East Notes: Penguins, Kravtsov, Cassels, Puistola
There should be some good news on the horizon for the Penguins on the injury front. As relayed by the team’s Twitter account, GM Ron Hextall indicated that the hope is that center Teddy Blueger will be ready to be activated from LTIR on Saturday, the first day he’s able to come off. What initially started as a day-to-day injury back in training camp has now cost the 28-year-old the better part of a month of action as he has yet to play this season. His pending return will be a welcome one as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds (Twitter link) that middleman Jeff Carter is missing his second straight game tonight due to a lower-body injury; if that issue lingers, Blueger would likely slide right into his spot in the lineup.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Going to the AHL has been a point of contention for Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov in the past. However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that he should give some consideration to doing so if New York approaches him about a conditioning stint once he’s cleared to return from his current upper-body injury. This season has seen multiple stops and starts already which is hardly ideal for a young player that’s trying to get reacclimated to playing in North America. A conditioning stint – which can last for up to two weeks and would not require waivers – would give him a chance to ease into a few games which would be preferable for New York but the 22-year-old would have to agree to go down there.
- After inking Cory Conacher to an AHL tryout deal earlier this week, the Senators made another AHL signing today, announcing that they’ve inked forward Cole Cassels to a one-year, minor league contract. The 27-year-old has spent time in Vancouver, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Columbus but has yet to secure an NHL opportunity. Cassels started the season in Sweden’s second division but now will have a chance to play a lot closer to home.
- Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola has signed a one-year extension with Jukurit through the 2023-24 season, the Finnish team announced. The 21-year-old was a third-rounder back in 2019 (77th overall) and is off to a nice start to his season with nine points in 17 games. Notably, Carolina only has until June 1st to sign Puistola to an NHL deal and the fact he is already signed in Finland now for next year probably won’t help his chances of landing an entry-level contract.
Snapshots: Zegras, Carter, Benning
The NHL Department of Player Safety today fined Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras $1,500 for slashing San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning during last night’s game. Zegras was assessed a minor penalty for slashing on the play.
It’s the second fine issued today after New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas escaped with a fine instead of a suspension stemming from his collision with Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock. Thankfully, Benning was not injured on this play. The Ducks will be ecstatic that no further discipline was awarded to Zegras, who’s second on the struggling team with eight points in 10 games.
- Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed today that forward Jeff Carter is unavailable for tonight’s primetime game against Buffalo and did not travel with the team on their one-game road trip. Carter suffered an undisclosed injury on Saturday in a game against Seattle and is listed as day-to-day. 24-year-old Drew O’Connor is slated to see his second straight game of action at the third-line center position.
- There’s no updated timeline on San Jose Sharks defenseman Markus Nutivaara, who’s still out indefinitely as head coach David Quinn said today he’s suffered another setback. Nutivaara has not played an NHL game since October 29, 2021, his lone appearance last season with Florida. He remains out with a lower-body injury after signing in San Jose this offseason.
Washington Capitals Recall Sonny Milano, Place Three On Injured Reserve
As announced in a team release today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Sonny Milano, forward Garrett Pilon, and defenseman Lucas Johansen from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. All three players will travel with the team to Detroit for the team’s game tomorrow against the Red Wings.
In a corresponding move, the team has also placed forward T.J. Oshie, defenseman John Carlson, and forward Beck Malenstyn on injured reserve. Forward Connor Brown was also moved to long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after undergoing potentially season-ending ACL surgery earlier this week.
Oshie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury suffered last Saturday. He is technically eligible to return for Saturday’s home game against Arizona, but without a timeline, there’s no telling when he’ll be back. The fact that he was not moved to LTIR along with Brown is somewhat promising, suggesting that he may not be out for more than a few weeks.
Carlson also left the same game Saturday with a lower-body injury, although his status remains day-to-day. Assuming his injured reserve placement is retroactive, he could return Saturday against Arizona, but the IR placement is confirmation that he’ll miss his third straight game tomorrow against Detroit.
Malenstyn left last night’s overtime loss against Vegas with an upper-body injury. He was recalled to the team in mid-October in the absence of Brown.
After notching 34 points in 66 games last year as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, it was rather shocking that no team signed Milano before training camps started, and it was nearly as surprising when he cleared waivers when Washington signed him. In five games in the AHL, Milano’s notched two goals, an assist, and three points. He could potentially draw into the lineup in Malenstyn’s absence, although the team also had Connor McMichael as a healthy extra.
Pilon, 24, has five points in seven games to start the AHL season, his fifth with Hershey. Johansen, the 28th overall selection in 2016, missed the majority of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons due to injury and has a goal in six games with Hershey in 2022-23. The team had no extra healthy defensemen with Carlson out.
Maple Leafs Notes: Liljegren, Muzzin, Moldenhauer
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a tailspin with four losses in a row, but at least they are getting a reinforcement. Timothy Liljegren, who was expected to take another step in terms of responsibility and ice time this season, will re-enter the lineup on Saturday, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet.
Now 23, Liljegren was the 17th overall pick in 2017 and has played just 74 games in the NHL to this point. He showed flashes of top-four potential last season, with 23 points in 61 games, but was injured in training camp and placed on long-term injured reserve.
- One of the reasons why Liljegren is so necessary is the injury to Jake Muzzin, which wasn’t updated by head coach Sheldon Keefe today. As Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports, Muzzin is awaiting some test results from a neck specialist. The 33-year-old Muzzin has dealt with several head, neck, and back injuries over the last few seasons, so the team will go slow with his recovery.
- Maple Leafs prospect Nick Moldenhauer has committed to the University of Michigan for next season, where he’ll continue his development after his USHL career comes to an end. The 2022 third-round pick has ten goals in his first 11 games for the Chicago Steel this season.
Boston Bruins Recall Keith Kinkaid
With Jeremy Swayman exiting last night’s game with an injury, the Boston Bruins have recalled another goaltender for the time being. Keith Kinkaid is coming up from the minor leagues, according to the AHL transaction portal. He is up under emergency conditions, meaning he’ll return as soon as Swayman is healthy.
Kinkaid, 33, has been excellent for the Providence Bruins so far, posting a .922 save percentage in four appearances. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given his long professional career that includes 167 games in the NHL.
For now, Linus Ullmark will be called upon to be the Bruins full-time starter, though it may not be for long. There is no official update on Swayman yet, but Matt Porter of the Boston Globe tweeted last night that the netminder was walking around the dressing room with ice on his knee and no crutches.
If he has avoided any serious damage, the Bruins should be totally fine with an Ullmark-Kinkaid tandem for the time being. There are certainly worse third-string options to have available.
Casey Cizikas Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
When Casey Cizikas was thrown out of last night’s game between the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks, some wondered whether he would be handed further punishment from the league. He has, but it isn’t a suspension.
The Department of Player Safety has fined Cizikas $5,000 for goaltender interference after he crashed into Alex Stalock, forcing the netminder from the game and causing him to enter the concussion protocol. Cizikas earned a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play, which happened early in the first period.
That game misconduct would have been considered in the league’s decision to not issue a suspension, as Cizikas ended up playing just 46 seconds of the game.
He’ll be eligible to return to the squad tomorrow for their game against the St. Louis Blues, while Stalock remains out. The Blackhawks were forced to sign Dylan Wells to an NHL contract in the meantime.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Dylan Wells
With Alex Stalock entering concussion protocol last night, the Chicago Blackhawks will be forced to add another goaltender. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that it will be Dylan Wells, who was signed to an AHL contract. The Blackhawks have signed the young goaltender to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K in the NHL and $80K in the AHL.
Petr Mrazek is still out with a groin injury, while the only other goaltender signed, Jaxson Stauber, was injured over the weekend. That means it will be Arvid Soderblom and Wells for the time being, at least until one of Stalock and Mrazek are able to return.
Despite a strong early start to the year, things are trending in the wrong (or right?) direction for the Blackhawks. Wells, 24, has never played in an NHL game, and has just 24 games of AHL experience under his belt. Most of his time as a professional has come in the ECHL, and even there he has struggled to put up consistently strong numbers.
With Seth Jones and Tyler Johnson both out, the goaltending situation a complete question mark, and the team now on a four-game losing streak, the Blackhawks could quickly be down at the bottom of the standings where most expected them to be this season.
Ivan Demidov Making KHL Debut
The 2023 NHL Draft is being hyped as one of the most important in several years, thanks to the trio of outstanding forwards at the top of the board. Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Matvei Michkov would all likely be considered for the first-overall pick in weaker years, making a tank effort even more worthwhile this time around.
But teams also have to start looking ahead to 2024 and getting closer looks at the top players that may be available. One of those players, Ivan Demidov, will be making his KHL debut today at the age of 16. Playing for the SKA St. Petersburg organization, Demidov has ten goals and 27 points in 19 games in the MHL this season and will get a look with the big club according to his agent Dan Milstein.
The left-shot winger was excellent at the most recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, scoring five points in five games despite being younger than most of his competition, and will now make his professional debut months before he even turns 17.
There have been a handful of players who have made their debuts at 16, including Michkov, and there’s no guarantee that it means big things for Demidov. But for fans looking ahead, it’s exciting to see another young prospect tested against professionals so early.
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.