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Archives for February 2021

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/16/21

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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. While the league is still waiting for a report from the Kings here are today’s results for the other 30 teams:

Buffalo – Casey Mittelstadt
Colorado –  Samuel Girard, Tyson Jost, Gabriel Landeskog, Hunter Miska
Los Angeles – TBA
Minnesota –  Jonas Brodin, Brad Hunt, Victor Rask, Carson Soucy, Cam Talbot
New Jersey – Nico Hischier, Dmitry Kulikov, Travis Zajac
NY Rangers – Filip Chytil
Ottawa – Ryan Dzingel
Philadelphia – Justin Braun, Morgan Frost, Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom, Jakub Voracek
Vegas – Tomas Nosek

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

Players removed today: Dylan Cozens, Buffalo Sabres; Curtis Lazar, Buffalo Sabres; Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres; Brandon Montour, Buffalo Sabres; Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres; Nikita Gusev, New Jersey Devils

The Sabres had several players come off again today, though Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News confirmed this morning that Montour and McCabe shouldn’t have been included on yesterday’s list either. Both of those two practiced yesterday as well. The Sabres are back in action tonight against the Islanders after suffering a 3-1 loss in their first game in more than two weeks last night.

With no new additions today, the list of names has been dramatically reduced from a week ago.

NHL Announces Widespread Schedule Changes

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With so many games postponed so far this season, the NHL has had to make widespread adjustments to get back on track. The league’s position is still to have all 31 teams play a full 56-game campaign, meaning the schedule-maker is working overtime through the COVID and inclement weather postponements.

The following games have been rescheduled:

  • New Jersey at Washington, March 7–>Feb. 21
  • Minnesota at San Jose, April 23–>Feb. 22
  • Minnesota at Colorado, Feb. 4–>Feb. 24
  • Colorado at Arizona, Feb. 25–>Feb. 26
  • Arizona at Los Angeles, April 23–>March 3
  • New Jersey at Boston, Feb. 15–>March 7
  • Washington at Philadelphia, April 27–>March 7
  • NY Islanders at New Jersey, April 27–>March 14
  • Washington at Buffalo, Feb. 11–>March 15
  • Anaheim at Colorado, March 31–>March 16
  • Arizona at Minnesota, Feb. 6–>March 16
  • Arizona at Anaheim, March 16–>March 20
  • NY Rangers at Washington, Feb. 21–>March 20
  • NY Islanders at Philadelphia, April 25–>March 22
  • St. Louis at Minnesota, Feb. 11–>March 25
  • Anaheim at St. Louis, March 27–>March 28
  • Arizona at Colorado, Feb. 9–>March 31
  • Washington at Buffalo, Feb. 13–>April 9
  • Minnesota at St. Louis, April 11–>April 10
  • Boston at Washington, April 10–>April 11
  • Arizona at Colorado, Feb. 11–>April 12
  • St. Louis at Minnesota, Feb. 9–>April 12
  • Arizona at Minnesota, Feb. 7–>April 14
  • Colorado at St. Louis, Feb. 6–>April 14
  • Minnesota at Los Angeles, Feb. 13–>April 23
  • New Jersey at Philadelphia, Feb. 11–>April 25
  • NY Islanders at Washington, March 15–>April 27
  • Philadelphia at New Jersey, April 1–>April 27
  • New Jersey at Philadelphia, Feb. 13–>May 10

Beyond that, six other games will be rescheduled down the line:

  • Colorado at St. Louis, originally scheduled for Feb. 7
  • Philadelphia at Washington, originally scheduled for Feb. 9
  • Nashville at Dallas, originally scheduled for Feb. 15
  • Philadelphia at NY Rangers, originally scheduled for Feb. 14
  • Nashville at Dallas, originally scheduled for Feb. 16
  • Philadelphia at Boston, originally scheduled for March 7

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/16/21

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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.

West Division

North Division

  • The Montreal Canadiens have made a change to their taxi squad as they’ve recalled Cam Hillis from AHL Laval, sending down Hayden Verbeek, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Both players have shuffled between the taxi squad and the minors in recent days to ensure compliance with the minimum roster size of the taxi squad.

Central Division

  • The Detroit Red Wings have moved Mathias Brome to the taxi squad today, like every other day this month. Brome (and usually Givani Smith with him) has continued to move back and forth on a daily basis in order for the Red Wings to save some cash and cap space. Smith was later sent from the taxi squad to the minor leagues with Evgeny Svechnikov coming up from Grand Rapids to take his place.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Ben Harpur from the taxi squad, moving Michael McCarron and Eeli Tolvanen down in his place. The Predators no longer have a game tonight after it was postponed due to inclement weather, meaning they can save some money by moving a couple of two-way contracts off the books.

East Division

This page will be further updated throughout the day.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Granlund, Stars-Predators

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If you thought new ownership, new management, or a new season had created any stability in the Arizona Coyotes front office, think again. In an unbelievable piece by Katie Strang of The Athletic (both in quality and content), the Coyotes’ internal turmoil is detailed, which includes lawsuits, unpaid invoices, and breaches of contract, among many other eyebrow-raising stories.

Much of what Strang reports does not have a direct impact on the Coyotes’ on-ice product, but it does touch on the management style of new GM Bill Armstrong and the missteps that resulted in the drafting of Mitchell Miller (who the team then renounced the rights to). The whole piece is a must-read for any hockey fan.

UPDATE: The Coyotes have released a statement that does not directly dispute the Strang piece, but alleges The Athletic has “condoned a harassment campaign against Mr. Alex Meruelo, the Arizona Coyotes, the Meruelo Group and dozens of current employees and former employees.” The statement concludes by announcing the team will be exploring legal options in response to the piece. (Full statement via Greg Wyshynski of ESPN)

  • In James Mirtle’s latest piece for The Athletic, he suggested that Mikael Granlund could be a fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs if their search for a top-six winger continues. Granlund is on a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators and carries a $3.75MM cap hit. Mirtle’s colleague Adam Vingan recently examined the trade value of several Predators players, comparing Granlund to the Gustav Nyquist and Mats Zuccarello moves of 2019. Both of those trades included second-round selections and a conditional third-round pick.
  • Speaking of the Predators, Granlund and the rest of the team will have to wait another few days to get back into game action. Like yesterday, tonight’s game between the Predators and Dallas Stars has been postponed due to inclement weather. Nashville will now head to Columbus where they take on the Blue Jackets’ on Thursday evening.

Arizona Coyotes Fire Steve Sullivan

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Feb 16: The wording on the Coyotes’ release was always curious, using the term “terminated” instead of “relieved of duties” like most NHL firings. Today, included in Katie Strang’s explosive article detailing the Coyotes front office turmoil, is a quote from Sullivan’s attorney Stacy Gabriel:

It’s our position that the Coyotes breached the contract – he has an employment agreement and they breached that agreement – and we intend to pursue remedies through the arbitration process,

Gabriel told Strang she will be filing a demand for arbitration with the commissioner’s office. Sullivan did not comment.

Feb 11: In surprising news, if only because of the timing, the Arizona Coyotes have terminated the contract of assistant general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations Steve Sullivan. In the release, the team indicates it will not be filling the vacant position this season.

Sullivan was hired well before the new regime took over, joining the organization first as a development coach in 2014 after his playing career came to an end. After serving as director of player development for a season, he was promoted to AGM in 2017 and named GM of the Tucson Roadrunners. Sullivan even served as interim GM of the Coyotes last summer when John Chayka left the position.

Often when a front office is handed over to a new GM, like in Arizona where Bill Armstrong took over in September, there will be turnover among the ranks. Assistants like Sullivan are often let go as the new manager brings in his own people, but it often happens in the offseason, not a month into a shortened schedule. That timing, along with the fact that the team does not have a replacement on hand, is certainly curious.

The veteran NHL forward has plenty of experience to offer a new organization, after playing more than 1,000 games and serving in various roles for Arizona.

New Jersey Devils Announce Hockey Operations Changes

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The New Jersey Devils have announced several new roles and promotions among their hockey operations staff, starting with anointing a Director, Goaltending Development. Scott Clemmensen will serve in that role for the Devils, overseeing all goaltending development alongside Martin Brodeur, Brian Eklund, and Dave Rogalski.

Kate Madigan has been named Executive Director, Hockey Management/Operations, a promotion from her previous role as Director of Pro Scouting. Madigan will work on hockey operations projects such as free agency, trades, analytics, budget, and coordinating hockey operations personnel.

Jim Mill, who has experience as an AGM with the Minnesota Wild, will now oversee the Devils’ pro scouting staff.

The moves were all officially announced by GM Tom Fitzgerald, though it’s not even clear what his title will be after this season. The team gave Fitzgerald a multi-year contract, but only this season is as general manager. The Pittsburgh Penguins hoped to pull him away from that role when they were searching for their own GM but were not given permission. Regardless, the team has given some promotions to deserving candidates.

Snapshots: Blues Defensemen, Stars-Predators, Thompson

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The Blues held out defenseman Marco Scandella from today’s seventh and final game against Arizona as they were hesitant to part with a winning lineup, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link).  The veteran has missed the last couple of weeks with an upper-body injury and has averaged nearly 19 minutes per game in nine contests this season.

Meanwhile, the Blues announced that blueliner Torey Krug sustained an upper-body injury in today’s game and is listed as day-to-day.  Krug leads all St. Louis defenders with nine points in 16 games so far this season.  If he’s unable to suit up on Thursday against San Jose, that could provide the opportunity for Scandella to return to the lineup.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Tonight’s game between the Stars and Predators was postponed. This had nothing to due with COVID-19 but instead, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News notes that the decision was made at the request the Mayor of Dallas due to ongoing power issues from the storm that has hit the area hard.  DeFranks adds that a similar request could be made for tomorrow’s game.  The league has not yet decided when the game will be rescheduled for.
  • After welcoming winger Jansen Harkins back from injured reserve today, the Jets may soon be doing the same for center Nate Thompson. Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe reports (Twitter link) that the team expects the veteran to be available to play soon.  Thompson has played in four games on Winnipeg’s fourth line this season after signing a one-year, $750K contract in free agency.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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We’ve now 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 Maple Leafs most thankful for?

Their collection of top-end offensive talent.  When you’re spending nearly half of the salary cap on four forwards, it better be a highly-skilled group.  There’s no denying that Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander qualify as highly-skilled.  Few teams can match up with a one-two center punch in Matthews who is scoring at a torrid pace in the early going and Tavares and Marner is one of the premier playmakers in the league.  Nylander is a little streakier than the others but has the ability to take over a game as well when he’s on.  There’s shouldn’t be many long offensive droughts with that level of firepower at the top of their lineup.

Who are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

The answer is Matthews but he’s already been mentioned above so instead, let’s highlight Jake Muzzin.  With all of the money they have spent up front, it has come at the expense of being able to spend much on the back end.  When they acquired Muzzin, the hope was that he’d bring some defensive stability and grit to Toronto’s defense corps but there were questions as to whether or not they’d be able to afford to keep him.  He was as advertised and the two sides worked out a four-year extension last season, ensuring he’d stick around.  With Morgan Rielly up for a new deal after next season, the Maple Leafs will at least be able to enter those talks knowing that they have one key cog on the back end locked up already.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

Avoiding short and medium-term injuries.  The cap structure of this team still works when players are placed on LTIR but anything under 10 games or 24 days becomes a little trickier to navigate.  They can afford one extra skater over the minimum when fully healthy but if more than one skater is unavailable due to a short-term injury, they’ll be in a situation where they have to play short a player for a game.

On a similar note, they’d also be thankful for Jack Campbell returning soon and staying healthy.  His absence has forced Toronto to use Frederik Andersen more than they’d like early on.  And with Andersen set to become an unrestricted free agent next season, they need to get a good look at Campbell to try to determine if he can take on a bigger role in 2021-22.  It’s hard to make that evaluation when he’s on IR.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ wish list?

With their cap situation being where it is, there isn’t a whole lot they’ll be able to do on the trade front.  A forward who can play on the third line that extends their depth would certainly help but it’s someone that will need to be making close to the minimum.  Today’s pickup of Alex Galchenyuk ($1.05MM) may be tough to carry on the roster on a full-time basis so they may need to look cheaper.  Goaltending depth has been hard to come by but given their hesitance to use Michael Hutchinson so far (Aaron Dell was originally in the reserve role before short-term injuries forced them to waive him to open up cap room), bringing in a different third option that they’d be comfortable using would also be beneficial.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Pettersson, Hischier, Johnson, Miller

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Slowly but steadily, the Penguins have been getting some of their defensemen back and it appears one more return is on the horizon.  Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Marcus Pettersson practiced today without contact restrictions and could be available to suit up against Washington on Tuesday.  The 24-year-old logged over 19 minutes per game on the back end last season and would be a welcome addition to a Pittsburgh back end that is still without Brian Dumoulin and Juuso Riikola.

Still with the Penguins, goaltender Casey DeSmith was unavailable for a second straight day due to illness.  Maxime Lagace is up from the taxi squad for the time being to serve as Tristan Jarry’s backup.

More from the East Division:

  • While Devils center Nico Hischier remains on the CPRA list, there is some good news on his front. Corey Masisak of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that if it wasn’t for Hischier’s placement on the list, he’d be available to play.  That’s notable since the 22-year-old has not yet played this season due to a leg injury sustained back in December.  He’ll be a welcome addition over likely the next few days to a New Jersey lineup that sits 24th in goals per game this season.
  • The Rangers could soon be getting defenseman Jack Johnson back in their lineup. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the veteran, who has missed the last three weeks with a groin injury, could resume practicing at some point this week.  Meanwhile, fellow blueliner K’Andre Miller missed practice today with an upper-body injury and is questionable for Tuesday’s contest against New Jersey.  The rookie has made an immediate impact this season and has four points in 13 games while averaging 19:34 per game, second-most among all first-year players.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Alex Galchenyuk

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Just like that, Alex Galchenyuk is on the move again. After being dealt from the Ottawa Senators to Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Galchenyuk has been traded for the second time in about 54 hours. Although, he reportedly never even got the chance to leave Ottawa for Carolina, so he now has a much shorter trip ahead of him. The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have acquired Galchenyuk from the Hurricanes in exchange for forward prospect Egor Korshkov and veteran defenseman David Warsofsky. Galchenyuk cleared waivers earlier today and is eligible to be assigned by Toronto to the taxi squad or AHL.

Galchenyuk’s propensity for being traded is becoming comical at this point. The 27-year-old forward, who once looked like he could be a long-term franchise cornerstone for the Montreal Canadiens, has instead become the NHL’s most frequent flyers over the past few years. From Montreal, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes during the 2018 off-season. Exactly a year and two weeks later, his time in the desert was over as he was traded once again to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His time with Pittsburgh didn’t even last a full season, as he was moved before the trade deadline last year to the Minnesota Wild. When his contract expired this off-season, he signed a one-year deal with the rebuilding Ottawa Senators, almost ensuring that he would be traded yet again at some point this season. However, even he could not have seen this coming. Galchenyuk made it just one month to the day since the start of the 2020-21 season before he was traded on Saturday to the Hurricanes along with another free agent addition, Cedric Paquette, in exchange for Ryan Dzingel. Just two days later, he is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When Galchenyuk was placed on waivers on Monday, it immediately raised suspicion that he might be moved again this season. Not only were the Hurricanes willing to let him be claimed for free on the waiver wire, but if he did in fact clear he would have even more value to another interested team having gained the flexibility to move to the taxi squad. In Galchenyuk, a dangerous offensive Maple Leafs team adds another intriguing weapon. Galchenyuk is not a consistent, high-effort contributor nor can he be relied upon for any defensive responsibility, but he does possess scoring focus and natural offensive ability and especially when surrounded by superior talent can produce at a high level. In Toronto, there is plenty of superior talent to go around and Galchenyuk appears to be an ideal fit as a top-nine depth option. Even more importantly, Galchenyuk is affordable for the cap-strapped Leafs. His entire $1.05MM cap hit can be buried if he is assigned to the taxi squad or AHL and is not a major burden should he stick with the NHL roster, though it will still require some cap acrobatics by the Leafs front office. Moreover, Galchenyuk is also a quarantine-free acquisition for Toronto. While Paquette took off for Carolina right away following the trade, Galchenyuk stayed behind in Ottawa in case he was claimed on waivers by another Canadian team. He wasn’t, but just a few hours later he ends up with a Canadian team anyway and by all accounts had not yet left the country. He should be able to join the Maple Leafs immediately.

In exchange for providing the Maple Leafs with a player who checks a number of boxes, if he plays that is, the Carolina Hurricanes land a package that includes an AHL depth player and a question mark prospect. Warsofsky, though a respected veteran and leader in the AHL, has not played in the NHL since 2017-18 and has just 55 NHL games on his resume. Barring a mass amount of injuries to the Carolina blue line, one of the deepest units in the league, Warsofsky is nothing more than an experienced addition to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves (where his brother is head coach) to help provide some guidance to the Hurricanes’ minor league prospects. Thus, the true value for the ’Canes in this deal lies with Korshkov. The 24-year-old winger was a second-round pick in 2016 and has size, skill, and a track record of goal-scoring success in the KHL and just last season in the AHL. In fact, the past two years have been the best of Korshkov’s career. He recorded 16 goals and 25 points in 44 games with the AHL Marlies last year, adding a goal in his first and only NHL game with the Maple Leafs as well, and is currently having a career year on loan in the KHL with 16 goals and 31 points in 53 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. However, therein lies the problem as well. It took Korshkov nearly three years to make it to North America after being drafted into the NHL, even as an overage selection, and after just one season he returned to Russia and opted to remain there rather than return once the NHL and AHL returned to play. The key to this deal for the Hurricanes is being able to convince the power forward to commit to playing in North America and to adopting an NHL style of play. If they succeed with Korshkov, his long-term potential greatly outweighs the value that Galchenyuk might have provided as an injury substitute for the remainder of the season.

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