Ottawa Senators Re-Assign Jacob Bernard-Docker
Just two days after he was called up, the Ottawa Senators have re-assigned defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.
Bernard-Docker, 22, was a Senators first-round pick at the 2018 draft. The blueliner had a three-year collegiate career at the University of North Dakota before turning pro in the spring of 2021. That year, Bernard-Docker made his NHL debut, playing in five games for the Senators down the stretch of their season.
Last year, Bernard-Docker spent most of his year in the AHL, playing 58 games for Belleville. He didn’t exactly impress, scoring just nine points in those games, but his defensive play was at times strong and he did earn eight games at the NHL level.
This year has been seen by many as a crucial year for Bernard-Docker’s development. He has just one point in eight games at the AHL level so far this year and will head back to Belleville with a clear mandate to improve his overall game so that he can earn another NHL call-up, and perhaps one that even includes some NHL minutes.
Evening Notes: Horvat, Senators Sale, Samsonov
It was not long ago that, with as many question marks as there were around the Vancouver Canucks, the obvious answer was an extension for team captain Bo Horvat. Whether or not players like J.T. Miller or Brock Boeser were or were not traded or if head coach Bruce Boudreau would be brought back for this season, a Horvat extension always seemed to be a given. Now, after extensions for Miller and Boeser, the free agent signing of Ilya Mikheyev, and the Canucks’ rocky start to the season, with no extension in place for the captain, things appear more uncertain than they’ve ever been for Horvat and Vancouver.
On tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night In Canada, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reiterated the story on Horvat: the needle has not moved at all in negotiations. Marek further emphasized the curiosity as to what the organization will ultimately do with Horvat. On one hand, the reunion between both sides appears to be a perfect match and as much as the Canucks have struggled to start the season, Horvat with his 10 goals in 11 games, has not. Still, the more the veteran continues to score, the higher he drives his price. With Miller and Boeser now in place, if the price becomes higher than Vancouver wishes to pay, or simply can pay, the decision might be made for them. And, should Vancouver struggle or fail to make up the ground they lost, Horvat’s trade value may be enough to dissuade them from pursuing an extension in the first place.
- Yesterday, the Ottawa Senators formally initiated the process of being sold, just over seven months after the passing of owner Eugene Melnyk. Though that time might seem a bit longer than expected to some, the Melnyk family was able to oversee a team transition this offseason to lock in some of the organization’s young core talent, become one of the league’s more exciting groups, and of course, grieve Melnyk’s passing. Although the timeline to date has been unclear, the sale process might be a bit more clear, and quick. Also from tonight’s 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expects the process to get seriously moving by American Thanksgiving, which is now 19 days away. No clear front runner(s) for the team have emerged yet, though Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the league would prefer one majority owner over a group of minority shareholders. Even with the Thanksgiving timetable mentioned, when exactly a new owner would be in place with all formalities and transition of power completed, is unclear.
- More tough news for the Toronto Maple Leafs in net as goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who started tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, was forced to leave after the second period. The Maple Leafs confirmed their goaltender would not return while dealing with a knee injury. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who discussed the injury with reporters, including Joshua Clipperton of The Canadien Press, was suffered during Brad Marchand‘s penalty shot. The extent of the injury or any time he could miss is not yet clear, however Toronto is already working around the loss of Matt Murray in net, who is on LTIR with an abductor injury. Murray was scheduled to miss four weeks with that injury and is currently through three, however a scheduled return is not yet known. Erik Kallgren, who has been acting as the Maple Leafs backup goaltender, is certainly a capable NHL netminder, however the only other goaltender Toronto has under contract is Dennis Hildeby, a 2022 draft pick currently on loan in his native Sweden. Interestingly, the Maple Leafs had been pressed against the 50 contract limit–until today. With forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel lost on waivers to the Washington Capitals this afternoon, Toronto now has just 49 of 50 contracts in their system, enough to add one more player. Should they need to do so, they’ll have to act quick and be creative, with puck drop in Carolina scheduled for 5:00 pm ET tomorrow afternoon.
Snapshots: Miller, Swayman, Blackwood, Orlov
The Boston Bruins’ signing of defense prospect Mitchell Miller earlier this week surprised many, however given the nature of the signing, his eligibility to play in the AHL, where Boston intended to place him, or the NHL, where they hope he can play someday, was presumed. Earlier today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman walked back those assumptions saying, in short, that Miller is not currently NHL eligible and may never be NHL eligible. Substack’s Sean Shapiro, in turn, reached out to the AHL for comment, who have yet to determine his eligibility because as they said, the defenseman is currently suspended in the NHL. Not surprisingly, this story continues to have frequently-changing developments, and this evening, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shed more light on the current situation.
According to Wyshynski, the NHLPA tells ESPN that the league has not informed the union of any suspension against Miller or anything that would impact his eligibility. The NHLPA added that “there needs to be more info provided by NHL” as it relates to Bettman’s comments. Wyshynski adds that, per a source, Miller’s contract had been registered with the NHL and there was nothing official to stop the Bruins, or any other team, from signing him. This story is, of course, a difficult one for many reasons, however it is worth considering that, despite Miller’s past, he does gain certain rights within the NHL when he signs an official contract. Further, however the situation as to Miller plays out, it could have an impact on how future similar situations play out. Thus, a diligent, drawn-out review and discussion of all issues may be coming before anything is finalized.
- The recent injury status of the Bruins hasn’t changed much in the past couple days. Recently, it was reported that goaltender Jeremy Swayman would be out week-to-week, while veteran center David Krejci was due back in the lineup tonight. Krejci is in fact playing tonight, however the Bruins did need to activate the center off of IR, which necessitated a corresponding move. In order to add Krejci, Boston has placed Swayman on IR, says The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, who covers the team. Head coach Jim Montgomery, to avoid creating any additional concerns possibly raised by the transaction, reiterated to reporters, including Shinzawa, that Swayman is still considered week-to-week.
- As relayed by New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, head coach Lindy Ruff says that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood will be seen by doctors back in New Jersey on Tuesday. Blackwood, who was injured in New Jersey’s 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, had met with doctors in Calgary yesterday ahead of the team’s game against the Flames this evening. In response to the injury, but without wanting to place Blackwood on IR, at least not yet, the Devils recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from the AHL earlier today, sending down winger Andreas Johnsson. The Devils return home after tonight’s game and will next play at home Tuesday evening against these same Calgary Flames.
- Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and is questionable to return, the team announced. It’s unclear what exactly caused the injury to Orlov, however he has played just 7:02 thus far as the Capitals lead the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 late in the second period.
Snapshots: Wild, Voracek, Carlson, Klok
Minnesota could soon get a key winger back as Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays (Twitter link) that the team is optimistic that Jordan Greenway will play in at least half of their upcoming back-to-back next week which begins on Thursday. The 25-year-old missed the start of the season due to an upper-body injury and in his first game back, suffered another upper-body issue on his third shift of the game. Last year, he had 27 points in 62 games for the Wild while chipping in with 155 hits and would be a welcome addition to a team that is banged up when it comes to their forward situation.
To that end, the Wild will recall a pair of forwards before heading out on the road as Ryan Hartman and Brandon Duhaime aren’t expected to make the trip. With Minnesota currently banking cap space, it’s in their best interest to delay formalizing those recalls for at least a couple more days.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- It has been a rough start to the season for the Blue Jackets and things aren’t getting any better as the team announced (Twitter link) that they were without winger Jakub Voracek for the second half of their back-to-back set against Colorado due to an upper-body injury. The veteran is off to a bit of a quiet start this season with just a goal and five assists through his first 11 games. Voracek is being listed as day-to-day.
- Capitals blueliner John Carlson has returned to practice, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). However, while he took part in the full game day skate, he’s not eligible to be activated off injured reserve until Monday but it appears he won’t be out much longer than the minimum time required.
- After having his contract terminated by the Coyotes last month, defenseman Lukas Klok has found his next home as Rogle of the SHL announced that they’ve signed him to a contract for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old signed with Arizona after a strong showing in the KHL but after four games in the minors, he decided that he was better off going back overseas. Klok has quickly become a bit of a journeyman as this will be the sixth different league and country that he has played in since 2018.
Injury Notes: Zadina, Byram, Hornqvist, Chytil, Dahlin
After a major offseason overhaul rivaled only by the Ottawa Senators, expectations have been big for the Detroit Red Wings this season, however the team has gotten itself off to an up-and-down start. Sitting at 5-3-2 coming into today, the team would be faced with one of its tougher tasks of the young season this afternoon: a showdown with the New York Islanders, who were on a five-game winning streak. Detroit answered the call, shutting out the Islanders 3-0. That win appears to have come at a price, however. Forward Filip Zadina went down late in the third period after appearing to block a Ryan Pulock shot.
After the game, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, provided an update to the media, including Michigan Live’s Ansar Kahn. According to Lalonde, Zadina’s injury “doesn’t look good” and Detroit may not see the winger for a while, adding that the team would know more tomorrow. Soon to be 23-years-old, Zadina has yet to become the player Detroit hoped he would be when he was drafted sixth-overall in 2018, and has zero points through his first nine games this year, including today. But, with Detroit missing more than its fair share of forwards, including Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Oskar Sundqvist, and Robby Fabbri, losing Zadina for any period of time will surely be felt.
- For those who watched today’s NHL Global Series contest in Tampere, Finland between the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets, noticeably absent from Colorado’s blueline was Bowen Byram. The defenseman was replaced in the lineup by Jacob MacDonald, who was playing in just his fourth game of the season. Thus far, there is no word on the severity of Byram’s injury, however The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that it’s a lower-body injury. While no injury is good news, for Byram, who has dealt with a number of concussion-related issues in his past, having the injury apparently be unrelated to that is somewhat of a relief. The former fourth-overall pick is off to a strong start to the season, scoring two goals to go with three assists in 10 games to date.
- Florida Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist, who suffered an upper-body injury early in Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, is considered day-to-day, head coach Paul Maurice told the media, including Bally Sports’ Katie Engleson. The veteran has just one goal through 11 games to start the season, but with Florida missing several key pieces from last year’s team, they will need a quick recovery from Hornqvist and renewed production to help supplement their offense going forward.
- New York Rangers center Filip Chytil expects to play in the team’s game tomorrow afternoon against the Red Wings. While Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant did not confirm that Chytil would be in the lineup, the forward did tell USA Today Sports’ Vince Mercogliano that he feels 100%. Still, Gallant is hopeful he can play Sunday. Chytil, who hasn’t played since October 23rd, was believed to be dealing with a concussion, said Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old had three points in six games prior to the injury.
- Per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato confirmed that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will miss tonight’s game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning with an upper-body injury. Granato declined to go into specifics on the injury but, Harrington says, it likely occurred during Friday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, when Dahlin was involved in a scuffle with Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Thankfully for Buffalo, Dahlin is listed as day-to-day, but his injury is yet another in a long line of defensemen going down in the Buffalo organization this season, whether that be at the NHL or AHL level. Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who has missed the last four games with injury, draws back in tonight in place of Dahlin.
Coyotes Recall Laurent Dauphin
7:00 pm: The Coyotes appear to have made a corresponding move, placing forward Nick Schmaltz on IR, according to CapFriendly. The Coyotes’ star center has only played one game this season and has been out since mid-October with an upper-body injury. Then, nearly three weeks ago, Schmaltz was considered out six-to-eight weeks. It’s unclear if that timetable has been changed at all.
3:57 pmA strong start in the minors has led to another NHL opportunity for Laurent Dauphin as the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled the center from Tucson of the AHL.
The 27-year-old was originally drafted by the Coyotes but a good chunk of his NHL action came elsewhere as he played in 38 games with Montreal last season, recording a dozen points. Overall, between the two organizations, he has 16 points in 73 NHL contests. Dauphin is averaging a point per game in the minors in the early going this season with five goals and three assists in eight contests while being named Player of the Week last month.
Dauphin’s recall was an expected one as Arizona has been carrying just 11 forwards on their active roster following the injury to Zack Kassian who has been ruled out for the five-game Eastern portion of their 14-game road trip due to a lower-body injury so it was only a matter of time before a replacement forward was brought up. He won’t be in the lineup tonight in Washington (the team is expected to dress seven defenders) but should be available to suit up on Tuesday in Buffalo to officially begin his second stint with the team.
Atlantic Notes: Senators Sale, Lightning, Krejci, Miller
With it being announced yesterday that the Senators are initiating a process to examine selling the team, it’s expected that there will be several expressions of interest and there have been a handful of speculative possibilities so far for people that could be minority partners as part of a group of investors. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes (Twitter link) that the NHL’s preference is to find a single buyer that can own at least a majority of the team over a collection of shareholders. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to find one but on top of finding someone that will commit to keeping the team in Ottawa, they have other preferences in terms of who they’d prefer as the next owner of the team.
More from the Atlantic:
- A pair of key Lightning players are questionable to suit up tonight as team reporter Chris Krenn relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Victor Hedman and center Nick Paul are both listed as game-time decisions. Hedman has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury while Paul played in Thursday’s loss to Carolina.
- The Bruins will get a key part of their attack back tonight as ESPN’s Kristen Shilton relays (Twitter link) that center David Krejci will return to the lineup after missing the last three games due to an upper-body injury. It has been a strong return to the NHL for the 36-year-old as he’s averaging a point per game through his first eight contests while anchoring the second line which is the same role he had prior to him leaving to go play at home last season.
- Still with Boston, following the Bruins’ decision to sign Mitchell Miller yesterday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was asked to weigh in. He told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the 20-year-old is not presently NHL-eligible and that there’s a possibility that Miller may never be ruled eligible to play at the top level. Substack columnist Sean Shapiro then reached out (Twitter link) to the AHL for comment based on Bettman’s remarks with the league’s response being that President Scott Howson would have to determine his eligibility since he is under suspension in the NHL so it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be able to play there either.
Capitals Claim Nicolas Aube-Kubel Off Waivers From Maple Leafs
With Connor Brown done for the season due to ACL surgery, the Capitals have his $3.6MM cap hit to work with for LTIR space. They used a chunk of that today as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Washington has claimed winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from Toronto.
It’s the second straight season that the 26-year-old has been plucked off the waiver wire in November as a year ago, Colorado scooped him up from Philadelphia. He went on to have a strong finish to his season with 11 goals and 11 assists in 67 games with the Avs while suiting up 14 times in their Stanley Cup run, leading to him signing a one-year, $1MM contract with the Maple Leafs on the opening day of free agency last summer.
However, things didn’t go particularly well for Aube-Kubel with Toronto as he was a healthy scratch in five of their first 11 games this season while he was held off the scoresheet in six games while logging just over nine minutes per game and with a need for some roster flexibility, they decided that Aube-Kubel was the one to part with. Notably, on top of the cap savings and roster spot being opened, this also frees up a contract slot for Toronto who was at the maximum of 50 prior to this claim.
Meanwhile, for Washington, it’s a low-risk move to bring in a bottom-six forward with some NHL experience as Aube-Kubel has 175 career NHL appearances under his belt which will give Peter Laviolette another option as he looks to find the right combination on the fourth line. With the Caps having a full roster, they’ve assigned Garrett Pilon to AHL Hershey to open up a spot on their 23-man roster. Pilon has five points in seven games with the Bears so far this season.
Devils Recall Akira Schmid, Send Andreas Johnsson To AHL
With Mackenzie Blackwood suffering a lower-body injury while stretching across to make a stop against Edmonton on Thursday, the Devils needed a second goaltender. That second netminder will be Akira Schmid as the team announced today (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Utica. To make room for him on the roster, winger Andreas Johnsson has been sent down to the Comets.
The 22-year-old Schmid has played in four games so far this season with Utica, posting a 1.97 GAA along with a .918 SV%, numbers that are considerably better than the ones that Nico Daws has put up so far which helped Schmid earn the nod. He does have a bit of NHL experience having played in six games with the Devils last season but he struggled in those appearances to the tune of a 4.83 GAA and a save percentage of just .833. Vitek Vanecek will likely get the bulk of the workload until Blackwood is able to return and no timeline has been provided on that front yet.
As for Johnsson, the 27-year-old actually had the second-best year of his career last season with New Jersey, collecting 13 goals and 22 points in 71 games. However, with a $3.4MM AAV and a tenuous hold on a roster spot, the Devils correctly predicted that he’d pass through waivers unclaimed last month, allowing him to be shuffled back and forth as roster needs warrant. He hasn’t played with the Devils this season and has six points in four games with the Comets so far.
Dylan Guenther To Remain With Coyotes, Will Burn First Season Of Contract
This is the time of year when some teams will need to make decisions about any junior-aged players they might have. Once a player plays in ten NHL games, they officially begin (or burn) the first year of their entry-level contract. One of the players in that situation was Coyotes winger Dylan Guenther. The decision has been made and the 19-year-old will remain with the big club with the news being broken to him by his family (Twitter link).
Guenther was the ninth overall selection in 2021 with a pick that was acquired from Vancouver as part of the swap that sent defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and winger Conor Garland to the Canucks. He lit it up with Edmonton of the WHL last season, scoring 45 goals while adding 46 assists in just 59 games while adding another 21 points (13-8-21) in just 16 playoff contests. Accordingly, there wasn’t much left for him to do at the major junior level but he’s ineligible to play with AHL Tucson this season (aside from a short-term conditioning stint) which left his options as Arizona or the WHL.
The Coyotes kept Guenther up after a good showing in training camp and he has rewarded them with a strong start to his rookie campaign with two goals and four helpers through his first nine contests. Perhaps as important as the production is the fact that he’s logging nearly 13 minutes a night which is a decent amount of ice time for a junior-aged player. That type of playing time should be sustainable throughout the year, especially with Arizona struggling a bit offensively as they sit 30th in the NHL in goals scored heading into today’s action.
With this news, Guenther will become a restricted free agent in the 2025 offseason but there is still one more threshold to watch for which is 40 games on the active roster. Once he gets to that mark, he then accrues a season of service time toward unrestricted free agency which would allow him to hit the open market at 26 instead of 27. He won’t get to that mark for a few months so there will be plenty of time for his evaluation to continue.