Snapshots: Three Stars, Lockwood, Jarry
The NHL released its Three Stars of last week, with Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle taking home top spot. The budding superstar had ten points in four games, including two game-winning goals, reaching a new career-high in scoring with 59 points on the season. Stutzle, 21, is way out in front of the 2020 draft class in terms of scoring, 56 points ahead of second-place Lucas Raymond. While there’s still time for others to catch up, the Senators forward is showing why he was selected so high.
Second and third went to Nathan MacKinnon and Dylan Larkin, respectively, who each had their own excellent weeks. The Colorado Avalanche star scored nine points in four games to take him to 67 on the year (in just 44 games), and the Detroit Red Wings captain put up eight to bring him to 56 this season. With so much speculation surrounding Larkin’s future, his game certainly hasn’t deteriorated. In his last 17 games he has 23 points, and he’s currently riding a seven-game point streak.
- After several weeks on the sidelines, Vancouver Canucks forward William Lockwood has been activated from injured reserve and loaned to the AHL. He last appeared in a game on January 24, leaving after just six minutes of ice time due to the concussion protocol. The 24-year-old forward has just one assist in 13 games for the Canucks this season and is still looking for his first NHL goal. He’ll likely see a call-up once he’s back in game shape.
- Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry will officially be back in action tonight, giving the team a huge boost for a critical matchup. When healthy, Jarry has been excellent this season, matching a career-high .921 save percentage through 27 appearances. His play will likely determine the outcome for the Penguins in the Eastern Conference playoff race, as so many teams are still within striking distance of the wild card positions.
Snapshots: Vilardi, Jarry, Neil, Bennett
The Kings welcomed an important forward tonight against Anaheim as Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider relays that forward Gabriel Vilardi was cleared to return to the lineup. The 23-year-old missed a little more than a month due to an upper-body injury but before that, he was in the midst of a breakout season as he has 17 goals and 14 assists in 45 games heading into tonight’s action. Those numbers already represent career-highs. While he was drafted as a center, Vilardi has been a regular on the wing for the last couple of seasons and with Los Angeles having plenty of young depth down the middle, there’s a good chance he won’t be going back to his natural position.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today (video link) prior to tonight’s game that goaltender Tristan Jarry skated today and that they haven’t ruled out the possibility of him returning on Saturday against New Jersey. Jarry has missed the last three weeks due to an upper-body injury and had been playing quite well up to that point, posting a career-high .921 SV% in his first 27 starts of the season. Pittsburgh is in a very tight battle for a Wild Card spot and welcoming their starting goalie back would go a long way toward helping their chances for the stretch run.
- Long-time Senators winger Chris Neil had his #25 retired by the team on Friday night but Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the 15-year player nearly signed with rival Toronto back in 2009. The Maple Leafs made the high-money offer to Neil who, at the time, was coming off a down season but he opted to take a little less to stay with Ottawa. In the end, he suited up for more than 1,000 games with the Sens, recording more than 2,500 penalty minutes.
- While Panthers forward Sam Bennett is doing “much better” according to head coach Paul Maurice, team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link) that he still might not be ready to return for their next game on Saturday against Nashville. The 26-year-old left Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury and didn’t play in Thursday’s victory over Washington. Bennett has 14 goals and 21 assists in 56 games so far, good for sixth on Florida in scoring.
Pittsburgh Penguins Make Three Roster Moves
Official now, Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Archibald have been activated from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Tristan Jarry has been moved to IR – though that doesn’t necessarily mean his status has changed. Jarry was on the ice this morning, and his placement was retroactive to January 22, so he will be eligible to return as soon as he is healthy.
It’s been a forgettable season for Kapanen, with just six goals through 35 appearances. He’s been scratched, demoted, and overlooked for much of the year, thanks to an inconsistent game that just won’t go away.
A brilliant skater with the size, strength, and puck skills to be an effective top-six winger in the NHL, Kapanen has never been able to match the 20-goal, 44-point campaign he had in 2018-19 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His production has gone up and down like a see-saw, along with his minutes and opportunity.
Many were surprised when the Penguins decided to sign him to a two-year contract last summer that carries a $3.2MM cap hit, knowing how unreliable he had been to this point. Well, now that he’s healthy, Kapanen will have another chance to prove he’s not just a guy but can be an impact player on a playoff roster.
Archibald, meanwhile, has never had the same kind of expectations. The sixth-round pick scored 12 goals in back-to-back seasons a few years ago but is not considered an offensive threat and is only relied on for energy and penalty killing. He hasn’t been able to provide either since going out of the lineup in December, meaning the Penguins will get a little jolt to the bottom six when he suits up.
With Jarry still not ready to return, Casey DeSmith is expected to start tonight.
Penguins Recall Dustin Tokarski On An Emergency Basis
It appears that Tristan Jarry won’t be able to return after the All-Star break as the Penguins announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. He had been sent down late last month when Pittsburgh hit their bye week.
The 33-year-old has made two appearances with Pittsburgh this season, posting a 2.67 GAA and a .915 SV%. While it’s a small sample size, both marks are better than his career averages of 3.12 and .902 respectively in 78 appearances over nine seasons. Tokarski has spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL and has done well with a 2.31 GAA and a .920 SV% in 21 games, numbers that put him in the top eight in both categories.
The Penguins were hoping that Jarry would be able to return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks but that’s unlikely to be the case now. Instead, it will continue to be Casey DeSmith‘s net for the time being as he tries to keep them in the playoff mix. At the moment, Pittsburgh holds a one-point lead on Buffalo for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Their schedule resumes on Tuesday with a matchup against Colorado.
Snapshots: Tanev, Jarry, Raty
The Calgary Flames won’t have Chris Tanev back before the All-Star break, as head coach Darryl Sutter told reporters including Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet that the veteran defenseman will miss at least the next two games. Tanev left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury.
Now 33, Tanev has eight points in 40 games this season while playing his usual shutdown role for the Flames. With him out early against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nikita Zadorov ended up playing nearly 27 minutes, his second-highest total of the season.
- Tristan Jarry will also be out through the break, after being a late scratch for the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. The netminder had only just recently returned from an injury suffered in the Winter Classic, and will miss at least the next two games. Pittsburgh recalled Dustin Tokarski but in the meantime, Casey DeSmith will have to carry the load.
- Should Aatu Raty play another game for the New York Islanders, his contract will no longer be eligible to slide. The 20-year-old forward played his ninth game of the season on Monday, registering two hits and a shot in under ten minutes of action. Burning the first year of an entry-level deal isn’t the end of the world, and actually may end up giving the Islanders some extra leverage in contract talks down the road by limiting his offensive stats as a rookie. Raty would hit RFA status in 2025 if he play another NHL game this season.
Injury Notes: Bennett, Jarry, Golden Knights, Backstrom, Klingberg
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of minor injury news to report from tonight’s games. We start in Florida, where head coach Paul Maurice said pregame that Sam Bennett wouldn’t be in the lineup when they take on the Penguins tonight.
Bennett took an awkward fall in yesterday night’s loss to the Rangers, immediately leaving the game and staying in the room through the first intermission. It didn’t hold him out of the rest of the game, however, as he would later return. While he won’t suit up tonight, it does seem to be a short-term absence for Bennett, who’s been in and out of the lineup over the past month with some minor injury concerns. Eetu Luostarinen, who’s impressed with 10 goals and 22 points in 49 games this year, slides into the top six with Bennett out.
- After leaving injured reserve a few days ago, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry is back out of the lineup with an injury. His absence leaves both Pittsburgh and Florida without backup goalies on the bench for tonight’s game, as Spencer Knight was unexpectedly still unable to play and was a late absence from the Florida lineup. It’s hopefully a short-term absence for Jarry, who’s been spectacular with a .921 save percentage in 27 appearances for the Penguins this year.
- There’s some positive news on Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, says ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. While he’ll be out through the All-Star break as expected, his back issue is different than the one that plagued him throughout last season, greatly reducing the likelihood of his long-term career being affected. Kaplan also says defenseman Shea Theodore, who’s been out since early December with an undisclosed injury, is an option for Friday’s game against the Rangers.
- Days after returning from significant hip surgery recovery, Nicklas Backstrom is back out of the Washington Capitals lineup with a non-COVID illness and is day-to-day. The 35-year-old has three assists in seven games since returning to the lineup.
- The Anaheim Ducks will also be down a player due to illness: defenseman John Klingberg. 25-year-old call-up Colton White moves into Anaheim’s top-four in Klingberg’s absence, playing on his off-side. Klingberg has just 15 points in 40 games this season, a career-low as he’s destined for free agency once again this offseason.
Jeff Petry, Tristan Jarry Activated From Injured Reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting both Jeff Petry and Tristan Jarry back, activating the pair from injured reserve today. To make cap and roster room for their return, Kris Letang has been moved to long-term injured reserve, Jan Rutta has been moved to regular injured reserve, and Dustin Tokarski and Taylor Fedun have been reassigned to the AHL.
It’s been more than a month since Petry appeared in a Penguins lineup, last playing on December 10 against the Buffalo Sabres. The 35-year-old defenseman had been seeing a ton of ice time for the club, averaging over 26 minutes in the five games previous to his injury. While that kind of usage may not immediately come into play, Petry’s return is an important one for the Penguins, who have struggled to get much consistent offense from their blueline this season.
Despite missing a month, Petry is still just one point behind Marcus Pettersson for second among Penguins defenders and sits ahead of Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Brian Dumoulin, and Rutta, who have all played at least 40 games. The veteran was practicing with the first powerplay unit today, as they await the return of Letang.
Jarry, meanwhile, hasn’t played since being pulled from the Winter Classic after just 15 minutes of action against the Boston Bruins. The 27-year-old netminder had been struggling for a few games before that outdoor action, and now hopefully will get his game back on track after spending the last few weeks on the sideline.
Through 25 appearances, Jarry has posted a .918 save percentage, almost exactly in line with last season’s performance that earned him some down-ballot Vezina consideration. Given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent, Jarry is essentially playing for his next contract and can’t be missing huge chunks of the season if he can help it.
Letang and Rutta have both been moved to injured reserve retroactively, meaning they can return much sooner. Letang’s LTIR stint is backdated to December 28, meaning his 24-day window is almost up. Rutta’s is backdated to January 14, meaning his seven-day minimum is also about to expire.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Dustin Tokarski
After Tristan Jarry left yesterday’s Winter Classic with an injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Dustin Tokarski from the minor leagues. The team has not moved Jarry to injured reserve to make room for the transaction; instead, Kris Letang has been designated non-roster while he is with family following the death of his father.
Tokarski, 33, has spent the entire season at the AHL level but has been excellent for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. With a .926 save percentage in 18 appearances, it’s one of his best performances to date in what has been a long successful career. The veteran netminder should be able to contribute if called upon, though Casey DeSmith will likely carry most of the load if Jarry is out for a little while.
DeSmith has a .911 save percentage in 13 appearances, though incredibly, nine of those have been losses. The 31-year-old has a career .915 and has been one of the most consistent backups in the league since debuting in 2017-18.
Still, losing Jarry is obviously a big blow. The 27-year-old netminder has been strong this year, winning 15 of his 25 appearances and posting a .918 save percentage. Not only does he have the Penguins to perform for, but he’ll also be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, meaning he’s playing for a contract. Time on the shelf will obviously hurt those negotiations, though it is a good sign that he wasn’t placed on injured reserve.
There is no timeline for Letang’s return at this point.
Preseason Notes: Jarry, Oilers Injuries, Senators Cuts
Tristan Jarry was in a bad spot after the 2020-21 season. His mistakes at crucial moments heavily contributed to the Penguins’ season-ending first-round loss to the New York Islanders, and there was speculation that offseason on whether the Penguins would go in a new direction in their crease. But last year Jarry issued a powerful response to those doubters, going 34-18-6 with a .919 save percentage in 58 games played. Jarry looked every bit like an elite goalie and ranked just outside the top five goalies in save percentage and goals-against-average.
While we didn’t get a chance to see Jarry play extended time in the Penguins’ playoff games, that hasn’t kept the Penguins from firmly believing in Jarry as their long-term solution in net. Jarry is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, though, so his contract status could possibly keep him from being a Penguin long-term. That being said, the Penguins are likely to make every effort to keep him in Pittsburgh. Speaking to the media today, GM Ron Hextall said (as relayed by Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune) that the team had begun extension talks with Jarry and is fully invested in retaining him. For a team that is intent on remaining competitive for the rest of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang‘s careers, it’s easy to see why they’d want to get a Jarry extension done as soon as possible.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft issued a few injury updates today. Per Woodcroft, as covered by The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, defenseman Vincent Desharnais sustained a “minor injury,” winger Carter Savoie was injured during the team’s prospect tournament and is “out long-term,” and prospect forward Raphael Lavoie “won’t participate” in training camp after finishing last season injured. These updates do have implications for the Oilers’ roster, as Desharnais was expected to compete for a depth role on the team’s blueline, and Lavoie was seemingly entering a do-or-die training camp battle to impress Oilers brass after two straight up-and-down seasons at the AHL level.
- The Ottawa Senators announced three cuts from their training camp today, sending prospects Chandler Romeo, Reid Valade, and Dalyn Wakely to their OHL clubs. Romeo, 19, was a seventh-round pick of the Senators at the 2021 draft while Valade and Wakely have each not been drafted. All three were not expected to play significant roles at training camp or in the preseason.
Metropolitan Notes: Jarry, Rangers, Morrow
While Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry is eligible to sign a contract extension at any point now, Tim Benz of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review argues that the window to do so is much narrower with GM Ron Hextall’s general hesitance to work on in-season extensions. The 27-year-old has one year left on his deal that carries a $3.5MM cap hit and coming off a season that saw him post a 2.42 GAA with a .919 SV% in 58 games, he has a strong case to add a couple million to his next AAV based on the contracts handed out to the top goalies in free agency earlier this week. With that in mind, Benz suggests that Pittsburgh’s best strategy might be to wait as with so much of their roster locked up long-term already, if the team wants to have any sort of roster flexibility at all, it might have to come from the goaltending position and locking up Jarry now would take away that option.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Rangers have nearly $5MM in cap space left per CapFriendly, they still have to re-sign RFA winger Kaapo Kakko and add a depth defender or two. Beyond that, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that GM Chris Drury should be sitting on his remaining cap space rather than trying to find a way to add another piece this summer. New York didn’t need to rely on banking in-season cap space a year ago since they were well under the Upper Limit but that won’t be the case anymore. Accordingly, if they think they’re going to want to add a piece or two in-season, the only way to have a chance of doing that is to bank as much cap space as possible early on to create enough room for those additions closer to the trade deadline.
- Hurricanes GM Don Waddell told Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer that he expects prospect defenseman Scott Morrow to turn pro after next season. The 19-year-old was a second-round selection (40th overall) back in 2021 but played quite well at UMass in his freshman year, notching 13 goals and 20 assists in just 38 games. If he’s able to build on that performance in 2022-23, Waddell feels that Morrow would be reaching a point where there will be nothing left to work on in college even though he’d still have two years of eligibility left at that point.