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Archives for April 2017

Red Wings Sign Dennis Cholowski To Entry-Level Deal

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The Red Wings are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990, but there’s at least some optimism in Detroit regarding the future of the franchise. Today, the organization announced that they have signed defenseman Dennis Cholowski to a three-year entry-level contract.

Cholowski, the 20th pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, played 36 games for St. Cloud State University this past season. The freshman finished the campaign with one goal, 11 assists, and 14 penalty minutes. As the press release notes, the 19-year-old collected the fourth-most points among NCAA defenseman born in 1998.

Cholowski previously played with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League, where he earned a Second-Team BCHL All-Star birth following a 12-goal, 28-assist 2015-16 campaign. The defender also won gold as a member of Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge, where he tallied a pair of assists.

Friedman’s Latest: Sobotka, Salary Cap, Tkachyov, Zaitsev

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After terminating his KHL contract yesterday, center Vladimir Sobotka and the Blues are making progress on a multi-year deal that could see him rejoin the team shortly, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The 29 year old owes the Blues one year at $2.725MM on a contract that was awarded by an arbitrator prior to the 2014-15 season.  Rather than signing it, Sobotka opted to go play with Avangard Omsk back in Russia for the past three seasons.

If he were to return this season, he could fulfill the previous contract but he would be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.  While St. Louis could certainly use the upgrade, that wouldn’t be the most ideal way to bring him back.  If they can come to terms on an extension, it would be a strong compromise for both sides, allowing the team to potentially get Sobotka back for the playoffs while giving him a multi-year deal at presumably a higher AAV.

As always, Friedman’s full 30 Thoughts column is worth a full read but here are a handful of the other highlights:

  • The arrival of the Golden Knights next season may have an impact on the salary cap, particularly the NHLPA’s decision to use their annual escalator at a rate of up to 5%. It has been used each year since being instituted but it has resulted in escrow increasing quickly as well, something that the players aren’t happy with.  With Vegas having some money to spend as an expansion team, the players could opt to decide that their entrance is enough of a boost to the market this summer and instead decline to artificially raise the salary cap ceiling with the escalator.
  • The NHL’s announcement that they will not stop the season to allow the players to participate in the Olympics could have an effect on the international free agent market. In particular, Friedman cites Russian forward Vladimir Tkachyov, who has received interest from the Devils, Maple Leafs, and Oilers, as someone who may now be less likely to make the jump across the pond in time for 2017-18.
  • While the rumored extension between Toronto and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev that leaked last week has yet to become official, Friedman notes that there’s no expectation that the deal will fall apart. The seven year term caught many by surprise but the team was okay going with that long of a deal in order to keep the AAV of the contract down.  Morgan Rielly, their top blueliner, has a cap hit of $5MM so it’s understandable that Toronto would want to keep Zaitsev at a lower price tag.

Injury Updates: Wild, Okposo, Carlson, McDonagh

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Minnesota received some good news on the injury front on Wednesday as winger Jason Zucker will return to the lineup tomorrow night, notes Dan Myers on the Wild’s team website.  Zucker missed the last three games with a lower body injury and is in the midst of a career season with 46 points in 77 games.

The team also learned that defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who left Tuesday’s game early with a lower body issue of his own, isn’t expected to be out for long.  In fact, head coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn’t rule him out from playing in one of the final two games before the playoffs get underway.

Still with the Wild, winger Chris Stewart is questionable to play on Thursday night as he continues to battle an illness.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • The Sabres have ruled out right winger Kyle Okposo for their remaining three games, reports Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News (Twitter link). Head coach Dan Bylsma noted that Okposo isn’t dealing with a case of the mumps although he added that team doctors are still trying to diagnose what the exact issue is.  The mystery illness has kept Okposo out of the lineup for the past week.  Okposo finishes his season with 19 goals and 26 assists in 65 games, matching the lowest output in a full campaign since 2011-12.
  • Capitals blueliner John Carlson will sit for a second straight game tonight with a lower body issue. Head coach Barry Trotz noted to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Tarik El-Bashir (Twitter link) that it’s not a serious issue, classifying it as “day-to-day, hour-to-hour”.  With Washington close to locking down top spot in the East (which could happen as early as tonight), they can afford to be cautious in order to ensure the team is as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
  • Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh will resume skating tomorrow, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The captain has missed two straight games with an unspecified injury.  Head coach Alain Vigneault suggested that he’d be comfortable with inserting McDonagh back into the lineup for the first game of the playoffs without getting him into another regular season game so it appears he will likely be out through the weekend as well.

Evening Transactions: Milano, Conacher, Paigin

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Sonny Milano back to the Cleveland Monsters after just one game. The top prospect was held scoreless again, and is still looking for his first NHL goal. Scoring 43 points in 59 games in the AHL, Milano has been a huge part of keeping them playoff relevant. After winning the Calder Cup last year, Cleveland is in danger of missing the playoffs completely should they not finish their strong in their last five games. Milano will likely be in the lineup tomorrow against the Milwaukee Admirals.

Here are some more moves around the NHL this evening:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have called up Cory Conacher and Michael Bournival ahead of their important matchup against the Maple Leafs tomorrow. Both players have spent time in the NHL this season and will be used as insurance should Tyler Johnson or any other Lightning can’t go. As Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports, there were several players who wouldn’t have played last night under normal circumstances. That 4-0 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins means that Tampa Bay must beat the Maple Leafs in regulation to have any real chance at making the playoffs.
  • The Bakersfield Condors have signed Ziyat Paigin to an amateur tryout. The seventh-round pick of the Oilers played his third season in the KHL this season and has made his way over to the North American system. While he doesn’t have an entry-level contract just yet with Edmonton, this is a strong sign that he wants to transition away from the Russian league. Paigin broke out last year with 27 points in 33 games after being loaned to Sochi, but has had another underwhelming campaign with Ak Bars this year. A huge defenseman who is already 22-years old, Paigin is a very interesting prospect for Oilers fans to keep an eye on.

Ducks Notes: Kase, Fowler, Lindholm, Holzer

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Ondrej Kase has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks after less than a week in the AHL. The 21-year old forward has shown that he can compete at the highest level, and will get another chance playing alongside Antoine Vermette and Corey Perry according to Eric Stephens of the Orange Country Register. With his promotion, Nick Ritchie has been demoted to the fourth line for the time being.

Kase has 14 points in 51 games this season, a fine showing for a rookie playing less than 12 minutes a night. His possession numbers are excellent, as he has limited opponent shot opportunities while on the ice. Though his performance in that regard isn’t necessarily where his talent will lie going forward, he has already eclipsed the expectations Anaheim had when selecting him 205th overall in 2014.

  • Cam Fowler was absent from practice today and underwent an MRI on the knee that was injured in a collision with Flames’ captain Mark Giordano last night. While the Ducks wouldn’t comment further on his injury, he’s considered day-to-day as they continue to evaluate him. Giordano will be given no supplementary discipline for the hit.
  • The Ducks were also missing a couple of other defenders in Hampus Lindholm and Korbinian Holzer from practice. Lindholm continues to rehab an upper-body injury and is expected to rejoin the club on the ice tomorrow. Holzer on the other hand is back in Germany dealing with a personal matter and won’t return until next week at some point. With just five healthy defencemen in practice, it will be interesting to see if the team calls up a player as insurance in case Lindholm isn’t able to play tomorrow night. It seems as though every team is having trouble staying healthy as the season winds down, but losing Fowler or Lindholm would be a huge blow to the Ducks chances in the playoffs.
  • Even though the Ducks are four points up in the Pacific Division, the possibility that they drop out of that first seed is still very real if they lose their next two games. Facing the Blackhawks and Kings the team needs to gain at least one point to stay ahead of the Sharks, and hope the Oilers slip up in their remaining three contests. Should they fail to do so, they would be giving up the opportunity to face off against the first wildcard spot, and instead have to take on one of San Jose or Edmonton in the first round. After defeating the Flames—who currently hold that top wildcard spot—and extending their whopping 25-game home ice win streak against Calgary last night, it’s clear which would be the best matchup.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Ryan Collins To Three-Year Contract

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With the University of Minnesota ousted early from the NCAA tournament, Ryan Collins has decided to turn pro and sign a three-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. One would assume the deal kicks in for next season, since he’ll be reporting to the Cleveland Monsters for this weekend. If it were for this year, he would burn a year of the deal in the last few days of the season.

Collins is a massive defender who was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, and has only gotten bigger since draft day. Standing at 6’5″, he has the frame and body type to play a heavy game in his own zone and lean on attackers in front of the net. His strength and size are his biggest assets, as he struggles offensively and can be out-skilled at times in his own end. Scoring just nine points in 36 games for the Golden Gophers this season, he was used almost exclusively in defensive situations but actually recorded the top +/- rating among defenders on his team. While Jake Bischoff quarterbacked the powerplay, Collins anchored a penalty kill that was very successful.

With the Blue Jackets’ young defense corps under control long-term, there is no rush to bring Collins to the NHL. They can let him develop even further physically and work on his skating ability in the AHL, perhaps becoming another quality defender for their system in a few years. Right-handed, he could nicely slot into the bottom pair behind Seth Jones and David Savard down the road. He’ll have to take another few big steps to get there though, and joining the professional ranks will test his ability right away.

Snapshots: Suzuki, Thornton, Malkin, Giordano

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Now that Jack Hughes will be heading to the US Development Program, the expected first overall pick in the upcoming OHL draft was vacated. While Hughes would have been a shoe-in for the Barrie Colts selection, Bob McKenzie of TSN now reports that it will be Ryan Suzuki going first. If that last name strikes you as familiar in regards to a hockey draft, you’re not crazy—Nick Suzuki, Ryan’s older brother, is expected to go in the first round in this summer’s NHL entry draft. The older Suzuki is playing with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and has a chance at a Memorial Cup bid this spring. In 70 games this season (including five playoff contests), the 17-year old centerman has 106 points.

  • Shawn Thornton will call it quits after this season, and transition into a business position with the Florida Panthers according to Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel. Thornton will finish with 705 career games played and over 1100 penalty minutes. The rough, physical forward hit double digit goals only twice in his career, but was part of two different Stanley Cup winning teams. At 39-years old, he’s carved out an impressive career for a player drafted in the seventh round who never even recorded 30 points in his junior career. While a lot of that success has to do with his fists, he’s also a testament to work ethic and perseverance.
  • Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that the team is “optimistic” Evgeni Malkin will be ready for the start of the playoffs. After getting news that Kris Letang would miss 4-6 months following neck surgery, getting Malkin back as soon as possible is extremely important if the Penguins want to do any damage in the postseason. Malkin has been skating by himself for a few days, and took shots before practice this morning.
  • Mark Giordano will not receive any supplementary discipline for the hit that injured Cam Fowler last night, according to Mike Halford of NBC. Giordano went knee-on-knee with Fowler, but did receive a punishment of sorts when Josh Manson decided he deserved some justice. Losing Fowler for any length of time would be a big hit to the Ducks as they head into the postseason.

Minor Moves: Gillies, Ullmark, Bondra, Morin

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According to John Shannon of Sportsnet, the Calgary Flames will recall goaltender Jon Gillies prior to their game in Los Angeles tomorrow night. The Flames sent Chad Johnson home for precautionary reasons following his lower-body injury on Tuesday night. Even though the last two games are very important for the Flames in determining their playoff seeding Shannon wouldn’t be surprised to see the team give Gillies the start tomorrow.

Gillies, 23, had an outstanding career at Providence College before debuting in the AHL last year. A hip injury derailed his rookie season, needing surgery in December of 2015 to correct a long-standing issue. This year his game hasn’t come all the way back, posting just a .909 save percentage through 38 games at the AHL. He remains one of the top goaltending prospects in the league though, and may get his chance to start a game in the NHL for the first time tomorrow night.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Linus Ullmark for much the same reason, with Anders Nilsson suffering a minor injury. Robin Lehner will get the start tonight again Montreal, as the team winds down their season. Ullmark, still just 23, hasn’t gotten back on the ice in the NHL this season despite his impressive 20-game stint with the club last year. Registering a .913 save percentage in those games, the former Swedish pro has shown that he can handle the NHL game. This season hasn’t gone as well in the AHL, but he still remains part of the Sabres future in net going forward.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic tells us that Radovan Bondra will join the Rockford IceHogs for their last few games before negotiating an entry-level contract. The 20-year old power forward had 63 points in 62 games split between the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars of the WHL. At 6’5″ 220-lbs, the Slovakian winger already has more than enough size for professional hockey, but actually needs to improve his consistent physical game as he floats to the perimeter at times.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced today that Kyle Capobianco will join the Tucson Roadrunners for the end of the season. Capobianco already signed his entry-level deal in October, and has just completed his fourth season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. The defenseman racked up another 45 points this season, his third straight excellent offensive campaign for the Wolves. While the defensive game is still a big question mark for Capobianco, his size and skating ability should lend itself to a solid development path as he inches towards the NHL. He’ll be 20 next year and will probably play all season with the Roadrunners.
  • Samuel Morin and Colin McDonald are on their way back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, though one or both could be back in time for Saturday’s matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Morin debuted successfully on Tuesday night, skating almost 18 minutes alongside Shayne Gostisbehere and registering seven hits in the game. While his game still needs work—as even he admitted after the game, saying that he still needed to mature physically—he provides hope for Flyers’ fans for the future of their blue line.
  • The Blue Jackets have assigned Oscar Dansk to the AHL following his season with Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League. The second-round pick from 2012 has continued to develop in Sweden while the Blue Jackets kept Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg here in North America. The three young netminders represent one of the strongest goaltending pipelines in the league at the moment, as each has shown high potential at times. They’ll compete for the NHL backup spot next season, and for starts in the AHL.

Kris Letang To Miss Four To Six Months Following Neck Surgery

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So much for having Kris Letang back for the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that the star defenseman will undergo neck surgery and be out for four to six months. Letang has been diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck, and will not only miss the entire playoffs but likely all of training camp and perhaps the beginning of the 2017-18 regular season.  Next year he’ll be entering the fourth year of his eight-year, $58MM deal at age 30 and coming off a major injury; it’s a tough blow for the Penguins this year and next.

Letang has long been the Penguins most important defender, driving play and racking up points. Receiving Norris Trophy votes in five of the last six seasons, he’s widely regarded as one of the best defensemen in the league and plays over 25 minutes a night for the team. Now that he is gone, the acquisitions of Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit look even better on Jim Rutherford, though neither come close to replacing the impact Letang has.

In good news for the Penguins, the team saw Olli Maatta back at practice today and now will need him more than ever to be ready to start Game 1 of the playoffs. With Trevor Daley also returning soon, the team will have to use all six of their defenders even more to fill in and hope someone steps up to replace Letang’s leadership and production. Justin Schultz, who has stepped up in Letang’s absence previously this season, will be under a spotlight this postseason to produce offensively while logging more ice time than he’s ever played before.

Chicago Blackhawks Recall Gustav Forsling

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With the Chicago Blackhawks clinching the Western Conference but now unable to catch Washington for the President’s Trophy, they are poised to give a couple of their veteran blueliners some rest in the last two games. The team has called up Gustav Forsling from the AHL and it is expected that Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook (or both) will be given a game off to prepare for the playoff run.

Forsling has played 36 games with the NHL club this season, his first in North America since coming over from Sweden. The 20-year old was a fifth-round pick of the Canucks in 2014 and has shown enough to deserve these minutes late in the season. Undersized but confident, Forsling is a future powerplay quarterback that can distribute the puck quickly and effectively.

For the Blackhawks, the team is preparing for a long playoff run once again with their core of veteran players. It’s still unclear who they will face in the first round, as Calgary, Nashville and St. Louis jockey for position. It’s possible that Forsling could earn a spot during the playoff run if the Blackhawks were to suffer an injury or two. It’s a long battle to make it to the Stanley Cup Final, that usually takes at least seven or eight defenders.

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