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Archives for October 2016

Halak’s Agent Unhappy; Client Now Available

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Last night, Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen detailed how Allan Walsh, the agent for New York Islanders goalies Jaroslav Halak and Jean-Francois Berube, was upset with the team. In two tweets released yesterday, Walsh questioned the three-goalie system that the Islanders are using for the second year in a row. The Isles are currently employing both Halak and Berube, as well as Thomas Greiss. The likely reason for carrying three goalies is that attempting to send the 24-year-old Berube to the AHL would almost surely end in a waiver claim and the loss of the New York’s top goalie prospect. However, Walsh argues that using three goalies has a negative effect on practice time, alleging that Halak had only one “quality practice” leading up to his last start. Meanwhile, Berube has yet to even make a start this season, which also cannot make Walsh happy.

The implied purpose of the not-so-cryptic tweets is to put pressure on the Islanders to make a decision. Now, it appears they have. Although GM Garth Snow, a former Islanders goalie himself, has not made any official statement, Elliotte Friedman reports that following Walsh’s statements, Snow has made Halak available to the rest of the league. If forced to move a goalie, it appears that Snow is more comfortable with moving the 30-year-old Halak, who has term left on his contract and an injury history, rather than impending free agents Greiss, the default starter in 2015-16, and Berube. Given the injuries in net across the league, now may be as good a time as any to trade Halak.

Thus far in the new campaign, the Islanders are 3-5, good enough for last place in the Metropolitan Division, and Walsh’s comments on the lack of focus on just two goalies being detrimental may hold some weight. Halak is 2-3 with a .901 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average, while Greiss is 1-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average. Both keepers are greatly under-performing based upon their numbers last season and their career averages, behind a very good defensive unit. Should the Islanders trade Halak, arguably their best goalie, their relationship with Walsh could break down further (it’s already in rough shape following the P.A. Parenteau debacle) and make agreeing to a new deal with Berube more difficult. It could also leave them severely short-handed this season if injuries hit or if Berube struggles under greater pressure. The Islanders future in net is very much unknown at this point, but as far as 2016-17 goes, the pressure is on for New York to make a move in an effort to right the ship, but trading Halak could be a potentially disastrous decision. Whatever Snow decides to do with his goal tender carousel, it will have lasting effects on the Islanders this year and in the future.

Early Calder Trophy Candidates: Matthews, Marner, Laine

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The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy writes a very preliminary guess as to the front runners for the Calder Trophy, awarded yearly for the league’s best rookie. Brophy concedes that it’s still very early in the season, but based on what he’s seen over the first three weeks, he lists some players to watch as the year progresses. Some names Brophy highlights:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward and #1 overall pick in 2016 Auston Matthews leads the pack, turning in a four goal performance in his first NHL game and following that up with being second overall in league scoring with 10 points (6-4). Linemate William Nylander is right behind him, with four goals and nine points in seven games.
  • Teammate Mitch Marner is also an early candidate, notching a goal and six points in seven games.
  • Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine has eight points (6-2) in seven games and is showing that he was absolutely worthy of the second overall pick in the 2016 draft.
  • Jimmy Vesey, the focus of nearly every team this summer as a free agent out of college, has proven the Rangers right so far. Vesey had four goals (4-1) in seven games thus far.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had two goals and five points in just six games, being a bright spot on what has started out as a disappointing start for the Jackets.

Regardless of who wins, Brophy talks of how the injection of youth in the league is hopefully leading to another wave of talent. Further, Brophy talks about how the excitement of the player’s speed, and skill could hopefully bring back the excitement that Brophy feels has been missing for some time.

Zach Parise, Marco Scandella Out With Lower Body Injuries

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Zach Parise will be out with a lower body injury writes Sportsnet’s Cory Wilkens. Parise suffered the injury in the Wild’s 4-0 victory over Buffalo on Friday night. Parise is second in points on the team, notching six points (2-4) in eight games. Parise wasn’t the only one injured in Friday’s affair. Marco Scandella is also listed with a lower body injury, and like Parise, is listed week to week. Scandella has one assist this season.

The Wild are off to a 5-2-1 start this season and much of their success have come from Ryan Suter and Parise. The Wild also called up Christoph Bertschy and Tyler Graovac while assigning Teemu Pulkkinen to Iowa after he cleared waivers today.

 

Michael Stone Injured Yet Again In Arizona

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone just can’t stay healthy. In just his fourth game back from an injury from last season, Stone suffered an upper-body injury in Thursday night’s, left early and did not return. There has not been any official word as to the specifics or extent of the injury. Stone is considered day-to-day and is questionable for tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Stone was having a productive season in 2015-16, with 36 points in 75 games, but a knee injury in late March forced the blue liner out of the lineup. Stone ended up missing the final two weeks of the season. After undergoing surgery to repair the damaged ACL and MCL in his knee, Stone began working toward a return, but his rehab took longer than anticipated. Stone missed the entire preseason and beginning of the regular season, but finally made his way into the Coyotes lineup last week. He already has three points in three and most of a fourth game before getting injured again.

A restricted free agent after the end of last season, the negotiations between Stone and Arizona lasted well into July before the two sides agreed to just a one-year pact late in the month. Many believed that the Coyotes already had their concerns about Stone’s durability, and were uncomfortable with giving a multi-year deal to a player coming off of serious knee surgery. Thus far, their skepticism seems reasonable as Stone was not ready for the start of the season and already is hurt again. However, this creates a tough situation for a valuable player. Although Stone is not the best in his own zone, he is a top-end puck-mover when healthy, and the Coyotes have a major hole on the back end when he is not in the lineup. With a league-worst four points thus far this season, an argument can be made the the Arizona offense has struggled without Stone making plays ever night. Although Stone’s injury status is a concern, they now have to determine this season whether it is worth it to resign the right-shot possession defenseman or else let him become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, when another team will surely take that on the risk/reward associated with the 26-year-old. If Stone can bounce back from this setback quickly and stay healthy for most of the season, Arizona will surely be interested in resigning one of their better defenseman. If not, his status with the team will be a question throughout 2016-17.

Fleury, Murray, And The Penguins Expansion Draft Situation

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When the league announced the parameters for next June’s NHL Expansion Draft, an event that will allow the new Las Vegas expansion team to put together their roster for the 20 17–18 season, the most notable factor in protecting players was that each team coulf only hold on to one goaltender. Whether the choice is between an established starter and a  young future stud or two equally good split-time keepers, it is clear that Las Vegas will have quality talent in net next season as a result of the ample possibilities to choose from in the draft. While many teams face this difficult decision, no team is in quite the same situation as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins are fortunate enough to have two great goaltenders on their roster. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the starter for years and one of the best goalies in the NHL in the last decade. The first overall pick in 2003, Fleury took over the starter job after the 2004-05 lockout at the young age of 21. At just 24, he led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship in 2009 and has been cemented as the leader in net ever since. With a Goals Against Average under 2.40 in each of the last six seasons, “Flower” has established himself as one of the more consistent goalies in the league and a reliable member of a dynastic Penguins team. However, Fleury is not without fault. Although his regular season dominance has been constant, he has had his struggles in the postseason. Pittsburgh has made the playoffs ten years in a row, but in all of those years Fleury’s postseason GAA and save percentage were at or below his regular season average three times (’08, ’14, ’15). The 31-year-old also struggled with injuries, really for the first time in his career, in 2015-16. The Penguins current backup goaltender, Matt Murray, saw his chance to take over last season, earning the starting role as a rookie while Fleury was out and went on to make a dominant playoff run and lead the Penguins to yet another Stanley Cup title. His regular season and postseason numbers were spectacular, as he posted a .930 SV% and 2.00 GAA in 13 games before putting up a .923 SV% and 2.08 GAA in 21 playoff starts. The team rewarded the 22-year-old with a new three-year, $11.25MM contract extension last month, implying their commitment to the budding star. In an ideal world, the Penguins could keep both their established starter in Fleury and their starter-to-be in Murray. However the Expansion Draft has other plans.

The rules of the draft state that any player with a No-Movement Clause must be protected come June 21st. Fleury is such a player, and if he stays on the roster through the season, then the Penguins must protect him. That of course would leave Murray as the odd man out in net and an easy choice for Las Vegas. However, it seems extremely unlikely that Pittsburgh would let their young keeper go to Vegas for free. The choice the team faces is what to do about the situation, with an eye on keeping Murray at all costs.

The simplest choice for the Penguins is to trade Marc-Andre Fleury. A veteran goalkeeper with years of success would surely be coveted on the open market. However, such a trade for a starting goaltender is rare mid-season. Teams often lack the salary cap space (Fleury has a relatively affordable cap hit of $5.75 million, but many contenders are right up against the ceiling without that flexibility) or don’t feel comfortable bringing in a new starter late in the year. Interested contenders may also be wary of bringing in a player with a history of playoffs struggles who has two years left on his contract and is on the wrong side of 30. The veteran may simply be untradeable this year. And even if the Penguins could trade Fleury without any problems, would they? Murray has yet to make a start this season due to injury, which forced the Penguins to claim Mike Condon off of waivers for the time being to avoid throwing young Tristan Jarry into the fire. Condon is likely to be put back on waivers – and subsequently claimed – shortly, since Murray was activated from the injured reserve on Tuesday. Thus, if the Penguins traded Fleury in-season, they would be left with the 22-year-old Murray and 21-year-old Jarry as their goalie depth, unless someone could be brought in via trade or waivers or they feel former Boston University standout Sean Maguire is ready for the NHL by then. None of those options are optimal for Pittsburgh.

The other option, is to try to swing a deal with Las Vegas that stops them from selecting Matt Murray in the expansion draft. In the past teams have often negotiated deals prior to the selection process to protect players that otherwise would have been left unprotected. San Jose swung deals with both Columbus and Minnesota before the 2000 Expansion Draft in exchange for not taking Evgeni Nabokov, while Buffalo paid Columbus not to pick Dominik Hasek or Martin Biron. However, those trades requires somewhat reasonable returns. The problem with this plan for Pittsburgh is whether or not any package could truly convince Las Vegas not to select Murray. A young goalie who has proven that he is competent in the playoffs and has produced good numbers (at least so far) in the regular season is invaluable in the NHL. An expansion team looking to start from scratch would love to have a young franchise goalie, and Murray fits the bill. Pittsburgh would be hard-pressed to put together a package that would be enough for Las Vegas GM George McPhee to pass on Murray. Whether they want to keep Fleury and Murray or not, it may be difficult for the Penguins to protect both.

The final option for the Jim Rutherford and the Penguins, if they cannot move Fleury or make a deal with Las Vegas, would be to give up on Murray. While this seems unlikely, the Penguins would rather trade away the young star for a decent return than let the Knights take him away for free. Several teams will be looking for goal tending going into 2017-18, and almost anyone would have an interest in Murray. Should the young keeper struggle at all this season, Pittsburgh may decide to sell high and many organizations would be more than willing to give up players and picks for Murray, especially if they are only a goalie away from being a Stanley Cup contender. The Penguins would obviously prefer to keep Murray, but they may be forced into this situation if Fleury proves to truly be untradable.

Obviously, none of these options are ideal. Unfortunately for the reigning Stanley Cup champs, they will have to make one of them work. An Expansion Draft is difficult on all teams, but it’s in an effort (more so this time than ever before) to build an expansion franchise that is competitive from go. There are many rules meant to limit the exposure and potential loss to any one team, but they are not fool-proof. Pittsburgh will fall victim to the 2017 Expansion Draft, and one way or another fans should be ready for a loss in the not-too-distant future. This will continue to be one of the more fascinating story lines throughout the NHL season and right up until the Expansion Draft next June.

 

Malcolm Subban Reassigned To Providence; Rask Returns

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The Boston Bruins announced via their team website that they have reassigned goalie Malcolm Subban to Providence of the AHL. Subban was originally recalled due to injuries to Boston’s top two netminders, Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin. He started one contest and was pulled in the second period of a loss to Minnesota after allowing three goals on 16 shots.

The reassignment of Subban suggests Rask is now healthy enough to at least serve as the backup in tonight’s game against Detroit. Joe Haggerty of CSNNE confirmed that belief via Twitter, indicating that Rask and Zane McIntyre would serve as the tandem between the pipes for Boston.

Subban was Boston’s first round choice in the 2012 draft, selected 24th overall. In 99 appearances for Providence, Subban has recorded a 91.6% save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.46.

Western Conference Snapshots: Eriksson, Baertschi, Stars

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After a solid 4 – 0 start to the campaign, the Canucks fortunes have fallen off as they’ve dropped four straight, including back-to-back shutout losses in their last two starts. While not expected to be an offensive juggernaut, Vancouver’s offense has been worse than advertised averaging a measly 1.75 goals per game. In fact, they are the only team in the NHL that tallies fewer than two per contest. The struggles of prized free agent addition Loui Eriksson and skilled youngster Sven Baertschi have played a big role in Vancouver’s offensive ineptitude. But as Steve Ewen of The Province writes, despite not tallying a single goal between them this season, head coach Willie Desjardins still believes in Eriksson and Baertschi.

Eriksson, who inked a six-year pact with Vancouver worth $36MM this summer, adds much more than simply offense to the team, says Desjardins.

“Loui’s been good. He hasn’t scored, but he’s been good. He gives so many things in so many areas. We’d like to see scoring. But I’m not worried. It will come. He gives us a lot.”

Still, $6MM annually is a lot of money for a player who isn’t contributing much offense. Vancouver will need to him to start putting the puck in the net soon to realize a positive return on their investment.

Baertchi, a former first-round pick, seemed to finally put it together in 2015-16, recording 15 goals and 28 points in 69 contests. The Swiss winger has always had talent but prior to last season had tallied just 8 times prior to joining the Canucks as a result of a 2015 trade with Calgary. But through eight games this season he has just a single point and carries a plus-minus rating of -2.

Desjardins has noted the hard work from Baertschi and envisions good things happening for the 24-year-old winger if he maintains this effort.

“Early, he was methodical. Now, he’s crossed a spot where he’s had enough and he’s pushing harder and things are happening for him.”

Vancouver likely isn’t a playoff-caliber team unless a few things bounce their way. However, they’ll have virtually no chance of staying in the race unless they can start putting the puck in the net. Simply put, Eriksson and Baertschi will need to be much better for Vancouver.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • From the same piece, Ewen also notes that the Canucks have lost forward Jayson Megna to an upper-body-injury and the forward is expected to miss at least 10 days. Megna was injured during the second period of Friday night’s loss to Edmonton. In his place, the Canucks could insert Michael Zalewski, himself recently recalled from Utica, or use defenseman Alex Biega up front, writes Ewen. Injured forwards Derek Dorsett and Alexandre Burrows have both started skating again and could return to the lineup soon.
  • Earlier today the Dallas Stars activated forward Jiri Hudler from IR. In a related move, the team has reassigned Justin Dowling to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Dowling, 26, made his NHL debut this season and appeared in two games for Dallas, recording an assist and a -1 plus-minus rating. In 264 AHL games across parts of seven seasons, Dowling has netted 67 goals and 187 points.

 

Nicholle Anderson Diagnosed With Cancer, Craig Rejoining Senators

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Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion addressed the media on Saturday afternoon and offered an update to Craig Anderson’s situation. Craig’s wife Nicholle has been diagnosed with cancer.

Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the 35-year-old Anderson will be rejoining the team in Edmonton, where they will take on the Oilers on Sunday.

Anderson had taken a leave of absence on Thursday. The Senators backup goalie, Andrew Hammond, subsequently suffered a lower-body injury, leaving the team with their AHL tandem in the NHL. According to Garrioch, Nicholle encouraged Craig to return.

Chris Driedger and Matt O’Connor will both remain with the Senators, as the team is unsure if Anderson’s return is permanent.

Everyone here at Pro Hockey Rumors sends their thoughts to the Anderson family at this difficult time.

Snapshots: Injury Updates, Hamhuis

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Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov spoke to the media today, and provided an update to his status after he left Thursday night’s game versus the Montreal Canadiens. Kucherov took a hit and slammed into the boards in the first period.

Kucherov says he feels better and is considered day-to-day. The Lightning have called up Cory Conacher to replace him. Kucherov is currently tied with Alex Killorn for second among all Tampa Bay players with 7 points in 7 games.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Julie Dobbs of Fox Sports South West provided an update about some injured Dallas Stars players. Center Jason Spezza (lower-body injury) will be a game-time decision on Saturday night, while Jiri Hudler (illness) also looks likely to play. Hudler was activated off IR on Saturday afternoon. Cody Eakin (knee), Mattias Janmark (knee), and Patrick Sharp (concussion) are all out long-term, but Ales Hemsky (groin) appears to be close to a return.
  • Dobbs also noted that Dam Hamhuis appears to be out of the lineup. The 34-year-old defenseman has 2 assists in 7 games. Mike Heika of the Dallas News noted yesterday that head coach Lindy Ruff “doesn’t quite trust” Hamhuis yet. Hamhuis signed a two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Stars in July. It appears that Stephen Johns will replace Hamhuis.

Slide-Rule: Who’s Staying In The NHL?

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As the NHL season approaches the nine-game mark, teams will need to make decisions about whether or not to keep their rookies on their roster.

Should a rookie play more than nine regular season or playoff games in one NHL season, then their entry-level contract will begin. If the player plays nine or less NHL games before being sent back to their junior or their European clubs, then their entry-level contract slides to the next season and no longer counts towards the 50-contract limit. There is also an exception whereby rookies without a major junior affiliation can play a full season in the AHL without burning a year of their entry-level contract. This is why Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen still has a three years left on his entry-level, despite playing nine NHL games and 52 AHL games. Anaheim defenseman Jacob Larsson and Buffalo winger Alexander Nylander are able to slide, should they remain in the AHL for the remainder of the year.

There are 21 players still in the NHL who can slide to next year. Here’s a list, with games played (GP) and where they can be sent (information via Cap Friendly):

Arizona:
D Jakob Chychrun (6 GP, Sarnia Sting, OHL)
LW Lawson Crouse (5 GP, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL)
C Dylan Strome (3 GP, Eerie Otters, OHL)

Boston:
D Brandon Carlo (7 GP, Tri-City Americans, WHL)

Calgary:
LW Matthew Tkachuk (7 GP, London Knights, OHL)

Carolina:
LW Sebastian Aho (7 GP, Charlotte Checkers, AHL or Kärpät, Liiga)

Colorado:
LW Mikko Rantanen (1 GP, San Antonio Rampage, AHL)

Columbus:
D Zach Werenski (7 GP, Cleveland Monsters, AHL)

Edmonton:
RW Jesse Puljujärvi (6 GP, Bakersfield Condors, AHL or Kärpät, Liiga)

Florida:
C Denis Malgin (7 GP, Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL or ZSC Lions, NLA)

Minnesota:
C Joel Eriksson Ek (4 GP, Iowa Wild, AHL or Färjestad, SHL)

Montreal:
D Mikhail Sergachev (3 GP, Windsor Spitfires, OHL) (Assigned to junior Oct. 31)

New Jersey:
C Pavel Zacha (7 GP, Sarnia Sting, OHL)

New York Islanders:
C Mathew Barzal (2 GP, Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL)
C Anthony Beauvillier (7 GP, Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL)

Ottawa:
D Thomas Chabot (1 GP, Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL) (Assigned to junior Nov. 2)

Philadelphia:
F Travis Konecny (8 GP, Sarnia Sting, OHL)
D Ivan Provorov (8 GP, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

Toronto:
RW Mitch Marner (7 GP, London Knights, OHL)
C Auston Matthews (7 GP, Toronto Marlies, AHL, or Zurich, NLA)

Winnipeg:
LW Patrik Laine (8 GP, Manitoba Moose, AHL or Tappara, Liiga)

Matthews, Marner, Aho, Konecny, and Laine appear to be locks to remain in the NHL for good, while Werenski, Puljujärvi, and Provorov are more likely than not to stay in the NHL. The remainder of the list could go either way.

Should a player stick beyond nine games, there is another key deadline to be aware of: 40 games. Should a player play 40 games, then that season counts towards unrestricted free agency. A player must play seven seasons in order to qualify. This has happened twice in recent memory: Daniel Sprong played 18 games with the Penguins last season, starting the clock on his entry-level contract, but not burning a year towards UFA; the Oilers kept Leon Draisaitl in the NHL for 37 games in 2014-15.

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