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Canucks To Activate Dakota Joshua From IR

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Canucks forward Dakota Joshua will make his 2024-25 season debut against the Islanders on Thursday, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports. He’ll need to be activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game. The Canucks recalled Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Aatu Räty from their brief demotions earlier today but left Arshdeep Bains on assignment to AHL Abbotsford, meaning he’ll say down for the foreseeable future while Joshua takes his roster spot.

Joshua had been held out of the lineup after undergoing successful offseason surgery to remove testicular cancer. He began practicing in a non-contact jersey a couple of weeks after the season started and had been upgraded to day-to-day last week.

He’ll play what Kuzma called “measured minutes” on the fourth line in his season debut tonight. Line rushes at practice this morning indicate that Joshua will play left wing alongside Räty and Höglander, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

Joshua, 28, enters his third season in Vancouver coming off a breakout 2023-24 campaign. The Ohio State product recorded career highs across the board last season with 18 goals, 14 assists, 32 points, and a +19 rating while averaging 14:23 per game across 63 contests.

Vancouver’s third line with him, Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland last season was their most consistently deployed at 361 minutes together, and for good reason. They controlled 58.4% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck, ranking eighth among the 41 forward trios to log at least 300 minutes together in 2023-24.

Luckily for Joshua, that breakout came in a contract year. He parlayed that performance into a four-year, $13MM extension with a 12-team no-trade clause.

The Canucks’ active roster is now full at 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders.

Bruins Recall Patrick Brown

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The Bruins recalled forward Patrick Brown from AHL Providence on Thursday, per a team announcement.

It’s the first recall of the season for the 32-year-old, who cleared waivers uneventfully at the beginning of the regular season. He was named captain of the P-Bruins shortly thereafter and has three goals and four assists for seven points in 12 AHL games so far in 2024-25.

The Boston College grad signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with the Bruins in free agency in 2023. After appearing solely in the NHL for the Flyers and Senators in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, Brown spent most of last year in Providence but did get some brief NHL action, recording an assist and a -3 rating in 11 appearances while averaging 8:50 per game and going 15-for-33 on draws (45.5%).

The Bruins only had 12 forwards on the active roster after sending Matthew Poitras down to Providence earlier in the week. Brown will likely sit in the press box for tonight’s game in Dallas, but he’s a decent veteran presence on hand if an injury arises and his services are needed.

Brown, initially an undrafted free agent signing by the Hurricanes in 2014, has 10 goals and 25 points in 149 career NHL games with Carolina, Vegas, Philadelphia, Ottawa, and Boston. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Brown can remain on the active roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before requiring waivers again to return to Providence.

Atlantic Notes: Thompson, Luukkonen, Bennett, Point

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Neither Sabres starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen nor star center Tage Thompson will play versus the Blues on Thursday, head coach Lindy Ruff told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. They remain day-to-day with undisclosed and lower-body injuries, respectively.

Both players left Buffalo’s last game, a 7-5 loss to the Canadiens on Monday, and did not return. Ruff said that Luukkonen wasn’t completely healthy going into the game after being banged up in practice over the weekend, and he was pulled after allowing four goals on 18 shots. Thompson left after scoring a goal and logging eight shifts, although it’s unclear on what play he sustained the injury.

Devon Levi will make his fifth start of the season tonight with Luukkonen on the shelf, Lysowski reports. James Reimer will back him up after being re-claimed off waivers from the Ducks yesterday.

Luukkonen, 25, has largely kept up the momentum from last season’s breakout campaign. He’s been quite solid with a 6-4-1 record, .903 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 1.0 GSAA in 12 appearances.

Thompson, 27, is back in full force after a disappointing showing in 2023-24. The 6’6″ center is tied for the league lead in even-strength goals with 10 and has 11 goals and 18 points in 16 games overall, currently on pace to eclipse the point-per-game mark for the second time in his career.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Panthers center Sam Bennett has improved enough to be a game-time decision for tonight’s clash with the Devils, Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post reports. The 28-year-old missed Tuesday’s 4-1 home loss to New Jersey with an upper-body injury. The pending unrestricted free agent has nine goals and 15 points in 15 games this season and is on pace for career-highs offensively across the board.
  • Lightning star Brayden Point will not play tonight at home versus the Jets, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports. It’ll be his third straight game missed with the lower-body injury he sustained back on Nov. 3 in Tampa’s other appearance of the season against Winnipeg. His 38.1% shooting rate still leads the league and gives him eight goals through 12 games. Anthony Cirelli will continue serving as the Bolts’ top-line center in Point’s absence between Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov.

Avalanche Activate Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood From IR

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The Avalanche have taken wingers Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood off injured reserve ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Capitals, the team announced. They reassigned forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov to AHL Colorado early Thursday morning to create roster space.

Colorado, as previously reported, is also getting Valeri Nichushkin back in the lineup now that he’s served his six-month suspension as dictated by Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. That means three regular forwards – two of them top-six pieces – are coming in to aid an Avalanche group that’s been absolutely decimated by injuries so far in 2024-25.

Drouin, 29, sustained an upper-body injury in the season opener and hasn’t played since. The winger was initially only ticketed to miss a few games but ended up missing over five weeks with the ailment.

Signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2023, Drouin has thrived in Colorado while playing alongside former major junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon. After initially inking a one-year, $825K pact, he recorded career-highs in assists (37), points (56), rating (+12), and ATOI (18:11) in 2023-24. He then signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal shortly after free agency opened this past summer to return to Denver.

For most of the campaign to date, the Avs had been without all of Drouin, Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog, and Artturi Lehkonen – leaving them without four of their top five wingers. Now, just Landeskog remains unavailable as he continues to attempt a comeback from the multiple knee surgeries that have kept him out of action since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Lehkonen returned to action earlier this month after offseason shoulder surgery and already has six points in five games.

Drouin is expected to make his second appearance of the season on Colorado’s top line alongside MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Nichushkin will return in a second-line role alongside Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt.

Meanwhile, Wood makes his return to the lineup after missing the last seven games with an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old is in his second season with the Avalanche after inking a six-year, $15MM commitment in free agency in 2023. He had just one goal in 10 games before exiting the lineup but was averaging 13:40 per game, deployment that will allow overtaxed youngsters like Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko to face some easier competition along with Drouin’s and Nichushkin’s returns.

After all of today’s moves, the Avs’ active roster stands at the maximum 23 players. They have about $1.185MM remaining in their LTIR pool with Landeskog and Tucker Poolman still on the shelf, so they’ll still need to clear some significant salary if Landeskog and his $7MM cap hit are cleared to return.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins Recall Matt Nieto, Vasiliy Ponomarev; Reassign Joel Blomqvist

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The Penguins announced Thursday that they’ve reinstated Matthew Nieto from his LTIR conditioning loan and recalled forward Vasiliy Ponomarev from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pittsburgh reassigned goaltender Joel Blomqvist to WBS to open a necessary roster space.

Nieto, 32, has not seen NHL ice since Nov. 30, 2023, against the Lightning. The veteran sustained a left knee injury that game that, after a few setbacks, required laparoscopic surgery in early January.

Even after the initial surgery, setbacks persisted. The procedure wasn’t expected to be season-ending, but Nieto’s late February return window came and went without much news.

In May, the Penguins announced that Nieto underwent reconstructive MCL surgery on the knee, one that carried a far lengthier recovery window but would ideally stop the persistent setbacks. So far, that’s been the case. He’ll look to make his season debut on Friday against the Blue Jackets, six and a half months after his last surgery and nearly one year after his last NHL game.

The second-round pick of the Sharks in 2011 landed with the Pens in free agency in 2023, signing a two-year, $1.8MM contract. The 5’11” left-winger recorded one goal and three assists in 22 games last season, averaging 11:37 per contest, before being shut down.

Nieto scored once in two games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on his conditioning loan over the past few days. It was his first AHL action in over a decade, last touching minor-league ice while with the Sharks organization in 2013-14.

Recalling both Nieto and Ponomarev indicates that center Blake Lizotte may be unavailable for tomorrow’s game after taking a puck to the face Wednesday against the Red Wings. Lizotte, 26, already missed the first 11 games of the regular season with a concussion he sustained in a similar incident during the preseason. He had two goals in seven games since coming off LTIR at the end of October.

The Penguins acquired Ponomarev, 22, as one of the centerpieces of last season’s trade that sent star winger Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes. Drafted 53rd overall by Carolina in 2020, the Russian center scored a goal and an assist in two games in his first taste of NHL action last season for the Canes.

Ponomarev sustained an upper-body injury in preseason for Pittsburgh and started the year on IR but was cleared to play a little over two weeks ago. He has one assist in five games for WBS since being assigned there on Halloween.

Combined with last season’s one goal in four games for the Baby Pens after the trade, it’s a little bit of a concerning start in the Pittsburgh organization for Ponomarev. Two points in nine contests is a far cry from the 35 goals and 85 points he’d put up in 114 games for AHL Chicago while in the Hurricanes organization.

Despite those two rather significant storylines, Blomqvist’s demotion may be the most notable of the three roster moves. The 22-year-old had been the Penguins’ best goaltender through the first five weeks of the season, filling in admirably with Alex Nedeljkovic starting the season on IR and de facto starter Tristan Jarry struggling enough to earn a two-week conditioning stint in the minors.

Like Ponomarev, the 6’2″ Finn was a member of the second round in the 2020 draft. He leads Penguins goalies in wins (3), SV% (.904), quality starts (4), and GSAA (1.0). It was a strong showing on the heels of a dominant 2023-24 season for WBS, earning All-Rookie Team and Second Team All-Star honors after posting a .921 SV%, 2.16 GAA and 25-12-6 record for the AHL club.

Yet leaving Blomqvist as part of a three-goalie rotation isn’t what’s best for his development, nor is it what’s best for hopefully getting Jarry back on track after his horrid start to the season. Jarry, who had a .836 SV% in three games before his conditioning loan, is expected to make his first NHL start in nearly a month tomorrow against Columbus. He has four seasons remaining on his contract at a $5.375MM cap hit.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Matt Irwin Announces Retirement

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Unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Irwin is stepping away from the game, the NHLPA announced. He confirms his retirement after 10 NHL seasons and 461 appearances.

“As I reflect on my career, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful and fortunate to have lived out my childhood dream of playing in the NHL,” Irwin said in a statement released by the players’ association. “My success would not have been possible without the support of my family, my in-laws and especially my wife, Chantel, and two kids, Beckem and Lennon. You all pushed me to be the best version of myself on and off the ice.”

“I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by the best group of teammates that I could have possibly asked for,” Irwin continued. “Each and every one of them made coming to the rink the best years of my life. I hope our paths cross somewhere down the road.”

Now 36, Irwin never played major junior hockey and instead jumped straight from the junior ’A’ BCHL to NCAA hockey with UMass. The left-shot defender spent two seasons there before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Sharks in 2010, kicking off his professional career.

Irwin spent two full seasons with San Jose’s AHL affiliate, then in Worcester, Massachusetts, before receiving his first NHL recall in 2012-13. He appeared in 38 of 48 games for the Sharks during the lockout-shortened season, recording 12 points and a -1 rating while averaging 19:06 per game and finishing 19th in Calder Trophy voting. Irwin also played in all 11 of San Jose’s playoff games as he got an audition in top-pairing minutes at even strength alongside Dan Boyle.

The Victoria, British Columbia native managed to stick around as a full-time NHLer for the following two seasons in the Bay Area but steadily saw his minutes reduced. After a 2014-15 campaign that saw him record a career-high eight goals, Irwin became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Bruins.

However, Irwin only made two NHL appearances in a Boston sweater, instead spending nearly all of the 2015-16 season on assignment to AHL Providence. Understandably, he was one-and-done with the Bruins, and landed a deal with the Predators in free agency the following offseason.

It was the right choice for Irwin, who ended up playing 195 games in parts of four seasons in Nashville – the most of the six NHL franchises he appeared for. Aside from four appearances for AHL Milwaukee in 2016-17, Irwin managed to avoid being sent to the minors for the next seven years, sticking around in bottom-pairing/press box roles for the Predators, Ducks, Sabres, and Capitals.

Irwin’s last NHL games came with Washington in 2022-23. He recorded five points, a -8 rating and 36 PIMs in 61 games along with 75 blocks and 117 hits. He signed a two-way contract with the Canucks for 2023-24 but didn’t make the team, instead spending all of 2023-24 on assignment to AHL Abbotsford, where he recorded 16 points (5 G, 11 A) and a +2 rating in 65 games while serving as an alternate captain.

Irwin closes the book on his NHL career with 25 goals, 68 assists, 93 points, and a -9 rating in 461 games. He also logged 211 PIMs, 725 shots and a respectable 50.6 CF% at even strength while averaging 15:26 per game. He also appeared in 47 playoff games for the Sharks and Preds in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018, most notably playing in all 22 postseason contests as Nashville advanced to the only Stanley Cup Final in franchise history in 2017.

Irwin also logged 314 AHL appearances in parts of seven minor-league seasons, totaling 32 goals and 103 assists for 135 points. All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors extend our best wishes to Irwin in retirement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Avalanche Reassign T.J. Tynan, Nikita Prishchepov

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The Avalanche returned forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov to AHL Colorado on Thursday, according to a team announcement.

Tynan and Prishchepov have been subject to numerous paper transactions since the beginning of the month, often being sent to the AHL without actually reporting to the minors purely to maintain maximum roster flexibility and, in Tynan’s case, delay his temporary waiver exemption. However, with Valeri Nichushkin set to make his season debut on Friday against the Capitals after serving his six-month suspension and Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood potentially returning from their respective injuries, Tynan’s and Prishchepov’s demotions may be more permanent.

Tynan, 32, cleared waivers without incident to begin the season. He posted four assists in six AHL games before getting his first recall of the season on Oct. 30.

The 5’8″, 160-lb pivot made seven appearances for the Avs over three different recalls, posting an assist and four shots on goal while averaging 7:47 per game. Tynan, who has led the AHL in assists for three seasons in a row and was named the league’s MVP in 2020-21 and 2021-22, is on one of the richest two-way deals in the league with a $535K guarantee and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He re-joined the Colorado organization this summer after spending the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons there.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Prishchepov returns to the minors for much-needed development time. Selected in the seventh round of the 2024 draft less than six months ago, Prishchepov became the first player selected in the final round since 2020 to make his NHL debut.

The Russian center played in each of the Avalanche’s last six games. Like Tynan, he was used sparingly and averaged only 7:18 of ice time per game. Head coach Jared Bednar deployed him exclusively on the wing, where he failed to record his first NHL point but managed four shots on goal, one block and nine hits.

Prishchepov, who stands at 6’1″ and 194 lbs, now returns to the AHL, where he had one goal and three assists through his first six professional games. Last season, he posted 67 points in 63 games for the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres in his third and final season of major junior hockey.

The Avalanche now have three open roster spots. That’s enough space to activate Drouin, Nichushkin and Wood from their respective non-roster designations before tomorrow’s game. Clearing Tynan’s and Prishchepov’s combined $1.582MM cap hit also gives them enough space in their LTIR pool to activate Nichushkin.

Evening Notes: Stone, Eller, Milano

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone will remain out of the lineup tonight when Vegas takes on the Anaheim Ducks tonight (Twitter link). Alexander Holtz will take Stone’s spot on the top line as Stone is dealing with a lower-body injury and will miss his third straight game. The Golden Knights play again on Friday against Utah and will presumably update Stone’s status before then. The 32-year-old has been exceptional this season when healthy, posting six goals and 15 assists in 13 games.

Stone has long had issues with his health, having played 80 or more games only once in his 13-year NHL career. His health has been a major concern over the past three seasons as Stone has missed 110 games dating back to the 2021-22 season.

In other evening notes:

  • Newly acquired Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller didn’t participate in the team’s optional morning skate today and did not dress for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (as per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News). Eller was acquired yesterday by the Capitals in exchange for two draft picks and likely won’t suit up for his new team until Friday night when they take on one of Eller’s former teams, the Colorado Avalanche.
  • Injured Capitals forward Sonny Milano is still not skating and remains sidelined with an upper-body injury (as per Sammi Silber). Milano remains on the injured reserve and has no definite timeline to return to the lineup (as per Silber). Milano has played just 21:38 this season in three games and has been a scratch even when healthy. His spot in the NHL lineup was precarious at best, and now with the Eller trade, it’s possible that the 28-year-old could be the odd man out.

Penguins Notes: Karlsson, Crosby, Lizotte

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Former Team Sweden head coach and general manager Johan Garpenlöv had some harsh criticism for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and his inclusion on Sweden’s entry to the 4 Nations Face-Off (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). Garpenlöv said that Karlsson’s defensive issues could present a massive problem for the team in a short tournament and doesn’t believe that Karlsson should be a member of the team.

Garpenlöv’s sharp words are certainly inflammatory, and there is no doubt that Karlsson’s defense leaves a lot to be desired. Pittsburgh fans have endured the full Karlsson experience this year as the three-time Norris Trophy winner has looked disinterested and lost on many nights, however, in other games, he has managed to take over and drive the Penguins’ offense to victory.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Jesse Marshall of The Athletic wrote a very thoughtful and detailed article about the goal-scoring prowess of Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. Marshall concedes in the article that Crosby won’t go down in history as one of the greatest goal-scorers but belongs in a category all by himself due to the creativity with which he scored most of his soon-to-be 600 career goals. Marshall highlights Crosby’s all-time great backhand shot, his ability to deflect pucks as well as his five-hole shooting, and while none of those skills are Crosby’s alone, he has put a unique twist on each of those skill sets.
  • Penguins forward Blake Lizotte left tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings after taking a puck to the face (Twitter link). The injury marks the second time this season that Lizotte has taken a puck to the face off the stick of a teammate as he was concussed by a Kris Letang shot during the preseason, an injury that forced him to miss the start of the regular season. Tonight’s injury came when Lizotte was hit in the face with a Drew O’Connor shot that appeared to hit the visor. Lizotte has been good for Pittsburgh this season, posting two goals in six games and putting up strong possession numbers in a bottom-six role.

Atlantic Notes: Hage, Harvey-Pinard, Bennett

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Montreal Canadiens center prospect Michael Hage has quietly shown the world why the Habs made him a first-round pick (21st overall) in this year’s NHL Entry Draft (as per Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler).  The 18-year-old has been putting together a stellar season in the NCAA as a member of the Michigan Wolverines and praised his coaching staff and teammates for his seamless move into the NCAA from the USHL.

Hage has five goals and four assists in his first nine games of the season and has a plus/minus of +6. His nine points are good enough to lead the Wolverines in scoring.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard sported a regular jersey at team practice today as he tries to work his way back into Montreal’s lineup (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). The 25-year-old had surgery in July to repair a broken leg that he suffered during a summer scrimmage. The original prognosis was that Harvey-Pinard would need four months to recover and given that he is skating in a regular sweater, he looks to be on schedule. The Saguenay, Quebec native dressed in 45 games last season for the Canadiens and struggled offensively with just two goals and eight assists.
  • Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett reportedly feels better today after he was scratched with an upper-body injury last night (as per Panthers’ content manager Jameson Olive). The news came from Panthers head coach Paul Maurice who was cautiously optimistic, adding that the team would look to see how Bennett looks tomorrow morning before making a call on his status going forward. Bennett is second in team scoring this season with nine goals and six assists in 15 games. The 28-year-old will be eager to get back onto the ice as he is less than eight months away from hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

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