Atlantic Notes: Chabot, Panthers, Bergeron, Nylander, Leivo
The Ottawa Senators are expected to make a decision in the next few days regarding what to do with defenseman Thomas Chabot, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports (Twitter link). The 19 year old is one of several ‘slide-rule players’ who can play up to nine NHL games before the first year of their contract kicks in.
As Chabot was drafted out of the CHL, the Sens must return him to his junior team in Saint John (QMJHL) if they don’t want to keep him up with the big club; the AHL is not an option for him. So far, Ottawa has played him just once and only gave him 7:09 of action in that lone appearance so at first glance, it would seem likely that he will eventually be heading back to junior.
If they were to send him back, Ottawa may be on the lookout for a veteran depth defender as they were back in the offseason. Internally, a likely option to be recalled in the interim to take Chabot’s place would be Mike Kostka who spent time in that role with the Senators last season.
[Related: Senators Depth Chart]
More from the Atlantic:
- The Panthers are getting great value from a pair of under the radar free agent acquisitions over the summer, writes George Richards of the Miami Herald. Wingers Colton Sceviour and Jonathan Marchessault were lost among the dozens of early signings on July 1st but have been key contributors for Florida this season. Marchessault is tied for the league lead in goals while Sceviour is second on the team in points behind only Marchessault. Both players signed for under $1MM (Sceviour $950K and Marchessault $750K, both for two years), giving the Panthers two of the best bargains in the NHL through the first month of the season.
- Boston center Patrice Bergeron sustained a minor injury following Monday’s practice and is questionable for tonight’s game, reports CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty. The issue is not related to the lower body injury that he had earlier this season. Head coach Claude Julien wouldn’t rule out Bergeron playing but the team has called up prospect Sean Kuraly from their AHL affiliate in Providence in case he is unable to go. The team will also be without David Backes who recently underwent elbow surgery.
- The league announced that Toronto center William Nylander has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month. While Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have garnered the most attention, Nylander is tied for the league lead in multi-point games this season with four. He leads all rookies in scoring with 11 points (4-7-11). The Leafs also announced that winger Josh Leivo has been sent to the AHL on a long-term injury conditioning loan. This loan typically lasts a maximum of six days or three games.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Sixteenth 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)
Now we move forward to the 16th pick, which was held by the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets).
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 Thrashers selected right winger Alex Bourret out of Lewiston of the QMJHL in a selection that certainly didn’t pan out. Bourret was an undersized power forward and despite some strong junior numbers (he had 114 points in his final ‘Q’ season), his game never really translated to the pro ranks. He spent parts of four seasons in the AHL but never got into a single NHL game. He has spent the last several years in the Quebec LNAH.
Two years after picking him, Atlanta moved Bourret to the Rangers for Pascal Dupuis and a third round pick (which was later flipped for center Chris Thorburn who still remains with the organization) so while the draft pick didn’t pan out, the Thrashers at least got some value from Bourret’s selection.
With the 16th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Thrashers (Jets) select? Cast your vote below!
Mobile users, click here to vote.
Red Wings Claim Martin Frk Off Waivers From Carolina
The Detroit Red Wings have reclaimed right winger Martin Frk off of waivers from Carolina, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link). Bob Duff of the Windsor Star adds via Twitter that Frk has been assigned to Grand Rapids of the AHL.
Frk, originally drafted by the Wings in the second round (49th overall) in 2012, has spent the bulk of his professional career at the minor league level. Last season was his first full season at the AHL level after splitting the previous two campaigns between Grand Rapids and Toledo of the ECHL. In 2015-16, he played in 67 games for the AHL’s Griffins, scoring 27 goals while adding 17 assists.
The Wings waived Frk last month but the Hurricanes scooped him off the wire and were one of three teams in total to place a claim according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie (Twitter link). However, Carolina rarely used the 23 year old as he has played in just two games so far this season, being held pointless with a -3 rating while averaging just 8:20 of ice time per game.
Because no other team placed a claim on Frk, Detroit was be able to send him down. Had another team put in a claim, the Red Wings would have been forced to keep him on their NHL roster or re-waive him to attempt to send him to the AHL.
[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]
Meanwhile for Carolina, with Frk now off the roster, the team has activated defenseman Ryan Murphy off of injured reserve. Murphy suffered a lower body injury in the preseason and has not yet suited up for the Hurricanes this season.
Metropolitan Notes: Flyers Goaltending, Gordon, Rask, Kreider, Murray
While the Flyers were hoping that goaltending would be a strength for them this season, the exact opposite has been the case so far, notes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. Through ten games, Philadelphia has a team save percentage of .866, the second lowest in the NHL (Carolina is last at .864). Not surprisingly, head coach Dave Hakstol has changed goalies in-game three times already.
Both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are set to be unrestricted free agents following the season and so far, they aren’t performing well in their contract years. Before the season started, GM Ron Hextall said that he didn’t anticipate signing either to an extension and right now that’s looking like a shrewd move.
For the time being at least, it’s likely that Hakstol will continue to platoon the two in the hopes that one will get on a roll. If neither get going though, they could be a team who looks outside the organization for goaltending help before too long.
More notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Still with the Flyers, the team announced that center Boyd Gordon will be out for at least a week with an upper body injury. While the release doesn’t specifically note it, Gordon will be placed on injured reserve. He has played in eight games so far this season, picking up a goal while averaging 8:30 per game on the fourth line.
- While Carolina’s decision to sign center Victor Rask to a six year, $24MM extension in the offseason raised more than a few eyebrows, the early returns on the new contract have been quite promising, writes Luke DeCock of the News and Observer. Not only does he lead the team in scoring with ten points (4-6-10) in eight games, he has recorded a point in every game so far. Coincidentally, the only other player in franchise history to pick up at least a point in each of the first eight games of the season is the person who signed Rask to that contract, GM Ron Francis.
- The New York Rangers will welcome back left winger Chris Kreider to the lineup tonight, reports Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. He has missed the last four games due to neck spasms. Prior to the injury, he was off to a strong start to the season with seven points (3-4-7) in five games. He’s expected to play alongside Mika Zibanejad who he has skated with going back to training camp and Mats Zuccarello. Oscar Lindberg is expected to be a healthy scratch to open up a spot for Kreider to return.
- Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray is expected to return to the lineup tonight, notes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. It has been a rocky season for the 23 year old so far. He has missed the last four games with an upper body issue and has also missed time with a lower body issue suffered while blocking a shot in the season opener. As a result, he has only seen action in two games this season. Murray logged nearly 23 minutes a game last year and will be a welcome addition for John Tortorella’s blueline moving forward.
Friedman’s Latest: Spooner, Flyers, Canadiens, Trouba, Capitals
As is the case every Tuesday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman released his latest 30 Thoughts column. As always, the whole article is worth a read but here are some of the highlights, including Ryan Spooner in Boston, the Flyers looking to free up some cap space, an update on Jacob Trouba, and more:
- Teams are expressing an interest in Boston center Ryan Spooner, particularly since he was a healthy scratch for their home opener. He’s one year removed from a 49 point season with a cap hit of just $950K so he’d fit in on the cap for most teams around the league. He’s still just 24 years of age so it’s certainly conceivable that the Bruins still view him as part of their future. Friedman wonders if prospect Austin Czarnik could play a role in whether or not the team looks at moving Spooner. He may not be ready for full-time duty just yet but he could be in the near future.
- With Michael Del Zotto and Scott Laughton are nearing a return to the lineup, the Flyers are believed to be trying to make a move to free up some cap room. Both players are currently on LTIR so the team will need to get cap compliant before they can activate them. Matt Read is off to a strong start this year with five goals already and Friedman suggests they may not be as willing to move him now as they were earlier.
- The Canadiens are shopping for some defensive help but are in particular looking for a top four player. With Cam Fowler presumably off the market and Jacob Trouba not believed to have interest in playing for any of the Canadian teams, there aren’t really many of those available at the moment.
- Speaking of Trouba, he has shown no interest so far in a short-term bridge deal that would allow him to get back to action while still basically maintaining his trade request. We took a closer look yesterday at where things are with Trouba, who has one month to sign or else he’ll be forced to sit the rest of the NHL season.
- With Evgeny Kuznetsov (pending RFA) and Karl Alzner (pending UFA) needing contracts at the end of the year, Washington GM Brian McLellan acknowledges that this could be the last run for the Capitals with their current core group. He believes the team is as strong as it has been in a long time down the middle with the addition of Lars Eller although he is off to a slow start offensively with just one goal so far this season.
Red Wings Notes: Leadership Questions
George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press writes that while Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill appreciates Henrik Zetterberg taking one for the team, the Wings’ poor play against both Florida and Boston rests with him. From Blashill:
Ultimately, it’s on me. That’s my job … to make sure they’re ready. I appreciate Henrik saying that. I would say this — without question, you have to look yourself in the mirror and make sure you’re ready to go. We had too many guys not ready to go.
Zetterberg commented that it was on him to prepare the team better, and that Detroit needs to be play better at home. Blashill seemingly stamped out the question of leadership issues in the locker room. Blashill continued with MLive’s Ansar Khan:
“I have 100 percent belief in the group in this locker room, so I’m not concerned long-term at all,” Blashill said. “All I’m concerned about is tonight, which wasn’t good enough. I don’t have any worries about the level of leadership or the level of character that we have to a man in this locker room.”
Khan expanded further, speaking to several of the same players that Sipple did. Danny DeKeyser doesn’t believe there are leadership issues in Detroit, saying that:
“Leadership is important, but at the end of the day everyone is here in the NHL and they need to do whatever they need to do to get going and ready to play. I wouldn’t put much up on the captaincy or leadership, just guys doing what they need to do to be ready to go.”
If the Red Wings rip off another six game winning streak, the questions will fade. But should Detroit look listless through another pair of games, the questions will likely multiply.
Kings Call Rob Scuderi Up From Ontario
The Los Angeles Kings have called up veteran defenseman Rob Scuderi from Ontario tweets Joe Rosen. Kings writer Elliott Teaford confirmed the move as well. Teaford writes that Scuderi is a call up after Brayden McNabb suffered an upper body injury in Sunday’s game and was placed on injured reserve. Teaford points out that Scuderi has not played a game for the Kings or Reign this season, and was cut from the Kings’ training camp just a few weeks back.
Last season was a whirlwind for Scuderi, who was dealt from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Chicago Blackhawks in a deal that involved Trevor Daley. Scuderi was then spun off by the Blackhawks to the Kings for Christian Ehrhoff. In 63 games with the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Kings, Scuderi had 10 assists. Scuderi suited up for all five of the Kings’ playoff games but registered no points.
Snapshots: Coyotes, Lightning, Backes
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Phoenix Coyotes have assigned center Christian Dvorak to the team’s AHL affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners. Dvorak has zero goals and three assists in seven games for the Coyotes. The Coyotes did not immediately recall another player, which means young prospect Dylan Strome looks to have an extended playing opportunity tonight. Strome—Arizona’s 3rd overall draft pick last year—has only played three games this season. AZ Sports writer Craig Morgan says not to expect Dvorak to be in Tucson for long because Arizona will be shuttling AHL-eligible players back and forth to both save cap space and provide additional playing time.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Slater Koekkoek and reassigned Matt Taormina. The move comes ahead of the Lightning’s Tuesday night game against the New York Islanders. Koekkoek was originally drafted 10th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, but has not yet lived up to expectations. He made the Lightning out of camp this season, but was a healthy scratch for the team’s first three games. Tampa Bay then sent Koekkoek down to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) to get more playing time. Taomina has been a career AHLer, and was called up for one game before being sent back down.
- Boston Bruins forward David Backes is expected to miss the next two games, according to head coach Claude Julien. Backes underwent surgery last week to remedy his olecranon bursitis (elbow inflammation) and has been out since October 25th. The Bruins are holding Backes out now to prevent infection and to ensure that he heals properly. Backes has been productive since signing with the Bruins in the offseason, scoring 2G and 2A in 5 games.
Snapshots: All-Star Ballot, Zacha, Hunwick, Korpisalo
The NHL is expected to revise its eligibility criteria for the All-Star ballot, writes Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. There was plenty of debate over the controversial push made to get enforcer John Scott into the game and was further fueled by the fact that he played while suiting up with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps (minor league affiliate of Montreal) and was not on an NHL roster.
In particular, the league plans to add the criterion that to be eligible to participate, the player must be a ‘bona fide NHL player’. While there is some ambiguity as to what that exactly is intended to mean, at the very least it would suggest that someone suiting up in the minor leagues like Scott was last year would not be eligible to play. There could also be minimums for games played, ice time, etc to further reduce the likelihood of another write-in campaign like Scott’s was last year or in the past with defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick.
As it turned out, there was a happy ending to Scott’s controversial appearance at All-Star Weekend as he scored twice and was voted as the MVP. The whole adventure resulted in a screenplay being written to chronicle the event but it would appear that something like that won’t be permitted to happen again with this planned change.
The official ballot should be released sometime in mid-November.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The New Jersey Devils are expected to keep center Pavel Zacha through the first of two key deadlines for junior aged players, Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice reports. The 19 year old has played in eight games so far this season while recording three assists. He has seen his ice time jump in recent games, playing over 15 minutes in each of his last four outings. Once he plays in his tenth game, he will burn the first year of his entry-level contract. The next key deadline for Zacha will be the 40 game mark – if he is on New Jersey’s roster for 40 games, he will accrue one season towards unrestricted free agency.
- Toronto has placed defenseman Matt Hunwick on injured reserve with a lower body injury according to James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail (Twitter link). Hunwick has missed the last three games and it’s likely that his IR stint will be backdated retroactive to his last game played on October 25th. The 31 year old has seen his role drop considerably in the early going this season; his average ice time (16:59) is down by over five and a half minutes per game compared to last season (22:34).
- Columbus activated goaltender Joonas Korpisalo off of season-opening injured reserve and have assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Cleveland, the team announced. Korpisalo has been out since the start of the season with a groin injury. He led the team in wins, GAA, and SV% last season after getting into 31 games with the Blue Jackets. Once he’s back in game shape, he’ll try to make a push to supplant Curtis McElhinney as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky.
Central Notes: Wild Roster Woes, Bourque, Eakin, Sharp
The Minnesota Wild are finding themselves in a bit of a cap crunch due to a rash of recent injuries, writes Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune. The team is currently without forwards Zac Dalpe and Zach Parise as well as defenseman Marco Scandella, who are all week-to-week. Additionally, wingers Erik Haula (injured, out 7-10 days) and Chris Stewart (sick) were also unable to skate on Monday. As a result of the injuries, the team had just 14 skaters at practice.
The team currently has just shy of $1.5MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly but that’s only enough cap space for two recalls. The team could put Scandella on LTIR but that would make it that he’d have to be out for at least 24 days (retroactive to October 27th when he was injured) and if he’s not expected to be out that long, that’s far from an ideal scenario for the Wild. The team could also put Victor Bartley on LTIR but his cap hit doesn’t count in full already as he is currently on season-opening injured reserve (his cap hit only counts for the percentage of time he was on an NHL roster last year) so that wouldn’t free up much more space for Minnesota to work with. Dalpe underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday so he too is a potential LTIR candidate.
Suffice it to say, it’s going to be a busy time for GM Chuck Fletcher as he navigates the cap in order to give the Wild a full roster (or as close to one as possible) in advance of their next game on Tuesday against Buffalo.
Other news from the Central:
- The Avalanche have assigned left winger Gabriel Bourque to San Antonio of the AHL, the team announced (Twitter link). Bourque has played in five games with Colorado so far this season after earning a contract off a PTO, being held pointless while logging 10:46 per game. The 26 year old cleared waivers just prior to the start of the year and since less than 30 days had passed since then, he was able to be sent down now without going back on waivers. The team does not plan to call anyone up to take Bourque’s spot on the roster, adds Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.
- Dallas center Cody Eakin has done some light skating and head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link) that he is about 2-3 weeks away from returning. Still with the Stars, Patrick Sharp (concussion-like symptoms) worked out on Sunday. Both of those should come as positive signs considering it was announced earlier today that Ales Hemsky is out for the next 5-6 months after undergoing hip surgery.