Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2016

Jaromir Jagr Ties Mark Messier For Second-Most Points

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Jaromir Jagr played his first NHL game on October 5, 1990 in Washington. He scored the first goal and point of his Hall of Fame career two nights later at home versus the New Jersey Devils.

So far, 766 players have played in the NHL this season. Just 455 of those, or 58%, were born before the end of 1990. Jagr has played against players born from 1951 (Guy Lafleur) to 1998 (Patrik Laine). Yet he’s still here, and reached an incredible milestone on Tuesday night: Jagr is now tied with Mark Messier for second all-time in NHL scoring.

With three assists against the Sabres, Jagr now has 755 goals, 1,132 assists, and 1,887 points. That’s 524 points more than the next highest active player, Joe Thornton. The 45-year-old Jagr is now playing in his twenty-third NHL season, and has played for eight teams.

The new top five for all-time points looks like this, until Jagr gets his next:

1. Wayne Gretzky – 2,857 points in 1487 games
T2. Jaromir Jagr – 1,887 points in 1662 games
T2. Mark Messier – 1,887 points in 1756 games
3. Gordie Howe – 1,850 points in 1767 games
4. Ron Francis – 1,798 points in 1731 games
5. Marcel Dionne – 1,771 points in 1348 games

Jagr has said that he wants to play until he’s at least 50-years-old. Should he average 50 points from now until then, he would end up in the neighborhood of 2,150 points. While he would still be 700 points behind Gretzky, he would be the first, and likely only NHLer to ever surpass Gretzky’s assist total. The first years of fantasy hockey pools had a rule: no one could take Gretzky, it was either his goals or his assists. That rule was there for a good reason, as Gretzky still has more assists than any other player in history has points, with 1,963. TSN’s Frank Seravelli wrote that Jagr would need to start another Hall of Fame career to even come close to Gretzky, but says “finishing second only to Gretzky, though, is sort of like being first among the rest of the nearly 6,000 other mere mortals to play in the NHL.”

While it may seem like a longshot for anyone to play until the age of 50, Jagr is still having fun. He’s brought back his legendary mullet from the 1990s and is still one of the most dedicated players in the league when it comes to staying in shape. He once told Sportsnet Magazine:

“The time between when I quit hockey and I die, I want it to be the shortest. It’s not going to be as exciting, that time. So as long as I can play, that’s what I’m doing. If I can play ’til I die, that’s what I will do. What else are you gonna do?”

Jimmy Howard Injured

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was injured during a pileup in the 2nd period tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Howard is the second starting goaltender to leave this game, as Tampa Bay starter Ben Bishop left in the 1st period with a lower-body injury.

Howard appears to suffer a lower-body injury and was replaced by Petr Mrazek. Howard is having a resurgent season, posting a .934 SV% and a 1.95 GAA in 16 games. The veteran goaltender had lost the starting job to Mrazek, but Howard’s stellar stats has reopened the conversation. Mrazek hasn’t faired as well, posting a .902 SV% and a .298 GAA.

The Red Wings sit in 6th in the Atlantic Division and are in real danger of ending its record playoff streak. Howard’s strong play was keeping the team afloat so Mrazek will have to step up to get the Red Wings back into the playoffs.

Ben Bishop Injured

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop injured what looks to be his right leg in an innocent play midway through the first period against the Detroit Red Wings. Bishop extended his right leg on a puck that went wide before immediately falling to the ice in pain. Bishop was replaced by backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Bishop did not return to the bench to start the second, leaving the Lightning with no apparent backup should Vasilevskiy go down. According to Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith, the Lightning have not designated an emergency third goaltender, but both goalie coach Frantz Jean and PR rep Brian Breseman have goaltending experience should the need arise.

Bishop has not had an ideal season, posting a .906 SV% and a 2.82 GAA in the final year of his contract. In contrast, backup goaltender Vasilevskiy has a .921 SV% and a 2.49GAA. Most experts consider this Bishop’s last season with the Lightning, and the team could trade him before the trade deadline if they believe Vasilevskiy could backstop a deep playoff run.

 

Snapshots: Steel, Cogliano, Jagr

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they’ve signed 2016 1st round draft pick (30th overall) Sam Steel to a three-year Entry Level Contract. The Ducks acquired the pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs—who themselves acquired it from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Phil Kessel trade— in the Frederik Andersen trade. Steele is lighting up the WHL this season, scoring 23G and 31A in 25 games. Despite his numbers, Steele was a surprise cut from Team Canada’s World Junior Team.
  • Staying with the Anaheim Ducks, forward Andrew Cogliano surpasses Jay Bouwmeester for the fifth-longest consecutive game streak with 738 consecutive games played. Cogliano has never missed a game in his entire NHL career, and is the only active player with such a significant streak from the start of their career.
  • Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr is two points away from tying Mark Messier for second on the NHL’s all-time points list with 1887 points. Jagr started tonight three points back but as of 7:15CST has one assist in the Panthers’ game against Buffalo Sabres. Jagr has 1885 points (755G and 1129A) in 1661 NHL games. One wonders how many more points Jagr would have amassed had he not played in the KHL from 2008-2011.

Canada’s Spengler Cup Roster Announced

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Each year Canada fields a team for the Spengler Cup—an invitational tournament hosted by HC Davos—made up of Canadians playing overseas and in non-NHL/AHL leagues. Last year the Canadian entry won the tournament so this year’s team has some pressure built-in before they have even taken the ice.

The full roster is below:

Goaltenders
Drew MacIntyre
Jordon Cooke
Zach Fucale

Defensemen
Daniel Vukovic
Mark Flood
Chay Genoway
Brandon Gormley
Shaone Morrisonn
Shaun Heshka
Maxim Noreau
Blake Parlett

Forwards
James Sheppard
Chris DiDomenico
Cory Emmerton
Gregory Campbell
Andrew Ebbett
Colby Genoway
Dustin Jeffrey
David McIntyre
Jacob Micflikier
Marc-Antoine Pouliot
Mason Raymond
Nick Spaling

Many are former NHLers or junior players that either could not make the NHL, or could not stay in the NHL.  Most notable are Gregory Campbell, Mason Raymond, and Nick Spaling. Campbell and the Columbus Blue Jackets parted ways on Sunday after the Blue Jackets placed Campbell on unconditional waivers before terminating his contract. Campbell had been sent down to the AHL in October but declined to report. Raymond made the Anaheim Ducks out of training camp but lasted just four games before being reassigned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Like Campbell, Raymond refused to report, and the Ducks terminated his contract. Nick Spaling also played in the NHL last year (Toronto/Nashville) before joining Geneve-Servette HC of the Swiss hockey league NLA.

This post has been updated to reflect the five returning Spengler Cup players that were previously omitted from the original story.

Snapshots: Ward, Schlemko, Petan, Nylander

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks will make two noteworthy starters healthy scratches tonight. For the second time in three games, veteran winger Joel Ward will watch from the press box and he will now be joined by free agent acquisition defenseman David Schlemko. While the rest of the Pacific Division treads water, the Sharks have swam to the top spot with seven wins in their last ten. They’ve done so by injecting youth into the lineup to replace older players, and continue that trend tonight against the only other team making moves in the division, the Calgary Flames.

The drop-off has been steep for Ward this season. Although there were signs last year that the 34-year-old winger was slowing down, such as the struggles with puck possession and a career-worst -15 rating, Ward was still impressive in 2015-16. However, with just nine points in 31 games, due in part to a breakdown in shooting ability, Ward began to see a decreased role on special teams, the a loss of ice time, and now is just sitting out games. While there may be health concerns driving this poor play, the team has not hinted at such. Ward may just be showing the wear and tear of a long, physical career. But when you play alongside the ageless Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, showing your age is not an excuse.

Schlemko’s case may have more to do with the team than the player. After a breakout season with the New Jersey Devils in 2015-16, in which his puck-moving ability finally resulted in evidence on the scoreboard, the Sharks grabbed Schlemko on July 1st with a four-year, $8.4MM contract. Perhaps his eight points in 28 games is seen as a disappointment to coach Peter DeBoer, but in fact Schlemko is well on his way to matching his 19 points from last year and has played a superior defensive game in San Jose compared to his time in New Jersey. It seems more likely that Schlemko’s scratch, a “coach’s decision”, is due to the Shark’s defensive depth. Sharing a building with your AHL affiliate allows for closer inspection of your young players, and the Sharks have seen strong play out of Barracudas Dylan DeMelo (in the lineup tonight) and Mirco Mueller this season. However, with six other bona fide NHL defenseman already on the roster, something has to give to get those young blue liners play time at the next level. Don’t expect Schlemko to be out of lineup for very long unless there is something else going on in with this situation.

In other league news:

  • The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have activated Nic Petan from the injured reserve. The young forward has joined the team to start their two-game road trip and is expected to be in the lineup tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. Petan had seven points in 13 games to start the season before a lower body injury landed him on IR in November.
  • The Buffalo Sabres hace made the decision to loan 2016 first-round pick Alexander Nylander to Team Sweden for the upcoming World Junior Championship. Nylander has been adjusting to the pro game with the AHL’s Rochester Americans this season and has 17 points in 29 games. However, he has not yet earned a call-up to Buffalo and there seemingly was not one coming in the near future. Instead, the Sabres see the value in sending Nylander to face the best young U-20 players on the planet at the World Juniors. He’ll join a strong Swedish side that has several players with NHL or AHL experience this season.

Matthew Lombardi Retires

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It’s a name that hasn’t been heard in the NHL in a few years, and now never will again. Former two-way specialist and long-time Calgary Flames center Matthew Lombardi announced his retirement from pro hockey this weekend at the age of 34. The defensive forward has played the past three seasons with Geneve-Servette HC in the Swiss National League A.

Lombardi was once a rising star in the NHL. A third-round pick by the Flames in 2002, fresh off of a 130-point season for the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres, Lombardi quickly became a highly regarded NHL prospect. He made his league debut in 2003-04, garnering Calder consideration as he scored 29 points and quickly established himself as a complete, defensively responsible player. In 2006-07, Lombardi put together his first 20-goal season as part of a 46-point effort. Altogether, Lombardi had 167 points in 347 games with the Flames and led the team in shorthanded time on ice and shorthanded goals during that span. However, by the NHL Trade Deadline in 2009, Lombardi had not progressed the way that Calgary had hoped. In need of more talent down the middle, the Flames traded Lombardi along with Brandon Prust and a first-round pick that would become Brandon Gormley to the Phoenix Coyotes for Olli Jokinen. Ironically, in the 2008-09 season split between Calgary and Phoenix, Lombardi matched his career high of 46 points and then topped it in his 2009-10 season in the desert with 53 points. Meanwhile, Jokinen performed worse on a point-per-game basis in the latter half of 2008-09 than Lombardi and had just 50 points in 2009-10 and was traded out of Calgary. Unfortunately, Lombardi was unable to keep besting his career bests. After signing a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Nashville Predators in 2010, Lombardi suffered a concussion in just the second game of the season and missed the entire 2010-11 campaign. He would never suit up for the Predators again, as they traded he and Cody Franson to the Toronto Maple Leafs the following summer. Lombardi struggled to return to his pre-concussion performance level in Toronto, scoring just 18 points to the tune of -19 in 2011-12. Even when traded back to Arizona, where he had enjoyed the best year of his career, Lombardi struggled, scoring just eight points in 21 games as a part-time player for the Coyotes before being traded yet again, this time to the Anaheim Ducks.

Looking for a jump start to a career that had grown cold, Lombardi headed overseas to Switzerland in 2013 to play with the NLA’s Geneve-Servette. In his first year, Lombardi became a fan-favorite with a team-best 50 points in 46 games. However, injuries have slowed him down the past two years as he’s played in just 53 games. Yet, Lombardi continued to play with a scoring touch and a dominant defensive edge when active and was a leader for the team. Unsure about his future, Lombardi took the summer to decide on his commitment to hockey before calling it a career this weekend. Although he may not be as recognizable a name as some, Lombardi played a strong all-around game and had the potential to be ever better. Although that ceiling was never reached, Lombardi should be remembered for the success he did have and admired for always striving to be better.

An Update On Craig Cunningham’s Condition

at CDT | by 1 Comment

A month after collapsing on the ice prior to a home game in Tuscon, there has finally been a status update on the health of Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham and a re-telling of the procedure that saved his life.

Cunningham, 26, suffered a heart attack on the night of November 19th, just minutes before puck drop for the Arizona Coyotes’ AHL affiliate. Cunningham collapsed onto the ice during warm-ups and began suffering convulsions. On-ice medics began chest compressions immediately before rushing Cunningham to the hospital. In this new press release, the details of that ordeal have been revealed. Cunningham was first brought to Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital, where chest compression CPR continued. Realizing that more desperate measures were needed, the staff at St. Mary’s decided that Cunningham needed to be transported to Banner – University Medical Center Tuscon, the only facility in the area that could perform the advanced ECMO treatment needed to save Cunningham’s life. ECMO, short for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, is a specialized process that circulates blood and adds oxygen, essentially working as an artificial lung needed to provide the heart with the vital oxygen it needs to heal. In the even that the heart cannot be re-started using traditional means, ECMO is a last-ditch life-saving effort. As the press release states, “(m)ost patients who need ECMO are almost certain to die” without it. Luckily for Cunningham, Banner dispatched a mobile team to St. Mary’s to begin the process as they transported him to their facility for further care.

Thanks to the life-saving efforts of the on-ice medics, St. Mary’s staff, and specially trained staff at Banner, Cunningham has returned from the brink of death and made a miraculous recovery. Cunningham was in critical condition for days following the incident, but a few weeks ago it was reported that he was awake and aware, spending time with family and friends. Now, against all odds, Cunningham is ready to leave the hospital. The timing could not be more perfect, as Cunningham expects to be back home for Christmas. It has been an amazing job by all involved, including Cunningham, who’s passion and hard-working attitude on the ice continued in the hospital room as he fought back and is now on his way to a remarkable recovery.

We here at Pro Hockey Rumors continue to send our support to Cunningham and his family and are happy to hear that a player who many describe as one of the true good guys of the game is on his way back to health.

Previous Post-Roster Freeze Trades

at CDT | by 1 Comment

As of 11:59pm last night (Eastern time), the NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze kicked in.

While there were some rumors kicking around prior to the freeze, there wasn’t anything that seemed imminent. However, we have seen trades made within days of the roster freeze ending. Here are the previous post-roster freeze trades of past few years.

2015-16: On December 28, 2015, the Edmonton Oilers traded former starter Ben Scrivens to the Montreal Canadiens for Zack Kassian. Both teams were looking for a comeback story: Scrivens had fallen to fourth on the Oilers depth chart, while Kassian had just cleared waivers after completing the NHL’s substance abuse program. Scrivens played 15 games in Montreal, winning just five times. While one of those was a 5-1 win for Scrivens over his former team, the Oilers have likely won this trade. Kassian has gotten his act together and is a solid bottom six energy forward/ penalty killer with 15 points in 67 games so far. Scrivens is now playing in the KHL.

2014-15: Just a day after the roster freeze ended, the Oilers acquired Derek Roy from Nashville for Mark Arcobello. Roy had just cleared waivers and had 10 points in 26 games with the Predators. He found immediate success with the Oilers, scoring 22 points in 46 games. He remains one of the few centers to ever get consistent results from Nail Yakupov, who scored 25 points in 35 games with Roy as his center. Arcobello had 12 points in 36 games for an Oilers team with almost no depth at the center position: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Boyd Gordon were the only legitimate NHL centers on the roster, with Leon Draisaitl just days away from being sent to the WHL. Arcobello played just four games in Nashville before bouncing around to Pittsburgh and Arizona before the end of the season.

2013-14: On December 30, 2013, the Calgary Flames traded former OHL scorer Greg Nemisz to the Carolina Hurricanes for tough guy Kevin Westgarth. Nemisz, a former first-round pick of the Flames and double Memorial Cup champion with the Windsor Spitfires, played parts of two seasons for the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate. However, after suffering three season-ending injuries in as many seasons, Nemisz retired. He’s now an assistant coach for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. Westgarth played 36 games for the Flames, which were his last in the NHL. He failed to stick with the Oilers on a PTO the following year, and ended up playing his last year of hockey for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the U.K.

Interestingly enough, only one of the six players (Kassian) is still in the NHL. Scrivens and Roy are now in the KHL, Arcobello is playing in the Swiss League, and Westgarth and Nemisz are retired.

If you’re handicapping this year’s post-roster freeze movements, expect the Oilers to make a minor trade and for both players to be out of the NHL within two years.

Snapshots: Oilers, NHL Debuts, Blackhawks, Laine

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The last time the Oilers beat the Blues in St. Louis, Nikolai Khabibulin made 43 saves and the Oilers won 3-0. The Oilers then-top line of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle combined for eight points. That was in March of 2013.

Since then, the Oilers have lost four straight in St. Louis by a combined score of 17-8. But last night, the Oilers came back twice from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to win 3-2 in overtime. The Oilers moved Nugent-Hopkins, normally a center, to the right wing on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon, and were rewarded with the tying and winning goal from them. The St. Louis-native Maroon tipped in a shot in the third period, leading to a feel-good moment after the game when he was asked about his son, who lives in St. Louis, cheering him on.

Nugent-Hopkins was set up by Connor McDavid in overtime and the Oilers got the victory. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug appeared on Edmonton radio on Tuesday morning and said this about the win: “to be down multiple times to that team in a building where they never win… that’s definitely a ’big boy’ win. They didn’t come by that one easily.”

McDavid and Draisaitl now have a combined 70 points this season, the highest of any duo in the NHL. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are second with 68 points.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have dealt with quite a few injuries this season, but out of injury springs opportunity. Jonathan Drouin has stepped up lately, and now there’s opportunity for Tanner Richard to appear in his first NHL game. Richard was initially supposed to make his NHL debut on Saturday night, but his plane was delayed in New York, which lead to him missing his connecting flight to Edmonton. With no chance of making it to Alberta for game time, Ricard was sent back to Syracuse. Richard told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that he was “devastated” to miss the game, but had an inkling that he could be recalled for Tuesday. When asked what he expects to bring to the Lightning lineup, Richard said “I’m pretty hated by most teams in the AHL, so that tells me I’m doing an alright job being a little rat.” Richard will play with Brayden Point and J.T. Brown on the fourth line.
  • Also making his NHL debut tonight is Pat Cannone. The 30-year-old center has played 377 games in the AHL, notching 222 points. As Michael Russo put it, the debut will be one for the aged. Cannone has 16 points in 28 games for the Iowa Wild so far this season. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said “Hey listen, I was in the minors so long, anytime you can bring up a young man to give him a shot at the NHL, I think it’s great.”
  • According to Mark Lazerus, Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is taking part in the team’s morning skate. We reported yesterday that Crawford could start as soon as Friday, which would be under three weeks since his appendectomy. Coach Joel Quenneville said he would like to see Crawford take part in a full practice before returning. While a morning skate is not as intense as a regular practice, it’s still a good step in the road back for Crawford.
  • Notably absent from Chicago’s morning skate is center Artem Anisimov. Anisimov missed the Blackhawks previous game, and it’s not known if he will be in the lineup tonight versus the Senators. So far this season, he has 27 points in 34 games, which puts him on pace to easily surpass his previous career high of 42 which he set last season.
  • After his gorgeous goal on Sunday night versus the Avalanche, where he one-timed a Mark Scheifele pass on a two-on-one, Patrik Laine told a Finnish newspaper that “from a chance like that, I will score 99 times out of 100. The stick will break once.” Laine has 18 goals and 29 points, one behind Scheifele for the Jets’ lead, and five points clear of Auston Matthews for the rookie scoring lead.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top