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Pacific Notes: Olofsson, Nurse, Arvidsson, Miller, Wright

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The Vegas Golden Knights should only be a few days away from the return of an injured forward. The organization announced they assigned forward Victor Olofsson to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, for a conditioning loan. This confirms the Golden Knights are quickly expected to activate Olofsson from the long-term injured reserve.

Olofsson has only been on the team’s LTIR for approximately a week but hasn’t suited up for a game in Vegas for over a month due to a lower-body injury. He had scored three goals in his four games before succumbing to the injury while averaging 15:03 of ice time per game.

It’ll be interesting to see how much playing time Olofsson can manage once he returns from injury despite the strong scoring pace to begin the season. The Golden Knights will have a clearer picture of their roster construction once Mark Stone returns to the lineup but Olofsson may become a healthy scratch upon activation. He projects as an upgrade on the right wing as the lineup is currently constructed but the team might prefer continuity as they’ve risen to the top of the Pacific Division standings.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Jack Michaels, the play-by-play commentator for the Edmonton Oilers, confirmed today that defenseman Darnell Nurse is only expected to miss five to 10 days from the illegal check to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves this past weekend. Thankfully, the Oilers have a five-day break at the beginning of next week which should give Nurse ample time to recover. The Oilers will have a difficult time without him this week should he miss all four games with Edmonton deploying a subpar supporting cast behind Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard.
  • In the same update from Michaels, he shares that the Oilers will also be without forward Viktor Arvidsson tonight. Tonight will mark the third straight game Arvidsson has missed with an undisclosed injury. When healthy, he’s scored two goals and five points in 16 games in his first year with the Oilers organization.
  • Through the first 16 games of the 2024-25 NHL season for J.T. Miller, he had been averaging 18:49 of ice time. It’s dropped by more than a third of a minute thanks to getting benched in the Vancouver Canucks’ loss to the Nashville Predators last night. In an explanation of the benching, head coach Rick Tocchet said, “I went with the guys I thought could get us back into the game.” (X Link)
  • Miller wasn’t the only notable benching last night with Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright also enjoying some time on the pine. According to Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times, head coach Dan Bylsma said, “As the games have gone along here, I think Shane’s game has been trending in not the best direction. Really the message is: Take a reset, watch the game tonight, which he did, and get back focused on playing the way you can play.” Wright has only scored two points in 18 games for the Kraken this season and the recent message from Bylsma isn’t exactly a vote of confidence for the former fourth-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft.

New Jersey Announces Several Roster Moves

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Before their game in a few days against the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, the New Jersey Devils are adding more pieces to their roster. The organization announced they have placed Nathan Bastian on long-term injured reserve retroactive to November 1st, Curtis Lazar on injured reserve retroactive to October 27th, and has recalled Shane Bowers, Justin Dowling, Nolan Foote, and Nick DeSimone from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

None of the moves are shocking from the cap-conscious Devils who’ve been slowplaying Bastian and Lazar’s designation to capture more salary cap space for the trade deadline. With a projected deadline space of almost $10MM, New Jersey could place both players on their respective injury reserve designations and fill out the rest of the roster.

Bastian has the less serious injury of the two after sustaining a jaw injury during a fight with Calgary Flames forward Ryan Lomberg. He was originally expected to miss several weeks with the injury and if he’s fully recovered, can return on November 26th when the Devils take on the St. Louis Blues. The more serious injury concern lies in Lazar who may finish the year with only 12 games played after undergoing a procedure on his left knee keeping him out indefinitely.

Dowling is the only member of the call-up quartet that has already suited up for New Jersey this season. He was originally recalled to replace the lost minutes of Lazar and has tallied one assist in nine games while averaging 8:13 of ice time.

Foote was an obvious choice for a call-up as the former 27th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s already accrued 23 games of NHL experience in his young career and was leading the AHL Comets in scoring this season with four goals and nine points in 12 games.

The other two recalls are largely AHL-bound veterans at this point in their respective careers although Bowers may carry some prospect pedigree as a first-round pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. He’s seen his scoring drop precipitously since transitioning to professional hockey in the 2018-19 season scoring a career-high 27 points for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in 2019-20. DeSimone, who reached a one-year extension with the Devils last season, has already been recalled this season but failed to register any games.

The downstream effects of the roster moves will be greatly felt in the AHL. The Comets have yet to earn a victory this season through 13 games and may have to play this weekend’s contests against the Syracuse Crunch and Rochester Americans without three of their top-10 scorers.

Winnipeg Jets Activate, Re-Assign Ville Heinola On Conditioning Stint

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In a positive update on his recovery from ankle surgery, the Winnipeg Jets organization announced they have activated defenseman Ville Heinola off injured reserve and have reassigned him to the American Hockey League on a conditioning stint. Heinola has been shelved since September 20th after undergoing a procedure to remove an infection from his previously fractured ankle.

The 2024-25 NHL season was expected to be big for the former 20th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Thanks to a few departures this past offseason, Heinola was thought to have a consistent role on the Jets’ blue line this season. Heinola hasn’t suited up for Winnipeg since January 19th, 2023 because of his ankle fracture and subsequent surgery a few months ago.

He’s spent much of the last three seasons playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and has performed quite well. He’s scored 19 goals and 90 points in 130 games for the Moose since the start of the 2021-22 season with an additional one goal and eight points in 11 postseason contests.

The conditioning stint will allow Heinola to spend a maximum of two weeks with AHL Manitoba while still collecting his NHL salary. Once the conditioning loan has run its course it will be interesting to see how the Jets incorporate Heinola into the lineup.

He should have a guaranteed spot in the bottom pairing next to Colin Miller as an objective upgrade over Haydn Fleury. Winnipeg may even choose to move Dylan Samberg down a pair allowing Heinola minutes next to fellow puck-moving blue liner Neal Pionk.

In all likelihood, Winnipeg will slowplay Heinola back into the NHL especially considering the team’s average defensive play despite the impressive start. The Jets have allowed the 15th most shots against of all the teams in the league and are sitting 24th in Expected Goals Against according to Hockey Reference. Winnipeg’s fourth-best GA/G average to start the campaign is primarily because of the stellar play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck which may give the team the confidence to give more responsibility to Heinola out of the gate.

Mike Reilly Out Indefinitely After Heart Surgery, Other Islanders Updates

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Cory Wright of the New York Islanders issued several injury updates this afternoon including one unfortunate update for a member of the Islanders’ defense. The organization announced that defenseman Mike Reilly has fully recovered from his concussion suffered on November 1st but underwent a procedure on his heart that will keep him off the ice indefinitely.

There shouldn’t be any long-term concerns for Reilly’s health after fully recovering from the surgery according to a few quotes from New York’s general manager and president of hockey operations, Lou Lamoriello. Lamoriello said, “It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation. It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with, but never knew. [His quality of life will be] 100% and he will be able to play once this procedure is done. It takes quite a bit of time. It could be several months before he’s back, because of the type of procedure“.

Because of the uncertainty of the recovery process, it’ll likely be some time before the Islanders issue any formal updates on Reilly’s status. Considering Lamoriello mentioned it could take several months, there’s every likelihood Reilly won’t return until next season.

The puck-moving Chicago native has played in 70 games for New York since being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers last year. He’s been a steady offensive performer over that stretch with six goals and 24 points, averaging 17:01 a night in an Islanders’ sweater.

The team also issued updates on Alexander Romanov, Anthony Duclair, Mathew Barzal, and Adam Pelech in the announcement. Romanov, the closest to returning, is still considered day-to-day and will be a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s contest against the Calgary Flames.

On the longer-term end, neither Duclair, Barzal, or Pelech have resumed skating, but the team hopes Duclair will soon. He’s been out with a lower-body injury since October 19th and was originally given a four—to six-week recovery timeline.

Barzal and Pelech haven’t been out as long as Duclair. The two were injured in back-to-back games in the first week of November and still haven’t been cleared by the team’s medical staff.

Sabres Reassign Devon Levi

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2:50 p.m.: Buffalo used Levi’s roster spot to recall winger Isak Rosén from Rochester. The 2021 first-round pick will likely head back to the AHL when Thompson is ready to return, but it’s still a nice reward for the 21-year-old, who leads Rochester with 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in 14 games this season.

10:28 a.m.: The Sabres will reassign goaltender Devon Levi to AHL Rochester, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Monday, including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

While the demotion is made primarily with Levi’s development in mind, it also likely prefaces a couple of corresponding moves. Starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be back in the crease against the Kings on Wednesday after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. At the same time, star center Tage Thompson will likely come off injured reserve to fill Levi’s vacated roster spot after sitting out a few contests with a lower-body injury.

Before Luukkonen’s injury last week, Levi had sat as the backup for 11 out of 15 games. That’s not the best recipe for success for a 22-year-old netminder with plenty of room to grow, which Ruff articulated as the primary reason for his return to Rochester.

It could also rightfully be considered a performance-based demotion. The 2020 seventh-round pick has gone five games without recording a .900 SV% and has won only two of his six starts, posting a .870 SV% and 3.95 GAA with a career-worst -5.7 GSAA on the year.

Buffalo’s top young netminder was excellent in the AHL last season while splitting time evenly between the NHL and the minors. In 26 games, he posted a 2.42 GAA, .927 SV% and a 16-6-4 record. It was his first full professional campaign after two seasons at Northeastern, where he compiled a sparkling .942 SV% in 66 appearances, winning the Mike Richter Award for the NCAA’s top goalie in 2022 and 2023.

While those are promising numbers, it’s clear Levi needs more reps and more frequent playing time before establishing himself as a fixture on the NHL roster. He’s arguably been the worst goaltender in the league in 2024-25, relative to the shot quality he’s faced. Among the 58 goalies with at least five games, Levi’s -1.23 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes are the lowest, per MoneyPuck.

Levi’s demotion leaves veteran James Reimer as the Sabres’ No. 2 option behind Luukkonen for the foreseeable future. The 36-year-old signed a one-year, $1MM contract with Buffalo in free agency over the summer but was selected off waivers by the Ducks the day before the regular season started.

Reimer suited up twice for Anaheim while John Gibson was on the shelf due to an emergency appendectomy surgery, conceding nine goals on 66 shots for a poor .864 SV%. Nonetheless, the Sabres wanted him back and re-claimed him off waivers last week after Gibson returned to play. The Manitoba native spent last season with the Red Wings, recording an 11-8-2 record, .904 SV%, 3.11 GAA, and two shutouts in 20 starts and five relief appearances.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blues Place Kasperi Kapanen On Waivers

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The Blues have placed winger Kasperi Kapanen on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Springfield, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Monday.

Kapanen, 28, has been limited by an upper-body injury and multiple healthy scratches to 10 appearances this season. He has just one goal and a -6 rating with a 45.9 CF%, struggling to limit chances against while failing to generate many chances himself with 11 shots on goal.

That underwhelming showing has led head coach Drew Bannister to slash Kapanen’s ice time to 11:19 per game, his lowest average since his rookie season with the Maple Leafs in 2017-18. With Kapanen now sitting in the press box for back-to-back games and the team needing to clear a forward spot eventually to activate Robert Thomas from injured reserve, it was clear that he was becoming the odd man out.

The Blues had their chance to walk away from Kapanen over the offseason after he recorded six goals and 22 points in 73 games last year, his lowest points-per-game rate as a full-time NHLer. Instead, they opted to re-sign him to a one-year, $1MM contract shortly after the free agent market opened on July 1. While it’s a one-way deal, his cap hit is fully buriable and won’t count against St. Louis’ books if he clears waivers and reports to Springfield.

The Blues acquired Kapanen, a first-round pick by the Penguins back in 2014, by claiming him off waivers from Pittsburgh in Feb. 2023, less than halfway through a two-year, $6.4MM deal he’d signed with the Pens. It initially looked like Kapanen might have found a home in Missouri, posting 14 points in 23 games down the stretch while averaging 16:45 per game, the most minutes he’d ever shouldered as an NHLer. But inconsistency and a career-worst 6.1% shooting rate plagued him in 2023-24, kicking off a slow slide down the depth chart.

As a former 20-goal scorer with Toronto and a five-time 30-point getter, there might be some interest in Kapanen on the wire as a fully buriable expiring contract with some rebound potential. If not, he’ll be staring down his first minor league assignment since the 2017-18 season.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Red Wings To Reassign Jack Campbell

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Nov. 18: Campbell cleared waivers Monday and is on his way to Grand Rapids, Friedman reports.

Nov. 17: The Detroit Red Wings have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Campbell signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with Detroit on July 1st but entered the NHL Player Assistance Program on October 4th. That’s been his designation ever since, though this waiver placement suggests he’s been activated and will soon return to the ice.

Campbell has been on a downward spiral since his stout service as Toronto’s starter in 2021-22. He recorded 31 wins and a .914 save percentage in 49 games that year – both higher than any Leafs starter not named Frederik Andersen since 2010. Campbell followed what seemed to be his breakout season by signing a rich deal with the Edmonton Oilers. But he’d quickly lose his grip, ultimately ceding the starting role to rookie Stuart Skinner after only posting 21 wins and a .888 save percentage in 36 games. Skinner managed a hardier 29 wins and .914 save percentage in 50 games, leading Edmonton to placing Campbell’s hefty $5MM cap hit on waivers. He passed through and proceeded to look much better with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors – posting an 18-13-1 record and .918 save percentage in 33 games. But that wasn’t enough to vindicate his price tag, and the Oilers chose to buy out the last three years of Campbell’s contract this summer.

A new deal in Detroit marked a chance for Campbell to rediscover his footing – though a chance at the NHL roster has always been a long shot. The Red Wings made a point of building out their net this summer, adding Cam Talbot on a two-year, $5MM contract to help challenge Alex Lyon and Ville Husso for the starting role. Talbot has more than earned it so far, posting a .927 save percentage through 10 games, while Lyon’s .903 is strong enough to hang onto the backup role.

Unfortunately, that’s left Husso and his .811 in two NHL games as the odd-man-out. He’s been buried in the minor leagues, though he’s recorded a much more encouraging .952 save percentage in four games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Husso is rotating with Carter Gylander as the backup to top Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa, who’s set a dazzling .937 save percentage in 11 games. Campbell will now step into that crowd, likely pushing Gylander back to the ECHL but not guaranteeing any minutes in front of Husso. It’ll be a battle of the middling goaltenders in Grand Rapids’ goaltending room, while the 21-year-old Cossa continues to pave a strong path forward.

Kings Recall Samuel Helenius, Jacob Moverare

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Nov. 18: It was indeed a paper transaction. Helenius and Moverare are back up with the NHL club today, per a team announcement.

Nov. 17: The Kings loaned center Samuel Helenius and defenseman Jacob Moverare to AHL Ontario on Sunday, the team announced. With four days until their next game, it could be a paper transaction to get them playing time and, in Moverare’s case, delay the expiration of his temporary waiver exemption.

Los Angeles recalled Helenius, 22 next week, last weekend, shortly after Alex Turcotte exited the lineup with an upper-body injury. Turcotte returned to action Saturday against the Red Wings, but Helenius remained in the lineup for his fourth straight appearance while Akil Thomas sat in the press box.

Helenius has spent his first look in the NHL centering the Kings’ fourth line. He’s averaged 10:22 per game, won 13 of his 26 draws, and recorded his first two NHL points – both assists. He has a +1 rating, four shots on goal, 7 PIMs, and put his 6’6″, 201-lb frame to work by averaging 17.37 hits per 60 minutes, second on the team only to Tanner Jeannot.

It’s hard not to be optimistic based on the 2021 second-round pick’s initial showing. The son of former NHL enforcer Sami Helenius hasn’t flashed intriguing point totals at the AHL level, with only 37 in 150 games for Ontario over the past four seasons. But the fundamentals are there for Helenius to continue growing into a potential fourth-line fixture at the game’s highest level, although he’ll need to improve on his possession play. The Kings controlled only 42.9% of shot attempts with Helenius on the ice at even strength despite giving him rather advantageous offensive usage.

Meanwhile, all signs point to the 26-year-old Moverare coming back up before Wednesday’s game if Caleb Jones isn’t yet ready to come off IR with his undisclosed injury. The 2016 fourth-round pick made his season debut on Saturday, posting a +1 rating, two hits, four blocks, and a 60.6 CF% in 14:50 of ice time. He was just recalled on Friday, so only two days and one game have been shaved off from his temporary 30-day, 10-game exemption after clearing waivers during preseason.

Sharks Recall Yaroslav Askarov

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The Sharks announced Monday that they’ve recalled top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov from AHL San Jose. The team placed center Nico Sturm on injured reserve to open up a roster spot.

Askarov was expected to compete for an NHL job out of training camp after being acquired in a blockbuster swap with the Predators in August. A lower-body injury sustained over the offseason threw a wrench into those plans, though. Since Askarov didn’t get on the ice with San Jose until the beginning of October, they kept their veteran tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Vítek Vaněček intact while loaning the 22-year-old to their AHL affiliate.

If the 2020 11th-overall pick’s desire for NHL time wasn’t apparent when he requested a trade out of Nashville, it’s crystal clear now after his impeccable start in the AHL. He’s been among the league’s best netminders with a 1.92 GAA, .939 SV%, two shutouts, and a 6-3-0 record in nine appearances behind one of the AHL’s worst teams over the past few seasons. His play has fuelled the Barracuda to a 93-point pace, which would be their second-best record in franchise history since their inception in 2015.

It’s a marked improvement on his already strong numbers with AHL Milwaukee while in the Predators’ system. He started 40-plus games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns with matching .911 save percentages, earning himself a pair of All-Star Game nods. It only translated into two NHL starts and one relief appearance with Nashville during that time, posting a 2.58 GAA and .914 SV% with a 1-1-0 record.

Askarov is expected to back up Blackwood tonight against the Red Wings. His recall comes after Vaněček sustained an undisclosed injury in the first period against the Penguins on Saturday and did not return after the intermission.

While Blackwood has been strong for the Sharks this year with a .914 SV% and 4.7 GSAA in 11 appearances, Vaněček’s .899 SV% and -0.5 GSAA in 10 games have solidified him as the weak link in San Jose’s tandem thus far. If he’s out long enough for Askarov to get some game action, there’s a small but visible opening for him to steal the No. 2 job behind Blackwood and potentially push the pending UFA Vaněček to the waiver wire or force San Jose to carry three goalies.

Meanwhile, Sturm lands on IR after missing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. His placement is retroactive to Nov. 14, so he’ll miss at least two more games but is eligible to return for Thursday’s road tilt against the Blues. The German pivot has averaged just 9:50 per game this season but is still tied for seventh on the Sharks in scoring with six points (3 G, 3 A) in 18 games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bruins Recall Jeffrey Viel

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The Bruins promoted winger Jeffrey Viel from AHL Providence on Monday, per a team announcement. Boston had an open roster spot after reassigning Riley Tufte on Sunday, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Viel, 27, is in his first season in the Bruins organization. The 6’2″, 205-lb power forward signed a two-year, partial two-way deal in free agency over the summer after spending the first six seasons of his professional career in the Sharks and Jets systems.

The Quebec native is expected to play his first NHL game in 19 months tonight against the Blue Jackets, per Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. He’ll slot in a fourth-line role at left wing alongside John Beecher and Tyler Johnson while Mark Kastelic comes out due to a lower-body injury, and Cole Koepke serves as a healthy scratch despite being fourth on the Bruins in scoring with eight points (4 G, 4 A) in 19 games. There’s hope Kastelic could return for Thursday’s game against Utah, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports, so Viel’s stint in the lineup could be a short one.

While Viel spent last year with Winnipeg, he didn’t see NHL ice and spent the entire 2023-24 season on assignment to AHL Manitoba. All of his 49 career NHL games came in a Sharks uniform. He recorded three goals and two assists for five points with a -9 rating and 139 PIMs in parts of three seasons. He averaged 8:29 per game in San Jose and controlled 43.6% of shot attempts at even strength.

Viel has routinely blended strong physical play and frequent fights with decent scoring numbers in the minors, making him an attractive power winger option for NHL clubs looking to add some skill and protection for their younger prospects at the AHL level. His production hasn’t come alive with Providence yet, though, limited to two goals and two assists in 14 games.

Viel passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. He can remain on Boston’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs them again to return to Providence. The first season of his contract carries a two-way structure, so the recall represents a significant pay bump to $775K from his $375K minors salary.

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