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East Notes: Hughes, Toffoli, Svechnikov, Lockwood

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Devils center Jack Hughes will be activated from injured reserve and return to the lineup Thursday against the Flames, he told reporters, including the team’s own Amanda Stein. The 22-year-old had been out since Jan. 5 with an upper-body injury.

Hughes took line rushes with Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Holtz in this morning’s skate, but he may have different linemates against Calgary, said head coach Lindy Ruff. Toffoli is also expected to draw back into the lineup tonight after missing the team’s win over the Avalanche on Tuesday with an illness.

The 2019 first-overall pick continues to be New Jersey’s most dominant offensive force and leads the team with 1.41 points per game. He’s missed over 30% of the Devils’ games with injuries this season, though, although his 30 assists and 45 points still rank second on the team behind leading scorer Jesper Bratt.

A healthy Hughes for the rest of the season is one of the Devils’ biggest keys to clinching back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since 2009 and 2010. They sit five points back of the Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference but have two games in hand.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on Thursday:

  • Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov has been upgraded to being a game-time decision Thursday against the Avalanche, per the team’s Walt Ruff. He has yet to practice in a full-contact jersey since sustaining an upper-body injury on Jan. 21 but has remained day-to-day throughout the recovery process. Injuries have limited the high-flying Russian to 29 games on the year, but he’s managed to push through multiple disruptions to post the first point-per-game season of his career with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points.
  • Panthers winger William Lockwood remains out with a concussion and won’t return to the lineup Thursday against the Capitals, head coach Paul Maurice said (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Lockwood, 25, has not played since sustaining the concussion in a collision with Wild netminder Marc-André Fleury in a game on Jan. 20. Lockwood earned a three-game suspension on the play, which has long since been satisfied. He has a lone assist in 23 games with the Panthers this season, his first in Florida.

Islanders To Activate Casey Cizikas, Reassign Kyle MacLean

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The Islanders will activate center Casey Cizikas from long-term injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Lightning, as implied by his full participation in Thursday’s morning skate (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). Center Kyle MacLean has been returned to AHL Bridgeport to open a roster spot.

Cizikas, 32, is still listed as a game-time decision after being upgraded Wednesday night. However, with Hudson Fasching still out with a lower-body injury, the Islanders don’t have an extra healthy forward on the roster and would need to dress seven defensemen if Cizikas is a late scratch.

As expected, Cizikas will return to his long-time home on the team’s fourth line between Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Now in his 13th season with the team, Cizikas has five goals and 11 points in 39 contests while averaging 13:30 per game. He remains under contract until 2027 with a $2.5MM cap hit.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old MacLean returns to Bridgeport on a more permanent basis after being ferried up and down in Cizikas’ absence. The son of Isles assistant coach John MacLean scored his first NHL goal Monday night against the Maple Leafs, his only point during the first six games of his NHL career.

MacLean saw limited action under new head coach Patrick Roy, averaging 8:11 per game. He struggled in the faceoff dot, winning 14 out of 44 draws, and recorded a 47.8% Corsi share at even strength.

The New Jersey native has six goals and 19 points in 38 games with Bridgeport this season, on pace for AHL career-highs. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer upon completion of a one-year, two-way contract worth $800K in the NHL and $82.5K in the AHL.

Blues Recall Calle Rosén

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The Blues recalled defenseman Calle Rosén from AHL Springfield on Thursday, per a team release.

Rosén, who turned 30 earlier this month, joins the Blues with Justin Faulk and Scott Perunovich out of the lineup with lower-body injuries. The recall gives them seven healthy defensemen on the active roster in case their two injured defenders can’t re-join the team by Saturday’s game against the Sabres, their first after the All-Star break.

This is Rosén’s first recall since clearing waivers during training camp and heading to the minors in October. He’s scored twice and added 23 assists – which ranks first among Springfield defensemen – in 44 games, along with a +3 rating.

23-year-old right-shot defenseman Matthew Kessel drew into the lineup in 14 straight games before the break, averaging 17:17 per contest. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, however, and despite his even rating, his 43.1% Corsi share at even strength left something to be desired. If the Blues opt to replace Kessel with Rosén in the lineup, or if one of Faulk or Perunovich is ready to return, Kessel would not need waivers to return to Springfield.

After playing in a career-high 49 NHL games last season, it’s surprising it took until February for Rosén to see his first recall of 2023-24. He was quietly one of the best depth defenders in the league, posting eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points with a +19 rating despite logging only 15:36 per game. His 46.8% Corsi share at even strength was third among Blues defensemen behind Torey Krug and Tyler Tucker, and his expected +2.5 rating was second on the entire team behind depth winger Josh Leivo.

The Blues’ roster size is now at the 23-player maximum after Rosén’s recall. He is in the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM extension signed in 2022 that carries a $762.5K cap hit. A pending UFA, Rosén can return to Springfield without clearing waivers if he plays less than 10 games and stays on the roster for less than 30 days.

Joining the league as an undrafted free agent signed by the Maple Leafs in 2017, Rosén has since appeared in 87 games across five seasons for Toronto, Colorado and St. Louis. He’s played more of a role since coming to St. Louis in 2021, recording 10 goals and 25 points in 67 appearances.

Follow The NBA Trade Deadline On Hoops Rumors

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Trade deadline day has arrived for the NBA, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams! The deadline is set for 2:00pm CT on Thursday.

Luke Adams provided a deadline primer this morning to help readers prepare for today’s action, and he will release his annual recap of all the completed trades this evening.

While it began as a relatively quiet week, three deals were agreed to on Wednesday, and many more significant trades were completed earlier in the season, with James Harden, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Immanuel Quickley, Terry Rozier, and Steven Adams among the players on the move.

In total, we’ve seen 11 in-season trades so far during the 2023/24 season. Last year, we saw 12 deals completed on deadline day alone, and this year could be just as action-packed!

Dejounte Murray, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Miles Bridges, Andrew Wiggins, and Tyus Jones are among the names that have continually popped up in trade rumors. The Sixers have also reportedly talked to the Bulls about six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, perhaps the most accomplished player who has a chance to be sent to a new team today.

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Snapshots: Sergachev, Cizikas, Karlsson, Svoboda

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Earlier today, the Lightning activated Mikhail Sergachev off LTIR, adding a key defenseman back into their lineup.  However, the return was short-lived as the team announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner suffered a lower-body injury, ending his return game prematurely.  The 25-year-old was injured in the second period in a collision with Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere.  Sergachev, who was coming back from a left leg injury, looked to suffer another injury to that same leg on the play and was stretchered off the ice.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Islanders center Casey Cizikas has been upgraded to a game-time decision for Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, notes NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. The 32-year-old has missed the past 10 games because of a lower-body injury, landing him on LTIR in the process.  New York will have to make some roster moves to get cap-compliant before they can bring Cizikas onto the active roster.  Cizikas has 11 points in 39 games so far this season.
  • Linus Karlsson’s frequent roster shuffling continues as today, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that the center has been returned to AHL Abbotsford. It’s the fourth re-assignment to the minors in a little over three weeks, even with the All-Star break.  Karlsson has played in four games with Vancouver so far while often being recalled to serve as the emergency option should a forward become unavailable close to game time.  Meanwhile, in the minors, the 24-year-old has 27 points in 30 games.
  • Sharks prospect Brandon Svoboda is on the move as USHL Fargo announced that they acquired the center from Youngstown. San Jose picked the 19-year-old in the third round last June but his production has been limited this year with just 11 points in 25 games so far.  Svoboda is committed to Boston University for next season and will be looking to finish up his USHL career on a high note as he’s joining the league-leading Force.

Pat Maroon Undergoes Back Surgery

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Earlier this week, the Wild placed winger Pat Maroon on injured reserve.  We now know how long he’ll be out of the lineup as the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran underwent successful back surgery on Tuesday and is set to miss the next four to six weeks.

The 35-year-old is in his first season with Minnesota after the Wild acquired him back in July for a seventh-round pick.  The change of scenery has certainly helped Maroon’s offensive game as he had 16 points in 49 games before the injury after putting up just 14 in 80 contests last season.  Of course, Maroon is also known for his physicality – he led the NHL in penalty minutes in 2022-23 – and while his hit total is down considerably, he’s averaging more than a hit and penalty minute per game.

A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Maroon has 150 career NHL playoff appearances under his belt.  That, coupled with a low-cost contract (Minnesota is only responsible for $800K of his $1MM contract), makes him an interesting depth addition for teams should Minnesota not get back into the playoff picture.  To that end, Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Maroon should start skating again in a few weeks so while he might not be completely cleared to return by the March 8th deadline, he should be far enough along in his recovery that interested teams shouldn’t be scared off by the injury.

East Notes: Jeannot, Grzelcyk, Svechnikov

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To make room for the activation of Mikhail Sergachev from LTIR earlier today, the Lightning quietly placed winger Tanner Jeannot on LTIR, reports Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider (Twitter link).  The 26-year-old has missed more than a month already with his lower-body injury so this placement is simply procedural but it allows them to avoid any salary cap-related transactions for a little longer.  However, Jeannot is expected to be activated at some point on their current road trip so the roster will need to be trimmed down soon enough.  Jeannot has a dozen points in 41 games in his first full season with Tampa Bay after being acquired from Nashville before last year’s trade deadline.

More from the Eastern Conference

  • Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston examines the Bruins’ trade options, or, more specifically, the lack thereof. With them missing several draft picks and a thinned-out prospect pool as a result of their consistent win-now approach, GM Don Sweeney may exercise some caution before moving any of what he has left out.  Meanwhile, with cap space at a premium, they might be in a spot where they would have to move out a contract to make a move; Goss pegs blueliner Matt Grzelcyk as a potential candidate to be moved.  The pending UFA has a $3.6875MM cap charge which would give Sweeney some flexibility to take a player back if he opts to add to his roster in the next month.
  • Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury but it seems as if he’s close to a return. Team reporter Walt Ruff relays (Twitter link) head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s comments today which noted that Svechnikov is simply waiting until he feels 100% before returning to the lineup.  The bench boss feels that Svechnikov’s return should be just around the corner, meaning he could be a possibility to play against Colorado on Thursday.  The 23-year-old has been limited to just 29 games so far this season due to injuries but certainly has been productive, notching 11 goals and 19 assists.

Matthew Poitras Out For The Season

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Matthew Poitras was one of the bright spots for the Bruins this season, earning a roster spot in training camp and largely playing a regular role since then.  However, his rookie year has come to an early end as the team announced that Poitras has undergone a successful right shoulder open stabilization.  That procedure carries a five-month recovery time, ending his season.  GM Don Sweeney released the following statement on the procedure:

Our medical staff made the recommendation for Matt to proceed with the surgery rather than continue playing with an unstable shoulder and risking further damage. Everyone involved supported the decision as to do what was best for him at this time. Matt is just starting his Bruins career and is a key part of our future.

The 2022 second-round pick had a strong preseason showing to help him break camp with the big club in October and he didn’t look back.  Poitras had five goals and ten assists in 33 games while averaging over 13 minutes a night, a strong first taste of NHL action.  Boston opted to loan him to play for Canada at the World Juniors back in December and he has some success offensively in that event, recording two goals and two helpers in five contests.  Upon returning, his playing time had been more sporadic with this shoulder injury clearly being the reason for that.

Boston is currently using LTIR and will likely be placing Poitras on there in the near future, giving the team a little extra salary cap flexibility.  However, with Poitras on his entry-level contract, the potential cap savings will be limited as his AAV is just $870K with most of that likely being earmarked for whoever the Bruins elect to recall to take his spot on the roster.  Speculatively, Patrick Brown, who has been back and forth several times this season, could be brought up to serve in the reserve forward role while it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sweeney look for some extra depth down the middle before next month’s trade deadline.

While Poitras officially burned the first year of his contract early in the season, the surgery will prevent him from hitting the 40-game benchmark which would have allowed him to accrue a year of service time toward UFA eligibility.  Instead, he won’t be eligible to hit the open market until he turns 27 in 2031.

Brenden Dillon Receives Three-Game Suspension

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After conducting a phone hearing with Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon earlier today, the Department of Player Safety has issued its ruling, handing the blueliner a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head.  The incident occurred early in the second period of last night’s game against Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, a match penalty was assessed on the play.  Acciari left the game and did not return; there is no word yet on the severity of his injury.

In the Department’s video ruling, they indicated that Dillon’s hit satisfied both ends of the criteria in Rule 48 for an illegal check to the head.  The principal point of contact was the head while the hit itself was avoidable, leading to the suspension.

It’s the second suspension of Dillon’s career as he received a one-game ban back in 2017 for slashing.

As a result of the suspension, Dillon will be out of Winnipeg’s lineup until February 17th when they take on Vancouver.  He will forfeit just under $61K in salary which instead will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Calgary Flames Sign Martin Pospisil To Two-Year Extension

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The Calgary Flames have signed forward Martin Pospisil to a two-year, $2MM contract extension. The new deal will carry a $1MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.

Pospisil has become a fan-favorite since playing in his NHL debut on November 4th. He scored his first career goal in his first game, kicking off a hot streak that saw Pospisil net three goals and five points in his first seven NHL games. He’s lost his scoring touch since, totaling just 11 points through 34 games up to this point. His role has become much grittier, with Pospisil tallying 23 penalty minutes since January 1st – more than any other Flame. He’s up to 37 penalty minutes on the season, ranking second on the team to Andrew Mangiapane.

Calgary drafted Pospisil in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s already played more NHL games than all but two players taken that round, behind Philipp Kurashev and Paul Cotter. Pospisil turned pro soon after getting drafted, playing 26 games with the Flames AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, in the 2019-20 season. He recorded 10 points and 56 penalty minutes that season – ranking third on the team in penalty minutes despite playing roughly 20 fewer games than anyone else in the top five.

Pospisil made his professional debut soon after his draft, playing in 26 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the 2019-20 season. He quickly established himself as a physical presence, ranking third on the team with 56 penalty minutes, despite sitting out 29 of the team’s 45 games. That presence has followed him, with Pospisil setting a career-high 95 penalty minutes in 47 games during the 2021-22 season. He’s now proving his physicality at the top level, throwing hits at a rate greater than any other Flame and earning his first million-dollar contract.  That physicality got him into some trouble last night against Boston when he received a major penalty for cross-checking but Sportsnet’s Eric Francis relayed earlier today that there would be no supplementary discipline heading his way.

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