Carson Soucy Out Week-To-Week With Foot Injury
November 15th: The Vancouver Canucks have updated Soucy’s status and provided a clear timeline by now saying that the defenseman will miss the next six-to-eight weeks of action.
November 14th: Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared that defenseman Carson Soucy will undergo further evaluation on a foot injury that currently has him designated as week-to-week. Tocchet also shared that Tyler Meyers should be ready for the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the New York Islanders. The team also recalled Akito Hirose to the NHL lineup ahead of their Tuesday practice.
Soucy has been out of action since he left the team’s November 12th game early. He’s appeared in 13 games this season, netting two goals and five points, while averaging just under 17 minutes of ice time. He’s in his first season with the Canucks, after signing a three-year contract on July 1st that carries a $3.25MM cap hit.
Meyers’ return to the lineup will help fill in for the missing Soucy. The 33-year-old defenseman looked strong to start the season, netting six points in 15 games before his injury while operating on the team’s second pairing. If he can’t go, Akito Hirose will step back into the lineup after spending 11 games in the AHL. Hirose appeared in two Canucks games earlier in the season before being sent to the minors. He’s failed to score in either the NHL or AHL this year, although he did record two penalties and a +2 in his AHL appearances. Hirose is in his first full season as a professional, although the NCAA free agent he did appear in seven games with the Canucks last year as well – netting three assists. He’ll have a chance to record his first NHL goal or his first point of the year if he’s able to slot into the lineup.
Tage Thompson Left Tonight’s Game
Buffalo Sabres star center Tage Thompson left tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins with an apparent upper-body injury. It was eventful night for the 26-year-old as at one point it did look like he could leave the game with a lower-body injury after he was involved in a collision with Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Thompson returned to the game at the start of the second period but left towards the end of the period with what could be a wrist injury.
Thompson took a shot to the wrist from McAvoy and appeared in discomfort on the Sabres bench immediately after. A short time later the Sabres made the official announcement that Thompson would not return.
If Thompson is out for any length of time it could become a big issue for the Sabres who sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 7-8-1 record. The native of Phoenix, Arizona opened the season with massive expectations after exploding last year for 47 goals in 78 games. This came on the heels of a 38-goal campaign in 2021-22 in which Thompson came out of nowhere to eclipse career highs in nearly every statistical category.
Thompson has been okay to start the year with six goals and six assists in 16 games but will probably need to find another gear if the Sabres are going to find themselves in the playoff hunt come Spring 2024. Many expected Buffalo to challenge for a playoff spot this year, but the competitiveness in the Eastern Conference could push the Sabres out of the playoff picture sooner than expected, particularly if Thompson is sidelined for any length of time.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Haydn Fleury
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that they have recalled defenseman Haydn Fleury from his conditioning assignment with the Syracuse Crunch. Fleury dressed in five games with Syracuse and was pointless during his assignment to the AHL.
Fleury’s AHL assignment began back on November 4th, before that he had been in the NHL with the Lightning for nearly a month. Although he spent almost four weeks on the Lightning’s active roster, he dressed in just two games and posted a single assist. Fleury spent most of October as a healthy scratch, which was the case often in the 2022-23 season as well. Fleury dressed in just 29 games last season with the Lightning, and while he did deal with a lower-body injury early in the year, most of the games he sat out were as a healthy scratch.
Fleury came into the league as a player with high expectations after he was drafted seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014. The 27-year-old spoke at the time about wanting to break into the league as an 18-year-old but was never able to do so. He did make his NHL debut three years later at the age of 21, posting eight assists in 67 games as a rookie.
Despite debuting in the NHL at a young age, Fleury has never been able to find traction as an NHL regular. He bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL until 2019, before finally remaining on an NHL roster, mostly in a seventh defenseman role for Carolina. Fleury was then dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in April 2021 before he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft. In 2022, Seattle opted not to tender Fleury a qualifying offer which sparked his signing with the Lightning. Now Fleury once again finds himself on the outside of an NHL roster looking in, still a regular healthy scratch despite being a veteran of 246 NHL games.
Latest On Patrick Kane’s Free Agency
John Shannon of The Bob McCown podcast tweeted that unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane met with the Toronto Maple Leafs today. While the news is sure to get fans and hockey pundits talking, it is just the beginning of the process. Kane has been training in nearby Oakville, Ontario and likely talked to the Maple Leafs first because of proximity.
Shannon followed up his first tweet by adding that the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres appear to be on the list of interest teams. While most of those teams have come up before in rumors, Dallas and Tampa Bay are a couple of new teams on the list.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski further added to the Kane speculation tonight as he believes that Kane will interview up to eight teams this week including the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers who have both been mentioned in recent weeks.
While every team in the league is likely to have an interest in a player with Kane’s pedigree, Kane is looking to play specifically for a cup contender. The veteran of 1180 NHL games does have three Stanley Cups to his name but is looking to add another milestone to his hall-of-fame resume.
Kane does come with some question marks though as he is coming off a very serious hip surgery after a down season last year with the Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. The 34-year-old had 21 goals and 36 assists last season in 73 games but did add six points in seven playoff games. The type of surgery Kane had does not have a strong track record of success in hockey players which further complicates any contract talks that Kane might have with interested teams.
Oilers’ Raphael Lavoie Sent To AHL
The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they’ve sent forward Raphael Lavoie to their AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors. Lavoie did not require waivers to be demoted as he cleared them at the beginning of the season and did not play in ten games or spend 30 days on the Oilers roster.
Lavoie dressed in five games for the Oilers and didn’t record any points. He was utilized in a sheltered fourth-line role with the big club and averaged less than eight minutes of ice time per game. The club did their best to protect the 23-year-old as he took 65% of his zone starts in the offensive zone.
Lavoie has had a terrific start to his season in the AHL registering four goals and three assists in just five games. Last season, the former second-round pick dressed in 65 AHL games for the Condors and posted 25 goals and 20 assists. Given his steady offensive improvement and the fact that Lavoie was one of the Oilers’ last training camp cuts, it is fair to say that he could earn another look later in the season. Particularly, if the Oilers decide to sell off some of the veteran players should the season get away from them.
Lavoie’s demotion may be a signal that veteran forward Connor Brown is ready to return for Edmonton. Brown called himself day-to-day just five days ago which indicated that he was inching closer to a return. He has missed the two Edmonton games since those comments, but the sentiment is that he could be back this week. Much like Lavoie, Brown has struggled this season as he too is pointless thus far.
Flyers Notes: Staal, Hart, Ristolainen
PHLY Sportswriter Charlie O’Connor tweeted that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Marc Staal is very close to returning to the Flyers lineup but will not return for tomorrow night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Staal has missed 11 straight games with what was being called an upper-body injury, but he confirmed to the media today that he was suffering from a rib injury.
Due to the length of his absence, Staal can be activated off injured reserve at any point, and it appears from Staal’s perspective that a weekend return is possible, although the ultimate decision would fall to the Flyers training staff.
Staal has dressed in just four games for the Flyers this season after signing a one-year $1.1MM deal with the team in the offseason. He has no points in those four games and has averaged over 15 minutes of ice time per game.
In other Flyers notes:
- Sam Carchidi tweeted that Flyers goaltender Carter Hart should be good to return to the net for tomorrow night’s game against Carolina. Hart has been sidelined with several different issues which have led to a five-game absence. Hart left the game during Philadelphia’s 5-2 loss to Buffalo on November 1st and proceeded to miss the next three games with a mid-body injury before he came down with food poisoning and missed two additional games. Hart has been good for the Flyers thus far this season with a 4-3-0 record with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
- Carchidi also tweeted that Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is getting closer to a return as he practiced with the team for the first time today. The 29-year-old has yet to dress in a game this season as he has been dealing with a lower-body injury and suffered a setback in the middle of October that kept him off the ice for nearly a month. Ristolainen had three goals and 17 assists last season in 74 games while registering 162 hits and 142 blocked shots.
Kraken Recall Andrew Poturalski, Send Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton Down
The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Andrew Poturalski to the NHL lineup, while sending down the rookie duo of Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton. Both Wright and Winterton appeared in three games with Seattle this season, with both players going without a point and recording a -1.
Seattle will now look to Poturalski to provide a spark. The 29-year-old centerman currently has seven points through 10 games in the AHL. It’s a slight step down from the scoring pace he recorded last season when he tallied 42 points in 38 AHL games. He also added 12 points in 16 playoff games. Poturalski signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016, following the end of the University of New Hampshire’s season. He’s an undrafted free agent who’s spent much of his career in the minors, although Carolina did provide him with four NHL games over his seven years with the club. He recorded two assists and a -4 in those games but is still looking for his first NHL goal. Poturalski was also briefly a part of the Ducks organization from 2019 to 2021, before returning to the Hurricanes depth charts and then signing with the Kraken last summer.
The Kraken are currently facing injuries to Jordan Eberle and Andre Burakovsky. Eberle is nearing a return to play, finally shedding his no-contact jersey at practice, but Burakovsky is still out long-term. The winger is expected to return in December, after sustaining an upper-body injury early in the season.
This move also rejoins Wright and Winterton with Coachella Valley, where both players have had success through the early season. Wright has recorded six points in seven AHL games, while Winterton has five points. This is Winterton’s first season of professional hockey, after playing in the OHL last season, while Wright appeared in 39 pro games between the NHL regular season, AHL regular season, and AHL playoffs last year.
Canucks Working On Extending Elias Pettersson
Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff released an interview with Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin that spoke to the team’s efforts to re-sign their star forward, Elias Pettersson. Specifically, Allvin said he’s been in touch with both Pat Brisson and Pettersson’s Swedish agent and that he hopes to get something done sooner rather than later.
A Pettersson extension is undoubtedly one of Allvin’s top priorities. The 25-year-old forward has been a pivotal piece of the Canucks’ early success, currently leading the league in scoring with a monstrous 25 points in 15 games. His 18 assists also rank top in the league, although he’s tied with co-star Quinn Hughes in that category.
This strong scoring continues the trend of Pettersson scoring more and more every season. He scored a career-high 102 points last season, the most scored by a Canuck since Daniel Sedin scored 104 in the 2010-11 season. Pettersson became the fourth Canuck to cross the century mark since 2000, joining the Sedin brothers and Markus Naslund.
But with high scoring comes an inevitably high price tag. Of the 11 players to score 100 or more points last season, Pettersson is one of three players to carry a cap hit under $8MM, alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Robertson. Pettersson also joins Robertson as the only two among the group without any movement protection in their contracts. Both of those variables are bound to be addressed in Pettersson’s next contract, which could reach upwards of eight figures. Any long-term deal would also carry Pettersson to his age 32 or 33 season, likely solidifying his place in Vancouver for the long term. If, and when, a new contract will come is yet to be seen, although it’s encouraging to see the two sides engaged in extension talks.
Penguins Recall Jonathan Gruden
2:00 PM: The Penguins have re-assigned Gruden to the AHL, as Carter participated in the team’s Tuesday practice.
9:30 AM: The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Jonathan Gruden from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday morning, per a team announcement.
Gruden, 23, will serve as the team’s 13th forward while veteran Jeff Carter is sidelined with an upper-body injury. The Penguins had an open spot on the 23-man roster and just enough cap space to recall his $775K cap hit, so no corresponding transaction is needed.
The left winger made his NHL debut last season, going without a point in three games and registering just one shot while averaging 5:20 per game. A 2018 fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, Gruden has played all of his pro hockey in the Penguins organization after an October 2020 trade that saw him and a second-round pick head to Pittsburgh in exchange for the signing rights to two-time Stanley Cup champion netminder Matt Murray.
Gruden took a significant step forward in his development last season, finishing fourth on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 16 goals in 54 games and totaling 31 points. He’s off to a much slower start this year, however, scoring twice and adding one assist through 12 games.
The son of former NHL defenseman and current AHL Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden will need waivers to return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if he plays ten games during his recall or stays on the Penguins roster for more than 30 days, both of which are unlikely scenarios.
Canucks Recall Akito Hirose
The Vancouver Canucks have announced the recall of defenseman Akito Hirose to the NHL lineup. Hirose has appeared in 11 AHL games so far this season, going without a point while also accruing four penalty minutes and a +2. Hirose made his NHL debut with the Canucks last season, signing with the team after the conclusion of the Minnesota State University-Mankato season.
Hirose was one of three players from last year’s Mankato lineup to sign NHL contracts, joining Nashville’s Jake Livingston and Colorado’s Ondrej Pavel. All three players were undrafted free agents at the time of their signing and all three have since made their NHL debut. Hirose has played in the most NHL action of the bunch, with nine games under his belt. He also leads the group in scoring, with three points in those nine games topping the one point Livingston has scored through five games. Pavel has yet to score his first NHL point.
Hirose has already appeared in two games with Vancouver’s NHL lineup through the early season, going without any changes to his stat line. He also recorded a 39.39 CF% (Corsi-For Percentage) and 43.87 xGF% (expected-goals-for percentage) in the pair of games – both modest tallies that are certainly influenced by a small sample size, although both numbers are an improvement from the CF% and xGF% he recorded in his seven NHL games last season.
Carson Soucy was announced with injury on November 12th and the team has yet to provide an update on his status. Hirose will provide some depth to the Canucks’ blue-line while Soucy works his way back into the lineup.