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Atlantic Notes: Maroon, Olson, Fleury, Senators

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The Bruins are hoping to have trade deadline pickup Pat Maroon make his Boston debut a week from today against the Penguins, head coach Jim Montgomery said (via Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe). Maroon hasn’t played in over two months, last suiting up on Jan. 27. He’s been out since with a back injury, missing over six weeks for the Wild before they dealt him to Boston at the deadline for a sixth-round pick and a minor league player. It was the fifth time the well-traveled Cup winner has been traded in his career, only changing teams in free agency twice. Prior to exiting the lineup, Maroon had four goals and 16 points in 49 games while averaging 12:46 a night, his highest usage since winning the Cup with the Blues in a top-nine role in 2019. The Bruins will look to him to add veteran experience and penalty minutes to a fourth line that’s mainly revolved around rookies and call-ups.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Bruins forward prospect Quinn Olson has signed outside the organization, landing with AHL Ontario for the rest of the season, per Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. Boston will lose their exclusive signing rights to Olson if they can’t agree to an entry-level contract by Aug. 15. 23 next month, Olson just wrapped up a five-year stint at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he served as an alternate captain in his senior and graduate seasons and totaled 27 goals and 96 points across 175 games. Not being offered a tryout by Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence is a strong indication that the 2019 third-round pick will reach unrestricted free agency in August.
  • Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury left today’s loss to the Penguins and didn’t return after a freak neutral-zone collision with referee Steve Kozari, as relayed by Bally Sports’ Gabby Shirley. Kozari was briefly unconscious after the collision and required a stretcher off the ice, although the league confirmed in a statement that he has full use of his extremities and is expected to make a full recovery. Fleury was able to skate off the ice, but the severity of the hit will require further evaluation. The depth blue-liner has five points and a +5 rating in 23 showings this season, his second in a Lightning uniform.
  • The Senators have parted ways with professional scouts Jim Clark and Rob Murphy, GM Steve Staios announced. This could end an illustrious front-office career for the 70-year-old Clark, who’s held roles with the Red Wings, Blue Jackets and Panthers as well since breaking into the league in 1990. He was brought on by the Sens in 2008 after being let go as Columbus’ assistant GM, serving on their scouting staff for six years before being promoted to their Director of Professional Scouting in 2014. Ottawa demoted Clark out of the head scout role ahead of this season, replacing him with Murphy, who’d been a pro scout for the organization since 2018. This was Murphy’s second run with the Sens, also serving in their pro scouting department from 2010 to 2014 before leaving for a Director of Scouting role with the Sabres.

Central Notes: Forsberg, Seguin, McGroarty, Wagner

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Predators winger Filip Forsberg is in the middle of a career year as he leads the team in scoring with 43 goals and 44 assists through 76 games so far. However, he’s playing through some kind of injury as he has been rarely practicing with the team. In an appearance on 102.5 The Game (audio link), head coach Andrew Brunette indicated that the issue isn’t going away anytime soon. While he termed it as something that’s manageable, the bench boss also added that it might take the entire offseason before Forsberg heals up. The winger hasn’t shown any ill effects from whatever is bothering him, helping to lead the Predators on an improbable 18-game point streak recently, taking them from out of the playoffs to safely in the postseason picture.

Other updates out of the Central:

  • The Stars were without veteran forward Tyler Seguin in today’s loss to the Blackhawks, but they’ll get him back in the lineup tomorrow against the Avalanche, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. He’s dealing with a lower-body injury, potentially related to the issue that kept him out for 11 games in February and March. The Stars have been cautious with the 32-year-old’s deployment since he returned a few weeks back, making him a scratch for maintenance/load management reasons against the Sharks early last week. The 2010 second-overall pick is having his best season since missing nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign with a hip injury, potting 23 goals and 50 points in 64 games.
  • One storyline surrounding the Jets is the future of top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who has at most one week left in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. He told Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun that his agents haven’t had serious discussions with Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff about an entry-level deal but have kept in touch. The 20-year-old Nebraska tore apart Big 10 opponents this season, finishing second on the Wolverines in scoring with 16 goals and 52 points in 35 games. Coming off a point-per-game freshman season and captaining the USA at the 2024 World Juniors, it wouldn’t be surprising to see McGroarty turn pro and finish the season as a Black Ace on Winnipeg’s playoff roster.
  • After being sent to the minors yesterday, Avalanche center Chris Wagner was recalled back to the NHL roster. The move comes in the wake of an upper-body injury to star winger Mikko Rantanen, who left partway through last night’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers and didn’t return. Wagner gives the Avs 13 healthy forwards without Rantanen, providing additional injury insurance for tomorrow’s all-important clash for divisional playoff positioning against the Stars. He’s got a goal and an assist in 11 games with Colorado this season, his first in the Avs organization.

Atlantic Notes: Stutzle, Cirelli, Jeannot, Stillman, Greenway

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Senators forward Tim Stutzle won’t play tonight against New Jersey due to an upper-body injury, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  The injury was sustained in Thursday’s game against Florida.  It has been a bit of a trying year for the 22-year-old; while he has already set a new career-high in assists with 52, he has also been limited to just 18 goals in 75 games.  For context, he had 39 last season.  Stutzle is in the first season of an eight-year, $66.8MM contract that was signed back in September 2022 and it’s fair to say that expectations will be higher for him next season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Lightning won’t have center Anthony Cirelli or winger Tanner Jeannot in the lineup this afternoon against Pittsburgh but neither player is expected to be out long-term, notes team reporter Chris Krenn (Twitter link). With a playoff spot now officially clinched as of Friday, they’re opting to err on the side of caution.  Cirelli is one point shy of tying his career high as he has 43 through 75 games so far while Jeannot’s first full season in Tampa Bay hasn’t gone as planned as he has been limited to just 13 points in 50 appearances.
  • Sabres blueliner Riley Stillman is done for the year after undergoing surgery to fix a lower-body injury, per an announcement from AHL Rochester (Twitter link). After being on an NHL roster full-time the last two years, the 26-year-old played exclusively in the minors this season, notching six points in 47 games for the Americans.  A restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility and a $1.35MM qualifying offer, Stillman looks like a strong non-tender candidate unless he’s willing to agree to a cheaper deal before qualifying offers are due in late June.
  • Still with Buffalo, winger Jordan Greenway took part in practice today in a non-contact jersey, relays WGR 550’s Paul Hamilton (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  Greenway has 24 points in 62 games this season and with the Sabres still hanging around the playoff picture, they’d certainly like to get him back in the lineup soon.

Canadiens Recall Justin Barron, Announce Injury Updates

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The Canadiens will be without a pair of defensemen for their game tonight against Toronto.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Kaiden Guhle is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury while Arber Xhekaj is also out with an upper-body injury; he is undergoing further evaluation to determine how long he might be out.  In a corresponding move, blueliner Justin Barron was recalled from AHL Laval on an emergency basis which means he won’t count against their post-deadline four-recall limit.

Guhle, who was injured early in Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, is once again playing a big role on Montreal’s back end this season.  Through 70 games, he has six goals and 16 assists along with 178 blocked shots and 141 hits.  The 22-year-old sophomore leads the Canadiens in blocks and sits second among their blueliners in ATOI, logging a little under 21 minutes a night.

As for Xhekaj, he broke camp with the Canadiens but was sent to Laval for seven weeks midseason before being recalled in late January where he has been a regular in the lineup since then.  The 23-year-old has three goals and seven assists along with 125 hits and a team-high 81 penalty minutes in 44 games with Montreal in just under 16 minutes a night while he added 11 points in 17 contests with the Rocket.

Barron, meanwhile, has split the season between the NHL and AHL.  He has played in 41 games with Montreal (a career-high) and has a dozen points to his credit while averaging a little less than 19 minutes per contest.  However, the 22-year-old has spent most of the second half of the year in the minors and hasn’t been as impactful as expected although he still has 11 points in 30 AHL contests.

Metropolitan Notes: Phillips, Harkins, Werenski, Svechnikov

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The Capitals have once again brought forward Matthew Phillips up from the AHL on an emergency loan, per a team release. It’s the fourth recall for Phillips in the past few weeks after Washington re-claimed him off waivers from the Penguins in March. Why exactly Phillips has been added to the roster ahead of tonight’s game against the Hurricanes is unknown – no Capitals forwards are carrying injury designations other than T.J. Oshie, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was already available as an extra forward. There may be a few undisclosed game-time decisions in the works up front. Phillips, 25, has a goal and four assists in 31 appearances with the Caps and Pens this season.

Other updates from the Metro:

  • Moving over to Pittsburgh, winger Jansen Harkins was cleared for contact Friday and was a full participant in practice, head coach Mike Sullivan told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 26-year-old has been on LTIR since March after undergoing hand surgery and has now missed 15 games, but he could be an option for the final few tilts of the season as the Penguins try to sneak their way into the postseason. The high-end AHL scorer has had no offensive impact in 43 NHL appearances this season, going without a goal and posting four assists in 43 games while averaging just over eight minutes a night.
  • Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski will join the United States national team after the end of the regular season in preparation for the 2024 World Championship in Czechia, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. In doing so, the 26-year-old is strengthening his candidacy for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Team USA GM Bill Guerin has made it clear national team hopefuls for those big-ticket tournaments should attend this year’s World Championship if possible. Today, Werenski was named the Blue Jackets’ nominee for the 2024 Masterton Trophy, churning out All-Star-caliber minutes this year after missing most of 2022-23 due to shoulder surgery.
  • The Hurricanes will be without winger Andrei Svechnikov at home against Washington tonight due to illness, per a team announcement. The 2018 second-overall pick has been limited by injuries to 55 games this season but has played solid hockey, churning out 17 goals and 46 points. He’s gone through quite a cold stretch over the past few weeks, though, only recording a goal and two assists in his last 12 games with a -5 rating. He’ll look to reset and rebound before the playoffs begin on April 20.

Ducks Recall Nikita Nesterenko, Issue Injury Updates

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The Ducks announced that they’ve recalled forward Nikita Nesterenko from AHL San Diego amid multiple changing injury designations ahead of tonight’s game against the Kraken. Forwards Max Jones (upper body) and Mason McTavish (lower body) are out, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports, as is standout rookie defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (lower body). Lee also relays that blue-liner Radko Gudas will return after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury. As a result of McTavish’s injury, the only new absence after their last outing, Nesterenko’s recall comes under emergency conditions. It does not count their two remaining standard recalls this season. Lee also reported on Nesterenko’s recall prior to the official announcement.

Nesterenko, 22, is in his first full professional season after signing with the Ducks out of Boston College to close out 2022-23. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by the Wild, his signing rights were traded to Anaheim as part of the deal that sent defenseman John Klingberg to Minnesota at last year’s deadline. He ended last year with one goal in nine NHL games but didn’t crack the Ducks’ opening night roster this season, spending the entirety of 2023-24 thus far on assignment to San Diego. He’s settled in as their most competent two-way center, notching 15 goals and 33 points in 63 appearances. His +8 rating is the highest among forwards and second on the team behind veteran NHL defenseman Robert Hägg.

That strong showing on a bottom-five Gulls club may earn him some NHL viewings down the stretch. He wasn’t much of a factor in his first major league attempt, losing all three faceoffs he took and averaging 13:17 per game, but his otherwise poor 41.8 CF% at even strength was better than his teammates’ down the stretch, a testament to just how inept last season’s Ducks were at controlling possession. They’ve improved dramatically in that category under first-year head coach Greg Cronin, posting a 47.0 CF% at even strength compared to last year’s 42.6.

Anaheim is rather set down the middle with McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Isac Lundeström doing decent work anchoring the top three lines, although a third-line checking unit anchored by Lundeström moving to the wing with Nesterenko down the middle is an appealing thought for Ducks fans. The club also has 2022 first-round pick Nathan Gaucher in the center pipeline. Trevor Zegras, who’s mustered only nine points in 25 games this season and has battled injuries seemingly non-stop, seems locked into a spot on the wing for the remainder of his tenure in SoCal.

With Ben Meyers and Jakob Silfverberg destined for unrestricted free agency this summer, there may be a spot for Nesterenko on next season’s opening night roster if GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t plug too many holes on the open market. His NHL performance to close out the season will likely go a long way toward dictating that likelihood. He’s set for restricted free agency in a few months after completing his two-year entry-level contract and still has five more years under team control until he’s eligible for UFA status.

Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates

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Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for their six remaining games this season, head coach Pascal Vincent said Friday (via Jeff Svoboda of the team’s official site). The 25-year-old exited last night’s 4-2 loss to the Islanders after taking a shot to the hand late in the game, which the team later confirmed resulted in a break. It’s unclear if he’ll require surgery to repair the break or if rehabilitation over the offseason is sufficient to address it.

Bean’s third season in Columbus was much better than his second, when a November 2022 shoulder injury resulted in surgery that ended his season. He’s been a fixture in the Blue Jackets lineup for the most part, only being scratched on a handful of occasions. The 2016 first-round pick wasn’t able to rise above a third-pairing role, however, recording four goals and 13 points in 72 contests while averaging 16:20 per game. His pairing with Erik Gudbranson was Vincent’s most used, logging nearly 600 minutes together across 62 games. They were also the worst of Columbus’ six most-iced pairings at maintaining possession quality, controlling 45.1% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Bean’s individual possession numbers weren’t any better away from Gudbranson at 5-on-5, posting an on-ice xG% of 44.9.

Bean was the WHL’s leading goal-scorer among defensemen in 2016 and won Best Defenseman honors in the AHL in 2020, but his NHL ceiling is crashing down as he passes through his mid-20s. While his junior and minor league production still suggests there’s significant upside in his game, it won’t come buried on the depth chart on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

He’ll be an RFA this summer upon completion of his three-year, $7MM contract, the last time he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency. With younger, high-ceiling defenders like David Jiricek vying for bigger roles in Columbus and multiple exemplary young defense prospects on the way, Bean could find himself on the open market this summer if Columbus opts not to issue him a qualifying offer and risk being taken to arbitration.

Extra blue-liner Adam Boqvist is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and won’t be cleared to play before tomorrow’s contest against the Flyers, so the Blue Jackets will need to recall a defenseman from AHL Cleveland. That will likely be Jake Christiansen, who’s got two assists in 12 NHL games this season and was returned to the minors Tuesday after a weeks-long stint in Columbus.

On a shorter-term horizon, Vincent also said neither center Sean Kuraly nor goaltender Elvis Merzļikins will be available against Philadelphia. Both are out with lower-body injuries. Kuraly has returned to practice and is nearing a return after a three-week absence, while Merzļikins hasn’t played since getting banged up in a win over the Penguins on March 30. Backup Daniil Tarasov also sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss to the Islanders, so they’ll need to bring fourth-string netminder Malcolm Subban up from Cleveland if he’s unable to dress tomorrow. 23-year-old Jet Greaves will likely get the start in any event, posting an exemplary .917 SV% in limited NHL action this year. Subban hasn’t played a major league game in over two years, last appearing with the Sabres in January 2022.

A rare bit of good news for Columbus is that top winger Johnny Gaudreau will return against Philly after sitting out last night’s loss with an illness, Vincent told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s been a disappointing season for the $9.75MM man, only potting 11 goals, but he still leads the club in scoring with 56 points in 75 games.

Golden Knights Recall Brendan Brisson

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The Golden Knights have brought Brendan Brisson back to the NHL roster, per a team announcement. His recall comes under emergency conditions after head coach Bruce Cassidy announced Tomáš Hertl won’t be ready to make his Vegas debut against the Coyotes tomorrow and said they’ll likely be without Nicolas Roy due to an undisclosed injury. Summoning Brisson guarantees them 12 healthy forwards in Arizona.

Brisson, 22, joins the Vegas roster for the first time since he was assigned to Henderson on March 13. The 2020 first-round pick has played in 13 games this season after making his NHL debut in January, doing quite well with two goals and seven points in limited ice time. A natural center, Brisson has mostly played wing throughout his first major-league stint, and he’ll likely do so again on a line with Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar if his services are needed tomorrow.

The Los Angeles native’s possession game has also been better than his -4 rating suggests. He’s recorded a 48.9 CF% and 50.0 xGF% at even strength, not jaw-dropping by any stretch but still better than the majority of his teammates when in the lineup. His positive impact on shot attempts has been strong in particular, as Vegas’ CF% with him on the ice is 4% better than without him across his limited run of play. He’s most frequently suited up alongside William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, skating over 43 minutes with them across six games, but has also logged significant time on lines with Karlsson and Michael Amadio as well as Howden and Paul Cotter.

Vegas has space to absorb Brisson’s $925K cap hit without making any corresponding moves, but only because Hertl remains on LTIR for the time being. When he’s ready to go, likely now for Monday’s game in Vancouver, they’ll need to assign two contracts to Henderson to activate him. As such, Brisson’s stay in the majors will be brief.

Brisson’s decent initial showing makes him a candidate to crack the Golden Knight’s opening night roster in 2024-25, especially considering he’s also done well on a poor Henderson team with 16 goals and 36 points in 50 games. His ELC remains valid for next season, after which he’ll be an RFA.

Injury Notes: Couturier, Hamonic, Oshie

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It has been revealed that Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier is facing a sprained shoulder, per NHL.com’s Kevin Kurz (Twitter link). Couturier seems to have dodged more serious injury and continues to carry the day-to-day injury designation given to him on Wednesday and is questionable for the team’s Friday night game.

Couturier has had an eventful season since being named Philadelphia’s first captain since Claude Giroux on February 14th. He’s since managed just three assists through 20 games, adding 11 penalty minutes and a -17. The cold streak has earned him two healthy scratches that he hasn’t yet vindicated – riding a six-game scoreless streak since returning to the lineup. Couturier managed 30 points in 41 games of the season but has since fallen apart. Hopefully a clean bill of health following this shoulder injury can bring with it a resurgence on the scoresheet.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Ottawa Senators are expected to be without defenseman Travis Hamonic on Thursday night due to a lower-body injury, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun (Twitter link). Hamonic has missed 16 of Ottawa’s last 17 games with this injury and continues to miss time even after being removed from injured reserve on March 19th. He’s played in just 48 games this season, recording six points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -10. He joins Thomas Chabot on the team’s sideline, with Tyler Kleven benefiting most from the pair’s absences.
  • T.J. Oshie missed the Washington Capitals practice on Thursday, instead seeing the team’s doctor for an upper-body injury. Head coach Spencer Carbery shared that the injury will hold Oshie out of Washington’s next two games, per Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post (Twitter link), as the Capitals face a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday. His next chance to return will come on Sunday, when Washington hosts the Ottawa Senators. Oshie has played in just 47 games this season, recording 11 goals and 19 points.

Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad To Miss Remaining Regular Season

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The Florida Panthers will be without star defenseman Aaron Ekblad until Game One of the postseason, head coach Paul Maurice shared at the team’s Wednesday practice (Twitter link). Ekblad exited the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Montreal Canadiens after just seven minutes of ice time, leaving with an injury that’s yet to be disclosed. Whatever it is, it will hold Ekblad out of the team’s final six games – limiting his season to just 51 games, after a shoulder injury delayed his season’s start to mid-November.

Ekblad posted his lowest scoring rate since the 2016-17 season, managing just four goals and 18 points, or a 0.35 point-per-game pace. The cold performance ends Ekblad’s three-year streak of scoring double-digit goals – a streak that kicked off when he tallied 11 goals in just 35 games during the 2020-21 season.

Florida has made up for the absence of their former first-overall pick largely thanks to Gustav Forsling, who has taken over Ekblad’s role as a double-digit scorer and top-line defenseman. Forsling has 10 goals and 35 points in 73 games this season, continuing his streak of strong scoring after netting 37 and 41 points over the last two seasons respectively. He also leads the NHL in +/-, with a +47 – no doubt thanks to playing alongside Florida’s loaded top line, but also a testament to Forsling’s strong impact across the season. With stepped-up performances from Josh Mahura, Niko Mikkola, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Florida has been bale to forge a blue-line capable of playing without Ekblad – though they’ll still eagerly anticipate his return after setting a 33-18 record when Ekblad is healthy.

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