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Karson Kuhlman Placed On Waivers

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The Boston Bruins have seemingly decided that Karson Kuhlman’s time on the active roster has come to an end for the time being, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the depth forward is on waivers today.

Notably, if the Bruins wanted to clear a roster spot they could have sent the waiver-exempt Oskar Steen down, but the 23-year-old forward has played well of late in his first regular taste of NHL action. Kuhlman’s placement on waivers suggests that Steen has now secured his spot on the active roster, at least for now.

Kuhlman, 26, has played in 19 games this season for the Bruins and has registered just two points. In his last appearance against the Washington Capitals, he played just over ten minutes, almost exactly what he’s averaged for the year. The undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth has played in 75 NHL games to this point in his career, racking up 111 hits and 15 points.

Interestingly, Kuhlman actually carries a cap hit lower than the league minimum salary, as his two-year deal comes with just a $725K average annual value. That could certainly be attractive to other teams, though fourth-line claims are still relatively rare.

John Carlson, Conor Garland Enter COVID Protocol

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The Washington Capitals got some good news when Dmitry Orlov and Carl Hagelin were activated ahead of today’s game, but it won’t be all roses. John Carlson has been added to the COVID protocol and is unavailable today.

Of note, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic tweets that Carlson was actually late to the warm-up for yesterday’s game while awaiting test results, but ultimately played in the game. The veteran defenseman played nearly 24 minutes in the Capitals’ victory over the New York Islanders.

With Carlson coming out, Orlov will be in and skating on the top pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk. Alex Ovechkin is now the only player on the entire Capitals roster to play in every game. Washington takes on the reeling Vancouver Canucks this afternoon as they continue their chase for the top of the Metropolitan Division.

It’s not great news from the Canucks either though, as Conor Garland has also been added to the protocol just ahead of game time. The 25-year-old Garland has been one of the Canucks’ most consistent players this season, scoring 24 points in 37 games while being a strong defensive player. Taking him out of the lineup will only hurt Vancouver’s chances of turning things around, especially since his removal came so close to puck drop.

John Klingberg Trade Talks Ramping Up

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As the trade deadline approaches, many eyes have turned to the Dallas Stars after John Klingberg spoke publicly about the lack of extension negotiations making him feel underappreciated. Klingberg’s representatives received approval from the club earlier this season to approach other teams to try and find a fit as the veteran defenseman approaches unrestricted free agency, but there hasn’t been a deal completed to this point.

Through the first part of the season, Klingberg had been getting his normal ice time, well over 20 minutes on most nights. Recently though, those numbers have dropped and tonight will be a huge change, as the former Norris Trophy nominee is skating on the third pairing against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet spoke about the situation on tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment:

The Dallas Stars have stepped up their efforts to trade John Klingberg. We believe very much that he is getting dealt. Hard to say exactly when, but Dallas does seem aggressive in wanting to get something done soon-ish. 

Today, Stars head coach Rick Bowness told reporters including Saad Yousuf of The Athletic that if he could have, he would have made some “surprising” healthy scratches tonight as he looks to get his team back on track. Dallas doesn’t really have the option to do that right now as several players are on the COVID protocol.

Whether Klingberg would have been one of those isn’t clear, but it’s obvious that the team is preparing for a time without the pending UFA. At the time of this writing, he has the fifth-most ice time among Dallas defenders tonight, only ahead of partner Joel Hanley.

One thing to note when it comes to Klingberg speculation is that the 29-year-old defenseman has does not have any trade protection in his current contract and could be sent anywhere. His $4.25MM cap hit could also make him rather palatable for even the most cap-strapped contenders, depending on what comes back to Dallas. Through 29 games this season (before tonight), Klingberg has 17 points.

Cam Fowler, Anthony Stolarz Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Anaheim Ducks won’t have John Gibson in net tonight and they won’t have Anthony Stolarz either. The latter has joined the former in the COVID protocol, leaving Lukas Dostal and the recently recalled Olle Eriksson Ek as the two goaltenders on the active roster.

The worries don’t end there, however, as Cam Fowler has also been placed in the COVID protocol. The Ducks have recalled Vinni Lettieri and Greg Pateryn along with Eriksson Ek as they try to fight through this newest outbreak. Brendan Guhle is expected to enter the lineup in Fowler’s place.

Anaheim has lost two in a row and now seven of their last ten, but remain in second place in the Pacific Division. A big part of that is the fact that they’ve already played 40 games though, meaning they’ll need to get back on track here or risk dropping quickly down the standings.

Stolarz has been exceptional in relief of Gibson this season, posting a .919 save percentage through 13 games. In fact, since arriving in Anaheim in 2019-20 there hasn’t been much to complain about. In 22 appearances, the 27-year-old netminder has posted a .923 save percentage in a Ducks sweater. Dostal and Eriksson Ek meanwhile have a combined two games at the NHL level.

Injury Updates: Martinez, Murray, Wild, Oshie

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It appears that the Golden Knights will soon be getting a key defenseman back in their lineup.  In an interview with SinBin.Vegas (audio link), owner Bill Foley indicated that Alec Martinez was nearing a return had it not been for the veteran contracting COVID-19.  Martinez has been out since mid-November with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss at least ten days due to his protocol placement, meaning it’s not an asymptomatic case so he won’t return until the middle of next week at the earliest.  Martinez and his $5.25MM AAV are currently on LTIR and Vegas will likely need to transfer winger Max Pacioretty onto LTIR in order to activate the blueliner back onto the active roster.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Avalanche defenseman Ryan Murray left Friday’s victory over Arizona with an upper-body injury, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The oft-injured 28-year-old has struggled with Colorado this season, averaging just over 14 minutes per game in 21 contests.  The expectation is that Kurtis MacDermid, who had been playing on the wing recently, will now go back to his natural position on the back end to take Murray’s place.
  • The Wild could get defenseman Jared Spurgeon and goaltender Cam Talbot back in the lineup for their upcoming home-and-home set against Chicago, suggests Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Those games are slated for Friday and Saturday of next week.  Spurgeon has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury while Talbot has missed nearly two weeks with a lower-body issue of his own.
  • The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that winger T.J. Oshie sustained an upper-body injury in today’s game against the Islanders. It has been a tough season for the veteran from a health perspective as he has already missed time due to three separate injuries while missing a game in COVID protocol.  In between all of those, the 35-year-old has been fairly productive with 13 points in 17 games.

COVID Notes: Halak, Sabres, Connolly, Sheary, Oilers, Stutzle, Sillinger

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The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been placed into COVID protocol.  The veteran was set to get the start for today’s game against Carolina but instead, that will go to Thatcher Demko with Spencer Martin coming up from the taxi squad.  Halak has made just eight appearances this season and has a $1.25MM bonus pending when he gets to his tenth.  He’ll now have to wait a little longer to get that bonus, one that has recently landed himself in trade speculation as well.

More COVID news from around the NHL:

  • Sabres winger Tage Thompson and center Peyton Krebs have both cleared COVID protocol, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Thompson will suit up tonight in Detroit while they will take it a little slower with Krebs and re-assess his status on Sunday.
  • Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly has entered COVID protocol, relays John Dietz of the Daily Herald (Twitter link). The veteran has only played in four games with Chicago this season and has spent most of the year in the minors.  Defenseman Ian Mitchell was recalled from AHL Rockford just a day after being sent down.
  • The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that winger Conor Sheary has been placed in COVID protocol. The 29-year-old has impressed in his second season in Washington, notching ten goals and nine assists in 31 games, good for third on the team in goals.
  • The Oilers have taken wingers Warren Foegele and Tyler Benson plus defenseman Slater Koekkoek out of COVID protocol, mentions Sportsnet’s Jack Michaels (Twitter link). With those activations, Edmonton – who last played on January 5th – will be able to dress 18 skaters against Ottawa tonight.
  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have removed winger Tim Stutzle from COVID protocol. The just-turned 20-year-old has had a bit of a quieter sophomore season than expected, collecting five goals and ten assists in 29 games.
  • The Blue Jackets have placed center Cole Sillinger in COVID protocol, per a team release.  The rookie has held down a regular spot in the lineup with Columbus this season, notching 13 points in 35 games.  Liam Foudy has been recalled from the taxi squad to take Sillinger’s place on the roster.

Alex Stalock Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Stalock has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

Friday: It’s not often a positive outcome when a player is put on waivers, but that’s exactly the case today. Alex Stalock has been placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers, meaning that he passed his physical and will attempt a comeback with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Stalock had missed the entire first part of the season with a heart condition and it was not clear at all if his career would continue.

There is a chance of a claim, but it is very unlikely in this case as Stalock is not ready to play in the NHL. Any claiming team would have to keep him on the active roster, not really something that is possible for a netminder who hasn’t seen game action since August 2020.

In 2020-21, Stalock was listed out to start the year with an upper-body injury. Michael Russo of The Athletic reported last March that it was actually myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, that was keeping Stalock out. That diagnosis followed a bout with COVID-19, one that he tested positive for but did not experience any symptoms during. Waivers at that point were supposed to get him to the Minnesota taxi squad, but the Oilers claimed him as added goaltending depth not only last season but into the future. Stalock was only on the second season of an inexpensive three-year deal, one that he is currently still playing under.

After initially being ruled out for the entire 2021-22 season, Stalock’s return to Bakersfield will be the first step in his comeback attempt. Waivers are usually a demotion, but this time it’s a step in the right direction.

Rangers Have Shown Interest In Artturi Lehkonen

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The Rangers have been looking to add to their bottom six group for several weeks now following the season-ending injury to Sammy Blais.  It appears that one of the players that they’re interested in is Canadiens winger Artturi Lehkonen as Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that GM Chris Drury has reached out to Canadiens Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton to discuss Lehkonen’s availability with those discussions being termed as preliminary.

The 26-year-old hasn’t been able to repeat the 18-goal performance he had in his rookie season but has become a reliable defensive forward for Montreal over his six-year NHL career.  Like many Canadiens this season, he has struggled offensively, notching just four goals and eight assists in 33 games but also leads all Montreal forwards in penalty killing time.

He would likely have a similar role if he was to be acquired by the Rangers, one that would see him primarily in their bottom six while playing a significant role on their penalty kill, giving them another above-average forward on that front along with newcomer Barclay Goodrow.

While Lehkonen is on an expiring contract, he still has one year left of arbitration eligibility with a qualifying offer of $2.3MM, matching his current cap hit and salary.  To that end, this isn’t a situation where it’s a guarantee that he’ll be moved by the March 21st trade deadline.  Accordingly, the asking price may be higher than it would be for someone in a similar role that’s set to hit the open market in July.

With ample salary cap space (nearly $10MM per CapFriendly), the Rangers have the opportunity to try to add multiple players over the next couple of months but with pricey extensions already in place for Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad for next season, their cap flexibility will be short-lived.  As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Drury also on the lookout for some pending unrestricted free agents in the weeks to come.

Mattias Ekholm Added To COVID Protocol

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When the Nashville Predators take the ice against the Boston Bruins this afternoon they will be missing another one of their cornerstone players. The team has announced that defenseman Mattias Ekholm has been placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol. With forward Filip Forsberg also still on the COVID list, the Predators will be missing two impact players for the foreseeable future.

Ekholm is part of Nashville’s dominant top pair alongside Roman Josi, who each play over 23 minutes of ice time per night. While the second pair of Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro have performed well this season, Ekholm’s absence will be felt, especially if he misses an extended stretch. The Predators have a busy week ahead, starting a stretch of five games in eight days on Saturday, with divisional match-ups against St. Louis and Winnipeg among them. While the Preds have the appearance of a division leader due to total points, their record is in fact fourth in the Central, sandwiched between the Blues and Jets. Ekholm’s stable play in big minutes and critical penalty kill role are not easily replaced, so the Predators will hope he can return to the lineup sooner rather than later.

Nashville did get one name back from the COVID Protocol though and that is forward Yakov Trenin. The physical winger has cleared the protocol’s requirement and is back in the lineup on Saturday. Trenin is fifth among Predators forwards with nine goals this season and in the top ten in points too, well on his way to a career year.

AHL Notes: Malone, Trade, Signings

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Veteran minor leaguer Sean Malone is set to miss an extended period of time following recent surgery, reports Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Malone is a familiar name to Buffalo Sabres fans; the Harvard product has spent four of five pro seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans and three of those under contract with the Sabres. After leaving last season to sign with the Nashville Predators, Malone returned to Buffalo this off-season and has been enjoying the best season of his career with nine goals and 22 points in 23 games with Rochester. However, Hoppe writes that an undisclosed lower-body injury that has plagued the 26-year-old throughout much of his career finally caught up with him, forcing him to opt for surgery. The decision will keep Malone out at least six weeks, according to Americans head coach Seth Appert. Though Malone has only two NHL games to his credit, one with Buffalo and one with Nashville, the veteran is a trusted member of the Sabres’ organizational depth chart and one whose absence in the minors will be noticed. Appert states that Malone is a leader and “go-to guy” who has been instrumental in the development of top Sabres prospects like Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Though Malone is expected to be out until at least March, hopefully the veteran can return to action at full strength and hit the ground running at his current career scoring pace, perhaps even earning another chance in Buffalo.

  • The Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes completed an AHL trade on Friday, with forward Stephen Harper moving from the Chicago Wolves to the Tucson Roadrunners in exchange for future considerations. Harper was the hero of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Playoffs last season, earning postseason MVP honors for leading the Fort Wayne Komets to a title behind 13 points in 12 playoff games – all as a rookie no less. He has continued to excel at the “AA” level this year too, with 18 points in 15 games. However, the power forward hasn’t earned much more opportunity this year as a result of those efforts. Harper has played in just six AHL games this season in a limited role, which is likely what prompted a trade. The 26-year-old USports product is not exactly an NHL prospect, but has earned a chance to show what he can do at the next level and the Roadrunners appear willing to give him that opportunity.
  • Is a Daniel Briere pipeline forming between the ECHL’s Maine Mariners and the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms? The Mariners may be affiliated with the Boston Bruins, but they share an owner with the Philadelphia Flyers in Comcast Spectacor and GM and President Briere is a former long-time Flyer himself. For the third time already this season, a Mariner has signed an AHL contract with the Flyers’ affiliate in Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms announced that they have signed forward Alex Kile to a contract for the remainder of the season. Kile was the first ever signing by the Mariners when they joined the ECHL back in 2018  and the University of Michigan product has 162 points in 201 ECHL games ever since, with some AHL loans mixed in as well. With five goals and 12 points in seven games with Maine so far this year, the Phantoms decided that the 27-year-old Kile was worthy of a more permanent AHL stay.
  • The Washington Capitals have seen enough from USports forward Derek Gentile this season to put an end to his collegiate season with a pro contract. The Dalhousie University standout signed a contract with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, though he will begin his pro career in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. Gentile, the captain of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in 2019-20, missed his first collegiate season in 2020-21 but you wouldn’t know it by his play this season. Gentile recorded 15 goals and 27 points in 18 games for Dalhousie prior to his departure. And he stayed hot in his pro debut on Friday, posting two goals and an assist in his pro debut. Gentile could be in Hersey very shortly if that keeps up.

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