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Archives for October 2016

Jack Eichel Out 1-2 Months

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While the Buffalo Sabres are still awaiting a more in-depth diagnosis for Jack Eichel, the early prognosis is that they young star will miss a minimum of four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain, according to TSN insider Bob McKenzie. As reported earlier, Eichel left practice this morning after suffering an injury, and the first impression was that it was a high ankle sprain. After a closer look, the injury was confirmed as such.

The diagnosis could be good or bad for the Sabres. A minor sprain is nothing compared to a break or Achilles injury, and Eichel could be back on the ice within a month. However, the same injury has been known to linger if it severe. Sidney Crosby missed over seven weeks with a high ankle sprain in 2008, and Eichel’s own teammate, goalie Robin Lehner, was out a full three months with a high ankle sprain last year.

Eichel’s injury is obviously a devastating blow for Buffalo, as big things were expected from the sophomore center, and multi-month injury and potentially lingering effects could derail his entire season. Youngsters Sam Reinhart, Zemgus Girgensons, and Johan Larsson will have to step up in his stead, and offensive leaders Ryan O’Reilly and the newly-acquired Kyle Okposo will have to carry the weight of the scoring until Eichel is back. The Sabres were never likely playoff-contenders this season, but any long-term absence for Eichel will surely shut the door on that possibility in 2016-17.

Gretzky Returning To Oilers In Official Capacity

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On hand in Edmonton today for unveiling of his statue at the new Rogers Place, Wayne Gretzky was announced as officially joining the organization as the Vice Chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group . While job capacity is still somewhat unknown, it is expected that he could fill a role similar to that of Kevin Lowe, the Vice President of Oilers Entertainment Group.

“The Great One” was last part of the Edmonton Oilers over 28 years ago. Gretzky played for the team for a decade, leading them to four Stanley Cup titles and establishing himself as the best player the game has ever seen. He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, and had not returned to the team in any capacity until now.

Gretzky has not held an official position in the NHL since leaving the Phoenix Coyotes in 2009, but now holds two positions with the league. In September, he was named an official ambassador for the league’s centennial celebration, and now adds his position with the Oilers into the mix. Having Gretzky around the NHL can only be a positive for the league, and it seems as though hockey’s all-time greatest simply can’t get enough of the game.

Vande Sompel Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The New York Islanders have signed Mitchell Vande Sompel to his entry-level contract, according to the team’s Twitter account.

Vande Sompel was the 82nd overall selection in the 2015 draft. The undersized left-handed defenseman was recently returned to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, where he’s served as an assistant captain for the last two years. He’s starting his fourth season in the OHL, and has 124 points in 159 games. He was a key member of the 2015 Memorial Cup championship for the Generals.

He’s a versatile offensive defenseman, who once played left wing in the OHL playoffs to cover for injuries. Elite Prospects reports he has the potential to grow into a Dan Boyle-type offensive defenseman, though he needs to get stronger and develop defensively in order to become an NHLer.

Snapshots: Bruins Injuries, Crosby, Lindgren, Lindback

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Judging by their roster to start the new season, the Boston Bruins’ new colors might be black and blue. Patrice Bergeron, Adam McQuaid, and Kevan Miller will all miss the season opener in Columbus on Thursday night.

While Bergeron and McQuaid are considered day-to-day with lower and upper body injuries respectively, Miller will miss approximately six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left hand.

Eichel Leaves Practice With Leg Injury

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Buffalo Sabres super-sophomore Jack Eichel left practice on Wednesday morning after appearing to injure his left leg.

Tom Martin of News 4 Buffalo tweeted a video of Eichel falling in front of the net after after minor contact with teammate Zemgus Girgensons. Eichel’s left leg got caught under his body as he fell backwards on it. Acccording to Joe Yerdon, Eichel’s ankle bent and rolled under him. He was heard screaming in pain before being helped off, unable to put any weight on his ankle.

Sabres coach Dan Bylsma confirmed after practice that it was an ankle injury, according to Ryan Dixon. Bylsma said there’s “not a lot to tell after that.”

Buffalo News John Vogl reported that the Sabres will wait for things to calm down before getting Eichel’s ankle evaluated.

Eichel’s teammates say they’re concerned, but hope the injury isn’t serious. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for the Sabres home opener on Thursday night when the Carey Price-less Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres are already without free agent signing Kyle Okposo, who has a knee injury.

More to come.

2016-17 Season Preview: New York Islanders

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With the start of the regular season today, we continue our look at every team in the NHL. Today, we look at the New York Islanders.

Last Season: 45-27-10 (100 points), Finished 4th in the Metropolitan Division. Defeated Florida 4-2 in first round; Lost to Tampa Bay 4-1 in the second round.

Remaining Cap Space: $1.39MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: Andrew Ladd (free agent), Jason Chimera (free agent), Dennis Seidenberg (free agent).

Key Departures: Kyle Okposo (signed with Buffalo), Frans Nielsen (signed with Detroit), Matt Martin (signed with Toronto).

[Related: New York Islanders Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: Mathew Barzal. There are a number of players to watch, but Barzal is exciting to watch and the 16th overall pick from 2015 will be counted on to help replace the quality of players lost to free agency. Barzal had 88 points (27-61) with Seattle in the WHL last season and added 26 points (5-21) in just 18 playoff games. He’s only 19, but Barzal has a chance to make an early mark on the Islanders’ season.

Key Storyline: Can the Isles make up all that they lost in the offseason? Losing Okposo, and Nielsen will test the Isles, who though driven by captain John Tavares, will certainly miss the production from both players and especially the two-way play from Nielsen, who will fill the same role in Detroit. The Islanders broke through the first round by stunning Florida, but were dispatched quickly by Tampa Bay. Ladd will certainly help, but his numbers fell a bit last season. Chimera will also chip in and Seidenberg will help shore up an already strong defensive corps. Another question mark is in net: what will they get out of Jaroslav Halak? Thomas Greiss was terrific last season, and it’s almost a 1A-1B argument with the netminders. Regardless, a step back wouldn’t be shocking as the Islanders lost a lot in the offseason but another playoff appearance shouldn’t be discounted with a team that has a lot of positives.

Price Not Travelling With Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens will be without superstar goaltender Carey Price to start the season.

Price is not travelling with the team to Buffalo, where the Canadiens open the season on Thursday night. He’s missed the last few days of practice with the flu. Goalie coach Stéphane Waite had previously told reporters that Price would be ready for Thursday night.

With Price out, expect newly-acquired backup Al Montoya to get the start against the Sabres. The Canadiens have recalled goaltender Charlie Lindgren from St. John’s of the AHL.

The Canadiens will be counting on Price to deliver big-time this season after injury cost him all but 12 games in 2015-16. He was rock-solid for Team Canada in their gold medal-winning performance at the World Cup of Hockey last month.

Montreal will be also be without top-four defenseman Jeff Petry for the first game or two of the season.

2016-17 Season Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins

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With the start of the regular season only hours away, we look at the last team in our season preview series: the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last Season: 48-26-8 (104 points). 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. Won Stanley Cup.

Remaining Cap Space: $(-3.18MM) per CapFriendly (Pens are expected to place Pascal Dupuis and his $3.75MM cap hit on LTIR)

Key Newcomers: G Mike Condon (waivers, Montreal)

Key Departures: F Beau Bennett (trade, New Jersey), D Ben Lovejoy (UFA, New Jersey), G Jeff Zatkoff (UFA, Los Angeles)

[Related: Pittsburgh Penguins Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: Sidney Crosby. The unequivocal best player in the NHL right now is sidelined indefinitely with another concussion. Crosby sustained his latest concussion during training camp on the Friday before the seasons starts. The concussion derails what was set to be a promising start to the season after Crosby returned from the World Cup of Hockey a champion and MVP. He led the tournament in scoring by potting 3G and 7A. And while concussions are now taken more seriously, Crosby’s history with head injuries only intensifies the potential harm for the Penguins Captain. He missed a significant chuck of 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons with concussions and neck issues stemming from hits to the head, and another similar injury is cause for concern.

If Crosby comes back healthy and with no lingering effects, then the Pens are expected to challenge for the Cup once again. The team made no major moves this off-season, and avoided the almost inevitable cap-shedding summers that plagued the Chicago Blackhawks over the past six years.

Key Storyline: Goaltending. Who will step up and take the reins this season? Most hockey pundits assumed that Marc-Andre Fleury would be traded and Matt Murray would assume the starting role. Fleury lost his starting position to Murray after the rookie’s excellent playoff performance. The Pens attempted to insert Fleury back into the lineup during the playoffs but the team faltered and Coach Mike Sullivan went back to Murray.

The other reason many thought that Fleury would be traded was that if he remained on the roster past June, his newly activated NMC would force the Penguins to protect him and expose Murray in the expansion draft. Obviously Pittsburgh would like to keep Murray over Fleury as the former is arguably better, younger, and cost-controlled. That leaves Fleury as the odd man out in this situation, and the Pens could move him during the season if the price is right. Regardless of when they move him, the tension surrounding the situation could have an adverse effect on team morale. The Penguins have a bit of time to contemplate platooning both goalies, however, as Murray broke his hand during the World Cup of Hockey and will miss a few weeks as he recovers.

Is Ken Holland Feeling The Heat In Detroit?

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Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp writes that Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland could be feeling the heat for building a “so-so” team. Though Sharp isn’t a beat writer for the team, he sounds off on a topic that has been trending in Detroit. The general manager set the bar low this season, telling the media that fans should have lower expectations due to the competitiveness of the league.

But a lot of fans–and analysts–aren’t buying it, feeling that Holland is to blame for the mess Detroit is in. National outlets like NBC are even picking up on it.

Holland was questioned by many for re-signing Darren Helm to a lucrative deal while adding Steve Ott and re-signing Drew Miller to one-year deals. Then, Holland placed Martin Frk and Teemu Pulkkinen on waivers, and both were claimed, by Carolina and Minnesota respectively.

The waiving of both players caused a ripple through fan blogs, encouraging Winging It In Motown’s Prashanth Iyer to pen a long article (following Frk’s departure) about Holland’s offering of entry-level contracts and the lack of those players ever playing for the Red Wings. Iyer also said this about Holland’s work, but it was the most recent column by The Malik Report’s George Malik that may have raised eyebrows. Malik, will lean toward portraying the Red Wings’ brass in a positive light, but today he  taps into the frustrations being felt by the fanbase. Add in this quote from head coach Jeff Blashill and though it didn’t come from Holland, it felt like a team mandate to many. From the Free Press’ Helene St. James:

Mantha scored the game-winning goal but “I didn’t think him or AA were good enough, to be honest with you,” Blashill said. “They’ve got to be better than that. These are big games for those guys and you’ve got to be better.

“I told the young guys in camp to slap me in the face and tell me you’re better than other options. It can’t be a period, it’s got to be 60 minutes. But with that said, I thought they picked it up in the third.”

Though Andreas Athanasiou was named to the roster today, Anthony Mantha was sent down to Grand Rapids. It was another in a series of moves that puzzled analysts and enraged fans, especially since the Red Wings are desperate for goal scoring.

Holland has had a tremendous run as the Red Wings general manager, winning three Stanley Cups (1998, 2002, 2008) and presiding over a terrific run of success with the team. But the more recent realities have been a team on the decline, and when choosing veterans not known for scoring goals over younger players drafted to purportedly score goals, that tends to reflect poorly on upper management’s thinking. Further, a look at the salary cap situation now, and into the future does not bode well for the Wings, with many players on the wrong side of 30 promised large sums of money for long durations. Add in the masterful work of former Red Wing and front office apprentice Steve Yzerman in Tampa and it creates a perfect storm of criticism.

As a mainstay of the Detroit front office, it’s understandable that ownership would give him the benefit of the doubt for now. But should this team, after significant criticism, struggle out of the gate and throughout the season, the quiet drumbeat for accountability will only grow steadier–and louder.

2016-17 Season Preview: Florida Panthers

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With the start of the regular season just one day away, we continue to look at each team’s off-season and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Florida Panthers.

Last Season: 47-26-9 (103 points), Finished 1st in the Atlantic Division. Lost 4-2 to the New York Islanders in the first round.

Remaining Cap Space: $9.71MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: Keith Yandle (Acquired from New York Rangers), Jonathan Marchessault (free agent), Colton Sceviour (free agent), Jared McCann (Acquired from Vancouver), Jason Demers (free agent), Mark Pysyk (Acquired from Buffalo), James Reimer (free agent).

Key Departures: Jiri Hudler (signed with Dallas), Brian Campbell (signed with Chicago), Teddy Purcell (signed with Los Angeles), Al Montoya (signed with Montreal), Dmitry Kulikov (traded to Buffal0).

[Related: Florida Panthers Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: Keith Yandle: The Panthers acquired him from New York and then signed him to a monster seven-year deal worth $44.45MM. So now the question is if the Panthers will get the return on investment. Yandle had a great season with New York in 2015-16, and is still only thirty years of age. Though the length of the term and a cap hit of $6.35MM will hurt in latter years, it’s right now that matters. Yandle will quarterback the power play, a place where the Panthers needed help. Further, he gives a tremendous 1-2 punch with Aaron Ekblad.

Key Storyline: How will the Panthers fare knowing that Jonathan Huberdeau is out for the next three to four months? This is a team that was busy in the offseason after a disappointing postseason result, and bolstered their blue line significantly with the additions of Demers, Yandle, and Pysyk. Huberdeau’s injury, however, could be a tough hole to fill as he accounted for 59 points (20-39) last season and was third on the team in points and goals. The loss is huge, and how the Panthers respond for the first half of the season should dictate their season. However, depth is not a weakness for the Florida, and should they be able to tread water during Huberdeau’s absence, his return will only bolster an already strong team on paper.

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