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Archives for January 2020

Jaccob Slavin Added To All-Star Squad

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The Carolina Hurricanes will still have one of their defensemen at the upcoming All-Star Game, as Jaccob Slavin has been added to the roster following Dougie Hamilton’s injury last night. Hamilton broke his fibula according to Nick Kypreos, though the team has not announced any official injury or timeline.

Slavin, 25, will be an All-Star for the first time in his career, despite being one of the most consistent two-way defensemen in the league for several years. The fourth-round pick from 2012 is a huge part of the Hurricanes team, logging more than 22 minutes a night (including almost zero powerplay time) and recording 22 points in 47 games. His +26 rating is good for third in the league, only behind Hamilton and Colorado Avalanche defender Ryan Graves.

It is terrible news for Hamilton though, who will miss significant time during what had been the best season of his NHL career. The 26-year old was a legitimate Norris Trophy contender with 14 goals and 40 points through 47 games, and will be sorely missed by the Hurricanes.

Minor Transactions: 01/17/20

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Alex Ovechkin stole the show on a busy night for the NHL with his 25th career hat trick and 687th, 688th and 689th career goals. That takes him within one of Mario Lemieux who sits as the barrier for the top-10 all-time, a mark the Washington Capitals superstar seems ready to blow past over the last part of the season. Ovechkin has recorded at least 30 goals in each of his 15 seasons and is showing barely any signs of slowing down. As the rest of the league marvels at the Great Eight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves:

  • After just a day with the NHL club, Dan Vladar is on his way back to the minors. The Boston Bruins have sent Vladar to the AHL while recalling Maxime Lagace under emergency conditions, who at least has a bit of NHL experience.
  • Yakov Trenin, Alexandre Carrier and Jarred Tinordi have all been sent to the AHL by the Nashville Predators, who have one final game tomorrow evening before a long break. The trio will continue to get playing time in the minor leagues for the time being.
  • With their blue line taking another beating lately, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Cameron Schilling from the AHL. The 31-year old defenseman has just ten games of NHL experience but has been a solid player in the minor leagues for nearly a decade.
  • Ivan Prosvetov has been returned to the minor leagues by the Arizona Coyotes, who recalled Kyle Capobianco with the extra roster spot. Goaltending has been an interesting position for the Coyotes all season, often carrying more than two on the roster.
  • Otto Koivula has been assigned to the AHL by the New York Islanders, after playing his seventh game of the season earlier this week. The 21-year old is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Alexander Volkov back to the minor leagues, where he has spent the majority of the season. The 22-year old forward has flashed moments of brilliance in the NHL, but still has plenty of work to do to become a regular.

Latest On Alexandar Georgiev

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All season long, fans and media members have speculated that the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs could be potential trade partners when it came to the backup goaltending position. The Maple Leafs have struggled with it all year, while the Rangers have young Alexandar Georgiev seemingly being pushed out by top prospect Igor Shesterkin. Last night, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that the Maple Leafs were one of the teams that inquired about Georgiev and this morning James Mirtle of The Athletic takes it even further.

Mirtle writes (subscription required) that the Maple Leafs have made “multiple” inquiries into the availability of Georgiev, but that the Rangers have been asking for a young NHL player in return.

Interestingly, after the Rangers’ win last night against the New York Islanders, Dreger threw some cold water on the whirlwind rumors by tweeting that the team may be changing their mind about selling off pieces. The Rangers are after all just six points out of a playoff spot and now hold a positive goal differential.

But Georgiev’s situation doesn’t have a ton to do with the immediate success of the team. It is obvious that Shesterkin is the heir apparent at this point to Henrik Lundqvist’s crown, meaning there are too many mouths to feed for next season. Add in the fact that Georgiev is a restricted free agent at season’s end and will require a reasonable raise, and it makes sense why the team would be looking to leverage his value right now.

Minnesota Wild “Open For Business”

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The Minnesota Wild have lost six of their last seven games and are 6-9-2 since the five-game winning streak that had fans hoping they could climb back into the playoff picture. That disappointing month has the team back in last place in the Central Division and eight points out of a playoff spot (with three teams between them and the wild card as well). With that in mind, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that GM Bill Guerin is considering selling off assets at the trade deadline. Darren Dreger of TSN reported as much on tonight’s edition of Insider Trading:

Another team to watch is the Minnesota Wild. I’m told that Bill Guerin is open for business, and part of the trade bait list could include veteran defenseman Mathew Dumba.

It might be surprising to hear Dumba’s name as part of the speculation. Just two seasons ago as a 23-year old he was a 50-point defenseman for the Wild, while also providing a physical presence every night. The seventh overall pick from 2012 is also right-handed and logs huge minutes every night, but after missing more than half of 2018-19 with a ruptured pectoral muscle hasn’t been able to find his offensive game.

Now 25, Dumba has just 13 points in 46 games this season and just seven of those have come at even-strength. While his shooting percentage of 2.7% is way under his career average, it’s obvious he hasn’t had the season many had hoped for.

Still, with a contract that extends through the 2022-23 season he still could be a valuable piece for the Wild to start a shake-up. Dumba carries a $6MM cap hit for those next three years, but doesn’t see his modified no-trade clause kick in until 2021. The team committed big money to another right-handed defensemen when they signed Jared Spurgeon to a seven-year, $53MM extension in September and still obviously have the contract of Ryan Suter to worry about on the back end.

While Dumba is obviously a useful player, if Guerin is looking to acquire some more financial flexibility he may be one of the only big tickets on the team (along with Jason Zucker) that could really bring back a substantial return. If the team is really “open for business,” Guerin may not be waiting until the offseason to make a change.

Calgary, Edmonton Looking For Top-Six Forward

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Both NHL teams based out of Alberta, Canada are on the lookout for help in their top-six, according to the recent edition of TSN’s Insider Trading. Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger report that the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are both in the trade market for a forward, with the former pursuing only those of the right-handed variety.

The Flames have been looking for right-handed shots up front for some time, which was part of the excitement when they landed Elias Lindholm in 2018. The former Carolina Hurricanes forward is one of only two right-handed regulars up front for Calgary, with depth center Derek Ryan the other.  LeBrun suggests that Tyler Toffoli from the Los Angeles Kings could be a potential target.

After trading away Michael Frolik recently, the team also has a bit of flexibility when it comes to the salary cap. If they do decide to go after some offense, it will be interesting to see what they do with some of their own pending free agents. Travis Hamonic and T.J. Brodie will both be unrestricted at the end of the season, leading to obvious speculation with the team in Toronto to face the defense-starved Maple Leafs tonight.

Edmonton has specifically been linked to Toronto by Dreger, who says that they will pay close attention to the Maple Leafs’ situation and lists Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson and Alexander Kerfoot as names to keep an eye on.

The Oilers have been desperate for more scoring on the wings for years now, and the Maple Leafs do have a glut of forwards with enough speed to keep up with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There’s no direct report that the two sides have discussed anything or even considered a trade however, so we’ll have to wait and see what Ken Holland decides to do in Edmonton.

Injury Notes: Johns, Strome, Palmieri

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The Dallas Stars have recalled Stephen Johns from his assignment in the minor leagues, but the veteran defenseman remains on long-term injured reserve for the time being. Johns is trying to work his way back from post-traumatic headaches that have kept him out for more than a year.

Johns did make his return to game action for the Texas Stars, playing in two games for the AHL club. Even though he’s never been a very dangerous offensive player, he recorded four points in those two games and was a +5. His return would be a real boost for a Dallas team looking like potential Stanley Cup contenders at this point in the season.

  • Dylan Strome has been placed on injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll miss any more time than expected. The designation is retroactive to January 7th, meaning he can be activated at any time. The team has brought up Brandon Hagel in the meantime. The 21-year old Hagel has 13 goals in 38 games this season for the Rockford IceHogs.
  • Michael McLeod is up for the New Jersey Devils, who placed Kyle Palmieri on injured reserve. Palmieri was supposed to be the Devils’ All-Star representative but has already been ruled out thanks to a left foot injury. McLeod, the 12th overall pick from 2016, has 18 points in 32 games for the Binghamton Devils this season.

Snapshots: Tanev, Dahlstrom, Draft Rankings

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The Vancouver Canucks are within striking distance of first place in the Pacific Division as we head into the last part of the season, meaning the team likely won’t be considered sellers this year. With that in mind, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke to several agents that represent the team’s pending unrestricted free agents. Chris Tanev’s agent Wade Arnott told Dhaliwal that the veteran defenseman’s “priority is to re-sign in Vancouver.”

Tanev is in the final season of a five-year, $22.25MM contract signed in 2015, but is finally having a relatively healthy campaign. After averaging just 54 games played in each of the first four years, Tanev has already suited up 47 times in 2019-20 and is averaging nearly 20 minutes a night for the Canucks. The defensive defenseman is also on track to set a career-high in points, and leads the club in short-handed ice time. That’s a big piece of the team to let walk if the Canucks decide not to re-sign the 30-year old, though it is obvious he wants to stay.

  • In Winnipeg, two more Jets’ defensemen have been placed on injured reserve. Carl Dahlstrom and Tucker Poolman find themselves with the designation today, with the former facing a six-week absence due to a broken bone in his hand. Poolman isn’t expected to be out as long, but suffering defensemen seems to be a trend in Winnipeg this year. The team will get Dmitry Kulikov back on the top pairing beside Josh Morrissey, but are still putting together a patchwork blue line.
  • Craig Button of TSN has released his latest rankings for the 2020 entry draft, and it is no longer Quinton Byfield trying to chase down Alexis Lafreniere at the top. Tim Stuetzle, the top-ranked international skater by NHL Central Scouting, has climbed to the second spot on Button’s list, while Austrian-born Marco Rossi of the Ottawa 67’s is now in fifth. Rossi would tie Thomas Vanek as the highest  drafted Austrian ever in the NHL if he were to go in that spot this June.

Vegas Golden Knights Fire Gerard Gallant, Hire Peter DeBoer

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Thursday: Gallant was supposed to coach the Pacific Division All-Star team at this month’s event, but will be replaced by Rick Tocchet of the Arizona Coyotes.

Wednesday: In shocking news this morning, the Vegas Golden Knights have decided to fire the first coach in franchise history, Gerard Gallant, and replace him with Peter DeBoer. Gallant’s assistant Mike Kelly has also been relieved of his duties. General manager Kelly McCrimmon released a statement on the move:

In order for our team to reach its full potential, we determined a coaching change was necessary. Our team is capable of more than we have demonstrated this season. We would like to thank Gerard and Mike for their service to the Vegas Golden Knights. They were both instrumental to the success we have enjoyed in our first two-plus seasons and we wish them all the best moving forward. In Peter DeBoer, we have a proven, experienced head coach who we believe can help us achieve our ultimate goal. We are excited to welcome Peter and his family to the Vegas Golden Knights organization. We look forward to a strong finish to the 2019-20 season with Peter at the helm and a successful tenure in the seasons to come.

Gallant was hired to lead the Golden Knights into their first season in 2017, and did more with a roster of misfits and castoffs than anyone expected. The expansion club got off to a fast start and never looked back, riding strong goaltending and breakout performances all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Though they would lose in five games to the Washington Capitals, a 51-24-7 season was considered an unparalleled success for the expansion franchise and proved that Vegas was already a contender in the Western Conference.

That expectation of success only continued last season, when the Golden Knights once again made the playoffs with a 43-32-7 record. While that was a step backwards, the team still had 93 points and was within a goal of going to the second round after a brutal loss to the San Jose Sharks. This season saw more of that success, though a four-game losing streak now has the Golden Knights sitting just outside the playoff picture, tied with the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets but having played two more games.

Perhaps it is that losing streak that did him in, as Gallant’s dismissal has been called completely “performance based.” The team has regressed in terms of points percentage since they started, but how much you can blame that on the coach is unclear. It’ll be DeBoer’s opportunity to show that he can turn things around, with a third of the season still remaining.

Speaking of DeBoer, he gets a new job after only being fired himself a month ago. The former Sharks bench boss is back in business after being let go earlier this season, and will start in with his fourth team. The two-time Stanley Cup finalist has never won the ultimate prize, but does have a .550 winning percentage across 855 career games behind the bench.

2020 Hobey Baker Nominees Announced

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With the collegiate hockey season entering the home stretch, voting for this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award has opened with 78 players nominated for the award. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country, and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact, but are still NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.

Last year’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to be one of the most impressive rookies in the NHL this season with the Colorado Avalanche. Makar leaves big shoes to fill by this year’s nominees.

The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.

The fan vote will be added to the opinions of NCAA head coaches to come up with a 10-man finalist group, which will then have another fan vote and go through a selection committee. The nominees are as follows:

Dryden McKay – Minnesota State University-Mankato
Kevin Conley – University of Nebraska-Omaha
Brinson Pasichnuk – Arizona State University
Tanner Laczynski – Ohio State University
Taylor Ward – University of Nebraska-Omaha
Nick Hutchison – Canisius College
Matthew Galajda – Cornell University
Trenton Bliss – Michigan Technological University
David Farrance – Boston University
Cole Caufield – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Philip Beaulieu – Northern Michigan University
Max Newton – University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Spencer Knight – Boston College
Morgan Barron – Cornell University
Tyler Madden – Northeastern University
Jack Dugan – Providence College
Yanni Kaldis – Cornell University
Jakov Novak – Bentley University
Nick Halloran – Colorado College
Paul Washe – Western Michigan University
James Sanchez – Arizona State University
Jack Ahcan – St. Cloud State University
Patrick Khodorenko – Michigan State University
Cole Hults – Pennsylvania State University
Casey Dornbach – Harvard University
Brian Wilson – Niagara University
Jack Drury – Harvard University
Jason Cotton – Sacred Heart University
Emilio Pettersen – University of Denver
Zach Risteau – St. Lawrence University
Stefanos Lekkas – University of Vermont
Max Gildon – University of New Hampshire
Wyatt Bongiovanni – Quinnipiac University
Jordan Kawaguchi – University of North Dakota
Hugh McGing – Western Michigan University
Devin Brosseau – Clarkson University
Griffin Loughran – Northern Michigan University
Alec Rauhauser – Bowling Green State University
Vincent de May – Northern Michigan University
Haralds Egle – Clarkson University
Scott Perunovich – University of Minnesota-Duluth
David Cotton – Boston College
Matt Jurusik – Michigan Technological University
Zackarias Skog – American International College
John Leonard – University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Drew O’Connor – Dartmouth College
Mike Lee – Sacred Heart University
Frank Marotte – Clarkson University
Nate Kallen – Ferris State University
Darion Hanson – Union College
Patrick Harper – Boston University
Mareks Mitens – Lake Superior State University
Odeen Tufto – Quinnipiac University
Matt Stief – Canisius College
Max Humitz – Lake Superior State University
Peyton Jones – Pennsylvania State University
Linus Weissbach – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Justin Kapelmaster – Robert Morris University
Cale Morris – University of Notre Dame
Michael Wilson – United States Military Academy (Army)
Gordie Green – Miami University
Hunter Shepard – University of Minnesota-Duluth
Will Reilly – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutue
Marc Michaelis – Minnesota State University-Mankato
Brennan Kapcheck – American International College
Chris Wilkie – Colorado College
Tyce Thompson – Providence College
Matt Hoover – Canisius College
Johnny Walker – Arizona State University
Tyler Wall – University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Nick Abruzzese – Harvard University
Mitchell Chaffee – University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Derek Daschke – Miami University
Blake Christensen – American International College
Ian Mitchell – University of Denver
Bobby McMann – Colgate University
Wyatt Kalynuk – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tommy Nappier – Ohio State University

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