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COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/05/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list so far:

Anaheim – TBA
Calgary – Josh Leivo
Colorado – Devan Dubnyk
Florida – TBA
Minnesota – TBA
Ottawa – TBA
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Winnipeg – TBA

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Evgeny Svechnikov, Detroit Red Wings

Now new players have been added so far, though several teams have yet to submit their report. Kuznetsov and teammate Ilya Samsonov will both be out of the lineup again for the Capitals tonight, though it is not clear if Samsonov is also in the protocol. Since he is currently technically on the taxi squad, Washington does not need to publicly report it. With Kuznetsov unavailable and Alex Ovechkin out with a lower-body injury, Daniel Carr has been recalled to the active roster and is expected to play tonight.

*denotes new addition

Ottawa Senators Extend Anton Forsberg

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Maybe this time Anton Forsberg won’t have to move. The Ottawa Senators have signed the journeyman goaltender to a one-year contract extension for the 2021-22 season. The deal will carry a salary of $900K, giving the team a veteran backup at the position. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a short statement on the move:

Anton’s addition has been a steadying one for us this season. He possesses a calm and controlled playing style, has good size and ability, is a tireless worker with good habits and is a good teammate. He’s worked hard in practice to earn his playing opportunities and this contract extension.

While deals like this are usually due to expansion draft considerations, that doesn’t appear to be the case for Ottawa. The team already had four goaltenders that meet the exposure requirements, meaning they can pick and choose which one to protect from the Seattle Kraken. They very well could lose one of their young netminders though, meaning Forsberg’s presence could be all the more valuable next season.

Originally signed by the Edmonton Oilers in October to a one-year, $700K deal, Forsberg’s season quickly went off the rails as teams tried to slip him through waivers. He was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes on January 12, by the Winnipeg Jets on January 15, and then finally by the Senators on March 17. By the time he got to Ottawa he had spent more time in quarantine than on the ice but gave the team some solid performances. In six NHL games this season he registered a .910 save percentage, good enough to earn this extension.

Of course, if the Senators want to send Forsberg to the minor leagues next season he’ll have to clear waivers once again.

Shayne Gostisbehere Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has issued a two-game suspension to Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for his boarding of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman at the end of last night’s game. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is not a defensive play in which Gostisbehere is attempting to reach the puck carrier to prevent the goal from being scored. It is only after the empty net goal was apparent that Gostisbehere adjusts his skating path, takes a hard stride to reach Friedman and begins to initiate this contact. It is significantly after the puck enters the net, well past the time where Friedman should reasonably expect and prepare for contact that the shove is delivered.

The league notes the shove was at a dangerous distance from the boards and though acknowledged that Gostisbehere has not been fined or suspended in his 380-game career, decided to issue the two-game ban.

Gostisbehere will now miss two of the remaining three games in the season. The Flyers will not be making the playoffs after a disappointing year and will now need to find another body to insert into the lineup down the stretch.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Karel Vejmelka

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May 5: The Coyotes have officially announced the contract for Vejmelka, confirming that it will start in the 2021-22 season. GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement:

We are very pleased to sign Karel. He is a talented young goaltender with the combination of size and quickness. We look forward to working with him next season and will monitor his development.

May 4: The Arizona Coyotes have come to an agreement with a goaltending prospect as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed goalie Karel Vejmelka to a one-year, entry-level deal.  The contract is for next season and carries a $750K base salary, a $92.5K signing bonus, and $82.5K in performance bonuses for a $925K AAV.  CapFriendly originally reported that Nashville had signed Vejmelka but subsequently revised that report.

The 24-year-old was drafted by Nashville all the way back in 2015 when they selected him with the 145th overall selection but they lost his rights by not signing him by 2019.  Since then, he has played with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga.  This season, Vejmelka posted a 2.79 GAA along with a save percentage of .911 in 35 regular season games, numbers that were actually below his career averages in that league (2.56 GAA, .913 SV%).

With Antti Raanta and Adin Hill both on expiring contracts this season, there appears to be a potential opening for someone to step in, especially if Hill moves up to Arizona to back up Darcy Kuemper. Vejmelka joins Ivan Prosvetov and David Tendeck as other goalies under contract for next season.  Prosvetov has split his time between the AHL and NHL while Tendeck has exclusively played in the ECHL so on the surface, it appears as if Vejmelka will be battling Tendeck for a spot in AHL Tucson next season.

New Jersey Devils Sign Nico Daws

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The New Jersey Devils have added an interesting goaltending prospect to the pipeline, signing Nico Daws to a three-year entry-level contract. The young goalie recently finished his first season of professional hockey, suiting up ten times for ERC Ingolstadt in the German DEL. This contract will kick in for the 2021-22 season.

Daws, 20, was the 84th overall pick in 2020, a year after he went completely undrafted. That meteoric rise was helped by a selection to the 2020 Canadian World Junior team and outstanding performance for the Guelph Storm when he went 23-8-6 with a .924 save percentage. The big, flexible goaltender takes up a huge portion of the net but has struggled with his lateral puck tracking against top competition at times.

Still, the young netminder will be able to jump into the Devils development program and get his feet wet at the AHL level next season without any real rush to climb the ranks. With 24-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood still the team’s starter at the NHL level, New Jersey can take their time with Daws and allow him the time to learn how to best use that 6’4″ frame.

New York Rangers Fire John Davidson, Jeff Gorton

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In a stunning development, the New York Rangers have fired team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This comes less than 24 hours after the team issued a harsh statement critiquing the league and Department of Player Safety head George Parros. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the two men “scurried to distance themselves” from the statement, telling other executives that they did not know it was in the works until after it was released. Larry Brooks of the New York Post tweets that assistant GM Chris Drury will remain with the organization in a prominent role and Friedman reports that it will be as president and GM.

Darren Dreger of TSN has been told that the firings are not related to the statement and Friedman adds that James Dolan, the team owner, was unhappy with the team this season and wanted a change. Dolan was also behind the statement, reports Friedman.

While the Rangers are going to miss the playoffs again this season, the rebuild is going pretty much exactly as planned. Three years ago, the team issued a letter to fans telling them that they would be trading franchise icons in order to amass a new young core to put them back in contention for the Stanley Cup. Names like Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, and Marc Staal were all shown the door, while Gorton and his staff compiled prospects and picks to build for the future. The team went out and signed Artemi Panarin to a huge contract in free agency to move things along and even took part in the postseason last year, losing to a much more experienced Carolina Hurricanes team in the qualification round.

This season they will miss the playoffs thanks to a brutal East Division, sitting ten points behind the New York Islanders but holding a 26-21-6 record. The Rangers would hold a playoff position in two of the other divisions with the same record and have the 13th-best goal differential in the NHL.

Apparently, that rebuild has not gone the way ownership envisioned. Davidson and Gorton are out, adding two respected and experienced executives to the market for teams to go after this summer. It was less than two years ago when Davidson resigned his role with the Columbus Blue Jackets to take a similar job with the Rangers, noting that it was a homecoming of sorts for the former player and broadcaster. That homecoming is now over, but it seems very unlikely that Davidson is without work for long if he wants to continue in an NHL front office.

Of course, even though they are moving on from two experienced executives, the Rangers have a ready-made replacement in Drury. An Olympic medalist as a player, Drury has been one of the most sought-after young managers in the league the last several years but has continued to commit himself to the Rangers whenever a new opportunity presented itself. He joined the team as its director of player development in 2015 and has worked his way up the ranks, also serving as GM for Team USA at the World Championships. There’s no doubting Drury’s ability in the role, though his appointment does come suddenly and with plenty of surprise.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Elliot Desnoyers, Olle Lycksell

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The Philadelphia Flyers have inked a pair of prospects, signing Elliot Desnoyers and Olle Lycksell to entry-level contracts. Both deals will start in the 2021-22 season, though Desnoyers’ contract could slide depending on where he spends next season. Flyers AGM Brent Flahr released statements on both players:

Elliot Desnoyers had a productive year in Halifax and played a strong, two-way game with lots of passion. As he matures physically and gets stronger, his game should continue to grow.

Olle Lycksell has continued to grow his overall game since being drafted in 2017. It’s taken some time for him to mature physically but he’s worked hard on his body and overall game. He had a strong second half for Farjestad and we look for him to continue to grow his game.

Desnoyers, 19, broke out offensively this season for the Halifax Mooseheads, scoring 21 goals and 49 points in just 37 games. The 2020 fifth-round pick hadn’t broken the 35-point mark in either of his first two QMJHL seasons, both spent with the Moncton Wildcats. After that strong development, it makes sense that the Flyers would sign him to an entry-level deal, especially given the fact that the deal could still slide forward. Should Desnoyers play in the QMJHL again next season (he will not be eligible to start the year in the AHL), his contract won’t kick in until 2022-23.

Lyckell meanwhile is a much different prospect, who will turn 22 over the summer and has already completed parts of four professional seasons in the SHL. He scored 21 points in 46 games this season for Farjestads BK and could be a fast mover up the Philadelphia depth chart. Selected in the sixth round in 2017 before he had ever played a game at the SHL level, his draft rights would have expired on June 1 had the Flyers not signed him.

Tyler Bertuzzi Undergoes Back Surgery

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Tyler Bertuzzi’s season will end with just nine games played. The Detroit Red Wings forward underwent successful back surgery on April 30 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and is expected to make a full recovery. Bertuzzi should be ready for the start of the 2021-22 season.

The 26-year-old forward last played on January 30, scoring his fifth goal of the season in the first nine games. He looked like he was well on his way to a third consecutive 20-goal season, but things quickly went off the rails. He was listed out with an upper-body injury for most of the season and even back in April, the team was clear the focus was on the 2021-22 campaign.

Now Bertuzzi faces a long rehab, but also a summer of negotiation. After receiving a one-year, $3.5MM contract through arbitration last offseason, he is scheduled to become a restricted free agent again and for the final time. An arbitration award this summer would take him right to unrestricted free agency in 2022, so the two sides must decide if a multi-year deal can be reached.

Now with the feisty forward coming off a back injury, there’s good reason for the Red Wings to be hesitant, but perhaps that gives them an opportunity to lock him in at a reduced price. He’s a very useful piece when healthy, though Detroit GM Steve Yzerman does seem committed to a younger group moving forward. Anthony Mantha, one of the team’s other former core pieces, was dealt to the Washington Capitals at the deadline, meaning no player in the organization is signed to a one-way contract past the 2022-23 season.

Bertuzzi is one of 13 pending RFAs and one of 30 free agents of any kind, meaning Detroit can completely overhaul the depth chart if Yzerman sees fit. Right now, all the young forward can control is his rehab process and getting to full strength by the start of next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/05/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Dakota Joshua from the Utica Comets, placing him on the taxi squad. The 24-year-old forward has played in 11 games for the Blues this season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Olle Alsing from the taxi squad, bringing up Jonathan Aspirot to take his spot. Alsing, 25, is expected to make his NHL debut after splitting this season between Austria and the AHL. Aspirot meanwhile will join the taxi squad after recording nine points in 22 games this season with the Belleville Senators.

Central Division

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Roland McKeown to the taxi squad, all the way from Sweden where his SHL season has ended. The 25-year-old defenseman will join the team once his requisite quarantine is over. McKeown hasn’t seen the NHL since the 2017-18 season, despite. posting strong offensive numbers at the AHL level.

East Division

  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled Nolan Foote from the AHL to the taxi squad, while sending Evan Cormier and A.J. Greer back down. The Devils have just three games left in the season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Shayne Gostisbehere To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety took a lot of heat for their decision to not suspend Tom Wilson yesterday, but that won’t stop them from moving forward with other supplementary discipline. The league has announced that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere will have a hearing today for his hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman last night.

The incident occurred with a few minutes left in the game just as Friedman slid home an empty-net goal. The Penguins player turned away from the net, and Gostisbehere delivered a cross-check that sent Friedman sliding into the boards at a high speed. A scrum ensued, and it looks like Gostisbehere will earn more than just the two-minute minor he was assessed on the play.

Obviously, any decision the DoPS makes today will be scrutinized even more than normal, but the two incidents don’t have anything to do with each other. In the eyes of the league, this was a dangerous play by Gostisbehere that is deserving of a harsh penalty. The Flyers have three games remaining on the schedule.

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