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Snapshots: Walman, Samsonov, 4 Nations Face-Off

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman did not join the team for warmups on Sunday night, indicating that he’ll miss a third-straight game due to team suspension and an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Walman returned to top-pair line rushes at San Jose’s Sunday morning practice and was designated as a game-time decision, head coach Ryan Warsofsky shared with Max Miller of The Hockey News. Walman has nine points in 13 games – more than double the scoring of any other Sharks defender.

Despite that, the team opted for the restrained decision, and will instead return Jack Thompson to the lineup for his ninth game of the season. Thompson has four points on the year – second among Sharks defenders – and has generally looked much more the part of an everyday NHL defender. He’s served on San Jose’s second pair, while Henry Thrun is filling Walman’s top-pair spot next to Cody Ceci. Walman is traveling with the Sharks of a four-game road trip kicked off on Sunday night, and will look to instead return on Monday.

Other quick notes around the league:

  • Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov has returned to the team’s practices after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury. There’s been no word on his availability for Monday night’s matchup against Carolina, but his return to practice is nonetheless exciting progress for a Golden Knights team that’s directed all of Samsonov’s minutes to starter Adin Hill. Hill has a 6-2-1 record and .881 save percentage through nine games this season, while temporary backup Akira Schmid has slotted into six AHL games and posted a .885 save percentage. Samsonov’s 3-1-1 record and .906 save percentage in five games should be enough to earn him routine starts when he’s healthy enough to return – a point that seems to be drawing close.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the latest Saturday Headlines segment that rosters for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off will be made public on December 4th, with Sweden and Finland’s coming early in the North American day while Canada and USA will announce theirs that evening. The event stands as the first in what will become a trend of in-season international events during non-Olympic years. It will take place from February 12th to February 20th and features the four of the five most-represented countries in the NHL, excluding Russia. Each country announced their first six players this summer – with Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Erik Karlsson, and Aleksander Barkov among the list of representatives.

Snapshots: Tynan, Prishchepov, Quenneville, Ahcan

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The Avalanche reversed a pair of paper transactions, recalling forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov from AHL Colorado ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Hurricanes.

With the moves, Colorado is back to having a full 23-man active roster. The injury fill-ins have been frequently shuttled between the NHL over the past week-plus, in Tynan’s case, delaying his temporary waiver exemption.

The 32-year-old Tynan has made four appearances for the Avs while they remain without the services of Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, and Miles Wood. Arguably the AHL’s top playmaker of the past decade, he’s still yet to make much of an impact at the NHL level. That hasn’t changed this season, as Tynan has gone without a point and is averaging only 8:24 per game.

Prishchepov, 20, is also looking for his first point of the season. It’s unsurprising – a seventh-round pick just a few months ago, the Russian pivot is making his first NHL appearances way ahead of schedule and out of necessity, given Colorado’s injury situation. He’s averaged 9:15 per game and gotten involved physically, logging six hits and controlling play quite well with a 79.6 CF%.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Former NHL left-winger John Quenneville has landed a one-year deal in Finland with Tappara for the remainder of 2024-25, the team announced. Now 28, Quenneville last suited up in the NHL with the Blackhawks in the 2019-20 season. In only 42 career appearances with Chicago and New Jersey over four seasons, the 2014 first-round pick managed two goals and three assists. The Edmonton native has plied his trade across the AHL and Europe in the past five years, suiting up for AHL Rockford and Belleville in addition to stops in Switzerland and Sweden. He spent last season with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League, logging two goals and eight assists in 20 appearances.
  • The Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, have re-upped forward Roman Ahcan on a one-year deal for the rest of the season. He’d previously been with Cleveland on a PTO and more than earned his spot on the club with seven goals through his first 10 games. That’s a huge jump in production for the 25-year-old, who had nine goals and 19 points in 52 games with Cleveland last year. The Minnesota native has been with Cleveland ever since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 2022 but has yet to land an NHL contract.

Snapshots: Oilers, Trikozov, Connor, Montgomery

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Heading into Sunday’s action, the Oilers find themselves around the middle of the pack in terms of goals allowed.  They’re struggling considerably on the penalty kill, checking in with a success rate of just 62.5% while starting goaltender Stuart Skinner is off to a slow start.  Accordingly, some are wondering if the time is right for Edmonton to start shopping around for blueline help as teams by now are starting to get a better feel of what they have and what they need.

However, Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal posits that the time isn’t right for the Oilers to be making a move like that.  While it’s clear their need is to upgrade on the back end, he suggests that they’d be best served by waiting until later in the year when they ideally would have more cap space to play with.  At the same time, more teams should be established as sellers which should give them more options to choose from compared to if they tried to make a trade now.

Other quick notes around the league:

  • Top Carolina Hurricanes prospect Gleb Trikozov had his KHL rights traded from Omsk to Spartak on Saturday, per Spartak’s Instagram page. Forward Matvei Zaseda was dealt the other way. This move means little as things stand, with Trikozov currently a member of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. But he’s gone without any scoring through his first six AHL games – potentially enough of a spark to return him to a tremendously productive career in Russia. Trikozov recorded 31 points in 64 games in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, over the last two seasons – and arguably earned a hardier chance at KHL minutes. Spartak could stand to offer that increased role as they look to add the gut punch needed to get over SKA and Lokomotiv in the KHL’s Western Conference. For their part, the underachieving Omsk receives a seasoned pro in Zaseda – who’s totaled 36 points in 105 KHL games and 75 points in 120 VHL games at the age of 25.
  • Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel shared that star winger Kyle Connor is OK after getting pulled from Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay by concussion spotters, per Murat Ates of The Athletic. Connor took a hit from behind by Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov that pushed his head directly into Erik Cernak. He labored briefly but didn’t seem severely injured. That’s been confirmed now, and Connor will get to continue his role as the leading scorer (18 points in 11 games) on one of the NHL’s hottest teams.
  • Senators prospect Blake Montgomery has left USHL Lincoln and will instead join OHL London, Jeff Marek reports. Montgomery was a fourth-round pick back in June, going 117th overall.  He was off to a good start with Lincoln with ten points in his first ten games after putting up 43 points in 58 games last season.

Snapshots: Ersson, Becher, Tokarski

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Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson suffered an injury in the first period of today’s game against Boston and did not return.  Following the game, the team clarified (Twitter link) that the netminder sustained a lower-body injury.  It has been a tough year between the pipes for the Flyers who came into this game with a combined save percentage of just .863 (including empty-netters allowed), the lowest in the Eastern Conference.  However, Ersson has had a reasonable start to his year, putting up a 2.72 GAA with a .897 SV% heading into today’s action.  Aleksei Kolosov came on in relief while Ivan Fedotov, who has struggled mightily in his limited NHL action so far, is also on the active roster should Ersson miss any more time.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Red Wings prospect Ondrej Becher has signed an ATO agreement with AHL Grand Rapids, per a team release. Detroit took the 20-year-old in the third round of the draft back in June following a dominant showing with WHL Prince George that saw him score 32 goals and 64 assists in 58 games last season, good for 13th in league scoring.  While he remains eligible to spend an overage year at the junior level, it appears the Red Wings would prefer to see how he fares in the pros first but the tryout agreement suggests that they’re open to the idea of sending him back to junior if things don’t go well.
  • With the Hurricanes needing Spencer Martin due to Fredrik Andersen’s injury, their AHL affiliate in Chicago has made a move, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve signed veteran goalie Dustin Tokarski to a PTO agreement. The 35-year-old was in Ottawa’s training camp on a tryout but wasn’t signed.  He spent last season with AHL Rochester, posting a 3.32 GAA and a .890 SV% in 24 games and is a veteran of more than 400 appearances at that level over 14 seasons along with 80 NHL contests.  The PTO agreement can last for up to 25 games.

Snapshots: Kane, Canadiens, Heinola, Rooney

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Oilers winger Evander Kane is on pace to return to the lineup in early 2025, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link).  The veteran had surgeries last month to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias, and two torn lower abdominal muscles.  At the time, the timeline for his return was three to four months so if early 2025 is the target return time, it appears he’s on schedule.  Kane had 24 goals and 20 assists last season in 77 regular season games while chipping in with eight points in 20 postseason appearances before playing through the injuries became too difficult.  Kane is currently on LTIR and a midseason return means Edmonton won’t be able to spend much of that short-term cap space as they’ll need to be cap-compliant to activate him later on.

More from around the NHL:

  • Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has started calling around the league to see what trade options might be available, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic shared earlier today in a TSN Early Trading He added that they’re not interested in parting with future assets while they’re likely looking to try to match salary in a move.  Montreal has plenty of LTIR room with Carey Price on there for the full season (not to mention Patrik Laine for a couple more months) but if they intend to get below the cap and out of LTIR by the end of the year to avoid or reduce any bonus carryover penalty, they’d be wise not to take much money on.
  • Jets defenseman Ville Heinola hasn’t resumed skating yet as he continues to deal with the recurrence of his ankle injury, notes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The team is being patient with the injury after how much time he missed last year.  Heinola, a 2019 first-round pick, has been limited to just 35 NHL games over parts of four seasons despite showing plenty of offensive upside in the minors.  He was expected to make the team out of training camp but this injury derailed that opportunity.
  • Calgary has activated forward Kevin Rooney off injured reserve, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The 31-year-old suffered a concussion in the opening period of their season opener earlier this month.  Rooney is in his third season carrying a $1.3MM price tag but has five points in 51 games in a Flames uniform.  Their roster is now at the maximum of 23 so roster moves will be needed to activate Yegor Sharangovich and Samuel Honzek off injured reserve, both of whom skated today.

Snapshots: Panthers, Joshua, Honzek, Harkins

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Already missing three forwards due to illness or injuries, the Panthers won’t have forward Jonah Gadjovich available to them tonight against Vegas due to an undisclosed injury, relays team reporter Jameson Olive.  The 26-year-old has taken a regular turn on the fourth line so far this season, picking up a goal in Florida’s first six games.  As Florida doesn’t have enough cap space to afford a recall from the minors, they will dress just 17 skaters for this one, ten forwards and seven blueliners.

It’s not all bad news on that front, however.  Head coach Paul Maurice indicated that winger Matthew Tkachuk is expected to return from his illness on Tuesday while captain Aleksander Barkov should be back not long after that.  Meanwhile, Tomas Nosek is due to return early next month for their Global Series games.  With that in mind, while the Panthers will be eligible for a cap-exempt recall after tonight’s contest, they’re unlikely to actually need to use it.

More from around the NHL:

  • Canucks forward Dakota Joshua skated today for the first time as he continues to recover from surgery to address a cancerous lump from earlier this summer, mentions NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman (Twitter link). The 28-year-old had a breakout effort last season, notching career-highs in goals (18), assists (14), points (32), and hits (245) across 63 regular season contests, earning him a four-year, $13MM extension in late June.  There remains no timetable for Joshua’s return but the fact he has returned to the ice is certainly a good sign.
  • The Flames have placed forward Samuel Honzek on injured reserve, relays Tim Hiebert of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 19-year-old is in his first professional season and played in four games before sustaining an upper-body injury that will keep him out on a week-to-week basis.  Calgary now has an open slot on their active roster and it stands to reason that it won’t take too long for it to be filled, likely with the expected pending return of Kevin Rooney who was a full participant in practice on Friday.
  • The Ducks have re-assigned forward Jansen Harkins to AHL San Diego, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 27-year-old is in his first season with Anaheim after signing with them in free agency but cleared waivers at the end of training camp.  Harkins was brought up yesterday following the injury to Isac Lundestrom and Frank Vatrano’s absence from the team for paternity leave and he suited up in their loss to Colorado, recording one shot on goal in 10:11 of ice time.  In a corresponding move, Vatrano is now back on the active roster.

Snapshots: Greig, Blake, Dunn, Kolosov

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Senators center Ridly Greig is dealing with an upper-body injury, relays Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link).  The 22-year-old locked down a regular spot in Ottawa’s lineup for most of last season, notching 13 goals and 13 assists in 72 games while logging nearly 15 minutes a night.  Greig has been on the wing to start the year and missed a couple of shifts in Saturday’s game against Montreal, presumably due to the injury.  He might not be out for long, however, as head coach Travis Green noted that Greig could still suit up on Monday against Los Angeles.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Hurricanes quietly papered winger Jackson Blake down to AHL Chicago on Saturday. However, his time there was short-lived as he has already been recalled, per the AHL’s transactions log.  The move simply allowed them to bank a few thousand dollars in cap space with Carolina’s game against Tampa Bay postponed yesterday.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hurricanes do this with some regularity with Blake, their lone waiver-exempt player, to try to open up a bit more spending flexibility.
  • Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays team broadcaster Piper Shaw (Twitter link). He played into the final minute of Saturday’s game but the issue was enough to keep him out of tonight’s contest against Dallas.  The 27-year-old has two points in his first two games this season after putting up 46 in 59 appearances in 2023-24.
  • Late last month, Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov ended his stalemate with the team, reporting to training camp after an agreement was reached that could allow for a potential return later on. That potential return might come sooner than later, however, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week in his 32 Thoughts column that Philadelphia only has until the end of the month to convince him about their plans for him.  Kolosov made it known over the summer that he wants to play in the KHL this season if he was going to be in the minors.  While he’s with the Phantoms for now, he might not be there for too much longer based on Friedman’s report.

Snapshots: Kings, Mukhamadullin, Karlsson, Palat

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The Los Angeles Kings will start the season with some cap juggling, per John Hoven with LA’s Mayors Manor. Hoven shares that the team will begin the year with depth forward Andre Lee on the roster, in an effort to reach cap compliance while they sort out injuries to Drew Doughty and Arthur Kaliyev. Both players could be candidates for long-term injured reserve, though that’d be a last resort as the team considers the juxtaposition of cap versus salary. Making matters even more complicated in Los Angeles’ preference to carry eight defenders, including summer signee Caleb Jones, who’s making his return to the NHL after splitting time between the major and minor leagues last year.

The Kings will have a complicated path to walk. They’re entering the year with just $546.67K in cap space, hardly enough to handle the day-to-day logistics of running a team. That’s largely thanks to their summer acquisition of goaltender Darcy Kuemper, and Quinton Byfield’s five-year extension – two moves that collectively cost the Kings $11.5MM in space. Both players will serve pivotal roles for the lineup in the early going, especially as the team prepares for an extended period without top-defender Doughty.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Top San Jose Sharks prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin has finally made his way into the team’s camp practices, shares Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, after a lower-body injury held him out of all of the team’s rookie camp and training camp to this point. Mukhamadullin was expected to be one of the top young Sharks pushing for the roster this fall, though new head coach Ryan Warsofsky acknowledged that the injury puts him a step behind. Mukhamadullin made his NHL debut last season, recording one assist in three games to go with his 34 points in 55 AHL games. He’ll be among the many young players fighting for NHL ice time when he has healthy legs back under him.
  • Star Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is expected to be ready for the team’s season opener after missing much of the preseason with an upper-body injury, shares the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel. Karlsson added that the season opener has always been his target, and that his recovery briefly slowed down in the middle of camp to, “let a few things settle down.” The future Hall-of-Fame candidate is set to enter his 16th NHL season, coming off yet another season of double-digit goals and over-50 points. He’ll look to return to those heights once again, with head coach Mike Sullivan already confirming that he’ll be a fixture of the team’s power-play, per Tribune-Review Sports’ Seth Rorabaugh.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Ondrej Palat missed the team’s second game of the season to attend to the birth of his second child. He is expected to rejoin the team when they return to North America. Palat appeared in nearly 14 minutes of New Jersey’s season opener in his native Czechia, recording one shot, one block, and two hits. He’s continued to find ways to be productive late into his career, netting 11 goals and 31 points in 71 games last season. Palat will continue to serve as a winger New Jersey can lean on as they look to continue their bout of early success.

Snapshots: Knies, Brossoit, Barlow, Gustafsson

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While the Maple Leafs have been working on (and might be nearing) an extension with pending UFA defenseman Jake McCabe, meaningful talks haven’t started with another one of their 2025 free agents.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports in their latest Insider Trading segment that there hasn’t been any meaningful dialogue regarding a new deal for winger Matthew Knies, who will be a restricted free agent next summer.  The 21-year-old had a solid rookie season in 2023-24, collecting 15 goals and 20 assists in 80 games and appears to be one of their younger building blocks up front.  That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one of the two sides has indicated that they’d rather wait to see how things go this season to get a better sense of his value before kickstarting talks later on.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • While the Blackhawks won’t have their newest goaltender available for the start of the season, it appears he won’t be out for too long. Head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) that Laurent Brossoit is on track to return roughly midway through their season-opening four-game road trip to start the season, meaning he might only miss a couple of games.  The 31-year-old posted a 2.00 GAA with a .927 SV% in 23 games for Winnipeg last season, earning Brossoit a two-year, $6.6MM contract on the opening day of free agency this past summer.
  • After requesting a trade earlier in the week, Jets prospect Colby Barlow is indeed on the move. OHL Oshawa announced that they have acquired the 19-year-old forward from Owen Sound in exchange for two players and six draft picks.  Barlow was the 18th overall selection in 2023 following a 46-goal campaign with the Attack.  However, his offensive numbers dipped last season although he still managed 40 goals and 58 points in 50 games before getting into three AHL contests.  Barlow is too young to play there full-time this season but will be AHL-eligible next year, making this a pure one-year rental for the Generals.
  • Still with the Jets, Murat Ates of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that forward David Gustafsson is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury sustained in Wednesday’s game against Calgary. The 24-year-old played in 39 games with Winnipeg last season, notching three goals and four assists.  He inked a two-year, $1.67MM one-way contract with the Jets back in July.

Snapshots: Leafs, Kinkaid, Cristall, Brunicke

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The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed both John Tavares and Calle Jarnkrok back to the practice rink today shares David Alter of The Hockey News. Both players have been bearing through day-to-day lower-body injuries. Tavares notably suffered his on a hit from Montreal’s Michael Pezzetta in Toronto’s Thursday night preseason action. Both he and Jarnkrok will now have two preseason games remaining before the Leafs kick off their season against Montreal on October 9th.

Both Tavares and Jarnkrok could both be headed for Toronto’s third-line amid William Nylander’s move to center and the growing presence of young prospects Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson. The diminishing role lines up with Tavares’ decreasing scoring, with 65 points last season falling 15 short of his 2022-23 totals. He’s finally been knocked off his streak of routine point-per-game scoring, even as his ice time saw a small uptick last year. Meanwhile, Jarnkrok has proven a utility tool in Toronto’s bottom six, recording 21 points and 65 faceoff wins in 52 games last season. Both players are pulling into their 30s and will work to bring gut-punch offense down the depth of Toronto’s lineup this year.

Alter adds that the Leafs were also joined by Jani Hakanpaa at today’s skate – the defender’s first appearance in a Maple Leaf after prolonged contract discussions this summer.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Veteran goaltender Keith Kinkaid will play in his 14th pro season this year, as he’s signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Kinkaid spent last season as the backup for the independent Chicago Wolves, recording eight wings and a .880 save percentage in 24 appearances. He’s been a depth option for the last three seasons, spending them split between the Rangers, Bruins, and Avalanche organizations. Kinkaid, 35, has managed 250 career AHL games and 169 career NHL games. He’s totaled a 70-58-21 record and .905 save percentage at the top flight, though he hasn’t played in multiple NHL games since the 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Washington Capitals are open to starting top prospect Andrew Cristall in the NHL, head coach Spencer Carbery told Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Cristall has been perhaps the top standout in Washington’s camp, and will be eligible to play in nine NHL games before he burns the first year of his entry-level contract. He’s been among the hottest scorers across the CHL for years now, totaling a dazzling 280 points across 191 career WHL games. That scoring has translated into the preseason, with Cristall boasting two goals and three points in three games so far – tied for the team-lead in Washington.
  • Not to be outdone by their rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also considering promoting a rookie – with head coach Mike Sullivan telling Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News that defender Harrison Brunicke could also receive a nine-game trial. Brunicke has been among the best defenders in Pittsburgh this preseason, forming strong connections with the team’s star scorers in the early going. It’s a blazing return-to-form for the WHL defender, who had his 2023-24 season ended by an upper-body injury in February.

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