Blues Notes: O’Reilly, Buchnevich, Perunovich, Tucker
The St. Louis Blues stole today’s thunder by dealing Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers, but there’s even more Blues news to discuss on the injury front. Head coach Craig Berube said today that another trade chip, Ryan O’Reilly, is possible for Saturday night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes but has yet to be cleared.
O’Reilly added to his coach’s comments, saying he has to be 100 percent sure his injured foot is healed before returning to avoid re-injury. A 12-year NHL veteran, O’Reilly last played in their New Year’s Eve matchup against the Minnesota Wild. He’s missed the following 14 games with the injury. The winner of the 2019 Selke and Conn Smythe Trophies, O’Reilly is in a down season with a -28 rating and just 16 points in 37 games. He’s in the final season of a seven-year, $7.5MM average annual value contract.
Per The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, O’Reilly resumed skating on Tuesday, and NHL.com’s Lou Korac said the Blues captain practiced in full equipment today.
- Berube also told reporters Pavel Buchnevich is possible for Saturday after missing the past two weeks with an ankle injury. Buchnevich, with 38 points in 38 games, is the team’s leader in points per game, just ahead of Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. If he’s cleared to return, along with O’Reilly, they’ll likely skate together on the second line alongside Brandon Saad.
- In a very positive development, top defense prospect Scott Perunovich has been cleared for contact and, per Berube, is “ready to do everything.” Perunovich, 24, hasn’t played in all in 2022-23 after sustaining a preseason shoulder injury. After missing the entirety of 2020-21 and most of 2021-22 with injuries, a strong finish to the season could salvage Perunovich’s stunted development. He showed true flashes of stardom in the minors last season, recording 22 points in just 17 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
- Defenseman Tyler Tucker is coming up from Springfield to replace Niko Mikkola‘s now-vacant spot on the roster, as he was included in the trade to New York earlier today. Tucker, a seventh-round pick in 2018, has shot up the Blues’ depth chart to play in 12 games this season, recording one assist.
Ottawa Senators Recall Ridly Greig, Mads Sogaard
The Ottawa Senators recalled forward Ridly Greig and goaltender Mads Sogaard from the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Thursday, per the team’s communications department.
The moves come as Ottawa gears up for their first game after the All-Star break, Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Ottawa sent down Greig and Sogaard, along with forward Mark Kastelic, following their last game on January 31 to get the trio playing time in the AHL.
Greig, 20, earns reinstatement on the NHL roster after a strong four games to begin his NHL career. Scrambling for an answer at the second-line center position with Joshua Norris out of the lineup, Greig has two assists and a +4 rating in four games between Alex DeBrincat and veteran Claude Giroux. Advanced numbers also applaud the line’s play, as MoneyPuck has the trio with an expected goals share of 67%.
Sogaard returns to the Sens as Cam Talbot remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported last week that Talbot was expected to resume skating today, but it’s unclear whether Talbot is still on track to return next week.
The 37th overall selection in 2019, Sogaard’s AHL play has taken a step back this season. After 35 appearances and a .908 save percentage in Belleville last season, which also saw him make his first two NHL appearances in a brief call-up, his save percentage has dipped below the .900 mark in 2022-23. He’s yet to make an appearance in the NHL this year but could be forced into action if Talbot’s absence is more long-term.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 02/09/23
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Snapshots: Makar, Lauko, Cicek, Berni
The Colorado Avalanche won’t have Cale Makar for at least the next two games, as he deals with a head injury. Peter Baugh of The Athletic confirms that it is from the collision with Jeff Carter, and notes that while the star defenseman passed the initial concussion protocol, he woke up feeling unwell the next day. So far, he has only been ruled out through the rest of this road trip, which ends on Saturday against the Florida Panthers.
Makar has 45 points in 45 games so far this season and is playing an incredible 27 minutes a night for the Avalanche. The 24-year-old has maintained a point-per-game pace through his first four seasons in the league and will likely once again receive Norris Trophy votes. Here are some more minor notes from around the league:
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Jakub Lauko, and had him skating on the fourth line as the team awaits the return of Jake DeBrusk. The latter’s flight was canceled, meaning he missed practice today, and head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that DeBrusk isn’t expected to play against Washington on Saturday night.
- Nick Cicek is back up with the San Jose Sharks after spending the All-Star break in the AHL. The young defenseman has played 14 games this season for the Sharks, last appearing on January 24 and playing just under 15 minutes. Still looking for his first NHL goal, he’ll join San Jose as they continue this road trip in Florida today and Washington on Sunday afternoon.
- Similarly, the Columbus Blue Jackets have brought Tim Berni back up, ahead of their back-to-back against the Maple Leafs that starts tomorrow night. The 22-year-old defenseman has played 28 games for the Blue Jackets this season, scoring his first NHL goal and racking up 18 penalty minutes.
Dallas Stars Reassign Marian Studenic
Feb 9: After just eight minutes of ice time, Studenic has been loaned back to the AHL.
Feb 8: The Dallas Stars have made a slight change to the roster, calling up Marian Studenic from the minor leagues. The move comes after Joel Kiviranta missed practice yesterday, and could indicate that someone is unavailable due to injury.
Studenic, 24, has been excellent for the Texas Stars this season, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 43 games. If he appears in a game for Dallas it would be his first of the season at the NHL level, but 42nd overall, after appearing 16 times for them in 2021-22.
Claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils nearly a year ago, Studenic has been right on the fringe of NHL rosters for years now. With the right opportunity, it seems likely that he could secure a role in the bottom-six, though a team like Dallas may have their sights set a little higher given their Stanley Cup aspirations.
For now, he’ll serve as some organizational depth and try to force his way onto the fourth line with some strong play. Dallas is back in action tonight against the Minnesota Wild in a key Central Division matchup.
New York Rangers Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola
The trade deadline is still a few weeks away, but the New York Rangers aren’t waiting around. Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola have been acquired from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round pick, a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick, Sammy Blais, and Hunter Skinner. The Blues will retain 50% of Tarasenko’s contract, which expires at the end of the season.
The first-round selection will be the later of the two the Rangers currently have (NYR and DAL). Since the Dallas pick is also top-10 protected from the Nils Lundkvist trade, if it moves to 2024, the Blues will receive the later of the two next year. The fourth will become a third-round pick if the Rangers make the playoffs this season.
It’s a significant return for the Blues, but likely still one that fans will be disappointed with. Tarasenko has been a favorite in St. Louis for more than a decade, and was a key part of the franchise’s first (and only) Stanley Cup championship in 2019. The 31-year-old sniper has eclipsed the 30-goal mark in six different seasons, including last year when he came back from multiple shoulder injuries to post 34 goals and 82 points in 75 games.
This year hasn’t gone quite as well, with just ten tallies and 29 points in 38 games for the big Russian, but he is still one of the most feared shooters in the league and should fit right in next to good friend Artemi Panarin in New York. The Rangers had been linked to other players like Patrick Kane and Timo Meier to fill that spot but will end up with a player who not so long ago requested a trade out of St. Louis.
Tarasenko needed to waive his no-trade clause for this to happen, but that never seemed like much of an issue for a contending, big market team like New York. He’ll now get to showcase his skills down the stretch and try to land another huge contract on the open market. His current eight-year, $60MM deal will expire in a few months, and while the Rangers could potentially extend him, they have some other negotiations on the horizon. This could end up being a pure rental, if Tarasenko is demanding anything close to the $7.5MM cap hit he currently carries.
Not to be overlooked in this trade is Mikkola, who had drummed up his own interest as the deadline approached. The 26-year-old defenseman is a big, physical presence that can handle tough minutes against good players, even if he isn’t going to contribute offensively. The Rangers already have enough defenders who can move the puck – adding a player like Mikkola will give them some added depth for what they hope is a long playoff run.
Blais heads back to St. Louis after a short unsuccessful stint in New York. The 26-year-old was part of the Pavel Buchnevich trade in the summer of 2021, and was expected to be a heart-and-soul bottom sixer for years to come. Instead, he suffered an early injury that limited him to just 14 games in 2021-22 and has never been able to recapture the upside he showed in St. Louis. Through 54 games for New York, Blais failed to score even a single goal, recording nine points along the way.
Skinner, 21, has split this season between the ECHL and AHL, and is likely only included to balance out the contracts. The fourth-round pick has two points in eight games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, and is far from adding any value at the NHL level.
Adding a first-round pick in this year’s draft is a big addition for St. Louis though, especially for a player who they had no real chance of re-signing. A split was coming one way or the other with Tarasenko, and now the Blues have some extra ammunition to use in the offseason. As we discussed recently in the St. Louis deadline primer, general manager Doug Armstrong has followed this playbook before. Sell expiring veteran contract for picks, flip picks into valuable NHL talent at the draft. We’ll have to see if that’s what is in store this time, but it’s no rebuild in St. Louis. With Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou locked in long-term, the team will build around a new core and see if they can get back to the playoffs next season.
It also isn’t the end of the dealing for Armstrong. The team still has Ryan O’Reilly and Ivan Barbashev, among others, to trade at the deadline if necessary. In the span of a few weeks the cupboards in St. Louis could look a lot more full.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to break the news that Tarasenko had been traded.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Conor Timmins
The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their in-season additions, signing Conor Timmins to a two-year contract extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.1MM.
Timmins, 24, was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Curtis Douglas earlier this season, and quickly found a home at the back end of Toronto’s blueline depth chart. In 18 games with the Maple Leafs, he has 12 points, showing off his quick decision-making and strong passing ability to find the team’s talented forwards.
While he isn’t yet a regular in the lineup, rotating in and out with the likes of Jordie Benn, Timmins is a nice future play for a Maple Leafs team that is always pushing right up against the cap ceiling. At $1.1MM, he’s cheap enough to even be a seventh defenseman, but more likely, he slides into the group full-time next season on the third pairing. Justin Holl, who currently logs big minutes on the right side, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer, while T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano‘s contracts expire the year after that.
Douglas, on the other hand, has just nine points in 39 AHL games split between the Toronto Marlies and Tucson Roadrunners this season. The 6’9″ forward is a powerhouse on the ice and showed some nice offensive progression last year, but appears to have taken a step back in that regard. Still, he’s won’t turn 23 for another month and as we’ve seen in recent years, players his size often take a little bit longer to develop.
The book isn’t written on the trade just yet, but so far, the Maple Leafs are way out ahead. Timmins will be a cheap option for the team the next two years, and will still be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025, able to sign another extension if everything works out.
Matt Murray Placed On Injured Reserve
The Toronto Maple Leafs are back from the All-Star break and will be back in action with a home-and-home against the Columbus Blue Jackets starting tomorrow night. It doesn’t look like they’ll have one of their regular goaltenders for the back-to-back situation, though, as Matt Murray landed on injured reserve today.
Toronto has recalled Pontus Holmberg, Alex Steeves, and goaltender Joseph Woll from the AHL.
It’s been the same story for Murray this season. Pretty good when healthy – not healthy often enough. This is his second stint on injured reserve, after missing a month with a groin injury earlier on. He’s played in 19 games so far, posting a .911 save percentage, but hasn’t appeared since January 17. The lion’s share of the goaltending duties will again fall on Ilya Samsonov, who has done well so far carrying the load but is still relatively inexperienced.
Samsonov, 25, set a career-high with 39 starts last season and finished with his worst performance since debuting in 2019. While his .913 save percentage so far for the Maple Leafs is encouraging, pushing him every night is a recipe for disaster. Toronto needs two goaltenders that they can rely on, and so far, that hasn’t been Murray.
Perhaps it will be Woll, who is having a fantastic bounce-back after recovering from injury. Through 14 games for the Toronto Marlies, he is 13-1 with a .930 save percentage. The 24-year-old was a highly touted prospect at one point, but has struggled to stay healthy through the early part of his career and has just four appearances in the NHL so far.
There is no clear timeline for Murray’s return, but he was on the ice today at practice. Since he has been out so long, his IR stay can be backdated to allow his activation whenever deemed healthy enough to go.
New York Rangers Reassign Will Cuylle
Feb 9: Cuylle has now been sent back to the AHL. He played just 7:44 in the team’s win over Vancouver last night.
Feb 5: In addition to the recall of Sammy Blais that was reported yesterday, the Rangers have plucked another forward from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Will Cuylle has been called up to the team’s active roster, having been sent down from the NHL on January 28th as the Rangers prepared for a lengthy break.
Cuylle, 21, made his NHL debut on January 25th, and has played in a total of two NHL games. He didn’t see very many minutes in those two games, averaging around six minutes per night. Accordingly, he didn’t make much of an impact, save for when he registered his first career fight in a bout against Vegas Golden Knights grinder Keegan Kolesar.
At the AHL level, Cuylle has been more effective. Ranked as one of the Rangers’ better prospects since being drafted in the second round in 2020, Cuylle has made his pro debut this season and done decently well. He’s scored 21 points in 42 games, which is just four points off of the team lead. He also leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 14.
Cuylle was a prolific scorer at the OHL level, scoring 80 points in his final junior season serving as captain of the Windsor Spitfires. The Rangers are hopeful that he can become an impactful physical presence with some goal-scoring touch at the NHL level.
The recall of Cuylle and the prior recall of Blais give the Rangers a full 23-man roster. That has some significance, as if the Rangers opted to keep a bare-minimum roster, they could bank more cap space to be able to use at the trade deadline. They currently stand to have over $6MM to work with at the deadline, but that number could be impacted by the Rangers using more cap space to fill a full roster.
Jack Hughes Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
Of all the breakout performances this season, the most impressive might be Jack Hughes. The New Jersey Devils star leads the league in even-strength goals with 29, and has 67 points through 50 games this season. Unfortunately, that performance will be put on hold for a while. Hughes is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Head coach Lindy Ruff did tell reporters, including Amanda Stein, that he believes it will be on the shorter end of week-to-week, but for now, he’ll be without his best offensive weapon.
The first-overall pick from 2019 showed that he could be a difference-maker last year when he posted 26 goals and 56 points in 49 games but has taken his play to a whole new level in 2022-23. With 35 total goals, he trails only Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak, and his 67 points put him ninth in league scoring.
One of the concerns about Hughes when he came into the league was his durability, given his slight frame and position. He has so far proven those concerns valid, missing a good chunk of last season and now hitting the sideline once again. While this injury doesn’t seem long-term, it is at least something to keep an eye on as his career continues. Talent-wise, there are only a handful of players in the league that can keep up with Hughes, but he needs to stay on the ice to be able to lead the Devils.
It comes at a particularly disappointing moment, given his recent play. Hughes has only been held scoreless three times in his last 30 games and is currently on a nine-game streak totaling 18 points. The Devils are also about to go on a four-game road trip after tonight’s match against the Seattle Kraken – one they’ll have likely have to complete without Hughes’ help.