Sharks To Activate Jacob MacDonald From IR
The Sharks will activate defenseman-turned-forward Jacob MacDonald off injured reserve before today’s game against the Canucks, head coach David Quinn told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News.
MacDonald, 30, has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury and has not played since the Sharks’ back-to-back ten-goal concessions against the Canucks and Penguins earlier this month. Those are his only two appearances this season, posting a goal, an assist and a -5 rating.
The Oregon-born journeyman will slot in on the fourth line alongside a pair of similarly seasoned veterans, Ryan Carpenter and Givani Smith. MacDonald, in the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM contract, came to the Bay Area via trade from the Avalanche last season. He appeared in 25 contests for the Sharks after the trade in 2022-23, notching a goal, five assists, and a -11 rating.
An undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers back in 2018, MacDonald played three full pro seasons in the AHL and ECHL after graduating from Cornell University before finally earning an NHL deal. Since then, he’s played in 103 games, including a career-high 58 split between the Sharks and Avalanche last year.
Standing at 6 feet and over 200 pounds, MacDonald will likely remain on the roster for the time being as a solid supplementary veteran presence. He will need waivers to head to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda if the team chooses to demote him to the minors, where he hasn’t played since 2021-22.
Hurricanes Release Jaroslav Halák
The Hurricanes have released veteran netminder Jaroslav Halák from his professional tryout, Walt Ruff of the team’s official site says.
Carolina brought in Halák, 38, on a tryout two weeks ago after it was discovered starter Frederik Andersen would be sidelined long-term with a blood-clotting issue. Since then, he’s practiced with the team but was ineligible to dress for a game without having an actual contract.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated to reporters this morning that Halák was the one who initiated the release process, but that the decision was ultimately mutual. The team will move forward with a tandem of Antti Raanta and youngster Pyotr Kochetkov in the crease while Andersen is sidelined.
Carolina’s goaltending got off to a rough start this season, although it’s improved marginally in the five games since Andersen left the team. Raanta has posted a 2-1-0 record and .908 SV% in three appearances, while Kochetkov has a 1-1-0 record and .935 SV% in two starts, including a 22-save shutout against the Lightning on November 11.
It seemed the Hurricanes wanted Halák to provide some veteran support for Kochetkov as he competed for playing time, but the situation just hasn’t worked out as planned. The 24-year-old Kochetkov has had quite the chaotic season in the first year of a four-year, $8MM contract. Sitting third on the depth chart behind Andersen and Raanta, Kochetkov began the season on loan to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse as the Hurricanes remain without a full-time affiliate this season. He had a strong showing with Syracuse, though, recording a perfect record and .932 SV% in three appearances, and he now seems to be finding his footing again at the NHL level.
It is worth noting that without Halák in the fold, the Hurricanes have just three healthy goalies under contract in the organization. The third is undrafted free-agent signing Yaniv Perets, who has begun the season in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals after capturing a collegiate national championship with Quinnipiac last season. Brind’Amour told Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal that he would be “comfortable” recalling and playing Perets if injuries to Kochetkov or Raanta necessitated it. The 23-year-old has a .900 SV%, 2.93 GAA, and a 2-5-1 record through eight games with Norfolk.
For Halák, the chances of him continuing his 17-year, 581-game NHL career are fading. The 38-year-old has been an average backup for the past few seasons, last recording a .903 SV% and 2.72 GAA in 25 appearances with the Rangers in 2022-23. A two-time Jennings Trophy winner and a ninth-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2003, retirement seems close ahead.
East Notes: Hischier, Meier, Nosek, Chabot, Kuznetsov
The Devils are inching back to full health among their complement of star forwards. Captain Nico Hischier, who remains sidelined with an upper-body injury, returned to practice today, per the team.
Hischier hasn’t played in over three weeks, last appearing in the team’s October 27 contest against the Sabres. He’s missed the following nine games due to injury and landed on injured reserve last week in order to create room on the Devils’ 23-man roster. This doesn’t confirm Hischier will return to game action in time for the Devils’ next game, a Wednesday contest against the Red Wings, although it is a good sign that he’s nearing a return. Hischier can be activated from IR at any time, given he’s missed more than seven days since the injury occurred. The Swiss center had just two goals and no assists in seven contests this season.
Also in New Jersey, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale relays that forwards Timo Meier and Tomáš Nosek are absent from practice today, both with injury concerns. Meier, 27, remains away from the team with a lower-body injury that’s kept him out of the last two games, and he remains listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Nosek left Saturday’s contest and did not return after taking a jarring hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. It appears to be an upper-body injury for the Czech depth forward, who’s played in just six of 15 contests this season due to injuries. He’s still looking for his first point as a Devil after signing a one-year, $1MM deal with the team in July.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on this Monday morning:
- Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot has returned to practice in a non-contact jersey today, albeit for a skills session, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports. Chabot is in the third week of the four-to-six-week recovery timeline issued for his right-hand fracture sustained on October 26 against the Islanders and looks on track to return within the early portion of that frame. He has not met the requirements to be activated off LTIR yet, however. Chabot must miss two more games until he can return to the lineup, putting his earliest possible return on December 1 against the Blue Jackets – over a week and a half from today. The Senators have certainly missed their $8MM man on the blue line, who has three assists and a -1 rating in seven contests this season while averaging 24:19 per game.
- From one country’s capital to another, Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov returned to practice Monday morning, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Kuznetsov was absent from the team’s Saturday game against the Blue Jackets and its preceding practice with an undisclosed illness. The Russian center is in the seventh season of an eight-year deal carrying a $7.8MM cap hit, and his offensive production is off to a mediocre start for a second straight season. Playing over 21 minutes per game, Kuznetsov has three goals and eight points in 14 contests in 2023-24.
Canadiens Place Rafael Harvey-Pinard On IR; Recall Jayden Struble
Unable to play in the team’s last two games due to a lower-body injury, the Montreal Canadiens announced they have placed forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard on the injured reserve. In a corresponding move, in the same announcement, the Canadiens have recalled defenseman Jayden Struble from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
This is not the first time Harvey-Pinard has been injured this season, as he missed several games earlier this month, also with a lower-body injury. Only playing in 13 games for Montreal up to this point, Harvey-Pinard has tallied four assists while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per game.
Last year, Harvey-Pinard split time between the Canadiens and the Rocket, playing in 34 games and 40 games for each team, respectively. After a 14-goal and six-assist performance for Montreal last year, the team rewarded him with a two-year, $2.2MM contract, offering him a full-time spot on the roster.
Struble came over to the Canadiens as the 46th overall selection of the 2019 NHL Draft, playing for Northeastern University of the NCAA before joining Laval at the end of last season. In 12 games played for the Rocket this season, Struble has scored one goal and five assists up to this point.
Hypothetical Goalie Trade Targets For The Edmonton Oilers
There is no doubt that the Edmonton Oilers have struggled defensively this year, and have struggled to generate much offense outside of their top-six forward group. However, the team has had a uniquely poor start with their goaltending, as the duo of Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell have produced a 5-10-1 record in 16 games played, as well as carrying a .873 SV% and a 3.70 GAA collectively.
Even looking deeper into the numbers of the tandem, according to Hockey Reference, they have generated a -14.0 Goals Saved Above Average, a 3.76 Adjusted Goals Against Average, and a 37.5% Quality Start Percentage.
In any trade to improve their goaltending, the Oilers’ dream scenario would be to include Campbell and his $5MM salary, but with most other teams carrying limited cap space through the season, that option becomes much more improbable.
The most recent comparable to Campbell’s situation would be a June 6th trade between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings were able to unload the two-year, $10MM remaining on Calvin Petersen‘s contract, as well as the contract of defenseman Sean Walker, but did have to send a prospect, as well as a first-round pick in 2023, and a second-round pick in 2024 to Philadelphia just as a facilitator in the deal.
Essentially, the cost of $5.6MM in cap space for Los Angeles, without acquiring anything of value in return, was a prospect, and two high draft picks. If the Oilers are looking to improve their goaltending in a similar trade, the cost would certainly increase beyond that price.
To set the table, Edmonton does have all three of their first-round picks over the next three seasons, as well as two of their second-round picks (the 2025 selection is owned by the Arizona Coyotes) over the same time. Also, if any acquiring team is willing to buy out Campbell this offseason, they would be on the hook for $10.5MM spread out over the next six seasons.
Now, let’s look at a list of options and work a potential deal around them:
Petr Mrazek – Chicago Blackhawks (one-year, $3.8MM)
Not only would Chicago be able to absorb the contract of Campbell even after a buyout, but Mrazek is quietly having a very productive season even with a poor team in front of him. In 10 games played for the Blackhawks this season, Mrazek has a 4-5-0 record, coupled with a .915 SV% and a 2.89 GAA.
With only one year remaining on his contract, a trade for Mrazek would allow the Oilers to improve their goaltending situation down the stretch while giving them the financial flexibility to pursue a different goaltender in the offseason if they choose to do so.
In order to rid themselves of Campbell’s contract, Edmonton would need to attach their first-round pick in 2024, as well as their second-round pick in 2026, and potentially a third-to-fourth-round selection in either of the next three years simply to acquire Mrazek from the Blackhawks in the first place.
Karel Vejmelka – Arizona Coyotes (two-years, $5.45MM)
Even behind a struggling Coyotes defense for the last three seasons, Vejmelka has put up decent numbers and could benefit from a stronger team in front of him. Over the last three seasons in Arizona, he has played in 112 games and carries a 33-62-11 record coupled with a .899 SV% and a 3.51 GAA.
As the Coyotes are looking to exit their rebuild soon, they may not be inclined to take on Campbell’s contract, or even be inclined to buy him out after acquiring him. However, if the Oilers were willing to part ways with defenseman Cody Ceci in this hypothetical deal, Arizona could be more tempted.
With Matt Dumba, Troy Stecher, and Josh Brown all headed for free agency next summer, the Coyotes are going to have quite the hole on the right side of their defense. Ceci will be signed for one more after this season at $3.25MM and has offered quality defensive play over the course of his career.
Elvis Merzlikins – Columbus Blue Jackets (four-years, $21.6MM)
It’s tough to think of a more direct comparable to Campbell than the situation of Merzlikins over in Columbus. Both goalies are signed for the next four years, they are both coming off of poor 2022-23 seasons, and both have had a tough start to this year.
If Edmonton was able to frame this deal in the right way, it could become a change-of-scenery swap, with the Oilers not having to add too much extra in return. Even from the viewpoint of Columbus, playing in a much smaller market, Campbell may even be able to regain some of his lost confidence.
Unfortunately, there is a very real possibility that Merzlikins will fail to improve Edmonton’s goaltending situation, even after a change of scenery. In a disastrous year in the net for him last season, Merzlikins held a 7-18-2 record, carrying a horrid .876% and a 4.23 GAA.
Jake Allen – Montreal Canadiens (two-years, $7.7MM)
Similar to where the Canadiens are in the rebuild like the Coyotes, it is unreasonable to think Montreal would be inclined to take on the contract of Campbell, even in a buyout situation. With Allen making $3.85MM for this season, and next, Edmonton will once again look to salary match through different positions.
Over the last two seasons, the Canadiens have built up some serious young depth on defense, meaning the Oilers may have to part with some forwards to acquire Allen and his cap hit. Given this, a realistic package would revolve around Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, Foegele will simply be on the Canadiens roster for the rest of the year, and move on next summer. When healthy, McLeod represents a bottom-six center option with the ability to play on both sides of the puck, allowing the Canadiens to comfortably replace Sean Monahan next year, and give them a long-term option on the third-line.
Juuse Saros – Nashville Predators (two-years, $10MM)
At last year’s trade deadline, the Oilers and Predators connected on a massive trade, sending Mattias Ekholm to Edmonton in exchange for a package surrounding Tyson Barrie, a prospect, and two draft picks. In the summer, Nashville showed a few more veterans the door and took a very aggressive approach to free agency.
Sitting at 28th place in the NHL entering Thanksgiving week, and unlikely to contend over the last two years of Saros’ contract, the Predators could be inclined to trade him this season. Saros has gotten off to a slow start this year but has finished top-10 in Vezina Trophy voting in each of the last three years.
Due to his track record, it will take a mammoth offer to pry Saros out of Nashville, and the Oilers would need to give up serious capital in return. If they are also willing to take on the contract of Campbell, a package including a young roster player such as McLeod or Dylan Holloway, one of Edmonton’s better prospects such as Philip Broberg or Xavier Bourgault, Edmonton’s first-round pick in 2024, as well as a conditional second-round pick in 2026 with the ability to turn into a first, that may be enough to get Saros from the Predators.
Damon Severson Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury
A few minutes ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered their ninth straight loss, this time at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. To add insult to injury, after Ryan Poehling of the Flyers scored a short-handed goal in the second period, the Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Damon Severson would not return to the game due to an upper-body injury.
At this point, there has been no update on the severity of Severson’s injury, but more information should be made public before the team’s upcoming game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. On the night, Severson played in just under 10 minutes of the game and held a -1 rating due to the shorthanded goal.
Over the course of the season up to this point, Severson had played in 18 games for Columbus before tonight’s game, scoring three goals and five assists in total. In an effort to bolster the Blue Jackets defensive core, Severson was acquired as part of a sign-and-trade early in the offseason with the New Jersey Devils.
After doubling down on their core this past offseason, Columbus once again finds themselves in a precarious situation, sitting with a 4-11-4 record entering into Thanksgiving week. Not only do the Blue Jackets have the worst record in the Metropolitan Division, they hold the worst record in the Eastern Conference by a margin of three points.
Golden Knights Activate Nicolas Hague From Injured Reserve
As the team begins to take warm-ups in their Sunday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Vegas Golden Knights announce that defenseman Nicolas Hague has been activated off of the team’s injured reserve, and will play in tonight’s game.
Hague had been sidelined with a lower-body injury since the team’s October 30th game against the Montreal Canadiens. Although not a member of the original Golden Knights team that managed to make the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season in the league, Hague was the fourth-ever draft pick of Vegas, being selected 34th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.
As one of the more unheralded members of the Golden Knight’s blue line, over the last three years, Hague has regularly averaged more than 18 minutes of ice time per night, as well as receiving regular minutes on Vegas’ penalty kill units.
Last season, in what has been the best of his career to date, Hague played in 81 games for the Golden Knights, scoring 17 points in total, while blocking 133 shots and throwing 117 assists. He also carried an above-average Corsi For % of 46.8%, and an On-Ice Save Percentage of 91.7%.
Getting off to one of the hottest starts in the league, the Golden Knights have cooled off a bit in Hague’s absence, going 4-3-1 in their last eight games, after starting off the season 9-0-1. With Hague back in the lineup, Vegas will now have added confidence in their ability to keep the puck out of their net.
Ottawa Senators Assign Three Players To AHL
In order to keep both roster and salary cap flexibility over the next several days following their games in Sweden, the Ottawa Senators announced they have sent defensemen Tyler Kleven and Jacob Larsson, as well as forward Matthew Highmore to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.
The team did manage to salvage two wins during their overseas trip, defeating the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild, with Highmore being only one of the trio to make an appearance during the games. In just under six minutes of ice time against Detroit, Highmore did not find his name on the scoresheet in any capacity.
In his first season with the Senators organization, Highmore has primarily been playing in the AHL, suiting up in nine games for Belleville, scoring two goals and five assists. In very limited action at the NHL level, Highmore has tallied only one assist through three games played in Ottawa.
Kleven, on the other hand, has received the most playing time in the NHL amongst the three players, playing in five games for the Senators this season, and scoring one assist over that time. As a second-round draft choice by the Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, Kleven was a teammate of fellow defenseman, Jake Sanderson, at the University of North Dakota prior to their time in professional hockey.
Lastly, of the three, Larsson is the most familiar with the AHL, playing in 201 games over the course of his career spent between the Senators and the Anaheim Ducks. Not much of an offensive weapon, Larsson has two assists for Belleville already this season through 10 games played.
Even with these three on the roster for the foreseeable future, it will be difficult for Belleville to climb out of a quick hole in the AHL’s North Division. Losers of their last three games, the Senators have a 6-7-0-1 record, in sit in second to last place in the division.
Penguins Activate Alex Nedeljkovic, Send Down Magnus Hellberg
After spending nearly a month on the team’s long-term injured reserve, the Pittsburgh Penguins announce they have activated goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, and have sent down Magnus Hellberg to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Earlier in the year, Nedeljkovic played in two games for the Penguins, earning a .914 SV% and a 3.01 GAA before a lower-body injury would sideline him for the foreseeable future. While Nedeljkovic, Hellberg assumed the role of backup goaltender in Pittsburgh, sporting a 1-0-0 record in three games played, producing a .922 SV% and a 2.50 GAA.
As an older rookie in the 2020-21 regular season, Nedeljkovic finished third in Calder Trophy voting after managing a 15-5-3 record with the Carolina Hurricanes, leading the league in both SV% and GAA in 23 games started.
In an attempt to solidify their goaltending for the upcoming season, the Detroit Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic from the Hurricanes for the signing rights to goaltender Jonathan Bernier, and a third-round draft selection in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Unfortunately for both, he and the team, Nedeljkovic’s tenure in Detroit did not play out as well as the team would have hoped, as he carried a 25-31-11 record in 74 games played, with a .900 SV% and a 3.35 GAA over his two years with the organization.
On January 16th of the 2022-23 regular season, the Red Wings chose to place Nedeljkovic on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the AHL, indicating that his time with the Original Six franchise may be nearing its end. Nevertheless, the team would non-tender Nedeljkovic, allowing him to sign in Pittsburgh to a one-year, $1.5MM contract for this season.
Blue Jackets Make Patrik Laine A Healthy Scratch
After benching star players Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine in several games, the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pascal Vincent, has made Laine a healthy scratch in the team’s game tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers (X Link). In nine games played this year, Laine has two goals and one assist, as well as a -6 rating.
Columbus has certainly struggled to generate offense from their star players at the forward position this year, as Boone Jenner leads the way with 10 points in 18 games. Before tonight’s game against the Flyers, defensemen Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski lead the team in points with 11 each on the year.
Spending a combined $18.45MM on both Gaudreau and Laine (22% of their entire cap space), the two have only combined for 10 points in 27 games played, hardly what the Blue Jackets should be expecting at that dollar value. Although the bad start to the year is not solely on the shoulders of Gaudreau and Laine, this is a decision that has appeared to be brewing for quite some time.
In a report from Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Vincent was quoted as saying, “It was a hard conversation … but nobody is bigger than the Blue Jackets“. Understandably, Laine is reportedly unhappy with the decision made by his new coach, but Vincent is adamant about sending a message to the entirety of the team about the lack of offense.
After being acquired by Columbus back in the 2020-21 season, even though Laine has scored 60 goals and 72 assists in 165 games as a Blue Jacket, he has historically been known to go through streaks as a player. Notably, from mid-December to mid-February last year, Laine would only score five goals in 22 games, before scoring eight goals in 16 games to end the season.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how Laine’s situation in Columbus continues to play out, as being a healthy scratch for the first time in his career may cause his frustrations to boil over.