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Atlantic Notes: Timmins, Benson, Barkov

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TSN’s Mark Masters has tweeted that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins will play today, making his season debut for the team after he suffered a lower-body injury in a preseason game back on September 29th. Timmins could help fill some of the offensive void left by injured rearguard John Klingberg who was recently put on LTIR. Timmins offensive capabilities were on full display in the preseason when he notched six points in three games and he does have a very similar skillset to that of Klingberg, although the Maple Leafs will be hoping for a different result as Klingberg struggled early in his first season with Toronto.

Timmins benefited greatly from last year’s trade that saw him sent to the Maple Leafs by the Arizona Coyotes. In 25 games with Toronto, Timmins posted two goals and 12 assists while averaging 15 minutes of ice time per game. His puck management left a lot to be desired, but he did talk in the preseason about learning not to force plays with the puck and making better reads.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • The Buffalo News reporter Lance Lysowski tweeted today that Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson skated with the Sabres’ second power-play unit and looks as though he will plan in his tenth NHL game of the season today. Sportsnet later confirmed the news meaning that Benson will see the entry-level contract he signed for three seasons kick in immediately, and it can no longer slide or extend by a year. Benson is one of four players from the 2023 NHL entry draft who is playing in the NHL at the moment, and he has been productive thus far in nine games tallying a goal and four assists.
  • Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweeted that Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has confirmed that star center Aleksander Barkov will return to the lineup tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. Barkov injured his knee last week against the Anaheim Ducks and missed the Panthers last two games. He took his usual spot in the lineup during this morning’s practice centering a line alongside Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart. Barkov’s return will be a welcome sign for the Panthers as the 28-year-old has registered six goals and 11 assists in 16 games this season.

Maple Leafs Place John Klingberg On LTIR, Recall Alex Steeves

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman John Klingberg on long-term injured reserve and recalled forward Alex Steeves from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Klingberg’s LTIR assignment has been much anticipated, as the defender’s undisclosed injury grew from a small concern, to something that would hold him out of all action this week, to an LTIR designation.

Klingberg is in his first season with the Leafs, signing a one-year, $4.2MM contract with the team on July 1st. He’s performed modestly in his first 14 games with the club, netting five points, eight penalty minutes, and a -7.

Klingberg has moved around a lot in recent years, after spending the first eight years of his career with the Dallas Stars. He signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Anaheim Ducks ahead of last season and appeared in 50 games with the club, netting 24 points and a -28. Anaheim didn’t stick out the contract, though, dealing him to the Minnesota Wild at last year’s Trade Deadline. Klingberg went on to play in 17 games and record nine points, in Minnesota – adding four points in four playoff games as well.

With the veteran defender on IR, Toronto brings up the Marlies’ leading scorer in Steeves. The 23-year-old forward has 18 points in 14 AHL games this season, a tally that ties him for third in the league in points. Steeves has played three NHL games in each of the last two seasons, totaling one point across the matchups.

Steeves provides depth for Calle Jarnkrok, who is slated to be a game-time decision for the team’s Friday matchup. Jarnkrok is dealing with a lower-body injury after taking an Auston Matthews shot to the leg.

Snapshots: Goligoski, Kuznetsov, Klingberg, Osipov

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Having already fulfilled the requirements of being on LTIR, defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, Alex Goligoski, has not yet made his return to the roster. However, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Goligoski has fully recovered from his lower-body injury, and is ready to get back to game action at any point.

Currently sitting at 31st in the league in GA/G with a 4.00 mark, the Wild could certainly use all the help they can get on the blue line. Much of the blame is associated with the poor play of the team’s netminders up to this point, but an improved defensive presence should shore up some of the issues.

Unfortunately, with extremely limited cap space, Goligoski’s $2MM salary will be a tough one for the team to fit into their salary cap table. With Goligoski getting back into the lineup, and a quarter of the season already behind us, Minnesota will have less than $10K in salary cap space to work with moving forward.

Other snapshots:

  • Washington Capitals forward, Evgeny Kuznetsov, will miss another game due to illness, according to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. This will be the second game in a row that Kuznetsov has missed for the team, severely limiting their center depth. In somewhat mild offensive output to start the season, Kuznetsov has scored three goals and five assists in 14 games.
  • Continuing to deal with an undisclosed injury, Mark Masters of TSN reports that there is no status update in regards to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, John Klingberg and that the defenseman will not play at all this week. Quickly becoming a swing-and-a-miss for Toronto on the free-agent market, Klingberg has five assists in 14 games for the Maple Leafs, coupled with a -7 rating.
  • After playing on a professional tryout contract for the Hershey Bears for his first three games of the AHL season, the Bears announced they have signed defenseman Dmitri Osipov to a one-year AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. Osipov is a veteran of seven years in the AHL, playing in 174 regular season games, scoring eight goals and 10 assists in total.

Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, Timmins, Barkov, Andersson

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The Maple Leafs are concerned that John Klingberg’s undisclosed injury could linger for a while, relays David Alter of The Hockey News.  The veteran has struggled mightily in his first year with Toronto and it was recently revealed that he has been playing through an injury.  Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they’re trying a more aggressive treatment with Toronto having a light schedule at the moment due to their trip to Sweden but that Klingberg is taking longer than they hoped to bounce back from it.  He has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest against Minnesota and if they want to consider an LTIR placement, that would keep him out through December 12th at a minimum.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with the Maple Leafs, defenseman Conor Timmins skated today but isn’t expected to play against Minnesota on Sunday, Alter adds (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is still working his way back from a lower-body injury sustained late in the preseason.  Timmins, who is on LTIR, has been upgraded to being out day-to-day.  Toronto will have to send two players down to activate Timmins and his $1.1MM price tag once he’s cleared to return.
  • Panthers center Aleksander Barkov left Friday’s game against Anaheim after a hit from Jackson LaCombe early in the third period and did not return. Postgame, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards that there was no immediate update on him after the game.  Florida is flying back from its road trip today so an update on the captain likely won’t come until Sunday.  Barkov is off to a strong start to his season with 17 points in his first 16 games.
  • Lias Andersson had a good start to his season in Montreal’s farm system but that will be on hold for a while as their AHL affiliate announced (Twitter link) that the forward will miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old signed a two-way deal with the Canadiens in the summer after being non-tendered by Los Angeles.  Andersson, the seventh overall pick in 2017, has seven goals and two assists in ten games so far this season.

Atlantic Notes: Husso, Klingberg, Timmins, Benson

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Red Wings netminder Ville Husso has left the team, currently in Sweden for the 2023 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, to return home after the birth of his and his wife’s first child, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The 28-year-old, currently in the second season of a three-year, $14.25MM contract, has started 10 of the Red Wings’ 15 games this season but has struggled lately, posting a sub-.900 SV% in each of his last three starts. On the season, he now has a 6-3-1 record with a .885 SV% and 3.61 GAA, conceding 5.7 goals above average. In his place, 30-year-old Alex Lyon is expected to make his Red Wings debut in one of the team’s two overseas contests, either Thursday against the Senators or Friday against the Maple Leafs. Detroit has carried Lyon as a third goalie on the active roster for the entire 2023-24 season, unwilling to expose him to waivers, but he hasn’t seen a minute of action in the crease after a strong showing in 15 games to close out last season with the Panthers.

A few more notes out of the Atlantic Division today:

  • Maple Leafs right-shot defenseman John Klingberg is likely to miss that Friday tilt against the Red Wings, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Wednesday (via Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun). The 6-foot-3 Swede is still dealing with an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for November 10th’s shootout win over the Flames, although he returned to play 19:00 the following night against the Canucks, registering a +1 rating. The much-maligned 31-year-old from Gothenburg is cooling down after a decent start, posting no points in his last eight outings and is down to a -7 rating on the season. Klingberg did travel with the team to Sweden but has not practiced with the squad since arriving in his home country.
  • Staying with Toronto, Keefe also told reporters that defenseman Conor Timmins is likely to return from a lower-body sustained in preseason play during the team’s trip to Sweden. He practiced with the team earlier this week and is now expected to enter the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Wild, although he hasn’t been ruled against the Red Wings if he gets closer to playing shape quicker than anticipated over the next two days. Timmins has been strong in limited action since joining the Leafs via trade from the Coyotes last season, posting 14 points in 25 games with the team post-trade despite averaging just 15:37 per contest. His role in the lineup became unclear after Toronto added Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn after last year’s trade deadline, though, making him a healthy scratch for most of the tail end of the season. After a strong showing in the early goings of the 2023 preseason, too, Timmins will look to begin the first season of his two-year, $2.2MM contract on a high note and be of value to the Leafs, especially while Timothy Liljegren remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
  • Sabres rookie winger Zach Benson is likely to return from a lower-body injury on the team’s upcoming three-game road trip, head coach Don Granato told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News on Wednesday. Benson, still just 18, hasn’t looked out of place so far in NHL action, posting two assists in six contests while averaging over 13 minutes per game. He’s missed ten out of the last 12 games with the injury, however, and will need to be activated from IR before he returns to play. The Sabres’ trip includes stops in Winnipeg on Friday, Chicago on Sunday, and Washington next Wednesday.

Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Fabbri, Lauko, Klingberg

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Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is in the final season of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards examines how Florida might be able to keep the 28-year-old and still re-sign pending UFA blueliners Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling.  He suggests that an AAV of $8MM might be workable while re-upping the rearguards, leaving the team enough space to round out the roster with a bunch of minimum-salary players.  However, he has 166 points in 173 games with Florida, 17 of which have come in his 13 appearances this season and as someone who can play down the middle when needed, it’s quite possible that Reinhart’s open-market value could be higher than $8MM.  That said, Florida is a favorable tax environment which could also convince him to take a bit less than he would from another team.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Red Wings are expected to welcome back forward Robby Fabbri today from his lower-body injury, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). The 27-year-old returned to the lineup on Tuesday but then missed Thursday’s contest with a lower-body issue.  Fabbri missed 54 games due to injury last season and has only been able to suit up twice so far this year.  With Austin Czarnik likely heading for injured reserve, Khan believes Detroit will be bringing a forward up in the coming days as well before they head out on their trip to Sweden.
  • The Bruins could get winger Jakub Lauko back tonight against Montreal, notes Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 23-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks after taking a skate near his left eye and suffering several bone fractures; understandably, he’ll be wearing a full cage if he plays tonight.  Lauko has been held without a point in his first six games this season after putting up four goals and three helpers in 23 games on Boston’s fourth line last year.
  • John Klingberg’s injury-related absence was a short one. After not playing last night, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will suit up tonight against Vancouver, taking Simon Benoit’s spot in the lineup.  It has been a rough start to Klingberg’s tenure with the Maple Leafs as the 31-year-old has just five assists in 13 games with some considerable struggles in his own end after being brought in to be a key offensive threat from the back end this summer.

Atlantic Notes: McCabe, Klingberg, Bennett, Montour, McAvoy, Czarnik

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe will draw back into the lineup Friday against the Calgary Flames after missing six games with a groin injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters today (via David Alter of Sports Illustrated). The shutdown defenseman is expected to factor in on the second pairing, playing on his off-side along 40-year-old veteran Mark Giordano.

McCabe sustained the injury on his first shift in an October 26 game against the Dallas Stars, skating only ten seconds before leaving the game. The 2023 trade deadline acquisition from the Chicago Blackhawks hasn’t registered a point yet this season and has a -4 rating in seven games, and his possession metrics have dipped significantly (albeit in a small sample) from last season’s strong play.

That dip can’t be entirely attributed to him, however. His partner for most of the season before exiting the lineup was John Klingberg, who Keefe said will not suit up against Calgary as he deals with an undisclosed injury. Klingberg has five assists through 13 games but has posted a -8 rating, including two -3 performances in his last three games.

Klingberg’s logged the worst defensive numbers of any Maple Leafs defender this season and will be looking for a reset once he gets back to full health. McCabe, meanwhile, has excelled this season in small increments away from Klingberg – his pairing with the now-injured Timothy Liljegren has been the Leafs’ best at controlling shot quality this season, posting an expected goals share of 58.1% in nearly 50 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Things are looking up in the Sunshine State for the Florida Panthers, as they sit second in the Atlantic Division with a .625 points percentage. They’re about to get some reinforcements, too, as head coach Paul Maurice said today that center Sam Bennett is possible (but unlikely) to return from a lower-body injury on Sunday against the Blackhawks. Even if he doesn’t return to the lineup this weekend, that likely means Bennett could factor in next Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. The feisty secondary scorer has missed all but one game this season due to separate lower-body injuries, last appearing October 30 against the Boston Bruins and playing just 7:54. The 27-year-old had 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games last season and will immediately help bolster their top six upon returning. 22-year-old Anton Lundell, who’s filled in as their second-line center in Bennett’s absence, has scored just once in 12 games.
  • Florida is also likely to get defenseman Brandon Montour back soon, with Maurice saying the two-way defender could make his season debut as early as next week. Montour, who underwent shoulder surgery following the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, was initially expected back around training camp but had his recovery timeline extended over the summer. The 29-year-old finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season, exploding for a career-high 73 points in 80 games and adding eight goals in 21 playoff games in Florida’s run to the Final. Florida’s defense has held up surprisingly well in his (and Aaron Ekblad’s) absence, but his return to action is still something to look forward to.
  • Another big-time defender returning to action imminently is Boston Bruins star Charlie McAvoy, who has completed his four-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and is eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Canadiens. McAvoy had easily been the Bruins’ best defenseman through nine games, scoring two goals and six assists with a +6 rating while averaging 23:52 per game. McAvoy’s return to the lineup, along with shutdown defender Derek Forbort’s return from injury, meant the Bruins were able to return depth defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to AHL Providence earlier today.
  • Detroit Red Wings forward Austin Czarnik will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets for undisclosed reasons, per head coach Derek Lalonde. Czarnik has made 11 appearances for the Red Wings this year but has recorded just one assist and a -3 rating in less than nine minutes per game of ice time. The 30-year-old is in the second season of a two-year, two-way deal carrying a $762.5K cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

East Notes: Toffoli, Klingberg, Dumba

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New Jersey Devils forward Tyler Toffoli has been an exceptional fit with the team through his first 12 games, scoring eight goals and 13 points. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Devils would be interested in reaching an agreement on a contract extension for the forward, whose $4.25MM AAV contract is set to expire July 1st. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald told NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinski that he and Toffoli’s agent talk “all the time” regarding a contract extension, and while they’re “nowhere near that point of committing to term or dollar signs,” there appears to be mutual interest in finding a way to get a deal done.

Toffoli, 31, doesn’t exactly fit in the age bracket of the rest of the Devils’ stars, but he may still have some years of his prime remaining. The issue for the Devils could be cost, as another season with over 30 goals and 70 points would likely make Toffoli’s extension an expensive one, especially if the Devils don’t want to commit significant term. With Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer pending RFA’s, cash could be tight for the Devils this summer. But when a front office and a player appear aligned on a desire to find a way to get a deal done, the possibility of a contract extension can never be ruled out.

Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Various reports from Toronto Maple Leafs practice, including from The Hockey News’ David Alter, indicate that defenseman John Klingberg is facing some time in the press box as a healthy scratch, assuming defenseman Jake McCabe returns. Klingberg, who the Maple Leafs signed to a one-year, $4.15MM deal this past summer, has struggled as of late, particularly in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. While he has five points in 13 games so far, his production rate remains below what Dallas Stars fans grew to be accustomed to during his time there. While there remains hope that Klingberg can return to that form, his early struggles combined with the Maple Leafs’ overall issues in keeping the puck out of their net are a storyline to watch during this early portion of the 2023-24 season.
  • With Klingberg’s struggles currently a hot topic in Toronto, some focus has been devoted to GM Brad Treliving’s offseason search for defensive help, and particularly what other options may have been available to Toronto. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the player Toronto “really wanted” on July 1st of last season was Matt Dumba, who eventually signed with the Arizona Coyotes. Friedman reports that Dumba’s camp was looking for a contract within the $5MM AAV mark, which is higher than what Toronto committed to Klingberg. With Klingberg struggling and Dumba playing nearly 21 minutes per night in Arizona (and leading the team in ice time on the penalty kill) one wonders if Toronto could re-engage their pursuit of Dumba, this time via a trade, should the Coyotes fall out of the playoff race.

Wild Trade Calen Addison To Sharks

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Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that the Minnesota Wild have traded defenseman Calen Addison to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round pick. The 23-year-old has five assists in 12 games so far this season and will join a rebuilding Sharks team that just won its first game of the season last night. According to Russo, the draft pick appears to be a 2026 selection and the Wild will also receive minor-league right winger Adam Raska in the deal. Raska is currently playing in the AHL for the San Jose Barracuda and has zero points in seven games this season.

On the surface, the move is a peculiar one for the Wild, Addison was a second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018 and was a central part of the trade package the Penguins sent to the Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker. Last season, Addison posted three goals and 26 assists in 62 games in what was his first full season in the NHL. Those numbers, while impressive, do require some context. 18 of Addison’s 26 assists came on the powerplay, and while his offensive instincts are obvious, his defensive shortcomings leave a lot to be desired. Last season, Addison was a -17, and while that statistic can be misleading, a deep dive into his defensive analytics will tell you a very similar story. Things got so bad defensively last season that Addison went through a stretch where he was a healthy scratch in 25 out of the 35 games (including regular season and playoffs). During this stretch, the Wild traded for John Klingberg who took over powerplay responsibilities from Addison and his spot in the lineup. This led to Addison spending most of the summer without a contract extension before ultimately signing a one-year $825K deal on September 19. Now with the trade, Addison will close a very uneven run in Minnesota.

From the Sharks’ perspective, the move makes total sense, the club is rebuilding and gets to acquire a right-shot offensively-minded defenseman for almost nothing. If Addison is unable to turn his defensive game around San Jose can simply non-tender him in the offseason and walk away from Addison without any long-term ramifications. Sharks general manager Mike Grier has decided that a fifth-round pick and an AHLer is worth rolling the dice on a player who could develop into a long-term fixture on the Sharks powerplay when they emerge from their current rebuild.

In addition to the trade, the Sharks have also recalled forward Oskar Lindblom from the AHL and defenseman Jacob MacDonald has been moved to the injured reserve.

Atlantic Notes: Knight, Poitras, Klingberg

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Eyebrows raised this morning when the Florida Panthers announced presumptive backup netminder Spencer Knight would start the 2023-24 campaign with AHL Charlotte. However, head coach Paul Maurice said today it’s not a performance-related demotion.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Knight missed the last two months of the regular season and all of the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, which he later said was to get treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). After missing significant time, Knight still managed to churn out an incredibly strong postseason performance – one that influenced the organization to want to give him a chance as a true starter out of the gate this season in order to maintain his positive momentum. “This was something we looked at from the start (of training camp),” Maurice told NHL.com. “He’s made great progress in his program. He feels good, he looked fantastic in training camp. But we need to put him in kind of a No. 1 position, a No. 1 role, and then run his program and work on what he’s been working on. But he’s been good.” The 22-year-old is beginning the first season of a three-year deal carrying a $4.5MM cap hit, meaning he’ll still carry a significant cap penalty while in the AHL, as that’s far above the buriable threshold – $3.35MM, to be exact. Veteran Anthony Stolarz will sit behind undisputed starter Sergei Bobrovsky to start the season after the latter guided Florida to its second Stanley Cup Final in franchise history last season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division today:

  • One of the surprise rookies of training camps leaguewide has been Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras, just one season removed from going off the board at 54th overall at the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s played so well, in fact, that the 19-year-old may just have an inside track to make the team out of camp. As rosters continue to get trimmed, Bruins independent reporter Joe Haggerty noted Poitras continued to stay with the main group in practice today, centering a prospective third line between Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie. That’s a notable development for Poitras, as he’s impressed enough to push Geekie, the team’s free-agent signing that they expected to fill a third-line hole, out to the wing. The Bruins can still defer the start of his entry-level contract to 2024-25 if he plays less than ten games before Boston re-assigns him to the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
  • After battling an upper-body injury throughout the last week, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman John Klingberg will be ready for the team’s season-opening contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, head coach Sheldon Keefe tells NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. Klingberg, the team’s key free agency addition to their top four on defense, says he feels good enough to play in tomorrow’s preseason finale against the Detroit Red Wings but that he’s “going to listen to the doctors, I think they’re smart enough to know.” The veteran 31-year-old power-play quarterback is expected to see reps on the team’s top man-advantage unit to start the season, allowing longtime Leaf Morgan Rielly to help bolster the second power-play unit.

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