Afternoon Preseason Notes (Sep 27)

The St. Louis Blues can't seem to shake the injury bug these days, but the next two additions to the update page don't seem to be too significant, but certainly worthy of a mention. Both forward Alex Steen and defenseman Vince Dunn were not able to practice on Thursday, due to upper-body injuries. There was no suggestion that either wouldn't be ready for the start of the regular season, but their availability for their last two preseason games are in question. Dealing with injuries now usually means that there are likely going to be precautions taken, so they don't exacerbate the injury before the games start to count.

Projected number two goalie for the Dallas Stars, Anton Khudobin, is now on the list of the walking wounded, now dealing with a minor undisclosed injury and he'll give way in the crease to rookie Landon Bow for their preseason game against the Blues on Friday night.  For now, we'll consider Khudobin as a day-to-day injury, unless we're told otherwise.  Dallas has one more preseason game after Friday and that will go on Sunday evening, at home to the Avalanche and we'll probably know more before then.

Afternoon Camp Demotions (Sep 27)

The Vancouver Canucks made further cuts to their roster on Thursday afternoon, including prospect forward Adam Gaudette, last year's Hobey Baker Award winner in the NCAA.  Gaudette made an appearance last season with the Canucks, after his college season had concluded, when injuries had taken their toll on the roster, but with a training camp under his belt, the team's management has decided to give some more time for seasoning down in the AHL to start the year.  Joining Gaudette on the way down is top prospect defenseman Olli Juolevi, who had a hard time cracking the top seven that was already in place, but some time in the minors to adapt to the North American game will likely do him some good.

The Washington Capitals made a couple of key cuts of their own on Thursday afternoon, giving the backup job to Pheonix Copley and demoting both Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek to the AHL and then also sending free agent forward signing Sergei Shumakov down.

Copley will assume Samsonov's 15-point projection for the season after a good preseason, while Shumakov's spot will be occupied by Nic Dowd, who will likely be used down the middle in the bottom six, at least to start the year.  Shumakov was a dark horse long shot for the hockey pool conversation, but if he made the roster, it would have made for a good argument.  Dowd's depth play should work well for the Capitals in the short-term.

Noon Preseason Notes (Sep 27)

Pittsburgh Penguins young winger Daniel Sprong doesn't appear to be expected in the lineup for the team's last preseason game, Friday night in Columbus.  Sprong is apparently dealing with a lower-body injury and is listed as out day-to-day.  He's a strong candidate to be on the team's opening night roster, as he has spent some time in the team's top six in preseason games so far.

The Penguins open the regular season on Thursday, October 4th, at home to the Capitals, and there's a good chance that he should be able to dress for it at this point.  This is likely only a minor injury, taken out of play for precautionary reasons and let a bubble player make his case in the last preseason game.

Fringe Signings (Sep 27)

The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with defenseman Brandon Davidson on Thursday morning, giving him a 1-year deal, worth $650,000.  Davidson was in Chicago's training camp on a professional tryout and he played his way onto the team, outplaying some of the younger prospects on the roster and making his way to the 6th or 7th defenseman role.

With injuries to Gustav Forsling and Connor Murphy, the Blackhawks were likely in need of a little bit more experience on the back end to start the season, which led to the Davidson signing.  It will be interesting to see how he fits in, once the injuries heal up, but for now, expect him on the opening night roster.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 27)

Considering where the Red Wings are in their rebuild, they haven't done a bad job in the preseason, earning another win over the Bruins on Wednesday night.  Jonathan Bernier made 21 saves in the 3-2 overtime victory, as he tries to usurp the starting job in Detroit.  Gustav Nyquist had a goal and an assist in the win, as he looks to get back into form, and Tyler Bertuzzi added a couple of assists as well.

There was more overtime in the Big Apple last night, as the Islanders and the Rangers went to extra time in another one of their crosstown battles.  The Islanders ran away like bandits with a 4-3 win, with Robin Lehner making 21 saves as well for his victory.  Ryan Pulock had a pair of goals, Anthony Beauvillier went one and one and then Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal and Valtteri Filppula all had a pair of assists in the victory, guiding the way for the new-look Islanders.

The Rangers had a couple of big nights, which were not quite big enough, from Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, each of them on all three of the goals for the home side, but it just wasn't enough.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took full advantage of a Buffalo Sabres roster that was still ironing out some of their bubble players on Wednesday night, defeating that group, 5-1.  Phil Kessel was the only notable skater in this one, opening the scoring with a pair of goals and then the rest of the team piled on.  Matt Murray also had to make 21 saves on the night for the victory.  The Penguins appear to be pretty close to their final roster now, the lineup they had last night could be very close to what we'll see on opening night.

I am beginning to wonder if the Maple Leafs and Canadiens are tired of each other from this preseason yet.  Frederik Andersen got the call for the Leafs and he had to withstand quite the barrage, stopping 33 to earn the win in the 5-3 Toronto victory on Wednesday night.  He'll reportedly get one more start in this preseason before it is all said and done.  Mitch Marner had a big night, picking up a goal and 3 assists, while Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist in the win.

Brendan Gallagher and Victor Mete were also notable on Montreal's side, both coming away with 2 points in the loss.

Ryan Suter returned from his ankle rehab on Wednesday night, playing in his first preseason game for the Wild, as they hosted the Jets.  His return must have sparked something, as his side was good enough for a 4-3 win over their division rivals from up north.  Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for the full game win, while Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund each walked away with 2 points each on the scoresheet.  If Suter and Zach Parise can stay healthy, for once, the Wild could be a very dangerous team this season.

Dustin Byfuglien appears to be in fine form already, registering a goal and an assist in the loss, also picking up a minor penalty on top of it all too.

The Colorado Avalanche welcomed defenseman Nikita Zadorov back to their lineup on Wednesday night, as he made his preseason debut against the Stars.  Unfortunately, he really didn't help, registering a penalty and a -1 rating on the night in a 3-1 loss.

Julius Honka, the Dallas sophomore defenseman, had the big night on the scoresheet, picking up a goal and an assist in the win.  Ben Bishop made 21 saves for the win, as he warms his way into the regular season.

It was a shootout in Anaheim, as the Ducks were out to prove that they didn't need the likes of Corey Perry around to generate a lot of offense, after word of his long-term injury, so they put up a 7-spot in his absence, defeating the Kings, 7-4 on Wednesday night.  Adam Henrique and rookie Maxime Comtois each had 2 goals and an assist in the win, while Jakub Silfverberg had a goal and 2 assists to keep pace.  Defenseman Cam Fowler had a couple of assists and Ryan Miller only had to make 18 saves for the victory on the night.

For the Kings, forward Michael Amadio had a couple of assists to lead the way for the visitors, with his spot looking more and more certain now.

Evening Camp Demotions (Sep 26)

Among some of the Flames cuts on Wednesday afternoon was forward Spencer Foo, who was a bubble player sitting on my projected roster for Calgary, but really didn't show a whole lot of value on the scoresheet through preseason, so it doesn't come as a great surprise that he was on the list for Stockton today.

The race for his roster spot currently sits between resident tough guy Garnet Hathaway and Andrew Mangiapane, both bringing different elements to the table, but still carrying some value for this team.

Chicago 2018 1st round pick, defenseman Adam Boqvist, was sent back to his junior team on Wednesday afternoon, as the 18-year old showed himself as a strong top prospect in the organization over the last couple of weeks, but seasoning for the 18-year old was likely a good decision, both for player and for the organization.

This likely means that Brandon Davidson, who is still in Chicago's camp on a tryout, will likely get a two-way deal in the next day or so, to help round out the roster for the Blackhawks.

It wasn't a strong training camp or preseason for Nashville top prospect Eeli Tolvanen and the Predators acknowledged that on Wednesday, sending him down to Milwaukee of the AHL for a bit more seasoning of his own.  There were some pretty high expectations for the sharp-shooting Finn, but he certainly didn't live up to many of them in camp.  I wouldn't rule him out for the season just yet, his demotion to the AHL means that he can come back at any time and there's a chance that he'll find his stride again and then light it up, but picking him in the pool this weekend will be one hell of a gamble.

Jackets to Start Season Without Jones

Bad news on the injury front for the Columbus Blue Jackets, as budding star defenseman Seth Jones will be sitting for the first 4-to-6 weeks of the season with an MCL sprain in his knee.  Jones left Tuesday night's game against the Sabres with a lower-body injury, not to return and upon further medical evaluation, it was determined that he suffered a 2nd degree sprain.

There are certainly some high expectations for Jones in the coming season, especially coming off of a 57-point season in 2018, things were only supposed to improve for him moving forward.  Unfortunately, some of those projections will now have to be tempered, due to the injury, but now you can weigh the benefits of taking him early, missing those weeks, instead of waiting to see if you can possibly get him at one of the Waiver Drafts.

The Jackets' blueline has had its fair share of struggles in this preseason, as they had already lost Ryan Murray to injury a week ago and they still haven't seen Zach Werenski in game action (yet!), so there could be some young representation back there to start the year, trying to hold things down until the walking wounded return.

Ducks Lose Perry Long-Term

Well, you can forget about taking Corey Perry at the draft on Saturday, because he's hooped for a while!

On Monday, Perry was a late scratch from warm-ups after suffering a lower-body injury, forced out of the lineup that was to play the Coyotes.  On Wednesday afternoon, the update was broadcast and it was not very good.  It turns out that the 33-year old tore meniscus in his knee and had to undergo knee surgery to repair the damage and he is now slated to be out for about 20 weeks.  By this timetable, he would be set to return in the middle of February or thereabouts.

The Ducks are already suffering mightily from injuries, especially at the forward position, so this comes as a particularly tough blow, just before the start of the regular season.  Projections for the veteran were hovering around the 55-point mark and taking that out of the equation is a lot of offense to try and replace.

This injury does, however, open up a significant roster spot for someone and their 2018 1st round pick, Isac Lundestrom is still hanging around in their camp, possibly eyeing up a top six spot.

Noon Camp Demotions (Sep 26)

We'll strike another young player from his NHL roster, as Julien Gauthier has been reassigned by the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, one of a group of four players sent down, trimming the roster to a very manageable level now.  There are still five forwards on the training camp roster that are sitting on the bubble to take that open roster spot now and that's suggesting that the Hurricanes will indeed start with 23 players on their roster.

Noon Preseason Notes (Sep 26)

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian is currently dealing with a lower-body injury and won't be in the preseason lineup for the team tonight, when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.  He's currently listed as out day-to-day, according to the coaching staff, which could mean it's just a precautionary measure, ahead of the regular season next week.  The initial projections for the veteran blueliner are that of a fringe player, especially since the 28-year old has had some injury troubles in recent years, which don't appear to be ceasing any time soon.

The Detroit Red Wings might be a little bit more forthcoming with some of their blueline injury concerns, as Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson and Danny DeKeyser are all dealing with injuries these days and the coaching staff are suggesting that one, two or all of them may not be ready to go for when the puck drops on the regular season.  Daley is dealing with a lower-body injury, DeKeyser has an upper-body injury, but I can't see any details on what Ericsson is dealing with at the moment.

The Red Wings blueline isn't exactly a hot bed for hockey pool action, at least on paper anyways.  It is already without Mike Green for the foreseeable future, so they might be running a very young lineup to start the season.  This could also be a huge black mark against their goalies, especially since you don't expect this team to put up eight goals a night, like they did last night.

The blueline injury parade continues with Justin Schultz of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and is currently listed as out day-to-day.  Schultz won't be in the lineup tonight for the Sabres game, but it looks like they are aiming to have him ready for opening night. 

Schultz has been a productive member of the Penguins, when healthy, but that's the risk you're taking with him.  I would consider him to be a contender for the injury prone list in his career and he may just get there next summer, if these sort of posts come up.

Morning Camp Demotions (Sep 26)

Another projected roster player sent down on Tuesday night, as the New Jersey Devils confirmed that rookie Michael McLeod was among three players sent down to the AHL and another placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment. McLeod, a 1st round pick in 2016, still has yet to really make his mark in the organization and it may have been fair to think he was going to get a good shot at it this year.

Still in Devils camp and probably the favourite to take one of those last forward spots is pro tryout Drew Stafford, who has the experience in the league and gives him a leg up on the other few prospect forwards still in camp.

On Wednesday morning, the Blackhawks announced three more cuts, including one of the players I was looking to as a possible sleeper pick, forward Victor Ejdsell.  The Swede was acquired from Nashville last season, but he couldn't seem to put it all together for training camp and now he's off to the AHL, where he may return from later, but now isn't a viable sleeper pick in this year's draft.  Alexandre Fortin was also on my projected roster, albeit not quite as well projected, but he's also on his way down to the AHL as well today.

Right now, this leaves a couple of spots open on my projected roster for the Blackhawks and there are four forwards still in camp to vie for them: Dominik Kahun, David Kampf, Jordan Maletta and Luke Johnson.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 26)

It was Hockeyville, USA night in Clinton, NY on Tuesday night and the residents of the American-winning town got themselves a pretty good treat between the Blue Jackets and the Sabres, as the stars were out in full, showcasing some of the league's top talent, both established and up-and-coming.  Artemi Panarin was one of those established players making his mark on the night, scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists in a 4-2 win for the Blue Jackets.  Anthony Duclair had a goal and an assist and Joonas Korpisalo made 17 saves for the victory.

Panarin has been solid since he finally arrived in this preseason and he could be a real catch in the early parts of the draft this year.

A point of concern in this one, as defenseman Seth Jones left the game with a lower-body injury, not to return, and his status moving forward is looking a bit murky.  We'll certainly be keeping an eye out for more on this one, since Jones is projected to be a top end pick this year.

It was a good start to the 2nd period for the home side, in this Battle of the Sunshine State, as the Lightning found a 2-0 lead in the middle frame, but they just couldn't hold on.  The Panthers, led by Evgenii Dadonov, managed a comeback and ended up holding on to win 3-2 on Tuesday night.  Dadonov had a goal and an assist in the win and Jame Reimer made 27 saves for the victory.

J.T. Miller had a couple of assists to help the Lightning get out to that lead, but couldn't do any more after the fact.

Busy night on the news page in this game, as Aaron Ekblad returned from his broken nose and scored a goal in the process.  Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning and Jared McCann of the Panthers both left the game early with lower-body injuries, Kucherov's injury isn't supposed to serious, but there was no immediate word on McCann's injury.

The Carolina Hurricanes blew into Nashville and left a path of destruction through the town, beating the Predators, 4-1, in preseason action.  The Canes kept the pressure on for the entire game, getting 42 shots on Pekka Rinne in total and hardly letting the Preds have a sniff in their own end.  Forwards Warren Foegle and Valentin Zykov were the skaters of note in this game, each coming away with a couple of points each, while Scott Darling registered a win with 28 saves,

The game between the Capitals and the Blues on Tuesday night may have been more about Washington's backup goalie race, than anything else.  The Capitals shut out the Blues, 4-0, those who hit the scoresheet, only did so once, but goalie Pheonix Copley made 42 saves for the shutout victory and he may be earning himself some consideration to sit behind Braden Holtby to start the regular season.  Nothing is certain at this point, but shutting out a team like the Blues, even in the preseason, has to be worth something.

The Capitals did not come away unscathed out of this victory, however.  Defenseman Michal Kempny took a high hit in the game and left the game with an upper-body injury.  There was no word immediately after the game, but he'll likely receive his evaluation on Wednesday and we'll know more before too long.

Some very good news for the Blues, as Jake Allen, Tyler Bozak and David Perron were all dressed for this game, not that it helped them a great deal, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

It was quite the shootout at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday night, as the Red Wings and Blackhawks game turned into a goal scoring slug fest.  When the dust settled, the Red Wings were crowned victors, with an 8-6 win on the road and renewing some hope that the 2019 season may not be all that bad.  Let's see who all the notable players were in this one!

Andreas Athanasiou led the way for Detroit, picking up a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the win, Thomas Vanek had 2 goals and an assist, Anthony Mantha had a goal and 2 assists, while both Dylan Larkin and Darren Helm each had a goal and an assist.  The Red Wings even left Jimmy Howard in net for the whole game, making 30 saves for the victory.  That looks like a fairly full roster of players right there.

The Blackhawks scored six of their own and that means they probably had some notable players of their own.  Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith all had 3 points, in descending order of goals scored, Toews with a pair.  Rookie defenseman Adam Boqvist also chipped in with a couple of assists, as he quietly makes his mark for a roster spot this season.

How about another shootout?  It was another big treat for the fans at the rink, this time at the Saddledome in Calgary, where the Sharks and Flames went toe-to-toe and put a lot of biscuits in the basket.  In the end, the Flames scored three straight, starting at the end of the 2nd period, to finish the game with a 7-5 victory, topping one of the favourites for the Western Conference title this year.

The Flames were led by Johnny Gaudreau, who scored a pair of goals in this one, followed closely by Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan, each having a goal and an assist, while Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik each had a pair of assists.  The big guns for the Flames were on point in this one, which bodes well for the start of their season.

On the other side, rookie forward Lukas Radil was the only Sharks player of note, picking up a goal and an assist in the loss.  The Sharks didn't exactly bring the most talent-laden side to this game, but they still put on a show.

Finally, we close off with a one-sided shootout, where the Edmonton Oilers laid a firm beating on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place, 6-0.  Cam Talbot did have some work to do in this one to get his shutout, believe it or not.  The Oilers keeper had to stop 35 pucks that came his way for what would be a 4-point night in the regular season.  Ty Rattie continues to see his draft stock go up, up and up some more, scoring hat-trick on the night, while Connor McDavid scooped up 3 assists as well.  Jesse Puljujarvi had a couple of goals and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jujar Khaira each had a couple of assists in the victory.