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Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Fleury, Murray, Ciernik, Viel

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With Ilya Samsonov’s struggles, the Maple Leafs have been among the teams that have been sniffing around the goalie market.  However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Toronto’s foray into the market was believed to be them offering up a late-round pick – possibly a sixth-rounder – but teams were seeking a better return and preferred a prospect for even the lower-end options.  Clearly, there wasn’t anything out there to GM Brad Treliving’s liking which resulted in today’s recall of prospect Dennis Hildeby, a move that is likely only a short-term option given his inexperience.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • As part of today’s roster shuffle that brought up defenseman Philippe Myers to Tampa Bay, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that blueliner Haydn Fleury has been placed on LTIR. He exited yesterday’s victory over Montreal early and it appears the injury is significant enough for him to miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days.  Fleury has had a limited role so far this season but does have four points in 12 contests with the Lightning.
  • The Stars announced that they sent down goaltender Matt Murray to AHL Texas today. With Jake Oettinger unavailable for a little longer, it’s likely this is a cap-related move and that he’ll be recalled before their game tomorrow against Montreal.  With Oettinger remaining on the active roster, they’re allowed to make this move even with their starter injured.  Murray has yet to play in Dallas this season but has a 2.86 GAA and a .908 SV% in 13 AHL appearances.
  • Flyers prospect Alex Ciernik has been replaced on Slovakia’s World Junior roster due to injury, relays Dennik Sport’s Matej Deraj (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was in his second appearance in the tournament and had one assist in three preliminary round contests.  Ciernik was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia back in June, going 120th overall.
  • One day after being brought up on an emergency recall, the Jets announced (Twitter link) that winger Jeffrey Viel has been returned to AHL Manitoba. The 26-year-old didn’t suit up versus Minnesota and has nine points in 24 games with the Moose this season along with 70 penalty minutes.

Snapshots: Roslovic, Thompson, Kuraly

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In an update on injured Columbus Blue Jackets forward, Jack Roslovic, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports Roslovic could return to the lineup on Friday, but is confirmed to be returning by Saturday. Roslovic has been out of the line with a fractured ankle since the team’s game against the New York Rangers on November 12th.

At the time, it was a tough blow to Roslovic and Columbus, as the forward was looking to have another solid season with the organization heading into unrestricted free agency next summer. Having only played in 14 games before the ankle fracture, Roslovic has two goals and eight points on the year, averaging approximately 16 and a half minutes of ice time per game.

Even with Roslovic set to come off the team’s injured reserve by the end of the upcoming weekend, they will still have four players on the injured reserve, severely limiting their depth as an organization. Nevertheless, with his ability to generate offense, Roslovic will be a welcomed return to the Blue Jackets lineup.

Other snapshots:

  • Heading into tonight’s action against the Boston Bruins, the Buffalo Sabres announced they would be without star player, Tage Thompson, as he will be out due to personal reasons. Although his presence is heavily missed in the Sabres lineup, it has ultimately been a disappointing season for Thompson up to this point by his standards, scoring nine goals and 19 points in 26 games.
  • Back in Columbus, as the team matches up against the New Jersey Devils, one player who was rumored to be returning tonight was Sean Kuraly. Instead, Kuraly still felt a tremendous amount of pain due to his abdominal injury, and will now likely return on Friday (X Link). As now the second highest-paid ’healthy’ forward on the roster, Kuraly has six goals and 11 points in 26 games this year.

Snapshots: Hartman, Athanasiou, Sawchyn

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Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is set to return to game action for the team for the first time in more than a week, according to Minnesota Wild Radio Network’s Kevin Falness. Hartman has been out since the team’s December 19th win over the Boston Bruins, a game in which he scored a goal.

At times the Wild’s first-line center, Hartman has been supplanted as a top-six pivot by the emergence of Marco Rossi. But he’s still putting together a decent campaign, on pace to score 26 goals and 43 points. Back in the lineup, Hartman will give the Wild a nice boost just as they are looking to gain ground in the Central Division race.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou has hit a bit of a setback in his recovery from a groin injury, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Roumeliotis relays word from head coach Luke Richardson who said that Athanasiou’s gym workouts have been shut down, though he plans to start them back up again now that he’s received clarity on the nature of his injury after visiting another doctor. While there still isn’t a firm timeline as to when the Blackhawks can expect to see the former 30-goal scorer back on the ice, it does seem as though that is still a ways away.
  • Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn was traded in the WHL today, dealt to the Edmonton Oil Kings in a deal that included seven draft picks headed the other way. Although the Oil Kings have struggled this season they’re likely to improve greatly with the addition of Sawchyn, who the Panthers drafted 63rd overall at the 2023 draft. Sawchyn’s NHL future is a topic of debate and division amongst third-party publications, as he was ranked as high as 13th overall in the class (by Elite Prospects) and as low as 49th (TSN’s Bob McKenzie).

Snapshots: Kahkonen, Three Stars, Minten

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Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen is on an expiring contract, making him a candidate to be moved before the March 8th deadline.  The 27-year-old told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that he likes the direction that the team is heading in and would be open to re-signing with San Jose although he’s unaware of any discussions on that front at this point.  Kahkonen was traded two years ago when he was on an expiring deal, coming to the Sharks in a swap with Minnesota.  He has a .899 SV% in 15 games this season, a number that’s a little below league average but with the state of their roster and their struggles this season, that’s not a bad showing.  Accordingly, teams looking for help between the pipes might be inclined to inquire about Kahkonen in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • With the games for the week now over due to the holiday break, the NHL released its weekly Three Stars today. Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was named First Star on the heels of recording seven points in four games including back-to-back overtime winners.  Rangers center Mika Zibanejad is the Second Star after also notching seven points in four contests.  Meanwhile, Red Wings winger Patrick Kane takes home the Third Star nod after leading the league in scoring with eight points in his four appearances.
  • Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten has been named captain of Canada’s World Junior team, per an announcement from Hockey Canada (Twitter link). The 19-year-old made his NHL debut this season, getting into a pair of games before being sent back to the WHL where he has since been traded.  Canada has four players with at least one game of NHL experience; all four of them are among the players who will be among their group of captains.

Snapshots: Gibson, Perron, Dell

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According to the EliteProspects transaction page, former NHL goaltender, Christopher Gibson, will return home to Finland, as he has signed a contract with Rauman Lukko of the Finnish Liiga. As recently as last year, Gibson was rostered in the Seattle Kraken organization, playing all season for their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Gibson was originally drafted 49th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2011 NHL Draft but would wind up signing his entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013. Only two years later, Gibson was a part of the trade that sent Michael Grabner to the Maple Leafs, has was included in the return for the New York Islanders.

Spending the better part of 10 years in the American Hockey League, Gibson is a veteran of 244 games at the minor league level, carrying a record of 124-77-37, with a .910 SV% and a 2.64 GAA. At the NHL level, Gibson will leave North America having played in only 16 games over seven seasons, carrying a .901 SV% and a 3.33 GAA.

Other snapshots:

  • Returning to the lineup tonight regardless of the decision, the NHL decided to uphold the six-game suspension of Detroit Red Wings forward, David Perron, after the NHLPA filed an appeal on his behalf. After the appeal process played out, Commissioner Gary Bettman relied heavily on Perron’s intentions during the play to defend the original suspension, as the entirety of his reason can be found here.
  • Signing Aaron Dell to a professional tryout agreement only four days ago, the Carolina Hurricanes will be watching Dell from overseas as they decide on his immediate future with the organization. Approaching next week, Dell has been added to Team Canada’s roster for the 2023 Spengler Cup, and will likely serve as Dell’s overall tryout with the Hurricanes organization.

Snapshots: Skinner, Greenway, Hill, Atanasov

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Rumoured to be on the horizon for several days now, the Buffalo Sabres have officially activated forwards Jeff Skinner and Jordan Greenway from injured reserve tonight, per a team announcement. According to the stipulations provided in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Sabres can activate both, and carry a 24-man roster over the roster freeze since they are under the salary cap.

Barring something extreme, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio expects both players to be in the lineup tonight as the Sabres take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Skinner, dealing with an upper-body injury, has missed three games for Buffalo, while Greenway, also dealing with an upper-body injury, has missed a total of nine games throughout his injury.

It is positive news for a Sabres organization seemingly unable to stay healthy up to this point in the 2023-24 regular season. With a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games, Buffalo has failed to gain any sort of traction this season, sitting stagnantly in seventh place in the Atlantic Division.

Other snapshots:

  • Playing in only one game since December 1st, the expectation is that the Vegas Golden Knights will place goaltender Adin Hill on injured reserve (X Link). Not slowing down a bit since his impressive performance in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, Hill holds a 10-2-2 record this season, carrying a league-leading .933 SV% and a 1.93 GAA in 15 starts.
  • According to Elliotte Friedman, one player who is gaining plenty of overseas traction in the NHL is Vasili Atanasov, currently rostered on Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League. With one year remaining on his current contract, the 21-year-old forward has 19 goals and 38 points in 39 games. Although he has shown quite the ability to score at the professional level, he is a bit undersized standing at 5’11” and 157 pounds.

Snapshots: Diamond Sports, Sharks, McMichael, Jagr, Beaudin, Golden Knights

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Diamond Sports Group has reached a deal with the 11 NHL teams it has regional broadcast rights for to televise their games through the end of this season, sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan reports (Twitter link).  With that agreement being made through bankruptcy court, it stands to reason that those affected will not be receiving the full value of their contracts, some of which lasted until 2030.  After this season, the broadcast rights for those teams will revert to the league with future plans uncertain at this point.  However, Amazon has held discussions with some MLB teams that are in similar situations (regional rights with Diamond for this season and reverting to the league after) so it’s possible that they could look to hold talks about NHL rights as well.  Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, Anaheim, Carolina, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville, Dallas, and Minnesota are the teams that will be impacted by this news.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • After missing last night’s game, Sharks defensemen Jan Rutta (illness) and Calen Addison (lower-body injury) were both feeling better today and could suit up Thursday versus Arizona, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). Rutta has five assists and 43 blocked shots in 26 games so far this season, his first with San Jose after being acquired from Pittsburgh.  Addison, meanwhile, has picked a goal and five helpers in 19 games since being picked up last month in a trade with Minnesota.
  • Before tonight’s game against the Islanders, the Capitals announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor McMichael was a late scratch due to an illness. Matthew Phillips took his place.  McMichael is off to his best start, notching six goals and seven assists through his first 28 games; last season, he was limited to just six NHL contests, being held off the scoresheet.
  • Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr has officially started his 36th professional season, playing in his first game of the year with Kladno in his native Czechia, the team he owns. The 51-year-old played nearly 14 minutes, picking up an assist.  Jagr’s participation in that game will delay his Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility by another season.
  • The Canadiens will loan defenseman Nicolas Beaudin to Team Canada for the upcoming Spengler Cup, reports BPM Sports Radio’s Anthony Marcotte (Twitter link). The 24-year-old played in the event on a loan last year as well.  Beaudin, a 2018 first-round pick by Chicago, has been in and out of the lineup with AHL Laval this season, recording six assists in 13 games so far.
  • The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Logan Thompson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  To get a second netminder on the roster for Thursday’s game against Carolina, Isaiah Saville was recalled from AHL Henderson.  Thompson has posted a .904 SV% in his first 19 games this season for Vegas while Saville, who was just activated from SOIR recently, has a .950 mark in three games with the Silver Knights.

Snapshots: Sabres, Kulich, Hagg

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Still without forwards Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons, and Jordan Greenway, the Buffalo Sabres have dealt with numerous injuries to their forward core this season, but should be welcoming an up-and-coming player back to the lineup tonight. In an article from Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, there is every expectation that Jack Quinn will draw back into the active roster, and make his season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dealing with an Achilles injury suffered in late June, Quinn has been prohibited from building upon his rookie season last year, in which he scored 14 goals and 37 points in 75 games, finishing 12th in Calder Trophy voting. Seeing their offensive output drop from third in the league last year, to only 26th in the league this season, the Sabres will only benefit from reintroducing Quinn back into the lineup.

After just failing to reach the playoffs last season, Buffalo currently holds a 13-6-3 record through 32 games this year, sitting 5th in the Atlantic Division and five points behind the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. With Quinn undoubtedly needing a few games to get back to full speed, the Sabres are hoping increased health in the organization will help change the trajectory of their season.

Other snapshots:

  • Staying in Buffalo, Lysowski mentions in the same article that the team has loaned top prospect, Jiri Kulich, to Team Czechia for the 2023 World Junior Championships. Kulich was originally drafted 28th overall by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL Draft and has transitioned rather well to North American hockey. Playing for the Rochester Americans this season, Kulich has 16 goals and 22 points in 22 games, leading the team in scoring.
  • According to Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune, the Anaheim Ducks have sent defenseman Robert Hagg down to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Originally recalled on December 10th, Hagg served as a healthy scratch for all five of the team’s games in the meantime, failing to suit up once for Anaheim this season.

Snapshots: Kuznetsov, Suter, Boudreau, Richards, Clarke

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Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was a late scratch for tonight’s game against Philadelphia with the team announcing (Twitter link) that it was due to illness.  It has not been a good year for the 31-year-old who has been limited to just five goals and six assists in 22 games while even being a healthy scratch earlier this month.  Kuznetsov has one more year left after this one with a $7.8MM AAV and if Washington looks to shake things up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his name land in the rumor mill again after a trade request came to light over the summer.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Prior to their game tonight versus Florida, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated center Pius Suter from injured reserve. The 27-year-old has missed the last month due to a lower-body injury.  Suter was off to a slow start to his first season with Vancouver as he has been limited to four goals in his first 15 games.  Having sent back Linus Karlsson recently, they didn’t need to make another move to open up a spot for Suter’s activation.
  • It’s possible that we could see Bruce Boudreau back behind a bench in the near future. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports (Twitter link) that the veteran bench boss is in the mix to coach Canada’s entry into the upcoming Spengler Cup, which gets underway on December 26th.  The 68-year-old is currently an advisor for OHL Niagara.
  • The Blues have added long-time NHL center Brad Richards as a power play consultant, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays in his latest 32 Thoughts column. Richards put up 377 points with the man advantage during his 15-year NHL career, putting him in a tie for 76th in NHL history in that department.  Louis enters play tonight with a power play success rate of just 8.4%, putting them 31st league-wide ahead of only Washington.
  • With Vladislav Gavrikov now out for a little while, some wondered if this could be the opportunity for top prospect Brandt Clarke to be recalled from AHL Ontario. However, Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider notes that promoting him would give them four right-shot defenders and the Kings don’t want to put one of them in a spot of playing on their off-side.  Clarke is off to a very strong start with the Reign, putting up 25 points in his first 24 career AHL appearances.

Snapshots: Kunin, Wolves, Capitals Arena

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Being out of the lineup for a little over a week with an upper-body injury, the San Jose Sharks announced the team has officially activated forward Luke Kunin from the injured reserve, although he will not play in the team’s game tonight.

After a disastrous start to the season, the Sharks have rebounded well over their last several games, producing a 5-2-1 record over their last eight games, now tied for last place in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, due to the injury, Kunin has not been able to factor into San Jose’s good stretch of late, having not played since the team’s loss against the Boston Bruins on November 30th.

Nevertheless, he is still having a solid season compared to the rest of his teammates, scoring five goals and seven points in 23 games, already matching his goal total from a season ago. Clearly, concerning the rest of the league, that offensive output is mostly centered around bottom-six players but is good for seventh on the team in scoring in San Jose.

Other snapshots:

  • In some unfortunate news across the hockey world, the American Hockey League announced a 10-game suspension for the head coach of the Chicago Wolves, Bob Nardella, due to the use of homophobic language directed at on-ice officials during the team’s game on December 9th. In his first season as the head coach, the Wolves are the lone independent team of the AHL and are currently in last place in the Central Division with a 5-13-1-1 record so far this season.
  • After a vote last night from Virginia lawmakers, all reports are indicating that the vote proposal has passed and that the Washington Capitals will be leaving Capital One Arena for Northern Virginia (X Link). Capital One Arena initially opened the season of the Capitals’ first run to the Stanley Cup Final during the 1997-98 season and is currently the 14th oldest active stadium in the NHL.

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