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Archives for November 2017

Toronto Maple Leafs Have Verbal Agreement With KHL Defender

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As always, Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet is a must-read for fans around the NHL as the scribe goes into situations in Arizona and Montreal. One interesting detail though surrounds the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pursuit of Igor Ozhiganov, a 25-year old Russian defenseman playing in the KHL.

Ozhiganov had been previously linked to the Maple Leafs when Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock personally met with him in Russia in a sort of recruitment visit, similar to the one they completed when trying to sign Nikita Zaitsev a year earlier. Ozhiganov was a teammate of Zaitsev’s for several years in the KHL and is clearly the next target for the Maple Leafs as they continue to search for NHL-caliber defensemen around the world.

Friedman states that other teams have been told that Ozhiganov has a verbal agreement in place with the Maple Leafs, and points out that the team could sign him as early as April 30th. Because of his age, Ozhiganov will be signing just a one-year entry-level contract similar to Zaitsev. Earlier this summer the team also reached into the SHL for both Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen, of which the former has immediately worked out for the team. Borgman has been a staple on the Maple Leafs third pairing, registering five points in 22 games.

For a team that is so obviously willing to spend past the NHL salary cap to give themselves every competitive advantage, scouting players around the world who may not be on every team’s radar is a new trend. Ozhiganov will just be the latest in a growing group of undrafted players on the roster, which also includes Nikita Soshnikov and Tyler Bozak.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Colorado Avalanche

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. Yesterday we examined at the Washington Capitals.

What are the Colorado Avalanche most thankful for?

A conclusion to the Matt Duchene saga.

The hockey world has been all over the Avalanche and GM Joe Sakic for how they handled a trade request from one of their star players. Duchene wanted to get out of Colorado during a brutal 2016-17 season, but Sakic wasn’t willing to make a move until his high price was met. Earlier this month the bill was paid by the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators, and the unhappy Duchene can finally move on.

Sakic needed to include a third team in the deal but eventually did get his reported ask of a young mobile defenseman, first-round pick and top prospect. In fact, he even added another prospect and two other draft picks to that total, coming away with quite the haul for a single player. Samuel Girard (the young defenseman) has flashed his top-pairing potential early, while Duchene has struggled to get on the scoresheet in Ottawa. Though it is far from decided, Sakic came out of a hard situation quite well after months of harsh criticism.

Who are the Avalanche most thankful for?

Nathan MacKinnonNathan MacKinnon.

Overshadowed by the terrible record of the team, MacKinnon once again had a solid season for the Avalanche a year ago. With 53 points he easily led the team, and set career highs in shots and faceoff percentage. While nothing from last year’s Avalanche can be considered a positive, he at least wasn’t the anchor pulling the team down.

This year is another story. MacKinnon, surrounded by a young more dangerous offensive squad is off to a tremendous start with 25 points in 20 games. That number puts him among the leaders in the league, and at the ripe old age of 22 there is still a legitimate chance his game could get even better over the next few years. Locked in at just $6.3MM per season through 2022-23, the Avalanche are in a prime position to build around their underpaid superstar with the next wave of talent.

What would the Avalanche be even more thankful for?

A return to form for Semyon Varlamov.

In 2013-14 a 25-year old Varlamov played in 63 games for the Avalanche, recording a league-leading 41 wins and posting a .927 save percentage. That was good enough to earn him a fourth-place finish in Hart Trophy voting, while coming in just behind Tuukka Rask for the Vezina. Varlamov was an elite goaltender in the league and was rewarded with a five-year extension mid-season.

Since then, his save percentage has dropped to an average .913 and sits at just .903 this season. While last year’s struggles can be explained away at least somewhat by injury, this year has shown him to be an average-at-best netminder in the league. A bounce-back to his previous highs would make the Avalanche an legitimate bubble candidate for the playoffs, if they aren’t already.

Varlamov has another year left on that extension after this season at $5.9MM, and will have to prove he can still be a starting goaltender in this league if he wants another contract with the Avalanche.

What should be on the Avalanche Holiday Wish List?

More young defensemen.

Even though the team has added Girard, brought over Andrei Mironov and drafted Cale Makar, there is still a shortage of NHL-caliber defenders in their system. Nikita Zadorov fulfilling some of his potential would help, but the team will likely still be after other intriguing young defensemen on the trade market.

With some interesting trade chips to use this season—there is no telling whether Gabriel Landeskog and Tyson Barrie are still on the market, but they weren’t part of Sakic’s “untouchable” group last year—the Avalanche could once again infuse some immediate talent into the back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 11/23/17

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Even though there aren’t any games today in the National Hockey League, the movement up and down from the minor leagues never stops. We’ll keep track of all the day’s transactions right here.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Ryan Stanton to the AHL, after just a single day with the club. Stanton was up with the team but didn’t dress for last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, as he waits to make his Edmonton debut. The veteran of 120 NHL games cleared waivers at the beginning of the month, so can be sent up and down for the time being without needing them again.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up goaltender Marek Langhamer on an emergency basis, after starter Antti Raanta was forced from last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Langhamer has one NHL appearance under his belt, but has played well in limited action for AHL Tucson this year. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start in Raanta’s absence.
  • Another day, another transaction for Julius Honka, who has been recalled once again by the Dallas Stars. The promising young defenseman was sent down just yesterday by the team when they needed some help up front in case of injury. Curtis McKenzie and Mike McKenna have both been sent to the AHL in a corresponding move.
  • Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, potentially giving the 21-year old another shot at the NHL. Blais made his debut for the club earlier in the season, recording his first NHL point just over a month ago. The sixth-round pick has flourished offensively since the Blues drafted him in 2014, and has 13 points in 11 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season in the AHL.

Three Players On Thanksgiving Waivers

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While the United States portion of the NHL celebrates Thanksgiving, several teams are still hard at work fine tuning their roster for the winter stretch. On Thursday, Eddie Lack (Calgary), Jaycob Megna (Anaheim) and Chris DiDomenico (Ottawa) were all placed on waivers.

Lack may be the most well-known name in the trio, but you certainly can’t say his appearance is surprising. After being acquired by the Calgary Flames this offseason to help solidify their goaltending position, the former Carolina Hurricanes netminder has performed extremely poorly. With an .813 save percentage and 12 goals allowed on just 64 shots the Flames couldn’t wait around to see if Lack could turn his season around.

There’s no guarantee that he’s assigned to Stockton if he does clear waivers, but with Jon Gillies and David Rittich both performing extremely well in the minor leagues you can bet one of them will get the call. With Carolina retaining half of Lack’s $2.75MM cap hit, he would cost the Flames just $350K against the cap if he is buried in the minors.

Megna has played eleven games for the Anaheim Ducks this season, recording one point and a -4 rating. With Cam Fowler back healthy and in the lineup, the team was carrying too many defensemen and would need to send at least one to the minor leagues.

DiDomenico has six points on the season for the Ottawa Senators, but has seen his ice time dwindle recently and was scratched in last night’s game. The former Maple Leafs prospect has been a good story this season, recording his first NHL point at the age of 28, but isn’t a key player for the Senators going forward.

Snapshots: McDonagh, Rodin, Escrow

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Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh will miss at least the next two games as a result of his strained abdominal muscle, the team announced via Twitter.  He will be re-evaluated on Sunday per head coach Alain Vigneault.  While McDonagh has yet to score for New York so far this season, he leads their defenders in average ice time (23:22, more than two full minutes per game more than their next-highest, Kevin Shattenkirk) while he sits tied for second on the team in assists with 12.  As a result of the injury, Steven Kampfer drew back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past two games.

Other news and notes from around the hockey world:

  • Although now-former Canucks winger Anton Rodin asked for his release and has since signed in Switzerland with HC Davos, Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province reports that he remains intent on playing in the NHL. Injuries and low usage played a role in his early departure and the 27-year-old is hopeful that his time in the NLA will help earn him another look in North America in the summer of 2019.
  • Escrow is understandably a touchy subject around the league with teams withholding well over 10% of player salaries in past seasons (it went as high as 15.5% last year) in order to ensure that they get to a 50-50 revenue split as laid out in the CBA. It appears that the players are set to get a little bit of that money back as James Mirtle of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that they will receive a 3% refund for 2015-16 as well as 2016-17.  With them receiving only that chunk back, there is bound to be talk as to whether or not it’s worthwhile for the NHLPA to exercise their 5% salary cap inflator next offseason as doing so would likely increase in further escrow being held back without much promise for recovery.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Washington Capitals

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on.

What are the Capitals most thankful for?

Time.  While many expected that they would take a step back following several key departures over the offseason, not many believed that they would find themselves battling tooth and nail for the last Wild Card spot in the East through the first quarter of the season.  While they’re not scoring like they once were, they’re still in the upper half of the league but keeping pucks out of their net has been an issue.  Fortunately, with 60 games left in the season, there is plenty of time to turn things around.

Who are the Capitals most thankful for?

You can’t go far in a discussion like this without mentioning Alex Ovechkin.  He’s on pace to surpass 70 points once again and should find himself near the top of the goal scoring race league-wide once again as well.  Top goal getters typically are prone to be streaky but Ovechkin’s ability to be among the best year in and year out is a rarity and is certainly something that every team around the league is envious of.

Oct 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA;Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsWith some of their departures on the back end, Washington has asked John Carlson to take on even more of the workload.  Suffice it to say, he has delivered so far.  Not only does he lead all of their blueliners in scoring with 17 points (12 more than the next highest in Madison Bowey), he sits second in the league in average ice time at 27:01 per game.  For perspective, he has only averaged more than 24 minutes a night once in his career.  They can’t ask for much more from him.  (Undoubtedly, he is certainly thankful about being in this situation with unrestricted free agency on the horizon in July as well.)

[Related: Capitals Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?

Cap space.  Washington went into the season with very little wiggle room and have whittled that down to practically nothing.  As things currently stand, they’re projected to have $7,514 in cap space at the trade deadline per CapFriendly.  That equates to enough room to call up a player making the league minimum salary for all of two days.  It’s hard to fix any issues a team has when they simply don’t have any money to do so.  GM Brian MacLellan is going to have to find a way to get creative here.

What should be on the Capitals’ Holiday Wish List?

While Washington’s attack isn’t as threatening as it once was, it’s still good enough to hold its own at the very least.  The defense, however, is another story.  They need someone that can safely log 20 minutes a night.  Unfortunately, those players are typically pretty tough to acquire before even getting into that cap situation.  It’s going to take a team that’s willing to trade one of those that is willing to retain considerable salary while taking on basically the same amount of money from whatever player(s) go the other way.  The Capitals can have that on their wish list right now but it’s likely something they’re going to have to wait for until closer to the trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Rask, Bogosian, Canadiens

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Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask is off to a particularly rough start this season.  He has posted a 2.89 GAA and a .897 SV% through a dozen starts and, at least for the time being, has been passed by Anton Khudobin on the depth chart who makes his third straight start tonight.  Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston posits that the slow start on top of the last two seasons being below Rask’s usual standard is a sign that he should no longer be considered their goalie of the long-term future.

However, they have Khudobin and Zane McIntyre behind him and neither figure to be the solution either.  Rask is signed through 2020-21 with a $7MM cap hit which could make him difficult to trade if he can’t get back to form in the coming weeks unless they want to take a similarly-priced underachieving netminder in return.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bruins target a young goalie either through the draft or via trade to start to position themselves for the post-Rask era, whenever that day happens to come.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian is nearing a return to the Buffalo lineup, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. He has yet to play this season after suffering a lower-body injury in their preseason finale back on September 29th.  Originally, the injury wasn’t believed to be serious but Bogosian acknowledged he wound up delaying his own return by pushing too hard trying to return to the lineup the first time.  Considering how long he has been off, he’s still likely a week or so away as he will need several practices with the team before getting the green light but his pending return should still be a boost to a Buffalo lineup that has been injury-riddled on the back end this season.
  • Although the Canadiens find themselves close to the basement in the East, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that they don’t plan to move any draft picks at this time in an effort to add some help. Particularly noteworthy is that they have two second-round picks already with a good chance at a third (which they will get back if Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev plays 40 NHL games this season) which will give them some ammunition to work with at the draft in June or if GM Marc Bergevin has a change of heart and decides to put some picks in play.

Blue Jackets Have Been Discussing Trades Involving Ryan Murray

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Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray has been in the rumor mill for several years now and it doesn’t appear like that will be changing anytime soon.  In an appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger noted that Murray has been involved in multiple trade discussions in recent months.

Earlier this season, Dreger reports that Murray was part of the ongoing trade talks with Colorado regarding center Matt Duchene.  Obviously, the two sides weren’t able to work out an agreement and Duchene was later dealt to Ottawa.

Going back to the draft in June, Dreger suggests that at that time, Columbus was willing to accept a “top pick” in exchange for Murray.  Exactly how early in the draft that was wasn’t disclosed but it shows that moving on from the second overall pick in 2012 is something that has been seriously considered.

While nothing materialized in either of those cases, it was reported a couple of weeks ago that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is ready to move one of their blueliners with the target still being a top-six center.  With players like Seth Jones and Zach Werenski clearly not going anywhere and others like Gabriel Carlsson not having enough experience to command a return like that, there aren’t many options that could realistically be in play beyond Murray.  David Savard has struggled this season while Jack Johnson is a pending unrestricted free agent so neither of them will likely bring a top-six pivot back either.

That leaves Murray, who is in the final year of his contract that carries a $2.825MM cap hit which also doubles as his qualifying offer in June.  While he may not be able to live up to his draft billing, he has shown himself to be a capable top-four defender who can be used in a shutdown role.  Whether that’s good enough to be the centerpiece of a trade to get that desired center remains to be seen but it certainly appears that Murray will continue to be in trade speculation for the foreseeable future.

Red Wings Notes: Abdelkader, Frk, “Relentless Hockey”

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Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader was one of many players the organization needed to rebound this season for the team to improve. MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that this is exactly what has happened so far this season as Abdelkader has 14 points (4-10) and has notched a point in nine of his last ten games. The 30-year-old winger was the subject of fan derision after struggling last season, which followed the signing of his seven-year, $29.8MM contract. Abdelkader was rewarded for his strong play while on a line with Pavel Datsyuk, and many pointed to his performance as being tied solely to Datsyuk. Healthier this season, Abdelkader has shown why the Red Wings invested so much in him. If he can stay healthy, he’s on pace for 57 points.

  • Right Wing Martin Frk is still at least a week away from returning according to Khan. The right-hand shot with a booming slapper has been one of many bright spots on the Red Wings roster, especially helping a power play that languished last season. The 24-year-old has nine points (6-3) in 18 games this season.
  • The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that Detroit wants to play “relentless hockey” so they’re not suddenly looking up at a gap in the standings. Currently, the Wings are third in the Atlantic and face the flailing Edmonton Oilers tonight, who are reeling after an 8-3 loss to St. Louis last night. It was the Oilers, St. James writes, that spurred the Red Wings current 4-1-1 run. Head coach Jeff Blashill stressed the importance of staying out of the defensive zone, a problem that saw them blow a 3-1 lead Sunday night and eventually lose 4-3 in overtime. Blashill also told St. James that it’s important to play every game “relentlessly,” a necessity in a league where a playoff spot could literally be decided by a regulation win.

Central Notes: Tarasenko, Jets, Bouma

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The St. Louis Blues extended the Edmonton Oilers’ misery with an 8-3 beating on Tuesday night. But who would have thought the beating would have come not only from the blades of the stick, but from Vladimir Tarasenko’s fists, too? The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann highlights that Tarasenko’s Gordie Howe hat trick last night was just another sign that the Russian superstar is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the Blues as the top of the Western Conference. Tarasenko, along with winning the fight, added two goals, two helpers, and inspired the bench with his willingness to drop the gloves. Though its still early in the season and teams can fade down the stretch, there’s no denying that this tight-knit Blues squad is doing everything right so far.

  • The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn writes (paid content)  that no one saw the Winnipeg Jets being a top-five team at the start of the season. Even with a 79% chance to make the playoffs, according to Luszczyszyn’s projections, he does point out that some red flags exist despite the Jets’ hot start. Winnipeg is ranked in the bottom half of the league in Score-Adjusted Corsi. Additionally, as Luszczyszyn dives into the advanced stats, it reveals that the Jets are trending in the wrong direction statistically–indicating that the team is due to regress from its hot start. Luszczyszyn also presents some numbers that show a cause for concern about Blake Wheeler, who may be seeing his play decline at a quicker rate than many could have predicted.
  • Lance Bouma has been a great addition and his simple approach to the game is paying dividends for the Blackhawks writes the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus. Though his scoresheet stats aren’t exactly setting the league ablaze, it’s his defensive responsibility that is getting the attention. Lazerus reports that aside from the physical side of his game, it’s his ability to advance the puck out of trouble that has kept him as a mainstay in coach Joel Quenneville’s lineup. Bouma isn’t going to get fancy–instead he simply pushes to get the puck out of the defensive zone as quickly as he can. This simplicity, Lazerus writes, is something that some of his teammates could take note of.

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