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Minor Transactions: 1/5/17

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Here are today’s minor transactions around the hockey world:

  • Forward Jared McCann has been recalled by the Florida Panthers from their AHL affiliate in Springfield, the team announced this afternoon. McCann started the season with Florida and appeared in 17 games, tallying one goal and three points during that time before a reassignment to Springfield. In 15 AHL contests McCann registered four goals and six points.
  • The Avalanche announced via Twitter that they have assigned goaltender Jeremy Smith to San Antonio of the AHL. This suggests that Semyon Varlamov, who has been out since December 23rd with another groin injury, is nearing a return to action.  Smith didn’t see any game action with Colorado and has played just seven minor league games this season, going 1-4-0 with a 2.60 GAA and a .903 SV%.
  • Philadelphia placed defenseman Mark Alt on waivers according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 25 year old suffered an upper body injury late in training camp and had been out ever since.  He has one career NHL game under his belt, back in 2014-15 and recorded 19 points in 72 AHL contests last season.  As CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio notes, it’s likely that the Flyers will recall center Roman Lyubimov from Lehigh Valley after Alt’s waiver period expires on Friday.
  • New Jersey announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Seth Helgeson from their AHL affiliate in Albany. He’s an insurance policy for fellow blueliner Andy Greene who left Tuesday’s game against Carolina after being hit by a puck in the first period.  Helgeson has played in two games with New Jersey this season while recording two goals and three assists in 30 AHL contests.
  • The Rangers have recalled netminder Brandon Halverson from Hartford of the AHL, per a team release. Halverson is in his first pro season and has a 3-5-0 record with a 3.59 GAA and a .867 SV% in eight appearances with the Wolf Pack.
  • The Islanders announced via Twitter that they have summoned blueliner Adam Pelech from AHL Bridgeport. Pelech had been sent down late last week after being activated off injured reserve having recovered from an upper body injury.  In nine games with New York this season, he has a goal and two assists while logging 15:26 per night in ice time.
  • With the vacancy on the roster created by losing Matthew Nieto to Colorado on waivers, the Sharks announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Tim Heed from San Jose of the AHL. The 25 year old Heed has yet to play in the NHL but has been one of the top offensive threats in the minors this year with nine goals and 21 assists in 27 games.

PHR Mailbag: Duchene, Gaudreau, Julien

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Over the last few days, we’ve taken your mailbag questions on Twitter using the hashtag #PHRMailbag.  Here are the inquiries for our inaugural mailbag:

@DAN35NY: what would the rangers have to give to get Duchene can girardi a prospect and 2 2nd rounders

The Avalanche have a nice collection of talent up front with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen on top of Matt Duchene.  Unfortunately for them, their defense corps is an area of weakness, both in the short-term and long-term.  Accordingly, if they’re going to move Duchene, something they’re at least willing to consider, a good young defender would need to be part of the deal.

That presents a bit of a challenge for the Rangers who really only have one young impact defensemen on their roster in Brady Skjei.  They’re not likely to have interest in Dan Girardi and Marc Staal as their preference would be to add someone whose age is close to the rest of the core of their team.  Ryan McDonagh is relatively close in age and has the same team control with a somewhat comparable cap hit ($6MM for Duchene versus $4.7MM for McDonagh) and if GM Joe Sakic wanted to do a one-for-one deal to shake up the core similar to the Adam Larsson–Taylor Hall swap over the offseason, that would probably be something he’d consider.

Based on their reported asking price from the Islanders (where players like Travis Hamonic and Anthony Beauvillier were mentioned on top of other players), it seems that the Avs are more interested in youngsters that can help now over future draft picks.  For the Rangers, that would likely mean players like wingers Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich would be sought after along with Skjei.  Overall, I don’t see a great fit trade wise between the two teams when it comes to Duchene as I believe Colorado’s preference is to get a top pairing blueliner (or someone with that type of potential) in exchange for their top line forward and that’s something the Rangers just don’t really seem to have available.

@WG894: J.Gaudreau gets 3yr ELC in 13/14 & played 1 NHL game in 13/14 so how did he sign 6yr deal? 13/14 ELC slide,no?

The slide rule only pertains to players that are junior aged (18 and 19).  At the time that he signed his entry level deal, Gaudreau was already older than that so he wasn’t eligible for a slide.

The contract was signed at a time that allowed Gaudreau to burn the first year of his rookie contract by playing just one game, a common enticement offered to college players to get them to forego the remainder of their college eligibility.  That way, the player gets the full signing bonus, a few days of NHL pay, and gets to restricted free agency one year earlier.  It’s a small price to pay to ensure the team gets the player under contract.

I don’t think either side is unhappy with how things turned out.  Gaudreau has turned into a legitimate top line forward and as a result of being able to burn the first year of his entry level pact with just one game played back in 2014, he was able to get the big bucks quickly.

@bamoro31: What are the Bruins doing?? Can’t score some nights don’t show up others. Coaching change??

There has been plenty of speculation in recent years regarding whether or not the Bruins should make a coaching change.  I thought they took a bit of a step back in the offseason so they’re about where I thought they’d be standings-wise, hanging around the edge of the postseason near the halfway mark.  From that standpoint, I wouldn’t lean towards making a change if I’m GM Don Sweeney.

The fact they’ve come out listless a few too many times though is a concern, especially when you’re a bubble team in the standings.  Pretty much every team deals with inconsistency at times during the year, even the top ones but a lack of energy is never ideal.

Claude Julien is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league and there’s an argument to be made that his message is growing stale and that’s why the effort level isn’t there every night.  But I wouldn’t pull the trigger on a firing just yet.  If Sweeney thinks this is a playoff team (and they’re right in the hunt), I’d be more inclined from his perspective to try to add to the roster first.  Then if the team continues to scuffle down the stretch, it might be the time to make a change either late in the year or in the offseason.

Colorado Claims Matt Nieto Off Waivers From San Jose

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The Colorado Avalanche have added to their forward depth, announcing (via Twitter) that they have claimed left winger Matt Nieto off waivers from San Jose.

The 24 year old Nieto is in his fourth NHL season, all with the Sharks before today.  After being a regular for most of the last three years, he has found himself in a reserve role much more frequently this season, seeing action in just 16 games, recording just two assists in that time.

Coming into this season though, Nieto had been a decent bottom six contributor, scoring 28 goals while adding 40 assists in 205 games while averaging over 14 minutes a night in ice time.  He has a cap hit of $735K this year and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season with salary arbitration rights.

With Colorado being at the bottom of the NHL standings, they had top waiver priority to add Nieto to their roster.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston suggests (Twitter link) that other teams also submitted a claim though there’s no word on who those other teams were.  Nieto will likely push for a bottom six role in Denver, battling with the likes of Cody McLeod and Andreas Martinsen for ice time.

As for the other player waived on Wednesday, Boston goaltender Anton Khudobin went unclaimed, notes The Athletic’s James Mirtle on Twitter.  The Bruins have not yet assigned him to their farm team and may not do so until youngster Zane MacIntyre is set to get a start.  That way, MacIntyre can play regularly at the AHL level instead of sitting most nights on the bench as Tuukka Rask’s backup.

TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie was first to report Nieto’s claim (Twitter link).

Senators Looking To Trade For A Forward

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Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion continues to be on the hunt to add a forward to the mix but has had no success finding a trade partner so far, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.  With the team currently in their mandated five day break, Dorion is in Montreal at the World Junior Hockey Championships and has spoken with at least six of his counterparts around the league who are also in attendance.  Dorion noted that he isn’t necessarily looking for a top six forward but rather just someone that can add some depth to Ottawa’s group:

“For me, the way our guys have fallen this year, we’ve had more injuries up front. If we could add a forward, it’s something I would definitely look at. It doesn’t have to specifically be a front-line guy, it might be a fourth-line guy, but adding a forward is something I’m more looking at than a defenceman right now.”

The Sens have been without left winger Clarke MacArthur all season due to a concussion and the team isn’t putting any firm timetable on his return though they are hopeful that will come late this month or in early February.  Youngster Curtis Lazar also missed time early on with mononucleosis and has struggled since then while center Zack Smith is also out of the lineup though there’s a good chance he’ll return this weekend.

Dorion also commented on the trade market (or lack thereof) so far:

“As quiet as it was before Christmas, I think talks are heating up but it’s very difficult to make trades. Sometimes budget comes into it for other teams, sometimes it’s the number of contracts … So, working hard at it, I’m always looking to improve our team but there’s nothing imminent or at the forefront right now.”

While there has been plenty of discussion about the lack of cap space that many teams around the league have, the number of contracts each team has can also play a role in trades.  Teams are allowed to have as many as 50 players under contract (excluding signed players that are eligible for a contract slide) and nine teams are currently within three of that amount.  Many teams will look to keep at least a couple of slots open for the trade deadline while some will also want a spot or two for potential college free agent signings late in the season for players that sign and burn a year of their contract right away.  The contract limit isn’t as difficult to work around as a hard salary cap but it’s certainly another factor in trade discussions.

Coyotes Notes: Hanzal, White, Burmistrov

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There are currently no contract talks between the Arizona Coyotes and center Martin Hanzal at the moment, reports Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.  Hanzal is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July if no deal is reached and he has commonly been suggested as one of the top rental players available on the trade market.  Despite the fact the sides aren’t currently talking, there have been talks dating back to before the season started and Hanzal himself is on record saying he would like to stay and that he remains open to further discussions on a new deal.

The 29 year old Hanzal is having a quiet ‘walk’ year with just eight goals and six assists through 33 games this season.  However, he’s coming off a career-best 41 point campaign in 2015-16 and at 6’5, he is the type of big presence down the middle many teams would covet for their middle six.  It also helps that Hanzal is a consistently strong player at the faceoff dot, winning at least 54% of his draws the last four seasons.

GM John Chayka told McLellan that so far he has yet to receive a serious offer for Hanzal and provided an update on the situation.

“There’s not a lot going on. But at the same time, it’s one of those things where we kind of know where the player is at. The player knows where we’re at. If there was an opportunity to do something, I don’t think it would take too long. But still collecting information and working through the process.”

More from Arizona:

  • Also from McLellan, injured center Ryan White skated on Tuesday but is now expected to rest for a few days and has not accompanied the team on their road trip. Head coach Dave Tippett acknowledged that the lower body injury he suffered over two weeks ago is not healing as quickly as they anticipated.  White has five points (2-3-5) in 30 games this year while sitting fifth among NHL forwards in hits per game at 3.3.
  • Center Alexander Burmistrov, who was claimed on waivers by the Coyotes earlier this week, is someone that their entire scouting staff was pushing for them to add, Chayka told Dave Lozo on the Coyotes’ team website. Burmistrov has struggled this season but is still just 25 and was a former top ten pick back in 2010.  As he deals with visa issues, he’s not expected to play through the weekend.

Pacific Notes: Horvat, Nieto, Thornton

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In Vancouver, a recent surge has many fans thinking playoffs once again. The team is just three points out of a wildcard spot, after winning their last four games and going 6-3-1 in their last ten. Pierre LeBrun thinks that adding a rental doesn’t make sense for the team. It’s true, that adding a veteran likely won’t improve the Canucks chances of winning a Stanley Cup, but as Vancouver attendance and revenues have fallen over the past few years it may be a mandate from ownership to try and earn some playoff income.

Ben Kuzma of The Province says that the focus from the front office remains on Bo Horvat and locking him up long term. It’s much more important to their future to get Horvat under a reasonable contract, and the longer they wait the more he’ll likely demand. Horvat is already deep into a career season and on pace to blow last year’s 16 goals and 40 points out of the water. Kuzma compares Horvat to Florida’s Vincent Trocheck, who received a six year, $28.5MM deal this summer. Trocheck was coming off a similar season to Horvat but was older and didn’t have nearly the pedigree that the former ninth-overall pick does.

As Horvat turns just 22 this April, he’s already set to take a crack at a similar deal that escalates through the years. If the Canucks want to lock him up even further into his free agent seasons, it will likely cost them upwards of $5MM.

  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal suggests that the Edmonton Oilers should take a swing at the recently waived Matt Nieto. Staples thinks that since Jesse Puljujarvi isn’t getting regular minutes or linemates, the team should send him down to the AHL to play on their top line, and fill his spot (or that of Benoit Pouliot) with the 24-year old Nieto. Even though he only has two points this season, and 17 last, he did score 24 and 27 points in his first two seasons in the NHL. Perhaps he could find a new home in Edmonton and add to their young core.
  • LeBrun went on to talk about Joe Thornton and his upcoming free agency. Thornton will turn 38 a day after free agency opens, and is apparently looking for a three-year deal. While that seems ridiculous in a vacuum, a closer look at his numbers may lend credence to the idea. Thornton scored 82 points last season, his highest mark since 2009-10 and is on pace for another 50+ season despite an unsustainably-low shooting percentage. He remains an elite set-up man and is still among the league leaders in assists. As Darren Dreger adds on Twitter, he hasn’t heard much chatter from either side on a Thornton extension.

Anaheim Ducks Extend Dustin Tokarski

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Another goaltender has been extended early, as the Anaheim Ducks have extended Dustin Tokarski another year on a two-way deal. The team needed a goaltender to expose in the upcoming expansion draft or risk losing John Gibson.

Tokarski for his part hasn’t actually done much to deserve the extension, as he currently has a .889 save percentage in the AHL in 16 games. The team acquired Tokarski from Montreal in the middle of last season for prospect Max Friberg when Gibson was injured. He got into one game for the team earlier this season in relief.

This is the second backup or minor league goaltender, including Al Montoya the other day, that has received an extension well before it was necessary to do so. This is likely teams giving themselves some certainty heading into the unknown of the expansion draft. Every team needs to expose at least one goaltender that is signed through the 2017-18 season (or is an RFA this summer). Both Jonathan Bernier and Matt Hackett in Anaheim are free agents this summer.

Minnesota and Philadelphia are in similar situations, with Darcy Kuemper, Alex Stalock, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth all becoming unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Expect them to make similar moves in the next few months to make sure that Devan Dubnyk and Anthony Stolarz can be protected.

Stars Place Jamie Benn On IR

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The Dallas Stars announced today that captain Jamie Benn is headed to the injured reserve. While no one player can quite make up for his absence, they activated Antoine Roussel from the IR to assist with the efforts. Roussel has missed the past four games with an upper body injury and remains a game-time decision for tonight’s match-up against the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, Benn was considered just day-to-day with a foot injury and there were hopes that he could play tonight, but now it appears as if he could be out much longer.

Over the past three years, few players have dominated the NHL like Benn has. The Star winger has 255 points over the last three seasons, including his league-leading Art Ross-worthy 87-point campaign in 2014-15 and a career high 41 goals in 2015-16. However, over the past six months, Benn has also proven that he is not invincible. He spent most of the summer recuperating from a core muscle injury sustained in the 2016 playoffs, a process that took longer than expected and kept Benn out of the World Cup of Hockey and threatened his Opening Night availability. Now he has a lower body injury, and a expected short-term, day-to-day diagnosis has instead landed him on the injured reserve. An offense that is built around so few core weapons – Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp – has had it’s fair share of struggles this season as all have dealt with injuries and missed considerable time. With Benn now on IR and out for an unknown amount of time, the pressure is again on the supporting cast to pick up the slack. The Stars are tied with both the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets in fifth place in the Central Division this year, and stand almost no chance of defending their division crown in 2016-17. If they even want to return to the playoffs, Dallas needs to get healthy and get their offense going.

Roussel’s return will at least add another able body to the top nine to make up for the loss of Benn. Once exclusively just an agitator and checker, Roussel has begun to evolve his game into something more well-rounded. The 27-year-old French forward has been trending toward a 30+ point season for a few years, but has just missed his mark. With five goals and 12 assists thus far, Roussel may just hit a career high in points this season. It’s good timing too, as the Stars’ 18th ranked scoring is a far cry from their high-flying offense of a year ago. They need more goals than grit right now from Roussel if they want to right the ship.

David Backes Cleared To Return

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So much for David Backes’ concussion history, potential lasting effects, and a need to ease him back into the lineup. Less than a week after leaving the Boston Bruins’ win against the Buffalo Sabres last Thursday with a concussion and being deemed “out indefinitely“, the big forward was back at practice today. Coach Claude Julien announced that he had been medically cleared for full contact and Backes was back skating with his usual line of David Krejci and Ryan Spooner. Backes left the possibility open that he could return to the lineup as early as tomorrow night, when the Bruins face the Edmonton Oilers. Throughout his career, Backes has returned quickly from head injuries, and that appears to be the case again for the veteran.

While Backes would have liked to have played against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and gotten some retribution (he said so himself), the Bruins played it cautiously sitting him out the past two games. Unfortunately, after sweeping the season series with Buffalo, Backes (as well as Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller) will have to wait until next year for another shot at the Sabres. However, after an embarrassing shutout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday, Backes’ return has become of vital importance to Boston. Nearly halfway through the 2016-17 season, the Bruins sit tied for second place in the Atlantic Division with the Ottawa Senators, with a lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, but having played more games than all three teams. At 20-16-4, Boston is not having a bad year, but has struggled to beat playoff-caliber teams and recently has lost bad games against the Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, and Colorado Avalanche. Still on the search for consistent scoring, the Bruins need all the help they can get up front, and that includes their free agent splurge, Backes. So far in 2016-17, Backes has nine goals and ten assists in 33 games, which is on pace for the worst full season of his career. They were lucky to avoid a long absence from the power forward, but they need Backes to step up his play when he returns to the ice.

Julien also indicated today that Matt Beleskey is on the mend and has begun skating again. Beleskey has been out since mid-December with a knee injury and was given a six-week prognosis for recovery. While it sounds like his return is still a ways off, perhaps close to the projected early February date, it’s good news that another top forward is getting healthy. Once Beleksey, who enjoyed a career-high 37-point season last year, returns it will be the first time that the Bruins have he and Frank Vatrano healthy at the same time this season. They young winger just returned from injury and is already making a difference. Adding Backes and Beleskey back into the mix will give the Bruins the complete top nine that they expected to begin the season with and could help them rediscover their scoring. Julien has always tried to roll four lines deep on offense, and that task has proved to be a struggle so far this season. The Bruins’ growing health may finally solve that problem.

Milt Schmidt Passes Away At 98

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Boston Bruins legend Milt Schmidt has passed away today at the age of 98. He was the oldest surviving NHL veteran. A true icon of the game, his memory will live on in the hearts and minds of hockey fans, especially those fortunate enough to know him and see him play, coach, and manage the Bruins for many years.

Milton Conrad Schmidt was born on March 5th, 1918 in Kitchener, Ontario. After playing junior hockey in his hometown alongside good friends and fellow Hall of Famers Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer, an 18-year-old Schmidt joined the Original Six Boston Bruins for the 1936-37 season and brought his friends along with him. As they say, the rest is history. Schmidt played in Boston for 18 seasons, calling it a career during the 1954-55 season. During that time, the trio formed the famous “Kraut Line”, considered by many to be one of the best lines in NHL history. They played a key role in Stanley Cup championships in 1938-39 and 1940-41. Dumart was a three-time All-Star, and played with Schmidt right up until the very end of their careers. Bauer was four-time All-Star and two-time recipient of the Lady Byng Award; the sleak scorer of the group. But it was Schmidt who was the leader and play-maker down the middle. A four-time All-Star and the Hart Trophy winner as league MVP in 1950-51, Schmidt established himself as one of the best players in the NHL during the 40’s and 50’s. His breakout year came in 1939-4o, when he led the league with 30 assists and 52 points. He set a career high four years later, with 62 points in 1646-47 and nearly matched it again in 1950-51 with 61 points. Schmidt also wasn’t afraid to play physical and never backed away from conflict. Hard-working and consistent throughout his lengthy career, Schmidt ended his career with 575 points in 776 games.

However, Schmidt’s hockey career was far from over when he finally left the ice. 16 years of NHL experience and four years of military service during World War II were the perfect formula for a great coach. This realization came during the 1954-55, when mid-season Schmidt retired as a player and took over as the bench boss. Schmidt remained the head coach of the Bruins for 11 years, during which he also served as the team’s assistant general manager. Schmidt took the team to two Stanley Cups during this stretch, back-to-back heartbreaking losses to the rival Montreal Canadiens in 1956-57 and 1957-58. During his time as coach, Schmidt was also inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1961, cementing his legacy.

Even when Schmidt was done coaching in 1965-66, he wasn’t done. Instead, he was promoted to the team’s general manager in 1967. Despite his accolades as a player for 16 years and his ability to jump right into coaching for more than a decade after, Schmidt’s managerial prowess may have really been his greatest achievement. Just two years after taking the job, he had put together one of the best teams in NHL history, which won the 1969-70 Stanley Cup and then won it again in 1971-72. He hired Harry Sinden, developed Bobby Orr (who scored 120 points that year), Derek Sanderson, Wayne Cashman, and Gerry Cheevers and traded for Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield. Schmidt served as the GM until only 1975, but in that time transcended his hero player turned head coach role and became a true Boston legend.

Just how Schmidt’s career seemingly never ended, his connection with the Bruins lived on as well. Even after retirement, Schmidt remained close with the team, serving in various positions and continuing to mentor some of Boston’s finest players. The Bruins retired Schmidt’s #15 in 1980 and have honored his life-long commitment to the team on nearly an annual basis. Bruins team president Cam Neely said today that “(Milt Schmidt) epitomized what it meant to be a Bruin” and was an “outstanding ambassador for the game of hockey” and “a true gentleman”. Jeremy Jacobs added that “Milt’s impact in Boston… will forever be felt amongst hockey fans”. Finally, captain Zdeno Chara summed it up by saying that Schmidt will be “greatly missed, but never forgotten”. Though Schmidt has passed away, his legacy in Boston and around the NHL will live on. A player, a coach, a GM, a four-time Stanley Cup champ, an All-Star, an MVP, a legend, a great man.

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