Blackhawks Notes: Murphy, Johnson, Veterans
The Blackhawks have been without blueliner Connor Murphy for nearly three months with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Speaking with reporters today including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, the veteran indicated he was dealing with an osteitis pubis injury, the same issue that has sidelined San Jose’s Logan Couture for most of the season albeit a less severe case. Murphy took part in a full practice today and is targeting a return sometime next week. While there isn’t anything left for Chicago to play for in the standings, getting a few games under his belt before the campaign comes to an end would certainly be worth it for Murphy to confirm that he had indeed fully recovered from this issue.
More from Chicago:
- Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson suffered a setback as he works his way back from a concussion, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. The 25-year-old has missed nearly four weeks and had been skating at one point but has stopped since then. At this point, a return in the final two weeks of the season seems unlikely. Johnson collected two goals and three assists in 42 games with Chicago while adding 109 hits; he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
- Heading into the season, many expected Chicago to move veterans Jason Dickinson and Petr Mrazek. As pending unrestricted free agents, the thought was they’d hold down a roster spot and then be moved at the trade deadline for draft picks but both signed two-year extensions instead. Scott Powers of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that the Blackhawks could use more players like that, short-term veterans that can make a bigger impact than anticipated and then stick around a little longer. Adding pieces like that would raise the floor of the team when they eventually look to emerge from their long-term rebuild.
Metropolitan Notes: Phillips, Harkins, Werenski, Svechnikov
The Capitals have once again brought forward Matthew Phillips up from the AHL on an emergency loan, per a team release. It’s the fourth recall for Phillips in the past few weeks after Washington re-claimed him off waivers from the Penguins in March. Why exactly Phillips has been added to the roster ahead of tonight’s game against the Hurricanes is unknown – no Capitals forwards are carrying injury designations other than T.J. Oshie, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was already available as an extra forward. There may be a few undisclosed game-time decisions in the works up front. Phillips, 25, has a goal and four assists in 31 appearances with the Caps and Pens this season.
Other updates from the Metro:
- Moving over to Pittsburgh, winger Jansen Harkins was cleared for contact Friday and was a full participant in practice, head coach Mike Sullivan told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 26-year-old has been on LTIR since March after undergoing hand surgery and has now missed 15 games, but he could be an option for the final few tilts of the season as the Penguins try to sneak their way into the postseason. The high-end AHL scorer has had no offensive impact in 43 NHL appearances this season, going without a goal and posting four assists in 43 games while averaging just over eight minutes a night.
- Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski will join the United States national team after the end of the regular season in preparation for the 2024 World Championship in Czechia, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. In doing so, the 26-year-old is strengthening his candidacy for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Team USA GM Bill Guerin has made it clear national team hopefuls for those big-ticket tournaments should attend this year’s World Championship if possible. Today, Werenski was named the Blue Jackets’ nominee for the 2024 Masterton Trophy, churning out All-Star-caliber minutes this year after missing most of 2022-23 due to shoulder surgery.
- The Hurricanes will be without winger Andrei Svechnikov at home against Washington tonight due to illness, per a team announcement. The 2018 second-overall pick has been limited by injuries to 55 games this season but has played solid hockey, churning out 17 goals and 46 points. He’s gone through quite a cold stretch over the past few weeks, though, only recording a goal and two assists in his last 12 games with a -5 rating. He’ll look to reset and rebound before the playoffs begin on April 20.
Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner
The Avalanche have sent veteran forward Chris Wagner to AHL Colorado, the team announced. The move comes in anticipation of Valeri Nichushkin and Yakov Trenin both returning from multi-game absences due to injuries tonight against the Oilers.
Wagner signed a two-way deal with the Avs over the offseason after completing a three-year, seven-figure deal with the Bruins, most of which was spent in the minors. After registering five points in 41 games in 2020-21, the first season of his contract, he played just one NHL game in each of the following two campaigns and instead settled into a middle-six role with AHL Providence. He sustained an Achilles injury in training camp with Colorado, delaying his debut with the organization until January, and he’s since registered a goal and an assist in 11 major league games while averaging a minimal 7:39 per game.
He’s also done decently well in the minors, posting eight points and a +3 rating in 17 games with the Eagles. His all-around versatility and plug-and-play ability convinced the Avs to ink him to a one-year, two-way extension Wednesday, which is now confirmed to carry a $775K cap hit and $400K minors salary. He’s been recalled twice since returning to play with the Eagles in January, both coming under emergency conditions. His initial emergency loan was converted to a standard recall and carried him through the March 8 trade deadline, making him ineligible to play in the AHL postseason. As such, expect Wagner to return to the Avalanche as an extra when the Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off later this month.
Senators Assign Tyler Kleven To Minors
The Senators announced they’ve assigned rookie defenseman Tyler Kleven to AHL Belleville. His spot in the lineup will go to Thomas Chabot, who, according to multiple reports, has been cleared to return from a lower-body injury ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Devils.
Kleven, a 2020 second-round pick, had filled in for Chabot since the latter was injured in a March 27 contest against the Sabres. He played a limited role in his four-game recall, going without a point, posting a -2 rating, and logging five shots on goal while averaging 14:41 per game. That was up drastically from the minimal 11:01 per game he averaged during a five-game run on the roster in October and November.
Those will likely be his only two stints on the NHL roster in 2023-24, closing out what’s otherwise been a strong campaign for the shutdown prospect. The 6’4″, 200-lb blue-liner has made 45 appearances for the B-Sens, recording 17 points and a +13 rating. He’s in his first full professional campaign after spending three seasons with the University of North Dakota, with whom he won the NCHC tournament and regular-season championship in 2021, along with a gold medal while representing the United States at the World Juniors.
Signed to an entry-level contract with a $917K cap hit, Kleven is still one year away from his initial deal running out and will be an RFA in 2025. The North Dakota native should be a candidate to land a role on their opening night roster in the fall.
Ducks Recall Nikita Nesterenko, Issue Injury Updates
The Ducks announced that they’ve recalled forward Nikita Nesterenko from AHL San Diego amid multiple changing injury designations ahead of tonight’s game against the Kraken. Forwards Max Jones (upper body) and Mason McTavish (lower body) are out, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports, as is standout rookie defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (lower body). Lee also relays that blue-liner Radko Gudas will return after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury. As a result of McTavish’s injury, the only new absence after their last outing, Nesterenko’s recall comes under emergency conditions. It does not count their two remaining standard recalls this season. Lee also reported on Nesterenko’s recall prior to the official announcement.
Nesterenko, 22, is in his first full professional season after signing with the Ducks out of Boston College to close out 2022-23. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by the Wild, his signing rights were traded to Anaheim as part of the deal that sent defenseman John Klingberg to Minnesota at last year’s deadline. He ended last year with one goal in nine NHL games but didn’t crack the Ducks’ opening night roster this season, spending the entirety of 2023-24 thus far on assignment to San Diego. He’s settled in as their most competent two-way center, notching 15 goals and 33 points in 63 appearances. His +8 rating is the highest among forwards and second on the team behind veteran NHL defenseman Robert Hägg.
That strong showing on a bottom-five Gulls club may earn him some NHL viewings down the stretch. He wasn’t much of a factor in his first major league attempt, losing all three faceoffs he took and averaging 13:17 per game, but his otherwise poor 41.8 CF% at even strength was better than his teammates’ down the stretch, a testament to just how inept last season’s Ducks were at controlling possession. They’ve improved dramatically in that category under first-year head coach Greg Cronin, posting a 47.0 CF% at even strength compared to last year’s 42.6.
Anaheim is rather set down the middle with McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Isac Lundeström doing decent work anchoring the top three lines, although a third-line checking unit anchored by Lundeström moving to the wing with Nesterenko down the middle is an appealing thought for Ducks fans. The club also has 2022 first-round pick Nathan Gaucher in the center pipeline. Trevor Zegras, who’s mustered only nine points in 25 games this season and has battled injuries seemingly non-stop, seems locked into a spot on the wing for the remainder of his tenure in SoCal.
With Ben Meyers and Jakob Silfverberg destined for unrestricted free agency this summer, there may be a spot for Nesterenko on next season’s opening night roster if GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t plug too many holes on the open market. His NHL performance to close out the season will likely go a long way toward dictating that likelihood. He’s set for restricted free agency in a few months after completing his two-year entry-level contract and still has five more years under team control until he’s eligible for UFA status.
Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates
Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for their six remaining games this season, head coach Pascal Vincent said Friday (via Jeff Svoboda of the team’s official site). The 25-year-old exited last night’s 4-2 loss to the Islanders after taking a shot to the hand late in the game, which the team later confirmed resulted in a break. It’s unclear if he’ll require surgery to repair the break or if rehabilitation over the offseason is sufficient to address it.
Bean’s third season in Columbus was much better than his second, when a November 2022 shoulder injury resulted in surgery that ended his season. He’s been a fixture in the Blue Jackets lineup for the most part, only being scratched on a handful of occasions. The 2016 first-round pick wasn’t able to rise above a third-pairing role, however, recording four goals and 13 points in 72 contests while averaging 16:20 per game. His pairing with Erik Gudbranson was Vincent’s most used, logging nearly 600 minutes together across 62 games. They were also the worst of Columbus’ six most-iced pairings at maintaining possession quality, controlling 45.1% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Bean’s individual possession numbers weren’t any better away from Gudbranson at 5-on-5, posting an on-ice xG% of 44.9.
Bean was the WHL’s leading goal-scorer among defensemen in 2016 and won Best Defenseman honors in the AHL in 2020, but his NHL ceiling is crashing down as he passes through his mid-20s. While his junior and minor league production still suggests there’s significant upside in his game, it won’t come buried on the depth chart on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
He’ll be an RFA this summer upon completion of his three-year, $7MM contract, the last time he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency. With younger, high-ceiling defenders like David Jiricek vying for bigger roles in Columbus and multiple exemplary young defense prospects on the way, Bean could find himself on the open market this summer if Columbus opts not to issue him a qualifying offer and risk being taken to arbitration.
Extra blue-liner Adam Boqvist is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and won’t be cleared to play before tomorrow’s contest against the Flyers, so the Blue Jackets will need to recall a defenseman from AHL Cleveland. That will likely be Jake Christiansen, who’s got two assists in 12 NHL games this season and was returned to the minors Tuesday after a weeks-long stint in Columbus.
On a shorter-term horizon, Vincent also said neither center Sean Kuraly nor goaltender Elvis Merzļikins will be available against Philadelphia. Both are out with lower-body injuries. Kuraly has returned to practice and is nearing a return after a three-week absence, while Merzļikins hasn’t played since getting banged up in a win over the Penguins on March 30. Backup Daniil Tarasov also sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss to the Islanders, so they’ll need to bring fourth-string netminder Malcolm Subban up from Cleveland if he’s unable to dress tomorrow. 23-year-old Jet Greaves will likely get the start in any event, posting an exemplary .917 SV% in limited NHL action this year. Subban hasn’t played a major league game in over two years, last appearing with the Sabres in January 2022.
A rare bit of good news for Columbus is that top winger Johnny Gaudreau will return against Philly after sitting out last night’s loss with an illness, Vincent told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s been a disappointing season for the $9.75MM man, only potting 11 goals, but he still leads the club in scoring with 56 points in 75 games.
Maple Leafs To Activate Mitch Marner From LTIR
Star Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner was a full participant in today’s practice and is likely to return tomorrow against the Canadiens, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports. As such, Toronto is expected to reinstate him from long-term injured reserve before Saturday’s 6 p.m. CT puck drop.
As head coach Sheldon Keefe tries to finalize line combinations before the postseason, Marner notably won’t return in his usual first-line role alongside Auston Matthews. In his absence, the generational goal-scorer has done quite well anchoring a line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, so Marner slides down to the Leafs’ second even-strength unit alongside Bobby McMann and captain John Tavares. Marner hasn’t played since sustaining a high ankle sprain against the Bruins on March 7, causing a 12-game absence.
Before the injury, Marner was on pace to crack the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. That’s out of the question now, as he’d need 24 points in his final seven games to accomplish the feat, but it shouldn’t take away from a fourth truly exemplary season from the 2015 fourth-overall pick. He’s averaged over 1.2 points per game in each campaign over that span and has recorded expected ratings upward of +14 every time, firmly planting himself in the conversation for one of the best two-way wingers in the world. His 30 goals and 99 points last season while averaging 2:17 per game on the penalty kill earned him a Selke Trophy nomination for the first time, although he’s earned votes for the honor in five straight seasons.
His return allows Keefe to ice Matthews, Marner, and leading assist-getter William Nylander on three separate lines, something he hopes creates matchup headaches for opposing coaches when the playoffs begin later this month. The Leafs have made the playoffs every season in Matthews’ career but have failed to advance past the second round.
Devils Assign Max Willman To Minors
The Devils have done some roster trimming before tomorrow’s game against the Senators, announcing the assignment of forward Maxwell Willman to AHL Utica. His reassignment signals that Nolan Foote, who hasn’t played since a four-game conditioning stint in Utica one month ago, could soon be cleared for game action. Foote participated in today’s practice, per Amanda Stein of the Devils’ official site, but line rushes indicate he’s unlikely to make his season debut for New Jersey tomorrow. Willman’s now-vacant roster spot could also go to a defense callup, as interim head coach Travis Green told Stein that blue-liner John Marino is questionable against Ottawa due to an undisclosed injury.
Willman, 29, was inked to a one-year, two-way deal last offseason and has logged significant action in both New Jersey and Utica. He’s been recalled six times, making 18 NHL appearances, but his four points, 40.1 CF% at even strength, and minimal usage (8:20 per game) have done little to put him in consideration for a full-time spot on the Devils’ roster.
His NHL career began with six points in 41 games with the Flyers in 2021-22, although his possession metrics were similarly poor in that span: a -13 rating and 42.9 CF%. He played only nine games the following campaign, spending most of it in the minors. Since turning pro five years ago, he’s held down a middle-six role with 88 points in 173 AHL games and 25 points in 20 ECHL games.
With six games remaining on their schedule and playoffs no longer a remote possibility, this will be Willman’s last transaction of the season unless a sudden rash of injuries strikes the Devils’ forward group. He’s not going to be a long-term NHL option for anyone at this rate, but with 11 goals and 21 points in 31 games with Utica this season, he’s proven his value to the organization as a veteran presence in the minors. A pending UFA, Willman likely won’t earn anything much higher than his current $150K guaranteed salary on his next deal.
Nominees Announced For 2024 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Nominees are selected by members of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, with finalists being named near the end of the regular season. Previous winners include Kris Letang (2023), Carey Price (2022), and Oskar Lindblom (2021). Today, a new list of 32 nominees has been named.
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Urho Vaakanainen
Arizona Coyotes – Connor Ingram
Boston Bruins – Danton Heinen
Buffalo Sabres – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Calgary Flames – Oliver Kylington
Carolina Hurricanes – Frederik Andersen
Chicago Blackhawks – Colin Blackwell
Colorado Avalanche – Jonathan Drouin
Columbus Blue Jackets – Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars – Matt Duchene
Detroit Red Wings – Alex Lyon
Edmonton Oilers – Vincent Desharnais
Florida Panthers – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Los Angeles Kings – Viktor Arvidsson
Minnesota Wild – Marco Rossi
Montreal Canadiens – Joel Armia
Nashville Predators – Michael McCarron
New Jersey Devils – Curtis Lazar
New York Islanders – Cal Clutterbuck
New York Rangers – Jonathan Quick
Ottawa Senators – Claude Giroux
Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Couturier
Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby
San Jose Sharks – Justin Bailey
Seattle Kraken – Joey Daccord
St. Louis Blues – Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning – Michael Eyssimont
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ilya Samsonov
Vancouver Canucks – Noah Juulsen
Vegas Golden Knights – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington Capitals – T.J. Oshie
Winnipeg Jets – Laurent Brossoit
Stars Recall Forward Mavrik Bourque
The Dallas Stars have recalled top forward prospect Mavrik Bourque to the NHL roster (Twitter link). Bourque currently carries a seven-point lead on the AHL’s scoring title, with 26 goals and 72 points through 66 games. It’s a title he’s hung onto all season, battling for it with partner-in-crime Logan Stankoven prior to his recall. Bourque now gets a call-up of his own, marking the first in-season call-up of his career.
Bourque has been electric this season, continuing to dominate AHL scoring after posting 20 goals and 47 points in 70 games as a rookie last season. He formed a formidable duo with Stankoven this season, serving as the star prospect’s centerman and building a tempo that opponents simply couldn’t handle. But Bourque has proven plenty effective without him as well, boasting 17 points in 19 games since Stankoven left the lineup. He’s a feisty centerman that doesn’t shy away from the low slot or corners, even despite his smaller frame. Bourque compliments that with a great understanding of how to exploit space high in the zone, and a strong ability to work east-to-west just as well as he works north-to-south.
Dallas drafted Bourque with the 30th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Every pick ahead of Bourque has so far made their NHL debut, with 29th-overall Brendan Brisson becoming the latest to break into the league. Bourque will look to continue the order and crack the lineup in Dallas’ final six games of the season.