Maple Leafs Notes: Murray, Acciari, Cruikshank, Skirving
In a recent article written by Luke Fox of Sportsnet, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have some more bad news with goaltender Matt Murray. After getting what appeared to be accidentally knocked down by Detroit Red Wings’ forward Lucas Raymond on Sunday night, head coach Sheldon Keefe relays on that Murray is now dealing with a head injury.
Murray has been injured several times this year, being placed on long-term injured reserve on both October 18th and February 15th of this season. When he is healthy, Murray has been an average goaltender at best for Toronto. In 26 starts this season, the goaltender has a record of 14-8-2 with a SV% of .903 and a GAA of 3.01. In some of the underlying numbers, Murray currently has a GA%- of 101, with a Goals Saved Above Average of -1.0.
Throughout his time with the Ottawa Senators, and even multiple times when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Murray has been a very injury-prone player throughout his career. Keefe mentioned that Murray would be considered day-to-day for now, and did not specify a timeline or if Murray would enter concussion protocol.
Fortunately for the Maple Leafs, their other goaltender acquisition from this past summer is enjoying the best season of his career. In 37 stars, Ilya Samsonov has a record of 25-10-4 with a .915 SV% and a 2.41 GAA. Even before the recent injury to Murray, Samsonov was going to be the clear-cut starter for Toronto in their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the hockey world did see last year that having a capable backup going into the playoffs is vitally important, evidenced by the superb play of backup Pavel Francouz for the Colorado Avalanche.
Other Maple Leafs notes:
- In some positive injury news for the Maple Leafs, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports that forward Noel Acciari will be back in the lineup tonight as Toronto takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Acquired in the trade with the St.Louis Blues that also netted Toronto forward Ryan O’Reilly, Acciari has spent most of his time in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. In 17 games with Toronto, Acciari has added a valuable bit of depth goal-scoring, lighting the lamp three times for Toronto.
- Traveling southwest of the Maple Leafs, their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies announced two signings today, picking up forward Grant Cruikshank from St.Cloud State University, as well as signing forward Todd Skirving from the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL. In 41 games for St.Cloud State, Cruikshank scored a solid 23 goals and 15 assists, being one of the better goal-scorers in the NCAA. Similarly, Skirving has also been a solid scorer in the ECHL this season, scoring 30 goals and 27 assists in 66 games.
Minnesota Wild Will Sign Mason Shaw This Summer
Joe Smith of The Athletic is reporting that the Minnesota Wild intend to sign pending restricted free agent Mason Shaw to an extension this summer, despite his recent ACL tear. Shaw is expected to be out for eight to nine months after he was injured this past Saturday in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
For Shaw, this is the fourth time he’s torn an ACL in his young career. He’s had surgery three times already and will now need to go through it a fourth time. Smith reported that the feeling in the Wild dressing room was somber, with Shaw’s injury hitting his teammates hard.
By all accounts, Shaw is very popular within the Wild dressing room and has worked hard to get into the teams bottom six. Wild GM Bill Guerin said of Shaw’s contract, ““That won’t be something he’s going to have to worry about. We’ll figure something out. You don’t want to let go of guys like that.”
Minnesota is going to be in a tight cap crunch once again this summer with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts accounting for nearly $15MM in cap space next year. While Shaw may not return in the 2023 calendar year, he should return in early 2024 barring any setbacks. Shaw’s qualifying offer this summer will be just $787.5K, meaning that even with a modest raise Minnesota shouldn’t have any issue offering him a contract, despite their precarious cap situation.
Penguins Notes: Blomqvist, Krannila, Ortiz, DiLiberatore
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced that they’ve signed goaltender Joel Blomqvist to an amateur tryout agreement. For Blomqvist, this is his second stint playing for the baby Penguins under an ATO as he played one game last season with the club.
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected the Finnish netminder in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft and he is one of their top prospects. The 21-year-old has yet to sign an NHL contract with the Penguins, but they do retain his rights for another two years.
Blomqvist was hoping to take the next step this season back in Finland with Karpat of the Liiga, but two concussions limited his playing time to just 21 games. Despite the setback he did post a .907 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average.
In other Penguins news:
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also signed undrafted Finnish forward Jami Krannila to an ATO. The St. Cloud State product had 21 goals and 19 assists this season in 41 NCAA games and has 107 points in his college career in 143 games. The undersized winger will be a long shot to make it to the NHL as he stands just 5’10” and is listed at 163 pounds, but with teams putting a premium on speed and skill he could get a look with the Penguins. Their prospect cupboard is bare, meaning Krannila should get plenty of ice time in the AHL.
- With these two signings Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made a series of corresponding moves by sending defensemen Peter DiLiberatore and Chris Ortiz to Wheeling of the ECHL. DiLiberatore was acquired by the Penguins organization in the Teddy Blueger trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Quinnipiac University product dressed in eight games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored two goals. Ortiz on the other hand has dressed in 39 contests with the Wheeling Nailers and has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points. He has also played 15 AHL games, producing just three assists.
Ottawa Senators Recall Egor Sokolov
It’s been an impressive season for Ottawa Senators prospect Egor Sokolov, and he’s about to get a nice reward. The young forward has been recalled to the NHL for the first time this season.
Sokolov, 22, has scored 55 points in 67 games for the Belleville Senators, setting a new career mark at the professional level. The 2020 second-round pick may not be the fleetest of the foot, but he has continued to perform well at the minor league level, scoring in bunches and operating as a key member of the Belleville attack.
After receiving eight games of NHL action last year, Sokolov is still looking for his first point with Ottawa. Whether he gets a chance down the stretch this year isn’t clear, though if not, his recall is somewhat surprising.
Belleville is still within striking distance of a playoff spot, sitting three points behind the Laval Rocket with five games to play. They’ll be playing the Cleveland Monsters in a must-win matchup tomorrow night, before a rematch on Saturday. Given Ottawa is in Carolina tonight and heads to Florida for a game on Thursday, it would seem unlikely that Sokolov is being removed from the Belleville group just to sit in the press box.
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Joseph Woll
With Matt Murray‘s latest injury, the decision on who will start for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs was effectively made. Ilya Samsonov is now the team’s undisputed starter, though someone will need to help get the team through the last few games of the season.
That someone is Joseph Woll, recalled again today under emergency conditions. Radim Zohorna has been returned to the AHL, while Bobby McMann was moved to long-term injured reserve.
Woll, 24, has had an outstanding season. In 21 appearances at the minor league level he is 16-4-1 with a .927 save percentage. In four games with the Maple Leafs, he is 3-1 with a .934. The 2016 third-round pick is finally rounding into form after several injury-laden professional seasons, and is now pushing for a full-time position with Toronto.
Murray left Sunday’s game after an awkward collision with Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, appearing to hit his head on the ice. The team has not revealed any timeline for the veteran netminder, but it is just another disappointing outcome in a turbulent season.
In 26 appearances, spread out by several injuries, Murray has posted a .903 save percentage. Samsonov, meanwhile, is now 25-10-4 on the year with a .915, and looks poised to meet Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning in game one, should nothing else change for the Maple Leafs over the last part of the season.
Prospect Notes: 2024 Draft, Moore, Michkov
The 2023 draft is just a few months away, but some teams have already moved their first-round picks and may be looking ahead to next year’s crop of talented youngsters. Today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic looks at the 2024 draft class, putting Macklin Celebrini as the best prospect available.
Several impact defensemen, including a handful of familiar names, highlight the rest of the group. David Jiricek‘s younger brother will be available, as will Lane Hutson‘s. Celebrini, meanwhile, will be one to watch as he makes the jump to college hockey next season with Boston University.
- Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that William Moore has signed on with the U.S. National Team Development Program after recently forgoing part of its development camp. The Mississauga-born dual citizen could have potentially been the first-overall pick in the upcoming OHL draft. Instead, he appears to be maintaining his college eligibility by going the USNTDP route for his hockey development.
- In a stunning and saddening story from this morning, reports have emerged that the father of top 2023 draft prospect Matvei Michkov was found dead. An investigation into the situation is ongoing, and little information has been confirmed to this point.
Logan Hutsko Linked To SHL
When the Florida Panthers signed Logan Hutsko in 2021, he looked like an interesting forward addition who could quickly rise through the ranks and provide some NHL value. The third-round pick had played well at Boston College and, despite his small stature, seemed to fit in Florida’s fast, creative, and versatile system.
General manager Bill Zito said he had “dynamic skill” and “unmatched determination,” noting how his pace and compete level would serve him well.
Now, two years later, it appears he might be off to Europe. A Swedish report from Johan Svensson suggests that Hutsko will sign with IK Oskarshamn for next season. As a restricted free agent this summer, he is allowed to sign overseas. The Panthers can temporarily retain his exclusive NHL rights by extending a qualifying offer, though it is unclear if he has any future in the organization.
The 24-year-old has done rather well through his first two years of AHL action, scoring 38 points as a rookie last year and 26 this season in just 39 games.
Through his time in Florida, he has not received a single call-up, and it now looks like he’ll chase a new opportunity elsewhere. Whether he ever makes an impact at the NHL level—or even suits up for a single game—still remains to be seen.
Columbus To Receive Los Angeles Kings 2023 First Rounder
When the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff birth last night it guaranteed that the Columbus Blue Jackets would receive their first-round pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft.
Columbus originally acquired a conditional first round pick from the Kings at the trade deadline as part of a package for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
The condition on the traded pick was that if Los Angeles did not qualify for the 2023 playoffs, Columbus would have instead received a 2023 second round pick and a 2024 second round pick. Columbus will likely have the extra pick land somewhere late in the first round, but should be pleased with their slotting in what is expected to be a deep draft.
This trade could ultimately turn out to be a win for both teams. Columbus is trying to rebuild around Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine and the first-round pick should help them fill out the depth around their two offensive stars. Los Angeles on the other hand have emerged from their rebuild as a potential juggernaut in the Western Conference. They still boast a few remaining stars from their two cup winning teams and have done a nice job building around them.
This season the Kings were receiving some of the worst goaltending in the league until the trade with Columbus for Joonas Korpisalo. Korpisalo has gone 5-2-1 in eight games with a 1.75 goals against average and a .936 save percentage in what has been a career year for the 28-year-old. This recent stretch of success couldn’t have come at a better time for the Finnish goaltender, he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and with very few options available on the open market, Korpisalo could be in line for a hefty payday.
Dmitry Voronkov Expected To Sign ELC After KHL Season
Columbus Dispatch reporter Brian Hedger tweeted that Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Dmitry Voronkov is expected to sign an entry level contract with the team after the KHL’s Gagarin Cup final. Voronkov’s Ak Bars Kazan team is tied 1-1 with Avangard Omsk in the final after dropping game two by a score of 3-2. The series shifts back to Omsk for game three.
The forward was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL entry draft and can play both center and the wing. In 54 KHL regular season games this season the 22-year-old had 18 goals and 13 assists to go along with four goals and four assists in 13 playoff games.
Voronkov is viewed by many around the Blue Jackets as a two-way forward who can fill a bottom six center role and chip in some offense. Hedger tweeted that Voronkov is “a big, snarly, two-way C prospect who projects as a hard-hitting hell-raiser for a third or fourth NHL checking line.”
Chandler Stephenson Out Tonight With An Illness
Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun is reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights will be without the services of Chandler Stephenson this evening when they take on the Minnesota Wild. Stephenson was a late scratch with what is being described as an illness. He remains questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Nashville Predators.
The 28-year-old Stephenson has 59 points in 76 games this season for the Golden Knights and should top 60 points for the second straight year. The Saskatoon native emerged last season as an offensive threat for Vegas and has carried his point production into this season as he currently sits second on Vegas in scoring. Stephenson came over to the Golden Knights in a trade with the Washington Capitals back in 2019 and quickly morphed his game from a defensive bottom six center into a play driving offensive player who is part of an effective power play unit.
Stephenson’s absence likely means that Teddy Blueger will be elevated from the fourth line to play alongside Phil Kessel on the third line. Blueger came over from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline and hasn’t shown much offense this season. He has five points in 14 games with Vegas since the trade and just 15 points in 59 games on the season.
Vegas has already clinched a playoff spot in what has been a bounce back season for the team after missing the postseason last year. The Golden Knights have a good chance to win the Pacific Division as they currently sit one point up on the Los Angeles Kings with a game in hand.