East Notes: Palmieri, Laine, Matheson
The New York Islanders may not have forward Kyle Palmieri available to them to begin the season, head coach Lane Lambert told reporters today (link via Ethan Sears of the New York Post). Palmieri has yet to practice with the team during training camp, and this certainly seems like a more significant injury issue than what the Islanders called “maintenance” almost a week ago.
Palmieri has been skating on his own throughout camp but has not come close to appearing in a preseason contest. It does seem unlikely that Palmieri’s absence will stretch into something significantly long-term, but missing the season opener would mean at least a three-week absence from the original undisclosed injury, which is certainly nothing to brush off. It will be a significant hole for the Islanders to fill if he does miss time, given the 32-year-old winger is again ticketed for a top-six role, likely alongside Pierre Engvall and Brock Nelson. Palmieri was limited to 55 games last season due to injury, but he did manage to increase his production pace after a poor 2021-22 campaign, recording 16 goals and 33 points.
More updates from around the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Even after the departure of Mike Babcock and Brad Larsen behind the Columbus Blue Jackets bench, the Patrik Laine at center experiment hasn’t ended yet. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Laine has taken line rushes at center during each of the past two Blue Jackets practices and today was centering the team’s top line between Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko. Shifting Laine to center full-time would certainly take the load off rookie Adam Fantilli, who could start the season in a more sheltered third-line role down the middle. It would also relieve the responsibilities of captain Boone Jenner, who was forced into averaging over 20 minutes per game last season thanks to the team’s thin depth down the middle. Laine did play a few games at center last season before an arm injury ended his campaign in late March.
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson was a late scratch for tonight’s preseason tilt against the Ottawa Senators, and Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports the circumstances surrounding said scratch are still unknown. If it’s injury-related, Habs fans can hope it’s only precautionary for their de facto number-one defenseman. If the team has any hopes of making noise with their young core in a suffocatingly tight Atlantic Division, Matheson’s play will be a huge part of it. The 29-year-old notched a career-high 34 points last season despite playing in just 48 games and still managed a +7 rating on a bottom-feeding team.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/27/23
After a busy day yesterday, teams are expected to expand their lists of training camp cuts today. This will be one of the last instances of mostly junior-league players appearing on this list as teams continue to trim down their rosters to solely NHL and AHL hopefuls. Today’s list will be updated as cuts come in, as always.
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
G Nolan Lalonde (to Erie, OHL)
D Ben Roger (released from ATO to Saint Mary’s, USports)
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
F Sam Alfano (released from ATO to Erie, OHL)
F Easton Armstrong (released from ATO to Wenatchee, WHL)
D Samuel Mayer (released from ATO to Peterborough, OHL)
D Hunter Mayo (released from ATO to Red Deer, WHL)
G Jacob Oster (released from ATO to Oshawa, OHL)
D Chase Pauls (released from ATO to Lethbridge, WHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (via updated training camp roster)
F Brayden Yager (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
D Ty Nelson (to North Bay, OHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
D Michael Buchinger (to Guelph, OHL)
D Quinton Burns (to Kingston, OHL)
D Matthew Mayich (to Ottawa, OHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release)
F Ethan Gauthier (to Drumondville, QMJHL)
D Dyllan Gill (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Ethan Hay (to Flint, OHL)
D Scott Walford (released from ATO to McGill, USports)
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Columbus Hires Tommy Cross As Development Coach
- A veteran of over 500 games in the American Hockey League, former defenseman Tommy Cross has found his new career off the ice. Spending the last several years in the St. Louis Blues organization, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Cross as a defensive development coach. In his new role, Cross will primarily be working with Columbus defensemen who have yet to crack the NHL roster.
[SOURCE LINK]
Columbus Blue Jackets Hire Mark Recchi As Assistant Coach
4:48 p.m.: It’s a two-year term for Recchi, notes The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, which means his deal as an assistant will expire after the 2024-25 season – the same as Vincent’s.
2:45 p.m.: The Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Hall-of-Fame forward Mark Recchi as an assistant coach, the team announced Monday. Recchi fills the assistant coaching vacancy created by Pascal Vincent’s promotion to head coach last week in the wake of Mike Babcock’s forced resignation after an NHLPA investigation found he’d breached player privacy.
After retiring as a player in 2011, Recchi spent the next few seasons in advisory and development roles for the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins before earning a promotion to head coach Mike Sullivan‘s bench in Pittsburgh immediately after the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. He served as an assistant there for three seasons before joining the New Jersey Devils in a similar capacity in 2020, although he spent just two seasons there and did not return after the 2021-22 campaign. He did not coach anywhere in 2022-23, although he maintains his role as a minority owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, which he’s done since 2007.
In Columbus, Recchi’s responsibility will chiefly be managing the team’s forward group and their power play. Therefore, it’s natural to assume this hire will play a significant role in the scoring development of Columbus’ young talent, namely 2023 second-overall pick Adam Fantilli, who projects to make the jump to the NHL in 2023-24 after just one season at the University of Michigan. Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko are some other Blue Jackets forwards under the age of 24 expected to log significant time on the team’s power play units this season.
Vincent had a lengthy statement on the addition of Recchi to his staff for his first year as an NHL head coach:
Mark Recchi has been part of the National Hockey League for over three decades and brings an incredible amount of experience to our staff. He is a Hall of Fame player who won three Stanley Cup championships, which combined with his coaching experience, will make him a great resource for our players. We are excited to have him in Columbus. I’m thrilled that we have added a person of [his] talent and insight to our coaching staff. Mark adds a wealth of knowledge as a player and a coach, both in development and as an assistant, to our group that will be instrumental in helping our organization grow on and off the ice. His expertise in the offensive zone and on the power play, specifically, will be a huge benefit for our club.
Over the past three seasons, the Blue Jackets’ power play has sat near the bottom of the league. Their 17.8% conversion rate with the man advantage is tied for 24th in the league over that span with the Arizona Coyotes. If Columbus is to compete in a difficult Eastern Conference and make the significant points gain needed to secure a playoff berth this season, Recchi’s work with the power play (and scoring chance generation in general) will certainly play a large role.
Columbus May Seek AHL Waiver For Mateychuk, Dumais
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline recently shared that the Columbus Blue Jackets may seek a waiver from the CHL-NHL Agreement for prospects Jordan Dumais and Denton Mateychuk. This waiver would allow for Columbus to send the prospects to the AHL, rather than their respective juniors leagues, if they don’t make the NHL roster. This comes in the wake of Shane Wright (OHL) receiving a waiver and Matthew Savoie (WHL) likely being rejected for one.
While there’s certainly an argument in his favor, the Blue Jackets may struggle to win in favor of Mateychuk, who’s spent part of the last four seasons in the WHL. Players are eligible for AHL, rather than CHL, assignment if they’re 20 years old before December 31st, something that Savoie and Wright miss by just a few days. Mateychuk, on the other hand, misses this mark by over six months, stacking the odds against him. The WHL recently rejected Savoie’s request for this waiver despite him arguably having a better case for the exemption than Shane Wright. This sets a precedent in western Canada that Columbus will have to overcome if they want to send Mateychuk to the AHL.
But while Mateychuk faces an uphill battle, there’s no certainty what Dumais will receive. In a year that’s seen a flurry of AHL waiver requests, nobody has yet to request from the QMJHL. Columbus will now be pulling the third league into the conversation, likely helping their chances at bringing light to the CHL-NHL agreement. Dumais doesn’t turn 20 until April and has played an uninterrupted three years in the QMHL, holding him back from either the age or seasons played requirements that can earn a player AHL eligibility. He likely carries the weakest case of the four players, but there’s no arguing his prowess over the juniors league. Dumais has recorded back-to-back 100-point seasons in the QMJHL, netting a staggering 140 points last year. While points don’t impact the CHL-NHL agreement, they could be a strong variable in the arguments for how Dumais has outgrown the league.
Whether Columbus receives this waiver for either player is yet to be seen. But they become the third NHL team to request something along these lines in just the last month. Regardless of the outcome, their involvement continues to lift up the question of if, and how, the CHL-NHL agreement could be redesigned for the modern hockey landscape.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/23/23
The preseason is now officially underway after the Coyotes and Kings played their first of two contests in Australia overnight. Technically, it was the first of three games on the docket for Arizona as they also have split-squad games set for today against St. Louis. With the exhibition season now going, teams will start to begin paring down their rosters in the coming days. We’ll keep tabs on any of today’s cut activity here.
Arizona Coyotes (via PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan)
F Ben Boyd (to St. Mary’s, USports)
F Josh Prokop (to University of Alberta, USports)
F Elliot Ekefjärd (Almtuna, HockeyAllsvenskan)
D Justin Kipkie (to Victoria, WHL)
D Ryder Thompson (to Portland, WHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
F Ethan Miedema (to Kingston, OHL)
G Scott Ratzlaff (to Seattle, WHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
G Jakub Vondras (to Sudbury, OHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
D Nicholas DeAngelis (released from tryout)
F Kocha Delic (released from tryout)
D Gunner Kinniburgh (released from tryout)
D Joe Leahy (released from tryout)
F Sean McGurn (released from tryout)
F Tyler Peddle (to Drummondville, QMJHL)
F Luca Pinelli (to Ottawa, OHL)
F Nate Schnarr (released from tryout)
F Jakin Smallwood (released from tryout)
F Aidan Spellacy (released from tryout)
F Oasiz Wiesblatt (released from tryout)
Seattle Kraken (via team Twitter)
D Eric Jamieson (to Everett, WHL)
G Tyler Palmer (to Everett, WHL)
D Caden Price (to Kelowna, WHL)
This post will be updated as further cuts come in.
Latest On Yegor Chinakhov
- Columbus Blue Jackets team reporter Jeff Svoboda reports that sniper Yegor Chinakhov is day to day with a back strain, which explains his absence from the ice at Blue Jackets training camp for the past few days. It’s an important camp for Chinakhov, 22, as he’s looking to carve out a spot for himself in new coach Pascal Vincent’s lineup. The Blue Jackets have a logjam at forward and quite a few players competing against Chinakhov for the same role, so the 2020 first-round pick will hope that he can get back on the ice quickly to make some progress in camp.
Latest On Boone Jenner
- Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner left practice yesterday due to an injury, but according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, returned to the ice today. That’s important news for Columbus, who is likely to rely on Jenner heavily not only as their most experienced center, but also as a crucial leader and potential mentor to number-three pick Adam Fantilli. Fantilli began training camp centering Alexandre Texier and Patrick Laine. Playing as a top-six center is one of the most difficult jobs in the NHL, especially for a rookie, so it will be crucial that Jenner remains healthy in order to help manage the pressure that ends up placed on Fantilli’s shoulders.
Blue Jackets Activate Zach Werenski, Justin Danforth
With training camps opening today for most teams, a few squads made some paper moves last night to properly represent players’ statuses heading into 2023-24. One of them was the Columbus Blue Jackets, who officially activated star defenseman Zach Werenski from injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. The move ends a more than ten-month stint on the injured list and clears the path for Werenski to resume his role as the team’s top defender on opening night.
Really, Werenski’s injury was incredibly symbolic for the Blue Jackets last season. A team with some promise after flashy offseason moves, like bringing in free agent prize Johnny Gaudreau, needed everything to go right to be competitive in the Eastern Conference. But a shoulder injury sustained just 13 games into the season would end Werenski’s campaign – during a game that also saw young defender Nick Blankenburg sustain an ankle injury that kept him out long-term. Adam Boqvist had gone down with a foot injury not too much earlier, and before long, Jake Bean joined the trio on the injured list with a season-ending shoulder injury – meaning Columbus had lost four of their top six defensemen to start the campaign within the season’s first 16 games. After a similarly flashy summer regarding player acquisitions, Werenski and the other Blue Jackets will look to avoid the same horrid injury luck.
Columbus Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates
Ahead of training camps opening, the Columbus Blue Jackets released the injury status of four players:
D Jake Bean – out week-to-week with an abductor strain (groin)
F Kirill Marchenko – out day-to-day with back strain
F Mathieu Olivier – out week-to-week with a leg injury
G Daniil Tarasov – out day-to-day with a knee injury
The news sounds especially disappointing for the young Bean, who was limited to just 14 games last season thanks to a shoulder injury. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline relays he’s likely to miss the most time out of any player on this list, putting his availability for the beginning of the regular season in doubt.
It hasn’t been a smooth journey for the 2016 13th overall pick, as his development has been interrupted by injuries on multiple occasions. Without a clear path to a full-time roster spot with the team that drafted him in Carolina, the Hurricanes traded him to Columbus at the 2021 draft in a series of deals that saw Seth Jones head from Columbus to the Chicago Blackhawks. Bean seemed to put some things together in his first season with Columbus, notching 25 points in 67 games while earning a top-four role and posting acceptable possession numbers.
When he can make his season debut, he likely won’t get the same opportunity. After acquiring Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson this summer, Columbus’ top four is full, and there’s simply no way Bean will get the nearly 21 minutes per game he got in 2021-22. Missing training camp will only hurt matters, as his competitors for ice time will have more of a chance to show new head coach Pascal Vincent that they’re deserving of NHL ice.
Olivier is the other player whose absence is tabbed as longer-term. Portzline says this was a known factor for Columbus, as Olivier played the tail end of last season with a broken bone in his leg and experienced “complications” during offseason recovery. It’s unclear when exactly we can expect Olivier to return to the team. The 26-year-old enforcer scored a career-high 15 points in 66 games last season, his first in Columbus after beginning his pro career with the Nashville Predators. The spot he vacates in the lineup gives more opportunity for players like the returning Alexandre Texier and youngsters like Cole Sillinger and Dmitri Voronkov to gain spots on the team’s opening-night roster.
Marchenko’s and Tarasov’s absences are shorter-term and not expected to stretch into the regular season. Portzline says that both players would be available if the regular season began tomorrow and also clarified that Tarasov’s knee injury is not connected to the one that limited him to just four NHL contests in 2021-22.