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Archives for January 2019

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Washington Capitals

January 5, 2019 at 1:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the holiday season having come and gone, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve in the second half for the Washington Capitals.  Click here for the other articles in this series. 

What are the Capitals most thankful for?

No significant Stanley Cup letdown.  It’s not uncommon for teams that just won the championship to start slow out of the gates and given that this was Washington’s first title, it wouldn’t have come as much of a surprise if this happened to them as well.  Instead, they’re one of the top scoring teams in the league, have been near the top of the Metropolitan Division pretty much all season long, and are entering the second half of the campaign in a better spot than some recent champions have in past years.  Doing so with a new coach makes it a little more impressive as well.

Who are the Capitals most thankful for?

Alex Ovechkin.  The captain just continues to keep on scoring – he leads the league in that department and has a chance at his second career 60-goal season.  He has won just about every NHL award there is to be won and even at the age of 33, he’s not slowing down.  In fact, if Ovechkin can stay healthy and keep up his current pace for a few more seasons, he’ll have an outside shot at surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record (he currently sits 257 shy of the mark of 894).  He has been the face of the franchise for more than a decade and even though his contract (13 years, $124MM) seemed somewhat outlandish at the time it was signed back in 2008, he has more than lived up to it.

What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?

Some more consistency from goalie Braden Holtby would go a long way.  The veteran has allowed four or more goals in 10 of 27 starts but has allowed two or fewer in 14 starts.  That’s pretty close to a toss-up between a strong start and a bad one from night to night and it’s difficult to have success when a number one netminder is that erratic.  They’re quite pleased with how Pheonix Copley has fared in his first season as the backup which has allowed them to have some patience with Holtby so far but they’ll be looking for him to pick up his game in the second half.

What should be on the Capitals’ Holiday Wish List?

GM Brian MacLellan could want a whole lot of things but with mere thousands of dollars in cap space, there isn’t a whole lot he can do.  First and foremost, freeing up some cap room is going to be atop their wish list.  Winger Andre Burakovsky ($3MM) has been in trade speculation in recent weeks and if his play doesn’t improve in recent weeks, it’s certainly possible that he could be dealt to give themselves a bit of wiggle room.  Another top-six forward to give the second line some more firepower would be a nice addition if they can find a way to afford it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thankful Series 2018-19| Washington Capitals

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NHL Names All-Star Head Coaches

January 5, 2019 at 12:30 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The current formula for determining who coaches each of the four divisional teams at the NHL All-Star game is simple: whichever team leads their respective division in points percentage at the end of the day on January 5th, their head coach earns the All-Star nod. As it so happens, the NHL divisional standings at present time combined with today’s slate of games makes it impossible for any of the current divisional leaders to lose their top spot due to today’s results. As such, the NHL has decided to go ahead and announce ahead of time who will behind the bench at the upcoming 2019 All-Star Game in San Jose on January 25th-26th:

Jon Cooper, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning (.805), is the obvious choice to lead the Atlantic team, as his Bolts not only lead the division, but the entire league – and it’s not close. Tampa’s current points percentage clip is inhuman, as the Lightning have taken home over 80% of their possible points this season. In that regard, they lead the next-best team, the division rival Toronto Maple Leafs, by 130 percentage points. The Lightning also lead the league in goals for per game and power play success, both by a wide margin, and are top-ten in killing penalties. Cooper has the Bolts rolling on all cylinders and will try to transition that success to his All-Star squad.

Heading up the Metropolitan team is first-year head coach Todd Reirden of the defending champion Washington Capitals. With Reirden taking over for Barry Trotz this season, the Capitals have avoided a Stanley Cup slump, currently leading the division with a .650 points percentage that is also tied for third-best in the league. Like Tampa Bay, Washington is similarly offensively inclined, holding a top-ten spot in the league in goals for per game, power play percentage, and shooting percentage. However, Reirden’s team has had their fair share of struggles defensively, partly contributing to why the Capitals have just a narrow lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins (.634), Trotz’ New York Islanders (.615), and the Columbus Blue Jackets (.613). Reidren will coach players from all three of those competing teams when he leads the Metropolitan unit at the All-Star game.

Tied with Reirden’s Capitals at .650 points percentage are the Winnipeg Jets and bench boss Paul Maurice. Maurice’s Jets have been one of the most impressive teams in the league dating back to the beginning of last season and currently top both the Central Division and Western Conference. Winnipeg is as well-rounded as they come, holding a top-eleven spot in goals for per game, goals against per game, power play, and penalty kill. The Jets are also enjoying some breathing room in the divisional race this season, with the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche currently struggling. Maurice will want to instill his well-rounded style into the Central squad, but no so far as to reignite any of the top players on his rivals.

Right behind the Jets in the conference title race and holding the fifth-best points percentage are the Calgary Flames (.643) and new head coach Bill Peters, who will lead the Pacific Divison’s entry. The former Carolina Hurricanes coach came over to Calgary this off-season and has found immediate success managing the ample talent on the Calgary roster. Of the four teams led by All-Star coaches, none have improved more from this time last year than the Flames, and Peters deserves a lot of credit for that transformation. Calgary is third in goals for per game and tenth in goals against per game, one of just three teams to hold top ten spots in both categories. Yet, special teams has not been as much of strength for the team, perhaps why Peters’ team has yet to pull away from the Vegas Golden Knights (.614) and San Jose Sharks (.607) in the division. Fortunately, special teams should not matter much in a 3-on-3 tournament for the Pacific team and Peters could add an All-Star game win to an already impressive, possibly even Jack Adams-worthy, season.

Bill Peters| Calgary Flames| Coaches| Jon Cooper| NHL| Paul Maurice| Tampa Bay Lightning| Todd Rierden| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets

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Snapshots: Lundestrom, Hudon, McGinn

January 5, 2019 at 11:15 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

When the Anaheim Ducks loaned rookie Isac Lundestrom to Team Sweden for the World Junior Championship in the midst of a campaign split between the NHL and AHL, it was a hint that perhaps the experiment was over with the 19-year-old for this season. This has now in fact been confirmed, as agent Martin Nilsson tells Swedish news source Aftonbladet that Lundestrom has returned to Sweden for the remainder of the season. Although the Ducks’ recent first-round pick, No. 23 overall last June, showed signs of promise in his first foray into North American hockey, he nevertheless had failed to produce. Lundestrom, in burning the first year of his entry-level contract, played in 15 games with Anaheim but only recorded two assists. In 12 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, Lundestrom only managed six assists. After half a season with zero goals and limited opportunity to score them, Lundestrom is set to return to his Swedish club Lulea, where he played exclusively with the top team last season. After a WJC in which Sweden struggled but Lundestrom excelled, recording four points in five games, Nilsson says that the youngster is eager to return home and take on a key role for his club. He remains in conversation with Anaheim and, more likely than not, will be back with the organization to begin next season. In the meantime, the Ducks hope to see more of his offensive potential as he takes on the Swedish Hockey League.

  • Another player who could be on the move soon is Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon. Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic recently sat down with Hudon’s agent, Allain Roy, and discovered that the young forward has asked the Canadiens to give him a chance to play. While Godin would not go so far as to say that Hudon demanded a trade, the 24-year-old did allegedly tell the team that he wants a chance and, if it isn’t in Montreal, he would like to be moved elsewhere. “Charlie wants to play in the National Hockey League”, said Roy, “He’s a good player, and we’re still waiting for an answer whether it’s from Montreal or anywhere else.” After a 30-point performance in his first full NHL season last year, it’s fair for Hudon to be discouraged with how this season is going. Expected to be top-nine contributor, Hudon has instead been a frequent scratch and has played the majority of his 23 games on the team’s fourth line with Matthew Peca and Nicolas Deslauriers, despite ample opportunity to line up elsewhere. The trio has combined for just 17 points and Hudon has only contributed four. The Canadiens have opted to hold on to Hudon rather than risk him on waivers, even at the cost of recent claims Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose, but continue to deny him an opportunity to succeed. Godin wonders what the market would look like for a player like Hudon, whose size and skill set are ill-fitted for checking line work but who has yet to truly prove himself as a top-nine scoring option. Hudon would most likely not clear waivers if any team could grab him for free, but will anyone be willing to ante up to acquire the eager winger from the Canadiens? If the team doesn’t start giving him a larger role, we’ll soon find out the answer to that question.
  • Already on his way to a new team is Tye McGinn. Unlike Jamie and Brock, the middle McGinn brother is without an NHL contract this season for the first time in his eight-year pro career. McGinn, 28, had been playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, but yesterday was traded to the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. This ended up being the “future considerations” side of the Jets’ acquisition of defenseman Jimmy Oligny from Vegas. With the Knights looking playoff-bound again this season, the McGinn acquisition could yield an intriguing late-season signing option. The team is sure to take a look at how the veteran two-way forward performs for their farm team and could decide he is worthy of stashing as a deep depth piece for the stretch run and postseason. McGinn was last an NHL regular in 2014-15, but has always produced consistently in the minors and shown good checking ability at the next level. Vegas has only two roster spots open as of now, but depending on how their trade deadline plans shake out, could dedicate one of those slots to McGinn later on.

AHL| Anaheim Ducks| Loan| Marc Bergevin| Montreal Canadiens| Snapshots| Team Sweden| Vegas Golden Knights| Waivers| Winnipeg Jets Brock McGinn| Jacob de la Rose| Jamie McGinn| Matthew Peca| Nicolas Deslauriers| Nikita Scherbak| Swedish Hockey League

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Red Wings’ Patrick Holway Transferring To Merrimack College

January 5, 2019 at 10:16 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

At 22 years old, Detroit Red Wings’ 2015 sixth-round pick Patrick Holway has certainly taken the slow and steady approach to his development. However, after two strong seasons at the University of Maine, that plan changed when Holway stepped away from the program this year due to personal issues that forced him to move closer to his Boston-area home. Holway’s future had been a question mark ever since, but there is finally a next step on the horizon. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver reports that Holway has committed to Merrimack College next season.

Divver adds that when exactly Holway will get started with the Warriors remains undecided. Generally, the NCAA requires a full year away from the game when transferring schools, especially within an athletic conference – like Holway moving from Maine to Hockey East rival Merrimack. This is why many collegiate players return to the USHL for a season after leaving a program, before jumping back into the college ranks. However, student-athletes may appeal the transfer rules and are frequently successful. Divver reports that Holway currently would not be eligible to suit up for Merrimack until this time next year, midway through the season. However, Holway will appeal to have his absence over the first half of this season count toward his transfer year, making him eligible to join the team next fall when the new season begins.

Either way, Merrimack will get a major boost from adding Holway, who still has two years of eligibility remaining. The 6’4″ blue liner plays a rugged style and can kill penalties and shut down opposing offenses. However, he also has more than a fair bit of finesse to his game and was a crucial piece of the Black Bears’ power play. Last season, Holway registered 19 points in 33 games to lead all Maine defensemen in per-game production. Talented in all three zones, Holway appeared to be trending toward being a capable pro player and the Red Wings hope that this gap year of sorts does not stymie that development. At this rate, Holway likely won’t be joining Detroit until the age of 24, but even as an older prospect should bring promise and could immediately step into a depth role for the organization if he continues to progress at Merrimack.

Detroit Red Wings| NCAA| Penalties

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Minor Transactions: 01/05/19

January 5, 2019 at 9:31 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

It’s the first weekend of the new year and the NHL is ready to roll out some marquee match-ups. Two cross-conference contests start the action, with matinees from the Flames and Flyers, as well as the Wild and Senators. Later, P.K. Subban and the Predators visit Shea Weber and the Canadiens, the division rival Sabres and Bruins battle it out for the final time this season, and some of the game’s biggest names clash when the Sharks host the Lightning. With nine games on the docket today and another seven tomorrow, teams are sure to be shuffling their rosters. Expect some movement today and keep track right here:

  • Recently-named AHL All-Star Jacob Middleton has been recalled by the San Jose Sharks, CapFriendly reports. The 23-year-old defenseman has shown off his well-rounded game this season with the San Jose Barracuda, with 12 points and a team-leading +15 rating in just 26 games. At 6’3″, 210 lbs., Middleton has NHL size, but over the past year or so has begun to show NHL talent as well. The 2014 seventh-round pick is exceeding expectations for San Jose, becoming yet another capable option on their deep blue line. The only question now is whether he makes his debut on this recall and, if so, how he performs under the pressure. In confirming the recall, the Sharks also announced that Justin Braun has been placed on injured reserve, which may provide Middleton the opportunity to see some action.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced, somewhat unsurprisingly, that Kasimir Kaskisuo is on his way back up today, courtesy of an emergency recall. With starter Frederik Andersen still sidelined with a groin injury and backup Garret Sparks currently in the concussion protocol, the Leafs turned to newly-acquired Michael Hutchinson to start on Thursday and will apparently ask him to do so again tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. There was optimism that Sparks could be ready to at least dress as the backup tonight, but Kaskisuo’s call-up would indicate that won’t be happening. Toronto simply has to hope that Hutchinson can manage the game well enough, as Kaskisuo’s season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies has been nightmarish (.871 SV% and 3.82 GAA) and he should be nowhere near an NHL net right now, if possible.
  • Another team to frequently swap their goalies around has done so again, as the AHL lists the St. Louis Blues as having recalled Jordan Binnington and reassigned first-year pro Evan Fitzpatrick to the San Antonio Rampage. Fitzpatrick, a 2016 second-round pick, earned his first NHL recall earlier in the week as the organization dealt with the losses of Chad Johnson (waivers) and Ville Husso (injury), but the green 20-year-old did not see any action. Following the acquisition of Jared Coreau, ironically from the same Anaheim Ducks that claimed Johnson, the Blues now have another veteran option in the AHL and apparently feel comfortable bringing Binnington back up. Binnington has enjoyed a strong season in the minors and is St. Louis’ best option behind starter Jake Allen, even if his limited NHL experience does leave a lot to be desired.
  • After clearing waivers, Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Martinsen is headed to the AHL, the team announced. Joining him is rookie Dylan Sikura, who has struggled to produce with Chicago so far but is enjoying a fine season with the Rockford Ice Hogs alongside brother Tyler. As for Martinsen, he is no stranger to the minor leagues; the hulking Norwegian played in 64 games with the Ice Hogs last season compared to just nine with the Blackhawks. Martinsen has registered just four points in 24 games in Chicago this season, so the ’Hawks likely won’t be rushing to call him back up.

AHL| Anaheim Ducks| Chicago Blackhawks| Injury| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Toronto Maple Leafs| Transactions| Waivers Andreas Martinsen| Chad Johnson| Dylan Sikura| Frederik Andersen| Garret Sparks| Jacob Middleton| Jake Allen| Jared Coreau| Michael Hutchinson| Ville Husso

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West Notes: Avalanche, Rittich, Crawford, Ehlers

January 4, 2019 at 8:52 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While the Avalanche have been led by a dominant trio in the first half of the season, they need to add some secondary scoring if they want to take a step forward before the playoffs, argues Jared Clinton of The Hockey News.  Colorado has some promising young prospects on the horizon that they shouldn’t be dealing from but with some injuries between the pipes starting to occur, this could be an opportunity to deal Semyon Varlamov for some scoring help.  Defenseman Nikita Zadorov has also been available at varying times over the last couple of years and could yield a forward in return.  The Avs went into play tonight with just a two-point cushion on the last playoff spot so getting some scoring help may be something they want to do before next month’s trade deadline.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Flames are expected to have goaltender David Rittich back between the pipes on Saturday, notes Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. He has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury.  The 26-year-old has been a key player for them in the first half of the year as he has taken away some starts from veteran Mike Smith and has posted stellar numbers with a .920 SV% along with a 2.39 GAA.
  • Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is not making progress from the concussion he sustained last month, head coach Jeremy Colliton told Madeline Kenney of the Chicago Sun-Times. That’s certainly not an encouraging sign for a player whose recent concussion history is quite significant.  Chicago will stick with rookie Collin Delia and veteran Cam Ward for the time being although this may cause them to delay any potential plans of looking to move Ward (provided the pending UFA waives his NMC) until closer to the trade deadline.
  • Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s game against Pittsburgh, the team announced. The injury occurred in the first period and while he tried to come back for a shift, it didn’t go over well.  The 22-year-old is quietly on pace for his first career 30-goal campaign and if he’s out for any significant period of time, that would be a big blow to Winnipeg’s attack.

Calgary Flames| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Winnipeg Jets Corey Crawford| David Rittich| Nikolaj Ehlers

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Vancouver’s Sudden Goaltending Depth Concerns

January 4, 2019 at 7:38 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Canucks explored trading for additional goalie depth after veteran Richard Bachman suffered a season-ending Achilles’ tear last month, GM Jim Benning acknowledged to Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston.  However, they weren’t able to find a deal they liked at the time.  They hoped that the acquisition of Mike McKenna earlier this week would give them a boost with AHL Utica but those plans were put on hold with Philadelphia claiming McKenna off waivers earlier today.  All of a sudden, their depth between the pipes is extremely thin.

Vancouver has just one remaining healthy goalie on an NHL contract behind Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko, their new tandem.  That’s prospect Michael DiPietro who just came off a strong showing at the World Juniors but he isn’t eligible to play in the AHL this season (at least until the conclusion of his OHL campaign).  While that makes him eligible to be an emergency recall to the Canucks should one of Markstrom or Demko go down with an injury, it doesn’t help their situation on the farm.

Utica has Belarusian netminder Ivan Kulbakov on a minor league contract and while the 22-year-old was supposed to spend most of the season at the ECHL level, he’s now thrust into the top job with the Comets.  In a pinch, they could convert his deal to an NHL entry-level pact to give them another recall option but that would require a commitment beyond this season which they may not be willing to do given how he has fared thus far.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Benning reprise his efforts to get another goaltender that’s on an NHL contract to supplement their depth and give them another recall option in case of injury.  They could wait to see if they can reclaim and demote McKenna if the Flyers eventually make him available but with there being a few teams with goalie injuries at the moment, it has been difficult to get goalies through unclaimed this season.  In the meantime, they’ll be using the minor league PTO route for the time being to give them a second AHL goalie but that’s not a feasible long-term strategy.  Sooner than later, Vancouver will need to make a move of some sort to give themselves some depth between the pipes.

Vancouver Canucks

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2018 Year In Review: September

January 4, 2019 at 6:11 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

2018 was quite a busy year in the hockey world.  There were several big trades and free agent signings, plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more.  Over the coming days, PHR will continue its look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis.  Next up is a look back at September, which made headlines with some big trades, contracts, plus a PED suspension and a material breach of a contract.

Pacioretty Trade, Extension: In a move that had been bubbling for quite some time, the Canadiens finally found a trade to their liking, dealing winger Max Pacioretty to Vegas for winger Tomas Tatar, prospect forward Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round pick.  The Golden Knights then signed the former Montreal captain to a four-year, $28MM extension.  The deal has not worked out particularly well for Vegas thus far as Pacioretty has struggled with consistency and has been banged up a couple of times already.  Meanwhile, Tatar, whose inclusion was primarily for matching money, has actually out-produced Pacioretty and is on pace for a career year while Suzuki, a 2017 first-rounder, is having a strong season at the junior level.

Yzerman Resigns: In a stunning move, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman resigned from the role and moved into a consultant position while long-time assistant Julien BriseBois moved into the GM role.  Yzerman had been at the helm in Tampa Bay since 2010 and had built a team that appears to be set to contend for several years.  However, he decided to step away for family reasons and since his family remains in Detroit, there has been plenty of speculation already that he could resurface with the Red Wings when his contract – which runs through the remainder of this season – expires.

Karlsson To San Jose: In another move that had been percolating for a while after there was no response to a July 1st extension offer, the Senators shipped pending UFA defenseman Erik Karlsson to San Jose for a package that involved center Chris Tierney, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, 2017 first-round center Josh Norris, prospect Rudolfs Balcers (who was just recalled for the first time today), two guaranteed draft picks, and two conditional selections, one of which has a rather unique condition.  Karlsson hasn’t been overly productive in the goal department, taking until mid-November to score his first while he has just three on the season.  However, he sits in the top-ten among NHL defensemen in assists and points.  Meanwhile, Tierney and DeMelo are on pace for career seasons while Norris is averaging over a point per game in his sophomore NCAA campaign.  Karlsson is eligible to sign an extension at any time but if he wants a max eight-year, term, he has to wait to sign until after the trade deadline.

Extensions: A pair of prominent potential unrestricted free agents decided to stick around and not test the open market.  The Jets inked winger Blake Wheeler to a five-year, $41.25MM following a season that saw him lead the league in assists (68) while setting a new career high in points (91).  While the deal may carry some risk towards the end (he’ll be 37 at the end of the contract), Wheeler has shown that he’s still capable of putting up the points as he gets older.  He’s on pace for a career-high once again in 2018-19.  Meanwhile, after Stars center Tyler Seguin voiced his displeasure over a lack of progress in contract talks, the two sides were able to agree on an eight-year, $78.8MM pact.  The 26-year-old is having a down year in goals with 13 through the first half but is on pace to surpass the 70-point-mark for the sixth straight season.  Of course, that didn’t stop the Stars’ CEO from voicing his frustration with Seguin’s production recently.

Zetterberg’s Career Over: Dating back to the summer, there were questions as to whether or not Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg would be available when the season started.  It turns out that the answer was no.  Instead, it was revealed that his playing days were over due to a chronic back injury that he played with through last season.  Zetterberg came into the season with three years remaining on his contract with a $6.083MM cap hit but Detroit placed him on LTIR to free up some additional salary cap flexibility.  His career ends with 337 goals and 623 assists, ranking him fifth in franchise history in scoring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Year In Review 2018

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Brandon Pirri Returned To AHL

January 4, 2019 at 4:14 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

It’s hard to perform any better than Brandon Pirri has when he was finally given an opportunity of late. The veteran forward had nine points in a seven-game stint with the Vegas Golden Knights, including six goals. Still, he’s on his way back to the minor leagues today as the Golden Knights will welcome Max Pacioretty back off of injured reserve. Pirri was still waiver exempt and was the only real choice the team had to make room on the roster unless they wanted to expose another player. That will cost him a job for now, but he’s clearly made an impression on the team. Assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon told David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Pirri “will be back.”

Pirri is one of the most interesting cases of a goal scoring talent that can’t seem to find a home in the entire NHL. Originally a second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009, Pirri went the collegiate route for just one season before jumping straight to professional hockey. He found success immediately at the minor league level and has routinely been among the AHL’s best players whenever he’s there. In fact, through 323 AHL games Pirri has scored 293 points including an incredible 41 in just 28 games this season. The sniper also has produced a fair amount at the NHL level, even posting a 22-goal season in just 49 games for the Florida Panthers in 2014-15.

Still, that offensive upside has come with very real defensive concerns and teams have repeatedly given up on him throughout his career. When he signed a two-way deal with the Golden Knights in 2017, he found himself back in Chicago with the team’s AHL affiliate and worked hard for his recent opportunity. Though being sent down is obviously an obstacle, it’s hard for the team to argue with the production. You can bet with the next injury Vegas suffers Pirri will be back up, perhaps for good this time.

If he plays in three more games with the team, Pirri would need to clear waivers once again. Though it’s obviously possible, given the lack of previous interest around the league, the Golden Knights may not want to risk it.

AHL| Vegas Golden Knights Brandon Pirri| Max Pacioretty

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Snapshots: Brookbank, Zadina, Maple Leafs

January 4, 2019 at 4:09 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks have promoted Sheldon Brookbank to an NHL assistant, moving him from the AHL where he had previously been an assistant for Jeremy Colliton. Colliton of course took over head coaching duties of the Blackhawks earlier this season when Joel Quenneville was fired, but had not immediately brought Brookbank with him. Anders Sorensen, who had been serving as a development coach for the Rockford IceHogs, will take over as an assistant for the AHL club.

Many will remember the 38-year old Brookbank from his recent playing career, which ended in 2016-17 with the Cleveland Monsters. The physical defenseman actually ended his NHL career with the Blackhawks, and will return to that bench for the first time since 2013-14. The Blackhawks have obviously decided to move to a younger group of defensemen after moving out Jan Rutta and Brandon Manning recently (not to mention waiving Brandon Davidson), and with Brookbank’s promotion have given them another familiar face to help their development along.

  • Filip Zadina is heading back to the Grand Rapids Griffins now that his World Junior tournament is over, but certainly didn’t get the experience he or the organization were hoping for. The 19-year old forward was supposed to “be the man” for the Czech team, but ended up with just a single assist in his five games. Going without a goal seemed impossible for a player who makes his living with his incredible shot and recorded seven goals in seven games during last year’s tournament at an even younger age. That lack of scoring is something that has plagued him at times in the minor leagues too, and will need to disappear if he’s to become the player the Detroit Red Wings are hoping for.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will start Michael Hutchinson again on Saturday night after confirming that Garret Sparks did suffer a concussion earlier this week in practice. Frederik Andersen, who is getting closer to returning from a groin injury, admitted to reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet that it’s something he’s dealt with for a while this season. The injury apparently didn’t heal as well as the team had hoped over the holiday break, but shouldn’t keep him out much longer.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Detroit Red Wings| Injury| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs Filip Zadina| Frederik Andersen| Garret Sparks| Michael Hutchinson

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