Julien Gauthier Enters COVID Protocol
The New York Rangers have announced that Julien Gauthier has entered the COVID protocol, making him unavailable for the next few days at a minimum. The depth forward played just over nine minutes last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, but could now miss tomorrow’s match against the Anaheim Ducks and Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, if he tested positive.
Gauthier joins Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin in the protocol. Jarred Tinordi cleared the protocol a few days ago.
The 24-year-old forward has once again been a frustrating mix of size, speed, and inconsistency for the Rangers this season, registering two goals and five points in 26 games. The 6’4″, 227-lbs Gauthier was a first-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016 but has still never grown into his top-six, power forward potential. Through 73 NHL games he has struggled to find the back of the net even when he creates a dangerous chance, and now holds a 4.3% shooting percentage for his career.
With Dryden Hunt also missing practice due to an upper-body injury, the Rangers are down a pair of bottom-six wingers. That could open an opportunity for someone else, though Panarin is eligible to exit the protocol as soon as he tests negative.
Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Holloway, McDavid
The Edmonton Oilers have announced that Kailer Yamamoto was pulled from practice this morning because of a positive result on a rapid COVID-19 test. He is currently in the protocol, but will await further results to confirm his status. Should he test negative moving forward, he would not need to face the mandatory five-day isolation period.
Yamamoto, 23, has been relatively underwhelming this season even if he is one of the team’s most reliable forwards. With just seven goals and 12 points in 34 games, the young forward isn’t producing anywhere near the 2019-20 rate that made him so exciting to watch. With a contract negotiation and potential arbitration right around the corner, a strong second half would certainly go a long way for his financial future.
- Speaking of exciting young Edmonton forwards, it’s been a challenging year for prospect Dylan Holloway. After fracturing his wrist while playing for the University of Wisconsin, he underwent surgery in March 2021. Several months later and he was under the knife a second time after consulting with specialists, meaning he’s been away from the game for quite some time. Today, Holloway joined the team at practice and was a “full participant.” Selected 14th overall in 2020, Holloway blew up at Wisconsin last season, scoring 35 points in 23 games while also taking home the silver medal with Canada at the World Juniors. Now 20, he’s in the first year of his entry-level contract and could be activated whenever healthy enough to contribute.
- Head coach Dave Tippett confirmed that Connor McDavid, Tyson Barrie, and Derek Ryan are eligible to exit the COVID protocol on Sunday, should they be able to provide negative test results. That would make them available to the team for Monday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, though nothing is certain at this point.
Brandon Pirri Signs PTO With Rockford IceHogs
The Rockford IceHogs will have a familiar face in the lineup tonight when they take on the Chicago Wolves. Brandon Pirri has signed a professional tryout and will return to a team where he holds the all-time record for points.
Pirri, 30, played seven games for the IceHogs last season, scoring eight goals and ten points before joining Team Canada at the World Championships where he helped bring home the gold medal. The veteran forward has always been an elite offensive talent at the minor league level and has also racked up 72 goals and 121 points in 276 career NHL contests.
It’s easy to wonder if Pirri would be considered for the Olympics in a few months given his recent performance for Canada on the international stage, but he hadn’t been playing anywhere to this point of the season. With the IceHogs desperate for players right now due to injuries, protocol placements, and call-ups, it’s unclear if this is preparation for a bigger goal, or just helping out an old organization.
NHL Postpones Two More Ottawa Senators Games
Two more games for the Ottawa Senators have been officially postponed due to attendance restrictions in certain Canadian cities. The games will be rescheduled for later in the season, with the hope of full attendance being possible. The following will not be played:
- Saturday, Jan. 8
Ottawa @ Vancouver - Saturday, Jan. 15
Ottawa @ Winnipeg
That leaves the Senators playing the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames next week, games that were meant to be bookended by these matches in Vancouver and Winnipeg. Ottawa has had many of their games to this point rescheduled and currently sit with only 29 played, second to only the New York Islanders for the fewest in the league.
For the Canucks, this means that they will have no games between January 1 and January 11, which is now their next match and scheduled against the Florida Panthers. The Jets, meanwhile, played yesterday but won’t hit the ice again until January 13.
More Injury Troubles For Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild won last night, with the winner going to Matt Boldy on his first career goal and Kaapo Kahkonen stopping 36 of 38 shots. The future looks bright in Minnesota, but the present, not so much.
Kirill Kaprizov was helped to the locker room after being hit by Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic, a play which head coach Dean Evason called “predatory.” Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Kaprizov is still being evaluated but the reporter has been told it is “not good.”
But the injury concerns from last night don’t end there. Marcus Foligno was given a maintenance day after blocking a shot at the end of the game, but Jonas Brodin was also missing from practice as he is evaluated for a similar block. Once again, Russo tweets that it “doesn’t sound good” for Brodin, who only just returned from a stint on the COVID-19 protocol.
The Wild are already missing Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon, Cam Talbot, Jordan Greenway, Nick Bjugstad, and Brandon Duhaime, meaning any new injuries would take their toll. But Kaprizov and Brodin are arguably the two most important players on the roster even when it’s at full strength, and would be a devastating loss for the Wild if they are out for any significant amount of time.
With the win last night, the Wild are currently tied with the Colorado Avalanche for third place in the Central Division by standings points. They would actually be ahead of the St. Louis Blues and almost even with the Nashville Predators (but behind Colorado) if sorted by points percentage, given their 20-10-2 record.
Luckily, if this situation can be called that at all, the Wild have only one game (tomorrow) between now and January 14. Only three between now and January 21. That would, in theory, give them an opportunity to heal some wounds, though it isn’t clear how long Kaprizov and Brodin will be out at this point. Every team goes through injuries, but this is certainly going to be a difficult stretch for the Wild.
Zach Werenski, Alexandre Texier Placed In COVID Protocol
Jan 7: Alexandre Texier has also tested positive and is now in the COVID protocol, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Jan 4: After initially being positive on a rapid test yesterday, Zach Werenski has now been officially placed in the COVID protocol after his case was confirmed. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman will be unavailable to the team for the next few days at least.
The team has also added Jean-Francois Berube and Cam Johnson to the taxi squad, as Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov are both dealing with lower-body injuries. Johnson comes all the way from the ECHL, where he has spent the last several seasons.
Losing Werenski is arguably the worst thing that could happen for the Blue Jackets, given how much responsibility he carries on a nightly basis. The 24-year-old defenseman is averaging 26:34 in ice time this season, four minutes more than the next highest Columbus player. He also happens to be third on the team in scoring with 20 points through 30 games.
The Blue Jackets are in action tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, before a home-and-home with the New Jersey Devils this weekend.
Mitch Marner, Pierre Engvall Enter COVID Protocol
After avoiding a scare with Auston Matthews recently, the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Mitch Marner and Pierre Engvall in the COVID protocol today. Both players took part in the team’s most recent game, but will now miss tomorrow’s match against the Colorado Avalanche. Joey Anderson and Brett Seney have been recalled from the AHL to the taxi squad.
With the new absences, Nick Ritchie–who is currently on waivers–and Kyle Clifford, are practicing with the main group according to David Alter of The Hockey News.
Marner and Engvall were two of the few players who didn’t end up in the protocol last month when the Maple Leafs ended up postponing several games. They will now face at least a five-day absence if they tested positive, meaning not only is the Colorado game in danger, but also matches against the Vegas Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes next week.
While Engvall is a regular, it’s Marner’s absence that will obviously be much more dramatic. The 24-year-old plays more than any other Toronto forward, averaging nearly 21 minutes a night through his 26 games this season. In those games, he has just six goals and 21 points, a significant departure from the player that has scored 228 points in 196 games over the last three seasons.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/07/22
Just two games on the schedule this evening as the league continues to miss matches due to COVID and attendance restrictions. Still, both should be pretty great matchups as four current playoff teams do battle. Elias Lindholm will lead the Calgary Flames against his old club in Carolina, while the Washington Capitals will avoid facing Vladimir Tarasenko when they travel to St. Louis. As those clubs and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Troy Grosenick and Steven Fogarty from Providence to the taxi squad, as they prepare to go on the road for the next two games. Boston will play in Tampa Bay tomorrow and Washington on Monday.
- The Ottawa Senators have assigned Clark Bishop to the taxi squad and Logan Shaw to the AHL, as several players return from the COVID protocol. Thomas Chabot, Dillon Heatherington, Zach Sanford, and Chris Tierney all joined the club at practice this morning.
Metropolitan Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Scott Harrington back to the minor leagues, where he will join the Cleveland Monsters. Harington, who hadn’t seen the AHL since the 2016-17 season, has played three games for Cleveland this year. The team has also assigned Jake Christiansen to the Monsters.
- The New Jersey Devils have assigned Alexander Holtz and Kevin Bahl to the AHL, while recalling A.J. Greer and Colton White to the taxi squad. Holtz, one of the team’s top prospects, has 10 points in 11 games for Utica this season.
- The Washington Capitals have reassigned Michal Kempny to the taxi squad, while adding Dennis Cholowski and Martin Fehervary to the active roster. T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom, despite practicing with the team, have been moved to injured reserve and will not travel to St. Louis as they work back from a non-COVID illness. Later in the day, the team recalled Michael Sgarbossa and Zachary Fucale from the taxi squad.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Jonny Brodzinski and Tim Gettinger from the taxi squad, moving Dryden Hunt to injured reserve. Zac Jones has also been moved back to the taxi squad as the Rangers needed a way to add some forward depth while Julien Gauthier deals with the COVID protocol.
Central Division
- Following the injury to Kirill Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Kyle Rau to the taxi squad. Kaprizov is expected to miss at least one game, with further evaluation still ongoing to determine how long he’ll be out of the lineup.
- The Nashville Predators have reassigned Matt Luff to the taxi squad once again, his fourth transaction in the last four days. The 24-year-old forward played and scored last night for the Predators, despite seeing just seven minutes of ice time.
- The Dallas Stars have assigned Thomas Harley to the Texas Stars, giving the 20-year-old defenseman a chance to play at the minor league level once again. Harley has played in eight games for Dallas but 17 for Texas this season.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have assigned Samuel Fagemo to the taxi squad, after he failed to dress for last night’s game. Fagemo has yet to make his NHL debut since being drafted 50th overall in 2019.
- Forward Adam Ruzicka is back on Calgary’s active roster, coming up from the taxi squad. Ruzicka scored his first NHL goal earlier this season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Michael Krutil Signs In SHL
It appears as though Michael Krutil will not be returning to the Rockford IceHogs now that the World Junior Championship has been canceled. The young defenseman has signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League.
Krutil, 19, played seven games with Rockford before being loaned to Czechia for the junior tournament but ended up failing to get into a single game before the event was shut down due to COVID concerns. Selected 110th overall in 2020, he hasn’t actually signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks yet and had been playing on an AHL deal.
A blend of size and skill, the 6’3″ defenseman had three points in 21 games for the IceHogs last season as an 18-year-old, suiting up as one of the youngest players in the entire league. Now in Sweden, he’ll have a better chance to show off some offensive upside or at the very least, play more minutes than he was receiving in Rockford.
Arizona Coyotes Claim Riley Nash
Jan. 6: Nash is now on the way to his third team this season. Friedman reports that the Arizona Coyotes claimed Nash on Thursday, adding to arguably the thinnest forward depth in the league.
Jan. 5: A veteran center is available once again, as the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Riley Nash on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Nash was claimed from the Winnipeg Jets last month and played 10 games for the Lightning while they dealt with various injuries and absences.
Now, with Nikita Kucherov nearing a return and Anthony Cirelli back from his COVID absence, the Lightning no longer require Nash at the NHL level. By placing him on waivers, they would be able to stash him on the taxi squad should no other team put in a claim. The Jets could also send him directly to the minors or taxi squad if they decide to claim Nash and are the only team to do so.
That’s certainly no guarantee though, as there are several teams around the league who could probably use an experienced option while they deal with massive COVID-related absences. The fact that Nash earns the league minimum of $750K also suggests someone else could put in a claim.
A veteran of more than 600 NHL games, it’s been a struggle offensively for the 32-year-old center over the last few years. After reaching a career-high of 15 goals and 41 points in 2017-18, he became basically a defense-only option in his next few stops. Since the start of the 2018-19 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nash has registered 10 goals and 33 points in 204 games.