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Nikita Grebenkin

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Dowd, Grebenkin

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The Rangers will be without a key forward tonight against Utah as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center J.T. Miller is listed as out day-to-day due to an upper-body injury.  In his first full season back with New York following a midseason trade in 2024-25, the 32-year-old is logging 20:41 per game and taking a regular turn on both special teams units.  However, as has been the case for a lot of the team so far, offense has been hard to come by as he has just six goals and six assists in 22 games despite seeing a lot of ice time on the top line.

Meanwhile, Baugh also noted that defenseman William Borgen remains listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury which suggests he’ll miss a second straight game.  He has been a regular on the second pairing for the Rangers this season, picking up three points, 24 blocks, and 26 hits in 19 outings.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Capitals center Nic Dowd was a full participant in practice today but will miss his third straight game tonight, relays Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The 35-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury.  Dowd has a goal and four assists in 19 games so far this season while logging over 15 minutes per night of playing time.  Sonny Milano has played the last two games in Dowd’s absence and is expected to stay in the lineup for their game tonight against Tampa Bay.
  • The hope was that Flyers winger Nikita Grebenkin would be able to grab a hold of a full-time spot in the lineup this season. However, he has been scratched in seven of 19 games so far and has played just 9:35 per night in the dozen appearances he has made.  However, Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer mentions that the organization is okay with how the 22-year-old has been handled, even with the limited action.  Grebenkin is waiver-exempt so if it’s decided that he could benefit from a bigger role and more ice time, they will be able to assign him to AHL Lehigh Valley to get him that opportunity.

East Notes: Grebenkin, Norris, Mateychuk

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The Philadelphia Flyers have quite a few talented young forwards vying for a limited number of available NHL roster spots this preseason, and one player who has reportedly taken a lead in the race for an NHL job is winger Nikita Grebenkin. The 22-year-old Russian winger is “the clubhouse favorite” to earn an NHL role at this stage of the preseason, according to PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor.

Grebenkin scored in yesterday’s preseason loss to the Boston Bruins, and is reported to have had an impressive camp. Grebenkin arrived in the Flyers organization late last season as part of the team’s trade of Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 6’2, 220-pound winger scored 28 points in 50 AHL games last season and was recently ranked by Elite Prospects as the club’s 11th-best prospect. If he ends up claiming a spot on the team’s NHL roster, it could come at the expense of another young player vying for a role such as Alex Bump or Jett Luchanko.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris appears to have a massive opportunity in front of him entering his first full campaign in Western New York, reports Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe. Norris, who was traded to Buffalo in 2023-24 in a deal that included 2019 seventh-overall pick Dylan Cozens, is currently centering the Sabres’ top line alongside Zach Benson and Tage Thompson, as well as skating with the team’s top power play and penalty-kill units. It appears Norris has the chance to become an all-situations number-one center for the Sabres, something that was not entirely possible with his former team, the Ottawa Senators, due to the presence of star Tim Stutzle. Norris, who has dealt with persistent injuries (namely a shoulder issue) so far in his NHL career, scored 21 goals and 35 points last season and has a career high of 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games from the 2021-22 season.
  • Team reporter Jeff Svoboda reports that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk did a full skate with the team this morning, something Svoboda calls a “very good sign” given Mateychuk has been dealing with a groin injury this preseason. Mateychuk, 21, is one of the Blue Jackets’ top young players and is coming off of a season where he was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie team.

Maple Leafs Activate John Tavares And Matthew Knies, Assign Nikita Grebenkin To AHL

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The Maple Leafs will welcome back a pair of key forwards for their game tonight against Edmonton.  Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including David Alter of The Hockey News that center John Tavares and winger Matthew Knies will suit up against the Oilers.  After sending Jacob Quillan down yesterday, Toronto needed to make one more roster move to add both players to the active roster.  Per the NHL’s media site, that move was returning winger Nikita Grebenkin to AHL Toronto.

Tavares missed the last couple of weeks due to a lower-body injury after getting injured in practice when his skate collided with teammate Chris Tanev’s.  Despite the short-term setback, it has been a solid season for the 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent.  Tavares has 20 goals and 22 assists through 44 games this season while winning nearly 57% of his faceoffs and will return to anchoring Toronto’s second line.

As for Knies, he only missed a week and a half due to an upper-body injury that he clarified was a shoulder issue.  The sophomore has already passed his goal total from a year ago (15) as he has 18 goals and 13 assists through 47 games.  Knies has spent a lot of time on the top line which has him well-positioned heading into restricted free agency this summer and is expected to line up on that unit again tonight.

Grebenkin, meanwhile, was recalled last weekend when Connor Dewar landed on IR.  However, while he got into seven games with the big club earlier in the season, he didn’t see any game action this time around.  The rookie has eight goals and eight assists in 29 games with the Marlies in his first season of action in North America.

Maple Leafs Place Connor Dewar On Injured Reserve, Recall Nikita Grebenkin

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The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s Battle of Ontario against Ottawa.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have placed center Connor Dewar on injured reserve.  Taking his place on the roster is winger Nikita Grebenkin who was recalled from AHL Toronto.

Dewar was acquired by the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline last season in a move intended to add some extra depth down the middle and help on the penalty kill.  He wound up with 11 goals and eight assists in 79 games between Minnesota and Toronto while suiting up in six of their seven playoff contests.  That helped earn him a one-year, $1.18MM deal from the Maple Leafs this past summer.  He’ll be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at that time.

But things haven’t gone as well for the 25-year-old this season.  Dewar, who is dealing with an upper-body injury at the moment, missed 14 games with a shoulder injury earlier in the year and has even been healthy scratched periodically as well.  When he has played, Dewar has been quite limited as he has just three assists in 29 games while his playing time is just over ten minutes a night compared to nearly 13 down the stretch with them last season.  The placement is retroactive to January 20th so he’ll be eligible to return as soon as Wednesday against his former team in Minnesota.

As for Grebenkin, he’s in his first season in North America after putting up 41 points in 67 KHL games last season.  He has spent the bulk of the campaign with the Marlies, posting eight goals and eight assists in 29 games.  He did get into seven games with the Maple Leafs earlier in the season and was held off the scoresheet while recording 13 hits in 8:45 of playing time per night.

Maple Leafs Activate Bobby McMann, Assign Nikita Grebenkin To AHL

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The Maple Leafs will be welcoming a forward back to their lineup against Detroit tonight.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Bobby McMann off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, winger Nikita Grebenkin was re-assigned to AHL Toronto.

McMann has missed the last seven games due to a lower-body injury but skated on the third line in practice on Friday, suggesting a return was imminent.  The 28-year-old has played in 21 games with the Leafs this season, notching six goals and one assist in 14 minutes a night of ice time.  McMann scored at a similar clip in 2023-24, tallying 15 times in 56 appearances, becoming a quality bottom-six piece along the way after clearing waivers at the beginning of that season.

As for Grebenkin, it’s the second time this week he has been sent down.  Initially demoted on Tuesday, he was brought back up two days later although he didn’t play against Anaheim.  The 21-year-old is in his first season in North America and has been held off the scoresheet in seven games with the big club but has been productive with the Marlies, tallying four goals and six assists in 13 appearances with them.

Maple Leafs Reassign Marshall Rifai, Recall Nikita Grebenkin

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While Maple Leafs rookie Nikita Grebenkin was assigned to the minors earlier this week to allow Max Domi to come off injured reserve, his time on the NHL roster isn’t over. The team announced Thursday that the 21-year-old winger had been brought back up from AHL Toronto, while defenseman Marshall Rifai was sent down in a corresponding move to keep their active roster count at 23.

That roster count will drop to 22 later today after winger Alexander Nylander clears waivers or is claimed by another team. Recalling Grebenkin and reassigning Rifai temporarily leaves the Leafs with 15 forwards and six defensemen on the active roster. Hence, it’s fair to assume that Nylander’s waiver placement was to make room for a defenseman coming off IR – likely Jake McCabe, who’s missed five games with an upper-body injury but still carries a day-to-day designation.

Grebenkin, a fifth-round pick in 2022, gives the Maple Leafs a potentially higher-ceiling option for fourth-line minutes over someone like established veteran Ryan Reaves, who provides little intrigue at this stage of his career outside of one-on-one physical battles. The 6’2″, 210-lb Russian skated in seven games over the past few weeks amid a rash of forward injuries for Toronto, his first in the NHL. However, he managed only two shots on goal and failed to record a point while posting a -3 rating, averaging 8:45 per game. The Leafs were also heavily out-chanced in his even-strength minutes, generating just 0.6 expected goals while allowing 3.3 xG.

Nonetheless, Grebenkin has flashed some offensive upside during his time in the minors this season. In his first season in North America, the winger has four goals and 10 points in 13 AHL games. That production comes after a breakout season in the Kontinental Hockey League with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2023-24. He finished second among the eventual league champions in scoring with 19 goals, 22 assists and 41 points in 67 games.

Grebenkin’s ability to play both wings should work to his advantage as he re-establishes his spot in the lineup. Four bodies compete for two places on the wing in Toronto’s bottom six, with Grebenkin joining Reaves, Pontus Holmberg and Nicholas Robertson in the fight.

Meanwhile, Rifai returns to the minors after not seeing any action since being recalled 10 days ago. The 26-year-old lefty sat as a healthy scratch for Toronto’s last five games, serving as a last-minute option to enter the lineup if an additional defender sustained an injury with McCabe already sidelined. Standing at 6’2″ and 213 lbs, Rifai skated in his first two NHL games last season, averaging 11:40 per game and logging four hits with a +1 rating. He has four points and a team-leading +10 rating in 17 AHL games and didn’t need waivers to head back since his stint on the active roster lasted less than 30 days.

Maple Leafs Activate Max Domi From Injured Reserve

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The Maple Leafs announced that center Max Domi has been taken off injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Devils. Rookie winger Nikita Grebenkin was returned to AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction to open up a necessary roster spot.

Domi, 29, will likely return to action after missing the last eight games with a lower-body injury. He last suited up on Nov. 16 against the Oilers and landed on injured reserve a few days later.

Before hitting IR, the Winnipeg native had gone without a goal in 19 games this season, registering six assists and averaging 15:18 per game. The veteran of nearly 700 NHL contests inked a four-year, $15MM extension with the Leafs a day before he would have otherwise hit the unrestricted free-agent market last summer.

After spending most of the early going down the middle, the Leafs will shift Domi to the left wing alongside William Nylander and John Tavares tonight in an effort to kickstart his offensive production, David Alter of The Hockey News reports. That news bodes well for 20-year-old rookie pivot Fraser Minten, who has four points in eight games since being called up last month and will continue to center Toronto’s third line for the time being, now flanked by Max Pacioretty and Pontus Holmberg.

While the Leafs’ roster count remains at the maximum of 23, they gain space in their LTIR pool with the move. They now have roughly $1.5MM in flexibility after reassigning Grebenkin with David Kämpf, Calle Järnkrok and Dakota Mermis still on the long-term injured list.

Domi’s absence did yield the first seven NHL appearances of the 21-year-old Grebenkin’s career. The 6’2″ Russian winger, who the Leafs drafted 135th overall in 2022, was quite the effective physical presence in fourth-line minutes with 13 hits in seven games.

Other than that, though, there wasn’t a ton to write home about. Grebenkin didn’t get on the scoresheet and posted a -3 rating while averaging 8:45 per game, and Toronto controlled just 37.8% of shot attempts with the rookie on the ice at even strength. The 2022-23 Kontinental Hockey League Rookie of the Year will look to get back on track offensively in the minors, where he had four goals and 10 points in 13 games before the call-up.

Maple Leafs Place Max Domi On IR, Recall Nikita Grebenkin

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The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve placed center Max Domi on injured reserve with a lower-body ailment retroactive to Nov. 16. They recalled winger Nikita Grebenkin from AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction, marking the first of his career.

Domi, 29, will miss tonight’s game against the Golden Knights but will be eligible to come off IR for the following game, a Sunday tilt against Utah. He’s been a rare sight at practice recently as he played through the lower-body injury, but it’s now advanced enough to require him to sit out.

It explains the lack of production from Domi, who’s now gone 13 games without a point despite playing top-six minutes for most of the month with captain Auston Matthews on the shelf. After signing a four-year, $15MM extension in June, the Winnipeg native has no goals on 24 shots and six assists in 19 games this season, producing at a career-low pace across the board despite averaging about 90 more seconds per game of ice time than last season.

Domi becomes the sixth regular forward who won’t be available for tonight’s game. Matthews has been on IR for nearly two weeks, Max Pacioretty was shifted to LTIR yesterday as he recovers from a hamstring injury, Calle Järnkrok remains on LTIR after undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday, David Kämpf landed on IR yesterday with a lower-body issue, and Ryan Reaves is ineligible to play while serving the first game of a five-game suspension that will keep him out through the rest of the month.

Despite the absence of their captain and a considerable amount of depth scoring, the surging Leafs are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games and are only one point back of the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. While they’re understandably scoring less than last season, their record has much to do with some improved team defense – they’re allowing 6.7 high-danger scoring chances per game at 5-on-5 compared to 8.0 in 2023-24. It also has a lot to do with spectacular play in the early going from free-agent signing Anthony Stolarz between the pipes, who leads the league with a .927 SV% and is on pace for 52 starts, smashing his career-high of 24 set last year with the Panthers.

Unfortunately, the pace of the injury bug is accelerating. Domi, Kämpf, and Reaves are all out after playing in Toronto’s last game, an overtime win over the Oilers last weekend. That means Fraser Minten will make his season debut after being recalled yesterday as the corresponding transaction for Kämpf’s IR placement. At the same time, Grebenkin will make his NHL debut instead of Domi tonight.

Grebenkin, 21, was a fifth-round selection by the Leafs in the 2022 draft. The 6’2″, 209-lb Russian winger gained some attention with a strong training camp, and he’s kept up the momentum in his first season in North America, as Steven Ellis profiled for Leafs Nation earlier this month.

Through his first 13 AHL games, Grebenkin has four goals and six assists for 10 points, tied for second on the Marlies in scoring with veteran Logan Shaw. He’s also yet to take a penalty and has a +1 rating.

Grebenkin is coming off a standout season in his home country with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. He tied for second on the team in scoring with 41 points (19 G, 22 A) in 67 games after being named the KHL’s best rookie the year prior, playing a pivotal role as they won the league’s championship trophy, the Gagarin Cup.

However, it’s still unclear who will replace Domi at center tonight. It won’t be Grebenkin, who can play either left or right wing but isn’t a natural pivot. It may, however, be Mitch Marner, who head coach Craig Berube said yesterday was open to the shift to the middle from the wing if necessary (via Luke Fox of Sportsnet).

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

East Notes: Jarry, Grebenkin, Sgarbossa, Martin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending room has been thrown for a loop to start the season. A clear hierarchy set up in training camp was quickly dismantled when Tristan Jarry was sent to the minor leagues for a five-game conditioning stint. His absence gave Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic a chance to plant their feet in the Penguins’ starting crease – and while the former has performed well, Pittsburgh’s 6-8-2 record could give Jarry a golden chacne to work his way back into the lineup.

At least, that’s the path laid out by NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, who spoke with Jarry on his path back to the NHL. The netminder told Crosby, “Hopefully, that’s the way it goes. I want to come back here, and I want to play well. That’s my goal. That’s what I want to do. I want to help this team as much as possible. Whenever I’m in the net, I think giving them a chance to win and helping this team get in a good place.”

The 29-year-old Jarry posted a 4-1-0 record and .926 save percentage in five AHL games –  far better than the .836 save percentage he’s managed through three NHL games this year. He stood up to 51 games last season, though his 19-25-5 record marked the first losing season of his five-year tenure as Pittsburgh’s go-to goalie. He’s managed a 137-86-34 record in his nine-year career, working above future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury and the less-successful Matt Murray in his climb to an everyday role. Jarry will now look to get back to his rightful spot, as Pittsburgh tries to buck a 3-5-2 record in their last 10.

Other notes from out East:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs could have a hidden gem in 21-year-old winger Nikita Grebenkin, who’s managed seven points and no penalties through his first nine AHL games. The bruising winger brings a welcome mix of grit and skill to the Toronto depths, which Steven Ellis of Leafs Nation says could lead to a hardy lineup role someday soon. Ellis points out that Grebenkin’s climb to the lineup is blocked by a long list of bottom-six wingers, including Nicholas Robertson and the soon-to-return Connor Dewar – but Grebenkin could be quick to take advantage of his next chance. The young forward is already a seasoned pro, totaling 41 points in 67 games for Magnitogorsk Metallurg last season as the team pursued their first KHL Championship since 2016. That winning mindset will make Grebenkin a name to watch, especially if Toronto chooses to part ways with some of their crowded bottom-six.
  • The Washington Capitals have returned minor league centerman Michael Sgarbossa to the AHL’s Hershey Bears just two days after he was recalled to the NHL, per AHL transaction logs. He appeared in 11:25 in ice time and recorded one goal and one assist in Washington’s 8-1 dousing of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. They were Sgarbossa’s first NHL points since late March of last season, and brought his NHL scoring up to par with the nine points he’s managed in seven AHL games this season. No Capitals player has been involved in more roster moves to start the early season, and it’s likely that another shot at NHL ice time isn’t too far out of reach for the 32-year-old Sgarbossa.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes also returned a player to the minors, per transaction logs, sending goaltender Spencer Martin back down after he allowed the Colorado Avalanche to score five goals on 28 shots on Saturday. Martin was recalled to help fill-in for the injured Frederik Andersen, who head coach Rod Brind’Amour dubbed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury on October 31st. Pyotr Kochetkov has taken over starting duties in response, but his .896 save percentage through eight games – and Martin’s poor performance this weekend – could have the team looking for other outlets. Martin currently leads the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in save percentage (.920), well ahead of Ruslan Khazheyev (.898) and Yaniv Perets (.825) despite each playing only a few games

Morning Notes: Kadri, Grebyonkin, Pickering

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The Jets’ wish list at last season’s trade deadline had second-line center written atop it, likely in all caps. Looking at the state of their roster now, a 2C will likely be a deadline priority again after they failed to keep 2024’s stopgap solution, Sean Monahan, from reaching unrestricted free agency. In an early look at potential mid-season trade candidates to fill the void, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press profiles Flames pivot Nazem Kadri as a longer-term solution to provide stability down the middle behind Mark Scheifele.

Kadri, who turns 34 in October, is on the block to some degree. A report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period in June indicated Calgary general manager Craig Conroy was at least exploring the market for the center, who still has five years left on his contract at a $7MM cap hit.

It’s a hefty price tag, but it’s one Kadri lived up to last season after a mediocre first campaign in Alberta the year before. He took over as the Flames’ top center and arguably their top forward overall, leading them in assists (46), points (75) and shots on goal (277). It was one of the best seasons of his career, save for the 87-point season with the Avalanche in 2021-22 that landed him his payday from the Flames on the free agent market the following summer.

That price tag, even with some degree of salary retention by the Flames, likely limits the Jets from pouncing this offseason. They do have $5.78MM in projected cap space, per PuckPedia, but a chunk of that is set aside for a new deal for RFA forward Cole Perfetti, who will be one of a few internal options at second-line center to start this season. A move would be easier to execute after they’ve had a few months during the season to accumulate cap space.

Wiebe writes that Winnipeg has had interest in Kadri before, dating back to when he was traded from the Maple Leafs to Colorado in 2019. Any move hinges on the interest being mutual, given he’s got a no-movement clause through 2025-26.

Other tidbits from around the league to close out the week:

  • Maple Leafs prospect Nikita Grebyonkin is still recovering from a lower-body injury as he prepares for his first training camp with the club, he tells Daria Tuboltseva of Responsible Gambling. Grebyonkin, 21, spent last season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League and played through the injury during their playoff run, which took them to the summit of Russian hockey with the franchise’s third Gagarin Cup win. The 2022 fifth-round pick signed his entry-level contract following the conclusion of the KHL final and has been in the Toronto area since. The 6’2″, 192-lb winger will be a dark horse to crack the Maple Leafs’ opening night roster after finishing second on Magnitogorsk in scoring last year with 41 points in 67 games.
  • Penguins 2022 first-rounder Owen Pickering is hoping to get a shot with the team out of camp ahead of his first full professional season, relays Wes Crosby of NHL.com. The towering 6’5″ 20-year-old, who says he’s put on weight this summer and is up to 200 lbs, faces an uphill battle to compete with depth players like Sebastian Aho, Ryan Shea, and Jack St. Ivany for roster spots. Pickering, a promising two-way threat, captained the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos last season and led their blue line with seven goals, 39 assists and 46 points in 59 games. He’s been named to the league’s Central Division First All-Star Team in back-to-back years.

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