Metropolitan Notes: Hall, Palmieri, Samsonov, Tavares
On top of still missing winger Marcus Johansson (who was transferred to injured reserve today) and winger Kyle Palmieri who isn’t ready to return just yet, the Devils will also be without the services of Taylor Hall for their next game on Thursday night, reports Andrew Gross of The Record. Hall has been diagnosed with a right knee contusion after a collision with Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid on Tuesday and while tests revealed no structural damage, he did not travel with the team to Montreal for Thursday’s contest. He has been listed as day-to-day.
As for Palmieri, Gross reports that the winger expects to be in a walking boot for at least another week. While he has started skating with the Devils recently (and did make the trip to skate with the team again tomorrow), it appears he’ll be out for several more games at the very least.
More from the Metropolitan:
- On the heels of Tuesday’s report that Capitals GM Brian MacLellan was in Moscow to speak to top goalie prospect Ilya Samsonov about signing for next season, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link) that it’s reasonably safe to believe that Samsonov will be on an NHL contract for 2018-19. The 20-year-old, Washington’s first-round pick in 2015, is off to a slower start to his season with a .909 SV% in 17 KHL games but is still viewed as one of the top goalie prospects in the league, if not the best. If management shares the same belief that Samsonov will be able to sign, it will be interesting to see if they make current backup Philipp Grubauer available between now and the trade deadline or if they wait until Samsonov officially signs before doing so.
- Although Islanders center John Tavares is expected to vastly surpass his $5.5MM cap hit on his next contract, Rob Vollman of ESPN argues that in terms of what he’s expected to provide moving forward, his next deal should be close to $8MM per season despite some of the bigger deals handed out to other top pivots. However, with front-line centers in short supply and extremely high demand, many teams won’t hesitate to go higher than that and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him hit the $10MM mark on his next deal. Tavares is slated to become a UFA on July 1st and projects to be the top player available in that free agent class.
Snapshots: Simmonds, Palmieri, Coyotes
While Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds has been mentioned in trade speculation lately, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman cautioned on a radio appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link) that it’s unlikely at this point that he will be dealt. For starters, he has been playing through an injury which certainly doesn’t help his value. Friedman also notes that some teams believe that Philadelphia will do everything they can to avoid trading him which would make a move like that more of a last resort.
Simmonds is signed through next season at a very club-friendly $3.975MM cap hit (with a 12-team no-trade clause). He’s bound to get a major raise on the open market and with the Flyers having Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek on significant deals up front long-term, there’s no guarantee that the team will be able to afford to keep him around on a big-ticket contract as well which presents Philly with a case to move him before then. Despite not being fully healthy, Simmonds is still off to a good start to his season with 18 points (10-8-18) through 29 games.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Devils winger Kyle Palmieri has resumed skating in recent days as he continues to recover from a broken foot, notes Andrew Gross of The Record. The injury was sustained on November 20th with a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks so it appears he’ll have a chance to return to the lineup near the shorter end of that span. When he has been healthy this season, Palmieri has been quite effective, notching five goals and four assists in 13 games.
- The Coyotes have flipped goaltending coaches between their NHL and AHL affiliates, reports Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. Jon Elkin, who has been Arizona’s goalie coach since being hired in the summer of 2015, will now oversee their minor league netminders while Corey Schwab, a veteran of 147 career NHL appearances, takes over on the NHL side.
Kyle Palmieri Out “Weeks” With Broken Foot
The New Jersey Devils have been one of this season’s biggest early surprises, currently tied for first in the tough Metropolitan Division in which they finished last in 2016-17. However, things are about to get a bit more difficult. The team has survived the absences of Marcus Johansson and Travis Zajac for stretches of time, but now they’ll have to make due without last season’s team-leading goal scorer. The team announced this morning that Kyle Palmieri will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken foot.
Ironically, the team also played through a short-term loss of Palmieri this season due to none other than a foot injury. While his right foot is the one currently broken, it was his left foot that was injured last month and cost him six games. However, even the low end of his potential recovering time would cause him to miss far more than just six games.
The team reports that Palmieri suffered the injury while blocking a shot in the team’s 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. Yet, Palmieri returned to that game and played through the extra time needed to get the win. Not only is Palmieri a valued scorer, he is also a tough, well-rounded two-way player. While the Devils have been surging, they struggle to shoot enough and haven’t been getting enough defensive effort from the forward corps. The loss of Palmieri will surely be felt in both of these departments.
Injury Notes: Devils, Sabres, Maple Leafs
The New Jersey Devils have activated Kyle Palmieri from injured reserve, and could get him back in the lineup for the first time since October 20th. Palmieri had been dealing with a lower-body injury, which derailed what was an excellent start to the season. The 26-year old had seven points in his first seven games, and looked well on his way to a third straight 50-point season.
To make room, the Devils have moved Marcus Johansson to IR with his concussion issues. His stint is retroactive to November 1st when he last played, meaning he is eligible to come off as soon as he’s ready to play. Johansson left after crashing hard into the boards on his first shift of a game against the Vancouver Canucks, and hasn’t played since.
- Buffalo Sabres head coach Phil Housley has updated Rasmus Ristolainen‘s injury, now calling the defender week-to-week in his recovery. The team should get Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Gorges back soon, but missing Ristolainen for any length of time is a big hit to the Sabres defense corps. The 23-year old was originally day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but it’s unclear now when he’ll return to the team. With Buffalo sitting at 5-8-2 on the season, a loss of their best defenseman for very long could put them in an impossible hole.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t have Auston Matthews at practice again as he continues to deal with his upper-body injury, but there were also two conspicuous absences. Jake Gardiner and Frederik Andersen were both given what have been called maintenance days according to Kristen Shilton of TSN. Andersen took a blow to his blocking hand in last night’s game that was reminiscent of the injury to Roberto Luongo earlier this year, but stayed in the game to earn the Maple Leafs the win. For a team that was so injury-free last season, any lengthy absence from a single member of that trio would be something new to overcome. They’ll be careful not to aggravate any minor injury.
East Notes: Smith, Palmieri, Sabres Defensemen
Brendan Smith’s first full season with the Rangers has not gone as expected. After being a top-four option down the stretch and in the playoffs, he has been a healthy scratch for four straight games and six times already this season. That’s not good for someone that the team committed four years and $17.4MM to back in June. Neither side has to be thrilled with how things have gone so far making it fair to wonder if there could already be buyer’s or seller’s remorse from New York or Smith.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post spoke with Smith’s agent, Anton Thun, who made it clear that the Rangers’ defender has no regret about signing despite the lack of playing time: “I’m not sure who’s the buyer and who’s the seller in this case, but there are no regrets at all from Smitty. And while I don’t want to speak for the Rangers, I talk to Jeff (Gorton) pretty regularly and I’ve never gotten that impression from him. This is where he wanted to be and this is where he wants to be.”
Other news and notes from the East:
- The Devils are expected to activate winger Kyle Palmieri off injured reserve in advance of Thursday’s game against Edmonton, North Jersey’s Andrew Gross reports. He could possibly take the place of center Pavel Zacha in the lineup as the 20-year-old skated as the 13th forward in practice. While New Jersey will need to make a move to bring Palmieri back, they have yet to place Marcus Johansson (concussion) on IR so that should open up a roster spot without affecting any of their currently-healthy players.
- The Sabres could get defenseman Josh Gorges back this weekend, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The veteran has missed the last eight games due to a lower-body injury and Buffalo could certainly use some healthy bodies on their injury-riddled back end. Fellow rearguard Nathan Beaulieu is also making progress on his lower-body issue although there’s no timetable for his return. Meanwhile, blueliner Matt Tennyson is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury.
Metropolitan Notes: Bratt, Calvert, Letang, Wennberg
A lot has been made this season of the impressive play of the New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt, who has gone from a training camp surprise to a major piece to the team’s success in a couple of months. The 19-year-old winger, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2016, shouldn’t be this successful at this point in his career, but the youngster has really improved in a short amount of time since coming over from Sweden this offseason.
Now with injuries to Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson as well as the training camp injury to Travis Zajac, the team needs Bratt more than ever, who has now moved to the team’s second line, according to The Record’s Andrew Gross. He currently has five goals and six assists in 12 games. His ability to adapt quickly has impressed his teammates and coaches.
“I think he’s really been able to come in and fill a role in your quote-unquote top six but power play, penalty kill,” coach John Hynes said. “That’s a big void, without Kyle, without Johansson, without Travis, not only are those guys huge factors five on five but they all play such a key element on special teams, both power play and penalty kill. Jesper’s come in and done a good job. I think he’s alleviated some of those losses.”
- Columbus Blue Jackets’ Matt Calvert has left the team’s road trip and is returning to Columbus after sustaining a big hit in the third period of Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required). He is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. The injury came when Lightning defender Dan Girardi knocked Calvert off his skates with a shoulder-to-shoulder hit that knocked his helmet off and slammed him into the boards.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins defensive combination of Kris Letang and Olli Matta had to be broken up Saturday in their 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks as the pair struggled together. In fact, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette’s Jason Mackey, Letang struggled immensely in the game and was on the ice for all four goals against. He now has a minus-16 plus/minus rating this season, which is way below average for the 30-year-old veteran. Maatta is at minus-five.
- Columbus Blue Jackets’ Alexander Wennberg‘s struggles to put the puck in the net continue as he now has had just two goals in 34 games dating back to last season, according to The Hockey Writers Mark Scheig. Wennberg, who had a promising season last year with 13 goals and 46 assists has just one goal in eight games this season. While the 23-year-old is more of a passer, the team could use more goals from the third-year center.
Metropolitan Notes: Johansson, Palmieri, Bailey, Samsonov
Devils forward Marcus Johansson has been diagnosed with a concussion, head coach John Hynes confirmed to reporters, including The Record’s Andrew Gross. The injury was sustained on Wednesday against the Oilers and there is no timetable for his return; the team is calling him out indefinitely. Johansson, New Jersey’s most prominent offseason acquisition, is off to a decent start with his new team, posting three goals and two assists through ten games.
The Devils do have some good news on the injury front, however, Winger Kyle Palmieri resumed skating on Thursday and also took to the ice on Friday as he continues to work towards a return from his lower-body injury. He’s currently on injured reserve but when he gets the green light to return, it’s likely that they’ll simply place Johansson on IR to free up the roster spot.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:
- While Islanders captain John Tavares has drawn all of the attention, the team is facing the prospect of another high-scoring forward hitting free agency this summer. Winger Josh Bailey is off to a flying start this season with 16 points through 13 games, good for a tie for seventh in league-wide scoring. While it doesn’t appear that there are ongoing talks of a new deal currently, GM Garth Snow noted on an appearance with Sirius XM NHL Radio (audio link) that they do intend to try to sign him to another long-term contract. Bailey is in the final year of a five-year, $16MM pact signed back in 2013 and is positioning himself well for a nice raise on his next deal.
- Capitals prospect Ilya Samsonov has been diagnosed with a concussion, notes J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington. The 20-year-old is widely considered to be one of the top goaltending prospects in the league after a strong showing in the KHL and at the World Juniors last season. His 2017-18 campaign isn’t off to as strong a start though as he has posted a 2.78 GAA and a .912 SV% through his first 16 games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, well off the marks of 2.13 and .936 he played to last year.
Kyle Palmieri Officially Moved To IR, Brian Boyle To Make Debut
The New Jersey Devils will see Brian Boyle make his debut tonight after they activated him from season-opening injured reserve. The team has moved Kyle Palmieri to injured reserve to make room. Boyle will be playing in his first game since being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia just prior to the season, a condition that was caught early enough to battle with medication. Boyle was signed in the offseason to a two-year, $5.5MM contract after spending last year with Tampa Bay and Toronto.
In what should be an incredibly emotional night, Boyle will suit up against the Vancouver Canucks and is expected to play left wing on the fourth line beside Miles Wood and Blake Coleman. Amazingly, his debut comes on the first day of Hockey Fights Cancer month, in which the entire league helps to raise awareness and funds for fighting the disease. Boyle will surely be front and center the entire month, along with Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson‘s wife Nicholle, who will be one of the spokespeople for the NHL’s movement.
Palmieri’s IR stint is retroactive to October 22nd, when he injured his foot in practice. As Andrew Gross of The Record reports, Palmieri hasn’t skated since the incident. While Boyle certainly doesn’t fill his shoes offensively, he’ll help fill out some of the depth that was missing in Palmieri’s absence.
Snapshots: Vanek, Gostisbehere, Palmieri
Thomas Vanek has been used to playing big minutes his entire career. He was used to playing between 16-18 minutes. Then he came to the Vancouver Canucks, where suddenly his minutes have dropped dramatically in head coach Travis Green‘s rewards-based system. Now he’s averaging 13:33 worth of time with some days getting quite a bit more and others, quite a bit less, but Vanek just finds himself working harder to make sure he gets his minutes, according to Ben Kuzma of The Province.
The scribe writes that Green’s system in which he rewards players who are playing well and penalizes them when they make mistakes is working in Vancouver as Green’s style is being compared to that of legendary New York Islanders’ coach Al Arbour. And it’s that style of coaching that has Green’s Canucks boasting a 6-3-1 start.
As for Vanek, his numbers have fluctuated a lot, which has a lot to do with his success or lack thereof. Kuzma wrote that Vanek has always been that player where you get a mixed bag from and that shows. The 33-year-old wing, however, did score his fourth goal of the season for Vancouver Thursday in their 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals, but still only got 11:48 of ice time.
“The best coaches I’ve had, it goes two ways,” Vanek said. “You need the trust from him and he needs the trust from you. The biggest thing is honesty. Greener has done a real good job of that and we’re winning, so the message is sent well. But talk to any player. You want to be around that 15- or 16-minute mark. Right now, that’s not happening so you just try to make the most of what you get.”
- Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager Ron Hextall announced that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is out for the game with an upper-body injury after sustaining a big hit against the boards from Toronto’s Leo Komarov in the second period. While the hit received no attention from the referees, the general belief is that it will be reviewed by the NHL tomorrow. If Gostisbehere can’t play on Monday, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi tweets that Samuel Morin will likely be brought in to help the team.
- Andrew Gross of The Record tweets that New Jersey Devils winger Kyle Palmieri is day-to-day with an injured left foot. He will be re-evaluated on Monday. The 26-year-old hasn’t skated since Oct. 22 and may not be able to go on the team’s upcoming road trip. However, Gross tweets that the team will not necessarily call anyone up, because Brian Boyle might be ready soon.
Morning Notes: Reinhart, Palmieri, Jagr
The Buffalo Sabres have struggled mightily through the first few games of the 2017-18 season, and head coach Phil Housley has already decided to shake things up. The team had a distinctly different look at practice today, with Zemgus Girgensons moving up to the first line with Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart moving back to the wing.
The team had hoped Reinhart would take the center position and run with it this year, now entering his third full season in the league. The 21-year old has won just seven of twenty faceoffs in the first three games, and finds himself a -6 on the year already. For now, he’ll skate beside Johan Larsson and try to prove that he can be relied upon at both ends of the rink.
- The New Jersey Devils will have Kyle Palmieri back in the lineup tonight when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, lengthening out their already impressive lineup. The Devils have been much better than anticipated to start the year, with players like Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt making immediate impacts. Palmieri will jump back on the top line with Pavel Zacha and Taylor Hall, pushing everyone else down a peg. The Devils are 2-0 in the young season, but will have to contend with Toronto’s firepower tonight in a battle of unbeaten teams.
- Last, but certainly not least, Jaromir Jagr is set to make his Calgary Flames debut according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. Jagr took some time to get accustomed to the Flames system after signing just before the season began, but will now jump into game action against the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames, considered contenders in the Western Conference, are off to a 2-1 start but have scored just eight goals in three games. Jagr’s addition should spark the offense some, and make the Flames a tough team to matchup against.