Afternoon Notes: Quick To Make Vegas Debut, Bjorkstrand Practices
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Jonathan Quick is set to make his team debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, according to NHL.com.
Just as the hockey world began trying to envision Quick in a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey, he was flipped again to Vegas, a team the Los Angeles Kings likely would not have dealt him to. Quick will provide veteran leadership for rookie goalie Logan Thompson, who has shined this season in the absence of Robin Lehner. Thompson carries a .914 save percentage and 2.66 GAA with 20 wins in 36 games for Vegas, earning his first All-Star nod.
Quick has had a bit of a fall from grace in recent years, and has struggled this season, with a 3.50 GAA and .876 save percentage in 31 games, a far cry from his days as the stalwart for a defensively stingy Kings team.
“I can’t get into his head and what it means to him, but he’s here because he still wants to play,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy told NHL.com on Saturday. “He feels he can help the team win. I do know that, 100 percent. He’ll get that opportunity this little bit.”
More notes from around the NHL this afternoon:
- Seattle Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand participated in the morning skate on Sunday after leaving Friday’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets with a lower-body injury, according to Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times. Bjorkstrand recorded an assist in his return to Columbus on Friday for the first time since being traded to the Kraken. Bjorkstrand has 33 points in 62 games for Seattle, as the Kraken head toward their first playoff appearance in franchise history.
West Notes: Kane, Landeskog, Thompson
Rumors are flying surrounding Patrick Kane and whether he’ll be traded before the March 3rd deadline, with many speculating that the New York Rangers could be his preferred destination. Such speculation may need to hold off for a little while, though, as it still seems as though Kane hasn’t yet made a decision on his future. Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, confirmed as much to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, stating that “Patrick hasn’t made any decision at this point.”
Tonight has already featured a significant trade, with the Boston Bruins acquiring two key veterans from the Washington Capitals. Kane could end up the star of this trade deadline season, but seeing as he is in full control of his playing future, any developments will come on a timeline he prefers. We still have a little bit of time before the trade deadline fully hits, although it is definitely possible that the longer he waits, the more likely it is that potentially interested contending teams decide they need to play things safe and explore backup plans.
- On TSN’s Insider Trading program, LeBrun reported that Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog‘s true timeline in his return from injury remains “unclear.” The Avalanche do not yet have a firm sense of when he’ll be ready to return to the lineup, and that uncertainty has major trade deadline implications. As long as there remains the possibility of Landeskog returning in this regular season, the Avalanche cannot use Landeskog’s salary on long-term injured reserve to add to their roster, since they would not have the cap space to activate Landeskog once healthy. If nothing else, the Avalanche will be hoping for some more clarity on Landeskog’s timeline in these next few days so they can really shore up their deadline plans.
- Vegas Golden Knights netminder Logan Thompson has been placed on injured reserve, as reported by the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster. Thompson has been out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, so this news should come as no surprise. What it does do is make Thompson’s injury absence official from a roster perspective, clearing a spot on the 23-man unit for the team to work with.
Logan Thompson Out Week-To-Week, Vegas Recalls Laurent Brossoit
Vegas Golden Knights All-Star netminder Logan Thompson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun. The team announced Saturday morning that Laurent Brossoit has been recalled from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights to stand in.
Thompson, 25, has been one of the best feel-good stories in the NHL over the past calendar year. Taking over the starting role late last season, Thompson played exceptionally well as the injury-stricken Golden Knights battled to make the playoffs but ultimately failed. It’s a different story this year, as Thompson, now the full-time starter, has the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division lead with a .914 save percentage and a 20-13-3 record in 36 games.
Thompson was credited with winning Vegas’ 5-1 win against the Wild Thursday but left the game early in the third period. Moving to his left, attempting to make a save on a flurry of plays, he appeared to strain something in his left leg and was helped off the ice.
In the interim, the starting role now falls to Adin Hill, who’s had an inconsistent first year in Vegas. He’s been on the upswing lately, though, a good sign for a Golden Knights team that can’t fall back in a tight Pacific race. Hill has a .909 save percentage and an 11-5-1 record in 20 games.
Brossoit comes up from Henderson after slipping to third on Vegas’ goalie depth chart after backing up Robin Lehner for most of last season. Injured to start the 2022-23 season, he was waived and assigned to Henderson after the strong play of Thompson and Hill. Now in his potential first NHL opportunity this season, Brossoit has two shutouts, a .909 save percentage, and an 8-11-3 record in the minors.