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Snapshots: Tanev, Bunting, Butler, Aston-Reese

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The Dallas Stars could be without their newest defenseman for an extended time, with Trade Deadline acquisition Chris Tanev leaving the team’s Saturday night game early after taking an elbow to the head from Seattle Kraken Adam Larsson. Larsson received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit, while Tanev exited after 17 minutes of ice time. Tanev will be re-evaluated on Sunday, with the Stars hoping for an update early this week, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning Star (Web link).

Tanev is 12 games into his time with the Stars, recording one goal, two points, and 10 penalty minutes. The Stars sent away prospect Artem Grushnikov, a conditional second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to land Tanev – and they’re getting their money’s worth, with Tanev stepping into an immediate impact role and averaging over 18 minutes of ice time each game. He’s served as much-needed depth behind star Miro Heiskanen, elevating the impact of depth defenseman Esa Lindell. Dallas would normally turn towards Jani Hakanpaa in the event of Tanev’s absence, though he’s also bearing through a day-to-day injury. The Stars aren’t carrying any other defenders, meaning they’ll need to make a call-up if neither Tanev nor Hakanpaa can go.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Michael Bunting left the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Saturday night game due to illness, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed after the game (Twitter link). Bunting played in nearly 10 minutes of ice time before exiting, with a -1 representing his only stat change. He’s found a strong scoring groove through his first 12 games in Pittsburgh, with three goals and seven points – though he’s still finding where he fits best in the lineup. There’s been no update on Bunting’s availability moving forward, though healthy scratch Emil Bemstrom is available to slot in if needed.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent right-winger Cameron Butler back to the minor leagues, after awarding him with his NHL debut on Saturday (Twitter link). He played in just one shift – staying on the ice for 54 seconds – during the eventual shootout-win. Butler, who is in his first year of pro hockey, will now return to the AHL, where he’s already managed two goals, eight points, and 63 penalty minutes in 46 games. He signed with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free-agent in March of 2023.
  • Zach Aston-Reese has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Detroit Red Wings after being recalled on Friday (Twitter link). Aston-Reese didn’t appear in any NHL action during the call-up, making his sole game in December his only NHL game of the season. He’s managed 13 goals, 28 points, and 47 penalty minutes in 56 AHL games this season – his first year in the league since 2018-19.

Penguins Recall Ryan Shea, Assign Jonathan Gruden To AHL

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Following the news that defenseman Ryan Graves has a concussion, the Penguins have made a pair of roster moves.  Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays that defenseman Ryan Shea is now on Pittsburgh’s roster while forward Jonathan Gruden has been returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Shea is in his first season with the Penguins after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent last July.  The decision was a wise one as he broke camp with the big club and spent more than two months on the NHL roster before being waived in mid-December.

Since then, the 27-year-old has been recalled now six times as he’s a trusted option to turn to when injuries arise.  Shea has played in 22 games with Pittsburgh so far this season, his first taste of NHL action.  He’s still looking for his first point but is averaging a respectable 12:28 per game on the third pairing when he is in the lineup.  He has been a bit more productive in the minors, collecting two goals and four assists in 22 AHL contests.

As for Gruden, he has been shuffled back and forth quite frequently this season with seven different recalls under his belt.  It hasn’t translated to a ton of action, however, as he has played in just 13 NHL contests this season, notching a single goal while averaging 8:40 per game.  The 23-year-old has also played in 46 AHL games, posting 13 goals and 11 assists.

While Pittsburgh likely would have preferred to keep Gruden on the roster, his assignment was salary cap-related as they didn’t have enough cap space to have him and Shea up with them.

Ryan Graves Diagnosed With Concussion

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  • Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves sustained a concussion in last night’s win over the Blue Jackets, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today (via Rob Rossi of The Athletic). It’s unclear what play Graves was injured on, but he last skated with just over a minute left in the first period and did not return for the second. Pittsburgh thus rotated through five defenders for most of last night’s 3-2 victory, which kept their slim (2.9%, per MoneyPuck) playoff hopes alive. The Penguins haven’t issued a recovery timeline for Graves, although, given the nature of concussions, it’s feasible that he could be done for the regular season with 10 games remaining. If so, it ends a disappointing first season in Pittsburgh for the 28-year-old, who won himself a rather rich six-year, $27MM contract with limited trade protection from Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in free agency last July. He’s slowly fallen out of favor with head coach Mike Sullivan throughout the season, averaging 18:23 per game, the lowest since his 26-game rookie showing in 2018-19 with the Avalanche. He logged three goals and 14 points in 70 games, finishing in the middle of the pack among Penguins skaters in most advanced metrics.

Matt Nieto Suffers Setback In Recovery

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  • In a separate update from Rorabaugh, it does not appear that Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Matt Nieto will be back with the team this season, as he’s experienced several hurdles in his recovery process. Initially, it was believed that Nieto would be out between six and eight weeks recovering from knee surgery, but has surpassed that measure.

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Jansen Harkins Returns To Practice

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  • In Pittsburgh, Dan Potash of SportsNet Pittsburgh reports that forward Jansen Harkins has returned to practice for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A bottom-six forward for the Penguins this year, Harkins has not played since just before the March 8th trade deadline due to an upper-body injury. Suiting up 43 games this year, Harkins has tallied four assists while averaging just over eight minutes of ice time per night.

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Ponomarev Injured With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Out Week To Week

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  • Penguins prospect Vasiliy Ponomarev suffered a lower-body injury late last week with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, relays Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 22-year-old was a key piece in the Jake Guentzel trade and was speculated to be a strong recall candidate for the stretch run.  However, Ponomarev is now listed as out week-to-week which will put those plans on hold if not squash them altogether.

Penguins Recall Jonathan Gruden

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have once again recalled forward Jonathan Gruden (Twitter link). This marks Gruden’s eighth call-up of the season, and brings him back to the NHL roster after six days in the minor leagues. Gruden played in three AHL games this weekend, recording no points, one fight, and five shots on goal.

Gruden is being recalled alongside Samuel Poulin – with the pair providing depth for a Penguins team currently facing injuries to Noel Acciari, Matthew Nieto, and Jansen Harkins – the former of the three being placed on injured reserve this morning. Gruden and Poulin will fight for the team’s open fourth-line role, with Gruden carrying the upper hand thanks to his 12 NHL appearances this season. He has just one point, his first career goal, in those appearances – though he’s provided serviceable grit in the bottom six. Poulin has yet to play in the NHL this season, with his only games in the league coming during a three-game stint last season. He’s impressed in the AHL, though, with 13 goals and 27 points in 36 games this season bringing his career totals to 68 points in 123 games. He has just one point in his NHL appearances.

Gruden has bounced between the AHL and NHL lineup for much of the last two seasons, serving as a de facto fill-in when Pittsburgh is facing injury. He was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, being selected out of the US National Team Development Program before pursuing one year in college and one year in the OHL. He’s still searching for his scoring groove in the pros, with just 96 points in 207 career AHL games.

Penguins Recall Sam Poulin, Noel Acciari To IR

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled former first-round pick Sam Poulin from their AHL affiliate and placed center Noel Acciari on the injured reserve.

The 23-year-old Poulin was taken 21st overall by the Penguins in the 2019 NHL entry draft and has spent the bulk of his professional career playing in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. His callup is no surprise given that he has found traction this season posting 13 goals and 14 assists in 36 games. Several Penguins pundits speculated that Poulin would get an extended look after the NHL trade deadline as the Penguins are looking toward next season and which of their younger players can make an impact soon. Poulin has yet to dress for an NHL game this season but did have an assist in three games last year during a short NHL audition.

Acciari on the other hand is back on injured reserve for the third time this season as injuries have limited him to just 55 games in which he has produced just four goals and three assists. The 32-year-old was signed last summer to a three-year $6MM contract as a free agent but hasn’t had the kind of season he or the Penguins were hoping for. Not much is known about Acciari’s injury other than that it is a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup until at least the last game of the regular season as he is designated as LTIR according to Seth Roarbaugh of Tribune-Review Sports.

The Penguins welcome Jake Guentzel back to Pittsburgh tonight for the first time since trading him to the Hurricanes just before the NHL trade deadline.

Big Hype Prospects: Bourque, Levshunov, Fowler, Koivunen

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The hockey season is coming to a close across the world, bringing about the exciting time of year when top prospects are winning awards and loaded teams are winning championships. It’s the perfect time to borrow the Big Hype Prospects series from over at MLB Trade Rumors and break down some of the rising stars across the hockey world – including drafted prospects and U18 players eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft.

Four Big Hype Prospects

Mavrik Bourque, C, Dallas Stars (Texas Stars, AHL)
60 GP – 23 G – 44 A – 67 TP – 18 PIM – 0 +/-

Dallas Stars fans are currently relishing in the success of first-year-pro Logan Stankoven, who has a dazzling six goals and 10 points through the first 12 games of his NHL career. But the best is still yet to come, with Stankoven currently separated from his partner in crime – Mavrik Bourque. The two formed an unstoppable pair in the AHL, battling each other for the league’s scoring title all season long. They simply played faster than anyone else, zipping around defensemen and creating plays in the blink of an eye. And Bourque has done plenty to show his capabilities in Stankoven’s absence, with 14 points in 14 games and a confident 12-point lead on the league’s scoring title. He can still look undersized amid a scrum and will certainly need to adjust to the NHL’s physicality before he’s able to bring his full tempo. But it’s just a matter of time before Bourque receives the first in-season call-up of his career and Stars fans should be eager to see if he and Stankoven can pick up where they left off when it finally comes.

 

Artyom Levshunov, RHD, 2024 NHL Draft (Michigan State University, NCAA Big Ten)
35 GP – 9 G – 23 A – 32 TP – 42 PIM – +25

Artyom Levshunov is living large right now – clinching a spot in the Big Ten Championship, the Big Ten Rookie of the Year Award, and the Big Ten Defenseman of the Year Award all in one week. And while the season isn’t over just yet, he’s already done more than enough to prove his draft value. Levshunov joined the Spartans late in the summer, announcing his departure from the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers just five weeks before the league’s pre-season. It was a well-choreographed surprise that paired Levshunov with second-year head coach Adam Nightingale. And it was a big adjustment – especially considering this is just the second season that Levshunov has played in North America. There were certainly growing pains, with the Belarusian defenseman showing an overeagerness to leave his position in favor of chasing the puck or joining the offensive rush. But Nightingale was able to reel in his protege quickly, helping Levshunov better wield his aggression and building his confidence in leading the offense. The mentorship gelled well with Levshunov’s eagerness to take on more and more responsibility, ultimately averaging 22:33 in ice time and scoring at a near-point-per-game rate. It’s been an impressive season that came from a surprise commitment – and Levshunov’s ability to make flashy plays in all three zones certainly has the attention of NHL execs. He’s expected to be one of the first names called in the looming 2024 NHL Draft, and he could continue to build acclaim with hot performances in the Big Ten Championship or the Frozen Four!

Jacob Fowler, G, Montreal Canadiens (Boston College, NCAA Hockey East)
34 GP – 28 Wins – .924 Save Percentage – 2.19 Goals-Against-Average

Jacob Fowler is running out of room in his trophy closet quickly, a finalist for Hockey East’s Goaltender of the Year award and competing for the Hockey East championship after winning the same award, and a league championship, in the USHL last season. He has made himself a focal piece of every team he’s played for, setting the record for save percentage as both a 17-year-old and 18-year-old across his two seasons in the USHL and now saving the highest percentage of shots for Boston College since Spencer Knight in 2020. It’s clear to see why Fowler is so effective when watching him play. He’s a powerful skater, keeping a wide frame and moving across the crease quickly. And he carries plenty of bravado, showing clear confidence in facing down opponents and staying locked in through the entirety of plays. As any fan of Jon Gillies will attest, a high save percentage and a stocked trophy cabinet aren’t always indicative of future stardom. But Fowler’s continued dominance certainly elicits plenty of excitement.

Ville Koivunen, LW/C, Pittsburgh Penguins (Kärpät, Liiga)
59 GP – 22 G – 34 A – 56 TP – 26 PIM – +7

The Pittsburgh Penguins moved on from a franchise staple at the Trade Deadline, sending Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a huge change, breaking up a Penguins top-line that’s been together for the better part of seven seasons. And while there’s no good way to rebound from a move that grand, Ville Koivunen represents a great consolation prize. The 20-year-old winger has been fantastic in Finland’s top league, the Liiga, this season – showing a great ability to read the ice and work with his teammates. He’s a smooth-moving forward that’s very tough to knock off the puck, thanks to beautifully-smooth puckhandling. And while he needs space to use it, Koivunen’s shot can be fantastic. He’s emerged as one of Kärpät’s key players this season, averaging nearly 18 minutes of ice time each game and ranked second on the team in scoring. Moving to North American pros poses a unique challenge, something Koivunen learned when he managed just one goal in 12 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season. But he’s found a new groove in his return to Finland. Koivunen has the wind behind his sails, a new NHL organization to embrace, and an open role to eye after Guentzel’s departure – making his return to the United States highly anticipated.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

No Extension Talks For Nedeljkovic, Netminder Wants To Re-Sign

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Heading into the trade deadline, many expected that the Penguins would move pending UFA goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.  However, they instead moved third-stringer Magnus Hellberg.  Nedeljkovic told reporters including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that there weren’t any discussions about a contract extension before the deadline but that he’d be very happy to return for next season if Pittsburgh showed interest.  After spending a good chunk of last season in the minors, the 28-year-old inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Penguins last summer and has done relatively well, posting a 2.98 GAA and a .904 SV% in 24 appearances.  At a minimum, even if he doesn’t wind up staying with Pittsburgh, Nedeljkovic should be able to land a raise in the coming months.

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