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Ryan Murray Suffers Broken Hand

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After recently missing two games with a back injury, it appears that Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray is set to miss some more time, perhaps even a substantial amount. Columbus Dispatch beat writer Aaron Portzline revealed late last night that the Blue Jackets’ blue liner broke his hand while blocking a shot in the first period of a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Murray did not return and the prognosis was confirmed following the game. While there is still no word on the severity of the break or a timeline for his return, Murray continues to have bad luck on the injury front in his young career.

Until last week, it appeared that Murray was well on his way to another full season, after skating in 82 games with Columbus last year. This is a change of pace for the young defenseman, whose injuries have hindered his development early on in his NHL career. Drafted second overall in 2012, Murray was expected to step in and have an impact right away in 2012-13, but a serious shoulder injury at the junior level with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips eliminated that possibility and held Murray to just 23 junior games that season. Nonetheless, Murray was able to make the team in 2013-14 and played in 66 games his rookie year. However, he did miss almost the entire month of March that year with a knee injury. In 2014-15, Murray was held to just 12 games all season long due to setbacks regarding his knee and other injury concerns. In his first three seasons since being drafted, Murray skated in just 101 hockey games. That all finally changed last season, when Murray played in all 82 games for the Blue Jackets. Yet, Murray managed to score only 25 points, less than his rookie season pace. Tabbed as a puck-moving, point-scoring defenseman out of juniors, there is some question as to whether or not injuries have played a part in the former top pick’s lack of production. Through 60 games this year, Murray has just 11 points, and depending on the extent of this injury, that could be all he gets.

Regardless of the development and offensive effectiveness of Murray, he is a capable defenseman whose loss leaves a hole in the Blue Jackets’ lineup. As Portzline points out, the trade deadline swap of physical Dalton Prout for puck-moving veteran Kyle Quincey is now even more vital, as Quincey can more accurately replace Murray’s play. Columbus continues to win, with 13 points in their last 10 games, and are holding tight to the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot, fending off the New York Rangers and chasing the Pittsburgh Penguins. The pressure is now on Quincey and the rest of the Blue Jackets defensemen to pick up the slack of losing Murray and keep the team moving forward.

Aaron Ekblad Out

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Florida Panthers defenseman and captain Aaron Ekblad left tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after suffering what looks like a head injury. Lightning forward Gabriel Dumont hit Ekblad in the corner and Ekblad immediately went down clutching his head. The Panthers later announced that Ekblad will not return tonight.

Losing Ekblad would certainly hinder the Panthers’ playoff hopes. The team sits 6 points out with 16 games remaining. Ekblad has 10G and 11A in 66 games. The Panthers have some backup with UFA signing Keith Yandle, but Ekblad leads all defensemen in goals, and all players in shots. With four teams to jump, the Panthers need to almost run the table for the rest of the season. Losing Ekblad makes that almost impossible.

The head injury is Ekblad’s second head injury this year, and third in 20 months. In September Ekblad suffered concussion-like symptoms at the World Cup of Hockey that the Panthers eventually called whiplash. Ekblad also suffered a concussion in January 2016. His injury history may worry the Panthers, expecially after signing EKblad to a eight-year, $60MM extension that kicks in next season.

Thoughts On The NHL Expansion Draft List Controversy

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Earlier this week the NHL GMs met in Boca Raton for a series of meetings meant to improve the game. One tentative resolution, as first reported by ESPN’s Pierre Lebrun, is that the NHL will not release the list of exposed players prior to—or even after—the NHL Expansion Draft this summer. This revelation created quite the ruckus amongst fans and media alike, as almost no one expected the NHL to completely deny access to the hotly-anticipated list.

Hotly-anticipated is no misnomer. CapFriendly’s mock expansion draft tool just surpassed 30,000 user-created drafts since its November’s inception. Fan blogs across the web delved into extensive analysis on who teams should protect and expose. Commentary on every transaction so far this year always had the obligatory “how does this effect the expansion draft” question attached to it. Needless to say, the protected list of NHL players will be the hottest commodity come June.

And yet the NHL GMs have tentatively decided to permanently withhold that list, making it impossible for everyone outside the NHL GM community to stage their own mock drafts and analyze GMs’ decisions. The GMs surely have their reasons, but fans and the media have theirs in support of publishing the protected list. The following outlines both sides in an effort to understand the rationale behind both desires.

For releasing the list

The two main arguments for releasing the list are simple: to facilitate mock drafts and to provide context and analysis of both the draft itself and moves leading up to the draft. And more importantly to the NHL, both arguments produce increased exposure. Fans and media clamour for this information, and the NHL should enjoy the attention windfall that follows.

Moreover, it rewards those who follow the NHL closely enough to care about who teams protect and who they expose. The NFL and NBA all have an extensive mock entry draft culture that allows fans almost unlimited imagination as to which players go where. With an event as unique as the expansion draft, the NHL should not deny fans the opportunity to construct their own Vegas Golden Knights using an official list of players.

Against releasing the list

The two main arguments against releasing the list center on the GMs and the players themselves. One, the GMs do not want their decisions scrutinized more than necessary. Two, NHL players may not want the public to know who isn’t worthy of protection, or relatedly, the GMs do not want their players to know who gets exposed.

Protecting themselves against scrutiny may be the low-hanging fruit argument, but it merits attention. The NHL continues to announce NHL contracts without crucial details like amount, conditions, and whether there is a no-trade or no-movement clause. This is despite the popularity of sites like CapGeek, Capfriendly, and General Fanager. The argument is that fans do not need to know these details to enjoy the game, and that scrutiny begets negativity, and—more telling—criticism directed at GMs.

The second argument may have more heft. Players may not want to know that certain players in the locker room were protected while others were exposed. In a skill-based game where ego runs rampant, knowing that a team finds you dispensable may alter the relationship between teams and players. Moreover, players may not want others to know if a team finds them dispensable. In an environment with almost no privacy, players may want to cling to whatever confidentiality they can.

In the end, the pressure from fans and media alike shoud push the NHL to change its mind and release the list. The benefits outweigh the positives, and the increased exposure should be cultivated rather than ignored.

Minor Transactions: 3/11/17

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Here is a rundown of today’s minor roster moves:

  • The Canucks announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled left winger Joseph Labate from Utica of the AHL and it’s expected that he will suit up later tonight against Pittsburgh. Labate made his NHL debut earlier this season and has been held off the scoresheet through five games.  He has also suited up in 29 games with the Comets in the minors, collecting 13 points (4-9-13) along with 63 penalty minutes.
  • With goalie John Gibson being activated off injured reserve, the Ducks announced they have assigned Jhonas Enroth to AHL San Diego. Enroth didn’t get into a game with Anaheim during his recall despite putting up some stellar numbers in the minors.  In a dozen games with the Gulls, Enroth is 10-2 with a 1.42 GAA and a .944 SV%.
  • The Predators have recalled winger Miikka Salomaki from his injury conditioning assignment in Milwaukee, via the AHL’s transactions page. He isn’t in the lineup for today’s game against the Sharks, however.  Salomaki has been out of the lineup since mid-October with a lower body injury and has played in just two games with Nashville this season.  He played in four games with the Admirals during his conditioning stint, collecting a goal along with four penalty minutes.
  • It appears New Jersey goaltender Keith Kinkaid is feeling well enough to dress tonight against the Coyotes. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Ken Appleby to Albany of the AHL while recalling left winger Blake Pietila on an emergency basis.  The 24 year old forward has spent most of the season in the minors where he has 29 points (15-14-29) through 42 games while going pointless in a pair of NHL contests.  Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice adds (via Twitter) that Pietila will fill in tonight for Devante Smith-Pelly (lower body injury).

Snapshots: Canadiens, Trouba, Andersen

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The Canadiens received some good news and some bad news on the injury front today.  Right winger Alexander Radulov skated on the second line in practice today and could be ready to return to the lineup tomorrow against the Oilers, notes Marc-Antoine Godin of La Presse.  Radulov is Montreal’s second leading point getter this season with 46 points in 63 games and would be a welcome addition to a team that has struggled to score with consistency over the past few weeks.

Carey Price (flu) also returned to practice but the team announced via Twitter that left winger Paul Byron is now under the weather.  Byron is in the midst of a career season and sits second on the team in goals with 16.  The team also revealed (Twitter link) that center Tomas Plekanec skated with a non-contact jersey which would put his status for tomorrow in question.  Plekanec has missed the last two games due to an upper body injury.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Although it wasn’t all that long ago that he was involved in a contract dispute, talk has already shifted to the possible contract extension that Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba could be eligible to sign as of July. The blueliner mentioned to Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press that he hasn’t given much thought to a new contract as of yet.  Trouba had been hoping to be dealt earlier this season but wound up settling for a two year bridge deal and said at that time that he had rescinded his trade request.  The injury to Tyler Myers allowed the 23 year old to play on his natural side as desired and he has responded with what is shaping up to be a career season.
  • Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen will set a career high in games played tonight against the Hurricanes with 55. He’s likely to see the bulk of the workload the rest of the season as well which should have him up near the 70 game mark when all is said and done.  While the potential for fatigue is certainly a valid concern, Andersen told Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star that he isn’t tired nor is he dealing with a lingering injury.  The 27 year old is in his first season with the Maple Leafs after being acquired in the offseason from Anaheim and aside from the beginning of the year, has given the team high quality goaltending and is a big reason why they remain in the thick of the playoff race.

2017 College Free Agent Market: Goaltenders

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With the college playoffs starting to get underway, we’re starting to see a few free agents that were eliminated early sign with NHL teams.  Many more players will become available in the coming weeks and quite a few will sign fairly quickly.

Here is a closer look at some of the goaltenders that could be of interest to teams in the coming weeks.  All of these players are undrafted and unless they’re in their senior season, they could opt to return to their schools for the 2017-18 season.

Parker Gahagen (Army)

The senior is set to benefit from a recent change in US Department of Defense policy that will allow him to pursue a pro career before fulfilling his military service.  Last year, he posted an impressive 2.01 GAA and has improved on that mark this year, coming in at 1.96 while still posting a save percentage in the .930’s.  The fact that he can’t come back for another season should mean that he’ll come off the board quickly once his team is eliminated.

Cam Johnson (North Dakota)

Johnson hasn’t matched the production from his sophomore season (one where he won the national championship) but that would have been a very lofty goal to attain.  His numbers, though quite a bit lower than last year, are still strong but he isn’t among the top goalies in college hockey this season.   That might hurt his stock on the open market which could result in him coming back for his senior year.

Peyton Jones (Penn State)

There was some talk that Jones would be drafted last year after a strong final USHL season with Lincoln but he passed through without being selected.  The NCAA freshman quickly assumed the starting role and has the size that many teams covet at 6’4.  He’s more of a longer-term project at this stage but that shouldn’t stop teams from showing interest in him.

Hayden Lavigne (Michigan)

Last month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned the freshman as someone who could draw some interest but the fact he has played just 13 games so far this season as a result of a three-way timeshare which could make him someone who waits another year or two before really testing the market.  Lavigne put himself on the radar back in 2015-16 with a strong season with Bloomington of the USHL where he finished fourth in GAA at 2.24.

Brett Magnus (Sacred Heart)

Size is a big factor between the pipes and at 6’4, Magnus will have some teams intrigued.  However, his numbers have taken a bit of a step back in his sophomore year which may make him more likely to return for his junior campaign.  Worth noting, the 23 year old would be eligible for a two year entry level contract if he signs now but if he returns to school next season, his ELC would only be for one season.

Chris Nell (Bowling Green)

Nell was one of the top goalies in college hockey in 2015-16 and hasn’t been quite as successful this season (though he has still played quite well).  Like Johnson, that could make him lean towards staying for next year (which would be his final season of eligibility) but he should still draw some interest in the weeks ahead.  What will hurt Nell a bit is that he’s just 6’1, especially as the league trends towards taller goalie prospects.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Cizikas, Sprong

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Draft picks are always an important trade currency but this offseason they could carry more importance than usual which, as Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media suggests, could make things interesting for the Devils.  GM Ray Shero hasn’t hesitated to move picks for players at the June Entry Draft but something similar could happen in advance of the Vegas expansion draft as teams like the Devils may look to take advantage of unprotected lists and flip a pick or two for a player at that time.

As things currently stand, New Jersey has 11 draft picks for the 2017 draft and aren’t the deepest of teams which could make them a team to watch for as the expansion draft approaches if they decide to try to make a move for someone that’s slated to be unprotected.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:

  • The Islanders could get some good news on the injury front shortly as center Casey Cizikas is recovering quicker than anticipated from a broken hand, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple. Cizikas suffered the injury on February 21st and was expected to miss at least a month but instead, he could be back in the lineup sometime next week.  The 25 year old has 23 points (7-16-23) in 53 games with New York this year while logging a career high in ice time at 14:02 per game.
  • Pittsburgh could potentially make an intriguing addition late in the season or in the playoffs, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2015 second round pick Daniel Sprong is lighting up the QMJHL with 50 points in 27 games, including 30 goals.  He also has made some strides in the defensive end which was a big factor in him being returned to the junior level this year.  If the Penguins are comfortable with his two-way game, he could be a late addition to deepen out their lineup.  However, they won’t be able to bring him up until his junior team, the Charlottetown Islanders, is eliminated from their own postseason.

Emergency Recalls: Melchiori, Andersson

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As of March 1st, the day of the NHL trade deadline, teams are restricted to calling up no more than four players from the minor leagues and must be judicious in how they use them. There is, of course, an exception to that limitation: emergency recalls. Teams are allowed to call up a player on an emergency basis but they can only use a player with that designation in the event they don’t have enough healthy bodies to ice a full lineup. That very situation may possibly play out tonight for both Winnipeg and Calgary.

  • The Winnipeg Jets announced this morning that they have recalled defenseman Julian Melchiori from Manitoba of the AHL on an emergency basis. Fellow blue liner Ben Chiarot is “under the weather,” according to Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun, and is a game time decision. In the event Chiarot is unable to go, Melchiori will take his spot. Melchiori has appeared in five games this season for the Jets, going scoreless while averaging roughly 15 1/2 minutes per contest. He has registered eight points and 18 penalty minutes in 40 games for the Moose. The 6-foot-5 blue liner was chosen by Winnipeg in the third round of the 2010 entry draft.
  • With Michael Stone sidelined with an upper-body injury and Dougie Hamilton questionable for tonight’s contest due to a lower-body issue, the Calgary Flames have brought up defenseman Rasmus Andersson from Stoctkton with an emergency designation, the club announced yesterday. Andersson, 20, would make his NHL debut should Hamilton be ruled out tonight. Sportsnet 960’s Derek Willis tweeted that Hamilton was on the ice for the team’s morning skate but Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan called the blue liner a “game-time decision.” In his first season as a pro, Andersson has tallied three goals and 22 points in 50 games for the Heat. The 6-foot defenseman was Calgary’s second-round choice in the 2015 draft. Veteran blue liner Dennis Wideman will draw back into the lineup for the Flames, taking the place of Stone. It marks the first appearance for Wideman in more than three weeks.

Atlantic Division Notes: Sabres, Erne, Gourde, Panthers

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Entering the 2016-17 season, the Buffalo Sabres were considered by some as a dark horse playoff contender after the team added top-six winger Kyle Okposo in free agency and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov via trade last summer. However, a preseason ankle injury shelved sophomore center Jack Eichel for the first 21 games of the season and the team stumbled to a 7 – 9 – 5 mark in his absence. The team’s defense has also contributed to Buffalo’s struggles and unfortunately for the Sabres, there may not be much help on the way next summer, according to John Vogl of The Buffalo News.

Vogl examines the list of potential UFA defenders, a list which happens to include current Sabres Kulikov and Cody Franson, and aside from Kevin Shattenkirk and perhaps Karl Alzner, the scribe doesn’t see free agency as presenting a solution to Buffalo’s blue line woes. That means in all likelihood the Sabres will have to go the trade route in order to address their defensive shortcomings. Naturally, any deal to add a defenseman will likely cost the team a key forward and would essentially represent an example of “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • We touched earlier on the injury issues impacting the Tampa Bay Lightning, but for the glass half full crowd, the absences of Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette offer opportunities for young players to step into more prominent roles and show the team’s coaching staff and management team what they are capable of at the NHL level. As Bryan Burns, NHL.com’s Tampa Bay Lightning contributor writes, the early beneficiaries of extra ice time and responsibility in Tampa are rookies Adam Erne and Yanni Gourde. As Burns notes, Gourde filled in as the team’s second line pivot Thursday night, recording a career-high 16:35 of ice time and registering the second point of his NHL career. Erne saw better than 14 minutes and even got some time on the power play. With Tampa Bay wrapping up a disappointing campaign, it’s quite possible the the team continues to give opportunities to some of its young talent as the front office begins to hatch its offseason strategy.
  • Last night’s 7 – 4 loss to Minnesota leaves Florida six points out of the second and final Eastern Conference wild card slot with just 16 games remaining in their season and with four teams to leapfrog in the standings. As Adam Gretz of Pro Hockey Talk writes, time is running out on the Panthers and barring a strong finish it appears Florida won’t be making their second straight postseason appearance. Missing the playoffs would represent a disappointing outcome for a team that was particularly aggressive in the offseason trying to build upon last year’s success. Florida acquired the rights to Keith Yandle and then inked the skilled puck-moving defender to a massive seven-year, $44.45MM contract extension. They signed Jason Demers as a free agent and traded for Mark Pysyk to further bolster their blue line. The Panthers also made smart under-the-radar signing, adding Jonathan Marchessault via free agency. The diminutive winger has registered a 20-goal, 39-point campaign for Florida. Yet all of those additions will be in vain unless the Panthers can close out on a hot streak and somehow sneak into the playoffs and that possibility is fading more and more with each passing day.

Central Division Notes: McKenzie, Hanzal, Blues

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The Dallas Stars decision to ink Curtis McKenzie to a one-year contract extension has obvious expansion draft implications in that it gives the team another forward that meets the minimum requirements making him eligible for exposure in the draft and allowing Dallas to protect someone else instead. However, as Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes, the Stars would prefer to hang onto the 26-year-old left wing rather than lose him to the Golden Knights.

Several players the Stars believed would play key roles up front (Ales Hemsky, Patrick Sharp, Mattias Janmark and Jiri Hudler among them) have missed significant portions of the season and McKenzie has proven invaluable by filling a number of roles for the team. He adds grit and penalty killing while sliding up and down the lineup as needed. McKenzie has tallied only four goals and 11 points in 43 games this season but that production is solid for a versatile, defensively responsible bottom-six forward. At a salary of just $700K for 2017-18, McKenzie represents a relative bargain, whether for Dallas or Vegas next season.

  • As is often the case with players joining a new team at the trade deadline, Martin Hanzal has struggled to find his way since being acquired by Minnesota from Arizona for a package of draft choices. But as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune notes, if anyone understands the difficulties of adjusting to a new team and new systems, it’s Wild bench boss Bruce Boudreau, who played for 17 different pro hockey clubs over the course of a 20-year career. Since joining Minnesota, Hanzal has had a rotating cast of linemates, a situation that complicates his adjustment but also one that allows Boudreau to figure out how best to ultimately deploy the veteran pivot. The coach’s patient handling of Hanzal may be starting to pay off. The 30-year-old had his best game as a member of the Wild in Minnesota’s 7 – 4 win over Florida Friday night. Hanzal recorded an assist, finished with three shots on goal and adding five hits. It’s that type of performance that made the 6-foot-6 pivot an attractive trade option at the deadline and if he can continue that level of play throughout the postseason the Wild will be pleased.
  • Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hosted his regular chat yesterday and covered a variety of Blues related topics. As usual, the entire piece is well worth the read but one item of particular interest was a look back at a March 2, 2015 trade which saw defenseman Ian Cole shipped by St. Louis to Pittsburgh in exchange for fellow blue liner Robert Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick. Since joining the Penguins, the 28-year-old Cole has developed into a quality regular on the team’s back end. The seven year veteran is enjoying the best season of his career in 2016-17, registering four goals and 21 points in 63 contests while posting a +23 plus-minus rating. Meanwhile, Bortuzzo has failed to make much of an impact with his new club and has been a healthy scratch often. While the scribe understands the criticism of the deal in hindsight, he also believes that Cole wouldn’t have evolved into a legitimate top-four blue liner had he remained with the Blues. Rutherford believes that Cole simply didn’t mesh well with the Blues at the time. He goes on to write that the team needed more physicality and got that in the form of Bortuzzo. Ultimately, if they had it to do all over again, Rutherford isn’t sure St. Louis would pull the trigger on that deal.

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