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Tony Granato Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

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Former University of Wisconsin head coach Tony Granato took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday to share that he’s been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will be taking a temporary leave of absence from his roles with NBC Sports Chicago and NHL Network.

Granato, 59, has had an illustrious hockey career. He was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL Draft – going to the New York Rangers at 120th overall, one spot lower than goaltender Ron Hextall. Granato played in four seasons at the University of Wisconsin after his draft selection, totaling 100 goals and 220 points in 152 games with the school. He moved to the IHL for one season after Wisconsin, where he was recruited to represent the United States at the 1988 Winter Olympics. He scored eight points in six games at the event and made his NHL debut a few months later, with the 1988-89 season marking his rookie year. Granato kicked off his career with a bang, recording 36 goals, 63 points, and 140 penalty minutes in 78 games with the Rangers. The performance was enough to land Granato third in Calder Trophy voting that year, behind winner Brian Leetch and runner-up Trevor Linden.

The Rangers traded Granato to the Los Angeles Kings after just two seasons, sending him in a package deal for former 150-point-scorer Bernie Nicholls. Granato would go on to spend seven seasons in L.A., recording the best years of his career between 1990 and 1993, when he totaled 229 games, 106 goals, 214 points, and 512 penalty minutes. But despite the eventful stat line, Granato didn’t receive any more award votes until joining the San Jose Sharks in 1996-97, when he won the Bill Masterton Trophy, the league’s sportsmanship award. Granato received the award after returning from a head injury suffered in the second half of the 1995-96 season that left him with a brain bleed and required surgery. He played in five more seasons with San Jose before retiring in 2001.

Granato took just one season off before joining an NHL bench, initially stepping into an assistant coaching role for the Colorado Avalanche ahead of the 2002-03 season; although Granato would go on to replace Bob Hartley mid-season and serve as the team’s head coach through the 2003-04 season. Granato also served as the Avalanche’s head coach for the 2008-09 season, replacing Joel Quenneville. He otherwise served as an assistant coach throughout his 13-year NHL coaching career. In 2016, Granato returned to the University of Wisconsin, replacing Mike Eaves and carrying on the torch of a former player serving as the team’s head coach.

Granato ranks third on Wisconsin’s all-time goals list and fourth in points. His college showings were the start of a 40-year career around the Big 10 and NHL. We at Pro Hockey Rumors extend our thoughts to Tony and his family.

West Notes: Lizotte, Lindholm, Namestnikov

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Los Angeles Kings writer Zach Dooley reported today that Kings forward Blake Lizotte has progressed to a regular practice jersey today as he moves closer to the returning to the lineup. The 25-year-old missed his sixth straight game this evening but could return on Thursday night when the Kings take on the Montreal Canadiens. Kings head coach Todd McLellan told reporters today that the plan is to see how Lizotte feels after practice tomorrow before making any decisions on a potential return later this week.

Lizotte has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury he suffered in a game against the St. Louis Blues back on November 18th. He took a hard open-ice hit from Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and immediately went to the bench and up the tunnel with the training staff. He did not return to the game.

In 16 games this season, the Lindstrom, Minnesota native has four goals and three assists and is +7.

In other West notes:

  • TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji is reporting that Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm was back at practice today after missing yesterday’s practice due to an illness. All signs point to the 29-year-old dressing in the Flames game tonight against the Minnesota Wild as Calgary tries to get back to .500 after starting the season 2-7-1. Lindholm has played fine this season with seven goals and 10 assists in 24 games, but he has struggled to score goals with a shooting percentage of just 10.9%, well off his career average of 12.5%.
  • Winnipeg Jets analyst Mitchell Clinton is reporting that Winnipeg Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov will join the team on their upcoming road trip but is unlikely to play in Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. The 31-year-old has missed the Jets’ last two games after suffering a lower-body injury during a puck battle with Darnell Nurse in the Jets’ 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers last Thursday. Namestnikov signed a two-year deal with the Jets in the summer and has had a decent start to the season with two goals and nine assists in his first 22 games.

Kings Activate, Reassign Tobias Björnfot

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The Kings have activated defenseman Tobias Björnfot off injured reserve and returned him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a conditioning loan, per a team announcement Friday evening.

Björnfot, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, sustained a scary injury in a November 21 game against the Kraken’s minor-league affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, which required him to be stretchered off the ice. Thankfully, the injury was neither life-threatening nor long-term, and he’s now ready to return to action.

The 22-year-old was already on a conditioning assignment with the Reign when he sustained the injury. Given he was put on injured reserve (but not long-term injured reserve) in the middle of it, the clock on his conditioning loan has now restarted, and he can remain with Ontario for 14 days before the Kings must reinstate him or put him on waivers for the purpose of assignment.

NHL teams will take advantage of conditioning loans to get oft-healthy scratched players some brief action in the minors without subjecting them to the waiver process. During this time, a player remains on the 23-man roster and counts against the salary cap but is eligible to play for a team’s minor-league affiliate.

The Kings initially sent Björnfot to the Reign for conditioning on November 16 after he had sat out of the lineup for over a month. After logging 10:12 in the team’s season opener against the Avalanche on October 11, head coach Todd McLellan healthy scratched Björnfot for a staggering 13 consecutive games before the team gave him some action in the minors.

Björnfot’s short stint in the minors was negligible – he was held off the scoresheet and posted a +1 rating in three games. He’ll now get some more minor-league action under his belt after spending most of last season with Ontario as well.

The Swede’s trajectory is not terribly promising at this point, at least for a first-round pick. While he’s shown the skills to be a serviceable NHL defender, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll ever elevate above a third-pairing role. The 6-foot, 200-pound defender has 117 NHL games to his name with the Kings over the last five seasons, notching one goal, 14 assists, and a -18 rating.

No Extension Talks Yet For Quinton Byfield

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Kings forward Quinton Byfield has been one of the top breakout performers of the early season, notching 16 points in his first 19 games, just six points shy of his career-high already.  The timing is certainly good on his part as the 21-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level contract this season.  However, despite the hot start, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that there have been no discussions about a possible contract extension just yet.  At this point, it might make sense for both sides to wait it out for a while yet to see if Byfield is able to sustain this type of production over a larger sample size since that would greatly influence any negotiations.  With the number of big contracts Los Angeles has on the books, a bridge agreement might be the eventual outcome for Byfield’s next deal.

Kings Place Tobias Björnfot On IR, Recall Jacob Moverare

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The Los Angeles Kings moved defenseman Tobias Björnfot to injured reserve Wednesday night, according to CapFriendly. In a corresponding transaction, defenseman Jacob Moverare was once again recalled from AHL Ontario.

Björnfot, 22, had been playing in the minors with Ontario while on a conditioning stint, meaning he remained on the Kings’ 23-man roster for the time being despite suiting up for their AHL affiliate. The Swedish blueliner sustained an undisclosed injury on a hard hit from Kraken prospect Jacob Melanson in last night’s contest against Seattle’s affiliate, Coachella Valley, that required he be stretchered off the ice.

Moving Björnfot to IR keeps him out of action for a minimum of seven days. The Kings have not issued a timeline for his return to action.

Already in his fifth NHL season, the 2019 22nd overall pick has yet to truly establish himself as an everyday NHL player. He spent most of last season in the minors despite playing 70 contests with the Kings in 2021-22, and he’s appeared in just four total games this season – one in the NHL and three in the AHL.

While never drafted for his point-producing upside, his lack of production over the past few seasons is underwhelming for a first-round pick. He’s scored just once in 117 NHL games and had 12 points in 50 games with Ontario last season.

His possession numbers have failed to stand out, either. In his lone appearance this season, which came October 11 against the Avalanche, Björnfot controlled just 37.5% of Corsi events at even strength despite starting most of his shifts in the offensive zone. He logged just over 10 minutes of ice time and recorded one block.

Meanwhile, Moverare again finds himself on the Kings roster ahead of their next appearance, a Friday game against the Ducks. The 25-year-old has been recalled numerous times throughout this month to serve as an extra defenseman and injury insurance, although he’s yet to appear in an NHL game in 2023-24.

A fourth-round pick of the team in 2016, Moverare has four assists and a +2 rating in 14 contests with Ontario this season. He appeared in 21 NHL games with the Kings over the prior two seasons, recording two assists. He’s still looking for his first NHL goal.

Moverare will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after completing a two-year, $1.525MM contract. He is owed a qualifying offer of $813,750.

Tobias Bjornfot Suffers Injury

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  • Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot, who is currently playing for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, left last night’s game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds with an injury. He had to be stretchered off of the ice after taking a hit from Firebirds forward Jacob Melanson, who was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding on the play. Bjornfot, 23, has played in three games for Ontario this season and one game for Los Angeles.

Injury Notes: Harpur, Hollowell, Lizotte

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The Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, shared a pair of updates on injured defensemen. The team most notably shared that Ben Harpur will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing pectoral surgery. Hartford head coach Steve Smith also shared that Mac Hollowell is also out with injury, but the team is hopeful he’ll be able to return this week.

This is a heavy blow to a Rangers’ depth chart that extended Harpur to a two-year, one-way contract in January of last season. The contract carries an annual cap hit of $787.5K and provided a reward in the midst of Harpur’s first year in New York. He finished last season with 42 NHL games played, two points, and 20 penalty minutes. The defender has started this year in the minors, playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He’s recorded three points, two penalty minutes, and a -1 through seven games with the team this season.

Hollowell is another blow to the Rangers’ options, if he’s out for longer than this week. The 25-year-old is in his first year with the Rangers organization, after spending the last five with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hollowell has proven productive in his AHL experience this year, netting 10 points in 10 games and recording a +5. It’s a continuation off of his productive 2022-23 season, which saw him score 13 points in 18 AHL games and two points in six NHL games. His season was, however, cut short by a fractured kneecap that required surgery.

Other injury news:

  • The Los Angeles Kings have announced that Blake Lizotte will miss the team’s Monday night game with an undisclosed injury. The forward left the team’s most recent matchup against the St. Louis Blues in the third period and didn’t travel with the team on their two-game road trip to Arizona and Anaheim. No official timetable for his return has been provided.

Kings Notes: Dubois, Kaliyev, Moverare

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Kings offseason addition Pierre-Luc Dubois hasn’t missed any of the team’s 15 games this season, a trend that will continue tonight against the Blues. Head coach Todd McLellan told reporters earlier today that Dubois will stay in the lineup tonight after the Québec-born center took an awkward fall into the post during the team’s last game and did not participate in practice Friday.

The Kings are largely on a roll with a 9-3-3 record that puts them third in the Pacific Division and fourth in the Western Conference. However, Dubois hasn’t lived up to expectations yet in Hollywood, especially considering the assets they gave up to acquire him in a sign-and-trade deal from the Jets over the summer. Owed $9MM in actual money this year in the first season of an eight-year, $68MM contract, Dubois is averaging a respectable 16:37 per game but has just four goals and eight points, an underwhelming offensive clip of 0.53 points per game. He’d averaged 0.80 points per game over the last two seasons with Winnipeg, including a career-high 36 assists and 63 points in 73 games last year. His defensive game has been lacking, too, barely staying above a 50% Corsi share at even strength on a team that’s dominated the stat.

Other notes on the Kings today:

  • Los Angeles will lose the ability to send winger Arthur Kaliyev to the minors without needing waivers after tonight’s game, CapFriendly notes. It’s hard to imagine a universe where the Kings would want to send the 22-year-old sniper down to AHL Ontario, however. After being on pace for 41 points over an 82-game season last year, Kaliyev is again producing at a respectable clip this year with seven points in 13 games. The Kings did assign him to the minors earlier this season, but that was a paper move to stay cap-compliant while Kaliyev was serving a four-game suspension assessed during preseason play. Kaliyev was the 33rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
  • On another transaction-related note, the Kings have again recalled defenseman Jacob Moverare to serve as a healthy scratch for tonight’s contest, per a team announcement. This is Moverare’s second recall in the past three days, and he was returned to AHL Ontario briefly yesterday. The 25-year-old does not currently require waivers after clearing them during the preseason, but he will if he remains on the NHL roster for 30 total days and plays more than 10 NHL games. He’s yet to make an appearance for the Kings this season, but he does have four assists and a +1 rating in 13 contests for Ontario.

Kings Sign Koehn Ziemmer To Entry-Level Contract

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The Kings signed forward prospect Koehn Ziemmer to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday, per a team release. According to the Kings, the deal carries an AAV of $875K.

Los Angeles selected Ziemmer, 18, with the 78th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft earlier this year. Ziemmer was a widely polarizing prospect after a monster year with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, with some expecting him to get a look in the late first round while others projected him to fall as late as the fourth or fifth round.

Elite Prospects tabbed Ziemmer 40th in their final 2023 draft rankings, praising his speed, skill and physicality. The Mayerthorpe, Alberta-born winger has NHL size at 6 feet and 210 pounds and finished ninth in WHL scoring last season with 41 goals and 89 points in 68 contests. He struggled defensively, though, leading some to question to what degree he’d be a liability at the NHL level.

Nonetheless, Ziemmer remains one of the higher-ceiling prospects in the team’s system. He’s off to a decent start with the Cougars this year, potting seven goals and 24 points through 16 games. Ziemmer remains linemates with center Riley Heidt, who the Wild selected one round earlier after posting a similar stat line to Ziemmer in Prince George last season. Some public scouting sites, such as Dobber Prospects, are confident in Ziemmer’s ability to translate into a top-six winger for the Kings, giving him an NHL certainty score of 8.5/10 and putting his peak at 80 points in a season and listing him as their best wing prospect behind Arthur Kaliyev, who’s already solidified an everyday NHL role and has seven points through 13 games this season.

Ziemmer will remain on assignment to WHL Prince George for the rest of the season. Given his December 2004 birthday, his entry-level contract is only eligible to slide for one season, and he will be eligible for assignment to the AHL’s Ontario Reign in 2024-25.

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