Snapshots: Three Stars, Faksa, Rust
The NHL has announced the Three Stars for week one of the NHL season, and it’s a throwback to years gone by. Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings takes home the top spot after recording four goals and seven points in two games. The Kings’ captain is off to an outstanding start in his 16th season and currently leads the league in both goals and points.
Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos get second and third respectively, after similarly brilliant starts. That means the best players in the league this week were a trio that has 3,174 games in the league and five Stanley Cup championships. For all the talk the last few years about it becoming a young man’s league, Kopitar, Ovechkin, and Stamkos are still performing at an elite level.
- Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa has escaped suspension for his slash on Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle, but will have to pay $5,000 in a fine for the incident. That’s the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA, but Faksa won’t have to miss any games. Stutzle, who left the game temporarily, didn’t suffer a major injury on the play, which likely kept a suspension off the table. The incident will be on Faksa’s record though, and considered in any future supplementary discipline.
- Bryan Rust is out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury, according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. The Penguins are 2-0-1 through the first three games of the season, first in the NHL despite the absence of several top players. Sidney Crosby won’t play on Tuesday but is approaching a return, and Evgeni Malkin has started a skating program as he continues his rehab. Rust, meanwhile, looks to be out for a little while following his strong start to the season.
Snapshots: Krebs, Robertson, Ho-Sang
As the Jack Eichel saga appears to potentially be nearing a conclusion, there’s now constant speculation about potential destinations and a potential return. While the Vegas Golden Knights have long been named as a potential suitor for Eichel, a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen says that the Knights view top prospect Peyton Krebs as untouchable in any Eichel deal. While the Golden Knights do still have some desirable young pieces available in a trade like defenseman Nicolas Hague, none have the potential upside of Krebs. If Vegas is to get an Eichel trade completed, they’ll likely have to give up a massive amount of draft capital in place of Krebs.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Nick Robertson suffered a lower-body injury in tonight’s match with the Toronto Marlies against the Manitoba Moose, per Marlies head coach Greg Moore. Moore notes the extent of the injury is unknown and that Robertson will be assessed tomorrow. It’s a tough blow to the Leafs organization, which is already dealing with significant injuries in all areas. It’s especially concerning considering Robertson missed the majority of last season due to a knee injury. Toronto undoubtedly hopes it’s not a major injury.
- Another Marlies forward is in some injury trouble as Moore also notes that Josh Ho-Sang was held out with a hip issue, but mostly as a precaution. Calling it a ‘maintenance day,’ it’s a smart choice on the Marlies to not risk any further injury. Ho-Sang will be one of the team’s most important contributors considering his NHL experience, and a notable injury setback could negatively affect his chances of getting an NHL contract with the Maple Leafs later this season.
Nikolai Knyzhov To Undergo Surgery
One of the interesting new members of the San Jose Sharks last season was Nikolai Knyzhov, who played in all 56 games and recorded ten points. The 23-year-old defenseman was set to build on that rookie campaign, but will have to wait a few months. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Knyzhov will have surgery on October 22 and faces an eight- to ten-week recovery timeline thereafter. Originally trying to rehab his lower-body injury, the decision was made that surgery is now the best option.
Just 23, Knyzhov was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Russia. He had only really played in the MHL and VHL to that point, but the Sharks obviously saw his mix of size–6’2″ 218-lbs–and exceptional skating ability as a potential NHL combination. After one year spent mostly in the AHL, he was a regular in the lineup last season and proved he could be a key contributor to the Sharks.
Without him, the team still has plenty of options on the back end, though not many of them have the same mix of youth and potential. Brent Burns logged a game-high 27:26 for the team last night, with Radim Simek playing fewer than 12 minutes. Given how little the team has been using Marc-Edouard Vlasic, it appears as though the heavy load will fall on Burns, Mario Ferraro, and Erik Karlsson.
New York Rangers Recall Morgan Barron
A simple recall of a forward is not usually important news, but for the New York Rangers today, it could reveal more about a different top prospect. The team has recalled Morgan Barron from the Hartford Wolf Pack, moving Kaapo Kakko to injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Baron’s recall is not really surprising. The 22-year-old has come a long way since being a sixth-round pick in 2017 and was already on the fringe of making the roster out of camp. The 6’4″ forward played five games for the Rangers last season, scoring his first NHL goal. He has two goals in his first two AHL games of this season, continuing to show that he can be a dominant force at that level.
It’s the fact that the spot didn’t go to Vitali Kravtsov that is the headline here, as the disgruntled forward remains in limbo. Refusing an assignment to the AHL, Kravtsov and his representatives have been given permission to seek a trade. Last night on Hockey Night In Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman updated the situation:
I understand the Rangers have asked him ‘would you like to go to AHL Hartford and work your way back up?’ Kaapo Kakko got hurt tonight. At this point in time he hasn’t agreed, I don’t know if he will, but the offer is out there for him to return.
Russ Cohen of Sportsology reports that Kravtsov is back in Chelyabinsk and was at the Traktor-Dynamo game today. Cohen adds that he’s been told there are five NHL teams interested.
Meanwhile, Kakko will miss at least seven days after being placed on injured reserve, but no definite timeline has been released for his potential return. Head coach Gerard Gallant called him “day-to-day” after the game, but there has been no update other than the IR placement since.
Injury Updates: Oilers, Varlamov, Foote, Rust, Dunn, Maatta
Oilers winger Zack Kassian will suit up tonight after missing Edmonton’s season opener while in concussion protocol, the team announced (Twitter link). He suffered the injury in a fight late in the preseason when his helmet came off. To make room for Kassian, Edmonton has placed forward Devin Shore on IR with an undisclosed injury, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The placement is retroactive to last Saturday which means he’ll have missed seven days already which means Shore could be activated as soon as Tuesday’s game against Anaheim.
Other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov missed training camp due to nagging soreness with head coach Barry Trotz expressing optimism that the veteran wouldn’t miss much time. However, Newsday’s Andrew Gross relays that while the netminder took a few shots at the end of practice on Friday, there remains no timetable for a return. Trotz ruled out the possibility of a conditioning stint but it remains unclear when Varlamov will actually be able to suit up for New York.
- Lightning defenseman Cal Foote is roughly a week away from returning, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). He had surgery last month to repair a torn tendon in his hand which caused him to miss all of the preseason. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising if Tampa Bay asked him to start with a short conditioning stint first; he’d have to agree to the move as he’s no longer waiver-exempt.
- The Penguins have ruled out winger Bryan Rust for tonight’s game against Chicago, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 29-year-old was injured early in the third period on a hit from Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar on Thursday. The team is still evaluating Rust’s injury so there’s no timetable yet for his return although he has been placed on IR.
- Vince Dunn will miss tonight’s game for the Kraken, relays Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link). The blueliner is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue. Haydn Fleury will take Dunn’s place in the lineup.
- The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated defenseman Olli Maatta off injured reserve. He’ll take the roster spot of Christian Wolanin who was claimed off waivers earlier today by Buffalo. The 27-year-old had a sparing role with Los Angeles last season, logging less than 17 minutes a game in 41 appearances while recording just four assists.
East Notes: Blue Jackets, Bishop, Holl, Niku
With the salary cap flattening out making it more difficult to up contract offers from a salary standpoint, trade protection is starting to become a little more important. However, some teams are pushing back on that front and one of those appears to be the Blue Jackets. GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that while he’s okay with limited protection, that’s as far as he’s willing to go in contracts now:
As long as we don’t have any no-moves I’m fine with some of the limited no-trade lists, eight teams or 10 teams, you still have 22 teams you can deal with. So I’m not as adamant as David (Poile) maybe but it’s in very limited cases that we give them and we’re not doing any no-moves anymore.’
At the moment, the only Blue Jackets player with any form of trade protection is center Sean Kuraly who has a 10-team list. Defenseman Zach Werenski has a similar 10-team list in his extension which kicks in next season.
Elsewhere in the East:
- The Maple Leafs have signed goaltender Alex Bishop to a one-day amateur tryout deal, David Alter of The Hockey News is among those reporting. The move is necessary with Petr Mrazek out with a groin injury but Toronto can’t make the money work to recall another goalie from the minors. The 24-year-old plays at the USports Level with the University of Toronto. Once they play tonight’s game, they’ll be given approval for an emergency (cap-exempt) recall. Toronto can’t send defenseman Timothy Liljegren down to make room for netminder Michael Hutchinson as he’s needed with blueliner Justin Holl unavailable due to a non-COVID-related illness; Toronto’s electing to play down a backup goalie over only dressing five defensemen.
- Canadiens defenseman Sami Niku has been given the green light to return from his concussion, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). However, he won’t be in the lineup tonight against the Rangers. Niku had his contract terminated by Winnipeg last month and signed with Montreal soon after. The Canadiens have an open roster spot and won’t need to make any moves to activate him off IR.
Max Pacioretty To Miss Roughly Six Weeks
Thursday’s game against the Kings was a costly one for the Golden Knights. For starters, a 6-2 loss is never ideal but on top of that, their injury list is continuing to grow. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that winger Max Pacioretty is set to miss approximately six weeks with an injury; Jesse Granger of The Athletic clarifies (Twitter link) that it’s a lower-body issue.
This is the latest in what has been a long list of injuries to start the season as the veteran joins forwards Nicolas Roy, Brett Howden, Mattias Janmark (COVID protocol), Alex Tuch, and William Carrier as those out of the lineup. Mark Stone was also injured against the Kings with Friedman noting that Vegas is still awaiting further clarity on his situation.
Pacioretty had been off to a strong start to his season with three points in their opener against Seattle and has been one of their most consistent scoring threats since coming over in a trade from Montreal back in 2018, notching at least 22 goals in each of his three seasons with the Golden Knights while eclipsing the point per game mark for the first time last season when he had 24 goals and 27 assists in 48 games. If Stone winds up missing time as well, their top two scorers from the past two seasons will both be out of commission. Vegas is basically down to just seven healthy forwards on their active roster having sent three players down yesterday and those players (plus others) will almost certainly be recalled before their next game on Wednesday.
Injuries left Vegas in a tough spot last season to the point where they had to dress fewer than 18 skaters at times but that shouldn’t be an issue here. Tuch is currently on LTIR, allowing the Golden Knights to use his $4.75MM towards replacement players and with Pacioretty set to miss the next six weeks, he’ll be eligible to be moved there as well and with a $7MM AAV, there will be more than enough cap room to recall several players to fill their lineup.
Of course, finding healthy players from their AHL affiliate in Henderson is something that’s easier said than done. After making their season debut last night, NHL.com’s Patrick Williams relays (Twitter link) that the Silver Knights are missing a total of 14 players due to injury while the team announced yesterday that head coach Manny Viveiros is taking a non-COVID medical leave of absence and is out indefinitely. It has been a tough start to the season all around in the Vegas organization.
Injury Notes: Boeser, Severson, Perron, Hoffman
While Vancouver fans are relieved to see Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes back in action after they signed new contracts to stay with the team, they’ll have to wait a bit longer to see one of their young core members debut this season. Head coach Travis Green said Friday morning that it’s doubtful Brock Boeser plays in that night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Boeser has been on the shelf with an undisclosed injury since October 2. He was expected to only miss one week, but that timeline has passed and his status is now day-to-day. In his absence, it appears rookie Vasily Podkolzin will now get a look on the second line with Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
Some other injury notes from around the league:
- New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff notes that defenseman Damon Severson is progressing and could play in New Jersey’s game next Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. The Devils play their season opener tonight, meaning Severson might only be on the shelf for one game. Severson suffered an undisclosed injury on October 4 and has been listed as day-to-day since then.
- The Montreal Canadiens could see a big free-agent addition make his debut soon. Head coach Dominique Ducharme says that winger Mike Hoffman could be ready for the team’s Tuesday or Thursday night games next week, but he’ll miss Saturday’s tilt against the New York Rangers. That’s about right on time for Hoffman, who was projected to miss four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in late September.
- With the St. Louis Blues’ season opener looming Saturday in Colorado, they could be without forward David Perron, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. Perron was absent from the Blues’ practice today but was seen at the facility wearing street clothes. Head coach Craig Berube called it a “maintenance day” for Perron, who’s questionable for the game with an undisclosed injury.
Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
The Colorado Avalanche are being hit with the injury bug early this season, as The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that forward Valeri Nichushkin is sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
With the team already missing Devon Toews and Pavel Francouz from their lineup prior to the season’s start, the team’s forward core has now lost three members in the past three days. Captain Gabriel Landeskog is suspended for the next two games, Nathan MacKinnon‘s season debut is on hold as he remains on COVID protocol, and it’s now apparent the Avs have lost a third top-nine forward for the time being.
The 26-year-old Nichushkin has had somewhat of a career renaissance with Colorado after a rough start with the Dallas Stars, the team that drafted him 10th overall in 2013. He’s received Selke votes in back-to-back seasons, scoring 23 goals and 48 points in 120 games from 2019 to 2021 in an Avalanche uniform. Nichushkin had one assist in 15:03 of ice time on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche.
The team will now turn to Mikko Rantanen to carry the offensive load in the absence of MacKinnon and Landeskog. They’ll look towards forwards like Andre Burakovsky, Tyson Jost, and a pair or rookies in Alex Newhook and Sampo Ranta to increase production in depth roles to compensate for the loss of Nichushkin.
John Gibson Out With Lower-Body Injury, Will Miss Tonight’s Game
Goaltender John Gibson suffered a lower-body injury in Anaheim’s Wednesday night season-opening win against the Winnipeg Jets, head coach Dallas Eakins confirms. Backup netminder Anthony Stolarz will make his first start of the season Friday night against Minnesota while Lukas Dostal has been recalled to back him up, per the AHL’s transactions page. Eakins also notes that winger Troy Terry will be absent from the game against Minnesota as well, citing a non-COVID-related illness.
Gibson was easily Anaheim’s best player in an impressive 4-1 victory against Winnipeg earlier this week, making 33 saves on 34 shots (.971 save percentage). Now 28 years old, the netminder’s performance this season will be crucial in helping a young team take strides forward from last year’s 17-30-9 record. His health moving forward is paramount for the team’s success.
Stolarz draws into the full-time backup role this season, succeeding the retired Ryan Miller. Drafted in the second round by Philadelphia in 2012, this looks to be his first full-time NHL role. He’s been impressive in limited appearances for Ducks over the past two seasons, posting a 4-4-0 record and .929 save percentage in that time frame.
The absence of Terry can’t be understated either. The 24-year-old was fifth on the Ducks in scoring last season, notching seven goals and 20 points in 48 games. He remains one of the best two-way forwards on the team and could be primed for a breakout campaign this year. Per Eakins, Max Jones will draw in tonight in his place.
Without some core pieces tonight, the Ducks could be in tough to keep the good times rolling against a stout Minnesota Wild team playing in their first game of the season.