NHL Reinstates Nashville Predators’ Austin Watson
The NHL today announced, in cooperation with the NHLPA, that Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson has been reinstated from his suspension and has been “returned to available status”. Watson was suspended from play indefinitely in late January after an “alcohol-related relapse” and entered Stage Two of the joint Substance Abuse and Behavioral Program. Watson was cleared to return to action by officials from the league and players’ association, but will remain under supervision by the guidelines of the program.
The Predators have also announced that “consistent with the recommendations” of the program, Watson has returned to active status for the team. The only additional comment the team makes is that he will continue with the “follow-up phase” of the program while returning to play. Due to the “personal nature” of Watson’s suspension and ongoing cooperation with the program, Nashville will not comment any further on the topic.
Nashville will be happy to have the 27-year-old forward back in the lineup, though. Watson missed the first 18 games of the season due to a suspension related to off-season domestic assault charges, a stretch that was reduced from the original 27-game sentence. He then missed another 21 games in his latest absence. This has left him with just 34 games and 13 points to show for the season, just one year removed from a career high in production. The Predators hope that Watson can get back to full speed quickly, as they look to solidify their spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. The Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina reports that Watson is expected to re-join the team immediately for morning skate on Tuesday, but there is no time table for his return to game action.
2019 NHL Draft Lottery Date And Odds Revealed
The date of the NHL Draft Lottery, what fans of the 15 teams who don’t make the playoffs wait for, has been announced and those fans won’t have to wait very long this season. The NHL has revealed that the lottery will be held on Tuesday, April 9th this season. The lottery has typically taken place much later in the month, but instead will come just three days after the end of the regular season this year.
As usual, the league notes that the lottery will take place in Toronto and will be nationally televised by NBC Sports, Sportsnet, and TVA. As opposed to last year, when the lottery took place over two separate sessions during playoff game intermissions, the event will return to being an independent hour-long show, beginning at 8pm ET.
As for the lottery odds, the league has opted not to change the odds that they used for last season’s draft lottery. The odds have frequently changed from year-to-year in the past, sometimes as a reaction to the results of the draw or, in last year’s case, to accommodate the addition of an added lottery team. However, after a draw last season that saw both the team with the worst record – the Buffalo Sabres – hold on to the top pick, as well as an exciting leap up the board by the Carolina Hurricanes, it seems the NHL is content to stick with it’s current format. Below are the odds at winning the first overall pick for each of the final spots in the league standings:
31st: 18.5%
30th: 13.5%
29th: 11.5%
28th: 9.5%
27th: 8.5%
26th: 7.5%
25th: 6.5%
24th: 6.0%
23rd: 5.0%
22nd: 3.5%
21st: 3.0%
20th: 2.5%
19th: 2.0%
18th: 1.5%
17th: 1.0%
Each team’s odds at the No. 2 and No. 3 pick increase marginally after the first ping pong ball is selected. To explore these odds further or to run some simulations, check out this Lottery Simulator from Tankathon.com. As for draft lottery story lines to keep an eye on, the Colorado Avalanche continue to be the team to watch. As holder’s of the Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick, the Avs are likely to have the best odds at picking first. However, they themselves may also be a lottery team, which would only further increase their odds at the top pick and may even land them two top-four picks in the coming draft. The specific player “won” by the lottery winner is also becoming a more intriguing discussion; initially believed to be USNTDP standout center Jack Hughes beyond a doubt, there are now some rumblings that Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko could be the preference instead, mirroring the Nico Hischier–Nolan Patrick debate from two years ago. Only the team whose ping pong ball is lucky on April 9th will have to make that call, but it’s a tough decision that any club would gladly take.
Cooper Zech Signs With Providence Bruins
The Boston Bruins organization has signed an undrafted college free agent, but not to an NHL contract. Cooper Zech has agreed to a two-year AHL contract that will kick in next season according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Zech will join the Providence Bruins for the rest of this year on a tryout contract.
Divver states that Zech “wanted out” of Ferris State University, where he played just one season. The 20-year old defenseman went undrafted despite putting up points at every level, likely because of his small frame. The 5’9″ Zech didn’t let his stature stop him from performing on the collegiate stage though, as he recorded 28 points in 36 games. The left-handed puck-mover is another lottery ticket, though Boston doesn’t actually own his rights given the AHL contract.
Still, Zech will jump into the organization’s player development system and could very well earn himself an NHL entry-level deal down the road. There might be quite a bit of time before that happens, but he’ll have the benefit of working with professional coaches while earning a minor league salary. At this point he will also not count towards Boston’s 50-contract limit.
Rangers’ Hall Of Famer Harry Howell Dies At Age 86
Hockey lost one of their greats Sunday when longtime New York Rangers defenseman Harry Howell passed away at the age of 86. The Hall of Famer, despite retiring from the NHL back in 1973, still holds the Rangers’ record for games played after playing 16 seasons in which he only missed 17 total games.
“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of legendary defenseman, consummate professional and Hockey Hall of Famer Harry Howell. He will be remembered not only for his consistency and leadership but with the ultimate class from with which he carried himself,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman from a statement.
Howell played 1,411 games at the NHL level, scoring 94 goals and 418 points throughout his career. He joined the New York Rangers in the 1952-53 season and immediately became an impact defense-first blueliner and while his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame was considered big for that era, Howell did not use his size to be overly physical as he was a defenseman who built his level of play with proper positioning and a high hockey IQ. While he had 418 points throughout his career, he was not a big point producer over the first nine seasons as he never reached the 20-point plateau in all those year. His first big offensive year actually came in 1966-67, his 15th season, when he tallied 12 goals and 40 points. That was the year he won the Norris Trophy, as the NHL’s best defenseman.
After the 1968-69 season, Howell began to have back problems that eventually required surgery. Despite offering him a position with the team, Howell, 37 at the time, wanted to keep playing, so the Rangers traded Howell to the Oakland Seals for cash. He played with the Seals for a season and a half before the then California Golden Seals traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for another two and a half seasons. He later continued his career by playing with the WHA for three more seasons after that before retiring completely in 1976.
He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 and had his number retired by the Rangers in 2009, and will no doubt be remembered as one of the great New York Rangers players ever.
Chicago, Philadelphia To Begin 2019-20 Season In Prague
The NHL has been very happy with their Global Series efforts in recent seasons and very motivated to continue their preseason and regular season ventures in countries throughout Europe and Asia. As early as November, Prague – the capital of the Czech Republic, a major supplier of hockey talent – emerged as a likely destination for a Global Series event next season. Per Sportsnet’s John Shannon, that has now been confirmed and the competitors have been chosen. The Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers will start the 2019-20 season in Prague.
If the 2018-19 format is to be followed , the Blackhawks and Flyers are likely to play just the regular season opener overseas. This season, the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers started the year with a game in Sweden, which was preceded by exhibition contests elsewhere in Europe. However, in November the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets faced off in a pair of games in Finland, so it could be that the league opts to schedule two matches in the Czech Republic to open the season. All of the Global Series games had great success this year, which could encourage the league to expand on the total number of contests.
Also like the Global Series competitors this season, Chicago and Philadelphia have ties to the location. While the Blackhawks and Flyers are undoubtedly teams that the NHL likes to promote in league events, they also each have popular players among Czech fans. Jakub Voracek, long-time Flyers star forward, is one of the more popular Czech players in the NHL, while teammate Radko Gudas is a Prague native. Meanwhile, the ‘Hawks have several intriguing young players with Czech connections. Standout rookie Dominik Kahun has both Czech and German citizenship, second-year player David Kampf came over directly from the top Czech pro league, and NLA superstar and Czech native Dominik Kubalik was recently acquired from the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago could push to sign him this summer. The game would garner great attention in a great hockey country like the Czech Republic regardless, but with several locals to watch it should be a quite popular event.
Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Andreas Borgman
The Toronto Maple Leafs have scratched another name off their long list of pending restricted free agents, this time signing Andreas Borgman to a one-year two-way contract extension worth $700K at the NHL level.
Borgman, 23, has spent the entire season in the minor leagues after playing 48 games for the Maple Leafs last year, but has been hampered by concussion problems throughout. In 39 games for the Toronto Marlies the Swedish defenseman has 15 points. A deal like this ensures that Borgman will be back with the organization next season, but does nothing to guarantee he’ll see time with the Maple Leafs in 2019-20.
The Maple Leafs signed Borgman after just a single year in the SHL—in which he was named Rookie of the Year—and inserted him into the lineup immediately. His relatively small stature belied the physical game that he brought, as he routinely threw open ice body checks and used his strength to remove opponents from the puck. Unfortunately injury has stolen much of his time in Toronto, something he’ll have to avoid in the future in order to climb the depth chart once again. The Maple Leafs already project to have three top options—Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Travis Dermott—plugged into the left side for next season, with others like Calle Rosen and even Rasmus Sandin battling for opportunities.
The Maple Leafs have made a concerted effort to sign their depth options to inexpensive contracts over the last few months, inking the likes of Rosen, Trevor Moore, Garret Sparks and now Borgman to contracts with a cap hit under $800K. That is obviously what the team will continue to have to do in order to stay cap compliant, given the high prices of their star talent. Toronto now has ten players scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer, including Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.
Poll: Which Western Wildcard Team Has Best Chance To Reach Playoffs
The Minnesota Wild pulled off a big victory Saturday when they defeated the Western Conference’s top team in the Calgary Flames. Not only was it a big win, but with five straight victories, it has propelled Minnesota into the final wild card spot for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs, something that seemed unlikely just a week ago. Suddenly what looked to already be a contentious race for the final playoff spot, it has become even more muddled as four teams are vying for the final two wild card spots.
The Dallas Stars currently hold the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 71 points, while Minnesota owns that second spot with 70 points. However, two other teams are right there, including the Arizona Coyotes who have 69 points, while the Colorado Avalanche have 68 points.
Dallas is the most interesting team as they were buyers at the trade deadline, picking up defenseman Ben Lovejoy and Mats Zuccarello. However, while Zuccarello looked to be a good fit who energized the Stars’ struggling second line after posting a goal and an assist in his first game, he broke his arm late in that first game after blocking a shot and will now miss at least three more weeks. That hasn’t stopped the Stars, however, who have won two in a row and three of their last four.
The Coyotes have also been red hot, having gone from a team that had almost no chance at a playoff spot earlier this year to a team that has won six straight and nine of their last 11 games and actually could catch the Vegas Golden Knights as they are only four points behind them in the Pacific Division. All of this is with a gluttony of injuries to Coyotes’ players. The team is expected to get Jason Demers back from injury on Tuesday and could get Michael Grabner back within the week. Throw in the impressive play of Darcy Kuemper in goal and the team has been hard to beat.
Colorado is the forgotten team, who early on seemed to be the obvious candidate to seize the third seed in the Central Division, but the team bottomed out, struggling immensely throughout December, January and part of February. However, the Avalanche have won six of their last nine and look to be fighting their way back into the playoffs. Armed with some of the best players in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, the Avalanche have every chance to force their way back into the playoffs.
So, which team has the best chance to claim a spot in the Western Conference playoffs?
Pro Hockey Rumor app users, click here to vote.
Five Key Stories: 2/11/19 – 2/17/19
With the trade deadline now just over a week away, activity has started to pick up around the NHL. Rumors of major trades continue, but so far just a few deals have been completed.
Lafreniere To Stay In CHL: Potential 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere set the record straight after rumors were circulating that the 17-year-old may opt to sign a contract overseas and follow the footsteps of Auston Matthews who played his draft year in the Swiss NLA. Lafreniere’s agent, Momentum Hockey Agency, released a statement making it clear that while the young talent did look into playing overseas, he and his family decided to stay in the CHL with Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL where he’s played the last two years, having totaled 74 goals and 172 points in 110 games. At 6-foot-1, he already has the size and proven ability to play in a professional league, but he will stay put for one more year.
Pastrnak, Maatta Injured: The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins each took a hit to their team when each team lost a significant player to injury. The Boston Bruins lost David Pastrnak for a minimum of two weeks after he underwent thumb surgery on Feb. 12 after he fell at a team function. The Bruins, who are fighting with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic Division won’t be helped even if its for a few weeks without Pastrnak, who is the team’s leading scorer with 31 goals as well as 66 points, second on the team. The Penguins also took a hit on their blueline when they placed Olli Maatta on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that would sideline him indefinitely. The team was getting back Justin Schultz from injury at the time, but the team was looking forward to getting back a fully healthy defense, which now they won’t have for some time. To make matters worse, the team had recently dealt away Jamie Oleksiak to make room for Schultz, leaving the team with a lack of depth all of the sudden.
Wild Owner Approves Selling: Just hours after Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau guaranteed that the Wild would make the playoffs, Wild owner Craig Leipold announced that he has given general manager Paul Fenton the green light to sell off some of the team’s players in advance of the upcoming trade deadline. With the team dropping four straight and having a 2-5-3 record in their last 10 games, it might be time for Fenton to make his mark on this team after being hired this summer to fix the team’s inability to advance deep into the playoffs. Among the numerous players who could be shipped off include pending unrestricted free agent Eric Staal as well as Charlie Coyle, who still has one more year on his deal. There are also a number of bottom six players who could be moved as well, including Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, Brad Hunt, Matt Bartkowski and Anthony Bitetto.
Philadelphia’s Hart Gets A Mentor: The Philadelphia Flyers finally consummated a rumored trade in which it acquired Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot for Anthony Stolarz. While Edmonton freed themselves some much needed cap room as Talbot was making $4.17MM, the Flyers got themselves what they hope will be a long-term veteran who can mentor their prized rookie Carter Hart for the next few years. Talbot, who was already familiar with Hart before, waived his no-movement clause to come to Philadelphia and made it clear that he was open to signing a new contract before July 1 to remain with the team.
Ottawa Intends To Trade Duchene: The Ottawa Senators have stopped in their attempts to sign Matt Duchene to an extension and have indicated to all teams that they intend to trade the 26-year-old center. According to reports, the Senators have shifted their focus of signing Duchene to making a full effort to locking up Mark Stone to an extension. Stone may have a day or two to make up his mind on whether he is willing to sign an extension or he too, will be made available to the league with the intention of selling them off at the trade deadline. Already there has been rumors that the Nashville Predators, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders have expressed serious interest in acquiring the center with more suitors likely to join in before the upcoming trade deadline on Feb. 25.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Deadline Primer: Ottawa Senators
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Ottawa Senators.
This will be a franchise-changing time for the Ottawa Senators who are in a tough situation with three significant players ready to hit unrestricted free agency in Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel. The team has made it clear it’s trying to get them signed to long-term extensions, but will the team offer appropriate deals to them and do any of the three really want to stay with a franchise that seems intent on being one of the cheapest franchises in the NHL.
If the team can’t get them to sign on the dotted line before the trading deadline, then the team will move them with the real possibility that all three will be moved before the trade deadline and with every passing day, it looks more and more likely that Ottawa and general manager Pierre Dorion will be shipping them off. The team has made it clear they are rebuilding their team, which might be just fine if they hadn’t paid a fortune last season to acquire Duchene from Colorado. In that mega-package for Duchene, the Senators also traded away their first-round pick, which right now (pending a draft lottery) is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick.
Considering that none of the three will agree to a sign-and-trade, Ottawa will be lucky to get a quality return for their three forwards, especially for Duchene and Stone who are two of the most coveted assets on the trade deadline.
Record
21-31-5, eighth in the Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Major seller
Deadline Cap Space
$30.79MM in full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2019: OTT 2nd, SJS 2nd*, PIT 3rd, OTT 4th, OTT 5th, OTT 7th, CAL 7th
2020: OTT 1st, SJS 1st, OTT 2nd, OTT 3rd, CBJ 3rd, OTT 4th, OTT 6th, SJS 6th, STL 6th, OTT 7th
* Sharks will give Ottawa the higher of two different picks, their own and the Florida Panthers’ second-rounder.
Trade Chips
As said earlier, the team will attempt to lock up one or two of Duchene, Stone and Dzingel, but if not, the team is ready to move on from them. Stone has received quite a bit of attention as the Winnipeg Jets are rumored to be aggressively pursuing the 26-year-old winger. Fortunately for Stone and the Senators, he’s having a career year as he’s already scored 26 goals and 57 points and looks to be developing into a consistent 30-point scorer for whatever team can eventually sign him.
Duchene himself, should bring a hefty return, although not as much as Ottawa paid for him a season ago. Duchene is also posting big numbers and looks to be heading for a career-year himself as he already has 26 goals and 54 points and should provide many playoff teams with a solid No. 2 center for the stretch run. Dzingel shouldn’t be forgotten either as the 26-year-old is also putting up nice numbers and again, is headed for a career year. Dzingel already has 21 goals and 41 points, and is just two goals of equaling his career-high. While not of the same magnitude as either Stone or Duchene, Dzingel could also bring back a significant return.
The Senators have a number of other players who could find themselves moved as well, including defenseman Cody Ceci. The 25-year-old will be hitting restricted free agency and with a number of young defensemen coming up through the system, the Senators may prefer to trade Ceci and avoid having to pay big money for him. Now that the team has gotten Jean-Gabriel Pageau back from injury, he too could find himself traded as a depth option for a playoff team.
Five Players To Watch For: D Cody Ceci, F Matt Duchene, F Ryan Dzingel, F Jean-Gabriel Pageau, F Mark Stone
Team Needs
1) First-rounders: Without a first-round pick for the upcoming draft, the Ottawa Senators might feel a little better if it could pick up a couple of first-rounders if they end up trading both Duchene and Stone. There is nothing the team can do to get back their own first and they will have to deal with that, especially if the Colorado Avalanche win the draft lottery with Ottawa’s pick. However, even if they can add a couple late first-rounders, that still would look better than having no first-round pick at all. The team does have a couple of second-rounders, but anything they can do to stockpile picks, especially in the first round would only help them.
2) Young NHL-established Players: It already seems like the Senators have a large number of prospects either already on the team, trying to earn more playing time or waiting with the Belleville Senators, waiting for their chance to get called up. While the jury is still out on many of those prospects, the team could easily use some young players who have already broken through to the NHL and might provide even more offense with a new chance and plenty of opportunities in Ottawa. The Senators are rumored to be asking for Jack Roslovic from Winnipeg in any deal involving Stone, but Roslovic is exactly what the team needs — a player who is closing in on 100 NHL games already and is starting to come into his own now. The Senators need more of those types of players to fill the gap that will exist if the lose Stone, Duchene, Dzingel or anyone else they can.
Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.
By every metric, the Detroit Red Wings should be total sellers at the deadline and they have a laundry list of notable UFA’s to move. Yet, the team claims they would prefer to re-sign starting goaltender Jimmy Howard, top-six forward Gustav Nyquist, and dependable defenseman Nick Jensen. There is also word that veterans Thomas Vanek and Niklas Kronwall are happy in Detroit and unwilling to waive their No-Trade Clauses. That doesn’t leave much on the table.
In most cases, these rumors could be dismissed as the team simply trying to up the offers on their available rentals. But not in Detroit. The fatal flaw of the current Red Wings franchise and GM Ken Holland is total, unapologetic loyalty to long-time players. If a team says they won’t move someone or will only do so for a first-round pick, this is the one team worth believing. It could be a quiet deadline in Detroit.
Record
23-28-7, seventh in the Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Moderate Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$5.06MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2019: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYI 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, BUF 5th, CLB 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2020: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
Trade Chips
Of course, the aforementioned players are the top trade chips that the team has. Howard and Nyquist are having great years and are surely drawing plenty of attention. Will Detroit get the first-round pick they desire to move either? That remains to be seen. Jensen and Kronwall could both step in as a solid bottom-pair addition for a contender, while Vanek would fill his frequent role as a capable depth addition to any forward corps. The fact remains that if any of these players want to stay in Detroit beyond this season, the Red Wings are unlikely to move them, extension in place or not.
So looking elsewhere, Luke Witkowski is a UFA that the Red Wings don’t seem as attached to. The market may be limited for the versatile skater, but if a team wants to take a shot, Detroit will be willing to move on. Recently waived and demoted, Martin Frk is in need of a change of scenery. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and any number of teams might like to get a look at how he fits in their system down the stretch. The one-dimensional forward is more valuable now that he has cleared waivers and can be sent back and forth. Wade Megan, Dylan McIlrath, Brian Lashoff, and Harri Sateri are all free agents as well who could be targeted as deep depth additions.
The Jonathan Bernier signing looks like a mistake so far and the Red Wings seem eager to re-sign Howard rather than give Bernier the starting job. If another team is willing to take on the remaining two years of Bernier’s contract, Detroit would move him. Luke Glendening is another term player who could be on the move. He is still well-liked by the organization, but if the market is there they could move him. As always, if there was any way to move Justin Abdelkader or Danny DeKeyser, you would think Detroit would pull the trigger. Then again there’s that whole loyalty thing…
Five Players To Watch For: F Gustav Nyquist, D Nick Jensen, F Martin Frk, F Luke Glendening, G Harri Sateri
Team Needs
1) Cap Space: For several years now, the Red Wings have had one of the highest payrolls in the NHL, yet have been one of the league’s worst teams. That’s not a good mix. The flip side of wanting to re-sign top free agents, like Howard and Nyquist, is that you’re not opening up any more cap space. If Detroit wants to be players on the free agent market this summer, they need to try to move out some of their more cumbersome cap hits if possible.
2) Picks and Prospects: The Red Wings have a lot of good talent in the AHL and some others still at the junior and collegiate level. Adding picks, especially 2019 picks in a deep, talented draft class, is always helpful, though. However, there should room for some camp battles next season, particularly up front, so some pro-ready forward prospects would also be helpful.