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West Notes: Hellebuyck, Wild, Reichel

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Murat Ates of The Athletic broke down the reason Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was so frustrated by the lack of a goaltender interference call in a recent game against the Lightning. Hellebuyck has been a vocal advocate for goaltender interference calls, going as far as presenting to the NHL’s competition committee, and was incensed after the game against Tampa Bay for giving up a goal with a player sitting in his lap.

Hellebuyck has been looking for the NHL to create a clear standard for goalie interference but has been unsuccessful thus far in his advocacy. Goaltender interference remains a hotly debated topic around NHL circles as more and more instances of differing opinions seem to be occurring around the league.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild have been a feel-good story this season, beginning the year with an 8-1-2 record which matches their best start in franchise history (as per John Buccigross). The Wild have scored a franchise record 41 goals in 11 games and have been bolstered by star Kirill Kaprizov who is currently tied for the NHL scoring lead with 21 points. On the backend, the Wild have also received elite goaltending from Filip Gustavsson who appears to have returned to the form he displayed two years ago and even has a goal of his own this season.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic writes that Chicago Blackhawks forward Lucas Reichel has worked to get his confidence back and the results are beginning to show. Last season the 22-year-old went from a second line center all the way back to the AHL and it appeared in training camp that his game was in the same place. However, since being paired with veterans Pat Maroon and Craig Smith, Reichel has turned a corner and has looked like the player that the Blackhawks were hoping he would be when they took him in the first round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Reichel has a goal and five assists in nine games this season while averaging just over 12 minutes per game.

Connor Fine After Leaving Game Late

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  • Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel shared that star winger Kyle Connor is OK after getting pulled from Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay by concussion spotters, per Murat Ates of The Athletic. Connor took a hit from behind by Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov that pushed his head directly into Erik Cernak. He labored briefly but didn’t seem severely injured. That’s been confirmed now, and Connor will get to continue his role as the leading scorer (18 points in 11 games) on one of the NHL’s hottest teams.

Ville Heinola, Jaret Anderson-Dolan Back Skating

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  • The Jets relayed good news on a pair of injured skaters today. Head coach Scott Arniel told Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press that defenseman Ville Heinola has returned to skating on his own the past few days at home while the team is on a road trip, as has forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Heinola, 23, hasn’t played since the beginning of training camp due to an infection in his ankle that he had surgically repaired last season. The 2019 first-round pick was expected to build on his 11 points in 35 career NHL games this season after the Jets lost a few pieces on the blue line but has remained on IR. Anderson-Dolan, meanwhile, has been out since the beginning of the month after blocking a shot in a preseason game against the Flames. The 25-year-old had four points in 31 games last season, split between the Kings and Predators.

Heinola Hasn't Started Skating Yet

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  • Jets defenseman Ville Heinola hasn’t resumed skating yet as he continues to deal with the recurrence of his ankle injury, notes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The team is being patient with the injury after how much time he missed last year.  Heinola, a 2019 first-round pick, has been limited to just 35 NHL games over parts of four seasons despite showing plenty of offensive upside in the minors.  He was expected to make the team out of training camp but this injury derailed that opportunity.

Afternoon Notes: Ullmark, Sogaard, Stanley, Blumel, Petrovic

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark has returned to full health, prompting the team to return Mads Sogaard to the AHL, shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Ullmark has been working back from a muscle strain that’s held him out of the team’s last three games. Previous reports shared that Ottawa wanted to be patient not to aggravate the injury as they worked Ullmark back to full speed.

Ullmark has been strong in the two games he’s played with Ottawa, saving 53 of 58 shots faced en route to a 1-1-0 record and .914 save percentage. The same hasn’t been true for Ottawa’s other goaltending options, with Anton Forsberg allowing 10 goals on 73 shots (.863 save percentage) and Mads Sogaard allowing four goals on 17 shots (0.765) in Ullmark’s absence. The Senators have managed to win in front of all three goalies regardless, largely thanks to each of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Jake Sanderson recording seven points through the first five games of the season. Ullmark’s return could give Ottawa the back-end consistency to ramp up their early winning-record, though it seems the team could still be in the process of easing their franchise goaltender back to strength.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley has been activated off of injured reserve and will step into the lineup for Haydn Fleury, per Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press. Stanley missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury that required surgery during training camp. Stanley has played in just 44 games over the last two seasons, recording five points, 57 penalty minutes, and an average of 13:45 in ice time. He faces an uphill battle to an everyday role, but will get a chance to take the first step when the Jets take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
  • The Dallas Stars have returned forward Matej Blumel and defender Alexander Petrovic to the AHL. Blumel stepped into one game with Dallas during his recall, recording eight minutes of ice time and two shots on net. Petrovic spent the extent of his time in the press box, leaving two games and one point in the AHL as his only stats this year. The Texas Stars will get two big additions with this move – readding the stout, veteran presence of Petrovic and the 30-goal upside of Blumel back to the lineup.

Logan Stanley Close To A Return

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  • The Winnipeg Jets should get some welcome news regarding their back end shortly. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reported earlier that defenseman Logan Stanley was a full participant at practice this morning. Stanley has been rehabbing a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined for much of training camp and the regular season. Once he is fully healthy, he should have a home in the Jets’ bottom-pairing next to Colin Miller.

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Avalanche Claim Kaapo Kahkonen From Jets

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The Colorado Avalanche have claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. The Avalanche are already carrying two goaltenders – Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen – on their NHL roster. Neither are exempt from waivers, likely indicating Colorado’s plan to carry three goaltenders. Colorado used both netminders in their season opener, with Georgiev allowing five goals and getting pulled for Annunen, who let in two goals of his own.

That’s certainly far from an ideal start for the Avalanche netminders, leading the team to reel in the veteran presence of Kahkonen, who’s spent the last five seasons bouncing around the NHL. His career began with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted Kahkonen in 2014’s fourth round and assigned him to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in 2018. He was called up after two strong seasons as Iowa’s starter and proceeded to post a stout 31 wins and .907 save percentage in 54 games, and three seasons, as Minnesota’s backup. His consistency drew interest from around the league, and Kahkonen was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in 2022 alongside a fifth-round pick in the deal that landed Minnesota defender Jacob Middleton.

Kahkonen continued to serve as a consistent backup in San Jose, recording 17 wins and a .892 behind a struggling Sharks defense. But with little short-term success in sight, San Jose swapped Kahkonen with New Jersey’s Vitek Vanecek at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Kahkonen was one of two depth goaltenders acquired by the Devils, alongside Montreal’s Jake Allen, and would only play in six games with the club as a result – though he did manage a career-high .923 save percentage in those appearances.

Still, the Devils opted to stick with the Stanley Cup-winning precedent of Allen, letting Kahkonen sign a one-year, $1MM contract with the Jets on July 1st. He was one of three goalies to make the Jets roster out of camp, next to Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, and now moves to a similarly-crowded room in Colorado. He’s posted a modest .899 save percentage across 139 career games, and will look to provide relief in the event that Colorado’s netminders continue to dip.

Jets Place Kaapo Kähkönen On Waivers

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The Jets have placed goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen on waivers, per PuckPedia. It appears he’s lost the backup battle to Eric Comrie and can be claimed by any team after signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg over the offseason.

It’s likely not the result the Jets nor Kähkönen expected after coming to terms on the deal. Most assumed Comrie, who struggled to the tune of a .874 SV% in 10 games with the Sabres last year, would be the one to end up on waivers and sit at No. 3 on Winnipeg’s goaltending depth chart after inking a two-year, $825K AAV deal to kick off his fourth stint in the Jets organization.

The Jets were able to wait to make their decision, as starter Connor Hellebuyck’s brief absence due to personal reasons forced them to carry three goalies on their opening night roster. But Hellebuyck returned to pitch a shutout in last night’s season opener against the Oilers with Comrie on the bench, meaning Kähkönen watched from the press box.

It’s worth noting that taking Kähkönen off the roster instead of Comrie frees up an additional $175K in cap space. But it’s hard to imagine him passing through waivers. His $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors if he doesn’t work out with a new club and lands back on the waiver wire, and he’s an intriguing pickup after he managed a .898 SV% in 37 games last year despite spending most of the campaign with the league-worst Sharks. The 28-year-old’s numbers weren’t too far below average, and he closed the campaign on a tear with a .923 SV% in six games for the Devils after New Jersey acquired him via trade.

Kähkönen was a Minnesota fourth-round pick back in 2014. He has a career .899 SV%, four shutouts, and a 49-67-15 record in 139 appearances with the Wild, Sharks, and Devils.

Connor Hellebuyck Expected As Opening Night Starter For Winnipeg

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  • Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been away from the Winnipeg Jets because of personal reasons. The absence isn’t expected to carry over into the regular season with TSN’s John Lu reporting he will return to practice with the team on Wednesday and will be the opening night starter tomorrow night against the Edmonton Oilers.

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Jets Recall Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Place Him On Injured Reserve

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The Jets have recalled forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan from AHL Manitoba and subsequently placed him on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 2, the team announced.

Anderson-Dolan, 25, returns to the NHL after clearing waivers yesterday but won’t count against the 23-player roster limit for now. He’s day-to-day with an undisclosed injury that he sustained while blocking a shot in exhibition play against the Flames. The retroactive placement means he’ll be eligible to return tomorrow for Winnipeg’s season opener against the Oilers if need be, but it’s unlikely.

A second-round pick of the Kings in 2017, Anderson-Dolan’s nearly seven-year run in the organization came to an end last March when the Predators claimed him off waivers. A fringe NHLer, Anderson-Dolan had recorded just four points in 30 games last season before landing on the wire. He barely played down the stretch in Nashville, either, logging just one regular-season appearance and none in the playoffs.

Accordingly, Nashville opted not to tender Anderson-Dolan a qualifying offer this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent. He came to terms on a two-year, partial two-way deal with the Jets on the second day of free agency and was expected to battle for an extra forward spot.

Despite the recall, it’s unclear if he’ll stay on the active roster after he returns to health. The Jets have a full 23-player roster without him, although there will likely be a corresponding move coming in the crease. Connor Hellebuyck has been absent from practice for the past two days for personal reasons, forcing the Jets to carry three goalies on their season-opening roster. Once likely No. 3 option Eric Comrie hits the waiver wire in the coming days, Anderson-Dolan could stick around as the team’s second extra forward.

Anderson-Dolan has 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points in 127 career NHL appearances. He also has 79 points in 115 career AHL games.

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