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Snapshots: Raanta, Golden Knights, Maple Leafs

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Antti Raanta has been activated off injured reserve and is expected to start tonight against the Buffalo Sabres according to Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Raanta hasn’t played in three weeks with a lower-body injury after being acquired this summer to be the Coyotes starting goaltender. He’ll head to the crease with a new backup in Scott Wedgewood, a tandem that could prove capable for Arizona as they try to climb out of the bottom of the standings.

The team unfortunately will not have Niklas Hjalmarsson on the ice however, meaning Dakota Mermis will make his NHL debut on the blueline. The Coyotes are currently last in the league with just one win in their first 13 games, and right now look like the odds-on favorite for the first-overall pick next June.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights will not trade for another goaltender, according to general manager George McPhee. The front office boss told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the Golden Knights will “ride it out with who we have.” Currently who they have is Maxime Lagace and 19-year old Dylan Ferguson, the last two goaltenders in the entire organization on NHL contracts. The team has given up six goals in back to back games, and still have four games remaining on their current road trip. Riding it out is likely the best move long-term for the organization, but it won’t feel good for Vegas fans who were on cloud nine after the team’s early season success. That excellent record could evaporate if they can’t find some stability in net soon.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are clearly not settled with the fringes of their lineup, as even after a win last night in Anaheim head coach Mike Babcock intends on shaking things up. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Kasperi Kapanen and Roman Polak will draw back into the lineup in place of Josh Leivo and Connor Carrick for tonight’s matchup with Los Angeles. That uncertainty will be an interesting one to follow as the Maple Leafs’ season continues. For a team that is expected to compete not only for a playoff spot, but for a considerable seeding in the postseason, they have several unresolved issues with their lineup. James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov are all unrestricted free agents, and remain possible mid-season trade candidates. If they are moved, the rotating bottom-pairing on the Toronto blueline is likely the target of upgrade.

Morning Notes: Nash, Maple Leafs, Lightning

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Even if John Tavares does re-sign with the New York Islanders, next summer’s free agent crop looks to be much more exciting than this year’s. While in-their-prime forwards like Evander Kane and James van Riemsdyk will likely be the focal point of many rumors, the mid-thirties group will also have some very interesting names. One of those, Rick Nash, was profiled by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, who believes the 33-year old New York Rangers forward can still be among the league’s best.

A two-way game has increased Nash’s value, and though he’ll be 34 by the time July 1st, 2018 rolls around there could be plenty of suitors lined up to add him to the mix. With 416 career goals coming into this season, the 2002 first-overall pick is an interesting name to watch this year.

  • The Maple Leafs are apparently working with a straight rotation for at least a couple of positions, as Kristen Shilton of TSN reports that Connor Carrick and Dominic Moore find themselves as the odd men out at the team’s morning skate. Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen will likely be the team’s third pair, while Eric Fehr will draw back in as the fourth-line center. Still left out in the cold is Josh Leivo, who can’t seem to earn himself a full-time role with the Maple Leafs despite scoring 10 points in 13 games last season.
  • Among teams carrying eight defenseman early in the season are the Tampa Bay Lightning who, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, could dress seven for tonight’s matchup with the Washington Capitals. With Tampa’s decision to keep Mikhail Sergachev on the roster, they put themselves in somewhat of a roster crunch. Sergachev is the only defenseman on the roster who is waiver-exempt, and the team would not risk Jake Dotchin or Slater Koekkoek by sending them down to the minor leagues.

Snapshots: Bertuzzi, Leivo, Officiating, McDonald

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Red Wings winger Tyler Bertuzzi will be out three-to-four weeks due to tendon inflammation in his wrist, GM Ken Holland told reporters including MLive’s Ansar Khan.  That will keep him out of the lineup for the first week or two of the season which should give converted defenseman Luke Witkowski a bit more of an edge on a lineup spot on the wing.

Bertuzzi will likely be headed for season-opening injured reserve which will allow them to prorate his cap hit.  Bertuzzi spent 50 days on the NHL roster last season (playing seven games with Detroit) so he will carry a discounted cap hit of nearly $184K on the Red Wings’ books once the season gets underway.

Other news and notes from around the league:

  • The Leafs received at least one serious trade inquiry for winger Josh Leivo but placed a high asking price despite his status as a seldom-used player, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. It’s evident that the team still values him having protected Leivo from Vegas in expansion but Toronto’s winger depth is comparable to last season if not stronger.  As a result, the 24-year-old is likely to be on the outside looking in at a regular spot in the lineup once again which means there’s a good chance he’ll draw more trade interest in the coming weeks.
  • While the NHL continues to crack down on faceoff and slashing violations, the league sent a memo to its officials on Friday to ask them to scale back the calls a little bit, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link). Penalties for both of these are up substantially through the opening week of the preseason.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie clarified via Twitter that the toe on the line standard is what will be relaxed at the faceoff dot.
  • Flyers winger Colin McDonald will be out an undisclosed number of weeks due to a lower-body injury, notes Andrew Kulp of CSN Philly. McDonald spent the bulk of last season with AHL Lehigh Valley but was with Philadelphia for a handful of games as well.  Accordingly, he will head on SOIR and count on their cap at a discounted rate similar to Bertuzzi in Detroit although his reduced charge checks in at a little over $14K.

Kasperi Kapanen Sent Back To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Kasperi Kapanen back to the AHL to take part in the playoffs with the Marlies. Coming up late in the season, Kapanen played in all six postseason games for the Leafs this year, scoring two huge goals in a game 2 victory. The Finnish forward is becoming something of a “clutch” performer scoring the golden goal for Finland at the World Juniors last year and registering his first NHL tally in a do-or-die game for the Maple Leafs down the stretch.

The son of Sami Kapanen, Kasperi was picked in the first round by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014 before being shipped off to Toronto as part of the Phil Kessel deal. In 43 games with the Marlies this season, he registered 43 points and was their best player on most nights. He’ll look to continue that and show why he was once considered a top-10 talent prior to his draft.

The Maple Leafs don’t have a lot of room on the wing next season, especially after Mike Babcock said this morning that William Nylander was destined to stay there for at least another season. Kapanen, along with Josh Leivo, Kerby Rychel, Nikita Soshnikov and others will all be competing for limited spots next season. With Mitch Marner and now Nylander firmly entrenched on the right side, it will be interesting to see if the Leafs open up a spot on the left by moving out an expiring contract like James van Riemsdyk or Leo Komarov. Either way it will be a big summer for Kapanen as he tries to prove that he belongs full-time in the NHL next season.

Injury Notes: Ferland, Stone, Leivo, Rust

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Calgary Flames winger Micheal Ferland has rejoined his teammates in Nashville today after being quarantined for almost a week. The 24-year old had showed signs of the mumps outbreak that had swept through the NHL briefly, but is now symptom free. He’ll be back in on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan tonight, according to Kristen Odland of Postmedia.

Here are some other injury notes from around the league:

  • Josh Leivo will take the spot of the injured Eric Fehr in tonight’s Maple Leafs lineup according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. With Nikita Soshnikov still on the mend following a big hit from Zdeno Chara, Leivo will look to get back to his scoring ways tonight. The young winger had nine points in a ten game stretch last month when Mitch Marner was dealing with an injury, and has considerable offensive upside. He’ll slot in on the fourth line tonight beside Brian Boyle and Matt Martin.
  • Despite skating with the team in a regular jersey this morning, Cedric Paquette will not return to the lineup for Tampa Bay according to Caley Chelios of FOX Sports. The Lightning center will remain out alongside Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson for the time being.
  • On Stamkos, he was seen skating again before practice, but admitted to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that “time is running out” for him to return this season. Stamkos has been skating for weeks as he tries to come back from a meniscus tear in his right knee. The Lightning are currently sitting five points back with ten games to play.
  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone was back skating this morning, though he won’t play tonight. Stone was out early and stayed late at practice as he works hard to get back into the Senators lineup. The team can smell first place in the Atlantic Division, and getting Stone—arguably their best forward—back before the end of the season could help them wrestle the crown away from the Montreal Canadiens. With a matchup against the fourth Metropolitan team looming in the first round, whether they should really want it is a different story.
  • Penguins’ forward Bryan Rust is almost back in the lineup reports Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after taking part in just about everything at today’s Pittsburgh practice. Though he won’t play tonight, the 24-year old forward will likely be back in a game before the end of the week; the Penguins take on Ottawa tonight, New York (Islanders) tomorrow and Philadelphia on Sunday.
  • Three goaltenders were at practice today for the Anaheim Ducks, including John Gibson as he continues to rehab his latest injury. Head coach Randy Carlyle said today that Gibson will definitely play before the end of the regular season, though that still leaves the question of whether he’ll be tested enough to start game one of the playoffs. We’ll see how many games the young netminder gets in before Anaheim has to take on a team like the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames in the first round.

Eric Fehr Expected To Miss Remainder Of Regular Season

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Though he got into his first game with the Maple Leafs last night, Eric Fehr’s stint on the fourth line is already over. Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun is reporting that Fehr spent the night in a hospital after breaking his hand in last night’s game. With the season only lasting another two and a half weeks, it would be hard to see Fehr make it back before the playoffs.

Traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline, Fehr brought a physical component against the Columbus Blue Jackets, throwing big hits—that were sometimes from behind—all throughout the first period. The fourth line for the Maple Leafs has seen wingers suffer an injury in back to back games, as Nikita Soshnikov went down against the Boston Bruins.

Fehr isn’t the only player the Maple Leafs may lose, as Roman Polak will receive a disciplinary hearing today for his hit on Oliver Bjorkstrand that earned him a five minute major—which turned into almost seven minutes of shorthanded time—and a game misconduct. The Maple Leafs will likely have Josh Leivo and Alexey Marchenko back into the lineup for tonight’s game should both veterans be out.

Frank Corrado Sent To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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The Maple Leafs have basically refused to play Frank Corrado all season, sitting him in the press box for all but one of their games this year. With that in mind, the team has sent him to the AHL on a conditioning stint that can last up to two weeks. Corrado is allowed to play in seven games before returning, which would feel like an entire season for him at this point.

The team has also sent Byron Froese to the Marlies today ahead of their upcoming road trip. The 25-year old center played in just two games after being brought up to replace an injured Tyler Bozak. The team has inserted young Frederik Gauthier into their fourth line center role after Ben Smith was placed on injured reserve, and from all accounts he’s done well enough to keep it.

These are interesting moves for a team that is about to go on a short road trip through Washington and New Jersey, especially because it’s the Leafs’ annual “Dad’s Trip”, where they bring the players’ fathers along on the road with them. The team now has two empty roster spots for the upcoming trip, meaning only Josh Leivo is there as an extra skater.

Likely there will be a corresponding move, whether it’s a trade or separate call up. It’s nice for Corrado though, who has had a tough year not playing anywhere. The 23-year old has now played just 40 games over the past two seasons with the Maple Leafs, which some would say has stunted his development somewhat. The former fifth round pick was a strong puck mover in junior, but has now played in just 68 games across parts of five seasons in the NHL.

Peter Holland Stays Home During Maple Leafs Road Trip

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2:11pm: Darren Dreger has a quote from Resnick:

Peter and Lou met this weekend. At this time, it appears that Peter’s future with the club is limited and Lou will do his best to trade him. Lou also stated that Peter not go on the road trip during this time frame.

It seems like Lamoriello is trying to protect his asset from any sudden injury by keeping him at home during the road trip, but whatever value he had must have been damaged by the public admission that he’s trying to trade him. We’ll see if the Maple Leafs can get anything of substance for the struggling forward.

1:21pm: Uncertainty around the fringes of the Maple Leafs roster continues, as today Peter Holland was not present at the morning skate in Edmonton. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Holland stayed home after talking to his agent Joe Resnick.  Luke Fox of Sportsnet also tells us that Resnick met with Lou Lamoriello recently, and Darren Dreger says that he “absolutely wanted to go on Leafs’ trip west in hopes of playing.”

The expectation, from Dreger and Kristen Shilton of TSN, is that either a trade or waivers will follow soon for the 25-year old. Holland cleared waivers earlier this summer while negotiating a new contract and has only seen eight games through the early part of the season, registering a single point.

Since being drafted by Anaheim 15th overall in 2009, Holland has developed into a solid bottom-six player that contributes around 10 goals and 25 points per season. The Leafs and head coach Mike Babcock seem to have grown tired of him however, as even when he’s dressed he’s only seen around ten minutes of ice time per game.

With the impending return of Josh Leivo from injury, the team had a decision to make about the last roster spot, and it seems as though it won’t go to Holland. If he is placed on waivers, it will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him this time around. He’s currently earning $1.3MM on his second RFA contract.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Kunitz, Leivo

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The NHL has named its three stars of the week for November 14-20: Jeff Carter, Cam Ward, and Nicklas Backstrom.

3. Backstrom had four goals and four assists in four games. Five of those points in the Capitals’ 7-1 win over the Penguins, which represented a career-high for Backstrom. He now has 17 points in 20 games.

2. Ward went 3-0-0 last week, with a 0.964 GAA and one shutout. He’s on a four-game winning-streak, which is his longest since the 2014-15 season. Thanks to Ward’s efforts, the Hurricanes are climbing out of the Eastern Conference basement and are just three points out of a wildcard spot.

1. Carter scored the winning goal in all three of the Kings’ victories last week, as they went 3-1-0. Carter had four goals and six points in those four games, and scored the winning goal in three consecutive games against Edmonton, New Jersey, and Anaheim. He cracked 600 career points with his second-period goal against the Ducks on Sunday. Carter now leads the NHL with five game-winning goals this season.

In other news around the NHL:

  • The Penguins have placed 37-year-old winger Chris Kunitz on Injured Reserve. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Kunitz is considered week-to-week with a “lower-body injury.” To fill Kunitz’s roster spot, the Penguins have recalled Jake Guentzel from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Guentzel has 17 points in 16 games with the AHL Penguins. Kunitz was initially hurt against Washington on Wednesday, but played in both of the team’s games over the weekend, posting three assists.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs winger Josh Leivo is still not ready to return to the lineup, according to coach Mike Babcock (via James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail). Leivo was recalled from a conditioning stint with the Marlies and practiced with the NHL club on Monday morning, but has not been cleared to play yet. Leivo will continue to practice with the Maple Leafs but as a non-roster player. Because Leivo would require waivers to be sent down to the Marlies, the Maple Leafs appear content to temporarily leave him in limbo rather than lose a good young player. When a Twitter follower asked how Leivo can be healthy enough to play five games in the AHL but not healthy enough to play in the NHL, Mirtle just shrugged. Leivo has 8 points in 28 career NHL games (none this season), and 124 points in 171 AHL games.

Leafs Waive Seth Griffith

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Young forward Seth Griffith has been placed on waivers today by the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. As Johnston adds, with forward Josh Leivo and defenseman Matt Hunwick nearing their respective returns, the Leafs needed to create a spot on the roster and Griffith was the odd-man out.

TSN’s Kristen Shilton suggests the team’s October 24th addition of center Ben Smith from Colorado also helped to make Griffith expendable. Shilton points out that unlike Griffith, Smith kills penalties and excels in the faceoff circle and that might have provided further reasons for the move.

Toronto claimed Griffith off waivers from Boston just a month ago. He saw action in just three of the Leafs first 13 contests failing to register a point. Griffith has appeared in 37 NHL games over parts of three seasons, tallying six goals and five points along with 10 penalty minutes. It’s quite possible another team with room will take a chance on the skilled but unproven Griffith.

Leivo has yet to see action this season but is wrapping up his conditioning assignment and should soon be set to make his 2016-17 season debut. In 12 games with Toronto last season, the 23-year-old left wing scored five goals for the Leafs.

 

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