• Earlier this week, Pittsburgh’s farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced the trade of defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to Grand Rapids for future considerations. The 26-year-old had his contract terminated by San Jose last offseason but he wasn’t able to secure a guaranteed deal right away.  Instead, he played on a PTO in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for nearly three months before being converted to an AHL contract.  Knyzhov has seven points in 14 games this season and has 81 career NHL appearances under his belt.
• The Red Wings have recalled goaltender Gage Alexander to their AHL affiliate, per an announcement from ECHL Reading. The 22-year-old hasn’t played in the AHL this season and was loaned to Reading, Philadelphia’s affiliate, in mid-January to get some playing time where he posted a 2.81 GAA and a .913 SV% in five games.  Acquired to match contracts in the Robby Fabbri trade last year, Alexander is a pending restricted free agent but is unlikely to be tendered a qualifying offer this summer.
• Another former NHL player is on the move in the AHL, as San Diego announced that they’ve acquired Carsen Twarynski from Abbotsford in exchange for future considerations. The 27-year-old has played in 26 games in the minors this season, notching two goals and five assists.  Twarynski has 22 career NHL appearances to his name back with Philadelphia in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

• The Predators have returned goaltender Matt Murray to AHL Milwaukee, relays Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean (Twitter link). The 26-year-old was recalled on Wednesday with Juuse Saros listed as day-to-day so it appears that Saros should be good to at least dress as the backup on Saturday against Detroit.  Murray had a 3.02 GAA with a .896 SV% in 31 games in the minors last season and signed a one-year, two-way deal with Nashville this past summer.
• The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that forward Carl Berglund has been assigned to AHL Bakersfield. The 24-year-old was injured to start the regular season and therefore couldn’t be sent down until being cleared to play.  As he didn’t spend any time on an NHL roster last season, Edmonton didn’t have any cap charge while he was up with them.  Berglund had 42 points in 51 ECHL appearances in 2023-24 while adding four points in a dozen games with AHL Bakersfield.
• ECHL Cincinnati, an affiliate of the Maple Leafs, recently announced a pair of signings with NHL experience in goaltender Jon Gillies and defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov. Gillies didn’t play at all last season but has 35 NHL games and 184 AHL appearances under his belt; he was in training camp with Toronto.  Knyzhov, meanwhile, requested and was granted his release by San Jose in late June, walking away from a guaranteed $1.4MM salary in the process.  He was in camp with Pittsburgh and AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but was cut both times.  The 26-year-old played in 10 games with the Sharks last season and 40 more with AHL San Jose but will now look to work his way back up from a lower level.

After a strong season in the Russian VHL with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg in 2018-19, the Sharks poached Knyzhov out of his home country as an undrafted free agent. Knyzhov transitioned nicely to North American hockey in the AHL the following season on the San Jose Barracuda scoring one goal and five points in 33 games while collecting a +4 rating and making his NHL debut. With the 2019-20 season marking the beginning of the downfall in San Jose, Knyzhov had the opportunity to become a full-time NHLer the following season.

He suited up in all 56 games for the Sharks in the COVID-shortened campaign. Knyzhov was not given a significant amount of responsibility out of the gate as he averaged 16:45 of ice time per game which allowed him to put up two goals and 10 points. He wasn’t a liability on the back end either as he earned a 48.5% CorsiFor% and a 90.6% on-ice save percentage which were good for fourth and third on the team, respectively.

Knyzhov’s strong rookie showcase was overshadowed by a groin injury that would keep him out of the 2021-22 season and a subsequent Achilles injury shelved his 2022-23 season until January. Although the Sharks committed to Knyzhov on the heels of a two-year, $2.5MM extension that season, he was never fully able to recover his value in the organization leading to a termination of his contract earlier this offseason.

The Russian defenseman has opted to continue his career in the NHL — this time on the other side of the United States. The Penguins’ top four is relatively set heading into the 2024-25 season (assuming no injuries), allowing Knyzhov to compete for a bottom-pairing or depth defenseman role. In training camp, Knyzhov will be battling it out with defenseman Ryan Shea and Sebastian Aho for one of these roles with one of the trio inevitably being sent down to start the year.

Saturday: The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout, per Chris Johnston with The Athletic (Twitter link).

Knyzhov has spent parts of the last five seasons with the Sharks roster, joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He showed up strong with the San Jose Barracuda, recording just five points in 33 games but looking well-matched when defending the rush on North American ice. The strong adjustment earned Knyzhov a full-time role with the Sharks in 2020-21. He totaled 10 points and 39 penalty minutes in 56 games as a rookie – posting career-highs across the boards. But injuries derailed Knyzhov’s sophomore year, holding him out for all of the 2021-22 season and most of the 2022-23 season. This year was his first of good health since 2021, and he seemed to make a triumphant return, recording a career-high 14 points in 40 AHL games, though he struggled significantly in 10 NHL games.

But there’s upside to be had with Knyzhov, who will now enter the open market with 81 career games, and 12 career points, under his belt. He’ll offer a cheap defensive-defenseman style, so long as he opts to stay in North America, rather than returning to SKA St. Petersburg in Russia. Knyzhov previously spent three years in SKA’s system, after brief stints with the WHL’s Regina Pats and the NAHL’s Springfield Jr. Blues in the 2015-16 season.

The 25-year-old has battled significant injury trouble in recent years.  Two sports hernia surgeries, an adductor repair, and a bone infection cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign.  Then, in August of 2022, Knyzhov tore his Achilles tendon doing off-ice training which kept him out of the lineup until March.

He returned to play a dozen games with San Jose down the stretch where he was limited to a third-pairing role.  Nonetheless, GM Mike Grier saw fit to sign him to a two-year, $2.5MM contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 campaign.

This season, Knyzhov has been a regular on the Sharks roster but not in their lineup as he has suited up in just ten games so far.  He has a single assist in those appearances along with 17 blocks and nine hits while averaging 17:39 per contest.  With his contract and injury history, it’d be a bit surprising to see him get claimed but a demotion to the AHL’s Barracuda could be a good opportunity for him to see more regular action and play a bigger role as he looks to work his way toward becoming a full-time NHL regular as he was in the 2020-21 season.

Earlier today, Max Miller of The Hockey News relayed (Twitter link) that the Sharks placed Luke Kunin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, opening a roster spot.  Knyzhov’s removal from the roster tomorrow will create a second.  With Alexander Barabanov and Jan Rutta believed to be close to a return, these moves appear to be the precursors to activating them off IR.

After missing the entire 2022-23 regular season due to injury, Couturier has picked up right where he left off in Philadelphia. In 10 games played up to this point, he has scored two goals and six assists, tied for fifth on the team in scoring. Still maintaining a positive faceoff percentage, as well as solid possession numbers, Couturier is still a player the Flyers can trust with heavy usage.

Unfortunately, when one player returns from injury, another player must exit the lineup, and Kurz also reports that Morgan Frost will be a healthy scratch for the game tonight. Trying desperately to earn more minutes for Philadelphia, Frost has played in six games so far, scoring zero points after averaging over 15 minutes of ice time per night.

Other notes:

• Max Miller of The Hockey News reports there is still no timeline for the return of Sharks winger, Alexander Barabanov, but he is progressing nicely from injury. Barbanov has been out of the lineup with a finger injury since the team’s game against the Florida Panthers on October 24th. After finishing fifth on the team in scoring last season, Barabanov is one of six members of San Jose’s forward core that has not scored a point yet this year.
• As he is rehabbing his way back from injury, Vegas Golden Knights’ defenseman, Zach Whitecloud, was practicing with the team today in a non-contact jersey (X Link). Other notable pieces missing from today’s practice were Nicolas Roy, Nicolas Hague, Alec Martinez, and Chandler Stephenson. For the last three mentioned, it is likely that they were merely taking maintenance days, as no injury concern was alluded to in the report.
• Back to the Sharks, Max Miller also mentioned that Mike Hoffman and Nikolai Knyzhov were late additions to today’s practice, meaning they may be out of the lineup tonight against the Flyers. Both players were present during the team’s blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg

Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson

Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook

Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock

Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano

Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner

Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn

Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri

Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan

Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist

Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley

Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw

Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile

Nashville Predators – Cody Glass

New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton

New York Islanders – Zach Parise

New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey

Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard

Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler

Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang

San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov

Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev

St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais

Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano

Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser

Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel

Washington Capitals – John Carlson

Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner

Knyzhov, a veteran of 68 career NHL games, last played in the NHL on March 23rd, while Robins, the 56th overall pick at the 2020 draft, hasn’t yet made his NHL debut.

This move comes after the Barracuda were eliminated from playoff contention last night, and they do not play another game until Friday. Seeing as the Sharks play three games this week and finish their season Thursday, these two recalls are a chance for the team to give some NHL games to players without costing them the chance to play in any AHL contests as well.

In 2020-21, Knyzhov looked like a promising up-and-coming defenseman who was playing an increasingly important role with the Sharks. That promising trajectory saw a major interruption because Knyzhov tore his Achilles tendon, and Knyzhov is still working his way back to where he was before suffering that injury.

He looked to be on the verge of establishing himself as an NHL regular, and now he’s played the majority of his games this year in the AHL (19) compared to the NHL (9). Knyzhov’s recent $1.25MM AAV contract extension was a show of faith from the organization to him, and these last few NHL games could help inform how the organization sees him heading into next year’s training camp.

As for Robins, this recall puts him in a position to play his first NHL game. The 21-year-old native of London, England was a second-round selection by the Sharks on the back of an impressive 2019-20 campaign for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. Robins scored 33 goals and 73 points in 62 games, and then scored 23 points in the WHL’s shortened 2020-21 season.

Last year, Robins had another strong campaign for the Blades, and showed himself to be ready for the rigors of pro hockey. Robins’ 17 goals and 38 points for the Barracuda this season is a solid showing for a young AHL rookie, and he ranks fifth on his team in scoring.

With the Sharks currently in the midst of a rebuild and looking for players who can be part of their next competitive core, this recall could allow Robins to play in his first NHL game and enter the offseason with a clearer picture and firsthand understanding of what it takes to become a full-time NHLer.

Knyzhov was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, but this contract will walk him to unrestricted free agency in 2025.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better feel-good story today than this. Knyzhov, now 25, missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with a groin injury, and after training over the offseason, tore his Achilles last August. He made his return to the ice around two months ago and has appeared in nine games with the Sharks this year, scoring a goal.

It’s a bit of a gamble from the Sharks to hand Knyzhov a seven-figure deal, but he did show he can play an everyday role in the NHL before his injuries. He suited up in all 56 games for the Sharks during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, scoring 10 points and adding some solid defensive play in a top-four role.

It wouldn’t be shocking next season to see Knyzhov return to his previous home alongside Erik Karlsson if things progress well for him over the coming months. It would allow the aging Marc-Edouard Vlasic to play lighter minutes, giving him and Mario Ferraro some more advantageous matchups on the left side.

Knyzhov is currently on assignment with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, where he has one assist in 13 games this year.

General manager Mike Grier gave the following statement on Knyzhov’s signing:

We’re excited to keep Nikolai with our group for at least the next two years. He worked hard to rejoin the team this season and we look forward to watching his game continue to grow.

In his report, Pope mentions that Kurashev may be headed toward concussion protocol, but are waiting until the team returns to Chicago to make a better determination. In 70 games played for the struggling Blackhawks so far this season, Kurashev has scored nine goals and 16 assists. Although these may seem like tepid numbers from a forward, he has passed his total production from last season, which must be a welcomed sign from the rebuilding Chicago team.

Other notes:

• After being out since March 11th, the head of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bruce Cassidy, reports that Keegan Kolesar will be back in the lineup for tonight’s game. Although Kolesar does not usually generate a lot of offensive chances for the Golden Knights, the forward has thrown 240 hits so far this year, good for seventh overall throughout the entire league. As the Golden Knights are making their final push to return to the playoffs, Kolesar’s ability to throw the body is a valuable asset to employ come playoff time.
• Since being acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline, forward Andreas Johnsson has not been able to find his footing in the Bay Area just yet. Tallying just three assists in 13 games for the Sharks, Johnsson has been out since the team’s March 20th game with an injury. Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka passes on a note from head coach David Quinn that the new forward will likely be out for some time, with no update on when he will return to the lineup.
• Continuing on with the Sharks, the team has announced that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has been sent down to their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda. Spending most of this year on the team’s long-term injured reserve, Knyzhov has suited up in nine games for San Jose, scoring only one goal from the back end.

As The Athletic’s Corey Masisak notes, the recalls give San Jose some extra defensemen on the roster as they embark on a three-game road swing. Defenseman Radim Simek also left yesterday’s 8-3 loss to Washington, and his status is still unknown.

For Knyzhov, it’s a chance to get into his first NHL games since his breakout campaign in 2020-21. After just three previous games of NHL experience, Knyzhov appeared in all 56 games during the COVID-shortened campaign, scoring 10 points and mostly played alongside Erik Karlsson.

He’s played just 12 games of hockey since then, all coming this year with the Barracuda. A groin injury cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign, and an offseason Achilles injury kept him out through the end of January 2023. He hadn’t recorded a point with the Barracuda, but the defensive-minded Knyzhov will still get a chance to show that he can still play a role in the NHL.

Cicek, 22, has four assists in 16 games with the Sharks this season. Signed this past offseason after an impressive performance on an AHL deal last year, Cicek has slid up to the seventh or eighth spot on the organization’s defense depth chart.

This return is a long time coming for Knyzhov, 24, who has been recovering from an Achilles injury for over a year. Before his conditioning stint began in January, Knyzhov had last played competitive hockey in May 2021, when he skated in over 21 minutes of a Sharks 6-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Before his injury, Knyzhov had steadily developed for the Sharks, going from a depth defenseman in 2019-20 to a candidate for top-four ice time in 2020-21. He’d taken a bit of a wild road to that point, with stops in the WHL, his native Russia, and the NAHL.

Now, Knyzhov has worked his way back to full health and has re-entered the Sharks’ defensive picture. He’s largely skated in a top-four role during his three-game conditioning stint with the Barracuda and will head back there to in all likelihood play a major role for the squad.

The Sharks currently carry seven defenseman, five of whom either have significant NHL experience or have been leaned on by coach David Quinn. It’s possible that Knyzhov unseats Scott Harrington or Jacob MacDonald for a role in the NHL lineup, although he’ll likely need to spend some time in the AHL getting back up to speed first.

More from the West:

• Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach is on the move as Seattle of the WHL announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old from Kelowna for two players and three draft picks. The center was injured while playing for Canada at the World Juniors but is expected to recover well before the playoffs begin in March.  Dach has already signed his entry-level deal with Chicago and will be able to play in the minors next season making this a pure rental on the part of the Thunderbirds.  Dach has 17 points in 14 games so far this season.
• Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov appears to be well ahead of schedule as he works his way back from Achilles surgery, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Knyzhov has yet to play in nearly 20 months due to a variety of injuries with this latest one coming in August and carrying a six-month recovery timeline.  The 24-year-old was a regular on San Jose’s blueline when he last played in 2020-21 and while he’ll undoubtedly need some time in the minors to get back up to speed, he has been participating in full practices which suggests that game action could be coming sooner than later.
• Stars prospect Gavin White is on the move in the OHL as Peterborough announced that they’ve acquired the blueliner as part of a multi-player swap. The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Dallas last year (112th overall) and was quite productive for Hamilton before this move, averaging a point per game in 22 contests.  White, who hasn’t signed yet with Dallas, is eligible to play in the minors next season but could also return for his overage year in junior.

Allison was placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 12 and will miss at least the team’s upcoming three-game road trip against Columbus, Boston, and Montreal. The 25-year-old left Saturday’s game against Ottawa after laying a hit on Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, and The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor reported yesterday that Allison won’t miss too much time. Through 14 games this season, Allison has contributed three goals and an assist.

• The Colorado Avalanche have moved forward Shane Bowers to injured reserve, according to CapFriendly, freeing up a roster spot for any potential call-ups. On Saturday, Bowers was given a six-week timeline by head coach Jared Bednar after sustaining an upper-body injury 1:46 into his NHL career. The team did not have any extra roster spots for healthy players, with all non-dressed players out with injuries.
• The San Jose Sharks have also moved defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to long-term injured reserve. Knyzhov, 24, has not played hockey since suiting up for all 56 games of the shortened 2020-21 season. A groin injury kept him out for the entirety of 2021-22, and an Achilles injury is expected to keep him out until mid-February.

Back in 2020-21, the 24-year-old established himself as a full-timer on San Jose’s back end as he played in all 56 games, picking up 10 points while logging a little under 17 minutes of playing time.  Those numbers aren’t eye-popping by any stretch but for a team that was tight to the salary cap, having a regular player under contract for less than $800K was ideal from a cap management perspective.

The Sharks signed Knyzhov to a one-year, $850K one-way deal back in April with the hopes that he’d be able to reclaim his spot on the third pairing.  Clearly, that won’t be the case now as he’ll be out for at least the first half of the season and probably longer.  San Jose will be able to put Knyzhov on LTIR which will give them a little bit of extra cap flexibility, especially with the team already carrying some extra depth in goal, up front, and on the back end,