More Injury Updates: McAvoy, Clutterbuck, Devils, Coyotes
It became apparent over the offseason that injuries were going to be a serious issue for the Boston Bruins this year, at least at the beginning of the season. While there have been positive developments on some, the same can’t be said for All-Star-caliber defenseman Charlie McAvoy. According to The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter, there’s no updated timeline on McAvoy’s return, meaning he’s still expected to rejoin the team around Thanksgiving. He is doing some shooting practice, Porter notes, but he’s yet to take any slapshots in practice.
McAvoy had an arthroscopic procedure on his left shoulder back in late May/early June. He could miss around 20 games if the timeline holds true.
- The New York Islanders announced today that forward Cal Clutterbuck has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to September 26. He’s eligible to be activated at any time, and he’s been classified as day-to-day by the team as he deals with soreness. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said today he doesn’t anticipate Clutterbuck being out for a significant period of time, and he’s been skating on his own.
- Some unfortunate news for New Jersey Devils fans: captain Nico Hischier has been placed on injured reserve, along with forward Tyce Thompson, after the former left a preseason game against the Canadiens on September 26 with what was classified as “cramping” at the time. His status is now week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Additionally, the team has moved goalie Jonathan Bernier to long-term injured reserve as he continues to recover from a hip procedure last year that ended his season prematurely.
- We have some clarity on why the Arizona Coyotes put in a waiver claim for Connor Ingram today after claiming another goalie just days prior. Jonas Johansson, who the team claimed off waivers from the Avalanche on September 30, has been moved to injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. As expected, defenseman Jakob Chychrun is also on injured reserve as he’s still recovering from an ankle injury suffered at the end of last season.
Injury Updates: Grzelcyk, Walman, Wahlstrom
With several key injuries already, the Bruins aren’t the healthiest team heading into the regular season. However, there is good news on one of those fronts as Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will not begin the year on LTIR. He underwent shoulder surgery in early June that was supposed to carry a minimum recovery time of five months. With the minimum LTIR placement time only being 21 days, the expectation was that he’d be a safe bet to go on there to give Boston a little bit of short-term wiggle room on the cap. The fact that he isn’t going there suggests that Grzelcyk will be ready ahead of schedule. The 28-year-old is coming off a career year offensively with 24 points in 73 games and certainly will be a welcome addition when he’s cleared to play.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman skated today at practice and told reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link) that he is ahead of schedule as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery and expects to be back before the original return date of mid-November. The 26-year-old was acquired from St. Louis just before the trade deadline last season and saw his ice time increase considerably from just under 12 minutes a night with the Blues to over 17 minutes per contest with Detroit.
- Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom missed the last three preseason games due to an upper-body issue, notes Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Despite that, it appears as if he’ll be available to suit up in Thursday’s opener. Wahlstrom’s sophomore year was an underwhelming one as he managed just 13 goals and 11 assists in 73 games last season and he’ll certainly be looking for a stronger showing heading into a contract year.
Golden Knights Re-Sign Nic Hague
It took basically all of training camp but the Golden Knights have worked out a deal with RFA defenseman Nic Hague, announcing that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2,294,150 which allows them to best maximize their LTIR pool once season-opening rosters are submitted later today. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:
2022-23: $750K salary, $1.95MM signing bonus
2023-24: $775K salary, $707,450 signing bonus
2024-25: $2.7MM salary
Hague was an early second-round pick (34th overall) back in 2017, Vegas’ first year of participating in the draft. He has turned out to be a solid selection as the 23-year-old has quickly become an important piece on their back end. Last season, he played in 52 games, recording 14 points while averaging a career-high 18:40 per game. In his three-year career, he has 10 goals and 32 helpers in 142 contests.
With Vegas being tight to the cap even with Shea Weber, Nolan Patrick, and Robin Lehner all on LTIR for the entire season, a short-term bridge deal was the expected route for both sides to take. This deal ensures that the Golden Knights will still have Hague under team control at the end of it as he’ll have one RFA year remaining where he’ll be owed a $2.7MM qualifying offer with salary arbitration rights. As for that cap situation, this contract puts them within $17 of their fully-maximized LTIR pool; Laurent Brossoit will then likely be added to that pool tomorrow to create room for extra recalls until he’s able to return.
Ducks Claim Brett Leason Off Waivers
While Anaheim lost a player on waivers today, they also picked one up as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Brett Leason off waivers from Washington.
The 23-year-old split last season between the Capitals and their AHL affiliate in Hershey. With Washington, Leason played in 36 games, recording three goals and three assists while averaging just under nine minutes a night. He was a bit more productive with the Bears, however, tallying six goals and seven helpers in 31 contests down there. His career-best in points in the minors is only 20 despite finishing up his junior career with a dominant performance in 2018-19 that saw him put up 89 points in 55 games with WHL Prince Albert, helping to make him a second-round pick in his final year of draft eligibility.
This was Leason’s first year of being waiver-eligible and he came up just short of making Washington’s opening roster and will now try to earn himself a spot in Anaheim’s lineup over the coming days. He’s beginning the first season of a two-year, one-way contract that carries a cap hit of $775K.
Blackhawks Claim Jarred Tinordi Off Waivers
After moving out Riley Stillman recently, the Blackhawks have made a move to add some grit on their back end as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed Jarred Tinordi off waivers from the Rangers.
The fact that Tinordi was picked up might come as a bit of a surprise as he passed through unclaimed back in January but Chicago feels they have a need for the 30-year-old. He’s coming off a season that saw him spend most of his time with AHL Hartford where he had a goal and four assists along with 56 penalty minutes in 32 games. Tinordi also got into seven games with New York, picking up a single goal.
Tinordi has played in 109 career NHL contests over parts of nine seasons, picking up 132 blocks and 242 hits over that span. Being a reserve defenseman is a role that he is accustomed to having and that’s likely what helped convince Chicago to make this claim. As a rebuilding squad, they’re better off having a veteran as the seventh defender that only suits up in certain matchups than having a youngster in the press box. Tinordi is in the final year of his contract which carries a $900K cap hit. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.
Jets Claim Axel Jonsson Fjallby Off Waivers
Winnipeg’s bottom six forward group has undergone some changes over the offseason and one more change has been made as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Axel Jonsson Fjallby off waivers from Washington.
It’s the second season in a row that the 24-year-old has been claimed off waivers as Buffalo scooped him up a season ago only to waive him less than a week later with a visa issue playing a role in that. Washington reclaimed Jonsson Fjallby at that time and sent him to the minors where he had a productive season with Hershey, notching 16 goals and 18 assists in 44 games. However, he also got his first taste of NHL action, picking up two goals and two assists in 23 games while logging over 11 minutes a night with the Caps.
Jonsson Fjallby is in the final season of a two-year, two-way deal that pays the league minimum at the NHL level and will need to have much more of a regular role in Winnipeg for him to play enough games to avoid being eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer. He’ll take the place of Jansen Harkins on the roster for the Jets after Harkins cleared waivers earlier today.
Panthers Claim Josh Mahura Off Waivers
Florida has added some extra depth on the back end as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed defenseman Josh Mahura off waivers from Anaheim.
The 24-year-old spent all of last season with the Ducks, his first full year at the NHL level. However, his role was somewhat limited as he suited up in just 38 games (while only missing 13 due to injury). He had three goals and four assists in those games while logging a little over 14 minutes per night. Over parts of a four-year NHL career (all in Anaheim), Mahura has six goals and 14 helpers in 79 contests while averaging more than a hit and block per game.
Mahura is in the final season of a two-year deal that’s worth the league minimum of $750K so he’s a low-cost flyer for the Panthers. With Lucas Carlsson and Michael Del Zotto both clearing waivers today, they’ll be sent down to make room on the roster for Mahura while team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link) that fellow blueliner Matt Kiersted is listed as day-to-day.
Coyotes Claim Connor Ingram
For the second time this preseason, the Coyotes have added to their goaltending depth as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed Connor Ingram off waivers from Nashville.
The 25-year-old saw his first NHL action last season, getting into three games during the regular season with the Predators, posting a 3.71 GAA along with a .879 SV%. However, after David Rittich struggled in the opening game of the playoffs (with Juuse Saros out of the lineup), Nashville turned to Ingram for the rest of their series against Colorado and he held his own with a .913 SV% in the three games he suited up in.
Ingram has a much better track record of success in the minors which is likely what prompted the Coyotes to put in a claim. He has a save percentage of .919 over parts of six seasons in the AHL, spanning 149 games. He’s in the final season of a three-year minimum contract that carries a $733K AAV so he’s certainly a low-cost option for them to try.
Karel Vejmelka is set to enter the season as the starter while Ingram will be battling fellow waiver claim Jonas Johansson for the second-string role. Meanwhile, Jon Gillies, who entered camp as the potential backup, cleared waivers today and will be on his way to Tucson of the AHL.
Minor Transactions: 10/10/22
After the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators kicked the NHL regular season off in Europe this weekend, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will kick things off in North America tomorrow night, followed by the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings. Before that can happen though, teams must submit cap-compliant opening night rosters to the NHL by 5:00 pm ET today. Roster shuffling will presumably dominate the NHL news cycle today, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some other notable news from the minor leagues and around the globe, and we’ll keep track of that here:
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits announced that they have signed former NHL goaltender Michael McNiven to a one-year deal. After a terrific three-year stint with the the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, the undrafted McNiven joined the Canadiens organization, spending parts of the next five seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL. McNiven also made his NHL debut last season, getting into one game with the Canadiens on January 24th of this year against the Wild.
- The AHL’s Laval Rocket announced the signing of John Parker-Jones to a one-year deal. The 22-year-old has spent time both on the wing and on defense and spent last season with Windsor in the Canadian college ranks where he had two goals and five assists in 17 games. He participated in Montreal’s rookie camp back in September.
This post will be kept updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Canadiens Injuries, Pastrnak, Rangers Leadership Group, Blais
After heading all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21, only to finish dead last in the NHL standings in 2021-22, it’s unclear exactly what is to be expected from the Montreal Canadiens this year. Injuries were a large part of what plagued the team last season, and heading into this season, they’re still a part of the headline. Of course, legendary goaltender Carey Price will be on LTIR and is unlikely to play this season, and it’s unclear if he’ll ever return. Still, there are some shorter-term updates available out of Montreal today.
For one, veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson, who is recovering from a back injury, was able to skate this morning and though his rehab is progressing, the team is still unable to provide a timetable for his return. Forwards Joel Armia and Emil Heineman will both be out with injury, Armia out one to two weeks with an upper-body injury and Heineman six weeks with a thumb injury. Defenseman Mike Matheson, who the team acquired in the Jeff Petry deal, is continuing to rehab a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Finally, forwards and expected key contributors Nick Suzuki, Mike Hoffman, and Christian Dvorak, who had all been dealing with separate ailments, were back at practice this morning.
- Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney spoke to the media this morning, including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, where he discussed a number of Bruins-related topics. Most notably, he touched on extension talks between the team and pending UFA forward David Pastrnak. While many teams and players, in hockey as well as other sports, generally put off contract talks once the season starts, that doesn’t appear to be the case here. Sweeney says the Bruins and Pastrnak have been talking almost every day and are comfortable talking into the regular season. While a deal isn’t done yet of course, the continued dialogue is clearly a good sign for the Bruins and their fans, showing Pastrnak presumably has interest in staying with the team.
- Earlier this summer, the New York Rangers announced defenseman Jacob Trouba would be their next captain, remarkably their first since previous captain Ryan McDonagh was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018. In the interim, the team has relied on a group of alternate captains to fill their leadership group until they found the perfect fit for the vacant captaincy. Having now chosen Trouba as their man, the Rangers still have their contingent of alternates to go along with him, formally announcing them today. This season, the team will run with veterans Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad as alternates.
- Tough news for Rangers forward Sammy Blais, who had been out with injury since last November, as he’s still dealing with the aftermath of an upper-body injury suffered after taking a hit from New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov in their Saturday evening preseason contest. According to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, the Rangers have said the forward will not practice today and is doubtful for tomorrow’s season opener against the, Tampa Bay Lightning.