With teams now past the midway point of the season, activity is starting to pick up across the NHL. Here’s a rundown of the biggest stories in what was a very busy week across the league.
One In, One On The Way Out? As expected, the Senators signed RFA center Shane Pinto to a one-year deal that checked in at the league minimum of $775K. The 23-year-old missed the first 41 games of the year after violating the league’s sports wagering rules, negating the two-year deal with an AAV in the $2MM range that was being negotiated. Pinto will once again be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this summer. Meanwhile, the Sens are believed to be listening to interest in blueliner Jakob Chychrun. The 25-year-old was acquired last season from Arizona in the hopes he’d shore up their back end but Ottawa has struggled in all facets in the first half of the year. With one year left on his contract after this one with a $4.6MM price tag and the fact he’s on pace for his best season offensively, his trade value might be at its highest over the next few weeks if GM Steve Staios wants to make a big move.
Merzlikins Wants Out: After recently voicing his frustration over a lack of playing time but noting that he hadn’t asked for a trade, Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins has confirmed that he has now indeed requested to be moved. The 29-year-old has bounced back from a tough showing last year, upping his save percentage from .876 to .905 but his game-to-game consistency has still been a concern, resulting in Daniil Tarasov getting an extended look as the starter. With three years left after this one on his deal with a $5.4MM AAV and with Spencer Martin now in Carolina after being claimed off waivers earlier in the week, it seems unlikely that Merzlikins will see his request granted in the near future.
Coaching Change: With the Islanders struggling, some had wondered about Lane Lambert’s future with the team. GM Lou Lamoriello indeed decided to make a change but who he hired caught many by surprise as Patrick Roy was named their new head coach. Lambert spent barely a year and a half behind New York’s bench with his team playing to a 61-46-20 record while the Isles lost in the first round of the playoffs last year and Lamoriello clearly felt that a change could help kickstart this team. He turns to Roy, who hasn’t been behind an NHL bench since the 2015-16 campaign, his third and final year with Colorado before he abruptly resigned the following offseason over a lack of say in personnel decisions. He’s unlikely to get much input in that regard as long as Lamoriello is in charge but the former Jack Adams Award winner certainly had some success with the Avs and will now get his second crack at running an NHL bench.
Extensions: A pair of centers in very different situations inked new deals with their current teams. First, the Blackhawks signed Jason Dickinson to a two-year, $8.5MM extension. Dickinson is in the middle of a breakout season offensively, notching 15 goals already; he had yet to crack double-digits over the past five years. He was a pending unrestricted free agent but will now continue to serve as a bridge veteran in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Capitals inked a key part of their future, agreeing to terms with Aliaksei Protas on a five-year, $16.875MM extension. The 6’6 23-year-old has just ten career NHL goals in 134 games but is a little under half a point per game this season. Clearly, Washington believes that he can get to another level offensively and be a strong middle-six piece for the foreseeable future.
Leaves Of Absence: Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin will be away from the team indefinitely as he has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The 28-year-old was in the midst of his best season offensively as he notched 22 goals and 20 assists in his first 40 games before stepping aside. There is no set timeframe for how long he might be out as Nichushkin will only return once he’s cleared by program administrators. Meanwhile, the Flames announced that winger Dillon Dube has been granted an indefinite leave of absence to attend to his mental health. Last season, the 25-year-old had a career year with 45 points but he has struggled this season with just seven points in 43 contests and will now take some time away from the organization.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Here’s another story of the week, Why does the Canadian hockey media continue to talk about Toronto and Edmonton and not Winnipeg and Vancouver? Toronto is a 500 team at best, And Edmonton still has the same glaring holes in the lineup they had before the coaching change, And if you think the winning streak is impressive just remember that the Oilers are in the worst division in hockey, And they aren’t going to win the cup anytime soon!
Because with the demise of the Habs for the time being, those are the 2 biggest hockey markets.
No one outside of the lower mainland cares about the Canucks and most of their games are played after those in the east go to bed.
And Winnipeg. Enough said.
Funny stuff once again. You don’t seem even vaguely familiar with the simple concept of supply/demand economics as it applies to media. Regarding the Oilers streak – only five of the thirteen wins have come against division opponents.
And several cupcakes outside the division and conference. Nice try though.
Great point. Must be the reason that 13 games streaks are so common.