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Mitch Marner Contract Negotiations “Priority One” For Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs cleaned out their lockers today and held their final media availability of the season after losing their first round series against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. The team has now been ousted in the first round for three straight years and some tough questions are going to raised about how they can improve in the future while still paying top dollar for players like John Tavares and Auston Matthews. Another one of their expensive forwards will soon be Mitch Marner, who is heading into a contract negotiation this summer as a restricted free agent for the first time. GM Kyle Dubas today called the Marner contract “priority one” when speaking with reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, noting that he is going to do everything possible to try and get it done before July 1st.

That is when Marner’s current deal would officially end, and potentially when he could sign an offer sheet with another team to drive his price up. It also is when the Maple Leafs could start their unrestricted free agent shopping if there is any to do, something that would be extremely difficult without knowing how much Marner will cost next season. Toronto is set to be one of the teams closest to the salary cap ceiling next year given their expensive core, and could very well need to move out some contracts to make room for Marner and the other restricted free agents—a group that includes Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.

The team went through a disastrous negotiation with William Nylander last year that resulted in him missing a good chunk of season, something that Dubas and his front office will avoid at all costs this time around. Nylander never really did get his game back after sitting out for so long, and finished with just seven goals and 27 points in 54 games.

Already committed to around $75MM for next season, the Maple Leafs will also likely not be able to afford to bring back Jake Gardiner. The veteran defenseman has played his entire professional career for the Maple Leafs organization after a trade brought his rights over from the Anaheim Ducks in 2011. As an unrestricted free agent Gardiner will likely draw plenty of interest from around the league despite his notoriety for turning the puck over at times (including one stark example in Tuesday’s elimination game), given his status as a top point producer. Gardiner has registered at least 30 points in a season on six different occasions, including a career-high of 52 in 2017-18.

The biggest focus will be on Marner though, who just finished a 94-point season to put himself into the top echelon of forwards in the NHL. The fourth-overall pick from 2015 has 224 points in 241 regular season games and found immediate chemistry with John Tavares this year. He was also used in a penalty killing role for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, only adding to his versatility and value in the upcoming negotiations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Sather, Miller, Gardiner

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The New York Rangers may be led by a new face at some point in the near future, as Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted last night that Glen Sather could be stepping down as president. It apparently is Sather’s decision, and not one that is confirmed in any manner by the team so far. John Shannon of Sportsnet has also heard that the move will happen at the end of the year, and that Sather will stay on as an advisor.

Sather stepped down from the general manager role in 2015 when Jeff Gorton took over, but has still had an active say in the organization. It’s unclear how involved he would be after stepping down once again. Sather has been with the Rangers since 2000, three years after he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller has been fined $2,000 for diving/embellishment. First given a warning following an incident on November 23rd, Miller was caught again embellishing a hook against the San Jose Sharks on March 30. While $2,000 doesn’t seem like a lot to fine an established NHL player, the punishment only goes up for more incidents, eventually affecting the wallet of the player’s head coach as well. Earning your coach a fine isn’t a very good way to get on the ice, something Miller will have to avoid in the future.
  • The Toronto maple Leafs will have a familiar face back in the lineup tonight as Jake Gardiner is expected to return after an 18-game absence. Gardiner took part in the morning skate and is technically a game-time decision, though was excited about his potential return. The veteran defenseman is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and has shown how important he is to the Maple Leafs just by missing time. The team has struggled in his absence and will hope he can get back up to speed quickly before their first round playoff series against the Boston Bruins next week.

Atlantic Notes: Rosen, Palat, Borowiecki, Sobotka

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs are still without injured defenseman Jake Gardiner, the team will get some defensive help as head coach Mike Babcock said that the Toronto Marlies’ top defensmean, Calle Rosen, is expected to join the Maple Leafs in New York on Monday and jump into Toronto’s lineup immediately, according to TSN’s Mark Masters.

The 25-year-old Rosen has put up a big season in the AHL as he has seven goals and 46 points in 54 games this season and was signed to a two-year extension in December to keep him with the team at a cheap price with the general belief that Rosen will be a solid, inexpensive option who can provide the team with the depth they need over the next couple of years.

Babcock said that Rosen, who hadn’t been called up yet after suffering a foot injury several weeks ago, will stay in the lineup until Gardiner is ready to return.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to get back winger Ondrej Palat on Saturday after he was forced to leave Monday’s game against Boston with an upper-body injury, according to Tampa Bay Times’ Mari Faiello. The forward took a big hit from the Bruins’ Connor Clifton in the first period and did not return. He then missed Tuesday’s practice, but skated on Friday and again this morning and is expected to return to the lineup without having missed a game, taking the place of Ryan Callahan, who will be a healthy scratch.
  • The Ottawa Senators will be without defenseman Mark Borowiecki on Saturday, as he has been ruled out with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Craig Medaglia. While the 29-year-old is listed as day-to-day, the injury isn’t considered to be too serious and he is expected to return before the season ends. “It shouldn’t keep him out too long,” said the coach this morning. “Unfortunately he will not be able to play for us this evening.” The team also expects that forward Zack Smith is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Toronto.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that veteran forward Vladimir Sobotka will be out Saturday with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old Sobotka hasn’t had the season that many had hoped for when Buffalo picked him up this summer as part of a package for center Ryan O’Reilly. Sobotka, who recorded 11 goals and 31 points last season in St. Louis, has just five goals and 13 points this season in 69 games.

Injury Updates: Byfuglien, Gardiner, Malkin, Pitlick

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The Jets are getting a key part of their defense corps back for tonight’s game against Montreal as they announced that Dustin Byfuglien has been activated off injured reserve.  The 34-year-old has missed the last six weeks with an ankle injury and has played in just 37 games this season although he has been quite productive when healthy with 30 points on the year.  He’s expected to take Sami Niku’s in the lineup and get eased back into game action.  Meanwhile, while Niku is waiver-exempt, he’s ineligible to return to AHL Manitoba as Winnipeg opted to not paper him back down just before the trade deadline.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The Maple Leafs are hoping to have defenseman Jake Gardiner back for their final two games of the season, head coach Mike Babcock told reporters, including Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star. He has been out of the lineup for more than a month with a back injury.  While having a back issue in the final year of his deal before being eligible for unrestricted free agency isn’t ideal, the fact that Toronto has struggled somewhat in his absence could mitigate that somewhat.  Gardiner ranked 12th in our midseason UFA power rankings.
  • Penguins center Evgeni Malkin participated in practice for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury two weeks ago, notes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He’s still unable to take contact so he’s still at least a few days away from returning but it’s at least a sign that he should be ready for the postseason at the very least.
  • The Stars announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Tyler Pitlick from injured reserve. He has been out of the lineup since mid-January after undergoing wrist surgery.  It’s unlikely that he’ll play a big role down the stretch but the 27-year-old should return to a bottom-six role for the stretch run in Dallas.

Snapshots: Kuraly, Gardiner, Merzlikins

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When looking at the injury report for the Boston Bruins, most people won’t spend too much time pausing on the name Sean Kuraly when going down the list of injured players. After all, the 26-year-old has just eight goals and 21 points on the season as the team’s fourth-line LW — hardly a key figure as they close in on the playoffs. However, Kuraly, who will be out a month after undergoing hand surgery, is a critical player to the team’s playoff hopes.

The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that the combination of Kuraly, Chris Wagner and Noel Acciari have become head coach Bruce Cassidy’s second-favorite line, which had received the second-most minutes in 5-on-5 play. The top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have played 421:22 minutes of 5-on-5 time together, while the Kuraly-Wagner-Acciari line are second on the team with 401:55 of playing time. Cassidy often plays that fourth line against the other teams’ top lines, which includes the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top line of Zach Hyman, John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

With a significant matchup coming up with Toronto in the first-round of the playoffs, the loss of Kuraly could radically affect that fourth line’s play against Toronto’s top line. Regardless of how Cassidy replaces the fourth line, it’s unlikely he’ll match it up with Toronto’s top line now, so that will complicate Boston’s plans for the immediate future.

  • Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby reports that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner, who has been out since Feb. 25 with a back injury, was sighted on the ice Sunday. The 28-year-old blueliner was working out after Maple Leafs’ practice with team skills coach Mike Ellis, but there remains no timeline for his return. The team could use him back as they have dropped five of their last seven games without him as well as fellow defenseman Travis Dermott, who could be back soon.
  • The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that Columbus Blue Jackets’ new goaltender Elvis Merzlikins has an appointment Monday with the embassy in Bern, Switzerland to get a visa and hopes to join the Blue Jackets’ roster at some point this week. Merzlikins, who has been playing in the Swiss National League for the past six seasons, signed his entry-level contract and depending on the roster moves that Columbus makes in goal, could be a candidate to challenge for playing time as soon as next season. Merzlikins finished this year with a 2.44 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 43 appearances in the NLA.

Atlantic Notes: Dermott, Gardiner, Smith, Tolvanen

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The Toronto Maple Leafs got some good news on the injury front. While Travis Dermott skated in a non-contact jersey Friday and again today Saturday, head coach Mike Babcock said the team hopes that Dermott will be back in the lineup next week, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. That should be welcome news for Toronto, which has lost four of their last six games with both Dermott and Jake Gardiner out of the lineup.

Dermott, who has been out for almost four weeks now with a shoulder injury, has emerged as a solid defensive option for Toronto this year and has been much missed. The 22-year-old blueliner has four goals and 17 points in 60 games this season.

The news on Gardiner wasn’t as promising. Gardiner did make an appearance at practice, but did not skate and Babcock still has no timetable on when he might be ready to return. He’s been out with a back injury since Feb. 25.

  • The Ottawa Senators Zack Smith is not playing Saturday due to a back injury and will remain day-to-day, according to Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. After a tough season a year ago when he posted just five goals and 19 points and was put on waivers at the start of the season, Smith has rebounded this year with 18 goals and 27 points. It still remains far short of his 25-goals season back in 2015-16, which propelled the Senators to sign him a year later to a four-year, $13MM deal, in which the Senators are stuck with his $3.25AAV for another two years.
  • The Syracuse Crunch, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s AHL affiliate, announced that it has signed goaltender Atte Tolvanen, the brother of Nashville Predators’ star prospect Eeli Tolvanen, to an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. The 24-year-old goalie just finished a four-year stint at Northern Michigan University, putting up a solid .917 save percentage in his senior year along with a 2.35 GAA in 39 appearanes. In four years for Northern Michigan, he’s appeared in 137 games, with a 2.41 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He will likely serve as the backup to Eddie Pasquale, the Crunch’s starting goalie, while prospect Connor Ingram has been returned to the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, continuing his strange demotion there.

 

Maple Leafs Notes: Babcock, Gardiner, Sandin

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone through perhaps their worst stretch of the season recently, allowing 28 goals in their last six games highlighted by a 6-2 loss to the last place Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. That has many fans worried about their upcoming playoff appearance that will likely be against the Boston Bruins, a team that has knocked them out two of the last three times they’ve made it to the postseason. Like with any team that struggles, questions about the future of the head coach have started to bubble up, and James Mirtle of The Athletic tried to answer them in his latest mailbag (subscription required).

Mirtle admits that there is something of a “disconnect” between Mike Babcock and GM Kyle Dubas, but wouldn’t go so far as to say that there is any real fire under the head coach’s seat. In fact, he believes that Babcock’s pedigree will keep him in Toronto through 2019-20 regardless of what happens this postseason. It is important to remember that Babcock still has four years remaining on his current contract, one that pays him an average of $6.25MM per season.

  • If Babcock wants to find any success this postseason he’ll have to hope his ailing defense can come together soon, and he received some good news on that front today. Jake Gardiner was on the ice to skate before practice, the first time he’s done any extensive work since his injury nearly a month ago. Gardiner has dealt with back problems all year, but could potentially be back in time to suit up in the playoffs. Fellow injured defenseman Travis Dermott was also on the ice prior to practice, but then joined his teammates while wearing a non-contract sweater. Dermott is expected to be back before Gardiner, though the team is running out of regular season games to get them back up to speed.
  • One thing that was considered when Gardiner and Dermott went down was whether or not to call up top prospect Rasmus Sandin. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted on the radio today that the team believed that he isn’t quite ready to compete at the NHL level despite his strong showing in the minor leagues. Sandin, who turned 19 just a few weeks ago, was Toronto’s first-round pick last June and has 24 points in 37 games in the AHL. The quick-thinking defenseman has improved his stock tremendously and could potentially be a candidate for NHL time next season.

Toronto’s Jake Gardiner Still Has No Timetable For Return

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have played 10 games without top-four defenseman Jake Gardiner, who has been out with a back injury, and it looks like the team misses him as they have struggled to a 5-4-1 record without him. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported late last night on Hockey Night in Canada that the Maple Leafs may be without Gardiner for quite a bit longer.

The 28-year-old blueliner has yet to resume skating and there is no timetable for his potential return. Despite often receiving the wrath of fans, Gardiner has been a key element to the team’s defense although his offense has dropped off this year. After posting 52 points last season, Gardiner has scored just two points and 27 assists in 60 games this year. Regardless, the team has struggled without the presence of Gardiner and defenseman Travis Dermott, who went down with shoulder injury on Feb. 27 and was expected to be out for four weeks and appears to be right on schedule.

It’s a tough situation for Toronto to be in after going out and acquiring Jake Muzzin in late January to bolster their defense. While there were rumors that Toronto was looking to add more depth to their defense, the team opted to stand pat defensively at the trade deadline, not realizing that they would lose two of their top-four defensemen not long thereafter. The team must put all their faith in their depth defensemen, including Martin Marincin, Justin Holl and Igor Ozhiganov. The team could also get some relief from the AHL as the team’s top defenseman, Calle Rosen, is close to returning from a foot injury and could fill in shortly.

 

 

Atlantic Notes: Senators, Kadri, Howard, Rosen

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With Guy Boucher out as head coach in Ottawa Friday, and 18 games left in the season, the young Ottawa Senators must make a quick decision on their head coaching job this summer. The team gave the interim tag to Marc Crawford, but unless he can turn around the franchise in those 18 games, the Sporting News’ Murray Pam writes that general manager Pierre Dorion may opt to look for a new voice to coach the franchise.

Among the top potential candidates that could take over this summer, Pam suggests that 66-year-old Jacques Martin could be an interesting candidate that can give the team a fresh voice. The veteran coach, who was raised in Saint-Pascal, Ont., not far from Ottawa, has been an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last six years, 31 years of NHL experience and has two Stanley Cup rings.

One obvious candidate could also come from within as the Belleville Senators’ head coach, Troy Mann, who has done an impressive job in his first year as head coach of the AHL franchise and already knows many of the players on the team’s roster. His recent track record is the most interesting as he has led the team to a 16-game unbeaten streak as the team has gone 11-0-5 and is on the cusp of the AHL playoffs. He’s in his fifth year as an AHL head coach. The scribe throws in several other candidates, including Montreal Canadiens’ assistant Luke Richardson and Columbus Blue Jackets’ assistant Brad Shaw.

  • Despite missing his sixth straight game Saturday, Toronto Maple Leafs Nazem Kadri, who has been out with a concussion, seems to be improving. According to The Star’s Kevin McGran, Kadri skated this morning, which is a good sign for his recovery. “Obviously, our medical staff has to do a good job with those guys and keep them out as long as they’re supposed to be out,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I think it’s obviously good for him to be out there, just morale-wise. It looks like he’s going in the right direction. I didn’t talk to the coaches since he’s been out, just to see what kind of skate they were able to give him and what he was able to handle. (We’ll) still monitor that and see, and then we’ll see how hard we can push him. I don’t know when he’s ready.”
  • Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has struggled immensely in the month of February, posting a 3.97 GAA and a .866 save percentage in nine games. On top of that, he has been pulled from his last three games, not exactly what you’d expect from a goaltender who represented the Atlantic Division at the All-Star Game. However, don’t expect the veteran to give up. Howard has spent countless hours studying video of his play, trying to figure out what’s gone wrong, according to Dana Gauruder of the Detroit Free Press. “To be honest, going through the video, it’s just being off by a fraction,” he said. “Not having the correct angle. When you don’t have that as a goalie, guys can put the puck in tight areas and that’s what’s happened.”
  • With recent injuries to Toronto Maple Leafs’ defensemen Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner, many fans have wondered why Toronto hasn’t turned to promising young defenseman Calle Rosen. The 25-year-old has been tearing up the AHL with the Toronto Marlies this year and signed a two-year extension with the team back in December. However, Rosen can’t be recalled yet, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby, because he took a puck off his foot a few days ago and isn’t ready to return to the ice just yet. Regardless, Rosen, who has seven goals and 44 points in 52 games with the Marlies, could be called up soon.

Western Notes: Canucks Defense, Fabbri, Benn, Parise

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With the playoffs being a longshot for the Vancouver Canucks, the team needs to start focusing on next year, especially with their defense. General manager Jim Benning recently said that the blueline needs work and the team could find themselves being active participants in free agency this summer.

“We’re going to look this summer to try and change things up in the back end. There’s work to be done on defence,” he told reporters.

The Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston writes that the team will likely make a play for San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, Toronto’s Jake Gardiner and Winnipeg’s Tyler Myers or even try and deal for Jacob Trouba. All are possibilities, although many of them are likely to be longshots. In fact, there may not be many big-name defensive free agents that Vancouver can add.

However, while the team feels good about bringing Quinn Hughes on board later this year, possibly in the next few weeks, and have him take over a spot on the team’s top-four immediately, the Canucks have quite a few decisions of their own roster to make, including the status of defenseman Alexander Edler, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but has indicated a willingness to return to the team even though a they haven’t managed to work out an extension yet. The team will also have to give a significant pay raise to defenseman Ben Hutton who has had a solid season in Vancouver this year.

The Canucks are expected to give a long look to blueliner Ashton Sautner, and still have high expectations for Olli Juolevi, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Regardless, the team will need to do something to improve the teams defense next season.

  • It hasn’t exactly been the year that St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri would have hoped for, but the oft-injured winger feels that his play is starting to turn the corner for the Blues, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fabbri has appeared in just 29 games this season with just five points, but with injuries to Brayden Schenn and David Perron, Fabbri has been receiving those extra minutes as well as some time on the power play, showing some signs that interim head coach Craig Berube is starting to show some confidence in the 23-year-old forward, who has lost almost two seasons to serious knee injuries. “I’ve been feeling good, and I’ve been feeling good for a while,” Fabbri said. “But there’s nothing like playing games. There’s a lot of things during the game that you can only practice in-game. It’s nice that I’m getting that opportunity right now.” Coincidentally, Fabbri has been made a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game, replaced by Sammy Blais, according to NHL.com’s Lou Korac.
  • The Dallas Stars get a big boost on their offensive end as veteran forward Jamie Benn is expected back to their lineup Saturday against St. Louis, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. Benn was forced to leave their Feb. 24th game against the Chicago Blackhawks after suffering an upper-body injury early in the game and subsequently missed the next two games. “I’m good. Ready to go,” Benn said. “100 percent.” The team could use an offensive boost even though Benn hasn’t had his usual type of season with just 21 goals and just 20 assists in 61 games this season.
  • The Minnesota Wild will be without veteran forward Zach Parise, who will miss Saturday’s game in Calgary and is questionable for Sunday’s game against Nashville with a foot injury, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The 34-year-old Parise is having a impressive season with 24 goals and 54 points and has been hot lately with a goal and four assists in his last five games.

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