Snapshots: Three Stars, Blackwood, Ristolainen
The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with three Western Conference superstars making the cut. Jason Robertson is on top after scoring four goals and eight points in three games. After missing training camp, Robertson has picked up right where he left off last season and now has eight goals and 18 points in 12 games.
Second and third went to Nathan MacKinnon and Erik Karlsson, who each had their own impressive weeks. The Colorado Avalanche center had seven assists in the two games overseas, both wins in Finland, to become the league’s all-time scoring leader in games played outside of North America. Karlsson meanwhile had four goals and eight points in three games including a hat trick and has already matched his goal total from last year (ten) in just 14 games.
- Mackenzie Blackwood has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain, and will meet with doctors tomorrow for further evaluation according to New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein. Blackwood left a game against the Edmonton Oilers on November 3, leaving the Devils with Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid as their tandem for the time being.
- After being scratched on the weekend, some wondered whether Rasmus Ristolainen was still dealing with the effects of his previous injury. Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella told reporters including Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Ristolainen’s injury isn’t the issue and that “everything about his game needs to be better” when he gets back into the lineup.
Chicago Blackhawks Activate Petr Mrazek; Waive Dylan Wells
The Chicago Blackhawks have activated Petr Mrazek, while moving Alex Stalock to injured reserve. With a goaltender coming back, they have also placed the recently-signed Dylan Wells on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.
Mrazek, 30, has played just three games for the Blackhawks this season, posting a .873 save percentage so far. That performance is actually even worse than his dreadful 2021-22 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs which led the team to trade away a draft pick so Chicago would take on the rest of his contract.
He’ll now presumably take over as the team’s starter, though Arvid Soderblom has been excellent through his four appearances, posting a .924. Those Blackhawks fans hoping for a true tank and the best chance at the first-overall pick might want Mrazek starting every game, given the younger netminder’s impressive performance. That is of course if Soderblom is even healthy enough to play, given he left his last start after two periods.
Stalock, meanwhile, is still in concussion protocol after taking a hard hit from Casey Cizikas (who received a suspension for the play) a few days ago. It is not clear when he will return to action but his IR placement is retroactive to November 1, meaning he can be activated at any time.
Things worked out pretty nicely for Wells, who earned an NHL deal out of the situation and his debut at the highest level. The 24-year-old entered the game in relief of Soderblom and stopped 12 of 13 shots in his NHL debut. His placement on waivers suggests that Soderblom will be okay but the team has not updated that situation yet.
Ottawa Senators Not Considering Coaching Change
There were a lot of expectations for the Ottawa Senators coming into this year. They had a young core of exciting forwards, and added star power like Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux to the mix. Top pick Jake Sanderson was supposed to give the defense corps a huge boost, while Cam Talbot was brought in to solidify the goaltending. Things got off to an okay start, with four wins in the first six games, but have since gone downhill.
The Senators now sit at 4-7 on the year after losing their last five and speculation has started to percolate about the safety of head coach D.J. Smith. Today, when speaking with reporters, general manager Pierre Dorion wanted to make it clear that Smith wasn’t going anywhere. “D.J. is our coach and he’s going to be our coach,” he told the gathered media including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
This is Smith’s fourth season behind the bench in Ottawa and despite having an overall record of 85-111-24, things have generally been considered a success. The team was not expected to be competitive, was open about their rebuilding process, and yet still played hard every night under the rookie head coach. Young players like Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle, and Drake Batherson all took huge leaps in production, and the team was in the top half of the league on the penalty kill, something that is often attributed to the coaching staff.
Still, it’s time to start winning.
One thing that Smith has in his favor is Talbot, who looks sharp since coming back from an injury that kept him out the first month of the season. In two appearances he has stopped 39 of 41 shots and should soon become that stabilizing presence he was brought in as. Whether they can actually turn that strong goaltending into wins is another story, especially with the state of their defense.
While Sanderson has been strong in his rookie season, it’s hard to place much responsibility on a 20-year-old that has just barely started his professional journey. With Artem Zub out, the defense has looked like a jumbled mess, made up of players seeing more ice time than they probably should. Zub is expected back soon but it remains to be seen whether this group will do enough for the team to turn things around. Even with today’s front office support, Smith’s job may depend on it.
Josh Norris Will Not Require Surgery
After seeing five different doctors and two specialists, it has been determined that Josh Norris will not require shoulder surgery, according to Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. As Claire Hanna of TSN relays, Dorion noted today that the team will know more in the New Year about a potential return this season.
Norris, 23, has had shoulder injuries before, including one in 2019 that essentially ended his college career. Dorion explained that this is a different injury entirely than the ones he has dealt with before, and for now he will just rehab.
While that technically qualifies as good news, it’s still a brutal outcome for the young center who is coming off an outstanding 35-goal season. He did that in just 66 games, one of the best per-game scoring rates in the NHL, ahead of players like Jake Guentzel, Steven Stamkos, Matthew Tkachuk, and Alex DeBrincat. Building on that was a big part of why so many people were bullish on the Senators this offseason, and his absence has been one of the main reasons why they have disappointed.
Norris managed just five games and two points. With no clear timeline on when he can return, this may end up being a wasted season for the young forward and one that potentially hinders his long-term development. That would be a worst-case scenario for the Senators, who committed eight years and $63.6MM to him in the offseason. That $7.95MM cap hit makes him the 38th most expensive forward in the league this season, only a touch below Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
Ottawa Senators Recall Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Ottawa Senators still don’t appear to have Artem Zub returning, as they have recalled Jacob Bernard-Docker from the minor leagues. Bernard-Docker was sent down just yesterday after his most recent call-up.
Ottawa is on a long losing skid after dropping another game on Saturday and now find themselves stuck at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Bernard-Docker hasn’t played for the club yet this season, bouncing up and down instead of getting into the lineup. In eight games at the minor league level, he has just a single point.
With the losses piling up, it’s hard to imagine that the young defenseman will be held out again. The team is back in action tomorrow night before heading out on the road for two games. Zub, out since the end of October with an upper-body injury, has been skating with the team and is expected back at some point in the next few matches.
Five Key Stories: 10/31/22 – 11/6/22
As the calendar flips to November, teams are starting to get a sense of their needs which should provide some hope for the trade market to slowly pick up over the next little while. In the meantime, the bulk of the top stories over the past seven days have been on the injury front.
Drysdale Out Long Term: As this was the final season of Jamie Drysdale’s entry-level contract, this was his opportunity to have a big year that set him up for a long-term, big-money agreement. Unfortunately for both him and the Ducks, that won’t be happening as he suffered a torn labrum that requires surgery which will keep him out for four to six months. The 20-year-old could return before the end of the year if his recovery is on the shorter end of that timeline but it will still wind up being two entry-level seasons with limited action. That will make a long-term deal considerably tougher to work out this summer and increases the chances that at least one of the two sides will prefer a bridge agreement.
On The Market: Forget about players possibly being on the market for a moment but there is about to be a team on the market as the Senators have started the process of selling the franchise. Long-time owner Eugene Melnyk passed away back in March with control of the team shifting to his daughters who are still in their early twenties. The most recent Sportico valuation of the team was $650MM but with the team on the rise and the prospect of a downtown arena looking quite strong, it’s possible that they’ll be able to land more than that, especially since that was the price tag for Seattle to join the league in expansion and franchise values have only gone up since then.
Done For The Year: Connor Brown had been a key two-way winger for Ottawa for years before he was moved to Washington where the hope was that he could become a bit more productive in a more offensive role as he heads toward unrestricted free agency next summer. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening now as the 28-year-old will miss the next six to eight months after undergoing ACL surgery that almost certainly will end his season. Brown will now hit the open market next summer having played just four games in 2022-23 with questions almost certain to follow about his skating after a significant knee injury. That’s about as disastrous a contract year as it could have been while the Capitals have lost someone that was supposed to be a key part of their forward group.
More Injuries: Despite the fact that they’re first in the East, the Bruins have been hit hard by injuries in the early going this season and that continued this past week. On top of losing Derek Forbort, they’ll also be without goaltender Jeremy Swayman who is listed as being out week to week. The 23-year-old is part of an effective tandem with Linus Ullmark but the veteran will be getting the bulk of the workload for a little while now. Meanwhile, the Red Wings will be without winger Filip Zadina for the foreseeable future as the 22-year-old broke a bone while blocking a shot against the Islanders on Saturday. Head coach Derek Lalonde indicated it’s a matter of months, not weeks before he’s able to return. Detroit is already without three other regular wingers so their depth is getting tested early on.
Miller Signs, Then Gets Released: In a surprising move, the Bruins elected to sign former Coyotes draft pick Mitchell Miller to a three-year, entry-level deal. The 20-year-old’s rights were renounced shortly after he was drafted following the details being released about a 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate; North Dakota later dropped Miller from their program as well. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that Miller isn’t currently eligible to play in the NHL (and may never be) which called into question his AHL eligibility as well. However, that question isn’t relevant to Boston now as they elected to part ways with Miller on Sunday, barely 48 hours after signing him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bruins Part Ways With Mitchell Miller
Mitchell Miller‘s time with the Bruins has come to a quick end as the team has announced that they are parting ways with the defenseman who had signed with Boston back on Friday. Team president Cam Neely released the following statement:
The decision to sign this young man was made after careful consideration of the facts as we were aware of them: that at 14-years-old he made a poor decision that led to a juvenile conviction. We understood this to be an isolated incident and that he had taken meaningful action to reform and was committed to ongoing personal development. Based on that understanding we offered him a contract.
Based on new information, we believe it is the best decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins. We hope that he continues to work with professionals and programs to further his education and personal growth.
We owe it to our fans, players, staff, partners and community to make sure that our practices and protocols are in keeping with the ethos that we demand from ourselves and as an organization. As such, we will be reevaluating our internal processes for vetting individuals who wish to earn the privilege of playing in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins.
We are sorry that this decision has overshadowed the incredible work the members of our organization do to support diversity and inclusion efforts. We will continue to stand against bullying and racism in all of its forms.
To Isaiah and his family, my deepest apologies if this signing made you and other victims feel unseen and unheard. We apologize for the deep hurt and impact we have caused.
Miller’s signing was a controversial one following the revelations of a 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate. The Coyotes, who had drafted him 111th overall back in 2020, renounced his rights later that year, making him an unrestricted free agent.
On Saturday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that Miller was not currently eligible to play in the NHL and suggested that he might not ever be. That called into question whether or not he’d be able to play in the AHL with that league saying they’d need to meet with Miller and review the situation in further detail. That will no longer be necessary with his time with Boston now having ended.
Jake Virtanen Signs In Switzerland
After being a late cut in training camp with Edmonton, Jake Virtanen was hoping to catch on elsewhere in the NHL. That didn’t materialize and he has now found his new home as EHC Visp of the Swiss second division announced that they’ve signed the winger to a two-year contract.
The 26-year-old was a first-round pick of Vancouver (sixth overall) back in 2014 with the hopes that he’d become an impactful power forward. However, he struggled to produce with consistency over his six NHL seasons (spanning 317 games) and ultimately was bought out of the final year of his contract with the Canucks in 2021 after a particularly tough year (five goals in 38 contests) at the same time that allegations of sexual assault came to light, charges he was later found not guilty of.
Last season, Virtanen went to the KHL in the hopes that a big role overseas could help propel him back into getting another NHL opportunity but he wasn’t overly productive, notching just nine goals and seven assists in 36 games, not the type of production that generated much NHL interest as evidenced by him only getting a handful of PTO offers heading into training camp.
It’s a bit surprising that someone with the NHL experience that Virtanen has ultimately settled for a two-year agreement in a second-tier league overseas. However, the move will give him a bit of stability and a chance to play an impact role as he looks to rediscover his offensive touch in the hopes of getting another opportunity at the NHL level down the road.
Filip Zadina Will Be Out Long Term
While the exact injury isn’t yet known, things don’t sound good for Red Wings winger Filip Zadina. Speaking with reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) postgame following their overtime victory over the Rangers today, head coach Derek Lalonde indicated the youngster has something broken and that he’ll be out a matter of months, not weeks. The injury occurred back on Saturday after he blocked a shot from Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock.
That’s hardly good news for the 22-year-old who has been trying to establish his role under their new coaching staff. Zadina has struggled out of the gate this season and has been held off the scoresheet through his first nine games while averaging just under 14 minutes a night. He’s in the first season of a three-year, $5.475MM bridge contract.
Detroit has been hit hard when it comes to their wingers this season. Zadina joins Tyler Bertuzzi and Robby Fabbri as wingers that are currently injured while Jakub Vrana is out indefinitely while he’s in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The Red Wings currently have an open roster spot after placing Zadina on injured reserve late yesterday. Austin Czarnik and Matt Luff have been recent recalls and someone else from AHL Grand Rapids will be getting the call in the near future.
Josh Anderson Receives Two-Game Suspension
For the second time today, the Department of Player Safety has issued a two-game suspension. This time, it will be Canadiens winger Josh Anderson who sits as the league issued (video link) a two-game ban for boarding.
The incident occurred midway through the third period in Saturday’s game against Vegas when Anderson hit blueliner Alex Pietrangelo from behind in front of the Golden Knights’ bench. Pietrangelo was able to remain in the game while Anderson received a five-minute major penalty plus a game misconduct on the play. The video notes how Anderson changed his angle in order to deliver the hit, one that drove him forcibly into the boards.
This is the first suspension for Anderson who will miss Montreal’s upcoming games against Detroit and Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. He will forfeit nearly $60K in salary with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.