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Bruins Recall Jeffrey Viel

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The Bruins promoted winger Jeffrey Viel from AHL Providence on Monday, per a team announcement. Boston had an open roster spot after reassigning Riley Tufte on Sunday, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Viel, 27, is in his first season in the Bruins organization. The 6’2″, 205-lb power forward signed a two-year, partial two-way deal in free agency over the summer after spending the first six seasons of his professional career in the Sharks and Jets systems.

The Quebec native is expected to play his first NHL game in 19 months tonight against the Blue Jackets, per Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. He’ll slot in a fourth-line role at left wing alongside John Beecher and Tyler Johnson while Mark Kastelic comes out due to a lower-body injury, and Cole Koepke serves as a healthy scratch despite being fourth on the Bruins in scoring with eight points (4 G, 4 A) in 19 games. There’s hope Kastelic could return for Thursday’s game against Utah, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports, so Viel’s stint in the lineup could be a short one.

While Viel spent last year with Winnipeg, he didn’t see NHL ice and spent the entire 2023-24 season on assignment to AHL Manitoba. All of his 49 career NHL games came in a Sharks uniform. He recorded three goals and two assists for five points with a -9 rating and 139 PIMs in parts of three seasons. He averaged 8:29 per game in San Jose and controlled 43.6% of shot attempts at even strength.

Viel has routinely blended strong physical play and frequent fights with decent scoring numbers in the minors, making him an attractive power winger option for NHL clubs looking to add some skill and protection for their younger prospects at the AHL level. His production hasn’t come alive with Providence yet, though, limited to two goals and two assists in 14 games.

Viel passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. He can remain on Boston’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs them again to return to Providence. The first season of his contract carries a two-way structure, so the recall represents a significant pay bump to $775K from his $375K minors salary.

Maple Leafs’ Calle Järnkrok Undergoes Groin, Sports Hernia Surgery

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The Maple Leafs announced that forward Calle Järnkrok underwent groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday. He will remain out of the lineup indefinitely and will be evaluated monthly.

Järnkrok, 33, has spent the entire season on long-term injured reserve with what the team previously labeled a lower-body injury. General manager Brad Treliving said last week that Järnkrok had left Toronto after experiencing a setback in his recovery and was seeing a specialist in New York.

That meeting evidently resulted in the decision for Järnkrok to undergo surgery to repair the issue, which he sustained early in training camp. Recovery timelines from sports hernia surgery vary but usually fall somewhere in the four-month range, so while there’s still a chance for him to play this season, it likely won’t be until after the March 7 trade deadline.

Järnkrok has been plagued by injuries since signing a four-year, $8.4MM contract with the Maple Leafs in free agency in 2022. He missed 30 games last season with two different hand injuries and also missed a couple of weeks in December 2022 with a groin injury, although it’s unclear if that’s related to the current groin issue that required surgery.

When in the lineup, the versatile Swede has been an effective depth presence. He’s averaged 0.48 points per game in a Toronto uniform, a tad higher than his 0.43 career average. He averaged 15:16 in 52 appearances last season, recording 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points while averaging more than a minute per game on both the power play and penalty kill.

While the Maple Leafs will continue to miss a capable veteran presence with a well-rounded game who can slot in pretty much anywhere in the lineup, they will continue to gain relief from his $2.1MM cap hit while on LTIR. Toronto currently has $731,562 left in their LTIR pool with a full roster, per PuckPedia, although that number will increase when Auston Matthews and Max Pacioretty come off standard injured reserve.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Flyers Recall Helge Grans Under Emergency Conditions

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The Flyers announced Monday that they’ve recalled defenseman Helge Grans from AHL Lehigh Valley under emergency conditions. The 22-year-old will make his NHL debut tonight against the Avalanche, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Grans will enter the lineup for Emil Andrae, who the team said won’t play after sustaining a mid-body injury against the Sabres on Saturday. Philadelphia moved goaltender Samuel Ersson to injured reserve to open a spot on the active roster.

Grans arrived in the Flyers organization last year as part of the three-team trade with the Kings and Blue Jackets that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus. Drafted 35th overall by Los Angeles in 2020, the 6’3″, 205-lb righty already has loads of professional experience. He logged 69 games of Swedish Hockey League experience with Örebro HK before coming to North America in 2021, and he’s since recorded 11 goals, 33 assists, 44 points, 58 PIMs, and a -4 rating in 185 games for the Kings’ and Flyers’ affiliates in Ontario and Lehigh Valley.

While Grans once projected as a solid puck-moving defender with good size, his point totals in the minors suggest he’ll be more of a stay-at-home option if he manages to lock down an everyday NHL role. He’s struggled to make a significant impact on the scoresheet after a 24-point rookie season in 56 games with Ontario in 2021-22, posting just eight points (1 G, 7 A) in 56 games with Lehigh Valley last season.

Grans will debut on the right side of a pairing with Yegor Zamula, head coach John Tortorella said. Don’t expect them to log a ton of minutes, though, with Tortorella adding he plans to “play the s*** out of [Travis Sanheim] and [Rasmus Ristolainen]” as the Flyers look to win their fourth game in a row and push their record above .500 for the first time since their first game of the season (via Kevin Kurz of The Athletic).

For Andrae, it’s a tough break for the 22-year-old. He’s played well in fringe top-four minutes with Jamie Drysdale and Cameron York hitting injured reserve in recent weeks, posting three assists with a +1 rating in 10 appearances while averaging 18:27 per game. The undersized 5’9″ blue-liner has gotten involved physically with 13 blocks and 15 hits, and his possession play has been quite good. The Flyers have controlled 51.2% of shot attempts with Andrae on the ice at even strength compared to 42.2% without him.

Ersson, meanwhile, hits IR after re-aggravating a lower-body injury last week. He’s not expected back until Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks at the earliest, so today’s move is purely for roster flexibility purposes and doesn’t impact his timeline for a return.

Wild Recall Ben Jones, Devin Shore

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The Wild brought up forwards Ben Jones and Devin Shore from AHL Iowa on Sunday, per a team release.

One or both could make their Wild debuts on Tuesday against the Blues. They replace up-and-coming forwards Michael Milne and Liam Öhgren on the active roster, both of whom were reassigned to Iowa earlier Sunday.

If Jones plays, it would be just his third career NHL game. The 25-year-old last appeared at the top level with the Golden Knights in Nov. 2021, recording 2 PIMs, a shot on goal and four hits while averaging 8:03 in a pair of contests.

The final pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, the 6’0″ Jones has developed into a top-six option at the AHL level despite his lack of NHL time. While the Knights opted not to qualify him when his entry-level contract expired in 2022, he caught on with the Flames organization for the past two seasons and compiled 97 points (38 G, 59 A) in 143 games.

Jones’ six seasons of AHL experience but lack of NHL games played made him eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this past summer, and he was plucked off the market by the Wild on a two-year, two-way deal amid a flurry of minor signings from Minnesota on July 1. It’s worked out so far, as Jones leads Iowa in scoring with 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 14 games and earned his first NHL recall in three years in the process.

Shore has far more top-level experience than Jones – 441 games separating the two, to be exact. The 30-year-old Shore also inked a two-way deal with the Wild when free agency opened and has two goals and 10 points in 14 games with Iowa after clearing waivers, although his -11 rating is second-worst on the team behind Brendan Gaunce.

A long-time bottom-six fixture with the Stars, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Oilers, Shore’s 21 NHL games last season with the Kraken were his fewest in a campaign since a three-game trial with Dallas in 2015-16. He’s spent parts of the last three seasons in the AHL after going seven years without a minor-league assignment, largely due to steadily declining offense and ice time at the NHL level. Shore had only four points for Seattle last year and averaged 8:00 per game, a career-low capping off a third straight season in which he averaged under 10 minutes per game.

Both Jones and Shore can remain on Minnesota’s roster for up to 30 days and play 10 games before needing waivers again to return to the AHL. The Wild have been dipping into their AHL depth in recent days with Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve and Joel Eriksson Ek out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Ducks Place Mason McTavish On IR; Recall Sam Colangelo, Tyson Hinds

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The Ducks placed center Mason McTavish on injured reserve Sunday with an upper-body issue, the team announced. The move opened up a second spot on the active roster, and Anaheim used both open slots to recall right-winger Sam Colangelo and defenseman Tyson Hinds in corresponding moves.

McTavish, 21, has already sat out three games with the injury, which he sustained on Nov. 8 against the Wild. He was listed as day-to-day as late as Saturday, so the placement doesn’t indicate a change in his return timeline. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement from IR at any time, as he’s already missed more than seven days.

The third overall pick of the 2021 draft is the third Duck to land on IR in the past few days. He joins fellow forward Robby Fabbri, who underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn meniscus and will miss the next six weeks, and defenseman Cam Fowler, who’s out for two to four weeks with an upper-body injury.

It’s been a good start to the season for McTavish, who’s averaging a career-high 16:18 per game and is tied for third on the team in points with eight (2 G, 6 A) in 13 appearances. The 6’0″, 213-lb pivot has won 48.3% of his faceoffs and has arguably earned a couple of more points than he’s produced, shooting 3.6 points below his career average of 12.3%.

He has been a slight drag on the team’s possession numbers, though. The Ducks are controlling 41.2% of shot attempts with McTavish on the ice at even strength compared to 45.5% without him. He had been centering a line between Fabbri and Trevor Zegras, with the former now moving up to center Frank Vatrano and Troy Terry with his linemates injured.

Whether Colangelo and Hinds will draw into the lineup Monday against the Stars remains to be seen, although it’s a decent possibility with head coach Greg Cronin continuing to shuffle lines in the wake of injuries. Colangelo, 23 next month, is off to a scorching-hot start in the minors with San Diego. The 2020 second-round pick leads the team with nine goals in 14 games and is second with points in 14, trailing only Jansen Harkins’ 17.

Colangelo, who checks in at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, is in his first full season of pro hockey. The Massachusetts native signed his entry-level contract last spring after transferring to Western Michigan for his senior season, leading them with 24 goals in 38 games. He made his NHL debut down the stretch in 2023-24, averaging 12:33 per contest and recording his first NHL goal in his first game on April 12 against the Flames.

It is, however, the first NHL recall for the 21-year-old Hinds. The lefty was a third-round pick in 2021 and is amid his second professional season, recording 10 points and a -8 rating in 71 appearances for San Diego last year. He’s yet to record an assist in 2024-25 but has already matched last year’s goal total with two in 13 games. The Quebec native, who’s on track to become the capable stay-at-home defender he was drafted to be, was ranked as the 14th-best prospect in Anaheim’s system in McKeen’s Hockey’s preseason ranking.

Oilers Recall Josh Brown

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The Oilers recalled defenseman Josh Brown from AHL Bakersfield on Sunday, according to a team announcement. The club had a pair of open roster spots and ample cap space in their LTIR pool, so no corresponding transaction was necessary.

Recalling Brown gives Edmonton an extra defenseman while Darnell Nurse, who sustained an upper-body injury on a hit from Maple Leafs winger Ryan Reaves on Saturday night that resulted in a five-game suspension, is unavailable. The Oilers haven’t yet issued a timeline for Nurse’s return, but after leaving the game bloodied and in visible pain, it’s likely he’ll miss at least a game or two.

Edmonton signed Brown, 30, to a three-year, $3MM contract over the summer. It hasn’t gone to plan at all, with the 6’5″ righty failing to even make the team out of camp and clearing waivers last month.

Brown’s $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors, but it’s a big chunk of change to be paying an AHLer. The Ontario native hadn’t seen AHL ice since the 2018-19 campaign with the Panthers, the same season he made his NHL debut.

A Florida sixth-round pick in 2013, Brown has recorded 11 goals, 23 assists, 34 points, and a -26 rating in 290 NHL appearances over the past six years with the Panthers, Senators, Bruins, and Coyotes before arriving with the Oilers. He averages less than 15 minutes per game and has consistently posted below-average possession numbers, only controlling 43.8% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength.

Last year in Arizona, Brown was a frequent healthy scratch but managed a career-high seven assists and 10 points in 51 games when in the lineup. The physical stay-at-home defender did finish fourth on the Coyotes with 85 blocks and sixth with 112 hits, but his 41.0 CF% at even strength was the worst among any Arizona skater with over 20 games played.

In 12 games with Bakersfield, Brown has two assists and leads the team with 46 PIMs and a +5 rating. The former number leads the league, not an unsurprising stat for a player who logged 1.47 PIMs per game with Arizona in 2023-24.

It’s unclear whether Brown will make his Oilers debut on Monday against the Canadiens. That depends on the health of winger Viktor Arvidsson, who’s missed their last two games with an undisclosed injury and has led them to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen. If Arvidsson can’t play, Brown will likely suit up as the extra blue-liner.

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

Canucks Recall Elias Pettersson, Place Derek Forbort On IR

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The Canucks have recalled defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford, Irfaan Gaffar of Daily Faceoff reports Sunday. Defenseman Derek Forbort was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction to create an open spot on the active roster.

It’s the first recall of Pettersson’s career. The 20-year-old, who bears no relation to Vancouver’s star center with the same name, was selected 80th overall in the 2022 draft and is in his first full season in North America after spending last season on loan to Västerås IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier professional league.

Pettersson is a left-shot defender with good size at 6’3″ and 209 lbs. Elite Prospects lauds him as a “good skater with a long stride,” and while he doesn’t overtly dominate in any area of the game, he doesn’t have many glaring shortcomings that should impede his development. McKeen’s Hockey ranked him as the eighth-best prospect in the Canucks’ system in their preseason rankings, third among defensemen behind countryman Tom Willander and fellow first-year pro Kirill Kudryavtsev.

Through 15 games with Abbotsford this season, Pettersson has four assists, four penalty minutes and a +3 rating. He also had a pair of assists in eight regular-season outings with Abbotsford to end 2023-24 after his campaign with Västerås came to an end.

Pettersson has been on Sweden’s roster for each of the last two World Junior Championships, totaling five assists in 14 games with a +2 rating. He also has 64 games of European top-level professional experience with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League, posting a goal and seven assists with a +10 rating.

Pettersson will likely serve as an extra defender for Sunday’s game against the Predators and watch from the press box. While he signed his entry-level contract before the 2023-24 campaign, it slid last season as he didn’t play in 10 NHL games. It goes into effect for 2024-25 with a cap hit of $838.3K and makes him a restricted free agent in 2027.

Meanwhile, Forbort lands on IR after sitting out the last six games with a knee injury. Gaffar reported earlier this month that Forbort’s injury could sideline him for over a month, meaning he could still be a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup.

Since Forbort has already missed more than a week due to the injury, he’s eligible to be reinstated at any time. The 32-year-old has played in four games for the Canucks this season between the knee injury and personal reasons, posting one assist and a -2 rating while averaging 16:30 per game. The veteran of 500 NHL games inked a one-year, $1.5MM contract with Vancouver over the summer after completing a three-year, $9MM deal with the Bruins that didn’t result in an extension.

Jets Reassign Fabian Wagner To AHL

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The Jets assigned forward prospect Fabian Wagner to AHL Manitoba on Sunday, per a team announcement. The 20-year-old began the season on loan to Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League, but the team said Saturday that they would be mutually terminating their agreement with Wagner.

Linköping sporting director Peter Jakobsson said Wagner wanted to come to North America, and it’s easy to see why. The 2022 sixth-round pick has averaged just 6:23 per game through 16 appearances in 2024-25 and has a -5 rating without recording a point.

The Jets selected Wagner out of the Linköping organization two years ago after he posted 38 points and a +20 rating in 43 appearances for their U-20 club. He’s played primarily for the professional squad since in top-level SHL action but has been used sparingly, totaling just one goal and five assists in 87 games in light usage, almost always dressing as the club’s 13th forward.

Wagner, a 6’0″ forward who can play both center and wing, has suited up for Sweden at the past two World Junior Championships, where he has two goals and four assists for six points in 14 games. All of those points came in seven games at the 2023 tournament – he went pointless at the 2024 edition.

It’s not quite a last-ditch effort to get Wagner’s development back on track – he is still just 20 years old, after all. However, his inability to climb up Linköping’s depth chart over the past few years is concerning, and as a result, few scouting services rank him within Winnipeg’s top 15 or 20 prospects.

The Jets signed Wagner to his entry-level contract back in June 2023. It slid last year since he spent the whole campaign overseas, but it will go into effect for 2024-25, regardless of whether he sees NHL action. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2027.

Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves Suspended Five Games

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3:04 p.m.: The league’s Department of Player Safety announced a five-game suspension for Reaves.

9:04 a.m.: The NHL has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will have a player safety hearing for his illegal hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse in last night’s 4-3 overtime win. Reaves was assessed a match penalty and a game misconduct on the play after his shoulder caught Nurse in the head as the Oilers defenseman circled behind his own net with the puck. It’s a phone hearing, not an in-person one, so his pending suspension won’t last more than five games.

Nurse hit the ice hard after the hit and appeared stunned as he looked around. Blood began to pour from a sizeable cut on Nurse’s head as the Oilers training staff attended to him. He remained on the ice for a few moments before he was assisted off the ice. The hit occurred at the 2:41 mark of the second period, leaving the crowd in silence as Nurse left the game and did not return. Reaves was escorted off the ice and had a heated verbal exchange with Oilers captain Connor McDavid before he exited the game.

The league has an interesting decision to make with regard to Reaves, the initial point of contact on the hit is Nurse’s head and it would meet the definition of a blindside hit. The Department of Player Safety will consider an illegal check to the head suspension but does retain the right to change course when they review the infraction.

Reaves does have a history of supplemental discipline during his career, having last been suspended during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs while he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. Reaves caught a two-game suspension for roughing and was also suspended one game during the 2020 postseason for an illegal hit to the head against Tyler Motte of the Vancouver Canucks. Reaves was also suspended three games back in 2016 for boarding.

As for Nurse, his status has yet to be updated, but he is out right now with an upper-body injury. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweeted that he’s heard from Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels that Nurse was joking with the team’s trainers and walking around after the game, which is certainly encouraging.

Snapshots: Wild, Perets, Edvinsson, Rasmussen

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The Minnesota Wild have assigned forwards Liam Ohgren and Michael Milne, and defender Daemon Hunt, to the AHL as they anticipate the return of Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek. Michael Russo of The Athletic points out that, even with the two veterans returning, the team will likely call another forward up in the coming days.

Ohgren made his return to the lineup, and Milne his NHL debut, in Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Stars. Neither had much to show for their minutes, with Ohgren recording two shots in 12:10 and Milne recording three hits in 6:34. Another scoreless night pulled Ohgren through his eighth game this season with no points. Hunt hasn’t stepped into the lineup since being recalled on November 12th, though he did play one NHL game in October. All three have been far more productive with the AHL’s Iowa Wild – where Ohgren has four goals in four games; Hunt has two assists in six games; and Milne has eight points in 10 games. Ohgren and Milne will be the top options to be quickly recalled, though Minnesota could also turn towards veteran pros like Ben Jones, Travis Boyd, or Devin Shore.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have sent goaltender Yaniv Perets back to the minor leagues with Pyotr Kochetkov set to return from injury per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Kochetkov missed Carolina’s Saturday win over Ottawa with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour describing Kochetkov as “banged up” to postgame media including NHL.com’s Matt Komma was the closest indication of Kochetkov’s hold up. Whatever the issue was, the young netminder is set to reassume his familiar role as de facto starter with Frederik Andersen out long-term. Kochetkov has eight wins and a .897 save percentage through 10 games this season. Meanwhile, Perets has only served as backup in his NHL call-ups this season. He’s posted a .825 save percentage in three AHL games this year, and will return to a crowded Chicago Wolves goaltender room beside Spencer Martin and Ruslan Khazheyev.
  • Forward Michael Rasmussen (upper-body) and defenseman Simon Edvinsson (lower-body) are both expected to return to the lineup on Monday per the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both players sat out of the team’s Saturday night loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Rasmussen has found a role in Detroit’s bottom-six, recording four points through 16 games this season. Edvinsson has proven far more impactful, usually serving as the go-to partner for star Wings defender Moritz Seider. Edvinsson has six points in 16 games this season, putting him on pace for 30 points in his rookie year.

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