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West Notes: Toews, LaCombe, Spence

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews will not dress tonight when the team takes on the Boston Bruins (as per Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey). The 30-year-old will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury as the Avalanche will be looking to get into the win column for the first time this season.

Colorado has started the year 0-3 as they try to overcome a growing list of injury concerns. They will be in tough against the Bruins without the services of Toews. Oliver Kylington will take Toews’s place on the top pair once again alongside Cale Makar, while Sam Malinski will likely occupy Toews’s spot on the second power-play unit.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe took the morning skate with the team but won’t play tonight as he continues to deal with an illness (as per Derek Lee of The Hockey News). The 23-year-old has yet to play this season as he will miss his third consecutive game to start the year. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native signed a two-year $1.85MM extension with the Ducks in July and will likely compete with Olen Zellweger for a spot in Anaheim’s defense core going forward.
  • Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings scratched Jordan Spence tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings opted for a third pairing of Caleb Jones and Andreas Englund which is very telling given the commitment Los Angeles showed to Spence in the summer by signing him to a two-year deal worth $3MM. The 23-year-old has had an abysmal start to the season, getting pinned in the defensive zone regularly while struggling with turnovers. The Kings hoped Spence would claim a spot on their backend after Matt Roy departed to Washington in free agency, but his struggles have become too much for the Kings to ignore. Spence’s time in the press box will likely be short-lived though as the Kings are being throttled by the Maple Leafs tonight and are sure to make changes before they take the ice tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Nick Leddy Out Day-To-Day, Sundqvist Cleared For Contact

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy is being listed as day-to-day after having an injury surface yesterday (as per Lou Korac of NHL.com). The lower-body ailment kept the 33-year-old off the ice today as well making him questionable for the Blues game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders. Leddy blocked a shot against the Minnesota Wild last night that may have been the cause of the injury, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.

Leddy has not been good to start the season, as he and his defensive partner Colton Parayko have not had a lot go right in the first four games of the season. Leddy has been on the ice for a total of eight goals this season through four games and is -3 plus/minus with no recorded points.

In other Blues news, forward Oskar Sundqvist has been cleared for contract as he tries to work his way back into the lineup from an ACL tear he suffered back in March (as per Chris Pinkert of NHL.com). Sundqvist underwent surgery shortly after the tear and was expected to require six months to recover. The news that he is cleared means that his return should happen in the next week or two, putting him right on schedule to return.

Sundqvist returned to the Blues in the summer of 2023, signing a one-year deal with a club that had traded him just 17 months prior. Sundqvist did enough in his first year back with the team to earn a two-year extension worth a total of $3MM. It was less than three weeks later that he would suffer the ACL tear.

Metro Notes: Puljujarvi, McGroarty, Gudbranson

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic doesn’t believe that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi should be removed from the Penguins lineup again anytime soon. Puljujarvi was a healthy scratch for the Penguins back on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs after he had been good in the first two games of the season, posting one assist.

The 26-year-old returned to the lineup last night for Pittsburgh against the Montreal Canadiens and tallied an assist in just over 12 minutes of ice time. He has looked like a different player this season for Pittsburgh after having a full summer of training. Puljujarvi had been limited last season after having double hip surgery and was healthy scratched on numerous occasions. When he did play, he wasn’t impactful, posting three goals and an assist in 22 games.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic wonders if Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty might get some time in the American Hockey League soon after he was healthy scratched last night against Montreal. The 20-year-old has barely been noticeable so far this season, going pointless in three games while averaging just 11:37 of ice time per game. He has been decent away from the puck registering three hits and a takeaway while posting solid possession numbers. Pittsburgh has given McGroarty ample opportunity in the offensive zone, starting him in the offensive zone 75% of the time, but the former 14th overall pick has yet to show much of a pulse offensively at the NHL level.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that defenseman Erik Gudbranson will not return to tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers after suffering an upper-body injury. Gudbranson collided with teammate Sean Monahan in the neutral zone and was in obvious pain as he got to his feet. He appeared to be favoring his wrist when he left the ice and didn’t come out with his Blue Jackets teammates for the start of the third period. Columbus doesn’t play until Thursday against Buffalo and the Blue Jackets will likely have an update on Gudbranson before that contest.

Evening Notes: Myers, Dunn, Peterka

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers is dressed tonight for the Vancouver Canucks as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (as per TSN). Myers was injured in the Canucks shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday and was considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The initial reports were that the 16-year NHL veteran and the Canucks had dodged a bullet and given that he is playing tonight, that appears to be the case.

Myers has worked to improve his defensive game in recent seasons and is coming off his best season with the Canucks last year. The 34-year-old posted five goals and 24 assists in 77 games last season and was signed to a three-year $9MM contract extension on June 27th.

In other evening notes:

  • Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn took the pre-game skate with the team and is playing tonight against the Nashville Predators (as per Kraken reporter Bob Condor). Dunn had been dealing with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss the team’s last game against the Dallas Stars. He reportedly suffered the injury after taking a hit from Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno and has reclaimed his spot on the top pair as well as the first powerplay unit. Dunn has a goal and an assist at the start of the year but has struggled on the possession front in his limited sample size, posting a CF% of 40% at even strength.
  • Michael Augello of The Hockey News is reporting that the Buffalo Sabres are hopeful that they will have forward JJ Peterka in the lineup tomorrow night when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Peterka joined his teammates for practice once again, marking his second day in a row as a full participant after suffering a concussion in Czechia. The 22-year-old exited Buffalo’s 3-1 loss to New Jersey on October 5th after he took a hit up high from Devils defender Brenden Dillon. Peterka returned to the ice a few days later and worked out for almost a week in a limited capacity before he began to ramp things up. If he responds well to the extra work in practice the Sabres are optimistic that he can play tomorrow night.

Matt Dumba Out Week-To-Week

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Oct. 15: Dumba has been downgraded to week-to-week, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday (via the team’s Brien Rea). DeBoer confirmed that he’ll miss an extended period but won’t require surgery for the injury. Alexander Petrovic was recalled from AHL Texas earlier in the day to fill his spot. However, Dumba hasn’t yet been moved to IR, with Dallas having ample roster space for an extra defender without a corresponding transaction.

Oct. 13: Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Dumba is being called day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury in the first period of last night’s game against the New York Islanders (as per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News). Dumba was hurt during his second shift of the game when he was tripped by Islanders forward Casey Cizikas, and he fell awkwardly onto his right leg, which was pinned underneath him when he fell.

Dumba left the game briefly but returned to action, played six more shifts, and finished the first period, logging 6:02 in total ice time. The 30-year-old did not come out with the team to start the second period and missed the rest of the game. Dumba was ruled doubtful about returning a short time later.

After the game, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told the media that the Regina, Saskatchewan native will have scans taken on Monday and is considered day-to-day until they have more information regarding his ailment.

A former seventh overall pick, Dumba signed a two-year deal with Dallas on July 1st for a total of $7.5MM and has bounced around the NHL the past couple of seasons. He is no longer the impactful defender he was earlier in his career, but he remains a serviceable NHL defenseman, and his absence will create a hole on the Stars’ backend that is likely to be filled by Brendan Smith.

Morning Notes: Eriksson Ek, Roy, Aston-Reese

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Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek didn’t travel with the team to Winnipeg for tonight’s game against the Jets after he suffered an apparent injury in last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). Eriksson Ek was left bloodied after a second-period hit from Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson caught him on the nose. Larsson’s elbow appeared to catch the 27-year-old up high, forcing him to leave the game for the remainder of the second period.

Eriksson Ek attempted to return to the game in the third period and took one shift while wearing a bubble shield on his helmet. He left after one shift and didn’t return or get on the team’s flight after the game. Minnesota head coach John Hynes did not provide a post-game update.

In other morning notes:

  • Newly acquired Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy left the game last night during his Capitals debut (as per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News). The 29-year-old played his last shift about three minutes into the second period and didn’t appear to suffer any obvious injury. He ended the night playing just 8:39 and Washington announced he would not return near the end of the second period. Roy signed a six-year $34.5MM with the Capitals on July 1st and was expected to be a regular in the team’s top four. He missed just one game over the past two seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets forward Zach Aston-Reese left last night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury (as per Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda). The 30-year-old appeared to suffer the injury when he was hit up high during his first shift of the night. Aston-Reese was acquired off waivers last week from the Vegas Golden Knights and started the season on the Blue Jackets’ fourth line. The eight-year NHL veteran was hoping to secure an NHL role once again this season after spending almost all of last season in the AHL. Aston-Reese played just three games last year in the NHL with Detroit and remains a strong defensive forward, but brings very little in the way of offense. If he can’t play on Tuesday when Columbus takes on Florida, Dylan Gambrell will likely take his spot.

Evening Notes: Bennett, Lemieux, Filmon

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David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wonders if the Florida Panthers will turn their attention to signing center Sam Bennett after they locked up Carter Verhaeghe last night. Bennett is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent next July as he plays out the final year of his four-year $17.7MM contract. The 28-year-old had two goals in the Panthers season opener and is coming off three consecutive 40-plus-point seasons.

Last year, the Holland Landing, Ontario native registered 20 goals and 21 assists in 69 regular season games and was fantastic in the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, posting seven goals and seven assists in 19 games. Pagnotta believes that a new long-term deal for Bennett could cost Florida between $6MM and $7MM annually.

In other evening notes:

  • Carolina Hurricanes forward Brendan Lemieux suffered an injury in the team’s last preseason game and will miss some time (as per Chip Alexander of Raleigh News & Observer). The 28-year-old played quite a bit in the preseason and looked like a candidate to get more playing time this season after dressing in just 32 games last year as the Hurricanes 13th forward. Now, the undisclosed injury will force him to delay the start of his season.
  • The New Jersey Devils have activated forward Josh Filmon off Injured, Non-Roster and assigned him to the Utica Comets of the AHL. The 20-year-old was dealing with an upper-body injury all through training camp and appears back to health and ready to start his season. Filmon was a 2022 sixth-round pick and spent all of last season in the Western Hockey League with the Swift Current Broncos where he posted 27 goals and 40 assists in 64 games. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native will be playing his first full season of professional hockey this year but does have four games of AHL experience from 2022-23 when he registered a single goal with Utica.

Los Angeles To Host The 2025 NHL Entry Draft

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David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the 2025 NHL Entry Draft will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. The draft will be the first of its kind in the NHL as the league is moving to a decentralized model that will see the team’s management groups and scouting staff at a separate location while the prospects and their families will be in attendance in Los Angeles.

 The details have yet to be finalized but reports are that Gary Bettman is working on wrapping up the arrangements at the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater. The theater is close to Crypto.com, the home of the Los Angeles Kings who will be hosting the event. Bettman will be in Los Angeles in the next handful of days to finalize details alongside much of the NHL’s executives.

While the details of the NHL Entry Draft are starting to emerge, there is very little information at this time about where the NHL Awards will be held and Pagnotta even wonders if the show will take place in 2025.

The NHL has been taking their events to bigger markets in recent years and will be hosting the draft in Los Angeles for the first time in 15 years. The last NHL Entry Draft the Kings hosted was at the Staples Center (now Crypto.com arena) in 2010.

West Notes: Rantanen, Suter, Milne

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Colorado Avalanche reporter Adrian Dater wrote on his Substack today that forward Mikko Rantanen has said that he won’t hold contract extension talks with the Avalanche during the regular season. This disputes a report from earlier this summer that the two sides were close to a new deal, and it also is in stark contrast to what Meghan Angley reported yesterday when Colorado general manager Chris MacFarland said he didn’t have concerns about the extension talks with Rantanen spilling into the season.

Dater cites NHL sources for his reporting, but it is possible that Rantanen’s camp is posturing and using the threat of his impending free agency next summer to create some urgency around Avalanche management. However, if Colorado does feel that they can’t re-sign Rantanen it will certainly make for an interesting season as they could look to trade the 28-year-old to one of the teams that aren’t on his nine-team no-trade list.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Thomas Drance of The Athletic tweeted that Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter is questionable for the Canucks season opener against Calgary this evening. Suter has been dealing with an upper-body injury and will be a game-time decision tonight. He practiced on the Canucks third line the last few days but doesn’t appear to be fully healthy to start the regular season. If he can’t go, then Aatu Raty will likely take his spot. The 28-year-old is entering the second season of the two-year $3.2MM contract he signed with Vancouver last summer and was a bargain last year, tallying 14 goals and 15 assists in 67 games.
  • The Minnesota Wild have activated forward Michael Milne and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Iowa. Milne was a third-round pick of the Wild back in 2022 and has yet to see NHL action in his first two professional seasons. The 22-year-old has dressed in 97 AHL games over the last two years, tallying 15 goals and 19 assists. Milne could be destined for Iowa’s bottom six this season where he will look to continue to be a force in the defensive zone and a puck retrieval machine.

Golden Knights Recall Brendan Brisson

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Brendan Brisson and he will reportedly be in the lineup tonight when they take on the Colorado Avalanche to open the 2024-25 season (as per Jesse Granger of The Athletic). The 2020 first-round pick will play on the third line with fellow winger Ivan Barbashev and center Nicolas Roy.

The 22-year-old didn’t make Vegas’ roster initially out of training camp but with the William Karlsson going on IR with an injury, it opened up room for the Golden Knights to make the recall and insert Brisson into the lineup.

The Los Angeles, California native had a run last year in the NHL with Vegas after making his NHL debut on January 15th. His offensive numbers were solid for a player who averaged just over 12 minutes of ice time per game, as he posted two goals and six assists in 15 games.

His underlying numbers weren’t sparkling, but they weren’t terrible either as he registered an even-strength CF% of 47.5% (as per Hockey Reference) while starting over half of his shifts in the defensive zone. He certainly appears ready to take a big step this year and utilize the offensive instincts that got him drafted 29th overall. The knock on Brisson is his strength and his skating, but there is no doubt that his passing and shot are ready for the NHL.

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