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Panthers Recall Rasmus Asplund

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The Panthers announced that center Rasmus Asplund has been recalled from AHL Charlotte. They’ve been rolling with an open spot on the active roster for quite a while, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Asplund, 27, will play in his first NHL game in 618 days this afternoon against the Lightning. He enters the lineup in place of winger Jonah Gadjovich, who head coach Paul Maurice said is unavailable due to an upper-body injury (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Center Jesper Boqvist is also day-to-day with an upper-body issue, so they would’ve only had 11 forwards on hand for today’s intra-state rivalry matchup without a recall.

Asplund is in his second season in the Panthers organization. Briefly an everyday player with the Sabres early in the decade, he fell out of a regular role in the 2022-23 campaign and, after an uneventful post-trade deadline stint with the Predators, wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer and settled for a two-way deal with Florida in free agency. After spending all of last season on assignments to Charlotte, he signed a duplicate extension aside from a slightly higher salary guarantee in late June to remain in South Florida and stay off last summer’s free agent market.

The Buffalo second-round pick back in 2016 was a decent two-way player near the bottom of the lineup in his days as an NHL roster fixture. The Swede posted 18 goals, 49 points and a -14 rating in 183 NHL appearances with the Sabres and Preds from 2019-20 to 2022-23, including a career-best 27 points in 80 games with the Sabres in 2021-22. He averaged over 14 minutes per game that season and posted a strong 52.8% shot-attempt share on a defensively challenged Sabres team, earning himself some outside Selke Trophy consideration.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up that play in more shutdown-oriented minutes at even strength the following season and has since ended up as a minor-league fixture. He’s been a decent top-six piece in Charlotte, posting 19 goals, 41 assists and 60 points with a -2 rating in 92 appearances over the past two seasons. He’s got 10 goals and 16 points in 25 showings thus far in 2024-25.

Asplund can remain on the roster for up to 30 days or play in 10 games until he requires waivers to return to Charlotte. It’s likely that he’ll be returned to the AHL once Boqvist or Gadjovich is ready to return barring an unexpectedly strong showing.

No Supplemental Discipline For Bennett's Hit On Neighbours

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  • Panthers center Sam Bennett won’t face any supplemental discipline for his hit last night against St. Louis winger Jake Neighbours, notes FanDuel Sports Network’s Andy Strickland (Twitter link). Bennett made his return to the lineup on Friday after missing a game with the flu.  He’s off to a solid start in his contract year, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists in 32 games, putting himself in good shape for a sizable raise from his current $4.425MM AAV.

Barkov Returns From Illness

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  • Panthers center Aleksander Barkov returned to action tonight against Minnesota, relayed team reporter Jameson Olive (Twitter link). He missed the last two games due to illness.  When healthy, the 29-year-old has been an impactful contributor with 29 points in his first 22 games; his 1.31 points per game average matches his previous best which was set back in the 2021-22 campaign.

Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov A Game-Time Decision

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has been announced as a “hopeful” game-time decision for the team’s Monday game against the Edmonton Oilers, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Barkov sat out of Florida’s Saturday loss to the Calgary Flames, and the team’s optional practice on Monday morning, with an illness.

Barkov has continued to be a pillar of the Panthers lineup this season. He’s recorded nine goals and 20 assists in 22 games, averaging out to a 1.32 points-per-game pace – the 13th-best in the NHL. He ranks 10th in the league in assists-per-game (0.91). Barkov has continued his defensive acumen into his 12th NHL season, recording a staggering 62-percent faceoff win rate and 1.72 xGA/60 – both among the best in the league as well.

It’s been an impressive year for the reigning Selke Trophy-winner, though he could now miss his 10th game of the season should he get ruled out tonight. When asked for more detail into the decision, head coach Paul Maurice told NHL.com, “Guys will play through anything, but sometimes it’s just not the smartest thing to do… If he says he can play, then I’m not going to monitor his minutes. We’ll get him out on the ice against one of their two big centermen as much as I possibly can.”

Winger Jonah Gadjovich stepped into a rearranged Panthers lineup in Barkov’s absence. He recorded one shot on net and two hits in 10:30 of ice time. Gadjovich has posted one goal, a -5, and 10 penalty minutes in 15 games this season while averaging the second-fewest minutes (7:29) on the team. Still, he’ll likely return to the lineup should Barkov sit again, with Florida not carrying any additional forwards.

Panthers Recall Mackie Samoskevich, Re-Assign Chris Driedger To AHL

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12/6: According to a team announcement, Florida reversed the swap before tomorrow’s contests against the San Jose Sharks. The news also means netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has returned from his personal leave.

12/2: The Panthers have made a pair of roster moves heading into tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Chris Driedger has been recalled from AHL Charlotte while winger Mackie Samoskevich has been re-assigned to the Checkers.

This is expected to be a short-term move for both players.  Veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky did not accompany the team on the road with his wife expecting to give birth to their second child in the near future.  Because Florida doesn’t have enough cap space to recall Driedger outright, Samoskevich, their lone waiver-exempt player, is the roster casualty to allow the team to remain cap-compliant.

Driedger rejoined Florida back in the summer, inking a one-year, one-way deal worth $795K to serve as their third-string option behind Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight.  The 30-year-old has played in eight games with the Checkers so far this season, putting up a 3.22 GAA with a .885 SV%.  Driedger has 67 career NHL appearances under his belt (35 of which came in his first stint with the team), posting a 2.45 GAA with a .917 SV%.

As for Samoskevich, the 22-year-old is doing well in his first full NHL season.  He has played in 22 games with the Panthers so far, notching five goals and four assists while averaging 11:35 per game.  His nine points put him in the top ten in scoring among all NHL rookies.  Charlotte is off until Friday so there’s a good chance Samoskevich won’t even suit up in the minors while on assignment given that he’s likely to be brought back up by the weekend.

Sergei Bobrovsky Out Tonight On Personal Leave

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  • It’ll still be a few days before Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the Florida Panthers. Katie Engleson of Scripps Sports reported the Panthers are hopeful Bobrovsky returns on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks but they’re prepared if he can’t. He’s currently on personal leave from the team as he and his wife, Olga, recently welcomed their second child.

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Panthers Looking To Add A Defenseman By The Deadline

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It’s never too early to start thinking about the trade deadline, despite being three months away. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic agrees, touching on what the Florida Panthers might do to improve their roster between now and March 7 (Subscription Article).

The defending Stanley Cup champions likely don’t have many complaints as they sit second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. The only glaring issue for the Panthers this season is the middling defense as the team sits 25th in GA/G at 3.20. It was always going to be difficult for Florida to recover from the departures of Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Still, they’ll want to add a top-four defenseman over the next three months.

The Panthers have some flexibility at the trade deadline with a projected cap space of $5.47MM. This should allow the organization to bring in a rental option for the home stretch of the regular season and the playoffs. Florida could get creative and look beyond this season for their blue line, especially considering that longtime defenseman Aaron Ekblad becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season.

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Anton Lundell A Game-Time Decision

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  • Chances are Anton Lundell’s availability for tonight won’t be decided until warm-ups. According to Colby Guy of the Associated Press, Lundell’s status is still in the air depending on his ability to see through a bubble shield after suffering a facial injury in the Florida Panthers’ last game against the Washington Capitals. The Panthers are expected to change their lines should Lundell not feel ready to go.

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Jonah Gadjovich Skates In A Regular Practice Jersey

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The Montreal Canadiens announced a last-minute scratch tonight as defenseman Mike Matheson was held out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The news came out just before the puck drop against Utah, Jayden Struble suited up in his place. Matheson skated with the Canadiens earlier in the day during the team’s morning skate but did miss practice yesterday.

Matheson’s absence will leave a hole in Montreal’s defense, particularly their power play where Matheson is typically the only defenseman on their top unit. The 30-year-old is currently averaging over 24 minutes a night in ice time and is third in team scoring with a goal and 12 assists in 20 games this season. Matheson had a career year last season, tallying 11 goals and 51 assists while dressing in all 82 games for Montreal.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich was dressed in a regular practice jersey today as he skated with his teammates (as per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post). The 26-year-old did not play last night against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Gadjovich has just a single goal this season and has only played 11 games due to a back injury that kept him sidelined for eight games in late October and early November. When the Whitby, Ontario native has dressed he’s played sparingly, averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers remain on the hunt for a top-six center (as per Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff). Philadelphia reportedly spoke with the Minnesota Wild earlier in the season about a potential swap, but nothing came from the talks, likely due to the Wild’s tough salary cap situation. The Flyers aren’t in a rush to make a move, which makes sense given the team’s timeline, however, they do have assets to make a move including draft capital as well as potentially using 2018 first-round pick Joel Farabee or Morgan Frost as potential trade pieces in a package.

Morning Notes: Peeke, Pionk, Goncalves, Kastelic, Tufte

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The Boston Bruins will soon receive some relief on the blue-line, with defenseman Andrew Peeke returning to the team’s practices per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Peeke hasn’t played since leaving Boston’s November 5th match against Toronto following a hit from Max Pacioretty that seemed to bounce Peeke’s shoulder awkwardly off the boards. He was ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury soon after, though participating in practice marks a big step in his path back to the lineup. Peeke isn’t expected to play in Boston’s Monday game against Columbus but could suit up when the team hosts Utah on Thursday.

Peeke was joined on the shelf by Hampus Lindholm, who’s week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The pair of absences quickly drained Boston’s top-four of its impactful, defensive stalwarts. Peeke rotated through the lineup when healthy, serving anywhere from 13 minutes in a sheltered role to 20 minutes on the top pair. He’s recorded two assists, 18 hits, and 21 blocked shots in 13 games. While not a thrilling stat line, Boston has felt every bit of Peeke’s absence – averaging the fifth-highest goals-against per-game (3.60 in five games) since he left the lineup. Upcoming matchups against Columbus, Utah, and Detroit should give Boston a chance to ease Peeke back into the lineup.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5K, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for “clipping” Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist on Saturday. Pionk went in for a hip-check but caught more of Boqvist’s knee than anything else. No penalty was issued for the hit. Boqvist nursed his left-knee for a while, but didn’t need helped off the ice. Pionk played 20 minutes in the 5-0 loss, going without any major stat changes – but still boasting 17 points in 18 games this season. He’ll continue to be a main fixture of the Jets lineup – and likely continue delivering heavy hip-checks – after avoiding suspension here.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have once again assigned forward Gage Goncalves to the minor leagues, after he stepped into a third-line role in the team’s Saturday night win over New Jersey. Goncalves played a career-high 15:32 worth of ice time in the outing, though he only put up two hits and one shot. Goncalves has yet to record his first NHL point, despite four appearances this year and two last year. He’ll return to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s already posted six assists in five games – the only Crunch still scoring above a point-per-game pace.
  • The Boston Bruins received a couple more updates at Sunday’s practice, with forwards Mark Kastelic designated as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and Riley Tufte expected to be sent to the minor leagues per Steve Conroy. Tufte played in 7:46 of Boston’s Saturday overtime-loss to St. Louis, with a -2 his only stat change. Tufte has yet to record a point in three games this year, though he’s managed three points in 21 career NHL games while serving as a go-to call-up since 2021. Kastelic has been much more productive – posting seven points in 19 games this season – while still serving a fourth-line role.

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