Andrew Hammond Terminates KHL Contract
It’s been an interesting few months for Andrew Hammond. First, he was headed to Florida Panthers training camp on a PTO, then a few days later he decided to sign with a KHL club. Now, after just two appearances in Russia, he is on his way home. Hammond has terminated his contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk.
All of this comes after Hammond’s most productive NHL season in years. The 34-year-old goaltender played in 11 games, split between the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, going 4-5-1 overall. He had last appeared in the NHL in 2018 when he was forced into the Colorado Avalanche net in the playoffs (and performed admirably, with a .933 in three appearances.).
With some clubs already facing some goaltending injuries, and others thin at the position to begin with, one would think that Hammond could land a deal somewhere to add depth to an organization. What’s next isn’t clear, though, after such a tumultuous offseason. Overall, the veteran netminder has appeared in 67 NHL games and holds a .916 save percentage for his career.
Latest On Patrik Laine
The Columbus Blue Jackets got some tough news last week when star winger Patrik Laine sustained an elbow sprain in the team’s season opener and had to be moved to injured reserve immediately. Fortunately, though, it seems his three-to-four-week recovery timeline is still right on schedule, if not a bit ahead. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reported today that Laine skated on his own in full gear for the past two days at the team’s practice facility. Hedger also noted the Finnish star is confident he’ll be ready to play by the first week of November when the Blue Jackets travel to Finland to play a set of games against the Colorado Avalanche.
That’s obviously a huge deal for Laine personally, but also the league, as Laine is the most marketable hometown player who’ll skate in the back-to-back set of games in Tampere. Laine hails directly from Tampere, and while his Avalanche counterpart in Mikko Rantanen may have more publicity overall, there’s nothing like getting to see one of your town’s best-ever hockey products play an NHL game on home soil.
A quick return from Laine is also crucial for Columbus’ playoff hopes. While Johnny Gaudreau has held up his end of the bargain, recording four points in his first four games as a Blue Jacket, their lack of quality offensive depth has been exposed by Laine’s injury. Minor-league and European league journeyman Justin Danforth was the team’s first option to replace Laine on the top line, which is obviously a less-than-ideal situation.
Buffalo Sabres’ Ilya Lyubushkin Out Day-To-Day
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is out on a day-to-day basis after sustaining a foot injury in yesterday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, the team announced Wednesday.
Lyubushkin has impressed early on after signing a two-year, $2.75MM AAV contract with the Sabres in free agency last offseason. He’s notched one assist and has a +1 rating through three games, but he was perhaps most notable against Edmonton in his performance that was cut short due to injury. The 6′ 2″, 208-pound defenseman played an imposing and intimidating game that highlights his strengths, limiting chances against and laying big hits. A massive open-ice hit he laid on Oilers forward Dylan Holloway was his highlight of the night, and he only received a two-minute minor for roughing after the play.
His defensive performance has stood out in a good way, and his plays are a significant reason why the Sabres are off to a strong 2-1-0 start to the 2022-23 season. Hopefully, he won’t miss more than a handful of games and can continue building on his strong start sooner rather than later.
In the meantime for Buffalo, Casey Fitzgerald will likely step into a bottom-pairing role alongside Jacob Bryson. The team also has Lawrence Pilut stashed in the minors who does not require waivers, and he could be a call-up option if the team desires a more offensively-inclined replacement on the backend. It’s not a likely scenario, however, as Fitzgerald remains a slightly better stylistic fit for Lyubushkin’s game.
Jakub Vrana Placed In NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
As announced today by the NHL, Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana has been placed in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Vrana will be unavailable for an indefinite period of time while he receives care as prescribed and overseen by the program.
Vrana will return to game action for Detroit when he is cleared for on-ice competition by the program’s administrators, according to the release.
26 years old, Vrana is entering his second full season with the Red Wings. The Prague-born forward had a goal and an assist in his first two games with Detroit this year after he missed 56 games last season with a shoulder injury.
PHR sends its best wishes to Vrana while he gets the help he needs.
Snapshots: Buchnevich, Allen, Ingham
The St. Louis Blues could be without an impact piece tonight when they visit the Seattle Kraken. Top-six winger Pavel Buchnevich left the ice early during their morning skate today and will be a game-time decision tonight with a lower-body injury, according to head coach Craig Berube.
The Blues were one of the last teams to open their season and, as a result, have only played one game so far. Buchnevich was one of their best players in a road outing against Columbus, though, notching a goal and an assist and leading the team with a +3 rating. The Russian winger is coming off a gargantuan season in which he broke the point-per-game plateau for the first time, scoring 76 points in 73 games. If Buchnevich can’t go, the team would either replace him in the lineup with Josh Leivo or dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, getting Calle Rosen in for his season debut.
- Goalie Jake Allen will return to the Montreal Canadiens crease tomorrow night after welcoming the birth of his third daughter. Allen is expected to get his third start of the season against the Arizona Coyotes, who are coming off an impressive 4-2 win in Toronto. The 32-year-old Canadian has a sparkling .943 save percentage through two games this season, his third as a Canadien.
- A top goalie prospect for the Los Angeles Kings is set to undergo surgery. Mayor’s Manor’s John Hoven reports that Jacob Ingham had back surgery yesterday and is expected to be out for five to six months. It’s a tough blow for Ingham, who’s played sparingly in both the AHL and ECHL over the past two seasons since turning pro. The Kings selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Minnesota Wild Reassign Mason Shaw To AHL
The Minnesota Wild announced Wednesday via Twitter that the team has reassigned forward Mason Shaw to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
With forward Jordan Greenway now ready to go after missing the team’s first three games of the season with an injury, the team had no use for a second extra forward on the active roster. Greenway missed training camp and the beginning of the season as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.
Shaw is the captain of the Iowa Wild, but he’s also poised to be at the top of Minnesota’s call-up list throughout the season. The 23-year-old does now require waivers, but as he passed through less than 30 days ago, he can be shuttled up and down at will for the time being. He played one game during his call-up, skating just 5:46 in Minnesota’s 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
Top prospect Marco Rossi is set to reenter the lineup now after getting minuscule looks in his first two games of the season, and he could get a shot on a more offensively inclined line between Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy. Connor Dewar will likely be the team’s 13th forward, for the time being, making room for Greenway to return to his checking line role with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno.
Minnesota Wild Sign Michael Milne
The Minnesota Wild have inked another prospect, signing Michael Milne to a three-year entry-level contract. The third-round draft pick had been with the Iowa Wild on an amateur tryout but now will be assigned there on his new NHL deal.
Milne is eligible for the AHL despite being drafted this summer as he was an overage pick who turned 20 in September. He was incredibly effective in the WHL last season, scoring 38 goals and 81 points in 68 games. Sometimes he even seemed like the most dangerous player on the ice, an impressive feat on a team that also boasted top picks Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie.
His off-the-rush scoring ability was nearly unmatched, and Milne will now have to find a way to translate that offense to the professional level. He’s already done enough to earn an entry-level deal, now he’ll need to focus on developing and improving his all-around game before being considered for the Wild roster.
With two first-round picks, two seconds, and what looks like a tidy third-round selection in Milne, the 2022 draft class is shaping up to be a nice one for the Wild. Add that to a 2021 class that also had two firsts (including Milne’s younger Winnipeg teammate Carson Lambos, in an interesting wrinkle), and a pair of previous first-rounders in Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi that look like hits, and the Minnesota pipeline is starting to look pretty impressive.
Dryden Hunt, Phil Di Giuseppe Placed On Waivers
Two more players have graced the waiver wire today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Dryden Hunt of the New York Rangers and Phillip Di Giuseppe of the Vancouver Canucks are available for claim.
Di Giuseppe is coming off season-opening injured reserve, suggesting he is ready to return to action now that he’s found himself on waivers. If he clears, he’ll likely join the Abbotsford Canucks where he spent all of last season. The 29-year-old does have 201 NHL games under his belt, but with the recent injury it seems unlikely that he’ll be claimed.
Hunt on the other hand is more of an interesting story. The 26-year-old undrafted forward plays a physical game and never seems to be out of energy, attacking defenders and tracking down the puck every time he hits the ice. In 76 games with the Rangers last season he scored six goals and 17 points while delivering 153 hits and racking up 52 penalty minutes.
While there might not be a lot of offensive upside there, it’s easy to see why another team might want to add Hunt to the bottom-six mix, especially given the fact that he comes with a cap hit of just $762.5K. That number could fit into basically any team’s cap structure and even with some poor results in limited minutes this year, there are signs that he could be a benefit to clubs struggling to find a good mix on the fourth line.
With Sammy Blais returning, the Rangers needed to clear some space, and might end up losing Hunt in the process.
Philadelphia Flyers Claim Lukas Sedlak
The Philadelphia Flyers have nabbed another forward, claiming Lukas Sedlak off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. To make room, they’ve loaned Olle Lycksell to the AHL.
Sedlak, it should be noted, has quite a bit of familiarity with head coach John Tortorella from their time with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was under Tortorella that the versatile Czech forward ascended to the NHL, and under whom he played more than 160 games.
The 29-year-old signed with the Avalanche after playing the last three years in the KHL (where he was a star) but hadn’t found any consistency playing a handful of minutes on the fourth line. He’ll now join a Flyers team that has gotten off to a 3-0 start, defeating the Devils, Canucks, and Lightning to begin the year. Given his ability to play all three forward positions and familiarity with the coaching staff, Sedlak should be able to slide directly into the lineup whenever he joins the Flyers on the road.
Philadelphia is set to take on the Florida Panthers this evening, before heading to Nashville for a Saturday night matchup.
Sedlak will avoid the minor leagues again with the claim; he hasn’t played in the AHL since the 2015-16 season with the Lake Erie Monsters, going out on top by winning the Calder Cup that year. He’ll now be kept on the Flyers roster, at least for the time being, and try to find some more consistent playing time in Philadelphia.
Gabriel Landeskog Undergoes Knee Surgery
While the Colorado Avalanche are trying to find the right mix for their fourth line, the top unit will also be in flux for a while. Gabriel Landeskog underwent knee surgery yesterday and will be out for “12 weeks give or take.” The team will also recall Jayson Megna from the AHL to give them another center.
Landeskog, 29, hasn’t played this season and will now miss at least three months following this new surgery. The Colorado captain is coming off another outstanding year with 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games, and a playoff performance that could have easily earned him the Conn Smythe. In 20 games en route to his first Stanley Cup championship, Landeskog scored 11 goals, and 22 points, and was the league leader in goal differential with a +15 rating.
Not only does it hurt the Avalanche to lose his offensive performance, but Landeskog is also one of the most well-rounded players in the league, adding physicality, defense, and faceoff ability to his scoring prowess. That last point is one to note, as Landeskog was often asked to take important draws despite being a winger by trade.
Most of the team’s other centers – Nathan MacKinnon, J.T. Compher, Megna, and Evan Rodrigues – are all right-handed. Landeskog’s absence (and Nazem Kadri‘s offseason departure) leaves them without a reliable left-handed faceoff option. Alex Newhook is at 35% through his young career and even Darren Helm, a reliable defensive pivot, struggled in the dot last year.
It’s little things like this where Landeskog’s absence will add up, even if they can find a way to replace his offensive numbers on the top line. The team did retain Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin in the offseason but their forward depth is quickly evaporating, leaving a lot of responsibility for MacKinnon and the defense corps.