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Archives for December 2019

What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Rangers

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the New York Rangers.

What are the Rangers most thankful for?

A stable of quality young talent.  Up front, Kaapo Kakko leads a strong group with players like Filip Chytil and Brett Howden holding down regular roles despite being 21 or younger.  On defense, Ryan Lindgren, Adam Fox, and Libor Hajek have all basically assumed regular roles and they’re all 21.  (K’Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist give them a pair of quality youngsters in the system as well.)  Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin are a little older (23) and give them what looks like will be a viable NHL tandem in the not-too-distant future.  The youth movement is in full effect and the early returns are certainly promising.

Who are the Rangers most thankful for?

Beyond their young core, they’re quite thankful for Artemi Panarin.  A winger in the prime of his career, he chose to join the Rangers even though they’re not quite at the point where they’re ready to contend.  There certainly hasn’t been an adjustment period as the 28-year-old is already on pace to set new career highs in goals and points and as some of their young talent matures around him, there’s certainly cause for optimism that he has a few more years like this in him.  Yes, the price tag is steep (it broke the record for the highest cap hit for a winger) but with his addition, they have a legitimate star to build around up front.

What would the Rangers be even more thankful for?

A bit more bang for their buck from their defensive veterans.  Jacob Trouba hasn’t quite lived up to his high price tag yet while Marc Staal, their second-highest-paid defenseman, has been a healthy scratch at times this season.  Meanwhile, Brendan Smith, who carries a $4.35MM cap hit, is being deployed as a fourth line winger and only playing his natural position in penalty kill situations or if someone gets injured.  That’s a fair bit of money tied up in players that aren’t quite pulling their weight.  With Kevin Shattenkirk’s buyout charge jumping to over $6MM next season, that could become more of a concern unless there are some improvements on the back end.  Otherwise, a buyout of Staal or Smith could be on the horizon.

What should be on the Rangers’ Holiday Wish List?

A resolution on the Chris Kreider front, one way or another.  If they can agree on an extension, that’s fine but if not, keeping him healthy to draw a sizable return on the trade front will be at the top of their list.  Finding a justifiable return for Lias Andersson, who left AHL Hartford and demanded a trade last weekend, is also on the list.  It’s one thing for him to want a trade but considering he’s just three years removed from being the seventh-overall selection, GM Jeff Gorton is going to have a reasonably high asking price.  If he can get a good return on both players, it will be a successful next couple of months for the Rangers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Sign Aidan Dudas

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The Kings have put pen to paper on a deal with one of their better prospects; they announced that they have signed center Aidan Dudas to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick (113th overall) of Los Angeles back in 2018 but he has outperformed his draft status.  He’s off to a strong start to his season with Owen Sound of the OHL with 30 points (11-19-30) in 23 games which helped him earn a spot with Team Canada at the World Juniors.  They had until June 1st to get a deal done before they would have lost his draft rights.

While the contract will officially start this season, Dudas is eligible to have his contract slide a year unless he manages to get 10 or more games in with the Kings between now and the end of the season, a scenario that’s extremely unlikely as he could only be recalled on an emergency basis.  If his junior campaign ends early though, he could join up with their AHL team in Ontario for the second straight season; he had a pair of assists in six games with the Reign down the stretch in 2018-19.

Ilya Kovalchuk Now Ineligible To Play In KHL This Season

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While Ilya Kovalchuk is looking for his next place to play, we now know one place that he won’t be suiting up down the stretch and that’s the KHL.  Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko notes (Twitter link) that the deadline for him to sign in that league came and went today without a deal in place which makes him ineligible to play there for the rest of the season.

Kovalchuk has been believed to be seeking another NHL team so the fact that this window has come and gone would seemingly suggest that there’s at least some progress being made on a contract.  The unrestricted free agent is believed to have a few suitors although he’ll likely be looking at a league minimum deal or close to it.  If and when that happens, the Kings will not receive any cap relief on the $6.25MM that remains on their books.

The 36-year-old was relatively productive when he was in the lineup with Los Angeles earlier this season, collecting three goals and six assists in 17 games.  However, with the style of play getting faster and faster, Kovalchuk may not be an ideal fit for a lot of teams as he fares better with a bit slower of a pace.

Although his chance to go back home has come and gone, there’s still a long way to go before he gets into that situation in the NHL.  The deadline for him to sign an NHL deal and be playoff eligible is the February 24th trade deadline.

Brent Seabrook, Calvin De Haan Out For The Season

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Friday: In an update, the Blackhawks announced that both Seabrook and de Haan have undergone successful surgery. The recovery timeline for de Haan will be four to five months, while Seabrook’s will be revealed after he undergoes additional surgeries on his hips.

Thursday: The status quo in Chicago will shift dramatically when the team returns to action. The Blackhawks have announced that two of their starting defensemen will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. Both Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Seabrook will also have surgery on both hips. The duo have been placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve.

This singular announcement means that one-third of the Blackhawks’ starting blue line is now out of action for the rest of the year. Seabrook and de Haan are not exactly offensive dynamos, combining for just ten points so far this year. However, their defensive presence will be missed. De Haan leads the team in both hits and blocked shots, and Seabrook is among the the best on the team in both categories as well. The pair also chew up considerable minutes, with each averaging nearly 20 minutes per game this season. While Chicago is not without hope on the back end, with Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Olli Maatta, sand Erik Gustafsson still present on a deep unit, but these losses will nevertheless still be felt.

Also on the sidelines for Chicago is Brandon Saad, announced as missing the next three weeks with a right ankle injury. Saad, while underwhelming so far this season, is still the Blackhawks’ second-leading goal-scorer and fifth in points on the team. With the Blackhawks already in the basement of the Central Division and now missing Saad for several weeks and Seabrook and de Haan for the rest of the year, today’s announcement will more or less mark the end of Chicago’s season, barring an unexpected boost in the absence of their established veterans.

2019 Year In Review: March

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2019 has been a very busy year throughout the hockey world.  There have been several big trades and free agent signings (including a record-setting contract), 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 the month of March, one that featured plenty of news, even if the trade deadline had passed.

Ottawa Fires Guy Boucher: On the first day of March the Senators decided to take another drastic step in their rebuild, firing head coach Guy Boucher and replacing him with Marc Crawford for the last few days of the season. Boucher defensive system had taken the Senators all the way to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017 but hadn’t clicked with the new group of players. The Senators would continue to overhaul their roster and bring in rookie head coach D.J. Smith in the offseason.

Ted Lindsay Dies At 93: A few days later, the entire hockey world was in mourning as it said farewell to one of the giants of the sport. Ted Lindsay, a builder of the game on and off the ice, passed away at the age of 93. Even though he is gone, his career as a player and the work he did to form the NHLPA will never be forgotten.

Wright Given Exceptional Status: Just a few months after turning 15, Shane Wright was granted exceptional status by the OHL allowing him to enter the draft a year early. Wright was picked first overall by the Kingston Frontenacs and he has already started to dominate the league, scoring 29 points in his first 28 games in junior. He won’t turn 16 until next Sunday, and is eligible for selection in the 2022 NHL draft.

Stone Inks Huge Extension: It took a week before the Vegas Golden Knights could officially announce it, but Mark Stone eventually got his huge payday. The pending unrestricted free agent signed an eight-year, $76MM contract extension with the Golden Knights after arriving there in a deadline trade from Ottawa. The 26-year old immediately became one of the highest-paid wingers in the game and showed just how dominant he could be with an outstanding postseason performance. Now in the first year of the deal, Stone is on pace for another 70-point season and is trailing only Max Pacioretty in team scoring.

Quinn Leaves College: After two years at the University of Michigan, Quinn Hughes decided to turn pro and sign with the Vancouver Canucks. The young defenseman got into five games down the stretch for the Canucks, burning the first season of his three-year entry-level contract and getting him closer to restricted free agency where he will command quite a bit of salary. The smooth-skating Hughes has been outstanding this year for the Canucks and will be in contention for the Calder Trophy as one of the league’s best rookies. With 27 points in 37 games, there is already talk of a Norris push at some point in the future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Sergei Zubov Named Dallas Stars Senior Consultant

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The Dallas Stars have officially hired franchise icon Sergei Zubov, today naming him Senior Consultant to the General Manager. Zubov was fired from his job as a head coach in the KHL earlier this season. GM Jim Nill will oversee Zubov in the Stars organization, and explained why he brought in the Stanley Cup-winning defenseman:

We are thrilled to bring Sergei back into the Stars family. He has been a big part of building hockey here in Dallas as a player, and we are excited for him to continue adding to that legacy in this management role. He has a brilliant hockey mind and his presence in the organization will benefit us all.

Zubov, 49, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this season after an incredible career that saw him win at basically every level. A member of the outstanding 1989 Soviet Union World Junior team that also included Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov, Zubov would win a gold medal at the Olympics just a few years later as part of the 1992 Unified Team. A Stanley Cup would follow in 1994 with the New York Rangers, before another in 1999 with the Stars.

While he was already a star with New York (and Pittsburgh, where he spent one year with the Penguins) in the early part of his career, it’s Dallas where Zubov spent most of his career. Suiting up for 839 regular season contests with the Stars, he anchored a defense corps for more than a decade, logging ridiculous ice time totals and points.

Amazingly never winning a Norris Trophy, Zubov ranks 20th all-time in points among NHL defensemen with this 771. The silky smooth playmaker will now try to help the Stars get back to the promised land by assisting Nill in the front office.

John McCarthy Retiring Due To Health Concerns

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After a decade of professional hockey, San Jose Barracuda captain John McCarthy has announced his retirement. The forward experienced an Ischemic stroke earlier this month and though he has made a complete recovery from that incident, health concerns will end his playing career. McCarthy will immediately join Barracuda coaching staff, starting a new chapter behind the bench. McCarthy released a lengthy statement, explaining that even before the year started he was considering making it his final season:

I went into this year thinking I’m 33-years-old, I’ve been playing for a long time, this could be my last year playing,” said McCarthy. “The Sharks and Barracuda have been great, Joe (Will) and Doug (Wilson) have both been unbelievable to me as far as giving me a chance to play so when I suffered the stroke that decision kind of accelerated for me. It’s not something you can prepare for or see coming so I took some time. I spoke to some people whose opinions I value and, although it’s not out of the question that I could return after an extended period of time, I think it’s a good time for me to step away from playing.

Though he hasn’t played a game in the NHL since the 2015-16 season, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t an important part of the San Jose Sharks organization. A seventh-round pick in 2006, he became the captain of Boston University as a senior in 2008 and made his NHL debut the following season. An extremely hard worker, McCarthy has overcome a lack of real elite skill by polishing his game at both ends of the rink.

In 2018, McCarthy was part of Team USA at the Olympic Games when the NHL decided not to attend the tournament. An NCAA champion, he has served as captain of the Barracuda for the last four seasons and set a strong example for many of the organization’s prospects. He’ll now do the same as part of the coaching staff.

Injury Notes: Kupari, Mantha, Blackhawks

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Los Angeles Kings fans hoping to get a glimpse of the future at the World Juniors won’t get to see one of their top prospects play for Finland anymore. Rasmus Kupari has left the team after suffering an injury in the opener. John Hoven reports that Kupari suffered a serious knee injury and will likely be out “months.”

Not only is that terrible news for the Finnish team who are already missing Anton Lundell, but Kupari’s absence will adversely affect the Ontario Reign as well. In his first season in North America, Kupari has six goals and eight points in 27 games for the Reign. The 19-year old forward was selected 20th overall in 2018.

  • Anthony Mantha will be out for at least four weeks with his upper-body injury, which has to do with his ribs, not his head. The Detroit Red Wings forward was injured when he got into an altercation with Jake Muzzin against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now will have to wait at least a month to continue his strong season.
  • If you were wondering whether Brent Seabrook would ever really make it back to the Chicago Blackhawks blueline after being ruled out for the rest of this year, Jeremy Colliton has your answer. The head coach told reporters today including Scott Powers of The Athletic that he expects both Calvin de Haan and Seabrook to be ready for training camp in 2020. The Blackhawks icon is having several surgeries and will have a long road back to the NHL.

Trevor Moore Out Indefinitely With Concussion

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have given an update on the mysterious condition of forward Trevor Moore, announcing that he will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Moore had only returned from his previous shoulder injury for a single game, but then was pulled back out of the lineup after more symptoms emerged. The team will now have to move forward without him, though they have been finding plenty of success with his replacements so far.

Moore, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing in 2016 after starring at the University of Denver and quickly developed into a reliable option for Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, who was then coaching the Toronto Marlies. In his first professional season Moore scored 13 goals and 33 points in 57 games, a total he matched the next season before performing at an incredibly high level in the Marlies’ Calder Cup championship run.

Last year the speedy forward made his debut in the NHL and was hard to take out of the lineup, even if the offensive production didn’t completely follow. After the beginning of this season Moore now has 13 points in 47 career NHL regular season games, but will have to wait for his next chance.

In the meantime, the Maple Leafs are red hot under Keefe and have found real contributors in players like Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall. Toronto will start a back-to-back tonight against the New Jersey Devils,

Joel Armia, Paul Byron Out “Week-To-Week”

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The Montreal Canadiens have been struck with some more bad injury news, as head coach Claude Julien told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that both Joel Armia and Paul Byron will be out on a “week-to-week” basis. Armia was injured on Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, while Byron hasn’t played since the middle of November. The team will get one forward back however, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi is expected to play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Armia, 26, has been an absolute bargain for the Canadiens since being acquired in a salary dump in 2018. Montreal took Steve Mason and his hefty contract from the Winnipeg Jets and proceeded to buy the goaltender out, but ended up with a depth forward who had just set career highs with 12 goals and 29 points. Right away Armia was a huge addition for the Canadiens, changing the look of their penalty kill while also providing some much needed secondary scoring. Though last season was also cut short to injury, he still provided 13 goals in 57 games.

This year has been even better, with Armia scoring at the best pace of his career. With 12 goals in 35 games he trails only Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher for the team lead, while his 21 points put him fifth among Canadiens forwards. His presence in all situations will be missed dearly, especially as Montreal tries to keep pace with the red hot Toronto Maple Leafs and make up some ground on the bruised Boston Bruins.

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