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Evening Notes: Quenneville, Warmups, Ehlers, DeMelo

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To describe the last year or so for the reigning President’s Trophy winners, in part, as a “coaching carousel” would certainly surprise those not following too closely along, but that is more or less a fair description for the Florida Panthers. It was just over a year ago that the then 7-0-0 Panthers fired head coach Joel Quenneville amidst the fallout of the Chicago Blackhawks scandal. Replacing Quenneville would be assistant coach Andrew Brunette, who lead the team to a 51-18-6 record under his watch, as well as a first round win over the Washington Capitals. Brunette would go on to be a Jack Adams Award finalist, but ultimately replaced by now head coach Paul Maurice. Brunette ultimately took an assistant job on Lindy Ruff’s staff with the New Jersey Devils, and many wondered if Quenneville might try to jump back into the mix, if he even could.

On today’s installment of TSN’s Insider Trading, Darren Dreger reported that Quenneville is hoping to return “sooner rather than later,” but how soon that could be is unclear. For one, Dreger says, the team hiring him would have to go through the Florida Panthers first. That may not be much of an issue, however Quenneville himself would also have to go through the NHL Commissioner’s Office to be cleared to coach in the league again. According to Dreger, some believe that might not happen until next season. Although that might be a while to wait for Quenneville, considering there had been speculation he may never return to the NHL, a return as soon as next season, just about two years after Florida let him go, may very well be a best case outcome for the coach.

  • Also from today’s Insider Trading, TSN’s Chris Johnston broke the news of an interesting new rule change: effective immediately, players must wear their helmets during warmups. The rule does come with a grandfather clause, allowing any player who made their debut prior to the 2019-20 season to continue to make that decision for themselves, however all players who debuted in that season or later, and all future players, must abide by the rule. Johnston adds that this rule was a recommendation from the NHL/NHLPA Committee on Concussions. While warmups are far from an injury magnet, it’s not unheard of for players to get hurt.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have been off to an impressive start this season, going 9-4-1 early on. However, behind the success have been some troubling injury concerns. Star winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was originally expected to only miss a few games, is still not an option for the team, and surgery is a possibility, added Dreger on Insider Trading. Dreger cautioned that nothing was decided yet, but Ehlers had had a few consultations with different doctors and that surgery could possibly be an option. That wouldn’t necessarily be a devastating blow to Winnipeg or Ehlers, depending on the circumstances behind it, but is far removed from the short-term injury it appeared to be at first. Dreger adds that Winnipeg, who is without forwards Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, and Ehlers, are hoping to fill the gaps internally, but could be considering some trade options.
  • Sticking with those Winnipeg Jets, defenseman Dylan DeMelo did not take warmups tonight and was instead replaced in the lineup by Kyle Capobianco. Swapping out one player for another is usually no big deal, but Scott Billeck of The Winnipeg Sun adds that while the circumstances are unknown, DeMelo is not playing nor is he healthy scratch tonight. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee DeMelo is hurt, but it is a point of concern worth following.

Tyler Benson Assigned To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Edmonton Oilers are now one step closer to getting forward Tyler Benson back in the lineup. The winger has now been assigned to the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, on a conditioning loan, says Bakersfield. It’s still unclear when the Oilers expect Benson to rejoin the NHL squad, however they will have 14 days with which to get Benson back into game shape and assure he can be fit onto the NHL roster. Edmonton currently has just under $3.6MM in available LTIR space, though Benson represents $750K of it, and 22 of 23 roster spots spoken for.

Benson’s injury came at a tough time for the 24-year-old who figured to make the team out of training camp as an effective low-cost depth forward. The winger has been working to establish himself as a regular in the Oilers lineup, playing in 29 games with the team last season. With Edmonton facing a tough salary cap situation this season, getting Benson back healthy won’t necessarily have the impact getting Evander Kane back in the lineup would, but should give the team an affordable player capable of playing NHL minutes.

At issue for Benson, a former second-round pick of the Oilers, is his production. In those 29 games last season, the winger had just two points, despite being an offensive force down in the AHL. In 18 games with Bakersfield last season, Benson had 12 points, as well as 36 points in 36 games the year prior, and a career-high 66 points in 68 games back in 2018-19. Edmonton’s need for affordable depth should give Benson another chance to prove he belongs at this level even after this injury setback, but he’ll likely need to shine this time around.

Snapshots: Allison, Huberdeau, Kravtsov

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As the Philadelphia Flyers look for building blocks for the future, one name that has seemed to be part of the answer is forward Wade Allison, who won a spot on head coach John Tortorella’s squad out of training camp. Unfortunately for the Flyers and Allison, the 25-year-old suffered what appeared to be a painful injury in Saturday’s loss to the Ottawa Senators. After throwing a hit on Ottawa’s Jacob Bernard-Docker, Allison fell to the ice and needed assistance getting off the ice and did not return to the game.

No update had been made available heading into this afternoon’s matchup with the Dallas Stars, the only clue Allison wasn’t playing being that he didn’t take warmups. However, The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor was able to provide an update part-way through the game. According to O’Connor, the injury doesn’t look to be incredibly serious and the initial prognosis is that the forward will not have to miss too much time, though things are subject to change. That update is surely positive news for Allison, as he looks to make him imprint on this next generation of Flyers.

  • Jonathan Huberdeau, who has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, skated with the Calgary Flames this morning, reports Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg. The nature of the injury had been a bit unclear, however Steinberg adds that Huberdeau said he had blocked a shot during Monday’s loss to the New York Islanders, causing his foot to swell up. The winger added that the foot is fine now and he plans to start wearing shot blockers on his feet going forward. Even though Huberdeau’s early performance this season has been underwhelming, Calgary will need him to produce if they want to get back on track themselves, and that won’t be able to happen until the superstar rejoins the lineup. Right now, the Flames are preparing to host the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night, but there’s still no official confirmation on Huberdeau’s return, though Huberdeau himself appears confident he’ll be playing, per his media availability. After tomorrow, Calgary departs for a six-game road trip which begins Thursday.
  • According to head coach Gerard Gallant, New York Rangers forward Vitali Kravtsov, who missed yesterday’s game at the Nashville Predators with an illness, will be out of the lineup tonight at home against the Arizona Coyotes too, as relayed by Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports adds that Kravtsov not only has the flu, but a dental issue as well, which necessitated a trip to the dentist this morning.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Andreas Englund

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The Colorado Avalanche announced that they have recalled defenseman Andreas Englund from the Colorado Eagles, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move has been announced. The transaction brings Colorado to 22 of a possible 23 skaters, according to their official roster page.

Englund, 26, has been in the Colorado organization since the start of the 2021-22 season, but has never played a game with the Avalanche. The defenseman isn’t much of an offensive force, coming into today with just three points in 12 AHL games to start the season, but has certainly brought a physical element to his game, recording 38 penalty minutes in those same 12 games.

Should Englund find his way into the lineup with the Avalanche, it would mark his first NHL action since 2019-20, when he played in 24 games as a member of the Ottawa Senators. Once a fairly well-regarded prospect with Ottawa, a second-round pick back in 2014, Englund spent four seasons in the Senators organization before departing North America entirely for the 2020-21 season. He would return for the 2021-22 season, signing on with the Eagles, where he impressed with 12 points, a +1 rating, and a whopping 103 penalty minutes in just 57 games, good enough to earn him a two-way NHL contract for this season.

Blake Coleman Fined For Slew-Footing

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The NHL and the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman was fined $5,000.00, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slew-footing Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois in last night’s game. That money will go to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred at 18:30 of the first period, as Coleman and Dubois skated together through the slot area. The two appeared to be tangled up, both falling and crashing into an unoccupied net. Upon a closer look, Coleman appeared to slew-foot Dubois. Both players were assessed a minor penalty on the play, Coleman for tripping and Dubois for holding.

Luckily for both team and player, Coleman was able to avoid suspension and simply earned the fine. However, this fine will go into his record and could be considered in future disciplinary cases, if any. Worth noting, Coleman has been suspended once before. That incident came back in October of last season, when the veteran was banned one preseason game and one regular season game for boarding Jets forward Jansen Harkins.

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Assign Mark Friedman To AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced this afternoon that they have re-assigned defnemsen Mark Friedman to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. No corresponding transaction was announced. The move leaves Pittsburgh with 22 out of a possible 23 men on its roster.

Friedman, 26, has spent the bulk of his time this season at the AHL level, recalled to Pittsburgh for the first time on Friday prior to today’s re-assignment. The defenseman has played 10 games this season, all with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he’s tallied two points, both assists, as well as a +2 rating. Friedman spent all of 2021-22 in the Penguins organization, suiting up for 26 games in the NHL, recording five points. The team signed Friedman to a two-year, one-way contract extension back in March of this year.

The veteran joined the Pittsburgh organization back in February of 2021 via waiver claim after the Philadelphia Flyers, who drafted him, chose to waive him. Interestingly, Friedman has spent his entire professional career in the state of Pennsylvania; prior to the claim, Friedman played parts of five seasons in the Flyers organization, primarily with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, their AHL affiliate, as well as 11 games with Philadelphia spread over three seasons.

Los Angeles Kings Place Brendan Lemieux On IR; Recall Jacob Moverare, Lias Andersson

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Prior to departing for a four game road trip, the Los Angeles Kings have made a flurry of roster moves on this Sunday afternoon, the team announced. First, forward Brendan Lemieux has been placed on IR with a lower-body injury. The team has also recalled forward Lias Andersson and defenseman Jacob Moverare from the Ontario Reign, their AHL affiliate. Finally, they have also assigned defenseman Brandt Clarke to Ontario on a conditioning loan.

It’s unclear what exactly the nature of Lemieux’s injury is, however the forward did play in the first two periods of yesterday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, but failed to return for the third period. As LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley mentions, Kings head coach Todd McLellan said the winger could be out a “little while.” Though he’s only tallied three points, all assists, in 15 games so far this season, Lemieux has been a welcomed, physical presence in the Kings lineup, notching 28 penalty minutes already on the young season.

Moverare, 24, has bounced between Los Angeles and Ontario quite a bit the past two seasons. The Swedish defenseman made his NHL debut in 2021-22, skating in 19 games for the Kings, but has yet to play in the NHL in 2022-23, despite being on the Kings roster at times. In eight games with Ontario this season, Moverare has a pair of assists. As for Andersson, the former seventh-overall pick has yet to skate in the NHL so far this season either, but has been off to a hot start in the AHL, scoring five goals to go with four assists in just 11 games. While he’s not the physical presence that Lemieux is, if Andersson can carry his solid play into the NHL should he get the opportunity, it could be an intriguing addition for the equally hot Kings.

As to the 19-year-old Clarke, he has not played in the Kings’ previous five games, but not due to injury. The defenseman’s play his been alright through his first nine NHL games, however after scratching him and not making lineup changes since, the Kings have turned in a 4-0-1 record. Although Clarke is not eligible to be sent to the AHL full-time (as he’s still junior eligible), Los Angeles was able to utilize a 14-day conditioning loan, allowing him to get into regular, professional game action with the Reign and still be eligible to rejoin the Kings in two weeks. In that time, Ontario will play six games, which includes a matchup with the San Diego Gulls this afternoon, which Clarke is eligible to play in.

Evening Notes: Senators, Flames, Othmann, Trenin

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Rumors that the Ottawa Senators were interested in adding a defenseman to bolster their blueline have persisted since the beginning of this offseason. Over that time, the team has brought in a few exciting forwards like Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat, acquired goaltender in Cam Talbot and saw forward Shane Pinto start to break out. Still, the team hasn’t been able to find the defenseman they were looking for. Recent struggles from the team have ignited those rumors even more, with the waiving of Nikita Zaitsev this week seeming to be the ’cherry on top.’ However, today’s Thomas Chabot injury has managed to heat things up even more.

On this evening’s 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night In Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Chabot’s status in relation to the injury was unknown, but that it could certainly accelerate Ottawa’s process to find another defenseman. Friedman adds that other executives around the league have confirmed that Senators GM Pierre Dorion has been “looking under every rock” when it comes to a defenseman. Still, Dorion may be hesitant, given the team’s situation, he could easily be handcuffed into a pricey move he may not truly want to make. On top of this, another reason Friedman mentions that could hold up a trade is the number of players who have no-trade clauses excluding most, if not all Canadian cities.

  • Many have wondered how the struggling Calgary Flames, who have lost seven in a row, plan to break out of their funk. Lead by what seemed to be a slump-proof head coach in Darryl Sutter, the Flames have been unable to win a game since their 5-1-0 start, no matter the change or tweak. Also from Friedman this evening, it appears the Flames have been actively looking for a scoring forward. However, Friedman adds, the team has been on that search since August, meaning it’s not the team’s poor performance that has necessitated that search, but instead an offseason objective yet to be fulfilled. Not having found the player they wanted this offseason, the team eventually signed forwards Sonny Milano and Cody Eakin to PTO’s, but released the pair after underwhelming training camp performances. Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike speculates that perhaps the team had hoped the scoring forward could be found in one of those PTO’s or one of the team’s young players, and with neither of those coming to fruition, the team finds itself once again searching for that asset.
  • There hasn’t been an NHL trade since the Ethan Bear deal on October 28th, and certainly no blockbusters in a while, but it looks as though a big time OHL deal will be going down. New York Rangers 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann is expected to be dealt by the Flint Firebirds to the Peterborough Petes, says Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek. Othmann, 19, is off to a red-hot start to this season with 11 goals and 13 assists in 16 games. Ironically, Flint is in Peterborough this evening to take on the Petes, however Othmann, who is suspended, did not play.
  • Nashville Predators forward Yakov Trenin will not play in tonight’s game against the New York Rangers, the team announced. According to the Predators, Trenin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old has one goal and three assists through 14 games this season.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel Suspended Three Games

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety this evening announced a three game suspension for Washington Capitals forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel as a result of an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Callan Foote. As the video accompanying video explains:

“It is important to note that both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this play. First, the head is the main point of contact, as Aube-Kubel’s shoulder makes direct contact with Foote’s head, and it is the head the absorbs the majority of the force of the check. Second, the head contact on this play is avoidable. Aube-Kubel chooses an angel of approach that cuts across the front of Foote’s body, missing his core and picking his head. If Aube-Kubel wants to deliver this hit, he must stay low and choose an angle that leads to a full body check through the shoulder and core rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact.”

The hit in question happened partway through last night’s game between the Capitals and Lightning in Washington. As Foote received a pass and dumped it in near center ice, Aube-Kubel, who was skating parallel to Foote, cut to his right, skating across and in front of Foote, where he delivered the hit. Aube-Kubel was assessed a match penalty.

The three game suspension is interesting, considering Aube-Kubel’s prior discipline history consists of just two fines over 178 career games, this constituting a substantial jump up in punishment. Worth noting though, beyond the nature of the hit, is the fact that Foote was injured on the play.

Carolina Hurricanes Place Teuvo Teravainen On IR

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7:54 pm: As Ruff reports, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked this evening how much time Teravainen could miss, the coach saying he believes Teravainen could “be out for a while.”

5:32 pm: According to Carolina Hurricanes’ team reporter Walt Ruff, the team has placed forward Teuvo Teravainen on injured reserve, retroactive to November 10th. No corresponding move was reported. The move leaves Carolina with just 21 of 23 available roster spots filled, but with approximately $7MM in available LTIR space.

Teravainen, 28, suffered an upper-body injury part-way through Carolina’s 7-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, forcing him to leave the game. Ruff had reported yesterday that the forward would not travel with the team on iss brief two game road trip, however the extent of his absence beyond that was unclear. Placing him on IR doesn’t necessarily mean Teravainen will be out long-term, but could allow the team to add an extra player should they choose to. After this two-game trip in Colorado against the Avalanche, then against the Blackhawks in Chicago, Carolina comes home for one game against that same Colorado team on Thursday before heading back out for another quick two-game trip that begins in Minnesota against the Wild next Saturday.

Although things seem to be firing on all cylinders for Carolina and a number of their key players, the same cannot be said for Teravainen. The veteran has just seven assists to start the season, two of those coming Thursday before being forced to leave. A natural playmaker, Carolina has come to rely on Teravainne for at least 60 points per season, which has included a career-high 76 points in 2018-19, and a very solid 65 points over 77 games last season.

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