Ottawa Senators To Activate Artem Zub
With Nikita Zaitsev sent to Belleville, another move on defense has come for the Ottawa Senators. As reported by CapFriendly, the Senators have activated defenseman Artem Zub off of injured reserve.
The blueliner has been out with an upper-body injury since October 28th. The Senators’ blueline just recently lost top defenseman Thomas Chabot, who was placed on injured reserve on the 13th.
Zub, who has become a fan favorite since arriving in Ottawa for the 2020-21 season, should help the Senators’ defense corps stabilize in the midst of Chabot’s absence. In his seven games played this year Zub has three points and has skated in 22 minutes per game, including two minutes on the penalty kill.
Remaining healthy and productive this year is of particular importance for Zub, as he is a pending unrestricted free agent. While there will likely be significant interest in his services regardless, putting forth a quality platform year would go a long way in securing Zub either a lucrative extension in Ottawa or a major contract from another club.
Nikita Zaitsev Assigned To AHL, Two Placed On Waivers
November 18: After clearing waivers last week. the Senators have now officially sent Zaitsev to the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
November 9: Three players have hit waivers today, including some rather expensive defensemen. Mike Reilly has been waived by the Boston Bruins for the second time this season, now that his clock needed to be reset. If a player suits up for 10 NHL games or spends 30 days on the active roster after clearing waivers, they must clear again before being sent down.
With Charlie McAvoy expected to be activated in the coming days, the Bruins needed to open a roster spot and some cap space. Reilly’s $3MM won’t come off the books entirely if sent down to the minor leagues, however, meaning the team may need to make another transaction like moving Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve to make the financials work.
The Ottawa Senators have also placed Nikita Zaitsev and Magnus Hellberg on waivers, a disappointing outcome for the former who signed a seven-year, $31.5MM contract in 2017 only to see his play deteriorate substantially in the seasons since. Zaitsev has played in seven of the Senators games this season and saw fewer than 12 minutes of ice time last night against the Vancouver Canucks. He was on the ice for two goals against despite those limited minutes and has been unable to provide consistent defensive effort for the team.
If he clears, the veteran defenseman can be sent to the minor leagues, giving the Senators a bit of cap relief. He will still make his entire salary in the AHL, however, not something that Ottawa likes to do with high-priced talent.
Hellberg, meanwhile, seems like the most reasonable target of the three for any team that is looking for some goaltending help. Nabbed from the Seattle Kraken before the season began, he stopped 29 of 30 shots in his only appearance with the Senators and recently had a long run of success in the KHL. The 6’6″ netminder wasn’t needed anymore with Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg healthy, but could be an asset for other teams.
Injury Notes: Wedgewood, Yamamoto, Roy
Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters today, including The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks, that goalie Scott Wedgewood is day-to-day after leaving last night’s game on a stretcher. DeBoer noted that Wedgewood felt better today, but did not practice.
Wedgewood could still take a skate tomorrow but is still doubtful to dress Saturday against the New York Islanders. The netminder sustained the injury by making a pair of saves on Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell. It’s expected that Matt Murray will receive his second recall of the season to backup Oettinger for tomorrow’s game.
- Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto has yet to skate since suffering an undisclosed injury in a 7-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on November 10, according to head coach Jay Woodcroft. Woodcroft called the young forward day-to-day, but said it was doubtful he’d play Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Yamamoto has a paltry three assists through 13 games this season despite receiving top-six minutes.
- On the other side of that matchup, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy doesn’t expect forward Nicolas Roy to travel today with the team to Edmonton. The 25-year-old is out with a lower-body injury suffered in their last game and is day-to-day. He’s been an important depth scoring piece for Vegas to start the year, notching four goals and seven assists in 18 games.
Scott Harrington Clears Waivers
November 18: Harrington has cleared waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Sharks are now free to assign him to the AHL.
November 17: For the second time this season, Scott Harrington has been placed on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The veteran defenseman had previously cleared on October 13 and needed them again (after spending more than a month on the active roster) if the San Jose Sharks wanted to send him down.
Harrington, 29, has only played two games during that stretch and neither of them came this month. It’s been a long time since he actually got onto the ice, last suiting up for the Sharks’ October 22 game against the New Jersey Devils. With the team now home for three games, they can afford to loan him to the San Jose Barracuda for some game action to keep him sharp, though Harrington will likely remain a call-up option for them throughout the year.
That is of course unless he is claimed, which isn’t entirely out of the question. Signed to a one-year, two-way deal that carries a cap hit of just $750K, there are worse options on NHL rosters around the league. Harrington has over 200 games of NHL experience and was a rather effective option just a few years ago. While he won’t light up the scoresheet with points, he could represent an upgrade over some sixth or seventh defensemen.
Still, as always with these depth players hitting waivers, a claim remains the more unlikely outcome. If he clears, the Barracuda play a back-to-back this weekend in Tucson where he could make his AHL season debut.
Minnesota Wild To Waive Tyson Jost
Forward Tyson Jost will be placed on waivers by the Minnesota Wild when the 1:00 p.m. CT deadline hits, according to a Tweet from the team’s public relations department.
After a strong training camp, it’s been anything but to begin the season for Jost. The 24-year-old, acquired via trade last season, has just three assists through 12 games and has been a healthy scratch five times. Averaging just 12:44 per night, his spot in the lineup has faded away with Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno returning to health.
His $2MM cap hit will likely be a deterrent for most teams, keeping him in the Wild organization. However, it’s not inconceivable that a team near the bottom of the standings would take a flyer on the 2016 tenth overall pick. However, he’s only managed to eclipse the 10-goal mark twice and never had more than 30 points in a 354-game NHL career.
The last time Jost played in the AHL was 2018-19, scoring five points in an eight-game stint. It seems as though that might be where he ends up for at least a few days, if he clears waivers.
Injury Notes: Matthews, Pacioretty, Teravainen
12:23 pm: Head coach Sheldon Keefe said during post-practice media availability that Matthews was “fine,” thankfully meaning he won’t miss any time.
12:12 pm: Toronto Maple Leafs fans are holding their collective breath on Friday morning. Superstar forward Auston Matthews left the team’s practice early today after blocking a shot, skating around in visible discomfort.
While Matthews isn’t on pace for a second consecutive 60-goal season in 2022-23, he’s still producing at over a point-per-game pace. He has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points through 18 games on the year, one back of the team lead in points (Mitch Marner, 20) and goals (John Tavares, 9). The Leafs are expected to issue an update on Matthews prior to tomorrow’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres.
- For a different Eastern Conference team, it’s more promising news on the injury front. A pair of important Carolina Hurricanes forwards was spotted skating before practice this morning, including offseason acquisition Max Pacioretty. Acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights along with defenseman Dylan Coghlan in a cap-dump move, Pacioretty ruptured his Achilles tendon in early August and was expected to return in early February at the soonest. While there’s no indication he’ll return to the lineup anytime soon, it’s a promising sign for his trajectory and a solid sign he’ll be back earlier than the February timeline.
- Forward Teuvo Teravainen, who’s missed the past three games with an upper-body injury, was also out skating with Pacioretty this morning. After sustaining the injury on November 10, he’s eligible to return from injured reserve as his health permits. The timeline for his return is still unknown, however.
Dallas Stars Re-Assign Matej Blumel; Expected To Recall Matt Murray
Nov 18: The Stars have sent Blumel back down, this time after playing four games and scoring his first NHL goal. With Scott Wedgewood‘s injury last night, Murray is expected to be recalled.
Nov 9: Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill announced today that the team has recalled forward Matej Blumel from the AHL’s Texas Stars. In a corresponding transaction, the team also loaned goalie Matt Murray to Texas.
Murray returning to Texas indicates that star netminder Jake Oettinger will be ready to return to the lineup soon. Oettinger has been out with a lower-body injury since leaving an October 29 game against the New York Rangers. His .952 save percentage and 1.40 goals-against average remain first in the NHL.
The “other” Matt Murray didn’t receive any game action during his week-and-a-half call-up, but he returns to Texas where he excelled with a 2-2-0 record and a .926 save percentage to start the year.
Blumel could be in line to make his NHL debut soon after lighting it up with 11 points in his first nine AHL games. The 6′ 0″, 198 lb forward spent the past three years with HC Dynamo Pardubice in the Czech Extraliga after the Edmonton Oilers selected him 100th overall in 2019. They failed to sign him to an entry-level contract, though, paving the way for the Stars to sign him last summer. He was called up to Dallas for three days in late October without making an appearance.
Eric Comrie Out Multiple Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
It’s Craig Anderson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the next little while. Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that Eric Comrie will be out for multiple weeks with a lower-body injury.
While injury is certainly not what you’re hoping for, sitting Comrie down for a little while might not be the worst thing for the Sabres. The 27-year-old goaltender was getting his first run as a starter in the NHL and struggling to find much consistency, posting an .887 save percentage through 11 games. Without strong goaltending, the Sabres started getting shelled on the scoresheet, and have lost seven in a row.
Comrie isn’t completely to blame but the Sabres obviously needed to change something to get the ship righted. Perhaps the recall of Luukkonen can be the spark they need to get things turned around. The young netminder was once considered the sure-fire goaltender of the future for the Sabres, and while that title may have been passed on to 20-year-old Northeastern superstar Devon Levi, there should still be plenty of excitement for Luukkonen.
Now 23, he actually has a .913 save percentage in 13 NHL appearances, despite his AHL numbers not looking quite as strong. The 6’5″ netminder has huge potential to be a starter at the highest level if he can put things together, and will get a chance now to really show what he can do. With a back-to-back situation coming up next week – the team plays the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday and the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday – both netminders will be needed.
Minnesota Wild Re-Assign Adam Beckman
The Minnesota Wild have sent Adam Beckman to the minor leagues, after playing fewer than ten minutes in each of his last three games. The team has several options to replace him, including the potential return of Jordan Greenway, who has been practicing of late.
One thing that Michael Russo of The Athletic also points out is that tomorrow night, the Wild will be honoring Alex Goligoski for playing 1,000 games in the league, a feat he accomplished last month. The team could choose to go with seven defensemen to get him into the lineup, as he’s not a regular at the moment with younger, more effective options ahead of him.
Either way, the Wild need to shake something up. The team has lost three in a row and remains under .500 on the season. They are ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes in the Central Division standings, two teams who are trying to finish as low as possible this season.
Greenway, who has played just a handful of shifts this season, was skating with Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy at practice according to Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune. The 25-year-old has been a big part of the team’s identity the last few years and was one-third of a top defensive line with Marcus Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek last season.
Alec Regula Returned To AHL; Ian Mitchell Recalled
Nov 18: As expected, Mitchell has been recalled from the minor leagues.
Nov 17: The Chicago Blackhawks don’t play again until Saturday, and they’ve cleared a bit of salary off the roster in the meantime. Alec Regula has been sent down to the AHL, clearing up another roster spot for whatever the Blackhawks do next.
That could just be Regula coming back up in a day or two, saving the team some money – he’ll earn the AHL salary of his entry-level contract while in the minor leagues – but it could also hint at a different move. Seth Jones has been on the ice the last few days but just yesterday head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that the team is going to wait seven to ten days before getting another x-ray done. His return is not imminent.
It could be Ian Mitchell‘s recall, after he has shown exactly why many believed he would be on the Blackhawks roster to start the year, had it not been for injury. The 23-year-old defenseman has two goals and five points in his three games since being activated from injured reserve and sent to the Rockford IceHogs.
With the Blackhawks really struggling on defense without Jones in the lineup, at least one recall is expected. The team has several options and if they truly want to stay competitive, as Richardson claims, they can’t keep icing the same group that gave up five to the St. Louis Blues last night.
Doubting the veracity of that claim is fair, given the offseason that the Blackhawks had. Some might say that things are now going to plan, with a 2-5-3 record in their last ten.