Senators’ Artem Zub Out “A While” With Foot Fracture
Senators defenseman Artem Zub sustained a foot fracture Saturday against the Canucks and will miss significant time, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.
Zub may have sustained the fracture while blocking a shot from Vancouver defenseman Carson Soucy, although he didn’t leave the game and ended up logging over 20 minutes of ice time for the third time since returning from a concussion earlier this month. It looks like his second long-term absence of the season after missing nine games due to that concussion, his second in as many seasons, limiting him to 11 of Ottawa’s 20 games this season.
It’s another bit of bad news for the Sens, who have dropped four games in a row in regulation and now sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with 17 points and an 8-11-1 record. Their .425 points percentage is sixth-worst in the league, only ahead of the Predators, Canadiens, Penguins, Blackhawks, and Sharks. At the season’s quarter point, it’s a tough spot to be in for a team that had high hopes of ending their seven-year playoff drought, which has a 67.3% chance of stretching to eight, per MoneyPuck.
Zub has been a minute muncher for the Senators ever since arriving from Russia as a free agent in 2020. The 6’3″, 204-lb righty has consistently played a top-four role and averaged 20:17 per game over his 261-game career, although he’s on pace to average a career-low 18:19 this season.
When in the lineup this season, he’s been far less effective than usual. He has two assists through 11 games and has a -7 rating, the first time he’s trending toward ending the season in the red in his career. He’s also averaging only 1.45 hits per game compared to 2.01 last season and his possession numbers have tanked with a career-worst -7.2% relative Corsi share.
Veteran Travis Hamonic will play a top-pairing role alongside Jake Sanderson in place of Zub, per TSN 1200 Ottawa. The Sens play tonight at home against the Flames as they try to avoid extending their losing skid to five. They’ve gone 3-7-1 in November after starting the season 5-4-0.
Hurricanes Reassign Tyson Jost, Pyotr Kochetkov Out Indefinitely
The Hurricanes announced they’ve reassigned forward Tyson Jost to AHL Chicago. They haven’t done anything to fill his roster spot, although head coach Rod Brind’Amour also confirmed that goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has entered concussion protocol after leaving Saturday’s shootout loss to the Blue Jackets and doesn’t have a timeline for a return (per the team’s Walt Ruff).
Carolina is now officially without their top two goaltenders for the foreseeable future. Starter Frederik Andersen hasn’t played in nearly a month and recently underwent knee surgery that will keep him out of action until January or February.
Kochetkov, 25, left the Columbus game during overtime after teammate Sean Walker inadvertently skated into his head while trying to stop a rush chance from Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. There appeared to be significant whiplash on the play, but as with any head injury and subsequent concussion, Kochetkov’s absence could be anywhere from a week to more than a month.
A 2019 second-round pick, the young Kochetkov has had to step up many times in recent seasons with injury-prone veterans Andersen and Antti Raanta ahead of him. He started the year as the undisputed No. 2 for the first time after Raanta became an unrestricted free agent and wasn’t brought back following a brutal 2023-24 campaign. He’s done well in 13 starts, posting a 10-2-0 record with a .904 SV% and 2.42 GAA. That’s been good enough for 3.9 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, up from last year’s 0.7 mark despite his decreased SV% and GAA.
The buck now falls on 29-year-old journeyman Spencer Martin and inexperienced 24-year-old Yaniv Perets, although it’s hard to imagine the championship-contending Hurricanes not making a move to add a more stable name to their crease if Kochetkov trends toward missing significant time. Perets has not logged NHL ice aside from stopping one shot in less than 13 minutes of action in a game against the Kings in January of last season, although he served as a backup for Carolina once earlier this month. Martin, meanwhile, has a 1-2-1 record with a .870 SV% and 3.21 GAA in three starts and one relief appearance since coming up to the roster in October in relief of Andersen.
Perets’ minor-league numbers this season don’t portray him as a legitimate NHL option, even in a pinch. The undrafted free agent signing out of Quinnipiac in 2023 has just a .825 SV% and a 3.67 GAA in three AHL appearances for Chicago this season and had a subpar .889 mark in 34 games for ECHL Norfolk in 2023-24.
Jost, 26, heads back to the minors after going without a point in his last six games. The 5’11” center/left winger signed a one-year deal for the league-minimum $775K with Carolina over the offseason after being non-tendered by the Sabres, but he was waived and assigned to Chicago shortly after making the opening night roster. The Canes recalled him just over two weeks ago after he put up a goal and two assists in eight minor-league games, but he averaged just 9:20 through seven NHL appearances with a goal on eight shots. Since he remained on the active roster for fewer than 30 days and played less than 10 games, he doesn’t need waivers to return to the AHL.
Friedman: Rangers Shopping Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba
The Rangers are still squarely in playoff position after last season’s Presidents’ Trophy win, placing third in the Metropolitan Division with a .658 points percentage and a 12-6-1 record. Their 5-on-5 play remains an issue, though, and their subpar shot-attempt and scoring chance shares came to a head Saturday after they allowed 40 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Oilers.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury was evidently so disturbed by their back-to-back losses against the Flames and Oilers in Alberta that he’s “made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster,” Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Monday. Captain Jacob Trouba is being dangled as trade bait once again after the club aggressively tried to work out a trade for him over the summer, while star winger and lifelong Ranger Chris Kreider has also been made available, Friedman said.
They’re not the only names being considered in moves – assumedly, some cheaper and less consequential pieces could easily be leveraged along with futures for short-term upgrades. However, the fact that Drury is even considering leveraging Kreider, a lifelong Ranger with two years left on his contract, indicates quickly growing panic in New York about their skaters’ underlying play despite their 108-point pace.
Kreider is second on the Blueshirts with nine goals in 19 games but has inexplicably yet to record an assist despite even-strength linemates Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith combining for seven goals. He won’t play tonight against the Blues, but it’s not a trade-related scratch – he’s banged up and dealing with an upper-body injury.
After years of Kreider and Zibanejad being some of the Rangers’ most consistent players, they’ve struggled to generate much of anything at even strength. Their trio with Smith, acquired from the Penguins in an offseason trade, has generated just 2.69 expected goals per 60 minutes – the worst among the five Rangers forward combinations with at least 50 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck. That would be at least passable if they weren’t also allowing 2.85 xG against per hour, the highest mark among those five combos.
Kreider has appeared in 834 regular-season games for the Rangers since they drafted him 19th overall in 2009, ranking third in franchise history with 313 goals and 10th with 561 points. He’s been an invaluable playoff performer for them in recent years, racking up 24 goals and 37 points in 43 postseason games since 2022.
The alternate captain has three years left on his contract at a discount $6.5MM cap hit, given he’s scored at least 35 goals for three years in a row and is on pace to do so again in 2024-25. He has a modified no-trade clause with a 15-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia, so Drury won’t have completely free rein regarding where Kreider ends up if he does end up more aggressively trying to leverage him for a piece to help improve their possession numbers.
Trouba on the trade block is no surprise. The 30-year-old defender was almost dealt to the Red Wings near the draft last summer, per multiple reports, a swap he blocked with his full no-movement clause. That NMC has downgraded to a modified no-trade clause with a 15-team no-trade list, so Drury has much more flexibility this time around in where he could find a home for Trouba’s $8MM cap hit through 2025-26, assuming they don’t retain any salary and instead take a significant amount of money back as they “shake up their roster,” as Friedman put it.
Trouba has six assists and a +3 rating through 19 appearances this season but is averaging a career-low 20:32 per game. He’s been given the most taxing defensive usage of his career, playing much less of an offensive role and starting over 60% of his even-strength shifts in the defensive end for the first time, per Hockey Reference.
Rangers Recall Matt Rempe, Chris Kreider Out Day-To-Day
The Rangers announced they’ve recalled forward Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford. He comes up with Chris Kreider set to miss tonight’s game against the Blues with an upper-body injury, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports reports. They opened a roster spot with a series of transactions yesterday, so no IR placement or corresponding move is required.
It’s Rempe’s second recall of the season after making the opening night roster but only sticking around for a few weeks, earning a demotion to Hartford in late October. The 2020 sixth-round pick has been in the minors for nearly all of November, last being rostered for an NHL contest against the Senators on Nov. 1, a game for which he served as a healthy scratch.
Even with Kreider out and Filip Chytil not taking line rushes at today’s practice, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post, it’s entirely possible Rempe is only up to serve as additional injury insurance and may sit in the press box for a seventh time this season tonight versus St. Louis. The Rangers gave themselves another forward option last night by recalling Brett Berard, who Brooks says practiced with the second power-play unit today, strongly indicating he’ll make his NHL debut. If Rempe does draw in, that would indicate a healthy scratch for a depth piece like Adam Edstrom.
This month’s lengthy demotion means Rempe has seen 10 games of AHL action this season compared to three NHL contests. The towering 6’8″ enforcer has scored twice and added an assist in those minor-league games, but his -7 rating is second-worst on Hartford. He averaged just 5:26 per game in his trio of NHL appearances last month, down from his already measly 5:38 mark last year, and posted no points with six hits and a fight.
Rempe appeared in 17 NHL contests at the tail end of last season as the Rangers looked to add a physical spark to their fourth line. In his short stay in the lineup, he racked up 71 PIMs and recorded his first two NHL points, a goal and an assist.
Rempe doesn’t yet require waivers to return to Hartford, but the pending restricted free agent will need them starting with the 2025-26 campaign.
Meanwhile, Kreider is on an ice-cold streak, recording just one point in his last six games. It’s not clear if he sustained the upper-body issue in the Rangers’ 6-2 loss to the Oilers on Saturday or if he’s been playing through it. The 33-year-old is second on the team with nine goals in 19 games but has miraculously yet to record an assist.
East Notes: Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs
With no teams within a game of the .500 mark, the early-season parity of the Atlantic Division is beginning to separate. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, they’re on the wrong side of that division and sit four points behind the Lightning for fifth place and have an 8-10-2 record through 20 games.
That will almost surely dissuade general manager Steve Yzerman from making any rental acquisitions, but as Max Bultman of The Athletic opines, longer-term additions, such as their failed pursuit of Jacob Trouba over the summer, could make sense. With Detroit’s team defense struggling heavily, especially at 5-on-5, he named young Blue Jackets right-shot defender David Jiříček as an option, likely the most attainable given Detroit’s deep pool of prospects at seemingly every position to deal from and Columbus’ growing willingness to move on.
Ducks winger Trevor Zegras, Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram and Devils rookie blue liner Seamus Casey were other names Bultman identified as potential trade targets, but the feasibility of a deal seems progressively lower with each name. Zegras can likely still be had after a second straight underwhelming performance offensively (seven points in 19 games), but the Sabres, who have won seven out of their last 10 and are squarely in playoff position, dealing Byram to a divisional rival seems close to inconceivable at this stage.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Blue Jackets have held their own with a .500 record through 20 games, putting them on pace to smash the average 65.5-point over/under from their preseason odds. That’s due to a young offense that’s currently giving Columbus the most goal-scoring punch they’ve had in their 24-year history, as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic points out. The Jackets rank eighth in the league with 3.45 goals per game, giving them a solid cushion to clear the previous franchise record of 3.15 set in 2021-22. The team is only shooting 0.2% above the 10.5% league average, giving them a decent shot at keeping up that level of scoring. They’re also on pace to have three point-per-game players (Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Zach Werenski) for the first time in club history.
- Switching from offensive to defensive standouts, the Maple Leafs are allowing the fewest high-danger chances at 5-on-5 in the Eastern Conference, as identified by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. That’s due in large part to the addition of Chris Tanev in free agency, who’s flourished on a shutdown pairing with Jake McCabe to put together some of the best defensive work in the league.
Evening Notes: Sullivan, Penguins, Blues
Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote about the Pittsburgh Penguins freefall and what it means for head coach Mike Sullivan. Yohe wouldn’t lean one way or the other when it comes to Sullivan’s future but did concede that the Penguins’ current predicament is ripe for a coaching change. However, he doesn’t believe that general manager Kyle Dubas or Penguins ownership expected the team to make the playoffs this season.
Sullivan has been at the helm of the Penguins since late 2015 and has guided the Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships. That being said, the Penguins haven’t been out of the first round of the playoffs since 2018 and have missed the postseason in each of the last two years. Combine that with their horrific 7-12-4 start to this season, and it has people wondering if a coaching change is in order. Yohe casts doubt on that possibility but does add that if things get much worse in Pittsburgh, it could happen.
In other evening notes:
- TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke on TSN690 radio and mentioned that the Penguins have been heavily scouting the Montreal Canadiens. Dreger wonders if a trade could be brewing between the two sides, adding that nothing is in the works yet, but he does see a potential path to a deal between the two teams. Pittsburgh isn’t in fire sale mode yet, but with so many expiring contracts on the books and the playoffs falling out of reach with each passing game, the Penguins may begin to move players out with an eye toward the future.
- The St. Louis Blues didn’t expect to make a coaching change until Jim Montgomery became available a few days ago (as per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press). Blues general manager Doug Armstrong spoke to the media today saying that the Blues viewed Montgomery’s free agency as an opportunity to grab a top coach in the NHL and improve the team’s prospects behind the bench. The move certainly came as a shock to many but can’t be that surprising given Montgomery’s coaching experience as well as his deep ties to the Blues organization.
West Notes: Kaprizov, Sturm, Kings
Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has reportedly not suffered a serious injury and will be evaluated over the next few days (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). The news comes after the 27-year-old sat out last night’s game against the Calgary Flames due to a lower-body injury. Kaprizov had an MRI that revealed no major issues, which is good news for a Wild team that have caught many by surprise this season.
Kaprizov appeared to be injured in Thursday’s game against the Oilers when he collided with Edmonton forward Drake Caggiula. He left the game briefly but did return to action and finished out the third period. Kaprizov has been dominant this season, registering 13 goals and 21 assists in 19 games thus far with a +16 plus/minus. The Wild currently sit in second place in the Central Division with a 13-3-4 record.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that forward Nico Sturm has rejoined the San Jose Sharks as a regular participant in practice. Sturm was placed on injured reserve back on November 18th with an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since November 14th against the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old played less than eight minutes a game in each of his last three appearances for the Sharks and has averaged a career-low 9:50 of ice time per game this season. Despite the nearly five-minute drop-in average ice time, as well as very difficult deployment, Sturm is having one of his finer offensive seasons with three goals and three assists in 18 games.
- The Los Angeles Kings have reversed yesterday’s roster transaction as netminder Erik Portillo has been recalled from the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate the Ontario Reign while goaltender Pheonix Copley has been sent back down. The Kings made the opposite move yesterday, recalling Copley and demoting Portillo. Copley served as starter David Rittich‘s backup yesterday against the Seattle Kraken while Portillo was rock solid for the Reign last night, stopping 33 of 34 shots to pick up the win after not playing for a week.
Rangers Recall Brett Berard, Ruhwedel And Mancini Assigned To AHL
The New York Rangers have recalled forward Brett Berard from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League and have assigned defensemen Victor Mancini and Chad Ruhwedel to the AHL.
A former fifth-round pick in 2020, Berard will have an opportunity to make his NHL debut in just his second full season with the Wolf Pack after spending three seasons with Providence College of the NCAA. The 22-year-old had 25 goals and 23 assists in 71 AHL games last season and has produced better offensive numbers this season with seven goals and six assists in 16 AHL games thus far.
Going back to the AHL is Mancini, who himself is a former fifth-round pick (2022) and is in his second season of professional hockey, although he played just seven AHL games last season. The Hancock, Michigan native has dressed in ten NHL games for the Rangers this season and has produced decent offensive numbers with a goal and three assists while averaging 15:25 of ice time per game. Despite the offensive numbers, Mancini has been overwhelmed on the possession front, posting an abysmal 36.3 CF% at even strength.
Also headed to Hartford is veteran Ruhwedel. The former Stanley Cup champion has rarely seen AHL action since becoming an NHL regular in 2017-18. Ruhwedel played out a series of short-term one-way NHL contracts but had to settle for a two-way deal this past summer. This year the 34-year-old has played sparingly, with just one scoreless NHL appearance and seven AHL games.
The demotion of two defensemen to the AHL likely means that Zachary Jones will return to the Rangers lineup sooner rather than later.
Jets Recall Ville Heinola, Place Dylan Samberg On IR
The Winnipeg Jets have placed Dylan Samberg on injured reserve with a broken foot. Samberg suffered the injury in the second period of Winnipeg’s Saturday matchup against Nashville, blocking a Steven Stamkos slapshot with his skate and immediately leaving the ice. Winnipeg has also recalled the oft-injured Ville Heinola from an AHL conditioning stint in a corresponding move, setting him up to make his season debut after starting the year on the season-open non-roster list. Heinola had surgery on his ankle in September.
Samberg has served a top role for Winnipeg all season long, recording six points through 21 games while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. He’s once again serving next to Neal Pionk, the same role that Samberg recorded a career-high 31 points in last season. He’s dug his feet in as yet another evergreen defensive-defenseman in the Jets lineup. That role was stamped this summer when the Jets signed Samberg to a four-year, $19.6MM contract extension. He’s recorded 83 points across 316 games with Winnipeg, bringing his career totals to 147 points in 575 games.
Heinola will offer a quick substitute for Samberg, returning to the NHL after scoring one assist in two games on his AHL conditioning stint. Heinola spent all of the 2023-24 campaign in the minors, scoring 27 points in 41 games with the Manitoba Moose. He’s yet to vindicate a 20th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft despite being in North American pros since 2019-20. He jumped into the NHL right away, recording five points in his first eight games with the Jets – but failed to maintain that scoring through injury and moves to the AHL and a return to Finland’s Liiga during the COVID-19 season of 2020-21.
Heinola played in five NHL games at the tail-end of that year, going without any scoring – even despite 11 points in 19 AHL games. He’s since bounced between Winnipeg and Manitoba, intercut by routine trips to injured reserve. Heinola has totaled 11 points in 35 career NHL games and a much-more productive 103 points in 154 AHL games.
Hurricanes Activate Seth Jarvis, Recall Yaniv Perets, Assign Ty Smith
The Carolina Hurricanes have activated top forward Seth Jarvis from injured reserved. Jarvis missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury. He returned to practice in a no-contact jersey on November 19th. In a corresponding move, Carolina also recalled goaltender Yaniv Perets and assigned defender Ty Smith.
Jarvis will return ahead of a three-game homestand for the Hurricanes, giving a much-needed boost to a Carolina offense that got outscored by New Jersey and Columbus in their last two outings. Jarvis has 11 points through 13 games this season, returning to a pivotal role in the team’s top-six and special teams. He’s coming off a prolific 2023-24 campaign, scoring 33 goals and 67 points despite playing most of the season injured. The 22-year-old has established himself as a pillar of the Carolina lineup, and will now get a chance to get back to point-per-game scoring. His return will likely bump William Carrier or Tyson Jost out of the lineup, with Eric Robinson hanging onto his role with four points in his last four games.
Carolina also bolsters their net with this move, recalling Perets following a scary injury to de facto starter Pyotr Kochetkov. No update on Kochetkov’s prognosis has been given, but Perets’ recall suggests Carolina will deal with at least a few days without their top netminder. They’ll now have to decide between Spencer Martin and Perets for the starting role. Martin has a 1-2-1 record and .870 save percentage through five NHL games this year. Perets hasn’t made his first career NHL start yet, but has stepped into three AHL games – with a .825 save percentage through three games. With both goalies on NHL recalls, the Chicago Wolves are left with Dustin Tokarski and Ruslan Khazheyev in their net.
The Hurricanes will move forward with an improved offense, but tattered goaltending room. They’re 6-3-1 through their last 10 games, outscoring opponents 39-to-28.