Gabriel Landeskog Will Not Return For Playoffs
A significant blow has been dealt to the Colorado Avalanche’s hopes of defending their 2022 Stanley Cup championship. Per a team announcement, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog‘s knee injury will keep him from returning to the active roster and playing in the playoffs.
The announcement makes it official that Landeskog will miss the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign. He underwent knee surgery in October, and at the time his recovery was expected to take around 12 weeks.
Obviously, Landeskog’s recovery hasn’t been quite as fast, and in early March Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar called Landeskog’s recovery a “slow-moving process” that hadn’t yet resulted in his return to practice.
The 30-year-old is, when healthy, among the Avalanche’s most important contributors and when paired with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen can give Colorado what is likely the best line in hockey.
While Colorado hasn’t taken a major step back in his absence (they’re just one point behind the Dallas Stars for the Central Division title with a game in hand) his production has been and will continue to be a challenge to replace.
Landeskog scored 30 goals and 59 points in just 51 games last season and added 11 goals and 22 points in the Avalanche’s successful playoff run last season.
In recent games, the Avalanche have played Evan Rodrigues in Landeskog’s traditional first-line left wing spot, and while Rodrigues is a solid, productive middle-sixer (15 goals and 36 points in 67 games this year) he can’t offer nearly what Landeskog can.
At the very least, Avalanche fans can take solace in the fact that their team has had since the start of the season to find a way to survive without Landeskog, and as mentioned they’ve done more than just keep their heads above water this season.
So while this announcement confirming Landeskog will not return for the playoffs certainly makes winning a second-straight Stanley Cup more of a challenge, it’s still entirely possible that the Avalanche still find their way to hockey’s summit once again.
They remain a deep squad with some of the best high-end talent in the NHL, and they’ve already spent the last few months proving to rival teams that they can still dominate games even without their captain on the ice.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Devils Recall Akira Schmid
Tom Gulitti, a reporter for the NHL, announces that the New Jersey Devils have recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from their AHL affiliate Utica Comets. In preparation for tonight’s game, Amanda Stein, the lead reporter for the Devils, announces that Schmid will backup for Mackenzie Blackwood.
In order to give regular starting netminder, Vitek Vanecek, some rest before the Devils begin their playoff run, the choice was made to recall Schmid for the final game of the regular season. It was the best possible situation for the Devils organization, as the Comets will look to keep their season alive tomorrow night against the Cleveland Monsters, a game they should be able to have Schmid in the net for.
Last season, Schmid had an underwhelming season in the NHL, playing six games, the young goaltender posted a record of 0-4-0, holding a SV% of .833 and a GAA of 4.83. Understandably, it should be remembered that Schmid was not operating with this year’s much-improved Devils’ lineup. Although playing much better for New Jersey this season, Schmid has played a majority of this year in Utica once again.
Drafted 136th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft by New Jersey, Schmid has become a prime candidate to become the new full-time backup for the Devils next year. Vanecek is signed beyond next season, and although Blackwood is only a restricted free agent at the conclusion of this year, his injury history in the last several seasons may give the Devils a reason to go another direction between the pipes.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Zach Metsa
Freshly off leading his team to an NCAA National Championship title, now-former Quinnipiac University Bobcat captain Zach Metsa has decided to sign a 2-year contract with the Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. For the remainder of this season, Metsa will join the Americans on a professional tryout agreement.
Metsa finished off his five-year career with Quinnipiac in impressive fashion, scoring nine goals and 28 assists in 40 regular season games. During this year’s Frozen Four, Metsa helped his team to the National Championship, scoring one goal and three assists through the Frozen Four. In total, the young defenseman played in 177 regular season games in the NCAA, scoring 31 goals and 90 assists.
Currently 35-25-6, the Americans have already clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. Being one of the most historic franchises in the AHL, Metsa will help Rochester in their attempt to win their seventh Calder Cup in franchise history.
If the season were to end today, the Americans would have a first-round bye into the division semifinals, where they would take on the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Syracuse Crunch. With nine defensemen already on the roster in Rochester, it will be interesting to see how Metsa fits into the lineup down the stretch, and especially during the playoffs.
Washington Capitals Reassign Henrik Borgstrom
April 13: Borgstrom has been returned to the AHL after making his season debut and seeing just eight minutes of ice time.
April 11: The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Henrik Borgstrom from the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced Tuesday.
Borgstrom joins the Capitals due to a rash of injuries as their season draws to a disappointing close. T.J. Oshie, Nic Dowd, Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Anthony Mantha will stay out of the lineup tonight against the Boston Bruins, per head coach Peter Laviolette. Alex Ovechkin will also sit out of the lineup, not traveling with the team due to an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day.
With just a few days left on the 2022-23 regular season calendar, this is Borgstrom’s first recall since clearing waivers at the beginning of the year. The 25-year-old signed a one-year deal with Washington in free agency after the Chicago Blackhawks did not issue him a qualifying offer.
He’s recorded 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 54 games with Hershey this season, disappointing production for the 2016 23rd overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound forward had seven points in 52 games as a full-time Blackhawk last year.
Borgstrom’s offensive production has trailed off since leaving the University of Denver in 2018, where he recorded 52 points in 40 games during his sophomore campaign. He’s managed just over 100 NHL games since then, failing to make any notable impact.
Ryan Murray Loaned To AHL On Conditioning Stint
The Edmonton Oilers haven’t had Ryan Murray in the lineup since late November, but they could be getting him back just in time for some added depth in the playoffs. The veteran defenseman has been assigned to the Bakersfield Condors on an AHL conditioning assignment, suggesting he’s ready to get back into a game after missing the last several months.
Murray has played just 13 games this season after signing a one-year, $750K contract with the Oilers last summer. He averaged just 13 minutes a night in those appearances and will likely receive even less than that if Edmonton’s current group can stay healthy.
As most teams have discovered, though, the Stanley Cup playoffs are a war of attrition, and teams that go on deep runs usually need eight, nine, or even ten defensemen. With over 400 games of NHL experience, Murray can fill the role of practice player until they need an extra body.
It’s a role he’s familiar with, given he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche last season without appearing in the postseason.
Noah Juulsen Placed On Waivers
The Vancouver Canucks aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, but the Abbotsford Canucks sure are. The AHL club has secured its postseason berth and will soon start a Calder Cup run. They may get a reinforcement, as Noah Juulsen has been placed on waivers today by Vancouver for the purpose of assignment to the AHL.
Juulsen, 26, was included in a paper transaction at the deadline so that he is eligible for the minor league postseason, and will now officially rejoin Abbotsford to help on the run. The 2015 first-round pick has bounced back and forth throughout his entire career, never able to establish himself as a full-time NHLer.
It’s been a very disrupted path for Juulsen, who has dealt with scary eye injuries, team changes, and a lack of consistent playing time. Since debuting in 2017, he has only played 223 professional games, and more than half of those have come since joining the Canucks organization in 2021.
It is almost unthinkable for him to be claimed at this point in the year, meaning he should have no issue reporting to Abbotsford and trying to help them win a Calder in the coming weeks.
Mark Friedman Clears Waivers
April 13: Friedman has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues before tonight’s game.
April 12: As the team is getting healthier with their season on the line, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Mark Friedman on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
While it’s rare for a player to hit waivers after the trade deadline, let alone this late in the season, the move comes out of salary cap necessity for Pittsburgh. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson has progressed in his recovery from a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision tomorrow night, per head coach Mike Sullivan, meaning the team needs to clear some cap room to activate Pettersson from long-term injured reserve.
Friedman and his $775,000 salary are the odd factors out here, and assuming the near-given scenario that he clears waivers, will be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tomorrow. The 27-year-old has split the season evenly between the two teams, playing a total of 47 pro games and recording nine points.
After dropping their last home game of the regular season to the Chicago Blackhawks last night, 5-2, the Penguins must rely on the 68-point Montreal Canadiens to defeat the New York Islanders in regulation tonight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Pittsburgh would then need a regulation win against Columbus on Thursday to continue their 16-year postseason streak.
Friedman, strictly a depth defender, had suited up in 12 straight games for Pittsburgh before he was a healthy scratch against Chicago.
Minnesota Wild Recall Damien Giroux
The Minnesota Wild are locked into the third spot in the Central Division, unable to catch Dallas or Colorado and too far ahead of Winnipeg to worry about what happens into tonight’s regular season finale. With that in mind, the team is preparing to play quite a different lineup than the one that will open the playoffs.
As Michael Russo of The Athletic reports, Kirill Kaprizov, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Sam Steel will all sit out, while Joel Eriksson Ek and Oskar Sundqvist remain sidelined by injury. Ryan Hartman will also miss the game after being suspended.
That means the opportunity is available for some young players, and they’ve recalled Damien Giroux to take advantage. He and Nick Swaney will make their NHL debuts, while Calen Addison will play on their wing as the team ices just 11 natural forwards.
Giroux, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Wild in 2018 and brings very little offensive upside to the ice. He has just three goals in 65 AHL games this season, but has still managed to wiggle his way into a call-up through hard work.
Neither he or Swaney are expected to suit up in the NHL playoffs, though they will get a nice reward with some extra pay and a chance to debut at the highest level.
Calgary Flames Reassign Three Players
After the Calgary Flames finished their disappointing season last night, they’ve sent three young players back to the minor leagues to chase a Calder Cup. Jakob Pelletier, Walker Duehr, and Dustin Wolf have been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers.
Wolf stole the show in the regular season finale, exciting fans from his acrobatic pre-game routine to the final whistle on his debut victory. The 21-year-old netminder, who fell to the seventh round in 2019 because of his size, has dominated every level of hockey so far. An all-time performance in his WHL career led to incredible results in the AHL and now a .958 save percentage in his one-game NHL sample.
Through 53 appearances for the Wranglers this year, the diminutive goalie went 41-9-2 with a .932, and should help them challenge for a league title. Before long, you might see him as a regular in the Flames crease, especially given the struggles of Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar this year.
Pelletier, meanwhile, was the team’s first-round pick in 2019, and has had similar success at the minor league level. In 33 games with the Wranglers this year, he scored 16 goals and 36 points, leading to a significant call-up to the Flames. He recorded seven points through 24 games to start his NHL career and could be a regular as soon as next year.
Duehr, the oldest of the three at 25, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Minnesota State in 2021 and has 11 points in 27 games for the Flames this season. While not as highly regarded in the Calgary system, he’ll lend his size and versatility to the Wranglers as they go on a playoff run as the AHL’s top seed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Samuel Richard To ATO
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed another amateur goaltender to serve as backup tonight, the fourth-straight game that they’ve had only one NHL-level goalie on the ice. Samuel Richard will be tonight’s amateur tryout agreement, backing up Joseph Woll against the New York Rangers.
Richard, 22, played for the University of New Brunswick this season after a three-year career in the QMJHL with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He was outstanding at the USports level, posting an 18-4 record, 1.59 goals-against average, .933 save percentage.
The UNB Reds won the national championship last month, with Richard posting a shutout in the final game.
Still, that’s certainly not the same path most NHL backups take, and the continued use of amateur goaltenders at the end of this season has to be a cause for concern among the league offices.
Luckily, in this case, the game is effectively meaningless. The Maple Leafs and Rangers are locked into their playoff positions and will try to get out of tonight’s game healthy.
Ilya Samsonov, the team’s regular starter, will take another game off as he deals with some minor injuries and prepares for the playoffs.