Snapshots: Dumba, Olofsson, Boqvist
The Minnesota Wild have acted as a banker the last few weeks, retaining salary in two transactions to grab some extra draft capital. Given their place in the standings, though, many assume they will do something more significant at the deadline. General manager Bill Guerin spoke candidly about his team today, once again answering specific questions on Matt Dumba:
Look. If someone comes through and offers a boatload for him we’ll think about it, but as of right now, Matt’s playing his best hockey of the year. I would bet that he’s here through the end of the year. I can’t make that promise, but he’s playing pretty good hockey right now.
Dumba, 28, is on an expiring contract, and despite Guerin’s comments that he’ll be in Minnesota through the end of the season, he once again implied that the team wouldn’t be able to (or wouldn’t even try to) re-sign him in the summer. Minnesota is in fourth in the Central but just four points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars.
- Speaking of Dallas, they have once again loaned Fredrik Olofsson to the minor leagues, as they do on almost every off-day. The Stars have been banking cap space all season, and today’s addition of Evgenii Dadonov opened up even more room, due to the salary retention by the Montreal Canadiens. The team now has plenty of flexibility going into this week’s negotiations and could add another significant player.
- Adam Boqvist was scratched from today’s Columbus Blue Jackets game due to a lower-body injury but is only out day-to-day, according to the team. The young defenseman was playing arguably his best hockey of the season lately, registering points in five of his last six games. He was replaced in the lineup by Billy Sweezey, who is making his NHL debut while Vladislav Gavrikov continues to sit out.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Billy Sweezey
The Columbus Blue Jackets, fresh off a win over the Edmonton Oilers earlier today and headed out on the road for two games, have added another defenseman to the roster. Billy Sweezey has earned just the second recall of his professional career.
Already 27, Sweezey is an interesting case, as he only turned pro in 2020 after a four-year stint at Yale University. The undrafted defenseman is in his third season of AHL action and less than a year removed from signing his first NHL contract. That two-year deal was inked with the Blue Jackets in March 2022, after he made such an impact with the Cleveland Monsters. Sweezey racked up 114 penalty minutes in 70 games last year for the AHL club, becoming one of the most physical defenders in the league.
He’s been in Cleveland again this year, recording nine points in 41 games while adding another 49 penalty minutes to his ledger. The 6’2″ defenseman already has 13 fights in his 133-game AHL career.
With the Blue Jackets still sitting Vladislav Gavrikov—now for six straight games—adding an extra defender for the journey to Minnesota makes sense. The Blue Jackets take on the Wild tomorrow afternoon, a quick turnaround after playing in Columbus today. Tim Berni played 13 minutes in the win against Edmonton, with Andrew Peeke logging nearly 26 minutes to lead the group. If Sweezey was to get into the lineup—perhaps to offset some of the physicality of the Wild—it would be his NHL debut.
Snapshots: Pavelski, Blackhawks, Sweezey
Over the last few months, the Dallas Stars have signed two-thirds of their top line to multi-year contracts, handing Jason Robertson a four-year bridge and today extending Roope Hintz for another eight seasons. Joe Pavelski, the elder statesman in the dynamic trio, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency at the end of the year. When asked today about Pavelski’s future with the club, general manager Jim Nill told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that it will be up to the veteran forward:
I think we’ll wait and see. Joe’s playing very well, and let’s see how the season goes. That’s really probably going to be Joe’s call. If he still feels he can play at the high standard he wants to play at, then we’ll sit down and talk.
The 38-year-old Pavelski still has what it takes to succeed at the NHL level and alongside his younger teammates, he is still excelling. With 24 points in 23 games, he is on pace for the first point-per-game season of his career, something he has flirted with several times but not actually accomplished. Last year he came oh-so-close, with 81 points in 82 games, and it would be quite the star on an exquisite resume to reach that goal at his age. One other milestone within reach is 1,000 points, which Pavelski sits just 52 away from. With his next point, he’ll pass Chris Chelios and tie Vincent Lecavalier for 108th on the all-time NHL scoring list.
- The Chicago Blackhawks will be without Sam Lafferty and Jarred Tinordi for at least a week, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. The two are dealing with back and hip injuries respectively, and didn’t practice today. Lazerus also relays an update on goaltender Alex Stalock, who is still dealing with a concussion. His progression has been slowed in recent days as he continues to feel the effects of the Casey Cizikas hit from earlier this month.
- After ten days with the club and no action, Billy Sweezey has been sent back down by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old defenseman is probably not complaining, given the fact that he earned the NHL salary of his two-way contract – the first of his career – for that period. Sweezey signed a two-year deal in March after a good season with the Cleveland Monsters in 2021-22, when he racked up 114 penalty minutes and 11 points in 70 games.
Blue Jackets Recall Billy Sweezey
As the injuries continue to pile up in Columbus, the Blue Jackets have had to dip deeper into their depth chart with some players getting their first NHL opportunities. Today, that’s the result for defenseman Billy Sweezey as the team announced they’ve recalled him from AHL Cleveland.
The 26-year-old undrafted free agent has taken a slower route to the NHL. After playing out his college career at Yale, he signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh in 2020. That was enough to get him a minor-league pact with Columbus last season where he put up 11 points in 70 games along with 114 penalty minutes. Those numbers don’t jump off the page but GM Jarmo Kekalainen thought highly enough of him to commit a two-year, two-way deal for this season, one that pays him the league minimum at the NHL level in both seasons.
This season, Sweezey has been a bit more involved offensively with five assists through his first 14 games with AHL Cleveland which has helped him earn this recall. Columbus is currently without Zach Werenski, Jake Bean, Adam Boqvist, and Nick Blankenburg who are all on injured reserve and while David Jiricek has done well in the minors so far, the Blue Jackets are trying to manage his NHL action as his contract would slide a year as long as he plays in nine or fewer games. With Sweezey’s recall, the team now has seven healthy defenders on their active roster.