Tampa Bay Signs Brett Howden To Entry Level Contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to lock up their prospects before the calendar turns to 2017 as they announced the signing of center Brett Howden to a three year, entry level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. This comes on the heels of them inking winger Mathieu Joseph to his entry level pact last week.
Howden was a first round pick of the Lightning (27th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He is in his third full WHL season with Moose Jaw and is off to his best start offensively with 16 goals and 16 assists through 21 games. He was recently one of the final cuts for Team Canada at the World Juniors; despite that, Tampa is more than well represented with no fewer than five prospects on the Canadian roster.
The 18 year old is the brother of Winnipeg farmhand Quinton Howden, a former first rounder himself (25th overall to Florida back in 2010).
Unless Joseph plays in ten or more games with Tampa Bay this season (an unlikely scenario), Howden’s contract will slide a year and begin in the 2017-18 season. As a result, the team will receive a small cap savings on the deal, typically one-third of the signing bonus.
Injury Updates: Sabres, Senators, Blues
Injury updates around the NHL today:
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Cody Franson is close to returning from a “mid- to lower-body” injury, reports John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Franson has missed the past three games with the semi-undisclosed injury right before the holidays. Franson has 1G and 7A in 31 games for the Sabres, but only 1 powerplay point all year. The 29 year-old defenseman will look to improve those numbers upon his return.
- Staying with the Buffalo Sabres, forward Tyler Ennis is “7–10 days” from returning to practice, reports the NHL’s Bill Hoppe. Ennis is currently out with a sports hernia suffered in early November, and is sorely missed. The Sabres are 29th in scoring this season, and while Ennis only had 1G and 1A in 12 games before his injury, he led the team in scoring two years ago. Ennis played only 23 games last season, and he’ll need to rebound this season if the Sabres hope to progress in their rebuild.
- The Ottawa Senators do not expect forward Clarke MacArthur back before mid-January, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. MacArthur has been sidelined with a concussion since the the season’s start, but has skated regularly with the team as of late. He joins in on most Senators’ non-contact drills but hasn’t made the jump to sustained physical contact yet. Ottawa must be careful with MacArthur because he has a history of concussion problems. He missed all but four games last season with concussion symptoms.
- Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher also do not expect goaltender Craig Anderson back “for awhile”, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Anderson left the team to be with his wife Nicole as she battles cancer. Anderson has left the team for short stints before but this absence looks to be an extended one. The Senators acquired goalie Mike Condon from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 5th round draft pick and the goalie has been thrust into the starting role.
- Adding to the Sens roster woes is forward Zack Smith will miss at least two games with an abdominal strain, reports the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. Smith suffered the injury Tuesday night against the New York Rangers. Smith has 8G and 7A in 35 games. Smith is looking to build on his surprising goal-scoring prowess last year—he scored 25 goals in 81 games.
- The St. Louis Blues have activated forward Paul Stastny from Injured Reserve, reports NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Stastny suffered an upper-body injury on December 20th against the Dallas Stars. Because of the NHL’s three-day holiday break, Stastny has only missed one game—a 5-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning—and will return against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.
Red Wings Reassign Bertuzzi And Lashoff To AHL
The Detroit Red Wings will reassign forward Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Brian Lashoff to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, reports MLive.com’s Ansar Khan. Both moves come ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
Bertuzzi will be in Grand Rapids to get some playing time after coming off of injured reserve. Bertuzzi suffered a high ankle sprain against the Montreal Canadiens in November and hasn’t played since. The young forward is pointless so far in seven games for the Red Wings, but has 3G and 3A in 10 games for Grand Rapids earlier this season.
Lashoff is a more classic reassignment due to poor performance. The big defenseman is pointless in five games for the Red Wings, and languished on the third-pairing averaging less than 13 minutes a night. This isn’t Lashoff’s first stint in Grand Rapids, however. In 18 games this season he’s scored 1G and 2A. Lashoff has struggled to make the big team signing with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2008, playing in a full NHL season only once in his career.
Devils Injury Notes
The injury bug has struck the New Jersey Devils forward core.
Veteran center Vern Fiddler will be out of the lineup for the next 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury, while superstar Taylor Hall will miss Thursday night’s game and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury that is unrelated to his knee surgery.
Fiddler has three points in 35 games this season. He signed a one-year, $1.25MM contract back on July 1st. With center Jacob Josefson on IR battling a concussion suffered earlier this month, look for the Devils GM Ray Shero to perhaps make a call to Albany of the AHL later this week.
Hall has 23 points in 27 games this season after being acquired from Edmonton in the first blockbuster move of June 29. He missed two weeks in November with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He had a beautiful assist in Tuesday night’s loss to the Penguins, and also took a stick to the face. Neither the prior knee injury nor the mouth are responsible for Hall’s status, according to the Devils. While Hall will miss Thursday night’s game for sure, it’s not clear how long he’ll be day-to-day or what exactly has struck him down.
Snapshots: Canada, Peca, Bailey
While it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, Team Canada is dominating at the World Juniors.
After a hard-fought win over Russia on December 26, Canada easily beat Slovakia 5-0 on Tuesday night. The Canadian goalie, Lightning prospect Connor Ingram, had a six-save shutout. Bruins defensive prospect Jérémy Lauzon, who began the tournament as Canada’s seventh defenseman, scored a goal and an assist in the second period to spark the offence and begin the onslaught.
However, another Canadian defenseman has been getting some love as an underdog story. Philippe Myers went undrafted in 2015, but earned an entry-level contract after attending Philadelphia Flyers training camp on an amateur tryout. Myers then had a 45-point campaign in the QMJHL and has 18 points in 19 games this season. The 6’5 right-handed defenseman is now playing on Canada’s top pairing with 2015 first-round-pick Thomas Chabot.
As for why Myers was passed over in the draft, with the value of right-handed defensemen at an all-time high, that’s something that Flyers GM Ron Hextall would like to know. Hextall told Postmedia’s Mike Zeisberger that he didn’t ask his scouting staff why they didn’t take him, but instead wanted to learn from the experience. With Myers tracking well, all 30 NHL teams will be wondering how Myers slipped through the draft. “I’m more trying to figure out how the hell that happened,” Hextall added.
Myers gave advice for all other undrafted players, saying “it’s all about your attitude and your mindset. If you see yourself playing at the bigger levels and you really believe it and you put the work in, everything’s possible. That’s what happened with me.”
- Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Matthew Peca (no relation to Michael) will make his NHL debut tonight at home versus the Montreal Canadiens. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Peca centered J.T. Brown and Michael Bournival at practice this morning.The 2011 seventh-round-pick has 17 points in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat are both considered “probable” for the Lightning after missing the past two weeks or so.
- With Zack Smith sidelined by an upper-body injury, the Senators have recalled Casey Bailey, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Smith left Tuesday night’s game against the Rangers. Bailey has 14 points in 28 games with the Binghamton Senators so far this season, but has been held pointless in two NHL games. Bailey was acquired by the Senators as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade.
Brian Dumoulin To Miss 4-6 Weeks
The Pittsburgh Penguins may have beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Tuesday night, but the victory came at a great cost.
Defenseman Brian Dumoulin will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a broken jaw after taking an Andy Greene slap-shot to the face. The cap-strapped Penguins have already placed Dumoulin on LTIR.
Dumoulin joins fellow injured top-four defensemen Kris Letang and Trevor Daley. Both men are considered week-to-week with lower and upper body injuries respectively.
While Dumoulin is not an offensive threat (he hasn’t scored an NHL regular season goal since December 15, 2014), he has become a dependable part of the Penguins’ blue-line since cracking the NHL full time last season. He was acquired by the Penguins in the Jordan Staal trade at the 2012 draft.
With Daley, Dumoulin, and Letang all out, the pairing of Ian Cole and Justin Schultz is now the de facto top pairing. Schultz has been on fire in the last 15 games, posting 7-10-17 in that stretch, which included the winning goal against the Devils.
Two Players Sent To AHL As Roster Freeze Ends
With the NHL’s holiday roster freeze over, Washington and Toronto made a pair of minor transactions on Wednesday morning.
The Capitals sent rookie Zachary Sanford back to Hershey of the AHL, the Bears announced this morning. Sanford has played for both the Bears and Capitals this season, with one assist in 20 NHL games and four goals and seven points in just six AHL games. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan isn’t surprised by the move, considering Sanford had been a healthy scratch for three of the past four games after being recalled on December 17.
Meanwhile the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltending carousel continues, as the team demoted backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth to the AHL. The move has not been announced by the team as of this being written, but the move is already up on the AHL’s official transaction page and Enroth is listed on the Marlies roster. This comes one day after the Leafs recalled a trio of players, including goaltender Antoine Bibeau. Enroth was expected to be a solid backup for new starter Frederik Andersen, but has struggled mightily with no victories in six appearances and a 0.872 SV%. Because he makes under $950K, ($750K), he will not count against the Maple Leafs’ salary cap.
Enroth joins Karri Ramo, Garret Sparks, and Jeff Glass as goaltenders on the Marlies’ roster. Enroth and Sparks are under contract with the NHL club, Ramo is with the team on a tryout basis, and Glass is on an AHL-only deal after spending the past seven years in the KHL.
World Junior Championship Final Rosters
Group A
Czech Republic:
G Petr Kvaca, HC Ceske Budejovice
G Jakub Skarek, HC Dukla Jihlava
G Daniel Vladar, Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins)
D Frantisek Hrdinka, Linkopings HC
D Filip Hronek, Saginaw Spirt (Detroit Red Wings)
D Petr Kalina, HC Sparta Praha
D Daniel Krenzelok, HC Vitcovicek Steel
D David Kvasnicka, HC Plzen
D Ondrej Vala, Kamloops Blazers (Dallas Stars)
D Jakub Zboril, Saint John Sea Dogs (Boston Bruins)
F Filip Chlapik, Charlottetown Islanders (Ottawa Senators)
F Lukas Jasek, HC Oceláři Třinec (Vancouver Canucks)
F David Kase, Pirati Chamutov (Philadelphia Flyers)
F Radek Koblizek, Oulun Karpat
F Daniel Kurovsky, Vitkovice Ostrava
F Adam Musil, Red Deer Rebels (St. Louis Blues)
F Martin Necas, HC Kometa Brno
F Kristian Reichel, HC Litvinov
F Tomas Soustal, Kelowna Rockets
F Michael Spacek, Red Deer Rebels (Winnipeg Jets)
F Simon Stransky, Prince Albert Raiders
F Filip Suchy, Omaha Lancers
Denmark:
G Emil Gransoe, Topeka Roadrunners
G Kasper Krog, Sønderjysk
G Lasse Petersen, Red Deer Rebels
D Morten Jensen, Rögle BK
D Anders Koch, Esbjerg Energy
D Oliver Larsen, Odense Bulldogs
D Christian Mieritz, Leksands IF
D Oliver Gatz Nielsen, Herning Blue Fox
D Mathias Rondbjerg, Rungsted Seier Capital
D Nicolai Weichel, Rungsted Seier Capital
F Niklas Andersen, Esbjerg Energy
F Rasmus Thykjaer Andersson, HV71
F Joachim Blichfeld, Portland Winterhawks (San Jose Sharks)
F William Boysen, Rungsted Seier Capital
F Nikolaj Krag Christensen, Rogle BK (St. Louis Blues)
F Frederik Hoeg, Odense Bulldogs
F Jeppe Jul Korsgaard, Aalborg Pirates
F Tobias Maximilian Ladehoff, Aalborg Pirates
F David Madsen, Vaxjo Lakers
F Jonas Rondbjerg, Vaxjo Lakers
F Alexander True, Seattle Thunderbirds
F Christian Wejse, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Central Division Snapshots: Haula, Parise, Varlamov
The Minnesota Wild have been on quite the run recently winning 10 in a row and earning points in all 11 games they’ve played in the month of December. They put that streak on the line tonight when the Wild travel to Nashville to play the Predators. But as Mike Russo of the Star Tribune reports, boosting Minnesota’s chances to extend their streak is the return of forwards Erik Haula, who missed three games with a hip injury, and Zach Parise, who was out for two games with strep throat.
Strep throat has become an all too common occurrence for Parise as he’s come down with the condition four times since the World Cup tournament. Parise considered having his tonsils removed to prevent an additional recurrence but was told by doctors that the surgery would “sideline him for a bit,” as Russo notes. The repeated illnesses have likely contributed to a lackluster start to the season as Parise has registered just five goals in 24 contests, though he seemed to be heating up with four points in the five games prior to coming out of the lineup.
Haula’s return is also a welcome one for the Wild. Minnesota bench boss Bruce Boudreau is glad to be able to slot the 25-year-old back into his usual third-line pivot role.
“Centers a very difficult position up front,” Boudreau said. “[Haula’s] probably going to be a little rusty. Grao played pretty good for us, and now he’s the fourth-line center, so it gives you more things to do if people aren’t going.”
Haula has contributed five goals and 10 points in 23 games while averaging 14:13 of ice time per game. He set career highs in goals and assists last season with 14 and 20 respectively while leading the club in plus-minus with a +21 rating.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- Semyon Varlamov‘s troublesome groin is once again keeping the Avalanche’s starting goalie sidelined, according to Terry Frei of The Denver Post. Frei notes that this will be the third stretch of games Varlamov has missed due to the groin and also a wrist ailment. Calvin Pickard, who earned the win in Colorado’s 2 – 1 victory over Chicago Friday night, will be between the pipes against Calgary tonight and Jeremy Smith was recalled from San Antonio to serve as the backup. Smith, 27, has never appeared in an NHL game but has spent eight seasons in the minors, primarily in the AHL, in the Nashville, Boston, Minnesota and now the Colorado organizations. Spencer Martin was up with the team last week but was left in the AHL in order to get some game action.
Metro Division Injury Updates: Faulk, Lundqvist, Raffl, Couturier
With teams resuming their normal practice and game-day routines after the three-day holiday break, news and updates regarding several Metro Division players have been released today. Here’s a quick roundup:
- Justin Faulk, Carolina’s #1 defenseman, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury evidently suffered in the latter half of the team’s recent game against Boston, according to Michael Smith, who covers the team for the Hurricane’s official NHL.com website. Faulk is averaging better than 23 minutes-per-game for Carolina and has tallied seven goals and 16 points in 30 games this season. He currently leads the team’s blue line corps in scoring and is second behind Jaccob Slavin in ice time.
- The New York Rangers have recalled goalie Brandon Halverson from Hartford to backup Antti Raanta tonight as the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators at MSG, according to this tweet from the team’s official Twitter account. New York’s starter, Henrik Lundqvist is battling the flu and has been ruled out for the game. Though unlikely, should Halverson see any action tonight, it would qualify as the 20-year-old netminder’s NHL debut.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly.com has several developments after the Flyers practiced today. With Michael Raffl expected to miss up to two weeks with an upper-body injury suffered against New Jersey last Thursday night, rookie winger Taylor Leier is likely to fill in on the team’s top line. Leier scored his first NHL goal on December 17th and has two points in eight games this season.
- Meanwhile, Flyers GM Ron Hextall is hopeful that center Sean Couturier will be back in the lineup for the first time since November 22nd. Couturier has missed the last 16 games with a knee injury.
- Michal Neuvirth is nearing a return to the team after practicing with the team today, though he is not expected to play during the Flyers upcoming three-game road trip. Neuvirth has not played for Philadelphia since November 12th because of a knee injury. In his absence, Anthony Stolarz has given the Flyers two quality starts, winning both and posting a GAA of 1.84 and a Save % of 0.932.