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COVID Notes: Kapanen, Granlund, Gulls-Reign

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Pittsburgh Penguins off-season re-acquisition Kasperi Kapanen has not yet been on the ice with his teammates, but his return is imminent. Kapanen was removed from the NHL’s COVID Protocol on Friday but was still held out of practice on Saturday. However, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Kapanen took his fourth COVID test today and a fourth negative result will make it his final test. He will be able to re-join the team immediately, with head coach Mike Sullivan stating that they will have him in uniform as quickly as they can once that test result is received. Kapanen, 24, recorded 80 points combined over the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is expected to skate with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the Penguins’ top line.

  • Mikael Granlund remains on the NHL’s COVID Protocol list for the Nashville Predators, but progress is being made toward getting him on the ice. Granlund’s return to Nashville was initially delayed due to immigration issues that caused him to miss all of training camp. According to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan, he has now arrived in Nashville and has begun the mandated quarantine following commercial travel. At no point has Granlund tested positive for Coronavirus and he should be eligible to return to the lineup as soon as his quarantine ends. Head coach John Hynes has stated that he expects Granlund to return to a top-six role for the Predators after he recorded 30 points in 63 games last season, more than half of which came after Hynes took over.
  • The San Diego Gulls and Ontario Reign, AHL affiliates of the Anaheim Ducks and L.A. Kings respectively, had intended to begin their preseason tonight with an exhibition game in Irvine, California. However, that game has been canceled due to precautions related to Coronavirus and in adherence with local health protocols. The two teams are scheduled to play on Sunday as well, but no determination has been made on that game yet.

Jared McCann Fined For Elbowing Incident

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2:43 PM: McCann has avoided a suspension as the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that he has been fined $10K for his elbow, the maximum allowed in the CBA.

9:01 AM: Penguins center Jared McCann will have a disciplinary hearing on Saturday, the Department of Player Safety announced.  The play in question was an elbow to Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim during the second period in Friday’s contest; a two-minute minor was assessed at the time.

After a tough showing in the postseason, McCann is off to a good start for Pittsburgh this year with a pair of assists in his first two games despite logging just 12 minutes per game, an amount lower than all but two other forwards on the Pens.

If a suspension is levied, the Penguins will have to add a forward to the active roster as they’re currently carrying the minimum of 12.  Kasperi Kapanen is nearing clearance to play as he works his way through quarantining protocols while they have three forwards on their taxi squad in Drew O’Connor, Frederick Gaudreau, and Anthony Angello.  Pittsburgh’s next game is scheduled for Sunday against Washington so expect a decision to be levied by then.

Zach Trotman Undergoes Surgery

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be down a depth defenseman for the next while, announcing today that Zach Trotman has undergone successfully knee surgery. The procedure was to repair a torn meniscus and comes with a recovery timeline of four to six weeks. Trotman had previously been placed on injured reserve, where he will remain for at least the next month.

Trotman, 30, played just eight games with the Penguins last season, spending much more of the season at the minor league level. In fact, he’s played in just 24 games since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2017, filling in on occasion when the team dealt with injuries on the back end. The 6’3″ defenseman has just 13 points in his 91-game NHL career and wasn’t likely to see a ton of action this season anyway.

Still, losing defensive depth at any point in a condensed season is troubling, but perhaps even more so when the Penguins are already dealing with some struggles at the position. Cody Ceci was moved out of the starting lineup at morning skate today, replaced on the third pairing by Chad Ruhwedel after a brutal opening night.

There’s more than enough depth in Pittsburgh to deal with this injury for now, but things can quickly get whittled down in a season like this. Six weeks would put a return for Trotman at the end of February after a good chunk of the schedule is already completed.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/13/21

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As reported earlier, beginning today, and each day for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, the NHL will be sharing the names of players who are “unavailable” to play or practice due to any number of factors that place them under the league’s COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list of players for today, Wednesday, January 13:

F Lawson Crouse, Arizona Coyotes
F Karson Kuhlman, Boston Bruins
D Erik Johnson, Colorado Avalanche
F Mikko Koivu, Columbus Blue Jackets
D Christian Djoos, Detroit Red Wings
F Darren Helm, Detroit Red Wings
F Gaetan Haas, Edmonton Oilers
F James Neal, Edmonton Oilers
D Markus Nutivaara, Florida Panthers
D Kurtis MacDermid, Los Angeles Kings
G Cal Petersen, Los Angeles Kings
D Sean Walker, Los Angeles Kings
G Alex Stalock, Minnesota Wild
F Mikael Granlund, Nashville Predators
D Luca Sbisa, Nashville Predators
F Justin Richards, New York Rangers
D Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kasperi Kapanen, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Maxim Letunov, San Jose Sharks
D Jordie Benn, Vancouver Canucks
F J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks
F Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets

*NOTE: The league declined to list any specific members of the Dallas Stars at this time. The team is currently recovering from an extensive breakout.

NHL Releases First COVID Protocol Related Absences List

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UPDATE: The full list for Wednesday, January 13 can be found here.

The NHL has released the first part of what will be a daily COVID-19 update, confirming that both Kasperi Kapanen and Shayne Gostisbehere are unavailable for this evening’s Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers matchup. Today’s complete list will be released later tonight for the full slate of games.

Appearing on this list does not necessarily mean that a player has tested positive for COVID-19, only that one of the league’s protocols has forced him to miss some game action. It also does not mean there is a new occurrence.

For instance, Gostisbehere has been absent from Flyers practice for some time and it made sense that it was COVID-19 related given how the team could not provide any details. It is not clear why he has been held out or how long he will be missing, only that he will not take part in today’s game. Kapanen is the same, leading to Evan Rodrigues’ placement on the Penguins’ first-line right-wing spot next to Sidney Crosby.

This season, the COVID Protocol Related Absences list (CPRA) will be updated daily here on PHR. Whenever NHL players are officially ruled out, we’ll publish an updated list.

Training Camp Cuts: 01/11/21

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Camp cuts will come fast and furious today, with the waiver wire taking dozens and dozens of names in the final day before taxi squad assignments must be made. Remember, just being placed on waivers does not necessarily mean you’ve been cut from the team. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of the team-announced cuts right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team release):

F Brandon Biro (to Rochester, AHL)
F Steven Fogarty (to Rochester, AHL)
F Brett Murray (to Rochester, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)
G Dustin Tokarski (to Rochester, AHL)
D Ryan Jones (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):

F Andrei Altybarmakian (to Rockford, AHL)
F Evan Barratt (to Rockford, AHL)
F Matej Chalupa (to Rockford, AHL)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (to Rockford, AHL)
F Reese Johnson (to Rockford, AHL)
F Cam Morrison (to Rockford, AHL)
F Tim Soderlund (to Rockford, AHL)
F Michal Teply (to Rockford, AHL)
D Chad Krys (to Rockford, AHL)
D Alec Regula (to Rockford, AHL)
F Michael Krutil (released)
G Cale Morris (released)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):

G Veini Vehvilainen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Angle (released)
F Justin Scott (released)
D Thomas Schemitsch (released)
G Brad Thiessen (released)

Los Angeles Kings (via team release):

F Aidan Dudas (to Ontario, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
F Samuel Fagemo (to Ontario, AHL)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
F Tyler Madden (to Ontario, AHL)
F Akil Thomas (to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Ontario, AHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Ontario, AHL)
G Matt Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (via team release):

F Mitchell Chaffee (to Iowa, AHL)
F Joseph Cramarossa (to Iowa, AHL)
F Connor Dewar (to Iowa, AHL)
F Brandon Duhaime (to Iowa, AHL)
F Gabriel Dumont (to Iowa, AHL)
F Mason Shaw (to Iowa, AHL)
D Calen Addison (to Iowa, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Iowa, AHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Iowa, AHL)
G Hunter Jones (to Iowa, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team release):

F Nate Schnarr (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Kevin Bahl (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Nikita Okhotiuk (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Reilly Walsh (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Evan Cormier (to Binghamton, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release):

F Josh Currie (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Radim Zohorna (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Kevin Czuczman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Cam Lee (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Val d’Or, QMJHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
F Jordan Nolan (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team release):

F Lean Bergmann (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alexander True (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joachim Blichfeld (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jaycob Megna (to San Jose, AHL)
D Ryan Merkley (to San Jose, AHL)
G Josef Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release):

F Alex Barre-Boulet (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ross Colton (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jack Finley (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gage Goncalves (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Boris Katchouk (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Taylor Raddysh (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Alex Green (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Dmitry Semykin (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walcott (to Syracuse, AHL)*
F/D Luke Witkowski (to Syracuse, AHL)*
G Spencer Martin (to Syracuse, AHL)*

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release):

F Kenny Agostino (to Toronto, AHL)*
F Joey Anderson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nic Petan (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell (to Toronto, AHL)
D Teemu Kivihalme (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Martin Marincin (to Toronto, AHL)*
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)*
G Michael Hutchinson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Justin Brazeau (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rourke Chartier (to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Gaudet (to Toronto, AHL)
F Scott Sabourin (to Toronto, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (via team release):

F Jake Leschyshyn (to Henderson, AHL)
F Lucas Elvenes (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jack Dugan (to Henderson, AHL)
F Ben Jones (to Henderson, AHL)
F Peyton Krebs (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to Henderson, AHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Henderson, AHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Henderson, AHL)
G Logan Thompson (to Henderson, AHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Henderson, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team release):

F Kody Clark (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Hendrix Lapierre (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team release):

F Joona Luoto (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Skyler McKenzie (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Declan Chisholm (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Luke Green (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Johnathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (released)

*Must clear waivers first.

43 Players Placed On Waivers

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As teams begin to make their final camp decisions with the 2020-21 season getting started this week, the ramifications are apparent in today’s waiver wire group. All nine players from Saturday’s waivers cleared, but that is less likely to occur Sunday with a much longer list, including some more notable names. The following players have been placed on waivers today:

Buffalo Sabres
D Brandon Davidson
F Steven Fogarty
F C.J. Smith
G Dustin Tokarski

Calgary Flames
G Louis Domingue
F Byron Froese
F Justin Kirkland
D Alex Petrovic
F Buddy Robinson

Colorado Avalanche
F Kiefer Sherwood

Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Cracknell
F Seth Griffith

Florida Panthers
G Philippe Desrosiers
F Scott Wilson

Los Angeles Kings
D Daniel Brickley
F Boko Imama

Minnesota Wild
D Matt Bartekowski
D Louie Belpedio
F Joseph Cramarossa
F Gabriel Dumont
G Andrew Hammond
F Luke Johnson
F Gerald Mayhew
D Dakota Mermis
D Ian McCoshen
F Kyle Rau

Montreal Canadiens
F Brandon Baddock
F Alex Belzile
F Joseph Blandisi
F Laurent Dauphin
D Noah Juulsen
G Charlie Lindgren
D Gustav Olofsson
D Xavier Ouellet
F Jordan Weal

New York Islanders
F Joshua Ho-Sang
F Mason Jobst

Ottawa Senators
D Maxime Lajoie

Pittsburgh Penguins
D Kevin Czuczman
F Josh Currie
F Frederick Gaudreau
G Maxime Lagace
D Zach Trotman

Among the names likely to receive attention on the wire are a trio of intriguing young players. Defensemen Noah Juulsen and Maxime Lajoie and forward Josh Ho-Sang have all seen NHL action in the past and have shown promise but for different reasons are now available to claim. Juulsen in particular looked like a long-term permanent piece on the Montreal blue line, but vision issues brought on by head injuries knocked him out of the 2018-19 season after 21 games with the Habs and limited him to just 13 AHL games in 2019-20. The Canadiens clearly want to see him get in some game action before returning him to the NHL roster, but another club may have more faith in the young defenseman, who allegedly is back at full strength. After 56 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2018-19, including a hot scoring start, Lajoie was somewhat inexplicably reduced to just six games with the team this past season. A versatile all-around defenseman who has already shown in a small sample size that he can hack it in the NHL, Lajoie could certainly draw interest from a team more willing to give him another chance. Ho-Sang, a first-round pick of the Islanders back in 2014, is on the outs with his club. A future in New York seems non-existent for a player whose effort and attitude have been called into question. His limited action last season also doesn’t help his case.  Yet, Ho-Sang’s skill is apparent and that alone is a cause for pause for teams scouring the waiver wire.

As for a more polished possible pick-up, Jordan Weal leads the pack as a veteran of over 200 NHL games who has posted an 82-game scoring pace of 25 points or more in three straight seasons. Seth Griffith is also no stranger to being passed around via waivers and Frederick Gaudreau is coming off a career-high 55 NHL appearances last season and has strong scoring numbers throughout his AHL career.

This waiver group could also provide goalie depth for a team in need (see: New Jersey Devils). Andrew Hammond, Louis Domingue, Dustin Tokarski, and Charlie Lindgren are all veteran net minders with NHL experience who could provide some stability in net.

Penguins Cancel Practice Due To Potential COVID-19 Exposure

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After Columbus and Dallas had to cancel practices yesterday, Pittsburgh has had to do so today.  The team released a statement to the media, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that the decision to do so “was made out of an abundance of caution due to potential exposure of COVID-19”.  It’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean that players have tested positive.

Look no further than yesterday.  While the Stars had six players and two staff members test positive for the virus, the Blue Jackets were able to return to practice today with basically a full complement of players.  Notably, while Elvis Merzlikins was among the absentees for Columbus, it is not related to a positive test, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It was supposed to be a busy day for Pittsburgh today with a pair of practices plus an intrasquad game being called off while the status of Sunday’s scrimmage is also in question as well.  Depending on the results of today’s testing, they could be cleared to return by then but if there are some positive tests that require several players and/or staff members to quarantine, it’s possible that Wednesday’s season-opener against Philadelphia will need to be rescheduled, similar to what happened yesterday with Dallas.

Kasperi Kapanen Gets Work Visa, Still Likely To Miss First Two Games

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  • Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen is expected to have his work visa in hand by Friday, notes Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That’s an important hurdle to clear as he looks to join his new team after being dealt during the postseason but it still seems quite unlikely at this point that he’ll be available on opening night.  Kapanen will still have to go through a mandatory quarantine period of seven days so unless there is some sort of exception granted which seems extremely unlikely at this point, he will have to miss the first two games of the year against Philadelphia.

Denis Malgin Clears Waivers

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Jan 6: Malgin has cleared and can continue to play in Switzerland.

Jan 5: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed another depth forward on waivers. Denis Malgin has hit the wire as he continues to play in Switzerland for Lausanne. Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said he would not interrupt that season for a player who was not guaranteed a roster spot, so Malgin will finish the year in the NLA before returning to North America. To do that, he needed to be waived at some point.

Still, Malgin is an interesting candidate to be claimed if some team wants to throw a wrench in the Maple Leafs’ plans. The 23-year-old forward actually has 192 games of NHL experience and scored 22 points in 51 games with the Florida Panthers in 2017-18. Malgin signed a new one-year, one-way $700K contract with the Maple Leafs in October but was still pushed down the depth chart by several free agent additions.

For now, should he clear he will continue to play for Lausanne, where he has 22 points in 19 games. The undersized forward is a candidate to join the Maple Leafs later on after his season ends, giving them some additional depth down the stretch.

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