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Eddie Lack Released From Hospital; Hurricanes Recall Nedeljkovic

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After a frightening on-ice collision with Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou, Eddie Lack lay motionless for almost ten minutes as paramedics loaded him onto a stretcher and took him to hospital. Though he gave a reassuring thumbs up to the crowd as he was being taken away, Carolina Hurricanes fans were still holding their breath. Late last night, Lack tweeted out what everyone was hoping for:

Thanks for all thoughts and prayers everything looks alright and I’ll be able to go home tonight! Thanks for thinking of me.

The team has called up Alex Nedeljkovic in his stead on emergency conditions from the ECHL. The 21-year old goaltender actually made his NHL debut earlier this year, and has spent much of the season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Drafted in the second round in 2014, Nedeljkovic is just starting to mature as a goaltender will need several years of seasoning in the minor league before really making a mark at the higher levels.

With the club taking on Detroit again tonight, in the second of back-to-back matchups due to a rescheduled game, Cam Ward is expected to get the start. The Red Wings will be on their third game in three nights, an exceptional situation in today’s NHL.

Minnesota Wild Will Soon Recall Joel Eriksson Ek

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According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Wild will soon recall Joel Eriksson Ek from Farjestads of the Swedish league, who were knocked out of the playoffs on Friday. As Russo explains, Eriksson Ek will burn one of his entry-level years should he play in one more game this season. The 20-year old forward played in nine matches at the beginning of the season for the Wild.

The 20th-overall pick in 2015, Eriksson Ek actually racked up five points in that NHL preview, and went on to record 16 in 26 games for his Swedish club. In seven playoff games for Farjestads he scored six points but it wasn’t enough to get by HV 71. Russo notes that though Eriksson Ek can play center, he finished the year as a left winger.

With the Wild going 2-7-1 over their last ten and losing their grip on the second seed from the Central division—Nashville and St. Louis are now just six points and seven points behind them respectively—they need to turn things around fast. Eriksson Ek should give the lineup an injection of youth, and hopefully help the team start winning again. After consecutive losses to Philadelphia, Vancouver and Detroit, the Wild are reeling as they head into their matchup with the Washington Capitals.

For Eriksson Ek, burning a year of his entry-level contract doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be making more money in the long run. Often teams choose this strategy to get a player onto their second contract with just two years of performance under their belt, as Vancouver did recently with Brock Boeser. He’ll now be on track to become an RFA in 2019-20.

Eddie Lack Stretchered Off Ice After Collision

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It was a scary scene in Raleigh, North Carolina following the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. In the course of scoring the game-winning goal, Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou crashed into ’Canes goaltender Eddie Lack, knocking him down hard into the net. While Detroit celebrated their victory, it was clear something was not right with Lack. Medical personnel were soon at his side and, after several minutes on the ice, Lack was finally loaded onto a stretcher and escorted out of the arena, where he was then swiftly sent to the nearest hospital.

As of right now, there is no word on the specifics or severity of the injury. Lack was conscious as he left the ice; he gave the crowd, and his teammates and opposition, all of whom watched on in concern from the ice, a thumbs up as he was carried off. However, that is no indication of the severity of the injury, only a sign of hope to cling on to. We here at PHR certainly wish Lack the best and will update the article when we know more.

Coyotes Exploring Ownership Restructure

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It was reported earlier today that Randy Frankel, a minority shareholder for the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, was considering buying into the Arizona Coyotes. Sportsnet’s John Shannon believed that Frankel could be a potential partner for the ’Yotes current majority owner, Andrew Barroway, as some part of larger shakeup. However, an article released later in the day by Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan reveals that there are much bigger dealings afoot.

Morgan reports that the minority owners in Arizona have extended an offer to Barroway to buy out their shares of the organization. Barroway allegedly has until June 6th to raise the capital for a takeover and become sole owner of the Coyotes or at least leader of a new ownership group. As Shannon noted, Frankel is in the mix as a potential financial backer of the sale, as is his fellow Rays minority shareholder Tim Mullen. Morgan adds that, if Barroway chooses not to take advantage of the option, the minority owners will then be given the opportunity to buy out Barroway’s majority stake. It is also possible that neither sale occurs.

It is no surprise that the Coyotes are an organization in flux, as they have had highly-publicized issues for years with the state of Arizona. After the city of Glendale, their current home, recently terminated the team’s long-term arena lease, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear that the “Arizona Coyotes must have a new arena location to succeed. The Coyotes cannot and will not remain in Glendale.” Bettman has been poignant in his remarks about how arena relations have gone for the Coyotes in Arizona, and has reached out to state leadership directly to discuss alternative options. So far, his efforts have been futile. A plan to construct an arena complex with Arizona State University in Tempe fell through, a privately-funded offer to build a new arena on an Indian reservation outside of Scottsdale has failed to gain steam, and most recently the team had been exploring the option of building a new home alongside the MLB’s Chicago Cubs’ spring training facility in Mesa. As always, there have been continuing rumors about relocation outside of Arizona as well, most of it geared toward a move up the west coast to Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington.

One thing is certain: finding a new home would be the core objective of any new majority ownership group for the Coyotes. Their relationship with the city of Glendale is ruined and the team ranks last in the Western Conference in attendance. An organization that is loaded with skilled, young talent has a bright future ahead of them, but can only maximize that success in a new location. This is a story that won’t be going away any time soon.

Snapshots: Red Wings, Krejci, Marleau, Couture

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Detroit’s 25 year streak of reaching the playoffs is all but set to come to an end this season as the team sits dead last in the Eastern Conference.  While GM Ken Holland isn’t surprised that it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Red Wings this season, he told Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News that he wasn’t expecting the team to struggle as much as they have:

“I expected more, I expected we’d be in the thick of things. I didn’t know if we’d be in the playoffs or not. When you look at the standings in our division and in the Eastern Conference, there a lot of teams, some of them are going to miss the playoffs by a point or two and some of them are going to get in by a point or two.”

Kulfan notes that free agency isn’t an avenue that Holland and the Wings are likely to pursue this summer.  Part of the problem is the weaker than usual free agent class while the team is also handcuffed by some above-market value contracts that the GM has handed out in recent years to players like Darren Helm, Danny DeKeyser, and several others.  As a result, they’ll have to hope to free up some cap room either via the trade or market or perhaps in expansion if the Golden Knights opt to take a pricey player off their hands.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Bruins center David Krejci left practice early on Monday and interim head coach Bruce Cassidy told CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty that he is dealing with an upper body injury. However, it’s not expected to keep him out of Boston’s lineup when they take on the Predators on Tuesday night.  If it turns out he’s unavailable, it’s expected that Ryan Spooner would jump in to fill his spot on the second line.
  • With Logan Couture out of the lineup, the Sharks will shift Patrick Marleau back to center for the time being, notes CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. Marleau is a natural center but has only played there four times this year as San Jose has opted to play him on the wing instead.  In a separate column, Kurz provided an update on Couture.  Head coach Peter DeBoer was pleased by how much the swelling went down today and while he will miss some time, it doesn’t appear that it will be a long-term injury.  There’s no timetable for a potential return date yet although the team is expected to further update his situation in the near future.

Central Notes: Poolman, Hartman, Anisimov, Pickard

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While the expectation was that Jets defensive prospect Tucker Poolman would sign with Winnipeg and get into a game before the end of the season, that has gone out the window as a result of a shoulder injury.  Accordingly, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun wonders if that may ultimately have an impact on whether or not he decides to test free agency this summer now.

Poolman, Winnipeg’s fifth round pick (127th overall) in 2013, recently completed his third season with North Dakota, picking up a career high 30 points in 38 games.  The Jets could have dangled the ability to burn the first year of his contract now to help entice the 23 year old to sign but now that he can’t start his entry level deal until 2017-18, it may make more sense for him to opt to test the market.

If Poolman does opt to wait to sign, he won’t become an unrestricted free agent until August 16th as the Jets will hold his rights through the 15th.  He’s eligible to become a UFA as a result of it being four years since he was initially drafted.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Blackhawks rookie winger Ryan Hartman will be a healthy scratch against the Lightning tonight, notes Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. The decision comes as a result of the youngster taking too many penalties with the last straw being a double minor (which included an unsportsmanlike conduct call) against the Panthers on Saturday.  Hartman has 18 goals and 11 assists in 70 games this year and the belief at this point is that he should be back in the lineup later this week.
  • Also from Lazerus, Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville anticipates to have injured center Artem Anismov back in time for the playoffs. The Russian forward suffered a leg injury back on March 14th against the Canadiens and was expected to miss a minimum of three-to-four weeks.  In the meantime, the ‘Hawks continue to experiment with finding the right replacement for Anisimov; tonight, rookie Tanner Kero will get a chance to center the second line with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane.
  • While there are few positives in Colorado this year, one has been goaltender Calvin Pickard, particularly when it comes to his playing time, writes Jason Hills of the Denver Post. Their struggles coupled with the season-ending groin injury to Semyon Varlamov have allowed the team to give Pickard plenty more starts than they otherwise might have been able to do.  Pickard’s numbers aren’t particularly impressive for a starter (a 2.91 GAA and a .907 SV%) but with an important decision looming regarding which goalie to protect for expansion, the chance to give the 24 year old an extended look as a starter at the NHL level is certainly beneficial.

Anaheim Ducks Re-Assign Jhonas Enroth To San Diego

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In what is one of the best things an Anaheim Ducks fan can hear—though not because of anything he has done wrong—Jhonas Enroth has been sent back to the AHL. The goaltender didn’t play, but has been with the team for two weeks as John Gibson rehabbed from his latest lower-body injury. The move signals that Gibson is at least healthy enough to backup Jonathan Bernier, giving the Ducks two capable goaltenders.

Since Gibson’s original injury in late February, Bernier has gone 10-2-1 with a .937 save percentage and created somewhat of a goalie controversy where there had previously been none. With Randy Carlyle’s familiarity with Bernier from their time in Toronto coupled with Gibson’s expected rust after being out for so long, it wouldn’t be unfathomable for the team to go with Bernier to start the playoffs (Maple Leafs fans rejoice, as that is good news for you).

Either way, the demotion of Enroth is good for the Ducks who have recently taken over first place in the Pacific Division and are trying to lock up home ice advantage for the majority of the playoffs. If they can finish first in their division, they’ll still likely have to go through a Pacific rival in the first round, meaning they’ll need all the healthy bodies they can get.

For Enroth, he’ll return to San Diego where he has been spectacular this season, putting up a .944 save percentage since being acquired from the Maple Leafs earlier this year. The Gulls have already locked up a playoff spot and are a real threat for the Calder Cup now that they have their best goaltender back.

Vinni Lettieri Signs Two-Year Deal With New York Rangers

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After it was rumored yesterday that Vinni Lettieri was being pursued by both the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, he has signed a two-year deal with the Rangers and will join Hartford for the rest of the season on an amateur tryout.

The University of Minnesota forward had a breakout season this year with 37 points in 38 games but saw his squad eliminated by Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament. He’ll now head to professional hockey at 22-years old and try to continue his big year. Finally putting his exceptional offensive skill to work, Lettieri’s skating took a step forward this year.

Lettieri always looked like he should be putting up more points than he was, but could never quite dominate like his skill level showed. Now moving to a bigger, faster league it could take him a while to adjust again. If he can though, he has a high offensive ceiling and the drive to compete at the next level.

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune was the first to report that Lettieri had come to an agreement.

Snapshots: Raiders, MacArthur, Roy

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The NFL approved the Oakland Raiders bid to move to Las Vegas today, which led to a lot of different opinions on the future of the Vegas Golden Knights as the prime sports franchise in the city. Though the Raiders aren’t expected to move to the city until the 2019 season, PFR’s Zach Links writes that they may not wait that long if the fan pressure gets to them next season.

The Golden Knights released a statement on the move, indicating that they’re happy to welcome the Raiders into their community. It would seem though, that even if the Raiders do improve Vegas’ viability as a major sports market they will definitely eat at some of the corporate sales and sponsorships available for the NHL franchise. This is exactly why the NHL wanted to get into the market first, in order to try and build a fan base before one of the other leagues forced their way in.

  • Despite a history of concussions throughout his career, Clarke MacArthur is trying to return to professional hockey—this season. In January, the team had announced that he wouldn’t play again this season, but according to Ian Mendes of TSN MacArthur has never given up hope. Head coach Guy Boucher is operating as though he’s shut down, but apparently there has been some talk about having him retry the baseline testing that had him shutdown earlier this year. It still seems extremely dangerous for MacArthur, but if he could return as an effective winger the Senators would be that much more dangerous in the playoffs.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have signed Matt Roy to a two-year entry-level deal, now that Michigan Tech’s season is over. The team lost at the hands of the University of Denver on Saturday, ending their run for the Frozen Four before it had even really begun. Roy  was a seventh-round pick of the Kings in 2015, and has posted two straight seasons of excellence on the Michigan Tech blueline. He’s turning pro a year early, and has the makings of a solid two-way defender for the AHL with a chance to grow into something even better.

Micheal Haley Suspended One Game For Roughing

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San Jose Sharks forward Micheal Haley has been given a one game suspension for the punch he delivered to Nashville Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok in Saturday night’s game. While Haley is known for his tough play, in this instance he went over the edge after Jarnkrok sent him face first into the glass from behind.

The video released from the NHL Department of Player Safety explains the suspension:

It is important to note that while Jarnkrok did hit Haley before this altercation, Haley’s response is in no way permitted or excusable. Haley acknowledges that he was seeking retribution for the hit thrown by Jarnkrok seconds earlier, which was already being penalized by the on-ice officials.

Haley forcefully punches a player who is off-balance, not engaged in the confrontation and not even looking when the punch was thrown.

Though Haley has always been a fighter and is known for his physical game, he had never been fined or suspended by the National Hockey League. He has however been suspended in the AHL previously, an interesting omission from the league standpoint.

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