Today’s PHR Live Chat was hosted by Josh Erickson. The session began at 2:00 pm Central, and you can use this link to view the transcript.
Metro Notes: Frost, Flyers, Jiricek, Lindstrom
Morgan Frost has had a tumultuous position in the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup since John Tortorella took over as the team’s head coach in the 2022-23 season. He’s been a healthy scratch in three of the last four games, and this is coming one year after being a healthy scratch in half of the team’s first 20 contests last year. In an article (Subscription Article) in The Athletic, Kevin Kurz opines the Flyers could be headed for a breakup of sorts with Frost before his current contract ends.
There’s no questioning his skill on the offensive side of the puck. Frost scored 10 goals and 33 points over the last 50 games of the 2023-24 season finishing fifth on the team in scoring despite his time in the press box earlier in the year. That’s not enough for Tortorella to overlook his defensive shortcomings, as he typically expects much better two-way play from his centers.
Frost’s two-year, $4.2MM extension expires after this season and he’ll only have one more year remaining until he can hit unrestricted free agency. Kurz believes Philadelphia should trade Frost by the deadline despite selling low on the former-27th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Other Metro notes:
- Continuing in Philadelphia, the organization announced multiple injury updates earlier today. Notably, defenseman Cam York won’t return to the lineup this evening despite being a full participant in practice on Monday. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale and netminder Samuel Ersson remain on the injured reserve with their injuries while defenseman Emil Andrae is considered day-to-day with a mid-body injury.
- This morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets surprised many by reassigning defenseman David Jiříček to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Shortly after, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote a scathing article (Subscription Article) on Columbus’ handling of the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. Jiříček has rarely had a consistent role with the Blue Jackets despite the team carrying a subpar defensive core and has little else to prove in the AHL after scoring 13 goals and 57 points in 84 career games.
- Sticking in Columbus, Portzline reported that the team’s first pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cayden Lindstrom, underwent a minor surgical procedure this morning. Lindstrom hasn’t played at all this season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers due to a back injury, and today’s surgical procedure was a part of the recovery process. He was recently drafted with the fourth overall pick of this past summer’s draft after scoring 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games for the Tigers.
Pacific Notes: Wright, Samsonov, Vaněček
Kraken center Shane Wright was a healthy scratch for the first time this season in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Rangers. Despite the lack of offense from Seattle in that game, don’t expect him back in the lineup tonight against the Predators. He was out late at morning skate today and is projected to sit in the press box for a second straight game, Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times reports.
This season, it’s been a tough go of things for the 2022 fourth overall pick. Wright had played in Seattle’s first 18 games of the season but had struggled to produce, posting just a goal and an assist with 12 shots and an even rating while averaging 12:25 per game. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot, winning 43.9% of his draws, and has been a drag on the Kraken’s possession play at even strength. They’re controlling 46.8% of shot attempts compared to 49.8% without him, and Wright also has a negative expected goal differential for the first time out of his three NHL trials.
At least for now, he’s been overtaken on the depth chart by 26-year-old Ben Meyers, who was brought in on a two-way deal over the summer after becoming a Group VI UFA. Meyers played just 8:21 and lost all five of his faceoffs in his season debut against the Rangers, centering the club’s fourth line between Tye Kartye and Brandon Tanev.
If Wright sits for much longer, it’s fair to start speculating about a potential reassignment back to AHL Coachella Valley. The 20-year-old pivot had 22 goals and 47 points in 59 appearances there last season, adding 13 points in 12 playoff games as they advanced to their second straight Calder Cup Final. The former CHL Rookie of the Year now has six goals and three assists for nine points in 34 games dating back to his debut in 2022-23.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Ilya Samsonov won’t get the chance for a revenge start when his Golden Knights face the Maple Leafs tonight, in part due to the undisclosed injury that kept him out for much of November, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. Samsonov returned to action Sunday against the Capitals after two weeks out of the lineup, allowing four goals on 24 shots in his second regulation loss of the season. After spending the last two seasons in Toronto, the 27-year-old Russian landed a one-year, $1.8MM contract with Vegas in free agency to platoon with Adin Hill. He has a 3-2-1 record, .897 SV%, and 3.15 GAA in his first six games for the Knights, who have gotten subpar goaltending overall but are still 11-5-2.
- Sharks goaltender Vítek Vaněček is traveling with the club on their two-game road swing through Dallas and St. Louis this week but remains unlikely to play, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The 28-year-old sustained an upper-body injury against the Penguins on Saturday that necessitated the recall of top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who backed up Mackenzie Blackwood against the Red Wings on Monday and is expected to do so tonight against the Stars. If Vaněček isn’t okay to dress by tomorrow, Askarov seems likely to make his Sharks debut in St. Louis on the second half of a back-to-back.
Blackhawks Place Seth Jones On IR, Recall Louis Crevier
Nov. 20: Jones will miss four weeks with the right foot injury, head coach Luke Richardson said Wednesday (via Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). He’s already missed two games and is now on pace to miss around 11 more, ruling him out for more than 15% of Chicago’s season in total. A four-week timeline from the date of the injury means his return target is during their back-to-back against the Devils and Islanders on Dec. 14 and 15.
Nov. 16: The Blackhawks have placed defenseman Seth Jones on injured reserve with a right foot injury, relays Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link). Taking his place on the active roster is blueliner Louis Crevier who has been recalled from Rockford, per the AHL’s transactions log. Chicago currently has 22 players on its roster following the moves.
Jones sustained the injury against Seattle on a blocked shot but remained in the game, adds Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, who adds more information will be known when they return home from their road trip on Sunday.
The 30-year-old has once again been a significant piece on Chicago’s back end, leading the team in average ice time at 25:43 per night. Jones also leads the Blackhawks in points by a defenseman with 10. Covering his absence will certainly be a difficult task, one that won’t be handled by just one or two players.
To that end, Crevier is more of a depth recall over someone who could be expected to play a little higher in the lineup. The 23-year-old, who stands 6’8, got into 24 games with Chicago last season in his first taste of NHL action, compiling three assists, 50 blocks, 30 hits, and a minus-16 rating. This year, he has played in 11 games with the IceHogs, notching one assist.
While this might have seemed like a situation to bring up Kevin Korchinski (who logged 19:37 per night for the Blackhawks last season and could have helped cover some of the missing offense), it appears Chicago feels that he’s best served staying with Rockford for the time being. Artyom Levshunov, a right-shot option like Jones, is also available but just eight games into his pro career, they’d like to keep him away from the top level for at least a little while longer.
Bruins Notes: Montgomery, Pastrňák, Marchand
The lack of “successful” contract extension talks was a contributing factor in yesterday’s decision to fire head coach Jim Montgomery, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters during his media availability Wednesday, including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Montgomery signed a reported three-year, $6MM contract to take over as Boston’s bench boss in 2022, and the two sides had initial extension talks at the beginning of training camp, Sweeney said at the time. But an 8-9-3 start through 20 games, plus a likely multi-million dollar gap per season in extension negotiations, means Boston will instead be paying out most of Montgomery’s salary this season after relieving him of his duties.
If not sooner, Montgomery is well-positioned to become one of the higher-paid coaches in the league during next summer’s carousel. The Bruins’ 120-41-23 (.715) record since he took over is the best in the league, and the 2023 Jack Adams Award winner now has parts of five NHL seasons under his belt as a head coach, including his time with the Stars.
Elsewhere in the fall-out of Montgomery’s firing:
- Speaking with reporters today, Bruins leading scorer David Pastrňák has nothing but praise for Montgomery, saying the team’s failure to live up to expectations so far is on the players. “Because we weren’t getting it done, we lost a great coach and great human being,” Pastrňák said (via Anderson). That’s notable praise coming from a player who was called out by name during last year’s eventual first-round win over the Maple Leafs. While Pastrňák leads the league with 82 shots on goal, his 9.8% shooting percentage is tracking as a career-low, and his 33-goal pace after three straight seasons of 40 or more is one of many reasons why Boston’s offense has struggled to get off the ground at just 2.4 goals per game.
- Captain Brad Marchand had a similar sentiment, saying that the roster “feels terrible as a group” (per Anderson). The 36-year-old, along with Pastrňák, are the only two Bruins players with double-digit point totals this season. “This is a reflection of our play,” he continued. “If we had done our job in here, he’d still be here.”
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Move Alex Ovechkin To IR
The Capitals have recalled 2022 first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey, per a team announcement. They had a full active roster, so captain Alex Ovechkin heads to injured reserve in a corresponding move after being ruled out yesterday on a week-to-week basis with a lower leg injury. Winger Sonny Milano, who’s out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, also shifted from IR to LTIR to give the Caps additional space in their LTIR pool.
It’s unlikely that Miroshnichenko will slide into the first-line left-wing spot vacated by his countryman’s injury, but the 20-year-old deserves the recall after a hot start on the farm. The 6’1″ winger is second on Hershey in scoring with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 16 games, improving wildly on a per-game basis over last season’s nine goals and 25 points in 47 AHL games.
Miroshnichenko, the 20th overall pick two years ago, got his first NHL action last season. He made 21 appearances for the Caps amid several call-ups, scoring twice and adding four assists for six points with a -4 rating. He was limited to middle-six minutes, averaging 12:08 per game with minimal special teams time. However, he positively impacted their even-strength possession numbers and finished fourth on the team in hits per 60 minutes with 11.76.
He’ll likely make his season debut tomorrow against the Avalanche alongside fresh trade acquisition Lars Eller and Jakub Vrána on the Caps’ third line if line rushes at today’s practice were any indication. Hendrix Lapierre will likely remain a healthy scratch, while Miroshnichenko should also get some reps on Washington’s second power-play unit, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.
The IR placement rules Ovechkin out for at least the Capitals’ next two games, but his absence will be more prolonged than that. Milano, who hasn’t played since Nov. 6 with his UBI, is now ineligible to return before their Nov. 30 game against the Devils and will miss at least five more contests. He has no points and a -3 rating in three appearances this season amid the injury and a lengthy run of healthy scratches.
Blue Jackets Reassign David Jiříček, Mikael Pyyhtiä
The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that they’ve returned top defense prospect David Jiříček to AHL Cleveland. Left-winger Mikael Pyyhtiä is joining him on the road down to the minors, leaving Columbus with a pair of open roster spots.
Jiříček, who turns 21 next week, has had quite an underwhelming start to the season. After making the opening night roster as expected, the 2022 sixth-overall pick has been a healthy scratch 12 times in 18 games, despite a shoulder injury to fellow right-shot defenseman Erik Gudbranson keeping him out of the lineup since mid-October.
Most expected that injury to open up more playing time for Jiříček, who had 10 points in 43 games for the Jackets last year and was an AHL All-Star in his first season in North America in 2022-23. But head coach Dean Evason has instead opted to give more minutes to 24-year-old Jordan Harris, who was acquired from the Canadiens in this summer’s Patrik Laine trade.
Jiříček’s path to NHL ice got further muddied when Columbus claimed fellow righty Dante Fabbro off waivers from the Predators last week. Fabbro has more than earned his lineup spot in his first few games for the Jackets, though, posting three points and a +3 rating in four appearances while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game.
Jiříček drew into the lineup against the Bruins on Monday for the first time in over a week, but he played a season-low 8:14 in Columbus’ 5-1 win. Overall, the 6’4″ Czech has averaged just 11:12 of ice time through six appearances in 2024-25, down from last season’s already limited 14:36 mark, and has one assist with a -2 rating. That’s despite Columbus controlling 60.5% of expected goals with Jiříček on the ice at even strength compared to 47.9% last year.
The lack of playing time has led to some fervent trade speculation over the past few days, although there’s yet to be a credible report of an imminent move. It’s the first roster move for Jiříček this season after he was assigned to and recalled from Cleveland on five separate occasions in 2023-24.
Jiříček will now undoubtedly log heavy minutes in Cleveland while awaiting his next NHL chance, whether in Columbus or elsewhere. Since arriving in North America immediately after his draft year, the blue-liner has 13 goals and 44 assists for 57 points in 84 AHL games with a -27 rating. He joins a Cleveland defense that’s currently being dominated by first-year pro Denton Mateychuk, who was selected six spots after Jiříček in 2022 and has a remarkable six goals and 16 points through his first 15 AHL contests.
Pyyhtiä’s reassignment comes with Kent Johnson being set to come off injured reserve in the coming days after missing just over a month due to a shoulder injury. The writing was on the wall for the 22-year-old Finn, who was a healthy scratch for the first time this season against Boston and has just one goal in 17 games with a -6 rating despite averaging nearly 14 minutes per contest.
The Blue Jackets selected Pyyhtiä in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He made the opening night roster for the first time this season, getting some brief looks on the penalty kill as well. He had seven goals and 28 points in 60 appearances for Cleveland last season, his first extended run in North America. He now has a goal and three assists in 36 career NHL appearances dating back to the 2022-23 campaign.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Maple Leafs Place Max Domi On IR, Recall Nikita Grebenkin
The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve placed center Max Domi on injured reserve with a lower-body ailment retroactive to Nov. 16. They recalled winger Nikita Grebenkin from AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction, marking the first of his career.
Domi, 29, will miss tonight’s game against the Golden Knights but will be eligible to come off IR for the following game, a Sunday tilt against Utah. He’s been a rare sight at practice recently as he played through the lower-body injury, but it’s now advanced enough to require him to sit out.
It explains the lack of production from Domi, who’s now gone 13 games without a point despite playing top-six minutes for most of the month with captain Auston Matthews on the shelf. After signing a four-year, $15MM extension in June, the Winnipeg native has no goals on 24 shots and six assists in 19 games this season, producing at a career-low pace across the board despite averaging about 90 more seconds per game of ice time than last season.
Domi becomes the sixth regular forward who won’t be available for tonight’s game. Matthews has been on IR for nearly two weeks, Max Pacioretty was shifted to LTIR yesterday as he recovers from a hamstring injury, Calle Järnkrok remains on LTIR after undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday, David Kämpf landed on IR yesterday with a lower-body issue, and Ryan Reaves is ineligible to play while serving the first game of a five-game suspension that will keep him out through the rest of the month.
Despite the absence of their captain and a considerable amount of depth scoring, the surging Leafs are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games and are only one point back of the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. While they’re understandably scoring less than last season, their record has much to do with some improved team defense – they’re allowing 6.7 high-danger scoring chances per game at 5-on-5 compared to 8.0 in 2023-24. It also has a lot to do with spectacular play in the early going from free-agent signing Anthony Stolarz between the pipes, who leads the league with a .927 SV% and is on pace for 52 starts, smashing his career-high of 24 set last year with the Panthers.
Unfortunately, the pace of the injury bug is accelerating. Domi, Kämpf, and Reaves are all out after playing in Toronto’s last game, an overtime win over the Oilers last weekend. That means Fraser Minten will make his season debut after being recalled yesterday as the corresponding transaction for Kämpf’s IR placement. At the same time, Grebenkin will make his NHL debut instead of Domi tonight.
Grebenkin, 21, was a fifth-round selection by the Leafs in the 2022 draft. The 6’2″, 209-lb Russian winger gained some attention with a strong training camp, and he’s kept up the momentum in his first season in North America, as Steven Ellis profiled for Leafs Nation earlier this month.
Through his first 13 AHL games, Grebenkin has four goals and six assists for 10 points, tied for second on the Marlies in scoring with veteran Logan Shaw. He’s also yet to take a penalty and has a +1 rating.
Grebenkin is coming off a standout season in his home country with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. He tied for second on the team in scoring with 41 points (19 G, 22 A) in 67 games after being named the KHL’s best rookie the year prior, playing a pivotal role as they won the league’s championship trophy, the Gagarin Cup.
However, it’s still unclear who will replace Domi at center tonight. It won’t be Grebenkin, who can play either left or right wing but isn’t a natural pivot. It may, however, be Mitch Marner, who head coach Craig Berube said yesterday was open to the shift to the middle from the wing if necessary (via Luke Fox of Sportsnet).
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Metropolitan Notes: Chytil, Romanov, Devils, Jarvis
It appears to be good news on the injury front for Rangers center Filip Chytil. After being held back from their road trip amid concerns of a possible concussion, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan relays that the 25-year-old has been cleared to join the team and will catch up with them in Calgary. However, that shouldn’t be viewed as Chytil being cleared to play as he’s still listed as day-to-day. Chytil is off to a good start this season for New York, notching four goals and five assists in 15 contests despite averaging just 13:40 of playing time per game, his lowest ATOI since his rookie season.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Alexander Romanov was cleared to return for tonight’s game against Calgary. Originally diagnosed as out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the 24-year-old has only played once in the last three weeks, sitting for more than two after trying to return early. He’s a welcome addition to a back end that’s also missing Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly. Romanov has two assists in eight games so far this season with a career-high ATOI of 21:37.
- Devils winger Timo Meier (back spasms) and defenseman Brett Pesce (maintenance day) didn’t take part in practice today, relays James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. However, both players aren’t expected to miss any time. Meanwhile, winger Nathan Bastian returned to practice despite being moved to injured reserve yesterday. He has missed close to three weeks due to a fractured jaw but while he’s now back on the ice, he’s not quite ready to return to the lineup just yet.
- While Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis skated today in a non-contact jersey, he is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, relays team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury and was moved to injured reserve retroactive to last week, meaning he can be activated as soon as he gets the green light to return. Jarvis is off to a solid start to his season with four goals and seven assists in 13 games before sustaining the injury.
PHR Mailbag: Flyers, Canadiens, Knight, Blues, Summer Acquisitions, 4 Nations, Scouting
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Philadelphia’s sluggish start, the top offseason acquisitions, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our last mailbag.
Emoney123: The Flyers rebuild has stalled… how does it begin again? Ersson, Fedotov, and Kolosov seem like a circus in goal; scoring and defense are horrible… will the 2025 draft offer hope since they hold their own, Colorado, and potentially Edmonton’s [top-12 protected] first-round pick plus three second-round picks? Is Tortorella the right coach or Briere as GM? One playoff appearance in seven years, and that was six years ago.
I feel like the Flyers are a victim of misplaced expectations. Going into last season, pretty much everyone thought they’d be one of the bottom feeders in the East. But they proved to be more competitive early on and while they fell off the proverbial cliff down the stretch, they didn’t miss the playoffs by much. That led to higher expectations for this season which was a mistake.
This is still a team that, on paper, isn’t all that good. Yes, they added Matvei Michkov. But this team wasn’t a rookie-season Michkov away from being a legitimate playoff threat.
So, has the rebuild really stalled? Or is it actually back where it was supposed to be last season where they were expected to bottom out?
Will the draft provide some hope? It should as their own selection should be relatively high and while the other two first-rounders are likely to be closer to the back, they still should get players who project to be NHL-quality pieces. Three second-rounders give them a chance to deepen the prospect pool or to try to trade up from those late firsts to get a few spots higher. The rebuild will be in better shape when the draft is completed.
I’ll hold off on the Tortorella part of your question (it comes up in the next one) but as for Daniel Briere, this is his second full season on the job. Rebuilds take a lot longer than that to try to assess and as much as they didn’t have much success before then, they weren’t really in a full-scale rebuild either. Realistically, it’s probably two years too early to really sit down and evaluate if they’re going in the right direction or not. I think they’re in the right direction though and while the goaltending isn’t pretty right now, this is what they need to learn. Will one of the three find another gear and show he’s part of the future plans? They need to find that out but the process of getting to that answer isn’t always pretty.
Black Ace57: How do you think the season will go with Torts and Michkov? I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to hold him accountable and bench him at times if he’s making mistakes or not putting in effort. Saying that, sometimes Torts goes too far with the Couturier benching last year being a good example. Do you think Torts will manage Michkov well or do you think he will be fired before the season is over?
I’m a bit old-school by nature and still think there’s a place for Tortorella-type coaches in the NHL. I actually think he’s a good fit for Michkov in the youngsters’ early career. Tortorella is generally viewed as firm but fair with his players; there isn’t much favoritism. That means there shouldn’t be any thought that when Tortorella sits Michkov down that he’s going out of his way to pick on the youngster; he’s doing what he’d do with just about anyone.
I’ve always thought of Tortorella as someone who really wants to focus on the fundamentals and good work habits. Isn’t that exactly what Michkov needs? Learning to best weaponize his offensive skills will come over time but having someone really drill home the other stuff in the early stages of his career should only pay dividends down the road.
Going back to the Tortorella part of the last question, I think he’s a good fit for this group (including Michkov) for now. But he generally doesn’t have a long shelf life with his teams and he’s probably not the coach who will lead them out of the rebuild. I think he lasts the rest of this season but an offseason change wouldn’t shock me if they stay on this trajectory for the rest of the season.
Jaysen: Jake Evans is attracting a lot of interest right now. Personally, I don’t want my beloved Habitants to trade him. Really like the player. I hope they re-sign him. 3 yrs/3.5aav would be the max in terms of yrs and AAV.
The Habs are also looking for a forward with edge. What would be your top three targets that would fit with our rebuild/progression?
Let’s talk about Evans. He’s off to a decent start to his season but he only has reached eight goals or more once and is on pace for 17 this year so this is probably an outlier of a start. Going to that high of a price tag for someone with a track record of very limited production might not be the wisest move, especially with Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen waiting in the wings. I believe Montreal would like to keep him at the right price as an insurance policy and a capable defensive player but I’d be surprised if that number starts with a three.
On the other side of the coin, knowing that this is his first trip through unrestricted free agency, why would Evans limit himself to a three-year deal at this point? Chances are he can get longer than that on the open market so if Montreal does want to lock him up, it’s probably going to take more years than three to get him.
As for the forward with edge, I’ve seen that report as well, coupled with the notion that it needs to be someone who fits their rebuild timeline. In essence, they’re looking for a 23-year-old power forward (or someone around that age). Those are in short supply and I’m not sure there’s a single one who realistically would be available. This feels like the type of thing a front office leaks to make it look like they’re trying to add while knowing they’re basically looking for a unicorn so I can’t give you three suggestions there unfortunately; I can’t even come up with one that might plausibly be had.
Having said that, I think they might be open to a Denis Gurianov type of pickup like they did a couple of years ago for someone that’s a bit older than their prospect pool. He was a younger player who had a bit of success in the past and they felt he could be a possible reclamation project. And if that player happens to play with a bit of bite, even better. We’re still a bit early in the season to know which younger players will be in this situation. Frankly, my first inclinations of who could be in that spot in the coming weeks/months (Pontus Holmberg and Rasmus Kupari) don’t play with much jam. If Buffalo decides to move on from Peyton Krebs though, he might be one they look at but generally speaking, players in this type of category are sell-low and I’m doubtful the Sabres are at that point with him yet.
Schwa: How is Spencer Knight viewed relative to other top young goalies at this point?
It wasn’t that long ago that Knight was viewed as one of the top young goalies in the league. After a strong college career, he impressed in his first taste of action in the pros and was rightfully seen as Florida’s goalie of the future. The three-year, $13.5MM contract he signed back in 2022 hasn’t aged well, however, and that deal might be influencing his perception a little bit.
For those who haven’t followed him, Knight missed a big chunk of the 2022-23 campaign after enrolling in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News interviewed him if you want to learn more about why he was in there. Then the following year, Florida opted to bring in Anthony Stolarz as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky (a move that worked out quite well) to allow Knight to get a bigger workload in the minors. He had a 2.41 GAA with a .905 SV% in 41 games with AHL Charlotte last season, numbers that were decent but not at the level of a top prospect either.
This year, Knight has been around NHL average in his first six outings with a 2.85 GAA and a .897 SV%. Again, those numbers are decent (the average save percentage is hovering around .900 league-wide) but that’s not great bang for their buck. Frankly, if he stays around that level, I wonder if Florida considers a buyout next summer, a move that would save them $3.75MM on the cap next season while adding $750K for 2026-27. I don’t know if they’d do it but I think it’d be considered.
If I’m musing about a buyout, it’s fair to say he isn’t in the tier of other top young goalies anymore. But with only 63 career NHL appearances, he’s not that far removed from prospect status either. I expect Knight will get a little better as the season goes on and while he won’t get back to that top tier (where Yaroslav Askarov and Jesper Wallstedt are, for example), he’ll show enough to stay in Florida’s plans.
Gmm8811: I think the Blues have proved to be exactly what everyone thought they would be this year. How much further do they sink before Army starts showcasing youth and moving older vets for draft picks?
I don’t expect they’re going to sink much lower than they are, to be honest. They’re 12th in the West which feels about where they should be and I agree, they’ve played up to a reasonable level of expectation so far.
But I don’t expect a sell-off to come anytime soon. For starters, it’s too early in the year. Teams with cap space don’t want to blow it this early unless it’s a highly impactful piece and St. Louis probably isn’t moving any of those. The second is that the Blues don’t exactly have a whole lot to offer up veteran-wise.
Their most prominent rental up front is Radek Faksa and Dallas gave him away for free four months ago; it’s not as if he carries a lot of trade value. With retention, maybe they get a late-round pick but that’s someone’s Plan C or D at the trade deadline, not now. On the back end, Ryan Suter will be a solid trade chip but teams will want more of his games played bonuses to be reached before acquiring him which pushes him closer to a deadline move as well.
Among non-rentals, Brandon Saad has some value but at $4.5MM, that’s a hard salary to fit on the books this early in the season. I could see him fetching a good return in late February/early March though when his remaining salary for this season is a lot lower. Jordan Binnington at $6MM through 2026-27 could be a trade candidate but he might be easier to move in the summer than now.
I just don’t see a big sell-off from this team. They’re going to want to keep most of their core guys and avoid a longer-scale rebuild which means most of what they have to offer are supporting pieces. In the meantime, if they want to open up a spot for a youngster, it might come through someone landing on waivers (much like Kasperi Kapanen) and the prospect coming up into that vacated position.
DevilShark: Sample size is getting reasonable now… I’m curious who you think have been the best acquisitions at each position this season (FA or trade) in terms of driving their teams’ success.
Goalie: It’s hard not to pick Jacob Markstrom here. Last season, injuries and bad goaltending were costly on a team that talent-wise should have been in the playoff mix. Markstrom has come in and given them that stable goaltending and they’re first in the division. And yet, he’s not my pick. Instead, it’s Anthony Stolarz in Toronto. With Joseph Woll injured to start the year, Stolarz took the starting job and has run with it and is once again among the league leaders in GAA and SV%. If he wasn’t up to the task, they could easily be on the outside looking in at the playoffs right now.
Defense: Considering the Kraken are a .500 team, it’s hard to pick Brandon Montour here but I’m going to anyway. His addition raised some eyebrows as he was coming off a tough year by recent standards in Florida. But with Seattle, he is an all-situations impactful player which is exactly what they needed. With Vince Dunn on LTIR, he absorbed even more responsibility. I’d say his play is a big reason why they are where they are right now and not even lower in the standings.
Forward: This one’s a bit harder as some of the top performers statistically with new teams (such as Sean Monahan) are on teams who have struggled so far while others (someone like Stefan Noesen) are doing well but are in supporting roles. So I’m going to use a different definition of success than you probably intended with this pick of Tyler Toffoli in San Jose. The Sharks wanted to be more competitive this season and they have been; they’re far from the easy win they were a year ago. They brought him in to be a leader on a young group and help take some offensive pressure off of them. He checks both of those boxes and sits second on the team in scoring. For what their goals are for this season, Toffoli is doing exactly what San Jose wants from him.