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Max Pacioretty

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Pacioretty, Oshie

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With the Devils missing Dougie Hamilton for the foreseeable future, many expect them to make a move to shore up their back end, even with Simon Nemec coming up from AHL Utica for the time being.  ESPN’s Kevin Weekes suggests (Twitter link) that their desired piece is someone who plays a different style than Hamilton.  Instead of another offensively-skilled blueliner, Weekes feels that New Jersey wants a stabilizer on the back end, one who could play a physical game and block shots, surmising that Calgary’s Chris Tanev could be the type of player they’re looking for.  Even with Hamilton on the shelf, they do have some offensive upside from the back end with Luke Hughes and John Marino in the fold so it certainly makes sense for New Jersey to be looking for a different type of complementary player.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Capitals winger Max Pacioretty skated daily last week as he continues his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, relays NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). However, the veteran is still at least two weeks away from returning according to head coach Spencer Carbery.  Pacioretty signed a one-year contract with Washington this summer, one that carries a base cap hit of $2MM while he can add up to $2MM more in games played incentives.  He was limited to just five games last season but had 37 points in 39 appearances in 2021-22 with Vegas.  When he returns, Washington will be hoping he can get back to that level of production.
  • Still with the Capitals, Gulitti relays in a separate tweet that winger T.J. Oshie took part in practice today in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. The next step is a full skate in a contact sweater which could come tomorrow, paving the way for a return as soon as Saturday.  Oshie has missed the last couple of weeks with that injury after a particularly rough start to his campaign as he has just one goal and one assist in his first 17 games.

Capitals Notes: Fehervary, Oshie, Pacioretty, Edmundson

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Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post is reporting that Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary didn’t practice this morning and will not play in tomorrow night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery also told reporters that Fehervary is a maybe for Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fehervary is currently on injured reserve and wouldn’t have been eligible to return tomorrow even if he was healthy enough to play but is eligible to play Saturday if he can. The 24-year-old has had a decent start to the year and has been very good on the Capitals’ penalty kill. While he has just two assists in 12 games, he has been much more effective at even strength this year despite starting most of his shifts in the defensive zone.

In other Capitals notes:

  • Bailey Johnson also reported that Capitals forward T.J. Oshie took a maintenance day today and did not practice with the team. Oshie has had a brutal start to the season with just one assist in 13 games thus far and it appears the Capitals are hoping that some rest can help kickstart some offense for the 36-year-old. Oshie has seen over three minutes of powerplay time per game this season which is about the same average time he saw last year, but even with the work on the first powerplay unit he has been unable to find the back of the net.
  • The NHL Network’s Tarik El-Bashir is reporting that Capitals forward Max Pacioretty skated on his own this morning before the team’s practice as he attempts to ramp back up to return to game action. The 34-year-old faces a long battle back after tearing his right Achilles for the second time this past January and there is no timetable for his potential return. Both the Capitals and Pacioretty appear to be very cautious in their approach to a return which makes sense given how difficult the past 15 months have been for the six-time 30-goal scorer.
  • Bailey Johnson tweeted that Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson is getting closer to a return after he was a full participant in practice today. Edmundson is trying to work his way back from a hand injury and was dressed in a non-contact jersey during this morning’s practice. The 30-year-old has yet to make his debut in Washington after he was acquired in July for two draft picks. He injured his hand in preseason and required surgery which has ultimately delayed the start to his Capitals career. A return to action would be good news for Washington as they are currently without defensemen Fehervary and Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Max Pacioretty Hopeful To Return This Season

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Max Pacioretty rejoined the Washington Capitals team skates this week, providing the first big step in his return from his second torn Achilles’ tendon. And now, per NHL.com’s Mike Vogel, both the team and the player are hopeful that a return could come soon. Pacioretty told Vogel, “I feel like I’m getting my life back… I’m having fun. I’ve only skated three times, but this is what I was born to do, so it feels like there’s some normalcy in my life, and I definitely have much more of a smile on my face now that I’m skating.” Pacioretty went on to mention that there was a point where he considered whether this injury would bring an end to his career or not, but that he ultimately felt he had more hockey in the tank.

That’s incredibly exciting news for the Capitals. The club took a flyer on the 34-year-old winger this summer, signing him to a one-year, $2MM contract, despite the second Achilles injury, hoping they could bring Pacioretty back to the goal-scoring prowess that he had earlier in his career. Pacioretty has scored 30 or more goals in six different seasons, including a career-high 39 goals in the 2013-14 season. And despite missing pieces of the last three seasons with injury, he’s maintained his production into his veteran years. The winger scored three goals in five games with Carolina last season, and had 19 goals and 37 points in 39 games with Vegas in 2021-22: his last taste of substantial ice time. In fact, Pacioretty hasn’t scored below 35 points since the 2010-11 season, excluding last year.

That’s encouraging consistency that could be nicely timed for a Washington team faced with the absence of star centerman Nicklas Backstrom. The team hasn’t released an official timeline for when Pacioretty may be able to return but the optimism from both parties hints that it may not be a terribly long wait. Regardless of when he’s able to return, Pacioretty’s eagerness to get back to where he was is exciting to see.

Metropolitan Notes: Ristolainen, Pelech, Pacioretty

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The Flyers have placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link).  The move was necessary to afford yesterday’s recall of goaltender Cal Petersen.  Ristolainen has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury, one that he had a setback in recovering from last month.  The LTIR placement can be made retroactively; assuming that was done here, he will have already missed the required 10 games and 24 days which means he will be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s cleared to return.  The 29-year-old had 20 points, 142 blocks, and 162 hits in 70 games with Philadelphia last season.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Defenseman Adam Pelech is dealing with a lower-body injury and won’t play tonight against Carolina, notes Cory Wright of the Islanders’ team site. The 29-year-old left Thursday’s victory over Washington early in the first period.  However, Pelech did skate before practice today (but left before the team’s morning skate) which is an encouraging sign for a possible short-term absence.  The blueliner has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season with just a single point in nine games while once again logging over 20 minutes a night.
  • Capitals winger Max Pacioretty skated for the second time today as he continues to work his way back from a torn Achilles, relays Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). The veteran suffered the injury in just his fifth game last season after working his way back from a torn Achilles.  Pacioretty inked a one-year deal with Washington this summer, one that carries a $2MM base salary and $2MM in games played bonuses that will be fully payable at the 20-game mark.

Nic Dowd Out With An Injury

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The Washington Capitals announced that center Nic Dowd wouldn’t dress for tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. There is no information as to when Dowd suffered the injury, or how long the 33-year-old will be out of action. Dowd played over 15 minutes in Washington’s 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames just two nights ago, although he did block seven shots in the Capitals first two games of the season.

Dowd missed practice yesterday in what the Capitals referred to as a maintenance day, he did suit up this morning for the team’s optional skate but didn’t dress for the game tonight.

Dowd has been a mainstay in Washington’s bottom six since signing with the team as a free agent in July 2018, however, he has dealt with multiple absences due to injury in nearly every season. Dowd did play in 65 games last season, his highest total since becoming a Capital. In those games, Dowd posted a career-high 13 goals and 25 points, while registering 61 blocked shots, also the most in his career.

While little is known about Dowd’s injury thus far, the Huntsville, Alabama native did have offseason core surgery and spoke during training camp about injuries becoming part of his reality as an aging NHLer. It’s also a reality the Capitals have had to deal with over the last two seasons as the second-oldest team in the NHL. Last year Washington had the fourth most man games lost due to injury and this season they could fare even worse if their current injury pattern continues. The Capitals are already without defenseman Joel Edmundson, goalie Charlie Lindgren and forward Max Pacioretty.

Snapshots: Ehlers, Arizona, Anaheim, Washington

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Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers will be healthy for the team’s opening game against the Calgary Flames. The star has been dealing with neck spasms and wore a non-contact jersey through part of training camp. Ehlers missed multiple pre-season games, calling into question his availability for opening night, although it seems he’s mounted a recovery in the second half of camp.

Ehlers has had a closer relationship with injured reserve in recent years, spending six weeks on the list with a hernia last season. He scored 38 points in the 45 games he did appear in during the 2022-23 season. This was a 69-point scoring pace, which would have been the most points of Ehlers’ eight-year NHL career. His career totals are up to 523 games, 176 goals, and 396 points. His scoring is an important attribute of Winnipeg’s top-six. The team will hope he’s moved on from his injury bug as he suits up for the start of their 2023-24 campaign.

Other notes from around the league:

Offseason Notes: Peters, Pacioretty, Voronkov

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In a surprising turn of events, controversial head coach, Bill Peters, has landed a new coaching role in North America. Making his way back to the Western Hockey League, Peters will find himself manning the bench of the Lethbridge Hurricanes for the 2023-24 WHL season. Peters had spent the last several years coaching the Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL after an unceremonious end to his time with the Calgary Flames in 2019.

As a reminder, back during the 2019-20 season, former player Akim Aliu, accused Peters of anti-Black racism when the two had been together in 2010 with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. More specifically, Aliu lambasted Peters’ usage of the ’N’-word, as well as writing letters to Chicago Blackhawks management tarnishing Aliu’s future career. The NHL did execute an investigation into the matter, but those results have not been released to the public up to this point.

Salim Valji of TSN reported that a current coach, who remained nameless, had attempted to broker a conversation between himself and Peters, but Aliu declined. With the negative stories now associated with his coaching career, it is more than unlikely that Peters will ever coach in the NHL again, even in spite of the shocking development that he was been hired for a role in the WHL.

Other notes:

  • Far be it from a confirmation, but the going notion is that new forward for the Washington Capitals, Max Pacioretty, will not be ready for opening night according to Jason Chen of The Hockey News. Even after suffering another Achilles tendon tear in January, Pacioretty was still able to land a one-year, $2MM contract from Washington this summer. If he is able to rebound in any meaningful way, he would certainly become a solid secondary scoring option for the Capitals down the stretch.
  • Although he spent his last four professional seasons in the KHL, a prospect for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dmitry Voronkov, will report to the team for training camp in September (X Link). Originally the 114th selection in the 2019 NHL Draft for Columbus, Voronkov became quite the goal scorer in the KHL last year. In 54 games played, the young forward would have 18 goals and 13 assists, showing that he is ready to continue his professional career in North America next season.

List Of Players Expected To Start 2023-24 On LTIR

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We’re at the point in the summer where most major signings are complete, meaning only a handful of free agents left on the market could still command over the maximum buriable threshold of $1.15MM per year on their next contract. That means financial pictures are mostly set league-wide, and general managers can now focus more on the arduous task of salary cap management.

For many teams nowadays, long-term injured reserve (LTIR) is an important tool in helping teams keep below the salary cap’s Upper Limit, which is set at $83.5MM for 2023-24. It’s not as straightforward as it seems at first glance, though. Placing a player on LTIR does not eliminate their cap hit from the team’s books until they’re activated again. Instead, a team only gains cap relief if they exceed the Upper Limit, and the specific amount of relief received depends on the team’s cap situation on the day they place a player on LTIR. A more detailed explanation of how LTIR works can be found on CapFriendly.

All LTIR situations are not created equal. To be eligible for LTIR, a player must miss at least ten games or 24 days of action. However, they don’t need to be placed on LTIR if they’re projected to miss more than that amount of time. Oftentimes, a team operating far below the Upper Limit that won’t need any relief will simply keep the player on standard injured reserve, especially if they’re relying on an injured player’s cap hit to stay above the Lower Limit (set at $61.7MM next season).

With that said, here is a list of players who are projected to meet the injury requirements for LTIR to start 2023-24:

Atlantic Division

Buffalo Sabres – Jack Quinn

This offseason was a tough break for the young Quinn, who sustained an Achilles injury during offseason training in June and is expected to be out of the lineup through Thanksgiving. While eligible, he’s unlikely to actually be placed on LTIR. He’s still on his entry-level contract and carries a marginal cap hit of $863K, making a move extremely inconsequential to the Sabres, who CapFriendly projects with over $6MM in space.

Florida Panthers – Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour

The Panthers are set to begin the season without the services of their top two defensemen, thanks to shoulder injuries sustained and exacerbated during their run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Combined, the players carry a rather significant $11MM cap hit, which should give the Panthers some season-opening flexibility. Ekblad’s expected to miss more time than Montour, but neither is expected to miss the whole season – both should be back in the fold by the time the calendar flips to 2024. CapFriendly currently projects the Panthers dipping into LTIR relief by $1.175MM to start the season.

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

The team’s legendary netminder isn’t expected to play again after a knee injury, and he hasn’t suited up since the end of the 2021-22 campaign. He’ll likely spend the last three seasons of his contract (carrying a $10.5MM cap hit) on LTIR. As we covered earlier in the week, Montreal is in a bit of a no man’s land with Price’s contract. They’ll likely either look to shed salary to get under the Upper Limit entirely (which they currently sit around $5MM over) or add money to maximize’s Price’s LTIR relief, which they could then weaponize in-season to be a cap broker for trades.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Brent Seabrook

Like Price, Seabrook will be on LTIR for the remainder of his $6.875MM cap hit contract, which expires next summer. Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks after his injury made it clear he wouldn’t play again, Seabrook has provided additional options for cap flexibility for the Lightning over the last two seasons. Tampa is expected to use close to all of Seabrook’s potential relief to stay compliant throughout the season.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Jake Muzzin, Matt Murray

While not confirmed, Muzzin’s playing future remains in serious doubt after sustaining a cervical spine fracture at the beginning of last season. No recent update has been issued on his recovery, and he’s expected to miss the entire 2023-24 campaign and will spend the final year of his contract on LTIR. Murray’s situation is shrouded in much more mystery, however. The team announced last month he’d begin next season on LTIR, but no specific details of his injury were confirmed, and no timetable was issued for a potential return. Murray missed significant time last season with a concussion and an adductor injury.

Metropolitan Division

Philadelphia Flyers – Ryan Ellis

Forwards Cam Atkinson and Sean Couturier are expected to return to the lineup after missing all of last season with injuries, but the same can’t be said for Ryan Ellis. President of hockey operations Keith Jones said a few days ago that Ellis is unlikely to “be able to continue his playing career because of a torn psoas muscle in his back.” Ellis played just four games for the Flyers after they acquired him from the Nashville Predators in 2021 before sustaining the career-ending injury.

Washington Capitals – Max Pacioretty

Pacioretty’s timeline for a return after sustaining back-to-back Achilles injuries isn’t clear, but he likely won’t be available to the team to start the season and should meet the requirements for LTIR. The financial circumstances surrounding the potential relief will be tricky to navigate given the performance bonuses included in his contract, however. Pacioretty should be joining the Capitals after signing a one-year deal last month, sometime in November or December if everything goes well in his recovery.

Central Division

Arizona Coyotes – Jakub Voracek, Shea Weber, Bryan Little

All three are players acquired by the Coyotes for the express consideration of helping them stay above the cap floor – which they are now far above after being big players on the free-agent market this summer. Nonetheless, all three are done with their NHL careers due to various injuries and will remain members of the Coyotes organization by contract only.

Colorado Avalanche – Gabriel Landeskog

Colorado will be without their captain for a second straight season after the winger underwent a cartilage transplant on his right knee this summer. Landeskog hasn’t played since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2022, a playoff run during which he played through a knee injury. He’s signed through 2029, and there’s still the potential he plays again, although it won’t be anytime soon.

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks – Isac Lundeström

Lundeström projects to be on the shelf through next January after sustaining an Achilles injury during offseason training in Sweden. Given the Ducks are far from the Upper Limit, and Lundeström carries just a $1.8MM cap hit, Anaheim could keep him on standard injured reserve for the duration of his absence.

Vegas Golden Knights – Robin Lehner

All has been quiet on Lehner’s health after he missed all of last season. The All-Star-caliber netminder had double hip surgery last summer, keeping him out for the entire 2022-23 campaign. He was not around the team at all during their run to the 2023 Stanley Cup, and the team has issued no updates on his recovery since undergoing the surgery last summer. Without any indication that he’s close to a return, Lehner closes out our list.

Max Pacioretty Signs With Washington Capitals

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The Washington Capitals are taking a potential high-reward gamble on winger Max Pacioretty. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports it’s a one-year, $2MM deal with an additional $2MM in potential performance bonuses. Per PuckPedia, the contract carries a no-movement clause. CapFriendly reports he’ll earn $1MM in bonuses for 10 games played, an additional $500K if he hits 15 games played, and the full $2MM in bonuses if he hits 20 games played.

A bonus-laden contract was always going to be what Pacioretty would have to settle with. After starting the season in January due to his recovery of a torn Achilles tendon, Pacioretty would then, unfortunately, tear the same tendon just two weeks later. In his first recovery battle, it only took four months for Pacioretty to return to NHL action; but this time, it will likely take a full six months to heal.

Although the contract for Pacioretty is unsurprising, the team that he eventually landed with, is. Entering this offseason, Washington had a pressing need in finding players to put the puck in the net. Only averaging 3.09 GF/G during the 2022-23 season, it was a depressed number for a team already sporting one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time. In the Capitals’ defense, they will have a much healthier Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom to start the year, but something more surefire than Pacioretty would have been a better play.

In the goal-scoring category, Pacioretty has been one of the better ones over the last several years, scoring anywhere between 25-35 a season in a healthy year. However, the hard truth of the matter is that there is a potential that Pacioretty never touches the ice with Washington. Suffering two Achilles tears in less than a year is not something easy to come back from, and with the Capitals aging core, they need to surround their top players with talent immediately if they have any chance of competing for the Cup again.

Metro Notes: Pacioretty, Mayfield, Penguins

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It seems that unrestricted free agent forward Max Pacioretty is generating substantial interest on the open market after back-to-back instances of a ruptured Achilles tendon within months of each other. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports Friday the Carolina Hurricanes, for whom Pacioretty played only five games in the 2022-23 season due to the ruptures, have granted him permission to explore early negotiations elsewhere before the market opens tomorrow.

The likelihood of re-injury has certainly diminished his chances of earning a lot of cash on his next deal, especially considering a much longer injury history that predates his Achilles issues. But when healthy, the 34-year-old left wing is still a threat for 25 to 30 goals in a season and can handle top-six minutes. He did light the lamp three times in his abbreviated stint with Carolina and has shot above 10% in every season since 2018. We predicted Pacioretty to receive a one-year, $2MM bonus-laden deal on our list of this summer’s top 50 UFAs, although it seems it won’t be with his former club.

More from the Metropolitan Division today:

  • As the Saturday deadline looms, the New York Islanders are actively negotiating with defenseman Scott Mayfield’s representatives in an effort to secure a contract extension before he becomes a UFA, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic says. Mayfield, who recorded a career-high 24 points this season, is likely to earn a significant raise on his current $1.45MM cap hit. Now 30, the 6-foot-5 Mayfield is still a very effective two-way defender who doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, also incurring a career-high 83 penalty minutes in 2022-23.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins and goaltender Tristan Jarry have shown mutual interest in reaching a new deal before 11 am CT tomorrow, but the term of the deal is a point of contention, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi says. Jarry carries his flaws as a long-term starter, especially when it comes to the injury department, but he’ll be the best goalie available if he does hit the market tomorrow. He’s posted 20 wins in four straight seasons and averaged a .915 save percentage over that timeframe, numbers certainly reflective of a starting-caliber netminder.
  • In a related development, Rossi says there are strong indications that the Penguins are close to securing a contract extension with forward Jake Guentzel. Don’t expect it to be announced soon, though, as both Guentzel and interim general manager Kyle Dubas recognize the Penguins have much more pressing offseason matters to handle, such as Jarry’s potential extension. Guentzel, a bonafide top-line winger, has averaged over a point per game over the past five seasons and would have been one of the top wingers available on the UFA market in 2024.

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