Claude Julien Wins 400th Game
With a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres last night, Claude Julien picked up his 400th win as the head coach of the Boston Bruins. Julien passed the legendary Art Ross last season, who had 387 wins as the Bruins bench boss in 772 games, as the winningest coach in franchise history. Julien has 400 wins in just 716 games, with many more still to come.
After his shocking dismissal from the New Jersey Devils in 2007, Julien was hired by Boston to replace the failed experiment that was Dave Lewis. Right away Julien found success, leading the Bruins to the postseason in each of his first three seasons. He took the next step in 2010-11, when Boston went on to take home the Stanley Cup. Just two years later, they were back in the Cup Final. Overall, Julien made the playoffs for seven years in a row to begin his tenure in Boston, picking up over 300 wins along the way.
However, the past two years have not gone as smoothly for the Bruins coach. Boston has fallen victim to late season collapses and missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons. A team (and city) that had grown accustomed to making the postseason year after year were unhappy with the Bruins falling short of playoff hockey in back-to-back years, and Julien took the brunt of the blame. Yet, with his name on the chopping block in two straight seasons, the Boston brass has stuck with the franchise’s most successful coach, and Julien has continued to pick up wins.
The Bruins are off to a 7-5-0 start, and if the playoffs started today, they would finally be back in. With four wins against the division in their past five games, Boston is playing strong hockey and Juliens appears to be off the hot seat for now. He has shed the label of a coach who does not work well with young players, as giving prominent play time and responsibility to the likes of David Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo has paid off thus far. With a great core of players in their prime, including the dynamic duo of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand and the red-hot Tuukka Rask, Julien has the pieces to put together a lineup that could do much more than simply make the playoffs in 2016-17. If he can do that, it won’t be long before Julien is picking up his 500th win as Bruins coach and chasing the top ten in all-time NHL coaching wins.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Seventeenth 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)
Now we move forward to the 17th pick, which was held by the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes.
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 Coyotes selected big center Martin Hanzal in a pick that has turned out pretty well for the franchise. Hanzal is in the top-15 from his draft class in terms of games played and points and has been a mainstay in their lineup. Last season, he set a new career high in points with 41 despite missing 18 games due to injury. He’s off to a decent start this year as well, with four points in nine games but is currently on injured reserve with a lower body injury.
While Hanzal has spent his entire career so far in the desert (ranking eighth in games played in franchise history), he is a pending unrestricted free agent and is likely to get a raise from his $3.1MM cap hit and $3.5MM salary.
With the 17th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Coyotes select? Cast your vote below!
Mobile users, click here to vote.
Vancouver Unwilling To Move Top Prospects For Short-Term Help
While Vancouver GM Jim Benning is looking to make a move to improve his struggling Canucks team – they’ve lost nine straight games following tonight’s game against the Islanders – his options are limited due to an unwillingness to part with any top prospects or core players, writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. Benning explained his rationale to not consider using what would be his best trade assets:
“We’re in a transition period and that’s why I’m looking at different things. If it makes sense, we’ll look at it, but I’m not moving our Grade-A prospects.”
Vancouver’s ‘Grade-A’ prospects include goaltender Thatcher Demko who is considered the goalie of the future and is just beginning his pro career and recent first round picks Olli Juolevi and Brock Boeser who are at the junior and collegiate levels respectively. Kuzma adds that top draft picks are also off the table as well.
One player who has received a lot of interest is defenseman Chris Tanev. However, Benning ruled out any ideas of trading him at this time:
“We’ve rebuilt our defence over the course of the last two years and we have some depth. Tanev is a big part of our group and we’re not looking to move him. Chris is still young (26) and one of our better defencemen and you saw the other night (Saturday) when Tanev and Edler didn’t play.”
Tanev, who is currently out of the lineup with a foot issue, has a desirable contract for a top four blueliner with a cap hit of $4.45MM through the 2019-20 season. He recently returned to Vancouver to be re-evaluated and there is no timetable for his return.
In the meantime, with seemingly limited trade options at the moment, the Canucks will continue to hope that players like Loui Eriksson (zero goals), Sven Baertschi (zero goals), Jake Virtanen (zero goals), and Brandon Sutter (one goal) can snap their respective scoring droughts and get Vancouver back into the win column.
[Related: Canucks Depth Chart]
Garrioch’s Latest: De Haan, Johnson, Sharks Goalies
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun posted his latest Insider Trading column over the weekend. Here are some of the highlights that pertain to trade rumblings from around the NHL:
- Not only are the Islanders shopping goaltender Jaroslav Halak, they’re also looking to deal defenseman Calvin de Haan. The 25 year old has become a quality second pairing stay-at-home defender for the Isles while logging at least 19 minutes per game over each of the last three seasons. One potential reason for him hitting the block is his back-loaded contract. De Haan is in the final year of a three year deal that has a cap hit just under $2MM but a salary of $2.9MM. As a result, his qualifying offer in June must be $2.9MM which may be more than the team is willing to pay.
- The Blue Jackets are looking to clear some salary and while they haven’t been able to find a taker for Scott Hartnell, it’s also believed that they would be interested in dealing blueliner Jack Johnson. The 29 year old is in his sixth season with the team after being acquired from Los Angeles as part of the Jeff Carter trade. While he has put up a 40 point season in Columbus, his scoring has tailed off since then while his ice time is also down this year. He carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM for this season and next which could limit his suitors unless the Jackets are willing to take a comparable contract back.
- The Sharks have been looking around the league for a backup goaltender but have not had any luck so far. San Jose is currently running with 27 year old rookie Aaron Dell but have given him just one start so far this season. Starting netminder Martin Jones only has 110 career regular season games under his belt so on the surface, a veteran backup would appear to be something that the Sharks could certainly benefit from. However, they have less than $11K in cap space at the moment so any deal would have to send some salary out the other way. Garrioch suggests that forwards Tommy Wingels and Matt Nieto could both be had.
West Notes: Kane, Zatkoff, Las Vegas
While it doesn’t appear that talks are currently ongoing, the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres have held trade discussions regarding left winger Evander Kane, Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune notes in a reader mailbag.
Kane has had an adventurous last few seasons both on and off the ice. When it comes to his on ice performance, he has shown signs of stardom but hasn’t been able to deliver that with any sort of consistency since before the last lockout. He’s in his second year in a Buffalo uniform but has only played once after being injured in the season opener.
Off the ice, he was charged with four counts of non-criminal harassment, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of misdemeanor trespass after an incident back in June but it was announced last week that those charges will be dropped as long as he stays out of any legal trouble between now and March 30th.
Kane has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.25MM and a salary of $6MM in each season. For any deal to work the Wild, who will be back into LTIR this week after they make a pair of recalls before their next game, would have to send matching salary Buffalo’s way.
More news from the West:
- The Los Angeles Kings have activated goaltender Jeff Zatkoff off of injured reserve and assigned goalie Jack Campbell to Ontario of the AHL as first reported by Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Zatkoff started the season as the backup to Jonathan Quick but was thrust into the starting job after Jonathan Quick suffered a long-term groin injury that will still have him out for another 2-3 months. However, Zatkoff had a groin issue of his own come up in practice, forcing veteran Peter Budaj into the starting job. There’s no word on when Zatkoff will make his next start but with the Kings on a lengthy Eastern road trip, he should see some game action soon. He has an 0-3 record so far this year with a 4.38 GAA and a .839 save percentage.
- The expansion Las Vegas franchise will officially unveil their team name and logo at a press conference on November 22nd, the team announced in a press release. It’s believed that the team colors will be available at that time as well although the actual look of the uniforms are expected to be revealed at a later date.
Canadiens Place Artturi Lehkonen On IR, Recall Sven Andrighetto
The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have placed left winger Artturi Lehkonen on injured reserve with an upper body injury, meaning he will miss at least a week of action. The issue likely occurred on Saturday night where the Finnish forward did not play a single shift in the third period against Philadelphia. In a corresponding move, the team announced the recall of right winger Sven Andrighetto from St. John’s of the AHL.
Lehkonen, a 2013 2nd round pick (55th overall) of the Canadiens, made the opening roster out of training camp and has played in all 12 of their games so far this season, bouncing from the first to third lines. He has two goals and an assist so far this season with 27 shots on goal, which ranks tied for eighth league-wide among rookies.
As for Andrighetto, he made the team out of camp but was placed on waivers in mid-October and went unclaimed. He’s off to a strong start in the minors this year with five goals and six assists in ten games. The Swiss winger has 56 NHL games under his belt in his career – including 44 last season – with nine goals and eleven assists.
[Related: Canadiens Depth Chart]
Central Notes: Edmundson, Motte, Mitchell
St. Louis defenseman Joel Edmundson will be out for an ‘extended’ period of time as a result of an upper-body injury sustained on Sunday against Colorado, writes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team announced that he has been placed on injured reserve and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
The 23 year old is in his second season with the team and has played in all 13 of their games this season, primarily on the third defense pairing. He has an assist, 17 penalty minutes, and 23 hits so far this year.
Still with the Blues, Timmermann adds that blueliner Robert Bortuzzo is being re-evaluated today as he continues his recovery from a lower body injury from last October.
The team has recalled defenseman Petteri Lindbohm from AHL Peoria to take Edmundson’s spot on the roster. He has played in five games in the minors so far this season and has seen time with the Blues in each of the last two years. St. Louis also assigned right winger Ty Rattie to Peoria on a conditioning stint. He has played in just one game so far this season, being a healthy scratch the rest of the year.
[Related: Blues Depth Chart]
Other news out of the Central:
- Blackhawks left winger Tyler Motte left Sunday’s game against Dallas with what looked to be a leg injury. Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune reports that the issue isn’t believed to be serious but head coach Joel Quenneville stated postgame that he may miss some time. Motte, a 21 year old rookie, is off to a good start with Chicago so far this season, picking up three goals and three assists in his first 13 games while averaging 12:37 per game.
- Despite clearing waivers over the weekend, Colorado center John Mitchell remains with the team and even played in both games, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. GM Joe Sakic told Chambers that the team intends to keep Mitchell and his $1.8MM cap hit for the foreseeable future. If Mitchell remains with the team for 30 days or plays in 10 games since clearing, he would have to be waived again if they wanted to send him down later on.
Jacob Trouba Signs Two-Year Deal With Winnipeg
The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have re-signed defenseman Jacob Trouba to a two-year deal worth an AAV of $3MM with the Winnipeg Jets. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first with the report. The contract will pay him a prorated $2.5MM this season and $3.5MM in 2017-18. The restricted free agent had been holding out all season hoping for a trade to a different club where he could play a bigger role on his preferred right-side.
While this does not rule out a trade completely – as we saw with Kyle Turris just a few years ago – the Jets may have convinced Trouba that playing this year is more important than finding the perfect situation. The defenseman would have been ineligible to play had he not signed by December 1st.
The former first-round pick is considered a potential top-pairing defenseman able to play in all situations, and is currently blocked by both Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers on the right-side. Believing he’s deserved of more minutes and a core role, many teams had inquired on him this summer and into the first part of the season.
Again, this doesn’t mean he won’t be dealt this season, in fact he may become even more desirable for teams who were worried about him demanding a long-term deal. Now with the cost certainty for the next two seasons, a club can fit him in under their payroll structure. Teams like the Maple Leafs or Canucks now who have big contracts expiring over the next couple of seasons may find room and pick up the phone once again.
As Trouba likely realized, holding out is rarely helpful to a player’s case. While his hope was clear from the beginning, a strong front office can hold on and take any leverage you may have away from you. We saw it with Jonathan Drouin last season, who eventually made good with the club and has become a strong part, and the aforementioned Turris who was forced to sign a similar bridge deal before being dealt to the Ottawa Senators.
If Trouba can get back to playing, and prove that he’s the puck-moving shutdown defender that he’s looked like in the past, many teams around the league will be after him. At a $3MM hit this year and next, he’d be a welcome addition to almost any blueline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
David Warsofsky Sent Back To AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned defenseman David Warsofsky to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. The 26-year old had played just four games with the NHL club this season, recording zero points.
Originally a fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, Warsofsky is carving out a journeyman-like existence in the NHL, and has now been a part of four different organizations. Last season, he was claimed off waivers from the Penguins by the New Jersey Devils, before eventually re-signing with Pittsburgh in the offseason.
With the Penguins on a three game home stand that begins tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers, they can easily recall a defenseman should an injury occur. Warsofsky meanwhile can head to the AHL and stay sharp until his next recall.
Minnesota Assigns Bertschy, Schroeder To Iowa
With a few days off until their next matchup, the Minnesota Wild have assigned Christoph Bertschy and Jordan Schroeder to the Iowa Wild (AHL) on Monday. The Wild will not play until Thursday, when they embark on a three game road trip that will take them through the Eastern Conference. In their announcement they note that both could return for the Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bertschy has one point in three games with the NHL club this season after making his debut last year. The former sixth-round pick is a Swiss-born winger who scored 35 points in the AHL last season.
Schroeder brings a much higher pedigree, as he was selected 22nd overall in 2009, though he has found little NHL success in his career. In 109 games, the 26-year old has 27 points but has shown an ability to score at the lower levels. The 5’9″ centerman was signed after the Vancouver Canucks decided not to extend a qualifying offer in 2014.