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Bruins Recall Fabian Lysell

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The Bruins have recalled right-winger Fabian Lysell from AHL Providence, the team announced. It’s not an indication that their top forward prospect will make the opening night roster, rather, it allows them to give him another viewing in exhibition action, likely this weekend’s preseason finale against the Capitals, although he could also suit up tonight in Quebec City against the Kings.

Boston cut Lysell from its training camp roster last weekend, so unless an injury gives him an opening to land a job, he’ll be returned to Providence before rosters are due on Oct. 7. Lysell, 21, has yet to make his NHL debut since the B’s drafted him 21st overall in 2021. He’s impressed in AHL action, though, scoring 29 goals and 58 assists for 87 points in 110 appearances with the P-Bruins over the last two seasons.

While he took a step forward last year with 50 points in 56 games and had a goal in three preseason contests for Boston last month, it wasn’t enough to convince the Bruins he’s ready for NHL minutes. There was an opportunity for him to capture a middle-six wing role, potentially on the second line alongside Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand, but all indications point toward Morgan Geekie filling that role with PTO camp invite Tyler Johnson trending toward landing a contract.

Lysell should still be near the top of Boston’s list for in-season recalls, so he shouldn’t have to go much longer before making his NHL debut. He’s still got two seasons left or 160 NHL appearances, whichever comes first, before he requires waivers to head to the minors.

Blue Jackets Place Gavin Brindley On Season-Opening Injured Reserve

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Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley sustained a broken finger in Tuesday’s exhibition win over the Blues and will miss four to six weeks in recovery, general manager Don Waddell said. He’s been placed on season-opening injured reserve and won’t count against the 23-man limit to start the season. The Jackets also assigned defenseman Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm to AHL Cleveland, cutting him from their training camp roster.

It’s a tough break for Brindley, who was in the running to crack Columbus’ roster in his first training camp with the club. A spectacular 2023-24 season at the University of Michigan vaulted the 19-year-old up the organizational depth chart, leading the Wolverines in scoring with 25 goals and 53 points in 40 games while being named the Big Ten’s player of the year. He signed his entry-level contract following Michigan’s elimination from the national tournament and made his NHL debut in the Jackets’ final game of the season against the Hurricanes, posting zeros across the board in 12:20 of ice time.

The diminutive 5’9″, 168-lb forward was viewed as a potential first-round threat in 2023 but fell to Columbus in the early second at 34th overall, largely due to concerns over his size. It hasn’t stopped the high-end playmaking winger from making a major impact at the collegiate and international junior levels, though. Brindley also scored six goals and 10 points in seven games at this year’s World Juniors en route to a gold medal with the United States. He also made his senior national team debut with a goal in five games at the World Championship.

Brindley’s timeline for a return puts his potential season debut during the first half of November. Whether that comes with the Jackets or AHL Cleveland remains to be seen. He doesn’t require waivers, so upon returning to health, he can be ferried directly to the minors without any hassle.

With Justin Danforth still likely on the shelf to start the year due to a wrist injury, there’s one forward spot open in Columbus that Brindley was in contention for. That competition is now down to a more experienced list of Dylan Gambrell, Owen Sillinger, and 23-year-old Mikael Pyyhtia to open the season as the Jackets’ fourth-line left wing.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/24

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We’re still five days away from opening night, but the regular season technically kicks off tomorrow, with the Devils and Sabres taking each other on in Prague. Most teams have trimmed over a third of their initial training camp rosters by this point, and most have no more than five to 10 cuts left to make – if that – before they reach their final form. Today should mark some of the last minor moves involving players who never had much of a shot, with the weekend signaling an end to much fiercer camp battles. All of Thursday’s cuts will be listed here:

Last updated 5:03 p.m.

Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)

F Tyson Kozak (to AHL Rochester)

Calgary Flames (per team announcement)

D Hunter Brzustewicz (to AHL Calgary)
F Martin Frk (to AHL Calgary)
F Justin Kirkland (to AHL Calgary)
F Sam Morton (to AHL Calgary)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

D Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm (to AHL Cleveland)

Nashville Predators (per team release)

F Zachary L’Heureux (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Ozzy Wiesblatt (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Adam Wilsby (to AHL Milwaukee)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (to AHL Hartford)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

D Mac Hollowell (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jimmy Huntington (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Marc Johnstone (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

D Cale Fleury (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)

F Nicholas Abruzzese (to AHL Toronto, pending waivers)
D Matt Anderson (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Matthew Barbolini (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Jacob Bengtsson (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Jacob Frasca (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Jon Gillies (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Mathieu Gosselin (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Dennis Hildeby (to AHL Toronto)
F Braeden Kressler (to AHL Toronto)
F Brandon Lisowsky (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Robert Mastrosimone (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Ryan McCleary (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Tommy Miller (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Rhett Parsons (released from ATO to AHL Toronto)
G Vyacheslav Peksa (to AHL Toronto)
D Chas Sharpe (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Marko Sikic (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Zach Solow (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Sam Stevens (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D William Villeneuve (to AHL Toronto)
F Ty Voit (to AHL Toronto)

Utah Hockey Club (per team announcement) – waivers separate

F Andrew Agozzino (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Miloš Kelemen (to AHL Tucson)
D Patrik Koch (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
D Maveric Lamoureux (to AHL Tucson)
F Ben McCartney (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Aku Raty (to AHL Tucson)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to AHL Tucson)

Winnipeg Jets (per the team’s Mitchell Clinton)

D Tyrel Bauer (to AHL Manitoba)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjällby (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
D Dmitry Kuzmin (to AHL Manitoba)
D Simon Lundmark (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
G Thomas Milic (to AHL Manitoba)
F Mason Shaw (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Dominic Toninato (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)

Evening Notes: Yakemchuk, Lizotte, Ponomarev

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Ottawa Senators 2024  first-round pick (seventh overall) Carter Yakemchuk is making a bid to make the team this season (as per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia). The Fort McMurray, Alberta native was expected to be shuttled back to the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL but has made things interesting with his terrific play in the preseason, leading the Senators with five points.

The 19-year-old has shown good offensive instincts and could earn himself a nine-game NHL audition if his strong play continues. The one issue he might face is that his defensive game needs work, and the Senators have been a team that has struggled defensively in recent seasons which might give management, and the coaching staff pause as they try to assemble the best possible lineup for opening night.

In other evening notes:

  • Rob Rossi of The Athletic is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte has a concussion and will be sidelined indefinitely. Lizotte took a puck to the face in a game on Sunday and may miss the Penguins season opener next Wednesday against the New York Rangers. Lizotte signed a two-year $3.7MM deal with the Penguins on July 1st and remains likely to start the season as the Penguins fourth line center. Lizotte had seven goals and eight assists in 62 games last season with the Kings but is just a year removed from posting 34 points in 81 games.
  • Rossi is also reporting that Penguins forward Vasily Ponomarev will be out of the lineup for the next few days with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old likely won’t play tomorrow night against the Blue Jackets and might miss Friday’s game as well. Ponomarev has been good in the preseason but remains a long shot to make the NHL roster. His injury likely squashes his opportunity to make the opening night roster, but it shouldn’t hinder him from being called up later in the regular season. The former second-round pick was acquired by the Penguins back in March as part of the package Pittsburgh received from the Hurricanes for Jake Guentzel.

Wild Intend To Outbid Teams On Kirill Kaprizov

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Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold spoke this week about the future of star forward Kirill Kaprizov saying that the Wild will offer more money and term than any other team may offer in free agency when the former Calder Trophy winner is eligible for an extension next summer (as per Michael Russo of The Athletic). Kaprizov has registered three straight 40-goal seasons and will certainly hit the jackpot whenever he does put pen to paper on his next deal. Whether that is with Minnesota or not remains to be seen, but according to Leipold, that is certainly the Wild’s intention.

Leipold is aware that Kaprizov’s focus is on winning, and while the Wild have been a perennial playoff contender for the past decade (last year aside), the team hasn’t had much playoff success to speak of. Minnesota hasn’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2014-15 and will have their work cut out for them if they want to prove to their 27-year-old star that they are serious about winning.

The Wild do have an opening though, and it begins next summer when the pain of the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyout begins to dwindle. This season the Wild are dealing with $14.7MM in dead money on their salary cap, but next year that dead money drops to just $1.7MM from 2025-29. That reduction opens the door for Minnesota to have more than $20MM in cap space to make moves to improve their team, and given the list of potential free agents next summer the Wild could be positioned to make a splash. Whether or not that will entice Kaprizov to sign long-term remains to be seen, but the Wild appear set to make the best possible push that they can with Leipold acknowledging that the team might have to give out large signing bonuses, something they’ve been hesitant to do in recent years.

The other variable that will work in Minnesota’s favor is that they can offer an eighth year on a long-term contract and will be the only team positioned to do so as other teams will only have the option to offer seven-year contracts in unrestricted free agency.

Snapshots: Leafs, Kinkaid, Cristall, Brunicke

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The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed both John Tavares and Calle Jarnkrok back to the practice rink today shares David Alter of The Hockey News. Both players have been bearing through day-to-day lower-body injuries. Tavares notably suffered his on a hit from Montreal’s Michael Pezzetta in Toronto’s Thursday night preseason action. Both he and Jarnkrok will now have two preseason games remaining before the Leafs kick off their season against Montreal on October 9th.

Both Tavares and Jarnkrok could both be headed for Toronto’s third-line amid William Nylander’s move to center and the growing presence of young prospects Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson. The diminishing role lines up with Tavares’ decreasing scoring, with 65 points last season falling 15 short of his 2022-23 totals. He’s finally been knocked off his streak of routine point-per-game scoring, even as his ice time saw a small uptick last year. Meanwhile, Jarnkrok has proven a utility tool in Toronto’s bottom six, recording 21 points and 65 faceoff wins in 52 games last season. Both players are pulling into their 30s and will work to bring gut-punch offense down the depth of Toronto’s lineup this year.

Alter adds that the Leafs were also joined by Jani Hakanpaa at today’s skate – the defender’s first appearance in a Maple Leaf after prolonged contract discussions this summer.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Veteran goaltender Keith Kinkaid will play in his 14th pro season this year, as he’s signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Kinkaid spent last season as the backup for the independent Chicago Wolves, recording eight wings and a .880 save percentage in 24 appearances. He’s been a depth option for the last three seasons, spending them split between the Rangers, Bruins, and Avalanche organizations. Kinkaid, 35, has managed 250 career AHL games and 169 career NHL games. He’s totaled a 70-58-21 record and .905 save percentage at the top flight, though he hasn’t played in multiple NHL games since the 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Washington Capitals are open to starting top prospect Andrew Cristall in the NHL, head coach Spencer Carbery told Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Cristall has been perhaps the top standout in Washington’s camp, and will be eligible to play in nine NHL games before he burns the first year of his entry-level contract. He’s been among the hottest scorers across the CHL for years now, totaling a dazzling 280 points across 191 career WHL games. That scoring has translated into the preseason, with Cristall boasting two goals and three points in three games so far – tied for the team-lead in Washington.
  • Not to be outdone by their rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also considering promoting a rookie – with head coach Mike Sullivan telling Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News that defender Harrison Brunicke could also receive a nine-game trial. Brunicke has been among the best defenders in Pittsburgh this preseason, forming strong connections with the team’s star scorers in the early going. It’s a blazing return-to-form for the WHL defender, who had his 2023-24 season ended by an upper-body injury in February.

Injury Notes: Pesce, Sorokin, Lehkonen, Seeler

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The New Jersey Devils could soon receive a silver lining in their long list of injury news, with general manager Tom Fitzgerald designating defender Brett Pesce as day-to-day with a strong chance of playing in the team’s home opener, per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. Pesce suffered a fractured fibula in May, forcing him to miss the final nine games of Carolina’s postseason. Recovery didn’t dissuade teams from talking with Pesce when he hit the open market, with New Jersey ultimately signing the 29-year-old to a six-year, $33MM contract.

Pesce could get a chance to earn that money soon. The Devils have been careful not to rush him back to action – instead opting to take top prospect Seamus Casey in their trip to Prague – though Pesce will have a clear spot in the team’s top-four whenever he returns. He’s averaged at least 20 minutes of ice time in each of the last eight seasons, including playing upwards of 23 minutes a night in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Pesce’s held onto that role despite never being much of a scorer, with a career-high of 30 points set two seasons ago. New Jersey could be the fiery offense to boost Pesce’s scoring, though it’s his stalwart defense that’ll prove invaluable on a team that allowed the fifth-most goals in the league last season.

More injury updates:

  • Star New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin was spotted on the practice ice today, shares Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. It’s Sorokin’s first appearance on the training camp ice, after undergoing back surgery this off-season. The details of Sorokin’s surgery and timeline have been kept quiet by New York, though head coach Patrick Roy recently shared that he expects the star to be ready for opening day. Sorokin is among the best in the league when he’s healthy, posting a combined .919 save percentage across 192 games in the last four seasons – and previously recording 134 wins, a .930, and one championship across eight seasons and 244 games in the KHL.
  • Colorado Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen returned to the ice in a no-contact jersey, shares the Denver Post’s Corey Masisak. In speaking with head coach Jared Bednar, Masisak adds that the team wants to keep Lehkonen away from contact as long as possible, though he’ll ramp up quickly when he’s fully cleared. Lehkonen has scored 38 goals and 85 points in 109 games with the Avalanche over the last two seasons, though upper-body injuries routinely pull him out of the lineup.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have shared that defender Nick Seeler is fully healthy despite sitting out most of Tuesday night’s third period, per Charlie O’Connor of All Phly Sports. Seeler is fighting to retain his role on Philadelphia’s third-pairing, where he’s served admirably in each of the last two seasons. He’ll face competition from Yegor Zamula, who outscored Seeler by eight points last season.

Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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The San Jose Sharks have avoided the worst news with reigning first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, after careening into the boards in San Jose’s Tuesday night matchup. The injury forced Celebrini out of the game midway through the second period – though it seems his status for the team’s home opener is still hopeful.

The Sharks have taken extra precautions with Celebrini throughout his first training camp, limiting some of his activities as he worked through what head coach Ryan Warsofsky described as a minor injury. When describing that injury to NHL.com, Warsfosky said, “It is a little bit of everything. He’s been through a lot, the last 2-3 weeks, from the travel and whatnot. We’re just trying to watch him a little.” Celebrini’s new injury seems unreleated to those woes, though it could lead San Jose to amp up their caution ahead of their October 10th opener.

Celebrini has been manning the team’s top line throughout training camp, flanked by William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli. Celebrini’s offensive upside in the pros hasn’t been tested, but he was a point-per-game scorer in both college and juniors – last season becoming the youngest player to win the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Award. If those knacks translate to the top flight, San Jose could already wield more offensive upside than they did through the entirety of last season. The Sharks will likely turn toward fellow high-scoring college athlete Will Smith to man the top line, should Celebrini be forced to miss any part of the early season.

Waiver Wire: 10/2/24

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Twelve new faces were placed on waivers Wednesday, per PuckPedia. All who were waived yesterday cleared, aside from goaltender Jiří Patera, who’s heading from Vancouver to Boston. Here’s the listing of today’s players who hit the wire:

Carolina Hurricanes

G Spencer Martin

Colorado Avalanche

D Jack Ahcan
F Matthew Phillips
D Calle Rosén

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Trey Fix-Wolansky

New York Rangers

F Benoit-Olivier Groulx

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Mac Hollowell
F Jimmy Huntington
F Marc Johnstone

Philadelphia Flyers

G Calvin Petersen

San Jose Sharks

F Andrew Poturalski
F Scott Sabourin

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