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East Notes: Tavares, Nylander, Farabee, Aston-Reese

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The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed centerman John Tavares back to practice this morning after he missed the team’s last game due to illness, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. However, the flu-bug isn’t out of Toronto just yet, with Tavares’ linemate William Nylander missing the practice because of illness. Tavares stepped into a role on the second-line and top power-play unit with Nylander out.

Toronto loses a star and gains a star with these updates. Nylander leads the team in scoring with two goals through three games – the only Leaf to score multiple goals so far – though Tavares also scored in the team’s season opener. The duo were the focus of plenty of debate this summer, with many wondering if Nylander could fill the second-line center role that Tavares has served in since 2018-19. The former certainly showed signs of that capacity in Tavares’ absence, winning four of his six faceoffs on Sunday, though new head coach Craig Berube hasn’t fully entrusted him with that role. With the two now tagging out, Tavares will get a chance to prove that he can still be a productive member of the top-six, for a Maple Leafs team in need of the boost.

Other notes from out East:

  • Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Joel Farabee shared that he’ll be good to go for the team’s Tuesday night game against Edmonton, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. Farabee missed the team’s Monday practice as the result of a “maintenance day”, as described by head coach John Tortorella. He’s recorded one goal and one assist through two games this season, one of just three Flyers with multiple points. Farabee will look to continue offering depth scoring on Tuesday.
  • Centerman Zach Aston-Reese has been cleared to return to the lineup after leaving the team’s Saturday game early, shares NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury on his first shift of the game, though he was able to skate at practice on both Monday and Tuesday. Now back to full health, he’ll return to a gritty role on the team’s fourth-line, searching for his first NHL point since the 2022-23 campaign.

Central Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Korchinski

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The Minnesota Wild have shared that  Jared Spurgeon (lower-body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) will both miss the team’s Tuesday night matchup against St. Louis. Forward Marcus Johansson is also questionable with an undisclosed injury, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, while both Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek also missed the team’s Sunday game.

Injury news hasn’t favored Minnesota through the early going. The absentees – Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek – stand as two of the most-utilized Wild skaters, each playing over 19 minutes of ice time in the team’s season debut. Eriksson Ek recorded an assist and three shots in the outing, while Spurgeon’s only recorded stat was a pair of shots. The duo are both pillars of Minnesota’s lineup, and they left big shoes to fill when they went down with injuries. The Wild responded by moving Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi into bigger roles on Sunday, though that outing resulted in an overtime loss to Winnipeg.

Minnesota now not only has to find fill-ins for a pair of top-liners, but could also need a replacement for Johansson’s spot on line-three. Johansson has recorded two points in three games through the early going – one of just five Wild with multiple points so far. It’ll be extra forward Travis Boyd who steps in, should Johansson be downgraded to out.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Colorado Avalanche also have a pair of injury updates, announcing that defender Devon Toews (lower-body) is hopeful for the team’s Wednesday game, while forward Jonathan Drouin (upper-body) has been ruled out, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Drouin seemed to suffer an injury in Colorado’s season opener last Wednesday, and has missed both games Colorado has played since. No specifics of his injury have been revealed. Toews also missed Colorado’s most recent game. The specifics of his injury are also unclear, especially with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. Oliver Kylington filled Toews’ role on the top-pair in his’ absence, and stands to continue garnering more minutes should the star sit out once again.
  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored a flashy, coast-to-coast goal in the AHL Rockford IceHogs’ season debut, leading to conversations about when Korchinski may be ready to return to the NHL. He played in 76 games on a deprived Blackhawks blue-line last season, but posted a less-than-inspiring 15 points and -39. That prompted Chicago to assign him to the minors to start this season, with Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson telling Scott Powers of The Athletic that the team hopes it’ll boost Korchinski’s confidence. Davidson acknowledged that the team may have asked too much of the rookie last season, and that building up his confidence will be top priority in the AHL. He told Powers, “You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level.” IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen agreed with Davidson, adding that he’s encouraging Korchinski to drive the puck downhill and challenge opposing forwards more. The 20-year-old defender certainly showed that ability with his inaugural AHL goal, and could be on a quick route back to the NHL roster once he gains the confidence to do that routinely.

Injury Notes: Celebrini, LaCombe, Zub

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Reigning first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini won’t be joining the San Jose Sharks on their first road trip of the season shares Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini is still nursing a lower-body injury that landed him on injured reserve the morning after his NHL debut. He would be eligible to return before the final game of the road trip – Friday’s matchup against Winnipeg. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky didn’t rule out the possibility of Celebrini joining the team ahead of that matchup, though he added that the team is taking things day by day.

Everything clicked for Celebrini in his NHL debut, with his first goal coming just seven minutes into his career on a spin-o-rama pass deflected in; and his first assist coming just 10 minutes later on a connection with scoring-winger Tyler Toffoli. He’s taken well to the role of San Jose’s top centerman, a familiar statement for anyone who watched Celebrini immediately step into Boston Univeristy’s top center role last year. That season ended in BU pushing into the NCAA Championship Frozen Four semi-finals and Celebrini becoming the youngest Hobey Baker ’MVP’ Award winner ever. The Sharks are far away from those levels of success in the NHL – but the precedent that Celebrini brings gives all the more reason to handle his first career injury with extra care. He’ll face the task of getting healthy before the week ends, to join the Sharks against the presently-undefeated Winnipeg Jets.

Other injury updates:

  • Anaheim Ducks defender Jackson LaCombe missed his second consecutive game with illness on Sunday night, shares Derek Lee of The Hockey News. LaCombe was a late scratch in Anaheim’s season opener – paving way for Olen Zellweger to make his season debut, though Urho Vaakanainen who got the start on Sunday. Neither defender scored in their spot start. They’ll continue battling for ice time while LaCombe returns to form and – pending a breakout performance from Zellweger or Vaakanainen – an everyday lineup role.
  • Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub left the team’s Monday game with an upper-body injury after a heavy first-period hit from Los Angeles’ Tanner Jeannot. Zub has taken on the role of third defender for the Senators, averaging 19:38 in ice time through the team’s first two games. He’s yet to find his first point of the season, though Zub has managed four shots, one penalty, and a +1. He faced multiple injuries last season, ultimately limited to 69 games and 25 points. He’ll be a locked-in top option when healthy, while an absence would open space for Tyler Kleven or Nick Jensen to earn more minutes.

Red Wings Recall Austin Watson, Assign Ville Husso

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Detroit Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso has officially cleared waivers, making him eligible to be assigned to the minor leagues. In a corresponding move, Detroit also recalled forward Austin Watson. Watson is expected to step into the lineup on Monday with forward Christian Fischer dealing with a day-to-day, upper-body injury.

Watson has built a name for himself as one of the league’s final true grinders. He recorded 307 penalty minutes in 175 games over the last three seasons, the seventh-most of any NHL forwards in that span. He climbed that leaderboard while filling a bottom-line role for the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning, with minimal scoring along the way – totaling just 31 points since 2021-22. Detroit marks Watson’s fourth NHL team, after starting his career by spending 10 years, 515 games, and 705 penalty minutes with the Nashville Predators.

While Watson tries to return to the role of NHL fourth-line grinder that he’s become used to, Husso will prepare for his first extended stint in the minors since the 2019-20 season. He’s been a full-time NHL goalie ever since – save for one conditioning game last year. Husso started in Detroit’s season opener this year but got pulled for Cam Talbot after allowing four goals on 14 shots. That was all it took to become the odd man out among Talbot and Alex Lyon. He won’t get any clearer of a path to minutes in Grand Rapids, where top Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa has continued to perform strong as the unrivaled starter. Cossa has managed a .913 save percentage in each of the last three seasons – coming in the WHL, ECHL, and AHL respectively – and started this season off with two strong games this weekend. Grand Rapids’ goaltending situation will be worth monitoring through the short term, as the Griffins try to decide between their top pro prospect and the priciest goalie on Detroit’s payroll.

East Notes: Tavares, Woll, Lindgren, Aston-Reese, Red Wings

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Toronto Maple Leafs centerman John Tavares continued to sit out of the team’s practices on Monday as he recovers from illness, shares TSN’s Mark Masters. Head coach Craig Berube said that Tavares is close to a return, but wasn’t quite fit enough for practice today. Tavares already missed Toronto’s Saturday win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, replaced in the lineup by Bobby McMann and Steven Lorentz.

Tavares is taking on a much different look this season, no longer donning the team’s ‘C’ and taking yet another hit in ice time. He’s averaged roughly 17 minutes through two games on the year, continuing his slip from 18 minutes in each of the last four seasons, and 19 minutes in his first two years with the Leafs. The 2009 first-overall pick is now 34 and entering the sunset years of his career, but that hasn’t meant a lack of scoring, as Tavares continues challenging point-per-game production with 29 goals and 65 points in 80 games last year. He’s now totaled 420 points in 442 games with Toronto, including a career-high 88 points in 2018-19, his first year with the club.

In addition to updates on Tavares, Masters also shared that goaltender Joseph Woll returned to the ice before the team’s formal practice, with Berube saying he could practice tomorrow. Toronto placed Woll on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on October 9th. This marks his first return to skating, and notable progress as he looks to return to the role of starting goalie. In the meantime, Dennis Hildeby and Anthony Stolarz will continue to hold down Toronto’s crease.

Other notes from out East:

  • New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren returned to full contact at the team’s Monday practice, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. Mercogliano points out that Lindgren isn’t eligible to return until Thursday because of his IR placement on October 7th. Head coach Peter Laviolette shared that Lindgren’s injury was suffered in a fight with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, hence his full visor today. Lindgren recorded 17 points in 76 games with the Rangers last season, providing much-needed defensive accumen to the team’s top-four. He’ll get a chance to return to those top minutes when he’s eligible to return on Thursday.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets centerman Zach Aston-Reese was spotted at the team’s practice, though not a part of line rushes shares Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Aston-Reese exited the team’s Saturday game early following a high hit on his first shift of the game.  exiting the team’s Saturday game early, He’s gone without a point in two games with Columbus so far, though will certainly appreciate the chance to earn an NHL role after spending all of last season in the AHL, scoring 30 points in 61 games. Portzline points out that, should Aston-Reese sit, it will be Dylan Gambrell filling his role on the Columbus fourth-line.
  • Both forward Christian Fischer and defenseman Jeff Petry continue to sit out of Detroit’s practices with injury shares Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Both players are nursing upper-body, day-to-day ailments and are expected to miss Detroit’s Monday night game. St. James notes that their absence on Monday will allow Austin Watson to join the lineup. Albert Johansson will be the likely favorite for any vacant role on defense. Both Fischer and Petry figure to contribute depth roles when they’re able to return.

Blues Place Alexandre Texier On IR, Activate Brandon Saad

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The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Alexandre Texier on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. In a corresponding move, St. Louis has also activated forward Brandon Saad after he missed the start of the year to attend to the birth of his third child. The two forwards will likely swap spots in the lineup as St. Louis prepares for their home opener on October 15th.

Texier was one of many new faces added to the Blues offense this summer, with St. Louis acquiring him via trade from Columbus and signing him to a two-year, $4.2MM contract extension. That figure was likely helped along by Texier’s career-high 12 goals and 30 points from last season, continuing his gradual climb up Columbus’ scoring charts. Texier started his North American career with seven AHL games in 2018-19. He was quickly called up after scoring at a point-per-game pace, but couldn’t do much to carve out a consistent role in the lineup. Texier would appear in just 121 of a possible 220 games for Columbus between 2019 and 2022, despite being on the roster full-time. Still, he showed flashes of scoring upside through the spot starts, scoring 21 goals and 48 points through the three seasons.

Texier finally received a daily role last season and seemed to meet his expectations as a depth scorer, though his daunting 3.3 xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60 minutes) ranked worst among all Blue Jackets forwards last season, per Evolving Hockey. A change of scenery was meant to be the catalyst for Texier to continue earning a daily role. He’s earned it so far, recording an assist in his Blues debut, but he’ll now have to wait at least a week before continuing to fight for his spot in the lineup.

Texier will also now face the pressure of the veteran Saad, who managed an impressive 26 goals and 42 points from St. Louis’ middle-six last season, while appearing in all 82 games. Saad – once a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Chicago – has become St. Louis’ go-to glue guy over the last three seasons, capable of handling roles from third-line center to net-crasher on the top power-play unit. He’s totaled 128 points in 231 games with the Blues, including goal totals of 24, 19, and 26 respectively through his three seasons. Saad will enter his 14th NHL season when he returns to the Blues lineup, boasting 499 points through 863 career games.

Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Expected To Miss A Week

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Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice shared that superstar Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss about a week with an illness. Maurice said that the team is targeting Florida’s October 22nd matchup against the Minnesota Wild as Tkachuk’s return date. He already missed one game with the ailment, sitting out of Florida’s Saturday loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Tkachuk joins linemate Aleksander Barkov in Florida’s press box – though, with illness, hopefully not sitting too close – while Barkov nurses a week-to-week, lower-body injury of his own. Maurice shared on Sunday that Barkov is expected to miss two-to-three weeks, targeting a return before November.

Tkachuk has continued his starring role in Florida, recording 2’s across the board so far – with a stat line that reads two games played, two assists, two penalty minutes, and a +2. He was a pivotal in Florida’s run to their first Stanley Cup last season, netting 26 goals and 88 points in the regular season and 22 points in 24 postseason games. That wasn’t enough to earn Tkachuk any votes for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last year, though he did receive one vote in 2023 – after netting 24 points in 20 games of Florida’s other run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Regardless of award voting, Tkachuk has proven the premier scorer on Florida’s lineup, stamped by a career-high 109 points in his first season with the team. His role will be daunting to replace, and likely force Florida to lean much more on secondary scorer Sam Reinhart. Rookie Mackie Samoskevich could also get a boost, though three scoreless games to start this season now have him up to 10 NHL games without his first career point. If not Samoskevich, then next up would be fellow rookie Patrick Giles.

Capitals’ Matt Roy Out Day-To-Day

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Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy missed the team’s Monday practice with a lower-body injury and has been designated as day-to-day shares Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post. Roy left the team’s Saturday game just a few minutes into the second period, though he didn’t seem limited in any way on his final shift. No further information about the injury has been revealed.

Roy recorded no scoring and a -2 in Washington’s season opener. The performance continued his scoreless stat-line from three preseason games, where Roy’s only recorded metrics were one blocked shot and four hits. Roy has struggled to bring his stout, defensive presence in his action with Washington, despite thriving in the role with Los Angeles for the last six seasons.

Roy was a true success story for the Kings, getting drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft and clawing his way up to the NHL lineup through two impactful seasons in the AHL. He made his NHL debut in the 2018-19 season and quickly continued his climb, stepping into the league on LA’s third-pairing but earning routine top-pair ice time as quickly as the 2020-21 season. By 2021-22, Roy was the de facto partner for Kings star Drew Doughty, averaging close to 21 minutes every game. His role was keenly focused on the defensive side of the puck, but Roy still managed a stout 21, 26, and 25 points through three seasons on the Kings’ top line.

Strong performances in Los Angeles earned Roy a hefty payday on July 1st when Washington signed him to a seven-year, $34.5MM contract. The deal carries Roy through his age-36 season and makes him a notable fixture of a Capitals blue-line that’s been completely refurbished. Roy was paired with Martin Fehervary on the second-pair for Washington’s season opener. Should he miss time, Roy will likely be replaced by a mix of Trevor van Riemsdyk and Dylan McIlrath. Van Riemsdyk saw the immediate boost from Roy’s injury, recording 19 minutes of ice time in the season opener – his heaviest utilization since December of 2023.

Senators Recall Mads Sogaard On Emergency Basis

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The Ottawa Senators have recalled goaltender Mads Sogaard under emergency conditions after starter Linus Ullmark missed the team’s Sunday practice. Head coach Travis Green described Ullmark’s absence as a maintenance day, though it now seems the Senators could be without their former Vezina Trophy winner when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. No details about Ullmark’s possible injury have been revealed.

Sogaard will join the NHL roster after starting his AHL season off strong. He only allowed one goal in his first start – the overtime game-winner of a 1-0 Belleville loss. It was a stifling performance after Sogaard saved 27 consecutive shots, but it still stood as a sign of life after the young netminder allowed three goals on 18 shots in his only preseason game with Ottawa.

Sogaard, 23, has served as Ottawa’s de facto third-string goalie for the last three seasons, totaling 27 games with the NHL club in that span. His results have been a mixed bag, ultimately resulting in a losing record of 10-10-3 and a save percentage of .884. He’s been much stronger in the AHL, where he’s managed a 50-33-8 record and .909 save percentage through 97 career games.

News of a potential Ullmark injury will weigh on Senators fans. The new addition has allowed just five goals on 58 shots through Ottawa’s first two games, good for a .914 save percentage and a split 1-1 record. He’ll be Ottawa’s goalie of the future, ensured by a recent four-year, $33MM contract extension. Ullmark did miss time in Ottawa’s training camp with an undisclosed injury, but otherwise hasn’t appeared banged up. It’ll be Anton Forsberg drawing the start if Ullmark is forced to sit. Forsberg recorded a 15-12-0 record and .890 save percentage in 30 games with the Senators last season.

Five Key Stories: 10/7/24 – 10/13/24

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The regular season is now underway with plenty of news off the ice as expected.  We recap the most notable in our key stories.

Four For Ullmark: After originally planning to give Linus Ullmark some time to settle in before focusing on a contract extension, the Senators changed course, handing the netminder a four-year, $33MM deal that will begin next season.  Perhaps not coincidentally, the $8.25MM AAV matches the one his former teammate Jeremy Swayman received from Boston not long before that.  Ullmark, the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner, was acquired by Ottawa just before the draft in the hopes that landing him would help solve their long-standing struggles between the pipes.  With this agreement in place, the net will be his for the foreseeable future.

Five For Daccord: Another netminder put pen to paper on a new deal this week as the Kraken inked Joey Daccord to a five-year, $25MM extension.  The 28-year-old had his first full-time NHL season last year but it was a strong one.  He quickly passed Philipp Grubauer on the depth chart and wound up getting into 50 games, posting a 2.46 GAA with a .916 SV%, numbers that were well above the league average.  Even so, it’s a bit surprising to see this get done so quickly given his limited track record (just 69 career NHL appearances heading into the season) which suggests that Seattle felt Daccord was going to have another strong showing this year, one that would have only upped his asking price later on.

Shesterkin Says No: While Ullmark and Daccord signed new deals, another netminder turned one down.  Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin reportedly declined an eight-year, $88MM extension, one that would have made him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.  However, the cap percentage at that price point would be lower than Price’s back when he signed in 2017 (13.21%) so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shesterkin’s camp looking to best that while also looking to make him the highest-paid Ranger.  The 28-year-old has been one of the top goalies since coming to the NHL in 2019-20, putting up a 2.43 GAA and a .921 SV% in his first 215 games, bettering those in postseason action.  Accordingly, even if the two sides can’t agree on a record-breaking deal, there’s a good chance other teams will be willing to give one to him in free agency.

Lavoie’s Waiver Wire Adventures: It’s extremely rare for a player to be involved in a waiver-related transaction for six days in a row but that’s what happened with Raphael Lavoie.  Edmonton waived him and he was claimed by Vegas the next day.  However, he went back on the wire the following day with the Oilers taking him back.  However, since another team placed a claim as well, he had to go back on waivers the next day, where Vegas once again put in a claim.  Since the team that put in a claim when Edmonton got him back didn’t claim Lavoie this time around, the Golden Knights were able to send Lavoie to the minors after six days of waiver limbo.

Verhaeghe Sticks Around: It had been expected for a while that the Panthers would work out a long-term agreement with Carter Verhaeghe.  It took until just after their first game to make it official but Florida signed the winger to an eight-year, $56MM extension.  The 29-year-old has surpassed the 70-point mark in each of the last two seasons while finishing one point off the team lead in scoring during their run to the Stanley Cup last spring.  While there is some risk in signing him through his age-38 season, a $7MM cap charge for a 70-point player is good value in this environment, especially with the salary cap projected to rise.  As long as he remains around that level of production, Florida should get some value from this deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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