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Blue Jackets Recall Kent Johnson, Place Damon Severson On IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets brought top forward prospect Kent Johnson back up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on Thursday, per a team release. To make room on the roster, defenseman Damon Severson has been placed on injured reserve. He is one week into a six-week recovery timeline from an oblique injury.

This season started on a rough note for Johnson, Columbus’ fifth-overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was scratched by head coach Pascal Vincent for the team’s season opener and received minimal ice time when reinstated into the lineup, posting three points in eight games while averaging 12:49 per contest.

After being a healthy scratch twice in the Blue Jackets’ first ten games, there was another blow: Columbus opted to send him to the minors for the first time in his career. It was an unexpected move after the 21-year-old notched 16 goals and 40 points in 79 games during his rookie season last year.

The versatile, skillful forward quickly showed he didn’t belong at a lower level of play. Through ten games with the Monsters, Johnson registered five goals and ten assists for 15 points, positioning himself as second on the team in points despite missing seven out of 17 games while on the NHL roster.

In the final season of his entry-level contract, Johnson will make his case to stay on the Blue Jackets roster for the remainder of the season. The pending restricted free agent will not have arbitration rights next summer and is owed a qualifying offer of $874,125.

In his draft year, Elite Prospects labeled Johnson an “artist” with the puck and listed him as the tenth-best prospect available. Dobber Prospects lists Johnson as the second-best forward prospect in the Columbus system behind 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli, who has a respectable ten points in 24 games to kick off his NHL career.

Severson’s recovery remains status quo as he’s not expected to begin skating for a while yet. He remains on track to return to the lineup around New Year’s Day.

Kraken Place Jaden Schwartz On Injured Reserve

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The Seattle Kraken placed winger Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve Thursday morning, per CapFriendly. Schwartz left Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks with a lower-body injury and did not return.

The move indicates Schwartz will miss at least seven days after sustaining the injury earlier in the week. Therefore, he has been ruled out of the Kraken’s next three games. The earliest he is eligible to return to the lineup is Thursday, December 7, against the Devils.

Schwartz, 31, had no points in his last five games after starting the season with eight goals, seven assists and 15 points in 18 games. Those 15 points remain tied for third on the team behind winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and defenseman Vince Dunn.

The Kraken have once again gotten solid depth production throughout their top nine, but the lack of a true superstar is beginning to haunt them after last season’s solid run. They sit with an 8-10-5 record and 21 points, fifth in the Pacific Division and three spots back of a Wild Card berth in the Western Conference.

Missing Schwartz certainly won’t help matters. He’s logged significant minutes for the team, averaging 17:15 per game, and his 53-point pace would be his highest total in five years. Despite the heavy usage and strong production, his possession numbers have left much to be desired – his 47.7% Corsi share is the worst among Kraken skaters with at least ten games played.

With Schwartz unavailable, recent call-up Marián Studenič will likely make his season debut tonight against the Maple Leafs. Moving Schwartz to IR opens up a roster spot for an additional recall from AHL Coachella Valley if the team wishes. They’re left with only 12 healthy forwards as Brandon Tanev remains sidelined with his second lower-body injury of the season but is still on the 23-man roster.

Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie, Mark Giordano Out Week-To-Week

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10:30 a.m.: Giordano is now listed as week-to-week, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters this morning (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN). He’ll miss significantly more time than just tonight’s contest, meaning Lajoie will likely stick around on the NHL roster for quite a while. Expect the Maple Leafs to paper him up and down from the AHL in the coming days to extend his waiver-exempt status.

9:34 a.m.: The Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies Thursday morning, per a team announcement. He comes to the NHL roster after Mark Giordano sustained a hand injury in Tuesday’s shootout win over the Panthers.

Giordano has not been placed on IR. He’s only been ruled out of tonight’s contest against the Kraken at a minimum, and it’s unclear how much additional time (if any) he’ll miss. With ample cap space for a recall, given they have $3.1MM remaining of LTIR relief, no corresponding transaction needs to be made to bring Lajoie up to the NHL.

Lajoie is not expected to draw into the lineup tonight. Instead, he’ll likely serve as a healthy scratch while Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins comprise Toronto’s third pairing. William Lagesson is projected to slide into top-four duties to play alongside Jake McCabe, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays. John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren remain on long-term injured reserve.

This is Lajoie’s second recall of the season after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency and subsequently clearing waivers in October. The 26-year-old has 71 NHL games to his name, although he’s failed to play over ten games in a season since his 56-game rookie campaign with the Senators in 2018-19.

A strong skater and minor-league point producer, Lajoie spent the last three seasons in the Hurricanes organization, primarily with their AHL affiliate at the time, the Chicago Wolves. Last season, he captained the squad and posted 11 goals, 34 assists, 45 points, and a -2 rating in 63 games.

His start in the Maple Leafs organization has been underwhelming, recording five assists and a +4 rating through 14 games. Lajoie’s lone NHL appearance in 2023-24 came November 4 against the Sabres, recording a -1 rating, one shot attempt, and one hit in just 4:54 of ice time. He will not need waivers to return to the Marlies if his recall lasts less than 25 days and he plays less than nine games.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Chicago Blackhawks

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As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Who are the Blackhawks thankful for?

Connor Bedard.

Is there any debate here? Bedard represents the highlight of the Blackhawks’ roster for both the present and future. The 18-year-old leading the way with ten goals and seven assists in 20 games – on pace for 41 goals and 70 points – will be a repeated refrain throughout the next decade-plus. The team has struggled by design, not quite ready to emerge from their rebuild. Some veterans have stepped up to the plate to complement their star teenager. However, the leading point producer among those veterans, Corey Perry, is no longer a member of the organization after a workplace incident earlier this month resulted in the termination of his contract.

GM Kyle Davidson is a close second here. A strong performance at the 2023 NHL Draft in the later rounds has positioned the Blackhawks’ prospect pool even more robust than it already was. But make no mistake – this season is going exactly as planned. They currently rank last in the Central Division, remain in contention for a lottery pick in 2024, and have the rookie performance from Bedard that everyone expected.

Bedard’s strong play also serves the same role Patrick Kane had the past few seasons. His strong point production is boosting the numbers of the Blackhawks’ pending free agents, making players like Nick Foligno and Tyler Johnson likely to fetch better returns at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Jason Dickinson, also a pending UFA, may have the most value with 12 points through 20 games and a +4 rating, but he hasn’t seen much time with Bedard as a fellow centerman.

What are the Blackhawks thankful for?

A strong goalie trade market.

Multiple teams will be looking for help in the crease on the trade market. The Oilers’ need is the most publicized, but tandems for the Devils, Hurricanes and Wild have also stuttered. Those teams could look to make a short-term upgrade.

Luckily, the Blackhawks have one of the more appealing options in Petr Mrázek. While injuries and inconsistency have plagued him throughout his career, he has shown the ability to be a high-end tandem option in a good year. 2023-24 looks like one of those seasons.

With Mrázek in the crease, the Blackhawks’ record is 5-6-0 – much higher than it should be. He’s got a .906 SV% that remains above league average on a porous defensive team and has posted eight quality starts in 11 tries, according to Hockey Reference’s determination. He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $3.8MM that can easily be reduced via salary retention. There should be callers here. If the Blackhawks retain 50% of his contract to make his AAV $1.9MM for an acquiring team, they should be able to fetch a second-round pick. That would be quite the return on their investment after the Maple Leafs paid the Blackhawks to take on Mrázek’s contract by moving down 13 slots in the 2022 draft.

What would the Blackhawks be even more thankful for?

Signs of life from Lukas Reichel.

This season, the Blackhawks expected big things from Reichel, their 17th-overall selection in 2020. Behind Bedard, Reichel was supposed to anchor the team’s second line and build on last year’s strong showing, during which he notched 15 points in 23 games and put up nearly a point per game in the minors.

Unfortunately, the trains on the Reichel track have all come to a screeching halt. The German-born center/winger has scored just once in 20 games this season and has only five points overall, having a team-worst -15 rating and a 43.1% Corsi share at even strength that ranks near the bottom of the team.

The goal of this season is still development. With that in mind, it’s a bit confusing why there have been no reports of the Blackhawks considering assigning Reichel to the minors, especially given he still carries waiver-exempt status.

For now, it would make sense to keep him on the NHL roster on a performance basis. He’s one of the higher-ceiling players available to the team, and they’re in desperate need of secondary scoring after losing Taylor Hall for the rest of the season with a knee injury. However, given their place in their rebuild, that shouldn’t be the Blackhawks’ frame of thinking. Reichel’s development into a bonafide top-six forward needs to resume without haste. It would greatly relieve the organization if he could get things going one way or another as the calendar shifts to 2024.

What should be on the Blackhawks’ holiday wish list?

A clear, long-term linemate for Bedard coming into view.

Hall was supposed to be the solution to the above question. When the Blackhawks acquired him from the Bruins last summer, he had two years remaining on his contract and was likely to partner with Bedard for almost all of the 164 games he’d play in Chicago on that deal.

Injuries limited (and will limit) Hall to just ten games this season, after which he’ll be a pending UFA and is only signed through 2025.

Bedard is flanked by Foligno and Philipp Kurashev, the latter of whom has produced 12 points in 14 games. However, Kurashev is likely not a long-term top-line option, leaving the Blackhawks with more questions than answers about how they’ll fill out their top unit as they turn the corner to contention.

Could that linemate come in the form of U.S. National Team winger Cole Eiserman, a remarkable goal-scoring threat (25 in 19 games this season) expected to go second overall in 2024? Could it be more playmaking-inclined threats expected to go in the top ten of the 2024 draft, like Finn Konsta Helenius? WHL Spokane forward Berkly Catton? The options will be there for Davidson and company on draft day.

The only other internal option who’s a wing and carries a potential long-term first-line ceiling is University of Michigan winger Frank Nazar, who has 17 points in 16 contests this year after the Blackhawks selected him 13th overall in 2022. It’s important not to rule him out just yet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Kane, Perry, Near

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Yesterday, in a rare high-profile signing in the month of November, the Patrick Kane free agency saga finally came to its conclusion as the former MVP decided to sign with the Detroit Red Wings on a one-year, $2.75MM prorated contract for the remainder of the season. After recovering from off-season hip surgery, Kane took to the ice for the first time today with his new team, in hopes of being ready for game action in the near future.

Commenting on exactly that, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports that Kane will more than likely make his Red Wings debut next Tuesday, as the team takes on his hometown Buffalo Sabres. With three games in between, Detroit will conveniently match up against both of Kane’s former teams, playing the New York Rangers tonight, and the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow.

Even when he does begin playing in regular action, it will likely take some time for Kane to get readjusted to the speed of the game, especially against a high-flying team such as the Sabres. After appearing in 74 games last season, Kane has not skated in an NHL game in over 200 days, as his last game came with the Rangers in the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Other snapshots:

  • In a very mysterious and convoluted report from yesterday, the Chicago Blackhawks held a press conference regarding the team’s decision to terminate the contract of Corey Perry. After having been on unconditional waivers for the last 24 hours, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that Perry has officially cleared, and is now an unrestricted free agent. Although he is now free to sign with any team, it is incredibly unlikely that Perry will find a new destination given that his contract was terminated ’with cause’.
  • In June, long-time Commissioner of the Western Hockey League, Ron Robinson, announced he would be stepping down from his position at the conclusion of the 2023-24 WHL season. Seemingly having found their replacement as league Commissioner, Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that Dan Near will be taking over the role, and the league will announce the decision tomorrow. Near, who has been serving as a Global Senior Director with Adidas since January of this year, has previously served in the NHL’s league offices from 2006-2016.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Jordan Gustafson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vegas Golden Knights announce they have come to an agreement on a three-year, entry-level contract with forward Jordan Gustafson. Gustafson was originally drafted 79th overall by the Golden Knights in the 2022 NHL Draft and is currently playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.

Although he is still only 19 years old, Gustafson is now in his fourth season with the Thunderbirds, a major junior career that has been productive in more ways than one. In a total of 130 regular season games played for Seattle, Gustafson has scored 43 goals and 59 assists, while managing an extremely impressive +39 rating.

His best performance in the WHL playoffs came back in the 2021-22 season, as the fourth-seeded Thunderbirds went 12-7 en route to the WHL Finals, losing to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games. During that run to the finals, Gustafson would score four goals, and assisted on 12, while carrying a +9 rating through the playoff stretch.

Not only has Gustafson shown that he can score at a respectable rate at the junior level, but he plays well in all three zones. Showcasing his skillset mostly in the neutral zone, Gustafson has shown the ability to be a very productive off-puck player throughout his career in the WHL.

Shea Theodore Week-To-Week After Successful Surgery

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The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that top defenseman Shea Theodore is out week-to-week after undergoing a successful surgery. The surgery addressed the upper-body injury that has held Theodore out since November 22nd, although no other specifics were shared.

Theodore was in the midst of a fantastic start to the season, netting four goals and 18 points in 20 games so far this year. That mark leads the Golden Knights’ defensemen in scoring, despite Theodore missing the team’s last three games. In fact, the team’s second-highest-scoring defender, Alex Pietrangelo, only has nine points this season – half of Theodore’s total. Theodore also leads the team’s blue line in xGF% (expected goals-for-percentage) and ranks third in CF% (corsi-for-percentage), speaking to the prowess he’s had on the offensive side of the puck this year.

Theodore’s hot start comes in the wake of an impressive 2022-23 season, where the defenseman netted 41 points in 55 games, or 0.75 points per game. That was the second-highest point-per-game pace of Theodore’s career, only matched by the 42 points he scored in 53 games in the 2020-21 season. He has totaled 470 NHL games through his nine-year career, scoring 70 goals and 282 points. 417 of these games have come with Vegas, who took him from the Anaheim Ducks in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

Vegas is currently rostering ten different defenders, with Theodore and Daniil Miromanov on the team’s injured reserve, Alec Martinez currently day-to-day with injury and scratched, and Brayden Pachal serving as the healthy extra defenseman. Pachal slotted into the lineup while Zach Whitecloud was out with injury, playing in 13 games and recording one point.

Injury Notes: Chabot, Martin, Hamilton

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The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch shared that star defenseman Thomas Chabot will return to the lineup in the team’s Friday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Chabot has missed the last 10 games with a broken right hand suffered on October 26th against the New York Islanders.

Chabot has appeared in seven games this season, recording three assists, two penalty minutes, and a -1. He’s coming off a career year, scoring 41 points in 68 games last season. It was the second-most that Chabot has scored in a single season, with his career-high coming in the 2018-19 season when Chabot scored 55 points in 70 games. Chabot, 26, is in the fourth season of an eight-year contract extension signed in 2019.

Other injury notes around the league:

  • New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert shared that forward Matt Martin is close to returning to action, but that his activation from injured reserve was more precautionary than anything. Lambert said that forwards Simon Holmstrom and Cal Clutterbuck missed the team’s Monday practice with illness and were questionable for the team’s Tuesday night game against the New Jersey Devils. Both players suited up for the matchup – with Clutterbuck even scoring a goal – delaying Martin’s return.
  • New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff shared that there is currently no timetable for Dougie Hamilton’s return from an upper-body injury. He will remain questionable for the team’s Thursday night game in Philadelphia. Ruff also shared that center Erik Haula will be out against Philadelphia, and that Timo Meier returned to skating on his own on Wednesday.

Canucks Recall Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson, Send Akito Hirose Down

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin shared that the team has recalled Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson, while sending defenseman Akito Hirose to the AHL.

Irwin is the only one of the trio to not yet appear in the NHL this season. He’s instead spent 13 games in the AHL, scoring two points and recording 10 penalty minutes. Irwin is in his first season with the Canucks organization, signing a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the team on July 1st. Vancouver becomes the seventh franchise that Irwin has been a part of throughout his 11-year career. The 36-year-old defender was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Jose Sharks following his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts in 2010. He has totaled 461 career NHL games, scoring 93 points and recording 211 penalty minutes. He’s also appeared in 262 AHL games and scored 121 points. This season marks the first time that Irwin has played in the AHL since 2016-17 when he appeared in four games with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Karlsson has only played in one NHL game this season, going without a point but recording a +1. He’s also managed 17 AHL games, where he’s scored 15 points, a mark that ranks second on the Abbotsford Canucks. Karlsson joined the Canucks via trade from the San Jose Sharks in 2019, with Vancouver sending Jonathan Dahlen the other way. Karlsson signed his entry-level deal with Vancouver last season. The 24-year-old Karlsson was originally drafted in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Sharks.

These roster moves swap Irwin into the seventh defenseman role that was previously held by Hirose. Hirose has played in three NHL games and 11 AHL games this season and is still looking for his first point of the year in either league. The Canucks signed the 24-year-old at the end of Minnesota State University-Mankato’s 2022-23 season. He appeared in seven NHL games last year, scoring three points, and made his AHL debut this season.

Sabres Send Jiri Kulich To AHL, Jordan Greenway Set To Return

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The Buffalo Sabres have shared that Jordan Greenway is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday when the team takes on the St. Louis Blues. Greenway’s return required a player to be sent down, with Buffalo choosing to return rookie Jiri Kulich to the AHL. This move solidifies fellow rookie Isak Rosen’s spot in the NHL lineup for the short term, with Brandon Biro’s recent recall providing additional depth.

Greenway has missed a week of action due to personal reasons. He’s played in 19 games so far this season, recording two goals and six points. He’s also tallied 19 penalty minutes, ranking fourth on the Sabres roster in the stat. Greenway is in his first full season with the Sabres, joining the team midway through last season via trade. Greenway had previously spent six seasons with the Minnesota Wild, recording 317 games, 119 points, and 227 penalty minutes with the club.

Kulich and Rosen both made their NHL debut on November 25th. Neither player has scored their first NHL point yet, although Rosen did earn one more game than Kulich, slotting into the team’s most recent matchup. The duo has proven incredibly productive in the AHL, serving as the top two scoring leaders for the Rochester Americans. Rosen has scored eight goals and 19 points in 16 AHL games, while Kulich has netted 11 goals and 17 points in the same amount of games.

Biro ranks third in scoring at Rochester, with 12 points in 10 games. He has also played in two NHL games this season, netting his first two NHL goals and recording a +1. Biro signed with the Sabres as an undrafted free agent in 2020, following the conclusion of Penn State University’s 2019-20 season.

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