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Evening Snapshots: Beauts, DeAngelo, USA Women’s Hockey

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) won the League Championship—called the Isobel Cup—tonight by defeating the Boston Pride 3-2. The top womens league in North America is in its second year and consists of four teams. The NWHL faced controversy this season after announcing midway the season that it would cut players’ salary by 50% due to financial constraints. The league then shortened its season to accommodate the 2017 IIHF World Championships and 2018 Olympic preparation.
  • AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan reports that Arizona Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett expects no supplemental discipline for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo’s boarding penalty yesterday. DeAngelo earned a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct after boarding St. Louis Blues forward Zach Sanford in just the 2nd minute of the game. A suspension would be the second one of DeAngelo’s season. In January he received a three-game suspension for abuse of an official.
  • Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reported today that top executives from USA Hockey will meet with representatives from the Women’s National Team tomorrow to discuss the ongoing wage dispute. Last Wednesday players from the team announced that they would boycott the upcoming World Championships—beginning March 31st in Plymouth, Michigan—if they do not receive a better wage structure. The players say that USA Hockey only pays each player $1,000 a month for the six months prior to the Olympic Games. The players seek something more substantial for the period between the Olympics.

Sabres Need Defensive Reinforcements

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Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald pointed out that the Buffalo Sabres are down to four defenseman after Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. The Sabres lost defencemen Taylor Fedun and Cody Franson to injuries—Fedun with a foot injury and Franson with an unspecified injury.

Fedun and Franson join Justin Falk (calf) and Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), leaving the Sabres with only Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, and Jake McCabe. The Sabres play the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night and coach Dan Bylsma was quoted as saying that none of the injured defensemen could play in that game.

That leaves the Sabres in need of at least two call-ups from the AHL Rochester Americans (Amerks). The leading candidates include newly acquired Mat Bodie, Erik Burgdoerfer, and Casey Nelson.

The Sabres acquired Mat Bodie from the New York Rangers in exchange for Daniel Catenacci. Bodie had 8G and 22A in 45 games for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack, and 2G and 1A in 7 games for Rochester. He currently leads all Amerks defensemen in points. Second in points among active Amerks defensemen is Erik Burgdoerfer. The American native has 1G and 16A in 50 games for the Amerks, but went pointless in two games for the Sabres earlier this year. Finally, the Sabres could recall 24 year-old defenseman Casey Nelson. Nelson has 4 assists in 16 career NHL games over two years, and 4G and 9A in 45 AHL games this season.

Calgary Flames Sign Tyler Parsons and Ryan Lomberg

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The Calgary Flames signed a three-year, entry-level deal with drafted goaltender Tyler Parsons today. The Flames drafted Parsons 54th overall (2nd round) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Parson currently plays for the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League.

The signing caps a successful year for Parsons. The American goaltender led Team USA to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships this winter—stopping 46 shots in the gold medal game. Parsons currently sports a 2.18 GAA and a .917 SV% with the London Knights, and backstopped them to a Memorial Cup last season. Parsons started the season at the Flames training camp, and even played a period against the Vancouver Canucks.

The signing precedes a summer where the Flames need to decide who plays between the pipes. Both Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson are free agents at the end of the year, and it is unclear whether Calgary re-signs either. Elliott’s play has improved as of late, but his early troubles will not shake his reputation as a streaky goaltender.

The Flames also signed forward Ryan Lomberg to a two-year, two-way deal starting next season. Lomberg currently plays for the AHL Stockton Heat where he has 8G and 11A in 57 games. The 22 year-old Ontario native went undrafted before signing an AHL deal in 2015.

Snapshots: Olympics, Coyotes, Carrick, Ferland

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While there has been talk that some teams would be willing to let their players participate in the 2018 Olympics even if the NHL doesn’t shut down their schedule, the league plans to sit down and put together a league-wide policy regarding participation, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

This comes on the heels of Senators owner Eugene Melnyk announcing that he wouldn’t allow Erik Karlsson to go if the NHL doesn’t stop their season late last week.  On the flip side, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has consistently said he wouldn’t stand in the way if his top players wanted to go.  However, it appears the decision ultimately won’t be left to the individual teams.  There remains no timetable for an official announcement on whether or not NHL players will be able to participate.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Coyotes announced the recalls of defenseman Zbynek Michalek and center Laurent Dauphin from Springfield of the AHL. Michalek cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and has been there ever since, playing in 43 games with the Roadrunners.  As for Dauphin, he has been back and forth several times this year; he has two goals and an assist in 24 NHL games while adding 14 goals and eight helpers in 31 AHL contests.  Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic notes (Twitter link) that Michalek’s recall is a regular one while Dauphin’s is on an emergency basis.  That means that Arizona is down to one regular recall between now and the end of the season.
  • The Maple Leafs are hoping to have defenseman Connor Carrick back in their lineup tomorrow against Boston, reports Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. Carrick has been out for nearly a month with an upper body injury and will meet with team doctors tomorrow to get the final determination on whether or not he is ready to return to the lineup.  The 22 year old is in his first full NHL season, collecting seven points in 55 games while averaging 16:31 per game in ice time in primarily a third pairing role.
  • The recent mumps outbreak across the league may not be over just yet as the Flames announced on their team Twitter page that winger Micheal Ferland is being held out of tonight’s game against Los Angeles and is under observation for the mumps. Earlier this year, several players from the Canucks and Wild missed time with the disease.  Ferland sits fifth in goals on Calgary with 14 in 67 games this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Islanders Arena, Wennberg, Strome, Rangers

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While there has been talk that the Islanders would be forced to find a new home following the 2018-19 season with Barclays Center ownership preferring to host other events, the two sides are in discussions regarding a short-term extension that would keep the team in Brooklyn a bit longer, reports Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos (video link).

A report back in September suggested that the current deal can only be renegotiated up until January 1st, 2018.  The current contract allows the Islanders to opt out as early as the end of next season but with no firm plan in place for a new arena, that wouldn’t be feasible.  On the other side, arena ownership currently has the ability to opt out following 2018-19.

While any temporary arrangement would reduce the immediate need to find another place to play within the area, it certainly doesn’t look like the Islanders will be playing in Brooklyn anywhere near the 25 year term of the original agreement.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Blue Jackets held out center Alexander Wennberg from their game against the Devils this afternoon, one in which they became only the third team in NHL history to score two penalty shot goals in the same game. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch notes (via Twitter) that the 22 year old is dealing with a stiff neck and was held out for precautionary reasons.  Wennberg leads Columbus in assists with 42 on the season in 70 contests.
  • In a separate tweet, Portzline notes that Islanders center Ryan Strome will not be suspended for the hit that caused Wennberg to be out of the lineup. The league felt Strome’s push wasn’t an overly aggressive one.  No penalty was assessed on the play.
  • Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and defenseman Kevin Klein both skated in advance of Saturday’s game against the Wild, the team announced via Twitter. Lundqvist last played March 7th and is dealing with a hip injury.  The team has been targeting a return sometime during New York’s California trip which kicks off March 25th.  As for Klein, he has been dealing with back spasms for the better part of a month and there is no timetable for him to return to game action.

College Notes: Vegas, Schuldt, Butcher, Flyers

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Although many have speculated that the Golden Knights would be highly active in the college free agent market, that isn’t going to be the case, GM George McPhee told ESPN’s Craig Custance (Insider required).  The team is focusing at this point on targeting players who they believe have NHL upside in the near-term instead of signing several to fill spots at the minor league level for next season.

Custance adds that one of the players that Vegas has interest in is defenseman Neal Pionk.  The Minnesota-Duluth sophomore is expected to have quite a few teams interested in his services should he decide to turn pro.  Although he’s undersized at just 5’11, he boasts a powerful shot that could make him a strong power play threat down the road.

Other news and notes from the NCAA:

  • While he was likely to draw NHL interest, St. Cloud defenseman Jimmy Schuldt has decided to not go pro and instead return for his junior NCAA season, reports Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News (Twitter link). This isn’t the first time the 21 year old has spurned overtures to sign with an NHL team as he was one of the more sought after blueliners on the market last season.  In 36 games with the Huskies this season, Schuldt had eight goals and 11 assists.
  • The Avalanche plan to offer a contract to defenseman Will Butcher in the coming days, reports BSNDenver’s Adrian Dater. Colorado drafted the 22 year old back in the fifth round (123rd overall) back in 2013.  If he doesn’t come to terms on a contract, he would be eligible for unrestricted free agency in mid-August.  This season with the University of Denver, Butcher has six goals and 29 assists in 39 games.
  • Flyers GM Ron Hextall landed one of the more notable college free agents last season in goaltender Alex Lyon and told CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall that he’s hopeful that they will be able to add someone in the coming weeks. However, he noted that Philadelphia’s depth of young prospects at all positions could ultimately work against them as players may opt to pursue a spot with an organization that doesn’t have as many youngsters to compete with for a spot.

Afternoon Transactions: 3/19/17

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There were a handful of transactions from around the NHL this afternoon. Let’s check them out…

  • After sending him to Grand Rapids yesterday, the Red Wings announced (via Twitter) that they have once again recalled forward Tomas Nosek from the AHL under emergency conditions. Ansar Khan of MLive.com notes (via Twitter) that this won’t count against the team’s three remaining recalls. Our own Brian La Rose noted yesterday that a Nosek return wouldn’t be surprising following the injury to Darren Helm. The 24-year-old has yet to take the ice for the Red Wings this season, but he has collected 15 goals and 25 assists in 49 AHL games.
  • The Lightning announced that they have reassigned forwards Joel Vermin and Byron Froese to the Syracuse Crunch. As Bryan Burn of TampaBayLightning.com tweets, this is a good indication that the team’s three injured centers (Tyler Johnson, Cedric Paquette, Vladislav Namestnikov) are approaching a return. Vermin compiled 12 goals and 28 assists in 43 AHL games this season, and he’s collected three assists in 11 games with the Lightning. Meanwhile, Froese has appeared in six NHL games this season (four with Tampa Bay). He was acquired from the Maple Leafs in late February.
  • Winger Timo Meier and Danny O’Regan have been recalled to the Sharks, tweets Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. Meier, 20, played in 26 games with the NHL club earlier this season, collecting three goals in two assists. In 32 games this season at the AHL level, the former ninth-overall pick has 12 goals and nine assists. Regan, a former Boston University standout, has one career NHL game under his belt. In 54 AHL games this season, the 23-year-old has 20 goals and 32 assists.

NCAA Announces Tournament Bracket

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It’s March, and that means the college hockey playoffs are starting to ramp up. If you watched this week’s conference championships, you’re likely familiar with some of the teams that will be fighting for a chance to play in the Frozen Four in Chicago. Today, the NCAA announced the official matchups for the upcoming tournament, which you can find below:

West Regional (Fargo, ND)

  • #1 Minnesota Duluth vs. #4 Ohio State
  • #2 Boston University vs. #3 North Dakota

East Regional (Providence, RI)

  • #1 Harvard vs. #4 Providence
  • #2 Western Michigan vs. #3 Air Force

Midwest Regional (Cincinnati, OH)

  • #1 Denver vs. #4 Michigan Tech
  • #2 Union vs. #3 Penn State

Northeast Regional (Manchester, NH)

  • #1 Minnesota vs. #4 Notre Dame
  • #2 UMass Lowell vs. #3 Cornell

The Case For T.J. Oshie As This Summer’s Top Free Agent

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Earlier this year, PHR put together our first draft of the 2017 unrestricted free agent class. Washington Capitals right winger T.J. Oshie finished a respectable fourth on that list, behind Joe Thornton, Alexander Radulov, and, of course, Oshie’s new teammate Kevin Shattenkirk. Those mid-season power rankings were just that, a list based on career performance and the first half of the season. Yet, free agancy often reflects “what have you done for me lately?” rather than a complete analysis of a player’s full body of work, and the second half of the season has been a windfall for Oshie. Is he now the top player on the market this summer?

After last night’s hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Oshie is now the Capitals leading goal-scorer. Yes, that’s right, Oshie leads the best team in the league in goals, not Alexander Ovechkin. The last time that any player led Washington in goal scoring at this point in the season and wasn’t Ovechkin: Robert Lang in 2003-04. Not only that, Oshie’s 49 points in 58 games makes him the most efficient scorer on the team behind Nicklas Backstrom. Oshie is sniping at a career rate in 2016-17, with a 24.2% shooting percentage, which explains his career-high in goals as well. He also has a career-best +26 rating right now, a function of the Capital’s success but also of the more careful, refined game he has shown this season.

So Oshie is having an excellent year; does that make him the top free agent? No one behind Oshie on our initial list has played significantly better, so it comes down to comparing him against Thornton, Radulov, and Shattenkirk. The first thing that should stick out between Oshie and Thornton is age. Oshie will be 30 years old at the start of the 2017-18 season, whereas Thornton will be 38. Radulov will be just 31, but has just returned to the NHL this season after a long hiatus in the KHL. Oshie and Thornton thus have him beat in terms of career consistency and dependability. If 2016-17 scoring is the main criteria, it’s a close race with Oshie at 49 points, Thornton at 48 points, and Radulov at 47 points, but Oshie has played in fewer games than the others. With an age advantage over Thornton and a consistency advantage over Radulov packaged with a scoring advantage over both, it’s fair to say that Oshie has moved into the top spot among impending free agent forwards. Making that call easier is the fact that both Thornton and Radulov are expected by many to re-sign with their current teams following the Expansion Draft in June and may not even hit the open market with Oshie on July 1st.

So that leaves Oshie vs. Shattenkirk. Especially if Washington wins their first ever Stanley Cup on the backs of these two players, both Oshie and Shattenkirk will be highly sought-after and handsomely paid on July 1st. However, can you make the case that Oshie has surpassed his new teammate in free agent value? Back in January, the PHR writers were in universal agreement that Shattenkirk was the top player available. However, when it came time for the St. Louis Blues to move him at the Trade Deadline, rumors began circulating that many teams saw Shattenkirk as a second-pair guy, were unwilling to part with top prospects and multiple high picks to acquire him, and were not planning on handing him a contract worth $7MM+ per year this summer. The Capitals ended up parting with a package that surprised many as being relatively cheap in return for the star defenseman. Shattenkirk is still the best blue liner on the market and will get his money somewhere, but no such word has come out about Oshie’s free agency prospects. It appears that teams are ready to give the skilled winger whatever he asks, as Oshie has proved time and time again that he is one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL, as well as a powerplay dyanamo and shootout specialist. The simple fact that scoring defense is always in higher demand than scoring forwards may dictate that Shattenkirk remains the top free agent this summer, but don’t be surprised to see Oshie get a similar deal to his teammate and go on to have greater success than Shattenkirk with his new team in the future.

Bruins Recall Acciari And Kuraly On Emergency Basis

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The Boston Bruins don’t play again until tomorrow night, but that hasn’t stopped them from using an emergency recall on two AHL forwards this morning. The team announced that forwards Noel Acciari and Sean Kuraly have been called up from the Providence Bruins. The pair arrived in Boston earlier today in time for practice and are expected to join the team in Toronto for tomorrow’s game.

Though it is unclear why, both Patrice Bergeron and Drew Stafford did not participate in practice this morning, in addition to Tim Schaller, who remains out, so the team was forced to take steps to fill the gaps that those top nine forwards would leave if they cannot play against the Maple Leafs. The Bruins already have rookies Peter Cehlarik and Austin Czarnik on the roster, though inactive for the past few games, but these call-ups provide coach Bruce Cassidy with options should he have to replace Bergeron and Stafford for an important division matc-up with playoff implications on Monday night.

Acciari, 25, was a regular in the Bruins lineup earlier this season after breaking in to the NHL in 2015-16, but an injury kept him sidelined in Boston and led to a demotion to the P-Bruins for recovery purposes, only he was never recalled after healing. The former Providence College star and Johnston native may feel right at home in Rhode Island, but his strong two-way play and hockey sense suggest that he should be playing a checking line role in Boston next year. So far the points have been few and far between in the NHL, where he had one assist in 19 games last year and two assists in 19 games this year. However, his AHL scoring pace has increased this season and he continues to be one of the more dependable defensive forwards in the minors.

Kuraly has not had the same opportunity to show his skill set in Boston, as he has played in just five NHL games in this, his first pro season, and has yet to record a point in limited minutes. However, Kuraly may have some more upside and versatility than Acciari. The former Miami University captain and a fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2011, Kuraly too is a defense-first two-way forward, but also contributes on the offensive side of the ice. Kurlay has 13 goals and 11 assists in 50 games with Providence in 2016-17 and has played a major role for the talented AHL team.

 

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