Jonathan Quick Activated From Injured Reserve
The Los Angeles Kings haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but they’ll finally at least get one of their most important players back on the ice. The team has activated Jonathan Quick from injured reserve, while sending Peter Budaj to the minor leagues. Trevor Lewis has also been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 16th.
Quick has been out since last month following a surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, forcing young goaltenders into the net in his place. First Jack Campbell took over and actually performed quite well, before the same injury forced him out of the crease and onto the surgery table. Following Campbell’s injury the team was forced to turn to Calvin Petersen, who had only 51 professional appearances to his name. Petersen has done much better than anyone could have asked for with a .921 save percentage, but there is little doubt the Kings are happy to get their star goaltender back on the ice.
The Kings are close to being left behind entirely in the Western Conference, now sitting at just 17 points on the season with a 8-14-1 record. That is obviously a terrible start—one which cost head coach John Stevens his job and forward Tanner Pearson his roster spot—but there is still hope that a rejuvenated Quick can get them back into the hunt. To do it they’ll need some help from the offense, who have scored just 51 goals on the season.
West Notes: Baertschi, Quick, Kempe, Schwartz
Canucks winger Sven Baertschi attempted to skate last weekend for the first time since suffering a concussion back in October. However, he told Marcel Perren of Swiss newspaper Blick that he had to stop after just 15 minutes due to a recurrence of symptoms. With that in mind, he has been shut down once again and Baertschi indicated to Perren that there’s a chance that he does not return this season. That would be a significant blow for Vancouver as the 26-year-old is an important part of their attack and was off to a solid start to his campaign with six points in ten games before being concussed.
Elsewhere out West:
- Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick participated in his first full practice with the team since undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus late last month, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Head coach Willie Desjardins doesn’t want to put a firm timetable on when the netminder may be able to return to the lineup but the belief is he’s about a week away from getting the green light to play. Meanwhile, center Adrian Kempe is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Vancouver after suffering a lower-body injury on Wednesday. If he can’t play, Los Angeles will likely have to bring up a forward from AHL Ontario.
- The Blues announced that they have placed winger Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve. His roster spot went to winger Patrick Maroon who was activated and played tonight against Nashville. Schwartz last played on November 16th against Vegas so his placement was likely backdated to then which would allow him to be activated at any time. The 26-year-old is off to a relatively quiet start to his season with just two goals through his first 15 games.
Pacific Notes: Quick, Raanta, Chychrun, Oilers, Miller
The Los Angeles Kings could use some good news with their goaltending issues and they got some Sunday as NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes reports that Jonathan Quick skated today in full gear, which is the next step in his recovery after undergoing surgery on Oct. 31 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Weekes reports that Quick just worked on his crease work, but did not go down and did not take any pucks. Regardless, that has to be good news for L.A. who are without both Quick and his backup, Jack Campbell, who went down with the exact same injury. Instead, the team is going with the AHL tandem of Peter Budaj and Calvin Petersen. However, the team would much prefer to see Quick return to the lineup as new head coach Willie Desjardins continues to try to turn around the Kings after a poor start.
Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen adds that Quick could take on a heavier load in practice on either Wednesday or Friday.
- Cat Silverman of The Athletic reports that the Arizona Coyotes had two injured players return to practice Sunday as goaltender Antti Raanta and defenseman Jakob Chychrun both practiced. Raanta’s practice was a short one, but he did participate in full drills while he was there. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 7 with an undisclosed injury. Chychrun recently returned to the team after recovering from offseason surgery and then immediately was placed on injured reserve after one game with an upper-body injury. He was a full participant in practice today and with full contact. Both are considered likely to play Wednesday against Vegas.
- Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that it’s unlikely the Edmonton Oilers will get involved in the William Nylander sweepstakes with the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team would likely have to send back defenseman Adam Larsson, which the Oilers would not be willing to do. Instead Matheson believes the Oilers’ best course of action would be to wait for the trade deadline and make a play for the New York Rangers Mats Zuccarello, who will be a unrestricted free agent next year, but could be a good fit in Edmonton.
- The return of Nate Schmidt to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday is good news for defenseman Colin Miller, who has been forced to take over Schmidt’s role as a No. 1 defenseman, always in charge of facing opposing team’s top line. That has been a challenge for Miller, who is better off as a second-pair defenseman, according to SinBin’s Steve Carp. That role has altered the way Miller thinks as he has had to focus on defense first and put offense on the back burner. Miller, who had 10 goals and 41 points last season, currently has no goals and six assists in 20 games. However, with Schmidt taking his previous role starting tonight and expected to be paired with Shea Theodore, Miller can return to his old role, which could result in an offensive boost for Vegas.
Pacific Notes: Ducks, Quick, Chychrun
The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the past year or so. The team is still far from healthy, but finally full strength is within sight, particularly among their battered forward corps. The likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves are healthy, and recent injuries like those to Jakob Silfverberg and Kalle Kossila have also run their course. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are on the mend and expected to be active sooner rather than later. Corey Perry (knee) and Carter Rowney (upper body) are still far from a return, but in terms of players the Ducks reasonably expected to be healthy, things are looking up. However, a full set of healthy forwards also brings with it some tough choices. While Anaheim has the flexibility to send the likes of Ben Street, Pontus Aberg, Sam Carrick, and Kiefer Sherwood – currently on the roster – to the AHL, they have to be concerned about whether there is enough ice time to go around for the more permanent pieces. Already, the team sent promising rookie Isac Lundestrom to the AHL today to bring up Kossila and fellow top prospects Sam Steel and Troy Terry are already down with the San Diego Gulls. As the team grows healthier, it it possible that they could explore returning rookie Max Comtois to his junior club, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltiguers. While Comtois has already played in ten games this season and tolled the first year of his contract, he cannot be sent to the AHL and could be better served getting guaranteed top-six minutes at the junior level than fighting for ice time with the Ducks. Comtois is currently sidelined, buying Anaheim some time on the decision, but with conceivably an upwards of 20 forwards expecting to see action in the NHL this season, eliminating even just one option by sending Comtois back to junior would help the Ducks with their impending roster crunch.
- The Los Angeles Kings took another hit in net today with the news that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out four to six weeks with a torn meniscus. The team is already without starter Jonathan Quick due to the same injury and are left to lean on veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen for the time being. Fortunately, GM Rob Blake did assure the media later on that Quick remains on track to return sometime around the end of the month, per beat writer Curtis Zupke. Quick underwent surgery on October 31st and was given a timeline of roughly a month to return. So long as his rehab continues to progress positively, Quick could potentially be ready to return by the Kings’ November 30th clash with the division rival Calgary Flames. Yet, even in that best-case scenario, Budaj and Petersen will still be on the hook for the nine games between now and then.
- In more immediate injury news, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is “probable” to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Chychrun has been sidelined since late last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The first-round pick was establishing himself as a reliable top-four defender prior to his injury and his return should come with an automatic starting spot, likely bumping Ilya Lyubushkin down to the minors and Jordan Oesterle from his starting slot.
Jack Campbell Out Four To Six Weeks, Cal Petersen Recalled
The Los Angeles Kings just can’t catch a break. As they continue to deal with the absence of Jonathan Quick, they now have another goaltender hitting the shelf with a long-term injury. Jack Campbell has suffered a torn meniscus that requires surgery and will be out four to six weeks. In his place, rookie netminder Cal Petersen has been recalled while Matt Luff has been sent back to the Ontario Reign.
The fact that Campbell and Quick both suffered injuries to their meniscus is laughable, at least given the struggles of the Kings this season without a reliable presence in net. The team now turns to a duo of Petersen and Peter Budaj, who were supposed to be the AHL tandem this season. The younger Petersen is a top goaltending prospect in the league, but has just a single season of professional experience after leaving college early and signing with Los Angeles. That happened in the summer of 2017 after he snubbed the Buffalo Sabres, the team who drafted him 129th overall in 2013.
Petersen isn’t the biggest netminder in the league, but has an uncanny ability to read the play and react quickly to pucks in tight. He rode those skills to an outstanding college career at Notre Dame and ended up posting a .910 save percentage and 23-14-2 record in his first season in the AHL. That was good enough to get him named to the AHL All-Star game, though the Reign were not able to get past the first round of the playoffs. This season hasn’t been as kind to Petersen, but there is still plenty of ability to get excited about as a Kings fan.
Unfortunately, even an outstanding debut for Petersen may not be enough to turn around the season for Los Angeles, who sit dead last in the NHL with just 11 points on the season. That’s thanks to a 5-10-1 record and league-worst 33 goals scored on the year. Even with the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk the Kings just haven’t been able to score enough, something that will need to be addressed before they can really compete for the playoffs once again.
Los Angeles Kings Fire Coach John Stevens
The Los Angeles Kings announced that general manager Rob Blake has relieved coach John Stevens of his duties. The Kings have made Willie Desjardins as the interim coach for the rest of the season.
“This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary,” said Blake. “We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John’s time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions.”
Despite picking up a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the victory didn’t do anything to allow Stevens to keep his job as the team remained 4-8-1 in the team’s first 13 games, giving them the worst record in league with the Florida Panthers the only other team that has nine points (although they have played two less games). Stevens, in just his second year as head coach of the team, took the team to the playoffs last year as the fourth-seed in the Pacific Division, but were swept in the first-round of the playoffs as the Vegas Golden Knights exposed their lack of speed.
Los Angeles responded by adding 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk through free agency this offseason and was expected to make a renewed run for a Stanley Cup title with the likes 30-somethings Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty (he’s actually just 28), Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson, Dion Phaneuf and Alec Martinez. The team was expecting some of their young players to step up, but players such as Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have struggled under Stevens’ tenure and haven’t developed into the goal scorers that everyone had hoped for. The team also has been without Quick, their star goaltender, for much of the season and there is no word on how much time he might miss with his most recent injury. Throw in the lack of development of some of their prospects and the team was heading down the wrong path with many of their veterans under contract for three of four more years.
Desjardins, who has 20+ years of coaching experience, has been acting as Team Canada’s men’ head coach, including leading the team in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Korea. He served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, compiling a disappointing 109-110-27 record. He also led Team Canada to gold at the Spengler Cup in December of 2017. Desjardins also served eight years as head coach in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers where he won two championships in eight seasons there.
The team also released fired assistant coach Don Nachbaur from his duties, who served as the team’s assistant since last season. The team has brought in current German National Team coach and former Kings player Marco Sturm. The team did retain assistant coach Dave Lowry.
One has to wonder what Stevens chances will be to get another head coaching position. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers between 2006 through 2009, reaching the Eastern Conference finals once and a second playoff appearance. He has a combined record of 171-148-43.
Helene Elliott was the first to report the coaching change.
Minor Transactions: 11/01/18
It’s a new month in the NHL and with it the league is kicking things off with a game in Finland between the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets. While Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine get to show off for their home country, the rest of the league continues to make minor moves to prepare for the upcoming slate of games. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves right here.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Phillip Di Giuseppe to the minor leagues, returning him to the Charlotte Checkers after two games in the NHL. The Hurricanes do play tomorrow night in Arizona, making it a little surprising that they would reduce their roster at the moment. The move actually won’t save the team any money since Di Giuseppe is on a one-way contract, meaning there will likely be a corresponding move before long.
- Jalen Chatfield is on his way up to the Vancouver Canucks as the team continues to deal with injuries to their defense corps. The team reassigned Guillaume Brisebois to the minor leagues, without him actually playing a game with the club. The team likely doesn’t want to keep young players up in the NHL for long without giving them ice time.
- Austin Wagner and Sean Walker are back up with the Los Angeles Kings after the team completed some cap maneuvering last night. In order to take full effect of Jonathan Quick‘s long-term injured reserve stint, the team used several paper transactions to get them as close to the cap as possible. Now that they’ve completed it, Wagner and Walker are back in the NHL.
Snapshots: Lundqvist, Kings, Tanev
With the Rangers in the middle of rebuilding, many have wondered if goaltender Henrik Lundqvist would be willing to stick around to see it through. Larry Brooks of the New York Post asked the veteran that very question and Lundqvist emphasized his commitment to the team:
“I’m committed to this. I know that this is going to be a test, how I handle the ups and downs, the growing and the mistakes. Not only me, but the players who have been here for a while and are not used to this. But I’m prepared for it. I’m embracing the challenge.”
The 36-year-old has been a mainstay for the Rangers since 2005-06 and while there may be a couple more rough years ahead (many expect them to be sellers once again by the trade deadline), Lundqvist appears to be ready to wait it out. He’s signed through the 2020-21 season with a cap hit of $8.5MM.
Elsewhere around the league:
- On the heels of Jonathan Quick’s knee surgery, the Kings do not plan to explore the trade market for a short-term replacement, reports Curtis Zupke of the LA Times (Twitter link), who adds that the typical recovery timeline for Quick’s injury is three-to-six weeks. While that isn’t a significant amount of time, Los Angeles is already sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference and if their struggles continue while Quick is out, they may find themselves too far outside of the postseason picture. In the meantime, they’ll turn to Jack Campbell and veteran Peter Budaj to hold down the fort in his absence.
- Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev is missing his fourth straight game on Wednesday and the team announced on Twitter that he’s doubtful to suit up on Friday as well due to a bruised hip. Head coach Travis Green is hopeful that Tanev will be able to travel with the team at the start of their upcoming road trip which gets underway November 6th in Detroit. Injuries have long been an issue for the 28-year-old as he has yet to surpass the 70-game mark in his career.
Jonathan Quick Undergoes Surgery, Out Indefinitely
The Los Angeles Kings’ season is off to a rough start, and it might not be looking up for some time. The team announced today that Jonathan Quick is out indefinitely following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team has recalled Peter Budaj, who will back up Jack Campbell in net for the Kings.
This is a crushing blow to a Kings team that is already at the bottom of the NHL standings thanks to an early season Quick injury and uninspired play by many of their key players. Los Angeles will now have to find a way to climb out of the basement with their best goaltender sidelined, and a duo in place that combined for a grand total of 13 NHL appearances last season. Campbell is completely unproven at the NHL level despite his early play, while Budaj is now 36 and has had a only a single successful season over the last several years.
The Kings do have talent on their roster, but not enough of it has shown through the early part of the year. Drew Doughty and newcomer Ilya Kovalchuk lead the team with eight points through the first 11 games, but younger players like Adrian Kempe and Michael Amadio have failed to take the necessary steps to elevate the team. Much of the rest of the core in Los Angeles is already on the wrong side of 30 and declining with age, leaving the coaching staff struggling to find any sense of consistency on a nightly basis.
While this season is certainly off to a rough start, and Quick’s injury only exacerbates that, there are at least rays of hope on the horizon. Gabe Vilardi has recently returned to the ice in a non-contact jersey, and prospects like Kale Clague and Rasmus Kupari are off to great starts in their respective professional leagues. Jaret Anderson-Dolan even has two goals in his first two games after being sent back to junior earlier this month, and should be part of the Canadian World Junior squad in a few months. The struggles of the NHL club can’t be fixed right away with any of those young players, but this season is also quite young. With talents like Doughty and Anze Kopitar still on the roster, the Kings could stage something of a comeback throughout the year—they’ll just have to do it without the services of Quick for the time being.
Kings’ Jonathan Quick Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury
The hits keep coming for the Los Angeles Kings. Already mired in a horrible start as they have a 2-7-1 record, including a six-game losing streak, the Kings are now going to be without star goaltender Jonathan Quick for an indefinite period of time. The goaltender suffered a lower-body injury and will be out Sunday and there is no current timetable for his return as he’s still being evaluated, according to NHL.com’s Dan Greenspan.
Quick is already coming off a injury in which he missed five straight games with a lower-body injury. Greenspan writes that this new injury is not related to the one from earlier this year. The 32-year-old Quick, normally one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, has struggled this year in limited action, especially since his returning from injury on Oct. 18. In four games this year, Quick has a 4.55 GAA and a .845 save percentage.
The Kings will start Jack Campbell on Sunday and he will serve as the starter in Quick’s place. Campbell has fared quite well this season as he boasts a .917 save percentage in seven appearances this year, including both the team’s victories this year and one shutout. The team has already recalled veteran goaltender Peter Budaj from the Ontario Reign of the AHL to serve as backup.