West Notes: Thompson, Kurashev, Canucks
Despite a big win for the Vegas Golden Knights against a divisional rival last night, there was a concerning setback near the end of the game. Goalie Logan Thompson, who was making his first appearance in 18 games after being sidelined with a left leg injury, left the team’s 3-2 win against the Calgary Fames with a lower-body injury.
Thompson left the game with less than 10 minutes remaining after making 37 saves on 39 shots. He was replaced by Jonathan Quick, who stopped all five shots he faced, helping the Golden Knights extend their lead atop the Western Conference. The team has not yet issued an update on Thompson’s status, but it’s something to watch out for in the coming days as the Pacific Division leaders approach the playoffs without the full health of their starter. It’s worth noting that in Thompson’s absence, Quick has been much-improved since joining the Golden Knights, posting a 5-1-0 record and a .908 save percentage.
More updates from the Western Conference on Friday:
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev left last night’s game against the Washington Capitals with an undisclosed injury, per the team. Kurashev had just two shifts before exiting the game less than five minutes in, seemingly due to a hit from Capitals winger Tom Wilson. The 23-year-old Swiss forward has set career highs for the struggling Blackhawks this season, with 25 points in 70 games.
- Vancouver Canucks defenseman Noah Juulsen is likely to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury, according to head coach Rick Tocchet. The 25-year-old blueliner has played in just 12 NHL games this season but has 20 points in 49 games at the AHL level. In addition, defenseman Guillaume Brisebois was an injury-related scratch last night against the San Jose Sharks, and Christian Wolanin, who signed a two-year extension yesterday, left last night’s game after just three shifts. The Canucks have not provided an update on Brisebois or Wolanin’s conditions.
Snapshots: Juulsen, Svechnikov, Kolesar, Boudon
The Canucks have started extension discussions with defenseman Noah Juulsen, report Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal in a column for The Athletic (subscription link). The 25-year-old has played in eight games with Vancouver so far this season with five of those coming this month as he plays his way into a regular role. Juulsen, a 2015 first-round pick by Montreal, also has 20 points in 49 games with AHL Abbotsford this season. He’s on a two-way contract worth $750K in the NHL and $250K in the minors and has a chance of remaining a restricted free agent if he plays in 16 of their final 17 games this season. An early extension for Juulsen would obviously take that particular consideration off the table.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Hurricanes were without winger Andrei Svechnikov due to what the team listed as (Twitter link) a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old came into tonight’s action tied for second on Carolina in scoring with 23 goals and 32 assists in 63 games while he also leads the team in hits with 140. There’s no word on how long Svechnikov will be out of the lineup but if it’s an extended absence, that could be a tough blow to a team that’s in a tight battle for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that winger Keegan Kolesar is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old is fifth in the NHL in hits this season with 240 while chipping in with 16 points in 64 games. Pavel Dorofeyev suited up in Kolesar’s absence against St. Louis after being recalled yesterday and picked up his first career point.
- The Canadiens’ AHL affiliate announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed college free agent Louis Boudon to a tryout agreement. The 24-year-old wrapped up his college career at Lake Superior State this season, notching 24 points in 36 games. Over his four seasons with the Lakers, Boudon had 39 goals and 75 assists in 139 contests.
Snapshots: Bear, Stalock, Sanford
The Vancouver Canucks will be without Ethan Bear for the next little while, after he suffered an injury last night. Bear was moved to injured reserve today, with Noah Juulsen recalled in his place.
Vancouver is quickly running out of options for a team that is expected to move at least one defenseman at the deadline. Bear joins eight other players on IR (regular or long-term) for the Canucks, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Travis Dermott, and Tucker Poolman.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have activated Alex Stalock from injured reserve, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. That is encouraging news after he was ruled out with ocular dysfunction from multiple head injuries for a while. His return means Jaxson Stauber is being sent back to the AHL, despite a pretty impressive performance from the rookie netminder. Stauber went 5-1 in six games with a .911 save percentage.
- With Nino Niederreiter gone, the Nashville Predators have recalled Zach Sanford from the minor leagues. The big forward has nine goals and 19 points in 32 games with the Milwaukee Admirals but just two points in eight NHL contests so far this season.
Vancouver Canucks Assign Three To AHL
According to the AHL’s transactions page, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned forwards Lane Pederson and Sheldon Dries, as well as defenseman Noah Juulsen, to the Abbotsford Canucks.
The moves leave Vancouver with only 12 healthy forwards and seven healthy defensemen on the active roster, meaning that the team could soon activate some players from injured reserve. The most likely options are Brock Boeser, Riley Stillman, and/or Quinn Hughes, who are all listed as day-to-day with their injuries and are on regular injured reserve. Defensemen Travis Dermott and Tucker Poolman remain on long-term injured reserve.
Vancouver is near the top of the league in man-games lost due to injury in this young season, and it reflects in their 2-5-2 record. But after winning back-to-back contests, the team is finally beginning to play with the level of confidence required to win hockey games. With some of their top players primed to soon return to the lineup, the tone around the team is certainly more optimistic than it was a week ago.
Pederson was acquired just yesterday, along with defenseman Ethan Bear, from the Carolina Hurricanes. He had spent the early part of the year in the AHL with Carolina’s affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, and did not register a point in four games. Dries and Juulsen, on the other hand, have combined for an assist in four NHL appearances this year with the Canucks. They’re all significant reinforcements for an Abbotsford team that’s 3-2-0 to start the season.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Nils Hoglander
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they are recalling forward Nils Hoglander from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The team has also sent down defenseman Noah Juulsen in a corresponding move, effectively reversing the roster transaction they made yesterday.
Hoglander, 21, returns to the Canucks roster having not skated in a game for the team’s AHL affiliate. Before his demotion he had played in four games this season in Vancouver and scored a goal.
Hoglander’s stock in Vancouver has declined since his impressive 27-point rookie campaign, but now he’ll have the chance to put together some positive momentum in regards to his overall career trajectory as he re-enters the Canucks’ roster picture.
For Juulsen, this move is a setback but not one that could be totally unexpected. A 2015 first-round pick, Juulsen has settled into a role as a depth defenseman who sees NHL time sporadically depending on how injured his team’s blueline is. With Quinn Hughes possibly making progress to return to the lineup after missing last night’s game with a day-to-day injury, it looks like the Canucks no longer have a need for Juulsen to take on a role on their defense at the present moment.
Canucks Assign Nils Hoglander To The Minors
For the last two seasons, Nils Hoglander was a useful secondary scorer for the Canucks. However, some added depth has pushed him down the depth chart and, for the time being at least, he’s off the roster altogether as the team announced (Twitter link) that the winger has been sent to AHL Abbotsford. Defenseman Noah Juulsen has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Hoglander had an impressive rookie campaign in 2020-21, playing in all 56 games while collecting 13 goals and 14 assists; his 27 points put him tied for fourth among all first-year players which helped him finish eighth in Calder Trophy voting. Last season, his numbers dipped a bit to ten goals and eight helpers in 60 games while also missing 21 contests due to a groin injury. Notably, his ATOI also dropped by 2:22 per contest to 13:05 per night as the 23-year-old spent a lot of time in the bottom six.
That usage continued in the early going this season as Hoglander has played in four of five games, once again logging around 13 minutes a night of ice time. Speaking with reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link), Bruce Boudreau indicated that this is a paper transaction and that they expect Hoglander back up soon with his waiver exemption making him the logical choice to shuffle down. It’s worth noting that he is 23 games away from being waiver-eligible so this won’t be an option for them for much longer.
As for Juulsen, it’s the second time in the last seven days that he has been recalled with his first stint lasting just two days although he did suit up for Vancouver in that stretch. With Quinn Hughes playing through a minor injury and Tucker Poolman not available at the moment due to injury, Juulsen gives the Canucks a bit of insurance on the back end. The 2015 first-rounder has played in 57 career NHL contests over parts of five seasons so far.
Vancouver Canucks Activate Ilya Mikheyev, Tyler Myers; Reassign Noah Juulsen
Today, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced that the team had activated F Ilya Mikheyev and D Tyler Myers from injured reserve, sending down D Noah Juulsen to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks in a corresponding transaction.
Mikheyev and Myers began the regular season on injured reserve and have yet to suit up. Mikheyev has been absent from the Canucks’ lineup since suffering a lower-body injury in a preseason game on September 25 against the Calgary Flames, missing approximately three weeks. Myers’ return to the lineup comes well ahead of expectation, as he was expected to miss three weeks of action starting from October 6.
Both players could be in line to make their season debuts tonight in Columbus. The Canucks are in the second half of a back-to-back set and have lost their first three games. They set an NHL record last night in Washington by becoming the first team to blow multi-goal leads in three consecutive games to begin a season.
Mikheyev, who arrived this offseason as a free agent from the Toronto Maple Leafs, is expected to make his Canucks debut at right wing alongside Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko. Pettersson leads the Canucks with four points through his first three games. Myers is expected to play on a pairing with Riley Stillman, who was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks just prior to the season in exchange for Jason Dickinson.
Juulsen, 25, logged nearly 11 minutes in his season debut yesterday against Washington and recorded a shot on goal. While waiver-eligible, Juulsen cleared waivers less than 30 days ago and therefore can currently be shuttled down at will by the Canucks until November 4.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Noah Juulsen, Assign Sheldon Dries To AHL
The Vancouver Canucks and GM Patrik Allvin announced a pair of corresponding moves this afternoon. The club has recalled defenseman Noah Juulsen from the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL and in turn has assigned forward Sheldon Dries to Abbotsford. No other related moves have been made.
Although the moves seems to be a simple swap of a forward for a defenseman, it does come on the back of defenseman Tucker Poolman leaving Vancouver’s game yesterday with an undisclosed injury. While Poolman hasn’t been placed on IR, it appears the Canucks feels the need to add another person to their blueline for now. Poolman has been dealing with migraine issues for a while now, but appeared to finally turn a corner, skating in each of Vancouver’s first two games. One would certainly hope whatever was ailing Poolman yesterday is not another long-term issue.
Juulsen, a former first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, has played parts of four NHL seasons with Montreal, Vancouver, and the Florida Panthers. Like Poolman, Juulsen is a right-handed shot, minimizing the overall impact the change could have. Dries hadn’t played in either of Vancouver’s first two games this season, but will likely get a chance to play top minutes with Abbotsford if he stays long enough. The forward was among the very best in the AHL last season, scoring 35 goals along with 27 assists in just 54 games.
Waivers: 10/04/22
After all of the players from yesterday cleared, there is a new batch of talent on waivers today. Placement here is usually indicative of a training camp cut, though not necessarily. It gives teams the option to send a player to the minor leagues, but that doesn’t have to happen right away. Until a player spends 30 days on the active roster or plays in ten regular season games, they won’t have to clear waivers again.
Here are the players on waivers today:
Boston Bruins
Oskar Steen
Nick Wolff
Connor Carrick
Buffalo Sabres
Chicago Blackhawks
Luke Philp
Nicolas Beaudin
Dylan Sikura
Brett Seney
Columbus Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Alex Belzile
Anthony Richard
Mitchell Stephens
New Jersey Devils
Tyler Wotherspoon
Robbie Russo
Joseph Gambardella
Jeremy Groleau
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
Collin Delia
John Stevens
Noah Juulsen
Brady Keeper
Guillaume Brisebois
Canucks Re-Sign Three Players
The Canucks have reached a contract agreement with three of their pending free agents as they announced deals for defenseman Jack Rathbone (one-way), blueliner Noah Juulsen (two-way), and winger Will Lockwood (two-way). While the financial terms of the contracts weren’t disclosed, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Rathbone’s two-year deal will carry an $850K AAV while PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that Lockwood’s is worth $750K in the NHL and $125K in the minors. Meanwhile, CapFriendly reports that Juulsen’s pact is worth $750K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.
Rathbone, 23, was on an expiring contract but technically didn’t qualify for restricted free agency so he had 10.2(c) status which made him ineligible to receive an offer sheet. He had an impressive season with AHL Abbotsford, picking up 10 goals and 30 assists in just 39 games. However, his production didn’t translate to the NHL level as he was held off the scoresheet in nine games with Vancouver while averaging 13:30 per game of ice time. He remains waiver-exempt for next season but he should have a chance to push for a full-time roster spot with the Canucks in training camp.
As for Juulsen, the 25-year-old was set to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent but will instead stick around. Vancouver acquired the rearguard just before the beginning of the season from Florida along with forward Juho Lammikko in exchange for defenseman Olli Juolevi. Juulsen got into eight games with the Canucks (giving him 56 NHL appearances for his career) but spent most of the year with Abbotsford, collecting 16 points in 50 contests. He’ll likely return to the AHL level next season as long as he clears waivers in training camp.
Lockwood, meanwhile, had the most NHL playing time of the three in 2021-22 as the 24-year-old got into 13 contests with Vancouver but was held without a point. He was more successful in the minors with Abbotsford, however, as he picked up nine goals and 16 helpers in 46 games. Lockwood also has a year of waiver exemption remaining and will likely once again start next season in the minors with an eye on playing himself into being one of the first players recalled when injuries arise.