Canadiens Update Injury Status For Several Players
As Montreal looks to secure a playoff spot in the North Division, they’re doing so without several of their more prominent veterans who are out of the lineup with various injuries. The team announced updates on the majority of those players and it appears as if most of them could be back for the postseason.
Goaltender Carey Price has resumed skating as he works his way back from a concussion suffered last month against Edmonton but there remains no timetable for his return. In the meantime, Jake Allen will continue to shoulder the majority of the workload between the pipes.
Winger Brendan Gallagher has also resumed skating and remains on pace to return within the six-week timeframe listed a month ago when he was diagnosed with a thumb injury. With the North Division schedule being extended due to their and Vancouver’s COVID-pauses, that could give Gallagher an opportunity to return at the start of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Paul Byron has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury. He remains considered as day-to-day but the team did not indicate that he has resumed skating yet.
Defenseman Shea Weber has missed five straight games with an upper-body injury but has resumed skating and is also listed as day-to-day.
Joining that group of players in the infirmary is center Phillip Danault. He left Thursday’s game against Toronto in the first period due to an upper-body injury. He has returned to Montreal for evaluation and as a result, he will not be available for the rematch against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Arpon Basu of The Athletic clarifies (Twitter link) that Danault travelled by a car service, allowing him to remain in the bubble and not be subject to a seven-day quarantine to rejoin the team. If Montreal wants to dress 12 forwards tomorrow, they will have to use an emergency recall on either Michael Frolik or Alex Belzile who are the only two healthy forwards on their taxi squad, a group that also consists of three other injured forwards from the AHL.
The Canadiens are also without winger Jonathan Drouin who was placed on LTIR late last month after taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. There remains no update on his situation with the team at the time of the announcement asking everyone to respect his privacy.
While it certainly sounds as if some of their veterans should be ready to play if they can make it, there won’t be any immediate help on the horizon as they look to officially clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Prospect Frederik Dichow Signs In Sweden's Allsvenskan
- Canadiens prospect Frederik Dichow has signed a one-year deal with Kristianstad in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, per a team announcement. The 21-year-old goaltender was a fifth-round pick of Montreal back in 2019 (139th overall) and was supposed to play with Sudbury of the OHL this season. Instead, with that league not playing this year, he was limited to six appearances with two teams in Denmark this season and will undoubtedly be looking for more playing time next season.
Ryan Poehling To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
It wasn’t so long ago that Ryan Poehling was the star prospect for the Montreal Canadiens. On this day two years ago, after a strong junior season at St. Cloud State, Poehling burst onto the scene in his NHL debut, scoring three goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played just 11:22 that night, but expectations and excitement exploded, with many believing he would never leave the Canadiens lineup again.
After all, this was the 25th overall pick from 2017 and Poehling had the size and skill necessary to succeed at the NHL level. Now, two years later, Poehling has been passed on the prospect depth chart by several exciting Canadiens forwards and spent all of 2020-21 in the minor leagues. His AHL season is ending early, as the team announced he suffered a wrist injury that will require surgery.
Now 22, Poehling was dominant for the Laval Rocket this year. He scored 11 goals and 25 points in 28 games, leading the team in both categories. In his last game, which occurred on April 24, he had three assists and was the game’s first star.
Following the injury, Poehling now enters an uncertain offseason. He will be a restricted free agent for the first time but is not eligible for arbitration. His waiver-exempt status will not expire next year, meaning he could be on the way down the minor leagues once again. Luckily, because of his age when he made that 2019 debut, he is still exempt from the expansion draft and will not require protection. He’ll need a new contract through and with just five points in 28 career NHL games, doesn’t have much leverage to ask for a raise.
New York Rangers Fire John Davidson, Jeff Gorton
4:35pm: The Rangers have made it official, announcing that Davidson and Gorton are “leaving the organization” effective immediately. Drury has taken over as president and general manager, while senior advisor Glen Sather will help him during the transition. Dolan has released a statement:
We want to thank JD and Jeff for their contributions to the organization. They are both great hockey professionals who worked hard for the Rangers, however, in order for the team to succeed in the manner our fans deserve, there needs to be a change in leadership. Chris is a very sought-after executive and a strong leader, who has proven himself to be one of the top young minds in hockey. We are confident he will effectively guide the team to ensure the long-term success we promised Rangers fans.
1:50pm: In a stunning development, the New York Rangers have fired team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This comes less than 24 hours after the team issued a harsh statement critiquing the league and Department of Player Safety head George Parros. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the two men “scurried to distance themselves” from the statement, telling other executives that they did not know it was in the works until after it was released. Larry Brooks of the New York Post tweets that associate GM Chris Drury will remain with the organization in a prominent role and Friedman reports that it will be as president and GM.
Darren Dreger of TSN has been told that the firings are not related to the statement and Friedman adds that James Dolan, the team owner, was unhappy with the team this season and wanted a change. Dolan was also behind the statement, reports Friedman.
While the Rangers are going to miss the playoffs again this season, the rebuild is going pretty much exactly as planned. Three years ago, the team issued a letter to fans telling them that they would be trading franchise icons in order to amass a new young core to put them back in contention for the Stanley Cup. Names like Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, and Marc Staal were all shown the door, while Gorton and his staff compiled prospects and picks to build for the future. The team went out and signed Artemi Panarin to a huge contract in free agency to move things along and even took part in the postseason last year, losing to a much more experienced Carolina Hurricanes team in the qualification round.
This season they will miss the playoffs thanks to a brutal East Division, sitting ten points behind the New York Islanders but holding a 26-21-6 record. The Rangers would hold a playoff position in two of the other divisions with the same record and have the 13th-best goal differential in the NHL.
Apparently, that rebuild has not gone the way ownership envisioned. Davidson and Gorton are out, adding two respected and experienced executives to the market for teams to go after this summer. It was less than two years ago when Davidson resigned his role with the Columbus Blue Jackets to take a similar job with the Rangers, noting that it was a homecoming of sorts for the former player and broadcaster. That homecoming is now over, but it seems very unlikely that Davidson is without work for long if he wants to continue in an NHL front office.
Of course, even though they are moving on from two experienced executives, the Rangers have a ready-made replacement in Drury. An Olympic medalist as a player, Drury has been one of the most sought-after young managers in the league the last several years but has continued to commit himself to the Rangers whenever a new opportunity presented itself. He joined the team as its director of player development in 2015 and has worked his way up the ranks, also serving as GM for Team USA at the World Championships. There’s no doubting Drury’s ability in the role, though his appointment does come suddenly and with plenty of surprise.
Jonathan Drouin Takes Leave Of Absence
The Montreal Canadiens have announced that Jonathan Drouin will take an indefinite leave of absence for the team for personal reasons. The team has asked everyone to respect his privacy and placed him on long-term injured reserve. Drouin hasn’t played since April 21 against the Edmonton Oilers, missing the last three games. That means he could be placed on LTIR retroactive to his last appearance, and could potentially return before the end of the season after missing his mandated ten games.
It has been a difficult season performance-wise for Drouin, who has just two goals in 44 games this season. After the announcement, there was an immediate outpouring of support on social media from fans and media alike, wishing him the best as he deals with whatever is going on.
With Drouin on LTIR, the Canadiens shouldn’t run into any more cap issues in relation to Cole Caufield or Jake Evans and could use the two young forwards down the stretch. Both were on the ice at morning skate according to John Lu of TSN as the team prepares for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening.
Patrick Roy Interested In NHL Return
Patrick Roy is a Hall of Fame goaltender and a former NHL head coach and executive. However, since 2016 he’s been out of the league entirely. He’s now hoping to change that. According to agent Neil Glasberg, who was recently hired by Roy, the experienced hockey mind is looking for a way back to the top league in the world and he’ll take any opportunity that presents itself.
Roy is currently the head coach and general manager of the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts, a role he returned to in 2018 after previously working in those roles for the team since 2003. Of course, Roy was also the head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche from 2013 to 2016.
With so much experience in various departments, Roy is not looking to focus on just one type of NHL opportunity. “He could be a president of hockey ops. He could be a GM. He could be a co-GM. He could be a head coach,” Glasberg stated. “It’s going to be situational.”
Roy had previously been linked to head coach and president opening with the Ottawa Senators and could circle back with the team on a potential role. His hometown Montreal Canadiens are currently operating with an interim head coach, as are the Buffalo Sabres, while there could be openings with the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets among other this summer. In the front office, any number of teams could have openings – or make openings – in order to add Roy to the staff. As Glasberg notes, they will wait to see what becomes available this off-season and make a decision from there. With so many possibilities, the hope is to see Roy back in the NHL soon.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Cole Caufield
April 26: It took another ten days, but the Canadiens are finally giving Caufield a shot. The team has assigned Alexander Romanov to the taxi squad in order to give them the cap space needed to recall the young sniper, who will make his NHL debut tonight against the Calgary Flames. Because several other forwards are currently dealing with injuries, Caufield is technically an emergency recall according to CapFriendly, meaning they can bring Romanov back down the line.
April 16: It’s happening, Montreal Canadiens fans. The team has officially recalled Cole Caufield from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad. Montreal plays tomorrow evening against the Calgary Flames, where the Hobey Baker Award winner could potentially make his NHL debut. The team also recalled Cayden Primeau to the active roster under emergency conditions.
Of note, the Laval Rocket recently had several upcoming games postponed, meaning Caufield could just be up with the taxi squad to get some practice time in. After his early performance in the AHL however–the 20-year-old forward scored three goals (including two game-winners) and four points in two appearances for Laval–Canadiens fans are hoping he’s in the NHL lineup before long.
There’s been no stopping Caufield so far in his hockey career. Despite never reaching the size and strength of some other top prospects, the 5’7″ forward continues to outproduce almost everyone he comes in contact with. Caufield broke records set by people like Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews with the U.S. National Team Development Program, he was a point-per-game freshman in the NCAA and just recently led the entire nation in scoring with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games for Wisconsin.
It seemed as though professional hockey may slow him down, but that certainly wasn’t the case in his debut for Laval. Caufield recorded five shots on goal, scored on the powerplay and at even strength, and added a helper in his professional debut, flying all over the ice with the puck. He came back with another four-shot performance on the next night, once again providing must-see action for the Rocket.
Now the next step is getting his first game with the Canadiens, who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Flames on Wednesday. The team has scored just five goals in their last three games and could certainly use a bit of punch from their star prospect.
Carey Price Returns To Montreal For Treatment
The Montreal Canadiens aren’t scheduled to play again at home until Wednesday, but Carey Price will be there waiting. The star goaltender has returned to Montreal to receive further treatment for his concussion. On Tuesday, head coach Dominique Ducharme ruled out Price for at least a week, though with concussions the return timeline is always a little hazy.
For the first time since assuming head coaching duties, Ducharme did not announce his lineup decisions to the media ahead of tonight’s game at Calgary, but had said that he hoped to get Cayden Primeau into one of the games against the Flames. Jake Allen played (and lost) yesterday, meaning it would be the obvious time for Primeau’s season debut. The 21-year-old appeared in two NHL games last season but has been limited to just AHL duty this time around. With Price out, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do, even if it is in a limited role behind Allen.
The more important question is whether Price will be healthy for the playoffs, which are just a few weeks away. The team has just ten games remaining after tonight, meaning there isn’t a lot of time for him to make it through this concussion period and then get back up to speed. With Allen already outplaying Price all season, Ducharme is going to have quite the decision on his hands should the Canadiens hold onto the final playoff spot.
Carey Price In Concussion Protocol
After leaving last night’s game following the first period, it wasn’t clear exactly what the prognosis was for Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. He wasn’t on the ice for this morning’s practice either, and now head coach Dominque Ducharme has explained that his starting netminder has been placed in the concussion protocol and will be out at least a week.
Jake Allen, who finished last night’s game, and Cayden Primeau were the goalies on the ice today. It appears as though they’ll have to carry the load for a little while.
Although he played out the period, Price did have his head contacted by Alex Chiasson early on. That is where Ducharme believes the concussion occurred, but at any rate, the team will have to go without their high-priced netminder.
It’s been a brutal year for Price overall, with a 12-7-5 record and .901 save percentage through 25 appearances. He has been steadily outplayed by Allen, who was supposed to be the clear backup but now takes over as the obvious number one until Price is cleared to return. Even then, as much as they don’t want to admit it, the Canadiens have a controversy brewing as the playoffs approach. A recent concussion for Price will only strengthen the case to have Allen in net for game one, should Montreal hold onto the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
As for Primeau, who now steps into a backup role, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports tweets that the young goaltender is expected to make his season debut against the Calgary Flames later this week. He has been recalled to the NHL squad under emergency conditions and will likely start one of the back-to-back matches on Friday/Saturday.
North Notes: Canadiens, Foligno, Hutton, McLeod
Despite being lauded for his trade deadline moves, Montreal Canadiens general manager finds that his team is struggling, much because of the team’s sudden roster inflexibility. The team has already used up all but one of their post-deadline recalls, bringing up Xavier Ouellet, Alexander Romanov and Paul Byron immediately after making the trades to acquire Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson as well as putting defenseman Victor Mete on waivers (and losing him to Ottawa). Most of these moves were made to accommodate the loss of Mete and the pending additions of Merrill and Gustafsson, both who have to quarantine for seven days before being able to join the team.
Now, with just one recall remaining and quite a few games left to go this season, head coach Dominique Ducharme doesn’t have many options to make roster moves, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required). One significant issue the team could address is the sudden poor play of Eric Staal. Despite scoring the game-winning goal in his debut, Staal has struggled in the seven games he’s played since, scoring no points with just seven shots and boasting a minus-eight plus/minus. However, the team doesn’t have the ability to replace him in the lineup for a game or two with energy-man Jake Evans, who currently is sitting on the taxi squad since they are not ready to use their final recall.
That leaves the team with multiple roster issues for the next few weeks until the team is ready to spend their final recall.
- Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby writes that Toronto Maple Leafs’ newly acquired Nick Foligno and Ben Hutton will have their seven-day quarantine expire in a couple of days. However, it remains unknown whether either player would join the team for their five-game road trip that starts today due to their quarantine as well as the recent COVID-19 breakout that forced the postponement of three Toronto Marlies’ games. Of course, getting both Foligno and Hutton into the Toronto lineup so both can pick up their system is crucial.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that the Edmonton Oilers have another internal candidate they should consider when it comes to boosting their offense: Ryan McLeod. The 2018 second-round pick has had a great season in the AHL so far with 14 goals and 28 points in 28 games. At $834K and the ability to play center, he could be a valuable chip for the team as the playoffs approach.