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Justin Barron, Jake Allen Out Rest Of Season

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The Montreal Canadiens season hasn’t gone according to plan, and it’s ending a little prematurely for another two players. The team announced today that Justin Barron and Jake Allen will not play again this season, though both are expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp.

Barron, 20, was acquired by the Canadiens at the trade deadline and played five games for the team before suffering an ankle injury. It will not require surgery, but he won’t be back in the lineup in 2021-22. The young defenseman was the big prize for the team in the Artturi Lehkonen sweepstakes and represents someone that can play a full-time, impact role as soon as next season. Selected 25th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, Barron had 20 points in 43 games this season for the Colorado Eagles before the trade.

Allen meanwhile has had just a nightmare season, missing several months due to injury already. He appeared in 35 games, won just nine of them and posted a .905 save percentage. He suffered a groin injury over the weekend, but is expected to be ready by training camp. At that point he is expected to once again be the backup, given Carey Price’s expected return, though Allen will likely still see a lot of playing time. Signed through 2022-23 at a $2.875MM cap hit, he will hit unrestricted free agency at the end of next season.

The team also announced that Emil Heineman, another prospect acquired earlier this season and recently signed to an entry-level contract, is in Montreal being evaluated for an upper-body injury. There is no timeline for his return, meaning the Laval Rocket will have to wait to get a chance to see him on the ice.

AHL Shuffle: 04/12/22

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After a very quiet Monday, the NHL is packed full of action this evening, with 28 of the 32 teams in action. That includes first-overall pick Owen Power making his debut for the Buffalo Sabres, playing just down the road from where he was born. The Mississauga, Ontario native will hit the ice for the first time against the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing on a pairing with Henri Jokiharju. While they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • Last night, the Montreal Canadiens sent Jesse Ylonen back to the AHL, after he played against the Winnipeg Jets. The young forward has five points in 14 games this season, his first real taste of the NHL. Through 45 games with the Laval Rocket though, he has 30 points and should help the minor league team in their chase for the Calder Cup.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Taro Hirose from the AHL under emergency conditions, giving them an extra body for tonight’s game. Hirose, 25, has played in 12 games for the Red Wings this season but done damage at the minor league level, racking up 47 points in 54 games.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Alec Regula, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. Regula has scored in each of his last two AHL games, and now has four goals and 25 points in 40 appearances for the Rockford IceHogs this season. The 21-year-old defenseman is still waiting on his first point in the NHL though, scoreless through his first nine tries.

Pacific Division

This page is updated throughout the day

Anaheim Ducks Expected To Retain Dallas Eakins

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At the end of this season, the three-year contract that Dallas Eakins signed as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks in 2019 will expire. With the team now under new management after hiring general manager Pat Verbeek earlier this year, some questioned whether Eakins would be retained. Elliott Teaford of the OC Register reports that the team is expected to retain Eakins for at least one more season, with Verbeek set to clarify the situation this week. The Athletic has also reported that the Ducks coach will be back in 2022-23, and notes that the original deal may have contained an option for a fourth year.

Eakins, 55, has been with the Ducks organization since 2015, first serving as head coach of the San Diego Gulls for four seasons before taking over behind the Anaheim bench in 2019. During his time at the NHL level, the team has had middling results, though the development of players like Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and especially Troy Terry has been celebrated.

Once a rising star in the coaching ranks, expected to have a long, successful career, Eakins’ first chance behind the bench of an NHL team didn’t go well. In 2013 he was hired as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, a team loaded with young talent that included the 25-and-under group of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, David Perron, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sam Gagner, Justin Schultz, Nail Yakupov, and Jeff Petry. Things almost immediately went south, and after missing the playoffs badly in his first year, Eakins was dismissed just 31 games into his second season with the Oilers.

Again, though, he showed he could get outstanding results at the AHL level, taking the Gulls to the playoffs three times and winning four total playoff rounds. When Randy Carlyle was fired by the Ducks in 2019, Eakins became an obvious choice to replace him after paying his dues at the minor league level. Still, the organization took its time and interviewed several other candidates before eventually handing him the job.

Now, after some early success this season, the Ducks once again find themselves well below .500 and outside the playoff picture. They sold off several key players at the deadline and will lose captain Ryan Getzlaf at the end of the year to retirement. There should be a ton of pressure on Eakins and the team to take another step forward next season, especially if his contract is only extended by one year.

Evgeni Malkin Suspended Four Games

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As many were expecting, the NHL Department of Player Safety has announced a suspension of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin, this time for four games, for his cross-check of Nashville Predators’ defenseman Mark Borowiecki on Sunday. As the accompanying video explains:

“It is important to note that this is not a case where Malkin raises his stick defensively or reflexively to protect himself. We find Malkin’s cross-check to be retaliatory and aggressive. While we heard Malkin’s assertion that Borowiecki initiated the scrum by restraining him and confronting him, neither action merited Malkin’s response. Players are not excused from violating league rules because of the actions of their opponents. There is simply no justification for a player to forcefully and intentionally cross-check another player in this manner.”

Malkin’s suspension could seem excessive to some, but this is not his first suspension, having been suspended once before, and fined three other times in his career. It is also worth noting that Malkin was assessed a four minute double-minor on the play. In terms of salary-forfeited, the suspension will cost Malkin approximately $190K.

Losing Malkin for four games now is a tough loss for Pittsburgh, who is in no threat of losing a playoff position, but is fighting for seeding, which can have enormous ramifications in their own right. The Penguins currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 94 points, four ahead of the Washington Capitals who hold the second Wild Card in the Eastern Conference (the Boston Bruins have the first Wild Card with 95 points). The star forward is still producing at a high-level at 35 years of age, despite dealing with injury this season, recording 17 goals and 20 assists in 37 games this year.

 

Sam Gagner Hopes To Stay With The Detroit Red Wings

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In a conversation with Ansar Khan of Michigan Live, Sam Gagner made clear his desire to stay with the Detroit Red Wings, hoping to win with them long-term. Gagner discussed how much he has enjoyed his time with Detroit and being able to settle in with a team, as well as a defined role, and his belief that the Red Wings could soon become a winner, which he wants to be a part of.

As much of a glowing review as Gagner had of playing for Detroit, Red Wings Head Coach Jeff Blashill had for Gagner, praising his leadership during tough times for the Red Wings the past couple of seasons and his ability to play in key defensive situations, including the penalty kill. Much like Gagner himself, Blashill also made clear that he would like to see the veteran stay with Detroit.

Should Gagner remain with Detroit after this season, he would presumably remain in his role as a bottom-six defensive forward who can chip in depth scoring and be a leader and role-model for the incredibly young Red Wings roster. This season, Gagner has 12 goals and 16 assists in 71 games for Detroit, playing on a one year, $850K contract. If Gagner were to re-sign, one could reasonably expect a slight raise on that salary, rewarding Gagner for his all around impact on the team, all the more reasonable considering Detroit’s cap flexibility now and in the future, with only $42.7MM committed in salary next season.

Some might wonder why Detroit would keep a veteran like Gagner around, seeing him as merely a player filling a spot that could go to a young, developing player. However, players like Gagner can be incredibly valuable in helping develop the young players around him, not only helping them on the ice, but also guiding them as professionals off the ice, helping to manage the rather interesting lifestyle of being a professional athlete that most players have never experienced before. Though a bit more central to his teams plans at that point, consider the role Patrick Marleau played for a young Toronto Maple Leafs team, helping players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner develop as professionals, especially in the year prior to John Tavares’s arrival.

As Gagner himself mentioned to Khan, the Red Wings could see themselves as a team pushing for a playoff spot in the near future, perhaps as soon as next year. A veteran role-player like Gagner can be just as valuable to a team and more so to a team with little playoff experience like the current Red Wings roster. Players like Corey Perry and Pat Maroon have factored heavily into deep playoff runs, Maroon winning three straight Stanley Cups between two teams. One could also look at the New York Islanders’ acquisitions of Andy Greene in 2020 and Travis Zajac in 2021 as proof of veteran depth paying dividends.

Of course, there is no contract yet, and as it appears, no talks have happened either, but bringing back the veteran center could pay off more for Detroit than one would expect. At 32 years old and five years removed from a career best 50 point season, the former top prospect is also far from retirement age and still has plenty to give. A look to players like Perry, Maroon, Zajac, Greene, or even Marleau shows that Gagner still has a very in-demand role and this young, up-and-coming Red Wings team could very well use a player to fill that role, as they already have with Gagner.

Drew Doughty Out For The Remainder Of The Season

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The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenseman Drew Doughty underwent successful wrist surgery today and will be out for the remainder of the season. The Kings also added that Doughty will begin rehab on the injury immediately and is expected to be ready for the start of next season.

The news on Doughty is tough for the Kings, as they fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and hope to make a run in the playoffs. Doughty has struggled with injury this season, playing in just 39 of the Kings 74 games so far, last playing on March 7th at the Boston Bruins. Still, the Kings had hoped to get Doughty back perhaps at some point either in advance of the playoffs or during, but will now have to make their push for the Stanley Cup without one of their cornerstone players. In those 39 games this season, Doughty has seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points.

Another tough blow for the Kings, perhaps in hindsight, is that Doughty’s injury can put him on LTIR, allowing the Kings to offset his $11MM cap hit. This could have allowed them to make a more substantial acquisition at the trade deadline to replace some of what they lost in Doughty. Los Angeles did make a trade for another right-handed defenseman, acquiring Troy Stecher, and while Stecher is a quality NHL defenseman, he wouldn’t be considered the primary option to replace what they lost in Doughty.

Regardless, Los Angeles is still in a strong position, coming into this season expecting to have another building year and not necessarily having its focus on a playoff spot. The team finds itself in third place in the Pacific Division with 86 points, two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, and tied with the Dallas Stars, who currently hold the second Wild Card position in the Western Conference. Even if the Kings were to miss the playoffs, playing perhaps 82 regular season games while in contention for a playoff spot could be considered a major victory for the organization.

Brock Faber Returning For Junior Season

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There is some unfinished business for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, who were ousted from the Frozen Four by the Minnesota State Mavericks, missing a chance at a National Championship game. While freshman Matthew Knies is meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs this week to discuss his future (and according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, leaning toward a return), Brock Faber has already made his decision. The Los Angeles Kings prospect will return for his junior season, the team confirmed today.

Faber, 19, was the 45th overall pick in 2020 and just finished a season that saw him wear an “A” as alternate captain of Team USA at the eventually-canceled World Juniors, suit up for the U.S. at the Olympics, and win the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, while also being named to the conference First All-Star Team. You could call it a pretty successful sophomore year.

The Kings actually traded up to land Faber in 2020, sending picks 51 and 97 to the Detroit Red Wings in order to draft the USNTDP standout. The right-shot defenseman has always had an innate ability to close gaps on the rush and break cycles in his own end, and is still developing an improving offensive game to go with it. If you trace that draft pick back even further, it actually originally belonged to the Edmonton Oilers, and was one of the two second-round selections sent to Detroit at the 2020 deadline for Andreas Athanasiou.

Now it’s the Kings’ bounty, though they’ll still need to sign Faber at some point in the future. His draft rights belong to them through August of 2024, meaning next spring there will likely be another push to get him under contract.

Still, there’s good reason to believe that another year of college will actually help his development, especially if some of the other talented defensemen on Minnesota decide to turn pro. If Faber is given more offensive responsibility, there’s even a chance he could be ready to step directly into the NHL in an impact role following his junior season.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Francesco Pinelli

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed another prospect, adding to an already impressive pipeline. Francesco Pinelli has inked his three-year, entry-level contract, which will start in the 2022-23 season. The deal carries an NHL cap hit of $867.5K. Pinelli currently plays for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, where he will stay through the end of the season.

Selected 42nd overall in 2021, the 19-year-old Pinelli wears the captain’s “C” for the Rangers and has 58 points in 53 games. Notably, that production has been held back by a Kitchener roster that is much weaker than usual and finds itself seventh in the OHL’s Western Conference with a 29-30-5 record. While he sits third on the team in scoring, Pinelli would likely still be considered the best overall forward in the group (though 17-year-old Carson Rehkopf is certainly coming for that spot) and a good bet to eventually reach the NHL in some capacity.

Still, that is no guarantee, especially in a system that is bursting with talented prospects like the one in Los Angeles. It’s hard to find a deeper group, which already has a dozen young talents signed and even more coming. The good thing is that there’s no rush for Pinelli, who will be returning to the OHL for next season unless he somehow makes the Kings out of camp. The young forward will not be eligible for the AHL in 2022-23, given he only turned 19 today.

Because of that youth, Pinelli’s contract is also eligible to slide for next season should he go back to junior, meaning he’s really signed through 2025-26 already.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Wallstedt, PWHPA

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The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs taking home top spot. Matthews scored seven more goals in his four games to extend his lead in the Rocket Richard race, and set the Maple Leafs’ single-season franchise record. With 58 goals on the season, Matthews is incredibly already up to 257 in his career, putting him into the top-10 for the Maple Leafs organization–just three behind franchise icon Wendel Clark.

Second and third went to John Carlson and Jonathan Huberdeau respectively, who continue to rack up points of their own. Carlson, somewhat quietly in a year that has had so many other strong offensive performances from defensemen, is up to 63 points after his eight-point week. It’s the fourth time in five seasons that the Washington Capitals defenseman has recorded 60+ and has him closing in on 600 in his career. Huberdeau meanwhile broke the 100-point mark for the first time in his career and now leads the league with 77 assists as he makes a run at both the Art Ross and Hart trophies.

  • The Minnesota Wild are hoping to sign top goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt soon, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, in order to have him play in North America next season. The 19-year-old was picked 20th overall in 2021 and posted a .917 save percentage in 22 appearances for Lulea HF in Sweden this season. The team is into the semi-finals meaning a contract will have to wait at least a little while, though veteran netminder Joel Lassinantti has started all five playoff games to this point.
  • The PWHPA’s board has voted unanimously to end any discussion of collaborating with the PHF, according to Hailey Salvian of The Athletic. The two factions of women’s professional hockey have never seen eye-to-eye but had met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently to try to come to some sort of coalition. It appears that is impossible, at least for the time being, with the two sides ceasing further communication.

San Jose Sharks Sign Nick Cicek

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The San Jose Sharks may still be working with an interim general manager but that won’t stop them from signing contracts for next season. The team has signed minor league defenseman Nick Cicek to a two-year entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports that the deal will begin in 2022-23, and carries an NHL cap hit of $837.5K.

Joe Will, interim GM, released the following statement:

Nick has a strong track record of leadership in his career, having been the captain of the Portland Winterhawks last season, and he has even been an alternate captain for the Barracuda this year in select games. Among AHL rookie defensemen, he’s top 10 in scoring and top 15 in goals. Nick has a bright future and we’re excited to add him to our NHL defensive depth.

Cicek, who will turn 22 next month, joined the San Jose Barracuda this season after going undrafted out of junior and has been outstanding from the drop of the puck. With 23 points he sits ninth among all AHL rookie defensemen in scoring, just one point behind Artemi Kniazev for the team lead despite playing in seven fewer games than the second-round pick. The 6’3″ Cicek has also racked up 60 penalty minutes, including a pair of fights. One of those came after Andreas Englund hit San Jose forward Jeffrey Viel, earning Cicek a misconduct for instigating.

That mix of skill and toughness is obviously an attractive package, especially when it comes in someone that is so lauded for his leadership as Will points out. Whether Cicek can continue his development and become an NHL player remains to be seen, but the Sharks obviously like what he has done this year enough that they’ve rewarded him with a contract that makes it possible.

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