Team Canada’s Alex Pietrangelo Uncertain About Olympic Participation
In a piece by David Schoen of the Las Vegas-Review Journal, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who was one of the three players initially named to Team Canada’s roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics, now says he’s uncertain if he’ll participate in the Games.
Pietrangelo’s concerns come after the International Olympic Committee confirmed a three-to-five-week quarantine period for a positive COVID-19 test. As Pietrangelo notes in the Schoen report, he has a young family and multiple kids and, understandably, doesn’t want to risk being away from his family for that long.
It’s a recent memory for a lot of NHLers, who were forced into a similar situation for the bubble-style 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After the fact, many players expressed concerns and regrets about being away from their families for such a long length of time.
If he does proceed to opt-out, Pietrangelo would be the first confirmed member of an Olympic roster to do. Golden Knight teammate Robin Lehner said publicly last week that he wouldn’t be attending, but was not one of the first three players named to his native Sweden’s Olympic roster.
Obviously, losing a player of Pietrangelo’s caliber won’t be great for Team Canada. However, assuming they still have a large pool of NHLers to select from, they still prove to have the most dynamic puck-moving group of defensemen in the tournament.
Pietrangelo is third on the Golden Knights with 18 points in 26 games this season.
Pacific Notes: Stephenson, Canucks, Russell
After missing Friday’s game against Philadelphia for personal reasons, Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson should be available for Sunday’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild, according to head coach Peter DeBoer. Stephenson’s brought lights-out play for a Vegas team that’s needed him this season with a slew of injuries, producing at a career-best pace with 22 points in 25 games. All that’s been done while playing steep minutes (19:48 a game) and spending time without his usual pair of elite wingers in Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. That line’s been reunited as Pacioretty and Stone are back healthy, and after Keegan Kolesar filled in down the middle for one game, Stephenson will return to his place atop the center depth chart for Vegas.
More from the Pacific Division:
- There are some injury updates for the new and improved Vancouver Canucks under Bruce Boudreau, as the new head coach said today that Oliver Ekman-Larsson should be back next week, while Travis Hamonic is expected to miss two to three more weeks. While the team is undefeated under Boudreau, they’re facing a significant list of injuries. However, neither Ekman-Larsson nor Hamonic have been particularly impactful to start the year. Ekman-Larsson has just five points in 26 games to start his Vancouver career, a far cry from his peak of consistent 40-point campaigns. Hamonic has just an assist in nine contests as he’s found his way up and down between the NHL and AHL.
- Injury news isn’t improving for the Edmonton Oilers defense, as head coach Dave Tippett notes that Kris Russell will be out for a couple of weeks. He joins Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek as Edmonton’s inactive blueliners. He’d been playing in an increased role with those injuries, but that responsibility now falls back on the shoulders of young defensemen Philip Broberg and William Lagesson.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Zach Dean
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed one of their 2021 draft picks, inking Zach Dean to a three-year entry-level contract. Dean currently plays for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, where he will remain this season.
Selected 30th overall in the most recent draft, the 18-year-old forward has actually only played seven games for Gatineau so far after suffering an injury in Golden Knights camp. He’s been outstanding in those games though, racking up nine points and 21 shots on goal. He’s also been playing center, despite sometimes being listed as a winger, an important distinction for the young prospect.
Signing his entry-level deal means he’s part of the Golden Knights family, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be in the NHL anytime soon. His contract will slide forward and it’s likely that Dean stays in junior for the 2022-23 season as well. Recently invited to Canada’s World Junior selection camp, if he doesn’t make the squad this year he’ll be a leading candidate for an impact role a year from now.
Jack Eichel Resumes Skating
If you doubted Jack Eichel‘s suggested three-month recovery timeline after his artificial disk replacement surgery, perhaps you should think again. The Vegas Golden Knights center was seen back on the ice today in North Carolina (at what appears to be the Extreme Ice Center just outside of Charlotte) by one of the scouts for Brandon Wong Hockey, just three weeks after going under the knife.
Obviously there is still a long way to go for the 25-year-old center, but seeing him back skating has to be encouraging for a Golden Knights squad that took a huge chance and acquired Eichel last month. The team sent Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and a package of draft picks to the Buffalo Sabres while taking on Eichel’s entire contract, one which pays him $10MM every season through 2025-26.
The last time Eichel played an injury-free season, he racked up 36 goals and 78 points. Unfortunately, that was in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, which seems like a decade ago after the saga that has transpired since. His 2020-21 campaign ended after 21 games and a neck injury, leading to months and months of fighting with the Sabres over his preferred treatment. Even before that he had expressed a desire to potentially go elsewhere if the team was going to go through another rebuild, and he eventually got his wish on both, sent to the Golden Knights who allowed him to get the neck procedure his representatives had been pushing for.
Now, Vegas faces a massive cap crunch if Eichel is to return in the regular season, something that is still clearly up in the air despite his appearance on the ice. There is at least the possibility that he could return only for the playoffs where there is no salary cap–similar to what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Nikita Kucherov last season–but if the three-month timeline is correct, he’ll be ready far sooner than that.
William Karlsson Enters COVID Protocol
Though he’s still on long-term injured reserve and hasn’t played in a month, William Karlsson has been moved into the COVID protocol, according to Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer, who spoke with reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic today. Karlsson was moved to long-term injured reserve recently when the team activated Max Pacioretty, as the Golden Knights continue to perform a delicate salary cap dance.
It’s been four weeks since Karlsson broke his foot and was given a six-week recovery timeline, meaning this doesn’t necessarily take him out of the picture for any game action. It could however set his rehab back, as if Karlsson tested positive and is experiencing any symptoms, he’ll have to isolate for a minimum of ten days. After a solid few years in Vegas it’s been a hard start to the season for the 28-year-old center, who has just eight games under his belt and registered just three points in that time.
DeBoer provided updates on some other players, indicating that Nolan Patrick has taken some positive steps in his recovery but is not close to returning. Patrick hasn’t played in over a month and remains a “What could have been?” candidate now nearly five years into his NHL career. It’s been nothing but injuries for the 2017 second-overall pick, including a migraine issue that kept him out the entire 2019-20 season. Patrick is signed through the 2022-23 season, but it is completely unclear whether he’ll ever be able to get his career back on track. He has just five goals and ten points since the end of the 2018-19 season.
Jake Leschyshyn Assigned To Henderson
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned winger Jake Leschyshyn to Henderson of the AHL. Leschyshyn has largely been a regular for Vegas this season, suiting up in 18 games while picking up a goal and three assists. The move brings them down to just 11 forwards on their active roster which suggests they will soon be getting someone back.
Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden Exit COVID Protocol
Now it is clear why the Vegas Golden Knights sent three young forwards back to the AHL this morning. Jonathan Marchessault and Brett Howden, who had been in the league’s COVID protocol, have joined the regular group at practice today according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Marchessault spent ten days in the protocol, meaning he hasn’t played since November 13. That was a huge blow to the Golden Knights attack, given the veteran forward was off to a great start with nine goals and 13 points in 15 games. When combined with some of the other injuries the team was dealing with, it was nearly the entire top two lines out at once.
Howden meanwhile never did test positive but had been held out as a close contact the last few days. The 23-year-old last played on November 20 against Columbus. He’s obviously a much less important player for Vegas, averaging just 9:45 of ice time.
Incredibly, even with massive absences, the Golden Knights have fought their way back to a Pacific Division playoff spot with a 7-3 run in their last ten. They’re not just five points behind the Calgary Flames for first place and are getting closer to full health. With William Karlsson, Alec Martinez, Nolan Patrick, and Jack Eichel still out, they’re not there yet, but Marchessault’s return will certainly be a welcome one.
Max Pacioretty Activated From Injured Reserve
The Vegas Golden Knights are one step closer to full health. Winger Max Pacioretty has been activated from injured reserve and could return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators.
It goes without saying that this is a huge step for a beleaguered Golden Knights team. Pacioretty played in just two games this season before getting injured, but was arguably their best player in that time frame, notching two goals and an assist.
Pacioretty and his $7MM cap hit now come off long-term injured reserve, but with Jack Eichel‘s $10MM still there, they won’t have any problems being cap compliant (yet).
Now, Vegas will be able to reunite what’s been their top line for the past while, as Pacioretty will be able to slot in beside Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson. Stephenson has stepped up in a big way to help carry a shattered Knights team through a tough stretch, posting 17 points in 19 games.
Eichel and William Karlsson‘s absences are now the last remaining pieces of the puzzle in what shapes up to be one of the best forward groups in the league. Their depth has done more than enough work, keeping the team afloat with an 11-8-0 record this season. With Pacioretty back in the fold, expect the Knights to take on more of their old form.
Brooks To Make Debut; Pacioretty Nearing Return
- It’s been several days since Adam Brooks was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights, but he had not yet made his debut for the club due to some immigration issues that needed to be resolved. Resolved they’ve now been, and Brooks will be in the lineup for the Golden Knights this evening, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Max Pacioretty, who is nearing a return, is on the trip but not yet quite ready to play tonight.
Golden Knights Recall Daniil Miromanov
- A day after sending him back to Henderson, the Golden Knights have recalled defenseman Daniil Miromanov, the team announced (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has an assist in three games with Vegas this season but has been more productive with the Silver Knights, recording seven points in 11 contests.