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Jordan Binnington Suffers Knee Injury

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11:47 AM: Blues head coach Craig Berube has confirmed that Binnington will be out for the rest of the team’s series against the Avalanche.

9:26 AM: Last night’s contest between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues proved to be a costly one for both sides. The Avalanche lost defenseman Samuel Girard for the rest of the playoffs to a broken sternum, and per reports, the Blues have lost starting goaltender Jordan Binnington for what could end up being several weeks. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that “good sources” say that Binnington suffered a “possible knee sprain” and could be out for “multiple weeks.”

Binnington suffered his knee injury in the first period of yesterday’s game thanks to a collision with his teammate, Calle Rosen, as well as Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri. With just over 13 minutes left to play in the first period, Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen fired a shot off Binnington, which left a rebound at the top of the crease. Kadri went to pursue the rebound, and Rosen battled him to prevent that scoring chance. As a result of Kadri’s attempt at the loose puck and Rosen’s presence in the same area, Kadri and Rosen both slammed into Binnington. Binnington initially attempted to warm up for a return to action under the watchful eye of a team trainer, but he seemingly aggravated the injury, which necessitated his exit in favor of backup Ville Husso.

Naturally, the play has been controversial, especially so thanks to Kadri’s disciplinary history. After the game, Blues coach Craig Berube was asked about the incident and gave a simple answer: “Look at Kadri’s reputation, that’s all I have to say.” Despite that general sentiment from many on the Blues’ side, it does not seem as though Kadri will face any repercussions from the league for the incident. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reports that the NHL Department of Player Safety is “not expected” to issue any reaction to the incident.

The loss of Binnington comes as a major blow to the Blues’ hopes against the Avalanche. While Binnington’s inconsistent play saw him lose the starter’s crease to Husso in the regular season, he has taken it back with his play in the playoffs. Binnington has a 4-0-1 record and a .949 save percentage in these playoffs, numbers that are significantly better than Husso’s 1-3-0, .891 marks. St. Louis is now down 2-1 in their series, so with Binnington now injured the Blues will need Husso’s regular-season form to re-emerge if they want to have any hope of continuing their season.

Samuel Girard Breaks Sternum, Out Rest Of Playoffs

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10:10pm: Girard suffered a broken sternum on the play according to head coach Jared Bednar. He will miss the rest of the playoffs for Colorado.

8:10pm: The Colorado Avalanche have lost one of their defensemen, at least for the time being. After Samuel Girard was removed from tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues, he has been taken to a local hospital for further evaluation on an upper-body injury.

Girard was hit hard by Ivan Barbashev behind his own net, and though he got off the ice on his own, will not return. The 24-year-old defenseman had averaged just under 21 minutes a night so far in the playoffs but lasted just 56 seconds in tonight’s match.

For their part, the Blues have also lost starting goaltender Jordan Binnington for the time being. The netminder left after a collision with Nazem Kadri, forcing Ville Husso back into the crease.

The two teams will play again on Monday evening.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Bryan Rust

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have agreed to terms with pending free agent forward Bryan Rust, keeping him in the organization long-term. Rust has agreed to a six-year contract worth a total of $30.75MM, an average annual value of $5.125MM. Penguins general manager Ron Hextall released a statement explaining:

Bryan exemplifies what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. Since being drafted by Pittsburgh, he has developed into a versatile player and leader on our team, capable of contributing in any situation. His leadership qualities and experience as a two-time Stanley Cup champion is an important piece of our team.

While Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang take up most of the headlines in terms of pending free agents in Pittsburgh, Rust sat as arguably the most valuable of the three, at least when it came to a long-term extension. The versatile forward turned 30 just a few days ago and has been one of the team’s most consistent offensive performers over the last three seasons.

Consistent of course, only when Rust was actually in the lineup. When he played every game in the shortened 2020-21 campaign, it was the first time he’d accomplished the feat in his career. With a career-high of 72 games, and only 60 this season, there’s a fair argument that Rust–or at least the way he plays–brings more risk than the average player on a contract like this.

Still, an average annual value under $6MM for a forward that has been close to a point-per-game player for three years running is a nice bit of business for the Penguins, even if it does come at the cost of a few extra years. Rust has scored at least 22 goals in three straight and had 58 points this season. His play in the postseason has also been strong, with 21 goals in 79 career playoff games, including the two Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017.

It’s that playoff-style hockey that is so appealing about Rust’s game, and what would have likely drawn plenty of interested parties had he reached the open market. Now, with him firmly in the mix for the next six years, the team can turn their attention to Malkin and Letang once again.

Darren Dreger of TSN broke the news that the two sides were close, while Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff filled in the details. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Jaydon Dureau

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As June approaches, several prospects that were drafted in 2018 or 2020 will be nearing a chance at unrestricted free agency. Not so for Jaydon Dureau, who signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning today.

Selected 147th overall in 2020, Dureau finished his junior career with the Portland Winterhawks a few days ago when they went down to the Seattle Thunderbirds in round two of the WHL playoffs. The 21-year-old forward had 66 points in 49 games for Portland this season, adding another six in nine postseason appearances.

Already with five AHL games under his belt over the last two years, Dureau will join the many other mid-round CHL players to enter the Tampa Bay development program and should be a full-time member of the Syracuse Crunch next season.

Detroit Red Wings Extend Taro Hirose

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The Detroit Red Wings have reached an agreement with Taro Hirose on a two-year contract extension, keeping him in the organization and away from unrestricted free agency. The financial details of the deal have not yet been released.

Hirose, 25, would have qualified as a Group VI UFA this summer, after playing just 57 games to this point in his NHL career. Just 15 of those came this season but the young forward showed just how dangerous he could be at the minor league level.

In 59 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, Hirose had 15 goals and 53 points. He’ll likely spend a good chunk of this new contract in the minor leagues as well, though he’ll have to clear waivers in order to do it.

A highly sought-after undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Michigan State University, Hirose has 20 points in his 57-game NHL career to this point, suggesting that there actually is some upside at that level if he ever gets a more prolonged opportunity. If not, he still represents a strong injury replacement for short-term stints, as he can step into a top-six or powerplay role if necessary.

There’s also always a chance that he catches the eye of the new coaching staff, with Jeff Blashill not returning. That battle will happen in training camp now that the contract negotiations are complete.

Minor Transactions: 05/21/22

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Most of the day-to-day roster shuffling is now complete but there have been a handful of moves made.  We’ll keep track of those here.

  • A day after sending him back down, the Flames have recalled defenseman Juuso Valimaki from AHL Stockton, per the AHL’s transactions log. It’s the third time this week that the 23-year-old has been recalled although he hasn’t seen any game action.  With the Heat set to start their next series on Monday, there’s a good chance that Valimaki – who played in just nine games with Calgary this season – will be sent back down soon.
  • The Avalanche have brought up goaltender Hunter Miska from AHL Colorado and had him at practice today, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). Miska will serve as the emergency goalie for the Avs for the time being although with their next series in the minors starting on Monday (against Calgary’s affiliate), he could be shuffled back and forth over the next few days.  At the moment, both Miska and AHL starter Justus Annunen are up with the big club.
  • A year after deciding to try his hand overseas, John Quenneville is looking for a new home after Zurich of the Swiss NLA announced in their transactions log that he has been released. The 26-year-old has played in 42 NHL games over parts of four seasons and could be a candidate to return to North America on a two-way deal this summer after a decent season with the Lions that saw him collect 20 goals and 17 assists in 46 games.

Snapshots: Kapanen, Blackhawks, Point

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It was a tough year for Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen.  He had just 11 goals in 79 games and managed just two more points than he had in 2020-21 despite playing in 39 fewer contests.  However, Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now posits that the 25-year-old may have done enough in the playoffs to convince management to give him one more chance instead of non-tendering him this summer.  Kapanen is owed a $3.2MM qualifying offer and also has arbitration eligibility which complicates things as he’s unlikely to be awarded a deal that’s above the walkaway threshold.  Molinari suggests Pittsburgh try to offer him a deal with a reduced salary in the hopes that Kapanen opts for that over testing the open market with a non-tender in July.  If they can’t agree on a new deal, GM Ron Hextall is going to have a big decision on his hands on whether or not to qualify him.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Blackhawks don’t have a first-round pick this year with theirs going to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade but GM Kyle Davidson told NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis that acquiring a first-round is “something I’m definitely interested in”. Chicago has committed to a rebuilding process but their challenge might be finding a player they’re willing to trade that is talented enough to command that strong of a return.  Brandon Hagel went for two first-rounders at the trade deadline but those are in the 2023 and 2024 drafts.
  • Tampa Bay has ruled out Brayden Point for Sunday’s game against Florida, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link). The center has yet to play in the second round after suffering a lower-body injury in the final game of their series against Toronto.  Despite missing their top pivot, the Lightning find themselves in good shape with a 2-0 series lead heading into back-to-back games at home on Sunday and Monday.

Flames Sign Ilya Nikolaev

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The Flames have agreed to a contract with one of their prospects as agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star announced (Twitter link) that Calgary has signed center Ilya Nikolaev to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal, which has since been confirmed by the club, were not disclosed.

The 20-year-old was a third-round pick of the Flames back in 2019 (88th overall) out of the Russian junior league.  Last season, Nikolaev split the year between Russia’s MHL and VHL, their junior and second-tier pro leagues but he decided to try his hand in North America this year.  Undrafted in either the CHL or USHL, he opted to sign with the latter, joining Tri-City.  He did quite well at that level this season, recording 23 goals and 49 assists in 58 games and tied for the team lead in playoff scoring with five goals and three helpers in five contests.

Nikolaev will now turn pro with the Flames and will need some time in the minors.  Calgary is expected to move their AHL affiliate from Stockton to somewhere in the Calgary area for next season so they’ll have a good opportunity to keep close tabs on Nikolaev’s development over the next three years.

East Notes: Lindblom, Marchment, Korpisalo

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Like many teams, the Flyers will be looking to free up some cap space this summer.  Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic highlights (subscription link) an under-the-radar option to help accomplish that with a buyout of winger Oskar Lindblom.  While his battle to return back from Ewing’s sarcoma and become a regular NHL player again is certainly commendable, he has underachieved offensively with just 20 goals in 129 games since then which isn’t a great return on a $3MM AAV.  However, he’d be eligible for a reduced buyout charge of one-third because of his age (25) and the structure of the contract would actually create a cap credit of $333K for next season with a $667K charge the following year.  With that credit, the Flyers would effectively save $3.33MM in 2022-23 with a Lindholm buyout, making that option one that GM Chuck Fletcher will likely give some serious consideration to in the coming weeks.

More from the East:

  • Panthers winger Mason Marchment is doubtful to play in the next two games of their series against Tampa Bay, relays David Wilson of the Miami Herald. He has now missed the last four games with a lower-body injury and with Florida scuffling in the early going of this round, his secondary scoring and physicality are certainly being missed.  Meanwhile, interim head coach Andrew Brunette clarified that Anton Lundell wasn’t injured on Thursday but was merely benched after just over four minutes of ice time.
  • Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo told Bailey Johnson of the Columbus Dispatch that his recovery from hip surgery is on track and that he should be ready for the start of training camp. He indicated he had been playing through the injury for the last four seasons with the issue worsening until it was decided that surgery was the best way to go.  He’ll get one more opportunity with Columbus after they signed him to a one-year, $1.3MM deal on Friday.

Offseason Checklist: Chicago Blackhawks

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The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound plus some that were eliminated early in the playoffs.  It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Chicago.

There were high hopes for the Blackhawks to start this season after a summer that saw them add a new top defender in Seth Jones, a new starting goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury, as well as some extra depth up front.  The hope was that these improvements would help get them back into the playoff picture after missing the postseason the year before.  It didn’t happen.  Instead, mired with off-ice controversy and on-ice struggles, things snowballed in the opposite direction and instead of building for the playoffs, GM Kyle Davidson has committed to going for a rebuild instead.  As a result, he has a busy summer ahead of him.

Coaching Decision

After Jeremy Colliton was let go after just a dozen games, Derek King was elevated from coaching with AHL Rockford to fill in on an interim basis for the rest of the season.  His record wasn’t stellar by any stretch (27-33-10) but the team was much more competitive under King despite having nothing to play for but pride for most of the season.

Davidson decided that he wants to undergo a full coaching search and one of the questions he’ll have to answer is the type of coach he’s looking for.  Is he looking for a long-term fixture to grow with the team or is it someone to take them through this transitional period?  If it’s the latter, someone like King – who will interview for the full-time job – becomes a legitimate candidate with how Chicago performed down the stretch.  A veteran coach doesn’t seem like a good fit for a rebuilding squad but Davidson has committed to a thorough search so there will undoubtedly be some veteran coaches considered over the coming weeks on top of some first-time options.

On top of hiring a head coach, Davidson and whoever he picks as his bench boss will need to fill a couple of vacancies on the bench after the team dismissed associate coach Marc Crawford and assistant coach Rob Cookson this summer.

Build A Goalie Tandem

In terms of Chicago’s on-ice personnel, there is a lot of work to be done this summer between the pipes.  Fleury was moved to Minnesota at the trade deadline while holdovers Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia are both pending unrestricted free agents.  As it stands, the only goalie with professional experience that’s signed for next season is Arvid Soderblom.  Suffice it to say, they have some work to do.

After an impressive first NHL season, Lankinen struggled considerably this year with a save percentage of just .891.  A year ago, it looked like he could be a sought-after netminder in free agency but now, his market will have cooled considerably.  Still, a return to Chicago could be an option in a backup role.  Delia is someone that has been around the organization for a while (five years) but never has really emerged beyond being a good AHL netminder that can play a handful of NHL contests when needed.  With the Blackhawks wanting to give Soderblom and Jaxson Stauber lots of action with AHL Rockford, Delia seems likely to move on.

Davidson could try to go after a younger free agent goalie in Jack Campbell or Ville Husso with the hope that they’ll still be on the team when they’re ready to try to contend again but that seems like an unlikely scenario.  Instead, veterans on short-term contracts that give them some flexibility seems like the smarter way to go for them.  They’ll need a couple of them over the next few months.

Rebuild The Rest

There are few core players on Chicago that should be viewed as untouchable.  With them appearing to be eyeing a multi-year process, anyone that isn’t signed or under team control through that time could very well be expendable.

Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has a very busy offseason ahead of him.The biggest decisions that will need to be made in the short term involve winger Patrick Kane and center Jonathan Toews.  Both players have spent their entire careers (14 years for Toews, 15 for Kane) in Chicago and have been on identical contracts since 2010.  They’re set to enter the final year of their deals that carry a $10.5MM cap hit.  Are they a part of the future plans?  Davidson allowed for the possibility that they could stick around but will the veterans be willing to go through several more years of losing?  If not, then they will have to give serious consideration to trading their long-time pillars.  Are those moves easier to make now when moving salary is a bit easier or closer to the trade deadline when most of the cap hit has been covered already?  That, along with the possibility of extensions, will likely have to be jointly explored this summer.

Other veterans will likely be on the move as well to add future assets and try to free up some cap flexibility.  Blueliner Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy along with center Tyler Johnson are all potential options either this summer or at some point during the season.

RFA Decisions

Two younger veterans that could fit in the above category as well are Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome.  Both are restricted free agents this summer with qualifying offers ($4MM for Kubalik, $3.6MM for Strome) that are a bit high relative to their performance in recent years.  Kubalik had 30 goals in his rookie season but just 32 in the last two combined.  Strome, meanwhile, has been hit or miss since joining Chicago in 2018, at times looking like a capable top-six player and others where he struggled to the point of being a healthy scratch.

Not that long ago, both players were viewed as potential long-term fits for the Blackhawks but that isn’t the case now due to their inconsistency and somewhat recent struggles.  Kubalik was available at the trade deadline with minimal interest while Strome has been available off and on going back more than a year although his strong finish (36 points in his last 40 games) could help his chances of sticking around with a one-year, ‘prove it’ type of contract.

Can they keep both?  With their cap situation, can they afford to keep both?  They can opt for club-elected arbitration which carries a minimum salary of 85% of the qualifying offer but there’s no guarantee the arbitrator will agree with that valuation and there are no walkaway rights with club-elected arbitration.  Chicago can try to negotiate a lower-priced deal but there’s no requirement for Kubalik and Strome to agree to something like that.  Accordingly, don’t be surprised if both players are in the rumor mill in the coming weeks to see if there’s a trade return that could be palatable if Davidson doesn’t want to pay the cost to keep them.

DeBrincat Extension Talks

One player that Davidson will undoubtedly be willing to pay the cost to keep is winger Alex DeBrincat.  He signed a three-year bridge deal back in 2019 and has outperformed it, scoring 73 goals in just 134 games since then, including 41 this season.  With his contract coming before the CBA extension, he’s subject to the old qualifying offer rules which means his 2022-23 salary of $9MM represents his qualifying offer next summer.

The 24-year-old will be eligible for an extension once the new league year starts in mid-July. DeBrincat looks like a centerpiece of Chicago’s rebuilding process so locking him up as soon as possible is something that needs to be explored.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see discussions on a new agreement begin sooner than later as a result.  A deal doesn’t have to be done now but if something isn’t agreed on, he’ll enter next summer a year away from UFA eligibility which always carries some risk.  Expect Davidson to try to avoid that if he can.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Salary figures courtesy of CapFriendly.

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