Jordan Greenway Will Not Return To Game Due To Upper-Body Injury
Early in their game tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres’ forward, Jordan Greenway, left the bench with an apparent injury. After the first intermission, the Sabres announced that Greenway would not return to tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury.
Through 20 games this season, Greenway had gotten off to a solid pace compared to his previous production, scoring two goals and five assists while averaging just under 17 minutes a night. Primarily playing on Buffalo’s third line next to Peyton Krebs and Kyle Okposo, Greenway has mostly factored in as a gritty player on the Sabres roster, blocking 20 shots and throwing 29 hits to start the season.
Given the nature of the injury, it is unlikely that Greenway will be cleared to play in the team’s game tomorrow against the Nashville Predators, meaning the Sabres’ extra forward, Isak Rosen, will likely factor into tomorrow’s contest. Through three games in the NHL this season, Rosen has yet to score a point, but has scored eight goals and 11 assists through 16 games for Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Nevertheless, it is a tough blow to a Buffalo forward group that has struggled immensely compared to last year’s team. The Sabres currently sit 23rd in the league in GF/G as opposed to last season, when the team finished third in the respective category.
Snapshots: Tanev, Barzal, Sillinger
In a longer review of the rumors circulating around the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames defenseman, Chris Tanev, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes that if the Maple Leafs acquire Tanev, they may look to sign him rather quickly to an extension (Link). Being a native of Toronto, Tanev may take a discount to finish his career with his hometown team. Still, at his age, and with more important internal free agents on the horizon, it may be difficult for the Maple Leafs to make it work.
In the article, Friedman said, “He’s a Toronto guy, Treliving signed him, I bet he’ll have a good idea of what it will take to keep him. That’s the one guy I think Toronto goes hard to get, because even if he’s acquired as a rental, I think they’re going to be pretty confident they can keep him. But we’ll see.”
Although Tanev could significantly improve the Maple Leafs’ defense, with William Nylander, Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and T.J. Brodie, among others, set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, signing Tanev to an extension could become close to impossible. It is not a foregone conclusion that Toronto will sign all these players to extensions, or even that they are interested in resigning all of them, but the Maple Leafs should be trying to keep their cap situation as open as possible for next summer.
Other snapshots:
- The New York Islanders announced that forward Mathew Barzal will miss tonight’s game with an illness. Continuing with an organizational theme for the last several years, the Islanders once again have one of the lowest-scoring rosters in the league, with only five players scoring more than five goals through 20 or more games. Barzal, who is leading the team in points, has seven goals and 16 assists, once again showing off his elite playmaking abilities.
- One of the missing players from the Columbus Blue Jackets practice this morning was forward Cole Sillinger, who is out with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day (X Link). Although Columbus has picked things up a tad since a rough start to the season, Sillinger is now in his second season of dramatically struggling with production. In 88 games played over the last two seasons, Sillinger has only scored four goals and 16 assists, after scoring 16 goals and 15 assists in 79 games in his rookie season.
Injury Updates: Boyd, Dermott, Acciari, Nieto, Gadjovich
The upper-body injury that Coyotes center Travis Boyd suffered against Colorado on Thursday is not a short-term one, notes PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). Instead, head coach Andre Tourigny indicated that the 30-year-old will be out for multiple weeks. It has been a rough year for Boyd this season. He cleared waivers at the end of training camp despite coming off a 34-point season; his $1.75MM contract likely played a role in that. While he wasn’t sent down to AHL Tucson, he hasn’t been a regular either, seeing action in just 16 of 22 games so far. To his credit, Boyd has been relatively productive in those games with eight points despite logging less than ten minutes a night but he won’t be adding to those point totals for a little while now.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Still with Arizona, Morgan adds in a separate tweet that blueliner Travis Dermott isn’t quite ready to return tonight against St. Louis. The 26-year-old has missed more than three weeks with an upper-body injury of his own. Dermott has played in ten games with the Coyotes this season after signing a two-way deal with them in free agency, picking up one assist while averaging 17:29 per contest.
- The Penguins will be without a pair of veteran forwards tonight versus Philadelphia. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that forwards Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto will not play tonight due to lower-body injuries. There’s no word yet on how long the fourth liners will miss. Vinnie Hinostroza and Joona Koppanen will take their place in the lineup.
- Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich is dealing with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the Islanders, notes team reporter Jameson Olive. The 25-year-old got in a fight in the final minute of Thursday’s victory over Montreal, one that apparently caused the injury. Gadjovich has played in seven games since having his contract converted to an NHL deal, notching an assist and 41 penalty minutes while logging 6:22 per night. Steven Lorentz will suit up in Gadjovich’s absence.
Latest On Ethan Bear
While some teams are starting to look to the trade market to see what options are out there to help their respective back ends, there is still a free agent blueliner of some note that’s available. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal provided (Twitter link) an update on Ethan Bear, suggesting that the rearguard is two to three weeks away from signing.
The 26-year-old was expected to re-sign with Vancouver after last season but after he suffered a shoulder injury at the Worlds in the spring, the Canucks opted to non-tender him. However, despite that and their recent acquisition of Nikita Zadorov, Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver is one of the teams showing interest in the defenseman.
Bear played in 61 games with Vancouver last season after being acquired from Carolina in an early-season trade, notching 16 points along with 82 blocks while logging 18:32 per game. His best season came back in 2019-20 with Edmonton when he had 21 points in 71 contests while averaging nearly 22 minutes a game which put him tenth in Calder Trophy voting. Since then, however, Bear hasn’t been able to get back to that top-four form consistently.
Dhaliwal suggests that Bear’s eventual contract is likely to be a one-year agreement worth around $1MM prorated. That’s low enough for most teams to fit into their cap structure, especially since teams would likely be sending someone making $775K or more down to make room for Bear on their roster. Not surprisingly, there appear to be several teams interested in Bear with Dhaliwal suggesting five or six are in the mix for Bear at this point.
While Bear isn’t likely to have a significant impact after being out for so long, he’d still represent a low-risk, low-cost upgrade to a team’s defensive depth. Accordingly, getting that type of asset for free midseason will be a nice piece of business for whoever manages to land him.
Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, Sabres Injuries, Komarov
Last weekend, it was suggested that the Maple Leafs would have further clarity on John Klingberg’s undisclosed injury. Namely, they need to know if he will need potential season-ending surgery. Speaking with reporters today including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they have not received an update on the veteran’s status just yet. Klingberg’s $4.15MM cap hit is currently on LTIR, giving Toronto short-term cap flexibility. However, they can’t realistically use that money to go out and acquire a replacement for him if they know he’s going to be back before the end of the season; they’d have to be cap-compliant in order to activate him. Accordingly, until they know more about Klingberg, GM Brad Treliving will be quite limited in what he can try to do to add to an injury-riddled back end.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Earlier this week, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams provided injury updates to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald on several injured Buffalo forwards. Tage Thompson is progressing well from his hand injury and the team hopes that he’ll be on the shorter end of the timeline for a recovery period that’s supposed to be less than two months; he has been out since November 14th. Jack Quinn, meanwhile, is on track to return sometime around January 1st as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon from the offseason. As for Zemgus Girgensons, who has missed the last week with a lower-body injury, is listed as week-to-week.
- Still with Buffalo, Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov is expected to be traded in the QMJHL to Drummondville in the coming days, reports Journal Express’ Jonathan Habashi. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2022 and earned his entry-level contract back in May following a good showing with Quebec in their Memorial Cup run. Now with the Remparts rebuilding, it appears that Komarov will get a chance to catch on with another contender. Through 21 games this season, he has two goals and 14 assists.
Sharks Place Nikolai Knyzhov On Waivers
The Sharks have made a roster move in advance of tomorrow’s game against the Rangers. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on waivers.
The 25-year-old has battled significant injury trouble in recent years. Two sports hernia surgeries, an adductor repair, and a bone infection cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign. Then, in August of 2022, Knyzhov tore his Achilles tendon doing off-ice training which kept him out of the lineup until March.
He returned to play a dozen games with San Jose down the stretch where he was limited to a third-pairing role. Nonetheless, GM Mike Grier saw fit to sign him to a two-year, $2.5MM contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 campaign.
This season, Knyzhov has been a regular on the Sharks roster but not in their lineup as he has suited up in just ten games so far. He has a single assist in those appearances along with 17 blocks and nine hits while averaging 17:39 per contest. With his contract and injury history, it’d be a bit surprising to see him get claimed but a demotion to the AHL’s Barracuda could be a good opportunity for him to see more regular action and play a bigger role as he looks to work his way toward becoming a full-time NHL regular as he was in the 2020-21 season.
Earlier today, Max Miller of The Hockey News relayed (Twitter link) that the Sharks placed Luke Kunin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, opening a roster spot. Knyzhov’s removal from the roster tomorrow will create a second. With Alexander Barabanov and Jan Rutta believed to be close to a return, these moves appear to be the precursors to activating them off IR.
Golden Knights Recall Jiri Patera
Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill exited Thursday’s victory with an undisclosed injury with Logan Thompson taking over for the third period. Now, prior to their game tonight against Washington, the team announced (Twitter link) that Jiri Patera has been recalled from AHL Henderson.
The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season, the bulk of which has been spent with the Silver Knights. Patera did get into a couple of NHL games last year, stopping 65 of 70 shots in a pair of victories. This season, he has struggled a bit with Henderson, posting a 3.17 GAA with a .900 SV% in his first 14 appearances.
Patera signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum this summer coming off his entry-level deal. He will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in July and will be eligible for waivers for the first time next season.
Vegas does not have an open spot on its 23-man roster so two things could happen here. The first is they place a player on IR or send a waiver-exempt player (Kaedan Korczak is their lone option) to open a spot for Patera. Alternatively, they can use the Goaltender Exemption provision in the CBA, allowing for a 48-hour recall without needing to take someone off the active roster. However, that option can only be used twice in a season. At this time, it’s not yet known which option they will utilize.
Predators To Scratch Tyson Barrie, Give Him Permission To Speak To Other Teams
Tyson Barrie’s time in Nashville hasn’t gone the greatest as the offensive blueliner is still looking for his first goal of the season. Now, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Predators have opted to scratch Barrie for today’s game against the Rangers while also granting him permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade.
The 32-year-old was acquired near the trade deadline last season from Edmonton for salary-matching purposes in the Mattias Ekholm deal. Between the two teams, he played in 85 games (tying an NHL record for most games played in a single season), collecting 13 goals and a career-high 42 assists. At a minimum, there was some enthusiasm that Barrie could produce at a somewhat similar clip this year, giving the Preds either a good trade asset for the March 8th trade deadline or a short-term veteran to try to keep around.
Things haven’t gone according to plan, however. Despite averaging 3:15 per game on the power play, Barrie has been limited to just three assists in 22 games with the man advantage, a situation where he often piles up the point. He hasn’t fared much better at even strength either, notching just six helpers while logging over 15 minutes a game at five-on-five. His 18:51 ATOI in all situations is his lowest since 2013-14.
That’s not exactly how Barrie wanted his contract year to go; he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Meanwhile, it’s fair to say his trade value has certainly dropped as well.
Barrie carries a $4.5MM AAV (with no trade protection) which is going to be difficult for many teams to fit in given how many are using LTIR or are very tight to the Upper Limit of the cap. As a result, GM Barry Trotz will either have to retain part of his contract (they can hold back up to half) or take a similar-sized deal back to facilitate a swap. However, it’s worth noting that Nashville has already used two of its three retention slots (on Ekholm and Ryan Johansen) so retaining on Barrie’s deal would take that open off the table for anyone else until July 1st.
Barrie has shown in recent years that he can still be a higher-end offensive blueliner. But that hasn’t been the case in Nashville and now, his camp will begin the process of trying to see if there’s another option for him elsewhere. More specifically, they’ll look to see if there’s another team with a viable need for him that can also afford his contract. From being one of the higher-scoring blueliners in the league last season to this; this is certainly quite the drop in value in just a few short months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blackhawks Announce Several Roster Moves
The Blackhawks are in action today against Winnipeg and have made several roster moves in advance of that game. The team announced that Jarred Tinordi has been activated off injured reserve while blueliner Louis Crevier has been recalled from AHL Rockford. In corresponding moves, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips have been sent to the IceHogs.
Tinordi is returning after missing the last three weeks with an oblique injury. The 31-year-old has played in nine games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 23 hits and 19 blocks while averaging a little under 15 minutes a night. Last season, Tinordi established himself as a regular in the second half, suiting up in a career-best 44 games, helping to earn himself a one-year, $1.25MM contract. He’ll be set to test unrestricted free agency this summer.
Generally, a 6’6 player being added to the roster would be considered a pretty big addition size-wise but Tinordi is the smaller of the two additions to Chicago’s active roster as Crevier stands 6’8. The 22-year-old is in his second professional season and has five assists in 16 games with Rockford, matching his rookie season output. This is his first-ever NHL recall.
As for Kaiser, he made Chicago’s roster out of training camp and has played in all 21 games so far this season after seeing nine games with them down the stretch after his college campaign came to an end. The 21-year-old has four assists in those contests while averaging a respectable 16:34 per game. However, he has struggled a bit in his own end in recent games and this demotion will give him a chance to reset while playing a much more prominent role with the IceHogs.
Phillips, meanwhile, is no stranger to being shuffled back and forth as this is his third demotion of the year already. The 22-year-old has played in nine games with Chicago this season, collecting three assists while picking up a goal and two helpers in eight games with Rockford. It stands to reason that he’ll be one of the first recalls when further injuries arise as the season progresses.
Coyotes Recall Ryan McGregor On Emergency Basis
The Coyotes have made a roster move up front in advance of their game tonight against St. Louis, announcing (Twitter link) that they have recalled Ryan McGregor from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis.
The 24-year-old is in his fourth season in the pros and this is his first-ever recall to the NHL. McGregor, originally a sixth-round pick by Toronto back in 2017 but went unsigned, has played in 19 games with the Roadrunners this season but is off to a slow start, notching just two goals and two assists. This performance comes on the heels of a 12-goal, 18-point effort in 2022-23.
With those numbers, it might be surprising that it’s not Jan Jenik getting recalled; he had just been sent down earlier this week. However, at this point, it makes more sense for Jenik to see some regular action in the minors instead of regularly getting shuffled back and forth while seeing sporadic playing time.
McGregor is playing on his first post-entry-level deal, a two-way agreement worth $775K at the NHL level. He’s set to once again be a restricted free agent this summer.