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Canadiens Recall Logan Mailloux

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The Canadiens have recalled defenseman Logan Mailloux from AHL Laval, according to a team announcement. There’s an open spot on their 23-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary. The call-up does come after No. 1 defender Mike Matheson left last night’s loss to the Kings with an upper-body injury, however. Kaiden Guhle is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team said later Friday.

Mailloux, 21, made his NHL debut in the final game of last season, posting an assist and a +1 rating with two shots on goal in over 21 minutes of action against the Red Wings. It came at the end of the right-shot defender’s first season in the pros, playing all 72 games for Laval. His 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points led Rocket defensemen in scoring and earned him a place on the league’s All-Rookie Team.

The 6’3″ Ontario native spent his junior career with the OHL’s London Knights. While spending his draft year on loan to Sweden’s SK Lejon due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was charged with defamation and criminal photography for “sending explicit pictures of a sexual act without the consent of his partner” (as written by CTV’s Daniel J. Rowe).

He was fined by the Swedish government and subsequently asked not to be selected in the 2021 draft but was selected by Montreal anyway with the 31st overall pick. He spent most of his post-draft year with OHL London out of the lineup, serving a suspension related to the charges, but had 53 points in 59 games the following season and led the league in goals from a defenseman with 25.

In regard to Matheson, the 30-year-old will be further evaluated today, the team said (via TSN). He had three assists and a -2 rating through Montreal’s first five games of the season. He’s coming off a 51-assist, 62-point campaign in 2023-24 that nearly doubled his previous career highs, cementing himself as a top-pairing threat offensively in the prime of his career with the Habs. He logged 25:33 per game last year, good enough for third in the league.

Mailloux will enter the lineup tomorrow against the Islanders if neither Matheson or Guhle can play.

Red Wings Recall Marco Kasper Under Emergency Conditions

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The Red Wings announced this morning that they’ve recalled center Marco Kasper from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. No corresponding transaction is needed with an open spot on the 23-man roster. Still, the move suggests an injury or other absence is pending for one of Detroit’s 12 forwards on the active roster, who all suited up in last night’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers.

Kasper, 20, was the eighth overall pick of the 2022 draft, a class that’s yielded just two players with more than an entire season’s worth of NHL experience thus far in Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovský and Utah’s Logan Cooley. The Austrian center went a tad ahead of his expected 10th-20th overall range, and he still needs to continue developing his offensive game if he’s going to warrant that high of a selection. He’s on the right track to start this season, though, posting a goal and an assist in two games for Grand Rapids after being limited to 35 points (14 G, 21 A) in 71 games in his first campaign with the farm club last season.

The one-time Champions Hockey League winner with the Swedish Hockey League’s Rögle BK has just one NHL appearance to his name so far, logging nearly 15 minutes with a shot on goal and three hits against the Maple Leafs on April 2, 2023. All indications point to him adding to that total against the Predators tomorrow.

Nonetheless, Kasper remains an extremely cerebral center with the defensive upside of a reliable bottom-six pivot in a worst-case scenario for his development. He was one of Detroit’s final cuts from training camp and should get multiple looks in the NHL this season, even if he doesn’t establish himself as a full-time roster fixture until next season or beyond.

Jared Spurgeon Still Dealing With Effects From Last Season’s Surgeries

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Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is still experiencing “soreness and stiffness” following back and hip surgeries that ended his 2023-24 season in January, which general manager Bill Guerin told reporters yesterday is why he’s missed their last two games (per Michael Russo of The Athletic). Guerin said he’ll miss their next three games at least but could join the team midway through their road trip and suit up by their Oct. 26 game against the Flyers. As such, defenseman Daemon Hunt has been brought back up from AHL Iowa ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jackets, Russo reports.

It’s not an entirely unexpected absence, and Guerin says it’s “part of the healing process.” Team doctors confirmed this week that while Spurgeon isn’t 100%, he hasn’t experienced a proper setback and isn’t in danger of missing an extended period, Russo relays. He’s expected to start skating again next week after staying off the ice for a few more days to “let things calm down.”

Spurgeon’s unavailability to start the year has given Wild head coach John Hynes a lack of right-shot defensemen to work with. Zach Bogosian and Brock Faber are the only two righties on the blue line on the roster with Spurgeon out, and Hunt, their only legitimate NHL recall option from Iowa, is a left-shot. His absence isn’t sustained enough to persuade Guerin and Hynes to pursue an acquisition. However, that will change if Spurgeon still needs load management in the back half of the season.

The 34-year-old is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so he’s likely dealing with more ill effects from the hip procedure than the back one. Regardless, it’s been a brutal stretch for Spurgeon, who finished top-15 in Norris Trophy voting in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The 2008 sixth-round pick of the Islanders has emerged as one of the league’s premier two-way defenders over the past decade. Over that recent dominant two-year stretch, he posted 21 goals and 74 points in 144 games, averaging 21:31 per night with a sparkling +64 rating. That last mark trailed only Devon Toews (+91) and Matt Grzelcyk (+68) for best in the league during that time.

For the 22-year-old Hunt, it’s already his third recall of the season. He’s only played in one out of Minnesota’s four games, though, and there’s no guarantee he’ll draw into the lineup against Columbus tomorrow with six other defenders available. The 2020 third-round pick had two shots on goal and two blocks while playing 8:01 against the Blues earlier this week.

How Do Recent Extensions Impact Igor Shesterkin’s Market?

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Since October 1st, Boston Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, Dallas Stars’ Jake Oettinger, Ottawa Senators’ Linus Ullmark, and Seattle Kraken’s Joey Daccord have all signed sizeable multi-year contracts with their respective teams. The ’white whale’ of them all, Igor Shesterkin, is looking to become the highest-paid goaltender of all time and it will be interesting to see the impacts of the recent deals on his market.

Shesterkin recently rejected an eight-year, $88MM contract offer from the New York Rangers and is reportedly seeking a higher salary than teammate Artemi Panarin’s $11.643MM AAV. It’s clear that he’s seeking a $96MM deal but could go as low as $94MM just to ensure he becomes the highest-paid member of the organization.

The recent comparables to Shesterkin are that of Swayman, Oettinger, and Ullmark’s contracts although many would argue he is in a league of his own. Each netminder signed for an $8.25MM salary with the first two garnering max term. There is a very reasonable argument that Shesterkin is better than each netminder listed but is he that much better to justify a nearly 50% raise on some of the better goaltenders in the league?

An eight-year contract for Shesterkin would take him to his age-37 season while the contracts given to Swayman and Oettinger will take them to 33 and 34, respectively. Shesterkin debuted in the 2019-20 season while Oettinger and Swayman debuted a year later. He leads the trio in wins, save percentage, and hardware while Swayman holds the lead in goals-against average.

He’s failed to backstop the Rangers to a Stanley Cup Final to this point but he has made two Conference Final appearances while the combination of Swayman and Oettinger have only reached one. His case for being the best goaltender in the game is a solid one but it’s going to be difficult for the Rangers to give him a $12MM salary despite the accomplishments. New York’s contention window begins and ends with Shesterkin between the pipes but they’ll still need financial flexibility to put complimentary pieces around him.

Shesterkin’s main argument, especially concerning Oettinger, is the ever-growing issue of income tax-free states. Doing some low-stakes math, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period asserted earlier that Oettinger’s take-home pay in Dallas, TX would be approximately $5.22MM after taxes while a $12MM salary for Shesterkin in New York City, NY would net him around $5.29MM. Factoring in the cost of living in New York compared to Dallas one could reasonably ascertain Shesterkin’s justification for his asking price.

At the end of the day, because Shesterkin is such a needle-mover between the pipes, one team will likely step up and give him $12MM a year on a max-term contract. There are few present concerns that the contract won’t be with the Rangers but the recent goaltender contracts may drive a further wedge between the two parties.

Atlantic Notes: Barkov, Fischer, Dach, Ullmark

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The return of the Florida Panthers’ captain is imminent. Colby Guy of The Associated Press reported earlier that Aleksander Barkov resumed skating this morning although he did not participate in the full practice.

Barkov is dealing with a lower-body injury suffered in Florida’s game against the Ottawa Senators on October 10th. Imaging at the time confirmed that Barkov did not have a fractured ankle putting his recovery timeline around two weeks. Given that it’s already been a week since the initial injury diagnosis, Barkov is still on pace to return later next week.

The Panthers haven’t struggled much in Barkov’s absence with a 3-2-0 record in five contests. They line up against the struggling Vancouver Canucks with a chance to take an early lead in a competitive Atlantic Division.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • According to a team announcement, forward Christian Fischer will return to the ice tonight for the Detroit Red Wings as they take on the New York Rangers. Fischer has skated in two of a possible three games posting no points while averaging 9:02 minutes of ice time per game. He left the organization’s game against the Nashville Predators late in the first period but the upper-body injury proved mild.
  • There are no long-term concerns for Montreal Canadiens’ forward Kirby Dach after missing the team’s practice yesterday. The organization announced Dach was a full participant at practice this morning and he will play down the middle on the team’s second line tonight alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia. Dach has tallied one assist in four games entering tonight’s action.
  • Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is poised on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning even though he did not start tonight against the New Jersey Devils. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported earlier that Ullmark participated in the team’s practice this morning and appears mostly recovered from a mild sprain that has prohibited him from playing in the last two games.

Defensemen Notes: Gudbranson, Durzi, Stanley

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The early prognosis for the upper-body injury keeping Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Erik Gudbranson on the injured reserve isn’t positive. Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff reports that Gudbranson is potentially set to miss months due to the injury but the team will have an exact timeline tomorrow after tests are performed.

It’s unfortunate news for an organization that can’t seem to catch a break. Columbus entered the season with injuries to captain Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov up front and will now have to contend with a weakened blue line for the foreseeable future.

The Blue Jackets will reintroduce veteran Jack Johnson into the lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres in Gudbranson’s stead rather than former sixth-overall pick, David Jiříček. The young defenseman was the obvious choice originally to replace Gudbranson as he hasn’t factored into any games yet this season. Despite being the second defenseman taken off the board in the 2022 NHL Draft Jiříček sits fourth amongst defensemen in his draft class in games played.

Other happenings from the blue line:

  • Earlier this afternoon, the Utah Hockey Club gave a vague injury update regarding defenseman Sean Durzi. The organization announced Durzi “would be out for the foreseeable future” with an upper-body injury without any additional context. Durzi’s prognosis could be similar to that of Gudbranson’s where the organization won’t have a firm recovery timeline until more tests are performed.
  • The Winnipeg Jets should get some welcome news regarding their back end shortly. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reported earlier that defenseman Logan Stanley was a full participant at practice this morning. Stanley has been rehabbing a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined for much of training camp and the regular season. Once he is fully healthy, he should have a home in the Jets’ bottom-pairing next to Colin Miller.

Colorado Avalanche Dealing With Multiple Injuries

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The Colorado Avalanche currently have the worst record in the league in the young 2024-25 NHL season and it appears the bad news will continue to pour in. Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette reports forward Jonathan Drouin will not play tomorrow night due to injury, joining defenseman Devon Toews. Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports followed up on Rawal’s report sharing that Drouin would “miss some time”.

Factoring in Valeri Nichushkin’s current suspension and the injuries to Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen — the Avalanche have nearly $28MM (31.1%) sidelined due to injury. Few teams have the necessary depth up front to cover that kind of blow and Colorado’s record is proof positive. Much of the blame can be placed at the feet of the organization’s goaltending who have allowed the highest goals-against-per-game average out of the gates and have combined for a -10.7 goals saved above average according to HockeyReference.

The offense has been fairly average early on this season averaging 3.25 GF/G but the Avalanche’s ability to outscore opponents is quickly faltering. The team has the benefit of deploying Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen who can carry their lines but the substantial issues are growing in the team’s bottom-six.

Colorado’s bottom six has combined for a -3.6 E +/- while MacKinnon alone has managed a league-leading +3.7 E +/-. The conglomeration of miscellaneous parts in the bottom six has failed to generate much offense in the first few games of the season nor are they steering the opposition to do the same.

A slightly below-average bottom-six wouldn’t typically be that concerning to a contending team early on in the regular season. The Avalanche’s goaltending duo of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen have had the worst start compared to all other teams. Rawal reported that Kaapo Kähkönen’s visa issues are headed toward a resolution meaning Colorado could have a stable netminder join the team soon.

Blackhawks Place Alec Martinez On IR, Recall Isaak Phillips

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Scott Powers of The Athletic reported early today that Alec Martinez would not be in the lineup tonight for the Chicago Blackhawks while dealing with a lower-body injury. The organization confirmed Martinez would be out of the lineup for today and then some by placing him on injured reserve and recalling Isaak Phillips from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Chicago specified Martinez’s injury in the announcement saying it’s located in his right groin. His absence from the Blackhawks weakens an already scant left side of the Chicago defense. The organization signed Martinez to a one-year, $4MM contract this past offseason hoping to add some veteran leadership and Stanley Cup pedigree to their blue line. The Rochester Hills, MI native has tallied one assist in four games for Chicago up to this point in the season while averaging just over 21 minutes a night.

Phillips already gets his second look with the Blackhawks after being demoted to the AHL exactly one week ago. The former fifth-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft may see some time next to Connor Murphy on the team’s bottom-pairing although Powers confirmed this morning that Nolan Allan would be making his second NHL appearance.

Phillips split time between Chicago and Rockford last season scoring four goals and 14 points in 29 games for the latter. Depending on the number of injuries to the Blackhawks’ blue line this season, Phillips should be a frequent recipient of similar roster moves. Chicago added enough depth up and down their lineup this past offseason allowing prospects such as Phillips to gain more confidence in the minors.

Blue Jackets Activate Justin Danforth, Reassign Dylan Gambrell

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are gaining some reinforcements for the second game of their four-game homestand. Columbus announced the organization activated forward Justin Danforth from the injured reserve while reassigning Dylan Gambrell to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, after clearing waivers today.

Danforth’s formal activation was expected with Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reporting earlier today that Danforth would be in the lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Hedger also added that veteran defenseman Jack Johnson will return to the lineup rather than prospect David Jiříček in Erik Gudbranson’s absence.

Danforth failed to participate in any preseason games for Columbus last month while dealing with a wrist injury and will make his season debut this evening. He’s set to begin his fourth season with the organization after signing out of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2021.

He had his best professional season last year despite the Blue Jackets being a non-contending team. He scored 10 goals and 26 points in 71 games while averaging 14:16 minutes of ice time per night which was good for 12th on the team in scoring.

He’s expected to slot into the right wing next to James van Riemsdyk and Adam Fantilli on the team’s third line for tonight’s game against the Sabres. His two linemates have not played their best hockey to start the year combining for a 2.4 xGF and a 3.8 xGA according to HockeyReference.

Blue Jackets’ Dylan Gambrell Clears Waivers

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10/17: The Blue Jackets can reassign Gambrell to AHL Cleveland as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports he has cleared waivers.

10/16: Dylan Gambrell’s brief return to the NHL will be shortlived as James Mirtle of The Athletic reports the Columbus Blue Jackets have placed him on waivers. He had not suited up in any of Columbus’ first three games to begin the 2024-25 regular season.

The Blue Jackets will be down to 12 healthy forwards on the roster for tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss against the Florida Panthers which may indicate the team will make a corresponding transaction today or tomorrow.

Gambrell spent all of last season with the Toronto Marlies making him no stranger to the American Hockey League. He scored 14 goals and 36 games leading to a one-year, $775K contract with Columbus this past offseason.

He no longer carries the pedigree of being a late second-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in the 2016 NHL Draft. He’s managed 17 goals and 40 points over 233 NHL contests without scoring more than 12 points in any season.

Should he clear waivers tomorrow, he’s likely to spend much of the season in AHL Cleveland despite Columbus’ need for additional forward depth. The team is off to a mild 1-1-0 start to begin the current campaign and is looking to stay competitive in a difficult North Division.

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