Senators Notes: Brannstrom, GM Search, Defensive Depth, Hamara
The Senators will welcome back another blueliner tonight as head coach D.J. Smith confirmed to TSN 1200 (Twitter link) that Erik Brannstrom will play against Calgary. The 24-year-old sustained a concussion on a hard hit from Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck two weeks ago and was stretchered off the ice, resulting in him missing the last five games. Brannstrom was off to a slow start offensively as he had been held off the scoresheet in his first seven appearances but with the team dressing three rookies earlier in the week, getting him and Artem Zub (who returned last game) back certainly will give them a boost.
More from Ottawa:
- The team has not yet started reaching out to other teams for permission to interview potential GM candidates, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. At this point, President of Hockey Operations and interim GM Steve Staios has an idea of who they’d like to reach out to but clearly, this is not a vacancy that is going to be filled in the immediate future. Teams are sometimes hesitant about granting permission to speak to another club in-season so it’s possible that Staios could hold both titles for a little while.
- Prior to losing his GM role, Pierre Dorion had been exploring the trade market for defensive depth, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Ottawa’s preference this season was to keep their young blueliners in AHL Belleville where they could play heavy minutes but, again, their recent rash of injuries saw them dressing three rookies with the big club earlier this week. For the time being, Thomas Chabot’s LTIR placement has given them some extra flexibility on the cap so it wouldn’t be shocking if Staios picked up where Dorion left off on that front.
- Prospects Tomas Hamara is on the move as OHL Brantford announced that they’ve acquired the defenseman from Kitchener in exchange for a pair of draft picks. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2022 (87th overall) out of Tappara’s system in Finland. This season, Hamara has three assists in 18 games. His new team is owned by new Sens owner Michael Andlauer.
Capitals Place Martin Fehervary On IR, Recall Dylan McIlrath
Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary left last night’s game with a lower-body injury last night and it appears the injury will keep him out for a little while. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that Washington has placed the blueliner on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, blueliner Dylan McIlrath was recalled from AHL Hershey.
Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday (video link), head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t provide any specifics about Fehervary’s injury, only saying that it was not ideal. That’s certainly a fair assessment as the 24-year-old went into last night’s contest averaging over 19 minutes a game while holding down a spot in their top four.
So far this season, Fehervary has a pair of assists in a dozen appearances along with 20 hits and 29 blocked shots. He also takes a regular turn on Washington’s second penalty killing unit so his absence will be hard to fill internally. Alexander Alexeyev was the reserve blueliner on Friday so it stands to reason that he’ll get the first chance to do so while Lucas Johansen and Hardy Haman Aktell will each have to cover more minutes as well.
As for McIlrath, the 31-year-old is in his third season in Washington’s system. He got into six games with the Caps last year, his first taste of NHL action since the 2019-20 campaign when he was with Detroit. McIlrath is best known for his physicality but he does have three assists in 11 games so far with the Bears this season, along with 23 penalty minutes. Last year in the minors, he had 13 helpers in 60 contests plus 102 minutes in the box.
Sabres Assign Matthew Savoie To WHL
Matthew Savoie‘s time with the Sabres has come to an end quickly. The team announced today that they have assigned the forward back major junior, sending him to WHL Wenatchee.
Savoie suffered an upper-body injury during Buffalo’s prospect tournament, one that kept him out through the start of the season. Once he was cleared to return last month, he was eligible to be sent to AHL Rochester for a conditioning assignment even though age-wise, he isn’t eligible to play there on regular assignment; a request from the Sabres to give him an exemption was denied.
The 19-year-old fared well with the Americans on that assignment, picking up two goals and three assists in six games, prompting Buffalo to recall him to their active roster. He made his NHL debut last night with Alex Tuch out of the lineup but played just 3:55, a sign that his stay in the NHL might be short-lived.
Savoie now returns to junior, a level he dominated last season with 38 goals and 57 assists in just 62 games with Winnipeg; that organization moved to Wenatchee for this year. He will be ineligible to be recalled to Buffalo barring emergency circumstances for the remainder of his junior season; once his campaign there comes to an end, Savoie would be eligible to play for Rochester if the Americans are still playing at that time.
Savoie is in the first season of his entry-level deal which carries a $918K AAV. That contract will now slide for a second and final time at the end of the year, meaning he should come into training camp in 2024 with three years still left on that deal at a slightly lower cap charge.
Kings Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Nashville
Samuel Fagemo is once again a member of the Kings. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has claimed the winger off waivers from Nashville. Back in training camp, the Predators had claimed him off waivers from the Kings.
The 23-year-old was a second-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2019 (50th overall) and is waiver-eligible for the first time this season. Fagemo has shown a scoring touch in the minors, notching 27 goals with AHL Ontario in his first year in North America in 2021-22 and followed that up with a 23-goal effort last season. Despite that, he didn’t see much action with the Kings, seeing just 13 games over those two campaigns.
With Los Angeles not having much in the way of cap and waiver flexibility, Fagemo was waived back in training camp where Nashville scooped him up. However, he didn’t get much of an opportunity with them either, playing in just four games, scoring once while averaging just under ten minutes per game. That was still enough for the Preds to decide that his roster spot would be better used elsewhere.
Because the Kings were the only team to claim Fagemo, they were allowed to send him down to Ontario, a move they have now announced (Twitter link). Jordan Spence, who was papered down yesterday, has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Penguins Recall Vinnie Hinostroza, Assign Joel Blomqvist To AHL
The Penguins are set to welcome back Tristan Jarry between the pipes tonight against Buffalo, meaning that they’re now able to return Joel Blomqvist to the AHL. Per a team announcement (Twitter link), they’ve done just that, sending the young netminder down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Taking his place on the roster will be forward Vinnie Hinostroza.
Blomqvist was recalled on Thursday and served as the backup to Magnus Hellberg on Thursday night in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old is in his first full season in North America and has yet to see any action at the top level. Blomqvist is off to a nice start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting a 1.91 GAA and a .920 SV% in his first seven appearances; his GAA is the fifth-best among qualifying netminders at the minor league level. He’ll go back to being their undisputed starter with Hellberg, who started the season in the minors, still up with Pittsburgh.
As for Hinostroza, this is already his fifth promotion to the NHL this season as he has frequently been shuffled to and from the minors. The 29-year-old has suited up twice for the Penguins so far, picking up a goal and an assist despite averaging just 9:10 per contest. He has been similarly productive in the minors, collecting two goals and two helpers in five contests. Signed to a one-year contract last summer, Hinostroza is likely to continue to be one of the first forwards recalled when Pittsburgh has the roster and cap space to do so.
Blackhawks Recall Isaak Phillips, Place Jarred Tinordi On IR
In advance of their game tomorrow in Florida, the Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves. Per the AHL’s Transactions Log, Chicago has recalled defenseman Isaak Phillips from AHL Rockford. To make room for him on the roster, Jarred Tinordi has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 9th.
Phillips has split the season between the Blackhawks and IceHogs, having spent a week with the big club in late October before being sent down last week. He has one appearance with Chicago this year but has logged regular minutes with Rockford, picking up three points in eight games so far. The 22-year-old is in his fourth professional season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
As for Tinordi, he left Thursday’s game in the first period with an oblique injury and did not return. The team didn’t provide any further updates but clearly, he’ll miss at least a week with the IR placement. The 31-year-old has played in nine games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 19 blocks and 23 hits while averaging 14:46 per night.
Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Fabbri, Lauko, Klingberg
Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is in the final season of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer. Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards examines how Florida might be able to keep the 28-year-old and still re-sign pending UFA blueliners Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling. He suggests that an AAV of $8MM might be workable while re-upping the rearguards, leaving the team enough space to round out the roster with a bunch of minimum-salary players. However, he has 166 points in 173 games with Florida, 17 of which have come in his 13 appearances this season and as someone who can play down the middle when needed, it’s quite possible that Reinhart’s open-market value could be higher than $8MM. That said, Florida is a favorable tax environment which could also convince him to take a bit less than he would from another team.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Red Wings are expected to welcome back forward Robby Fabbri today from his lower-body injury, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). The 27-year-old returned to the lineup on Tuesday but then missed Thursday’s contest with a lower-body issue. Fabbri missed 54 games due to injury last season and has only been able to suit up twice so far this year. With Austin Czarnik likely heading for injured reserve, Khan believes Detroit will be bringing a forward up in the coming days as well before they head out on their trip to Sweden.
- The Bruins could get winger Jakub Lauko back tonight against Montreal, notes Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 23-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks after taking a skate near his left eye and suffering several bone fractures; understandably, he’ll be wearing a full cage if he plays tonight. Lauko has been held without a point in his first six games this season after putting up four goals and three helpers in 23 games on Boston’s fourth line last year.
- John Klingberg’s injury-related absence was a short one. After not playing last night, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will suit up tonight against Vancouver, taking Simon Benoit’s spot in the lineup. It has been a rough start to Klingberg’s tenure with the Maple Leafs as the 31-year-old has just five assists in 13 games with some considerable struggles in his own end after being brought in to be a key offensive threat from the back end this summer.
Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann, Assign Pontus Holmberg To AHL
Following their shootout win over Calgary last night, the Maple Leafs have made a roster move up front in advance of their game against Vancouver tonight. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bobby McMann from AHL Toronto while they have assigned center Pontus Holmberg back to the Marlies.
McMann was briefly on the NHL roster at the start of the season while on season-opening IR but cleared waivers as soon as he was activated. The 27-year-old has played in six AHL contests so far this season, picking up two goals and an assist.
Last season, McMann saw his first taste of NHL action, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs where he had an assist and 17 hits while averaging 10:34 per night. While he was limited to just 30 games with the Marlies a year ago due to injury, McMann was quite productive, tallying 21 goals along with eight assists. If he can show any sort of that scoring touch on the NHL fourth line, he could stick around for a little while.
As for Holmberg, he has spent the bulk of the early going this season with the Maple Leafs, getting into seven games where he has been held off the scoresheet while logging a little under nine minutes per contest. The 24-year-old has a pair of points so far with AHL Toronto and will go back to playing a much bigger role for the Marlies for the time being.
Blue Jackets Activate Patrik Laine, Send Jiříček To AHL
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they’ve activated forward Patrik Laine off the IR and sent defenseman David Jiříček to their AHL affiliate the Cleveland Monsters. Laine suffered an upper-body injury on October 20th and has missed the Blue Jackets past nine games.
The news means that Laine will most likely dress for Columbus when they take on the Detroit Red Wings this afternoon. It is welcome news for the Blue Jackets as they currently sit eighth in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-6-3 record in their first 13 games. Laine has been a point-a-game player over the past two years but started slowly this year registering a goal and an assist in four games thus far.
The Blue Jackets were carrying eight defensemen and needed to move someone out to facilitate Laine’s return to the lineup. However, the Jiříček demotion is perplexing for several reasons. The 19-year-old has already exceeded the games played limit for his entry-level contract slide meaning that Columbus will burn a year off his deal regardless and according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic the team told him to find a place to live in Columbus just last week. The native of Klatovy, Czech Republic has been okay in ten games this season with a goal and two assists while keeping his head above water at 5 on 5. He hasn’t seen any time on the powerplay thus far and just over one minute in time on the penalty kill.
Columbus can always recall Jiříček from the AHL if they sustain another injury, but for a team that is developing a lot of young players, demoting a 19-year-old after telling him to find lodging might not sit well in their dressing room.
Olli Juolevi Leaves SHL Club
Former Vancouver Canucks fifth overall pick Olli Juolevi has left his club team and is on the move again after signing in Sweden this offseason with Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League. Juolevi had a PTO with the Arizona Coyotes earlier this year but failed to land an NHL contract and eventually left North America.
Timrå IK announced Juolevi’s departure and thanked the defenseman for his contributions to the team. It is unclear at this time if the team initiated a release for the 25-year-old or if Juolevi made the request. Timrå IK does have several players returning from injury in the coming weeks so it could be an issue with a lack of playing time for the former Canucks rearguard.
Vancouver selected Juolevi back in 2016 one pick before 2023 Hart Memorial Trophy finalist Matthew Tkachuk. While calling that a misfire would be an understatement, especially given that the Canucks knew that the Calgary Flames would take Tkachuk and could have traded down to draft Juolevi. It should be noted that Juolevi sustained back and hip injuries as well as a knee injury that would require surgery. These significant ailments ultimately hampered Juolevi’s skating mobility before he even played a single NHL game. Juolevi would go on to suit up in 23 NHL games for the Canucks registering two goals and an assist before bouncing around to the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, all the while dressing in both AHL and NHL games.
So far this season, Juolevi had a single assist in nine games with Timrå IK while going -6. The SHL team is a way out of contention sitting ninth in the league with seven wins in their first 16 games. There is no word yet on what is next for Juolevi, as he attempts to resurrect his career that showed so much promise less than a decade ago.