Archives for May 2017

Western Conference Final Injury Updates

May 22, 2017 at 7:52 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Game 6 of the Western Conference Final between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks is underway at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, but neither team is fielding a full-strength roster for this one. Fans were well aware of the serious condition of Predators center Ryan Johansen, but many other key players were still considered day-to-day heading into tonight’s game. With lineups announced, nearly all in question remain out.

For the home team, looking to put an end to this series tonight and clinch their first ever Stanley Cup Final berth, the Predators will have to do so without captain Mike Fisher and bruising forward Craig Smith. Fisher missed Game 5 as well with an undisclosed injury, but given the minimal amount of attention the team had given his condition, many expected Fisher to be back for Game 6. That is not the case, as he misses his second straight contest. Smith was a game-time decision and even took part in warm-ups, but made the call himself that he was not healthy enough to play. Nashville avoided another major loss in the first period tonight, as Viktor Arvidsson was the victim of a game misconduct-worthy boarding by the Ducks’ Nick Ritchie and left the game. However, he returned mere minutes later.

The loss of Ritchie is the least of Anaheim’s concerns, as the major injury issue of the game is the absence of starting goaltender John Gibson. Gibson had played every minute of every Ducks postseason game thus far until getting injured in Game 5 with a lower body injury. However, many believed that Gibson would be ready to go for an elimination game. Instead, Gibson did not even suit up for Game 6, leaving Jonathan Bernier to make his first career playoff start, backed up by Jhonas Enroth. Bernier allowed two goals on the first three shots he faced as the Predators jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Also missing from the Anaheim lineup (still) is Patrick Eaves and, more surprisingly, Rickard Rakell. Rakell missed Game 5 with a lower body injury, but he too was expected to suit up tonight. Instead, Rakell did not even make the trip to Nashville. For Gibson, Eaves, and Rakell, their injuries may mean that they have played their last games of the 2016-17 season.

Former Blackhawks All-Star Bill White Passes Away

May 22, 2017 at 6:39 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

On Monday, the hockey world lost Bill White, a six-time All-Star and one of the great defenseman of the 1970’s, at the age of 77. White was a perennial All-Star and Norris Trophy candidate every year from 1969 to 1974 and spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks. The organization mourned the loss of their former star and offered condolences to his family and friends and team historian Bob Verdi recalled his great career and how much he meant to the Blackhawks.

White’s NHL career began with the Los Angeles Kings in 1967, when he scored 38 points and racked up 100 penalty minutes as a rookie, establishing that he was here to stay in the big leagues. White was traded to Chicago in February of 1970 as the centerpiece of a six-player swap. With two All-Star appearances already, White still took his game to the next level with the Blackhawks. From 1971 to 1974, White added four more All-Star game appearances, was twice named a Second-Team All-NHL selection, and twice finished in the top ten in the league in +/-.

Sadly, white suffered a career-ending neck injury toward the end of the 1975-76 season at 36 years old, but nevertheless he remained committed to the team. White stayed on as a coach and the next season replaced long-time head coach Billy Reay and finished out the campaign. Altogether, White finished his NHL career with 265 points in 604 regular season games and another 39 points in 91 playoff games as a player and a 16-24-6 record in 46 games as a coach.

Linden Vey Expected To Sign In KHL

May 22, 2017 at 4:36 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After putting up another excellent AHL season, restricted free agent Linden Vey may be headed overseas. It had been reported that the Calgary Flames forward has signed with Barys Astana, and now multiple others are hearing the same including Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet.

Vey was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Kings back in 2009 and performed exceptionally well in the AHL before garnering a second-round pick in a trade with Vancouver in 2014. Now 25, Vey has never been able to stick in the NHL playing in just 138 games so far. He has scored 228 points in 278 AHL contests, and may find more success in the KHL.

The undersized forward wasn’t given a qualifying offer last summer, but earned a two-way deal with the Flames for the 2016-17 season. He got into four games, but failed to register a point. He was likely headed for another two-way deal this season, but will apparently instead take a one-year deal in the KHL to try to build his value back up.

Snapshots: Smith, Samuelsson, Simek

May 22, 2017 at 3:30 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Brendan Smith will be an interesting free agent case to follow this summer after his successful transition from the Detroit Red Wings to New York Rangers at the deadline. The defenseman can play both sides, is only 28 and can contribute a little offensively when put into that situation. While he won’t find himself at the top of an list of available free agents, his representation does feel as though there will be lots of interest in him this summer.

Smith’s agent Anton Thun spoke to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, saying that though the Rangers are certainly in the running for his client, they won’t take a deal that doesn’t represent fair market value. While Thun may be a little hyperbolic when he mentions that 28 teams could use Smith, there does seem to be a spot for him in many lineups around the league. His ability to play in most situations while sporting a bit of physicality will be welcomed wherever it is he ends up.

Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Blackhawks have their sights set on Ulf Samuelsson as their new assistant coach, replacing the fired Mike Kitchen. Samuelsson spent this season coaching the Charlotte Checkers to 39-29-8 record, though they were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs. Samuelsson, a veteran of 1080 NHL games has previously worked in a coaching role with the Arizona (then Phoenix) Coyotes and New York Rangers. Samuelsson was known as a bad-tempered defender in his day, recording 2453 penalty minutes while registering just 333 points.
As one could expect from the report yesterday, the New York Rangers did indeed make an offer to Radim Simek before he decided to go with the San Jose Sharks. There isn’t a ton of difference between possible entry-level contracts relative to the entire salary structure of a team, but perhaps the Rangers weren’t willing to guarantee the same financial commitment the Sharks were. The eventual deal earns Simek $830K in the NHL, and could still include signing and performance bonuses. The Rangers already signed Alexei Bereglazov and Neal Pionk this spring, adding some youth to their defense corps from the NCAA and European free agent ranks.

Expansion Primer: Colorado Avalanche

May 22, 2017 at 1:21 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The Colorado Avalanche finished the 2016-17 with one of the worst records in recent memory, winning just 22 games and seeing just a single player reach the 20-goal mark. As if their year could get any worse, they fell three spots in the draft lottery and will be required like everyone else to give up a player to the incoming Vegas Golden Knights.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Soderberg, Joe Colborne, Blake Comeau, Troy Bourke, Mikhail Grigorenko, Samuel Henley, Sven Andrighetto, Matthew Nieto, Rocco Grimaldi, Felix Girard, Mike Sislo, Turner Elson

Defensemen:

Erik Johnson (NMC), Tyson Barrie, Francois Beauchemin (NMC), Mark Barberio, Eric Gelinas, Duncan Siemens, Patrick Wiercioch, Nikita Zadorov

Goaltenders:

Semyon Varlamov, Calvin Pickard

Notable Exemptions

J.T. Compher, Mikko Rantanen, Tyson Jost, A.J. Greer, Andrei Mironov, Chris Bigras

Key Decisions

The Avalanche are in an enviable position when it comes to forwards, where many of their core pieces are still exempt due to the rebuilding nature of the club. It’s not so rosy on defence though, as both Johnson and Beauchemin hold no-movement clauses and thus require protection. Should the team be able to convince one of them—namely Beauchemin, since Johnson still at least represents some trade value—to waive their clause, they could use the 7-3-1 protection format. Otherwise they’ll likely have to go with the eight skater route or risk losing one of Zadorov or Barrie.

That would leave them with just four slots up front which isn’t ideal, but at least could protect the future and biggest trade pieces. That is assuming they don’t move Duchene or Landeskog before the draft, which would open up another spot for a younger player like Grimaldi or Andrighetto. Another option would be a buyout once the first window opens on June 15th, though Beauchemin—the most likely recipient—signed his latest contract after he turned 35 and thus the Avalanche would incur the whole $4.5MM cap hit next season regardless.

In net there sits the team’s most important decision. Whether or not to protect Varlamov or Pickard has been much debated, with reports coming out previously that the team will keep the former. After two solid seasons backing up, Pickard struggled at times in the increased role this year when Varlamov went down to injury. That’s not to say the young goaltender doesn’t have a bright future as he recently showed, backstopping Team Canada to a silver medal in the recent World Championships. He was given player of the game honors for Canada in their 2-1 shootout loss to Team Sweden in the gold medal game, and recorded a .938 save percentage in the tournament.

From each team, Vegas is also given the opportunity to talk to pending free agents before the draft. If they should come to an agreement with one, they would forfeit their selection from his former team. The Avalanche don’t really have any UFA targets that would be of much interest, though perhaps 25-year old Brendan Ranford provides some. The Group VI free agent has only played a single game in the NHL, but has proven to be a successful AHL scorer. If for some reason the Golden Knights believe they won’t be able to sign him—or any of the Avalanche UFAs—after July 1st, they could forego their selection entirely.

Projected Protection List

F Nathan MacKinnon
F Matt Duchene
F Gabriel Landeskog
F Mikhail Grigorenko

D Erik Johnson (NMC)
D Francois Beauchemin (NMC)
D Tyson Barrie
D Nikita Zadorov

G Semyon Varlamov

While Colorado is one of the most likely teams to make a move before the deadline, this is how the protection list currently projects for them. The Avalanche could also make a deal with the Golden Knights to take a player like Soderberg off their hands, who suffered an inexplicable drop-off in effectiveness this season. With three more seasons on his current contract, his $4.75MM cap hit is certainly one the Avalanche would love to rid themselves of as they continue their rebuild.

In all, Pickard looks like the worst loss the Avalanche could incur at this point and with several weeks still before the draft they may be able to solve that issue. The Golden Knights should have their fair share of goaltenders available to them, many of which they may feel more comfortable drafting. The Avalanche will continue to look forward with their group of “untouchables” which includes MacKinnon, Rantanen and Jost, each of whom are at no risk of being selected.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tommy Wingels Will Not Receive Hearing After Scott Wilson Hit

May 22, 2017 at 11:40 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

Though you may not have noticed it while watching the final moments of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 7-0 crushing of the Ottawa Senators yesterday, Scott Wilson left the ice with an apparent head injury after receiving a forearm/elbow from Tommy Wingels. Mike Halford of NBC’s ProHockeyTalk reports that the league will not have a hearing with Wingels following the incident, even though he served no penalty as time expired. As Pierre McGuire exclaimed on the NBC broadcast as time was running down, Wilson immediately left the ice surface and quickly headed down the tunnel. He was not present at the morning skate according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, though it was optional and only thirteen players attended.

As the frustration of the lopsided affair boiled over Wingels clearly tries to inflict pain—though perhaps not injury—on Wilson as the Penguins’ forward just dumps the puck down the ice. It’s a dangerous play, and one that clearly had an effect on Wilson as he didn’t wait around to celebrate with teammates. Head coach Mike Sullivan reports that Wilson is “fine” but the injury outcome seems secondary when watching the hit.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has been criticized in the past for its apparent inconsistency when it comes to hits that contact the head, with this being the latest divisive case. While some may see it as a targeted head-shot with the intent to injure, others may view it as an attempt at a check that unfortunately contacted the head first. Either way it is a bit surprising that there is not at least a phone hearing scheduled, especially while the league is embroiled in a legal battle about how they handle head and brain injuries.

Viktor Antipin To Join Buffalo Sabres Next Week

May 22, 2017 at 11:00 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

In what has been one of the worst kept secrets this spring, Viktor Antipin will indeed join the Buffalo Sabres for next season. He confirmed to Alexei Shevchenko of Sport-Express that he will head to Buffalo on May 29th to sign his deal and is excited to get started in the NHL. The 24-year old just completed the World Championships for Russia where he won his second straight bronze and third medal overall. Like many other players at the tournament, he’ll look to North America for the next opportunity in his hockey career.

Antipin has been one of the more consistent defensemen in the KHL for several years, scoring at least 15 points for the past five seasons. He logged more than 20 minutes a night for Magnitogorsk this season, leading them to the finals against St. Petersburg. Named the best defenseman of the final series, he still couldn’t contain Ilya Kovalchuk and the rest of the super-powered SKA team, losing in five games. Overshadowed offensively at times by Chris Lee a former AHL wash-out that suited up for Canada at the recent tournament, Antipin can play successfully at both ends of the rink. He has the ability to work on a powerplay and will likely get a chance to contribute significant minutes for the Sabres as they try to rebuild their defense corps.

Beyond Rasmus Ristolainen, the Sabres have had trouble finding much consistency on the back end, with even Zach Bogosian facing injury and performance troubles at times. There may be more success coming though, as Ristolainen (22) will likely see Jake McCabe (23) and Brendan Guhle (19) take on a bigger role in the next couple of seasons.

Ilya Sorokin Not Thinking About NHL Future

May 22, 2017 at 9:12 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

When the New York Islanders signed Linus Soderstrom earlier this month to his entry-level contract, they were avoiding the months of uncertainty they will now face with fellow goaltending prospect Ilya Sorokin. Both selected in the 2014 draft, Soderstrom and Sorokin have found incredible success in the SHL and KHL respectively, putting up ridiculous save percentages at extremely young ages.

Sorokin just finished his second World Championships with Team Russia, taking home another bronze medal while remaining perfect during his short stints in the tournament. Just 21, he has yet to take the mantle of starter though it looks like that may lie in his future. In the KHL this year he followed up a Goaltender of the Year award in 2015-16 with another All-Star appearance, and another solid .929 save percentage. He’s clearly one of the best young Russian goaltenders in a long time, and has an NHL future waiting for him if he wants it.

That’s where it gets tricky for the Islanders though, as Sorokin again told reporters at the end of the tournament that he was focused on his final contract year in the KHL, and hasn’t even considered a move to North America yet. On May 5th, it was announced that he had re-negotiated his deal to pay him more for this season after putting up such incredible numbers. His current deal will expire at the end of April 2018, giving the Islanders just a few weeks to get him under contract.

Since Sorokin was drafted in 2014, New York would lose his exclusive negotiating rights after June 1st of 2018, four years from when he was selected. While his intent isn’t clear, things can often change for prospects as they get closer and closer to the prospect of free agency. Should he ever make it to the open market every team in the league would be knocking on his door, a likely incentive to just wait a few more weeks. There is also the idea that the KHL would likely make him one of the highest-paid goaltenders in the league, trying to keep their talent at home for as long as possible. Though the Islanders sacrificed just a third-round pick on him in 2014, seeing his progression would make it extremely painful to lose him to free agency.

So now, though they don’t have to worry about Soderstrom the Islanders will have to keep an eye on Sorokin and try to persuade him to sign a deal next season. With uncertainty in the crease beyond 2020—if you can call an aging Thomas Greiss certain in the first place—the team would love to be able to pencil Sorokin in as a long-term option. If he’s serious about waiting until after his contract expires to even consider a move, they’ll have to work quickly to convince him.

Offseason Keys: Winnipeg Jets

May 21, 2017 at 8:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Winnipeg Jets.

Quite a bit went well for the Jets last season. Mark Scheifele finished seventh in league scoring, Jacob Trouba had a career year after a contract squabble, and Patrik Laine had a terrific rookie season. Despite that, the end result was basically the same in Winnipeg with the team being on the outside looking in at the postseason once again. Here is what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will likely be looking to accomplish this offseason.

Find A Starting Goaltender

Goaltending has been an issue for the Jets for a while now and last season really didn’t change things. They gave Connor Hellebuyck, who is expected to be their goalie of the future, the lion’s share of the workload and while he had some good moments, he also showed that he’s not really to be the number one goalie of the present. Hellebuyck will be a restricted free agent in July and given the current situation, a short-term bridge deal seems likelier than a long-term contract.

Veteran Ondrej Pavelec is slated to become an unrestricted free agent and isn’t likely to return while Michael Hutchinson is best suited for a backup role. He has one year left on his contract with a $1.15MM cap hit and is expected to be left unprotected in the expansion draft.

Fortunately for Winnipeg, the goaltending market will have plenty of options either via trade (in large part buoyed by expansion) or free agency, where players like Ryan Miller and Brian Elliott may garner some consideration as short-term options until Hellebuyck is ready to take over the starting job. Supply should outweigh demand which should bode well for Cheveldayoff as he looks to shore up the play between the pipes.

Decision On Trouba

When he signed his two year deal back in November, the questions surrounding Jacob Trouba’s long-term future with the Jets didn’t exactly go away for long. While he has publicly stated that his trade request has been rescinded, there are many who wonder if that’s only for the short-term. Trouba’s desire to play his natural side long-term is well-known and with Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers both signed for at least the next two years, that’s not likely to happen for a while yet.

Trouba is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st. Inking a long-term deal with Winnipeg would put any speculation about his future to rest as the questions will inevitably persist until the situation is resolved either by a new contract or a trade. If Winnipeg opts to go the latter route, he will have no shortage of suitors as if he were to be made available, Trouba would become the top defender available on the trade block.

While Trouba could certainly play out the final year of his contract and enter restricted free agency in 2018, the potential distraction could potentially push the timeline up on this decision. That said, Cheveldayoff has shown himself to be extremely patient during his tenure so the public questions about Trouba’s future continuing won’t be a concern to him.

Determine Perreault’s Future

If the Jets are forced to protect four defensemen in expansion (a potential outcome if Toby Enstrom doesn’t waive his no-move clause), Mathieu Perreault’s future with the team comes into question as he would likely be left unprotected. He’s entering the first season of a four year, $16.5MM deal he signed last July which is decent value for someone who has surpassed the 40 point mark for the last four seasons.

However, it’s that value that will make him enticing to the Golden Knights if he’s made available and Perreault is a pretty good player to lose for nothing in return. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Winnipeg test the waters around the league to see what type of interest there is in a possible trade. At least that way, the team would get some value in return for him before the expansion draft while allowing them to potentially protect four blueliners.

The Jets may also want to free up some money in the budget for Bryan Little, who’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018. One way to do so would be to move Perreault regardless of which route they go in expansion. It’s not often that a player gets moved before his new contract even kicks in but in Perreault’s case, it’s certainly a possibility. Even though the Jets made a decision on Perreault’s future when they gave him that extension last summer, they will likely have to make another call on his status before too long.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Five Key Stories: 5/14/17 – 5/20/17

May 21, 2017 at 7:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Earlier today, Sweden defeated Canada 2-1 in a shootout at the World Championships with Toronto’s William Nylander earning MVP honors. It marked only the second time that the Gold Medal Game was decided by a shootout. While that’s an early headline for this week, here are five notable ones from the week that was.

1) Johansen Out 2-3 Months – The Predators received some tough news following their Game Four loss to Anaheim as their top center Ryan Johansen is out for the remainder of the playoffs. Johansen was diagnosed with Acute Compartment Syndrome in the left thigh and surgery was performed nearly immediately after he was diagnosed. The team announced that the procedure was a success, that there should be no permanent injury, and that a full recovery is expected.

2) Sekera Out 6-9 Months – The injury that kept Oilers blueliner Andrej Sekera out of the lineup for the end of their second round series against the Ducks is quite a serious one. The team revealed that Sekera is dealing with a torn ACL that will keep him out for the next 6-9 months. Even in the best case scenario, he would likely miss the first six weeks of the season while the nine month mark would cause him to miss the better part of half of the 2017-18 season. Sekera ranked second in points by a defenseman (35) as well as ice time (21:29 per game) this year.

3) Teams Inquiring About Niederreiter – While many expect that Minnesota will inevitably have to deal a defender in advance of the expansion draft, one of their forwards – winger Nino Niederreiter – is drawing some interest around the league. The 24 year old is set to become a restricted free agent in July and is due a qualifying offer of $3.5MM. Wild GM Chuck Fletcher acknowledged that teams have been calling about Niederreiter as well as defenseman Mathew Dumba as well as several other players. He noted he’s going to have to make some changes to the roster but that he’s only listening to offers at this time and not truly shopping players.

4) Vegas Gets AHL Affiliate – With the expansion draft still a month away, most of the heavy lifting for the Golden Knights is still to come. One thing they needed to take care of was getting an AHL affiliate and this week, they did just that, reaching a multi-year deal with the Chicago Wolves as their primary affiliate. The Blues, who have been with Chicago since 2013, will still send some players there next season but are also expected to seek agreements with other teams for next season. The expectation is that a 31st team will join the AHL for 2018-19, leaving just one year that St. Louis will be in limbo.

5) Da Costa Receiving NHL Interest – With the Worlds now over, there will likely be some more international signings in the coming days. One of those could be former Ottawa Senator Stephane Da Costa, who is receiving interest from multiple NHL clubs. His first NHL stint didn’t go too well as he had just 11 points in 47 games but Da Costa has put up 96 points in 94 KHL games over the past three seasons since leaving the Sens following the 2013-14 campaign. The 27 year old is also fielding offers from multiple KHL teams so there’s no guarantee he will once again try his hand in North America.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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