Pacific Notes: Labanc, Kallionkieli, Joshua
Suffering from what is becoming a career-worst season, San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc is looking for a fresh start outside of the Bay Area. In an article today, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now confirmed that both Labanc and his agent made the request clear, and referenced that they would like a resolution by the trade deadline or the offseason.
The resolution will eventually come, as Labanc is in the last year of a four-year, $18.9MM contract signed with the Sharks, allowing him to sign with any of the other 31 teams regardless of San Jose’s desires. Unfortunately, with only seven points in 32 games, Labanc may find his market to be incredibly limited both at the trade deadline and when free agency eventually rolls around.
In the article specifically, Peng notes that the Vancouver Canucks had an interest in acquiring Labanc as recently as last offseason, but could not confirm if they still hold any desire for him, especially with some of their additions already this season. Nevertheless, if the Sharks are unable to find a taker for Labanc by the trade deadline, a strong finish to the season should certainly be a priority for him in the hopes of boosting his free-agency stock by the summer months.
Other Pacific notes:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today that the Vegas Golden Knights have placed forward Marcus Kallionkieli on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. Having been drafted 139th overall by Vegas back in the 2019 NHL Draft, Kallionkieli has only managed 11 games in the Golden Knights under his belt with six of those coming in the AHL, and other five coming in the ECHL. Currently rostered for Kiekko-Espoo of the Finnish Liiga, Kallionkieli has scored one goal and five points in four games.
- For their game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, the Vancouver Canucks will be without valuable depth forward Dakota Joshua (X Link). Supplementary reporting indicates that Joshua has injured his hand by way of a fight coming on Tuesday against Mackenzie Entwistle of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Los Angeles Kings Activate Viktor Arvidsson, Place Two On LTIR
The Los Angeles Kings have officially activated winger Viktor Arvidsson off of long-term injured reserve. Arvidsson has yet to play this season, sitting out with a back injury. He will make his season debut against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The Kings have also placed both Carl Grundstrom and Blake Lizotte on long-term injured reserve with lower-body injuries. LTIR rules will require Grundstrom to miss the team’s next 10 games, making him eligible to return on March 9th, while Lizotte has already missed the required time and can be activated whenever he’s healthy.
Getting Arvidsson back could mark a turning point in L.A.’s season. The 30-year-old forward scored 26 goals and 59 points in 77 games last season, his second-straight season of 20 or more goals. It was the first time he’s flirted with 60 points since the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons when he scored 61 points in back-to-back years. He also boasts a career-high of 34 goals, managed in just 58 games in 2018-19. His return to the lineup gives Los Angeles a lot more flexibility with their winger combinations, and will likely give third-line centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois an upgraded linemate.
Arvidsson’s return also helps L.A. fill the absences left by Lizotte and Grundstrom, who have currently been replaced by Alex Turcotte and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Turcotte has appeared in four games this season, with his only scoring coming through the first goal and assist of his career, scored in the same game. Anderson-Dolan is also struggling to find his production, with just four points in 22 games.
Pacific Notes: Pelletier, Grundström, Dorofeyev, Emberson, Barabanov
The Flames have now listed winger Jakob Pelletier as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per a team announcement. Pelletier, 22, played just 54 seconds against the Rangers on Monday before leaving the game after taking a hit from New York captain Jacob Trouba.
Thankfully, the day-to-day designation infers this injury isn’t related to the left shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the first three months of the season. After returning to health in January, the Flames assigned the 2019 first-round pick to the AHL, where he netted two goals and an assist in four games. Since returning to the NHL earlier this month, the Québec City native has an assist in four appearances. He got his first taste of NHL action last season, recording three goals and seven points in 24 games while averaging 14:11.
More from the Pacific Division:
- Kings winger Carl Grundström has returned to Los Angeles from the team’s road trip to be evaluated for a lower-body injury, interim head coach Jim Hiller said Wednesday (via Zach Dooley of the team’s official site). Grundström left last night’s 7-0 loss to the Sabres in the first period, recording one shot on goal in 3:43 of ice time. The 26-year-old has struggled to produce after rattling off four points in five games to open the season, posting eight goals and 12 points in 50 games on the year with a -2 rating while averaging 10:56 per game. The second-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2016 is a pending RFA with arbitration rights upon completion of his two-year, $2.6MM deal.
- Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev has been skating on his own while he recovers from an upper-body injury, but head coach Bruce Cassidy said today that he’s not close to returning to practice (via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun). Dorofeyev landed on IR earlier this week and hasn’t played since Jan. 26 against the Rangers, missing the team’s last four games. He’s eligible to return to the active roster at any time, but the 23-year-old is still weeks away from returning. The 2019 third-round pick has been an effective part of the Golden Knights’ secondary offense this season, potting seven goals and 14 points in only 29 games in a top-nine role.
- Sharks defenseman Ty Emberson and winger Alexander Barabanov will return from respective upper-body and undisclosed injuries against the Jets tonight, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. It’s the Sharks’ first contest since the All-Star break – they’re the last team to return to action and will do so without the services of top-two centers Logan Couture and Tomáš Hertl for the foreseeable future. Emberson missed seven out of the last nine games before the break with an upper-body injury, while Barabanov didn’t finish their final contest before the break on Jan. 31 against the Ducks. With nine points and an even rating in 23 games, Emberson has battled through various injuries to break out as San Jose’s best shutdown blueliner this season after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers. The 29-year-old Barabanov hasn’t been as effective of a secondary presence as in years past, only producing three goals and nine points in 31 appearances while averaging 16:23 per game.
Atlantic Notes: Zub, Lockwood, Jones, Nylander
Senators defenseman Artem Zub did not participate in the team’s optional practice on Wednesday morning, but he hasn’t been ruled out of Thursday’s contest against the Ducks, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun says. Zub, 28, missed Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets with a lower-body injury.
As such, the Senators were forced to play a skater short due to salary cap restraints, as both Zub and Jake Sanderson were out of the lineup with short-term injuries. If Zub can’t return for tomorrow’s game, the Senators will be able to use a $0 emergency recall on a minor-league defenseman with a cap hit of less than $875K. The right-shot shutdown specialist is having the best season of his career, on pace to break his previous career-high of 22 points set in 2021-22 while posting a career-best +5.3 expected rating. He remains under contract at a $4.6MM cap hit through 2027.
Other updates from the Atlantic Division:
- Panthers winger William Lockwood remains out for tonight’s game against the Penguins as he’s yet to clear concussion protocol, per head coach Paul Maurice (via Jameson Olive of the Panthers’ official site). The 25-year-old Michigan native has not played in nearly a month, entering concussion protocol after a Jan. 19 collision with Wild goaltender Marc-André Fleury that also earned Lockwood a three-game suspension. He’s played a career-high 23 games during his first season in Florida, recording one assist and a +2 rating while averaging 8:22 per game.
- Maple Leafs goaltender Martin Jones is still listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will likely remain out tomorrow against the Flyers, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Jones did not dress as the backup for last night’s 4-1 win over the Blues, forcing Toronto to recall 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby to serve as the backup for starter Ilya Samsonov while Joseph Woll remains out with a high ankle sprain. Hildeby will likely back up Samsonov against the Flyers as well, his sixth time dressing for an NHL game this season.
- Sticking with Toronto, star winger William Nylander has caught the illness that kept captain John Tavares and Mitch Marner out of yesterday’s game and did not practice today, Keefe said (via Alter). His ability for tomorrow’s game is now doubtful, with suspended defenseman Morgan Rielly filling in for Nylander alongside Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews in line rushes today. Toronto will need to recall a forward from the AHL under emergency conditions if all three of Marner, Nylander, and Tavares remain out, which they have the cap space to execute after moving winger Calle Jarnkrök from IR to LTIR yesterday.
Rasmus Ristolainen To Undergo Upper-Body Procedure, Out Multiple Weeks
Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will be out a minimum of two to three weeks before undergoing a procedure to address a minor upper-body injury, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports Wednesday. The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco was the first to report that Ristolainen’s injury would keep him out for a significant amount of time.
Ristolainen, 29, was drumming up interest from multiple teams ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, including the Maple Leafs. Today’s news puts his availability for a deal in doubt, though, and he’s now likely to remain a Flyer until the offseason. After undergoing the procedure later this month, it’s unclear how long Ristolainen will be out, Kurz says. The Flyers also added Wednesday that Ristolainen has no timetable for a return and is still being checked.
Despite a lack of point production (one goal, three assists in 31 games), the 2013 eighth-overall pick is perhaps having the strongest defensive showing of his 11-year NHL career. His expected +4.9 rating is a career-high, and he’s managed to control a majority of expected goals when paired with youngster Yegor Zamula at even strength, per MoneyPuck.
Nonetheless, his $5.1MM cap hit makes him a difficult asset to move, given he’s best suited for a two-way, third-pairing role at this stage in his career. His bump in defensive adeptness since arriving in Philadelphia via a 2021 trade from the Sabres has also come with a significant decrease in minutes, now averaging just 16:41 per game this year compared to his 22:50 career average. Add in that he’s signed through 2027, and it becomes a tough task for a team to swallow his contract, no matter how much improvement he’s shown in his game.
Ristolainen had to wait until late November to make his season debut after an undisclosed injury cost him the first 20 games of the season. He’s played in three of Philadelphia’s last six games due to a healthy scratch, illness, and the current upper-body injury, which held him out of Monday’s game against the Coyotes.
With the Flyers’ defense otherwise at full health, head coach John Tortorella has opted to dress seven defensemen, giving oft-scratched veteran Marc Staal a chance to play while winger Tyson Foerster is sidelined with a short-term lower-body injury. That ailment is expected to keep Foerster out “a few extra days,” GM Daniel Brière said today, meaning he’ll miss Thursday’s game against the Maple Leafs but not much longer.
Penguins Place Noel Acciari On IR
The Penguins placed depth forward Noel Acciari on injured reserve Tuesday, per a team announcement. The 32-year-old was diagnosed with a concussion after a hit from Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon on Feb. 6, which warranted a three-game suspension.
Acciari has missed two games already, and it’s unclear when he’ll be ready to return to the lineup. Concussion recovery timelines can range wildly, and although he’ll be eligible to come off IR at any time, it could still be a weeks-long absence.
The Rhode Island native has struggled in his first season in Pittsburgh, scoring three goals and adding one assist in 39 games. His 0.10 points per game are his worst since his first stint as an NHLer with the Bruins in 2015-16 when he notched one assist in 19 games (0.05 per game).
His usage under head coach Mike Sullivan is the main culprit behind his dropoff in production. He’s started just 12.9% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone, nearly 22% below his career average.
Acciari’s 41% Corsi share at even strength also paints him as a defensive liability, but that number is inflated due to his extreme shutdown usage. In terms of controlling expected goals, he’s been a fine shutdown presence when paired with Jeff Carter and Jansen Harkins. That line has controlled 55% of expected goals through 105 minutes together, per MoneyPuck, but two-thirds of the unit is now on IR. Harkins, who is also out with a concussion, landed on the list Monday.
Regardless, the three-year, $6MM deal with trade protection he signed when free agency opened in July seems quite steep less than a year in. The three-time 10-goal scorer is an evident favorite of GM Kyle Dubas, who also acquired him as a member of the Maple Leafs before last season’s trade deadline alongside Ryan O’Reilly.
With Acciari out, the Penguins are now down to the bare-minimum 20 players on the active roster and only 11 forwards. Without moving one of Acciari or Harkins to LTIR, however, they do not have the cap space for an additional recall from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. As such, they may be forced to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Panthers on Wednesday.
Maple Leafs To Recall Dennis Hildeby
The Maple Leafs will recall rookie netminder Dennis Hildeby for the second time this season ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Blues, TSN’s Mark Masters reports. Backup Martin Jones is unavailable with an undisclosed injury after missing Monday’s practice.
That means Toronto needs to clear two roster spots in the next few hours – one to allow them to temporarily carry three goalies, and one to activate center David Kämpf off injured reserve. Head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed Tuesday morning that Kämpf will return against St. Louis after missing three games with an undisclosed injury (via Masters).
To do so, the Maple Leafs will likely place defenseman Conor Timmins on injured reserve and return Maxime Lajoie to AHL Toronto from his emergency loan. Timmins, 25, is out indefinitely with mono, Keefe said Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Hildeby spent nine days on the Maple Leafs roster last month with Joseph Woll sidelined with a high ankle sprain and starter Ilya Samsonov on a short-term AHL assignment after a difficult start to the season. The 6-foot-7, 223-pound Swede is having a strong first professional season in North America, logging a .913 SV% and four shutouts in 24 AHL games, although he’s yet to make his NHL debut.
Jones, 34, stopped 27 of 31 shots faced in a 5-3 loss to the Senators on Saturday, ending a run of five straight starts for Samsonov. A pair of underwhelming showings now has Jones’ SV% on the year down to .908, although it’s still his best in six years. He’s started 16 games and made two relief appearances for Toronto this year in a third-string role behind the inconsistent Samsonov and the injured Woll, posting a 9-7-1 record and two shutouts.
Evgenii Dadonov Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Fracture
Stars winger Evgenii Dadonov will miss “extended time” after undergoing imaging Monday that revealed a lower-body fracture, head coach Peter DeBoer said (via Stars radio host Owen Newkirk). Dadonov, 34, sustained the injury during the second period of Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Canadiens but later returned to the game, skating three shifts in the third period.
The 536-game NHL veteran has played in all but two games for the Stars this year, ranking ninth on the team in goals (12) and 11th in points (23) through 50 games. Once a top-six threat with the Panthers in the late 2010s, Dadonov has settled in nicely to a third-line role in Dallas and signed a two-year, $4.5MM extension to remain with the Stars after a pre-deadline acquisition from the Canadiens last season.
If the Stars expect him to miss over 10 games and 24 days, they can place him on long-term injured reserve and open up a significant chunk of cap space ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. Unless he’s projected to be out for the remainder of the regular season, though, they would need to keep some flexibility available to activate Dadonov when he’s ready to return.
While a decent complementary scoring piece, Dadonov’s two-way play at even strength has been middling. His expected -1.2 rating is the second-worst on the team, only ahead of shutdown specialist Jani Hakanpää.
Dadonov is only a few months removed from a strong postseason showing, recording four goals, 10 points, and a +5 rating in 16 contests with the Stars in their run to last year’s Western Conference Final. While spending most of his prime playing in his native Russia, he’s been a solid complementary piece with 301 points in 481 games since returning to the NHL with Florida in 2017.
Dallas has been one of the league’s healthiest teams, only utilizing 20 skaters this season. That’s meant 22-year-old Mavrik Bourque and 20-year-old Logan Stankoven, their pair of breakout prospects recording over a point per game with AHL Texas, have remained in the minor leagues all season long.
They aren’t going to immediately get a shot with Dadonov out – 2018 first-round pick Ty Dellandrea will get a chance to prove he can hold his own in a third-line role. If more injuries strike or if Dellandrea struggles, however, at least one of Bourque or Stankoven will make their NHL debuts in the coming weeks.
Snapshots: Pelletier, Guhle, Rempe, Romanov
Rookie Calgary Flames forward Jakob Pelletier left the team’s Monday night game after receiving a hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Pelletier is being listed as sustaining an upper-body injury, though the hit seemed to specifically hit Pelletier’s left shoulder.
Pelletier started the season on season-opening injured reserve with a shoulder injury that required surgery. The injury has limited him to just eight games on the season – split evenly between the AHL and NHL. The 22-year-old winger has scored three points in the AHL and one point in the NHL on the year. Calgary acquired Pelletier in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has become a popular name on the Flames, injecting a burst of speed and energy that’s been missing form the 25-23-5 Flames lineup.
Other notes from around the league:
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle is expected to make his return to the lineup on Tuesday. The 22-year-old defenseman suffered an undisclosed injury on Sunday and was questionable to miss time. That won’t be the case, though, as Guhle will look to build on the four goals and 12 points he’s managed through 48 games this season.
- The New York Rangers have sent down centerman Matt Rempe, who was recalled to the NHL roster for a few days of inactivity. The move is largely a paper transaction, likely to get Rempe experience with the NHL club and NHL payroll. The 21-year-old forward has eight goals, 12 points, and 96 penalty minutes in 43 AHL games this season. He ranks in the top 10 of the league, and leads the Hartford Wolf Pack, in penalty minutes.
- New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov has returned to the team’s practices as a full participant after missing their Saturday game. Romanov, 24, has appeared in 51 games this season and averaged over 22 minutes of ice time each game. He’s managed five goals and 13 points – a slightly lower scoring pace than the 22 points he managed in 76 games last season, his first year with the Islanders.
Maple Leafs’ Conor Timmins Out Indefinitely With Mono
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins has contracted mono and is out indefinitely, head coach Sheldon Keefe tells team reporter David Alter. Timmins started the season out on season-opening injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury in a pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens. The absence held him out until late November. He’s since appeared in 16 games and scored six points.
Timmins is running into tough luck this season, again facing the likelihood of playing minimal games. The 25-year-old played in 27 games last year – the second-most he’s appeared in one NHL season. He scored two goals and 14 points, both career-highs, while also appearing in six AHL games and scoring three points. Timmins was originally drafted 32nd overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He kicked off a second round that featured plenty of current NHL talents, including Nicolas Hague, Jason Robertson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He made his NHL debut with Colorado in the 2019-20 season and played through his rookie season in 2020-21, scoring seven assists through 31 games. He didn’t score his first NHL goal until his 2022-23 season in Toronto.
Keefe also shared with Alter that Mark Giordano and David Kampf should make their return on Tuesday. This gives the team some relief in Timmins’ absence, though Giordano has managed just one goal and six points through 34 games this season. He’s averaging just 17 minutes of ice time each game, his lowest average since the 2008-09 season. The 40-year-old defenseman has amassed 1136 career NHL games and 574 career points.