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Archives for December 2021

Snapshots: Jets, Zucker, Sourdif

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The Winnipeg Jets have had their next home game postponed and then are headed out for a four-game road trip, but when they return they’ll be coming back to an empty rink. The province of Manitoba has instituted a 250-person limit on attendance and the Jets responded by announcing that there will be no fans permitted at Canada Life Centre until at least January 11.

That would affect at least two games, January 8 and 10 against the Seattle Kraken and Minnesota Wild. Just as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic suggested about the Montreal Canadiens, the Jets could potentially petition the NHL to allow them to reschedule those home games for later in the season, trying to avoid lost revenue.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have given Jason Zucker maintenance days throughout the season, so when he was absent from today’s practice it didn’t seem out of place. But when practice ended, head coach Mike Sullivan explained to reporters including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Zucker will be out on a week-to-week basis with a nagging lower-body injury. That’s a disappointing result, given the team is also dealing with several COVID-related absences right now, but Zucker hasn’t been very effective even when he is in the lineup. With just four goals and 11 points in 30 games, he’s off to a disappointing start to the season. Perhaps some time getting fully healthy will allow him to produce more regularly down the stretch.
  • Justin Sourdif was skating as the extra forward today at Team Canada World Junior practice, and Mark Masters of TSN suggests that it might be because of a hit he threw in yesterday’s game that could result in a suspension. Sourdif, a Florida Panthers third-round pick, was given a two-minute minor for the hit in Canada’s 6-3 win over Czechia.

Adin Hill Enters COVID Protocol; Brent Burns Exits

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For the San Jose Sharks, things are set to resume tomorrow night against the Arizona Coyotes. They are expected to have Brent Burns back in the lineup for that game, keeping his games played streak intact after he exited the COVID protocol today. It wasn’t all good news though, as Adin Hill has been added to the protocol, forcing the club to recall Zachary Sawchenko to serve as the backup goaltender. Nicholas Merkley has also been recalled to the taxi squad.

Hill joins Jonathan Dahlen and Tomas Hertl, who remain in the protocol for the time being but should be eligible to return soon. They both entered on December 21 and have been experiencing only mild symptoms.

Burns’ return is an important one, given his role on the team, but Hill’s absence is going to put even more pressure on James Reimer. The veteran netminder is having a career year with a .936 save percentage through 16 appearances but hasn’t logged more than 36 in a single season since 2017-18. Even then, Reimer has never really been a workhorse, never playing more than 43 games in a single year. Hill won’t be able to give him a break anytime soon, and Sawchenko certainly doesn’t appear ready for NHL action.

The 23-year-old undrafted netminder has an .859 save percentage in nine appearances for the San Jose Barracuda this season. Alexei Melnichuk would likely be the preferred recall, but he is also currently in the protocol along with several other Barracuda players.

Brandon Tanev Suffers Season-Ending ACL Injury; Mason Appleton Enters COVID Protocol

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The Seattle Kraken will be without Brandon Tanev for the rest of the season, after the speedy forward suffered an ACL injury in the team’s game on December 18. Tanev will undergo season-ending surgery soon.

Like he did previously in Winnipeg and Pittsburgh, Tanev had quickly become a fan favorite in Seattle thanks to his all-out hustle and endless energy. The 29-year-old forward had nine goals and 15 points in 30 games, a career-best offensive pace despite playing around the same number of minutes. Three of those nine goals had been game-winners, an impressive achievement on a team that only has ten wins on the entire season.

Now on the shelf for the rest of the season, Tanev won’t be able to add to that total or help the Kraken turn around their inaugural season. The expansion team will have to find someone else to take over his role on the penalty kill, though it will be difficult to replace Tanev’s fearless nature. He led all Kraken forwards in blocked shots, led the entire team in hits, and actually ranked fifth in shots on goal.

The team also announced that Mason Appleton has entered the COVID protocol, robbing them of another important forward for the time being. Appleton had been playing more recently, averaging more than 16 minutes a night since the start of December.

NHL Postpones Three More Games

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The NHL has announced three more postponements, including two that involve the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. The following games will have to be rescheduled later in the season:

  • Chicago Blackhawks @ Winnipeg Jets, December 29
  • Dallas Stars @ Colorado Avalanche, December 29
  • Colorado Avalanche @ Dallas Stars, December 31

There have now been 70 games postponed this season, most of them coming since December 13. As of now, the three other games scheduled for tomorrow are still on, though the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning both had players enter the COVID protocol earlier today.

For the Avalanche, Blackhawks, and Stars, this means they will not play again until the new year. Winnipeg still has a game scheduled on December 31 against the Calgary Flames. Not only did Chicago see Marc-Andre Fleury enter the protocol today, but also several members of the Rockford IceHogs, including part of the coaching staff. The rampant spread of positive cases in the AHL is having a huge effect on their NHL affiliates, who haven’t been able to recall enough healthy bodies at times this season.

Jason Garrison Signs AHL PTO

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The Syracuse Crunch have signed veteran defenseman Jason Garrison to a professional tryout contract, giving him a chance to play professional hockey for the first time in almost two years. Garrison last played for Djurgardens IF during the 2019-20 season.

More recently, Garrison had been helping the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a volunteer assistant coach while he finished his degree. He last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season with the Edmonton Oilers, but after a trade took him to the Chicago Blackhawks where there was no room, he ended up terminating his contract to pursue an opportunity overseas rather than report to the AHL.

A veteran of more than 500 NHL games, Garrison is now 37 and likely not headed for full-time duty in the AHL. Theoretically, he could be in contention for the Canadian Olympic team though, should he prove to still be able to hold his own at the pro level. Players under AHL-only contracts will likely be eligible for the event, and Garrison’s PTO certainly wouldn’t preclude his participation. That does seem like a long shot at this point given his absence from high-level hockey, but he’s at least someone to keep an eye on. In 2014, Garrison represented Canada at the World Championship.

Several Golden Knights Enter COVID Protocol

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Dec 27: Less than a week later, the Golden Knights have announced that Brett Howden and head coach Pete DeBoer are also now unavailable due to the COVID protocol. Vegas is supposed to play the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night.

Dec 21: The Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning are currently still scheduled to play this evening in the final game before the NHL’s holiday break, but not every player will be on the ice. Evgenii Dadonov and Alex Pietrangelo are both unavailable for the Golden Knights tonight due to the league’s COVID protocol.

Losing those two is obviously a huge blow, though the Golden Knights did have Nolan Patrick back at practice in a regular jersey today. Mark Stone also practiced in full. One of those two could potentially enter the lineup for Dadonov if they are ready, but it’s much more difficult to replace Pietrangelo given all that he does for the team.

The 31-year-old has logged almost 26 minutes a night this season for Vegas as the team tries to navigate through COVID absences and injuries, recording 22 points in 31 games in the process. That’s good enough for 10th among all league defenders, just ahead of teammate Shea Theodore who plays an equally important role.

Still, it’s obvious that the NHL wishes to get through as many games as possible before shutting things down for a few days. The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers were set to play each other despite several absences until a number of other positives were revealed today. Whether these two entering the protocol is enough for the league to postpone it remains to be seen. Regardless, Pietrangelo and Dadonov will miss several other contests if they have tested positive and are held out for a minimum of ten days. The Golden Knights are set to resume play on December 27 in the first half of a back-to-back.

Philadelphia Flyers Add Three To COVID Protocol

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The Philadelphia Flyers have added Derick Brassard, Carter Hart, and Scott Laughton to the COVID protocol, making them unavailable for the time being. Max Willman, who had previously been in the protocol, was activated today and rejoined the team at practice. Jackson Cates, Gerald Mayhew, and Felix Sandstrom have been recalled to join the team’s taxi squad.

Losing Brassard and Laughton certainly isn’t ideal, but Hart is the biggest blow for the Flyers today. The young netminder has rebounded this season and carries a .918 save percentage through 19 appearances, carrying the majority of the load for the team. Martin Jones will now become the de facto starter for the time being, though the group in front of him is certainly not at full strength.

The Flyers are now at seven players in the COVID protocol, as Brassard, Hart, and Laughton join Kevin Hayes, Ryan Ellis, Sean Couturier, and Morgan Frost. Those are some pretty important names that could be unavailable when the team is scheduled to return to action Wednesday night.

Oliver Bjorkstrand Enters COVID Protocol

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Dec 27: According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Roslovic, Carlsson, and Andrew Peeke were all back at practice today after previously being in the protocol. Unfortunately, Oliver Bjorkstrand has taken their place and is now unavailable.

Dec 19: As the spread of COVID across the NHL rolls on, with over 100 players currently in the league’s protocol, the latest additions come from the Columbus Blue Jackets’ locker room. The team has announced that forwards Boone Jenner and Jack Roslovic and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson have entered the NHL COVID Protocol.

The Blue Jackets additionally made the decision to cancel practice on Sunday, citing an “abundance of caution”. However, there has been no indication that any plans have changed surrounding their travel plans with a road game in Buffalo coming up on Monday. While other teams have been shut down when multiple COVID placements occur, it seems that Columbus will move forward as planned.

However, they will do so without several key players. Jenner is not only the captain of the Jackets, but also leads the team with 11 goals and 324 face-off wins. Roslovic may have been the top candidate to replace Jenner but will also be out for an indeterminate amount of time. As for Carlsson, the depth defenseman has taken on greater importance with Adam Boqvist and Dean Kukan sidelined by injury, but will now join them on the shelf.

Senators Add Several To COVID Protocol

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Dec 27: Less than a week later the Senators have added Anton Forsberg to the protocol, leaving the team without any active goaltenders on the roster. With postponements already announced yesterday, the team is not scheduled to play again until Friday.

Dec 21: The Ottawa Senators have added goaltender Filip Gustavsson, head coach D.J. Smith, video coach Mike King and three members of the team’s support staff to the COVID protocol. While the team is doesn’t have any games left this week, absences like this could leak over into the post-holiday schedule.

While Smith’s availability is obviously important, it’s Gustavsson’s placement that might be the most disappointing. The young netminder certainly doesn’t need to miss any time during this crucial development season, his first with regular playing time in the NHL.

With him out, it will be interesting to see if Matt Murray gets the call back to the NHL, something the Senators had promised would eventually happen after he was sent down earlier this season. Murray has a .918 save percentage in the minor leagues, but it’s been in only two appearances as he has dealt with injuries.

The Senators already dealt with a serious outbreak earlier this season, hopefully, this one will remain contained to just a few people.

Hintz, Lindell Added To COVID Protocol

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The Dallas Stars have two more names for the COVID list, as both Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell have been placed in the protocol. They join Jani Hakanpaa, who went in before Christmas, and Radek Faksa, Miro Heiskanen, Joel Kiviranta, Michael Raffl, and Jason Robertson who all entered yesterday. Two of the team’s support staff are also in the protocol.

Dallas is expected to return to action on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, but like everywhere else in the league right now, that game could obviously be postponed at any moment. The Stars obviously have an outbreak of their own and are now down eight players from their active roster. That includes a huge swathe of defensemen, certainly making it difficult to field a competitive group in the coming days.

The team is practicing today but according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, it is closed to the media. The team is also not holding any media availability for the time being as they try to get things under control.

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