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Evening Notes: Oilers, Clarke, Salary Deferrals

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The Edmonton Oilers are currently sporting the worst penalty kill in the league and the 26th ranked powerplay (as per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic). These special teams’ issues have left the Oilers in an early season funk as the reigning Western Conference Champions have started the season 6-6-1.

Edmonton’s penalty kill has a success rate of 60%, while the powerplay has stumbled out of the gate, clicking at just 14.7%. This is a significant drop from last season when Edmonton’s cumulative total in the playoffs for the powerplay and penalty kill was 123.6. Some optimists may point to Connor McDavid’s absence as the cause of the powerplay falling off, but Edmonton had just a 13% success rate on the powerplay with him in the lineup.

In other evening notes:

  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic writes that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke is living up to the billing that made him the eighth overall pick in 2021. Clarke is filling in for injured Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and has done an incredible job, despite having played just 38 NHL games to this point. The 21-year-old has a goal and 11 assists in 13 games thus far this season and has embraced the Kings’ philosophy of turning him into a complete defenseman.
  • A small trend has started to emerge in the NHL which is seeing players defer some of their salary to reduce their current cap hits. Despite the tactic being used in new deals for Carolina Hurricanes Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis, NHL general managers, agents and league executives aren’t expecting much of an uptick in the application of this maneuver (as per Chris Johnston of The Athletic). Jake McCabe had the same tactic used in the five-year deal he signed last week, and despite this happening more and more, it doesn’t appear as though it will be anything more than a niche thing. Player agent Scott Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey told The Athletic that he doesn’t believe it will happen very often because it is typically not in the interest of the player to defer money.

West Notes: Hellebuyck, Wild, Reichel

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Murat Ates of The Athletic broke down the reason Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was so frustrated by the lack of a goaltender interference call in a recent game against the Lightning. Hellebuyck has been a vocal advocate for goaltender interference calls, going as far as presenting to the NHL’s competition committee, and was incensed after the game against Tampa Bay for giving up a goal with a player sitting in his lap.

Hellebuyck has been looking for the NHL to create a clear standard for goalie interference but has been unsuccessful thus far in his advocacy. Goaltender interference remains a hotly debated topic around NHL circles as more and more instances of differing opinions seem to be occurring around the league.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild have been a feel-good story this season, beginning the year with an 8-1-2 record which matches their best start in franchise history (as per John Buccigross). The Wild have scored a franchise record 41 goals in 11 games and have been bolstered by star Kirill Kaprizov who is currently tied for the NHL scoring lead with 21 points. On the backend, the Wild have also received elite goaltending from Filip Gustavsson who appears to have returned to the form he displayed two years ago and even has a goal of his own this season.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic writes that Chicago Blackhawks forward Lucas Reichel has worked to get his confidence back and the results are beginning to show. Last season the 22-year-old went from a second line center all the way back to the AHL and it appeared in training camp that his game was in the same place. However, since being paired with veterans Pat Maroon and Craig Smith, Reichel has turned a corner and has looked like the player that the Blackhawks were hoping he would be when they took him in the first round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Reichel has a goal and five assists in nine games this season while averaging just over 12 minutes per game.

Central Notes: Predators, Drouin, Seguin, Martinez

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The Nashville Predators were expecting better than a 4-7-1 record through the first month of the regular season, especially after spending $108.5MM to bring in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in free agency. Still, despite the poor start, it doesn’t appear the team is ready to hit the panic button yet.

In an article from The Fourth Period, David Pagnotta said, “Barry Totz is certainly going to be doing his due diligence and looking around to see what may be available down the road. But right now, as you mentioned, four points out of a playoff spot, despite their rough start to the new season, I don’t really get the sense that they’re looking or itching to make an impact type of move or a panic type of move just now.”

The issues in Nashville fall on both sides of the ice. The offense hasn’t generated much enthusiasm with 2.42 GF/G and the defense hasn’t been able to hold down the fort with a 3.42 GA/G through 12 games. There are still some encouraging signs with the Predators sitting eighth in the league with a 52.8% CorsiFor% and the biggest disparity in actual goal differential minus expected goal differential according to Hockey Reference. Time will tell if Nashville has fundamental problems with their play or if they have to wait a bit longer for pucks to start bouncing their way.

Other Central notes:

  • The Colorado Avalanche are already getting a major boost to their forward core with the return of Artturi Lehkonen. According to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports, the team could get another reinforcement in the form of Jonathan Drouin. Angley shares that Drouin is close to returning from his upper-body injury which has kept him sidelined for much of the year aside from the opening contest. Lehkonen and the return of Drouin give Colorado two bonafide top-six wingers with Valeri Nichushkin expected to return in a few days.
  • Thanks to a lower-body injury, Dallas Stars veteran forward Tyler Seguin has only participated in seven of the team’s 11 contests. Robert Tiffin of D Magazine shares that the lower-body injury shouldn’t keep Seguin out for an extended time but it will likely be something the team has to manage all year. Seguin may inevitably land around his 2023-24 totals of 68 games played but has gotten off to a strong start this year with five goals and nine points in his limited action.
  • Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Blackhawks reports veteran defenseman Alec Martinez resumed skating this morning before the team’s practice. Martinez, who brings Stanley Cup pedigree to a relatively young Blackhawks roster, has been sidelined on October 15th due to a right groin injury. In his stead, Chicago has relied on a combination of young defensemen Nolan Allan, Wyatt Kaiser, and Alex Vlasic on the left side of the defense.

Pacific Notes: Walman, Bjorkstrand, Joshua, Samsonov

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In an interesting decision for San Jose Sharks head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, defenseman Jake Walman will be a healthy scratch in the team’s game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets (X Link). Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now theorized that it could be linked to an apparent injury Walman suffered in the team’s most recent loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

It’s important to note that there hasn’t been any confirmation about an injury as Warsofsky was quoted as saying, “I’m sure he’s frustrated. I think everyone wants to play. That message is gonna be between him and I.” At any rate, it’s a peculiar move from a rookie head coach with arguably the team’s top defenseman.

Walman is leading all Sharks’ defensemen in scoring with one goal and nine points in 13 games including seven points in the last four games. However, he struggled in the team’s loss to Vancouver producing a -2 rating over 20:35 of ice time including being on the ice for the deciding goal. The Sharks have played better recently with three wins in their last five games but Warsofsky may just be sending a stark message to keep his team on the right track.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Joining Walman as a healthy scratch tonight is Pacific Division counterpart Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Seattle Kraken according to Emerald City Hockey. This healthy scratch designation is more of a public message to the group with head coach Dan Bylsma saying, “The message is not just to Oliver. It’s to the whole group.” Bjorkstrand has struggled out of the gates with three goals and five points in 13 games while the team has dropped six of their last seven contests.
  • The Canucks organization may be getting a major boost this week with Harman Dayal of The Athletic reporting forward Dakota Joshua is a legitimate possibility to suit up on Thursday. Joshua hasn’t played for Vancouver since May 20th earlier this year as he continues to recover from testicular cancer. Despite the delayed start to the year, Vancouver re-upped with Joshua this summer to a four-year, $13MM contract as he’s expected to be a big factor in the team’s success over the next half-decade.
  • Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov is out until at least next Monday. Granger assured that it’s not a long-term injury but Samsonov hasn’t suited up for the Golden Knights in almost a week. He’s gotten off to a decent start with the third franchise of his career managing a 3-1-1 record through five starts with a .906 save percentage.

East Notes: Frederic, Ristolainen, Benning

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In an unsurprising but notable report, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes shares that Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic should have plenty of interest in his services once he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2025. Frederic has developed into a prototypical Bruins forward, combining physicality and toughness with a knack for goal-scoring.

Frederic plays a similar style to Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson although he hasn’t racked up nearly the number of PIMs as the veteran. From 2022-24, Frederic scored 35 goals and 71 points in 161 games for the Bruins while also collecting 309 hits. He has more experience down the middle which should give him some extra value but his career 44.4% success rate in the dot leaves a lot to be desired.

Outside of his solid offensive output as a middle-six center, Frederic can also be trusted in the defensive zone. He averaged 57.4% of his zone starts in the defensive zone during the 2023-24 regular season and still managed a 91.3% on-ice save percentage in all situations.

Aside from likely interest in free agency, Frederic could be an interesting trade chip throughout the 2024-25 regular season. Boston has gotten off to a disappointing 6-6-1 start to the regular season and Frederic could be valuable trade bait closer to the deadline should the trend continue.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • If the last four years were any indication, the Philadelphia Flyers are again expected to be a deadline seller evidenced by their 4-7-1 start to the regular season. One trade piece the organization has is defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen who will have two years and $10.2MM left on his contract after this year. Given the market over the last few seasons, Ristolainen’s size and physicality on the blue line could warrant a first-round draft pick according to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff. Di Marco may be correct in his thinking regarding size and physicality but a first-round pick for an edge top-four defenseman still appears bullish at face value.
  • Another piece already publicly on the trade block is Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Matt Benning. The organization may have difficulty shedding the two years and $2.5MM left on Benning’s current four-year contract but they likely have a contingency plan. In an article from James Mirtle of The Athletic (Subscription Article), he shares that Toronto is likely to place Benning on waivers should they not find a suitable trade. It stands to reason the Maple Leafs are more willing to lose Benning over Conor Timmins once they ultimately activate Jani Hakanpää from the injured reserve.

Sharks Activate Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea From IR

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Nov. 5: As expected, Cardwell and Gushchin have been sent down to make way for Celebrini’s and Dellandrea’s activations, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Pashelka. The Sharks organization later confirmed that Celebrini and Dellandrea have been activated for tonight’s contest.

Nov. 4: Sharks forwards Macklin Celebrini and Ty Dellandrea will make their returns to the lineup tomorrow against the Blue Jackets, they each told reporters today, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. They’ll need to come off injured reserve, meaning the Sharks will have to open up a pair of roster spots in short order.

Celebrini, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, has missed all but San Jose’s season opener with a lower-body injury. The 18-year-old told Pashelka that he sustained it on his first shift, but he still managed to record a goal and an assist in 17:35 of ice time against the Blues. After a 12-game absence, he’ll likely be back centering their first line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli. That would leave Mikael Granlund and his team-leading 14 points in 13 games in a second-line role, greatly improving the Sharks’ scoring depth.

After an initial bleak stretch without Celebrini, the Sharks have turned things around – somewhat. They still sit last in the league with a 3-8-2 record, but they’ve won three out of their last four games and have outscored opponents 14-11 during that stretch. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for a club that recently became the first in NHL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine-game losing streaks.

They’ll also have Dellandrea available against Columbus. The 24-year-old had a goal in nine games after being acquired from the Stars over the offseason but sustained a hand injury against the Golden Knights over a week ago. He’s back after missing four contests with the injury, and he’ll almost surely slot back in after playing a season-high 15:13 against the Kings on Oct. 24, his last fully healthy game.

The Sharks have three likely candidates who are waiver-exempt to head to the minors to make room for the duo – forwards Ethan Cardwell, Daniil Gushchin, and defenseman Jack Thompson. San Jose has carried 15 forwards and six defenders at points this season, so they may opt to send down Thompson to get back to that formation, although that’s unlikely given he’s currently ninth on the team in scoring with three assists in six games. Gushchin has just one assist in 10 appearances after cracking the opening night roster, while Cardwell has no points and a -2 rating in three appearances since being called up to replace Dellandrea.

Sabres Reassign Jiri Kulich, Activate Zach Benson

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The Sabres have assigned winger Jiri Kulich to AHL Rochester, per a team announcement. The move paves the way for Zach Benson to come off injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Senators, which head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters yesterday was an option. The team’s Heather Engel confirmed Benson was back on the active roster.

Kulich, 20, was the final of Buffalo’s three selections in the first round of the 2022 draft. The Czech forward immediately came over to North America, suiting up for Rochester in his post-draft year. He was one of the club’s best players over the previous two seasons, accumulating 51 goals and 91 points in 119 games and representing them at the 2024 AHL All-Star Game. He made his NHL debut last season during a brief call-up in November, registering a -1 rating and a shot on goal in a lone appearance.

As such, his stock was high heading into training camp. After an impressive preseason, Kulich found himself on the Sabres’ opening night roster for the first time, although he was a healthy scratch for their season opener against the Devils in his home country. He’s gotten extended looks in the lineup, including a four-game stretch without being scratched in late October, but hasn’t been able to make the offensive impact the team hoped. Through eight appearances, Kulich has one goal and no assists with three blocks and five hits. It’s not for a lack of ice time – Ruff has deployed him for an average of 14:36 per game. He’s done well to get pucks on net, totaling 17 shots on goal, but he’s finishing at just 5.9%. The Sabres are also controlling 48.8% of shot attempts with Kulich on the ice at even strength compared to 55.5% without him.

Thus, a little more seasoning in Rochester should be helpful for the cerebral 6’1″ forward. His underwhelming start, combined with the fact that he’s the only waiver-exempt skater on the active roster, made it clear he would be heading down when Benson was ready to return.

The 19-year-old Benson hasn’t gotten off to the smoothest start this season either. He sustained a lower-body injury in the season opener, causing him to miss the second of the two games in Europe against New Jersey. He tried playing through the injury upon returning to North America, but after being held scoreless through six games with a -4 rating, Benson was shut down in mid-October. After a five-game absence, he’ll be back in the lineup against Ottawa on the team’s second line with Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Lightning Recall Gage Goncalves, Brayden Point Out Day-To-Day

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12:42 p.m.: Goncalves will make his season debut tonight while Point has been officially listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters, including Lou Korac of NHL.com.

10:24 a.m.: The Lightning are bringing up center Gage Goncalves from AHL Syracuse, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports. No corresponding transaction is needed with ample cap space and a pair of open roster spots, but his addition to the roster could indicate that Tampa Bay will be without center Brayden Point tonight against the Blues. Point left Sunday’s loss to the Jets in the first period with a lower-body injury.

Goncalves, 23, was a second-round pick of the Lightning in 2020 out of the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. The 6’0″, 181-lb pivot made his NHL debut last season, skating in a pair of wins for the Bolts against the Devils and Ducks in mid-January. He didn’t record a point but managed to log 6 PIMs and two hits while averaging just a shade under 10 minutes per game.

The Canadian-Portuguese national is now in his fourth season playing pro within the Lightning organization. He’s spent nearly all of that time with Syracuse, where he has 43 goals and 106 assists for 149 points in 216 career appearances. After an injury held him out for the first few games of Syracuse’s season, he’s recorded four assists through his first four games with the minor-league club to start 2024-25.

Last season was a banner one for the British Columbia native. He recorded career highs with 45 assists and 58 points in 69 games, earning himself a spot on the North Division’s roster for the AHL All-Star Game. Following the season, Goncalves signed a one-year, two-way extension ($775K/$100K) to keep him from reaching restricted free agency. He’ll have the opportunity to become an RFA next summer, this time with arbitration rights.

With no other extra forwards on hand, it’s highly likely that Goncalves would slide into the lineup and make his season debut against St. Louis if Point can’t play. Point would be a humongous loss for a Tampa team looking to reverse a two-game losing streak, currently tied for third on the team in scoring with 13 points (8 G, 5 A) in 12 games. His five power-play goals and 38.1% shooting percentage both lead the league.

Oilers Reassign Drake Caggiula

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The Oilers have returned forward Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield, per a team announcement.

Edmonton had recalled Caggiula, 30, last week along with Noah Philp after Connor McDavid exited the lineup with an ankle injury. They had 13 healthy forwards with them both on the roster, though. Caggiula did get into the lineup twice, recording an assist and a +1 rating in a paltry 7:36 of average ice time, but he was a healthy scratch for the Oilers’ most recent contest against the Devils.

The pair of games marked Caggiula’s first in the NHL in two years. The 5’10” winger also spent last year in the Oilers organization, his second run in Edmonton after initially landing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He spent the entire season on assignment to Bakersfield.

McDavid is close to a return, but Caggiula’s reassignment doesn’t indicate he’ll be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Golden Knights. Their following game against the Canucks this weekend remains a possibility. Instead, the reassignment delays the expiration of Caggiula’s temporary waiver exemption since he wasn’t going to be in the lineup tomorrow anyway, by all indications.

Before the call-up, Caggiula had two goals and three assists for five points, 8 PIMs, and a +2 rating in five showings for Bakersfield. Last season, he was among the team’s top point producers with 37 in only 43 appearances. The Ontario native has 46 goals and 92 points in 284 career NHL appearances in parts of eight seasons, most of which came during his first two and a half NHL seasons with Edmonton.

The Oilers now have one open roster spot. It’s inconsequential for McDavid’s return as he was never placed on injured reserve. Caggiula will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after completing his current two-year, two-way deal with Edmonton that pays him a $550K salary in the minors this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Roy, Chychrun, Rakell, Poehling

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The Capitals’ news cycle has been dominated by the health of a pair of top-four defensemen in recent days, and that hasn’t changed Tuesday. There’s good news to report regarding one of them – Matt Roy shed his no-contact designation in practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. He’s been upgraded to questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Predators and could come off injured reserve before then, head coach Spencer Carbery added (via Silber).

Roy, 29, has suited up just once for the Caps since signing his six-year, $34.5MM contract with them over the summer. The longtime Kings defender sustained the injury in their season opener against the Devils and has missed the following 10 games. It was an inauspicious start for the usually trusty stay-at-home piece, who posted a -2 rating in less than 10 minutes of ice time against New Jersey.

Upon his return, he’ll look to improve a Washington defense that’s already fared pretty well without him. As a team, the Capitals are controlling 50.4% of shot attempts and 53.5% of scoring chances at even strength, led by some spectacular two-way play from John Carlson. Roy’s return will benefit Washington by pushing overtaxed veteran Dylan McIlrath down the depth chart – he’s been out-attempted 93-133 at even strength through 10 games and skated in second-pairing duties alongside Rasmus Sandin in the Caps’ last game, a role Roy will take over when he’s back in the lineup.

Unfortunately, there isn’t as much positive news regarding Jakob Chychrun’s health. Carbery said he’s not yet returned to skating with the rest of the team but is at least continuing to take reps before practice with team staff. Chychrun landed on IR over the weekend and has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury he sustained on Oct. 29 against the Rangers. He’s now missed seven days and is eligible to come off IR at any time, although it doesn’t appear that will happen in the next few days. Chychrun had two goals and two assists in eight games before exiting the lineup, tying for the team lead with seven takeaways.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:

  • After a tough 2023-24 campaign, Rickard Rakell is one of the few Penguins performing at or over expectations this season. The 31-year-old leads the team in goals with six through 13 games and is third on the team with nine points. Rakell spoke to Josh Yohe of The Athletic yesterday, detailing how he overcame a great deal of self-doubt about his age and potential permanent decline to rediscover his game.
  • The Flyers will be without the services of center Ryan Poehling on their upcoming three-game road trip, head coach John Tortorella told Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. He’s remaining in Philadelphia to nurse a minor injury and attend to a “family situation.” The 25-year-old had five assists and a +2 rating through 12 appearances this season, averaging 13:31 per game. He’s also posted great possession metrics for his heavy defensive-zone usage and is winning 50% of his draws for the first time in his six-year career. Noah Cates, who’s played in seven straight after being scratched four times in five games to start the season, will center the fourth line in his place.

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