Snapshots: Bear, Norris, Danforth, Australia
On the topic of young defensemen expected to be dealt, it’s Jakob Chychrun‘s name that comes up more times than not and given his talent, that’s not unfair. However, another young defenseman that could be dealt is that of Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Ethan Bear. Perhaps not the talent Chychrun is, Bear is a solid player in his own right, but has had his share of issues in regards to getting in the lineup and overall playing time since the Hurricanes acquired him from the Edmonton Oilers for forward Warren Foegele in the summer of 2021.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada, a decision on Bear could be coming soon. Bear, who hasn’t played a game yet this season, wants to play, says Friedman, but the team has been unable to find a trade they like. According to Friedman, interested teams have asked Carolina to retain a certain percentage of Bear’s salary cap in order to create a trade package to the Hurricanes’ liking. Carolina, in turn, has told teams that they don’t plan to retain any cap given the fact that their reason for dealing Bear would not be at all cap related. Ultimately, as relayed by Friedman, the situation is expected to resolve itself shortly. It would seem at this point, if Carolina cannot get a better offer for the defenseman, their options would be to accept an offer they think is under-valued, put Bear on waivers, play him, or continue to scratch him, potentially doing harm to the relationship.
- Earlier this afternoon, Ottawa Senators forward Joshua Norris left their game against the Arizona Coyotes after appearing to injure his arm off the faceoff. Norris immediately left the ice in pain and appeared to throw his stick in the hallway. After the game, no update was offered on the injury itself, and that is still the case this evening. However, Friedman did say on 32 Thoughts that the plan was for Norris to have an MRI once the swelling in his arm went down. No update thus far could be seen as a bit concerning, but an MRI should give more clear results and lead to a timeline once complete.
- Also on the injury front, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth left tonight’s game with an upper-body injury and will not return, the team announced. What exactly the nature of the injury is remains unclear; Danforth had played regular shifts throughout the first period, but did not return for the second period. The forward had three points in five games coming into tonight.
- An interesting note on international NHL showcases was brought up tonight on 32 Thoughts. It appears the league is exploring the possibility of playing games in Australia, perhaps as soon as sometime next season. The league plans to have a site survey shortly and would like to have a few games there if possible. Although the league has greatly expanded its outreach into international markets, heading to Australia is intriguing given its status as a non-traditional market.
Latest On Patrik Laine
The Columbus Blue Jackets got some tough news last week when star winger Patrik Laine sustained an elbow sprain in the team’s season opener and had to be moved to injured reserve immediately. Fortunately, though, it seems his three-to-four-week recovery timeline is still right on schedule, if not a bit ahead. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reported today that Laine skated on his own in full gear for the past two days at the team’s practice facility. Hedger also noted the Finnish star is confident he’ll be ready to play by the first week of November when the Blue Jackets travel to Finland to play a set of games against the Colorado Avalanche.
That’s obviously a huge deal for Laine personally, but also the league, as Laine is the most marketable hometown player who’ll skate in the back-to-back set of games in Tampere. Laine hails directly from Tampere, and while his Avalanche counterpart in Mikko Rantanen may have more publicity overall, there’s nothing like getting to see one of your town’s best-ever hockey products play an NHL game on home soil.
A quick return from Laine is also crucial for Columbus’ playoff hopes. While Johnny Gaudreau has held up his end of the bargain, recording four points in his first four games as a Blue Jacket, their lack of quality offensive depth has been exposed by Laine’s injury. Minor-league and European league journeyman Justin Danforth was the team’s first option to replace Laine on the top line, which is obviously a less-than-ideal situation.
Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.
Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd
Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk
Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo
Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev
Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta
Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome
Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson
Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth
Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin
Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell
Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair
Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte
Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon
Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price
Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki
New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier
New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara
New York Rangers – Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg
Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes
Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle
St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko
Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz
Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase
Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn
Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel
Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey
Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom
Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Justin Danforth
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to ink contracts with depth options, this time signing Justin Danforth to a two-year extension. Danforth’s new deal will carry an average annual value of $975K and keep him under contract through 2023-24. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen released the following statement:
We’re very excited to sign Justin to this contract extension as he epitomizes the values we have as a team. Hard work, commitment, and determination. He has dedicated himself to becoming an NHL player over the past several years and his game has continued to grow throughout this season. He has become a trusted and valuable contributor on our team.
There aren’t many better stories of determination in the NHL than Danforth, who went from riding buses in the ECHL as an undrafted, overlooked forward, to becoming a regular in the Columbus lineup this season. Just 5’9″, the speedy forward spent four years at Sacred Heart University before spending nearly an entire season with the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2017-18. Three years overseas honing his game led to a one-year, $750K contract with the Blue Jackets organization last spring, his first NHL deal signed at the age of 28.
Now about to turn 29, he’s found some security and stability for the first time in his hockey career.
In 22 games with the Blue Jackets, Danforth–who is now a full-time winger–has five goals and seven points. While he started out with just a handful of minutes per game, head coach Brad Larsen has obviously felt more comfortable of late and has rewarded him with a ton more shifts. In the four games since the beginning of March, Danforth has averaged nearly 16 minutes a night, mostly skating on a line with Sean Kuraly and Max Domi. His place in the bottom-six seems secure enough for now with this new deal, a long-time coming for the former OJHL star.
Max Domi Activated From Injured Reserve
The Columbus Blue Jackets are getting a key player back a little ahead of schedule as Max Domi has been activated from injured reserve. Domi was ruled out with a fractured rib and given a two- to four-week timeline on October 18, just ten days ago. The team has also sent Justin Danforth to the AHL to make room on the roster.
Domi will end up missing just four games should he return tomorrow night for the Blue Jackets as expected. It had been quite the start for the 26-year-old forward before he went down to injury, scoring four points in two games despite averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time. He may not be the top-line player that some hoped he could develop into, but he’s an important forward for the Blue Jackets as they continue to try and compete in the Metropolitan Division.
Without him, the team went 2-2 over the past four games but still sits fifth in the Metro despite a 4-2 record. Emil Bemstrom and Dean Kukan remain on injured reserve, but getting Domi back so quickly will obviously be a welcome sight. The lines at practice today, tweeted out by team reporter Jeff Svoboda, indicate that if Domi goes in, he will likely be knocking rookie Yegor Chinakhov out and playing on the second unit with Gustav Nyquist and Cole Sillinger.
AHL Shuffle: 10/16/21
With the season now underway, there should be a long list of daily transactions shuffling players to and from the AHL. While some more notable transactions may be also mentioned elsewhere, we’ll keep tabs on them all here.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Blue Jackets announced the recall of forward Justin Danforth from Cleveland. The 28-year-old signed with Columbus earlier this year following a strong season with Vityaz Podolsk of the KHL that saw him finish sixth in league scoring with 55 points in 58 games.
Central Division
- The Predators have recalled goaltender Connor Ingram from Milwaukee. He’ll take the place of David Rittich who is in COVID protocol.
Pacific Division
- The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Rasmus Kupari from Ontario of the AHL while transferring center Lias Andersson on IR retroactive to October 9th to make room on the roster. Winger Brendan Lemieux was also put in COVID protocol. Kupari, a 2018 first-rounder (20th overall), made his NHL debut last season with Los Angeles, getting into seven games, scoring once.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Hockey Canada Announces 2021 World Championship Roster
The IIHF World Championship roster is always a little different. Because the tournament takes place during the NHL playoffs, many players are unable to attend. Many others choose not to participate because of injuries they sustained during the season, meaning there are often some interesting choices that compete for their country.
Like the U.S. roster that was officially released just a few days ago, the Canadian contingent looks even more odd than normal. Not only does the management team have injuries and the postseason to deal with, but many players haven’t seen their families for months and just want to spend some quality time at home.
Though the initial paperwork had been reported on recently, the full official roster is as follows:
G Adin Hill
G Darcy Kuemper
G Michael Dipietro
D Braden Schneider
D Colin Miller
D Owen Power
D Sean Walker
D Mario Ferraro
D Troy Stecher
D Nicolas Beaudin
D Jacob Bernard-Docker*
F Liam Foudy
F Dillon Dube
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan
F Gabriel Vilardi
F Adam Henrique
F Justin Danforth
F Nick Paul
F Brandon Hagel
F Michael Bunting
F Connor Brown
F Max Comtois
F Brandon Pirri
F Andrew Mangiapane
F Cole Perfetti
Like the U.S. squad, which includes draft-eligible Matthew Beniers, the Canadians have decided to take along his University of Michigan teammate Power. The 18-year-old Power is expected to challenge for the first overall selection this season and will get a chance to showcase his talents on the international stage, after being denied his opportunity to compete at the World Juniors.
*added after the initial roster was announced
Snapshots: Kempny, Dach, Danforth
The Washington Capitals have sent Michal Kempny to the AHL Hershey Bears on a long-term injury conditioning stint, suggesting that the defenseman is closing in on a return. In October, Kempny underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered in offseason training and was given a six to eight-month recovery timeline. He has been skating with the Capitals for the last little while, but it was still unclear if he would actually play this season.
A conditioning stint would indicate that the 30-year-old Kempny may actually be able to play for Washington, at least once the playoffs start. The team does not have the cap space to activate him from LTIR right now, but that issue would go away in the postseason when the salary cap ceiling is lifted. Where he fits into the lineup at this point isn’t clear, especially coming off such a long injury, but adding depth at the position for the playoffs is never a bad thing.
- Speaking of coming off a long injury, Chicago Blackhawks’ Kirby Dach won’t play again this season after reaggravating the problem in his wrist. Dach “continues to have some post-operative discomfort” according to team physician Dr. Michael Terry and he will be held out the final three games of the year. The 20-year old forward didn’t make his season debut until March 27, but that was much earlier than his initial timeline suggested. The team didn’t hold him back, letting Dach play more than 20 minutes in each of his first two games of the year. While there’s no guarantee this situation could have been avoided, it is a frustrating end to a disappointing season for the young forward. After scoring 23 points in 64 games as a rookie, Dach will finish this year with two goals and 10 points in 18 games.
- Interested in seeing what all the fuss is about with new Columbus Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth? Tune into the IIHF World Championship later this month, where Danforth is expected to represent Canada according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. The undrafted 28-year-old signed his first NHL deal just a few days ago after three dominant seasons overseas. Danforth recorded 23 goals and 55 games in the KHL and will get to test his skills alongside some other NHL players at the tournament.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Justin Danforth
The Columbus Blue Jackets have dipped into the KHL free agent waters once again, this time signing Justin Danforth to a one-year contract. The deal is for the 2021-22 season. No financial details have been released yet, but Danforth is not limited to the entry-level system, and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports it will be a one-way deal. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement:
Justin is a talented, offensive player coming off three outstanding seasons in the KHL and Liiga and we believe he is ready to prove himself in the National Hockey League. He has worked extremely hard to develop his game over the past five seasons and we are excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets.
Danforth, 28, scored 55 points in 58 games this season for Vityaz Podolsk of the KHL. It’s been a long and winding road for the Oshawa, Ontario native, who spent four years at Sacred Heart University before trying his hand in the minor leagues. Though Danforth dominated at the ECHL level, he failed to get many opportunities in the AHL and took his game overseas in 2018. Two outstanding seasons in Finland followed and now after his strong KHL campaign, he has finally landed an NHL deal.
It will be a challenge for the 5’9″ forward to bring that level of offensive impact to the Blue Jackets, but it certainly appears he’ll be given a chance. Columbus has a very busy offseason ahead of them as even with Danforth, they have just 25 players signed to NHL contracts for the 2021-22 season. Kekalainen is obviously scouring every inch of the globe for talent after a disappointing season.
Blue Jackets Believed To Be Showing Interest In Justin Danforth
With KHL contracts officially expiring at the end of the month, there should be a few players signing NHL deals soon after. One of those could be winger Justin Danforth who Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the Blue Jackets are believed to be interested in.
The 28-year-old played his NCAA career at Sacred Heart before turning pro in 2017, inking a minor league tryout with the Islanders’ AHL team before catching on with Buffalo’s affiliate soon after. However, after spending the majority of the 2017-18 campaign in the ECHL, Danforth opted to go overseas.
That decision definitely proved to be the right one. He spent two years with Lukko in Finland’s SM-liiga, leading the team in scoring both seasons and the entire league in scoring last season with 27 goals and 33 assists in just 56 games. That helped him land an opportunity in the KHL with Vityaz Podolsk this season where he again made the most of it. His 23 goals and 32 helpers in 58 games led the team in scoring while slotting him sixth overall league-wide. Clearly, he has done enough to get himself on the NHL radar.
Because he’s already 28, Danforth is not subject to NHL entry-level restrictions which gives him a bit more flexibility to work with as he looks for his first contract although the deal can’t have any performance bonuses in it either. On the surface, Columbus would make sense for the winger as they have struggled mightily when it comes to scoring this season, as they’re averaging less than 2.5 goals per game. Even though he’s a late bloomer which carries some uncertainty, Danforth could be a good fit for the Blue Jackets when he’s eligible to sign in May.