Central Notes: Bjugstad, Olausson, Beagle
There’s bad news coming on the injury front for the Minnesota Wild. Head coach Dean Evason said today that forward Nick Bjugstad will be out “for a while” with an upper-body injury. Things certainly haven’t gone smoothly for Bjugstad in his second season with the Wild. In 28 games, he has just five points, and his defensive game has slipped from last year as well. Bjugstad’s entire career has been marred by injuries, and it’s always tough to see when the Minnesota native experiences another setback. Hopefully, he can recover by the end of the season to help out the Wild on a playoff push.
More notes from the Central Division today:
- There’s movement on the prospect front for the Colorado Avalanche, as 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson was moved in the OHL today, traded to the Oshawa Generals from the Barrie Colts. Olausson joins Bruins prospect Brett Harrison and Oilers prospect Ty Tullio in Oshawa, where they hope Olausson’s talent can add a punch to their team. Olausson had 25 points in 22 games with Barrie.
- Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said today that forward Jay Beagle had lower-body surgery and could miss anywhere between eight weeks and the rest of the season. While a defensive center first and foremost, Beagle had just one point in 21 games with Arizona. He’s in the final year of his contract with a $3MM cap hit.
NHL Postpones Detroit/Anaheim Game To Sunday
3:55 pm: The Anaheim Ducks added defenseman Hampus Lindholm and forward Vinni Lettieri to COVID protocol. With the announcement coming so quickly, it was likely the motivator behind tonight’s postponement.
3:50 pm: The NHL has postponed tonight’s game between the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks to Sunday, January 9 at 7:00 PM CT.
In the statement, the league says the game was postponed due to COVID issues affecting Anaheim. Currently, the team has five players in COVID protocol – goalie John Gibson and forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Derek Grant, Sam Carrick, and Nicolas Deslauriers.
Trevor Zegras was previously in COVID protocol but was activated from the list today. However, after just one morning skate, he wasn’t going to play in tonight’s game as originally scheduled.
The postponement gives Anaheim a chance to regroup. Getzlaf was placed in protocol on January 2 and could be available by then. Gibson entered today, however, and likely won’t be available for that game.
Jaden Schwartz Out 4-6 Weeks After Hand Surgery
The Seattle Kraken announced Thursday that forward Jaden Schwartz will have hand surgery and is expected to be out of the lineup for four to six weeks.
It’s a tough blow in a tough season for the expansion Kraken, who’ve dealt with big absences and poor results. They’re already without forward Brandon Tanev, who’s out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Schwartz is one of Seattle’s top point producers, scoring six goals and 14 assists through 26 games. He’s second on the team in points only behind Jordan Eberle (22).
A four-to-six-week timeline puts Schwartz on track to return sometime in February. With Seattle already well out of the playoff picture, there’s no use in rushing Schwartz back. He’s signed through the 2025-26 season with a cap hit of $5.5MM.
Atlantic Notes: Kucherov, McAvoy, Hagg
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is coming off long-term injured reserve and is making his 2022 debut tonight against Calgary, according to head coach Jon Cooper. Kucherov hasn’t played since the third game of the 2021-22 season, and he’s been out with a lower-body injury ever since. He’ll likely slot back into his home on the top line alongside Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. Save for Ross Colton, who’s currently in COVID protocol, the Lightning have a fully healthy forward group for the first time since October.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is out for tonight’s game against Minnesota with a lower-body injury, although he notes it’s not a long-term ailment. It goes without saying that McAvoy is the rock for Boston’s blue line, scoring 20 points in 28 games and averaging 24:22 per game. In his place, 31-year-old John Moore likely slides into the lineup for just the fifth time this season.
- The Buffalo Sabres have been without defenseman Robert Hagg since mid-December, but he could be close to returning. The Athletic’s John Vogl reports that he took part in practice with his teammates today, his first time doing so since suffering a lower-body injury on December 14. Acquired from Philadelphia this offseason, Hagg has five points in 25 games.
Dylan DeMelo, Jansen Harkins Enter COVID Protocol
Per Winnipeg Jets head coach Dave Lowry, defenseman Dylan DeMelo and forward Jansen Harkins are entering the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
He also notes that forward Paul Stastny is a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Colorado.
DeMelo’s seen a reduction in his role this season after the Jets acquired some more bodies on the blue line this offseason. He’s got just four points in 32 games and is averaging just 15:38 per game, but he’s still one of Winnipeg’s most capable defensive bodies.
At even strength, DeMelo had been playing alongside Josh Morrissey, whose game has benefitted greatly from that this season.
Harkins has yet to really break out at the NHL level, but he’s at least become a full-time player this season. Through 32 games, he has three goals and three assists.
Arizona Coyotes Claim Riley Nash
Jan. 6: Nash is now on the way to his third team this season. Friedman reports that the Arizona Coyotes claimed Nash on Thursday, adding to arguably the thinnest forward depth in the league.
Jan. 5: A veteran center is available once again, as the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Riley Nash on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Nash was claimed from the Winnipeg Jets last month and played 10 games for the Lightning while they dealt with various injuries and absences.
Now, with Nikita Kucherov nearing a return and Anthony Cirelli back from his COVID absence, the Lightning no longer require Nash at the NHL level. By placing him on waivers, they would be able to stash him on the taxi squad should no other team put in a claim. The Jets could also send him directly to the minors or taxi squad if they decide to claim Nash and are the only team to do so.
That’s certainly no guarantee though, as there are several teams around the league who could probably use an experienced option while they deal with massive COVID-related absences. The fact that Nash earns the league minimum of $750K also suggests someone else could put in a claim.
A veteran of more than 600 NHL games, it’s been a struggle offensively for the 32-year-old center over the last few years. After reaching a career-high of 15 goals and 41 points in 2017-18, he became basically a defense-only option in his next few stops. Since the start of the 2018-19 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nash has registered 10 goals and 33 points in 204 games.
Senators Notes: White, Forsberg, Kuzmenko
During general manager Pierre Dorion’s interview with TSN 1200 today, he gave a variety of updates related to the short- and long-term future of the team. One of those updates surrounded forward Colin White, who hasn’t played this season due to a shoulder injury suffered during the preseason. Dorion says that White still isn’t close to returning, and hopes for an early-March season debut as the best scenario. That jives with White’s original five-month timeline on the injury, but many hoped for an earlier return. The 24-year-old forward is under contract for three seasons following this one with a $4.75MM cap hit.
More from the Senators on this Thursday morning:
- While Chris Tierney and Thomas Chabot are exiting COVID protocol, the same can’t be said for goalie Anton Forsberg. Dorion says the netminder is still experiencing symptoms and may be quarantined for 10 days instead of five. For now, the crease will continue to be manned by Matt Murray and Filip Gustavsson.
- Dorion also says that the Senators are in on KHL forward Andrei Kuzmenko, a former teammate of Senators defenseman Artem Zub. Kuzmenko is second in KHL scoring with 19 goals and 52 points in 42 games. The 25-year-old Russian is in the final year of his KHL contract and will be one of the most hotly-contested European free agents this summer.
Blues Place Tarasenko, Perunovich, Walman In COVID Protocol
After icing a nearly fully healthy team last night against Pittsburgh for what felt like the first time in forever, the St. Louis Blues got hit with bad news today. The team released a statement Thursday saying they’ve placed forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defensemen Scott Perunovich and Jake Walman in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
These are large absences for this team, especially Tarasenko. He’s been a somewhat unexpectedly huge contributor to the lineup after requesting a trade this past offseason, potting 14 goals and 20 assists in 34 games, seemingly fully recovered from years of shoulder issues.
Perunovich and Walman have been valuable depth pieces on defense, especially Perunovich. The young 23-year-old has impressed during his first NHL stint, scoring six assists in 18 games and averaging 15:33 per game. The 45th overall pick in 2018 will have to wait a little longer to score his first NHL goal, however.
Walman, through 18 games, has a goal and two assists in 12:06 of ice time per game.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/06/22
It’s a busy Thursday with 11 games on tap tonight. With that, you can bet that many teams will be shuffling their rosters and lining things up to be ready for when the puck drops. You can keep track of all of those roster moves right here.
Atlantic Division
- Per a team release, the Buffalo Sabres reassigned forward Ryan MacInnis to the taxi squad from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. MacInnis has yet to appear in a Sabres uniform, but he’s been bouncing up and down between the taxi squad and Rochester since the system was re-implemented last month.
- The Sabres have now brought up MacInnis from the taxi squad, making him available for tonight’s game.
- As the team gets healthier on defense, the Ottawa Senators assigned defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to the taxi squad from the active roster and moved Michael Del Zotto to the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Bernard-Docker was previously in COVID protocol, while Del Zotto was recalled out of necessity due to a lack of healthy defensemen.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled forward Remi Elie from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, assigning him to the taxi squad today. Elie got into one game with the Lightning earlier this season when the team was hit hard by COVID-related absences.
- Boston’s Urho Vaakanainen is back in the NHL on an emergency basis. One of the team’s top defense prospects, he has eight points in 23 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers recalled forward Connor Bunnaman and defenseman Yegor Zamula from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, assigning them to the taxi squad as COVID-related absences are hitting their team hard at the moment. Bunnaman is pointless in four games this season, while Zamula could look to make his season debut if he’s elevated to the active roster.
- Goaltender Hunter Shepard is on his way up to the Washington Capitals’ taxi squad from the AHL’s Hershey Bears, according to a team release. The 26-year-old netminder does not require waivers and has split this season between the AHL and ECHL.
- Shepard is back down just a few hours later. They’ve swapped him for Zachary Fucale as the third goalie on the taxi squad.
Central Division
- The Colorado Avalanche recalled forward Mikhail Maltsev and goaltender Hunter Miska to their taxi squad, per a team tweet. Maltsev has six NHL games under his belt already this season, while Miska has struggled in both the AHL and ECHL in 2021-22.
- Defenseman Calle Rosen is back on the St. Louis Blues taxi squad, recalled from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The move comes after a pair of Blues defensemen entered COVID protocol this morning.
- The Minnesota Wild made a much-anticipated swap today, recalling forwards Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, and Connor Dewar from the taxi squad while sending Victor Rask there in their places. It paves the way for the NHL debuts of Rossi and Boldy, the team’s two best forward prospects.
- The Nashville Predators have sent forward Thomas Novak to Milwaukee of the AHL while promoting Matt Luff from the taxi squad. Novak had been scratched in four straight games and hasn’t played since December 17th so a stint with the Admirals should get him back in playing shape while Luff has an assist in four games with the Predators this season.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings continue to shuffle Martin Frk and Jacob Moverare through their system, calling them up to the active roster from the taxi squad today. They also assigned defenseman Jordan Spence to the AHL’s Ontario Reign from the taxi squad.
- Sheldon Rempal is headed back to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, as the Vancouver Canucks moved him there from their taxi squad today. He has 20 points through 22 games in Abbotsford this year.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
NHL Postpones Three Games Due To Capacity Restrictions
The NHL announced Wednesday that they’ve postponed three games due to current capacity restrictions in Canada. The following games were postponed:
New Jersey Devils vs. Montreal Canadiens (originally scheduled for January 15)
New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (originally scheduled for January 17)
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers (originally scheduled for January 18)
The postponements leave a sizable gap in the schedule in terms of home games for all three Canadian teams affected. Montreal’s next home game is now scheduled for January 27 against Anaheim. They have seven road games scheduled prior to that point.
Toronto is actually playing host to the Oilers tonight, but it’ll be their last time hosting for a few weeks now. Their next home game is also against Anaheim on January 26, the day prior to Montreal’s game. Edmonton has a home game scheduled for January 10 against the Ottawa Senators, seemingly left unaffected as it’s two Canadian teams facing off against each other.