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Archives for March 2017

Libor Hajek Signs Three-Year Contract With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have inked one of their top draft selections, signing Libor Hajek to a three-year, entry-level contract today. The 19-year old Hajek was Tampa’s second pick in 2016, taken with the selection they received from Arizona in exchange for Anthony DeAngelo. Selected 37th overall, Hajek was born in the Czech Republic and made his professional debut there at the age of 16, but has been playing in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades for the past two seasons.

Prior to last summer’s draft, Eric Engels and other Sportsnet scouts wrote about Hajek. Modelling his game after Drew Doughty, Hajek has elite skating ability for a defender and uses it to move the puck out of his zone quickly and effectively. His shot impresses, as does his calm demeanor when under pressure. Drafted second overall in the CHL import draft in 2015, Hajek has become one of the most interesting defenders in the league this season.

The 2016 draft is looking excellent for the Lightning, with Hajek joining Brett Howden, Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh and Connor Ingram in the first three rounds. All five are having outstanding seasons in one way or another, with Raddysh even part of arguably the best line in junior hockey with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. While Tampa Bay might have to move out some of its NHL talent in the next few months due to expansion draft and cap concerns, they have done well to fill the pipeline back up with young talent that isn’t so far away from the professional ranks.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Mark Friedman To ELC

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Tuesday: Kevin Gordon of the Bowling Green State site reports that Friedman has signed the contract this morning and will be going pro.

Monday: According to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to sign third-round pick Mark Friedman out of Bowling Green State. The defenseman just completed his junior year, meaning he would be leaving school early to sign with the Flyers.

Friedman, 21, is another one of the sub-six foot defenders coming out of the college ranks who has succeeded in spite of his height. The puck-moving defenseman has always had loads of talent with the puck, but has trouble in his own end at times. With 26 points in 40 games this year, he’s proven once again he can contribute offensively—though that has never really been in doubt.

Should the Flyers pluck him out of school early, they can start giving him important minutes with Lehigh Valley immediately, and try to coax another NHL defender out of a mid-round pick. Shayne Gostisbehere was also a third-round pick that played three seasons in the NCAA before making an immediate impact last season. Perhaps Friedman, who is built much the same, can follow a similar path.

Morning Notes: Ekblad, Street, McCarron

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Aaron Ekblad will return to the lineup for the Florida Panthers tonight, according to Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel. The Panthers superstar suffered his third concussion—not including the bout of “whiplash” he suffered at the World Cup—ten days ago, and apparently has cleared all the procedures to return to the lineup. With the Panthers now eight points back of the Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot, they hopefully wouldn’t have rushed Ekblad back at all.

As Matt Larkin of The Hockey News wrote a week ago, the Panthers have to play this carefully or risk Ekblad’s career before it has even truly begun. The 21-year old looks like he will be a force in the game for a very long time, but has now already suffered multiple concussions early on. In comparing him to Eric Lindros, who suffered several head blows within a short time frame, Larkin pleaded with the Panthers to shut him down for the rest of the season to make sure he wasn’t at risk. None of this is to say that the Panthers medical staff is mistreating the situation, but with just 11 games left and four teams between them and a playoff spot, it does seem a bit unnecessary to bring him back at all. Here’s hoping for some continued health for one of the game’s brightest young stars.

  • With Ekblad returning, the Panthers have sent MacKenzie Weegar back down to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. Weegar never did actually get into a game, with Florida playing Jakub Kindl in the vacant defense position. Weegar will return to the Thunderbirds where he was having an excellent season, scoring 12 goals and 29 points in 51 games.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have called up Ben Street on emergency basis after last night’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Detroit lost Darren Helm to an injury on Saturday, though perhaps someone else suffered a minor wound last night. The 30-year old Street is having another excellent season at the AHL level, with 51 points in 57 games this year. The undrafted forward has found much success at the lower level since starting his pro career in 2010, though has only seen an NHL contest 29 times. Held to just two points in those games, he’ll look to make an impact with this chance.
  • Steve Ott will draw back into the lineup for the Montreal Canadiens tonight, meaning oft-scratched Michael McCarron will be back in the press box according to Renaud Levoie of TVA Sports. The former first-round pick has played just 26 games for the Canadiens this season, registering five points in less than 10 minutes per night. The 22-year old can’t seem to impress either coaching staff enough to stay in the lineup, despite bringing a physical presence. In 32 games in the AHL this year, McCarron has 19 points.

Calgary Flames Call Up Garnet Hathaway From AHL

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After Matthew Tkachuk was given a two-game suspension yesterday for his elbow on Drew Doughty, the Calgary Flames have recalled Garnet Hathaway according to Roger Millions of Sportsnet. Tkachuk will miss games against the Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators, two teams they could really use his skill against.

Hathaway has split the year between the Flames and Heat, playing in 26 and 20 games respectively for the two clubs. His 15 points at the AHL level have been a nice surprise from a player who has never really scored at that rate before. Known more for his grit and physical game, Hathaway provides the Flames with an option for their bottom six that won’t hurt you defensively if they decide to go that way.

The other option to re-insert into the lineup is Freddie Hamilton who, as Millions points out, brings a bit more speed and skill to the table. Hamilton has been an excellent offensive player in the AHL, but has never been able to duplicate that at the NHL level. In 22 games for the Flames this year, he has just a single point.

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Assign Pouliot; Recall Corrado, Sundqvist

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Despite winning 4-0 on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins have decided to make a change prior to their game against the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Struggling young defender Derrick Pouliot has been sent back down, while Frank Corrado and Oskar Sundqvist have been called up from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The team will still be without stars Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Olli Maattaa and several others for tonight’s game.

Pouliot, 23, continues to squander chances with the NHL club with lax defensive play and positioning errors. There is no doubt he has the talent to play at the highest level with the puck on his stick, but his coverage in front of the net and battle along the boards is still not good enough for a team looking for another championship. The former eighth-overall pick will go back down and try to find another gear in his game before the next opportunity presents itself.

Meanwhile, Corrado will get his first chance with the NHL team since coming over in a deadline deal with Toronto that saw Eric Fehr go the other way. Corrado’s lack of opportunity was well documented in Toronto, as he floundered somewhere between leagues for months at a time. The 23-year old has played seven games for the WBS Penguins since the deal, registering just one point. Pittsburgh will see if he can bring some level of defensive responsibility as they look to find a partner for Mark Streit until someone returns from injury.

Sundqvist has dominated the AHL while he’s been there this season, scoring 40 points in 55 games. The big forward has bounced up and down this season and gotten into four games with Pittsburgh, held pointless throughout. The 22-year old third-round pick looks like he’s developing nicely into a bottom-six player capable of some secondary scoring and adding a physical element to the game.

Matthew Tkachuk Suspended Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk two games tonight. The DoPS reviewed Tkachuk’s elbow on Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty in last night’s matchup between the Flames and the Kings. According to TSN.ca, Tkachuk will forfeit $10,277.78 in salary, with that amount going to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund.

Tkachuk will miss the Flames’ games against the Washington Capitals and the Nashville Predators. The Calgary rookie is having an excellent season stat-wise, scoring 13G and 33A in 68 career games. The feisty forward was not expected to make it out of training camp, but his excellent play forced Calgary’s hand.

The Los Angeles Kings play the Flames twice more this season. It is possible that the Kings play Tkachuk a bit chippier than usual in those games.

Recapping Today’s NHL College Free Agent Signings

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Today was a busy day for NHL GMs as three teams signed a total of four NCAA college hockey free agents.

Tim Clifton – San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks officially signed forward Tim Clifton to a two-year, two-way deal today. Clifton just finished his fourth season with Quinnipiac University, and put up 13G and 12A in 39 games. Clifton is expected to join the San Jose Barracuda—the Sharks’ AHL affiliate—to finish out the rest on the season.

Mitch Hults – Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks dipped into the college free agent market by signing Lake Superior State University forward Mitch Hults. Hults had 11G and 23A in 36 games for his school. Hults signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Ducks, and will report to the San Diego Gulls for the rest of the AHL season

Austin Ortega – Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks continued raiding the college free agent market by signing University of Nebraska-Omaha forward Austin Ortega to what looks to be an amateur try-out agreement with the San Diego Gulls. Ortega had an excellent season, scoring 20G and 27A in 38 games for his school.

Alex Kile – Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate Rochester Americans signed University of Michigan forward Alex Kile. Kile captained the Michigan Wolverines to a disappointing 13-19-3 record and scoring just 7G and 7A in 28 games.

 

Evening Snapshots: Callahan, Michalek, Backes

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Detroit Red Wings reassigned forward Mitch Callahan back down to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Callahan went pointless in his four games this March while averaging 7:15min a night. The former sixth round draft pick fared better in the AHL, where he put up 14G and 22A in 53 games. Callahan is in the final year of his contract—worth $600K at the NHL level—and though he was drafted by the New York Rangers in 2009, he’s only played for the Red Wings organization so far in his career.
  • Arizona Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek makes his season debut tonight against the Nashville Predators, reports AZ Central’s Sarah McLellan. Michalek has spent the entire season with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL, scoring 6G and 8A in 43 games. He also scored one goal in three World Cup of Hockey games for his native Czech Republic. This is Michalek’s third stint with the Coyotes. He was signed by the Minnesota Wild in 2001 but traded to the Coyotes in 2005. The Coyotes then traded Michalek to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 only to acquire him right back in 2012. He was then traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2015 before re-signing with Arizona in the offseason.
  • Boston Bruins forward David Backes will play tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins announced that Backes joined the team for warmups after missing the pregame skate this morning due to illness. The Bruins will need all hands on deck tonight as they play the Maple Leafs in a game with significant playoff importance. The Maple Leafs are only three points back of the Bruins for 3rd in the Atlantic Division, and the Maple Leafs have a game in hand.

Jonathan Bernier’s Success Could End Up Costing The Anaheim Ducks

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The Anaheim Ducks made a decision in the off-season to trade Frederik Andersen to the Maple Leafs and install John Gibson as the full-time starter. The young netminder had shown an extremely high ceiling in 2015-16, when he finished the year with a .920 save percentage and split the William Jennings trophy with Andersen. The Ducks were hitching their wagons to Gibson, but wanted someone a little more established behind him just in case. They decided to take back Jonathan Bernier from the Leafs, even at a substantial cap-hit so that they would have a backup capable of playing 25-30 games and helping them into the playoffs. Jonathan Bernier

Bernier was never expected to wrestle the starting job away, but when the young Gibson went down with an injury in late February he was forced into the number 1 role and has flourished ever since. With Gibson returning for one game this month only to re-aggravate his injury, the Ducks will use Bernier down the stretch to get them into the playoffs. Since Gibson went down on February 20th, Bernier has posted a .943 save percentage and is looking like a realistic choice to start the playoffs if his partner isn’t fully healed. Gibson for his part hasn’t returned to practice, though Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that he has skated on his own.

With ten games left in the Ducks’ season before another playoff appearance, some doubt may now be entering the mind of head coach Randy Carlyle on who will be his starting goaltender in the postseason. Should Gibson miss most of the remaining few weeks, it would be hard to reinsert him into the net for the first round. That is where we (finally) get to the headline and the potential for a lost asset for the Ducks.

When they took Bernier from the Maple Leafs, it was for a draft pick with conditions that seemed so unlikely to trigger that they didn’t look like they would have to send anything to Toronto at all. Those conditions are based on Bernier playing in at least 50% of the Ducks playoff games, and the team getting to the Stanley Cup Final; they’ll give up a second-round pick should they win it all, while surrendering a third-rounder if they fall in the final series. With Gibson ready to take over that seemed like a far fetched condition and one that Bernier showed little capability of fulfilling during his final season in Toronto. But now, as he looks like the goaltender everyone thought he would become in Los Angeles, it doesn’t seem as insane as it once did.

After all, he doesn’t necessarily need to get them the entire way. He could play just the first two rounds before Gibson returns, and still qualify for the condition. Sure, some may say it’s worth it if the Ducks are going to go to the Finals anyway, but that shouldn’t reduce the value of the pick being lost. Ducks fans should be hoping even more that Gibson is ready to go next month, while Maple Leafs fans are praying that their old teammate can give them one last gift before hitting free agency this summer.

Snapshots: Kunin, Vegas, Vermin

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Luke Kunin has done everything the Minnesota Wild had hoped for since drafting him fifteenth overall in 2016 except one—sign a pro contract. It might not be long until he finishes that goal too, as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune expects him to turn pro within the next few days. Kunin went back for his sophomore year this season as the Wisconsin Badgers’ captain and improved in every facet of his game. The offensive performance continued, with 38 points in 35 games but he improved in the defensive zone and on the powerplay as well.

Badgers coach Tony Granato told Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal that Kunin is “ready to play pro hockey,” despite wanting him back to help his team next year. He wishes him well with whatever he decides, and is just happy he got the opportunity to coach him for two seasons. If Kunin does turn pro he would likely head to the Iowa Wild for the remainder of the regular season on an amateur tryout, before starting his entry-level deal in 2017-18.

  • SinBin.com reported answers from George McPhee during a non-media Q&A for season ticket holders today, which led to some interesting revelations about the Vegas Golden Knights. While some have argued that the Golden Knights would take a pile of young, prospect-type players in the expansion draft to build for the future, it doesn’t sound like that will be the driving force behind the team. McPhee touched on experience and leadership as a need for the team, while also revealing that Bill Foley will be willing to spend to the cap in the first season. One of the things that is often overlooked in mock drafts is the need to get to the cap floor, which is something McPhee believes will be no problem. “Complying with the rules and spending the amount of money necessary has not been a problem,” he said, lending a little more credence to the idea that he might target some slightly overpaid, yet still valuable veterans that will be left exposed by their teams.
  • One important note from the Q&A is also that McPhee said they will announce an AHL affiliate at the end of the season. Though it’s not clear yet who that would be, SinBin.com notes that it is likely the Chicago Wolves and that the Golden Knights will supply the coaching staff and control hockey operations. The Wolves are currently affiliated with the St. Louis Blues, but remain one of only a dozen AHL teams not owned by an NHL club.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Joel Vermin for the second time in three days. The forward was brought up on Saturday, only to watch the game that night from the press box. With Vladislav Namestnikov returning to a full practice today, but Ondrej Palat leaving early, Vermin is likely only up as insurance once again for tomorrow night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Should one of those two miss the contest, Vermin would get into his 12th game of the season in Tampa Bay. He has just three points in the NHL this year, with 28 in AHL action.

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