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Penguins Place Owen Pickering On IR, Reassign Nate Clurman

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12/25: Nate Clurman has been returned to the minor leagues, per the AHL transaction log. Clurman didn’t play in any games on this call-up, taking him through another brief call-up without playing his NHL debut. He’ll return to a middling role in the minor leagues.

12/23: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed top prospect Owen Pickering on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Pickering left the team’s Saturday game against New Jersey at the end of the second period. He didn’t appear to suffer a noticeable injury but did take a hard hit against the boards from Devils forward Paul Cotter a few shifts before leaving. Regardless, Pickering will now miss at least one week, and three games, of action; though he’s helped along by the team’s brief holiday break. To fill his hole, Pittsburgh has awarded defenseman Nate Clurman with just the second call-up of his pro career. The first came last week and didn’t result in Clurman playing any games.

He has just two points in the first 14 NHL games of his career but has performed well enough defensively to work his way up to a top-pair role next to Penguins star Kris Letang. The rookie averaged 19:19 in ice time in five games prior to his injury, and even earned minutes on both special teams despite posting no scoring and a -5. He’s playing to his M.O., keeping opponents out of the low slot and letting his forwards do the heavy lifting – a role he honed with 12 games, one goal, and a +5 to start the AHL season. The performance may not be flashy, but it’s a strong start for the 20-year-old Pickering, who’s in just his first professional season after spending the last four years with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. Pickering was much more involved at Swift Current, serving as the club’s captain in his final two seasons and totaling 133 points in 205 career games.

Pickering will be quickly replaced by the mix of Ryan Shea and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, the latter rejoining the Penguins via trade last week. Neither player has proven very productive in their NHL minutes. Shea stands as Pittsburgh’s lowest scorer, still searching for his first point after 26 games this season. Joseph at least managed two assists in 23 games with the St. Louis Blues prior to his trade, though he complimented it with 23 penalty minutes and a -7. Clurman will move into the role of extra defender behind the duo. He has five points, 10 penalty minutes, and a +6 in 18 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, surprisingly enough to tie for fourth on the team’s blue-line in scoring. Clurman is a career minor-leaguer in his first year with the Penguins, after spending the last four seasons with the Colorado Avalanche organization, who drafted him in the 2016 sixth-round. He’s totaled 26 points in five seasons and 128 games in the AHL.

Conor Geekie Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that forward Conor Geekie is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 20-year-old went hard into the boards in the second period of last night’s game against the Florida Panthers and left for a brief period. He was able to return to action later on and finished out the game but did not dress for tonight’s second half of a back-to-back against the Panthers. The Lightning don’t play again until Saturday against the New York Rangers, so it is possible that Geekie doesn’t miss any game action, although the details of his injury are unknown.

The 11th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft was a central part of a trade this summer that saw him dealt to the Lightning from the Utah Hockey Club, along with two draft picks and J.J. Moser in exchange for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.

The trade has afforded Geekie an opportunity in Tampa Bay to play a depth role, something he has responded well to. In 31 games this year, the Strathclair, Manitoba native has posted five goals and five assists as well as 51 hits while averaging 12:30 of ice time per game.

Geekie remains a bit of a project for the Lightning, but he is certainly one of their best young players. The 6’4” forward has made good use of his size this season but still has a long way to go to improve his skating and his balance if he hopes to become a stand-out power forward at the NHL level.

Five Key Stories: 12/16/24 – 12/22/24

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Generally speaking, the week leading up to the roster freeze (a freeze that still allows for a lot of roster movement) in the NHL isn’t particularly busy.  That wasn’t the case as there was plenty of news of note across the league which is recapped in our key stories.

Johnson Released: Veteran Tyler Johnson was patient while waiting for his opportunity to play in Boston as his preseason PTO extended nearly a month before he inked a one-year, $775K contract.  However, his time with the Bruins was short-lived.  After getting into just nine games with them, Johnson and the team mutually agreed to terminate his contract and after he cleared unconditional waivers, he became a free agent.  A veteran of 747 career games at the NHL level, Johnson is hoping to still play in the NHL and intends to speak to teams after the holiday break.  Speculatively, considering he was on a league minimum deal and no one claimed him, this could be a situation where he needs to wait for an injury or until closer to the trade deadline in March before inking another deal.

Key Injuries: Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was off to a strong start to his first season in Toronto with a 2.15 GAA and a .927 SV% in his first 17 games.  However, he had to undergo knee surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for the next four to six weeks, meaning Joseph Woll will be the undisputed starter for a while.  Meanwhile, the Lightning won’t have blueliner J.J. Moser available to them for at least the next two months due to a lower-body injury.  Acquired as part of the Mikhail Sergachev trade, Moser has 10 points in 27 games while logging nearly 20 minutes a night on their back end.  Lastly, Sabres winger Jordan Greenway is set to undergo mid-body surgery that will keep him out long-term although he’s expected back before the end of the season.  Greenway was doing relatively well when healthy with seven points and 54 hits in 20 games but an extended absence won’t help his cause as he heads toward UFA eligibility for the first time in July.

Kakko To Kraken: After being made a healthy scratch last weekend by the Rangers, winger Kaapo Kakko expressed some frustration with the situation.  Soon after, New York moved the 2019 second-overall pick to Seattle in exchange for defenseman William Borgen plus a 2025 third-round pick and a 2025 sixth-rounder.  Kakko had a career-best 40 points last season but the Rangers weren’t ready to commit a long-term deal to him, instead giving him a one-year, $2.4MM deal for this year, avoiding arbitration.  He’ll hope for a strong second half with the Kraken that could help him earn that long-term commitment.  Meanwhile, Borgen will help replace some of the physicality that Jacob Trouba used to provide but he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.  The move is more of a win-now one for a Rangers team who has plummeted down the standings in recent weeks and it’s possible one or both of the draft picks they landed could be flipped in the coming weeks.

Eight For Rempe: With Kakko being traded, the Rangers used his roster spot up front to bring back Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford.  However, he wound up getting ejected in his first game back with the big club following a hit on Dallas blueliner Miro Heiskanen.  The hit drew the ire of the Department of Player Safety who handed Rempe an eight-game suspension.  Rempe has been ejected four times in his first 22 regular season games and this is the second suspension of his young career.  As he’s considered a repeat offender, the financial cost is considerably higher; he’ll forfeit $80K in salary for the infraction.  As it’s greater than five games, Rempe has the right to appeal this suspension but won’t be eligible to play during any potential appeal process.

Swapping Blueliners: The Canadiens and Predators swapped right-shot defenseman with Montreal picking up Alexandre Carrier in exchange for Justin Barron.  Carrier was off to a bit of a tough start to his season but played well enough to earn a three-year, $10.25MM deal last summer, one the Canadiens will absorb in full.  Barron, meanwhile, is a former first-round pick who was unable to secure a full-time spot on Montreal’s blueline.  He has another year left after this one at a $1.15MM price tag, giving Nashville $2.6MM in cap savings this season and next with the move and they’ll hope to help him reach his potential.  Meanwhile, the Canadiens add some experience to a young back end while giving them some insurance should they choose to move David Savard closer to the trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Red Wings Recall William Lagesson, Simon Edvinsson Out

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The Detroit Red Wings have recalled defenseman William Lagesson from the AHL. Lagesson will serve as a fill-in for top defense prospect Simon Edvinsson, who is expected to be out this weekend with an upper-body injury, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Both players are inactive for Detroit’s Friday night game against Montreal.

This is already Lagesson’s third call up of the season. Despite that, he’s yet to actually step into the Red Wings lineup – with the entirety of his ice time instead coming in the minor leagues. Lagesson has recorded eight points in 20 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins – second-most among the team’s defenders. He spent nearly all of the 2023-24 season on NHL rosters, starting the year with the Toronto Maple Leafs and ending it with the Anaheim Ducks, courtesy of a March waiver claim. Lagesson played in 40 NHL games in the year – split 30 and 10 between Toronto and Anaheim, though four assists in Toronto would stand as his only scoring.

Lagesson played in 60 NHL games prior to last season, split between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens. He only added seven assists in those appearances, dragging the quest for his first NHL goal through parts of five seasons. He’s been much more reliable as a minor-leaguer, tallying 23 goals and 80 points across 193 games and six seasons in the AHL.

Lagesson will back up the injured Edvinsson, who’s been a top pair option for Detroit when healthy. Playing through his first full year in the NHL, Edvinsson has scored three goals and 13 points in 30 games. He led the Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring last season, with 30 points in 54 games. Edvinsson will look to slot back in on Monday. If he can’t, he’ll have to wait until after the holiday break – when Detroit takes on Toronto on December 27th.

Capitals Place Lars Eller On IR

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Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller is expected to miss the team’s three remaining games before the holiday break with illness, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Gulitti adds that Eller saw a doctor for the illness on Thursday, and has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Washington’s last game on Tuesday.

Eller rejoined the Capitals via a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 12th. He’s since returned to the comfortable, middle-six role he previously filled for eight years in Washington. Eller scored 90 goals and 215 points in 512 games with the Capitals in his previous stint – from 2016 to 2023 – and served as a prominent depth figure in the team’s 2018 Stanley Cup win. Washington traded Eller to Colorado at the end of the 2022-23 season. He signed a two-year, $4.9MM deal in Pittsburgh after just 24 games, and seven points, with the Avalanche. The return to the Metropolitan Division helped out his scoring, with Eller posting 38 points in 99 games with the Penguins – but Washington’s lineup wasn’t the same without their core forward. Eller has scored six points in 16 games with the Capitals since returning this season, bringing him up to a total of 13 points in 33 games after starting this season in Pittsburgh. The 35-year-old is expected to hit free agency once again this summer, where he’ll face the choice of whether to try and extend his 1,000-game career into its 17th season.

Eller’s short-term absence could be mitigated by the return of Sonny Milano, who returned to the ice in a non-contact jersey before Washington’s Friday practice, shares Gulitti. Milano has been out of action with an upper-body injury since November 6th, after appearing in just three games and recording no scoring to start the year. He still faces a few steps before he can return to the lineup, though a quick ramp up could set him up for clear minutes in Eller’s vacancy. Milano scored 15 goals and 23 points in 49 games with Washington last season, 10 points fewer than he managed in 64 games of Washington’s 2022-23 campaign.

Philadelphia Flyers Assign Emil Andrae To The AHL

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The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned defenseman Emil Andrae to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. The move comes as somewhat of a surprise as the 22-year-old Andrae has been solid in 20 NHL games.

The 2020 second-round pick has a goal and four assists in the NHL this year, as well as a +3 plus/minus rating, 22 hits and 28 blocks. His underlying numbers are even better, particularly on the possession front where Andrae has posted a CF% of 54.2 at even strength. The Flyers have leaned on Andrae quite a bit during his time in the NHL, as he has played 19:18 per game which makes his demotion all that more surprising.

Despite being undersized at just 5’9” Andrae did a good job winning puck battles and using his small frame to gain body positioning on opponents. His edge work remains solid, particularly in the offensive zone where he has been able to walk the blue line and get pucks to the net at a good rate.

Andrae had sat for several games as a healthy scratch, with the Flyers preferring to use Yegor Zamula over him. Now that he is back in the AHL, Andrae will have an opportunity to continue his development, and he should receive a recall at some point in the new year

Predators Place Marc Del Gaizo On Waivers

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The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Del Gaizo has cleared through waivers once already this year, joining the long list of players to be waived and assigned to the minors before the season started.

Del Gaizo was recalled a few times in October but received a call that’d stick on October 30th. He’s stepped into 20 of Nashville’s 23 games since then, recording three assists, a -1, 28 blocked shots, and 32 hits. The appearances officially cement this season as Del Gaizo’s rookie year, after he played in nine games last season. He recorded a surprisingly similar stat line in those appearances as well – ending the 2023-24 NHL season with three assists, a +2, and 20 hits. Del Gaizo’s impact has been much clearer in the minor leagues. He has been a proud member of the Milwaukee Admirals blue-line since the 2021-22 season, after starting his pro career with a brief, nine-game stint with the Chicago Wolves in 2020-21. In total, he has recorded 89 points, 114 penalty minutes, and a +11 in 209 games and five seasons in the minor leagues.

Del Gaizo’s waiving suggests that one of Nashville’s many injured defenders could return soon. The team is currently without superstar Roman Josi, lineup pillars Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier, and depth defender Spencer Stastney. Lauzon and Josi are both listed as day-to-day and both participated in Nashville’s practice on Tuesday. Stastney and Carrier are on injured reserve and would need to be activated to rejoin the lineup.

Sharks Recall Yaroslav Askarov, Vitek Vanecek Week-To-Week

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3:00 PM: Goaltender Vanecek has been designated to miss, “a couple of weeks” per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

1:00 PM: The San Jose Sharks have once again called up top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov from the minor leagues. Askarov will fill in for Vitek Vanecek on the depth chart after Vanecek was injured by a puck shot into the bench in San Jose’s Monday loss to Winnipeg. No update has been provided on Vanecek’s long-term outlook, though Askarov’s call-up suggests he’ll miss at least a few games.

Askarov returns to the NHL just three weeks after being assigned to the minor leagues on November 26th. That roster move came soon after Askarov’s first start of the season, in which he gave the opposing St. Louis Blues a free goal just seconds into the game after misplaying a loose puck. His assignment to the minors came with a clear message from head coach Ryan Warsofsky, and it’s one Askarov heard clearly. He’s been lights out on his latest AHL stint, setting a 5-1-2 record, one shutout, and a .934 save percentage in eight appearances. The dazzling numbers have launched Askarov up the AHL leaderboards, with his .938 in 14 games this season ranked second in the league and his 2.00 goals-against-average ranked third. Only Calgary Flames prospect Devin Cooley has posted a better statistical profile this season.

Askarov’s chance of starting on this recall will largely depend on Vanecek’s prognosis. The 22-year-old Russian has certainly shown an ability to perform at the top level – posting a .927 Sv% in two games with the Sharks this season – but needed to iron out some inconsistencies first. He’s seemed to do just that, but now faces new competition in the form of recently-acquired Alexandar Georgiev. Acquired in a swap for Mackenzie Blackwood, Georgiev has started both of his first two games with the Sharks – though he’s allowed seven goals on 53 shots, good for a .868 Sv%. Still, he’s a tenured veteran trying to find his footing in a new scene. That could be enough for San Jose to relegate Askarov to the backup role, though an extended absence from Vanecek could give the top prospect enough space to prove he belongs.

Blue Jackets Notes: Fabbro, Johnson, Chinakhov, Greaves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets received a series of injury and roster updates on Wednesday, headlined by an update on defenseman Dante Fabbro’s injury. Fabbro left Columbus’ Tuesday loss to Tampa Bay in the second period, after receiving a scary knee-to-knee hit from Lightning rookie Conor Geekie. But Fabbro has avoided the worst possible outcome, nursing more of a charley horse than a bad knee injury per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Fabbro was not available for Columbus’ optional Wednesday practice.

Fabbro will be working to maintain his hot streak in Columbus if he does play. He has seven points, 16 penalty minutes, and a +11 in 18 games since the Blue Jackets claimed him off waivers in November. It’s been a 180-degree turnaround from his start to the season with Nashville, which saw Fabbro record no scoring, no penalties, and a -3 through six games. The 2016 17th-overall pick has been a fixture of the Predators’ lineup since turning pro at the end of the 2018-19 season, establishing a confident role on the team’s second pair. But he never seemed to favor either zone, with low-scoring totals complemented by negative plus-minuses and poor advanced stats. He ultimately totaled just 72 points in 315 games, and seven seasons, with the Predators. 24 points in 66 games of the 2021-22 campaign stand as his career-high in scoring. But Fabbro could surpass that mark this year, with his hot start in Columbus putting him on pace for 26 points – even despite no scoring in Nashville. That pace would require he play in all 50 games remaining on the Blue Jackets’ schedule, though – a mission that will start by returning from this lower-body injury.

Other notes out of Ohio:

  • Veteran defenseman Jack Johnson will join Fabbro as questionable for Wednesday night’s game per Portzline. Johnson took a stick to the eye in Sunday’s match against Carolina and is scheduled to see an eye doctor in Columbus on Wednesday. He has rotated out of Columbus third pairing, averaging 13:32 in ice time and recording just one assist in 18 games this season. With both Fabbro and Johnson both questionable, Portzline adds that Columbus is likely to recall a defenseman from the minors ahead of Thursday’s game. That could be the opportunity for top prospects Denton Mateychuk or Stanislav Svozil to earn their jump to the top flight. Mateychuk has 23 points in 25 AHL games this season, while Svozil has 13 in 22 games.
  • Forward Yegor Chinakhov was on the ice for Wednesday’s optional skate shares NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. It’s Chinakhov’s first time skating since suffering an upper-body injury on November 27th. He has since missed Columbus’ last 11 games and was placed on injured reserve on December 11th. Chinakhov is having a strong year outside of the injuries, with 14 points – split evenly – through 21 games this season. He ranks in the top five of scoring among Blue Jackets forwards, despite averaging the least amount of ice time of anyone above him. Chinakhov is also hitting more and blocking more shots, with his 2024-25 numbers (32 hits, 10 blocks) already narrowing in on his totals from 53 games of 2023-24 (43 hits, 28 blocks). He’ll quickly slot back into Columbus’ middle-six when he returns to full health – a path that started with a return to the ice today.
  • Finally, Columbus has loaned goaltender Jet Greaves back to the AHL. Greaves was recalled on December 11th and stepped into three games, but posted a measly 0-1-2 record and .895 save percentage. He’ll now return to the minors, where he’s already managed an 8-4-2 record and .902 save percentage in 15 appearances. Greaves’ assignment will leave Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov as the sole pair in Columbus’ goaltending room.

Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic, Place Matt Dumba On IR

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The Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Alexander Petrovic to fill in for the injured Matt Dumba, who has been shifted to injured reserve. Dumba has missed Dallas’ last three games with an upper-body injury. His IR placement is retroactive to December 8th, making Dumba eligible to be activated as soon as he’s back to full health.

This is already the second IR placement of Dumba’s season. He missed nine days of action in October after suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s October 13th win over Seattle. Dumba was placed on IR six days later but avoided surgery and a long-term absence. He’s played in the majority of Dallas’ games since returning on October 22nd, though he was healthy scratched a few times for underwhelming play. Dumba has just one assist in 19 games this season, and it didn’t come until his 12th game of the season. He’s added 19 penalty minutes, 17 shots on net, and 31 hits on the season while averaging 15:33 in ice time. Dumba’s slow play dates back to last season, when he managed just 12 points in 76 games split between the Arizona Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning. He signed a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Dallas this summer looking to spur the lack of production, but has since fallen into an even deeper rut.

Rookie Lian Bichsel has filled in for Dumba over the last few games, but Dallas is still facing uncertain availability for both Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist. Both players will be game-time decisions due to flu symptoms, an issue for many different Stars players shares Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. Petrovic will be ready to fill in for either defender. He’s been Dallas’ go-to call-up on defense, and played in two NHL games earlier this season. Petrovic didn’t manage any scoring, but did record one penalty, in the outings. He’s made much more of an impact in the minor leagues, where he’s tallied 13 points in 21 games while serving as one of Texas’ alternate captains. Petrovic is a veteran of 10 pro seasons, spending much of them as a depth defender split between the major and minor leagues. He’s totaled 50 points in 266 career NHL games, and 164 points in 448 AHL games.

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