Philadelphia Flyers Reassign Louie Belpedio, Recall Felix Sandström
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Felix Sandström has been recalled under emergency conditions from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Starting goalie Carter Hart is out for tonight’s game with an illness, so his absence necessitates this Sandström recall. To make room for Sandström, the Flyers had to move someone down to Lehigh Valley, so they’ve elected to send down blueliner Louie Belpedio.
Belpedio had slotted in as the team’s eighth defenseman and has not played in a game since the team’s November 19th victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. With Belpedio not needed in the immediate term by head coach John Tortorella, he made for a relatively simple choice of player to send down to clear room for Sandström.
Belpedio, 27, joined the Flyers organization last year on a one-year, two-way contract. He played in 70 games for the Phantoms, scoring 27 points. That performance earned him a contract extension for this season, and so far he’s played in a career-high 12 NHL games. Although he’ll likely find his way back onto the NHL roster once Hart is ready to return, a more extensive stint in the AHL can’t be ruled out for the 309-game AHL veteran.
As for Sandström, he’s slotted in as the organization’s third goalie behind Samuel Ersson and Hart. The 26-year-old 2015 70th overall pick worked his way up the Flyers’ organizational depth chart over the last few years, going from AHL starter in 2021-22 to NHL backup in 2022-23.
With Ersson rising, Sandström has been supplanted as Hart’s main backup, and he has spent more time in the AHL than NHL this season. Through six AHL contests, Sandström has gone 2-1-2 with a .871 save percentage.
Injury Notes: Grubauer, Coyotes, Hedman
Seattle Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer has not played in the team’s last two games, and today head coach Dave Hakstol told the media, including team reporter Alison Lukan, that Grubauer’s status is considered week-to-week. The result of Hakstol’s announcement is that Grubauer’s availability for the Winter Classic in Seattle is now in question.
A former Vezina Trophy finalist, Grubauer has split starts this season with Joey Daccord. Grubauer’s form since signing a $5.9MM AAV contract with the Kraken has been poor, and this season has been no different. He has a .884 save percentage, a decline from the .895 mark he posted the year before. With Grubauer out, the Kraken will turn to a tandem of Daccord and Chris Driedger.
Some other injury notes from across the NHL:
- PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported three injury updates from Arizona today: forward Nick Schmaltz is injured and will be a game-time decision for Friday’s game, defenseman Sean Durzi is unlikely to play that game due to injury, and injured forward Jack McBain, who has not played in over a month, is expected to return to the ice. The best news of this trio is undoubtedly the return of McBain. The 23-year-old physical center scored 12 goals and 26 points in his rookie season last year, registering 304 hits along the way, which ranked second among all forwards. He had scored a healthy seven points in 13 games before getting injured in November.
- Bally Sports Florida’s Gabby Shirley reports that 2018 Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman will not play in tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers due to an upper-body injury. It’s unclear if Hedman will miss more time beyond tonight’s game. The legendary 32-year-old defenseman has been one of the league’s best defensemen this season, scoring 27 points in 29 games. Without Hedman in their lineup, the struggling Lightning will face a tall task attempting to beat the Oilers, as Edmonton is riding an eight-game winning streak.
Buffalo Sabres Place Jeff Skinner On Injured Reserve
The Buffalo Sabres have placed Jeff Skinner on injured reserve as a result of the upper-body injury he suffered last night, according to a team announcement.
25-year-old Brett Murray has been recalled from the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, to fill Skinner’s vacated slot on the Sabres’ roster. This news comes as the Sabres are already dealing with poor injury luck. The team has Jordan Greenway, Jack Quinn, and Zemgus Girgensons already on injured reserve. With Skinner included, the total cap hit of players on Sabres injured reserve amounts to a whopping $15.363MM.
The loss of Skinner means the Sabres will have to make do without one of their top offensive weapons. The 31-year-old former Calder Trophy winner scored 35 goals and 82 points last season, which was by a wide margin the most productive campaign of his career. He’s followed that up quite well with 12 goals and 22 points in 30 games to start this season. With Skinner out, Murray could very well slot into the vacated role on the Sabres’ second-line, alongisde J.J. Peterka and Casey Mittelstadt.
Murray is a big six-foot-five, 228-pound left winger who has had two consecutive strong seasons in Rochester. In 2021-22, Murray scored 15 goals and 32 points in 52 games, as well as six points in 10 playoff games. Last season, Murray scored 23 goals and 49 points in 71 games, while also chipping in 10 points in 14 postseason contests.
Although those numbers haven’t entirely translated to the NHL level in his 22 career games there, his offensive success at the AHL level does indicate that he may have some more upside in the NHL than he’s shown so far. Murray played for the Sabres on December 11th, and now he’ll likely get an extended chance with the team due to Skinner’s injury.
Boston Bruins Place Charlie McAvoy, Pavel Zacha On Injured Reserve
The Boston Bruins have announced several roster transactions: defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forward Pavel Zacha have been placed on injured reserve, while forward Patrick Brown has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon has also been recalled, with his recall under an emergency designation.
McAvoy remains out with an upper-body injury, and his status was last classified as day-to-day. He has not played since December 7th. Zacha has not played since leaving the team’s December 9th contest against the Arizona Coyotes, and he was last reported as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Both Zacha and McAvoy are crucially important players for the Bruins. McAvoy is the club’s best defenseman, averaging 24:09 time-on-ice per game, the most on the team. Zacha is usually the Bruins’ top center, and he averages the most ice time per night of any Bruins pivot, including time on both special teams units.
In Zacha’s place, the team has recalled Brown, a veteran of nearly 150 NHL games. The versatile 31-year-old undrafted forward can play both center and wing and 55.8% faceoff win percentage in the NHL. He’s split time this season between Providence and Boston, skating in six games at the AHL level and eight in the NHL.
Wotherspoon, 26, is a left-shot defenseman and an established veteran in the AHL. He’s skated in over 300 AHL games and has 15 total NHL games on his resume. He’s played in three games for the Bruins so far this season, scoring one assist.
Winnipeg Jets Place Dominic Toninato On Waivers
The Winnipeg Jets have placed forward Dominic Toninato on waivers, according to CapFriendly. Toninato was recalled in response to Kyle Connor‘s placement on injured reserve. He did not dress for the Jets’ 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings yesterday, and now appears to be slated for a return to the AHL.
This is not the first time Toninato has found himself on waivers, although he has not been claimed before in his career. He last cleared waivers on October 2nd, and since he has been on the Jets’ roster for 30 cumulative days since then, he’ll need to go through waivers again.
The 29-year-old pivot is a veteran of 169 career NHL games and occupies a role as a depth center capable of handling bottom-six minutes in the NHL and top-six minutes in the AHL.
So far this season, Toninato has played entirely at the AHL level. He has six points in nine games for the Manitoba Mose so far this year, though he has spent time in the NHL press box as a healthy scratch as well.
It’s possible a team in desperate need of an experienced center could put in a claim for Toninato, seeing as he did play in 77 NHL games as recently as 2021-22. But that outcome appears unlikely, especially considering Toninato’s career 42.9% mark on draws means he doesn’t have appeal as a faceoff specialist at the very least.
Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Elvis Merzļikins
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that netminder Elvis Merzļikins has been activated off of injured reserve. Merzļikins has missed the team’s last three games with an illness. The activation positions Merzļikins to be the starter for the Blue Jackets’ game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Merzļikins’ return comes at an important time for the Blue Jackets. Despite significant offseason additions, the Blue Jackets have struggled immensely this season. Their on-ice issues have caused the team’s hockey operations decision-makers to come under significant outside pressure. With the team still mired in last place in the Metropolitan division, the return of Merzļikins can potentially give the franchise a much-needed lift.
The 29-year-old Latvian netminder is entrenched as the team’s starter, in large part due to his contract. He’s set to cost $5.4MM against the cap each season through 2026-27. But while that cap hit might be the most significant factor securing his spot as the Blue Jackets’ unquestioned number-one goalie, his performance this year has also done him favors. In 19 games, Merzļikins currently has a .910 save percentage, which is a massive improvement from the .876 mark he posted last season.
In 2022-23, the argument could be made that Merzļikins was the worst-performing regular netminder in the entire NHL. This season, no such arguments can be made as Merzļikins now boasts an above-average save percentage. Although the playoffs seem to be out of reach for the Blue Jackets, barring a miracle, Merzļikins’ return can help Columbus remain competitive on a more regular basis.
Jakub Zbořil Clears Waivers
12/14/23: Zbořil was not claimed off of waivers, which means he will remain in Providence for the time being.
12/13/23 1:51 p.m.: Zbořil’s waiver placement is not for the purposes of contract termination, reports Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Rather, the Bruins are accommodating a request from Zbořil to be moved to another organization and are seeing if there are any takers out there who will pick up his contract for free.
12/13/23 1:11 p.m.: The Bruins have placed left-shot defenseman Jakub Zbořil on waivers, as reported by Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN. Considering Zbořil has been on assignment to AHL Providence since October 28, the Bruins likely made this move for the purposes of a contract termination.
It is unclear at this time whether a potential contract termination is mutual or for cause. Zbořil, the 13th overall pick in the 2015 draft, was scratched in Providence’s last game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on December 9.
The 26-year-old defenseman was the first of Boston’s now-infamous three consecutive first-round selections in 2015. Their selections of Zbořil, Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn with the 13th through 15th overall picks were immediately followed by the Islanders selecting Mathew Barzal 16th overall, the Jets selecting Kyle Connor 17th overall and the Senators selecting Thomas Chabot 18th overall. While DeBrusk remains an effective top-nine forward, he’s not the caliber of either Barzal, Connor or Chabot.
Zbořil failed to crack the Bruins roster out of camp this year after doing so in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He went unclaimed on waivers in early October and accepted an assignment to Providence, where he’s logged seven assists and a -5 rating in 19 games, his first AHL time in over three years.
Since making his NHL debut in November 2018, Zbořil has played just 76 games for the Bruins, recording one goal, 15 assists, 16 points, and 135 shots on goal while averaging 15:38 per game. He’s never been able to surpass the role of Boston’s seventh defenseman, playing in a career-high 42 games in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. His possession numbers have largely been negligible, although in 22 games for the Bruins last season, he posted a Corsi share of 47.6% at even strength – a disappointing figure given the Bruins’ record-setting dominance.
If this is the end of the road for Zbořil in Boston, it ends a disappointing tenure for the organization’s highest-drafted prospect since they selected blueliner Dougie Hamilton ninth overall in 2011. His contract carries a $1.14MM cap hit with $1.3MM due this season in actual salary, making a potential claim over the next 24 hours extremely unlikely. He was slated for unrestricted free agency in the summer.
Assuming Zbořil is indeed headed for contract termination, he would become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow and can sign with any NHL, AHL or European professional team. It would not be surprising to see Zbořil return to his home country of Czechia, where he last suited up for his hometown club HC Kometa Brno in 2020 while the NHL remained on pause due to COVID-19.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Sean Day
12/14/23: The Lightning today returned Myers and Chaffee back to Syracuse. Chaffee dressed for and played in the team’s 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks two days ago, but Myers did not. Replacing Myers as Tampa’s spare defenseman is Sean Day, who has been recalled from the Crunch.
Day is a 25-year-old left-shot defenseman who worked his way up from the ECHL to become one of Syracuse’s more reliable blueliners. He was most recently listed as a second-pairing defenseman in Syracuse, and has two games of NHL experience. Both of those games came from Day’s best season, 2021-22, when he scored 40 points in 69 games for the Crunch.
12/12/23: The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Mitchell Chaffee from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
These are not recalls the Lightning have enough cap space to make without any corresponding moves, according to CapFriendly. So CapFriendly notes that the team has likely shifted injured forward Conor Sheary from regular injured reserve to the long-term injured list, a move that would effectively clear as much as $2MM in cap space for the team to work with.
Myers, 26, is a smooth-skating six-foot-six right-shot defenseman who has played most of this season in the AHL for the Crunch. He’s played in one NHL contest this season, a November 14th shutout loss to the St. Louis Blues, and has otherwise played in a minutes-eating role for the Crunch.
A veteran of over 150 NHL games, Myers will provide some cover on defense for the Lightning in case any of its blueliners are unavailable tonight for the team’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
As for Chaffee, the 25-year-0ld has, unlike Myers, not yet made his Lightning debut. Signed out of the Minnesota Wild organization over the summer, Chaffee is currently tied with Gage Goncalves for the Crunch scoring lead with 19 points in 21 games.
Chaffee missed most of last season with a knee injury, an ailment that limited him to just 10 games played. It’s possible that injury is what caused the Wild to opt not to tender Chaffee a contract in the offseason, but so far that decision has been to the Lightning’s benefit.
Chaffee has been one of the Crunch’s most important players and could end up providing some scoring ability in a depth role should he be called upon to play NHL games for the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Signs Ethan Gauthier To ELC
The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that they’ve signed forward Ethan Gauthier to a three-year, entry-level contract. The 18-year-old was selected 37th overall by Tampa Bay in the 2023 NHL entry draft and is currently playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where he is an alternate captain of the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Gauthier is in his third season in the QMJHL, and currently has 13 goals and 17 assists in 28 games and will continue to play in Drummondville for the rest of this season. Over the course of his major junior career, Gauthier has amassed 61 goals and 77 assists in 159 career games split between the Voltigeurs and the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Gauthier is a Canadian national as his father was long-time NHL defenseman Denis Gauthier who is mostly known for his time with the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. Denis also played for Drummondville during his time in the QMJHL and was in Phoenix during the NHL lockout back in 2005 when Ethan was born.
Ethan played for Canada’s U18 team during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last year and had a very strong showing as he registered six goals and an assist in five games.
At this point Gauther has shown the Lightning enough to warrant an ELC, and if his development continues on a similar trajectory he could be an important piece for Tampa Bay moving forward. His new deal will begin in the 2024-25 season.
Jared Spurgeon Won’t Play Tonight, Out Day-To-Day
The Minnesota Wild have announced that defenseman Jared Spurgeon will miss tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames and will be out of the lineup day-to-day as he is banged up and dealing with a lower-body injury. The Wild captain was activated off the long-term injured reserve just over a month ago after he was originally injured in the pre-season. The 34-year-old has played in just 13 games this year and hasn’t been able to get going offensively as he has just four assists.
The Edmonton, Alberta native is no stranger to being out of the lineup having played just one full 82-game season since breaking into the league back in 2010. Spurgeon has always been undersized at just 5’9” and 166lbs, but despite being undersized and not overly flashy offensively, Spurgeon has remained an incredibly effective two-way defenseman. He continues to be matched up against the top players on opposing teams, and a lot of the Wild’s struggles this season can be attributed to how many games they’ve had to play without Spurgeon.
The Wild are already without the services of Jonas Brodin and could be in tough to replace two of their top defensemen. With Spurgeon, Brodin, and Zach Bogosian out, Minnesota will be looking for someone to step in and eat some of the minutes that have been vacated. That could mean a big bump in ice time for both Brock Faber and Jacob Middleton.
Minnesota sits seventh in the Central Division with a record of 10-12-4 and has been one of the more active teams in recent weeks as they’ve made a handful of trades and initiated a coaching change as well. Currently, the Wild sit four points of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with a pair of games in hand.