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Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Canadiens

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For the Maple Leafs, the past calendar year has been one of wild swings. In the last 12 months (and a few days) the team dealt team captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa for cap relief, finished last in the NHL, drafted the future face of the franchise and vaulted themselves into playoff contention. In the last few weeks though the team has held on tight as the roller-coaster has tilted up on two wheels.

The team currently sits tied with Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, but has had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net in recent weeks. After two back-to-back shutouts over Calgary and Detroit in late January, the team has allowed 30 goals in eight games and gone 2-4-2. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports on their mediocrity and where the team’s mindset is as they try to turn things around. One of the positive notes has been the play of William Nylander, who after an early season demotion to the fourth line has recharged his defensive tanks and become a leader on a shutdown line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov.

The team has no time to settle in though, with a condensed schedule and eight games in the fifteen nights remaining in February. They’ll take on the New York Islanders tomorrow on home ice.

  • The Boston Bruins are 3-0 with their new head coach, getting a boost from the new voice of Bruce Cassidy behind the bench. They tore apart their rival Montreal Canadiens last night 4-0 and have put some space between them and the struggling Maple Leafs. Perhaps the coaching move was the right choice, but they’re in for a tough road trip when they come back off their mandated bye-week. The team will hit the road on the west coast with matchups against San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas out of the break—a tough schedule for anyone.
  • Montreal could do with a little of that coaching magic, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post. While the Bruins surge, the Canadiens flounder at the top of the Atlantic Division, now only six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators despite having played five more games. For what at one point looked like a lock for the top see in the division, Montreal now faces a tough final stretch of games. Traikos opines that Michel Therrien should be fired like his Boston counterpart, despite still holding onto that top seed. For now he remains with the team an they’ll come out of their break against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
  • Hopefully they will return with some help, says Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. In his latest column, Campbell examines the Canadiens need for some secondary scoring help behind the top duo of Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. After Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and AGM Chris McFarland were seen in attendance at the Bruins-Habs matchup on Sunday, hope sprung in Montreal about a possible addition of one of the two young players on the Avalanche trade-block. Both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog would provide a nice punch to the second line for the Habs, though the asking price remains as high as ever.

Snapshots: Pacioretty, Deadline Sellers, CWHL All-Star Game

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Montreal fans can breathe a sigh of relief as reports of Max Pacioretty’s absence from the morning skate is a result of the flu according to the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan. TSN has a video report of Pacioretty’s impact this season, highlighting the captain’s recent strong performance. Leading the Habs in both goals and points (27-21-48), he was lauded by bench boss Michel Therrien in Montreal’s 5-4 victory over Arizona Thursday night. Suffice it to say, the Habs–and their fans–are relieved to hear that the flu, and not injury, is keeping Pacioretty out.

  • The Hockey News has hedged their bets for the trade deadline sellers. Lyle Richardson lists the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings as potential sellers, indicating their sub-par seasons gives them the incentive to start selling off pieces for a brighter future. He quotes Elliotte Friedman as saying that Thomas Vanek may go to Chicago, while the Lightning could go shopping out West, trying to pry a defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks. General manager Steve Yzerman isn’t short assets, having a number of players to deal away with another cap crunch on its way in Tampa. As for Jim Nill’s Stars, Richardson sees Patrick Sharp, and Patrick Eaves as targets to be moved. But he also adds that should Marc-Andre Fleury waive his no-trade clause, he might just be what the Stars need to get back into the playoff hunt.
  • Speaking of buyers and sellers, be sure to check out PHR’s  takes on the Devils, Blackhawks, Blues, and Blue Jackets as the deadline approaches.
  • The CWHL is set for the All-Star game in Toronto this afternoon at the Air Canada Center. Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets has a writeup on some of the players to watch while the CWHL’s official site has even more, including the rosters of both teams following yesterday’s fantasy draft.

Snapshots: Ericsson, Canadiens, Oilers

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After leaving Thursday night’s game with an upper-body injury, Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will undergo surgery next week and will be out for the next 12 weeks, effectively ending his season, GM Ken Holland told MLive’s Brendan Savage (Twitter link).  Originally, the team was hopeful he’d only miss six-to-eight weeks.

Ericsson was injured after an awkward hit by Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom (video link). Backstrom hit Ericsson into the boards as the defenseman was skating towards the boards behind his own net.

He has nine points in 50 games this season, while averaging 19:29 minutes a night on Detroit’s second pairing. This is the third year of Ericsson’s six-year, $25.5MM contract.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have a short window to win the Stanley Cup with their current roster. Superstar goaltender Carey Price has one more year left at $6.5MM and captain Max Pacioretty has two years left at a steal of $4.5MM. That combined $11MM will likely jump to $17MM or so, which will cause quite the cap crunch. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has suggested that GM Marc Bergevin “has got his fingers in everything” (transcribed by Chris Nichols of FanRagSports). On Toronto radio this morning, Friedman shared an anecdote from Bergevin’s time in Chicago, where the Blackhawks had a chance to trade for Chris Pronger in the summer of 2006 but passed on making the deal because they “weren’t ready [to contend].” As Friedman put it, Bergevin’s philosophy is to hit singles to build a team, then swing for the fences when his team has a chance to win. Following this philosophy, Friedman suggested that “if there’s a big name, you can assume that Montreal has inquired.”
  • Speaking of windows of contention, Jonathan Willis wrote a piece for Sportsnet arguing that the Edmonton Oilers need to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender by next season to follow the paths set out by Chicago and Pittsburgh. This means a deep playoff run while Connor McDavid is still on his entry-level contract. No team has a smooth ride to the top, Willis writes, pointing at Chicago and Boston’s struggles to keep their teams together as their stars take up more money. If the Oilers aren’t a serious contender in 2017-18, then “they may be too far behind Pittsburgh and Chicago to catch up” to their path to the Cup.

Barry Trotz Thinks Alexander Radulov Will Re-Sign In Montreal

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After signing for a relatively modest one-year contract this summer with the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Radulov has returned to the NHL with a vengeance. The former Nashville Predators forward came back from the KHL for $5.75MM, and has performed exceptionally well. 41 points in 52 games and the question has now become where will he sign this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent once again.

While Pierre McGuire was speaking to Mitch Gallo on TSN 690 in Montreal, he related a conversation he had with Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz. “I would be shocked if Radulov doesn’t sign with Montreal, he loves it there” said Trotz, making it clear he things the Russian playmaker will stay long-term in the French-Canadian city. Trotz likely has a bit of inside information on Radulov, as the two spent parts of three seasons together in Nashville after Trotz and the Predators drafted him 15th overall in 2004.

For Montreal, signing Radulov would be a big boost to their offensive production going into next season. With Tomas Plekanec slowing down considerably, and David Deharnais looking like a shadow of his former 50-point self, the Habs have serious question marks up front for next season. Radulov has looked like the elite player many believed he was during the short time he was in the NHL, skating mostly beside Max Pacioretty and Phillip Danault – though when Alex Galchenyuk is healthy, he is an obvious fit for the top line.

We ranked Radulov second among our mid-season free agents, stating that he had already done enough to warrant a long-term deal with someone. Be advised Montreal fans, that just because Trotz knows he loves it there, doesn’t mean he will definitely re-sign. If we’ve come to learn anything about professional athletes (and really anyone in general) it’s that money dictates where they go. If the Canadiens don’t offer Radulov the best (or close to the best) offer, he’ll be taking his talents somewhere else. The KHL is always an option, though it seems as though he’s made a decision to come and try to win in North America for the time being.

Galchenyuk, Markov Nearing Return For Habs

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The Canadiens got some good news today with word that center Alex Galchenyuk and defenseman Andrei Markov are rejoining the club tonight and will practice with the team tomorrow. Montreal reported the news this afternoon via their official Twitter account.

Galchenyuk was in the midst of a breakout campaign as Montreal’s #1 center with 23 points in 25 appearances before suffering a knee injury which caused the talented 22-year-old pivot to miss the last month. To be fair, Galchenyuk had a pretty good 2015-16, netting 30 goals and tying Max Pacioretty for the team lead. While the Canadiens managed to post a 7 – 3 – 4 record in his absence, they undoubtedly are better with Galchenyuk on the ice.

Meanwhile, Markov also appears poised to rejoin the team after an eight-game absence due to a lower-body injury. The 38-year-old Russian may no longer be an elite top-pair blue liner but he is still a productive player who posted 21 points in 31 games to start this season. Last year, Markov registered 44 points in 82 games while averaging nearly 24 minutes a game.

Max Pacioretty Injured At Practice

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Just hours ahead of Shea Weber’s return to Nashville tonight, he may have significantly crippled his chances of pulling out a win in his homecoming. The Montreal Canadiens defenseman, known for his heavy shot, hit captain Max Pacioretty with a shot while the team was working on their power play at practice earlier today. The puck struck Pacioretty in the right foot and he went down immediately. Pacioretty was unable to put any weight on his right leg and had to be helped off the ice. Habs coach Michel Therrien reports that Pacioretty will be a game time decision tonight, but those in attendance at the morning skate say that it is very doubtful that he suits up.

Since the Canadiens lost top forwards Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais to injury early in December, it has been Pacioretty that has picked up the slack on offense. Many expected Montreal to fall off the torrid pace that they began the season with as a result of the injuries, but there had been only a marginal difference in their winning ability until very recently. A lot of credit is due to Pacioretty who, since then-leading scorer Galchenyuk went down, had 10 goals and 5 assists in just 14 December games. He now leads the team with 15 goals and 30 points.

However, Pacioretty is just one person. The Canadiens are thin up front, and their lack of scoring depth has shown through, as they have won just one of their last five games. With Pacioretty now likely out for at least tonight and possibly longer, the Habs have their work cut out for them. The likes of Daniel Carr, Michael McCarron, and Chris Terry have already been called upon from the minors to play major NHL minutes, and now Bobby Farnham, promoted yesterday, will likely enter the mix as well.

Weber would surely have liked to win in his return to Nashville, but the fate of just one game is nothing compared to the consequences of any long-term absence for Pacioretty. With Galchenyuk and Desharnais both not expected back for another month, the Canadiens will be very short on scorers. Hopefully, the captain is not out long, but there has been no official word on the extent of his injury yet. Stay tuned for more information.

Ryan O’Reilly Has Emergency Appendectomy, Out Indefinitely (Updated)

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(Update) 2:30pm: The Sabres announced via Twitter that O’Reilly will need “roughly 10 – 14 days of rest and recovery.”

10:34am: According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, Sabres alternate captain Ryan O’Reilly had an appendectomy on Christmas Day and is out indefinitely. While this isn’t a long-term issue, Buffalo has been struck with injuries all season and won’t get a break any time soon.

The team is at 12-13-8 and has missed O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Jack Eichel and others for lengthy periods already. While the team hoped to have competed for a playoff spot this season after signing Kyle Okposo to a big offseason contract and pursuing several other big-name free agents, they’ve been snake-bitten all year and have fallen further and further behind. Their 32 points puts them dead last in the Atlantic Division, tied with the New York Islanders for last in the conference.

O’Reilly, who missed time with back spasms earlier this year, has been one of their most effective forwards when healthy with 18 points in 27 games. The 25-year old is in the first year of his long-term extension signed in 2015. While his cap hit will be $7.5MM for the next seven seasons, he’ll actually earn $11MM in salary (including signing bonuses) this year.

All Buffalo fans can do is shake their head at this point and hope that a quick return is in the cards for O’Reilly. As Harrington reports, other players like Max Pacioretty, Jamie Benn and Corey Crawford have returned within a few weeks of their surgery.

*Glen Miller contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Pacioretty, Panthers

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Although Toronto’s play on the ice has been an improvement over last season, it hasn’t resulted in any sort of improvement when it comes to the standings.  They sit in last place in the Eastern Conference and as a result, some are beginning to wonder if the Leafs should think of themselves as sellers this season.  As GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters, including Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, it’s too early to tell which way the team will be leaning on the trade market:

“To think about that, it’s too far away to even have in your mindset. That’s a far-fetched thing at this point. Right now, we’re building. Determining who the players are that will be part of the future, and who are buying into what it takes to have the success you want to have.”

The Leafs are set to enter a tough stretch where they will play five games in eight nights which could potentially influence their direction.  A few victories will keep them close to the final Wild Card spot – they’re currently eight points out of that position currently – but if they lose most of their games, the gap could become too big to close.  Needless to say, this next week could go a long way towards influencing the remainder of their season.

Other notes from the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens left winger Max Pacioretty played through most of November with a fracture in his foot, he told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Pacioretty, who has scored 30 or more goals in each of the last three seasons, had just three tallies last month and struggled considerably.  He added that the fracture is now completely healed which should come as great news to Montreal, who have been hit hard by the injury bug lately with centres Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais as well as defensemen Greg Pateryn all out until late January at the earliest.
  • The removal of Gerard Gallant as Florida’s head coach has yet to pay off as the team has lost four straight games. As Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press writes, there is a small silver lining in that last year’s Panthers team was only two points ahead of where this edition is through 28 games and that squad went on to win the division.  Interim coach Tom Rowe admitted they’re using last year’s success as a motivator to try to get the team out of its funk but so far, that has yet to come to fruition.  They won’t be getting help from the infirmary soon either as left winger Jonathan Huberdeau remains several weeks away from returning from his Achilles injury.

Ryan Spooner, Matt Hendricks On The Trade Block

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As part of their Saturday Headlines segment (video link), Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman provided some information regarding a couple of players believed to be on the trade block:

Ryan Spooner (Bruins)

Kypreos suggested that the Vancouver Canucks could be a possible fit for the Boston center.  GM Jim Benning is familiar with the 24 year old from his time as an Assistant GM with the Bruins while Spooner has also had some success with Loui Eriksson, who left Boston to sign with the Canucks back in July.

After a 49 point season last year, Spooner has had a quieter start to this season with just eight points (3-5-8) in 24 games.  However, with a cap hit of just $950K, he’s an affordable player for any team and with the Canucks likely looking to transition towards being more of a younger team, the fit makes sense.

Friedman noted last month that teams had been expressing an interest in Spooner but it’s far from a guarantee that he gets dealt.  It’s certainly possible that the Bruins view him as part of their long-term core and that this slow start isn’t a sign of things to come.

CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty reports that talks regarding Spooner have increased in recent weeks and that the team is now seeking a top six forward in return, a departure from their previous asking price of a top four blueliner.  He also gets the sense that Boston’s management is motivated to move him as he may not be the right fit for head coach Claude Julien’s system.

Matt Hendricks (Oilers)

Hendricks was a healthy scratch in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Ducks and Friedman believes that Edmonton is making him available to other teams.  He has missed over a month with a lower body injury and as a result, Hendricks has played in just five games so far this season.

With a cap hit of $1.85MM this season, teams may be hard pressed to fit Hendricks into their salary structure, especially since the 35 year old is limited to a fourth line role.  Friedman suggests that his hometown Minnesota could be a potential fit.  However, the Wild are currently into LTIR meaning that their cap space to work with is extremely limited.  For any deal to work, Minnesota would likely have to send equal salary the other way or the Oilers would have to retain some of his salary.

Both Kypreos and Friedman also touched on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty.  While they were quick to emphasize that the Canadiens are not shopping their captain, Kypreos suggested that there may be a bit of friction between Pacioretty and head coach Michel Therrien.  He has heard that several teams around the league are watching the situation closely and suggests that if Montreal decides to commit to playing more of a defensive game in front of Carey Price, that they could consider moving the 28 year old for a top four defenseman.  However, with a cap hit of $4.5MM, quite low for a four time 30-goal scorer, it would be challenging for GM Marc Bergevin to get top value back at a similar price tag.

How Will The Expansion Draft Impact Canadian Teams?

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Continuing our look at different expansion draft angles,  CBC’s Amy Cleveland examines how the draft will affect the seven teams in Canada. Laying out the rules for the draft, Cleveland looks further and prognosticates who she sees as “potentially protected” versus those players who would be “intriguing” in being exposed. She further writes that all seven Canadian teams will be able to protect the bulk of their important players. The Flames sit prettiest without any non-movement clauses in contracts while the Leafs and Senators have only one player with an NMC (Nathan Horton, and Dion Phaneuf respectively).

Below are Cleveland’s picks for each team. Going to CBC’s page with the story includes in depth reasoning behind each of Cleveland’s choices.

Calgary Flames
NMC protected players: None.

Potentially protected: 

Intriguing exposed:

Edmonton Oilers
NMC protected players: Milan Lucic (F), Andrej Sekera (D), Cam Talbot (G)

Potentially protected: 

Intriguing exposed:

Montreal Canadiens
NMC protected players: Carey Price (G), Jeff Petry (D)

Potentially protected: 

Intriguing exposed: 

Ottawa Senators
NMC protected players: Dion Phaneuf (D)

Potentially protected: 

Intriguing exposed: 

Toronto Maple Leafs
NMC protected players: Nathan Horton (F)

Potentially protected: 

Vancouver Canucks
NMC protected players: Loui Eriksson (F), Daniel Sedin (F), Henrik Sedin (F)

Potentially protected: 

​Intriguing exposed: 

Winnipeg Jets
NMC protected players: Dustin Byfuglien (D), Toby Enstrom (D)

Potentially protected: 

Intriguing exposed:

 

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