Bruins Sign Jesse Gabrielle To Entry-Level Deal
For those of you out there who dislike Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (and time and again that has proven to be a majority of NHL fans), you’re about to see double. The Bruins announced today that they have inked prospect Jesse Gabrielle to an entry-level contract, and Gabrielle models his game off of none other than his future teammate.
Gabrielle was Boston’s 2015 fourth-round pick, thought to be a bit of a project player when selected from the WHL’s Regina Pats. Gabrielle was part of Bruins GM Don Sweeney‘s first draft class, which included this season’s rookie revelation Brandon Carlo, recently-named World Juniors participants Jakub Zboril and Daniel Vladar of the Czech Republic and Zach Senyshyn and Jeremy Lauzon of Canada, Providence Bruins impact rookie Jake DeBrusk, Boston University star Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, and University of Wisconsin play-maker Cameron Hughes. However, Gabrielle has not let the immense amount of talent in his draft class overshadow his own ability.
When drafted by the Bruins, Gabrielle had put up just pedestrian numbers in parts of three WHL seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Regina Pats. His 70 points in 115 games wasn’t terrible, but the scrappy forward was known more for his great forechecking and gritty two-way play. Then, like idol Marchand, Gabrielle chose to put his full offensive ability on display last season. After an off-season trade to the Prince George Cougars, Gabrielle responded with 75 points and a team-best 40 goals in 72 games, as well as 101 penalty minutes. So far in 2016-17, he leads the team with both 19 goals and 31 points, as he continues to dominate the junior level in all facets of the game. Gabrielle even got to skate in three games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins at the tail-end of last season, and while he was unable to register a point, the hard-working winger showed that he could hold his own in the pros. At 6’0″ and 200 lbs., Gabrielle is bigger than Marchand, but plays the same agitating, elusive style that has made Marchand a fan favorite in Boston and hated throughout the rest of the league.
Now developing into a lethal combination of skill and grit, Gabrielle has been thrust into the forefront of Boston’s youth movement plans. Expect “Marchand Jr.” to get a shot at cracking the roster for the Bruins next fall, if he can beat out the plethora of top prospects in the Boston pipeline.
Pierre-Luc Dubois Will Be Traded In QMJHL (Updated)
(2:10pm): While no details on the return package have emerged, Jeff Marek of Sportsnet relays a tweet from Jerome Berube, the head scout in Quebec for HockeyProspect.com, citing the depth of young talent the Armada has along with owning Sherbrooke’s first-round pick, which as of now would be a top-five selection. The suggestion being the Armada has the assets necessary to pry Dubois away from Cape Breton.
Meanwhile, Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch tweeted that a trade of Dubois was expected, and that the trade to the Armada puts the Blue Jackets prospect in a better situation that should allow the talented pivot to play meaningful hockey deep into the QMJHL season.
(11:59am): Columbus Blue Jackets third overall pick and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) star Pierre-Luc Dubois will be traded when the QMJHL trading period begins, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.
Dubois will be moving from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
More to come…
*Glen Miller contributed to this post.
Stars Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak Suspended For Two Games
Dallas blue liner Jamie Oleksiak has been suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde during Saturday afternoon’s game, the league announced. According to Cap Friendly, Oleksiak will forfeit $10,208.33 in salary. The defenseman was not penalized on the play.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News speculates the Stars could turn to Patrik Nemeth or Johnny Oduya to take Oleksiak’s spot in the lineup. Nemeth was a healthy scratch yesterday while Oduya is currently on IR. Heika mentions that the team has made roster moves that would be necessary in order to activate Oduya.
Oleksiak is in his fifth season with the Stars and in 13 contests in 2016-17, the 6-foot-7, 255-pound defender has three goals and four points with 16 penalty minutes. In 91 career appearances, he has tallied four goals and 16 points with 61 penalty minutes. Dallas selected Oleksiak in the first-round of the 2011 entry draft.
Pacific Division Notes: Noesen, Domi, Jooris, Gryba, Davidson
Sometimes things just have a way of working out for the best. That turned out to be the case for the Anaheim Ducks back in the 2011 NHL draft. Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times relays the story of Stefan Noesen, who was a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2011, but has spent the last five seasons working to establish himself as an NHL regular. During that span he has overcome two major leg injuries – torn knee ligaments in his first pro season and a lacerated Achilles the next year – and was part of a trade package Ottawa sent to Anaheim for Bobby Ryan. As Zupke notes, Noesen may not be a household name but he has an opportunity to win a job with the Ducks on the team’s fourth line.
Interestingly enough, the Ducks, who owned the 22nd choice in the 2011 draft were prepared to select Noesen but the Senators took the American winger one pick before Anaheim could pull the trigger. With their top option off the board the Ducks decided to move down the board, dealing the 22nd pick to Toronto for the 30th and 39th overall selections. The Leafs selected Tyler Biggs, who has yet to appear in the NHL and is currently playing for the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. The Ducks, on the other hand, took forward Rickard Rakell at 30 and goaltender John Gibson at 39; two key contributors for Anaheim.
Meanwhile, the Ducks would get Noesen anyway when the winger was acquired from Ottawa along with Jakob Silfverberg and a first-round pick – the Ducks would choose Nick Ritchie with that selection – in exchange for Ryan.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Yesterday it was learned that the Arizona Coyotes had placed Max Domi on IR with what was believed to be a hand injury. Officially Domi was listed as week-to-week but Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (via video link) that the sophomore winger will have surgery on his injured hand and could miss as much as six weeks. When asked about the report, Coyotes GM John Chayka declined comment, according to Craig Morgan (Twitter link).
- Earlier today it was announced that the Coyotes were awarded their waiver claim on Josh Jooris, formerly of the New York Rangers. In a corresponding transaction to clear a roster space, the club reassigned Tyler Gaudet to Tucson of the AHL (Twitter link). Gaudet has appeared in four games for the Coyotes this season and has just one assist while averaging nearly 13 minutes of ice time.
- The Edmonton Oilers have been beset this season by injuries on their blue line but now it appears as if reinforcements may be on the way. The team tweeted today that injured defensemen Eric Gryba and Brandon Davidson could be back in the team’s lineup as soon as Tuesday. The possible return of Davidson has to be especially good news for the Oilers. The 25-year-old blue liner established himself as a steady presence on the team’s back end as a rookie last season.
Mark Borowiecki Suspended Two Games
Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki has been suspended for two games for boarding Kings winger Tyler Toffoli on Saturday. He received a major penalty for the hit, which incited a scrum. Toffoli left the game, but later returned.
Borowiecki will miss Sunday’s game in Anaheim and Wednesday’s home game against San Jose. Borowiecki is eligible to return to the lineup on Saturday when New Jersey visits the Senators.
As Director of Player Safety Patrick Burke explains in the suspension video, “Toffoli comes back into his defensive zone to retrieve the puck. Toffoli sees Borowiecki coming, and turns his back to protect the puck. With sufficient time to avoid or minimize the hit, Borowiecki instead forcefully hits through Toffoli’s numbers, driving him dangerously into the glass.”
Borowiecki has one assist and is -1 in 28 games this season, while averaging 13:42 per game.
The Edmonton Oilers’ Backup Situation
Following the Oilers spectacular 6-5 loss on Thursday night, much digital ink has been spilled about their backup goaltending. Jonas Gustavsson allowed six goals on 31 shots as the Oilers blew a pair of two-goal leads.
GM Peter Chiarelli signed Gustavsson on July 1 to a one-year, $800K contract to serve as backup to Cam Talbot. While Gustavsson is thought to be a good guy on the bench, his career numbers (0.902 SV%, 2.87 GAA) are well below league-average. His numbers through six appearances this season are even worse: his 0.893 SV% and 2.90 GAA rank fifth-last among goaltenders who have played at least six games. Gustavsson has just one win this year, back in early November in his first start with the club.
OilersNation writer Jonathan Willis wrote that the Oilers should quickly move on from Gustavsson, pointing out that “if he’d made one extra save last night—and given the number of bad goals he surrendered, it’s easy to imagine that… That would work out to [his career] save percentage of 0.902.”
Based on his usage of Talbot and Gustavsson, it’s clear that coach Todd McLellan has little faith in his backup. Talbot has played two more games than any other goalie in the NHL at 26. He’s on pace to start 71 games, which would be the highest since Braden Holtby started 73 back in 2014-15. Meanwhile Gustavsson has only started four games, all of which were part of back-to-back situations.
Willis wrote that the best defense of the signing was that the Oilers have faith in their minor league starter, Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit has progressed very well in his three seasons as their AHL starter. His save percentage has risen from 0.918 to 0.920 to a sparkling 0.927 this season. The only concern that the Oilers may have about Brossoit is the expansion draft. Because Brossoit is eligible to be selected, bringing him to the NHL and showing him off may prompt Vegas to pick him. However, this would mean the Oilers would be able to keep Brandon Davidson, the most likely player to be taken by the Golden Knights. As well, the Oilers have another AHL goalie, Nick Ellis, who has played very well in his eight games with a 0.931 SV% to take over the mantle in Bakersfield.
If not Brossoit, the Oilers could possibly take a look at Reto Berra, who’s buried behind Roberto Luongo and James Reimer in Florida, or even swap struggling backups with Leafs and see if a change of scenery helps Jhonas Enroth.
Josh Jooris Claimed By Arizona
Just two days after trading for Peter Holland, the Arizona Coyotes have made another cheap addition at center, claiming Josh Jooris on waivers from the New York Rangers, according to Chris Johnston.
The 26-year-old center has just two points (1-1-2) in 12 games with the Rangers this season. He signed a one-year contract worth $600K back in July after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Calgary Flames. Jooris was an undrafted free agent signing by the Flames back in 2013. He played two seasons at the NHL level, scoring 37 points in 119 games. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Jooris has been unable to find success in New York. He’s averaging less than 10 minutes per game in his last five appearances.
With the Coyotes missing Brad Richardson for the foreseeable future, and Martin Hanzal on the trade block, GM John Chayka will need Holland and Jooris to be solid NHLers as Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak develop into dependable contributors.
Snapshots: Raanta, Blackhawks, Player Safety Meetings
New York Rangers backup Antti Raanta will make his third straight start in favor or Henrik Lundqvist on Sunday afternoon.
Raanta has won two straight, allowing just one goal. He beat the Jets 2-1 before shutting out his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks 1-0 on Friday. He’s made 43 saves in those two games.
Raanta’s two game streak comes just as Lundqvist is hitting a dry streak. He’s lost two of his last three appearances, which included an ugly goal from center ice against the Sabres; he’s allowed 10 goals in those three games.
While there’s no danger of Raanta permanently displacing Lundqvist in the Rangers net, he’s certainly picked a good time to get hot. The Rangers brought in Raanta to replace current Oilers starting goalie Cam Talbot in 2015. After a disappointing early playoff exit in which he was torched for 15 goals in five games, the Rangers appear to be giving Lundqvist more rest throughout the regular season to keep the 34-year-old fresh for the playoffs.
- Despite being ruled out of tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews returned to the ice 0n Sunday morning, according to Tracey Meyers of CSN Chicago. Toews hadn’t skated in a week before this morning’s optional skate, and has missed the previous eight games. NHL.com writer Brian Hedger reported that Toews was first on the ice and last man off.
- Another couple injured Blackhawks are inching closer to their returns as well. Defenseman Brent Seabrook missed Friday’s 1-0 overtime loss against the Rangers, and will also be out of the lineup tonight. However, Seabrook told Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune that he plans on going on the Blackhawks upcoming road trip.
- Goaltender Corey Crawford, who has been out since an appendectomy on December 2, is also making progress in his recovery. Coach Joel Quenneville told Meyers that Crawford is “doing all right,” but that it will take some time to “get him back to square one.” The initial diagnosis was around three weeks, which would mean Crawford will be out until just after Christmas.
- Meanwhile, Mark Stepneski reports that Dallas Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak will be meeting with NHL Player Safety later today to discuss his high hit on the Flyers’ Chris Vande Velde during Saturday afternoon’s game. Oleksiak was not penalized on the play. Fellow defenseman Mark Borowiecki will also have a hearing today after the Senators defenseman boarded Kings winger Tyler Toffoli. Borowiecki received a major penalty for the hit.
This Week In Hockey Blogging: A Dozen Articles To Read
Here are a handful of articles from various hockey bloggers this week:
Winging It In Motown looks at the ongoing discussion of toughness in the NHL and how it’s unfairly used to criticize players.
Pension Plan Puppets closely scout Auston Matthews.
Lighthouse Hockey likens their Islanders to the Walking Dead and take a deep dive into how the Islanders got to where they are.
The Committed Indian examines how the salary cap has created the parity intended, but in a ho-hum way.
Raw Charge analyzes Tampa Bay’s problem with developing first round draft picks.
Down Goes Brown lists the ten lies that every hockey fan is guilty of reciting.
Blueshirt Banter talked to Ryan McDonagh about the team and the season so far.
Bleedin Blue suggests that the Blues look into why they’re struggling so much on the road.
Copper and Blue discusses everything from Connor McDavid‘s wingers to players in Bakersfield who should see time with the big club down the road.
Pensburgh compares Bryan Rust‘s three-goal performance to a legendary Penguin’s five goal performance.
Hockey Wilderness suggests two players for Chuck Fletcher to acquire.
Finally, Canucks Army offers advice to ownership: new management.
We’re always looking to add to the list. Tweet us some articles you like @prohockeyrumors or let us know through our comments section.
Western Conference Notes: Stars, Red Wings, Labanc, Toews, Seabrook
A year after riding the league’s most prolific offense to a Central Division title, the Dallas Stars have been beset by injuries and currently sit on the outside looking in at a postseason berth. Obviously the absences of key players like Ales Hemsky, Patrick Sharp, Jiri Hudler, Mattias Janmark and Cody Eakin for parts – or in the case of Janmark, all – of the season has played a role. However, Mike Heika addressed another possible factor for the team’s on-ice struggles in a recent mailbag feature.
When asked what trade he would make if he were the GM to improve the Stars, Heika suggested making a relatively minor deal sending blue liner Patrik Nemeth to Detroit for a goalie prospect. While on the surface it’s difficult to envision a trade of this nature having much of an impact on the ice for either team, Heika reasons that moving one of the eight defensemen on the roster would “alleviate the pressure of eight defensemen for the players and the coaching staff and that could immediately make a player such as Jamie Oleksiak better.”
Ordinarily having quality depth is considered a good thing but perhaps not when it comes to the Stars blue line. As Heika suggests, carrying seven blue liners may allow head coach Lindy Ruff to more easily identify consistent defense pairings.
While this does not qualify as an actual trade rumor, Heika’s hypothetical deal does provide a look at what the Stars brass may actually consider at some point. The team does have solid depth on the back end and with neither Antti Niemi nor Kari Lehtonen performing well between the pipes for Dallas, the Stars could certainly find themselves in the market for a young goaltender-of-the-future.
- Highly-regarded rookie Kevin Labanc isn’t exactly lighting up the league with just three goals and five points in the first 14 games of his NHL career. But after going scoreless in his first four, the 20-year-old winger – 21 on December 12th – has been more productive of late with all of his points coming in the last 10 contests. As Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area writes, the mini outburst from Labanc has already helped the youngster leapfrog veteran forwards Joonas Donskoi, Joe Thornton and Mikkel Boedker in the goal-scoring department. As Kurz notes, Labanc’s contributions have likely earned him a regular role on the Sharks for the balance of 2016-17.
- Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune provides an update on the status of Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook. Toews has missed the past eight contests with a back problem while Seabrook missed his first game of the season with an upper-body-injury. Hawks bench boss Joel Quennville has already said that before returning to the lineup, both players will need to skate with the team. To this point, neither player has been able to do so, though Seabrook’s injury is a recent development. The injury to Toews has to be of great concern to the Blackhawks. There is no timetable for a return and back injuries can be problematic, leading to the possibility Chicago’s top pivot could be odd for a while yet.