Evening Notes: Canucks, Canadiens, Nosek
Realistically, it’s not too late for the Vancouver Canucks to still turn their season around. Coming into tonight, the team has 35 points through 34 games, out of the playoffs, but not so far that they can’t make the jump. If they want to do that though, one thing they’ll need is a healthy Thatcher Demko, and the sooner, the better with that. Demko was injured back on December 1st and originally the Canucks projected a six-week absence for their goaltender. But, that no longer seems likely, writes Patrick Johnston of The Province.
Johnston had a chance to speak with Vancouver head coach Bruce Boudreau, who discussed Demko’s return “I’m hoping that’s within the next month,” Boudreau said, “We have that big break coming (in late January), it might be right after that” he added. The Canucks will have a long break around the All Star Game, playing their last game on January 27th before picking things back up on February 6th. Also from Johnston, forward Tanner Pearson, who had hand surgery on November 10th and was originally projected to miss four-to-six weeks, has been skating and might make Vancouver’s mid-January road trip, which begins in Winnipeg on January 8th.
- The Montreal Canadiens provided some medical updates this afternoon. Of note, forward Sean Monahan, who has been out since December 5th with a lower-body injury, is progressing well and skated today for the first time since the injury. The first-year Canadien had been enjoying a strong bounce-back season with 17 points in his first 25 games. Getting Monahan back in the lineup will not only be good for Montreal’s own performance, but the three-time 30-goal scorer could fetch a relatively significant haul at the trade deadline, just months after Montreal acquired him along with a first-round pick from the Calgary Flames for salary cap purposes. Veteran forward Paul Byron, who has yet to play this season while dealing with hip surgery is still yet to skate, but is making progress, albeit slowly, off the ice. Byron, 33, is in the last year of a four-year, $13.6MM deal.
- After a difficult outing last night against the Ottawa Senators, Tomas Nosek‘s absence from tonight’s lineup would seem like a healthy scratch as a simple response to his play, but that’s not necessarily the case according to Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. As Montgomery tells Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty, “It’s maintenance. It’s nothing serious, but we just didn’t want him playing in the back-to-back [games].” That strategy is sensible, and one Montgomery actually deployed earlier this season when Brad Marchand came back from injury. However, tonight is the first game Nosek has missed all season, which has included a few back-to-backs, and there’s been no news thus far of on any injury. Through 34 games, Nosek has three goals and four assists to go along with a stellar 58.3% faceoff percentage and steady penalty kill work. If Nosek’s absence is in any way performance related, it’s interesting to note Boston’s trust of Nosek thus far this season, giving 92.8% of his starts in the defensive zone.
Calgary Flames Activate Dennis Gilbert
Dec 28: It appears the Flames have activated Gilbert off of IR this evening, per CapFriendly. A closer look at the Flames’ roster page shows Gilbert listed on the roster among the other healthy players.
Dec 21: DeSimone could be staying on the Flames roster for a few days, at least. Calgary today converted his emergency call-up into a full-time one, per CapFriendly.
Dec 20: The Calgary Flames have lost Dennis Gilbert for at least a week, as the defenseman was placed on injured reserve today after leaving Sunday’s game early. Nick DeSimone was elevated from the AHL to take his place on the roster.
Gilbert left the game after a fight with Jonah Gadjovich of the San Jose Sharks just nine shifts into his night. It’s tough timing for a player who was only recalled that day and was playing in his eighth game of the season.
His cap hit now will stay on the books for Calgary, a tough break for a team that needs every dollar. The team could have sent him back down and buried his entire $750K contract otherwise.
DeSimone, another minor league veteran, will potentially get the chance to suit up against his old organization, should he enter the lineup tonight in a rematch against the Sharks. The undrafted defenseman spent parts of five seasons with the San Jose Barracuda, wearing an “A” as an alternate captain in the last two.
In four games this season with the Flames, he has yet to register a point.
Arizona Coyotes Loan Liam Kirk To Finland’s Jukurit
Earlier this afternoon, the Atlanta Gladiators, the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes and AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, caused a bit of a stir when they announced forward Liam Kirk had been recalled by the Coyotes. Though Kirk had been off to a strong start with the Gladiators, registering 11 points in 15 games thus far, a recall by Arizona appeared surprising, given he’s played just one game at the AHL level this season and just eight a season ago.
PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan clarified that transaction, reporting that Kirk had actually been loaned to Jukurit in the Finnish League, which is coached by former Coyotes forward Olli Jokinen. Morgan adds that with the transaction, Arizona will retain Kirk’s rights and chances are he’ll return to North America next season, most likely as a member of the Roadrunners.
The 22-year-old Kirk is an interesting case as a prospect. Born and raised in England, Kirk played the majority of his youth hockey in Sheffield, turning pro at the age of 16. Kirk’s success as a teenager at England’s highest level of hockey got him noticed and he was ultimately drafted in the seventh-round by the Coyotes in 2018.
After being drafted, Kirk came to North America and spent two strong seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, registering 47 points in 63 games his first season and 50 points in 47 games his second. Following his two-year OHL stint, Kirk returned to England for one season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, playing in just 14 games, but dominating with 20 points. The forward returned to North America last season, but played in just nine AHL contests between last season and this one combined. However, after joining the Gladiators earlier this season, Kirk appeared to find a groove.
The loan to Jukurit isn’t necessarily bad news or a demotion. In fact, this opportunity might be a step forward for Kirk. As talented as the players in the ECHL are, it’s the third league in North America and doesn’t see too many players that are representative of NHL competition. Jukurit, on the other hand, plays in Finland’s top league, where Kirk will face players who fit into one or more categories: stars and veterans of Europe’s top leagues, former NHL and AHLers, and top NHL prospects.
While the European game is different from what he’d see in the NHL, Kirk has had ample exposure to North American hockey in Peterborough and Atlanta, but now he’ll gain more exposure to top competition. Perhaps not as impactful to Arizona’s decision, but helpful to Kirk, the loan will get him closer to home, at least on the same continent.
Snapshots: Ducks Goaltenders, Maple Leafs, Rielly
The Ducks will have their starting goaltender back between the pipes tonight as head coach Dallas Eakins relayed to reporters including Bally Sports West’s Aly Lozoff (Twitter link) that John Gibson has been cleared to return from his lower-body injury and will start against Vegas. It has been a tough year for the veteran as his GAA has jumped to 3.99 while his save percentage is down to just .896, numbers that are the worst of his career by a considerable margin. In a corresponding roster move, the team officially returned goalie Olle Eriksson Ek to AHL San Diego.
Meanwhile, backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz has started skating on his own and could join the team for practice soon, relays Lisa Dillman of The Orange County Register. The veteran suffered a lower-body injury back on December 12th and hasn’t played since. He, too, is having a tough year with a 4.02 GAA and a save percentage of just .886, hardly the performance he or the Ducks were hoping for as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The NHL has levied a pair of fines on the Maple Leafs. First, the team was fined $100K for a CBA travel violation as they traveled to St. Louis late on December 26th. While it was a late-night flight, the rule states that teams cannot travel or have any activities until the 27th. The second fine was issued to head coach Sheldon Keefe for demeaning conduct directed at the officials during last night’s game against St. Louis. He’ll be $25K lighter in the wallet as a result.
- Still with the Maple Leafs, they are expected to have their top blueliner back in the lineup tomorrow as Keefe told reporters including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter that Morgan Rielly should suit up Thursday against Arizona. The 28-year-old suffered a knee injury a little over a month ago and was placed on LTIR. Toronto will need to get cap-compliant in order to activate him but a pair of LTIR placements yesterday and an eventual return of Mac Hollowell to the minors will be enough to allow them to activate Rielly.
Valeri Nichushkin Re-Injures Ankle, Out Indefinitely
Injuries have hit the Avalanche hard all season but they got some good news three weeks ago when Valeri Nichushkin was able to return to the lineup after undergoing ankle surgery following a six-week absence. However, his absence from yesterday’s loss to Arizona was noteworthy and head coach Jared Bednar confirmed to Kyle Frederickson of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link) that the winger has re-injured his ankle. There is no timetable for his return.
The 27-year-old is in the first season of an eight-year, $49MM contract signed back in July to avoid free agency. He got off to a great start before originally being injured, notching a dozen points in his first seven games but his output had dipped since his return as Nichushkin had just four assists in the eight contests he played in this month. Even so, he still sits seventh in scoring for Colorado despite missing more than half the season due to injuries.
Nichushkin rejoins an injured group that includes (but isn’t limited to) center Nathan MacKinnon, winger Gabriel Landeskog, defensemen Josh Manson and Bowen Byram, and even goaltender Pavel Francouz. All told, the Avs have over $27MM in contracts for players that are currently unavailable due to injuries. Even with LTIR, Colorado has been icing lineups lately that have been below the salary cap floor and with most of their injured players still facing extended absences, that’s unlikely to change in the near future.
In spite of the injuries, Colorado is still hanging around the playoff mix as they’re tied for a Wild Card position and are only two points out of the final guaranteed spot in the Central Division. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to hang around the mix without another key winger in Nichushkin who is now facing another absence.
Metropolitan Notes: Wahlstrom, Drury, Merzlikins
The injuries are starting to pile up for the Islanders and that list has grown once again as Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that the team believes that winger Oliver Wahlstrom sustained a head injury in last night’s game against Pittsburgh. The injury occurred on his first shift of the game and he did not return. Wahlstrom is on pace to set new career highs offensively with seven goals and nine assists in 35 games so far this season. He joins Kyle Palmieri, Semyon Varlamov, Adam Pelech, and Cal Clutterbuck as regulars that are currently out of the lineup.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Jack Drury’s recall to Carolina was a short-lived one. Just one day after being brought back up following a paper demotion during the holiday break, the Hurricanes announced that they’ve returned the center to AHL Chicago. The 22-year-old has played in 21 NHL games this season, notching two assists, but is averaging just shy of ten minutes a game which isn’t necessarily ideal for development. Drury has gotten into eight games with the Wolves where he has three points. With Max Pacioretty getting closer to returning, Drury’s stay in the minors might last a little longer this time.
- Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was a full participant in practice today, relays team reporter Jeff Svoboda (Twitter link). This means that he has cleared COVID protocol. Merzlikins has struggled considerably this season, posting a 4.68 GAA and a .864 SV% in 14 games thus far. Columbus is now carrying three goaltenders on the active roster so once Merzlikins gets the green light to return, it’s likely that Daniil Tarasov will be sent back to AHL Cleveland.
Ottawa Senators Place Nikita Zaitsev On Injured Reserve; Recall Jacob Larsson
With the Ottawa Senators dealing with an ever-dwindling depth chart on defense, the team has recalled Jacob Larsson from the minor leagues. Nikita Zaitsev left yesterday’s game after blocking a shot, while Artem Zub remains out. The latter needs another test before getting clearance to play, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, while the former has been moved to injured reserve.
With Zaitsev leaving early and Dillon Heatherington playing just over eight minutes, the Senators were essentially playing with just four defensemen against the Boston Bruins. Thomas Chabot ended up with more than 31 minutes of ice time in the shootout win, while each of Nick Holden (24:41), Travis Hamonic (24:24), and Jake Sanderson (27:13) reached at least 24.
Larsson, 25, isn’t expected to really change that. The former Anaheim Ducks defenseman has played just three games with Ottawa this season, failing to crack 15 minutes in any of them. Through 24 games with the Belleville Senators, he has just five points and is a -13, trailing only Angus Crookshank for the worst number on the team. While he may be a capable short-term injury fill-in, the Senators desperately need Zub back to take some of the defensive responsibility off the shoulders of the top four.
Zub did skate today, and will hopefully be back in the lineup before long. There has been no announcement from the team on Zaitsev’s timeline just yet, but his placement on injured reserve requires him to miss at least a week. The team is back in action tomorrow in Washington, before a back-to-back against the Red Wings and Sabres this weekend.
Wild Place Marcus Foligno On IR, Re-Assign Andrej Sustr
Dec 28: Sustr has been returned to the AHL, after Jacob Middleton was back at practice for the Wild today.
Dec 27: After recalling a pair of forwards yesterday, the Wild have made two more roster moves today. They announced the recall of defenseman Andrej Sustr from AHL Iowa with winger Marcus Foligno being placed on injured reserve to create roster room for Sustr’s promotion.
Sustr is in his first season with Minnesota after signing a two-way deal with them at the beginning of free agency. This is the 32-year-old’s second recall of the month although he didn’t see any NHL action in the week and a half that he was up earlier. Sustr has six points in 20 AHL contests this season and will likely be a reserve defender on this recall as well as the Wild now have eight rearguards on their active roster.
As for Foligno, the veteran has had a bit of a tough year. He missed time with an upper-body injury earlier this season while it’s a lower-body issue that will keep him out this time around. The 31-year-old had 23 goals in 2021-22 but has managed just three so far this season in 27 games although he does lead the team with 90 hits. Michael Russo of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that Foligno’s placement is back-dated to December 21st so he could be activated for Thursday’s game against Dallas if he’s ready to return.
Marc Crawford Hired In Switzerland
The ZSC Lions, one of the most popular teams in Europe, has made a big change behind the bench. They have parted ways with Rikard Gronborg and hired Marc Crawford as head coach, signing the former NHL bench boss to a deal through the 2024-25 season. Crawford will be joined by Rob Cookson.
This is actually a return to Zurich for Crawford, who coached the team for four years starting in 2012-13. The Lions won the league championship in 2014 and put up a 125-47-28 record overall with Crawford in charge. His time there also included a 2015-16 season with teenage phenom Auston Matthews, who scored 24 goals and 46 points as an 18-year-old in just 36 games.
Gronborg was already going to leave ZSC at the end of the season and rumors had emerged about his connection to teams in Finland. He is a free agent now, however, and has drawn plenty of NHL interest in the past. The 54-year-old coach was with Zurich since 2019, and had previously served with the Swedish national team for many years.
Crawford, meanwhile was most recently with the Chicago Blackhawks and has served with the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques. It was Crawford who took the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 1996 after the move from Quebec, though the rest of his NHL postseason resume isn’t quite as successful. Cookson worked with Crawford in Ottawa and served as an assistant with the Calgary Flames for many years previously.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Ty Smith, Drake Caggiula
The Pittsburgh Penguins have moved Josh Archibald and Ryan Poehling to injured reserve, recalling Ty Smith and Drake Caggiula to fill the roster spots. Both IR stints are retroactive, meaning Archibald and Poehling can be activated whenever healthy enough to return.
Smith’s recall will excite some fans though, given the upside that he still represents. The 22-year-old defenseman was part of the return in an offseason trade of John Marino and looked like he would be a regular piece of the Pittsburgh blue line during the preseason. Instead, he was sent down to start the year and has racked up 14 points in 26 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins instead.
That was Smith’s first experience in the minor leagues, as he jumped right from the WHL to the NHL in 2020 with the New Jersey Devils. He played 114 NHL games during his first two seasons, scoring seven goals and 43 points in the process. The 2018 first-round pick has plenty of offensive potential but can still be inconsistent on the defensive side of the puck.
He will likely get a chance to show off any improvement in that area, given the injury that Chad Ruhwedel suffered last night. The veteran defenseman played just 5:28 before leaving.