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Erik Gustafsson

Snapshots: Wright, DeBrincat, Gustafsson

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Shane Wright’s whirlwind season continues today as the Seattle Kraken announced he would be reporting to the AHL. Wright was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and started the season in the NHL with the Kraken but was a frequent healthy scratch. He played just eight NHL games, scoring one goal and two points and was sent to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds for a conditioning stint where he scored four goals in five games.

Wright was also loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors and helped them win a gold medal by scoring seven points in seven games and serving as the team’s captain. He then returned to the OHL where he was traded by the Kingston Frontenacs to the Windsor Spitfires and proceeded to put up 15 goals and 37 points in 20 Junior games. Wright’s Spitfires were the top ranked team in the OHL’s Western Conference but were shockingly swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Kitchener Rangers.

Now that Wright’s Junior season is complete, he is eligible to play pro in either the NHL or AHL and the Kraken have chosen to assign him back to the Firebirds who are on the verge of their own postseason. They are in second place in the entire AHL and have just three regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin. It will be interesting to see how well Wright performs in the AHL playoffs after scoring one goal and three points in his four OHL postseason contests.

  • The Ottawa Senators are going to do everything they can to keep Alex DeBrincat next season. According to Bruce Garrioch of TSN, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has said he will extend a qualifying offer to DeBrincat if there is not a long-term deal already in place this offseason. The 25-year-old winger has scored 27 goals and 66 points in 80 games during his first season with the Senators. Though his cap hit is $6.4MM, he is making $9MM this season so a qualifying offer would be a one-year extension for the 2023-24 season matching this year’s salary of $9MM.
  • Erik Gustafsson was prepared to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight but left during warmup and was ruled out of the game. The Maple Leafs released a statement saying Gustafsson would not play due to an upper-body injury. Luke Schenn took his place in the lineup on short notice. Gustafsson has played nine games with the Maple Leafs since being acquired at the trade deadline, and has four points, including a three point night against the Montreal Canadiens in his last outing.

Washington Capitals Acquire Rasmus Sandin

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The Toronto Maple Leafs said this week that there were ways to recoup some of their recently traded draft capital, and it didn’t take long. The Washington Capitals have acquired Rasmus Sandin from the Maple Leafs in exchange for Erik Gustafsson and Boston’s 2023 first-round pick, as confirmed by Toronto.

The move comes just after the Maple Leafs landed Jake McCabe to shore up their defensive group, ultimately pushing Sandin out of the regular lineup. The 22-year-old defenseman has been unable to keep a grip on that full-time role, even with outstanding underlying metrics through his first few NHL seasons.

In 140 career games, Sandin has ten goals and 48 points, averaging just under 17 minutes a night. It seemed as though he was turning a corner with Toronto this season, but instead will have to find his way with a new organization.

Signed to a two-year contract last summer, Sandin carries a very reasonable $1.4MM cap hit and can contribute in several ways for the Capitals. After they moved Dmitry Orlov, he should find playing time next season and could run the team’s second powerplay unit. There’s plenty of upside still left in the first-round pick, though his size and foot speed will always likely limit him to a middle-pairing ceiling in the NHL.

Still, you can see that the Capitals aren’t content with a full rebuild while their core is still in place. Flipping a first-round pick (despite how late it will be in the first round) for a young defenseman gives them a chance to quickly rebound and try to compete again in the 2023-24 season.

For Toronto, that pick might not be in their pocket for very long. The team still has to make another move to clear enough cap space to activate Matt Murray, and they now have another chip to waive in any trade discussions.

Not to be forgotten in this deal is Gustafsson, who has 38 points in 61 games this season as an all-offense defenseman. The curious thing is where he fits into the lineup right now, as like Sandin, he currently projects outside of their top group. The Maple Leafs essentially kept their defensive depth intact with this move, though with Gustafsson being a UFA, they are sacrificing it in future seasons.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to break the trade.

East Notes: Jensen/Gustafsson, Chychrun, Monahan

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The Washington Capitals have some decisions to make regarding their defensive corps, as reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Twitter. The team has been in contract talks with pending unrestricted free agent defensemen Nick Jensen and Erik Gustafsson; however, given the fact they were in negotiations with Dmitry Orlov before trading him to the Boston Bruins yesterday, it’s no guarantee that Jensen and Gustafsson remain Capitals through the trade deadline.

General manager Brian MacLellan essentially deemed his team a seller with the Orlov trade, as Washington now sits at the back of the pack regarding the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. Jensen and Gustafsson are valuable role players who could fetch decent deadline returns, but they’d also hold value for future seasons in Washington. Injuries have taken an enormous toll on the team, pushing them toward the back of the conference, and they’ve vowed to remain competitive while Alex Ovechkin chases the all-time goals record. With John Carlson being the only defenseman signed for next season, it’s feasible that the Capitals would try to hold onto one or both of Jensen and Gustafsson.

  • According to a report by The Athletic’s Rob Rossi, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has expressed interest in acquiring the top defense target left on the market: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. However, Rossi relayed notes from sources that general manager Ron Hextall is opposed to the Coyotes’ asking price, which includes 2025 and 2026 first-round picks as part of the package — the seasons when Sidney Crosby’s and Evgeni Malkin’s contracts are set to expire. Pittsburgh is 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, falling behind both the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres in terms of points percentage in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
  • The injury status of Montreal Canadiens center Sean Monahan remains unclear, according to a report by TSN’s Darren Dreger on Insider Trading. Monahan’s injury assessment is ongoing, says Dreger, and an update on his status is expected early next week. If the update is positive and Monahan is scheduled to return to the ice soon, teams in need of a veteran center could inquire about acquiring him before the trade deadline. The 26-year-old has recorded six goals, 11 assists, and 17 points in 25 games this season for Montreal but has missed nearly three months with a foot injury.

East Notes: Capitals, Krejci, Voronkov, Hellberg

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The Capitals got some good news and bad news on their back end for tonight’s contest against Winnipeg.  The good news is that after missing 16 games, defenseman Dmitry Orlov was activated off IR, relays Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link).  However, they also lost blueliner Erik Gustafsson to an upper-body injury, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link).  The net trade-off is certainly a positive as Orlov, a long-term top-four player for them, is jumping right back onto their top pairing although Gustafsson is tied for the team lead in assists by a defender with ten.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Prior to their game tonight against Vegas, the Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center David Krejci is out due to a lower-body injury sustained on Friday against Arizona. Fortunately for Boston, the absence is likely to be short-lived as the team hopes he’ll be ready to play in their next game on Tuesday.  Krejci’s return to the NHL has been a very good one so far as the 36-year-old has 21 points in 23 games so far, the highest point-per-game average of his 16-year NHL career.
  • Blue Jackets prospect Dmitry Voronkov is expected to sign with Columbus once his KHL season comes to an end, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 22-year-old center was a fourth-round pick by Columbus back in 2019 (114th overall) and has been a regular in the KHL since then.  This season, he has 13 points in 28 games and is on pace for his best year offensively at that level.  The Blue Jackets certainly could use some help down the middle and it appears they’ll get someone else to try at that position for next season in Voronkov.
  • The Red Wings announced that they have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from his conditioning stint with AHL Grand Rapids. The 31-year-old had a 2.50 GAA and a .932 SV% in four starts with the Griffins.  He’ll be Detroit’s third-stringer so this might be the last game action he sees for a little while.

Injury Notes: Capitals, Jets, Krug

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It’s been a tough season thus far for the Washington Capitals, who sit three points out of the New York Rangers and a Wild Card spot in the East and six points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes for a spot in the Metropolitan Division. No team will ever make excuses, however injuries have been unrelenting for Washington even before the puck dropped on the 2022-23 season. The organization expected a tough go of it early on without some of their stars and all things considered, 30 points in 29 games is not half bad. They’ll have to have a strong season the rest of the way to get into the postseason, but as of right now, injury updates look positive.

Earlier today, the Capitals placed defenseman Alexander Alexeyev and goaltender Darcy Kuemper on IR and recalled defensemen Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath. For Kuemper, that’s not expected to be much of an issue, eligible to come off of IR as soon as Tuesday, and according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the netminder participated in the team’s morning skate today for the first time since suffering the injury. Also from Gulitti, veteran Dmitry Orlov, who has not played since November 5th due to a lower-body injury, also skated this morning. Perhaps the best news, even if nothing is imminent, is forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson skated this morning in non-contact jerseys, traveling with the team on the road for the first time this season, which appears to be the norm going forward. Both core pieces of this generation’s Capitals squad, getting either back in the lineup would be a massive boost not only to on-ice production, but to off-ice morale too. Still, one bit of bad news, both Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary did not skate this morning, and fellow defenseman Erik Gustafsson left practice early, head coach Peter Laviolette telling Gulitti the Capitals and Gustafsson are “working through some things.”

  • The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Saku Maenalanen and defenseman Logan Stanley when they take on the Capitals this evening says Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. No update beyond that was given by associate coach Scott Arniel. Billeck adds that the Jets are trying to get an additional player called up from the Manitoba Moose to join the Jets at home this evening. Billeck adds the Moose, who actually share an arena with the Jets, are on their way to Calgary, however getting a player back from Calgary to Winnipeg by tonight shouldn’t be an issue. As for the injured players, Maenalanen has impressed in a depth role for the Jets this year, recording six points in 25 games, averaging 11:30 a night, his first NHL action since a stint with the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2018-19. Unfortunately for Stanley, who missed a-month-and-a-half, was able to play just two games after coming back before being forced out of the lineup once again.
  • The St. Louis Blues confirmed defenseman Torey Krug would rejoin the lineup Sunday after missing two games with an upper-body injury. The veteran, much like his Blues, has had a shaky start to 2022-23, recording 11 points in 24 games, but comes with a -22 rating, the worst mark in the league. Even amid his struggles, if the Blues hope to re-write their 2022-23 story, it’s more likely than not that Krug will have to be part of the solution, and having him in the lineup would be a start. Though Krug is back, forward Pavel Buchnevich, who also hasn’t played since December 5th, will not play this afternoon, the Blues announced.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson To Play In World Championship

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After a disappointing season in Vancouver, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is set to head overseas for a few weeks. The team announced today he’ll join Team Sweden for the upcoming 2022 IIHF World Championship.

Ekman-Larsson had a near career-low season, although his lows were previously set in shortened seasons. While he did improve defensively from his last few years in Arizona, he had just five goals and 29 points on the year, the only time he hasn’t hit 30+ points when playing 50+ games.

The veteran defenseman will look to reset this offseason, as the Canucks are still on the hook for his retained-salary $7.26MM cap hit through 2027.

Ekman-Larsson joins fellow NHLers Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Gustafsson, and Adam Larsson on the blueline. Other NHLers slated to join team Sweden are Rasmus Asplund, Emil Bemstrom, and Magnus Hellberg.

The tournament will run from May 13 to May 29.

Sweden Announces 2022 Olympic Roster

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Jan 31: Djuse and Gustafsson have been ruled out because of positive COVID results, meaning Theodor Lennstrom and Philip Holm will replace them on the roster.

Jan 21: With just three weeks until the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament gets underway, rosters are being finalized by all the participating countries. Sweden is the latest to reveal who will represent their country in Beijing next month, announcing a roster filled with names that are familiar to NHL fans. While the best league in the world won’t be going to the international event, there’s still plenty of NHL experience that will hit the ice.

The full roster:

G Magnus Hellberg
G Lars Johansson
G Adam Reideborn

D Lukas Bengtsson
D Erik Gustafsson
D Emil Djuse
D Oscar Fantenberg
D Christian Folin
D Linus Hultstrom
D Jonathan Pudas
D Henri Tommernes

F Daniel Brodin
F Mathias Brome
F Jacob de La Rose
F Dennis Everberg
F Max Friberg
F Pontus Holmberg
F Linus Johansson
F Carl Klingberg
F Marcus Kruger
F Anton Lander
F Joakim Nordstrom
F Fredrik Olofsson
F Gustav Rydahl
F Lucas Wallmark

Like the Finns, Sweden has gone with a veteran lineup filled with NHL and international experience, passing on many of the country’s top young prospects. One interesting name though is Holmberg, a 22-year-old forward that actually signed his entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer. He’s playing in Sweden this season on loan and has 28 points in 33 games. He is the youngest player on the roster by several years and basically represents the only prospect included. Selected in the sixth round in 2018, it would be quite a find for the Maple Leafs if he can continue his high level of play in North America next season.

Blackhawks Place Three In COVID Protocol

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Prior to their game tonight against Arizona, the Blackhawks announced a long list of roster moves necessitated by the placement of three players in COVID protocol – defenseman Erik Gustafsson, winger Brandon Hagel, and just-acquired center Sam Lafferty.  That resulted in the promotion of defenseman Nicolas Beaudin from the taxi squad to the active roster plus the recalls of winger Mike Hardman and defenseman Ian Mitchell from AHL Rockford.

Hagel is the most notable loss of the three for Chicago as he has been a capable secondary scorer this season with eight goals and eight assists in 30 games.  Gustafsson has seven points in 30 contests in his second stint with the team while Lafferty was just brought in yesterday in a trade with Pittsburgh.  If the placement is for a confirmed positive test, they will miss at least five days.

While Mitchell has been back and forth this season on the back end, Beaudin hasn’t had much of an opportunity with the Blackhawks this season, playing just once back in November.  The 2018 first-rounder played in 19 games last season and was looking to push for a regular spot but that clearly hasn’t happened.  Meanwhile, Hardman has played in 19 games this year for Chicago, mostly on the fourth line and returns after nearly three weeks in the minors.

Chicago also made three more roster moves, calling up wingers Josiah Slavin and Kurtis Gabriel along with defenseman Jakub Galvas from Rockford to their taxi squad.  That brings the Blackhawks up to five players with that group, the others being veteran winger Brett Connolly and goaltender Cale Morris.

Letang, Kane Among Latest COVID Absences As League Questions Testing Protocols

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Oct 25: Letang’s positive test has now been confirmed, meaning he will be in the protocol indefinitely.

Oct 23: Is the Coronavirus and the COVID Protocol Absences List truly behind us? It hasn’t seemed that way early on this season with a vast number of players missing practice and games due to positive test results, including some of the league’s biggest stars. That list is now expanding with two major announcements already this morning.

The Pittsburgh Penguins began their game day by announcing that defenseman Kris Letang has tested positive for COVID and entered the league protocol. Head coach Mike Sullivan qualified his status by noting that Letang is not a confirmed positive, but while those additional tests proceed Letang will miss the team’s game tonight. While the Penguins will have Tristan Jarry back in action tonight, activated out of the COVID Protocol, Letang joins Jeff Carter on the list with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin also still sidelined by injury. Amazingly, the injury-prone Letang has the longest active games streak for the Penguins, but that will now come to an end.

In Chicago, a tough start to the situation could get more dire. The team has announced that Patrick Kane, Ryan Carpenter, and Erik Gustafsson have all entered the COVID Protocol. For now, the team has only ruled the trio out of today’s practice and have not revealed the cause for their initial placement. However, the threat remains that they could miss games if they have tested positive.

With more and more positive tests continuing to pop up, there is growing frustration from players and team officials alike, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. With over 99% of the league vaccinated and the players testing positive being asymptomatic, these missed games feel meaningless to the players and teams involved. Seravalli’s report mentions Carter, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mark Scheifele, but now fellow stars Letang and Kane have entered the fray as well. The NHL is reportedly already reconsidering testing asymptomatic players and now more fuel has been added to the fire. Changes could be coming soon.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Kane, Wedin

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It is a quick COVID Protocol turnaround for a few Chicago Blackhawks, well at least two of the three. After missing practice yesterday due to compliance with league protocol, Ryan Carpenter and Erik Gustafsson were back on the ice at morning skate today ahead of their game against the Detroit Red Wings. However, remaining absent was star Patrick Kane, who was also among the protocol group yesterday. The Athletic’s Scott Powers has confirmed suspicions, relaying word from the Blackhawks that Carpeneter and Gustafsson have been removed from the COVID Protocol, but Kane has not. There is no word as to why the trio were initially subject nor why Kane remains, but regardless Chicago will get some reinforcements back but could still be missing their best player tonight. Off to a frustrating 0-4-1 start, the Blackhawks can ill afford to be without Kane for very long. Interestingly, head coach Jeremy Colliton stopped short of ruling Kane out against Detroit, but there will have to be a change to his COVID status within a matter of hours.

  • Another team missing a Kane is the San Jose Sharks. Last season’s leading scorer, Evander Kane, is serving a 21-game suspension for violating COVID Protocol by using a fake vaccination card. Given all of the controversy surrounding Kane over the past year though, a 21-game absence is unlikely what the Sharks expected to result from multiple investigations. The big winger will in fact be eligible to return to the team before the end of November. So where does San Jose go from here? The team is off to an incredible and unexpected 5-0-0 start and is playing well, perhaps without Kane’s distraction in the locker room. However, they have little recourse to prevent him from returning to the club. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the Sharks cannot terminate Kane’s contract due to the lengthy suspension nor can they do so as an internal form of punishment due to the findings that led to his league suspension. The CBA does not allow either form of double punishment and the NHLPA would not let it fly. They would be supported by a recent report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, which stated the league never considered termination as a punishment for Kane. While the Sharks may be opne to a reunion with Kane, both Johnston and Friedman note that the team’s reaction has been a mixed bag of support and disdain for the situation and Kane’s coaches and teammates have been non-committal about whether or not they want him back. The team has just over a month to decide how to handle his return.
  • Interestingly, a former Chicago Blackhawk and a player once linked to the San Jose Sharks was back on the market this week, albeit briefly. Forward Anton Wedin, who spent the 2019-20 season in the Blackhawks organization, terminated his contract with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk earlier this week. This sparked some speculation that perhaps he would return to North America, even if only on an AHL deal. After all, Wedin made the jump from Sweden to Chicago at 26 and played in four NHL games and recorded 17 points in 31 AHL games. It was by no means a poor season. Wedin, who was only on a one-year deal with the Blackhawks, drew some NHL interest in the 2020 off-season, but ultimately decided to say home in Sweden during the pandemic, totaling 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games with HV71 in his best SHL season to date. Wedin’s name did not appear in any NHL rumors this summer and he signed in the KHL, but after just two points in 14 with Sibir he has moved on. Instead of exploring a return overseas though, Wedin will play out the season in the KHL after signing with Dynamo Moscow for the remainder of the year. Still just 28 and with NHL experience and ability, perhaps Wedin could return to the league in the future.

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