Islanders Place Ryan Pulock On LTIR, Assign Ken Appleby To AHL
The Islanders have made a pair of roster moves in advance of tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved defenseman Ryan Pulock to LTIR and assigned goaltender Ken Appleby to AHL Bridgeport.
Pulock has been out with a lower-body injury since December 8th, meaning he has already missed the majority of the 10 games and 24 days that he’s required to be out for with this placement; he’d be eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday’s game in Colorado. The fact they’re going this route suggests he should be out at least a little longer than that.
While Pulock’s placement doesn’t open up a roster spot, it does expand their LTIR pool, giving GM Lou Lamoriello more short-term flexibility to manage his roster without having to be worried about salary cap considerations.
As for Appleby, he has been back and forth from Bridgeport in recent days with Semyon Varlamov missing the last couple of games with an undisclosed injury. His demotion opens up a roster spot and if Varlamov is good to at least dress as the backup for tomorrow’s game, the Islanders will likely look to bring a defenseman up from the AHL as they’ve been carrying just six in recent days.
Avalanche Assign Sam Malinski To AHL
Following their victory over St. Louis on Friday night, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they re-assigned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado.
The 25-year-old is in his first professional season after signing with the Avs as a college free agent back in March. Malinski had been up with the big club for the past month and had been a regular player for most of that stretch, suiting up in 14 games, including against the Blues. In those appearances, he held his own, picking up five points along with 15 blocked shots while averaging a little over 14 minutes a night. With the Eagles, meanwhile, he has three goals and six assists in 17 games.
With that in mind, it might seem a bit curious that Colorado would opt to send Malinski down. However, he was the only waiver-exempt blueliner on their roster, making him the logical choice to be sent down to ensure they keep as much depth as possible.
While Colorado didn’t announce a corresponding roster move, Malinski’s demotion likely will mark the return of Samuel Girard. He took a leave from the team last month to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but has since rejoined the club. Now, with a few practices under his belt, it appears as if he’ll be ready to return and be activated into the roster spot cleared by sending Malinski down.
Blackhawks Place Taylor Raddysh On IR, Recall Boris Katchouk
The Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves this morning as the team announced that they’ve placed winger Taylor Raddysh on injured reserve with a left groin strain. Taking his place on the roster will be winger Boris Katchouk who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.
Raddysh was a bright spot on Chicago’s offense last season, putting up 20 goals and 17 assists in 78 games in his first season of being a full-fledged regular after coming over from Tampa Bay in 2022. That was good for a tie for fourth in team scoring. However, production has been harder to come by this year as the 25-year-old has been limited to just five goals and five assists through 35 games so far despite logging over 16 minutes a night in playing time. Those numbers will stay put for the time being as with the placement, Raddysh will be out for at least the next week after being injured in the first period last night against Dallas.
As for Katchouk, he came to Chicago in the same swap as Raddysh but hasn’t had the same level of success. He had 16 points in 58 games last season and was with the Blackhawks for the first couple of months of the year, notching two goals and two helpers in 17 contests before clearing waivers earlier this month. Since then, he has played in six games with the IceHogs, picking up three tallies and two assists. He can play in ten games or be up for 30 days before needing to go through waivers once again.
Blues Recall Matt Kessel
With Justin Faulk suffering a lower-body injury last night that will keep him out of the lineup tonight against Pittsburgh, the Blues have brought up a replacement. The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Matt Kessel from AHL Springfield.
The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by St. Louis back in 2020, going 150th overall. He has spent the full season so far with the Thunderbirds, picking up two goals and four assists in 29 games. Kessel has a pair of NHL appearances under his belt, both coming last season where he was held off the scoresheet while averaging a little over 15 minutes in each contest. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
St. Louis had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to get Kessel onto the roster. The timeline of Faulk’s injury is not yet known but he remains on the active roster for the time being. His absence will certainly hurt tonight as he’s their leading scorer among blueliners with 17 points in 35 games while his 22:25 ATOI is second to only Colton Parayko.
Blue Jackets Place Sean Kuraly On IR, Recall Jake Christiansen
The Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves leading into today’s contest against Buffalo. The team announced that they’ve placed center Sean Kuraly on injured reserve retroactive to December 23; they’ve recalled defenseman Jake Christiansen from AHL Cleveland to take his place on the roster. Meanwhile, the team also revealed that blueliner Zach Werenski will miss four to six weeks with the ankle injury that landed him on IR yesterday.
Kuraly suffered an abdominal injury last weekend against Toronto and was recently listed as day-to-day. This placement suggests that he’ll miss the game against the Sabres but he will be eligible to return at any point after that due to the back-dating. The 30-year-old has 11 points and a team-leading 74 hits in 35 games so far this season while logging 13:29 per night.
As for Christiansen, this is his first recall of the season after clearing waivers back in training camp. The 24-year-old had been quite productive with the Monsters during his entry-level deal and that has continued into his fourth professional campaign as he has 22 points in 28 games so far. Despite the offensive success in the minors, that has yet to materialize into production at the top level as Christiansen has just five points in 32 career NHL appearances.
Werenski, meanwhile, will be a big loss for the next month for Columbus. He’s tied for the team lead in points with Johnny Gaudreau, picking up a goal and 24 assists while leading the way in playing time, logging over 24 minutes a night. Andrew Peeke took his place in the lineup last night against Toronto although they could opt to give Christiansen a look in that spot today.
Nick Foligno Open To Extension With Blackhawks
Before free agency opened up, the Blackhawks acquired the negotiating rights to winger Nick Foligno from Boston as part of the Taylor Hall trade. From there, they wasted little time signing him to a one-year, $4MM contract, one that many viewed as an overpayment but GM Kyle Davidson clearly valued his potential off-ice contributions as well.
To his credit, the 36-year-old has bounced back nicely this season, already notching eight goals and nine assists through 34 games, good for third on the team in scoring. One reason for the improvement is the fact that he’s logging more than five minutes per game extra compared to a year ago. Speaking with Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Kyle Davidson indicated that it’s not too early to be thinking about the possibility of an extension and that there’s no reason that they wouldn’t want to keep him around while Foligno himself stated that he’s open to discussing a new deal as well:
I’m definitely open to talking. We got to move this in the right direction, so I want to be a part of that and helping. It’s great to hear (Davidson has been thinking about that). I’ve really haven’t had a ton of conversation with Kyle on that. But I’m of the mindset right now, I’m just taking it day by day, kind of being in the moment. And if that presents itself, we’ll discuss it with my agent and see if there’s a way forward. But all signs from me right now are I’m really loving everything about this organization and the guys and, like I said, trying to help push this in the direction I expect it to go.
Since Foligno is playing on a one-year agreement, he is ineligible to sign an extension until January 1st; Davidson noted that the two sides aren’t even able to discuss a new deal until then.
Having said that, it certainly would make sense for this arrangement to last a little longer. Davidson noted how Foligno has shown his value off the ice with a very young roster while on it, he is certainly contributing as well. The Blackhawks also have the benefit of being able to pay an above-market rate as they are now to keep him around; per CapFriendly, they barely have $35MM in commitments for next season which means they’re looking at roughly $30MM in needed spending simply to get to next year’s cap floor.
On the other hand, an early extension would take away the possibility of moving him at the trade deadline. Chicago has two of its three remaining salary retention slots available (the other is being used on Jake McCabe) and Foligno at a prorated $2MM price tag (if they retained the maximum 50%) would likely be appealing to some playoff-bound teams. A contract before the deadline would then take that potential return off the table.
But if Chicago values Foligno as much as it appears they do, getting him to put pen to paper on a new deal in the near future is worth foregoing what would likely be a mid-to-late-round selection in the draft. Accordingly, it feels like there’s a good chance the two sides will be able to work something out, even if they have to wait a little longer to officially start discussions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Chytil, Capitals, Jost, Senators
Rangers center Filip Chytil has returned to his native Czechia as he continues his recovery from a suspected concussion sustained back in early November, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. While the 24-year-old has made some progress skating on his own, this move will basically serve as somewhat of a reset in his recovery. While there, Chytil will keep skating while working with the trainer and skills coach that he works with in the offseason. There is no word for how long he’ll be at home but Brooks notes that Chytil is committed to returning this season. Chytil had a career year last season with 45 points and was off to a nice start this year before the injury, collecting six assists in ten contests.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren left tonight’s game early with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). He appeared to be shaken up on the first shot he faced and was only able to stay in for a few minutes before eventually coming out of the game. The 30-year-old has done quite well this season, posting a 2.29 GAA with a .928 SV% in his first 14 games heading into this contest.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, the Capitals also noted that defenseman Martin Fehervary left tonight’s contest with an upper-body injury of his own which also occurred in the first period. The 24-year-old hasn’t lit up the scoresheet with just five points heading into this game but he had been logging a little over 19 minutes a night on Washington’s second pairing.
- The Sabres announced that they’ve assigned center Tyson Jost to AHL Rochester. The move comes as little surprise after he cleared waivers earlier today on the heels of notching just four points in his first 29 games while carrying a $2MM contract. With Ryan Johnson’s quick recall following the move, Buffalo will need to make another roster move to activate Zemgus Girgensons off IR; he could be cleared to return on Saturday.
- On top of the Senators potentially getting Thomas Chabot back on their upcoming road trip which begins January 2nd, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that forwards Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier should also be back during that stretch. Chabot is closer to returning than Joseph while Chartier’s timeline is a little less certain as he’s dealing with a concussion.
Red Wings Activate Alex Lyon, Assign Michael Hutchinson To AHL
While the three-goalie rotation still isn’t back yet with Ville Husso remaining on IR, the Red Wings did get their other injured netminder back. The team announced that they’ve activated Alex Lyon off IR; in a corresponding move, Michael Hutchinson was assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.
Lyon made a big impression down the stretch last season, briefly taking over as Florida’s starting netminder, including for a trio of playoff games. That allowed him to command a one-way deal in the summer, a nice raise for a player who had largely been a third-stringer before that. He signed a one-year deal with Detroit worth $900K and it seemed like he’d be destined to be with the Griffins and be called upon if and when injuries arose.
However, the Red Wings opted not to go that route, instead carrying three goalies on the roster for the whole season so far except for when one of them has been injured. As a result, playing time has been hard to come by for the 31-year-old who has made seven appearances so far. He has done quite well in those, posting a 2.14 GAA with a .932 SV%, and with James Reimer struggling at the moment, Lyon could now be in line for a bigger share of the workload.
As for Hutchinson, his season started on a PTO with the Griffins, a deal that was recently converted to a full-season agreement. But when Husso and Lyon both went down, Detroit upgraded it to an NHL deal, allowing him to serve as Reimer’s backup while making one start. He cleared waivers earlier today, paving the way for him to go back to Grand Rapids.
Islanders Recall Ken Appleby Under Emergency Conditions
6:00 PM: Appleby’s stint with Bridgeport was short-lived as Rosner notes that Appleby is back up and serving as the second-stringer once again tonight.
Dec. 29, 7:31 AM: Appleby was evidently returned to Bridgeport on Friday morning, as he is no longer listed on the Islanders’ roster on the NHL media site (via The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner). As such, Varlamov is likely healthy enough to dress for today’s game.
Dec. 28: The Islanders recalled netminder Ken Appleby from AHL Bridgeport under emergency conditions on Thursday. Semyon Varlamov, who made six saves on seven shots in relief of Ilya Sorokin in last night’s 7-0 loss to the Penguins, did not practice with the team today for maintenance purposes. His status for Friday’s game against the Capitals is uncertain.
The team also assigned defenseman Grant Hutton to Bridgeport, which will likely be reversed tomorrow. Hutton is the team’s seventh defenseman for the time being, as Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock are all on injured reserve. The Islanders have been returning him to Bridgeport on off-days to reduce his time spent on the roster and draw out his waiver-exempt status as long as possible.
Appleby has three NHL games to his name, all coming with the Devils in January 2018. Now 28 years old, Appleby stopped 52 of 55 shots faced for a .945 SV% across one start and two relief appearances.
The undrafted free agent has spent time in both the AHL and ECHL since. After making his debut with the Devils, Appleby spent one season under contract with the Jets before spending the entire 2019-10 campaign in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades. He put his name back on the NHL radar there, posting a .913 SV% in 42 games before the league paused operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He parlayed that performance into a two-way contract with the Islanders signed near the end of the 2020-21 campaign, where he’s remained since. Now in his fourth season, Appleby has primarily been the team’s fifth-string goalie behind Sorokin, Varlamov, Cory Schneider, and Jakub Škarek, resulting in most of his playing time coming with the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Appleby has been upgraded to full-time AHL status in 2023-24 with Schneider no longer in the organization, serving as Škarek’s backup and posting a .898 SV% in ten games. While the younger Škarek has received more starts in Bridgeport, he’s been the worse statistical netminder, posting a difficult-to-swallow 3-13-2 record and .877 SV%.
The 6-foot-4 Ontarian is in the final season of a two-year, two-way extension, earning him $130K in guaranteed salary this year. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Metropolitan Notes: Pacioretty, Bear, Cizikas, Lazar, Penguins
5:30 PM: Curtis Lazar has been declared ‘out’ for Friday.
5:00 PM: The Washington Capitals will have to wait a little longer for the highly-anticipated debuts of newcomers Max Pacioretty and Ethan Bear, with both players set to sit out of the team’s Friday night game. Both players signed with the Capitals during their recovery from injury, with Pacioretty coming back from his second Achille’s tendon tear and Bear recovering from a shoulder surgery required after taking a big hit during the 2023 World Championships.
Pacioretty joined Washington this summer, signing a one-year, $2MM contract with the club on July 1st. Pacioretty only appeared in five games last season, although he did manage three goals. His 2021-22 season didn’t last for much longer, only seeing 39 games and 37 points. We have to go back to the 2019-20 season to find the last year that Pacioretty appeared in 50 or more regular season games. That year was his second with the Vegas Golden Knights and saw the 855-game veteran record 32 goals and 66 points in 71 games.
Bear’s injury struggles haven’t been as long-running, with the defender managing 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. He scored 16 points through that stretch, marking the second-most points he’s scored in his career, behind his 2019-20 season which saw him net 21 points in 71 games with the Edmonton Oilers. Washington will become the fourth organization that Bear has been apart of through his five-year NHL career, which has been split evenly between two Pacific Division and two Metropolitan Division teams.
Other Metropolitan Division Notes:
- Casey Cizikas (illness) is listed as a game-time decision for the New York Islanders’ Friday night matchup against the Washington Capitals. Czikas was a full participant at the team’s morning practice, suggesting he’s trending in the right direction. The 32-year-old forward has played in 34 games with New York this season, recording 10 points and 14 penalty minutes.
- Curtis Lazar is also a game-time decision, with New Jersey Devils head coach saying the team will see how Lazar feels after the team’s morning practice before making a call on his availability. Lazar has appeared in 30 games this season, netting four goals and 10 points. The Devils’ Friday night game will also mark Kevin Bahl’s 100th NHL game, with the young defender inviting his billet family to the bout with the Ottawa Senators.
- Bryan Rust and Jesse Puljujarvi are both trending in the right direction, skating as full participants at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Friday practice. Rust is currently on injured reserve and is eligible to return on January 2nd, while Puljujarvi is still waiting for his first NHL game since undergoing double hip surgery. Matthew Nieto and Radim Zohorna missed the team’s practice, with Zahorna left at home due to illness.