Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for May 2018

NHL Warns Marchand, Bruins About Licking Players

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The NHL’s vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell spoke to both the Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and Brad Marchand today, warning the veteran forward that his actions of licking players is unacceptable and another incident like that will result in supplementary discipline, according to the NHL.

Marchand, who has been accused for licking a player for the second time in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, was seen checking Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan into the boards and when Callahan shoved back, Marchand responded by licking him. He was accused of the same thing in the first round of the playoffs during Game 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Leo Komarov. Marchand was not penalized for either incident, but the league is stepping in now.

According to Rule 75.4 (iii), “Any player who persists in any course of conduct designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty,” which means the league could start handing out 10-minute misconduct penalties immediately for any similar actions, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

“There’s absolutely no place in this game for that,” Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said (via Joe Smith). “I don’t understand it.”

Even Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said Marchand needs to stop.

“Brad has to stop licking. That’s the end of the story,” said Cassidy (via Chris Johnston).

Golden Knights Recall Ten Players

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After recalling goaltender Maxime Lagace earlier in the week, the Golden Knights announced ten more recalls from their AHL affiliate in Chicago to fill out their ‘Black Aces’.  Getting the call are forwards Cody Glass, Keegan Kolesar, Stefan Matteau, Brandon Pirri, Nick Suzuki, and T.J. Tynan plus defensemen Jake Bischoff, Jason Garrison, Nicolas Hague, and Griffin Reinhart.

Of that group, Garrison, Matteau, and Pirri were the only ones to see NHL action with Vegas during the season.  Pirri picked up a trio of goals in his two games while Matteau and Garrison were held off the scoresheet in each of their eight contests.

Interestingly enough, winger Teemu Pulkkinen was not among the recalls.  He was the leading scorer in Chicago and his 65 points were tied for fifth overall in the AHL.  Their second leading scorer was Tynan, who posted 60 points in 70 games, by far his most productive of his four full minor league seasons.

Two of their first-round picks from June were also among the promotions in Glass and Suzuki.  Both had been assigned to the minor leagues following their junior teams being eliminated although Suzuki only got into one game while Glass didn’t suit up.  They’re unlikely to suit up with the Golden Knights as well but they will at least benefit from practicing for a little while longer.

Offseason Keys: Montreal Canadiens

at CDT | by 4 Comments

While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Montreal Canadiens.

Not a lot went right in Montreal this season.  A year after winning the Atlantic Division, they found themselves out of the playoff race in a hurry while many of their key players were injured or struggled considerably.  As a result, plenty of changes are expected again this coming summer.  Here are their keys to offseason success.

Add Center Help

This one has been at the top of the list for a long time now.  GM Marc Bergevin attempted to address it last summer with the acquisition of Jonathan Drouin with the hopes that he could play down the middle but that experiment didn’t go as well as intended.  Bergevin himself even admitted that in a perfect world, Drouin would be on the wing.  Needless to say, a true number one center is at the top of the priority list.

The need at that position doesn’t stop there, however.  Phillip Danault (a pending RFA) slots in as their number two but he’s more ideally suited for a third-line role.  There are no other in-house options and even if Tomas Plekanec gets his wish and signs with the Canadiens in the summer, he’s not a fit in that role either.  Basically, they also need a number two unless they’re content with keeping Drouin away from his natural position.  Finding one top-six center is hard enough so two is going to be a real challenge.

Partner For Weber

Lost in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade two summers ago with Nashville is the fact that Shea Weber has not had a top-notch partner to play with like he did with the Predators.  Two years ago, Nathan Beaulieu and Alexei Emelin saw the bulk of the minutes.  The former was traded to avoid being left unprotected in expansion while the latter was left unprotected (and was picked) in expansion.  Back to the drawing board they went.

Montreal’s big offseason signing on the back end last summer was Karl Alzner and his style of game doesn’t mesh with Weber’s so those two didn’t see much five-on-five time together.  That wound up resulting in rookie Victor Mete spending a lot of time in that role.  The results were mixed and ultimately, he’s not an ideal solution there at this stage of his development and neither is the collection of depth defenders that they have on the roster.  Basically, it’s back to the drawing board again.

Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the UFA market for left-shooting rearguards isn’t exactly robust so their options to improve there are limited.  Accordingly, this void may have to be filled via a trade as if they have eyes on contending for a playoff spot next season, it’s hard to imagine them wanting Mete back in that spot full-time.

Decision On Pacioretty

Like many of Montreal’s top players, it was a tough year for winger Max Pacioretty.  He tallied just 17 goals in 64 games, failing to reach the 30-goal mark after doing so the previous four years.  He was also prone to several stretches where he struggled and for the first time, trade speculation started to pick up.

Ultimately, he wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline as the asking price was said to be too high, same for most of the non-rental wingers that were made available.  However, that speculation is sure to be back in full force in the weeks to come.

Pacioretty is entering the final year of a team-friendly deal that carries an AAV of $4.5MM.  He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and will certainly be looking for a considerable raise.  Is Bergevin going to be comfortable handing that out to a player who turns 30 in November?  If not, the time may be right for a trade, at least on the surface.

However, with the stated goal to get back to the postseason, trading a top forward (and their captain) may be somewhat counterintuitive.  Quality goal scorers are hard to find and on a team that struggled to score, dealing Pacioretty would only make a big problem even worse.  It’s not going to be an easy decision to make either way but this feels like a situation that needs to be addressed before next season begins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Red Wings Nearing Deal With Prospect David Pope

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Red Wings are closing in on finalizing a contract with prospect winger David Pope, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.  She adds that the two-year, entry-level deal could be made official over the next few days.

Pope was Detroit’s fourth-round pick (109th overall) back in 2013 and recently wrapped up his college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.  He saved his best play for last as Pope set career highs in goals (20), assists (21), and points (41) in his senior year.

The team had approached Pope about signing late in the season but his preference was to stay at school to wrap up his classes.  The Red Wings are intent on getting younger and the 23-year-old could very well make a push for a roster spot in training camp.

As a senior, Pope could have opted to not sign and would have become an unrestricted free agent on August 16th.  However, he had indicated back in February that he intended to not go to the open market and it appears he will be sticking to his word in the days to come.

Snapshots: Kovar, Nurse, Edmundson, Morin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Last year, Czech center Jan Kovar was one of the more intriguing international players out there but he wasn’t able to come to the NHL since he had one more year left on his KHL deal.  That has now expired and in an interview with VK’s Pavel Kadoshnikov (link in Russian), Kovar confirmed that he is leaving the KHL and is open to crossing the pond to play in North America.  His offensive numbers were down in 2017-18 (35 points in 54 games after putting up 63 in 59 contests last year) but he did play well in the Olympics and should still garner some NHL interest.  As he’s 28 years old, he falls outside the restrictions of the entry level system.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time but noted to Dhiren Mahiban of the Sporting News that he isn’t particularly worried about the situation, nor does he plan to get overly involved in the negotiations. He also indicated that he’d like to remain in Edmonton; with their salary cap situation though, there are bound to be some changes on the horizon.  Nurse led all Oilers defensemen with 26 points and sat second on the team in ice time.  As a result, he is well-positioned to land a significant raise on the $863K he received this past season.
  • After missing the opener at the World Championships on Friday, Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to officially be added to Canada’s roster and play on Sunday against Korea, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). He had been dealing with a groin injury.
  • Flyers defenseman prospect Samuel Morin is expected to play for the first time in more than three-and-a-half months, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News. He’ll be suiting up with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley as they continue their second-round series against Charlotte.  It has been a trying year for the 2013 first-rounder as recurring groin issues have hindered him all season long which certainly doesn’t help his bargaining position as he enters restricted free agency in July.

Marcus Kruger Played 2017-18 Season With Hernia

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

There is now some added context to the poor performance of recently-acquired Arizona Coyotes forward Marcus Kruger this season. Coyotes GM John Chayka revealed to TSN that Kruger played the entire 2017-18 campaign with a sports hernia. It had previously been reported that Kruger had hernia surgery last month, but the timeline of the injury had been unclear.

In speaking with TSN about the recent trade of Jordan Martinook and a fourth-round pick for Kruger and a third-rounder, Chayka expressed optimism that Kruger could return to form next season, saying “You take (the injury) into consideration… we think that’ll get the jump back in his skate and it’ll be a real useful and helpful piece to our lineup.” Kruger was not very useful or helpful to the Carolina Hurricanes this year, recording just one goal and five assists in 48 games while averaging the least ice time per game of his career. This has led many to be skeptical of Arizona’s acquisition of the veteran center – a skepticism that won’t go away, even with this news, until Kruger produces some results.

A hernia is a serious injury though and definitely impacted Kruger’s play all year. A hernia occurs when tissue pushes through the muscle wall, usually in the abdominal or groin area. The result is pain and discomfort in the area and a weakening of the muscle. In a physical, lower-body driven sport like hockey, pain and the loss of strength in the core area can absolutely attribute to a loss of ability. Montreal Canadiens prospect Jake Evans was recently diagnosed with a hernia and was given a three-month timeline to recover. Instead of undergoing such extensive rehab in-season, Kruger’s decision to play through it kept him available, but severely limited his ability. Now, he just has to hope that the decision hasn’t permanently damaged that ability.

Pavel Padakin Garnering NHL Interest

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The off-season has yet to officially begin, but there have already been a number of international signings in recent weeks and there are surely more to come. Among those potential imports on the way could be KHL forward Pavel Padakin. Agent Igor Larionov confirmed to Russian source Championat that the Ukranian right winger has received several offers to play in the NHL next season.

Padakin, 23, has more North American experience than the typical young international player. After coming over as a 17-year-old in 2011 to play in the U.S. Tier II junior-level North American Hockey League, Padakin was able to make the jump to major junior the next year, joining the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. After three seasons in the WHL, Padakin signed a minor league deal and split the 2015-16 season between the AHL and ECHL. Only after that did he return to Europe, signing with Sochi.

However, after leading his team in assists this season, as well as finishing third in points and second in plus/minus, Padakin in back in North America to train and meet with team executives. While his career statistics don’t indicate that Padakin could make a major impact on an NHL team right away, his familiarity with the North American game matched with a solid skill set could make him a nice AHL depth addition for the time being.

Kings Interested In Jeff Skinner

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Kings were a team on the lookout for scoring help throughout the season, something that isn’t likely to change this summer.  With that in mind, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in his latest podcast (audio link) that he has heard that Carolina winger Jeff Skinner is someone that Los Angeles has interest in.

Skinner has spent his entire career with the Hurricanes after they drafted him seventh overall back in 2010.  He has been one of their more consistent scorers since then, reaching the 20-goal mark in six out of eight seasons; one of the years he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.  This past season, he tallied 24 times while adding 25 assists in 82 games which ranked him fourth in team scoring.

While he is still a key player for the Hurricanes, it will be interesting to see if this is the offseason where they shake things up.  Former GM Ron Francis was let go in part because he was content to go with a slow, consistent approach whereas new owner Thomas Dundon is believed to be wanting someone a bit more aggressive in terms of making moves.  With Carolina having missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons, Skinner could very well be part of any changes being made, especially with his contractual situation.

The 25-year-old will be entering the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a cap hit of $5.725MM (with a $6MM salary) so this may be the right time to move him so that the acquiring team gets him for a full year instead of being a midseason rental.

Meanwhile, the Kings have over $70MM committed for next season per CapFriendly but have very few players to re-sign; with the expected increase to the salary cap, they should be able to fit him in under their existing salary structure.  The fact Skinner has one year left may also be of interest to Los Angeles as they have quite a few long-term deals on the books already and may not want to add another at the price that Skinner is likely to command next summer on the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Richardson, Gionta, Blue Jackets

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Arizona’s acquisition of center Marcus Kruger from Carolina on Thursday could have an impact on one of their pending unrestricted free agents.  Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports suggests that Kruger could push fellow pivot Brad Richardson to the open market.  While GM John Chayka wouldn’t confirm that, he did acknowledge that Kruger has “a similar type of profile” to Richardson and that they wanted to make sure they could get a player like that if one became available.  Richardson recorded 15 points in 76 games this season while posting a 52.1% success rate at the faceoff dot but also had a career-low shooting percentage at just 2.9%.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Brian Gionta’s inclusion in Game Four for Boston against the Lightning could have some implications beyond this season. CapFriendly notes (Twitter link) that because he played in one game this round, he’s eligible for a $50K performance bonus if the Bruins win the series.  They finished with just over $100K in cap space at the end of the season per CapFriendly and that amount is before any performance bonuses get added in.  If Boston does indeed go over the Upper Limit due to bonuses, any overage would be deducted from their cap room for 2018-19.
  • Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski underwent shoulder surgery yesterday and he may not be the only one going under the knife. GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) that at least two others could be facing surgeries in the weeks to come although he wouldn’t specify which players are in that situation.  In the meantime, they’re resting in the hopes that doing so will be enough to avoid going the surgical route.  If that doesn’t work, Werenski may not be the only player whose status heading into the start of next season could be in question.

Yohann Auvitu Won’t Return To Oilers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Defenseman Yohann Auvitu’s time with the Oilers has come to an end.  In an interview with Finland’s MTV (link in Finnish), he states that while he has not yet decided where he’ll play next season, he plans to leave the NHL and head back overseas.  He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July so they will not retain his rights.

The 28-year-old had a limited role with Edmonton in 2017-18.  He spent a lot of time as a healthy scratch and even saw a bit of action on the wing.  In the end, he played in 33 games with the Oilers, posting three goals and six assists while logging 13:33 of ice time per night.

Auvitu only came to the NHL in time for the 2016-17 season as he signed his entry-level deal as a 27-year-old with the Devils that year following a strong showing with HIFK in the SM-liiga and at the World Championships with France.  He split that year between New Jersey and their farm team before signing with Edmonton.

While he decides on his playing future, Auvitu is back with a familiar time for the time being as he is suiting up for France for the ninth time at the World Championships which got underway earlier today.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top