Brayden McNabb Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve
The Vegas Golden Knights are expecting to be back on the ice Wednesday as they prepare for a Friday night tilt against the Los Angeles Kings, their first game back after COVID protocols postponed three matches. Unfortunately, they’ll be without defenseman Brayden McNabb, who suffered a lower-body injury last Tuesday and was placed on long-term injured reserve. That means he will miss at least ten games, though his exact recovery timeline has not been announced.
While other Golden Knights defenders like Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo get most of the headlines, McNabb is still an integral part of the Vegas blue line. The 30-year-old has averaged nearly 20 minutes a game this season and is the most physical defenseman on the team, routinely racking up 200+ hits in a full season. His absence will likely lead to increased responsibility for young defenseman Nicolas Hague, but it certainly does weaken the Golden Knights’ depth.
In a shortened season, missing ten games is a huge chunk of the schedule and that is just the minimum for McNabb at this point. Being placed on LTIR however does open some added flexibility for the Golden Knights, who have been flirting with the salary cap ceiling all season after adding the expensive Pietrangelo.
Postponed Vegas Golden Knights Games Rescheduled
Feb 1: The league has announced schedule changes following the three postponements. The following has been rescheduled:
- Game #122, St. Louis at Vegas, originally scheduled for Jan. 28, is now scheduled for Monday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #149, Vegas at San Jose, originally scheduled for Feb. 1, is now scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. ET
- Game #162, Vegas at San Jose, originally scheduled for Feb. 3, is now scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25 at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Game #241, Anaheim at San Jose, originally scheduled for Feb.13, is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 6 at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Game #325, Vegas at Anaheim, originally scheduled for Feb. 26, is now scheduled for Friday, April 23 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #326, St. Louis at San Jose, originally scheduled for Feb. 26, is now scheduled for Monday, March 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Jan 29: The NHL has postponed two more Vegas Golden Knights games, despite no other players from the team appearing on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list. Games against the San Jose Sharks scheduled for Monday and Wednesday have both been postponed and will be played later in the schedule.
In the release, the league specifies that three members of the Golden Knights coaching staff and one player (presumably Alex Pietrangelo, who is on the CPRA list) are isolating currently. The teams training facilities will remain closed until further notice.
The Golden Knights are currently scheduled to welcome in the Los Angeles Kings next on February 5, though it is not clear if the situation will have resolved by then. The league has not announced when the two games against the Sharks will be played, but that is now three postponed matches the Golden Knights must fit somewhere into their remaining schedule.
Perhaps the team’s four-day break in April, which follows a series against the Sharks will be the easiest place to fit the games in, though these postponements mean there will be very little rest for Vegas down the stretch.
League Postpones Vegas-St. Louis
The latest NHL postponement has come down today, as the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues will not play this evening. The Golden Knights regular coaching staff was put into self-isolation earlier this week due to an “abundance of caution” while GM Kelly McCrimmon and the AHL staff took over behind the bench. The two teams played on Tuesday night, but today a player and another member of the Golden Knights coaching staff have entered the league’s COVID protocols, leading to the postponement. The team’s training facilities have been closed until further notice.
The Golden Knights were set to meet the San Jose Sharks for games on Monday and Wednesday, then travel back to Las Vegas for a six-game homestand that included the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche. It’s not clear at this point whether there will be more postponements. The Blues meanwhile were headed to Anaheim after today’s game for a back-to-back series on Saturday and Sunday, before returning home to welcome the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Importantly, the Blues did take the ice today for an optional morning skate, while the Golden Knights saw their practice canceled.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars have both previously required postponements, creating some serious imbalance on the Central Division table. The Chicago Blackhawks have already played eight games, while the Stars, Hurricanes and Florida Panthers have all played just three to this point. With the league’s focus on getting in all 56 matches for every club, these postponements will have to be squeezed in down the road. The Golden Knights and Blues do finish the season against each other, perhaps a spot to put in an additional game.
Snapshots: Stastny, Hall, Phantoms
Back in October, the Winnipeg Jets made a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to bring Paul Stastny north. In return, the Golden Knights received Carl Dahlstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick that was tied to games played by the veteran center. In essence, the condition was to provide some security for the Jets in case the 2020-21 season never happened, since Stastny is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent later this summer.
All he had to do was complete five games, which happened earlier this week when Stastny played against the Ottawa Senators. He happened to score his first goal of the season and record a pair of assists, not a bad effort for the game that caused a fourth-round pick to change hands. The selection is Winnipeg’s pick from the 2022 draft, which will now belong to the Golden Knights.
- It appears as though Curtis Hall‘s collegiate career is over, as AHL reporter Mark Divver tweets that the Yale University forward has signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. Hall, 20, was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the Bruins and scored 17 goals and 27 points in 28 games last season for Yale. The 6’3″ center could be a valuable depth piece this season if he has indeed signed his ELC. UPDATE: Hall has actually only signed a one-year AHL deal, according to Divver. That would still end his college career but doesn’t start his ELC this season.
- Speaking of depth, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms have added plenty of experience today by signing Chris Mueller to a professional tryout and Garrett Wilson to an AHL contract. Mueller, 34, has been a regular at the AHL level since the 2008-09 season and won the Calder Cup in both 2014 and 2018. He split last season between the Syracuse Crunch and San Diego Gulls, scoring 38 points in 60 games. Wilson, 29, has logged more than 400 AHL games of his own, including 51 last season with the Toronto Marlies. A physical forward that isn’t afraid to drop the gloves, he’s managed to rack up 205 points and 586 penalty minutes during his time in the minor league.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Pavel Dorofeyev
After terminating his contract in the KHL last week, Pavel Dorofeyev is coming to Vegas. The third-round pick signed his entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights and has been assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights for their upcoming season.
Dorofeyev, 20, was selected 79th overall in 2019 after making it all the way up to the KHL as a teenager. Though he didn’t score much when he got there, just being a regular at that age was impressive enough. After attending the Golden Knights development camp, he returned to Russia to once again play on a regular basis with Magnitogorsk Mettalurg, scoring four goals and seven points in 48 games. That return came with a contract extension, part of the reason why Dorofeyev fell down the draft board in the first place—some had even considered him a late first-round talent, but it wasn’t at all clear when he would come to North America.
Now, after a July 2020 trade took him from Magnitogorsk to Chelyabinsk and a season where he has been playing in the VHL (the KHL’s minor league), Vegas’ gambit pays off. He’ll now immediately become one of the players to watch for Henderson, armed with incredible puck skills and top-end skating ability. That’s not to say he’s ready to step in and be a contributor in the NHL, but having full control of his development for the next three years at a minimum is a clear with for the Golden Knights.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 1/24/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.
- The Dallas Stars announced they have recalled forward Tanner Kero from their taxi squad after placing forward Joel Kiviranta on injured reserve. The 28-year-old Kero hasn’t made an NHL appearance since the 2017-18 season, but could get onto the ice depending on the injury status of Jamie Benn, who is a game-time decision. Kiviranta, who was listed as day-to-day Saturday after getting injured in practice, will have to sit out at least three games.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced they have recalled forwards Givani Smith and Taro Hirose from the taxi squad. Smith has been up and down between the NHL and taxi squad, while Hirose was recalled three days ago to the taxi squad from the AHL. Both are expected to make their season debuts on Sunday. Detroit also have re-assigned forward Riley Barber to the taxi squad. UPDATE: The Red Wings have reversed course, announcing they have sent Hirose and Smith back to the taxi squad after their game with Chicago ended.
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have loaned defenseman Derrick Pouliot from the taxi squad to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. The team also announced some salary cap moves, sending forward Connor Bunnaman and Samuel Morin to their taxi squad.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced they have swapped young players as the team has sent forward Dylan Cozens to the taxi squad and recalled Casey Mittelstadt, who is expected to make his season debut Sunday. Cozens scored his first career NHL goal Friday, but head coach Ralph Krueger made it clear before the season that he intends to ease his young players into the lineup. The team has also activated forward Kyle Okposo from injured reserve. He has missed the team’s first five games with a lower-body injury.
- Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have activated defenseman Nicolas Hague off the taxi squad and moved center Cody Glass to the taxi squad, a similar move from two games ago as the team continues to balance their salary cap with rotating between five and six defensemen.
- The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell reports that with two forwards (Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov), a defenseman (Dmitry Orlov) and a goaltender (Ilya Samsonov) out due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team was able to recall two players, including forwards Brian Pinho and Connor McMichael (as well as goaltender Craig Anderson), via the emergency recall exception rule and not count against their cap. McMichael is the most interesting of the two as the 2019 first-round pick will make his NHL debut Sunday.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned forward Jesper Boqvist to the taxi squad and they have recalled forward Nicholas Merkley, who is expected to make his season debut Sunday. Boqvist has appeared in four games for New Jersey, failing to register a point. Merkley, acquired from Arizona in the Taylor Hall trade last season, had a goal and an assist in four games last year with the Devils.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets already placed Brandon Dubinsky on LTIR earlier today, but the team also made a few other moves to get under the salary cap, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. The scribe writes that both Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy have been assigned to the taxi squad, but as paper moves to maximize their LTIR pool. The team has also recalled Emil Bemstrom and Stefan Matteau from the taxi squad.
- The New York Rangers announced they have recalled forward Colin Blackwell from their taxi squad and is likely to make his Rangers’ debut. The 27-year-old signed with the Rangers as a free agent after posting three goals and 10 points in 27 games for the Nashville Predators last season.
- The Calgary Flames made their standard game-day transaction, recalling Derek Ryan and Oliver Kylington from the taxi squad. Ryan has appeared in three games with no points, while Kylington has yet to make an appearance for Calgary this year.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have recalled goaltender Andrew Hammond from their taxi squad with the status of Cam Talbot being day-to-day. In order to keep three goaltenders on the roster, the team has assigned netminder Hunter Jones from Iowa of the AHL to the taxi squad. Hammond has not made an appearance yet for the Wild.
- With the Bruins off, CapFriendly reports that Boston has shuffled forwards Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic plus defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to their taxi squad, continuing their near-daily movement. Steven Kampfer was reassigned to AHL Providence from the taxi squad to create room for Vaakanainen’s placement.
- Avalanche defenseman Conor Timmins was in the lineup for their game today against Anaheim, meaning that he has been recalled from the taxi squad. The 22-year-old has played in four games so far with Colorado this season, logging a little under 13 minutes per game.
- Pierre Engvall and Jason Spezza were both in the lineup for the Maple Leafs against Calgary today, meaning they were promoted from the taxi squad. To get back into cap compliance, Travis Boyd was sent to the taxi squad.
- After scoring in his Canadiens debut on Saturday, Montreal has returned Corey Perry to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The veteran will likely be recalled in time for their next game against Calgary on Thursday.
- The Ottawa Senators have returned winger Micheal Haley to their taxi squad, per CapFriendly. He was recalled for Saturday’s game against Winnipeg and played 7:39 while getting into a fight.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/22/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.
- With no other real options, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from their taxi squad under emergency conditions. The young defenseman is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the New York Rangers. Joseph, 21, was the 23rd overall pick in 2017 and recorded 17 points in 52 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have elevated Nathan Gerbe from the taxi squad, moving Emil Bemstrom down in his place. The 33-year-old Gerbe hasn’t played yet this season but recorded ten points in 30 games last year for the club.
- After clearing waivers, Brandon Pirri was re-assigned to the Chicago Blackhawks taxi squad. Carl Soderberg and Brandon Hagel have both been moved to the active roster. Soderberg, 35, has yet to play this season and is expected to make his debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Brian Pinho from the taxi squad as they try to fill out a roster card without their four Russian stars. Pinho, 25, scored 20 goals and 37 points in 62 games for the Hershey Bears last season and made his NHL debut in the postseason bubble.
- Givani Smith has been recalled from the Red Wings taxi squad, giving them another forward option as more players find themselves on the COVID list. The Red Wings start a two-game series with the Blackhawks tonight with a chance to climb even further up the Central Division table. Taro Hirose was also brought up to the taxi squad.
- The Edmonton Oilers have activated James Neal off injured reserve, meaning someone needed to go to the taxi squad. That someone is Joakim Nygard, who has been moved off the active roster. Olivier Rodrigue, who had been serving as the taxi squad goaltender, has also swapped places with Dylan Wells. Rodrigue will report to the AHL while Wells is now the third-string option for Edmonton.
- Samuel Morin has been moved back to the taxi squad as the Philadelphia Flyers wait for their next game. Morin, who is making the switch from defense to forward this season, has yet to get into a game.
- Brogan Rafferty has been moved to the taxi squad by the Vancouver Canucks, as they continue to try and work out their defensive issues. Rafferty had been up on emergency loan while the Canucks dealt with several injuries, but is now back down on the team’s day off.
- Victor Soderstrom is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after being recalled from the taxi squad by the Arizona Coyotes. The team has moved Jordan Gross down for the time being, allowing their young phenom to get into a game. Soderstrom, 19, was the 11th overall pick in 2019 and quickly became one of the top defensive prospects in the entire league. Aaron Ness was sent to the minors while Ivan Prosvetov was added to the taxi squad.
- The Los Angeles Kings have assigned both Lias Andersson and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the taxi squad while the team prepares for a four-game road trip that takes them to St. Louis tomorrow. The Kings are coming off their first win of the season and looking to continue to hold their own in a tough West Division.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad while also activating Mikael Granlund to the active roster after he completed his quarantine protocols. Olivier leads the Preds in hits in the early going this season with eight while Granlund will make his season debut.
- Anaheim has made a long list of moves, per CapFriendly. The Ducks have recalled David Backes, Max Jones, and Josh Mahura to the NHL roster while Anthony Stolarz and Isac Lundestrom are now on the taxi squad. Sonny Milano has been placed on IR while Lukas Dostal has been sent to AHL San Diego.
- The Boston Bruins have shuffled Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The two have been shuffled multiple times already this season to bank cap room and will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia.
- Colorado has recalled Martin Kaut on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly. Conor Timmins was sent back to the taxi squad in a corresponding move. Erik Johnson isn’t expected to play tonight and Kaut’s addition will allow the Avalanche to dress 12 forwards and six defensemen.
- The Islanders have shuffled Kieffer Bellows back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The winger has played in all four games this season but with them off until Sunday, New York can save nearly $15K in salary by sending him back for two days.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have flipped defensemen again as Andreas Borgman has been recalled with Luke Schenn going to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. While they’re so deep into LTIR where the small cap savings will be irrelevant, doing so extends Schenn’s waiver exemption a little longer.
- Vegas has recalled Cody Glass from the taxi squad, notes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Nicolas Hague has been sent back down to the taxi squad, meaning the Golden Knights will go back to dressing 13 forwards and just five defensemen.
This page will be updated throughout the day as more moves are officially announced.
Vegas Still Struggling With Salary Cap Balance
Ahead of their game on Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights swapped out a pair of young players from their active roster. After starting only five defensemen to begin the season, the team has recalled Nic Hague to serve as their sixth defenseman. In a corresponding move, Cody Glass has been assigned to the taxi squad. For the time being, it’s a move that the Golden Knights have to make.
Although Vegas would like to have both young standouts in the lineup, they do not have the cap space to fit both. Even with both on entry-level contracts, the Knights’ $294K in cap space (even with the more affordable Hague on the roster) is not enough for an additional player. Vegas is stuck with the minimum roster of 20 players. That 20-man group cannot include both Hague and Glass, either. They are the only members of the Knights that are waivers-exempt, meaning opening up space for both would require subjecting another player to the waiver wire. The deep, veteran roster of the Golden Knights does not offer many safe waiver options and those that might clear, such as Keegan Kolesar or Zach Whitecloud, make even less than Glass or Hague would still put the team in a difficult salary cap spot.
Barring an injury and LTIR placement to open up space, the Knights will either need to continue this careful balancing act or make a move. While Glass and Hague are both ready for full-time NHL roles, the Knights could decide that keeping their roster together this season is more important than the development of either prospect in a shortened season. However, if they feel that their best chance at a Stanley Cup is to ice a lineup with both Glass and Hague during the regular season, something has to give.
West Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Johnson, Vegas, San Diego Gulls
While there was some concern that he might miss significant time, Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said that defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who took a big hit from San Jose’s Evander Kane (video here), Saturday, is considered to be day-to-day with a lower-body injury, although he is expected to skip the road trip to Las Vegas, according to azcsports’ Jose Romero. That likely means he will miss at least two games.
Ekman-Larsson was forced to leave the game and only played 17:11 Saturday, but still managed to pick up three assists. No word on who will be recalled to replace him, but Coyotes’ insider Craig Morgan believes it will either be Kyle Capobianco or Jordan Gross.
- The Colorado Avalanche got some good news as veteran defenseman Erik Johnson returned to the Avalanche after missing training camp, while dealing with a positive COVID-19 test and quarantining,” according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. He is now practicing with the team, although he may need a few more days to get back into game shape. “I had some symptoms, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t that big a deal compared to what some people are dealing with. I just consider myself lucky to recover,” Johnson said.
- The Vegas Golden Knights, who played the first two games of the season with just five defensemen could be ready to make a change. The team’s new practice lines suggest the team could be ready to use Nicolas Hague as their sixth defenseman, despite the team’s success. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger writes that head coach Peter DeBoer likes what he’s seen from his five-man defense, but also said he’s worried about the workload that might create on them. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo played 29:26 Saturday, a lot to ask out of any blueliner.
- The San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, announced they have postponed Sunday’s exhibition game against the Ontario Reign out of an abundance of caution due to COVID-19 protocols. This was supposed to be the second exhibition game. The first game, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed as well. This game was pushed back for the same reasons. The team will make a decision at a later date on when to play these game.
Mark Stone Named Captain Of Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights finally have a captain. After operating without one for their first few years of existence, the team has decided to name Mark Stone captain today, perhaps unsurprisingly to those who have watched his impact since he arrived in Sin City. Alex Pietrangelo and Reilly Smith will serve as alternates this season.
Stone, who was already a leader in the dressing room for the Golden Knights, released a short statement explaining how it went down:
Pete (DeBoer) called me in to his office. Didn’t really think much of it, just thought maybe he was going to ask about the camp. Asked me if I was up for the opportunity to be the captain of this team. This is an organization I’ve always wanted to be a part of so to be able to be the first captain of this franchise it’s very honoring, very humbling and I’m excited to see where this team goes.
The 28-year-old Stone isn’t flashy, even though he has scored at least 60 points in five of his six full NHL season, but he is effective. Arguably the best defensive winger in the entire NHL, the 2010 sixth-round pick has developed into one of the most well-rounded talents in the entire league. On a nightly basis you can watch him strip defenders of the puck and set up opportunities for his teammates. He was the runner-up for the Selke Trophy in 2019 and finished fifth in voting last season, impressive feats for a winger since the award is almost always given to a center.
Perhaps most importantly, Stone is heading into just the second season of an eight-year deal with the Golden Knights that will keep him in Vegas through the 2026-27 season. He has a full no-movement clause and carries a $9.5MM cap hit throughout, meaning he isn’t going anywhere. That “C” will be on the ice for years, perhaps until the end of his career.
He’ll get his first chance to perform as captain tomorrow night when the Golden Knights welcome in the Anaheim Ducks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images