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Marcus Johansson

Central Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Korchinski

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The Minnesota Wild have shared that  Jared Spurgeon (lower-body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) will both miss the team’s Tuesday night matchup against St. Louis. Forward Marcus Johansson is also questionable with an undisclosed injury, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, while both Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek also missed the team’s Sunday game.

Injury news hasn’t favored Minnesota through the early going. The absentees – Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek – stand as two of the most-utilized Wild skaters, each playing over 19 minutes of ice time in the team’s season debut. Eriksson Ek recorded an assist and three shots in the outing, while Spurgeon’s only recorded stat was a pair of shots. The duo are both pillars of Minnesota’s lineup, and they left big shoes to fill when they went down with injuries. The Wild responded by moving Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi into bigger roles on Sunday, though that outing resulted in an overtime loss to Winnipeg.

Minnesota now not only has to find fill-ins for a pair of top-liners, but could also need a replacement for Johansson’s spot on line-three. Johansson has recorded two points in three games through the early going – one of just five Wild with multiple points so far. It’ll be extra forward Travis Boyd who steps in, should Johansson be downgraded to out.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Colorado Avalanche also have a pair of injury updates, announcing that defender Devon Toews (lower-body) is hopeful for the team’s Wednesday game, while forward Jonathan Drouin (upper-body) has been ruled out, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Drouin seemed to suffer an injury in Colorado’s season opener last Wednesday, and has missed both games Colorado has played since. No specifics of his injury have been revealed. Toews also missed Colorado’s most recent game. The specifics of his injury are also unclear, especially with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. Oliver Kylington filled Toews’ role on the top-pair in his’ absence, and stands to continue garnering more minutes should the star sit out once again.
  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored a flashy, coast-to-coast goal in the AHL Rockford IceHogs’ season debut, leading to conversations about when Korchinski may be ready to return to the NHL. He played in 76 games on a deprived Blackhawks blue-line last season, but posted a less-than-inspiring 15 points and -39. That prompted Chicago to assign him to the minors to start this season, with Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson telling Scott Powers of The Athletic that the team hopes it’ll boost Korchinski’s confidence. Davidson acknowledged that the team may have asked too much of the rookie last season, and that building up his confidence will be top priority in the AHL. He told Powers, “You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level.” IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen agreed with Davidson, adding that he’s encouraging Korchinski to drive the puck downhill and challenge opposing forwards more. The 20-year-old defender certainly showed that ability with his inaugural AHL goal, and could be on a quick route back to the NHL roster once he gains the confidence to do that routinely.

Wild Notes: Mermis, Johansson, Eiserman

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Most of the Wild’s roster will be back next season. Only a select few players who ended the season with the team are free agents, and none of them were consistently in the lineup.

At least one of those expiring depth players won’t be back next season, though. That will be veteran depth defenseman Dakota Mermis, who will head elsewhere searching for a one-way contract, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports.

Set to hit unrestricted free agency for the third time next week, the 30-year-old Mermis played a career-high 47 games in 2023-24. It was his seventh season seeing NHL time, serving as a top-four minor-league option with depth recall potential for the Coyotes, Devils and Wild since making his debut in the 2017-18 season.

An undrafted free agent signing by Arizona in 2015, 64% of Mermis’ NHL experience came this season. He cleared waivers to begin the campaign and wasn’t on the opening night roster, beginning the season with AHL Iowa, but was recalled a week later with injuries affecting the Minnesota blue line and was shuffled between leagues over the next two months.

Mermis then remained in the NHL for the balance of the season after a recall on Dec. 14. He averaged 14:15 per game for the Wild, adding three goals and eight points with a -2 rating. He’s not the biggest frame in the world (6’0″, 195 lbs) but plays a physical game and has plenty of leadership experience in the AHL, where he’s served as a captain for two seasons and an alternate captain for four.

The Illinois native’s possession numbers were solid, controlling 49.5% of shot attempts and 47.9% of expected goals at even strength, per Hockey Reference. After logging minor-league time in eight of his nine professional seasons, he’ll look to land a full-time NHL look, likely as a team’s extra defender.

Elsewhere out of the State of Hockey:

  • Forward Marcus Johansson could be a trade candidate this summer with the Wild looking to optimize their limited cap space, posits Harman Dayal of The Athletic. The 14-year veteran has one season left on his contract at an only mildly consequential $2MM cap hit, but he struggled last season with 11 goals, 30 points and a -15 rating in 78 games while again averaging over 15 minutes per game. However, he holds a full no-trade clause that significantly complicates any potential move. Entering the summer, the Wild do have $6.25MM in projected cap space with a nearly full roster size of 19, per CapFriendly.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and FloHockey’s Chris Peters spoke to The Athletic’s Joe Smith about options for the Wild with their no. 13 overall pick in this week’s draft. U.S. National Team Development Program goal-scoring record-breaker Cole Eiserman, who we mocked to Minnesota in our 2024 Mock Draft, was among the players discussed.

West Notes: Hronek, Johansson, Firstov, Blackhawks

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With Elias Pettersson’s extension now in place, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin can shift his focus to signing his other key pending restricted free agent.  Speaking with Sportsnet 650 (audio link), Allvin confirmed that the team has offered an extension to defenseman Filip Hronek.  His first full season with Vancouver has been a successful one as the 26-year-old has already set career highs in assists (40) and points (45) while averaging a little under 24 minutes a night.  Hronek is owed a qualifying offer of $5.28MM but stands to earn considerably more than that on a long-term deal this summer with arbitration rights.  Hronek is only one year away from UFA eligibility so if these discussions don’t go well, he could simply elect to file for arbitration, take the award, and look to test the open market in 2025.

More from the West:

  • Wild forward Marcus Johansson skated at practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. The issue has held him out of the lineup for the last three games and it’s not yet known if that stretch will be extended as head coach John Hynes was unsure of Johansson’s availability for tomorrow.  The 33-year-old has 27 points in 61 games so far this season.
  • Still with the Wild, The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes (Twitter link) that prospect Vladislav Firstov’s KHL season has ended, suggesting that he could now return to AHL Iowa. The 22-year-old is in the second season of his entry-level deal but has spent pretty much that entire time at the KHL level with Torpedo.  This season, Firstov had 17 goals and 18 assists in 67 regular season games and while he’s unlikely to join Minnesota (unlike Marat Khusnutdinov whose NHL debut is likely to come this week), he could benefit from simply getting in some AHL contests.
  • The Blackhawks were quiet at the trade deadline as expected. However, they weren’t involved as a third-party salary retainer, a move that caught some by surprise.  GM Kyle Davidson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that while he received some inquiries from teams about playing that role, he felt the late-round picks on the table weren’t worth losing the flexibility.  While those slots likely would have reset in July when free agency came around, the Blackhawks now will have the ability to retain on a pair of trades at draft time if that helps to bring in an extra asset or two.

Western Notes: Wild, Oilers, Podkolzin, Foudy

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The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Marcus Johansson on injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s Saturday game against the St. Louis Blues. Johansson has since missed the team’s last two games, and will now be out until at least Sunday. Minnesota has recalled forward Adam Beckman from the AHL in a corresponding move.

Johansson, 33, has managed nine goals and 27 points in 61 games this season. It’s his third season spending time with Minnesota, joining the team via trade last season, with Minnesota sending a 2024 third-round pick to the Washington Capitals in return. He also played 36 games for Minnesota during the shortened 2020-21 season. Johansson has totaled 117 career games with the Wild, the second-most he’s played for any team. He has 21 goals and 59 points across those games – bringing his career totals up to 480 points in 894 games.

Johansson is signed through the 2024-25 season, riding out a two-year, $4MM contract extension signed at the end of last season. The new deal will carry him through his age-35 season and carries a $2MM cap hit. His absence will make room for Beckman’s return to the NHL. The 22-year-old winger has been called up twice this season, though he’s yet to play in his first NHL game of the season. He’s instead played 48 games in the AHL, serving as an alternate captain for the Iowa Wild and scoring 29 points. Beckman made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season, and has since totaled 12 games in the league, though he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent young winger Dylan Holloway and veteran Sam Gagner to the AHL. Gagner had to clear waivers for the loan, while Holloway maintains waiver exemption. The pair have each slotted into a handful of NHL games this season, with Gagner scoring 10 points in 27 games and Holloway managing four points in 32 games. These moves make both Holloway and Gagner eligible to play in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Holloway has appeared in four AHL games this season, scoring four points, while Gagner has played in three games and scored five points.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled winger Vasily Podkolzin, after sending him to the minor leagues on Wednesday. He appeared in two games during his previous recall, recording one shot and no other stat changes while averaging roughly 10 minutes of ice time. The two games marked Podkolzin’s first NHL appearances of the season, with the 22-year-old spending much of the year in the minor leagues, where he’s put up 15 goals and 28 points in 44 games.  Podkolzin recorded 120 NHL games over the last two seasons, scoring a combined 33 points. He’ll likely serve as an extra forward for Vancouver.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Jean-Luc Foudy to the AHL, just hours after after he scored his first NHL goal. Foudy’s season started late, with the forward grappling with a lower-body injury until mid January. He’s since played in 12 AHL games, scoring six points, and one NHL game. The 21-year-old’s appearance with the Avalanche brings his career totals up to 10 games – with his first career goal also marking the first point of his career.

West Notes: Predators, Wild, Kunin, Eklund

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With the Predators hanging around the playoff race, it’s unlikely they’ll be significant buyers or sellers by Friday’s trade deadline.  However, that doesn’t mean they won’t be active on the trade front.  Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that the team has made it known that they’re open to weaponizing their cap space – more than $37MM available on deadline day, per CapFriendly – to add assets.  That could come in the form of being a third-party retainer although they only have one retention slot left.  Alternatively, they could take on an undesirable contract or two while adding future assets in return for taking those on.  If they’re willing to do so, GM Barry Trotz will undoubtedly have some teams calling him to see what the price of that might be.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Wild were without a pair of wingers for their game tonight against San Jose. The team announced (Twitter link) that Mats Zuccarello was out for personal reasons.  The 36-year-old is hovering near the point-per-game mark this year with 50 points in his first 52 appearances.  Meanwhile, NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce adds (Twitter link) that winger Marcus Johansson is dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup.  Johansson isn’t producing at the rate he was down the stretch last season but still has 27 points in 61 games.
  • Sharks forward Luke Kunin has been speculated as a possible trade candidate before Friday’s deadline. However, he told San Jose Hockey Now’s Josh Frojelin that he’s hoping to stay with the team although he acknowledged there haven’t been any discussions about an extension so far.  It has been a rough year for the 26-year-old who has just eight goals and four assists in 54 games.  Owed a $3MM qualifying offer, he currently profiles as a possible non-tender candidate in June.
  • Still with the Sharks, they announced (Twitter link) that forward William Eklund was scratched from tonight’s game due to illness. The 21-year-old is in his first full season at the NHL level and has fared relatively well, all things considered.  Eklund has 10 goals and 17 assists through 59 games so far and while those numbers don’t jump off the board, they’re good for third on San Jose in scoring.

Morning Notes: Werenski, Johansson, Pietrangelo

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As reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Columbus Blue Jackets franchise defenseman Zach Werenski exited last night’s game after suffering a quad contusion. Werenski was injured on an apparent knee-to-knee collision with Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway, and Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent told reporters that Werenski’s injury is not believed to be one that will cause a long-term absence.

This development is extremely unfortunate, as Werenski, 26, was limited to just 13 games played last season due to injury. Although this injury may not keep Werenski out “long-term,” it is not clear exactly when he’ll be able to return to the ice for Columbus. That alone is a major blow for the club, as Werenski is the best player in an organization dripping with desperation to return to the playoffs after a nightmarish 2022-23 campaign. In what is expected to be a cutthroat Metropolitan Division playoff race, the Blue Jackets will have to hope Werenski can return to full health quickly so they can avoid falling behind.

  • Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson left last night’s season opener with an apparent injury after being “crumpled into the boards” by Florida Panthers rookie defenseman Uvis Balinskis. Per The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Wild head coach Dean Evason did not give any update on Johansson’s status postgame. Russo surmised that a Johansson absence might force the Wild to either run seven defensemen for their next game, swap Dakota Mermis off their roster for a cheap call-up from the AHL’s Iowa Wild, or play a man short.
  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had a scary moment during last night’s season-opening victory against the San Jose Sharks, one where he took a Nic Hague shot up high. The result, as reported by The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, was that Pietrangelo was bleeding “a lot.” Granger adds that Pietrangelo was able to “skate off” the ice and “seemed fine” given the circumstances, so perhaps that painful moment from last night’s game won’t end up having any more lasting implications for Pietrangelo’s health.

Minnesota Wild Sign Marcus Johansson To Extension

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A few short days after their season came to its conclusion at the hands of the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have announced they will be bringing back forward Marcus Johansson into the fold. The contract will be a 2-year, $4MM contract, extending Johansson through the 2024-25 season.

In his second tenure with the Wild, Johansson was a critical forward down the stretch in Minnesota’s playoff hunt. After being acquired from the Washington Capitals at this year’s trade deadline, Johansson played in 20 games, scoring six goals and 12 assists. Just as importantly, Johansson brought his career exceptional possession numbers, providing the Wild a Corsi For % of 52.2.

Heading into this year’s offseason, Minnesota was going to find itself in an increasingly difficult salary cap situation. Due to the past buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the cap penalty will increase from $6.37MM per player to $7.37MM per player, taking almost $15MM away from the Wild’s available cap. Even after signing Johansson, Minnesota still has five players headed for unrestricted free agency (three forwards, and two defensemen) and five players headed toward restricted free agency (three forwards, one defenseman, and one goalie).

Up to this point, taking into account the massive cap penalty given to the Wild due to their past buyouts, General Manager Bill Guerin has done a good job assembling a roster worthy enough to get into the playoffs almost year-in-and-year-out. He will have to continue to remain creative throughout this process, and bringing back Johansson on a relatively cheap contract is one way to get that started.

Wild Notes: Johansson, Eriksson Ek, Sundqvist, Petan

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The Wild are hopeful that winger Marcus Johansson will be available for the start of their first-round series against Dallas, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  The veteran was injured earlier in the week on a cross-check from Winnipeg blueliner Neal Pionk but head coach Dean Evason indicated that while the 32-year-old is sore, nothing is broken.  Johansson’s second stint with Minnesota has been quite successful as he had six goals and 12 assists in 20 games after being acquired from Washington just before the trade deadline.  He returned to practice with the team today which is a positive sign for him being able to suit up on Monday.

More from Minnesota:

  • Center Joel Eriksson Ek skated before practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, notes Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has missed a little over a week since suffering the injury against Pittsburgh.  Eriksson Ek was given a week-to-week designation so it seems unlikely that he’ll be ready for Monday’s season opener.  His absence is a significant one as not only is he their matchup center against top opponents but he also finished fourth in team scoring, surpassing the 60-point mark for the first time in his career.
  • Forward Oskar Sundqvist also skated today for the first time since suffering also a lower-body injury against Pittsburgh last week, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 29-year-old was acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline and had made a good first impression with Minnesota, collecting three goals and four assists in 15 games before the injury.  It’s unclear at this point if he’ll be good to go to start the series against Dallas but he has not yet been ruled out for Game One.
  • The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nic Petan cleared waivers today, enabling them to return him to AHL Iowa. Petan played his tenth game of the season Thursday, meaning that he had to pass through waivers to get back to the minors.  The 28-year-old has had another strong season at the AHL level, tallying 60 points in 51 games heading into the final weekend.

Neal Pionk Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine For Cross-Checking

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5,000 for cross-checking Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson during a heated game between the two teams last night, the NHL Department of Player Safety said Wednesday morning. This is the maximum allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The incident occurred late in the third period of the game, which the Jets won 3-1. Pionk received a major penalty for cross-checking Johansson, but the league felt that the infraction deserved further punishment.

Johansson was in obvious discomfort after the play, which caused him to fall to the ice. His injury status is currently unknown.

The game between the Jets and the Wild was a physical affair, with other incidents drawing the attention of the league. Wild forward Ryan Hartman is facing a potential suspension for a hit on Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, which occurred earlier in the game. The league is expected to make a ruling on Hartman’s status later today.

The decision to hold a hearing for one incident but not the other is sure to draw ire from some. Both incidents had some perceived level of intent, depending on who you ask, and both resulted in potential injuries to the opposing players.

Minnesota Wild Acquire Marcus Johansson

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Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been clear that he thinks his group deserves an addition at the deadline, and now he’s made one. The Wild have acquired Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick.

This is Johansson’s second stint with Minnesota, though he may still have nightmares about his first go-round. After being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in 2020, the versatile forward would play 36 games for the Wild during the regular season before breaking his arm in a game three playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Surgery and a seven-game elimination followed, ending his time with Minnesota prematurely. Johansson will get to rewrite history this time, joining the Wild ahead of another playoff run.

With a bit of a rebound after some disappointing seasons, Johansson has 13 goals and 28 points in 60 games for the Capitals this season. The left-shot forward can play center in a pinch, and adds another capable NHL option to the Minnesota lineup—one that currently leans heavily on one line to do most of the heavy lifting. Johansson’s goal and point totals would put him fifth on the Wild, who have gotten little production from players like Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway.

For Washington, expiring contracts are must-trades unless an extension is possible. The club has already thrown in the towel on this season by trading long-time defender Dmitry Orlov, and might as well sell off anything else that’s not tied down.

Getting a third-round pick for Johansson is a nice return, though it should be pointed out that they invested more than just the one-year, $1.1MM contract he is currently playing on. Last year at this time, it was Washington trading for him at the deadline, sending Daniel Sprong and two draft picks (a fourth and a sixth) to the Seattle Kraken. This is the fifth time he has been traded in his career, and the third at the deadline.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN broke news of the deal on Twitter.

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