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Archives for April 2017

Five Key Stories: 4/2/17 – 4/8/17

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We’ve already seen some big news early this week with the announcement today that Lindy Ruff would not be back behind the bench for the Stars next season.  It figures to be a busy week in that regard but before we look forward, let’s take a look back at some of the top stories from the week that was.

1) NHL Will Not Participate In 2018 Olympics – Although Commissioner Gary Bettman was adamant in the past that the NHL was not likely to go to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, the official announcement that they wouldn’t be participating caught many by surprise while upsetting many fans and players.  The league was expecting the NHLPA to provide some sort of concession, including potentially extending the CBA, to make shutting the league down for more than two weeks more of a palatable option for them.  While some players (most notably Washington’s Alex Ovechkin) are vowing to go regardless, the league is expected to issue some sort of league-wide ruling that would either govern or, perhaps more likely, prevent individual players from choosing to go even if they have permission to do from their team owner.

Dec 10, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Amalie Arena. Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports2) Penguins Lose Letang For Four-To-Six Months – Instead of getting top blueliner Kris Letang back for the postseason, Pittsburgh will not only be without him for the duration of this year but perhaps the start of next season as well.  Letang was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck, one that requires surgery and will have him on the shelf for the next four-to-six months.  All of a sudden, it looks like the Penguins will be going back to a defense-by-committee setup for the playoffs, making the late acquisitions of Mark Streit and Ron Hainsey even that much more important.  The 29 year old Letang finishes the year with 34 points (5-29-34) in 41 games.

3) Okposo Hospitalized – Sabres right winger Kyle Okposo has been out of the lineup since March 27th with an undisclosed illness.  It turns out it was a serious one as it was revealed that he had been hospitalized and spent time in a neurological intensive care unit.  Fortunately, there was some positive news on Friday as it was reported that he has been discharged after showing signs of improvement.  The exact nature of what Okposo is battling remains undisclosed.

4) Sobotka Terminates KHL Deal, Signs Extension With Blues – Although center Vladimir Sobotka was unable to join St. Louis at the beginning of the year, he will be with the team for the postseason after he terminated his KHL deal.  The team didn’t want him to fulfill his arbitration-awarded contract by playing just a handful of games this season though so they agreed to terms on a three year, $10.5MM extension that kicks in next year.  He has a career 56.3% success rate at the faceoff dot in the NHL and should give the Blues another reliable option for their bottom six.

5) MacArthur Returns – After being ruled out for the season back in January, Senators left winger Clarke MacArthur surprised many by getting the green light to return to the lineup on Tuesday.  MacArthur has dealt with four separate concussions over the last 18 months and there is some concern that he may be returning too early.  The 32 year old has suited up in three games for Ottawa this week and logged over 16 minutes of ice time on Saturday against the Rangers.  If he can stay healthy, he could provide the Sens with some critical secondary scoring in the postseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Waivers, Panthers Coaching Candidates, Budaj

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It’s not a regular occurrence to see someone on waivers at this time of the season but that’s the case with Tampa Bay center Gabriel Dumont who hit the wire today, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link).  The move is required as the 26 year old has been up with the team for more than a month since last clearing waivers on trade deadline day.

Assuming he clears again this time around, Dumont will be eligible to participate for their farm team, the Syracuse Crunch, in the upcoming AHL playoffs.  He’s only the second player to go on waivers since the trade deadline, the other being Vancouver’s Drew Shore, who needed waivers in order to join the team last month.

This season, Dumont played in a career high 38 games with the Lightning, collecting two goals and two assists along with 29 penalty minutes while averaging 9:35 of ice time per contest.  He has been a more productive player at the minor league level, picking up five goals and five helpers in just 19 games.  He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Panthers are likely to interview University of Denver head coach Jim Montgomery and San Diego (AHL) bench boss Dallas Eakins for their soon-to-be-vacated coaching job, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (video link). Montgomery led the Pioneers to the NCAA title last night and has a 102-47-18 record over four years at the school and was named Coach of the Year this season.  However, he has never coached at the professional level.  As for Eakins, he coached parts of two seasons with the Oilers where his teams struggled to a 36-63-14 mark.  He has had more success in the AHL though, posting a .589 points percentage over six seasons.
  • Although goaltender Peter Budaj didn’t see much action after being acquired by Tampa Bay as part of the Ben Bishop trade leading up to the trade deadline, he noted to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that he would be interested in signing a new deal with the team this offseason. Budaj played in only seven games after the trade but was instrumental in keeping the Kings afloat when Jonathan Quick went down early in the season.  On the year, he has played in a career high 60 games, posting a strong 2.18 GAA with a .915 SV% and  should be able to land a guaranteed NHL spot for next season in free agency this summer after opening 2016-17 as a third stringer.

Lindy Ruff Out As Dallas Stars’ Coach

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The Dallas Stars’ General Manager Jim Nill announced today that coach Lindy Ruff will not return as head coach for the 2017-18 season on their website.

“I want to personally thank Lindy for his commitment and professionalism over the four years that he served as our head coach in Dallas,” said Nill. “Lindy is not only a highly respected coach, he more importantly is a great person and an outstanding family man whom I have the utmost respect for on and off the ice.”

Ruff’s ouster isn’t too much of a surprise after the team finished with a 34-37-11 season for 79 points and a sixth place finish in the Central Division. It was a far cry from last year’s first-place Central campaign in which Ruff coached the Stars to a 50-23-9 season.

The veteran coach, who had come to Dallas after 15 years in Buffalo, had just wrapped up his fourth season with the Stars yesterday after his team defeated the Avalanche 4-3 in a shootout victory. However, it wasn’t enough. Ruff finished his Dallas career with a 165-122-41 record.

The organization will immediately begin the process of hiring a new head coach.

It’s been a tough season as injuries have troubled the team this year as Antoine Roussel, Brett Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie and Patrick Sharp all have missed time, among others.

Goaltending has also been an issue as the team has finished 29th in goals allowed. The Stars are also last in penalty killing, the lowest in franchise history.

Toronto Notes: Andersen, Matthews

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Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen has “no symptoms” of a concussion, but will sit tonight’s game against Blue Jackets, according to coach Mike Babcock. The goaltender is expected to start Game 1 of the playoffs.

Andersen, who was hit by Pittsburgh’s Tom Sestito who ironically was back for his first game after serving a four-game suspension for a hit against Tobias Enstrom, hit Andersen in a fly-by. Initial belief was he had suffered a concussion. Backup Curtis McElhinney took over in Saturday’s game and is expected to get the start with recent callup Garret Sparks to take backup duties.

Other Toronto notes …

  • When rookie Auston Matthews scored his 40th goal Saturday, an empty netter with three seconds remaining that clinched the Maple Leafs a playoff spot, it put the teenager into rare company. The 19-year-old rookie is now the fourth rookie-teenager in NHL history to score 40 goals. He joins elite company next to Dale Hawerchuk (45 goals at 18 years of age in 1981-82), Mario Lemieux (43 goals at 19 years of age in 1984-85) and Sylvain Turgeon (40 goals at 19 years in 1983-84). Matthews had previously broken the American-born rookie scoring record when he recorded his 39th goal Monday.
  • Dave McCarthy of NHL.com reports the Leafs will have nine players play 82 games this year, a testament to their health and one reason for the team’s success this year in reaching the playoffs. Matthews, Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Connor Brown, Leo Komarov, Zach Hyman, Jake Gardiner, Matt Martin, Nikita Zaitsev have played all 81 games so far and are expected to play tonight. William Nylander is only at 80 games.

 

Pacific Notes: Miller, Doan, McDavid, Andersson

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Longtime broadcaster Bob Miller called his last home game Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Los Angeles Times writer Tom Hoffarth parallels the broadcaster’s sendoff to that of Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.

Miller who has worked 3,352 days as the voice of the Kings (with one game to go), called an exciting 3-2 overtime victory over the Blackhawks.

The Kings trailed 2-1 with 1:16 remaining in the game and the broadcast put up a window in which forlorn Miller waved goodbye to Kings’ fans. Seconds later, Dustin Brown tied the game, elating Miller. Not long into OT, Drew Doughty put in the game winner to Miller pumping his fists in victory.

“It was perfect the way it happened,” said the 78-year-old Miller as he came into the media room following a postgame ceremony where he addressed the crowd and thanked them for their support. “It was a great day.”

It’s a good piece, if you are a fan of the legendary broadcaster.

Other notes:

  • Veteran Shane Doan notched an assist and played 17:10 in Saturday’s finale for the Arizona Coyotes. The 40-year old has wrapped up his 21st straight season, all with the Coyotes organization and it could have been his final game of his career after 1,540 games. “I truly haven’t made up my mind yet and that is probably one of the reasons why I haven’t, because if I had made up my mind it’d be a pretty emotional night and I didn’t want that,” Doan said after Arizona’s 3-1 loss to Minnesota at Gila River Arena. “I don’t know if that is the only reason but that is one of them. There is still a lot of me that wants to play. I enjoyed tonight though.”
  • Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid needs two points today in the regular season finale against the Vancouver Canucks. If he does it (and in his first full season in the NHL), he would be the first Oiler to reach 100 points since Doug Weight did it in 1995-96. Regardless, he is likely to win the Art Ross Trophy and a candidate for the Hart Trophy.
  • The Calgary Flames have assigned defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Stockton Heat, one day after finally getting to play in his NHL debut. The former second-rounder in 2015 was recalled on March 10, but has been a healthy scratch for 14 straight games until he made his debut last night. Andersson goes back along with goaltender David Rittich, who did not see any playing time. Both players are being returned to play against the San Jose Barracudas.

Minor Transactions: Last Day Of The Regular Season

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The Washington Capitals, who have long since clinched the President’s Trophy for the best record in the NHL this season, have next to nothing to play for in their 2016-17 regular season finale. What better use for such a game than to reward a time-tested contributor to the organization. The Capitals announced today that they have recalled Garrett Mitchell, as well as Chandler Stephenson, from the AHL’s Hershey Bears for the last game of the season. Mitchell, the Hersey captain, will make his NHL debut at 25 after being a sixth-round selection of the Capitals back in 2009. Far from an offensive juggernaut, Mitchell is instead a physical two-way forward who makes up for his lack of points by sticking up for the Bears’ younger players and leading by example in his own end. It is a classy move by Washington to give a player who has worked hard for the organization a brief glimpse at NHL life, even though his ceiling appears to be a nothing more than a fourth-line player at this time.

Around the league, the transactions are coming in fast:

  • Washington’s opponent tonight is the Florida Panthers and newly-recalled young goalie Sam Brittain. It remains to be seen if Brittain will make his NHL debut tonight, but he’ll at least be on the bench as Florida announced that the 24-year-old had been promoted from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds for the game. Brittain has played mostly in the ECHL this season and is far from being a regular NHLer any time soon, but will at least get a look at big league action in the season finale.
  • Another goalie getting a rare look at the highest level is the New York Rangers’ Magnus Hellberg. Buried behind all-world keeper Henrik Lundqvist and one of the more reliable backups in the league, Antti Raanta, Hellberg was surely excited to hear that he had been called up from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Hellberg, 26, has never started an NHL game and that won’t change tonight as Raanta gets the call for the Rangers. However, Hellberg has seen the ice three times in his career and has strung together several strong AHL seasons in a row, so gaining some more experience tonight, even from the bench, brings him closer to an NHL future.
  • A goalie headed the other way today is the Montreal Canadiens’ Charlie Lindgren. Despite nothing but success in his few NHL appearances early in his young career, the Habs are set in net with Carey Price and Al Montoya. Lindgren will have to wait for opportunity to strike for a longer stint with the Canadiens, as he’ll head back down to the AHL and the St. John’s Ice Caps alongside defenseman Brett Lernout, the team announced.
  • Another pair headed back to the minors are Winnipeg Jets’ prospects Kyle Connor and Nelson Nogier. Following their season finale yesterday, the Jets decided today to return the duo to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose to get some final play time in this season. While the Jets expected more than five points in 20 games from Connor in his rookie season, after being a Hobey Baker finalist for the University of Michigan last year, expect him to play a major role for Winnipeg in 2017-18.
  • Another player set to take on a major role next year is Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg. Fans can get a preview of the prospect-studded blue line that Philly is likely to roll out in 2017-18 when Hagg makes his NHL debut today. The team announced his recall this morning from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and he will skate alongside the likes of Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov tonight and Travis Sanheim and Samuel Morin as well next year in a truly impressive collection of young talent.
  • Across the state, the Pittsburgh Penguins are planning on resting some of their players today – those that aren’t already injured anyway – and have called up a trio of players from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to help fill the voids. Oskar Sundqvist and Derrick Pouliot, two names familiar to Penguins fans, will return to the lineup, while Jean-Sebastien Dea will make his NHL debut. A longtime WBS contributor, Dea’s work ethic and consistency has finally earned him his first shot at the pros for a team that is in desperate need of depth that can step up their play.
  • Pittsburgh’s Round One opponent, the Columbus Blue Jackets, are adding some promising young talent of their own in forward Sonny Milano. The team announced that they had promoted the 2014 first-rounder from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and that he will get the call today against the Toronto Maple Leafs as the Jackets look to reverse their recent luck before the postseason gets underway. Milano has only skated in three games with Columbus this season, but leads the Monsters in scoring with 46 points in 61 games.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have recalled defenseman Chris Butler from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. However, Butler’s return to the NHL lineup may be overshadowed by the possibility that Vladimir Sobotka could also make his season debut after a long hiatus from the team while playing in the KHL.
  • With an extremely disappointing season finally over in Dallas, the Stars have moved a slew of players back down to the AHL’s Texas Stars to give them some play time before the end of the season. Forwards Jason Dickinson, Mark McNeill, Gemel Smith, Denis Gurianov, and Remi Elie and defenseman Julius Honka will all head back to Texas, a team that, like its affiliate, has no chance at the playoffs either.

More to come throughout the final day of the 2016-17 season

Maple Leafs Call Up Garret Sparks On Emergency Basis

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Per usual, the last day of the regular season has already provided a flurry of activity. Recalls abound as teams heading to the playoffs rest their starters and those remaining teams, with nothing left to play for, begin to take a look ahead with some new additions to the lineup. However, one move already today is an outlier: the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced an emergency call-up of goaltender Garret Sparks from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

The move comes not as a luxury, but as a necessity. The Leafs may have the most important game of the day, as they get set to square off with the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight with major playoff seeding implications on the line. A regulation loss and Toronto faces the Washington Capitals in the first round, a match-up many consider to be a quick elimination for any team, as the Eastern Conference’s second wild card team. If they are able to pick up even one point, Toronto leap frogs the Boston Bruins and gets to play the rival Ottawa Senators in the Atlantic Division pairing. So who will be in net for this big game? It won’t be starter Frederik Andersen. Andersen left yesterday’s game, a playoff-clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, early due to injury and will not suit up tonight. It remains unclear what kind of condition Andersen is in, having been pulled due to injury twice in recent weeks, but Toronto will play it safe with their starter. Curtis McElhinney will get the call instead today against his former team, and played admirably in relief of Andersen yesterday, but has not played in back-to-back games all season.

Cue Sparks, who may end up seeing the ice in relief in one of the most important games of the season for a team he has yet to appear with in 2016-17. With Jhonas Enroth the backup in Toronto earlier this season, a brief reprieve by Antoine Bibeau, and then the subsequent claim of McElhinney, Sparks has not had the opportunity to take the ice for the Maple Leafs this season. Could that change tonight? Sparks started 17 games for Toronto last year, and while his .893 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average were unspectacular, Sparks played relatively well for a 22-year-old. This season with the Marlies, Sparks has been exemplary despite sharing the net with Bibeau, recording a .926 SV% and 2.07 GAA in 29 appearances. Sparks has shown that he deserves another shot at the NHL, but will he get that chance tonight? Could Andersen’s injury be worse than indicated and afford Sparks a playoff roster spot? That all remains to be seen, but what’s clear is that, at least for now, Toronto needs depth in net for a big game and Sparks is the guy to provide it.

Red Wings Notes: Rebuilding, Routines At The Joe, Sheahan

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ESPN’s Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun give their opinions on how the Red Wings should proceed as they miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990. Burnside takes the approach that the talent in the system isn’t what it used to be and is curious to see if the likes of Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha are truly the real deal. LeBrun points out that the Wings extension of the playoff streak hurt their stock as they missed out on drafting premier talent should they have embraced changing instead of making the playoffs and getting bounced quickly. Both agree it will be a long road back, instead of a quick fix like general manager Ken Holland believes it can be.

  • The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James talked to a number of players and staff about their  routines at the Joe. For Holland, he drives between home and the arena during playoff games out of nerves, and looks forward to an office where he will have windows. His current digs are “in the bowels” of the arena whereas his new one will overlook the Fox Theater and Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Head coach Jeff Blashill spends his time at the Joe scouting and working out–so he doesn’t yell at the refs “too much.” His days are also filled with meetings–everything from watching tape to fixing the power play. Forward Justin Abdelkader spends his time eating, in meetings, and then going to lunch with teammates. A mid-afternoon nap gets wedged into day before Abdelkader returns for meetings and a game.
  • In a preview for the Wings-Habs tilt, MLive’s Brendan Savage writes that the final two games of the season are big ones for Riley Sheahan. The Detroit forward is still searching for his first goal of the season. He holds the dubious honor of most shots on goal without scoring, and Savage calls it “baffling” after Sheahan posted double-digit goals in 2015-16 (14), and 2014-15 (13).

Should The Panthers Put Dale Tallon Back in Charge?

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Sun-Sentinel reporter Dave Hyde wonders if the Florida Panthers higher ups will come to their senses and allow Dale Tallon to finish the job he started. After a disastrous season that followed an extremely successful 2015-16 season, Tallon was given the new title of President of Hockey Operations while ceding the general manager’s chair to Tom Rowe. The results? A fired coach, a collapse to the end of the season, and more questions than answers. Fans are protesting the retention of Rowe in any capacity as he will not return to the bench next season. Hyde writes that putting Tallon back in charge of everything seems to be the best choice for the franchise’s future. Hyde adds that firing other key front office staff like Scott Luce and losing scouts who left the team has been attrition the Panthers couldn’t afford.

The move, when it was made, was seen as one that was a nod to analytics and more progressive viewpoints as the Panthers were barely a month removed from the best regular season in franchise history  Rowe’s moves did more than just tinker with a roster that was so successful–many of them were significant. The move to get Keith Yandle, who regressed from his 46 points (5-41) last season. Hyde also believes that the loss of Erik Gudbranson was felt and that the grand plan Rowe and others laid out never came close to fruition.

Of course, would Tallon actually want it? After all, the team apparently restructured the power only to say that nothing had changed back in December. Not to mention the unceremonious way he was asked to leave the general manager’s gig.

Then there’s the handling of Gerard Gallant, who was inexplicably fired following a Panthers loss to Carolina in Raleigh. The news, which came before photos of Gallant hailing a cab to leave the stadium, which reflected poorly on the organization. Though it was reported later that Gallant refused help from the team, the image was already seared into the minds of hockey folk aghast at the move and the purported treatment of the reining Jack Adams Trophy winner. Gallant denied later that he was let go due to a lack of embracing analytics.

Regardless, something must be done in Miami. Last year at this time, the Panthers were up and coming. Now they’re in a purgatory, unsure of what move to make. If Hyde were the man making the decisions, Dale Tallon would get his seat back in the general manager’s chair.

All that remains to be asked if he would still actually want it.

Pacific Notes: Doan, Couture, Flames

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The Coyotes plan to speak with long-time captain and pending unrestricted free agent Shane Doan on Monday during their exit interviews and make a decision as to whether or not they try to bring him back after, writes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.  For his part, Doan acknowledged that remains undecided on whether or not he wants to play another season (and that there is no timetable for that decision to be made) but that he doesn’t see himself playing anywhere but Arizona.

The 40 year old has played his entire 21 year career with the organization and has seen his production dip significantly this season, posting just six goals and 20 assists, his lowest output since 1998-99.  His agent, Terry Bross, suggests that the moves that the team makes over the coming months could potentially play a role in Doan’s decision as well.  If that is the case, this decision could drag out well into the offseason.  Last summer, Doan re-signed with the Coyotes back on July 12th and will receive deferred money on that contract through 2022.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

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