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Evening Notes: Woll, Guhle, AHL Eligibility

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David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll could be ready to return to action as early as Tuesday. The news comes from Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, who said it’s possible the 26-year-old would play tomorrow night when Toronto takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Woll has been dealing with groin tightness since training camp in early October. His injury has thrust summer free agent signing Anthony Stolarz into a lot of work early in the season as the veteran netminder has played five of Toronto’s first six games entering action tonight.

Woll signed a three-year extension early in the summer and appeared to have the inside track to the starter role as he entered training camp. The Dardenne Prairie, Missouri native was terrific last season for the Maple Leafs, posting 7.2 goals saved above expected (as per Money Puck) in 25 games.

In other evening notes:

  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not participate in Canadiens practice earlier today. Guhle has been dealing with the ailment since late last week and didn’t play on Saturday night against the Islanders. The 22-year-old missed nearly all of Canadiens training camp after having his appendix removed and has had an uneven start to the season, posting good offensive numbers, but has been abysmal on the possession front (34.5% CF% at even strength as per Hockey Reference).
  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News is reporting that a source of his has told him that the next NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement could have AHL eligibility as an option for 19-year-olds written into it. The news could be another challenge for the CHL who are preparing to navigate the new NCAA eligibility rules. However, the news would be good for players such as Sabres forward prospect Matt Savoie who just spent his age-19 season in the WHL last year.

Morning Notes: Broberg, Holmberg, Walman

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One of the league’s most eye-opening offseason acquisitions has been making a significant impact with his new club early on. When the Blues signed former Oilers Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to successful offer sheets, most viewed their contracts as a bet on their upside rather than their current prowess. That was especially true in Broberg’s case, as the Blues inked him to a two-year deal with a $4.58MM cap hit despite the 2019 eighth overall pick spending most of last season in the minors.

But early on, Broberg’s been worth the cash and then some. He’s embarked on a six-game point streak to begin his tenure in St. Louis, tying for the team lead in scoring with six points (1 G, 5 A) and tying for the team lead with a +6 rating. What’s more – all of that production has come at even strength, and he’s averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. There’s more about Broberg’s early-season emergence in today’s video breakdown from Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required).

Here are a couple of more things from around the hockey world this morning:

  • A successful offseason by most accounts from Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving means more forward depth for new head coach Craig Berube to play with. That’s led to a rotation of notable healthy scratches thus far, including late-offseason pickup Max Pacioretty. The next one might be Pontus Holmberg, who Berube said “has got to battle a little bit harder” after last weekend’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers (via Nick Barden of The Hockey News). He was potentially looking to lock down a spot as the team’s third-line center, and while he’s done well in the faceoff dot with a career-high 55.2 FOW%, he’s played mostly on the wing thus far and has an assist and a -1 rating through five appearances. Possession numbers have been extremely unkind to him in heavy defensive usage as well.
  • Defender Jake Walman was a surprise mover this summer when the Red Wings attached a second-round pick to deal him to the Sharks. Most thought at least one Detroit defenseman would be on the move, but not one of the team’s best skaters who’d flourished in a top-pairing role alongside Moritz Seider over the past couple of seasons. Walman recently spoke to The Athletic’s Max Bultman about the move, which he said left him “shocked and heartbroken.” He’s off to a fresh start in San Jose, where he’s averaging over 23 minutes per game as their top blue-line option with two assists and a -2 rating through six appearances.

East Notes: Woll, Bunting, Jarry

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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll revealed to the media that he has been dealing with groin tightness (as per Nick Barden of The Hockey News). The issue has kept him out of regular-season action, but Woll feels as though he should be back sooner rather than later.

It’s possible that the issue could have occurred during training camp in early October, but Woll didn’t get into the specifics regarding where and when the groin issue began to surface. During the moment in question on October 3rd, Woll slid across his crease to make a save and looked to be in discomfort as he moved back to his feet.

The Maple Leafs are unlikely to rush Woll as Anthony Stolarz has been terrific this season thus far.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop tweeted the Pittsburgh Penguins line rushes yesterday, which appeared to show forward Michael Bunting as a healthy scratch. Bunting was moved off the second line in the Penguins loss to the Hurricanes on Friday night and he was also moved off the second power-play unit. Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports tweeted that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was asked on Friday by reporters about Bunting’s performance this season and replied, “I think our expectation is higher.” Bunting has struggled this season, with just a single assist in six games. However, his underlying numbers remain strong and could be an indicator of bad luck rather than bad play.
  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager doesn’t appear keen on placing goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers as a way to address the team’s goaltending predicament, not yet anyway. Jarry has struggled dating back to last year when he didn’t start the Penguins’ final 13 regular season games and is arguably third in Pittsburgh’s current goaltending ranks. The Penguins are carrying three goaltenders on the roster and are bringing Jarry, Joel Blomqvist, and Alex Nedeljkovic on their road trip through Western Canada. Jarry currently has a .836 save percentage and a 5.47 goals-against average in three games but is owed $5.375MM this season and for an additional three years after that, making him nearly unmovable.

Joseph Woll A Full Participant In Practice

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  • Goaltender Joseph Woll’s return to game action for the Toronto Maple Leafs is on the horizon as Nick Barden of The Hockey News reported the young netminder was a full participant at the team’s practice this morning. Woll has been on the team’s injured reserve with an upper-body injury since the regular season kicked off on October 9th. Toronto has gotten adequate goaltending in his absence between Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby combining for a .935 save percentage in four games with 4.2 goals saved above average according to Hockey Reference.

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Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Peterka, Struble

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The Maple Leafs may not be without William Nylander for any game action. After missing practice Tuesday with an illness, the star winger is feeling better and will be a game-time decision tonight against the Kings, head coach Craig Berube told reporters, including David Alter of The Hockey News. He’s the second top-six forward affected by something going around the Toronto room. It caused center John Tavares to miss their 4-2 win over the Penguins last weekend, in which Nylander had his first two points of the season – both goals. The 28-year-old is in the first season of the eight-year, $92MM extension he inked midway through last season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sabres will have John-Jason Peterka available for tonight’s game against the Penguins after he missed their last two games with a concussion, head coach Lindy Ruff said. He sustained the concussion on a hit from Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon in the second game of their Global Series set at the beginning of the month. The 22-year-old had an assist and a -2 rating in the season opener and projects to re-enter the lineup in a first-line role alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
  • Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble has been cleared to return from his upper-body injury, per head coach Martin St. Louis (via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie). The 23-year-old has yet to play this year after sustaining the injury late in preseason. He’ll look to lock down a more consistent bottom-pairing role this season after making his NHL debut last year and posting 10 points and a -3 rating in 56 games while averaging just north of 16 minutes per night. It’s unclear whether he’ll play tomorrow against the Kings or sit as a healthy scratch, though.

Anton Strålman To Retire

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Longtime NHL defender Anton Strålman has retired, as noted by Robin Olausson of Hockey Sverige. Neither he nor the NHL Alumni Association have made an official announcement, but he’s now joined Swedish women’s soccer club Skultorps IF as a coach, Olausson said.

Strålman’s NHL career all but ended over a year ago. After managing to land a contract off a PTO with the Bruins in training camp in 2022, he failed to stick around at the NHL level, playing just eight games for Boston and spending a good chunk of the 2022-23 campaign in AHL Providence. A free agent last summer, he returned home to put a bookend on his career by suiting up for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League, where he had 16 points (2 G, 14 A), 10 PIMs, and a -12 rating in 48 games. He added an assist and a +3 rating in their relegation series against IK Oskarshamn to help them stay at the top level of the Swedish pyramid.

The 38-year-old was once one of the more underrated two-way defenders in the NHL. Drafted 216th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2005, Strålman broke into the NHL three years later. After a pair of seasons covering depth bottom-pairing duties for Toronto, he was traded to the Flames and then flipped again to the Blue Jackets in the 2009 offseason.

The move to Columbus is what truly jumpstarted his career. Strålman’s first season in Ohio saw him average over 20 minutes per game and break out for 34 points in 73 contests. He’d regress to a goal and 18 points in 51 games the following year, though, marking the end of his brief stint with the Jackets. He was non-tendered and became a UFA in 2011 at the age of 24, and he needed to wait until after the 2011-12 campaign started to catch on with his next NHL team – the Rangers.

In New York, Strålman’s game never popped offensively, but he did do well to establish himself as a reliable defensive presence who could shoulder second-pairing minutes. He averaged 18:22 per game in the Big Apple with solid possession metrics, posting a 54.3 CF% in front of expert goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist to lead to a cumulative +32 rating in 182 appearances for the Rangers, adding seven goals and 31 assists for 38 points.

That showing boosted his market value significantly heading into free agency in 2014, landing a five-year, $22.5MM deal with the Lightning that stands as the most lucrative contract of his career. His play popped accordingly in Tampa Bay, immediately making an impact with a career-high 30 assists and 39 points in 82 games before the Bolts marched their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Strålman maintained a high level of play in Tampa, averaging around 30 points per 82 games and logging nearly 22 minutes per game, with a cumulative +80 rating across his five-year deal.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a part of their three straight Stanley Cup Final runs from 2020 to 2022. He priced himself out of Tampa upon reaching free agency again in 2019, instead inking a three-year, $16.5MM contract with the intrastate rival Panthers. That marked the beginning of the end of his NHL career, and by Year 2 of the contract, he’d fallen out of a top-four role. He had nine points in 38 games for Florida in 2020-21, leading them to surrender a second-round pick to dump the final year of his deal at a $5.5MM cap hit on the Coyotes.

Strålman did have a brief resurgence on a thin Arizona blue line, rebounding for 23 points in 74 games in 2021-22 while averaging 21:20 per game. It was his best offensive total in five years, and his highest usage in four, but his once-sparking possession metrics continued to dip below average. He needed the aforementioned PTO with Boston to keep his NHL career alive the following year before heading home in 2023.

All told, Strålman finishes his NHL career with 63 goals, 230 assists, 293 points, a +46 rating, and a 51.3 CF% in 938 appearances while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. He made the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years with the Rangers and Lightning and totaled 26 points and a -4 rating in 113 playoff games. PHR wishes Strålman the best in the next phase of his career.

East Notes: Tavares, Nylander, Farabee, Aston-Reese

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The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed centerman John Tavares back to practice this morning after he missed the team’s last game due to illness, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. However, the flu-bug isn’t out of Toronto just yet, with Tavares’ linemate William Nylander missing the practice because of illness. Tavares stepped into a role on the second-line and top power-play unit with Nylander out.

Toronto loses a star and gains a star with these updates. Nylander leads the team in scoring with two goals through three games – the only Leaf to score multiple goals so far – though Tavares also scored in the team’s season opener. The duo were the focus of plenty of debate this summer, with many wondering if Nylander could fill the second-line center role that Tavares has served in since 2018-19. The former certainly showed signs of that capacity in Tavares’ absence, winning four of his six faceoffs on Sunday, though new head coach Craig Berube hasn’t fully entrusted him with that role. With the two now tagging out, Tavares will get a chance to prove that he can still be a productive member of the top-six, for a Maple Leafs team in need of the boost.

Other notes from out East:

  • Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Joel Farabee shared that he’ll be good to go for the team’s Tuesday night game against Edmonton, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. Farabee missed the team’s Monday practice as the result of a “maintenance day”, as described by head coach John Tortorella. He’s recorded one goal and one assist through two games this season, one of just three Flyers with multiple points. Farabee will look to continue offering depth scoring on Tuesday.
  • Centerman Zach Aston-Reese has been cleared to return to the lineup after leaving the team’s Saturday game early, shares NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury on his first shift of the game, though he was able to skate at practice on both Monday and Tuesday. Now back to full health, he’ll return to a gritty role on the team’s fourth-line, searching for his first NHL point since the 2022-23 campaign.

East Notes: Tavares, Woll, Lindgren, Aston-Reese, Red Wings

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Toronto Maple Leafs centerman John Tavares continued to sit out of the team’s practices on Monday as he recovers from illness, shares TSN’s Mark Masters. Head coach Craig Berube said that Tavares is close to a return, but wasn’t quite fit enough for practice today. Tavares already missed Toronto’s Saturday win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, replaced in the lineup by Bobby McMann and Steven Lorentz.

Tavares is taking on a much different look this season, no longer donning the team’s ‘C’ and taking yet another hit in ice time. He’s averaged roughly 17 minutes through two games on the year, continuing his slip from 18 minutes in each of the last four seasons, and 19 minutes in his first two years with the Leafs. The 2009 first-overall pick is now 34 and entering the sunset years of his career, but that hasn’t meant a lack of scoring, as Tavares continues challenging point-per-game production with 29 goals and 65 points in 80 games last year. He’s now totaled 420 points in 442 games with Toronto, including a career-high 88 points in 2018-19, his first year with the club.

In addition to updates on Tavares, Masters also shared that goaltender Joseph Woll returned to the ice before the team’s formal practice, with Berube saying he could practice tomorrow. Toronto placed Woll on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on October 9th. This marks his first return to skating, and notable progress as he looks to return to the role of starting goalie. In the meantime, Dennis Hildeby and Anthony Stolarz will continue to hold down Toronto’s crease.

Other notes from out East:

  • New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren returned to full contact at the team’s Monday practice, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. Mercogliano points out that Lindgren isn’t eligible to return until Thursday because of his IR placement on October 7th. Head coach Peter Laviolette shared that Lindgren’s injury was suffered in a fight with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, hence his full visor today. Lindgren recorded 17 points in 76 games with the Rangers last season, providing much-needed defensive accumen to the team’s top-four. He’ll get a chance to return to those top minutes when he’s eligible to return on Thursday.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets centerman Zach Aston-Reese was spotted at the team’s practice, though not a part of line rushes shares Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Aston-Reese exited the team’s Saturday game early following a high hit on his first shift of the game.  exiting the team’s Saturday game early, He’s gone without a point in two games with Columbus so far, though will certainly appreciate the chance to earn an NHL role after spending all of last season in the AHL, scoring 30 points in 61 games. Portzline points out that, should Aston-Reese sit, it will be Dylan Gambrell filling his role on the Columbus fourth-line.
  • Both forward Christian Fischer and defenseman Jeff Petry continue to sit out of Detroit’s practices with injury shares Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Both players are nursing upper-body, day-to-day ailments and are expected to miss Detroit’s Monday night game. St. James notes that their absence on Monday will allow Austin Watson to join the lineup. Albert Johansson will be the likely favorite for any vacant role on defense. Both Fischer and Petry figure to contribute depth roles when they’re able to return.

Atlantic Notes: Barkov, Tavares, Power, Greenway, Peterka

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7:00 PM : Toronto Maple Leafs centerman John Tavares missed the team’s Saturday matchup with illness.

10:00 AM : Imaging has revealed that Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov’s lower-body injury did not involve an ankle fracture (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). That’s in line with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period’s report yesterday that Barkov avoided the worst-case scenario after crashing into the boards near the end of Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Senators and is out a few weeks with a lower-body injury.

It’ll still be a while before we see Barkov back on the ice, but it’s at least confirmation that he should be expected back around the end of the month. He also hasn’t been moved to long-term injured reserve (or injured reserve at all) yet, although that could come if the Panthers need more roster flexibility. They’ve already recalled Patrick Giles from AHL Charlotte in response to his injury and moved Tomáš Nosek to LTIR to create cap room to accommodate Giles.

In the meantime, Barkov’s absence provides plenty of opportunity for usual middle-six pivots Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell to see some more ice time. That could benefit Bennett’s point totals in a contract year, while Lundell is looking to prove he can shoulder heavier usage after inking a six-year, $30MM deal this summer.

Barkov, 29, had an assist and a -1 rating in two contests this year. He was his usual dominant self in the faceoff circle, winning 30% of his draws.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Maple Leafs center John Tavares didn’t practice with the team this morning due to illness, the team said. He’s now likely questionable for tonight’s game against the Penguins. If he can’t go, line rushes indicate that Pontus Holmberg and Bobby McMann will slide up to the second line to play with William Nylander while Max Domi drops down from second-line left wing to third-line center, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Enforcer Ryan Reaves would also re-enter the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch for Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Devils. Tavares, 34, has a goal and a +1 rating in two appearances thus far.
  • Any concerns about Sabres Jordan Greenway and Owen Power missing tonight’s game after taking maintenance days yesterday have been quelled after they returned to practice this morning, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Winger John-Jason Peterka is also once again on the ice, marking the fourth straight day he’s been with the team while recovering from a concussion sustained during the Global Series earlier this month. He missed the home opener against the Kings on Thursday but appears to be an option to return tonight.

Woll Progressing But Hasn't Skated Since Being Injured

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  • Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is progressing from his lower-body injury but still has not returned to the ice, relays Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). The netminder was expected to get the start on Wednesday’s opener but was scratched earlier in the day, landing on IR retroactively to his last preseason appearance to make a roster spot for Dennis Hildeby.  Woll is entering his second full NHL season and posted a 2.97 GAA with a .904 SV% in 25 games last season and added a 0.86 GAA with a .963 SV% in three playoff appearances.

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