Panthers Notes: Jones, Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer
Seth Jones has played up to his ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman in the Panthers’ playoff run. On the verge of advancing to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, Jones has six points and a +11 rating in 15 games while averaging the most minutes per game of any Florida skater, by far, at 25:20 per night.
Rejuvenated after being acquired from the Blackhawks before the deadline, Jones’ game is back to where it was during the heights of his career several years ago with the Blue Jackets. He spoke to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times last week about the transition from being the minute-munching option on a rebuilding Hawks team to being back in a competitive environment in Florida.
“It definitely feels like there’s some pressure off [me] after the trade,” Jones told Pope. “In Chicago, I was just forcing things and trying to do too much – out of my realm, to be honest. It was always hopefully for the betterment of the team, in my opinion, [even though] it didn’t always turn out that way or look that way. But here, I can just play my game.”
“This system forces the defensemen to get up, gap up, be tight and force [opposing] wingers to make plays under pressure,” Jones continued – all obvious strengths of his game throughout his 12-year career. “Everyone is responsible and understands their job.”
There’s more out of Florida as they gear up for a potential series-clinching Game 4:
- Winger Sam Reinhart‘s status for Game 4 remains in the air after he missed Game 3 due to a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen). His day-to-day designation hasn’t changed, and he’s been neither cleared nor ruled out for tomorrow’s contest. He’s been limited to four goals and 11 points through 14 games – significantly below pace compared to last year’s 10 goals in 24 playoff games and this year’s 81 points in 79 regular-season games. Still, he remains Florida’s leader in average time on ice among forwards at 20:07 per game.
- Rangy defender Niko Mikkola is expected to be available for tomorrow’s game after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury last night, Maurice said (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). After scoring a goal in the third period, Mikkola appeared to injure his shoulder in a collision with the boards and didn’t play the final 12 minutes of the 6-2 win. Skating primarily as Jones’ partner in the postseason, the 28-year-old has five points and a plus-six rating through 15 contests while averaging 19:19 per game.
- The “should be good to go” status is the same for winger A.J. Greer, Maurice said (per the team’s Jameson Olive). It’s unclear what ailed him, but he left the bench with just over four minutes left in the game. The fourth-line heavyweight has played in eight straight games after starting the playoffs as a healthy scratch. He’s got two goals and an assist, all coming in his last six games.
Panthers Sign Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer
Addressing depth in their forward core, Darren Dreger of TSN reports the Florida Panthers have signed free agent forward Tomas Nosek to a one-year, $775K contract. They’ve also inked forward A.J. Greer to a two-year deal, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports. That one carries an $850K cap hit, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Nosek came to New Jersey with the hopes that he’d become a key fourth-line center for them. Instead, he dealt with four separate injuries during the season, limiting him to just 36 games, his lowest total since the 2016-17 campaign. In those appearances, the 31-year-old managed just two goals and four assists in a little under 12 minutes per game.
When healthy, Nosek is a consistently above-average player at the faceoff dot who can kill penalties, elements that made him appealing to Florida. He’ll be asked to fill the void created by Kevin Stenlund who inked a two-year deal with Utah on Monday.
As for Greer, he comes over from Calgary to fill the fourth line energy role created by the departure of Ryan Lomberg who coincidentally signed a two-year deal with the Flames. Greer’s price tag is much more affordable for the Panthers, however, given their salary structure.
The 27-year-old played in 59 games last season, recording six goals and six assists along with 100 hits while averaging a little under nine minutes a night. For his career, Greer has 32 points and 205 penalty minutes in 167 NHL appearances between four different organizations.
Flames Activate A.J. Greer From Injured Reserve
The Flames have activated winger A.J. Greer from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Canadiens, Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia reports. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg relays that Greer is skating in warmups ahead of the contest, but it’s unclear if he’ll draw into the lineup.
Greer missed the last 18 games with a foot fracture sustained in a Jan. 25 contest against the Blue Jackets. He had only missed one prior game due to a healthy scratch after Calgary claimed him off waivers from the Bruins just before the start of the season.
The 27-year-old didn’t play a significant role, averaging only 8:44 per game, but he has continued his solid run of play in limited minutes after breaking into the league full-time with Boston last year. Previously a minor-league farmhand with nearly 300 games of AHL experience, Greer recorded career-highs across the board with the Bruins in 2022-23, logging five goals, seven assists, 12 points, a +9 rating, and 144 PIMs in 61 contests. He’s set a new career-high in goals with the Flames, lighting the lamp six times and adding four assists in his 47 showings this season.
His possession impacts remain suboptimal, recording a 47.5 CF% at even strength that’s around 3% worse than the team average. His expected rating has also dipped to -2.2 after posting a +1.7 with the Bruins.
Initially a second-round pick of the Avalanche in 2015, the Flames are Greer’s fifth NHL organization. Between Colorado and Boston, Greer also spent time on the farm with the Devils and Islanders. Now in the back half of a two-year, $1.525MM deal, he’ll be a UFA this summer.
Flames Place A.J. Greer On Injured Reserve, Recall Three
3:14 p.m.: Calgary did indeed recall three forwards today: Pelletier is on his way back to the NHL, along with Kevin Rooney and Cole Schwindt, who will fill the team’s vacancies at center. The team also confirmed Greer’s IR placement in a team release.
2:34 p.m.: The Flames moved winger A.J. Greer to injured reserve on Sunday, per the NHL’s media site. Greer is one week into an eight-week recovery timeline for a foot fracture sustained on Jan. 25 against the Blue Jackets.
Today’s news doesn’t affect Greer’s return timeline. However, it does bring Calgary’s roster size back down to 20 out of the maximum 23 after claiming defenseman Brayden Pachal off waivers from the Golden Knights earlier in the day.
18 of those 20 players are skaters, but after moving Greer to IR, the Flames only have 10 forwards on the active roster. They now have roster space to recall as many as three forwards ahead of their Feb. 6 game against the Bruins, which marks their return from their bye week and the All-Star break.
One of those recalls will likely be 2021 13th overall pick Matthew Coronato, who has exploded for 32 points in 30 games with AHL Calgary during his first pro season. He’s scored only once in 15 NHL appearances this year in top-nine minutes, but he should get an extended look on the NHL roster for the rest of the season in the wake of the Elias Lindholm trade.
A center will likely be on his way up from the AHL as well, given Lindholm’s immediate replacement, Andrei Kuzmenko, will suit up on the wing. Offseason pickup Yegor Sharangovich, who’s tied for the team lead in goals with 20, will shift to center to close out the year in Lindholm’s absence.
Today’s news could also be a precursor to a Jakob Pelletier recall. The 22-year-old has two goals and an assist in four games with AHL Calgary after returning from a shoulder injury sustained late in training camp and, if the Flames feel he’s undergone enough conditioning at the minor-league level, could add to his NHL games-played total in the coming weeks.
A.J. Greer Out Eight Weeks With Foot Fracture
The Flames got some bad news on the injury front on Saturday. While they were hopeful that winger A.J. Greer avoided a fracture on his foot, that wasn’t the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will miss the next eight weeks due to a foot fracture.
The 27-year-old is in his first year with Calgary after being claimed off waivers late in training camp from Boston. Since then, Greer has been a regular on the fourth line for the Flames, playing in 47 of 48 games, picking up six goals and four assists while chipping in with 77 hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night of ice time.
Notably, Calgary hasn’t brought anyone up from the AHL’s Wranglers despite Blake Coleman also being banged up. Instead, Coleman will play through his hand injury per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link), giving them 12 available forwards against Chicago.
Winger Martin Pospisil took part in the morning skate, giving hope that he’d return but they’ll give him the extra rest instead. The 24-year-old has held his own in his first taste of NHL action, collecting four goals and seven assists in 33 games. He has been out a little more than a week due to his lower-body injury.
Once Pospisil is officially activated after the break, Calgary’s roster will be at 23 skaters although Greer can easily be shifted onto injured reserve. Considering their tight cap situation, there’s a good chance that Greer will eventually land on LTIR although with a cap hit of just $762.5K, the extra flexibility they’d gain from that would be quite limited but it would be enough to get a recall up from the Wranglers if needed.
Pacific Notes: Kraken, Greer, Thrun
The Seattle Kraken have activated Matthew Beniers off of injured reserve. The former second-overall pick is expected to make his return to the Kraken lineup on Friday, after missing the team’s last five games. Jaden Schwartz and Eeli Tolvanen are expected to be game-time decisions, per Mike Benton of Kraken Audio Network.
Getting this trio of players back will be substantial for Seattle, as each ranks inside the team’s top seven scorers. Tolvanen leads the pack with 12 goals and 29 points through 47 games, while Schwartz has managed 20 points, split evenly, in 31 games, and Beniers has 19 points in 42. The former Calder Trophy-winning Beniers was in a bit of a lull before his injury, with just one goal through his last seven games. He’ll look to catch up to Tolvanen and Schwartz in the scoring column with a return against the St. Louis Blues on Friday.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- The Calgary Flames are not yet sure if A.J. Greer will require surgery after his ankle went awkwardly into the boards in the team’s Thursday night game. The forward is expected to miss, “considerable time”, though, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Francis speculated that Greer’s injury could lead to Clark Bishop getting recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, though former first-round pick Jakob Pelletier is making his AHL season debut this weekend and could also be considered for a recall soon.
- San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun will be out until after the All-Star Break, per team reporter Curtis Pashelka. The 22-year-old is working his way back from a shoulder injury, with Pashelka adding that nothing seemed structurally wrong, insinuating that Thrun might have dodged the worst outcome. With Thrun out, San Jose will give top defensive prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin his first NHL game. Mukhamadullin has managed 26 points in 39 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda this season.
West Notes: Suter, Athanasiou, Flames
Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter has not been in the team’s lineup since a November 12th victory over the Montreal Canadiens. That could soon change, as Rink Wide Vancouver’s Jeff Paterson reports that Suter was on the ice in a regular jersey for Canucks practice today, rather than a non-contact one.
Signed to strengthen the Canucks’ bottom-six center depth, Suter has been uneven in Vancouver. His offensive numbers are well below expectations, but with Suter as a regular face in their lineup the Canucks won far more often than they lost. The Canucks have fallen off a little bit, and have won just five of their last ten games. Perhaps the return of Suter, who scored 15 goals and 36 points in 2021-22, can help them return to their winning ways.
Some other notes from the NHL’s Western Conference:
- The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus relays word from Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson who says that forward Andreas Athanasiou is inching closer to a return and is close to returning to skating. Although a full return to the ice is still a long way off for Athanasiou, this is a positive development as the forward works his way back from a groin injury. The speedy 29-year-old last played on November 9th and scored 20 goals and 40 points last season.
- There appears to be a bit of a flu bug going around the Calgary Flames, as the team has announced that two forwards, Walker Duehr and A.J. Greer, did not skate today as a result of the flu. Greer played yesterday against Carolina while Duehr last played on December 5th, but this announcement puts into question each player’s availability for the Flames’ next game, which is tomorrow afternoon against the New Jersey Devils.
Waivers: 10/08/23
Oct. 9: Four players on this list were claimed today: A.J. Greer (Calgary), John Ludvig (Pittsburgh), Ivan Prosvetov (Colorado), and Lassi Thomson (Ottawa). All others have cleared and are expected to be assigned to their team’s respective AHL affiliates, aside from Boyd, who PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports remains on the Coyotes’ active roster for now.
Oct. 8: It’s expected to be a busy day on the waiver wire, as NHL teams are making their final adjustments to the roster they’ll bring into the start of the 2023-24 season. There have already been numerous notable names exposed to the waiver wire thus far this preseason, and that list could only expand today. All players from yesterday’s waiver wire have cleared.
Anaheim Ducks
D Lassi Thomson
G Alex Stalock
F Andrew Agozzino
Boston Bruins
Arizona Coyotes
F Travis Boyd
F Zach Sanford
G Ivan Prosvetov
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
F Raphael Lavoie
F Lane Pederson
D Ben Gleason
Florida Panthers
F Zac Dalpe
D John Ludvig
D Casey Fitzgerald
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Joel Armia
D Gustav Lindström
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
G Magnus Hellberg
F Colin White
D Mark Friedman
F Vinnie Hinostroza
F Radim Zohorna
St. Louis Blues
F Mackenzie MacEachern
D Calle Rosen
G Malcolm Subban
F Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Zach Bogosian
F Gabriel Fortier
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Martin Jones
F Kyle Clifford
F Dylan Gambrell
D William Lagesson
D Maxime Lajoie
Vancouver Canucks
F Jack Studnicka
D Christian Wolanin
Vegas Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets
D Kyle Capobianco
G Collin Delia
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The big surprise here out of Arizona regards Boyd. The versatile 30-year-old veteran doesn’t have an exorbitant contract (just $1.75MM through the end of the season) and has scored 69 points across the last two seasons.
He’s been something of a breakout player for the Coyotes as his 17-goal, 35-point 2022-23 was far and away his best season in his career, so it’s definitely a surprise to see him exposed on waivers.
For Anaheim, the move to waive Stalock likely means that Lukáš Dostál has won the Ducks’ backup goalie job behind John Gibson, as should Stalock clear the Ducks will have the option to send him down to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
In Edmonton, it comes as a little bit of a surprise to see Lavioe waived. The 23-year-old power forward was drafted just outside of the 2019 first round, and took a real step forward in his development last season. He became a genuinely impactful AHLer, scoring 25 goals and 45 points. He’s a name to watch in terms of players with the potential to be claimed out of this group.
Anderson-Dolan finally made the NHL on an extended basis last season, and scored 12 points in 46 games. He even got some playoff action under his belt, but seeing as he was a near-point-per-game scorer in his last season in the AHL, it seems the Kings could prefer to have him start the season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Rosen appears the likeliest candidate from the Blues’ group of waived players to be of interest to other teams, as he’s owed just a $762.5k cap hit this season and impressed in 49 games of NHL action last season. He scored 18 points in that span and could interest teams in need of some additional defensive help.
Out of Tampa is Bogosian, and it’s reported that the Lightning are hoping to put the veteran blueliner in a position to land on another team where he can play a bigger role than he’d be offered in Tampa. The 33-year-old won a Stanley Cup for the Lightning and it seems that the organization is looking to do right by the player while also turning to other options to staff their defense.
One of the biggest names on waivers comes out of Toronto, as Jones played in 48 games last season but now finds himself exposed to 31 other clubs. With an $875k cap hit, the veteran netminder could end up claimed by teams in need of instant goaltending support, such as the Lightning who don’t have much depth after the injury to superstar Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Flames Claim A.J. Greer Off Waivers From Bruins
The Calgary Flames claimed winger A.J. Greer off waivers from the Boston Bruins on Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Boston had initially acquired Greer, 26, by signing him to a two-year, $1.525MM contract in free agency during the summer of 2022. Eyebrows raised when it was announced Greer received a one-way deal after spending most of his pro career in the minors, but he managed to crack the record-breaking Bruins out of camp and never looked back. The gritty winger avoided AHL assignment for the first time in his career and notched five goals, seven assists, and 12 points in 61 contests with Boston – as well as 114 penalty minutes. After the team’s trade deadline moves, however, he was mostly a healthy scratch and did not play during their first-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers.
With younger players like Jakub Lauko and Matthew Poitras taking strides in their development, Greer lost his roster spot and was waived yesterday. He heads to a team in need of forward depth in Calgary, who is down two initially projected regulars for this season after Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney sustained long-term injuries during training camp. Greer will challenge other depth forwards like Walker Duehr and Dryden Hunt for ice time on the Flames’ fourth line to begin the season.
Examining A Pivotal Offseason For The Boston Bruins
Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub wrote a piece today going over his thoughts on the offseason that was for the Boston Bruins. Anderson writes that while the offseason losses were a challenge for the team, he believes the club can still contend for a division title, and at the very least make the playoffs in the Atlantic Division.
While Anderson offers up many reasons for optimism, he does believe that if the Bruins were to falter, they should look to move on from the eight unrestricted free agents that the Bruins will be dressing on opening night and try to acquire assets for them rather than throwing assets after band-aid solutions. Boston does have an extensive list of unrestricted free agents at the end of this year including Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, A.J. Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Jakub Zboril. Moving on from these players would help facilitate a re-tool should the Bruins opt to go down that path.
There is a belief with Anderson and others that the Bruins could be buyers in the summer of 2024 when the cap goes up and the bonuses come off Boston’s cap. An added bonus to selling at the deadline would be that any assets acquired at the deadline could help the team make moves next summer when they have cap space to play with. Now, while it seems silly to be looking at trade deadline moves when the season hasn’t even started, it is an interesting idea for the Bruins for the reasons mentioned above.
One final note, and this could be a big one, is that Boston’s first-round pick this season was dealt in the Tyler Bertuzzi trade. The pick is top-10 protected and if Boston were to fall down the standings, they could grab a top-10 pick this year in a re-tooling year and give Detroit their 2025 pick when they presumably have re-stocked the NHL roster. The risk there of course is that they falter again in 2025 and hand the Red Wings a top-10 pick, but that seems unlikely given that the team will still have some solid pieces in place and possibly some reinforcements to join them.