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.
Evening Notes: Couture, Pesce, Kings, Johnsson
Originally, Sharks captain Logan Couture wasn’t supposed to miss much time due to his lower-body injury. However, he still has yet to play this season with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relaying that the middleman hasn’t just suffered one setback in his recovery but rather two separate ones last month. GM Mike Grier added that they’re not in a position at this point to say if he’ll be back in a month or two, only that it’s something he’s not able to play through. San Jose could certainly use Couture’s offensive skills – he’s coming off a 67-point showing last season – but clearly, he won’t be making his season debut anytime soon.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Hurricanes welcomed back Brett Pesce to the lineup tonight against Florida. He had missed eight straight games due to a lower-body injury, hardly an ideal start to a contract year. Pesce had been in trade speculation dating back to the summer but that cooled off with the injury. Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch as a result of Pesce’s return. Carolina never put Pesce on the injured list despite him missing three weeks so no corresponding roster move needs to be made.
- The near-daily roster shuffling in Los Angeles continues as the Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Jordan Spence and center Jaret Anderson-Dolan to AHL Ontario. The moves get them out of LTIR for a day, allowing them to bank a tiny amount of cap space which will be useful when Viktor Arvidsson is cleared to return. Los Angeles is back in action Saturday against Philadelphia and both players will almost certainly be back on the roster at that time.
- As expected, veteran winger Andreas Johnsson has indeed signed with SHL Skelleftea, per a team release. The 28-year-old signed with Pittsburgh in the summer but cleared waivers in training camp and didn’t report to the minors. The Penguins granted him his release earlier this week, paving the way for him to sign back home and play with his older brother. It’s a four-year deal for Johnsson which means his days of playing in North America may very well be over.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks
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.
San Jose Sharks
Current Cap Hit: $81,392,547 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F William Eklund (three years, $863K)
D Nikita Okhotyuk (one year, $789K)
Potential Bonuses
Eklund: $850K
Okhotiuk: $82.5K
Total: $932.5K
The Sharks have slow-played things with Eklund, giving him a taste of NHL action over the last two years but not enough to actually start his contract. Now that his deal can’t slide anymore, he’s a regular in the lineup. He’s off to a slow start this season and San Jose’s offensive woes will make it tough for him to hit on his four ‘A’ bonuses.
Okhotiuk is essentially waiver-blocked. San Jose isn’t using him much but they also don’t want to risk losing him for nothing on waivers. The end result is a lot of time on the bench which doesn’t bode well for his next contract or reaching some of his games played bonuses.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
D Calen Addison ($825K, RFA)
F Alexander Barabanov ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($775K, UFA)
F Anthony Duclair ($3MM, UFA)
D Ty Emberson ($775K, RFA)
F Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM, UFA)
G Kaapo Kahkonen ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Luke Kunin ($2.75MM, RFA)
F Kevin Labanc ($4.725MM, UFA)
F Oskar Lindblom ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Jacob MacDonald ($762.5K, UFA)
D Radim Simek ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Filip Zadina ($1.1MM, RFA)
After Labanc took a team-friendly one-year deal back in 2019-20, things have gone downhill as he has failed to pass the 33-point mark since then. At one point last month, it looked like he’d be waived. A change of scenery would likely do him some good but it’s almost certainly going to come at a fraction of this price. Hoffman appears to be heading for a sizable dip in pay as well after a tough couple of years in Montreal and a particularly rough start to this season. His shot is still dangerous but he might be better suited for a deeper team who can use him on the power play but hide him a bit at five-on-five. Those teams won’t be able to offer anywhere close to the type of money he’s making now.
Duclair was acquired from Florida over the summer with the Panthers looking to free up some cap space. A big year in a prominent role could also bode well for the winger but, as is the case with pretty much every other forward, he’s off to a tough start. Still, after a 31-goal showing in 2021-22, Duclair should at least have a chance at another short-term deal around this price. Barabanov is coming off a career year that saw him record 47 points in 68 games, a pretty nice bargain at his price. However, a finger injury is likely to keep him out for another month which won’t help his bargaining power. That said, a small raise could be achievable if he’s able to produce upon his return.
Kunin’s tenure with San Jose hasn’t gone great so far. Injuries limited him to just 31 games last season where he managed 13 points and he’s producing at a lower clip in the early going this year. Owed a $3MM qualifying offer in June, that price tag might be too rich for the Sharks. Lindblom landed this deal after being bought out by Philadelphia but has struggled with his new team to the point where he cleared waivers in camp and is now in the minors with a dead cap charge of $1.35MM. As things stand, even getting that much next summer could be difficult.
Zadina walked away from guaranteed money with Detroit to take a lot less with San Jose in the hopes that a new environment could help him revive his game. The results have been spotty so far but with him being controllable through restricted free agency until 2027, they can afford a gradual development curve. A small raise with arbitration eligibility should come his way. Carpenter has seen limited minutes so far and is likely to stay in a depth forward role which will keep him around this price point moving forward.
Simek has been a depth piece for the majority of this contract (which is in its fourth year) which resulted in him clearing waivers in training camp. Accordingly, he has a dead cap charge of $1.1MM which, like Lindblom, might be more than what he’ll be able to get on the open market this summer. Addison was recently acquired from Minnesota in a move that basically gives him a fresh start where he’ll play more frequently. After putting up 29 points last season, the Wild basically had no choice but to give him a low-cost, one-year deal. Next summer, Addison will be arbitration-eligible and should see this price tag double at a minimum.
Emberson was picked up on waivers in training camp and is getting his first taste of NHL action. He has held his own so far but a larger sample size is needed to see if he’s worthy of a bigger raise and a multi-year deal or another one-year pact if he winds up being a depth defender. MacDonald is another depth piece who, at 30, is almost certain to stay around the minimum salary on his next deal.
Things haven’t gone quite as planned for Kahkonen. Former GM Doug Wilson moved a capable blueliner in Jacob Middleton to get the netminder back at the 2021-22 trade deadline with the hopes that he’d be their goalie of the future. The way he finished off that season provided some cause for optimism but since then, it has not been pretty. He posted a save percentage of just .883 last season and this year, it’s even worse early on; with how bad the Sharks are, there’s no guarantee it will improve either. He’s one of the more intriguing goalies in this free agent class; is it a case of him just needing a more structured environment to succeed in? Or did he peak a couple of years ago? How teams feel will ultimately decide if he gets a contract similar to this one or if he’s heading for a sizable pay cut as well.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.35MM, UFA)
F Mikael Granlund ($5MM, UFA)
D Nikolai Knyzhov ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Jan Rutta ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Givani Smith ($800K, UFA)
F Nico Sturm ($2MM, UFA)
F Fabian Zetterlund ($1.45MM, RFA)
Yes, things didn’t go well for Granlund in Pittsburgh but before that, he had 100 points in his last 138 games with Nashville. Accordingly, a bounce-back performance is doable in theory but this might not be the best situation for that to happen. At the moment, it’s hard to see him getting this type of money two years from now but if things stabilize somewhat and Granlund is a key part of that happening, he might be able to come closer than some might think. Sturm had a career year last season, his first with San Jose as he put up career bests across the board while providing some positive value on his contract. If he can stay close to 25 points while being a faceoff specialist, his market should be a bit stronger in 2025 where he could push for closer to $3MM.
Zetterlund did well with New Jersey last year but struggled mightily after being acquired in the Timo Meier swap. This season, he has looked a bit more comfortable and is the early team leader in goals. He’ll be looking to establish himself as a dependable middle-six winger moving forward and if he does, his next contract should at least go past the $2MM mark. Smith has been a depth player when he has been on an NHL roster and that’s unlikely to change with the Sharks which should keep him around this price point two years from now.
Rutta is best utilized in a complementary role and the state of San Jose’s depth chart makes that somewhat difficult to accomplish. When he signed this contract with Pittsburgh, it seemed like an overpayment at the time and if he winds up languishing with the Sharks for most of the remainder of it, he could also be looking at a small cut on his next contract. Knyzhov has battled significant injury trouble and at this point, it’s just about re-establishing himself as a regular, a role he last had in 2020-21. If he can do so and stay healthy, he could push for closer to $2MM but would need to become a top-four piece with the Sharks to aim much higher.
Blackwood struggled with injuries and inconsistency with New Jersey, resulting in his rights being dealt to San Jose in the spring. They non-tendered him but quickly agreed to this deal. The 26-year-old has fared better than Kahkonen but is struggling behind a weakened back end. He’ll need to fare at least a bit better if he wants a shot at another deal around this price point; even keeping them competitive most nights might be enough.
Signed Through 2025-26
D Matt Benning ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Kyle Burroughs ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Mario Ferraro ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM, UFA)
To say that Vlasic’s contract hasn’t aged well would be an extreme understatement. The decline in performance started in year two and has continued since then. In his prime, Vlasic was a prime shutdown defenseman but now, he’s struggling to handle even number six minutes and has been healthy scratched at times. There is signing bonus money in each of the remaining years of the contract which must be paid in full with a buyout. Even so, a buyout starts to look a bit palatable this summer when the cost would be $3.833MM, $4.833MM, and then two years at $1.333MM. San Jose isn’t in a spot where they need to free up cap space but keeping an aging veteran around at the expense of a younger player isn’t the best option either and a trade just isn’t palatable.
Ferraro’s contract was interesting at the time it was signed in that it brought him right to unrestricted free agency with no extra years of club control. He’s playing a bigger role than he probably should but in a fourth or fifth role, he’d fit in well with quite a few teams. Unless things really don’t go well between now and 2026, he should be positioned to earn an increase on this deal even with his struggles as a top-pairing player.
Benning’s contract was another somewhat curious one in that sixth defenders usually don’t get four-year deals. He actually had a career season offensively last year, making him a bit of a bargain at the moment although he’d need to continue to produce near that level to earn any sort of significant raise. Closer to the trade deadline, he could be an under-the-radar trade candidate. Burroughs also inked a multi-year deal to be a role player on the back end, pretty good stability for a player who had less than 100 NHL games under his belt at the time he signed. He’s also playing a bigger role than he should but if he can hold his own at the 20-minute mark, his market should be stronger in 2026.
Oilers Notes: Goaltending, Bourgault, Coaching
Edmonton’s goaltending situation certainly hasn’t been good this season with Stuart Skinner and now-demoted Jack Campbell combining for a 4.10 GAA and a .862 SV%, a big reason why the Oilers are now tied with San Jose for last in the NHL. Accordingly, there has been an expectation that a move will be made to shore up their netminders. In a recent 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed that there were some in the league who thought Edmonton was nearing a deal to do just that on Wednesday. Clearly, that hasn’t come to fruition (yet, at least) but it would appear as if GM Ken Holland is trying to get something done on that front. But with the team in a money-in, money-out situation to stay cap-compliant, it’ll be easier said than done.
More from Edmonton:
- Speaking today on TSN 690 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that prospect Xavier Bourgault is “a piece the Canadiens have coveted for a while”. The 21-year-old was the 22nd pick back in 2021 and is in his second season with AHL Bakersfield. A strong scorer in junior, Bourgault had a decent rookie campaign with 34 points in 62 games last season while he has four in seven contests so far this year. Montreal is one of the teams still carrying three goalies although Jake Allen might not work in their salary structure, extension talks have started with Samuel Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau isn’t the proven solution between the pipes that Edmonton should be looking for.
- TSN’s Ryan Rishaug relayed earlier today (Twitter link) that nothing was imminent with regards to possible coaching change. Jay Woodcroft is only in his second full season with the team and even with the ugly start this season, his teams have played to a .640 point percentage. Postmedia’s Robert Tychkowski notes that a change, if one is made, would give them their fifth bench boss in eight years with a good chunk of the core there for all of those moves. As a result, while making a move behind the bench might be the easiest lever to pull, recent history would suggest that it might not change a whole lot.
Golden Knights Assign Kaedan Korczak To AHL
With Vegas set to welcome back Zach Whitecloud to their lineup tonight, they needed to create the salary cap and roster room needed to do so. That move has been made as PuckPedia relays (Twitter link) that blueliner Kaedan Korczak has been assigned to AHL Henderson.
The 22-year-old was sent down at the end of training camp before being recalled following Whitecloud’s LTIR placement. While he didn’t suit up in every game, he has been relatively productive when he has played, notching a goal and three assists in seven contests while logging a little under 16 minutes a night. For his NHL career, Korczak has six points in 18 appearances, impressive numbers considering he’s coming off a 14-point showing in 50 games with the Silver Knights last season.
Meanwhile, Whitecloud’s return will be a welcome one. The 26-year-old was a steady part of their third pairing last season, notching 12 points, 97 hits, and 90 blocks in 59 regular season games while averaging a little over 17 minutes per appearance. That playing time went up in the playoffs to a little under 19 minutes per contests while he added eight points in 22 games to help Vegas win the Stanley Cup.
With this assignment and Whitecloud’s subsequent activation, Vegas is down to just $85K in LTIR space while Robin Lehner and Daniil Miromanov still on there. That said, the Golden Knights are still carrying a full 23-man roster so they shouldn’t be facing a situation where they have to play short a player for a game (due to not being able to afford a recall) for a little while at least.
Snapshots: Darcy Kuemper, Carter Hart, Patrik Laine
Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery shared that Darcy Kuemper got banged up in the team’s last game. He will sit out of the team’s Friday game with an undisclosed injury. The Capitals recalled Hunter Shepard in response. He will serve as the backup behind Charlie Lindgren on Friday.
Kuemper has been in and out of the lineup to start the season, appearing in eight games with the Capitals. He’s managed a 3-3-2 record through that span, recording a .892 save percentage. That’s a step down from the .902 save percentage that he ended the 2022-23 season with – a mark he set en route to a 22-26-7 record in 57 games.
Charlie Lindgren has found himself with the best save percentage on the team, currently sitting with a .929 through the two games he’s appeared in, saving 65 of the 70 shots that he’s faced so far. Shepard also stepped in for one game, allowing four goals on 22 shots but nevertheless managing his first NHL win.
Other notes from around the league:
- Carter Hart will miss the Philadelphia Flyers’ Friday night game with illness. Samuel Ersson is set to start in his place. Ersson has recorded a .830 save percentage and 1-3-1 record through five games this season. Hart has tallied a .913 save percentage and 4-3-0 record in eight games.
- Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent shared that star winger Patrik Laine could return from his concussion at some point this weekend. The Jackets play on both Saturday and Sunday. Laine has managed two points and a -2 through four games this season.
Wild Activate Jared Spurgeon, Send Daemon Hunt To AHL
4:10 PM: Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason announced that Spurgeon will, indeed, play in the team’s Friday night outing.
4:00 PM: The Minnesota Wild have activated team captain Jared Spurgeon from long-term injured reserve and sent Daemon Hunt to the minor leagues. Spurgeon has been on injured reserve for the entirety of the early season, battling an upper-body injury.
Getting Spurgeon back is a tremendous boost to a Wild lineup that’s struggled to get on the right side of the win column. The team currently has a 5-6-2 record through 13 games, ranking them sixth in the Central Division. But now they get back a pillar of their lineup in Spurgeon, who has averaged over 21 minutes of ice time for the club in every season since 2011-12. He scored 11 goals and 34 points last season, taking a slight step down from the 40 points he managed in the 2021-22 campaign.
Daemon Hunt appeared in his first five NHL games while helping to fill in for Spurgeon. He wasn’t able to net his first NHL box stat though, going without a point, penalty, or change in his +/-. He’ll return to the AHL’s Iowa Wild, where he’s already played four games this season – failing to record a point in those games as well, although he did record seven penalty minutes and a -3.
With the news of his Friday return, Spurgeon will have missed 12 games to start the season. The 33-year-old defenseman will have the potential to play in, at most, 69 games this season. The team captain is chasing his 400th NHL point, currently sitting 21 points back from the milestone
Injury Notes: Markstrom, Nosek, Zegras, Whitecloud
Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska shared that starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He will sit out of the team’s Friday night game, with Daniel Vladar taking over the starting role.
This is timely news, as the Flames just recalled back-to-back AHL Goalie of the Year winner Dustin Wolf to the NHL club. Wolf has yet to carve out an NHL presence but the 22-year-old goaltender has more than proven his capability, going as far as winning the AHL’s Les Cunningham Award last season, given to the league’s most valuable player. Calgary plays Toronto on Friday and Ottawa on Saturday, which could give Wolf a chance to relieve Vladar.
The team will hope that their backups getting added opportunities can turn into some sort of spark in net. Markstrom has struggled through the early season, recording a .896 save percentage and 2-6-1 record across nine games played. Vladar has managed better outcomes in his appearances, earning a 2-1-0 record in his three games, but carries a .844 save percentage.
Wolf has recorded a .924 save percentage and 5-1-0 record in six AHL games this season.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- Tomas Nosek is expected to return to the New Jersey Devils lineup on Friday, despite head coach Lindy Ruff saying he wanted to see a few more practices from the forward. Nosek has played in two games with the Devils this season, going without a point or any change in his +/-. He’s been battling a lower-body injury and was placed on injured reserve earlier in the year.
- The Anaheim Ducks will be without Trevor Zegras on Friday, as he’s battling a nagging lower-body injury. The dynamic forward is off to a slow start this season, with a mere two points through his first 12 games. Contract negotiations held him out of much of the team’s training camp.
- Zach Whitecloud is set to return make his season debut on Friday. The defenseman went under the knife in early October to address an issue in his hand. He was announced as week-to-week at the time and makes his return nearly one month later, holding to his history as a quick healer. Whitecloud scored 12 points in 59 games last year.
Atlantic Notes: McCabe, Klingberg, Bennett, Montour, McAvoy, Czarnik
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe will draw back into the lineup Friday against the Calgary Flames after missing six games with a groin injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters today (via David Alter of Sports Illustrated). The shutdown defenseman is expected to factor in on the second pairing, playing on his off-side along 40-year-old veteran Mark Giordano.
McCabe sustained the injury on his first shift in an October 26 game against the Dallas Stars, skating only ten seconds before leaving the game. The 2023 trade deadline acquisition from the Chicago Blackhawks hasn’t registered a point yet this season and has a -4 rating in seven games, and his possession metrics have dipped significantly (albeit in a small sample) from last season’s strong play.
That dip can’t be entirely attributed to him, however. His partner for most of the season before exiting the lineup was John Klingberg, who Keefe said will not suit up against Calgary as he deals with an undisclosed injury. Klingberg has five assists through 13 games but has posted a -8 rating, including two -3 performances in his last three games.
Klingberg’s logged the worst defensive numbers of any Maple Leafs defender this season and will be looking for a reset once he gets back to full health. McCabe, meanwhile, has excelled this season in small increments away from Klingberg – his pairing with the now-injured Timothy Liljegren has been the Leafs’ best at controlling shot quality this season, posting an expected goals share of 58.1% in nearly 50 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Things are looking up in the Sunshine State for the Florida Panthers, as they sit second in the Atlantic Division with a .625 points percentage. They’re about to get some reinforcements, too, as head coach Paul Maurice said today that center Sam Bennett is possible (but unlikely) to return from a lower-body injury on Sunday against the Blackhawks. Even if he doesn’t return to the lineup this weekend, that likely means Bennett could factor in next Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. The feisty secondary scorer has missed all but one game this season due to separate lower-body injuries, last appearing October 30 against the Boston Bruins and playing just 7:54. The 27-year-old had 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games last season and will immediately help bolster their top six upon returning. 22-year-old Anton Lundell, who’s filled in as their second-line center in Bennett’s absence, has scored just once in 12 games.
- Florida is also likely to get defenseman Brandon Montour back soon, with Maurice saying the two-way defender could make his season debut as early as next week. Montour, who underwent shoulder surgery following the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, was initially expected back around training camp but had his recovery timeline extended over the summer. The 29-year-old finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season, exploding for a career-high 73 points in 80 games and adding eight goals in 21 playoff games in Florida’s run to the Final. Florida’s defense has held up surprisingly well in his (and Aaron Ekblad‘s) absence, but his return to action is still something to look forward to.
- Another big-time defender returning to action imminently is Boston Bruins star Charlie McAvoy, who has completed his four-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and is eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Canadiens. McAvoy had easily been the Bruins’ best defenseman through nine games, scoring two goals and six assists with a +6 rating while averaging 23:52 per game. McAvoy’s return to the lineup, along with shutdown defender Derek Forbort‘s return from injury, meant the Bruins were able to return depth defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to AHL Providence earlier today.
- Detroit Red Wings forward Austin Czarnik will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets for undisclosed reasons, per head coach Derek Lalonde. Czarnik has made 11 appearances for the Red Wings this year but has recorded just one assist and a -3 rating in less than nine minutes per game of ice time. The 30-year-old is in the second season of a two-year, two-way deal carrying a $762.5K cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.