Jonathan Quick Out Until Mid-February, Kings Not Willing To Overpay For Goaltender
12:45pm: Lombardi is now telling Elliott that he misspoke today and though the worst case is still March, he actually expects Quick back in mid-February. While this lines up closer to what Sutter said on Monday, it still is a long-time for Quick to be sidelined.
11:45pm: The continuing saga of Jonathan Quick got another chapter today, as Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi told Helene Elliott of the LA Times that he’d be out until March. This comes after head coach Darryl Sutter said just two days ago that it’d be a month before the next step was even revealed.
Lombardi also told Elliott that he’s “not willing to throw the kitchen sink” at his goaltending situation, meaning that he doesn’t want to part with important assets to fix it. The team has been riding Peter Budaj this season to mixed success, as the 34-year old started hot but has struggled recently. Last night Budaj allowed four goals on 22 shots, marking four out of five games where he’s recorded a save percentage under .900. Jeff Zatkoff, brought in this offseason to be the backup, has struggled with injury and ineffectiveness himself, carrying an .882 save percentage through Wednesday.
The Kings, 14-12-2, are sitting fifth in the Pacific Division just outside a wild card spot but are in danger of slipping further and further should they not fix their goaltending situation. If Budaj can get back to the level he started the season at, perhaps the team would not need to find a solution outside the organization.
While there are talented options on the trade market – namely, Ben Bishop and Jimmy Howard – the Kings would have to take on a large amount of salary or give up substantial assets to get them. Though the team has a good amount of cap space currently due to Quick’s designation on LTIR, the team would be left unable to make any additional moves at the deadline for a playoff run, or in trouble should Quick make a return any earlier than expected.
A lesser option – like Ondrej Pavelec or Jonathan Bernier – comes with substantial risks as well and may not be any more effective than the Budaj-Zatkoff duo in the long run. For the Kings, it’s likely a game of trying to improve the team in front of them than spending assets for an answer in net.
Snapshots: Best Player, Lightning, Darling
Who is the best player in the NHL right now? If you were to ask 100 people, in 100 different cities you might get 100 (okay, maybe you’d get five) different answers. The debate between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid has been raging since the young Oiler hit the ice last season. Could he immediately take the mantle of the NHL’s top dog?
ESPN posed the question to several other players around the league, and it’s a resounding win for the old-timer. Here is a taste of some of the quotes:
Oh, Sidney Crosby. I’m a Sidney Crosby fan. He’s ultracompetitive. Great speed, great shot, great passer. — Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks
Sid is playing great, but man, Connor McDavid is good, oh my God. But I still think today. … I’ve got to say I still think Sid. It’s tough but I really do. — Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild
I think Sidney Crosby has established himself with what he’s doing right now. It’s amazing to see how he just does whatever he needs to do. — Shane Doan, Arizona Coyotes
While McDavid does get some love, the overwhelming sentiment seems to be that Crosby is still at the top of the NHL food chain. Perhaps in a year or two things will be different, but for now it’s still the soft spoken kid from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
- In a piece for the Chicago Sun Times, Mark Lazerus profiles backup goaltender Scott Darling and the Blackhawks upcoming decision on whether they can afford to extend him in the summer. Darling will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, and is showing that he may be ready to be a starter somewhere in the league. While even Darling says Chicago is “bar none, the best place to be” a backup, the intrigue of perhaps becoming “the guy” somewhere else is still there. With Corey Crawford entrenched as the starter in Chicago, and the team needing every penny it can save to re-sign sniper Artemi Panarin this summer, Darling’s time is likely running out.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN caught up with Steve Yzerman for his latest piece, discussing the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning and what they may be after on the trade market. While Yzerman knows better than to say exactly what he wants, LeBrun opines that the team is after a top-four defenseman. It doesn’t seem like anything is imminent however, as Yzerman frustratingly tells LeBrun, “as I’ve said time and time again, I’ve got to find someone who’s willing to work with me.” For the Stamkos-less Lightning, it has been a struggle of late, losing seven of their last eight games with only a shootout victory over the Capitals during that stretch. At 30 points, they’re only four points behind Boston for a playoff spot, but also only two from last place in the division.
Roster Moves: Conacher, Witkowski, Gazdic
With just four games on the docket for tonight in the NHL, many teams are taking a long look at their rosters as they head into the Christmas break. We’ll keep you up to date on all the minor moves around the league today:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought Cory Conacher back to the NHL. The veteran forward has played just one game for the NHL club this season after signing with them this summer. In 2015-16, Conacher took his game to Switzerland where he scored 52 points in 48 games, but decided to return to the North American game to play for his old club. In 18 games at the AHL level, Conacher has proven he’s still a deadly offensive force at the lower level, putting up 15 points. As Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider points out, Conacher is likely up as insurance after Nikita Kucherov left practice yesterday with an undisclosed injury.
- To make room, the team has sent Luke Witkowski back to Syracuse. The bruising defender has gotten into eight games with the NHL team this season, recording just one assist.
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled forward Luke Gazdic, while sending Yohann Auvitu back to Albany of the AHL. Gazdic will join the team for practice today, but it’s unclear why the Devils need another forward. While Auvitu had been healthy scratched of late, the team is now carrying only six defensemen but several extra forwards. Perhaps there is an injury that has gone unreported or the team simply wants a shakeup after losing three straight (and being outscored 14-3 in those games).
- In Nashville, they’ve flip-flopped their backup goaltender again, as Juuse Saros has replaced Marek Mazanec on the Predators roster. Both have played a handful of games for the club this season, with Saros having much (and we mean much) more success. Mazanec will head to Milwaukee for the interim.
- With the New York Rangers welcoming Rick Nash and Matt Puempel back to practice today, they have assigned Nicklas Jensen back to the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL. Jensen got into four games with the team but was held pointless. The former first-round pick will look to continue his strong start at the lower level; he currently has 15 points in 21 games with Hartford this season.
- After giving up three goals on sixteen shots in relief of Cam Ward last night, Michael Leighton has been sent down to the Charlotte Checkers to play in tonight’s matchup with the Manitoba Moose. Leighton, a veteran of 110 NHL contests has split his time between the two levels this season.
Boston Bruins Place Matt Beleskey On IR, Recall Matt Grzelcyk
The Boston Bruins have added another rookie to their ranks today, calling up Matt Grzelcyk from Providence. The 22-year old defenseman will join the team in Pittsburgh for tonight’s game, the first of a back-to-back. The team has placed Matt Beleskey on injured reserve to make room, after the winger was given a six-week diagnosis for his right knee injury.
Grzelcyk (pronounced Grizz-lick) was the Bruins third-round pick in 2012 but decided to attend Boston University for four seasons where he flourished as a smooth skating powerplay quarterback. At almost a point-per-game pace in his university years, he joined the Providence team this season and has fit right in. 12 points in 25 games has earned him a callup. It’s not clear where he’ll fit in on the back end as the Bruins were already carrying seven defensemen.
If he gets into a game, it’ll be another entry in the under-six-foot club this season for the NHL. As the game goes further away from bruising physical play, speed and puck skills have come to the forefront. While Grzelcyk is by no means tiny, his smaller frame would have been looked over in decades past. Now, we’ll see if his skating ability will let him transition to the NHL level well enough to stick around for a while. The Bruins have already turned a similarly sized Torey Krug into one of the best young defensemen in the league.
Red Wings Notes: Nyquist, Zetterberg, Sheahan
Gustav Nyquist is once again being unfairly criticized writes Red Wings blogger Prashanth Iyer via Winging It In Motown. Nyquist was expected to see an uptick in goals this season after Jeff Blashill promised more ice time, but the Swede hasn’t responded in turn, scoring just one goal in his last 24 games. However, Iyer argues that his production is what should be expected out of an average first line player while pointing out the disconnect in expectations between the fanbase and Nyquist. Iyer reports that Nyquist’s insane goal scoring binge of 2013-14 was an anomaly based on the results versus his time on the ice. Those expectations, coupled with a strong season in 2014-15, made Nyquist a bonafide goal scorer in the minds of Detroit fans.
Iyer shows through stats and graphs that the culprit for Nyquist’s drop off is a shift in power play philosophy, where Nyquist is quarterbacking a powerplay instead of cashing in on chances in the slot. Putting Nyquist back into the slot–where he buried goals at an impressive rate–is one suggestion Iyer has for the coaching staff. Though he’s not the caliber of a Henrik Zetterberg or a Pavel Datsyuk, Nyquist is certainly valuable. It’s a matter of being utilized correctly.
- Speaking of Zetterberg, he was a game time decision in tonight’s game against Arizona. According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, there isn’t a major cause for concern since Zetterberg also sat out practices in the past. Khan speculates that it could be either back or knee issues, since they have flared up in the before. Through a period of play, Zetterberg was playing his usual high number of minutes.
- Riley Sheahan has struggled immensely this season and it’s been a source of frustration for the team, fans, and himself. Helene St. James reports that Sheahan’s lack of production, along with Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, has “choked” the Wings. Blashill had his own thoughts as well:
“I talked to him on Saturday,” Blashill said. “You’re telling me Vanek said a few words — I don’t think it hurts. If Riley keeps playing the way he is playing, he’s going to get points. No question. So, you just have to keep playing the way you’re playing and not panic. The only thing I’d say is to make sure he hits the net, because he’s got a really good shot.”
Ryan McDonagh Out With Flu
New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh has the flu and will miss tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers’ captain was a game-time decision—as most flu cases are—and the defenseman will be replaced by Adam Clendening. McDonagh will be day-to-day and should not miss more than a couple of games.
McDonagh is off to a great start this year, scoring 1G and 16A in 30 games for the Rangers. He also leads the team in playing time with over four more minutes than any other non-goalie. McDonagh’s absence tonight on the blue line against the powerful Chicago Blackhawks could spell the end of Rangers backup goaltender Antti Raanta‘s starting streak.
Replacing McDonagh is Adam Clendening, who has played 7 games this year and none since December 1st. He has 3A in those 7 games, but he is also riding a three-game point streak. He’ll play on the 3rd pairing with Brady Skjei, reports Steve Zipay of Newsday Sports. Kevin Klein will move up to 1st-pairing duties.
Max Domi Out Indefinitely
The Arizona Coyotes announced today that Max Domi is out indefinitely after suffering a hand injury on December 8th. Domi had successful hand surgery today following his injury.
Domi suffered the injury while fighting Garnet Hathaway of the Calgary Flames on December 8th. Domi left that game and did not return. The sophomore forward is primarily a goal scorer but will not shy away from dropping the gloves if necessary—a trait likely inherited from his father Tie Domi.
Domi’s absence hurts the Coyotes. His 5G and 11A in 26 games is good for 2nd in team scoring on a team ranked 28th in goals for. This is another blow for a Coyotes team that was looking to make a step forward with its youth and smart signings. Domi’s absence, however, provides an opportunity for fellow sophomore forward Anthony Duclair to turn around a terrible start and try to regain last year’s form.
Newly-acquired Peter Holland will also have an expanded opportunity to prove to his former team—the Toronto Maple Leafs—that they were wrong about his place in this league. Holland could not crack the Maple Leafs’ roster, and did not play until he was traded to Arizona for a conditional sixth round draft pick.
Snapshots: Elias, Puljujarvi, Varlamov, Burakovsky
The New Jersey Devils remain in a holding pattern when it comes to a potential return of long-time left winger Patrik Elias, writes NJ Advance Media’s Chris Ryan. Elias has been with the team going back to training camp, working out on his own and participating in some team meetings. He even still has a stall in the dressing room. Head coach John Hynes noted that his rehab is still on target and that they knew early on that a decision likely wouldn’t be made until the second half of the season:
“Patrik knew, we knew as an organization, coming into this year that it probably wasn’t going to be a first half of the season type of situation. He’s really working to see if this is going to be something he feels and we feel that he’s going to be able to play. But we’re not at that point yet.”
The 40 year old Elias is New Jersey’s all-time leading scorer with 1,025 points in 1,240 games and has only played for the Devils in his career.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Oilers aren’t ruling out sending rookie winger Jesse Puljujarvi to the AHL, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. The fourth overall pick back in June has just a single goal and seven assists through 22 games this season and has seen his ice time drop sharply in recent games while also spending time as a healthy scratch. As he was not drafted out of the CHL, he is eligible to play in the minors despite being only 18. With the World Juniors (where he was tournament MVP last year) fast approaching, some wondered if Edmonton might consider making him available for that tournament but speaking with reporters this morning (video link), GM Peter Chiarelli ruled that possibility out of the question.
- Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, fresh off a 51 save performance on Sunday against Toronto, is dealing with a groin injury, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters Varlamov is day-to-day but he will not dress for tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia. Prospect Spencer Martin is expected to be recalled to serve as the backup while Varlamov is out of the lineup.
- Washington left winger Andre Burakovsky will be a healthy scratch tonight against the Islanders, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post reports (Twitter links). The 21 year old has struggled considerably this year, scoring just twice in 27 games; both of those goals came in the season opener. As a result, his ice time has dropped quite a bit in recent weeks to the point where he was receiving fourth line minutes the last couple of games.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Fourth Overall Pick
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)
Now we move forward to the 24th pick, which was held by the St. Louis Blues.
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 Blues selected T.J. Oshie out of Warroad High School in Minnesota. While a lot of first round high school picks haven’t panned out, this selection certainly has as he has turned into one of the best players in this draft class.
Oshie spent seven seasons with St. Louis, picking up 310 points (110-200-310) in 443 regular season games as well as nine points (5-4-9) in 30 postseason contests. In 2015, the Blues dealt him to Washington in exchange for Troy Brouwer, goalie prospect Pheonix Copley, and a 2016 3rd round pick. Brouwer only spent one year in St. Louis but was a big part of their playoff run last season with 13 points in 20 games.
With the Capitals, Oshie continues to thrive in this, his second season with the team. This year, he has nine goals and five assists through 20 games after a 51 point season in 2015-16. He also had his best playoff performance last year with 10 points (6-4-10) in 12 games.
Oshie has also made a mark on the international stage, playing in a World Juniors tournament, three World Championships, the 2014 Olympics (where he’s famous for his shootout performance), and the most recent World Cup of Hockey.
With the 24th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Blues select? Cast your vote below!
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Atlantic Notes: Hyman, Detroit Goaltending, Marchessault, Franson
Although his professional career is just getting started, Toronto forward Zach Hyman already has a pretty good fallback plan for life after hockey. As Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com writes, Hyman spends some of his time away from the rink writing children’s books. He already has published two while a third is expected to be available in early 2017 and a fourth is already in the works.
While his hockey career is at the forefront right now, Hyman realizes his writing will ultimately last longer than his playing days and he’s appreciative of being able to do both:
“Writing is going to last longer than hockey. You can’t play hockey forever, but [you] definitely can write forever. Just enjoying it; it’s amazing. I get to live the life of a hockey player and also have writing. It’s pretty special. I’m really lucky.”
This is Hyman’s first full NHL season and he has made the most of it so far. While he has just nine points in 27 games, he has earned the trust of the coaching staff, particularly on the penalty kill as he leads all Toronto forwards in shorthanded ice time per game.
More from the Atlantic:
- When it comes to providing their goalies with offensive support, the Detroit Red Wings have fared much differently in front of Petr Mrazek than they have in front of Jimmy Howard, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Detroit has provided Mrazek with 2.88 goals per game in support but in front of Howard, that number drops by more than half to a paltry 1.27. As a result, despite a stellar 1.68 GAA and .945 SV%, Howard has won just five of his 12 starts so far this season.
- Florida winger Jonathan Marchessault returned to practice Monday after missing the last four games with a lower body injury, reports George Richards of the Miami Herald. The 25 year old has been a revelation so far with the Panthers, picking up 19 points (10-9-19) in 25 games. He skated with Nick Bjugstad and Colton Sceviour, a line that the team envisioned putting together when they signed Marchessault and Sceviour back on July 1st. He will be a game-time decision tonight against Minnesota.
- Sabres blueliner Cody Franson is enjoying the extra ice time he’s received as a result of Buffalo’s injuries on their back end, writes Bill Hoppe of the Orleans Times Herald. Franson has had higher workloads with other teams than he has received with the Sabres and noted he’s more comfortable when he plays 18+ minutes per game as doing so allows him to play with more confidence. As a pending UFA, it’s also an added bonus that he has been able to play more to showcase himself to potential suitors for next season if the Sabres don’t bring him back.