Ducks Recall Olle Eriksson Ek
Apr. 7: Another day, another Eriksson Ek transaction. This time, he’s back on his way to Anaheim with the team announcing that he has been recalled once more from San Diego.
Apr 6: Eriksson Ek has been returned to the AHL today. The Ducks don’t play again until Saturday, after losing to Edmonton last night.
Apr 5: In case of a potential injury to starting goaltender John Gibson, Derek Lee of the Sporting Tribune reports that the Anaheim Ducks have recalled Olle Eriksson Ek from their AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls. This will mark Eriksson Ek’s third call-up to the professional club so far this season.
After being drafted 153rd overall in the 2017 NHL draft, Eriksson Ek has had a difficult time moving up in the Ducks’ organization. He has spent the last four seasons in North America, splitting time between the AHL and the ECHL. Understandably, he has produced much better numbers playing with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, Eriksson Ek has produced increasingly depressed numbers each season he has been within the organization. In his rookie season in the AHL, he played in 15 games, going 8-6-1, carrying a .901 SV% and a 3.14 GAA.
Last year, Eriksson Ek followed his rookie campaign up with a 7-15-3 record in 26 games, posting a .880 SV% and a 3.44 GAA. This year hasn’t been any better, going 2-14-0, with a .852 SV% and a 4.81 GAA in 20 games. If Gibson is injured for tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, and Eriksson Ek does play, it will be his first-ever start in the NHL.
Snapshots: Carlson, Gibson, Hartman
The Washington Capitals’ status as a conservative seller at the deadline may have surprised fans just a few months ago. A relatively secure Wild Card position in late 2022 has since fallen by the wayside, mainly due to injuries to key players.
Their longest-term absence has been that of defenseman John Carlson, who hasn’t played since December 23 after taking a slapshot to the head in a game against the Winnipeg Jets. Head coach Peter Laviolette had some positive news to share today regarding the All-Star defenseman, who joined Capitals practice today wearing a non-contact jersey. While Washington won’t be making a playoff run this year, barring a miracle, a return to health is positive news for Carlson after such a scary injury. The 33-year-old is under contract until 2026 and had 21 points in 30 games this year before exiting the lineup.
- The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun today speculated on the future of goalie John Gibson with the Anaheim Ducks, whose name has begun to creep into trade speculation over the past months. LeBrun noted that some teams still view the netminder as a difference-maker, especially with the 29-year-old posting a string of elite performances lately. After this season, Gibson still has four years remaining on a contract carrying a $6.4MM cap hit. A move to a contender, especially as Gibson has partial trade protection, likely hinges on the Ducks retaining some salary.
- According to a Twitter announcement, Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was fined $4,594.59 today by the NHL Department of Player Safety for slashing Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The figure is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Hartman received a minor penalty on the play, which occurred in the middle of the first period of last night’s 1-0 shootout loss to the Flames.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Hutchinson, Kaut
The NHL has announced the Three Stars of the Week ending on February 26th. For the third time this season, Oilers captain Connor McDavid receives the first star honors, while goalies Linus Ullmark and John Gibson finished second and third, respectively. McDavid continues on pace toward one of the most incredible individual seasons in recent memory. McDavid put up six goals and five assists leading the Oilers to two wins in three games over the week. Predominantly known for his incredible playmaking and powerplay work, McDavid was also able to register two shorthanded points on the week, showing why he is one of only a few players who can play at an elite level in any situation.
Following behind, Ullmark similarly continued on an elite individual season, winning two games while collecting a 1.00 GAA with a .966 SV%. Aside from the phenomenal goaltending stats, Ullmark also scored the first-ever goalie goal in Bruins franchise history. As he put the game against the Canucks out of reach, Ullmark became the most recent goalie to score in the NHL since Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators scored during the 2019-20 NHL season.
Rounding out the list, Gibson finally sparked a moment of joy for Ducks’ fans this season. Not having much to get excited about, Gibson was able to rattle off a couple of 51-save performances, as well as leading the league in saves for the week with 143. Although this season has not gone well for the Ducks, earning a third star of the week is a tremendous victory for Gibson in his own right, as he becomes the second Ducks player to receive the honor this year.
- After being recalled on an emergency loan and sent back down a few days later, the Vegas Golden Knights have once again recalled goaltender Michael Hutchinson from the minor leagues. Serving in the backup role on the Winnipeg Jets for many seasons at the beginning of his career, Hutchinson has become somewhat of a journeyman goaltender in the NHL. Having only played 10 games since the start of the 2020-21 season, it will be hard to say if this will be an extended call-up or another short stay in the NHL for the netminder. As starting goaltender Logan Thompson heals, and as cap space becomes increasingly more important toward the trade deadline, the Knights may have to play some musical chairs behind the crease for the time being.
- Since being acquired by the Sharks in January, Martin Kaut has spent much of his month in the minor leagues, until being called up on February 20th. Scoring one goal in three games, the Sharks have decided to return Kaut to the minors. The Sharks are expected to move some more players off the roster in the coming days, so it is very likely that Kaut will see time in the NHL more this season. Noted upon his arrival in San Jose, Kaut is good friends with Sharks’ forward Tomas Hertl, as the two are known to do offseason training together.
Snapshots: Ducks Goaltenders, Maple Leafs, Rielly
The Ducks will have their starting goaltender back between the pipes tonight as head coach Dallas Eakins relayed to reporters including Bally Sports West’s Aly Lozoff (Twitter link) that John Gibson has been cleared to return from his lower-body injury and will start against Vegas. It has been a tough year for the veteran as his GAA has jumped to 3.99 while his save percentage is down to just .896, numbers that are the worst of his career by a considerable margin. In a corresponding roster move, the team officially returned goalie Olle Eriksson Ek to AHL San Diego.
Meanwhile, backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz has started skating on his own and could join the team for practice soon, relays Lisa Dillman of The Orange County Register. The veteran suffered a lower-body injury back on December 12th and hasn’t played since. He, too, is having a tough year with a 4.02 GAA and a save percentage of just .886, hardly the performance he or the Ducks were hoping for as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The NHL has levied a pair of fines on the Maple Leafs. First, the team was fined $100K for a CBA travel violation as they traveled to St. Louis late on December 26th. While it was a late-night flight, the rule states that teams cannot travel or have any activities until the 27th. The second fine was issued to head coach Sheldon Keefe for demeaning conduct directed at the officials during last night’s game against St. Louis. He’ll be $25K lighter in the wallet as a result.
- Still with the Maple Leafs, they are expected to have their top blueliner back in the lineup tomorrow as Keefe told reporters including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter that Morgan Rielly should suit up Thursday against Arizona. The 28-year-old suffered a knee injury a little over a month ago and was placed on LTIR. Toronto will need to get cap-compliant in order to activate him but a pair of LTIR placements yesterday and an eventual return of Mac Hollowell to the minors will be enough to allow them to activate Rielly.
Injury Notes: Gibson, MacKinnon, Schwartz, Sheahan
As many NHL teams wrap up their preseason work, the last thing they want to see is any of their players, especially key ones, go down with injury. Although some teams, in theory, can afford to lose a player or two and keep their season afloat, a team like the Anaheim Ducks, who are trying to climb out of their rebuilder status, will need to keep as many pieces as possible healthy and performing if they wish to push for a playoff spot.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, one key piece, goaltender John Gibson, was injured in today’s preseason game against crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Kings. Gibson left the game with an upper-body injury and did not return, replaced by backup Anthony Stolarz. The good news for Anaheim is, in the event of a prolonged absence from Gibson, Stolarz has established himself as a strong backup netminder, however being without Gibson, a three-time All Star, will make things difficult for Anaheim if he’s out for any stretch of time.
- Speaking of All Stars, Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon is considered day-to-day according to head coach Jared Bednar, as relayed by Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater. Bednar added that MacKinnon “tweaked” something, but did not disclose what, or exactly how, MacKinnon hurt himself. Losing the recently-extended superstar, even for a game, puts Colorado in a tough position, but considering he is only day-to-day should be a relief to the team.
- Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury says Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol, who spoke to Mike Benton of 93.3 KJR radio. Schwartz had left last night’s preseason contest against the Edmonton Oilers early and did not return. Also of note, forward Daniel Sprong, who recently signed with Seattle after being invited to camp on a PTO, was not in practice today. Fortunately, today was simply a day off for Sprong, Benton adds.
- Riley Sheahan is also day-to-day with a muscular injury Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato told members of the media, including Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat. It was unclear what muscle exactly was bothering Sheahan, who hasn’t practiced either of the last two days.
Snapshots: Gibson, Dahlen, Brink, Oilers
With the Maple Leafs being one of the teams that still need to add a starting goaltender, some have speculated that Ducks goaltender John Gibson could be a potential trade option for them. However, his agent Kurt Overhardt told Sportsnet 590’s Nick Kypreos (Twitter link) that Gibson has “no interest” in playing in Toronto and is committed to staying in Anaheim. Gibson has five years left on his deal with a $6.4MM AAV with a ten-team no-trade clause so even if the Ducks were inclined to move him this summer, the 28-year-old may be able to block a move.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- While Sharks winger Jonathan Dahlen had a decent rookie season with 12 goals and 10 assists in 61 games, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports that the team is considering non-tendering him by tomorrow’s deadline. Even though he has only been in the NHL for one year, this is his fourth year on an NHL contract which gives him salary arbitration rights. While Dahlen couldn’t command a significant increase on his league-minimum salary from this past season, San Jose likely will want to keep the last few spots on their roster at low salary slots so whatever raise he could get from an arbitrator may be more than they can afford to allocate.
- Flyers winger Bobby Brink has sustained a hip injury during offseason workouts that might require surgery, Anthony SanFilippo of Crossing Broad was first to report (Twitter link). No timeline for a return is known yet but SanFilippo suggests the injury is severe enough that it could run into the start of next season; Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds (via Twitter) that the 21-year-old will see a specialist in a few days and that the team will have a better understanding of how much time he’ll miss by the end of the week. Brink had four assists in 10 NHL games down the stretch while logging over 15 minutes a night.
- The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve tendered qualifying offers to forwards Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Kailer Yamamoto. That means that defenseman Filip Berglund and forwards Brendan Perlini and Ostap Safin will go non-tendered. Those three will become unrestricted free agents later this week. Of the unqualified players, only Perlini has NHL experience and had four goals and an assist in 23 games this past season while Berglund has already signed in Sweden.
John Gibson Denies He Wants To Leave Anaheim
Last year, Ducks goaltender John Gibson didn’t exactly hide his frustration with Anaheim being a non-playoff team. With a rebuild squarely in the works now, some have wondered if he’d be looking for a move this summer. Asked exactly that by Eric Stephens of The Athletic, the veteran tried to pour cold water on that idea:
No. I want to win in Anaheim. I’ve been here and I’m happy to be here.
It wasn’t that long ago that the 28-year-old was viewed as one of the top goalies in the league but Gibson has had his struggles over the past few seasons. Over the last three years, his save percentage has been either .903 or .904, marks that were below the NHL average. He struggled mightily over the final three months of the season, posting a save percentage of just .876 as the Ducks went from being in the playoff mix to missing the postseason by 21 points.
Anaheim has missed the playoffs for the last four years and they haven’t made it past the first round since 2017 and there’s a good chance those streaks are extended next season following the exodus of several key veterans including defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson, winger Rickard Rakell, and long-time captain Ryan Getzlaf.
However, there is a young nucleus in place headlined by centers Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, winger Troy Terry, and defenseman Jamie Drysdale. They will be able to add to that this summer with a pair of selections in the first round including the tenth-overall pick while they enter the offseason with over $39MM in cap space, per CapFriendly. Brighter days should be on the horizon soon and it appears Gibson wants to still be around at that time:
When I signed my extension in Anaheim however many years ago, I said I’d be honored to play in the same city and be a part of the same organization my whole career. I still have all my intentions on doing that.
Gibson has five years remaining on his contract with a $6.4MM cap hit so if the Ducks are willing to keep him around that long, he won’t be leaving Anaheim for quite a while.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NHL Announces Player Assignments For Skills Competition
The NHL All-Star Skills competition will take place tomorrow night in Las Vegas, and the league has announced ahead of time which players will participate in which events. The player assignments for the seven events are as follows:
Fastest Skater
Chris Kreider, NYR
Adrian Kempe, LAK
Kyle Connor, WPG
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH
Jordan Kyrou, STL
Dylan Larkin, DET
Cale Makar, COL
Connor McDavid, EDM
Save Streak
Jack Campbell, TOR
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL
Frederik Andersen, CAR
Tristan Jarry, PIT
Cam Talbot, MIN
Juuse Saros, NSH
Thatcher Demko, VAN
John Gibson, ANA
Fountain Face-Off
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA
Claude Giroux, PHI
Jordan Eberle, SEA
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson
Roman Josi, NSH
Nick Suzuki, MTL
Zach Werenski, CBJ
Mark Stone, VGK
Hardest Shot
Adam Pelech, NYI
Timo Meier, SJS
Victor Hedman, TBL
Tom Wilson, WSH
Breakaway Challenge
Goalies: Manon Rhéaume & Wyatt Russell
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN
Trevor Zegras, ANA
Jack Hughes, NJD
Alex DeBrincat, CHI
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK
Las Vegas NHL 21 in ’22
Nazem Kadri, COL
Auston Matthews, TOR
Joe Pavelski, DAL
Steven Stamkos, TBL
Brady Tkachuk, OTT
Accuracy Shooting
Leon Draisaitl, EDM
Clayton Keller, ARI
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF
Sebastian Aho, CAR
Jake Guentzel, PIT
Troy Terry, ANA
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK
Two new events, the Fountain Face-Off and 21 in ’22 will be held outside in the Bellagio fountain and Las Vegas strip respectively. Individual winners of each event will earn $30,000.
2022 NHL All-Star Game Rosters Revealed
Jan 26: After Batherson was injured last night, the league has announced that Brady Tkachuk will replace him and be the Senators’ representative.
Jan 13: During a live reveal on ESPN’s SportsCenter program in the United States, the National Hockey League unveiled their four divisional rosters for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Eight skaters and two goalies were announced for each team, leaving one skater spot open for each division. That last spot will once again be decided by a fan vote, who they can select by voting at NHL.com/LastMenIn.
The head coaches of each team were announced earlier, decided by the teams in first place (by points percentage) in their division on New Years Day. Florida’s Andrew Brunette heads the Atlantic Division, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour will coach the Metropolitan Division, Colorado’s Jared Bednar is the bench boss for the Central Division, and Vegas’ Peter DeBoer will serve as the Pacific Division’s coach.
Below are the full rosters for each division.
Atlantic Division
F Auston Matthews “C” (Toronto Maple Leafs)
F Drake Batherson (Ottawa Senators)
F Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
F Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
F Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings)
F Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens)
D Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)
D Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
G Jack Campbell (Toronto Maple Leafs)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Metropolitan Division
F Alex Ovechkin “C” (Washington Capitals)
F Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
F Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)
F Chris Kreider (New York Rangers)
D Adam Fox (New York Rangers)
D Adam Pelech (New York Islanders)
D Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes)
G Tristan Jarry (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Central Division
F Nathan MacKinnon “C” (Colorado Avalanche)
F Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)
F Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks)
F Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
F Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes)
F Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues)
F Joe Pavelski (Dallas Stars)
D Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
G Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
G Cam Talbot (Minnesota Wild)
Pacific Division
F Connor McDavid “C” (Edmonton Oilers)
F Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
F Jordan Eberle (Seattle Kraken)
F Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
F Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings)
F Timo Meier (San Jose Sharks)
F Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)
D Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
G Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks)
G John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks)
Panthers, Ducks Announce More COVID Protocol Additions
The Florida Panthers will not have Patric Hornqvist in the lineup this evening when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes, as he has entered the COVID protocol. Hornqvist joins Mason Marchment, Sam Reinhart, and Spencer Knight, stealing quite a few important names from the team’s regular roster.
The Panthers, among the league’s elite teams so far this season, lost their last game against the Dallas Stars in a shootout and have now called two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division. The team is not only without these key players due to COVID-related absences, but also names like Sam Bennett due to a suspension and Markus Nutivaara due to injury. Despite that, they will need to try to take down the red hot Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes.
Lucas Carlsson and Aleksi Heponiemi will both enter the lineup tonight, while Sergei Bobrovsky will take the net again, his fifth start since returning from the holiday break.
In Anaheim, the Ducks are facing their own COVID absences. Vinni Lettieri is the latest addition to the protocol, where he will join John Gibson, Hampus Lindholm, Derek Grant, and Sam Carrick. Ryan Getzlaf has technically left the protocol, but he’ll also miss tonight’s game against the New York Rangers as the team gets him back up to speed.
The Ducks have recalled five players ahead of the game. Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Jacob Perreault, Buddy Robinson, Greg Pateryn, and Lukas Dostal are all up from the San Diego Gulls. Perreault, still just 19, would be making his NHL debut when he hits the ice tonight (he is expected to play with Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano). Selected 27th overall in 2020, Perreault has 18 points in 23 games for the Gulls this season as one of the few junior-aged players eligible to play in the minor leagues. That’s thanks to the number of games he played last season–27–during the OHL’s postponed campaign. The son of longtime NHL forward Yanic Perreault, he would be the 16th player from the 2020 first round to make his debut–the second for Anaheim, after Jamie Drysdale.