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Archives for February 2022

Nathan MacKinnon Avoids Supplementary Discipline

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Though it had been reported earlier that Nathan MacKinnon would receive no discipline for striking the linesman in yesterday’s game with his stick, the league confirmed it with an explanation today.

The safety of our on-ice officials is, and has always been, of paramount importance to us. In this regard, we have always exercised a zero tolerance policy when it comes to any form of abuse of our officials. Last night, one of our officials was struck by a player with his stick immediately after a face-off. We immediately investigated the incident and, having conferred with the on-ice officiating crew and the NHL Officials’ Association, it has been determined that the player’s intention was not to strike the official but, rather, to initiate contact with the opposing player. Given this conclusion, it has been determined that no further discipline is necassary. This decision should in no way be seen as a diminution of our steadfast conviction to protect our officials. 

After losing a faceoff to Tomas Nosek of the Boston Bruins, MacKinnon appeared to slash the linesman while Nosek skated out of his reach. The Colorado Avalanche will avoid losing their top forward to suspension, while the 26-year-old won’t have to give up any of his salary or miss any games.

This event conjured memories of Antoine Vermette’s ten-game suspension in 2017, when he also slashed the linesman moments after a lost faceoff. In that case, Vermette himself confirmed that he deserved a suspension for his actions, admitting that while he was only “trying to get his attention” he did purposely make contact with the official. That is not the case here, where all involved appear to believe that MacKinnon was trying to hit Nosek, not the official.

Lane Pederson Clears Waivers

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Feb 22: Not only did the Sharks grab Dzingel, but Pederson has also cleared waivers according to Chris Johnston of TSN, meaning they’ll keep him in the organization. Pederson can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 21: Toronto is apparently on the way to San Jose. The San Jose Sharks have claimed Ryan Dzingel off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, just days after the team acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. To open a roster spot, the Sharks have waived Lane Pederson according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

When the Maple Leafs acquired Dzingel, they quickly explained that the plan was to put him on waivers and try to keep him in the organization as a depth option. His entire $1.1MM cap hit could be buried in the minor leagues, giving them an experienced NHL option to replace the outgoing Nick Ritchie. Instead, he’ll get a chance to jump into the lineup with the Sharks, where he’ll have to be kept on the active roster.

It’s certainly not like Dzingel deserves to be in the minor leagues. Though his offensive production has dropped off in recent years, he still is an excellent skater with strong defensive capabilities. In 26 games for the Coyotes this year he scored four goals and seven points, but perhaps could get a bigger opportunity with the reeling Sharks. The team has won one game over the last month, often scoring two or fewer goals in the process.

The last time an underused forward came to San Jose from Toronto, it certainly worked out for the new club. Alexander Barabanov ended up with the Sharks after 22 largely underwhelming games with the Maple Leafs and now is a regular in the team’s top-six. While Dzingel may not be able to recreate the 26 points in 41 games Barabanov has this season, he has performed to that level in the past and potentially could still be a nice addition.

The player he’s replacing in Pederson, meanwhile, has just not been able to create any offense at all this year. In 26 games, Pederson is still without a single goal and has recorded just two assists. The fact that he’s in the first season of a two-year deal that will be one-way in 2022-23, likely keeps him from being claimed on waivers.

For Toronto, the overall effect of the trade is Ritchie (and a draft pick) out, Ilya Lybushkin in, for roughly the same cap hit. The difference is that the defenseman will actually stay on the Maple Leafs roster, meaning as a net transaction, they’ve actually created a bit of cap space.

Andrew Ladd Out Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Arizona Coyotes will be without Andrew Ladd for more than a month, as the veteran forward has been ruled out for four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Ladd played just 1:13 on Sunday before exiting after a collision with Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening.

Ladd, 36, is just eight games away from reaching 1,000 for his career, after finding his way back into the NHL with the Coyotes this season. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has six goals and nine points through 42 games, averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night. That’s better than being stuck in the minor leagues or not playing at all, as he has for most of the past two seasons with the New York Islanders, where he suited up for just four NHL games since the start of 2019-20. Now facing a major injury, the veteran must go through a long recovery period once again.

Importantly, something like this could have an effect on a draft pick for the Coyotes. Should Ladd not play in 2022-23–he’s still under contract for one more year at a $5.5MM cap hit–but spend it on something like long-term injured reserve instead of retiring, the Coyotes would receive a 2023 third-round pick from the Islanders. That pick is not transferred if he plays a single professional game in 2022-23 on his current deal or decides to retire at any point before the 2022-23 season concludes. Basically, if the Coyotes are stuck paying him while on LTIR, they get an extra draft pick.

While a four to six-week timeline shouldn’t affect next season, all injuries for players like Ladd come with at least some risk of long-term effects. It’s been a long, physical career for the big forward, who traveled through Carolina, Chicago, Atlanta, Winnipeg, and New York before arriving in Arizona this season.

With him out of the lineup, the Coyotes should have Nick Ritchie added in short order, after receiving him from the Toronto Maple Leafs a few days ago. Ritchie has arrived in Arizona according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports but won’t practice today as he is still sorting through immigration issues.

Marcus Sorensen Signs In Switzerland

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If you wondered whether Marcus Sorensen could return to the NHL next season, the answer is clearly no. After spending this season with Djurgardens, Sorensen is headed to Switzerland after signing a three-year contract with Fribourg-Gotteron that starts in 2022-23.

Sorensen, 29, spent parts of five seasons with the San Jose Sharks, setting a career-high with 17 goals and 30 points in 2018-19. After the 2020-21 season came to an end with an unspectacular performance in 29 appearances, he took his talents back to Sweden. Even before he signed with Djurgardens though, there were still signs that Sorensen could compete at the highest level. He was a very strong player for Sweden at the World Championships, scoring four points in seven games.

He wore the “C” in the SHL this season and had 34 points in 35 games, showing he can still dominate at that level too. The National League in Switzerland will be a new challenge, and a three-year deal probably ends any chance he’ll return to the NHL before his career is over.

If that’s true, he’ll finish with 226 regular season games played and another 34 in the playoffs, all with the Sharks.

AHL Shuffle: 02/22/22

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The NHL has six games on the schedule for this evening, including the San Jose Sharks trying to halt a six-game skid against Trevor Zegras and the Anaheim Ducks. Every game that the Ducks lose is one more step closer to some tough decisions about pending free agents, adding to the excitement their young group brings every night. As they and others prepare for actions, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Gustavsson once again, as Matt Murray is not available to play. The veteran netminder and his wife welcomed a new baby this morning and will not dress against the Minnesota Wild. Gustavsson stopped 31 of 33 shots in his last NHL appearance a few days ago. Later in the day, the team also recalled Mark Kastelic and sent Dillon Heatherington back to the minors.
  • The Boston Bruins have sent Jack Studnicka down while recalling Jack Ahcan and Jesper Froden from the AHL. The Bruins are headed back on the road for a long trip out west, so likely want the extra defenseman along for the ride. Studnicka played fewer than 12 minutes last night against the Colorado Avalanche.
  • Joshua Ho-Sang has rejoined the Toronto Marlies after heading to the Olympics, though he still does not have an NHL contract in hand. The 26-year-old has 20 points in 27 games for the AHL club this season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Brandon Biro, as Victor Olofsson is not traveling with the team due to a non-COVID illness. Biro, signed out of Penn State in 2020, has yet to make his NHL debut but is dominating at the AHL level this season. With 36 points in 39 games, he is third on the Rochester Americans in scoring.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Jacob Moverare again, just two days after going down. The young defenseman has played in three games this season, his first in the NHL.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Hertl, MacKinnon, Devils

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One of the biggest question marks at this year’s Trade Deadline will undoubtedly be the availability of star San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl, who will be a pending unrestricted free agent this offseason. Despite an early-season surge, the Sharks aren’t likely to be in the playoff picture and although Hertl’s voiced his desire to stay in San Jose if the team doesn’t feel an extension is reachable, he could be on his way out for a nice return. However, while those contract talks have started, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the team hasn’t made an official extension offer to Hertl as the deadline is now just one month away. Pagnotta speculates that the Sharks should extend an official offer to Hertl within the next week or two, giving them an abbreviated timeframe to decide on whether or not to trade him.

Some more notes on this Monday night:

  • Eyebrows rose across the internet when a video of Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon seemingly slashing a linesman on the legs after the opening faceoff of their game today against Boston went viral. However, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet 590 says that he was told NHL hockey operations and officials investigated the incident, and no further discipline will be handed to MacKinnon for the play. That’s great for the Avs, who have already been without MacKinnon for chunks of time this season as injuries have limited him to 35 games.
  • Also according to Pagnotta, the New Jersey Devils could be active at the Trade Deadline, but not necessarily as a stereotypical seller. General manager Tom Fitzgerald could look to make a traditional asset-for-asset type of deal, and that’s not entirely surprising. The team’s been linked, by multiple reports, in recent days to the Vancouver Canucks, and could look to acquire either one of Conor Garland or Brock Boeser to improve the team’s waning depth on the wings.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Carter Hutton

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7:47 pm: PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports that the Maple Leafs are expected to loan Hutton back to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners for the time being. Considering the Leafs’ considerable depth at the position in the AHL, the move is such as to not separate Hutton from his family. In the unlikely event he’s needed, he can still be recalled to Toronto.

6:38 pm: Goalie Carter Hutton is on the move from the Arizona Coyotes to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for future considerations, per the team. Hutton had cleared waivers today, meaning that he can be assigned directly to the AHL.

This is the second trade between the two teams within a matter of days. The Maple Leafs acquired Ilya Lyubushkin and Ryan Dzingel from Arizona in exchange for Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick, only to lose Dzingel on waivers today to the San Jose Sharks.

Hutton, now 36, played just three games for the Coyotes this season before going down with a lower-body injury. Healthy now, he’ll in all likelihood report to the Toronto Marlies, providing the organization with some additional goalie depth.

Hutton had an eye-popping .741 save percentage and 7.83 goals-against average in those three games with the Coyotes. With youngster Karel Vejmelka and mid-season acquisition Scott Wedgewood holding the fort admirably behind a weak Arizona team, Hutton’s place within the organization had faded away.

The acquisition is somewhat confusing, considering Toronto already has Michael Hutchinson, Erik Källgren, Joseph Woll, and Ian Scott in the minors.

Goalie Notes: Holtby, Hill, Varlamov

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Two of the four new names on Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s trade targets ranking are goaltenders, namely Braden Holtby of the Dallas Stars and Anton Forsberg of the Ottawa Senators. Holtby has had a nice bounce-back campaign in Dallas after being bought out by the Canucks last summer. In his 21 starts this season Holtby has a .912 save percentage and a 2.78 goals against average, strong improvement from his .889/3.67 marks in Vancouver. But his future in Dallas is clouded by the emergence of 23-year-old first-round-pick Jake Oettinger. (As well as the looming presence of Anton Khudobin, the goalie who led the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, in the AHL.) In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic, Stars General Manager Jim Nill noted that Oettinger has “settled in” with the Stars, and LeBrun also ponders the possibility of Dallas dealing a goaltender.

The Senators’ Forsberg joins Holtby on the list, in large part thanks to the resurgence of Matt Murray. As Murray has shined, Forsberg and his .916 save percentage in 21 starts for the club have become more expendable. Given the Senators’ status as a likely seller come the trade deadline, Seravalli calls Forsberg “perfect trade fodder” for GM Pierre Dorion. Like Holtby, Forsberg is also a pending unrestricted free agent.

  • Adin Hill has not played since a late January tilt versus the Lightning, and his absence looks set to continue. The San Jose Sharks announced that Hill has been placed on injured reserve as he continues his recovery from a lower body injury. As the Sharks sit second-to-last in the Pacific Division standings, Hill’s lack of recovery and placement on IR have to be seen as an unfortunate setback to add to his underwhelming first season in San Jose. 
  • As the Sharks battle Hill’s continued absence, the Islanders get one of their absent netminders back into the fold. The team announced that Semyon Varlamov has been activated from the COVID-19 non-roster list. Varlamov has a .916 save percentage in his 13 starts this season and figures to give the Islanders a boost as they attempt to build momentum in their long-shot chase for a playoff spot.

Cole Perfetti Moved To Injured Reserve

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The Winnipeg Jets announced three injury-related transactions today, including activating both Nathan Beaulieu and the recently claimed Adam Brooks from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Cole Perfetti has been moved to IR after suffering an upper-body injury last week against the Seattle Kraken.

Getting Beaulieu back explains the demotion of Ville Heinola yesterday and suggests that the veteran defenseman will finally get to continue his season. Beaulieu hasn’t played since January 27 and has just 19 games on the year, between absences from injury and illness. In the second season of a two-year, $2.5MM deal signed in 2020, when he does return to the action he’ll be jumping aboard a Jets team that is still scuffling along, unable to string together any sort of winning streak.

Winnipeg lost on Saturday night to the Edmonton Oilers, snapping a short two-game winning streak from last week. They’ll now take on the Calgary Flames today–a game that won’t include Beaulieu just yet–and try to snap the red-hot Pacific Division leader’s nine-game winning streak. Brooks is making his Jets debut on a line beside Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois after being shipped all over the league this season through waivers.

That spot had belonged to Perfetti, who has quickly shown that he is already a full-time NHL option. The 20-year-old forward has seven points in 18 games this season after being the tenth-overall pick in 2020. It’s not clear yet how long Perfetti will be out, but he has to miss at least seven days from his last appearance–February 17.

Philadelphia Flyers Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced several moves, including one that you don’t see very often. Carter Hart will be out for this afternoon’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an eye infection. His status is unclear moving forward, though there is hope that it doesn’t keep him out long. To fill the spot, Kirill Ustimenko has been recalled under emergency conditions. Meanwhile, Rasmus Ristolainen and Patrick Brown have both been activated from injured reserve, while Wade Allison has moved to IR to make room.

Among those moves, Ristolainen’s return may be the biggest. The veteran defenseman is a pending unrestricted free agent and could potentially be a prime target at the trade deadline. His health will likely determine how many teams are interested though, so getting him back into the lineup can only help the Flyers. Ristolainen hasn’t played since February 9 against the Detroit Red Wings where he logged nearly 24 minutes of ice time.

Overall, he’s averaging more than 21 minutes this season, his first in Philadelphia. The Flyers suggested earlier this season that they hoped to sign Ristolainen to an extension, though with the way the year has gone so far it’s hard to argue that a trade wouldn’t be more productive. Notorious for his poor plus-minus record, despite that statistic not inspiring much faith, Ristolainen is once again in the negative at -12 on the year. He’s been on the ice for 46 goals against at even strength, worse than all but 28 other defensemen in the league.

Still, the mix of size, skating ability, and offensive upside that the 27-year-old brings (along with the fact that he’s right-handed) will make him an interesting player to watch as the deadline approaches.

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