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Metropolitan Notes: Chychrun, Milano, Sullivan, Stillman

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After fellow first-year Capital Matt Roy returned to action from a lengthy injury absence on Wednesday, Jakob Chychrun is close to following in his footsteps. Chychrun shed his no-contact designation in practice this morning, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, who adds that he’s questionable to come off injured reserve for tonight’s game against the Penguins.

Prior to sustaining an upper-body injury against the Rangers last week, Chychrun had two goals and two assists while averaging 21:14 through Washington’s first seven games, around the average level of production we’ve come to expect from him after some wild year-to-year swings.

It’s a big year for Chychrun, who’s in the final season of the six-year, $27.6MM extension he signed with the Coyotes way back in 2018 and will be an unrestricted free agent next July. The Caps surrendered Nick Jensen and a third-round pick to acquire him from the Senators, who held onto him for just over one season after sending a trio of draft picks to Arizona to acquire him at the 2023 trade deadline. He put up 41 points (14 G, 27 A) from Ottawa’s blue line last season in 82 games, his highest offensive totals in three years. He’d been skating in a top-pairing role in Washington alongside John Carlson, controlling 56.1% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.

While Washington may get Chychrun back, they’ll be without winger Sonny Milano after he sustained an upper-body injury versus the Predators on Wednesday, head coach Spencer Carbery told Gulitti. Before the injury, Milano had been a healthy scratch in all but three Caps games this season. Jakub Vrána will re-enter the lineup in his place after sitting in favor of Milano for the last two games, while they’ll likely recall a forward from AHL Hershey to have a healthy extra for their one-off road game in St. Louis on Saturday.

Here’s more on the Metropolitan:

  • Almost nothing has gone right this season for the Penguins, who now sit seventh in the Metro with a 5-8-2 record entering tonight’s rivalry matchup with Washington. It’s the second half of a back-to-back for them – they outshot the Hurricanes last night 36-18 but still lost 5-1. “I thought we had a lot of guys who played really hard and didn’t get rewarded for their efforts,” head coach Mike Sullivan said postgame (via Josh Yohe of The Athletic). “But I think there were a few guys that didn’t live up to the expectations. It’s hard. We need everybody to bring it every night to have a chance to win.” Yohe wrote that he’s “never heard him question the effort of individual players in the manner in which he did after this game.“
  • Hurricanes depth defenseman Riley Stillman is “getting close” to being cleared to play after sitting out the first month with a lower-body injury, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told the team’s Walt Ruff. He’ll travel with the club on their upcoming three-game road swing. After spending all of last season in the AHL with the Sabres’ affiliate in Rochester, the 26-year-old inked a two-way deal with the Canes in free agency and could stick around as a seventh defenseman.

Hurricanes Sign Riley Stillman To Two-Way Deal

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The Hurricanes have signed left-shot defenseman Riley Stillman to a two-way deal, per a team release. The blue liner will earn $775K at the NHL level and $150K at the AHL level next season with a $350K guarantee.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for the 26-year-old, whose father, Cory Stillman, suited up in parts of four seasons for Carolina and was a part of their Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2006. The defender is coming off a highly disappointing 2023-24 season. After participating in his first training camp with the Sabres, who acquired him from the Canucks in February 2023 trade, he didn’t crack the NHL roster and was unclaimed on waivers. He struggled on assignment to AHL Rochester, limited to six points and a -4 rating in 47 games before lower-body surgery ended his season in early April. Stillman is a penalty-kill specialist first and foremost, though, so his lack of offense wasn’t overly shocking.

Prior to 2023-24, Stillman made 158 NHL appearances from 2018-19 to 2022-23, skating for the Blackhawks and Panthers in addition to his time in Buffalo and Vancouver. He’s accumulated four goals, 22 assists and 26 points in his career, laying the body well with 318 hits but failing to control possession at even strength. He’s controlled 46.3% of shot attempts and 46.0% of expected goals.

The Hurricanes have been focused on replenishing their defensive depth since free agency opened Monday, dishing out multi-year deals to Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker. Stillman should provide them with an NHL-experienced call-up option if needed but will likely hit waivers again in the fall and start the season on assignment to AHL Chicago. Carolina lost Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei to the open market this week and also lost some minor league defensive depth when they non-tendered Griffin Mendel.

NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup

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The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.

This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.

The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.

If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:

Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)

D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)

NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.

London Knights (OHL champion)

C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)

Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)

RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)

Saginaw Spirit (host)

C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)

Atlantic Notes: Stutzle, Cirelli, Jeannot, Stillman, Greenway

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Senators forward Tim Stutzle won’t play tonight against New Jersey due to an upper-body injury, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  The injury was sustained in Thursday’s game against Florida.  It has been a bit of a trying year for the 22-year-old; while he has already set a new career-high in assists with 52, he has also been limited to just 18 goals in 75 games.  For context, he had 39 last season.  Stutzle is in the first season of an eight-year, $66.8MM contract that was signed back in September 2022 and it’s fair to say that expectations will be higher for him next season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Lightning won’t have center Anthony Cirelli or winger Tanner Jeannot in the lineup this afternoon against Pittsburgh but neither player is expected to be out long-term, notes team reporter Chris Krenn (Twitter link). With a playoff spot now officially clinched as of Friday, they’re opting to err on the side of caution.  Cirelli is one point shy of tying his career high as he has 43 through 75 games so far while Jeannot’s first full season in Tampa Bay hasn’t gone as planned as he has been limited to just 13 points in 50 appearances.
  • Sabres blueliner Riley Stillman is done for the year after undergoing surgery to fix a lower-body injury, per an announcement from AHL Rochester (Twitter link). After being on an NHL roster full-time the last two years, the 26-year-old played exclusively in the minors this season, notching six points in 47 games for the Americans.  A restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility and a $1.35MM qualifying offer, Stillman looks like a strong non-tender candidate unless he’s willing to agree to a cheaper deal before qualifying offers are due in late June.
  • Still with Buffalo, winger Jordan Greenway took part in practice today in a non-contact jersey, relays WGR 550’s Paul Hamilton (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  Greenway has 24 points in 62 games this season and with the Sabres still hanging around the playoff picture, they’d certainly like to get him back in the lineup soon.

Waivers: 10/7/23

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The final day of the preseason is today so pretty soon, teams will be finalizing their season-opening rosters which means there will be plenty of players on waivers this weekend.  Here is today’s group, via TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).

Boston Bruins

F Jesper Boqvist
F Oskar Steen
D Jakub Zboril

Buffalo Sabres

F Brandon Biro
D Kale Clague
D Riley Stillman

Colorado Avalanche

D Jack Ahcan
D Brad Hunt

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Trey Fix-Wolansky

Edmonton Oilers

D Cam Dineen
D Philip Kemp
F Brad Malone
G Calvin Pickard

Los Angeles Kings

F Tyler Madden

Nashville Predators

F Denis Gurianov
F Jachym Kondelik (unconditional for the purposes of release, per CapFriendly)

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
F Justin Dowling
F Tyce Thompson
F Maxwell Willman

Seattle Kraken

G Chris Driedger
D Cale Fleury
F John Hayden

As expected at this point in training camp, the majority of these players have some form of NHL experience.

Boston’s trio is certainly intriguing.  Boqvist is coming off a 21-point season (10 goals, 11 assists) with the Devils but was non-tendered this summer due to arbitration eligibility, resulting in him signing a one-year deal for the minimum with the Bruins.  Still just 24, a rebuilding team might be inclined to give him a shot.  Steen played in 20 games with Boston back in 2021-22 and looked like a potential fourth-line center of the future at the time.  He cleared waivers last season but teams looking for depth down in the middle could consider him.  As for Zboril, he was limited to just 22 games last season but has 76 appearances at the top level under his belt.  A first-round pick back in 2015 (13th overall), he has a bit of a higher cap hit ($1.1375MM) which could scare teams off but he could be a fit on the third pairing of some rebuilding squads.

Among the other forwards on the wire today, Gurianov stands out.  He put up 20 goals with Dallas back in 2019-20, following that up with 30 points in just 55 games one year later.  However, he has struggled considerably since then and notched just seven goals between Dallas and Montreal last season.  Still, with an $800K price tag, he’s a player who could be claimed.  Madden was viewed as a quality prospect not long ago but has yet to see NHL action.  However, he’s only 23 and is signed for the minimum this season which makes him a possible claim candidate as well.

On the back end, Fleury was up with Seattle all of last season but was limited to just a dozen games.  He impressed in 2021-22 while playing with AHL Charlotte and as a right-shot defender – the side that many teams covet – he could garner some consideration.  Stillman was acquired from Vancouver last season and played in 50 games between the two teams, albeit in a number six role.  While he has a fair bit of experience (158 games in total), his contract could hurt his chances of being claimed as a $1.35MM price is more than a lot of teams can afford.

In goal, Driedger is the headliner here but at $3.5MM, there’s very little chance he’ll be picked up.  He missed most of last season due to an injury sustained at the 2022 Worlds.  Pickard didn’t see any NHL action last season for the first time since 2013-14.  The 31-year-old put up a 2.70 GAA with a .912 SV% in Bakersfield last season and has 116 NHL games under his belt.  Notably, he’s signed for the minimum which gives him a small chance of being picked up at least.

These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.  Meanwhile, Sunday will be the last day for teams to place players on waivers and have them clear prior to Monday’s season-opening roster submission so expect plenty of waiver activity tomorrow.

More to follow.

Looking At The Buffalo Sabres’ Defense Crunch

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Even though the Buffalo Sabres signed some much-needed defensemen as the off-season started, they now face a problem: having too many of them. With the signing of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton, they now have nine defensemen on their active roster and twenty-four players.

Those two signings make sense, as the team has struggled with their defense depth for some time. However, Don Granato and their coaching staff have a few hard decisions to make as the new season approaches. There are a few reasonable options to send down to the AHL or trade entirely. One of them is an obvious choice, as The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski commented on earlier in the week.

Jacob Bryson played 59 games last year, most of those paired with Ilya Lyubushkin. He missed six games with injuries and was healthy scratched for 17 throughout the year. His stats don’t make his case any better. In the games he did play, his advanced metrics are not the best. In addition to being scratched a lot, Bryson averaged less than 15 minutes a night – weak minutes, even for a bottom-pairing defender. On a team that needed their defense to step up, Granato didn’t seem too impressed with the 25-year-old, and neither were most Sabres fans.

When compared with his fellow defensemen, it becomes clear that Bryson is the best option to leave out. Mattias Samuelsson will be healthy to start the year, Clifton and Johnson were signed to help in the back end, Power and Dahlin are set to take another step forward, and there isn’t much space to be average among a quickly growing Sabres core.

Another player that the Sabres could consider sending down or trying to trade is Henri Jokiharju, who also didn’t have a great season in 2022-23. His advanced metrics were slightly better than Bryson’s, and Granato played him in the top four with Power for the majority of the season. The pairing didn’t pass with flying colors, though, and it’s likely a driving reason why they signed Clifton. With that said, Jokiharju did play over 20 minutes a night – something Clifton hasn’t done to date with the Bruins, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to replicate his strong play from last year with increased responsibility.

The team could also look to waive Riley Stillman, who has one year left at a $1.35MM cap hit and is, from a financial standpoint, the easiest player to cut ties with. His cap hit is just $200K over the buriable threshold, which is what he would cost against the cap if assigned to the minors. The team parted with a quality prospect in Josh Bloom to acquire him from the Vancouver Canucks last season, however, and he did hold his own defensively in Buffalo’s environment. He does carry a rather limited offensive upside, but he may be a more ideal seventh (or eighth) defenseman candidate than others mentioned in this piece.

With last season’s arrival of Owen Power and the signing of Lyubushkin, Bryson needed to impress to keep his job, and he failed to do so. Now, the team has signed substitutes for him, and he has become replaceable. Likely, the stars need to align for him to get a spot on the team when the new season starts.

East Injury Notes: Penguins, Pageau, Sabres

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According to a team release, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without a couple of key wingers. The good news is both absences are likely to be short term. Newly acquired Mikael Granlund, as well as Bryan Rust, will not play tonight when the Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Granlund was ruled out due to an illness, while Rust is missing the game for personal reasons. Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports added that Rust and his wife are expecting their second child any day now, which could explain his unexpected absence.

The Penguins are facing the league’s worst team in Columbus, but can’t afford to give up any points right now. They are holding on to the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, but have four teams within three points of them. Alex Nylander was called up from the AHL to fill in the void for tonight’s contest.

  • New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of the lineup according to a team release. The Islanders announced the veteran is still day-to-day and will not play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Pageau has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury since he last played on February 11th against the Montreal Canadiens.
  • Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com added some clarity to the Buffalo Sabres injury situation. The team called up Lawrence Pilut earlier today and LaBarber reported it was because Riley Stillman and Mattias Samuelsson remain out of the lineup with injury. Both are listed as day-to-day and will miss a second straight game after sitting out the team’s 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. In good news, LaBarber also mentioned Tyson Jost returns to the lineup tonight after missing last night’s game to nurse an undisclosed injury.

Injury Notes: Sabres, Penguins, Bruins, Islanders, Jets

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Mattias Samuelsson and Riley Stillman will not play tonight for the Buffalo Sabres against the Edmonton Oilers as both are out with upper-body injuries, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.

Both played for Buffalo in the win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. Samuelsson has recorded one goal and seven assists for eight points this season. The Sabres hope he becomes a secondary anchor of their blueline behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, as next season he will enter the first year of a seven-year contract paying him an AAV of $4.285MM. Stillman is a depth piece who is already a bit of a journeyman at 24, having suited up for four different franchises over parts of the past five seasons, and has played two games for Buffalo since being acquired from Vancouver Feb. 27.

Other notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, who didn’t play on Saturday against the Florida Panthers, was back on the ice for practice Monday morning, according to Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Jarry has been strong this season for the Pens, with a .916 save percentage and 2.77 GAA in 32 games played. Pittsburgh next plays on Tuesday as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
  • Veteran centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci did not practice Monday morning, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. Bergeron scored in each of the past two games, both Bruins wins, and has 23 goals and 25 assists for 48 points this season. Krejci has 50 points in 57 games this season in his return to the NHL. The Bruins play next on Thursday as the host the Edmonton Oilers.
  • Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mason Appleton participated in the morning skate for the Winnipeg Jets, according to John Lu of TSN. Dubois hasn’t played since Feb. 26, and Lu reports the lower-body injury that kept him out of the past three games wasn’t too bothersome and just needed to heal. Dubois has 55 points (24G, 31A) in 60 games for the Jets this season. Appleton also hasn’t played since Feb. 26, and has nine points in 22 games this season. Both will play tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
  • Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau returned to ice for the New York Islanders practice Monday morning, according to Neil Best of Newsday. Pageau hasn’t played since Feb. 11, and has 29 points in 56 games for the Islanders this season. The Islanders are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

 

Buffalo Sabres Place Rasmus Dahlin On Injured Reserve

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The Buffalo Sabres announced on Thursday that defenseman Riley Stillman has been added to the active roster, while defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has been placed on injured reserve.

Dahlin has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury, a significant blow for the Sabres as they continue to battle for a playoff spot. They’ve conceded nine goals in their past two outings without Dahlin, and while they were able to rally for seven goals to defeat the Washington Capitals, poor defense cost them points against the league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 22-year-old has been one of the top defensemen in the league this season, recording a jaw-dropping 62 points in 56 games. He leads all Sabres skaters in ice time, averaging 26:01 per game. He’s still classified as day-to-day, though, and could be activated ahead of Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers if healthy. However, the move to injured reserve confirms he’ll miss at least the next two games.

It’ll be a tough go for those two games against high-powered division rivals: the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Stillman is ready to join the team after being acquired Monday from the Vancouver Canucks and clearing immigration hurdles. Although he provides NHL experience, he doesn’t move the needle much to fill in for someone of Dahlin’s caliber. It means the pressure shifts almost entirely to rookie Owen Power to ensure the Sabres don’t lose too much ground in the playoff race over the next few days.

The 24-year-old Stillman had played in 32 games for the Canucks before the trade, registering five assists. Now on his fourth NHL team, Stillman could relieve Jacob Bryson in the lineup. His pairing with Ilya Lyubushkin has been the team’s worst in terms of expected goals among pairings with at least 150 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.

Buffalo remains in a playoff spot by points percentage, but the New York Islanders and now-fortified Ottawa Senators stay on their tail.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Riley Stillman

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The Buffalo Sabres have added a little bit of defensive depth, acquiring Riley Stillman from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for prospect Josh Bloom. The move comes at a particularly important time as the Sabres’ top defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

That’s not to say that Stillman, 24, will be able to replace what Dahlin brings to the Sabres, of course, but it does make compensating for his absence a little easier. This is the second time Stillman has been traded this season, with the first being when he was sent to Vancouver by the Chicago Blackhawks for Jason Dickinson.

In his 32 games in Vancouver, Stillman averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time, registering five points. He contributed to their penalty kill and should be able to add some muscle and defensive depth to the Sabres’ blueline.

He’s under contract through next season at a $1.35MM cap hit and will be a restricted free agent after that point. Should he impress in a Sabres uniform, the team will have the option to keep him around for the foreseeable future.

While he won’t be the difference between the Sabres making or missing the playoffs this season, the team has played well enough to stay in the mix for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s unknown whether this deal is all Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has planned for this deadline, but at the very least he’s rewarded his players with a competent defensive reinforcement that has some team control to boot.

For the Canucks, this move is part of the team shifting their focus towards the future, ever so slightly. They exchange a decent if relatively inconsequential defender for an intriguing prospect who has been on an upward trend.

Bloom, 19, is a six-foot-two winger who plays for the North Bay Battalion in the OHL. He’s scored 19 goals and 42 points in 40 games for North Bay this year and is regarded as a well-rounded, intelligent player who could have an NHL future.

While this trade might hurt the Canucks’ defensive ranks in the short term, it’s hard to argue with the team exchanging a defender like Stillman for a prospect like Bloom. If the Canucks intend to be serious about re-tooling and building for the future, these are the sorts of deals the front office should be making. It’s a reasonable exchange of present assets for future value on each side, and it’s a trade that fits the current goals of both franchises quite well.

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