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Flyers Place Jackson Cates, Nick Seeler In COVID Protocol

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The Philadelphia Flyers will be without a pair of depth players for a short while as rookie forward Jackson Cates and veteran defenseman Nick Seeler have landed on the COVID Protocol list. The team announced that the duo and one staff member have entered the protocol.

The Flyers are currently on a west coast road trip, making the situation all the more complicated. The team still has to face the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night before returning to Philadelphia for a rivalry match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. It is unlikely that Cates or Seeler will suit up tomorrow and depending on the impact that their predicament will have on travel, not to mention the possibility of a positive test and thus an extended absence, the Penguins game and beyond may also be in doubt.

Seeler has been a frequent recall of the Flyers this season, playing in 23 games. Although his role and his impact on the scoreboard have been minimal, Seeler has still been a reliable option to plug into the lineup – until now. Cates is in his first full pro season out of the University of Minnesota Duluth and has one point in four games so far in Philly. Cates too has played a minimal role, but the rookie has been automatic at the face-off dot and could be in line for more opportunity once he returns to action.

Calgary Flames’ Arena Construction Deal Terminated

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The Coronavirus pandemic has claimed another victim. The long-awaited construction of a new arena for the Calgary Flames will no longer begin this year. Instead, the deal is dead. CBC reports that the agreement between the city of Calgary and owners of the Flames on a new arena has officially been terminated. A project that began gaining steam back in 2017, was finalized in 2019, was set to begin construction in 2022, and set to open in 2024 is now completely erased and the Flames are back to square one.

The $600MM project has hit some funding roadblocks along the way as both the city and ownership group have suffered losses during the pandemic. This past summer, with inevitable construction delays on the way, the initial agreement was amended, groundbreaking was pushed to 2022, and the Flames took on an additional $12.5MM in costs. Yet, it seemed like the plan was still on track. However, Calgary mayor Jyodi Gondek stated last month that the team had informed the city that they could not proceed with the agreement as currently constituted. Today, the city announced that the termination of the agreement had been made official due to “unresolved issues”.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that the two sides already contributed $20-25MM into the project, which is now all for not. The city is set to discuss the situation further in the near future, while there has been no word from the Flames side. Today’s announcement did imply that there was no possibility of reformation of any part of the deal, but with financial commitments already made and a concrete plan hammered out, hopefully some semblance of an alternative path forward can be reached.

Otherwise, where the Flames go from here will become a pressing issue in Calgary. The team will continue to play at the Saddledome in the interim, but the old arena is severely outdated and in need of renovations – or replacement, as the team had hoped. Back in 2017, Flames CEO Ken King even publicly threatened relocation of the franchise if the city of Calgary would not help to fund the arena. It then took several years of often heated negotiations for the two sides to reach an agreement. If they have to start from scratch now, the future of the team in Calgary could be cast back into doubt.

Jeremy Lauzon, Alex Wennberg Placed In COVID Protocol

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Jan 3: The Kraken have now added Alexander Wennberg to the protocol, joining Lauzon. The team already had their upcoming game against the Ottawa Senators postponed, meaning they will have time to get both back before their next game on January 10, should they test out of the protocol.

Jan 1: The Seattle Kraken have Vince Dunn and Ryan Donato back from the COVID protocol today as they took morning skate, but it’s not back to full strength just yet. The team still has Mason Appleton unavailable and he’ll now be joined on the sidelines by Jeremy Lauzon, who has entered the protocol today.

Lauzon, 24, was the Kraken pick from Boston in the expansion draft and he has played 27 games for the team this season. A second-round selection from 2015, the young defenseman still hasn’t quite come into his own at the NHL level. He does provide a level of physical play that the Kraken defense has become known for, ranking third on the team in hits and first in penalty minutes, but Lauzon has just five points so far on the year.

Notably, Lauzon has avoided Group VI unrestricted free agency by landing a regular gig with the Kraken to start the year. He had just 76 matches to his name before this season, with 80 being the threshold to avoid UFA status. Instead, he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer coming off his two-year deal from 2020. Arbitration-eligible, a good showing this season could result in a healthy raise should the Kraken decide he’s worthy of a qualifying offer.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Greeley, Wild

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The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Jordan Kyrou taking home the top spot. The St. Louis Blues forward had seven points in two games, including a four-point effort in the Winter Classic. With 79 points in 128 career games, including 32 in 29 this season, the 2016 second-round pick is establishing himself as a top offensive performer in the NHL.

Second and third place went to Jack Hughes and Jonathan Huberdeau respectively, after their own outstanding weeks. The New Jersey Devils center had eight points in three games and figured into two more overtime victories for the club. Huberdeau meanwhile continues his incredible run and is now up to 41 points in 32 games this season.

  • The Dallas Stars have hired Steve Greeley as their new Director of Hockey Strategy/Scouting and Development, bringing him in to oversee the club’s analytics department. Greeley was previously an assistant general manager with the Buffalo Sabres under Jason Botterill and an assistant director of player personnel with the New York Rangers.
  • The Minnesota Wild may be giving a young prospect their first chance at the NHL level, as Michael Russo of The Athletic tweets Matt Boldy and/or Marco Rossi could be coming up for Thursday’s game. The Wild placed Jordan Greenway in the COVID protocol today and are already without Joel Eriksson Ek. Boldy, as Russo points out, is the only top-20 pick from 2019 yet to play in an NHL game, while Rossi is only a year removed from his myocarditis diagnosis which put his career on pause.

Senators-Kraken Game Postponed

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The NHL has postponed another match, this time between the Ottawa Senators and Seattle Kraken on January 6. The Senators placed several new players in the COVID protocol earlier today.

By postponing this game, the Senators are now off until January 8, at which point they should have several players back from the protocol. This is not the first time that Ottawa has dealt with postponements; quite the opposite, in fact, as the team has seen games rescheduled for both COVID outbreaks and attendance restrictions.

The Kraken are now off even longer, as they don’t have another game scheduled until a week from now. That means they will have played just three games between December 18 and January 10.

There have been more than 90 postponements so far through the first half of the season.

James Neal Clears Waivers

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Jan 3: Neal has cleared waivers according to Friedman meaning he can now be sent to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Jan 2: The St. Louis Blues placed forward James Neal on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Neal did have an impressive training camp with the Blues which led to a one-year, league-minimum contract, but he hasn’t retained that same magic in the regular season. The embattled former 40-goal scorer has just two goals and two assists through 17 games this season.

With the Blues continuing to get back to full health, there’s no clear spot for Neal at the NHL level anymore. He’s been surpassed on the depth chart by names like Logan Brown and Klim Kostin, making him expendable.

Teams have until 1 p.m. CT tomorrow to put in a claim for Neal.

Dallas Stars Activate 10 Players

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Jan 3: The Stars have activated ten players today, leaving only Benn in the protocol.

Dec 29: The Dallas Stars have placed Jamie Benn, Luke Glendening, and Ryan Suter in the COVID protocol, raising their number of absent players to 11. The team has also placed an additional support staff member into the protocol, raising that number to three.

The new trio joins Radek Faksa, Jani Hakanpaa, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Joel Kiviranta, Esa Lindell, Michael Raffl, and Jason Robertson in the protocol, explaining why the Dallas games against Colorado were both postponed already. The Stars aren’t scheduled to play until Sunday, at which point they could potentially have some of these players eligible again.

With the NHL (slightly) relaxing the isolation rules, teams like the Stars could get players back after just five days, should they be able to provide a negative test. While that’s obviously not a guarantee, in this case, it at least opens up the window a bit for a quick return after ending up in the protocol. For the Stars, who are now missing four of their regular defensemen, it would certainly be a welcome change.

Kyle Okposo, Casey Fitzgerald Enter COVID Protocol

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Despite being on the ice to start Buffalo Sabres practice, Kyle Okposo has now entered the COVID protocol. He will not be alone, however, as Casey Fitzgerald will also enter the protocol.

It’s terrible timing for Okposo, who has rejuvenated his career this season playing under Don Granato. The 33-year-old forward has 21 points in 33 games, a total that has already surpassed his numbers from each of the last two seasons. In fact, Okposo hasn’t cracked the 30-point mark in a season since 2017-18, something he should easily do by the end of the year.

For now, if he tested positive he’ll be out for at least the next several days meaning in all likelihood he’ll miss Thursday’s match against the San Jose Sharks.

Sam Reinhart, Mason Marchment Added To COVID Protocol

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The Florida Panthers will be without two forwards for their next game, as both Sam Reinhart and Mason Marchment have been added to the COVID protocol. The team has also placed assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu in the protocol.

Reinhart and Marchment will be unavailable for tomorrow’s match against the Calgary Flames and, if they tested positive, Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, but shortened isolation periods could mean those are the only two they miss. Olli Juolevi, who had been in the protocol, was back at practice today for the Panthers.

The Panthers are also without Sam Bennett after his recent suspension, meaning they’ll be shorthanded as they head into a tough matchup against the Flames. Reinhart has been excellent of late, scoring 13 points in 10 games since the start of December and climbing to second place among all Panthers with 26 points in 32 games on the season.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/03/22

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There is just one game on the schedule for the NHL tonight, as the Edmonton Oilers travel to New York to try and slow down the Rangers. Edmonton is in freefall after a hot start while the Rangers are continuing to ride the outstanding goaltending of Igor Shesterkin. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • With Jake Muzzin expected to return for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Teemu Kivihalme has been moved off the taxi squad and back to the AHL. Muzzin’s return will likely bump Alex Biega back to the taxi after he played in Saturday’s game against the Senators.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Alex Barre-Boulet and Maxime Lagace to the AHL, giving the Syracuse Crunch a boost as players come off the NHL’s COVID list. Andrei Vasilevskiy made his return to the Tampa Bay crease last night, and though he showed some obvious rust, there’s no need for Lagace any longer.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Stefan Noesen and Alex Lyon to the AHL, moving them off the taxi squad for the time being. With the Hurricanes off until Friday, the pair can get in some time with the Chicago Wolves this week.
  • Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been activated from the COVID Protocol, but not back to the NHL roster. The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned the young defender to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he will be the next man up should a need arise on the NHL blue line.

Central Division

  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Tennyson to the taxi squad, adding another experienced body to the traveling group. The Predators are headed on a three-game road trip that starts tomorrow night.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Mikhail Maltsev and Hunter Miska to the taxi squad, while sending Trent Miner back to the AHL. Maltsev, 23, has 17 points in 23 games for the Colorado Eagles this season but is still looking for his first point with the Avalanche.
  • With Cam Talbot suffering an injury in the Winter Classic, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Andrew Hammond to the team’s taxi squad. Calen Addison, who was recalled to replace Jonas Brodin in the game, has also been loaned back to the taxi squad.
  • Riley Tufte is getting the call, but not quite to the NHL roster. The Dallas Stars have announced that the young forward has been moved from AHL Texas to the taxi squad. The hulking forward has played in five games with Dallas this season in a fourth line role, but has also flashed some scoring ability in the minors.

Pacific Division

  • Ashton Sautner and Spencer Martin have been sent back to the AHL from the Vancouver Canucks taxi squad, given the team doesn’t play again for another week.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have reassigned Jan Jenik from the taxi squad to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Jenik has suited up for three games with the ’Yotes this season, but only for about 20 total minutes of ice time and zero points. The young forward needs some more seasoning in the minors before he can make an impact at the next level.

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