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Jack Hughes Out With Dislocated Shoulder

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Jack Hughes will be out indefinitely after suffering a dislocated shoulder, but that’s actually good news for the New Jersey Devils. The young forward will not require surgery and has begun to rehab the injury. Hughes will be re-evaluated next week, meaning he will still miss a good chunk of time, but there was fear that surgery could take away a huge chunk of the season. He has been moved to injured reserve for the time being, which comes with a minimum of seven days.

Hughes, 20, looked like a wholly different player in his first game of the season, scoring two goals and dominating play whenever he was on the ice. He suffered the shoulder injury in his second match, when Seattle Kraken defenseman Jeremy Lauzon sent him sprawling into the boards.

If he has avoided major injury it’s a huge win for the Devils, who are off to a 2-0 start as they try to show the rest of the Metropolitan Division that the playoffs are not out of the question. One of the youngest teams in the league, New Jersey has just three regulars–Tomas Tatar, P.K. Subban, and Jonathan Bernier–over the age of 30. The latter, Bernier, is also dealing with a lower-body injury and will not dress tonight. The team has recalled Nico Daws from the AHL to serve as backup tonight.

Mike Smith Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Edmonton Oilers will be without starter Mike Smith for a little while, as he deals with a lower-body injury. Smith has been moved to injured reserve, while Stuart Skinner has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

Smith, 39, was removed from Tuesday’s game partway through the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots and replaced by Mikko Koskinen, who backstopped the Oilers to a comeback victory. It will likely be Koskinen that gets the lion’s share of the work with Smith out, but Skinner is a more than capable backup at this point who showed in the preseason that he actually may be ready to take the next step. The 22-year-old netminder posted a .914 save percentage for the Bakersfield Condors last season and has picked up right where he left off, stopping 53 of 56 shots against in his first two minor league appearances this year.

Still, this is exactly the kind of thing that many Oilers fans worried about when the team decided to bring back Smith. The veteran netminder signed a new two-year contract that carries a $2.2MM cap hit, but now already finds himself on the shelf nursing an injury. With Koskinen’s extremely inconsistent past, the Oilers could be in trouble if Smith has an injury-riddled campaign and can’t carry the load.

He’ll have to miss a minimum of seven days now, meaning it’ll be Koskinen and Skinner splitting the upcoming back to back in Arizona and Vegas. Luckily enough, the Oilers only play once between this Friday and next Saturday, meaning Smith may not end up missing many scheduled starts. That is assuming of course that he returns rather quickly, something that is not a guarantee at this point.

Cole Perfetti Assigned To AHL

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Usually, when a 19-year-old CHL prospect is knocked out of the NHL lineup, his team is forced to send back to junior for the whole year or just hold him as an extra. Both are sometimes detrimental for his development, so for years, teams have wished for an AHL exemption when it comes to elite prospects. This year, that exemption exists for a handful of players who spent at least 20 games at the AHL level last season.

Today, the Winnipeg Jets and Cole Perfetti will take advantage of it, as the young forward has been assigned to the Manitoba Moose. Perfetti played in 32 games with Manitoba last season when the OHL campaign was canceled and actually did quite well. Despite being younger than almost every one of his opponents, the 2020 first-round pick racked up 26 points in 32 games for the Moose. Now he’ll get the chance to build on that performance and continue his professional career, instead of returning to the OHL where he had already proved his dominance.

Perfetti made the Jets out of camp but was a healthy scratch on Tuesday night as the Jets decided to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Minnesota Wild. One thing to remember when it comes to this decision is that while Perfetti has an exemption and can play in the AHL, his contract status is no different than any other 19-year-old prospect. That is, if he plays in eight more games this season he would burn the first year of his entry-level deal. If not–even if he’s playing in the AHL–that deal will slide forward a year and not expire until 2025.

Another added bonus of sending him to the AHL instead of the OHL? Perfetti can be recalled at any point should he show enough to earn a full-time NHL spot, or if the team has injuries that need to be covered. With the team potentially bracing for more positive COVID-19 results, he could even be up within a few days. The Moose are on the road in Laval tonight, but will return home to Manitoba for a four-game homestand that starts on Friday night. If Perfetti’s to continue developing into the player the Jets projected at 10th overall, he needs to play.

Snapshots: Jets, Edmundson, PHF

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The Winnipeg Jets are could have additional positive COVID-19 results overnight, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Winnipeg is set to host their home opener tomorrow night against the Anaheim Ducks and already had captain Blake Wheeler ruled out.

If they do lose more players before tomorrow’s game, it’s brutal news for a team that is already off to a very slow start. The Jets haven’t won a game in their first three and have already allowed 14 goals. (Update: Seravalli reports that it might not be as bad as originally feared, as some tests that originally came back as positive have now been confirmed as negatives.)

  • Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is recovering from injury, but he won’t be back with the team just yet. GM Marc Bergevin explained to reporters today including John Lu of TSN that Edmundson is taking a leave from the team to be with his father who is suffering from cancer. Edmundson has not yet played this season.
  • The Premier Hockey Federation, formerly the NWHL, has announced a broadcast deal with ESPN that will see all 60 regular season games streamed on ESPN+. PHF commissioner Tyler Tumminia calls it a “significant step” in the league’s history, and gives them an enhanced standard of delivery.

AHL Shuffle: 10/20/21

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It’s a quiet day on the NHL schedule with only two games scheduled, so the AHL transaction wire is equally silent. Still, there have been a couple of moves and as always we’ll keep track of any further ones right here.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL, giving them another defensive option after Zach Werenski took a “maintenance day” and wasn’t at practice. Carlsson, 24, played in 14 games for the Blue Jackets last season and recorded four points.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • After clearing waivers, Nic Petan has been officially assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks. The 26-year-old will once again be forced to ply his trade in the minor leagues, where he has been a point-per-game player for some time.

Nic Petan Clears Waivers; Brock Boeser Activated

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Oct 20: Petan has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 19: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Nic Petan on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The forward had yet to appear in a game for the Canucks this season, and with Brock Boeser nearing a return, the team needed to open up a roster spot. In fact, Vancouver announced that Boeser has been activated and Petan has been designated for assignment, meaning should he clear, he’ll automatically be assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks.

Petan, 26 has bounced between the minors and NHL for years now, playing a handful of games each season and routinely dominating the minor leagues. In fact, since the start of 2017-18 he has been a better than point-per-game player in the AHL, racking up 98 points in 91 games. There just hasn’t been that kind of production in the NHL though, and the shifty, undersized playmaker has found himself watching from the outside more often than not.

For the Canucks, Boeser’s return is essential if they want to compete in the Pacific Division playoff race. They were held to just one goal by the Detroit Red Wings in their last match, despite posting 41 shots on net. Boeser’s elite finishing ability will come in handy, giving them another weapon at both even-strength and on the powerplay.

Snapshots: Kravtsov, Thornton, Bertuzzi

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The New York Rangers were hoping to convince Vitali Kravtsov to return and play for the Hartford Wolf Pack, but with the disgruntled forward back in Russia, it appears as though that’s off the table. That doesn’t mean there isn’t interest in him around the league though, as Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet tweets that as many as 15 teams have inquired.

Though he doesn’t list all of them, Kypreos does report that the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and Ottawa Senators are among those 15. Inquired is certainly not a trade offer, but it does appear as though the Rangers will have suitors if they decide to move Kravtsov at some point this season.

  • The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined Joe Thornton of the Florida Panthers $1,875 for “slashing” Tampa Bay Lightning forward Boris Katchouk last night. While battling for a puck, Thornton completed a cup check on the young Katchouk, sending him to the ice in a heap of pain. The veteran forward received a two-minute penalty on the play and will have to pay a little bit extra for the trouble.
  • Tyler Bertuzzi is off to a scorching hot start to the season, with a league-leading five goals in three games. The Detroit Red Wings forward is coming off a season lost to injury and ready to show the league he’s still as dangerous as ever. Unfortunately, that hot start will be put on pause after tomorrow’s game against the Calgary Flames. The Red Wings will travel to Montreal for Saturday’s matchup against the Canadiens, and Bertuzzi confirmed to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he’ll be watching from home. One of the few unvaccinated players in the league, Bertuzzi is unable to travel to Canada without serving a quarantine, so will remain in Detroit while the team goes on the road.

Dmytro Timashov Signs In SHL

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When Dmytro Timashov agreed to terminate his contract with the New York Islanders this week, just a month after signing it, there was a good chance he already had an agreement somewhere else. That proved to be true, as Timashov has signed a two-year contract with Brynas IF of the SHL.

Still just 25, Timashov played in the NHL as recently as last season, suiting up for one game with the Islanders–the 45th of his career. A fifth-round pick in 2015, he has shown an ability to score in bunches in the minors, but has a difficult time locking down a full-time role at the highest level. With this new deal, he’ll put that battle behind him and focus on a Swedish league that he’s very familiar with.

Despite being born in Ukraine, Timashov actually came up through the Swedish minor hockey system and even played three SHL games for MODO before leaving for North America. A return home should help him get his career back on track and at least provide him with reliable, consistent minutes. Unlike some other players who depart for Europe near the end of their playing days, Timashov should be considered a potential free agent down the road who could return as a depth option.

Artem Anisimov Signs In KHL

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After failing to earn an NHL contract, Artem Anisimov has left for the KHL. The 33-year-old center was in training camp with the Colorado Avalanche, but after being released earlier this month has now signed a one-year deal with HC Lokomotiv, his old team.

It’s been years since Anisimov played in Russia, and even longer since he spent a whole season with Lokomotiv. Selected in the second round in 2006, it was clear that Anisimov’s heart was set on coming to North America and making a name for himself in the NHL. By the 2007-08 season he was grinding in the minor leagues with the Hartford Wolf Pack, a team he would spend two full years with before making the jump to the NHL.

Once he made it, the big center never looked back. Anisimov played in 771 NHL games over 12 seasons, only appearing back across the pond during the 2012-13 lockout. As soon as the NHL resumed, Anisimov was back playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, providing his consistent two-way play.

Never a star, Anisimov was still a valuable piece for the Rangers, Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks for many years. Even in 2019-20 with the Ottawa Senators, he recorded 15 goals in 49 games, though it was clear by then his NHL career was coming to an end. Still just 33, he should be able to play for several more years overseas, but it seems unlikely that he’ll be an impact player on this side of the ocean ever again.

NHL Department Of Player Safety Suspends Pavel Buchnevich For Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday night that St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich has been suspended two games for a headbutt to the Arizona Coyotes’ Lawson Crouse.

Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, Buchnevich is considered a repeat offender and forfeits $141,463.41 in salary over the course of the two-game suspension.

Buchnevich holds that repeat offender status due to a one-game suspension handed out in May 2021 for high-sticking Anthony Mantha of the Washington Capitals. It occurred during the New York Rangers’ first match against the Washington Capitals after the now infamous Tom Wilson incident, which Buchnevich was notably a victim of when Wilson delivered a punch to the head of Buchnevich while he was down on the ice.

The Blues have gotten good scoring distribution from throughout their lineup, and they’ll attempt to continue that in the absence of Buchnevich. Look for Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours, two up-and-coming young wingers, to get more ice time with this hole in the lineup.

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