- Avalanche winger Matt Calvert took to the ice on Friday before practice for the first time since being hit with a shot to the side of the head last Saturday, reports Ben Frederickson of the Denver Post. While there’s no timetable for his return, that’s certainly a positive sign. Meanwhile, he adds that winger Tyson Jost (upper body) is doubtful to play tonight against Toronto. He has missed the past three games due to the injury. They sent Jayson Megna down yesterday which hinted that Jost may be ready but Colorado still has 12 healthy forwards on their roster so they won’t need to call him back up.
Avalanche Rumors
Minor Transactions: 11/22/19
The hockey world may be talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ performance under new head coach Sheldon Keefe a lot today, but there was plenty of other action last night–some with real consequences. The Calgary Flames, who have struggled for an identity all season, were torn apart by the defending Stanley Cup champions and look like a team searching for answers in the wrong textbook. The Florida Panthers completed their second incredible comeback in just over a week and the New York Islanders stayed hot with another overtime victory. As teams take in some video sessions and examine what happened last night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled J.C. Beaudin and Maxime Lajoie for their game tonight, as Vladislav Namestnikov is not expected to play. Beaudin is actually taking up residence as the fourth-line center, with Colin White moved over to the wing for the time being.
- Christian Djoos is back with the Washington Capitals, after starring with the Hershey Bears for the first month of the season. The 25-year old defenseman has played 108 games in the NHL over the last two seasons but due to cap restraints had to go down to start the year. Tyler Lewington has been returned to the AHL in his place.
- It is a day that ends in “Y” so Charles Hudon has been involved in a transaction once again. This time he’s back up with the Montreal Canadiens as they prepare for the weekend action.
- Matt Luff is heading back to the minor leagues, assigned to the Ontario Reign today by the Los Angeles Kings. The 22-year old forward played in four games during this most recent recall, after spending 33 games with the team last season.
- Givani Smith has been activated from injured reserve by the Detroit Red Wings, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to suit up for the NHL club. Smith was immediately reassigned to the minor leagues where he has played most of this season.
- The Nashville Predators have sent Steven Santini back to the minor leagues, as they prepare for a game tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues. Santini has played two games for the Predators this year after being acquired in the P.K. Subban this summer.
- Nicolas Roy has been moved to the AHL by the Vegas Golden Knights, who have been doing this consistently all season to save some cap space. The team is banking room by having fewer than 23 players on the roster on non-game days.
- With Scott Laughton activated from injured reserve, the Philadelphia Flyers have sent Andy Andreoff back to the AHL. Andreoff has played in six games for the Flyers this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche have returned Jayson Megna to the minors. He has played in eight NHL games this season but has averaged less than seven minutes per night. The move suggests that Tyson Jost may be nearing a return.
Mikko Rantanen Getting Closer To Return, Gabriel Landeskog Hasn't Resumed Skating Yet
- It appears the Avalanche are getting close to getting at least one of their top forwards back. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that winger Mikko Rantanen could rejoin the team soon as he continues to ramp up his skating while working his way back from a lower-body injury. The news isn’t as good for Gabriel Landeskog though. He has yet to start skating after suffering a foot injury last month and will be going to be re-evaluated later this week.
Philipp Grubauer Activated From Injured Reserve
Not only did the Colorado Avalanche send Adam Werner back to the minor leagues yesterday, but now Antoine Bibeau has joined him heading back to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. That’s because Philipp Grubauer has been activated from injured reserve and Pavel Francouz is also set to dress again for the team.
The Avalanche were forced to use Werner and Bibeau for three games when they lost both NHL goaltenders suddenly, and the pair got two wins for the club. Werner’s came in a 40-save shutout when he took over for Francouz early against the Winnipeg Jets, while Bibeau took home a victory over the weekend against the Vancouver Canucks. The fact that the Avalanche were able to win two tough Western Conference matchups with minor league goaltending and two-thirds of their top line out shows just how dangerous they are this year.
Now, they’ll get their regular tandem back for the next stretch of games and try to keep pace with the surging St. Louis Blues atop the Central Division. Colorado takes on the Flames tonight and Grubauer is expected to start. He is 6-3-2 this season with a .915 save percentage in 11 outings.
Minor Transactions: 11/19/19
After a quiet two days the NHL is back in full force tonight with 26 teams in action. That includes Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk returning to St. Louis to take on their former team, this time suiting up for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are floundering in sixth place in the Atlantic Division but have played the fewest games of any team in the league and still have plenty of time to turn things around. While teams prepare for the busy night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- Those Lightning are dealing with a few bumps and bruises, so Cory Conacher has been recalled from the minor leagues to serve as some extra forward depth for this evening. The 29-year old Conacher has one again found success in the minor leagues, scoring 12 points in 16 games this season for the Syracuse Crunch.
- Adam Werner has been sent back to the Colorado Eagles as the Avalanche goaltenders start to get healthy, but the team has also made another transaction. A.J. Greer has been recalled according to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic, giving the young forward another chance at the NHL. Greer was a second-round pick in 2015 but has played just 37 games so far for the Avalanche, scoring six points.
- The Calgary Flames will try to insert even more physicality into the lineup after recalling Zac Rinaldo from the minor leagues. The team has sent the struggling Tobias Rieder to the AHL in his place. Rinaldo, has played in 351 NHL games, recording 719 penalty minutes.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Gilbert, Calvert
The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and it will surprise absolutely no one to see Connor McDavid on the top. The Edmonton Oilers captain scored ten points in three games including an incredible six-point game against the Colorado Avalanche. McDavid is on pace to score 149 points this season.
Speaking of the Colorado Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon takes home the second star after his own excellent week with seven points in three games. Keith Yandle took the third spot after posting eight points and now sits sixth among all NHL defensemen in scoring.
- The AHL has suspended Chicago Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert for two games after an interference incident on Saturday night. Gilbert is still looking for his first point at any level this season after going scoreless through seven AHL games and three NHL games.
- Matt Calvert has been sent back to Colorado and is out indefinitely after taking a puck to the head over the weekend. Calvert’s injury was the subject of much discussion in the hockey world after the officials did not blow the whistle even with him bleeding profusely on the ice. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports that Logan O’Connor has been recalled from the AHL Eagles, likely indicating that Calvert is headed for a stint on the injured reserve.
Minor Transactions: 11/16/19
It’s a very busy Saturday in the NHL today as 30 of 31 teams are in action with Columbus being the lone squad with a night off following their overtime victory over St. Louis last night. There is only one other time where that will happen this season and that’s on April 4th (where Columbus will once again be the only squad not playing). There will likely be plenty of roster movement around the league as a result of the 15 games on the schedule and we’ll keep track of those here.
- The Penguins announced that they have recalled center Joseph Blandisi from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. This will be his second stint with Pittsburgh this season after he collected a goal and an assist in a seven-game stint last month. The 25-year-old has played in 87 games over his NHL career and has been reasonably productive overall in that span with 28 points under his belt. To make room for Blandisi on the roster, the team has transferred Sidney Crosby to injured reserve as he’s expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this week.
- With Washington only having enough cap room to dress 11 forwards (with seven defensemen) last night, they’ve announced some roster shuffling to get them a 12th forward. Blueliner Tyler Lewington and goalie Ilya Samsonov have been assigned to Hershey (AHL) while center Travis Boyd and goalie Vitek Vanecek have been recalled. Samsonov has fared well with the Capitals this season but makes a bit over $200K more than Vanecek so sending him down temporarily at least gives them the short-term ability to dress the usual number of forwards.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have activated defenseman Connor Murphy off of long-term injured reserve. The 26-year-old blueliner has been out 11 games with a groin injury, but is ready to return to action Saturday against the Predators. Murphy has no points in six games this season, but should help the team’s defense.
- The Colorado Avalanche announced they have assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Connauton was recalled Tuesday and played Thursday against Edmonton where he played 17:14.
Zadorov Could Return Saturday, Francouz Also Nearing Return
- It was only last week that Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov was believed to be out week-to-week due to a broken jaw. However, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters, including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link), that the blueliner will join up with the team as their road trip continues in Vancouver and that he could be available on Saturday night. That would be a nice boost for a team that has recently been ravaged by injuries and finds themselves down both of their regular goalies for the time being although Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater relays (via Twitter) that Pavel Francouz is currently in concussion protocol but might only miss another day or two.
Colorado Avalanche Facing Tricky Goaltending Situation
4:42pm: Well, that was fast. The Avalanche have recalled Bibeau from the AHL, though it is not clear if he could actually play for the team if they needed him. He last played for the Eagles on October 4th.
4:33pm: The Colorado Avalanche got an outstanding performance from Adam Werner in his first NHL appearance last night, stopping all 40 shots in a shutout of the Winnipeg Jets. Werner had been called up to serve as a backup goaltender for Colorado, but ended up in the net when Pavel Francouz suffered an injury just 31 seconds into the game. Philipp Grubauer, the team’s regular starter was already missing the game due to an injury of his own.
Though details on Francouz’ injury are few, Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now has heard that the team will recall another goaltender. Who that might be is a bit of a mystery however, as the only other goaltender under an NHL contract in the organization is Antoine Bibeau, who is dealing with his own injury and has played just a single game for the Colorado Eagles this season.
Grubauer is nearing a return, but if he and Francouz both aren’t ready to go tomorrow night it poses a problem for the Avalanche. Either they can dress one of their injured goaltenders with no intent of playing him, giving the net to Werner regardless of what happens, or find another way of getting an NHL goalie on the roster in time. That could either be through trade or a free agent signing, including potentially extending an NHL contract to Hunter Miska, the other Eagles’ goaltender. Miska is currently on an AHL deal, signed after the Arizona Coyotes did not issue him a qualifying offer this summer.
The team did send Logan O’Connor down to the AHL today, opening up another roster spot. They could also place Francouz on injured reserve, but Grubauer would need to be activated in order to dress, even if there was no intent to put him in the game.
Columbus’ Nick Foligno To Face Player Safety Hearing
A hit in last night’s Columbus Blue Jackets-Colorado Avalanche game resulted in an early end to the night for two players, but that won’t be the end of the story for either one. Jackets captain Nick Foligno delivered an elbow to the head of Avs forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, forcing him from the game. Foligno received a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct, but that may have just been the beginning of his trouble. The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Foligno will have a hearing on Monday to determine further supplemental discipline for the hit.
The hit in question (video) occurred late in the second period of Colorado’s 4-2 win on Friday night. Foligno appears to change direction in the neutral zone and purposefully aim his momentum upward for a hit on Bellemare. His elbow clips Bellemare in the face, the first dangerous point of contact, who then falls and hits the ice hard, with a second and potentially more harmful head contact coming from whiplash against the ice. Bellemare was dazed by the hit and helped off the ice. He did not return and a concussion is a very real possibility for the hard-working veteran.
While Foligno expressed remorse for the hit after the game, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, his words come off more as excuse than regret and the nature of the hit betrays his explanation altogether. What appears to be a completely intentional hit by Foligno, leaving his feet and leading with the elbow, is totally out of character for the respected captain. That likely won’t figure into Player Safety’s analysis though, in what is seemingly a cut-and-dry situation. Foligno is a first-time offender and his hearing is over the phone, limiting it in length to a maximum five games, but this is certainly a multi-game suspension.
The timing could not be worse for either team when it comes to player absences. Columbus is mired in a losing streak which could easily be extended through the length of their captain’s suspension. Meanwhile, Colorado has been dealing with struggles of their own which largely have been tied to existing injuries up front and can ill-afford another lasting absence from a regular forward.