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Archives for February 2021

Still No Talks Between Oilers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

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The Edmonton Oilers really only have three forwards they can count on to produce offense right now. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Those three have combined for 24 of the team’s 60 goals this season, with the rest of the forward group only accounting for 23 (the defense has totaled 13, led by Darnell Nurse’s six).

The first two of that trio are locked up long-term, earning huge salaries and winning plenty of individual awards. But Nugent-Hopkins, he’s on the final year of his current contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. That contract was actually a seven-year extension worth $42MM, signed in the fall of 2013 before his entry-level deal had even expired. Since it kicked in, the 2011 first-overall pick has recorded 324 points in 439 games, making the playoffs just once.

Still, Nugent-Hopkins is a huge part of this Oilers team. His transition to wing and budding chemistry with Connor McDavid makes him a valuable piece, but as Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports there have still not been any contract talks between Edmonton and the Nugent-Hopkins camp since before the season began. Rishaug does note that both player and organization have expressed a desire to stay together long-term, but so far, nothing has been worked out.

As much as it seems like the Oilers are a high-powered offense that just can’t defend enough, it’s not really the case. In both 2017-18 and 2018-19, they finished 20th in goals for. In the shortened season last year, they were 15th on a per-game rate. This season they’re off to a better start, though the North Division defense might have something to do with that jump. Instead of a high-powered offense, it’s really just a few outstanding players.

The question the Oilers will have to face is whether re-signing Nugent-Hopkins helps or hurts in the quest to change that. He certainly is a strong third option, but tying even more money up at the top of the roster could be difficult for a team that needs to improve throughout. Even in a depressed market, Nugent-Hopkins will likely secure more than $6MM per season, given he has 74 points in his last 82 games and will reach free agency at the age of 28.

Rishaug notes that “this is not an asset the organization would want to lose for nothing,” implying that Nugent-Hopkins could be a trade candidate in the coming months if there’s not a path to a new contract. It’s certainly premature at this point to think he’s on the way out, but it’s a situation to keep an eye on as the April 12 trade deadline approaches.

Devin Shore Clears Waivers

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Feb 17: Shore has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Feb 16: The Edmonton Oilers have placed another depth forward on waivers, this time moving Devin Shore there. The team has recently seen Tyler Ennis, Alex Chiasson, and James Neal all clear. Even Shore was already waived at the beginning of the season, but his clock had expired and he needed to be waived again if the Oilers want to move him to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Shore, 26, has three points in 11 games this season, despite averaging fewer than nine minutes of ice time. The journeyman, who has now played for four different organizations through his first 299 games, doesn’t offer a ton of upside but had at least recorded an assist in two of his last three games. Among the potential taxi squad replacements are Neal, who cleared waivers just two days ago, Patrick Russell, who still doesn’t have an NHL goal in 52 games, and Joakim Nygard, who has played in just four games this season.

Once again, the Oilers found themselves unable to outscore their defensive troubles last night, losing 6-5 to the Winnipeg Jets. Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith both struggled in net, stopping just 18 of 24 shots between them. Tyson Barrie, who has never been known for his defensive acumen, ended up playing nearly 31 minutes.

Finding a fit for the bottom-six is crucial if the Oilers want to really compete in the North Division. Just three forwards have even ten points on the season so far, just four have more than five. Despite Shore’s inexpensive contract, he seems destined to go unclaimed.

Scott Darling Released From AHL PTO

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The Rockford IceHogs have released veteran goaltender Scott Darling from his AHL professional tryout after he played just a single game with the team. The 32-year-old allowed five goals on 27 shots earlier this month, good for an .815 save percentage.

It’s not exactly clear where Darling goes from here. He had been in NHL training camp with the Florida Panthers, but failed to receive a contract there too, and even struggled during his time in the Austrian league last season. While he obviously wants to keep playing, it might be the end of the line for the Stanley Cup champion.

Darling won that championship with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 after bursting into the league as an elite backup. He put up a .936 save percentage through 19 appearances that season, including five playoff games. Two more strong seasons as the backup in Chicago led to a four-year, $16.6MM deal to be the new starter in Carolina, but he would play just one season with the team before ending up in the minor leagues and eventually bought out.

If it is the end of his NHL career, Darling finishes with a 54-42-18 regular season record, a .908 save percentage, and a 2.72 goals-against average. He won the Stanley Cup and took home a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championship.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jacob Trouba Out 4-6 Weeks

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The New York Rangers have announced that defenseman Jacob Trouba will be out four to six weeks with an upper-body injury. Head coach David Quinn later told reporters including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press that Trouba broke his thumb. In a condensed schedule, that means he’ll miss a huge chunk of the season.

Trouba, 26, may never get back to the 50-point defenseman he was in 2018-19, but he is still one of the most important players on the Rangers team, logging huge minutes in all situations. Overshadowed at times this season by younger players like Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller, there’s something to be said about averaging nearly 22 minutes a night and doing it quietly.

Without him, the Rangers blueline suddenly looks rather inexperienced, unless you believe Jack Johnson can find his way to becoming a capable defender again.

It wasn’t all bad news today though, as Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that both Artemi Panarin and Miller were practicing with the team. If the Rangers are to turn the season around (a tough task without Trouba for the next month), they’ll need those two playing at their best.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/17/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Stefan Matteau to the taxi squad, though there has yet to be a corresponding call-up or activation. Matteau, 26, made his season debut on Monday and now has 74 NHL games under his belt.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Mathias Brome from the taxi squad as expected, with the team in action again tonight. Brome, an undrafted free agent who signed a one-year deal last spring, is still looking for his first NHL point.

East Division

North Division

  • The Calgary Flames have added three players to the roster, the team announced. Byron Froese and Oliver Kylington have been recalled from the taxi squad, while Brett Ritchie was recalled directly from the AHL Heat. Kylington and Ritchie have yet to suit up for the Flames this season, but are primed to get their first chance.

West Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Injury Updates: Johansen, Roy, Senators, Beauvillier

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While the Predators are likely disappointed with having to have two of their games postponed as a result of the rough weather in Dallas, it did allow them to avoid having to play those contests without one of their top forwards.  In an appearance on ESPN 102.5 (audio link), GM David Poile indicated that center Ryan Johansen is questionable for their upcoming pair of games in Columbus, signaling that the veteran wouldn’t have been available against the Stars.  The 28-year-old is averaging nearly 18 minutes a game so far this season (fourth-most among Nashville forwards) but is struggling offensively with just four assists although he has been one of the better players at the faceoff dot, winning over 56% of his draws.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • The Kings are welcoming back defenseman Matt Roy to the lineup tonight, relays Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. The 25-year-old established himself as a top-four option for Los Angeles last season and was off to a decent start this season with three assists in eight games while averaging 18:35 per game before suffering an upper-body injury late last month.
  • The Senators will welcome back defenseman Erik Brannstrom for tomorrow’s game against Toronto, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). He suffered an undisclosed injury last week that has caused him to miss the last four games.  As for starting goaltender Matt Murray, he has recovered from his neck strain and will play in one of the two games in their back-to-back stretch.
  • The Islanders activated winger Anthony Beauvillier off IR in advance of their game tonight against Buffalo, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. The 23-year-old had missed the last nine games after sustaining a lower-body injury last month.  Leo Komarov, who recently cleared waivers again, was sent to the taxi squad to make room for Beauvillier on the active roster.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vancouver Canucks

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We’ve made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Canucks most thankful for?

Their young and controllable core up front.  Of their current top-six forwards from last game (Tanner Pearson being the exception), five are 27 years of age or younger and all have at least two years of team control remaining.  On the back end, Quinn Hughes has already established himself as a core defender while Olli Juolevi has worked his way into a regular spot in the lineup.  Over the weekend, when team owner Francesco Aquilini gave his management team and coaching staff a vote of confidence, he referenced the core of young talent.  It’s an impressive group regardless of how much the team has struggled through the first quarter of the season.

Who are the Canucks most thankful for?

Elias Pettersson.  Let’s look past his slow start to the season (one he has quietly come back from with 11 points in his last 11 games) and look at the bigger picture.  He has established himself as a consistent offensive threat and after spending most of last year on the left wing, Pettersson now finds himself down the middle again, his natural position.  He’s already a key cog in their attack but if he can stick at center, he could become a homegrown top pivot which is something that many teams covet but not many have.  Yes, there’s a pricey contract extension on the horizon as his entry-level deal is up this summer but they shouldn’t be too worried about locking up a franchise cornerstone to a long-term contract that buys out some UFA years.

What would the Canucks be even more thankful for?

Jake Virtanen rediscovering his offensive touch.  There’s being in a slump and there’s being in worse than that which is about where the winger is.  After scoring a career-high 18 goals last season, he’s at just one in 14 games while failing to record an assist.  Not surprisingly, he’s been bumped down the depth chart and has been scratched multiple times already.  At some point, they need to get more from him.  And since his name is out there in trade speculation, a return to form would make finding a palatable trade a whole lot easier than trying to land full value at a point where Virtanen’s trade value likely has never been lower.

Beyond that, they’d be quite thankful if Thatcher Demko bounced back as well.  This was supposed to be the season where he took a big step towards establishing himself as a legitimate starting goaltender but that hasn’t happened yet.  Instead, he has basically platooned with Braden Holtby with neither of them playing particularly well most nights.  They need to know if Demko can indeed be their goalie of the future (and present).  He’s not building himself a strong case right now.

What should be on the Canucks’ wish list?

Veteran defensive depth.  They lost some depth over the offseason and then early-season injuries tested that depth early on with their struggles helping contribute to the team allowing the most goals in the league.  While Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield have had some good moments, a capable fourth or fifth defender would go a long way towards shoring things up.  The cap will be a challenge with several veterans on pricey, above-market contracts but GM Jim Benning will need to find a way to make it happen if they want to get back into a playoff spot in the North Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 02/16/21

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Although the minor professional leagues in North America are up and running, a handful of players are still searching for new homes.  Several of them found places today and here are some of the ones affecting current and former NHL prospects.

  • The Flames have inked forward Rory Kerins to a minor league amateur tryout agreement, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 18-year-old was a sixth-round pick (174th overall) back in October after putting up 30 goals and 29 assists with OHL Sault Ste. Marie last season.  With that league not up and running just yet, Kerins is eligible to play with Calgary’s AHL affiliate in Stockton until the OHL gets their season underway.
  • The Ducks have added some physicality to their farm team as the AHL’s Gulls announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed winger Jamie Devane to a PTO. The 29-year-old briefly saw NHL action with Toronto back in 2013-14 and spent last season with Pittsburgh’s farm team where he had four goals, five assists, and 81 penalty minutes in 36 games.
  • After the Islanders declined to sign him back in August, Nick Pastujov has found a place to play, inking a contract with Kansas City of the ECHL, per that league’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was drafted in 2016 and spent four years at Michigan but saw his production dip in his senior season which certainly didn’t help his chances of getting signed.

Teams Hoping Mattias Ekholm Hits Trade Market

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The Nashville Predators are now 6-9 on the season and have a goal differential of -16. That last number is third-worst in the NHL, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, meaning the Predators might actually be lucky to have the wins they do. It’s no surprise that trade speculation has started to swirl around the team with The Athletic’s Adam Vignan examining the potential return for five players should Nashville decide to sell.

The top name on that list is Mattias Ekholm, and while it might seem unlikely that the Predators would part with the top-four defenseman at first glance, that won’t stop teams from calling. Vignan was told by one scout that Ekholm “would draw a lot of interest” and colleague Pierre LeBrun expanded on that idea on TSN’s Insider Trading:

There’s a more intriguing name when I talk to teams around the league that they hope will be on the market—and I think there is an absolute solid chance that the Predators at least listen— top-four defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who has been a long-standing member of that organization.

LeBrun does explain that the smoke around Ekholm’s name could be the Predators just testing the market to gauge potential returns, but if he does hit the market you can bet there would be plenty of teams intrigued.

Ekholm recently suffered a lower-body injury and is listed as week-to-week for the Predators.

The first thing that pops off the page when considering Ekholm has to be his contract, which carries a $3.75MM cap hit through the end of next season. That number is affordable (if not downright cheap) considering versatile Ekholm has been throughout his career. Now 30, he’s played in 550 career games and posted at least 33 points in four of the last five seasons. In 2018-19, Ekholm even finished tenth in Norris Trophy voting after setting a career-high of 44 points in 80 games.

An all-situations contributor, pretty much every team in the league could plug him in somewhere to help their playoff chances. The fact that you would get him for an additional season would only be more valuable. Comparisons were made by both Vignan and LeBrun to Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez, two other top-four defensemen traded in recent years with some term left on their deals.

In 2019, Muzzin cost the Toronto Maple Leafs a first-round pick and two prospects. He came with a $4MM cap hit and another year on his deal, which was ultimately extended even further by Toronto. Last year, Martinez was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights for two second-round picks. He too had an extra year on his deal and carries a $4MM cap hit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Poll: Should The Anaheim Ducks Call Up Jamie Drysdale, Trevor Zegras?

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The Anaheim Ducks can’t score. In fact, their current goals for per game rate of 1.94 would be the third-lowest mark of the last decade, only behind two Buffalo Sabres teams (’14 and ’15) that finished at the very bottom of the NHL standings. That rate is lower even than the 2019-20 Detroit Red Wings who won just 17 games and posted a historically-low points percentage.

The Anaheim Ducks can’t score.

Somehow though, the Ducks aren’t at the bottom of the NHL standings. They aren’t even in last place in the West Division, instead sitting at 6-7-3 through their first 16 games. Their relatively low mark of 2.56 goals against per game would indicate that if they could just score a little more, they actually might be a formidable opponent. Perhaps even push for a playoff spot this season.

Enter Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, the team’s top two prospects who are currently dominating in the AHL.

Zegras, 19, was the ninth overall pick in 2019 and has seven points through his first five professional games. The tournament scoring leader and MVP at the recent World Juniors, Zegras has almost limitless offensive potential and could likely help the Ducks’ powerplay the moment he steps on the ice.

Drysdale, 18, meanwhile has five points in his own first five pro games and given he’s a defenseman, has heads turning already. The sixth-overall pick in 2020, Drysdale is an elite puck-moving option, and though his actual scoring upside may not be quite as high as Zegras, his mobility and ability to get the puck quickly to his forwards would help the Anaheim attack.

Remember though that player development is a tricky, always evolving thing. The Ducks obviously have high hopes for the pair and want them to be ready before forcing them into NHL games. The fact that the team wasn’t really expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season may be a huge factor as well, given many organizations don’t want to bring their top young players into losing situations.

In Drysdale’s case specifically, they might not be able to keep him in the minors forever. The 18-year-old would normally not be eligible to play there, but with the OHL still suspended he is allowed to suit up in the minor leagues. Once that changes—recent developments have provided some encouragement that the OHL can hold a shortened season in the coming months—Drysdale would need to move up to the NHL or be returned to his Erie Otters team.

For Zegras, there’s nothing forcing him out of the AHL at the moment. As a college player who turned pro last spring, he is eligible for the minors even though he’s just 19.

It’s important to note that in both cases, playing in more than seven NHL games would activate their entry-level contracts. Currently, both Zegras and Drysdale are slide candidates, meaning the three-year deal wouldn’t kick in until next season, keeping them away from restricted free agency longer. But with the Ducks struggling to score and the AHL proving no trouble, is it time to call them up anyway?

Cast your vote below, making sure to explain your plan in the comments.

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