Jacob Bryson Returns To Buffalo Sabres Lineup
A day after announcing that the defenseman could be back in the lineup as soon as today, the Buffalo Sabres confirmed that Jacob Bryson will return to the lineup tonight when the team hosts the San Jose Sharks. Bryson will take the place of Lawrence Pilut on the blueline this evening. Bryson has missed the previous four Sabres games with a lower-body injury, last playing on November 23rd.
It’s no secret that Bryson has struggled so far this season, tallying six points in 20 games with his ice time decreasing steadily throughout, down overall from last season, and a -13 rating telling a good deal of the story. Still, Buffalo has had to deal with a bevy of injuries this season, primarily on the blueline, so getting an NHL defenseman back healthy is good news no matter who it is.
Even with Bryson’s struggles this season, the 25-year-old has shown the ability to be a capable NHL defenseman in the past and a closer look at his numbers does show positive signs that his game hasn’t completely gone away. For one, although his possession metrics aren’t superb, a 45.3 Corsi and 44.2 Fenwick, it is worth noting that 56.2% of his starts have been in the defensive zone.
Additionally, Bryson’s 10 takeaways compared to his three giveaways mark the first time in his career he’s taken the puck away more than he’s given it. Both of those are also on track to be career bests, at least on a per-game basis. The defenseman has also blocked 31 shots already in just 20 games, another number on track to be a career best.
It’s no secret there’s work to be done for Bryson, but coming back after a short time away could help to act as a reset, even if just on a mental basis, for a player Buffalo might be able to use as a part of it’s future plans on what is fast becoming an elite blueline.
New York Islanders Recall Robin Salo
December 4: The route between Bridgeport, CT and Elmont, NY is rather traffic heavy, and Robin Salo can probably confirm. The Islanders announced this afternoon that Salo has once again been recalled from the AHL. It’s unclear if he’ll slot into the lineup tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, however he did play in Bridgeport’s game yesterday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Newsday’s Andrew Gross was the first to report the transaction.
November 30: Salo is headed back to Bridgeport, the Islanders announced Wednesday afternoon. He was a healthy scratch for the game against the Flyers, and the team will likely keep shuttling him up and down so that he isn’t sitting for too long. He hasn’t dressed for the NHL Islanders since October 20.
November 28: After going down to play in yesterday’s Bridgeport Islanders game, Robin Salo is right back with the big club today. The young defenseman will be available for tomorrow’s match against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Salo, 24, recorded an assist for Bridgeport, his first point of the season at the AHL level. He’s only played twice at the minor league level so far, suiting up four additional times for New York in a season of scratches.
Selected 46th overall in 2017, Salo now has 25 NHL appearances under his belt, but can’t seem to find a regular place in the Islanders lineup. With so many nights in the press box, getting a game in at the AHL level was necessary to keep Salo sharp.
Toronto Maple Leafs To Place Calle Jarnkrok On IR
According to Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be placing winger Calle Jarnkrok on IR. In response, the Maple Leafs announced that they are recalling forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev from the Toronto Marlies, their AHL affiliate. Jarnkrok’s IR placement was needed in order for the Maple Leafs to recall Der-Arguchintsev. Still, despite the need for a roster move to accommodate Der-Arguchintsev, the team has not confirmed Jarnkrok’s IR placement.
Jarnkrok suffered a groin injury during Wednesday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks, ultimately leaving the game early without a return. By Friday, Toronto was able to fully assess the forward and head coach Sheldon Keefe told the media the team would be without Jarnkrok for two weeks at the least. The Swede has fit in well with the Maple Leafs during the first of a four year, $8.4MM contract he signed this offseason, recording five goals and four assists in 25 games to date.
A third-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2018, Der-Arguchintsev has shown to be a quality professional hockey player thus far. After a strong OHL career with the Peterborough Petes, the Russian-born forward returned home for part of the 2020-21 season, where he recorded six points in 17 KHL games before coming back to North America and suiting up for the Marlies, where he’s been since. The 22-year-old had 32 points in 51 games last season, showing he belonged in professional hockey, but has turned it up a notch this season with 18 points in 20 AHL games. If he gets into game action for the Maple Leafs, it’ll be his NHL debut and after his consistent improvement year over year, it’ll be a debut the Maple Leafs should be excited about.
Snapshots: Voracek, Capitals Goalies, Vegas Injuries
Just this Friday, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced injury updates on a number of players, including forward Jakub Voracek, who has been battling lingering effects of a concussion suffered early this season. With that announcement, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen clarified that Voracek did not necessarily have a timetable and that the team was going to give him time to see if his symptoms subsided before a return to the ice was considered. Today, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline published a more in-depth look at Voracek’s situation, speaking personally with Kekalainen on the expectations around the veteran winger, and things may look worse than they had seemed at first.
The executive acknowledged to Portzline that Voracek may very well be looking at an earlier retirement than expected. Kekalainen added “I’m more worried about him having a normal life.” Lingering concussion issues are always a serious concern for any player and team in whatever sport it may be, however the original news that the team was giving him time away appeared to be more of a long-term injury concern. With today’s report though, it seems a return to the ice might not even be a guarantee. Voracek, 33, is a veteran of 15 NHL seasons including this one, five as a Blue Jacket and 11 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
- The Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals, announced this afternoon that they’ve signed goaltender Justin Kapelmaster to a PTO ahead of their game today. Normally, we’d put this news in a Minor Transactions piece, however NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti makes an interesting observation with impact on the Capitals. As Gulitti writes, the PTO could mean that one of Hershey’s goaltenders is headed to Edmonton to meet the Capitals after starting netminder Darcy Kuemper left last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Washington currently has Zachary Fucale and Hunter Shepard under contract and playing for the Bears, along with Charlie Lindgren already on the NHL roster.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced, via head coach Bruce Cassidy, that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will miss tomorrow night’s game in Boston against the Bruins, while forward Jack Eichel will be a game-time decision. Pietrangelo has missed the last three games for Vegas for undisclosed personal reasons, last playing November 26th. While the reason for the absence isn’t any clearer than that, Vegas does return home after Monday’s game, which may be a preferred time for the defenseman to rejoin the team, as opposed to meeting them on the opposite coast for the one game. As to Eichel, the nature of his absence is still unclear.
Kings Loan Aidan Dudas To AHL
12/4/22: Per a team announcement, Dudas has been loaned back to AHL Ontario.
12/3/22: The roster shuffling in Los Angeles has been rather frequent in recent weeks although it has often involved the same few players. That isn’t the case this time around as the team announced that they’ve recalled center Aidan Dudas from Ontario of the AHL.
This will be the 22-year-old’s first promotion to the full NHL roster after only previously having a pair of one-day taxi squad stints in the 2020-21 campaign. Dudas, a fourth-round pick of the Kings back in 2018 (113th overall), has played in 18 games with the Reign this season and is tied for the team lead in goals with six. He’s in the final year of his entry-level deal and will be a restricted free agent this summer so it appears they want to take at least a quick look to see how he is progressing.
Los Angeles was only carrying 22 players on their active roster following the re-assignment of Tyler Madden to Ontario on Friday. As a result, they didn’t need to make an additional move to open up a spot for Dudas to be recalled.
Capitals Notes: Trade Possibilities, Injury Updates, Miroshnichenko
The Washington Capitals have not had the start to their season that they likely had in mind. Despite entering the season with the intention of being a serious contender, a 10-12-4 record to start the year has left the Capitals with more questions than answers. Washington GM Brian MacLellan spoke to the media yesterday to issue updates on the state of his team, and as part of that availability, he spoke on the possibility completing a significant trade in order to jump-start a climb in the standings.
As relayed by The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, MacLellan said that the presence of Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom on long-term injured reserve makes the possibility of a major deal highly unlikely. (subscription link) To use his exact words, MacLellan said:
To help our team you would have to add a high-end guy, top-six guy but they are $5 million, $6 million. You can’t add that player while you are bringing two guys back from LTI.
Some other notes regarding the Capitals:
- As part of his comments to the media, MacLellan also issued updates on several injured Capitals players. MacLellan said that Backstrom was “progressing well,” but that there is no firm timeline on a return. He also said that the team will have a “better idea” on Wilson’s return by mid-December, and said that while Dmitry Orlov‘s injury has “lingered on a lot longer than anyone anticipated,” he is nonetheless “headed in a positive direction.” For the Capitals to have any hope of Stanley Cup contention, getting Wilson, Orlov, and perhaps even Backstrom back onto the ice will be extremely important.
- When the Capitals drafted dynamic Russian forward Ivan Miroshnichenko in the first round of the 2022 draft, some saw it as a risky move due to the uncertainty related to the forward’s recovery from Hodgkin Lymphoma. But thankfully all signs have been that Miroshinchenko’s recovery process has gone well, and today he took an important next step on his path to the NHL. Miroshnichenko made his KHL debut today, and while MacLellan did say that the forward is likely still “a few years” away from the NHL, this remains an undoubtedly positive development for all interested in seeing Miroshnichenko thrive.
Chicago Blackhawks Recall Jaxson Stauber
The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled netminder Jaxson Stauber from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
This news comes after Chicago’s veteran starter, Petr Mrazek, suffered an injury in last night’s game against the New York Rangers.
With the team’s other veteran goalie, Alex Stalock, still sidelined with a concussion, this recall gives head coach Luke Richardson and the Blackhawks an extremely young goalie tandem, as both of his healthy netminders are 23 years old.
Stauber is in his first professional season after two successful seasons at Providence College. In six AHL games this year Stauber has an .892 save percentage.
While that’s obviously not a strong number, Stauber’s NCAA performance does indicate that he has some promise. In 37 games last season Stauber went 21-14-2 with a 2.10 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage.
The Blackhawks are back in action again tonight, and it’s possible that Richardson turns to his new call-up. But since Arvid Soderblom played just one period of action in relief of Stalock, it seems more likely that Richardson will turn to the more experienced name in order to not simply immediately thrust Stauber into the heat of battle.
Nonetheless, this move has put the 23-year-old Stauber in a position to make his NHL debut despite having just six total professional games played on his resume.
Vancouver Canucks Activate Jack Studnicka
Earlier this evening, the Vancouver Canucks announced they have activated forward Jack Studnicka off of IR. No corresponding move was announced, and with Studnicka bringing the roster to a complete 23 players, no move was needed. Vancouver will host the Arizona Coyotes this evening.
Although the Canucks seem to have some other big pictures issues to deal with when it comes to turning their season around, such as Brock Boeser‘s production and Thatcher Demko‘s performance, and now injury, getting Studnicka back to health and rounding out the team’s depth is surely welcomed. The forward has just a goal and an assist so far this season in eight games, seven of which have come with Vancouver, but the once highly-touted prospect does have a knack for offense, turning in 35 points in 41 games at the AHL level last year. Getting some level of that production out of the winger at the NHL level would be much welcomed at this point in the season.
The 23-year-old was originally a second-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins back in 2017 and while he had played in parts of four seasons with Boston, he was never able to settle in as a regular contributor. Boston dealt him to Vancouver back in late October for goaltender Michael DiPietro and defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg.
Latest On Brock Boeser
Earlier this evening, it was reported that Brock Boeser would be a healthy scratch for the Vancouver Canucks when they host the Arizona Coyotes this evening. However, after taking warmups with the team, Boeser was placed into the lineup for tonights game, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Later this evening, on tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment Friedman added a bit more fuel to the fire if you will, discussing what might be happening off the ice. Friedman reports that the Canucks have given permission to Boeser’s representatives to talk to other teams about a potential move, though he cautions that neither the team nor Boeser’s agents have specifically confirmed this.
From afar, Vancouver deciding now is the time to trade Boeser might seem a bit confusing. For one, after struggling out of the gate this season, the team has rebounded nicely to put themselves in the playoff discussion at this point in the season, even if on the fringes. On top of that, Boeser has recorded 14 points in 18 games this season, good for 0.77 points-per-game, which is almost perfectly in-line with his career average of 0.79 points-per-game prior to this season.
However, known as a sharpshooter, Boeser’s 8.1% shooting-percentage is down from his career 13.2% he had prior to this season, not to mention he’s been shooting the puck less altogether, averaging 2.83 shots-per-game before this season, down to 2.05 in 2022-23. That’s resulted in just three of his 14 points coming on goals this season. Adding on to the problem, Boeser’s previous six games haven’t been his best, combining for just three points to go with a -6 rating and seven shots total.
What’s next for Boeser and Vancouver isn’t completely clear, but Friedman’s report does raise some eyebrows. For one, despite his struggles, Boeser is undoubtedly a dynamic offensive player that any number of teams would want to add into their lineup. When teams give permission for a player to speak with other teams, generally the reason for doing so is to see if they can work out an extension ahead of time, hopefully giving them a bigger return in a trade, however Boeser is still signed for another two seasons, bringing with him a $6.65MM cap hit.
Another fairly common reason a player may have permission to speak with other teams is to see who’s plans he might fit into with regards to playing time and role, perhaps if that player has been squeezed out in his current situation. Despite his struggles, it’s hard to imagine many teams wouldn’t view Boeser as anything but a valuable addition. Still, given Boeser’s rather large cap hit compared to his production, these conversations may be had to assure an acquiring team knows exactly what to expect in the case they have to absorb Boeser’s entire cap hit or pay Vancouver to retain some of it.
Evening Notes: Zetterlund, Boqvist, Lehkonen, 2024 All Star Game
The New Jersey Devils remarkable season is becoming more and more real each day. At first a nice story, then a “prove it,” then “what next,” the 19-4-1 Devils now sit among the NHL’s most elite teams this season with little evidence they’re slowing down. The team had another busy offseason, however the bulk of the talent on the roster isn’t much different than the same group that put up just 63 points last season. One of the several changes that has seemingly turned the tide in New Jersey is the development of some of their less-heralded prospects, including forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Jesper Boqvist.
As the Devils’ own Amanda Stein profiles, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff recently pulled both players aside and informed them that they should “get a place.” In other words, the two had been living in the team hotel in New Jersey without a permanent home, neither considered a firm part of the roster. However, a player being told to find a more permanent living situation implies that their spot on the roster is fairly safe. New Jersey had certainly hoped that both players could be a part of the long-term plan for them, however neither had really secured that status just yet. Now, 24 games into the season entering tonight, the Devils have found a winning recipe, and while it includes big names like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, it’s also quite clearly been impacted as well by players like Boqvist and Zetterlund.
- The Colorado Avalanche have had to weather more than their fair share of injuries this year and much to their credit, the reigning Cup champions have been able to keep themselves in playoff position despite the injuries. However, the team was dealt another tough blow during tonight’s contest against the Boston Bruins with winger Artturi Lehkonen leaving the game with an undisclosed injury, says Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater. Acquired at last season’s trade deadline, Lehkonen has fit in well during his time in Colorado and is currently enjoying a phenomenal breakout season, tallying seven goals to go with 11 assists in 21 games coming into tonight.
- With the postponement of the 2024 World Cup of Hockey, the NHL will need to find a host for their All Star Game and of course, won’t have an issue finding interested parties. On this evening’s 32 Thoughts portion of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there is expected to be a good amount of interest in hosting from Canadian teams, with Toronto being one that is expected to make a bid. Friedman added that there are some who have wondered if the NHL would consider a rotation of 7-to-10 cities where players may want to travel to during the winter months (presumably the warm climates of the American south and the west coast), but as Friedman adds, that’s not of interest to the league. The last All Star Game to be held north of the border was Ottawa back in 2012, with Montreal in 2009 before it.