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Archives for October 2016

Injury Updates: Penguins, Predators, Blues, Oilers

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As he approaches the midpoint of his recovery window, Penguins goaltender Matt Murray is close to rejoining the team for practice, writes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune.  Murray is coming back from a broken hand sustained at the World Cup of Hockey.  Head coach Mike Sullivan provided an update on Murray’s situation:

“Matt’s getting real close to joining the team for practice. Obviously that’s progress from his standpoint, and that’s the next step for him. He’s been skating a lot. He’s been working with our goalie coach, Mike Bales. He’s been skating with some of the guys that have been trying to recover from their injuries.”

Still with the Penguins, right winger Bryan Rust is nearing a return to full health.  He has been skating with the team for the last week and Sullivan noted that he’s close to being a coach’s decision as to when he returns to the lineup.

As for Sidney Crosby, he continues to skate as he recovers from his concussion.  While Sullivan won’t put an estimate on his return to action, he noted that their “hope is that he can make a big step this week”.

Other injury news:

James Wisniewski Nearing KHL Deal

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Unrestricted free agent defenseman James Wisniewski is closing in on an agreement to join Barys Astana of the KHL, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (via Twitter).  Despite heading overseas, Dreger notes that Wisniewski is still hopeful of an NHL return at some point.

Wisniewski was bought out by Carolina back in June after an injury cost him the majority of last season; he played all of two shifts before tearing his ACL.

He was due a salary of $3MM this year with a cap hit of $5.5MM.  Instead, the Hurricanes opted to pay Wisniewski $2MM in salary over the next two seasons and are incurring a cap charge of $3.5MM this season and $1MM next year for him to not play for them.

Wisniewski was only able to secure a PTO with Tampa Bay over the summer but was cut partway through training camp after the team had concerns with his ability to learn the system quickly enough.  Evidently, no other opportunities have presented themselves.

The 32 year old has played in 552 NHL games over his career with the Blackhawks, Ducks, Islanders, Canadiens, Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes.  He has 53 goals and 221 assists under his belt while logging an average of 21:22 per game.

At the very least, a healthy season from Wisniewski in the KHL should help alleviate any concerns teams may have with his surgically repaired knee which should set him up for a possible return to the NHL next season.

Atlantic Notes: Ouellet, Shaw, Senators, Leivo

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The latest news and notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Detroit blueliner Xavier Ouellet has caught the eye of Detroit coach Jeff Blashill, notes Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News. Ouellet, whose presence in the lineup is partly due to Niklas Kronwall’s injury, has an assist in three games while averaging 15:16 of ice time per game so far this season.  Once Kronwall returns, Ouellet may be relegated to the press box which isn’t ideal for a young blueliner but there is little chance that he’d make it through waivers if the Wings tried to send him to the AHL.
  • Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw will meet with NHL disciplinarian Stephane Quintal following a slew footing incident last week against Buffalo, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports via Twitter. While Shaw won’t be suspended, Quintal is hoping to educate Shaw with regards to not crossing the line as he has done twice in the past month, the other incident coming in the preseason vs Washington.  ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Quintal did this with several players last season though those were more under the radar than Shaw’s case.
  • Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond made his season debut last night in Detroit. Head coach Guy Boucher acknowledged to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun that he intends to play starter Craig Anderson less this season in an effort to avoid some of the late season injuries that have crept up in recent years.
  • Toronto winger Josh Leivo is expected to return to Leafs practice today after suffering an undisclosed injury, reports Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star. Leivo has yet to suit up this season but scored five goals in just twelve games last season and is one of many young wingers on their roster looking to make an impact.  James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail adds he will likely miss the next week before returning to game action.

RFA Focus: Hampus Lindholm

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With the season now underway, the pressure for teams to come to terms with their remaining restricted free agents really starts to increase.  Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm is one of two remaining RFA defensemen left on the market.  Here is a closer look at his situation.

2015-16

Lindholm continued his progression from the first two years of his career, slotting in once again as Anaheim’s top overall defenseman.  He set a career high in goals and ice time per game while also making a sizable improvement in his advanced statistics.  On a blueline filled with either offensive-minded players or stay-at-home options, Lindholm’s ability to provide above average play at either end of the rink gave the Ducks a much-needed two-way option on their defense corps.

Statistics

2015-16: 80 GP, 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, +7 rating, 40 PIMS, 149 shots on goal, 22:00 ATOI
Career: 236 GP, 23 goals, 69 assists, 92 points, +61 rating, 108 PIMS, 372 shots on goal, 21:04 ATOI

The Market

The term of the contract doesn’t appear to be an issue right now as both sides are interested in getting a long-term deal done.  In late September, agent Claude Lemieux sent the following update to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register:

“We are working on a long-term agreement for Hampus. We have been negotiating for a while and have exchanged multiple proposals. I will say that we, both the team and ourselves, are working on getting this resolved ASAP.”

At this point, money is the key sticking point.  One of the complicating factors is that Lindholm has yet to have a breakout offensive season; his career high in points is 34.  In contracts such as these, teams are forced to project and pay for future performance and Lindholm’s offensive production has yet to show that he has another element to that part of his game.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that Lindholm is seeking upwards of $6.5MM per season, an amount that would appear to factor in the expectation of a big increase in his point production down the road.  Meanwhile, the Ducks are believed to be coming in at least $1MM per year below that amount.

Comparable Contracts

Dougie Hamilton (Calgary) – Six years, $34.5MM – Hamilton signed this deal shortly after being traded to the Flames by Boston in the 2015 offseason.  The previous campaign was the best year of his career (42 points in 72 games) while he also played a career high in ice time at just shy of 22 minutes per game.  The perception of Hamilton at that time (a two-way defender on the rise) is quite similar to where Lindholm’s currently is although Hamilton’s platform season was stronger offensively.

Seth Jones (Columbus)/Rasmus Ristolainen (Sabres) – Six years, $32.4MM – Both players saw their roles significantly increase in 2015-16, becoming number one defensemen in the process.  While Ristolainen has taken more strides on his offensive game, it’s expected that Jones will break out at that end in the next year or two and become a top flight two-way defender, much like Lindholm.

Morgan Rielly (Toronto) – Six years, $30MM – The Leafs signed the 22 year old to this deal late last season, one where he outpointed Lindholm for the first time.  Rielly is a strong skater like Lindholm and is viewed as one of the more promising up-and-coming two-way defenders in the NHL making him a comparable that the Ducks have surely brought up in negotiations.  However, Lindholm has had a bigger role with the Ducks than Rielly’s with Toronto so his new deal should come in above this.

Projected Contract

The comparables are all players coming off their entry-level deals which is where Lindholm currently is now.  While their cap hits all start with a five, it’s also worth noting that these were all six year deals and both Lindholm and the Ducks are seeking a longer term.  If that does happen, more UFA years would get bought out and those are always more expensive than RFA years which would increase the cap hit.

Projection: Six years, $33.6MM – It’s plausible to expect Lindholm to come close to all of these comparables.

But very few defenders have made more than $6MM coming off their first contract and the ones that have (such as Drew Doughty of Los Angeles and Alex Pietrangelo of St. Louis) have had better track records than Lindholm has at this point in his career so it’s hard to project him exceeding that amount here.  Aaron Ekblad’s $7.5MM per year pact signed this summer is a new benchmark but that was signed after just two years of his first contract while he also has the clout of being the number one overall pick.  As a result, Lindholm shouldn’t come in anywhere near that high, even if he was to get an eight year deal.

Las Vegas Hires General Fanager Creator Tom Poraszka

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The Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team has hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka as a Hockey Operations Analyst. Poraszka created General Fanager, a popular salary cap tracking application.

General Fanager—created in 2015—was a website that tracked NHL teams’ salary cap, player contracts, and player movement. It also allowed visitors to customize teams with trades and transactions while staying cap compliant. The website filled a gap left by the wildly popular CapGeek, which shuttered operations after its founder Matthew West battled cancer. General Fanager becomes the latest NHL analytic website shut down after its creator joins an NHL organization. Current alternatives include CapFriendly—a PHR favorite—and NHLNumbers.

Hiring amateur hockey analysts based on their web applications is a recent NHL trend. More and more teams are hiring these creators in an effort to boost their salary cap understanding and their advanced statistics department. Whether or not this trend continues, however, remains to be seen. Both the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers decided not to renew the contracts of their analytic hires.

Franchise Faceoff: Maple Leafs vs Oilers

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It’s a tough thing rebuilding. For all the excitement and hope that prospects give fans, many of them don’t fulfill the promise they show, or just don’t seem to fit into the system you’re trying to build.

For two teams, last year was another one bouncing off the bottom of the league standings, jockeying for the first overall pick.  The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers both have storied histories, championships and hall of fame alumni. But even as one finally retires the numbers of some of its greats, and the other welcomes back the greatest of all time, they both look to young players to find that excitement, and hope.

McDavid, Draisaitl, Eberle or Matthews, Marner, Rielly. Both have a wonderful group of young players led by generational talents, and have shown them off this week. The top two stars of the NHL were Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews this week, both 19-year old kids leading their teams out of the basement.

[Maple Leafs Depth Chart vs Oilers Depth Chart]

We’d love to hear what you think about these two teams. If you were buying a roster (not all the franchise perks that go with it) to build a championship team, which would you take?

Goalie Notes: Price, Dell, McCollum

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Carey Price will be out again tonight as the Montreal Canadiens take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice. Price is battling a flu to start the year, and hasn’t been able to play for the team yet. While Price’s absence really caused problems for the Habs last season, perhaps bringing in Al Montoya was a better decision than anyone even expected.

Through two games, Montoya and the Habs have picked up three of a possible four points and the netminder carries a 1.92 GAA and .942 sv%. While Montoya has never had to carry the load of a full NHL schedule, his presence means that the Canadiens can likely give Price a little more rest this season and still be very competitive.

Montoya will be backed up by Charlie Lindgren tonight, who made one start for the club last season.

  • Steve Zipay of Newsday is reporting that the San Jose Sharks will give rookie Aaron Dell his first NHL start in net tomorrow night against the Islanders. Dell has worked his way through the minor-league system and deserves a chance to show what he can do at the highest level. The undrafted 27-year old has spent time in the ECHL during his career, but posted solid numbers at every level.
  • Newest Calgary Flames netminder Tom McCollum joined Sportsnet 960 today, and had a clear answer for why he signed with the Flames. “Calgary was far and away the best opportunity for myself.”  McCollum mentions that after being cut from a PTO with Los Angeles, there wasn’t all that much interest from anyone else, until Calgary offered him a deal. A former first-round pick by the Red Wings, McCollum has had a ton of success with Grand Rapids, but never got a foothold in the NHL.

Snapshots: Reilly, Kokkonen, ‘Canes

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The Minnesota Wild have sent defenseman Mike Reilly to the AHL after just one game, allowing the 23-year old to play bigger minutes and be in the lineup every night. Reilly was a scratch against the Los Angeles Kings, and instead of watching from the press box he’ll go down and lead.

The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Reilly in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of the BCHL and watched as he flourished in the NCAA, increasing his scoring totals in all three years at the University of Minnesota. They couldn’t sign him however, and he ended up getting a contract from the Wild in 2015. Last year for the Iowa Wild he put up 23 points in 45 games and earned himself an extended look in the NHL.

Though this is a setback in his career, it won’t be long until he’s back up with the NHL squad if his development continues as it has. His long wingspan and offensive pedigree will be excellent tools once he improves his work in his own end.

  • According to FinnProspects.com, 15-year old Mikko Kokkonen will make his Liiga debut for Jukurit tomorrow, making him the youngest player to ever play in the league. The defenseman was born in 2001, and isn’t NHL draft eligible until 2019, but has turned heads already in Europe. Kokkonen played in a pre-season tournament against this same level, but will now experience it when it counts. His 5’11”, 190-lb frame is already big enough to handle some punishment, but is almost certainly still growing.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have made some lineup changes going into Tuesday’s tilt with the Oilers, as Michael Smith reports.  Phillip Di Giuseppe, Martin Frk and Jakub Nakladal will all dress according to coach Bill Peters.

Yann Danis Signs With St. John’s IceCaps

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After being unable to find an NHL job, former Canadiens goaltender Yann Danis has signed an AHL contract with the Montreal farm-team, the St. John’s IceCaps.

The epitome of the term journeyman, Danis has suited up for 13 different professional clubs in three different leagues in his 13-year career, never settling in with a club for any length of time. His 55 career NHL matches are spread over 10 years, with the latest coming last season with the New Jersey Devils.

In the one opportunity he had as at least a part-time starter in New York almost eight years ago, Danis put up a .910 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average in 31 games. While his career numbers are nothing that will wow you, he’s a dependable depth option to have in case of emergency.

Oilers Recalling Goaltender; Gustavsson Unable To Play

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Update 2:26pm: It will indeed be Brossoit coming up for the Oilers, according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

1:34pm: According to a team release, the Edmonton Oilers will recall a goaltender from the AHL to fill in while Jonas Gustavsson nurses a head injury sustained last night on a collision with teammate Adam Larsson.

Gustavsson was one of the first examples of the NHL’s new concussion spotting protocol, and though he was initially left in the game, he was pulled later in the period due to a spotter reporting the collision. Now, seeing as he is unable to dress for the next game, it seems as though the system worked perfectly. Gustavsson had indeed suffered a head injury, but had convinced his trainers that he was good enough to continue.

With concussions and brain trauma at the forefront of every contact sport now, this is a shining example of how athletes can be seemingly unaware that anything has happened, or stubborn enough to think they can play through it. These protocols are a step in the right direction for limiting CTE and other brain injuries.

On the hockey side, it’s unclear who the Oilers plan to bring up from their AHL club. Nick Ellis, the Provedince College import is a possibility, though it would be his first professional game at any level, as he didn’t get into any with the Condors last spring. The most likely candidate is Laurent Brossoit, who actually started five games for the Oilers last year in similar situations.

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