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Archives for January 2019

PHWA Announces 2018-19 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, last season the Professional Hockey Writers Association brought back their Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who was leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
2. Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
3. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
2. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
3. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
2. Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
2. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
3. Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Barry Trotz, New York Islanders
2. Bill Peters, Calgary Flames
3. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning

GM of the Year Award

1. Brad Treliving, Calgary Flames
2. Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks
3. Lou Lamoriello, New York Islanders

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators
2. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. Robin Lehner, New York Islanders
2. Jeff Skinner, Buffalo Sabres
3. Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild

Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Central Division, here is a look at the Nashville Predators.

The core of the Nashville Predators remains unchanged since the team was a Stanley Cup finalist two years ago and are all signed long-term, likely keeping the Predators a contender for years to come. However, the team has shown a willingness to make moves at the deadline each year to maximize their odds of taking home the title during this stretch. Last season, GM David Poile made a whopping seven trades total, six of which came in the month of February, and notably added Kyle Turris and Ryan Hartman to the roster. While it’s doubtful that the team makes a similar number or caliber of deal this time around, expect the Predators to again be busy.

Record

29-18-4, second in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$29.88MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 44/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, FLA 3rd, COL 4th, NSH 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 6th, NSH 7th
2020: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, NSH 3rd, NSH 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 6th, NSH 7th

Trade Chips

More and more often, and specifically this season, it has become easier to identify the likely pieces that a trade deadline buyer is willing to give up to land a veteran player. Trade boards now include just as many young roster players and prospects from contenders as they do the typical rentals from sellers.

This is not the case for the Predators. There are no clear trade chips that Poile and company are actively using to bait teams into making a deal. However, there are plenty of players one could speculate that they will dangle.

Prospect defenseman Dante Fabbro definitely heads up that list. Fabbro, 20, is the junior captain of the Boston University Terriers and is developing into quite the two-way defenseman. Fabbro is on pace for the best offensive season of his collegiate career and looks likely to turn pro this off-season. However, three of the Predators’ famous top-four are all signed long-term, with Roman Josi likely to be extended, and the team has seven defensemen overall under contract for next season already. Fabbro does not have much opportunity to play in the NHL next season in Nashville, but many other teams would be happy to give the recent first-rounder guaranteed minutes as a rookie. Fabbro would undoubtedly be a valued piece on the market. To a lesser extent, so could BU teammate David Farrance and leading AHL defender Frederic Allard, who also lack a clear route to play time in Nashville and thus become expendable.

The Predators also have some intriguing young forwards, including several with NHL experience. The Predators are looking to add a forward or two at the deadline, making some current contributors superfluous. 25-year-olds Miikka Salomaki and Frederick Gaudreau have failed to make the most of ample opportunity this season and are part of why the need up front exists. The pair have combined for just ten points despite playing in the majority of Nashville’s games, but have shown great ability before. Both have another year left at a minimal cap hit, which would make them an even more attractive get for interested teams. Anthony Richard, the Milwaukee Admirals leading scorer, is another young forward who could garner some attention, as could University of Minnesota standout Rem Pitlick.

Five Players To Watch For: D Dante Fabbro, F Miikka Salomaki, D Frederic Allard, F Anthony Richard, F Rem Pitlick

Team Needs

1) Top-six Winger: Injuries to top-six forwards Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, and Kyle Turris this season have made it difficult to truly evaluate the Nashville offense. The team is still more than capable of scoring, currently 12th in goals per game, but there’s room for improvement. That includes on paper, as well.  Even once everyone is healthy, there still seems to be a gap in talent between Forsberg, Arvidsson, Turris, Ryan Johansen, and the rest of the roster. One of Kevin Fiala, Craig Smith, or the disappointing Ryan Hartman can surely continue to fill a second-line role, but the Predators could use an upgrade to round out the group. More specifically, the team is lacking size and grit up front and could use a power forward if possible. The Philadelphia Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds seems like a perfect fit and has already been linked to the team, while the Carolina Hurricanes’ Micheal Ferland and, if made available, the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider would also be ideal. Outside of bigger wingers, the New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello and the Detroit Red Wings’ Gustav Nyquist also make sense.

2) Depth Winger: Compared to their stellar defense and goaltending and even compared to their depth down the middle – Johansen, Turris, Colton Sissons, and Nick Bonino – winger is definitely the position of weakness for Nashville. Even if they do acquire a top target to fill a scoring line role, don’t be surprised to see Poile add another piece as well. The veteran GM showed a willingness to use the deadline to land a young forward last season in Hartman and could do the same this year. The last time the Predators bought low on a Washington Capitals forward, it worked out pretty well, making Andre Burakovsky an interesting target. The Vancouver Canucks’ Nikolay Goldobin is another intriguing possibility.

Ondrej Kase Out 5-6 Months With Torn Labrum

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The Anaheim Ducks’ playoff odds just took a major hit. The team has announced this evening that young forward Ondrej Kase suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder in last Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. The injury will require surgery, scheduled for next week, and Kase will miss the next five to six months for recovery. His season is over.

Kase, 23, had been on pace for the best season of his career despite missing 20 games already. In the 30 games he had played for the Ducks, Kase has registered 20 points and trailed only Ryan Getzlaf in points-per-game for the team. Kase is developing into dynamic right wing and a dependable one at that. In the first season of a three-year extension worth $2.6MM against the cap each year, Kase is already looking like an immense bargain for Anaheim. However, the concern moving forward is whether the upstart Czech winger can stay healthy.

Yet, the more pressing concern for the Ducks is their fate this season. GM Bob Murray has been busy lately reshaping his roster for a playoff push, but he likely won’t be able to replace Kase’s production internally and probably will be unwilling to pay the price to replace him via trade. Fortunately, Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves, and Jakob Silfverberg should all be back in the lineup sooner rather than later, providing a nice boost up front. However, Anaheim is one of seven teams currently competing for just two wild card spots in the Western Conference and likely needed their team at full strength – including Kase – to ensure they were able to secure a playoff berth. This injury could convince Murray to swing another deal or instead could switch the Ducks into selling mode. Only time will tell, but no good will come from losing the scoring punch that Kase provided.

Poll: Can The St. Louis Blues Make The Playoffs?

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Can the St. Louis Blues make the playoffs? The question seemed ludicrous just last month, when the team was four games under .500 and held the worst record in the Central Division. However, the Blues have points in seven of their past eleven games and are now comfortably within the playoff race for the final seed in the division or a wild card spot (even if it is an underwhelming race that The Athletic’s Tyler Dellow coined a “turtle derby”). So, could St. Louis actually pull off the in-season turnaround?

On paper, it may seem that their chances are still slim. The Blues are currently in 13th in the Western Conference with 47 points, five points back of a playoff spot, following a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. However, the perception of St. Louis has suffered for much of the season due to the fact that the Blues have played fewer games than most of the league. St. Louis has played in just 48 games this season, tied for the least in the NHL, and less than each of the seven teams in the wild card mix. In terms of points percentage, St. Louis is actually tied with the Edmonton Oilers at .490 and easily within striking distance of the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, and Vancouver Canucks. The team will need to string together a few wins to catch up with division foes in the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild, but it’s well within the realm of possibility. The Athletic’s model, updated daily by Dom Luszczyszyn, currently predicts that the Blues will finish tenth in the West, but just three points back of the Ducks for the eighth and final playoff spot.

However, can the Blues maintain their recent stretch of success? While the struggles of other contenders have made their modest improvement look impressive, the fact of the matter is that St. Louis is in the bottom-third of the league in both goals for and goals against per game. The team is still looking for improvement from many of its top players and have been unable to confidently rely on goaltender Jake Allen on an everyday basis. The roster undeniably has the talent to be better than they have so far this year, but there hasn’t been any reason to believe that a drastic change in fortunes is coming.

There’s also the matter of the impending trade deadline to consider. St. Louis has been a hot name on the rumor mill this year, including allegedly being open to trading stars like Alex Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Brayden Schenn. Even if their recent success has cooled off those talks, the Blues will still need to seriously consider offers for impending free agents like Jay Bouwmeester, Carl Gunnarsson, Patrick Maroon, and Jordan Nolan. At the same time, they seem unlikely to be buyers and other teams in the playoff race could outpace them if they decide to make additions while the Blues stay the course.

The fate of the Blues’ season remains a mystery. Is this the team many expected? Has their recent success been an accurate portrayal of their ability and has their games played disadvantage allowed them to lurk in the shadows as a legitimate playoff contender? Or is this simply the bad team that everyone saw at the beginning of the season, whose struggles are supported by the statistics? With a post-bye week slate of games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lighting, and Nashville Predators twice, we’ll soon know whether St. Louis is a contender or pretender. For now, what do you think?

Maple Leafs Watching Hurricanes Defense Closely

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The Toronto Maple Leafs need help on the right side of their defense. The Carolina Hurricanes have a surplus of right-handed defenders. That match has been obvious for so long that trade speculation has run through basically every single potential move, and yet no move has actually been completed. Still, the speculation will continue today after Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Maple Leafs had management members at the Carolina-Calgary game last night scouting the available defensemen—though he makes no mention of who those defensemen may be.

For that you have to look at the recent reporting from other sources, ones like Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic who recently wrote that the Hurricanes are willing to move a top-four defenseman before the deadline. Any of Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk could be considered top-four options (despite the obvious nature that not all three right-handed defensemen can technically be in the top-four), and any would fill a need for the Maple Leafs who have been searching for another quality option on the right side for some time. It’s no surprise that the team is watching Carolina closely, but there still isn’t any reporting that a deal is imminent between the two clubs.

There’s plenty of reasons why that may be the case. For one, the Maple Leafs don’t necessarily have a top-six forward to hand over given their recent struggles. William Nylander hasn’t yet been able to find his form since signing a big contract, and the team has now decided to put Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner together in order to try and spark something on offense. Add in that rookie Andreas Johnsson is dealing with a concussion and Patrick Marleau has taken a clear step backwards and the Maple Leafs might not be so quick to be trading away from their forward group at this point.

A top-six forward is what the Hurricanes have been looking for according to all reports, and not just a prospect that may contribute that kind of production in the future. The Hurricanes are now sitting just six points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and have made it clear that they want to win sooner rather than later with new owner Tom Dundon at the helm. Given that they’re probably going to have to trade away Micheal Ferland—currently second on the team in goals—if they can’t come to an extension in the next few weeks, adding future assets for their defensemen doesn’t really make sense if their target is the 2019 playoffs.

Teams break for the All-Star weekend after tonight’s games, and both Carolina and Toronto will also experience their CBA-mandated “bye week” after the festivities are over. That gives both clubs ample time to asses their rosters and determine what exactly they need to do moving forward. You can bet that as the calendar turns to February there will be more contact between the two teams, and more speculation from everyone else.

Four Players Added To AHL All-Star Rosters

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While the NHL All-Star Game has to deal with players pulling out due to injury, the AHL contest also has to deal with players being recalled at a moment’s notice. That forces the league to replace players regularly, and today they’ve added four new names to the upcoming event.

Jordan Szwarz, Christian Wolanin, Nathan Gerbe and Cooper Marody have all been added, given the lack of availability for Ryan Fitzgerald, Lawrence Pilut, Zac Dalpe and Conor Garland. Wolanin was just sent down by the Ottawa Senators today, just in time to play in the AHL even that takes place on Sunday and Monday. The full rosters now sit as follows:

Atlantic Division:

F Greg Carey, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Michael Dal Colle, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
F Colin McDonald, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Anthony Greco, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte Checkers
F Jordan Szwarz, Providence Bruins

D Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
D Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Trevor Carrick, Charlotte Checkers
D John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack

G Samuel Montembeault, Springfield Thunderbirds
G Vitek Vanecek, Hershey Bears

North Division:

F Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
F Alex Belzile, Laval Rocket
F Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
F Cory Conacher, Syracuse Crunch
F Nathan Gerbe, Cleveland Monsters
F Trevor Moore, Toronto Marlies
F John Quenneville, Binghamton Devils

D Christian Wolanin, Belleville Senators
D Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans
D Calle Rosen, Toronto Marlies

G MacKenzie Blackwood, Binghamton Devils
G Connor Ingram, Syracuse Crunch

Central Division:

F Joel L’Esperance, Texas Stars
F Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves
F Denis Gurianov, Texas Stars
F Jordan Kyrou, San Antonio Rampage
F Cal O’Reilly, Iowa Wild
F Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins
F Logan Shaw, Manitoba Moose

D Erik Brannstrom, Chicago Wolves
D Andrew Campbell, Rockford IceHogs
D Matt Donovan, Milwaukee Admirals

G Troy Grosenick, Milwaukee Admirals
G Kaapo Kahkonen, Iowa Wild

Pacific Division:

F Andrew Agozzino, Colorado Eagles
F Joseph Gambardella, Bakersfield Condors
F Cooper Marody, Bakersfield Condors
F Curtis Lazar, Stockton Heat
F Francis Perron, San Jose Barracuda
F Sheldon Rempal, Ontario Reign
F Troy Terry, San Diego Gulls

D Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
D Jacob Middleton, San Jose Barracuda
D Sean Walker, Ontario Reign

G Pavel Francouz, Colorado Eagles
G Josef Korenar, San Jose Barracuda

Four Roster Moves For St. Louis Blues

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The St. Louis Blues have made several roster moves as they prepare for their final game before the All-Star break. Zach Sanford and Tyler Bozak have both been activated from injured reserve, while Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan have been sent back to the minor leagues. Sanford and Bozak had been dealing with concussions.

St. Louis will take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight in a game that actually could have some playoff implications. The Blues have played better of late under head coach Craig Berube, and now sit just five points behind the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche for the wild card spots in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for the Blues there are four teams between them and those spots, one of which being the Ducks. They’ll need to win an awful lot of games like this down the stretch if they want to make a run for the postseason.

To do that they’ll need Bozak to play a bigger role than he did in the first half. Signed to a three-year $15MM contract in the offseason, the 32-year old center was handed a hefty amount of responsibility and minutes through the early part of the year. Unfortunately he has just 18 points through 39 games, not quite the level the Blues were hoping to get from the long-time Toronto Maple Leafs forward. Still, Bozak is as reliable as they come in the faceoff dot and could be a big part of a second half turnaround by St. Louis if they start getting reasonable goaltending and can get some sustained health.

Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Spooner Sent To AHL

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The Edmonton Oilers have made a change in the front office, and have also sent a pair of forwards to the minor leagues. Both Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Spooner have been assigned to the AHL today. The Oilers don’t play again until February 2nd, meaning this could simply be a cost-saving move, though CEO Bob Nicholson indicated in his press conference today that the team wants Yamamoto playing big minutes in the minor leagues in order to continue his development and “over-ripen” before returning to the NHL.

Yamamoto, 20, hasn’t even had much time to prove himself at all in the minor leagues yet. After spending nine games—over a full month—with the Oilers last season, he returned to the Spokane Chiefs for the rest of 2017-18 where he continued his dominance of the junior circuit. This season has been split up between the two professional leagues, playing 17 games with the Oilers and just 11 with the Bakersfield Condors. That’s an unusual development path for a 22nd-overall pick who are usually sent back to the junior level immediately before spending at least one full season in the minor leagues. The faith the Oilers have shown in him is unquestioned, but they now must do the best thing for his development instead of just their NHL club.

Spooner’s case is much different. The 26-year old forward was acquired by the Oilers in exchange for Ryan Strome earlier this season, but couldn’t find any sort of fit under Ken Hitchcock’s system. In 25 games with Edmonton Spooner has just three points, a far cry from his days as a 40+ point player in Boston and New York. Spooner’s contract still has another year on it at a $3.1MM cap hit, meaning more than $2MM will remain on the Oilers books even with him in the minors. It seems likely that the team will look to move him for some sort of a return if he’s not going to play for them moving forward.

Minor Transactions: 01/23/19

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Six games will finish up the unofficial first half of the season before teams break for the All-Star game in San Jose this weekend. Among those six is a must-see matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Nashville Predators, two teams battling for position in the Western Conference. It’s never a love affair when these clubs get together, and with a little extra time off after the game you can bet every player will leave it all on the ice tonight.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore under emergency conditions and will insert him into the lineup tonight over Andreas Johnsson. Johnsson suffered a concussion recently and will take the break to try and recover.
  • Christian Wolanin and Rudolfs Balcers have been returned to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators in order for them to continue playing over the break. It will also save the Senators some money given they’re on two-way contracts.
  • Similarly, the Calgary Flames have returned Juuso Valimaki and Andrew Mangiapane to the Stockton Heat for at least a few days, giving the young players a chance to stay fresh.
  • The San Jose Sharks have done the same by sending Dylan Gambrell and Jacob Middleton back to the minors, neither of whom are seeing much time in the NHL anyway.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have one more game tonight and have recalled Ryan Graves for it, sending Anton Linholm back down. Graves has impressed during his short stint with the Avalanche and may get a longer look in the second half of the season.
  • Marek Mazanec is on his way back to the minor leagues while Dustin Tokarski has been recalled. This was done in order to have both Mazanec and Alexander Georgiev in the minors over the break, meaning Tokarski will likely be on his way back down in a few days.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that defenseman Filip Hronek is headed back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The rookie blue liner has looked good in 23 NHL games this season and even better in 20 AHL games. He’ll spend some time in the minors while Detroit is on a break to keep the momentum of his season going.
  • Both Devon Toews and Michael Dal Colle are on their way down to the AHL, as the Islanders have opted to give them some work over the bye week. Both players have double-digit games played for the surging Isles this season and have carved out roles for themselves recently, despite having just four NHL games between them prior to this season. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers will be happy to have the two talented player back in the lineup for a short time.

Peter Chiarelli Fired By Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers have finally pulled the trigger, firing GM and President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli according to multiple reports including John Shannon of Sportsnet. Keith Gretzky will serve as interim GM as the team begins a search immediately for Chiarelli’s replacement.

It’s hard to find a more disappointing team than the Oilers the last few seasons, and Chiarelli is finally paying the price for that failure. Despite having arguably the best player in the world doing incredible things on a nightly basis, Edmonton now sits 23rd in the NHL and just six points from the bottom of the league. They dropped below .500 yesterday with a devastating loss to the Detroit Red Wings, though the move to fire Chiarelli was apparently made before the game.

That decision also comes just days after the Oilers puzzled the hockey world with a three-year extension for Mikko Koskinen, despite the goaltender having just 31 games of NHL experience. Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that the extension was negotiated by Chiarelli personally, a deal that was widely derided for being too expensive and premature. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the negotiations started in early December, with it being an “organizational plan” to extend the goaltender. CEO Bob Nicholson refuted the idea that Chiarelli completed the extension by himself, and expressed confidence in the goaltender going forward. Koskinen was in net last night against the Red Wings, allowing three goals on 27 shots.

Countless other moves from Chiarelli have been questioned, most notably the trades of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle that have not worked out well for the team. Hall went on to win a Hart Trophy with the New Jersey Devils, while the return for Eberle has dwindled into almost nothing with the team’s recent placement of Ryan Spooner on waivers. The Oilers have struggled to find offensive replacement for the talented wingers, and were rumored to be ready to make another deal to address that issue before the deadline.

Perhaps then this move comes as a precautionary measure by the upper management of the Oilers, who have taken the power away from a GM that was fighting to keep his job. Edmonton seemed to be in a playoffs-or-bust mode ever since the mid-season hiring of legendary head coach Ken Hitchcock, another move that has seemingly failed to breathe life into the roster.

Where the team turns now will be extremely interesting, as it’s not all rain clouds when looking towards the Oilers future. Connor McDavid is still just 22 years old and on pace to be one of the all-time scoring greats, while other talented prospects remain in the system. Though Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto haven’t been able to establish themselves as full-time NHL players, they still have more than enough time to grow into their roles. Evan Bouchard too looks like a solid pick for the team and is expected to be back in the NHL next season.

The biggest question now will be how the team deals with the rest of the 2018-19 season. They are obviously struggling to keep up with the rest of the playoff pack in the Western Conference, and may need to try and reset the roster somewhat over the next few months. The team is pushed right up against the cap and already has almost $73MM committed to next season. Getting out from under some of their big-money deals might be job number one for the next GM, in order to rebuild the roster with a group that can complement McDavid’s speed and skill.

Early candidates for the job have already been speculated on, including Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) listing Kelly McCrimmon (Vegas Golden Knights AGM), Mark Hunter (London Knights GM), Ken Holland (Red Wings GM) and several others as names to consider.

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