Metro Notes: Devils, Ovechkin, Capitals, Hart, Foerster, Bonk
Before taking the ice for the first session of training camp, the New Jersey Devils shared several updates on absent players. Netminder Jacob Markström, defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, forward Stefan Noesen, and prospects Shane Lachance and Lenni Hämeenaho were all absent from today’s skate.
Fortunately, Markström’s absence isn’t linked to an injury, as the Devils announced he’s dealing with a family matter. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Noesen and Kovacevic. As expected, New Jersey stated that Kovacevic is still recovering from offseason knee surgery and that he’s out indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Noesen continues to deal with a nagging groin issue, which required a procedure this summer. However, unlike Kovacevic’s timeline, the Devils didn’t indicate how long Noesen would miss or his status for the start of the regular season. Lachance and Hämeenaho were injured in the team’s rookie camp, though they’re each expected to begin the year with the AHL Utica Comets, regardless of their health status.
Other updates from the Metropolitan Division:
- The Washington Capitals got a brief scare this morning when captain Alex Ovechkin left the team’s skate early, failing to return. Fortunately, it’s nothing serious, as Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck shared an update from head coach Spencer Carbery saying that Ovechkin is dealing with a mild lower-body injury, and his recovery timeline is day-to-day.
- Unfortunately, a few more members of the Capitals’ roster are dealing with mild injuries. Earlier today, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reported that defenseman Martin Fehérváry and Justin Sourdif are skating in non-contact jerseys for today’s skate. Still, El-Bashir, nor anyone within the Capitals organization, has indicated that the injuries will affect either of their regular-season availability.
- If the Pittsburgh Penguins want prospect Joel Blomqvist to have more seasoning in the AHL, and Arturs Silovs doesn’t build on his excellent AHL campaign last year, the Penguins have little else behind Tristan Jarry, if he’s even capable of handling a majority of the workload. Regardless, they won’t be seeking outside help from a former top-prospect netminder who was recently allowed back into the NHL. Earlier today, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that Pittsburgh wouldn’t be one of the teams targeting Carter Hart over the next couple of weeks.
- Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster continues his speedy recovery from elbow surgery. Providing an update in today’s media availability (via Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia), Foerster remains hopeful he could shed his non-contact jersey during training camp and is still expecting to be ready for the start of the regular season.
- Another member of the Flyers is dealing with an injury, albeit a mild one. Philadelphia announced that defenseman Oliver Bonk is dealing with an upper-body injury, and he’ll miss the next few days. Bonk is entering his first year of professional hockey, likely with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, after spending the last three years with the OHL’s London Knights.
Central Notes: Connor, Evangelista, Zuccarello, Neighbours, Molendyk, Reid
As expected from reports a few weeks ago, the Winnipeg Jets have begun extension negotiations with All-Star winger Kyle Connor. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much substantial progress made before the start of training camp.
Murat Ates of The Athletic shared a quote from General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, saying, “We’ve had great dialogue with KC’s representatives and we continue to have that. He’s obviously a big part.” A few moments later, Cheveldayoff added, “Every conversation, you’re hopeful that this is the one that closes it. But it’s not… I don’t know that it’s a timeframe sort of thing. You just keep on working at it.”
Regardless, Connor is poised for a major payday, from the Jets or elsewhere, on the heels of a career year and with the salary cap continuing to rise. Although he didn’t match his career-high in goals, he did in points, scoring 41 goals and 97 points in 82 games, averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Despite being the only member of the team without a new contract heading into training camp, there’s little chance forward Luke Evangelista is moving on from the Nashville Predators. Speaking with Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, General Manager Barry Trotz said that trading Evangelista is “not even a thought.” Over the last two years, playing full-time in Nashville, Evangelista scored 26 goals and 71 points in 148 contests.
- In a vague report from Michael Russo of The Athletic, it doesn’t appear that veteran forward Mats Zuccarello will start the Minnesota Wild’s training camp on time. Without specifying the nature of the injury, there’s some concern in Minnesota that Zuccarello will miss some of the regular season due to the injury.
- The St. Louis Blues announced that forward Jake Neighbours would miss the first three days of the team’s training camp due to a family matter. As expected, the team didn’t share any insights into the matter, though it doesn’t appear they expect Neighbours to miss much more time. The former first-round pick has become a quality secondary scorer for the Blues over the past few years, recording 49 goals and 84 points in 159 games.
- Moving back to the injury train, Daugherty reported that Nashville prospects Tanner Molendyk and Cameron Reid are both out with lower-body injuries. Molendyk’s injury likely stems from being on the receiving end of a large hit during the team’s rookie camp, while Reid’s injury (likely longer term) was also suffered during rookie camp.
Senators Notes: Jensen, Pinto, Eller
In mid-May, Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen went under the knife for hip surgery. Despite the most recent update indicating he was ahead of schedule in his recovery, that assurance now seems uncertain.
Sharing a quote from head coach Travis Green, Claire Hanna of TSN quoted the coach saying, “[I]t’s too early to tell if he’ll start the season.” Still, Green remained optimistic, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s skating with the group in the next week, he’s progressing nicely.”
Fortunately, the Senators added quality depth on the right side of the blue line this offseason in their acquisition of Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. Still, Ottawa may have to give significant minutes to Nikolas Matinpalo, something he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to handle in his limited NHL career, if Jensen isn’t ready to start the regular season.
Other Ottawa Senators notes:
- The Senators will open camp without an extension in place with forward Shane Pinto. During yesterday’s media availability, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch relayed a note from General Manager Steve Staios saying the two sides have had positive dialogue, and there was no timeline to getting something worked out. Pinto is entering the final year of a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Senators, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games last year.
- One of Ottawa’s free agent pickups this past summer won’t be able to start training camp on time. According to Garrioch, Lars Eller had a minor abdominal procedure, which will eat into a few day’s of his avilability during camp. Still, there’s no indication that the 36-year-old center will be out long-term due to the injury.
Atlantic Notes: Pastrnak, Tkachuk, Marchand, Edvinsson
Yesterday, it looked like Bruins star David Pastrnak would be limited to begin training camp when the team told reporters, including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, that he wouldn’t be skating for the first few days due to a tendonitis flare-up. That ended up not being the case as he was on the ice this morning skating and shooting by himself, relays Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald. He’s not participating in the full session today, though. Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reports that trade pickup Viktor Arvidsson is skating as a placeholder in Pastrnak’s spot on the top line alongside Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm for the time being. In any event, it doesn’t look like Pastrnak’s ironman streak, which dates back to the 2021-22 season, is in jeopardy as he aims for his fourth consecutive 100-point season.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- The Panthers put out some contrasting smoke signals yesterday on Matthew Tkachuk‘s timeline for returning from adductor surgery. He underwent the procedure in mid-August, and the initial report was that he was targeting a January season debut. General manager Bill Zito was more optimistic about Tkachuk’s timeline yesterday, telling George Richards of Florida Hockey Now that December could be an option, while head coach Paul Maurice gave a more vague “midseason” designation. In any event, Florida will be playing at least the first quarter of their season without the services of one of their many star wingers.
- Florida winger Brad Marchand also spoke during yesterday’s media availability, telling Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports that the lack of income tax in the state was one of the main factors in the Cats’ ability to keep all of him, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad from reaching free agency this summer. “If we were not in a non-tax state, it wouldn’t have worked out probably for two guys. Two guys probably would have been leaving in that situation. So it’s a benefit that this team has, we were able to utilize and make work,” Marchand said. He also cited the term of his extension offer from Florida (six years) as a driving force behind his decision to stay and one of the reasons he opted not to sign an extension with the Bruins, leading to his trade to Florida at the deadline last year.
- Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson will miss most, if not all, of training camp due to a lower-body injury, general manager Steve Yzerman said yesterday (via Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports). His return timeline is “around the start of the regular season.” If he’s to miss any time, that’s a crushing early-season blow to one of the league’s thinnest blue lines. The 2021 No. 6 overall pick broke out for 31 points and a +12 rating in 78 contests last season and is one of only two truly top-four-caliber defenders in the organization, alongside Moritz Seider.
Sabres Notes: Luukkonen, Tuch, Greenway
The injury keeping Sabres starting netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen sidelined to start training camp is a lower-body issue, general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters yesterday, including Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. He won’t require surgery and “there’s no alarms right now, but there was a tweak where he didn’t feel great,” Adams said. He’s not on the ice today as the Sabres begin the on-ice portion of their camp. That absence is why the club brought in veteran Alexandar Georgiev on a one-year, $825K deal last week to give them added security in the event Luukkonen isn’t ready to go by the time the regular season starts. There’s still little clarity on whether that will be the case. Still, it’s up to their top goaltending prospect Devon Levi, who’s notably still waiver-exempt, to force his way above Georgiev and free agent signing Alex Lyon in camp and start the year with the big club while forcing one of the vets, likely Georgiev, to the waiver wire.
Other updates from Buffalo as training camp gets underway:
- Star winger Alex Tuch will be limited to start camp with an undisclosed injury, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. He’s only day-to-day, and his issue is “nothing significant,” Hamilton said. It remains to be seen if he’ll be cleared for their preseason opener on Monday against the Blue Jackets, a contest he likely wouldn’t play in anyway that early in the exhibition schedule. The pending unrestricted free agent’s availability for opening night of the regular season isn’t currently in doubt.
- The news isn’t as promising regarding winger Jordan Greenway. Hamilton relays that he sustained a setback in his recovery from the lower-body injury that ended his 2024-25 season in March, requiring a second surgery in mid-July. He’s still on the mend from that and isn’t expected to be available for any preseason games. His projected return timeline is “around” opening night, Hamilton said, so there’s a small possibility of an IR placement for him to begin the year.
Rutger McGroarty Likely To Start Season On IR
Penguins top prospect Rutger McGroarty did not appear on Pittsburgh’s training camp roster as the team announced he and a few others were not medically cleared to participate. It appears McGroarty’s absence carries some more weight than the rest, though. General manager Kyle Dubas said today that McGroarty has an upper-body injury and will be out indefinitely, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com. While not officially ruled out for the start of the season, an indefinite timeline is essentially a guarantee for missed time with less than three weeks until puck drop.
Acquired from the Jets in a rare prospect-for-prospect blockbuster last offseason, McGroarty immediately signed with the Penguins and turned pro after spending the prior two seasons at the University of Michigan. The 21-year-old broke camp with the Pens but didn’t last very long, going pointless in three outings before being sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. On the whole, his offensive success was a tad underwhelming. He ended up on a hot streak to end the year, but a difficult adjustment period early on led to a final scoring line of 14-25–39 in 60 minor-league games with a -10 rating. According to Byron Bader’s NHLe model, which tracks how a player’s point production in different amateur/minor leagues translates to the NHL over an 82-game pace, McGroarty’s production dropped from an equivalent of 51 points during his sophomore season at Michigan to just 31 in the AHL last year.
It was a concerning dropoff for a bit, but his hot streak with WBS got him a late-season recall. He looked more comfortable in the NHL that time around, scoring a goal and two assists in five games before a lower-body issue ended his season with a few games left on the schedule. That, plus his collegiate track record and pedigree as a No. 14 overall pick, still has him ranked as the retooling club’s No. 1 prospect according to NHL.com and Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff.
That momentum will pause here. While there aren’t as many forward jobs in Pittsburgh for young players to compete for as some were expecting – trade chips Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust both remain factors for now – those two are the only top-six locks on the wings with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to open the year. McGroarty was going to be a leading candidate to grab one of the other two top-six wing openings with a strong camp.
Instead, it’ll be other young names like the 22-year-old Ville Koivunen, who had 56 points in 63 AHL games last year and seven assists in an eight-game NHL call-up, getting that chance. Veteran reclamation projects like Anthony Mantha could get a look alongside Crosby or Malkin as well.
Mammoth Notes: Cooley, O’Brien, Injury Updates
The Utah Mammoth didn’t make the playoffs in their first season in Salt Lake City, but they did take meaningful steps closer to contention, and perhaps their most important step forward was through the development of 2022 third overall pick Logan Cooley. Today, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong told the media, including The Deseret News’ Brogan Houston, that Cooley’s representation has been “very patient” regarding Cooley’s next contract. He added that there’s no rush to get an extension done.
Cooley, who is repped by Brian & Scott Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey, is in line for a major contract extension after a breakout 2024-25 campaign. The 21-year-old is a dynamic playmaker and ranked second among Utah players in scoring last season with 25 goals and 65 points. Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who was drafted two spots ahead of Cooley at the 2022 draft, received a $7.6MM AAV on his long-term second contract. Given Cooley will be signing his extension at a later stage than Slafkovsky, and will have more experience on his resume at the time of signing, it stands to reason that Cooley’s next deal will exceed Slafkovsky’s. Given his age and production, Cooley could very well see his next deal exceed Mikhail Sergachev‘s $8.5MM AAV to become the highest-paid player in Utah.
Some other notes from the NHL’s newest franchise:
- Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny told the media today that veteran forward Liam O’Brien is currently dealing with a lower-body injury, and is out on a week-to-week timeline. Injuries limited the 31-year-old bruiser to just 28 games played last season, and he also only managed two points. Although it’s not a contract year for O’Brien – his $1MM AAV deal runs through 2026-27 – he’ll look to get back on the ice in order to re-establish himself as one of the league’s more physically imposing bottom-six players.
- Alongside O’Brien, Tourigny also established who the club’s other injured players are for the start of the team’s training camp. Tourigny named Anson Thornton, Juuso Valimaki, Caleb Desnoyers and Terrell Goldsmith as the remaining injured players. The most relevant name from that list from a roster-building perspective is Valimaki’s, as he is a veteran of 271 career NHL games. With that said, Mammoth fans are likely to pay close attention to the status of Desnoyers, the 2025 fourth-overall pick.
Maple Leaf Notes: Stolarz, Top-Six Forward, Domi, Dubé
For the past two weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and netminder Anthony Stolarz have been negotiating a new contract extension. Unfortunately, nothing has materialized yet, although a few updates were revealed in today’s media availability.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Stolarz reiterated his hope and desire for a new deal, saying, “We’re hopeful to get to a good outcome… I’m confident, until proven otherwise, that we can find something that’ll work.” Still, despite the positive update, Stolarz wants to get a deal finished before the start of the regular season.
In an update from Chris Johnston of The Athletic, the 31-year-old netminder has made his intentions known that he’s unwilling to negotiate once the regular season has begun. Although the Maple Leafs want to maintain cap space for next offseason, it would be wise for them to strike a deal with Stolarz quickly.
Outside of some injury concerns, Stolarz has been remarkably consistent over the last two years with the Florida Panthers and Maple Leafs. Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Stolarz has recorded a 37-15-5 record in 61 games with a .926 SV% and 2.10 GAA.
Other notes from the Maple Leafs:
- Like many teams around the league, Toronto remains on the hunt for a top-six forward, according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. Per Koshan, General Manager Brad Treliving spoke of his pursuit, saying, “It’s not from lack of trying … you’re always looking to improve. League-wide, it was a slower summer.” The Maple Leafs have seemingly lost their opportunity on the free agent market, but could pursue a meaningful trade as training camp progresses.
- In the same vein, David Alter of The Hockey News reports that Max Domi is being considered to fill a top-six role for the time being, specifically on the right side next to Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait some time to see Domi next to the pair, as Koshan reports he’s dealing with a lower-body injury.
- The last major news item regards an unrestricted free agent that the Maple Leafs won’t pursue. Despite being tied together from their time with the Calgary Flames, Treliving told Pagnotta that Toronto isn’t interested in signing Dillon Dubé, citing the recent Hockey Canada sexual assault trial as a primary factor.
Lightning’s Nick Paul Undergoes Upper-Body Surgery
Lightning forward Nick Paul had an upper-body procedure performed last Friday, general manager Julien BriseBois said today (via the team’s Benjamin Pierce). He’ll miss around six weeks and is targeting an early November return.
Paul played through a left wrist tear in last season’s playoffs, BriseBois said at the time. It’s unclear if last week’s surgery was a delayed response to that injury or if it addressed a new issue. BriseBois did say that Paul was expected to be ready for training camp, so there’s a strong case for it being the latter.
There will be a significant hole to fill in Tampa’s middle six for the first month of the season. The versatile checker is coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons and finished seventh on the team with 41 points last year, averaging north of 16 minutes per game and flexing between second-line wing and third-line center duties.
Paul starting the year on injured reserve will yield increased opportunities for the Bolts’ depth free agent signings, namely Pontus Holmberg and Jakob Pelletier. The latter is an especially intriguing candidate to slot into top-nine minutes. The Calgary 2019 first-rounder snuck through waivers at the beginning of last year but looked like he could handle at least third-line minutes after being recalled in December, scoring 11 points in 24 games for the Flames before he was traded to the Flyers in the Joel Farabee/Morgan Frost deal. He didn’t get much of a run in Philly, though, and he was an unrestricted free agent after being non-tendered.
He then signed a three-year deal with Tampa. This year carries a two-way structure, leading most to believe he was a candidate to end up on waivers again, but Paul’s vacant roster spot may give him an in. As for filling out their center depth, Yanni Gourde is beginning the first full season of his second stint with the Bolts, who acquired him and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Kraken at last year’s trade deadline. He should be a relative lock to return to the role he found immense success in for Tampa during his first go-around with the club from 2015-21. He looked quite comfortable there down the stretch last year with 13 assists and 14 points in 21 games.
Panthers’ Tomas Nosek Undergoes Knee Surgery
Panthers center Tomas Nosek will miss the first several months of the season with a knee injury sustained during offseason training, general manager Bill Zito told reporters Wednesday, including George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.
Florida has likely been sitting on this information for a while. It offers additional context for their recent spree of depth forward signings and PTO agreements. In the last month, the Cats have added Luke Kunin on a league-minimum deal and brought in Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte on tryout pacts.
Nosek, 33, was widely projected to start the year as the Panthers’ fourth-line center. That was essentially the only role he played last season when healthy, oftentimes slotting in between fellow returnees Jonah Gadjovich and A.J. Greer. Injuries have become a commonality for the serviceable Czech pivot in the last few years. He spent the first month of last season on the injured list with an upper-body issue, and he also missed over half of the 2023-24 campaign with the Devils due to multiple ailments, including a knee injury.
The 6’3″ center is on the precipice of 500 career regular-season games and is entering his 11th NHL season and his second with the Panthers. He’s signed back-to-back league minimum contracts with the Cats, a decision that earned him his first Stanley Cup win last year after reaching the Final with the Golden Knights in their inaugural season. Nosek should also be remembered as the scorer of the first home goal in Vegas’ franchise history.
While a stable presence, Nosek’s offensive presence has deteriorated significantly in the last few years. He managed just 47 shots on goal in 59 appearances last year and only converted on one of them. He also averaged under 10 minutes per game for the first time. He’s still an effective checking presence, though, and has managed to keep his career-long streak of a 50% win rate or better on faceoffs alive.
In terms of his direct replacement to start the year, Jesper Boqvist might be the frontrunner. He was used as an extra forward in last year’s postseason and mainly slotted in on the wing when he was in the lineup, but he has more recent experience down the middle than any of Gregor, Kunin, or Motte. All of them can play center in a pinch, though, so Nosek’s absence likely won’t result in much of an on-ice hiccup for the Cats.
His newfound eligibility for long-term injured reserve also doesn’t change much for the Panthers, who still need to shed salary to be compliant for opening night. Since neither Nosek nor Matthew Tkachuk, who will also be on LTIR to begin the year after a recent adductor surgery, will miss the entire season, Florida is only eligible for $3.82MM in LTIR relief under the new rules taking effect this year. They currently have a projected exceedance of $4.5MM, per PuckPedia, so they’ll need to subtract a league-minimum salary to get under the ceiling to begin the year.