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Red Wings Reassign Austin Watson, Recall Justin Holl

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Oct. 16: Detroit announced Holl has been recalled back to the NHL roster today, suggesting his brief demotion yesterday was solely to delay his waiver exemption expiring and to bank a bit of cap space. Watson wasn’t part of the announcement and remains on assignment to Grand Rapids, so his demotion may be more permanent.

Oct. 15: The Red Wings have returned veterans Austin Watson and Justin Holl to AHL Grand Rapids, the team announced today. They now have a pair of open roster spots and over $2.5MM in projected cap space, per PuckPedia.

It was an extremely short stint on the NHL roster for Watson, who was just recalled yesterday. The 32-year-old enforcer made his Detroit debut in last night’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers, posting a -1 rating, a minor penalty, and two hits in just 4:54 of ice time. The veteran of over 500 NHL games attended Red Wings training camp on a PTO and landed a two-way contract as a result, but landed on waivers and began the season in Grand Rapids after going unclaimed. He had just two goals and four points in 33 games for the Lightning last year, all career-lows for him as a full-timer.

Watson was off to a strong start with the Griffins before the recall in what was his first AHL action since a brief conditioning stint in March of 2019. In two games, he had three assists and a +3 rating for Detroit’s top minor-league affiliate with 7 PIMs. The recall ended up shaving just one day and one game played off his 30-day/10-game waiver exemption, so it’ll still be a while before the Wings need to pass Watson through waivers again to return him to the minors.

Holl getting the boot stands out as more surprising. He and his bloated $3.4MM cap hit ended up on waivers and subsequently in Grand Rapids to begin the season, but he was recalled after Jeff Petry sustained an upper-body injury in the season opener. Holl was thrust into a top-four role as a result, responding with an assist, a +1 rating, and strong advanced possession metrics while averaging 18:38 per game. For a Detroit team that’s struggled to control play at 5-on-5 and has averaged 32.67 shots against per game thus far this season, Holl’s numbers stand out in a positive way.

Nonetheless, it’s back to the farm for him, where he could now be slated to see his first minor-league action since 2018. His reassignment suggests Petry is close to ready, if not completely ready, to return, while Watson’s demotion suggests the same for winger Christian Fischer, who’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Metro Notes: Puljujarvi, McGroarty, Gudbranson

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic doesn’t believe that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi should be removed from the Penguins lineup again anytime soon. Puljujarvi was a healthy scratch for the Penguins back on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs after he had been good in the first two games of the season, posting one assist.

The 26-year-old returned to the lineup last night for Pittsburgh against the Montreal Canadiens and tallied an assist in just over 12 minutes of ice time. He has looked like a different player this season for Pittsburgh after having a full summer of training. Puljujarvi had been limited last season after having double hip surgery and was healthy scratched on numerous occasions. When he did play, he wasn’t impactful, posting three goals and an assist in 22 games.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic wonders if Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty might get some time in the American Hockey League soon after he was healthy scratched last night against Montreal. The 20-year-old has barely been noticeable so far this season, going pointless in three games while averaging just 11:37 of ice time per game. He has been decent away from the puck registering three hits and a takeaway while posting solid possession numbers. Pittsburgh has given McGroarty ample opportunity in the offensive zone, starting him in the offensive zone 75% of the time, but the former 14th overall pick has yet to show much of a pulse offensively at the NHL level.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that defenseman Erik Gudbranson will not return to tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers after suffering an upper-body injury. Gudbranson collided with teammate Sean Monahan in the neutral zone and was in obvious pain as he got to his feet. He appeared to be favoring his wrist when he left the ice and didn’t come out with his Blue Jackets teammates for the start of the third period. Columbus doesn’t play until Thursday against Buffalo and the Blue Jackets will likely have an update on Gudbranson before that contest.

Evening Notes: Myers, Dunn, Peterka

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers is dressed tonight for the Vancouver Canucks as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (as per TSN). Myers was injured in the Canucks shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday and was considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The initial reports were that the 16-year NHL veteran and the Canucks had dodged a bullet and given that he is playing tonight, that appears to be the case.

Myers has worked to improve his defensive game in recent seasons and is coming off his best season with the Canucks last year. The 34-year-old posted five goals and 24 assists in 77 games last season and was signed to a three-year $9MM contract extension on June 27th.

In other evening notes:

  • Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn took the pre-game skate with the team and is playing tonight against the Nashville Predators (as per Kraken reporter Bob Condor). Dunn had been dealing with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss the team’s last game against the Dallas Stars. He reportedly suffered the injury after taking a hit from Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno and has reclaimed his spot on the top pair as well as the first powerplay unit. Dunn has a goal and an assist at the start of the year but has struggled on the possession front in his limited sample size, posting a CF% of 40% at even strength.
  • Michael Augello of The Hockey News is reporting that the Buffalo Sabres are hopeful that they will have forward JJ Peterka in the lineup tomorrow night when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Peterka joined his teammates for practice once again, marking his second day in a row as a full participant after suffering a concussion in Czechia. The 22-year-old exited Buffalo’s 3-1 loss to New Jersey on October 5th after he took a hit up high from Devils defender Brenden Dillon. Peterka returned to the ice a few days later and worked out for almost a week in a limited capacity before he began to ramp things up. If he responds well to the extra work in practice the Sabres are optimistic that he can play tomorrow night.

East Notes: Tavares, Nylander, Farabee, Aston-Reese

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The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed centerman John Tavares back to practice this morning after he missed the team’s last game due to illness, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. However, the flu-bug isn’t out of Toronto just yet, with Tavares’ linemate William Nylander missing the practice because of illness. Tavares stepped into a role on the second-line and top power-play unit with Nylander out.

Toronto loses a star and gains a star with these updates. Nylander leads the team in scoring with two goals through three games – the only Leaf to score multiple goals so far – though Tavares also scored in the team’s season opener. The duo were the focus of plenty of debate this summer, with many wondering if Nylander could fill the second-line center role that Tavares has served in since 2018-19. The former certainly showed signs of that capacity in Tavares’ absence, winning four of his six faceoffs on Sunday, though new head coach Craig Berube hasn’t fully entrusted him with that role. With the two now tagging out, Tavares will get a chance to prove that he can still be a productive member of the top-six, for a Maple Leafs team in need of the boost.

Other notes from out East:

  • Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Joel Farabee shared that he’ll be good to go for the team’s Tuesday night game against Edmonton, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. Farabee missed the team’s Monday practice as the result of a “maintenance day”, as described by head coach John Tortorella. He’s recorded one goal and one assist through two games this season, one of just three Flyers with multiple points. Farabee will look to continue offering depth scoring on Tuesday.
  • Centerman Zach Aston-Reese has been cleared to return to the lineup after leaving the team’s Saturday game early, shares NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury on his first shift of the game, though he was able to skate at practice on both Monday and Tuesday. Now back to full health, he’ll return to a gritty role on the team’s fourth-line, searching for his first NHL point since the 2022-23 campaign.

Central Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Korchinski

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The Minnesota Wild have shared that  Jared Spurgeon (lower-body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) will both miss the team’s Tuesday night matchup against St. Louis. Forward Marcus Johansson is also questionable with an undisclosed injury, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, while both Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek also missed the team’s Sunday game.

Injury news hasn’t favored Minnesota through the early going. The absentees – Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek – stand as two of the most-utilized Wild skaters, each playing over 19 minutes of ice time in the team’s season debut. Eriksson Ek recorded an assist and three shots in the outing, while Spurgeon’s only recorded stat was a pair of shots. The duo are both pillars of Minnesota’s lineup, and they left big shoes to fill when they went down with injuries. The Wild responded by moving Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi into bigger roles on Sunday, though that outing resulted in an overtime loss to Winnipeg.

Minnesota now not only has to find fill-ins for a pair of top-liners, but could also need a replacement for Johansson’s spot on line-three. Johansson has recorded two points in three games through the early going – one of just five Wild with multiple points so far. It’ll be extra forward Travis Boyd who steps in, should Johansson be downgraded to out.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Colorado Avalanche also have a pair of injury updates, announcing that defender Devon Toews (lower-body) is hopeful for the team’s Wednesday game, while forward Jonathan Drouin (upper-body) has been ruled out, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Drouin seemed to suffer an injury in Colorado’s season opener last Wednesday, and has missed both games Colorado has played since. No specifics of his injury have been revealed. Toews also missed Colorado’s most recent game. The specifics of his injury are also unclear, especially with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. Oliver Kylington filled Toews’ role on the top-pair in his’ absence, and stands to continue garnering more minutes should the star sit out once again.
  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored a flashy, coast-to-coast goal in the AHL Rockford IceHogs’ season debut, leading to conversations about when Korchinski may be ready to return to the NHL. He played in 76 games on a deprived Blackhawks blue-line last season, but posted a less-than-inspiring 15 points and -39. That prompted Chicago to assign him to the minors to start this season, with Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson telling Scott Powers of The Athletic that the team hopes it’ll boost Korchinski’s confidence. Davidson acknowledged that the team may have asked too much of the rookie last season, and that building up his confidence will be top priority in the AHL. He told Powers, “You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level.” IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen agreed with Davidson, adding that he’s encouraging Korchinski to drive the puck downhill and challenge opposing forwards more. The 20-year-old defender certainly showed that ability with his inaugural AHL goal, and could be on a quick route back to the NHL roster once he gains the confidence to do that routinely.

Blue Jackets Activate, Reassign Max McCue

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The Blue Jackets announced they’ve activated forward prospect Max McCue from season-opening injured reserve and sent him down to AHL Cleveland. He barely participated in training camp due to an undisclosed injury, which has evidently now been resolved.

McCue, 21, was a fifth-round pick by the Sharks in the 2021 draft but became a free agent last summer after San Jose’s exclusive signing period lapsed. He played out his overage OHL season with the London Knights last year, recording 61 points in 62 games, before inking an entry-level deal with Columbus.

The physical 6’1″, 183-lb center may have some upside as a fourth-line piece down the line. But the lack of game-breaking offensive production as an overage player in juniors on a championship-caliber team is a red flag for his breakout potential as an impact player in the NHL. He’ll look to prove those premonitions wrong this year in Cleveland, where he’ll get his first taste of professional hockey.

If McCue reaches the NHL over the life of his ELC, he’ll carry an $858K cap hit. His deal runs through the 2026-27 season, and he’ll be an RFA upon expiry.

Stars To Activate Mavrik Bourque From SOIR

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Stars prospect Mavrik Bourque will make his season debut tonight against the Sharks, head coach Peter DeBoer told Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest. That indicates he’ll be activated from season-opening injured reserve after missing the past week-plus with an undisclosed injury.

Bourque, 22, is coming off a banner campaign in the minors with AHL Texas. The 30th overall pick of the 2020 draft erupted for 77 points (26 G, 51 A) in 71 games, leading the league in points and taking home First All-Star Team and MVP honors. It was a strong enough performance to warrant a brief NHL call-up, which he received at the end of the year. It resulted in him making his debut against the Blackhawks in early April, recording two shots on goal in under 11 minutes of ice time.

After the Stars lost Joe Pavelski to retirement this offseason, many expected Bourque to fill the vacant spot in their top-nine forward group. That undisclosed injury foiled his chance to do so on opening night, but he’ll get the opportunity now in the second week of the 2024-25 campaign. Per Rea, he’ll enter the lineup instead of veteran Tyler Seguin, who’s being held out with a minor lower-body injury for precautionary reasons.

With Bourque coming off SOIR and the recall of defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Texas earlier today, the Stars now have a full 23-man roster. They can create one quickly if they need an additional spot by moving Mathew Dumba to IR. He was downgraded to week-to-week this morning with his lower-body injury. Bourque counted just $9,314 against the cap while on SOIR, per PuckPedia, so their cumulative cap hit will increase by roughly $885K with his activation instead of his entire $894K cap hit.

Matt Dumba Out Week-To-Week

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Oct. 15: Dumba has been downgraded to week-to-week, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday (via the team’s Brien Rea). DeBoer confirmed that he’ll miss an extended period but won’t require surgery for the injury. Alexander Petrovic was recalled from AHL Texas earlier in the day to fill his spot. However, Dumba hasn’t yet been moved to IR, with Dallas having ample roster space for an extra defender without a corresponding transaction.

Oct. 13: Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Dumba is being called day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury in the first period of last night’s game against the New York Islanders (as per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News). Dumba was hurt during his second shift of the game when he was tripped by Islanders forward Casey Cizikas, and he fell awkwardly onto his right leg, which was pinned underneath him when he fell.

Dumba left the game briefly but returned to action, played six more shifts, and finished the first period, logging 6:02 in total ice time. The 30-year-old did not come out with the team to start the second period and missed the rest of the game. Dumba was ruled doubtful about returning a short time later.

After the game, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told the media that the Regina, Saskatchewan native will have scans taken on Monday and is considered day-to-day until they have more information regarding his ailment.

A former seventh overall pick, Dumba signed a two-year deal with Dallas on July 1st for a total of $7.5MM and has bounced around the NHL the past couple of seasons. He is no longer the impactful defender he was earlier in his career, but he remains a serviceable NHL defenseman, and his absence will create a hole on the Stars’ backend that is likely to be filled by Brendan Smith.

Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic

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Defenseman Alexander Petrovic is back in the NHL after being recalled by the Stars, per a team announcement today. It’s the first recall of the season for the 32-year-old, who went unclaimed on waivers during the preseason.

Now in his fourth year in the Stars organization after initially landing in Texas as a free agent in 2021, Petrovic played in one regular-season and seven playoff contests for Dallas last season – his first NHL action in five years. The former Florida second-round pick has transformed into a minor-league fixture, posting 20 goals and 49 assists for 69 points in 214 games with AHL Texas over the past four seasons.

In his past NHL minutes, Petrovic graded well as a physical bottom-pairing defender. The 6’5″, 208-lb right-shot defender has averaged nearly 200 hits per 82 games throughout his time in the NHL and has half-decent even-strength possession metrics (49.7 CF%, 48.4 xGF%) while averaging north of 16 minutes per game. He’s made 264 career NHL appearances since debuting in the 2012-13 season, all but 10 of which have come with the Panthers. He’s scored five goals with 45 assists for 50 points with a -11 rating.

Currently serving as an alternate captain with Texas, he’ll give the Stars extra insurance on the back end after Mathew Dumba sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday’s shutout win over the Islanders. Dumba is still day-to-day and appears unlikely to suit up in tonight’s contest against the Sharks.

Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner, Ivan Ivan, Nikolai Kovalenko

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11:12 a.m.: The Avs have also papered forward Nikolai Kovalenko down to the AHL, the team announced Tuesday. That does get them out of LTIR for the time being and will allow them to accrue a little bit of cap space before all three players likely return to the roster tomorrow.

8:46 a.m.: The Avalanche announced that forwards Chris Wagner and Ivan Ivan have been assigned to AHL Colorado. Freeing up their combined $1.62MM cap hit isn’t enough to get them out of LTIR and have them accumulate cap space for now, so it’s a bit of an odd move. Regardless, expect both to be re-added to the roster before tomorrow’s game against the Bruins to give the Avs 12 healthy forwards.

It’s a quick turnaround for Wagner, 33, who played in the Avalanches’ last two games after being recalled Saturday. The veteran can return to the Eagles without clearing waivers after doing so during the end of preseason, but he’s now used up two of his 10 games or six of his 30 days on the active roster before he needs them again for an AHL assignment.

Wagner averaged just 6:36 through Colorado’s two losses against the Blue Jackets and Islanders, which currently stands at a career low. The versatile depth forward went 3-for-6 in the faceoff dot and posted a -1 rating along with three shots on goal and three hits, but failed to get on the box score aside from a minor penalty. He has a goal and an assist in 15 combined contests since landing with the Avs organization as a free agent in 2023.

Ivan, at 22 years old, is significantly Wagner’s junior. He has been demoted for a third time since cracking Colorado’s NHL opening night roster. They’ve all been paper transactions, though, and he’s appeared in all three of the Avs’ losses to start the regular season. The undrafted free agent signing out of QMJHL Cape Breton has an assist and a -1 rating to kick off his NHL career, averaging 9:22 per game.

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