Adam Fox Placed On Injured Reserve
It hasn’t been a great few days for All-Star representatives, as Drake Batherson suffered a high-ankle sprain, Nathan MacKinnon suffered a facial fracture and now Adam Fox has been moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Fox left last night’s game and was considered day-to-day, but will miss at least the last three New York Rangers games before the All-Star break with his IR designation. Whether he can take part in the festivities is unclear, though it seems unlikely he’ll be on the ice for the game itself given this new injury.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have recalled both Tim Gettinger and Nils Lundkvist to the active roster, sending Morgan Barron to the taxi squad to make room. Lundkvist would potentially represent a replacement for Fox in the lineup, though it is hard to fill the skates of the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
In 44 games this season, Fox has already matched his previous career-high of 47 points including 16 in his last 12 matches. He averages more than 24 minutes a night, plays both the powerplay and penalty kill, and is overall one of the most impactful players in the entire NHL. Without him, the Rangers will have to rely more on some of their other young defensemen including K’Andre Miller, who broke the 22-minute mark last night for the fourth straight game.
Michael Houser Placed In COVID Protocol
The Buffalo Sabres may not have a healthy goaltender to dress tomorrow night. Michael Houser has been added to the COVID protocol, the latest in a series of unfortunate events to the organization’s netminders.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban are dealing with long-term injuries. Aaron Dell is suspended and won’t be available until after the All-Star break. Houser is now in the protocol and will be unavailable, meaning the team only has Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski, both coming off injuries themselves, as options this weekend. Anderson hasn’t played in a game since the beginning of November, while Tokarski’s last appearance was November 29. Both are practicing at the moment but it is unclear if they will be cleared to play.
If one of those two is able to play, they will likely have to be the starter against the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night. Otherwise, the team would have to use an emergency backup as–well, not the backup–or sign someone like Mat Robson to an NHL contract. Robson has played in just seven games for the Rochester Americans, spending most of his season in the ECHL. His current minor league backup, Charles Williams, was signed to a professional tryout just two weeks ago and has hardly any experience at the AHL level.
Even accepting that the team didn’t build a lot of NHL-quality depth at the position before the season began, it’s hard to fathom how so many netminders could be unavailable all at once. Even worse, the team isn’t even at home for the next three games, meaning whoever they bring as an emergency backup will have to travel with them to Arizona, Colorado, and Vegas.
Montreal Canadiens Provide Injury Updates
The Montreal Canadiens must have broken a mirror somewhere because they have had nothing but bad luck this season. The team offered a few more injury updates today, none of the positive variety.
Things start with Jonathan Drouin, who has suffered a wrist injury and is out indefinitely. Drouin was placed on injured reserve last week and hasn’t played since January 20 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team notes that though Drouin did have surgery on his left wrist previously, this injury is to the right. The 26-year-old had 20 points in 32 games this season while seeing a little over 17 minutes of ice time a night.
Next is Joel Edmundson, whose recovery from a lower-back injury is coming along slowly. Edmundson remains out indefinitely, having not even played a single game yet this season. The veteran defenseman has been through a tough year, initially leaving the Canadiens at the beginning of the season to be with his ailing father, who died from lung cancer earlier this month.
Mathieu Perreault has a lower-body injury and will be out three to four weeks. The 34-year-old hasn’t played a game since December 14 and has suited up just 14 times for the Canadiens this season. Signed to a one-year, $950K contract in the offseason, he appeared to be a potential trade deadline chip for the Canadiens if he can get healthy. With the deadline still about seven weeks away, there is time for his return if this recovery period is accurate.
Christian Dvorak is still out with an upper-body injury, but the team confirmed that it is not a concussion. He’s still on injured reserve, however, and will be out at least through the upcoming All-Star break. Dvorak, one of the team’s marquee offseason acquisitions, has seven goals and 16 points in 34 games so far.
Latest On Anaheim GM Search
The Anaheim Ducks are one of the teams that still need to make a decision on who will be their next general manager, and initial interviews have been completed according to Pierre LeBrun on last night’s Insider Trading segment.
What we’re being told is that the Ducks have wrapped up the first round of interviews. They’ve interviewed ten candidates, three in house that we’ve discussed before. Two of the external candidates are Pat Verbeek, assistant GM from Detroit and Ryan Martin, assistant GM from the New York Rangers. The Ducks plan to start second interviews shortly here, they should have a GM in place over the next month.
Jeff Solomon, who currently serves as the interim GM of the team is one of the internal candidates for the full-time job and certainly has his plate full at the moment. Not only is the team searching for a new leader, but preparation will need to begin for the March trade deadline. The Ducks are one of the most interesting teams in the league to watch as that deadline approaches, given their mix of high-end players on expiring contracts and surprising early-season success.
Once again last night Trevor Zegras wowed the world with an impressive show of skill, scoring a lacrosse-style goal with ease partway through the second period. It was the first of two goals he would tally last night, enough to lead the Ducks to victory over the Montreal Canadiens despite a third-period push.
It’s that success that will complicate things for Solomon and whoever takes over as the new GM. Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, and Josh Manson all present opportunities to secure shiny new draft picks and prospects, but are also part of the backbone of a team that is currently in second place in the Pacific Division. With that in mind, getting a general manager in place sooner rather than later seems prudent.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/28/22
The theme for tonight’s NHL action is retirement, as both Henrik Lundqvist and Sergei Zubov will have their jersey numbers retired. Lundqvist’s No. 30 will be raised to the rafters at Madison Square Garden, while Zubov’s No. 56 goes up at the American Airlines Center. Those two emotional ceremonies will be followed by a pair of good matchups, with the Rangers taking on the Minnesota Wild and Stars welcoming in the Washington Capitals. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have reassigned Lassi Thomson to the taxi squad, after he played more than 23 minutes last night for the club. The young defenseman will continue to be moved off the roster between games in order for the Senators to save a bit of salary. Thomson is still on his entry-level contract, which means he earns much less when on the taxi squad or in the minor leagues.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought Carl Dahlstrom back from the AHL to the taxi squad, while sending Alex Biega back the other way. The two depth defensemen are basically handedness-based insurance for the Maple Leafs, and right now the team is still down left-handed Jake Muzzin as he recovers from a concussion.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Gemel Smith from the AHL to the taxi squad and Calvin Pickard from the taxi squad to the active roster. Luke Witkowski has been sent back to the Grand Rapids Griffins to make room.
- The Boston Bruins have promoted Troy Grosenick from the taxi squad. Tuukka Rask was originally set to start tonight in Arizona but has been scratched so Grosenick will serve as Linus Ullmark‘s backup.
Metropolitan Division
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Joe Snively from the taxi squad, as Michal Kempny is unavailable due to entering the COVID protocol. Kempny took part in the team’s morning skate as they prepare for tonight’s game, but will not play.
Central Division
- The Dallas Stars have moved Rhett Gardner to the taxi squad and Anton Khudobin back to the AHL, as they get their regular goaltenders healthy again. Khudobin, 35, has an .898 save percentage in four games with the Texas Stars and an .879 in nine NHL appearances.
- The Winnipeg Jets have made several moves, following their game last night. Leon Gawanke, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Kristian Reichel have all been moved to the taxi squad, while Declan Chisholm and Mikey Eyssimont are going back to the AHL. Kovacevic played just over ten minutes in his NHL debut, recording one shot on goal.
- The Nashville Predators have reassigned Matt Tennyson to the taxi squad. Matt Luff and Cole Smith are headed to the AHL, while Tomas Vomacka has been assigned back to the ECHL. Vomacka, 22, has been often used as a practice goaltender by the Predators but has 12 games played at the ECHL level.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have sent Michael DiPietro and Sheldon Dries back to the AHL, after getting several players back from the COVID protocol yesterday. With Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak back in the net, the team can let DiPietro continue his season in the minor leagues after his short stint filling in.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Evander Kane Signs With Edmonton Oilers
8:16 pm: The team has now made the deal official — Evander Kane is an Edmonton Oiler. The team has yet to confirm the official details of the contract.
4:25 pm: The Edmonton Oilers are expected to sign Evander Kane to a one-year contract, following the conclusion of the NHL’s latest investigation. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the free agent forward will now earn a prorated league minimum salary of $750K, plus a signing bonus of $625K. It will also include a full no-movement clause. Because the deal is being signed partway through the season, Kane’s cap hit will be just over $2.1MM and he will earn a total of $970K.
Kane, 30, was issued a 21-game suspension at the start of the season for a breach of COVID protocols and providing a false vaccination card. When that suspension ended, he was not welcomed back to the Sharks roster, but placed on waivers in order to send him to the minor leagues. Kane played in five games for the San Jose Barracuda, recording eight points, until another COVID-related transgression resulted in his contract being terminated.
The league conducted an additional investigation into his actions in the minor leagues. They released the following:
The report prepared in connection with the investigation, which was conducted by Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, concluded that there was insufficient evidence to “conclusively find that Mr. Kane knowingly made misrepresentations regarding his COVID-19 status or test results in connection with his international travel.”
As a result, the League has determined not to pursue any additional League-imposed discipline against Kane at the current time.
That means he was free to join any team in the NHL and play immediately, a condition the Oilers needed in order to sign him today. Edmonton was immediately linked to Kane when he became a free agent, with general manager Ken Holland quickly confirming that he had been in touch with agent Dan Milstein. While the Washington Capitals were linked to Kane in recent days, the Oilers always seemed like the frontrunner to land his services–services which are desperately required as the team tries to get back into the Pacific Division playoff picture.
There’s no doubt that Kane is a force on the ice. Over his 769 career regular season games, the 6’2″ forward has racked up 264 goals and 506 points, including an outstanding 22-goal, 49-point campaign in last year’s shortened season. He’s also twice led the league in penalty minutes, delivered more than 1,700 hits and averaged close to 19 minutes a game throughout his long career.
That is a heck of a player to plug in beside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl (or both) for the stretch run, especially at such a low cost. But there is risk, obviously, given his history of off-ice issues. Just last offseason, Kane was involved in three different investigations, as allegations of gambling on NHL games, domestic abuse, and COVID-related infractions all surfaced. Though he was cleared of the first two, the NHL came down hard for the third, handing out the 21-game ban that effectively ended his time with the Sharks. When the suspension was announced, Kane released a statement through the NHLPA:
I would like to apologize to my teammates, the San Jose Sharks organization and all Sharks fans for violating the NHL COVID protocols. I made a mistake, one I sincerely regret and take responsibility for. During my suspension, I will continue to participate in counseling to help me make better decisions in the future. When my suspension is over, I plan to return to the ice with great effort, determination and love for the game of hockey.
Just two months later though, he allegedly broke protocols again by traveling to Vancouver during a period of mandatory isolation following a positive COVID result. The NHLPA has filed a grievance on Kane’s behalf after the Sharks used this latest breach to terminate his contract, one which now seems to have merit based on the findings of the NHL’s latest investigation.
For now, Kane joins the Oilers on a short-term deal once again looking to prove he can be a reliable, valuable member of an NHL organization. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 01/27/22
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Justin Abdelkader Released From PTO, Will Join U.S. Olympic Team
Jan 27: After just three games with the Griffins, Abdelkader is off to Beijing. He has been released from his PTO and will join the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing as an alternate. Abdelkader could be added to the roster if the team runs into injury or COVID-related issues. He did not record a point in his three AHL contests.
Jan 21: It’s been more than a decade since Justin Abdelkader last took the ice for the Grand Rapids Griffins. That stretch will end in the coming days after the veteran forward signed an AHL professional tryout with the Detroit Red Wings affiliate.
Abdelkader, 34, played last season for EV Zug in Switzerland and last suited up for an NHL game during the 2019-20 season. The veteran forward spent his entire career with the Red Wings organization, playing in 739 regular season games and racking up 252 points. A member of Team USA several times, Abdelkader served as captain for last summer’s World Championship squad that finished third, taking home a bronze medal in the process.
This might have seemed like an attempt to get onto the U.S. Olympic squad had it happened a few weeks ago, but the roster for that group was already announced. Instead, it appears more like a comeback attempt for a player who isn’t so far removed from NHL action.
Still, Abdelkader was a shell of his former self in 2019-20 with the Red Wings and failed to record a single goal in 49 outings. A stint with the Griffins won’t necessarily turn into anything more than that.
Alexandre Texier Out Four Weeks With Fractured Finger
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without young forward Alexandre Texier for the next month, as he suffered a fractured finger in last night’s game. He is expected to miss approximately four weeks, keeping him out through most of February.
Texier, 22, has turned things around since a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, and now sits with 11 goals and 20 points in 36 games. Both of those numbers are career highs, though he still hasn’t found a lot of consistency even with the increased production. Playing almost exclusively on the wing, the second-round pick is averaging fewer than 15 minutes a night and hasn’t scored a goal since the beginning of the month.
He’ll now face a long period out of the lineup and likely miss upwards of ten games. The Blue Jackets will have to find someone else to find those minutes and hope to help pull them out of their recent skid. Columbus now sits 18-21-1 on the season and 3-7 in their last ten, well behind the Washington Capitals for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.
Snapshots: China, Malkin, Letang, Viveiros
China has revealed the roster that will take part in the upcoming Olympics, a group that includes 12 players born in North America. Some of those have NHL experience in the past, including Spencer Foo, Ryan Sproul, and starting goaltender Jeremy Smith. These players are allowed to participate even without Chinese heritage given how long they have been playing for Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, which served as a proxy for the national team, according to the Associated Press.
Brandon Yip, a 36-year-old forward that played nearly 200 games in the NHL, will serve as captain of the club, which gained entry to the tournament as host nation. Yip scored 32 goals and 62 points in his 190-game NHL career, which ended after the 2013-14 season. After a stint in the AHL and another in Germany, he joined Kunlun in 2017. China will be in tough at the event, as they find themselves in a group with the U.S., Canada, and Germany. They open the tournament on February 10.
- When Jeff Carter‘s two-year extension was announced yesterday, some immediately wondered what it meant for Evgeni Malkin‘s future with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that representatives for the star forward and Penguins GM Ron Hextall have discussed a new contract, and Malkin is “eager” to remain in Pittsburgh. For teammate Kris Letang things aren’t so rosy, as the defenseman believes he will get a raise on the current $7.25MM cap hit he currently carries, according to Yohe.
- Henderson Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros has been medically cleared to return to his duties, effective immediately. Viveiros was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and has been away from the team for much of the season. In a statement, the veteran coach notes that his “prognosis is very good” and thanks his family, coaches, players, medical team, and Golden Knights organization for all the support he received over the past few months.