Pacific Notes: De Leo, Carlsson, Flames Arena, Smyl
Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo will miss the next eight weeks after sustaining an MCL sprain during a Tuesday game against the Los Angeles Kings, per a team announcement. He sustained the injury on a knee-on-knee hit from Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev, whom the league suspended for four games today as a result.
De Leo, 27, has just seven games of NHL experience to his name but has been a high-end mainstay at the AHL level since turning pro in 2015. Despite his game never really translating to the game’s highest level, De Leo has been a dominant offensive force in the minors, spending four out of his eight pro seasons with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego. He returned to San Diego last season after spending 2021-22 with the New Jersey Devils, serving as team captain for the first time and racking up 23 points in 22 games during a tough season for the Gulls. He’ll land on injured reserve to begin the season in Anaheim and will likely be waived and assigned to San Diego upon clearance when he’s ready to return.
More from the Pacific Division tonight:
- Sticking with the Ducks, GM Pat Verbeek confirmed on a radio spot on SiriusXM today that the team envisions keeping 2023 second-overall pick Leo Carlsson on the roster for the entire season. Verbeek wouldn’t commit to Carlsson being an everyday player, however, it seems he’ll get that shot out of the gate – multiple websites project Carlsson will slide into Anaheim’s top-six to begin the season, given the finger injury to free-agent signing Alex Killorn. The 18-year-old has had a strong camp and is coming off an incredibly strong draft year that saw him boost his stock into a top-four lock, recording 25 points in 44 games with SHL club Örebro HK and finishing off the season with five points in eight games for Sweden at the World Championship. He already has NHL size at 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds.
- All parties involved have now officially signed off on a new arena deal for the Calgary Flames that was originally approved in April, according to multiple members of the Calgary media pool. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reported Wednesday that a rather significant announcement was coming on the arena front today, and he wasn’t wrong – as part of this approved agreement, the Flames will open up their new home with a 35-year lease to keep the team in Alberta. Construction will begin on the site next year, and is anticipated to be NHL-ready for the 2026-27 campaign, meaning the Flames have three seasons left (including this one) at the historic Scotiabank Saddledome.
- Former Vancouver Canucks forward and longtime hockey operations staffer Stan Smyl will transition away from his day-to-day duties with the club, the team said in a statement Thursday. Smyl has been a full-time employee of the Canucks since beginning his playing career with the team in 1978-79. After a 13-season NHL career with Vancouver, including multiple seasons as captain, Smyl immediately transitioned to an assistant coaching role upon retiring in 1991. He’s served in various coaching and advisory roles with the organization ever since and had most recently served as the team’s vice president of hockey operations for the last season and a half, earning a promotion from senior advisor in December 2021. Smyl, 65, will remain closely working with the organization in a reduced role.
League Notes: 2026 Olympics, Men’s U18s, 2024 Draft
On today’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Darren Dreger dove into some more details surrounding a potential NHL return to Olympic participation in 2026. With the next edition of the Winter Olympics set to commence in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, it would be the NHL’s first time letting its players participate in the international event since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. After electing not to participate in the 2018 event, the NHL was on track to return to the Olympics in 2022 before concerns around travel and COVID insurance could not be resolved, leading the league to pull the plug on Olympic participation for a second straight cycle.
They appear on track to change that, with the NHL set to attend tomorrow’s IIHF meeting in Portugal with discussions around travel costs for 2026 on the agenda, per Dreger. Both the NHL and NHLPA have expressed a renewed vigor for international participation in recent months after former United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh assumed the lead post at the players’ association, quickly identifying a return to best-on-best international play as one of the players’ highest short-term priorities.
Some more administrative notes from the Insider Trading crew:
- The NHL/IIHF partnership remains a topic of discussion, as Dreger also reports the league is stepping up to host an IIHF tournament for the first time. In conjunction with USA Hockey, the NHL will host/sponsor the 2025 edition of the Men’s U18 World Championships, the last major showcase tournament for draft-eligible prospects in a yearly cycle. Normally held in mid-to-late April, it’s unclear in which American city the tournament will be hosted at this time. The United States last hosted the tournament in 2021 in Frisco and Plano, Texas, and captured their record 11th gold medal at the tournament in 2023. 2025 will be the fourth time the US has hosted the tournament since its inception in 1999.
- Lastly, Chris Johnston adds that the NHL is continuing to sort out logistical concerns regarding a venue for the 2024 NHL Draft, which is expected to take place in Las Vegas along with the 2024 NHL Awards. With the Vegas Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena seemingly unavailable for the Draft due to scheduling conflicts, Johnston reports the NHL has explored hosting next year’s draft at Sphere, the rather eye-drawing concert venue which boasts the largest LED screen in the world, newly opened by Madison Square Garden Company and New York Rangers majority owner James Dolan. It would certainly be a departure from normal procedure for the league, which has opted to host the Draft exclusively at team arenas, hotels and league offices throughout the event’s history.
Injury Notes: Stars, Avalanche, Martinez, Savoie
Saad Yousuf of The Athletic relayed several injury updates from the Head Coach of the Dallas Stars, Peter DeBoer this morning. All of the injury reports being on the milder side, the Stars could reasonably expect most of the players to be ready for opening night next week.
Being two of the more high-profile players on the list forwards Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston are both working their way back from injuries. Hintz has returned to skating following an upper-body injury, while Johnston had a non-surgical procedure performed, and is expected back skating this weekend.
Following those two, Yousuf reports that Radek Faksa has received stitches, but is not in concussion protocol after receiving a solid check in Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Not playing in Tuesday night’s game, DeBoer also mentions that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa is out with an undisclosed injury, and is currently being evaluated by the team’s medical staff.
It goes without saying that injury news of any kind is negative news, but luckily for Dallas, a team that could very well win the NHL’s Central Division this season, all should be back in due time.
Other injury notes:
- Staying in the Central Division, Corey Masisak of the Denver Post similarly relayed injury news from the Head Coach of the Avalanche, Jared Bednar. Bednar expects both Mikko Rantanen and Josh Manson to be ready for opening night but is unsure in regards to the status of Andrew Cogliano. For the entirety of this year’s preseason, Rantanen and Manson have each only suited up in one game, while Cogliano is still working his way back from a fractured neck in last year’s opening-round playoff matchup against the Seattle Kraken.
- Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that three-time Cup champion defenseman, Alec Martinez, will not participate in any team activities for the next few days due to a lower-body injury. Losing a step since his time with the Los Angeles Kings, the Vegas Golden Knights will surely use the next few days to make sure Martinez is ready for opening night, as he was a part of the defensive core that was fundamental in the Knights winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history last season.
- With his eligibility still up in the air for the AHL this season, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect, Matthew Savoie is progressing nicely in recovery of an upper-body injury, and will likely be rejoining the team tomorrow morning. Having the talent to crack Buffalo’s roster out of the gates this upcoming season, Savoie’s play to finish up training camp may resolve any questions the Sabres had regarding his eligibility.
Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Jamie Drysdale
The Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have agreed to a three-year, $6.9MM contract with defenseman Jamie Drysdale. Projected to be one of the team’s top two defensemen headed into the 2023-24 NHL season, Drysdale would only play eight games last year, before shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum would keep him out of the lineup the rest of the season.
Rated as the third-best North American skater prior to the 2020 NHL Draft, Drysdale would be the second defenseman off the board, going sixth overall to the Ducks. Capping off an impressive two-year run with the Erie Otters of the OHL, Drysdale would finish off with a nine-goal, 38-assist performance in 49 games heading into his draft year.
Turning pro immediately, Drysdale would split his time during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 NHL season between Anaheim, and their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Showing some signs of growing pains at the NHL level, Drysdale would score three goals and five assists in 24 games for the Ducks in 2020-21.
Earning more playing time in his first full NHL season, Drysdale’s numbers dramatically improved during the 2021-22 season, scoring four goals and 28 assists in 81 games. Acquiring minutes on Anaheim’s powerplay unit as well, Drysdale would produce a total of 12 assists with the man advantage. 
Throughout much of his career in the OHL, as well as a modest amount of NHL experience, there is no doubt that Drysdale has the capabilities to be a solid offensive contributor from the blue line. However, the Ducks will certainly be looking for Drysdale to grow his defensive attributes over the life of this contract, to become a more complete defenseman.
Over his 113 games at the NHL level, Drysdale has a commendable 101 blocked shots but also carries a 25/71 ratio in terms of takeaways/giveaways, as well as a career CF% of 49.1% and a oiSV% of 89.7%. Much of this could be attributed to the lack of talent surrounding Drysdale on Anaheim’s roster, but he will need to improve on this production nonetheless to become the defenseman the Ducks are hoping he can be.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Darren Dreger of TSN was the first to report Anaheim had signed Drysdale.
San Jose Sharks Sign Jake Furlong To Entry-Level Contract
After signing forward Quentin Musty to an entry-level contract yesterday, the San Jose Sharks have inked another prospect to an entry-level deal as well. According to a team release, the organization has signed defenseman Jake Furlong to a standard three-year entry-level contract.
Coming to San Jose as the 140th overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft, Furlong has recently begun his fourth season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, earning the captaincy just before the start of the year.
In back-to-back solid point-scoring seasons for the Mooseheads, Furlong has racked up 11 goals and 81 assists in 134 games over his sophomore and junior campaigns. In last year’s playoff race, playing in 21 total postseason games, Furlong scored one goal and 11 assists, nearly helping his team to the Memorial Cup Tournament before being ousted in the QMJHL Finals to the Quebec City Remparts in six games.
Clearly showing leadership capabilities, as well as solid on-ice play, Furlong has a legitimate shot to make San Jose’s roster over the next couple of seasons. With a willingness to join the play on offense, and being of adequate size for an NHL blue line, Furlong will have every opportunity to earn a spot on the Sharks in their rebuilding efforts.
Waivers: 10/05/23
Another set of familiar and intriguing players are set to hit the waiver wire this afternoon, with the Seattle Kraken containing the most quantity of any organization. Per James Mirtle of The Athletic, the entire list is as follows:
Calgary Flames
D Nick DeSimone
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen
F Martin Pospisil
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Andreas Johnsson
F Joona Koppanen
F Alexander Nylander
Seattle Kraken
D Connor Carrick
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
D Gustav Olofsson
F Andrew Poturalski
D Mitch Reinke
D Jimmy Schuldt
F Devin Shore
F Marian Studenic
Training Camp Cuts: 10/05/23
Less than a week away from the opening night of the 2023-24 NHL season, teams continue to make roster cuts in an effort to finalize their official roster heading into the year. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.
Calgary Flames (via a team release)
F Lucas Ciona (to Calgary, AHL)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to Calgary, AHL)
D Jeremie Poirier (to Calgary, AHL)
G Dustin Wolf (to Calgary, AHL)
F Connor Zary (to Calgary, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via a team release)
F Brandon Kozun (released from PTO)
F Joel Kiviranta (released from PTO)
F Jason Polin (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via Aaron Portzline/The Athletic)
D Tim Berni (released from PTO)
G Pavel Cajan (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Corson Ceulemans (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Aaron Dell (released from PTO)
D Stanislav Svozil (to Cleveland, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (via a team release)
D Daemon Hunt (to Iowa, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via a team release)
F Mark Jankowski (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via a team release)
G Jeremy Brodeur (to Utica, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via a team release)
F Tyler Boucher (to Belleville, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (via a team release)
F Avery Hayes (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Rem Pitlick (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Valtteri Puustinen (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Xavier Ouellet (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Ty Smith (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via a team release)
D Connor Carrick (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Luke Henman (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Cameron Hughes (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Kole Lind (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Max McCormick (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Gustav Olofsson (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Ville Petman (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Andrew Poturalski (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Mitch Reinke (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Jimmy Schuldt (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Peetro Seppala (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Devin Shore (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
G Ales Stezka (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Marian Studenic (to Coachella Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
Winnipeg Jets (via a team release)
F Henri Nikkanen (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Elias Salomonsson (to Skelleftea, SHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day
Edmonton Oilers Sign Brady Stonehouse To Entry-Level Contract
According to a team release, the Edmonton Oilers announce that the organization has come to a three-year, entry-level contract agreement with forward Brady Stonehouse. An undrafted free agent before the contract, Stonehouse had recently spent the last two seasons with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.
During his first year in Ottawa, at 17 years of age, Stonehouse would go on to have a relatively quiet year as a rookie in the league, scoring 18 goals and 17 assists in 68 games. Managing only four games as an organization in the postseason of the 2021-22 season, Stonehouse would chip in with only one goal.
In his sophomore campaign during the 2022-23 OHL season, Stonehouse would break out as one of the better goal-scorers in the 67’s lineup. Playing a full 68 regular season games once again, Stonehouse tallied a total of 37 goals and 20 assists, leading the entire organization in goal scoring.
A persistent fore-checker on offense, Stonehouse has the capabilities to be quite a nuisance in the Oilers lineup in the future. Having already played one game for Ottawa in the current year, Stonehouse will continue to grow his abilities at the OHL level, before finally making the jump to professional hockey.
Arthur Kaliyev Suspended Four Games
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on social media today that Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev has been suspended for two preseason games and two regular-season games.
This suspension comes after news broke yesterday that Kaliyev would have a disciplinary hearing for his hit on Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo. While an in-person hearing is not confirmation of any suspension to come, it is typically an indication that a player’s action warrants consideration for serious disciplinary action.
That’s exactly what’s come for Kaliyev, who will now have to sit out the Kings’ first two regular-season games assuming he makes their opening-night roster. Kaliyev’s kneeing on De Leo resulted in just a minor penalty at the time for Kaliyev, but knocked De Leo out of the game.
The play in question began when Kaliyev found himself on the wrong end of a hard check from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. Kaliyev popped up from the hit, accelerated, and attempted to lay a major check in response to De Leo, who was carrying the puck out of the Ducks’ zone. De Leo attempted to avoid Kaliyev’s check, and in response to De Leo’s evasive action Kaliyev extended his knee forward in order to ensure contact with De Leo would be made. The result was hard knee-on-knee contact.
The Department of Player Safety specifically noted Kaliyev’s kneeing did not come as the result of a sudden, unavoidable movement by De Leo, but instead was something Kaliyev could have and should have refrained from attempting. The Department of Player Safety also noted that De Leo suffered an injury on the play and that Kaliyev has been fined once already in his NHL career.
A two-game suspension for the regular season won’t come at a major cost for the Kings, who have quite a few quality scoring forwards already on their roster. But seeing as Kaliyev did manage 13 goals and 28 points in just 56 games last season, respectable production, not having Kaliyev in the lineup will still likely make things a little more difficult for Los Angeles for those two contests.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Updates: Honzek, Klingberg, Järnkrok
The longer 2023 first-round pick Samuel Honzek sticks with the Calgary Flames through their preseason, the more likely it becomes that he receives, at the very least, a nine-game trial in the NHL to begin the season. Especially after Calgary Flames winger Jakob Pelletier was lost to a long-term injury, there could be room for Honzek in new head coach Ryan Huska’s forward lineup. But now, the possibility of Honzek making Huska’s opening-night lineup could be in question. CapFriendly wrote on X that Honzek “left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury. He’s considered day-to-day.”
This injury could impact Honzek’s ability to earn an NHL job to start the season, and could hasten his return to the Vancouver Giants, Honzek’s WHL side. According to The Province’s Steve Ewen, Vancouver plans on utilizing Honzek as a center this season, so if Calgary does hope for a future in the NHL for Honzek down the middle, the best route, especially after this injury could be to give Honzek a full season in Vancouver.
Other injury updates:
- Toronto Maple Leafs free agent signing John Klingberg hasn’t practiced for Toronto since suffering an injury last week. That absence could end today, though, as The Hockey News’ David Alter reports that Klingberg was skating in Toronto this morning. A return to full health for Klingberg before Toronto’s season-opening game against the Montreal Canadiens next week could be in the cards, which would be good news for the Maple Leafs. Toronto GM Brad Treliving invested $4.15MM of valuable cap space to acquire Klingberg in the hopes that he’d be a capable offensive threat for the team, and that’s only something he’ll be able to do if he’s healthy.
- Another Swedish Maple Leaf is making his own return to the ice: forward Calle Järnkrok. A neck injury has held Järnkrok out of the team’s preseason thus far, but based on Toronto’s listing of him on the roster for their preseason matchup against the Detroit Red Wings today, it appears he’s back and ready to hit the ice for the team once again. Järnkrok is looking to follow up on a strong debut season in Toronto, having scored 20 goals and 39 points in his first season with the Maple Leafs.