Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for December 2016

Metropolitan Notes: Maatta, Philly Prospects, Standings, Tavares

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While he wasn’t drafted to be a key offensive blueliner, Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta surprised many in his rookie season with 29 points in 78 games back in 2013-14.  That raised the level of expectations for him right away that he could be a legitimate two-way threat in the league.  Fast forward to today and suffice it to say, that hasn’t happened, writes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

This season, Maatta has only managed a pair of assists in 35 games, a stat line that more than a few goaltenders around the league have.  The Penguins have deployed him in a primary shutdown role which has limited his offensive opportunities but the 22 year old knows he can be better at that end of the rink:

“It’s something that should be part of my game as well, and it hasn’t been this season. It’s something I gotta pay attention to. You have to try to get better as a player as the season goes on. That’s a big thing, and I think that’s part of my game that I can be better at. I can improve.”

With Kris Letang and Trevor Daley, two of Pittsburgh’s top offensive threats from the back end, both out of the lineup, Maatta should get more of an opportunity to be a factor offensively in the coming games.

More from the Metro:

  • Philadelphia fans will be keeping a close eye on the World Junior Hockey Championships which get underway today. As Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post notes, the Flyers have an impressive nine prospects that will be representing the team.  By comparison, no other team has more than five.  Among those nine players are three netminders, Carter Hart (Canada), Felix Sandstrom (Sweden), and Matej Tomek (Slovakia).  With the uncertainty surrounding Philadelphia’s NHL goaltending situation moving forward (Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are both unrestricted free agents at the end of the season), it’s certainly encouraging for the Flyers to know they have several quality prospects in their junior ranks even if these goalies are still a few years away from contributing at the NHL level.
  • Newsday’s Steve Zipay wonders if there’s a chance we may see tanking of a different kind come April. As things sit in the standings, both Wild Card spots in the East are from the Metropolitan Division, creating a scenario where it could arguably be more beneficial to see a top three team drop into the first Wild Card spot and cross over to the bracket in the Atlantic Division.  There’s still more than half the season to play but if things hold up close to where they are now, it will certainly be something to keep an eye on as we hit the stretch run of the season.
  • With Casey Cizikas expected to be out through the Islanders’ five day break from January 1st to the 5th, captain John Tavares is expected to take a regular turn on the penalty kill, writes Arthur Staple, also of Newsday. Head coach Jack Capuano noted that Tavares has the hockey IQ to handle the role, even though it’s one he hasn’t played since his days in junior hockey.  It also helps that Tavares is their best faceoff threat at 52.9% and winning shorthanded draws is an area that the Islanders have struggled at this year as they’ve won just 45.4% of their faceoffs in that situation.

Notable Players At The Spengler Cup

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While the World Juniors garner a lot of the international attention at this time of year, there is one other tournament going on at this time of year as well, the Spengler Cup.  The invitational tournament runs from today until December 31st in Davos, Switzerland and features some of the top club teams throughout international hockey.  Canada is also granted an entry into the tournament with their team typically being comprised of players throughout several international leagues as well as a handful of AHL players.

Usually, each team features some familiar faces, either former NHL players who may be looking to get back to North America the next season or some drafted prospects who teams will be looking to bring over in the near future.  Our Mike Furlano took a closer look at Canada’s entry last week; here are some of the notable players on the other five teams.

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL):

LW Stanislav Chistov – Chistov was the fifth overall pick of Anaheim back in 2001.  He spent four years in North America with the Ducks and Bruins, getting into 196 NHL games.  Since then, he has been a part of five different teams back home in Russia.

LW Anatoli Golyshev – A fourth round pick of the Islanders back in June, the 21 year old winger finished fourth in KHL scoring last season.  Things haven’t gone as swimmingly for him this year as he has just four goals in 36 KHL contests.

HC Davos (NLA):

RW Adam Hall – The 36 year old played in 682 career NHL games and is in his third season in Switzerland.  He is on loan from Ambri-Piotta for the tournament.

LW Tuomo Ruutu – The former ninth overall pick of Chicago in 2001 was in the NHL as recently as last season with New Jersey and was with Vancouver back in training camp on a tryout deal.  After failing to sign with the Canucks, he inked a one year deal with Davos but the move has yet to pay off as he has just four points in 14 games this season.

C Drew Shore – The former Florida and Calgary prospect wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by Calgary back in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.  Rather than signing back to likely play in the minor leagues, he inked a one year deal in the Swiss league where he sits tied for ninth in league scoring which could have him back on the NHL radar next offseason.  He is on loan from Kloten for the tourney.

HC Lugano (NLA):

C Maxim Lapierre – After failing to earn a deal with the Rangers in training camp, Lapierre returned to Lugano on a one year deal (plus an option).  He has 614 career NHL games under his belt and at the age of 31, is still young enough that he will likely get another tryout with an NHL team at some point.

G Elvis Merzlikins – A 3rd round pick (76th overall) of the Blue Jackets in 2014, Merzlikins posted the third highest save percentage in the NLA last season and also got into five games for Latvia at the 2016 World Championships.

D James Wisniewski – After being bought out by Carolina following a season where he played just one shift due to an ACL tear, the 32 year old was unable to crack Tampa Bay’s lineup in preseason.  He signed in the KHL shortly thereafter but left the team last week to take part in this tournament.

D Ryan Wilson – The 29 year old last saw NHL action back in 2014-15 with Colorado and has 230 career games under his belt.  His contract is up at the end of the season and is a decent candidate to get an NHL PTO for next September if he wants to try to get back to North America.

HK Dinamo Minsk (KHL):

D Marc-Andre Gragnani – After spending a couple of seasons overseas, Gragnani returned to North America last season, getting into four games with the Devils.  This year, he went back across the pond where he sits third among KHL blueliners in assists with 23 in 38 games.

LW Sergei Kostitsyn – The former Canadiens and Predators winger was looking to return to the NHL this past summer but was unable to find a taker.  He has 21 points in 30 games so far this season and is only on a one year deal so it’s likely that he will once again look to sign an NHL deal next summer.

G Ben Scrivens – After struggling upon being traded to Montreal following last year’s roster freeze, Scrivens has been a workhorse between the pipes in Minsk, already seeing action in 40 games while posting a 2.22 GAA and a .919 SV%.

HK Hradec Kralove (Czech Extraliga):

RW Jaroslav Bednar – The 40 year old was a prospect of the Kings (and for a brief time, the Panthers) in the early 2000’s, getting into 117 career NHL games, collecting 44 points.

LW Alexandre Picard – The former fourth overall pick of Columbus back in 2004, Picard struggled at the NHL level, posting just two assists in 67 career games.  After spending the last four years in Switzerland, he is currently on a tryout with Kralove.

Stars GM Jim Nill On Goaltending, Roster Management, Identity

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After a strong season in 2015-16 that saw the Stars make the second round of the playoffs, expectations were high for Dallas heading into the season.  They’ve yet to live up to the hype though and find themselves out of the playoffs coming out of the holiday break.  General Manager Jim Nill sat down with Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News to talk about the team.  Here are some of the highlights:

On the goaltending which, aside from the last few weeks, has struggled this season:

“Our goalies have taken a pretty good beating from the outside, but I think they’ve been very good. Goals against isn’t just goaltending, it’s team defense and playing the right way and managing the puck. I think we’ve seen in recent weeks that when we’re better as a team at those things, then the goaltending numbers can be very good.”

The goaltending tandem of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen is the most expensive in the league with a combined cap hit of $10.4MM.  For that money, they have a team save percentage of just .899, tied for 27th overall while they are allowing just over three goals per game.  While there’s no denying that they have plenty of firepower on paper, it’s difficult to win most nights knowing you’ll likely need to score four or more goals to do so.

In a follow-up question, Nill was asked if he foresaw the team making a run for the postseason with both netminders still on the team and the GM indicated that he doesn’t expect any changes at this time.

On carrying eight defensemen, one more than the standard seven that most teams carry:

“I just think you have to have it for depth. You’re going to have injuries, and you need that depth. In the end, the players decide who is going to play, and I think we’re settling into a group of six or seven, so that’s been good. But we could wake up tomorrow and two defensemen are hurt, so I like having the depth.”

While Dallas has an excess of depth at that position on their roster, it hasn’t necessarily helped in terms of developing some of their young blueliners.  Patrik Nemeth has been scratched for 19 games this season while Jamie Oleksiak has only played in a total of 14 games and is in his second of spending the bulk of his time in the press box.

On the identity of the team and if it changes from year to year:

“I think the core of your team dictates your identity, and we know what the strength of our core is. Now, injuries can force you to play a different style or force you to tweak or adjust, and I think we’ve seen that this year. We have an identity as a fast, skilled team, and I think we still are that. In more recent weeks, we have been more defensive, and in the long run that might be a good thing for us. I think you always have to be able to adapt.”

After coughing up six goals in the first game of the month, Dallas has been better defensively as of late, allowing just 21 goals in ten contests since then, well below their season average in goals allowed.

If Dallas plans to make a push to get back into the postseason (they currently sit three points out of the last wild card spot), they will need to keep up their improved play in their own zone, especially since the team isn’t scoring as much as they expected to at the beginning of the year (only two players are over 20 points currently in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn).

Atlantic Notes: Sabres Struggles, Red Wings, Senators

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington opines that the Sabres need to turn things around fast during a season that was supposed to be more successful. Harrington wonders if head coach Dan Bylsma is heading down “Ryan Road,” a nod to the embattled Buffalo Bills head coach, Rex Ryan. From Harrington:

Lately, it seems as if Bylsma has lost his mind. It’s to the point where it’s now an open discussion among Sabres fans if Bylsma, in just the second year of a five-year contract, should be heading down Ryan Road to the unemployment line too if his team continues to implode.

From there, Harrington lists a number of Byslma missteps which include everything from benching Jack Eichel on the power play to a philosophy that doesn’t seem to benefit the team, and instead, makes them less sure of what they’re doing. He also lays blame at the feet of general manager Tim Murray, imploring him to make a trade for a defenseman desperately needed by the team.

Not letting anyone off the hook, Harrington takes aim at ownership, wondering what their plan is after six years of no playoff appearances. He adds that it feels like nothing more than regrets for what they don’t have, and that the Sabres have played second fiddle to other teams when it comes to acquiring someone who can help Buffalo escape its recent culture of losing.

  • The Sabres head into Detroit to take on the other team jostling for the basement of the Atlantic. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that Detroit needs to “chip away” at the deficit they face in the division and conference. Khan offers salvation in the way of listing three teams (Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, and eventual champ Pittsburgh) who were outside of the playoff hunt looking in last year at this time. But the Red Wings, fairly or unfairly, do not have the star power of a Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay. Khan believes that in order to ascend, the Wings must take advantage of beating the “bad” teams and Buffalo offers a chance to take advantage of this. The power play must also improve, as Detroit has the worst man advantage success rate in the league, and historically, it’s one of the worst during the entire salary cap era. Khan also thinks that help is on the way with Mike Green, Alexey Marchenko, Tyler Bertuzzi and Justin Abdelkader on the mend.
  • The Ottawa Citizen takes a look at the Senators by the numbers and finds that the team has a lot to be proud of as the new year approaches. The most compelling number? -1: the goal differential of a team in playoff position. It’s noted, however, that four others teams sitting in playoff spots are also sporting negative goal differentials, but those teams (Boston, Anaheim,  St. Louis,  and Calgary) are worse in that category than the Sens.

Penguins Ink Mike Sullivan To Three-Year Extension

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Per several reports, Pittsburgh bench boss Mike Sullivan has been signed to a three-year extension. Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the deal runs through the 2019-20 season while financial terms were not disclosed.

Sullivan took over for Mike Johnston last December and the results were immediate, and dominant. He coached the Penguins to their second Stanley Cup since 2009 and their fourth in team history. Sullivan also has the team sitting second in the Metropolitan Division, and second in the Eastern Conference with 49 points.

The Penguins released a statement as well, and general manager Jim Rutherford said the following:

“Mike did the best coaching job in the NHL last season,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. “He continues to be a terrific coach and we are happy to give him a well-deserved extension.”

Allen’s Latest: US Juniors To Watch, 2017 Predictions

at CDT | by 2 Comments

USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes a bit about the five must watch players for the US team as the World Junior Championships kick off today. Those on his watch list include Charlie McAvoy, Luke Kunin, Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Colin White. Allen writes that White is versatile and expected to be a boon for the American squad as a difference maker. Thompson, according to Allen, is a younger version of Blake Wheeler, while Keller is the “gamebreaker” who has the potential to be a dynamic player someday in the NHL. Captain Kunin, according to USA general manager Jim Johannson, is the “engine” of the team. McAvoy is a physical presence, and according to bench boss Bob Motzko, wants to “knock you on your rear end and score a goal on the same shift. He is going to be a guy we lean on heavily in all situations.” The Americans will look to build on their bronze medal finish from last year’s tournament.

  • Allen also lists his 10 bold predictions in 2017.  Some of the bolder ones include Patrik Laine outscoring Alex Ovechkin this season and that the Blackhawks will pay Artemi Panarin $7MM to remain in Chicago. Allen expects Ralph Krueger to be back in the NHL, and that the Canucks will finally embrace a much needed rebuild. Allen writes:

It’s past time. The Canucks will be first class and ask the Sedin twins how they want the organization to handle their future. They have always loved living in Vancouver. If they wait until the summer, they might be able to trade them both to one team. Maybe the Sedins would be comfortable mentoring a young team.

Finally, Allen believes that Kevin Shattenkirk will head to free agency and be pursued by the Red Wings, Bruins, Rangers, and Lightning. In the same vein, he expects John Tavares to get the “Stamkos treatment” with his impending free agency. Whether it’s a monster contract from the Islanders or a pricier offer from another team, Allen believes it to be one of the main storylines in 2017.

The Impressive Rise Of The Columbus Blue Jackets

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Raise your hand if you had the Columbus Blue Jackets ripping off 12 straight wins and rocketing to the top of the NHL as the league’s best team.

You’re not alone.

Outside of those who built the team or are currently playing for them, few had the Blue Jackets “making any noise” in the East. Coming off a poor showing in the World Cup of Hockey, bench boss John Tortorella was the odds on favorite to be fired first this season. What a difference a couple of months make.

The “first fired” honor would end up going to Gerard Gallant, who was let go by Florida. Tortorella, meanwhile, is guiding the Blue Jackets to one of their best runs in franchise history.

But there were a couple victories that stood out along the way:

  • Thumping Montreal 10-0 in Columbus back on November 4th. It was significant for two reasons: first, they blew out a Habs team on an eight game winning streak. Second, it signaled the turnaround for the Jackets was underway. Though at the time it was their third consecutive victory, Columbus recovered from an 0-2 start and were then 5-3-2 after its first 10 games. Since then, the Jackets are a staggering 18-2-2.
  • In the battle of the Metropolitan Division this past week, the Jackets slapped the defending champ Penguins in the face with a 7-1 romp that gave them sole possession of first place.

Columbus is undefeated in the month of December, and with only three games remaining before the calendar turns over to 2017, they have the possibility of running the table in the final month of 2016.  The Jackets have rightfully received a lot of press for their performance.

Puck Daddy’s Sean Leahy writes that the cunning signing of Sam Gagner has paid dividends for the Jackets. Currently, Gagner has 26 points (14-12) and has been one of the better value based signings in years (one-year, $650K).

October 28, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center <a rel=Eric Seeds from Blue Jackets blog The Cannon argues that the Jackets are for real, no matter what pundits say. Seeds points out a number of the catalysts for the teams rise. First, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has been healthy and dominant. Back in August, it was reported that the Jackets had sunk significant resources into ensuring Bobrovsky’s training was top notch. So far, so good. His numbers (21-5-2, .935 save percentage) should remain strong should he remain healthy and not run into the bumps of the past–which usually centered around getting injured.

One other point: the emergence of 19-year-old Zach Werenski. Much has been written about the dynamic defenseman from the University of Michigan who stands as one of the better bets to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. Werenski has helped the power play tremendously, and has shored up a blue line with other young talents like Seth Jones.

Fans and other teams are taking notice, but it doesn’t concern Tortorella, who has been vigilant in keeping attention off of his streaking team, especially since there are some who think the Jackets might not be as strong as they look.

Regardless of how it turns out, the Jackets’ rise in the Eastern Conference has been a treat for the hockey world to watch–and rewarding for a fan base that has only seen two playoff appearances in the organization’s sixteen seasons.

Mobile users vote here

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Sixth Overall Pick

at CDT | by 5 Comments

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)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)

Now we move forward to the 26th pick, which was held by the Calgary Flames.

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, the Flames took defenseman Matt Pelech from the Sarnia Sting. Since being drafted, Pelech played a total of 13 games in the NHL, tallying four points (1-3). Of those 13 games, Pelech spent five with the Flames and the other eight with San Jose. During the 2013-14 season, Pelech spent time in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies after playing for both San Jose and its AHL affiliate Worcester. A season later, Pelech recorded 39 games with the Rochester Americans. Last season, Pelech appeared in 49 games for the Schwenningen Wild Wings in the DEL (Germany) and has played the current season with Graz EC in the Austrian league.

With the 26th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Flames select?  Cast your vote below! Mobile users, you can vote here!

 

 

PHR Originals: 12/19/16 – 12/25/16

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Here are some of the original stories from PHR this week:

  • I looked at the scrutiny surrounding the Detroit Red Wings’ Gustav Nyquist, and wondered if it was truly warranted. I look more at team performance, and advanced metrics to make the case that the organizational decisions with personnel, and not Nyquist, are the cause of the Wings’ ills.
  • Gavin asked our readers what their teams needed for Christmas, and it was the most commented on article of the week.
  • Gavin also reflects on Kyle Okposo’s career with the Islanders and where he stands in franchise history.
  • Brett analyzed previous post-roster freeze trades, especially since speculation surrounds a number of teams, specifically Colorado, who may be moving players.
  • Brian puts the 25th pick from the 2005 NHL Draft into the hands of the readers. At #24, readers chose Darren Helm for the St. Louis Blues.
  • Finally, Glen wrapped up the week’s five key stories. It was not a good week for goalies.

5 Key Stories: 12/19/16 – 12/24/16

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The holiday roster freeze ensured that trades would not dominate the week’s headlines. Instead, injuries to key players would again be the theme. Here are five key stories from the week ending on Christmas Eve.

Ben Bishop Out For 3 – 4 Weeks

The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to manage without starting goaltender Ben Bishop for the next 3 – 4 weeks. Bishop injured his right leg in Tampa’s 4 – 1 win over Detroit and is set to miss the next nine games as a result. The 30-year-old netminder is slated to become a free agent next summer and is in the midst of a mediocre platform campaign with a GAA of 2.79 and a Save % of 0.907.

Detroit Will Be Without Jimmy Howard For 4 – 6 Weeks

Bishop’s counterpart Tuesday night, Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, was also injured and is expected to miss anywhere from 4 – 6 weeks with a MCL sprain. Howard has adapted quite well to a reserve role with the Wings and has posted a GAA of 1.96 and a Save % of 0.934 through 17 appearances this season. His absence leaves the Red Wings with the inexperienced Jared Coreau as Petr Mrazek’s backup between the pipes.

Tyler Pitlick To Miss Rest Of Season

Six years after being selected in the second-round by the Edmonton Oilers, Tyler Pitlick appeared to finally find his footing as NHL regular. The 6-foot, 202-pound forward had chipped in eight goals and 11 points in 31 games while playing mostly fourth-line minutes for the Oilers. Unfortunately, what was shaping up as a breakout season for Pitlick is now over, with the 25-year-old winger set to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL last Monday.

Longtime NHL Center David Legwand Retires From NHL

David Legwand will forever be remembered as the answer to a trivia question: Who was the first ever draft pick of the Nashville Predators franchise? Legwand was the second overall selection in the 1998 draft and after spending the first 14+ seasons with the Predators, the pivot was traded to Detroit at the 2014 trade deadline. He would wrap up his 17-year career spending a season each with Ottawa and Buffalo. He retires after nearly 1,200 regular season and postseason games.

Doan Reaches 400-Goal, 1,500 Game Plateau

Shane Doan became just the 17th NHL player to reach the 1,500 game mark when he suited up Friday night in the Arizona Coyotes 4 – 1 loss to Toronto Friday night. Doan, who has spent his entire 21-year career as a member of the Coyotes franchise, also tallied his 400th NHL goal in the contest.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top