Blues Waive Paajarvi
Former first-round draft pick Magnus Paajarvi has been waived by the St. Louis Blues, according to Elliotte Friedman. The move was necessary with the team activating Jori Lehtera from IR. Lehtera is practicing today and is going to play tonight, tweets Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Paajarvi had seen action in three games so far this season and had tallied one goal and no assists while averaging 9:16 of ice time. Since joining St. Louis in 2013, Paajarvi has 10 goals and 23 points in 116 contests while posting a -17 plus-minus rating.
Originally drafted by Edmonton with the 10th overall selection in 2009, Paajarvi was shipped to the Blues with a second-round pick in exchange for F David Perron and a 2015 third-round choice. For his career, the Swedish winger has recorded 36 goals and 81 points in 279 regular season games.
It’s possible a team in need of size on the wing could take a flier on Paajarvi. He’s making just $700K this season and will be a RFA next summer.
Metro Division Snapshots: Carolina, Jooris, Buchnevich, McIlrath, Poulin
The Carolina Hurricanes, a team projected by some as a potential dark-horse in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, have won just one of their first six games and currently reside in the Metro Division basement. They’ll finally get a taste of home cooking Friday after starting the campaign on a six-game road trip as the Hurricanes will host the New York Rangers. Despite a respectable offense that is averaging three goals a game and a defense limiting opponents to the fourth-fewest shot attempts, Carolina has been undone by poor goaltending and as Ben Pope writes for Today’s Slapshot, it might be time for the Hurricanes to panic.
Cam Ward and Eddie Lack have combined for an 85.3% save percentage, the worst in the NHL, and have allowed four goals a game. Beyond the common numbers, the Hurricanes goalie duo is also performing at a below average level preventing goals against on low-, medium-, and high-danger shots, as Pope notes.
After just six games it’s fair to wonder about sample-size but Pope goes on to write that Ward, while sometimes making the spectacular save, has been a subpar netminder for much of his career. Lack, on the other hand, is nearly league-average in stopping shots from the outside but struggles mightily against attempts from in close.
Citing statistics available on Corsica.hockey, Pope opines the team’s defense hasn’t done the goalies any favors. Even though they have been excellent overall in suppressing shots, the ones they do allow have been of the medium-to-high-danger variety. The data shows 81.2% of the shots Carolina gives up are either of the medium of high-danger variety with the league average coming in at 63.4%.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes need better play between the pipes if they want to remain a relevant playoff contender. If that improvement doesn’t come internally, Carolina may have to scour the trade market to find a solution.
More from around the Metro Division:
- With Pavel Buchnvich expected to return to the lineup Friday the New York Rangers were facing a difficult decision regarding whom to remove from their 23-man roster to open a spot for the rookie forward. But the injury to Josh Jooris Wednesday night allowed the Rangers to delay that decision a little longer, writes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. However, instead of taking advantage of that opportunity, the Blueshirts this morning have placed Dylan McIlrath on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the club will likely send their 2010 first-round draft pick to Hartford of the AHL. McIlrath has suited up for just one game this season and has been a healthy scratch six times.
- Former New York Islander netminder Kevin Poulin has signed a deal with Barys of the KHL, tweets Igor Eronko of Sports Express. Poulin showed promise early in his career after debuting in the league with a 92.4% save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.44 in 10 appearances as a 20-year-old back in 2010-11. It’s been downhill ever since with his save percentage declining in each subsequent campaign. Poulin last saw action in the league in 2014-15, starting once and allowing three goals on 26 shots. He appeared in 29 contests for Stockton in the AHL, winning 14 and stopping 90.9% of the attempts against.
Ducks, Lindholm Agree To New Pact
According to Bob McKenzie, the Anaheim Ducks have come to terms with RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm, signing the Swede to a six-year deal with an AAV of $5.25MM. It had been reported in recent days that the chasm between the two sides had shrunk to around $250K annually but that each had “a line drawn in the sand.” Now, with the new pact coming in short of the recent contract inked by Buffalo blue liner Rasmus Ristolainen, it’s fair to speculate it was Lindholm who lowered his salary demands in order to get a deal done.
At this point Lindholm likely concluded it no longer made sense to miss any more paychecks. If the two sides were in fact hung up on just $250K per year, the Ducks defender will earn more than that in four games under terms of his new deal.
Given the two sides seemed to be locked firmly into their relative positions just 24 hours ago, it’s clear significant progress was made last night in order for the deal to be announced this morning. In fact, Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot provides a timeline demonstrating the “shift” in negotiations based on the reports of insiders Darren Dreger, Elliotte Friedman and McKenzie.
Cap Friendly reports that the Ducks are now about $1.4MM over the salary cap ceiling meaning the team will have to make a roster move or moves in order to clear sufficient space. As Cap Friendly further notes, even if the team sends Emerson Etem – who cleared waivers yesterday – and Dustin Tokarski down to San Diego of the AHL, the Ducks will still be approximately $150K over the cap ceiling.
It’s been widely rumored that the team could look to deal a player like Cam Fowler – $4MM cap charge – and that still might be the case; especially if the Ducks can acquire an impact LW in the trade. It’s also possible the club could simply put C Nate Thompson and his $1.6MM cap hit on LTIR. Thompson had surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury in June and his return date is unknown.
Of course with Simon Despres already on LTIR and temporarily clearing his $3.7MM cap hit from the books, it’s likely the Ducks will still have to trim salary at some point this season when Despres and or Thompson are healthy enough to return.
Despite officially being under contract, Lindholm likely won’t see the ice for Anaheim for at least another week to 10 days, according to McKenzie. Lindholm, who has been in Sweden during the holdout, will require a new work visa and the process, as McKenzie notes, can take up to two weeks.
Red Wings Notes: Ott, Mantha
Though it was a much maligned signing, Detroit Red Wings forward Steve Ott has filled a role that Detroit hasn’t had in quite a long time writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Ott, who is known more for his fists than his hands, has brought a physical element to a team rarely known for hitting. In Tuesday’s game against Carolina, Ott went after Viktor Stalberg following a brutal hit from the latter on Wings defenseman Mike Green. Though it resulted in a penalty, several of his teammates loved the reaction. Says Captain Henrik Zetterberg:
“Otter brings lots of things to the table. Some are intangibles that are more in the room and the energy he brings. We’ve talked lots about sticking up for each other and he did a good job in that situation.”
The Red Wings have had more of an edge this season, as Ott, Jonathan Ericsson and even Dylan Larkin have dropped the gloves at some point. The Detroit News’ Greg Krupa reports that the turn the other cheek mentality is certainly gone, and it’s part of a new identity that the Red Wings are trying to craft. Despite the new “snarl,” the Red Wings have been scoring at crucial times and getting insurance goals whereas during last season, games were often tense, one-goal decisions. Though Ott has made his presence known, it still hasn’t quieted critics who have seen the work Anthony Mantha is doing in Grand Rapids. And if the Wings want to continue scoring those insurance goals, they could find an answer down at the farm.
- In just five games, Mantha has scored six goals and has been turning heads. Though the Red Wings have started out 5-2, reeling off five consecutive wins following a pair of losses to open the season, Mantha finds himself blocked by the aforementioned Ott, Drew Miller, and Luke Glendening. While Andreas Athanasiou has seen more ice time, and made an impact during his play, Mantha is showing the scoring touch he was drafted for. It seems only a matter of time before Mantha forces his way onto the big club.
Lindholm, Ducks $250,000 Apart
According to a report from Darren Dreger, the Anaheim Ducks and restricted free agent defenseman Hampus Lindholm have a “line in the sand drawn” at an annual average value about $250K apart on a long-term extension. After going win-less in their first four games, the Ducks have climbed back to 2-3-2, but would still like to have Lindholm back on the blue line to avoid further struggles. Lindholm meanwhile is sitting out to the tune of what would be under $200K more per season after taxes, and one would think that he would be willing to bend as well. However, if the report is completely true, neither side is willing to budge from their current offers.
Lindholm is a pivotal part of Anaheim’s future on the blue line, which Dreger addressed as well, saying that they have no interest in trading him despite rumblings over the past week. Lindholm is just 22 years old, and has shown in his first three seasons in the NHL that he is a 30+ point scorer, elite puck mover, reliable in his own end, and can eat up big minutes; he’s everything you can want in a young defenseman. Playing on the Duck’s top pair last year, Lindholm established himself as the leader of a strong, deep defensive unit in Anaheim. Other teams can see this value as well, and the longer that the Ducks wait to figure out their salary cap situation and get Lindholm signed, the more likely it is that a competitor could force their hand with an offer sheet or pressure them into a trade. They also stand the risk of a standoff lasting past the December 1st deadline to sign RFA’s, in which case Lindholm could not play in 2016-17.
Whatever the result, both sides need to work toward a resolution. While many would guess that both Anaheim and Lindholm are desperate at this point, their willingness to draw a line at such a narrow margin indicates that these negotiations still have a ways to go. The longer this drags into the season, the more damage it has on the team’s play and the relationship between a supposed franchise player and the organization. The rumors will keep flowing, and if Lindholm is still unsigned come this time next month, don’t be surprised to see some major fireworks by way of a big trade or shocking offer sheet. There will surely be more to come on this topic in the coming weeks…or longer.
Holden Trade Led To Roy’s Departure
It was no secret that one of the main reasons for former Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy‘s surprising departure this summer was that he did not see eye-to-eye with GM Joe Sakic on the direction of the team. Roy did not hide the fact that he disagreed with several of Sakic’s personnel decisions, especially when it came to the defense. An old-school, conservative hockey mind, Roy wanted to stick to a strong, defensive unit on the back end. The highly publicized negotiations with and eventual expensive extension for Tyson Barrie was thought to be a top reason why Roy decided to move on. He did not see Barrie as anything more than a bottom-pair defenseman and hated seeing the Avalanche use such a large portion of of their cap space on a defensively-deficient blue liner.
Now, a New York Post article has added yet another issue on the back end in Colorado that likely added to Roy’s exit. It describes how New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault received a phone call from Roy in June after the team had traded for former Avs defenseman Nick Holden. In it, Roy described Holden as “one of my better defensemen”. He also said that Holden was “safe, dependable, and not very flashy”. That perfectly describes Roy’s perfect defenseman, a guy who works hard, doesn’t make mistakes, and plays well in the defensive zone. While some may view this description as dull and lacking upside, and Holden’s career offensive numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, analyzing both the basic defensive stats and more analytic possession stats for Holden over the past couple seasons actually reveals a very strong player. In fact, Roy is surely not the only one who would value Holden’s ability and he is not wrong to have been upset about losing such a player for a measly fourth-round pick. Holden may be one of the most under-rated defensemen in the NHL.
Less than two months after the trade, Roy said goodbye to the place he called home as a player and coach. While the more prevalent issue at the time had been Barrie, it seems likely after the New York Post report that it was likely a combination of keeping Barrie at the expense of Holden that frustrated Roy. The Hall of Fame goalie wanted as a coach what he wanted as a player: a solid defense in front of him. While Roy has yet to find another job behind an NHL bench yet, his next GM should be careful not to trade the best defensive defenseman on the team. Meanwhile, Holden is playing alongside Ryan McDonagh and logging big minutes on the top pair in New York while the Colorado defense is having a hard time stopping goals. Maybe Roy was right all along.
Bruins Notes: Backes, Czarnik, McIntyre
The Boston Bruins announced today that David Backes “underwent the removal of the olecranon bursa from his elbow on Monday”. In layman’s terms, Backes was suffering from bursitis in his elbow, causing painful inflammation. The procedure, which kept Backes out of the Bruins game last night and will sideline him for a while longer, was kept under wraps until now. Given the release by the Bruins, it is not expected that Backes will be out for more than a week.
The Bruins, who are losers of two straight, could use Backes back as soon as possible. Their big free agent acquisition has four points in five games thus far, and has brought a strong, steady presence to Boston’s forward core. Backes has been as reliable as they come throughout his NHL career, and getting him back and healthy will be key for the Bruins to get back on track.
In other Bruins roster moves:
- In a corresponding move, the Bruins have called up Austin Czarnik. The Miami University product began the regular season with the Bruins while Patrice Bergeron was injured, but will now rejoin the big-league squad after some time with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. With the Bruins back to last season’s structure of Bergeron, David Krejci, and Ryan Spooner down the middle, Czarnik will likely slot in on the wing.
- After making his NHL debut in last night’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Wild in relief of Malcolm Subban, rookie Zane McIntyre is set to make his first start in the league tonight at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. With Anton Khudobin out for the next few weeks due to injury, a strong performance tonight for McIntyre should earn him the backup role behind Tuukka Rask when the valued starter returns.
Bernier Injured; Ducks Recall Tokarski
The goalie injuries across the league continue, and the Pacific Division is taking it the hardest. The Los Angeles Kings are without both starter Jonathan Quick and backup Jeff Zatkoff and the Arizona Coyotes are missing Mike Smith. Now the Anaheim Ducks have entered the fray, after Jonathan Bernier left last night’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
Bernier left in the second period after suffering an apparent upper body injury, and starter John Gibson was forced to replace him. The extent of the injury is still unknown and Bernier has been listed as day-to-day. In his stead, the Ducks have brought up Dustin Tokarski. The 27-year-old goalie was traded to the Ducks last year and re-signed this off-season on a one-year, two-way deal and stepped into the role of their AHL starter. Spending his NHL career with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens, playing mostly in the minors, Tokarski has never been able to solidify himself as an NHL-caliber keeper with a 2.85 GAA and .904 save percentage in 33 appearances.
Tokarski does have experience though, and should be a reliable backup behind Gibson until Bernier is back in action. Even if he struggles, the Ducks won’t be in trouble like their neighbors the Kings. Anaheim boasts the best pro depth in goal of any team in the league, as Tokarski was joined in the minors by fellow journeyman Matt Hackett and former UMass-Lowell standout Kevin Boyle. The San Diego trio form a strong safety net for the unproven duo of Gibson and Bernier in Anaheim.
Senators Notes: Chabot, Lazar
Ottawa Senators rookie defenseman Thomas Chabot will be staying with the Ottawa Senators for the time being. Chabot made the Senators after a solid pre-season, but has only appeared in one game this season where he went -2 in seven minutes in a 7-4 win against the Arizona Coyotes.
Chabot still has one year of junior eligibility left, but Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch quoted GM Pierre Dorion as saying a decision doesn’t need to be made right now. Dorion believes being around the NHL club isn’t hurting Chabot’s development.
The Senators handling of Chabot appears to be similar to the St. Louis Blues handling of Alex Pietrangelo. Also a first round pick, Pietrangelo played 8 games in 2008-09 before being returned to junior in mid-November, then played 9 games in the first half of 2009-10 before being loaned to Canada at the World Junior Championships and subsequently sent back to the OHL. Pietrangelo played his first full NHL season in 2010-11 and had 43 points. If Chabot ends up even close to the player that Pietrangelo is, then the Senators will be very happy.
Meanwhile, another Senators first round pick remains in Binghamton with no timetable for his return. Curtis Lazar was assigned to Binghamton at the end of training camp after battling mono through the summer. Lazar has spent two seasons with the Senators, scoring 15 and 20 points respectively. While the totals are not what a team would like from a first round pick, Lazar is a smart two-way player who should develop into a good middle-six forward who can score reliably. Lazar scored 169 points in 199 games with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.
Two Players On Waiver Wire
Forwards Emerson Etem and Andrew Miller have been placed on waivers, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
Etem was a first round pick of the Ducks in 2010, before being traded to the Rangers. The Ducks claimed him off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Etem was held pointless in two games with the 2-3-2 Ducks. It’s not clear if he’ll be assigned to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL or remain with the Ducks.
Miller was injured in the pre-season and started the season on injured reserve. He’s healthy now, and is waivers for purpose of assignment to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Miller signed with the Hurricanes organization on July 1 after playing some of last season with the Checkers while on loan from the Edmonton Oilers’s farm team in Bakersfield in exchange for Zach Boychuk.