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West Notes: Toews, LaCombe, Spence

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews will not dress tonight when the team takes on the Boston Bruins (as per Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey). The 30-year-old will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury as the Avalanche will be looking to get into the win column for the first time this season.

Colorado has started the year 0-3 as they try to overcome a growing list of injury concerns. They will be in tough against the Bruins without the services of Toews. Oliver Kylington will take Toews’s place on the top pair once again alongside Cale Makar, while Sam Malinski will likely occupy Toews’s spot on the second power-play unit.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe took the morning skate with the team but won’t play tonight as he continues to deal with an illness (as per Derek Lee of The Hockey News). The 23-year-old has yet to play this season as he will miss his third consecutive game to start the year. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native signed a two-year $1.85MM extension with the Ducks in July and will likely compete with Olen Zellweger for a spot in Anaheim’s defense core going forward.
  • Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings scratched Jordan Spence tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings opted for a third pairing of Caleb Jones and Andreas Englund which is very telling given the commitment Los Angeles showed to Spence in the summer by signing him to a two-year deal worth $3MM. The 23-year-old has had an abysmal start to the season, getting pinned in the defensive zone regularly while struggling with turnovers. The Kings hoped Spence would claim a spot on their backend after Matt Roy departed to Washington in free agency, but his struggles have become too much for the Kings to ignore. Spence’s time in the press box will likely be short-lived though as the Kings are being throttled by the Maple Leafs tonight and are sure to make changes before they take the ice tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Nick Leddy Out Day-To-Day, Sundqvist Cleared For Contact

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy is being listed as day-to-day after having an injury surface yesterday (as per Lou Korac of NHL.com). The lower-body ailment kept the 33-year-old off the ice today as well making him questionable for the Blues game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders. Leddy blocked a shot against the Minnesota Wild last night that may have been the cause of the injury, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.

Leddy has not been good to start the season, as he and his defensive partner Colton Parayko have not had a lot go right in the first four games of the season. Leddy has been on the ice for a total of eight goals this season through four games and is -3 plus/minus with no recorded points.

In other Blues news, forward Oskar Sundqvist has been cleared for contract as he tries to work his way back into the lineup from an ACL tear he suffered back in March (as per Chris Pinkert of NHL.com). Sundqvist underwent surgery shortly after the tear and was expected to require six months to recover. The news that he is cleared means that his return should happen in the next week or two, putting him right on schedule to return.

Sundqvist returned to the Blues in the summer of 2023, signing a one-year deal with a club that had traded him just 17 months prior. Sundqvist did enough in his first year back with the team to earn a two-year extension worth a total of $3MM. It was less than three weeks later that he would suffer the ACL tear.

Blue Jackets Place Erik Gudbranson On IR, Recall Jet Greaves On Emergency Basis

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves after placing forward Dylan Gambrell on waivers early this afternoon. The team announced they placed defenseman Erik Gudbranson on injured reserve while recalling goaltender Jet Greaves on an emergency basis.

There should be another corresponding roster move before the team’s game tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres to give more context to the method of today’s madness. Columbus is down to 12 healthy forwards, seven healthy defensemen, and three goaltenders. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reported regular netminder Elvis Merzlikins is dealing with some early-season fatigue which better explains Greaves’ call-up in the crease.

Columbus already has a reasonable in-house candidate to replace the lost minutes of Gudbranson in the form of top prospect, David Jiříček. The young Czech defenseman hasn’t factored into any games yet this season for the Blue Jackets but did score one goal and 10 points in 43 games a year ago. He’s fared much better in the AHL up to this point in his career but consistent playing time at the NHL level could dramatically improve his development.

Aside from defense, nothing should change much in Columbus’ lineup without Gambrell. The organization has the benefit of being at Nationwide Arena for the next three games making a forward call-up from Cleveland that much easier. The team won’t have to travel outside of Ohio until October 26th when they take on the Nashville Predators so they could take a couple of days before they need to make another call-up from the AHL.

Vancouver Canucks Assign Aatu Räty To AHL

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Former top prospect of the 2021 NHL Draft class, Aatu Räty, will continue his 2024-25 season in the American Hockey League moving forward. The Vancouver Canucks announced they have assigned Räty to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Räty posted a solid preseason scoring one goal and two points in three contests while posting a -1 rating. Still, he was a surprise addition to the Canucks’ opening night roster even with presumptive bottom-six center, Dakota Joshua, continuing to recover from surgery to remove a tumor.

The Oulu, Finland native tallied one assist in three games to start the year in Vancouver, an identical scorecard to his short stay with the team two years ago. He was given more responsibility this time as evidenced by his 9:41 average ice time and posted stronger possession numbers.

He’ll continue in Abbotsford for the time being where he spent all of last season with. Räty scored 18 goals and 52 points in 72 games for the AHL Canucks last year which marks his best season since moving to North America toward the end of the 2021-22 season.

Vancouver will fill the gap with a combination of Nils Åman and Arshdeep Bains for the foreseeable future. The two haven’t combined for any points this year up to this point but did combine for seven points in limited action last year.

Utah Hockey Club Recall Patrik Koch

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The Utah Hockey Club will have quite the hole on their defense for the foreseeable future with Sean Durzi dealing with an undisclosed injury. To fill that void, the organization has recalled defenseman Patrik Koch from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

Koch made his way to North America last season by signing a one-year, $848K deal with the Arizona Coyotes after spending much of his professional career in Czechia and Slovakia. He spent nearly the entire season with AHL Tucson scoring one goal and 15 points in 63 games while also collecting 97 PIMs.

Koch, who is from Malacky, Slovakia, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. His strong performance at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he had one goal and four points, likely contributed to Utah’s decision to sign him to a one-year, $775K contract on June 20th.

He continued his solid play into training camp this September tallying three assists in two games while posting a +5 rating. Utah reassigned Koch to AHL Tucson on October 4th after clearing waivers but he’s been held scoreless after two games to start the year.

The team will likely utilize veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo tonight to fill in for the injured Durzi. Should he not meet expectations; however, Koch could make his debut in Utah sooner than expected.

Pittsburgh Penguins Assign Rutger McGroarty To AHL

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Rutger McGroarty won’t be able to suit up against the organization that drafted him later this week, after all. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have assigned McGroarty to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins without a corresponding roster move.

It’s the logical step forward for McGroarty who was originally supposed to begin the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had it not been for a few injuries to the Penguins’ forward core. He’s been left off the scoreboard over three games in Pittsburgh to start the year with two shots on net and four hits. He’s posted strong possession numbers over those three games with the Penguins but his healthy scratch on Tuesday night indicated a move might be on the horizon.

It shouldn’t take too long for McGroarty to get going offensively with the AHL Penguins who are currently tied for the league lead in goals scored over two games to start the season. They should be able to slot him next to the likes of Emil Bemstrom, Samuel Poulin, Ville Koivunen, or Jimmy Huntington to make his transition to professional hockey much easier.

He’s still only one year removed from being one of the better scorers in the NCAA at the University of Michigan. McGroarty’s 16 goals and 52 points in 36 games make him one of, if not the best prospect in the Penguins organization and he should be on the receiving end of another call-up at some point during the 2024-25 regular season.

Hurricanes Activate, Reassign Joakim Ryan

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10/16: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Ryan has safely cleared waivers allowing the Hurricanes to safely reassign him to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

10/15: The Hurricanes have defenseman Joakim Ryan on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. As such, he’s ready to be activated from season-opening injured reserve. He’s been out for the past few weeks with an undisclosed injury.

Ryan, 31, is attempting an NHL comeback after spending the last three seasons playing for Sweden’s Mälmo Redhawks. The left-shot defender played 145 games for the Hurricanes, Kings, and Sharks, posting 24 points and a +1 rating, before returning to his home country in 2021. He landed back with Carolina, where he spent his last season under an NHL contract, on a two-way deal as a free agent this offseason.

The 5’11”, 181-lb defender was historically a solid two-way option in the minors and overseas. He had some upward mobility in an NHL lineup, once averaging as much as 19:09 per game in his lone season in Los Angeles in 2019-20. But his point production in the last two seasons in Sweden was underwhelming, and he’s likely an AHL option at this stage of his career. If he clears, he’ll get that chance with the Chicago Wolves, where he had two assists in four games back in 2020-21 while in the Hurricanes organization.

With his NHL experience, though, Ryan could be an option for a mid-season call-up if injuries decimate Carolina’s defense corps. He’ll be a UFA next summer and will earn a salary of $110K while in the minors.

Ottawa Senators Injury Updates

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The Ottawa Senators are looking to pick up their third win of the young regular season tomorrow night but will have to do so without an important defenseman. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported defenseman Artem Zub will miss at least a week with a concussion while goaltender Linus Ullmark and defenseman Thomas Chabot appear ready to go.

The injury to Zub will strain the Senators’ defense for a short time, with the team already being thin on the right side of the blue line. According to line rushes today, veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic will move into the first pairing next to Jake Sanderson, with Jacob Bernard-Docker making his season debut on the bottom pairing.

Ottawa will find it difficult to match up against a speedy New Jersey Devils offense tomorrow night but it appears they are taking a more balanced approach to their defense while Zub recovers. Hamonic is no longer the quality shutdown defenseman he was with the New York Islanders organization in the early-to-mid 2010s, but he has started the 2024-25 season well, averaging 15:02 through the first three games.

Zub’s injury also gives some context to Garrioch’s report a few days ago that the Senators were already perusing the trade market to add a depth defenseman. The group looks markedly weaker even after sustaining one injury and Ottawa likely doesn’t want this to become a theme throughout the season with their eyes on the playoffs.

The back half of Garrioch’s injury report from today is positive as Ullmark returned to practice while recovering from a strain. TSN’s Claire Hanna shared a note from head coach Travis Green saying, “Linus Ullmark skated today, looked good, progressing well”. He did not confirm whether Ullmark would be the starter for tomorrow night but it appears they are headed in that direction. The team felt his absence in their most recent game against the Los Angeles Kings with Mads Sogaard and Anton Forsberg allowing seven goals on 26 shots in an overtime win.

Chabot left practice early today after colliding with Bernard-Docker during a drill in the neutral zone. He did not return to practice but multiple sources indicate he is doing fine and there is no concern for his availability in tomorrow night’s game against the Devils.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Peterka, Struble

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The Maple Leafs may not be without William Nylander for any game action. After missing practice Tuesday with an illness, the star winger is feeling better and will be a game-time decision tonight against the Kings, head coach Craig Berube told reporters, including David Alter of The Hockey News. He’s the second top-six forward affected by something going around the Toronto room. It caused center John Tavares to miss their 4-2 win over the Penguins last weekend, in which Nylander had his first two points of the season – both goals. The 28-year-old is in the first season of the eight-year, $92MM extension he inked midway through last season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sabres will have John-Jason Peterka available for tonight’s game against the Penguins after he missed their last two games with a concussion, head coach Lindy Ruff said. He sustained the concussion on a hit from Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon in the second game of their Global Series set at the beginning of the month. The 22-year-old had an assist and a -2 rating in the season opener and projects to re-enter the lineup in a first-line role alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
  • Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble has been cleared to return from his upper-body injury, per head coach Martin St. Louis (via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie). The 23-year-old has yet to play this year after sustaining the injury late in preseason. He’ll look to lock down a more consistent bottom-pairing role this season after making his NHL debut last year and posting 10 points and a -3 rating in 56 games while averaging just north of 16 minutes per night. It’s unclear whether he’ll play tomorrow against the Kings or sit as a healthy scratch, though.

Wild Reassign Daemon Hunt

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Oct. 16: The Wild returned Hunt to Iowa today, the team announced. He entered the lineup as a seventh defender in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Blues, recording two shots on goal and a hit in 8:01 of ice time. Hunt could be recalled again before the Wild kick off a road trip later this week if Spurgeon isn’t ready to return, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Oct. 14: The Minnesota Wild have added some defensive depth with team captain Jared Spurgeon sustaining a lower-body injury. The organization announced they have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Minnesota used Declan Chisholm as the injury replacement for Spurgeon in yesterday’s overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets. He was largely left off the scoresheet with one hit and one shot in just over 17 minutes of ice time, and Chisholm will likely fill in the void for the time being.

The 2024-25 season marks the third full season for Hunt in the Wild’s organization after concluding his WHL career with the Moose Jaw Warriors. He’s primarily played with AHL Iowa collecting six goals and 42 points in 118 regular season contests.

He made his NHL debut with the Wild last year on October 27th in a shootout loss to the Washington Capitals after securing 4:12 of ice time. He finished the year with one assist in 12 games for Minnesota while averaging 11:30 of ice time throughout those games.

Spurgeon’s lower-body ailment is only supposed to last for a few days, meaning Hunt’s second call-up this season will be shortlived. He’s already tallied one assist for AHL Iowa in two games this season and will look to expand on that when he is inevitably reassigned.

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