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Flyers Place Ryan Poehling On IR, Recall Anthony Richard

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The Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Ryan Poehling, retroactive to Saturday November 2nd. The details of Poehling’s injury weren’t revealed, though he didn’t join the Flyers on their three-game road trip that started on Tuesday due to personal reasons. Philadelphia hosts San Jose on Monday, November 11th – which will stand as Poehling’s next chance to return to the lineup.

Poehling appeared in all 12 of Philadelphia’s games before Tuesday, recording five assists, six penalty minutes, and 21 shot attempts while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time. He’s searching for his footing this season after establishing a routine, middle-six role in his first season with the Flyers last year. Poehling earned 11 goals and 28 points in 77 games in that role. He also carried the heftiest faceoff responsibility of his career, winning 461 of 938 draws – good for a 49.1 faceoff-percentage, third-highest among Flyers centers. While his start to this season has been slow-coming, Poehling still leaves a noticeable hole in a struggling Flyers’ bottom-six.

In a corresponding move, the Flyers have also recalled centerman Anthony Richard from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Richard is in his first year with the Flyers organization, continuing his string of one-year tenures after spending the last three seasons in tenures with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins organizations. Lehigh Valley has proven Richard’s best sparring grounds so far though, where he currently sits with a team-leading nine points in seven games. He’s pulled the thread of top-end minor-league scoring through yet another season, after netting 55 points in 59 games last season and 67 points in 60 games in 2022-23.

Richard not only stands as one of Lehigh Valley’s hottest scorers, but also one of the longest-tenured veterans in the program. He boasts 309 points across 488 games and 10 seasons in the AHL, adding eight points – split evenly – in 24 career NHL games. This season is standing as a career-year for Richard, marking the highest production of his career – on pace for 92 points across a full AHL season. He could now get a chance to carry that momentum into the NHL, but he’ll need to earn a lineup spot first. Philadelphia is currently utilizing Noah Cates and Nicolas Deslauriers to fill Poehling’s vacancy at fourth-line center. Cates has posted an impressive 57.1 faceoff-percentage on 63 draws this season – which should be enough to hold down the role in the face of new pressure from Richard.

Stefan Noesen Providing Devils With Thriving Depth

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The New Jersey Devils have begun righting their ship after finishing second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division last year. They’re now second from the top, boasting a stout 8-5-2 through the early season. That resurgence has largely been inspired by Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton returning to full health, and Jacob Markstrom finally bringing legitimacy to the Devils’ crease – but New Jersey has pulled one more ace from up their sleeves. Through the addition of Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter, New Jersey has transformed a muddied bottom-six into one of the league’s best.

The impact of Noesen’s hot start can’t be understated. The Devils’ success has always been rooted in strong bottom-six glue guys – but the team has struggled to find a suitable boost after the departures of the likes of Pavel Zacha, Michael McLeod, and Yegor Sharangovich. Hot-and-cold performances from Erik Haula and Alexander Holtz spurred the team last year, but it was little momentum in the face of multiple key injuries.

Enter now Noesen, who’s had the wind behind his sails for three seasons, kicked off by a starring role with the 2021-22 Chicago Wolves. In what was the 10th season of an otherwise lackluster minor-league career, Noesen posted 48 goals and 85 points in 70 games in the regular season, then added 25 points in 18 playoff games to push Chicago all the way to the Calder Cup Championship. That championship-winning leadership earned Noesen a promotion to Chicago’s on-again-off-again affiliate the Carolina Hurricanes for 2022-23.

Noesen continued to thrive at the top flight, potting 36 points and 37 points – both career-highs – respectively across the last two seasons with the Canes. He earned nearly all of those points through hard-nosed and high-tempo drives into the low-slot, where he was able to routinely win space and bury loose pucks. That crash-the-net style is now excelling on Sheldon Keefe’s Devils, where Noesen is flanked by the gritty Cotter and the shoot-first Haula – giving him space to operate as a strong second-man-in. While Cotter – who’s own hot start is also a main factor in New Jersey’s success – fights for the puck in the corner, Noesen is able to set up camp in the slot while Haula provides high-zone coverage.

It’s a chemistry that simply makes sense. But the effects of such a well-matched line are working to peak effect while the likes of Hughes, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer each find their top-notch scoring once again. Noesen has 13 points through 15 games in New Jersey. Nine of those points have come at even-strength. And while that production (a 71-point pace across 82 games) likely isn’t sustainable, it’ll serve as the underpinning of New Jersey’s success this season. The Devils are still waiting for all of their engines to fire, but the third line is working to full effect – and Noesen and Cotter are quickly proving two of the most impactful new additions across the league.

Noesen signed a three-year, $8.25MM contract with New Jersey on July 1st. The deal will take him through his age-34 season – and is already looking like a steal just 15 games in. After a journeyman career that started with a first-round selection in 2011 and proceeded with trips with seven NHL teams and six AHL teams – Noesen has finally found his footing at the pro level. He’s proven a capable scorer and an even better forechecker – both traits the Devils’ depth chart was sorely lacking. Sometimes it’s best not to mess with a good thing, and New Jersey is now faced with a chance to embrace a well-constructed and ever-efficient third-line. If it holds, the trio could be the piece that propels New Jersey into a long run next summer.

Bruins Place Max Jones On Waivers

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Nov. 6: Jones cleared waivers, per Friedman. He’s on his way to the AHL.

Nov. 5: The Bruins have placed winger Max Jones on waivers with intentions to assign him to AHL Providence, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Tuesday.

Jones, 26, is in the first season of a two-year, $2MM contract he signed with Boston over the summer after being non-tendered by the Ducks. Despite his seven-figure cap hit, he’s played sparingly this season. He’s been scratched for nine out of the Bruins’ 13 games this season, including their back-to-back contests against the Flyers and Kraken over the weekend. When dressed, he’s averaged 11:13 per game and has no points and a -4 rating. His possession numbers have been abysmal – the Bruins control just 29.7% of shot attempts and 14.3% of expected goals with Jones on the ice at even strength.

With Tyler Johnson now in the fold after finally inking a one-year, league-minimum deal yesterday following a months-long stint on a professional tryout, there was likely a corresponding roster move coming. It wasn’t out of necessity – Boston was at the 23-man roster limit with no rush to open space – but they’ve only carried one extra forward and one extra defenseman this season. Given that Jones ranks last on the team in nearly every meaningful statistic, it’s no surprise that he hit the wire.

If Jones clears waivers, it would mark his first AHL assignment in five years. The Anaheim 2016 first-round pick last played for their AHL affiliate in San Diego in the 2018-19 campaign.

All of Jones’ 31 career goals and 62 career points have come in a Ducks jersey. He made 258 regular-season appearances for the team over six years before being let go in June.

The Bruins will clear Jones’ $1MM cap hit tomorrow, regardless of whether he’s claimed. If he makes it through waivers and is subsequently assigned to Providence, that cap hit is below the $1.15MM maximum buriable threshold, so it won’t count against Boston’s books. He’s still under contract through the 2025-26 campaign and will be an unrestricted free agent upon expiry.

Capitals Activate Matt Roy From Injured Reserve

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12:40 p.m.: The Capitals confirmed Roy’s activation and also said that Iorio had been sent down.

9:24 a.m.: Capitals defenseman Matt Roy was a full participant in practice Wednesday and projects to return tonight against the Predators after missing the last 10 games with a lower-body injury, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports. Washington has a full 23-player active roster and must make a corresponding transaction to activate him from injured reserve. That will likely be reassigning waiver-exempt defenseman Vincent Iorio, who’s been a healthy scratch twice since being summoned last weekend, to AHL Hershey.

Roy, 29, sustained the injury at some point during the first period of his Capitals debut against the Devils on Oct. 12. He did not skate in the second or third periods after recording a -2 rating and two shots on goal in 8:39 of ice time in the first. Initially ruled as day-to-day, he remained out of the lineup for two weeks before landing on IR on Oct. 28 to open up roster space.

It was an inauspicious start to Roy’s tenure in Washington after signing a six-year, $34.5MM contract in free agency to serve as their No. 2 right-shot defenseman behind John Carlson. He’ll now get the chance to be an impact shutdown player as advertised on a Capitals team that’s far exceeded expectations in the first few weeks of the season, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference with a .727 points percentage (8-3-0).

The 2015 seventh-round pick had been a legitimate needle-mover in the Kings’ top four for the past few years before reaching unrestricted free agency. Last season was some of his best work. Skating on Los Angeles’ second pairing alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, Roy notched a career-high 20 assists in 81 games with a +21 rating, averaging 20:54 per game. He led the Kings in blocks (197) and finished second in hits (152), leveraging his 6’1″, 205-lb frame while controlling 52.9% of shot attempts at even strength.

Oilers Reassign Noah Philp

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With the news of Connor McDavid’s earlier-than-anticipated return to the lineup tonight, the Oilers announced they’ve reassigned center Noah Philp to AHL Bakersfield. They’re no longer carrying an extra forward and have two open roster spots.

Philp, 26, made his NHL debut in McDavid’s absence. The Alberta native skated in all three games that Edmonton was without McDavid, centering the club’s fourth line between Corey Perry and Drake Caggiula, who was sent back to Bakersfield yesterday.

The 6’3″, 198-lb pivot didn’t look out of place, especially for a player who sat out the 2023-24 season entirely. He recorded his first NHL point, an assist, and recorded a +1 rating while averaging 10:13 per game and going 14-for-29 in the faceoff circle (48.3 FO%). The Oilers didn’t control shot attempts with Philp on the ice at even strength but did manage to come out on top in terms of possession quality, controlling 56% of expected goals.

Philp, the younger brother of Capitals minor-league forward Luke Philp, landed with the Oilers in 2022 out of the University of Alberta. He landed an NHL contract despite playing just eight combined regular-season games over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons due to COVID-19 and injuries. Bakersfield made him a regular in the AHL lineup out of the gate, recording 19 goals and 37 points in 70 games in 2022-23.

After the season, ex-Oilers general manager Ken Holland said Philp had informed the team he was retiring due to personal reasons. However, a few days later, they issued him a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights, and Philp evidently never filed official retirement paperwork with the league. Still technically a restricted free agent this past offseason, he returned to the Oilers organization by inking a two-way deal ($775K/$90K) on July 1.

Philp earned a long look in training camp, and Edmonton waited until the day before opening night rosters were due to cut him from the roster. He got his first NHL call-up after scoring twice with a +2 rating in six games for Bakersfield to start the season. Considering he’ll remain waiver-exempt this season if he plays fewer than 60 NHL games, he’ll likely get another chance on the roster whenever another injury strikes the Oilers’ forward group.

Dylan Holloway Not Expected To Miss Time After Neck Injury

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Nov. 6: While Holloway didn’t skate today, he’s been discharged from the hospital and told reporters he intends to play against Utah tomorrow (via Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network Midwest). He relayed that doctors barred him from activity for 24 hours after the injury but made no determination on his status past that. Holloway added that the puck struck him in the Vagus nerve, a key part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which caused him to become lightheaded (per Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

Nov. 5: St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway suffered a scary injury tonight in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and left on a stretcher (as per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic). Holloway was hit in the neck area in the first period of the game when a Nick Paul shot appeared to be deflected directly up and into Holloway.

Initially, there was no cause for concern as Holloway joined teammate Jordan Kyrou on an offensive rush into the Lightning zone. The Blues didn’t score on the play but maintained possession for a moment before Holloway completed his shift and went back to the Blues bench. On his return to the bench, Holloway appeared to be uncomfortable as he moved his head from side to side and took a seat on the bench. A few minutes later, Blues personnel and players began to call over medics while the team’s athletic trainer propped up Holloway’s head. He was put on a stretcher and wheeled back into the Blues dressing room.

The first period was called with 1:11 remaining on the clock as both teams exited the bench area.

In the second period, St. Louis public address announcer Tom Calhoun told those in attendance at Enterprise Center that Holloway was alert and stable and was on his way to the hospital for further monitoring.

Connor McDavid Returning To Oilers’ Lineup Ahead Of Schedule

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Oilers star Connor McDavid will be in the lineup Wednesday against the Golden Knights just nine days after he sustained an ankle injury, the team informed reporters, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

McDavid sustained the injury just 37 seconds into his first shift against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 28. He fell awkwardly into the boards on his left leg while attempting to cut around Columbus defenseman Ivan Provorov.

The Oilers initially said McDavid would miss two to three weeks with the injury. The earliest that timeline would have allowed him to return was next Tuesday against the Islanders. Instead, he’s back in the lineup five days and two games ahead of schedule.

An early return isn’t entirely unexpected after McDavid returned to practice earlier this week and declared himself day-to-day. Speaking with reporters on Monday, he implied he was targeting Saturday against the Canucks as a return date. However, a quick turnaround time means he’s back in to face a key divisional rival in Vegas.

Before the injury, McDavid was off to a slow start by his standards. The five-time Art Ross Trophy winner had three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 10 games, on pace for the worst point-per-game rate of his 10-year NHL career. He’s still got plenty of time to turn things around, though, and a three-game absence won’t take a bite out of his end-of-season totals too much. He missed six contests last season with various injuries and still managed to tie for the league lead with 100 assists.

McDavid, 27, will center Zach Hyman and Jeff Skinner in his return tonight, per team TV host Tony Brar. It’s a bit of a new look. He’d spent nearly all of his time with Hyman before the injury but had alternated between Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on his other wing.

The Oilers will take the help and the return of their captain as they begin to hit their stride. After dropping their first three games, the defending Western Conference champions are 6-3-1 in their past 10 and are one point back of the Blues for the second wild card spot.

McDavid never landed on injured reserve, so no transactions are required for him to return to play.

Canadiens Loan Oliver Kapanen To SHL, Recall Lucas Condotta

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The Canadiens announced a flurry of roster moves Wednesday morning, most notably returning center Oliver Kapanen to Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League. They filled his roster spot by recalling center Lucas Condotta from AHL Laval, as initially reported by Marc Antoine Godin of Radio-Canada. He’ll join the team for their four-game road swing starting in New Jersey tomorrow.

Kapanen, 21, had cracked the Habs’ opening night roster somewhat unexpectedly. The Finnish pivot had earned praise early in September after a strong showing for Timrå in the SHL’s exhibition schedule before reporting to Montreal for NHL training camp. The 2021 second-round pick was a healthy scratch for the season opener but has played in every game since, recording two assists and a -4 rating in 12 appearances. He averaged 11:38 per game and recorded 13 shots on goal while going 23-for-50 on faceoffs (46.0%).

Possession-wise, things didn’t grade out spectacularly for Kapanen. Even accounting for Montreal’s league-worst 43.3 CF% at even strength, Kapanen’s shot-attempt share lagged behind the team average in relatively even two-way deployment. It’s far from unsurprising for a rookie center, though, and he did flash legitimate upside with his strong skating ability.

Since Kapanen wasn’t a first-round pick, he couldn’t have been assigned to Laval without first being offered back to his Swedish club, thanks to the NHL’s transfer agreement with the country. It’s no surprise Timrå wants him back in the fold. He already established himself as an impact player in a top European league last year with Finland’s KalPa, whom he led in postseason scoring with 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in 13 games. He also polished off his season nicely with six goals in eight games for the Finns at the 2024 World Championship.

It’s the second recall of the young season for the 27-year-old Condotta. The first lasted just two days in late October, serving as an extra forward for an Oct. 27 matchup against the Flyers. He watched from the press box and was returned to Laval the following day. The 6’1″, 223-lb pivot has four NHL games under his belt, all coming in a Montreal sweater over the past two seasons. He scored once, coming in his NHL debut back in 2022-23, and has averaged a paltry 8:23 per game.

Given Kapanen had been centering the Habs’ fourth line for much of his time in the lineup, it’s fair to assume Condotta may get a crack in the same role and earn a more extended audition than he has in the past. The stocky Ontario-born pivot was named Laval’s captain prior to the start of the season and has responded with four assists through his first nine games. He’s never been a major offensive factor at the AHL level, only recording a career-high 16 goals and 31 points in 72 games two years ago. But he’s carried intrigue for the Habs as a potential bottom-six checking piece ever since he signed, and he’ll now get a chance to help stop the bleeding and help Montreal limit chances against.

Evening Notes: Oilers, Clarke, Salary Deferrals

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The Edmonton Oilers are currently sporting the worst penalty kill in the league and the 26th ranked powerplay (as per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic). These special teams’ issues have left the Oilers in an early season funk as the reigning Western Conference Champions have started the season 6-6-1.

Edmonton’s penalty kill has a success rate of 60%, while the powerplay has stumbled out of the gate, clicking at just 14.7%. This is a significant drop from last season when Edmonton’s cumulative total in the playoffs for the powerplay and penalty kill was 123.6. Some optimists may point to Connor McDavid’s absence as the cause of the powerplay falling off, but Edmonton had just a 13% success rate on the powerplay with him in the lineup.

In other evening notes:

  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic writes that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke is living up to the billing that made him the eighth overall pick in 2021. Clarke is filling in for injured Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and has done an incredible job, despite having played just 38 NHL games to this point. The 21-year-old has a goal and 11 assists in 13 games thus far this season and has embraced the Kings’ philosophy of turning him into a complete defenseman.
  • A small trend has started to emerge in the NHL which is seeing players defer some of their salary to reduce their current cap hits. Despite the tactic being used in new deals for Carolina Hurricanes Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis, NHL general managers, agents and league executives aren’t expecting much of an uptick in the application of this maneuver (as per Chris Johnston of The Athletic). Jake McCabe had the same tactic used in the five-year deal he signed last week, and despite this happening more and more, it doesn’t appear as though it will be anything more than a niche thing. Player agent Scott Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey told The Athletic that he doesn’t believe it will happen very often because it is typically not in the interest of the player to defer money.

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