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West Notes: Predators, Gourde, Daccord

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes that the Nashville Predators aren’t looking to move any of their three 2025 first-round picks. The news comes in as the team’s general manager Barry Trotz is reportedly shopping for a center as well as a top-four defenseman with some term left on their contract.

The Predators have had a disappointing start to the season and are currently sitting in the second-last spot in the Western Conference with a 6-11-3 record. The team had high hopes coming into the season after several high-priced free-agent acquisitions. However, it’s easy to see why Trotz is apprehensive to move out any first-round picks to try and salvage this season.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • The Seattle Kraken reportedly want to keep forward Yanni Gourde in Seattle long-term (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet).  The 32-year-old has had a slow start to the season with just two goals and five assists in his first 20 games, but that hasn’t deterred the Kraken, who love the player. Gourde is in the final season of a six-year $31MM contract he signed back in November of 2018 while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and would likely have a hard time matching that kind of deal in free agency. However, if the Kraken wants to keep the two-time Stanley Cup Champion in Seattle, he should still score a lucrative deal once again.
  • Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord is receiving interest from two different countries for two different upcoming tournaments despite not being born in either country. Daccord was born in the United States but is reportedly receiving interest from Team Canada (as per Ken Campbell of The Hockey News) for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Daccord’s father was born in Montreal, Canada, while his mother was born in Switzerland, and he is apparently receiving interest from the Swiss team for the upcoming Olympics (as per Friedman). Daccord came out of nowhere last season, dressing in 50 games for the Kraken in his age-27 season. He put up strong numbers last year and has been even better this season, starting out the year with a 9-3-1 record and a .923 save percentage.

Penguins Notes: Howe, Lizotte, Glass

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Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Tanner Howe was traded by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League to the Calgary Hitmen last night (as per Taylor Shire of the Regina Leader-Post). Howe was the Pats captain this season and was pulled from the lineup late last night after finding out he had been traded for two players and two picks.

The move is great news for the Penguins’ 2024 second-round selection and will surely make Pittsburgh management happy as Howe goes from the rebuilding Pats to the Hitmen who are making moves to try and go after a championship this season. Howe was selected 46th overall by the Penguins in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and has put up solid goal-scoring numbers to start the year with six goals in his first ten games.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Penguins forward Blake Lizotte skated away from the team today as he looks to recover from a second concussion in as many months (as per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Lizotte has been hit twice in the face by friendly fire this season after getting hit by pucks shot by Kris Letang and Drew O’Connor. The 26-year-old has been limited by the injuries to just seven games but has been an effective depth player when he has been healthy.
  • Pittsburgh forward Cody Glass also skated away from the team as he looks to recover from a concussion suffered last Thursday in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes (as per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Glass hasn’t provided much offensively for the Penguins with just four assists in 14 games. However, the 25-year-old has been a very effective bottom-six forward despite limited playing time. Glass has started nearly 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone but has posted incredible possession numbers (58.7 CF%) despite the daunting assignments.

Pacific Notes: Canucks, Pietrangelo, Smith

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The Vancouver Canucks made a couple of roster moves today, assigning forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League while recalling forward Max Sasson. Lekkerimäki was called up to Vancouver on November 10th after Brock Boeser was injured during a game against the Los Angeles Kings on November 7th. His demotion could signal that Boeser is ready to return to the lineup, but Sasson’s call-up indicates that he might not be quite ready to play yet.

Lekkerimäki initially filled in for Boeser alongside J.T. Miller and did get some extended looks on the Canucks power play. However, he struggled at even strength as the Canucks were dominated on the possession front (CF% of 45.5% as per Hockey Reference) whenever Lekkerimäki’s line was on the ice. The 20-year-old has a single goal in five NHL games this season and averaged just under 15 minutes of ice time per game.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The news gives the recent Robert Hagg recall some context as Vegas will need another body on the backup, particularly now that they are missing three NHL regulars from their defensive core. Pietrangelo joins Nic Hague and Ben Hutton who are both out of the lineup due to injury. Pietrangelo has had a strong start to the season posting two goals and 12 assists with a +5 plus/minus in 19 games.
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky tells the media that he isn’t aware of any discussions to send Sharks forward Will Smith to the World Juniors to play for Team USA (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Smith has struggled considerably in his first NHL season, registering just two goals and two assists in 17 games to go along with an abysmal -12 plus/minus rating. Given his play, it’s fair to wonder if the 2023 fourth-overall pick is NHL-ready, but it doesn’t appear the Sharks have any plans to have Smith play in the Juniors tournament this season.

Blackhawks Notes: Teräväinen, Commesso, Frost

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A few teams have alternated the dubious distinction of last place this season, but after dropping three in a row for the second time, the Blackhawks now hold that honor with a 6-12-1 record and .342 points percentage.

That skid has the team getting “less confident for sure,” free-agent returnee Teuvo Teräväinen told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday. He said the team’s lack of scoring is frustrating – an understandable sentiment considering he has just one goal on 28 shots in his last 16 games after starting the year with three goals in three outings.

“I’ve got to work harder or something,” Teräväinen continued. “I’m chasing the game a lot. [My] confidence is just getting lower and lower — like everybody, I feel like — but it’s just how it is.” Chicago’s 2.32 goals per game are 31st in the league, ahead of only the Predators. Their 19.6% power-play success rate, though, is exactly middle of the pack.

Other items of note from Chicagoland:

  • With Petr Mrázek back in goal tonight after a brief personal leave, the Blackhawks have returned Drew Commesso to AHL Rockford, per the NHL’s media site. Chicago recalled the 22-year-old on Tuesday to back up Arvid Söderblom against the Stars, but he didn’t enter the game. It’s the third Blackhawks game he’s sat on the bench for this season without playing. Their current lone AHL recall option with Laurent Brossoit on the shelf has a 3.71 GAA, .854 SV%, and a 2-4-0 record in six games for Rockford this season.
  • Keep Flyers center Morgan Frost in mind as a potential trade pickup for Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet opined Thursday. Frost is now fully in trade speculation after sitting in the press box for four of Philadelphia’s last five games, and the 25-year-old has just one goal and six points in 16 games on the year and is seeing his lowest average ice time since the 2021-22 campaign. The Blackhawks are casting a wider net in their search to add down the middle, but Friedman zeroed in on Frost as an age-appropriate option for their rebuild without too high of an acquisition cost.

Alex Ovechkin Out 4-6 Weeks With Left Fibula Fracture

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Nov. 21, 4:41 p.m.: Additional testing revealed a left fibula fracture for Ovechkin, per the team. He’ll miss the next four to six weeks, putting his return around Christmas at the earliest. He was already moved to injured reserve.

Nov. 19, 11:33 a.m.: It’s a lower leg injury for Ovechkin that will leave him out on a week-to-week basis, the Caps announced. He’ll undergo additional evaluation tomorrow.

Nov. 19, 8:59 a.m.: Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is being evaluated for a lower-body injury after leaving last night’s game against Utah following a knee-on-knee collision with Jack McBain, head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters postgame, including Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network.

The Capitals will likely issue a further update on Ovechkin’s status at some point on Tuesday, Carbery said. He left the game early in the third period after his and McBain’s left legs inadvertently collided while Ovechkin was attempting to carry the puck out of the Washington zone (video via Sportsnet). The 39-year-old tried to remain on the bench, but after testing out his leg during a stoppage in play, he went to the room.

It puts a significant damper on a monster season for the future Hall-of-Famer. After scoring twice last night, Ovechkin had five goals in his previous two outings to accelerate him to the top of the NHL leaderboard with 15 in just 18 games. Not only is he on pace to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals this season, he’s currently tracking to become the oldest player ever to lead the NHL in goals while also breaking Gordie Howe’s record for most goals by a player in their age-39 season with 39.

Ovechkin missing any length of time puts all those marks in jeopardy. Injuries have been a rare occurrence for the 2004 first-overall pick, who’s played in 1,444 of a possible 1,503 regular-season games over his 20-year career. His last injury absence was a three-gamer in January 2024 due to a lower-body issue, and he’s never missed more than six consecutive games in his career.

In addition to his 868 overall goals, Ovechkin is also the active leader in even-strength goals (547) and game-winning goals (132). His 316 power-play goals and 6,690 shots on goal are already league records.

His potential injury also deprives the Caps of their best goal-scoring weapon amid an incredibly resurgent start to the season. After barely making the postseason in 2023-24 with a shocking -37 goal differential, Washington is 13-4-1, has the league’s best offense and eighth-ranked defense, and ranks second in the Metropolitan Division with a .750 points percentage.

If Ovechkin is set to miss any length time, all eyes will immediately turn to Dylan Strome, who leads the team with 22 assists and 28 points and a +18 rating. While his breakout has certainly helped The Great Eight along in his chase for the all-time record, Strome’s point totals have almost certainly benefitted in kind from having the Russian on his wing. How much of that pace he can keep up remains to be seen, while others like Connor McMichael (12 goals, 19 points) and Aliaksei Protas (seven goals, 18 points) will need to keep up their scorching pace to help the Caps stay in contention for the Metro title.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Golden Knights Recall Robert Hägg

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The Golden Knights announced Thursday that they’ve recalled defenseman Robert Hägg from AHL Henderson. They returned winger Jonas Røndbjerg to Henderson after a brief recall to create a spot on the active roster, per the NHL’s media site.

Vegas was carrying 15 forwards and six defensemen, so the swap gives them an extra defenseman for the four remaining games on their road trip. Nicolas Hague is dealing with an undisclosed injury and has been on injured reserve for nearly two weeks, while the team placed Ben Hutton on LTIR on Tuesday after he sustained an upper-body injury against the Capitals over the weekend.

It’s Hägg’s first time being recalled since clearing waivers and heading to the AHL during preseason. The 29-year-old lefty signed a one-way, league-minimum deal on the second day of free agency to give Vegas some reinforcements on the back end, although it was clear he was low enough on their depth chart heading into camp that he would end up on waivers despite the one-way structure indicating otherwise.

Hägg has nearly 350 games of NHL experience, although his five appearances with the Ducks last year were his fewest since 2016-17, indicative of his decline into a minor-league fixture. He’s one of just four players to play in all 14 games for Henderson so far this season, ranking second among their defensemen in scoring with eight points (1 G, 7 A) and a -1 rating.

Meanwhile, Røndbjerg’s second recall of the young season ends without an appearance. The 25-year-old Dane appeared twice for Vegas earlier this month, posting a -1 rating in under 15 minutes of total ice time. The 2017 third-round pick has six points in 10 games for Henderson.

Oilers Place Viktor Arvidsson On Injured Reserve

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The Oilers placed winger Viktor Arvidsson on IR today, per a team announcement. The placement is retroactive to Nov. 12, so he can be activated at any time. Defenseman Josh Brown was recalled in a corresponding transaction after being sent down to AHL Bakersfield last night.

Arvidsson, 31, has already missed four games with an undisclosed injury and will miss a fifth tonight when Edmonton hosts the Wild. After signing a two-year, $8MM contract in free agency, the 5’9″ Swede has been limited to two goals and three assists for five points in 16 games despite spending most of his time on Leon Draisaitl’s wing.

It’s certainly not the level of production the Oilers expected out of Arvidsson, who had been an effective top-nine piece for the Kings over the past few seasons. Back surgery and a lower-body injury limited him to 18 appearances last season, but he still managed to record six goals and nine assists for 15 points. He was coming off a 26-goal, 59-point campaign the year prior, just two points short of his career-high set with the Predators in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns.

He’s not the only top-six forward that Edmonton will be down tonight. Zach Hyman will miss the next four to seven days with the undisclosed injury he sustained against the Senators on Tuesday, head coach Kris Knoblauch told Mark Spector of Sportsnet. Neither Arvidsson nor Hyman will return for Saturday’s game against the Rangers, but both could be options when Edmonton returns to action against Utah after Thanksgiving.

As for Brown’s recall, it’s uncertain if he’ll play after suiting up as a seventh defenseman in each of their last two games. The Oilers now have 12 forwards available on the active roster after recalling Drake Caggiula earlier Thursday, and Kasperi Kapanen has joined the team after being claimed off waivers from the Blues earlier in the week.

Brown logged 7 PIMs and averaged 11:29 per game across Edmonton’s back-to-back earlier this week, his first NHL appearance since inking a three-year, $3MM contract over the summer. The 30-year-old landed on waivers before the season started and has spent most of his time in Bakersfield, where he has two assists and a +5 rating in 12 games.

Metropolitan Notes: Mitchell, Lindgren, Thompson, Markström, Chytil

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The Islanders returned defenseman Travis Mitchell to AHL Bridgeport on Wednesday, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News.

Mitchell’s first NHL recall came and went without an appearance. He was recalled last week to serve as an extra defender with Adam Pelech, Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov all out with injuries on the back end, but served as a healthy scratch in three straight games before yesterday’s reassignment. He was no longer needed with Romanov returning to action against the Flames on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Mitchell is in just his second full season with the Isles organization after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Cornell in 2023. The 6’4″, 205-lb lefty had three points, 21 PIMs and a -2 rating with Bridgeport prior to last week’s summons. He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract and is ticketed for restricted free agency next summer.

The Islanders now have an open roster spot, so as things stand, they won’t need to make a corresponding transaction whenever their next injured player is ready to return. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair, in addition to Pelech and Reilly, are all either on IR or LTIR.

There’s more from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Capitals fans got some concerning news when goaltenders Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson both left practice this morning, but both are good to dress tonight against the Avalanche, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Thompson, who’s pretty much rotated starts evenly with Lindgren, will get the start. Acquired by trade from the Golden Knights at the 2024 draft, Thompson has been the far better of the two netminders with an 8-0-1 record, .913 SV%, 2.63 GAA and 3.5 GSAA in nine appearances.
  • Devils goaltender Jacob Markström will start Thursday against the Hurricanes, according to the club’s Amanda Stein, marking his milestone 500th career appearance. He’ll become the 81st goalie in NHL history to cross the threshold, with Cam Talbot and Andrei Vasilevskiy likely to follow before the New Year. The 34-year-old has provided the stability to New Jersey’s crease they so desperately desired in his first season in the Garden State, posting an 8-5-1 record with a .907 SV% and 2.58 GAA while starting 14 of their 21 games.
  • Despite joining the team on the road, Rangers center Filip Chytil won’t return to the lineup tonight in Calgary, reports Peter Baugh of The Athletic. He wasn’t on the ice for morning skate as he’ll miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury. Previous reports indicate the 25-year-old avoided a concussion when he left a Nov. 14 game against the Sharks after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller, a good sign for the youngster who was limited to just 10 regular-season games in 2023-24 with concussions. Through 15 appearances, the 2017 first-round pick has four goals and five assists for nine points.

Avalanche Activate Alexandar Georgiev, Reassign T.J. Tynan

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The Avalanche announced Thursday that they’ve activated goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from injured reserve. Forward T.J. Tynan is returning to AHL Colorado to open a spot on the active roster.

Georgiev, 28, last played on Nov. 13. He missed the previous two games with an upper-body injury. However, he will be available tonight against the Capitals, as Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette said was possible yesterday.

The Bulgarian netminder’s already-subpar regular season numbers from 2023-24 have only tanked further so far this season. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances, Georgiev’s .863 SV% ranks last in the league, and his -9.1 goals saved above expected are second-worst behind Connor Ingram’s -10.9, per MoneyPuck.

However, the tide for Georgiev had been turning before his injury. He’d started four games in a row and put up a 3-1-0 record with a .913 SV%, bringing his year-to-date SV% up from a dreadful .822 mark.

Kevin Mandolese remains on the roster as a No. 3 for now, presumably for insurance in case Georgiev re-aggravates his injury. He could remain with the team through the rest of their road trip, which wraps up in Tampa on Monday.

Tynan, 32, was recalled ahead of Colorado’s last game, a 3-2 win over the Flyers on Monday, but he didn’t play. The Illinois native has made seven appearances for the Avs this season in between call-ups while injuries ravaged their forward corps, recording an assist and a -1 rating while averaging 7:47 per game. He’s yet to score in eight AHL contests this season but has seven assists.

Atlantic Notes: Paul, Knies, Staios

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The Lightning will be without the services of center Nick Paul tonight in Columbus, head coach Jon Cooper told the team’s Gabby Shirley. The 29-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury against the Penguins on Tuesday and will be re-evaluated when the Bolts return home from their road trip tomorrow, Cooper said.

It’s a tough break for Paul, who’s on pace to have the best offensive season of his career by a country mile. The 6’4″ pivot is part of a Lightning top-six that’s roared to life, posting 13 points (5 G, 8 A) in 17 games. That’s a 0.76 point-per-game pace, shattering last year’s 0.56 career high.

Paul had recently moved to the wing, skating on the second line alongside Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. Cam Atkinson could take that job after serving as a healthy scratch for the last three games, assuming the Bolts don’t want to make any other lineup changes, although he has just one assist in 11 games with a team-worst -7 rating.

Paul is now in his fourth season in the Bay after parts of seven years with the Senators. The Ontario native has emerged as a crucial middle-six weapon, posting 105 points in 200 games while averaging north of 16 minutes per game and winning 53.5% of his faceoffs.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies is still being evaluated after being pulled by concussion spotters from last night’s win over the Golden Knights but is “feeling okay today,” head coach Craig Berube told Mark Masters of TSN. Knies left the game in the second period after a hit to the head from Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud, which was initially called a major penalty but was rescinded entirely upon review. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready by Sunday’s game against Utah – if not, the Leafs are at risk of being down a seventh forward due to injury and would likely dress seven defensemen.
  • A 3-5-1 rut in November has the Senators below .500 yet again and at considerable risk of extending their playoff drought to eight years. Don’t expect general manager Steve Staios to make a blockbuster move to bail his club out, though, saying Wednesday that “each individual in the room needs to step up” in order to get Ottawa back on the right track (per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch). “For us to figure out as a group why that’s our record is what we’re trying to unlock,” Staios said. “For most games, the team looks and feels not only like a competitive team but a playoff-looking team. We’ve proven against good teams.“

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