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Ottawa Senators Recall Casey Bailey, Max McCormick From AHL

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After losing several forwards to injury last night against the Winnipeg Jets, the Ottawa Senators have recalled two players from Binghamton to help fill the gaps. Casey Bailey and Max McCormick will both come up and likely see playing time right away, as the Senators will face New Jersey tomorrow night. Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and Tommy Wingels all left the game last night after suffering injuries, and though there hasn’t been an official update on their status, the call-ups likely mean that at least two of them will miss some time. This comes on the heels of the news that Bobby Ryan will miss several weeks with a fractured wrist.

Bailey came over from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season in the Dion Phaneuf trade, and has played just five games with the big club this season. For the baby-Sens though, he’s been an effective scoring threat if not the dominant power forward some had hoped he could become when the Leafs signed him out of college in 2015. He has 14 goals in 44 games in the AHL this season, though he hasn’t scored for Ottawa.

McCormick is much of the same, scoring at a solid pace in the AHL but held pointless in a five game stint for Ottawa. Another NCAA import, McCormick is smaller than Bailey but a much more physical presence on the ice. Willing to drop his gloves if the need arises, his hard forecheck is the signature of his game.

Neither of these players are capable replacements for Stone or Hoffman, who lead the team in goals with 22 and 19 respectively. If the Senators are without either or both for a considerable amount of time, perhaps they’ll look even harder at players available on the trade market as we get close to the deadline. With the Montreal Canadiens within striking distance, the Senators could easily take over first place in the Atlantic Division by the end of the season and guarantee themselves home ice advantage throughout the first few rounds. On the other hand, the Bruins, Maple Leafs and now Panthers are all nipping at their heels for the second spot, and time without their top offensive threats would put them at risk of even securing a playoff spot. Welcome to the Eastern Conference, where everyone is still in it.

Snapshots: Vegas, Howard, Flyers

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As the March 1st trade deadline approaches, so does the start of the Vegas Golden Knights capacity to make deals around the league. While he won’t be able to make any moves for active players, he can start shaping the future of the Golden Knights in just over a week. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune caught up with Vegas GM George McPhee and talked to him about the kind of team he’d like to build.

I’ve built high-flying teams in the past, offensive, entertaining teams and would like to do the same thing. What we do with the expansion draft hasn’t been settled yet because until we see the entire universe of what teams want to do, who they want to protect and expose, we don’t know which way we’re going to go.

Indeed, McPhee did build the high-flying Washington Capitals that featured some of the highest goal totals in recent memory. If he constructs the Vegas team the same way, it will be fun to watch at the very least as it likely struggles through its first few seasons. If McPhee wants speed, perhaps a certain Colorado Avalanche centerman who is on the block would be of interest this summer.

  • Jimmy Howard, out since before Christmas with a sprained MCL was seen taking shots today before practice by Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. Howard—who turns 33 on March 26th—carries a hefty cap hit and two more years on his contract. While the Red Wings would love to move him for some cap relief, he’ll have to get back onto the ice and prove the start of his season wasn’t a fluke.
  • Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tells us that Hall of Fame winger and current Kings’ President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille has taken over as chairman of the board for Eisbären Berlin, a German hockey team that plays in the DEL. While under Robitaille’s leadership, the Los Angeles Kings played in Berlin back in 2011 when the NHL was testing out different markets with regular season games.
  • Sam Cardichi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the Flyers and their quickly sinking ship going into the deadline. After benching Andrew MacDonald in a Sunday night win over the Vancouver Canucks, the team is looking to get Michael Del Zotto more ice-time and are still considering their options for the trade deadline. Cardichi includes he thinks the team will be in sell mode come March 1st.

Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

After four years of taking the division crown with Bruce Boudreau behind the bench, the Anaheim Ducks have a familiar face in Randy Carlyle taking them to the promised land this season. The team is firmly in a playoff spot, though could easily finish third in the division behind San Jose and Edmonton, and will have to take on Hart candidates Connor McDavid or Brent Burns in the first round.

It will be tough sledding down the stretch for the Ducks, who recently lost Antoine Vermette for 10 games (unless reduced by the appeal). They appear to be buyers at the deadline, though with the amount of highly sought after assets in their system, it may not be draft picks that they’re using as currency.

Record

31-19-10, 3rd in Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.86MM – full-season cap hit due to LTIR space, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th
2018: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th

Trade Chips

The Anaheim Ducks have an oft-mentioned group of defensemen that almost the whole league is interested in. While Hampus Lindholm seems untouchable, the other six—Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore and Jacob Larsson—have all been rumored to be available at (vastly) different prices. The Ducks will face an expansion draft problem if they don’t move a defenseman (or two), but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen at the deadline. Josh Manson

If they choose to move any of them, they could potentially make the biggest splash on March 1st. Young defense is one of the most sought after commodities in the NHL, and with both rebuilding and contending teams looking for help on the back-end they would have no shortage of suitors.

Other than their blueline depth, the team does have some excellent prospects that they could use in the pursuit of a big fish (if one surfaces). Sam Steel and Max Jones were both picked in the late stages of the first round last summer, and though they’re having very different seasons—Steel is dominating once again with 103 points in 51 games, while Jones has battled injury and suspension, only playing in 29 games thus far—they both still hold excellent value.

There is also the case of Jonathan Bernier, who the Ducks would love to move now that they have Jhonas Enroth playing so well in San Diego. Bernier comes with a hefty cap hit, and moving him would help them make any additional moves. Since he is an unrestricted free agent this summer, perhaps a rebuilding team would be willing to take him on for the rest of the season in a salary-heavy swap.

Five Players To Watch: D Josh Manson, D Cam Fowler, G Jonathan Bernier, LW Ryan Garbutt, D Shea Theodore

Team Needs

1) Top Six Winger – The Ducks are committed long-term to their big three up front of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, and Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg have fit in well on the wings this season. But as they head into the playoffs, they could use another legitimate scoring winger to help take the load off those five players. Nick Ritchie and Andrew Cogliano are fine players, but would look better slotted in a little lower in the lineup.

2) Depth Center – Anaheim is going to feel the loss of Vermette most in the faceoff circle, where he has won more than 60% of his almost 1000 draws this season. He is a huge part of their defensive zone coverage, getting the majority of the draws in his own end and on the penalty kill. They’ve moved Rakell back to his natural center ice position for the time being, but that has only created another problem in the top six. Depth centers don’t cost a ton, but Anaheim would be smart to go out and get one that could move up to the third line in the case of an injury in the playoffs—and no, Nate Thompson isn’t that guy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 02/20/2017

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As we head into the last part of February and the NHL trade deadline, teams will be ordering their rosters for the stretch run. Here we’ll keep an eye on all the minor movement around the league.

Jacob Trouba To Have Disciplinary Hearing

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After a hit last night that knocked Ottawa Senators Mark Stone out of the game last night, Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba will have a hearing this afternoon with the NHL Department of Player Safety to determine if there will be any further disciplinary action.

Trouba hit Stone’s head on the check, which happened midway through the third period. Stone suffered a concussion at the beginning of the season, making this at least the second just this season should he fail the protocol today. Trouba does seem to extend his arm to hit the head.

The Jets can’t afford to lose Trouba for the next several games at least, as they have pulled themselves into the playoff race once again. Since Trouba’s lockout following a long contract negotiation this summer, he’s become perhaps the second most important defenseman on the Jets. Logging close to 25 minutes a night, Tyler Myers injury opened the door for Trouba to step into the starring role he had looked for.

Bob McKenzie on TSN1260 said that it would be “games for sure” for Trouba today. He doesn’t think Trouba picked out Stone’s head on purpose, but since there was almost no body-on-body contact, the book will be thrown at the Jets defenseman.

Senators Lose Hoffman, Stone, And Wingels To Injuries

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The past 24 hours have not been good for the Ottawa Senators when it comes to injuries.  After learning they’ll be without winger Bobby Ryan for potentially up to six weeks earlier on Sunday, they lost wingers Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, and Tommy Wingels all to separate injuries in a loss to the Jets.

Hoffman suffered a lower body injury in the second period while Stone left the game near the midway mark of the third following a hit to the head from Winnipeg blueliner Jacob Trouba.  As for Wingels, he was injured with just under three minutes to go in a collision with Dustin Byfuglien.

While no updates were publicly available following the game, head coach Guy Boucher didn’t sound too optimistic in his postgame press comments (via Darren Desaulniers of the Canadian Press):

“It doesn’t look good. We have to wait until tomorrow to be clear and precise but right now we could be losing quite a few guys.”

Stone leads the Senators in goals and sits second in points behind only Erik Karlsson while Hoffman slots in fourth in team scoring.  As for Wingels, he hasn’t been too active on the scoreboard but has provided the Sens with a physical presence in their bottom six.

In the short-term, this would seemingly provide an opportunity for Curtis Lazar to see a bigger role.  Senators GM Pierre Dorion met with Lazar’s agent earlier this weekend and there were suggestions earlier in the week that his name had been popping up more frequently in trade talks.  The former first round pick (17th overall in 2013) has had a nightmarish season so far with just a single assist in 31 games.  Chris Neil, who was a healthy scratch on Sunday, also should be in line for more regular playing time if at least some of the injured trio will miss some time.

In the meantime, it seems likely that Dorion will be working the phones in the coming days to see what the cost might be to bring in some more depth up front as the Sens try to push for top spot in the Atlantic Division; they sit two points behind Montreal but have two games in hand.

Deadline Trade Market: Defensemen

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Rental defensemen are often a hot commodity leading into the NHL Trade Deadline and this year is set to be no exception.  While there are several depth players available, there are also some blueliners that could be moved that would be impact acquisitions for their new teams.  Here’s a closer look at how the market is shaping up.

Top Player Available

Jan 10, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (22) handles the puck against the Boston Bruins during the first period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY SportsKevin Shattenkirk – St. Louis – Last season, the Blues lost wingers David Backes and Troy Brouwer for nothing in free agency and the belief is that GM Doug Armstrong isn’t willing to let the same thing happen here even though they have climbed right back into the playoff picture.

Shattenkirk, who was ranked as the top UFA this year in our midseason power rankings, would be a top pairing player on quite a few contenders and would step onto the top power play unit just about everywhere.  Not surprisingly, the asking price is believed to be quite high with a first rounder and a top prospect among the assets the Blues are seeking.

What’s particularly interesting is that St. Louis is amenable to let teams speak to Shattenkirk’s agent regarding a possible extension in a sign-and-trade scenario.  If an agreement could be reached prior to a trade, the Blues would likely be in line for a stronger return for their top scoring blueliner.

Potential Top Four Options

Ron Hainsey – Hurricanes – While his numbers don’t jump out at anyone, Hainsey has quietly been an effective minute-munching defenseman for several years now.  He doesn’t have the offensive upside that some of the others do but teams looking for stability on their second pairing will likely have some interest in adding him to the fold.

Dmitry Kulikov – Buffalo – He hasn’t fared particularly well with the Sabres after being acquired back at the draft from Florida and lingering back issues are certainly a concern as well.  However, he has shown himself to be capable of logging considerable minutes (over 22 per game).  He’s also one of the younger players believed to be available at just 26 years of age.

Johnny Oduya – Dallas – The Stars haven’t used him as a top four player too often this season but the veteran has been one dating back several years now and there are buyers where he would fit in on a second pairing.  Like Hainsey, the two-way upside isn’t really there but Oduya can anchor a penalty kill and be a reliable presence in the defensive end.

Michael Stone – Arizona – After a breakout season offensively last year, Stone has yet to make anywhere near the type of impact he or the Coyotes were expecting this season.  He also has seen his ice time drop by two minutes a night but is still over 20 minutes on average.  After taking a one year, ‘show me’ deal in the summer, Stone will be motivated to show he still can be an effective offensive threat wherever he winds up.

[Closer Look: Trade Candidate Profiles for Hainsey, Kulikov, Oduya, and Stone]

Notable Depth/Role Players

Michael Del Zotto/Mark Streit – Philadelphia – Both players have been top four options in the past but Streit is better served as a power play specialist and a third pairing player at this point while Del Zotto’s inconsistency has resulted in a drop in usage this season.  If teams are looking to add someone that they could envision themselves re-signing in the summer, the younger Del Zotto (he’s 26) will likely be the preferred option.

Cody Franson – Buffalo – After struggling to find a new contract in 2015, Franson wound up with the Sabres where he hoped he’d be able to continue the offensive progression he showed with Toronto beforehand.  That hasn’t happened and as a result, he has been more of a third pairing player with the Sabres.  With the shot he has though, he could still be an intriguing option on a power play.

Brendan Smith – Detroit – Smith has been a player that has left the Wings wanting more over the past few seasons.  While he has flashes of strong play, he also has been prone to some poor decision making which makes him a bit of a wild card.  He’s still fairly young at 28 and should have several suitors but because of his inconsistency, it’s hard to forecast him as more than a third pairing option on a new team.

[Closer Look: Trade Candidate Profiles for Del Zotto, Franson, and Smith]

Others That Could Move

These players would all serve as lower-end depth options for an acquiring team and would likely be available for a mid-round draft pick.

Matt Hunwick/Roman Polak – Toronto, Kyle Quincey – New Jersey, Nick Schultz – Philadelphia, Fedor Tyutin – Colorado

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Hutton, Hossa, Pickard, Niederreiter

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Although his signing in the offseason didn’t generate a lot of buzz, Blues backup goalie Carter Hutton has played a significant role for the team lately, writes Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  With starter Jake Allen battling inconsistency at times, St. Louis has had to rely on Hutton more often than they originally anticipated.

To say that he has lived up to expectations would be an understatement, especially lately.  Over his last eight starts, he has recorded four shutouts (matching his career total heading into the season) and has played a big role in the Blues getting themselves back into a top three spot in the Central Division.

With Allen returning to form lately, it’s likely that he will go back to getting the bulk of the starts but if he falters again or is injured, Hutton’s recent stretch should give them confidence if they need to turn to him again.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • While it’s not a role he would have been happy with too long ago, Blackhawks right winger Marian Hossa is comfortable as a third liner in Chicago, notes Mark Lazarus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Not only does him being there mean that they have the potential for three quality scoring lines, the 38 year old can certainly benefit from seeing a bit less ice time from a rest perspective.  The cut in playing time hasn’t really slowed him down as Hossa has nine points in his last 12 games.
  • Although there isn’t a whole lot to play for in Colorado, that isn’t the case for goalie Calvin Pickard, suggests Terry Frei of the Denver Post. With Semyon Varlamov out for the season with recurring groin problems and no proven backup behind him, Pickard has a prime opportunity to show he’s ready for a bigger workload next season.  Further adding to the important of his play in the coming months, both netminders require protection for the expansion draft in June and the Avalanche will only be able to protect one of them.
  • The NHL rescinded the game misconduct penalty assessed on Thursday to Wild right winger Nino Niederreiter, reports Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The decision is noteworthy as any player who receives two game misconducts for physical fouls within 41 games of each other is automatically suspended.  By having this misconduct taken away, Niederreiter isn’t in danger of a guaranteed sit-down if he gets ejected for a physical foul in the next few months.

Deadline Primer: Montreal Canadiens

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

The Montreal Canadiens got off to a flying start to the season, opening up with a 13-1-1 record and looking like real contenders in the East.  They’ve struggled since then (18-19-7), however, and last week switched coaches as Claude Julien replaced Michel Therrien for a second time.  While the team is hopeful that the change will spark the team, it’s likely that they’ll be looking to add to their lineup as well for the stretch run.

Record

31-20-8, 1st in Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$4.1MM – full-season cap hit, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, WSH 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, MTL 5th
2018: MTL 1st, CHI 2nd, MTL 2nd, WSH 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th

Trade Chips

For starters, the Canadiens have five second round picks in the next two drafts as the result of the Lars Eller and Dale Weise deals made last year.  Second rounders are often the currency of the deadline so it wouldn’t be shocking to see one or two of those picks move.

Nov 19, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Charles Hudon (54) wait sduring a first period face-off against Toronto Maple Leafs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY SportsMontreal also has several players who are on the fringes of making the NHL on a full-time basis.  Those players also are regularly moved in deals for rental players with the seller getting a closer look at a youngster to see if they’ll fit beyond that season so there’s a good chance one or more those players are dealt.  GM Marc Bergevin has indicated that their top prospects are unlikely to be dealt, especially for short-term help.

Many analysts have called the Canadiens an ‘all-in’ team this season.  If Bergevin does indeed make a big splash or two, players like centres David Desharnais or Tomas Plekanec have been speculated to be traded, primarily as matching salaries if a player with a high salary was to come Montreal’s way.

Five Players To Watch For: RW Sven Andrighetto, LW Daniel Carr, C Jacob de la Rose, C David Desharnais, LW Charles Hudon

Team Needs

1) Top Four, Left Shot Defenseman – While Alexei Emelin has fared relatively well at times alongside Shea Weber on the top pairing, he’s not an ideal fit as Weber is best served playing with a puck mover.   Nathan Beaulieu has the skill set to complement Weber but his inconsistent play makes it tough to put him into a top pairing role while Andrei Markov at age 38 simply is too old to handle those types of minutes on a long-term basis.

It’s unlikely that Bergevin will be able to bring in someone signed beyond this season to fit the bill, especially with the expansion draft looming.  There are, however, a handful of rental players that may fit in well with Weber.  On top of finding a top four option, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montreal try to add a depth blueliner as they have done a few times at the deadline in recent years.

2) Top Six Center – Alex Galchenyuk has spent a good chunk of the year slotted in as the top line center but there are questions as to the depth behind him.  Phillip Danault has exceeded expectations offensively this season but at this point, he isn’t a second line option.  Plekanec was supposed to fill that role but he’s in the midst of arguably the worst season of his career while Desharnais, only two years removed from a 48 point season, is on the outside looking in at simply getting in the lineup right now.  Basically, if there’s a center that’s available, there’s a good chance that Montreal has at least inquired about the asking price.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Five Key Stories: 2/13/17 – 2/19/17

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Although the trade deadline is quickly approaching, several of the key stories over the past week came off the ice.  Here are five of the top stories from the week that was.

1) Coaching Change In Montreal – Although the Canadiens find themselves atop the Atlantic Division, that wasn’t enough to prevent GM Marc Bergevin from making a change behind the bench, as he let Michel Therrien go.  Replacing him is Claude Julien who returns for his second stint with the team after serving as their bench boss from 2003-2006.  Coincidentally, it also happens to be the second time that Julien replaced Therrien in Montreal after they originally let Therrien go back in 2003.

2) Vermette Suspended Ten Games – Ducks center Antoine Vermette was handed an automatic ten game suspension as a result of him slashing linesman Shandor Alphonso after a faceoff back on Tuesday night.  The NHLPA has filed an appeal on his behalf and there is no timetable for when that will be heard.  He won’t be permitted to play while he waits for the appeal process to play out.  Vermette has 22 points in 58 games with Anaheim this season while ranking second in the league in faceoff percentage.

3) Nyquist Suspended Six Games – Red Wings winger Gustav Nyquist received a six game ban for a high sticking incident on Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon last weekend.  It’s the second longest suspension in the league this season (tied with Philadelphia’s Radko Gudas, both behind Vermette’s) but it has largely been criticized as being too lenient.  Working in Nyquist’s favor was that Spurgeon wasn’t seriously injured on the play and that he had no prior history of supplemental discipline.

4) Tanguay Retires – Unable to land an NHL contract, left winger Alex Tanguay announced that he is joining the NHL Network as a full-time television analyst, meaning that he has effectively announced his retirement.  The 37 year old hangs up his skates with an impressing 863 points in 1,088 career regular season games with the Avalanche, Flames, Canadiens, Lightning, and Coyotes.

5) Maatta Out Six Weeks – The Penguins were hit with some tough news on the injury front, losing Justin Schultz indefinitely to a concussion and Olli Maatta for at least six weeks after he underwent hand surgery.  With just seven weeks left in the season, it’s certainly plausible that Pittsburgh could hold him out of the lineup for the rest of the regular season and place him on Long-Term Injury Reserve.  That would then allow them to basically free up nearly $4.1MM in cap space to make a deadline at the trade deadline before activating Maatta for the playoffs (where there is no cap in place).

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