West Notes: Patera, Blackwell, Kärki
The Vancouver Canucks announced today that netminder Jiri Patera has been recalled on an emergency basis from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Patera, 26, has played each of the last two seasons exclusively at the AHL level, though an injury did cost him a chance to earn NHL games last season, as he was limited to just seven games played. He’s already up to five games played so far this season, posting a .894 save percentage, 3.10 goals-against average, and 1-2-2 record.
CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported on this recall in some additional detail, noting that while netminder Kevin Lankinen is not currently injured, Thatcher Demko “may need a maintenance day.” And since the Canucks have back-to-back games to play on Saturday and Sunday, recalling Patera allows the team to be cautious and give head coach Adam Foote an additional goaltender to work with in case Demko is not able to play in one of the team’s two upcoming games. Dhaliwal did also note that Demko “is not hurt.” While he hasn’t yet played for the Canucks, Patera does have some NHL experience. The 26-year-old played in eight games across two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, posting a .902 save percentage.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Dallas Stars might have to deal with the loss of Colin Blackwell due to an injury, reports Stars Thoughts’ Robert Tiffin. Per Tiffin, Blackwell “took a heavy shot last night in the leg/foot” and did not practice today. While there has not been any official update from the Stars, it appears entirely possible that Blackwell will miss some time due to injury. The 32-year-old veteran of over 300 NHL games isn’t much of an offensive producer (he has one point through 14 games) but has been a key contributor on the penalty kill. He leads all Stars forwards in short-handed ice time per game so far this season, and ranked second in 2024-25, just behind Sam Steel.
- Vegas Golden Knights prospect Arttu Kärki, who ranked No. 13 in the team’s system by Elite Prospects in August, has signed a contract to transfer to Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga. The deal runs through next season, and should give the 20-year-old blueliner a more consistent place to play moving forward. The 2023 third-round pick was drafted by Vegas out of Finland’s U20 circuit, but spent the following season in the OHL. He split last season between Tappara and Assat, and now will play for his fourth Liiga team in two years. Kärki has only played in one game so far this year, a Sept. 9 victory for HIFK Helsinki over Jukurit of all teams, and Kärki scored a goal and played in just under 18 minutes of ice time. The Golden Knights maintain the exclusive rights to sign Kärki to an entry-level deal until June 1, 2027, and Elite Prospects scout Lassi Alanen wrote in August that “if everything breaks right” Kärki could “end up as a No. 5 NHL defenceman.”
Stars Sign Colin Blackwell To Two-Year Deal
The Stars are bringing forward Colin Blackwell back to Dallas on a two-year deal worth $775,000 per season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Blackwell, 32, returns to Dallas as cost-effective depth for a cap-strapped club. The versatile 5’8″ center won a career-high 151 draws for the Stars last year while providing solid depth scoring in a four-line role, posting six goals and 17 points and a plus-four rating in 63 appearances.
After spending the first few years of his pro career in the minors, the high-energy Blackwell has carved out a nice role for himself as a depth scorer, even in a bit of a journeyman role. He’s recorded 91 points in 298 career games with the Predators, Rangers, Kraken, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, and Stars. If he plays out this deal with Dallas, it’ll be his longest run with a single team.
Dallas now has a cap-compliant roster that they could theoretically roll into next season with no changes. Blackwell brings their roster count up to 21 – 11 forwards and eight defensemen, with $205,084 in space, per PuckPedia. They’ll still likely pursue a cap-clearing trade if possible, but there’s now officially an avenue toward starting the season with a full 20-man roster and at least one injury replacement.
Stars To Sign Colin Blackwell
The Stars have added forward depth in the form of UFA Colin Blackwell, who’s inked a one-year, $775K deal, per PuckPedia.
Blackwell moves across the Central Division with this move, after spending the last two seasons in a bottom-six role with the Chicago Blackhawks. Both seasons were limited by injury. He appeared in 53 games during the 2022-23 season, tallying two goals, 10 points, and a -16, before hernia surgery ended his season in March. The same injury held Blackwell out through December of this season, while an upper-body injury cut his March in half, holding him to 44 games and 12 points this season.
Despite an in-and-out role with Chicago, Blackwell still showed a lot of utility on the Blackhawks fourth-line and penalty kill. Blackwell will now bring those traits to Dallas, where he should be able to earn a consistent role on the fourth line, among players like Sam Steel and Evgeni Dadonov.
Blackwell will be playing with his sixth NHL club in Dallas, not including the San Jose Sharks – who originally drafted him in 2011. Blackwell has filled roles across the league, with his career-year coming in 2020-21 with the New York Rangers, when he managed 12 goals and 22 points in 47 games. He’ll look to chase that kind of scoring as he moves to one of the league’s best offenses in Dallas.
Blackhawks Notes: Vlasic, Murphy, Blackwell
The Chicago Blackhawks could ink rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic to a long-term deal this summer, shares Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Vlasic told Pope, “I want to be [in Chicago] as long as possible.” The 22-year-old defenseman is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time in his career this season, having played through his 2021 entry-level contract.
Vlasic was maybe the surprise of the season in Chicago, fighting his way up to top-pairing ice time early in the year and not relinquishing it. He would go on to record 16 points and 45 penalty minutes in 76 games, while averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He became the de facto partner for top defenseman Seth Jones – with the pairing recording over 850 even-strength minutes together, Chicago’s only pair to play even 400 minutes together.
Vlasic carved out a confident role and should be due a confident deal when he re-signs this summer. Pope compared Vlasic’s negotiations to K’Andre Miller and Mattias Samuelsson when trying to project what a new deal may look like. Both players pulled in a cap hit of around $4MM, though Miller signed a short-term bridge while Samuelsson received seven years. It’s likely Chicago leans on the side of longer term, with brighter days yet to come.
Other notes out of the Windy City:
- Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy shared that the injury that held him out of the season finale wasn’t exactly a reinjury of his groin injury, but more of a “tweak”, per Pope (Twitter link). Murphy added that the injury will affect his off-season training plans, though he’s happy to have time off to get back to full health. Murphy played in just 46 games this season, recording eight points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -19. He served in a solid role, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time, though that may have been out of necessity more than desire for a Hawks blue-line that iced 12 different defensemen this season. Murphy will hope to regain health and hang onto his strong role in Chicago as he approaches his eighth season with the club next year.
- Hawks forward Colin Blackwell shared that he would love to stay in Chicago, per NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). Blackwell is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer – one of 19 free agents in Chicago’s system. He’s spent the last two seasons in Chicago, totaling 22 points in 97 games with the club. While meager scoring, Blackwell has served in a reliable bottom-six role and maintained his discipline, totaling just 16 penalty minutes over the last two seasons. He’ll likely return to a consistent fourth-line role if he signs a new deal with Chicago.
Nominees Announced For 2024 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Nominees are selected by members of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, with finalists being named near the end of the regular season. Previous winners include Kris Letang (2023), Carey Price (2022), and Oskar Lindblom (2021). Today, a new list of 32 nominees has been named.
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Urho Vaakanainen
Arizona Coyotes – Connor Ingram
Boston Bruins – Danton Heinen
Buffalo Sabres – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Calgary Flames – Oliver Kylington
Carolina Hurricanes – Frederik Andersen
Chicago Blackhawks – Colin Blackwell
Colorado Avalanche – Jonathan Drouin
Columbus Blue Jackets – Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars – Matt Duchene
Detroit Red Wings – Alex Lyon
Edmonton Oilers – Vincent Desharnais
Florida Panthers – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Los Angeles Kings – Viktor Arvidsson
Minnesota Wild – Marco Rossi
Montreal Canadiens – Joel Armia
Nashville Predators – Michael McCarron
New Jersey Devils – Curtis Lazar
New York Islanders – Cal Clutterbuck
New York Rangers – Jonathan Quick
Ottawa Senators – Claude Giroux
Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Couturier
Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby
San Jose Sharks – Justin Bailey
Seattle Kraken – Joey Daccord
St. Louis Blues – Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning – Michael Eyssimont
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ilya Samsonov
Vancouver Canucks – Noah Juulsen
Vegas Golden Knights – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington Capitals – T.J. Oshie
Winnipeg Jets – Laurent Brossoit
Central Notes: Toffoli, Walker, Stramel, Blackwell, Zaitsev
Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Winnipeg Jets forward Tyler Toffoli won’t dress tonight when the Jets take on the Los Angeles Kings. Toffoli missed practice this morning and was dealing with an illness according to Jets head coach Rick Bowness. Another game-time decision, Cole Perfetti will dress and could slide in alongside Sean Monahan and Kyle Connor. Since joining the Jets at the trade deadline, the 31-year-old Toffoli has posted four goals and two assists in 11 games. Perfetti on the other hand has 15 goals and 17 assists in 66 games this season.
In other Central Division notes:
- Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker is in the lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets after he was deemed questionable on Saturday. The 29-year-old played just 11:15 two nights ago against the Nashville Predators because of an upper-body injury but doesn’t appear to be feeling any ill effects tonight. Walker was also a trade deadline acquisition and has three goals and one assist in ten games since joining the Avalanche.
- Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic are reporting that Minnesota Wild prospect Charlie Stramel is considering entering the transfer portal now that his season is over with the University of Wisconsin. The 2023 first-round pick has struggled with the Badgers and posted just three goals and five assists in 34 games this season. A league source has said that Stramel likely isn’t thrilled with his development, and it sure seems plausible given that he saw very little time on specialty teams and was relegated to fourth-line duty for much of the season.
- Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks Colin Blackwell and Nikita Zaitsev are back at practice today. The 31-year-old Blackwell has missed the last five games as he’s been dealing with an upper-body injury. The center has eight goals and four assists in 39 games this year. Zaitsev will also be a game-time decision tomorrow and he too has been dealing with an upper-body injury. The veteran defenseman has just two goals and five assists in 36 games this season and hasn’t played since March 28th against the Ottawa Senators.
Injury Notes: Larkin, Reaves, Blackwell
In a positive report for the Detroit Red Wings organization, captain Dylan Larkin was back at practice this morning as a full participant (X Link). It is undetermined whether or not Larkin will be available in the team’s important game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.
Working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered on March 2nd, the team as a whole as certainly looked different without their captain in the mix. Since Larkin’s exit after the game against the Florida Panthers, the team has produced a 2-6-0 record, coupled with a pedestrian 2.5 GF/G.
With only 13 games remaining in the regular season for Detroit, they will be hoping that Larkin’s return to the lineup will bring an added boost to the rest of the roster. Amid a battle for the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings are looking to break a seven-year playoff drought by the end of the season.
Other injury notes:
- David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will miss tonight’s game due to an eye injury. The injury was suffered in the team’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers and was likely due to Reaves’ fight against Flyers grinder Nicolas Deslauriers. In Reaves’ absence, depth forward Noah Gregor will draw into the lineup after not having played since March 16th.
- Sticking with the Original Six theme, the Chicago Blackhawks have some injury concerns as well, as Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that forward Colin Blackwell is out with an upper-body injury. Without much to play for down the final stretch of the season, it is still unfortunate news for the organization. Over the team’s last five games, Blackwell has been on a solid streak, scoring three goals and four points, with all three of those goals coming in a game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Evening Notes: Blackwell, Kurashev, Broberg
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve activated forward Colin Blackwell from non-roster status, and he will make his season debut this evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Blackwell has been sidelined since February 27th as he has been dealing with a sports hernia. Blackwell suffered multiple setbacks through the summer, his rehab process, as well as during training camp and talked at length about his frustration, but it appears that he has overcome the struggles and is set to get back on the ice.
The 30-year-old posted two goals and eight assists last season with Chicago as he dressed in 53 games in his first year with the club. Blackwell has played with five different teams during his five-year NHL career and should have plenty of incentive as he gets back into the lineup. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency next July when his two-year $2.4MM contract will be set to expire.
In other evening notes:
- Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev will miss tonight’s game due to an illness. Kurashev is hardly the only player suffering from sickness this time of year as a lot of players have missed games due to illness recently. The 24-year-old is on pace to shatter his career high in points as he has six goals and 11 assists in 24 games this season. The native of Munsingen, Switzerland has never topped 25 points in any NHL season but should do so this year barring any unforeseen slump or injury. No word yet on a timeline for return, but the Blackhawks play twice more before the holiday break.
- TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that Philip Broberg is still expected to be a trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers, but perhaps not in the way many expected him to be. Dreger believes that Broberg could still be a central piece for the Oilers to add an impact player, but he also thinks that Broberg could become the sweetener in a deal to offload the contract of struggling goaltender Jack Campbell. Broberg has been relegated to AHL duties with the Bakersfield Condors but has been averaging over 25 minutes a night of ice time for the Oilers affiliate. Edmonton would do well to move on from Campbell, and it may cost them Broberg if they wish to do so.
Blackhawks’ Andreas Athanasiou Out Week-To-Week
Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters Monday (via Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago). Richardson also said that the Blackhawks expect winger Taylor Hall, who missed Sunday’s game against Florida with a lower-body injury, to return to practice Wednesday.
Athanasiou, 29, skated just 8:44 against the Lightning on November 9 and, along with Hall, missed the game against the Panthers yesterday. The 470-game veteran is off to a disappointing start in 2023-24, notching just four assists through 11 games and already earning a healthy scratch.
Hopes were high coming into the season that, along with Hall, Athanasiou could be a capable wingman or power-play mate for Connor Bedard as he makes his transition to NHL stardom. The 2012 fourth-round pick of the Red Wings has always struggled with consistency, but he did pot 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games for a lowly Blackhawks team last year while averaging 16 minutes per night.
Unfortunately, he’s slid down to a bottom-six role and is failing to get much of anything going offensively, although he has posted improved possession numbers compared to last season with a relative Corsi share of 3.8% at even strength. He signed a two-year, $8.5MM contract extension to remain in the Windy City last summer.
Athansiou’s absence should provide more opportunity for players like Mackenzie Entwistle, who’s now expected to center the third line after averaging 10:51 per game through eight contests. The 24-year-old has notched a goal and an assist while posting a -2 rating in his third full NHL season.
Meanwhile, this is positive news for Hall, who’s dealing with his third separate injury-related absence of the young season. Hall sustained a shoulder injury in just the second game of the season and was expected to miss significant time, but he made a rushed return to the lineup after missing just five days and one game.
He played three more before reaggravating the injury, which this time caused him to miss about two weeks and three games of action. With two years remaining at a $6MM cap hit, Hall has two goals and two assists in eight games as a Blackhawk.
On a smaller note, Richardson also mentioned that forward Colin Blackwell, who’s yet to play this season after undergoing sports hernia surgery last March, is getting closer to a return but “still has one more hurdle to clear.” Blackwell, entering the final season of a two-year deal with a $1.2MM cap hit, had two goals and ten points in 53 games for Chicago last season.
West Notes: Flames, Carlsson, Blackwell
The Calgary Flames have their leadership group to supplement new captain Mikael Backlund for the 2023-24 season, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, center Elias Lindholm, and defenseman Chris Tanev will rotate in and out of the two alternate captain spots per game throughout the campaign.
All these names are notable for a variety of reasons – starting with Andersson, 26, who expressed interest in becoming the team’s captain earlier this offseason before Backlund received it, signing an extension in the process. The 2015 second-round pick has solidified himself as a top-flight defender in this league, logging significant time on both the power play and penalty kill over the past two seasons while posting 99 points in 161 games since the beginning of 2021-22. He’s also the only player who didn’t wear a letter on his jersey last season. He essentially replaced Backlund, while Huberdeau, Lindholm and Tanev all wore ‘A’s on their sweaters at different points throughout 2022-23.
More from the Western Conference this weekend:
- Anaheim Ducks promising center prospect Leo Carlsson will not be out long-term after sustaining a lower-body injury in practice yesterday, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. There is no exact timeline for the 18-year-old’s return, however, meaning he could miss the team’s season-opening game on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights next Saturday. The second-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft is coming off a strong camp, one GM Pat Verbeek said earlier this week has secured him a spot on the Ducks roster for the entire 2023-24 season.
- Chicago Blackhawks depth forward Colin Blackwell practiced for the first time in over six months today as he continues his recovery from sports hernia surgery in March, reports Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Blackhawks expected Blackwell back for the beginning of camp, but the player said he hadn’t fully recovered when he first took the ice last month. With the pending return to health, the 30-year-old becomes a waiver candidate in the coming days after posting just two goals and ten points in 53 contests with Chicago last season.