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Archives for October 2016

Snapshots: Murray, Sceviour, Plager

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Matt Murray is finally going to make his 2016-17 debut, it might just have to wait a few more days.  Even though the goaltender has been “going full-speed now for almost two weeks” he won’t start this Saturday versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Murray will get one of the west coast back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday. The Penguins visit the Ducks and then the Kings in some inter-conference action.

Murray is coming back from a broken hand he suffered during the World Cup when he backstopped the young guns (Team North America) in the tournament. While the Penguins claimed Mike Condon off waivers earlier in the season to replace Murray, they’re hesitant to lose any of the three solid pieces they have in net. They view them all as considerable assets, and don’t want to lose any for nothing.

  • Colton Sceviour will be moved up in the lineup according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. After getting a season-high 15 minutes in the Panthers latest loss at the hands of the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, the former Dallas Star will replace Kyle Rau on the second line. The Panthers are without Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen due to various injuries and have had to move pieces in and out of their top-six in recent games. While Jon Marchessault is thriving on the top line, the unit of Rau-Trocheck-Smith weren’t as effective against the Maple Leafs.
  • The St. Louis Blues will retire number 5 in honor of Bob Plager this season. Plager has been with the club for almost 50 years since his addition as a player on June 6th, 1967, holding almost every position possible: player, head coach, director of scouting, director of player development and others.  Plager’s #5 will join Al MacInnis (#2), Bob Gassoff (#3), Barclay Plager (his brother and #8), Brian Sutter (#11), Brett Hull (#16) and Bernie Federko (#24) among retired numbers for the Blues.

Las Vegas Will Be Given Free Agency Head Start

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In an article by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, he reveals that sources have confirmed that the Las Vegas expansion team will be given a head start in free agency. With revamped, pro-team Expansion Draft rules, as well as the ability to make trades (drafts picks, Expansion Draft exceptions) earlier than ever, Las Vegas will now have the benefit of the first shot at the 2017 free agent class.

According to LeBrun, the ____ Knights will have a 48-hour window prior to the Expansion Draft on June 21st, 2017 to negotiate with free agents left unprotected by their respective teams. This includes both unrestricted and restricted free agents. The purpose of this rule is that if Las Vegas is going to use an Expansion Draft selection on a player no longer under contract, they would first want to be sure that this player is willing to sign with the team. In those 48 hours, Las Vegas can negotiate with any unprotected free agent and sign any that they choose to.

The interesting implication that this has on the Expansion Draft is that any team who has an unprotected free agent signed during this head start window can no longer have a player selected in the draft. For GM George McPhee, this adds a whole new layer to draft and free agency preparation. If there is a team with an unprotected free agent that Las Vegas would like to sign as well as an unprotected signed player they would like to draft, it makes no sense to use the window to sign that free agent. It is likely that they will get a shot on July 1st anyways and do not want to have their opportunity to select a player under contract foreclosed on. The loophole that McPhee will likely exploit, rather than signing numerous free agents prior to the draft, will be to establish negotiations with several impending unrestricted free agents rather than sign them right away, so as to give Las Vegas a leg up on the competition come July 1st and the league-wide beginning of free agency. The team will also be able to avoid RFA holdouts or arbitration battles by speaking with the unprotected players before selecting them, instead of using a pick on a player who wants to be overpaid.

The expansion process continues to become more and more intensive and strategic, and for fans, exciting. Las Vegas will be one of the NHL’s main story lines this season, before the team even takes the ice, all culminating in the Expansion Draft next June. Stay tuned.

Bryan Little To IR, Marko Dano Up To Winnipeg

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When Bryan Little was injured in the Winnipeg Jet’s season opener, it was originally believed that he would only be out for a short time. Yet, two weeks later he has not made his return and head coach Paul Maurice stated yesterday that he could be out for another month. The team backed up those words today, placing Little on the injured reserve.

The team’s second-line center and a key point producer, Little’s long-term absence will certainly mean trouble for the Jets. The team is already off to a disappointing start, with just two wins thus far, and now they are missing one of the centerpieces of their team. A holdover from the Atlanta Thrashers days and a career member of the organization, Little has always been relied upon to play big minutes for the team. A strong two-way player who is a perennially puts up 40+ points, Little’s absence will be felt in all aspects of the game. Unlike the loss of unsigned Jacob Trouba, Winnipeg does not have the same depth up front as they do on the back end, and are not structured well to deal with the loss of a key forward. The team certainly hopes that Little returns before the end of November.

In his stead, the Jets have called up Marko Dano from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Once considered a top NHL prospect, Dano has had an interesting few years. A first-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013, Dano made his debut in 2014-15 with 21 points in 35 games, playing a complete and exciting game. He caught the eye of the Chicago Blackhawks, who asked for Dano in the Brandon Saad trade. However, Dano failed to find his footing in Chicago, and was once more traded after putting up just 10 points in 34 games. This time he was shipped to Winnipeg as part of the package for Andrew Ladd and finished the season with the Jets, recording eight points in 21 games. Dano failed to make the team out of camp this week, but will now get his chance to stick at the NHL level with Winnipeg. The 21-year-old winger has a ton of skill, and if he can put it all together like he did as a rookie in Columbus, that will greatly help the Jets cope with the loss of Little and turn their early struggles around.

Pastrnak Suspended Two Games

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NHL Player Safety has announced that Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak will be suspended two games for a high hit on New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi on Wednesday. As the league explains, by launching himself toward the head area of Girardi, Pastrnak committed an illegal check and has been given two games as a punishment. Girardi was not injured on the hit.

There are certainly some questions as to the intent of the 180 lb. Pastrnak as he flew towards an unaware 210 lb. Girardi. Pastrnak has never been afraid of contact, despite his smaller stature, but he also has no history of dirty checks. Girardi was also making a play on the puck, and the hit was with purpose and not late.  Nevertheless, the league felt that Pastrnak’s hit, which by accident or on purpose was to the head of Girardi, warranted a suspension, even as the player’s first offense.

Pastrnak will miss big divisional games for the Bruins, on the road against the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers. After starting off strong with a 3-1 record, Boston has lost their last three games  while they dealt with the absence of goalie Tuukka Rask. With Rask set to return as early as tomorrow, the Bruins were hoping to get back on track. They will have to do so without their leading goal-scorer. Playing on a line with Brad Marchand and one of Patrice Bergeron or David Backes, Pastrnak has gotten off to a red-hot start with five goals and three assists in seven games. The 20-year-old is tied for second in the league in goals, and was hoping to pot a few more on the Bruins road trip. Instead, he will watch from the bench as a Boston team that is struggling with injuries early this season will lose another key contributor.

Kucherov Out With Upper Body Injury

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov left last night’s game, a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and did not return. Kucherov took a hard check midway through the first period and looked to have injured his left shoulder. Kucherov skated to the bench afterward, and did come out for his next shift, but did not return to the bench following the period break.

When asked about the status of the team’s leading scorer in 2015-16, The Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith reports that coach Jon Cooper had little to add. Other than confirming that Kucherov had not suffered a concussion, Cooper said that the nature of the injury and it’s extent were still unknown. Cooper believes that Kucherov was simply hit “the wrong way” on that check, indicating that it should not be a long-term injury.

In the meantime, if Kucherov is out for a few games, the Lightning will not be too short-handed. Ryan Callahan is nearing return to the lineup, after rehabbing from hip surgery, and may be ready to go as early as the team’s next game on Saturday. Tampa also has the luxury of experienced wingers like Cory Conacher and Erik Condra playing in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch who could be called up as well. While no one can replace Kucherov point-for-point (he has 131 of them over the past two seasons), the Lightning are well-equipped to handle a short absence for the Russian scorer.

Canadiens Set Record With Hot Start

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With a 3-1 win against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the Montreal Canadiens set the new standard for a team that starts the season off strong. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Montreal Canadiens are the first team in NHL history to win at least seven of their first eight games in three consecutive seasons. This seasons’s Habs squad is off to a 7-0-1 start, while many will remember that last year’s team won nine straight to open the season, and the 2014-15 team got out to a 7-1 record.

A hot start is invaluable, especially in a sport as physical as hockey where injuries become more common and more taxing as the year goes on. Coach Michel Therrien, who seems to end each season on the hot seat despite beginning each season so well, deserves a lot of credit for Montreal’s strong October play. However, seven wins in eight games can only do so much over an 82-game schedule, and how Therrien manages the team later in the season is what has been much-maligned.

In 2014-15, there were only a few lapses in play over the course of the season, and it’s hard to argue that they made a difference. The team won 16 of their first 22 games before dropping six of seven in late November and early December. However, the team bounced back, winning nine of ten, and continued to excel through the winter. In March, the Habs lost six of eight to begin the month and five of six to end the month, heading into April. Because of this collapse, the team finished three points shy of the New York Rangers for the President’s Trophy. 110 points and an Atlantic Division title wasn’t a bad consolation prize though. Where Therrien received criticism was the noticeable drop-off in play between Montreal’s strong regular season stretches and their postseason performance. Montreal beat the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 4-2, but the Sens put up a better fight than many expected. The Canadiens then fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2 in the second round. Whether or not Montreal had pulled together some late-season wins and taken the top seed in the East, they still would have lost to the Lightning. A strong start in 2014-15 meant nothing without a strong finish.

In 2015-16, things went very differently. The league-leading Canadiens lost superstar goalie Carey Price to injury early in the season, and the 19 wins in their first 25 games were quickly erased. Price was expected to return from injury in one to two months. His last game of the season ended up being November 25th. Without Price, Montreal became a completely different team, and Therrien took the brunt of the hit. The Habs won just five of their next 27 games and were outside the playoff picture faster than they had climbed to the top of it. Montreal settled into .500 hockey for the remainder of the season, finishing with 82 points and sixth place in the Atlantic Division.  Their hot start simply went could without Price in net, and the team was unable to ever get the fire going again.

As excited as Canadiens fans are right now, the message in all this is that a record-setting team over the last two seasons have turned their early-season success into a disappointing playoff exit and a complete collapse. While Therrien is very much off the hot seat right at this time, his job now is to find a way to keep this strong play going. If the Habs can become a more consistent team in 2016-17, one that is ready to deal with injuries (Price has already missed time) and capable of playing in April and May like they play in October, then Montreal is a real contender this season. Until that is proven, this hot start is just a statistical anomaly that has played out over the past few seasons, but holds no real weight.

What’s Going On With The Chicago Blackhawks?

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Both Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times address the Chicago Blackhawks struggles out of the gate. Wyshynski tackles the anemic penalty kill while Lazerus touches on a number of issues that have been plaguing the Hawks.

Wyshynski begins with the penalty kill, pointing out the unusually bad stats (46%) but looking at it closer and highlighting some of the anomalies contributing to the struggles. Wyshynski points to usual stalwarts Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson, both of whom have been on the ice for nine goals against when defending against the man advantage. Captain Jonathan Toews has been on the ice for seven out of 14 power play goals against, while Marcus Kruger has seen six pucks head into the net during a kill. On Corey Crawford, Wyshynski says this:

Corey Crawford, meanwhile, has faced nine high-danger chances on the PK and let in six goals, giving him the lowest HD save percentage in the league on the penalty kill (via Corsica). That ranks fifth in high-danger chances shorthanded and first in goals allowed. He’s not bailing them out.

Will it turn around? Wyshynski figures that when Andrew Desjardins returns from injury, it will boost the penalty kill unit. While it won’t be as dominant as it once was with the current cast of players, Wyshynski figures it to improve from the disappointing start.

Lazerus scours some of the other issues plaguing the Hawks. Aside from the penalty kill, Lazerus writes that the grueling schedule certainly isn’t doing Chicago any favors. From Patrick Kane:

“We have a lot of young guys that probably haven’t played in that type of scheduling before,” Kane said. “It’s something to get used to, and something for us veteran guys to lead by example and make sure we’re getting off to good starts. Especially in the United Center. There’s no excuse not to come out and have a good first period and dictate the pace of play right away.”

Lazerus also points to the lack of production from key players. Toews has yet to score in seven games.  Artem Anisimov has been great on the score sheet but struggling in the faceoff circle (35%).  Richard Panik has been a nice surprise and Crawford has been stellar at even strength, only giving up three goals at 5 on 5. Despite the negatives, there have been positives, such as Panik and Crawford, to feel good about as a Chicago fan.

Lazerus finishes by saying that the “troubling signs” are of a team trying to figure things out–something unlike the championship Hawk squads of seasons past.

Craig Anderson To Take Leave Of Absence From Senators

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The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton reports that Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson will take a leave of absence from the Sens indefinitely. The team released a statement via their website, and general manager Pierre Dorion said that Anderson has the club’s full support:

“While we are uncertain of how long Craig may be away, he will continue to have our support for as much time as is needed,” Senators GM Pierre Dorion said in a release. “We will respect his privacy and will have no further comment at this time.”

The announcement from the 35-year-old netminder was unexpected. CBC, along with Clinton, reports that a reason was not provided by the Senators for Anderson’s sudden departure. In his place, the Sens have called up Chris Driedger from Binghamton.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that it’s the second time in a month that Anderson has left the club due to personal reasons. But like the other two outlets, Garrioch reports that there is no timetable for his return. Andrew Hammond becomes the number one goalie in his absence.

Anderson was fresh off a shutout Tuesday evening against Vancouver with a 22 save performance. In six games, Anderson was 4-1-0 with a .903 save percentage.

Anaheim Ducks Assign Theodore, Etem To AHL

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With the Anaheim Ducks signing of Hampus Lindholm earlier today, the team has decided to send defenceman Shea Theodore to the AHL along with the recently claimed and then waived Emerson Etem.

Theodore, one of the leagues top defensive prospects, made his debut last season for the Ducks and scored eight points in 19 games. The 21-year old was the team’s first-round pick in 2013 and has blossomed into an excellent puck moving defender capable of putting up handfuls of points while containing the other team in his own end. While there apparently isn’t room on the blueline for him as of now, the team would likely bring him back up if a trade was worked out for Cam Fowler as has been widely rumored.

Etem was only claimed two weeks ago from the Vancouver Canucks, but this time has made it through waivers and will join the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. A former first-round pick in his own right, Etem has never been able to replicate the success he had in junior when he scored 107 points in 65 games. A gifted goal-scorer, he’s never been able to improve enough in the other areas of his game to keep him in the NHL for long. He’ll head back down to continue to work, and at 24 is far from a lost cause.

Snapshots: Trouba, Ducks, Goaltending

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In the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN, the panel of Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun discussed a number of subjects. One of them was Jacob Trouba, and the potential of a trade in his future. While Trouba has insisted all along that it isn’t about money in his contract dispute, the Jets are rumored to be willing to go to six-years, $33MM to get the defenceman under contract.

Even though it seems like most teams would want Trouba, Dreger reports that it doesn’t look like there is a fit anywhere in Canada. The Maple Leafs, Oilers and Canadiens have all been rumored to be interested in the 22-year old in the past.

  • On Hampus Lindholm and a possible deal of Cam Fowler, LeBrun reports that it might not be as guaranteed as one would think.  While it still seems likely that one of the Ducks young defenceman will have to be shipped out, the fact that Simon Despres has hit the LTIR and has no timetable on his return the team has a little more wiggle room under the salary cap.
  • In Carolina, Dreger suggests that Ryan Murphy may be on the block, since he’ll likely be exposed at next year’s expansion draft. The 23-year old former first round pick split last season between the NHL and AHL levels.
  • On the goaltending front, Los Angeles sounds like they’re putting all their eggs in the Peter Budaj basket for now. They’re waiting for Mike Condon to hit waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that may not happen for a while as Pittsburgh wants to try and keep or get an asset for the young goaltender.

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