Ryan O’Reilly Out Four Weeks After Surgery
TSN is reporting that newly acquired Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan O’Reilly underwent successful surgery today to help stabilize his broken finger. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has said the timeline for recovery is four weeks.
O’Reilly was placed on long-term injured reserve on Monday, meaning the earliest he can return to the Maple Leafs lineup is the 29th of March.
O’Reilly was injured on Saturday night when he was hit on the hand by an Auston Matthews shot. Toronto is 5-3 since they acquired the former Conn Smythe winner and were hoping to acclimate him to the lineup in the months leading up to the playoffs.
For his part, O’Reilly has five points since coming over from the St. Louis Blues and has been everything Toronto was hoping for when they acquired the 32-year-old.
New York Rangers Recall Jonny Brodzinski
The New York Rangers have recalled Jonny Brodzinski from the AHL, suggesting that trade deadline addition Tyler Motte might not be ready to go.
Motte was injured when Austin Watson ran him over last Thursday, a play that drew the focus of fans but not the Department of Player Safety. His return to New York hasn’t been very successful, with just one assist in six games and barely any playing time.
Given the team’s limited cap space, they don’t actually have room to recall Brodzinski without making another transaction or receiving an emergency exemption from the league. Since they played Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins shorthanded, it is likely the latter, with Brozinski not counting against the cap.
This was the risk of adding so many high-priced talents at the deadline. The Rangers may face similar situations down the stretch, forcing them to play with fewer than 18 skaters because of minor injuries. It is unclear how long Motte will be out, but moving him to long-term injured reserve for the added cap flexibility would rule him out for ten games and 24 days.
Brodzinski, 29, has played in 16 games for New York this season but has just two points.
Gustav Rydahl Expected To Return To SHL
After slowly developing into a star overseas, Gustav Rydahl drew the attention of NHL scouts, and earned a contract with the New York Rangers last spring. The signing was buried in the headlines of the Rangers first-round win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning some fans may not have even noticed his acquisition.
Less than a year later, Rydahl was shipped off at the trade deadline. The 28-year-old forward was sent to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Anton Blidh in one of the day’s more minor moves. He never played a game for the Rangers, and it appears his North American career could be over in the blink of an eye.
Reports out of Sweden indicate that Rydahl will return to the SHL next season, leaving any dreams of an NHL career behind. He won’t be returning to Farjestads, though. Instead, the big center will jump ship and play for rival Frolunda on a long-term contract.
It hasn’t gone according to plan for Rydahl in North America. Through 41 games in the AHL—all but one coming with the Hartford Wolf Pack—he has just seven goals and 15 points. While those numbers would likely increase with more experience here, the 2022 Olympian is expected to return home. A long-term deal with Frolunda at his age would suggest another stint in North America is out of the question.
Dmitry Kulikov Expected To Make Pittsburgh Penguins Debut Tomorrow
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall spent much of the week leading up to the trade deadline rebuilding a struggling bottom-six. However, lost in the shuffle was the acquisition of defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in exchange for Brock McGinn and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Kulikov has spent most of this season playing over 20 minutes a night in Anaheim’s top-two, but Seth Rorabaugh of TribLive is reporting that Kulikov will shuffle into a spot in the Penguins lineup that is much more suitable to his skillset.
Kulikov spent much of the Penguins practice on Monday paired with Jan Rutta, supplanting P.O. Joseph on the third pairing. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan praised Kulikov’s size and strength, as well as his ability on the penalty kill.
Kulikov’s acquisition likely means less time on the penalty kill for fellow defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin is creeping up on playing a career high in shorthanded minutes and has seen his game fall off considerably this season. Although he has been better in recent weeks, easing Dumoulin’s workload could be a positive development for the pending unrestricted free agent, and the Penguins playoff aspirations.
Kulikov doesn’t offer much offensively with just 15 points in 61 games, but is defensively conscience and should bring an awareness that has been lacking for the Penguins throughout this season.
Timothy Liljegren To Dress Tomorrow For Toronto Maple Leafs
Although Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been a healthy scratch for the past two games, it appears as though he will return to the lineup tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils. TSN’s Mark Masters is reporting that Liljegren will pair alongside Morgan Rielly as head coach Sheldon Keefe moves back to a 12-6 alignment.
Scratching Liljegren seemed unlikely just as a few months ago after he went eight straight games without being on the ice for a 5v5 goal against. Liljegren was even profiled in a piece from Luke Fox of Sportsnet a few days after he assisted on a Mitch Marner OT game winning goal against the New York Rangers. In the article, Keefe and Liljegren’s teammates praised his steady play, and his ability to make reads in the offensive zone.
However, the former first round pick has struggled as of late with just two points in his last 12 games, including going pointless in 10 straight. This drop in play coincided with multiple roster moves that left the young Swedish defenseman on the outside looking in when the dust of the trade deadline settled.
Liljegren will now have another opportunity to show that he belongs on the ice and not in the press box, as he pairs up with top defenseman Rielly. Keefe also said it is possible that Liljegren will see time on the powerplay, a role that he has not seen much of this year having played just 20 powerplay minutes all season long.
Cam Talbot Scratched Late Due To Injury
Tonight’s Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators matchup has had a couple of interesting developments just hours before game time. Mads Sogaard will now be get the start for the Senators as Ottawa netminder Cam Talbot has been scratched with what TSN 1200 is reporting as a minor lower body ailment. Talbot had a slow start in his first season with Ottawa but has been better as of late for the Senators, having won his last three starts.
Kevin Mandolese has been called up from Belleville (AHL) but will likely not make it down to Chicago in time for the game. Mandolese has been quite good for the Senators this season with a 1-1 record and a .928 save percentage. The 22-year-old netminder last dressed for Ottawa in a loss to the Boston Bruins on February 20th, a game in which he stopped 29 of 32 shots.
For this evening, Ottawa may have to dress an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG). In Chicago, that would be Scott Foster, who famously backstopped the Blackhawks to a 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in 2018. Foster stopped all seven shots he faced in his one NHL appearance, and was named the game’s first star despite not being credited as the goalie of record.
Foster was signed by Chicago back in March 2018 to an amateur tryout contract because presumed started Anton Forsberg was sidelined at the time with an injury. Should he dress tonight for Ottawa, he would once again be working in as an emergency backup goaltender for a team that employs Forsberg.
Minor Transactions: 03/06/23
As the NHL looks forward to the playoffs, transactions are still happening across the league and internationally as well. Here are some of the minor transactions and news pieces so far today.
- The Colorado Avalanche has announced that goaltender Jonas Johansson has been recalled from the AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles. On the heels of incredibly shaky starts from Justus Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev, the Avalanche will now employ a different option in the net. Recent acquisition Keith Kinkaid was sent down earlier this morning after coming in as backup during the blowout game against the Dallas Stars Saturday night. The Avalanche will enter play tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks as they look to stop their three-game losing streak.
- Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that defensemen Nick Jensen and Martin Fehervary were seen in non-contact jerseys during this morning’s practice. Neither of the two has played since the Capitals’ game against the Anaheim Ducks last Wednesday. Jensen recently signed a 3-year, $12.15MM contract extension with the Capitals; coupled with the deal sending Dmitry Orlov to the Boston Bruins, Jensen figures to be an important part of Washington’s blue line moving forward.
- Outside of the NHL, veteran forward Patrik Lundh is in agreement on a 1-year extension with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. Now in his second tenure with the Swedish club, Lundh has previously played in several of Europe’s most popular hockey leagues. After spending time in both the Kontinental Hockey League and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Lundh made the switch back to the SHL last season.
Examining The Vancouver Canucks’ Salary Cap Situation
After one of the most eventful trade deadlines in the last decade, there became a strong line contrasting buyers and sellers. Many of the top teams in the league added more talent to their roster, and some teams outside the playoff picture went down a clear direction of selling. However, one of the most popular questions arising from the deadline was: ‘What exactly are the Vancouver Canucks doing?’.
Since their trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, the Canucks haven’t been a serious playoff threat in over a decade. After acquiring Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland during the 2021 NHL Draft, there was legitimate hope that this team could return to the playoffs and make some noise. Instead, the team finished with a 40-30-12 record, fifth place in the Pacific Division, and 10th in the Western Conference, falling short of the playoffs again. They did sell off a few pieces at last year’s deadline but also chose to sign forward J.T. Miller to an 8-year, $64MM contract extension, thus indicating that they were still hoping to compete with this core.
This year, it’s been much of the same. Currently standing at 25-32-5, the Canucks are once again well outside the playoff picture. Many believed that the fire sale had begun after dishing longtime captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a first-round pick in 2023. This deal was made four days after signing pending unrestricted free agent Andrei Kuzmenko to a 2-year, $11MM contract extension. Kuzmenko was thought to be a trade chip available before the deadline, but an argument can be made that Kuzmenko, 27, could fit around the timeline of building blocks Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
About a month later, the Canucks continued to look toward the future. Acquiring young forward Vitali Kravtsov from the New York Rangers, and also selling off pieces such as Riley Stillman, Luke Schenn, and Curtis Lazar. However, in one of the more stunning moves from deadline week, they sent the first-round pick acquired from the Islanders for Horvat as well as their own second-round pick from this season to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Filip Hronek. Similarly to Kuzmenko, an argument can be made that Hronek fits into the timeline as he is only 25 years old. He has two years remaining on his contract, he will be a restricted free agent at the end of his deal, and Tyler Myers‘ contract will be up at the same time if he is not moved beforehand.
Although it is reasonable to suggest that Hronek and Kuzmenko fit the supposed timeline, this has quickly become a team that just can’t get it done. Their head coaching situation has been a carousel for some time, and the front office is investing a lot of money and assets into players that are not good enough to help this team go on a run in the playoffs. It’s not all doom and gloom in Vancouver, they have two of the best young talents in the league in Pettersson and Hughes, but the supporting staff must be changed quickly. There were rumors swirling around on the deadline day that the Canucks had a deal in place with the Pittsburgh Penguins to unload Miller, but it was nixed at the goal line by the Canucks because they were not receiving a young center in return. With the team in the position that they are, not receiving a young center in return is not a defensible excuse to not make that trade.
Included in the Miller extension, he will have a complete no-movement clause until the 2027-28 season. Ekman-Larsson is the only other Canuck on the roster with that same attachment included in his contract. Aside from that, Myers, Ilya Mikheyev, Micheal Ferland, and Tanner Pearson all have modified no-trade clauses in their respective contracts. They will receive salary relief at the end of this year as Ferland’s contract is up, but he has not factored much into their in-season movement due to his stay on the LTIR. Although it will be hard for many teams to acquire such high-priced contracts from the Canucks’, the Nashville Predators showed exactly how to get it done. After trading away Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund, and Nino Niederreiter, the Predators were able to clear a total of $10.5MM, as well as pick up a total of four draft picks, along with prospects. Sticking with their core of Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and Juuse Saros, the Predators cleared cap space, acquired future assets, and are now able to retool around their core players.
This isn’t to say that every draft pick is going to work out wonderfully for the Predators, but at the very least they are now a team with options. If the Canucks continue to shy away from a full-on teardown, the most important pieces of their roster that need to be addressed are defense and goaltending. As they have a GF/G of 3.32, and a team powerplay percentage of 23.1%, the Canucks offense seems to be manageable as they rank higher than some playoff teams in those respective categories. Despite the above-average offense, this team can’t stop letting the puck go into their net. Ranking 31st in the NHL, the Canucks sport a GA/G of 3.89, and a league-worst save percentage of 87.6%.
With their top defenseman Hughes taking a much more offensive approach to the game, it would make more sense to acquire defensemen that play a similar style to Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins and Erik Cernak of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although they do not score the highlight reel goals, they are some of the very best defensive defensemen in the NHL. Back in November, it was reported that the Canucks and Ottawa Senators held discussions involving Myers, meaning talks could be revisited at the conclusion of the season.
The defense has also impacted the goaltending in Vancouver as well. Many fans have soured on the idea of Thatcher Demko being the long-term answer in the net, but injuries aside, he has been above average throughout his young career. With a cumulative stat line of 91.0% save percentage, 2.93 goals against average, and 6.4 goals saved above average, those numbers show that there should still be hope for Demko.
Once the offseason rolls around, Vancouver needs to be shopping high-price veterans such as Miller, Garland, Myers, and Brock Boeser. Instead of trading away draft capital in hopes of still competing, the Canucks should be stockpiling it. Because of the dollar value of these contracts, they may not receive much in return, but having the luxury of cap space in today’s NHL is an asset in and of itself. Residing in a Canadian market is always going to include added pressure, but with the ability to build around Pettersson and Hughes, the Canucks shouldn’t be as far away as they currently are. Vancouver shouldn’t entertain moving those two, but they need a much harder reset than what they are attempting now.
As they still retain their first-round selection in the upcoming draft, Canucks currently are projected to have the sixth overall pick. Although that is a good draft ranking for a team in this position, because of previous moves, they only have five picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts. If they are able to acquire more, as they should, the Canucks will now have more options at their disposal. Mismanagement has governed this team for too long, and the Canucks need to pick a more sensible direction.
Tony Granato Fired As Wisconsin Badgers Head Coach
The Wisconsin Badgers announced via a press release this afternoon that head coach Tony Granato has been relieved of his duties. After taking over as head coach of the Big 10 team during the 2016-17 season, Granato will finish his tenure as head coach with a cumulative 103-129-16 record. The 2021-22 season was by far the most successful of them all, as the team finished first in their division, ultimately losing to Bemidji State in the regional semifinals.
Aside from coaching, Granato is well known for being a part of the Los Angeles Kings during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993. In the best statistical season of his career, the 5’10” forward scored a career-high 37 goals and 45 assists. Unfortunately, the next season, Granato’s career was permanently altered after receiving a hard hit to the head in a game against the Hartford Whalers. There was bleeding in his brain detected, and Granato went out for a time due to surgery as many wondered if he would ever play again. Defeating the odds, Granato returned to the NHL, playing for the San Jose Sharks to finish his career.
Before coaching at Wisconsin, Granato previously coached in the NHL. His most recent coaching position was as an assistant for the Detroit Red Wings from 2014-16. Before that Granato held the same role for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 2009-2014, helping the team win their first Stanley Cup since 1992. The only head coaching position he’s ever had in the NHL was with the Colorado Avalanche from 2002-2004; 2008-2009, finishing with a 104-78-17-16 record.
As with any upcoming offseason, there will be head coaching changes made in the NHL. Although he has not coached at that level since the 2008-09 season, Granato could be of interest to teams looking to make a change behind the bench. Since the news of his dismissal is recent, Granato has not yet commented on his future. Whether he continues in the NCAA, or if he moves back into professional hockey, Granato should be a popular name heading into the offseason.
Minnesota Wild Sign David Spacek
According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman David Spacek to an entry-level contract. The length and financials of the contract are unknown, but it will start in 2023-24.
Spacek, the son of longtime NHL defender Jaroslav Spacek, was a Minnesota fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft. The 20-year-old has 46 points in 49 games (and a staggering +43 rating) with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL this season. He also had a standout performance at this year’s World Junior Championship, guiding Czechia to a silver medal with eight points in seven games.
Spacek went undrafted in 2021 after playing just 10 games between the second-tier Czech professional league and the top junior league, but it’s been a quick ascension up the ranks since. He adds to an already incredibly formidable group of Wild prospects on defense and is already outperforming expectations based on his draft spot.
Given his age, it’s almost certain that Spacek will turn pro next season and join the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He’ll join a team ripe with young talent on defense, including Ryan O’Rourke, Daemon Hunt, and potentially University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber.