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Archives for February 2020

Snapshots: Kapanen, Dumba, Puistola

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen owned up to the reasoning behind his benching on Saturday night when he met with the media this morning. Kapanen had been a healthy scratch, but head coach Sheldon Keefe declined to provide any details as to why in his post-game media availability. It turns out that Kapanen had specifically asked for the opportunity to speak about the issue. Kapanen told a number of reporters, including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, that he had overslept on Friday and was late to a team meeting and practice. This was not the first incidence of this, as Kapanen had previously had problems being punctual in the AHL, also under Keefe. He stressed this morning that these were honest mistakes and he does not want his coaches and teammates to think that he does not care about being the best player that he can be. It seems that Kapanen and Keefe are ready to move past this but these locker room issues won’t help to quell the trade rumors surrounding the young winger.

  • In an entertaining article that was mostly educated guesses, Pierre LeBrun did manage to drop a few rumor nuggets in his recent trade deadline piece for  The Athletic. One such report was that the Carolina Hurricanes – known to be seeking defense – had inquired about the Minnesota Wild’s Mathew Dumba. Not only does this say that the Hurricanes are at least looking into options beyond rentals, with Dumba signed for three more years at $6MM, but it implies that the Wild are at least listening to offers on the young defenseman. New GM Bill Guerin has stated that the team is open for business, but moving Dumba would be a major move for the franchise. The team would have to recoup some highly valueable  pieces to warrant trading away one of their few young difference-makers.
  • Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola is on the move in the Finnish Liiga yet again. Puistola, 19, has struggled while playing for the team that owns his rights, Tappara, with just two points in 24 games. However, in an earlier loan this season to Jukurit, the swift winger posted five points in just seven games. Tappaara will try to loan him out again now, announcing that he has been sent to Kookoo. If Puistola performs with Kookoo as he did with Jukurit or at the World Juniors, where he posted eight points in seven games, then the team will be very happy about this temporary arrangement. Meanwhile, as Puistola’s attachment to Tappara continues to diminih, the odds are improving that he will make the jump to North America next season.

Alexander Wennberg Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have kept pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race despite top free agents leaving town and the club being ravaged by injury after injury. That resilient nature will have to continue, as another one of their forwards is headed for injured reserve. Alexander Wennberg will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury. Ryan MacInnis has been recalled in his place.

Wennberg suffered the injury over the weekend against the Montreal Canadiens, putting on hold what has been another disappointing season to this point. The 25-year old has just five goals and 20 points in 52 games, a far cry from the career-high 59-point season in 2017 that earned him a six-year, $29.4MM deal with the Blue Jackets.

While always a pass-first player, Wennberg has frustratingly scored just 15 goals over his last 193 regular season games with the Blue Jackets, a total that is unacceptable for a forward earning nearly $5MM per season. At times made a healthy scratch by head coach John Tortorella last season, Wennberg has at least kept himself in the Blue Jackets’ lineup this year—though that may have to do with their ever-growing list of injured players.

MacInnis meanwhile will come in after playing seven games earlier this season for the Blue Jackets, the first handful of NHL contests for the young forward. Originally selected 43rd overall in 2014, the son of former NHL great Al MacInnis hasn’t been able to reach the level of offensive production that made him such a dynamic player in junior.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Cayden Primeau

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The Montreal Canadiens are on their way to New Jersey to take on P.K. Subban and the Devils, but they’ll be without Carey Price. The star goaltender did not travel with the club due to an illness, making it necessary for Montreal to recall Cayden Primeau from the minor leagues under emergency circumstances.

Primeau, 20, made his NHL debut and played two games with the Canadiens earlier this season, registering a .931 save percentage. That performance is extremely encouraging after Primeau’s excellent collegiate career, though it has been a little tougher in the minor leagues.

The seventh-round pick remains a top goaltending prospect and a potential backup for Price in the coming years, but obviously needs some more time to develop. Still, his .899 save percentage for the Laval Rocket actually leads the club, beating out both Charlie Lindgren and Keith Kinkaid during their time in the AHL.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Samuelsson, Kreider

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, and unsurprisingly Leon Draisaitl lands on top. The Edmonton Oilers superstar now leads the entire league in scoring and has actually been on fire since being separated from Connor McDavid. Draisaitl has 22 points in the 11 games away from McDavid, finally finding some wing help in the form of Kailer Yamamoto.

Second star Steven Stamkos won’t turn many heads after appearing in these spots many times before, but the same can’t be said about J.T. Miller who takes home the third star. Miller has found a new level of production with the Vancouver Canucks and is already just a few goals and points short of his career-highs.

  • Ulf Samuelsson had been serving as a pro scout for the Seattle expansion franchise, but will leave the organization to take a job as head coach of Leksands IF in the SHL. That’s the team Samuelsson played for before joining the NHL back in 1984 for a long, productive career.
  • Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examined several potential trade scenarios for the deadline, giving his take on what it would take to acquire some of the top rentals. Chris Kreider is the first name he writes on, reporting that eight teams have told the New York Rangers that “they’ve got Kreider at the top of their wish list.” LeBrun’s speculative trade will turn a lot of heads, as he suggests a package similar to the one that New York received for Kevin Hayes last year.

Winnipeg Jets, Dustin Byfuglien Expected To Reach Mutual Contract Termination

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The Winnipeg Jets are finally going to have some closure on the Dustin Byfuglien situation. The veteran defenseman’s injury and subsequent suspension have been a dark cloud hovering over the team all season, but according to Frank Seravalli of TSN they will soon reach a mutual contract termination. That would make Byfuglien an unrestricted free agent, and free up the Jets to make a deadline addition with the cap space that they had been holding open for his potential return.

Byfuglien, 34, decided not to report to training camp with the Jets at the last minute after an ankle injury did not respond well over the summer. That led to surgery to fix the issue and a suspension from the team, before Byfuglien ended up filing a grievance for his lost pay. The veteran defenseman was set to argue that it was a legitimate hockey injury, one that would normally not stop the team from paying him the $8MM salary he was owed this season in the second last year of his contract.

That contract, which extends through the 2020-21 season meant Byfuglien was owed $14MM for this year and next. Retirement would have meant the Jets could use that cap space for a different player, but also would mean the veteran defenseman was voluntarily walking away from the money. It’s unclear what kind of arrangement will be made with this termination, or when exactly it will be executed.

For the Jets, while obviously they would have wanted the big defenseman in the lineup all year, they’ll now be able to find a different way to shore up the back end. Quickly the team now becomes one of those with plenty of cap space to use at the deadline, though it’s still unclear what path they will go down. At 26-23-4 the playoffs aren’t even a sure thing for Winnipeg, making any big additions risky.

A termination would make Byfuglien an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team, however he has not yet started skating in his rehab from ankle surgery. In order to be eligible for the playoffs, he would need to sign with a team before the February 24th trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Chicago Blackhawks Claim Nick Seeler

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The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. The team has sent Dennis Gilbert to the minor leagues to make room.

Seeler, 26, is actually signed through the 2020-21 season, meaning the Blackhawks have bought themselves a little depth for the next season and a half. The physical defenseman carries a $725K cap hit, but has only played in six games for the Wild this season after suiting up 71 times in 2018-19.

With a claim, Seeler will be staying in the NHL for the time being as he tries to show his new club he can be a regular at the highest level. Coincidentally, the Blackhawks will play the Wild tomorrow night when they travel to Minnesota.

Minor Transactions: 02/03/20

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A new week of NHL action and wild speculation starts with three games this evening, including the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs battling for position in the Atlantic Division. The two clubs are trying desperately to capture a divisional playoff spot and avoid the wild card race entirely, with Toronto currently leading by two points. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Christian Folin from the minor leagues, after sending two of their youngsters down in recent days. Folin played five games for the Canadiens earlier this season and has one point.
  • Joey Anderson is on his way to the New Jersey Devils, recalled after scoring 34 points in 44 games for the Binghamton Devils this season. Anderson made his NHL debut in 2018-19 and ended up playing in 34 contests for New Jersey, but has been limited to AHL action this year.
  • Carl Grundstrom has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings, with Matt Luff heading down in his place. The 22-year old forward has played in nine games with the Kings this year, but once again has spent most of his season in the minors. Acquired as part of the Jake Muzzin deal last season, Grundstrom has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level.
  • After bringing up Maxim Letunov yesterday, the San Jose Sharks recalled another pair from the minor leagues. Andrew Shortridge and Danil Yurtaykin both joined the NHL roster, after the team placed Logan Couture and Joel Kellman on injured reserve. At least part of this move was to get as close to the salary cap ceiling as possible before placing Tomas Hertl on long-term injured reserve. Once that move was made earlier today, Shortridge and Yurtaykin were returned to the Barracuda and forward Alex True was recalled.
  • Nicolas Roy and Zach Whitecloud are back, after being in a paper transaction yesterday for the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy has to be used to this by now, after spending nearly the whole season bouncing up and down between the two levels.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Gilbert has split his season almost evenly between the two teams, with 20 games for Chicago and 15 gmes for Rockford. He’s still looking to find consistent production in either place.
  • Daniel Sprong is back up with the Anaheim Ducks. The Dutch winger has been recalled from the AHL and hopes to stick longer than he has in numerous short trips this season. It will help if he can improve on just two points in eight games thus far with Anaheim.

New York Islanders Recall Kieffer Bellows

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For the first time in his young career, Kieffer Bellows is headed to the NHL. The New York Islanders have recalled Bellows, though it is not clear yet if or when the young forward will make his debut.

Bellows, 21, was originally selected 19th overall by the Islanders in 2016 out of the USHL but has had an odd development path to this point. After struggling in a single season with Boston University following his draft, he left the NCAA and headed to the CHL. Suiting up with the Portland Winterhawks, he dazzled offensively—especially when lined up beside Cody Glass—and then dominated the World Juniors with his powerful stride and nose for the net.

Last year in his first taste of professional hockey, Bellows scored just 19 points for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 73 games. It was underwhelming and didn’t earn him a chance at the NHL level, though hope remained. This season has been better with 16 goals and 24 points in 45 games to easily pace the struggling Sound Tigers in both categories.

Whether he can do damage at the NHL level is still unclear, but it is not like the Islanders have a huge number of stud offensive talents blocking his way. The team, while strictly adhering to Barry Trotz’ defensive mindset, has scored just 146 goals in 50 games this season, putting them 23rd in goals for.

Five Key Stories: 1/27/20 – 2/2/20

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The calendar has now flipped to February so activity around the league should really pick up in the next little while.  In the meantime, here’s a look back at the top stories from the past seven days.

Kassian Extension: This had been in the works for the better part of the last month but the Oilers and winger Zack Kassian put pen to paper on a four-year contract extension.  The deal sees him land a notable raise as his AAV will go from $1.95MM this season to $3.2MM but for that, he doesn’t receive any form of trade protection.  Kassian has been quite productive for Edmonton this season and is almost up to his career highs in goals and points already while being a decent complementary player alongside Connor McDavid.  If he can maintain similar production over the life of the deal, the Oilers should get reasonable value out of it.

Backes Won’t Play In Providence: After clearing waivers nearly two weeks ago, the Bruins assigned winger David Backes to their AHL affiliate in Providence.  However, the two sides have mutually agreed that he should not report there even though he is fully healthy.  The veteran still has another year left on his contract with a $6MM cap hit so while Boston is working to find a suitable trade for him, that may be a bit challenging unless they’re absorbing some of the contract, sending another asset with Backes in the deal, or both.  As he was sent to the minors, the Bruins continue to get the $1.075MM in cap relief and the team is still paying the 35-year-old during this time.

Hertl Out For The Year: To say that things have not gone well for San Jose this season would be a big understatement.  Any slim hopes of them turning things around took another hit when it was announced that center Tomas Hertl had sustained a torn ACL and MCL and is out for the season.  Surgery has not yet taken place.  The 26-year-old was tied for second in team scoring with winger Logan Couture prior to the injury.  As it turns out, Hertl happened to be Couture’s replacement at the All-Star Game.  San Jose is now 11 points out of a playoff spot with just 29 games left to play and between that and being down their top two forwards, expect them to start selling over the next few weeks.

Pettersson Extension: Last offseason, the Penguins were hoping to get defenseman Marcus Pettersson signed to a long-term deal but salary cap constraints forced them to settle for a one-year deal for his qualifying offer.  They then cleared out some money for next season when they dealt Erik Gudbranson to Anaheim and they’ve turned around and given it to Pettersson as they signed him to a five-year extension with a cap hit of just over $4.025MM.  The deal also contains an eight-team no-trade clause in the final two seasons.  Pettersson has been a stabilizing part of Pittsburgh’s back end since they acquired him early last season and he’s averaging a career-high 19:26 so far this season in 51 games.

Byfuglien Unlikely To Play This Season: While the suspension without pay grievance is still heading for arbitration, there appears to be some news on the Dustin Byfuglien front in Winnipeg.  He has yet to resume skating following his ankle surgery and as it stands, he’s now not likely to play this season.  This will give Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff some much-needed certainty heading into the trade deadline as he looks to bolster a defense corps that lost several key players over the summer and has dealt with several injuries this year.  Now, even if the suspension without pay is overturned, Winnipeg will now be able to turn around and say that he was eligible for LTIR, effectively allowing them to go over by the cap by his $7.6MM cap hit to make any additions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PHR Originals: 1/27/20 – 2/2/20

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Here is a rundown of the original content at PHR over the past seven days.

The Central Division features a pair of teams whose fortunes are certainly in the air.  The Predators came into the season viewed as a likely contender and now the question is simply whether or not they’re merely going to make the playoffs; a small majority of the predictions so far have them missing out.  Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are close enough where it could be justified for them to buy, sell, or stand pat.  So far, our readers believe they should be selling but there is still time to vote.

Speaking of Nashville, Mikael Granlund was expected to be a key addition when they picked him up at the 2019 trade deadline from Minnesota.  However, things have not worked out well and between that and their situation in the standings, there’s a good chance that he could be on the move between now and the 24th.  I took a closer look at his situation including some potential suitors although, with a $5.75MM price tag, cap constraints could potentially come into play.

We’re tackling our deadline primers in a couple of divisions.  We continued our tour around the Pacific Division as Gavin assessed the situation in Los Angeles while Holger did the same for San Jose and Vancouver.  The three teams are in very different situations – the Kings are sellers in the middle of a rebuild, the Sharks are sellers but are hoping to be back in the hunt next season, and the Canucks will be looking to add.  Meanwhile, Gavin also previewed how things are looking in Boston and Buffalo.  The Bruins are known to be looking for some help on the wing while the Sabres, while out of contention at the moment, are still seeking forward help but could wind up selling before too long as well.

Zack’s tour around college hockey featured a discussion on some of the prospects that could find their NHL rights being dealt between now and the trade deadline, a look at some recent results, a key injury for Minnesota State, and a big commitment for New Hampshire.

Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen hasn’t generated a lot of trade hype yet but that is likely to change before too long.  I examined his situation as it pertains to a potential trade and as he’ll be one of the top blueliners on the move over the next few weeks, he’s certain to garner quite a bit of interest.

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