West Notes: Saros, Gaudreau, Pospisil
Earlier this season, Predators general manager Barry Trotz shut down any trade rumors involving star netminder Juuse Saros, stating he had full intent to re-sign him before his contract expires in 2025. That remains the case, but TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes Trotz may at least listen to offers he receives for the 28-year-old, he said in his latest for The Athletic.
It would, of course, take a gargantuan offer for the Predators to part with the third cog in their string of superstar netminders that links back to the days of Tomáš Vokoun in the early 2000s. LeBrun says a trade offer centered around draft picks won’t do the trick – rather, Trotz would require a young but established NHLer with first-line-caliber skills.
Further decreasing the likelihood of a Saros deal is a trade market that LeBrun says, later in the same article, is facing an increased level of parity this year. The Stanley Cup contention field is much more open than in recent seasons, and most teams at the top of the standings have a clear weakness that needs addressing. LeBrun that could lead to just a few teams going “all-in” at the deadline, with most preferring to hold onto their assets. That’s also because buyers will have a smaller market to choose from – many fringe playoff teams are expected to avoid being full sellers on March 8 and could hold onto their high-value assets and pending UFAs in hopes of squeaking into the postseason.
Saros’ .903 SV% this season isn’t terribly impressive, but it’s quite easy to see that it’s an outlier. He’s finished within the top eight of Vezina Trophy voting over the last three seasons and, prior to this year, had never posted a SV% south of .914 in a full season.
Elsewhere from the Western Conference:
- Wild forward Frédérick Gaudreau is doubtful for tonight’s game against the Panthers, said The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 30-year-old skated over nine minutes in last night’s 7-3 loss to the Lightning before leaving with an upper-body injury early in the third period. Per Smith, the Wild don’t yet have a timeline for Gaudreau’s return to the lineup, and he’ll continue to undergo evaluation today. The veteran has three goals in 34 games this year after notching double-digit goal totals in his first two seasons with the Wild. The lack of production is concerning in the first season of a five-year, $10.5MM contract, especially without the aging curve on his side. Winger Adam Raska will return to the lineup in Gaudreau’s absence after being scratched for three straight games.
- Flames rookie Martin Pospisil will avoid a long-term absence after taking a scary fall into the boards last night versus the Maple Leafs, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. The 24-year-old will miss roughly two weeks, though, and will likely return soon after the All-Star break. He sustained an upper-body injury after his skates came together with those of Toronto superstar Auston Matthews, causing him to trip and fold awkwardly (video via Sportsnet, viewer discretion advised). The 2018 fourth-round pick has 4-7–11 in 33 games since being recalled from AHL Calgary in early November. In Pospisil’s absence, 23-year-old Adam Klapka (who stands at a hulking 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds) will make his NHL debut at home in tomorrow’s Battle of Alberta.
Morning Notes: Iskhakov, Kucherov, Barkov
Islanders 2018 second-round pick Ruslan Iskhakov could receive his first NHL recall in the coming days as injuries continue to affect the team’s forwards, speculates Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He notes the team may prefer a more dynamic replacement at the top of the lineup for winger Pierre Engvall, who missed Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Jets with an upper-body injury.
Engvall is listed as day-to-day and remains on the active roster, but head coach Lane Lambert told reporters yesterday that he has no indication when the 27-year-old will resume skating (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). The Swedish winger has disappointed with 5-9–14 in 41 games this season, the first of his seven-year, $21MM contract, and has been a healthy scratch twice.
28-year-old Hudson Fasching slotted into Engvall’s normal second-line role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for the Winnipeg game and is projected to do so again tonight against the Blackhawks. However, the career AHLer/bottom-six depth piece isn’t a sustainable placeholder on a scoring line for a team maintaining playoff aspirations.
Iskhakov, 23, is undersized at 5-foot-8 and 165 lbs., but he’s adjusted well to the North American pro game since joining AHL Bridgeport in 2022. He’s been their best player this season by a wide margin, posting 13-19–32 in 36 games, leading the team in all major offensive categories. If Engvall’s absence from the lineup is long enough to warrant a stint on injured reserve, it would be prudent to give Iskhakov a brief NHL look in the final season of his entry-level contract.
More from the NHL as teams convene for Friday morning practices:
- Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov‘s meteoric season continued last night, recording three assists against the Wild to reach 500 in his career. He remains third among active Russian players in the stat, trailing future Hall-of-Famers Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin by a significant margin. While the Lightning’s .567 points percentage would have them out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Kucherov has been pulling his weight and then some this season. His 28 goals are fourth in the NHL, his 47 assists are second, and his 75 points in 44 games give him a slim lead on Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon for the lead in the Art Ross Trophy race.
- Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was absent from morning skate today as he continues to rehab a lower-body injury, said the AP’s Colby Guy. Head coach Paul Maurice is expected to issue an update on Barkov’s status later Friday. The 28-year-old missed Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Red Wings, his fourth absence of the season. He missed a late October tilt against the Sharks with illness, while a knee injury kept him out of two games in November. His 35 assists in 40 games lead the Panthers.
Evening Snapshots: Wild, Capitals, Drysdale
Earlier today, the Minnesota Wild announced that defenseman Jared Spurgeon would be missing the rest of the season due to back and hip surgery, and Joe Smith of The Athletic speculates that the organization may use their newfound cap space to improve their situation. Only two days ago, General Manager Bill Guerin publicly stated that he is unwilling to give up on the 2023-24 season, and fully expects this team to compete for a playoff spot over the next couple of months.
If Minnesota is going to operate as a buyer come trade deadline time, there are a few options at defense they could look to acquire. Assuming the team looks for a right-handed defenseman to replace the lost minutes left by Spurgeon, they could become a dark horse contender for a defenseman such as Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames, or even look to acquire Tyson Barrie from their division rivals, the Nashville Predators.
In the next few weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the status of the Wild’s playoff chances should come into much clearer view for Guerin, which should help him steer the ship in a more concrete direction. Whatever the case may be, if Minnesota decides to make a major move to replace Spurgeon for the rest of the season, they will have approximately $5.1MM in cap flexibility to do so.
Other snapshots:
- In tonight’s game for the Washington Capitals, they saw the return of their captain, Alex Ovechkin, who had missed the last three games with a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, the team will be without a few players, as Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reported that defenseman Joel Edmundson would not play in tonight’s game with an upper-body injury, and forward Beck Malenstyn is out due to personal reasons.
- Moving on to another team in the Metropolitan Division, even though Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported earlier that newly-acquired defenseman Jamie Drysdale was not seen at practice today, he was able to draw into the lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers this evening. Suiting up for the team in two games, Drysdale came down with an illness shortly after arriving in Philadelphia and subsequently missed the next two contests for the team. Drawing back in the lineup against the Dallas Stars, Drysdale has already skated in over 14 minutes of the game and has put two shots on the net.
Pacific Notes: McLellan, Hill, Amadio
In this week’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, one of the proposed questions centered around the possibility of the Los Angeles Kings parting ways with current head coach Todd McLellan. Hoping to compete for a Stanley Cup this season, the Kings have produced a 1-5-4 record since December 28th, which has led some to speculate that a change behind the bench could be on the horizon in Los Angeles.
Unlike most teams that have made an in-season coaching change this year, the Kings still find themselves within a playoff spot in the Pacific Division, but the gap has certainly tightened over the last few weeks. Keeping together much of the same core over the offseason and bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois, it’s safe to say that Los Angeles is not meeting their expectations up to this point in the season.
One of the main drivers in the team’s current misfortune has been the offense, which has only averaged 2.3 goals per game in their last 10 contests. In the year, the Kings rank 14th in the NHL with 3.27 GF/G, which does not appear to be enough firepower to take down a team such as the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, or Vancouver Canucks. With little salary cap mobility and a coaching change seeming unlikely, the Kings will have to do their best to handle this downturn internally.
Other notes:
- Another team in the Pacific Division that has dealt with some unfortunate play of late would be the Vegas Golden Knights. In their last 14 games, the Golden Knights have produced a 5-9-0 record, now falling well short of the first-place Canucks. Nevertheless, in some positive news for the organization, the head coach of the team, Bruce Cassidy, suggested that starting goaltender Adin Hill is back practicing and should participate in a game sooner rather than later (X Link). Getting Hill back into the lineup should give the team quite a bit of much-needed stability, as he produced a 10-2-2 record in 15 games before going down with an injury in mid-December.
- Sticking in Vegas, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reported that forward Michael Amadio would miss the team’s game tonight against the New York Rangers with an upper-body injury. One of the most valuable depth players across the league this year, Amadio has scored six goals and 17 points in 43 games.
Jared Spurgeon To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery On Back And Hip
The Minnesota Wild have announced that team captain Jared Spurgeon is set to miss the remainder of the season after surgery on his back and hip. Spurgeon has been limited for much of the season, playing in just 16 games this year. He hasn’t played since January 2nd, though, as he’s continuing to struggle with lower-body injuries. This includes an injury suffered in the preseason that forced him to miss the month of October and parts of November.
It’s been a disastrous season for the 34-year-old pro, now in his 14th season with the Minnesota Wild. Spurgeon has managed just five points this year, but recorded an admirable 11 goals and 34 points in 79 games last season. Still, injuries have been consistent in his recent seasons, with the defender failing to appear in 70-or-more games in five of his last seven seasons, including this year.
Spurgeon has become a prolific NHLer despite the injuries. He has appeared in more games than any other defenseman in Wild history, with his 867 career games far ahead of second-place Ryan Suter‘s 656 games with the team. In fact, only one player has appeared in more games for the Wild – former long-term captain Mikko Koivu, who played all 1,028 games of his career in Minnesota. Spurgeon also ranks fourth in all-time scoring for the club, behind only Koivu, Marian Gaborik, and Zach Parise.
The 5’9″ Spurgeon has come a long way since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Draft – the same round that saw Cam Atkinson join the Columbus Blue Jackets. Together, the duo have paved a path for “undersized” players in the NHL, proving just how impactful they can be with the right energy and grit.
It’s safe to assume that Spurgeon’s absence will lead to more minutes for depth defensemen like Dakota Mermis and Daemon Hunt. The Wild will also now be relieved from Spurgeon’s $7.575MM cap hit for the remainder of the year. Whether their depth pieces, or potential acquisitions, will be able to fill in for the team’s top defenseman now becomes an important question to Minnesota’s success for the rest of the season. The Wild currently rank seventh in the Central Division with an 18-20-5 record.
Devils Place Brendan Smith On Injured Reserve
The Devils have placed defenseman Brendan Smith on injured reserve with a sprained right knee retroactive to Jan. 15. In a corresponding transaction, the team recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from AHL Utica.
Smith, 34, left Monday’s game against the Bruins early in the first period after a collision with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and did not return. He did not play in yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Canadiens.
New Jersey has a packed schedule in the coming days, with games on Friday (vs. the Blue Jackets), Saturday (vs. the Stars), and Monday (vs. the Golden Knights). Placing Smith on IR rules him out of those three games. The soonest he is eligible to return is on Thursday, Jan. 25, against the Hurricanes, one of his three former teams.
The veteran pot-stirrer has filled in at both defense and forward this season, depending on which position has been more affected by injuries. Smith joins forwards Nolan Foote and Tomáš Nosek, as well as top-four defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, on IR/LTIR, while forwards Jack Hughes and Ondřej Palát remain sidelined with injuries but are on the active roster.
At this stage in his career, Smith’s impact is most felt between the whistles. He’s posted 1-4–5 in 34 games this season after not scoring a goal in 2022-23, logging 47 PIMs while averaging 14:25 per game. He’s avoided liability status in terms of possession metrics, though, with a Corsi share of 50.4% at even strength and an expected +0.4 rating.
In Smith’s absence, 25-year-old Callan Foote made his second appearance of the season against the Canadiens yesterday. The Devils had no healthy extras rostered, necessitating Hatakka’s recall.
The 23-year-old Hatakka arrived in the Devils organization by way of San Jose in the February 2023 Timo Meier trade. A sixth-round pick of the Sharks in 2019, Hatakka has not played in the NHL since April 17, 2022.
He spent most of last season injured, only logging eight games with AHL San Jose in October and November of 2022. Now healthy, he’s picked up a regular role with Utica, where he’s posted 2-7–9 in 28 games with a -4 rating. This is his first recall since joining the Devils, and potentially an important one for his next contract as he’s in the final year of his entry-level deal.
Evening Snapshots: Gilbert, Ullmark, Carlo, Rondbjerg
Earlier today, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reported that the Calgary Flames have placed defenseman Dennis Gilbert on injured reserve. Since the original injury took place on January 4th, Gilbert has already met the required satisfactions to enter play, but since he is not ready to return, this transaction in particular will give Calgary some roster flexibility for the foreseeable future.
In a related report, Pike also points out that with Gilbert as well as Jacob Markstrom missing some time for the Flames, Walker Duehr‘s waiver placement earlier this afternoon, and Oliver Kylington working his way back on an LTI conditioning loan, there will be plenty of moving pieces for Calgary in the next few days.
With now only 21 players on the active roster once Duehr’s fate is settled tomorrow afternoon, Calgary could recall young forwards such as Matthew Coronato or Jakob Pelletier, or even go the route of reintroducing Kylington back into the organization. Whatever the case may be, they do have some time to address their current roster situation, as they should be able to field a healthy team tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs without any corresponding transactions.
Other snapshots:
- The Boston Bruins could be welcoming back two of their bigger pieces, as Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reports both Linus Ullmark and Brandon Carlo are nearing a return to the team. This news does not come as a tremendous surprise, as the Bruins sent down goaltender Brandon Bussi, clearing the way for Ullmark’s return. Carlo, on the other hand, has missed the last four games for Boston with an upper-body injury but should be able to return this weekend against the Montreal Canadiens, or even sooner in the Bruin’s rematch against the Colorado Avalanche.
- After recalling him on January 11th, the Vegas Golden Knights announced today they have reassigned forward Jonas Rondbjerg back down to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Playing in three games since his initial recall only a few days ago, Rondbjerg produced zero points while averaging a tad under 11 minutes of ice time a game.
Penguins Injury Notes: Ludvig, Nieto, Smith
Rob Rossi of The Athletic had some updates today on a few injuries the Pittsburgh Penguins are dealing with as they reach the mid-season mark. Rossi stated that defenseman John Ludvig is tracking well and skated on his own this morning. The 23-year-old rookie has been a pleasant surprise this season for Pittsburgh after he was acquired off waivers from the Florida Panthers. The former third-round pick hasn’t offered much offensively but has been one of the only Penguins defenders to engage opponents physically and had been very sound in the defensive zone.
Ludvig was placed on injured reserve back on January 3rd after head coach Mike Sullivan said he was a little banged up. It isn’t clear what type of injury he is dealing with, but it appears that he should be back in the Penguins lineup very soon. Pittsburgh has quite a few bottom-pairing defensive options and has shuffled through all of them, however, before the injury Ludvig appeared to be taking a firm grasp on one of those spots.
In other Penguins injury notes:
- Rossi also provided a brief update on injured forward Matthew Nieto who underwent successful laparoscopic surgery to his right knee just two weeks ago. Rossi’s short comment mentioned that things are status quo with Nieto and his recovery, and he will remain in Pittsburgh when the team goes on their upcoming road trip. Nieto was expected to miss 6-8 weeks recovering from the surgery, and given that his status remains the same, it is safe to assume that he will return to the Penguins lineup just before the NHL trade deadline on March 8th. Nieto has been terrific for the Penguins on the penalty kill this season, and his even strength play improved after a poor start to the season. Jansen Harkins is currently occupying Nieto’s spot on the Penguins fourth line alongside Noel Acciari and Jeff Carter.
- Finally, Rossi offered an update on Reilly Smith saying that he will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip but likely will not play. It is expected that the team will have an update on Smith’s status after the weekend. Smith’s injury is currently being classified as an upper-body injury that will keep him out longer-term, however, not much more information is available. Smith opened the season showing terrific chemistry with center Evgeni Malkin, but since November 4th he has just two goals and has seemed lost at times. He has dressed in 40 games this season and has eight goals and 12 assists during that time. The Penguins are currently using Drew O’Connor in Smith’s role on the second line alongside Malkin.
Blues Place Kasperi Kapanen On IR, Out 4 Weeks
Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen will be out a minimum of four weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday. He has been placed on injured reserve.
In a corresponding transaction, the team brought up veteran forward Adam Gaudette from AHL Springfield. The 27-year-old leads all AHLers with 24 goals in 37 games.
The speedy winger has struggled heavily in his first full season with the Blues. Things were looking up for Kapanen after St. Louis claimed him off waivers from the Penguins partway through the 2022-23 campaign, closing out the year with 8-6–14 in 23 games. This season, despite a minimal reduction in usage, he’s notched just 4-9–13 in 42 games, his worst points per game pace since his rookie campaign with the Maple Leafs in 2017-18.
A long-term injury now complicates things further. Kapanen will miss at least ten games and potentially more if his four-week evaluation doesn’t clear him to return.
Blues interim head coach Drew Bannister confirmed today that Gaudette will directly replace Kapanen in the lineup against the Capitals tomorrow, meaning another recent AHL call-up, Nathan Walker, likely sits as a healthy scratch. The Blues are carrying a full 23-player roster, including defenseman Tyler Tucker, who’s suiting up for Springfield on a conditioning loan.
Gaudette didn’t see any NHL action last season, limited exclusively to minor-league play for the first time in his pro career. After notching 34 points in 40 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies while under contract with the Maple Leafs, Gaudette found himself in Springfield after his contract was included in the trade return for Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly last season. Tomorrow will be his first NHL game since April 29, 2022, with the Ottawa Senators.
Blackhawks Place Nikita Zaitsev On IR, Recall Louis Crevier
The Blackhawks placed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev on IR with a right knee injury Wednesday, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. To replace him on the active roster, the team recalled Louis Crevier from AHL Rockford.
Zaitsev logged 8:46 in last night’s shootout win over the Sharks before leaving the game. The 32-year-old had played in all eight Blackhawks games since New Year’s Day after missing the last two games of 2023 with an illness.
A frequent healthy scratch to begin the campaign, Zaitsev stepped into a more regular role in the lineup last month with injuries decimating Chicago at every position. Their defense has gotten healthier recently with the return of Seth Jones, but veteran Connor Murphy is now day to day with a lower-body injury. Zaitsev is the only Blackhawks defender on IR, joining a remarkable eight forwards – many of whom would be in the team’s top six if healthy.
Zaitsev’s bloated seven-year, $31.5MM contract is coming to an end next summer, but he’s providing a tad more value this season with more zone starts in the offensive end. He’s notched 2-5–7 in 26 games this year, and his pairing with rookie Kevin Korchinski has been Chicago’s best at controlling possession with a 46.9% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. Interestingly, Korchinski has graded out far better defensively alongside Zaitsev than when paired with either Jones or Murphy.
The massive Crevier, who stands at 6-foot-8 and nearly 230 lbs., receives his second recall of the season. The 22-year-old played in 13 games between Dec. 2 and Jan. 9, logging three assists and a -7 rating in 16:08 of ice time per game. The 2020 seventh-round pick has notably gone without scoring a goal since May 25, 2022, during the QMJHL postseason as a member of the Québéc Remparts. In 80 games with AHL Rockford since turning pro in 2022, he has 10 assists and a -1 rating.