The Jack Capuano Situation
After finally breaking through to the second-round of the playoffs in 2015-16, following six consecutive first-round postseason defeats, it was expected that the New York Islanders might be ready to take yet another step in their progression. After all, the team returned its roster nearly intact and boasts a legitimate franchise player in John Tavares. Though it’s early, the Islanders are off to a disappointing 3 – 5 – 0 record and currently reside in a last place tie with Carolina. This combined with other factors has led Brandon Cohen of Today’s Slapshot to conclude that Jack Capuano has surpassed his expiration date as head coach of the Islanders.
In addition to the slow start to the 2016-17 campaign, Cohen points out that despite moving on to the second round last season and winning game one against Tampa Bay, the Islanders “crumbled” when it mattered most and turned in a disappointing effort in the series-clinching 4 – 0 loss to the Lightning in game five. Cohen also notes that a year earlier, with a chance to advance with a game seven win over Washington in the first round, the Islanders mustered just 11 total shots on goal in a performance that can best be described as “flat.”
Capuano was elevated to head coach early on in the 2010-11 campaign and is in his seventh season with more than 450 games running the Islanders bench. He’s guided the team to three playoff appearances and back-to-back 100-point seasons but as noted earlier, just a single playoff series win. It’s rare for a coach who has achieved little postseason success to be allowed that much time but GM Garth Snow has obviously exercised patience when it comes to Capuano.
The Islanders handling of their goaltending situation has elicited criticism in the last couple of days. The team has carried three goaltenders for much of the last couple of seasons due in large part to the fact Jean-Francois Berube is not waivers-exempt and would almost certainly be claimed if exposed. Because of this, it’s been hard to find appropriate practice time to keep the team’s goalies sharp. Of course some of the blame for this falls on Snow for his inability or unwillingness to move one of his tenders to clear the logjam while obtaining some value in return. But Capuano shoulders some of the responsibility as it is on him to schedulea nd plan practices.
Capuano has also found it difficult working offseason additions Jason Chimera and Andrew Ladd into the lineup. The duo has accounted for just four points, all assists, while taking up $7.75MM in cap space this year. Over the last six years, Ladd has averaged 0.33 goals-per-game and has tallied at least 23 markers in each of the last five full seasons he has played. Yet he has just one helper to date through eight games even though he has had John Tavares and Josh Bailey as linemates 63% of the time, according to the website Left Wing Lock.
Again, you could find fault with Snow for handing out those free agent deals but Ladd has been a steady producer for a long time and the onus is on Capuano to find a way to help jump start the veteran winger’s game.
Capuano has drawn praise for focusing on the development of young players. In addition to Tavares, Kyle Okposo has developed into a solid power forward who has tallied at least 60 points two of the last three seasons. Frans Nielsen turned into one of the game’s best two-way centers, mostly under Capuano’s tutelage. Meanwhile, Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan have grown into solid top-four defenders.
Of course there have also been several high draft picks who have yet to reach their potential. Josh Bailey was selected 9th overall in 2008 but has yet to score more than 16 goals or 41 points in any season. Ryan Strome had a 50-point campaign as a 21-year-old sophomore but his production tailed off tremendously in 2015-16, scoring just seven goals and 28 points last season.
As with any coach, there have been plenty of ups-and-downs for the Islanders under Capuano. But while Snow has demonstrated plenty of patience to date with his head coach, the time to make a change behind the bench might be drawing near if the Islanders can’t shake off the early season doldrums.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Anderson, Deslauriers, Conacher, Vanek
As noted earlier this week, Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is going through a tough stretch in his personal life with the recent news of his wife’s cancer diagnosis. At his wife’s insistence, Anderson has returned from a brief leave of absence and will be pressed right back into service tonight between the pipes for the Senators, who are in Edmonton to play the red hot Oilers. Bruce Garrioch confirmed via Twitter that Anderson will get the start tonight as Ottawa attempts to snap the Oilers five-game winning streak.
Anderson has won four of his five starts this season despite a GAA approaching three and a S% just above 90%. Now in his 14th NHL season, Anderson has won 217 career games and has twice finished fourth in Vezina voting. During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Anderson led the league in GAA (1.69) and S% (94.1%).
With Andrew Hammond now on IR the Senators desperately need Anderson, though it would be understandable if the veteran netminder’s focus is somewhat divided. It’s likely most everyone outside of Edmonton is going to be an Ottawa Senators and Craig Anderson fan tonight.
More from the NHL’s Atlantic Division:
- Physical winger Nicolas Deslauriers of the Buffalo Sabres left Saturday’s win over Florida after a collision along the boards in the game’s final minute, writes Amy Moritz of The Buffalo News. Later, Mike Harrington, also of the Buffalo News, revealed on Twitter that Deslauriers has a knee injury and will be out of the lineup for “weeks.” To replace the four-year veteran in the lineup, at least for the time being, the Sabres have recalled winger Nicholas Baptiste from Rochester of the AHL, once again courtesy of Harrington. Baptiste has already appeared in two games this season for Buffalo – the first NHL action of his career – and scored his first career NHL goal on October 20th.
- Cory Conacher, who was recalled on Friday to take the place of the injured Nikita Kucherov, has been returned to Syracuse of the AHL, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Conacher played 13:26 last night for the Lightning but didn’t register a point and recorded a -1 plus-minus rating. Smith suggests the reassignment of Conacher could mean that Kucherov or perhaps even Ryan Callahan is ready to return to the lineup for tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers. As Smith also notes, it would be fitting for Callahan, who has yet to play this season following hip surgery this summer, to make his 2016-17 debut against his former team. It’s also possible head coach Jon Cooper will simply dress seven defensemen; a tactic he utilized on many occasions last season.
- Originally listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body-injury, it now appears as if Detroit forward Thomas Vanek has been downgraded to week-to-week and is expected to miss the next few games, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Vanek is off to a good start in his first year in Detroit, scoring four goals and eight points in his first seven contests. Detroit was considered a fringe playoff team at best coming into the season but the Austrian winger has helped the Wings to a 6 – 3- 0 start and a second place standing in the Atlantic. His extended absence is certainly bad news for a Wings club that has overachieved to this point.
PHR Originals
Here’s a roundup of all of Pro Hockey Rumors original content for the week:
- Zach Leach examined the precarious position the Pittsburgh Penguins may find themselves in ahead of the expansion draft with Marc-Andre Fleury‘s NMC requiring the team to protect him and therefore leaving open the possibility Matt Murray might be available for Las Vegas to choose should the team not find another alternative.
- Brett Barrett looks at the rookie players currently in the NHL who could see their entry-level contracts slide should they be returned to their respective Junior teams.
- Gavin Lee posts the latest in the Franchise Faceoff series, comparing the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks.
- Zach Leach ponders whether goalie Malcolm Subban, Boston’s first-round pick in 2012, is on the verge of being labeled a bust.
- Brian La Rose continued with PHR’s 2005 Draft Take Two series, asking who the New York Islanders should select if they had a chance to do it all over again.
Central Division Snapshots: Predators, Desjardins, Bulmer
One of the projected favorites in the Central Division and a squad thought by some capable of competing for a Stanley Cup, the Nashville Predators are off to a rough start to the 2016-17 campaign. After eight games, the Predators have just five points and are already eight points out of first place in the division. As Adam Vingan of The Tennessean writes, the team has been plagued by inconsistency throughout their lineup.
Vingan points out the Predators even-strength play as a primary factor in the team’s slow start. They’ve tallied just eight goals on the season in even-strength situations and currently rank 19th in the NHL in Corsi For % at five-on-five. Over the last three seasons, Nashville ranks in the top-half of the league in Corsi For %, about three percentage points better than they are this season.
First year team captain Mike Fisher knows the Predators are better than they have shown so far.
“We feel like we’re just not playing up to our potential right now. Individually, as a group, you know you’re a better team. When you’re not getting the results, it’s frustrating.”
Usually a strength, Nashville’s goaltending has also been below par this season. Pekka Rinne has stopped just 90.6% of the shots he has faced overall and is allowing better than three goals a game. Worse yet, he’s not bailing out his defense when they give up a high-quality scoring chance. According to Corsica Hockey, of the 18 goalies who have played at least 240 five-on-five minutes, Rinne is dead last stopping just 71% of high-danger shots against.
Nashville is an experienced team with too much talent to linger near the bottom of the standings for much longer. It’s likely just a matter of time before they iron out their inconsistencies and return to their winning ways.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- Checking line forward Andrew Desjardins, who has yet to make his 2016-17 season debut due to a left foot injury suffered in training camp, practiced for the first time since hurting the foot on October 8th, according to Chris Hine writing for the Chicago Tribune. Desjardins is also one of the team’s top penalty-killers, averaging the second-highest shorthanded ice time per game among Blackhawks forwards last season. The Hawks, who have been historically bad killing penalties this year, have allowed 15 power play goals in 30 opportunities against and would surely welcome Desjardins back with open arms. The 30-year-old winger previously did not wear shot-blocking guards on his skates but after this injury Desjardins will be in the future.
- Brett Bulmer, who was drafted in the second-round of the 2010 draft by Minnesota, has signed with Tampereen Ilves of the Finnish League, the team announced on its Twitter account – tweet in Finnish. Bulmer has appeared in 17 NHL contests over parts of three different seasons recording just three points. In 203 AHL games in the Minnesota system, Bulmer has tallied 23 goals and 55 points along with 245 minutes in penalties.
Senators Place Andrew Hammond On IR
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports this morning that the Ottawa Senators have officially placed goaltender Andrew Hammond on the injured reserve. Hammond suffered a groin injury early in the Sens’ game against the Calgary Flames on Friday night. He was replaced by Chris Driedger, who allowed four goals on just 15 shots in the loss. Fortunately for Ottawa, starter Craig Anderson has returned from his leave of absence, encouraged by his wife following Hammond’s injury. Driedger will also remain with the team, and Senators called up Matt O’Connor.
However, the presence of three goalies on the roster for now will not stop Ottawa from taking a long look at the goalie market. A groin injury is one of the most difficult for keepers to come back from and Hammond could be looking at a lengthy absence. In the meantime, while the Senators are happy to have Anderson back, he is not guaranteed to be around all season with his wife battling cancer. That could potentially just Driedger and O’Connor in net. While O’Connor put up good numbers as the starter for Boston University, he has yet to establish his pro game since signing with Ottawa in 2015. Driedger, a 2012 third-round pick, has never been able to live up to expectations, spending time in the ECHL as well as the AHL with pedestrian numbers for the past three years.
With over $5MM in salary cap space, the Senators are one of the few teams that are capable of bringing in one of the goalies in a trade market saturated with high-priced options. With Anderson and Hammond each signed for only one more year, it would not be a surprise to see Ottawa have interest in a long-term option. Jimmy Howard, Marc-Andre Fleury, one of the Dallas duo, or potentially even a return for Ben Bishop could all be possibilities for the Sens if their goalie situation becomes desperate. The immediate health of Andrew Hammond will go a long way in determining just how far the Senators will go to ensure solid tending in 2016-17.
Halak’s Agent Unhappy; Client Now Available
Last night, Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen detailed how Allan Walsh, the agent for New York Islanders goalies Jaroslav Halak and Jean-Francois Berube, was upset with the team. In two tweets released yesterday, Walsh questioned the three-goalie system that the Islanders are using for the second year in a row. The Isles are currently employing both Halak and Berube, as well as Thomas Greiss. The likely reason for carrying three goalies is that attempting to send the 24-year-old Berube to the AHL would almost surely end in a waiver claim and the loss of the New York’s top goalie prospect. However, Walsh argues that using three goalies has a negative effect on practice time, alleging that Halak had only one “quality practice” leading up to his last start. Meanwhile, Berube has yet to even make a start this season, which also cannot make Walsh happy.
The implied purpose of the not-so-cryptic tweets is to put pressure on the Islanders to make a decision. Now, it appears they have. Although GM Garth Snow, a former Islanders goalie himself, has not made any official statement, Elliotte Friedman reports that following Walsh’s statements, Snow has made Halak available to the rest of the league. If forced to move a goalie, it appears that Snow is more comfortable with moving the 30-year-old Halak, who has term left on his contract and an injury history, rather than impending free agents Greiss, the default starter in 2015-16, and Berube. Given the injuries in net across the league, now may be as good a time as any to trade Halak.
Thus far in the new campaign, the Islanders are 3-5, good enough for last place in the Metropolitan Division, and Walsh’s comments on the lack of focus on just two goalies being detrimental may hold some weight. Halak is 2-3 with a .901 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average, while Greiss is 1-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average. Both keepers are greatly under-performing based upon their numbers last season and their career averages, behind a very good defensive unit. Should the Islanders trade Halak, arguably their best goalie, their relationship with Walsh could break down further (it’s already in rough shape following the P.A. Parenteau debacle) and make agreeing to a new deal with Berube more difficult. It could also leave them severely short-handed this season if injuries hit or if Berube struggles under greater pressure. The Islanders future in net is very much unknown at this point, but as far as 2016-17 goes, the pressure is on for New York to make a move in an effort to right the ship, but trading Halak could be a potentially disastrous decision. Whatever Snow decides to do with his goal tender carousel, it will have lasting effects on the Islanders this year and in the future.
Early Calder Trophy Candidates: Matthews, Marner, Laine
The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy writes a very preliminary guess as to the front runners for the Calder Trophy, awarded yearly for the league’s best rookie. Brophy concedes that it’s still very early in the season, but based on what he’s seen over the first three weeks, he lists some players to watch as the year progresses. Some names Brophy highlights:
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward and #1 overall pick in 2016 Auston Matthews leads the pack, turning in a four goal performance in his first NHL game and following that up with being second overall in league scoring with 10 points (6-4). Linemate William Nylander is right behind him, with four goals and nine points in seven games.
- Teammate Mitch Marner is also an early candidate, notching a goal and six points in seven games.
- Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine has eight points (6-2) in seven games and is showing that he was absolutely worthy of the second overall pick in the 2016 draft.
- Jimmy Vesey, the focus of nearly every team this summer as a free agent out of college, has proven the Rangers right so far. Vesey had four goals (4-1) in seven games thus far.
- Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had two goals and five points in just six games, being a bright spot on what has started out as a disappointing start for the Jackets.
Regardless of who wins, Brophy talks of how the injection of youth in the league is hopefully leading to another wave of talent. Further, Brophy talks about how the excitement of the player’s speed, and skill could hopefully bring back the excitement that Brophy feels has been missing for some time.
Zach Parise, Marco Scandella Out With Lower Body Injuries
Zach Parise will be out with a lower body injury writes Sportsnet’s Cory Wilkens. Parise suffered the injury in the Wild’s 4-0 victory over Buffalo on Friday night. Parise is second in points on the team, notching six points (2-4) in eight games. Parise wasn’t the only one injured in Friday’s affair. Marco Scandella is also listed with a lower body injury, and like Parise, is listed week to week. Scandella has one assist this season.
The Wild are off to a 5-2-1 start this season and much of their success have come from Ryan Suter and Parise. The Wild also called up Christoph Bertschy and Tyler Graovac while assigning Teemu Pulkkinen to Iowa after he cleared waivers today.
Michael Stone Injured Yet Again In Arizona
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone just can’t stay healthy. In just his fourth game back from an injury from last season, Stone suffered an upper-body injury in Thursday night’s, left early and did not return. There has not been any official word as to the specifics or extent of the injury. Stone is considered day-to-day and is questionable for tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Stone was having a productive season in 2015-16, with 36 points in 75 games, but a knee injury in late March forced the blue liner out of the lineup. Stone ended up missing the final two weeks of the season. After undergoing surgery to repair the damaged ACL and MCL in his knee, Stone began working toward a return, but his rehab took longer than anticipated. Stone missed the entire preseason and beginning of the regular season, but finally made his way into the Coyotes lineup last week. He already has three points in three and most of a fourth game before getting injured again.
A restricted free agent after the end of last season, the negotiations between Stone and Arizona lasted well into July before the two sides agreed to just a one-year pact late in the month. Many believed that the Coyotes already had their concerns about Stone’s durability, and were uncomfortable with giving a multi-year deal to a player coming off of serious knee surgery. Thus far, their skepticism seems reasonable as Stone was not ready for the start of the season and already is hurt again. However, this creates a tough situation for a valuable player. Although Stone is not the best in his own zone, he is a top-end puck-mover when healthy, and the Coyotes have a major hole on the back end when he is not in the lineup. With a league-worst four points thus far this season, an argument can be made the the Arizona offense has struggled without Stone making plays ever night. Although Stone’s injury status is a concern, they now have to determine this season whether it is worth it to resign the right-shot possession defenseman or else let him become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, when another team will surely take that on the risk/reward associated with the 26-year-old. If Stone can bounce back from this setback quickly and stay healthy for most of the season, Arizona will surely be interested in resigning one of their better defenseman. If not, his status with the team will be a question throughout 2016-17.
Fleury, Murray, And The Penguins Expansion Draft Situation
When the league announced the parameters for next June’s NHL Expansion Draft, an event that will allow the new Las Vegas expansion team to put together their roster for the 20 17–18 season, the most notable factor in protecting players was that each team coulf only hold on to one goaltender. Whether the choice is between an established starter and a young future stud or two equally good split-time keepers, it is clear that Las Vegas will have quality talent in net next season as a result of the ample possibilities to choose from in the draft. While many teams face this difficult decision, no team is in quite the same situation as the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins are fortunate enough to have two great goaltenders on their roster. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the starter for years and one of the best goalies in the NHL in the last decade. The first overall pick in 2003, Fleury took over the starter job after the 2004-05 lockout at the young age of 21. At just 24, he led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship in 2009 and has been cemented as the leader in net ever since. With a Goals Against Average under 2.40 in each of the last six seasons, “Flower” has established himself as one of the more consistent goalies in the league and a reliable member of a dynastic Penguins team. However, Fleury is not without fault. Although his regular season dominance has been constant, he has had his struggles in the postseason. Pittsburgh has made the playoffs ten years in a row, but in all of those years Fleury’s postseason GAA and save percentage were at or below his regular season average three times (’08, ’14, ’15). The 31-year-old also struggled with injuries, really for the first time in his career, in 2015-16. The Penguins current backup goaltender, Matt Murray, saw his chance to take over last season, earning the starting role as a rookie while Fleury was out and went on to make a dominant playoff run and lead the Penguins to yet another Stanley Cup title. His regular season and postseason numbers were spectacular, as he posted a .930 SV% and 2.00 GAA in 13 games before putting up a .923 SV% and 2.08 GAA in 21 playoff starts. The team rewarded the 22-year-old with a new three-year, $11.25MM contract extension last month, implying their commitment to the budding star. In an ideal world, the Penguins could keep both their established starter in Fleury and their starter-to-be in Murray. However the Expansion Draft has other plans.
The rules of the draft state that any player with a No-Movement Clause must be protected come June 21st. Fleury is such a player, and if he stays on the roster through the season, then the Penguins must protect him. That of course would leave Murray as the odd man out in net and an easy choice for Las Vegas. However, it seems extremely unlikely that Pittsburgh would let their young keeper go to Vegas for free. The choice the team faces is what to do about the situation, with an eye on keeping Murray at all costs.
The simplest choice for the Penguins is to trade Marc-Andre Fleury. A veteran goalkeeper with years of success would surely be coveted on the open market. However, such a trade for a starting goaltender is rare mid-season. Teams often lack the salary cap space (Fleury has a relatively affordable cap hit of $5.75 million, but many contenders are right up against the ceiling without that flexibility) or don’t feel comfortable bringing in a new starter late in the year. Interested contenders may also be wary of bringing in a player with a history of playoffs struggles who has two years left on his contract and is on the wrong side of 30. The veteran may simply be untradeable this year. And even if the Penguins could trade Fleury without any problems, would they? Murray has yet to make a start this season due to injury, which forced the Penguins to claim Mike Condon off of waivers for the time being to avoid throwing young Tristan Jarry into the fire. Condon is likely to be put back on waivers – and subsequently claimed – shortly, since Murray was activated from the injured reserve on Tuesday. Thus, if the Penguins traded Fleury in-season, they would be left with the 22-year-old Murray and 21-year-old Jarry as their goalie depth, unless someone could be brought in via trade or waivers or they feel former Boston University standout Sean Maguire is ready for the NHL by then. None of those options are optimal for Pittsburgh.
The other option, is to try to swing a deal with Las Vegas that stops them from selecting Matt Murray in the expansion draft. In the past teams have often negotiated deals prior to the selection process to protect players that otherwise would have been left unprotected. San Jose swung deals with both Columbus and Minnesota before the 2000 Expansion Draft in exchange for not taking Evgeni Nabokov, while Buffalo paid Columbus not to pick Dominik Hasek or Martin Biron. However, those trades requires somewhat reasonable returns. The problem with this plan for Pittsburgh is whether or not any package could truly convince Las Vegas not to select Murray. A young goalie who has proven that he is competent in the playoffs and has produced good numbers (at least so far) in the regular season is invaluable in the NHL. An expansion team looking to start from scratch would love to have a young franchise goalie, and Murray fits the bill. Pittsburgh would be hard-pressed to put together a package that would be enough for Las Vegas GM George McPhee to pass on Murray. Whether they want to keep Fleury and Murray or not, it may be difficult for the Penguins to protect both.
The final option for the Jim Rutherford and the Penguins, if they cannot move Fleury or make a deal with Las Vegas, would be to give up on Murray. While this seems unlikely, the Penguins would rather trade away the young star for a decent return than let the Knights take him away for free. Several teams will be looking for goal tending going into 2017-18, and almost anyone would have an interest in Murray. Should the young keeper struggle at all this season, Pittsburgh may decide to sell high and many organizations would be more than willing to give up players and picks for Murray, especially if they are only a goalie away from being a Stanley Cup contender. The Penguins would obviously prefer to keep Murray, but they may be forced into this situation if Fleury proves to truly be untradable.
Obviously, none of these options are ideal. Unfortunately for the reigning Stanley Cup champs, they will have to make one of them work. An Expansion Draft is difficult on all teams, but it’s in an effort (more so this time than ever before) to build an expansion franchise that is competitive from go. There are many rules meant to limit the exposure and potential loss to any one team, but they are not fool-proof. Pittsburgh will fall victim to the 2017 Expansion Draft, and one way or another fans should be ready for a loss in the not-too-distant future. This will continue to be one of the more fascinating story lines throughout the NHL season and right up until the Expansion Draft next June.