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Teddy Blueger

Pacific Notes: Tocchet, Hertl, Pietrangelo, Zary, Blueger

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Despite being rumored as a coveted option by the Philadelphia Flyers, there’s little expectation Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchet will be available to other teams this summer. In an article from Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription required), a source from inside the Canucks organization has indicated the team will exercise their option on Tocchet’s contract for next season, and are already viewing him as next year’s coach.

Furthermore, Drance reports that the team is interested in extending Tocchet beyond next season rather than having him on a one-year contract. Plenty can change in a year, but all signs indicate Tocchet will be the only recent recipient of the Jack Adams Award, outside the Carolina Hurricanes’ Rod Brind’Amour, to remain with the team well beyond winning the award.

There’s no doubting the Canucks’ interest in an extension either. Since taking over for Bruce Boudreau halfway through the 2022-23 season, Vancouver has managed a 104-61-25 record under Tocchet’s stewardship, putting him second in organizational history in points percentage. Additionally, Tocchet helped the Canucks win their first division title since the 2012-13 season, which is even more impressive considering he had to navigate through a murky relationship between the team’s top two forwards at the time, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Don’t expect forward Tomáš Hertl or defenseman Alex Pietrangelo back for the Vegas Golden Knights this weekend. According to a report from Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke at SinBin, neither Hertl (upper body) nor Pietrangelo (lower body) will return by the end of the weekend due to their respective injuries. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear Hertl will miss much more time, as the two reporters indicate he could return as early as next week.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that further tests will be conducted to assess the severity of Connor Zary’s knee injury. The young forward for the Calgary Flames awkwardly collided with the Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen shortly into the third period of last night’s contest and required help getting off the ice after a lengthy meet with the trainer. Fortunately, Dreger believes the early prognosis of Zary’s injury was positive. Still, as the fifth-highest scoring forward on the Flames with 27 points in 54 games, Calgary will need Zary in the lineup should they have any hope of catching up to the St. Louis Blues for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
  • Moving back to British Columbia, context has been provided regarding the Canucks’ call-up of Max Sasson earlier this morning. According to Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, forward Teddy Blueger is questionable for tonight’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to the flu. Unfortunately, if his illness were to prohibit him from playing tonight, it would be the first time Blueger has missed a game all season. The consistent bottom-six forward has scored eight goals and 23 points in 72 games with Vancouver this season.

West Notes: Blueger, Gridin, Blackhawks

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Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger made an appearance at training camp today (as per Noah Strang of the Daily Hive). The 30-year-old wore a no-contact jersey today after undergoing minor surgery recently to repair a lower-body injury. Blueger wasn’t listed on the team’s camp roster but appears to be ramping up to become a full participant.

Blueger had a good first year in Vancouver last year, dressing in 68 games and matching a career-high with 28 points. The former Stanley Cup champion has never offered a ton offensively but is more than serviceable in a bottom-six role and will be a welcome addition for the Canucks when he gets back to full health.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Calgary Flames prospect Matvei Gridin was involved in a QMJHL trade today as he was dealt by the Val-d’Or Foreurs to the Shawinigan Cataractes (as per team release). The move has been rumored for quite some time since the CHL annual Import Draft in July. Gridin had yet to come to an agreement with Val-d’Or on his QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement and was not part of the team’s training camp. Calgary selected Gridin with the 28th overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft and has unusual eligibility this season because he was drafted out of the USHL and never played a CHL game. Gridin can start the season in the NHL, AHL or CHL.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t expected to make the playoffs this season but there is pressure on the team this season to look like a structured NHL team once again (as per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic). The Blackhawks haven’t won a playoff series since 2015 and won’t likely win one this season, but the expectations are that the team will be competitive and superstar Connor Bedard will take the next step towards being a megastar. On top of that, there will be pressure on third-year head coach Luke Richardson who finally has an NHL lineup to coach and will be expected to implement a system and structure that utilizes the talent that the team has brought in over the last two summers.

Canucks To Start Camp Without Teddy Blueger, Cole McWard

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The Vancouver Canucks will begin training camp without forward Teddy Blueger and defenseman Cole McWard after both underwent minor, lower-body surgery – general manager Patrik Allvin shared with The Athletic’s Thomas Drance. The two will join forward Dakota Joshua and goaltender Thatcher Demko in working to recover from lower-body injuries before camp ends.

Blueger, 30, will stand as the biggest missing piece, having played 68 games with the Canucks last season. It was his first year in Vancouver and he used it to good effect, tying his career-high of 28 points while making the second-most appearances of any one season. The stout year succeeded a 2022-23 campaign to remember for Blueger. He started the year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he spent the first five years of his career, but a Trade Deadline move landed Blueger on the Vegas Golden Knights. He’d proceed to slot into 24 games with Vegas, between the regular and post-seasons, serving a depth role as the team ran to the first Stanley Cup win of their young history. That was Blueger’s first chance to get his name etched on the Cup, having spent the years of  Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Cup wins in the minor leagues.

McWard, 23, is on the other end of his career, just completing his first season after joining Vancouver as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He’s been awarded six NHL games to this point, scoring one goal, though he spent the majority of this season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. McWard managed 17 points in 57 games with the junior Canucks, ranking fourth among the team’s defenders in scoring.

The training camp absence will hinder both – as Blueger looks to fend off competition for his fourth-line role, and McWard looks to claim one of the open spots on Vancouver’s blue-line. The pair’s injuries could give a boost to players like Kiefer Sherwood and Noah Juulsen, or even open more room for Sammy Blais as he tries to vindicate a professional try-out agreement. All three will battle for quaint roles in the lineup, but could end up pivotal pieces as Vancouver eyes another berth into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Canucks Re-Sign Teddy Blueger

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5:42 p.m.: Blueger’s deal includes a 12-team no-trade clause in both seasons, PuckPedia reports. He’ll be paid a $775K base salary, with the remainder of the deal paid via signing bonuses ($1.175MM in 2024-25, $875K in 2025-26).

5:05 p.m.: The Canucks announced Wednesday that they’ve re-signed pending free agent center Teddy Blueger to a two-year deal worth $3.6MM, carrying a $1.8MM cap hit.

It’s a good bit of work for GM of the year finalist Patrik Allvin, who retains some solid fourth-line depth for a $100K pay cut from last season’s cap hit. Blueger arrived in Vancouver via free agency last summer, inking a one-year, $1.9MM pact. He was coming off a 2022-23 campaign that saw him dealt from the Penguins to the Golden Knights at the trade deadline, but he played in only six of Vegas’ 22 playoff games in their run to the Stanley Cup.

The Canucks banked on Blueger’s solid play in a bottom-six role in Pittsburgh over the years prior, though, and they got rewarded. The Latvia native isn’t a big-time goal-scorer – he’s never hit double digits in his career. He’s dealt with a decent amount of injuries, too, never playing more than 70 games in a season, but he provides decent offensive production when healthy.

In 2023-24, he rebounded after a difficult campaign that resulted in him scoring only four goals and 16 points in 63 games, his lowest offensive output as a full-time NHLer. Making 68 appearances for the Nucks, he had 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) and excelled in the faceoff circle, winning 53.1% of his draws while averaging 14:56 per game. He provided good possession results despite being used primarily in defensive situations at even strength, controlling 50.8% of shot attempts and 51.3% of expected goals, per Hockey Reference. Blueger also averaged 2:06 per game shorthanded, second among Vancouver forwards behind Elias Lindholm.

He was worth the money last year, and he’ll cost less to retain annually in exchange for an extra year’s worth of commitment. His deal comes in at nearly exactly what Evolving Hockey projected he’d cost on the open market (two years, $1.814MM AAV).

Blueger will likely reprise a fourth-line role next season with heavy PK usage plus some slight upward mobility at even strength. The Canucks still have $16.75MM in projected cap space after the signing with Tucker Poolman on long-term injured reserve, per CapFriendly. They have five roster spots to fill.

Pacific Notes: Oilers GM, Perry, Myers, Blueger

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Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that the Edmonton Oilers may need to go through the NHL entry draft with an interim general manager if they don’t extend current GM Ken Holland. If Holland does move on, the Oilers wouldn’t have enough time to conduct a search before the draft later this month and might need to lean heavily on their scouting staff to get them through a busy time of year.

Holland has not signed an extension in Edmonton despite having the team in the Stanley Cup Finals and would be highly sought after if he hits the open market given his resume with both the Oilers and the Detroit Red Wings. Holland has won three Stanley Cups as a general manager and a fourth as assistant general manager and goaltending coach. All four Stanley Cups victories came with the Red Wings.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry is set to collect an additional $50K in performance bonuses after the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Finals last night (as per Puck Pedia). Perry’s bonus brings Edmonton’s final penalty for overages this season to $3.55MM which will be added to their cap for next season. The 39-year-old reached another milestone last night becoming the first player in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Finals with five different teams, including four times in the last five seasons.
  • David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period writes that the talk of a Tyler Myers extension with the Vancouver Canucks might be a bit premature as the two sides have just started talking about extending their deal. Pagnotta notes that both the Canucks and Myers have an interest in getting an extension done, but the talk surrounding a new contract is “noise” at this point. Myers is coming off his most productive season in Vancouver and reportedly lives in nearby Kelowna during the summer which is certainly part of his desire to stay in British Columbia.
  • Pagnotta adds that the Canucks have interest in bringing back forward Teddy Blueger. The 29-year-old had one of the most productive seasons of his career with Vancouver, posting six goals and 22 assists in 68 games tying his career-high in points with 28. The Riga, Latvia native signed a one-year $1.9MM contract with Vancouver on July 1st, 2023, and provided good value to the Canucks that extended well beyond his offensive contributions. Pagnotta notes that the Canucks plan to circle back to Blueger later in the month, which makes sense given the quality and quantity of pending free agents the team will have to deal with over the next month.

West Notes: Tourigny, Hertl, Pelletier, Blueger

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It has been a rough go for the Coyotes as of late having lost eight straight games heading into today’s action.  However, GM Bill Armstrong dismissed any notion of head coach Andre Tourigny being in jeopardy of losing his job, telling PHNX’s Craig Morgan that he won’t be making a coaching change.  Arizona was in a Wild Card spot when the calendar flipped to 2024 but now is ten points behind St. Louis for the final playoff spot.  Armstrong hasn’t hidden the fact that the plan was for a long rebuild process and while it appears the Coyotes are likely to miss the playoff for the fourth straight season (12th straight if you don’t count the expanded 2020-21 postseason), Tourigny is still viewed as the right coach to help them take that next step.

More from the Western Conference:

  • It will still be another week or so before the Sharks learn exactly how long Tomas Hertl will be out for, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 30-year-old has missed the last three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove cartilage from his left knee.  While it has been a particularly rough year for most players in San Jose, Hertl has fared relatively well this season, all things considered.  Despite missing six games, he still leads the Sharks in scoring with 34 points through 48 games.  Pashelka notes that there is optimism that Hertl will be able to return at some point before the regular season comes to an end in April but with San Jose so far out of playoff contention, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get shut down for the season altogether.
  • Flames winger Jakob Pelletier is making progress in his recovery from an upper-body injury that has caused him to miss the last two games but he isn’t expected to play on Monday versus Winnipeg, relays Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has been limited to just four games so far this season (plus four more in the minors) due to injury.  However, it appears this one won’t keep him out for much longer.
  • The Canucks have identified Teddy Blueger as one of their pending unrestricted free agents that they’d like to re-sign, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported in a recent segment on Sportsnet 650 (audio link). The 29-year-old inked a one-year, $1.9MM deal with them back in July and has done well, picking up 22 points in 42 games while being one of their top-used penalty killers.  That said, contract discussions have not started as of yet and Dhaliwal feels that Vancouver may wait until late in the year to start discussing new deals with the UFA’s they’d like to keep.

Brenden Dillon To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety tweeted this morning that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon will have a hearing today for his illegal check to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari. According to Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff, the hearing will be a phone hearing, meaning that Dillon will receive a suspension of five games or less.

The hit happened at the 4:15 mark of the second period in a game that was 1-0 Pittsburgh at the time. Dillon was originally given a two-minute penalty and then received a match penalty on the play after it was reviewed.

Acciari hit the ice hard and in a scary moment tried to get up to his feet but fell back to the ice. He eventually skated off with assistance from the Penguins training staff and left the game with an undisclosed injury. Acciari was visibly bloody from the incident. The Penguins scored twice on the five-minute powerplay and eventually beat the Jets 3-0.

It wasn’t Dillon’s first run-in with the Penguins as Dillon has had some tough battles with Pittsburgh while he was a member of the Washington Capitals. He also had an incident back in January 2022 where he broke the jaw of former Penguins’ center Teddy Blueger with what appeared to be a check to the head. Dillon escaped discipline for that hit, but that doesn’t appear to be the case this time around.

Dillon’s absence will create a hole on the Jets’ backend as he has been playing over 18 minutes a night this season and is having one of his better offensive seasons while still providing sound defensive play for the team.

Snapshots: Eberle, Pesce, Perunovich

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The Seattle Kraken have shared that Jordan Eberle is doing alright after suffering a deep cut at the team’s Wednesday practice. He won’t play in the Kraken’s Thursday matchup against the Colorado Avalanche but is otherwise considered day-to-day by the team. The Kraken recalled Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton to the NHL lineup in response to Eberle’s injury.

Eberle has appeared in 13 games with the Kraken this season, netting four points, nine penalty minutes, and a -8. He’s appeared in roles throughout the Kraken lineup through the early season, as head coach Dave Hakstol has tried to help Eberle get it going. The 33-year-old winger scored 20 goals and 63 points in 82 games last season, ranking third on the team in scoring and fourth in goal-scoring. It also tied for Eberle’s second-highest scoring season and marked his first time scoring 60 or more points since 2014-15, when he was still with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Kraken received a waiver to the NHL/CHL transfer agreement that would have required Wright to be assigned to the OHL if he didn’t make the Kraken roster out of training camp. As a result, he’s started the season with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he’s scored four goals and six points in seven games. He’s tied for the Firebirds lead in goals. Wright will likely draw into the lineup if Eberle can’t go. He appeared in eight games last season, scoring two points.

Other notes from around the league:

West Notes: Blueger, Toninato, Kesselring

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Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province is reporting that Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger is getting close to making his Canucks debut. The 29-year-old has yet to dress this season after he was injured in a preseason game in early October while blocking a shot. Neither Blueger nor the Canucks have specified what the issue is with Blueger, but Johnston believes the injury is a bone bruise.

Blueger practiced with the Canucks today for their full practice, it was the first time he has done so since he suffered the injury on October 6th. The native of Riga, Latvia skated with a group of fourth liners in Sam Lafferty, Nils Höglander, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Canucks could certainly use Blueger’s penalty-killing prowess as they have been as bad shorthanded this year as they were last year with a success rate of just 77.3%.

The Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night in Ottawa, and if Blueger can’t make his return then, it could happen before the end of their road trip.

In other West notes:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have returned forward Dominic Toninato back to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. The 29-year-old was called up by the Jets on October 20th but did not dress in an NHL game and will now head back to the AHL where he has a goal and an assist in two AHL games this season. The Duluth, Minnesota native is just two years removed from dressing in 77 games for the Jets in a single season and will likely receive another call-up later in the season should the Jets run into injury issues.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from their AHL affiliate the Tucson Roadrunners as they get set to head out on a five-game road trip. Kesselring has yet to dress in an NHL game this season but has spent some time with the Coyotes. The club made the move today to add emergency depth in case they need it while they are away from home. Kesselring has dressed in six AHL games with the Roadrunners this season and has been held scoreless. Last season, the 23-year-old played nine games with Arizona, posting three assists.

Canucks Injury Notes: Blueger, Soucy, Mikheyev

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Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province is reporting that Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger injury status has been changed to week to week. Blueger was originally thought to have a bruised knee, but apparently will not travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Blueger originally suffered the injury when he blocked a shot back on October 6th in a preseason game against the Calgary Flames. He joined the Canucks two days later for practice but lasted just 15 minutes before the injury caused him to leave.

The injury will force Blueger to further delay his regular season debut with the Canucks after a solid preseason had fans feeling optimistic about his upcoming season with the team. Blueger signed a one-year $1.9MM contract with the Canucks on July 1st after a disappointing season last year split between the Vegas Golden Knights and Pittsburgh Penguins. Blueger posted just four goals and 12 assists last year in 63 games while being deployed largely as a fourth-line center and penalty-kill specialist.

In other Canucks injury notes:

  • The Canucks injury news isn’t all bad. The Vancouver Province posted that injured defenseman Carson Soucy skated with the Canucks yesterday in a non-contact jersey and will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Soucy also took part in extra skating drills before practice as he tries to get into game shape. Soucy was originally injured a week ago in a preseason game against the Flames and was thought to be out week to week but could be back sooner than later.
  • The Vancouver Province reported that Canucks forward Ilya Mikheyev has gone from practicing with the team in a regular jersey to a non-contact jersey. The 29-year-old had been in a regular jersey for almost a week but was downgraded yesterday for an undisclosed reason. The Canucks thought earlier in the week that Mikheyev might be ready for the Canucks October 17th game against the Philadelphia Flyers but given the setback that return now seems unlikely. Like Soucy, Mikheyev took extra skating before the team’s practice yesterday as he tries to get into game shape.

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