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Atlantic Notes: Viel, Kämpf, Tuch, Thompson

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After only two days on the roster, the Boston Bruins assigned forward Jeffrey Viel to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. He suited up for the Bruins on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets picking up three hits while collecting 8:27 of ice time.

He failed to find the scoreboard in the loss against the Blue Jackets but Viel made a statement shortly after the game started. An enforcer-adjacent player for much of his career, he dropped the gloves against Columbus forward Mathieu Olivier just over two minutes into the contest.

Today’s transaction may result in a short stay for Viel in Providence as Boston could still use a jolt. He’s scored two goals and four points for the AHL Bruins through 14 games this season. He won’t have a regular spot in the Bruins lineup should today’s demotion only be a paper transaction but he’ll play a vital role down the stretch should the team not climb out of their current situation.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • Outside of placing Max Domi on injured reserve today, the Toronto Maple Leafs have also moved forward David Kämpf to the long-term injured reserve (X Link). The team placed Kämpf on the injured reserve yesterday (retroactive to November 16th) with a lower-body injury and today’s transaction will remove his $2.4MM from the equation. Toronto is projected to possess $2.313MM in cap space at the deadline and won’t accrue any more until activating multiple players from the LTIR.
  • Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News shared a few updates regarding the Buffalo Sabres and their matchup against the Los Angeles Kings. After initially projecting as questionable for today’s matchup due to an undisclosed injury, forward Alex Tuch is expected to play tonight. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Tage Thompson, who will miss his third consecutive game due to a lower-body injury. There was some optimism that Thompson could return tonight after practice on Monday but today’s practice has changed Buffalo’s mind.

Metro Notes: Frost, Flyers, Jiricek, Lindstrom

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Morgan Frost has had a tumultuous position in the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup since John Tortorella took over as the team’s head coach in the 2022-23 season. He’s been a healthy scratch in three of the last four games, and this is coming one year after being a healthy scratch in half of the team’s first 20 contests last year. In an article (Subscription Article) in The Athletic, Kevin Kurz opines the Flyers could be headed for a breakup of sorts with Frost before his current contract ends.

There’s no questioning his skill on the offensive side of the puck. Frost scored 10 goals and 33 points over the last 50 games of the 2023-24 season finishing fifth on the team in scoring despite his time in the press box earlier in the year. That’s not enough for Tortorella to overlook his defensive shortcomings, as he typically expects much better two-way play from his centers.

Frost’s two-year, $4.2MM extension expires after this season and he’ll only have one more year remaining until he can hit unrestricted free agency. Kurz believes Philadelphia should trade Frost by the deadline despite selling low on the former-27th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Other Metro notes:

  • Continuing in Philadelphia, the organization announced multiple injury updates earlier today. Notably, defenseman Cam York won’t return to the lineup this evening despite being a full participant in practice on Monday. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale and netminder Samuel Ersson remain on the injured reserve with their injuries while defenseman Emil Andrae is considered day-to-day with a mid-body injury.
  • This morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets surprised many by reassigning defenseman David Jiříček to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Shortly after, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote a scathing article (Subscription Article) on Columbus’ handling of the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. Jiříček has rarely had a consistent role with the Blue Jackets despite the team carrying a subpar defensive core and has little else to prove in the AHL after scoring 13 goals and 57 points in 84 career games.
  • Sticking in Columbus, Portzline reported that the team’s first pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cayden Lindstrom, underwent a minor surgical procedure this morning. Lindstrom hasn’t played at all this season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers due to a back injury, and today’s surgical procedure was a part of the recovery process. He was recently drafted with the fourth overall pick of this past summer’s draft after scoring 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games for the Tigers.

Pacific Notes: Wright, Samsonov, Vaněček

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Kraken center Shane Wright was a healthy scratch for the first time this season in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Rangers. Despite the lack of offense from Seattle in that game, don’t expect him back in the lineup tonight against the Predators. He was out late at morning skate today and is projected to sit in the press box for a second straight game, Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times reports.

This season, it’s been a tough go of things for the 2022 fourth overall pick. Wright had played in Seattle’s first 18 games of the season but had struggled to produce, posting just a goal and an assist with 12 shots and an even rating while averaging 12:25 per game. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot, winning 43.9% of his draws, and has been a drag on the Kraken’s possession play at even strength. They’re controlling 46.8% of shot attempts compared to 49.8% without him, and Wright also has a negative expected goal differential for the first time out of his three NHL trials.

At least for now, he’s been overtaken on the depth chart by 26-year-old Ben Meyers, who was brought in on a two-way deal over the summer after becoming a Group VI UFA. Meyers played just 8:21 and lost all five of his faceoffs in his season debut against the Rangers, centering the club’s fourth line between Tye Kartye and Brandon Tanev.

If Wright sits for much longer, it’s fair to start speculating about a potential reassignment back to AHL Coachella Valley. The 20-year-old pivot had 22 goals and 47 points in 59 appearances there last season, adding 13 points in 12 playoff games as they advanced to their second straight Calder Cup Final. The former CHL Rookie of the Year now has six goals and three assists for nine points in 34 games dating back to his debut in 2022-23.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Ilya Samsonov won’t get the chance for a revenge start when his Golden Knights face the Maple Leafs tonight, in part due to the undisclosed injury that kept him out for much of November, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. Samsonov returned to action Sunday against the Capitals after two weeks out of the lineup, allowing four goals on 24 shots in his second regulation loss of the season. After spending the last two seasons in Toronto, the 27-year-old Russian landed a one-year, $1.8MM contract with Vegas in free agency to platoon with Adin Hill. He has a 3-2-1 record, .897 SV%, and 3.15 GAA in his first six games for the Knights, who have gotten subpar goaltending overall but are still 11-5-2.
  • Sharks goaltender Vítek Vaněček is traveling with the club on their two-game road swing through Dallas and St. Louis this week but remains unlikely to play, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The 28-year-old sustained an upper-body injury against the Penguins on Saturday that necessitated the recall of top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who backed up Mackenzie Blackwood against the Red Wings on Monday and is expected to do so tonight against the Stars. If Vaněček isn’t okay to dress by tomorrow, Askarov seems likely to make his Sharks debut in St. Louis on the second half of a back-to-back.

Blackhawks Place Seth Jones On IR, Recall Louis Crevier

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Nov. 20: Jones will miss four weeks with the right foot injury, head coach Luke Richardson said Wednesday (via Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). He’s already missed two games and is now on pace to miss around 11 more, ruling him out for more than 15% of Chicago’s season in total. A four-week timeline from the date of the injury means his return target is during their back-to-back against the Devils and Islanders on Dec. 14 and 15.

Nov. 16: The Blackhawks have placed defenseman Seth Jones on injured reserve with a right foot injury, relays Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link).  Taking his place on the active roster is blueliner Louis Crevier who has been recalled from Rockford, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Chicago currently has 22 players on its roster following the moves.

Jones sustained the injury against Seattle on a blocked shot but remained in the game, adds Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, who adds more information will be known when they return home from their road trip on Sunday.

The 30-year-old has once again been a significant piece on Chicago’s back end, leading the team in average ice time at 25:43 per night.  Jones also leads the Blackhawks in points by a defenseman with 10.  Covering his absence will certainly be a difficult task, one that won’t be handled by just one or two players.

To that end, Crevier is more of a depth recall over someone who could be expected to play a little higher in the lineup.  The 23-year-old, who stands 6’8, got into 24 games with Chicago last season in his first taste of NHL action, compiling three assists, 50 blocks, 30 hits, and a minus-16 rating.  This year, he has played in 11 games with the IceHogs, notching one assist.

While this might have seemed like a situation to bring up Kevin Korchinski (who logged 19:37 per night for the Blackhawks last season and could have helped cover some of the missing offense), it appears Chicago feels that he’s best served staying with Rockford for the time being.  Artyom Levshunov, a right-shot option like Jones, is also available but just eight games into his pro career, they’d like to keep him away from the top level for at least a little while longer.

Bruins Notes: Montgomery, Pastrňák, Marchand

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The lack of “successful” contract extension talks was a contributing factor in yesterday’s decision to fire head coach Jim Montgomery, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters during his media availability Wednesday, including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Montgomery signed a reported three-year, $6MM contract to take over as Boston’s bench boss in 2022, and the two sides had initial extension talks at the beginning of training camp, Sweeney said at the time. But an 8-9-3 start through 20 games, plus a likely multi-million dollar gap per season in extension negotiations, means Boston will instead be paying out most of Montgomery’s salary this season after relieving him of his duties.

If not sooner, Montgomery is well-positioned to become one of the higher-paid coaches in the league during next summer’s carousel. The Bruins’ 120-41-23 (.715) record since he took over is the best in the league, and the 2023 Jack Adams Award winner now has parts of five NHL seasons under his belt as a head coach, including his time with the Stars.

Elsewhere in the fall-out of Montgomery’s firing:

  • Speaking with reporters today, Bruins leading scorer David Pastrňák has nothing but praise for Montgomery, saying the team’s failure to live up to expectations so far is on the players. “Because we weren’t getting it done, we lost a great coach and great human being,” Pastrňák said (via Anderson). That’s notable praise coming from a player who was called out by name during last year’s eventual first-round win over the Maple Leafs. While Pastrňák leads the league with 82 shots on goal, his 9.8% shooting percentage is tracking as a career-low, and his 33-goal pace after three straight seasons of 40 or more is one of many reasons why Boston’s offense has struggled to get off the ground at just 2.4 goals per game.
  • Captain Brad Marchand had a similar sentiment, saying that the roster “feels terrible as a group” (per Anderson). The 36-year-old, along with Pastrňák, are the only two Bruins players with double-digit point totals this season. “This is a reflection of our play,” he continued. “If we had done our job in here, he’d still be here.”

Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Move Alex Ovechkin To IR

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The Capitals have recalled 2022 first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey, per a team announcement. They had a full active roster, so captain Alex Ovechkin heads to injured reserve in a corresponding move after being ruled out yesterday on a week-to-week basis with a lower leg injury. Winger Sonny Milano, who’s out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, also shifted from IR to LTIR to give the Caps additional space in their LTIR pool.

It’s unlikely that Miroshnichenko will slide into the first-line left-wing spot vacated by his countryman’s injury, but the 20-year-old deserves the recall after a hot start on the farm. The 6’1″ winger is second on Hershey in scoring with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 16 games, improving wildly on a per-game basis over last season’s nine goals and 25 points in 47 AHL games.

Miroshnichenko, the 20th overall pick two years ago, got his first NHL action last season. He made 21 appearances for the Caps amid several call-ups, scoring twice and adding four assists for six points with a -4 rating. He was limited to middle-six minutes, averaging 12:08 per game with minimal special teams time. However, he positively impacted their even-strength possession numbers and finished fourth on the team in hits per 60 minutes with 11.76.

He’ll likely make his season debut tomorrow against the Avalanche alongside fresh trade acquisition Lars Eller and Jakub Vrána on the Caps’ third line if line rushes at today’s practice were any indication. Hendrix Lapierre will likely remain a healthy scratch, while Miroshnichenko should also get some reps on Washington’s second power-play unit, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

The IR placement rules Ovechkin out for at least the Capitals’ next two games, but his absence will be more prolonged than that. Milano, who hasn’t played since Nov. 6 with his UBI, is now ineligible to return before their Nov. 30 game against the Devils and will miss at least five more contests. He has no points and a -3 rating in three appearances this season amid the injury and a lengthy run of healthy scratches.

Utah Recalls Jaxson Stauber, Connor Ingram Out Day-To-Day

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Utah netminder Connor Ingram is dealing with an upper-body injury and didn’t travel with the team on their four-game road trip set to kick off tomorrow in Boston, the team announced. He’s listed as day-to-day while undergoing further evaluation, so the team has recalled Jaxson Stauber from AHL Tucson under emergency conditions to serve as Karel Vejmelka’s backup between the pipes for the trip.

The 27-year-old Ingram has started 13 of Utah’s first 18 games, but he’s only played in one of the last three and was pulled against the Capitals on Monday after allowing four goals on 13 shots. After tying for the league lead in shutouts last season with six, he’s been one of the worst starters in the NHL this year with a .871 SV%, 3.61 GAA, and -9.9 GSAA despite his 6-4-3 record.

He’s at serious risk of at least falling back into a tandem split with Vejmelka upon his return, although if he’s been battling this injury for a while, it could explain the poor play. Utah has only won one of Vejmelka’s five starts this year, but the Czech netminder is on pace for the best campaign of his four-year NHL career with a .915 SV% and 2.58 GAA, saving 2.6 goals above average.

The first-year club has put up exemplary possession numbers at 5-on-5 despite injuries to core defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino, but a 30th-ranked power play and Ingram’s struggles have bound them to a 7-8-3 record. There’s still plenty of time for the former Coyotes to make the playoffs in their first season in Salt Lake, but they’re four points back of the Canucks for the second wild-card spot in the West and still have to leapfrog the Avalanche, Kraken and Ducks. The Athletic currently projects their record to improve back over .500 but not by much, ranking fifth in the Central with a 25% chance at postseason action.

Meanwhile, Stauber comes up after an attention-grabbing start to his first season in the Utah organization. Signed to a two-way deal in free agency after being non-tendered by the Blackhawks, the 25-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.29 GAA and a 5-2-0 record in seven games with Tucson. The Minnesota native has six games of NHL experience, posting a 5-1-0 record with Chicago back in 2022-23 with a strong .911 SV%, 2.81 GAA and 1.3 GSAA.

Blue Jackets Reassign David Jiříček, Mikael Pyyhtiä

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The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that they’ve returned top defense prospect David Jiříček to AHL Cleveland. Left-winger Mikael Pyyhtiä is joining him on the road down to the minors, leaving Columbus with a pair of open roster spots.

Jiříček, who turns 21 next week, has had quite an underwhelming start to the season. After making the opening night roster as expected, the 2022 sixth-overall pick has been a healthy scratch 12 times in 18 games, despite a shoulder injury to fellow right-shot defenseman Erik Gudbranson keeping him out of the lineup since mid-October.

Most expected that injury to open up more playing time for Jiříček, who had 10 points in 43 games for the Jackets last year and was an AHL All-Star in his first season in North America in 2022-23. But head coach Dean Evason has instead opted to give more minutes to 24-year-old Jordan Harris, who was acquired from the Canadiens in this summer’s Patrik Laine trade.

Jiříček’s path to NHL ice got further muddied when Columbus claimed fellow righty Dante Fabbro off waivers from the Predators last week. Fabbro has more than earned his lineup spot in his first few games for the Jackets, though, posting three points and a +3 rating in four appearances while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game.

Jiříček drew into the lineup against the Bruins on Monday for the first time in over a week, but he played a season-low 8:14 in Columbus’ 5-1 win. Overall, the 6’4″ Czech has averaged just 11:12 of ice time through six appearances in 2024-25, down from last season’s already limited 14:36 mark, and has one assist with a -2 rating. That’s despite Columbus controlling 60.5% of expected goals with Jiříček on the ice at even strength compared to 47.9% last year.

The lack of playing time has led to some fervent trade speculation over the past few days, although there’s yet to be a credible report of an imminent move. It’s the first roster move for Jiříček this season after he was assigned to and recalled from Cleveland on five separate occasions in 2023-24.

Jiříček will now undoubtedly log heavy minutes in Cleveland while awaiting his next NHL chance, whether in Columbus or elsewhere. Since arriving in North America immediately after his draft year, the blue-liner has 13 goals and 44 assists for 57 points in 84 AHL games with a -27 rating. He joins a Cleveland defense that’s currently being dominated by first-year pro Denton Mateychuk, who was selected six spots after Jiříček in 2022 and has a remarkable six goals and 16 points through his first 15 AHL contests.

Pyyhtiä’s reassignment comes with Kent Johnson being set to come off injured reserve in the coming days after missing just over a month due to a shoulder injury. The writing was on the wall for the 22-year-old Finn, who was a healthy scratch for the first time this season against Boston and has just one goal in 17 games with a -6 rating despite averaging nearly 14 minutes per contest.

The Blue Jackets selected Pyyhtiä in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He made the opening night roster for the first time this season, getting some brief looks on the penalty kill as well. He had seven goals and 28 points in 60 appearances for Cleveland last season, his first extended run in North America. He now has a goal and three assists in 36 career NHL appearances dating back to the 2022-23 campaign.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Maple Leafs Place Max Domi On IR, Recall Nikita Grebenkin

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The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve placed center Max Domi on injured reserve with a lower-body ailment retroactive to Nov. 16. They recalled winger Nikita Grebenkin from AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction, marking the first of his career.

Domi, 29, will miss tonight’s game against the Golden Knights but will be eligible to come off IR for the following game, a Sunday tilt against Utah. He’s been a rare sight at practice recently as he played through the lower-body injury, but it’s now advanced enough to require him to sit out.

It explains the lack of production from Domi, who’s now gone 13 games without a point despite playing top-six minutes for most of the month with captain Auston Matthews on the shelf. After signing a four-year, $15MM extension in June, the Winnipeg native has no goals on 24 shots and six assists in 19 games this season, producing at a career-low pace across the board despite averaging about 90 more seconds per game of ice time than last season.

Domi becomes the sixth regular forward who won’t be available for tonight’s game. Matthews has been on IR for nearly two weeks, Max Pacioretty was shifted to LTIR yesterday as he recovers from a hamstring injury, Calle Järnkrok remains on LTIR after undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday, David Kämpf landed on IR yesterday with a lower-body issue, and Ryan Reaves is ineligible to play while serving the first game of a five-game suspension that will keep him out through the rest of the month.

Despite the absence of their captain and a considerable amount of depth scoring, the surging Leafs are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games and are only one point back of the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. While they’re understandably scoring less than last season, their record has much to do with some improved team defense – they’re allowing 6.7 high-danger scoring chances per game at 5-on-5 compared to 8.0 in 2023-24. It also has a lot to do with spectacular play in the early going from free-agent signing Anthony Stolarz between the pipes, who leads the league with a .927 SV% and is on pace for 52 starts, smashing his career-high of 24 set last year with the Panthers.

Unfortunately, the pace of the injury bug is accelerating. Domi, Kämpf, and Reaves are all out after playing in Toronto’s last game, an overtime win over the Oilers last weekend. That means Fraser Minten will make his season debut after being recalled yesterday as the corresponding transaction for Kämpf’s IR placement. At the same time, Grebenkin will make his NHL debut instead of Domi tonight.

Grebenkin, 21, was a fifth-round selection by the Leafs in the 2022 draft. The 6’2″, 209-lb Russian winger gained some attention with a strong training camp, and he’s kept up the momentum in his first season in North America, as Steven Ellis profiled for Leafs Nation earlier this month.

Through his first 13 AHL games, Grebenkin has four goals and six assists for 10 points, tied for second on the Marlies in scoring with veteran Logan Shaw. He’s also yet to take a penalty and has a +1 rating.

Grebenkin is coming off a standout season in his home country with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. He tied for second on the team in scoring with 41 points (19 G, 22 A) in 67 games after being named the KHL’s best rookie the year prior, playing a pivotal role as they won the league’s championship trophy, the Gagarin Cup.

However, it’s still unclear who will replace Domi at center tonight. It won’t be Grebenkin, who can play either left or right wing but isn’t a natural pivot. It may, however, be Mitch Marner, who head coach Craig Berube said yesterday was open to the shift to the middle from the wing if necessary (via Luke Fox of Sportsnet).

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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