Metropolitan Notes: Panarin, Vesey, Acciari, Fasching
Rangers forwards Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey missed Wednesday’s practice and are out on a day-to-day basis with lower-body injuries, per the team’s public relations department. Both players were banged up in yesterday’s win over the Stars but did not miss significant chunks of the game.
Panarin has been on a tear this past week, notching a goal and six assists in his last three games. The 32-year-old is on pace to break the 40-goal barrier for the first time and is tied for fifth in points league-wide with 75 in 56 games.
Vesey is one of the Rangers’ most valuable depth talents, posting 12 goals and 18 points in 54 games despite extreme even-strength shutdown usage. Now 30 years old, Vesey is in his second go-around with the Rangers after spending the first three seasons of his NHL career there from 2016 to 2019.
Averaging 12:26 per game, Vesey has been elevated into the top six alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad after Blake Wheeler sustained a season-ending leg injury last week. Alex Belzile is on the roster as a 13th forward and will make his season debut against the Devils tomorrow if one of Panarin or Vesey can’t play, and the Rangers have roster and cap space for an additional recall if both miss time.
More updates from the Metro:
- Penguins forward Noel Acciari is on a fast-track recovery from his concussion, skating in a regular jersey at Wednesday’s practice after being cleared for non-contact practice yesterday (via Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). He’s missed six games after sustaining the concussion on a hit from Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon, which earned him a three-game suspension. It’s been a trying first season in Pittsburgh for the 32-year-old, who’s mustered three goals and one assist in 39 games despite averaging nearly 13 minutes. Acciari joined former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on the Toronto-to-Pittsburgh pipeline last summer, signing a three-year, $6MM contract with a modified no-trade clause that’s looking like a regrettable decision for the Penguins’ front office.
- The Islanders moved winger Hudson Fasching to LTIR on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to Jan. 25; he’s missed seven games with a lower-body injury and is now dealing with an illness. He has been ruled out of the Islanders’ next three contests as a result and will be eligible to return on Feb. 29 against the Red Wings. Placing him on LTIR frees up the necessary roster and cap space for the Islanders to recall a forward from AHL Bridgeport after fourth-line anchor Casey Cizikas sustained a hand injury in last night’s win in Pittsburgh. Fasching, 28, has scored three times and added five assists in 35 games.
Capitals Recall Pierrick Dubé
The Capitals recalled forward Pierrick Dubé from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Wednesday, per a team announcement.
Dubé, 23, could make his NHL debut against the Lightning on Thursday after Nic Dowd sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s 6-2 win over the Devils. Born in Lyon, France, Dubé signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Washington when free agency opened last July. He went undrafted throughout his junior career with the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, Chicoutimi Saguenéens and Shawinigan Cataractes.
The 5-foot-9 winger was a surprise breakout star with the AHL’s Laval Rocket last year, earning an early-season call-up from the ECHL and posting 32 points in 44 games in his first pro season. He’s carried that momentum into a strong campaign with Hershey, leading the AHL’s best team (39-9-2) and defending Calder Cup champions with 24 goals in 50 games.
Dubé becomes the third active French national on an NHL roster, joining Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Texier and Kraken center Pierre-Édouard Bellemare. He carries Canadian citizenship, having played in their junior circuit since 2014, but played for the local youth team in Lyon. He has represented France internationally at different levels of the U18 and U20 World Juniors.
However, there’s no guarantee that Dubé will draw into the lineup to replace Dowd. The Capitals were already carrying veteran Nicolas Aubé-Kubel as a 13th forward, and he remains an option to play Thursday. Neither player is a natural center, so Beck Malenstyn will likely shift to fill Dowd’s spot as the third-line pivot while head coach Spencer Carbery shuffles his bottom-six wingers.
Dubé’s ELC carries an $870K cap hit, which is of no concern to Washington with Nicklas Bäckström and his $9.2MM cap hit on LTIR for the rest of the season. He will be an RFA upon expiry in 2025.
Rangers Extend Jonny Brodzinski
The Rangers have signed center Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year extension, according to a team announcement Wednesday. The contract is a one-way deal with a cap hit of $787.5K, Peter Baugh of The Athletic and Mollie Walker of the New York Post report. In total, the contract will earn him $1.575MM.
Brodzinski, 30, was in the final season of a two-year, two-way $1.525MM extension signed in 2022. Without a new deal, he would have been a UFA for the third time in his career this summer.
The minor-league mainstay has been a quietly important piece on the Rangers’ third line. With four goals, 15 points and decent possession numbers in 37 games, he’s helped shoulder the season-ending injury to Filip Chytil that’s kept him out since November.
Centering a solid two-way depth unit between William Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko, Brodzinski’s games and points marks are the highest of his career. This year is the most NHL action he’s seen since logging six points in 35 games with the Kings in a limited role in the 2017-18 campaign.
A fifth-round pick of Los Angeles in 2013, Brodzinski has never inked a full one-way contract. He did earn a one-way salary of $650K in the 2018-19 season as part of the second half of a two-year deal with Los Angeles.
The now-former captain of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack has recorded over a point per game in all four seasons with the Rangers’ primary affiliate since joining the organization as a free agent in 2020. Dating back to his pro debut in 2015 after wrapping up his collegiate career with St. Cloud State University, Brodzinski has 126 goals, 141 assists and 267 points in 313 AHL games across nine seasons.
His pro career has been split entirely between the Kings and Rangers, aside from a one-year stint with the Sharks in 2019-20. He’s been a decent per-game producer in his limited NHL opportunities thus far, scoring 32 points in 138 career big-league games, but his 0.41 points per game this season is a career-high.
Brodzinski will earn the league-minimum salary of $775K in 2024-25 and $800K in 2025-26, per CapFriendly. He will be a UFA upon expiry.
Minor Transactions: 2/20/24
While we wait for the trade market to pick up with the deadline now less than three weeks away, there still have been plenty of transactions but largely of the minor variety. Here’s a rundown of some recent moves with NHL ties.
- Logan Stankoven’s NHL debut will have to wait. After being recalled earlier today for precautionary reasons, the Stars announced (Twitter link) that the 20-year-old was returned to AHL Texas. Stankoven has been dominant in his first professional campaign, notching 24 goals and 33 assists in 46 games to lead the AHL in scoring.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned center Byron Froese to AHL Henderson. The 32-year-old played in two games with Vegas on this latest recall, bringing his season total to nine although he’s still looking for his first point. Froese has 15 points in 37 games so far with the Silver Knights.
- Artem Anisimov’s time in the Rangers organization has come to an end as he was released from his PTO with AHL Hartford, per a team release. The 35-year-old joined the Wolf Pack early last month and got into 18 games but managed just a goal and three assists. A veteran of 771 career NHL games, it looks unlikely that Anisimov will be adding to that total.
- A trio of former NHL players are sticking around in Switzerland as Fribourg-Gotteron of the NL recently announced that forwards Lucas Wallmark, Marcus Sorensen, and Jacob de La Rose have all signed two-year extensions through the 2026-27 season. Each player last saw time at the NHL level back in the 2020-21 campaign with de la Rose having the most experience, suiting up in 242 games between Montreal, Detroit, and St. Louis.
St. Louis Blues Make Several Roster Moves
In a flurry of roster activity, the St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Zachary Bolduc from their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, while also placing defenseman Justin Faulk on the team’s Long-Term Injured Reserve, with defenseman Scott Perunovich being placed on the injured reserve.
It will not change much in the short-term for the Blues’ roster, as they’ve been without Faulk for the last 10 games and Perunovich for the last seven. Factoring in the requirements to return from both the LTIR and IR, both players are eligible to be reinstated to the active roster whenever they are healthy enough to return.
The most exciting part of this transaction for St. Louis will be seeing the eventual debut of Bolduc. A first-round selection of the Blues back in the 2021 NHL Draft, Bolduc is in his first season within the Blues organization.
Although a member of Rimouski Oceanic during his draft year, Bolduc became a member of the Quebec Remparts as soon as the 2021-22 season under the tutelage of head coach Patrick Roy. Over 126 games in Quebec, Bolduc experienced a great deal of success, scoring 105 goals and 209 points over the regular season.
Outside of the regular season, Bolduc became a solid playoff performer as well, scoring 19 goals and 31 points over 30 postseason games for the Remparts, helping the team to a Memorial Cup championship in 2022-23. Now transitioning to professional hockey, Bolduc has not maintained the same degree of offensive production in his rookie season, managing only eight goals and 23 points over 48 games for Springfield this year.
Red Wings Sign Michael Rasmussen To Four-Year Extension
The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Michael Rasmussen to a four-year, $12.8MM contract extension with an annual average value (AAV) of $3.2MM. CapFriendly reports that the deal breaks down as follows:
2024-25: $2.05MM salary, $500k signing bonus
2025-26: $2.95MM salary
2026-27: $3.65MM salary
2027-28: $3.65MM salary
Rasmussen has scored 11 goals and 23 points in 55 games this season, on pace to score a career-high 34 points through 82 games. He’s been with the Red Wings organization for his entire career, getting drafted by the team with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. He’s the second player from that year’s Top 10 to earn a long-term extension this season, with 10th-overall selection Owen Tippett signing an eight-year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers in January.
Rasmussen has found a new groove this season, rotating onto the top line with Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane. It’s been an exciting bounce back from a knee injury that ended Rasmussen’s 2022-23 season in early March. He played in 56 games prior to the injury, netting 10 goals and 29 points. Rasmussen also scored 15 goals in the prior season, showing his ability to be a difference-maker when given the opportunity. All of that progress has led Rasmussen to now play the most ice time of his career, averaging 15:10 this season. His next step will be reinforcing his role on the team’s power-play, where he held a consistent spot in each of the last two seasons but has yet to appear on this year. Rasmussen managed four power-play goals in his rookie season of 2018-19 but has since failed to score on the man-advantage at all – managing just five power-play assists since the 2020-21 season. The Red Wings’ power-play is tied with the Vancouver Canucks for 10th-best in the league this season, with a 23.2 percent success rate.
Metro Notes: Hellberg, Lindgren, Marino
Before their game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The move could simply be precautionary but indicates that either Alex Nedeljkovic or Tristan Jarry may not be able to suit up in tomorrow’s contest.
If one of the two regular netminders is unable to go tomorrow night, it is still unlikely that Hellberg will play in the game. Nevertheless, he did serve as valuable depth for the Penguins at the beginning of the season, producing a 1-0-0 record in three games with a .922 save percentage covering for the injured Nedeljkovic.
Not only has he been adequate at the NHL level, but Hellberg has also played well for a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team currently battling for playoff position in the Atlantic Division. In 17 games played at the AHL level, Hellberg holds an 8-7-2 record coupled with a .901 SV% and 3.03 goals against average.
Other Metro notes:
- New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren is being further evaluated for an upper-body injury according to Vince Mercogliano of USA Today-Sports. An upcoming restricted free agent at the end of the season, the beloved Minnesota native has skated in 53 games for New York already this season, scoring two goals and 10 points in the process. With more information on the matter expected tomorrow, Lindgren has only missed two games for the Rangers this season.
- Although unavailable for the team’s practice today due to an illness, defenseman John Marino is still expected to travel with the New Jersey Devils for their upcoming game against the Washington Capitals (X Link). Already without top defenseman Dougie Hamilton, the Devils cannot afford to lose any more defensemen, as they currently only sit two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
San Jose Sharks Activate Henry Thrun, Place Logan Couture On IR
Missing the last six games due to a shoulder injury, San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun was officially activated off injury reserve by the team after he successfully took part in warm-ups before this afternoon’s game. In a corresponding move, the team has placed captain Logan Couture on injured reserve for the second time this season.
Not much of an offensive weapon on the blue line, Thrun has played adequately in his first full season with the Sharks. Only playing on a unit with veteran defenseman Jan Rutta, the two have combined for 2.19 Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes according to MoneyPuck, the second-best mark on the team.
Now activated off of injured reserve, Thrun joins eight more defensemen on the active roster for San Jose, a team that has had a difficult time maintaining any sort of health over the regular season. In a position to give multiple different players their first shot in the NHL, the team has awarded Thrun’s efforts with nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night.
On the opposite side of the transaction, Couture has been out of the lineup since January 31st after reaggravating the groin injury that prohibited him from playing in the first 45 games of the season. Being one of the few offensive talents on the Sharks’ roster, Couture was only able to manage one assist in six games upon his return.
Sabres Notes: Power, Clague, Tokarski, Comrie
The Sabres moved defenseman Owen Power to IR on Monday, per the NHL’s media site. Power, 21, has already missed three games with a hand injury and remains listed as week-to-week
Assuming the IR placement is retroactive to Feb. 13, when the Sabres confirmed he sustained the injury in practice, he would be eligible to return Wednesday against the Canadiens. He’s likely to miss a little more time than that, though, and this roster move is for the purpose of opening up a roster spot more than anything else.
The 2021 first-overall pick hasn’t shown massive development from last year’s solid rookie campaign, but he’s not having a sophomore slump, either. He remains on track to be a long-term fixture in the Sabres’ top four and has been one of their best two-way defenders this season, recording 18 points and a +3 rating in 51 games while averaging 22:27 per game. He’s taken a significant step forward defensively, being on the ice for 0.74 expected goals against per game at even strength compared to last year’s 1.04 mark, per Hockey Reference, although it’s come at the expense of some offense.
The 6-foot-6 Mississauga native is signed to a seven-year, $58.45MM extension that begins next season. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2031.
More from the Sabres to open the week:
- Power’s roster spot is going to defenseman Kale Clague, who the Sabres have recalled from AHL Rochester on an emergency basis, per a team announcement Monday. Buffalo recalled Clague under emergency conditions before Saturday’s overtime win over the Wild, but he was returned to Rochester after serving as a healthy scratch. Clague will likely be a scratch again against the Ducks on Monday but is an option to play if there’s an unexpected scratch. The 25-year-old has 23 points and a -8 rating in 42 games with Rochester.
- Also coming up to the active roster is netminder Dustin Tokarski, who will back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen against Anaheim on Monday, head coach Don Granato says (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Eric Comrie is unavailable with an illness and will be scratched. Tokarksi was summoned last Thursday to back up Comrie against the Panthers while Luukkonen was sidelined with a lower-body injury, but was returned to Rochester after Luukkonen was cleared to play over the weekend. The 34-year-old Tokarski has struggled in the minors this year, posting a .887 SV% in 17 games.
Stars Recall Alex Petrovic, Derrick Pouliot
The Stars have recalled defensemen Alex Petrovic and Derrick Pouliot from AHL Texas, the team announced Monday morning. In a corresponding transaction, the Stars returned forward Matěj Blümel to Texas to stay compliant with the 23-player roster limit.
Dallas summoned Blümel, 23, yesterday to optimize their accruable cap space limit before placing winger Evgenii Dadonov on LTIR. Blümel’s $925K cap hit was the highest of any player they had stored in the minors aside from defenseman Lian Bichsel, who is on loan to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League. He allowed the Stars to capture their ACSL at $83.37MM, just $13K short of the salary cap.
However, defense is Dallas’ positional need with Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist sidelined with upper-body injuries. At least one recall on defense was necessary to avoid dressing 13 forwards and five defensemen against the Bruins for Monday’s Presidents’ Day matinee.
By swapping Blümel for an extra defenseman, the Stars have one backup in case of further injuries. If they want to carry an extra forward while Dadonov is on LTIR, they still can – they have $1.625MM remaining in their LTIR salary pool after executing today’s transactions. However, it would require moving Hakanpää to IR to free up a roster spot.
As such, one of today’s two recalls will make their season (and Stars) debut in Boston, likely Petrovic, who would replace Hakanpää as the only right-shot defenseman in the Dallas lineup with Lundkvist on IR. If so, it would be the 31-year-old’s first NHL game in over five years, last suiting up with the Oilers on Feb. 16, 2019.
Petrovic has bounced around the AHL since falling out of an NHL role, signing a pair of two-way deals with the Bruins and Flames before joining the Stars in 2021. He’s signed three straight one-year, two-way contracts to remain in the Dallas organization, clearing waivers at the beginning of the season in every occurrence and only seeing recalls to serve as a Black Ace during playoff runs in 2022 and 2023. Monday marks his first in-season recall as a member of the Stars.
The Panthers’ 2010 second-round pick played in 263 NHL games with Florida and Edmonton between 2012 and 2019, recording five goals, 45 assists and 50 points with a -10 rating and 360 PIMs. The Edmonton native struggled in his most recent NHL showing, recording only two assists in 35 games with the Panthers and Oilers in 2018-19 while averaging bottom-pairing minutes to complement a career-worst -15 rating and underwhelming possession metrics.
Petrovic has been a stabilizing force for the Stars’ up-and-comers in Texas, though, serving as an alternate captain since arriving in Cedar Park in 2021. Through 44 games this year, he has three goals, 13 assists, 16 points, and a +5 rating. He’s coming off arguably his best two-way season as a pro in 2022-23, when he notched a career-high 27 points in 71 games and a +34 rating.
The 30-year-old Pouliot will likely serve as Dallas’ seventh defenseman until one of Hakanpää or Lundkvist is ready to return. The eighth overall selection in the 2012 draft by the Penguins has, like Petrovic, settled into a consistent minor-league role at this stage in his career. However, he does have much more recent NHL experience, recording two assists and a -1 rating in eight games with the Sharks last year and posting four assists and a +6 rating in 11 games split between the Golden Knights and Kraken in 2021-22.
Pouliot signed a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$325K) to join the Stars on Jul. 4, 2023, and passed through waivers unclaimed during training camp. He leads Texas blue-liners with eight goals, 23 assists and 31 points in 44 games.