroon
The Big Rig knows where his bread is buttered. Pat Maroon has signed a two-year extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning that will keep him under contract through the 2023-24 season. The deal comes with an average annual value of just $1MM but allows the veteran forward to stay with the organization that he has helped win two Stanley Cups. Per CapFriendly, Maroon is awarded $1MM in actual money per season, and both years of the deal carry a 16-team no-trade list for Maroon.
Maroon, 33, has actually been part of three consecutive championship-winning teams, after lifting the Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 before joining the Lightning. During that memorable run, he had two game-winning goals, including one in overtime of game seven against the Dallas Stars. Another game-winner sent the Florida Panthers packing this past year and Maroon firmly planted himself as a Lightning playoff legend.
There aren’t many players in the league more beloved by teammates than Maroon, even though he likely will never come close to repeating the 27-goal, 42-points campaign he had with the Edmonton Oilers. This year, he has seven goals and 13 points in 45 games while averaging a little over 13 minutes a night, perfectly acceptable from a player earning just $900K. He’ll actually get a raise moving forward but that $1MM cap hit represents very little risk for the Lightning.
The Lightning now have just three pending unrestricted free agents to deal with this summer. Ondrej Palat, who is still a key part of the forward group, Jan Rutta, a depth defenseman who could potentially be replaced internally and Brian Elliott, a backup netminder that has been called upon just nine times this season. The Lightning are actually in a pretty nice spot with Brent Seabrook‘s LTIR hit making next year’s cap number look more inflated than it really is. Maroon can be a useful piece at the bottom of the lineup and if that changes, his $1MM cap hit can be completely buried in the minor leagues.