Boston Bruins Activate Jeremy Swayman
After missing the last two weeks with an injury, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is back in the fold. Per a team announcement, Swayman has been activated off of injured reserve.
In a corresponding move, the Bruins have sent Keith Kinkaid to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Swayman, 23, has been out with a lower-body injury, an injury that was originally classified as week-to-week.
The Bruins haven’t lost a step in Swayman’s absence. Backstopped by Linus Ullmark, who is off to a hot start with a .936 save percentage, and Kinkaid (who contributed one start, a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres) the Bruins boast a 9-1 record in their last ten games and sit top of the NHL with 28 points.
Swayman has been just a small part of the Bruins’ early success, having gotten into just four games with a .878 save percentage. That being said, though, Swayman is sure to be an important part of the Bruins’ season moving forward. Swayman went 23-14-3 last season with a .914 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against-average.
Swayman is part of a tandem setup with Ullmark and should help ease the load the Bruins place on Ullmark’s shoulders moving forward now that he’s back to full health.
As for Kinkaid, he heads back to Providence having put a quality NHL start on his resume. At the AHL level, Kinkaid has played in four games and has a .922 save percentage. The P-Bruins have gotten elite goaltending so far this season from Kinkaid, Kyle Keyser, and Brandon Bussi, meaning a player may need to be shuffled to the ECHL level without his performance truly meriting the demotion.
With Kinkaid back in Providence, it looks like that will be Bussi, who will head back to the ECHL’s Maine Mariners having gone 4-0 in four AHL starts with a .947 save percentage.
Nikita Soshnikov Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL
Nov 16, 5:15 PM: The Islanders have announced that Soshnikov has been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.
Nov 16, 1:05 PM: Soshnikov has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Nov 15: The New York Islanders have placed Nikita Soshnikov on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Should he clear, the team could assign him to the minor leagues, completely burying his $750K cap hit.
Soshnikov, 29, came back to North America after spending the last three seasons in the KHL, and it seemed as though he might find some new life on this side of the ocean. After all, the undrafted forward had been great in his time back home, scoring 98 points in 137 regular season games. Things haven’t gone so well though, with the Islanders only icing him three times this season.
If he does clear, one has to wonder whether Soshnikov will request a contract termination to go back to the KHL instead of reporting to the minor leagues. It’s been years since he played in the AHL on a regular basis, and there would certainly be interest in him by some of the better programs in Russia. We’ll have to wait and see what the Islanders have planned for him and the roster spot he currently occupies, but it might be close to the end of Soshnikov in the NHL.
In those three appearances this season he has not registered a point, meaning his career total is now 16 in 90 games played.
Canucks Notes: Schenn, Dermott, Brunette
The Vancouver Canucks won last night against the Buffalo Sabres, hanging on for a 5-4 win despite being outshot 15-5 in the third period. While Bo Horvat led the way again with three points, it was Luke Schenn who received the team’s victory belt in the dressing room. Today, when speaking about the veteran defenseman, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV explained that he expects the Canucks to get plenty of calls about Schenn as the trade deadline approaches.
The Canucks could talk with Schenn’s agent along with a trade partner to see if he’s a rental or a re-signing. Don’t believe they’ve talked to his agent yet about a new deal. Last year’s deadline, the Canucks got a ton of calls on Schenn. They’re going to get a ton of calls on Schenn again, this is a player that is coveted. I’m already hearing about Schenn and some teams.
The 33-year-old defenseman leads the league in hits by a wide margin, racking up 76 through 17 games while logging over 17 minutes of ice time for the Canucks each night. No Vancouver player has seen the ice more while short-handed, and as a right-shot defenseman with Stanley Cup experience, it’s easy to see why he might be valued by contenders. The fact that he makes just $850K against the cap only helps.
- While Schenn’s leadership in the room might not be what the Canucks want to give up, they do have a bit of a roster crunch coming. As Dhaliwal goes on to say, Travis Dermott will be returning at some point – potentially in the near future – giving the team nine NHL defensemen. Already the Canucks are scratching names like Riley Stillman and Jack Rathbone, meaning a trade might end up making sense much sooner than the deadline.
- Even though they did win, there’s still plenty of speculation on the future of head coach Bruce Boudreau. This morning, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Canucks spoke with Andrew Brunette before he joined the New Jersey Devils as an assistant this summer. Interestingly, he also pointed out that Brunette actually has a clause in his current deal that would allow him to “entertain outside interest for head coaching vacancies.” Brunette went 51-18-6 with the Florida Panthers as a first-time head coach after Joel Quenneville resigned.
Marc-Andre Fleury Out With Upper-Body Injury
4:30 pm: The Wild have recalled McIntyre, while moving Fleury to injured reserve. Hunter Jones has been recalled to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in a corresponding move.
12:10 pm: The Minnesota Wild will be recalling a goaltender from the minor leagues, as Marc-Andre Fleury has sustained an upper-body injury. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the veteran netminder is undergoing an evaluation today and the team does not yet have a timeline for his return.
Fleury, who will turn 38 in less than two weeks, has started 12 of Minnesota’s 16 games this season and has a .906 save percentage. Filip Gustavsson, the team’s backup, actually has some better numbers but has lost four of the five games he has appeared in.
The likely candidate to take over the starting role is Gustavsson, but there is at least some intrigue over who will come up to join him. The team has Zane McIntyre as a veteran minor league option, but he hasn’t appeared in the NHL since the 2016-17 season.
There is also Jesper Wallstedt, the 20th overall pick in 2021 and a top goaltending prospect. Wallstedt only turned 20 years old a few days ago and has four games of experience in North America, but did start on a regular basis in the SHL the last two seasons. In 22 appearances for Lulea HF last year, he posted a .917 save percentage with a goals-against average of just 1.98. The young netminder also won Best Goaltender at the World Juniors, and took Lulea to the SHL Finals.
While it may not be his time yet, Wallstedt is the team’s future in net and there will be cries for his recall if the team loses Fleury for a substantial amount of time, or Gustavsson struggles in his place.
Patrik Laine Moved To Injured Reserve; Daniil Tarasov Recalled
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to be ravaged by injury. This time, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Elvis Merzlikins, Jake Bean, and Emil Bemstrom were all having medical tests completed this afternoon to determine the extent of their various injuries. With Merzlikins out, the team has recalled Daniil Tarasov from the minor leagues under emergency conditions. Patrik Laine has been moved to injured reserve, as he is expected to miss quite a while with a sprained ankle.
Merzlikins left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury and wasn’t present at practice today, leaving Joonas Korpisalo as the only professional netminder on the ice (the other goal was tended by Reid Robertson, who is in their hockey ops department, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda).
These three new injuries are in addition to the absences of Laine, Zach Werenski, Jakub Voracek, Justin Danforth, Nick Blankenburg, and Adam Boqvist, who are all on injured reserve as well. Things are unraveling in Columbus, and yet they still squeaked out an overtime win last night against the Philadelphia Flyers to climb to 5-9-1 on the year.
Tarasov, 23, has already appeared in five games for the team this season, posting a .893 save percentage. The young netminder has shown promise but is limited by inconsistency (as many young netminders are). Still, with Korpisalo an inconsistent enigma himself, they may end up sharing the workload should Merzlikins end up on the shelf for a while.
Latest On Sale Of Ottawa Senators
While most of the attention regarding the potential sale of the Ottawa Senators has gone to Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, there are plenty of interested parties lining up for their shot at an NHL franchise. Today, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that Michael Andlauer, owner of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and Rocco Tullio, owner of the Oshawa Generals, have formed a partnership for an attempt to by the Senators.
In fact, this isn’t the first time Tullio has tried to buy the team. Garrioch reports that he offered former Senators owner Eugene Melnyk $650MM last year. That is close to the figure the Senators were recently valued at by Sportico, though the upcoming sale price is expected to rise much higher.
Andlauer, meanwhile, has very deep pockets and already owns a portion of the Montreal Canadiens – something he would have to sell if he took over the Senators. The two combined could likely put up a massive offer, and have a history of success in hockey already with the OHL clubs.
That’s not all, though. Garrioch reports several other interested parties, as the sale of the Senators has drummed up plenty of excitement. The team started the process earlier this month by hiring Galatioto Sports Partners, after the Melnyk daughters, Anna and Olivia, decided to sell following their father’s death in March.
The sale is likely to be tied closely with the development project at LeBreton Flats, which the Senators are the preferred bidder for. A new sports complex would offer the team the chance to move closer to downtown and out of their current location, 40 minutes outside of the city center.
Snapshots: Soderholm, Maple Leafs, Chychrun
One of the ongoing debates in the hockey world is when the NHL will start to broaden coaching searches outside of North America. The league has only really had two European head coaches in its history, and every summer there is talk about how someone like Rickard Gronborg could be an interesting candidate.
Well, take at least one name off the list for the time being, as Toni Soderholm has signed a contract to coach SC Bern in the Swiss National League until 2024. The 44-year-old Finn had been the head coach of the German national team for the last several years but used an out clause to terminate the deal and join Bern. Like most of the candidates that are brought up in this discussion, Soderholm has ties to North American hockey already, having played and even captained UMass.
- While the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate their win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, the rest of the hockey world seems to be focused on finding them a new defenseman. Another piece came out today, this time from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, detailing several candidates to replace Jake Muzzin. One name that is listed is Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a name that has also been brought up by The Fourth Period in relation to the Maple Leafs. Toronto has some additional cap flexibility due to the injury to Jake Muzzin, which is keeping him out indefinitely and could end his career.
- One of the names that is always brought up for defense-needy teams is Jakob Chychrun, and today he officially rejoined the Arizona Coyotes for practice. Speaking with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong once again implied that he will not drop the asking price for Chychrun, which – according to LeBrun – is a package including two first-round picks.
Mason Appleton Expected To Miss 8-12 Weeks
12:05 pm: Head coach Rick Bowness has confirmed wrist surgery for Appleton, and said he is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks.
10:40 am: Winnipeg Jets forward Mason Appleton was forced out of Sunday’s game against the Seattle Kraken early, and it sounds like he’s going to miss quite a while. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reports that Appleton will miss at least eight weeks with an upper-body injury that requires surgery.
Appleton, 26, has six points in 14 games and has actually seen time on the team’s first line this season, averaging more than 16 minutes a night. After losing him to Seattle for the first part of last season through the expansion draft, Winnipeg sent a fourth-round pick to get him back at the trade deadline. A versatile forward that can move up and down the lineup, he has ten points in 33 games since returning.
Now, with Appleton out for two months, the Jets would normally be in a bit of a pickle. Luckily, they had Nikolaj Ehlers back on the ice today, albeit in a solo session while donning a non-contact jersey. Ehlers’ return date is still unclear but when he does come back, he’ll be able to slot directly into the top six to give the team a bit more scoring punch.
The Jets still won that game against the Kraken, and now sit second in the Central Division with the best winning percentage in the group. Having only allowed 33 goals through 14 games, even a slight uptick in scoring would have them playing at an incredibly high level.
Colorado Avalanche Recall Andreas Englund, Jayson Megna
The Colorado Avalanche are hitting the road, and they’re bringing some extra players with them. Andreas Englund and Jayson Megna have both been recalled today, joining Anton Blidh who was brought up last night. The team is heading to Carolina to play the Hurricanes tomorrow, with stops in Washington and Dallas before returning home.
Englund, 26, got into his first game with the Avalanche a few days ago in place of the injured Kurtis MacDermid and played just over 10 minutes. That was his first NHL appearance with any organization other than the Ottawa Senators, and the 6’3″ defenseman did rather well in his limited exposure. Whether he stays in the lineup is still to be determined but that long reach and physicality fit in nicely whenever he was put on the ice.
Megna, meanwhile, has already played five games for Colorado this season, but hasn’t cracked the eight-minute mark in any of them. The 32-year-old forward hasn’t scored an NHL goal since 2016-17, despite a handful of appearances every year. Given how little the team has played him even when he does dress, don’t expect much from the minor league veteran.
Sampo Ranta, who has been a regular call-up recently, was not included in this latest round. The youngster is still looking for his first NHL point and will have to wait for his next opportunity.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Rem Pitlick; Jonathan Drouin Out 4-6 Weeks
The Montreal Canadiens will be without Jonathan Drouin for the next four to six weeks, as he continues to deal with an injury suffered earlier this month. The veteran forward has actually been playing through it, after first suffering it against the Vegas Golden Knights on November 5. In the three games since Drouin posted two points.
To take his place, the Canadiens have recalled Rem Pitlick, who recently cleared waivers and was with the Laval Rocket. The 25-year-old Pitlick had three points in three games with the AHL squad after going scoreless through seven NHL contests to start the year. A surprise last season when he had 26 points in 46 games for Montreal, Pitlick should get another chance to play, especially after the 5-1 teardown the Canadiens experienced last night.
The team is now 8-7-1 on the year, and really only has a few players to count on for offensive contributions. If Pitlick can add a bit of scoring punch, he’ll likely find his way into the lineup on a regular basis.
Drouin has officially been placed on injured reserve to bring the roster back down to 23.