Injury Updates: Blackhawks, Girgensons, Johnson, McMann
Returning to practice after the All-Star break, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times issued updates on several injured members of the Chicago Blackhawks. Pope reports that Connor Bedard and Anthony Beauvillier were both present in non-contact jerseys, while Connor Murphy only skated for the first half of practice.
Heavily impacted by injuries this season, the Blackhawks have lost a total of 228 man games to injury this year, placing them second in the league in the category behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Although Chicago had no plans on contending this season, the slate of injuries has completely prohibited the team from taking any noticeable step forward in their rebuilding process.
Nevertheless, the organization must get Bedard back into action as quickly and safely as possible. While missing the last four weeks with a broken jaw, Bedard continues to lead the Blackhawks in scoring, setting the team lead with 15 goals and 33 points in 39 games.
Other notes:
- The Buffalo Sabres are ready to get Zemgus Girgensons and Erik Johnson back into the lineup, as both players have been medically cleared by the team according to Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report. Johnson had previously missed the team’s last four games, while Girgensons only missed the team’s last game before the All-Star break. Likely a seller at this year’s deadline, both players are obvious trade candidates leading up to the March 8th trade deadline.
- David Alter of The Hockey News reported today that the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated forward Bobby McMann from the team’s injured reserve. McMann was originally placed on the team’s injured reserve on January 26th with an undisclosed injury. Missing the team’s last game before the All-Star break, McMann has played in a total of 23 games for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring a total of seven points overall.
Maple Leafs Place Bobby McMann On IR
Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann is heading to injured reserve with a lingering undisclosed injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday (via Joshua Kloke of The Athletic). The move keeps McMann with the team for the time being after speculation earlier Friday that he was headed for waivers. In placing him on IR, Toronto has now opened a roster spot to activate winger Tyler Bertuzzi from the non-roster list for Saturday’s game against the Jets.
McMann, 27, has two goals and five assists for seven points in 23 games. He’s averaged 9:22 per contest and is putting up passable possession numbers, recording a 49.4% Corsi share at even strength despite starting nearly 70% of his zone starts coming in defensive usage.
Undrafted, Toronto signed McMann to his first NHL contract in 2022 after he spent two seasons suiting up with their AHL affiliate on minor-league deals. He’s transitioned into more of a full-time NHL role this season, skating in only six AHL contests.
McMann played in 19 of Toronto’s last 21 games as a fourth-line fill-in, providing a noticeable two-way upgrade on the services of injured enforcer Ryan Reaves. He missed one game earlier in January against the Red Wings with an undisclosed injury and was listed as a healthy scratch in Sunday’s game against the Kraken.
The IR placement rules McMann out of tomorrow’s game but no further. It coincides well with the timing of the All-Star break, during which his seven-day absence requirement will be satisfied. If he’s healthy, he’ll be eligible to return for the Maple Leafs’ first post-break game against the Islanders on Feb. 5.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Rafferty, Newhook, Bertuzzi, McMann
Veteran Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson is drawing some interest ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast Friday. Johnson is currently on injured reserve and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, although he’s eligible for activation and hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Sharks.
The 35-year-old is in his first season with Buffalo after signing a one-year, $3.25MM contract in free agency last summer. He hasn’t been the defensively-stabilizing force they hoped for, given the price tag. He’s playing a career-low 14:11 per game and, despite the restricted usage, has a poor 46.1% Corsi share at even strength, 5.5% worse than the Sabres’ share without him on the ice. He’s notched three goals and no assists through 41 games, although they weren’t expecting him to be a factor offensively at this stage in his career.
With Buffalo’s playoff chances down to below five percent, they won’t be buyers at the deadline. It’s unlikely they ship out any high-profile names, either, but Johnson’s role on the team has already dried up, and they could get some value back for him by retaining 50% of his cap hit. His 961 games of experience and a Stanley Cup ring with the Avalanche in 2022 are both points of emphasis for contenders looking to shore up their blue line this time of year, and he carries a small bit of added trade value as a right-shot defender.
Elsewhere from the Atlantic Division:
- The Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to AHL Grand Rapids, the team said in a statement Friday. This is the sixth straight day that the 28-year-old Rafferty has been ferried between leagues. Detroit has brought up the minor-league mainstay on game days only to serve as last-minute injury insurance with Ben Chiarot sidelined with an undisclosed ailment. Rafferty has yet to play an NHL game this season despite his four recalls in January.
- Canadiens forward Alex Newhook skated Friday for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle sprain in early December, the team said. The 22-year-old is nearly eight weeks into his 10-to-12-week recovery timeline, so his return to the ice today means he should have enough time over the next month to gear up for a return. Acquired from the Avalanche last June via trade, the 2019 16th-overall pick was on pace for a career-high 47 points before the injury.
- Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi is back with the team Friday after missing Wednesday’s 1-0 overtime win over the Jets for paternity leave, TSN’s Mark Masters reports. Bertuzzi will be available for the second half of Toronto’s home-and-home with Winnipeg on Saturday, although the Maple Leafs will need to clear a roster spot for him to return. He was placed on the non-roster list, which kept their active roster at 23 when Ryan Reaves was activated from injured reserve earlier in the week. Per The Hockey News’ David Alter, depth forward Bobby McMann was not at practice today, suggesting he may be headed for the waiver wire in the next few hours for the purpose of assignment to AHL Toronto. Bertuzzi has had strong possession impacts in his first season with the Leafs but has struggled to produce in a top-six role, scoring six goals in 45 games.
Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, McMann, Benoit, Korpisalo, Samuelsson
Maple Leafs defenseman John Klingberg will meet with a doctor in New York this week to determine whether surgery is required to correct his nagging hip injury, GM Brad Treliving informed the media Monday afternoon (via David Alter of Sports Illustrated/The Hockey News).
Klingberg, 31, has missed five out of the last six games with the injury and is currently on long-term injured reserve retroactive to November 11. The soonest he can return to the lineup is December 12 against the Rangers. However, all indications point to a more prolonged absence regardless of the clarity gleaned from his appointment this week. While Klingberg has reportedly been battling various hip issues for multiple seasons, Treliving confirmed Klingberg sustained a specific injury on October 19 versus the Panthers, keeping him out of the lineup. Klingberg did not miss any games immediately after sustaining the injury.
A free-agent signing by the Maple Leafs last summer, Klingberg’s presence in the lineup quickly deteriorated after a strong showing in the team’s season opener against the Canadiens. After notching two points, a +1 rating, and over 24 minutes of ice time in his Toronto debut, his defensive game again lapsed significantly. It caused head coach Sheldon Keefe to reduce his ice time gradually gradually. He has five assists through 14 games this season, and his 0.35 points per game mark is by far the worst of his NHL career. He is averaging under 21 minutes per game for a second straight season after skating over that mark in eight consecutive seasons to begin his career.
Other snapshots from the Atlantic Division:
- Sticking with Toronto, depth forward Bobby McMann and defenseman Simon Benoit took line rushes with the Maple Leafs at practice today, Alter reports. This suggests both players will be recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies before tomorrow’s game against the Panthers. In recent days, McMann and Benoit have repeatedly been ferried between leagues to extend their waiver-exempt period. Both players were placed on waivers before the start of the season, allowing the Maple Leafs to assign each player to the AHL freely until each spends 30 days on the NHL roster or plays ten games. While McMann took reps as a healthy scratch in practice today, Benoit skated on the third pairing alongside Conor Timmins and could re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old has played six games this season, recording a +2 rating, five shots on goal, and a strong Corsi share of 57.4% at even strength while averaging 13:13 per game.
- Senators goalie Joonas Korpisalo will be an option in goal against the Panthers tonight, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays. After making 37 saves on 41 shots in the Senators’ first Global Series game against the Red Wings on November 16, Korpisalo sat out the second overseas contest against the Wild as well as last Friday’s game against the Islanders with a minor undisclosed ailment which the team described as general soreness. This was an expected development after the Senators returned top goalie prospect Mads Søgaard to the minors yesterday. The 29-year-old is improving after a rocky start to his Senators career, solidifying himself as the team’s number-one option with a 5-4-0 record, .906 SV%, and 1.3 goals saved above average through ten starts.
- Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will be a game-time decision tonight against the Rangers as he deals with an upper-body injury, head coach Don Granato told reporters this morning (via Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News). The oft-injured blueliner left Saturday’s blowout loss to the Devils after taking a stick to the face and receiving multiple stitches to repair a cut on his lower lip, which is still causing him significant pain. Per Granato, he was held out of the remainder of the contest to clear concussion protocol. If Samuelsson does not play tonight, it will be his second injury-related absence of the season. A lower-body issue cost him three games at the beginning of the month. The 23-year-old is averaging a diminished 19:27 per game this season through 18 games, recording one goal, two assists, a -1 rating, and a middling Corsi share of 47.6% at even strength.
Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann, Simon Benoit
Nov. 22: The Maple Leafs brought both McMann and Benoit back to the NHL roster Thursday night, according to CapFriendly. Timmins will likely be activated off LTIR in a corresponding transaction.
Nov. 21: The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned Bobby McMann and Simon Benoit to the AHL on Monday. Both players had been with the club through much of November, with Benoit being recalled on November 4th and McMann joining the team on November 11th. Benoit appeared in five games during his recall, while McMann slotted into three.
McMann was the only one of the pair to score any points during his action, netting two assists in the few games he received. The scoring brings his career totals up to three points in 13 games, although McMann is still looking for his first NHL goal. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Leafs after the conclusion of Colgate University’s 2019-20 season. He joined the ECHL’s Witchita Thunder for the shortened 2020-21 season, before climbing his way into the AHL and ultimately earning his NHL debut by 2022-23. The 27-year-old centerman has also appeared in six AHL games this season, netting three points, six penalty minutes, and a -3.
Benoit was also signed as an undrafted free agent, joining the Anaheim Ducks as a training camp invite ahead of the 2018-19 season and signing with the Leafs as a UFA this summer. He’s spent the bulk of the last two seasons in the NHL, playing in 78 games last season and 53 games the year before. He managed 10 points last season, setting a career-high in scoring, but also recorded a -29, a career-low. In addition to his five games with the Maple Leafs, he’s also played two games in the AHL this season, going without a point and a -2.
This move opens up just enough space for the Leafs to activate Conor Timmins off of injured reserve, if they feel he’s healthy.
Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann, Assign Pontus Holmberg To AHL
Following their shootout win over Calgary last night, the Maple Leafs have made a roster move up front in advance of their game against Vancouver tonight. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bobby McMann from AHL Toronto while they have assigned center Pontus Holmberg back to the Marlies.
McMann was briefly on the NHL roster at the start of the season while on season-opening IR but cleared waivers as soon as he was activated. The 27-year-old has played in six AHL contests so far this season, picking up two goals and an assist.
Last season, McMann saw his first taste of NHL action, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs where he had an assist and 17 hits while averaging 10:34 per night. While he was limited to just 30 games with the Marlies a year ago due to injury, McMann was quite productive, tallying 21 goals along with eight assists. If he can show any sort of that scoring touch on the NHL fourth line, he could stick around for a little while.
As for Holmberg, he has spent the bulk of the early going this season with the Maple Leafs, getting into seven games where he has been held off the scoresheet while logging a little under nine minutes per contest. The 24-year-old has a pair of points so far with AHL Toronto and will go back to playing a much bigger role for the Marlies for the time being.
Maple Leafs Recall Simon Benoit
10/12 – The Leafs have loaned Benoit back to the Toronto Marlies.
10/11 – The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Simon Benoit from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, according to a team release Wednesday. In a corresponding transaction, they returned forward Bobby McMann to the Marlies after he cleared waivers earlier today.
Benoit will serve as the lone extra skater on the active roster and is not expected to play in tonight’s season-opening contest against the Montreal Canadiens. He can stay on the NHL roster for up to 30 days (or 10 games played) before he requires waivers to be returned to the minors.
The Maple Leafs signed Benoit, 25, to a one-year, league-minimum contract in August. The Laval, Québec, native played in a career-high 78 games last season for the Anaheim Ducks, notching ten points and a -29 rating whilst facing some tough minutes on a poor defensive squad.
Benoit is one of a trio of veteran blueliners signed to league-minimum deals Toronto has stashed in the minors, along with William Lagesson and Maxime Lajoie. Earlier in the preseason, few expected Benoit to be on the active roster for tonight’s game, given the team’s cap constraints, but defenseman Conor Timmins sustained a lower-body injury that has him on long-term injured reserve to start the campaign. He is out week-to-week, and while Benoit will likely remain up with the Leafs for a while, expect him to hit waivers again if needed upon Timmins’ return. Benoit was also sidelined with an injury of his own at one point, dealing with back spasms at the beginning of the preseason schedule.
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Joseph Woll
With Matt Murray‘s latest injury, the decision on who will start for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs was effectively made. Ilya Samsonov is now the team’s undisputed starter, though someone will need to help get the team through the last few games of the season.
That someone is Joseph Woll, recalled again today under emergency conditions. Radim Zohorna has been returned to the AHL, while Bobby McMann was moved to long-term injured reserve.
Woll, 24, has had an outstanding season. In 21 appearances at the minor league level he is 16-4-1 with a .927 save percentage. In four games with the Maple Leafs, he is 3-1 with a .934. The 2016 third-round pick is finally rounding into form after several injury-laden professional seasons, and is now pushing for a full-time position with Toronto.
Murray left Sunday’s game after an awkward collision with Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, appearing to hit his head on the ice. The team has not revealed any timeline for the veteran netminder, but it is just another disappointing outcome in a turbulent season.
In 26 appearances, spread out by several injuries, Murray has posted a .903 save percentage. Samsonov, meanwhile, is now 25-10-4 on the year with a .915, and looks poised to meet Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning in game one, should nothing else change for the Maple Leafs over the last part of the season.
Atlantic Notes: Savage, Brodie, Mandolese, McMann
According to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, Red Wings’ prospect Redmond Savage is transferring to Michigan State University. Drafted 114th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Savage will take his talents closer to where he will eventually be playing.
Throughout his 67 regular season games played for Miami University (Ohio), Savage was able to put up 13 goals and 17 assists over his 2-year span. More famously, on the world stage, Savage was included on the roster of the United States World Junior team, playing in both tournaments this year and last. Throughout his 12 tournament games, Savage scored nine points for the United States team.
Since joining the Big Ten Conference before the 2013-14 NCAA season, the Spartans have only managed to earn a winning season one time in 2015. However, for the first time under new head coach Adam Nightingale, the Spartans won their quarterfinal matchup against Notre Dame but eventually lost to the University of Minnesota in this year’s Big Ten tournament.
Other notes:
- From Mark Masters of TSN, after sitting out of yesterday’s game against the New York Islanders, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe, says that defenseman T.J. Brodie will be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. After handily losing to the Islanders on Tuesday, Brodie should be a welcomed return to the Maple Leafs against a surging Panthers team. Although his point production is down this season, Brodie has still been keen on his defensive aspects of the game, including being one of the better shot blockers in the league.
- After netminder Dylan Ferguson became ill before yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators re-called Kevin Mandolese from their AHL affiliate Belleville Senators. Today, the Senators announced that they have returned Mandolese back to Belleville. With the Senators dealing with injuries between the pipes, Mandolese has started in three games this year, going 2-1-0 with a .916 SV% and a 3.29 GAA.
- Furthermore, on the Maple Leafs, David Alter of Sports Illustrated passes on a message from Keefe, announcing that forward Bobby McMann has re-aggravated a knee injury and will not play tomorrow night against the Panthers. McMann has been recalled a couple of times this year on an emergency loan, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs, and producing one assist overall. Playing for the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, McMann has been an incredibly valuable forward, playing in 30 games, and scoring 21 goals over that span.
Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann And Joseph Woll
In advance of their game tonight against Ottawa, the Maple Leafs have brought up a pair of players, announcing (Twitter link) the recalls of winger Bobby McMann and goaltender Joseph Woll from AHL Toronto.
McMann has been a strong scorer in the minors this season, notching 21 goals in just 30 games. He leads the Marlies in that category despite missing half of the AHL campaign. That scoring prowess earned him his NHL debut back in January where he got into eight games, logging just shy of 11 minutes a night while being held off the scoresheet. With Noel Acciari being injured last night against Carolina, McMann will take his place on the roster for the time being.
As for Woll, his recall was a bit more curious. However, he’s covering for Ilya Samsonov as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link) that Samsonov didn’t travel with the team with his wife expecting to give birth soon plus a minor injury before they embark on a long trip starting on Tuesday. Woll, meanwhile, has been dominant with the Marlies, winning 16 of his 18 starts while posting a 2.37 GAA and a .928 SV%. His NHL numbers have been better, albeit in a much smaller sample size, as he has a 2.04 GAA with a .938 SV% in three starts with the Maple Leafs this season.