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Matthews' Injury Showing Toronto's Need For Center Depth

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews for almost two weeks with a lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox argued that Matthews’ prolonged absence has opened some eyes in Toronto regarding the team’s center depth.

Toronto essentially moved every center up a line with John Tavares and Max Domi manning the top two lines. Fox believes that the Maple Leafs must upgrade their third line, which has usually been centered by Domi this season. He’s only managed six assists in 18 games this season and hasn’t scored a goal in the regular since April 6th, 2024.

If general manager Brad Treliving concurs with the assessment the team will have some options available for trade. Fox lists Brock Nelson, Mikael Granlund, Frank Vatrano, Nick Bjugstad, and Jake Evans as the likeliest options for the Maple Leafs to pursue with the former being undeniably the best option.

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  • Moving back to Toronto, defenseman Dakota Mermis skated this morning before practice according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Mermis, who has been on the team’s LTIR while recovering from jaw surgery, signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Maple Leafs this past offseason.

Maple Leafs Reassign Philippe Myers On Conditioning Loan

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The Maple Leafs announced Saturday that they’ve assigned defenseman Philippe Myers to AHL Toronto on a conditioning loan.

Myers, 27, will remain on Toronto’s active roster and count against the salary cap while getting his first minor-league action of the season. He can remain on the AHL assignment for up to two weeks before he must be reinstated or placed on waivers.

The 6’5″ Myers was a surprise inclusion on the Leafs’ opening night roster after spending most of the past two seasons in the minors. He signed a one-year, one-way deal for $775K in free agency last summer after spending two campaigns in the Lightning organization, totaling 52 points in 113 games for their AHL affiliate in Syracuse but making just 16 NHL appearances in fringe action.

Unfortunately for the New Brunswick native, the roster spot hasn’t led to playing time. He’s been a healthy scratch for all but one of the Maple Leafs’ 18 games this season, logging a -1 rating and one hit in his sole appearance against the Bruins on Oct. 26 while skating 12:11.

The conditioning loan will allow Myers some AHL time without clearing waivers, but it’s still hard to imagine him avoiding the wire for much longer. Toronto will need to clear two roster spots when Auston Matthews or Max Pacioretty is ready to come off injured reserve, which will likely be achieved by waiving him and reassigning forward Alex Steeves after the latter’s recent call-up.

Interestingly, it won’t be Myers’ first time suiting up for the Marlies despite him not being affiliated with the Maple Leafs organization before this season. He had seven points in 16 games for them in 2021-22 while on loan from the Predators.

The right-shot defenseman has played 159 NHL games with Philadelphia, Nashville, Tampa Bay and Toronto, recording eight goals and 28 assists for 36 points. He’s only avoided an AHL assignment in a season once in his career, appearing in 44 of 56 games for the Flyers during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

Maple Leafs Activate Jani Hakanpää From Long-Term Injured Reserve

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The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they’ve reinstated defenseman Jani Hakanpää from his conditioning loan and activated him from long-term injured reserve. He’s expected to make his Toronto debut tonight against the Capitals.

It’s been a long road back for Hakanpää, who last played an NHL game on March 16 with the Stars before a knee injury ended his season. The 32-year-old reportedly had arthroscopic surgery over the summer before agreeing to terms on a two-year, $3MM contract.

But weeks came and went without the Maple Leafs registering the deal. That’s because Hakanpää and Toronto’s medical staff had a difference of opinion on what type of rehabilitation he still needed for his knee before they would clear him to play. After more than two months of additional discussions, the two sides finally put pen to paper on a one-year, $1.47MM contract with an eight-team no-trade list.

That didn’t mean Hakanpää was healthy, though, and he skated only briefly during camp and started the season on long-term injured reserve as expected. He was assigned to AHL Toronto on a conditioning loan at the beginning of the month, posting zeros across the board in two appearances – his first minor-league action since the 2019-20 season.

While all signs point to him playing tonight, it’s unclear who he’ll replace. Given he’s a right-shot defender, though, it’ll likely be Conor Timmins heading to the press box. The 26-year-old sitting as a healthy scratch is a good problem to have for Toronto, though. He’s done quite well in a third-pairing role this season, posting four points and a +5 rating through 15 games while controlling 52.4% of shot attempts at even strength.

Hakanpää, who checks in at 6’6″ and 225 lbs, has been a serviceable fringe top-four option with the Stars for the past three years and routinely was among the league’s leaders in hits. The 2022-23 campaign saw him record career-highs across the board with six goals, 16 points, a +18 rating, 128 blocks, and 86 shots on goal while averaging 19:20 per game.

The Maple Leafs had an open roster spot after assigning Matt Benning to the minors yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Maple Leafs Reassign Matt Benning

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Nov. 12: Benning cleared waivers, per Friedman. The Maple Leafs will likely continue to explore trade options, which may be easier now that an acquiring team could send him to the minors without risking losing him on the wire. He’s been assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to give him a chance to play in the meantime.

Nov. 11: The Maple Leafs have placed newly-acquired defenseman Matt Benning on waivers, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.

Toronto acquired Benning, 30, from the Sharks with a pair of draft picks in exchange for Timothy Liljegren nearly two weeks ago. It was immediately apparent the veteran was included for roster/salary cap purposes and that he wasn’t expected to stick around with the Leafs. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet quickly reported that they were looking to move the blue-liner, while James Mirtle of The Athletic suggested last week that Toronto would waive Benning in short order if they couldn’t find a trade partner.

The Leafs and Benning will now hope that another team takes a flyer on him for no acquisition cost over the next 24 hours. He has one season after this remaining on the four-year, $5MM contract he signed with San Jose as a free agent in 2022. He carries a $1.25MM cap hit and will cost $100K against the cap for the Maple Leafs if he clears waivers and is assigned to AHL Toronto.

Benning, an Edmonton native, has not played for the Maple Leafs since the trade and has been a healthy scratch in six straight games. Before the trade, he went without a point and had a -5 rating in seven games for the Sharks while averaging a career-low 13:02 per contest. He had issues staying in the lineup with San Jose, too, going four straight games as a healthy scratch in late October.

In fact, Benning has made just 21 appearances since the beginning of last season. He missed the last four-plus months of 2023-24 after undergoing hip surgery in December.

The 6’1″ right-shot defender was a sixth-round pick by the Bruins in 2012, although he never signed with them and instead began his NHL career with his hometown Oilers after signing there as a free agent in 2016. In 464 NHL games in nine seasons, Benning has 17 goals, 85 assists and 102 points while averaging 16:37 per game.

Maple Leafs Recall Alex Steeves

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled forward Alex Steeves from AHL Toronto under emergency conditions ahead of tonight’s contest against the Senators. The news confirms that captain Auston Matthews will not be coming off injured reserve after being labeled doubtful by head coach Craig Berube yesterday.

They still would have had 12 forwards available without Matthews since Connor Dewar came off long-term injured reserve last Friday. Thus, Steeves’ recall indicates that Max Domi or William Nylander could be questionable for tonight after missing Monday’s practice for maintenance days.

Steeves, 25 next month, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Notre Dame in March 2021. He’s suited up mainly in the AHL since then, but he has a few NHL appearances under his belt and has played at least one game in the last three seasons. The 6’0″ New Hampshire native has one assist, a -4 rating, 10 hits, and six giveaways in seven career games. He’s recorded six shots on goal and averaged 8:14 per game.

Steeves, who can play center and wing, has grown into a prolific AHL scoring force despite his lack of NHL point production. He recorded a career-high 27 goals and 57 points in 67 games for the Marlies last season, and he leads the club in scoring through the early going of 2024-25 with nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 10 games.

The Maple Leafs had an open roster spot after placing Max Pacioretty on IR on Monday, so no corresponding transaction is required. Toronto’s $1.83MM in current cap space under their LTIR pool is plenty to absorb Steeves’ $775K cap hit, per PuckPedia.

Steeves had his first go-around with restricted free agency this past summer after his entry-level contract expired. He waited until August to re-sign but eventually put pen to paper on a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$300K) to return to the Maple Leafs organization. Since he’ll be 25 next summer with fewer than 80 NHL games played and four professional seasons under his belt, he’ll be eligible to test unrestricted free agency via Group VI status.

Auston Matthews Doubtful For Game Tomorrow

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  • According to David Alter of The Hockey News, it’s trending toward a fourth-straight missed game for Auston Matthews. The franchise icon hasn’t missed this many games in a row since the 2022-23 NHL season and the Toronto Maple Leafs hope it doesn’t extend further. To add insult to injury, Alter further added that forward Calle Jarnkrok experienced a setback in his recovery from a sports hernia and he’s now headed to New York to see a specialist. Jarnkrok hasn’t skated put together a full season since the 2022-23 campaign and it appears this year may be more of the same.

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Maple Leafs Place Max Pacioretty On IR With Lower-Body Injury

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The Maple Leafs have placed winger Max Pacioretty on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Pacioretty sustained the injury, which appeared to affect his left hamstring, after he fell awkwardly following a cross-check from Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson on Saturday.

He’s listed as week-to-week, a positive sign given that he needed help getting to the locker room after exiting the ice. As David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period notes, that timeline indicates it’s a pulled hamstring rather than a tear, which could have sidelined him for the rest of the season. As such, it’ll likely be a simple rehabilitation period for Pacioretty over the next few weeks without involving anything surgical.

That’s a welcome bit of news for Pacioretty, who’s been under the knife more than his fair share over the past few years. A pair of Achilles tears and a trio of surgeries limited him to 52 appearances over the last two seasons with the Hurricanes and Capitals. A PTO signing by the Leafs late in the summer, a successful training camp earned him a one-year, $1.5MM contract at the beginning of the month – one that likely had been agreed to in principle throughout his tryout.

Thus far, it’s been a worthy gamble from Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. Through 13 games, Pacioretty had two goals and four assists, although he’d gone without a point in his past five. He’d been scratched on a couple of occasions earlier in the season for load management purposes, although he’d played in eight straight games before getting hurt. Pacioretty had also worked his way up Toronto’s left-wing depth chart, recently skating in second-line minutes alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.

Pacioretty’s absence makes the recent reinstatement of Connor Dewar from long-term injured reserve all the more important. The 25-year-old was scratched against Montreal, but with Pacioretty unavailable, he’ll likely make his season debut tomorrow against the Senators, especially if captain Auston Matthews remains out with his upper-body injury. That’s possible after Matthews did not participate in today’s practice, per David Alter of The Hockey News.

The Maple Leafs will likely use Pacioretty’s vacated roster spot to activate defenseman Jani Hakanpää from LTIR. At the beginning of the month, he and Dewar both headed down to AHL Toronto on conditioning loans after offseason surgeries. While their activation didn’t come simultaneously, multiple reports indicate that Hakanpää was at practice with the NHL club this morning, signaling his Maple Leafs debut likely isn’t far away. They’ll have enough cap space, albeit by less than $500K, to remain compliant with Calle Järnkrok and Dakota Mermis still on LTIR. However, they’ll still need to free up roster spots when Matthews and Pacioretty are ready to return from their respective IR stints.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

East Notes: Jarry, Grebenkin, Sgarbossa, Martin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending room has been thrown for a loop to start the season. A clear hierarchy set up in training camp was quickly dismantled when Tristan Jarry was sent to the minor leagues for a five-game conditioning stint. His absence gave Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic a chance to plant their feet in the Penguins’ starting crease – and while the former has performed well, Pittsburgh’s 6-8-2 record could give Jarry a golden chacne to work his way back into the lineup.

At least, that’s the path laid out by NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, who spoke with Jarry on his path back to the NHL. The netminder told Crosby, “Hopefully, that’s the way it goes. I want to come back here, and I want to play well. That’s my goal. That’s what I want to do. I want to help this team as much as possible. Whenever I’m in the net, I think giving them a chance to win and helping this team get in a good place.”

The 29-year-old Jarry posted a 4-1-0 record and .926 save percentage in five AHL games –  far better than the .836 save percentage he’s managed through three NHL games this year. He stood up to 51 games last season, though his 19-25-5 record marked the first losing season of his five-year tenure as Pittsburgh’s go-to goalie. He’s managed a 137-86-34 record in his nine-year career, working above future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury and the less-successful Matt Murray in his climb to an everyday role. Jarry will now look to get back to his rightful spot, as Pittsburgh tries to buck a 3-5-2 record in their last 10.

Other notes from out East:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs could have a hidden gem in 21-year-old winger Nikita Grebenkin, who’s managed seven points and no penalties through his first nine AHL games. The bruising winger brings a welcome mix of grit and skill to the Toronto depths, which Steven Ellis of Leafs Nation says could lead to a hardy lineup role someday soon. Ellis points out that Grebenkin’s climb to the lineup is blocked by a long list of bottom-six wingers, including Nicholas Robertson and the soon-to-return Connor Dewar – but Grebenkin could be quick to take advantage of his next chance. The young forward is already a seasoned pro, totaling 41 points in 67 games for Magnitogorsk Metallurg last season as the team pursued their first KHL Championship since 2016. That winning mindset will make Grebenkin a name to watch, especially if Toronto chooses to part ways with some of their crowded bottom-six.
  • The Washington Capitals have returned minor league centerman Michael Sgarbossa to the AHL’s Hershey Bears just two days after he was recalled to the NHL, per AHL transaction logs. He appeared in 11:25 in ice time and recorded one goal and one assist in Washington’s 8-1 dousing of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. They were Sgarbossa’s first NHL points since late March of last season, and brought his NHL scoring up to par with the nine points he’s managed in seven AHL games this season. No Capitals player has been involved in more roster moves to start the early season, and it’s likely that another shot at NHL ice time isn’t too far out of reach for the 32-year-old Sgarbossa.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes also returned a player to the minors, per transaction logs, sending goaltender Spencer Martin back down after he allowed the Colorado Avalanche to score five goals on 28 shots on Saturday. Martin was recalled to help fill-in for the injured Frederik Andersen, who head coach Rod Brind’Amour dubbed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury on October 31st. Pyotr Kochetkov has taken over starting duties in response, but his .896 save percentage through eight games – and Martin’s poor performance this weekend – could have the team looking for other outlets. Martin currently leads the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in save percentage (.920), well ahead of Ruslan Khazheyev (.898) and Yaniv Perets (.825) despite each playing only a few games

Matthews Skates Without Issue, Jarnkrok Not Close To Returning

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  • Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews skated today for 25 minutes with no signs of discomfort, relays TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Toronto moved him to injured reserve on Friday, making him ineligible for tonight’s game against Montreal but he is eligible to return Tuesday versus Ottawa.  Assuming Matthews is cleared to play in that game, the Maple Leafs will have to make a roster move beforehand, likely a waiver placement as things stand, to open up a roster spot.
  • Still with Toronto, head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Nick Barden of The Hockey News that winger Calle Jarnkrok is “probably a ways away” from making his season debut. The 33-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury that’s believed to be a sports hernia.  Jarnkrok skated before practice a couple of times this week but it looks like he’s still not particularly close to being cleared to play.  Jarnkrok had 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games for the Maple Leafs last season.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 Jack Adams Award?

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Of all of the trophies in hockey, the Jack Adams Award has become the most debated. Meant to award the coach determined to have most contributed to their team’s success, the trophy has instead become a way to award coaches that tally extended win-streaks, resilient comebacks, or unexpected runs to the postseason. Recent winners include Vancouver’s Rick Tocchet, Boston’s Jim Montgomery, and now-replaced Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter. All three kicked off their award-winning year with hot starts in the first two months, making now a great time to check in on this year’s early favorites.

The easy early choice has to be Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, who’s inspired an incredible 13-1-0 record to start the new year. Arniel was promoted to replace Rick Bowness full-time this summer, after covering for the 800-game pro coach at multiple points last season. The hire was hotly debated at the time, with Jets fans split between whether Arniel’s role as the team’s penalty-kill coach would push slow-paced defense onto a roster that clearly needed to lean into fast-paced offense. But that hasn’t proven a worry on the ice, with Winnipeg’s 63 goals and +11 goal-differential both proudly leading the league. That’s been inspired by the usual suspects playing well – with Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Josh Morrissey rightfully leading the team in scoring. But the depth of production is perhaps the biggest testament to Arniel’s impact. Winnipeg has 10 players with at least 10 points, including Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton – who both struggled to find their scoring consistency under Bowness. Arniel’s Jets also boast the best power-play in the league (42.1 percent) and a league-average penalty-kill (80 percent success).

Arniel headlines a long list of first-year head coaches finding immediate success. John Hynes has led his Minnesota Wild to a second-place 10-2-2 record, and Sheldon Keefe has made the New Jersey Devils the playoff-favorites that many expected them to be last year. But it’s the mentality shift of Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube that seems to be making the biggest ripples in a new setting. The hard-nosed former pro has led a defensive charge in Toronto, with the team allowing their fewest goals-against per-game since 2020-21 under Berube’s reign. That’s helped along by summer additions like Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but the team as a whole has shifted towards a grittier, dump-and-chase style. The downside of that shift has been Toronto’s drop from averaging 3.63 goals-per-game last year, to just 3.07 this year – though the team has still managed a hardy 8-5-2 record through their first 15 games. Berube may not be inspiring as much as his other first-year peers, but the culture shift he’s instilled could make him a strong Jack Adams candidate if the Leafs find another layer.

There’s also Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, who won a tight race for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card last season. And while Washington didn’t inspire much in the postseason – getting swept by the New York Rangers – they’ve clearly used the appearance as motivation in the new year. Washington is red-hot, sat with a 9-4-0 record and ranked in the top 10 of goals-for, goals-against, and penalty kill percentage. The Capitals’ season is undeniably headlined by Alexander Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record – only 34 goals away! – but Carbery has pulled together a quietly-thriving team in the backdrop. It’s a record more inspired by emerging lineup pillars – like Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael – more than being led by individual stars. The Capitals still need to squeeze more out of new additions like Andrew Mangiapane and Pierre-Luc Dubois. A spark in net wouldn’t hurt either. But the momentum that Carbery has built up in his second year has Washington looking much more the part of a strong playoff hopeful than they did last year, even despite an injured blue-line.

The NHL season has hardly begun, but plenty of new and inexperienced head coaches have found their groove right out of the gates. Their momentum could spell out the Jack Adams finalists far ahead of an official announcement, or they could soon be uprooted by settled veterans like Florida’s Paul Maurice, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour, or Vegas’ Bruce Cassidy. All have started strong, providing plenty of options for who could run away with this year’s Jack Adams Award. Who do you think will keep their hot start going and take home this year’s ’Coach of the Year’ trophy?

Who Will Win The 2025 Jack Adams Award?
Scott Arniel 51.07% (143 votes)
Spencer Carbery 21.79% (61 votes)
Sheldon Keefe 11.79% (33 votes)
Craig Berube 10.71% (30 votes)
John Hynes 4.64% (13 votes)
Total Votes: 280

Mobile users, click here to vote.

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