Taylor Hall To Return To Lineup Monday
Oct. 16, 10:06 a.m.: Call it a miraculously short recovery period for Hall, who says he expects to draw into the lineup Monday night against Toronto. “I wouldn’t say I’m 110 percent, but definitely good enough to play and much better than I was even two days ago,” Hall said. It’s great news for Chicago, who wasn’t expecting to see their top-line winger for quite a while longer.
Oct. 13, 1:56 p.m.: Per Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, Taylor Hall has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day with an upper-body injury. NBCS Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, Hall told Richardson he feels like a “miracle healer” with how quickly he’s bounced back from the Wednesday night injury. He even felt good enough to skate at the Blackhawks’ practice today and, while he’s set to miss Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, could be eyeing a quick return.
This would be great news for Blackhawks fans, as Hall has spent nearly all of his ice time playing alongside rookie sensation Connor Bedard, even providing the primary assist on the 18-year-old’s first NHL goal. Their line, which is completed by winger Ryan Donato, has been a focal piece in Chicago’s early season, with Bedard averaging 21-and-a-half minutes of ice time through the first two games.
The Blackhawks acquired Hall this off-season, looking to add a sparkplug to work with Bedard. Hall has played for five different clubs over the last seven seasons and has struggled to return to the 90-point upside he flashed in the 2017-18 season. The closest he’s gotten was in 2021-22 when he netted 61 points in 81 games with the Boston Bruins. Hall will look to regain his former scoring potential, now playing alongside a historic talent and fellow first-overall draftee.
In Hall’s absence, Andreas Athanasiou joined Bedard and Donato on the team’s top line. However, it was Taylor Raddysh who skated with the duo at the team’s Friday practice, while Athanasiou worked with Raddysh’s old line of Lukas Reichel and Tyler Johnson. With Hall slated to miss at least one game, who the Blackhawks decide to pair with Bedard could be interesting.
Taylor Hall Expects To Return Monday
Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach left last night’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury, according to an announcement from the club. Dach was the recipient of a big hit from Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi, one that sent Dach into the Blackhawks’ bench. It appears as though Dach’s injury came from that hit, and at this moment the team has not released any additional details on Dach’s absence.
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall told the media today, including the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope, that he’s preparing to play Monday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Such a return would represent a quick turnaround for Hall, who suffered a shoulder injury in the Blackhawks’ second game of the season, against his former team the Boston Bruins. Hall said that although his shoulder still “doesn’t feel great” it’s good enough to allow him to return to the lineup.
Blackhawks’ Taylor Hall Out Week-To-Week
Oct. 12: 7:57 a.m.: Hall is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters postgame. After splitting their first two games of the season, Hall’s absence likely means one of Mackenzie Entwistle or Reese Johnson will make their season debut Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Oct. 11, 9:02 p.m.: The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that veteran forward Taylor Hall left tonight’s game with an apparent injury he suffered in the first period of their matchup with the Boston Bruins. Little is known about Hall’s status as he did return in the second period of the game to take a shift on the powerplay but then left the ice and went straight up the tunnel immediately after.
The injury likely occurred when Hall took a hit in the neutral zone from former Bruins teammate Brandon Carlo. He stayed on the ice for some time before returning to the bench and making his way to the dressing room. The Hawks then ruled Hall out at the start of the third period leading to speculation about the severity of the 31-year-old’s injury.
Hall was expected to be a big part of the Blackhawks’ offense this season as they traded for him to be rookie Connor Bedard’s winger. With Hall out of action, veteran Andreas Athanasiou filled in along with Bedard and Ryan Donato. The Blackhawks don’t exactly have the depth to manage a long-term injury to a top 6 winger, and while they hardly view themselves as contenders this season, they likely want to give Bedard every opportunity to thrive with offensively capable linemates.
Hall didn’t have a very good season last year in Boston and was looking for a bounce-back campaign in Chicago. The former Hart Trophy winner posted just 16 goals and 20 assists last season in 61 games and was traded by the Bruins in a summer move that was basically a cap dump. Hall is now five years removed from his MVP season; however, he still is an impact player that could do a lot of damage with Bedard this season.
If Hall is out any length of time, it could make things more difficult for the Blackhawks to insulate Bedard, as they would have very few offensive weapons to line up alongside the rookie phenom. Chicago has plenty of capable NHLers, but there aren’t many of them who should be playing top 6 minutes in the NHL, and even fewer who should be playing on a team’s top line.
Waivers: 10/08/23
Oct. 9: Four players on this list were claimed today: A.J. Greer (Calgary), John Ludvig (Pittsburgh), Ivan Prosvetov (Colorado), and Lassi Thomson (Ottawa). All others have cleared and are expected to be assigned to their team’s respective AHL affiliates, aside from Boyd, who PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports remains on the Coyotes’ active roster for now.
Oct. 8: It’s expected to be a busy day on the waiver wire, as NHL teams are making their final adjustments to the roster they’ll bring into the start of the 2023-24 season. There have already been numerous notable names exposed to the waiver wire thus far this preseason, and that list could only expand today. All players from yesterday’s waiver wire have cleared.
Anaheim Ducks
D Lassi Thomson
G Alex Stalock
F Andrew Agozzino
Boston Bruins
Arizona Coyotes
F Travis Boyd
F Zach Sanford
G Ivan Prosvetov
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
F Raphael Lavoie
F Lane Pederson
D Ben Gleason
Florida Panthers
F Zac Dalpe
D John Ludvig
D Casey Fitzgerald
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Joel Armia
D Gustav Lindström
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
G Magnus Hellberg
F Colin White
D Mark Friedman
F Vinnie Hinostroza
F Radim Zohorna
St. Louis Blues
F Mackenzie MacEachern
D Calle Rosen
G Malcolm Subban
F Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Zach Bogosian
F Gabriel Fortier
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Martin Jones
F Kyle Clifford
F Dylan Gambrell
D William Lagesson
D Maxime Lajoie
Vancouver Canucks
F Jack Studnicka
D Christian Wolanin
Vegas Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets
D Kyle Capobianco
G Collin Delia
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The big surprise here out of Arizona regards Boyd. The versatile 30-year-old veteran doesn’t have an exorbitant contract (just $1.75MM through the end of the season) and has scored 69 points across the last two seasons.
He’s been something of a breakout player for the Coyotes as his 17-goal, 35-point 2022-23 was far and away his best season in his career, so it’s definitely a surprise to see him exposed on waivers.
For Anaheim, the move to waive Stalock likely means that Lukáš Dostál has won the Ducks’ backup goalie job behind John Gibson, as should Stalock clear the Ducks will have the option to send him down to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
In Edmonton, it comes as a little bit of a surprise to see Lavioe waived. The 23-year-old power forward was drafted just outside of the 2019 first round, and took a real step forward in his development last season. He became a genuinely impactful AHLer, scoring 25 goals and 45 points. He’s a name to watch in terms of players with the potential to be claimed out of this group.
Anderson-Dolan finally made the NHL on an extended basis last season, and scored 12 points in 46 games. He even got some playoff action under his belt, but seeing as he was a near-point-per-game scorer in his last season in the AHL, it seems the Kings could prefer to have him start the season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Rosen appears the likeliest candidate from the Blues’ group of waived players to be of interest to other teams, as he’s owed just a $762.5k cap hit this season and impressed in 49 games of NHL action last season. He scored 18 points in that span and could interest teams in need of some additional defensive help.
Out of Tampa is Bogosian, and it’s reported that the Lightning are hoping to put the veteran blueliner in a position to land on another team where he can play a bigger role than he’d be offered in Tampa. The 33-year-old won a Stanley Cup for the Lightning and it seems that the organization is looking to do right by the player while also turning to other options to staff their defense.
One of the biggest names on waivers comes out of Toronto, as Jones played in 48 games last season but now finds himself exposed to 31 other clubs. With an $875k cap hit, the veteran netminder could end up claimed by teams in need of instant goaltending support, such as the Lightning who don’t have much depth after the injury to superstar Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Colin Blackwell Returns To Practice
- Chicago Blackhawks depth forward Colin Blackwell practiced for the first time in over six months today as he continues his recovery from sports hernia surgery in March, reports Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Blackhawks expected Blackwell back for the beginning of camp, but the player said he hadn’t fully recovered when he first took the ice last month. With the pending return to health, the 30-year-old becomes a waiver candidate in the coming days after posting just two goals and ten points in 53 contests with Chicago last season.
Blackhawks Recall Three From Rockford
- The Blackhawks have recalled forwards Dave Gust, Brett Seney, and Mike Hardman from Rockford of the AHL, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. The three have already cleared waivers in training camp and these temporary promotions won’t count against their 10-game/30-day clock before they’d need to pass through again.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/23
The start of the regular season is less than a week away, and clubs are narrowing down their opening-day rosters. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
G Calle Clang (to San Diego, AHL)
F Glenn Gawdin (to San Diego, AHL)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO to San Diego, AHL)
F Nikita Nesterenko (to San Diego, AHL)
F Pavol Regenda (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
F Trevor Kuntar (to Providence, AHL)
F Marc McLaughlin (to Providence, AHL)
F Jayson Megna (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Georgii Merkulov (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
F Jiri Kulich (to Rochester, AHL)
F Brett Murray (to Rochester, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Isak Rosén (to Rochester, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via CapFriendly)
G Jaxson Stauber (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
F Peter Holland (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nate Clurman (to Colorado, AHL)
F Oskar Olausson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ondrej Pavel (to Colorado, AHL)
G Trent Miner (to Colorado, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Artem Anisimov (released from PTO, remains free agent)
Minnesota Wild (via team release) (supplementary release)
F Jujhar Khaira (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Vinni Lettieri (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Dakota Mermis (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Nic Petan (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Samuel Walker (to Iowa, AHL)
G Jesper Wallstedt (to Iowa, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
D Callan Foote (to Utica, AHL) pending waiver clearance
G Erik Källgren (to Utica, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
D Ronald Attard (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Ginning (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tanner Laczynski (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Calvin Petersen (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Samu Tuomaala (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release)
F Justin Bailey (released from PTO to San Jose, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to San Jose, AHL) pending waiver clearance
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Kurashev Likely To Miss Opening Night
Relaying a note from the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Kyle Davidson, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that forward Philipp Kurashev will be out at least another week due to a wrist injury, and will likely miss the first couple of games of the regular season. On a more positive note, even though he will miss game action, Kurashev has returned to skating for the time being.
When healthy, Kurashev is largely projected to participate in the Blackhawks’ top-six forward group on a weak roster, and will likely factor into the middle-six once Chicago is set to contend. Last year, Kurashev played in 70 games overall, scoring nine goals and 16 assists, as well as a -32 rating. This summer, the Blackhawks added heavily to their forward core, drafting Connor Bedard, as well as acquiring Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry to surround some of their younger forward core, such as Kurashev.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/02/23
AHL training camps are beginning to kick into gear as NHL teams make some of their final training camp cuts. As always, we’ll keep track of those roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Diego, AHL)
D Drew Helleson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Tyson Hinds (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jaxsen Wiebe (to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release)
F Josh Doan (to Tucson, AHL)
F Curtis Douglas (to Tucson, AHL)
F Conor Geekie (to Wenatchee, WHL)
F Milos Kelemen (to Tucson, AHL)
D Michael Kesselring (to Tucson, AHL)
D Patrik Koch (to Tucson, AHL)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (to Tucson, AHL)
F Ben McCartney (to Tucson, AHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to Tucson, AHL)
F Austin Poganski (released from PTO to Tucson, AHL)
F Aku Räty (to Tucson, AHL)
F Nathan Smith (to Tucson, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
F John Farinacci (to Providence, AHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
Chicago Blackhawks (via The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus)
G Drew Commesso (to Rockford, AHL)
D Louis Crevier (to Rockford, AHL)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dave Gust (to Rockford, AHL)
F Mike Hardman (to Rockford, AHL)
F Gavin Hayes (to Flint, OHL)
F Paul Ludwinski (to Kingston, OHL)
F Ryder Rolston (to Rockford, AHL)
D Filip Roos (to Rockford, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via Twitter)
G Arvid Holm (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ivan Ivan (to Colorado, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
F Francesco Arcuri (to Texas, AHL)
F Ben Berard (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
G Christopher Gibson (released from PTO)
D Artem Grushnikov (to Texas, AHL)
D Michael Karow (released from PTO to Texas, AHL)
D Christian Kyrou (to Texas, AHL)
F Kyle McDonald (to Texas, AHL)
F Keaton Mastrodonato (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (released from PTO to Texas, AHL)
D Jacob Murray (released from PTO)
G Matt Murray (to Texas, AHL)
F Scott Reedy (to Texas, AHL)
F Matthew Seminoff (to Texas, AHL)
F Antonio Stranges (to Texas, AHL)
G Bryan Thomson (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
D Gavin White (to Texas, AHL)
D Benjamin Zloty (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
Florida Panthers (via team release)
F Liam Arnsby (to North Bay, OHL)
D Mike Benning (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Riley Bezeau (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Santtu Kinnunen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Ryan McAllister (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Evan Nause (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Calle Sjalin (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Zachary Uens (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Ludovic Waeber (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Jake Wise (to Charlotte, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release)
F Lias Andersson (to Laval, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Utica, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Michael Vukojevic (to Utica, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
G Louis Domingue (to Hartford, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
G Kevin Mandolese (to Belleville, AHL)
D Tyler Kleven (to Belleville, AHL)
D Nikolas Matinpalo (to Belleville, AHL)
F Zack Ostapchuk (to Belleville, AHL)
F Cole Reinhardt (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
D Louis Belpedio (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Adam Brooks (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Matt Brown (released from PTO to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Brendan Furry (released from PTO to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Rhett Gardner (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Olle Lycksell (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Matteo Mann (to Saint John, QMJHL)
F Cooper Marody (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Victor Mete (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
St. Louis Blues (via Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
F William Bitten (to Springfield, AHL)
D Wyatt Kalynuk (to Springfield, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Springfield, AHL)
F Matthew Peca (to Springfield, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)
F Nicholas Abruzzese (to Toronto, AHL)
F Joseph Blandisi (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
G Luke Cavallin (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D Nolan Dillingham (released from ATO to Toronto, AHL)
F Max Ellis (to Toronto, AHL)
D Matt Hellickson (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
G Dennis Hildeby (to Toronto, AHL)
F Roni Hirvonen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Braeden Kressler (to Toronto, AHL)
F Robert Mastrosimone (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D Topi Niemelä (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmitri Ovchinnikov (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jay O’Brien (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
G Vyacheslav Peksa (to Toronto, AHL)
D Matteo Pietroniro (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D Marshall Rifai (to Toronto, AHL)
F Logan Shaw (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Neil Shea (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Tate Singleton (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Josiah Slavin (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Alex Steeves (to Toronto, AHL)
F Keenan Suthers (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Ryan Tverberg (to Toronto, AHL)
D Jonny Tychonick (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D William Villeneuve (to Toronto, AHL)
F Ty Voit (to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Weiss (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
D Chase Priskie (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via Twitter)
F Colby Barlow (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Chaz Lucius (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Elias Salomonsson (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Danny Zhilkin (to Manitoba, AHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day
Evening Notes: Savoie, Holland, Pinto
Scott Powers of The Athletic tweeted tonight that Chicago Blackhawks forward Samuel Savoie had successful surgery today on his right femur and is expected to fully recover. The 19-year-old prospect was injured yesterday after colliding with defenseman Alex Goligoski in a game against the Minnesota Wild and had to be stretchered off the ice. He was unable to travel with the Blackhawks and reportedly had surgery in Minnesota this morning.
Savoie has been ruled out of action indefinitely and appears to have a long recovery ahead of him after suffering a very scary injury. The 2022 third-round pick was expected to return to the QMJHL to be a big piece of the Gatineau Olympiques this season, but his season might have ended before it even began. Savoie had 26 goals and 33 assists in 60 games last year for the Olympiques and was expected to take a big step forward offensively this season.
In other evening notes:
- Peter Baugh of The Athletic tweeted that forward Peter Holland has elected to continue his PTO with the Colorado Avalanche and report to their AHL affiliate the Colorado Eagles. Holland will join the AHL camp as he continues his quest to get back to the NHL for the first time since 2017-18 when he dressed in 23 games for the New York Rangers. Holland was always a long shot to make the Avalanche as he did not play professional hockey last season. Despite the setback, one must admire his determination to make it back to the NHL.
- Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia writes about the latest in the Ottawa Senators negotiations with restricted free agent center Shane Pinto. Garrioch believes that the two sides will need to find common ground as Pinto is looking for $2.5MM per year on a two-year bridge contract, while the Senators are looking for a Morgan Frost type contract at $2.1MM per season. Garrioch adds that his belief is that Pinto wants to remain a member of the Senators and that the team wants to keep him long-term. Pinto had 20 goals and 15 assists last season in 82 games and is seen by many as the long-term solution for the Senators in the third-line center role. His presence will be key for the Senators as their bottom-six forward group is very underwhelming without Pinto centering the third line.