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Archives for December 2018

Joel Eriksson Ek Assigned To Iowa Wild

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The Minnesota Wild haven’t received the expected contributions from their young players this year, and again have given one the opportunity to find his game in the minor leagues. Earlier this year the team sent Jordan Greenway to the Iowa Wild to spark his confidence, and this time it’s Joel Eriksson Ek headed to the AHL. Eriksson Ek has played just nine minor league games in his short career, spending most of his time in North America in Minnesota with the NHL squad.

It’s hard to know exactly what the 21-year old forward is at this point, after 125 mostly disappointing performances for Minnesota. Given every opportunity to take the third line center role and run with it, Eriksson Ek has just 28 points over those 125 games (playoffs included) and has been a no-show for long stretches. Selected 20th overall in 2015 there were big plans for the Swedish forward, but he hasn’t been able to fulfill any of his promise.

Now the Wild have a decision to make on how to best develop their young talent, given he is clearly not progressing while in the NHL. Hopefully a short stint in the minor leagues will kick-start his game, but if it doesn’t what comes next? Minnesota finds themselves slipping out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference after a five-game losing streak has dropped them to 17-16-3 on the season and there have been rumors all year about changes coming up front. Perhaps the best course for Eriksson Ek is to spend the rest of the year, or at least a substantial part of it in the minor leagues to really refine his game. It’s clearly not working for him or the team at the NHL level right now.

David Backes To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety is back on the job after the holiday season, and have some work to do today. The league announced that Boston Bruins forward David Backes will have a hearing today with the DoPS regarding his illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Blake Coleman last night. As Coleman was moving the puck out of the slot, Backes tried to deliver a clean check but appeared to catch the head of the New Jersey player. A similar play resulted in a two-game suspension recently for San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, and could lead to some more time off for Backes.

Backes was suspended just last March for three games following his hit on Frans Nielsen of the Detroit Red Wings, making him a repeat offender in the eyes of the league and open to additional punishment. The physical veteran forward hasn’t been able to add much offensively this season, but still provides some stability in the Boston bottom-six and a respected leader on the bench.

The Bruins already have to make a decision today on who to send down, given they are currently over the roster limit of 23 players. That was allowed during the holiday freeze, but not any longer. A suspension for Backes doesn’t remove him from that number, meaning the team will have to play a man down for the next few games depending on how long the ban is.

Coaching Notes: Robinson, Huffman, Ruutu

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When the St. Louis Blues removed Mike Yeo as head coach last month and replaced him with assistant Craig Berube in the interim, experienced hockey mind Larry Robinson left his front office post to assist with the transition behind the bench. Robinson, the Blues’ Senior Consultant to Hockey Operations, took over as an temporary assistant coach, with GM Doug Armstrong noting that it would be for “three weeks to a month”. The brief change of duties lasted a bit longer than expected, but St. Louis has now announced that Robinson has returned to his front office role. A legendary player with the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings, Robinson was a nine-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Norris Trophy recipient, and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and holds the NHL record for plus/minus at +730. Robinson was also a member of the New Jersey Devils coaching staff that won three Stanley Cups in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. While his coaching experience was surely a big help in the successful changeover process behind the St. Louis bench, the team clearly wants to make use of his full set of hockey knowledge back up in the front office.

  • Another interim head coach, Scott Gordon of the Philadelphia Flyers, left an opening at the AHL level, where he had been the head coach of team’s minor league affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. When Gordon was promoted earlier this month, assistant Kerry Huffman took over temporarily while the organization decided on its next steps. Today, the Phantoms announced that the decision has been made to keep Huffman as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Huffman has been an assistant for the Lehigh Valley for three years after making a big jump from the junior level as the head coach of the NAHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. He also skated in more than 400 NHL games with the Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, and Ottawa Senators, bringing ample experience as a pro player. The Flyers have brought in some outside help for Huffman though, adding that Terry Murray has returned to the organization as an assistant for the Phantoms for the rest of the year. Murray, a long-time NHL and AHL coach, has previous stints as the head coach of the Flyers as well as the Phantoms, not to mention time as the bench boss for the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, and Los Angeles Kings. Murray brings an incredible amount of experience and intelligence to Lehigh Valley which should help the team and its young players through this transition.
  • One of the more recognizable names at the ongoing World Junior Championships is not on the ice, but behind the bench. Team Finland counts recent NHLer Tuomo Ruutu as one of their assistants at the tournament, which by all accounts is Ruutu’s first official coaching experience. Ruutu, 35, last played in the NHL in 2015-16 and retired from playing after a year abroad in the NLA in 2016-17. A veteran of 735 NHL games, Ruutu was a hard-working, intelligent two-way player over many seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils. Ruutu has all the makings of a good coach and it will be interesting to see where the next stage of his hockey career goes after this World Juniors experience.

2018 Year In Review: April

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2018 has been quite a busy year in the hockey world.  There have been several big trades and free agent signings, plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more.  Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis.  Next up is a look back at April, a month that featured a lot of activity off the ice including the Draft Lottery.

Coaching Departures: It was noteworthy that there weren’t any coaching changes made during the regular season.  That changed quickly.  The Rangers relieved Alain Vigneault of his duties as head coach while the Flames did the same with Glen Gulutzan.  Meanwhile, Ken Hitchcock retired from coaching, a decision that wound up not lasting very long.  Bill Peters decided to exercise his opt-out in Carolina but was only out of work for a few days as he wound up joining Calgary to be their new bench boss.

Extension For Raanta: The Coyotes were quite pleased with what they had seen from goaltender Antti Raanta when he was healthy and opted to sign him to a three-year, $12.75MM contract extension.  Less than two months after acquiring and extending Darcy Kuemper, it looked as if Arizona had found some stability between the pipes.  Unfortunately for them, Raanta has had issues staying in the lineup again this season and after just a dozen games, his 2018-19 campaign appears to be over due to a lower-body injury.

Sedins Announce Retirement: While there had been some speculation that Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin might stick around for another year and sign new deals in Vancouver, they instead decided to hang up their skates, announcing their decision just days before the end of the season.  The twins played together with the Canucks for their entire NHL career (spanning 17 years) after Brian Burke managed to make some moves in order to select both of them at the draft back in 1999.  Between them, the Sedins have Vancouver’s franchise records in games played, goals, assists, points, plus/minus, game-winning goals, and shots (among several other categories).

Executives On The Outs: There weren’t just changes made behind the bench as a pair of teams decided to go in a different direction with their GM.  Toronto opted to continue with their plan to make Lou Lamoriello a consultant while Minnesota chose not to renew Chuck Fletcher’s contract.  Meanwhile, shortly after promoting Ron Francis to President of Hockey Operations, the Hurricanes fired him even with the team still in the middle of their search for a new GM.

Lundqvist Declined A Trade: With the Rangers in rebuilding mode, there were questions about what Henrik Lundqvist’s future with the only NHL team he’s ever known would be.  It turns out that the team had a trade in place involving the 36-year-old but Lundqvist declined the move, instead wanting to see things through.  The veteran isn’t the elite netminder he once was but is off to a pretty good start to his season on a New York team that’s still hanging around the postseason picture.  He has two years remaining on his contract after this one with an AAV of $8.5MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Tampa Bay Lightning

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With the holiday season now here, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Click here for the other articles in this series. 

What are the Lightning most thankful for?

A dominant forward group that is among the best in the league.  Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are franchise forwards, Brayden Point is heading in that direction if he can keep up his level of play, while Tyler Johnson, J.T. Miller, Yanni Gourde, and Ondrej Palat are all capable top-six forwards.  This group has led Tampa Bay to become the highest scoring team in the league this season by a fairly sizable margin.  They have high-end skill and the depth that few teams can match which is going to make them tough to beat when the playoffs come around.

Who are the Lightning most thankful for?

There are a lot of players they’re thankful for but Kucherov stands atop the list.  His 100-point season came as a bit of a surprise last season after not really approaching that mark but instead of taking a step back, he is on an even more impressive pace, averaging better than 1.5 points per game to sit second in league scoring.  He can carry his own line, allowing the Lightning to run two extremely strong scoring units.

They’re also quite thankful for both his current contract and his future one.  Kucherov is in the final year of an extremely underpriced bridge deal that sees him rank sixth among Tampa forwards in terms of cap hit.  That’s allowing them to have the flexibility to add to this roster before the trade deadline.  He earned a major raise on his new deal that kicks in next year at a $9.5MM AAV but that’s still well below the cost that some expect some of the top RFA forwards to get this summer while also checking below some of the top contracts handed out in recent years.  It’s hard to call $9.5MM a bargain but if Kucherov continues to produce like he has, it will turn out to be one.

What would the Lightning be even more thankful for?

Mikhail Sergachev emerging into a legitimate top-four defenseman.  There is a substantial drop-off on their back end past Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Anton Stralman and veterans like Dan Girardi and Braydon Coburn are what they are at this stage of their careers.  Sergachev becoming a regular top-four player would really allow them to lean heavily on their top two pairings come playoff time and lessen the reliance on their depth veterans.  Beyond this season, Stralman is set to become an unrestricted free agent and they will be in tough to keep him around so they will be counting on the 20-year-old to fill that spot in the very near future.  If he can get to that level in the second half of 2018-19 though, they’ll be even more dangerous in the postseason.

What should be on the Lightning’s Holiday Wish List?

If Sergachev isn’t ready for a full-time slot in the top four, GM Julien BriseBois may look to try to add depth to that position.  Considering that three of their top six are UFAs in July, they’re not forced to look just at veteran rentals; it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to target a young, cost-controlled player that will be part of the core beyond this season.

However, payroll room is going to be an issue for next season and beyond.  With that in mind, BriseBois will likely be looking for opportunities to free up some salary cap space after this season.  Veteran Ryan Callahan has long been speculated as someone that they will eventually look to move while Alex Killorn could be deemed expendable with the way youngsters like Mathieu Joseph have performed this season.  They won’t be forced to make this type of move by the deadline but if the opportunity presents itself to free up some space without significantly hurting their roster, expect them to take it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jake Guentzel Signs Five-Year Extension With Pittsburgh Penguins

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Christmas has come just a couple of days late for Jake Guentzel, but he isn’t complaining. The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed the forward to a five-year extension worth $30MM. Guentzel was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, but will now be with the team at least through the 2023-24 season at a cap hit of $6MM. He will become the team’s fourth highest-paid forward behind only Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel.

CapFriendly reports the breakdown of the contract is as follows:

2019-20: $7MM
2020-21: $5MM
2021-22: $7MM
2022-23: $5MM, 12-team no-trade clause
2023-24: $6MM, 12-team no-trade clause

At first blush the contract may seem steep because it vaults Guentzel into the upper echelon of salaries in the league—only 61 forwards in the entire NHL carry a $6MM cap hit this season—but there is certainly reason to believe that the third-round pick deserves every penny. Selected 77th overall in 2013 out of the USHL, Guentzel then attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha for three seasons where he refined his game and started showing his innate ability to perform in the most important moments. Leaving school after three seasons to join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Guentzel led the AHL team in scoring during the playoffs with 14 points in 10 games.

The undersized but fearless forward would eventually make his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season and score on his first shift (and his first shot), and end up as a key contributor down the stretch. Once again Guentzel would come through in the playoffs, leading the team with 13 goals en route to a Stanley Cup. That performance was improved upon the following spring, when he recorded 21 points in 12 games only to be knocked out in the second round. The young forward had certainly cemented himself as one of the most important players on the Penguins, if only for his postseason performances.

Still, there was obviously still some work to do in the regular season. Guentzel had struggled at times during his first full year, registering only 48 points in 82 games last season despite seeing time with future Hall of Fame players. Any doubts the team had in him have been put to rest this year, as the 24-year old has 33 points through 36 games and is averaging more ice time than even Kessel. GM Jim Rutherford explained exactly how the young forward has developed over the last few years:

Jake established himself as an impact player for our team from the beginning, especially during 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. He has become a core player on the team and we are thrilled to get Jake signed long-term with the Penguins.

Despite only just coming off his entry-level contract, Guentzel was going to be eligible for salary arbitration this summer and would have had a good case for a huge raise. He also is much closer to unrestricted free agency than most players signing their second contract, meaning this deal will actually buy out two UFA seasons. At the pace he’s going, those unrestricted free agent years would have been worth much more than $6MM, explaining how the Penguins came to the $30MM number.

In fact, with the salary cap expected to rise again next season and recent contracts like the one William Nylander signed setting the market, $6MM actually may be a bit of a bargain for the Penguins. Even so, it will almost surely force them to make some tough decisions at other spots on the roster given that they have nearly $80MM tied up in 15 players for next year including Justin Schultz’ $5.5MM cap hit that is currently sitting on long-term injured reserve. With Zach-Aston Reese, Juuso Riikola and Marcus Pettersson all still scheduled for restricted free agency, there may not be any room to re-sign names like Derick Brassard or Casey DeSmith.

Regardless, the team now has a core player locked up long-term in Guentzel and will continue to find ways to build around him. If his playoff performance continues, there’s no telling how valuable he could really become.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2020 All-Star Game To Be Held In St. Louis

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Earlier today the NHL announced the captains for the upcoming 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose, and now Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic has discovered where the event will be held next season. The 2020 game is expected to be held at the Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues.

It had been rumored for quite some time that St. Louis was trying to secure an All-Star game in one of the next two seasons, and this way will be in no danger of missing out to a work stoppage. Next year is the final guaranteed season under the current CBA, given the opt-out dates in September 2019 that could cause a problem for the 2020-21 season. That’s a long way away still, and right now Blues fans should be focused on the league’s brightest stars coming to town to celebrate the NHL.

While it’s obviously a great achievement for any NHL city to host the All-Star game, it does put even more pressure on the Blues to be competitive next season. They’ll want to be well represented by players from their roster, something that may not necessarily happen this season. Ryan O’Reilly has a good shot at being selected up front, but with the down year from Vladimir Tarasenko and recent injury to Alex Pietrangelo, O’Reilly could be the lone representative.

The St. Louis area is a hotbed for hockey in the United States, and has continued to produce NHL players throughout the years. It will be interesting to see if Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are able to put together seasons deserving of selection next year, given their ties to and popularity in St. Louis.

Michal Cajkovsky Expected To Return To KHL

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Though he played in the Charlotte Checkers most recent game, Michal Cajkovsky may be leaving the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Today Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Cajkovsky is set to sign a contract with Dynamo Moscow for the remainder of the season. It’s not clear if the Hurricanes will loan him there or agree to terminate his contract, but either way it would likely mean an exit from the organization by the end of the season given that he is a pending unrestricted free agent. If they are terminating his contract, they would have to wait until tomorrow to place him on unconditional waivers given the current NHL roster freeze that will end tonight.

Cajkovsky, 26, signed a one-year contract with the Hurricanes in September after impressing on a professional tryout, but has spent the entire year in the minor leagues with the Checkers. Though the 6’4″ 239-lbs defenseman offers size and physicality, he’s stuck in an organization that has incredible depth at the NHL level and rarely presents an opportunity to get any real ice time at that level. In 26 games with the Checkers he has registered four points.

It wasn’t the first North American attempt for the big Slovakian defender, as Cajkovsky actually played three years in the OHL and then spent two seasons in the minor leagues split between the ECHL and AHL. He competed last year in the Olympics for Slovakia, and suited up for his second consecutive World Championship. If he does return to the KHL, he’ll be going back to a league where he found quite a bit of success, registering 36 points over 67 games.

Goalie Notes: Price, Bachman, Hill

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The Montreal Canadiens announced today that starting goaltender Carey Price will not travel with the team to Florida as he deals with a lower-body injury, something that immediately set off alarm bells among the fan base. Price has dealt with several lower-body issues over the last few seasons that kept him from playing up to his potential, something that certainly still hasn’t been reached this season. The 31-year old goaltender now carries a .904 save percentage on the season which, while better than last year’s totals, is simply not good enough for the Canadiens to really challenge for a top spot in the Atlantic Division.

In Price’s place, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports speculates that Michael McNiven will be recalled given Charlie Lindgren is dealing with an injury of his own. McNiven has an .884 save percentage in 12 AHL games this year, and still hasn’t made his NHL debut. That leaves Antti Niemi as the goaltender to carry the load until Price can return, whenever that may be.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have some enviable minor league goaltending depth, but Thatcher Demko may have to carry even more weight for the Utica Comets going forward. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet tweets that Richard Bachman could be out long-term with an Achilles injury, meaning Dmitri Kulbakov will be the backup tonight. Kulbakov has been bouncing between the ECHL and AHL this year, but could end up sticking with the Comets depending on what Vancouver does to address the injury.
  • Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes once again, giving them three goaltenders on the current roster. Amazingly Calvin Pickard hasn’t played in a single game for the team since being claimed a month ago, while they continue to give opportunities to the young Hill. He’s done well with those spots, but one has to wonder how long the team will continue to employ three without giving Pickard any work. He very well could find himself on waivers for the third time this season in the near future. Arizona also recalled Michael Bunting and Conor Garland, who had been sent down as a cost saving measure over the holidays.

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