Snapshots: Studnicka, Formenton, Lundell
The Vancouver Canucks have used an emergency recall on forward Jack Studnicka. The team played down a forward in their season opener against the Edmonton Oilers, making them eligible to bring up Studnicka without a cap hit. Studnicka will be exempt from waivers if he plays in fewer than 10 games, or is on the roster for fewer than 30 days.
Studnicka appeared in 47 games with Vancouver last season after the team acquired him via trade, sending Michael DiPietro and Jonathan Myrenberg to the Boston Bruins. Studnicka recorded a mere eight points in those 47 games – setting career highs in both categories. The 24-year-old forward was a second-round draft pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and has yet to find consistent NHL playing time, spending most of his early career in either the AHL or an NHL press box. He did have a serviceable 35 points in 41 AHL games during the 2021-22 season, speaking hope to his scoring upside. He’s likely to slot into a Canucks lineup that is still missing Ilya Mikheyev, who is continuing to rehab an ACL injury suffered last season.
Other notes from around the league:
- Former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton has signed a contract with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL), the top league in Switzerland. This deal carries through the end of the calendar year, with the option to extend it to last the whole season.
- Anton Lundell will be a game-time decision for the Florida Panthers’ season opener against the Minnesota Wild. Lundell missed one practice this week but made it back to the team’s Thursday skate. Head coach Paul Maurice also shared that Sam Bennett didn’t travel with the team for their three-game road trip, although Maurice shared it wouldn’t be long until he returns.
Minnesota Wild Recall Dakota Mermis
The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Head coach Dean Evason hinted that the team would need to recall a player to serve as insurance for any injury or illness that comes up as Minnesota embarks on a two-game road trip this weekend. Bringing up a defender like Mermis makes sense, as the Wild are still grappling with captain Jared Spurgeon‘s injury.
Mermis has strung together 27 NHL games since making his debut in the 2017-18 season, though he’s failed to appear in more than 10 NHL games in one single season. The bulk of his career has instead been played in the AHL, where he’s amassed 426 career games. This includes 63 games with the Iowa Wild last season, where Mermis recorded a career-high 26 points. He also tallied 73 penalty minutes – an exciting succession to the 86 penalty minutes he recorded in 59 games during the 2021-22 season. Mermis currently has the cheapest cap hit of any defender in the Wild organization, signed to a league-minimum $775K salary through the end of this season. He’s also one of the older blue-liners in the system, with only five defenders
While Mermis has been recalled for the road trip, it doesn’t seem there is currently a plan for him to start. He’ll instead serve as the team’s seventh defender, as young players like Calen Addison and Brock Faber slot into the lineup ahead of him. If Mermis finds his way into the lineup on this road trip and how Minnesota utilizes the price-controlled defender throughout the season will be worth monitoring, as Mermis looks to fight his way into a consistent NHL role.
Snapshots: Demko, Haula, Hintz
Thatcher Demko was mysteriously pulled from the team’s season opener after just over 48 minutes of play. After the game, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared that Demko was battling the flu before the game and tried to play through it but was pulled after getting sick. Despite the bug, Demko recorded 21 saves on 22 shots – a big piece of the staggering 8-1 win Vancouver would go on to notch. Recent trade acquisition Casey DeSmith relieved Demko and saved all five shots that he faced.
Vancouver hasn’t shared that they’re expecting Demko to miss any more time with this flu. They visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, October 14 to kick off a five-game road trip. The gap between games will likely be plenty for Demko, although his status will be one to monitor over the coming days. While DeSmith was suitable in relief, the Canucks will certainly still want as much of Demko as they can get this season. The 27-year-old goalie played in 64 games during the 2021-22 season, recording a .915 save percentage, but was held to only 32 games and a .901 save percentage last year as he battled with a groin injury.
Other notes from around the league:
- Erik Haula is looking good to go for New Jersey’s home opener against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. He’s been dealing with an undisclosed, “nagging” injury for part of training camp and was recently considered day-to-day.
- Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz has officially been ruled out for the team’s season opener against the St. Louis Blues. Hintz has been dealing with an upper-body injury and was recently announced as a game-time decision for the team’s first tilt. But head coach Pete DeBoer shared that playing Hintz wasn’t worth the risk, as the team has five days off after their Thursday night game against St. Louis.
New York Islanders Recall Simon Holmstrom
The New York Islanders have recalled forward Simon Holmstrom from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, a team release states Thursday.
New York assigned Holmstrom, 22, to the minors on Monday in order to submit a cap-compliant opening night roster. While most expected he would make the team, he does not need waivers to head to AHL Bridgeport and sending him down was the easiest course of action until the Islanders could make corresponding moves to free up space.
That corresponding move was waiving veteran enforcer Ross Johnston, who was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Johnston, 29, was signed for three more seasons at a $1.1MM cap hit and had registered 283 penalty minutes in 134 NHL contests with the Islanders since joining the team in 2015.
With Johnston off the books, the Islanders now have enough cap space to recall Holmstrom, the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Last season was his first in the NHL, and it wasn’t what anyone hoped. He registered just nine points in 50 contests, and his production also took a major hit in the AHL, notching just five points in 16 games for Bridgeport.
After a strong showing in camp, however, the Islanders are expecting bigger things out of the Swedish winger this season. The team doesn’t kick off their 2023-24 schedule until Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, but Holmstrom is expected to slot in on the team’s top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. It’s quite the opportunity for Holmstrom, who averaged just 11:05 per game last season under head coach Lane Lambert.
Holmstrom is beginning the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a $863.3K cap hit. He will not have arbitration rights if he reaches restricted free agency next summer.
Blackhawks’ Taylor Hall Out Week-To-Week
Oct. 12: 7:57 a.m.: Hall is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters postgame. After splitting their first two games of the season, Hall’s absence likely means one of Mackenzie Entwistle or Reese Johnson will make their season debut Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Oct. 11, 9:02 p.m.: The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that veteran forward Taylor Hall left tonight’s game with an apparent injury he suffered in the first period of their matchup with the Boston Bruins. Little is known about Hall’s status as he did return in the second period of the game to take a shift on the powerplay but then left the ice and went straight up the tunnel immediately after.
The injury likely occurred when Hall took a hit in the neutral zone from former Bruins teammate Brandon Carlo. He stayed on the ice for some time before returning to the bench and making his way to the dressing room. The Hawks then ruled Hall out at the start of the third period leading to speculation about the severity of the 31-year-old’s injury.
Hall was expected to be a big part of the Blackhawks’ offense this season as they traded for him to be rookie Connor Bedard’s winger. With Hall out of action, veteran Andreas Athanasiou filled in along with Bedard and Ryan Donato. The Blackhawks don’t exactly have the depth to manage a long-term injury to a top 6 winger, and while they hardly view themselves as contenders this season, they likely want to give Bedard every opportunity to thrive with offensively capable linemates.
Hall didn’t have a very good season last year in Boston and was looking for a bounce-back campaign in Chicago. The former Hart Trophy winner posted just 16 goals and 20 assists last season in 61 games and was traded by the Bruins in a summer move that was basically a cap dump. Hall is now five years removed from his MVP season; however, he still is an impact player that could do a lot of damage with Bedard this season.
If Hall is out any length of time, it could make things more difficult for the Blackhawks to insulate Bedard, as they would have very few offensive weapons to line up alongside the rookie phenom. Chicago has plenty of capable NHLers, but there aren’t many of them who should be playing top 6 minutes in the NHL, and even fewer who should be playing on a team’s top line.
Evening Notes: Toews, Hurricanes, Mechura
Adrian Dater wrote on X today that the Colorado Avalanche and Devon Toews have made some progress toward a contract extension for the pending free-agent defenseman, but he is hearing that they aren’t nearing a deal yet. Dater added that he isn’t sure if Toews will negotiate into the regular season, but his sense is that both sides will continue talking.
Toews has been widely regarded as one of the NHL’s best bargains over the last few seasons since joining the Avalanche in 2020. He is in the final season of a four-year contract that carries an AAV of $4.1MM and could come close to doubling his cap hit on a long-term deal. The 29-year-old has posted 29 goals and 109 assists in 199 games as a member of the Avalanche and has received Norris Trophy consideration in each of the past three seasons.
In other evening notes:
- Cory Lavalette of The Athletic tweeted today that Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell has said that the team is not actively shopping any of their defensemen. The Hurricanes currently have four defensemen who are pending unrestricted free agents in Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Jalen Chatfield, and appear uninterested in moving out any of their depth. While Waddell said the team isn’t actively trying to move out anyone, he didn’t close the door on a trade should a team come along with a good offer for one of the team’s rearguards.
- Mark Divver of NHL.com is reporting that the Providence Bruins have signed 20-year-old undrafted center Adam Mechura to a two-year AHL contract. The native of Pisek, Czech Republic played for the Bruins at the Prospects Challenge before he was invited to the Providence training camp. The 6’4” 208-pounder spent last season in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans where he posted 26 goals and 26 assists in 58 games. The Bruins are looking for creative ways to build depth after spending many years moving out future assets, with this move they essentially get a young player with size into their AHL lineup without giving up an asset.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Owen Power To Seven-Year Extension
The Buffalo Sabres have signed 2021 first-overall pick Owen Power to a seven-year contract extension carrying an $8.35MM cap hit, the team announced Wednesday night. Per PuckPedia, Power’s total compensation equals $8.35MM in all seven seasons of the contract, which begins in 2024-25, except that he’s due a $2MM signing bonus when the contract begins next summer. He is only eligible for trade protection in the final two seasons of the deal, during which he’ll have a five-team no-trade list.
Buffalo’s cornerstone defenders are now locked up together through the 2030-31 season. Rasmus Dahlin signed an eight-year, $88MM extension two days ago that takes him through the 2031-32 campaign, one season past Power. Power’s agent, Pat Brisson, tells TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that extension talks accelerated over the past few days “with a mutual desire to get it done before opening night.”
It’s quite a significant long-term commitment for a player with just one full NHL season under their belt, but it’s a trend we’re seeing quickly come into view with young defensemen. The Ottawa Senators signed a similar eight-year, $64MM extension with rising sophomore defender Jake Sanderson over a month ago.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has not been shy about getting his core locked up long-term. Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson are also all signed through at least the 2029-30 campaign.
Power, 20, finished third in Calder Trophy voting last season behind Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner and former University of Michigan teammate and Kraken center Matthew Beniers. He notched 35 points in 79 contests and posted solid possession metrics, showing some room for improvement defensively but displayed the elite play-driving senses and 6-foot-6 frame that earned him the first-overall choice over two years ago.
Those numbers are even more impressive considering the role he was able to carve out for himself, still managing to average nearly 24 minutes per game despite playing second fiddle to Dahlin. His 23:48 average places him fifth all-time among defenders in their rookie season and the highest since Drew Doughty averaged 23:50 for the Kings in his rookie campaign, 2008-09.
The contract keeps Dahlin and Power anchoring the Sabres’ top two defense pairings for the better part of the next decade for a combined cost of $19.35MM per season. CapFriendly now projects the Sabres with $25MM in cap space next season with a roster size of 12. Their most notable unsigned talent for next season is center Casey Mittelstadt, who is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
On that note, this extension offers Power a direct path to unrestricted free agency after just his rookie season. The contract buys out two UFA seasons.
This season is the third and final one of his entry-level contract, meaning his services will come at the cost of just $917K against the cap for another year before the massive extension kicks in. He’s projected to reprise his role on the team’s second pairing behind Dahlin, likely flanked by Henri Jokiharju on his right.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Brett Howden Suspended Two Games For Illegal Check To The Head
Vegas Golden Knights winger Brett Howden was issued a two-game suspension today for an illegal check to the head of Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev in last night’s game, per the NHL Department of Player Safety.
In the short term, expect a domino effect for the Golden Knights. With winger William Carrier also injured in their season-opening win, head coach Bruce Cassidy said earlier today that Pavel Dorofeyev will draw into the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks after serving as a healthy scratch last night. With Howden suspended, Cassidy also said the team will recall forward Jonas Røndbjerg from AHL Henderson.
Howden was assessed a match penalty by officials on the play. NHL DoPS ruled that Howden made the head the principal point of contact “on a hit where such head contact was avoidable.” The 25-year-old forward has no previous fines or suspensions on record with DoPS.
Howden skated 11:57 before being removed from the game, recording the primary assist on Chandler Stephenson‘s game-opening goal. The 25-year-old signed a two-year, $3.8MM contract to remain a Golden Knight this summer after notching 10 points in 22 postseason games on the team’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup.
Blue Jackets Notes: Boumedienne, Boll, McCarthy
A day before they kick off their 2023-24 schedule, the Columbus Blue Jackets have filled the assistant coaching vacancy on their bench. The team hired Josef Boumedienne today to fill the role vacated by Pascal Vincent’s sudden recent promotion to head coach, per a team announcement.
It’s a nice promotion for the former NHL defenseman, who has been a member of the Blue Jackets since retiring from his playing career a decade ago. First joining the squad as a European scout for the 2013-14 season, he was promoted to the team’s Director of European Scouting three years later. He jumped up the ladder again in 2021 to serve as their Director of Professional Scouting, and now, two seasons later, he’ll be behind an NHL bench for the first time.
This is not Boumedienne’s first coaching experience, although his previous résumé in coaching roles is limited. He briefly served as the head coach for SHL club Brynäs IF for the league’s play-out round in 2021, and he held a coaching role within the Blue Jackets’ youth program last season. Now 45, Boumedienne skated in 47 NHL contests between 2001 and 2004 with the Capitals, Devils and Lightning.
Some other coaching news out of Columbus today:
- Columbus also announced one-year extensions for their other assistants, starting with longtime Blue Jackets enforcer Jared Boll. The 37-year-old has been a member of the Blue Jackets coaching staff since 2018. He initially started as an assistant development coach before transitioning into the role of an assistant coach for this season. Between playing in Columbus and shortly in Anaheim, Boll accumulated 28 goals, 38 assists, and 66 points, along with 1,298 penalty minutes, over the course of 579 games played during his 11-year tenure in the NHL.
- Steve McCarthy, also once an NHLer, received a one-year extension to match Boll. The 42-year-old has been in the Columbus organization since 2016 when he was brought on as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. He was promoted to the NHL bench in 2021. The 42-year-old was once a first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks and skated in over 300 NHL games across eight seasons.
West Notes: Hintz, Mikheyev, Winnipeg
Before their opening night matchup tomorrow night, Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News gives some clarification on the status of Dallas Stars’ forward Roope Hintz, sharing that he will be a game-time decision. Since September 27th, during training camp, Hintz has been out of the Stars’ lineup due to an upper-body injury, and Dallas does not seem keen to rush him back for the start of the regular season.
Starting off the first year of an eight-year, $67.6MM extension signed last season, Hintz will surely be a key missing part of the Stars’ lineup if he is unable to play. Dallas will be able to survive for the time being with him out of the lineup but would have a hard time replacing a player of his caliber in the lineup if it is more long-term.
At the very least, with the addition of Matt Duchene this summer and an incredibly affordable one-year, $3MM deal, the Stars appear to have added appropriate depth in case something such as this transpired. Not only do the Stars appear headed for a war with the Colorado Avalanche for the Central Division, but they are also looking to compete as the top team in the Western Conference, and potentially the entire league.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- One player who is confirmed to not be playing opening night is Ilya Mikheyev of the Vancouver Canucks. Relaying on the news from the head coach of the Canucks, Rick Tocchet, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet announces Mikheyev will indeed miss the season opener. Mikheyev is still rehabbing from an ACL injury sustained last season in January, an injury that would prematurely end his season.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic shares that the Winnipeg Jets have sent Simon Kubicek, Mark Liwiski, and Thomas Milic to their ECHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. Last year, Kubicek also played in the AHL for the Manitoba Moose, while Liwiski spent his entire season in the ECHL for the Wichita Thunder. Milic, on the other hand, was the 151st overall selection for the Jets in the 2023 NHL Draft, coming out of the Seattle Thunderbirds organization of the WHL.