Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Point, Gadjovich
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews didn’t practice or skate with the team today and is questionable to play this weekend. He’s been battling an upper-body injury for much of the week and didn’t play in the team’s most recent matchup against the Boston Bruins a few days ago.
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic provided a quote about Matthews’ availability earlier from head coach Craig Berube saying, “That’s to be determined still. It’s hard for me to answer that question knowing what I know right now with him today.” The Maple Leafs have back-to-back matchups against Original Six rivals this weekend in the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.
Although Toronto is objectively better with Matthews in the lineup it appears the team is taking a more measured approach to his recovery. The American superstar has five goals and 11 points through 13 games to start the campaign and the Maple Leafs are looking to be safer than sorry with their leader.
Other Atlantic notes:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are again without their first-line center Brayden Point this evening as they face off against the Philadelphia Flyers. Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reported earlier that Point is still out with a lower-body injury although he did resume skating this morning. It will be the second straight missed game for Point after starting the season with eight goals and 13 points in 12 contests.
- Heading southeast to Sunrise, Florida, Colby Guy of the Associated Press confirmed there are no lineup changes for the Florida Panthers tonight meaning forward Jonah Gadjovich won’t return to the ice. Gadjovich hasn’t played since October 17th due to a back injury. The physical bottom-six presence should pick up where he left off before the injury as he’s collected a whopping 26 hits in only six games in the current campaign.
Metro Notes: Flyers, Romanov, Reilly, Hayes, Thompson
As hinted earlier, the Philadelphia Flyers will be a little thin in the crease tonight. The organization announced that Aleksei Kolosov will not dress tonight due to a lower-body injury and Ivan Fedotov will make his fourth start of the season.
With Samuel Ersson still on the shelf with a lower-body injury, the Flyers needed to find a backup netminder for their contest tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The role will be filled by Kyle Konin whom the team has signed to an amateur tryout agreement for tonight’s game.
Konin hasn’t played competitively in quite some time and there’s no expectation he’ll play this evening. He last suited up in 2019-20 for the Grand Valley State Lakers playing in five games split between the university’s DII and DIII club teams. Konin also served as an emergency backup netminder for the Lightning and the St. Louis Blues although he did not play.
Other Metro notes:
- The New York Islanders will still be light on the blue line with Andrew Gross of Newsday reporting defensemen Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly won’t re-enter the lineup tonight. Both blue-liners haven’t played since the team’s November 1st game against the Buffalo Sabres as they’re both nursing injuries. Tonight marks the third game without the pair and the Islanders have surrendered eight total games in the two games without Romanov and Reilly.
- The play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Getzoff, reports Kevin Hayes is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This confirms Hayes won’t be in the lineup tonight as the Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes and should make him questionable for tomorrow’s contest against the Washington Capitals. Hayes’ absence won’t dramatically affect the Penguins’ lineup as he’s only averaging 9:27 of ice time in his first year with Pittsburgh.
- We’re only a few weeks away from full rosters being announced for the 4 Nations Face-Off and one of the bigger topics of conversation has surrounded Team Canada’s goaltenders. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported earlier that Capitals’ netminder Logan Thompson has put himself on Team Canada’s radar with his solid start to the season. Thompson hasn’t recorded a loss yet this season after six starts and has managed a .903 save percentage. Should he find a spot on Team Canada’s roster, it’ll be Thompson’s first international play since the 2022 IIHF World Championships.
New Jersey Devils Reassign Simon Nemec
According to a team announcement, the New Jersey Devils have reassigned defenseman Simon Nemec to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Due to a slow start to the season and a fully healthy New Jersey blue line, Nemec hasn’t seen game action with the Devils since October 22nd.
It’s reasonable that any organization would want regular playing time for one of their highest-ranked prospects, especially one drafted second overall only three years ago. Still, the move back to Utica feels like a step backward in Nemec’s development.
It’ll be his first playing time in the AHL since last year although he only suited up in 13 games for the Comets. However, his familiarity with the team doesn’t begin there, as Nemec played 65 games for Utica in the 2022-23 AHL season, scoring 12 goals and 34 points from the blue line.
Nemec debuted and got an extended look in New Jersey last year, thanks to a few key injuries on the team’s blue line. He scored three goals and 19 points in 60 games while averaging 19:52 of ice time per game. His 50.6 CF% in all situations and final expected rating of 6.9 showed that he held his own defensively despite being only 19 years old.
The first nine games of the 2024-25 NHL season haven’t gone as well for Nemec who’s experiencing a dropoff in nearly every statistical category. The decline in play lost him some confidence with the coaching staff too as his ice time was cut by almost four minutes on average.
Upon the return of Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, he quickly became a healthy scratch. Now that they’re fully healthy, both defensemen should have a consistent role in the lineup, meaning the team needed to find playing time elsewhere for Nemec.
Nemec’s not entering the best situation in Utica with the Comets being the only AHL team still searching for their first win on the 2024-25 campaign. Still, the silver lining is Nemec immediately becomes the best defenseman on the team and should have a regular role in most situations.
Flyers Notes: Michkov, Ersson, Kolosov
Matvei Michkov will be a healthy scratch for the first time in his career tonight, head coach John Tortorella told reporters (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). He got back on the scoresheet Tuesday against the Hurricanes with a power-play assist, but he hasn’t recorded an even-strength point since Oct. 26 against the Wild and has seen his minutes reduced over the past four games. He’ll sit for Anthony Richard, who will make his Flyers debut after being recalled in place of the IR-bound Ryan Poehling yesterday.
“Just part of the process,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to help him. I told you guys: with young guys, they can watch games too, as part of development. It’s trying to help him.” Sitting the Calder Trophy frontrunner for a game is something he’s hinted at for a few days.
Michkov, the seventh overall pick in 2023, has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) through his first NHL 13 games and is averaging 17:50 per game. Despite his struggles to produce offense at even strength, he’s carrying possession well. The Flyers control 48.4% of shot attempts with Michkov on the ice compared to 44.7% without him.
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Goaltender Samuel Ersson remains out of the lineup tonight against the Lightning as he continues to nurse a lower-body injury, per Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was a participant in morning skate, though, signaling a return isn’t far off. It’ll be his second game missed with the injury, putting a pause on what had been a good start to the season for the 25-year-old with a .901 SV%, 2.68 GAA and 0.5 GSAA.
- Unfortunately, he’s not the only Flyers netminder with injury issues. While they initially anticipated giving Aleksei Kolosov his third career NHL start tonight, he sustained an undisclosed injury during morning skate and may be unavailable to dress, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Without time to get a recall from AHL Lehigh Valley to Tampa for tonight’s game, they’ll need to rely on the arena’s designated emergency backup goaltender if Kolosov isn’t cleared to play. He may still be healthy enough to dress as the backup, but either way, it appears Ivan Fedotov will get a chance to get back on track after logging a horrid .821 SV% and 5.35 GAA through his first three showings.
Flames Place Anthony Mantha On Injured Reserve, Recall Dryden Hunt
Flames winger Anthony Mantha has landed on injured reserve, per Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia. Head coach Ryan Huska told reporters earlier in the day, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg, that Mantha was still undergoing evaluation for a lower-body injury and would miss tonight’s game against the Bruins. The open roster spot is going to forward Dryden Hunt, who the team announced has been recalled from AHL Calgary.
Given his IR placement is retroactive to his last game (Nov. 5), Mantha will miss Calgary’s next three games and can return as soon as next Tuesday against the Canucks. The organization has yet to give him an official injury designation, so it’s unclear how much time, if any, he’ll miss past the mandatory minimum.
Mantha suffered the injury on Tuesday versus Montreal after falling awkwardly on his right knee after a hit from Emil Heineman. He got up under his own power and skated off the ice, albeit slowly, without the assistance of a trainer. He didn’t return to the game.
It’s been an inconsistent start in Calgary for Mantha, who inked a one-year, $3.5MM contract in free agency. The 6’5″ winger had two goals and two assists in his first three games but has gone cold since then, limited to three points in his last 10 appearances.
He’s averaging only 1.15 shots on goal per game, something Huska recently said has to change. “You saw tonight, there were multiple times he was standing right in front of the net,” Huska told reporters (including Gilbertson) after Sunday’s loss to the Oilers. “That’s how he scored his goal. And for a guy that is his size and has his ability with the puck, that’s what we need out of him.”
Kevin Rooney will enter the lineup in Mantha’s place after sitting as a healthy scratch three times in the last seven games, per Derek Willis of Sportsnet 960. Hunt comes up to serve as an extra body in case the Flames sustain any more injuries up front and need a last-minute fill-in. The 28-year-old had eight points in 28 games for Calgary last year and has 10 points in 12 AHL games so far this season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Capitals Reassign Michael Sgarbossa
Nov. 7: Washington sent Sgarbossa back to Hershey today, this time accompanied by a team announcement. That could indicate a more permanent demotion, potentially opening up a roster spot for Jakob Chychrun to come off injured reserve in the coming days.
Nov. 5: Sgarbossa is back up with the Caps today, per the AHL. It ended up being a temporary move to extend the veteran’s waiver-exempt period.
Nov. 4: The Capitals returned center Michael Sgarbossa to AHL Hershey on Monday, per the league’s transactions log.
Washington recalled the 32-year-old last week to give themselves another option in their bottom six. He played back-to-back games, posting a +1 rating and going 5-for-12 in the faceoff circle while averaging just 8:18 per game. He’d sat in the press box for their back-to-back contests against the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes over the weekend, though, suggesting he likely wasn’t going to stick around long-term.
Sgarbossa is now in his seventh season with the Capitals organization. He’s spent most of that time on assignment to AHL Hershey, where he’s been their leading scorer since the 2018-19 campaign with 246 points (87 G, 159 A) in 269 appearances. The Ontario native has also made 44 appearances with the Caps, scoring six goals and seven assists for 13 points with a +6 rating. He’d previously recorded 10 points in 48 games for the Avalanche, Ducks and Panthers before arriving in the District of Columbia.
The Capitals are left with an open roster spot after the demotion. They’ll likely use it for defenseman Matt Roy, who’s nearing a return from the lower-body injury that’s kept him out since the season opener and is almost ready to come off injured reserve. Roy was moved to IR last week to make room for Sgarbossa’s call-up.
Sgarbossa cleared waivers during the preseason. He can stay on the NHL roster for 23 more days or play in eight more NHL games before he requires waivers again to return to the minors.
NCAA Votes To Expand Collegiate Eligibility To CHL Players
The NCAA’s Division I Council has voted to adopt a rule change in men’s ice hockey, allowing players with previous involvement with professional teams to play for collegiate squads, the organization announced Thursday. As expected, the decision will enable prospects who played major junior hockey in the CHL to transfer to NCAA teams beginning next season.
Under NCAA bylaws, the three CHL sub-leagues (OHL, QMJHL, WHL) had been declared professional organizations despite being comprised solely of major junior players because players receive stipends from their clubs while under Scholarship and Development Agreements. Their restrictions against players with “professional” experience appearing for NCAA Division I member clubs thus previously barred a player who had dressed for a CHL team at any point from going on to play top-level college hockey.
With those restrictions removed, players drafted by NHL teams out of the CHL could theoretically play Division I hockey as an intermediary before signing an entry-level contract with their NHL team. Additionally, players with outstanding NCAA commitments can play CHL hockey without losing their eligibility – a new outlet that quite a few players have already taken advantage of in anticipation of today’s ruling.
The rule change also opens the door for NHL-drafted, unsigned prospects playing Division I hockey to attend their club’s rookie and training camps “as long as they don’t receive compensation above expenses and don’t play in any external scrimmages or exhibitions,” according to PHR’s Gabriel Foley. That means DI players are still unable to participate in NHL preseason action while still enrolled with their school, and they still won’t be able to sign entry-level contracts until they’re ready to turn pro.
It’s good news for both the CHL and NCAA, who expand their potential talent pools by a significant margin with today’s vote. It’s not so good news for other major junior alternatives like the USHL and junior ‘A’ leagues in Canada, such as the BCHL and AJHL, who weren’t affected by the NCAA’s previous rules. Those leagues are no longer unique in being the only viable high-level pre-Division I option for players, meaning they’re likely to lose a lot of top-level talents to the CHL in the coming years.
Panthers Activate, Reassign Justin Sourdif
The Panthers have activated forward Justin Sourdif from season-opening injured reserve and subsequently assigned him to AHL Charlotte, per an announcement from the minor-league club.
Sourdif, 22, landed on SOIR last month after sustaining an upper-body injury about a week into training camp. He was listed as week-to-week and ended up missing around six weeks with the ailment.
A Florida third-round pick in 2020, Sourdif will kick off his third season with Charlotte in the coming days. The 5’11” right-winger/center has made 106 appearances for the AHL franchise since turning pro in 2022, amassing 19 goals and 43 assists for 62 points. The former WHL champion with the Edmonton Oil Kings earned his NHL debut in the early going of last season, going without a point in three appearances for the Panthers in October before being reassigned to the minors and spending the rest of the campaign in Charlotte.
Sourdif produced over a point per game over his final two seasons in major junior play, a feat he’s understandably yet to accomplish at the professional level. He’s getting closer, though. After scoring only seven goals in 48 games during his rookie campaign in Charlotte, he upped his offensive production to 38 points (12 G, 26 A) in 58 games last season. A pending restricted free agent, he could be in line to get another brief NHL look later on in 2024-25.
Sharks Reassign Lucas Carlsson
Nov. 7: Carlsson has cleared waivers, per Friedman. He’ll head to the AHL to get his 2024-25 campaign started.
Nov. 6: The Sharks have activated defenseman Lucas Carlsson from season-opening injured reserve and subsequently placed him on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL San Jose, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Carlsson, 27, joined the Sharks in free agency on a two-year, two-way deal. The Swedish blue-liner had spent the previous three seasons in the Panthers organization, spending most of his time there on assignment to AHL Charlotte aside from an extended 40-game run on the NHL roster in 2021-22.
His NHL journey began with the Blackhawks, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2016. He spent two post-draft seasons with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League before arriving in North America, suiting up with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford.
Carlsson spent three seasons in the Blackhawks organization, recording two assists in 18 appearances before he was traded to Florida in April 2021. In total, he added 42 appearances to his career NHL tally with the Panthers, bringing his career stats to three goals and eight assists for 11 points with a +6 rating in 60 games, averaging 12:50 per contest with a 53.0 CF%.
At the minor-league level, the left-shot defender is a premier two-way threat. He led the league in goals by a defenseman in 2022-23 with 20 in 61 games, and he earned a spot in the AHL All-Star Classic last season amid a 15-goal, 39-point season in 52 contests with Charlotte that was cut short by injuries.
There could be some interest in him on the waiver wire given that offensive AHL pedigree and decent possession metrics in his brief NHL minutes. Having another year left on his contract could be a significant enough deterrent to sway away potential claimers, though.
While he’ll start the season in the minors, Carlsson will likely be among the Sharks’ chief call-up options if injuries strike the back end. He’ll be a major boon to an AHL San Jose club that’s already near the top of their division.
Bruins Sign Loke Johansson To Three-Year Entry-Level Contract
The Bruins announced they’ve signed defense prospect Loke Johansson to a three-year, entry-level contract. It will carry a cap hit of $860K, but minor-league salary and bonus details were not disclosed.
Johansson, 19 next month, was a sixth-round pick of the Bruins in this year’s draft (No. 186 overall). The stay-at-home defender was selected mainly due to his size – he’s already 6’3″ and 214 lbs.
He’s not just a heavy hitter and enforcer, though. Johansson flashed legitimate upside last year playing professionally in Sweden. A part of the AIK organization, he had 13 points and a +5 rating in 33 appearances with their U-20 club. He also made his professional debut, appearing in 19 games for the senior club in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan while holding his own with an assist and a +1 rating.
The Stockholm native made the jump to North America for 2024-25, just not to play pro hockey. He’s remaining at the major junior level after being selected in the CHL Import Draft by the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. Through 15 games with the club, he has a goal and four assists with 16 PIMs and a +9 rating.
Elite Prospects calls his brand of hockey “simple,” adding that “he’s a technically sound skater, able to cover a lot of ground with his four-way mobility and general shiftiness.” Since he wasn’t selected from a CHL club and instead arrived in Moncton after being drafted, he’s not subject to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement and could now theoretically head to AHL Providence at any time after signing his ELC. It’s fair to assume the Bruins will leave him on loan to Moncton for the remainder of the season for development purposes, though.
As such, Johansson’s contract will slide for at least one season as he won’t appear in at least 10 NHL contests in 2024-25. The same could happen next season if he doesn’t get into 10 games in 2025-26. If there are signing bonuses in the contract, the cap hit of the deal will decrease slightly with each slide, as those get paid out regardless of whether the contract goes into effect.