Jonas Brodin Enters COVID Protocol
Jan 1: The Wild were hoping Brodin would be able to test out of the protocol given the league’s reduced isolation period, but Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the veteran defenseman will miss the Winter Classic. Addison has been officially recalled and is expected to play in Brodin’s place.
Dec 28: The Minnesota Wild already ruled out Jared Spurgeon and Joel Eriksson Ek for the upcoming Winter Classic, and now appear to be losing another one of their best players. Jonas Brodin will not practice with the team today due to the league’s COVID protocol.
If Brodin is held out–a confirmed positive with symptoms would keep him out a minimum of ten days, while an asymptomatic case would need two negative tests 24 hours apart–it’s another huge loss for the Wild and the fans that will be at Target Field in just a few days. The hope at this point will be that no other key Minnesota players are pulled from the lineup between now and Saturday, as this game isn’t exactly one that can be rescheduled for later in the season.
The 28-year-old defenseman is an absolute horse for the Wild, logging huge minutes every night and playing some of the best two-way hockey in the league. While his 14 points in 28 games don’t immediately jump off the page, Brodin is the anchor that drives a Minnesota transition game that can strike extremely quickly. His smooth skating and quick defensive stick constantly disrupt plays before the opposition even gets a chance at the net, and his ability to escape forecheckers results in easy breakouts for the Wild.
Now, without Brodin or Spurgeon in the lineup, a lot of pressure will be placed on Matt Dumba and veteran Alex Goligoski for Saturday’s game. The team also may decide to recall some youngsters, giving someone like Calen Addison a chance to play on the national stage.
Florida Panthers Expected To Have Interest In Ben Chiarot
Through the first period of today’s afternoon tilt against the Florida Panthers, the shorthanded Montreal Canadiens were able to stay even. Playing without most of their regulars the team had just five defensemen dressed, many of them without much NHL experience.
One of the veterans that they were missing is Ben Chiarot, whose name is coming up more and more often as the trade deadline approaches. Chiarot is a pending unrestricted free agent and arguably the Canadiens’ best trade chip this season, though he’s currently in the COVID protocol and unable to help the club against the Panthers.
It’s those same Panthers who could show interest in Chiarot before the deadline, according to Pierre LeBrun on the TSN broadcast:
It just so happens that the team the Habs are playing today, the Florida Panthers, I hear are pretty high on Ben Chiarot. Now they won’t be alone–most Cup contenders, and I believe Florida is a contender, are going to have Chiarot on their trade bait list. They’re going to want to at least try to acquire him.
I think that is going to be the case. I think Florida will reach out to the Canadiens between now and March 21st and see what it takes to pry him out. They won’t be alone, there will be a half dozen contenders looking at Ben Chiarot.
Through 31 games this season, the 30-year-old Chiarot has averaged more than 23 minutes of ice time for the Canadiens. He has five goals and seven points in that time, but is much more known for his punishing, physical defense than his offensive upside. Given that contenders usually have their puck-moving options locked up already, Chiarot seems like a perfect addition for many who want to add some size, length, and experience to the blue line before the deadline.
Still, the amount of chatter that has emerged about Chiarot ever since the Canadiens struggled out of the gate is likely a bit excessive for his actual on-ice impact. This could be a perfect storm for Montreal where a lack of other options could lead to someone overpaying for the rental defenseman.
Roman Josi Activated From COVID Protocol
The Nashville Predators have their captain back just in time. The team will take on the Chicago Blackhawks this afternoon in their first game of 2022 and Roman Josi has been activated from the COVID protocol in time to participate. Josi returns along with Colton Sissons, who has also been activated. Meanwhile, Michael McCarron has been recalled from the taxi squad and Mathieu Olivier takes his place.
Unfortunately, just a few minutes later, the team announced that Dante Fabbro has entered the protocol.
Nashville has lost the first two games following the holiday break, both played without Josi in the lineup. The 31-year-old defenseman is the most important skater on the Predators roster, playing in all situations and driving the offense almost single-handedly at times.
In 30 games, the 2020 Norris Trophy winner has ten goals and 29 points, good for the team lead (tied with Mikael Granlund). Josi averages almost 25 minutes a night, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll see that much ice time in his first game back.
Sissons too is an important player to have back in the lineup, given his role as one of the team’s regular centers. While not a huge offensive contributor, his 13 points in 29 games are still a good bit of secondary scoring.
With these two back, the Predators were almost completely out of the woods when it comes to their current COVID placements. Fabbro’s presence will obviously be missed, meaning they won’t be at full strength for a little while longer.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/01/22
New year, new New Year’s Day lineup for the NHL. While the Winter Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis will still be the highlight, the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues are just two of 18 teams on the ice today to open the calendar year. As a result, there will be fewer spectators and more move makers when it comes to roster transactions today, especially given the return of the taxi squad. Keep up with all of action here:
Atlantic Division
- The Buffalo Sabres have activated forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Jeff Skinner from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. With both back in action, the team has reassigned forwards Brandon Biro, J.J. Peterka, and Arttu Ruotsalainen and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. They also revealed that head coach Don Granato is also out of the protocol and back behind the bench for Saturday’s game.
- Dan Renouf is on the move again, with the Detroit Red Wings sending the minor league veteran back to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins following a short stint on the taxi squad. Renouf has played in four games with Detroit this season though, proving to be a dependable depth option.
- As goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is back from COVID protocol, the Tampa Bay Lightning returned goalie Hugo Alnefelt as well as defenseman Sean Day and forward Remi Elie to the Syracuse Crunch from the taxi squad, per a team tweet. All three got into games recently as the Lightning were hit hard by COVID placements and injuries.
Metropolitan Division
- Returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup from the NHL’s COVID Protocol are defensemen John Marino and Michael Matheson and forward Dominik Simon, who also took part in practice today. While there are still several members of the Penguins remaining on the COVID list, this is positive news ahead of the team’s return to play on Sunday.
- Alexandar Georgiev has cleared COVID Protocol for the New York Rangers, causing a domino effect in net. With Georgiev back on the active roster, the team has announced that veteran Keith Kinkaid will move to the taxi squad while prospect Adam Huska will return to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
- The New Jersey Devils are adding two top prospects to the taxi squad in Alexander Holtz and Nolan Foote. Foote is merely a recall from AHL Utica, while Holtz has been away at the ill-fated 2022 World Junior Championships. While both are only on the taxi squad for now, both should get a chance to jump into the Devils’ lineup at some point shortly.
- Goaltender Jean-Francois Berube and forwards Joshua Dunne and Tyler Sikura are making their way back to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters from the Columbus Blue Jackets’ taxi squad, as Columbus empties their taxi squad entirely. Only a few players remain in protocol for the team and they’re mostly back to full health.
Central Division
- The Dallas Stars have recalled a trio of forwards from the minors to the taxi squad as they get set ready to return to action this week. The Stars have not played since December 20 and their next game is not until Thursday, January 6, so the team will be eager to hit the ice after a 16-day break. They will now be joined by Riley Damiani, Ty Dellandrea, and Rhett Gardner, all up from AHL Texas. The group has a combined 32 points in 63 AHL games this season, but just one point in two NHL games. Youngsters Damiani and Dellandrea are still good options for a boost of offensive energy anywhere in the lineup, while the veteran Gardner is a physical grinder who can step into a fourth-line role.
- Just in time for the Winter Classic, the St. Louis Blues have activated Ivan Barbashev, Oskar Sundqvist, and Ville Husso. To make room, Nathan Walker, Alexei Toropchenko, and Charlie Lindgren have been assigned to the taxi squad.
Pacific Division
- The Winnipeg Jets are adding some security in net, promoting goaltender Arvid Holm from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose to the taxi squad. In the event of a positive COVID test for a netminder, Holm will be ready to step in. The 23-year-old is actually in his first season in North America and the backup in the AHL to promising prospect Mikhail Berdin, but has slightly outplayed him this season albeit in half as many appearances. The Jets likely feel that they can support the NHL squad without disrupting the AHL roster and Berdin’s development by placing Holm into the taxi squad role instead, at least for now.
- In an effort to get the promising prospect play time, the Edmonton Oilers announced that defenseman Philip Broberg has been moved from the taxi squad back to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Broberg has actually played in eight NHL games so far this season, but with only one point to show for it the Oilers know he can use some more seasoning in the minors. In an unrelated move, the team has recalled goaltender Ilya Konovalov from the taxi squad under emergency circumstances. There are no specifics yet on what prompted the move, but it is Mike Smith who is unavailable; the veteran just returned from injury (perhaps too early again).
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Ian McCoshen Signs AHL Contract
If you are a fan of the Henderson Silver Knights and watched Ian McCoshen suit up 22 times this season, you might just assume that he had signed an AHL deal for this season. That wasn’t the case though, as McCoshen had actually been on a tryout to this point. No more, as the veteran defenseman has inked an AHL contract for the rest of the season.
McCoshen, 26, was the 31st overall pick in 2013, selected by the Florida Panthers the same year as Aleksander Barkov (and MacKenzie Weegar, who went 206th overall). After three very good seasons at Boston College, it looked like McCoshen was going to be a key building block for the Panthers. In his first professional season, he suited up three times at the NHL level as a polished college product.
Things didn’t quite go as planned, however, as McCoshen has totaled just 60 games so far in his NHL career. More than half of those came in the 2017-18 season and he hasn’t seen the league since 2018-19. This season in 22 games for Henderson he has four points.
Once again there is a prize for players like McCoshen, who are not signed to NHL deals this season. He would potentially be eligible to play at the Olympics, where USA Hockey will have to ice a team made up of minor league, college, and international talent. Years ago, McCoshen played in two different World Junior tournaments for his country. Depending on how young the management group decides to go, a 6’3″ minor league veteran like McCoshen could potentially be an option.
Evening Notes: Van Ryn, Eller, Bogosian
The St. Louis Blues have placed assistant coach Mike Van Ryn in the COVID protocol, meaning in all likelihood he’ll unfortunately miss tomorrow’s Winter Classic. The Blues are holding their breath hoping no other players or coaches will be ruled out at the last minute, while the Minnesota Wild are just hoping that Jonas Brodin will be able to test out of the protocol before the game.
Some more notes from around the league this evening:
- The Washington Capitals once again are without one of their centers, as Lars Eller is missing tonight’s game with a non-COVID illness. Eller has been an important player for the Capitals this season given the absences of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom for various stretches, and has 15 points in 26 games. Meanwhile, Lucas Johansen, the team’s first-round pick from 2016, is making his NHL debut.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are without Zach Bogosian, who is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The veteran defenseman has been playing more than the team likely expected, averaging more than 17 minutes a night. With several defensemen coming out of the COVID protocol the Lightning will be able to take a short absence, but it certainly isn’t ideal given how many issues they’ve had keeping the puck out of their net of late.
Ian White Signs In FPHL
The last time Ian White played professional hockey, he racked up 23 points in 42 AHL games, mostly for the Milwaukee Admirals. That was in 2015. Nearly seven years later, he’s pulling on another minor league sweater, signing a contract with the Columbus River Dragons of the Federal Prospects Hockey League.
White, 37, made his debut for the Georgia-based club last night in a win over the Port Huron Prowlers, a team they will face again tonight.
It’s not often that you find a veteran of more than 500 NHL games in the low minors, but that’s exactly what White brings to the table. A sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002, he won silver with Team Canada at the World Juniors before growing into a solid two-way contributor at the NHL level. In 2009, he represented Canada again on the World Stage, winning silver at the World Championship.
After more than half a decade on the sidelines, White returns to the game to help the River Dragons win the Commissioner’s Cup.
Snapshots: Canucks, Ruff, Canadiens, Robinson
While Jim Rutherford has a tendency to swing big in trades, it doesn’t appear he’ll do that with the Canucks. In an appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), the team president acknowledged that any trades they make will be for draft picks and younger players, suggesting he won’t try to add some veterans in an effort to aid Vancouver’s push to get back into the playoff picture (they sit three points out of the last Wild Card spot). Rutherford also mentioned that their new GM will likely be a first-timer in the role. There’s no timeline for when they want to get that spot filled.
More from around the hockey world:
- The Devils announced (Twitter link) that head coach Lindy Ruff has been placed in COVID protocol. Assistant coach Alain Nasreddine will take over as interim bench boss until Ruff is able to return. It won’t be the first time that Nasreddine has been in charge of the bench for New Jersey as he served as interim head coach for them for 43 games back in 2019-20.
- Canadiens prospect Jacob Olofsson has signed a contract through the 2022-23 season with IF Bjorkloven, the Allsvenskan team announced. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick of Montreal back in 2018 (56th overall) and must sign with them by June to retain his NHL rights. This contract, along with a tough showing in 25 SHL games this season, suggests that’s unlikely to happen.
- Still with Montreal, the Canadiens announced that winger Brandon Baddock has been placed in COVID protocol. The 26-year-old made his NHL debut last night in Carolina due to Montreal’s long list of injuries and COVID protocol, playing a little over eight minutes and recording six hits.
- Blue Jackets winger Eric Robinson has cleared COVID protocol, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has a dozen points in 28 games this season while averaging a career-high 14:04 per game.
2021 Year In Review: April
2021 has certainly been another eventful year, both on and off the rink. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is a look at April.
Pre-Deadline Trades: As is usually the case, there were some notable trades made in the days leading up to the trade deadline. The Islanders quickly utilized their LTIR room with Anders Lee out for the season, adding winger Kyle Palmieri and center Travis Zajac from the Devils in exchange for a 2021 first-round pick, a conditional 2022 fourth-rounder, and minor leaguers A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst. To make the money work, New Jersey retained the maximum 50% on each of Palmieri and Zajac’s deals.
With minimal salary cap space, Tampa Bay had to get creative if they wanted to add to their roster. They were able to do just that, acquiring David Savard as part of a three-team trade that also involved Columbus and Detroit. With the Blue Jackets retaining half of Savard’s deal, they then moved him to the Red Wings who retained another 50% of the remainder, allowing the Lightning to add the veteran blueliner at only 25% of his AAV. The cost was a bit higher to do so – it cost three draft picks (a first, second, and a fourth) but it enabled them to add another impact defender on their way to their second straight Stanley Cup title.
The Maple Leafs also decided to strike early and made a similar, picking up winger Nick Foligno as part of a three-team swap with the Sharks this time picking up a chunk of the contract after the Blue Jackets retained 50%. That allowed Toronto to get the veteran at 25% of his AAV, enabling them to squeak him in under the cap. Again, the acquisition cost was higher with Toronto parting with a first-round pick plus two fourth-rounders while also adding winger Stefan Noesen from San Jose. Foligno was unable to score with the Maple Leafs while injuries limited him to just 11 games between the regular season and playoffs.
Extensions: Trade Deadline Day featured plenty of movement but also saw three players stay put, taking themselves out of any trade talk in the process. Alex Iafallo inked a four-year, $16MM extension, ensuring he’ll be staying with the Kings after receiving considerable trade interest. Scott Laughton was the next to sign, accepting a five-year, $15MM extension to make sure that he’ll remain with the Flyers for the foreseeable future. Lastly, the Jets signed center Adam Lowry to a five-year, $16.25MM extension, taking what would have one of the more intriguing UFA pivots off the free agent list in the process.
Breaking The Record: While April will be remembered for the trades (more on those shortly), there was another notable event when Sharks forward Patrick Marleau broke the record for all-time NHL games played, surpassing Gordie Howe’s mark of 1,767. The old record stood for 50 years but if Joe Thornton and Zdeno Chara hang around a little longer, they could have a shot at besting Marleau’s total of 1,779. Thornton is at 1,698 and would need to play next season to have a chance to beat it while Chara has a much lesser chance, sitting at 1,632 and would to play at least two more years to get there. Meanwhile, Marleau isn’t playing anywhere this season but has not yet announced his retirement.
Hall To Boston: Back to the trades. Taylor Hall to Boston had been speculated for a while and with the veteran having trade protection, he was able to ensure he was indeed dealt to the Bruins along with center Curtis Lazar. Going the other way were Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round pick while the Sabres also retained half of his remaining salary and cap hit. Hall had just two goals in 37 games with Buffalo which didn’t give them a lot of leverage in the trade. He went on to be more productive with Boston, picking up 14 points in 16 regular season games down the stretch, making a good case for him to eventually re-sign with them.
Carter To Pittsburgh: The new management team in Pittsburgh made a surprising splash when they picked up center Jeff Carter from Los Angeles for a pair of conditional mid-round picks; the Kings also retained half of Carter’s contract which runs through the end of this season. Carter had been speculated to not be interested in a move with a suggestion that he’d consider retiring if it happened. However, the Penguins were able to make a compelling case for Carter and the move worked out well for them. He had nine goals down the stretch for them and is off to a good start this season with 17 points in 27 games.
Mantha To Capitals: With minimal cap space, Washington was expected to be quiet at the trade deadline. That turned out to not be the case as they made the biggest swap of deadline day, acquiring winger Anthony Mantha from Detroit in exchange for wingers Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-rounder. Part of the draft capital moved in the swap was to clear out the rest of Panik’s $2.75MM AAV that runs through the end of next season but the Capitals paid a premium to go from Vrana to Mantha, a big winger with a good scoring touch but a history of inconsistency and injury trouble. This season, Mantha has been limited to just ten games while Vrana has yet to play after undergoing shoulder surgery late in the preseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NHL Postpones Nine More Games
As a result of attendance restrictions in Western Canada, the NHL has postponed eight more games. The games affected are as follows:
Monday, Jan. 3
Minnesota @ Ottawa
Wednesday, Jan. 5
New York Islanders @ Vancouver
Saturday, Jan. 8
New York Islanders @ Edmonton
Tuesday, Jan. 11
New York Islanders @ Calgary
Wednesday, Jan. 12
Minnesota @ Edmonton
Friday, Jan. 14
Vegas @ Edmonton
Saturday, Jan. 15
Vegas @ Calgary
Sunday, Jan. 16
Edmonton @ Winnipeg
In addition to those contests, the Islanders’ road game in Seattle on January 4th has also been postponed due to the other games on their West Coast road trip being postponed.
No make-up dates for any of the games were announced but in the release from the league, it was noted that the games “will be rescheduled for dates later in the season when such restrictions may be eased or lifted”. These postponements bring the running total to 90 games that the league will need to reschedule in the coming weeks and months.