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Snapshots: Nedeljkovic, Draisaitl, Latimer, AHL Trade

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Not too many players receive Calder Trophy votes in two separate seasons. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is one of those players. The former Carolina Hurricanes netminder lead an impressive rookie campaign down south before a surprising trade to the Red Wings that summer. Since the trade though, Nedeljkovic has struggled to adjust, slipping to a 3.31 goals-against average and .901 save-percentage. Things haven’t gone his way this season either, slipping further to a troubling 4.09 goals-against and .880 save-percentage.

With those struggles, many have wondered what Detroit will do with the goaltender, who is now the third-string behind starter Ville Husso and backup Magnus Hellberg. Some have wondered if a conditioning stint will be next for Nedeljkovic, who hasn’t played since December 8th. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan that discussion of a conditioning stint hasn’t happened yet, but “[e]verything is on the table.” Lalonde added that the team will need that roster spot eventually with players coming back from injury, so “something will probably shake down.”

  • Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, who missed last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken, is unlikely to play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, says TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. Draisaitl, who Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said was nursing some bumps and bruises, didn’t practice Thursday either. The 27-year-old has 21 goals and 36 assist through 36 games this season. With Edmonton’s struggles, despite having Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in the lineup, they’ll need the former back in the lineup as soon as possible to keep things rolling.
  • Ottawa Senators prospect Carson Latimer has been dealt in the WHL. The former Prince Albert Raiders forward will be heading to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for forward Aiden Oiring, a third-round pick in 2024, and a conditional third-round pick in 2025. Latimer has spent parts of four seasons with Prince Albert and the Edmonton Oil Kings, sitting on 28 points through 31 games thus far in 2022-23.
  • The Colorado Eagles and Hartford Wold Pack completed a small trade in the AHL earlier today, reports NHL.com and AHL.com’s Patrick Williams. Forward Ben Tardif is heading to Hartford while defenseman Luke Martin will be heading to Colorado. Tardif, 22, has four points through 15 games in the AHL this year, as well as nine points in seven ECHL games. The ability for offensive dominance is there for Tardif, who had 59 points over 53 ECHL games last year. Martin, 24, was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2017, and though he hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, he’s also dominated the ECHL with 68 points in 84 games on the backend over this season and last.

Snapshots: Hajek, Manninen, Nosek

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It’s been a tough stretch for defenseman Libor Hajek with the New York Rangers. After being one of the two rather intriguing prospects acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Ryan McDonagh/J.T. Miller trade nearly five years ago, he hasn’t panned out as a regular on Broadway (much like the other acquired prospect, Brett Howden).

Hajek’s now been scratched for a seventh straight game and has been leapfrogged on the depth chart by younger players and AHL veterans alike, notes The New York Post’s Larry Brooks. Head coach Gerard Gallant called out Hajek’s consistency as the reason for his consistent benching. The 24-year-old has a lone goal in 16 appearances this season, playing below 14 minutes per game.

  • With injuries beginning to pile up again for the Vegas Golden Knights, some wondered about European free agent signing Sakari Manninen as a potential call-up option for the minors. However, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger said today that Manninen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in nearly a month. The internationally successful Finn has 12 points in 20 games with Henderson this year, his first in North America.
  • After missing yesterday’s game, the Boston Bruins said Tomas Nosek’s absence was more precautionary as he works through “maintenance.” However, the issue may be a bit more severe than that, as he wasn’t a full participant in practice this morning. Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald did note that Nosek skated on his own before practice.

Snapshots: Extension Updates, Letang, Pacioretty

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Now that the holiday break is over, teams will now shift their focus directly on the trade deadline and a push for the playoffs. Some clubs who find themselves on the bubble will have to determine whether an extension or a trade is the best option for some expiring contracts. With that in mind, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic examines several of the most intriguing contract negotiations, from David Pastrnak to Dylan Larkin.

While those two seem destined to eventually re-sign, that doesn’t seem quite as likely for the two big names in St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. Blues fans holding out hope that the former will be kept won’t love the comments from agent Pat Morris, who explained that there have not been any contract negotiations for O’Reilly this season and there is “nothing new to report” on that front.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins could be without Kris Letang again, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Rob Rossi of The Athletic that the veteran defenseman is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. Letang played over 27 minutes last night and nearly 26 the night before that in consecutive losses.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes won’t have Max Pacioretty in the lineup tomorrow, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour said today that it is possible he returns within the next ten games. The veteran forward tore his Achilles in August and was given a six-month recovery timeline – one that he appears well ahead of. Pacioretty scored 19 goals and 37 points in 39 games for the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

Snapshots: Ducks Goaltenders, Maple Leafs, Rielly

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The Ducks will have their starting goaltender back between the pipes tonight as head coach Dallas Eakins relayed to reporters including Bally Sports West’s Aly Lozoff (Twitter link) that John Gibson has been cleared to return from his lower-body injury and will start against Vegas.  It has been a tough year for the veteran as his GAA has jumped to 3.99 while his save percentage is down to just .896, numbers that are the worst of his career by a considerable margin.  In a corresponding roster move, the team officially returned goalie Olle Eriksson Ek to AHL San Diego.

Meanwhile, backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz has started skating on his own and could join the team for practice soon, relays Lisa Dillman of The Orange County Register.  The veteran suffered a lower-body injury back on December 12th and hasn’t played since.  He, too, is having a tough year with a 4.02 GAA and a save percentage of just .886, hardly the performance he or the Ducks were hoping for as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The NHL has levied a pair of fines on the Maple Leafs. First, the team was fined $100K for a CBA travel violation as they traveled to St. Louis late on December 26th.  While it was a late-night flight, the rule states that teams cannot travel or have any activities until the 27th.  The second fine was issued to head coach Sheldon Keefe for demeaning conduct directed at the officials during last night’s game against St. Louis.  He’ll be $25K lighter in the wallet as a result.
  • Still with the Maple Leafs, they are expected to have their top blueliner back in the lineup tomorrow as Keefe told reporters including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter that Morgan Rielly should suit up Thursday against Arizona. The 28-year-old suffered a knee injury a little over a month ago and was placed on LTIR.  Toronto will need to get cap-compliant in order to activate him but a pair of LTIR placements yesterday and an eventual return of Mac Hollowell to the minors will be enough to allow them to activate Rielly.

Snapshots: Cossa, Stranges, Clifford

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The Detroit Red Wings have returned their top goaltending prospect to the ECHL. Sebastian Cossa is headed back to the Toledo Walleye, per today’s ECHL transactions log.

After turning 20 just last month, Cossa’s been thrown into the fire in his first professional season. His .783 save percentage and 5.57 goals-against average in the AHL may raise some eyebrows, but he’s only gotten three appearances there. His ECHL record of 8-8-1, along with a 2.81 goals-against average and .897 save percentage, is much more respectable for a goalie his age (and of his ceiling). The 15th overall selection in 2021 will likely remain in Toledo full-time this season, barring injuries.

  • Conversely, an intriguing prospect is heading up to the AHL from the ECHL. The Texas Stars added Antonio Stranges to their roster over the weekend, according to the ECHL’s transactions log for Christmas Eve. Dallas’ 123rd overall pick in 2020 has seen limited action due to injury but has six points in five games with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL and two assists in five games with Texas.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs veteran enforcer Kyle Clifford, currently on AHL assignment with the Toronto Marlies, sustained a potential injury in today’s win over the Belleville Senators. The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby notes Clifford left the rink with his hand in a wrap, saying he likely suffered a dislocation in a fight during the game. Clifford has made two appearances with the Maple Leafs this season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Lafferty, Claesson

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With no games scheduled until Tuesday, the NHL has gone ahead and released its Three Stars for this past week.  Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin took home the top nod after recording six points in three games, including two goals against Winnipeg to put him in sole possession of second in NHL history with 802.  Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was the Second Star after a trio of extra-time victories that saw him post a 0.94 GAA along with a .965 SV%.  Meanwhile, Canucks center Elias Pettersson earned the last spot of the group after tying for the most assists (five) and points (seven) on the week which is particularly impressive considering he missed Vancouver’s first game of the week due to illness.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • While Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are the headliners among Chicago’s speculative trade candidates, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago posits that forward Sam Lafferty might be of interest on the trade market closer to the trade deadline. The 27-year-old has eight points and 37 hits in 26 games this season while winning a little over 52% of his faceoffs.  He can play all three forward positions as well and that type of versatility can be appealing to contending teams.  At a $1.15MM AAV through next season, he’s also someone most teams should be able to afford so Lafferty could very well be an under-the-radar candidate to move over the next couple of months from the Blackhawks.
  • Fredrik Claesson won’t be returning to North America next season as CSKA Moscow of the KHL announced that they’ve inked the defenseman to a two-year contract extension. Claesson has 170 career NHL contests under his belt and this will be the first time since 2014-15 that he hasn’t played at the top level.  However, after spending most of last year in the minors, he opted to try his hand overseas and it has worked out well for him with receiving this commitment.  The 30-year-old has a dozen points in 41 games so far this season.

Snapshots: Cizikas, Coyotes Arena, Stalock

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Injuries are beginning to pile up for the New York Islanders. After moving Kyle Palmieri and Semyon Varlamov to injured reserve earlier today, the team announced that forward Casey Cizikas is also out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Unlike the other two, he’s yet to land on injured reserve.

That could be a good sign for the Islanders and Cizikas, but they do not need to put him on injured reserve with 18 healthy skaters still ready to go on the active roster. In Cizikas’ absence, 2021 second-round pick Aatu Räty is expected to make his NHL debut tonight, centering the fourth line. In the second season of a six-year, $15MM contract, Cizikas has just seven points in 34 games.

  • In another small step toward securing their future in Arizona, the Coyotes have collected the necessary signatures to send all parts of their Tempe arena and entertainment district plan to a referendum, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. Public voting on whether or not to approve the team’s plan to build a home in Tempe will occur on May 16, 2023, after the 2022-23 season concludes.
  • Chicago Blackhawks goalie Alex Stalock is returning to the lineup tonight after missing nearly two months with a concussion sustained in a November 1 game against the New York Islanders. He’s statistically been Chicago’s best netminder this season with a .914 save percentage in seven appearances, and despite missing so much time, still has the most wins of any Blackhawks goalie with three.

Snapshots: Wilson, Sergachev, Holm

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Despite a strong 7-2-1 run in their last ten, the Washington Capitals remain in sixth place in the tough Metro, four points out of a divisional playoff spot. As they chase down the teams ahead of them, though some reinforcements are coming. Tom Wilson donned a regular jersey at practice today and skated on a line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, though the return for the first two is still a little way down the road. Wilson and Backstrom will not travel with the team to Ottawa according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, though Nic Dowd, Alex Alexeyev, and Darcy Kuemper will.

Wilson, 28, is one of the most unique players in the league, able to contribute at a high level offensively while still acting like a pseudo-enforcer on the ice. Racking up at least 93 penalty minutes in each of his nine NHL seasons, he had 24 goals and 52 points in 78 games last season. Since the Capitals never put him on long-term injured reserve, they can activate him without worrying about cap implications. Backstrom, whose $9.2MM cap hit has sat on LTIR all year, is a different story; the team will need to clear quite a bit to get him back on the roster.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev’s bank account took a little hit today, as he was fined $5,000 for slashing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting last night. That is the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA. While it doesn’t seem like much, the incident will be considered in any future supplementary discipline decisions, and could lead to increased punishment down the line. For Tampa Bay, they at least are escaping Toronto with no suspensions, after being pummeled by the Maple Leafs in a performance head coach Jon Cooper called “a complete bag of you know what.”
  • As expected, Arvid Holm has been returned to the minor leagues by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Connor Hellebuyck has recovered enough from his illness to return to action. In his absence, David Rittich stopped 35 of 36 shots in a win over the Ottawa Senators, raising his save percentage to .909 on the year – his highest since 2018-19.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Ferraro, Cogliano, Biega

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The Blackhawks are a team that many are keeping an eye on when it comes to the trade front with long-time veterans Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews among those that could potentially be on the move between now and the March 3rd trade deadline, assuming that they’re willing to waive their trade protection.  However, GM Kyle Davidson told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that he has yet to have any specific trade talks on any of his players just yet.  With the trade market largely being stalled out right now due to a lack of cap flexibility, there’s no immediate rush to start to get a sense of what the market might be for some of their veterans.  That should change at some point in the new year, especially when Kane and Toews decide whether they’d like to move on or if they want to remain with Chicago.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro confirmed to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that he’ll return to the lineup tonight against Calgary after missing close to four weeks with a foot injury. The 24-year-old is second on the team in ice time per game at a little under 23 minutes a night while he has chipped in with five points and 47 blocked shots in 23 games.  San Jose had an open roster spot to activate him off injured reserve so no corresponding roster move needed to be made.
  • Avalanche winger Andrew Cogliano will miss at least the next two games after suffering an upper-body injury in last night’s game against the Islanders, relays Kyle Frederickson of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link). The 35-year-old tumbled into the boards in the third period on Monday and did not return.  He has four goals and three assists in 30 games so far this season while being an important part of a bottom-six group that has gone through plenty of turnover thus far.  Now, he’ll be out until after the holiday break and will be re-evaluated at that time.
  • Veteran defenseman Alex Biega announced his retirement on his Instagram page. The 34-year-old had a 12-year professional career, seeing NHL action in eight of those seasons.  Biega suited up in 243 NHL contests between Vancouver, Detroit, and Toronto, picking up 42 points along with 624 hits.  He also got into 397 career AHL games, collecting 129 points.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Novak, Sharks

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Alex Ovechkin taking the top spot. The legendary Washington Capitals forward became just the third player in NHL history to score 800 goals, and the third to record 18 consecutive 20+ goal seasons. Gordie Howe, ahead of him on both of those lists, is the target now, as Ovechkin’s next goal will tie him with Mr. Hockey at 801.

Second and third place went to Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and Mats Zuccarello of the Minnesota Wild, who both had eight points on the week. Thompson, 25, continues what has become one of the most impressive breakouts in recent memory, with 25 goals and 49 points this season. Through his first six seasons of professional hockey, Thompson scored 44 goals at all levels combined (including playoffs). Since the start of 2021-22, he now has 63. Zuccarello meanwhile just continues to impress in Minnesota. The undrafted, 5’8″, 35-year-old playmaker now has 36 points in 31 games and is well on his way to another outstanding campaign.

  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Tommy Novak from the AHL, and he’ll get quite the opportunity. Team reporter Emma Lingan tweets that Novak will center Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund while also getting a chance on the powerplay. The 25-year-old has 26 points in 25 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this season after getting his first chance in the NHL during 2021-22.
  • The San Jose Sharks, off today after a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames last night, have sent Nick Cicek and C.J. Suess to the minor leagues. With Tomas Hertl likely facing a suspension, it wouldn’t be surprising to see additional moves tomorrow ahead of the rematch in this odd two-game, no-travel series with the Flames.

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