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Archives for October 2016

Snapshots: Westpoint, Kings’ Goaltenders, Lindholm

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On tonight’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcast, the Sportsnet team revealed some interesting tidbits about stories around the league. One of which, coming on the heels of today’s hugely popular alumni game in Winnipeg (which the Jets won 6-5 on the back of Teemu Selanne’s five points and last second penalty shot goal), is that the league is considering non-conventional venues for upcoming outdoor games.

The military academy Westpoint is one of these out-of-the-box ideas, but seems to have legs. Elliotte Friedman says the league is considering it for next season. The New York Rangers would play in the game, but wouldn’t necessarily be the home team. Friedman also mentions South Bend (home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish) as another possibility.

  • Friedman talks about the goaltending situation in Los Angeles, which got even more dire today when Jeff Zatkoff went down with a groin injury. Peter Budaj, expected to be the AHL starter this season, may get an extended chance with the big club due to the contracts or trade demands of other goaltenders around the league. The Kings have reportedly looked into Ondrej Pavelec, Steve Mason, Reto Berra, Mike Condon but haven’t found a fit. Friedman opines that Jonathan Bernier may be an option for the team, due to his familiarity with the organization and expected availability.
  • Kelly Hrudey thinks that Brian Elliott isn’t fazed by his recent struggles for the Calgary Flames. Elliott isn’t starting tonight for the Flames, but that doesn’t mean that he’s in any danger of losing the #1 job in Calgary. If anything, his poor start might just buy the Flames a few dollars in their ongoing negotiations with the netminder.
  • A final point from Friedman was on the Hampus Lindholm situation in Anaheim and the Winnipeg negotiations with Jacob Trouba. Apparently Anaheim wants Lindholm to sign for less than $5.4MM per season, while the player wants more than that. On Trouba, apparently the asking price of Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn’t dropped any even with the holdout lasting into the season. If Trouba is moved, it will be for the big return that the Jets’ GM has been looking for all summer.

Off-Season Stories Providing Immediate Results

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In the world of professional sports, the off-season has turned into a period of perpetual risk. When even the slightest move is scrutinized and analyzed with such severity, teams are trying harder and harder to minimize those gambles.

This summer saw a few key story lines for some of the leagues biggest franchises, and many of them are providing early dividends. Let’s take a look at some of the most talked about players of the summer, and where they sit just a few games into the seasons.

Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs:

The first big name to drop, Matthews was selected first overall by the Maple Leafs after they held on to their #1 spot in the draft.  Seen as a franchise-type talent who could make an impact right away, Matthews proved he could play at this level at both the World Championships and the World Cup, before setting an NHL record in his first game with four goals.

With six points in his first four games (and two more assists tonight), the 19-year old Arizona-born centerman has already made an impact. He was made the second star in the first week of the season, and saw his jersey sales skyrocket to the top of the league. While it’s extremely unlikely he’ll continue at this pace for his entire rookie season, the Maple Leafs have to be please with his play thus far.

Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning

Expected to hit the open market and garner the most interest of any free agent in the history of the NHL, Stamkos instead decided to sign back with the Lightning at the beginning of the summer. GM Steve Yzerman committed long-term to the 26-year old, handing him an eight year, $68MM deal just before free agency started.

Stamkos hasn’t taken the money and sat back, with four points in his first four games (and another goal tonight). The former 60-goal man is off to a blistering start and will again battle for the Rocket Richard trophy. Fans everywhere will wonder what he could have done for their team had he decided to head somewhere else.

Jimmy Vesey – New York Rangers

The biggest (deserved or not) story of the entire center was the saga of Jimmy Vesey, a college standout who refused to sign with first the Nashville Predators, and then the Buffalo Sabres.  After months of speculation and build up, the winger decided to go to New York, where he would play with former teammate Kevin Hayes.

Though he had just one goal through his first four, Vesey has two more tonight, making people wonder just how effective he truly will be this season.  The pendulum of “top-six winger”-“third line ceiling” that we heard all summer isn’t determined yet, but his three goals are already more than most Rangers fans expected through five games.

Jacques Demers Hospitalized

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Update (10/23 8:06pm): Demers suffered an infection rather than a stroke, reports the CBC. Previous reports cited a second stroke but updated interviews revealed otherwise.

Former Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Demers has been hospitalized today after suffering his second stroke. He had originally experienced one on April 6th, which was followed by three months of intensive physical therapy, according to the CBC.

Demers, 72, became a head coach for the first time in 1975 in the WHA with the Indianapolis Racers, before spending time behind the bench of five different NHL clubs. He’s most likely remembered best for leading the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup, their last in franchise history to this point.

With over 1000 games coached in the NHL, Demers is a beloved member of the Montreal Canadiens family and has caused an outpouring of support following this latest attack. We here at PHR would also like to extend our thoughts to his family – many of us grew up watching (and hating) Demers-led clubs.

 

Injury Notes: Zatkoff, van Riemsdyk, Little

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After news broke earlier today that Jeff Zatkoff had injured himself in practice, and would be unable to continue, rumors swirled about how long the netminder would be out. While an exactly length hasn’t been given, Zatkoff has been placed on injured reserve and been replaced by emergency call-up Jack Campbell from the Ontario Reign.

To fill in for Campbell on an emergency basis, the Reign will dress Dusty Imoo tonight to back up his son Jonah Imoo. The elder Imoo is a goaltending coach for the Reign and was one the Olympic starter for Japan at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. He hasn’t played in a professional hockey game in almost a decade, when he skated for the Oji Eagles of the Asian League.  The 46-year old will be cheering on his 22-year old son, who will be making his AHL debut.

Franchise Faceoff: Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens

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There is a common theme among teams that miss the playoffs: weak goaltending.  That’s what is credited as the biggest contributor to the demise of the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens last season. The Habs lost all-world goaltender Carey Price early enough to torpedo their chances at the post season, while the Flames have been looking for a reliable netminder since the heyday of Miikka Kiprusoff.

This summer saw a fix for both clubs as the Canadiens got their Vezina winner back from injury, and the Flames brought in two established NHL goalies in Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson. While obviously these are different paths, they’ve provided the same hope to both fan bases. A return to the playoffs is certainly possible for both, though they’re off to much different starts.

Montreal is undefeated in regulation through four games and leads the Atlantic Division with seven points, while the Flames have struggled out of the gate to a 1-3-1 record.  The season is very young however, and both teams have more success planned for their immediate future.

The Flames locked up their top two players this summer, inking Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau to long-term deals, while the Habs have youngsters Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk looking like stars in their own right.  Both franchises have questions on their blueline past their big #1’s (Mark Giordano and Shea Weber), but have intriguing young players filling the holes.

[Calgary Flames Depth Chart vs Montreal Canadiens Depth Chart]

On Monday we asked who would you rather have, the Oilers or Maple Leafs roster and it was remarkably close after almost 500 votes were cast. This week we’ll ask the same of two other teams north of the border.

If you were buying a roster (not all the franchise perks that go with it) to build a championship team, which would you take?

Minnesota Recalls Joel Eriksson Ek; Assigns Mike Reilly To Iowa

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The Minnesota Wild have recalled Joel Eriksson Ek prior to tonight’s game against New Jersey. To make room, the team sent Mike Reilly to Iowa. Reilly was just recalled on Thursday after bouncing up and down over the first few days of the season. The young defender looks to be ticketed for a season full of flights between the two clubs.

Eriksson Ek was the Wild’s first round pick (20th overall) just two years ago, and is set to make his NHL debut after just a single professional game in North America. The forward has spent the last two seasons in the Swedish Elite League, playing for Farjestad.

Though he hasn’t turned in eye-popping numbers thus far in his career, the 19-year old center possesses a laser fast shot and is expected to develop into a solid offensive contributor. With the Wild already 3-1-0 in four games, the injection of youth should keep the train rolling along.

Jeff Zatkoff Suffers Injury; Jack Campbell Recalled

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According to Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times (via Helene Elliott), goaltender Jeff Zatkoff has suffered a lower-body injury at practice, and will be unable to play against the Vancouver Canucks tonight. The team has recalled Jack Campbell to take his place on the roster for the game.

With Jonathan Quick already on the shelf for months, any injury in the Kings’ crease weakens their cause even further. Peter Budaj will likely be in net tonight against the Canucks, but the 34-year old hasn’t been an effective NHL starter in years now. For a team who is still in win-now mode, the defense will need to tighten up even further for the next few days at least. As Jon Rosen of FOX Sports reports, Zatkoff’s groin ’tightened up’ after stopping a shot in practice. While it may not be a major injury yet, groin injuries often linger longer than initially expected.

Campbell, a former 11th overall pick by the Dallas Stars, has never been able to establish himself in the NHL. The 24-year old split the last two seasons between the AHL and ECHL, where he found mixed results. If Zatkoff stays on the shelf for very long, the Kings will need a combination of Budaj and Campbell to keep them competitive. The team sits at 1-3-0 through four games, and sixth in the Pacific Division.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Fourteenth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)

Now we move forward to the 14th pick, which was held by the Washington Capitals.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, Washington selected hulking blueliner Sasha Pokulok.  It’s safe to say they’d love a do-over with this one.  Pokulok was drafted out of Cornell and turned pro early one year later.  He spent the bulk of his entry level contract in the ECHL and was let go shortly thereafter without getting into an NHL game.  He then went overseas for a few years, spending time in Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Kazakhstan.  He currently is playing in the LNAH in his fourth season there, a minor pro league in Quebec with any hopes of making the NHL completely gone.

With the 14th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Washington Capitals select?  Cast your vote below!

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Trevor Van Riemsdyk Out Five To Six Weeks

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Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is expected to miss the next five to six weeks with an upper body injury according to a report from Scott Powers of The Athletic.  TSN’s Mark Masters adds (Twitter link) that the blueliner had his right arm in a sling.  The injury was sustained in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Columbus.

Injuries have not been kind to the 25 year old in recent years.  Since January of 2014, he has suffered a broken ankle, a fractured patella, and a wrist injury, the latter two requiring surgeries.  Powers adds that this particular injury is not expected to require surgery.

It has been a tough start to the season for van Riemsdyk.  After playing all 82 games last season, he has seen time in just two of four games this year and last night’s game saw the team dress seven defenders instead of the usual six, reducing his ice time.  He has been held off the scoresheet so far this season but had three goals and 11 assists last year.

In the short-term, this will alleviate the logjam on Chicago’s back end as the team has been carrying eight blueliners since the start of the season.  This certainly won’t help van Riemdsyk’s trade value though as the team continues to shop him around the league.

[Related: Blackhawks Depth Chart]

Islanders Waive Eric Boulton

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The New York Islanders announced (via Twitter) that they have placed left winger Eric Boulton on waivers.  Teams will have until 11am tomorrow to claim him.

As the league shifts away from having the prototypical enforcers, players like Boulton have seen their role decrease more and more although the 40 year old has still done well to keep securing one year contracts.  He’s currently on a two-way deal with the Isles worth the league minimum $575K in the NHL and $150K at the minor league level.

Boulton has been with the Islanders since 2012-13 but has played a sparing role in that time.  Despite this being his fifth season with the team, he has only suited up 52 times with them (and has yet to play this season).  Over that stretch, he has four goals and two assists but 156 penalty minutes.

He has played in 654 career NHL contests spanning the last 15 years with the Sabres, Thrashers, Devils, and Islanders.  He has a total of 79 points (31-48-79) over that span with 1,421 penalty minutes, ranking him fifth among active players.

If Boulton clears, he likely will be signed to their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

[Related: Islanders Depth Chart]

The Islanders also placed defenseman Ryan Pulock on injured reserve with a lower body.  He’s expected to miss the next four to six weeks.

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