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Playoff Notes: Acciari, Gavrikov, Dallas’ Defense, Andrighetto

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The Boston Bruins could be without a member of their fourth line Saturday, as Noel Acciari missed Saturday’s morning skate with an undisclosed injury. Chris Wagner skated in his place and looks like a candidate to replace him if Acciari can’t go, according to NBC Sports Joe Haggerty. “We gave Noel the morning off,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy, “He’ll be a game-time decision for tonight. Chris Wagner will go in for him if he can’t go.”

It’s a significant loss for the Bruins for a crucial Game 5, as the hard-hitting winger has 38 hits so far in the playoffs over the course of 11 games. Wagner, who doubled his career-high in goals this season with the Bruins with 12 goals, has been held scoreless in seven playoff games. He played in the first game of the series against the Blue Jackets, but was a healthy scratch for the past three games. Wagner had missed the last two games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, but that was not the reason that Cassidy used when he replaced Wagner in the lineup with Karson Kuhlman, who Cassidy said brought more energy to the team.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to make one lineup change. Russian defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov will make his NHL debut, giving Columbus seven defensemen, while rookie winger Alexandre Texier will be a scratch. Gavrikov, who signed with Columbus back on April 13th out of the KHL, could add some physicality for the Blue Jackets. The 6-foot-3 had two points and 60 penalty minutes in 60 games for SKA St. Petersburg. He also has five years of KHL experience as well as 57 games of playoff experience he can call on.
  • NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski reports the Dallas Stars could have an interesting decision to make on defense for Sunday’s Game 6, as defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Joel Hanley are not expected to be ready. That leaves three potential options for Dallas to add a third-pair defenseman, including Taylor Fedun, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. Fedun, however, is questionable with an injury as well.
  • BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that head coach Jared Bednar said there could be some changes in Game 5 on Saturday. Dater writes that he believes that winger Sven Andrighetto is likely to return to the lineup and likely to replace Derick Brassard. Andrighetto has only appeared in four playoff games so far this year and hasn’t broken the 10-minute mark in any of them. He had seven goals and 17 points in 64 games this year. Brassard has been held scoreless in six playoffs games this year and also found himself playing under 10 minutes in two of the last three games.

Pacific Notes: Pavelski, Donskoi, Quick, DiPietro

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The San Jose Sharks are expected to get back a key forward for Game 5 on Saturday, but it won’t be captain Joe Pavelski. The veteran forward, who has been out after hitting his head on the ice in Game 7 of the first-round of the playoffs after taking a hit from Vegas’ Cody Eakin, has been skating more often this week, but is still not ready to return, according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. “Getting better. Starting to skate regular,” head coach Peter DeBoer said of Pavelski, but added “Not in tonight.”

However, the Sharks are expected to be getting back Joonas Donskoi, who has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury after taking a hit from Vegas’ Brayden McNabb in Game 6 in the first round. The winger said he’s available to play, although DeBoer said that Donskoi will be a game-time decision. The 27-year-old has appeared in just three playoff games this season with no points. Donskoi was a healthy scratch for the first three games of their first-round series to allow Micheal Haley to play. If Donskoi does go in, he would likely replace Lukas Radil and join the team’s third line along with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane. Haley is expected to play on the fourth line regardless.

  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required), in a mailbag column, suggests that the Los Angeles Kings would be better off holding on to veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick. With the team moving towards a rebuilding project, many feel that trading Quick makes the most sense, especially considering the success that Jack Campbell and Calvin Petersen had this season. However, Dillman writes that with four years remaining on his contract at $5.8MM AAV, there will likely be few takers for Quick considering his poor numbers last year (3.38 GAA, .888 save percentage). She writes that it would be better for the Kings to hold onto him and hope he can bounce back and increase his value ahead of the trade deadline or next off-season.
  • Vancouver Canucks prospect goaltender Michael DiPietro got injured Saturday in the OHL playoffs, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal, who adds that he hears it is a high-ankle sprain, which could end his season early. The 19-year-old star goalie prospect, who is expected to join the Utica Comets next season in the AHL, is 13-0 in the playoffs with a 2.24 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The injury should not affect his availability to begin next season.

Blue Jackets Sign Goaltender Daniil Tarasov To Entry-Level Contract

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If current playoff hero Sergei Bobrovsky does indeed leave the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent this summer, they are lining up options to help replace him in net. After signing NLA star Elvis Merzlikins to his entry-level contract back in March, the Blue Jackets have now locked up another of their young European goalie prospects. The team has announced a three-year entry-level deal with Russian keeper Daniil Tarasov, set to begin in the 2019-20 season.

Tarasov, 20, was a third-round pick by Columbus in 2017 out of the top Russian junior league, the MHL. Tarasov was a consensus top-five goalie in his draft class, but immediately proved that he likely should have been selected earlier. The 6’5″ behemoth took the league by storm in 2017-18, posting a .928 save percentage and 1.85 GAA in 40 games. This year, he left the junior level behind and put up even better numbers in 25 appearances in the minor league VHL. He also made two appearances in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev Ufa and many expected that he would play for Ufa again next season. That won’t be the case though. Tarasov is taking the opposite approach of Merzlikins, a fellow Columbus third-rounder who took his time developing overseas, instead opting to make the jump at a very young age for a goalie.

More likely than not, Tarasov is several years of AHL (and possibly some ECHL) play away from pushing for an NHL spot, but stranger things have happened. The Blue Jackets currently count existing backup Joonas Korpisalo and new addition Merzlikins as their top options heading into next year, assuming both restricted free agents sign extensions. Tarasov and Matiss Kivlenieks would be next in line if no other changes are made. Columbus still has one other option in Europe who could come over in Finnish standout Veini Vehvilainen, who is considering making the move if he is allowed to compete for NHL time. Vehvilainen or a trade or free agent acquisition could push Tarasov further down the depth chart and into ECHL territory next season, but at just 20 years old he has plenty of time to continue growing and proving that he is a future NHL talent.

Trevor Van Riemsdyk Undergoes Surgery, Out Four To Six Months

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UPDATE: Carolina has confirmed the prognosis that van Riemsdyk did undergo surgery on his damaged shoulder on Thursday. However, the team lists his timeline for recovery as four to six months, meaning these is some doubt about whether van Riemsdyk will be healthy for the start of the 2019-20 season.

 

While the Hurricanes are hopeful that they will get goalie Petr Mrazek and winger Micheal Ferland back for their upcoming third-round series, they won’t be seeing defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk anytime soon. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the blue liner has undergone shoulder surgery and will miss the next four months.

The injury was sustained during the first shift of the second game of their series against the Islanders and while the full nature of it wasn’t known at the time, head coach Rod Brind’Amour expected that he’d be without van Riemsdyk for a while. It now turns out that they won’t have him available until next season.

The 27-year-old had been a regular on Carolina’s third pairing throughout the regular season and the early going of the playoffs.  Haydn Fleury had taken van Riemsdyk’s spot in the lineup after the injury although the team could also turn to rookie Jake Bean, who has been going back and forth between the NHL and AHL in recent days. With a week before the Conference Final gets underway, they’ll have plenty of time to make a decision.

Minor Transactions: 05/04/19

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After last night’s defeat, the New York Islanders have been eliminated, swept out of the postseason by the Carolina Hurricanes, and just seven team remain alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Of those seven teams, just two – Carolina and the Columbus Blue Jackets – also have AHL affiliates still playing for a Calder Cup title. There are very few teams fortunate enough to still be recalling and reassigning players, but follow along here for any such roster moves:

  • For the fourth day in a row and fifth time this week, Hurricanes defenseman Jake Bean is on the move. Carolina has recalled the rookie rearguard this morning after sending him to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers yesterday to play in their second-round opener against the Hershey Bears. Bean has been operating as the Hurricanes’ eighth defenseman, but with the news of Trevor van Riemsdyk’s season-ending injury, it’s possible that he could be in for a longer stay in Raleigh this time around. Bean played in only two regular season games with the ’Canes and has not seen any action in the NHL playoffs, but has been Charlotte’s best defenseman this year with 44 points in 70 games.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned rookie forwards Max Comtois and Isac Lundestrom to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, with the prospects having wrapped up their seasons elsewhere. While it was a forgettable season in Anaheim, San Diego is still alive in the Calder Cup chase and have now received a major boost from the addition of these two players. Both Comtois and Lundestrom played with the Ducks and the Gulls early in the regular season before being loaned away following the World Junior Championships in January. Comtois had seven points in ten games in Anaheim and played in four games with San Diego as well before returning to the QMJHL to close out the year. He scored at nearly a two points-per-game clip in the regular season and point-per-game clip in the postseason during an incredible stint with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Lundestrom did not play juniors at all this season, but instead returned to his Swedish Hockey League club Lulea HF, but not before skating in 15 games with the Ducks and another dozen with the Gulls. Last year’s 23rd overall pick led Lulea’s forwards in scoring this postseason at just 19 years old.

Offseason Keys: New York Rangers

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While the playoffs are well underway, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the New York Rangers.

Back in the 2017-18 season, the Rangers announced that they were entering a rebuilding phase so it didn’t come as a surprise to many that they missed the playoffs by a considerable margin this past season.  New head coach David Quinn got an opportunity to play several young players and despite a thinned out roster, they were still competitive most nights.  They enter the offseason with the number two pick after securing a victory in the Draft Lottery but there are several other keys to their offseason.

Kreider Extension Talks

Several impact veterans have been shipped out over the last couple of seasons as they were in or approaching the final year of their respective contracts.  The next in line that they need to make a decision on is winger Chris Kreider who will be in the final year of his contract next season.

The 28-year-old has been inconsistent in recent years.  At times, his combination of size and speed makes him a real threat as a power forward but at others, he has been more of a perimeter-oriented player that has a penchant for cold streaks.  That complicates things a little bit for GM Jeff Gorton.  There’s no denying that he can be a dominant player at times but because of the highs and lows of his play, how much of a raise on his current $4.625MM AAV can they realistically justify?

If the two sides quickly realize that they’re too far apart on a contract, Kreider is someone who could plausibly hit the trade block this offseason over waiting to make an in-season deal as they did with Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello.  There would be no shortage of interest around the league in his services though it’s worth noting that he has an 11-team no-trade list.  The sooner they find out what it’s going to cost, the better it is for them, especially with the cap space at their disposal this summer.  Speaking of which…

Spend Wisely

As a result of moving out several veterans recently, New York has plenty of cap space to work with for next season.  CapFriendly pegs them at just under $64MM committed to 19 players already for next season with winger Pavel Buchnevich standing as likely the most notable restricted free agent to re-sign.  In other words, they’re going to have a big chunk of cap space at their disposal in July.

While some expect them to go after a big name player or two, there are some potential drawbacks to that approach.  Doing so will limit the ice time of their younger players while also limiting their flexibility to lock those players up long-term after as their payroll room will be limited.  On the other hand, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to add a core piece or two when the opportunity presents itself.

Knowing that a potential new deal for Kreider will be pricey and that extension talks for promising youngsters Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, and Brett Howden are only a year away from occurring, Gorton likely won’t look to do long-term deals with all of his potential targets.  Finding a buffer player or two to assist in the short-term will also likely be on their target list.  The Rangers have been big spenders in the past and have the potential to do so again this summer which will undoubtedly make them a team to watch for.

Rebuild The Defense

Back when they dealt Ryan McDonagh to Tampa Bay in 2017-18, the status of New York’s back end wasn’t ideal.  There was a mixture of underachieving veterans and unproven (but promising) youngsters.  Fast forward to today and nothing has really changed.

Marc Staal is a serviceable stay-at-home player but is vastly overpaid for his role.  Kevin Shattenkirk has underachieved considerably after being a big signing just two summers ago.  Brady Skjei had an up-and-down year.  Youngsters Neal Pionk, Anthony DeAngelo, Libor Hajek, and the just-acquired Adam Fox have upside but there are still question marks.  There’s the making of a capable defense corps in this group but they will need some reinforcements to take a step forward.

If Gorton decides to look to add some veteran players this summer, adding a top-four defender needs to be at or near the top of the priority list.  That will take a bit of pressure off some of the younger players and lower the ice time for the underachievers at the same time.  New York was near the bottom of the league in goals allowed this past season and adding to that back end would go a long way in helping turn their fortunes around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Stralman, Coburn, Capitals, Senators

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The Lightning took care of some business on their back end yesterday when they re-signed Jan Rutta.  Don’t be expecting their other pending UFA defensemen to follow suit quickly as Joe Smith of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the team has yet to start contract discussions with Anton Stralman and Braydon Coburn.  Though Stralman had an injury-riddled season, he’s still likely to be viewed as a top-four blueliner on the open market which could make it difficult for Tampa Bay to re-sign him given their pending salary cap constraints.  On the other hand, if Coburn is willing to take a big pay cut on his $3.7MM salary (a likely scenario given his limited role in 2018-19) he could make some sense to keep around as affordable veteran depth.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Capitals have a pair of players that will be entering the final season of their contracts in July in center Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby. Both players indicated to J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington that they’re open to signing an extension this summer to forego testing the open market.  The pair have only ever played for Washington but will be owed raises on their current deals.  Backstrom’s $6.7MM AAV is well below market value for someone that has spent considerable time on the front line while Holtby ($6.1MM) is also fairly cheap for an established starter.
  • While the lack of progress on an arena deal has led some to speculate that an ownership change or relocation could be on the table for the Senators, commissioner Gary Bettman told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that the team isn’t for sale and moving them is not a consideration. Things were looking up in Ottawa with the proposed LeBreton Flats agreement but that deal fell apart with both parties involved ultimately taking each other to court.  Meanwhile, Bettman wouldn’t confirm or deny if the league is involved in assisting the team with their search for a president of hockey operations.

Rangers Tried To Trade Kevin Shattenkirk During The Season

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Kevin Shattenkirk’s time in New York has not gone as well as he or the Rangers had hoped.  Two years into his pricey contract, he found himself a healthy scratch at times last season.  Not surprisingly, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team tried to trade the 30-year-old earlier in the season while being willing to retain 50% of his contract but had limited interest.

While Shattenkirk has never been known as a defensive dynamo, he had been a consistent point producer, notching at least 43 points in five of the six seasons before signing with New York.  (The one season he didn’t was the lockout-shortened campaign.)  However, that level of production hasn’t followed him; Shattenkirk had just 28 points in 2018-19, the lowest of any full season he has played.

New York has Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo returning for next season on the right side while Brendan Smith, who Brooks notes is a buyout candidate, is also on the roster.  The recently-acquired Adam Fox just put pen to paper on an entry-level deal and could very well push for a roster spot right away.  That could very well push Shattenkirk outside of the lineup on a regular basis which should only increase their efforts to move him.

Shattenkirk has two years remaining on his contract that carries a $6.65MM AAV although the salary is lower than that in each season.  While he hasn’t fit in well at all with the Rangers, there could be a team this summer that could show some interest depending on how things go on the trade market or in free agency.  Even if that happens, it appears that GM Jeff Gorton will be selling quite low to do so, a rough turn of events for their prized free agent signing just two years ago.

Offer Sheet Compensation Thresholds For The Upcoming Offseason

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Offer sheets are a rare occurrence in the NHL but that doesn’t stop some from trying to use it as leverage over the course of the summer.  Some have speculated that this could change this summer with so many prominent restricted free agents in need of new contracts.  That list includes Jacob Trouba, Kyle Connor, and Patrik Laine (Winnipeg), Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary), Mitch Marner (Toronto), Sebastian Aho (Carolina), and Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), among many others.  Teams now know what the draft pick compensation will cost; TSN’s Gord Miller reports (Twitter link) that the offer sheet thresholds are as follows:

$1,395,053 or below: No compensation required
$1,395,054 to $2,113,716: Third-round pick
$2,113,717 to $4,227,437: Second-round pick
$4,227,438 to $6,341,152: First-round pick plus a third-round pick
$6,341,153 to $8,454,871: First, second, and third-round picks
$8,454,872 to $10,568,589: Two first-round picks plus second and third-round picks
$10,568,590 and over: Four first-round picks

All draft picks must be from the team that gets the player to sign the offer sheet; selections from other teams cannot be substituted.  The maximum denominator used in determining the AAV of the cost is five.  If a player signs an offer sheet for a term longer than that, the total value of the contract is divided by five and that number will be used as the AAV for determining draft pick compensation, not the average value of the contract itself.

Considering the price tag for someone in the top tier in terms of both salary and draft pick compensation, it’s quite unlikely that anyone potentially in line for that type of payday will be signing an offer sheet.  However, the threshold for a second-rounder is at least somewhat intriguing.  A $4.25MM AAV is fairly significant and with a second being the cost at that price tag, it’s plausible that a team could target a lower-end player with an offer around that level, forcing the team to match or part with that player for a fairly low return.

Of course, given how infrequently players actually sign an offer sheet, there’s a very good chance that the summer will pass without one actually being submitted.  Despite that, expect there to be plenty of speculation about these over the coming months.

Blackhawks Interested In Anton Wedin

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The Blackhawks have been active in terms of bringing in international free agents in recent years and if they have their way, they’ll do so again this summer. Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune reports that on top of wanting Russian winger Ilya Mikheyev (Toronto and Vegas appear to be the favorites to land him), they also have interest in Swedish winger Anton Wedin.

The 26-year-old had been more of a complementary player with Timra in recent years but when they were promoted to the SHL for this past season, his offense took off. Despite missing 20 games due to injury, Wedin finished third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 13 assists in 32 contests and then led the team in scoring in their seven-game relegation series (one they lost) with two goals and seven helpers.

The fact that Timra is once again heading to the second tier Allsvenskan could very well make Wedin amenable to leaving. Chicago has a few vacancies to fill up front for next season and while they have more salary cap space to work with than usual, that could change quickly if they opt to make a big splash on the free agent market. They fared well when they brought winger Dominik Kahun over last offseason and someone like Wedin could have a chance to make a similar impact if they’re able to agree on a contract.

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