Brianna Decker Out For Rest Of Olympics
The Olympic women’s ice hockey event kicked off last night, with Canada dominating Switzerland but potentially losing Melodie Daoust after she left the game early holding her shoulder. Team Canada hasn’t provided an update on the star forward, only that she continues to be assessed by the medical staff.
It’s much worse for Team USA, who have confirmed to reporters including Erica L. Ayala of the PHF that Brianna Decker will miss the rest of the tournament. Decker was shown on crutches with a cast on her ankle and foot, after being stretchered off earlier in the game against Finland. The U.S. forward got tangled with a Finnish player behind the net partway through the first period and obviously did not return.
While the U.S. still took down Finland–the third-best team in the world–losing Decker is a huge blow in their quest to take home gold. The 30-year-old is an incredibly decorated member of the national program, with six World Championship and one Olympic gold medal. A Patty Kazmaier winner as the best player in college hockey, a CWHL Rookie of the Year and champion with multiple NWHL MVPs, and in her third Olympics, there are few players in the world that can bring Decker’s resume to international competition.
Eric Robinson Out Six Weeks With MCL Injury
The Columbus Blue Jackets seem to announce a serious injury every week these days. Eric Robinson is the latest to hit the shelf, as the team announced that he will miss six weeks with an MCL sprain in his right knee. The winger was injured in Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers on a hit from Radko Gudas, one that did not draw a penalty or any supplementary discipline from the league.
Robinson, 26, has gone from undrafted college free agent to full-time NHL forward in a few short years and has 17 points in 42 games with the Blue Jackets this season. He averages 14 minutes a night in a bottom-six role, with a good chunk of that coming on the penalty kill. He and Sean Kuraly lead all Blue Jackets forwards in shorthanded ice time this season, and given the recent injuries to Alexandre Texier and Jake Bean, the team has lost a lot of the options they’re comfortable with when down a man.
Six weeks doesn’t rule him out for the rest of the season but does take him right up against the trade deadline. Any chance the Blue Jackets had to try and chase down a playoff spot before then is slipping further away with every injury that chips away at the organizational depth. The team now sits 18 points behind the Washington Capitals for fourth in the Metropolitan Division and 14 points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wildcard spot.
Tom Wilson, Jonathan Marchessault Added To All-Star Rosters
The NHL has been forced to make another few changes to the All-Star rosters after recent injuries and COVID results. Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson will be replacing teammate Alex Ovechkin, who tested positive for coronavirus today and will miss the event. Ovechkin, who was supposed to serve as captain of the Metropolitan Division, will pass the “C” to Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers.
It will be Wilson’s first All-Star experience and it comes during the best season of his career. The 27-year-old forward has 13 goals and 31 points in 42 games, a pace that would see him shatter his previous career-high of 44 points in short order. A player who scored just nine goals during his draft year and was selected because of the raw size, aggression, and skating ability he showed, Wilson has developed into a premier power forward in the NHL and looks poised to crack the 20-goal mark for the third time.
On the Pacific Division side, Jonathan Marchessault has been added, though the league did not immediately reveal who he would be replacing. The 31-year-old Vegas Golden Knights forward will also be at the event for the first time, despite several outstanding seasons since he arrived in Sin City. Marchessault has 20 goals and 32 points in 41 games, only trailing Chandler Stephenson for the team lead in overall scoring. One of the original misfits, he’ll get to take the ice at home during the event in Las Vegas this weekend.
Things kick off on Friday night with the NHL All-Star Skills, before a three-game, 3-on-3 tournament Saturday.
Noel Acciari Sent To AHL On Conditioning Stint
The already incredibly deep Florida Panthers may be getting even deeper. Noel Acciari has been loaned to the Charlotte Checkers for a conditioning stint, a sign that he may be ready to make his season debut at some point in the near future.
Acciari, 30, suffered an injury in the preseason that required surgery and has been on long-term injured reserve ever since. This move doesn’t actually remove that LTIR designation just yet, but even if it did the Panthers are still okay cap-wise because of Markus Nutivaara‘s absence. The real question would be where exactly Acciari even fits into the lineup when he returns, given how incredible Florida’s forward group has looked to this point.
While he may not be a household name for many NHL fans, remember that Acciari has been a valuable bottom-six option for the Panthers the last two seasons, even registering 20 goals in 66 games during the 2019-20 campaign. He received Selke Trophy votes that year because of the hard defensive minutes he was asked to play–Acciari almost never started a shift in the offensive zone–and there was no Panther who averaged more short-handed ice time last season. Florida’s penalty kill has actually been one of their biggest weak spots this season, as they sit 19th in the league behind several Atlantic Division rivals.
As a lineup crunch seemingly approaches, Owen Tippett‘s name keeps coming up in trade talks and just yesterday Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet threw Frank Vatrano into the rumor mill as well. While Acciari certainly wouldn’t be a one-to-one replacement for either of those offensive wingers, the Panthers will need to make room for him somewhere when he’s ready to return.
Meanwhile, the team has also loaned Spencer Knight to the Checkers, where he can continue to play through the All-Star break.
Tyson Barrie Activated From Injured Reserve
More often than not when a player goes on injured reserve, it creates an opportunity for a younger or less experienced option to make an impact. That’s exactly the case for the Edmonton Oilers, who finally saw some success after Tyson Barrie went on the shelf partway through last month. With Barrie out, Evan Bouchard took up a much bigger role on the team and the Oilers ended up winning four out of their last five games. Bouchard averaged a whopping 24:55 in those and recorded three goals and five points, including two powerplay tallies while seeing time with the top unit.
With Barrie back, activated off injured reserve today, it will be interesting to watch how he’s deployed and whether the Edmonton coaching staff has permanently elevated Bouchard. The team takes on the Washington Capitals in one final game before the All-Star break and could potentially pass the San Jose Sharks for fifth in the Pacific Division
Barrie, 30, was brought back in the offseason on a three-year, $13.5MM contract after leading all NHL defensemen in scoring last year. He hasn’t come anywhere near that 48-point performance this time around, however, making his new $4.5MM cap hit look a little unreasonable. In 35 games he has 17 points, which include just seven even-strength assists. His powerplay time has remained strong, but head coach Dave Tippett hasn’t been able to trust him otherwise; Barrie averages just 16:38 at even-strength, fifth among regular Edmonton defensemen.
If there is any risk at all of him losing the top powerplay spot, it seems as though Barrie’s usefulness on a cap-strapped team is also waning. How he’s used tonight and after the All-Star break will be an interesting sign of what’s to come, even just a few months into his new deal. The Oilers already have more than $71MM committed to next season because of Darnell Nurse‘s extension, and will likely have to cut salary from somewhere if they want to bring in any new talent.
To make room on the roster for Barrie’s activation, the team has sent the recently-waived Slater Koekkoek to the AHL.
Slater Koekkoek Clears Waivers
Feb 2: Koekkoek has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Feb 1: The Edmonton Oilers have placed Slater Koekkoek on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Koekkoek, 27, was signed to a new two-year contract in August, but has already found himself on the outside looking in for the Oilers. Originally selected 10th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, the 6’2″ defenseman has never really been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL option.
In Edmonton, nothing changed, as Koekkoek averaged just over 11 minutes a night in his 19 appearances this season. That included recent games against the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, but with the emergence of William Lagesson he once again found himself out of the lineup.
The fact that Koekkoek is owed $1.1MM next season–his contract carries a cap hit of $925K–might make him a very unattractive claim to teams around the NHL. If that’s enough to get him through waivers, the Oilers could potentially stash him in the AHL and bury his entire cap hit. That would give them a little more financial wiggle room with Mike Smith nearing a return from long-term injured reserve.
Snapshots: Cooley, Miller, Blackwood
For quite some time now, Shane Wright, the consensus preseason favorite to go first overall in the 2022 draft, has been falling closer and closer to the pack. The Kingston Frontenacs forward has been good after missing all of last year when the OHL was forced to cancel the season, but he hasn’t been outstanding. With 15 goals and 43 points in 31 games, he now sits fourth on his own team in scoring (though he is the only draft-eligible among that group) and was no longer a unanimous top pick in Bob McKenzie’s midseason scout poll for TSN.
Now, a leading publication has put him second. Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff ranks Logan Cooley as the best prospect in the 2022 draft, ahead of Wright, and notes that he is a more dynamic player at the moment. The USNTDP center was always expected to go near the top of the draft, but going first overall would certainly be a big climb for a player that wasn’t even in the top five in many preseason polls.
- J.T. Miller has been the focus of trade speculation for the last few weeks as the Vancouver Canucks march toward the deadline, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet may have thrown some cold water on that in his latest 32 Thoughts column. He starts it by explaining that the Canucks have investigated the idea of re-signing Miller, not trading him, and notes that that could be one of the reasons why a name like Conor Garland has surfaced in recent days. The Canucks need to clear cap space and Miller’s $5.25MM hit is the fourth-highest among Vancouver forwards, but he’s also been the team’s most reliable and productive player this season. He would not be eligible for an extension until July 13 when free agency opens and he officially enters the final year of his current contract.
- One other note from Friedman’s column regards New Jersey Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood and his heel injury. The netminder is getting a second opinion over what treatment method to pursue and there is no timeline for his recovery. Blackwood last played on January 19, allowing four goals on 17 shots to the Arizona Coyotes.
Alex Ovechkin Enters COVID Protocol; Tom Wilson To Replace At All-Star Game
The Washington Capitals have announced that Alex Ovechkin is unavailable for tonight’s game, as he has entered the league’s COVID protocol. The team has also already ruled out Ovechkin’s participation in the All-Star game, based on a positive test result. The team has recalled Brett Leason and Pheonix Copley–who will fill in for the injured Vitek Vanecek–from the taxi squad.
That’s the second All-Star captain that has been forced out of the game, following Nathan MacKinnon‘s recent injury that will keep him out of the festivities. Ovechkin was set to captain the Metropolitan Division, a role that will now have to be filled by someone else. According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, Tom Wilson will be going to the All-Star game in Ovechkin’s place.
More importantly, he’ll also miss tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and be unable to add to his outstanding season totals. The 36-year-old superstar has 29 goals and 29 assists on the year, a scoring rate that had him on pace for his fifth 100-point season and first in more than a decade. Arguably already the greatest goal-scorer of all time, Ovechkin is once again leading the league in even-strength tallies and trails only Chris Kreider and Leon Draisaitl in overall goals.
Given the reduced isolation period, Ovechkin could very well be cleared in time to play on February 8, the first game back for the Capitals after the break. In the meantime, hockey fans won’t get to see him go up against Connor McDavid tonight or participate in events like the hardest shot competition on Friday night.
Los Angeles Kings Looking For Left-Shot Defenseman
Before the season began, very few prognosticators expected the Los Angeles Kings to be within a few points of the Pacific Division crown at this point. More than halfway through the season, the Kings are just four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and sitting in a divisional playoff spot with a 23-16-7 record. Their group has been led by a rejuvenated Drew Doughty a still-elite Anze Kopitar and a few new characters, like Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault.
If there’s something the group could use, it’s a left-shot defenseman, writes Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet in his latest 32 Thoughts column. The scribe asked Kings GM Rob Blake directly about Jakob Chychrun, but couldn’t coax an answer out of him despite the obvious fit. Chychrun’s name has been bandied about by Kings fans ever since the Arizona Coyotes made it clear he was available, given how well he’d fit into a top-four role to support Doughty and the otherwise rather inexperienced defense group.
In Sunday’s game, for instance, the Kings had a back end that included Tobias Bjornfot (81 career games going in), Sean Durzi (27), Austin Strand (15), and Jacob Moverare (1). Olli Maatta was the only defenseman other than Doughty with even a full season under his belt, and his future with the Kings is murky at best. The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and has been rather pedestrian since arriving in 2020. Chychrun, with a contract that lasts another few years, would make obvious sense but he’s a pricey target and not the only left-shot available.
Ben Chiarot‘s name has been thrown around in trade talks for months, and he would represent the “size” element that the Kings are looking for. The Montreal Canadiens defender stands 6’3″ and is one of the most physical defensemen in the league in front of the net. He also obviously has familiarity with Danault, as the two were often on the ice at the same time against the opponent’s best players during Montreal’s playoff run last year.
The Seattle Kraken will have to soon make a decision on what to do with Mark Giordano, who is a pending free agent but also the team’s first captain. Kraken GM Ron Francis told Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that they’ll have a face-to-face talk with Giordano at some point in the near future to determine what he wants to do. The 38-year-old represents a much different option than someone like Chiarot, but would add a ton of experience to a young defensive group in Los Angeles.
One other interesting thing that Blake noted to Friedman is that the team is comfortable going into next season with Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen both on the roster, despite an expensive extension kicking in for the latter. Combined, they would carry a cap hit of $10.8MM, but Blake notes that because of some entry-level bargains on the roster, they’d be able to afford it for the one year remaining on Quick’s deal.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/02/22
What better time to dissolve the taxi squads once and for all than Groundhog Day. The daily cycle of moving players in and out of the taxi squad should come to an end after today, provided that history doesn’t repeat at some point in the future. After the five games on the schedule tonight, taxi squads will be no more. For many teams–those who don’t have a game today–that time has already arrived and several player transactions were needed. As always, we’ll keep track of all the shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Lassi Thomson, Mark Kastelic, Cole Reinhardt, and Egor Sokolov back to the AHL, though several will likely be back after the All-Star break. The Senators were put down by the New York Islanders last night and will still be focused on development in the second half as they try to find a way to compete next season.
- The Boston Bruins have sent Steven Fogarty, Oskar Steen, and Jeremy Swayman back to Providence for the time being, though the latter two should be expected to rejoin the big club after the break. Of course, that is sort of dependent on the health of Tuukka Rask, whose comeback attempt has not gone smoothly to this point.
- After the dissolving of the taxi squad, the Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Fredrik Claesson, Darren Raddysh, and Cole Koepke to the AHL. Koepke, 23, has yet to make his NHL debut but does have 20 points in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch.
- The Buffalo Sabres have not only sent Aaron Dell to the minors, but he’ll be joined by Brandon Biro, Oskari Laaksonen, Brett Murray, JJ Peterka, Arttu Ruotsalainen, Jimmy Schuldt, Peyton Krebs, and Mattias Samuelsson in Rochester. The Americans have been devastated by injuries and recalls all season, so this will be a nice little reprieve while the NHL is on break. Krebs especially out of this group likely won’t be there long.
Metropolitan Division
- Morgan Barron, Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Huska, and Nils Lundkvist have all been sent to the AHL by the New York Rangers, no longer in need of a taxi squad. Several of these names could see play down the stretch for New York, but for now, will be limited to action with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
- After Vitek Vanecek left last night’s game, the Washington Capitals have recalled Pheonix Copley to the taxi squad. With a game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, the Capitals have the taxi squad active for one more day.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have returned Kasper Bjorkqvist, Michael Chaput, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Juuso Riikola to the minor leagues. With Chad Ruhwedel and Brian Dumoulin both ending up in the lineup last night, there wasn’t a need for Riikola after all.
- Colton White has been reassigned to the AHL by the New Jersey Devils, with Dougie Hamilton likely back after the All-Star break. The Devils were picked apart by the Maple Leafs last night and appear as though they could be sellers at the deadline after a disappointing first half.
Central Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have assigned Mikhail Berdin, Declan Chisholm, Leon Gawanke, Ville Heinola, Johnathan Kovacevic, Mikey Eyessimont, and Kristian Reichel to the Manitoba Moose, where they can continue to play over the All-Star break. Heinola especially seems likely to have a role at some point with Winnipeg later this season, but for now, he’s headed back to the AHL.
- The Dallas Stars have returned Riley Damiani and Anton Khudobin to the minor leagues after they finished their pre-All-Star schedule last night. The Stars are still within striking distance in the Central but have to deal with four excellent teams sitting ahead of them.
- As expected, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Matt Boldy and Connor Dewar from the taxi squad ahead of tonight’s game. Boldy in particular is expected to stay with the Wild the rest of the season, though his waiver-exempt status could be taken advantage of by bouncing him up and down between games.
Pacific Division
- The Seattle Kraken have assigned Joey Daccord back to the Charlotte Checkers, where he’s having a strong season in the AHL. The 25-year-old netminder has a .925 save percentage in 14 minor league appearances. Later on, they sent Max McCormick back to the AHL as well.
- Ahead of their game tonight, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled Austin Strand and Christian Wolanin from the taxi squad, while loaning Rasmus Kupari to the AHL. Kupari, 21, has just nine points in 37 games for the Kings this season.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have reassigned Kaedan Korczak, Daniil Miromanov, Logan Thompson, and Brayden Pachal to the AHL, now that they are on break and no longer have a taxi squad.
- The San Jose Sharks, who don’t play again until February 14, have sent Ryan Merkley, Adam Raska, Zachary Sawchenko, and Jasper Weatherby to the AHL. The San Jose Barracuda play tonight, tomorrow and next Friday, all games which this group could jump into while the Sharks are on break.
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned Lukas Dostal, Jacob Larsson, Greg Pateryn, Vinni Lettieri, and Danny O’Regan to the AHL after dissolving their taxi squad. Dostal, the team’s prized goaltending prospect, has a .929 save percentage through his first three NHL appearances, allowing just six goals on 84 shots.
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