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Jared Spurgeon

Snapshots: NHL Expansion, Spurgeon, Nylander

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In a recent episode of Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun expressed confidence that the NHL will be expanding, sharing it’s a matter of when rather than if. The TSN panel shared four cities that could be up for a new NHL team: Houston, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Quebec City. LeBrun added, “It felt like [Bettman] was so close to saying it was just going to happen… he kept talking about the recurring conversations of interest he’s having with those four cities.”

However, the TSN group also shared that before the league can worry about adding new teams, they’ll need to find clarity around the Arizona Coyotes arena situation. This certainly makes sense – the league needs to keep any relocation options open – but may also freeze any expansion talks for the short term. Bettman has recently expressed optimism in the Coyotes’ ability to find a new, more permanent home in the desert, although nothing is set in stone just yet. Arizona’s situation will be key to watch as the NHL considers where to add new franchises, and how many cities could be in line for expansion.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon took a hard hit in the team’s Thursday night preseason game. He sat out of the rest of the game and may be dealing with an injury that holds him out for even longer. Head coach Dean Evason said, “It’s not positive, but we’ll get a better evaluation tomorrow.” This will be an important thing to monitor, as Spurgeon’s impact in Minnesota is second to none. In addition to serving as their captain for the last three seasons, Spurgeon has also become a consistent double-digit goal-scorer capable of 40-point seasons. Wild fans will hold their breath, as his availability for opening night now seems uncertain.
  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel shared that Toronto forward William Nylander gave his agent, Lewis Gross, permission to continue negotiating a contract extension into the regular season. However, Nylander said he doesn’t want to hear updates until negotiations are closer to the finish line. Gross, notably, also represents Johnny Gaudreau, who had his own round of contract extension discussions with now-Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. The two sides, Gross and Treliving, aren’t unfamiliar with big-money extension discussions, which should be an interesting contributor to Nylander’s ongoing discussions.

Injury Notes: Hronek, Spurgeon, Kassian

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The Vancouver Canucks are hoping to have one of their top blue liners back soon. Farhan Lalji of TSN reports that head coach Rick Tocchet said Filip Hronek is day-to-day and there is a good chance he will be able to play on Thursday. Hronek was acquired by the Canucks in a somewhat surprising trade deadline deal. The Canucks were not expected to be buyers, but offered up a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for Hronek.

The 25-year-old right defenseman is yet to make his Canucks debut as he has been out of the lineup since February 28 with an upper-body injury. It sounds like he is close to getting back on the ice, and the Cancucks may see him join them for the first time when they take on the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon was a late scratch for tonight’s game. The team announced he will be out of the lineup with a non-covid illness. Spurgeon has scored ten goals and 30 points in 70 games for the Wild who are in a tight battle with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars for positioning in the Central Division. While they will miss his presence against the New Jersey Devils, luckily it does not sound like a long-term absence.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced Zack Kassian would not suit up tonight. The rugged winger is sidelined with an upper-body injury and will miss tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. The 32 year old has played 51 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring just two goals and zero assists. Kassian has one more year on his contract following this season with a $3.2MM cap hit.

Jared Spurgeon, Mats Zuccarello Out With Core Muscle Injuries

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Every year, veteran players on playoff teams end up having to go under the knife at the end of the season. The Minnesota Wild are no different, as both Jared Spurgeon and Mats Zuccarello will face recovery timelines of six weeks after core muscle surgery. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Spurgeon has already undergone the procedure, while Zuccarello is scheduled for it. The latter also dealt with a fracture in his leg which will not require surgery.

For Spurgeon, the injury goes back to before the January 1 Winter Classic according to Russo. That means he played at least 50 games while dealing with it, including six playoff matches against the St. Louis Blues. It’s easy to understand that he was dealing with something (or perhaps several things), as the team captain’s ice time dropped dramatically in the postseason. Spurgeon averaged just over 20 minutes, and actually didn’t even reach that threshold in three of the six games. Still, he finished the regular season with a strong 40 points in 65 matches.

Zuccarello meanwhile had the best offensive season of his career, putting up 79 points in 70 games. He did have four points in six playoff games as well, but the Wild were outscored 6-5 while he was on the ice, a huge change from the regular season (Minnesota outscored their opponent 77-54 with him at even-strength) and a big reason why they were eventually eliminated.

A six-week timeline certainly isn’t the end of the world, given how far away the 2022-23 season is, but core muscle surgeries are notorious for impacting performance long after the player is cleared to hit the ice. Hopefully, for the Wild’s sake at least, both players will be at full strength when the season kicks off and ready to challenge for the playoffs once again.

2022 Lady Byng Finalists Announced

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The NHL continues its daily revealing of award finalists and today’s is the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.  The award is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is given “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

This year’s finalists are Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild, and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Connor, a finalist for the first time, put together an incredible season even as the Jets struggled to take off. The 25-year-old sniper potted 47 goals and 93 points in 79 games, and, perhaps most impressively, recorded just four minutes in penalties. Two minutes in November for slashing, and two minutes in March for hooking were the only times Connor was forced to spend in the sin bin, an eye-popping feat given he played nearly 22 minutes a night for Winnipeg.

If the Winnipeg forward wants to win, though, he’ll have to go through a pair of defensemen that are certainly not new to the award.

Spurgeon, last year’s runner-up, put together another season that seems to boggle the mind, recording just ten penalty minutes despite playing more than 21 minutes a night on defense. In 772 NHL games, Spurgeon has amassed just 130 penalty minutes, and has been nominated for the Byng on eight different occasions. Add in his ten-goal, 40-point campaign, and you certainly have a player who combined gentlemanly conduct and a high standard of play during the regular season. Remember, those who want to point out his playoff cross-check, that this voting is done before the postseason commences.

Slavin, last year’s winner after taking just two minutes in penalties all season, decided to goon-it-up this year with a total of ten in 79 games. The Hurricanes defenseman is the perfect blend of mobility, positioning, and stick checking ability, ending countless plays without ever losing ground. He reached a new high in points with 42, while once again logging more than 23 minutes a night for Carolina. Nominated for the Lady Byng in each of the last five seasons, he could become the first player to win the award in consecutive years since Martin St. Louis.

Four Players Avoid Suspension, Earn Fines

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The first night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a wild one, with penalties, fights, and dangerous plays happening all across the league. Kyle Clifford will have a hearing later today for his transgression, but four other players have avoided suspensions entirely. Jared Spurgeon, Wayne Simmonds, Pat Maroon, and Corey Perry have all earned fines for their respective incidents, with the Minnesota Wild captain’s punishment especially notable, given his importance to his team.

Simmonds, Maroon, and Perry were all involved in the same incident, a scrum and subsequent fights that occurred when the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning was already decided on the scoreboard. All three earned misconducts, and have now been fined for unsportsmanlike conduct. Simmonds and Maroon will both be required to pay $2,250, while Perry faces a $2,500 fine. All three are the maximum allowable under the CBA and are based on their respective salaries.

Spurgeon meanwhile appeared much more in danger of a suspension, given how his incident was perceived. He has been fined $5,000–again the maximum allowable under the CBA–for his cross-check on the ankle of St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich. The on-ice officials handed out a two-minute minor penalty late in the third period for the play, which was an obvious outburst of frustration as the Wild lost 4-0.

Given how important he is for the Wild, a fine is the absolute best outcome the team could have hoped for. He will, however, be under increased scrutiny for the rest of the playoffs.

Central Notes: DeBrincat, O’Brien, Spurgeon

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Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat will be eligible to sign a contract extension in July and indicated to reporters, including Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times, that he’s open to having those discussions whenever the team is.  The 24-year-old has been one of the few bright spots for Chicago this season, notching 40 goals and 36 assists in 79 games.  DeBrincat will be owed a $9MM qualifying offer in the 2023 offseason so it stands to reason that any discussion of an early extension will have that number as a starting point.  Pope adds that DeBrincat isn’t expected to suit up at the World Championships next month with him and his wife expecting their first child.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Coyotes winger Liam O’Brien may be able to return to the lineup on Wednesday against Dallas, relays Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last two months with an upper-body injury.  O’Brien has had a quiet year with three points and 106 penalty minutes in 37 games but was rewarded with a two-year contract extension last month, the first one-way deal of his career.
  • Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon left last night’s game early in the first period. While some were hoping he was being held out as a precautionary measure, head coach Dean Evason told reporters postgame, including Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link), that the blueliner suffered an upper-body injury and will undergo testing to learn how much time he’ll miss.  The timing is hardly optimal for Minnesota as Spurgeon is one of their top defensemen (he leads their back end in points with 39 while sitting third in ATOI at just over 21 minutes a night) and their first-round series against St. Louis starting early next week.

Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.

Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk

Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo

Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev

Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta

Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome

Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson

Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth

Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin

Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell

Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair

Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki

New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier

New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara

New York Rangers – Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg

Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle

St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko

Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz

Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn

Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase

Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn

Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel

Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey

Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom

Central Notes: Buchnevich, Wheeler, Wild, Kuemper

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Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich has been cleared from COVID protocol, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  As a result, St. Louis – who has had 21 different players unavailable due to positive tests in recent weeks – now doesn’t have anyone missing for that reason (though defenseman Scott Perunovich is out with an unspecified injury).  Buchnevich will be a welcome addition back to the lineup for the Blues as he sits tied for second in team scoring with 14 goals and 21 assists in 34 games.  St. Louis had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make any corresponding roster move to bring him back onto the active roster.

More from the Central:

  • Jets winger Blake Wheeler could return to the lineup this weekend, reports Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe. The captain has missed nine straight games with a knee injury, an amount that could have been much higher had it not been for the COVID-related postponements.  Wheeler has only scored once in 22 games this season but had 16 assists which is still tied for third on Winnipeg despite missing more than a month.
  • Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin has resumed skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). He was injured blocking a shot a week and a half ago.  His pending return will be welcome with Jared Spurgeon expected to be eased back into the lineup; McLellan adds that it’s unlikely that the captain – who is working his way back from a lower-body injury – will play both ends of the upcoming home-and-home with Chicago.
  • While Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper left Monday’s game against Minnesota with an injury, he isn’t expected to miss any time, mentions Mike Chambers of the Denver Post (Twitter link). He’ll serve as the backup goaltender tonight and is slated to start on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Injury Updates: Martinez, Murray, Wild, Oshie

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It appears that the Golden Knights will soon be getting a key defenseman back in their lineup.  In an interview with SinBin.Vegas (audio link), owner Bill Foley indicated that Alec Martinez was nearing a return had it not been for the veteran contracting COVID-19.  Martinez has been out since mid-November with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss at least ten days due to his protocol placement, meaning it’s not an asymptomatic case so he won’t return until the middle of next week at the earliest.  Martinez and his $5.25MM AAV are currently on LTIR and Vegas will likely need to transfer winger Max Pacioretty onto LTIR in order to activate the blueliner back onto the active roster.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Avalanche defenseman Ryan Murray left Friday’s victory over Arizona with an upper-body injury, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The oft-injured 28-year-old has struggled with Colorado this season, averaging just over 14 minutes per game in 21 contests.  The expectation is that Kurtis MacDermid, who had been playing on the wing recently, will now go back to his natural position on the back end to take Murray’s place.
  • The Wild could get defenseman Jared Spurgeon and goaltender Cam Talbot back in the lineup for their upcoming home-and-home set against Chicago, suggests Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Those games are slated for Friday and Saturday of next week.  Spurgeon has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury while Talbot has missed nearly two weeks with a lower-body issue of his own.
  • The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that winger T.J. Oshie sustained an upper-body injury in today’s game against the Islanders. It has been a tough season for the veteran from a health perspective as he has already missed time due to three separate injuries while missing a game in COVID protocol.  In between all of those, the 35-year-old has been fairly productive with 13 points in 17 games.

West Notes: Wild, Fowler, Blackhawks, Sharks

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Wild GM Bill Guerin provided an update on a pair of injured Wild players, telling reporters, including Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that defenseman Jared Spurgeon and center Joel Eriksson Ek will miss a couple more weeks.  Both had been listed as out indefinitely but it appears Minnesota won’t be without two of their top players for much longer.  Spurgeon is dealing with a recurrence of a lower-body injury from two weeks ago while Eriksson Ek suffered an upper-body injury a week and a half ago.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • While the Ducks were concerned that Cam Fowler’s upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game could be a long-term issue, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register relays that the blueliner traveled with the team for their two-game road trip that opens up tonight in Vegas which suggests that the veteran may not be out for long.  Fowler is having a nice season with 17 points in 33 games while leading the team in ice time at just over 23 minutes a game.
  • The Blackhawks received a bit of relief on the injury front yesterday as they announced (Twitter link) the activation of winger Jujhar Khaira and center Henrik Borgstrom from injured reserve. Khaira had missed the last three weeks after being stretchered off the ice in a game against Dallas while Borgstrom had been out just as long with a non-COVID illness.
  • The Sharks had good news and bad news on the COVID front yesterday. The team announced that defenseman Mario Ferraro was placed into protocols while winger Jonathan Dahlen was activated.  Under the new NHL guidelines, Ferraro could return after five days instead of the ten it has been for most of the season.

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