Hendrix Lapierre Returned To Junior
After six games with the NHL club, Hendrix Lapierre is headed back to junior. The Washington Capitals have assigned the young prospect to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL where he will play the rest of the season. Lapierre was not eligible for the AHL. Because he played less than ten games with the Capitals, he will not burn the first year of his entry-level contract.
Still just 19, Lapierre scored the first goal of his NHL career during his time in Washington and will likely be back with the Capitals next season. For now, he will be able to return to a league that he actually hasn’t played a ton in, due to injury or shortened seasons. Over three years, Lapierre has suited up just 101 times in the Q, all of them coming for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Earlier this summer, Chicoutimi traded him to Acadie-Bathurst, where he’ll now report.
An extremely talented forward, there had been health concerns with Lapierre stemming back to a series of concussions suffered in junior. At least some of those concussions were later diagnosed as a neck issue, and it was the Capitals who ended up taking a risk by selecting him 22nd overall in 2020. That seems to have immediately paid off, with Lapierre making the club out of camp and impressing along the way, though the team will obviously have to closely monitor his health moving forward.
Back in junior, not only should Lapierre dominate the QMJHL, but he’ll also be a top candidate for the Canadian World Junior team. As a 19-year-old who turns 20 in February, this is his last chance to play in the event.
Wyatt Kalynuk Activated From Injured Reserve
Nov 10: Kalynuk has now been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs to get some game action in. The AHL club plays tonight against the Iowa Wild, where he’ll make his season debut.
Nov 9: The Chicago Blackhawks activated defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk from long-term injured reserve today, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Kalynuk was previously sidelined with a right ankle sprain.
He’ll be taking warmups Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, however, interim head coach Derek King confirmed that he won’t be in the lineup.
Kalynuk was placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to October 5 with the injury and was classified as week-to-week. He could make his season debut soon and could make an effort to push Riley Stillman, who’s playing just 15:17 per game, out of the lineup.
The 24-year-old Kalynuk is entering his second season in the NHL after an impressive rookie campaign last year. Originally a seventh-round selection in 2017 by the Philadelphia Flyers, he was never signed and instead signed his entry-level contract with Chicago prior to the 2020-21 season. Skating in 21 games, Kalynuk scored four goals and five assists for nine points while registering 16:16 of ice time per game last season.
Zayde Wisdom On Track For Canada World Junior Selection Camp After Surgery
According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom is progressing ahead of schedule after receiving shoulder surgery and could return in early December in time for Team Canada’s selection camp for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships.
The Flyers announced Wisdom was out indefinitely after undergoing successful shoulder surgery on August 13.
Selected in the fourth round in the 2020 NHL Draft by Philadelphia, Wisdom already looks like a potential gem for the Flyers organization. After scoring 29 goals and 59 points in 62 games with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in his draft year, the OHL’s COVID-related shutdown in 2020-21 allowed him the chance to play with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley. With the Phantoms, Wisdom impressed, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 28 games as an 18-year-old.
Wisdom is eligible to return to the AHL this season, as he played enough games last season to become exempt from the standard NHL/CHL player agreement. Under normal circumstances, Wisdom would be required to play back with his team in Kingston, if not the NHL.
With that kind of production, Wisdom is expected to at least get a look to make Canada’s World Juniors team this year, although it will be a challenge with an exceptionally deep roster. If he returns to Lehigh Valley and continues to impress, he could be a candidate for a late-season call-up in Philadelphia as well.
Anaheim Ducks Place Bob Murray On Administrative Leave
The Anaheim Ducks have placed general manager Bob Murray on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation related to professional conduct. The team has released this statement:
We recently became aware of accusations of improper professional conduct against Bob Murray. After internal review, we enlisted Shephard Mullin to perform an independent investigation. Upon recommendation from their initial findings, we have decided to place Bob on administrative leave pending final results. In the interim, Vice President of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager Jeff Solomon will assume the role of Interim General Manager. We will have no further comment until the investigation is complete.
The team did not release any information in regards to the investigation. Solomon, who will take over for the time being, was only hired by the Ducks a few months ago after spending the first 14 years of his front office career with the Los Angeles Kings. When hired, his role was to “oversee strategic budget planning in relation to the NHL’s CBA and the salary cap, contract and arbitration negotiation, and player evaluation. Though he has never held the role of general manager, Solomon is no newcomer to the NHL. Before his stint with the Kings, he was an agent for nearly two decades.
Murray meanwhile has been with the Ducks since 2005 and took over as GM during the 2008-09 season. He has been in NHL front offices for nearly three decades, starting out as the director of player personnel with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1991, soon after his 1,008-game playing career had ended.
Sheppard Mullin is an international law firm with headquarters in Los Angeles.
Carey Price Explains Absence From Montreal Canadiens
Last month, Carey Price left the Montreal Canadiens to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Today, he released a statement explaining why he left and what his next steps will look like:
Over the last few years I have let myself get to a very dark place and I didn’t have the tools to cope with that struggle. Last month I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance use. Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do. And it was what I needed to do.
I am working through years of neglecting my own mental health which will take some time to repair; all I can do is take it day by day. With that comes some uncertainty with when I will return to play. I appreciate all of the overwhelming support and well wishes. I please ask that the media and our hockey community continue to respect our privacy at this time. Your support and respect of this so far has been a critical piece to my recovery.
Price has not yet played this season and was recovering from offseason surgery at the time of his departure from the team. Now back with the club, it is not clear when he will return to action.
A 14-year veteran of the NHL, Price has won the Vezina, Hart, Jennings, and Ted Lindsay awards, an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada and sits 27th on the all-time list of games played by a goaltender. His 360 regular season wins put him 21st on the all-time list, and his 43 postseason victories put him 28th.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Leivo, Place Niederreiter On IR
The Carolina Hurricanes have moved Nino Niederreiter to injured reserve, recalling Josh Leivo to take his place on the roster.
Niederreiter is dealing with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss another little while as he recovers. The veteran forward last played on October 29, leaving that game against the Chicago Blackhawks early. He still isn’t practicing with the team, though it’s not clear exactly how long he’ll be out. His placement on injured reserve can be retroactive to his last game, so he will be eligible to return whenever he’s healthy enough to do so.
Leivo meanwhile had been playing at the AHL level for the first time since 2016-17 this season, suiting up for three contests with the Chicago Wolves. Though never a full-time NHL option, he has played more than 200 games to this point including 38 last season with the Calgary Flames. Armed with an impressive shot and some offensive upside, the 6’2″ forward could be used in a variety of ways by the Hurricanes if inserted into the lineup.
Injury Notes: Flyers, Maple Leafs, Canadiens
The Philadelphia Flyers are getting closer to having both Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes back in the lineup, two of the team’s most important players. Head coach Alain Vigneault explained today that the earliest Hayes would get back in the lineup is next Tuesday, but Ellis is ahead of that schedule and could even have an outside chance at playing tomorrow. If Ellis did play, he wouldn’t immediately jump up to the top pairing; Vigneault explained that the team would have to ease him in.
Ellis has played just three games for the Flyers this season, but had four points in those contests and averaged more than 24 minutes of ice time. The 30-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Nashville Predators in the offseason and was expected to carry a huge load at both ends of the rink. Hayes meanwhile is the team’s second-highest-paid player but hasn’t seen the ice at all as he continues to recover from offseason surgery. The 29-year-old had 12 goals and 31 points in 55 games last season and is a key option down the middle for the club.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs had a few absences at today’s practice, most notably captain John Tavares. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Tavares is day-to-day and a game-time decision for tomorrow’s match with the Flyers, according to Mark Masters of TSN. Ondrej Kase has the same designation, and is also a game-time decision for the Maple Leafs. With Petr Mrazek out, the Maple Leafs have the cap space to carry a pair of extra forwards and are expected to bring Joey Anderson and Kirill Semyonov to Philadelphia.
- The Montreal Canadiens won’t have Jonathan Drouin back in the lineup tonight despite his appearance at the morning skate, while both Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson are questionable for the game against the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadiens have lost their last two and have just three wins in 13 games so far this season. That puts them at the very bottom of the Atlantic Division table, just a few months after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. A lineup without Drouin, Dvorak, and Anderson would certainly be put to the test by the Kings, who are currently on the league’s longest winning streak.
Philadelphia Flyers Loan Samu Tuomaala To Finland
The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Samu Tuomaala back to Finland, where he’ll re-join Karpat, his Liiga team. Tuomaala had been playing in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, suiting up for his first two AHL games. The team has also recalled Nick Seeler from the Phantoms.
Tuomaala, 18, was the 46th overall pick in this year’s draft and would have been one of just a handful of players from that class spending this season in North American pro hockey. Sending him back to continue his development overseas certainly isn’t unexpected, though there had been talk of potentially loaning him to the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL instead. Sudbury picked him 31st overall in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, but Tuomaala will instead go back to compete at the highest level in Finland.
He played just five games with Karpat’s pro team last season, spending the rest of the time with the organization’s U20 group where he scored 15 goals and 31 points in 30 games. Moving from that level to Liiga is not always an easy transition for teenaged forwards to make, but Tuomala is armed with a top-end shot that could help him contribute even in limited minutes. The next step will be rounding out his 200-foot game, playing better away from the puck instead of just impressing when it’s on his stick.
Victor Mete Added To COVID Protocol
When Victor Mete wasn’t on the ice this morning with the Ottawa Senators, it raised concerns over whether he too would be ruled out. The Senators have made it official, placing Mete in the COVID protocol for the time being. With his roster spot, Ottawa has recalled Filip Gustavsson from the AHL. Anton Forsberg will not be able to dress for tonight’s game because of a non-COVID illness.
Mete joins Austin Watson, Nick Holden, Connor Brown, Dylan Gambrell, and assistant coach Jack Capuano in the protocol, leaving them very shorthanded for tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins. Young players like Egor Sokolov are getting an opportunity because of the absences, but this isn’t exactly how the team hoped to be operating a month into the season. The group is already without Shane Pinto, Clark Bishop, and Colin White due to injury, meaning tonight will see a forward group that includes just a handful of players from their expected roster.
The Senators have lost four games in a row and now sit just one point out of last place in the Atlantic Division. There have been flashes of hope throughout the lineup, but overall the team hasn’t been able to take the next step in their rebuild.
Mete’s status has not been confirmed at this time, but he’s currently out indefinitely. Young defender Erik Brannstrom is expected to be back in the lineup for the first time this season, after being sent back to the AHL to start the year.
MacKenzie Entwistle Out 4-6 Weeks
The Chicago Blackhawks have placed MacKenzie Entwistle on long-term injured reserve and expect the young forward to miss between four and six weeks with an ankle injury. The team did not have an update on Brandon Hagel, but announced that Henrik Borgstrom is also out for tonight with a non-COVID illness.
Entwistle, 22, has played in 12 games this season for the Blackhawks, scoring two goals and three points in limited minutes. He’s averaged just 11 minutes a game as he tries to establish himself at the NHL level but will now have to deal with a long rehab before getting back on the ice.
Selected in the third round of the 2017 draft by the Arizona Coyotes, Entwistle was involved in the Marian Hossa trade in 2018 and signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. That entry-level deal is set to expire after this season, but earlier this summer the team signed the young forward to a two-year extension. The one-way contract carries a cap hit of just $800K, but suggests that Chicago had plans of keeping Entwistle with the NHL club moving forward.
Still, that deal was signed by a different front office and with the different coaching staff, meaning there’s still plenty to prove Entwistle. Losing more than a month at this point is certainly not ideal for a prospect still looking to make his stamp, and will only open the door for other young players to receive additional ice time with the Blackhawks. He’ll have to work even harder upon his return to prove he belongs at the highest level.