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Snapshots: Rask, Housley, Carrier

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TSN’s Chris Johnston notes on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading that free agent goaltender Tuukka Rask is working his way back after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and could be ready to return to game action as soon as January. Johnston notes specifically that Rask could be an option for Team Finland at the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, potentially a huge boost to an already strong Finnish program. While Johnston reports that Rask’s main focus in his “mind and his heart” remains with the Boston Bruins, the door isn’t completely closed on other options, either. Regardless, it’s good to see one of the league’s best goalies of his generation working his way back to health for what could be his last chance at a championship.

More notes from around the league:

  • Arizona Coyotes assistant coach Phil Housley has entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol, per the team’s public relations department. He won’t travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. He’ll miss three games, including a back-to-back set against the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators this Friday and Saturday. Arizona’s next home game is a week from today against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and pending test results, Housley could be available to return then.
  • According to the team, Nashville Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier is out for Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues with an upper-body injury. The Predators note that he’ll be evaluated further when the team returns home. Carrier blocked a shot that hit him up high during Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars and did not return.

Kyle Capobianco, Marian Studenic Clear Waivers

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Nov 8: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Nov 7: Two names are appearing on NHL waivers Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Arizona Coyotes placed defenseman Kyle Capobianco there, while the New Jersey Devils waived forward Marian Studenic.

Capobianco, a 24-year-old who was expected to possibly steal a lineup spot this season, hasn’t played this season as a knee injury has sidelined him. Capobianco was activated from injured reserve today in order to permit the Coyotes to waive him. It appears as though recent call-ups Dysin Mayo and Cam Dineen have now surpassed Capobianco on the team’s depth chart.

The Devils have utilized Studenic in five games this season, but the 23-year-old Slovakian has yet to register a point. He was technically the team’s only extra healthy forward, but they’ve also played Mason Geertsen at forward instead of his usual defense at some points this season. Studenic’s averaged just 11:33 of ice time in those five games.

Both Capobianco and Studenic were younger players that appeared to have the inside track on roster spots heading into the season. It’s entirely possible that a team could choose to take a chance on either one of Capobianco or Studenic.

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Drouin, Coyotes

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While many fans will be eager to move on from the Jack Eichel trade saga that finally wrapped up Thursday after an early-morning deal to the Vegas Golden Knights, there were many rumors in the days leading up to the trade that deserves attention. While it was common knowledge in the week or so prior to Thursday that the Calgary Flames were potential suitors for the star forward, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes tweeted Wednesday that the team had offered winger Matthew Tkachuk in a potential package for Eichel. However, Tkachuk said today that he “had a hard time believing” that Calgary would have been willing to part with him, supporting other reports today that Tkachuk was not on the table. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams also stated that the report “was not accurate.” It would’ve been shocking to see the Flames part with Tkachuk, who’s entering the final season of a $7MM contract. The 23-year-old has four goals and six points through nine games this season.

More from around the league:

  • Jonathan Drouin sits out tonight for the Montreal Canadiens, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Drouin left Montreal’s game on Tuesday night after taking a puck to the head and was actually transported to the hospital for further evaluation, but was discharged and was seen at the Bell Centre after the game. No timeline has been issued by the team on his injury, but it continues an unfortunate slew of health issues that have plagued the Canadiens this season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes tried to be a part of the Eichel trade, as mentioned in today’s episode of TSN’s Insider Trading. As a third-party member, the Coyotes likely could’ve taken on considerable value by offering to retain a small portion of Eichel’s salary in the deal. Salary retention in three-team deals has been an increasing trend in the league, with multiple low-spending teams gaining draft capital at last year’s Trade Deadline by helping facilitate deals.

Arizona Coyotes Claim Scott Wedgewood

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The Arizona Coyotes have claimed goaltender Scott Wedgewood off waivers from the New Jersey Devils, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Wedgewood returns to the only other team he has played for in the NHL.

It’s been a few years since Wedgewood played for Arizona, but it actually was the place he received the most opportunity. In 2017-18 he appeared in a career-high 20 games, going 5-9-4 with an .893 save percentage. With the Coyotes dealing with an injury to Carter Hutton, Wedgewood will serve as a veteran backup for Karel Vejmelka, allowing Ivan Prosvetov to return to the minor leagues.

Given the fact that New Jersey has Nico Daws in the minor leagues and two steady options in the NHL, it isn’t the end of the world that they’ve lost Wedgewood. It should give them a bit of stress though, given that there are now only four netminders in the entire organization under NHL contracts. Should they deal with any injuries, they would quickly run out of bodies to fill all of the necessary spots.

Of course, when Hutton returns the Coyotes will likely put Wedgewood back on waivers, where the Devils could reclaim him. The original timeline for Hutton was two to four weeks and he hasn’t played since October 25. At that point, if New Jersey is the only team to put in a claim, they would be able to send Wedgewood directly to the minor leagues.

Conor Timmins, Carter Hutton Out Several Weeks

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Nov 3: Morgan updates the Timmins situation, reporting that the young defenseman will be out the rest of the season.  It’s brutal news for not only the Coyotes season but also his future in the NHL. The 23-year-old will now have just played just 85 hockey games between the end of the 2017-18 season and the start of the 2022-23 season.

Oct 26: The Arizona Coyotes will be without their “starting” goaltender and a top young defenseman for the next several weeks, after Carter Hutton and Conor Timmins suffered injuries last night. According to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, Hutton is expected to miss between two to four weeks, while Timmins could miss eight to 12 weeks after both sustained lower-body injuries. There was no update on Ryan Dzingel, who also left last night’s game.

It’s not like this has any drastic effect on the team’s performance, given the Coyotes are obviously set up for a losing season and haven’t even registered a single win to this point. But the development of Timmins–who was acquired in the Darcy Kuemper trade this summer–is certainly something to consider. The former Colorado Avalanche defenseman has already missed huge chunks of time due to concussion issues and has just 88 professional games under his belt to this point (NHL and AHL combined). Now 23, he’s already missed so much of his key development years that it’s hard to know whether he’ll ever become the player that starred for the Soo Greyhounds and Team Canada, leading to a selection 32nd overall in 2017.

Eight weeks would put a potential return for Timmins just before Christmas, while 12 would be the middle of January.

Hutton meanwhile was ticketed to carry the lion’s share of the goaltending load this season, though that certainly hasn’t gone well to this point. In three appearances he has a .741 save percentage, allowing 15 goals on 58 shots. Karel Vejmelka, a European free agent signing with no North American experience prior to this season will now likely be pushed into a full-time starter role. The 25-year-old has appeared in five games, posting an .899 save percentage.

Josef Korenar seems the most likely recall to give the team a second goaltender, though there are a few options in the Coyotes system.

Nick Schmaltz Out Three To Four Weeks “At Minimum”

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The Arizona Coyotes are already last in the league, but things are getting worse for the beleaguered squad. Center Nick Schmaltz, who’s missed the past three games with an upper-body injury, will be out a minimum of three to four weeks, per head coach Andre Tourigny.

Schmaltz last played on October 25 against the Florida Panthers, a game in which he registered his only point of the season. He’s struggled, along with most of the team, as the Coyotes now remain the league’s only team without a victory with a 0-8-1 record and a -26 goal differential just a month into the season.

It’ll mean an elevated role for a little while longer for youngster Barrett Hayton, who’s got one assist in three games after being recalled from AHL Tucson. It’s a big opportunity for the former fifth overall pick to try his luck as the team’s first-line center.

Tourigny was able to offer more updates on the health of some of his other injured players today, noting that defender Kyle Capobianco is now day-to-day and could be ready to make his season debut soon, adding some more NHL experience to the blueline. Forward Ryan Dzingel will be out for at least one more week.

Coyotes Lose Carter Hutton To Injury

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Expectations are low if not non-existent for the Arizona Coyotes this season. After starting 0-4-1 with a league-worst -17 goal differential, the only expectation for the ’Yotes could be a last place finish. This should not come as surprise either; Arizona’s entire off-season was about off-loading talent, using their salary cap space, adding draft picks and prospects, and not committing to any long-term free agent deals. More than half of the current roster will be unrestricted free agents next summer as the team is fully committed to just to a rebuild but to a complete overhaul.

After dealing away both Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill and letting Antti Raanta walk, the Coyotes started fresh in net this season. While 25-year-old Czech import Karel Vejmelka has drawn the headlines after winning a roster spot and earning more time and better numbers thus far, it is veteran Carter Hutton who was tapped as the new starter albeit on a one-year deal. While the Yotes’ plan is clearly not to contend in any manner this season, if they don’t want to completely isolate their fan base then they need to at least stay competitive and Hutton gives them that chance – despite some abysmal numbers early on this season.

Well, Hutton may now be unavailable. Hutton suffered a lower-body injury on Monday night and was forced from the game after the first period, the team announced. No further update has been revealed, but any extended absence would be a tough blow for the Coyotes, even though it contributes to their primary goal of contending for a top pick this year. The Coyotes are giving up a lot of shots early this season and it is not an environment in which a young goalie is likely to thrive. Yet, behind Vejmelka would be either 23-year-old Josef Korenar, who struggled in ten games with the San Jose Sharks last season, and 22-year-old Ivan Prosvetov, who took his lumps in three games with the ’Yotes last year. Things could get even uglier in the desert if Hutton is out long-term, so hopefully the injury is not serious.

The Coyotes also lost young defenseman Conor Timmins to injury in the same game, one of the few players on the roster that Arizona really wanted and needed to play a major role this season as a potential future top-four blue liner. Free agent addition Ryan Dzingel was also ruled out with an injury in the game. Things are not going well in Arizona right now.

Coyotes Receiving Trade Interest In Barrett Hayton

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With the Coyotes shaking up their roster so much in recent months, there are perceived to be very few untouchables on their roster.  To that end, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported in a recent 32 Thoughts segment (video link) that teams are calling Arizona regarding center Barrett Hayton.

The 21-year-old was the fifth-overall selection back in 2018 but has yet to really establish himself in the NHL.  Hayton has played in 34 games with the Coyotes over his first two professional seasons, recording just three goals and four assists while logging a little more than 11 minutes a game on average.  Considering his age, it’s not entirely disappointing but it’s also safe to infer they were hoping he’d be a regular at this point.

That isn’t the case this season either as he didn’t make the team out of training camp and has started the season with Tucson of the AHL where he has been held off the scoresheet in their first two games.  Hayton spent the bulk of 2020-21 with the Roadrunners but didn’t fare particularly well offensively, collecting just six goals and four assists in 26 contests.

That has led some teams to inquire if the Coyotes would be willing to move him; Marek clarified that Arizona isn’t bringing him up for discussion nor has Hayton asked to be moved.  For the time being, it appears he’ll be sticking around but as it looks less and less like he could be a focal point of their rebuild, it stands to reason that at some point, Hayton could be made available and given how hard center help is to get, they’d still be in a position to land a notable return despite the youngster’s struggles so far.

NHL Department Of Player Safety Suspends Pavel Buchnevich For Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday night that St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich has been suspended two games for a headbutt to the Arizona Coyotes’ Lawson Crouse.

Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, Buchnevich is considered a repeat offender and forfeits $141,463.41 in salary over the course of the two-game suspension.

Buchnevich holds that repeat offender status due to a one-game suspension handed out in May 2021 for high-sticking Anthony Mantha of the Washington Capitals. It occurred during the New York Rangers’ first match against the Washington Capitals after the now infamous Tom Wilson incident, which Buchnevich was notably a victim of when Wilson delivered a punch to the head of Buchnevich while he was down on the ice.

The Blues have gotten good scoring distribution from throughout their lineup, and they’ll attempt to continue that in the absence of Buchnevich. Look for Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours, two up-and-coming young wingers, to get more ice time with this hole in the lineup.

Arizona Coyotes Expected To Sign Anson Thornton

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Oct 13: The Coyotes have officially announced the contract, with GM Bill Armstrong releasing the following statement:

We are very pleased to sign Anson. He is a big, athletic goaltender who displayed tremendous poise and calmness in net for us during camp. We look forward to watching him continue to develop.”

Oct 11: How about earning an NHL contract before ever playing a game at the major junior level? That’s exactly what Anson Thornton appears to be doing, after an impressive training camp with the Arizona Coyotes. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports tweets that the Coyotes are close to signing Thornton to an entry-level contract. He adds that the deal will breakdown as follows:

  • 2021-2022: $810K NHL salary, $70K AHL salary $10.5K junior salary, $60K signing bonus
  • 2022-2023: $810K NHL salary, $70K AHL salary $10.5K junior salary, $60K signing bonus
  • 2023-2024: $840K NHL salary, $70K AHL salary, $65K signing bonus

Now 18, Thornton was sent back to the Sarnia Sting earlier this month after participating in the Coyotes rookie camp, earning himself a PTO to attend main camp, and even securing a win in a preseason match. All that came before he ever actually suited up for the Sting, given the OHL did not operate during 2020-21. The third-overall pick in the OHL’s U18 Priority Draft, the 6’3″ netminder also hasn’t played through the team’s first two games, ceding the net to Benjamin Gaudreau, a San Jose Sharks third-round draft pick.

Thornton meanwhile wasn’t picked at all this fall, but obviously impressed the Coyotes enough to earn an entry-level deal as a free agent. There’s obviously quite a bit of development still to do, but the young netminder has certainly done everything he can to secure a professional career to this point. For the Coyotes, who are in a full rebuild, adding talent wherever possible is important.

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