Joel Edmundson Returning To Montreal Canadiens After Leave Of Absence
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is returning to the team after a leave of absence and is back in the city, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. As he continues to recover from an injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of the season, Lavoie reports he’s expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks.
Edmundson took an indefinite leave of absence from the team just a few days again in order to be with his father who’s currently dealing with cancer. It’s a promising sign that Edmundson is already back in Montreal and working towards a return.
Any change would help the Habs right now, who are reeling with an 0-5-0 start. Edmundson played over 20 minutes a night last season, supplementing 13 points in 55 games with solid defensive play. He played over 23 minutes a night in the playoffs, forming a formidable pairing with Jeff Petry. That’s where he could slot again once he returns to the lineup, allowing head coach Dominique Ducharme to experiment with some different pairings to stop the bleeding.
Edmundson is in the second season of a four-year, $14MM deal ($3.5MM cap hit) he signed with Montreal after they acquired his signing rights in September 2020.
His return could potentially mark the healthiest Montreal’s defense will be all season if there are no further injuries, as Shea Weber is expected to be absent for the entire year.
East Notes: Smith, Norlinder, Daws
The New Jersey Devils will get some reinforcement on the defensive end tonight as second-year ‘D’-man Ty Smith will make his season debut tonight after missing the first week-and-a-half with injury, per the team. A move prefaced by the waiving and subsequent assignment of Colton White to the AHL’s Utica Comets, Smith likely makes his season debut on a pairing with Damon Severson. The Devils are now at full strength on defense for the first time this year, and the new-look group that also includes Ryan Graves and Dougie Hamilton will get a real chance to shine tonight at home against the Buffalo Sabres as the team looks to improve to a 3-1-0 record. Smith finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting last season, scoring two goals and 21 assists in 48 games.
More notes from today in the Eastern Conference:
- Per The Athletic’s Marc-Antoine Godin, Canadiens defense prospect Mattias Norlinder will resume skating this week after missing the beginning of the 2021-22 season. While he’s loaned to Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League this season, the Habs prospect had a strong camp and this year is an important one in his development. A third-round pick of the squad in 2019, Norlinder had a respectable 10 points in 37 games last year in Sweden and looks to continue his growth on a defense core that also includes the Detroit Red Wings’ Simon Edvinsson and former NHLer Christian Folin.
- Netminder Nico Daws is making his NHL debut tonight for the New Jersey Devils, the team announced this morning. With Mackenzie Blackwood still on injured reserve and Jonathan Bernier still day-to-day with a lower-body injury, a tandem of Daws and Scott Wedgewood will have to do it for now in Jersey. Wedgewood allowed four goals in a loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday, so the team will give Daws a chance tonight to show what he can do. The 20-year-old was drafted 84th overall in 2020.
Pacific Notes: Gaudreau, McTavish, Whitecloud, Doughty
Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau is one of the more intriguing players in the 2022 UFA class. He’s not that far removed from being a point-per-game player – a mark he hit as recently as 2018-19 – but his per-game production has dipped the last two seasons. In a piece for Daily Faceoff, former Sabres assistant GM Steve Greeley examined Gaudreau’s situation, highlighting how term will be a big element as the 28-year-old will likely be looking for that one last big deal over a short-term pact that gets him back to the market in a more favorable cap environment a few years from now. Gaudreau is in the final year of a deal that carries a $6.75MM AAV and it will cost a bit more than that on his next contract.
More from around the Pacific Division:
- Ducks center Mason McTavish returned to practice on Friday as he works his way back from a lower-body injury sustained on Monday against Calgary, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. The third-overall pick in 2021 has a goal and an assist in three games this season and could be activated for Tuesday’s game versus Winnipeg.
- Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud is listed as week-to-week after suffering an injury in the second period last night against Edmonton, relays Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link). Granger adds that there is concern that the 24-year-old may have broken his hand. That paves the way for Daniil Miromanov to make his NHL debut on Sunday.
- Kings defenseman Drew Doughty won’t play in the remaining two games of their current road trip and will undergo imaging for the injury he sustained last night, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). That paves the way for Olli Maatta to make his season debut tonight against St. Louis.
Metropolitan Notes: Bean, Brown, Ellis, Varlamov
After having a limited role in Carolina last season, there were rumblings that Jake Bean had asked to be traded. The blueliner told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that while his camp indicated to the Hurricanes that they felt a fresh start would be beneficial, it wasn’t a formal trade request. After he was left unprotected in expansion, it was widely anticipated he’d be picked by Seattle but that didn’t happen. Instead, Bean was moved to the Blue Jackets at the draft and signed a three-year, $7MM deal after. The 23-year-old is logging more than 21 minutes a game so far this season, more than seven minutes higher than his ATOI with Carolina last year. After being unsure about what his role would have been if he had stayed with the team that drafted him, Bean is getting plenty of ice time in Columbus.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Flyers winger Patrick Brown has recovered from his bout with COVID-19 and was cleared to rejoin the team at practice on Friday. However, as Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out, the recent waiver claim from Vegas won’t be able to travel with the team at the start of their Canadian road trip. While he has cleared NHL protocol for the number of days since a positive test, Canada’s timeline is a little longer so Brown will have to travel separately next week once he reaches the 14-day mark.
- Still with the Flyers, defenseman Ryan Ellis will miss tonight’s game due to a lower-body issue, notes Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ellis had been missing practices with a lower-body injury but head coach Alain Vigneault indicated that he’s unsure if this injury is related to that one. He’s expected to be available to play on their upcoming road trip and is listed as day-to-day.
- The undisclosed injury that held Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov out of training camp will sideline him for at least the next two games, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). Ilya Sorokin is off to a tough start to his second season having allowed 14 goals in his first four appearances but will be counted on as the starter for a little while longer at least.
Colton White Clears Waivers
Saturday: White has cleared waivers, Friedman reports. No one was placed on waivers today.
Friday: With Ty Smith set to come off injured reserve this weekend, the New Jersey Devils have placed Colton White on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
White, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2015 that has never been able to establish himself as anything more than an injury call-up. He’s played a handful of games in each of the last four seasons, including two early on for New Jersey this year. Averaging just over 12 minutes a night in those games, his play was adequate for the role he was in. White even recorded a point–the first of his career–on a Jimmy Vesey goal a few nights ago.
There seems little risk of him being claimed, given the acquiring team would need to keep him in the NHL, but even if he does the Devils have some other options to fill that depth role. Already they were carrying eight defensemen after claiming Mason Geertsen earlier this month, though they’ve been using him as a forward through the early part of the season. Should White clear, he’ll likely return at some point this year if the team deals with any other injuries on the blue line.
Atlantic Notes: Bertuzzi, Pinto, Mrazek, Bruins
The Red Wings are declining to disclose whether or not they have suspended winger Tyler Bertuzzi for tonight’s game in Montreal, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Bertuzzi was unable to accompany the team on their trip as he’s unvaccinated which gives Detroit the option to suspend him without pay. That’s not a mandatory requirement, however, and as they’re well below the salary cap, the potential for savings on that front wouldn’t make much of a difference. Head coach Jeff Blashill indicated that they prefer to “keep it internally” when it comes to their decision on the 26-year-old who has five goals in four games so far this season.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Senators will know more about the extent of Shane Pinto’s injury this weekend, relays Postmedia’s Ken Warren. The team is hopeful that the rookie center won’t be out for long after sustaining what appeared to be a shoulder injury on Thursday versus San Jose. Pinto made an immediate impact after turning pro late last season with seven points in twelve games and has an assist in four contests this season.
- Maple Leafs goaltender Petr Mrazek is progressing as anticipated in his recovery from a groin injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Postmedia’s Terry Koshan. The netminder will accompany Toronto on their upcoming three-game road trip although he may not be able to get back in the lineup next week.
- The Bruins will be without both Anton Blidh and Nick Foligno for their game tomorrow against Buffalo, the team announced (Twitter link). Foligno left Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury while Blidh was injured Friday in his first appearance of the season. Head coach Bruce Cassidy stated the expectation is that Jack Studnicka will be recalled from AHL Providence.
Stars’ Hakanpaa Will Not Face League Discipline For Hit On Kings’ Doughty
Los Angeles Kings fans held their collective breaths last night as stud defenseman Drew Doughty had to be helped off the ice following a knee injury. The incident unfolded late in the second period of the Kings’ match-up with the Dallas Stars on Friday. New Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa delivered a knee-to-knee hit on Doughty as he entered the offensive zone, resulting in immediate and visible pain for the decorated veteran (video). Doughty did not return to the game, but neither did Hakanpaa, who was assessed a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct. L.A. would score on the resulting power play but eventually lost in overtime.
It seems that the league has decided that Hakanpaa has already served his due punishment for the hit in question. Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News reports that Hakanpaa will not face any supplemental league discipline for the hit. The NHL Department of Player Safety explained to DeFranks that their analysis was that Hakanpaa did not extend his knee and maintained his body position throughout the hit. The video backs up this claim, although it does seem as if the knee-to-knee contact was the targeted approach. While Player Safety is not tasked with making any supplemental discipline equitable with the talent level or injury length of the victim of a play, it is a tough pill to swallow for Kings’ fans who lost the far superior defenseman and the game on Friday night.
Fortunately, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the early results on Doughty are positive. The team believes that he has avoided any significant injury and may only have a minor knee sprain. They are still waiting on a final diagnosis, but this comes as a relief given the anguish displayed by the tough veteran on the ice following the hit. Seravalli notes that not only Los Angeles but also Team Canada will be happy that Doughty will not miss an extended period of time in this Olympic year.
AHL Shuffle: 10/23/21
There’s no rest on the weekend for NHL clubs, especially early in the season when teams are still constantly tweaking lineups. With 13 games on the docket, all but six teams are preparing their rosters for game day as well. Follow along with all of the back-and-forth of minor league transactions throughout the day:
Atlantic Division
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Brett Murray from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The upstart Sabres suffered their first loss of the season last night and are right back in action today, hoping that adding Murray to the mix can help get them back on their surprising early track. Murray recorded nine goals and 20 points in 27 AHL games last year and got into two NHL games as well, so he is ready to take the next step this season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled defenseman Fredrik Claesson from the Syracuse Crunch, per a team press release. As young defenseman Cal Foote sits with Syracuse currently on a conditioning stint, the Lightning were only carrying 19 players on the active roster. The reacquired Alex Barre-Boulet was the only extra man. Claesson comes back up to the big squad, serving as an extra body and veteran presence at 28 years old.
Metropolitan Division
- Nick Seeler should be earning frequent Flyer miles for all of these moves. The veteran defenseman has been swapped between the NHL and AHL more than any other player early this season and is on his way back up to Philadelphia yet again. The team has announced that Seeler has been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, likely as insurance with Ryan Ellis still sidelined with a minor injury.
- The Penguins announced the recall of defenseman Juuso Riikola from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. His promotion was needed with Kris Letang entering COVID protocol. Riikola has 75 career games played in the NHL but only two were last season as he spent most of the year on Pittsburgh’s taxi squad.
Central Division
- Brandon Cain of On Tap Sports reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Reese Johnson from the AHL. The 23-year-old forward is off to a good start with AHL Rockford, recording a goal and an assist in the team’s first three games. Johnson played in five games with the Blackhawks last season while notching eight points in 18 games with the Ice Hogs. Chicago needs a spark – maybe Johnson can provide. The team has since confirmed the move.
Pacific Division
- CapFriendly reports the Los Angeles Kings have recalled defenseman Austin Strand from AHL Ontario. Strand will serve as the team’s seventh defenseman for the time being after Drew Doughty was injured in a game against the Dallas Stars Friday night. Strand got into 13 games with the Kings last season, notching his first NHL point in the form of an assist.
This post will be updated throughout the day
Snapshots: Olympics, Blackwell, Crosby
Each country participating in the upcoming Olympics had to submit their long list of 50 skaters and five goalies by last Friday. While those lists weren’t made public, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that Canada was granted a special exemption to add a sixth goaltender to their list in Canadiens netminder Carey Price who is currently out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The other five goalies are Darcy Kuemper, Carter Hart, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Binnington, and Mackenzie Blackwood. Canada’s Olympic committee recently announced a vaccination mandate in order to participate which makes Blackwood’s presence on here noteworthy as he is believed to be one of the four NHL players currently not vaccinated. LeBrun mentions that the Devils’ goalie is working through the process of getting that done which should make him eligible to participate in the tournament in February if selected.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Kraken center Colin Blackwell has resumed light skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury that kept him out of training camp, notes Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times. He’s hoping to avoid surgery but it appears he’s still a few weeks away from returning. Blackwell was selected back in expansion after picking up 12 goals and 10 assists in 47 games (all career highs) last season with the Rangers.
- Penguins center Sidney Crosby returned to practice today after missing the last four team skates, relays NHL.com’s Wes Crosby. He indicated that he has yet to go through any physical or faceoff drills which will need to happen before he can return. Crosby, who is working his way back from wrist surgery that carried a minimum recovery time of six weeks, has missed just more than that and hasn’t pegged a target date for him to make his season debut.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Montreal Canadiens
Current Cap Hit: $90,481,370 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Cole Caufield (two years, $881K)
D Alexander Romanov (one year, $894K)
F Nick Suzuki (one year, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Caufield: $300K
Romanov: $637.5K
Suzuki: $537.5K
Total: $1.475MM
Caufield joined Montreal late last season and wound up playing in their top six pretty much the rest of the way including for most of their playoff run. Viewed as a possible contender for the Calder Trophy, expectations are quite high for the 20-year-old who is a candidate to bypass a bridge contract and sign a long-term pact. That’s what happened with Suzuki (we’ll get to his extension later) who is quite the bargain this season before his next deal kicks in. Both players have very good chances of hitting their bonuses.
Romanov played a regular role during the regular season but hardly played during the playoffs. This season, he has moved up and down early on and hasn’t really locked down a spot in the top four. That has him trending towards a bridge contract while he could hit one or two of the three ‘A’ bonuses in his deal.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Adam Brooks ($725K, RFA)
D Ben Chiarot ($3.5MM, UFA)
D Brett Kulak ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Artturi Lehkonen ($2.3MM, RFA)
G Sam Montembeault ($750K, RFA)
D Sami Niku ($750K, RFA)
F Cedric Paquette ($950K, UFA)
F Mathieu Perreault ($950K, UFA)
D Chris Wideman ($750K, UFA)
Lehkonen has been an effective checker for Montreal for the past few seasons but his price tag is approaching the point where he’s getting too expensive for that role. If he winds up on the fourth line for a good chunk of the season, he becomes a non-tender candidate. Otherwise, if he scores enough to stick around, his raise shouldn’t be too substantial. Paquette and Perreault signed as unrestricted free agents back in July and have had limited roles so far this season. With the cap crunch that’s looming, this is the price tag they’ll need their fourth liners to have, if not a little lower. If they take something like that next summer, a return is possible. Brooks was added on waivers and will need to have close to a regular role to avoid Group VI UFA status. At this point, he should be able to get a small raise – particularly if he becomes UFA-eligible – but should still be in the six-figure range.
Chiarot’s contract with the Canadiens was a head-scratcher when he signed it in that it seemed to be well above his value but he has established himself as a top-four blueliner and his performance in the playoffs certainly helped his value. A raise next summer certainly isn’t out of the question although it’s doubtful it will come in Montreal with their cap situation. Kulak has played well at times and struggled at others, shifting him to a lower rung on the depth chart. His spot is one they’ll likely want to carry someone a little cheaper in moving forward. Wideman and Niku were added to try to add some firepower from the back end though both have struggled in their own end in the past which has hurt their value. If one of them becomes a regular, there’s a case to be made for a raise next summer but if they’re in and out of the lineup, another contract close to the minimum is likely.
Montembeault was brought in as extra depth in the preseason and is basically a short-term placeholder as the backup right now. It’s certainly not ideal from a development scenario – he turns 25 next week and has only 130 career professional appearances – and that will hurt his next contract unless he winds up being the number two option all season long. At this point, another two-way deal near the NHL minimum is likely.
Two Years Remaining
G Jake Allen ($2.875MM, RFA)
F Paul Byron ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM, UFA)
Drouin’s return has been a positive one after taking a leave of absence late last season. On the whole, his production with Montreal hasn’t lived up to the price tag which would have him seemingly heading for a pay decrease unless he is able to establish himself as a consistent scoring threat over the next two seasons instead of being consistently inconsistent. Byron has been one of the better waiver pickups in recent years but with where he is on Montreal’s depth chart when fully healthy (the fourth line), it’s a deal that’s well above market rate. It’s a premium they could once afford but this contract will cause them some issues next summer.
Allen opted not to test the free agent market this past summer, instead inking a two-year deal shortly after being acquired and putting him on what appeared to be a pathway to Seattle until he wound up being protected. Viewed as an above-average backup, he’s making a bit less than what typical second-stringers have recently landed on the open market. They’ll get good value from this deal.
Three Years Remaining
D Joel Edmundson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tyler Toffoli ($4.25MM, UFA)
Hoffman didn’t have much luck in free agency a year ago, having to eventually settle for a one-year deal. However, he fared much better this time around, signing this contract within a few hours of the market opening up. A consistent scorer, Hoffman should fill some holes offensively for the Canadiens but his limitations otherwise make him a bit of a curious fit. Toffoli, who is more of a two-way player, is a better fit for Montreal and is coming off a surprisingly strong first season with the Canadiens that saw him finish seventh in the league in goals scored. That was a nice return for someone making the money of someone on the second line.
Edmundson’s first season with Montreal was a good one, as he earned a spot in their top four while logging over 20 minutes a game during the regular season and more than 23 minutes per night in the playoffs. He doesn’t produce much offensively but players like him have been in the $3.5MM to $4MM range over the last couple of offseasons.
