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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.

West Notes: Hellebuyck, Wild, Reichel

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Murat Ates of The Athletic broke down the reason Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was so frustrated by the lack of a goaltender interference call in a recent game against the Lightning. Hellebuyck has been a vocal advocate for goaltender interference calls, going as far as presenting to the NHL’s competition committee, and was incensed after the game against Tampa Bay for giving up a goal with a player sitting in his lap.

Hellebuyck has been looking for the NHL to create a clear standard for goalie interference but has been unsuccessful thus far in his advocacy. Goaltender interference remains a hotly debated topic around NHL circles as more and more instances of differing opinions seem to be occurring around the league.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild have been a feel-good story this season, beginning the year with an 8-1-2 record which matches their best start in franchise history (as per John Buccigross). The Wild have scored a franchise record 41 goals in 11 games and have been bolstered by star Kirill Kaprizov who is currently tied for the NHL scoring lead with 21 points. On the backend, the Wild have also received elite goaltending from Filip Gustavsson who appears to have returned to the form he displayed two years ago and even has a goal of his own this season.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic writes that Chicago Blackhawks forward Lucas Reichel has worked to get his confidence back and the results are beginning to show. Last season the 22-year-old went from a second line center all the way back to the AHL and it appeared in training camp that his game was in the same place. However, since being paired with veterans Pat Maroon and Craig Smith, Reichel has turned a corner and has looked like the player that the Blackhawks were hoping he would be when they took him in the first round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Reichel has a goal and five assists in nine games this season while averaging just over 12 minutes per game.

Central Notes: Predators, Drouin, Seguin, Martinez

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The Nashville Predators were expecting better than a 4-7-1 record through the first month of the regular season, especially after spending $108.5MM to bring in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in free agency. Still, despite the poor start, it doesn’t appear the team is ready to hit the panic button yet.

In an article from The Fourth Period, David Pagnotta said, “Barry Totz is certainly going to be doing his due diligence and looking around to see what may be available down the road. But right now, as you mentioned, four points out of a playoff spot, despite their rough start to the new season, I don’t really get the sense that they’re looking or itching to make an impact type of move or a panic type of move just now.”

The issues in Nashville fall on both sides of the ice. The offense hasn’t generated much enthusiasm with 2.42 GF/G and the defense hasn’t been able to hold down the fort with a 3.42 GA/G through 12 games. There are still some encouraging signs with the Predators sitting eighth in the league with a 52.8% CorsiFor% and the biggest disparity in actual goal differential minus expected goal differential according to Hockey Reference. Time will tell if Nashville has fundamental problems with their play or if they have to wait a bit longer for pucks to start bouncing their way.

Other Central notes:

  • The Colorado Avalanche are already getting a major boost to their forward core with the return of Artturi Lehkonen. According to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports, the team could get another reinforcement in the form of Jonathan Drouin. Angley shares that Drouin is close to returning from his upper-body injury which has kept him sidelined for much of the year aside from the opening contest. Lehkonen and the return of Drouin give Colorado two bonafide top-six wingers with Valeri Nichushkin expected to return in a few days.
  • Thanks to a lower-body injury, Dallas Stars veteran forward Tyler Seguin has only participated in seven of the team’s 11 contests. Robert Tiffin of D Magazine shares that the lower-body injury shouldn’t keep Seguin out for an extended time but it will likely be something the team has to manage all year. Seguin may inevitably land around his 2023-24 totals of 68 games played but has gotten off to a strong start this year with five goals and nine points in his limited action.
  • Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Blackhawks reports veteran defenseman Alec Martinez resumed skating this morning before the team’s practice. Martinez, who brings Stanley Cup pedigree to a relatively young Blackhawks roster, has been sidelined on October 15th due to a right groin injury. In his stead, Chicago has relied on a combination of young defensemen Nolan Allan, Wyatt Kaiser, and Alex Vlasic on the left side of the defense.

Pacific Notes: Walman, Bjorkstrand, Joshua, Samsonov

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In an interesting decision for San Jose Sharks head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, defenseman Jake Walman will be a healthy scratch in the team’s game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets (X Link). Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now theorized that it could be linked to an apparent injury Walman suffered in the team’s most recent loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

It’s important to note that there hasn’t been any confirmation about an injury as Warsofsky was quoted as saying, “I’m sure he’s frustrated. I think everyone wants to play. That message is gonna be between him and I.” At any rate, it’s a peculiar move from a rookie head coach with arguably the team’s top defenseman.

Walman is leading all Sharks’ defensemen in scoring with one goal and nine points in 13 games including seven points in the last four games. However, he struggled in the team’s loss to Vancouver producing a -2 rating over 20:35 of ice time including being on the ice for the deciding goal. The Sharks have played better recently with three wins in their last five games but Warsofsky may just be sending a stark message to keep his team on the right track.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Joining Walman as a healthy scratch tonight is Pacific Division counterpart Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Seattle Kraken according to Emerald City Hockey. This healthy scratch designation is more of a public message to the group with head coach Dan Bylsma saying, “The message is not just to Oliver. It’s to the whole group.” Bjorkstrand has struggled out of the gates with three goals and five points in 13 games while the team has dropped six of their last seven contests.
  • The Canucks organization may be getting a major boost this week with Harman Dayal of The Athletic reporting forward Dakota Joshua is a legitimate possibility to suit up on Thursday. Joshua hasn’t played for Vancouver since May 20th earlier this year as he continues to recover from testicular cancer. Despite the delayed start to the year, Vancouver re-upped with Joshua this summer to a four-year, $13MM contract as he’s expected to be a big factor in the team’s success over the next half-decade.
  • Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov is out until at least next Monday. Granger assured that it’s not a long-term injury but Samsonov hasn’t suited up for the Golden Knights in almost a week. He’s gotten off to a decent start with the third franchise of his career managing a 3-1-1 record through five starts with a .906 save percentage.

East Notes: Frederic, Ristolainen, Benning

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In an unsurprising but notable report, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes shares that Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic should have plenty of interest in his services once he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2025. Frederic has developed into a prototypical Bruins forward, combining physicality and toughness with a knack for goal-scoring.

Frederic plays a similar style to Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson although he hasn’t racked up nearly the number of PIMs as the veteran. From 2022-24, Frederic scored 35 goals and 71 points in 161 games for the Bruins while also collecting 309 hits. He has more experience down the middle which should give him some extra value but his career 44.4% success rate in the dot leaves a lot to be desired.

Outside of his solid offensive output as a middle-six center, Frederic can also be trusted in the defensive zone. He averaged 57.4% of his zone starts in the defensive zone during the 2023-24 regular season and still managed a 91.3% on-ice save percentage in all situations.

Aside from likely interest in free agency, Frederic could be an interesting trade chip throughout the 2024-25 regular season. Boston has gotten off to a disappointing 6-6-1 start to the regular season and Frederic could be valuable trade bait closer to the deadline should the trend continue.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • If the last four years were any indication, the Philadelphia Flyers are again expected to be a deadline seller evidenced by their 4-7-1 start to the regular season. One trade piece the organization has is defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen who will have two years and $10.2MM left on his contract after this year. Given the market over the last few seasons, Ristolainen’s size and physicality on the blue line could warrant a first-round draft pick according to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff. Di Marco may be correct in his thinking regarding size and physicality but a first-round pick for an edge top-four defenseman still appears bullish at face value.
  • Another piece already publicly on the trade block is Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Matt Benning. The organization may have difficulty shedding the two years and $2.5MM left on Benning’s current four-year contract but they likely have a contingency plan. In an article from James Mirtle of The Athletic (Subscription Article), he shares that Toronto is likely to place Benning on waivers should they not find a suitable trade. It stands to reason the Maple Leafs are more willing to lose Benning over Conor Timmins once they ultimately activate Jani Hakanpää from the injured reserve.

Sharks Activate Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea From IR

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Nov. 5: As expected, Cardwell and Gushchin have been sent down to make way for Celebrini’s and Dellandrea’s activations, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Pashelka. The Sharks organization later confirmed that Celebrini and Dellandrea have been activated for tonight’s contest.

Nov. 4: Sharks forwards Macklin Celebrini and Ty Dellandrea will make their returns to the lineup tomorrow against the Blue Jackets, they each told reporters today, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. They’ll need to come off injured reserve, meaning the Sharks will have to open up a pair of roster spots in short order.

Celebrini, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, has missed all but San Jose’s season opener with a lower-body injury. The 18-year-old told Pashelka that he sustained it on his first shift, but he still managed to record a goal and an assist in 17:35 of ice time against the Blues. After a 12-game absence, he’ll likely be back centering their first line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli. That would leave Mikael Granlund and his team-leading 14 points in 13 games in a second-line role, greatly improving the Sharks’ scoring depth.

After an initial bleak stretch without Celebrini, the Sharks have turned things around – somewhat. They still sit last in the league with a 3-8-2 record, but they’ve won three out of their last four games and have outscored opponents 14-11 during that stretch. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for a club that recently became the first in NHL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine-game losing streaks.

They’ll also have Dellandrea available against Columbus. The 24-year-old had a goal in nine games after being acquired from the Stars over the offseason but sustained a hand injury against the Golden Knights over a week ago. He’s back after missing four contests with the injury, and he’ll almost surely slot back in after playing a season-high 15:13 against the Kings on Oct. 24, his last fully healthy game.

The Sharks have three likely candidates who are waiver-exempt to head to the minors to make room for the duo – forwards Ethan Cardwell, Daniil Gushchin, and defenseman Jack Thompson. San Jose has carried 15 forwards and six defenders at points this season, so they may opt to send down Thompson to get back to that formation, although that’s unlikely given he’s currently ninth on the team in scoring with three assists in six games. Gushchin has just one assist in 10 appearances after cracking the opening night roster, while Cardwell has no points and a -2 rating in three appearances since being called up to replace Dellandrea.

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