Nathan Beaulieu Out At Least A Month
2:00pm: Niku has indeed been recalled by the team.
1:10pm: It’s been a tough season for Nathan Beaulieu of the Winnipeg Jets, and it’s about to get even worse. The defenseman will be out at least a month with a lower-body injury suffered on New Year’s Even thanks to a shot block (or five).
Beaulieu has already missed half the season due to injury, only debuting at the beginning of November. His return was an important one for the Jets though, who have been devastated on the blueline over the last six months. It got so bad at the beginning of the season that Ville Heinola, their draft pick that is currently overseas playing at the World Juniors, was logging big minutes on the top pairing. Beaulieu’s new absence will test that defense corps once again.
The team does have Sami Niku and Logan Stanley waiting in the minor leagues, but their depth will still be tested over the next month.
Brendan Gallagher Diagnosed With Concussion
The Montreal Canadiens have placed Brendan Gallagher on injured reserve after he suffered a concussion on Tuesday. He will be out indefinitely.
Gallagher was having another outstanding season for the Canadiens, with 15 goals and 32 points through 40 games. The scrappy 5’9″ forward has scored at least 30 goals in each of his last two campaigns and looked like he’d hit the mark once again. That puts him among rare company in the NHL these days, and makes him one of the most valuable forwards in the league given his $3.75MM cap hit.
Unfortunately, that pace will be stopped for at least a while. Hopefully Gallagher can bounce back from this injury quickly and be ready for a playoff push with the Canadiens, though they’ll have to start winning some games without him in the meantime. Montreal has lost their last three and now sit fifth in the Atlantic Division with an 18-16-6 record.
The Canadiens have ten games before the All-Star break.
Minor Transactions: 01/02/20
After the Winter Classic brought several lasting memories, including Corey Perry‘s long walk to the dressing room and a penalty shot by Denis Gurianov, the NHL is back to their regularly scheduled programming. Today brings 12 games and lots of intrigue, including a top matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. As team’s prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves:
- The Winnipeg Jets have sent Joona Luoto back to the AHL to continue his development. The 22-year old has played in 16 games at the NHL level but doesn’t have a point yet.
- After starting the year on season-opening injured reserve, Anton Blidh is ready to get into some action. He’ll go to the Providence Bruins on a LTI conditioning loan, which sounds bad but is actually a positive step.
- Jeremy Lauzon has also been sent to Providence by the Boston Bruins, after making his season debut earlier this week. Lauzon, 22, has ten points in 35 games for the P-Bruins.
Alexandre Texier Out Indefinitely
The Columbus Blue Jackets’ injury list keeps getting longer. This time it is Alexandre Texier who has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a lumbar stress fracture on Tuesday night. The young forward is out indefinitely, while Justin Scott has been recalled under emergency conditions.
Texier joins a list of injured players that also includes Cam Atkinson, Josh Anderson, Emil Bemstrom, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Brandon Dubinsky, Sonny Milano, Ryan Murray, Markus Nutivaara, Andrew Peeke and Joonas Korpisalo, though they are all in various stages of recovery.
It’s a tough break for the 20-year old though, who is in his first full professional season in North America. He made his NHL debut last season after dominating in Finland, and is already an important player for the Blue Jackets. Suffering a serious injury like this is a brutal turn for his development, even if the team can find a way to stay in the playoff hunt without him.
Snapshots: Mikheyev, Phillips, Stalock
If you were in a foreign country where you didn’t speak the language well, were away from your entire family and had just undergone emergency surgery to repair slashed tendons in your wrist, it might be a little overwhelming. That’s why Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas stayed with injured forward Ilya Mikheyev in New Jersey while he recovered from surgery. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports however, Dubas’ goodwill may actually have a positive impact on player acquisition down the road. Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, the agent for Mikheyev and many other Russian players, explained to Johnston that he has already told his other clients of how the situation was handled:
The agent has KHL free agents currently drawing significant NHL interest for next season and has made sure they’re all aware of the humanity the Leafs exhibited with Mikheyev, telling them: “You should know how Toronto took care of this particular accident.”
While that obviously doesn’t guarantee the Maple Leafs will get any sort of discount down the road, it certainly can’t hurt when they’re trying to convince the KHL’s top talent to come over to North America. The team will also have a negotiation with Mikheyev at some point, given that he will be a restricted free agent this summer.
- The Los Angeles Kings have assigned minor league defenseman Markus Phillips to the Guelph Storm of the OHL, sending him back despite already having played in the ECHL and AHL this season. The 20-year old will re-join the Storm for the rest of his overage season, another addition to a team that is already 21-8-5 this season. Phillips was selected 118th overall in 2017 and had six points in 20 games for the Fort Wayne Komets this season.
- Alex Stalock has been fined $2,000 for embellishment, following an incident that occurred against the Winnipeg Jets on December 21st. It was the second cited case of diving by Stalock, following an earlier incident against the Pittsburgh Penguins that incurred a warning from the league. Though it obviously isn’t a lot of money, embellishment comes with escalating fines that eventually are levied against the coach as well—something that never helps a player’s career.
Maple Leafs’ Depth Players Looking For More Opportunity
The Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with several injuries at the moment, with Trevor Moore, Andreas Johnsson and Ilya Mikheyev all out up front. None of the trio have a clear return date at this point, which has led to the team bringing up several of their minor league forwards over the last few weeks. Mason Marchment was the latest recall, following Pierre Engvall and Adam Brooks who have now worked their way into the lineup.
One player who many may have thought would be among the first recalls is Jeremy Bracco, who finished the 2018-19 season as the second-highest scorer in the AHL. Bracco’s 79 points in 75 games trailed only Carter Verhaeghe, who is now a regular for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 22-year old Maple Leafs’ prospect hasn’t been given a look in the NHL yet however, partly because of the position his plays. Bracco is a right winger, the same side where Toronto already has Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen locked into the top three lines.
That’s a tough group to crack, something that Bracco obviously understands. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote yesterday in his 31 Thoughts column that the young forward has asked the organization to see if there is a better opportunity elsewhere. Friedman suggests that Dmytro Timashov and Ben Harpur have both also asked Toronto the same thing.
For Timashov especially, that may come as some surprise. The 23-year old made the Maple Leafs out of camp in surprise fashion and has played in 29 games this season for them. While he isn’t getting a ton of ice time playing on the fourth line, the fifth-round pick is at least in the NHL.
Harpur meanwhile is in a different situation. Included in the trade that sent Nikita Zaitsev and Connor Brown to the Ottawa Senators in the offseason, the 24-year old defenseman has played the entire year in the minor leagues with the Toronto Marlies. That demotion comes after seeing regular NHL minutes the last two seasons, playing 92 games for the Senators since the start of 2017-18.
Obviously, these three names don’t come with a ton of recognition around the league, but the Maple Leafs may not be willing to just give them away. Friedman ponders whether they could be part of a bigger deal, though Toronto will still have to deal with cap implications should they try to add anything to their NHL roster at the moment.
Minnesota Wild To Host 2021 Winter Classic
The Winter Classic is headed north. After the success that the event has been so far in Dallas, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the Minnesota Wild will host in 2021. The game will be held on January 1st at Target Field where the MLB’s Minnesota Twins play. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues have been discussed as possible opponents.
It has been a long wait for the State of Hockey, seemingly the perfect place for an outdoor game thanks to the strong fanbase and climate in Minnesota. The Wild have played in a single outdoor game, the 2016 Stadium Series matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Bettman released a statement about next year’s game:
The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic is about taking hockey back to its outdoor roots – and there is no better place to celebrate the incredible strength surrounding our game than in Minnesota. The Minnesota Wild organization and their fans in the Twin Cities and across the state have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to host the NHL’s New Year’s showcase and we are thrilled to be bringing next year’s game to Target Field.
Though the opponent won’t be announced for some time, fans can already start making plans to find their way down to the ballpark for some New Year’s Day hockey.
Kurtis MacDermid To Have Hearing With DoPS
The Department of Player Safety will be busy to start 2020, as Kurtis MacDermid will have a hearing on Friday following his illegal check to the head last night. The Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman hit Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers with a crushing check at center ice but was not penalized.
MacDermid, 25, was signed by the Kings as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL and has now played in 71 games for them over the last three seasons. In his 26 contests this year he has four points and 29 penalty minutes, lending his huge 6’5″ 233-lbs frame to the fray on a regular basis.
Given that the big defenseman only plays around 13 minutes a night for the Kings, replacing him for a few games due to suspension wouldn’t be too difficult. Given that Provorov did not sustain an injury, the punishment likely won’t be too severe.
Minor Transactions: 01/01/20
It’s the first day of a new decade and the NHL will celebrate by holding the 2020 Winter Classic in Dallas, Texas. The Cotton Bowl will be the site for the outdoor game between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, a football stadium already surrounded by tailgating fans of both teams. While the festivities continue, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor moves.
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent Michael Chaput back to the minor leagues after just a day with the NHL club. The 27-year old has been a force for the Tucson Roadrunners this year with ten goals in just 22 games but is still waiting for a chance to get back into some NHL action. The Coyotes also recalled Kyle Capobianco from the AHL, while sending the recently waived Aaron Ness to the AHL.
- After the Toronto Maple Leafs carried just 12 forwards to their game in Minnesota last night, they’ll bring up an extra body for some insurance. Mason Marchment has earned his first NHL call-up. The son of former NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment, the Maple Leafs’ prospect was given a minor league deal back in 2016 and developed slowly by the team over the last several years.
- J.C. Beaudin has been returned to the AHL by the Ottawa Senators, who will host the Florida Panthers tomorrow night. Beaudin has played in 22 games this season for the Senators but has just a single point. Rudolfs Balcers was recalled to take his place on the roster and should soon see his first NHL action of the season after playing in 36 games in 2018-19.
- Louis Domingue is back with the New Jersey Devils, recalled by the team today after getting some playing time in the minor leagues. Gilles Senn has been sent down after appearing in two games.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Dale Weise from the AHL after Brendan Gallagher suffered an injury last night. Weise hasn’t played a game for the Canadiens this season but does have more than 500 games of NHL experience.
- Nicolas Roy was recalled by the Vegas Golden Knights, something that has happened plenty of times this season. Roy has played in just seven games but was bouncing between the AHL and NHL almost every day earlier in the year.
Aaron Ness Clears Waivers
Wednesday: Morgan reports that Ness has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners.
Tuesday: According to Craig Morgan of The Athletic, the Arizona Coyotes have placed Aaron Ness on waivers. The defenseman already cleared waivers just before the season began, but needs them again in order to go back to the minor leagues.
Ness, 29, has played in 18 games so far this season for the Coyotes, registering one point and 16 hits. The depth defender has actually never played more than 20 NHL games in a single season, with just 65 contests in his entire career. That lack of experience should probably get him through waivers without a problem, along with the fact that he is signed through next season.
There’s no guarantee that he is sent down, but with the Coyotes expecting Niklas Hjalmarsson back soon there won’t be much room in the NHL. Ness has played in just four games for the Tucson Roadrunners this season, but was outstanding for the Hershey Bears last year, scoring 55 points.