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Erik Gudbranson

Snapshots: Extensions, Senators, Coyotes

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As CapFriendly points out on Twitter, as of January 1st teams can sign extensions with players on one-year deals. While this immediately brings to mind some of the unrestricted free agents signed in the offseason that are having a strong impact on their team, it could have more of an impact with restricted free agents that settled on a short bridge deal.

One player in such a situation is Erik Gudbranson, who signed just a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks in the summer. That deal would bring him to unrestricted free agency this summer, and Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 caught up with Gudbranson’s agent Mark Guy. No discussions have been had between the two sides yet, but Guy expects they will come together soon to discuss a possible extension. That comes in the midst of trade rumors surrounding Gudbranson as a possible rental option for clubs looking to add some toughness to their defensive unit. The 25-year old brings just a $3.5MM cap hit on the season and has just two points this year.

  • The Ottawa Senators continue to struggle, and will try a surprising coaching change to try and right the ship. Head coach Guy Boucher told TSN 1200 radio that assistant coaches Marc Crawford and Martin Raymond have swapped duties and now coach the powerplay and penalty kill respectively, a change that is almost never done in-season. Ottawa ranks near the bottom of the league in both categories, and improvement is necessary if they have any chance of climbing out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They currently sit ahead of just Buffalo in the East, and have a -30 goal differential.
  • The Arizona Coyotes will remain at Gila River Arena for another year according to Craig Morgan of AZSports. The team had a chance to opt out of their lease before the end of 2017, but as expected did not exercise the clause. Their lease will renew for another season, though their long-term arena plans are still unclear.

Snapshots: Tavares, Vegas, Gudbranson

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The New York Islanders announced their plan for a brand new arena at the Belmont Park location today, and front and center at the ceremony was none other than John Tavares. The team captain spoke very highly of the decision, something he’s supported since the beginning.

For us as players and our fan base to have somewhere you know it’s written in stone that we’re going to have a home built for the Islanders on Long Island is pretty special.

The Islanders are called the Islanders for a reason. This is really where the team belongs.

Still, Tavares isn’t willing to announce that he’s re-signing with the team now that it has a long-term future ahead of it. In speaking with Arthur Staple of Newsday at the event, he calmly said that while a positive outcome, it’s not “going to change or ultimately make my decision.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights are in an extremely interesting position as they continue their inaugural season, and one that GM George McPhee likely didn’t expect when he selected a team heavy on pending free agents. Though they’re one of the top teams in the league, they might still have to decide whether the long-term future of the club is more important as they head towards the trade deadline, something Gary Lawless of NHL.com discussed in an informal Q&A on Twitter. Lawless explained that though they obviously have assets that could be valuable at the deadline, he doesn’t expect management to break up the core while they’re experiencing so much success, instead pointing at the cap space that Vegas possesses as potential bait. That’s something we’ve discussed about at length in the past, and an obvious avenue for the Golden Knights to add to the future while maintaining the present.
  • In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, he speaks about several players who might need a fresh start as we head toward the trade deadline. One of those, Erik Gudbranson, has been rumored available in the past and Friedman believes that he’ll price himself out of the Vancouver Canucks market when he hits free agency after this season. Though Gudbranson certainly doesn’t make the impact that some hoped he would when he went third-overall to the Florida Panthers, he can still be a helpful player for a team with defensive depth issues. The fact that he only makes $3.5MM will make him an affordable piece at the deadline, if a team believes they can get good shutdown minutes from him down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Injury Updates: Canucks, Zibanejad, Capitals

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Vancouver hasn’t had much luck with the injury bug as of late with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, two-thirds of their top line, going down recently.  The bad news continued Friday as the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Chris Tanev will be out two-to-three weeks as a result of a groin strain.  That is undoubtedly a big blow to their back end as he logs nearly 21 minutes per game of ice time while playing a shutdown role.  Alex Biega will likely draw into the lineup as his replacement but he hasn’t seen any action in more than three weeks.

Canucks head coach Travis Green also provided further updates on a couple of players.  Center Brandon Sutter is still seven-to-ten days away from returning from his upper-body injury while blueliner Erik Gudbranson is the closest to returning; he has been out with an upper-body issue of his own since November 22nd.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Mika Zibanejad’s return to the lineup will have to wait a little while longer. The Rangers have ruled him out of their next two games, reports NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman via Twitter.  The plan is for the center to practice on Monday and then the team will re-evaluate his status from there.  Zibanejad last played on November 26th and has been dealing with concussion-like symptoms since then but he still sits third in team scoring with 22 points in 24 games.
  • Capitals winger T.J. Oshie took part in a partial practice today but will not suit up tomorrow night against Anaheim, reports Callie Caplan of the Washington Post. As a result, he’ll miss his sixth straight game.  From the same report, defenseman Brooks Orpik is dealing with an upper-body issue.  He’s set to be re-evaluated tomorrow but it seems likely that he will also miss Saturday’s contest.  Washington doesn’t have enough salary cap space to call anyone up but they have one extra defender on their roster so they still should be able to ice a full lineup.

Scott Wilson, Erik Gudbranson & The Pointless Players

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Last year we saw something incredible in the NHL. Riley Sheahan of the Detroit Red Wings played 79 games and took 106 shots on net without scoring a goal. Stories were written, fans were left in disbelief and Sheahan just had to go out every night and try to get one across the line. Finally, on April 9th in his 80th and final game of the season Sheahan scored—twice.

"<strongIt’s not like Sheahan had done anything like it before. He’d had seasons of 9, 13 and 14 goals the first three seasons of his career. He actually carried an above-average shooting percentage of 11.9% through that time. He was no sniper, but he could be a solid secondary scoring threat. This year there are several players that can relate with Sheahan, including one that has a solid link to him.

Sheahan didn’t score his first goal this year until a trade brought him to Pittsburgh. He has two now on the year, and eight points in 21 games for the Penguins. The player he was traded for though hasn’t been quite as lucky.

Scott Wilson, traded first for Sheahan and then again to the Buffalo Sabres later in the season, has now played 21 games this season. In those games he’s registered 172 minutes of ice time, including over 14 in his first game with Buffalo. Amazingly, he’s been held completely scoreless. Not a single goal, not a single assist. Wilson leads all scoreless forwards in games played, but there are some other interesting members along for the ride.

Matt Stajan, a two-time 50-point man has played 19 games without a point. He’s played even more minutes, 210, without hitting the scoresheet—well, at least not for scoring. Stajan has taken 10 penalty minutes, something that you can’t say for Wilson. Incredibly, the Buffalo Sabres forward hasn’t even taken a single minor penalty. Other than the 14 shots he’s recorded, he’s basically been a boxscore ghost.

"<strongThere are other forwards who are on the list, like Zac Dalpe, Torrey Mitchell and Matt Beleskey but none of them hold a candle to the leader when expanded to include defensemen. Erik Gudbranson, the Vancouver Canucks’ rough and tumble defenseman has logged 372 minutes of ice time this season and still has a big fat zero in the points category.

Gudbranson isn’t an offensive player. That much has been obvious his whole career, and it wasn’t why the Canucks went out and acquired him from the Florida Panthers. But this is impressive even for him. He’s always been a lightning rod for the argument between traditional and new analytics, but he’s actually reached a new low in his possession rates. As an unrestricted free agent this summer, some believe he’ll be a sought-after trade deadline commodity.

It doesn’t matter if he has zero points or a handful when the trade deadline comes around, it really doesn’t change the player he is. But for the third-overall pick in 2010 it’s an impressive accomplishment, even if he wouldn’t agree.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vancouver Canucks Earning Trade Deadline Capital

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The Vancouver Canucks began their rebuild last season, when at the trade deadline they moved Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen for a pair of interesting prospects. Jonathan Dahlen and Nikolay Goldobin were brought into the organization, to try and go along with other young players like Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and Olli Juolevi as the next wave of NHL talent. At the draft, they passed on WHL star Cody Glass and British Columbia-native Michael Rasmussen to select Swedish forward Elias Pettersson, who is tearing up the SHL with a league-leading 28 points through 21 games.

"<strongIn free agency, they added a trio of players in Thomas Vanek, Michael Del Zotto and Sam Gagner that could bridge the gap to that next wave. Now, even as the team finds more immediate success than expected they could find themselves in an enviable position at this year’s deadline. While Gagner hasn’t been as effective as last season, Del Zotto and Vanek are showing their worth. Vanek has 16 points through 24 games, and has shown once again he can help a powerplay anywhere in the league. His eight points with the man advantage trail only Boeser for the Canucks. Del Zotto on the other hand has logged the most ice time on the entire team, averaging more than 22 minutes a night. The smooth-skating defenseman has nine points on the season, and plays in all situations.

Vanek is on just a one-year $2MM deal, while Del Zotto carries just a $3MM cap hit for this year and next. If their play continues at this pace, they’ll both interest several buyers at the deadline if Vancouver chooses to start selling. They’re not the only two. Erik Gudbranson is dealing with an injury but has already been rumored to have several teams interested in him as he heads towards unrestricted free agency. The 25-year old comes with a $3.5MM cap hit, and can add physicality to any lineup. The Sedin twins are also pending UFAs, but seem unlikely to be traded because of their hefty cap hits.

The rest of the blueline could also draw interest from around the league. Both Alex Edler and Chris Tanev have faced injury this year and hold some form of no-trade protection, but would be valuable additions if a team could afford their contracts. Unfortunately the Canucks have already used two of their three retained salary transactions, eating some of Hansen and Roberto Luongo’s contracts. As the deadline approaches and teams have less space to maneuver, that could prove costly.

Still, Vancouver has positioned themselves in a strong position this season. While Boeser leads the Calder Trophy race so far, and Pettersson lights up the European ranks they could add even more assets this spring. At 11-9-4 this season, it could be a quicker-than-expected rebuild.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Western Notes: Sedin, Predators, Gudbranson, Perron

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Daniel Sedin has a chance to take the spotlight again for the Vancouver Canucks. At age 37, neither Sedin nor his brother, Henrik Sedin, are the focal points of the team anymore. However, after Daniel Sedin picked up a goal and an assist in Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, he now just needs two points to join his brother as the 87th NHL player to reach 1,000 points.

His next opportunity will be Sunday against the New York Rangers, according to Ben Kuzma of The Province. Henrik Sedin already accomplished the feat last season and currently boasts 1,032 points.

“It’s exciting,” said Henrik Sedin. “When it happened to me, I didn’t realize how big a thing it was for myself until it happened. I’m sure it’s going to be the same thing for him. He never talks about it or thinks about it and maybe not until today (Friday). But two points away. When it happens, it’s going to be fun for him.”

  • Adam Vingan of the Tennessean hands out first quarter grades for the Nashville Predators, handing out excellent grades to Filip Forsberg and the Predators’ top three defenders in Roman Josi, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm. He gave Forsberg the MVP award, who has 24 points in 22 games so far this year. He credited the defense for being the backbone of the team and believes that once Ryan Ellis returns from offseason knee surgery in the next few weeks, the team’s defense will be hard to beat. Amongst other notable grades, the scribe hands an incomplete to Nick Bonino who has been hurt for much of the season and hasn’t shown much so far and also hands a below average grade to youngster Pontus Aberg, who many thought could have a breakout year. Instead, he has been a repeated healthy scratch and hasn’t scored a goal yet in 12 games.
  • Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News writes that while Vancouver Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been mentioned in trade rumors often, it might be just as equally possible the Canucks bring him back next year. Gudbranson, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, could be a quality rental candidate with teams such as Toronto and Florida as possible trade targets. However, Richardson writes that Gudbranson loves playing in the team’s up-tempo style of play, is well liked by Vancouver brass and has shown an interest in re-signing with the Canucks. The real question is whether Vancouver would want to pay his rumored $5-6MM price tag.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger David Perron, who is not playing in tonight’s game against the Arizona Coyotes, did not accompany the team on the road trip down to Phoenix, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp. He is receiving treatment on his upper-body injury and remains day-to-day.

Snapshots: OHL, Sedlak, Gudbranson, Gaborik

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The Ontario Hockey League has always been one of the premiere talent factories for the NHL, churning out elite prospects every season. Like every year, the talented folks over at OHL Prospects have put together a consensus ranking of the 2018 draft eligible players, with contributions from various scouting gurus like Mike Morreale (NHL.com), Scott Wheeler (The Athletic) and Dan Stewart (Future Considerations).

In this ranking of OHL prospects—like any other you’ll find—Andrei Svechnikov tops the list. He was first on all 22 contributing scouts’ lists, with several implying that he could jump right to the NHL already. Svechnikov had 14 points in 10 games for the Barrie Colts before injuring his hand, should return to the lineup at some point in mid-to-late December. He’s a near lock to go in the top three selections next June.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Lukas Sedlak from injured reserve, giving them some more depth at center. The Blue Jackets have used Nick Foligno in the middle for much of this season, but could move him back to the wing where he is much more experienced now that they have another healthy body. The team could still obviously use another center, but have several options with how to deploy their lineup.
  • Jason Brough of TSN has heard that the Florida Panthers have at least some interest still in Erik Gudbranson, even though we had previously heard otherwise. Brough also reports that “a few other teams” have interest in the Vancouver Canucks’ defenseman which would mesh with the report that the Toronto Maple Leafs have poked around. Gudbranson will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
  • Marian Gaborik is nearing a return for the Los Angeles Kings, and head coach John Stevens spoke with Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider on the progression of the 35-year old sniper. The Kings continue to lead the Pacific Division, and it will be interesting to see if Gaborik can find a role on the team after several years of sub-par performance.

Maple Leafs Have Interest In Erik Gudbranson

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Although Canucks GM Jim Benning stated last week that they still have plans on talking to defenseman Erik Gudbranson about a contract extension, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reported on a radio appearance with Sportsnet 590 (audio link) that there is some trade interest around the league surrounding the blueliner.  In particular, Lavoie pegs the Maple Leafs as a team with interest in him as well as several other stay-at-home defenders around the league, though those others aren’t at Gudbranson’s level.

The 25-year-old has played in 18 games so far with Vancouver this season and has yet to record a point.  However, he sits second on the team in both hits and blocked shots and would give Toronto another defense-first option on their back end.  Lavoie added that Toronto is ideally looking to add a defender before December’s holiday break (from December 24th to the 26th).

Nov 4, 2017; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson (44) awaits the start of play against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY SportsThe Leafs aren’t alone in their pursuit of a stay-at-home rearguard as Lavoie adds that the Canadiens are also looking to add one and could be interested in Gudbranson while he suggests that Ottawa may be looking to add a blueliner as well.  Considering Senators GM Pierre Dorion has stated several times that he likes his current defensive depth, it’s likely that a move on that end for them would be closer to the trade deadline with an eye on hedging against some injuries for the postseason.

One team that doesn’t appear to have interest in Gudbranson is his former team in Florida.  Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province reports that the Panthers (who at one point were rumored to have a trade in place for him over the summer involving Jason Demers) are no longer interested in pursuing his services.

Gudbranson is in the final year of his contract with a salary and cap hit of $3.5MM and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.  If the team can’t come to terms on an extension with him, there’s a good chance that the defenseman will become one of the more sought-after rental players in the weeks and months to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Canucks Notes: Gudbranson, Benning, Dorsett

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Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson has seen his name come up in trade speculation over the last little while, including a reported trade that would have seen him return to Florida in exchange for Jason Demers over the summer (that fell through when Demers exercised his no-trade clause).  He’s in the final year of his contract and as Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province notes, Gudbranson is in line to get a raise from the $3.5MM he’s making this season as well as a long-term deal since he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.  GM Jim Benning noted that there haven’t been talks on an extension yet but that there could be later on in the year:

“There’s a mutual thing with his agent. Let’s just see where this goes. From their perspective, they want to feel comfortable in a new city and find his niche. We agreed to let it play out and when the time is right, we’ll talk about it.”

So far this season, the 25-year-old has yet to record a point in 16 games but sits second on the Canucks in blocked shots (22) and hits (33) while averaging a little more than 17 minutes of ice time per game.

More from Vancouver:

  • Gudbranson isn’t the only one in need of a new contract for next year as Benning’s contract is up at the end of the season. In a recent radio appearance with Sportsnet 650, team owner Francesco Aquilini stated that extension talks are ongoing and that “I am pleased with how Jim has performed. I’m optimistic we’re going to come to an agreement with him.”  Benning is in his fourth season at the helm of the Canucks and while the team made the playoffs in his first year, they struggled considerably over the last two seasons.
  • The team has launched an appeal to rescind the instigator penalty given to winger Derek Dorsett on Thursday against Anaheim, Kuzma relays via Twitter. This penalty was his second of the season and once he gets his third, he would automatically receive a two-game suspension under Rule 46.21.

Canucks’ Chris Tanev Expected Out 2-3 Weeks

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Earlier today, Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green revealed a fact too familiar to Canucks fans: Chris Tanev is injured. Green told the press that Tanev had been sent back to Vancouver from the team’s current road trip due to an upper body injury. Canucks beat writer Iain MacIntyre has since added that early indications are that Tanev, Vancouver’s top defenseman, could be out two to three weeks with his newest ailment. The specifics of Tanev’s injury remain unknown, but given this relatively lengthy timeline, more should be known soon.

Durability continues to be a major concern for the 27-year-old Tanev. The reliable two-way defender is as solid in his own end as they come, but as the old adage goes “the best ability is availability”. Now playing in his eighth season, Tanev has never played in more than 70 games in a season. Over the past four years, since Tanev truly became a regular blue liner in Vancouver, he has missed 72 games – nearly a whole season – due to injury. In fact, the 2016-17 campaign was his worst yet, as Tanev only managed to skate in 58 games and recorded a total of only 10 points.

Fortunately for Vancouver, the blue line has not suffered the same injury bug (so far) this year as they did last year. Tanev’s absence was felt in a major way in 2016-17, as Erik Gudbranson missed all but 30 games and both Alexander Edler and Ben Hutton were sidelined for 10+ games. Edler has been out of the Canucks lineup recently, but is ready to return, alongside a healthy Hutton and Gudbranson and newcomers Michael Del Zotto, Derrick Pouliot, and Patrick Wiercioch. That grouping isn’t without issue, but stands a better chance of  surviving the loss of Tanev, as well as young Troy Stecher, than they did last season.

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