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Jakub Vrana Placed In NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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As announced today by the NHL, Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana has been placed in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Vrana will be unavailable for an indefinite period of time while he receives care as prescribed and overseen by the program.

Vrana will return to game action for Detroit when he is cleared for on-ice competition by the program’s administrators, according to the release.

26 years old, Vrana is entering his second full season with the Red Wings. The Prague-born forward had a goal and an assist in his first two games with Detroit this year after he missed 56 games last season with a shoulder injury.

PHR sends its best wishes to Vrana while he gets the help he needs.

Matt Kiersted, Seth Barton Activated From Season-Opening Injured Reserve

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A pair of defensemen have been activated from season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) and are headed to their respective teams’ AHL affiliates. The Florida Panthers have assigned Matt Kiersted to the Charlotte Checkers, per CapFriendly, and the Detroit Red Wings have assigned Seth Barton to the Grand Rapids Griffins, per the team.

Season-opening injured reserve is generally used for players who did not make the team out of training camp, but can’t be involved in any NHL to AHL transactions due to their injured status.

Kiersted, 24, is a candidate to find himself back in the NHL sooner rather than later given the organization’s weak defensive depth. An undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2021, Kiersted’s appeared in 17 NHL games over the past two seasons, registering a goal and an assist and averaging 14:31 per night. He had 20 points in 63 games with the Checkers last season in his first professional campaign, and he’s destined to play a top-four role again there when not on the NHL roster.

Barton was a third-round selection by the Red Wings in 2018. He’s entering his second full professional campaign after spending three seasons at UMass-Lowell from 2018 to 2021 and recorded six points in 20 AHL games during his rookie campaign with the Griffins in 2021-22. It’ll be a struggle for playing time in Grand Rapids, which now boasts some of the team’s top defense prospects such as Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and Eemil Viro. A return to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, where Barton played five games last season, could be in the cards.

Tyler Bertuzzi Out 4-6 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

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The Detroit Red Wings are off to a fast start this season but will be without one of their key forwards for the next month. Tyler Bertuzzi has been ruled out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury suffered over the weekend. Bertuzzi was removed from the game on Saturday after just eight minutes and did not return. The team will also be without Jakub Vrana tonight who is away for personal reasons.

Somewhat quietly, Bertuzzi had the best season of his career in 2021-22, scoring 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games. While the Red Wings finished well out of the playoffs, he was one of the players who showed real promise, after missing almost the entire previous year due to injury. Now, approaching unrestricted free agency next summer, it was a big year for Bertuzzi, who could set himself up for a massive extension with the Red Wings or an even bigger deal on the open market.

A six-week absence certainly isn’t going to help his case, though there aren’t many players on the Red Wings roster who can replace his mix of skill and grit. In the meantime, Dominik Kubalik is getting the first crack at the first line, with Filip Zadina jumping into the second group beside Andrew Copp and David Perron. It is quite an opportunity for Kubalik, who was cut loose by the Chicago Blackhawks and signed a two-year, $5MM contract with the Red Wings. He has averaged just 12 minutes of ice time through the first two games but did score on Saturday and has shown an ability to skate with good players in the past.

As a rookie, Kubalik scored 30 goals playing mostly with Jonathan Toews. If he can find that same kind of chemistry with Dylan Larkin, perhaps he can rediscover that scoring touch on a more regular basis.

Sebastian Cossa Reassigned To ECHL

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  • One of the top goalie prospects in hockey, Sebastian Cossa, was reassigned from the Detroit Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Wallleye. While an ECHL demotion might be seen as a definitively negative development for any top prospect, this reassignment shouldn’t be viewed so negatively for Cossa, who turns 20 on November 21st. An ECHL assignment will allow Cossa to operate as a starting netminder in a lower-pressure environment than the AHL. He’ll be able to take his time and work on his game, and the move gives him a longer runway in terms of his development.

Latest On Dylan Larkin

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  • Horvat isn’t the only top-six center and team captain to be a pending unrestricted free agent. Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is also set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he too is reportedly seeking a major extension. Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports on TSN’s Insider Trading program that “the plan is” for Larkin’s representatives to introduce Barzal’s recent $9.15MM AAV deal as a contract comparable for Larkin’s next deal. Larkin scored 69 points in 71 games last season, and with another strong year he could fully cement himself as deserving of such a lucrative extension.

Jake Walman Ahead Of Schedule

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  • Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman skated today at practice and told reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link) that he is ahead of schedule as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery and expects to be back before the original return date of mid-November. The 26-year-old was acquired from St. Louis just before the trade deadline last season and saw his ice time increase considerably from just under 12 minutes a night with the Blues to over 17 minutes per contest with Detroit.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/10/22

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A very happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers who are celebrating! Today marks the deadline for NHL clubs to become cap compliant and submit their opening night rosters. More specifically, the 5:00 pm ET deadline is now less than six hours away. With that in mind, we expect to see plenty of players sent to the minor leagues, returned to juniors, or released from their PTOs today, and we’ll keep track of them here.

Arizona Coyotes (via team tweet)

D Cam Dineen (to Tucson, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Tucson, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Tucson, AHL)
F Bokondji Imama (to Tucson, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team tweet)

D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (to Rochester, AHL)
F Olivier Nadeau (to Gatineau, QMJHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)

F Jack Drury (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jordan Martinook (to Chicago, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via team tweet)

D Wyatt Aamodt (to Colorado, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Colorado, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Emil Bemstrom (to Cleveland, AHL)
D David Jiricek (to Cleveland, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

D Jeremie Biakabutuka (released from ATO)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Jussi Olkinuora (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team tweet)

D Jason Demers (released from PTO)
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Devin Shore (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

G Pheonix Copley (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
F Andre Lee (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via two team tweets)

F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (to Laval, AHL)
F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)
D Justin Barron (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
D Arber Xhekaj (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team release)

F Jimmy Huntington (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mark Jankowski (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Philip Tomasino (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Kevin Gravel (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New York Rangers (via team release)

D Matt Bartkowski (released from PTO)
F Julien Gauthier (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team tweet)

F Ridly Greig (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per Olivia Reiner, The Philadelphia Inquirer)

F Jackson Cates (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via team tweet)

F John Hayden (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Michal Kempny (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Josh Leivo (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Springfield, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team tweet)

F Kyle Clifford (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Gaudette (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pontus Holmberg (to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (to Toronto, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nick Robertson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Wayne Simmonds (to Toronto, AHL)
D William Villeneuve (to Toronto, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team tweet)

F Linus Karlsson (to Abbotsford, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)

F Pavel Dorofeyev (to Henderson, AHL)
F Sakari Manninen (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jonas Rondbjerg (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Henderson, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team tweet)

F Henrik Borgstrom (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team tweet)

D Ville Heinola (to Manitoba, AHL)

This post will be kept updated throughout the day.

Hagg Cleared To Play, Sundqvist Should Play In Season Opener

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  • Red Wings defenseman Robert Hagg had a rough start to his Detroit career, taking a puck to the head that has kept him out of preseason action so far. However, he told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he has been cleared to play although he won’t play in tonight’s preseason finale.  Hagg signed a one-year deal after fellow offseason acquisition Mark Pysyk underwent Achilles surgery but might have to settle for starting as an extra defender to start with no exhibition action under his belt.
  • Still with Detroit, center Oskar Sundqvist is expected to be ready for Friday’s season-opener against Montreal, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link). He has been battling an undisclosed injury throughout training camp and has yet to see any preseason action.  The 28-year-old was acquired from St. Louis near the trade deadline last season and did relatively well in his first stint with the Red Wings, collecting four goals and four assists in 18 games down the stretch.

Waivers: 10/8/22

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With Monday’s season-opening roster deadline quickly approaching, the activity on the waiver wire is likely to pick up as teams get closer to making their final cuts.  We’ll keep track of today’s waiver placements here.

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
D Jeremy Davies
D Chase Priskie

Calgary Flames

D Dennis Gilbert
D Juuso Valimaki
F Radim Zohorna

Colorado Avalanche

F Shane Bowers
F Martin Kaut

Detroit Red Wings

F Austin Czarnik
D Steven Kampfer
F Matt Luff

Edmonton Oilers

F Brad Malone

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Mark Friedman

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Joey Anderson
D Mac Hollowell

Seattle Kraken

G Joey Daccord
F Alexander True

Vancouver Canucks

F Sheldon Dries
D Christian Wolanin

With the exception of Winnipeg’s Johnathan Kovacevic (claimed by Montreal), all other players from Friday’s group passed through unclaimed.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/8/22

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With the deadline for opening rosters just a couple of days away, many teams will be trimming down their rosters this weekend.  We’ll keep track of today’s cuts here.

Buffalo Sabres (via team release)

F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team release)

G Anton Khudobin (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team release)

G Sebastian Cossa (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team release)

F Brad Malone* (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL) (via separate team release; has cleared waivers)
G Filip Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Martin Frk (to Springfield, AHL)
F Matthew Highmore (to Springfield, AHL)
F Klim Kostin (to Springfield, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)

F Nick Abruzzese (to Toronto, AHL)
F Joey Anderson* (to Toronto, AHL)
F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (to Toronto, AHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell* (to Toronto, AHL)
G Erik Kallgren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mikko Kokkonen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Bobby McMann (to Toronto, AHL)
D Marshall Rifai (to Toronto, AHL)
F Alex Steeves (to Toronto, AHL)

*-pending waivers

This post will be updated throughout the day.

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