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Archives for January 2021

Oliver Ekman-Larsson To Miss Several Weeks

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Though he was listed as day-to-day over the weekend, the recovery timeline for Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson appears to have changed. The team confirmed to Jose M. Romero of AZ Central that the captain will be out for three to four weeks with a lower-body injury. Kyle Capobianco is expected to be inserted into the lineup in his place.

Ekman-Larsson, 29, was embroiled in trade rumors over the offseason that included him willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to Vancouver or Boston, but after nothing came of it he focused on the season and the Coyotes. In Saturday’s game he had three assists before exiting in the third period following a hit from San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, ending what was a brilliant start to his season. Missing the next several weeks in such a condensed schedule means he’ll be out for a good chunk of games.

In fact, four weeks would mean he could miss 14 games, a quarter of the 56-game schedule. That’s a huge blow for an Arizona team that is competing for the playoffs in a lopsided West division. While many expect the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues to easily make the playoffs, that fourth spot is certainly up for the taking and the Coyotes are off to a nice start with three points in their first two games. In Ekman-Larsson’s absence, they’ll need a huge effort from some of their other veteran defenders to pick up the slack.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/18/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 protocol. The early game between Detroit and Columbus has a few players held out, but the full list will be updated later this evening:

Carolina – Jordan Staal
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Detroit – Adam Erne*, Robby Fabbri*
Florida – Juho Lammikko*, Markus Nutivaara*
Minnesota – Alex Stalock
Nashville – Mikael Granlund
New Jersey – Eric Comrie
Philadelphia – Shayne Gostisbehere
Tampa Bay – Blake Coleman*, Curtis McElhinney
Vancouver – Jordie Benn
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

The big newcomer is Coleman, who has played two games for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season but now appears on the list alongside McElhinney. The Lightning don’t play until Thursday because of the rescheduled games against Dallas, so Coleman will be one to keep an eye on this week.

As has been the case so far this season, the league declined to identify anyone from Dallas and will hold off on doing so until they are able to play in their first game, now scheduled for January 22. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars.

*denotes new addition

IIHF To Move 2021 World Championship From Belarus

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Due to ongoing political unrest in Belarus, the IIHF has made the decision that they will not allow 2021 World Championship games to be played in the country as planned. Minsk, Belarus was expected to play co-host to the tournament this spring along with Riga, Latvia. However, out of concern for the safety and security of all participants and fans, the IIHF will move forward with a new plan for the World Championship. The IIHF Council stated the following:

Due to safety and security issues that are beyond the IIHF’s control, the IIHF Council confirmed today that the decision to move the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from Minsk, Belarus is unavoidable. The decision was reached by Council following the conclusion of an extensive due diligence process.

The IIHF has a duty of care to all Championship participants. As such, IIHF Bylaw 9 provides the IIHF Council the ability to withdraw an IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from a hosting nation if there is reason for concern that the well-being or the safe freedom of movement of the players, officials, traveling spectators and media is in doubt.

Taking into consideration everything the IIHF Council learned during the due diligence process, the IIHF Council has determined that it is currently impossible to ensure the welfare of teams, spectators and officials while holding a World Championship in Belarus.

While the IIHF alleges that they came to this conclusion through unbiased due diligence, they did receive outside pressure to make the change as well. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation recently put out a statement condemning human rights violations in Belarus and calling for IIHF President Rene Fasel to put his duties ahead of his friendship with Belarus president Aleksander Lukaschenko. Swiss Hockey obviously still felt some responsibility about the tournament after canceling the 2020 World Championship in Switzerland and declining the invitation to host in 2021 due to concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic. Swiss Hockey again reiterated that they are not a candidate to replace Belarus as a host of any 2021 games. There were also sponsors, including Skoda, that had threatened to back out of their support if games were held in Belarus.

The IIHF is now left to decide how they want to move forward with the tournament’s hosts. Latvia will need to be considered in any decisions, as they are still a valid co-host of the event. The IIHF could decide to use Riga as the singular host for all games if they can make the logistics work. Otherwise, there are no other cities in Latvia that could likely co-host, meaning another country will need to be considered. Nearby options include Russia and Finland, though both are major hockey countries who likely would prefer not to be co-hosts. In fact, Finland nearly won the 2021 bid over Latvia and Belarus and the IIHF could explore returning to that option. However, if Latvia wants to remain a host this year, other smaller participating countries who could serve as co-host include Baltic neighbor Denmark or perhaps a Kazakhstan or Slovakia.

Lineup Notes: Dubois, Oilers, Blackhawks

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella stated that star center Pierre-Luc Dubois’ trade request would not be a distraction for he or the team this season. In just their third game of the season, that may already be proving untrue. In Monday’s matinee against the Detroit Red Wings, Dubois was seemingly benched for the second half of the second period. He saw just one short shift in the final seven minutes of the frame. When he did play in the second, Dubois also skated on a makeshift fourth line for several shifts. However, it was Dubois who scored the eventual game-winning goal early in the third period and his usage returned to normal the rest of the way. Speaking with the media following the game, Tortorella underplayed Dubois’ usage, stating “You’ll know when I bench someone, don’t try to manifest something…” Given how candid Tortorella has been about the Dubois situation and not letting it become a distraction, there is some believability to his postgame comments. Yet, there was also no reason for Dubois to play so little late in the second, leaving questions of whether there will be continued mind games between coach and player until the trade request is finaly honored.

  • With just two points through their first three games, the Edmonton Oilers are off to a bit of a slow start. Head coach Dave Tippett was honest in his criticism of the team’s play following a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and with the Habs up again on Monday night, he has made a major change to his defense group. Ethan Bear, one of just three Oilers to play in every game in 2019-20, will be made a healthy scratch. Bear received a specific shout out from his coach for some poor play on Saturday and will take a seat as a result. It is a bold move by Tippett to bench a young, play-driving defenseman who looks to be a major piece for the Oilers’ future, but he hopes the move will inspire some better defensive decisions from Bear moving forward. In the same vein of improving defensively, Caleb Jones will also be scratched on Monday. A young, offensive-minded blue liner like Bear, Jones’ -4 rating is worst among Edmonton defensemen so far. In their place, veteran Kris Russell will draw into the lineup as will rookie William Lagesson. Lagesson has just eight games of NHL experience, with sheltered minutes and zero points no less, but the organization likes his balanced approach to the position and has stated that he will be given more opportunity this season.
  • Through three games – and three losses – it doesn’t look like Collin Delia or Malcolm Subban are ready to be the starter for the Chicago Blackhawks. The pair have allowed 15 goals against for nearly identical 5.00 goals against averages as well as matching save percentages of .848. When Chicago declined to add a veteran goaltender this off-season, it was clear that there would be some growing pains, but this is as bad a start as could have been expected. Enter Kevin Lankinen. Whether this was truly the plan from the start or in response to these early poor results, head coach Jeremy Colliton told the media today that the plan is a to have as close to an even split as possible between Delia, Subban, and Lankinen, with the current taxi squad keeper getting an opportunity soon. Lankinen has yet to make an NHL appearance through two seasons in North America and had just pedestrian AHL numbers last year. However, his performance as an AHL rookie and certainly his play in Finland’s Liiga earlier in his career inspire some hope. It seems Blackhawks fans will get a chance sooner rather than later to see if Lankinen can be an upgrade to their current tandem this season of it will simply be a rotation of three below-average goaltenders.

Minor Transactions: 01/18/21

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The NHL season is underway and at the top level teams are keeping busy merely by swapping players between the active roster and taxi squad. However, with AHL training camps starting up, there has also been a flurry of activity from the lower levels. There also continue to be players making the move overseas, by both signing and loan. Keep up with all of the action right here:

  • In addition to confirming the previously reported signings of Ryan Fitzgerald, Tanner MacMaster, and Zane McIntyre, the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms have added another netminder, announcing the signing of Eamon McAdam. McAdam, 26, is a Pennsylvania native and a Penn State product, so he should feel right at home with the Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate. McAdam had been playing with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen to begin the season.
  • The Rochester Americans announced that they have inked defenseman Dylan Blujus to a one-year AHL contract. The former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect is a solid stay-at-home defender who has a +24 rating in 274 AHL games over six pro seasons.
  • The San Jose Barracuda have recalled a number of players from the ECHL’s Allen Americans for the start of training camp, including Sharks prospect Jacob McGrew. McGrew got an early start to his first pro season down in the ECHL after missing all but six games of his final WHL campaign due to injury. The Sharks already trusted McGrew’s ability enough to give him an entry-level contract and after a strong scoring start in Allen, they could let him fight for a top-six role with the Barracuda.
  • After five seasons in the AHL, former Edmonton Oilers prospect Joey LaLeggia is headed overseas. The 28-year-old has signed with he SHL’s Rogle BK for the remainder of the season, the team announced. LaLeggia, who was a standout on defense in the NCAA with the University of Denver, had shifted to forward in the pros. It remains to be seen how the versatile veteran will be used in Sweden.
  • Another name making the move to Europe is 2021 NHL Draft prospect Brett Harrison. The potential first-round pick this summer has yet to play this season and the OHL’s Oshawa Generals have thus agreed to loan him to KOOVEE of the Finnish minor league Metsis, his new club announced. The two-way center will look to improve his draft stock by playing against pros, possibly for the rest of the year.

New Jersey Devils Claim Aaron Dell

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The New Jersey Devils have added some more goaltending depth, claiming Aaron Dell off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jason Spezza, the other Maple Leafs player on waivers, has cleared.

The claim of Dell, 31, comes as no surprise after the goaltending shuffle that has occurred over the last few weeks, which included the Devils claiming Eric Comrie as well. Given the fact that the team will now have four goaltenders on the NHL roster once quarantines are over, it seems likely that Comrie too will find himself back on waivers at some point. Scott Wedgewood, who is currently the Devils backup, hasn’t cleared waivers himself, meaning he can’t go to the taxi squad or AHL either at the moment.

It’s a complicated scenario, but the crux of it is that the Devils have turned a glaring lack of depth into an overloaded position in a matter of days. Since Corey Crawford’s unexpected retirement just before the start of the season, New Jersey was facing a perilous situation with only three goaltenders in the entire organization. Now, after acquiring Comrie and Dell, they likely have too many.

Dell doesn’t have an exceptionally long history in the NHL but has spent the last four seasons as the primary backup with the San Jose Sharks, posting strong enough numbers. Through 107 appearances in the NHL, he has a .908 save percentage and a 48-34-12 record. With the veteran off to New Jersey, the Maple Leafs are back to Michael Hutchinson as their third-string option. Luckily, he cleared waivers earlier this month and can remain with the taxi squad for the time being.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto’s Aaron Dell, Jason Spezza Among Those On Waivers

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Jan 18: Spezza, Biega, Kellman, and Ritchie have all cleared waivers. Dell was claimed by the New Jersey Devils.

Jan 17: The Toronto Maple Leafs responded after losing rookie forward Nicholas Robertson to injury Saturday by placing a couple of their players on waivers Sunday. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that third-string goaltender Aaron Dell and veteran forward Jason Spezza are among those on waivers. Detroit Red Wings’ Alex Biega and San Jose Sharks’ Joel Kellman also made the list. The Calgary Flames also placed forward Brett Ritchie on waivers after signing him to a one-year deal earlier today.

Toronto’s roster moves all comes back to Saturday night’s injury of rookie forward Nick Robertson, who is expected to miss time. Because of the lack of cap space to recall a replacement for Robertson (other than Travis Boyd), the team was forced to make some roster moves, including risking losing Aaron Dell, who the team has been holding on to as a third-string goalie, waiting for the goalie market needs die down to pass him through waivers. There was talk that Toronto might be able to use the new emergency recall rule, but The Athletic’s James Mirtle shot that down, reporting that rule can only be used in COVID-19 cases. Unfortunately for Toronto, the team will likely lose the former San Jose Sharks’ netminder. Dell, who struggled behind San Jose’s weak defense last season, was brought in to serve as a third option in case either Frederik Andersen or Jack Campbell struggle or are injured during the season. He will almost assuredly be claimed with many experts suggesting that he will be claimed by either the Edmonton Oilers or New Jersey Devils.

Spezza is another interesting candidate. Teams might be interested in bringing in the veteran forward, but Johnston reports that Spezza isn’t interested in playing for any other team other than Toronto as he wants to remain close to his family. The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reports that the 37-year-old was ready to retire in the offseason had the Leafs not brought him back. He has played in all three of the Maple Leafs games so far this season. NOTE: Spezza’s agent Rick Curran told Johnston that Spezza will retire if he is claimed by any other NHL team.

Biega is no stranger to waivers, but the 32-year-old has served as a sixth/seventh defenseman for years. He played in 49 games with the Red Wings last year and would make a good candidate for the taxi squad as well. He has not appeared in either of the Red Wings two games this year. Kellman appeared in the Sharks’ first game of the season, but was a healthy scratch Saturday and now looks headed for the taxi squad as well. The 26-year-old scored seven points in 31 games for the Sharks last season.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/18/21

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It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.

  • Pierre Engvall has been promoted from the AHL roster to the taxi squad by the Toronto Maple Leafs after Nick Robertson suffered a knee injury on the weekend. Engvall’s $1.25MM contract actually makes it difficult for him to see the active roster given how tight the cap space is for Toronto, though it could be possible in the coming days should Aaron Dell and Jason Spezza both clear waivers today.
  • Given it is a game day for the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Romanov has been recalled from the taxi squad. The rookie defenseman has been excellent so far for Montreal but will find himself on the taxi squad between games in order for the Canadiens to accrue extra cap space throughout the season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled both Ville Heinola and Kristian Vesalainen from the taxi squad, while moving Tucker Poolman to non-roster status. Poolman has been listed on the COVID Related Protocol Absences list for the last two days.
  • The same can be said about Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers, who today was given the non-roster designation as well. Connor Bunnaman has been recalled from the taxi squad for the Flyers, who are expected to be without Sean Couturier when they take on the Buffalo Sabres this evening.
  • Mackenzie MacEachern has been assigned to the taxi squad by the St. Louis Blues, while Jake Walman is up in his place. Colton Parayko missed practice today but is expected to play, meaning Walman’s recall may just be precautionary.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Kevin Czuczman to their taxi squad from AHL camp, adding some depth to the traveling group after placing Mike Matheson on injured reserve. The team also assigned Sam Lafferty to the taxi squad, while sending Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau to the AHL. Given that Kasperi Kapanen practiced today and is clear of the COVID protocols, expect him to be added to the active roster before tomorrow’s game.
  • Linus Ullmark will miss tonight’s game for the Buffalo Sabres due to personal reasons, so the team has recalled Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad. Carter Hutton, the team’s other goaltender, allowed five goals on 27 shots in his first appearance this season.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad, replacing him with Ben Harpur who was recalled from the AHL. Olivier played in the Predators game on Saturday, recording six hits in just under 12 minutes of ice time.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Five Key Stories: 1/11/21 – 1/17/21

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After a long layoff, the NHL has returned and as is always the case at the beginning of the season, there was plenty of news around the league; the biggest ones are highlighted in our key stories.

Hoffman Officially Signs: It was only a matter of time before Mike Hoffman officially signed with St. Louis and that deal finally came to fruition as he inked a one-year, $4MM contract.  Once touted as one of the top wingers to hit free agency last October, the veteran wound up having to take a notable pay cut from the $5.1875MM AAV on his previous deal and not get the long-term security he was seeking.  That worked to the benefit of the Blues who have their short-term replacement for Vladimir Tarasenko (who was placed on LTIR) at a more than affordable price tag.  Hoffman’s contract doesn’t contain any form of trade protection.

Foligno Extension: Wild winger Marcus Foligno decided to forego testing unrestricted free agency and instead signed a three-year, $9.3MM contract extension with Minnesota.  The 29-year-old earned a small raise on his current $2.875MM AAV, no small feat considering how bottom-six wingers took a hard hit in free agency last offseason.  Having said that, Foligno isn’t a typical bottom-six winger either as while he brings plenty of physicality and defensive ability to the table, he also had a career year offensively in 2019-20 with 11 goals and 14 assists in 59 games.

Yandle Saga: Veteran defenseman Keith Yandle has been one of the top offensive defensemen in the league over the last several years and has been a fixture on Florida’s back end for the past four years.  But it has been a roller-coaster week for the 34-year-old who spent most of training camp skating with expected reserves and minor leaguers amidst reports that he was available although his contract ($6.35MM AAV through 2022-23 with a no-move clause) will make a trade difficult.  While things were trending towards him being a healthy scratch and his 866-game ironman streak ending, there was a late change of heart and he was in the lineup on Sunday night where he scored Florida’s second goal of the game, the 100th of his career.  Nevertheless, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the end of this particular situation.

Toews To LTIR: Late last month, the Blackhawks released a statement noting that captain Jonathan Toews wouldn’t be participating in training camp with the veteran feeling “drained and lethargic”.  There’s no timetable for a return but we know he’ll at least miss several more weeks with Chicago transferring Toews to LTIR, meaning he’ll be out for at least 10 games or 24 days.  It’s the latest in a series of recent blows to their attack with youngsters Kirby Dach and Alexander Nylander already effectively out for the season.  Now they’ll be without their top center and second-leading scorer for a while.

Colliton Extension: Still with the Blackhawks, they appear to be pleased with the direction of the team under Jeremy Colliton as they gave their head coach a two-year contract extension.  He was already signed for this year so his new deal will take him through the 2022-23 campaign.  Colliton took over behind the bench early in the 2018-19 season and the team has posted a 62-61-17 record under his watch.  With Chicago committing to a longer-term rebuild, this deal allows GM Stan Bowman to assess whether or not Colliton is the right fit for the long term while allowing him to shepherd the team through the likely tough times ahead.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Penguins Showing Interest In Jack Roslovic

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The list of remaining restricted free agents that aren’t playing overseas begins and ends with Jets winger Jack Roslovic.  He has made his preference for a trade known but as of yet, nothing has come to fruition and so he sits at home while hoping for his fortunes to change.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the Penguins are among the teams that are quite interested in bringing Roslovic in.

The 23-year-old hasn’t quite lived up to his first-round billing after being the 25th overall pick back in 2015 but he has become a serviceable middle-six winger and managed to put up career highs offensively last season despite the pandemic with 12 goals and 17 assists in 71 regular season games while chipping in with a pair of assists in four postseason contests.  A natural center, Roslovic could still shift back down the middle which would only boost his long-term value.

Considering the situation, a short-term bridge deal of one or two years makes the most sense for both Roslovic and whoever winds up signing him, be it Winnipeg or someone else.  It’s hard to see him checking in at much more than double his previous salary which would put him in the $1.65MM to $2MM range or so.

What will make a trade tricky for Pittsburgh is that they don’t have that much cap room to add Roslovic without subtracting someone from their roster first or as part of the deal and with this being a year where moving money and making trades is going to be more difficult than usual, it’s not an insignificant factor.  Pittsburgh has gotten off to a bit of sluggish start (though they got their first win today) but it appears that GM Jim Rutherford is already looking to add to his roster with an eye on Roslovic, just as long as they can afford his next contract first.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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