• Fueling the pursuit of Sorenson is the indefinite loss of former NHLer Jacob Josefson from the Djurgardens roster. Afton Bladet notes that Josefson has been struggling with post-concussion symptoms since this past spring and that a recent resurgence has sidelined him without any certain timeline for a return. Josefson, 30, has been Djurgardens’ captain for the past four years since leaving the NHL, not to mention one of their best players. If he isn’t available this season, Sorensen will be asked to step in and take on that leading role. The hope is that Josefson, who played eight seasons in the NHL with New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, will be back on the ice before too long.
• Elsewhere in Sweden, the Allsvenskan’s AIK is loading up with NHL prospect talent. On consecutive days, he club has announced loan agreements to bring in standouts from the 2020 NHL Draft for the upcoming season. Winnipeg Jets second-round pick Daniel Torgersson is on his way from Frolunda HC, while Anaheim Ducks fourth-rounder Thimo Nickl arrives from Rogle BK. Torgersson, a big power forward, was nearly a point per game player at the junior level last year and played briefly in the SHL. Nickl, a rangy, two-way defenseman, played in the QMJHL two years ago and held his own in the pros this past season between the SHL and Allsvenskan. The 19-year-olds will provide a major boost to AIK before they potentially look to join their respective NHL teams next year.

Josefson came to the Sabres through free agency after going unqualified by the New Jersey Devils last summer, and just wasn’t able to put it together. A first-round pick from 2009, he never fulfilled his promise of a two-way center capable of playing tough minutes. Instead, Josefson struggled to find a full-time role in the NHL, playing in more than 60 games just once in eight seasons. With 64 points in 315 games, there was a good chance he’d go without a one-way contract offer this summer.

The Sabres have several other unrestricted free agents to make decisions on in the coming weeks, with Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Nolan, Josh Gorges, Justin Falk and Chad Johnson all set to hit the open market. It’s quite possible that none of the group is back next year, as the team looks to younger players to fill the gaps in the roster. The team certainly has enough cap room to make a big splash if they so choose, with nearly $25MM of space depending on where the cap ceiling lands. Should they land the first-overall pick tomorrow night, perhaps they will attempt to kickstart their contention by adding some support for Jack Eichel and company on July 1st.

Josefson, 27, was once a promising young player in the NHL. Drafted in the first round in 2009 by the New Jersey Devils out of Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League, Josefson made the jump overseas in 2010 and recorded ten points in 28 games as a rookie. Josefson continued as a part-time player until 2014-15 when he would play 62 games with the Devils. He followed that up with a career-high 14 points in 2015-16. Yet, that campaign also came with a —21 rating. Frustrated that Josefson was nowhere close to the caliber of player they expected out of a first-rounder, New Jersey allowed him to walk in free agency last summer. The best deal that Josefson could scrounge up was a one-year, $700K contract with the Sabres. After another disappointing season, opportunities in the NHL are running out for the underwhelming two-way forward.

Yet, a new opportunity could be emerging with his old Swedish squad. Sweden’s Hockey News reports (link in Swedish) that Djurgardens has reached out to Josefson, a “dream acquisition”, and he is considering a return to where it all began. Josefson was a far more dynamic player as a teenager in Sweden than he ever was at any level in North America and would return home to much fanfare from his former team. However, if Josefson bails on the NHL this off-season, especially if there are offers out there, it would more than likely mark the end of his NHL career.

More from the Atlantic:

• The Sabres will speak to top prospect Casey Mittelstadt following his college season to see if it’s the right time for him to turn pro and sign his entry-level deal, notes John Wawrow of the Associated Press. The 2017 eighth overall pick is coming off a stellar World Junior tournament that saw him tie for the overall lead in scoring and has some wondering if he may be NHL ready sooner than later.  While they will meet in the coming months, GM Jason Botterill suggested to Wawrow that it may be a while yet before he finds himself lining up alongside Jack Eichel, perhaps a sign that he would like to see Mittelstadt wait a little longer before signing.
• Still with Buffalo, head coach Phil Housley told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that center Jacob Josefson has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body issue. The injury was sustained while blocking a shot on Tuesday night against the Jets.  The 26-year-old hasn’t thrived in his first season with the Sabres, collecting just four points in 19 games while spending considerable time out of the lineup due to ankle issues.
• Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is still another two-to-three weeks away from returning, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). That puts him a little behind his last projected return date which was January 16th, their first game back following their bye week.  Zaitsev quietly leads all Toronto blueliners in ice time per game, averaging just under 23 minutes per night and will give them a big boost once he gets the green light to return.

Pouliot has long been expected to make a big impact in the league, but after his latest disappointing season in Edmonton was bought out in the summer. Buffalo jumped on the chance to bring in the fourth-overall pick from 2005, and signed him to a one-year $1.15MM contract on July 1st. Pouliot has been better than last season, with 11 points in 39 games, but that’s not saying much. The 31-year old has been killing penalties for the Sabres, and still brings fine possession numbers, but there isn’t a lot to be excited about even with his relatively low salary.

Larsson and Josefson bring much of the same, just in younger bodies. With six and three points respectively, neither is going to change the offensive outlook of an acquiring team. What they can do, is give you responsible minutes on the fourth line and penalty kill, while providing some depth down the middle. Both can play center reasonably well, though neither are very good in the faceoff dot.

In all, every player not named Jack Eichel is likely available for the right price in Buffalo. The problem is there isn’t a lot of value in many of them, because of either poor performance, age or salary. Kane remains their big chip to make a splash at the deadline, but expect them to be very busy selling off smaller pieces over the next few weeks.

The 28-year-old blueliner has three goals and 12 assists in 23 games this year. He is not expected to rejoin partner Ryan Suter right away, however. Mathew Dumba filled in for Spurgeon while he was out and the combination of Suter and Dumba has worked well for the Wild as Dumba’s play has improved since the change.

• The New Jersey Devils are closing in on being fully healthy, according to northjersey.com’s Andrew Gross. Both Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri are expected to play in Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Hall has missed the past two games with a knee contusion, while Palmieri will be activated off of injured reserve after missing 12 games with a broken right foot. There is also a possibility, although Gross said it’s slim, that winger Marcus Johansson could also play Monday after missing three games with an ankle bruise. If not, then he will be expected to return on Thursday against the New York Rangers. All three players practiced Sunday.
• Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews (possible concussion) is starting to slowly work his way back. The 20-year-old center skated for 20 minutes Sunday, but did not practice with the team, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. She added that coach Mike Babcock is not sure when he’ll be able to play, but added there are no plans to shut him down for a stretch either.
• The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz tweets that San Jose Sharks leading scorer Logan Couture will miss Monday’s game against Edmonton at minimum after sustaining a head injury in Friday’s game against Vancouver. The Mercury News’ Paul Gackle tweets that head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed Couture suffered a concussion and remains day-to-day. In a separate story, Gackle writes the team will be in trouble if Couture injury keeps him out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
• NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber writes that Buffalo Sabres center Jacob Josefson practiced today with the team and hopes to be ready to play soon after missing 24 games with an ankle injury. Josefson did attempt to come back on Nov. 22 and played two games before re-injuring his ankle. The 26-year-old has only managed to play in nine games for Buffalo after signing a one-year, $700K deal in the offseason. Coach Phil Housley said he will be re-evaluated on Monday. Josefson has one goal and one assist in the nine games he’s played in.
• Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid might be ready as soon as Monday from a broken fibula he suffered on Oct. 19, according to NHL.com’s Michael Tolvo. The veteran has missed 24 games since then. “I don’t know if Monday he’ll be cleared, but he is close,” added head coach Bruce Cassidy. “He is getting close. He has practiced with us, so it is imminent for him. I just don’t want to pinpoint an exact date.”

Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Ovechkin round out the top three after impressive weeks of their own. Bobrovsky went 3-0 with a .950 save percentage with the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Ovechkin tallied five more goals including a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a special guest looking on. Ovechkin, who many said was slowing down last season when he scored “just” 33 goals, is back on top of the NHL leaderboards with 18 this season. With the first goal of the hat trick, Ovechkin passed Mike Bossy for 21st all-time in NHL goal scoring, and has a legitimate shot at breaking 600 this season. He needs just 24 more to 20th member of the 600 club, and won’t turn 33 until next September.

• Jacob Josefson had only returned to the Buffalo Sabres lineup recently, but will be out another four to six weeks according to head coach Phil Housley. Josefson tweaked his ankle and is out until at least Christmas for the struggling Sabres, who are now just one point ahead of the Arizona Coyotes for last in the entire league. Obviously, Josefson isn’t a huge part of their lineup but any injury at this point pushes Buffalo further away from any rebound this season. The team has a dreadful schedule over the next week, playing the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow before taking on Pittsburgh in a home-and-home series this weekend.
• Steve Mason was removed from Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury, and today Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice confirmed the injury was a concussion. Mason had been placed on injured reserve earlier today after a recall of Eric Comrie. Signed in the offseason to a two-year, $8.2MM contract, Mason has provided below-average netminding so far for the Jets and had been all but replaced by Connor Hellebuyck as the starter. It’ll be tough to justify his $4.1MM contract next season if he remains a backup, especially given that Hellebuyck is a restricted free agent and looks primed for a long-term deal. If Mason doesn’t turn his play around after returning from this head injury, he could be an early candidate for a summer buyout. First off, he’ll have to get healthy enough to return.

While the team did not specifically address what is ailing Gorges in the press release, a recent article by Buffalo News’ John Vogl updated the injury statuses of several players, including Bogosian, Josefson, another downed defender Justin Falk, and yet another concern, banged up forward Zemgus Girgensons. In the piece, Vogl asks coach Phil Housley about Gorges’ condition, which the bench boss describes as a “lower-body injury”. While this is not much to go off of, more details can be expected the longer that Gorges’ absence lasts.

In the meantime, Buffalo has recalled defenseman Zach Redmond from Rochester of the AHL. Redmond was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month for Nicolas Deslauriers and will make his Sabres debut should he get into one of their upcoming games, perhaps even tonight against the Boston Bruins. While by any metric Redmond is a replacement-level player, his 16 games with the Canadiens last season was a bit of an outlier compared to his recent experience. Redmond played a semi-regular role for the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15 and 2015-16, skating in 59 and 37 games respectively and posting a total of 26 points and a 115 blocked shots. Redmond is capable of stepping up and being a reliable man on the back end for Buffalo – and they need it. The Sabres currently rank 29th in points percentage and goal differential and are on a course for another disappointing season. Gorges has undeniably lost a step in recent years; perhaps Redmond can be the surprise catalyst in his place that gets the Buffalo blue line back in shape.

The 29-year old Fedun actually played 27 games for the Sabres last season, recording seven points and 16 penalty minutes. The undrafted Princeton grad has carved out quite the professional career for himself, as a big part of several AHL teams. He’s bred from the new NHL, relying on his mobility more than strength to help him at both ends of the rink.

Buffalo knew that he’d be one of their first recalls in case of injury, signing him to a new two-year, two-way contract just before he hit free agency. While he’s unlikely to make much of a full-time impact for the Sabres, knowing that they can call him up to jump into the lineup provides a nice amount of depth. He will however need to clear waivers to go back down to Rochester once Gorges or Justin Falk get healthy.

Week-to-week doesn’t instill confidence that he’ll be back anytime soon, so the Sabres will have to find another way to fill out their forward group. Today at practice Sam Reinhart was back at center, with Justin Bailey jumping up beside Ryan O’Reilly on the second line. The Sabres are looking for some answer to their early season struggles as they take on Vancouver tomorrow night.

• Wade Megan cleared waivers for the St. Louis Blues and was assigned to the Chicago Wolves. Megan had been placed on waivers when Alex Steen was activated from the injured reserve, and had only played one game for the Blues. He’ll now return to Chicago where he played last season, breaking out for 66 points in 73 games. That kind of production had never been seen from the 27-year old previously, leading to him being a legitimate depth option for the Blues this year.
• Marcus Foligno will be back on the ice for the Minnesota Wild this weekend when they take on the Jets and Flames on back-to-back nights. Foligno was at practice today in a full face cage, protecting the fractured bone he suffered in a fight with John Hayden last week. Foligno expects to wear the cage for the next few weeks as his face heals.

• When Flames’ goalie Jon Gillies was signed to a two-way contract a few weeks ago, many wondered how much that would impact the team’s future plans in net. Gillies had a solid win in his first NHL start last season, but struggled slightly in Stockton. The 6’6 goalie is a third-round pick from 2012, but was solid in Providence and has shown flashes of brilliance at only 23. Gillies will need to string together a solid performance at the AHL level and hope for either Mike Smith or Eddie Lack to falter or fall to injury, as the two acquisitions by GM Brad Treliving put him in an unenviable position. The possibility of a goaltending carousel in Calgary seems more possible than many are willing to admit, especially if Gillies or Tyler Parsons push the issue from the minors with stellar performance. This will only be Gillies’ second pro season, after all, and he has the talent to make things interesting.
• With the certainty of NHL non-participation in the 2018 Olympics, it opens quite a few doors for players who have left the league for Europe or elsewhere. “Busts” and “has-beens” could make up a large portion of the U.S. and Canadian rosters, it seems. Today in Sochi, numerous ex-NHLers displayed their skills in hopes of impressing those who will choose the 2018 Olympic roster. A miniature tournament is essentially the beginning of the audition to be considered for the selection process. Canada faced off against Russia, and the teams will have friendly contests against one another later in August. According to Tim Wharnsby of CBS Sports, some of those hopefuls for Canada include Max Talbot, Gilbert Brule, and Rob Klinkhammer. Talbot was a gritty winger who clutched two goals against Detroit in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals for Pittsburgh. Brule is a former top pick of CBJ who floated from team to team without much success, and Klinkhammer was a fringe bottom-sixer who never truly found a home. Many players of this ilk could claim roster spots, and fans of the sport may have some names from the past resurface to prominence as we approach Pyeongchang.

Josefson struggled to find his place on a floundering New Jersey Devils squad, only playing for 38 total games and netting only 1 goal to accompany 9 assists. Josefson is a former first round pick from 2009, and has played his entire career in Jersey. His career offensive totals are very unimpressive, but he can provide solid two-way depth to a fourth line. He generally finds himself starting in the defensive zone and until last year had always been a positive Corsi asset.

Buffalo is looking to fill out their lineup with players who are appealing in terms of advanced stats. Josefson is not going to be a negative influence on the ice and comes cheaply. Newly appointed GM Jason Botterill has been quite busy today with sneaky good signings, loading up his AHL affiliate Rochester Americans with  a number of players. Josefson will likely find a home as a 13 or 14th forward and will need to fight yet again for his icetime. Last season, he averaged only 12:15. His versatility will be a plus, as he can shift from center to wing with little difficulty.

The Penguins seem to have known for quite some time that Marc-Andre Fleury was Vegas bound. GM Jim Rutherford balked at trade offers last off-season despite the goalie’s no-movement clause potentially complicating matters further down the line. The organization finally asked him to waive his clause in February, and both parties seem willing to move on. Rutherford did seem to be leaning toward the 7-3-1 model originally, but eventually opted to go with the 4-4 route to protect both Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz. If for whatever reason Fleury is not chosen, playoff performer Bryan Rust is almost certainly the claim. Columbus’ list is about what we expected, but it still seems strange to see Josh Anderson and Jack Johnson are left exposed. If there is a deal in place for a 1st round pick, as reported earlier by the Columbus Dispatch, Johnson is the likely selection. He’s still got a lot of talent, and with all his international experience, he could be a great leader for younger players in Vegas.

The Philadelphia Flyers made one of the smarter (if unexpected) decisions of the day and opted to protect Scott Laughton over assistant captain Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and the streaky Michael Raffl. Jordan Weal is still left exposed, and theoretically any of the three could be headed to Vegas. The Washington Capitals are absolutely going to lose a solid player, and it’s destined to be either the very promising defenseman Nate Schmidt or standout goalie Philipp Grubauer. The Capitals knew this was coming for a long time, but it can’t hurt any less to lose assets in this fashion. A possible scenario to watch out for is whether Vegas will pursue T.J. Oshie as a free agent in the short-term. They have first dibs on negotiations if they want to open that conversation, and he’s considered by many to be the top available UFA. The team doesn’t really need another goaltender, and their defense would survive without Schmidt, even with his incredible talent.

The New Jersey Devils arguably have the weakest roster on paper at the moment, and it shows with the potential selections Vegas need to consider. Mike Cammalleri is unproductive and overpaid, Beau Bennett has all but busted when he isn’t injured, Jacob Josefson scored one goal last season, and Devante Smith-Pelly is with his third club in as many years. The New York Rangers couldn’t move Antti Raanta and now it seems probable that Vegas will take advantage. Other options would include Jesper Fast and the very productive (27 goals) Michael Grabner, neither of whom is good enough to justify passing on the solid Raanta. No surprises here, but management certainly waited until the final hour to buyout Dan Girardi – which allowed them to utilize that 7-3-1 strategy effectively. Carolina will offer up one of the worst prizes to the Golden Knights, and Lee Stempniak is the only name that truly jumps out. Long-time goalie Cam Ward finds himself on the outs, as does Eddie Lack, but when the team moved for Scott Darling this fate was very foreseeable. Perhaps management will try to entice Vegas to claim one of the keepers and help their logjam along.

The New York Islanders seem to have botched their efforts today, but there may be machinations behind the scenes which could justify such a bizarre strategy. GM Garth Snow opted to protect only 3 forwards and 5 defensemen – the only team to do so. Even worse, one of the defenseman left unprotected was Calvin de Haan. Assuming there is no deal to take a blueliner in the works, Vegas could choose de Haan or their favorite from a large selection of intriguing forwards. Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, and Ryan Strome are all available, and each provides a different skillset. McPhee could even take one of the league’s toughest bottom sixers in Casey Cizikas or a crafty, veteran Nikolai Kulemin. He has loads of options, and none of them are any good for an Islanders team who survive off their depth. Why Adam Pelech, with his 12 career points and 46.6% Corsi For in 2016-17, was worth protection over any of those names will surely be one of the draft’s greatest quandaries.

Vegas will get an opportunity to draft their starting two goaltenders from the Metro, and will have a wide assortment of options elsewhere. The Washington situation should be fun to speculate on, and trying to find a worthwhile pick in New Jersey could be an adventure for the Knights. Snow’s Islanders are just an incredible anomaly, and that list may draw some serious criticism.

Team: New Jersey Devils

Situation: The re-building Devils nonetheless have a solid core of forwards that they would like to keep together: Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, and Mike Cammalleri. New Jersey should be within their means to protect this group, expect that it leaves only Devante Smith-Pelly as a forward meeting the 40/70 qualification. Even for those who doubt the effectiveness going forward of the oft-injured 34-year-old Cammalleri, surely the Devils could find a better player to sacrifice than he or Smith-Pelly if they so choose.

Expected Extension: As a young team, the devils are chock full of impending restricted free agents. However, not all RFAs are created equal. Beau Bennett, Jacob Josefson, and Stefan Noesen are all candidates for extension and exposure, but Bennett played a bigger role for New Jersey than even Smith-Pelly in 2016-17 and Noesen played the best hockey of his young career after a mid-season trade from the Anaheim Ducks. Josefson has shown next to no progress in six years in New Jersey. Look for the Devils to try to work out an extension with the 25-year-old center to fill the hole in their expansion plan.

Team: New York Rangers

Situation: The Devils’ cross-town rivals are in a similar situation. The Rangers have put together a core of forwards that is the envy of most teams in the league, but it could soon be torn apart. Many feel that backup goalie Antti Raanta will be Vegas’ choice, but New York doesn’t want to give them any reason not to go that route and instead steal a good young forward. The team is already reserved to the fact that 2016-17 breakout star Michael Grabner has to be exposed, but they would rather protect all five of Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes, in addition to Rick Nash, whose No-Movement Clause prevents exposure, and impending RFA Mika Zibanejad. The only problem is that this protection scheme leaves only Grabner as a 40/7o forward.

Expected Extension: The Rangers are not without options for a forward to extend and expose. RFA’s Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Pirri, and Matt Puempel would all meet the quota criteria if handed a new deal, as would UFA Tanner Glass. While New York may not be eager to lose any of the four, none significantly outshine Raanta or Grabner in terms of selection value anyway, giving the team every reason to get an extension done with one or more. Fast seems certain to get a new contract from the Rangers anyway, so don’t be surprised if such a deal lands in the next week or two.

Read more

Further compounding the problem for the Blues is the fact that center Jori Lehtera is also out of the lineup having missed the last six games with an undisclosed injury.  Schwartz and Alex Steen both have predominantly played the wing this season but have experience playing down the middle so it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them shifts spots for the time being.  Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds (Twitter link) that the team is not planning to call anyone up in Stastny’s absence.

Other injury notes from around the league:

• Although New Jersey forwards Mike Cammalleri (upper body), Jacob Josefson (upper body) and Devante Smith-Pelly (lower body) aren’t close to returning, head coach John Hynes isn’t prepared to call any of them out for the remainder of the season, notes NJ Advance Media’s Chris Ryan. With the Devils out of the playoff race, it would make some sense for them to shut the veterans down to allow their youngsters to get some more NHL playing time down the stretch.  Cammalleri and Josefson are skating on their own while Smith-Pelly has yet to skate since being injured last week.  None of the players are expected back at practice in the coming days.
• The Rangers will have goaltender Henrik Lundqvist back in the lineup either Saturday against the Kings or Sunday against the Ducks, head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters, including Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. He also acknowledged that the veteran netminder could play now if they needed him but with their postseason situation all but carved in stone as the first Wild Card team in the East, they can afford to give him a few extra days off to make sure he’s fully healthy.