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William Carrier

West Notes: Coyotes, Carrier, Duhaime

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The Arizona Coyotes made one of the biggest deals of the season when they sent defenseman Jakob Chychrun to the Ottawa Senators for a trio of draft picks. The Coyotes will receive a first-round pick in 2023 and a pair of future second-round picks. While the initial ask was certainly higher, Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong explained his thought process to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports.

Armstrong stated he valued the Senators first-round pick higher than most other teams next two first-round picks. The Senators are fighting for a playoff spot, but are on the outside looking in and have to leapfrog a handful of teams down the stretch to get in. If they miss, the Coyotes are guaranteed a top-16 pick which, paired with two future second-round picks, has more value than two first-round picks that would be closer to 30th overall. Armstrong said he believes this pick will be somewhere between 6-18 in a deep 2023 draft, and that was ultimately why he pulled the trigger on the Chychrun trade.

  • Per a team release, the Vegas Golden Knights will be without William Carrier for the foreseeable future. He is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury after leaving the Golden Knights 4-3 shootout win in the first period. Carrier is having a productive season with 16 goals and 25 points in 56 games but now joins Mark Stone, Nolan Patrick, Robin Lehner, Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit on the sidelines in Vegas.
  • Minnesota Wild winger Brandon Duhaime won’t play today due to injury according to Joe Smith of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). He will be re-evaluated when the team returns from their trip after tonight’s contest in Calgary. The 25-year-old has seven goals and an assist in 39 games so far.

Vegas Golden Knights Activate Shea Theodore, William Carrier

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The Vegas Golden Knights have gotten some extremely encouraging news. Defenseman Shea Theodore and forward William Carrier have been activated off of injured reserve. Carrier has been out since January 14th, while Theodore last played in early December.

The news comes as the Golden Knights prepare to take on a formidable New York Rangers team. Theodore’s return gives the Golden Knights’ blueline a major boost. It’s been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks, and the return of Theodore will help take some of the pressure off of the defenders currently eating minutes for coach Bruce Cassidy.

When healthy, Theodore is the Golden Knights’ number-two defenseman behind Alex Pietrangelo. He has 22 points in 29 games this season and averages nearly 22 minutes per night. As The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reported, he’ll slot in next to Brayden McNabb on the team’s bottom pairing, while Kaedan Korczak will exit the lineup.

With Theodore back in the mix, the Golden Knights’ stable of blueliners is transformed into one of the stronger units in the NHL, and his addition will be a major help as the team looks to take the first-place spot in the Pacific Division from the Seattle Kraken.

While the addition of Carrier back into the Golden Knights’ lineup will come with less fanfare, it is a significant one nonetheless. The energetic winger, who was a member of the original Golden Knights squad from their expansion season, is in the midst of a bit of a breakout campaign. He’s already scored 11 goals this season and will slot in nicely next to Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel on the team’s third line.

The return to the lineup comes at an important time for Carrier, as he’s looking to sustain his hot goal-scoring touch. If he can find a way to reach the 20-goal plateau, he’ll set himself up nicely for when his current $1.4MM AAV contract expires at the end of next season.

Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Avalanche, Carrier

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Originally slated to be out for at least a month, St. Louis Blues star winger Vladimir Tarasenko could be back in the lineup sooner than expected. Lou Korac of NHL.com and Inside the Blues reports that Tarasenko was a full participant in Blues practice on Sunday morning, just two weeks after sustaining a hand injury on New Year’s Eve.

Now 31, Tarasenko is having another solid season after missing the majority of play between 2019 and 2021 with injuries. While he’s not on his point-per-game-plus pace from last season, he does have a respectable ten goals and 29 points in 34 games. The six-time 30-goal scorer could be important trade bait for the Blues in March if they continue to slip out of the playoff race.

  • While injury news for the Colorado Avalanche has been rather bleak, there was a tidbit of good news today when head coach Jared Bednar told reporters that Valeri Nichushkin is “potentially” an option tomorrow when they host the Detroit Red Wings. He’s been limited to 15 games this season but has played extraordinarily well when healthy, recording seven goals and 16 points. The news wasn’t so positive for Darren Helm, however, who’s re-injured the lower-body ailment that caused him to miss the start of the season. The team isn’t positive that Helm will return to play in 2022-23.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights will be without forward William Carrier tomorrow, as he has an upper-body injury that will keep him out against Dallas. Carrier seemed to sustain the injury late in yesterday’s tough loss against the Edmonton Oilers. He’s already set a career-high in goals, scoring 11 times in 43 games in largely a fourth-line role to provide important depth scoring.

Snapshots: Samuelsson, Carrier, Roos

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When the Buffalo Sabres announced a gargantuan seven-year, $30MM extension for defenseman Mattias Samuelsson earlier today, it raised some eyebrows around the league – and justifiably so. Samuelsson has yet to score an NHL goal and has played just 54 NHL games, coming over the past two seasons. But as The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski notes in his column breaking down the deal, general manager Kevyn Adams thinks Samuelsson and his contract and both key parts of his approach to building a championship contender.

“We wanted to be really disciplined and smart with how we put our roster together and the reason for that is we can do things like this and make sure that we identify the people that we’re gonna move forward with long-term and we know there’s more coming,” said Adams today. Buffalo is banking on development here, but the organization believes in Samuelsson and that he has long-term top-pairing potential. How that bet pans out remains to be seen.

  • After sitting out last night’s season-opening win in Los Angeles, Vegas Golden Knights forward William Carrier may be healthy for tomorrow’s home opener against Chicago, according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. Carrier has been listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury since September 26 but has obviously returned to practice. He’ll likely draw in for Michael Amadio if he does play, as Amadio was the only Golden Knights forward to receive 10 minutes or less of ice time against Los Angeles.
  • One of the more interesting names to appear on opening night rosters will be making his NHL debut tonight: Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Filip Roos. The 23-year-old Roos is a rare case: a European, undrafted free-agent on an entry-level contract playing in his NHL team’s first game of the season. Roos had six points in 50 games for Skellefteå in the SHL last season and will suit up on the third pairing alongside Alec Regula.

Injury Notes: Carrier, Muzzin, Blueger

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The Vegas Golden Knights have some good news and some bad news on the injury front. The good news is that captain Mark Stone has “checked all the medical boxes” according to head coach Bruce Cassidy, and should be able to take part in a preseason game in the next few days.

The bad news is that William Carrier will be re-evaluated next week after suffering an upper-body injury over the weekend. The 27-year-old Carrier is in the third season of a four-year, $5.6MM contract signed in 2020 and had 20 points in 63 games last season.

  • Jake Muzzin joined his teammates at practice today, after sitting out the last few because of an ongoing back issue. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman did leave early as a precaution, but head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including David Alter of Sports Illustrated that Muzzin could have continued.
  • Teddy Blueger left today’s practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins partway through and is now being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Blueger is an important part of the team’s forward depth, especially as Jeff Carter deals with an upper-body injury of his own. Ryan Poehling was skating as the third-line center in their absence.

Vegas Golden Knights Activate William Carrier Off LTIR

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced ahead of their game tonight that they have activated forward William Carrier off of LTIR. Carrier had been out of the lineup for Vegas since leaving a March 26th game against the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury. The forward was not initially placed on LTIR, however when Vegas activated Mark Stone off of LTIR on April 12th, the team was forced to put Carrier on LTIR to make room. So far, no corresponding move has been made, though Jake Leschyshyn’s assignment to Henderson of the AHL on Friday did create an open roster spot for Carrier.

Having Carrier back is a welcomed addition for Vegas as they play their final home game of the regular season tonight against the San Jose Sharks, a game the team must win in order to stay in playoff contention, a destiny which they do not alone control. Vegas currently sits four points back of the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, with just a game in hand on Dallas (Nashville and Vegas both play their 79th game this evening).

One of the few remaining inaugural Golden Knights, Carrier’s presence in the lineup as a gritty forward who can chip in on offense, has been a strong presence in their lineup, one that has long been considered very difficult to play against. On the season, Carrier has seven goals and 11 assists in 59 games. The 27-year-old also represents great value for the Golden Knights, as he is signed through the 2023-24 season at just $1.4MM per season. Hopefully for Vegas, he will be able to contribute in a series of must-win games down the stretch.

William Carrier Placed In COVID Protocol

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It seems like everyday teams are adding players to the COVID protocol, and the Vegas Golden Knights are the latest to do so. William Carrier is unavailable for the team today as he has been placed in the protocol.

The team has not confirmed whether or not Carrier tested positive for coronavirus, or how long the forward is expected to be out. For now, at least, they’ll have to prepare as though he will not be available for them tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes. They will also be without Alec Martinez, who was cut by Brandon Duhaime’s skate last week and is out for tomorrow night. Chandler Stephenson and Mattias Janmark, the other two absences from practice, had maintenance days according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Vegas is on a hot streak of late, going 8-2 in their last ten after a rocky start. Carrier is a legitimate part of that success, despite the fact that he averages fewer than 12 minutes a night. His physicality is a constant for the Golden Knights, and he’s even contributed with a little offense this season, adding two assists in his last game. He’s missed the last two though, meaning the team won’t have to make substantial changes to the lineup with him now in the protocol.

William Carrier Signs Extension With Vegas Golden Knights

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1:15pm: Well that didn’t take long. The Golden Knights have announced a four-year extension for Carrier that will carry an average annual value of $1.4MM.

12:33pm: The Vegas Golden Knights were busy in February adding pieces for a Stanley Cup run, but now that the trade deadline has passed there is work to be done with the rest of the roster. Specifically the restricted free agents, who will need new contracts by the start of next season. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the team is working hard with pending RFA forward William Carrier on an extension.

The bang-and-crash winger has found a home with the Golden Knights, using his speed to create havoc in the offensive zone even in limited minutes. Though he still averages fewer than 10 minutes of ice time a night, Carrier has seven goals and 18 points on the season, which actually puts him eighth among Vegas forwards.

Currently in the final season of a two-year, $1.45MM deal, Carrier will be arbitration eligible in the summer but could avoid any nasty hearings by inking an extension in the coming weeks. Though he obviously won’t be demanding top-six money given his role, there’s certainly reason for him to get a slight raise.

One of the most interesting things to watch in Vegas however is how they treat Robin Lehner after acquiring him at the deadline. If the team shows any interest in retaining his services and pairing him with the $7MM/year Marc-Andre Fleury, they won’t have a ton of cap space to spend around the edges of the roster. President George McPhee and GM Kelly McCrimmon haven’t been shy to hand out extensions to rental players they’ve acquired through trade, but there is only so much pie to go around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pacific Notes: Burns, Kane, Quick, Carrier

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Already without Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson for Sunday, the San Jose Sharks could be without another Norris Trophy winner on Sunday as well as defenseman Brent Burns skipped today’s voluntary practice with a flu bug and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. Oh, and Burns currently holds the iron man streak of 454 straight games played.

There’s a “little bit of a flu bug going through the team,” said Sharks’ head coach Peter DeBoer.

The team already announced that Karlsson will miss Sunday’s game due to re-tweaking a groin injury last week. However, the team hasn’t played a game without Burns on the ice since Nov. 21, 2013. The defenseman currently leads all Sharks with 71 points in 65 games and is in the running for his second Norris Trophy in the last three years. If Burns can’t play, the team is expected to utilize Joakim Ryan to replace him. Ryan hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 22.

  • Sticking with the Sharks, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that Evander Kane’s remains questionable for Sunday’s game after missing Friday with an undisclosed middle-body injury. Kurz writes that the injury to Kane is not considered to be serious. The 27-year-old has 27 goals and 51 points this year and is closing in on career highs in both areas.
  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) suggests that this may be Jonathan Quick’s last season in Los Angeles as the team might be looking to trade their longtime goaltender. With a solid season by backup Jack Campbell and the impressive play of rookie Calvin Petersen, the team could consider moving on from Quick. While most teams in need of a goaltender might be looking at Sergei Bobrovsky as their first choice, Quick might make a solid second option for teams who miss out on Bobrovsky. Of course, the 33-year-old Quick isn’t having his best season as he has just 11 wins, a 3.31 GAA and a .897 save percentage and is owed $5.8MM for four more years. However, most people expect Quick to rebound after a tough, injury-plagued season.
  • David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Vegas Golden Knights fourth-liner William Carrier, who has missed six straight games with an upper-body injury and has appeared in only 48 games this season, could begin skating today and could return to the lineup within the next two weeks. Carrier is second in the NHL in hits with 247 this season, two behind teammate Ryan Reaves.

Pacific Notes: Baertschi, Carrier, Phaneuf, Thornton

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The Vancouver Canucks may be fighting for a playoff spot, but they will have to do it for a while without winger Sven Baertschi, as Canucks’ head coach Travis Green reported that Baertschi will miss some time after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, according to Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Sun.

Baertschi has been feeling ill since last Sunday, the day after the team played Colorado and he didn’t report any symptoms before the game. However, Green said this is not a new concussion as there is no indication that he suffered any hit during the game. Instead it is believed this ties in to a concussion Baertschi suffered in October when he took a hit to the head from Vegas’ Tomas Hyka. There is no specific timetable to how long Baertschi will be out.

“We’re going to give him some time off,” Green said. “(He’s) probably going to be out for a little bit.”

Baertschi did not accompany the team to Philadelphia last week and has now missed three games, all losses. Johnston adds that post-concussion syndrome can linger for months after an initial concussion.

  • The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that the Vegas Golden Knights will be swapping players Saturday. The team is expecting to get back fourth-line winger William Carrier for their game today against Columbus. Carrier has been out for more than a month after going down with an undisclosed injury. Carrier has played a career-high 44 games and has eight goals, but has been essential to the team’s bottom line with 219 hits. With Carrier’s return, the team has placed third-line winger Ryan Carpenter on injured reserve, also with an undisclosed injury.
  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) writes that after being scratched for the first time in his career, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Dion Phaneuf was unhappy with the developments and despite potential rumors of an eventual buyout, he claims he has plenty more left to give in the NHL. “I’m not that old. So I will say that,” said Phaneuf, who will turn 34 on April 10, “I’ve got lots left. Mentor, whatever you want to call it, I’ve got a job to do as well. I feel good. I know I’ve played a long time. I’ve got more left. Right now, it’s about working to get back in the lineup. When you get back in, you want to do your job.”
  • Despite talk of still being injured, The Mercury News’ Paul Gackle writes that the 10-day break that Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks got recently has done wonders for their third-line center. Thornton, who has struggled with knee issues on and off this sea is now fully healthy and starting to become what head coach Peter DeBoer envisioned when Thornton took over his third-line center duties, giving the team a sparkplug on a bottom-six line. “A healthy Joe Thornton creates mismatches. He turns depth players into very-good players,” DeBoer said. “That’s a key to success in this league.”

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