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Archives for January 2020

What Your Team Is Thankful For: San Jose Sharks

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. 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 San Jose Sharks.

What are the Sharks most thankful for?

Considering how disappointing San Jose has been this season, it may come as some surprise that they’ve been one of the healthiest teams in the league all things considered.  Defenseman Radim Simek is the only full-time regular that has missed more than five games and while he’s a regular, he’s also on their third defense pairing.  Most of their core forwards haven’t missed a game this year aside from Tomas Hertl (four games due to a lower-body issue).  Things haven’t been pretty for them in 2019-20 but so far, they’ve at least managed to stay healthy.

Who are the Sharks most thankful for?

Going into the season, the duo of Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns would have been the logical pick but both of them have underachieved mightily.  One player who isn’t quite in that category is Logan Couture.  The long-time Shark has seen his offensive numbers dip a little bit this season (pretty much everyone has) but he continues to lead the way.  He’s the team leader in scoring, on pace for his second straight 65-point campaign, and is logging nearly 19 minutes a night.  The captain is also signed through 2026-27 at an $8MM price tag and unlike the expensive blueliners, he should be able to provide a decent level of return on that contract for close to its entirety.

What would the Sharks be even more thankful for?

More production from, well, just about everyone.  Their high-priced back end has underachieved considerably so far; Burns and Karlsson have combined for just ten goals in 81 games.  For perspective, Burns alone has averaged more than 20 a year over the past six seasons.  The goaltending duo of Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have a combined .895 save percentage which is among the lowest in the league.  Timo Meier may not reach 50 points after scoring 66 last season.  Joe Thornton has just one goal so far.  Kevin Labanc is well off last year’s pace (and there are others in that situation as well).  Some of them returning to form would be a huge boost for them in the second half.

What should be on the Sharks’ Holiday Wish List?

Barring a turnaround over the next few weeks, it’s looking like San Jose is going to be selling which means picks and prospects will be what GM Doug Wilson is looking for.  Defenseman Brendan Dillion should yield a reasonable return while depth pieces like Melker Karlsson and Marcus Sorenson may draw some interest.  This core is probably going to be given another opportunity as it stands though unless they have to move a key player out for a goalie.  That move, if it happens, seems like more of an offseason deal than one before next month’s trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Alexandre Texier Out Indefinitely

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The Columbus Blue Jackets’ injury list keeps getting longer. This time it is Alexandre Texier who has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a lumbar stress fracture on Tuesday night. The young forward is out indefinitely, while Justin Scott has been recalled under emergency conditions.

Texier joins a list of injured players that also includes Cam Atkinson, Josh Anderson, Emil Bemstrom, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Brandon Dubinsky, Sonny Milano, Ryan Murray, Markus Nutivaara, Andrew Peeke and Joonas Korpisalo, though they are all in various stages of recovery.

It’s a tough break for the 20-year old though, who is in his first full professional season in North America. He made his NHL debut last season after dominating in Finland, and is already an important player for the Blue Jackets. Suffering a serious injury like this is a brutal turn for his development, even if the team can find a way to stay in the playoff hunt without him.

Snapshots: Mikheyev, Phillips, Stalock

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If you were in a foreign country where you didn’t speak the language well, were away from your entire family and had just undergone emergency surgery to repair slashed tendons in your wrist, it might be a little overwhelming. That’s why Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas stayed with injured forward Ilya Mikheyev in New Jersey while he recovered from surgery. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports however, Dubas’ goodwill may actually have a positive impact on player acquisition down the road. Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, the agent for Mikheyev and many other Russian players, explained to Johnston that he has already told his other clients of how the situation was handled:

The agent has KHL free agents currently drawing significant NHL interest for next season and has made sure they’re all aware of the humanity the Leafs exhibited with Mikheyev, telling them: “You should know how Toronto took care of this particular accident.”

While that obviously doesn’t guarantee the Maple Leafs will get any sort of discount down the road, it certainly can’t hurt when they’re trying to convince the KHL’s top talent to come over to North America. The team will also have a negotiation with Mikheyev at some point, given that he will be a restricted free agent this summer.

  • The Los Angeles Kings have assigned minor league defenseman Markus Phillips to the Guelph Storm of the OHL, sending him back despite already having played in the ECHL and AHL this season. The 20-year old will re-join the Storm for the rest of his overage season, another addition to a team that is already 21-8-5 this season. Phillips was selected 118th overall in 2017 and had six points in 20 games for the Fort Wayne Komets this season.
  • Alex Stalock has been fined $2,000 for embellishment, following an incident that occurred against the Winnipeg Jets on December 21st. It was the second cited case of diving by Stalock, following an earlier incident against the Pittsburgh Penguins that incurred a warning from the league. Though it obviously isn’t a lot of money, embellishment comes with escalating fines that eventually are levied against the coach as well—something that never helps a player’s career.

Maple Leafs’ Depth Players Looking For More Opportunity

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with several injuries at the moment, with Trevor Moore, Andreas Johnsson and Ilya Mikheyev all out up front. None of the trio have a clear return date at this point, which has led to the team bringing up several of their minor league forwards over the last few weeks. Mason Marchment was the latest recall, following Pierre Engvall and Adam Brooks who have now worked their way into the lineup.

One player who many may have thought would be among the first recalls is Jeremy Bracco, who finished the 2018-19 season as the second-highest scorer in the AHL. Bracco’s 79 points in 75 games trailed only Carter Verhaeghe, who is now a regular for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 22-year old Maple Leafs’ prospect hasn’t been given a look in the NHL yet however, partly because of the position his plays. Bracco is a right winger, the same side where Toronto already has Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen locked into the top three lines.

That’s a tough group to crack, something that Bracco obviously understands. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote yesterday in his 31 Thoughts column that the young forward has asked the organization to see if there is a better opportunity elsewhere. Friedman suggests that Dmytro Timashov and Ben Harpur have both also asked Toronto the same thing.

For Timashov especially, that may come as some surprise. The 23-year old made the Maple Leafs out of camp in surprise fashion and has played in 29 games this season for them. While he isn’t getting a ton of ice time playing on the fourth line, the fifth-round pick is at least in the NHL.

Harpur meanwhile is in a different situation. Included in the trade that sent Nikita Zaitsev and Connor Brown to the Ottawa Senators in the offseason, the 24-year old defenseman has played the entire year in the minor leagues with the Toronto Marlies. That demotion comes after seeing regular NHL minutes the last two seasons, playing 92 games for the Senators since the start of 2017-18.

Obviously, these three names don’t come with a ton of recognition around the league, but the Maple Leafs may not be willing to just give them away. Friedman ponders whether they could be part of a bigger deal, though Toronto will still have to deal with cap implications should they try to add anything to their NHL roster at the moment.

Minnesota Wild To Host 2021 Winter Classic

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The Winter Classic is headed north. After the success that the event has been so far in Dallas, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the Minnesota Wild will host in 2021. The game will be held on January 1st at Target Field where the MLB’s Minnesota Twins play. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues have been discussed as possible opponents.

It has been a long wait for the State of Hockey, seemingly the perfect place for an outdoor game thanks to the strong fanbase and climate in Minnesota. The Wild have played in a single outdoor game, the 2016 Stadium Series matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Bettman released a statement about next year’s game:

The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic is about taking hockey back to its outdoor roots – and there is no better place to celebrate the incredible strength surrounding our game than in Minnesota. The Minnesota Wild organization and their fans in the Twin Cities and across the state have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to host the NHL’s New Year’s showcase and we are thrilled to be bringing next year’s game to Target Field.

Though the opponent won’t be announced for some time, fans can already start making plans to find their way down to the ballpark for some New Year’s Day hockey.

Kurtis MacDermid To Have Hearing With DoPS

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The Department of Player Safety will be busy to start 2020, as Kurtis MacDermid will have a hearing on Friday following his illegal check to the head last night. The Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman hit Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers with a crushing check at center ice but was not penalized.

MacDermid, 25, was signed by the Kings as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL and has now played in 71 games for them over the last three seasons. In his 26 contests this year he has four points and 29 penalty minutes, lending his huge 6’5″ 233-lbs frame to the fray on a regular basis.

Given that the big defenseman only plays around 13 minutes a night for the Kings, replacing him for a few games due to suspension wouldn’t be too difficult. Given that Provorov did not sustain an injury, the punishment likely won’t be too severe.

Minor Transactions: 01/01/20

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It’s the first day of a new decade and the NHL will celebrate by holding the 2020 Winter Classic in Dallas, Texas. The Cotton Bowl will be the site for the outdoor game between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, a football stadium already surrounded by tailgating fans of both teams. While the festivities continue, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor moves.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have sent Michael Chaput back to the minor leagues after just a day with the NHL club. The 27-year old has been a force for the Tucson Roadrunners this year with ten goals in just 22 games but is still waiting for a chance to get back into some NHL action. The Coyotes also recalled Kyle Capobianco from the AHL, while sending the recently waived Aaron Ness to the AHL.
  • After the Toronto Maple Leafs carried just 12 forwards to their game in Minnesota last night, they’ll bring up an extra body for some insurance. Mason Marchment has earned his first NHL call-up. The son of former NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment, the Maple Leafs’ prospect was given a minor league deal back in 2016 and developed slowly by the team over the last several years.
  • J.C. Beaudin has been returned to the AHL by the Ottawa Senators, who will host the Florida Panthers tomorrow night. Beaudin has played in 22 games this season for the Senators but has just a single point.  Rudolfs Balcers was recalled to take his place on the roster and should soon see his first NHL action of the season after playing in 36 games in 2018-19.
  • Louis Domingue is back with the New Jersey Devils, recalled by the team today after getting some playing time in the minor leagues. Gilles Senn has been sent down after appearing in two games.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Dale Weise from the AHL after Brendan Gallagher suffered an injury last night. Weise hasn’t played a game for the Canadiens this season but does have more than 500 games of NHL experience.
  • Nicolas Roy was recalled by the Vegas Golden Knights, something that has happened plenty of times this season. Roy has played in just seven games but was bouncing between the AHL and NHL almost every day earlier in the year.

Aaron Ness Clears Waivers

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Wednesday: Morgan reports that Ness has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners.

Tuesday: According to Craig Morgan of The Athletic, the Arizona Coyotes have placed Aaron Ness on waivers. The defenseman already cleared waivers just before the season began, but needs them again in order to go back to the minor leagues.

Ness, 29, has played in 18 games so far this season for the Coyotes, registering one point and 16 hits. The depth defender has actually never played more than 20 NHL games in a single season, with just 65 contests in his entire career. That lack of experience should probably get him through waivers without a problem, along with the fact that he is signed through next season.

There’s no guarantee that he is sent down, but with the Coyotes expecting Niklas Hjalmarsson back soon there won’t be much room in the NHL. Ness has played in just four games for the Tucson Roadrunners this season, but was outstanding for the Hershey Bears last year, scoring 55 points.

Alexis Lafreniere Set To Return For Team Canada

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Team Canada is expected to get their explosive forward Alexis Lafreniere back for Thursday’s quarter-final game against Slovakia at the World Junior Championship, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Lafreniere was back on the ice today at practice after suffering a leg injury earlier in the tournament.

Not only is this good news for the Canadians but for draft season as well. Lafreniere is the expected first overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft and should step right into the league as a teenager. The 18-year old winger is the reigning CHL Player of the Year and could win it again after scoring 70 points in 32 games this season for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL.

It’s hard to find a more well-rounded forward prospect than Lafreniere, who is an elite playmaker and goal scorer while also being big enough to engage physically. Though his money will come for the performance on the offensive side of the game, he is strong enough through the neutral zone to help his team quickly turn over the puck and send it back the other way.

We won’t know where Lafreniere is headed until the draft lottery in a few months, but the Detroit Red Wings look like they’ll have the best shot. The Eastern Conference club is sitting firmly in last place, 11 points behind the New Jersey Devils even after their win last night.

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