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Patrik Laine Out Two To Three Months With Knee Sprain

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In a somewhat positive development for Patrik Laine and the Montreal Canadiens, the organization announced he would be out for two to three months with a knee sprain and would not require surgery. There was some speculation that Laine may have had damage to his anterior cruciate ligament but it appears that he and the Canadiens have avoided the worst-case scenario.

Laine’s injury came during the team’s game on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he was on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto depth forward Cédric Paré. He laid on the ice several minutes after the hit, could not skate under his power, and left the game on crutches.

It’s still an unfortunate turn of events for Laine who was looking to rebuild his career after an offseason trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The former second-overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft dealt with multiple injuries last year with the Blue Jackets limiting to only 18 games before finishing the season in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

He was expected to be a major fixture in the Canadiens’ top six this season but will now have to wait until at least December to make an impact. He’s only two years removed from scoring 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games in Columbus from 2021-2023. If he hypothetically returns to the ice at the soonest possible date on December 1st he will still be able to suit up in 59 games for Montreal if he stays healthy for the remainder of the year.

It marks the second major injury to the Canadiens organization in the last few hours with the team also announcing defensive prospect David Reinbacher would miss most of the 2024-25 season after knee surgery. Laine’s luck avoiding a similar injury needing surgery likely saved his first year in Montreal.

The team still has a sizeable hole to fill on the right side of the second line. Familiar faces such as Brendan Gallagher or Josh Anderson will most likely fill that role until Laine is ready to return. No matter who the Canadiens pick to fill the newfound void they will find difficulty in internally replacing Laine’s ability to put the puck in the net.

Latest On Jeremy Swayman

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After Bruins president Cam Neely said Monday that they’d offered an eight-year, $64MM deal to RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman that he didn’t accept, Swayman’s agent, SPM Sports’ Lewis Gross, said they’d never received that offer.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Swayman’s camp is telling the truth. The $64MM figure referenced by Neely was a slight exaggeration – the highest total value Boston has offered on an eight-year deal is $62.4MM, Seravalli reports. That’s a cap hit of $7.8MM compared to the $8MM implied by Neely.

Still, that figure more than bridges the halfway point in negotiations. Seravalli adds that since the two sides have zeroed in on a maximum-term contract, the Bruins have held strong at a $52MM total value with a $6.5MM AAV, while Swayman’s representation wants a $68MM deal with an $8.5MM AAV.

“[The Bruins] probably think, ’Hey, we’ve moved a ton, now it’s your turn,’ and the fact that hasn’t happened apparently has them frustrated,” Seravalli said on Daily Faceoff’s Morning Cuppa Hockey show on Tuesday.

There’s no indication that a smaller gap of $700K per season will soon be bridged. Gross said in yesterday’s statement that Neely’s comment “was extremely unfair to Jeremy” and that they “will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery also said that he fully anticipates Joonas Korpisalo being Boston’s opening night starter against the Panthers on Oct. 8.

Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign a contract to be eligible to play this season. There’s no indication either side has turned their focus toward examining trade options regarding his signing rights, but the longer this goes without any movement, the possibility rises.

Swayman, 26 in November, finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting last season after recording a 25-10-8 record with a .916 SV% and 2.53 GAA in 44 appearances.

David Reinbacher Out Five To Six Months After Knee Surgery

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Canadiens top defense prospect David Reinbacher will miss most of the 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery on his left knee Tuesday morning, the team announced. He’s expected to return to play in five to six months.

It’s likely worse news than Habs fans expected after Reinbacher sustained the injury during the first period of Saturday’s preseason loss to the Maple Leafs. After he was on the receiving end of a hit from Toronto defenseman Marshall Rifai, he fell awkwardly into the boards between the benches, landing awkwardly on his left leg. He was able to get off the ice under his own power but was in visible pain.

Montreal didn’t disclose the specifics of Reinbacher’s knee injury. They’re also waiting on official news regarding a return-to-play timeline for top-six winger Patrik Laine, who also sustained an injury later in the first against the Leafs after a knee-on-knee hit from Toronto depth forward Cédric Paré. He’s also likely looking at a long-term absence.

Reinbacher, 20 later this month, was the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft. He spent his 2023-24 season on loan to Switzerland’s EHC Kloten, where his all-around numbers took a step back from his draft year. He managed a goal and 10 assists with a -15 rating in 35 games after posting 22 points and a +7 rating in 46 games for Kloten in 2022-23. He ended the season with a strong stretch of play with AHL Laval, though, logging five points and a +6 rating in 11 appearances.

He would have been looking to make his NHL debut in 2024-25, potentially on opening night, if he could have finished training camp on a high note. His season debut will now have to wait until at least early March, however, and it’s likely that he’ll spend his brief playing time this year back in Laval while getting back up to speed in his development. The Habs will be out one of their most intriguing prospects for most of the campaign, but it does mean less competition for playing time for other young defenders like Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and Jayden Struble.

Since Reinbacher didn’t log any days on the NHL roster last season, he’ll carry a $0 cap hit while on season-opening injured reserve. However, he’ll still collect his prorated $855K base salary as scheduled.

Oilers Release Mike Hoffman From PTO

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The Oilers have released winger Mike Hoffman from his professional tryout, the team said Monday.

It’s a tad surprising given the 34-year-old’s numbers in exhibition play. Hoffman skated in four of the Oilers’ five preseason contests thus far, posting a goal and three assists for a point per game. He did, however, post a -2 rating and managed only four shots on goal. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Hoffman to make the Oilers roster anyway, with plenty of veteran scoring depth pieces on the wings, although there was a small opening with Evander Kane set to miss most of the season after undergoing surgery.

If there was a one-way deal out there for Hoffman, he likely would have landed it already with just over a week to go until opening night. There should be a fair amount of interest in his services on a two-way deal or an AHL contract, though, and signing in Europe remains an option.

The 13-year veteran has averaged 25 goals and 54 points per 82 games throughout his NHL career. His production dipped significantly last year on the league-worst Sharks, though, limited to 10 goals and 23 points in 66 contests. San Jose, which took on the final year of his three-year, $4.5MM AAV contract from the Canadiens as part of last summer’s Erik Karlsson three-team blockbuster, opted not to bring him back and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

While a spot on an NHL opening night roster looks unlikely, he’s a sensible target for teams looking for AHL scoring depth if he’s open to playing in the minors. He hasn’t seen AHL ice since working his way up the professional ladder in the Senators organization, captaining their AHL affiliate in Binghamton during the 2013-14 campaign.

The Oilers’ wings on their top two lines are seemingly a lock, with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flanking Connor McDavid and Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner with Leon Draisaitl. Their bottom six will likely feature Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, and Vasily Podkolzin on the wings in some capacity, although 24-year-old Raphael Lavoie remains on the training camp roster and is gunning for a roster spot to avoid waivers.

Bruins Have Offered Jeremy Swayman $64MM Contract

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The Bruins have offered RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman a contract totaling $64MM in value, team president Cam Neely told reporters Monday (via 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson). He didn’t confirm the length of the agreement, but it’s fair to assume he was referring to an eight-year deal with an $8MM cap hit.

“I’d have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely said in regard to Swayman’s continued absence. He added that Swayman had “flat out” told the club he wanted to remain in Boston, which aligns with a report from The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa earlier Monday.

For now, all signs point to Swayman remaining unsigned when the Bruins turn in their opening night roster next week. General manager Don Sweeney said it’s “unlikely” Swayman will be ready to go for their regular-season opener, with head coach Jim Montgomery confirming that Joonas Korpisalo is slated to be their starter against the Panthers on Oct. 8 after a strong camp showing (per The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan).

Swayman, 27, has been vocal this summer about his desire to set a bar for future goalie contracts after being handed a one-year, $3.475MM contract in arbitration in the summer of 2023. He’s had impeccable career numbers – a .919 regular-season SV% and a .922 playoff SV% – but has never started more than 45 games in a season.

He and Linus Ullmark, who the Bruins traded to the Senators at the beginning of the summer to give Swayman the undisputed starter’s crease, have been the backbone of Boston’s success over the past couple of seasons. Their importance was especially evident last year, posting a combined .915 SV% to keep the Bruins afloat in the Atlantic Division despite owning subpar 5-on-5 possession metrics across the board.

If he remains unsigned for a significant chunk of the season, it puts Boston in a tricky spot with Korpisalo. While the team is projecting confidence after a strong preseason showing, the 30-year-old is coming off a disastrous 2023-24 campaign with Ottawa that saw him post a .890 SV% and 3.27 GAA in 50 appearances. The difference in play over the first two months of the year could be enough to cost the Bruins a playoff spot in a competitive Atlantic field. Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign a contract to be eligible to play this season.

Drew Doughty Out Month-To-Month After Ankle Surgery

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9/27: The Kings announced today that Doughty underwent surgery to repair his ankle fracture and will be out month-to-month. No further damage was found in the medical imaging.

9/26: Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty sustained a left ankle injury during Wednesday’s 3-2 preseason win over the Golden Knights, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.

An “initial quick x-ray” showed a fracture in the ankle, Seravalli said, with additional imaging set to occur Thursday. Doughty left the contest early in the first period and did not return after falling awkwardly while colliding with Golden Knights winger Tanner Pearson, causing his left foot to jam into the boards.

There’s no timeline for Doughty’s return yet. If there’s no additional structural damage to his ankle on top of the fracture, his recovery window will likely be set in the six-to-10-week range, according to the Mount Sinai Health System.

That recovery period would delay Doughty’s 2024-25 regular season debut until early November, if not later. If so, he’d miss around the first 15 games of Los Angeles’ season, if not more.

It’s a tough break for the 34-year-old, who’s enjoyed a late-career resurgence over the past couple of seasons. The 2008 second-overall pick has rediscovered his two-way game after a significant decline in play around the pandemic, rebounding for back-to-back seasons above the 50-point plateau with good possession impacts. He played in all 82 games last year and scored 15 goals, the second-most of his 16-year NHL career, and finished 11th in Norris Trophy voting.

Doughty last missed significant time in the 2021-22 season. Knee and wrist injuries limited him to 37 games and kept him out of postseason play. They cut short one of his best campaigns – with 31 points, he was on pace for a career-high of 65 had he stayed healthy.

For the Kings, it’s a huge blow to a right defense that already lost second-pairing fixture Matt Roy to the Capitals in free agency last offseason. They do have a pair of promising right-shot youngsters, though, in Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence.

Spence, now 23, made his NHL debut in Doughty’s stead during his injury-plagued 2021-22 campaign. He averaged 19:45 per game down the stretch of the regular season, posting eight points in 24 contests.

Since then, he’s developed into a high-end third-pairing defender. He emerged as a full-time NHLer last season, finishing third among Kings defensemen in scoring with 24 points (2 G, 22 A) in 71 games with a +5 rating while averaging 14:26 per game. He was expected to take over Roy’s spot alongside Vladislav Gavrikov on the team’s second pair, but he might need to play spot duty on the top pair alongside Mikey Anderson with Doughty now set to miss time.

They have a higher-upside yet less experienced option in Clarke. The 21-year-old was selected eighth overall in the 2021 draft and his still working his way toward becoming a full-timer NHLer, a feat he was expected to accomplish this season. He’ll definitely do so now, as he and Spence now project to be the Kings’ top two right-shot defenders to begin the season. He was one of the AHL’s best defensemen last season, posting 46 points in 50 games with the Ontario Reign. He also had six points in 16 games of NHL duty for the Kings but was used sparingly, averaging only 13:39 per game.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bryan Little Announces Retirement

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Longtime center for the Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets, Bryan Little, will retire on October 20th after signing a one-day contract with the Jets organization as the team announced. Little spent the first four years of his career with the Thrashers before spending the last nine in Winnipeg after the team relocated for the 2011-12 season.

Little was selected with the 12th overall pick of the 2006 NHL Draft by the Thrashers after a tremendous season with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. In his draft season and the year following, Little scored a whopping 83 goals and 216 points in 121 games and quickly became a top prospect for Atlanta. He finally debuted for the team in the 2007-08 season scoring six goals and 16 points in 48 games in his rookie campaign.

He quickly became the top center for the struggling Thrashers organization at a young age. He struggled to produce points similarly to his time in the OHL but Little still scored 62 goals and 133 points in 234 games to close out his tenure in Atlanta. The team failed to make the playoffs in each of Little’s four seasons despite making it the year before his debut and moved on from talented teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa during his tenure.

Little became a stable presence for the new rendition of the Jets after the team struggled early on. The team failed to produce a winning record in its first three years back in Winnipeg, but Little stayed consistent with 54 goals and 142 points in 204 games while averaging a 49.0% success rate in the faceoff dot. The organization committed to Little down the middle with a five-year, $23.5MM contract in 2013.

The Jets became much more competitive starting in the 2014-15 season making the playoffs four out of Little’s last six seasons with the organization including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2018. He maintained his scoring pace down the stretch with 93 goals and 225 points in 350 games with another four goals and 12 points in 27 postseason contests. During this window, the organization signed Little to his second long-term deal by inking a six-year, $31.75MM contract.

Unfortunately Little would not see the end of this contract with the Jets organization. He sustained a concussion in a preseason game before the 2019-20 season but started the season on time. On November 5th against the New Jersey Devils, Little took a shot to his ear and missed the remainder of the season. He received surgery in February to repair a perforated eardrum but he had already played his last NHL contest.

Winnipeg finally traded Little’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes in 2022 after keeping him on LTIR for some time. The Coyotes continued to hold Little on LTIR as it became apparent he wouldn’t be able to suit up in the NHL again. Little’s contract finally ran its course this offseason technically making him a free agent for the first time.

Little will now retire with the only organization he has ever known. His 13-year career will end with 217 goals and 521 points in 843 contests between the Thrashers and Jets’ organizations. In a statement, Little said, “It’s a great honour that I can retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets and end my playing career with the organization where I was drafted and played my entire NHL career. I had the privilege to play in Winnipeg and in front of the amazing fans for nine seasons, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to thank the Jets, their fans and the city of Winnipeg. It will truly be a full circle moment for my family and I to celebrate my retirement in the building where I have so many special memories“.

John Gibson Has Appendectomy Surgery; To Miss Start Of Season

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The Anaheim Ducks announced netminder John Gibson will miss the start of the regular season after undergoing appendectomy surgery last night. The surgery is performed to remove the appendix and it will keep Gibson sidelined for the next three to six weeks.

The timing of the surgery concerning the NHL calendar indicates that Gibson was diagnosed with appendicitis within the last couple of days necessitating the surgery. Anaheim is set to take on the San Jose Sharks for their season opener just before the three-week mark. Gibson will miss between three and 12 games for the Ducks to start the season.

Gibson has started in 50 games or more in six out of the last eight seasons since becoming Anaheim’s undisputed starter in the 2016-17 season. He played to an all-star caliber level from 2015 to 2019 with a 103-69-28 record in 204 starts with a .922 save percentage. Gibson’s impressive play over those four years led Anaheim to sign him to an eight-year, $51.2MM contract which Gibson is still on today.

Unfortunately, Gibson’s performance has been strongly correlated to that of the Ducks organization as a whole with the organization not making the playoffs since the 2017-18 season. The Pittsburgh, PA native has accrued a dismal win percentage of 31.1% in 238 starts since the start of the 2019-20 season with a .900 SV% and 3.36 GAA. The ratio of his starts that have resulted in an .850 SV% or lower has also doubled over the last five years going from 11.4% from 2013-19 to 21.8% from 2020-2024.

Gibson will have a few more weeks until he starts the regular season meaning backup goaltender Lukas Dostal will take over between the pipes. He was marginally impressive during the 2023-24 season but was still one of the bright spots in the Ducks campaign. Dostal finished the 2023-24 season with fewer starts than Gibson (38) but secured a 14-23-3 record giving him a win percentage of 36.8%; slightly better than Anaheim’s win percentage of 32.9%.

Sabres Name Rasmus Dahlin Captain

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The Sabres announced Thursday that they have named Rasmus Dahlin their next captain.

Dahlin succeeds Kyle Okposo, whose time as captain in Buffalo ended when they traded him to the Panthers at last season’s trade deadline. He’d been captain since the beginning of the 2022-23 season.

The 24-year-old is entering his seventh season with the Sabres, who made him the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. He’s served as an alternate captain for the past two years.

It’s a natural transition for Dahlin as he enters the first year of an eight-year, $88MM extension signed at the beginning of last season. It took a while for the young Swedish defenseman to blossom at the NHL level through his entry-level contract but he has quickly become one of the league’s best.

His importance to Buffalo has become apparent over the last three years with 48 goals and 185 points in 239 games with a -13 rating. The use of his body has picked up too averaging 1.76 hits per game and 1.58 blocked shots per game. He’s earned two top-15 finishes in Norris Trophy voting the past two seasons and is looking to take another step forward this year.

If the Sabres fail to make the postseason for a 14th straight year there is little to no chance it will be because of Dahlin. He’s finished first on the team in E+/- over the last two years and finished towards the top of the team in CorsiFor% proving Buffalo is at their best when he is on the ice. His ability to carry the team on the ice proves his leadership capabilities and the organization has formalized the role.

New head coach of the Sabres, Lindy Ruff, spoke highly of the team’s new captain saying, “He does everything right, first and foremost. His on-ice action has been incredible, and I think he’s a guy that leads in every category, from the way he prepares himself to the way he plays and the fact that he’s a guy who cares about winning hockey games“.

NHLPA Files Grievance On Behalf Of Ryan Johansen

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The NHLPA has filed a grievance on behalf of free agent center Ryan Johansen after the Flyers terminated his contract in August, the organization announced Thursday.

Johansen and the NHLPA had 60 days to file a grievance after Philadelphia terminated his contract on Aug. 21. They’ve now done so with plenty of time to spare until the deadline.

The Flyers, Johansen, and the NHLPA will now work on coming to a financial settlement. The most recent similar cases to Johansen’s – the Sharks’ termination of Evander Kane’s deal and the Blackhawks’ termination of Corey Perry’s deal – have been settled before reaching an arbitrator. In Chicago’s and Perry’s case, they didn’t even reach the point of filing a grievance before coming to a settlement.

This case seems far more likely than those recent examples to reach an arbitrator’s desk, though. Johansen has never played a game for the Flyers, who placed him on unconditional waivers and terminated his contract for cause with one year and $8MM remaining on his deal, which was spread evenly between Philadelphia and Nashville at a $4MM cap hit for each club.

They acquired him from the Avalanche in last season’s Sean Walker trade shortly before the deadline, but Johansen quickly reported a nagging hip injury and subsequently failed a physical. That happened after the Flyers had already placed him on standard waivers and assigned him to AHL Lehigh Valley, which was reversed by the league after the injury was reported.

It was one of the more peculiar situations in the league in recent memory. Johansen hadn’t missed a game in 2023-24 prior to the trade, recording 23 points in 63 games for Colorado. But after his deal was terminated, Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt of KO Sports, said that he “has a severe hockey injury that requires extensive surgery which has been scheduled.”

The Flyers and Predators each gained $4MM in cap space after the termination. They could both be hit with a salary cap penalty depending on the terms of a potential settlement or arbitrator’s decision.

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