Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Justin Danforth
The Columbus Blue Jackets have dipped into the KHL free agent waters once again, this time signing Justin Danforth to a one-year contract. The deal is for the 2021-22 season. No financial details have been released yet, but Danforth is not limited to the entry-level system, and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports it will be a one-way deal. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement:
Justin is a talented, offensive player coming off three outstanding seasons in the KHL and Liiga and we believe he is ready to prove himself in the National Hockey League. He has worked extremely hard to develop his game over the past five seasons and we are excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets.
Danforth, 28, scored 55 points in 58 games this season for Vityaz Podolsk of the KHL. It’s been a long and winding road for the Oshawa, Ontario native, who spent four years at Sacred Heart University before trying his hand in the minor leagues. Though Danforth dominated at the ECHL level, he failed to get many opportunities in the AHL and took his game overseas in 2018. Two outstanding seasons in Finland followed and now after his strong KHL campaign, he has finally landed an NHL deal.
It will be a challenge for the 5’9″ forward to bring that level of offensive impact to the Blue Jackets, but it certainly appears he’ll be given a chance. Columbus has a very busy offseason ahead of them as even with Danforth, they have just 25 players signed to NHL contracts for the 2021-22 season. Kekalainen is obviously scouring every inch of the globe for talent after a disappointing season.
Tyler Seguin Activated From Injured Reserve
For the first time this season, the Dallas Stars now have Tyler Seguin on the active roster. The 29-year-old forward has been on the non-roster injured list the entire year as he worked his way back from hip surgery but has now been activated and is a game-time decision for the Stars matchup this evening. Seguin’s long, difficult recovery which included surgical delays and rehab setbacks was detailed by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic ahead of the match.
Seguin is returning at the most important time for the Stars, who still have a shred of hope in the Central Division playoff race. The team currently sits three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final spot but has a game in hand. If their highest-paid forward can make a difference, there is still a chance the Stars sneak in and try to make another Cinderella run like last year.
Though he hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since September, it’s hard to not think Seguin could make an impact right away. The Stars have scored just a single goal in their last three games combined and still have Denis Gurianov listed as a game-time decision with his upper-body injury. Even just a little bit of offensive pressure from Seguin could go a long way for a team desperate for any positives.
Evgeni Malkin To Be Activated From Injured Reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup tonight for the first time since March 16. The big center will be activated from injured reserve and make his return to the Penguins roster against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight with just enough time to get his legs back under him before the playoffs. The Penguins have four games remaining and currently sit two points ahead of the Washington Capitals for first place in the East Division.
Malkin, 34, has had a season to forget, struggling at times even when healthy. Still, the future Hall of Fame forward has eight goals and 24 points in 29 games and changes the Penguins lineup considerably. If he can find the level that made him a Hart Trophy candidate last season—when he scored 25 goals and 74 points in 55 games—Pittsburgh will be even tougher to take down.
Of course, with good news usually comes bad and the Penguins had some of that today too. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Rob Rossi of The Athletic that Mike Matheson is out on a week-to-week basis after taking a puck to the face on Saturday. After struggling earlier in the season the 27-year-old Matheson had really found his game lately, logging important minutes for the Penguins on the back end. Evan Rodrigues is listed as day-to-day and Brandon Tanev, though skating, will not play on Monday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Michael Houser To Make NHL Debut
The Buffalo Sabres will have an unfamiliar face in net tonight when they take on the New York Islanders. Michael Houser will make his NHL debut after nearly a decade in the minor leagues, playing mostly in the ECHL.
The undrafted goaltender spent three seasons with the London Knights of the OHL and made his professional debut with the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2012. Since then he has been shipped around, suiting up for the San Antonio Rampage, Ontario Reign, Manchester Monarchs, Cleveland Monsters, Fort Wayne Komets, and Tucson Roadrunners. He has spent basically this whole season as a practice goaltender, not even seeing any action for the Rochester Americans. Houser’s last appearance was in March 2020 with the ECHL’s Cyclones.
Coming into the season, an NHL debut wasn’t even a possibility for Houser. The minor league veteran had signed an AHL deal meaning he couldn’t even serve as the taxi squad netminder. But after injuries started to pile up, the Sabres signed Houser to his first NHL deal on March 19 and kept him as the third goaltender while the rest of his position peers were coming in and out with various injuries. Now, after the latest Sabres netminder, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday, Houser will get the chance of a lifetime.
Grinding in the ECHL isn’t glamourous, but Houser has managed to make 255 appearances there over his long minor league career. He was named Goaltender of the Year in 2019 after posting a .922 save percentage, going 29-7-5 in the process. Excellence isn’t anything new to Houser, who was once named not only goalie of the year in the OHL but won the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player. It’s been a very long road since then, but the 28-year-old will now be in an NHL net for the first time.
The Sabres have also been given an exemption from the league in order to sign Stefanos Lekkas to a professional tryout. The 25-year-old undrafted netminder is in his first professional season after four years at the University of Vermont. He could serve as backup for Houser tonight, but won’t actually get an entry-level deal.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/03/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
North Division
- The Montreal Canadiens have assigned Xavier Ouellet to the AHL and recalled Joseph Blandisi to the taxi squad, but the latter won’t be playing anytime soon. Blandisi suffered a season-ending knee injury and will undergo surgery in the coming days.
Central Division
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned Spencer Martin to the Syracuse Crunch, moving him off the taxi squad. The Lightning have Christopher Gibson on the roster still so have the three required goaltenders covered, meaning Martin can get some more playing time in the AHL.
- The Detroit Red Wings have completed their daily goalie swap, sending Kaden Fulcher to the AHL and recalling Kevin Boyle to the taxi squad. Neither one is expected to play in the NHL unless there is an emergency.
- The Florida Panthers will give Philippe Desrosiers a chance in net tonight and have recalled him to the active roster. The team has a rotating cast of successful goaltenders and will now give Desrosiers his NHL debut.
- Matiss Kivlenieks has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Columbus Blue Jackets, giving them another healthy netminder with Joonas Korpisalo out for the year. Kivlenieks, 24, has a .926 save percentage in seven AHL appearances this season.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled A.J. Greer from the AHL and appear to be inserting him into the lineup for his season debut. The 24-year-old hasn’t seen the NHL since playing 15 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2018-19, spending the time since exclusively in the minor leagues. In 10 minor league games since joining the Devils organization, Greer has nine points.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Yegor Chinakhov Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
Sunday: Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the entry-level deal for Chinakhov is now official. However, with little time remaining in the season and plenty of visa paperwork still needed to be done, Chinakhov will not be able to play for the team this season. However, his contract will begin this season, meaning that he will become a restricted free-agent after the 2022-23 season. The Blue Jackets have confirmed the deal.
Friday: After winning the Gagarin Cup earlier this week, Yegor Chinakhov had a decision to make whether to re-sign in the KHL and continue his career in Russia, or join the Columbus Blue Jackets who drafted him last fall. When his KHL contract expired today, the decision was made, and Chinakhov is coming to North America according to his agent Shumi Babaev. The Blue Jackets have not released any details, but the 20-year-old forward will be limited to a three-year entry-level contract.
As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets, it seems unlikely Chinakhov will be able to play before the end of this season because of the time it takes to secure a visa, but this is still a big step for the Blue Jackets as they look to turn the page on a disastrous campaign. Selected 21st overall in October, a shocking decision according to many analysts, Chinakhov was an overage draft prospect set to make his KHL debut. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has never been shy about picking the player he believes in regardless of consensus draft ranking, and Chinakhov looks like another winner.
In 32 games for Avangard Omsk during the regular season, Chinakhov recorded 10 goals and 17 points. Add in another five goals and seven points in the postseason and you have quite the strong campaign for a player who only turned 20 in February and was playing at the KHL level for the first time. Near the end of the playoffs, he was logging substantial minutes on the championship squad, even eclipsing veteran names like Ilya Kovalchuk and Sergey Tolchinsky at times (though an illness kept him out of the clinching game).
Columbus has very few players actually signed for the 2021-22 campaign, meaning there could be plenty of opportunity in the organization should Chinakhov prove to be NHL ready. After such a disappointing season for Kekalainen’s team, change seems inevitable.
Latest On Rod Brind’Amour
The Carolina Hurricanes have the most points in the entire NHL and look poised for another long playoff run. Their coach happens to be a franchise icon that served as captain during the organization’s only Stanley Cup championship in 2006. What seems like the easiest extension in history has been expected for some time with head coach Rod Brind’Amour, who is only under contract through the end of the 2021-22 season. But the deal still hasn’t been signed, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shed some light on exactly why:
They don’t have an extension done yet for next year and I understand that one of the biggest issues there is that Brind’Amour has asked that as much as he wants himself to get a contract extension, he also wants extensions for his coaching staff, the training staff and the equipment staff–which also aren’t signed for next year.
As Friedman explains, the odds are still on Brind’Amour signing with the Hurricanes, but there are teams “that would like to back up the Brinks truck” to steal him away from Carolina. It’s easy to understand why after the success he’s had through the early part of his coaching career. In three seasons, Brind’Amour is currently sitting at a 117-64-19 record, which would put him sixth all-time in winning percentage among coaches with at least 200 games.
Obviously, some of that is the Hurricanes core coming into its own, but there’s no doubt that Brind’Amour has impressed behind the bench. The fact that he is now sticking his neck out for the rest of the staff will only improve his reputation, even if it does make it a little more difficult to work out a new contract in Carolina.
Of course, there is now an NHL team without a head coach and it happens to be managed by former teammate and long-time Hurricanes colleague Ron Francis. The Seattle Kraken are taking their time deciding who will lead the team during their inaugural season and though there has not been a direct connection yet to Brind’Amour, you can bet they would be one of the (many) teams keeping an eye on the situation in Carolina.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/01/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:
Anaheim – Adam Henrique
Arizona – John Hayden*
Calgary – Josh Leivo
Los Angeles – TBA
New Jersey – Jonas Siegenthaler
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils
One name added, one name removed for the NHL today, as Subban is eligible to rejoin the Devils. Hayden played last night against the Golden Knights but won’t be available for the rematch. Hopefully, his is a contact situation or false positive, but both the Coyotes and Golden Knights will be a team to watch here the next few days.
*denotes new addition
Ilya Kovalchuk Terminates KHL Contract
Are you ready for another Summer of Kovalchuk? The enigmatic Ilya Kovalchuk has terminated his contract with Avangard Omsk after winning the Gagarin Cup and hopes to return to the NHL once again.
Now 38, it’s hard to really have any idea what Kovalchuk can bring to an NHL lineup. During the 2019-20 season, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals, totaling 26 points in 46 games. That production came in very different ways. Kovalchuk struggled with the Kings to the point where the team told him to stay home, after recording nine points in 17 games but being a liability defensively. Then in Montreal, he seemed rejuvenated, scoring 13 points in 22 games and becoming a core piece of the team. When it was obvious that the Canadiens weren’t going to contend for the Stanley Cup, Kovalchuk was flipped to the Capitals, where he had just one goal in seven regular season games and then was held to just a single assist in eight postseason contests.
This season for Avangard, he put up 17 points in 16 regular season games and then added nine more on their championship run. Would an NHL team be getting the engaged, hard-working player that appeared in Montreal or the disinterested veteran that was in Los Angeles? One thing is certain; Kovalchuk won’t be getting anywhere near the three-year, $18.75MM contract he signed in 2018 with the Kings. If he wants to play again in the NHL, he very well may need to settle for the league minimum (which is increasing to $750K next season) and hope a contender is willing to give him sheltered minutes and a powerplay role.
Though his stated goal has always been a Stanley Cup, Kovalchuk also could reach some milestones should he return for a full season in 2021-22. He is 74 games away from 1,000 in his NHL career, would need seven goals to reach 450 and 24 points to crack 900. Those all seem like reasonable amounts even at his age, should he stay healthy and involved.
There was a time that Kovalchuk was one of the most feared goal-scorers in the entire world. In the four seasons between 2005-2009, his 189 goals were more than anyone not named Alex Ovechkin. His 73 powerplay markers during the same period also trailed only Ovechkin. Even with that history, it’s hard to know if any contender would really want to bring him back once again. The watch is on.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/30/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:
Anaheim – Adam Henrique
Calgary – Josh Leivo
New Jersey – P.K. Subban, Jonas Siegenthaler
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Adam Erne, Detroit Red Wings
Erne has come off after just a few days on the list, suggesting he did not test positive for coronavirus this time around. He was already included in the Red Wings outbreak earlier in the season and will now be able to rejoin the team to continue his season. The other few names have remained, at least for now.
*denotes new addition