West Notes: Mukhamadullin, Jets Injury Updates, Blackhawks Camp Battle
When the San Jose Sharks dealt star forward Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils last season, a centerpiece asset the team received in return was young blueliner Shakir Mukhamadullin. The 2020 20th overall pick is a rangy six-foot-four, 185-pound defenseman who has spent the bulk of his time developing since his draft date with Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL. Although some fans might be optimistic that Mukhamadullin might break camp with the Sharks’ NHL roster, it appears in reality he’s ticketed for the Barracuda.
Sharks head coach David Quinn told the media today, including Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka, that Mukhamadullin will almost assuredly start the season in the AHL. Quinn cited a desire for Mukhamadullin to play big minutes in the AHL and develop more confidence on North American ice. Mukhamadullin does, after all, have just 15 games of experience in North American pro hockey, though even if he does begin the season with the Barracuda it would be no surprise to see him eventually make his NHL debut in 2023-24.
Some other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Winnipeg Free Press’ Ken Wiebe relays word from Winnipeg Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness on the health status of several Jets players. Mason Appleton, Nate Schmidt, Kyle Capobianco, Nikita Chibrikov and Danny Zhilkin are all out on a day-to-day basis due to lower-body injuries, while Nikolaj Ehlers is nearing a return to the ice with the aim of playing in Monday’s preseason contest against the Calgary Flames. While no injury seems to be a long-term issue for any of the players listed, the health of these names will be something to monitor as the Jets ponder how to construct the roster they’ll open the regular season with next month.
- Chicago Sun Times’ Ben Pope took a look at a fierce battle for a roster spot currently underway at Chicago Blackhawks training camp, with forwards MacKenzie Entwistle, Boris Katchouk, Reese Johnson, Joey Anderson and Colin Blackwell all battling for a job as one of the team’s spare forwards, looking to avoid a waiver placement and potential assignment to the AHL. Each player spent notable time on the Blackhawks’ NHL roster last season, but currently find themselves out of head coach Luke Richardson’s top-four lines. It’s an open question as to which player ends up winning the job, though what is known for certain is that a few players who played regular NHL minutes last season will be available on waivers thanks to the Blackhawks’ many offseason additions up front.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/28/23
Today should see more significant cuts from league-wide rosters. Up until now, players attending camps on amateur tryouts or young draft picks getting returned to their junior clubs have mostly dominated this list. We’re now 12 days from the start of the regular season, though, and that means the playing season waiver period will open today at 1 p.m. CT. Therefore, any players under NHL contract who need to clear waivers to be assigned to the minors can be cut from camp as early as this afternoon. As CapFriendly notes, placing a player on waivers now carries no disadvantage compared to executing the same move later in camp. While a player technically has a ten-game, 30-day clock after a recall to the NHL roster before waivers are again required, this does not start until the regular season begins on October 10. With all that in mind, here are all of today’s cuts from camps league-wide.
Boston Bruins: (via team release)
F Joey Abate (to Providence, AHL)
F Vincent Arseneau (to Providence, AHL)
F Justin Brazeau (to Providence, AHL)
F Curtis Hall (to Providence, AHL)
F Owen Pederson (to Providence, AHL)
D Ethan Ritchie (to Providence, AHL)
G Shane Starrett (to Providence, AHL)
F Luke Toporowski (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
D Mats Lindgren (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Norwin Panocha (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via DNVR’s Meghan Angley)
D Jeremy Hanzel (to Spokane, WHL)
D Saige Weinstein (to Spokane, WHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
G Tyler Parks (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Xavier Bernard (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Noah Ganske (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jake Johnson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Cam Wright (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ture Linden (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Dino Kambeitz (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ethan De Jong (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Matvey Petrov (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Jayden Grubbe (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Jake Chiasson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Carl Berglund (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Tyler Tullio (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Maximus Wanner (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
G Carson Bjarnason (to Brandon, WHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Corey Andonovski (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Avery Hayes (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Marc Johnstone (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Austin Rueschhoff (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Isaac Belliveau (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Justin Lee (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Dmitri Samorukov (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Jack St. Ivany (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
G Joel Blomqvist (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)
F Jacob Frasca (released from ATO to Barrie, OHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
F Mark Duarte (to Calgary, AHL)
F Alex Gallant (to Calgary, AHL)
F Rory Kerins (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mitch McLain (to Calgary, AHL)
F Ilya Nikolaev (to Calgary, AHL)
G Connor Murphy (to Calgary, AHL)
G Matt Radomsky (to Calgary, AHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Andrei Vasilevskiy Out Two Months After Back Surgery
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes has reported that Tampa Bay Lightning superstar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent successful back surgery, and is expected to be out of commission on an eight-to-ten-week timeline. The Lightning confirmed the news, with GM Julien BriseBois stating that Vasilevskiy is expected to miss “the first two months of the regular season.”
Vasilevskiy hasn’t been a regular participant in Lightning camp in recent days, with head coach Jon Cooper previously telling reporters that Vasilevskiy was out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
This is obviously a major blow to the Lightning, who have come to rely on the brilliant goaltending provided by Vasilevskiy in order to remain among the top teams in a highly competitive Atlantic Division.
While this development is something of a surprise, it doesn’t come completely out of nowhere.
Vasilevskiy has in the past commented on how his high workload has impacted his body, which is something to be expected given the number of deep playoff runs the Lightning have made in recent seasons, led by Vasilevskiy in the crease on a nightly basis. The hope here will be that Vasilevskiy can make a full recovery before the new year, and get back to playing like one of the league’s best netminders.
The 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner’s injury thrusts new backup Jonas Johansson into an unfortunate spotlight. It’ll be up to him to keep the Lightning competitive in the Atlantic for the first two months of the regular season, which is something of a tall task for a player with a career .887 save percentage in the NHL.
That being said, Johansson’s more recent form does provide reason for optimism. He posted a .932 save percentage playing in parts of three NHL games last season, and had a .920 save percentage in the AHL. But with only 35 total games of NHL experience, a massive test is coming up for the 28-year-old.
Behind Johansson on the depth chart is Hugo Alnefelt, who has just 20 minutes of NHL experience, and Matt Tomkins, a player who represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing but has never skated in an NHL game.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Waivers: 09/28/23
As training camps and the preseason continues, teams are trimming down their roster and getting closer to the final group of players they’ll bring into opening night. We’ll keep track of the names that hit the waiver wire here. Today’s list comes courtesy of CapFriendly.
Colorado Avalanche
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Jonathan Gruden
F Rem Pitlick
D Ty Smith
D Taylor Fedun
D Xavier Ouellet
Vancouver Canucks
Smith is the biggest name here is Smith. Smith was a 2018 first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils and became a star WHL blueliner for the Spokane Chiefs. He turned pro in 2020-21, scoring 23 points in 48 games. That performance landed him on the NHL’s All-Rookie team, as well as some down-ballot Calder Trophy votes.
The Devils dealt Smith and a third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for John Marino, who went on to have a stellar 2022-23 season. Smith, on the other hand, played in only nine NHL game for the Penguins. He spent most of last season in the AHL, scoring 24 points in 39 games, and now the AHL is where he’ll be once again assuming he can clear waivers.
Given the promise Smith showed earlier in his career and his pedigree as a former top prospect, it would not be shocking whatsoever to see a team put a claim in on Smith, who is playing on a one-year, league-minimum cap-hit.
In terms of the other names on the waiver wire, Martin’s placement comes as no surprise after the Canucks’ acquisition of Casey DeSmith from the Montreal Canadiens. Martin posted a dreadful .871 save percentage in the NHL last season, but fared far better in the AHL. The Canucks will hope he’ll clear waivers so he can provide quality goaltending alongside prospect goalie Artūrs Šilovs in AHL Abbotsford.
Another recognizable name on the waiver wire is that of Rem Pitlick. Pitlick scored 37 points in 2021-22 on the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators, but struggled in 2022-23. He was dealt to Pittsburgh by Montreal as part of the Erik Karlsson trade with the hope, from Pitlick’s perspective, that the Penguins would provide a solid change-of-scenery NHL opportunity.
He now finds himself on the waiver wire, though, and his $1.1MM cap hit could be a barrier towards another team putting in a claim. The versatile forward scored at an above-point-per-game rate in the AHL last season, and could end up an impact player for AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Notes: Norris, Perfetti, Matheson
Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris is practicing once again in a normal contact jersey today. The 24-year-old shed his yellow non-contact jersey for yesterday’s practice after he tweaked something two weeks ago at the start of training camp. Norris has missed 90 games over the past two seasons with a shoulder injury and has continued to deal with the ailment despite several surgical and rehabilitation efforts.
Last season, Norris injured the shoulder while taking a faceoff against the Arizona Coyotes in October, he attempted to do rehab and came back to play in January, but then re-injured his shoulder after three games. He finished the year with two goals and a single assist in just eight games in what was a very disappointing first year of an eight-year $63.6MM contract.
In other injury notes:
- Sportsnet is reporting that Cole Perfetti left the Winnipeg Jets preseason game last night against the Calgary Flames after taking a dangerous hit from Martin Pospisil. Perfetti didn’t return to the game and was absent from practice this morning when it began. However, according to Winnipeg Sun reporter Scott Billeck, Perfetti did practice in a smaller group of just five players. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Perfetti is day-to-day at the moment.
- Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson didn’t practice today with the team. The 29-year-old was a late scratch last night for the Canadiens preseason game against the Ottawa Senators in what was said to be precautionary. Matheson dealt with several injuries last season, which makes any scratch worrisome at this point. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported last night that Matheson is dealing with a lower body injury that is unrelated to the groin and abdominal injuries he dealt with last season and would’ve played through the injury had the game been a regular season matchup.
Devils Offered Tomáš Tatar A One Year Contract
Colorado Avalanche forward Tomáš Tatar lingered in free agency peril for most of the summer before he finally signed a one-year deal with the team for $1.5MM. However, he recently told the Boris a Brambor Podcast that the New Jersey Devils had offered him a one-year contract earlier in the offseason.
When discussing the one-year offer from the Devils, Tatar said he wanted more term from the Devils when they made their offer, but only realized later in free agency that a multi-year deal wasn’t possible. By the time he’d changed his mind, the Devils had already acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, making his return to New Jersey improbable.
Given Tatar’s timeline of events, it seems likely the Devils made their offer prior to June 27th when Toffoli was dealt to New Jersey. It’s hard to fault Tatar for thinking he could get a multi-year deal as he was coming off a good season in which he scored 20 goals and 28 assists in 82 games. His run-in free agency was one of the more puzzling things that happened this summer in hockey as he didn’t come close to getting the contract that many pundits predicted he would. The Athletic had Tatar projected to receive a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3.9MM but the flat cap and an underwhelming playoff hurt his earning potential.
Tatar’s situation is not unlike that of Evan Rodrigues last summer, he also signed with Colorado on a one-year deal after lingering in free agency for quite a while. Rodrigues signed a four-year $12MM contract this year with the Florida Panthers, something that Tatar could mimic next summer if he has another good year.
Free agency is often a guessing game, and it is sometimes hard to project who will take a one-year deal and who can get term. Many people were blindsided by which players received term on their new deals (Ryan Reaves) and which players took one-year deals (Jason Zucker). But with the flat cap, free agency has become harder than ever as evidenced by a useful middle six forward like Tatar going more than two months unsigned.
Vancouver Canucks Expected To Waive Spencer Martin
The Vancouver Canucks are expected to place goaltender Spencer Martin on waivers today unless a trade materializes in the next few hours, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Martin, a candidate to compete for the backup job behind Thatcher Demko just a few weeks ago, was pushed down the team’s depth chart after the Canucks acquired Casey DeSmith in a trade with Montreal last week.
Even without acquiring DeSmith, the path to a roster spot in Vancouver for Martin wasn’t solid. After falling flat in his first shot at full-time NHL duties last season, many speculated that 22-year-old netminder Arturs Silovs may get the backup spot to start the season after a strong showing at the World Championship, guiding Latvia to a bronze medal. With DeSmith now in the fold, however, that point is moot, and both netminders are slated for AHL Abbotsford to start the season.
However, sending both netminders down will make for quite the crowded crease in Abbotsford. Vancouver also has Zach Sawchenko and Nikita Tolopilo signed to two-way contracts, plus 22-year-old Jonathan Lemieux is signed to an AHL contract for 2023-24. Lemieux is likely destined for assignment to ECHL Kalamazoo, but that would still leave four goalies competing for ice time at the AHL level. It’s clear why Vancouver would look to move on from Martin, the most veteran of the bunch at 28 years old.
Martin had been an AHL netminder for all of his pro career up until last season. A six-game stint near the end of 2021-22 with Vancouver earned him the upper hand on capturing the backup spot behind Demko to start 2022-23, going 3-0-3 in six starts with a sparkling .950 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against average. However, that momentum failed to translate when Martin did assume the backup role. He was arguably one of the worst netminders in the NHL last season – while his 11-15-1 record in 27 starts wasn’t awful, his .871 save percentage and 3.99 goals-against average fell far below the league average. To visualize it better, Martin conceded 27.5 more goals than the average NHL netminder would have given the same workload and shot volume.
That being said, he could still get some interest on the trade market from teams looking to fill a third-string-shaped hole on their goalie depth chart. The Columbus Blue Jackets come to mind with few options behind Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov, both of whom have recent injury histories. 130-game NHL veteran Aaron Dell is in camp on a professional tryout, however.
Chris Snow Will Not Wake Up After Brain Injury
This article has been updated with the link to the Flames’ donation page for ALS research at Canadian institutes. You can contribute to ALS research here.
Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow will not wake up after sustaining a catastrophic brain injury caused by lack of oxygen due to cardiac arrest Tuesday, his wife, Kelsie, confirmed this morning. Snow, who has been battling ALS since his diagnosis in 2019, is 42 years old.
Snow began his career in hockey as a beat writer for both the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and Boston Globe but got a prominent chance with an NHL team early on in his career. He transitioned directly into a hefty role with the Minnesota Wild, named their director of hockey operations for the 2006-07 season at age 25. He served in that role for the following four seasons, after which he immediately joined the Flames as their director of statistical and video analysis in 2010.
He held that role in Calgary for a full decade before earning a well-deserved promotion to assistant general manager under then-GM Brad Treliving in 2020, less than one year after his ALS diagnosis. This summer, along with promoting Craig Conroy to GM after Treliving’s departure, Snow had the title of vice president of data/analytics added to his AGM title.
Snow was one of the most inspirational figures in the hockey community over his career, beginning with his meteoric ascent to front-office roles all the way through his family’s very transparent approach to handling ALS. Both Chris and Kelsie became very public advocates for ALS research, something Chris participated in via clinical trials multiple times.
Conroy was visibly emotional at yesterday’s press conference introducing Mikael Backlund as the team’s new captain, saying, “It doesn’t seem right not have Snowy here with me.” Multiple reports indicated Treliving, now the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, left the team to be in Calgary yesterday with the Snow family.
PHR and the entire hockey community send their deepest condolences to the Snow family, their friends, and the Flames organizations during this incredibly difficult time.
East Notes: Palmieri, Laine, Matheson
The New York Islanders may not have forward Kyle Palmieri available to them to begin the season, head coach Lane Lambert told reporters today (link via Ethan Sears of the New York Post). Palmieri has yet to practice with the team during training camp, and this certainly seems like a more significant injury issue than what the Islanders called “maintenance” almost a week ago.
Palmieri has been skating on his own throughout camp but has not come close to appearing in a preseason contest. It does seem unlikely that Palmieri’s absence will stretch into something significantly long-term, but missing the season opener would mean at least a three-week absence from the original undisclosed injury, which is certainly nothing to brush off. It will be a significant hole for the Islanders to fill if he does miss time, given the 32-year-old winger is again ticketed for a top-six role, likely alongside Pierre Engvall and Brock Nelson. Palmieri was limited to 55 games last season due to injury, but he did manage to increase his production pace after a poor 2021-22 campaign, recording 16 goals and 33 points.
More updates from around the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Even after the departure of Mike Babcock and Brad Larsen behind the Columbus Blue Jackets bench, the Patrik Laine at center experiment hasn’t ended yet. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Laine has taken line rushes at center during each of the past two Blue Jackets practices and today was centering the team’s top line between Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko. Shifting Laine to center full-time would certainly take the load off rookie Adam Fantilli, who could start the season in a more sheltered third-line role down the middle. It would also relieve the responsibilities of captain Boone Jenner, who was forced into averaging over 20 minutes per game last season thanks to the team’s thin depth down the middle. Laine did play a few games at center last season before an arm injury ended his campaign in late March.
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson was a late scratch for tonight’s preseason tilt against the Ottawa Senators, and Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports the circumstances surrounding said scratch are still unknown. If it’s injury-related, Habs fans can hope it’s only precautionary for their de facto number-one defenseman. If the team has any hopes of making noise with their young core in a suffocatingly tight Atlantic Division, Matheson’s play will be a huge part of it. The 29-year-old notched a career-high 34 points last season despite playing in just 48 games and still managed a +7 rating on a bottom-feeding team.
West Snapshots: Duclair, Tippett, Hintz
Speaking with offseason acquisition, Anthony Duclair of the San Jose Sharks, Sharks beat writer, Curtis Pashelka, reports that the new forward may have some interest in signing an extension in San Jose. Duclair did indicate that there have been contract talks up to this point, as he looks to remain focused for the upcoming season.
Largely a salary dump addition by the Sharks this summer, Duclair is coming off a largely successful three-year run with the Florida Panthers. In 137 games in Sunrise since the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, Duclair has 43 goals and 56 assists, which amounts to the most points scored for any team he has played on throughout his career. Nevertheless, there is some injury concern along with him, as he was unable to play in the regular season last year until late February due to an Achilles injury.
Acquired at the start of free agency by the Sharks for forward Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, Duclair should get plenty of opportunity in San Jose this year. Clearly in a rebuilding effort, Duclair is one of eight expiring contracts on the roster and should see an ample amount of time in the team’s top six. If Duclair remains healthy and continues to perform well, he is poised to be a probable mover at next year’s trade deadline if the two parties cannot come to a contract extension.
Other snapshots:
- Before accepting the position as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers from 2019-22, Dave Tippett was working as a Senior Advisor for the upstart Seattle expansion franchise, before they had even been given a formal name. After taking a year away from the game, the Seattle Kraken announced that Tippett would rejoin the organization, this time as a Coaching Consultant. A head coach of nearly 1,300 games, Tippett will bring a wealth of experience to the coaching staff of the Kraken, who are hoping to return to the playoffs for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
- Mike Heika, a Senior Staff Writer for the Dallas Stars, reports that forward Roope Hintz is to be considered day-to-day, with the Stars remaining cautious on his timeline. Dealing with an upper-body injury, Hintz was unable to practice with the team today. The organization has only played two preseason matchups up to this point, one against the Arizona Coyotes, and the other against the Minnesota Wild, with Hintz being scratched for both matchups.