Mike Smith Activated From Injured Reserve
The Edmonton Oilers have their starter back, as Mike Smith has been activated from injured reserve. The veteran goaltender will retake his place in the Oilers crease, while Stuart Skinner returns to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The Oilers have also moved Philip Broberg and young goaltender Ilya Konovalov to the taxi squad.
Smith, 39, has played in just three games this season after suffering an early injury and then experiencing a setback in his recovery. He did stop 92 of 100 shots during that short period at the beginning of the year, continuing his strong play from last season, but it will be a whole new set of expectations after missing so much time. The team received some admirable performances from Mikko Koskinen and Skinner–the latter had a .916 in ten appearances–but it’s Smith that will likely take the team to the next level, should they be able to get there.
The Oilers have gone 4-6 in their last ten and slipped to fourth place in the Pacific Division but still have plenty of time to catch the teams ahead of them. They’ll take the ice tonight against the St. Louis Blues before traveling to the east coast to play the Devils, Islanders, Rangers, and Maple Leafs in quick succession. Smith will obviously be handling the lion’s share of the work, though it remains to be seen where his game is after more than two months off.
Montreal Canadiens Add Five Players To COVID Protocol
Dec 29: After getting in one game last night, the Canadiens have placed two more in the COVID protocol today. Paul Byron and Cayden Primeau are both now unavailable and join the rest of the absences in the protocol. Byron was closing in on a return from injury and Primeau was expected to play this weekend with Allen unavailable. McNiven will now likely be recalled to backup Sam Montembeault.
Dec 27: The Montreal Canadiens have added another five players to the COVID protocol today, recalling a handful of replacements in the process. Jake Allen, Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry, and Chris Wideman have entered the protocol, along with goaltending coach Eric Raymond. The team has recalled Cayden Primeau and Corey Schueneman to the active roster, while also bringing up Brandon Baddock, Gianni Fairbrother, Cam Hillis, and Michael McNiven to the taxi squad. The team will travel to Florida where they are currently scheduled to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night.
The new five will join Laurent Dauphin, Mike Hoffman, Artturi Lehkonen, and Tyler Toffoli, who were already in the protocol. The team also has almost countless injuries, meaning it’s not quite the full Montreal experience heading to face the Lightning. In a lost season for the Canadiens, nearly everything that could have gone wrong has, and they find themselves near the very bottom of the league standings.
If the games are played as scheduled, the team will no longer have to play short after the league amended the salary cap and emergency exception rules yesterday. Still, these recalls bring them close to the organizational limit; Primeau and McNiven were the only two other goaltenders in the organization signed to NHL contracts.
NHL Changes COVID Protocols, Isolation Period
After the CDC recently updated and shortened recommended isolation periods in the U.S., some sports leagues have followed suit. While there has been plenty of discussion about whether the NHL would be able to since some of their teams reside in Canada, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the league has done just that.
Provided it is allowed by local health authorities, the isolation period has been shortened to five days for vaccinated players and staff. In the release, it explains the process that it will now use for a confirmed positive case of COVID-19:
- Isolate for 5 days.
- If you have a fever, continue to isolate until your fever resolves.
- If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave isolation:
i. after a lab-based PCR test that is negative or that has a CT value >30, or two negative molecular point of care tests collected >2 hours apart
AND
ii. medical clearance from your Club physician
AND
iii. providing such an exit is permitted by your local health authority - You shall continue to always wear a mask around others for 5 additional days, other than for practices and games
- All other aspects of the Protocol apply, including the criteria for cardiac screening.
The league will re-evaluate these new measures in 14 days, but for now, it could drastically affect the number of games missed by positive cases that experience mild symptoms. Players will still need to test negative to get out of the protocol–something that is different than the NFL, for instance–but there’s at least a chance that they return earlier than previously expected.
Of note, this does not appear to be in effect for Canadian teams or change the 14-day travel restrictions for players who have tested positive. If they have tested positive, they would not be able to accompany their team to Canada for the following two weeks even if they have left the league’s shortened protocol.
Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues Complete Minor Trade
The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues have completed a minor trade, with Will Bitten and Nolan Stevens changing organizations.
The Wild will receive Stevens, a 25-year-old forward that has 12 points in 20 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds this season, his fourth in the AHL since signing out of Northeastern University. Standing 6’3″, he offers some size and skill as a potential depth player for Minnesota. More likely though he’s headed for Iowa where he can continue his season in the AHL. Stevens is on a one-year, two-way contract that carries a cap hit of $750K at the NHL level.
For St. Louis, Bitten comes to town after scoring eight points in 23 games for the Wild. A third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, he is still just 23 but has yet to make an appearance at the NHL level. Like Stevens, Bitten is on a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild but his actually carries a cap hit of $840K at the NHL level–not exactly the easiest to fit in for a team like St. Louis that is battling cap issues.
In all likelihood, both players spend the majority of the season in the minor leagues, perhaps seeing some time on the taxi squad if needed.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 12/29/21
The return from the holiday break brought plenty of offense around the NHL last night, with 32 goals (plus a shootout winner) in just three games. Six more are on the table for this evening, meaning we could see the red lamp light quite a few more times. As teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Remi Elie to the taxi squad, giving them another forward as they travel to Sunrise to take on the Panthers tomorrow night. The Lightning narrowly escaped with a win against the Canadiens last night, but in positive news, Brayden Point appeared to hit the ground running with two goals and three points in his return.
- The Detroit Red Wings have sent Luke Witkowski and Victor Brattstrom back to the AHL from the taxi squad, giving the Grand Rapids Griffins some extra bodies. Brattstrom, 24, has split the season–his first in North America–between Grand Rapids and the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought Michael Hutchinson up to the taxi squad, while sending Joey Anderson, Kyle Clifford, Carl Dahlstrom, Filip Kral and Kristians Rubins down to the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies are expected to return to action tomorrow night for the first time in more than two weeks and will now have several key players back in the lineup.
Metropolitan Division
- After clearing waivers today, Washington Capitals forward Michael Sgarbossa has ended up on the taxi squad. Brett Leason and Alex Alexeyev meanwhile have been recalled to the active roster, while the team has activated Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson.
- Stefan Noesen has been assigned to the Carolina Hurricanes taxi squad, as he continues to be a top injury replacement option for the team. In 23 games with the Chicago Wolves, Noesen–who does have over 200 NHL games played–has 24 points.
- Gerald Mayhew and Felix Sandstrom have both been recalled from the taxi squad. Sandstrom, 24, has not yet made an NHL appearance and has a 3-7-3 record in 15 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.
Central Division
- The Minnesota Wild have officially recalled Calen Addison to their taxi squad, with the expectation that he will slide onto the active roster to replace Jonas Brodin this weekend. Brodin entered the COVID protocol yesterday, meaning the Wild will be without several key players for the Winter Classic.
- The Arizona Coyotes have made a whole bunch of transactions after last night’s game. The team has assigned Blake Speers and Jan Jenik to the taxi squad, Michael Carcone and Vladislav Kolyachonok to the AHL, and moved Bokondji Imama and Josef Korenar back to the AHL from the taxi squad. Alex Galchenyuk has been activated to take one of the roster spots.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Alexei Toropchenko from the AHL to the active roster and expect to have him in the lineup tonight. The young forward has played in three games so far this season but is still looking for his first NHL point.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Michael McCarron from the taxi squad. They’ve also recalled Tomas Vomacka all the way from the ECHL to join the taxi squad, giving them an extra goaltender for the time being.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have activated Cal Petersen from the COVID protocol, meaning Garret Sparks can be loaned back to the AHL. He won’t be going alone though, as Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Martin Frk, and Jacob Moverare will also all report back to the AHL.
- The Vancouver Canucks have assigned Ashton Sautner and Spencer Martin to the team’s taxi squad, after two players entered the COVID protocol today. The pair will give them some extra bodies on the current road trip, including an additional goaltender just in case. Martin, 26, has three NHL games under his belt but has been excellent for the Abbotsford Canucks this season, going 5-0-1 with a .930 save percentage.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Jacob Bryson Enters COVID Protocol
The Buffalo Sabres have made a few transactions today after Jacob Bryson entered the COVID protocol. The team has recalled Casey Fitzgerald to the active roster while moving Ethan Prow up to the taxi squad. (UPDATE: Prow has been recalled from the taxi squad ahead of the game, while Alex Tuch was activated from injured reserve)
Bryson joins Vinnie Hinostroza, Zemgus Girgensons, Jeff Skinner, Mark Jankowski, Dylan Cozens, and head coach Don Granato in the protocol, who will all be unavailable for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Like any team trying to play through a COVID outbreak, it will drastically limit the depth available for the Sabres as they restart their season.
Bryson, 24, has played in 29 games for the Sabres this season, quietly establishing himself as a reliable option for the team on defense. The undersized skater is averaging almost 20 minutes a night and has seven points in those 29 games.
Notably, Fitzgerald will be playing in front of a familiar face tonight as the Sabres take on the Devils. Tom Fitzgerald was in the crowd as a supportive father for Casey’s NHL debut earlier this season but will now watch as the general manager of the opponent. Tom played nearly 1,100 games in the NHL–Casey’s working on number 2.
Kasperi Kapanen Enters COVID Protocol
The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Kasperi Kapanen in the COVID protocol, raising their current number to eight if you count Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who tested positive just after being recalled to the taxi squad yesterday. Sam Lafferty is also absent from the team with a non-COVID illness.
Kapanen joins Joseph, Dominik Simon, Teddy Blueger, Evan Rodrigues, Mike Matheson, John Marino, and Tristan Jarry in the protocol, with the latter six all going in on December 27. That leaves the Penguins quite a bit shorthanded for the moment, though given the postponements that have already happened they won’t play again until Sunday.
Still, that doesn’t give any of these players time to exit the protocol if they’re serving the usual ten-day quarantine. Kapanen and the others will likely miss Sunday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, leaving the team with some work to do in order to put together a competitive roster. With Jason Zucker out with an injury as well, the depth will be tested in Pittsburgh.
Snapshots: Canucks, AHL, Svejkovsky
When Jim Rutherford took over the front office in Vancouver, he vowed that he would take his time to evaluate his new team and to choose from a multitude of potential GM candidates – and he is sticking to it. In an interview with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Rutherford details his plans for the hockey operations hierarchy, including hiring two additional assistant GMs in addition to the GM, but shares that he is still evaluating a number of options for the top job. Rutherford is exploring some female options, as he tells MacIntyre that he appreciates the diversity within the Canucks organization and would not mind furthering those efforts. However, he has also been impressed with internal candidates as well, such as player development director Ryan Johnson and analytics lead Aiden Fox. Rutherford hopes to begin in-person interviews next month, but a hiring announcement could still be a ways away and to this point Rutherford has stuck with his plan not to make any major moves before bringing in another mind to share in the decision.
- The NHL is not alone in dealing with the current COVID surge. The AHL has announced the postponement of three upcoming games, with the Stockton Heat and San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday and the San Diego Gulls and Tucson Roadrunners on Thursday and Sunday being moved to a later date. The league states that California clubs San Jose and San Diego are both in COVID-19 Protocols and unable to compete. Unlike the NHL, if rescheduling these games within the reasonable confines of the teams’ schedules, they could very well become cancellations rather than postponements.
- Down another level, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has been moved in the WHL – and for a decent price. 2020 fourth-rounder Lukas Svejkovsky was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds by the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick, a conditional 2023 second-round pick, and a conditional 2025 third-round pick. Though of Czech descent, Svejkovsky was in fact born in Florida and is an American citizen and even attended USA Hockey’s junior selection camp. While he did not make the WJC roster, Svejkovsky is still having a banner year. The small, but skilled forward recorded 30 points in 24 games with the Tigers before the move and now heads to a Seattle club that touts the fifth-best record in the WHL.
Coyotes Add Travis Boyd, Matias Maccelli To COVID Protocol
The latest victims of the Coronavirus surge across the NHL come from the desert. Ahead of their Tuesday night game against the San Jose Sharks, the Arizona Coyotes have announced that forwards Travis Boyd and Matias Maccelli have in the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol. The ‘Yotes do not play again until January 2, so this could be the only missed game for the duo.
This news is still brutal for Maccelli though, who was set to make his NHL debut tonight. Arizona had expressed its excitement for the rookie forward to join the team just earlier this afternoon. Yet, in the current state of the NHL even the reinforcements are no safe bet to make it into the lineup. Maccelli has been a point-per-game player for the Tucson Roadrunners this season and was named the AHL Rookie of the Month for November, so it is understandable why the rebuilding Coyotes are eager to get the promising 21-year-old into some NHL action.
Boyd is quietly one of the Coyotes’ top players this season. Admittedly, the last-place squad is not scoring many goals, but Boyd is still second on the team with seven tallies as well as fourth in points and first with an unbelievable (though unsustainable) 29.2% shooting percentage. Arizona is fortunate that this is likely just a one-game absence, as they can ill-afford to lose Boyd for an extended period of time.
Mike Smith, Jujhar Khaira Nearing Return From Long-Term Injuries
Two of the NHL’s more high-profile injury absences should be coming to an end shortly. Both Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith and Chicago Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira are in play to return to their respective lineups this week. Sportsnet reports that Smith will be “available” on Wednesday, while relaying an Associated Press story that has Khaira could be ready to go on Saturday.
Smith, 39, has had a season to forget thus far but hopes that he can stay healthy the rest of the way for the Oilers. The veteran netminder has been out of the lineup for over two months with an undisclosed lower-body injury, which he calls “one of the most difficult injuries of my career”. Smith was injured back on October 19 in just his third start of the season and has not played since. He returned to practice briefly last month before returning to the injured reserve. This sounds less like an in-game injury and more like a nagging issue that became too much to handle, but has since been resolved to some extent. While Smith sounds eager to resume play, Edmonton will not attempt to rush him back yet again, which is likely why the team has not yet named a starter for Wednesday. Smith was excellent for the Oilers last season and will be a key piece of their success this season, but with rookie Stuart Skinner playing well behind serviceable starter Mikko Koskinen, the team does not need to rush Smith back or overwork him either.
The former Oiler Khaira, in his first season with Chicago, has neither the name recognition of Smith nor the lengthy recovery time. However, any time a player is stretchered from the ice his injury status becomes headline news. This was the case with Khaira, who was knocked out by a check from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba on December 7. Khaira was sent to the hospital and has been on the injured reserve since while going through the NHL’s concussion protocol. Fortunately, it seems the big winger has dealt with what appeared to be a serious head injury rather well. If Khaira does suit up on Saturday, it will be just three-and-half weeks since he suffered the concussion, a stretch made even more tolerable for both he and the Blackhawks by postponements that have kept Chicago out of action since December 18. Khaira has missed just five games as a result.