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Maple Leafs Notes: Liljegren, Muzzin, Moldenhauer

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a tailspin with four losses in a row, but at least they are getting a reinforcement. Timothy Liljegren, who was expected to take another step in terms of responsibility and ice time this season, will re-enter the lineup on Saturday, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet.

Now 23, Liljegren was the 17th overall pick in 2017 and has played just 74 games in the NHL to this point. He showed flashes of top-four potential last season, with 23 points in 61 games, but was injured in training camp and placed on long-term injured reserve.

  • One of the reasons why Liljegren is so necessary is the injury to Jake Muzzin, which wasn’t updated by head coach Sheldon Keefe today. As Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports, Muzzin is awaiting some test results from a neck specialist. The 33-year-old Muzzin has dealt with several head, neck, and back injuries over the last few seasons, so the team will go slow with his recovery.
  • Maple Leafs prospect Nick Moldenhauer has committed to the University of Michigan for next season, where he’ll continue his development after his USHL career comes to an end. The 2022 third-round pick has ten goals in his first 11 games for the Chicago Steel this season.

Boston Bruins Recall Keith Kinkaid

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With Jeremy Swayman exiting last night’s game with an injury, the Boston Bruins have recalled another goaltender for the time being. Keith Kinkaid is coming up from the minor leagues, according to the AHL transaction portal. He is up under emergency conditions, meaning he’ll return as soon as Swayman is healthy.

Kinkaid, 33, has been excellent for the Providence Bruins so far, posting a .922 save percentage in four appearances. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given his long professional career that includes 167 games in the NHL.

For now, Linus Ullmark will be called upon to be the Bruins full-time starter, though it may not be for long. There is no official update on Swayman yet, but Matt Porter of the Boston Globe tweeted last night that the netminder was walking around the dressing room with ice on his knee and no crutches.

If he has avoided any serious damage, the Bruins should be totally fine with an Ullmark-Kinkaid tandem for the time being. There are certainly worse third-string options to have available.

Casey Cizikas Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine

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When Casey Cizikas was thrown out of last night’s game between the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks, some wondered whether he would be handed further punishment from the league. He has, but it isn’t a suspension.

The Department of Player Safety has fined Cizikas $5,000 for goaltender interference after he crashed into Alex Stalock, forcing the netminder from the game and causing him to enter the concussion protocol. Cizikas earned a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play, which happened early in the first period.

That game misconduct would have been considered in the league’s decision to not issue a suspension, as Cizikas ended up playing just 46 seconds of the game.

He’ll be eligible to return to the squad tomorrow for their game against the St. Louis Blues, while Stalock remains out. The Blackhawks were forced to sign Dylan Wells to an NHL contract in the meantime.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Dylan Wells

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With Alex Stalock entering concussion protocol last night, the Chicago Blackhawks will be forced to add another goaltender. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that it will be Dylan Wells, who was signed to an AHL contract. The Blackhawks have signed the young goaltender to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K in the NHL and $80K in the AHL.

Petr Mrazek is still out with a groin injury, while the only other goaltender signed, Jaxson Stauber, was injured over the weekend. That means it will be Arvid Soderblom and Wells for the time being, at least until one of Stalock and Mrazek are able to return.

Despite a strong early start to the year, things are trending in the wrong (or right?) direction for the Blackhawks. Wells, 24, has never played in an NHL game, and has just 24 games of AHL experience under his belt. Most of his time as a professional has come in the ECHL, and even there he has struggled to put up consistently strong numbers.

With Seth Jones and Tyler Johnson both out, the goaltending situation a complete question mark, and the team now on a four-game losing streak, the Blackhawks could quickly be down at the bottom of the standings where most expected them to be this season.

Ivan Demidov Making KHL Debut

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The 2023 NHL Draft is being hyped as one of the most important in several years, thanks to the trio of outstanding forwards at the top of the board. Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Matvei Michkov would all likely be considered for the first-overall pick in weaker years, making a tank effort even more worthwhile this time around.

But teams also have to start looking ahead to 2024 and getting closer looks at the top players that may be available. One of those players, Ivan Demidov, will be making his KHL debut today at the age of 16. Playing for the SKA St. Petersburg organization, Demidov has ten goals and 27 points in 19 games in the MHL this season and will get a look with the big club according to his agent Dan Milstein.

The left-shot winger was excellent at the most recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, scoring five points in five games despite being younger than most of his competition, and will now make his professional debut months before he even turns 17.

There have been a handful of players who have made their debuts at 16, including Michkov, and there’s no guarantee that it means big things for Demidov. But for fans looking ahead, it’s exciting to see another young prospect tested against professionals so early.

Logan Stanley Out With Fractured Foot

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Nov 2: Stanley has been moved to injured reserve and the Jets have recalled Jansen Harkins under emergency conditions.

Nov 1: It seemed as though Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley had avoided serious injury when he accompanied the team on the road but the foot injury that he suffered last month will keep him out for a little while yet. Head coach Rick Bowness told reporters including John Lu of TSN that Stanley has a “slight fracture” in his foot and will be out for a couple of weeks.

Stanley, 24, was expected to take another step forward this season in terms of production and responsibility, but the new coaching staff has actually played him even less. The 6’7″ behemoth has averaged fewer than 15 minutes a night, ranking only barely ahead of Dylan Samberg (the player that replaced him in the lineup) for the least among Jets defensemen.

Losing him then won’t be a huge issue, but explains why the team is still carrying eight defensemen even as they return home for the next three games.

Missed time has ripple effects though, and in Stanley’s case, could have a negative impact on contract negotiations next spring. He is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, and that process is already rather unkind to defensive defensemen that don’t have high point totals. If he misses a chunk or even finds himself replaced on a regular basis, there won’t be much leverage come the offseason.

Ottawa Senators Re-Assign Dillon Heatherington

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The Ottawa Senators have sent depth defenseman Dillon Heatherington back to the minor leagues, as they arrive back for a three-game homestand. The move leaves them with six healthy defensemen on the roster.

Heatherington, 27, never did actually play during this recent call-up, and still has just 20 NHL appearances to his name. Without Artem Zub, who is out a few weeks with an upper-body injury, the Senators are struggling to find the right mix of playing time on defense. Nikita Zaitsev, banished to the press box earlier this season, ended up playing over 19 minutes last night because of all the penalties they took against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Both he and Nick Holden spent more than ten minutes shorthanded, leading to the Lightning outshooting the Senators 34-15 overall. They aren’t going to win many games playing a man down, and could sure use Zub’s stabilizing presence as soon as possible.

For Heatherington, he’ll have to return to the Belleville Senators and wait for his next chance. In six games there this season he has one goal and eight penalty minutes.

Snapshots: Senators, Pinto, Oilers

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The Ottawa Senators could be next on the list of NHL franchises being sold, as Sportico reports that the organization has hired Galatioto Sports Partners to aid in the sale, the same group that is currently selling the Los Angeles Angels of the MLB. Sportico places the Senators’ franchise value at $655MM.

Control of the Senators transitioned to Anna and Olivia Melnyk earlier this year when long-time owner Eugene Melnyk passed away. The most recent sales in the NHL have been the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators, the latter of which is being finalized currently.

  • One of the reasons that the Senators have raised in value and expectations so quickly is because of the play of their young stars. Shane Pinto, one of those youngsters, was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October. With six goals in eight games, Pinto is tied with Brady Tkachuk for the team lead.
  • The Edmonton Oilers are getting some bodies back, as they have activated both Vincent Desharnais and Raphael Lavoie from the season-opening injured reserve and assigned them to the AHL. Lavoie, 22, was the 38th overall pick in 2019 and scored 26 points in 56 games for Bakersfield last season.

Ondrej Palat Undergoes Surgery

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The New Jersey Devils will be without their big offseason signing for the foreseeable future, announcing today that Ondrej Palat has undergone successful groin surgery. Palat is expected to make a full recovery, but his recovery timeline has yet to be determined.

It’s tough news for the Devils, who after a brutal start have started to turn into a contender in the Metropolitan Division. Palat had been part of that, with three goals in his first six games with New Jersey, but so has Fabian Zetterlund, who has been given a bigger opportunity with the veteran sidelined.

Hopefully, Palat will be able to return at some point and bring his Stanley Cup experience to the table once again. The scariest part of any free agent contract is usually the fact that it’s going to an older player, and the five-year $30MM deal for Palat is no different.

He has dealt with plenty of injury issues in the past, failing to play in 80 games since his rookie season. Still, the Devils got him more for his postseason experience than anything else, so perhaps he’ll still be able to make the impact they hoped for down the road.

For now, the young group will have to look elsewhere for their veteran presence.

Connor Brown Undergoes Surgery

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The Washington Capitals thought they were adding a versatile middle-six forward that could contribute in all situations this summer when they traded for Connor Brown. That contribution could last less than four games, as Brown has undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. The recovery timeline, based on the nature of the procedure, is six to eight months.

While he hasn’t been ruled out for the full season, Brown’s return in 2022-23 is “highly unlikely” according to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.

Given that he is on an expiring contract, this is worst-case news for the 28-year-old forward, who got an early chance to play alongside Alex Ovechkin to start the year.

After spending the last three seasons playing huge minutes for the rebuilding Ottawa Senators, Brown was an attractive piece for a team like the Capitals looking to add veteran depth to their forward group.

Instead, it looks like he’ll enter contract negotiations with a zero-point season unless he can find a way to make a return before the end of the year. Brown was scoreless through the three-and-a-half games he managed in a Washington uniform.

If needed, Brown’s $3.6MM cap hit can be moved to long-term injured reserve, opening up a little bit of flexibility for the Capitals. Unfortunately, the team’s forward group keeps losing talent, with T.J. Oshie going down recently. While Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom are getting closer to a return, the veteran group in Washington will be tested this season – potentially opening up time for some younger players to make their mark.

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