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Archives for November 2021

When Does Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Take Over In Buffalo?

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After some truly abysmal seasons and the departures of several top players, including face of the franchise Jack Eichel, it is nice to see the Buffalo Sabres not among the worst teams in the league with more than a month of the season complete. The Sabres sit at .500, which is of course not extraordinary, but is far better than most would have expected, especially when they share the same points percentage as the Pittsburgh Penguins and are ahead of recent Stanley Cup finalists in the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens.

One of the early highlights of the season has been in net, where a tandem that seemed like more of an afterthought than an action plan has performed well. 40-year-old Craig Anderson, pulled from an impending retirement, has a stellar .921 save percentage and 2.50 GAA that no one saw coming. Dustin Tokarski, after unseating Aaron Dell for the second NHL job, has been solid himself at .908 and 2.95. The duo have split starts and seem to be working well, even behind a young, inexperienced team.

With that being said, the reality is that the Sabres are not legitimate playoff contenders and they have no investment in either Anderson or Tokarski. Both veterans are on expiring minimum contracts and are likely to be gone next season. Meanwhile, down in the minors the organization is developing a future starter – or so they hope. The AHL’s Player of the Week is none other than Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Rochester Americans, the Sabres’ 2017 second-round pick. After a horrific October, Luukkonen has a .949 save percentage and 1.77 GAA in November as he is playing the best hockey of his young pro career. The gold medal-winning backstop of the 2019 Finnish World Junior team and the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year the same season, the pro level has not been as kind to Luukkonen thus far. He carries a career .887 save percentage and 3.35 GAA in the AHL. His play actually improved in four NHL appearances last season, posting a .906 save percentage, but his 3.88 GAA skewed the perception. However, Luukkonen’s recent improvement could be a sign that he finally has the pros figured out and is ready for the next level.

So when does UPL get his shot, not just as an emergency recall but as an actual member of the NHL roster? It seems like the time is now. Anderson is currently injured and Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports that he is expected to be out “at least another couple weeks”. Dell made his season debut this past weekend and struggled greatly, allowing five goals on just 26 shots. Beyond just his future value, Luukkonen seems like an immediate upgrade to Dell and with some opportunity could prove that he is already a better option than Tokarski or Anderson. The Sabres also have some reason to throw Luukkonen into the fire sooner rather than later. Though just 22, Luukonnen is already the elder statesmen of the pipeline. Buffalo has two other promising young goalie prospects currently playing in the NCAA: Michigan’s Erik Portillo, 21, and Northeastern’s Devon Levi, 19. Before either one decides to turn pro and start fighting for AHL starts and NHL call-ups, the Sabres should do their due diligence on UPL to see if he is indeed future starter material.

The Sabres deserve credit for exceeding expectations this season, as do Anderson and Tokarski as individuals. Yet, the team cannot lose the forest through the trees. Buffalo is still in a complete rebuild and getting a top young goalie like Luukkonen valuable NHL experience sooner rather than later, especially as he proves himself in the AHL, can only serve to benefit the organization long-term (and maybe even short-term too.)

Trade Rumors: Kessel, Hertl, Girard

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After months and months of speculation, the constant trade talk surrounding Jack Eichel is finally over after the star Buffalo Sabres center was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this month. So where does the trade market go from here? Though still early in the season, there is thought to be some trade chatter ongoing between teams who expected different results early on this year, whether that is a surprise contender looking to load up, a struggling preseason favorite in need of a shake-up, or a bottom-dweller looking to move talent as soon as possible to maximize the return. The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy and Matt Larkin recently broke down the trade market and believe the top available name could be the product of that latter scenario. The pair feel that Phil Kessel is set to step into Eichel’s shoes, not only as a major name on the block but also as a player that is guaranteed to be traded. The 1-13-1 Arizona Coyotes have all the makings of a last-place team and Kessel is an aging veteran and respected champion on an expiring deal; the fit is poor and should be resolved soon rather than waiting until the deadline whilst Kessel plays meaningless games and risks injury for the ’Yotes. The scoring winger should be attractive to any number of teams and Arizona could take the first impressive futures package offered to them to further their rebuild.

  • Though mentioned by Kennedy and Larkin as a top trade chip, piling on top of plenty of recent speculation, Tomas Hertl may not be as guaranteed to move as people have been led to believe. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes in a recent mailbag that Hertl seems be enjoying this season more than last. A winning record so far certainly helps, but Hertl is also appreciative of his growing role as a team leader amidst a culture turnaround in San Jose. Kurz believes that Hertl has a 50/50 chance of signing an extension with the Sharks, which doesn’t even speak to his likelihood of being traded. If the team continues to win and stays in the playoff picture all season and the possibility of a renewed deal between the two sides remains, Hertl may not move after all. There are some cap management factors working against a deal for both team and player, with the Sharks’ restrictions limiting Hertl’s contract potential and making such a move more risky for San Jose, but if the team is playing well and Hertl is happy, producing, and leading the young locker room, it will be difficult for the Sharks to opt for a trade instead of working toward an extension.
  • Meanwhile, Kennedy and Larkin do not mention Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard as top trade bait, but his name has been a fixture on the rumor mill in recent days. According to Mike Chambers of The Denver Post, the Avs made a late run at Eichel and floated Girard as the centerpiece of the deal. Now, even with Eichel off the market, Chambers believes that GM Joe Sakic is still willing to part ways with Girard. Though young and offensively gifted, Girard has some glaring defensive weaknesses that Colorado would rather not deal with given his $5MM cap hit. Girard is still an elite defenseman, but the well-balanced Avs are looking to use that cap space in a different way, if at all possible, by landing another elite forward. With phenom Cale Makar locked up long-term, a number of reliable veterans in support, and other promising young defenders like Bowen Byram and Justin Barron, the team could survive the loss of Girard if it means adding another difference-maker to their top-heavy forward corps. If the Avalanche continue to fall short of expectations this season, it will only serve to fuel a potential shake-up with Girard as the most likely trade victim.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Crosby, Shanahan

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, led by a player who could very well go down as the all-time leader in goals by the time he hangs up his skates. Alex Ovechkin added another outstanding week, recording eight points in four games and passing Brett Hull on the all-time goals list. The nine-time Rocket Richard award winner isn’t all goals though, Ovechkin has 14 assists this season for 26 total points through 15 games.

A couple of college hockey stars take second and third, as Charlie McAvoy and Troy Terry have been selected respectively. The Boston Bruins defenseman had seven points in four games while playing basically every second shift, while the Anaheim Ducks forward stretched his point streak to 14 games by adding six more points in three contests. Terry has already matched his career-high of 20 points and it took him only 15 games to do it.

  • If you’re still holding your breath hoping for some supplementary discipline to come down on Sidney Crosby for the incident with Martin Fehervary last night, exhale, it’s not coming. Crosby will not be given any punishment from the league according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, who also points out that there was no penalty called on the play in question.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had any playoff success under president Brendan Shanahan, but that doesn’t mean his seat is getting hot. As Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes, ownership is still “fantastically supportive” of the Maple Leafs front office boss and the direction he is leading the franchise. Shanahan was hired by the team before the 2014 season; the team has a 275-211-66 regular season record since he took over, but hasn’t made it past the first round even a single time.

J.T. Compher Out A Month With Upper-Body Injury

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One of the early success stories from this season is J.T. Compher, who has gone from depth center to first-line forward for the Colorado Avalanche thanks to injuries and illnesses. The 26-year-old was averaging nearly 20 minutes a night through his first 11 games, with five goals and nine points in that span.

Unfortunately, in that 12th game, Compher suffered an upper-body injury and left early, playing fewer than six minutes before exiting. Now, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today that Compher will miss approximately a month with the injury.

In his place on the top line, Mikko Rantanen is going to move to the middle of the ice and play between captain Gabriel Landeskog and Logan O’Connor. That’s certainly not the group the Avalanche expected before the season began, but with Nathan MacKinnon on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the team will have to deal with what they have.

A second-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2013, Compher has been a regular for the Avalanche but never a star to this point. His career-highs of 15 goals and 32 points came in 2018-19, numbers he was easily on track to shatter with his strong early performance. He’ll now have to work his way back from injury and when he comes back, there likely won’t be room on that top unit for him any longer.

It’s a disappointing loss for the team, but also a missed opportunity for Compher, who is on track for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2023. He’ll be only 28 when he is scheduled to hit the open market and could have potentially parlayed a big offensive year into a few more dollars down the road.

William Carrier Placed In COVID Protocol

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It seems like everyday teams are adding players to the COVID protocol, and the Vegas Golden Knights are the latest to do so. William Carrier is unavailable for the team today as he has been placed in the protocol.

The team has not confirmed whether or not Carrier tested positive for coronavirus, or how long the forward is expected to be out. For now, at least, they’ll have to prepare as though he will not be available for them tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes. They will also be without Alec Martinez, who was cut by Brandon Duhaime’s skate last week and is out for tomorrow night. Chandler Stephenson and Mattias Janmark, the other two absences from practice, had maintenance days according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Vegas is on a hot streak of late, going 8-2 in their last ten after a rocky start. Carrier is a legitimate part of that success, despite the fact that he averages fewer than 12 minutes a night. His physicality is a constant for the Golden Knights, and he’s even contributed with a little offense this season, adding two assists in his last game. He’s missed the last two though, meaning the team won’t have to make substantial changes to the lineup with him now in the protocol.

Ottawa Senators Sign Zac Leslie

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Nov 15: Leslie cleared waivers and can be assigned back to Belleville.

Nov 14: The Ottawa Senators are addressing their blue line crisis by going outside of the organization. Well, sort of. The team has announced that they have signed defenseman Zac Leslie to a one-year contract, elevating a player who was already under contract with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Leslie’s contract is a two-way pact with the minimum $750K NHL salary and a $150K AHL salary, pro-rated to the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Per PuckPedia, he was immediately placed on waivers.

Leslie, 27, is an Ottawa native who initially joined the organization this summer after spending the past two seasons with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. Before that, Leslie played on an NHL contract for four years with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. However, Leslie has never had the opportunity to make his NHL debut.

That could change soon, as the Senators currently have four defensemen in the NHL’s COVID Protocol, just lost Erik Brannstrom to a long-term injury, and have Artem Zub playing injured. They had seven healthy defenseman on NHL contracts, three of whom are untested prospects. By adding an eighth in Leslie, who at least has considerable pro experience, the Senators can safeguard against the possibility of yet another injury before their COVID crisis is fully resolved. The former OHL standout has been productive in the AHL and seems capable of playing at the next level.

Johan Larsson Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Arizona Coyotes have placed Johan Larsson in the COVID protocol, making him unavailable for the time being. That comes just minutes after the team placed both Christian Fischer and Dmitrij Jaskin on injured reserve, recalling Hudson Fasching, Jan Jenik, and Ben McCartney in their place.

Larsson joins Andrew Ladd in the protocol, who was placed there over the weekend. The team did not confirm whether or not Larsson has tested positive, or given any indication of how long he will be out. Jaskin meanwhile is expected to miss the rest of the season, while Fischer was last listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He’ll have to miss at least a week with the IR designation.

For any Arizona fans hoping for a high draft pick to build the organization around, it appears they will get their wish. The team is 1-13-1 on the season and seems destined to finish in last place in the Central Division. Losing veteran players for any length of time will only provide an opportunity for younger options, though it seems unlikely that they will be able to right the ship and help the Coyotes become a competitive team. For a franchise that has seen draft picks stripped away and others flame out quickly, a strong class in 2022 is imperative.

Luckily, the team currently holds eight picks in the first two rounds, including three first-round selections, meaning there’s at least something to look forward to on the horizon.

AHL Shuffle: 11/15/21

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It’s a quiet Monday in the NHL, with only two games on the schedule for this evening. The New York Islanders will try to right the ship with a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Detroit Red Wings try to continue their impressive start in a battle against the Columbus Blue Jackets. As those teams and others prepare for action this week, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Detroit Red Wings have placed Mitchell Stephens on injured reserve, retroactive to November 13. In his place, the team has recalled Joe Veleno, who had been up earlier this year when Tyler Bertuzzi was unable to travel to Canada. Veleno, 21, registered a goal and an assist in four games with the Red Wings and will now get another chance to show he can compete at the highest level.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Joey Anderson back to the AHL, a curious move given they are in long-term injured reserve relief and not accruing cap space anyway. Perhaps someone else is coming up in his place, or just that they want him to get back into game action with the Toronto Marlies while they are at home. Anderson hasn’t gotten into an NHL game yet this season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Brett Murray from the AHL, giving them an insurance option as they hit the road for one game. The team will play in Pittsburgh tomorrow before returning to Buffalo.

Metropolitan Division

  • As they head out for a road trip to the west coast, the Washington Capitals have recalled Garrett Pilon from the AHL. The 23-year-old will be the team’s only reserve forward, meaning he could potentially enter the lineup to make his season debut. With just a single NHL game under his belt, Pilon came flying out of the gate this season in the minor leagues, scoring five goals and 11 points in 13 games for the Hershey Bears.
  • The New York Rangers have assigned Greg McKegg to the AHL, suggesting that Filip Chytil may be ready to go for tomorrow’s game. McKegg has played in eight games for the Rangers this season and has failed to register a point, averaging exactly 11 minutes of ice time.
  • Josh Leivo is on his way back to the AHL, after playing twice for the Carolina Hurricanes over the weekend. With Martin Necas and Nino Niederreiter both on the ice today for practice, the Hurricanes are getting closer to full health upfront.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • With the Vancouver Canucks on their way back to Canada for a game on Wednesday, the team has sent Jack Rathbone back to the AHL. Travis Hamonic will likely be recalled tomorrow, as he’s eligible to play again given the home date. (UPDATE: In fact, Hamonic has been recalled today, with Madison Bowey also going down to the AHL).
  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled both Kale Clague and Austin Strand, after only sending them down yesterday. The Kings have consistently performed “paper transactions” this season to bank cap space on off days, accruing cap space even though they have Drew Doughty on long-term injured reserve. While their accruable cap space limit is still less than the $81.5MM upper limit, the Kings are still preparing for the possibility of a midseason addition should they be in a competitive position.

St. Louis Blues Recall Scott Perunovich

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It was only a matter of time before the St. Louis Blues recalled Scott Perunovich, and that date has finally come. The young defenseman was recalled this morning with the Blues sending Joel Hofer, Dakota Joshua, and Calle Rosen down to make room.

It likely would have been earlier had the Blues not dealt with COVID absences, making their cap situation even more delicate the last several weeks, but the AHL’s best player is finally getting the call. Perunovich has completely dominated the minor leagues this season, recording 20 points in 12 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds. That performance is as a rookie since the 23-year-old failed to suit up even a single time last year due to injury.

The winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker, Perunovich was expected by many to step directly into the NHL upon arrival. While it’s been a long, unexpected wait, it only allowed him to prove once again that he could be one of the most dynamic offensive defensemen at the lower level. Whether he can bring that kind of production to the NHL remains to be seen, but he’ll now finally get the chance.

Given Hofer’s assignment, it’s likely that Ville Husso will also be activated from the COVID protocol in the coming days. The backup netminder has been skating already and only needed to reach a comfortable level of fitness before rejoining the active roster. His absence, and Hofer’s recall, was part of the issue when recalling Perunovich, given the non-roster designation did not remove him from the Blues cap.

Five Key Stories: 11/8/21 – 11/14/21

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It was another busy week around the NHL with some significant news off the ice.  Those are among those highlighted in the key stories of the past seven days.

Back To Junior: A handful of NHL players that still have junior eligibility can play up to nine games without burning the first year of their entry-level deals.  Some have already gone past that threshold while others were holding their prospects out of the lineup periodically to take more time to decide their plans.  A pair of teams made their decisions as Washington assigned center Hendrix Lapierre back to Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL while St. Louis did the same with winger Jake Neighbours, sending him to Edmonton of the WHL.  Both players were first-round picks back in 2020 but after logging less than ten minutes a game, this decision is the right one from a development standpoint while ensuring both prospects will still have three years left on their entry-level deals heading into next season.

Successful Surgery: So far, so good for Golden Knights center Jack Eichel who successfully underwent artificial disk replacement surgery on his neck on Friday.  Now the big question becomes how long the recovery timeline will be.  Early indications have been that it will range between three and five months but with it being the first time that the procedure has been done on an NHL player, there isn’t much in the way of precedent to work with.  The recovery time will be worth following; not only will his return give Vegas an improved top line but it will also serve as the pressure point for GM Kelly McCrimmon to clear the cap space required to activate him from LTIR.

Price Returns To Montreal: Carey Price’s stay in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program was indeed the minimum of 30 days as he returned to the Canadiens and worked with their training staff off the ice.  The veteran goaltender also released a statement regarding his absence, indicating that he entered a residential treatment facility for substance use as he works his way through neglecting his mental health for the past several years.  There remains no timeline for his return as he has yet to begin on-ice activity while Price’s statement also acknowledged the uncertainty for when he might be able to suit up again.  As for Montreal’s current goaltending situation, Jake Allen, who has filled in as the starter in Price’s absence, suffered an injury on Saturday night, leaving the team down to their third-and fourth-string options.

Key Injuries: It has been a quiet start to the season for Colorado as they sit fifth in the Central Division with a 6-5-1 record.  They’ve been hit fairly hard with injuries early on and that list grew with the announcement that top center Nathan MacKinnon will miss three weeks due to a lower-body injury.  While the veteran only has scored once in eight games, he had nine assists over that stretch and is once again one of their top scorers.  Meanwhile, the Devils won’t be getting winger Miles Wood back anytime soon as it was revealed that he underwent hip surgery and is out indefinitely.  He suffered the injury back in the preseason and with rehab not going as planned, he went under the knife instead.  The expectation is that he’ll be out for several months, a tough blow for Wood who tied for the team lead in goals last season.

Murray Resigns: Bob Murray’s tenure as general manager of the Ducks came to an abrupt end.  After being placed on administrative leave pending an investigation related to professional conduct, he tendered his resignation with an announcement that he will be enrolling in a treatment program for alcohol abuse.  Murray had been with Anaheim since 2005 and took over the GM chair during the 2008-09 season.  Jeff Solomon, who came over from the Kings this past summer, has been named their interim GM with ownership pledging to complete a “methodical, extensive search” with a target of having that completed no later than next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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