Vladimir Tarasenko To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
The St. Louis Blues have announced that star forward Vladimir Tarasenko needs shoulder surgery and will be out for at least five months. He will be re-evaluated at that time, though it means he will miss the vast majority of the remainder of the regular season. Tarasenko will be placed on long-term injured reserve.
This news is absolutely disastrous for the Blues, who are trying to defend their Stanley Cup championship but have already struggled with some inconsistency early on. The team is off to a 6-3-3 start, but will now have to continue without one of their best offensive weapons for much of the season.
Tarasenko, 27, was off to a great start with ten points in nine games before he was forced out of his tenth early on. The sniper had potted at least 33 goals in each of the last five seasons and was a huge part of the Blues’ powerplay. All of that production will now have to be replaced somehow, though if anyone has the depth to accomplish that it might be the Blues.
Not only does the team already have names like Alex Steen and Tyler Bozak playing smaller roles than they have in the past, but young forwards like Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Klim Kostin could be ready to make bigger impacts. Though Kyrou has dealt with his own injury troubles, he was recently loaned back to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and should be approaching a return at some point soon.
There’s obviously no one player that can replace Tarasenko immediately, but given that he’ll be out for almost the entire season the Blues will actually gain the ability to acquire someone if they decide to go down that route. Placing his $7.5MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve will open up some financial flexibility that could lead to them being trade deadline shoppers. That is of course if they decide to try and add instead of sell, given that captain Alex Pietrangelo is still scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Hopefully the team will be able to stay afloat during Tarasenko’s absence and still look like Stanley Cup contenders when he is able to return, which could be just in time for the playoffs given this early timeline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ryan Murray, Alexandre Texier Placed On Injured Reserve
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without two key players for the next few weeks, as both Ryan Murray and Alexandre Texier were placed on injured reserve. Murray is out for three to four weeks with a broken hand, while Texier is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury. Both occurred during the Blue Jackets loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Murray, 26, just can’t seem to stay healthy enough to ever really show what he is capable of. The second-overall pick in 2012 has missed substantial time in six of his seven NHL seasons, only remaining healthy in 2015-16. In fact, Murray has averaged just 53 games played over his career, a mark he’ll hopefully still be able to hit this season after returning in a few weeks.
Not only because of his injury history, Murray has also been involved in trade rumors for some time. With his current contract set to expire after the 2020-21 season and unrestricted free agency awaiting him thereafter, it seemed possible that this was finally the season that the Blue Jackets would find him a new home. Unfortunately this injury complicates things, as teams rarely trade for players dealing with something this serious.
For Texier, this is hopefully not a sign of things to come. The 20-year old forward burst onto the North American scene at the end of last season by dominating for the Cleveland Monsters and then suiting up for the Blue Jackets in the playoffs, and earned himself a full-time role with the club this year. He had just three points through 11 games so far however and had seen his ice time reduced of late. Still, he’s carries huge upside as a two-way player for the Blue Jackets that can play in all situations. Losing him for at least a few weeks will be tough, though he has lots of time to become that impact player.
Minor Transactions: 10/28/19
Another week starts with two games tonight in the NHL, including the league-leading Buffalo Sabres in action once again. Those 9-2-1 Sabres will try to solve the Arizona Coyotes and their sparkling 2.20 goals against average, while the Florida Panthers travel to face the Vancouver Canucks. As teams prepare for tonight and all the week’s action, we’ll be right here keeping track of the minor moves.
- Brian Gibbons has been recalled from the minor leagues once again, returning to the Carolina Hurricanes after just one day. Gibbons has been flipped back and forth several times this month, serving as a depth option for the Hurricanes as they continue to chase a Metropolitan Division playoff spot.
- The Ottawa Senators have returned J.C. Beaudin and Filip Chlapik to the AHL, after both helped the team take down the San Jose Sharks last night. The Senators don’t play a single game this week, meaning the pair of young forwards can be sent down to get in some more action with the AHL club and bank cap space (and salary) for the team.
- After six games in the NHL, Gerald Mayhew is on his way back to the minors. The 26-year old forward finally fought his way to the highest level and even scored twice during his short stint, but with players coming back from injury for the Minnesota Wild he’ll have to wait for his next chance.
- Logan Shaw has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets, who are awaiting a decision from the Department of Player Safety on Adam Lowry. Lowry is facing a potential suspension for a hit he threw in the Heritage Classic on Saturday night, meaning the team needed another forward for the time being.
- The Vegas Golden Knights welcomed several players back to practice today, so needed to clear out some roster space for their return. With that in mind, they have assigned Jake Bischoff, Nicolas Hague, Nicolas Roy and Garret Sparks to the minor leagues. Vegas doesn’t play again until Thursday, giving them a chance to assess the roster before making any final decisions on who is ready to play.
- Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi have both been returned to the AHL, another promising sign for a Pittsburgh Penguins team that is getting healthy again. Johnson and Blandisi both have two points in seven games for Pittsburgh this season and will likely serve as injury depth again at some point.
Devante Smith-Pelly Signs In KHL
Monday: Official now, the Stanley Cup hero will be heading overseas to join Kunlun.
Friday: After failing to land an NHL contract this summer, Devante Smith-Pelly may be taking his talents overseas. A report out of Russia has Smith-Pelly signing with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, though the team has not confirmed it yet. It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as Kunlun already has plenty of former NHL talent with names like Wojtek Wolski, Gilbert Brule, Adam Cracknell, Ryan Sproul and Griffin Reinhart on the roster among others.
Smith-Pelly was released from his professional tryout with the Calgary Flames before the start of the season and wasn’t able to find work elsewhere around the league. The 27-year old played 54 games with the Capitals last season after his 2018 playoff heroics.
Never much of an offensive player in the NHL, Smith-Pelly recorded seven goals during the Capitals Stanley Cup run and earned himself a place in Washington sport lore. Should this signing go through, he’ll try to continue his hockey career in a new country and league, a difficult challenge to be sure.
Zach Trotman Clears Waivers
Saturday: Trotman has cleared waivers, Friedman reports. That paves the way for him to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
Friday: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Zach Trotman on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That suggests the defenseman is healthy enough to return to action after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve.
Trotman, 29, was actually re-signed by the Penguins earlier this year to a two-year contract after serving as injury depth the last couple of seasons. A seventh-round pick of the Boston Bruins, he’s carved out a place as a short-term bottom-pairing option. In 83 NHL games, he has 13 points.
His contract length and uncertain health status will likely keep him from being claimed, meaning the Penguins can use him the same way they did last season when he’s ready to return. Expect to see him at some point this year, but he likely won’t be an impact player for Pittsburgh.
Austin Czarnik Placed On LTIR
Saturday: Head coach Bill Peters told reporters including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg that Czarnik’s injury is a significant one. He pegs a potential return timeline around Christmas which means that Czarnik would be out for two months.
Friday: The Calgary Flames have placed Austin Czarnik on long-term injured reserve after he suffered a lower-body injury last night against the Florida Panthers. That means Czarnik will have to miss at least 10 games or 24 days. The team has recalled Alan Quine from the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the meantime.
It is unfortunate timing for Czarnik, who had points in three straight games and had carved out a bigger role for himself in Calgary. The 26-year old forward played in 54 games for the Flames last season after signing a two-year, $2.5MM deal in free agency, but was obviously hoping to be a more integral part of the team this time around.
The Flames are in a delicate dance with the cap ceiling, but moving Czarnik to long-term injured reserve will actually give them a little more flexibility—at least for now.
Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Kase, Archibald
The St. Louis Blues will be without sniper Vladimir Tarasenko for at least their next two games, as he isn’t traveling with the team on their latest road trip. Tarasenko suffered an upper-body injury last night and will be re-evaluated on Monday.
Here’s some more injury news from around the league:
- The Anaheim Ducks acquired Erik Gudbranson today from the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps in part due to the fact that Josh Manson has been placed on injured reserve. He’ll be joined there by Ondrej Kase, with both players out for at least the next two games. The Ducks say a further update will be given next week, but those are two very important players to lose for a pair of weekend tilts against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
- The New Jersey Devils have activated Will Butcher from injured reserve, though he is still not expected to play tonight when they take on the Arizona Coyotes. In his place, Connor Carrick has been moved to IR with an upper-body injury suffered yesterday in practice.
- Josh Archibald hasn’t scored a point yet for the Edmonton Oilers, and won’t get one anytime soon. That’s because he’s been placed on injured reserve with a right foot fracture and will miss two to four weeks.
Anaheim Ducks Acquire Erik Gudbranson
The Anaheim Ducks have acquired Erik Gudbranson from the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending back Andreas Martinsen and a 2021 seventh-round pick in exchange. That return shows just how little value Gudbranson represented at this point, after struggling early in the season but still carrying a cap hit of $4MM through the 2020-21 season. The Penguins, in cap trouble with players returning from injury, needed to move out at least one defenseman.
It is incredible just how far Gudbranson’s value has fallen in a few short years. In 2010 he was selected third overall by the Florida Panthers—just ahead of Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter, Brett Connolly and Jeff Skinner—as a potential franchise-changing shutdown defenseman. The 6’5″ behemoth could basically do anything he wanted in his own end at the junior level, pushing smaller competition off the puck with ease.
Unfortunately in the NHL, that defensive ability was tested right away. With no offensive game to speak of to help him move the puck quickly out of his own end, Gudbranson put up poor possession numbers right from the start of his career with the Panthers, and never did become that minute-munching defensive stalwart. Through his first five seasons—309 games—he averaged fewer than 18 minutes a night and racked up just 43 points.
Then came trades to Vancouver and finally Pittsburgh, where he actually showed well in short spurts. Paired with Marcus Pettersson for a time last season, Gudbranson played perhaps the best hockey of his career for the Penguins. Unfortunately, that wasn’t good enough to save him from this new fate.
Pittsburgh not only had too many bodies on defense, but they have also been pushed right up against the cap all season. Moving Gudbranson’s entire $4MM cap hit was obviously worth it, and the fact that they didn’t need to include any “kicker” is even better. Martinsen represents a minor league addition and will likely not play many games for Pittsburgh, though he will give the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins another experienced body.
In Anaheim, the team will hope they can bring out the good parts of Gudbranson’s game and make him into the player he was once projected to be. The team has been looking for right-handed defense help for some time, and will at least get plenty of experience in the 27-year old.
Vitali Kravtsov Headed To KHL
New York Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov won’t be playing in the minor leagues much longer, but that doesn’t mean he’s on his way to the NHL. The young forward will exercise his European Assignment Clause to return to the KHL and sign with Traktor Chelyabinsk, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
It is important to note that this does not void his entry-level contract and the Rangers will retain control of Kravtsov. In fact, they could actually recall him from the KHL at any point this season if they want to bring him to the NHL. It does not mean that they will have to fight to convince him to come back over next season.
For the player, the reasoning for this move is obvious. Kravtsov had played just five games for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL this season, sitting as a healthy scratch for one game and being benched for long stretches of several others. In the KHL he will likely be given a bigger opportunity, though the Rangers will not have as much control over his development.
Selected ninth overall in 2018, there are few prospects in the league that posses as much upside as Kravtsov. The 19-year old winger has a long reach and staggering puck skills, but can fall into the habit of staying to the outside and not contributing when he is away from the puck.
Luke Glendening Out Two To Four Weeks
The Detroit Red Wings placed both Luke Glendening and Danny DeKeyser on injured reserve and gave an update on their status this morning. Glendening will be out two to four weeks while DeKeyser is out for “at least” two weeks. Justin Abdelkader is also listed as day-to-day.
Glendening, 30, has never been much of an offensive force for the Red Wings but is still relied upon by the coaching staff as a defensive presence. His faceoff ability has always been strong, and he’s shown a willingness to engage physically at both ends of the rink.
That defensive ability and experience actually makes Glendening an interesting trade candidate for the team if they look to shed expiring contracts at the deadline, but he’ll have to get healthy and prove he can still contribute.
For DeKeyser, missing chunks of the season has become routine. The 29-year old defenseman has played just 65 and 52 games the last two seasons, but was still logging more than 22 minutes a night for the Red Wings as a key part of their defense. With a contract that carries a $5MM cap hit through 2021-22, Detroit needs DeKeyser to be healthy and on the ice more often this season. Missing two weeks isn’t a good start.