Minnesota Wild Star Kirill Kaprizov To Miss 3-4 Weeks
The Minnesota Wild released a statement to say they will be without their star winger Kirill Kaprizov for 3-4 weeks. Kaprizov suffered a lower-body injury during last night’s game with the Winnipeg Jets. He left midway though the third period, and after setting up the game’s winning goal.
The Russian sniper left after being awkwardly tackled by Jets defenseman Logan Stanley. The 6-foot-7 and 228 pound Jets defender appeared to try to jump on Kaprizov’s back as the Wild winger sheltered the puck along the boards in the Jets zone. Kaprizov crumpled and got up gingerly before heading straight to the Wild bench.
Obviously the Wild are going to miss Kaprizov, who leads the team with 39 goals and 74 points in 65 games. The Wild lean heavily on the top end of their lineup for offense, and will have a difficult time putting pucks in the net without their leading scorer. The Wild have 186 goals this season, which is the least by any team in a playoff position, and is 15 less than the second lowest scoring playoff team in the west.
The Wild do have some breathing room in the standings as they are ten points ahead of the Calgary Flames who are the top team not in a postseason position right now. The good news is, Kaprizov’s timeline allows him to return before the playoffs. The Wild’s final regular season game is not until April 13 against the Nashville Predators which is a full six weeks away.
Tyler Boucher To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
It has been a disappointing year for Tyler Boucher, a top prospect of the Ottawa Senators.
In January 2022, he decided to leave Boston University after just 17 underwhelming games and sign an entry-level contract with the Senators. He scored just three points in college hockey while racking up 34 penalty minutes, so he decided to go a different path for his development.
He was dealing with an injury at the time, but after eventually joining the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL, he scored just eight goals and 16 points in 28 games, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the North Bay Battalion.
This season was supposed to be his big breakout, with an offseason of preparation with the 67’s and a likely place on the U.S. World Junior team. He landed that spot, but would be replaced before the bronze medal game due to injury.
Following the tournament, the shoulder injury would keep him out until late February. After just four games back, Boucher has aggravated the injury and is now scheduled for surgery to repair a torn album. His season is over, meaning it will end with just ten goals and 18 points in 21 games for the 67’s.
Selected tenth overall in 2021, it’s been a brutal start to his time in the Senators organization. Boucher still has plenty of upside and only turned 20 in January, but now faces a three to four-month recovery. Hopefully, this lost development time won’t keep him from reaching his ceiling at the professional level.
Los Angeles Kings Activate Trevor Moore
The Los Angeles Kings are red hot, and now they’re getting back an important reinforcement. Trevor Moore has been activated from injured reserve and will be available for the team tonight.
Moore, 27, has been out of the lineup since February 21, and his return will bring up some questions about where he fits moving forward. The speedy two-way winger has played almost exclusively with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson this season, seeing less than 60 minutes of even-strength ice time with any other forward.
That duo, though, has been excellent of late playing with Kevin Fiala, meaning Moore might have to slot in somewhere else (at least to start).
Either way, his addition to the roster makes the Kings all the more dangerous. While Moore has just seven goals and 20 points in 42 games this season, he has proven his worth as a versatile possession player that head coach Todd McLellan leans heavily on in tight games.
Averaging more than 17 minutes a night, Moose will be a big part of any playoff success the Kings have this year. Getting healthy and up to speed only helps them chase that goal.
Minnesota Wild Sign Kyle Masters
The Minnesota Wild have inked another prospect, signing Kyle Masters to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal starts in 2023-24 after Masters’ junior career ends.
Selected 118th overall in 2021, the 19-year-old defenseman hs experienced a breakout this year after a trade brought him to the Kamloops Blazers. The fourth-round pick has 11 goals and 59 points in 58 games so far, putting him seventh among all WHL defenders in scoring.
With the Blazers, Masters is headed for a Memorial Cup berth, as Kamloops will host the junior hockey tournament this year. With a chance to go out on top, he’ll head into professional hockey next year with an ELC in hand.
It’s been a busy little while for the Wild front office, who have also signed Hunter Haight, Caedan Bankier, and David Spacek, to contracts that start next season.
Pavel Gogolev Clears Unconditional Waivers
March 9: Gogolev has cleared unconditional waivers and will see his contract terminated.
March 8: It seems as though Pavel Gogolev won’t be with the Chicago Blackhawks organization for very long. The young forward is on unconditional waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, for the purpose of a contract termination.
Gogolev, 23, was included in the recent Jake McCabe trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, coming over along with Joey Anderson. His inclusion was mostly about contract slots for Toronto but there was at least some hope that Gogolev could make the jump to the AHL in the Chicago organization.
After two games (and one goal) with the Rockford IceHogs, it appears as though he’s headed back overseas. A contract termination will leave him an unrestricted free agent, able to sign somewhere else to continue his hockey career.
While an overseas assignment is a usual outcome in these situations, it’s not like Gogolev is new to North America. The Russian forward came to Canada a decade ago to play hockey at various academies, before being the eighth overall pick in the 2016 OHL draft.
After a professional career that has been spent mostly in the ECHL, he’ll now have to catch on somewhere else to keep his hockey journey moving forward.
Injury Notes: Fabbri, Carlson, Hurricanes
More than just Detroit Red Wings fans cringed when they saw Robby Fabbri limp off the ice last night with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old has been through multiple major knee surgeries in his career, but keeps coming back and showing that he can contribute at the NHL level on reconstructed ACLs.
When he missed practice today, it seemed like it might be bad news for the talented winger, but head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters that Fabbri is only out day-to-day. The Red Wings will be cautious for obvious reasons, but the team is optimistic that he avoided a serious injury.
- John Carlson was on the ice again today for the Washington Capitals, as he continues to recover from the head injury he suffered earlier this season. Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that the defenseman joined the scratches’ skate, albeit in a non-contact sweater. A more significant update is still expected in the next few days.
- It’s finger-crossing days for the Carolina Hurricanes, who will have to hope their goaltending depth will stay healthy through a playoff run this time. Today, head coach Rod Brind’Amour explained that the team is hopeful the recent injury to Antti Raanta is “not too serious” but couldn’t give a more specific timeline. Jalen Chatfield, meanwhile, is getting evaluated today and is expected to miss some time.
Brandon Sutter Hoping To Resume NHL Career
It’s been nearly two years since Brandon Sutter appeared in an NHL game. The former Vancouver Canucks forward finished the 2020-21 season with a loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
After playing through a five-year, $4.375MM contract as an important leader and role player for the Canucks, he wouldn’t fetch a ton on the open market. He ended up signing a one-year, $1.125MM contract to stay in Vancouver.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t play a single game on that contract. After showing up to training camp in September 2021, Sutter experienced some unexplained fatigue and was given time to try and recuperate away from the group. By October, he was ruled out indefinitely with long-term symptoms of COVID-19. He would miss the entire season.
Last summer, as a UFA once again, Sutter admitted that he was still dealing with the symptoms and wasn’t sure if he would ever play again. Many assumed that would end his NHL career, given his age and situation.
Not so fast, says the 34-year-old veteran. Speaking with Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV today, Sutter explained that he is finally feeling better and that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” He hopes to play again and will try to catch on somewhere in the fall.
Landing an NHL job will be difficult, but there was a time when Sutter was considered an integral two-way center. As a fourth-line option, perhaps he still has enough juice left to be a helpful addition to a club looking for leadership and work ethic, even in a part-time role.
Vegas Golden Knights Recall Jiri Patera
The goaltending pipeline in Vegas is getting awfully thin. The Golden Knights have recalled Jiri Patera under emergency conditions, after Adin Hill suffered a lower-body injury.
That leaves the Golden Knights with Jonathan Quick and Patera as their healthy tandem, with Hill, Logan Thompson, Robin Lehner, and Laurent Brossoit all injured. Michael Hutchinson was traded out at the deadline, and the only other goalie under an NHL contract in the organization is 22-year-old Isaiah Saville, who has ten professional appearances above the ECHL.
It is the Henderson Silver Knights who are in even more trouble. Behind Saville, there is nothing but 50-year-old goaltending coach Fred Brathwaite, who dressed as the backup last night after signing an AHL PTO.
Somehow, even through all of this, the Golden Knights remain in first place for the time being. The club visits the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, before traveling to Carolina, St. Louis, and Philadelphia to finish out the road trip. Those two middle games, against the Hurricanes and Blues, are a back-to-back situation over the weekend, meaning Patera may have to make his NHL debut.
The 24-year-old netminder has a .916 save percentage in 27 games for the Silver Knights this season.
Arizona Coyotes Acquire Steven Kampfer
The trade deadline, despite its name, is not exactly a full stop for NHL transactions. Players can still be dealt after it passes, but are then deemed ineligible for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. Ineligible, that is, at the NHL level.
Almost every year, there is a deal or two that comes in after the deadline that includes minor league players swapping clubs. This time, it’s the Detroit Red Wings and Arizona Coyotes hooking up on a trade that will see Steven Kampfer join the Tucson Roadrunners in exchange for future considerations.
Kampfer, 36, is no longer eligible to play for the Coyotes this season but can help the Roadrunners down the stretch, and potentially discuss an extension with Arizona. The veteran defenseman is a well-respected pro who started his career with the Boston Bruins in 2010, and wore an “A” for the U.S. at the 2022 Olympics.
Despite being just 24-26-6 on the year, Tucson is actually in a playoff position in the Pacific Division. That spot is only a hair ahead of the teams chasing them, though, meaning Kampfer’s help will be much appreciated over the next 16 games.
Grand Rapids, on the other hand, is likely going to miss the postseason, unless they can orchestrate an incredible turnaround over the last part of the season. They sit last in the Central, 11 points behind the Iowa Wild for the final playoff spot.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Anthony Richard
The Montreal Canadiens will be without Christian Dvorak this evening as he deals with a lower-body injury. In his place, the team has recalled Anthony Richard from the Laval Rocket.
Richard, 26, has been Laval’s best player this season, scoring 24 goals and 55 points in 49 AHL games. Mix in seven games with the Canadiens, where he scored his first NHL goal and registered his first NHL assist, and it’s been quite the year for the minor league veteran.
Dvorak is just the latest in a long line of Montreal injuries, including Jordan Harris, who is out tonight. Harris is dealing with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron both took part in the morning skate, the former in a regular jersey and the latter in a no-contact capacity. It’s been a carousel in Montreal this season, with players constantly moving in and out of the lineup due to injury. Thirty-three skaters have played at least one game; when Dvorak misses tonight, only Nick Suzuki will have suited up for all 65.