The past seven days featured quite a few newsworthy headlines around the league which are highlighted in the top stories of the week.
Extension For Chayka: Coyotes GM John Chayka has made several big moves since taking over as the youngest GM in NHL history back in 2016 and while some haven’t quite worked out, enough have to the point where there is optimism about the present and future in Arizona. Team owner Alex Meruelo clearly is pleased with the direction of the franchise as the team signed Chayka to a long-term extension (the term of the deal was not disclosed). He still had a year and a half left on his original contract. The Coyotes haven’t made the postseason since the 2011-12 campaign but are in good shape as we approach the quarter-point of the season as they sit second in the Pacific Division.
Crosby Out For A While: The Penguins have been hit hard by injuries in the early going this season and just as they were starting to return to full health, the injury bug struck again. This time, they’ll be without center Sidney Crosby for a while after he underwent core muscle surgery to help deal with a sports hernia that he was dealing with since training camp. He will miss a minimum of six weeks. His absence is a major blow to their attack as one of the top players in the league while logging over 20 minutes a night. Evgeni Malkin will be counted on to help try to pick up the slack in Crosby’s absence.
Puljujarvi Staying Overseas: The short-term future of Oilers RFA winger Jesse Puljujarvi has been in question for a while now and with the December 1st signing deadline approaching, his name could pop up in more trade speculation before too long. However, Puljujarvi has indicated that his intent is to stay with Karpat of the SM-liiga for the remainder of the season. He has fared quite well offensively with them so far, posting 11 goals and 12 assists in 20 games and staying there may be the best option for his long-term development. However, if he isn’t coming back to the NHL in 2019-20, it’s also difficult to envision a team paying full value for his services. Unless he has a change of heart, this could drag out into next offseason.
Kovalchuk Benched Indefinitely: Year one of Ilya Kovalchuk’s NHL return didn’t go too well. Year two isn’t going any better as the Kings have informed the veteran winger that he will be made a healthy scratch for the foreseeable future. He will be permitted to practice with the team though. Kovalchuk has nine points in 17 games so far this season but has struggled to keep up with the quicker pace of the NHL. He’s owed the second half of his 2019-20 signing bonus (a $2.65MM payment) on December 15th which means all he’ll be owed after that is a pro-rated league minimum salary. But with a $6.25MM cap hit on the books for next season as well, his trade value will be quite limited at best.
Luongo Back To Florida: Roberto Luongo’s time away from the Panthers wasn’t very long. He has rejoined the franchise but not as a player. Instead, he has been named as a special advisor to GM Dale Tallon. While Florida (and Vancouver) are being charged with salary cap recapture penalties that came about when he retired with three seasons left on his front-loaded contract, they will not receive any relief even though he’s being paid by the organization that he retired from.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.