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Archives for November 2021

AHL Reveals Coachella Valley Firebirds

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The Seattle Kraken will have a primary AHL affiliate next season and today the name, logo, and colors of that franchise have been revealed. In 2022-23 the Coachella Valley Firebirds will take flight, wearing uniforms of “flaming red and orange, with an ice blue accent.” Tim Leiweke, CEO of the Oak View Group, which will be part owners of the new AHL franchise, released this statement:

Over the last two years, and after listening to fans, our leadership, and partners, we’ve been heavily involved in identifying the best team name and brand to represent the nine cities of the Coachella Valley. As a proud resident of the valley, I think the Firebirds has a meaningful representation for the beauty and what people experience when they come to our great community.

The team will play out of a new arena in Riverside County that will house more than 11,000 seats and includes a brand new training facility for the minor league club. It is set to open in 2022, when the Firebirds will start play. The Kraken will at that point have an affiliate to drop prospects and oversee their development, instead of the current split agreement with the Charlotte Checkers.

Charlotte, which is an independent minor league club, are currently the affiliate of both the Kraken and the Florida Panthers. Seattle is providing just a handful of players to the AHL club (along with a coach) as they continue to build out their organizational depth. Next year, it’ll be the Firebirds they’re dealing with, not only closer geographically but also operated by the same organization.

Mikhail Sergachev Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has announced a two-game suspension for Tampa Bay Lightning Mikhail Sergachev following his hit on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that Marner’s head is the main point of contact on this hit. Sergachev’s shoulder and back make substantial contact with Marner’s jaw, as the head takes the brunt of the force of the check. It is also important to note that the head contact on this play is avoidable. While Marner is bent slightly and being slowed by the hook, he does not change the position of his head or body just prior to, or simultaneous with the check, in a way that significantly contributes to the head being the main point of contact.

If he wants to deliver this hit, Sergachev must stay low and take an angle of approach that hits through Marner’s shoulder and core, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact. 

The league admitted that though Sergachev has been fined in the past, they deemed him to have no relevant history. The Tampa Bay defenseman’s fine was for a dangerous cross-check in 2019. Marner also did not suffer a serious injury on the play and did not even leave the game. Marner explained after the game that Sergachev apologized to him in the second period.

Coming off the overtime loss to the Maple Leafs, the Lightning will be without Sergachev for their afternoon tilt tomorrow in Ottawa and Tuesday’s game against the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes.

San Jose Sharks Loan William Eklund To SHL

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The San Jose Sharks gave William Eklund a taste of the NHL, but the young forward will have to wait for his next chance. The Sharks have loaned Eklund back to Djurgardens IF of the SHL. Had Eklund played one more game with the Sharks this season, he would have burned the first year of his entry-level contract. As it stands, the deal will slide forward a year and not expire until 2025. GM Doug Wilson explained the move:

This was one of the toughest decisions we have had to make. William’s tremendous skill and vision have been evident since his participation in our rookie tournament in September. In his nine NHL games as a teenager, he has shown that he is going to be a special player in this league but ultimately, we feel it is in the best interest of his long-term development to return to Sweden and continue to work on becoming the dominant player we know he can be.

Eklund, 18, is technically eligible to be assigned to the AHL as well but holds a European Assignment Clause in his contract that could force his way back to Europe if the Sharks attempted that. Instead, the seventh-overall pick will continue his development in Sweden where he had 23 points in 40 games for Djurgadens last season. This is also huge news for his country’s World Junior team, who will presumably have the reigning SHL Rookie of the Year/Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year in the lineup when the tournament begins in December.

The Sharks were happy to hand regular minutes to Eklund, who averaged over 14 minutes of ice time in those first nine games. He managed four assists in that time but failed to score his first NHL goal, despite some dangerous opportunities. The young forward certainly won’t have a problem registering that goal when he finally returns, as his offensive upside is clearly tremendous. A year of development playing in a professional league in Sweden should only help his development, and give the Sharks a more polished product to insert into the lineup next season should they choose to do so.

For San Jose, the key decision here is his contract status. It appears as though they may be more competitive this year, but challenging for the Stanley Cup will be difficult. If Eklund wasn’t going to play a key role all year, wasting a year of his entry-level deal would be a mistake in a cap-constrained league in which inexpensive deals are king. If he returns full-time next season at an even higher level, the team will be able to squeeze more surplus value out of a cap hit that will still be lower than $1MM.

AHL Shuffle: 11/05/21

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Five more games hit the NHL schedule this evening, including a matchup of the two highest cap hits in the league. Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin will do battle for the first time since New Year’s Eve 2019. That game Panarin outscored McDavid 4-1, but the Oilers got the better of the Rangers overall, winning 7-5 on the back of a James Neal hat trick. As those teams and others prepare for this evening, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Atlantic Division

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned Gabriel Dumont to the AHL,  where he could potentially play for the Syracuse Crunch this evening. The Lightning have the day off but the Crunch take on the Utica Comets, and getting back a top player like Dumont would only help their chances. The 31-year-old has five points in seven games so far this season for Syracuse. After Mikhail Sergachev received his two-game suspension, the Lightning have also recalled Fredrik Claesson.

Metropolitan Division

  • After placing Anthony Mantha on injured reserve, the Washington Capitals have recalled Aliaksei Protas once again. The 20-year-old forward has four points in six games for the Hershey Bears and made his NHL debut earlier this season.

Central Division

  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Jacob MacDonald back to the AHL, as Devon Toews prepares to make his return tomorrow night. The 27-year-old Toews has yet to play this season but would be a huge boost to Colorado’s blueline, especially as they deal with an injury to Cale Makar.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Ben McCartney from the AHL, moving Ivan Prosvetov down at the same time. With Scott Wedgewood claimed off waivers, the Coyotes are able to give Prosvetov some more time in the minor leagues. McCartney meanwhile is getting a promotion after his strong start to the season, in which he’s scored four goals and five points in four games.

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have sent Vladimir Tkachev and Alex Turcotte back to the AHL, so the top prospect’s debut will have to wait. As expected, Kale Clague and Austin Strand are back to give the team healthy defensive options, but the Kings have also recalled T.J. Tynan after his blistering start to the season. In eight games for the Ontario Reign, Tynan has scored 13 points. Not bad for the reigning AHL MVP.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Lukas Dostal to serve as the backup to Anthony Stolarz tonight with John Gibson sidelined due to a non-COVID illness.  Dostal has a save percentage of .881 in two games with AHL San Diego this season.  Meanwhile, defenseman Simon Benoit was also sent to the Gulls.  He has a goal in four games this season while averaging 14:31 per game.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Anthony Mantha Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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When Anthony Mantha left last night’s game with an upper-body injury it wasn’t clear exactly what the issue was. Today, the Washington Capitals have announced that Mantha underwent shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely. The team has moved him to injured reserve and recalled Aliaksei Protas from the AHL.

It’s a huge blow for a team that is already operating without Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, each dealing with their own serious injuries. Mantha played just over seven minutes before departing in his final game, but before that had been averaging close to 15 minutes a night for the Capitals. The big winger has six points in ten games.

While the Capitals have been able to rely on Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov to lead the way offensively so far, the club now has four overtime losses through ten games and have a busy period of the schedule coming up. The team plays five games in seven days between November 11-17 with only one of them coming at home. If the two Russian forces slip even a bit, the team will be hard-pressed to find much offense with the rest of the healthy group.

With that in mind, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters including JJ Regan of NBC Sports Washington that rookie Hendrix Lapierre will be back in for tomorrow’s game. Lapierre has played in five games so far this season and will burn the first year of his entry-level deal if he plays in five more. Lapierre has just one goal in five games but possesses offensive upside that some of the other depth options do not.

Patrik Laine Out 4-6 Weeks With Oblique Strain

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There was a curious absence from the end of the third period and overtime on Wednesday evening, as the Columbus Blue Jackets took down the Colorado Avalanche on the back of a Jake Bean clincher. Patrik Laine was nowhere to be found, and now the team has revealed why. The star forward suffered an oblique strain and will miss four to six weeks. The team has immediately placed him on injured reserve.

Laine, 23, looked like he was ready to prove last year was a fluke in the early going, with three goals and ten points in nine games for the Blue Jackets so far. The Finnish sniper was playing with speed and assertiveness, averaging nearly 18 minutes a game. During Wednesday’s match, he was back with Cole Sillinger and Jakub Voracek on a line that had dominated in the preseason and managed to contribute two assists before leaving the game.

It appears as though Yegor Chinakhov will get the first chance to replace Laine in the lineup, as team reporter Jeff Svoboda tweets the young Russian was with Sillinger and Voracek at today’s practice. Chinakhov played just 9:15 in the team’s last game, but could get quite an opportunity with Laine out for at least a month.

Not only does it hurt Columbus’ chances on the ice, but this is also a brutal injury for a forward that is staring down restricted free agency. Laine signed his qualifying offer this summer and inked a one-year, $7.5MM deal that will once again take him to RFA status. He’ll be arbitration-eligible and likely looking for a longer-term deal, but now will have missed a good chunk of the season. His statistics from last season, in which he scored just 12 goals and 24 points, certainly don’t help his case, so a big year production-wise was important if he wanted to be put in the top tier of NHL contracts.

The Blue Jackets meanwhile are fighting for their lives in the Metropolitan Division, sitting in fifth place despite a 6-3 record. It looks like it will be a very difficult fight to try and secure a divisional playoff spot this season, meaning the loss of Laine is all the more noticeable. The team was carrying an extra forward already, but will likely make another recall today after moving Laine to IR.

Brady Tkachuk Named Captain Of Ottawa Senators

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As many expected now that his contract has been signed, Brady Tkachuk will be the next captain of the Ottawa Senators. The team announced their decision today, naming Tkachuk the tenth captain in franchise history. GM Pierre Dorion released this statement:

Brady’s ingrained understanding of what it means to be a pro has made him the right choice for the team’s captaincy. He holds a unique skill set and places team success above all else. Admired by teammates and coaches, and respected by opponents, he’s certain to serve as a great ambassador for both our team and for the city of Ottawa.

That ingrained understanding comes from his father, Keith, who served for many years as captain of the Winnipeg Jets and then Phoenix Coyotes during his own playing days. The elder Tkachuk was also an alternate with the St. Louis Blues and Team USA, embodying the same characteristics that Dorion described in his son.

Brady Tkachuk, 22, is in just his fourth season in the NHL, but was the obvious choice for the Senators given his impact on the lineup. The 6’4″ winger does just about everything for the team, including leading them in scoring each of the past two seasons. While he missed a few games at the start of the season due to his contract negotiation, he’s now locked up long-term after signing a seven-year, $57.5MM deal on October 14.

That long-term deal should provide the Senators with some stability in terms of leadership, with Tkachuk becoming the team’s first captain since Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks. Ottawa is turning the corner on their rebuild and have plenty of talented young players, but there was only really ever one choice for the captaincy, should he commit to the team in contract negotiations.

Mikhail Sergachev To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do today, as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev will have a hearing for his illegal check to the head of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner last night.

Near the end of the first period, Marner was being hooked from behind by Tampa’s Victor Hedman when Sergachev came across the ice and delivered a check that appeared to catch the Maple Leafs forward directly in the head. He was given a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head, but stayed in the game. Marner meanwhile didn’t even leave the ice, staying on for the ensuing powerplay.

It appears as though the league will be handing out some supplementary discipline for the hit, despite Marner not suffering a serious injury on the play. Sergachev has not been suspended previously but did receive a fine in 2019 for a dangerous cross-check. While he won’t be considered a repeat offender in terms of salary forfeiture, his entire disciplinary history is considered.

More Moves Are Necessary For The Vegas Golden Knights

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Today was certainly a day to be happy for Vegas Golden Knights fans. The team acquired a top-ten center in the league in Jack Eichel while only losing one piece each from their prospect and draft pool.

However, the reality stands that Eichel isn’t free. He’s currently in the fourth year of an eight-year, $80MM deal that counts against the salary cap for $10M per year.

The Knights are doing a delicate dance with the salary cap’s Upper Limit, shifting both Eichel and Mark Stone to long-term injured reserve today to accommodate the transaction. They join Max Pacioretty on the list, meaning the entirety of what’s expected to be Vegas’ top line is on LTIR.

Now, this number is expected to decrease slightly as they send some players down as the team gets healthier, but CapFriendly lists the Golden Knights with a $91.8MM cap hit, just over $10M above the $81.5MM Upper Limit.

While the team should be able to activate Pacioretty and Stone without issue, it’ll be impossible as things currently stand to activate Eichel when he’s expected to return in February or March. The team will need to have a cap hit below the $81.5MM Upper Limit at that point in order to do so.

Needless to say, moves will need to happen for Vegas to shed enough salary to become cap-compliant. It’s no small amount of money, either, as they’ll likely need to offload $7-8MM in order to make things work.

Reilly Smith and the one year remaining on a deal paying him $5MM per season scream out as a likely candidate to be traded by the Knights. If Eichel is healthy prior to the trade deadline, it’s entirely feasible that Vegas could flip him to quite literally anyone. They could operate as a seller and trade Smith to a contender in the Eastern Conference, or trade him to a seller that could then flip him at the deadline.

If clearing that isn’t enough, the team could look at trading or waiving Brayden McNabb and his $2.5MM cap hit. He too is in the last year of his contract, and his role with the team is quickly being made expendable with the emergence of Nicolas Hague.

Regardless, it’s a surefire conclusion that the makeup of the team will need to be cheaper when Eichel is healthy and ready to play.

New York Rangers Sign Matt Rempe

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November 4: CapFriendly released the terms of Rempe’s contract today, and they read as follows:

2021-22: $750,000 salary + $80,000 SB
2022-23: $750,000 salary + $80,000 SB
2023-24: $775,000 salary + $80,000 SB

The three-year deal carries a cap hit of $838,333.

November 3: The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with another prospect, this time inking Matt Rempe to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected in the 2020 draft and is currently playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.

Rempe, 19, may have been drafted in the sixth round but is no small fry. In fact, he stands 6’7″ and dwarfs almost all of his junior competition, using his huge frame to separate opponents from the puck on the regular. While there may be some questions about his offensive upside–Rempe has just 40 points in 65 career WHL games–he certainly has the size to succeed at the professional level.

The Rangers have coveted size since their front office switch, but there’s still a ton of work to do to make Rempe a legitimate NHL prospect. That entry-level deal will slide for this year and won’t kick in until 2022-23, meaning he’s now scheduled for restricted free agency in 2025. The team obviously believes he can be a valuable member of the organization though, so his progression this year for Seattle will be interesting to watch. In ten games, he has four goals.

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