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Flyers Expected To Scratch Sean Couturier

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The Philadelphia Flyers are planning to scratch team captain Sean Couturier, per The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (Twitter Link). The scratching comes one month after Couturier was awarded the captaincy – becoming the team’s first captain since Claude Giroux’s reign ended in the 2021-22 season.

The Flyers also recalled forward Olle Lycksell and defenseman Adam Ginning on Monday, with both players expected to now slot into the lineup – Lycksell ahead of Couturier and Ginning ahead of Marc Staal.

Philadelphia will hope to find a spark with these moves, after an unconvincing 4-6-1 stretch over their last 11 games. They’ve been outscored 32-to-42 in that span, with Couturier managing just three assists. Lycksell will replace him, after recording one goal and six points over his last two AHL games. The 24-year-old winger has appeared in nine NHL games already this season, netting three assists. The appearances bring his career totals up to four assists in 17 games, though he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.

Ginning has also appeared in the NHL this season – stepping into the lineup on March 7th for a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers. It was the second NHL game of Ginning’s career, with the stout defender managing two penalty minutes, a -1, three blocks, and seven hits in the pair of matchups. He’s still searching for his first NHL point. Ginning has been a consistent piece in the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ lineup, where he’s totaled two goals, 13 points, and 82 penalty minutes in 56 games this season.

This is the first healthy scratch designation that Couturier has carried in quite some time, though it calls back to John Tortorella’s scratching of Kevin Hayes in December of last season. Philadelphia experienced a 6-3 loss without Hayes in the lineup, returning him to his usual role in the subsequent game. The Flyers will hope for better fortunes this time, as Tortorella is once again leaving a seemingly top-name out of the lineup.

Red Wings Recall Simon Edvinsson On Emergency Loan

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11:00 AM: Wings head coach Derek Lalonde has shared that defenseman Jake Walman (lower-body) will be unavailable on Tuesday, while Michael Rasmussen (illness) will be a game-time decision. Walman’s absence opens a top-four role for Simon Edvinsson, who is expected to slot into the lineup.

10:30 AM: The Detroit Red Wings have recalled top defense prospect Simon Edvinsson from the minor leagues. He will serve as a fill-in for the injured Justin Holl, who is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Holl’s injury qualifies Edvinsson’s recall as falling under emergency conditions, preserving Detroit’s limited number of remaining recalls.

It’s just the sixth call-up of Edvinsson’s career, with the 21-year-old defender playing in 11 games between this season and last. He’s scored two goals and three points in those appearances, adding 14 penalty minutes and a -7.

Edvinsson has continued to perform at a high level since being drafted sixth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. He currently leads the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins defensemen in scoring, with eight goals and 29 points in 52 games. He’s also managed 51 penalty minutes and a +5. Each of those stats represents improvements over what he posted in 52 games last season – his first year in North American pros – when he managed five goals, 27 points, 52 penalty minutes, and a -3. Edvinsson is one of two 2021 top-10 picks to not yet play out their NHL rookie season, joining Ottawa Senators prospect Tyler Boucher, who has yet to make his NHL debut.

While Edvinsson is joining the Red Wings lineup, there’s not a direct path to ice time just yet. Holl was serving as the seventh defenseman behind what’s been an incredibly consistent Detroit blue line, with all six members playing in at least 59 of Detroit’s 68 games this season. While that lineup is likely to continue forward, Edvinsson could represent an exciting spark plug for a Wings team that’s gone 1-8-0 over their last nine games, getting outscored 19-to-43 – though Edvinsson has just three points in his last seven games. The highly-acclaimed blue-liner will look to breathe life into the Detroit offense if, and hopefully when, he receives a crack at the lineup.

Jets To Be Without Rick Bowness Tuesday Following Medical Procedure

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The Winnipeg Jets will be without head coach Rick Bowness on Tuesday, following what the team described as a “minor medical procedure” (Twitter Link). Bowness has returned to Winnipeg to continue receiving treatment, with Scott Arniel slated to serve as interim head coach in his absence. It’s unclear if Bowness will be available for any of the remaining four games on Winnipeg’s east-coast road trip. The team’s next home game is on March 26th, against the Edmonton Oilers.

Bowness has commanded an impressive Jets lineup this season. They’ve allowed the fewest goals in the league this season and found a particularly strong groove since February, going 13-7-0 in their last 20 games. These strong performances have come despite the absences of key players, including Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabriel Vilardi. The Jets have persevered, largely thanks to their latest trade acquisitions. Sean Monahan has eight goals and 13 points in 19 games with the Jets, while Tyler Toffoli staked his claim in Winnipeg with a dominant two-goal, three-point performance on Sunday, bringing him to four goals and five points in his first four games with the club.

The Jets will look to continue that momentum behind associate coach Scott Arniel, who joined the Jets to start the 2022-23 season, after 11 seasons in the Metropolitan Division. Arniel has taken over for Bowness in the past, serving as interim head coach when Bowness stepped away earlier this season. He hasn’t shed the “interim” title since 2010 when he served as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets for a brief 123 games. Arniel has also served five years as an AHL head coach, recording a combined 218-136-42 record with the Manitoba Moose and Chicago Wolves. Arniel previously played in 730 career NHL games, including 406 games across six seasons in Winnipeg.

Former Penguin Konstantin Koltsov Passes Away At 42

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Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Konstantin Koltsov has passed away at age 42, per Sportsnet (Twitter Link). Koltsov – the partner of top women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka – spent three seasons in the NHL, playing in a combined 144 games. He was originally the 18th overall pick in the 1999 NHL Draft, going in the same round as the Sedin brothers, Taylor Pyatt, Barret Jackman, and Martin Havlat.

Koltsov played in his rookie NHL season in 2003-04, after four years of playing in the KHL’s predecessor. He managed nine goals, 29 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a -30 while appearing in all 82 games that season, operating in a meager role on what was a very low-scoring Penguins lineup. The 2004-05 lockout would return Koltsov to Russia – and while he rejoined Pittsburgh in 2005-06 – recording nine points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -10 in 60 games – it was clear that Russia is where Koltsov fit in best. The Belarussian forward would make his Russian stay permanent in 2006-07, playing the next 10 years in the KHL before retiring in 2016 at age 34.

Koltsov totaled 617 games in Russia’s top pro leagues, scoring a combined 90 goals and 206 points across those appearances. This includes 14 goals and 25 points in the 2006-07 season, which marked his career-high in Russia. He also made appearances at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics, representing Belarus. Koltsov took on coaching in the 2017-18 season, serving as an assistant for Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk until 2019; later moving into an assistant role with Ufa Salavat Yulaev in 2021 – after playing in 264 games with the club as a player – a role he was actively serving in.

PHR extends its deepest condolences to Koltsov’s family and the Ufa Salavat Yulaev and Pittsburgh Penguins organizations.

Evening Notes: Hronek, Eriksson Ek, St. Ivany

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There’s always something to look forward to for the Vancouver Canucks, who now have full focus on extending defenseman Filip Hronek after extending star forward Elias Pettersson. This deal should cost the Canucks a pretty penny as well, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggesting in an appearance on CHEK’s Donnie and Dhali (video link) a cap hit within the range of $7.5MM.

Hronek has become a crucial piece of Vancouver’s lineup since joining the team at last season’s Trade Deadline. He’s not only boosted his own impact but made the players around him better as well – serving as the perfect partner for star defenseman Quinn Hughes. Both Hronek and Hughes have recorded a career-high in scoring this season, with 45 and 77 points respectively. The duo is playing upwards of 24 minutes each game – representing the only Canucks pairing averaging more than even 19 minutes of ice time. Hughes is signed through the 2026-27 season, carrying a $7.85MM cap hit. Vancouver will lock up their top defensive pairing for the future if – and hopefully when – they’re able to sign Hronek to a comparable deal.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Minnesota Wild centerman Joel Eriksson Ek won’t join the team for the final two games of their California road trip, getting held back by a lower-body injury per The Athletic’s Michael Russo (Twitter Link). Russo adds that Minnesota is holding Eriksson Ek out a bit longer, in an effort to be cautious with his injury. The 27-year-old centerman has missed Minnesota’s last two games. His next chance to return will be on March 23rd when the Wild host the St. Louis Blues. Eriksson Ek’s absence should continue to benefit Marco Rossi’s ice time, after the Austrian played a career-high 20:44 in the team’s last game.
  • Jack St. Ivany has been reassigned to the AHL, jumping back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL lineups on a few call-ups since Sunday. (Twitter Link). St. Ivany will hope to receive his NHL debut on his next recall, after serving as an NHL healthy scratch for the first time on Saturday. St. Ivany, 24, has four goals, 12 points, and 30 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games this season – though he hasn’t scored a point since a two-goal performance on February 14th.

Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov Suspended Two Games For Head Contact

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Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has been suspended for two games for an illegal hit to the head on Tampa Bay’s Conor Sheary. The hit came early in the second period and earned Kulikov a match penalty. It also voided what would’ve been Florida’s first goal of the game, with Josh Mahura firing the puck into the net immediately after Kulikov’s hit. The league explained that the hit violated both grounds of a suspendable hit to the head – with Kulikov making forceful contact with Sheary’s head on an avoidable hit.

This is the second suspension of Kulikov’s career, joining the four-game suspension he received for a low hit on Tyler Seguin in February of 2015. Seguin would go on to miss 23 days with a resulting knee injury.

Florida’s lineup has been incredibly consistent this season, with 14 different players appearing in 60 or more games. That includes Kulikov, who has carved out a strong role on the team’s third pairing, averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time through 64 games. He’s also managed 16 assists – his highest scoring-pace since the 2014-15 season – though he’s still searching for his first goal of the year.

Kulikov’s absence could pave the way for 22-year-old Tobias Björnfot to make his debut with Florida after the team claimed him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights at the Trade Deadline. It was Björnfot’s second waiver claim of the season, with Vegas acquiring him from the Los Angeles Kings. He’s managed three NHL games on the year between the two sin cities, failing to record any scoring. He’ll search for his first point of the year with Florida, pending any call-ups.

Rangers Recall Brandon Scanlin, Ryan Lindgren Week-To-Week

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The New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Brandon Scanlin from the minor leagues, with Ryan Lindgren expected to miss a “few weeks” with a lower-body injury, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Scanlin signed a two-year, two-way, $1.6MM contract extension with the Rangers in February, after a strong start to the year with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

Scanlin, 24, joined the Wolf Pack following the end of the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s 2021-22 season, recording one assist, one penalty, and a -1 in his first 15 AHL games. He more formally played his rookie pro season last year, tallying 15 points and 30 penalty minutes in 61 games. He’s managed to improve on both of those stats this year, netting 16 points and 39 penalty minutes in 57 games. Scanlin will now get a chance to make his NHL debut, after receiving the first call-up of his young career.

Lindgren joins team captain Jacob Trouba (lower-body) on the team’s absentee list, with both players week-to-week with injuries. That should give Scanlin plenty of time to slot into the lineup, though he’ll have to compete with veteran defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, who is currently serving as New York’s seventh defenseman. Ruhwedel has yet to make his debut with the Rangers since joining the team at the Trade Deadline, with New York sending a 2027 fourth-round pick back to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ruhwedel has managed one goal and four points in 47 games with Pittsburgh this season, a slight step down from the one goal and five points he managed in the same duration last year. His trade to New York ended an eight-year stint in Pittsburgh.

Afternoon Notes: Bischel, Marner, Lyubushkin, Regenda

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The Boston Bruins have returned to the well in South Bend, signing the University of Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel to a one-year, minor-league contract that begins next season. Bischel joins the Providence Bruins just one week after Notre Dame teammate Drew Bavaro signed a deal with the team. Bavaro – who signed an amateur try-out for the rest of this season, in addition to a one-year deal next season – has since played in the first two AHL games of his career, recording one penalty and two shots. Boston also acquired former Notre Dame captain Andrew Peeke at the Trade Deadline, sending Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Bruins are landing one of the top NCAA free agents in Bischel, who is a finalist for Big Ten Goaltender of the Year this season after winning the award last year. The 24-year-old netminder has served as Notre Dame’s full-time starter over the last two seasons, recording a combined 31 wins and .928 save percentage. He’s been dazzling for the Fighting Irish, earning the eighth-most wins and seventh-best save percentage in program history over his five years in Indiana.

Bischel now joins a Bruins goalie room filled with great talent, including reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, William M. Jennings Trophy batterymate Jeremy Swayman, and 2023 AHL All-Star Brandon Bussi. The Bruins reportedly tried to move Ullmark at the Deadline, though the esteemed netminder invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal. Boston could be poised to revisit those trade talks this summer, after bolstering their depth charts with this move.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is doubtful for the team’s Tuesday game against Philadelphia, per head coach Sheldon Keefe (Twitter Link), who shares that Lyubushkin is battling illness. Keefe also shared that star forward Mitch Marner continues to carry a day-to-day designation and won’t join the team on their upcoming two-game road trip. Marner has missed Toronto’s last three games with a high ankle sprain, while Lyubushkin may exit the lineup after battling through an undisclosed injury, and questionable designation, for the team’s Saturday game.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have sent Pavol Regenda back to the AHL after recalling him on an emergency loan on March 12th. Regenda played in four NHL games on the recall, recording no points, two penalty minutes, and a -1. He also managed four blocks, six shots on net, and 10 hits. The matchups bring Regenda to 19 career NHL games, though the one goal and three points he managed in 14 games last season stand as his only scoring. The 24-year-old winger also has 16 goals and 29 points in 39 AHL games this season.

Five Key Stories: 3/11/24 – 3/17/24

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With the trade deadline now behind us, activity around the NHL was much quieter as expected.  However, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.

Third Time’s A Charm? There has been plenty of speculation about NHL expansion or potential relocation with a handful of markets emerging as potential places.  One of those is a market that has had an NHL team twice before as former NHL player Anson Carter is leading a group that wants to bring a franchise back to Atlanta.  That market was home to the Flames from 1972 through 1980 while they also had the Thrashers, an expansion franchise, from 1999 through 2011 before the team relocated to Winnipeg to become the second iteration of the Jets.  The group has apparently been in talks with the league about this since 2019 but with no expansion on the immediate horizon (yet, at least), they’ll likely be waiting a while longer before trying to garner serious consideration.

Third Time’s A Charm? (Part Two): Senators center Josh Norris has had a hard time staying healthy with lingering shoulder issues.  He missed the beginning of the season while still recovering from the second surgery on his left shoulder and that same shoulder will cause him to miss the rest of the season as a third surgery is required.  Norris is an important part of Ottawa’s young core and is signed through the 2029-30 campaign at $7.95MM per year.  However, between this season and last, he only was able to play in 58 of 164 games.  There was no immediate word on how long the recovery will be from this procedure and if it will roll over into training camp in the fall.

Vilardi Out Indefinitely: When healthy, Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi has been quite an impactful player.  However, staying healthy has been a challenge.  Now, already on the shelf due to an upper-body injury, the team learned that the 24-year-old has an enlarged spleen.  Accordingly, his status has now been changed to out indefinitely.  Vilardi was arguably the centerpiece of the offseason trade that saw Pierre-Luc Dubois go to Los Angeles and he has made an impact when he’s in the lineup, collecting 30 points in just 38 games.  But now, Winnipeg will be without a key performer for the foreseeable future as they continue their tough three-way battle with Colorado and Dallas for the top spot in the Central Division.

St. Louis Takes A Leave: Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has taken a leave of absence from the team for family reasons.  He’s in his third season behind Montreal’s bench with the team playing to a 70-94-21 record in his 185 games at the helm.  There is no word on when he’ll be able to return.  In the meantime, assistant coach Trevor Letowski is serving as Montreal’s acting bench boss.  This is Letowski’s first experience running a team at the professional level although he has several seasons in that role from his days in the OHL.

Johansen’s Demotion Reversed: Earlier in the week, the NHL quietly reversed Philadelphia’s assignment of center Ryan Johansen to AHL Lehigh Valley.  The veteran was acquired for salary-matching purposes in a trade with Colorado earlier this month but was immediately waived and demoted when he cleared.  However, Johansen is dealing with a hip issue and since injured players can’t be waived, the 31-year-old won’t be permitted to rehab with the Phantoms.  There is no timetable for his recovery which is particularly noteworthy as injured players can’t be bought out.  With one year and $4MM left on his contract (more specifically, Philadelphia’s portion of his $8MM deal), if the injury lingers, they won’t be able to clear at least part of his contract off their books.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Guenette, Hamonic, Edstrom, St. Ivany, Pleshkov

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It’s been a busy St. Patrick’s Day for the transactions log, kicked off by the Ottawa Senators’ assigning of Max Guenette to the minor leagues (Twitter link). Guenette has been with the NHL roster since the first week of March. He’s since appeared in six games with the Senators, going without a point but adding one penalty and a -1. It was Guenette’s first extended stint in the NHL, after playing his second career game in the league in February. He’s still searching for his first NHL point, though he has managed five goals and 29 points in 49 AHL games this season.

Guenette’s assignment is a sign that Travis Hamonic could be nearing a return, says Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun (Twitter Link). Hamonic has been on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury since March 3rd. He previously missed five games ahead of the All-Star Break, bearing with an upper-body injury suffered in late January. He’s played in just 47 of Ottawa’s 65 games this season, recording six points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -9. Even if he is nearing a return, it’s not likely that Hamonic will take on a major role, averaging just below 15 minutes of ice time this season. Still, he adds the experience of an 840-game veteran to the lineup, replacing the rookie Guenette.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The New York Rangers have sent Adam Edstrom back to the AHL (Twitter Link). He was recalled to the NHL on March 15th under emergency conditions, though he hasn’t appeared in a game with the Rangers since March 4th. Edstrom has received the first 11 games of his NHL career this season and has managed two goals, two penalty minutes, and a +2. The 6’7″ bruiser has also added 30 hits, averaging the fourth-most hits on the Rangers lineup, behind William Cuylle, Matt Rempe, and Jacob Trouba.
  • Pittsburgh has also made a roster move, sending down defenseman Jack St. Ivany from his first professional recall, per CapFriendly (Twitter Link). St. Ivany didn’t receive his debut in his first stint in the NHL, serving as a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh’s Saturday afternoon loss to the New York Rangers. He’ll now return to the AHL, where he’s already managed 12 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a +14 in 52 games.
  • Hockey history has been made in Russia’s VHL – the league immediately below the KHL – when SKA-Neva took on AKM. The game went to five overtimes and 21-year-old goaltender Artemi Pleshkov carried a shutout until the very last shot, saving an incredible 124 shots. The 125th shot was too much, though, as Pleshkov and SKA fell 1-0 after 158 minutes of hockey. Pleshkov, who is undrafted in the NHL, has been fantastic this season, recording 12 wins and a .943 save percentage in 23 VHL games this season. He’s also managed a .926 in 10 KHL games, and a .947 in seven playoff games. His amazing game tops Alexander Borodulya’s 107-save performance in the Belarussian Extraliga – the previous record.

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