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Snapshots: Doughty, Brind’Amour, Clarke

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Ahead of Tuesday night’s rivalry game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Kings activated defenseman Drew Doughty from injured reserve today, per a team tweet. Doughty is expected to draw back into his usual top-pairing role alongside Michael Anderson. He’s missed the last 16 games after a knee-on-knee collision with Dallas’ Jani Hakanpaa that the NHL Department of Player Safety deemed accidental. Prior to his injury, Doughty was off to a raucous start with seven points in just four games. Despite having three points in his first two NHL games, it appears as though Sean Durzi will come back out of the lineup to make room for Doughty. With Doughty back in the fold, the Kings will look to improve on their 9-8-3 record and make noise in what could be a very tight Wild Card battle in the Western Conference.

Some other news and notes from around the hockey world today:

  • According to a press release, the NHL fined Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour $25,000 today for inappropriate conduct during the team’s Sunday game against Washington. With 4:30 remaining in the third period, Brind’Amour could be seen pacing back and forth around the bench and yelling at the officials, although nothing’s known about what Brind’Amour actually said. He’s racking up a penchant for these fines, as a $25,000 punishment is becoming seemingly a yearly occurrence. The money from the fine will be donated to the NHL Foundation.
  • In a shocking move, Los Angeles Kings defense prospect Brandt Clarke, whom they drafted eighth overall in 2021, won’t be invited to Team Canada’s selection camp for the upcoming World Junior Championship as originally reported by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek. Clarke, who was named captain of the OHL’s Barrie Colts prior to the start of this season, is off to a torrid start with 23 points in just 17 games. Widely regarded as a top-five pick and one of the best defenders available, there was some surprise in the scouting community when Clarke fell to the Kings at eighth overall. The omittance of Clarke from the selection roster is even more shocking when considering his performance at other international tournaments for Canada, including a point-per-game effort last season at the under-18 World Juniors.

Logan Shaw Clears Waivers

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Nov 29: Shaw has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.

Nov 28: In addition to the Sharks’ Evander Kane hitting waivers today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Ottawa Senators are waiving forward Logan Shaw as well.

With forward Drake Batherson becoming the last Senator to be activated from COVID-19 protocol, Ottawa needed an additional roster spot with waiver claim Adam Gaudette joining the team.

Shaw’s gotten into 16 games with the Sens this season, scoring a goal and two assists while averaging just 9:26 of ice time per game. He spent the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, which is where he’ll be going if he clears waivers on Monday.

Shaw, a veteran of 231 NHL games with Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal, Anaheim, and Florida, is in the second year of a $1.45MM two-way contract.

Minor Transactions: 11/28/21

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It was a busy day for waiver and front office news, but the litany of transactions doesn’t stop at the NHL level. There have been a variety of transactions today at lower levels of North American hockey. We’ll keep track of those here:

  • The AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins have brought in forward Matt Berry on a professional tryout contract from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, per a team release. The 29-year-old ECHL veteran and Michigan State alumnus didn’t play in 2020-21 due to COVID, but has absolutely lit up the ECHL with nine goals and 15 assists through just 15 games with Toledo this season. Undrafted, the Canton, Michigan, native now gets a chance to impress in the Red Wings organization.
  • According to the ECHL’s transactions page, the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack recalled defenseman Jeff Taylor from the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen on Sunday. Taylor, originally a seventh-round draft choice by the Penguins in 2014, has failed to replicate the success he had in his first full professional season in 2017-18 after graduating from Union College. However, he’s had a hot start with eight points in 10 games for Jacksonville this season and will now look to try his luck again at the AHL level.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Scott Mellanby Resigns As Canadiens Assistant GM

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8:09 pm: The Canadiens have released a statement, confirming that Mellanby has resigned. The team thanks Mellanby for his work but says they have no further comment at this time.

6:49 pm: As originally reported by The Athletic’s Michael Russo, it appears Scott Mellanby will be resigning from his role as an assistant general manager for the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s one of the multiple reports surrounding the state of Montreal’s front office on Saturday night. Minutes before Russo’s report, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canadiens are requesting permission from the New York Rangers to speak with former general manager Jeff Gorton about a role within the organization. While nothing is confirmed, it’s rather logical to believe that they view him as a potential replacement for Mellanby.

Friedman says in his report that the team isn’t inquiring about Gorton with the intention of hiring him as general manager. Current boss Marc Bergevin is in the final season of his contract, and now TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the “widely held expectation inside the industry” is that the Habs will be hiring a French-speaking general manager to replace Bergevin. While Bergevin’s future with the team is still technically undecided, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that he won’t be back with the team after this season.

Mellanby likely won’t have any issue finding work elsewhere. He’s long been desired by other teams for roles, but Mellanby has opted to stay with the Canadiens when faced with the choice. A veteran of nearly 1,500 NHL games, the 55-year-old Mellanby has been with Montreal since the beginning of Bergevin’s tenure in 2012-13. He’s been the assistant general manager for the past eight of his ten seasons in Montreal.

The Canadiens are just 5-15-2, and their .273 points percentage is third-last in the league.

Philadelphia Flyers Move Patrick Brown To Injured Reserve

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The Philadelphia Flyers moved forward Patrick Brown to injured reserve today, per a team tweet. Brown suffered a dislocated thumb earlier in November and is week-to-week.

The last update surrounding Brown’s condition from head coach Alain Vigneault said that he’s still working with doctors to determine whether rehab or surgery is the best option for him moving forward.

In his place, the team’s recalled forward Max Willman from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, continuing what’s been a wild ride up and down for him this season.

The 29-year-old Brown is actually a six-year veteran in the NHL but he’s only gotten into games sparingly, playing a total of 39 and a career-high of 14 in 2016-17 with Carolina. He was claimed off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights at the beginning of the season and played only six games with the Flyers before the injury.

His last game was November 16th against Calgary, where he took just five shifts and played 2:18 before sustaining the dislocated thumb.

Kraken Captain Mark Giordano Enters COVID Protocol

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Seattle Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano has entered the NHL’s COVID protocol and is unavailable for Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, per a team tweet.

The 38-year-old Giordano hasn’t had the dreamiest season with his new Kraken club. He has seven points in 19 games on the season, but none in his last five. He’s seen his ice time dip to 20:52 per game this season, the lowest such mark for him in 12 seasons.

The former Norris Trophy winner was expected to be the biggest name on a strong defense in Seattle, but the team has struggled mightily out of the gate due to unexpectedly poor defense and goaltending. It’s likely that Haydn Fleury draws into the lineup in his place.

Giordano could potentially miss the team’s next five games if he’s absent for 10 days, and would miss four games if he’s absent for seven. Both of those timeframes include matchups against two of the league’s best in the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.

Poll: Which Thanksgiving Playoff Teams Will Fall Short In 2021-22?

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American Thanksgiving arrived on Thursday and with it a shadow that looms large in the NHL. As teams return to the ice on Friday, they have the specter of an unavoidable trend to contend with. Over the past eight years, the Thanksgiving standings have been over 75% accurate at forecasting eventual playoff teams, predicting at least 12 of 16 spots on average. Even though American Thanksgiving only rolls around less than two months into the season, at about the 30% mark, three out of four teams in a playoff spot at that time will have retained their postseason berth when the season ends.

Last year, adjusting for “Thanksgiving” being a games played average given the league’s delayed start, it was even more predictive. 14 of 16 teams in a playoff position on February 21 winded up making the postseason, with only the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars missing out.

As much as teams outside the playoff picture on Thanksgiving fear missing out when the pattern has been so unrelenting, those clubs can at least be fueled by the desire to buck the trend. The greater concern is for those teams currently in postseason position – and not wanting to be one of the select few who blow their playoff spot by years end.

Below are the current league standings (by points percentage):

Eastern Conference

A1. Florida Panthers (.816)
M1. Carolina Hurricanes (.806)
M2. Washington Capitals (.725)
M3. New York Rangers (.711)
A2. Tampa Bay Lightning (.694)
A3. Toronto Maple Leafs (.690)
W1. Columbus Blue Jackets (.647)
W2. Boston Bruins (.625)
New Jersey Devils (.588)
Pittsburgh Penguins (.579)
Philadelphia Flyers (.556)
Detroit Red Wings (.500)
Buffalo Sabres (.421)
New York Islanders (.375)
Montreal Canadiens (.286)
Ottawa Senators (.265)

Western Conference

P1. Edmonton Oilers (.737)
C1. Minnesota Wild (.658)
P2. Calgary Flames (.725)
C2. Colorado Avalanche (.656)
P3. Vegas Golden Knights (.600)
C3. St. Louis Blues (.579)
W1. Winnipeg Jets (.579)
W2. Anaheim Ducks (.575)
Nashville Predators (.553)
San Jose Sharks (.553)
Dallas Stars (.529)
Los Angeles Kings (.500)
Chicago Blackhawks (.368)
Vancouver Canucks (.350)
Seattle Kraken (.342)
Arizona Coyotes (.250)

Which playoff teams do you think will be the exception to the rule that is the NHL’s Thanksgiving trend, losing their spot over the remaining 70% of the season? Comment with which teams outside the top eight in each conference could steal a spot.

[mobile users vote here]

 

Adam Henrique Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique is out with an upper-body injury and has returned to Anaheim from the team’s road trip, per a Ducks tweet. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Henrique is in the midst of a wonderful bounce-back campaign after spending some time last season in the press box. Through 19 games, he’s third on the Ducks with 15 points (six goals, nine assists). His ice time has seen a significant uptick, too, playing 17:16 per game compared to 16:02 last season.

The 31-year-old native of Brantford, Ontario, scored his 200th NHL goal earlier this season, his 11th full one in the NHL. Prior to last season’s shortened 56-game schedule, Henrique had scored 40 or more points in seven consecutive seasons.

He’s been a big part of what’s been a resurgent season for a younger, faster, and better Anaheim Ducks team. While it doesn’t sound like his injury is serious, they’ll miss him for the next little while. Anaheim faces a pair of Canadian teams in Ottawa and Toronto next, before some in-division matchups against Los Angeles and Vegas.

Canada To Close Border To Unvaccinated Athletes

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As Coronavirus concerns persist, the clock is ticking for unvaccinated NHLers to travel freely across the Canadian border. The Canadian Press reports that the country has decided to end its current leniency toward athletes and will enforce its national COVID protocol. Beginning January 15, unvaccinated athletes will not be permitted to cross the border.

The announcement of this policy change came on Friday, as Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendocino stated that the border will be closing to unvaccinated and partially vaccinated athletes in the new year. It was Mendocino who worked through the details of the current national interest exemption, which allows unvaccinated professional and amateur athletes to travel across the border under conditions, but they will now repeal that agreement with the NHL, as well as the MLB, NBA, and MLS. While the stated purpose of the change is to align with the next stage of Canada’s COVID battle by improving vaccination rates, the requirement applies to athletes of all nationalities.

Fortunately, this should have a negligible effect on the NHL overall. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced at the beginning of the season that only four players on NHL rosters were unvaccinated. That number may need updating given roster transactions, but this policy change will still be of no concern to more than 99% of players. While the league has never formally revealed the names of those initial four names, Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi and New Jersey’s Mackenzie Blackwood had been individually confirmed and, if still not fully vaccinated, would not be permitted to travel to Canada after January 15 and per NHL rules could be suspended by their teams for those absences. However, those are the few cases of concern out of hundreds of NHL players, making this change of little consequence to the league.

Government Of Quebec Talks With NHL About Potential Nordiques Return

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On this week’s edition of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts intermission segment, Jeff Marek reported “public musings” from Quebec premier Francois Legault about the revival of the Quebec Nordiques, who played their last NHL season in 1994-95 before relocating to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche.

It continues what’s been a long-running push to bring NHL hockey back to Quebec City, but at virtually every point, the NHL has remained uninterested. While it’s unknown if their stance as changed, Legault has said publicly this week that the Quebec government plans to meet with commissioner Gary Bettman.

It’s strong messaging from Legault, who Marek reports went on to say that the government of Quebec would be willing to invest their capital in a project that would see the Nordiques return to Quebec. Marek notes that this project would be a consortium — rather, not a single investor or group that would be financially responsible for funding the team.

In terms of recent history, it seems unprecedented that a provincial government would provide significant financial backing for a professional sports team.

Marek reports that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirms that he’s spoken over the phone with Legault, and while Daly admits dialogue may continue, he says “[the league] is obviously pleased with what we have right now.”

It’s worth noting that Quebec City does have a suitable venue in place. The Videotron Centre, which opened in September 2015, has a capacity of 18,259 for ice hockey. That’s greater capacity than highly regarded NHL arenas such as Madison Square Garden, the fresh-off-the-press UBS Arena, T-Mobile Arena, and TD Garden.

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