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Snapshots: Wild, Voracek, Carlson, Klok

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Minnesota could soon get a key winger back as Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays (Twitter link) that the team is optimistic that Jordan Greenway will play in at least half of their upcoming back-to-back next week which begins on Thursday.  The 25-year-old missed the start of the season due to an upper-body injury and in his first game back, suffered another upper-body issue on his third shift of the game.  Last year, he had 27 points in 62 games for the Wild while chipping in with 155 hits and would be a welcome addition to a team that is banged up when it comes to their forward situation.

To that end, the Wild will recall a pair of forwards before heading out on the road as Ryan Hartman and Brandon Duhaime aren’t expected to make the trip.  With Minnesota currently banking cap space, it’s in their best interest to delay formalizing those recalls for at least a couple more days.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • It has been a rough start to the season for the Blue Jackets and things aren’t getting any better as the team announced (Twitter link) that they were without winger Jakub Voracek for the second half of their back-to-back set against Colorado due to an upper-body injury. The veteran is off to a bit of a quiet start this season with just a goal and five assists through his first 11 games.  Voracek is being listed as day-to-day.
  • Capitals blueliner John Carlson has returned to practice, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). However, while he took part in the full game day skate, he’s not eligible to be activated off injured reserve until Monday but it appears he won’t be out much longer than the minimum time required.
  • After having his contract terminated by the Coyotes last month, defenseman Lukas Klok has found his next home as Rogle of the SHL announced that they’ve signed him to a contract for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old signed with Arizona after a strong showing in the KHL but after four games in the minors, he decided that he was better off going back overseas.  Klok has quickly become a bit of a journeyman as this will be the sixth different league and country that he has played in since 2018.

Injury Notes: Hartman, Carlson, Murray

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While the Minnesota Wild have somewhat turned things around after a tough start to the season, injuries are already starting to pile up. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the injury forward Ryan Hartman is currently dealing with is considered “more long-term.”

Hartman sustained the injury in a fight with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi on Sunday, leading to the team recalling Steven Fogarty from the AHL under emergency circumstances. Smith also reported that the team “isn’t sure” about winger Marcus Foligno, who missed the team’s last game with an upper-body injury and is not on injured reserve (not yet, at least). The two join Jordan Greenway as the three regular Wild forwards already out of the lineup less than 10 games into the season.

  • Washington Capitals All-Star defenseman John Carlson remains out of the lineup for a second straight game with a lower-body injury and is still day-to-day, according to head coach Peter Laviolette. The 32-year-old defender had six points through his first nine games, and Trevor van Riemsdyk will remain in a top-four role in Carlson’s absence. Carlson finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting last season after a 71-point campaign.
  • Goalie Matt Murray is back on the ice today for the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering an adductor injury roughly two and a half weeks ago. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Murray’s return to practice was “part of the plan” and that his recovery is on schedule. Murray was originally given a timeline of four weeks when the injury occurred, pointing to a mid-November return. Despite the Leafs’ poor record, projected backup netminder Ilya Samsonov has a .919 save percentage in five appearances during Murray’s absence and has been the least of the team’s worries.

Minnesota Wild Recall Steven Fogarty

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The Minnesota Wild today recalled forward Steven Fogarty from the AHL’s Iowa Wild on an emergency basis, according to a team release.

Fogarty is up with the Wild on an emergency basis due to Ryan Hartman’s upper-body injury suffered last night during a fight with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi. The team has not issued an update on Hartman, though the recall suggests he won’t be playing tomorrow when the Wild face the Montreal Canadiens.

With Hartman as well as Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway on the shelf, the team was down to 11 healthy forwards on the active roster, necessitating Fogarty’s emergency recall. The Wild signed the 29-year-old Fogarty to a two-year contract last offseason.

Fogarty had a goal and two assists for three points in six games to start the season in Iowa, as well as a +4 rating, tied for the team lead.

Three Minnesota Wild Join United States At World Championships

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The Minnesota Wild announced today that forwards Matt Boldy, Ryan Hartman, and defenseman Jonathon Merrill have been added to Team USA’s IIHF World Championship roster.

Boldy and Hartman will both help solidify a forward core that was seriously lacking in talent. The team still got away with a 4-1 win against Latvia to open the tournament, largely in part due to the stellar play of San Jose Sharks prospect Strauss Mann in the net.

After a disappointing end to the Wild’s season, losing in six games in the First Round to the St. Louis Blues, Boldy, Hartman, and Merrill will get the chance for success on the international stage. Boldy earned a mid-season callup to the Wild this season and never looked back, tallying 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points in his first 47 NHL contests. Undoubtedly a top-six fixture in Minnesota for years to come, the 2019 12th overall pick joins the United States as their most skilled winger.

Hartman enjoyed a career year between wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, smashing his previous career-high of 19 goals and 31 points with a 34-goal, 65-point season. He also had a respectable five assists in six playoff games.

Merrill also set a career-high in points this season with 20. The 30-year-old defenseman found a much more solid role in the Wild lineup after failing to make much of an impact with either the Detroit Red Wings or Montreal Canadiens last season.

The US is looking to capture their first gold medal at the tournament since 1960.

Snapshots: Winter Classic, Hartman, Johnson

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Though it has not yet officially been announced, Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports that it will be the Pittsburgh Penguins who take on the Boston Bruins at next year’s Winter Classic. The event, held at Fenway Park, will be played on January 2, 2023. The Penguins had long been the favorite for the event, though it certainly won’t please some fans who haven’t seen an outdoor game involving their favorite team.

Pittsburgh, while not being involved in a Winter Classic since 2011, has played in three Stadium Series games since then, most recently in 2019 against the Philadelphia Flyers. In fact, those two Pennsylvania teams are tied for second in all-time outdoor appearances, only behind the Chicago Blackhawks. Five teams in the league (including the Seattle Kraken) have yet to play in an outdoor game, though the Carolina Hurricanes will finally break that run with a Stadium Series of their own next season.

  • Ryan Hartman has earned a $4,250 fine for his gesture toward Evander Kane in last night’s game between the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers. The league has listed the fine as unsportsmanlike conduct, and Hartman told reporters last night including Michael Russo of The Athletic that a fine would be “well worth it.” The Wild would end up winning the game 5-1 and won’t meet again during the regular season.
  • Kent Johnson’s immigration issues have been resolved, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, meaning the young forward will make his NHL debut tonight for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Johnson, 19, had 37 points in 32 games for the University of Michigan this season, scoring five in five for Team Canada at the Olympics as well. The fifth-overall pick from 2021 is incredibly skilled and should be an instant offensive boost for the Blue Jackets.

Minnesota Wild Place Jordan Greenway On Injured Reserve

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The Minnesota Wild placed winger Jordan Greenway on injured reserve Friday afternoon, recalling Adam Beckman from the Iowa Wild in his place, per a team release.

Greenway suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken after taking a hit from Kraken captain Mark Giordano.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo expands on the nature of a recent injury bug that’s hit the Wild, stating defenseman Alex Goligoski is out one to two weeks with an upper-body injury while Dmitry Kulikov is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

If Beckman draws into the lineup, it will be his NHL debut. The 75th overall pick in 2019 has seen his stock rise sharply and now finds himself mentioned in a trio of skilled forward prospects in Minnesota’s system, along with Marco Rossi and Matthew Boldy. Beckman has three points in four AHL games this season.

Greenway’s had somewhat of a rough start to the season with just two assists in seven games. He was expected to be a major contributor in the team’s top-six forward group after scoring a career-high 32 points in 56 games last season.

Beckman could certainly get a look playing directly in Greenway’s spot with Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, but head coach Dean Evason could also shuffle the team’s line combinations to put Beckman in less of a checking role.

Snapshots: Hartman, Hamaliuk, Senators

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The NHL has issued a $5,000 fine to Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman for a “dangerous trip” on St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais. This is the maximum allowable fine amount under the CBA, once the incident was deemed to not deserve a suspension.

The incident occurred partway through the second period in last night’s game. As the puck was dumped into the corner, Hartman pushed his stick into the back of Blais’ leg and caused the Blues player to tumble backward. Hartman was given a two-minute penalty on the play and will have to fork over a few dollars as well.

  • Now that his WHL season is over, Dillon Hamaliuk has been added to the San Jose Barracuda roster for the Pacific Division playoffs. Hamaliuk, 20, scored 13 points in 16 games with the Kelowna Rockets this season and will get his first taste of professional hockey down the stretch. The 6’4″ forward signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks way back in October 2019, a few months after being selected 55th overall in the draft.
  • The Ottawa Senators haven’t had a captain since trading away Erik Karlsson, but that could be changing soon. At his year-end media availability today, GM Pierre Dorion told reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that he will sit down with owner Eugene Melnyk and head coach D.J. Smith to discuss the captaincy, suggesting either early next year or through the season the team will name one.

Minnesota Wild Extend Ryan Hartman

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The Minnesota Wild have come to terms on a new deal with valued two-way forward Ryan Hartman. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Hartman has inked a three-year, $5.1MM deal to remain with the Wild. Hartman had been scheduled for restricted free agency this summer, but has instead settled on a long-term deal with an AAV that comes in below his $1.9MM qualifying offer, offering the Wild some savings and Hartman some security.

Security is important to Hartman, too. The 2013 first-round pick is already on his fifth NHL teams, with previous stops in Chicago, Nashville, and Philadelphia and briefly Dallas as well. When the Stars opted not to qualify him in the 2019 off-season, it gave Hartman the ability to finally seek a long-term home and he chose Minnesota. After previously never spending more than one full season with any NHL team, Hartman is already in his second season with Minnesota and now locked in through the 2023-24.

That is, if he survives this summer’s Expansion Draft. Although Hartman has bounced around early in his pro career, he has established himself as good two-way forward whose ability to play any forward position is the valuable versatility that many teams seek in their bottom-six. Hartman has also shown 30+ point upside and contributes to both special teams units. While Minnesota has a number of potential high-value players who could be available to the Seattle Kraken – in fact, they are in one of the tougher spots of any team in the league – Hartman becomes more attractive to the expansion team as an affordable, multi-year contract as opposed to a pending RFA. As the Wild try to finagle their way out of a difficult expansion spot, Hartman could end up exposed and selected by Seattle or, sadly, traded yet again. However, the hope for both sides is surely that their relationship can continue beyond the draft.

Colorado’s Jacob MacDonald Suspended Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety is not in the business of going easy on rookies. The league has announced a two-game suspension for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jacob MacDonald for an illegal hit to the head. The incident in question took place during Wednesday night’s season series finale with the Minnesota Wild, with MacDonald targeting a defenseless Ryan Hartman in the first period. Player Safety described the hit as follows:

MacDonald delivered a high, forceful hit to [Hartman] that picked his head, making it the main point of contact on a hit where such contact was avoidable… MacDonald, arriving on the backcheck, delivers a high hit that cuts across the front of Hartman and picks his head. This is an illegal check to the head… While MacDonald does make some contact with Hartman’s chest, MacDonald’s shoulder hits through Hartman’s jaw and it is the head that absorbs the brunt of the impact… [Hartman] does not change the position of his head or body in any way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact. If MacDonald wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Hartman’s shoulder and core rather than one that cuts across the front of his body and makes the head the main point of contact.

The league notes that MacDonald does not have any history of fines or suspensions in his short NHL career (or in the AHL for that matter) but it didn’t stop them from sitting him for two games as discipline for a dangerous hit. The goal is likely to show a young player that actions have consequences, even when the on-ice officials missed the call. MacDonald was not assessed a penalty, when he likely should have received a game misconduct in the first period, so this likely contributed to his suspension being two games rather than just one, even as a first offense.

The 27-year-old has admirably worked his way from an undrafted prospect at Cornell University, through a number of years in the AHL and ECHL, to a regular role on the blue line this season for one of the league’s best teams. Colorado will have to survive without him for two games – fortunately against the lackluster Anaheim Ducks – but MacDonald has proven himself to be a reliable defenseman and should be back in the lineup as soon as he is eligible. His first bad decision as a pro should not impact MacDonald much as long as he keeps it clean moving forward.

Wild Expected To Sign Mats Zuccarello And Ryan Hartman

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Monday: The Wild have officially announced the Zuccarello deal as a five-year, $30MM pact, as expected. Zuccarello was one of the earliest prominent free agents to commit to his new team, as he never appeared to waver on Minnesota’s offer.

The terms on Hartman’s deal come in almost exactly as Russo speculated. Colleague Pierre LeBrun reported it is a two-year deal worth $1.9MM, which the Wild have confirmed. Hartman ends up signing well above what it would have cost the Dallas Stars to keep him with a qualifying offer, though possibly less than they may have expected from an arbitration award.

Sunday: It appears Minnesota’s forward group is going to look a bit different next season.  Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Wild will sign winger Mats Zuccarello to a five-year deal and Ryan Hartman to a two-year contract when free agency officially opens up on Monday.  Zuccarello’s cap hit is expected to be around $6MM while Hartman’s is believed to be just under $2MM.

Zuccarello was one of the top free agent wingers available on the market and has been pretty consistent over the past several years.  While injuries limited him to 48 games in 2018-19, he had averaged 56 points over the previous five seasons.  Though he was banged up, the 31-year-old still managed to pick up 40 points last season; his 0.83 point per game average was the best of his career.  He followed that up with a strong showing in the playoffs, recording 11 points in 13 contests.

Zuccarello is an interesting fit for the Wild.  After selling at the trade deadline, this is a pretty quick change of direction and a five-year term for someone that will be 32 by the start of training camp carries some risk.  However, he’ll give them a boost offensively and could represent a potential replacement if they eventually find a trade for winger Jason Zucker.  Zuccarello ranked ninth in our Top 50 UFA Rankings where we projected a five-year, $30MM deal to the Wild.

Meanwhile, Hartman has had an interesting week.  He was dealt from Philadelphia to Dallas in exchange for Tyler Pitlick but a day later, the Stars opted to not tender him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.  He hasn’t had a lot of stability lately as he was moved at the previous two trade deadlines.  Hartman went from Chicago to Nashville in 2018 and then was flipped to the Flyers as part of the Wayne Simmonds trade back in February.

Despite that, there’s still some upside with the 24-year-old.  While he may not be a top point producer, he can still serve as a capable energy winger and has scored at least 11 goals in each of his first three full NHL seasons.  Minnesota will likely slot him in on their third or fourth line and will be counting on similar production for the next two seasons.  As he was a late non-tender, he was not considered for our Top 50 UFA Rankings.

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