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Snapshots: Outdoor Games, Devils, Dubois

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced today that the NHL expects to hold three outdoor games next season, reports ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. The NHL is already exploring Ottawa as one potential site given the city hosted the first ever NHL hockey game—something the NHL wants to commemorate in its 100th anniversary. Montreal and Columbus also deserve serious consideration as they remain the most prominent and climate-ready locales yet to host an outdoor game. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights may garner some consideration if the NHL wants to give the franchise some supplemental exposure.
  • The New Jersey Devils are without both Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson tonight against the Boston Bruins. Both forwards are out with undisclosed illnesses. Zajac leads the Devils in scoring with 8G and 16A in 37 games. Josefson, however, only has 2A in 16 games. Finally, defense prospect Steve Santini makes his NHL debut tonight. Santini is scoreless in 15 games for the Albany Devils so far this season.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Pierre-Luc Dubois was demoted off of Canada’s top line at the World Junior Hockey Championships prior to tonight’s Quarter-Final game against the Czech Republic, reports Scott Wheeler. The 3rd overall pick in 2016 has 0G and 4A in the tournament so far, but has not impressed the Hockey Canada coaching staff. Dubois is having an excellent year in the QMJHL, scoring 6G and 12A in 20 games so far this season. The top line now consists of Colorado Avalanche prospect Tyson Jost, New Jersey Devils prospect Blake Speers, and Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome.

Johan Larsson Out For Season

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In a new report from John Vogl of the Buffalo News, Johan Larsson admits that his season is over. The Buffalo forward dislocated his elbow and wrist on Saturday and had originally just been reported as out for a few weeks.  He underwent surgery while in a Boston hospital, and will miss the remainder of the regular season.

The 24-year old Larsson has been a solid contributor for the Sabres the past couple of years, adding some secondary scoring and a strong defensive game. Playing over 16 minutes a night this season, he ranks second among Buffalo forwards in blocked shots and has taken the second most faceoffs on the team.

Larsson was picked in the second round by the Minnesota Wild in 2010 before being included in the trade that brought Jason Pominville west. Pominville would go on to post a 30-goal season for the Wild the following season, while the other player involved in the deal Matt Hackett struggles in the Anaheim minor league system.

Developing Larsson into a solid NHL player is key to scraping any value out of that trade, and it looked like he was well on his way with six goals and eleven points in 36 games this year. That’s only slightly behind Pominville, who only has 14 points this season and has seen his ice-time drastically reduced. There will be no more development this season though, as he’ll rehab his arm and get ready for next season.

Brandon Wheat Kings’ Nolan Patrick Returns To Ice

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In the upcoming entry draft, there are a couple of players who are considered locks to be in the top few picks. One of them has only played six games this season, yet remains the consensus number one option.

Nolan Patrick, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ superstar center, has been out since the early part of the season after re-aggravating the area that needed surgery in the summer. Patrick had sports hernia surgery after Brandon was eliminated from the playoffs, and admittedly came back a little early.

Though he hoped to have been ready for the World Juniors, he missed that deadline and is now just trying to work his way back to help Brandon this season. He got another step closer to that today as he took the ice just after practice.  He’s skated on an off for a while now, testing the injury at times with varied results.

As Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun has said for a while, the rumors of Patrick not reporting back to the Wheat Kings were fabricated. While the team may still consider a trade of the young superstar – the team is 18-15 and a long way from winning a Memorial Cup – he will return to the team soon.

It’s an odd year for draft prospects, with Patrick basically absent all year and Timothy Liljegren, the expected second pick, struggling before being loaned to the lower Swedish league just yesterday. After those two, the field opens up to players like Maxim Comtois, Gabriel Vilardi and Nico Hischier, among others.

For Patrick, getting back on the ice won’t do much for his draft stock, but it would do loads for his development. Missing the majority of your draft year is never good for any prospect looking to make an impact in the NHL right away. Hopefully he’ll be back lighting up rinks very soon.

The Disastrous Duty Of Drafting Defensemen

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In professional sports, there is an oft-quoted saying that suggests that “defense wins championships”. It’s no surprise that in the NHL, the best of the best are getting extensions like Aaron Ekblad (8 years, $60MM) and Victor Hedman (8 years, $63MM). They’re valuable assets in a league that doesn’t have enough capable defenders.

Back in the summer, we looked at the increasing value of right-handed defensemen, with players like Jason Demers (5 years, $22.5MM), Ben Lovejoy (3 years $8MM) and Roman Polak (1 year, $2.25MM) all getting contracts that seemed expensive for their on-ice value.

Perhaps it’s not just the right-handed ones though. Prices for defensemen are skyrocketing on both the open market and in trade negotiations, and it’s because even though teams want to draft and develop their own blueliners, it’s incredibly difficult to do so.

In the 2007 entry draft, there were 60 defensemen selected and only 13 of them have played more than 200 NHL games. Even that group includes players like Keaton Ellerby, Ian Cole and Yannick Weber who would not inspire much confidence at the top of anyone’s depth chart (apologies to Cole, who is having a fine season in Pittsburgh).

In comparison this is actually a fairly good draft, as in 2006 just six out of the 65 defensemen chose have crossed that 200 games threshold. While 2006 is perhaps the most stark example, as Erik Johnson (drafted first overall) is the only high-end defenseman in the entire draft – his competition for that title are the likes of Andrew MacDonald, Jeff Petry and Mike Weber.

Drafting defensemen is even more of a crap shoot, as often they develop later than forwards and rely more on experience and positioning than raw skill. In 2006, eight were taken in the first round and only Johnson is still in the NHL. Ty Wishart, Bobby Sanguinetti and Chris Summers highlight the rest of the round.

This past draft nine defenders were taken in the first round, with Jakob Chychrun in Arizona and a three-game taste from Montreal’s Mikhail Sergachev being the only forays into the NHL so far. Obviously, it’s much too early to tell whether any of these will be long-term options, but the past seems to say that many won’t.

For teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs or Edmonton Oilers, whose fan bases and media members have said for years to ’just draft a defenseman’, it’s much more difficult than it seems. Even using your first round pick on a blueliner does not guarantee success, or even an NHL player. It’s hard to find those elite defensemen, even if you sink your whole draft into them.

With only a few successful ones coming out each year, it’s no wonder players like Jacob Trouba and Cam Fowler have huge price tags on their heads. Their teams may never get a chance at a player of their caliber again (although, Anaheim seems to buck this trend and have success with a high number of defensive draft picks).

Mirco Mueller Recalled By Sharks…Again

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In what has become one of the more amusing stories of the season so far, Mirco Mueller has been recalled once again by the San Jose Sharks. The team has moved Marc-Edouard Vlasic to injured reserve to make room.

For the eighth time this year, Mueller will be involved in a transaction between the NHL and AHL. There was a period in December that saw the defenseman called up and sent down three times in a single week.

Amazingly, Mueller has still yet to play in a single game for the Sharks, instead just helping the team practice and then sitting in the press box. He has however played in 25 games for the San Jose Barracuda between all the moves, registering eight points.

The former 18th-overall pick is having a strange season, but from all accounts a strong one for the AHL team, as he continues to develop into a two-way defenseman. With both Vlasic and David Schlemko absent from practice today, perhaps he’ll get into his first game with the Sharks this season on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

Snapshots: Pedan, Benn, Auvitu

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The Vancouver Canucks have decided that Andrey Pedan might have a better chance of realizing his potential if he actually plays. The team has sent him back to the AHL to join the Utica Comets. Pedan has spent multiple periods with the Canucks this season, but has yet to get into a single game. Like Frank Corrado in Toronto, he’ll go back to the AHL to get some game time in.

The 23-year old has had trouble with his defensive game since coming over from the Islanders organization, but is a physical presence and can chip in offensively when he’s playing well. He’s played 19 games this season for the Comets, registering three points and 30 penalty minutes.

  • Jamie Benn is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury for the Dallas Stars, reports Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. The captain will hopefully be able to play in the team’s next game, which thankfully isn’t until Wednesday. Benn has 34 points in 38 games this season, though his 10 goals is a far cry from the 41 he put up a year ago.
  • The Devils have sent Yohann Auvitu to Albany to make room for their recent waiver claim, Reid Boucher. In welcoming back the former Devil, Auvitu will head back to the AHL after playing 24 games this season with the NHL club. The French-born defenseman has four points (two goals, two assists) in those 24 games this season.
  • Arizona, the other team who made a waiver claim today, has moved Ryan White to injured reserve to make room. White hasn’t played since December 21st due to a lower-body injury, and has five points in 30 games this season. Likely back soon, the team will have to make a move to accommodate him when he does return.

Waiver Claims: Burmistrov, Boucher

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Elliotte Friedman reports that the Arizona Coyotes have claimed Alexander Burmistrov from the Winnipeg Jets. The former eighth-overall pick hasn’t found his footing in Winnipeg (or Atlanta) since his draft, and will now open a new chapter.

Reid Boucher, the other player currently on waivers, is heading back to New Jersey after a short stint in Nashville. Boucher played just three games with the Predators, scoring one goal.

Burmistrov has long been expected to turn into a top-six forward, but has never turned into it. After two fairly successful seasons in the KHL, he returned to North America last year and only registered 21 points, despite playing in 81 games. Obviously, with his upside, the Coyotes will gladly take a risk on the 25-year old. Their team isn’t destined for anything big this season, and Burmistrov is still an RFA this summer. If he can find success in the desert, he could be a nice addition to that team.

For Boucher, he’ll head back to the only other franchise he’s ever known after a month away. The former fourth-round pick has had much success during his time in the Devils organization, and even scored 19 points in just 39 games last year for the Devils.

Snapshots: Winter Classic, Kane, Devils

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The Winter Classic will go ahead as planned this afternoon, despite weather still being a concern. The league considered moving the start time and even perhaps rescheduling the game, but will go forward with the original plan.

A contingency has been announced however. The game must have two completed periods to be official, or else it will be rescheduled at some point at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. If somehow the game is tied after two and also must be cancelled due to weather, the two teams will play in a shootout before their February 26th game at the United Center in Chicago. Both teams will be awarded a point, with the shootout deciding the winner.

While there is a fairly remote chance of that happening, it would be an odd way of ending a game. ’The Classic That Lasted’ or so they’d say.  For now, check out the game at noon as planned.

  • Evander Kane has taken to social media again to show his displeasure with an opponent. After he and Kevan Miller got into a scrum after a whistle in Saturday’s game, the infamous Buffalo forward tweeted out “When a guy pretends to want to fight and only chirps when the 6’6 linesman is standing in the way. #KevanMiller #pretender #stoplying”. Miller, for his part responded by saying that Kane only wanted to fight when the linesmen came in.
  • The New Jersey Devils have dealt with injuries to their top players all season long, and it won’t stop today. Andrew Gross of The Record reports that both Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson did not skate this morning due to illness, and are questionable for tonight’s game. The team did get some good news though, with Taylor Hall returning to practice and scheduled to play in the game. Hall has missed the last two games after coming back from a knee injury earlier in the year.

Frank Corrado Sent To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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The Maple Leafs have basically refused to play Frank Corrado all season, sitting him in the press box for all but one of their games this year. With that in mind, the team has sent him to the AHL on a conditioning stint that can last up to two weeks. Corrado is allowed to play in seven games before returning, which would feel like an entire season for him at this point.

The team has also sent Byron Froese to the Marlies today ahead of their upcoming road trip. The 25-year old center played in just two games after being brought up to replace an injured Tyler Bozak. The team has inserted young Frederik Gauthier into their fourth line center role after Ben Smith was placed on injured reserve, and from all accounts he’s done well enough to keep it.

These are interesting moves for a team that is about to go on a short road trip through Washington and New Jersey, especially because it’s the Leafs’ annual “Dad’s Trip”, where they bring the players’ fathers along on the road with them. The team now has two empty roster spots for the upcoming trip, meaning only Josh Leivo is there as an extra skater.

Likely there will be a corresponding move, whether it’s a trade or separate call up. It’s nice for Corrado though, who has had a tough year not playing anywhere. The 23-year old has now played just 40 games over the past two seasons with the Maple Leafs, which some would say has stunted his development somewhat. The former fifth round pick was a strong puck mover in junior, but has now played in just 68 games across parts of five seasons in the NHL.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Al Montoya To Two-Year Extension

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Despite having arguably the best goaltender in the world, the Montreal Canadiens have always needed a quality backup. Well, now they have one for another two seasons. The team has announced today that Al Montoya has been extended for two years. Renaud Lavoie reports that the deal is worth $1.065MM per season. Al Montoya

While Montoya does represent a solid backup netminder – a .909 save percentage that includes that awful 10-0 game against Columbus earlier this year – one of the biggest reasons the Canadiens needed to get this done is to have a goaltender to expose for the expansion draft. Prior to this extension, the only possible choice would have been Carey Price, since he’s the only one signed past this year. His no-movement clause conflicts with this however, as he also requires protection in the draft.

For Montoya, this represents the largest contract in his career (though not by very much) and will make him 34 at the expiration of the deal.

The Canadiens know what it means to have a solid backup, as they found out last year when Carey Price was injured for most of the season. The team did not perform well behind Mike Condon for the majority of the year, finishing with a 38-38-6 record despite starting 10-2. This year, the squad is 22-9-6 and is first place in the Atlantic Conference.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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