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Canucks Reassign Arshdeep Bains, Recall Aatu Räty

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The Canucks have reassigned left-winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford and recalled center Aatu Räty, general manager Patrik Allvin announced today. Räty will play against the Ducks tonight after spending the last few weeks in the minors. At the same time, Vancouver still has an open roster spot to activate Dakota Joshua from injured reserve as he nears a return to play after undergoing surgery to address testicular cancer in September.

Bains, 23, has been papered between leagues with frequency this season. Less than a month into the 2024-25 campaign, he’s now been recalled and assigned to Abbotsford on four occasions. Between those transactions, he’s been on the roster for every Canucks game aside from their season opener against the Flames. He’s played seven times and been a healthy scratch twice, recording his first NHL point – a goal against the Penguins on Oct. 26 – in the process. However, the hometown kid hasn’t produced any offense outside of that and has a -3 rating with only five shots on goal, averaging 11:40 per game.

An undrafted free agent signing from the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels in 2022, Bains has been quite productive in the minors in his young professional career, even if it hasn’t translated to the NHL yet. He’s yet to suit up for Abbotsford this season between brief demotions but was among their best players last season, scoring 16 goals and 39 assists for 55 points in 59 games and earning a spot on the Pacific Division’s roster for the AHL All-Star Game. But including an eight-game trial last season, he has just one goal on nine shots through 15 NHL appearances. His possession impacts have been quite negative, too. The Canucks control only 46.2% of shot attempts with Bains on the ice at even strength compared to 54.9% without him, a significant swing.

He’s also a winger, and with Pius Suter moving from center to second-line wing alongside Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland (per Harman Dayal of The Athletic), the Canucks needed a pivot to anchor the fourth line. Up comes Räty to fill the void. Acquired from the Islanders in 2023’s Bo Horvat trade, the soon-to-be 22-year-old cracked Vancouver’s opening night roster but was demoted to Abbotsford after three games. He recorded an assist and averaged 9:41 per game during his brief stint on the Canucks’ roster earlier this season, going 14-for-23 on faceoffs and controlling 53.6% of shot attempts at even strength. Whether Räty is a higher-upside option offensively than Bains right now remains to be seen, but he has shown in a small sample to be a far more influential player in other areas of the game.

The 6’2″ pivot has been quite good for Abbotsford since being sent down last month. In eight appearances, he leads the team in scoring with seven points (3 G, 4 A). He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent next summer.

Kraken Recall Ryan Winterton

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The Kraken announced today that they’ve recalled forward Ryan Winterton from AHL Coachella Valley. Seattle has an open roster spot and ample cap space with Vince Dunn on long-term injured reserve, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Winterton, 21, continues to push himself up the organizational depth chart. A third-round pick (67th overall) from the Kraken’s inaugural 2021 draft class, the right-shot center was recalled twice last season and got into nine games, failing to record a point while posting 10 shots, four blocks and 10 hits. He averaged 9:20 per game and skated almost exclusively on the right wing.

The lack of offensive production on the scoresheet at the NHL isn’t surprising for his limited minutes. It’s also not at all indicative of what the Ontario native has been able to do in the minors since kicking off his professional career last season. A product of the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs and London Knights, Winterton tied for third on Coachella Valley last season with 22 goals in 58 games, adding 13 assists for 35 points with a +25 rating. He added seven goals and 12 points in 18 playoff games as Coachella Valley advanced to the Calder Cup Final and lost to Hershey for the second year in a row.

Winterton is off to a solid start in 2024-25, tying for second on Coachella Valley in scoring with five points (3 G, 2 A) through seven games. The 6’2″, 190-lb forward built up quite the postseason résumé while in the OHL, winning a championship with Hamilton in 2022 and leading the playoffs in scoring with the Knights in 2023 with 29 points in 21 games.

The Kraken already called up veteran John Hayden from Coachella Valley last week to serve as an extra forward with their added salary cap flexibility, but he’s been a healthy scratch in four straight since the summons. It does no good for the developing Winterton to sit in the press box, so expect him to bump someone out of the lineup and make his season debut tonight against the Avalanche. Seattle has iced the same 12 forwards for all 13 of their games this season, so it’ll be someone’s first healthy scratch. Intuition points to Tye Kartye, who has one goal and a -4 rating while averaging a team-low 10:32 per game.

Auston Matthews Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is out with an upper-body injury and will miss tonight’s contest against the Bruins, the team announced. He’ll be evaluated daily and hasn’t been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Red Wings.

It’s unclear when Matthews sustained the injury. In all likelihood, it’s something he’s been playing through for at least a couple of games, or it was sustained off-ice. He logged over 22 minutes in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Wild and didn’t miss a shift.

If the injury is something he’s been playing through, it could be part of the explanation for why the 27-year-old is off to a sluggish start by his standards. With five goals in 13 games, he’s tied with John Tavares for third on the team and has been out-scored by Matthew Knies (six) and William Nylander (nine). In overall scoring, he’s tied with Tavares for third on the team with 11 points behind Nylander (13) and Mitch Marner (14). Those numbers put him on pace for just 32 goals and 69 points over a full season.

It’s not for a lack of trying, though. Matthews is shooting an unsustainably low 8.9% by his standards. His previous career-low was 12.2%, set in 2022-23 when he still managed 40 goals. He currently leads the league with 56 shots on goal, on pace to sit atop the NHL in that stat for the third time in his nine-year career.

Outside of the surprisingly low goal and point totals, it’s been business as usual for Matthews. The newly-minted captain of the Maple Leafs remains one of the best two-way centers in the league. He’s averaged nearly 21 minutes per game, won 55.6% of his draws, and is controlling a team-high 57.3% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength. Among the 14 forward lines in the NHL to play at least 100 minutes together this season, Matthews’ unit with Knies and Marner ranks third with a 63.6% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck.

In Matthews’ absence, Max Domi will slide up from the third line to center the top line, per Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. Pontus Holmberg will return to the lineup and replace Domi as third-line center after serving as a healthy scratch in Minnesota, relays Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. Head coach Craig Berube hopes the temporary promotion can help jumpstart Domi, who’s yet to score a goal this season and only has 15 shots in 13 appearances, a rate that’s down sharply from his 137 SOG in 80 games last season.

The Leafs don’t have room to make a corresponding recall for Matthews without placing him on injured reserve. Doing so retroactive to Sunday would also rule him out of Friday and Saturday’s home back-to-back against the Red Wings and Canadiens, meaning he’d miss a minimum of three games with the injury.

Matthews is in the first season of the four-year, $53MM extension he inked in August 2023. He carries a cap hit of $13.25MM, currently the highest in the league.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Islanders Recall Isaiah George

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The Islanders have recalled defenseman Isaiah George from AHL Bridgeport, per the NHL’s media site (hat tip to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com/The Hockey News). It’s the first-ever NHL recall for the 20-year-old, who could make his NHL debut tonight against the Penguins.

George replaces Samuel Bolduc on the active roster. Bolduc, 23, was summoned from Bridgeport before Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers after the club lost defensemen Adam Pelech, Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov to injuries in their win over the Sabres on Friday. However, Bolduc played just 5:56 against the Rangers, posting a -1 rating, and was returned to Bridgeport yesterday. The organization evidently doesn’t view him as a legitimate NHL option for now after he played a career-high 34 games last year, so George comes up to get his first chance at NHL minutes.

George, a left-shot defender, was a fourth-round pick (98th overall) in 2022. He spent the following two seasons finishing out his junior career with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League before making his professional debut with Bridgeport this season. The “effortless puck-carrier,” as described by Elite Prospects, has a goal and an assist with a -1 rating through his first four games with the Baby Isles.

For now, Romanov remains day-to-day with the upper-body injury that’s cost him four of the Islanders’ last five games. He skated alongside Noah Dobson in line rushes in practice yesterday, though, per Denis P. Gorman of Newsday. He appears likely to play tonight, but if he can’t go, George will slot into the lineup with Ryan Pulock and Dennis Cholowski ahead of him on the Islanders’ left defense depth chart.

George only played three junior seasons instead of the typical four prior to aging out, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out what would have been his rookie campaign with London. He still totaled 19 goals, 56 assists, 75 points, 100 PIMs, and a +72 rating in 189 appearances for the Knights. He posted career-highs across the board last season with 24 assists, 30 points, and a +26 rating before adding 12 points in 18 playoff games as London won the OHL championship. He’s still in the first year of his entry-level contract, so he isn’t eligible for restricted free agency until 2027.

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Ben Gleason From Oilers

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The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Ben Gleason from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Ronnie Attard. The swap sees a pair of AHL defensemen on the move as neither player has been able to secure a full-time NHL role to this point in their respective careers. The move is necessary for the Oilers, as their affiliate, the Condors, are short on veterans as they embark on a four-game, seven-day marathon through Canada.

At the age of 26, Gleason has spent the entirety of this season with the Oilers AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. The native of Ortonville, Michigan, has a goal and three assists in those seven games and has registered 15 shots on goal. He originally signed with the Dallas Stars as a free agent back in 2018 and played four NHL games with the Stars that year, grabbing his first NHL point on November 10th, 2018. He went on to play five seasons with Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, and then eventually signed as a free agent with the Oilers in the summer of 2023.

Attard was drafted by Philadelphia back in 2019 (72nd overall) and went on to play 29 NHL games in the past three years, posting two goals and four assists. The 25-year-old has dressed in 123 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley between 2022-24 and has 22 goals and 37 assists during that time.

Metro Notes: Ersson, Johnson, York

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Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson is currently managing a minor groin injury (as per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic). Ersson’s condition isn’t expected to sideline him for long, though it’s not yet clear when he’ll return to full participation. The 25-year-old left his last start against the Boston Bruins with what was being called a lower-body injury, but now with that injury defined, it appears that the issue could cost the young netminder some time.

Ersson has shown a lot of promise this season and has arguably taken over the Flyers’ starting role. Given that, the Flyers are likely to take a cautious approach to ensure he avoids further issues. With the demands on goaltenders, groin-related injuries can be particularly limiting and difficult to predict. The Flyers will undoubtedly monitor Ersson’s progress as they continue building a solid roster of younger talent. So far this season, Ersson has dressed in nine games and is sporting a 4-2-1 record, with a .901 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against average.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kent Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets participated in a skate after practice today (as per Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda). Johnson’s return to the ice is a good sign of progress, even in a limited capacity. Johnson has been kept out of action with a shoulder injury since October 17th and isn’t expected to get back into the lineup until the end of November. He was fortunate to avoid surgery but will ultimately miss around six weeks of the regular season with the ailment.
  • Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cameron York will be travelling with the team, hinting at his availability for upcoming games (as per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic). York’s presence on the road is promising for the Flyers but head coach John Tortorella wasn’t sure whether the 23-year-old would play. York has been dealing with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of action since October 23rd and was off to a decent start to the year with two goals and an assist in his first seven games.

Penguins Notes: Jarry, Rust, Nieto

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic expects Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry to return to the NHL lineup sometime next week. Jarry has been with the Penguins American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and has posted stellar numbers with a 3-0 record and a .937 save percentage as well as a 1.95 goals-against average.

Yohe thinks Jarry may bump rookie Joel Blomqvist back to the AHL which makes sense, given the play of fellow netminder Alex Nedeljkovic. The Penguins need to see Jarry in NHL action again before they can decide what to do in the crease for the rest of the season, and they could certainly use some good news after a rough start to the season. The Penguins can keep Jarry in the AHL for two weeks during his conditioning stint, which makes November 11th the date he will likely return to the NHL.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Penguins forward Bryan Rust reportedly reaggravated a preseason injury when he exited a game against the Vancouver Canucks last week (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). Rust suffered a lower-body injury in the preseason, and when the injury resurfaced last week, there was fear that it could be serious, but that is not the case. The Penguins want to get Rust back to full health and plan to ease him back into things so he can function optimally when he is in the lineup.
  • Penguins forward Matthew Nieto was reportedly a full participant in practice today (as per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 31-year-old has been out of action since last season as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. He remains on long-term injured reserve and will need to be activated once he is cleared for game action. It’s fair to wonder if Nieto will be a regular when he is ready to return, as the Penguins have a pile of depth options for their bottom six and may not have room for the 11-year NHL veteran.

Pacific Notes: McDavid, Demko, Forbort

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There’s growing optimism within the Edmonton Oilers organization that captain Connor McDavid could return sooner than expected. Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reported video of McDavid skating on his injured ankle earlier this morning adding he hasn’t ruled out playing this upcoming weekend.

The Oilers originally believed McDavid would miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury but two weeks may be the maximum. The fact that McDavid is already back skating on the ice is a positive step in the right direction regarding his recovery timeline.

McDavid hasn’t played since Edmonton’s blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 28th. The Oilers have done as well as possible in his absence securing wins against the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames but have two difficult games this week against the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights. Should McDavid return this weekend in the Oilers’ contest against the Vancouver Canucks he will have only missed a total of four contests.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Another Pacific Division team with positive news on the injury front is the Canucks. The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal reported earlier that goaltender Thatcher Demko is on the last step before being medically cleared to practice although his timeline is still up in the air. Vancouver could certainly use a reinforcement in the crease. Free agency pickup Kevin Lankinen has held down the fort with a .919 save percentage through seven starts but backup netminder Arturs Silovs has struggled to a .797 SV% mark in three.
  • Staying in Vancouver, Harman Dayal of The Athletic reported defenseman Derek Forbort got shaken up during a practice drill and left early. Dayal noted that Forbort appeared to favor a leg as he left the ice but the team didn’t update his status after the practice. If Forbort is unavailable in tomorrow night’s action against the Anaheim Ducks expect one of Vincent Desharnais or Noah Juulsen to suit up on the bottom pairing.

New York Islanders Reassign Samuel Bolduc

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According to a team announcement, New York Islanders’ defensive prospect Samuel Bolduc is headed back to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders after only one game in the NHL. The former 57th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft had the opportunity for more playing time in New York with injuries to Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly. Still, he was unable to capture a consistent spot in the lineup.

Bolduc was largely invisible in the team’s loss against the New York Rangers last night. He skated in 5:56 of the action but was kept off the stat sheet entirely aside from producing a -1 rating. The demotion to the AHL seemed inevitable, as was evident in head coach Patrick Roy’s comments after the game. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News captured the quote of Roy saying, “It’s sad. Those things happen, but Sam [Bolduc] needs to be better if he wants to play in the NHL. He’s got to understand [that] and step up. He’s a good hockey player. He’s got all the tools. Now, he just needs to figure it out. But he needs to be better if he wants to play for us“.

The young defenseman now finds himself in a difficult position. He’s been solid offensively throughout his tenure in the AHL with 20 goals and 62 points in 151 games over the last five seasons. Unfortunately, he has still not taken adequate steps in the right direction with his play on the defensive side of the puck prohibiting him from becoming a full-time member of the Islanders. The clock is ticking on his time as a top prospect in New York’s system and he has yet to inspire much confidence in the organization’s coaching staff.

The move also suggests the Islanders’ are more willing to play down a man on defense than give Bolduc any meaningful playing time. Stefen Rosner reported earlier that Romanov and Rielly are still considered day-to-day meaning they may only have five tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, there is some hope Romanov can return tomorrow giving New York some confidence they’ll be able to deploy a complete blue line.

Boston Bruins Sign Tyler Johnson

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Veteran forward Tyler Johnson finally has a resolution on his professional tryout agreement with the Boston Bruins. The organization announced they signed Johnson to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season with a league minimum salary of $775K.

According to PuckPedia, the move brings Boston to a full 23-man roster with a current cap space of approximately $515K. Outside of the team’s fourth line, the Bruins have had little consistency from the rest of their forward line to start the year meaning Johnson should begin somewhere in the team’s middle six.

He’s no longer the typical 50-point threat during his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning but brings Stanley Cup pedigree to an organization that has failed to move beyond the second round of the playoffs since 2019. He’s spent the last three years on a rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks team scoring 32 goals and 70 points in 149 games while producing a -64 rating. The Bruins shouldn’t expect that Johnson’s addition to the lineup will bring them out of their current 27th-ranked offense but he should help out in a few other areas.

Johnson is a much better player on the defensive side of the puck than his tenure with the Blackhawks suggested which should theoretically help lower Boston’s 3.23 GA/G. The Bruins are also one of the league’s worst possession teams at 24th with a 48.3% CorsiFor% in all situations. Johnson has maintained a 52.1% CF% throughout his career including a 49.7% average during his time in Chicago.

He may also feature on the Bruins’ penalty kill but it’s unlikely league-average production with a man disadvantage is a priority to fix with more pressing issues at hand. On paper, the move strikes as a positive move in the right direction for a struggling Boston team but not necessarily the game-changing impact they appear to need.

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