Injury Notes: Pelech, Dermott, Tinordi, Athanasiou
The New York Islanders have announced that defenseman Adam Pelech will be out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old was on the ice for the team’s optional morning skate but was a late scratch for this evening’s game against the Boston Bruins. He has been in and out of the lineup this week having previously missed the Islanders 4-3 OT loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Pelech did return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild but took a maintenance day yesterday before the morning skate today.
Pelech has just a single assist in ten games thus far this season but has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game when available. The Islanders seventh defenseman Samuel Bolduc has filled in for Pelech during his absences including tonight as he is slotted beside Scott Mayfield. While Bolduc has played hard, he has struggled to fill the void left by Pelech and has no points in eight games.
In other injury notes:
- The Arizona Coyotes have announced that defenseman Travis Dermott will be out of the lineup week-to-week with an apparent upper-body injury. The Coyotes called up Michael Kesselring yesterday to work in Dermott’s absence, although it is likely that recent healthy scratch Josh Brown will slot into Dermott’s place and Kesselring will serve as the team’s seventh defenseman. Very little is known about Dermott’s ailment or when he suffered the injury but for now it appears at least for the time being that Dermott’s absence will be an extended one. Dermott has a single assist in ten games so far this season and is currently a -4.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that defenseman Jarred Tinordi left tonight’s game and will not be returning. The 31-year-old left without any obvious reason or clear injury and no specifics have been given yet. Tinordi drew back into the lineup tonight for the first time since last Saturday and was tasked with replacing Nikita Zaitsev. Tinordi has dressed in eight games on the season and has a single assist while playing roughly 16 minutes a night.
- The Blackhawks also announced that forward Andreas Athanasiou will not be returning to tonight’s game after suffering an apparent injury. Athanasiou left the game near the end of the second period although little is known as to the reason why. The 29-year-old was a healthy scratch recently and has struggled so far this season with no goals and four assists in ten games. Last year he posted 20 goals and 20 assists in 81 games and seemed to have more jump in his game.
West Notes: Blueger, Toninato, Kesselring
Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province is reporting that Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger is getting close to making his Canucks debut. The 29-year-old has yet to dress this season after he was injured in a preseason game in early October while blocking a shot. Neither Blueger nor the Canucks have specified what the issue is with Blueger, but Johnston believes the injury is a bone bruise.
Blueger practiced with the Canucks today for their full practice, it was the first time he has done so since he suffered the injury on October 6th. The native of Riga, Latvia skated with a group of fourth liners in Sam Lafferty, Nils Höglander, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Canucks could certainly use Blueger’s penalty-killing prowess as they have been as bad shorthanded this year as they were last year with a success rate of just 77.3%.
The Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night in Ottawa, and if Blueger can’t make his return then, it could happen before the end of their road trip.
In other West notes:
- The Winnipeg Jets have returned forward Dominic Toninato back to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. The 29-year-old was called up by the Jets on October 20th but did not dress in an NHL game and will now head back to the AHL where he has a goal and an assist in two AHL games this season. The Duluth, Minnesota native is just two years removed from dressing in 77 games for the Jets in a single season and will likely receive another call-up later in the season should the Jets run into injury issues.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from their AHL affiliate the Tucson Roadrunners as they get set to head out on a five-game road trip. Kesselring has yet to dress in an NHL game this season but has spent some time with the Coyotes. The club made the move today to add emergency depth in case they need it while they are away from home. Kesselring has dressed in six AHL games with the Roadrunners this season and has been held scoreless. Last season, the 23-year-old played nine games with Arizona, posting three assists.
Snapshots: Ehlers, Arizona, Anaheim, Washington
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:
- The Arizona Coyotes have shifted some players around as they trim down to a final NHL roster. Michael Kesselring, Victor Soderstrom, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Zach Sanford have all been assigned to Tuscon in the AHL.
- Anaheim has assigned Andrew Agozzino and Alex Stalock, both NHL veterans, to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
- The Washington Capitals have made a series of moves, assigning Max Pacioretty to long-term injured reserve, Joel Edmundson to injured reserve, and Hardy Haman Aktell, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael to Hershey in the AHL. They have also recalled Riley Sutter to the NHL roster.
West Notes: Coyotes, Blueger, Beauvillier
After sending them down to AHL Tucson earlier in the week, the Arizona Coyotes announced Sunday they’ve recalled defensemen Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Kolyachonok. The 23-year-old and 22-year-old defensemen, respectively, combined for 11 games played in the NHL last season.
Arizona makes the recalls as they battle injury uncertainty with some of their defensemen. Head coach André Tourigny told PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan earlier Sunday that multiple defenders were “dinged” up in Saturday’s 7-1 preseason drubbing of the Anaheim Ducks. Carrying Kesselring and Kolyachonok on the active roster for now gives the Coyotes some flexibility as they make their final roster choices ahead of Monday’s opening night roster deadline. Arizona must submit a cap-compliant roster of no more than 23 players before 4 p.m. CT tomorrow. That roster limit may have precipitated today’s choice to send forward Dylan Guenther, who does not require waivers, to AHL Tucson. While the team has not issued a comment, it may be that the Coyotes plan on carrying 12 forwards and nine defensemen when they submit their roster tomorrow to account for the uncertainty surrounding some of their defenders’ availability for Friday’s season opener against the New Jersey Devils. With Kesselring and Kolyachonok in the ranks, the Coyotes are now carrying ten defenders, so it’s likely one of them will return to Tucson within the next 24 hours.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference this weekend:
- Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger is sidelined on a day-to-day basis with an undisclosed bruise, which left him off the ice today for practice. That wasn’t Blueger’s idea, however, as head coach Rick Tocchet told Sportsnet’s Randip Janda that he didn’t want to risk exacerbating the Latvian pivot’s injury. The Canucks’ regular season opener is in three days against the Edmonton Oilers, and the offseason free-agent addition is expected to make his Vancouver debut centering the fourth line. Blueger, 29, recorded 16 points in 63 contests last year split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights, for whom Blueger was the 13th forward en route to their first Stanley Cup championship.
- Sticking with Vancouver, winger Anthony Beauvillier is also currently absent from the team’s practice ranks thanks to a bout with the flu. He is day-to-day and, as it stands, could miss the season opener Wednesday. The Canucks, who are currently roster juggling to maximize the potential LTIR relief from defenseman Tucker Poolman‘s contract, will need clarity on Beauvillier’s status after tomorrow’s roster deadline to make any corresponding recalls from AHL Abbotsford.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Michael Kesselring
The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. The Coyotes finish their season with a game against the Vancouver Canucks tonight, so Kesselring will have the chance to tack on one last NHL appearance before likely heading back to play for the Roadrunners tomorrow against the San Jose Barracuda.
Kesselring, 23, last played in the NHL in a March 26th loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He registered an assist and just under 16 minutes of ice time in that game, and overall this year has just that one point in eight NHL games. Kesselring has spent most of this season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, having been acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the Nick Bjugstad trade.
The Coyotes were likely intrigued by the upside Kesselring might have, as he’s an ever-valuable right-shot defenseman and stands six-foot-four, 190 pounds. Offensively, Kesselring’s had an interesting season as he’s scored 14 goals and 14 assists in 59 games.
It’s not often that you see defensemen scoring the same amount of goals and assists, though it’s worth noting that before this year Kesselring had only scored single-digit goals in each prior season of his prospect career.
The Roadrunners have clinched their playoff spot, so it’s likely that Kesselring heads back there after tonight’s game. Kesselring plays a top-pairing role in Tucson, meaning if the Roadrunners go on any sort of run in the Calder Cup playoffs, it’s likely that he’ll be a major reason why.
Coyotes Notes: Ritchie, Imama, Injuries
PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported Monday afternoon that Arizona Coyotes forward Brett Ritchie‘s status for tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers is uncertain for a second straight night due to illness. He will be a game-time decision after missing yesterday’s shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Ritchie has scored two goals and added two assists in eight games since being acquired in a swap with the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old winger is having his best offensive season since he recorded seven goals and 14 points in 71 games with the Dallas Stars in 2017-18.
More from the Coyotes beat today:
- With Ritchie’s availability up in the air, Bokondji Imama is back up with the Coyotes on emergency loan from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Defenseman Michael Kesselring was papered back to the Roadrunners to satisfy the emergency loan requirements. With Josh Brown ready to return to the lineup, this allows the Coyotes to play 12 forwards and six defensemen tonight, no matter what. Imama is still looking for his first point of the year in five games with the Coyotes.
- Also per Morgan, forwards Laurent Dauphin and Zack Kassian will remain out of the lineup with upper-body injuries. Kassian, who has just two goals in 51 games this season, has been absent from the lineup since March 21. Dauphin, who has no points in 16 games since being recalled from Tucson, has been out for three days.
Minor Transactions: Kesselring, Berard, Krygier, Pivonka
The Arizona Coyotes have announced via a press release that they have recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from their AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners. Since being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers as part of the Nick Bjugstad trade, Kesselring has now been recalled on an emergency loan for the fourth time in just under three weeks.
After having a productive season with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors, Kesselring has played three games for the Roadrunners, scoring two points, and four games for the Coyotes, scoring zero points. Given the seemingly unending rotating door that Kesselring has found himself in, this will likely not be the last time he will find himself being emergency recalled this year.
Other notes:
- The New York Rangers have signed prospect Brett Berard to an entry-level contract that will kick in next year. In the meantime, the Providence College product will join the team’s AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack on an amateur tryout basis. The contract will run until the end of the 2025-26 season, paying the forward $925K in the NHL, and $80K in the AHL. Drafted 134th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Berard capped off a solid career at Providence, playing in a total of 91 regular season games, scoring 33 goals and 39 assists.
- Jacob Pivonka will be joining the Bridgeport Islanders on an ATO today. Drafted 104th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, the young forward played a majority of his collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame, but ultimately finished it at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In his four-year college career, Pivonka played in 126 regular-season games, scoring 17 goals and 29 assists.
- Also joining Pivonka in Bridgeport on an ATO will be defenseman Christian Krygier from Michigan State University. This will be the second transaction in as many days for the Krygier family, as his brother, Cole Krygier, just had his rights acquired by the Los Angeles Kings. Christian managed to accrue five seasons in the NCAA after being given another season of eligibility due to the Covid-19 pandemic and managed to score 20 points for the Spartans.
West Notes: Wild, McLeod, Afanaseyev, Kesselring
The Wild could get several key veterans back in their lineup shortly. Randy Johnson of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays that while defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton plus wingers Brandon Duhaime and Marcus Foligno weren’t in the lineup today, they could all be back for Sunday’s contest against Washington. Brodin has been out the longest, missing the last four weeks with a lower-body injury which has been a big blow to their back end. Middleton is dealing with an illness sustained earlier this week. Meanwhile, Duhaime has missed more than two weeks with a head injury while Foligno has been out for a week with a lower-body issue of his own. Minnesota is in the midst of a very close three-way battle for positioning in the Central and getting multiple veterans back at once could certainly give their lineup a nice boost.
More from the Western Conference:
- Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that center Ryan McLeod is dealing with a shoulder injury. He was injured on Tuesday against Ottawa and didn’t suit up versus Dallas on Thursday. There’s no word on how long the 23-year-old will be out. McLeod’s in the middle of a decent sophomore season, notching 11 goals and 11 assists in 55 games despite spending a lot of that time in Edmonton’s bottom six.
- After papering him down, the Predators announced that they’ve recalled winger Egor Afanasyev to AHL Milwaukee. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last weekend after being brought up and has gotten into three games with Nashville, logging 9:32 per night while being held off the scoresheet. Afanasyev also has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games with the Admirals in the minors this season.
- A day after being sent down, the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they have once again recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis. The 23-year-old has played in three games with Arizona since being acquired just before the deadline, logging 18:35 per contest. The 23-year-old has also suited up three times for the Roadrunners since the swap, picking up a goal and an assist.
Snapshots: Crosby, Islanders, Coyotes
Pittsburgh Penguins franchise center Sidney Crosby has moved into sole possession of second place on an impressive list — the number of point-per-game seasons in an NHL career. By reaching 82 points on the year last night, he clinched his 18th straight point-per-game season, moving past Gordie Howe, who had 17. With a point-per-game season next year, he’ll tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record with 19.
Those scoring pace statistics are the best way to quantify Crosby’s greatness, given the sheer amount of games he missed due to injury in the early 2010s. While those injuries may limit his place on the main all-time statistics lists, his scoring consistency and ability to adapt his game as the team changes around him should never be overlooked. Crosby’s 83 points in 68 games this season lead the Penguins.
Also from around the league today:
- The New York Islanders announced that forwards Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey are both currently sick with non-COVID illnesses, potentially impacting their availability for tomorrow’s game against San Jose. New York still has the inside track on a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference but still can’t afford to lose many games down the stretch. Health will be a key factor to watch for them, as Cizikas and Bailey are both key veteran presences with experience in important games.
- The Arizona Coyotes assigned forward Bokondji Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring back to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners today, according to the team. Both have been shuttled up and down frequently since the trade deadline. Expect both players to be recalled back to Arizona tomorrow, as Nick Schmaltz and Josh Brown aren’t expected to be ready for their game against Chicago and remain out with injuries.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Bokondji Imama, Michael Kesselring From AHL
March 14th, 4:01 PM CDT: In response to the news of Kesselring being recalled on an emergency basis, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that defenseman Patrik Nemeth left the Coyotes practice this morning with an apparent injury. It is not yet known the nature or extent of the injury that Nemeth sustained this morning, but we do know that he will not be playing in the team’s game tonight.
March 14th, 3:16 PM CDT: The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Bokondji Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring on emergency loans from their AHL affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners. Both players will be made available to dress for tonight’s matchup against the Calgary Flames.
For the second time in as many days, Imama will again be on the roster for the Coyotes. Now playing in his second year in the Coyotes organization, Imama has spent most of his time in Tuscon. In 95 games played over those two seasons, Imama has 10 goals, 14 assists, and a whopping 274 PIM. He has scarcely played in the NHL, having only seen six games in Arizona, averaging just over five minutes of ice time a night.
As the Coyotes continue to assess which players will be around for the future of Arizona hockey, Imama provides the Coyotes with the ability to add quite a bit of grit into their lineup, if they choose to do so.
In his third full season of professional hockey, Kesselring arrived in Arizona during the trade deadline, being one of the pieces sent from the Oilers in the trade for Nick Bjugstad. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL draft, Kesselring developed a knack for scoring goals at the AHL level during his time with Edmonton. In 49 games played for their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors this season, Kesselring racked up 13 goals, providing some offense from the back end.