Kevin Hayes Activated From Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers are getting back a huge piece of their lineup, activating Kevin Hayes off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team has loaned Nick Seeler to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. They also lost Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers today when the Colorado Avalanche claimed him. Ryan Ellis is also expected to return to the lineup tonight for the Flyers as they approach full strength.
In June, Hayes, 29, underwent core muscle surgery and was originally given a six-to-eight week timeline for recovery. That would have put him well ahead of schedule for the start of the season, but in September he was back under the knife for another abdominal procedure. Now trying to jump on a moving train, the Flyers will have to hope Hayes can get up to speed quickly and get back to his productive self.
After signing a massive seven-year, $50MM contract with the Flyers in 2019, Hayes registered 23 goals and 41 games in 69 games, adding a considerable presence with the man-advantage and shorthanded. Last season those numbers dropped to 12 goals and 31 points in 55 games, but he was still as important as ever to the Philadelphia attack. Now, after several major roster changes in the offseason, the Flyers are 7-3-2 and in the thick of the Metropolitan Division playoff race.
Even if you aren’t a Philadelphia fan, it’s hard not to root for Hayes’ success this season. Not only did he deal with multiple offseason surgeries, but also the tragic loss of his brother, former NHL forward Jimmy Hayes. A return to the ice will certainly be an emotional experience for the veteran center, and one that will have a little more impact on hockey fans all over the world.
Coyotes Place Andrew Ladd In COVID Protocol
The Coyotes are the latest team to lose a player to the NHL’s COVID protocol as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Andrew Ladd has been added to the protocol.
The 35-year-old is in his first season with Arizona after being acquired in an offseason trade from the Islanders that saw New York part with two second-round picks and a conditional 2023 third-rounder to take on the remaining two years of his contract, one that carries a $5.5MM AAV. While New York buried Ladd in the minors the last couple of seasons to pick up a tiny bit of cap relief, Arizona has no need to do so and has used him in a regular role this season where he has held his own, notching three goals and an assist in 14 games while averaging 14:24 per game.
The duration of Ladd’s stay in the protocol isn’t known as it was not disclosed as to whether or not Ladd was a close contact of someone or if he tested positive and if so, whether he’s symptomatic or asymptomatic. In the meantime, the Coyotes had been carrying 14 forwards on the active roster so no corresponding roster move will need to be made in Ladd’s absence.
Snapshots: Boqvist, Byram, Clifford, Cizikas
It appears that Adam Boqvist has some work to do to get back into the lineup for the Blue Jackets. Although he had been dealing with a lower-body injury, the defenseman has actually been a healthy scratch for the past two games, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 21-year-old was one of the key pieces coming back to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade over the summer but he has yet to take a step forward, logging just over 17 minutes a game in his first five contests while being held without a point. Now, he’ll have to bide his time and for another opportunity to suit up.
More from around the league:
- Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram is out for tonight’s game versus San Jose, relays Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now. He took an elbow to the head from Vancouver’s Bo Horvat early in Thursday’s game and did not return. While Byram cleared concussion protocol at the time, this development will force them to reassess his situation and he has been placed on injured reserve. Ryan Murray will play in place of the youngster.
- Blues winger Kyle Clifford has been removed from COVID protocol, reports Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The veteran has played just twice this season and went into the protocol at the beginning of the month. Defenseman Torey Krug and goaltender Ville Husso remain on the list and unavailable to St. Louis.
- Islanders center Casey Cizikas did not participate in practice today due to a non-COVID illness, mentions Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). New York isn’t back in action until Monday so it’s quite possible that the 30-year-old doesn’t wind up missing any game action.
Colorado Claims Nicolas Aube-Kubel Off Waivers
The Avalanche have added some forward depth up front as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old has had a limited role for the Flyers this season, suiting in seven games, logging just under 10 minutes per contest. He has just a single assist to show for it although he has chipped in with his usual physicality, recording 17 hits. Aube-Kubel has shown some upside in the past, recording 15 points in 36 games during the 2019-20 season and Colorado is clearly hoping that they can help him rediscover that offensive touch.
Interestingly enough, Aube-Kubel was on Philadelphia’s protected list for Seattle’s expansion draft so his stock inside the organization has certainly dipped in recent months. He’s in the second and final season of a contract that carries a $1.075MM AAV and Colorado can retain him as a restricted free agent this summer if they tender him a $1.225MM qualifying offer.
Seravalli adds that a handful of teams were poking around on Aube-Kubel since he was put on waivers so it’s quite possible that the Avs weren’t the only team to place a claim on him. In that sense, it’s a bit surprising that Philadelphia wasn’t able to find a taker in a trade although the cap space freed up by the move may have been preferable to whatever marginal return such a move might have yielded especially with Kevin Hayes getting closer to returning.
Injury Updates: Sundqvist, Pederson, Bogosian
Blues center Oskar Sundqvist skated on the fourth line on practice on Friday but still isn’t cleared to play yet, head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That said, the fact he skated in a regular role suggests he’s nearing a return from the torn ACL he suffered back in March which would be a nice addition to their bottom six. That said, there is another factor in when he can be activated; until Ville Husso can return which would allow current backup Joel Hofer to be sent to the minors, St. Louis doesn’t have the cap room to activate Sundqvist from LTIR.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Sharks winger Lane Pederson is expected to miss a week or two, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). He was injured on a hit from Winnipeg’s Logan Stanley on Thursday night. Pederson hasn’t recorded a point in 11 games so far this season while being used primarily on the fourth line. With San Jose getting seven players back from COVID protocol yesterday – resulting in seven AHL demotions – they’ll at least have enough healthy forwards on the roster to cover for Pederson’s expected absence.
- The Lightning will have blueliner Zach Bogosian back in the lineup tonight as he returns from a foot injury, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). His second stint with Tampa Bay got off to a rough start as he suffered the injury in the season-opener. Bogosian will take the place of Erik Cernak who is dealing with an upper-body issue.
Kienan Draper Commits To The University Of Michigan
Red Wings prospect Kienan Draper has selected his college team as Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News relays that the 19-year-old will attend the University of Michigan beginning in the 2022-23 season.
Draper, whose father Kris played in the NHL for 20 years and is currently Detroit’s Director of Amateur Scouting, was selected in the seventh round by the Red Wings back in 2020 (187th overall). He’s currently in his first season with Chilliwack of the BCHL where he sits ninth in team scoring with a goal and six assists in 12 games.
Draper will be joining a Michigan group that, at least for the time being, is loaded with several high-end NHL prospects including four first-rounders from the 2021 draft plus eight other NHL draftees. However, players like Owen Power (Buffalo) and Matty Beniers (Seattle) are likely to turn pro at the end of the current college season so their roster may not be quite as deep next year as it currently is now.
As Draper wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, Detroit will hold his NHL rights for four seasons which could be extended to his full college career unless he drops out and turns pro following his third year at Michigan. Late-round picks are often development projects and Draper will have ample time to develop with the Wolverines, allowing the Red Wings plenty of time to decide whether or not to have a second Draper suit up in their system.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Chytil, Raanta, Ovechkin
Pittsburgh’s recent recall of Louis Domingue may have raised some eyebrows as adding a third goaltender to the roster usually means there’s an injury. However, that’s not the case for the Penguins, reports Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Instead, starting goaltender Tristan Jarry didn’t travel with the team to Ottawa and won’t be in uniform against the Sens as they’ve elected to not have him travel to give him some extra rest but he’s expected to suit up for the Penguins tomorrow night in Washington. At that point, blueliners Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel will also be available to return after being re-added to COVID protocols yesterday for cross-border travel reasons, not another positive test.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Rangers center Filip Chytil is expected to miss his second straight game tonight versus Columbus as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, notes Mollie Walker of the New York Post. However, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out much longer as he skated for a half-hour before practice on Friday which suggests he’s close to returning. The 22-year-old has two goals and an assist in 12 games this season.
- Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta has resumed skating as he works his way back from a concussion, relays Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer (Twitter link). The veteran suffered the injury a week ago today against Florida in just his second game of the season.
- Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin’s goal last night against Columbus moved him into fourth all-time in NHL scoring with 742 tallies. Next up for him to catch is Jaromir Jagr who sits 24 ahead of Washington’s captain. Ovechkin is off to a hot start to his season with 12 goals and 12 assists in just 14 games.
AHL Shuffle: 11/13/21
As always, Saturday is a very busy day in the NHL with 26 teams set to play. Accordingly, there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day which we’ll keep track of here.
Atlantic Division
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Maxence Guenette along with winger Andrew Agozzino from AHL Belleville. The recalls leave Ottawa with no more healthy blueliners in the minors to recall. The Sens currently have three rearguards in COVID protocol with Nikita Zaitsev being cleared today while Artem Zub and Erik Brannstrom both suffered injuries earlier this week. Later in the day, the Sens returned Guenette to Belleville to make room on the roster for center Shane Pinto who was activated off IR.
- The Panthers have sent defenseman Olli Juolevi to Charlotte of the AHL on a conditioning stint, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was acquired from Vancouver in training camp but has yet to make his debut due to an undisclosed injury. The conditioning stint can last up to three games.
Metropolitan Division
- Just days after posting his first career NHL shutout, Capitals goaltender Zach Fucale is heading back to AHL Hershey, per a team announcement. The 26-year-old – who was the first goalie in franchise history to record a shutout in his debut – has a 1.73 GAA with a .933 SV% with the Bears this season. Fucale’s demotion suggests that Vitek Vanecek is ready to return from the upper-body injury that caused him to miss the last two games.
Central Division
- The Predators announced that they have recalled forward Cole Smith from AHL Milwaukee while sending winger Rocco Grimaldi down to the Admirals. Smith made his NHL debut last season and has three goals and three assists in nine minor league contests this season. As for Grimaldi, he cleared waivers on Friday after being held off the scoresheet in his five games with Nashville this season and will look to get back on track with Milwaukee.
- The Stars are recalling goaltender Jake Oettinger from AHL Texas, reports Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (Twitter link). Braden Holtby is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury that has been lingering since training camp so Oettinger will serve as the backup for Dallas for the time being.
Pacific Division
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Ottawa’s Erik Brannstrom Suffers Broken Hand
It’s almost becoming comical at this point. On Thursday, the Ottawa Senators placed top-four defenseman Nikita Zaitsev in COVID Protocol, where he joined fellow defensemen Josh Brown, Victor Mete, and Nick Holden. Later that night, fellow top-four defender Artem Zub was knocked out of Ottawa’s match-up with the Los Angeles Kings with an upper-body injury. Now, just 24 hours later, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that young defenseman Erik Brannstrom suffered a broken hand in last night’s game as well and is out indefinitely.
It was just the second game of the season for Brannstrom, 22, who has still been trying to carve out a role for himself with the Senators. It could explain why Brannstrom not only played the whole game on Sunday, but skated in an abnormally high 18:56, perhaps trying to impress his coaches who were already short on blue line options. Whether this had any impact on the extent of the injury remains unknown. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch follows up on Dreger’s report by adding that the Senators are currently waiting for a determination on whether Brannstrom will need surgery or not. He believes that the blue liner will miss at least two months. It’s a critical setback for the 2017 first-round pick, who has not yet played up to expectations despite ample opportunity in Ottawa.
It will be hard for the Senators and their fans to focus on the long-term damage of the Brannstrom injury though when the short-term impact is so immense. The loss of Brannstrom on top of Zub plus the current COVID absences leaves the Senators with just seven healthy defenseman in the pro ranks, only four of whom are currently in the NHL. Fortunately, workhorse No. 1 defenseman Thomas Chabot is among the living, but the depth falls off immensely behind him. Veteran utility defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who has played in just six games this season, is the next best option, while the other two healthy NHLers are Dillon Heatherington, who made his season debut on Thursday, and Lassi Thomson, who made his NHL debut on Thursday. In Belleville, top prospect Jacob Bernard-Docker is almost a guaranteed recall before the Senators game on Saturday and an unheralded player such as Jonathan Aspirot or Maxence Guenette will likely receive the call as well. In turn, Belleville will have to load up on loans and tryouts in order to get by without their own defenders. The entire Senators organization needs their defense to get healthy as soon as possible.
Minor Transactions: 11/12/21
Early November is not exactly a prime time for transactions – trades, signings, and loans alike – but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any at all. In fact, a few notable players are on the move, all from different levels and for different reasons.
- Cody Goloubef and the Ottawa Senators can’t seem to stay away from one another. The veteran defenseman, an Ontario native, was first acquired by the Senators in a trade with the Boston Bruins in 2018-19. He re-signed with the club for the the 2019-20 season, though he was dealt away to Detroit late in the year. Goloubef then turned around and signed another one-year deal with Ottawa and served as a veteran leader for AHL Belleville last season. After 29 NHL games and 61 AHL games with the organization over the past three years, Goloubef did not re-sign with the team this summer and seemed that he could either be heading elsewhere or perhaps retiring. As it turns out, the answer was neither. Goloubef has signed a PTO with Belleville, the club announced, and that may just be the beginning. Given the ongoing depth issues that the Senators entire system is facing on the blue line, Goloubef could just be getting his legs under him in the AHL before signing with Ottawa. Either way, this tryout seems to be a precursor to yet another contract with the Senators. Goloubef, 31, has a decade of pro experience, including 160 NHL games, not to mention Olympic experience, so the club could do far worse with an in-season signing.
- By all accounts, Daniel D’Amato is not officially a Vegas Golden Knights prospect, but the team is treating him like one. D’Amato was a training camp standout for the Knights this fall, but left both Vegas and Henderson camps without a contract, returning to the OHL’s Erie Otters. Yet, after a strong start to his junior season with seven points in 11 games, D’Amato was suddenly making his pro debut last knight for the AHL’s Silver Knights. With some reports calling this a call-up but no record of a contract, it remains unclear under what conditions D’Amato has joined the Knights organization. What is certain is that the club likes the two-way winger and he could be in play for an entry-level contract before too long.
- Nico Gross was once considered an up-and-coming NHL prospect. The Swiss defenseman was a standout on the international stage and impressed by making the jump from the Swiss juniors to the OHL and producing right away. The New York Rangers used a fourth-round pick on the talented blue liner in 2018 and at the time it was regarded as a high-ceiling selection. However, by 2020 Gross had flatlined in his development and the Rangers opted not to extend him an entry-level contract. Despite some speculation that perhaps another team might sign him, Gross returned to Switzerland and signed a two-year deal with powerhouse NLA club EV Zug in 2020. This was considered a safe play with the 2020-21 AHL season in doubt and Gross needing consistent ice time at 21. Again though, the young defenseman has failed to improve. Rather than using two years in Europe to prepare for another run at the NHL, Gross has done little through 64 games and was even demoted for nine games last season. The team clearly still believes in his potential, as Gross has signed a two-year extension, the team announced. What the move really says though is that Gross does not believe he can land a deal in North America and it’s starting to seem like maybe he never will.