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Trade Notes: Maple Leafs, Johnson, Martinez

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Once the roster freeze across the league is lifted on Thursday morning, it will mark the unofficial start to trade season in the NHL calendar. Up to this point, much has been made of the potential trade targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs, primarily centered around veteran defenseman Chris Tanev, currently with the Calgary Flames.

Instead of sorting through potential targets, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic wrote an article (subscription required article) examining the assets currently available to the Maple Leafs they will have to offer in any deal leading up to the trade deadline. Given the team’s current positioning in the standings and their liberal usage of draft selections in the past, Toronto’s first-round draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft will likely be in play.

However, given the team’s recent history of trading first-round draft picks, there should be some considerable internal pushback in moving the asset once again. Since 2019, the Maple Leafs have used their first-round pick to acquire Jake Muzzin (2019), Nick Foligno (2021), Ryan O’Reilly (2023), Noel Acciari (2023), Jake McCabe (2025), and Sam Lafferty (2025). The team also traded their 2020 first-round selection to move Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes, and their 2022 first-round selection to move Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Of the six players acquired by Toronto for first-round draft picks in the last six seasons, only one of them (McCabe) is still in the organization, as the rest have moved on to different organizations, or have seen their careers end. Keeping this in mind, if the Maple Leafs are to use their 2024 first-round draft pick as leverage for a trade this season, they would be much better served in acquiring a player with term.

Other notes:

  • Heavily linked to Calgary center, Elias Lindholm, Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now indicates if the price for Lindholm remains high, the Boston Bruins may look to a recent trading partner in the Chicago Blackhawks to improve down the middle of the ice (article link). Murphy indicates that shortly after the roster freeze is lifted, Chicago will make center Tyler Johnson available for trade, also being able to retain salary in the deal. With a high amount of injury concern attached, Johnson may still be an effective buy-low middle-six option for the Bruins.
  • After the recent extension given to defenseman Ben Hutton, Ken Boehlke of SinBin reports that more changes may be coming to the blue line of the Vegas Golden Knights. With seven defensemen already on the active roster, and with Shea Theodore and Kaedan Korczak both expected back at some point, Boehlke notes the Golden Knights may be inclined to move out defenseman Alec Martinez. The moving out of Martinez would open up space in the defensive core as well as cap space for an additional upgrade elsewhere.

Minor Transactions: 12/24/23

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With no games on the NHL schedule until Wednesday, many teams snuck last-minute transactions in before the full roster freeze kicked in.  We’ve covered a handful of them here throughout the day in Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and St. Louis; here’s a rundown of the remaining moves.  All transactions are via the AHL’s transactions log unless otherwise noted.

  • The Capitals returned winger Ivan Miroshnichenko and center Hendrix Lapierre to AHL Hershey. Both players were recalled on Tuesday with Miroshnichenko making his NHL debut.  He was held off the scoresheet in his three appearances while Lapierre has five points in 14 games with Washington so far.
  • The Red Wings re-assigned center Austin Czarnik and defenseman Simon Edvinsson back to AHL Grand Rapids. Czarnik has been shuffled back and forth frequently this month and has one assist in 16 games with Detroit while Edvinsson, who was only brought up Saturday, made his season debut last night.
  • The Kings loaned Jacob Moverare back to AHL Ontario after playing just shy of 15 minutes last night versus Calgary. The 25-year-old has been recalled and sent back down ten separate times each since mid-November.
  • The Golden Knights have loaned goaltender Isaiah Saville back to AHL Henderson, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). He has been serving as their interim backup with both Adin Hill and Logan Thompson injured.  As Thompson remains on the active roster, Saville was eligible to be sent back down.  The 23-year-old was activated off SOIR earlier this month and has made three appearances for the Silver Knights.
  • The Bruins sent three players back to AHL Providence – defensemen Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon along with center Patrick Brown. Lohrei has five points in 17 games so far in his first full professional campaign while Wotherspoon is logging nearly 16 minutes a night in eight games with Boston.  As for Brown, he cleared waivers early in the season and has been brought up four separate times now; he has an assist in nine games at the top level so far.
  • Boston also made one other transaction as they converted defenseman Ian Mitchell from an emergency recall to a regular one, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). Mitchell was recalled on Saturday and has two assists in 13 games with Boston so far.  The Bruins will now be ineligible to send him down until after the roster freeze lifts.
  • The Maple Leafs have returned center Pontus Holmberg to AHL Toronto. It’s the third time he has been sent back down since Wednesday as Toronto has been shuffling him up and down quite frequently.  The 24-year-old has an assist in eight games with the big club so far.
  • A day after recalling him, the Coyotes have sent center Justin Kirkland back to Tucson of the AHL. The 27-year-old had spent the full year with the Roadrunners prior to yesterday’s move, notching ten points in nine contests.
  • Grant Hutton is once again on the move as the Islanders have sent him back to AHL Bridgeport, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). He has been recalled and re-assigned six times apiece in the last month and has been limited to just two appearances with New York so far this season.

Many of these transactions will be undone on the 27th or 28th as NHL teams return to action.  In the meantime, these teams will save a bit of salary money and cap space with these demotions.  Toronto and Ottawa’s moves could have AHL implications as well as their two affiliates will play on Tuesday so the players they sent down could suit up in that contest.

Vegas Golden Knights Extend Ben Hutton

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Right after the top of the hour, the Vegas Golden Knights announced a two-year, $1.95MM extension for defenseman Ben Hutton. It serves as a modest $125K salary increase on Hutton’s current AAV of $850K, but will nevertheless keep Hutton in Nevada for the foreseeable future.

If Hutton remains with the Golden Knights through the end of the contract, it will mark the longest stretch he’s spent with an NHL organization throughout his career. Drafted 147th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hutton would spend three successful seasons at the University of Maine, before finally coming to the NHL in the 2015-16 season.

In his rookie campaign, Hutton played in 75 games for the Canucks, scoring one goal and 25 points averaging just under 20 minutes a night in ice time, impressively leading all Vancouver defensemen in scoring. Although Hutton showed a serious ability to move the puck up ice throughout his time with the Canucks organization, his offensive talents were not enough for the organization to look over his defensive inefficiencies.

The end of the rope finally came in Vancouver following the 2018-19 season, as they would non-tender Hutton leading into the offseason. Spending nearly all summer without a new home, Hutton finally signed with the Los Angeles Kings in mid-September leading up to the 2019-20 season.

Since signing that contract with the Kings, Hutton has largely operated as a bottom-pairing defenseman, spending pit stops with the Anaheim Ducks as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs. It wasn’t until nearly a month into the 2021-22 season that Hutton would land with Vegas, giving them a serviceable defenseman at the bottom of their roster.

This will not be the first extension that Hutton has signed with the Golden Knights, inking a two-year, $1.7MM contract only five months after joining the organization. Given his serviceable play with the team, Vegas has given their vote of confidence as well as their loyalty to Hutton for the next two seasons.

Snapshots: Skinner, Greenway, Hill, Atanasov

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Rumoured to be on the horizon for several days now, the Buffalo Sabres have officially activated forwards Jeff Skinner and Jordan Greenway from injured reserve tonight, per a team announcement. According to the stipulations provided in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Sabres can activate both, and carry a 24-man roster over the roster freeze since they are under the salary cap.

Barring something extreme, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio expects both players to be in the lineup tonight as the Sabres take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Skinner, dealing with an upper-body injury, has missed three games for Buffalo, while Greenway, also dealing with an upper-body injury, has missed a total of nine games throughout his injury.

It is positive news for a Sabres organization seemingly unable to stay healthy up to this point in the 2023-24 regular season. With a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games, Buffalo has failed to gain any sort of traction this season, sitting stagnantly in seventh place in the Atlantic Division.

Other snapshots:

  • Playing in only one game since December 1st, the expectation is that the Vegas Golden Knights will place goaltender Adin Hill on injured reserve (X Link). Not slowing down a bit since his impressive performance in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, Hill holds a 10-2-2 record this season, carrying a league-leading .933 SV% and a 1.93 GAA in 15 starts.
  • According to Elliotte Friedman, one player who is gaining plenty of overseas traction in the NHL is Vasili Atanasov, currently rostered on Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League. With one year remaining on his current contract, the 21-year-old forward has 19 goals and 38 points in 39 games. Although he has shown quite the ability to score at the professional level, he is a bit undersized standing at 5’11” and 157 pounds.

Snapshots: Diamond Sports, Sharks, McMichael, Jagr, Beaudin, Golden Knights

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Diamond Sports Group has reached a deal with the 11 NHL teams it has regional broadcast rights for to televise their games through the end of this season, sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan reports (Twitter link).  With that agreement being made through bankruptcy court, it stands to reason that those affected will not be receiving the full value of their contracts, some of which lasted until 2030.  After this season, the broadcast rights for those teams will revert to the league with future plans uncertain at this point.  However, Amazon has held discussions with some MLB teams that are in similar situations (regional rights with Diamond for this season and reverting to the league after) so it’s possible that they could look to hold talks about NHL rights as well.  Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, Anaheim, Carolina, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville, Dallas, and Minnesota are the teams that will be impacted by this news.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • After missing last night’s game, Sharks defensemen Jan Rutta (illness) and Calen Addison (lower-body injury) were both feeling better today and could suit up Thursday versus Arizona, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). Rutta has five assists and 43 blocked shots in 26 games so far this season, his first with San Jose after being acquired from Pittsburgh.  Addison, meanwhile, has picked a goal and five helpers in 19 games since being picked up last month in a trade with Minnesota.
  • Before tonight’s game against the Islanders, the Capitals announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor McMichael was a late scratch due to an illness. Matthew Phillips took his place.  McMichael is off to his best start, notching six goals and seven assists through his first 28 games; last season, he was limited to just six NHL contests, being held off the scoresheet.
  • Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr has officially started his 36th professional season, playing in his first game of the year with Kladno in his native Czechia, the team he owns. The 51-year-old played nearly 14 minutes, picking up an assist.  Jagr’s participation in that game will delay his Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility by another season.
  • The Canadiens will loan defenseman Nicolas Beaudin to Team Canada for the upcoming Spengler Cup, reports BPM Sports Radio’s Anthony Marcotte (Twitter link). The 24-year-old played in the event on a loan last year as well.  Beaudin, a 2018 first-round pick by Chicago, has been in and out of the lineup with AHL Laval this season, recording six assists in 13 games so far.
  • The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Logan Thompson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  To get a second netminder on the roster for Thursday’s game against Carolina, Isaiah Saville was recalled from AHL Henderson.  Thompson has posted a .904 SV% in his first 19 games this season for Vegas while Saville, who was just activated from SOIR recently, has a .950 mark in three games with the Silver Knights.

Nolan Patrick Walks Back Reports That He’s Retired

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3:00 PM: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that Nolan Patrick has not officially retired from the NHL, despite previous reports. Friedman shared that Patrick declined to comment further.

11:00 AM: Former Flyers and Golden Knights center Nolan Patrick has officially retired from the NHL, multiple sources reported Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The 25-year-old was an unrestricted free agent and has not played since March 2022 due to a migraine disorder. The Flyers’ 2017 second-overall pick and son of former NHL winger Steve Patrick has been hired as a skills coach by The Power Play, a hockey coaching program run by former NHL forward Jayce Hawryluk.

It’s been challenging to watch Patrick’s consistent migraine issues for all hockey fans. After a 2015-16 season in which Patrick finished fifth in WHL scoring with 41 goals, 61 assists and 102 points in 71 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he was viewed as the slam-dunk first-overall pick in the upcoming 2017 draft.

However, Patrick’s significant injury issues began during the 2016 WHL Playoffs. He sustained a sports hernia injury late in the postseason and, despite having prompt surgery to repair the hernia, complications would arise from the surgery early in the 2016-17 season. Those complications limited him to 33 games with Brandon that year, and although he still excelled with 20 goals and 46 points, his point-production pace took a small step backward from the year before. He also missed the chance to play for Canada in that year’s World Junior Championship, leading eventual Devils captain Nico Hischier to usurp him as the first-overall selection in 2017.

Patrick signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers promptly after the draft. However, the team quickly announced Patrick would miss their offseason development activities as he was recovering from a second abdominal surgery performed just days before the draft. Thankfully, it didn’t stop him from being a full-time player at age 19 during his rookie season with the Flyers, in which he logged 13 goals and 30 points in 73 games while averaging 13:43 per game. The season didn’t result in any Calder Trophy recognition, but it did seem like his development into a future star in Philadelphia was back on track. Unfortunately, his 73 games and 13 goals would both be career-highs.

He was able to stay the course and avoid injury issues in the 2018-19 campaign, but his point production didn’t break out like most expected. Playing in 72 games, he matched last season’s goal total and added one more assist, essentially putting up the same stat line despite an increase in ice time.

However, during the following offseason, the Flyers announced Patrick had been diagnosed with a migraine disorder, which the diagnosing physician believed to be genetic and not related to a hockey injury. While he would begin skating with the team months into the season, the COVID pandemic started shortly after that, and he could not participate in the league’s Return to Play protocol, keeping him out for the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign. That was the first of two seasons Patrick would be held out entirely due to migraine issues.

A restricted free agent after the expiration of his entry-level contract, Patrick signed a one-year qualifying offer to remain with the team and cleared medical protocols to begin the 2020-21 season on the active roster, playing his first NHL game in nearly two full calendar years. He was still feeling the effects of his migraine disorder, however, and it reflected in his performance. By any metric, Patrick was one of the worst players in the league that year, posting four goals and nine points in 52 games with a staggering -30 rating, the worst on a Flyers team that failed to make the playoffs but still finished above the .500 mark.

Logically, that season led both the Flyers and Patrick to want an amicable departure and a fresh start for the former high-flying prospect. In July 2021, the Flyers traded Patrick to the Golden Knights in the ill-fated three-way trade with the Predators that saw high-end defenseman Ryan Ellis end up with the Flyers. Ellis played just four games in a Philadelphia sweater before a poorly-handled injury to his psoas muscle ended his career.

After acquiring his signing rights, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon, who had presided over Patrick’s junior tenure in Brandon, signed him to a two-year, $2.4MM contract. With his migraine disorder still ongoing, however, Patrick would play just 25 games for Vegas in 2021-22, recording two goals and seven points while averaging 11:30 per game. He was one of many Golden Knights players who missed significant time that season, leading the franchise to miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

While Patrick was under contract with Vegas last season, he remained on long-term injured reserve for the whole campaign and did not suit up in any games en route to the Golden Knights’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup. Vegas did not tender Patrick a qualifying offer last summer, and thus, he became an unrestricted free agent. The Winnipeg-born center finishes his NHL career with 32 goals, 45 assists, 77 points, and a -36 rating across 222 games.

All of us at PHR wish Patrick health and fulfillment in his post-playing career.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Evening Notes: Devils, Svechnikov, Hill

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TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently shared that New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton could be out through the end of the regular season, after undergoing surgery to repair a pectoral injury. The Devils would gain $9MM in cap space if they moved Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, money that LeBrun says would put the Devils in a position to be aggressive at the Trade Deadline.

The Devils have come back into their own, winning seven of their last 10 games after a more-than-slow start to the year. LeBrun added that the Devils would be in the market for roster pieces, including looking for a new goaltender. New Jersey was rumored to be closely attached to former Vezina Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck this off-season but weren’t able to get a deal done before the netminder signed a seven-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck’s new deal carries a cap hit of $8.5MM – just under the Devils’ available cap. The deal also carries a no-movement clause for its first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the last four.

There’s no doubting the Devils’ need for a goaltender. The team has scored the eighth-most goals in the league through the first half of the year but they’ve allowed the tenth-most goals-against, with both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid boasting save percentages below .900.

More notes from around the league:

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Jonas Røndbjerg, Jiří Patera

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Jonas Røndbjerg and goalie Jiří Patera in advance of their game tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Additionally, Sin Bin Vegas reports that defenseman Kaedan Korczak has been placed on injured reserve. Korczak suffered a lower-body injury in the Golden Knights’ game on December 10th, and has not played since. Korczak has played in 15 games this season and has scored seven points, averaging 16:29 time-on-ice per game.

Røndbjerg last played in the NHL on November 14th, while Patera got the start in the Golden Knights’ victory over the San Jose Sharks a little over a week ago. Patera was actually reassigned to Vegas’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, late last night, but today’s move has reversed that original decision.

Save for his one start against the Sharks, Patera has spent the year as the number-one goalie in Henderson. He’s currently sporting a 6-6-2 record with a .900 save percentage. Last season, he played 31 games with the Silver Knights and went 14-15-1 with a .911 save percentage. He’s now relatively established as Vegas’ third goalie, and will fill in on the NHL roster whenever a member of the team’s Adin Hill – Logan Thompson tandem is unavailable.

Røndbjerg is the team’s call-up at the forward position, and he’s a relatively experienced depth player for the Golden Knights. He has 49 career NHL games on his resume, all coming with Vegas over the last three seasons. The six-foot-two, 200-pound Danish forward has experience playing both center and the wing, though he has been preferred as a winger at the NHL level. He’s been a solid scorer at the AHL level (he has 11 points in 16 games this season) and has contributed offense sporadically in the NHL. So far this season, he has three points in six NHL games.

Sin Bin Vegas has indicated that forward Keegan Kolesar “may be ailing,” and therefore may be the player Røndbjerg replaces in the lineup if he does indeed dress for a game. That’s not an official confirmation of any unavailability for Kolesar, though, and it’s worth noting that the 11:19 time-on-ice he registered in last night’s game is right around his average ice time on the year.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Sanheim, Svechnikov, Wahlstrom

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The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted today that forwards Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, as well as defenseman Chad Ruhwedel will all be game-time decisions when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Minnesota Wild this evening. The news was announced by Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan who has been trying to manage a litany of injuries up and down the Penguins lineup.

Pittsburgh has been mired in a cycle of inconsistent and sloppy play that has been a constant throughout the first third of the NHL season. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the Metropolitan division and are five points out of a wild card position.

The Penguins put forward Bryan Rust on IR just a few days ago, which left them with two big holes in their top 6, however, with the potential return of Rakell it seems likely that he will have an opportunity to fill one of those holes. Rakell has been practicing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and given his history with the duo it seems likely he return to that spot either tonight or later this week.

Acciari had been centering the Penguins’ fourth line before his injury and seems likely to take up that spot if and when he does return, while Ruhwedel will likely get a look on the Penguins’ third defensive pairing, presumably with youngster John Ludvig who has emerged on the backend for Pittsburgh in recent weeks.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was back at practice today and should be good for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Sanheim was dealing with an undisclosed illness and missed Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 27-year-old had been heating up before getting sick as he had posted two goals and three assists in his previous five games. Sanheim has been a huge part of the Flyers’ surprising start to the season as his 21 points in 29 games has him second in team scoring behind Travis Konecny.
  • Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff is reporting that Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was a full participant in today’s practice and even was seen taking power play reps with the team. Ruff goes on to add that the 23-year-old could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Svechnikov has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury and struggled the week prior to getting hurt. On the season, the former second-overall pick has just a single goal in 16 games, although he does have 10 assists as well. Carolina has underperformed so far this season but currently sits in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Getting Svechnikov healthy and productive once again could be a big boost for Carolina as they close in on the mid-way point of the season.
  • Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom missed practice today with an illness. The 23-year-old was unlikely to play in tomorrow night’s game even if healthy as he has been a healthy scratch for the Islanders in seven straight games. Wahlstrom has just two goals and three assists in 17 games this season and has been averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time a game when he has been in the lineup.

Pacific Notes: Spence, Hoffman, Markstrom, Golden Knights

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Kings defenseman Jordan Spence has changed agents and is now represented by Quartexx, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link).  The 22-year-old is in his first full season at the NHL level, appearing in all but one of 26 games for Los Angeles so far.  A prominent point producer in the minors with 87 points in 102 games with AHL Ontario, Spence has had a bit of a harder go hitting the scoreboard in the NHL although he does have nine assists while averaging just shy of 15 minutes a night.  Spence is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time this summer and will be owed a qualifying offer worth a little over $813K.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests Sharks winger Mike Hoffman could be a name to keep an eye on when it comes to the trade front. After getting off to a slow start, the 34-year-old is up to eight goals in 28 games, just one off the team lead.  A pending UFA with a $4.5MM cap hit, the asking price for Hoffman likely won’t be very high but he could be a useful addition to a team looking to add a bit of firepower to their bottom six.
  • Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom practiced on Wednesday with their AHL affiliate, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 33-year-old has been out for the last week and a half with a finger injury but Gilbertson pointed out that Markstrom didn’t seem to be limited at all which suggests the netminder could be nearing a return.  Calgary has a full roster at the moment although that can easily be addressed by returning top prospect Dustin Wolf back to the Wranglers.
  • Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill is expected to accompany the team on their road trip next week, notes Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last week and a half with a lower-body injury after getting off to a stellar start; he leads the NHL in GAA (1.87) and SV% (.935) over his first 14 starts.  Meanwhile, Webster adds that defenseman Kaedan Korczak will miss some time due to a lower-body injury of his own.  Korczak has a goal and six assists in 15 games with Vegas so far this season.

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