Logan Stanley Out With Fractured Foot
Nov 2: Stanley has been moved to injured reserve and the Jets have recalled Jansen Harkins under emergency conditions.
Nov 1: It seemed as though Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley had avoided serious injury when he accompanied the team on the road but the foot injury that he suffered last month will keep him out for a little while yet. Head coach Rick Bowness told reporters including John Lu of TSN that Stanley has a “slight fracture” in his foot and will be out for a couple of weeks.
Stanley, 24, was expected to take another step forward this season in terms of production and responsibility, but the new coaching staff has actually played him even less. The 6’7″ behemoth has averaged fewer than 15 minutes a night, ranking only barely ahead of Dylan Samberg (the player that replaced him in the lineup) for the least among Jets defensemen.
Losing him then won’t be a huge issue, but explains why the team is still carrying eight defensemen even as they return home for the next three games.
Missed time has ripple effects though, and in Stanley’s case, could have a negative impact on contract negotiations next spring. He is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, and that process is already rather unkind to defensive defensemen that don’t have high point totals. If he misses a chunk or even finds himself replaced on a regular basis, there won’t be much leverage come the offseason.
Ottawa Senators Re-Assign Dillon Heatherington
The Ottawa Senators have sent depth defenseman Dillon Heatherington back to the minor leagues, as they arrive back for a three-game homestand. The move leaves them with six healthy defensemen on the roster.
Heatherington, 27, never did actually play during this recent call-up, and still has just 20 NHL appearances to his name. Without Artem Zub, who is out a few weeks with an upper-body injury, the Senators are struggling to find the right mix of playing time on defense. Nikita Zaitsev, banished to the press box earlier this season, ended up playing over 19 minutes last night because of all the penalties they took against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Both he and Nick Holden spent more than ten minutes shorthanded, leading to the Lightning outshooting the Senators 34-15 overall. They aren’t going to win many games playing a man down, and could sure use Zub’s stabilizing presence as soon as possible.
For Heatherington, he’ll have to return to the Belleville Senators and wait for his next chance. In six games there this season he has one goal and eight penalty minutes.
Vancouver Canucks Activate Quinn Hughes, Riley Stillman
The Vancouver Canucks today activated both Quinn Hughes and Riley Stillman from injured reserve, according to the team. It’s a huge boost for a team finally gaining momentum after a horrid start.
Hughes is expected to draw into the lineup tonight when the Canucks host the Devils, while Stillman is expected to be a healthy scratch to make way for Ethan Bear‘s Vancouver debut. Hughes had five points through his first five games this season, but he’d missed the team’s last four games with an undisclosed injury.
The oldest of the Hughes trio is expected to suit up on a pairing with Luke Schenn in his return to the lineup.
Stillman, on the other hand, is yet to register a point through five contests and is averaging just 12:36 per game after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Jason Dickinson. Dickinson has six points through his first seven games in Chicago.
The Canucks are still without Brock Boeser, Travis Dermott, and Tucker Poolman due to injury. However, things are looking up for Boeser’s recovery, and he could return as soon as this week.
Evening Notes: Hedman, Letang, Formenton
The Tampa Bay Lightning are down a big man – literally and figuratively – as they take on Ottawa tonight. Defenseman Victor Hedman has an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, according to Lightning play-by-play commentator Dave Randorf. Hedman sustained the injury in a win Saturday against San Jose, leaving in the third period.
Hedman is vying for a seventh straight Norris Trophy nomination this season, and one of the best defensemen of his generation is off to a strong start again. His eight points in nine games are tied for third on the team with Brayden Point, and his 24:48 ice time average per game clears second place (Mikhail Sergachev) by an even two minutes. The Lightning have a tough schedule over the next few games, including games against Carolina and Edmonton, so a quick return from Hedman would be highly desirable.
- Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is out for tonight’s game against Boston with an illness, as he didn’t skate in warmups. Chad Ruhwedel will draw in on the bottom pairing, while Jeff Petry will slide up alongside Brian Dumoulin in Letang’s absence. The 35-year-old, who signed a six-year extension with the team last offseason, is off to a slow start with four points in nine games and a -5 rating.
- TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on today’s edition of Insider Trading that there are no real updates between the Ottawa Senators and forward Alex Formenton, who remains the only unsigned RFA in the league. The two parties now have just one month before the December 1 signing deadline, where Formenton cannot play in the NHL season if he doesn’t have a contract. Dreger notes a potential trade as an option for Formenton, and also floats the option of playing in Europe if a deal can’t be reached.
Minor Transactions: 11/01/22
With a pair of nationally-televised ESPN games on the schedule tonight, it should be an entertaining slate of games along with many other regional broadcasts. There also continues to be a fair amount of activity at the minor-league level as AHL teams play their first few games, a lot of which are transactions that affect their NHL parents. We’ll keep track of those transactions here today:
- The AHL’s Texas Stars loaned defenseman Michael Karow to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, according to AHL transactions. Karow, 23, joined the Stars organization last season after his fifth-year NCAA season concluded with Michigan Tech, notching five points in 13 games down the stretch. After not getting into an AHL game to start the season, though, he should find a good amount of playing time in Idaho for the next little while. He’ll remain a top recall option to Texas if injuries batter their NHL affiliate in Dallas, making them shorthanded on the blueline. Karow is a 2017 NHL Draft selection of the Arizona Coyotes.
- The Edmonton Oilers activated defenseman Vincent Desharnais from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Desharnais, now on an NHL contract, enjoyed a breakout season in Bakersfield last year, where he notched a gargantuan +36 rating and had 27 points in 66 games. A 2016 seventh-round draft choice by the Oilers, he could see NHL games this season as an injury call-up.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Injury Notes: Hartman, Carlson, Murray
While the Minnesota Wild have somewhat turned things around after a tough start to the season, injuries are already starting to pile up. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the injury forward Ryan Hartman is currently dealing with is considered “more long-term.”
Hartman sustained the injury in a fight with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi on Sunday, leading to the team recalling Steven Fogarty from the AHL under emergency circumstances. Smith also reported that the team “isn’t sure” about winger Marcus Foligno, who missed the team’s last game with an upper-body injury and is not on injured reserve (not yet, at least). The two join Jordan Greenway as the three regular Wild forwards already out of the lineup less than 10 games into the season.
- Washington Capitals All-Star defenseman John Carlson remains out of the lineup for a second straight game with a lower-body injury and is still day-to-day, according to head coach Peter Laviolette. The 32-year-old defender had six points through his first nine games, and Trevor van Riemsdyk will remain in a top-four role in Carlson’s absence. Carlson finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting last season after a 71-point campaign.
- Goalie Matt Murray is back on the ice today for the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering an adductor injury roughly two and a half weeks ago. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Murray’s return to practice was “part of the plan” and that his recovery is on schedule. Murray was originally given a timeline of four weeks when the injury occurred, pointing to a mid-November return. Despite the Leafs’ poor record, projected backup netminder Ilya Samsonov has a .919 save percentage in five appearances during Murray’s absence and has been the least of the team’s worries.
Snapshots: Senators, Pinto, Oilers
The Ottawa Senators could be next on the list of NHL franchises being sold, as Sportico reports that the organization has hired Galatioto Sports Partners to aid in the sale, the same group that is currently selling the Los Angeles Angels of the MLB. Sportico places the Senators’ franchise value at $655MM.
Control of the Senators transitioned to Anna and Olivia Melnyk earlier this year when long-time owner Eugene Melnyk passed away. The most recent sales in the NHL have been the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators, the latter of which is being finalized currently.
- One of the reasons that the Senators have raised in value and expectations so quickly is because of the play of their young stars. Shane Pinto, one of those youngsters, was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October. With six goals in eight games, Pinto is tied with Brady Tkachuk for the team lead.
- The Edmonton Oilers are getting some bodies back, as they have activated both Vincent Desharnais and Raphael Lavoie from the season-opening injured reserve and assigned them to the AHL. Lavoie, 22, was the 38th overall pick in 2019 and scored 26 points in 56 games for Bakersfield last season.
Detroit Red Wings Re-Assign Givani Smith
Nov 1: Smith has been returned to the AHL now that Rasmussen’s suspension has been served. In two games, he failed to record a shot on goal.
Oct 29: The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve recalled right wing Givani Smith from the Grand Rapids Griffins, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move has been made, but the team did find out yesterday that forward Michael Rasmussen was suspended for two games for high-sticking Boston Bruins forward David Krejci.
Smith, who has spent his entire career in the Red Wings organization, is playing his sixth professional season since the team drafted him in the second-round back in 2016. The forward has spent parts of three seasons at the NHL level, debuting in 2019-20. Through 83 NHL games to date, Smith has seven goals and seven assists. His production isn’t much better at the AHL level, however he does bring an energetic, gritty presence to whatever lineup he’s in, tallying a career-high 108 penalty minutes in just 46 games last season with Detroit.
While it’s unclear just how long the 24-year-old will be up with the NHL squad, he’ll be joining a strong group that is looking to take the next step after a lengthy rebuild. Detroit is 3-2-2 to start the season, making them one of five teams in the Atlantic Division to have 8 points
Ondrej Palat Undergoes Surgery
The New Jersey Devils will be without their big offseason signing for the foreseeable future, announcing today that Ondrej Palat has undergone successful groin surgery. Palat is expected to make a full recovery, but his recovery timeline has yet to be determined.
It’s tough news for the Devils, who after a brutal start have started to turn into a contender in the Metropolitan Division. Palat had been part of that, with three goals in his first six games with New Jersey, but so has Fabian Zetterlund, who has been given a bigger opportunity with the veteran sidelined.
Hopefully, Palat will be able to return at some point and bring his Stanley Cup experience to the table once again. The scariest part of any free agent contract is usually the fact that it’s going to an older player, and the five-year $30MM deal for Palat is no different.
He has dealt with plenty of injury issues in the past, failing to play in 80 games since his rookie season. Still, the Devils got him more for his postseason experience than anything else, so perhaps he’ll still be able to make the impact they hoped for down the road.
For now, the young group will have to look elsewhere for their veteran presence.
Connor Brown Undergoes Surgery
The Washington Capitals thought they were adding a versatile middle-six forward that could contribute in all situations this summer when they traded for Connor Brown. That contribution could last less than four games, as Brown has undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. The recovery timeline, based on the nature of the procedure, is six to eight months.
While he hasn’t been ruled out for the full season, Brown’s return in 2022-23 is “highly unlikely” according to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.
Given that he is on an expiring contract, this is worst-case news for the 28-year-old forward, who got an early chance to play alongside Alex Ovechkin to start the year.
After spending the last three seasons playing huge minutes for the rebuilding Ottawa Senators, Brown was an attractive piece for a team like the Capitals looking to add veteran depth to their forward group.
Instead, it looks like he’ll enter contract negotiations with a zero-point season unless he can find a way to make a return before the end of the year. Brown was scoreless through the three-and-a-half games he managed in a Washington uniform.
If needed, Brown’s $3.6MM cap hit can be moved to long-term injured reserve, opening up a little bit of flexibility for the Capitals. Unfortunately, the team’s forward group keeps losing talent, with T.J. Oshie going down recently. While Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom are getting closer to a return, the veteran group in Washington will be tested this season – potentially opening up time for some younger players to make their mark.