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Snapshots: Kane, Canadiens, Heinola, Rooney

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Oilers winger Evander Kane is on pace to return to the lineup in early 2025, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link).  The veteran had surgeries last month to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias, and two torn lower abdominal muscles.  At the time, the timeline for his return was three to four months so if early 2025 is the target return time, it appears he’s on schedule.  Kane had 24 goals and 20 assists last season in 77 regular season games while chipping in with eight points in 20 postseason appearances before playing through the injuries became too difficult.  Kane is currently on LTIR and a midseason return means Edmonton won’t be able to spend much of that short-term cap space as they’ll need to be cap-compliant to activate him later on.

More from around the NHL:

  • Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has started calling around the league to see what trade options might be available, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic shared earlier today in a TSN Early Trading He added that they’re not interested in parting with future assets while they’re likely looking to try to match salary in a move.  Montreal has plenty of LTIR room with Carey Price on there for the full season (not to mention Patrik Laine for a couple more months) but if they intend to get below the cap and out of LTIR by the end of the year to avoid or reduce any bonus carryover penalty, they’d be wise not to take much money on.
  • Jets defenseman Ville Heinola hasn’t resumed skating yet as he continues to deal with the recurrence of his ankle injury, notes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The team is being patient with the injury after how much time he missed last year.  Heinola, a 2019 first-round pick, has been limited to just 35 NHL games over parts of four seasons despite showing plenty of offensive upside in the minors.  He was expected to make the team out of training camp but this injury derailed that opportunity.
  • Calgary has activated forward Kevin Rooney off injured reserve, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The 31-year-old suffered a concussion in the opening period of their season opener earlier this month.  Rooney is in his third season carrying a $1.3MM price tag but has five points in 51 games in a Flames uniform.  Their roster is now at the maximum of 23 so roster moves will be needed to activate Yegor Sharangovich and Samuel Honzek off injured reserve, both of whom skated today.

Flames Recall Justin Kirkland, Place Kevin Rooney On IR

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The Flames announced today they’d recalled center/left wing Justin Kirkland from AHL Calgary. He could make his season debut tomorrow against the Flyers. In a corresponding move, fellow center Kevin Rooney was placed on injured reserve, opening up the necessary spot on the 23-man roster to recall Kirkland, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.

Kirkland, 28, has never played an NHL game for the Flames but is quite familiar with the organization. The Predators selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft, but he was non-tendered in 2019 and landed with the Flames as a free agent. He spent the next three seasons playing for their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, scoring 33 goals and 50 assists for 83 points in 135 games. Only after leaving the Calgary organization would Kirkland make his NHL debut, skating in nine games for the Coyotes and Ducks over the past two seasons. He posted a combined -3 rating and six shots on goal but is still looking for his first NHL point.

The lanky 6’3″ forward is a playmaker, first and foremost. He spent last year in Arizona, primarily with their AHL affiliate in Tucson. He posted eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points in 43 games for the Roadrunners, working out to the second-highest per-game production of his AHL career. His best offensive season came back in Stockton in 2021-22 when he placed fourth on the team with 25 goals and 48 points in 66 games.

A UFA last summer, Kirkland returned to Calgary on a two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $200K in the minors. He can spend up to 30 days on the NHL roster or play 10 games before he needs waivers to return to the Wranglers.

Rooney, 31, was in the lineup for Wednesday’s season opener against the Canucks but left the game in the first period after taking a heavy hit from Vancouver center J.T. Miller. He was listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury yesterday. The IR placement means he’ll miss seven days retroactive to the date of the injury, so he’s automatically been ruled out of their next three games. The soonest he’s eligible to return is Oct. 18 against the Kraken.

Rooney made 33 appearances last season after shoulder surgery delayed his debut until after the New Year. The fourth-line checker averaged 11:13 per game, posting three goals and an assist while laying 65 hits. They were all clean, as he only received one minor penalty all season. He’s logged time for the Wranglers in the past two seasons and could be a candidate to land on waivers if there isn’t a clear spot for him in the lineup upon his return.

Pacific Notes: Gavrikov, Kaliyev, Lavoie, Rooney

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The Los Angeles Kings already lost one underappreciated shutdown defenseman this summer in Matt Roy and they may be in danger of losing another. Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports the team is taking a ’wait-and-see’ approach with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and extension negotiations haven’t started.

Gavrikov has been exactly as advertised for the Kings since the organization acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022-23 season. He’s a regular shot blocker and has maintained solid defensive play despite starting 58.4% of his shifts in the defensive zone throughout his time in Los Angeles. Gavrikov signed a short two-year, $11.75MM extension with the Kings in 2023 hoping to earn a higher AAV in his age-30 season with the salary cap rising.

The good news for Los Angeles is that Gavrikov is the only meaningful free agent needing a new contract on the roster. Alex Laferriere and Arthur Kaliyev are set to hit restricted free agency next offseason but neither should eat into Gavrikov’s potential earnings.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Speaking of Kaliyev, the former top prospect isn’t expected back on the ice for another six to eight weeks (X Link). Kaliyev broke his collarbone early in training camp and is currently listed on the Kings’ injured reserve. A start in November/December isn’t ideal for Kaliyev as he looks to earn more responsibility in Los Angeles. He’s coming off the worst season of his career scoring seven goals and 15 points in 51 games last year.
  • Now on the waiver wire for the third time this week, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal believes the Edmonton Oilers may look to trade forward prospect Raphael Lavoie. Matheson shares correctly that Lavoie is in no-man land in the Oilers organization being too good for bottom six duties and not good enough to crack the top six. If Lavoie clears waivers tomorrow he will at least get a consistent role with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors but could see his name in an early trade to start the year.
  • Calgary Flames forward Kevin Rooney skated in only 1:03 of last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks after receiving a heavy check from J.T. Miller. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports Rooney is “doing well” but is still considered day-to-day. Calgary’s next game isn’t until Saturday night when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers and Rooney should be a game-time decision for that contest.

Flames Sign Kevin Rooney To Extension

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The Flames have inked pending UFA center Kevin Rooney to a one-year, $1.3MM extension, per a team announcement.

Rooney didn’t make his season debut until February 6th, missing the first four months of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He’s since slotted into Calgary’s fourth-line center role, recording one point in 13 games – though he hasn’t scored in 11 games – while averaging over 10-and-a-half minutes of ice time each game. Rooney also played in four AHL games during a conditioning stint, scoring one goal. It’s his first year back in a full-time NHL role after spending much of last season in the minors, playing in 51 AHL games and scoring 17 points. It was his first extended stint in the AHL since the 2018-19 season.

Rooney has totaled 240 career games in the NHL, scoring 25 goals and 47 points. He joined the Flames in free agency ahead of the 2022-23 season, signing a two-year, $2.6MM contract. His new deal keeps his cap hit the same, extending him through the end of next year. While the extension shows Calgary’s affinity for Rooney, he’ll still need to find an extra edge if he wants to maintain his lineup spot when Connor Zary and A.J. Greer return from injury, and Martin Pospisil returns from a suspension.

Calgary Flames Kevin Rooney Clears Waivers

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1/9: Rooney has cleared waivers and is awaiting assignment.

1/8: The Calgary Flames have placed forward Kevin Rooney on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move is a precursor to Rooney getting activated off of long-term injured reserve, as should he clear waivers the Flames would be able to activate him and assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.

In addition to this move, Sportsnet 960’s Patt Steinberg reports that forward Jakob Pelletier has been activated off of season-opening injured reserve and been assigned to the Wranglers. Pelletier is recovering from shoulder surgery, and now he can get into some AHL practices as part of that recovery. Long-term, the expectation is likely that Pelletier will return to the NHL level as that is where he scored seven points in 24 games last season.

As for Rooney, the six-foot-two veteran pivot was originally signed by the Flames to a $1.3MM AAV contract in order to serve as their fourth-line center. He’d filled that role admirably for the New York Rangers for the prior two seasons, and was fresh off of a run with the club to the Eastern Conference Final.

Rooney struggled in Calgary, and only played in 17 NHL games last season compared to 51 in the AHL. Now likely to be a Wrangler once again, the Flames will be tagged with $150k against the cap from Rooney’s deal as $1.15MM of the full $1.3MM total is considered “buried” when Rooney is on the AHL roster.

Flames’ Kevin Rooney Out Long-Term After Shoulder Surgery

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In addition to confirming young winger Jakob Pelletier underwent successful surgery today as planned, the Calgary Flames announced that forward Kevin Rooney also underwent a shoulder procedure and is out for the foreseeable future without a specific return timeline. Rooney will almost certainly begin the season on injured or long-term injured reserve, with the 2023-24 campaign commencing in six days.

Rooney sustained the shoulder injury in practice last Sunday after sliding awkwardly into the boards. Flames head coach Ryan Huska confirmed this morning, prior to Calgary’s announcement, that Rooney would be out longer-term.

It’s a disappointing start for Rooney, who was looking to regain traction in Calgary entering the second season of a two-year, $2.6MM contract. Initially expected to play a pivotal role on the team’s fourth line last season, Rooney fell far short of expectations and played just 17 contests for the Flames, posting just one assist. It earned him a demotion to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, where he played out the majority of the season. Things didn’t go much better for him there, as he posted just 17 points in 51 regular-season contests on one of the AHL’s best teams. His $1.3MM cap hit was not fully buriable in the minors, resulting in a $175K cap charge for the Flames while he was buried with the Wranglers.

Rooney had looked better coming into this season’s training camp, but today’s news means he won’t be on the opening night roster. That’s especially unfortunate, given Rooney was actually projected to start the season as the team’s fourth-line center – the team lost some minor depth this summer due to cap constraints. Instead, a younger centerman like 22-year-old Cole Schwindt (acquired from Florida in the Jonathan Huberdeau/Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster) or 2020 first-round pick Connor Zary could get a crack at centering the team’s fourth line to start the season.

If Rooney will be out long enough to qualify for LTIR, that could allow Calgary to carry an expanded roster to start the season. The team’s delicate cap situation was projected to force them to carry the bare minimum of 20 skaters to start the season, but with Rooney (and Pelletier) on LTIR, they could afford a pair of healthy extras to kick off the campaign.

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