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Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini Questionable With Lower-Body Injury

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Macklin Celebrini missed the San Jose Sharks’ Friday practice with a lower-body injury and is questionable for the team’s Saturday game shares Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini struggled with nagging, minor lower-body injuries throughout training camp, though it’s not clear if the two injuries are connected. The latest first-overall pick recorded his first NHL goal and assist in his debut on Thursday, sharing statlines with winger Tyler Toffoli. Celebrini didn’t seem limited in the game, playing through overtime and totaling 17:35 in ice time.

Injury news is the worst thing to hear after Celebrini’s electric debut. At the age of 18 years and 119 days, Celebrini became the youngest Shark to score in their debut. He also became the third-youngest player to record multiple points in his debut, behind Nathan MacKinnon (18 years and 31 days) and Bobby Carpenter (18 years and 86 days). Age-related accolades are far from unfamiliar for Celebrini, who also became the youngest player to win the NCAA’s Hobey Baker ’MVP’ Award last season.

Celebrini made his debut alongside William Smith, who recorded 13:41 in ice time on San Jose’s third line. He failed to score in his debut, despite two shots. Regardless, Smith could stand as the go-to replacement for Celebrini’s top-line role if needed, as the Sharks kick off a season of heavily leaning into their prospect pool.

Flyers Recall Emil Andrae, Place Nick Seeler On Injured Reserve

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5:00 PM: The Flyers have officially recalled Andrae from Lehigh Valley and placed Seeler on injured reserve retroactive to October 1st. Seeler will be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy.

4:00 PM: Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella has shared that defenseman Nick Seeler won’t play in the team’s season opener on Friday, due to a minor lower-body injury. The team is expected to respond by calling up Emil Andrae, per reports from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel and Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco.

Seeler, 31, was a core piece of Philadelphia’s third pairing last season, averaging roughly 17 minutes of ice time through 71 games. It was nearly two minutes more than he averaged in 2022-23, though that didn’t mean more scoring, with Seeler posting 12 points last year compared to 14 two seasons ago. The pair of seasons stand as the only times that Seeler has surpassed 10 points in his six-year, 296-game career in the NHL.

Andrae, 22, is on the other side of his career, playing in the first four games of his NHL career last season. He failed to score in those appearances, though he did lead all Lehigh Valley Phantoms defenders in scoring with 32 points in 61 games last year. Andrae now lands an early chance to score Philadelphia they were wrong for cutting him from training camp, though he’ll need to bring his strong scoring to the top flight if he wants to stand a chance at winning Seeler’s role.

East Notes: Guentzel, Peterka, Poitras

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New Tampa Bay Lightning star Jake Guentzel is set to play in the team’s season opener on Friday night, shares Bally Sports Florida’s Gabby Shirley. Guentzel will return to the team’s top line and top powerplay unit after missing parts of multiple practices this week with an undisclosed injury.

Guentzel will fill the role of Lightning legend Steven Stamkos after the latter moved to Nashville in his first trip to unrestricted free agency this summer. It’s Guentzel’s second move of the year after being traded from Pittsburgh to Carolina at the 2024 Trade Deadline. He proved incredibly productive with the Hurricanes – totaling eight goals, 17 assists, and 25 points in 17 regular-season games, then adding four goals and nine points in 11 postseason games. The hot production continued his streak of point-per-game scoring that dates all the way back to his 2019-20 campaign, when Guentzel notched 20 goals and 43 points in 39 games. He more formally stamped his high-scoring in 2021-22, netting 40 goals and 84 points in 76 games. The recently-turned 30-year-old now sits with two 30-goal seasons, and two 40-goal seasons, throughout his eight-year career in the NHL. Those numbers should only continue as he prepares for a role next to Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay.

Other notes from out East:

  • John-Jason Peterka continues to ramp up his workload at the Buffalo Sabres’ practices after missing time with a concussion, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Peterka has now practiced in each of the last three skates, though he sat out of Buffalo’s home opener on Thursday. Lysowski adds that Peterka’s availability won’t be confirmed until the team sees how he responds to practice. The 22-year-old stands as one of Buffalo’s most exciting up-and-comers, after posting 28 goals and 50 points last season. That includes eight goals and 12 points in 17 games to end the season – production Peterka will look to build on when he’s able to return.
  • Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has shared that there’s a “possibility” that forward Matthew Poitras will make his season debut tomorrow, per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Poitras has been on injured reserve since training camp and became eligible to be reinstated on Thursday. Poitras was a hot-topic rookie last season – winning a roster spot out of camp and posting 15 points through his first 33 NHL games, though a shoulder injury ended his season in February. He’ll now look to bounce back from injury in a big way, set to fill the final spot on Boston’s roster.

Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov has been reported as out week-to-week by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Barkov had to be helped off the ice after awkwardly colliding with the boards while racing Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle to a loose puck that’d become the clinching empty-net goal. Pagnotta adds that Barkov seems to have dodged the worst-case scenario and that his injury is considered a bad ankle sprain.

Barkov’s importance to the Panthers can’t be understated. He’s been the team’s unrivaled top center since at least 2017-18, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time and scoring above point-per-game pace in all seven seasons since then. He’s become well-decorated in that span, winning the Lady Byng trophy in 2019, the Selke Trophy in 2021 and 2024, and the Stanley Cup in 2024. Barkov has so far managed just one assist in two games this season – adding three blocks, one hit, and no giveaways.

Filling the role of their team captain will be a daunting task for the Panthers. Sam Bennett has served as the team’s de facto second-line center, though Florida could look towards flexible forwards like Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, or Evan Rodrigues to step into a middle-lane role. This could also be a golden opportunity for the 23-year-old Anton Lundell, who’s recorded fewer than 17 minutes of ice time in each of Florida’s games this season. Lundell is building out his own reputation as a strong two-way player, even receiving votes for the Selke Trophy in his rookie 2021-22 season. Lundell posted an impressive 54.9 faceoff percentage last season, second on the team to Barkov’s 57.3 percent win-rate. That could be helfpul assurance as the Panthers look to hang onto their grip of all three zones without one of the world’s best defensive-forwards.

Avalanche Claim Kaapo Kahkonen From Jets

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The Colorado Avalanche have claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. The Avalanche are already carrying two goaltenders – Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen – on their NHL roster. Neither are exempt from waivers, likely indicating Colorado’s plan to carry three goaltenders. Colorado used both netminders in their season opener, with Georgiev allowing five goals and getting pulled for Annunen, who let in two goals of his own.

That’s certainly far from an ideal start for the Avalanche netminders, leading the team to reel in the veteran presence of Kahkonen, who’s spent the last five seasons bouncing around the NHL. His career began with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted Kahkonen in 2014’s fourth round and assigned him to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in 2018. He was called up after two strong seasons as Iowa’s starter and proceeded to post a stout 31 wins and .907 save percentage in 54 games, and three seasons, as Minnesota’s backup. His consistency drew interest from around the league, and Kahkonen was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in 2022 alongside a fifth-round pick in the deal that landed Minnesota defender Jacob Middleton.

Kahkonen continued to serve as a consistent backup in San Jose, recording 17 wins and a .892 behind a struggling Sharks defense. But with little short-term success in sight, San Jose swapped Kahkonen with New Jersey’s Vitek Vanecek at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Kahkonen was one of two depth goaltenders acquired by the Devils, alongside Montreal’s Jake Allen, and would only play in six games with the club as a result – though he did manage a career-high .923 save percentage in those appearances.

Still, the Devils opted to stick with the Stanley Cup-winning precedent of Allen, letting Kahkonen sign a one-year, $1MM contract with the Jets on July 1st. He was one of three goalies to make the Jets roster out of camp, next to Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, and now moves to a similarly-crowded room in Colorado. He’s posted a modest .899 save percentage across 139 career games, and will look to provide relief in the event that Colorado’s netminders continue to dip.

Golden Knights Claim Raphael Lavoie, Cole Schwindt

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10/11: The Vegas Golden Knights have reclaimed Lavoie from Edmonton, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, continuing the young forward’s bouncing between Edmonton and Vegas. He has now been waived and claimed by both teams and will be eligible to be assigned to Vegas’ minor leagues should no other team place a claim.

10/7: The Oilers and Flames have each lost a forward to the Golden Knights on waivers. Raphael Lavoie is heading from Edmonton to Vegas, while the Knights also claimed Cole Schwindt from Calgary, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Both enter a competition with recent veteran pickup Tanner Pearson to begin the season as Vegas’ 11th and 12th forwards. That’s assuming center William Karlsson is sidelined for the season opener against the Avs on Wednesday with the undisclosed injury that’s kept him out of action for over a week. They’re also significant reinforcements after Vegas lost Zach Aston-Reese on waivers to the Blue Jackets today.

Lavoie is an intriguing pickup. The 24-year-old has just seven games under his belt without a major league point, all coming last season. But Edmonton’s second-round pick in 2019 has turned into a standout offensive forward at the AHL level and has a 6’4″, 216-lb frame. He put up 28 goals and 22 assists for 50 points in 68 games last season with AHL Bakersfield, all career highs.

Schwindt has the same exact career NHL offensive stat line – no points in seven combined games for the Flames and Panthers, but he has a -5 rating compared to Lavoie’s -2. All in all, they’re players at very similar stages of their careers. Schwindt is a tad younger – he’s still 23, but was also a member of the 2019 draft class. Sent from Florida to Calgary in the Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster, he doesn’t have as much offensive success as Lavoie at the AHL level. He posted 36 points in 66 games for the Calgary Wranglers last year, which was a career-high.

Only one will draw in against Colorado if Karlsson isn’t ready to play. With their lack of NHL experience, it’s anybody’s guess. Both have experience suiting up at right wing and center.

After the claims, the Golden Knights have $652K in projected cap space, per PuckPedia. They need to clear a roster spot, perhaps by placing Karlsson on injured reserve.

Wild Recall Jesper Wallstedt, Reassign Daemon Hunt

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Oct. 11: After Hunt was scratched as expected for yesterday’s home opener, the team announced he’s been returned to Iowa while Wallstedt is back with the NHL club. The move indicates Chisholm will likely be ready to return tomorrow against the Kraken if needed.

Oct. 10: The Wild have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. Hunt will serve as Minnesota’s seventh defenseman while Declan Chisholm, who’s dealing with an illness, is unavailable for tonight’s home opener. Without an open roster spot to execute the transaction, the Wild sent down goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in a corresponding move. He wasn’t expected to dress tonight anyway, with Marc-André Fleury backing up Filip Gustavsson, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Drafted in the third round out of WHL Moose Jaw in 2020, Hunt landed in the AHL two years ago and climbed up the depth chart to make his NHL debut last season. He’s posted 41 points (6 G, 35 A) with a -2 rating in 116 games for the Iowa Wild. While a left-shot defender, he can also comfortably log time on the right side.

A strong skater with good physicality for his 6’1″, 201-lb frame, Hunt made a strong impression in training camp after logging an assist and a -1 rating in his first 12 NHL appearances in 2023-24. He’s still waiver-exempt, though, and his level of play didn’t warrant exposing a depth piece like Chisholm or Jonathon Merrill to waivers. The 22-year-old will remain waiver-exempt throughout the season and should receive frequent call-ups whenever injuries affect the Minnesota blue line.

However, Hunt will likely have to wait a bit to make his season debut in the NHL. He’s projected to sit in the press box while Merrill and Zach Bogosian comprise the Wild’s bottom pairing.

As for Wallstedt, the Wild still thoroughly plan on having him in the NHL as part of a three-goalie rotation. Since he’s one of the few waiver-exempt names on the roster, expect him to be papered down to Iowa at other points this season if Minnesota needs an open roster spot in a pinch.

Flames Recall Justin Kirkland, Place Kevin Rooney On IR

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The Flames announced today they’d recalled center/left wing Justin Kirkland from AHL Calgary. He could make his season debut tomorrow against the Flyers. In a corresponding move, fellow center Kevin Rooney was placed on injured reserve, opening up the necessary spot on the 23-man roster to recall Kirkland, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.

Kirkland, 28, has never played an NHL game for the Flames but is quite familiar with the organization. The Predators selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft, but he was non-tendered in 2019 and landed with the Flames as a free agent. He spent the next three seasons playing for their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, scoring 33 goals and 50 assists for 83 points in 135 games. Only after leaving the Calgary organization would Kirkland make his NHL debut, skating in nine games for the Coyotes and Ducks over the past two seasons. He posted a combined -3 rating and six shots on goal but is still looking for his first NHL point.

The lanky 6’3″ forward is a playmaker, first and foremost. He spent last year in Arizona, primarily with their AHL affiliate in Tucson. He posted eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points in 43 games for the Roadrunners, working out to the second-highest per-game production of his AHL career. His best offensive season came back in Stockton in 2021-22 when he placed fourth on the team with 25 goals and 48 points in 66 games.

A UFA last summer, Kirkland returned to Calgary on a two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $200K in the minors. He can spend up to 30 days on the NHL roster or play 10 games before he needs waivers to return to the Wranglers.

Rooney, 31, was in the lineup for Wednesday’s season opener against the Canucks but left the game in the first period after taking a heavy hit from Vancouver center J.T. Miller. He was listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury yesterday. The IR placement means he’ll miss seven days retroactive to the date of the injury, so he’s automatically been ruled out of their next three games. The soonest he’s eligible to return is Oct. 18 against the Kraken.

Rooney made 33 appearances last season after shoulder surgery delayed his debut until after the New Year. The fourth-line checker averaged 11:13 per game, posting three goals and an assist while laying 65 hits. They were all clean, as he only received one minor penalty all season. He’s logged time for the Wranglers in the past two seasons and could be a candidate to land on waivers if there isn’t a clear spot for him in the lineup upon his return.

Rangers, Alexis Lafrenière Discussing Long-Term Extension

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The Rangers have a few high-profile pending free agents. While none of them eclipse the value of potential top UFA goalie Igor Shesterkin, 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière has finally broken out as a core piece of their top-six forward group. He’ll be an RFA next summer without a new deal.

While a report at the beginning of the summer from USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano indicated Lafrenière was unlikely to kick off extension negotiations over the summer, that wasn’t the case. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said late last night that they’ve been discussing different contract options for a few months, including an eight-year deal in the $64MM range.

That offer undoubtedly indicates the massive step in the right direction Lafrenière took last season. The two-time CHL Player of the Year was finally given a lengthy runway in top-flight minutes alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck last year after Peter Laviolette took over behind the bench, responding with a career-high 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games. It still wasn’t quite the level of production most initially expected him to provide, but if his 14 points in 16 playoff games to end the year were a sign of things to come, he’s looking at another significant leap forward in 2024-25.

The Quebec native is still just 23 years old (his birthday is today), and he’ll play his 300th regular-season game when the Blueshirts host Utah tomorrow. While he’s only produced at a half-point-per-game clip throughout that time, he’s also had enough NHL opportunities to demonstrate a linear development path offensively over the past couple of years. With a consistently positive trajectory entering his prime, an $8MM AAV may be a gamble worth taking on a long-term deal for Rangers general manager Chris Drury to keep one of his top players cost-controlled through the rest of their championship contention window.

Lafrenière is in the back half of a two-year, $4.65MM bridge deal he signed after his entry-level contract expired in 2023. An $8MM AAV would be nearly a 350% raise on what he’s currently making.

The Rangers could likely shoulder it without too much fanfare. That would give them roughly $67MM wrapped up in 12 players for 2025-26. While that would leave only $25.5MM to fill 11 roster spots with a projected salary cap rise to $92.5MM, most expect them to try and move the final year of captain Jacob Trouba’s deal at an $8MM cap hit after failing to do so this offseason. Suppose they get a long-term deal done with Lafrenière in that range. In that case, it shouldn’t severely handicap their ability to retain Shesterkin and refresh their depth as they gear up to remain in championship contention through the rest of the decade.

East Notes: Kapanen, Grimaldi, Thompson

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After a strong training camp, Canadiens center prospect Oliver Kapanen was a surprise inclusion on the opening night roster. The 21-year-old pivot sat in the press box for their season opener against the Maple Leafs but made his NHL debut in last night’s loss to the Bruins, recording an assist and a shot on goal in 10:22 of ice time.

The 2021 second-round pick is demonstrating he has a decently high offensive ceiling. After all, he did show up in a big way for Liiga’s KalPa last year, posting 34 points (14 G, 20 A) in 51 games. That’s strong production for a youngster in a European pro league, and tacking on his six goals in eight games for the Finns at the 2024 World Championship, it’s clear he’s knocking on the door of full-time NHL minutes.

But there isn’t an extremely clear path to them yet, with Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Christian Dvorak down the middle. It’s foreseeable that Kapanen won’t spend the whole year on the NHL roster. While they would typically be required to first offer him back to his European team (now Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League) due to transfer regulations for some international non-first-round picks, that may not be the case. He could spend the rest of the season on assignment to AHL Laval if he spends at least 60 days on Montreal’s roster to open the campaign, as Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler pointed out. That’s a decently likely scenario with Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Patrik Laine facing long-term injuries. Kapanen would likely play out the rest of the year in the minors once one is ready to return.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, have landed minor-league scoring star Rocco Grimaldi on a 25-game tryout, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. He’ll suit up with the Monsters to start the year while he continues his quest to land a two-way NHL contract. The undersized 31-year-old last saw NHL minutes with the Predators in the 2021-22 campaign, but he’s been an adequate depth offensive presence when given the chance, with 30 goals and 37 assists in 203 career NHL appearances. The former second-round pick of the Panthers has posted over a point per game in three straight AHL campaigns, including 73 in 72 games last year with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
  • Capitals netminder Logan Thompson has returned to the team today after missing a few days while on personal leave, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The Caps don’t open their season until tomorrow, so it’s unclear if their offseason trade pickup from Vegas will get the opening-night start over resident No. 1 Charlie Lindgren. Thompson made a career-high 42 starts for the Golden Knights last year, posting a 25-14-5 record with a .908 SV%, 2.70 GAA, one shutout, and 6.5 GSAA.

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