Snapshots: Drouin, Fehr, Spengler Cup
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is expected back in the lineup tonight against the Vancouver Canucks, reports Erik Eriendsson of LightningInsider.com. Drouin has been out since December 4th with an undisclosed injury. The young forward has had decent success this year, scoring 3G and 7A in 19 NHL games.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have scratched forward Eric Fehr for tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers, reports Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Fehr—a former 2003 first round draft pick—is off to a slow start this season with only 3G and 2A in 26 games for the Penguins. He has seen his ice time decrease in the past two games so his scratch should not come as a total surprise.
- Canada’s Spengler Cup Entry—an invitational hockey tournament hosted by the Swiss HC Davos—will have former NHLer Luke Richardson behind the bench, reports TSN’s Lance Hornby. Richardson will be the head coach for the team featuring Canadian players currently playing in Europe. Canada will enter the tournament as the defending champions, so Richardson has a tall task ahead of him.
Bettman Clarifies NHL Position On Olympics
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to media today following a Board of Governor’s meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. The Commissioner touched on Olympic participation, escrow payments, and the salary cap, but emphasized that no vote on Olympic participation was taken.
Concerning NHL participation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, Bettman stated that the sentiment was increasing negative. Ever the lawyer, Bettman does not indicate whether the increasingly negative feelings towards participating represents a majority of owners, or only a (growing) minority. Olympic participation is a complex issue for NHL owners as they have to weigh increasing exposure to the sport at the expense of potentially losing one of their star players for the year.
Bettman also indicated that it is “ambiguous” whether skipping 2018 forecloses NHL participation in 2022. The 2022 Winter Games are in China, and the NHL would love to gain a foothold in the Chinese sports market. Participation in 2022 may tip the scales and give NHL owners a reason to send players to the 2018 Olympics if owners are sufficiently worried that they would not otherwise be able to do so.
Turning to the CBA and the salary cap, Bettman clarified that the NHL did not offer to send players to the 2018 Winter Olympics in exchange for the NHLPA to agree to a three-year CBA extension. Rather, CBA extension talk was tethered to a larger conversation about international play and included a potential 2020 World Cup. Bettman did address the NHLPA’s concern over high escrow payments, stating simply that lowering the cap would lower escrow payments. Relatedly, he also announced that while there is no official decision on any salary cap movement, he expects that it may rise by “a couple of million.“
Washington Capitals Recall Aaron Ness; Matt Niskanen Out
After getting hit face-first into the boards by Patrice Bergeron in yesterday’s game, Matt Niskanen is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will be out for the Washington Capitals next matchup. To replace him, the team has called up Aaron Ness from the Hershey Bears Thursday afternoon.
Ness was originally acquired by the Capitals in 2015 after the Islanders let him hit free agency. The former captain of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Ness fit right in with the Bears last season, scoring 27 points during the regular season and being a huge part of their run to the Calder Cup finals. He also spent eight games with the Capitals in 2015-16, recording two assists and not looking out of place.
The former second-round (40th overall) pick of the Islanders is a smooth skating defenseman who can make an excellent outlet pass and rack up points. At 26 he’s not exactly young, but could still develop into at least a part-time NHL player. He’ll have big shoes to fill in Washington however, as Niskanen was logging over 22 minutes a night this season and skated on both special teams.
Following the Niskanen hit, Bergeron will receive no addition discipline from the league. The Capitals defender however isn’t travelling to Buffalo with the team and will be re-evaluated daily.
Buffalo Sabres Send Erik Burgdoerfer Back To AHL
Perhaps the Buffalo Sabres are finally getting healthy. Today they sent back Erik Burgdoerfer to the Rochester Americans after Josh Gorges and Dmitry Kulikov both took part in practice. While it’s not a guarantee that both will suit up tomorrow against the Washington Capitals, it is a good sign that they felt confident enough to send the 27-year old Burgdoerfer back down.
Burgdoerfer (or, Drew Stafford‘s long-lost twin depending on who you believe) made his NHL debut on Monday night for the Sabres, playing just over ten minutes. Tuesday’s game two didn’t bring much more, but for an undrafted defenseman who struggled for parts of five seasons in the ECHL before even getting a sniff at the AHL level, it was a dream come true. A big part of the Hershey Bears’ Calder-Cup finals run last season, Burgdoerfer will return to likely play most of the rest of this year with the Americans.
Gorges skating with the team is an unbelievably quick turnaround for a player who as of Saturday was still in a walking boot after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his foot and was originally expected to be out “weeks”. Kulikov’s return may be more important to the team however, as they had expected the 26-year old to be a big part of their blueline after acquiring him from Florida in the offseason. The former 14th-overall pick has played in just 12 games this season, recording no points.
Western Notes: Mueller, Toews, Scheifele
So much for that callup. The San Jose Sharks have sent Mirco Mueller back down just one day after bringing him up to the NHL. The former 18th overall pick was recalled yesterday to likely serve as insurance for a late scratch in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The young defender will return to the Barracuda to continue his development and try to force himself into the Sharks’ plan.
- Good news Chicago fans, the captain is returning soon. According to Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago, Jonathan Toews will be back on the ice with the team tomorrow and could play Sunday against the Dallas Stars. Toews has missed the last seven games with a back injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 2nd. A model of consistency over the past decade, Toews has scored between 23 and 34 goals in every single season of his career, but is in jeopardy of missing that mark this year with just four tallies through the team’s first 28 games. It’ll be interesting to see whether he comes back at %100 and starts putting up the numbers everyone has come to expect since making his debut in 2007-08.
- Not to be outdone, the Winnipeg Jets will welcome back their top center tonight as Mark Scheifele will be back in the lineup versus the New York Rangers. Scheifele has missed three games due to a lower-body injury. Head coach Paul Maurice spoke to the media at the morning skate and told reporters “as soon as he felt strong enough to play, we’re not going to worry about [re-injury]”. Scheifele has formed one of the most dynamic lines in hockey with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers this season, recording a combined 74 points through the Jets’ 29 games.
- The Colorado Avalanche are on a brutal six-game losing streak at the moment, and they’ll turn to the young Calvin Pickard to try and right the ship. After last playing on November 29th, Pickard will try to continue his excellent play and right the ship for Colorado against the Boston Bruins tonight. The 24-year old netminder has a .920 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average, both marks considerably better than teammate (and supposed #1) Semyon Varlamov. If the play of the two goaltenders continue this way, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pickard start more and more games through the season. It’s also looking more and more like the Avalanche will need to protect Pickard in the upcoming expansion draft, as he’ll be mighty enticing to a new franchise.
Snapshots: Golden Knights, Team Czech Republic, All-Time Lists
The (probably) Golden Knights have hit another snag in their naming saga as the US Trademark office has denied their application due to the similarities to the College of Saint Rose Golden Knights. While this doesn’t seem like a real problem – in a statement given to Alex Prewitt of SI, the Vegas team says that these actions are “not at all unusual” and points out the many duplicate names across professional sports – it is just another public annoyance for a team that likely just wants to start playing hockey. With so much discussion over the name, logo and all the other minutia, the start of the 2017-18 season can’t come soon enough for George McPhee and his team.
- Corey Pronman of ESPN has a look at the preliminary roster for Team Czech Republic at this year’s World Junior Championship. As the rosters of many of the other teams came out over the past few days, the Czech list was conspicuously missing. Among the highlights, are Red Wings’ prospect Filip Hronek who is off to an unbelievable start with Saginaw, scoring 20 points in 24 games (as a defenseman) and Senators’ prospect Filip Chlapik who ranks in the QMJHL top five in both scoring (44 points) and penalty minutes (58 PIM in 26 games). The team will be dangerous with several high NHL draft picks on it and will likely be in the mix for a bronze medal at the tournament.
- The NHL Network published their list of the top-40 goaltenders of all-time and as Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times put it, the list is “uh, interesting, in a lot of ways.” The list has the regulars at the top – Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, in that order – but gets “interesting” a little further down as they list active goaltenders like Jonathan Quick (#16) and Marc-Andre Fleury (#21) quite high. While obviously these lists are subjective, it does lend credence to the idea that goaltending is better than it ever has been before and is a major reason for the suppressed goal totals. Comparing players across eras will always be difficult, but I can imagine our readers will have a few different takes on the order of this list. Share your thoughts in the comments.
Minor Moves: Witkowski, Kulak, Wotherspoon
Thursday night in the NHL and there are 10 games on the docket tonight. With so many teams playing, there are sure to be a handful of minor moves to fill out rosters and cover injuries. We’ll keep you up to date right here.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a solid 14-11-2 start to the season, but have been struggling lately, losing five of their last six games. With three days off to regroup since their game on Sunday, the team has called up Luke Witkowski to give them a bit of a defensive boost. The Syracuse Crunch captain, Witkowski has played six games for the Lightning this year and offers a big physical presence on the back end. The 26-year old was a sixth-round pick of the Lightning back in 2008 and was a standout at Western Michigan University before joining the Crunch.
- Going in the opposite direction, the Calgary Flames are on a four-game winning streak but will make a move to give some more icetime to a young player. Brett Kulak has been sent down to the AHL to play more, as he’d sat out the last five games. Kulak is a 22-year old defender that the Flames think can be an NHL player for a long time, and they’d like him to develop just a bit more before installing him on their blueline. To replace him, the team has called up Tyler Wotherspoon from the Stockton Heat. A former second-round pick, Wotherspoon is a bit more polished and can offer a more physical game. Though Wotherspoon only has 26 NHL games under his belt, this will be his fourth season spending time with the Flames. No word on whether he’ll get into the lineup right away, or just take Kulak’s spot in the press box.
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Andrey Pedan from the AHL. Pedan has played 18 games for the Utica Comets this season, scoring just three points while racking up thirty penalty minutes. The former third-round pick played thirteen games for the Canucks last season, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup this year.
- After not playing in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Teemu Pulkkinen has been sent down to the AHL. Just like his entire career to this point, Pulkkinen has been an outstanding scoring threat at the lower level but is unable to replicate it in the NHL. With 15 points in 16 games for the Iowa Wild, but just a single goal in 8 contests for Minnesota, the enigma persists.
- Brad Hunt, the AHL’s leading scorer, has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues. Amazingly, the defenseman has 29 points in 23 games playing for the Chicago Wolves. Always a big point producer at the lower level, Hunt has suited up in 21 NHL contests over the years.
Snapshots: Uncertainty in Dallas, Hanzal
The Dallas Stars are in a precarious position due to a number of factors writes Mike Heika. Besieged by injury, and seemingly in some form of hockey purgatory, Heika begins his column with prose:
The Stars are neither fish nor fowl.
They are not fast, yet they are not slow.
They are not young, yet they are not old.
They are not tough, yet they are not weak.
The Stars have been an enigma this season, expected to build on last year’s successes while bringing along a lot of the young, speedy talent that seemed ready to carry the team. Instead, Heika writes that the injuries to Mattias Janmark and Ales Hemsky altered the plan to include bigger, and albeit slower, forwards. Additionally, a more veteran blue line gave way for youth, which includes a learning curve as it acclimates to NHL talent.
Heika adds that with the uncertainty of the youth delivering, comes the unknowns associated with the 2017 offseason where a number of unrestricted free agents are set to be re-signed or hit the market. Those names include Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Johnny Oduya, Adam Cracknell and Hemsky. Throw in what many analysts observe as a “shaky” goaltending tandem in Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, and Heika indicates there’s yet another aspect of the team that may see change. Finally, head coach Lindy Ruff is in the final year of his contract.
What does it all mean? The Stars are a team in “no man’s land” according to Heika. Ruff put the team through a tough practice and indicated that the way through the inconsistency was to keep working. Heika is convinced it’s the one way that Dallas can determine what they’re truly made of.
In other Western Conference news:
- Montreal needs help up front and Arizona’s Martin Hanzal may be just the the man to solve their problems writes Navin Vaswani. The 29-year-old could be had for a young NHL ready forward and Vaswani believes Phillip Danault could do the trick. But Vaswani adds that Marc Bergevin isn’t forced to make a trade at all. Pierre LeBrun tweets that he isn’t sure if the Habs’ interest in Hanzal has spiked since the injuries to Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais. What he does indicate, is that regardless of what decision they make, injuries are part of the game and the Habs–whether they make a deal or not–must find a way to survive the injuries. LeBrun also adds that Arizona may still make a run at re-signing Hanzal.
Snapshots: Nash, Edmonton, Pulkkinen
The New York Rangers announced today that Rick Nash is set to miss the next week with a groin injury. While the Rangers would rather their superstar miss no time at all, the prognosis is much better than it could have been. After the worst year of his pro career in 2016-16, Nash has looked rejuvenated this season with 11 goals and seven assists in 28 games. New York expects him back at full strength as soon as he’s cleared to play next week.
Unfortunately, the timing is not great for the Rangers. With just four wins in their last ten games, the team has cooled off after their hot start and other teams have taken advantage. With the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets set to take over the Metropolitan Division and a suddenly damaged-goods Montreal Canadiens team primed to give up the top spot in the East, New York needs their A-game right now. With Nash out of the lineup, line mate Jimmy Vesey day-to-day, and two games against the Chicago Blackhawks in the next five days, others will have to step up for the Rangers or they will be solidly in third in the division and have missed out on a chance to seize the conference by this time next week.
In other news:
- The Edmonton Oilers today announced that defenseman Mark Fayne has been placed on injured reserve and that David Musil has been recalled from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL to replace him. Fayne becomes the fifth Oilers defenseman currently on IR, joining Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse, Andrew Ference, and Eric Gryba. Rookie Matt Benning has already been pressed into regular service this season and now either Musil will make his first start since April 11th, 2015 tomorrow night against the Philadelphia Flyers or Dillon Simpson, called up on Saturday, will make his NHL debut.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled forward Teemu Pulkkinen from the AHL’s Iowa Wild and he joined the team before their game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, Pulkkinen will be a healthy scratch. After being claimed off of waivers before the season, the former Detroit Red Wings prospect played in eight games with Minnesota, but after scoring just one goal in that span, was demoted before the end of October. A point-per-game player with Iowa thus far, Pulkkinen appears to have outgrown the AHL and will look to earn a full spot with Minnesota this time around.
- The Boston Bruins have sent down Noel Acciari to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Having just activated Acciari off of the injured reserve, it is likely that the Bruins simply wanted the young winger to get some game time in at the AHL level before re-entering the Boston lineup. With Matt Beleskey sidelined and Frank Vatrano yet to be activated, there is space on the roster for Acciari if they want to call him up sooner rather than later.
Alex Galchenyuk And David Desharnais Both Expected Out 6 To 8 Weeks
Bad news for the Montreal Canadiens as not one but two of their top forwards will be out long-term. Going into last night’s game, a loss to the St. Louis Blues, Montreal had made it known that Alex Galchenyuk would be out “indefinitely” with an undisclosed lower-body injury. However, David Desharnais was injured late in the game as well and did not return. In a short press release tonight, the Canadiens announced that, after inspection by team doctors, both players have been diagnosed with knee injuries expected to keep them out of action for up to two months. No more information has yet been released as to the type or extent of either injury.
Just like that, the Canadiens are reeling. After a historically strong start yet again this season, injuries are slowing Montreal down for the second year in a row. Last season, the loss of all-world goalie Carey Price knocked the Habs out the playoff picture much quicker than anyone thought. Now, they’ll have to deal with their top two centers both out during the middle months of the season With a 4-4-2 record in their last ten games, Montreal’s play had already regressed and that was with Galchenyuk and Desharnais healthy. Can they survive this blow or will it be 2015-16 all over again?
Galchenyuk was on pace for a career year, after the Canadiens handed him the reins as the top line center this season. After a strong campaign last year with 56 points, his first 30-goal season, and a clean bill of health with 82 games played, Galchenyuk was ready to better those marks in 2016-17. The 22-year-old was on nearly a point-per-game pace, with 23 points in 25 games. Desharnais, on the other hand, has gotten off to a much slower start to the new season with just nine points in 25 games. However, since fighting his way up from the ECHL and establishing himself as a star with his 60 point season in 2011-12, Desharnais has been a consistent and productive force for the Canadiens.
The loss of two starting centers at once would cripple any team, but Montreal’s situation is made worse by the apparent cliff dive that long-time center Tomas Plekanec‘s career has taken this season. A perennial leader for the Habs, Plekanac has been relied on as a top scorer in Montreal every year since 2005-06. Now 34 years old, that production has dried up for the Czech pivot. Plekanac has just two goals and seven assists in 26 games and has been relegated to third line duty with his least amount of ice time per game in over a decade. Many have speculated that Montreal may even consider leaving Plekanac exposed in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, in hopes that the Vegas Golden Knights would take the final $6MM year of his contract off of their hands. Instead, this is now the player that the Canadiens will have to lean on for the next six to eight weeks to keep them afloat. Other options down the middle include veteran Torrey Mitchell, youngsters Phillip Danault and Michael McCarron, or a shift off of the wing for a player like Andrew Shaw, Paul Byron, or Brian Flynn. For now, the Canadiens have recalled forward Sven Andrighetto from St. John’s of the AHL to fill a hole up front. Expect more moves in the coming days, including a possible trade for a player like Martin Hanzal or Patrik Berglund.
Montreal’s rivals in the Atlantic Division are celebrating tonight, as it will be a difficult task for this team to keep up their championship-caliber appearance without Galchenyuk and Desharnais. Galchenyuk is likely second only to Max Pacioretty as far the team’s most valuable forward, and while several others are better than Desharnais, shorthanding any one position like this makes his loss sting more than most others. Without their two top centers until possibly February, the Canadiens are in a tough spot. The prognosis on either injury could have been worse, but this is still somewhat of a nightmare scenario in Montreal.
[Related: Montreal Canadiens Depth Chart]