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Micheal Ferland

Pacific Notes: Doughty, Stastny, Ferland, Roussel

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Up until recently, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty hadn’t missed a game since the 2013-14 season. Suddenly, due to an undisclosed injury, Doughty will miss his third straight game on Sunday. However, Kings head coach Todd McLellan said the team hopes he will return on Tuesday against Washington, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.

“We thought he might sneak in today, but not enough practice time with the break,” said McLellan. “Get tomorrow’s skate in and potentially one Monday before we fly out and then counting on him Tuesday.”

  • The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) breaks down the top trade chips of the Vegas Golden Knights as the team closes in on the trade deadline and notes that if Vegas opts to spend big once again like it has in the past two years of the team’s existence, then one name that might come up could be center Paul Stastny. The 34-year-old center has been a solid contributor with Vegas, but due to the fact the team has juggled him around the lineup, Stastny has struggled getting comfortable with any linemates as he has just 12 assists so far this year, which could be because he is one of the team’s top goal scorers at 15 already. However, with the development of Chandler Stephenson, the Golden Knights might actually be able to survive without him. Stastny has just one year remaining on the three-year deal he signed two summers ago at $6.5MM, although the veteran does have a 10-team no trade list.
  • The Vancouver Canucks seem a step closer to getting forward Micheal Ferland back from injury. The forward has been skating on his own the last few days and Sportsnet’s Joey Kenward reports that Ferland is expected to report to Utica of the AHL this coming week and is expected to practice with the team. The hope is that he might be ready to play in a game or two with the Comets before the Canucks bring him back up.
  • Sticking with the Canucks, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that despite having returned from an ACL tear in December, forward Antoine Roussel recently stated that playing on that knee hasn’t felt the same and he hasn’t been pleased with the way he’s been playing since returning, which isn’t surprising, considering the injury. “I had no legs for ten games,” Roussel said bluntly. “I was rusty, my pop wasn’t there and then you slowly get back there and I’m at game 22 now. So 12 games where I felt pretty decent, I’m just trying to build on that.” Roussel does feel that his game is finally rounding into form and his best hockey could be coming in the second-half of the season, which is just another thing going well for Vancouver.

Vancouver Canucks Place Micheal Ferland On LTIR

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The Vancouver Canucks were holding out hope that the return of forward Micheal Ferland from injured reserve last week would help boost the team and their depth. Instead, Ferland didn’t last two games as Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor reports that the team placed him on long-term injured reserve.

The 27-year-old suffered a concussion on Oct. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings and missed 17 straight games due to the injury, but was thought to be ready for action last week. However, he played sparingly in both contests this week, which included just 4:12 against Toronto on Tuesday. He saw a specialist on Thursday about symptoms that have risen recently and the news was enough for the Canucks to put Ferland on LTIR.

With the move to LTIR, Vancouver can save his $3.5MM and be able to maneuver a little easier until Ferland is ready to return. Signed to a four-year, $14MM contract this summer, the forward was supposed to add some key middle-six depth and provide some size and grit in the lineup. Instead, Ferland has only appeared in 14 games with a goal and five assists.

Snapshots: Peca, Fox, Ferland

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The Montreal Canadiens have lost a depth forward for more than a month, announcing that Matthew Peca will be out six weeks with a knee injury. Peca was injured when he got tied up with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin earlier this week.

Peca, 26, has played in just four games with the Canadiens this season, instead spending the majority of his season in the minor leagues. The 5’9″ forward was signed to a two-year, $2.6MM deal in July of 2018 but played just 39 games for Montreal last season.

  • Adam Fox is still having an impact on the Carolina Hurricanes, despite not signing with them. CapFriendly points out that after Fox played in his 30th game of the season on Tuesday night, the third round pick that New York sent Carolina in the trade has been upgraded to a second round pick. It always seemed likely that the pick would be upgraded given his talent, but Fox has made it more than worthwhile for the Rangers by proving he can be an effective puck-moving option in the NHL.
  • Though Micheal Ferland isn’t in the concussion protocol, he is seeing specialists for some symptoms that have popped up, according to head coach Travis Green who spoke with reporters including Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet. Ferland didn’t even make it through two games after returning from more than a month off, leaving Tuesday’s match against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Vancouver Canucks Activate Ferland, Beagle, And Markstrom

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The Vancouver Canucks will be a lot closer to full strength when they take the ice this afternoon. The team has announced that forwards Micheal Ferland and Jay Beagle have been activated from the injured reserve, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been activated from the non-roster list following a leave of absence. The returns come just days after Antoine Roussel made his season debut after overcoming injury as well.

Ferland’s return to the lineup will be the greatest change in status quo for the Canucks. A free agent addition coming off a career year, Ferland suffered a concussion just 12 games into the season and has been on the IR since November 1st. The physical winger has just five points on the year, but recorded 40 points in 71 games last year, including a career high in assists. If he remains healthy, Ferland would be on pace for 65 games this regular season and the Canucks hope that might be enough to gt him back into that 40-point range. At the very least, Ferland will provide a physical presence and an injection of energy for the Vancouver forward corps

Beagle returns to the lineup at the earliest possible time, just ten days after he was placed on IR on November 27th. Yet, the veteran has been beat up for much of the early season, missing a total of nine games thus far due to a lower-body injury. Beagle’s scoring numbers may be down to begin the year, but he will be a welcome addition nonetheless. The experienced two-way forward is a leader and difference-maker on the ice for the Canucks, particularly at the face-off dot. Despite missing considerable time, Beagle remains second on the team in face-off wins thanks to a whopping 60% success rate. He is also a key piece to the team’s penalty kill, which has struggled in his absence and slipped into the bottom half of the league.

Markstrom returns to the team after being given the week off to attend his father’s memorial service in his native Sweden. Thatcher Demko will get the start again today, with Markstrom likely to return to the crease on Tuesday. Markstrom has played well this season with a .913 save percentage and 2.70 GAA and he and Demko have combined to provide consistent goaltending for Vancouver. The question this season will continue to be whether the Canucks feel they need to re-sign Markstrom, arguably the second-best keeper on the  free agent market, or instead see Demko as ready to take over the starter’s role.

Even with this trio back in action, the Canucks are not fully healthy. The team was forced to place Alexander Edler and Tyler Graovac on injured reserve earlier this week, while Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte remain there as well. There has been little news on a return from any of the group, although the initial timeline for Motte’s injury should have him back sooner rather than later. Additionally, with three additions to the active roster, the Canucks have sent down forward Zack MacEwen, who re-joins the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Tyler Motte Out At Least Four Weeks

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It wasn’t clear how long Tyler Motte would be out when he ended up on injured reserve recently, but Vancouver Canucks Travis Green cleared things up today. Green indicated that Motte will miss “at least four weeks,” while Micheal Ferland is still in the concussion protocol.

Motte, 24, was a constant in the Canucks lineup last season, recording 16 points in 74 games as an energy player in the bottom six. His 200 hits easily led all Vancouver players while also contributing on the penalty kill.

That energy will be missed, but the Canucks are rolling right now with a 9-3-2 record good for third in the Western Conference. They’ve found more than enough capable forwards to fill out a lineup, even without Motte and Ferland for the next little while.

Pacific Notes: Ferland, Boucher, Elvenes

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The notable recall of Sven Baertschi on Friday morning was made possible by the placement of fellow veteran forward Micheal Ferland on injured reserve. At the time, the team did not state why Ferland was sidelined, but have since updated the situation. Head coach Travis Green revealed that Ferland has been placed in the NHL’s concussion protocol. The team gave no timeline for his return to action, quite possibly because Ferland’s history of head injuries could be complicating his condition. The Province’s Patrick Johnson believes that Ferland suffered the concussion at the hands of Kyle Clifford, as the two fought in Wednesday night’s match-up between the Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. Toward the end of the fight, Clifford hit Ferland with several hard rights, and the Vancouver winger seems somewhat dazed and hesitant to retaliate. Now enduring the third documented concussion of his pro career, Ferland has opted not to change the style of his game despite the health risks, as Johnson writes that he told the Vancouver media he had “zero concerns” about his concussion history when he arrived as a free agent this off-season. Now, both the player and team just have to hope that this latest concussion didn’t inflict lasting damage that could keep him out long-term.

  • With Baertschi now back in Vancouver, the next man up for the Canucks in the event of another injury up front would very likely be Reid Boucher. Boucher has been named the AHL’s Player of the Month of October after recording ten goals and 13 points in eight games with the Utica Comets. Now in his fourth season with the Canucks organization, the 26-year-old forward saw his NHL games played drop from 38 in 2016-17 to 20 in 2017-18 to just one game last season. His minor league production held constant during that time too at or above a point-per-game pace. The difference so far this season though is the goal totals. While Boucher, once considered a top NHL prospect, has always had a nose for the net, ten goals and eight games is another level of scoring production. A forward with NHL experience enjoying a hot streak in the goal department is a nice asset for the Canucks, and Boucher has earned another shot at an NHL role if an opportunity arises in Vancouver.
  • The AHL’s Rookie of the Month comes from the rival Vegas Golden Knights. Swedish import Lucas Elvenes took home the honor with 15 points in his first ten games with the Chicago Wolves. The 2017 fifth-round pick continues to exceed expectations and, as The Athletic’s Jesse Granger writes, he is quickly becoming a prized prospect for Vegas. Elvenes, 20, was held scoreless in a dozen games in the top-level Swedish Hockey League in his draft year. The next year, he surprisingly jumped up to 16 points in 28 games and then last year took on a regular role in the SHL for Rogle BK. Now in North America, he has already surpassed his goal total from last year with four tallies to go along with eleven assists. Granger notes that there were signs of this sudden offensive development at Golden Knights training camp, but now it is on full display in the AHL. While he doubts Elvenes gets a shot at the NHL right away this season, Granger believes that Elvenes could be just what the Knights need in an otherwise barren pipeline of young prospect talent at forward.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Micheal Ferland

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed another free agent forward, inking Micheal Ferland to a four-year, $14MM deal. The contract carries a $3.5MM cap hit, and will have a no-movement clause in the first two years before transitioning to a partial no-trade clause. Canucks GM Jim Benning released a short statement on his new forward:

Micheal is an energetic player that drives the play and can contribute in all three zones. He’ll make our team harder to play against on a nightly basis and we’re excited that he’ll call Vancouver home.

Ferland, 27, was the highest forward remaining on our Top 50 UFA list, coming in at number 11 just ahead of Ryan Dzingel. His versatility and effectiveness over thel ast two seasons made him an attractive target for many teams, though it does seem as though his market was shrunk somewhat given how long it took for him to sign. A deal with Vancouver represents a return to the Pacific Division where he started his career with the Calgary Flames, and a reward for a ton of hard work to this point.

Originally a fifth-round pick of the Flames in 2010, Ferland didn’t catch on as a full-time NHL player until 2015 when he used his physical play to establish himself in Calgary’s bottom-six. Within a few years he was playing alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan for long stretches on the top line, scoring 21 goals and 41 points in the 2017-18 season. That summer he was flipped to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the bigger Elias Lindholm–Dougie Hamilton deal, bringing a new dimension to their attack.

In Carolina he got off to a blistering start and was setting himself up for a huge payday this summer. Through his first 54 games he had 17 goals and looked like he was well on his way to a career-high. Unfortunately, Ferland didn’t score a single goal in the 17 games after the trade deadline and was held to just a single assist in seven postseason contests. Dealing with various injuries, he finished the year with 40 points but is still a potential top-six add to a club like Vancouver.

After showing that he could keep up with top players in Calgary, there’s good reason to believe he might get the same opportunity with Vancouver. The team has Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson anchoring their top two lines, and Ferland could slide in on one of their wings to give them a little more physicality. The interesting thing will be where he fits in with relation to J.T. Miller, who is another big-bodied forward that can play either wing and add a little punch.

The addition of Ferland though raises more questions with how the Vancouver roster will shake out after training camp. The team already had 13 forwards on one-way contracts plus Pettersson and Adam Gaudette on their entry-level deals. That’s not even including restricted free agents Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin, at least the former of which will be assured a spot on opening day. There may be more moves coming for Vancouver, who have been looking for a landing spot for Loui Eriksson for some time and are set to pay him a hefty bonus on July 15 according to David Alter.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report a deal was close.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils Moves, Flyers Roster, Backstrom

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There still remains a number of intriguing free agents available on the open market, including Jake Gardiner, Ryan Dzingel and Micheal Ferland. However, despite having $20.77MM in projected cap space remaining on their roster, it’s unlikely the New Jersey Devils will be adding one of them unless their asking price drops significantly, according to The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required).

That cap number is somewhat deceiving as New Jersey has several restricted free agents they must deal with, including Pavel Zacha, Will Butcher, Mirco Mueller and Connor Carrick, amongst others. No player should walk away with too significant a deal, meaning the Devils would have the cap space to sign one of those free agents, but that still seems unlikely. The team already made their major moves earlier, trading for P.K. Subban and signing winger Wayne Simmonds in free agency. That, however, doesn’t mean they are done making moves.

“I made some calls,” Shero. “This week will be the same thing, and we certainly would want to see what’s out there, if there’s a chance as we go into the summertime and the rest of the summer into training camp.”

  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com comes up with an early projection of the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup with one interesting hole on the team’s third line. The scribe pencils in Nolan Patrick centering Oskar Lindblom, but lists the other wing position to a mystery man, likely to be battled during training camp. He notes that there are two logical candidates to win the role including veteran Scott Laughton as well as youngsters Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. The 20-year-old Frost, a 2017 first-rounder, wrapped up his junior career last season and combined for 79 goals and 221 points over his last two years for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. The 19-year-old Farabee, a 2018 first-rounder, signed with the Flyers after one season with Boston University in which he scored 17 goals and 36 points in 37 games.
  • While the discussions of whether the Washington Capitals will be able to retain goaltender Braden Holtby after next season has been discussed, the Washington Capitals have another significant free agent as well next offseason in Niklas Backstrom. The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga suggests that the Capitals are almost certainly going to find a way to bring the veteran center back. Backstrom will be 32 by then, but has been such an integral piece to the first line next to Alexander Ovechkin, that it seems inconceivable the team will allow the veteran to walk away, especially without a young center waiting in the wings, which Washington does not have. Backstrom is still putting up solid numbers as he scored 22 goals and 74 points last season.

Poll: Which Top Free Agent Will Be Next To Sign?

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Call it a frenzy, call it a feast, but don’t call it finished. Free agency got off to a flying start on Monday (or perhaps, on Sunday evening) when names like Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene all inked expensive, long-term deals. A plethora of other signings soon followed and many teams used up all the cap space they had. But then, as the evening rolled around on July 1, everything slowed. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche were busy introducing their newest players after a substantial trade, but the second tier of free agents were unheard from.

Now, two days later, we still haven’t seen much movement on the remaining names. Eight of our top 25 names are still out there waiting to find out where they’ll play in 2019-20, with few rumors giving any indication. Perhaps there is a wave of signings coming, or perhaps many of these names will have to wait until some of the top restricted free agents finalize their deals. After all, many teams around the league are stuck wondering how much the likes of Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy and (and, and, and) others will make coming out of their entry-level deals.

So who will be next off the board? Jake Gardiner is our top ranked free agent left, and the best defenseman available even with his injury concerns from last season. Micheal Ferland, Ryan Dzingel and Marcus Johansson all provide some offensive punch at forward, while veterans like Justin Williams and Joe Thornton are still unsigned by their former clubs. Who will be the next to go, and when will it finally happen?

Cast your vote below and let us know where you think they’re going in the comments:

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Poll: How Many Top Free Agents Will Re-Sign Before July 1st?

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The season is over for all but four NHL teams, meaning free agents from the other 27 clubs are already focused on July 1st and the start of free agency. How many of those top free agents are still considering staying where they are versus testing the market? How many teams have the means and interest to re-sign them?

In January, PHR published our Mid-Season UFA Power Rankings: 1-10, 11-20, and honorable mentions. Mark Stone, Eric Staal, Jakob Silfverberg and Jimmy Howard – four of our top 25 –  have already signed extensions. However, the other top names and their current squads have exactly seven weeks to decide whether or not they will follow suit.

The Columbus Blue Jackets went all in at the trade deadline and it paid off with the franchise’s first ever playoff series win, a shocking sweep of the President’s Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning. Yet, the acquisitions of Ottawa Senators standouts Matt Duchene (No. 5) and Ryan Dzingel (No. 16) was not enough to get the team through round two, nevertheless to a Stanley Cup title. Now, the team faces the possibility that their new additions could walk in free agency alongside stars Artemi Panarin (No. 2) and Sergei Bobrovsky (No. 6), leaving them with major holes to fill. The latter duo have long been expected to test the market, perhaps even as a package deal. Additionally, the conditional 2020 first-round pick tied to re-signing Duchene would seemingly make it less likely that Columbus opts to extend him, especially given their lack of picks in the upcoming draft. None of those three have officially ruled out a return to the Blue Jackets, but it doesn’t look good. On the other hand, Dzingel, an Ohio State University alum, looks like he could be a more natural long-term fit, but it hasn’t prevented rumors that other teams are very interested in signing him.

Another free agent-heavy team that blew through round one of the playoffs only to be knocked off in round two are the New York Islanders. After losing John Tavares last summer, going through the same with top forward Anders Lee (No. 9) would be devastating for the Islanders franchise. Yet, the captain still remains unsigned. It’s fair to assume they will eventually figure it out, but that line of thinking if awfully reminiscent of last year. New York is reportedly pushing hard to retain enter Brock Nelson (No. 11) and winger Jordan Eberle (No. 15) as well, but they could be more inclined to test the market. There’s also the question of resurgent goalie Robin Lehner (No. 23). Will the Islanders lock up the young keeper who was so solid this season? Or will they refuse to pay market value for a player that has benefited from their system while splitting time with Thomas Greiss?

Another team of interest are the San Jose Sharks, who remain alive in the Western Conference Final. Superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson (No. 1) and respected veteran forward Joe Pavelski (No. 7) are both heading for free agency and the Sharks may be hard-pressed to sign both. There’s also deadline addition Gustav Nyquist (No. 14) to consider re-signing, as he has had a strong postseason with the Sharks. The Carolina Hurricanes are also one of four teams still playing and are definitely happy they held on to forward Micheal Ferland (No. 18). Ferland is reportedly expected to test the market, but after a deep postseason run he may be more open to extending his stay with the Hurricanes.

It was a difficult end to the year for the Winnipeg Jets, who were one-and-done this year, falling to the St. Louis Blues in the first round. Between rental center Kevin Hayes (No. 8) and big defenseman Tyler Myers (No. 10), the Jets have a pair of coveted free agents on the roster who they would surely like to keep, but that is the least of their worries as they face a daunting impending cap crunch. It could make bringing back even one of the two nearly impossible. The same goes for defenseman Jake Gardiner (No. 12) and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs will have a hard enough time keeping their roster together and re-signing their current restricted free agent, nevertheless managing to re-sign Gardiner.

Generally, playoff rentals proceed to hit the free agent market rather than re-up with their new teams. In addition to Duchene, Dzingel, Hayes, and Nyquist, Nashville’s Wayne Simmonds (No. 13), Dallas’ Mats Zuccarello (No. 21), and Colorado’s Derick Brassard (No. 24) could very well be headed to yet another destination. Simmonds and Brassard were disappointments in their short stays, but Zuccarello proved to be a nice fit with the Stars. However, the team would lose a first-round pick rather than a second-round pick to the New York Rangers if they were to re-sign the veteran forward. That may not be enough to stop them from extending him, though.

If there was any doubt that the Buffalo Sabres couldn’t re-sign Jeff Skinner (No. 4), one would think he would have been dealt at the trade deadline. However, he remains suspiciously unsigned and would be a massive addition to the free agent market if he does make it to July. Skinner has been a great match with Jack Eichel and certainly looks like a long-term fit in Buffalo, but the team’s second-half struggles could have Skinner re-thinking a long-term stay.

Vancouver’s Alexander Edler (No. 22) stated that his preference was not to be dealt at this year’s trade deadline and to instead re-sign with the Canucks. The two sides have been working toward an extension, but until pen meets paper he is still an impending free agent that will attract considerable attention. Similarly, Semyon Varlamov (No. 17) has expressed an interest in remaining with the Colorado Avalanche, but it’s unclear if the feeling is mutual. Varlamov would have to take a major pay cut to stay on as backup and may rather test a goalie market that has already lost Howard and could lose Lehner before free agency opens.

Compared to recent years, this impending free agent class does look to have fewer locks for extensions among top players. Any of these names could hit the market, although odds are they won’t all choose to do so. Regardless, this could be a healthy market come July 1st. Just how deep could it be? That’s for you to guess. How many of these top free agents will sign extensions?

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