Canucks Assign Nils Hoglander To The Minors
For the last two seasons, Nils Hoglander was a useful secondary scorer for the Canucks. However, some added depth has pushed him down the depth chart and, for the time being at least, he’s off the roster altogether as the team announced (Twitter link) that the winger has been sent to AHL Abbotsford. Defenseman Noah Juulsen has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Hoglander had an impressive rookie campaign in 2020-21, playing in all 56 games while collecting 13 goals and 14 assists; his 27 points put him tied for fourth among all first-year players which helped him finish eighth in Calder Trophy voting. Last season, his numbers dipped a bit to ten goals and eight helpers in 60 games while also missing 21 contests due to a groin injury. Notably, his ATOI also dropped by 2:22 per contest to 13:05 per night as the 23-year-old spent a lot of time in the bottom six.
That usage continued in the early going this season as Hoglander has played in four of five games, once again logging around 13 minutes a night of ice time. Speaking with reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link), Bruce Boudreau indicated that this is a paper transaction and that they expect Hoglander back up soon with his waiver exemption making him the logical choice to shuffle down. It’s worth noting that he is 23 games away from being waiver-eligible so this won’t be an option for them for much longer.
As for Juulsen, it’s the second time in the last seven days that he has been recalled with his first stint lasting just two days although he did suit up for Vancouver in that stretch. With Quinn Hughes playing through a minor injury and Tucker Poolman not available at the moment due to injury, Juulsen gives the Canucks a bit of insurance on the back end. The 2015 first-rounder has played in 57 career NHL contests over parts of five seasons so far.
West Notes: Poile, Kraken, Ehlers
Today’s game is a milestone one for Predators GM David Poile as NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika notes that their contest against Philadelphia will be Poile’s 3,000th as an NHL general manager. He is the first to ever get to that milestone. The 72-year-old has been at the helm in Nashville since 1997, joining the team a year before their inaugural season in 1998-99. Poile acknowledged that he has been going year-to-year on contracts for more than a decade now and isn’t sure how much longer he’ll be staying in his current role. Whenever he does step aside, he’s going to be the record-holder in games managed for a very long time.
More from the West:
- While the Kraken parted ways with veteran defenseman Michal Kempny after he cleared unconditional waivers yesterday, GM Ron Francis told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that it’s not a priority to bring in another veteran defender to fill Kempny’s spot on the depth chart. Kempny played in two games this season with Coachella Valley of the AHL and was viewed as one of their first recall options if injuries arise. Seattle only has four non-NHL defensemen under contract at the moment so it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone added at some point even if it isn’t a top priority for Francis.
- Although the Jets placed Nikolaj Ehlers on IR yesterday, the news is pretty good when it comes to the winger. Head coach Rick Bowness (who has returned from COVID protocol) told reporters, including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun (Twitter link), that Ehlers is expected to miss somewhere between seven and ten days. An IR placement is a minimum of seven days and it appears the 26-year-old won’t miss much more time than that. He has three assists in two games so far this season.
Minnesota Places Jordan Greenway On IR, Activates Jon Merrill
It’s good news and bad news on the injury front for the Wild. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated defenseman Jon Merrill off injured reserve which is the good news. However, the bad news is that winger Jordan Greenway has been placed on IR to make room for Merrill’s return.
Merrill suffered an arm injury while playing for the United States at the World Championship, undergoing surgery soon after. He missed the entire preseason and while he was cleared for contact a little more than a week ago, Minnesota was cautious in bringing him back. The 30-year-old had a career year last season, notching 20 points in 69 games while logging over 17 minutes per night which helped him earn a three-year extension back in January.
As for Greenway, his return to the lineup was short-lived. He was activated off IR back on Thursday but lasted just six shifts before suffering an upper-body injury that evidently will keep him out for at least the next week. The 25-year-old is an important secondary scorer for the Wild that contributes plenty of hits as well but he’ll be waiting a little while before he gets a shot at his second game of the season; Michael Russo of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the team is still waiting to get an idea of how much time Greenway will miss.
Maple Leafs Recall Kyle Clifford
While there is some risk with only carrying six defensemen on a long road trip, that’s what the Maple Leafs have decided to do as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Kyle Clifford from AHL Toronto and he will be in the lineup tonight against Winnipeg. To make room for him on the active roster, blueliner Filip Kral has been sent back to the Marlies.
Clifford is in his second stint with the Maple Leafs after being acquired from St. Louis last season. He signed a two-year, one-way deal worth the NHL minimum in both seasons but cleared waivers at the beginning of training camp and has played in two AHL contests so far this season. His addition to the active roster gives Toronto 15 forwards up with the big club.
As for Kral, his NHL debut will have to wait a little longer. He was recalled back on Wednesday to serve as the extra defenseman following Jake Muzzin‘s injury but didn’t see any game action. The 23-year-old had 18 points in 51 games with the Marlies last season.
Toronto begins a five-game Western road trip tonight with Muzzin, Timothy Liljegren, and Jordie Benn all on the injured list (the latter two on LTIR). With teams generally wanting to have some positional insurance when playing on the opposite coast, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kral or another defender brought back up within the next game or two.
Atlantic Notes: Robertson, Canadiens, Larkin
The injury to Matt Murray provided the Maple Leafs with enough cap space to recall winger Nick Robertson and he made an immediate impact, scoring twice in Toronto’s overtime win against Dallas on Thursday. On the surface, it would seem like this is at least a short-term opportunity for him to prove himself but Postmedia’s Michael Traikos posits that there hasn’t been a better time for them to trade the 21-year-old. The Maple Leafs don’t have the deepest of prospect pools but Robertson is someone who is NHL-ready or very close which would be appealing to many rebuilding teams. With the team in need of some help on the back end, a player like Robertson is someone they could potentially dangle to try to add that defensive help.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Canadiens could soon be getting some help on the injury front as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter links) that defenseman Joel Edmundson and Joel Armia both took part in practice with a non-contact jersey. Both players have yet to play this season with Edmundson suffering a back injury in a collision with Nick Suzuki in a pre-camp practice while Armia suffered an upper-body late in the preseason. Montreal is carrying a full-sized roster at the moment so when these two are cleared to return, they will have to make some moves to open up roster spots for them.
- Still with Montreal, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Juraj Slafkovsky is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The first-overall pick is coming off his best game that saw him score his first NHL goal while logging over 14 minutes of ice time for the first time but it appears he’ll have to wait a few days to have a chance at his second tally. Rem Pitlick is expected to take Slafkovsky’s place on the fourth line tonight.
- Red Wings center Dylan Larkin left Friday’s game against Chicago briefly with an injury and while he returned, head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press postgame that Larkin was dealing with some upper-body pain postgame. He’s scheduled to be reevaluated today. The captain is off to a strong start to his contract year with five points in four games this season.
Snapshots: Ekblad, Broberg, Janmark, Dach
At the time that the Panthers placed Aaron Ekblad on LTIR, there was no timetable for his return beyond that it was expected that he’d be back this season. In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported that the blueliner is likely to miss somewhere between four and seven weeks. At a minimum, he has to miss 10 games and 24 days and if he’s ready to be back at the shorter end of that timeline, Ekblad might not miss much more than the minimum time. Florida isn’t expected to go out and acquire a short-term replacement as they’ll need to have enough cap space to activate Ekblad when he’s ready to return but fortunately for them, they shouldn’t be without their star blueliner for too long.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- At the beginning of the season, the Oilers were shuffling defenseman Philip Broberg back and forth between Edmonton and AHL Bakersfield. They haven’t lately and Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) why as the blueliner has been dealing with an upper-body injury for the last few days and is questionable to play this weekend. Accordingly, it’ll take a little longer before he gets his next chance with the big club. Meanwhile, Nugent-Bowman adds that the reason that veteran winger Mattias Janmark hasn’t played in Bakersfield yet despite being sent down nearly two weeks ago is that he has yet to receive his U.S. work permit.
- Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach has been placed in concussion protocol, notes Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). It’s the second time in a month that he has been moved there after entering protocol in mid-September. The 19-year-old had gotten off to a good start with WHL Kelowna with three points in as many games but now, it’s likely he’ll be shut down for a little while. Dach has already signed his entry-level deal with Chicago and will likely turn pro next season.
Central Notes: Jones, Toews, Brown
While there has been plenty of speculation as to when Chicago will trade winger Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, there hasn’t been much trade chatter when it comes to Seth Jones. The Blackhawks are clearly in a rebuilding mode so having a $9.5MM defenseman on a long-term deal runs counter to that approach. However, as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports, it’s unlikely that the team will even try to move the 28-year-old this season or even next year. With the salary cap situation for many contenders being tight, it’s unlikely they’d be able to accommodate such a contract and even if they were, being able to yield top value would be difficult. Instead, Jones will be counted on to be the top defender for Chicago and should average more than 25 minutes a night for the fifth straight season.
More from the Central:
- While Devon Toews isn’t in tonight’s lineup, he won’t be out much longer than that as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) it’s a short-term injury for the blueliner; Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar hasn’t officially ruled the 28-year-old out for Saturday’s contest yet. Toews is off to another good start to his season with three assists in four games while logging over 21 minutes per game, a number that’s artificially low after being injured early in Wednesday’s overtime loss to Winnipeg.
- The Blues should get some help on the injury front soon as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes (Twitter link) that center Logan Brown is close to returning to the lineup. He has been out with an upper-body injury for a little under three weeks so he has yet to play this season. The 24-year-old picked up 11 points in 39 games for St. Louis last season in limited action while giving them some size at the bottom of the lineup. Brown remains on the active roster despite being out this long and accordingly, they won’t have to clear a roster spot once he’s cleared to return.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2022-23 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Chicago Blackhawks
Current Cap Hit: $76,467,143 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Alec Regula (one year, $867K)
D Filip Roos (two years, $925K)
Roos signed as an undrafted free agent after spending last season in the SHL but not many were expecting him to make the team right away. That’s what he did, however, as he is logging over 16 minutes a night in the early season thus far. It’s still too early to forecast his next deal as a lot will depend on whether he keeps his lineup spot throughout the season or if they decide time in Rockford is required. Regula spent most of his first two professional years in the minors and has had a limited role when he has been in Chicago. That’s the type of player that will likely receive a short-term bridge deal, perhaps a two-year pact that checks in a little lower than this but with more guaranteed money on a two-way contract with possibly one of those seasons being a one-way deal.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Andreas Athanasiou ($3MM, UFA)
F Max Domi ($3MM, UFA)
D Jack Johnson ($950K, UFA)
D Caleb Jones ($1.35MM, RFA)
F Patrick Kane ($10.5MM, UFA)
F Jujhar Khaira ($975K, UFA)
F Philipp Kurashev ($750K, RFA)
G Alex Stalock ($750K, UFA)
D Jarred Tinordi ($900K, UFA)
F Jonathan Toews ($10.5MM, UFA)
Kane and Toews have been on identical contracts for 13 straight years now but that will come to an end after this season. Kane remains one of the top offensive threats in the NHL and while it’s fair to expect that he’s going to slow down, he still should be an impact player for a few more years. His next deal probably won’t be $10.5MM but something around the $9MM mark should be achievable on a four-year deal or longer. Toews, on the other hand, has only had one high-end offensive season in recent years. While he remains a strong player at the faceoff dot and can kill penalties, his days of being a top-liner are over. Accordingly, his market value might be closer to half of his current price tag.
Domi and Athanasiou both came on identical deals this summer but at a much lower cost. They’re both looking for bounce-back seasons to build back some value. However, Athanasiou has had some good years lately and still didn’t have a particularly robust market in his previous trips through unrestricted free agency. Unless he gets closer to the 50-point mark this season, it’s hard to see his price tag going higher. As a center, Domi has a bit more potential when it comes to a bigger contract. He has had some down years since his 72-point campaign in 2018-19 but in a bigger role with Chicago, he at least has an opportunity to try to re-establish himself as a second liner which could give him a chance at a small raise.
Khaira has dealt with some injury issues the last couple of years and has been more of a fourth liner in that time. Accordingly, his next contract will come in close to this one. As for Kurashev, he’s on his prove-it deal, one that saw him take less than his qualifying offer to get a one-way guarantee. He has shown some flashes of promise early in his career and if he’s able to even get to 25-30 points this season, he’ll do enough to warrant a raise past the $1MM mark, especially with arbitration eligibility.
The younger Jones is still trying to get himself established as a full-time NHL player and has been on the third line when he has played for most of his career. He’ll be arbitration-eligible again this summer with a $1.35MM qualifying offer and a small raise could come his way if he’s able to stay healthy and on the third pairing. Johnson signed as a free agent this summer after being a depth player in Colorado. He could legitimately sign a similar type of contract in July around this price tag as it’s unlikely he’ll garner a multi-year deal now as he’ll turn 36 in January. Tinordi was somewhat surprisingly claimed off waivers after spending most of last season in the minors. It’s hard to see him getting much of a raise this summer but if he stays up for the full year with Chicago, another one-way deal could be doable.
The last two years have been tough for Stalock who was unable to play for most of that time due to myocarditis and he struggled in limited AHL action last season which limited his market this past summer. At his age (35), he’s probably going year-to-year moving forward but if he stays healthy and has a decent season, he should command more interest in July which would likely push his price tag past the $1MM mark.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Colin Blackwell ($1.2MM, UFA)
F Mackenzie Entwistle ($800K, RFA)
F Jason Dickinson ($2.65MM, UFA)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM, UFA)
F Boris Katchouk ($758K, RFA)
F Sam Lafferty ($1.15MM, UFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.8MM, UFA)
F Taylor Raddysh ($758K, RFA)
Johnson was a cap dump by Tampa Bay and hasn’t produced at a top-six level with consistency for a few seasons now. On top of that, he is more of a winger than a center now which doesn’t help his value. He’ll be in his age-34 season on his next contract and it’s one that should be 50% lower at a minimum as things stand. Dickinson was a cap dump by Vancouver recently and isn’t too far removed from showing some third-line potential. If he can play at that level in Chicago, he could have a chance at a similar contract two years from now. But if he plays at the same level as last season with the Blackhawks, he’ll be closer to the level of a PTO candidate.
Blackwell came over in free agency after being a late-bloomer, only securing a regular NHL roster spot at 27. He has shown some offensive upside in that stretch and a contract like this for a fourth liner that could have a little upside is certainly reasonable. A similar showing to his last two seasons could give him a small bump in pay in 2024. Lafferty hasn’t produced much in his career but showed that he was capable of logging third-line ice time with Chicago last season. Maintaining that role would help his market value two years from now but he’ll need to produce more than single-digit goals to have a chance of really pushing his AAV up.
Entwistle is in a similar situation as Lafferty, just with a shorter track record. He provides Chicago with some physicality but the offense will need to come around if he wants a chance at a seven-figure contract. Raddysh didn’t produce much with Tampa Bay last season but impressed down the stretch with the Blackhawks, producing at close to a top-six level. Similar production coupled with arbitration rights could push him past the $2.5MM mark two years from now. Katchouk also came over from Tampa Bay and once he’s able to return, his priority will be simply securing a spot in the lineup on a regular basis which doesn’t bode well for the chances of a sizable increase in 2024.
Mrazek was a cap dump from Toronto back at the draft in a move that saw Chicago elevate a second-round pick into a first-rounder. He has shown flashes of playing at a number one level in the past but has struggled with consistency and staying healthy. He’ll need to provide at least some stability if he wants to land a contract around this price tag two years from now; at this point, a dip seems quite likely.
Metro Notes: Guentzel, Blueger, Leonsis
The Pittsburgh Penguins have started the season off extremely well, collecting three wins and four games. A major contributor to that early-season success has been winger Jake Guentzel, who is tied for second on the team with three goals and five points. The Penguins are getting ready to begin a five-game road trip, and they may be without Guentzel for some of that period.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told the media today, as relayed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, that Guentzel missed practice and is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Guentzel was hit by a Kris Letang shot late in last night’s win over the Los Angeles Kings and also suffered a collision with Kings forward Brendan Lemieux. In Guentzel’s absence, Danton Heinen was elevated to the Penguins’ top line, while Brock McGinn took Heinen’s slot on the team’s third line.
Some other Metropolitan Division notes:
- If Guentzel does indeed miss time with an upper-body injury, the Penguins could be forced to use seven defensemen until he returns. Injured forward Teddy Blueger is still wearing a non-contact jersey in practice, and as Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports notes, the Penguins don’t have the cap space to recall a forward. Coach Sullivan is no stranger to guiding the Penguins through injury troubles, though, and he’ll definitely have his hands full as he looks to sustain the Penguins’ hot start.
- Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is leading a group that is reportedly the front-runner to purchase Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, per reporting from The Athletic’s David Aldridge, Brittany Ghiroli, and Ken Rosenthal. Leonsis has been the owner of the Capitals since 1999 and would become just the second owner of teams in three of the four major U.S. professional men’s sports leagues. For more information on Leonsis’ potential purchase, we refer you to the more extensive coverage over at MLB Trade Rumors.
Nikolaj Ehlers Placed On Injured Reserve
The Winnipeg Jets have moved Nikolaj Ehlers to injured reserve, retroactive to October 18. The retroactive placement suggests that he won’t be out very long, but will miss at least the team’s next two games. With the roster spot, the team recalled Dominic Toninato, who cleared waivers recently and was playing in the AHL.
Ehlers, 26, played a full allotment of minutes in each of the team’s first two games of the season, registering three points along the way. He missed Wednesday’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche after leaving the morning skate early, and then didn’t play last night in the loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Amazingly, despite missing two games he still is in a tie for first among Jets forwards in scoring, showing just how important he is to the offensive performance of the team.
Toninato, meanwhile, broke camp with the team but was sent down after they claimed Axel Jonsson Fjallby on waivers. The 28-year-old forward played in 77 games with the team last season and scored 14 points, the best performance of his career so far.
It is not clear yet how long Ehlers will be out but the Jets sure could use him. Key forwards like Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton still haven’t scored, leaving the Winnipeg depth lacking at the moment. Neal Pionk leads the team in scoring with four points in four games, not exactly ideal for a group that has been so reliant on their forward group over the years.