Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Blues Place Kapanen on IR, Recall Gaudette from Springfield
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Blues announced today that forward Kasperi Kapanen has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Kapanen will be re-evaluated in four weeks after blocking a shot against the Philadelphia Flyers. He appeared in 42 games and tallied 13 points before the injury. Despite a drop in production, he played key minutes on the penalty kill and has two shorthanded points on the season. He had his fair share of struggles this season, and hopefully, he can return stronger from this injury.

Gaudette Gets His Chance in St. Louis

The Blues recalled forward Adam Gaudette from the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Kapanen injury. The club acquired Gaudette in the Ryan O’Reilly trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the trade deadline last season. He’s had a phenomenal season for the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2023-24.

In 37 games, Gaudette has scored 24 goals and 12 assists for 36 points. He leads the AHL in goals and ranks third in overall points. He’s earned the chance to come up to the big club in St. Louis and play some sort of role in the forward group. He hasn’t played in the NHL since 2021-22 when he split time with the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. He has 70 points in 218 career NHL games with three different teams as he spent 2017-18 to 2020-21 with the Vancouver Canucks.

He could take Kapanen’s spot or the Blues could look to add Nikita Alexandrov in that spot. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Sammy Blais was healthy scratched again. Either way, Gaudette deserves a chance to play when he arrives with the club. Blues interim head coach Drew Bannister has some important lineup decisions to make.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

Steven Stamkos linked to the Montreal Canadiens
NHL

Steven Stamkos linked to the Montreal Canadiens

Although the Canadiens are off to a great start this season, securing a second center remains a priority for the organization. Could Steven Stamkos fill that role in Montreal? Jeff Marek, on the Sekeres Price podcast, discussing the rumor that the forward is headed for Vancouver, believes that the Habs might also be interested in acquiring him to replace Patrik Laine. It might be a nice publicity stunt to bring a veteran like Stamkos to Montreal, but I’d be really surprised if the organization made that move. The problem is, the veteran has been a shadow of his former self since arriving in Nashville, and at 35, you really have to wonder if his best years are behind him. After a sub-par season in which Stamkos scored 53 points, including 27 goals, plus a minus-36 rating, the forward has just one goal, one assist and a minus-6 rating in thirteen games so far this year. The main thing we’d replace Laine with Stamkos is his problems on the ice. Not to mention that the former Lightning star still has more than two years left on his deal, worth an average of $8 million a year. Even if the Predators agreed to pay 50% of his salary, it’s too long and too expensive a contract for a player in decline. It’s not a gamble worth taking, as I don’t think the veteran can regain his former form at 35, and his acquisition is likely to be a problem for the organization to manage. And that’s even if Nashville were to ask for very little in return for Stamkos. What’s more, I’d be really surprised to see Kent Hughes do this deal. Acquiring a declining veteran of uncertain performance with a very bad contract is the antithesis of everything we’ve seen from the general manager since his arrival in Montreal. In Overtime – Lions defeat. – The Canes are one to watch. – He’s on fire! – Ouch! – MLB in a nutshell. – He’s really dominant. – What a kick!

Dolphins' Mike McDaniel Reveals Tua Tagovailoa Decision Before Bills Game
NFL

Dolphins' Mike McDaniel Reveals Tua Tagovailoa Decision Before Bills Game

Through nine weeks of the NFL season, the Miami Dolphins have been one of the worst teams in the league. Following the team's 28-6 Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, the Dolphins have fallen to 2-7 on the year, and have seemingly already laid the groundwork for a total rebuild. One day after the loss, the Dolphins announced that they had fired general manager Chris Grier. A change in power at the GM role indicates that no one on the roster is safe moving forward, as whoever is brought in will have ties or allegiances with the current regime. One person who many believed could be at risk of losing his job is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Pro Bowl quarterback has been a shell of his former self this season, throwing for 1,779 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 picks through nine games. For reference, Tagovailoa's previous career high in interceptions came in 2023, when he threw 14 in 17 games. Head coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa in the team's Oct. 19 loss to the Cleveland Browns after he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, turning to rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers. While calls have been growing again for Tagovailoa to be sent to the bench once and for all, McDaniel confirmed that he's not entertaining that idea at this time. When speaking to the media on Monday ahead of the team's Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills (6-2), McDaniels confirmed he is not anywhere close to making that decision at this time. "I am far from even going down that direction of would've, could've possible things," McDaniel said. "We have a football game against the Buffalo Bills that we are certain that Tua gives us the best chance to win and we have to approach our jobs with diligence. We have to execute and Tua knows that heavy is crown that of being a franchise quarterback." According to ESPN BET, the Bills have opened as 8.5-point favorites. While Miami looks to stay afloat on the season, the Bills are coming off of a monster win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, as they look to make a Super Bowl run this season. As for the Dolphins, they haven't beaten the Bills since 2022, and are 1-9 against them in their last 10. Tagovailoa has been far from spectacular this season, but is clearly being given some grace by McDaniel. With that being said, the Dolphins have a bye in a couple of weeks, and it does cause one to wonder if that is when the Dolphins would end up benching the former Alabama star if things don't turn around.

Commanders are reportedly ready to trade 2 Super Bowl veterans
NFL

Commanders are reportedly ready to trade 2 Super Bowl veterans

The NFL trade deadline is 24 hours away, and the Washington Commanders have been thrust firmly into a seller position after falling to the Seattle Seahawks 38-14 to fall to 3-6 on the year. There was hope that a solid defensive performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 would transfer to an even better showing against the Seahawks. Still, ultimately, the Commanders fell further than ever before, and with the loss of quarterback Jayden Daniels, there isn’t much outside hope left for the season, despite eight games remaining on the schedule. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Washington may not be punting on the season, but may be looking to move players as the deadline nears. The First Names to Surface “Sources: The Commanders have been open to trading several players, including OL Andrew Wylie and OL Nick Allegretti, both of whom bring extensive starting and playoff experience,” Schultz reported. “Wylie has valuable position flexibility, having played both guard spots and right tackle during his career.” Why These Players Make Sense Both Wylie and Allegretti arrived at the Commanders with Super Bowl experience, having been part of championship Kansas City Chiefs rosters in the past. Although both have played important roles on this team at times, they were eventually replaced by younger options. For Wylie, his replacement in the starting lineup came in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when the team drafted right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. out of Oregon. Allegretti started all of last year at left guard for Washington but was moved to the right side to start the season while the team tried second-year lineman Brandon Coleman at his position after trading for left tackle Laremy Tunsil in the offseason. With Sam Cosmi returning from his knee injury, both Wylie and Allegretti now serve backup roles with versatility. Wylie has the ability to play as a tackle and guard. At the same time, Allegretti can also serve as a team’s center and was counted on at times last year to help set protections when center Tyler Biadasz was battling injury. The Potential Return Each player would likely return a future Day 3 draft pick to the Commanders, who currently have six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including two in the sixth round after trading away second and fourth round picks to the Houston Texans for Tunsil. Of course, there’s also a possibility Washington could look to trade player for player in this scenario, as Schultz’s report doesn’t state exclusively that the team is looking for draft capital. With eight games remaining, and a ‘never say die’ approach to the game, we wouldn’t be totally floored if the Commanders tried to bring in players at other positions to try and save their sinking season before it takes on too much water. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 4, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Mike Vrabel responds to accusation that Patriots simulated Falcons' snap on key fourth-quarter play
NFL

Mike Vrabel responds to accusation that Patriots simulated Falcons' snap on key fourth-quarter play

With under two minutes remaining in regulation of Sunday's game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. committed a costly and curious intentional grounding penalty after he seemed not ready to receive the snap of the football. Following the 24-23 loss that dropped Atlanta to 3-5 on the season, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris accused Patriots players of "clapping" to simulate Penix asking for the ball to be snapped. During a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel responded to Morris' comments. Mike Vrabel "didn't see" Patriots players simulating the snap "I mean, I didn't see anything," Vrabel said, per Tom Carroll of Audacy. "Like, is that fake? I don’t know. Quarterbacks, when they want the ball, it’s like [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]. I mean, I didn’t see anybody doing that. And then, like, we don’t do the clap…I can see, like, when the quarterback, like it’s the silent count, it’s like [softer claps], but I didn’t see anybody do that." The CBS broadcast of Sunday's contest didn't show a single New England player clapping before the ball was snapped for what became the intentional grounding play. As Marc Raimondi of ESPN noted, a team guilty of simulating an offense's snap count or snap is supposed to receive a 15-yard penalty. No flag was thrown before the ball left Penix's hand, and the Falcons eventually had to punt on fourth down of that late drive. From there, New England was able to run the clock out. Mike Vrabel names latest Patriots-related controversy The Patriots were previously part of "Spygate" and "Deflategate" scandals. On Monday, Vrabel named the latest alleged New England controversy. "'Clapgate,'" Vrabel added during the segment. "That was new. I didn't see that. I just know - and maybe that's a testament to our fans. You know what I mean? It got loud, and I could hear the energy, and so thank them for that. But that's a good point. I did not - I didn't see anything, and I’ll let you guys go investigate." The 7-2 Patriots next play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) on Nov. 9. Perhaps it's fair to wonder what New England players will and/or won't try to get away with at Raymond James Stadium during that Sunday afternoon matchup.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!