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Penguins Reassign Jansen Harkins

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6:05 p.m.: In what may be an NHL record, the Penguins have returned Harkins to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton less than two hours after recalling him. It’s unclear why they opted to bring him up to the NHL in the first place, but this may be part of the moves Pittsburgh needs to make to take Nedeljkovic off LTIR.

4:19 p.m.: The Penguins announced the recall of winger Jansen Harkins from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday afternoon. In a corresponding transaction, defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph was moved to IR as he remains out with a lower-body injury.

Head coach Mike Sullivan informed reporters earlier today that Joseph has been dealing with a nagging injury, explaining his absence from the lineup in ten out of the team’s last 11 contests. Joseph last played in the team’s 10-2 drubbing of the Sharks on November 4, logging an assist and a +1 rating in 18 minutes of ice time.

Meanwhile, Harkins finds himself back on the NHL roster after clearing waivers almost one month ago. It was Harkins’ second time on the waiver wire this season, the first of which resulted in the Penguins claiming him and the second season of his $850K one-way contract from the Jets. Harkins played in four games for the Penguins, registering a -1 rating and four shots on goal in less than ten minutes of average ice time before ending up on waivers a second time.

After clearing, Harkins headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he’s continued his long history of solid minor-league production with four goals and nine points in 11 games. It’s a tad lower than the precedent he set for himself over his last two outings with the Jets’ affiliate in Manitoba, where he averaged over a point per game.

Now, Harkins gets another shot to prove himself as a potential contributor to the Penguins’ bottom six. He’ll look to work his way into the lineup and potentially provide more scoring punch than Noel Acciari or Matthew Nieto, both of whom have just one point this season despite playing in all 15 games.

The moves leave Pittsburgh with very limited space in their LTIR pool – just $15K, to be precise. They’ll likely need to send two players to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in order to activate netminder Alex Nedeljkovic and his $1.5MM cap hit off LTIR, which should happen soon after he was recalled from a conditioning stint to the AHL Penguins today.

Coyotes’ Barrett Hayton Likely To Miss Four To Six Weeks

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5:39 p.m.: The Coyotes have confirmed Hayton’s status as week-to-week in a team announcement Friday evening. Jeník has indeed been recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners in a corresponding transaction. Jeník, 23, was recalled twice by the team in late October but did not appear in a game, serving as a healthy scratch on both occasions.

11:42 a.m.: In unfortunate news for both player and team, after leaving last night’s game with an apparent upper-body injury, the outlook on Barrett Hayton’s status does not appear to be positive. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that Hayton will likely need surgery for his injury, and the Arizona Coyotes will be without the forward for the next four to six weeks.

Although centering the top forward line for the Coyotes, Hayton has had an incredibly unlucky start to the 2023-24 season. His scoring has picked up as of late, scoring two goals in his last five games. However, over 16 games to start the year, Hayton only has two goals and two assists overall.

Averaging over 18 and a half minutes of ice time per game, Hayton is only shooting at a 5.9% success rate, all while maintaining an above-average CF% of 55.1% and a decent xGF of 9.1 while on the ice. Now, if his on-ice production wasn’t bad enough, Hayton is set to miss at least the next month with his injury.

Nevertheless, if there is any positive for Arizona through this injury, it’s that this might create an opportunity for Logan Cooley on the team’s first line. Averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time per night, Cooley is already showing off his playmaking abilities with 10 assists on the year already, with eight of those coming on the Coyotes’ powerplay.

In the meantime, Morgan indicates that Arizona will be recalling Jan Jenik from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. In the AHL this year, Jenik has scored two goals and three assists in nine games for the Roadrunners.

Sabres Activate Eric Comrie, Zach Benson; Move Tage Thompson To IR

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The Buffalo Sabres have made multiple transactions ahead of tonight’s tilt against the Winnipeg Jets, namely activating netminder Eric Comrie and winger Zach Benson, who will both return to the lineup tonight after semi-lengthy absences, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 relays. To make room on the 23-man roster, injured forward Tage Thompson was moved to IR and winger Lukáš Rousek was reassigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Comrie, 28, will make his first appearance since sustaining a lower-body injury in an October 27 game against the Devils. After an eight-game absence, the veteran backup returns and the Sabres will continue to carry three goalies when all are healthy. Rookie Devon Levi will serve as Comrie’s backup against the Jets tonight, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who’s started the majority of the Sabres’ 16 contests this season, will serve as a healthy scratch.

In the second season of a two-year, $3.6MM deal signed in free agency in 2022, Comrie looks much improved in a small sample. In three appearances, all starts, Comrie’s .914 SV% and 2.45 GAA both lead the team. He will continue to stay in the regular rotation for starts so as to not overload Luukkonen and to continue to let the 22-year-old Levi adjust to the pro game.

Benson, 18, returns after missing seven straight games (and nine out of the last 12) with a lower-body injury. The winger seems well-acclimated to the NHL game thus far, doing well in terms of zone entries and showing a willingness to cut to the slot to make plays. After two assists in six games, though, the Sabres are approaching a decision on whether to burn the first season of his entry-level contract or return him to the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild. As covered earlier today, the Sabres aren’t yet sure what they’ll decide regarding the future of the 2023 13th overall pick.

Thompson has already been listed as week-to-week with a presumptive wrist injury sustained Tuesday against the Bruins, and he will miss far more than the seven minimum days required for an IR stay. With Comrie and Benson ready to return, the Sabres no longer had room to keep the injured center on the active roster. The 26-year-old had six goals and 12 points in 16 contests this season.

Rousek returns to Rochester after failing to make much of an impact on his recall, going without a point in five contests and posting a -2 rating. The 24-year-old averaged 11:14 but registered just one shot on goal and four total shot attempts. Sabres head coach Don Granato was likely looking for much more out of Rousek, who had started the season strong with two goals and six points in eight games for Rochester. The 2019 sixth-round pick now returns to the team he led in scoring last season with 56 points in 70 games.

Panthers Activate Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour; Place Josh Mahura On IR

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The Panthers have activated defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour off LTIR ahead of tonight’s game against the Ducks, Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now relays.

Additionally, defenseman Josh Mahura left last night’s game against the Kings with a lower-body injury after six shifts and did not return. Now, the NHL’s media site shows that Mahura has been placed on IR and will be out of the lineup for at least seven days, as David Dwork of Local 10 Miami and The Hockey News relays.

Forward Jonah Gadjovich is also available to play for the Panthers after his conditioning loan with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers ended today, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now says. The moves result in the Panthers having a cap-compliant 23-man roster with less than $100K in cap space (CapFriendly later listed this figure as less than $500K).

Ekblad and Montour were unavailable for the beginning of the season after undergoing off-season shoulder surgeries to address injuries sustained in the Panthers’ run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. They are now eligible to play in tonight’s contest and are expected to make their season debuts in top-four roles. Ekblad is expected to suit up alongside Gustav Forsling, who’s logged a +11 rating and is averaging nearly 24 minutes per game. Montour, meanwhile, will comprise the second pairing with offseason addition Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who seems to have new life breathed into his game and leads Panthers defensemen with ten points in 16 games.

To make room for Ekblad and Montour in the lineup, Latvian defender Uvis Balinskis will be a healthy scratch, in addition to Mahura landing on IR. Balinskis, an undrafted free agent in his first NHL season, has appeared in 14 of 16 games for the Panthers this season, notching two points and a +2 rating while averaging 13:58 per game. The team now has eight defensemen on the active roster, with Mike Reilly still hanging around the team as an oft-scratch. Offseason signings Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola, who have both averaged over 19 minutes per game this season in the absence of Ekblad and Montour, will form a shutdown third pairing with the Panthers’ defense now at near total health.

The return of the Panthers’ top two defensemen provides a boon to a team that’s treaded well in their absence, sitting second in the Atlantic Division with a 10-5-1 record. Their success is largely due to the remarkable play of their first line, comprised of captain Aleksander Barkov with Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart on his flank. Reinhart leads all Panthers in scoring and sits near the top of the league leaderboard with 13 goals and 24 points, while Rodrigues has fit in nicely with three goals and 13 points in 16 games after signing a four-year, $12MM deal in free agency last summer.

Montour is entering the final season of a three-year contract carrying a $3.5MM cap hit, one that proved to be an immense bargain last season. The 29-year-old right-shot D had one of the most notable breakout campaigns of any player in the league, recording a career-high 16 goals, 57 assists and 73 points in 80 games and finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting. Ekblad remains under contract through 2024-25 and logged over 23 minutes per night for a third consecutive season in 2022-23.

It’s a tough break for Mahura, who has seen limited ice time this season and now faces an uphill battle for a roster spot when he returns from injury. The 25-year-old had five assists and a -2 rating, playing in all 16 games, but had failed to see more than 15 minutes of ice in any single game this year. A 2016 third-round pick of the Ducks, Mahura is signed to a one-year, $925K deal and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season.

Injury Notes: Capitals, Flyers, Canadiens, Grzelcyk

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At this morning’s practice before the team’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow night, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reports that defenseman Martin Fehervary is doing some light skating for the Washington Capitals, but is not expected back for tomorrow’s game. Ferhervary has been out with a lower-body injury since the team’s win against the New Jersey Devils last week.

El-Bashir also notes that even though he has not missed a game due to the illness, Evgeny Kuznetsov will still be missing practice due to the ailment. Lastly, as the last report from practice, goaltender Darcy Kuemper appeared ’fine’ at practice after leaving Wednesday’s practice with an apparent injury.

After an incredibly slow start through the team’s first five games of the regular season, the Capitals have turned things around dramatically, producing a 7-1-1 record since that time, moving up to second place in the Metropolitan Division. If the team hopes to continue the hot streak, they will need to sustain relative health through the end of the calendar year.

Other notes:

  • Missing almost a month of action, Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reports that defenseman Marc Staal of the Philadelphia Flyers is out of the non-contact jersey at practice, indicating he could be close to returning. Dealing with a rib injury from the team’s October 19th game against the Edmonton Oilers, Staal has only managed four games this year, failing to produce a point.
  • Leaving last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period, the Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Arber Xhekaj is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Xhekaj notably missed the last month and a half of the 2022-23 regular season due to a shoulder injury, and has scored one goal and two assists in 17 games upon his return.
  • Eligible to return next Saturday against the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins’ defenseman, Matt Grzelcyk is still on the LTIR, rehabbing his way back from an upper-body injury sustained in late October. However, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald indicates the rehab process is going well, as Grzelcyk is back practicing with the team today.

Evening Notes: Lehkonen, Xhekaj, Meier

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Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen’s upper-body injury is a neck injury. Previous reports had the 28-year-old dealing with an upper-body injury, but Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Baugh the news today. The early reports come with no timetable for a potential return, or any specifics about how severe the ailment is. The Avalanche have put Lehkonen on LTIR which means the earliest he can return is December 5th against the Anaheim Ducks.

Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now is reporting that Lehkonen is currently in a neck brace after suffering a scary fall in a game last week against the Seattle Kraken, which is certainly not a great sign. Lehkonen’s mother has also flown to Colorado which indicates that he could need assistance over the upcoming weeks. Lehkonen is a player who plays a lot of important minutes for the Avalanche in all types of situations. He has three goals and five assists so far this season in 12 games.

In other evening notes:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Arber Xhekaj left tonight’s game after suffering an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old suffered the apparent injury after taking a huge hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev in the second period. Xhekaj appeared to be favoring his left shoulder as he left the ice, but the team has yet to comment on the nature of the injury. Xhekaj scored his first goal of the season earlier this week and has three points in 16 games for the Canadiens.
  • Star-Ledger reporter Ryan Novozinsky tweeted that New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters tonight that Devils forward Timo Meier will be out of the lineup on a short-term basis. What exactly that means remains to be seen but it is probably a safe bet that Meier won’t be in the lineup on Saturday night when the Devils are home to the New York Rangers. The 27-year-old is in his first full year with the Devils and has five goals and six assists in 14 games. He did not dress in tonight’s 5-2 Devils victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Matt Martin Out Day-To-Day, Gauthier Sick

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The New York Islanders have announced that forward Matt Martin is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the Seattle Kraken. Martin played just 7:11 last night in the Islanders overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks which is below the 8:27 he has averaged this season.

Martin has a goal and an assist in 14 games to start the season and has seen his usage dip considerably which is unusual given that he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He has been less physical than he typically has been in the past averaging just over two hits a game which is a steep drop from the almost four hits he averaged a game last year.

No word on what specifically is keeping Martin from the lineup or if he will be able to dress for the Islanders on Saturday when they take on the Calgary Flames.

The Islanders also announced that forward Julien Gauthier is out with an illness and will miss tonight’s game in Seattle. Gauthier has been a healthy scratch more often than not this season so its hard to say whether or not he will dress when he recovers and is good to play again. The 26-year-old has no points in two games this season and the team has struggled immensely when he has been deployed for New York.

The Islanders are 5-6-4 to start the season and have already dealt with a ton of injuries just a month and a half into the regular season. They were relatively healthy going into last night’s game and can ill afford to lose any regular starters at this point.

Blackhawks Announce Several Injury Updates

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The Chicago Blackhawks have shared that Nikita Zaitsev will be away from the team until early next week, at the earliest, as he’s taking time away for personal reasons. The team also placed defenseman Jarred Tinordi on injured reserve with an oblique injury. He and forward Andreas Athanasiou, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, are both considered week-to-week.

The Hawks have recalled Filip Roos to the NHL lineup in response to Zaitsev’s absence. Chicago is also without Taylor Hall, who has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury and returned to practice on Wednesday.

The quartet of Tinordi, Athanasiou, Zaitsev, and Hall have served as go-to lineup pieces for Chicago early on, with each player appearing in five or more games. Hall has played the most prominent role, averaging a little over 16 minutes of ice time and four points through eight games. Tinnordi and Zaitsev have operated as bottom-pairing defenders, with each player averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time and scoring one point. Athanasiou has averaged the least ice time of the group, playing just under 13 minutes of ice time through 11 games and scoring four points. This is despite Athanasiou playing with the team’s middle-six in the games he’s appeared in, with half of his ice time being played alongside rookie Lukas Reichel.

Despite the long list of injuries, recalled defenseman Filip Roos is expected to slot in as the team’s seventh defenseman – playing behind AHL teammates Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips. He is the team’s only healthy extra player for Chicago’s Thursday night game against Tampa Bay, as Hall is expected to sit out of the match.

Jets’ Rasmus Kupari To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Shoulder Injury

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5:24 p.m.: Kupari has been moved to injured reserve and winger Axel Jonsson-Fjällby has been recalled from AHL Manitoba under emergency conditions, per a team release.

2:23 p.m.: Winnipeg Jets associate coach Scott Arniel told reporters Wednesday that forward Rasmus Kupari will miss four to six weeks with a “shoulder issue” (via Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press).

It marks the continuation of a tough season for Kupari, who’s struggled in a depth role in his first season north of the border. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade last summer, Kupari left Tuesday’s win over the Devils after taking just two shifts due to an awkward collision with the boards. It left the Jets with just ten forwards for the remainder of the game after they opted to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, although they were able to post six goals against New Jersey regardless.

Kupari, 23, was a first-round pick of the Kings in 2018 but has yet to make much of an NHL impact. He did play in a career-high 66 games with Los Angeles last year, recording three goals and 12 assists for 15 points while going 54.6% in the faceoff dot, but had underwhelming possession numbers against easy competition. Through 15 games with the Jets, Kupari has just one assist and a -3 rating while averaging 9:02 per game, although that number is brought down by Kupari’s short stint in Tuesday’s game.

The Jets have used Kupari as their fourth-line center between Morgan Barron and David Gustafsson for the majority of the season, although they’ve controlled just 42.4% of expected goals, by far the worst of any Jets line with at least 30 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck. Barron is leading the pack with three goals and five points in 15 games, while Gustafsson has two markers and no helpers in 11 games.

Kupari has not been placed on injured reserve yet, although the Jets won’t need to. They have two open spots on the active roster and ample cap space for a recall from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. With just 11 healthy forwards on the active roster now, a recall will almost certainly come before Friday’s game against the Sabres.

It will be intriguing to see if they opt for a more veteran option such as center Dominic Toninato, who has 169 NHL games under his belt over the past six seasons, or if they opt to give a younger player a shot. If they opt for the latter, 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert could get a nod after lighting up the minors with ten points in ten games this year.

Atlantic Notes: Husso, Klingberg, Timmins, Benson

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Red Wings netminder Ville Husso has left the team, currently in Sweden for the 2023 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, to return home after the birth of his and his wife’s first child, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The 28-year-old, currently in the second season of a three-year, $14.25MM contract, has started 10 of the Red Wings’ 15 games this season but has struggled lately, posting a sub-.900 SV% in each of his last three starts. On the season, he now has a 6-3-1 record with a .885 SV% and 3.61 GAA, conceding 5.7 goals above average. In his place, 30-year-old Alex Lyon is expected to make his Red Wings debut in one of the team’s two overseas contests, either Thursday against the Senators or Friday against the Maple Leafs. Detroit has carried Lyon as a third goalie on the active roster for the entire 2023-24 season, unwilling to expose him to waivers, but he hasn’t seen a minute of action in the crease after a strong showing in 15 games to close out last season with the Panthers.

A few more notes out of the Atlantic Division today:

  • Maple Leafs right-shot defenseman John Klingberg is likely to miss that Friday tilt against the Red Wings, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Wednesday (via Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun). The 6-foot-3 Swede is still dealing with an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for November 10th’s shootout win over the Flames, although he returned to play 19:00 the following night against the Canucks, registering a +1 rating. The much-maligned 31-year-old from Gothenburg is cooling down after a decent start, posting no points in his last eight outings and is down to a -7 rating on the season. Klingberg did travel with the team to Sweden but has not practiced with the squad since arriving in his home country.
  • Staying with Toronto, Keefe also told reporters that defenseman Conor Timmins is likely to return from a lower-body sustained in preseason play during the team’s trip to Sweden. He practiced with the team earlier this week and is now expected to enter the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Wild, although he hasn’t been ruled against the Red Wings if he gets closer to playing shape quicker than anticipated over the next two days. Timmins has been strong in limited action since joining the Leafs via trade from the Coyotes last season, posting 14 points in 25 games with the team post-trade despite averaging just 15:37 per contest. His role in the lineup became unclear after Toronto added Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn after last year’s trade deadline, though, making him a healthy scratch for most of the tail end of the season. After a strong showing in the early goings of the 2023 preseason, too, Timmins will look to begin the first season of his two-year, $2.2MM contract on a high note and be of value to the Leafs, especially while Timothy Liljegren remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
  • Sabres rookie winger Zach Benson is likely to return from a lower-body injury on the team’s upcoming three-game road trip, head coach Don Granato told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News on Wednesday. Benson, still just 18, hasn’t looked out of place so far in NHL action, posting two assists in six contests while averaging over 13 minutes per game. He’s missed ten out of the last 12 games with the injury, however, and will need to be activated from IR before he returns to play. The Sabres’ trip includes stops in Winnipeg on Friday, Chicago on Sunday, and Washington next Wednesday.

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