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Multiple Coyotes Reportedly Test Positive For COVID-19

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Earlier today, reports surfaced that Tampa Bay wasn’t the only team that had a player test positive for COVID-19.  It appears that is indeed the case as Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reports that Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has tested positive for the virus and has gone into quarantine at his home in Arizona.  The team later released the following statement:

Per the National Hockey League protocol with respect to COVID-19, the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be commenting on reports surrounds testing for any of the club’s players or staff. A person’s medical information in this regard is private. The club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of positive tests results, in that the league will provide updates on a regular basis with aggregate totals of the numbers of tests conducted and number of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of affected clubs or players.

Simmons notes that Matthews has been skating with several Coyotes players, some of which have tested positive as well although the names of those have not yet been released.  Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen had been living with Matthews for part of this extended break in the schedule but is no longer in Arizona; Simmons adds that he has not tested positive.

There has been a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in several states in recent days and while NHL teams are able to resume training, there are no quarantine restrictions in place at this time as there will be if play resumes as planned later this summer.

Brad Richardson Underwent Procedure To Fix Nagging Injury Issue

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Near the trade deadline, the Sabres waived and sent Zach Bogosian to the AHL.  However, instead of reporting, Bogosian opted for a contract termination with an eye on resuming his NHL career and wound up in Tampa Bay shortly thereafter.  Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre posits that the Canucks may attempt to go down a similar path with winger Loui Eriksson.  Part of that ill-fated group of big free agent signings in 2016, Eriksson’s numbers went down as soon as he signed with Vancouver and had 72 points in his first three years combined after putting up 63 in Boston in his final year with them.  His output dipped even further this year to just six goals and seven assists in 49 games, hardly a good return on his $6MM price tag.  Once his upcoming $3MM signing bonus is paid, Eriksson will be owed just $5MM in salary over the final two years of the deal which might be enough to walk away from if he thinks he can land an opportunity with a bigger role elsewhere.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • While the Golden Knights managed to get Ryan Reaves to take a pay cut with his two-year extension earlier this week, SinBin.vegas’ Ken Boehlke argues that the team didn’t do enough to take advantage of their leverage. The winger has grown to enjoy playing in Vegas and didn’t seem to have much interest in looking elsewhere while his on-ice production isn’t the strongest either with most of his contributions coming on the physical side.  With the team being right up against the Upper Limit of the salary cap and the belief that the cap won’t be going much if at all for a few years, he suggests that they may have been better off dragging this out in the hopes of saving a bit more money in the end.
  • Coyotes center Brad Richardson told Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic that he underwent a procedure to fix a nagging injury that bothered him down the stretch. The veteran estimated that the issue prevented him from practicing over the final two months of the regular season.  While he didn’t suggest that it affected his offensive numbers, it likely was a detriment to his production as well as he dipped from 27 points in 66 games in 2018-19 to just 11 points in 59 contests this season.

West Notes: Tarasenko, Canucks UFAs, Coyotes Black Aces

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Many may have forgotten already, but when the NHL 24-team tournament hits the ice later this summer, the St. Louis Blues would be doing everything it can to defend their Stanley Cup title and try to win a second straight. That might have been somewhat more challenging for the Blues who played much of the season without star scorer Vladimir Tarasenko who underwent shoulder surgery on Oct. 29.

While he was close to coming back before the NHL season was suspended from COVID-19, there was no guarantee how ready Tarasenko would be for the upcoming playoffs. However, with the delay of the playoffs due to the pandemic, Tarasenko should be more than ready to help the Blues this summer, according to head coach Craig Berube on The Athletic’s We Went Blues podcast with Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required).

“He’s good,” said Berube. “Before we stopped, he was ready to come back the next week and play, so, he did a great job of getting himself back. He did a great job with his rehab, along with the training staff, and he kept himself in great shape. He actually came back in better shape than he came to camp (in September) … He’s been on the ice and doing things right now, so he’s ready to go.”

A healthy Tarasenko would be a huge boost to the team’s playoff chances. The team was faring quite well without him though as they have the second-best record in the league and sit at the top of the Western Conference with a 42-29-10 record. The 28-year-old Tarasenko appeared in just 10 games before being injured, posting three goals and 10 points. He was given a five month timetable, which should make him more than prepared to take on a major role whenever play resumes.

Martin Hanzal Considering Retirement

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Dallas Stars forward Martin Hanzal reportedly is considering retirement from the NHL after several injury-plagued years with serious back issues, according to Czech website hokej.cz (translation required).  However, with his contract technically still on the books for the Stars, it’s likely any official announcement won’t be made until the 2019-20 season is complete. Craig Morgan, formerly of The Athletic, notes that he spoke to Hanzal several months ago and the veteran admitted that retirement was a likely option, but he would wait until his contract has officially expired before making a final decision.

The 33-year-old forward signed a three-year, $14.25MM contract in July of 2017 with Dallas, but it has been one of the team’s most disappointing contracts over those three years. Hanzal has played in just 45 games over those three years, scoring six goals and 12 points and hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 23 of 2018.

Hanzal had been quite successful up until his agreement with Dallas. He played most of his career with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, playing in 608 games with the franchise for 10 seasons before the team traded the pending UFA to Minnesota for the 2017 playoff run, which turned out to be a first-round exit. Regardless, the forward was coming off a 20-goal season and at 30 years old was considered one of the top free agents.

In total, Hanzal has played in 673 games with 127 goals and 338 points. His best season was in 2015-16 when he scored 13 goals and 41 points.

Snapshots: Players Work Visas, Bruins, Coyotes

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The NHL has informed players who require work visas have been advised to return to Canada or the United States by June 21 in order to address those issues in time for the upcoming 24-team playoff.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that with the league’s calendar ending on June 30th, so do players work visas. The league has sent a memo to players that it is “strongly recommended” they return to their home team’s country to extend their work visas due to the possible delays in getting those work visa extensions during COVID-19. There are concerns that players who don’t return in the next week might have trouble returning to North America in time for mandatory training camps, which is currently slated to start on July 10.

That could cause some concern for players who have already been told they don’t have to report to their NHL team until training camp and now are expected to show up 19 days earlier with no guarantee that play will resume due to the always-developing coronavirus.

  • The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that the Boston Bruins announced that a Bruins’ player has tested positive for COVID-19. According to general manager Don Sweeney, an unnamed player was tested three times, testing positive the first time, but negative the next two. The player has been asymptomatic since appearing at the team’s local practice facility for league-approved voluntary workouts. That player is now no longer allowed to train at the facility until a further test later this week. “I think everyone is learning how we properly interact and distance and react to the original test results,” said Sweeney. “This [workout] phase is a voluntary phase, but I think we are learning and we’ll continue to learn throughout, as the players go through it and, really, however everybody interacts.”
  • On a similar note, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the Arizona Coyotes have indicated that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 and remains asymptomatic. The team reports that no other player or staff member has tested positive during the Phase 2 testing protocol.

Victor Soderstrom Will Be Among Arizona's Recalls To Expanded Roster

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Since last offseason, Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi has made it known that he wants to be dealt from the Oilers.  However, his stance may have softened ever so slightly as he told Kalena’s Janne Onnela to “never say never” about the possibility of him returning to Edmonton.  The 22-year-old opted to play this season in Karpat in the Finnish SM-liiga and finished fourth in the league in scoring with 24 goals and 29 assists in 56 games.  However, that probably hasn’t done much to move the needle on his trade value which is why some believe his best chance of being dealt is to go back to Edmonton first and get back to playing in the NHL.  It’s likely that Karpat would welcome him back for next season if Puljujarvi wanted to stay while Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports that at least one KHL team has shown an interest in him as well.  He remains a restricted free agent in the NHL without salary arbitration rights.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Coyotes are expected to have defenseman Victor Soderstrom as part of their expanded roster, notes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts The 19-year-old was the 11th overall pick last June and spent the season with SHL Brynas where he had 16 points in 35 games and six more in seven contests at the World Juniors for Sweden.  He’s eligible to be recalled as he has already signed his entry-level deal.  If Soderstrom happens to play in ten games during this stretch, he’ll burn the first season of that contract.
  • In a podcast appearance with Michael Russo of The Athletic (audio link), Wild winger Marcus Foligno expressed a desire to work out an extension with Minnesota this offseason. The 28-year-old has spent the last three seasons with them after being acquired from Buffalo and set a new career high in points with 25 despite playing in just 59 games.  He also surpassed the 180-hit mark for the seventh straight year.  Foligno will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason and with the expected flattening of the salary cap, he may be hard-pressed to land a big raise on his current $2.85MM price tag.

Arizona Coyotes Hire Xavier A. Gutierrez

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The Arizona Coyotes have hired Xavier A. Gutierrez their new president, CEO, and alternate governor. The move comes after Ahron Cohen left the organization last month. Gutierrez becomes the first Latino president in NHL history. Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo explained why the move is so important:

I am very proud to name Xavier as the first Latino team President and CEO in NHL history. This is a historic day for the Coyotes and the entire NHL. I have known Xavier for over a decade, and he is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of business and investment experience. We share the same approach to business and his intellect, leadership skills, and strategic mindset made him the clear choice to be our new CEO. He is a leader with tremendous vision and integrity, and I have the utmost confidence that he can help the Coyotes become a world class organization on and off the ice.

Gutierrez comes with a long, impressive resume in financial services and investment, including a period working in the NFL offices. That expertise will be tested in the desert where the Coyotes have traditionally struggled, though things have been looking up since Meruelo took over.

Snapshots: Expiring Contracts, Hall, Summer Showcase

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Though it has been assumed by many, the NHL has not actually officially announced that player contracts that are scheduled to expire on June 30th will be extended through the eventual end of the 2019-20 season. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports today that that uniform slide of all player contracts is expected to happen, meaning pending unrestricted free agents will have to wait until the Stanley Cup is awarded (or the season is canceled) to hit the open market.

More importantly, Russo writes, are the contracts for coaching staffs and scouts all around the league that are also set to expire at the end of the normal season. These employees are not part of a union like the NHLPA, meaning extensions may have to be negotiated individually (though the league could create a standard extension document). In the piece, Russo examines the coaching situations around the league that could be affected by the extension decisions.

  • Among the players who are pending unrestricted free agents is Taylor Hall, who at one point pre-coronavirus looked like he was a lock for a huge long-term contract this summer. While some have suggested that Hall (and other premium free agents like Alex Pietrangelo and Torey Krug) could maximize their earning potential by taking a one-year contract and hoping the salary cap bounces back, Hall doesn’t sound like he wants to go down that road. Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet told ESPN On Ice that Hall told him “he doesn’t want to go through another year trying to play on a one-year contract. He wants to get settled somewhere.” The Coyotes are “a team he’s very interested in staying with” according to the Arizona coach.
  • USA Hockey is still planning on holding the World Junior Summer Showcase, though Hockey Canada won’t be participating. Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that the tournament is still scheduled for late-July between the USA, Finland, and Sweden. Nothing is certain in the world right now, but you can bet scouting staffs around the NHL perked up when they heard that they may get the chance to see many of the best young players in the world battle this summer. The tournament is a proving ground for the rosters that will take part in the World Juniors at the end of the year.

Snapshots: Chiarelli, Devils, Broberg, Laaksonen

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The recent parting of ways between the Arizona Coyotes and former President and CEO Ahron Cohen leaves a big opening in Arizona for an executive. That could be a chance for former Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli to get back into an executive role.

Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that it wouldn’t be surprising if Chiarelli was a finalist for that role in Arizona. It is believed that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not happy with Arizona’s alleged tampering of NHL draft prospects and could have enough influence over new owner Alex Merulo to suggest a reliable candidate to take that open role with the Coyotes. While his success in Edmonton as their general manager wasn’t overly successful, Chiarelli might be a better fit in a president’s role and has a good working relationship with Bettman.

  • In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that with a number of prospects closing in on bigger roles in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup, the team may look to unload a player or two during the offseason. The team has a lot of AHL-ready players who might get a chance to break into their lineup, including Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Joey Anderson, Nicholas Merkley, Nolan Foote and the potential of a 2020 lottery pick being ready to go, that could cause a logjam if the team holds on to all their veteran players. While not all of them are expected to make the Devils’ squad, the scribe writes that it would make sense to move a player with the two most likely trade candidates to be Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. Both would be valuable to other teams as versatile quality depth players. Of course, much will also depend on future contract negotiations between Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev, who both will be unrestricted free agents in 2021.
  • TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Edmonton Oilers are considering putting 2019 first-round pick Philip Broberg on their 30-man roster if/when the playoffs begin. Each team will need a group of black aces with the AHL season having been cancelled. Rather than having the 6-foot-3 blueliner sitting at home, it might be a learning experience if he was to join the team during their playoff push. It’s unlikely he would see any action, but the 18-year-old did spend his first full season playing against adults in the SHL this season. He is expected to continue honing his skills in the SHL for one more year before the Oilers bring him over.
  • NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber writes that Buffalo Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton is considering the possibility of bringing Finnish prospect Oskari Laaksonen to North America as soon as next season. The 2018 third-round pick was considered a steal shortly after the draft due to his impressive skating and passing skills. The 20-year-old has become a leading defenseman on Liiga’s Ilves Tampere squad and could prove to be a key addition for the Sabres. Of course, the question comes down to whether Buffalo could bring the blueliner over as he hasn’t signed an entry-level deal with the Sabres yet and he signed a two-year extension with Ilves Tampere back in 2018 and has only played out one of those years so far. No word on whether there was an out-clause in the contract.

Snapshots: LTIR, Burdasov, Cohen

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most financially-powerful organizations in the league, backed by multi-billion dollar companies with one of the strongest markets in North America. They’ve used that financial might in past decades to buy up expensive, high-profile talent from around the league but have little to show for it in terms of team success. Since the salary cap was introduced they’ve tried to find creative ways to get an advantage, most notably with their use of long-term injured reserve and acquiring players like Nathan Horton and David Clarkson who were never expected to play again.

Now with Clarkson and Horton’s contracts expiring, Frank Seravalli of TSN suggests that the Maple Leafs could be on the lookout for some new dead money to give them extra cap flexibility next season. He breaks down five options the team might go after but notes that Ryan Kesler’s contract may be the most suitable. Kesler underwent major hip surgery last year and is unlikely to play again, but still has two years remaining on his contract with the Anaheim Ducks. As Seravalli reports, 80% of the salary owed to Kesler is covered by insurance but the veteran forward still carries a cap hit of $6.875MM.

  • For the last several years there has been talk of Anton Burdasov considering a transition to the NHL, with the Russian forward even signing a professional tryout with the Edmonton Oilers last summer. Burdasov was apparently only interested in a one-way deal, something that he didn’t receive with the Oilers at the time. It looks like that opportunity won’t be coming anytime soon, as the 29-year old just signed a new two-year contract in the KHL.
  • After a report surfaced earlier this week that Ahron Cohen had left the Arizona Coyotes, the team officially announced their “mutual” parting today. Cohen was the team’s president and CEO but was hired long before new owner Alex Meruelo took over the organization. The announcement includes that the Coyotes “will immediately begin a search to fill the role of president and CEO.”

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