Avalanche Recall Jack Ahcan
The Colorado Avalanche have recalled defenseman Jack Ahcan to the NHL lineup, as the team is uncertain of whether Josh Manson will be able to travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip. Head coach Jared Bednar shared that Ahcan provides an additional body in the event that Manson can’t go. Manson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The team returns to Colorado next Wednesday.
Ahcan has played in 14 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles to start the season, netting one goal and six points, 16 penalty mintues, and a -3. His scoring is tied for second among the team’s defensemen, with Caleb Jones also netting six points – all assists – through 12 games. Ahcan is in his first year in the Colorado organization, after spending the last three years in the Bruins’ depth charts. Boston signed the undrafted Ahcan following the close of St. Cloud State’s 2019-20 season. The defenseman would go on to play in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL in his first season as a pro: the shorted 2020-21 campaign. He went without a point in the three NHL games he received that season, recording a -3.
Boston would give Ahcan six more NHL games in the 2021-22 season. He scored his first NHL goal during that stretch but still found himself on the wrong side of the scoresheet, again recording a -3. He spent all of last season in the AHL, netting 36 points, 24 penalty minutes, and a +5 in 68 games. The performance was enough to earn a two-year, two-way contract carrying a total value of $1.6MM from the Avalanche this summer.
Blackhawks Announce Several Injury Updates
The Chicago Blackhawks have shared that Nikita Zaitsev will be away from the team until early next week, at the earliest, as he’s taking time away for personal reasons. The team also placed defenseman Jarred Tinordi on injured reserve with an oblique injury. He and forward Andreas Athanasiou, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, are both considered week-to-week.
The Hawks have recalled Filip Roos to the NHL lineup in response to Zaitsev’s absence. Chicago is also without Taylor Hall, who has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury and returned to practice on Wednesday.
The quartet of Tinordi, Athanasiou, Zaitsev, and Hall have served as go-to lineup pieces for Chicago early on, with each player appearing in five or more games. Hall has played the most prominent role, averaging a little over 16 minutes of ice time and four points through eight games. Tinnordi and Zaitsev have operated as bottom-pairing defenders, with each player averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time and scoring one point. Athanasiou has averaged the least ice time of the group, playing just under 13 minutes of ice time through 11 games and scoring four points. This is despite Athanasiou playing with the team’s middle-six in the games he’s appeared in, with half of his ice time being played alongside rookie Lukas Reichel.
Despite the long list of injuries, recalled defenseman Filip Roos is expected to slot in as the team’s seventh defenseman – playing behind AHL teammates Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips. He is the team’s only healthy extra player for Chicago’s Thursday night game against Tampa Bay, as Hall is expected to sit out of the match.
Injury Notes: Devils, Canadiens, Sabres
New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff shared that winger Timo Meier will be a game-time decision for the team’s Thursday night matchup, after sustaining an injury in the team’s recent win over the Winnipeg Jets. Ruff also added that Jack Hughes is progressing but isn’t ready for a return just yet.
These are tough updates to a Devils team that’s already suffering because of injuries. Meier is one of three healthy Devils forwards with 10 or more points through the team’s first 14 games. His absence would mark yet another blow to the team’s top six, which is currently missing Hughes and Nico Hischier. The Devils have taken a committee approach to replacing their top two centers, giving Michael McLeod, Dawson Mercer, and Erik Haula more ice time as a result. Haula has been the most productive of the trio, netting five goals and eight points in 13 games, while McLeod has managed six points in 14 games of his own. Mercer is the odd-man-out, with three goals serving as his only scoring this season.
Other injury notes:
- The Montreal Canadiens have shared that Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will miss the team’s Thursday night matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Habs will turn to Michael Pezzetta to fill in. The 25-year-old winger has two points in 12 NHL games this season.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch has shared that he will be a “coach’s decision” for the team’s upcoming matchup against Winnipeg. The team’s head coach Don Granato responded by saying that whether to play Tuch or not will be a very easy decision, insinuating that the winger will return to action on Friday.
Columbus Expected To Recall Trey Fix-Wolansky
The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to recall forward Trey Fix-Wolansky from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. Fix-Wolansky has recorded 16 points through 11 games with the Monsters, leading the team in both points and assists. He also ranks fifth in the AHL in points, despite being tied for the fewest games played of anyone in the top 10.
Fix-Wolansky has appeared in 15 NHL games over the course of the last two seasons, scoring two goals and one assist. It’s been a modest showing at the top level, despite Fix-Wolansky showing consistent scoring ability in the minors. In addition to his team-leading tallies this year, Fix-Wolansky also scored 71 points in 61 games last season, again good for the lead spot in Cleveland. In fact, Fix-Wolansky scored over 30 points more than Justin Richards, who ranked second.
The Blue Jackets bring Fix-Wolansky to the NHL lineup in response to centerman Jack Roslovic suffering an ankle injury that’s expected to hold him out for the next six weeks. Roslovic has appeared in 14 games this season, scoring six points and recording a -6. The 24-year-old Fix-Wolansky will become the fourth rookie in the Blue Jackets lineup, if he’s able to slot in, joining Adam Fantilli, Dmitri Voronkov, and David Jiricek. Columbus has gotten exciting play out of their rookie forwards so far, with Fantilli ranked second on the team in scoring with nine points in 16 games and Voronkov not far behind with seven points in 10 games. Jiricek hasn’t found the same early success, though, netting only three points in the 11 games that he’s played this year.
Chicago Blackhawks Recall Filip Roos
The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Filip Roos from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. In a corresponding move, the Blackhawks placed veteran Nikita Zaitsev on the team non-roster list, as he is currently out due to personal reasons.
Roos, 24, is an undrafted Swedish blueliner who signed with the Blackhawks out of Skellefteå AIK and the SHL in the summer of 2022. In his first season in North America, Roos split time between the AHL and NHL, skating in 17 games for the Blackhawks and 39 for the IceHogs.
So far this season, Roos has played in 10 games in Rockford, scoring four points. With Zaitsev away, Roos will compete with Isaak Phillips for the team’s now-open lineup spot.
The slot in head coach Luke Richardson’s lineup that has been vacated by Zaitsev is on the team’s third pairing, alongside 21-year-old University of Minnesota-Duluth product Wyatt Kaiser.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Vladislav Kolyachonok
The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Kolyachonok’s recall comes off the heels of a report from PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, who wrote that defenseman Juuso Välimäki will be out “for a while” after taking a hard shot to the face.
Kolyachonok, 22, is a defenseman who the Coyotes are decently familiar with at the NHL level, as he played in 32 games for the NHL club in 2021-22 and in two games last season. So far this year Kolyachonok has played exclusively in Tucson, where he has scored two goals and three points in 11 games.
With Välimäki out, Kolyachonok could slot in directly where Välimäki plays in the lineup, on the team’s second pairing next to Matt Dumba.
Alternatively, veteran Troy Stecher could move up to the second pairing, which would put Kolyachonok or team seventh defenseman Michael Kesselring on the bottom pairing next to Joshua Brown.
Minor Transactions: 11/16/23
NHL hockey is going international today as the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators are set to face off in Stockholm, Sweden. All 14 clubs in Sweden’s top professional league, the SHL, play today as well, meaning it’s a hectic day for hockey in the country. Elsewhere in Europe, potential top 2024 draft prospect Konsta Helenius‘ Liiga side Jukurit is set to take on JYP, while the current DEL leaders Eisbaren Berlin are taking on the Augsburg Panthers.
Player movement across the hockey world in both minor and foreign leagues mirrors how busy the schedule is, and as always we’ll keep track of notable transactions here.
- Lucas Lessio, a former NHLer who began what has been an extensive career in European hockey in 2016-17, has left his club HC Bolzano of the ICEHL to sign in the DEL2 with Krefeld Pinguine. Although Krefeld have had a decent 9-7-1 start to the season, they have made a significant add in Lessio. The 30-year-old former Arizona Coyote played for Krefeld for two years from 2020 to 2022, scoring 37 goals and 62 points in 93 games. He was with the club when they suffered relegation from the DEL, and now with this signing, he’ll have the chance to lead them back to the German top flight.
- Jerome Flaake, a two-time DEL champion and a veteran of over 700 DEL games has been signed by Krefeld alongside Lessio. The 33-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs 2008 fifth-round pick was a star player for the now-defunct Hamburg Freezers, though he never quite reached the same heights again in the DEL. Last season, Flaake helped ERC Ingolstadt reach the DEL finals, and now after scoring just three points in 12 games for Augsburg, he’s headed down a division to help Krefeld with their promotion push.
- Former Montreal Canadiens prospect Arvid Henrikson has signed with AIK of the Swedish second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. The big six-foot-five blueliner has spent this season so far with Västerviks IK, playing a total of 16 games. Henrikson hadn’t received more than bottom-pairing minutes for the club since October and has not played at all in over a week. Now he’ll play with AIK, a club he once captained at the U-18 level. It’s a big step up in the standings for Henrikson, who moves from HockeyAllsvenskan’s 13th-ranked club to the team currently third in the standings and looking like a potential promotion candidate.
- Former Providence College forward Bryan Lemos has decided to leave the EIHL’s Guildford Flames, citing homesickness, to return to the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, the club he played for in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Lemos only managed three points in nine games for Guildford, though he did conclude his time there with a goal in the team’s big 3-1 victory over the reigning champion Belfast Giants. Lemos has had success with the Fuel before, and has scored a total of 25 goals and 67 points in 92 games with the club.
- Journeyman American blueliner Charlie Dodero has signed with the ICEHL’s HK Olimpija Ljubljana today, adding a sixth country to the list of places he has played in during his career. The former Sudbury Wolves alternate captain spent last season in France’s Ligue Magnus with the Rouen Dragons, helping the club capture a French title and the Champions Hockey League spot that comes alongside it. Before 2022-23, Dodero was a regular face in the Central European ICEHL with two Austrian clubs, the Vienna Capitals and Graz99ers. Dodero last played in North America in 2018-19 with the Idaho Steelheads and has 46 AHL games on his resume, all of them coming with the Syracuse Crunch. Now, Dodero will look to add some edge to their blueline in the Slovenian capital, looking to help a club that is at the moment just a few places ahead of his former ICEHL teams near the bottom of the league’s standings.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Injury Updates: Kuemper, McGinn, Nedeljkovic, Ludvig
Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been limited to eight games so far due to injuries and it might be a bit before that number goes up. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays that the netminder had to be helped to the dressing room after taking a shot to an unpadded area during practice today. Head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t have a direct update at the time but noted that Kuemper’s situation was not ideal. The 33-year-old has a 3.07 GAA with a .892 SV% so far this season and was already working his way back from an undisclosed injury. Charlie Lindgren has been the starter while Kuemper was out and that will continue to be the case while they determine how long this latest issue will keep the veteran out.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Ducks welcomed back winger Brock McGinn to the lineup tonight, activating him off injured reserve. The 29-year-old had been dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out for their first 15 games. Last season, McGinn split time between Pittsburgh and Anaheim, who took on his contract at the trade deadline as part of the return for blueliner Dmitry Kulikov.
- Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is on track to return on Sunday, notes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That is the first day that he’s eligible to be activated. The 27-year-old skated for the first time today since suffering a lower-body injury three weeks ago. Nedeljkovic is in his first season with Pittsburgh and has played twice for his new team so far. Magnus Hellberg is likely to be sent back to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once Nedeljkovic is cleared to return.
- Also from Vensel’s column, defenseman John Ludvig is expected to be sent to the minors on a conditioning stint soon. The 23-year-old suffered a concussion less than six minutes into his NHL debut and has been on LTIR since then. An LTIR conditioning loan is generally for a maximum of three games although it can be extended to five with league approval. Ludvig would remain on LTIR for the duration of that assignment; the Penguins would need to open up enough cap space to activate him when he’s cleared to return.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Seattle Kraken
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Seattle Kraken
Current Cap Hit: $81,456,607 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Matthew Beniers (one year, $898K)
F Tye Kartye (two years, $859K)
F Shane Wright (three years, $918K)
Potential Bonuses
Beniers: $1.85MM
Kartye: $57.5K
Wright: $3.0625MM
Total: $4.97MM
Beniers’ first full NHL season was certainly a strong one as he finished fourth on the Kraken in scoring while taking home the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. He followed that up with a good showing in the playoffs. Basically, the second overall pick in 2021 has cemented himself as a key part of Seattle’s long-term plans. Accordingly, it wouldn’t have been too surprising had he signed a long-term extension over the summer, one in the $8MM for eight years range, one we’ve seen quite a few core young centers sign in recent years. That didn’t happen and now he’s off to a bit of a slow start this season. Even if he winds up with a bridge deal though, it will still be pricey; Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras (three years, $5.75MM AAV) could be a suitable comparable. He should have a chance at hitting several of his four ‘A’ bonuses at $212.5K each.
Wright was recently recalled, beginning the nine-game clock before the Kraken will need to decide about officially burning the first year of this deal. However, they’ve since sent him back down, deferring that decision for the time being. Assuming they avoid starting the contract, they’ll be able to lower the cap hit slightly for next season while avoiding the bonuses. As for Kartye, he has been a regular in the bottom six in his first taste of regular season action. If he can hold down that role this season and next, he might be able to double this price tag. His bonuses are games-played based so it’s likely he’ll hit some of them at least.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($775K, UFA)
G Chris Driedger ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Jordan Eberle ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Jaycob Megna ($762.5K, UFA)
D Justin Schultz ($3MM, UFA)
F Devin Shore ($775K, UFA)
F Eeli Tolvanen ($1.45MM, RFA)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Kailer Yamamoto ($1.5MM, RFA)
Eberle has put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons in his first two years with Seattle, actually faring better offensively than he was with the Islanders. In doing so, he has given himself a chance of securing another deal at a similar price tag as this one although it’ll be a shorter-term agreement with him turning 34 in May. Wennberg has done better with the Kraken compared to his time with Florida but he hasn’t gotten back to his early-career numbers when he had 40 points in his sophomore year and 59 the following season. The fact he plays in all situations and is a center will certainly help him on the open market but at this point, it feels like something closer to $3.5MM or $3.75MM might be where his next contract lands.
Yamamoto was bought out by Detroit (who ate the charge to acquire Klim Kostin’s rights) and quickly landed with his hometown team in unrestricted free agency. Unless he’s able to produce at a higher level than he did with Edmonton though, he could be facing a non-tender in June. Otherwise, a small increase could come his way. Tolvanen fit in quite well after being claimed off waivers and is off to a good start this year. If that can be maintained, he’d be worthy of a deal crossing the $2MM mark. That said, the fact Daniel Sprong was non-tendered this past offseason after a 46-point year is a cautionary tale; they’re only willing to commit so much to that particular slot on the depth chart. Bellemare and Shore were only able to get minimum-salary deals over the summer and there’s little reason at this point to think they’ll be able to command more next time out.
After struggling in his final year with Washington, Schultz has rebounded well with Seattle when it comes to his production, notching 34 points last season and is on a similar pace this year. That, coupled with being a right-shot player, should give him a good market next summer which might allow him to land a small raise. Megna was acquired before the trade deadline last season but has played just six times with his new team (including playoffs), all of which came last year. Unless something changes, he’s likely to stay close to the league minimum.
Driedger landed this contract after a strong showing as Florida’s backup for a year and a half but things haven’t gone well with Seattle. He struggled in his first year, then tore his ACL at the Worlds, causing him to miss most of last season; the bit he did play was in the AHL. That’s where he is now as well, leaving a $2.35MM dead cap charge while he’s down there. He should still land a seven-figure one-way contract next summer but something closer to the $1.5MM mark could be doable.
Signed Through 2024-25
D William Borgen ($2.7MM, UFA)
G Joey Daccord ($1.2MM, UFA)
D Brian Dumoulin ($3.15MM, UFA)
F Yanni Gourde ($5.167MM, UFA)
D Adam Larsson ($4MM, UFA)
F Brandon Tanev ($3.5MM, UFA)
Gourde was another one of Tampa Bay’s cap casualties with Seattle picking him up in expansion. He has put up back-to-back 48-point seasons with the Kraken while being a key two-way center along the way, just as he was with the Lightning. Unless he can get back to the 60-point level he reached in his first full NHL campaign, it’s hard to see a sizable raise coming his way but another long-term deal around this price point could be doable if he stays close to the 50-point mark. Tanev, when healthy, has been more productive with Seattle compared to his time with Pittsburgh and Winnipeg despite having the same type of role. That said, with the injuries and his bottom-six role, it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to command a big raise either. That said, another deal in this range could work, if he can stay healthy.
Larsson has done quite well with a much bigger role since signing with Seattle, posting back-to-back career years offensively while logging over 23 minutes a night on average. This is more like what New Jersey was expecting when he was the fourth overall pick in 2011. If Larsson can continue to produce at that rate while remaining a key shutdown defender, he could push for closer to $6MM on his next contract.
Dumoulin joined Seattle this summer in free agency after a down year with Pittsburgh. His ATOI is down around five minutes a night from last year as he has primarily been on the third pairing. If that holds up, he’ll be hard-pressed to get an offer near this price as third-pairing players are closer to the $2MM mark now on the open market. Borgen landed this deal on the heels of an arbitration filing thanks to a career year on the offensive front where he had 20 points. However, for someone whose usage is fairly limited (generally below 17 minutes a night), it’s hard to see a scenario where he can command much more than that on the open market unless there’s a team that’s confident he can play in the top four.
Daccord was someone who benefitted from the increased value of third-string goalies, getting a seven-figure one-way deal despite playing in just ten NHL games combined over the past two seasons. Now set as the backup, he could position himself to double this price tag if he holds that role through the end of 2024-25.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($5.4MM, UFA)
D Jamie Oleksiak ($4.6MM, UFA)
F Jaden Schwartz ($5.5MM, UFA)
Schwartz was somewhat of a surprising signing after Seattle didn’t spend much in the expansion draft. When healthy, he’s a capable top-six piece and while he managed to put up 21 goals last season, he has missed double-digit games in each of the last three seasons. He’ll need to stay healthy more consistently to have a chance at eclipsing this price tag next time out. Bjorkstrand was a cap casualty in Columbus and while his output dipped in his first year with the Kraken, he still put up his fourth 20-goal season out of the last five years. If he continues at that pace, he could be in line for a contract similar to this one in 2026.
Oleksiak’s contract felt like an overpayment at the time for someone who hadn’t been in the top four a lot. However, he has filled that role relatively well with Seattle while continuing to be one of the better shot-blockers. This deal still is a bit high with the limited offense he brings to the table but it’s not a negative-value pact either. He’ll be 33 when this contract is up, however, which could restrict his price tag somewhat.
Central Notes: Saros, Vilardi, Manson
When the Predators started to move out their core veterans, many wondered if Juuse Saros would be among them. However, GM Barry Trotz told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (subscription link) that he intends to keep the netminder in the fold:
I met with his agent, I’d like to re-sign him, I told them that’s our intention. We’re obviously in a little bit of a re-tool type of situation and when we get reset here, I’d like him to be part of the backbone.
The 28-year-old is signed through the end of next season which means he isn’t even eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2024. At that point, Saros will be owed a significant raise on his current $5MM AAV, one that has been a significant bargain. On that deal, he has led the NHL in games played by a goalie in each of the last two seasons (and is the early leader this year) while posting a .916 SV%. Saros has also finished no lower than fourth in Vezina voting the last two years so basically, the Predators have been getting top-level goaltending for a bit more than the price for a platoon option. That will be changing soon enough.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- While Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi took part in practice today, he still isn’t ready yet to suit up in a game, relays TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). The 24-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in his third game of the season and has missed nearly a month since then. At the moment, Winnipeg is targeting Wednesday for Vilardi’s return to the lineup. He had been in their top six before the injury and will likely return to that role once he’s cleared to return.
- Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, notes DNVR Avalanche’s Meghan Angley (Twitter link). The veteran has been limited due to injuries over the past few years although he had managed to play in all but one of their first 14 games this season where he had an assist along with 18 blocks and 20 hits while logging just under 16 minutes a night. Recently recalled blueliner Caleb Jones is expected to take Manson’s spot in the lineup with the team announcing (Twitter link) that Sam Malinski was returned to AHL Colorado.