COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/25/21
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. The Philadelphia Flyers are still listed as TBA, but the rest of the list is in:
Carolina – Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesper Fast
Chicago – Adam Boqvist*, Alex DeBrincat*
Dallas – Blake Comeau
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jon Merrill, Filip Zadina
New Jersey – Jesper Bratt, Mackenzie Blackwood
Tampa Bay – Curtis McElhinney
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – Tucker Poolman, Pierre-Luc Dubois
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: Jack Roslovic, Columbus Blue Jackets
The big additions today are the two Blackhawks players, who would be huge losses for the team moving forward. Brandon Cain of NHL.com tweets that Boqvist currently lives with DeBrincat, which of course would put them in close proximity to each other away from the rink. Both players took part in yesterday’s afternoon game against Detroit.
Also of note, Roslovic is already off the Blue Jackets list. The recently acquired forward was already in Columbus when the team traded for him and was at practice with the team today, working in on the third line. He is not expected to play tomorrow.
*denotes new addition
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Pavel Dorofeyev
After terminating his contract in the KHL last week, Pavel Dorofeyev is coming to Vegas. The third-round pick signed his entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights and has been assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights for their upcoming season.
Dorofeyev, 20, was selected 79th overall in 2019 after making it all the way up to the KHL as a teenager. Though he didn’t score much when he got there, just being a regular at that age was impressive enough. After attending the Golden Knights development camp, he returned to Russia to once again play on a regular basis with Magnitogorsk Mettalurg, scoring four goals and seven points in 48 games. That return came with a contract extension, part of the reason why Dorofeyev fell down the draft board in the first place—some had even considered him a late first-round talent, but it wasn’t at all clear when he would come to North America.
Now, after a July 2020 trade took him from Magnitogorsk to Chelyabinsk and a season where he has been playing in the VHL (the KHL’s minor league), Vegas’ gambit pays off. He’ll now immediately become one of the players to watch for Henderson, armed with incredible puck skills and top-end skating ability. That’s not to say he’s ready to step in and be a contributor in the NHL, but having full control of his development for the next three years at a minimum is a clear with for the Golden Knights.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/25/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.
- After a loss last night, the Calgary Flames have moved Derek Ryan and Oliver Kylington to the taxi squad. The team continues to do this on off days to accrue cap space, but will eventually need to put Ryan through waivers again. After suiting up last night, the 34-year-old center has now played four games on the season; once he plays ten, he’ll have to clear again to go back to the taxi squad.
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Nolan Foote from the taxi squad to the minor leagues, giving the young forward a chance to compete for an AHL role. The 20-year-old has still yet to make his professional debut, spending last season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.
- After Connor Ingram took a leave to enter the player assistance program, the Nashville Predators recalled Kasimir Kaskisuo to serve as the team’s taxi squad goaltender. The move leaves them awfully thin at the position, with Devin Cooley (he of six career professional games) the only other goaltender in the minor leagues on an NHL contract. Should the Predators face any injury trouble to roster options Juuse Saros or Pekka Rinne, they could quickly see the bottom of their depth chart.
- The Buffalo Sabres have moved Jonas Johansson to the taxi squad, a good indication that Carter Hutton is ready to return from his minor injury. The team has also moved Rasmus Asplund and Dustin Tokarski off the taxi squad, sending them to the Rochester Americans for the time being.
This page will be updated throughout the day as moves are officially announced.
NHL Suspends John Chayka For Rest Of 2021
Former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka has been suspended through the end of 2021 for his actions last summer according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Chayka “engaged in conduct detrimental to the league, breached his obligation to the club and was properly terminated by the club” when he tried to resign after an offer was made by another organization (thought to be the New Jersey Devils’ parent company, which also owns the Philadelphia 76ers and Crystal Palace FC). Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that the league will not be commenting or releasing any information on the ruling. Darren Dreger of TSN clarifies that the suspension means that Chayka cannot be involved in any NHL business until 2022.
In July, the Coyotes released a statement saying the Chayka had “quit as the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the Arizona Coyotes” but the executive blamed a “situation created by ownership.” At the time, Chayka was less than a year removed from a contract extension with the team. Coyotes ownership filed a grievance with the league, which has now been ruled on.
The ugly, public exit came just before the team entered the playoff bubble, where they still managed to defeat the Nashville Predators in the qualification round only to be eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche. The team hired Bill Armstrong as their new GM in September and have made sweeping changes to the front office, particularly in the scouting department that was penalized by the league for prospect testing violations.
Chayka, who is still just 31, will now have to wait out his suspension if he intends on having anything to do with the NHL again.
Evan Rodrigues Out “Longer-Term”
Injuries are starting to pile up once again for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had already lost several defensemen from the starting lineup. Today, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that Evan Rodrigues would be out “longer-term with a lower-body injury.” Rodrigues collided with New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil on Sunday night, and appeared to injure his knee in the process.
The Penguins’ injured reserve already includes Zach Trotman, Zach Aston-Reese, and Mike Matheson, while Juuso Riikola and Marcus Pettersson could be moved there at any point while they deal with their own injuries. With Rodrigues also now out long-term, the team’s depth is being severely tested through the first part of the season.
For the most part, the Penguins have been able to navigate the injuries and keep their heads above water in the East Division. They sit at 4-2 on the season and are on a four-game winning streak, but still manage to have a negative goal differential. Jack Roslovic, one player they were interested in trading for, has now been moved to his hometown team in Columbus, meaning at least one name is off their radar. One option that could be enticing is Tyler Ennis, who was placed on waivers today by the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins could potentially fit in his $1MM cap hit and it would give them another veteran to slot somewhere into the lineup.
Otherwise, the team’s reserves will get a chance. The taxi squad currently includes Drew O’Connor and Sam Lafferty, the latter having played 50 games for the team last season.
Mitchell Stephens Out Indefinitely
The Tampa Bay Lightning relayed some disappointing news today, announcing that Mitchell Stephens will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Stephens got tangled up with Columbus Blue Jackets defender David Savard on Saturday, appearing to have his ankle trapped underneath both their falling bodies. The team also announced that Erik Cernak, who fell awkwardly in the same game, is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Stephens, 23, became a semi-regular for the Lightning last season, playing in 38 games and recording six points. He had embraced his fourth-line center role, winning a huge portion of his faceoffs and generally limiting the damage against, even if he wasn’t producing much himself. With his absence, the team will have to figure out another option for that role, one that doesn’t really stand out among the team’s extra forwards. Perhaps Gemel Smith will get a chance to center that fourth unit, or the team could move someone off the wing and into the middle.
A team like the Lightning can certainly get by without Stephens, but these injuries to depth players can come back in a big way should one of the team’s more prominent players go down. Without a clear timeline, the Lightning will just have to hope for the best in Stephens’ case.
Scott Darling Signs AHL PTO
Scott Darling is still working hard to find a job this season, this time inking a professional tryout agreement with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Darling had previously been in Florida Panthers training camp on an NHL PTO but was released from it just before the season began.
Darling, 32, spent last season playing in Austria after being bought out of his NHL contract, but is back in North America competing to try and get his career back on track. Once one of the most reliable backup goaltenders in the league, he posted a 39-17-9 record over three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks between 2014-17. After getting a chance to start in Carolina, everything seemed to crumble and Darling was out of the league in less than two seasons.
Perhaps returning to Rockford, where he first impressed the Blackhawks enough to call him up, will be exactly what the veteran goaltender needs to get things moving in the right direction. Darling posted a .927 save percentage in 26 appearances for the IceHogs in 2014-15.
Connor Ingram Enters Player Assistance Program
One of the Nashville Predators’ depth goaltenders will not be with the team for the immediate future as Connor Ingram will be voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
No other comment has been made from the league or the Predators. The program, which is a confidential service provided by the league and union to help players and their families with mental health, substance abuse, and other issues, has seen several players take leaves over the last few seasons, most publicly Bobby Ryan, then of the Ottawa Senators.
Ingram, 23, was a star for the Milwaukee Admirals last season, posting a .933 save percentage in 33 appearances. He signed a new three-year contract with the Predators last March and looked like the team’s third-string option heading into this season. It is not immediately clear how long Ingram will be away from the organization.
NHL Postpones Another Carolina Hurricanes Game
The NHL has decided to postpone another Carolina Hurricanes game, moving tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning to next month. The Hurricanes are still dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19 and have now had four games postponed. The league also announced the rescheduling of seven games, including those already missed between the Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. As a result, the Panthers, who also had games rescheduled at the beginning of the season thanks to an outbreak on the Dallas Stars, now have 54 games scheduled in the next 102 days.
The changes are as follows:
Game #52, Carolina at Nashville, originally scheduled for Jan. 19, is now scheduled for Tuesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. ET
Game #62, Florida at Carolina, originally scheduled for Jan. 21, is now scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. ET
Game #76, Florida at Carolina, originally scheduled for Jan. 23, is now scheduled for Sunday, March 7 at 5 p.m. ET
Game #97, Tampa Bay at Carolina, originally scheduled for Jan. 26, is now scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. ET
Game #255, Columbus at Carolina, originally scheduled for Feb. 16, is now scheduled for Monday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. ET
Game #256, Florida at Tampa Bay, originally scheduled for Feb. 16, is now scheduled for Monday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. ET
Game #296, Carolina at Tampa Bay, originally scheduled for Feb. 22, is now scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. ET
Toronto Maple Leafs Considering Additions At Forward
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost two-thirds of their top line when Joe Thornton and Auston Matthews were ruled out at the same time earlier this week, and now they might be looking for a little bit of a boost upfront. While Matthews isn’t expected out long with his minor issue, Thornton is out for at least a month with a fractured rib. Add in Nick Robertson‘s knee injury from earlier in the month and it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines that the Maple Leafs are looking around for an addition at forward.
It’s not that the Maple Leafs have no depth, as they showed when Adam Brooks stepped into the lineup and scored a powerplay goal against the Edmonton Oilers, but some of the newcomers haven’t been able to contribute much so far. Alexander Barabanov and Wayne Simmonds have both been held entirely scoreless through the first six games while Jimmy Vesey has two goals and no assists. When the Maple Leafs traded away Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson to clear cap space in the offseason, they hoped these players could pick up some of the secondary scoring load—so far, they haven’t.
Of course, Toronto is already performing a delicate salary cap dance this season, moving players up and down from the taxi squad whenever they can to try and bank cap space. It resulted in the loss of goaltender Aaron Dell when they were forced to place him on waivers and doesn’t leave a lot of flexibility to make a trade.
The team isn’t going to be shipping out one of their high-priced talents, meaning any improvement would have to come on the margins of the roster at this point. Perhaps one option would be moving a defenseman as high profile KHL signing Mikko Lehtonen and top prospect Rasmus Sandin can’t find their way into the lineup on a regular basis. Still, if they remove any of that depth the same issue could crop up quickly with an injury on the backend.