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Morning Notes: Puljujarvi, Heritage Classic, Matheson

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Earlier this week, an interview with Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi in a Finnish newspaper came out, with Puljujarvi saying in sum that he wants to be a productive first line forward, but isn’t sure if he can do that in the NHL. His frustration and lack of confidence is a bit understandable, the former fourth-overall pick struggling to just six points in 28 games to start the season. Last night on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave an update on the winger and where things stand with Edmonton. According to Friedman, the Oilers and Puljujarvi’s representatives agreed before the season that if things did not go well for Puljujarvi, that Edmonton would try to move him.

It’s not exactly a new story that Edmonton would be interested in moving on from Puljujarvi, the team trying to do so this summer for salary cap purposes, but now it appears both sides are interested in the idea for the benefit of the player. Friedman adds that he does expect the trade to happen eventually, but that it might take time. One reason for this is Edmonton’s injury issues at forward and the fact that they don’t currently have any salary cap issues, at least not until Evander Kane returns to the lineup. There’s no doubt Puljujarvi has struggled to meet expectation this season, however he still can be better than some alternatives while the team works through its injury troubles.

  • Also from Hockey Night In Canada’s 32 Thoughts last night, the NHL has confirmed that the Heritage Classic will be returning to Edmonton next season. The game is expected to be played at Commonwealth Stadium sometime in October and will feature a Battle of Alberta between the Oilers and the Calgary Flames.
  • After he didn’t play last night against the Los Angeles Kings, the Montreal Canadiens confirmed that defenseman Mike Matheson is in-fact injured, dealing with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be as bad as the abdominal injury that kept him out the first 17 games of the season., the team announcing the injury as day-to-day. The veteran has only played in nine games so far this season while dealing with injury, but does have an impressive six points in that span. Matheson is in his first season with Montreal after coming back the other way from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jeff Petry trade.

Nick Robertson To Miss At Least Six Weeks

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It has been somewhat of a frustrating year so far for Maple Leafs winger Nick Robertson.  Unfortunately for him, the news continues to be bad for him as Sports Illustrated’s David Alter relays that he will miss six to eight weeks due to the shoulder injury that he sustained on Thursday against Los Angeles.  However, he won’t need surgery this time around and will simply rehab the injury this time.

This is the third straight season that he has sustained a significant injury.  Two years ago, a knee issue limited him to just 27 games between the NHL and AHL and last season, a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula resulted in him suiting up just 38 times.  This setback will cost him upwards of 20 contests as well, more if he winds up being out longer than this projected timeline.

Robertson had a very strong showing in the preseason that saw him pick up eight points in five games but he didn’t break camp with the big club.  Early injuries that opted up Toronto’s ability to use LTIR landed the 21-year-old on the NHL roster soon after but he has been a frequent healthy scratch and hasn’t seen a lot of action when he has been in the lineup as he’s averaging less than 11 minutes a night over his first 15 appearances even though he has five points in those outings.

Robertson is still waiver-exempt through next season and it stands to reason that he’ll be back with AHL Toronto when he’s cleared to return in order to give him a few games to get back into playing condition.  From there, the battle to lock down a regular spot in the lineup for the Maple Leafs will continue at a time when it will be just a few weeks away from the trade deadline in early March.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Joey Anderson

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With Nick Robertson out with a shoulder injury and Pierre Engvall facing a potential suspension, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Joey Anderson from the minor leagues. It’s the first call-up of the season for the minor league forward, who cleared waivers at the start of the year.

Anderson, 24, does have 58 games of NHL experience under his belt, but only six of those have come since he was acquired by Toronto in 2020. A third-round selection of the New Jersey Devils, he has spent most of his time with the Toronto Marlies the last three seasons, where he continues to produce as a top-end AHL player. In 21 games this season, Anderson has 11 goals and 19 points.

A great example of a player who appears to be good enough to provide some value at the NHL level but who hasn’t received much of an opportunity, injury issues will likely be the only way Anderson finds his way into the Toronto lineup on a regular basis.

While these situations usually at least mean a bit of a pay raise for the recalled player, Anderson doesn’t have to worry about that. He is on a one-way deal, meaning he’ll earn $800K no matter which level he plays. The Maple Leafs are known for enticing a few players with the promise of NHL salaries in the minor leagues; Kyle Clifford and Adam Gaudette are two others on one-way deals in the AHL.

Tom Wilson Joins Capitals Practice

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Morning skate for the Washington Capitals was rather encouraging today, as several injured players were on the ice. Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Dmitry Orlov were all skating with their teammates, though none are ready to return just yet.

For Wilson, it’s the first time he’s joined the group since undergoing ACL surgery last spring. Coming off a career-best 24-goal, 52-point season, the physical winger is one of the most important players on the club, and has been sorely missed through the early part of the year. The Capitals are 12-12-4 on the year and have struggled to find much consistency from the lower half of their forward group, with Wilson, Backstrom, and Connor Brown all out.

Backstrom has joined the team a few times as he deals with his own rehab and is optimistic he will return at some point this season after hip surgery. There is no clear timeline for either player, but getting them around practice again will be sure to lift the team’s spirits, given how important a role they play on the ice and in the dressing room.

Orlov, meanwhile, has been out for more than a month with a lower-body injury. He too is coming off a career year, with 12 goals and 35 points, and had been averaging a ton of ice time through the early part of the season. If the Capitals are able to keep their head above water until they get these reinforcements back, they will still have a shot at the playoffs. As it stands right now, they are sixth in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of only the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Detroit Red Wings Activate, Re-Assign Elmer Soderblom

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One of the interesting storylines for the Detroit Red Wings this season has been the emergence of Elmer Soderblom, who went directly from the SHL to the NHL and didn’t look out of place. After suffering an injury, though, he has missed the last several weeks, and will now have to face the grind of the AHL to get back on track. After activating him from injured reserve, the Red Wings have loaned Soderblom to the Grand Rapids Griffins to get back into game action.

Standing 6’8″ and towering over most of his opponents, the 21-year-old forward was part of the biggest line in the NHL earlier this year, along with Michael Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist. It was an impressive trio to see move around the ice, even if it failed to result in a ton of offensive production. The Swedish rookie scored just two goals in his 13 games before going down and is still looking for his first NHL assist.

Now healthy again, he’ll get his first taste of the AHL and try to replicate the scoring touch he had for Frolunda last year. In 52 games, Soderblom managed to score 21 goals at the SHL level, good enough for seventh in the league. As the rest of the hockey world marvels at a hulking, lanky forward in Buffalo that relies more on skill than physicality and is setting the NHL on fire, Red Wings fans can only dream about the flashes of potential that Soderblom has shown. While he will likely never match the kind of all-world production that Tage Thompson is providing, there should be a lesson of patience to be learned from the Sabres superstar.

Often, very large players take a little while longer to develop, as they figure out how to best utilize their massive frame against NHL opponents. Soderblom is just at the very beginning of his professional journey, and will be back with the Red Wings before long.

Injury Notes: Avalanche, Rielly, Klingberg, Stone

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If the playoffs began today, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, would be on the outside looking in. Colorado’s fall isn’t for a lack of talent and granted, losing Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky to free agency wasn’t exactly helpful, but instead the primary issues seem to fall squarely on injuries. The team has lost more than it’s fair share of man games to injury as they approach the one-third mark of the season and just when things couldn’t seem to get worse, Nathan MacKinnon was ruled out for four weeks.

There could be some help coming soon though, reports Brennan Vogt of Colorado Hockey Now, who spoke with Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar during his media availability earlier today. According to Bednar, forwards Darren Helm and Valeri Nichushkin could be available to play in tomorrow’s game. Nichushkin, one of the team’s premier players, was off to a blistering start with 12 points in seven games before an injury sidelined him for 17 games. Helm, a veteran utility player, has yet to suit up for Colorado this year, but given the injuries the team has dealt with, getting his versatile presence back in the lineup could pay bigger dividends than it might seem. Also of note, Bednar disclosed that forward Artturi Lehkonen, who was injured in Colorado’s game on Saturday, is currently going through concussion protocol.

  • During today’s Leafs Lunch radio program on TSN Radio, Sports Illustrated’s David Alter called in to discuss a number of Toronto Maple Leafs notes, including the status of injured defenseman Morgan Rielly. Alter acknowledged an earlier report by TSN’s Darren Dreger, who believed Rielly’s timeline to be somewhere around four-to-six weeks, but added that when he caught up with Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas recently, Toronto’s timeline was only to the extent of the LTIR minimum duration: 24 days and 10 games. Alter adds that Rielly, who has been working out with the team, has not yet resumed skating and thus the earliest return date from LTIR, which would be on December 17th, seems very unlikely. Rielly has been dealing with an MCL injury suffered in a collision with New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, who was also injured on the play, back on November 21st.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens writes that Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Klingberg will return to the lineup tomorrow after missing the previous seven games with a lower-body injury. Much like his Ducks, Klingberg has struggled to start this year. The offensive-minded defenseman has recorded just eight points in 20 games thus far to go with a -12 rating, which itself isn’t too out-of-line compared to his recent seasons. Klingberg had signed a one-year, $7MM deal with Anaheim this offseason with the idea that he could be dealt to a contender at the trade deadline perhaps, and test the free agent market again next summer, two things which are still on the table most likely.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone was notably absent from practice today, however as Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, this was simply a maintenance day. These sorts of absences are normal throughout the NHL, especially for veterans and players who are recently back from injury or dealing with a nagging issue, but given the extent of Stone’s recent injuries and his unrelenting style of play, it makes sense that an absence even like this one would sound an alarm for some. Since returning full-time for Vegas, Stone is back to his old ways, chipping in 21 points in 28 games to go with stellar defense.

Winnipeg Jets Activate Logan Stanley

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Good news on the injury front for the Winnipeg Jets as they will be getting an important piece of their blueline back. The team announced they have activated defenseman Logan Stanley off of IR. Stanley had been on IR since November 2nd with a fractured foot, but has not played since October 24th.

Although Winnipeg is still dealing with injuries to a pair of key forwards in Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton, their defense has remained relatively healthy as of late. Even still, getting the massive Stanley back in the fold should make a difference. The Jets currently have the eighth fewest shots against them in the NHL, an indicator of strong defense, however the team also ranks 29th in the NHL in shots for. Stanley might not be an elite puck mover, but having a complete blueline could help the team stay out of their own end and stay in the offensive end more than they have.

Listed at 6’7 and 231 pounds, Stanley’s frame allows him to play a unique and exciting brand of physical, shutdown defense evidence by his 195 career hits in 100 career games. A 2016 first-round pick, the defenseman took some time to make it to the NHL, but has now established himself as a key piece when healthy. The 24-year-old played in a career-high 58 games last season, recording 13 points, but has played in just five this season, with zero points thus far. The Central Division-leading Jets play this evening on the road in St. Louis against the up-and-down Blues.

Snapshots: Barkov, Puljujärvi, Poulin

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has missed much of the past few weeks with an illness, and now we have clarity on why his absence was so long. Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards relays a Finnish report that Barkov was dealing with a bout of pneumonia, causing him to be away from the team.

Thankfully, Barkov is now healthy. He’s returned to skating with the team and is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow against Detroit, says Richards. In the seven games Barkov missed, the Panthers went 2-3-2. The return of their captain can’t come soon enough, as the team currently sits outside a playoff spot after winning the President’s Trophy last year. Richards also notes the team is optimistic that Anton Lundell can return from an injury tomorrow after missing the last two games.

  • After scoring just one goal in 26 games this season, offensive struggles are beginning to weigh on Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujärvi told a Finnish news agency today (translated) that “of course, I’d like to be a productive top-line player, but right now, it looks like I can’t do that in NHL. Maybe some other league.” The Finn had a career year last season with 36 points in 65 games and even received some Selke votes, but his play on both sides of the puck has dipped this year. Hopefully, the Oilers can help Puljujärvi figure out a way to regain his confidence.
  • Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin has deservedly won the 2022 Northern Star award, given to Canada’s top athlete of the year. Poulin led Canada’s top women’s hockey contingent to both Olympic gold and World Championships gold, scoring a combined 27 points in 14 games. She’s the first hockey player to win the award in seven years.

James Van Riemsdyk Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Philadelphia Flyers are finally getting a bit of good news on the injury front, as veteran forward James van Riemsdyk has been activated from injured reserve and is set to make his return against the Washington Capitals tonight.

While it may be too late for the Flyers to make any sort of run toward the playoffs, getting van Riemsdyk back into the lineup is important for another reason. The 33-year-old is on an expiring contract and could potentially be a top trade deadline target later this season.

Even though he doesn’t have quite the same impact he might have had in his prime, there are still few players as dangerous as van Riemsdyk when planted in front of the net. He has long been one of the best in the league at deflecting pucks and cleaning up rebounds, and even this year he had two powerplay goals in the first six games of the season.

Yes, his $7MM cap hit makes him an overpriced asset for a club like Philadelphia, but at the deadline, he will look like an interesting depth scoring option for a contender. Perhaps most importantly, van Riemsdyk does not have any trade protection in his contract.

Getting him back up and running, racking up powerplay points, and showing he can still contribute should only help the Flyers flip him later on. For now, he’ll also give the lineup a boost as they try to build on a big win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

Chicago Blackhawks Re-Assign Lukas Reichel, Place Petr Mrazek On IR

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Dec 7: So much for that. Reichel has been returned to the AHL.

Dec 6: A top prospect is on his way up to the NHL. According to the AHL’s transactions log, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Lukas Reichel from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs today. In a corresponding transaction, they also placed goalie Petr Mrazek on injured reserve retroactive to December 3, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.

The move comes as Jonathan Toews is set to miss tonight’s game with a non-COVID illness, so it’s feasible that Reichel doesn’t stay up long-term. However, the team’s 17th overall pick in 2020 again dominates the minors and could force the team’s hand.

For the second consecutive season, Reichel is operating at more than a point-per-game pace in the AHL and sits second on Rockford, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 19 games. With depth players like Jujhar Khaira and Colin Blackwell struggling to produce, Reichel might have the opportunity to get in a meaningful string of NHL action if he performs well tonight.

Mrazek is dealing with his second groin injury of the season, an issue that plagued him last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as well. Those injuries have limited the team’s presumptive starter to just nine games this year, and his .884 save percentage and 4.06 goals-against average are the worst among the team’s top three goalies. He can return as soon as this weekend.

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