Sharks Reassign Scott Sabourin To AHL
The San Jose Sharks have reassigned veteran forward Scott Sabourin to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. Sabourin was called up two weeks ago by the Sharks and did get into three games during his recall. Sabourin had no points, nine penalty minutes and averaged just over nine minutes of ice time per game. Although he did play during his recall, he has been a healthy scratch the last few games and hasn’t dressed since January 16th. Overall, he dressed in three of the seven games the Sharks played since his recall on January 8th.
Sabourin played just 6:36 in his final game against the Chicago Blackhawks but did have a spirited fight with Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi after Tinordi had stepped up and hit Sharks teammate Justin Bailey. Tinordi and Sabourin each received five minutes for fighting in what was a battle between two NHL heavyweights.
The 31-year-old Sabourin has been largely a career AHLer as he only has 46 games of NHL experience, the bulk of which came in 2019-20 when Sabourin played for his hometown Ottawa Senators. That year Sabourin had two goals and four assists in 35 games, all of which are career highs.
Sabourin returns to the Barracuda, where he has been able to provide some offense to mix in with his physicality. In 29 AHL games this season, Sabourin has nine goals and four assists along with 92 penalty minutes.
Calgary Flames Recall Cole Schwindt
The Calgary Flames have recalled forward Cole Schwindt from the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL. Schwindt was one of the pieces that came over to the Calgary Flames as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade with the Florida Panthers alongside Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and a 2025 lottery-protected first-round draft pick.
Schwindt has yet to suit up for the Flames but does have three games of NHL experience with the Panthers back in 2021-22. He was held scoreless during that stretch and was -4. At the AHL level, the 22-year-old has been a productive player with 42 goals and 52 assists in 189 career games.
Schwindt has plateaued offensively in recent years as he has seen his offensive numbers drop from his career-best season in 2021-22. The former third-round pick had 19 goals and 21 assists in 72 games that year with the Charlotte Checkers but hasn’t been able to duplicate that success or come close to the 17.9% shooting percentage he posted.
This season with the Wranglers, Schwindt has eight goals and 12 assists in 37 games which is a tick below his career-best numbers, but he has yet to take the next step offensively. While his offense hasn’t taken off, the defensive side of his game has steadily improved over the years and that is likely the reason he could get his first taste of NHL action in two years.
Calgary could be looking at some major moves over the next few weeks and if Schwindt can show he belongs at the NHL level he may be able to extend his stay with the Flames.
Tanner Pearson Returning To The Canadiens Lineup
Montreal Canadiens forward Tanner Pearson is set to return to the lineup tonight when the Canadiens take on the Ottawa Senators. Pearson has been sidelined since December 9th with an upper-body injury but has been practicing with the team for a few days now.
The 31-year-old was acquired by the Canadiens last September along with a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith. He started the season slow with just four goals and four assists in his first 27 games before the injury sidelined him.
It’s been a tough few years for the 31-year-old as he was once a perennial 15-20 goal scorer but hasn’t topped 15 goals since the 2019-20 season when he had 21 goals with the Vancouver Canucks.
Pearson is in the final season of a three-year contract he signed with the Canucks back in April 2021 and could become a trade chip for the Canadiens if he can show that he is healthy and productive. He spent the first six years of his career with the Los Angeles Kings, winning a Stanley Cup in 2014. However, since 2018 he has been dealt on three separate occasions and could be looking at another move, or possibly two over the next six months.
Pearson is counting $3.25MM against the cap this year and could be one of the less expensive forwards on the market. His trade market could heat up if he can get any traction over the next four to six weeks.
Morning Notes: Laine, Werenski, Byram, Engvall
Zach Werenski and Patrik Laine are expected to return on the five-game road trip the Columbus Blue Jackets begin on Tuesday. Laine has missed the team’s last 14 games with a broken collarbone, while Werenski has missed 10 games with an ankle injury.
The Blue Jackets went 3-4-3 without their pair of top talents, averaging just 2.7 goals-for and 4.1 goals-against. Werenski’s return will mark the most notable impact, as the 26-year-old defenseman still ranks third on the team in scoring – with one goal and 25 points in 34 games – despite missing 11 games on the season. Laine hasn’t been as productive, boasting six goals and nine points in 18 games, though he was on a hot streak before his injury – netting five points in his last six games. The duo have become pivotal to Columbus’ success, and frequent absentees from the lineup. Laine posted 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games last season, while Werenski was only able to appear in 13 games – and score eight points – as he missed most of the season with a torn labrum and separated shoulder. The Blue Jackets will hope both players can find a newfound bout of health upon their return, as they work to improve on a season that currently has them ranked in the league’s bottom five.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Colorado Avalanche have activated defenseman Bowen Byram off on injured reserve. The 22-year-old defenseman has appeared in 39 of Colorado’s 47 games this season, netting 12 points split evenly. He’s managed the scoring while serving in a top-end role, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time – though it’s a step down from the nearly 22 minutes of ice time Byram averaged in 42 games last season. Caleb Jones and Sam Malinski will likely step out of the lineup to make space for Byram, though one of the two could still see ice time as the Avalanche have opted for seven defensemen recently.
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Stefen Rosner of NHL.com is reporting that New York Islanders forward Pierre Engvall is feeling better and has returned to full contact at Islanders practice. The 27-year-old has been dealing with an upper-body injury and has not suited up for New York since a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on January 15th. Engvall’s style of play should be well suited for new head coach Patrick Roy’s system as puck possession remains a strong suit for the former seventh-round pick. Engvall’s numbers are down a bit this season as has just five goals and nine assists in 41 games this season. His shooting percentage has plummeted to just 7.5% down from a career-high 13% last season. There is no timetable yet for Engvall to return to the Islanders lineup.
Devils Expected To Sign Tom Fitzgerald To Multi-Year Extension
The New Jersey Devils are expected to sign general manager Tom Fitzgerald to a multi-year extension and added President of Hockey Operations to his list of roles. Fitzgerald has been with the Devils since the summer of 2015 when he joined the club as an assistant general manager. He served in the role for five years, ultimately taking over for general manager Ray Shero when he was fired from the club in January 2020. Fitzgerald was granted the full general manager title that summer and has since built one of the league’s premiere squads, serving a key role in the blockbuster trade for Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton‘s seven-year contract, and the drafting of top defensive prospects Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.
New Jersey is a fantastic team on paper, though injuries have significantly limited their ability to reach their ceiling. In fact, the Devils are currently outside of the playoff picture, currently sitting two points behind the Eastern Conference’s second wild card – though they do have two games in hand. Their season has been marked by heavy limitations to all of their top names – with Hamilton currently out indefinitely, Meier and Jack Hughes both missing 13 games and Nico Hischier missing 11. The team hasn’t been able to match the production that these top-line players bring, as only two Devils currently have 30 or more points through the team’s first 45 games.
But despite the struggles, New Jersey is opting to stick with their top brass, extending both head coach Lindy Ruff and now GM Fitzgerald. They will hope the duo can command the Devils’ roster back to the Stanley Cup hopes they entered the season with, once they’re able to get healthy.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Victor Soderstrom
The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Victor Soderstrom from the minor leagues. This move comes in response to a lower-body injury to Troy Stecher that’s expected to hold the defender out for four-to-six weeks.
Soderstrom has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring with 21 points in 38 games – a mark that also ranks fourth on the team as a whole. He also scored 21 AHL points through 44 games last season, adding nine points in 30 NHL games. His stint with the Coyotes last season brought his career total up to 50 NHL games and 11 career points. He is one of 11 players from the 2019 NHL Draft’s First Round to play in 50 or fewer career NHL games, though Soderstrom and Los Angeles Kings prospect Alex Turcotte are the only in the top 15 in that category.
Soderstrom’s recall brings much-needed depth to a Coyotes lineup currently facing injuries to six different lineup players. This includes Stecher and Matt Dumba, with the latter dealing with an undisclosed ailment and an undisclosed timeline. The Coyotes have had to turn to Michael Kesselring and Josh Brown to fill-out the blueline. Kesselring is playing out his rookie NHL season, boasting 11 points in 28 games, while Brown has quietly become a long-running veteran of the top league, with four points in 25 games this year bringing his career totals to 28 points in 264 games.
Nick Foligno Activated, Connor Murphy Placed On IR
The Chicago Blackhawks have activated forward Nick Foligno off the injured reserve, and it is expected that he will dress tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. The 36-year-old is just a week removed from signing a two-year $9MM extension with the Blackhawks and has been out of action since January 5th when he stood up for Connor Bedard and fought Brandon Smith after he had hit Bedard and fractured his jaw.
Foligno is in his first season in Chicago after coming over in a trade last summer from the Boston Bruins. He has had an uneven offensive season with five multi-point games sandwiched between four stretches of four or more games without a point. Foligno is likely to find himself in Chicago’s top 6 as the team continues to deal with quite a few injury issues to their forward group. Foligno likely won’t duplicate some of his better offensive years from his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he remains a respected leader and a dependable forward for Chicago.
With the move to activate Foligno, the Blackhawks also placed defenseman Connor Murphy on the injured reserve retroactive to January 16th. Murphy is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the past four games. The 30-year-old will be eligible to return to the lineup when he is healthy enough to do so and is expected to be back at some point during Chicago’s current four-game road trip. Murphy has dressed in 43 games this season and has two goals and six assists while sporting a -19.
Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell, Assign Bobby Brink To AHL
The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Olle Lycksell from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and in a corresponding move loaned forward Bobby Brink to the Phantoms as well.
Lycksell is having a good season with Lehigh Valley as he has registered 16 goals and 12 assists in 33 games. He was held scoreless in his lone NHL game earlier in the season and does have nine career NHL games to his credit. Last season, the Oskarshamn, Sweden native dressed in eight games for the Flyers and had an assist. The 24-year-old is on the smaller side at just 5’11” but he has good offensive instincts and can make plays with the puck.
Brink has been a healthy scratch in the last three games and was loaned to the AHL to likely get back into some games. The 22-year-old is having a decent offensive season with seven goals and 11 assists in 38 games but has seen his ice time dramatically reduced over the last five games in which he has dressed. Brink had eight points in his first ten games of the season but has been held scoreless in the last seven games as his struggles have coincided with his reduction in ice time. Brink will likely have an opportunity to regain some of the confidence he showed earlier in the season and find his scoring touch once again.
The Flyers have been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season and currently sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division. They dropped two games on the weekend to the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators as they had their win streak snapped at five games.
Evening Notes: Bedard, Skinner, Islanders
Jay Zawaski of CHGO Sports is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks star rookie Connor Bedard is still expected to miss at least six weeks as he recovers from a fractured jaw that he suffered on January 5th. Bedard started skating last week in a full-face shield but is unable to exert himself as he tries to allow his jawbone to heal from the surgery he had.
The six-week timeline was given to the media by Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, who was referring to the original timeline for Bedard’s return. Richardson added that Bedard will need to go through imaging and a medical clearance before he can ramp up his skating and return to action.
The 18-year-old leads all NHL rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games. He was named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game a few weeks ago but is unlikely to attend given that the game will be held on February 3rd.
In other evening notes:
- Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner has shared that he is close to returning, and nearly played in the team’s Saturday loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Skinner has been out of the lineup since January 9th with an upper-body injury, missing five games. He’s remained one of Buffalo’s leading scorers despite the absences, though, sitting third on the team with 33 points through 38 games. Skinner also leads the team with 17 goals.
- The New York Islanders refuted an earlier report from RDS’ Stephane Leroux that the team was hiring Benoit Desrosiers as an assistant coach under new bench boss Patrick Roy. The statement added that Islanders General Manager and President Lou Lamoriello does plan to meet with Desrosiers in the future, but he has not been hired at this time. Desrosiers spent five seasons as Roy’s assistant with the Remparts and won the Memorial Cup in 2023. He was hired as the head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques for this season but has had a rough start as the team currently sits seventh in the Western Conference of the QMJHL with a record of 15-26-4.
Conor Timmins Fined For Cross-Checking
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that the league fined Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins for his cross-check on Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev in yesterday’s game. The 25-year-old was ordered to pay $2,864.58 for his penalty which is the maximum amount allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The incident happened early in the game when Timmins cross-checked Tanev below the numbers, causing the Kraken forward to crash into the end boards behind the Toronto net. Tanev jumped up to his feet to try and fight Timmins, but Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit stepped in for Timmins and received a two-minute minor for roughing along with Tanev. Timmins received a two-minute minor for his infraction which left Seattle with a power play that they did not score on.
Timmins has had a difficult time staying in the Maple Leafs lineup this season as he has dressed in just two of Toronto’s last 15 games. While he has been a healthy scratch recently, he also missed almost all of October and November with a lower-body injury. When he has dressed, he’s been a good offensive defenseman having posted a goal and five assists in just 15 games.
The money from Timmins’ fine will go to the Player Emergency Assistance Fund.