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Pacific Notes: Raanta, Perry, Carter, Couture, Marchessault

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Nothing went exactly the way that Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta had hoped in the first half of the season. However, one thing the goaltender hopes is that he can prove to his team that he is a number one netminder, something he hasn’t accomplished so far this year, according to Arizona Sports Craig Morgan.

Acquired as part of a major package this offseason along with center Derek Stepan for defensive prospect Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh-overall pick in the 2017 draft (Lias Andersson), Raanta was supposed to make people forget about longtime veteran Mike Smith, who the team traded to Calgary in the offseason. Instead, Raanta has spent quite a bit of time on injured reserve with two lower-body ailments and a concussion and has only appeared in 21 games, posting a 2.82 GAA and a .915 save percentage.

“I’m waiting for him to get into a rhythm,” general manager John Chayka said Tuesday. “I don’t think you can evaluate him until he gets into a rhythm. There have been some games, Colorado is one (a 3-1 win on Dec. 27) where I thought he played exceptionally well. I’m hoping now is that time when he can get on a roll and solidify things for us in net.”

The 28-year-old netminder will be an unrestricted free-agent this summer and the team must decide over the next three and a half months whether Raanta is their goalie of the future and if he is worth locking up to a long-term deal.

  • Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register writes that Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry is set to return to the Ducks lineup tonight after missing 11 straight games with a knee injury. This will be the first time this year that Perry will get an opportunity to play with Ryan Kesler and Ryan Getzlaf. Kesler came back on Dec. 11, the same day that Perry went down, while Getzlaf hadn’t returned at that point. The three made one of the top lines in hockey in recent years. In 31 games before the injury, Perry has six goals and 16 assists.
  • While there is no timetable for his return, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider writes that Los Angeles Kings veteran center Jeff Carter has been much more visible in the last week. He’s shed the Roll-A-Bout and crutches and is walking around without a boot. He has suffered no setbacks so far since he was injured on Oct. 18 and required ankle surgery. “Progression-wise and everything he’s doing right now shows he will be back this season,” Blake said.
  • Paul Gackle of The Mercury News writes that center Logan Couture has finally found his pre-concussion form after Friday’s three assist night against Ottawa. Couture, who had been leading the team in scoring before going down with a head injury on Dec. 15. The scribe writes that Couture, who has struggled in his first three games back after missing four games, looked like the old Couture Friday. “He’s coming off an injury where you never know how long it takes to feel good again,” head coach Peter DeBoer said. “He was obviously good again tonight.”
  • One fact about the six-year, $30MM contract that Vegas Golden Knights winger Jon Marchessault signed earlier this week is that it has a modified no-trade clause in it, tweets SinBin. Details on the specifics of the NTC, however, is unknown, according to CapFriendly.

Calgary, Jagr Discussing Possible Exit

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Elliotte Friedman reports that the Calgary Flames and Jaromir Jagr are working towards a split. He reports that the Flames intend to treat the 45-year-old veteran with respect and have told his agent they have their permission for him to seek a trade. There were already rumors Friday about Jagr’s future. Friedman also reports that a European team may also be involved, which could end Jagr’s long-time NHL career.

Jagr, who is in the middle of his 20th NHL season, signed a one-year $2MM deal on Oct. 3, one day before the season started. However, Jagr has struggled with both injuries and production and hasn’t been a great fit with the Flames. He has just one goal and six assists in 22 games this season. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg tweets that Jagr’s lack of a training camp and a proper offseason of workout is what likely led to his inability to adjust in Calgary.

The Flames haven’t had the season they were hoping for so far as detailed in a story earlier today. The team believed it had the young nucleus of talent to put together a big season with players like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk. The team went out and made several moves, including trading for defenseman Travis Hamonic and goaltender Mike Smith, as well as adding Jagr as a veteran complement to help out in the bottom lines. Although Jagr had trouble finding a job this year, he did score 16 goals last year and 27 in the 2015-16 season with the Florida Panthers.

Atlantic Notes: Mete, Howard, Brassard, Raddysh

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that World Junior Championship gold medalist defenseman Victor Mete will return to the team on Friday, Jan. 12, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. After tomorrow’s game against Vancouver, the team will go on its five-day bye week and will return for their first practice on that Friday, with their next game to be played on Jan. 13 against the Boston Bruins.

Mete left the team to join Team Canada after playing against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 5, but many felt that when he left, he would eventually be returned to his junior team due to the fact that his playing time had begun to decrease over the previous weeks. However, it looks like he will return to the Canadiens’ lineup. Grant McCagg of Recrutes.ca adds that despite the fact that Mete will return to Montreal, that doesn’t suggest the team won’t still send him to his junior team. While the team has already burned the first year of his entry-level contract, the team has until his 40th game to decide whether they want to push back his first year of free agency. The 19-year-old has played in 27 games this year.

  • Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. He was injured during the second period in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. The timing of the injury is both good and bad, writes the scribe, as Howard has been playing great hockey over the past couple of weeks as he has allowed just 10 goals over his past six starts. However, the team will go on their bye week after tomorrow, which should give him time to heal.
  • While commenting on trade rumors regarding the Ottawa Senators, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that one player who is generating a lot of interest is center Derick Brassard. However, Garrioch adds that there is no way the team will move the veteran who the team believes is part of their solution. Brassard is well known for his playoff scoring success. In 78 career playoff games, the 30-year-old has 22 goals and 33 assists.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh was the subject of a major OHL trade today in which the Erie Otters traded Raddysh and Detroit Red Wings defensive prospect Jordan Sambrook to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for 16-year-old prospect Hayden Fowler and nine draft picks, according to the Erie Otters. The Otters, who won the 2017 OHL champsionships with Raddysh and Sambrook, are struggling this year with a 12-20-6-1 record. The Greyhounds, however, have the best record in the league at 33-3-2-1 and should only get better now with those top additions. Raddysh, Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in 2016 had 15 goals and 29 assists in 30 games for Erie, but had 42 goals and 109 points a year ago in 58 games.

Minor Transactions: 01/06/18

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As is typically the case, Saturday will be a busy day around the league with nine games on tap so there is bound to be a fair bit of roster shuffling.  We’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

  • St. Louis announced that they have recalled defenseman Jake Walman from Chicago of the AHL. To make room for him on the roster, they have transferred blueliner Vince Dunn (illness) to injured reserve.  Walman, one of the better prospects for the Blues, is in his first full professional campaign and has 13 points (2-11-13) in 34 games at the minor league level this season.
  • The Senators revealed via Twitter that they have called up center Colin White from AHL Belleville. This will be his first stint with the team this season; although he was expected to contend for a roster spot in training camp, he broke his wrist early on which set things back.  His first season at the minor league level has been rather bumpy as he has 13 points (5-8-13) in 27 games to go along with a team-worst -15 rating.  White is expected to take the place of Nate Thompson, who was injured on Friday night against San Jose.
  • The Capitals have brought back defenseman Madison Bowey and winger Jakub Vrana from Hershey (AHL), via the AHL’s transactions page. Neither move comes as a surprise as they were just sent down yesterday in an effort to free up a little bit more cap space.  For perspective, it’s the fourth time they’ve been sent back and forth since December 17th.
  • The Islanders annouced (Twitter link) that they have recalled winger Anthony Beauvillier from AHL Bridgeport on an emergency basis.  The move comes on the heels of New York losing both Josh Bailey and Andrew Ladd to injury last night.  The 2o-year-old has spent the majority of the season with the Isles, picking up four goals and three assists in 31 games.  He has a pair of goals in two minor league contests.
  • The San Jose Sharks activated winger Barclay Goodrow from injured reserve late last night and assigned winger Marcus Sorensen to the San Jose Barracuda, according to Elite Prospects. Goodrow has been in and out of the lineup with a lower-body injury for a couple of months now. He has two goals and two assists in 10 games this year. The 25-year-old Sorensen had three goals in 13 games for the Sharks this season. He has five goals and nine assists in 17 games for the Barracuda.

Kings Place Muzzin On IR; Activate Folin

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Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake announced the Los Angeles Kings have made a roster swap as the team has placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on injured reserve and countered that move by activating defenseman Christian Folin Sunday.

Muzzin, who was injured during Thursday’s game against Calgary, was placed on IR, retroactive to that game on Jan. 4. He was previously listed as questionable for tonight’s game anyway with an undisclosed injury. Being placed on injured reserve is practically meaningless and could just be a way to save some cap space as the Kings have their bye week starting after tonight and don’t play again until Jan. 13, which is exactly when Muzzin could be activated. Muzzin is looking to be heading for a bounce-back season with three goals and 20 assists at the halfway mark of the season. The 28-year-old blueliner had just 28 points all of last season after putting up a pair of 40-point seasons the previous two years.

Folin returns after having missed six games. He was injured during a Dec. 18 game against Philadelphia. He has played in 26 games for the Kings this season since signing a one-year deal in the offseason after spending four years with the Minnesota Wild. He has two goals and three assists. Folin should fill in for Muzzin in tonight’s game.

 

2018 World Juniors Recap

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The 2018 World Junior Hockey Championships came to an end last night with a 3-1 Canada win over Sweden. Tyler Steenbergen was the unlikely hero, the only Canadian forward without a goal in the tournament to that point broke the tie with under two minutes left in the game. It was the perfect way to close out a memorable World Juniors, complete with the tournament’s first ever outdoor game, the most goals ever scored by an American player (Kieffer Bellows’ 7), and the first player to ever toss his medal away into the stands (Sweden’s Lias Andersson). While the bulk of the WJC coverage is generally just the results of the games, let’s take a closer look at the standouts of the tournament:

Canada – Gold

Top Performers: While Jordan Kyrou (STL) led the Canadians with ten points and had a fantastic tournament, the undisputed top player was the fourth overall pick this past June, defenseman Cale Makar (COL). The UMass product posted three goals and five assists to finish third in scoring for Canada. Tied for first among all defenseman in points at the WJC, Makar showed his next-level offensive ability for the first time on the international stage. Sam Steel (ANA) impressed as well with nine points and the second-best face-off percentage in the tournament. Victor Mete (MTL) showed his NHL experience has already had an impact on his defensive game; he finished +11 without a single goal scored while he was on the ice. Carter Hart (PHI) finished with the best save percentage, .930, and goals against average, 1.81, in the tournament.

Biggest Surprise: Probably the surprise of the whole tournament was Drake Batherson (OTT), a fourth-round pick who was not even invited to Canada’s camp, who led Canada in goal-scoring with seven tallies. Canada had faced criticism of including Batherson on the roster over several recent top picks who were skipped over, but decision paid off in a major way.

Sweden – Silver

Top Performers: If Rasmus Dahlin (2018) wasn’t the presumptive #1 overall pick in 2018 already, he is after the WJC. With a team-high six assists and +7 rating in major ice time, Dahlin proved that his draft stock is legitimate. While polarizing during the medal ceremony, the only opinion of Lias Andersson’s (NYR) play was that it was strong. The Swedish captain tied for the team lead with seven points, six of which were his team-high six goals. Elias Petterson (VAN) and Alexander Nylander (BUF) were also impressive with seven points apiece. Filip Gustavsson (PIT) was rivaled only by Canada’s Hart in terms of the tourney’s top goaltender.

Biggest Surprise: The Swedes were top-heavy in terms of scoring, with the aforementioned four standouts contributing much of the offense, but that didn’t stop Axel Jonsson Fjallby (WAS) from making his presence felt. The 2016 fifth-rounder had four points, including two shorthanded goals, and was third on the team in shots.

United States – Bronze

Top Performers: Kieffer Bellows (NYI) led the WJC with nine goals and his teammate, Casey Mittelstadt (BUF), shared the tournament lead in points with eleven. So, while the U.S. fell short of their goal of being repeat champions, they arguably showcased the two best players of the World Juniors. Bellows passed up Jeremy Roenick as the highest goal-scoring American player in WJC history and finished one point behind Mittelstadt for the total points lead in a strong effort, while Mittelstadt was not only a top scorer, but a top a well-rounded presence as well, with a +8 rating. Mittelstadt’s rating was only bested on the team by defenseman Dylan Samberg (WPG), whose +10 was third-best at the WJC. The nine points for Brady Tkachuk (2018) will only serve to help his draft stock this June.

Biggest Surprise: Despite being assigned a crucial two-way, defensive role for the U.S., Trent Frederic (BOS) still managed to pot five goals, second-most on the team behind Bellows and tied for fifth in the tournament. He was also the only American player to score goals at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill.

Czech Republic – 4th

Top Performers: Perhaps the player that helped his draft stock the most at the World Juniors was Filip Zadina (2018), who tied for second in the tournament with seven goals and helped lead his team to a semifinal appearance. The man assisting on many of Zadina’s goals was Martin Necas (CAR), who tied the U.S.’ Mittelstadt as the WJC’s points leader and led the tournament with eight assists. Necas looked like the most pro-ready prospect in the entire tournament. On the back end, Libor Hajek (TBL) tied only Canada’s Makar for the most points by a defenseman.

Biggest Surprise: The Czech’s scored more goals, 22, than any other team in the tournament. While Necas and Zadina, arguably the tournament’s most dynamic duo, had a lot of input, the whole roster stepped up and helped the team finish higher than other teams considered to be contenders, such as Finland and Russia.

Finland – 5th

Top Performer: Eeli Tolvanen (NSH) – 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points. Led team in assists, points, shots, and +/-.

Biggest Surprise: Joona Koppanen (BOS, 5th-round in 2016) – 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points. Second on team in goals.

Russia – 6th

Top Performer: Klim Kostin (STL) – 5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points. Led team in goals, points, and +/-.

Biggest Surprise: Artur Kayumov (undrafted) – 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points. Second on team in goals and points.

Slovakia – 7th

Switzerland – 8th

Denmark – 9th

Belarus – 10th (relegated)

Frustrations Boiling Over In Calgary

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The Calgary Flames are 4-4-2 in their past ten games, have a .500 record at home this season, and currently hold down the fifth spot in the Pacific Division with 44 points through 40 games. They’re 20th in goals for, 17th in goals against, 20th on the power play, and 25th on the penalty kill. If the season ended today, they would finish 12th in the Western Conference, three points outside of a playoff spot. By every metric, the 2017-18 Flames have been mediocre.

However, when your team acquires solid defenseman Travis Hamonic for a first-round pick and two second-rounders, expectations are raised. When your team “solves” it’s goalie problem by bringing in respected veteran Mike Smith for a player, prospect, and pick, expectations are raised. When your trio of under-23 star forwards – Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk – combine for over 160 points the season prior, expectations are raised. Mediocre is not good enough for this Calgary team and now the Flames are feeling the heat.

Head coach Glen Gulutzan appears to be the first one to have reached his limit on the sub-par play. Yesterday at practice, Gulutzan lost his cool and went on a profanity-laced tirade (video). Discernible lines included criticism of the team’s attitude after “one f***ing game”, referring to the team’s upset win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday,  and “We’re so f***ing good? You check the f***ing standings?”, which obviously speaks for itself. Gulutzan capped off his outburst by whipping his stick into the stands as words were not even enough to express his frustration and displeasure with his players. After practice, Gulutzan defended his actions, stating that the NHL was not “warm and fuzzy” and that what the media saw was the reality of the bleak situation in Calgary.

While the effort and results in Calgary have been poor all year, this has been the first time that the lack of success has made major headlines. However, if the team continues to struggle, it surely won’t be the last. The Flames are expected to win this season and for seasons to come and, if that doesn’t happen, Gulutzan’s tirade will be forgotten among the many oncoming repercussions.

Snapshots: Edmonton Coaching, Escrow, Hoffman, Batherson

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There has yet to be a coaching change this season which is quite rare considering the last time there hadn’t been a change by the holiday break was back in 1998.  Matt Larkin of The Hockey News suggests that it may be time for Edmonton to change that, advocating that they could benefit from more of a disciplinarian behind the bench than Todd McLellan is.  While history suggests those types of bench bosses wear thin on a team fairly quickly, the short-term benefits of a change like that might be enough to get the Oilers at least closer to the form they were expected to be at this season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The final escrow numbers for 2015-16 are in and the results aren’t pretty for the players. BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that the players received just 3% back out of the 17% that had been withheld from each pay.  Unsurprisingly, the NHLPA hasn’t used the full 5% cap inflator each year since then in an effort to get the withholdings lower.  Escrow is currently set at 11.9% this season, Dater adds.  Even at that, it’s safe to suggest that this will be a big topic in the next round of CBA negotiations.
  • Marcus White of NBC Sports Bay Area believes that Senators winger Mike Hoffman could be a good fit with the Sharks. San Jose never replaced Patrick Marleau when he signed with Toronto which has left a void in their top-six since then.  Youngsters such as Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier have taken strides this season but they’re best served to be more as complementary pieces at this stage of their careers.  San Jose also has the room to absorb Hoffman’s $5.1875MM cap charge for not only this season but beyond, something that can’t be said for a lot of teams that are looking to buy right now.
  • With the World Juniors now over, CHL players that were participating in the tournament are now eligible to have their junior rights officially traded. With the trade deadlines in each league less than a week away, some prominent prospects are about to have a new home.  Winger Drake Batherson, who finished tied for second in goals in the tourney with seven, is one of them.  His former team in Cape Breton announced that the Senators prospect has been dealt to Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL in exchange for three younger players and a 2020 second-round pick.

Blues Defenseman Petteri Lindbohm Out For The Season

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The Blues announced that defenseman Petteri Lindbohm underwent successful shoulder surgery on Friday but that he will be out for the remainder of the season.

The 24-year-old has split the season between St. Louis and their shared AHL affiliate in Chicago.  In seven games with the Blues in 2017-18, he averaged just shy of 13 minutes per game of ice time while being held off the scoresheet.  At the minor league level, he recorded three points in 23 contests.

Lindbohm has spent parts of the past three seasons with St. Louis, playing 40 NHL games in that span.  He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season with arbitration eligibility.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Blues try to pick up a replacement for Lindbohm to give them some more injury insurance between now and the trade deadline.  That way, they could allow their top prospects such as Jake Walman and Jordan Schmaltz to continue to develop in the minors instead of being recalled to serve in depth roles when injuries arise.

Metropolitan Notes: Islanders Injuries, Cole, Stempniak

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To say Friday night was a tough one for the Islanders would be an understatement.  Not only did they get shut out by the Penguins, they also lost a trio of players to injuries in wingers Josh Bailey, Andrew Ladd, and defenseman Ryan Pulock.  Speaking with reporters postgame, including Kyle Schnitzer of the New York Post, head coach Doug Weight would only suggest that Bailey’s lower-body injury is likely to keep him out of Sunday’s game before they hit their bye week.  Losing Bailey, who is tied for the team lead in points with 50, for any extended period of time would be devastating for an Islanders team that has now slipped to seventh in the division.

Other notes from around the Metropolitan this morning:

  • With the Penguins having some injury concerns in recent weeks on the back end, Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette speculates that this could hold up trade talks involving defenseman Ian Cole. Back in late November, Pittsburgh was believed to be shopping the veteran although they weren’t able to agree on a trade.  However, with Brian Dumoulin now hurt, the Pens are back down to seven healthy blueliners and may not want to lessen their depth any further at this time.
  • Carolina winger Lee Stempniak has resumed skating as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury, notes Michael Smith of the Hurricanes’ team site (Twitter link). The veteran has yet to play this season as a result of injury issues; he was first dealing with hip trouble and while he recovered from that, he suffered the current upper-body injury while on a conditioning assignment in the minors.  With the ‘Canes in a tough battle for a playoff spot, they could certainly use the secondary production that the 34-year-old is capable of providing.

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