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Pacific Notes: Sutter, Valimaki, Stone, Hagelin

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The Canucks are expected to get center Brandon Sutter back this week, reports TSN 1040’s Jeff Paterson (Twitter link).  He has been out of the lineup since suffering a separated shoulder back in October and will give Vancouver some extra depth down the middle as well as some help at the faceoff dot as he has averaged better than 50% on the draw in each of the last four seasons.

However, the Canucks have a full roster at the moment and their two waiver-exempt forwards (Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser) clearly aren’t going anywhere.  With that in mind, they will need to make a roster move (likely a trade or a waiver placement) in the very near future in order to be able to activate Sutter.  Vancouver begins a two games in two nights stint on Wednesday in Ottawa.

More from the Pacific:

  • In an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link), Calgary GM Brad Treliving indicated that the Flames will be without defensemen Juuso Valimaki and Michael Stone for a while yet. Valimaki has been out since late November with a high ankle sprain and the rookie is targeting the end of the month as a timeline for his return.  Meanwhile, there remains no timetable for Stone’s return to the lineup from the blood clot that has caused him to miss the last 18 games and counting.
  • Kings winger Carl Hagelin is about a week away from returning to the lineup, notes Robert Morales of the Los Angeles Daily News.  He has only suited up in five games since being acquired from the Penguins in mid-November due to an MCL sprain.  While Los Angeles has an open roster spot to put him on the roster, they will still need to free up some salary cap space in order to activate him off LTIR.  The pending UFA has just a goal and four assists in 21 games this season but his speed will make him an intriguing asset to a playoff team looking to add some depth between now and the trade deadline.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vegas Golden Knights

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With the holiday season now here, 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 Vegas Golden Knights.  Click here for the other articles in this series. 

What are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

A well-balanced attack that has allowed them to overcome a long list of injuries so far.  Vegas sits in the top ten in goals scored despite four of their better forwards missing at least eight games due to injuries (Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny, Alex Tuch, and Erik Haula).  Instead of having one or two players carry the load, they’ve continued to be successful with their by-committee approach that actually has three players tied for the team lead in scoring.  While some teams are shifting towards loading up a top line to do most of their scoring, the Golden Knights are spreading the wealth and are being rewarded for it.

Who are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Nate Schmidt still isn’t in the discussion by many as a top defenseman but he has had a significant positive impact since returning to the lineup following his 20-game suspension to start the season.  The Golden Knights were 8-11-1 to start the season but they have been one of the top teams in the league since then, posting a 15-4-3 mark which has helped them move within striking distance of the top spot in the Pacific Division.  Schmidt has stepped in and logged the most ice time per night while also contributing at a career rate offensively, averaging 0.59 points per game.  His presence has also shifted everyone down a notch on the depth chart into roles they’re clearly more comfortable handling.  This was going to be a contract year for him but back in October, the 27-year-old inked a six-year, $35.7MM extension that’s looking like a nice bargain at this point.

What would the Golden Knights be even more thankful for?

Aside from their top players simply staying healthy, more consistency and production from Pacioretty.  Their key offseason trade acquisition has not produced at the level the team was hoping for when they picked him up on the eve of training camp and handed him a four-year, $28MM extension immediately thereafter.  His 10 goals in 30 games aren’t terrible on the surface but all but three of those came in a span of six games; he has been very quiet otherwise.  Notwithstanding what they gave up for him (which looks worse when considering the price they paid for Tomas Tatar who was sent to Montreal as part of the Pacioretty deal), he was brought in to really bolster and deepen their attack, something that Tatar didn’t do last season.  That simply hasn’t been the case too often so far.

What should be on the Golden Knights’ Holiday Wish List?

Secondary scoring is something GM George McPhee has tried to shore up a few times already and since they’re going to continue to be a team that scores by committee, adding some capable scoring depth in the middle six would be beneficial.  Some more defensive depth would also be useful but top prospect Erik Brannstrom could also be called upon to see if he’s ready for full-time duty.

While Vegas has plenty of cap space this season, that isn’t the case for 2019-20 and beyond thanks to the extensions given to Pacioretty, Schmidt, Tuch, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.  With that in mind, they will likely be taking a long look at the rental market over looking to bring in someone under team control beyond this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Bennett, Pacioretty, Wilson, Vesalainen, Demko

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The Calgary Flames’ Sam Bennett doesn’t have to worry about anything as Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that forward will not receive any supplementary discipline from the Department of Player Safety for his hit on Radim Simek Monday night.

With the Flames up 8-5 and with 25 seconds remaining in the game, Simek was passing a puck when he took a hit from Bennett. Simek stayed down on the ice for some time before leaving the game. There was no medical update after the game.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights got some good news as winger Max Pacioretty was on the ice for the pre-game skate, according to SinBin.Vegas. The veteran is not expected to return to the lineup today, but it’s an improvement as Pacioretty hasn’t been on the ice since he was injured on Dec. 17. Head coach Gerard Gallant said Pacioretty remains day-to-day, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Pacioretty has missed six games due to his lower-body injury, but the team hasn’t missed beat with Brandon Pirri taking his place in the lineup. The 30-year-old has 10 goals and 19 points in 30 games this season.
  • Adrian Dater of BSN writes that the Colorado Avalanche expect to get back winger Colin Wilson sooner than expected. The winger suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 22, but could be ready to play by next week. Wilson was playing well in a middle-six role and has eight goals and 13 goals this season.
  • Winnipeg Jets prospect Kristian Vesalainen was named KHL Rookie of the Month for December, according to Pekka Jalonen of Iltalehti. The 2017 first-round pick started the season with the Jets and played five games, but after eight games in the AHL, opted to exercise a provision in his contract that allowed him to return to the Europe. He has four goals and 10 points in 13 games for Jokerit.
  • Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that after watching the impressive play of New Jersey Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, who shutout the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 Monday, the Canucks should consider bringing up their own goalie prospect in Thatcher Demko. The 23-year-old is from the same draft as Blackwood and this might be the right time to give him an extended look, especially with the uninspiring play of Anders Nilsson as the team’s backup. Demko did miss the first two months of the season to injury, but he has posted a 2.63 GAA and a .909 save percentage and has little left to prove in Utica. The Canucks could consider moving Nilsson to a team in need of goalie depth before the trade deadline.

New Jersey Devils Place Taylor Hall On Injured Reserve

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The New Jersey Devils announced that they have placed Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, retroactive to Dec. 23, meaning the forward can be activated at any time.

While Hall still leads the Devils in points scored, he isn’t having the immense season he had a season ago when he accumulated 39 goals and 93 points. Through 33 games, Hall has 11 goals and 37 points. He wasn’t even missed much in the past three games as the team won all three on the strong goaltending of rookie MacKenzie Blackwood.

Hall last played on Dec. 23 and has since missed three games with that lower-body injury. NJ.com’s Chris Ryan writes that even though he can be activated at any time, he did not accompany the team on their four-game roadtrip that starts Wednesday in Dallas. However, Hall could meet up with the team when he is ready to return to action. In the meantime, the Devils have recalled defenseman Egor Yakovlev and forward Blake Pietila from the Binghamton Devils of the AHL, to join the team on the roadtrip.

The 27-year-old Yakovlev has already played 11 games for New Jersey, posting four points. A free-agent signing out of the KHL this summer, Yakovlev has provided solid insurance depth for the franchise. The 25-year-old Pietila has not made an appearance with New Jersey this season, but has appeared in 19 games over the last four years. He has been playing well with Binghamton with 12 goals and 22 points in 34 games.

 

 

NHL Releases Special Events Schedule for 2019-20

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced a new schedule for all the special events happening in the 2019-20 season. While it was reported Monday that the 2020 Winter Classic will be in Dallas, Bettman also announced that the St. Louis Blues will host the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star game, Regina will host the 2019 Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames, while Colorado will host the 2020 Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium.

There is no word yet on who the Dallas Stars will play next year at the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that the opponent will be determined by the Stars, NBC and the NHL in a group effort and will be made within the next few weeks. However, with no regional rival, there isn’t an obvious opponent, although some are already suggesting that the Minnesota Wild might be a good match. It’s not expected to be the Blackhawks, who played in the event this year and has already played in six outdoor games. This marks the first time that Dallas will play in an outdoor game.

Bettman said that other venues were considered and will continue to be considered. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports that Bettman said that there has been conversations between both Florida teams of a future night game on Jan. 1. The Athletic’s Joe McDonald adds that Bettman said the league will have discussions with the Bruins after their renovations at TD Gardens are complete about receiving another event.

The Blues will host the 2020 all-star game, which will be held on Jan. 24-2. It will be the first time that St. Louis has hosted an all-star game since 1988. It will be the third all-star game in the city as the team also hosted one in 1970. St. Louis hosted the Winter Classic two years ago, but its success only helped the Blues bring in another big event.

“St. Louis was a great host for us for the Winter Classic, and in the final analysis, the total circumstances including the substantial renovation that they’ve done of the Enterprise Center made it the right time to go back. We have no doubt it will be a huge success,” Bettman said (via The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford).

The Winnipeg Jets announced earlier today they will host the Heritage Classic, but the opponent hadn’t been announced. Bettman announced that the Calgary Flames will make their second appearance in the occasionally-held Canadian outdoor game which will be on Oct. 26, 2019.

The Avalanche will get a chance to host their second Stadium Series. They hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in 2016. It also marks the second time a game will be at a U.S. service academy. The Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at the U.S. Naval Base in Annapolis, Maryland in March last year. Just as with the Winter Classic, an opponent has yet to be named and will be determined in a few weeks.

Ottawa, Mark Stone To Start Contract Negotiations In Two Weeks

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With a team in a critical state, it would benefit the Ottawa Senators if they could re-sign one or both of their top free agents this summer. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Mark Stone said that he expects contract negotiations to start in the next two weeks and makes it clear that he wants to stay in Ottawa.

Today marks the first day that Stone can sign an extension with the Senators. The 26-year-old went to arbitration with Ottawa this summer, eventually winning a one-year, $7.35MM deal as the two parties failed to agree to a long-term deal. Now the Senators must deal with Stone, who will hit unrestricted free agency this summer. The fact that both sides seem agreeable to working out a deal could be considered a good sign. However, that doesn’t mean that Stone is guaranteed to return. If the team fails to agree to an extension with Stone before the trade deadline in February, don’t be surprised if the Senators trade the talented forward rather than let him walk away for nothing.

Stone has been impressive on the ice this season and has been a leader both on and off the ice for a young Senators’ squad. TSN reports that Stone led a team meeting today, to discuss with the players the team’s recent struggles. He already has 18 goals and 43 points through 40 games and could be heading for a career year if he can keep those number up as his previous career high was back in the 2014-15 season when he tallied 26 goals and 64 points. A big season will only increase Stone’s asking price, but Ottawa really needs to make sure they can either keep Stone or Matt Duchene, who has also said that he’d like to stay in Ottawa, but many feel he may opt to leave Ottawa. Another concern is the team’s lack of willingness to offer big contracts out due to the team’s financial situation.

Minor Transactions: 1/1/19

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With the new year ringing in and the 2019 Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks just minutes away, teams are continuing to shape up their rosters for the new year. Keep tabs on roster moves throughout the day as the NHL schedule begins to get really busy over the next week:

  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled goaltender Pavel Francouz from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Head coach Jared Bednar said that Semyon Varlamov was a little banged up and Francouz was recalled as a precaution. The 28-year-old was up earlier this month and was impressive in a relief stint on Dec. 22 when he saved 21 of 22 shots against Arizona in 29 minutes of work. Francouz, who signed as a free agent with Colorado in the offseason out of the KHL has performed well in the AHL as well, posting a 13-7-1 record and a .919 save percentage. With Varlamov expected to hit free agency at the end of the season, Francouz could be a strong candidate to fill the backup role next season.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned forward Janne Kuokkanen to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 20-year-old prospect has had trouble finding a positive role with the Hurricanes, despite being dominant in the AHL. Kuokkanen has yet to score in seven games and has seen his playing time dwindle to under 10 minutes in the past three games. He will return to Charlotte where he has already equaled his goal output from last year and can continue working on his game. The team followed that up announcing the promotion of Saku Maenalanen from Charlotte to fill Kuokkanen’s shoes. Maenalanen has appeared in just one game for the Hurricanes, but has scored seven goals and 14 points in 31 games for the Checkers.
  • While it’s already been reported that the Chicago Blackhawks’ recent trade acquisition Jason Garrison cleared waivers earlier today, NBC Sports Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Blackhawks’ general manager Stan Bowman said Garrison will be assigned to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Garrison, picked up in Sunday’s trade with Drake Caggulia for Brandon Manning, has played in 17 games with the Oilers this year. He did play 58 games with the Chicago Wolves last season when playing for the Vegas franchise.
  • After two years in the Swiss League, former NHLer Bobby Sanguinetti has returned to North America, as the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL announced they have signed the 30-year-old veteran to an AHL deal. The defenseman, who played 45 games with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, played with the Checkers for three years before spending the last two years in Switzerland. Sanguinetti, a former first-round pick in 2006, will hope to resurrect his career there.
  • The Nashville Predators announced they have assigned Nicholas Baptiste to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The team recalled him Monday to serve as an emergency player for their game against Washington, but now have returned the 23-year-old without getting him into a game. Baptiste has played 34 games for Milwaukee and has six goals and 14 points.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy from AHL Iowa per a team release.  This will be the 25-year-old’s first stint in the NHL this season but he has 172 games of NHL experience between Carolina and Minnesota over the past six seasons.  Murphy has played in 27 games in the minors this season with three goals and 10 assists.

Coyotes Send Calvin Pickard To Tucson On Conditioning Stint

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It’s been more than a month since the Arizona Coyotes claimed goaltender Calvin Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. However, in all that time, Pickard hasn’t seen one minute of hockey with the Coyotes, which prompted the team to announce they intend their netminder to the Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint.

Pickard has had a rough time of it the last couple of years as he started with the Colorado Avalanche, but got taken by Vegas in the expansion draft. However, it didn’t take Vegas long to realize that they didn’t want him as their back-up to Marc-Andre Fleury, instead claiming Malcolm Subban on waivers, while putting Pickard on waivers and eventually trading him to Toronto. Pickard only played one game with Toronto, spending most of the season last year with the AHL Toronto Marlies, which he helped win a Calder Cup Trophy. However, he became a popular goaltender at the beginning of the season as he was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers, who were dealing with injuries and made 11 appearances for the team. However, he struggled, posting just four wins and a .863 save percentage. Once the team got healthier, the Flyers placed him back on waivers and was claimed by Arizona.

The Coyotes needed a goaltender to fill in as a backup for Antti Raanta, who is likely out for the season after complications with surgery. However, the play of Adin Hill and backup Darcy Kuemper this season has made Pickard expendable as Hill has filled in nicely for Raanta stead. Regardless, the team holds onto Pickard as insurance and now hopes to get him some work in the AHL.

Nashville Predators Claim Phillip Di Giuseppe Off Waivers

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With injuries mounting, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Nashville Predators claimed forward Phillip Di Giuseppe off of waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes and to make room for the young forward, the team placed center Kyle Turris on injured reserve once again with a lower-body injury, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan.

In Di Giuseppe, the Predators gets themselves a 25-year-old forward with 147 NHL games under his belt, but the winger hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time role in all the years he’s been with Carolina. He has one goal and four assists in 21 games this season with the Hurricanes. However, with the Hurricanes struggling themselves and Di Giuseppe being a healthy scratch for four straight games, Carolina opted to risk losing him by putting him on waivers. The team already lost Valentin Zykov on waivers to Edmonton (and then Vegas), so it’s another key loss for their minor league team.

Nashville has been plagued with injuries as the team is currently without forwards Filip Forsberg and Colton Sissons. Turris has also missed a game and was expected to be out Monday before the team returned him to IR and with Eeli Tolvanen playing at the World Junior Championships, the team opted to bring in Di Giuseppe to provide some added depth. The team also recalled Nicholas Baptiste to help fill in as well. There is no word whether Turris’ trip to injured reserve will be a long one. It’s very likely the Predators used Turris’ injury to open up a roster spot so they could take Di Giuseppe. Turris last played on Dec. 27, so assuming the trip to the IR is retroactive to that game, he won’t be eligible to return until their game on Friday at Detroit. He already spent almost three weeks on IR in late November and early December.

 

2020 Winter Classic Expected To Be Held In Dallas

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Tuesday: Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on SiriusXM NHL Radio this morning that the game will indeed be in Dallas and will be held at the Cotton Bowl.

Monday: There hasn’t been much to cheer about in Dallas over the last few days as the fallout from Stars CEO Jim Lites’ expletive-laden rampage continues to drop. Tomorrow there will be something to distract from the recent controversy, as John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the league will announce that Dallas will be the host of the 2020 Winter Classic outdoor game. Shannon does not know who the Stars will play in the game.

Playing an outdoor hockey game in Texas might seem like a stretch, but there are plenty of reasons for the NHL to attempt it. The league has been routinely criticized for putting the same handful of teams in the outdoor circuit, and branching out to a non-traditional market should reinvigorate the event. At times it seems as though the schedule has contained far too many outdoor games for the event to keep any of it’s original novelty, and though attendance stays strong interest has waned. Dallas, and perhaps another newcomer like the Vegas Golden Knights, would inject some excitement into the Winter Classic once again.

Even as the Stars face controversy from their own front office, the team sits in the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. That has come even with some apparently sub-par performances from their best players, meaning that next season could be much better. The forward group in Dallas is extremely lackluster, but with this event on the horizon a year from now perhaps they’ll be active players in free agency or through the trade market to provide an improved product for the fans in attendance. Regardless, outdoor hockey in Texas will certainly be an event to remember.

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