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Archives for April 2017

Snapshots: Draisaitl, Myers, Puljujarvi

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Leon Draisaitl will indeed receive a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today after his spear on Chris Tierney last night. The Edmonton Oilers forward was given a five minute major and game misconduct, but will likely face supplementary discipline.

The hearing itself doesn’t neccesarily mean a suspension, as Draisaitl could be given just a fine. Brad Marchand was recently suspended two games for his spear on Jake Dotchin, though he has a lengthy history with the DoPs while Draisaitl has none. After the Sharks tied the series up with a 7-0 thumping last night, it would be a big blow should the Oilers lose their young forward for any length of time.

  • According to Dave Issac of the Courier-Post the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will bring Phillipe Myers aboard for their playoff run, after his Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs yesterday. The undrafted Myers was signed to an entry-level deal in 2015, and has since developed into an excellent prospect. His play at both ends of the rink was on display at the most recent World Junior tournament, where he scored three points in four games before suffering an injury.
  • Ryan Rishaug of TSN throws cold water on the Jesse Puljujarvi ideas, as he tweets it is “highly unlikely” the fourth-overall pick will see time in the Oilers-Sharks series. Puljujarvi’s season with the Bakersfield Condors came to an end with no playoff berth, and many had hoped he would join the Oilers for a few games to show off his talents. If the Oilers advance however, don’t count him out. Injuries in the playoffs are common, and he isn’t very far down the depth chart for replacements.

Injury Notes: Miller, Polak, Alzner

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The Boston Bruins will welcome back Colin Miller to their lineup against the Ottawa Senators tonight, taking the place of Tommy Cross on the blueline. The Bruins are down 2-1, and have had a myriad of injuries on their back end with Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo and Adam McQuaid all missing time. They’ll hope Miller can help them out, as he’ll skate beside John-Michael Liles tonight.

Here are some more updates from around the league…

  • Roman Polak underwent successful surgery yesterday to fix his broken leg, and will now be on a long road to recovery. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com relays that he’ll stay in the hospital for a few days before starting down that road, which will have to include finding a job this summer. Polak will be an unrestricted free agent come July 1st, and with the Maple Leafs likely looking to make improvements on the blue line from this season there may be no room for him. After a brutal start, Polak somewhat turned his game around and should find a role somewhere in the league should he fully recover in time for the start of the season.
  • The Washington Capitals have their own injury on the back end, as Karl Alzner will indeed be out for their game tonight. The defenseman skated on his own after practice according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, which is the first time he’s been on the ice in several days. Alzner will also be a UFA this summer, but unlike Polak will be sure to get several multi-year offers. Though his overall games-played streak was broken when he missed game 3, he has still played in every single Capitals’ regular season game for the past seven seasons. His durability and consistency will be much sought-after around the league.
  • The Caps had a scare when Marcus Johansson crashed into Braden Holtby at practice, but all involved said he’s okay and won’t miss any time. After another elite regular season, Holtby hasn’t played up to his lofty playoff past yet, holding just a .914 save percentage through three games. Prior to this year, he had put up a .937 mark in the postseason.
  • Paul Stastny was on the ice at Blues’ practice, but he will not play tonight. Stastny hasn’t played yet in the first round series, but is one of the Blues’ most important forwards when healthy. With the Blues up 3-0, they’ll take their time with the centerman.

Jack Eichel May Refuse To Sign Extension While Dan Bylsma Remains Coach

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In a bombshell dropped by Paul Hamilton of WGR 550 in Buffalo, he reports that Jack Eichel will not sign an extension while Dan Bylsma coaches the Sabres. The two have been rumored to have differences of opinion all season, though General Manager Tim Murray made it clear recently that he hoped to lock up Eichel long-term this summer. John Vogl of The Buffalo News got in touch with Peter Fish, Eichel’s agent for a response on the matter, who said that the report is “ridiculous” and that the whole situation is “very misunderstood.”

Jack Eichel

Obviously, things can change on a day-to-day basis with contract negotiations, but this is just the latest example of unrest Eichel has recently shown with the state of the team. In his year-end press conference, the superstar forward told media that the team couldn’t be “satisfied with the fact you’re in the NHL” and that his team needed to dedicate their lives to the game. Some of that frustration may come with the fact that he’d just lost out on a $2MM performance bonus the night before, but he’s clearly not happy.

As he heads into his final year of the three-year entry-level deal he signed after the draft, Eichel was eligible for an extension on July 1st. Murray obviously had plans to talk to his camp as soon as possible, but this may throw a wrench into those plans. To be clear, this is not Eichel or anyone in his camp publicly saying they wouldn’t negotiate, but perhaps not entering the room in good-faith from the start. If he does refuse, it would be an extremely hot seat this season for Bylsma to turn the team around and show some success. Another season out of the playoffs combined with the ire of your team’s best player would easily be enough to lose his job.

Eichel doesn’t have a ton of leverage here, as even though his contract is up after next season he will not be an unrestricted free agent. We have seen time and again how holdouts rarely end in the player’s favor, but with a player the caliber of Eichel things may be slightly different. Either way, that is still more than a year away and shouldn’t be considered a likelihood. For now, the Sabres will just have to deal with this bad press about their head coach—who, of course, is a former Stanley Cup champion and Jack Adams winner for coach of the year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Sobotka, Domi, Draisaitl

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The St. Louis Blues are enjoying a swift thumping of the Minnesota Wild in their first round series, and while much of that has to do with the outstanding play of Jake Allen (the thumping could easily be a whimper, should he have not saved 114 of 117 shots so far) the team has been lifted up by a late season acquisition. When Vladimir Sobotka terminated his KHL contract early and re-joined his NHL squad it was like a big trade deadline acquisition, Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo tells Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Sobotka indeed represents a big addition for the Blues, and will for the next three years. The team has collected an impressive group of forwards and have spread the money around pretty nicely. Only Vladimir Tarasenko and Paul Stastny make more than $6MM per season up front, and with Robby Fabbri, Ivan Barbashev and Zach Sanford all giving them quality play on their entry-level deals, the team can afford to keep them all. Re-signing Stastny after next season will be tough, which may make him a trade deadline candidate similar to Kevin Shattenkirk this year.

  • Max Domi wants to “pick his battles” a little better, after spending eight weeks on the shelf with a broken hand after a fight this season. Dave Vest of NHL.com details his season and how he is looking to improve on his consistency next year. The 22-year old center will be eligible for an extension on July 1st, and will be one of the key players the new management staff will need to lock up long-term. The Coyotes currently have no forwards signed past the 2018-19 season, but that could change this summer with a new deal for Alexander Burmistrov or extensions for Domi or Tobias Rieder. Still building for the future, they could also jump into the free agent waters if they feel like they’re close enough to contend for the playoffs next season.
  • Leon Draisaitl was the latest to spear a player in the groin, getting frustrated with the 7-0 pounding his team took at the hands of the San Joe Sharks. Sportsnet asks if he should be suspended, and the league will decide at some point today. Draisaitl has no history of supplementary discipline, and Chris Tierney—the unfortunate target of the spear—returned to the game with no apparent injury. If he did get a game, it would be a big blow to an Oilers team that is trying to get back on track after being pummeled by the more experienced Sharks in game 4.

Expansion Notes: Bieksa, Sutter

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The Anaheim Ducks have taken a 3-0 lead in the playoff series with the Calgary Flames, mostly due to the success of its defense (although perhaps not in the first 30 minutes of last night’s game. Los Angeles Times’ writer Helene Elliott praises the play of veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa, who she says put in one of his best performances of the season.

However, while the 35-year-old blueliner has been playing well leading a young, talented defensive corps, there continue to be issues on how the Ducks will handle their offseason protection list in June.

Bieksa has a no movement clause, which will force the Ducks to use one of their four defensive spots on the veteran. The team already has a bunch of young blueliners who they must protect or potentially lose to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Even with the team using  the 4-4-1 option in the draft (four forwards, four defensemen and a goalie), the team is likely to protect Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler.

However, because of Bieksa’s no movement clause, they would be forced to expose several young defenders, including Josh Manson. The Ducks may be ready to move on from him next year, but that no movement clause, as well as his $5.0MM cap hit will definitely stand in their way, unless the team can convince him to waive that.

Will Anaheim be able to convince Bieksa to waive his no-trade clause? His recent playoff success might only complicate matters, but no one in Anaheim is complaining at the moment as the Ducks look towards a sweep of the Flames tomorrow in Game 4 in Calgary.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have a similar issue about what to do with center Brandon Sutter, their veteran center. Many feel that Sutter has been a disappointment after a season in which he scored just 17 goals and 17 assists after signing a five-year deal in the offseason. That $4.375MM cap hit over the next four seasons makes many in Vancouver believe that they need to expose the high-priced center in the expansion draft or possibly trade him if that doesn’t work. Fansided Alex Hoegler suggests that the team should consider holding on to him, despite his disappointing first season. Sutter may not be proving to be a top-line center, however, but at age 28, he should be able to provide many 15-20 goals over the next four seasons and provide depth to a young team.

Editor’s Note: This article originally listed Brandon Montour as eligible for expansion. This is incorrect, as his 14 games in the AHL in 2014-15 were played under an amateur tryout and thus do not count towards his professional experience.

Golden Knights Expansion Roster Will Be Revealed At NHL Awards

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The NHL announced today that the 2017 NHL Awards will return to Las Vegas for an eighth straight year on Wednesday, June 21 at the T-Mobile Arena and this year will include Las Vegas like it never has before. The NHL plans to incorporate the NHL Expansion Draft into the festivities as it will announce the 30-player roster that the Las Vegas Golden Knights select in a two-hour broadcast.

The show, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN in America and in Canada on Sportsnet, is expected to put quite a bit of emphasis on the new expansion franchise, highlighting majority owner Bill Foley, general manager George McPhee, new head coach Gerard Gallant and even highlight some of the players the Golden Knights will select.

NHL Awards and nominations for the awards will begin being revealed day-by-day, starting tomorrow with the Selke Award. Here are a list of some of the top awards and potential nominees:

Selke Trophy (nominations will be out tomorrow) — It should be a tight race, but the leading candidates for the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game come down to a handful, including Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler, Washington’s Niklas Backstrom, Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and possibly even Calgary’s Mikael Backlund.

Calder Trophy (nominations to be released Thursday, April 20) — The trophy that goes to the top rookie is almost guaranteed to go to Toronto’s Auston Matthews, but other possible candidates include Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine, Pittsburgh’s goaltender Matt Murray and Columbus’ Zach Werenski.

Norris Trophy (nominations to be released Friday, April 21) — The top defenseman award will come down to a few including the Senators’ top blueliner Erik Karlsson, Lightning’s Victor Hedman and Sharks’ veteran Brent Burns.

Vezina Trophy (nominations to be released Saturday, April 22) — The top netminder award falls to a few including Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky, Washington’s Braden Holtby and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk.

Other nominees that will be announced before the June 21 awards include Lady Byng Trophy on Sunday, April 23; Masterton Trophy on April 24; NHL Foundation Player Award on April 25; Jack Adams Award on April 26; Mark Messier Leadership Awards on April 27; Hart Trophy on May 1 and the Ted Lindsay Award on May 2.

West Notes: Green, Stastny, Eakin

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While the Canucks are still considering several different options to fill their head coaching vacancy, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that Travis Green, the bench boss at their AHL affiliate in Utica, remains the front runner for the job.  He adds that more interviews will be held this week.

Green recently completed his fourth season with the Comets, his only coaching experience at the professional level.  He has interviewed for NHL jobs in recent years though obviously he hasn’t been able to land a spot yet.  Green is no stranger to the NHL game though, having played parts of 14 seasons with five different organizations before retiring in 2007.

Of course, Green isn’t the only coach that has been linked to Vancouver as earlier today, it was reported that one of the others being considered is former Edmonton coach Ralph Krueger.

Other news from the Western Conference:

  • Blues center Paul Stastny returned to practice on Tuesday, Tom Timmermann and Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch note.  Head coach Mike Yeo had him skating with the third line and was pleased with his progress: “I thought he was skating well. I thought he was involved in every drill and conditioning didn’t look like an issue and timing and execution didn’t look like it was an issue either.”  With St. Louis comfortably up 3-0 in their series against the Wild, they can afford to take their time with their top center so it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be back in the lineup in what could be the clinching game tomorrow night.
  • The looming expansion draft is going to result in some notable players hitting the trade market and one of those could be Stars center Cody Eakin, suggests Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. He notes that as things stand, Eakin may be forced to shift to the wing for next season, a position he hasn’t had as much success at in the past.  Accordingly, it may make sense for GM Jim Nill to try to move him in advance of the draft which would free up another protection slot up front to work with.  Eakin is coming off a tough year with just 12 points in 60 games but had at least 35 in each of the past three years which may be enticing to other teams around the league.

CHL Notes: Speers, Fiore, Constantine

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The New Jersey Devils have re-assigned Blake Speers from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to the Albany Devils for their playoff run, reports Andrew Gross of The Record. The 20-year old forward played three games with New Jersey to start the year before heading back to the OHL and suiting up for Canada at the World Juniors. After tallying just a single goal in the OHL playoffs, he’ll try to help Albany get past the second round for the first time in their history.

Last year, the Devils were the second best team heading into the postseason but were dethroned by an devastating Toronto Marlies team that was carrying half the current Maple Leafs team. Speers will try to fit in alongside John Quenneville and the rest of the young Devils this time around.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have signed Giovanni Fiore to a three-year entry-level contract, though no financial details were released. Fiore played this season Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and easily led with 52 goals and 90 points in 61 games. The 20-year old undrafted forward led the entire QMJHL in goals, making him an easy target for teams looking at overagers in the CHL. He’ll try to keep that scoring touch at the next level, where time and space are reduced. Unlike many overlooked talents, he actually has the size 6’1″ 195-lbs to make it in the NHL should he ever develop his game that far.
  • The Everett Silvertips of the WHL have declined to extend Kevin Constantine past this season, a very unexpected move after going 44-16-12. Constantine was a head coach of the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils for a time, but never could get past the second round of the playoffs. Perhaps that’s the same thing that has haunted him here in Everett, as the Silvertips were knocked out—swept in fact—in the second round for the third consecutive year. Constantine shouldn’t have trouble finding work as an assistant in the NHL should he desire, and will be an interesting name to keep an eye on with the other vacancies around the league.

Chicago Blackhawks Recall Baun, Motte, Gustafsson From AHL

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The Chicago Blackhawks have brought up some “Black Aces”, recalling Kyle Baun, Tyler Motte and Erik Gustafsson from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. None of the three are expected to play in the important game four match against the Nashville Predators.

In the playoffs every year, teams recall several AHL players after their season ends in order to fill out the practice facility and get a taste of what playoff hockey preparation is all about. These players are dubbed “Black Aces”—a term that goes back to the forties and Eddie Shore—are the players who could step into an NHL lineup if needed on an emergency basis. It’s often used as a reward for a workman-like season at the AHL, or for young players who will make an impact at the highest level soon.

For the Hawks, these three represent both types. Baun is an undrafted 24-year old forward out of Colgate University, who scored the second most points on the last place IceHogs this season. His 34 points were a solid follow-up to a very disappointing rookie season last year. Gustafsson is a former fourth-round pick who showed off some of his offensive upside this year, tallying 30 points in 68 games from the blue line. He played 41 games with the Blackhawks last season, and has been in professional hockey since he was 18.

Motte on the other hand is just 22 and split this season between the Blackhawks and IceHogs, but had trouble in the bottom-six role he’ll likely have to embrace. The offensive explosion he experienced as a junior at the University of Michigan—56 points in 38 games and a top-10 finish for the Hobey Baker—hasn’t followed him to the professional ranks, and he’ll have to adjust his style to contribute more at both ends of the rink before getting another chance.

Checking In On The 2014 Draft Class

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This season has been one of the most successful rookie seasons in recent history, with almost a dozen players enjoying seasons that would normally be considered for Calder trophy nomination. That, mixed with the continued success of second year players like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin has given the reins of the NHL to the youth of the game.

2014 was another solid draft class, headlined by the NHL-ready Aaron Ekblad at first overall. While many of the players in the first round have taken slower routes than those from the 2015 and 2016 groups, they found their footings this season all around the league. Some of the success stories from this year include Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton (3rd overall), William Nylander in Toronto (8th overall), Nikolaj Ehlers in Winnipeg (9th overall) and David Pastrnak in Boston (25th overall).

These are just a few of the very successful young players, but what about those that haven’t made it just yet? Should they be considered busts, just a few short years after their draft? Here are updates on the four players from the 2014 first round who have yet to make their NHL debut.

Conner Bleackley, 23rd overall, Colorado Avalanche

In perhaps the most interesting story of the four, Bleackley never did sign with the Avalanche and was traded to the Arizona Coyotes last February. With his rights in tow, the Coyotes decided to take the supplemental second-round pick that would be compensation for him re-entering the draft. When Bleackley did put his name into the draft again, he fell all the way to the fifth round where the St. Louis Blues selected him 144th overall. Injuries decimated much of Bleackley’s junior career, and he split this season between the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL. He’s still a long way from an NHL game.

Travis Sanheim, 17th overall, Philadelphia Flyers

Sanheim returned to the Calgary Hitmen for two additional seasons after being selected in the first round and exploded offensively, recording 65 and 68 points from the blue line. His playmaking ability allowed him to dominate the junior league, and has transferred quite well to the AHL this season. With 37 points in 76 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Sanheim is set for his first taste of playoff hockey at the professional ranks. Though he’s not a perfect prospect, he’ll easily get a chance sooner than later in Philadelphia,

Haydn Fleury, 7th overall, Carolina Hurricanes

While Fleury has continued to progress as a solid two-way defender in the Hurricanes’ system, you can be sure they regret not taking Nylander or Ehlers after seeing them debut so strongly. With Carolina now apparently dangling some of their young defenders to try and acquire more scoring, they could have saved themselves the trouble in the draft. That’s not to take anything away from Fleury though, who put up a solid rookie season in the AHL with 26 points in 69 games. If Carolina does in fact move one of their NHL pieces, Fleury will be sure to get a look in the next year or so. He’s still just 20, and is starting to fill out nicely into his 6’3″ frame.

Michael Dal Colle, 5th overall, New York Islanders

Everything looked good in the first year after the Islanders picked Dal Colle, as he put up 93 points in 56 games for the Oshawa Generals and dominated the playoffs with 31 more points. The next season though saw a step backwards, with only 25 points in 30 games before being traded to the Kingston Frontenacs mid-season. Rebounding with his new team, Dal Colle has still given Islanders’ fans slight worry that he’ll never become the elite goal-scoring winger he was projected as.

In his first season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL Dal Colle put up a solid 41 points in 75 games, but was overshadowed by Josh Ho-Sang, the Islanders other first-round pick from 2014. The Sound Tigers didn’t make the playoffs despite a 44-28-4 record, and now we’ll have to wait to see what adjustments the former fifth-overall pick makes in the summer. He’ll be 21 next season, and will push hard in camp to make the Islanders and prove that they didn’t waste a top pick on him. His skill should shine through eventually, making him a natural compliment to some of the good young forwards in New York.

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