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Morning Notes: Demidov, Avalanche, Drouin, Benoit, Jets

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In one of the more violent preseason contests in recent memory, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens combined for 150 PIMs yesterday evening. Unfortunately, after multiple fights broke out between Hayden Hodgson, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Jan Jenik, it was Montreal’s sensation, Ivan Demidov, who would leave the game with an injury after a malicious slash from Senator Nick Cousins.

Fortunately, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, there doesn’t appear to be any long-term injury concern for Demidov. The Canadiens may hold him out of the team’s next contest on Saturday, again against Ottawa, though he should be ready to start the season on time. The odds-on favorite to win the 2025-26 Calder Memorial Award has recorded three assists in three preseason contests with Montreal.

Understandably, the Canadiens’ admonishment of Cousins’ actions was clear. In an article from Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, head coach Martin St. Louis was quoted as saying, “There’s no need for that. It’s an exhibition game; both teams are trying to get ready for a long season. I don’t think there’s any need for that in the game.”

Other notes from this morning:

  • After recalling five players for their preseason win against the Vegas Golden Knights last night, the Colorado Avalanche have sent nearly the entire group back to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The Avalanche announced that Tye Felhaber, Jason Polin, Alex Gagne, and T.J. Tynan, who were all recalled yesterday, have been reassigned. Additionally, Jayson Megna and Tristen Nielsen will join them en route to the Eagles, while Ronnie Attard will remain on the roster for today’s contest.
  • One of the New York Islanders’ freshly signed forwards missed today’s practice. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Jonathan Drouin missed this morning’s practice due to illness. The veteran forward has gone scoreless in three preseason contests for the Islanders, averaging 19:02 of ice time per contest.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs got some positive news this morning regarding one of their injured defenseman. David Alter of The Hockey News reported that Simon Benoit has shed his non-contact jersey, indicating he’s nearly recovered from his upper-body injury. The heavy-hitting blue liner skated in 78 games for the Maple Leafs last season, scoring one goal and 10 points with 204 hits.
  • Moving to Manitoba, the Winnipeg Jets announced they’ve extended their ECHL affiliation with the Norfolk Admirals through the 2025-26 season. The new campaign will be the Admirals’ third as the ECHL affiliate of the Jets. The team has qualified for the Kelly Cup playoffs in each of the last two seasons, losing in the Division Finals both times.

Maple Leafs Camp Notes: Domi, Roy, Benoit

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The Toronto Maple Leafs received a wave of positive injury updates on Sunday morning. The good news kicked off when winger Max Domi stepped onto the ice for the first time in training camp, captured by TSN’s Mark Masters. Domi joined the Leafs’ non-playing group, indicating that he won’t be a part of the team’s first preseason game later in the day.

Domi has been dealing with a lower-body injury sustained during off-season training. The injury has been dubbed minor, with Domi designated as day-to-day, but its nonetheless become a focal point of camp as many expect Domi to take on a top-six role. With Sunday’s practice, he’ll take the first step towards vindicating those expectations – and break camp in a top-line wing role vacated by Mitch Marner earlier this summer. Domi scored eight goals and 33 points last season, though he also managed 47 points in his first year with the Leafs in 2023-24.

Other notes from Toronto’s camp:

  • Also returning to the practice sheet was recently-acquired forward Nicolas Roy, who sat out of the team’s Saturday skate with a lower-body injury, per Masters. Roy is another candidate for a growing role in the Toronto lineup, after being acquired as the sweetener in Toronto’s sign-and-trade of Marner with the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy scored 15 goals and 31 points with Vegas last season, and 41 points in the year prior. He’s a toolsy forward who can fill a role at center or right-wing. That standing could help him earn a pivotal role behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, or an important grinder role beside them.
  • Away from the positives, defenseman Simon Benoit was absent from yet another practice on Sunday. He is facing an upper-body injury, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Head coach Craig Berube shared that the Leafs will be taking all of their injuries day-by-day, though he didn’t mention Benoit’s injury or prognosis directly, per Alter’s colleague Nick Barden. Benoit played through 78 games in a Leafs uniform last season. He tied his career-high in scoring with 10 points, to go with 59 penalty minutes and a plus-12 on the full year. Benoit is a strong candidate to fill a daily, bottom-pair role this season – though an extended injury at camp will give newcomers like Henry Thrun and Dakota Mermis a chance to catch up. Both Thrun and Mermis will take the ice for Toronto’s first preseason game on Sunday.

East Injury Updates: Maple Leafs, Panarin, Jensen

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The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Simon Benoit is dealing with an upper-body injury while center Nicolas Roy has a lower-body injury.  Neither player took part in practice today while goaltender Joseph Woll was also absent due to illness.  Benoit was a regular on Toronto’s third pairing last season while Roy is likely to break camp as their third-line center after being acquired from Vegas just before free agency opened up.

Meanwhile, there is some good news on injury front for the Maple Leafs as well.  Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Nick Barden of The Hockey News that forward Max Domi is expected to rejoin the team for practice on Sunday.  He has yet to take part in training camp due to a lower-body injury.  This could be a big camp for Domi with a spot on Toronto’s top line up for grabs following Mitch Marner’s departure and as their roster stands, he’s one of the players who could have a shot at that spot.

Other injury news from around the Eastern Conference:

  • After exiting practice early on Friday, it appears the Rangers have dodged a significant injury to Artemi Panarin. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson notes (Twitter link) that while the winger didn’t take part in practice today, he’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.  It’s a contract year for the 33-year-old so he’ll be looking for a big year to help boost his market value.  Despite a 31-point drop in points to 89 last season, Panarin still led New York in scoring for the sixth straight year, comprising his entire tenure with the team.
  • Senators defenseman Nick Jensen took part in practice today but not the scrimmage game, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The veteran underwent hip surgery back in May with the belief that he is a little ahead of schedule although his availability for the start of the season next month remains in question.  Jensen was a big contributor on Ottawa’s back end in 2024-25, notching 21 points in 71 games while logging over 20 minutes a night.

Maple Leafs Sign Simon Benoit To Three-Year Extension

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The Maple Leafs announced Friday that they’ve signed defenseman Simon Benoit to a three-year extension. The deal is worth $4.05MM, carrying an AAV and cap hit of $1.35MM. His salary is evenly distributed across all three seasons with no signing bonuses, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Benoit, 25, has played a larger role than expected in Toronto this season and has quickly become a fan favorite. Few expected the Quebec native to even make the NHL after he went undrafted and failed to secure an NHL deal when his time in major junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes ended in 2018. He began his professional career on a minor league contract with AHL San Diego in 2018-19, impressing with a defensively sound rookie season and earning an entry-level contract from the Ducks near the end of the season.

It was still a while before he’d make his NHL debut, receiving a couple of short recalls in 2019-20 that didn’t result in any major league action. His first shot came near the end of the 2020-21 campaign, where he impressed with a positive shot-attempt share at even strength in heavy defensive usage while logging 17:12 per game across six appearances.

Benoit didn’t make the Ducks out of camp in 2021 but wasn’t in the minors for long, breaking onto the NHL scene for most of the season and notching a goal and four assists in 53 showings. His possession numbers dragged slightly but were still above acceptable for a depth defender on a rebuilding and defensively challenged team. He then earned a qualifying offer from Anaheim, who re-signed him to a one-year, two-way deal for 2022-23.

Last season, injuries forced Benoit into a top-four role with the Ducks, who remain the worst defensive team of the salary cap era, allowing 4.09 goals per game. Unsurprisingly, Benoit’s boxcar stats read as some of the worst in the league, recording 10 points and a -29 rating in 78 games while playing over 19 minutes per game, often saddled with the defensive responsibility of covering for the rather one-dimensional John Klingberg at even strength as his partner. His possession metrics struggled as a result, although maybe not as much as expected. He logged a 41.4 CF% at even strength, which was only two points worse than his off-ice CF% despite 63.8% of his zone starts coming in the defensive end.

However, with Anaheim looking to make room for a deep group of young defense prospects like Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, they opted to not qualify Benoit last summer and let him reach unrestricted free agency, where the Leafs picked him up on a one-year, league-minimum deal, also the first one-way contract of his career. Still, most expected Benoit to serve as the eighth or ninth option on the organization depth chart behind other depth defenders like Klingberg, who also signed a one-year deal with Toronto over the summer, veteran Mark Giordano, and Conor Timmins.

He did end up beginning the season with AHL Toronto, clearing waivers near the end of training camp. Just two days later, an early-season rash of injuries over the Toronto blue line forced Benoit’s first recall of the season. After bouncing up and down between leagues over the next two months, he was permanently recalled to the Leafs on Nov. 27 and hasn’t looked back.

With Klingberg’s season finishing prematurely due to a lingering hip injury and Giordano, Timmins and Timothy Liljegren all missing significant time, Benoit has made 54 appearances for the Leafs, scoring once and adding four assists. His even-strength CF% has rebounded to 49.3, and he’s controlled possession quality at the best rate of his career, posting a 50.3 xGF%. While a decrease in ice time and some easier matchups certainly help, he’s been on the ice for 0.54 expected goals against per game this year compared to 0.96 last season with Anaheim. He also leads Toronto with 205 hits.

Benoit has continued to factor in down the stretch with the Leafs still cycling through injuries on defense, even skating in a top-pairing role alongside Jake McCabe in last night’s 5-1 win over the Capitals. His role in the postseason once players Liljegren, Joel Edmundson and Morgan Rielly are ready to return from their injuries is less clear, though.

The physical 6’3″ blue-liner now gets legitimate stability for the first time in his professional career and will continue in a depth role for Toronto until his deal expires in 2027. He’ll be a UFA upon expiry.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Conor Timmins Fined For Cross-Checking

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that the league fined Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins for his cross-check on Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev in yesterday’s game. The 25-year-old was ordered to pay $2,864.58 for his penalty which is the maximum amount allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The incident happened early in the game when Timmins cross-checked Tanev below the numbers, causing the Kraken forward to crash into the end boards behind the Toronto net. Tanev jumped up to his feet to try and fight Timmins, but Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit stepped in for Timmins and received a two-minute minor for roughing along with Tanev. Timmins received a two-minute minor for his infraction which left Seattle with a power play that they did not score on.

Timmins has had a difficult time staying in the Maple Leafs lineup this season as he has dressed in just two of Toronto’s last 15 games. While he has been a healthy scratch recently, he also missed almost all of October and November with a lower-body injury. When he has dressed, he’s been a good offensive defenseman having posted a goal and five assists in just 15 games.

The money from Timmins’ fine will go to the Player Emergency Assistance Fund.

Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, McMann, Benoit, Korpisalo, Samuelsson

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Maple Leafs defenseman John Klingberg will meet with a doctor in New York this week to determine whether surgery is required to correct his nagging hip injury, GM Brad Treliving informed the media Monday afternoon (via David Alter of Sports Illustrated/The Hockey News).

Klingberg, 31, has missed five out of the last six games with the injury and is currently on long-term injured reserve retroactive to November 11. The soonest he can return to the lineup is December 12 against the Rangers. However, all indications point to a more prolonged absence regardless of the clarity gleaned from his appointment this week. While Klingberg has reportedly been battling various hip issues for multiple seasons, Treliving confirmed Klingberg sustained a specific injury on October 19 versus the Panthers, keeping him out of the lineup. Klingberg did not miss any games immediately after sustaining the injury.

A free-agent signing by the Maple Leafs last summer, Klingberg’s presence in the lineup quickly deteriorated after a strong showing in the team’s season opener against the Canadiens. After notching two points, a +1 rating, and over 24 minutes of ice time in his Toronto debut, his defensive game again lapsed significantly. It caused head coach Sheldon Keefe to reduce his ice time gradually gradually. He has five assists through 14 games this season, and his 0.35 points per game mark is by far the worst of his NHL career. He is averaging under 21 minutes per game for a second straight season after skating over that mark in eight consecutive seasons to begin his career.

Other snapshots from the Atlantic Division:

  • Sticking with Toronto, depth forward Bobby McMann and defenseman Simon Benoit took line rushes with the Maple Leafs at practice today, Alter reports. This suggests both players will be recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies before tomorrow’s game against the Panthers. In recent days, McMann and Benoit have repeatedly been ferried between leagues to extend their waiver-exempt period. Both players were placed on waivers before the start of the season, allowing the Maple Leafs to assign each player to the AHL freely until each spends 30 days on the NHL roster or plays ten games. While McMann took reps as a healthy scratch in practice today, Benoit skated on the third pairing alongside Conor Timmins and could re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old has played six games this season, recording a +2 rating, five shots on goal, and a strong Corsi share of 57.4% at even strength while averaging 13:13 per game.
  • Senators goalie Joonas Korpisalo will be an option in goal against the Panthers tonight, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays. After making 37 saves on 41 shots in the Senators’ first Global Series game against the Red Wings on November 16, Korpisalo sat out the second overseas contest against the Wild as well as last Friday’s game against the Islanders with a minor undisclosed ailment which the team described as general soreness. This was an expected development after the Senators returned top goalie prospect Mads Søgaard to the minors yesterday. The 29-year-old is improving after a rocky start to his Senators career, solidifying himself as the team’s number-one option with a 5-4-0 record, .906 SV%, and 1.3 goals saved above average through ten starts.
  • Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will be a game-time decision tonight against the Rangers as he deals with an upper-body injury, head coach Don Granato told reporters this morning (via Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News). The oft-injured blueliner left Saturday’s blowout loss to the Devils after taking a stick to the face and receiving multiple stitches to repair a cut on his lower lip, which is still causing him significant pain. Per Granato, he was held out of the remainder of the contest to clear concussion protocol. If Samuelsson does not play tonight, it will be his second injury-related absence of the season. A lower-body issue cost him three games at the beginning of the month. The 23-year-old is averaging a diminished 19:27 per game this season through 18 games, recording one goal, two assists, a -1 rating, and a middling Corsi share of 47.6% at even strength.

Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann, Simon Benoit

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Nov. 22: The Maple Leafs brought both McMann and Benoit back to the NHL roster Thursday night, according to CapFriendly. Timmins will likely be activated off LTIR in a corresponding transaction.

Nov. 21: The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned Bobby McMann and Simon Benoit to the AHL on Monday. Both players had been with the club through much of November, with Benoit being recalled on November 4th and McMann joining the team on November 11th. Benoit appeared in five games during his recall, while McMann slotted into three.

McMann was the only one of the pair to score any points during his action, netting two assists in the few games he received. The scoring brings his career totals up to three points in 13 games, although McMann is still looking for his first NHL goal. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Leafs after the conclusion of Colgate University’s 2019-20 season. He joined the ECHL’s Witchita Thunder for the shortened 2020-21 season, before climbing his way into the AHL and ultimately earning his NHL debut by 2022-23. The 27-year-old centerman has also appeared in six AHL games this season, netting three points, six penalty minutes, and a -3.

Benoit was also signed as an undrafted free agent, joining the Anaheim Ducks as a training camp invite ahead of the 2018-19 season and signing with the Leafs as a UFA this summer. He’s spent the bulk of the last two seasons in the NHL, playing in 78 games last season and 53 games the year before. He managed 10 points last season, setting a career-high in scoring, but also recorded a -29, a career-low. In addition to his five games with the Maple Leafs, he’s also played two games in the AHL this season, going without a point and a -2.

This move opens up just enough space for the Leafs to activate Conor Timmins off of injured reserve, if they feel he’s healthy.

Maple Leafs Place Timothy Liljegren On LTIR, Recall Max Lajoie And Simon Benoit

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The Maple Leafs are dealing with another injury on their back end as they announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been placed on LTIR with a high-ankle sprain, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days.  Replacing him on the roster will be blueliners Max Lajoie and Simon Benoit who have been recalled from AHL Toronto.

Liljegren was injured on Thursday night late in the first period against Boston after being tripped by Bruins winger Brad Marchand.  Following the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the early prognosis was that it wasn’t a short-term injury for the 24-year-old; this placement certainly cements that.  Liljegren is averaging around 18 minutes a night on Toronto’s back end through the first ten games, good for fourth among Toronto’s blueliners.  It’s a contract year for Liljegren who will be a restricted free agent next summer and an extended absence certainly wouldn’t help on that front.

The Maple Leafs are also without blueliners Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins.  David Alter of The Hockey News mentions (Twitter link) that both rearguards skated before practice today but that Timmins – who is on LTIR himself – is still a long way away from returning to the lineup.

As for the recalls, Lajoie is in his first season with Toronto after signing with them in free agency this past summer.  The 25-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last five years, totaling 70 regular season games and a pair of playoff contests.  This season, he has been held off the scoresheet in seven games with the Marlies but had 45 points in 70 games with AHL Chicago in 2022-23.

Benoit, meanwhile, was recalled three times back in October but didn’t play with the Maple Leafs.  Going back and forth to and from the minors has also limited him to just two games so far with the Marlies.  Last season, the 25-year-old had 10 points in 78 games with Anaheim while logging over 19 minutes a night.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Pontus Holmberg, Loan Simon Benoit To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that center Pontus Holmberg has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. In a corresponding move, defenseman Simon Benoit was sent to the Marlies.

The recall of Holmberg could have been motivated by a few factors. First and foremost, with Tyler Bertuzzi playing through an injury, it’s possible the Maple Leafs may want to give him a some time away from the ice to focus more on recovery. In that case, Toronto would need a forward to replace Bertuzzi in their lineup, which would be Holmberg. The Maple Leafs only have the cap space to carry one spare player, so with a need up front rather than on defense it’s easy to see why Benoit would be sent to the AHL in favor of Holmberg.

There’s another factor that may have motivated this recall, and it relates to rookie forward Fraser Minten. If the Maple Leafs are okay continuing with Bertuzzi in their lineup and playing through injury, this recall may instead have been made to allow for Minten to be re-assigned back to the WHL and the Kamloops Blazers.

While Minten had an undoubtedly stellar training camp and preseason, it was always unlikely that the 19-year-old rookie would remain the third-line center for a full season on a team with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations.

Minten scored 31 goals and 67 points in 57 WHL games last season, and this year he would likely become the centerpiece player on a Blazers team currently struggling due to the graduations of key players. Minten would also stand a strong chance of playing an important role for Team Canada at this year’s IIHF Men’s World Junior Championships.

The Maple Leafs could very well view this WHL-plus-WJC development path as more optimal for Minten’s future than playing 11-12 minutes per night in their NHL lineup, and as a result, this recall of Holmberg could allow them to re-assign Minten to take up that path.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Benn, McGinn, Benoit

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Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jordie Benn has signed a one-year contract to play for Brynäs IF in the second-tier Swedish league HockeyAllsvenskan. Brynäs IF had been in the top tier SHL for 63 years until they were relegated at the end of last season. The 36-year-old elder brother of Jamie Benn had been on a PTO with the Dallas Stars but was cut earlier this week.

The veteran of 607 NHL games spent last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs but dressed in just 12 NHL games registering a goal and an assist. Benn spent much of last year in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies where he posted two goals and four assists in 23 games while providing a veteran presence to the Marlies’ younger players. Benn was apparently close to signing with Brynäs IF earlier this summer but elected to take the Stars PTO to see if he could hang on to an NHL roster spot. Given Benn’s age and current skillset, it could be very likely that he has played his last game in the NHL.

In other morning notes:

  • CBS Sports is reporting that Anaheim Ducks forward Brock McGinn has been placed on injured reserve effective October 13th. The move means that the earliest McGinn can return from his lower body injury is October 21st. McGinn had been on a day-to-day timeline with the injury but was downgraded yesterday and will likely be replaced in the lineup by recent waiver claim Ross Johnston. McGinn was acquired at the 2023 trade deadline along with a third-round pick in exchange for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. He is expected to be a regular in the Ducks lineup despite his struggles in recent seasons. Last year McGinn posted 12 goals and seven assists in 75 games and was essentially a cap dump for the Penguins as he still has another year on his contract after this season at a cap hit of $2.75MM.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Simon Benoit for the second time this week. This comes on the heels of the club loaning Benoit to the AHL Toronto Marlies just two days ago. The moves are of little financial consequence to Benoit as he is on a one-way contract and is paid $775K regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or AHL. Benoit is certainly capable of playing in the NHL having dressed in 78 games last season with the Anaheim Ducks where he posted three goals and seven assists. However, given the Maple Leafs precarious salary cap situation he could find himself shuffled back and forth between the NHL and AHL throughout the season as the team tries to maximize salary cap space.

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