Coyotes’ Jack McBain Out Week-To-Week
Update November 13th, 10:57am: McBain has been placed on Injured Reserve today as per CapFriendly.
November 11th: Arizona Coyotes forward Jack McBain is now listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the team said Saturday evening.
McBain sustained the injury late in Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, likely suffering something related to his left leg after crashing into the boards. The 23-year-old is off to a solid start with four goals and three assists in 13 games this season, including a two-goal, four-point showing against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 30.
A third-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2018, the Coyotes acquired McBain’s signing rights in a March 2022 trade after he posted 33 points in 24 games during his senior season at Boston College and representing Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He played in all 82 games during his rookie season last year, finishing 12th on the team in scoring with 26 points while averaging nearly 14 minutes per game.
After hitting restricted free agency last summer and filing for salary arbitration, the Coyotes and McBain settled on a two-year, $3.2MM contract just before his scheduled hearing. He will again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights when the deal expires in 2025.
McBain has seen his ice time decreased somewhat this season to around the 12-minute mark, given the team’s increased forward depth. However, he’s still been a solid contributor in the team’s bottom six, and he’s out-produced many of the Coyotes’ third- and fourth-line regulars, including summer UFA signings Alexander Kerfoot and Jason Zucker.
The Coyotes have not moved McBain to IR or LTIR, but they’ll need to make a corresponding transaction if they wish to recall a forward from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners to replace him, as their 23-player roster is full.
Metropolitan Notes: Ponomarev, Miller, Pelech, Mackey
In a peculiar move, the Carolina Hurricanes reassigned forward prospect Vasily Ponomarev from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on Saturday, per a team announcement.
The Wolves had been the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate since the 2020-21 season, but the independently-owned squad opted to sever their ties with the Hurricanes this summer and act as the AHL’s only non-NHL-affiliated team in 2023-24 (and for the foreseeable future). It was not an amicable split between the two teams, and Wolves GM Wendell Young inferred over the summer that the team would not accept any Hurricanes prospects on loan once the season started. That practice has broken with Ponomarev here, though, who becomes just the second NHL-affiliated player on the Wolves roster, joining New Jersey Devils-contracted netminder Keith Kinkaid. The remainder of the Wolves roster is filled out by players on AHL contracts.
Ponomarev is a rather intriguing prospect, too. A second-round pick of the ‘Canes in 2020, Ponomarev was quite solid with the Wolves last season in his first North American pro season, leading the team with 24 goals in 64 games and second with 46 points. Recently returning from a season-opening injury, Ponomarev had no points in two contests with Tucson.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division tonight:
- The New Jersey Devils are hopeful that defenseman Colin Miller can join the team on their upcoming road trip, head coach Lindy Ruff said today. Miller sustained an undisclosed injury in practice that has kept him out of the last ten games, although he’s still yet to make his Devils debut after sitting as a healthy scratch for the team’s first three contests. The 31-year-old, currently on injured reserve, joined New Jersey via trade this summer from the Dallas Stars, with whom he registered 21 points and a +23 rating in 79 games last season.
- Staying in the Tri-State area, New York Islanders shutdown star Adam Pelech is missing a second consecutive game with a lower-body injury tonight against the Capitals, head coach Lane Lambert said this morning. The 29-year-old has just one assist through ten games this year and has yet again posted positive relative possession numbers, although his 20:22 average time on ice is the lowest in five years. Left-shot defender Samuel Bolduc, who’s struggled mightily this season with a -4 rating in nine games despite playing under ten minutes per game, remains in the lineup.
- The New York Rangers have brought defenseman Connor Mackey back up to the active roster, per a team announcement. Mackey, who is serving as the team’s extra defender while Adam Fox is sidelined with a lower-body injury, has been recalled and returned to AHL Hartford four times in the past week as the team keeps him on the roster as little as possible to extend his waiver-exempt clock. Mackey, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Rangers last summer, passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season but can only remain on the NHL roster for 30 days until he needs to clear them again to return to Hartford. He has not yet played in an NHL game for New York this season after skating in 30 last season for the Flames and Coyotes.
Capitals Place Martin Fehervary On IR, Recall Dylan McIlrath
Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary left last night’s game with a lower-body injury last night and it appears the injury will keep him out for a little while. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that Washington has placed the blueliner on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, blueliner Dylan McIlrath was recalled from AHL Hershey.
Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday (video link), head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t provide any specifics about Fehervary’s injury, only saying that it was not ideal. That’s certainly a fair assessment as the 24-year-old went into last night’s contest averaging over 19 minutes a game while holding down a spot in their top four.
So far this season, Fehervary has a pair of assists in a dozen appearances along with 20 hits and 29 blocked shots. He also takes a regular turn on Washington’s second penalty killing unit so his absence will be hard to fill internally. Alexander Alexeyev was the reserve blueliner on Friday so it stands to reason that he’ll get the first chance to do so while Lucas Johansen and Hardy Haman Aktell will each have to cover more minutes as well.
As for McIlrath, the 31-year-old is in his third season in Washington’s system. He got into six games with the Caps last year, his first taste of NHL action since the 2019-20 campaign when he was with Detroit. McIlrath is best known for his physicality but he does have three assists in 11 games so far with the Bears this season, along with 23 penalty minutes. Last year in the minors, he had 13 helpers in 60 contests plus 102 minutes in the box.
Injury Notes: Markstrom, Nosek, Zegras, Whitecloud
Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska shared that starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He will sit out of the team’s Friday night game, with Daniel Vladar taking over the starting role.
This is timely news, as the Flames just recalled back-to-back AHL Goalie of the Year winner Dustin Wolf to the NHL club. Wolf has yet to carve out an NHL presence but the 22-year-old goaltender has more than proven his capability, going as far as winning the AHL’s Les Cunningham Award last season, given to the league’s most valuable player. Calgary plays Toronto on Friday and Ottawa on Saturday, which could give Wolf a chance to relieve Vladar.
The team will hope that their backups getting added opportunities can turn into some sort of spark in net. Markstrom has struggled through the early season, recording a .896 save percentage and 2-6-1 record across nine games played. Vladar has managed better outcomes in his appearances, earning a 2-1-0 record in his three games, but carries a .844 save percentage.
Wolf has recorded a .924 save percentage and 5-1-0 record in six AHL games this season.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- Tomas Nosek is expected to return to the New Jersey Devils lineup on Friday, despite head coach Lindy Ruff saying he wanted to see a few more practices from the forward. Nosek has played in two games with the Devils this season, going without a point or any change in his +/-. He’s been battling a lower-body injury and was placed on injured reserve earlier in the year.
- The Anaheim Ducks will be without Trevor Zegras on Friday, as he’s battling a nagging lower-body injury. The dynamic forward is off to a slow start this season, with a mere two points through his first 12 games. Contract negotiations held him out of much of the team’s training camp.
- Zach Whitecloud is set to return make his season debut on Friday. The defenseman went under the knife in early October to address an issue in his hand. He was announced as week-to-week at the time and makes his return nearly one month later, holding to his history as a quick healer. Whitecloud scored 12 points in 59 games last year.
Atlantic Notes: McCabe, Klingberg, Bennett, Montour, McAvoy, Czarnik
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe will draw back into the lineup Friday against the Calgary Flames after missing six games with a groin injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters today (via David Alter of Sports Illustrated). The shutdown defenseman is expected to factor in on the second pairing, playing on his off-side along 40-year-old veteran Mark Giordano.
McCabe sustained the injury on his first shift in an October 26 game against the Dallas Stars, skating only ten seconds before leaving the game. The 2023 trade deadline acquisition from the Chicago Blackhawks hasn’t registered a point yet this season and has a -4 rating in seven games, and his possession metrics have dipped significantly (albeit in a small sample) from last season’s strong play.
That dip can’t be entirely attributed to him, however. His partner for most of the season before exiting the lineup was John Klingberg, who Keefe said will not suit up against Calgary as he deals with an undisclosed injury. Klingberg has five assists through 13 games but has posted a -8 rating, including two -3 performances in his last three games.
Klingberg’s logged the worst defensive numbers of any Maple Leafs defender this season and will be looking for a reset once he gets back to full health. McCabe, meanwhile, has excelled this season in small increments away from Klingberg – his pairing with the now-injured Timothy Liljegren has been the Leafs’ best at controlling shot quality this season, posting an expected goals share of 58.1% in nearly 50 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Things are looking up in the Sunshine State for the Florida Panthers, as they sit second in the Atlantic Division with a .625 points percentage. They’re about to get some reinforcements, too, as head coach Paul Maurice said today that center Sam Bennett is possible (but unlikely) to return from a lower-body injury on Sunday against the Blackhawks. Even if he doesn’t return to the lineup this weekend, that likely means Bennett could factor in next Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. The feisty secondary scorer has missed all but one game this season due to separate lower-body injuries, last appearing October 30 against the Boston Bruins and playing just 7:54. The 27-year-old had 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games last season and will immediately help bolster their top six upon returning. 22-year-old Anton Lundell, who’s filled in as their second-line center in Bennett’s absence, has scored just once in 12 games.
- Florida is also likely to get defenseman Brandon Montour back soon, with Maurice saying the two-way defender could make his season debut as early as next week. Montour, who underwent shoulder surgery following the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, was initially expected back around training camp but had his recovery timeline extended over the summer. The 29-year-old finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season, exploding for a career-high 73 points in 80 games and adding eight goals in 21 playoff games in Florida’s run to the Final. Florida’s defense has held up surprisingly well in his (and Aaron Ekblad‘s) absence, but his return to action is still something to look forward to.
- Another big-time defender returning to action imminently is Boston Bruins star Charlie McAvoy, who has completed his four-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and is eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Canadiens. McAvoy had easily been the Bruins’ best defenseman through nine games, scoring two goals and six assists with a +6 rating while averaging 23:52 per game. McAvoy’s return to the lineup, along with shutdown defender Derek Forbort‘s return from injury, meant the Bruins were able to return depth defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to AHL Providence earlier today.
- Detroit Red Wings forward Austin Czarnik will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets for undisclosed reasons, per head coach Derek Lalonde. Czarnik has made 11 appearances for the Red Wings this year but has recorded just one assist and a -3 rating in less than nine minutes per game of ice time. The 30-year-old is in the second season of a two-year, two-way deal carrying a $762.5K cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Sabres Notes: Tuch, Savoie, Cozens, Samuelsson
Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch is listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, head coach Don Granato said today. Granato said Tuch has been dealing with some “soreness,” explaining a rash of missed practices lately, and will likely only play one of two games of their back-to-back today and tomorrow.
Tuch, 27, has rebounded nicely after a slow start to the season. Recently reunited with Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson on the team’s top line after some shuffling, Tuch has three goals and six points in his last five contests and has seen his ice time creep north of 20 minutes in the previous two games. He’s also dominating possession, recording a career-high relative Corsi share of 6.3% at even strength.
His potential absence has created some opportunity for 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie, who Granato says will make his NHL debut Friday regardless of Tuch’s status. Savoie had a strong rookie camp but sustained a shoulder injury that kept him out for most of the preseason and the first few weeks of October. He returned to action later in the month when the Sabres assigned him to the AHL’s Rochester Americans on a conditioning stint, during which he racked up two goals and three assists in six games. The Sabres recalled him from his conditioning stint earlier this week, although he was a healthy scratch for Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Other Sabres items of interest:
- Granato confirmed that center Dylan Cozens is returning to the lineup Friday after missing two games with an upper-body injury. Cozens sustained the injury in a fight with Philadelphia Flyers winger Garnet Hathaway late in a 5-1 loss one week ago today. The 22-year-old has three goals and four assists through 11 contests this season after breaking out for 31 goals and 68 points in 2022-23. Cozens and Savoie entering the lineup tonight means one or two out of Tyson Jost, Victor Olofsson and Lukáš Rousek will sit, depending on Tuch’s availability.
- Lastly, Granato said defenseman Mattias Samuelsson could return to the lineup for Saturday’s road tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Samuelsson will miss a third straight game with a lower-body injury tonight, which was sustained in the first period of last Friday’s loss to the Flyers. Samuelsson’s play has been okay this season after signing a seven-year, $30MM extension, recording four points through 11 games and a Corsi share of 48% at even strength. His impending return means rookie Ryan Johnson will likely return to AHL Rochester tomorrow after a three-game trial with the big club.
Capitals Make Multiple Roster Moves
The Washington Capitals recalled winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and goaltender Hunter Shepard from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Friday, per a team release. In two corresponding transactions, center Nic Dowd was activated from IR, while Anthony Mantha was placed on IR.
Aubé-Kubel, 27, could make his season debut tonight when the Capitals face the New Jersey Devils. As a winger, he’s a more direct replacement for Mantha, who will be out for at least one week after taking a puck to the ear in Wednesday’s game against the Florida Panthers.
The gritty forward was a surprise omission from the Capitals’ opening-night roster, passing through waivers unclaimed early in October. Washington signed him to a one-year, $1.225MM extension last March after claiming him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the 2022-23 season.
Aubé-Kubel provided solid depth production after the waiver claim in the nation’s capital, notching four goals and 12 points in 47 contests while averaging 11:39 per game. 2023-24 hasn’t been kind to the 2022 Stanley Cup champion, who has just three points in 11 games with AHL Hershey this season.
Shepard comes up without a clear injury designation to starter Darcy Kuemper or backup Charlie Lindgren, although Lindgren did not participate in an optional skate yesterday, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The 28-year-old made one appearance for the Capitals earlier this season, stopping 18 of 22 shots for his first NHL win against the Devils on October 25.
He’s also off to a solid start with Hershey, recording a .910 SV% and a 4-1-0 record through five games. Shepard’s .914 SV% and three shutouts in 20 postseason games last year earned him the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs MVP, helping the Bears to a league championship.
Dowd will return tonight from an upper-body injury that’s kept him out since the team’s second game of the season, causing a nine-game absence. The veteran center did not record a point in two games this year but is coming off a career-best 13 goals and 25 points in 2022-23. The 33-year-old from Alabama is in the second season of a three-year contract with a $1.3MM AAV. 21-year-old Hendrix Lapierre seems a likely choice to sit after going pointless in four games this season, averaging just 7:28 per night.
The Capitals confirmed Thursday that Mantha would miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury, meaning his move to IR is no surprise. Mantha, 29, had registered three goals and one assist through ten games.
Rangers Recall Three Players, Jonathan Quick Day-To-Day
Nov. 10: The Rangers returned all three players to AHL Hartford on Friday morning, a team announcement states. If Shesterkin and Quick won’t be ready to return for Sunday’s game against the Blue Jackets, expect this transaction to be reversed over the weekend.
Nov. 8: The New York Rangers have recalled goaltender Louis Domingue, goaltender Dylan Garand and defenseman Connor Mackey from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, according to a team release Wednesday afternoon. Consequentially, backup goaltender Jonathan Quick is now listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
New York is now without both halves of its usual one-two punch in net, as starter Igor Shesterkin remains sidelined on a day-to-day basis with an undisclosed injury. The Rangers are “being cautious” in his return and won’t rush him back to the lineup, per Walker.
Shesterkin, 27, has not played since stopping 26 of 27 shots against the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner has been slightly more average than we’re used to seeing this year, posting a .913 SV% and 2.36 GAA through eight starts.
The Rangers must hope Quick’s absence doesn’t last for more than a game or two, either. Expectations were low for the 37-year-old Stanley Cup champion after he signed a one-year deal worth $825K in free agency, but he’s excelled thus far, posting a 3-0-1 record, .936 SV%, 1.77 GAA, and one shutout through five appearances in a Rangers sweater.
As a result of Quick’s injury, one of Domingue or Garand will make his Rangers debut Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Domingue cleared waivers to begin the season but has been papered up and down twice over the past week to serve as Quick’s backup for the team’s last two contests. The 31-year-old has eight years and 142 games of NHL experience to his name but hasn’t started more than ten games in a season since 2019-20 with the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks and didn’t see any NHL starts with the Rangers last season, spending the entire season with Hartford.
He’s been the better netminder out of himself and Garand with the Wolf Pack this season, posting a .934 SV% and a 3-1-0 record in four appearances. Garand, a 2020 fourth-round pick, has also played well, recording a .914 SV%, 2.63 GAA and 3-1-1 record in five games. The 21-year-old is in his second pro season after winning CHL Goaltender of the Year honors with the Kamloops Blazers in 2021-22.
This is the third recall for Mackey, 27, this month after the defender cleared waivers during the preseason. He’s yet to appear in a game for the Rangers and will likely serve as a healthy scratch for Thursday’s game against the Wild.
Mackey made 30 NHL appearances for the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes last season, recording three goals and seven points. He earned a relatively lucrative two-way contract with the Rangers last summer, paying him $775K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL. In seven games with the Wolf Pack this year, he’s notched two points, a +8 rating, and racked up 17 penalty minutes.
Bruins’ Morgan Geekie Out Week-To-Week
11/09/23: The Bruins have announced that Geekie has been placed on injured reserve. Geekie’s place on the Bruins’ roster has been filled by Lauko, who was activated off of injured reserve in a corresponding move.
11/08/23: Boston Bruins center Morgan Geekie is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports. In addition, defenseman Derek Forbort is questionable to return for Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury.
Geekie, 25, is in his first season with the Bruins after signing a two-year, $4MM deal in free agency. The former Carolina Hurricane and Seattle Kraken had recorded a goal and two assists through 12 games this season, averaging 14:14 per game.
It’s unclear when Geekie sustained the injury, as he didn’t appear to miss a shift during the Bruins’ last game, a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday. It’s a tough break for the Manitoba-born forward, who was seeing increased ice time compared to years past and playing a solid possession game.
In terms of replacement options, winger Jakub Lauko returned to practice today as he works his way back from a skate cut sustained last month, but he remains on injured reserve. If he’s not ready to go for tomorrow’s game against the Islanders, veteran Patrick Brown will draw into the lineup and make his sixth appearance of the season. He’s still looking for his first point as a Bruin after joining the team in free agency and has a -1 rating while averaging just 8:54 per game thus far in 2023-24.
A potential return for Forbort would certainly be a boon to the Bruins’ penalty kill, although they’ve done well in his absence, killing off 11 out of 13 penalties in the last three contests. If he’s able to play, Forbort would likely replace recent AHL call-up Parker Wotherspoon on the team’s third pairing alongside Kevin Shattenkirk. Wotherspoon, 26, has logged one assist in three outings.
West Notes: Blueger, Toninato, Kesselring
Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province is reporting that Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger is getting close to making his Canucks debut. The 29-year-old has yet to dress this season after he was injured in a preseason game in early October while blocking a shot. Neither Blueger nor the Canucks have specified what the issue is with Blueger, but Johnston believes the injury is a bone bruise.
Blueger practiced with the Canucks today for their full practice, it was the first time he has done so since he suffered the injury on October 6th. The native of Riga, Latvia skated with a group of fourth liners in Sam Lafferty, Nils Höglander, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Canucks could certainly use Blueger’s penalty-killing prowess as they have been as bad shorthanded this year as they were last year with a success rate of just 77.3%.
The Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night in Ottawa, and if Blueger can’t make his return then, it could happen before the end of their road trip.
In other West notes:
- The Winnipeg Jets have returned forward Dominic Toninato back to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. The 29-year-old was called up by the Jets on October 20th but did not dress in an NHL game and will now head back to the AHL where he has a goal and an assist in two AHL games this season. The Duluth, Minnesota native is just two years removed from dressing in 77 games for the Jets in a single season and will likely receive another call-up later in the season should the Jets run into injury issues.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from their AHL affiliate the Tucson Roadrunners as they get set to head out on a five-game road trip. Kesselring has yet to dress in an NHL game this season but has spent some time with the Coyotes. The club made the move today to add emergency depth in case they need it while they are away from home. Kesselring has dressed in six AHL games with the Roadrunners this season and has been held scoreless. Last season, the 23-year-old played nine games with Arizona, posting three assists.