David Savard Out Eight Weeks With Ankle Injury
The Montreal Canadiens have suffered injuries this season at a rate no one could have expected, and it isn’t slowing down. Late last night, the team ruled out David Savard for eight weeks with his right ankle injury.
Savard, 31, last played on January 27 against the Anaheim Ducks, racking up more than 21 minutes of ice time. Before missing last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, he was one of just two players on the team to suit up for every match. Nick Suzuki now stands alone as the only Canadiens to have played in all 43 games.
Signed in the offseason to a four-year, $14MM contract after winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Savard got off to a terrible start in Montreal. At times he seemed nowhere near the reliable top-four option he’d been in Columbus and even saw his ice time drop to around 15 minutes for a few games early on. Recently, he’d turned around his season and played better for the Canadiens, logging more responsibility, engaging physically more often, and generally staying out of the penalty box.
That progression will now be put on hold as he faces a two-month recovery, one that will leave him with just a handful of games left at the end of the regular season. It’s been a nightmare in Montreal this year, one that Canadiens fans can’t seem to wake up from.
Carey Price Resumes Skating, Brendan Gallagher And Paul Byron Likely To Return Sunday
- Canadiens goaltender Carey Price skated for the first time today since being shut down in his injury rehab last month, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). Price continues to work his way back from offseason knee surgery but has had multiple setbacks along the way which have prevented him from playing at all so far this season.
- Still with Montreal, the team announced (Twitter link) that wingers Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher could return to the lineup tomorrow against Columbus. Byron has missed the entire season after undergoing offseason hip surgery while Gallagher has been out for nearly a month with a lower-body injury. The Canadiens will need to activate Byron off LTIR but with Price and Shea Weber both still on there, they have enough LTIR space to still be cap-compliant with his activation.
Montreal Canadiens Provide Injury Updates
The Montreal Canadiens must have broken a mirror somewhere because they have had nothing but bad luck this season. The team offered a few more injury updates today, none of the positive variety.
Things start with Jonathan Drouin, who has suffered a wrist injury and is out indefinitely. Drouin was placed on injured reserve last week and hasn’t played since January 20 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team notes that though Drouin did have surgery on his left wrist previously, this injury is to the right. The 26-year-old had 20 points in 32 games this season while seeing a little over 17 minutes of ice time a night.
Next is Joel Edmundson, whose recovery from a lower-back injury is coming along slowly. Edmundson remains out indefinitely, having not even played a single game yet this season. The veteran defenseman has been through a tough year, initially leaving the Canadiens at the beginning of the season to be with his ailing father, who died from lung cancer earlier this month.
Mathieu Perreault has a lower-body injury and will be out three to four weeks. The 34-year-old hasn’t played a game since December 14 and has suited up just 14 times for the Canadiens this season. Signed to a one-year, $950K contract in the offseason, he appeared to be a potential trade deadline chip for the Canadiens if he can get healthy. With the deadline still about seven weeks away, there is time for his return if this recovery period is accurate.
Christian Dvorak is still out with an upper-body injury, but the team confirmed that it is not a concussion. He’s still on injured reserve, however, and will be out at least through the upcoming All-Star break. Dvorak, one of the team’s marquee offseason acquisitions, has seven goals and 16 points in 34 games so far.
Sami Niku, Brett Connolly Clear Waivers
Jan 27: Both players have cleared waivers according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, meaning they can be sent to the minor leagues.
Jan 26: The Montreal Canadiens have placed Sami Niku on waivers, as they continue to get players back from injury on the back end. This is actually the second time Niku has been on waivers this season, though the first was in training camp with the Winnipeg Jets when he agreed to a contract termination in order to pursue a different opportunity.
While it’s easy to wonder why anyone would target a defenseman from a team that sits 31st in goals against, Niku actually may draw some interest on the wire. The 25-year-old defenseman has shown he can dominate at the minor league level, including posting a 16-goal, 54-point season in 2017-18, and has generated 16 points in 67 career NHL games. Still, his size and defensive ability raise enough questions that it’s hard to envision him stepping into a regular role on a contender at this point, meaning he might end up in the minor leagues once again.
He isn’t alone, though, as Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Brett Connolly has also been placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks. Connolly cleared waivers in October and was assigned to the minor leagues, where he has spent a good chunk of the season. Now, he’s spent enough time on the NHL roster that he needed waivers again in order to be sent down.
The thing hurting Connolly’s chances at NHL playing time right now is his contract, which carries a $3.5MM cap hit through 2022-23. While he likely could catch on somewhere if he had a more reasonable price tag, there’s little chance that someone would agree to take that contract off waivers. Should he clear, the Blackhawks will be able to once again bury $1.125MM of his cap hit in the minor leagues.
Trade Rumors: Chiarot, Oilers, Coyotes, DeBrusk
While the Marc-Andre Fleury-Washington Capitals connection was the highlight of the most recent “32 Thoughts” column from Sportnset’s Elliotte Friedman, the insider had plenty else to say about the burgeoning trade market. Though just a small note, the inclusion most likely to come to fruition is Friedman’s report that several teams are pursuing Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot. Chiarot’s name has been out there among trade candidate all season and it isn’t going away. As the top impending free agent on the NHL’s worst team, Chiarot is a near lock to be dealt. Friedman reports that the Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, and St. Louis Blues are among the teams confirmed to have interest in Chiarot, but Friedman also keys in on another possibility: the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rumblings out of Toronto suggest that the Leafs are targeting a defenseman at the trade deadline and they may very well need one to escape the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. Friedman notes that the club kicked the tires on Chiarot when he was a free agent and could be a top contender to land him this time around.
- Another report that is hardly outside the box is Friedman’s suggestion that the Edmonton Oilers have looked into just about every goalie that could potentially be traded this season. Among the list of names are some who have already been linked to Edmonton, such as Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo and Dallas’ Braden Holtby and Anton Khudobin, but other interesting targets include Philadelphia’s Martin Jones and Washington’s Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek. However, the key piece of Friedman’s report is that the Oilers may end up empty-handed if they aren’t willing to improve their offer. Friedman hears from potential trade partners that Edmonton is not willing to move their first-round pick and increasingly hesitant to move their second-rounder as well. Without a third- or fourth-round selection this year, the Oilers are seemingly only peddling late-round picks, with top prospects likely off the board as well. That won’t get it done in a sellers’ market.
- One goalie who likely won’t wind up in Edmonton is Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka. Though there have been few bright spots in the Coyotes’ dismal season, Vejmelka’s play has given fans in the desert some hope. The 25-year-old rookie, an unheralded import from the top level in Czechia, has performed well this season. By league standards, his .901 save percentage and 3.40 GAA may not seem like much to be excited about, but as a first-year NHLer playing behind one of the worst rosters in the league, the keeper has held his own in 25 appearances. Rather than quickly flip Vejmelka to another team, the ‘Yotes seem insistent on extending the goaltender instead, including him as a core piece in their rebuild.
- Still in Arizona, where rumors circle the struggling squad, Friedman reports that young forward Lawson Crouse is unlikely to be traded despite recent speculation. The hulking power forward is not without his flaws, but with 10 goals and 20 points in 40 games, Crouse is well on his way to a career year. Although the Coyotes have shown their willingness to move on from high-potential players for the right price by placing Jakob Chychrun on the block, Friedman states that they have begun telling suitors that they would prefer to keep Crouse.
- Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa writes that the market for Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk is in fact as cold as it seems. There was a flurry of speculation when DeBrusk first requested a trade, but it has quieted down significantly since Boston’s play improved in the new year. This isn’t because the Bruins aren’t listening though. Instead, Shinzawa reports that teams seem hesitant to make the commitment to DeBrusk, at least at the Bruins’ asking price. While his play has improved of late, it is still far off his performance earlier in his career and not up to the level that his $4.41MM qualify offer demands. The challenge for the Bruins is to find a team willing to pay the asking price that either is willing to qualify or otherwise negotiate an extension with DeBrusk or conversely a team that sees him as a rental, as recent rumors have suggested the New York Rangers might. Neither the Bruins nor DeBrusk want to extend their relationship, but it may be easier said than done to find the right deal.
Jonathan Drouin, Ty Smith Placed On Injured Reserve
The New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens are both in action tonight, taking on two of the league’s powerhouses in Carolina and Colorado respectively. Those would be difficult matches even at full strength for the two rebuilding clubs, but neither one will be.
The Devils have placed Ty Smith on injured reserve with an upper-body issue retroactive to January 19. Colton White has been recalled in his place, just a couple of days after he cleared waivers. Smith played just over 15 minutes against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday and will now miss at least the next few days after receiving the IR designation.
Now 21, Smith has been an enigma this season after such a strong rookie campaign in 2020-21. After putting up 23 points in 43 games while averaging over 20 minutes a night and finishing seventh in Calder Trophy voting, the sophomore slump has gotten to him in 2021-22. Smith has just ten points through 33 games, has been moved up and down the lineup seemingly on a period-by-period basis, and has failed to come anywhere close to replicating the outstanding possession numbers he had as a rookie. Selected 17th overall in 2018, he’s a huge part of the future for the Devils that needs to get his game back on track. Perhaps a short stint away from the ice while he deals with this injury will actually do him good as a sort of reset halfway through the season.
Meanwhile, in Montreal, the Canadiens have placed Jonathan Drouin on injured reserve. Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson are also game-time decisions against the Avalanche tonight and Michael McNiven has been recalled as an emergency backup after Samuel Montembeault suffered a minor injury.
For Drouin, this comes after the report from Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports earlier in the day that he is back in Montreal undergoing further evaluation. He suffered an injury on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, when he played just 12:52 and wasn’t available for the team in overtime. While nothing has really gone right for any Canadiens players this season, it has been good to see Drouin back and contributing after taking a leave of absence from the team last spring. With 20 points in 32 games, he is actually the team’s second-leading scorer, just behind Nick Suzuki (22 points in 39 games). With him out of the lineup, the already offensively-challenged Canadiens will be even more so.
Goalie Notes: Oilers, Stars, Fleury, Allen
It’s no secret that the Edmonton Oilers are in pursuit of a goaltender. While the team possesses some truly elite offensive talent, their severe struggle with preventing goals has overshadowed their ability to score. The result is a 26th-ranked 3.42 goals against per game that has directly contributed to the team’s 2-11-2 record in their past 15 games, including a seven-game winless streak. While this does not fall entirely on the netminders, the Oilers have not received much help from the group. Current starter Mikko Koskinen has an .895 save percentage and 3.33 GAA. The current backup, young Stuart Skinner, has outplayed Koskinen but not to a level that has forced the Oilers’ hand. For now, they seem hesitant to place any more responsibility on the 23-year-old. Expected starter Mike Smith has missed all but six games this season due to injuries that have kept his health status in flux all year. Even when healthy, Smith has not performed; he has an .898 save percentage and 3.76 GAA in his handful of outings. Yet, if there was any internal solution to the Oilers’ net woes, it was a return for Smith. So with the report today out of Edmonton that Smith is back on the injured reserve (with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins moving to LTIR), the situation has become even more dire. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday that the Oilers were exploring all options, including Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo. However, with the news of Smith remaining sidelined combined with a current four-game losing streak adding to their nearly two-month long slump, “exploring” might just not be enough any more.
- Discussing Edmonton’s other trade options in net, LeBrun mentioned the Dallas Stars as a potential partner – namely with third-string Anton Khudobin as the likely target. The veteran keeper cleared waivers earlier this season amidst struggles that even surpass those of Koskinen and Smith. However, Khudobin is just two years removed from leading the league with a .930 save percentage and taking the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019-20, which briefly made him a hero in Dallas. While his numbers dropped off last season, they were well ahead of his current pace. Performance does not seem to actually be the main concern the Oilers have when it comes to Khudobin. Instead, his $3.33MM cap hit and additional year of term makes Edmonton hesitant to pull the trigger, especially considering their current cap crunch and the legitimate question of whether Khudobin is an upgrade to Koskinen. As LeBrun puts it, Khudobin is “less appealing” than other options. However, with Smith seeming less and less likely to be a dependable option this season and desperately in need of points, can the Oilers afford to be picky? If they can acquire Khudobin cheaply and quickly, they may have to do so. LeBrun points out that impending free agent Braden Holtby, who is enjoying a strong campaign, is the superior option on the Stars, but the team may not be willing to move him and will be much more costly to acquire, especially with the Oilers in such obvious need.
- One potential target mentioned by LeBrun but considered unlikely for the Oilers has all but confirmed that he will not be moving. Star veteran Marc-Andre Fleury of the Chicago Blackhawks is in the final year of his contract and having yet another solid season. This should have made him a prime rental target for any team with a need in net, especially considering that Fleury only has limited trade protection. However, the Blackhawks have stated that they will only move the respected vet if that is what he desired and it seems as though Fleury is happy where he is for now. Fleury told NHL.com’s Tracey Meyers that he is only interested in getting Chicago to the playoffs this season and is not looking to move. This might not be a realistic goal with the Blackhawks .094 percentage points back of the final wild card spot in the West with five teams ahead of them in the race. However, Fleury has earned the right to make that call. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner was just traded this summer and may not be keen to go through that process again so soon, especially at 37 years old and possibly at the end of his career. If the three-time Stanley Cup winner wants to stay loyal to his team rather than make another run, so be it.
- Another option off the table for the Oilers is Montreal’s Jake Allen. Edmonton needs immediate help and Allen can’t provide it. After leaving a game last week due to injury, the Canadiens have announced that Allen is out approximately eight weeks with an undisclosed lower-body ailment. The Oilers’ struggles this season pale in comparison to the Habs’, who find themselves with the worst record in the NHL after playing in the Stanley Cup Final just last year. Everyone is available for the right price in Montreal, including Allen even though he has performed admirably in Carey Price‘s absence over the past two seasons. Allen is signed at a reasonable $2.875MM through next season and maybe another team will still be interested despite the substantial injury. The Oilers, however, will have to look elsewhere.
Frederik Dichow Linked To SHL Frolunda For Next Season
- Canadiens prospect Frederik Dichow is expected to transfer to Frolunda of the SHL next season, reports Johan Svensson of SportExpressen although his agent wouldn’t confirm the report. Dichow – who was recently named to Denmark’s Olympic team – has posted a .929 SV% in 20 games in Sweden’s second division this season. Montreal has until June of 2023 to sign the 20-year-old.
Drouin, Danault Avoid Suspension, Earn Fines
The Department of Player Safety has one hearing today, but two other incidents last night have already been resolved. Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin and Los Angeles Kings forward Phillip Danault have both earned fines for actions in yesterday’s games.
For Drouin, a cross-check against Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin will cost him $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA. The incident happened partway through the third period, resulting in a five-minute major and game misconduct. Drouin delivered a hard retaliatory cross-check to the side of the head on a scrambled draw but will avoid suspension in this case.
Danault’s wallet meanwhile is $5,000 lighter today after a dangerous trip of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point last night. This was another occurrence of what appeared to be a slew foot, something that has been much more common this season. Brad Marchand and Kevin Labanc have both served suspensions for them, while others like P.K. Subban, Calvin de Haan, and Ryan Hartman have also earned fines.
Despite avoiding suspensions in these cases, Drouin and Danault will both have these incidents on their record for any future supplementary discipline. They will be considered and could result in increased punishments down the road.
Tyler Toffoli Activated Off IR
The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Toffoli will return to the lineup tonight, signifying that he has been activated from injured reserve. He has missed the past six weeks due to a hand injury but despite that, he only slipped to third in team scoring as he has 17 points in 26 games. Montreal doesn’t need to make a corresponding roster move to bring him off IR with the placements of Cole Caufield and Joel Armia in COVID protocol earlier today. Defenseman Kale Clague was also activated from COVID protocol into the second roster spot.