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Snapshots: Russian WJC Coaches, Crawford, Werenski

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The Russian National team announced it has upgraded its coaching staff for the upcoming World Junior Championships, starting next month with Russian greats Igor Larionov and Nikolai Khabibulin taking roles with the team under head coach Valeri Bragin.

Larionov, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and three-time Stanley Cup Champion, will take over as an assistant coach after maintaining a role as an advisor for the senior national team. Khabibulin, a four-time all-star in the NHL, will take over as the WJC goaltending coach for Russia. He has served as goaltending coach for the Russian Olympic team. They will be replacing Yuri Babenko and Vladimir Kulikov, who were re-assigned.

Both coaches are expected to join the Russian team for training camp on Dec. 9. The tournament begins on Dec. 26 in the Czech Republic.

  • The Daily Herald’s Barry Rozner wonders whether this will be Corey Crawford’s last season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 34-year-old has fared well after several injury-plagued seasons, posting a 2.94 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 13 games while splitting time with Robin Lehner. Unfortunately, Lehner who is six years younger, is having an even better season, and with both goaltenders hitting unrestricted free agency this summer, the team will have to pick one, which would suggest they will retain Lehner, although the scribe notes that it’s too early in the season to make any assumptions. However, with another young goalie close to ready in Kevin Lankinen, the team might have no choice but to move on from their longtime star goaltender.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Zach Werenski suffered a upper-body injury and would not return for the remainder of the game against the New York Islanders. The injury looked serious as he collided with the Islanders’ Anders Lee less than four minutes into the game and hit him in the left shoulder, the same shoulder that Werenski had surgery on in July. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that there was no update on Werenski after the game and an update isn’t likely to be revealed until Monday. However, the 22-year-old leads the Blue Jackets’ defensemen with six goals and 16 points.

Atlantic Notes: Berglund, Backes, Coburn, Anderson

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In a feature aired on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston looks at the unusual story of Patrik Berglund, who a year ago opted out of the final three years and $13.03MM of his contract with the Buffalo Sabres to quit hockey, Berglund claims that it was no decision at all.

“I don’t know how much money you need to be happy, but I’m good,” said Berglund.

The 31-year-old Berglund had spent his previous 12 years with the St. Louis Blues and had a modified no-trade clause with the ability to reject 20 teams in any proposed deal. Unfortunately, the Blues were able to get around the no-trade clause as it was voided when Berglund failed to turn in his list of teams before the set deadline. Johnston reports that the trade affected him greatly.

He struggled in Buffalo, eventually getting scratched, before he finally decided he had enough. He decided in mid-December last year that he had enough and walked away. The Sabres fined and suspended him at first, but eventually the two sides agreed to mutually terminate his deal.

Bergund now is captain of Djurgardens in the SHL, where he makes quite a bit less than what he would make had he remained with the Sabres.

  • While many will always think of the hit that Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin took on Nov. 2, many have forgotten that the other player in the frightening collision was Boston Bruins forward David Backes, who has now sat out 13 games with an upper-body injury. Backes believes he is very close to returning to Boston’s lineup, claiming that he might be ready to return on Sunday against Montreal, although head coach Bruce Cassidy will make the final decision, according to NHL.com’s Eric Russo. The 35-year-old Backes has only played in eight games for the Bruins this year, while averaging just 8:17 of ATOI.
  • There were some questions of the status of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn who left Friday’s game against the Capitals with a lower-body injury after being clipped. While the team was hoping the injury would be day-to-day, the Lightning announced that Coburn will be out indefinitely. Coburn hasn’t received the playing time that the 34-year-old is used to. After averaging more than 16 minutes of ATOI over the past four years, he is averaging only 13:40 this season in 17 contests despite signing a two-year extension this summer with the team. The fact that he’s at the bottom of the depth chart, might make him a little easier to replace if he is out longer than the team hoped for.
  • After the Ottawa Senators placed starting goalie Craig Anderson on injured reserve on Thursday, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the veteran goalie won’t necessarily be out long. The scribe writes the Anderson joined the Senators on their road trip and the 38-year-old skated with the team Saturday, suggesting he may be ready to return soon. The team started Marcus Hogberg tonight in his place.

Pacific Notes: Vegas Defense, Kase, Hjalmarsson, Coyotes

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Plenty of praise has been lauded out by Vegas Golden Knights’ players after the team changed their defensive format from a man-to-man concept to a zone defense. The belief was that teams were taking advantage of holes in their man-to-man concept, so head coach Gerard Gallant switched the team’s defense two games ago with the idea that a zone defense would give players more energy as it cuts down player movement.

“The way we’ve tweaked our D-zone (coverage), you have a little more energy,” Deryk Engelland said. “It’s less chasing around and more positional, so maybe that plays a little bit of a factor in it, and I think that’s a big part of why we wanted to change it.”

According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic (subscription required), the Golden Knights were on target to give up the most goals in their short franchise history. The hope is that these changes should solve some of the team’s defensive issues.

  • There were some concerned faces Friday after Anaheim Ducks winger Ondrej Kase, who has a history of concussions, was hit hard by Winnipeg’s Anthony Bitetto, just two minutes into the game, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Kase got up slowly and immediately headed to the dressing room, most likely to undergo concussion protocol. Fortunately, Kase returned to the ice not long after and resumed action, which is good considering the amount of time he has missed (51 games so far since the start of the 2018-19 season). “A guy goes down and he comes off the ice and leaves the bench, you’re usually just waiting for word that he’s done something to his shoulder or his elbow or his knee or whatever it’s going to be,” head coach Dallas Eakins said. “For him, to go in and everything check out fine is great.”
  • Despite expecting to miss 10 to 12 weeks, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson is ahead of schedule, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required). Hjalmarsson, who has been out since Oct. 12 after breaking his fibula when blocking a shot, is already walking on his own and should be expected to start skating soon. The team still has no timetable for his return. “Nik is progressing well,” president of hockey operations John Chayka said. “No new timetable at this stage.”
  • Sticking with the Coyotes, Morgan also reports that forwards Carl Soderberg (lower-body injury) and Lawson Crouse (upper-body injury) are both game-time decisions for Saturday’s game against the Sharks. The team did recall Michael Chaput in case neither player can play today.

Central Notes: Rantanen, Foligno, Kyrou, Johns

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The Colorado Avalanche have finally gotten the news they were hoping for as the team announced that star forward Mikko Rantanen will be returning to the lineup tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. He has been out for the past 16 games with a lower-body injury, but has been a full participant at practice since Tuesday.

Rantanen has been a key first-line wing option for Nathan MacKinnon, who has been without his two linemates for quite some time. Gabriel Landeskog has also been out with an injury of his own. However, with Rantanen back in the lineup, the first line should regain some of its previous success with Joonas Donskoi filling in for Landeskog. The 23-year-old has only appeared in nine games for Colorado this year, but was impressive in that span, scoring five goals and 12 points before going down against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 21.

  • StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan reports that Minnesota Wild winger Marcus Foligno is close to returning the lineup and could break up some of the team’s recent success as he is likely to break up some the team’s current fourth line of Victor Rask, Ryan Donato and Ryan Hartman. Foligno, who has been out since Nov. 7 with a lower-body injury, could return to the lineup Sunday, but head coach Bruce Boudreau hasn’t decided on whether he will use Foligno yet. With Foligno’s return, the Wild will also have to take one of their current fourth-liners out of the lineup.
  • With a number of key injuries on their forward lines, the St. Louis Blues have recalled a number of players from the San Antonio Rampage, their AHL squad. However, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that the team still hasn’t recalled youngster Jordan Kyrou, who returned from offseason knee surgery in early November. While his numbers have been impressive (five goals and 11 points in 11 games with San Antonio), the team wants to make sure he’s ready to take over a top-nine role with the team, which will likley come in the next few weeks.
  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns, who hasn’t played since the 2017-18 season due to post-traumatic headaches, has been cleared to practice with the team again and did so on Saturday. He is taking the necessary steps to return to NHL action, although he still has a ways to go, according to head coach Jim Montgomery.

Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Benning, Draft Pick Trading, Chiasson

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Jesse Puljujarvi’s immediate NHL future is going to be sealed one way or the other by the end of the weekend.  If he isn’t signed by 4:00 PM CST tomorrow, he won’t be eligible to play in the NHL for the rest of the year.  It doesn’t sound as if much progress has been made when it comes to finding a trade suitor as Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports (Twitter link) that as things stand, it appears that Puljujarvi won’t be on the move.

The 21-year-old has rediscovered his scoring touch back home with Karpat Oulu of the Finnish SM-liiga where he has recorded 11 goals and 13 assists in 24 games while averaging 18:30 per night.  His 24 points put him in a tie for fifth overall in league scoring and a tie for first on the team with former Philadelphia center Mika Pyorala.  If a trade suitor isn’t found by tomorrow, the Oilers will retain his rights as a restricted free agent and he will not accrue a year of service time towards UFA eligibility meaning he’ll still be under team control for four more years.

More from Edmonton:

  • Defenseman Matt Benning has been activated off injured reserve, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. He has been out of the lineup since suffering a concussion back on November 19th against San Jose.  Edmonton had an extra roster spot so they didn’t have to send anyone to AHL Bakersfield to bring Benning off IR.
  • GM Ken Holland told Matheson that he’s open to trading a first-round pick but only if the team is in a spot where they’re a sure bet to make the playoffs. With Philadelphia and Chicago recently making big jumps from the bottom of the draft lottery, potential bubble teams are going to be even more hesitant to part with those selections.  Edmonton enters play today atop the Pacific Division and if they can hold onto that spot for a few more months, that pick may wind up being in play.
  • While it looked like Alex Chiasson would miss some time following a hard hit from Colorado defenseman Ryan Graves back on Wednesday, team play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports (Twitter link) that the winger will be in his spot on the second line tonight against Vancouver. After scoring 22 goals last season, Chiasson has struggled offensively with just two goals in 23 contests in 2019-20.

Metropolitan Notes: Georgiev, Capitals, Leddy

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With Henrik Lundqvist still signed for another year and Igor Shesterkin waiting in the wings while dominating the AHL this season, that has led some to speculate that the Rangers could wind up moving fellow netminder Alexandar Georgiev.  However, as Rick Carpinello of The Athletic points out (subscription required), Georgiev’s trade value may be lower than it seems on the surface.

With a .903 SV% this season, teams aren’t likely going to be looking at him as their starter of the future while those numbers would be a downgrade on quite a few backups around the league as well.  While he’s only 23 and there’s still some upside, that’s going to limit the number of suitors and likely reduce his trade value to the point where it doesn’t make much sense to move him even if it does increase the risk of a goalie logjam in the near future.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While the Capitals would certainly like to add to their roster, GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged to NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan that it’s going to be hard for them to add anyone, let alone an impact player this season. Washington has been tap dancing around the salary cap all season long and with Carl Hagelin’s looming return from LTIR, they’re about to be in an even tougher situation again where they’ll likely only carry the minimum number of players on the roster.  Unless MacLellan is willing to part with a core player or a core piece is injured for the rest of the season, don’t expect many, if any, changes between now and the end of the year.
  • Nick Leddy’s absence from the Islanders lineup appears to be a short-lived one. Newsday’s Andrew Gross notes (Twitter link) that the defenseman is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing Wednesday’s game due to a lower-body injury.  He’ll likely take the place of Noah Dobson in the lineup; the junior-aged defender is sitting at just seven games played so far this season which means the first year of his entry-level deal has not been burned yet.

Devils Listening To Trade Offers For Taylor Hall

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3:07 PM — The Athletic’s Corey Masisak reports (Twitter link) that Hall refused to talk about potential trade talk, saying that he wants Shero and Ferris to handle questions about that. Hall, however, denied that he has asked to be traded.

12:02 PM — Devils winger Taylor Hall is the top player in the 2020 class of unrestricted free agents and with contract extension talks not yielding much progress, there had been plenty of speculation as to whether or not GM Ray Shero would be open to trading him at some point this season.  It appears that he’s open to the idea at the very least as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that New Jersey is now listening to offers for the 2018 Hart Trophy winner.

Things have not gone according to plan for New Jersey or Hall this season.  The Devils are floundering in the standings as they sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division and only Detroit has fewer points than them in the league.  That makes a potential postseason push (where it could be justifiable to consider keeping him even without an extension in place) quite unlikely.  As for Hall, while he leads the team in points with 21, he currently has just four goals on the season so a change of scenery could certainly help his market value if he can get back on track offensively.

There’s no denying that Hall could help any number of contenders but the fact that New Jersey is open to the idea of moving him now could also open up some interest from some teams that are on the playoff bubble currently.  An addition like that could certainly push one of those squads into a postseason position.

If a trade was to get done in the near future, it wouldn’t automatically mean that an extension would be forthcoming as has been the case with other star rentals that have moved in recent years.  The acquiring team could get an opportunity to see how Hall adapts and whether or not he’s someone that can fit in with their long-term planning.  If not, then he’d become a rental candidate closer to the February 24th trade deadline.

It’s also worth noting that Hall is represented by Darren Ferris who has a reputation of encouraging his players to wait things out and get to the open market.  To that end, LeBrun speculates that any sort of trade package would likely have to have some conditional assets attached to it that would be transferred if and when a new deal with the acquiring team was struck.

Hall is currently carrying a $6MM salary and cap hit but that amount will certainly be going up by a significant margin on his next deal.  Heading into the year, it was thought by some that he could come close to Artemi Panarin’s $11.643MM AAV, a record price tag for a winger.  His early-season showing lessens the odds of that but it’s certainly quite possible that his next deal is in the $10MM range which would still make him one of the top-priced forwards in the league.  That thought could ultimately take some cap-strapped teams out of the equation as they may not want to part with some top assets for what likely would only wind up being a rental player, as talented as Hall may be.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Red Wings Acquire Eric Comrie

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With Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta entrenched as the one-two punch in Arizona, it was only a matter of time before goalie Eric Comrie was on the move again.  That trade has now occurred with the Coyotes announcing that they’ve dealt him to the Red Wings in exchange for defenseman Vili Saarijarvi.

Comrie joined Arizona via waiver claim at the beginning of the season with Raanta unavailable to play.  However, he didn’t dress for them upon his return so he hasn’t played at all in 2019-20 with the exception of a four-game conditioning stint with AHL Tucson where he posted a 2.75 GAA and a .900 SV% in that stretch.  The 24-year-old has a total of five NHL games under his belt from his time with Winnipeg (who drafted him in the second round back in 2013), collecting a 4.21 GAA with a .870 SV%.  He’s in the first season of a two-year deal that carries a $700K cap hit.  It’s a two-way contract this season and converts to a one-way pact for 2020-21.

Comrie will find himself serving a similar role with Detroit.  Jimmy Howard was placed on injured reserve yesterday while Jonathan Bernier was forced to play part of a game despite being quite sick earlier in the week.  With Bernier now healthy, Calvin Pickard will likely return to AHL Grand Rapids and Comrie will serve as the backup until Howard returns at which point he’ll be a third-string option once again.

As for Saarijarvi, he was a 2015 third-round pick of Detroit.  He was an offensive threat at the major junior level with stints in Flint and Mississauga of the OHL but that hasn’t translated to much success in the pros yet.  He has played in 13 AHL games with the Griffins this season, recording just a single assist.  The 22-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level deal and carries a cap hit that’s just under $698K.

Joel Hanley Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Hanley has cleared waivers and has been sent to AHL Texas, reports Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News.

Friday: The Dallas Stars have placed defenseman Joel Hanley on waivers with the intention of moving him to the minor leagues should he clear. Hanley cleared before the season began, but needed to go through the process again after spending more than 30 days on the NHL roster.

Hanley, 28, has played in eight games with the Stars this year, recording two points while logging just over 11 minutes a night. The undrafted journeyman has just 46 NHL games under his belt, with most of his professional experience coming at the AHL level.

On a two-year, two-way contract, it seems unlikely that Hanley will be claimed at this point in his career.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Boston Bruins

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Boston Bruins.

What are the Bruins most thankful for?

While you need more than one line to carry a team, the trio referred to by some as the ‘Perfection Line’ has given Boston enough firepower to win some games even when the rest of the team isn’t contributing much.  Wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak are on pace to push for 130 points which would obliterate their previous career highs and currently has them third and fourth in league scoring.  Meanwhile, center Patrice Bergeron is ‘only’ averaging 1.14 points per game, a 101-point pace over a full season (although he is currently out with a lower-body injury).  Combined, the trio has collected 50 goals in 26 games which accounts for over half of their total on the season.  That type of firepower is tough to sustain but given how effective this unit was last year, they could be capable of maintaining this.

Who are the Bruins most thankful for?

Rather than just repeating the above, Boston is also quite thankful for their goalie tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.  Rask has struggled in the past with higher workloads which is why Halak was brought in two summers ago and it’s hard to argue with the results.  Rask didn’t wear down as the playoffs went along and posted stellar numbers as they reached the Stanley Cup Final and is off to a very strong start this season as well.  Halak, meanwhile, posted his best save percentage in seven seasons last year and is on track to improve upon that this season.  Despite a litany of injuries on the back end, the Bruins have allowed the third-fewest goals in the league largely thanks to top-notch goaltending on a nightly basis.

What would the Bruins be even more thankful for?

An end to the seemingly-annual tradition of trying to chase down secondary scoring when their internal options don’t produce enough.  The Bruins have afforded ample opportunities to their younger players in recent years but the results have largely been sporadic and have resulted in too much pressure being put on their top line.  The acquisition of Charlie Coyle was supposed to help solve that and while he has helped, it’s still an issue.  Regardless, they like what he’s provided as he signed a six-year extension earlier in the week.  Even with him in the fold though, they need someone else to pick it up or GM Don Sweeney will once again be searching for a middle-six winger with some scoring tough between now and the trade deadline.

What should be on the Bruins’ Holiday Wish List?

Beyond that scoring winger, Boston is going to be hoping for an influx of spending around the league to yield a higher salary cap for next season.  The Bruins already have more than $65MM in commitments to 15 players for next season with blueliner Torey Krug in line for a sizable raise while Halak will need a new deal as well.  A bigger increase in the salary cap will be needed to keep this group intact so their Holiday Wish List likely consists of many fans around the league getting whatever is on their Holiday Wish List with the associated boost in HRR increasing the jump in the Upper Limit for 2020-21 to give them a better chance of keeping the core together.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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