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Seth Jones Sidelined Four To Six Weeks With Knee Injury

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Losing an All-Star defenseman at any point is a major blow to a team, but when it happens while two other top defenseman are less than 100%, it becomes a problem. That is what the Columbus Blue Jackets face to begin the 2018-1 season. The team announced that top defenseman Seth Jones sprained his MCL in last night’s preseason game. As a second degree sprain of the ligament, surgery will not be required, but Jones will be out four to six weeks to begin the year. He is expected to return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup in November.

Meanwhile, Zach Werenski is still working his way back from off-season shoulder surgery and has yet to play this preseason, while Ryan Murray is day-to-day with a groin injury. Both players were considered questionable to start the regular season, but will now be pressed into action to help make up for Jones’ loss. While the Blue Jackets’ top-four of Jones, Werenski, Murray, and David Savard is very strong, their depth of Markus Nutivaara, Scott Harrington, Dean Kukan, and Adam Clendening lacks the same optimism. Someone will have to step up and play a capable top-four role for the month or longer that Jones remains sidelined.

No one will truly be able to replicated Jones’ play, however. The 23-year-old set a career high with 16 goals and 57 points last season, among the top scoring defensemen in the NHL. Jones also led Columbus in average time on ice, shots, and power play production. The young blue liner really did it all for the Blue Jackets and the team will undoubtedly struggle in his absence.

Blue Jackets Notes: Panarin, Bobrovsky, Nash

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Even in a relatively quiet summer for the Blue Jackets, in which the team has only added Riley Nash as a bona fide piece of their roster and taken fliers on Anthony Duclair, Adam Clendening, and Ryan MacInnis, Columbus has nevertheless been one of the more talked-about teams this off-season. With two of the biggest potential 2019 free agents currently employed as well as the most prominent remaining 2018 free agent possibly considering a comeback, the Blue Jackets could still make headlines before the season begins. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline addresses these issues and more in his latest article:

  • Portzline writes that there is no traction on extensions for either Artemi Panarin or Sergei Bobrovsky as they enter the final year of their respective contracts. The duo will almost certainly enter the season without a new deal, as has been expected for Panarin, and where things go from there remains unclear. It has already been noted that the team is not actively in talks with Bobrovsky, and that could partly be due to Portzline’s assertion that he is looking for “Carey Price money”; the Canadiens’ star goaltender signed an eight-year, $84MM extension last summer. However, given the almost immediate regret felt by Montreal over that contract, the Blue Jackets may be content to ride the season out with Bobrovsky and see whether his performance and health dictate similar terms. Although Bobrovsky is an elite goaltender, he would share next summer’s market with Pekka Rinne, Mike Smith, Semyon Varlamov, Cam Talbot, Jimmy Howard, and more and may land his biggest payday if he sticks with Columbus.
  • Meanwhile, Portzline also adds that the likelihood of a Panarin trade prior to the season is as equally unlikely as an extension. Despite talks all off-season long, it seems like no offers got past what he describes as the “futures” stage, while the contender-quality Blue Jackets would prefer immediate help in any Paranin deal. A trade could still happen at some point during the season, and even seems likely, but it won’t be anytime soon. Panarin has not even supplied GM Jarmo Kekalainen with his list of preferred destinations yet. Although, Portzline suggests the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers could top that hypothetical list, while Panarin was previously linked to the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.
  • Portzline also writes that the team has stayed in contact with Rick Nash throughout this off-season and even made an offer soon after the market opened. They have also had face-to-face meetings with the former Blue Jackets superstar about returning to Columbus. While Nash asked teams for space this summer as he decides on his playing future, being careful to consider his mounting injuries, if he does choose to keep playing it would be for a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins continue to be the most likely destinations.

Zach Werenski On Track To Be Ready For Season

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Considering Zach Werenski played with an injured shoulder for almost the entire 2017-18 season, imagine how good he could be if he is at 100% for all of the upcoming campaign. That is the goal for the young Blue Jackets blue liner, who recently sat down with Columbus beat writer Brian Hedger. Werenski continues to recover from off-season surgery, but says that his goal is to “be there for Game 1”.

Werenski suffered the injury of note all the way back on October 30th, 2017. The sophomore defenseman nevertheless played in 77 games and recorded 37 points, even though he played with a brace for much of the year. Werenski then underwent corrective surgery in early May and had his left arm immobilized for much of the summer. However, the 2015 eighth overall pick is already ahead of schedule in his rehab and training. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen shared a recovery timeline back in June that assumed Werenski would miss most of training camp, but the young defender tells Hedger that he hopes to back toward the start of training camp. Werenski has already begun shooting drills and is essentially back to his regular off-season training minus taking any contact. While the offensive rearguard is obviously motivated to be ready for the season for his teammates, coaches, and fans, he also admits to Hedger that playing in the teams opener, a road game against the Detroit Red Wings in his home state of Michigan, is an added personal boost. “Suffer now, but I’m going to be able to play in my hometown in front of my family and friends ” has been Werenski’s mantra this summer and so far things seem to be going well.

Should Werenski suffer even a small setback that leaves him unable to start the season, the Blue Jackets are less equipped to deal with his absence than they would have been last year. With Jack Johnson, Ian Cole, and even others like Taylor Chorney now gone via free agency, Columbus is relatively thin on the blue line after their superstar young pairing of Werenski and Seth Jones. Ryan Murray or Markus Nutivaara would likely be the replacement on the top pair with Jones while the other skates with David Savard, leaving the Jackets with a bottom pair featuring two of Scott Harrington, Gabriel Carlsson, Dean Kukan or new addition Adam Clendening. Count the Blue Jackets as being right there with Werenski in hopes that he is able to go from day one.

Central Notes: Blackhawks, Toews, Kyrou, Makar

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For a rare change of pace, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp was dominated by the team’s defensive prospects, which included several big names including 2018 first-round pick Adam Boqvist. The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required), who posts his 20 takeaways from development camp, writes the most important fact is that of all their blueline talent, four of those players have the potential to develop into top-four talent, including Boqvist, 2017 first-rounder Henri Jokiharju. 2018 first-rounder Nicolas Beaudin and 2017 second-rounder Ian Mitchell.

That’s a big improvement for a club that hasn’t produced a top-four defenseman since they drafted Niklas Hjalmarsson back in 2005. The team has had multiple failures when drafting defenseman in the first two rounds since then or have traded them in deals to improve their NHL club instead, including Simon Danis-Pepin (2nd-2006), Akim Aliu (2nd-2007), Dylan Olsen (1st-2009), Justin Holl (2nd-2010), Stephen Johns (2nd-2010), Adam Clendening (2nd-2011), Dillon Fournier (2nd-2012) and Carl Dahlstrom (2nd-2013).

  • NHL.com’s Tracey Myers writes that Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews hit the ice for the second time this offseason last week and said he is working on little parts of his game to improve after a slightly down season last year that saw the Blackhawks miss the playoffs. While his 20 goals and 52 points were solid, his progression has shrunk in each of the last two seasons. “I think the biggest thing is just feeling good and getting back to feeling strong and fast,” Toews said. “As I’ve mentioned a few times, it’s just getting rid of old injuries and just feeling healthy again. I’m kind of taking advantage to work in that area.”
  • In a mailbag series, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that top prospect Jordan Kyrou, who has finished up his junior career, will have a tough time earning a spot in the St. Louis Blues’ rotation next season after the team went out and acquired David Perron, Tyler Bozak, Patrick Maroon as well as the potential return of Robby Fabbri from injury. With the exception of an amazing training camp, Kyrou is likely to start the season with the team’s AHL affiliate. Kyrou, who posted 39 goals and 109 points with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting last season, should be ready contribute soon as injuries at some point will likely allow the team to give Kyrou some time with the NHL club.
  • Rick Sadowski of NHL.com writes that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar believes he needs more time in college before he is ready to step into the NHL. Makar, the Avalanche’s 2017 first-round pick (fourth overall), struggled out of the gate at the University of Massachussetts – Amherst, but started to pick it up in the second half of the season and improved even more after a stint at the World Junior Championship. “I had very high expectations going into my first NCAA season,” said Makar. “I’m very tough on myself. I think I’m my biggest critic. I want to work on my consistency. I struggled with that a little bit last year.”

Blue Jackets Ink Defenseman Dillon Simpson

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Columbus continues to bolster their numbers on the blue line, adding a third free agent defenseman so far in Dillon Simpson. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that it is a two-year, two-way deal for Simpson, which will carry an average annual value of $675K in the NHL.

Simpson, 25, was eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this season and will leave the Edmonton Oilers after another season spent entirely in the minor leagues. The former University of North Dakota standout played 61 games for the Bakersfield Condors in 2017-18 and recorded 18 points. Obviously not in the Oilers plans, he’ll try to catch on with the Cleveland Monsters and show the Blue Jackets that he’s capable of excelling in professional hockey.

Columbus saw Jack Johnson and Ian Cole head to new teams in free agency and have responded by signing several minor league defensemen to rebuild their depth. The team is also hoping for a bounce back by the Monsters, who struggled this season after seeing several key graduations over the last few years.

Columbus Signs Defenseman Adam Clendening

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The Blue Jackets continue to add to their defensive depth, now adding journeyman blue liner Adam Clendening to their ranks. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that it is a one-year, two-way deal for Clendening and adds that he will be paid $700K at the NHL level and $300K at the AHL level, with a $400K final salary guaranteed. Clendening is expected to compete for a job in Columbus with fellow new addition Tommy Cross and returning prospects Dean Kukan and Gabriel Carlsson.

Clendening, 25, is on his seventh NHL organization already and has never been able to secure a full-time role. Selected 36th overall in 2011, the former Boston University standout has just 86 NHL games under his belt and was allowed to walk into free agency when he went unqualified by the Chicago Blackhawks. Even if he doesn’t make an impact at the highest level for the Blue Jackets, Clendening is an excellent minor league defender that can put up big point totals and log huge minutes.

The Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate, have fallen on tough times recently and need help turning things around. After winning the Calder Cup in 2016, the team finished second-last in the entire league with just 25 wins. That included ranking in the bottom three in both goals for and goals against, something that Clendening will try to change next year.

Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Chicago’s free agent situation.

Top Restricted Free Agent: F Vinnie Hinostroza — For the second year in a row, Hinostroza got some quality time with the Blackhawks, totallying 99 games in those two seasons. However this year, the 24-year-old forward really showed that he can contribute at a high level. In 50 games this year, Hinostroza found himself working between the second and third lines, totaling seven goals and 25 points, while logging more than 13 minutes of ice time per game. As Chicago becomes more and more reliant on youth to fill in the gap for some of their aging veterans, the team needs Hinostroza to take that next step as a bonafide top-six center.

Having made just $925K this past year, he still is likely to have quite a low salary for a few more years, which is exactly the kind of value the ’Hawks need to rebound and compete for a playoff spot next year.

Other RFA’s: D Adam Clendening, F Anthony Duclair, F John Hayden, F Tomas Jurco.

Top Unrestricted Free Agent: D Cody Franson — Perhaps a better word is ’none.’ There are no key unrestricted free agents unless you look real deep on their roster. You would have to look at players who the team moved to Rockford near the trade deadline when the team decided to give their young players as much playing time as possible. Franson was one of those players, who possesses the offensive talents, but lacks the defense to compete at an NHL level and has bounced around the league looking for a permanent home. Don’t count on Chicago being that place as a recent report suggests he’s not expecting to return next season. He tallied just a goal and six assists in 23 games, but was put on waivers in January.

Other UFA’s: F Lance Bouma, F Christopher Didomenico, G Jeff Glass, F Andreas Martinsen, D Michal Rozsival, D Viktor Svedberg, F Jordin Tootoo.

Projected Cap Space: The salary cap has not been Chicago’s friend over the past few years with big contracts the team handed out to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, among others. However, the team has done a good job of moving some contracts and have $6.1MM of cap space available to them, and that’s not including the assumption the cap could go up $5MM next season. The team might have the ability to bring in a free agent or two to help aid the veterans in making a playoff comeback this year. While it’s not likely to include a high-priced free agent, their available cap space should be an asset for the coming season.

Revisiting The January Trade Market

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As front offices around the league call and text trying to find the right fit for their rosters, fans are waiting with bated breath wondering who could be pulling on their favorite sweater in the next few weeks. Will a superstar change hands and take over as the new face of a franchise? Will a veteran finally find his way to the Stanley Cup promised land? The deadline is now less than six weeks away.

We may not have to wait until the very end to answer these questions though, as January has been a busy month for trade action in the past. We’ve already had two moves this year, and several more could be finalized before the calendar turns over. For now, let’s take a look back at the last few years to see what kind of moves are made in the dawn of the new year.

2018:

January 4th: Edmonton acquires Al Montoya from Montreal in exchange for a 2018 conditional fourth-round pick.

January 10th: Chicago acquires Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening from Arizona for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin.

2017:

January 1st: Arizona acquires Mitchell Moroz from Edmonton in exchange for Henrik Samuelsson.

January 11th: Anaheim acquires Jhonas Enroth from Toronto for a 2018 seventh-round pick.

January 13th: Nashville acquires Cody McLeod from Colorado in exchange for Felix Girard.

January 19th: Nashville acquires Andrew O’Brien from Anaheim for Max Gortz.

January 21st: Los Angeles acquires Cameron Schilling from Chicago for Michael Latta.

January 24th: Ottawa acquires Tommy Wingels in exchange for Zack Stortini, Buddy Robinson and a 2017 seventh-round pick.

January 26th: Montreal acquires Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for Jonathan Racine and a 2017 sixth-round pick.

Obviously 2017 wasn’t filled with the most blockbuster trades in the month of January, but several teams did add small pieces for potential playoff runs. Nesterov didn’t really work out in Montreal, and Wingels couldn’t find his scoring touch in Ottawa.

2016:

January 3rd: Chicago acquires Richard Panik from Toronto in exchange for Jeremy Morin.

January 6th: Los Angeles acquires Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn from Philadelphia in exchange for Jordan Weal and a 2016 third-round pick.

January 6th: Nashville acquires Ryan Johansen from Columbus in exchange for Seth Jones.

January 7th: Montreal acquires Max Friberg from Anaheim in exchange for Dustin Tokarski.

January 8th: Vancouver acquires Emerson Etem from New York in exchange for Nicklas Jensen and a 2017 sixth-round pick.

January 14th: Ottawa acquires Conor Allen from Nashville in exchange for Patrick Mullen.

January 15th: Montreal acquires Victor Bartley and John Scott from Arizona in exchange for Jarred Tinordi and Stefan Fournier.

January 15th: Arizona acquires Victor Bartley from Nashville in exchange for Stefan Elliott.

January 16th: Anaheim acquires David Perron and Adam Clendening from Pittsburgh in exchange for Carl Hagelin.

January 21st: Anaheim acquires Ryan Garbutt from Chicago in exchange for Jiri Sekac.

2016 was a much more active January, with big names like Lecavalier, Johansen and Jones all dealt. While the Nashville-Columbus trade might have had the biggest impact long-term, Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Hagelin was a big part of their Stanley Cup run, as he scored 27 points down the stretch and added another 16 in the playoffs.

There is certainly value to be had in January trades, and it’s clear that teams like Nashville and Anaheim aren’t scared of making an early move. While those two might not be the most watched teams on the trade market this year, don’t rule them out of making tweaks once again.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Anthony Duclair

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The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin. Dauphin returns to the Coyotes after being part of the package sent last offseason for Niklas Hjalmarsson. No salary has been retained by either side.

"<strongDuclair, 22, was reported to have asked for a trade during what has become another disappointing season. While he’s already matched his point total from last year, Duclair hasn’t been able to show the consistent offense that got him to a career-high 44 points in 2015-16. That 20-goal campaign was a breakout for the young winger, after a trade from New York brought him to the desert.

Last offseason, the Coyotes seemingly made several moves to try and bring immediate success to the franchise, acquiring players like Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta and Jason Demers to help Oliver Ekman-Larsson and company make a push for the playoffs. It hasn’t worked out that way, with Arizona still languishing in last place in the NHL and perhaps now the attention will return to their original rebuild plan. Though Duclair is certainly not a past-his-prime asset, he is a pending restricted free agent who could file for arbitration, and would require a $1.2MM qualifying offer to retain his rights.

The Blackhawks on the other hand are in search of help both this year and in the near future. The club has struggled this season, but is still all-in salary wise with their core group of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The latter of which was a healthy scratch recently, but will be back in the lineup for Chicago tonight as the dress seven defensemen in Panik’s absence.

Panik himself is part of that salary problem, after he was signed to a two-year $5.6MM contract this summer. His play has dropped off a cliff this season, recording just 16 points in 37 games and seeing his role alongside Toews disappear. Though he’s proven himself to be an NHL talent after bouncing around the league in the early part of his career, the Blackhawks can’t afford to spend close to $3MM on a player that isn’t producing as planned.

Dauphin, 22, will return to the place he made his NHL debut and try to prove once again why the team spent the 39th-overall pick on him in 2013. Obviously Coyotes’ GM John Chayka was loathe to lose him in the first place, and he gives this deal a spark of upside for the club. While he hasn’t shown a ton in his short time in the NHL, he does still have potential to be a contributing center that can provide some speed and size to the bottom-six of a lineup.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the deal was close, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported the final details. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Reto Berra Placed On Waivers

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UPDATE (11/4): Berra has cleared waivers and is expected to be reassigned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls prior to tonight’s game against the rival San Jose Sharks.

The Anaheim Ducks had been carrying three goaltenders for the past few days, but have now decided to place Reto Berra on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Adam Clendening, the only player on waivers yesterday, has cleared and is being sent to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL.

As we spoke about in our live chat yesterday, placing Berra on waivers seems like a risky proposition at the moment. With the Vegas Golden Knights struggling to continue their early pace, and relying on a tandem of Maxime Lagace and Dylan Ferguson, sneaking a goaltender with NHL experience through waivers will be tough. While there is always no guarantee of a claim, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Berra on his way out of the Anaheim organization.

The 30-year old goaltender has 73 games of NHL experience under his belt, including a run of 27 starts for Calgary in the 2013-14 season. Though he’s never been a goaltender you can rely on as a full-time starter, his career save percentage of .903 is at least good enough for an emergency. With a cap hit of just $700K, he will come completely off the cap for the Ducks if they’re able to successfully bury him in the minors.

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