Pacific Notes: Hertl, Danault, Kulak, Ceci, Fleury
Top trade deadline pickup Tomáš Hertl took a major step toward making his Golden Knights debut Monday, practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey for the first time. The 30-year-old is on long-term injured reserve but is eligible to come off at any time. He had been on standard IR since being acquired from the Sharks on March 8 but was moved to LTIR last week to afford Vegas the cap space necessary to recall goaltender Jiří Patera from the minors with Adin Hill injured. With Patera returned to Henderson as of last night, the Golden Knights have enough cap space to activate Hertl’s $6.75MM cap hit whenever he’s ready to go. He’s expected to suit up for Vegas before the regular season draws to a close. The 11-year vet underwent knee surgery after representing San Jose at the 2024 All-Star Game and hasn’t played since late January. He remains week-to-week, but skating today is a strong indication he’ll be upgraded to day-to-day in the near future.
Other updates from the Pacific Division:
- Kings center Phillip Danault will be a game-time decision with his upper-body injury ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Jets, interim head coach Jim Hiller told reporters (via Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press). Danault, 31, missed Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Flames with the injury. The 2011 first-round pick is well on his way to earning Selke Trophy votes for the sixth straight season, although he’s yet to be a nominee. He has 17 goals and 42 points in 72 games this season, in line with his production since joining the Kings on a six-year, $33MM deal in 2021. His +14.5 expected rating this season is the second-highest of his career, and his 56.1 CF% at even strength is fifth among qualified Kings skaters despite receiving difficult defensive minutes. If Danault cannot play, 24-year-old Akil Thomas is expected to make his NHL debut after being recalled yesterday.
- Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak is expected to suit up Monday against the Blues, while Cody Ceci sits due to illness, per NHL.com. Kulak’s status for tonight’s game was uncertain after taking a puck to the head during his first shift against the Ducks on Saturday, ending his game prematurely. The 30-year-old has been decent in bottom-pairing usage for the Oilers this season, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists in 72 games. His ice time has dipped to 15:09 per game, the lowest of his Oilers tenure, but he’s controlled possession well with a +10.3 expected rating and a 52.9 CF% at even strength in his relatively easy minutes.
- The Kraken brought defenseman Cale Fleury back up from AHL Coachella Valley after sending him down yesterday, per a team announcement. Fleury has been summoned multiple times over the past few weeks for injury insurance while star blue-liner Vince Dunn remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. He hasn’t seen any game action, though, serving as a healthy scratch in the two games he’s been rostered for. On the farm, the 25-year-old has 32 points in 60 games, leading Coachella Valley defensemen. He signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract to remain in the Seattle organization last summer after reaching restricted free agency.
Sharks Assign Filip Bystedt To AHL
The Sharks are bringing Swedish center prospect Filip Bystedt to North America to finish out the 2023-24 campaign, assigning him to AHL San Jose on Monday. San Jose loaned him to Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League for the season after signing him to an entry-level contract last June.
Bystedt, 20, was the Sharks’ lone first-round pick in 2022, going to them at 27th overall after they traded down from 11th in a major pick swap with the Coyotes (Arizona drafted center prospect Conor Geekie with San Jose’s pick). The 6’4″ pivot checks in as the fourth-best prospect in the Sharks’ system in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s organizational rankings after being crowned SHL Rookie of the Year in 2022-23. He was an important secondary fixture on a rather poor Linköping squad last year, notching seven goals and 20 points in 45 games.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t build on that production this year, finishing the SHL campaign with 17 points in 47 games. That’s despite Linköping being a much-improved squad overall, finishing above the .500 mark and making the SHL playoffs for the first time since 2018. He did represent Sweden at the World Juniors for a second straight season, where he notched three goals and an assist in seven games en route to a silver medal.
Bystedt’s European Assignment Clause in his ELC is only for this year, so he’ll likely play a full season in the minors with San Jose next year. Playoff hockey won’t be in the cards for him later this month – the Barracuda are tied for last place in the AHL with 53 points. However, he should factor into a few of San Jose’s eight remaining games and get a taste of playing in the Sharks’ organization. He’s an entry-level slide candidate, meaning that since he won’t see NHL action this year, the beginning of his ELC will defer to next season. As such, he’ll remain signed through 2027, at which point he’ll be an RFA.
East Notes: Shea, Rifai, Rielly, Johansson, Sandin
The Penguins assigned defenseman Ryan Shea to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last night, per CapFriendly. The move ends his brief emergency loan, having come up on Friday after blue-liner Ryan Graves was diagnosed with a concussion. However, his services weren’t needed in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, meaning he needed to be returned to the minors or converted to a standard recall. The 27-year-old has been up and down on multiple paper transactions over the last few months but hasn’t played an NHL game since Dec. 8. The 2015 fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks made his NHL debut this season after inking a one-year, one-way deal with Pittsburgh last summer, but failed to record a point and averaged 12:28 per game through 22 contests.
Other updates out of the Eastern Conference:
- The Maple Leafs announced they’ve brought up defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto for the second time in three days. It’s an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, indicating he’ll serve as injury insurance ahead of tonight’s game against the Panthers and will likely return to the minors tomorrow. The 26-year-old landed his first NHL deal last summer after spending 2022-23 on an AHL contract with Toronto and made his first two NHL appearances in February, logging a shot on goal, a block and four hits while averaging 11:40 per game. Rifai coming up to the active roster today confirms that Morgan Rielly, who’s already missed three games with an upper-body injury, isn’t ready to return. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Rielly is “close to 100 percent” and will practice tomorrow, meaning he could return for Wednesday’s key clash for playoff positioning against the Lightning (via David Alter of The Hockey News).
- Lightning backup netminder Jonas Johansson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after missing practice today and is questionable to dress against the Red Wings tonight, Chris Krenn of the team’s official site relays. In the event Johansson is unable to go, they won’t make a recall from AHL Syracuse and will dress former Grand Valley State University netminder Kyle Konin as an emergency backup, per Krenn. The 26-year-old Rhode Island native resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has informally held the reserve role for the Lightning over the past few seasons, dressing once before as an emergency backup for the Blues when they visited Tampa in the 2021-22 season. Konin hasn’t played any significant level of hockey since ACHA III play in 2020.
- Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin was on the ice for practice Monday after missing Saturday’s shootout loss to the Bruins with a lower-body injury, reports Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. He was a late scratch with the injury and wasn’t issued a timeline beyond day-to-day evaluation, suggesting his absence would be short-term. All signs point to the 24-year-old Swede reentering the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres as the Caps aim to pull away from the Flyers and secure third place in the Metropolitan Division. In his first full season in the nation’s capital, Sandin has 23 points in 64 games while playing 21:20 a night, second on the team behind John Carlson.
Flyers To Reinstate Jamie Drysdale From Injured Reserve
Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale will come off injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Islanders after missing over a month with a shoulder injury. Philadelphia will likely make a corresponding transaction later Monday, as activating Drysdale gives them an excess of nine healthy defenders on the active roster with two of them being waiver-exempt (Ronald Attard, Adam Ginning).
Philly fans cringed when Drysdale sustained the injury on Feb. 25 against Pittsburgh, appearing to reinjure the shoulder that kept him out of all but eight games last year. A weeks-long absence isn’t ideal for the young blueliner as he tries to make his mark after being acquired from the Ducks midseason, but avoiding anything longer-term is still good news. Drysdale wasn’t overly impressive in 17 games with the Flyers, scoring twice and adding two assists, but he did log much-improved possession numbers from his time in Anaheim.
After the Ducks drafted Drysdale with the sixth overall pick in 2020, he had a breakout rookie campaign two seasons later, scoring 32 points in 81 games as a 19-year-old. The torn labrum less than a month into the 2022-23 season stunted all of his momentum, though, and he hasn’t been able to recapture his pre-injury form. A lower-body injury also cost him most of the early going of this year with Anaheim, and all in all has been limited to 27 appearances across his two clubs.
The sinking Flyers will gladly welcome his presence as they fight to turn things around and secure a playoff spot. They’ve gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, dropping them out of third place in the Metropolitan Division and putting them only two points ahead of the Red Wings, who have a game in hand, for the second wild-card spot in the East. Outside of their top pairing of Travis Sanheim and Cameron York, Philly doesn’t have many skilled puck-movers on their back end, and plugging Drysdale back into the lineup should allow trade deadline pickup Erik Johnson to be relieved of his overmatched top-four spot alongside Nick Seeler.
Golden Knights Reassign Jiri Patera
The Golden Knights have assigned netminder Jiří Patera back to AHL Henderson, per CapFriendly. The move suggests Adin Hill, who hasn’t played since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Blue Jackets on March 23, is ready to return tomorrow against the Canucks.
A sixth-round pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, Patera made his NHL debut last year after two seasons with Henderson in a depth role. At 6’2″ and 209 lbs, Patera’s good size and solid positioning helped him develop into the Knights’ top minor-league option last season, with a .911 SV% in 31 appearances. He made his first two NHL starts in March as injuries piled up in the Vegas crease, winning both and posting a strong .929 SV%, 2.50 GAA, and 2.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
After his entry-level contract expired, Vegas signed him to a one-year, two-way contract ($775K/$100K/$145K) last summer to serve as the third goalie on the depth chart behind Hill and Logan Thompson. He slid up from the #4 spot to replace veteran Jonathan Quick, whom they let find a new home on the open market after he gave the eventual Stanley Cup champs some solid performances to close out the regular season. Patera’s more extended NHL audition this season hasn’t gone quite as well, though, putting up below-average numbers with a .893 SV% and 3.98 GAA in five starts and one relief appearance. He’s managed to concede 4.0 goals above expected in that time.
Things haven’t gone quite as well in the minors for Patera either, where his numbers have dropped to a .902% and 3.04 GAA in 24 games. The team in front of him hasn’t exactly been a beacon of defensive responsibility, though, and the other two netminders on the roster, Isaiah Saville and Jesper Vikman, haven’t outperformed him.
Since Patera was on the roster as an emergency call-up, he had to be returned to Henderson or be added to the roster as a standard recall as soon as Hill became available to dress. He made one start on this recall, stopping 30 of 35 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Predators on March 26. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights when his contract expires this summer and will require waivers to be assigned to the minors beginning next season.
Blue Jackets Recall Jet Greaves On Emergency Loan
The Blue Jackets added goalie prospect Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland on an emergency recall Sunday, per a team release. He could back up Daniil Tarasov in tomorrow’s contest against the Avalanche if starter Elvis Merzļikins, who head coach Pascal Vincent said missed practice today for maintenance purposes, cannot dress.
This is the fourth recall of the season for the 23-year-old Greaves. All four have come under emergency conditions and lasted only a few days, filling in whenever Merzļikins or Tarasov were unavailable. Over his three NHL showings this year, all starts, he has a 1-2-0 record with a decent .907 SV% and 3.38 GAA. Behind the Blue Jackets’ porous defense, that’s been good enough for a remarkable 5.0 goals saved above expected in his short stint, per MoneyPuck. He’s performed similarly well in the minors, recording a .907 SV% and 27-12-4 record with one shutout in 43 appearances for Cleveland.
Greaves, undrafted, landed his first NHL deal with the Blue Jackets in February 2022 after beginning the year on a minor-league pact with Cleveland. He’s now in the final season of that entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $758K. The Cambridge, Ontario native will remain waiver-exempt through 2025-26 and is slated for restricted free agency this summer.
Kings Recall Akil Thomas, Place Alex Turcotte On LTIR
The Kings announced they’ve recalled center Akil Thomas from AHL Ontario. To create cap space, Alex Turcotte was placed on long-term injured reserve, keeping him out until the last week of the regular season.
Turcotte hasn’t played since March 19 due to an upper-body injury, and he isn’t with the team on their four-game road swing, which began last week. Assuming his LTIR placement is retroactive to the date of the injury, he’ll satisfy the 24-day, 10-game absence requirements in a week and a half’s time and will be eligible to return on April 13 against the Ducks, the 80th game of L.A.’s season.
The injury is another difficult setback for Turcotte, who was amid his first extended stint in the majors since being selected fifth overall by the Kings at the 2019 draft. He’s remained on the NHL roster since a Feb. 8 recall, aside from a one-day loan to Ontario on trade deadline day to make him eligible to play in the minors down the stretch. The 23-year-old has played in a career-high 20 games, recording his first NHL points with a goal and three assists. While he saw limited time at even-strength up in the lineup alongside Anže Kopitar, his overall ice time has been limited at 9:16 per game.
L.A. has lost its grip on a divisional playoff spot thanks to a recent hot stretch from the Golden Knights, slipping to fourth in the Pacific Division and occupying the second wild-card spot in the West. Still, they have a solid five-point cushion on the Blues and have only a 3.1% chance of slipping out of a playoff spot entirely, per MoneyPuck. They’ve yet to carry a fully healthy forward group all season with Viktor Arvidsson, Carl Grundström and Blake Lizotte all missing double-digit games, and their offense has suffered as a result, dropping to 16th in the league in goals scored after finishing ninth last year. Those injuries have provided a chance for players like Turcotte and Alex Laferriere, who’s played in all but one game this season, to log NHL time.
Thomas now gets a similar chance to Turcotte, as he could make his NHL debut against the Jets on Monday and allow the Kings to dress 12 forwards with Phillip Danault (upper-body, day-to-day) also sidelined. The Kings selected Thomas, now 24, in the second round of the 2018 draft. This is the first recall of his professional career and comes under emergency conditions, per CapFriendly.
After passing through waivers during training camp and missing most of last season with injuries, Thomas has broken out for a career-high 22 goals, 21 assists and 43 points in 61 games with Ontario. The former OHL All-Rookie Team member with the Niagara IceDogs and World Juniors hero with Canada in 2020 has had a rocky development path over the past few years, with injuries and COVID keeping him from playing more than 40 games in a season since turning pro. He signed a one-year, two-way ($775K/$100K) extension to remain in Los Angeles after his entry-level contract expired last summer and will be an RFA at the end of the season.
Maple Leafs Place Mitch Marner On LTIR
March 31: Toronto assigned Rifai back to AHL Toronto on Sunday, per a team announcement. He did not play in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Sabres. The Maple Leafs now have enough cap space to activate Marner from LTIR ahead of his anticipated return later this week.
March 30: The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight in Buffalo. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Mitch Marner has been placed on LTIR retroactive to March 7th for what they’ve termed as roster management purposes. In doing so, they opened up enough salary cap space to recall defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto.
Marner has been out since March 7th with an ankle injury, a significant blow to Toronto’s lineup. Before the injury, the 26-year-old was doing quite well, collecting 25 goals and 51 assists in 62 games, a point-per-game pace that would have given him a legitimate opportunity to reach the 100-point mark after coming up just short on that front in each of the last two seasons.
As part of the LTIR requirements, a player must miss 10 games and 24 days before being eligible to be activated. Tonight’s game will be the tenth game that Marner misses while the 24-day mark will be reached on Sunday. It was noted yesterday that Marner is expected back at practice on Tuesday and this placement will not affect those plans.
As for Rifai, this is his second recall of the season after being up for a few days in February. During that stretch, he did get into a pair of games with the Maple Leafs, his first taste of NHL action. The 26-year-old has spent most of the season in the minors with the Marlies, picking up 17 points in 49 contests.
The Leafs have been hit hard with injuries on the blueline in recent days with Morgan Rielly, Joel Edmundson, and Timothy Liljegren all being banged up. It appears Rifai’s recall will serve as a hedge in case another veteran blueliner is unable to go against the Sabres.
Kraken Recall Shane Wright
The Kraken have recalled top forward prospect Shane Wright from AHL Coachella Valley, per a team announcement Sunday.
Wright’s recall gives Seattle a crowded roster up front. Another pair of youngsters, Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton, were recalled from Coachella Valley last week and have both factored into the Kraken’s last three games. Seattle GM Ron Francis certainly seems intent on giving the future of his organization a chance in the majors down the stretch with playoff hockey no longer in the conversation, Wright included.
The 20-year-old Wright was the consensus top prospect in the 2022 draft class for quite some time, but a slightly underwhelming draft year and some impressive performances from his peers allowed him to slip to the Kraken, who held the fourth overall pick. His post-draft season was rocky, too. He made Seattle out of camp after signing his entry-level contract in 2022 but played sparingly over the first few weeks of the season. His consistent healthy scratches allowed Seattle to take advantage of a loophole in the NHL/CHL transfer agreement and give Wright his first taste of AHL hockey, assigning him to Coachella Valley on a conditioning loan for a two-week stretch. The Kraken then loaned him out to the Canadian national junior team, with whom he recorded seven points in seven games while serving as team captain en route to a gold medal, before returning him to OHL Windsor to close out the season in major junior play.
While Wright would have been ineligible for full-time AHL assignment this season as well, as his 20th birthday fell after Jan. 1, he was awarded an exception by the CHL and reported to Coachella Valley to kick off the 2023-24 season. That’s where he’s remained outside of two brief recalls to Seattle in November and December, ranking fifth among a deep offense with 20 goals, 23 assists and 43 points in 56 games. It’s been a solid but not overly impressive showing for the former OHL rookie of the year, who was also held without a point in three games of major league action with the Kraken earlier this season.
It’s unclear if the Kraken intend on keeping Wright in the NHL for the remainder of the stretch run, although there’s nothing stopping them with ample cap space and no roster limit. He’s still in the first season of his entry-level contract, which didn’t take effect last season because he played less than 10 NHL games. That could repeat again this year if he fails to hit the double-digit mark, something the Kraken would like to do to extend his value. Thus, don’t expect him to play more than six of Seattle’s nine remaining games. If his ELC defers again, he’ll reach restricted free agency in 2027.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Cameron Butler
The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled Cameron Butler from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, with captain Boone Jenner out tonight with an illness. Since the recall was made under emergency conditions, it will not count against the Blue Jackets four-call-up limit for the time being.
As an undrafted free agent coming out of the Oshawa Generals program of the Ontario Hockey League, Butler signed his entry-level deal in Columbus a little over a year ago. In his last season in the OHL, Butler scored 27 goals and 55 points in 63 games for the Generals, registering three points in five playoff games as well.
Unfortunately, Butler’s offensive potential has not translated well during his first season of professional hockey, as he’s only been able to muster two goals and eight points over 46 games for the Monsters this season. Luckily, even though Butler is sitting 25th on the team in scoring, he still has the opportunity to develop.
Being one of the most consistent teams in the AHL over the last several years, Butler is not being heavily relied upon by the Monsters roster. Sitting one point back of the division-leading Syracuse Crunch, there is not much pressure on Butler yet, allowing him to develop at his pace.