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Anthony Mantha Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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When Anthony Mantha left last night’s game with an upper-body injury it wasn’t clear exactly what the issue was. Today, the Washington Capitals have announced that Mantha underwent shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely. The team has moved him to injured reserve and recalled Aliaksei Protas from the AHL.

It’s a huge blow for a team that is already operating without Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, each dealing with their own serious injuries. Mantha played just over seven minutes before departing in his final game, but before that had been averaging close to 15 minutes a night for the Capitals. The big winger has six points in ten games.

While the Capitals have been able to rely on Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov to lead the way offensively so far, the club now has four overtime losses through ten games and have a busy period of the schedule coming up. The team plays five games in seven days between November 11-17 with only one of them coming at home. If the two Russian forces slip even a bit, the team will be hard-pressed to find much offense with the rest of the healthy group.

With that in mind, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters including JJ Regan of NBC Sports Washington that rookie Hendrix Lapierre will be back in for tomorrow’s game. Lapierre has played in five games so far this season and will burn the first year of his entry-level deal if he plays in five more. Lapierre has just one goal in five games but possesses offensive upside that some of the other depth options do not.

Patrik Laine Out 4-6 Weeks With Oblique Strain

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There was a curious absence from the end of the third period and overtime on Wednesday evening, as the Columbus Blue Jackets took down the Colorado Avalanche on the back of a Jake Bean clincher. Patrik Laine was nowhere to be found, and now the team has revealed why. The star forward suffered an oblique strain and will miss four to six weeks. The team has immediately placed him on injured reserve.

Laine, 23, looked like he was ready to prove last year was a fluke in the early going, with three goals and ten points in nine games for the Blue Jackets so far. The Finnish sniper was playing with speed and assertiveness, averaging nearly 18 minutes a game. During Wednesday’s match, he was back with Cole Sillinger and Jakub Voracek on a line that had dominated in the preseason and managed to contribute two assists before leaving the game.

It appears as though Yegor Chinakhov will get the first chance to replace Laine in the lineup, as team reporter Jeff Svoboda tweets the young Russian was with Sillinger and Voracek at today’s practice. Chinakhov played just 9:15 in the team’s last game, but could get quite an opportunity with Laine out for at least a month.

Not only does it hurt Columbus’ chances on the ice, but this is also a brutal injury for a forward that is staring down restricted free agency. Laine signed his qualifying offer this summer and inked a one-year, $7.5MM deal that will once again take him to RFA status. He’ll be arbitration-eligible and likely looking for a longer-term deal, but now will have missed a good chunk of the season. His statistics from last season, in which he scored just 12 goals and 24 points, certainly don’t help his case, so a big year production-wise was important if he wanted to be put in the top tier of NHL contracts.

The Blue Jackets meanwhile are fighting for their lives in the Metropolitan Division, sitting in fifth place despite a 6-3 record. It looks like it will be a very difficult fight to try and secure a divisional playoff spot this season, meaning the loss of Laine is all the more noticeable. The team was carrying an extra forward already, but will likely make another recall today after moving Laine to IR.

Brady Tkachuk Named Captain Of Ottawa Senators

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As many expected now that his contract has been signed, Brady Tkachuk will be the next captain of the Ottawa Senators. The team announced their decision today, naming Tkachuk the tenth captain in franchise history. GM Pierre Dorion released this statement:

Brady’s ingrained understanding of what it means to be a pro has made him the right choice for the team’s captaincy. He holds a unique skill set and places team success above all else. Admired by teammates and coaches, and respected by opponents, he’s certain to serve as a great ambassador for both our team and for the city of Ottawa.

That ingrained understanding comes from his father, Keith, who served for many years as captain of the Winnipeg Jets and then Phoenix Coyotes during his own playing days. The elder Tkachuk was also an alternate with the St. Louis Blues and Team USA, embodying the same characteristics that Dorion described in his son.

Brady Tkachuk, 22, is in just his fourth season in the NHL, but was the obvious choice for the Senators given his impact on the lineup. The 6’4″ winger does just about everything for the team, including leading them in scoring each of the past two seasons. While he missed a few games at the start of the season due to his contract negotiation, he’s now locked up long-term after signing a seven-year, $57.5MM deal on October 14.

That long-term deal should provide the Senators with some stability in terms of leadership, with Tkachuk becoming the team’s first captain since Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks. Ottawa is turning the corner on their rebuild and have plenty of talented young players, but there was only really ever one choice for the captaincy, should he commit to the team in contract negotiations.

Mikhail Sergachev To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do today, as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev will have a hearing for his illegal check to the head of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner last night.

Near the end of the first period, Marner was being hooked from behind by Tampa’s Victor Hedman when Sergachev came across the ice and delivered a check that appeared to catch the Maple Leafs forward directly in the head. He was given a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head, but stayed in the game. Marner meanwhile didn’t even leave the ice, staying on for the ensuing powerplay.

It appears as though the league will be handing out some supplementary discipline for the hit, despite Marner not suffering a serious injury on the play. Sergachev has not been suspended previously but did receive a fine in 2019 for a dangerous cross-check. While he won’t be considered a repeat offender in terms of salary forfeiture, his entire disciplinary history is considered.

New York Rangers Sign Matt Rempe

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November 4: CapFriendly released the terms of Rempe’s contract today, and they read as follows:

2021-22: $750,000 salary + $80,000 SB
2022-23: $750,000 salary + $80,000 SB
2023-24: $775,000 salary + $80,000 SB

The three-year deal carries a cap hit of $838,333.

November 3: The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with another prospect, this time inking Matt Rempe to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected in the 2020 draft and is currently playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.

Rempe, 19, may have been drafted in the sixth round but is no small fry. In fact, he stands 6’7″ and dwarfs almost all of his junior competition, using his huge frame to separate opponents from the puck on the regular. While there may be some questions about his offensive upside–Rempe has just 40 points in 65 career WHL games–he certainly has the size to succeed at the professional level.

The Rangers have coveted size since their front office switch, but there’s still a ton of work to do to make Rempe a legitimate NHL prospect. That entry-level deal will slide for this year and won’t kick in until 2022-23, meaning he’s now scheduled for restricted free agency in 2025. The team obviously believes he can be a valuable member of the organization though, so his progression this year for Seattle will be interesting to watch. In ten games, he has four goals.

Los Angeles Kings Make Several Roster Moves

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The Los Angeles Kings have completed several transactions, including recalls of Alex Turcotte and Vladimir Tkachev. Austin Strand and Kale Clague have both been loaned back to the Ontario Reign, while Drew Doughty has been moved to long-term injured reserve.

Before Kings fans get excited about a potential NHL debut for Turcotte, the fifth-overall pick from 2019, these moves could simply be in order to maximize the relief pool that Doughty’s injury provides. Sending both Clague and Strand to the minor leagues leaves the team with just five defensemen on the roster (compared to 15 forwards) and will likely mean another move comes before tomorrow night’s game.

Still, there could be a good reason to give Turcotte that debut pretty soon. The 20-year-old forward has five points in his first eight games for the Reign this season after racking up 21 in 32 last year. That was in addition to starring for the U.S. at the most recent World Junior Championship, where he helped secure a gold medal with eight points in seven games.

Tkachev meanwhile has already played in four games this season for the Kings, registering two assists. The KHL veteran was signed to a one-year entry-level contract in May, one which does include a European Assignment Clause, which could be activated at some point if the 26-year-old stays in the minor leagues. A star overseas, it doesn’t make much sense for Tkachev to be playing for $80K in the AHL. For at least one day, he’ll earn his NHL salary with the Kings instead.

The two forwards each carry slightly higher cap hits at the NHL level than Clague and Strand, meaning they get the Kings a little closer to the cap ceiling. That’s the goal when you’re putting someone on LTIR during the season, as it gives you the largest relief pool to operate in. Given how little flexibility they had before, this will allow them to try out some of their young prospects whenever necessary.

Crosby, Others Added To COVID Protocol For Penguins, Blackhawks

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Nov 4: Head coach Mike Sullivan will not be behind the bench for the Penguins tonight, as he too has been added to the COVID protocol. Assistant coach Todd Reirden will take over head coaching duties while Sullivan is out. In better news, Letang has been officially activated and is in the lineup.

Nov 3: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks have added several players to the COVID protocol. For Pittsburgh, it’s a worst-case scenario, as Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin have entered the protocol. Both are confirmed positives, and while Dumoulin is asymptomatic, Crosby is experiencing mild symptoms. That means the captain is out for at least ten days.

Crosby only just returned from injury, playing one game for the Penguins on Saturday. He managed over 19 minutes in his return, but certainly seemed to have a bit of rust after a long injury rehab. He was dominated in the faceoff circle and was on the ice for three of New Jersey’s four goals (the other was a penalty shot), failing to record a point. He’ll now be taken away from the rink for a while longer, certainly not helping him shake off that rust.

Losing Dumoulin though is just as defeating for the Penguins, if not more so. The veteran defenseman is averaging more than 21 minutes a night this season, helping to carry the load while Kris Letang was in the protocol and some of the younger options struggle. If he doesn’t experience any symptoms, there’s a chance he could return before Crosby, though it will depend on his test results in the coming days.

In Chicago, things aren’t much better. Though Henrik Borgstrom has been removed from the protocol, Tyler Johnson and Isaak Phillips have been added, meaning they’re unavailable for tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks have not confirmed whether either one is a confirmed positive case.

Chicago has dealt with quite a few COVID-related absences this season, but had recently been restored to full availability as players like Patrick Kane, Riley Stillman and Jujhar Khaira came out of the protocol. While Johnson and Phillips aren’t the team’s most important players, the group can ill afford to lose any depth while they try to climb out of the basement. The Blackhawks only just secured their first win of the season and are well behind the pack for the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Johnny Boychuk

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Even with acquiring Alex Tuch in the Jack Eichel deal, the Buffalo Sabres were going to be under the cap floor. There were various ways they could avoid that, but instead of dealing with those details all season long, they’ve just acquired Johnny Boychuk’s contract from the New York Islanders. The deal is for future considerations and Boychuk is not expected to play again.

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams explained:

This move is important because it gives us flexibility throughout the season from a roster perspective. There are different conversations that we’ve had with many teams. The key for us was to give us flexibility without compromising where our current roster stands.

Remember, despite Boychuk being essentially retired due to an eye injury, he is still under contract for the 2021-22 season. He carries a $6MM cap hit, but the base salary is only $1.25MM. Even that amount is likely covered at least in part by insurance, meaning the Sabres won’t be paying out much (if any) actual salary in order to stay cap compliant. (CapFriendly shares the specific details, reporting that 60% of Boychuk’s salary is insured, meaning the Sabres are on the hook for less than $500K)

While he was on long-term injured reserve for the Islanders, Boychuk will likely be moved to normal IR for the Sabres, which keeps that $6MM hit on their cap. After the Eichel trade the team was only barely cap compliant, and wouldn’t have been once players like Tuch returned and pushed others off the roster. This move will allow them to freely bounce players up and down as needed without worrying about the lower limit.

For the Islanders, this is actually quite a significant move. With him they were operating in long-term injured reserve relief, meaning they couldn’t accrue cap space throughout the year. By moving him out, they’re now below the $81.5MM cap ceiling and can once again accrue space for a midseason addition. This is really just a case of two teams helping each other out cap-wise, while not exchanging any real assets.

New Jersey Devils Recall Alexander Holtz

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With the roster spot available after Scott Wedgewood was claimed off waivers, the New Jersey Devils have recalled top prospect, Alexander Holtz.

It’s been just four games for the Utica Comets this season, but the seventh-overall pick from 2020 has proven the AHL is no match for him. Holtz has five goals in those four contests and has registered 18 shots on net. It was only a matter of time before he found himself up with the NHL club, though there is obviously still plenty to prove at the highest level.

Armed with a lightning-fast release and a blistering shot, Holtz has always found a way to put the puck in the net, even if it does usually take him a little bit of time to adapt to a new level or challenge. In ten games last season with the Binghamton Devils he had just a single goal, but looks to have taken a substantial development step this time around. Now he’ll make the jump to the NHL, where similarly, goals may not come right away, but likely will at some point for the talented youngster.

Unlike in years past though, where the Devils were solely focused on development, this season there is a real push to be a competitive part of the Metropolitan Division. After a brilliant start, the team lost top center Jack Hughes to a shoulder injury and were shut out by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The team generated 28 shots on John Gibson but were unable to find the twine, an easy explanation why Holtz is up to infuse some offensive punch.

Of note, Holtz’ contract is still eligible to slide forward another year should he fail to play in ten games at the NHL level. If the team decides he’s not quite ready after seeing him in action, they can still send him back to the minors and avoid burning the first year of his entry-level deal.

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