Coyotes’ Jason Zucker Out Week-To-Week
Wednesday: The Coyotes announced that Jeník was returned to Tucson while CapFriendly reports that Sanford has also been sent back down.
Monday: Coyotes winger Jason Zucker is expected to be out for at least a few games with a lower-body injury, as the team says he’s been listed as week-to-week. In a pair of corresponding transactions, the Coyotes recalled forwards Jan Jeník and Zach Sanford from AHL Tucson, while CapFriendly reports Zucker was moved to injured reserve to accommodate two recalls. Zucker sustained the injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Ducks.
With two goals in five games thus far as a Coyote, Zucker has been decent after inking a one-year, $5.3MM contract in free agency last summer. He’s averaging 2.8 shots on goal per game and is currently shooting at 14.3%, nearly two points higher than his career average. He’s been paired mostly with Logan Cooley and either Matias Maccelli or Alexander Kerfoot on the opposite wing so far, a line that’s driven a lot of scoring chances when Maccelli is the third member. However, Zucker’s usage has not been advantageous – just 36.4% of his zone starts at even strength have come in the offensive zone, far below his 52.4% career average.
Hopefully, for the Coyotes, this is not a sign of things to come for the remainder of Zucker’s tenure. The 32-year-old has become rather injury-prone, most recently missing half of the 2021-22 campaign with lower-body and core muscle injuries. He also missed a significant chunk of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season with a lower-body injury. Dating back to 2020, Zucker has played in 157 of 220 possible games, or about 71%.
With Zucker now on IR, the 23-year-old Jeník could get the chance he’s been hoping for. Arizona’s 65th overall pick in 2018 has been on the rise since his draft year, posting a pair of strong offensive campaigns with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs before turning pro in 2020. He’s posted solid numbers with Tucson since, including a career-high 47 points in 51 contests in 2021-22. A contract dispute this summer stretched until mid-September when Jeník finally agreed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL with a $125K salary guarantee. Jeník was reportedly seeking trade options over the summer in search of a clearer path to an NHL role. He’s off to a strong start in the minors, posting three points in three games.
The Coyotes are off to a decent 3-2-0 start, largely in part due to spectacular netminding from both Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka, who’ve posted a combined .943 SV% and 1.80 GAA. Secondary scoring outside of Cooley, Maccelli, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz has been a major issue, one that will be tough to fix with Zucker out of commission for the foreseeable future.
NHL Teams Vote To Decentralize Entry Draft
NHL teams have voted in a majority to decentralize the NHL Entry Draft, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, ending the years-long tradition of front offices gathering for an in-person event. The change will likely take effect for the 2025 edition of the draft.
Friedman cited three primary reasons why support for a draft format that does not require in-person participation in a single venue had gained traction. The largest issue has arisen from a problem of the league’s own creation: the shortening distance between the draft and free agency, which decreased to just one day this past summer. Travel costs of teams’ front offices and scouting departments were another consideration. Friedman also added that “some teams felt their plans were being discovered because tables were too close and things were overheard.”
Notably, the 2024 NHL Draft, slated to take place in Las Vegas, does not have a confirmed venue. The Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena is booked for the desired dates, and the new Sphere venue has reportedly been considered as a potential venue. If a venue can’t be secured, it’s possible the transition away from in-person drafts begin as soon as 2024.
How a remote draft will look is anyone’s guess. It is certain to have more production value and added detail compared to the drafts conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic – the draft does generate some significant TV revenue and will need to maintain viewability for a television audience.
Perhaps the most uncertain portion of a decentralized draft is player/prospect participation. The league will need to figure out a suitable substitute for players getting called up to a podium and putting on their team’s jersey – one of the most seminal moments in many players’ pro careers.
Wild Move Jared Spurgeon To LTIR, Recall Jujhar Khaira
The Minnesota Wild have moved captain Jared Spurgeon to long-term injured reserve retroactive to the beginning of the season, per a team release. In a corresponding transaction, Minnesota recalled forward Jujhar Khaira from AHL Iowa. The Wild also announced that forward Frédérick Gaudreau is out with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team on their upcoming road trip.
Spurgeon, 33, has missed all of Minnesota’s six games this season with an upper-body injury sustained late in training camp. Listed as week-to-week, the LTIR placement automatically rules Spurgeon out of the Wild’s next four games. The earliest possible date the defenseman can make his season debut is November 4 against the Rangers.
He’s been a cornerstone of the Wild blueline for more than a decade now, racking up 110 goals, 269 assists, 379 points and a +112 rating in 851 games in the State of Hockey, holding the franchise record for defenseman in all of those categories except assists. Spurgeon has largely avoided major injuries, too, never playing less than 60 games in a full campaign during which he was a full-time NHLer.
For Gaudreau, this is another bump in the road in what’s been a rocky start to 2023-24. Fresh off signing a five-year, $10.5MM extension last April, the 30-year-old forward is pointless through six games and has a -2 rating while averaging 14:53 per game. With Gaudreau out of the lineup, it’s likely that Brandon Duhaime will slide into the top nine for the Wild’s three-game road swing through Philadelphia, Washington and New Jersey. The 26-year-old has become a staple on the Wild’s fourth line in recent years and has two goals through his first six games this season.
That gives Khaira the chance to make his Wild debut tomorrow, presumptively on a fourth-line centered by Connor Dewar and Vinni Lettieri on his opposite flank. Khaira, 29, joined the Wild on a two-way deal late in the summer and has started the season with four assists in four games in the minors after clearing waivers. He has 336 games and eight seasons of NHL experience to his name, putting up six goals and 14 points in 51 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season.
Hurricanes’ Brett Pesce Undergoes Surgery, Out 2-4 Weeks
3:24 p.m.: Pesce underwent surgery yesterday to correct the lower-body injury, the team announced. The surgery carries a recovery timeline of two to four weeks, more in line with a week-to-week diagnosis and much less severe than what Brind’Amour alluded to earlier today.
12:46 p.m.: Carolina Hurricanes beat reporter Walt Ruff is reporting that head coach Rod Brind’Amour has told the media that defenseman Brett Pesce’s lower-body injury is worse than originally thought, and the 28-year-old could be out long term. Brind’Amour’s exact words, when asked by reporters, were that the injury was bad and could keep Pesce out way longer than week to week.
At this time, little is known about how long Pesce could be unable to play. He has already missed two games with the ailment, which Brind’Amour had hoped would only cause him to miss a couple of games. However, after being re-evaluated today, the prognosis for Pesce is not good.
What exactly is ailing Pesce is also unclear, but for the Hurricanes, it compounds the issues the team has dealt with in what has been a bad start to the season. Carolina has struggled defensively, and losing Pesce will certainly add to those woes. He and Brady Skjei have logged more minutes at even strength than any of the Hurricanes’ other defensive pairings and have been the most effective. The duo has been on for five even-strength goals scored and just two against this season.
The situation must be especially frustrating for Pesce, who is not only sidelined from playing but also missing time during a contract season. The native of Tarrytown, New York, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and is in line to get a lucrative long-term deal next summer. How lucrative that contract will be remains to be seen, but Pesce was no doubt hoping to maximize his earnings with a solid year in Carolina, but now it appears he could miss a substantial portion of the season.
NHL Upholds Rasmus Andersson’s Four-Game Suspension
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld the four-game suspension assessed to Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson last weekend, according to a league release. The NHLPA filed an appeal on behalf of Andersson, which resulted in a meeting with Bettman on Monday. As a result, Andersson will remain ineligible to play for the remainder of the month and, notably, in this weekend’s Heritage Classic.
Andersson was assessed the suspension after charging Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine with just seconds remaining in the third period of last Friday’s game. He was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing on the play, which prompted a hearing with NHL Player Safety the following day. After serving the first game of his suspension in Sunday’s blowout loss against the Red Wings, Andersson will miss Calgary’s three remaining games this month, including tonight’s tilt against the Rangers.
Laine sustained an upper-body injury on the play and is currently on IR, guaranteed to miss at least the rest of this week. In his full ruling on the appeal, Bettman said that the NHLPA only appealed to reduce the suspension to three games, which would have allowed Andersson to participate in the outdoor Heritage Classic. He also said Andersson acknowledged the hit was “not perfect” and said Andersson took responsibility for the play but found the severity of the hit and its timing late in the game warranted the full four-game length.
That means Sunday’s contest against the Oilers, the first outdoor game on the 2023-24 schedule, will take place without Calgary’s number-one defenseman and, likely, without Oilers captain and superstar center Connor McDavid. It’s a tough break for a marquee early-season rivalry game under an already increased spotlight.
Taylor Hall Suffers Setback, Out Week-To-Week
10/24/23: According to Roumeliotis, the Blackhawks have officially placed Hall on injured reserve due to his shoulder injury. The placement is retroactive to October 21st.
10/23/23: After attempting to return from a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the month, Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall will now be on the shelf longer term. Head coach Luke Richardson told reporters today, including NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, that Hall will be out for “a bit” after aggravating the injury and is listed as week-to-week.
Hall sustained the injury in an October 11 game against the Bruins after he was checked hard by Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo. Initially listed as week-to-week after exiting the lineup, Hall missed just one game before returning to the lineup a week ago Monday against the Maple Leafs. After seeing his ice time dip in the following two contests and playing just 12:39 against the Golden Knights on Saturday, it was determined Hall would need a longer recovery period.
The Blackhawks acquired the final two seasons of Hall’s four-year, $24MM contract from the Bruins this summer in a trade that gave the Bruins some much-needed salary cap relief. It also gave Chicago a skilled, veteran player drafted first overall many moons ago, making him an ideal linemate and mentor for 2023 first-overall selection Connor Bedard. While Bedard has been as good as can be expected so far this year, Hall has logged just two assists in five games while fighting the injury. The entire team has struggled to control possession, and Hall is no different, posting a Corsi share of 41.2% at even strength.
With Hall out of the lineup, Bedard is projected to get some new linemates. He’ll be flanked by seasoned veterans on both sides in Tyler Johnson and Nick Foligno, both of whom have three points in six contests this year. Johnson leads the team in goals with three in the early going.
Blue Jackets Place Patrik Laine On IR, Recall Dmitri Voronkov
According to a team release, the Blue Jackets have recalled forward Dmitri Voronkov from AHL Cleveland. To make room for Voronkov on the active roster, the team placed forward Patrik Laine on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to last Friday, sidelining him for the team’s next two games at the least.
Voronkov, 23, had a breakout pro season for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan in 2022-23, potting 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 54 games while playing a heavy, imposing style of game. He was expected to contend for a roster spot with the Blue Jackets out of training camp but ultimately did not make the cut and began the season on assignment to Cleveland, where he has just one assist through four games. A fourth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2019, Voronkov could make his NHL debut Tuesday against the Ducks.
As for Laine, this news is expected after taking a hard, late hit from Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson with just seconds left in Friday’s 3-1 win. Andersson, who has an appeal scheduled for today with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, was suspended four games for the hit. Laine will miss at least three games because of the play, also sitting out of Saturday’s overtime victory over the Wild. It’s a tough break for the 25-year-old, who remains day-to-day after recording two points through four contests, continuing to experiment playing at center after sticking on the wing for most of his 466-game NHL career.
After being acquired from the Jets in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois early in the shortened 2020-21 season, Laine has been an effective goal-scorer for a struggling Columbus team but failed to stay healthy. Just over the last two seasons, Laine notched close to a point-per-game but missed a combined 53 games, keeping him from hitting the 30-goal plateau for the first time since 2018-19. He’s been on pace for well over 30 markers in each of the past two years (38 in 2021-22, 33 in 2022-23), signaling that he can still be the star sniper the Jets thought they were getting with the second-overall pick in 2016.
Jets’ Coach Rick Bowness Takes Leave Of Absence
The Winnipeg Jets received some awful news this morning that head coach Rick Bowness’ wife Judy had suffered a seizure and is in hospital. Winnipeg announced this morning that Bowness would be taking a leave of absence to attend to the health of his wife and asked for privacy for him and his family.
For now, it appears as though associate coach Scott Arniel will take over coaching duties until such time that Bowness is able to return. Arniel is familiar with being a head coach as he was the bench boss for the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010-12, compiling a record of 45-60-18 over the course of two seasons. Since leaving Columbus, Arniel has served primarily as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers (2013-2018) and the Washington Capitals (2018-2022).
Bowness is in his second season behind the Jets bench after spending three seasons with the Dallas Stars, where he took the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020 in what was a feel-good story during the 2020 playoffs that were played in the pandemic bubble.
PHR sends its best wishes to the Bowness family and the Jets community and wishes Judy a speedy recovery.
Connor McDavid Out With Upper-Body Injury
After last night’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime, the Edmonton Oilers have even more bad news coming down the pipeline. In an update this afternoon, the team has announced that the captain of the team, Connor McDavid, will miss the next one to two weeks with an upper-body injury.
As one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season, the Oilers have been one of the most disappointing teams to start the 2023-24 NHL season. In five games played, including the loss to Winnipeg last night, the Oilers are the owners of a 1-3-1 record, good for 29th in the league standings as things currently stand.
Nevertheless, the team still has 77 games to correct the dismal start, but the loss of McDavid is about as substantial as possible. Even after only recording one win in the first five games, it is in spite of McDavid getting off to another solid start. In the first handful of games to start the season, McDavid has averaged just over 20 minutes of ice time per night, scoring two goals and six assists, which is good for 12th in the league in scoring to start the year. 
Thankfully for the Oilers, seeing McDavid on the injured reserve has not been a common occurrence during his career in the NHL, he has seemingly only missed time due to injury during his rookie season in 2015-16, as well as towards the end of the 2019-20 season.
In the meantime, even without the injury to McDavid, the Oilers need a wake-up call to most of their team in the early part of the season. Aside from the usual suspects of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman, the depth in Edmonton has failed to make a positive on the club so far this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rasmus Andersson Suspended Four Games, Flames Will Appeal
6:12 p.m.: Andersson has been suspended four games as a result of the play, NHL Player Safety confirms. Andersson will be eligible to return on November 1 against the Stars. Charging was the official designation on the play. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis later reported the Flames are planning to appeal the suspension, although a significant reduction in length is unlikely to happen in time based on past precedent.
10:19 a.m.: Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson delivered an elbow to the head of Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine in the dying seconds of last night’s contest, earning himself a major penalty in the process. The clip of the play can be viewed here. It has also earned him a discussion with the league as the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that he’ll have a hearing today. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that it’s a phone hearing which means the maximum suspension would be for five games.
Laine did not travel with the Blue Jackets following the game for their game today against Minnesota, the team announced (Twitter link). He is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Laine has changed positions this season and has lined up as a center in the early going. Not surprisingly, he has struggled a bit at the faceoff dot, winning just 41% of his draws while he has a goal and an assist in four games so far this season.
As for Andersson, he has once again logged heavy minutes for Calgary in the early going, averaging just shy of 24 minutes per game while chipping in with three points in their first five contests. The Flames are one of just two teams that aren’t in action tonight with their next contest coming tomorrow against Detroit. That means while the hearing will take place today, it’s possible that any supplemental discipline may be announced on Sunday.