San Jose Sharks Call Up Timo Meier
Finally, the savior is coming up in San Jose – or, so the fans would have you believe. Timo Meier is on his way up to San Jose after just 17 games in the AHL. The injury to Logan Couture last night against the Ottawa Senators forced the Sharks hand, as they’re also without Tomas Hertl for the immediate future.
Meier was the 9th overall pick in the 2015 draft after dominating the QMJHL with 90 points in 61 games. His next year, he scored 87 in just 52 despite having to deal with being traded mid season. This year, the 20-year old is scoring at almost a point-per-game pace in the AHL, and showing that he can use his physical style in the professional game. A power-forward through and through, Meier can get in penalty trouble with his aggressive game, but can already dominate at times against much older players.
Since the Sharks are missing Couture and Hertl, Meier may well find his way into the top-six immediately, with Joe Pavelski sliding back to the middle to solidify the second line. While nothing is set in stone, it’ll be interesting to see the line rushes tomorrow morning when the Sharks prepare for their game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Amazingly, the player sent down to make room for Meier is Mirco Mueller, who has been involved in more transactions than one can count in the last few days. Also a former first-round pick, Mueller has spent many days with the Sharks this season without getting into a single contest. He was just called up on Monday, his third time in seven days.
Peter Mueller To Sign AHL Deal With Bruins
After signing a PTO earlier this summer, Peter Mueller will sign an AHL contract with the Providence Bruins for the remainder of the season, according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. He also expects Matt Bartkowski to do the same before tomorrow.
Mueller had been playing with Providence on the tryout contract and showed he still has something to give in North American hockey, scoring 14 points in 19 games. The former eighth overall pick has spent the last three seasons in Europe, racking up points in Switzerland and Sweden waiting for an opportunity back home. The world-junior star flamed out of the NHL spectacularly after putting up 54 points as a rookie in 2007-08. Health, consistency and work ethic were all questions he needed to answer, and perhaps he’s done just that this season.
If Mueller has indeed rediscovered what made him such a top prospect, the Bruins may have stumbled into a future NHL piece by giving him a tryout. At just 28-years old still, he still has plenty of youth left for a renaissance in his career.
Bartkowski, a veteran NHL defenseman who played in 80 games for the Vancouver Canucks last season, is a solid piece for the baby-Bruins on the back end. Capable of playing in both ends of the rink, Bartkowski has seven points and 23 PIM in 18 games this season. Still just 28, Bartkowski represents another depth addition to the Bruins system that essentially has cost them nothing to this point.
Snapshots: Kings, Hunlack, Bogosian
In his latest column, ESPN Insider Pierre LeBrun takes a look at the Los Angeles Kings roster and suggest strategies for the upcoming expansion draft. LeBrun boils the issue down to two names: Brayden McNabb and Dustin Brown. If the team wishes to protect McNabb, they’ll have to go the “eight skaters” option, since Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez will undoubtedly need protection. If they do, they put at risk some of their big names up front, including former captain Dustin Brown. While Brown is coming off the worst year of his career, he’s turned it around a bit this season and may be an interesting option for the Vegas team to bring in a veteran forward who could immediately become their first captain.
On the other hand, if they choose to leave McNabb exposed he may not necessarily be the selection since he only has one year remaining before becoming a highly sought after free agent in 2018. At 27, the shutdown defender would have teams lining up to bring him into the fold, and he’ll be looking for a substantial raise from the $1.8MM he’ll make next season. For the Kings, just like every other team, the expansion draft will be a game of chicken with George McPhee and the Vegas front office.
- In Toronto, a nickname has surfaced for the veteran third pairing of Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak; “Hunlack”, as many fans refer to the duo has been chided incessantly by the analytics community for their constant struggle with possession metrics. While the two rank terribly in terms of Corsi and Fenwick, head coach Mike Babcock dismisses the notion that they’re unplayable. When asked by Chris Johnston of Sportsnet what makes up a good game for them, Babcock replied “There’s a bunch of ways to look at the game. So Corsi’s one, maybe. But who turns the video on and rewinds to see if those shots actually hit the net or not? Because our math and theirs don’t add up. So what I do is I say: ‘Did the puck go in or did they get scoring chances against?'” While the metrics available to the public don’t necessarily share Babcock’s assesment of the pairing, he does seem to imply that the Maple Leafs’ internal numbers don’t match up exactly. Perhaps even though ‘Hunlack’ doesn’t generate shots like Toronto’s other pairings, they can be effective in other ways – or maybe it’s just talking them up for the trade deadline.
- For Buffalo, their season-long struggle with injuries is starting to see an end. After Jack Eichel has rejoined the team and shown why he shouldn’t be forgotten as last season’s second-overall pick, the team got more good news today. Zach Bogosian, out since the beginning of November with a knee injury, took full part in today’s practice and should be back before long. Now they just have to figure out a way to motivate Zemgus Girgensons and Evander Kane, both of whom will skate on the fourth line tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.
Roster Moves: Leighton, Andrighetto, Blidh
Michael Leighton is both the starting goaltender for the Charlotte Checkers, and backup for the Carolina Hurricanes. After coming in to relieve Cam Ward on Tuesday, Leighton was sent down for just one day to make the start last night in Charlotte. He fared much better in the AHL match, stopping 33 of 35 shots en route to an overtime win.
Leighton has played in 15 games between the two levels this year, and actually has the best save percentage of his AHL career thus far at .933. While he hasn’t fared as well in the NHL, he’s given the team a veteran option at both levels while Eddie Lack works his way back from a concussion and Alex Nedeljkovic struggles through his first professional season.
- The Montreal Canadiens have made another few moves, bringing Sven Andrighetto and Mark Barberio up for another stint with the NHL team. Both players have spent time with the Canadiens this season, and will now get another chance to impress. Andrighetto, the younger of the two, is still considered a prospect in Montreal circles despite playing in more than half a season a year ago. Just 23-years old, he put up 17 points in 44 games for the Canadiens a year ago and will look to contribute offensively again. Both players are off to wonderful starts in the AHL, with 22 and 19 points respectively. At a point-per-game pace, Barberio is showing that he may deserve more than the occasional callup.
- In Boston, the club has made a swap, calling up Anton Blidh and sending Danton Heinen back to the AHL. Blidh, 21, has played four games for Boston this season, just a year after making the trip to North America. After playing in the Swedish leagues as a teenager, Blidh came over to spend an entire season in Providence last year, registering 14 points in 65 games. Off to a nice start this season with 10 in 21, he’ll likely resume his role on the fourth line with the NHL club. Heinen, 21, has played in eight games for the Bruins this season, registering zero points but logging a fair bit of icetime including a few looks on the powerplay. The former University of Denver Pioneer signed with the Bruins late last season and has scored 15 points in 15 career AHL games.
Atlantic Notes: Tallon’s Status In Florida, Ken Holland
8:36 pm: Harvey Fialkov reports that Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell reached out to him to say that nothing has changed in the managerial hierarchy involving Tallon. In a series of tweets, Caldwell indicates that Viola never met with Tallon to hand over personnel reins while also indicating that group discussions among the ownership group determines decision making. Further, Fialkov tweets that the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Panthers hockey is too much “he said, she said” talk that is too tough to prove.
7:54 pm: Out with the old, in with the–old? Darren Dreger tweets that Dale Tallon will assume control during a time for the Panthers that has been turbulent. Dreger adds a series of tweets on Tallon’s updated status with the Panthers. Tallon will take over day to day operations and bring stability to an organization that has had a tough few weeks–and season. Elliotte Friedman adds that Florida owner Vinny Viola said that “nothing has changed” regarding Tallon’s status as having the “final say” in personnel decisions. Friedman is baffled by this, wondering why a report would even be made if nothing changed. In the official release of Tallon’s promotion back in May, the Panthers indicated that “Tallon will continue to oversee all aspects of hockey operations in this role including scouting, player acquisition and development.” Technically speaking, Tallon was still in charge of overseeing all aspects of hockey.
Dreger tweets that Tallon will not oversee an overhaul but will want to reevaluate things. He adds that the firing of Gerard Gallant was a poor choice, and that decisions needs to be made with one voice in charge. Further, Dreger tweets that the players trust Tallon and that the move will add some much needed stability to the team. Finally, he tweets that Tallon will not ignore analytics. Instead, he’s looking to improve team defense and make them tougher to play against.
The Panthers have been in flux this season and after firing Gallant in a move widely panned throughout the league, there’s been little improvement with general manager and now head coach Tom Rowe guiding the ship. The move to place Tallon in a position to have more say is one that certainly helps the Panthers’ chances.
Regardless of how it’s explained, it’s been a strange chapter of hockey in Miami.
Anders Lindback Signs In Sweden
Swedish goaltender Anders Lindback is headed home. After months spent hoping an NHL opportunity would arise, Lindback has finally made the decision to go overseas to continue his hockey career. Over the past few weeks, rumors and speculation have predicted the move, but today Lindback officially signed with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, the top pro league in Sweden.
Originally drafted by the Nashville Predators, a steal by GM David Poile in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Draft, Lindback made a name for himself as the sturdy, young backup to Pekka Rinne. One of the larger goalies in the NHL at 6’6″, 200 lbs., teams saw the youthful Lindback as a bona-fide future starter. However, it didn’t play out that way. Lindback signed on to be the starter for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, but that never came to fruition. Lindback’s performance was lacking, and he ended up splitting time with Mathieu Garon in 2012-13, before being supplanted by Ben Bishop in 2013-14. After back-to-back seasons with a 2.90 GAA and more losses than wins, Lindback left Tampa having missed his opportunity. Lindback joined the Dallas Stars for 2014-15, but was traded mid-season for fellow disappointment Jhonas Enroth. He played the best hockey of his NHL career in 16 appearances for the Sabres, but it still wasn’t enough to earn him a starter role. Last season, Lindback played in 19 games for the Arizona Coyotes and had a career-worst .894 SV% and 3.11 GAA. Unable to even find a guaranteed contract this summer, Lindback joined the New Jersey Devils on a tryout agreement in training camp, but did not make the team. He then signed another PTO, this time with the Los Angeles Kings, who had lost Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff. However, the Kings decided to stick with their emergency backup duo of Peter Budaj and Jack Campbell, sending Lindback to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Lindback left the team recently, signaling what very well could be the end of his pro career in North America at just age 28.
Ironically, Lindback’s new position with Rogle BK may include some adversity as well. Although he is likely to step in as the starter immediately, he will not be without competition. The team has two noteworthy young goalies, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oscar Dansk and Boston Bruins property Lars Volden, already on the roster. The 22-year-old Dansk, a 2012 second-round pick by Columbus, was drafted out of Sweden after dominating at the junior level in his home country. However, Dansk failed to live up to expectations, with moderate to below-average numbers in the OHL, AHL, and even ECHL, before returning to Sweden. Now in his second season with Rogle BK, Dansk continues to disappoint, posting a 2.85 GAA and .907 SV% in 20 games thus far. Dansk’s backup, Volden, has never made the trip across the Atlantic to try his hand at North American hockey. Instead, the Bruins 2011 sixth-rounder has bounced around various leagues in Europe over his career and has been a member of the Norwegian national team as well. Volden finally settled in with Rogle BK a few years ago, but has not showed signs of improvement. Although his career stats are not as blemished as Dansk’s, he has not faced the same level of competition and has been wildly pedestrian. Volden has put up very similar numbers to Dansk the past two years, which is to say that he has not done enough to unseat the struggling starter. While the duo is consistent, they are consistently average which prompted the team to bring in the veteran Lindback for a boost.
Another interesting note on Rogle BK: playing in front of Lindback will be none other than top 2017 NHL Draft prospect Timothy Liljegren. Considered by many to be second only to Nolan Patrick in the upcoming entry draft and a foregone conclusion as the first defenseman off the board, Liljegren is a rare talent at just 17 years old. With a more experienced and reliable keeper in net now, Rogle BK can give Liljegren more ice time and more responsibility, which can only help the young blue liner’s draft stock.
Injury Updates: Myers, Nash, Puempel, Couturier, Read, Marchenko
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers has suffered a setback as he recovers from a lower body injury suffered last month. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters, including Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link), that Myers has “plateaued” in his recovery and that he’s not likely to return for at least a couple of weeks.
Myers has been out of the lineup since November 11th despite originally being classified as day-to-day. He was off to a strong start prior to getting hurt with five points in 11 games while logging over 22 minutes per game in ice time. In his absence, rookie Josh Morrissey has continued to play a bigger role than originally anticipated, something that will continue for at least the next couple of weeks now.
More injury updates from throughout the league:
- Rangers wingers Rick Nash and Matt Puempel accompanied the team to Dallas as they begin a two game road trip and are nearing a return to action, writes Matt Calamia on their team website. Both players have missed the last week with a groin injury and a concussion respectively. As Calamia notes, their decision to re-assign winger Nicklas Jensen back to the minors is a sign that at least one of the two forwards could be ready to suit up against the Stars tomorrow night.
- Flyers center Sean Couturier (knee) and right winger Matt Read (oblique) both skated for the first time today as they continue to recover from their respective injuries, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirier. Couturier, who expects that he will have to wear a knee brace for the rest of the season, is targeting Philadelphia’s road trip beginning December 28th for his return to the lineup. Read does not know yet when he will be ready to return; the original prognosis was that he would be out until early January.
- Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko re-aggravated his sprained shoulder last night, just days after returning to the lineup from that injury, notes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Head coach Jeff Blashill says it’s a day-to-day issue for the 24 year old. Through 22 games this year, Marchenko has five assists and is averaging a career high in ice time per game at 17:39. He’s likely to be replaced in the lineup tomorrow by Jonathan Ericsson who is set to return after missing the last three games with back spasms.
Pacific Notes: Nugent-Hopkins, Boeser, Hamilton
While many have suggested that Edmonton center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is getting closer to becoming a good two-way NHL player, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal argues that it’s time for him to stop improving and simply be improved when it comes to his play in the defensive end.
Nugent-Hopkins’ offensive upside is well known after being the first overall pick back in 2011 and he has put three seasons of 50+ points through the first five years of his career. However, he has yet to become consistently strong in his own end which has held him back from becoming the true number one center that the Oilers envisioned. This season, he has struggled a bit offensively as well, tallying just 15 points (5-10-15) through the first 32 games.
With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl entrenched as Edmonton’s one-two punch down the middle moving forward, some have wondered if Nugent-Hopkins and his $6MM cap hit through 2020-21 could be deemed expendable. Not only would demonstrating some improvement at the defensive end help the Oilers as they try to hold down a playoff position but it would also make his trade market that much better.
Other news and notes from the Pacific:
- Canucks right wing prospect Brock Boeser is set to undergo wrist surgery today, his college team (North Dakota) announced. He’s expected to return sometime in January but he will not be able to suit up for Team USA at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships. Boeser, Vancouver’s first round pick (23rd overall) in 2015, has seven goals and nine assists in just 13 games for the Fighting Hawks so far this season after earning NCHC Rookie of the Year honors in 2015-16.
- Calgary defenseman Dougie Hamilton has picked up his play in recent weeks and while some would speculate that the fact his name was out there in trade speculation (which has since been shot down), Hamilton and Flames are attributing his improved play to being paired with captain Mark Giordano, writes Postmedia’s Kristen Odland. Since the two were put together back in mid-November, Hamilton has 11 points in 15 games with a +14 rating. For comparison, he had just six points and a -10 rating in his previous 16 outings.
Sabres Notes: Girgensons, Eichel, Okposo, Bogosian
As part of his latest 30 Thoughts column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Sabres are receiving calls regarding struggling forward Zemgus Girgensons. The Latvian has seen his role and ice time decrease in recent weeks and has found himself on the fourth line lately.
The 22 year old former first rounder (14th overall in 2012) is only two years removed from a 30 point season, one where he only played in 61 games. Since then, under new head coach Dan Bylsma, Girgensons has just 23 points in 99 games and just five of those have come this season.
Despite playing less and less, GM Tim Murray is telling teams that the asking price on Girgensons isn’t dropping simply because he isn’t playing well right now. While there’s no word on what the cost would be to get him, Friedman notes that the Ducks showed some interest last summer but Buffalo was asking for one of Anaheim’s young defensemen in return, a price they clearly weren’t willing to pay.
With a cap hit of $1.15MM, Girgensons is cheap enough to fit on the cap for most teams if the Sabres eventually get what they’re looking for in a trade. He will be a restricted free agent once again this offseason after settling on a one year deal back in September.
More from Buffalo:
- In their 6-3 win over Los Angeles last night, the Sabres paired up Kyle Okposo and Jack Eichel for the first time and as Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News notes, the two showed some instant chemistry as they combined for six points. This combination was likely envisioned back in the summer when Okposo signed a seven year deal but an early season ankle injury to Eichel shelved those plans, at least temporarily.
- Also from Harrington, defenseman Zach Bogosian skated for the first time on Tuesday since suffering a sprained MCL back on November 1st. There remains no timetable for his return, however. Although Bogosian was off to a tough start before going down (no points in nine games), he has logged heavy minutes for the Sabres since being acquired from Winnipeg back in February of 2015.
Edmonton Oilers Activate Eric Gryba, Send Dillon Simpson To AHL
The Edmonton Oilers announced Wednesday that the team will activate Eric Gryba from injured reserve ahead of their matchup this Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ve sent Dillon Simpson back to the Bakersfield Condors to continue his development and see more ice time.
As we wrote after learning that Darnell Nurse would miss up to twelve weeks following surgery, Simpson has been used extremely sparingly by Edmonton during his time in the NHL. The young defender saw just 10:53 of average icetime in his three contests, and is obviously not ready for the higher level.
The team will now look to Gryba to step back into an important role with Nurse out, likely pairing with Andrej Sekera or Kris Russell in his absence. Gryba was logging just over 17 minutes before he was injured last month and was a nice surprise for Edmonton this summer. The former Ottawa Senators defenseman signed a PTO with the Oilers and though he has been held pointless all season, playing tough minutes is more than they were expecting bringing him to camp.