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Tyler Johnson

Trade Notes: Maple Leafs, Johnson, Martinez

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Once the roster freeze across the league is lifted on Thursday morning, it will mark the unofficial start to trade season in the NHL calendar. Up to this point, much has been made of the potential trade targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs, primarily centered around veteran defenseman Chris Tanev, currently with the Calgary Flames.

Instead of sorting through potential targets, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic wrote an article (subscription required article) examining the assets currently available to the Maple Leafs they will have to offer in any deal leading up to the trade deadline. Given the team’s current positioning in the standings and their liberal usage of draft selections in the past, Toronto’s first-round draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft will likely be in play.

However, given the team’s recent history of trading first-round draft picks, there should be some considerable internal pushback in moving the asset once again. Since 2019, the Maple Leafs have used their first-round pick to acquire Jake Muzzin (2019), Nick Foligno (2021), Ryan O’Reilly (2023), Noel Acciari (2023), Jake McCabe (2025), and Sam Lafferty (2025). The team also traded their 2020 first-round selection to move Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes, and their 2022 first-round selection to move Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Of the six players acquired by Toronto for first-round draft picks in the last six seasons, only one of them (McCabe) is still in the organization, as the rest have moved on to different organizations, or have seen their careers end. Keeping this in mind, if the Maple Leafs are to use their 2024 first-round draft pick as leverage for a trade this season, they would be much better served in acquiring a player with term.

Other notes:

  • Heavily linked to Calgary center, Elias Lindholm, Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now indicates if the price for Lindholm remains high, the Boston Bruins may look to a recent trading partner in the Chicago Blackhawks to improve down the middle of the ice (article link). Murphy indicates that shortly after the roster freeze is lifted, Chicago will make center Tyler Johnson available for trade, also being able to retain salary in the deal. With a high amount of injury concern attached, Johnson may still be an effective buy-low middle-six option for the Bruins.
  • After the recent extension given to defenseman Ben Hutton, Ken Boehlke of SinBin reports that more changes may be coming to the blue line of the Vegas Golden Knights. With seven defensemen already on the active roster, and with Shea Theodore and Kaedan Korczak both expected back at some point, Boehlke notes the Golden Knights may be inclined to move out defenseman Alec Martinez. The moving out of Martinez would open up space in the defensive core as well as cap space for an additional upgrade elsewhere.

Central Notes: Johnson, Dickinson, Wild

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According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, forward Tyler Johnson is the most recent injury to the Chicago Blackhawks roster, as he did not travel with the team to take on the St.Louis Blues. Johnson joins a growing list of high-priced members of the organization to go down with injury this season, as Seth Jones, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou all currently find themselves on the team’s injured reserve.

In the final season of a seven-year, $35MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2017, Johnson was included in a salary dump move to Chicago, who also acquired a second-round draft selection in the deal, that sent Brent Seabrook’s contract back the other way. Having his time with the Blackhawks mired by injury concerns, Johnson has only suited up in 114 games for the franchise, scoring 22 goals and 50 points overall.

As Pope mentions in his reporting, with Johnson out tonight against the Blues, young forward Cole Guttman will draw back into the lineup for Chicago. In 14 games this year, Guttman has one goal and three points, only averaging a touch over 11 and a half minutes of ice time per night.

Other notes:

  • Sticking in Chicago, in an article today from Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCSN – Chicago, he mentions the growing trade value of Blackhawks’ forward Jason Dickinson leading up to the trade deadline. Being one of a handful of teams trying to stay above the salary cap floor, Chicago would have the ability to retain 50% ($1.325MM) of Dickinson’s contract, making him quite the bargain with 10 goals and 32 games this season.
  • Before their game tonight against the Boston Bruins, Michael Russo of The Athletic shared several injury updates surrounding certain members of the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately for the organization, they will still be without captain Jared Spurgeon, as well as forward Ryan Hartman. With plenty of issues plaguing the team this year, the inability to field a complete roster has led to plenty of inconsistency in Minnesota this season.

Chicago Blackhawks Make Several Roster Moves

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The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Tyler Johnson on injured reserve, and sent Isaak Phillips to the AHL. In their place, Luke Philp and Filip Roos have been recalled.

Johnson played just five shifts last night before exiting with an ankle injury, and was seen in a walking boot after the game. It’s just the latest in a long list of setbacks this season, derailing what has looked like a strong bounce-back whenever Johnson is in the lineup.

Through 22 appearances, the 32-year-old forward has five goals and 14 points, already doubling his point total from last year. He just can’t seem to stay healthy, leading to multiple stints on injured reserve. One thing in his favor is his contract, which will ensure his financial stability for another year. Johnson is signed through 2023-24 at a $5MM cap hit.

Phillips, 21, has played in 11 games for the Blackhawks this season and recorded his fourth point of the year on Saturday. The young defenseman has seen inconsistent ice time and has looked overmatched at times, but generally showed that he will soon be ready for NHL action.

He’ll be replaced on the roster by Roos, who skated in 15 games earlier this year before a recent stint in the minor leagues. The 24-year-old undrafted defenseman has three NHL points to his name in this, his rookie season.

Should Philp enter the lineup, it will be his first taste of NHL action. Undrafted, the 27-year-old has battled through three years at the University of Alberta and parts of four minor league seasons before getting this opportunity. This year with the Rockford IceHogs he has been outstanding, scoring 30 points in 31 games so far.

Evening Notes: Kirkland, Schmaltz, Johnson

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After recalling him back on December 28th on an emergency basis, it appears the Anaheim Ducks have sent forward Justin Kirkland back to the AHL, according to CapFriendly. This had been Kirkland’s second emergency recall in as many weeks, however it did afford him the opportunity to make his NHL debut.

Originally a draft pick of the Nashville Predators back in 2014, Kirkland has had a strong AHL career, breaking out with 48 points in 66 games last season with the Stockton Heat, then Calgary’s AHL affiliate. This season, Kirkland is again off to a hot start with 13 points in 19 games in the AHL. Since making his NHL debut, the 26-year-old has skated in five games with Anaheim, but hadn’t yet tallied a point.

  • Injuries have been a challenge for Nick Schmaltz this year, who has missed 16 of his Arizona Coyotes’ 35 games coming into this evening. Fortunately for Schmaltz and the Coyotes, the forward was back in the lineup tonight after missing the team’s New Year’s Eve game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The forward has 16 points through those 19 games, continuing on from his breakout performance last season and though his absence isn’t a good thing, keeping it to just one game is surely a positive.
  • Just before puck drop tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that former Lightning forward Tyler Johnson would not skate for them, missing the game with a non-COVID illness. Ultimately, defenseman Caleb Jones played in the game, assuming the role of a forward. Now in his second season with Chicago, Johnson continues to deal with injuries, but has been solid when healthy, recording eight points in 14 games.

Central Notes: Jets, Johnson, Avalanche

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The Jets looked to be a team that had the cap space to make a splash in the second half of the season.  However, as Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press outlines, that’s no longer the case.  As a result of their injuries, Winnipeg has had to recall several players and in doing so, they’re at a spot where they’re going to need to dip in short-term LTIR if they have to bring anyone else up.  All of a sudden, any ideas of making a key addition in the near future will have to be shut down until most of their regulars return.  The good news for Winnipeg is that none of the injuries are season-ending but there aren’t many near-term recoveries on the horizon which isn’t ideal with nearly $25MM currently out of the lineup.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • While Blackhawks center Tyler Johnson returned to the lineup a little more than two weeks ago, he isn’t fully healthy yet. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the 32-year-old is still dealing with a left ankle injury, one that may not be fully recovered until the end of the season.  Despite still being banged up, Johnson has logged more than 15 minutes a night since returning and has three goals and five assists in 12 games so far this season.
  • The Avalanche could have Nathan MacKinnon back in the lineup on Saturday against Toronto, relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The star center has missed nearly four weeks due to an upper-body injury and while he took the skate in a non-contact jersey today, that won’t automatically preclude him from returning tomorrow.  Meanwhile, forward Darren Helm was a full participant in practice for the first time today but has not yet received the green light to suit up.  He has yet to play this season and underwent hip surgery last month.

Blackhawks Activate Tyler Johnson Off IR

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The Blackhawks will welcome a veteran forward back into their lineup tonight as the team announced that center Tyler Johnson has been activated off injured reserve and will suit up against Washington.

The 32-year-old had gotten off to a nice start to his season with two goals and four assists in his first six games.  However, in that sixth contest back in late October, he suffered an ankle injury, one that has kept him out for the last 20 contests.

With Chicago certainly isn’t looking to make a push for the playoffs, getting Johnson back and into game shape will help give them some stability in their middle six while he should be able to at least slightly bolster an offense that comes into tonight’s action ranked last in the league in goals scored.  He’ll start on the third line for the time being.

While the Blackhawks will be sellers over the next few months, Johnson almost certainly won’t be among those that they’re able to move.  He has another year left on his contract after this one with a $5MM AAV plus partial no-trade protection.  In this market, with so many teams lacking cap space, that’s not a deal they’re easily going to be able to move.

The team also confirmed that goaltender Petr Mrazek was activated off IR and he will get the start against the Caps.  Jaxson Stauber has been returned to AHL Rockford in a corresponding move.  However, it’s not all good news on the injury front when it comes to players returning as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes (Twitter link) that defenseman Caleb Jones isn’t quite ready to come back from his hip injury.

Tyler Johnson Placed On Injured Reserve

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After suffering an ankle injury on Tuesday, Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson has been moved to injured reserve. While it might seem like placement on regular IR is encouraging for his timeline, that’s not necessarily the case. With the Blackhawks nowhere near the salary cap ceiling, there is no need to use long-term injured reserve. It is not clear how long Johson will be out.

It’s a tough blow for Johnson, who was experiencing something of a renaissance with Chicago this season after some down years. The versatile forward had six points through six games, including an assist against the Florida Panthers before exiting. Playing top-six minutes with powerplay time, the 32-year-old was setting himself up to have a nice bounce-back year.

With Johnson unavailable, Jujhar Khaira will move onto the second line with Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh and play the net front on the second powerplay unit according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The Blackhawks have been steadfast in keeping top prospects in the minor leagues to play with the Rockford IceHogs, and this injury likely won’t change that. For now, it appears as though they’ll go with 12 forwards on the roster, though that may change once they head out on the road.

West Notes: Blackhawks, Lehkonen, Labanc, Highmore

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The Blackhawks welcomed one center back tonight but found themselves without another.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Tyler Johnson has been cleared from concussion protocol and activated off IR while Kirby Dach was a late scratch with a non-COVID illness.  It has been a tough first season in Chicago for Johnson after coming over from Tampa Bay as injuries have limited him to just 14 games where he has just a goal and two assists while averaging a career low in ice time at just 12:41 per night.  As for Dach, he has also had a quiet year offensively, notching 23 points in 63 games despite being a fixture in their top six.

Elsewhere around the Western Conference:

  • The wait is over when it comes to Artturi Lehkonen making his Colorado debut as the team announced (Twitter link) that the winger’s immigration has been approved, paving the way for him to suit up against Calgary on Tuesday. The 26-year-old was brought in at the trade deadline in exchange for prospect defenseman Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick and he’s expected to play a key role on the third line for the Avalanche down the stretch.  Lehkonen has 16 goals and 13 assists in 58 games this season.
  • The Sharks could get winger Kevin Labanc back at some point next week, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 26-year-old has been out since undergoing shoulder surgery back in mid-November.  It had been a disappointing season for Labanc prior to the injury as he had just three goals and three assists in 21 games and with San Jose ten points out of a playoff spot heading into Monday’s games, his return will be more about trying to rediscover his offensive form over helping a late playoff push.
  • Matthew Highmore’s upper-body injury will keep him out of Vancouver’s lineup on a week-to-week basis, relays Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has 10 points in 39 games this season.  The Canucks recalled William Lockwood on an emergency basis last week to take Highmore’s spot but if they wanted to bring another player up for extra depth, they’d have to use one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

Blackhawks Place Connor Murphy On LTIR And Tyler Johnson On IR

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It has been a busy day for Chicago.  After shipping Brandon Hagel along with a pair of fourth-round picks to Tampa Bay for two future top-ten protected first-rounders plus wingers Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh, the team announced that they’ve placed defenseman Connor Murphy on long-term injured reserve and center Tyler Johnson on injured reserve.

Murphy was stretchered off the ice on Saturday after taking a hit from Ottawa’s Parker Kelly and it’s no surprise that the placement has been back-dated to Saturday.  He’ll have to miss at least 10 games and 24 days from there which means he wouldn’t be able to return until April 7th at the earliest.  With it being a concussion and the fact that the Blackhawks are well out of playoff contention, it’s possible that they simply shut him down for the rest of the season.

Doing so would effectively allow Chicago to add all of Murphy’s $3.85MM AAV to their LTIR pool and give them that much extra room to work with by Monday’s trade deadline.  With several buyers having limited cap space, a bit more flexibility for the Blackhawks to work with could certainly be useful for GM Kyle Davidson.

As for Johnson, his placement is also retroactive to March 12th and with him just being on regular IR, he’s technically eligible to return as soon as Sunday against Winnipeg.  However, that won’t be the case.  Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago notes that Johnson only resumed skating on Thursday and while interim coach Derek King noted that the veteran will need to go through the various stages of concussion protocol, he should be able to return sooner than later.

Snapshots: Canucks, Johnson, Canadiens, Nugent-Hopkins

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The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed defenseman Kyle Burroughs on injured reserve while transferring blueliner Tucker Poolman to LTIR.  Burroughs has had his first taste of extended NHL action this season, playing in 36 games while collecting five points and was injured last weekend against Anaheim.  The move was made to open up the roster spot for yesterday’s recall of Phillip Di Giuseppe.  As for Poolman, he will be eligible to return at any time if the placement is retroactive to his injury in late January but it temporarily adds his $2.5MM to their LTIR pool, enabling them to recall other players if there are more injuries in the near future.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Blackhawks are expected to get center Tyler Johnson back in the lineup on Thursday against Edmonton, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Johnson underwent artificial disk replacement surgery back in December, the same neck surgery Jack Eichel had.  The veteran last played in late October and has a goal and two assists in eight games this season, his first with Chicago.
  • The Canadiens are expected to hire Adam Nicholas in a player development role, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Nicholas has worked as a skills consultant with Toronto since 2019 and is the founder of a player development company called Stride Envy.
  • Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins left today’s game with an upper-body injury with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector suggesting (via Twitter) that it looks like a shoulder issue. He took a hit from Florida’s Ryan Lomberg in the first period.  Nugent-Hopkins only has seven goals in 45 games this season but still sits third on Edmonton in points thanks to his 30 assists.

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