Minnesota Wild Return Zane McIntyre To AHL
Nov 29: McIntyre has been returned to the AHL, meaning Gustavsson is healthy again.
November 26: After sending him down a few days ago due to Marc-Andre Fleury‘s return to the lineup, Zane McIntyre is back with the Minnesota Wild. The team recalled him today under emergency conditions, but it’s unclear at the moment as to which goalie is unavailable.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes that one of the team’s goalies had an issue today at practice and that the move is precautionary. While normally an emergency recall would wait until gameday tomorrow, the team has an earlier start and didn’t want to risk not having two goalies to start the game.
Forward Brandon Duhaime was also placed on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction. Yesterday, he was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained on November 23 against Winnipeg, which prohibited him from playing in yesterday’s game against Toronto. It’s Duhaime’s second trip to injured reserve this year, as he missed the first two weeks of November with another upper-body injury. The Wild have not said whether or not it’s a re-injury.
McIntyre’s eight NHL games all came during the 2016-17 season, although he’s appeared on NHL rosters in situations like these multiple times since then. A 2010 draft choice of the Boston Bruins, this is the netminder’s second season in the Wild organization after the team signed him early on in 2021-22. He has a .917 save percentage, two shutouts, and a 23-17-3 record with the AHL’s Iowa Wild over the past two years.
Scott Laughton Activated From Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers have some good news on the injury front for once, as Scott Laughton has been activated and will play tonight. The veteran forward has been out since November 19. Jackson Cates has been loaned back to the AHL to make room.
As with everything else when it comes to the Flyers right now, there is also some not-so-good news to go along with Laughton’s return. Tony DeAngelo left the optional morning skate early to meet with the medical staff and is a game-time decision, according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.
Laughton, 28, had seven points in 18 games before going down, adding his trademark physicality and penalty-killing prowess to the lineup. He was averaging more shorthanded ice time than any other forward on the team, while also seeing ample powerplay exposure. Despite a career-high of just 32 points, he is one of the team’s most important forwards, and one that head coach John Tortorella obviously trusted, given the more than 19 minutes he was getting every night.
Signed to a five-year, $15MM contract in 2021, Laughton will try to help turn around a sinking ship in Philadelphia that has lost ten in a row. The Flyers sit ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division and Tortorella is showing his frustration, breaking out a classic “up and down like a toilet seat” line to describe Morgan Frost‘s play (Columbus fans might remember those words from a few years ago).
The club is now at home for the next five, and if they can’t turn things around soon, the Philadelphia faithful will certainly let them know about it. Not a great situation for Laughton to try and get back into game action.
Injury Notes: Teravainen, Bruins, Lindgren
Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen is getting closer to returning, according to NHL.com’s Kurt Dusterburg. Teravainen practiced with the team today and could return during the team’s upcoming six-game road trip.
Teravainen has yet to score this season, but he’s been limited to just 14 games with an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes haven’t been great without him, though, and they’ve won just one game out of their past six. They’re hoping Teravainen’s return can jumpstart the depth scoring that’s been a significant issue in 2022-23. Dusterburg also noted that goalie Frederik Andersen, who is on injured reserve and has missed the past ten games, will not travel.
- Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery says goalie Linus Ullmark is healthy enough for backup duty tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After leaving Friday’s come-from-behind win against the Hurricanes with an upper-body injury, Ullmark was back with the team today at practice. His 13 wins, .935 save percentage, and 2.00 goals-against average all lead the NHL. Forward Trent Frederic was also back at practice today after missing two games, while Craig Smith will miss tomorrow’s game with an upper-body injury suffered against the Hurricanes and is day-to-day.
- Defenseman Ryan Lindgren took warmups for the New York Rangers tonight and could return from an upper-body injury against the New Jersey Devils, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. Lindgren left Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and was day-to-day but may avoid missing any time if he plays tonight.
St. Louis Blues Recall Jake Neighbours
The St. Louis Blues have brought up top prospect Jake Neighbours, assigning Nikita Alexandrov to the AHL in the meantime. The team will be without Robert Thomas for the next few days as he deals with a lower-body injury. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic relays the lines from morning skate, which had Neighbours beside Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou on the third line.
Neighbours, 20, played 11 games for the Blues earlier this season, but had been returned to the minor leagues after failing to produce much offense. In seven games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he failed to record a goal but did manage five assists. The experience of professional hockey has been tough for the young forward so far, who is used to dominating offensively at the WHL level. Neighbours had 17 goals and 45 points in 30 regular season games for the Edmonton Oil Kings last season.
Losing Thomas, regardless of who replaces him, is a huge blow for the Blues. The 23-year-old has four goals and 19 points through 21 games, following up his 77-point 2021-22 campaign. While he is only listed as day-to-day, any game played without him in the lineup is a difficult one. The Blues will have to try and find offense from somewhere else as they face the Dallas Stars this evening.
James Reimer Moved To Injured Reserve
When the San Jose Sharks recalled Aaron Dell over the weekend, it suggested that James Reimer‘s injury might be hampering him more than originally thought. The veteran netminder had played through it against the Los Angeles Kings, but didn’t look himself, allowing four goals on 28 shots. Today, the Sharks have decided to shut him down for at least a few days, moving Reimer to injured reserve and recalling Jeffrey Viel in the process.
Reimer, 34, has played in 15 games so far this season and has alternated between outstanding performances and struggles behind a leaky Sharks team. He has allowed four or more goals in seven games, but two or fewer in six. It has added up to a .903 save percentage but there have been times when San Jose would have been run out of the building without his acrobatic performance.
Behind him is Kaapo Kahkonen, who hasn’t been able to pull off the feat quite as often. The younger netminder has a 2-5-2 record and .871 save percentage through nine games. Dell, meanwhile, hasn’t posted acceptable NHL numbers since 2019-20, and shouldn’t be getting much playing time even if Reimer is held out for a longer period of time.
The Sharks likely won’t be able to avoid it, though, as they have two back-to-back situations coming up this week. The team will play tomorrow in Montreal, Wednesday in Toronto, Saturday in Ottawa, and Sunday in Buffalo, before returning home. Since Reimer must miss a minimum of seven days (since his last appearance), the best case is that he returns in time for the game against the Sabres.
It could be a tough week for the struggling Sharks, who now sit seventh in the Pacific Division and have lost three in a row.
Travis Konecny Placed On Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers have moved Travis Konecny to injured reserve with an upper-body injury, while recalling Egor Zamula from the minor leagues to take his roster spot.
Konecny has not played since November 17, meaning a retroactive placement on IR would allow him to be activated whenever healthy. The forward was on the ice today (along with James van Riemsdyk and Scott Laughton), rehabbing his injury.
Zamula, meanwhile, is back after a short stint in the minor leagues. As Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic explains, the young defenseman was only sent down because of the Flyers’ busy schedule, which didn’t allow for much practice time.
Now at home for five games that all have at least one day between them, there will be plenty of time for Zamula to get on the ice with the rest of the NHL squad, even if he still ends up a healthy scratch at times.
The Flyers have lost ten in a row and now sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division.
New Jersey Devils Recall Three Players
Ahead of their game against the New York Rangers tonight, the New Jersey Devils have made several recalls. Alexander Holtz, Kevin Bahl, and Nico Daws have all been brought up, giving them some extra bodies to help cover a few absences.
Nathan Bastian is going for imaging today on a shoulder injury according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, and team reporter Amanda Stein explains that Daws is up to cover for Akira Schmid, who is feeling ill.
The trio of young players is a reminder that the Devils, tied for first in the NHL with 18 wins, have a number of extra high-level prospects at every position. Holtz, 20, was the seventh overall pick in 2020 and has played just 13 NHL games so far. Bahl, still just 22, was a key part in the Taylor Hall trade and has played just 27. Daws, incredibly, has actually seen the most action in a single season of the three, playing 25 games for the Devils last year when they had so many goaltending injuries.
For a team already finding a ton of success with their young NHL roster, the number of impressive players in the system could lead to a long-term window of contention.
Winnipeg Jets Activate Morgan Barron, Assign Ville Heinola To AHL
Just ahead of their game this evening against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Winnipeg Jets activated forward Morgan Barron off of IR. Barron had missed the last 10 games with a wrist injury. In order to create roster space for Barron, the Jets also announced they’ve assigned defenseman Ville Heinola to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
Getting Barron back into the lineup is a relief for Winnipeg, who had been playing down several forwards, including Barron, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Mason Appleton. Acquired in the Andrew Copp trade this past spring, Barron had been off to a solid start in 2021-22, registering four points in nine games, appearing to establish himself as a full-time NHLer for the first time in his career. With Winnipeg’s injury issues up front, Barron should have ample opportunity to continue to establish himself.
Heinola, unlike Barron, has had trouble getting his footing in the NHL, something that has become a pretty well reported story in its own right. The defenseman has only appeared in two games this season for the Jets, but does have seven assists in 10 games for the Moose to start. For his career, Heinola has played in just 27 NHL games spread over three seasons, recording 10 points, but will have to continue to sharpen his skillset in the AHL in order to take the next step.
Afternoon Notes: Bellemare, Barkov, Gaudreau, Soderblom
As they navigate a cap crunch that has seen key pieces of their core stripped away one by one over time, the Tampa Bay Lightning have had to get more and more creative filling out their lineup. The organization has used a mix of young players in their system developed to their liking and affordable veterans with a winning pedigree to round things out. One of those players is 37-year-old Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who the team signed to a two-year deal back in 2021.
Recently, Bellemare has been away from the team on a personal leave of absence, the root of which is unknown. Earlier today, Tampa Bay Times reporter Eduardo Encina spoke with Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, who confirmed that Bellemare will join the team on their upcoming road trip, which will travel through Buffalo, Boston, and Philadelphia. It’s unclear if Bellemare, who last played on Monday, is expected to play on this trip. Although the veteran hasn’t been out very long, it’s possible due to the leave that he may not have been able to continue skating regularly and could need an extra couple days to be ready.
- Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss the team’s next two games due to illness, says Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards. The nature of Barkov’s illness is unknown, but apparently is serious enough that not only can Barkov not play in tomorrow’s game in Edmonton and Tuesday’s in Calgary, but the forward is not traveling with the Panthers for the Alberta leg of the road trip. After Tuesday, Florida will head out to Vancouver for a Thursday evening matchup with the Canucks, a game which Barkov has not been ruled out for. Barkov missed yesterday’s game against the St. Louis Blues with this same illness.
- Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau did not practice today due to an unknown illness, says Jeff Svoboda of BlueJackets.com. Per Svoboda, Columbus head coach Brad Larsen said he’ll know more tomorrow about Gaudreau’s availability for tomorrow night’s game. Gaudreau has not missed any games thus far with the illness. While the team is struggling this year, the first-year Jacket has not, posting 20 points in 20 games to date.
- Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom is still not practicing, reports Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan. At last report on November 21st, Soderblom was still listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, though head coach Derek Lalonde then said Soderblom’s return could take “some time.” The rookie has two points, both goals, in 13 games this season, but has not played since November 8th due to the injury.
Injury Notes: Lindgren, Asplund, Stalock
New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. Lindgren sustained the injury in a collision with an Edmonton Oilers player during yesterday’s loss.
The 24-year-old is a crucial defensive piece for the Rangers. While he’s averaged under 18 minutes per game this year, he remains on the team’s top defense pairing with Adam Fox. The Rangers’ defensive numbers are significantly worse without Lindgren in the lineup, and with the team just outside of a playoff spot post-Thanksgiving, they’ll need all hands on deck to avoid falling too far out of the race. Zachary Jones is the extra defenseman on the active roster.
- According to Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato, forward Rasmus Asplund has been cleared to return to play. The defensive forward has been out with an upper-body injury for the past four days. Asplund has two goals, four assists, and six points in 17 contests this season, and could draw in for Vinnie Hinostroza when the Sabres host the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow.
- Chicago Blackhawks goalie Alex Stalock is working his way back from a concussion, as NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis reports the netminder was on the ice for morning skate. After an impressive .914 save percentage through seven games, Stalock has been in concussion protocol since sustaining an injury against the New York Islanders on November 1. It would likely mean the team sends Arvid Soderblom back to the minors, but he’s outperformed veteran Petr Mrazek (1-4-1, .885 save percentage). While a long shot, the Blackhawks could opt to waive Mrazek upon Stalock’s return.