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Pacific Notes: Simek, Forbort, Fleury, Comtois, Kassian

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The San Jose Sharks find themselves down a defenseman as The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek will return to San Jose and is expected to miss two weeks to have a minor procedure on his meniscus, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the start of the season.

Simek sat out the first month of the season with the knee injury he suffered during the season last year. However, his return to the Sharks’ lineup coincided with San Jose’s success as the team has gone 11-4-1 as the team struggled with their defensive depth up until then. The 27-year-old has averaged 16:54 of ATOI and has a goal, four assists and 28 hits over 16 games.

  • The season debut that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Derek Forbort was anticipating soon will go on hold as the blueliner was placed back on injured reserve Saturday after suffering a setback of his back injury, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Forbort, who has yet to make his season debut after going down with a back injury during the preseason. He was expected to return soon, however, as he was sent to the Ontario Reign of the AHL on a conditioning assignment. However, he played two games before suffering the setback. There is currently no timetable on his return.
  • After a six-game layoff, the Vegas Golden Knights will have to wait at least one more game before starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will return to the ice. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that Malcolm Subban will get the start again despite Fleury’s return since his father passed away. The scribe writes that head coach Gerard Gallant wants to give Fleury some more practice time before throwing him into a game.
  • Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford writes that with the injury of Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie for the next 6-10 weeks, the beneficiary of that injury is likely to be Max Comtois, who immediately was moved onto the team’s second line in hopes more playing time will spark his development. Comtois, a second-round pick in 2017, has had some success with the Ducks. He has two goals and five points so far in 13 games with the Ducks, but the injury will give the 20-year-old an even bigger opportunity to put up more offense.
  • While the Edmonton Oilers announced that they had activated forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off of injured reserve and expect him to play Sunday, the team also expects to get back forward Zack Kassian as well. The 28-year-old Kassian has missed the past three games with a back injury, but is expected to join Nugent-Hopkins and likely will take his place on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Kassian has been averaging a career-high 16:22 of ice time this season and has nine goals and 19 points this year.

Anaheim’s Nick Ritchie Out 6-10 Weeks With Sprained MCL

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The Anaheim Ducks lost one of their key players as general manager Bryan Murray revealed that forward Nick Ritchie will miss the next 6-10 weeks after spraining his left MCL, according to Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford. Murray said the injury is similar to the one suffered by defenseman Josh Manson, who is nearing a return.

Ritchie suffered the injury in the team’s loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday after taking a hit from the Capitals’ Radko Gudas early in the game. Ritchie only played in 4:04 of the game and was unable to return to the ice as it was an apparent knee injury.

The news could be considered good news as there were some fears that he might miss the remainder of the season. The injury will likely keep him out until late January at the minimum, meaning a return sometime after the all-star break is the most likely outcome. The 24-year-old has three goals and 10 points in 27 games this season as a top-six winger. The team recalled forward Sam Carrick Saturday as his replacement.

Vancouver Canucks Activate Ferland, Beagle, And Markstrom

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The Vancouver Canucks will be a lot closer to full strength when they take the ice this afternoon. The team has announced that forwards Micheal Ferland and Jay Beagle have been activated from the injured reserve, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been activated from the non-roster list following a leave of absence. The returns come just days after Antoine Roussel made his season debut after overcoming injury as well.

Ferland’s return to the lineup will be the greatest change in status quo for the Canucks. A free agent addition coming off a career year, Ferland suffered a concussion just 12 games into the season and has been on the IR since November 1st. The physical winger has just five points on the year, but recorded 40 points in 71 games last year, including a career high in assists. If he remains healthy, Ferland would be on pace for 65 games this regular season and the Canucks hope that might be enough to gt him back into that 40-point range. At the very least, Ferland will provide a physical presence and an injection of energy for the Vancouver forward corps

Beagle returns to the lineup at the earliest possible time, just ten days after he was placed on IR on November 27th. Yet, the veteran has been beat up for much of the early season, missing a total of nine games thus far due to a lower-body injury. Beagle’s scoring numbers may be down to begin the year, but he will be a welcome addition nonetheless. The experienced two-way forward is a leader and difference-maker on the ice for the Canucks, particularly at the face-off dot. Despite missing considerable time, Beagle remains second on the team in face-off wins thanks to a whopping 60% success rate. He is also a key piece to the team’s penalty kill, which has struggled in his absence and slipped into the bottom half of the league.

Markstrom returns to the team after being given the week off to attend his father’s memorial service in his native Sweden. Thatcher Demko will get the start again today, with Markstrom likely to return to the crease on Tuesday. Markstrom has played well this season with a .913 save percentage and 2.70 GAA and he and Demko have combined to provide consistent goaltending for Vancouver. The question this season will continue to be whether the Canucks feel they need to re-sign Markstrom, arguably the second-best keeper on the  free agent market, or instead see Demko as ready to take over the starter’s role.

Even with this trio back in action, the Canucks are not fully healthy. The team was forced to place Alexander Edler and Tyler Graovac on injured reserve earlier this week, while Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte remain there as well. There has been little news on a return from any of the group, although the initial timeline for Motte’s injury should have him back sooner rather than later. Additionally, with three additions to the active roster, the Canucks have sent down forward Zack MacEwen, who re-joins the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Injury Notes: Chicago, Minnesota, Columbus, Montreal

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The Chicago Blackhawks have placed both Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw on injured reserve, though both of their designations are retroactive and allow the team to activate them at any point. Without them, the team is down to just 21 players on the active roster meaning they could potentially bring up some more bodies to help out.

More injury placements from around the league:

  • The Minnesota Wild have sent Mikko Koivu back home to see the team doctor, placing him on injured reserve in the process. Greg Pateryn has been recalled from his conditioning stint and placed back on injured reserve, while Nico Sturm has come up from the AHL.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets meanwhile have moved Zach Werenski to injured reserve, retroactive to November 30th. The young defenseman is expected to miss four weeks thanks to a shoulder injury, which opened the door for Andrew Peeke to get his first NHL chance.
  • For the Montreal Canadiens, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has suffered a concussion from the big check he took last night. Kotkaniemi was leveled by Nikita Zadorov in the corner and is out indefinitely, though avoided any other significant damage.

Andreas Johnsson Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve

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Just as the Toronto Maple Leafs appeared to be getting healthy, another injury has occurred. The team has placed Andreas Johnsson on long-term injured reserve after sustaining a leg injury on Wednesday night. Johnsson will be re-evaluated after the Christmas break, but for now the Maple Leafs have recalled Nic Petan, Martin Marincin and Pontus Aberg from the minor leagues.

Johnsson’s injury actually relieves some of the salary cap pressure for the Maple Leafs, who were set to move forward with just 21 players on the roster for the time being. Now that they can move Johnsson’s $3.4MM cap hit onto long-term injured reserve and replace him with several players from the minor leagues.

Aberg is the most interesting name in the group, if only because he hadn’t gotten a chance with the Maple Leafs prior to this recall. The 37th overall pick in 2012, he has bounced around from Nashville to Edmonton to Anaheim to Minnesota before arriving in Toronto, never spending a full season in the NHL. Through 22 games in the AHL this season, Aberg has 24 points to lead the Marlies and very well could get an opportunity alongside some of Toronto’s best players.

Gabriel Landeskog Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Colorado Avalanche will have their captain back in the lineup tonight for the first time since October. Gabriel Landeskog has been activated off injured reserve and will play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Andre Burakovsky will be across from him on the second line, while Nazem Kadri is out with a lower-body injury.

Even with Nathan MacKinnon trying to put the team on his back offensively, you could tell that the Avalanche missed Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. The team has gone 9-7-1 in the captain’s absence, but is rolling again and healthy enough to take a shot at the top of the Central Division.

One of only three teams that has scored 100 goals this season already, the Avalanche reach new heights when Landeskog is healthy and contributing. Coming off a career-high 34 goals and 75 points last season, the 27-year old should give them a confidence boost as they play the second half of a back-to-back.

Injury Notes: Juolevi, Spurgeon, Avalanche

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The Vancouver Canucks issued an update on top prospect Olli Juolevi, explaining that his recent removal from the Utica Comets roster was precautionary but that he is now fit to return to action.

Juolevi hasn’t played an AHL game since November 17th, but will seemingly return soon for the Comets and continue his development. The 21-year old defenseman is such an important prospect for the Canucks after they used the fifth-overall pick on him in 2016, but he has yet to find any modicum of health during his relatively short professional career. In 14 games this season he has five points and still seems a long way from becoming a full-time NHL option.

  • Jared Spurgeon will be out for two weeks after suffering an upper-body injury last night. The newly-extended defenseman is one of the Minnesota Wild’s most important players and averages close to 23 minutes a game. The team will also lose Mikko Koivu on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury.
  • After returning to the Colorado Avalanche lineup and contributing four points in fewer than 11 minutes of ice time, Mikko Rantanen sat out the entire third period of Saturday’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks and then missed a practice on Monday. He’s good to go for tonight’s game in Toronto however and will suit up against the Maple Leafs. Matt Calvert, who hasn’t played since taking a puck to the head against the Vancouver Canucks, will also return to the Colorado lineup tonight.

Austin Czarnik Assigned To Conditioning Stint

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The Calgary Flames today assigned Austin Czarnik to the Stockton Heat of the AHL on a conditioning stint, signaling that he is nearing a return from the lower-body injury that has kept him out for the last six weeks.

Czarnik, 26, was an important part of the Flames’ bottom-six last season when he was in the lineup, scoring 18 points in 54 games. With the team putting their entire forward group in a blender the last few days to see if they can turn their season around, his skill and speed would be an important addition.

The Flames have won two games in a row, but after two months of struggles and a scandal cost their head coach his job this season has been a disaster. The team that had the best record in the Western Conference a year ago now sits in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a -13 goal differential.

Czarnik is on the second season of a two-year deal that carries a cap hit of $1.25MM, meaning the second half will be just as important for him as it is the Flames. Originally put on long-term injured reserve in late October with a two-month timeline, he’ll have to get back into game shape in the minor leagues before he can help Calgary.

Minor Transactions: 12/04/19

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After a busy Tuesday night in the NHL there are just four games on the schedule for this evening. One of those will see the Pittsburgh Penguins try to cobble together a healthy lineup in order to take on the reigning Stanley Cup champions, while another has Nazem Kadri returning to Toronto for the first time since an offseason trade took him to the Colorado Avalanche. As teams prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Dennis Gilbert from the minor leagues, while Duncan Keith continues to deal with injury. Keith has already been ruled out of the Blackhawks two-game road trip, meaning Gilbert gets another chance to be on an NHL roster.
  • Mathieu Olivier has been reassigned to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators, after playing in his first eight NHL contests. The young forward recorded one point in those games, but will have to wait for his next opportunity.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have sent Gustav Olofsson to the minor leagues, and later recalled Otto Leskinen for the first time in his career. Leskinen was signed just last spring to an entry-level contract after impressing in Finland, and has 12 points in 24 games for the Laval Rocket.
  • Mikhail Vorobyev has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, who moved Michal Raffl to long-term injured reserve today. Raffl will be out up to a month with a broken finger, meaning Vorobyev might get a solid look in the NHL.
  • Jean-Sebastien Dea has been returned to the minor leagues by the Buffalo Sabres, as they prepare for their Western Conference road trip. The Sabres will have Kyle Okposo with the team during that trip, though it is not clear yet if he will play after dealing with another concussion.
  • Brian Gibbons has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes, who missed Andrei Svechnikov at practice as he deals with a minor injury. Gibbons, 31, is always one of the team’s first injury call-ups and has been up and down all season.
  • Filip Chlapik has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators, who are in Edmonton today to play the Oilers. That likely signals that J.C. Beaudin or Mikkel Boedker will be back in the lineup tonight, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
  • After moving Antti Suomela to injured reserve, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Lean Bergmann from the AHL. Bergmann, 21, has played in eight games for the Sharks this season but spent most of the year with the San Jose Barracuda where he has 12 points in 15 games.

Sweden Announces Preliminary WJC Roster

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Several countries have now announced their training camp rosters for the World Junior tournament that kicks off in a few weeks, and Sweden joined the group today with their own list. The group is led by a pair of 2020 draft eligible forwards, though young Alexander Holtz did suffer an injury yesterday.

The full list:

Goaltenders:

Hugo Alnefelt (TBL)
Erik Portillo (BUF)
Jesper Eliasson (DET)

Defense:

Adam Ginning (PHI)
Tobias Bjornfot (LAK)
Nils Lundkvist (NYR)
Philip Broberg (EDM)
Mattias Norlinder (MTL)

Forwards:

Samuel Fagemo (LAK)
Jacob Olofsson (MTL)
Nils Hoglander (VAN)
Oskar Back (DAL)
Nikola Pasic (NJD)
Jonatan Berggren (DET)
Albin Eriksson (DAL)
Karl Henriksson (NYR)
Linus Nassen
Alexander Holtz (2020 eligible)
Lucas Raymond (2020 eligible)
Linus Oberg

Two defensemen and one forward are expected to be added at some point in the future.

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