Milan Lucic Won’t Return To Bruins This Season
While domestic violence charges were dropped against Bruins winger Milan Lucic earlier today, don’t expect to see him back in a Boston uniform in 2023-24. Following the news of the charges being dropped, the team released a statement to reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that the veteran won’t return this season:
Milan Lucic will remain on indefinite leave from the organization for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. The Boston Bruins organization supports Milan and his family as he continues his personal rehabilitation.
Lucic signed a one-year contract with Boston back in July, a deal which carried a $1MM cap hit and salary plus another $500K in undisclosed performance bonuses. He will once again be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
At the time of his arrest back in November, Lucic was on LTIR and he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program soon after. Accordingly, the Bruins will be allowed to keep him on LTIR and exceed the salary cap by up to $1MM for the remainder of the season.
Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner
With Logan O’Connor dealing with a lower-body injury, the Avalanche have made a roster move to bring up some extra depth up front, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Chris Wagner from AHL Colorado.
It hasn’t been a great season for the 32-year-old. Wagner signed with Colorado with the hopes that he could battle for a spot on the fourth line with 360 career NHL appearances under his belt. However, he then ruptured his Achilles tendon in training camp, putting an end to those hopes before he even had a chance to suit up for them in the preseason.
Wagner was cleared to return a little over a month ago, clearing waivers which resulted in him being assigned to the Eagles. To his credit, he has been fairly productive over the last few weeks, notching three goals and four assists in 11 games.
Colorado had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Wagner up. They’re now at the maximum 23-player roster with this transaction.
Snapshots: Hoglander, Blue Jackets, Lightning
Largely expected today, the Department of Player Safety has fined Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander a total of $2,864.58 for high-sticking Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman last night, per a press release. The fine was the maximum allowable according to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA.
Originally, there was no penalty called on the play as Hoglander swung his stick into the side of Walman’s head as both players battled for position in front of Detroit’s net. Nevertheless, even though the in-game referees did not decide to penalize Hoglander last night, the Department of Player Safety decided the incident warranted a punishment.
This is the second time this season that the Department of Player Safety has decided to fine Hoglander with the first incident coming on November 21st for slew-footing San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc. Aside from a couple of fines, Hoglander has had quite a productive season for Vancouver, scoring 17 goals and 24 points in 53 games.
Other snapshots:
- Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that defenseman Ivan Provorov and forward Yegor Chinakhov have both returned to practice for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Reportedly suffering from an undisclosed injury in the team’s most recent game against the Ottawa Senators, Provorov will likely not miss any time with the injury. Chinakhov, on the other hand, did miss the game against the Senators completely but should be available tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks.
- In a similar fashion to Columbus, Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul will be a game-time decision tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. Missing the entire third period in last night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, Paul did miss the team practice today putting his availability up in the air. In the same report, Encina also suggests that Tanner Jeannot will likely be out another week after being activated from the team’s long-term injured reserve on February 13th.
Central Notes: Lundkvist, Beauvillier, Raddysh
After leaving last night’s game against the Nashville Predators with a reported upper-body injury, it appears Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist could miss Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers as well. Speaking about the injury this morning, Bruce LeVine of 96.7 The Ticket reported that Lundkvist is experiencing concussion-like symptoms and the team would know more about his status tomorrow.
If Lundkvist is set to miss a significant amount of time with a concussion, it may motivate Stars General Manager Jim Nill to make a move for a defenseman well before the trade deadline, as the team has reportedly been sniffing around the defensive market. Including a few minutes in last night’s game, Lundkvist has registered two goals and 15 points in 43 games for Dallas this season while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game.
With Joel Hanley being the likely candidate to fill in for Lundkvist, the Stars will likely find more pressure on themselves to round out their defensive core. Although the top unit of Thomas Harley and Miro Heiskanen has played well for the team up to this point in the season, a right-handed shot defenseman to put next to Esa Lindell should become the team’s top priority over the next three weeks.
Other Central notes:
- Now that forward Connor Bedard has returned to the Chicago Blackhawks after missing time with a broken jaw, Tracey Myers of the NHL suggests the team could see the return of another forward very soon. Since joining the Blackhawks via a trade on November 28th, Anthony Beauvillier has only managed 15 games for the team, suffering a left wrist injury on January 2nd against the Nashville Predators. In the report, Myers mentions that Beauvillier was a full participant in today’s practice, indicating that Beauvillier could return tomorrow or Monday.
- It is not all positive news on the injury front for Chicago; however, as Myers also reported that forward Taylor Raddysh missed today’s practice with an injury to his right quad. Managing a 20-goal campaign as recently as last year for the Blackhawks, Raddysh’s offensive output has certainly stagnated this season, only registering five goals and 11 points in 49 games up to this point.
Blue Jackets Not Looking To Trade Boone Jenner
With many teams in full preparation mode for the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8th, the Columbus Blue Jackets were expected to be one of the league’s busier sellers, as they currently sit 29th overall in the standings. However, only yesterday, the organization made a major change at the top of their front office hierarchy, firing General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen after 12 seasons with the club.
Over the last several weeks, players such as Ivan Provorov and Patrik Laine have seen their names mentioned in various trade boards across the media landscape, although each presents a separate array of challenges when it comes to building a trade around either player. Outside of Provorov and Laine, even team captain Boone Jenner has seen his name softly brought up in rumors, largely based on the poor play of the team and his perceived value across the league.
Today, the acting General Manager of the Blue Jackets John Davidson made sure to squash any rumors regarding Jenner, indicating that the team had no intention of moving out their captain (X Link).
At the end of the day, with two years and $7.5MM remaining on Jenner’s contract after this season, Columbus does not need to be in any rush to move on from Jenner. Even with forwards such as Laine and Johnny Gaudreau on the roster, there is a strong case to be made that Jenner is the most valuable forward on the roster, being that he still leads the team in goal-scoring with 16 with 10-15 fewer games played than his peers.
On the other side of the coin, with this deadline season quickly turning into a seller’s market, an offer may come across the desk of Davidson that he may not be able to refuse. Only two weeks ago, the Calgary Flames were able to acquire an established NHL player, two prospects, and a first-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks for what could only be a few months of Elias Lindholm.
Outside of some very legitimate health concerns surrounding Jenner, he is on a similar goal and faceoff win pace as Lindholm over the last three seasons, also displaying some serious defensive prowess as well. With Lindholm set to make more than twice what Jenner is earning over the next two years, a contending team may offer a serious package if they were previously unable to pry Lindholm out of Alberta.
Blake Wheeler Placed On LTIR, Out For Regular Season
After appearing to hurt his leg in last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the New York Rangers are placing veteran forward Blake Wheeler on Long-Term Injured Reserve, and the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. Johnston also indicated that Wheeler could be out for the rest of the year, but that will largely be dictated by his recovery process and how deep the team goes in the playoffs.
It is unpleasant news for both player and team, as this injury will likely become the unceremonious end to Wheeler’s first season outside of the Winnipeg Jets organization since 2010-11. After being bought out by the Jets this past summer, Wheeler settled for a one-year, $800K contract with the Rangers with $100K bonuses after 10, 20, and 30 games played, respectively.
Although coming off another solid offensive year in Winnipeg throughout the 2022-23 season, his first campaign in New York did not start particularly well. Even with the team getting off to a strong start, it would take Wheeler 11 games to record his first assist, and another two games after that to register his first goal with the club.
Even as the month turned over into December, Wheeler’s offensive output had completely cratered, managing only two goals and six points through the organization’s first 26 games. However, since the team’s December 12th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wheeler had certainly reacquired some offensive touch, scoring seven goals and 15 assists over the next 28 contests.
For the Rangers specifically; the team has already been keeping tabs on the forward market for this season’s upcoming trade deadline, as they’re hoping to replace some of the lost value of center Filip Chytil who will also miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Now that Wheeler has suffered the same fate, it is almost certain the Rangers will make a move to beef up their forward depth by the end of the day on March 8th.
Ottawa Senators Reassign Max Guénette
Feb. 16: The Senators returned Guénette to Belleville on Friday, ending his emergency exception. He played 11:53 in last night’s 5-1 loss to Anaheim, recording one shot on goal.
Feb. 15: The Ottawa Senators have recalled defenseman Max Guénette to the NHL lineup. The team does not currently have the cap space for this recall, but played their last game down one player, allowing them to use an emergency recall on Guénette.
This is just the third recall of Guénette’s career, with the last coming in April of last season. Guénette played in his first NHL game on that recall, playing in roughly nine minutes of an overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He went without a point and set a -1, but added one hit, one block, and two shots. Guénette has otherwise spent the last three seasons with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, making his professional debut with the club in the 2021-22 season. He had a quiet AHL rookie season, scoring just 19 points in 48 games, but led all Belleville defensemen with 40 points in 72 games last season. He’s maintained that lead-scoring role into this season, netting 23 points in 41 games.
The Senators originally drafted Guénette in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s been one of seven players from that round to make their NHL debut, joining Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Dustin Wolf.
Guénette will take over for Artem Zub, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Zub has played in 40 games this season, averaging nearly 21 minutes each game and scoring 18 points. He’s served as Ottawa’s second-most productive defenseman behind Jakob Chychrun.
Penguins Claim Matthew Phillips Off Waivers From Capitals
The Penguins claimed forward Matthew Phillips off waivers from the Capitals on Friday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Washington placed Phillips, 25, on waivers yesterday after making him a healthy scratch in 15 of their last 16 games. The undersized winger had one goal and four assists in 27 appearances with the Caps after signing a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K last summer upon reaching Group VI free agency.
A member of the Flames organization for more than half a decade after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, Phillips developed into one of the best players at the AHL level over the past two seasons. He posted back-to-back seasons above a point per game with their affiliates in Stockton and Calgary in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and produced at a top-six pace for a pair of campaigns prior.
His 5-foot-7, 140-lb frame was always going to make life difficult for him in the NHL, however. He got off to a strong start this season, posting three points in his first four games, but he hasn’t recorded a point in over two months and has a poor 43.1% Corsi share at even strength.
Pittsburgh takes a chance on him with four regular forwards out of the lineup due to injuries – Noel Acciari, Jake Guentzel, Jansen Harkins, and Matthew Nieto. Despite his struggles this season, Phillips is a higher-ceiling scoring option than most of the minor-league call-ups they have occupying bottom-six roles in their absence, and he carries little to no financial impact on their deadline plans with a league-minimum cap hit.
The Penguins will maintain control of Phillips’ signing rights this offseason, as he’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights when his contract expires.
Coyotes Recall Matt Villalta, Place Liam O’Brien On IR
The Coyotes recalled netminder Matt Villalta from AHL Tucson on Friday, per a team announcement. Forward Liam O’Brien was moved to injured reserve to create a roster spot.
Villalta, 24, gets his first recall as a member of the Coyotes with starter Connor Ingram sidelined day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Ingram left Wednesday’s game against the Wild after the second period and did not return.
Karel Vejmelka will get the majority of the action while Ingram is out of the lineup. Originally expected to form a tandem with Ingram this year, he’s fallen squarely into the backup position after posting a .897 SV% and 6-12-2 record through 19 starts and four relief appearances.
Villalta is in his first season with the Coyotes after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Kings last summer. He’s suiting up in his fifth season of pro hockey after the Kings selected him 72nd overall in the 2017 draft.
The Kingston, Ontario, native was on an upward trajectory throughout his four seasons for the Kings’ affiliate in Ontario, so it was puzzling to see Los Angeles cut him loose. Villalta has assumed the undisputed starting role in Tucson, logging a .913 SV%, two shutouts, and a 22-11-1 record in 34 games. He leads the league in wins and games played, while his SV% ranks 18th.
He’s a high-end third-string goalie at this stage in his development, and a potential NHL debut with Ingram out of the lineup could go a long way toward demonstrating he has value as an NHL backup as soon as next season. Ingram’s shoes are giant ones to fill, however – he’s been one of the best stories in the NHL this season with a .912 SV% and 17-13-2 record in 35 games, along with 10.8 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
O’Brien, 29, was already listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He last suited up on Feb. 10 against the Predators and will be eligible to return to action for Sunday’s game against the Avalanche, although Arizona will need to clear a roster spot to take him off IR. The team’s primary enforcer has 116 PIMs in 49 games this year, adding three goals and eight points.
Predators Sign Michael McCarron To Two-Year Extension
The Predators signed forward Michael McCarron to a two-year, $1.8MM contract extension on Friday, per a team announcement. The deal will begin in the 2024-25 season and carries a cap hit of $900K.
McCarron, 29 next month, was slated for unrestricted free agency this summer upon completing his current one-year, $775K extension signed last April. He’ll now be eligible for UFA status again in 2026 at 31 years old.
He hasn’t had the career most envisioned when the Canadiens selected him 25th overall in 2013. This season is McCarron’s first as a true full-timer – the only other season without AHL action in his pro career was the COVID-laced 2020-21 campaign when he played six games for Nashville and spent most of the year on the taxi squad.
Through 42 games, McCarron has tied his career-high in goals (7) and is one back of tying his career-high in points (14). Averaging 11:52 per game, he’s spent most of his time on a depth line with Cole Smith and Philip Tomasino that’s dominated shot quality to the tune of a 58.3% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. That’s the highest among Nashville’s forward lines that have over 75 minutes played together this season.
If McCarron maintains this level of play, he’ll be a more-than-serviceable fourth-line center over the next pair of seasons. In the case McCarron regresses back to a replacement-level player, his cap hit can be fully buried in the AHL.
In 200 games with Nashville and Montreal, dating back to his debut in the 2015-16 season, McCarron has 18 goals, 21 assists and 39 points with a -8 rating and 295 PIMs. He’s averaged 10:38 per game throughout his career and owns a career faceoff win percentage of 50.7.