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Hurricanes Up For Sale; Relocation Possible?

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(7:50pm): Hurricanes team president Don Waddell called an in-game press conference tonight to deny the rumors of relocation, tweets Luke DeCock of The Raleigh News & Observer. In a second tweet, DeCock reports that Waddell also indicated that there had been nothing on the sales front in “four to five months.”

(6:45pm): Rumors of a potential sale of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise have been percolating for a while now. Attendance is one problem as the team has finished 30th and 29th respectively over each of the last two full campaigns and currently reside in last place again averaging just 11,189 fans per home game.

A second issue complicating the situation is a lawsuit filed against team owner Peter Karmanos by his three sons. Details of the suit can be found here. The suit has evidently been settled though it’s unknown whether that might mean a sale of the club is more or less likely.

Now, according to 98.5 Sports in Montreal (link in French), Karmanos is still actively pursuing a sale of the team and is willing to sell to a buyer looking to move the ’Canes out of North Carolina. Naturally, with an NHL-caliber arena and no tenant, Quebec City immediately comes to mind as a potential landing spot should relocation become an option.

Earlier this year when talking about a sale and potential relocation, Karmanos flat out said the team would not be moving from North Carolina.

“I promise, this team isn’t going to Quebec. I’m not saying that cause I have something against Quebec, but because we have ties to this market. We have an excellent lease, I love this arena and I’m really attached to this market.”

Perhaps Carolina’s current ownership has softened on its stance but even so the league would need to approve such a move and in the past they’ve been resistant to relocating franchises.

Of course relocating the Hurricanes to Quebec would not solve the league’s geographical imbalance but it also doesn’t hurt the situation either. However, a possible future expansion to Seattle, as has often been rumored as well, would bring that desired balance. That would allow the league to use Quebec as a fall back in the event relocation of an Eastern Conference franchise, like Carolina, becomes necessary.

 

Chris Kreider Scratched For Rangers Against Edmonton

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Update (8:35pm): Newsday’s Steve Zipay now adds that rookie RW Pavel Buchnevich will also miss tonight’s game with back spasms. The Rangers, with no spare forwards on the roster beyond Lindberg, will instead dress seven defenseman with Adam Clendening coming in. Buchnevich has four goals on the season, all coming during his current four-game goal scoring streak. Zipay also suggests the team could look to call a forward up from Hartford tomorrow – perhaps Cristoval Nieves, though that’s just my speculation – but that will likely depend on how long the team expects Kreider and Buchnevich to be out.

Chris Kreider, who returned earlier this month after missing four games with a neck problem, is being held out of the lineup tonight due to an undisclosed upper-body-issue, tweets Brett Cyrgalis. The power forward started the season on fire, tallying three goals and seven points in his first four games but has struggled somewhat since is return, failing to find the back of the net in any of his last seven and finding himself benched for parts of two recent contests. Still, Kreider is averaging a point-per-game on the season and is a valuable contributor when he is on his game.

Alain Vigneault was pushed for further details, but as Cyrgalis later tweeted, the coach was unable to do so. It’s uncertain whether this injury is in any way related to the neck spasms that forced him out of the lineup earlier this season. Kreider played 13:10 last night against Calgary, which is the lowest total he has seen in any game this year though he didn’t appear to have suffered any kind of injury either.

Cyrgalis has now added that Kreider is no longer in Edmonton, apparently elsewhere undergoing testing. As he tweets, that’s likely not good news for the Rangers.

In his place, Oscar Lindberg draws back into the lineup. Lindberg has seen action in just four games this season, missing the start of the campaign following hip surgery in the summer. He has failed to find the score sheet so far this season but had a solid rookie showing in 2015-16, registering 28 points with 13 goals in 73 contests. He’ll likely fill a spot on the fourth line with Michael Grabner moving up to take Kreider’s slot on the left wing of Derek Stepan and with Rick Nash on the right. Grabner leads the league in even-strength goals with eight on the young season.

The Rangers are off to a strong, 11 – 4 – 0 start largely as a result of their tremendous depth up front. With Kreider on the shelf again for an undetermined period of time, that depth may well be tested.

Blues Recall Ty Rattie From Chicago Following Conditioning Assignment

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With 14 NHL-caliber forwards on the roster it’s proven to be a challenge at times for St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock to find playing time for everyone. In fact, Ty Rattie, once the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft, has made just one appearance for the Blues, playing just eight minutes in an OT loss to Vancouver on October 18th. The inactivity prompted the team to send Rattie down to Chicago just to get him some game action. Today the team recalled the 23-year-old right wing from the AHL.

The Blues obviously still see potential in Rattie as evidenced by their refusal to expose him to waivers and risk losing him to another club. Still, the clock has to be ticking for Rattie on his Blues career and if he doesn’t impress the coaching staff at some point in the near future, it’s possible the team will finally choose to move on. Given the Blues roster situation and barring an injury to a top-nine forward, it doesn’t appear as if there’s a clear path to playing time in St. Louis.

Rattie has put up good numbers in the AHL, tallying 69 goals and 137 points in 196 games in Chicago. But he’s had limited chances in the NHL, seeing action in just 27 contests and averaging 9:18 of ice time. His junior pedigree suggests he has the talent to succeed at this level and perhaps only needs an extended opportunity with another team.

Pacific Division Notes: Burns, Kopitar, Virtanen

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Assuming he resists overtures from the Sharks to sign a massive extension first, Brent Burns will hit free agency next July as one of, if not the top player on the market. In fact, as Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News writes, his situation closely mirrors that which confronted Steven Stamkos last season.

Like Stamkos, Burns will be a much-desired commodity if he reaches the open market. And just like Tampa Bay, the Sharks surely want to retain their star player. Though again, like Tampa Bay, San Jose will want to do so at a price less than that which Burns will be able find in free agency.

Of course the situation has already generated a lot media attention and will continue to do so until a resolution is reached. For many players, his pending free agency can prove to be a distraction and perhaps even impact his performance on the ice. That doesn’t seem to be the case to date for Burns as the 31-year-old blue liner has already tallied six goals and 14 points through 15 contests. But should Burns struggle with the attention and seek advice on how to handle things, he has a good resource in his friend Stamkos.

As Pashelka notes, the two players have known each other for more than two decades and spent some time together this summer. But according to Stamkos, Burns didn’t broach the subject of his free agency:

“Can’t say we’ve had a lot of discussions about it. I’m definitely open to a conversation if it comes a point where he needs somebody to talk to. But I know Burnzie. He knows what he’s doing.”

Burns certainly enjoys playing in San Jose and likely will give the Sharks every opportunity to extend his contract. Surely the Sharks will hope that Burns, like Stamkos, decided to forsake the probability of more money to remain somewhere he is happy.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • It looks like the Kings may have dodged a bullet as the upper-body-injury suffered by team captain Anze Kopitar is considered day-to-day, reports Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times. Kopitar appeared to injure his wrist/upper arm area when taking a spill along the boards in the third period of the team’s tilt with Ottawa. Kopitar, one of the NHL’s best centers, did miss this afternoon’s game against Winnipeg but the fact he’s been listed as day-to-day is good news for a team that dropped to 7 – 8 – 1 after today’s shootout loss to the Jets. The 29-year-old native of Slovenia is off to a slow start production-wise, with just eight points in 15 games.
  • Earlier this week the Vancouver Canucks assigned 20-year-old winger Jake Virtanen to their AHL affiliate in Utica. However, as reported, the team recalled Virtanen today after he saw action in two games this weekend for the Comets. Virtanen is off to a tough start to the campaign with just one point, an assist, in 10 games with Vancouver. He was also held off the scoresheet this weekend while suiting up for Utica. Virtanen did not play today in the Canucks 5 – 4 win OT win over Dallas.

 

Central Division Notes: Jarnkrok, Eriksson Ek, Fabbri

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In his mailbag feature published today, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean offers his thoughts on several Predators-related topics. Included among them is his take on which Nashville forward the team might leave unprotected in the expansion draft.

The Preds will have two options when it comes to determining who to keep. They can either protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or they can choose to protect eight skaters and one net minder. Vingan believes Nashville will go with the latter option so they can protect defensemen P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm.

Under that scenario the Predators would only be allowed to protect four forwards. Vingan considers Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and James Neal as locks. For the last protected spot, Vingan believes it should go to Craig Smith. That leaves, in the opinion of the scribe, Calle Jarnkrok as the most appealing option for Las Vegas.

Jarnkrok, coming off a 16-goal, 30-point campaign, inked a six-year, $12MM extension with Nashville prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Vingan thinks a young, versatile forward with upside and on an inexpensive, long-term contract is a perfect get for an expansion club.

More from around the NHL’s Central Division:

  • The Minnesota Wild face a tough call with regards to young forward Joel Eriksson Ek.  The team’s first round pick in 2015, Eriksson Ek has already seen action in nine games this season and has contributed two goals and five points during that time. Of course as a first-year player on an ELC, if Eriksson Ek makes one more appearance for the Wild he will burn a year off of his ELC, regardless of whether he spends the rest of the year in Minnesota or not. As Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the team will likely make the 19-year-old a healthy scratch for this evening’s game in Ottawa in order to give them more time to make that decision. Eriksson Ek started out hot, tallying five points in his first four games but has been held scoreless in his last five. Head coach Bruce Boudreau indicated the decision will be based solely what’s going to be best for the player rather than any thought of ensuring themselves three full seasons at a fixed and bargain price: “If he doesn’t play tonight it gives us another 24 hours to think about what we want to do. He’s done really well. But again, in the long term, it’s what’s best for him that we’re thinking of.’’ Should the team elect to reassign Eriksson Ek, thus saving a year on his ELC, they have the option of sending him either to their AHL affiliate in Iowa or returning him to his Swedish team.
  • Robby Fabbri, who was a healthy scratch for the first time in his playing career at any level of hockey on Thursday, was reinserted into the lineup for last night’s game against Columbus and as Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, the young winger responded with a two-goal effort. Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock believes it’s time for the talented Fabrri to grab hold of a top-nine role with the team: “He’s just got to be a good player. He played two really good games and then he had a tough night. When you’re going to play up the lineup like he is, you need a good player. It doesn’t matter who’s in that spot, he has to be a good player. You can’t be carrying a guy in that spot, otherwise you make yourself part of the group of 14. We need him to be part of group of 7 or 8. When he’s there, he’s really effective. That’s what we need. We need him to think, ‘I’m a go-to guy so I have to play like a go-to guy,’ so his tenacity and skill makes him a very effective player, but tenacity and work ethic has to be there every night.” Fabbri had a strong rookie season in 2015-16, scoring 18 goals and 37 points in 72 games. But until netting two man-advantage goals Saturday evening, Fabbri had netted just one marker in 14 appearances this season.

Pacific Division Notes: Sedins, Desjardins, Doan, Flames

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We’ve covered the Canucks awful start, which is largely driven by a poor offense, and how the job of head coach Willie Desjardins has been affected as a result. Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province offers additional insight into the situation, relaying this quote from team president Trevor Linden on Desjardins’ job security from an interview yesterday on TSN 1040:

“We know this topic has been widely covered and it’s definitely not something I, or we, plan to debate publicly.”

On the surface that doesn’t sound particularly ominous but as Botchford pointed out, that was no vote of confidence and in the opinion of the scribe the statement was “ice cold.” In the past Linden has been a vocal supporter of his head coach but there wasn’t much support contained in that brief statement.

Botchford expressed the odds around the league were 50/50 whether Desjardins would be relieved of his duties before their current road trip and evidently, he has done nothing to swing the pendulum in his favor.

Whether or not the team eventually does fire Desjardins, it’s unlikely his replacement would be able to do much better unless the players start performing significantly better.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • From the same piece, Botchford ponders whether the team should trade Henrik and Daniel Sedin, even if the team has to retain half of their salaries to do so. He argues that the twins are still far-and-away the team’s best players and subtracting them would leave the Canucks bereft of quality talent. Botchford finds it difficult to fathom the team could recoup anything close to fair value in a trade, particularly since they would certainly require being dealt to the same team. He also points out that the team really has no succession plan in place. While the Canucks have some quality young talent, both on the big league roster and in the system, they don’t have the type of prospects likely to develop into a franchise-type player. Ultimately Botchford posits that the Canucks would accomplish one of two things by trading the Sedins; either they essentially gut the franchise or they finally provide the needed roster and salary cap flexibility to begin a real rebuild of the organization.
  • Craig Morgan, writing for Arizona Sports, delves into Shane Doan’s early struggles and wonders whether it’s a sign that the longtime Coyotes team captain is nearing the end of a terrific career or if it is just another in what has been a fairly long line of slow starts for Doan. Through 13 games, Doan has just one goal and four points after tallying 28 times in 2015-16. For his part Doan doesn’t believe the early season difficulties will be a portend of things to come, saying:  “Not in my mind, it doesn’t. That really hasn’t been something that I’ve even thought too much about. I’m more than capable of being better than I’ve been.” His coach, Dave Tippett agrees: “He’s probably a little like our whole group: up and down a little bit. He just has high expectations for himself. I remember last November he was struggling a little bit and then he scored 28 goals. Some guys just have that make-up where they need to get up and going and it takes a little while.” Morgan points out Doan is seeing less ice time this season, averaging almost two minutes less per game, and that might play a part in the captain’s lack of production.
  • After addressing their goaltending situation in the offseason and adding veteran winger Troy Brouwer as a free agent, the Calgary Flames were expected to contend for a playoff spot this year. However a sluggish start suggests the team lacks an identity and needs to find theirs quickly if they want to avoid postseason elimination, writes Eric Francis of Sportsnet. First-year bench boss Glen Gulutzan believes the team is playing well at times but can’t find a way to win games: “We’re finding ways to lose. There are certain things that we’re doing well, but we’re finding ways to lose. We need somebody now to step up and find a way to win, and stop playing the victim.” Francis points to the Flames special teams as a culprit with the team’s penalty-killing unit ranking 29th in the NHL and the man-advantage failing to score a goal at home this season. Both played a role in the team’s latest loss, a 4 – 2 defeat at the hands of Dallas. Dallas’ Jamie Benn potted the go-ahead goal early in the third period while the Flames power play failed to convert a late advantage to tie the contest. It’s not too late for the Flames to find themselves but they’d better get it going soon before it’s too late.

Eric Lindros Talks Career On Eve Of Hall Of Fame Enshrinement

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Perhaps no player who has ever suited up in the NHL offered the size-skill combination that former Philadelphia Flyers center Eric Lindros brought to the table. Before ever playing a game in the league Lindros was being compared to some of the game’s greats and had already been given the nickname, “The Next One,” which was a play on Wayne Gretzky’s “The Great One” moniker.

Ultimately, concussions would derail his career, causing him to miss substantial time throughout his playing days. Just once did the big pivot appear in more than 73 games in a single season. Still, Lindros tallied 1.14 points-per-game throughout his career and recorded better than a point-per-game average in each of his first nine NHL campaigns. His accomplishments have finally been rewarded with his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame following a six year wait.

Lindros talked about his career today and among other topics, Dave Isaac writes that at one point in 2012, four years after he initially retired from the NHL, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren talked with the “Big E” about a comeback.

Evidently, while participating in the alumni game just prior to the 2012 Winter Classic, Lindros impressed Holmgren enough that the Philadelphia executive approached him about rejoining the Flyers for the stretch run.

“Yeah, I did place a call to Eric in 2012 to see whether he would consider coming back. He looked that good at the outdoor alumni game. I thought he could help our team.”

Apparently Lindros was unsure if Holmgren was serious or not:

“We were playing in that baseball stadium and I think he had the worst seat in the house. He must have been up in the bleachers or something. I don’t know what game he was watching, but I got a call.”

“I don’t know! He was talking cap space. He was going right into it. I don’t know if he was pulling my leg or not. I don’t know. I think he was pretty serious, but I was laughing. Wow.”

Of course the idea sounds far-fetched today given Lindros would have turned 39 in February of 2012 and hadn’t seen any NHL action since the 2006 – 2007 campaign. But it’s interesting to imagine how Lindros would have fared had he decided on a comeback.

 

Jacob Trouba Set To Make 2016-17 Season Debut

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According to head coach Paul Maurice, recently re-signed defenseman Jacob Trouba will make his 2016-17 season debut tonight against Colorado, tweets Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. The Jets and the RFA blue liner settled on a two-year, bridge pact on Monday that comes with an AAV of $3MM. Trouba had asked for a trade out of Winnipeg last season but has since rescinded that request.

Of course one of the issues Trouba talked about during the stalemate was the fact he wanted to play on his natural, right side but with Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers on the depth chart above him, those opportunities had been few and far between with the Jets. Maurice did not state whether Trouba would see action on the right side or with whom he would play, saying only: “We’re going to send him out there with a right-handed stick.”

The coach also did not indicate who would be coming out of the lineup tonight to make room for Trouba though Wiebe suggested Paul Postma was the likeliest option. Postma has appeared in 12 games so far this season and has two points for the Jets.

Despite inking a new deal to remain in Winnipeg and pulling back his trade request, rumors linger that the team could still move him. Now under contract at what many might feel is a bargain price, teams interested in Trouba might be more inclined to meet the high asking price the Jets have placed on the young blue liner. During the 2011-12 campaign, Kyle Turris, who shares the same agent as Trouba, signed a short-term deal with the Coyotes only to be dealt days later to Ottawa. It’s possible the Jets could look to do the same with Trouba.

 

Eric Nystrom Considering Retirement

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Earlier today we discussed the likelihood that former Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy would retire given the lack of NHL opportunities that have come his way. Now Adam Vingan of The Tennessean brings us the story of another veteran NHL forward currently contemplating hanging up his skates.

Eric Nystrom, a veteran of 10 NHL seasons, was in camp with St. Louis on a professional tryout agreement but failed to make their final roster and has presumably not received any other offers to his liking. He played the previous three seasons with Nashville but was bought out of the final year of his four-year contract by the Predators on June 29th.

Calgary’s first round pick in the 2002 draft, Nystrom has known for a while the end was drawing near:

“I had been preparing for that the past year or so. It comes quick. After I got released from the (tryout), I just didn’t know really where to go or what to do.”

As Nystrom suggests, it’s not necessarily recognizing when it’s time to leave the game that’s the problem; it’s deciding what to do with your life afterward. Nystrom’s former coach at the University of Michigan, Red Berenson, knows many players find it difficult to transition to a life away from hockey:

“Hockey, it might be in their future, and it might be long-term, but it might be short-term. But nevertheless, there’s life after hockey, and what you want to do about it is the difficult thing.”

Nystrom does have one advantage many NHLers don’t, as Vingan notes. Bobby Nystrom, Eric’s father, appeared in 900 regular season games for the New York Islanders during a career spanning 14 seasons and was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams. Since retiring in 1986, Bobby has moved into the insurance business and should be able to help guide his son into a post-playing career.

It’s always possible a team experiences an injury to a regular contributor and delves into the free agent market looking for experienced depth. At that point Nystrom might be among the more appealing options available. While he never quite lived up to his draft standing, Nystrom has served as a versatile, checking-line winger for a decade at the NHL level and could provide the same to any number of teams as the season wears on.

If this is indeed the end, Nystrom – Eric, that is – will finish his NHL career with 75 goals and 123 points in 593 games across 10 seasons. In addition to appearing with Nashville and Calgary, Nystrom suited up for San Jose and Dallas during his career.

 

Canes Recall Brock McGinn, Derek Ryan From Charlotte

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With the sad news regarding Bryan Bickell’s health and the assignment of Phillip Di Giuseppe to Charlotte earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled forwards Brock McGinn and Derek Ryan from their AHL affiliate, according to a release on the team’s official site.

Ryan currently leads the Checkers in scoring with 13 points through nine games and in six career NHL contests, all of which came last season, the 29-year-old pivot has tallied two goals. He has spent a majority of his pro career playing in Europe, including three years in Austria and another in Sweden. Ryan originally signed with the Carolina organization in June of 2015.

McGinn was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round of the 2012 entry draft out of Guelph of the OHL. He made his NHL debut last season, appearing in 21 games with the Canes and scoring three goals with one assist. At the time of his recall, McGinn was on a seven-game points streak with Charlotte and ranks third on the team in scoring with eight points.

The moves now leave Carolina with 13 healthy forwards – not including Bickell of course.

 

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