Capitals Promote Tim Barnes To Assistant General Manager
The Washington Capitals have promoted Tim Barnes to an Assistant General Manager position. He had previously served as the team’s Director of Analytics since the 2017-18 season, and filled an analyst role from 2014 to 2017.
Barnes graduated from the University of Calgary in 1989 and worked in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and financial industries. Throughout those jobs, he became one of the hockey world’s earliest analytics-bloggers, covering early advanced statistics under the pseudonym ‘Vic Ferrari’. Barnes covered an array of topics, but most notably invented the statistics of ‘Corsi’ and ‘Fenwick’ – which track shot attempts on net. Both values count all goals, shots on goal, and missed shots – though Corsi also tracks blocked shots.
The invention of Barnes’ two stats was, in many ways, the precipice of hockey analytics as they’re seen today. It brought shrewd attention towards the importance of generating shots, and dangerous scoring chances, that would eventually, directly lead to the creation of expected-goal models. Barnes’ website ‘timeonice.com’, now defunct, was also a main contributor in the advent of league-wide, advanced analytics tracking in the 2007-08 season.
To the world of hockey statisticians, Barnes’ hire in Washington was cause for celebration in 2014. That excitement will follow him as he takes yet another step up the org chart. He will become one of three assistant general managers in the Capitals organization, alongside Ross Mahoney and Don Fishman. Barnes will undoutbedly handle statistical oversight, while Mahoney handles Washington’s drafting and Fishman handles roster management. The three align with general manager Chris Patrick, who worked to the top chair himself after three years as an assistant GM.
Flames’ Prospect Henry Mews Suffers Season-Ending Injury
Calgary Flames prospect and University of Michigan defenseman Henry Mews will miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury, per Matthew Auchincloss of The Michigan Daily. Mews was on the receiving end of a knee-to-knee hit delivered by University of Notre Dame forward Sutter Muzzatti on Saturday. The hit came in the first period, behind Michigan’s net. Mews was on the ice for a moment after but did get to the bench and down the tunnel under his own power.
Mews is among the Flames’ top prospects. To many, he’s already outgrown his third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, after being highly acclaimed for much of the prior year. He’s a high-motor, offensive-defenseman who excels at pushing the puck down the ice and creating plays on the blue-line. That talent earned Mews 82 points in 68 OHL games last season, second-most of any OHL defender behind ‘Defenseman of the Year’ Sam Dickinson.
That standing made Mews one of the top CHL talents to commit to the NCAA following the rule change this summer. He was expected to be an instant impact on Michigan’s blue-line, and lived up to the hype early on. Mews had nine assists and a plus-five through nine games before going down with injury, including four points in four games against tough opponents Notre Dame and Western Michigan University. His aggressive offensive immediately clicked with Michigan’s downhill style, and Mews looked noticeably stronger and more confident defensively than last season.
He was riding a four-game point-streak entering Saturday’s matchup. His promising start makes a painful, and long-term, injury all the tougher to bear. Now, it will stick as the silver lining to a missed year, and fuel confidence in Mews’ ability to take on a top-pair role in his sophomore season. The Wolverines – who are carrying an unusual 11 defensemen on their roster – will most likely turn towards Anaheim Ducks prospect Drew Schock, and undrafted defenders Matthew Mania and Hunter Hady, to step up in Mews’ absence.
Blackhawks Recall Oliver Moore, Place Jason Dickinson On IR
4 p.m: In a corresponding move, the Blackhawks have assigned forward Landon Slaggert to the minor-leagues. Head coach Jeff Blashill told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that Slaggert was considered the odd-man-out as the team reworked their lineup to fit in Moore. The 23-year-old has struggled through five NHL games this season, posting no scoring and a minus-two, after missing the start of the year with an injury.
3 p.m:One of the Chicago Blackhawks’ top prospects is headed to the NHL. According to a team announcement, the Blackhawks have recalled Oliver Moore from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Making room for him on the roster, Chicago has placed Jason Dickinson on the injured reserve.
Much like his teammate Ryan Greene, Moore received an opportunity due to an injury. Greene has performed well during his time, leading the Blackhawks to keep him on the active roster for the time being. Although Dickinson is expected to be out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury, it remains unclear whether Moore’s current recall will be permanent or temporary.
Still, the Blackhawks must be feeling positive about Moore’s start in the AHL this year. The former 19th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has scored six goals and nine points in nine games with a +8 rating. Considering he tallied four assists in nine games to end the year with the Blackhawks last season, Moore appears NHL-ready.
Unfortunately, his place in the lineup is somewhat harder to predict. While he would complement Connor Bedard and André Burakovsky on the top line, the team seems hesitant to disrupt their existing chemistry.
Nevertheless, Moore is guaranteed to enter the lineup tonight against the Seattle Kraken, according to the team. They’ll likely start him in a fourth-line role for now, and slowly unleash him into the top-six should he continue earning the opportunity.
Central Injury Notes: Hintz, Duchene, Thomas, Zuccarello
The Dallas Stars will be without some significant talent ahead of the Western Conference Final rematch tomorrow night. According to team reporter Brien Rea, the Stars won’t have forwards Roope Hintz or Matt Duchene against the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night. Additionally, Jake Oettinger is also doubtful, given that he and his wife just had a child.
It’s more of the same for Duchene. The 17-year veteran will have missed Dallas’ last eight games due to an upper-body injury after tomorrow night’s contest. He’s only appeared in four games this year, scoring one goal and two assists with a 52.2% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Meanwhile, Hintz will miss his fifth straight game due to an undisclosed injury. He’s been a much bigger void to fill, given that he’s been a point-per-game player to start the campaign. Since Duchene left the lineup, the Stars have averaged two goals per game.
Other injury notes from the Central Division:
- In some positive news, the St. Louis Blues will return Robert Thomas to the lineup tonight. According to Lou Korac of the NHL, Thomas returned to practice this morning and was included in all line rushes. He’s missed the team’s last four games with an upper-body injury. Unfortunately, Thomas’s absence was notably evident, as the Blues lost all four contests.
- The positive news isn’t only isolated to St. Louis. According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, Minnesota Wild veteran Mats Zuccarello looks very close to returning. Zuccarello suffered a lower-body injury before the start of the regular season. Like Thomas, his absence has been noticeable. Despite leading the league in power-play goals, the Wild are only averaging 1.61 even-strength goals through their first 13 games.
Flyers Place Tyson Foerster On IR, Recall Emil Andrae
According to a team announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Tyson Foerster on the injured reserve, retroactive to November 1st. Philadelphia has recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a corresponding roster move.
Despite eventually returning to the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Foerster’s lower-body injury is from blocking a shot from Auston Matthews. He missed yesterday’s game against the Calgary Flames and won’t be eligible to return on November 12th against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flyers have already felt the impact of Foerster’s absence. Although the team is 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, they have lost two straight. Foerster, along with his linemates Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, has been the best forward unit for Philadelphia this year. The fourth-year winger has scored four goals and seven points in 11 games, averaging 18:18 of ice time per contest.
Replacing Foerster in the lineup, although indirectly, will be Andrae. The former second-round pick has already skated in two games for the Flyers this year, going scoreless. In fact, earlier in October, a report from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff indicated that Philadelphia may actually look to trade Andrae at some point this season.
Unfortunately, the Flyers’ schedule won’t get any easier without Foerster. The team will match up against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in his absence, both of whom sit ahead of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference standings. Still, despite being in last place, the Flyers are only one point removed from a Wild Card spot, highlighting how important the next month will be for playoff positioning.
Winnipeg Jets To Activate Adam Lowry
The Winnipeg Jets captain has fully recovered from hip surgery. According to a team announcement, the Jets will activate Adam Lowry from the long-term injured reserve tomorrow. He’s expected to suit up for his first contest of the season against the Los Angeles Kings.
Lowry’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Color analyst Mitchell Clinton reported earlier that Morgan Barron is expected to miss the next weeks with a lower-body injury. Now, Lowry can easily replace Barron on the team’s third line or push Jonathan Toews down one forward unit.
Winnipeg will have only missed Lowry for 12 games to begin the 2025-26 campaign. The team performed well in his absence, managing a 9-3-0 record while sitting in second place in the NHL’s Central Division.
Still, Lowry’s value to Winnipeg’s lineup can’t be understated. In the past three years, he has scored 41 goals and accumulated 105 points in 236 games, averaging 15:44 of ice time per game. Additionally, Lowry has achieved a 50.3% success rate in the dot while maintaining his ability to be one of the most physical middlemen in the game.
Factoring in his prowess on the defensive side of the puck, Lowry is a prototypical third-line center and one of the best at it. Once Barron returns from his injury, the Jets will have a much better-looking center core.
Atlantic Injury Notes: Nylander, Lorentz, Kulich, Zucker, Cousins
The Toronto Maple Leafs will get a major boost to their forward core tonight. Earlier today, TSN’s Mark Masters reported that William Nylander and Steven Lorentz were on the ice for Toronto’s practice. Further, multiple reports after practice indicated that Nylander would return to the lineup tonight.
Nylander has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last little while. Since the Maple Leafs’ game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 24th, Nylander has only appeared in one game, missing three. Still, he’s been more than effective when in the lineup, scoring three goals and 15 points in nine games for Toronto this year.
Meanwhile, there’s no word on whether Lorentz will return to the lineup this evening. He missed a few games in mid-October due to a concussion, and missed Toronto’s recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers due to an upper-body injury. This year, he’s registered four assists in eight games, averaging 9:56 of ice time per game.
Other Atlantic Division injury notes:
- The Buffalo Sabres had a few missing forwards from today’s practice. According to Heather Engel of the NHL, Jiri Kulich and Jason Zucker were absent from this morning’s skate. A follow-up report from Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio indicated that Zucker is dealing with an illness, while Kulich is dealing with some kind of injury. Neither forward is likely to participate in tomorrow’s contest.
- Despite leaving during the third period of last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, it doesn’t appear Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins sustained any significant injury. According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, the fourth-line veteran fully participated in the team’s practice this morning.
Metro Injury Notes: Capitals, Rangers, Hurricanes
The Washington Capitals took the ice for practice this morning, and there were a few takeaways on the injury front. A report from Sammi Silber of The Hockey News indicated that forward Ethen Frank had returned to skating in a non-contact jersey, while defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been fully cleared for contact.
Additionally, Silber shared that center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who’s considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, did not join the team for practice. All around, it’s mostly positive news for the Capitals, given that Frank and Sandin are the only two currently on the team’s injured reserve.
Since he hasn’t played since October 21st, Sandin has missed the most time of the trio. He’s tallied two assists in seven games for Washington this year, averaging 19:24 of ice time per contest. Meanwhile, Frank hasn’t played since the Capitals’ game on October 28th against the Dallas Stars after being reverse-hit by Mikko Rantanen. Despite the play looking relatively scary, it appears that Frank is on track to return sooner rather than later.
Other injury notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Peter Baugh of The Athletic provided updates on a pair of injured New York Rangers. Baugh reported that defenseman Urho Vaakanainen is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and wasn’t on the ice for practice this morning. However, in a positive update, Baugh shared that Vincent Trocheck has returned wearing a non-contact jersey. Although Baugh didn’t comment on a potential return for Trocheck, it at least shows that a return is on the horizon. He’s currently on the team’s long-term injured reserve and hasn’t played since October 9th.
- The injury news isn’t as positive for the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, defensemen Jaccob Slavin and K’Andre Miller have yet to return to practice for the Hurricanes. It’s another blow to a defensive core that’s been devastated by injuries to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Still, despite the unlikelihood of Miller playing in Carolina’s next game, he’s not expected to miss much more time.
Blues, Capitals Swap Corey Schueneman, Calle Rosen
The St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals have each announced a minor league swap of defensemen. The Blues have acquired defenseman Calle Rosen from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Corey Schueneman.
It’s a coming home of sorts for Rosen. The Växjö, Sweden native, joined the Blues ahead of the 2021-22 campaign and enjoyed some of the best individual seasons of his career there. In his three years with St. Louis, he scored 10 goals and 26 points in 73 games while averaging 15:03 of ice time per game.
Additionally, Rosen was a solid defenseman for the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. From 2021 to 2024, Rosen played in 108 games for the Thunderbirds, scoring six goals and 51 points over that stretch. Since leaving St. Louis after the 2023-24 campaign, Rosen has spent the last two years with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and Hershey Bears, respectively, scoring 11 goals and 41 points in 71 games.
In comparison, Schueneman has significantly less playing time in the NHL than Rosen. After starting his professional career with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, the Western Michigan University alumnus made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021-22 season.
Despite a seven-game stint with the Blues last year, Schueneman’s NHL career has been limited to two goals and seven points in 31 games for the Canadiens, averaging 16:10 of ice time per game. He’s had a far better track record in the AHL, scoring 26 goals and 116 points in 316 games with a +28 rating.
KHL’s Avangard Omsk Signs Klim Kostin
Klim Kostin is returning to a KHL organization where he has already had plenty of success. According to an announcement from the league, Kostin has signed a contract with Avangard Omsk for the remainder of the 2025-26 KHL season.
It’s been five years since Kostin played for Avangard. As part of the St. Louis Blues organization, Kostin spent the 2020-21 season on loan in the KHL, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 43 games. In the playoffs, he registered five goals and nine points in 24 games, helping Avangard win its first Gagarin Cup.
The former 31st overall pick returned to North America the next season, scoring four goals and nine points in 40 games for the Blues, and three goals and six points in 17 games for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. That was the end of Kostin’s leash in St. Louis as the team traded him to the Edmonton Oilers before the start of the 2022-23 season.
Undeniably, the 2022-23 season with the Oilers was the best of Kostin’s professional career up to this point. He scored 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games, more than double what he had scored up to that point. There was some belief at the time that Edmonton had found itself a quality young power forward for a relatively cheap price.
Unfortunately, that was surprisingly the end of Kostin’s tenure with the Oilers. Due to the growing cap crunch in Edmonton, the team moved Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto to the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. Kostin is the only one who played for Detroit, as the team chose not to qualify Yamamoto, who eventually signed with the Seattle Kraken.
Kostin failed to improve upon his impressive year with Edmonton, scoring three goals and one assist in 33 games for the Red Wings, averaging 8:55 of ice time in a fourth-line role. Although there’s no evidence of a trade request, Kostin likely asked Detroit’s management for a change of scenery given his lack of ice time. The team eventually traded him to the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline.
He finished the year strong with San Jose, scoring five goals and 10 points in 19 games to finish the season. He re-signed with the Sharks for the 2024-25 campaign, but finished the year on a disappointing note. Looking for a new contract this past summer, it wasn’t surprising to learn that Kostin’s preference was to return to Edmonton.