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Jets Cancel Practice Due To Potential COVID-19 Exposure

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Sunday: Elliotte Friedman reports that the Jets were back on the ice Sunday morning for practice.

Saturday: Over the last week, several teams have opted to postpone scheduled practices as part of protocol after potential exposure to COVID-19.  The Jets are the latest to do so as they announced (Twitter link) that the “decision was made out of an abundance of caution due to potential exposure of COVID-19” and that no further information is available at this time.

Winnipeg is the lone team in the North Division that’s not scheduled to play tonight and they are next in action on Monday against Ottawa so if all of their tests come back negative, it shouldn’t result in any interruption to the schedule.

Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver all cancelled practices during training camp citing similar precautions but were all able to resume practicing the next day.  Dallas, meanwhile, was in a similar situation but wound up with 17 positive tests which has resulted in the start of their season being pushed back multiple times now following yesterday’s latest schedule modifications.

USHL Gaining Top Players With Canadian Junior Leagues Out Of Action

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The United States Hockey League, USHL, is the top junior league in the U.S. and has been growing as a top developmental destination in recent years. Yet, they have never seen an influx of talent as they have this season. Early on, it was NCAA players whose teams (mostly Ivy League programs) canceled play this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, as the CHL leagues – OHL, WHL, and QMJHL – and other Junior-A Canadian leagues remain out of action, the flow of top players has continued. The USHL season is ongoing and has thus far operated without much delay, making it the greatest beneficiary on the other side of the border from the stalled Canadian leagues. This past week has shown that talented players throughout Canada are running low on patience with their current leagues and are now making the move south.

On Tuesday, the trend really began to pick up steam when the BCHL announced nine departures, four to the USHL including two top players from the powerhouse Penticton Vees. Buffalo Sabres forward prospect Matteo Costantini, who had joined Penticton this season before heading to the University of North Dakota next year, has now joined the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. Well-regarded 2021-eligible defenseman Owen Murray is also headed to the NCAA next season as a University of Massachusetts commit, but instead of staying with the Vees this year, he has now joined the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers.

On Wednesday, Penticton lost another top defenseman, as projected 2021 second/third-round pick Jack Bar left for the USHL’s Chicago Steel and will not return to the Vees next season with Harvard University in his sights. However, the bigger story was the exodus from the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Detroit Red Wings 2020 second-round pick Cross Hanas and potential 2021 first-round forward Jack O’Brien, along with two other teammates, all left for the USL’s Lincoln Stars. Lincoln also picked up 2021 defenseman and Boston University commit Charles-Alexis Legault from the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors.

The biggest move to date is a major addition for the Sioux Falls Stampede. Forward Cole Sillinger, a consensus 2021 first-round pick, left the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to head to the U.S. Sillinger recorded 53 points in 48 games with the Tigers last year and may just be one of the best players in the USHL now that he has arrived in Sioux Falls.

The question of course with all of these transfers is whether any of these players will leave if their Canadian teams are able to play this season. These USHL clubs undoubtedly hope they can retain their newfound talent throughout their season and postseason and they almost certainly will if junior play in Canada is unable to return. However, the WHL is already taking steps toward a possible return and other leagues will try to follow. Regardless, this influx of talent is great for the competition level of the USHL this year and its reputation moving forward as it looks to compete for top players with the CHL elite in the future.

COVID Notes: Kapanen, Granlund, Gulls-Reign

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Pittsburgh Penguins off-season re-acquisition Kasperi Kapanen has not yet been on the ice with his teammates, but his return is imminent. Kapanen was removed from the NHL’s COVID Protocol on Friday but was still held out of practice on Saturday. However, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Kapanen took his fourth COVID test today and a fourth negative result will make it his final test. He will be able to re-join the team immediately, with head coach Mike Sullivan stating that they will have him in uniform as quickly as they can once that test result is received. Kapanen, 24, recorded 80 points combined over the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is expected to skate with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the Penguins’ top line.

  • Mikael Granlund remains on the NHL’s COVID Protocol list for the Nashville Predators, but progress is being made toward getting him on the ice. Granlund’s return to Nashville was initially delayed due to immigration issues that caused him to miss all of training camp. According to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan, he has now arrived in Nashville and has begun the mandated quarantine following commercial travel. At no point has Granlund tested positive for Coronavirus and he should be eligible to return to the lineup as soon as his quarantine ends. Head coach John Hynes has stated that he expects Granlund to return to a top-six role for the Predators after he recorded 30 points in 63 games last season, more than half of which came after Hynes took over.
  • The San Diego Gulls and Ontario Reign, AHL affiliates of the Anaheim Ducks and L.A. Kings respectively, had intended to begin their preseason tonight with an exhibition game in Irvine, California. However, that game has been canceled due to precautions related to Coronavirus and in adherence with local health protocols. The two teams are scheduled to play on Sunday as well, but no determination has been made on that game yet.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/16/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 protocol.  Today’s list is as follows:

Carolina – Jordan Staal
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Detroit – Christian Djoos
Minnesota – Alex Stalock
Nashville – Mikael Granlund
New Jersey – Eric Comrie
Philadelphia – Shayne Gostisbehere
Tampa Bay – Curtis McElhinney*
Vancouver – Jordie Benn; J.T. Miller
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg; Tucker Poolman*

*denotes new addition

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

As has been the case so far this season, the league declined to identify anyone from Dallas and will hold off on doing so until they are able to play in their first game, now scheduled for January 22. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars.

Defense Notes: McQuaid, Klefbom, Yandle, DeAngelo

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Although it was fair to assume that the career of Adam McQuaid was over, seeing as he has not played in close to two years, the physical defenseman has officially announced his retirement to CBC’s Shane Ross. McQuaid, who played ten seasons in the NHL but routinely struggled with the injuries associated with his aggressive style, tells Ross that the pain became too much for him to handle and ultimately made him realize that he could not continue playing. “I guess I’ve known for awhile now that I wouldn’t be playing again,” McQuaid said, “It got to a point where I felt like I really kind of tapped out my body.” McQuaid, who spent the vast majority of his decade-long career with the Boston Bruins, still calls the city home and is feeling much better after hanging up the skates. McQuaid was traded by the Bruins ahead of the 2018-19 season that would be his last, which he split between the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Following off-season knee surgery and still feeling pain from a neck injury, McQuaid did not sign with anyone for the 2019-20 season and made the decision not to attempt a comeback this season either. He finishes his NHL playing career just eight hits short of one thousand and also racked up 834 blocked shots and 694 penalty minutes in 512 games. A feared opponent and a Stanley Cup champion, the rugged blue liner can enjoy retirement having had a strong career.

  • Oscar Klefbom is not retiring, but he is set to miss the entire 2020-21 season with a shoulder injury. Yet, the Edmonton Oilers defenseman still does not have a timeline for his return to action. The player and team decided that Klefbom needed to undergo major surgery to repair his chronic shoulder condition, which has caused him pain and has knocked him out of the lineup on multiple occasions over the past few years. However, that surgery has yet to even be scheduled. Klefbom, who is currently at his home in Sweden, is hoping to have the procedure done with a specialist in Cleveland, but complications due to Coronavirus and its impact on travel and medical scheduling has made setting a date for the surgery more difficult than expected. Klefbom is hoping to go under the knife and begin his recovery sooner rather than later, especially since the length of that recovery period is unknown, but for now will have to wait until the logistics become easier to manage.
  • Could Keith Yandle’s iron man streak be saved after all? In the long run, probably not. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli does admit that there is a chance that the respected veteran could be in the Florida Panthers’ lineup when they make their season debut on Sunday. Yandle had previously been told that he was not in the team’s plans and would be a healthy scratch moving forward, as evidenced by his exclusion from the “starters” group in recent practices. However, Yandle was back working with the first-team power play on Saturday and then reportedly met with coaches and management after practice to “clear the air”, per Seravalli. It still seems as though Yandle’s future in Florida is in doubt and his full No-Movement Clause and substantial salary will make it difficult for him to be traded, so Yandle’s chances of extending his iron man streak to the NHL record of 965, especially with the Panthers, is extremely unlikely. However, he could further extend his current streak of 844 consecutive games – the fourth-most in NHL history and most for a defenseman – to 845 on Sunday.
  • Another established defenseman who is not in his team’s current plans (however briefly) is the New York Rangers’ Anthony DeAngelo. DeAngelo was a liability defensively in the Rangers’ disappointing debut on Thursday and as a result he will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night, reports the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. DeAngelo, 25, is young and talented and New York is not paying him $4.8MM to sit in the press box for the next two years, but perhaps this benching by head coach David Quinn will instill some more defensive accountability in the dynamic defender.

 

Minor Transactions: 01/16/21

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While there will be plenty of taxi squad activity around the league today, there will be plenty other transactions around the hockey world as well. We’ll keep tabs on those here:

  • The Predators announced that they’ve assigned defenseman Alexandre Carrier to Chicago of the AHL. The 24-year-old played in three games with Nashville last season but spent most of the year with AHL Milwaukee where he had five goals and 32 assists, exactly matching his 2018-19 output but did so in 21 fewer games (55 in 2019-20, 76 the year before).
  • Buffalo has recalled goaltender Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen from his loan to TPS Turku, the Finnish team announced. The 21-year-old is regarded as a potential goalie of the future for the Sabres and he held his own in Finland’s top league, posting a 2.52 GAA with a .908 SV% in 13 games.  He split last season between AHL Rochester and ECHL Cincinnati but should more action in the AHL this year.
  • The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned center Tanner Laczynski to Lehigh Valley of the AHL. The 23-year-old is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career with Ohio State where he had 11 goals and 23 assists in just 36 games last season.
  • Lehigh Valley is also prepared to bring in a trio of minor league veterans on AHL contracts as well. AHL reporter Tony Androck notes that the Phantoms are expected to sign goaltender Zane McIntyre and forwards Ryan Fitzgerald and Tanner MacMaster to one-year deals. McIntyre, who was recently in training camp with the Arizona Coyotes, is a former teammate of Fitzgerald’s with the Providence Bruins. MacMaster is coming off a 30-point campaign with the Toronto Marlies and is looking to prove that he is a dangerous scorer worthy of an NHL look.
  • The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have signed a number of Avalanche prospects to amateur tryout agreements, including goaltender Trent Miner and forwards Jean-Luc Foudy, Sasha Mutala, and Luka Burzan. All four prospects play in either the OHL or WHL and have been out of commission for some time. They’ll at least get a chance to suit up in AHL training camp with the Eagles, if not longer.
  • Winnipeg Jets prospect Daniel Torgersson, a 2020 second-round pick, may have an eye on a extended development period at home in Sweden before making his way across the Atlantic. Torgersson’s current team, the SHL’s Frolunda HC, have announced a two-year extension with the young power forward, keeping him under contract through 2022-23. The NHL and SHL have a transfer agreement in place, but the term of Torgersson’s new deal at least implies he has considered spending a couple more years in Sweden with the Indians.
  • NHL veteran Matt Puempel will also be playing in Sweden this season. The 27-year-old forward, unable to find a new NHL contract, has signed on with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks for the remainder of the season, the team announced. Puempel is coming off a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings, but saw just eight total games of NHL action in that time. Puempel has 87 NHL games and 340 AHL games on his resume.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/16/21

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It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad, and although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.

  • The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Jake Evans from the taxi squad in advance of their game tonight against Edmonton. The 24-year-old served as their fourth-line pivot in their opener against Toronto and should be in that role against the Oilers as well.
  • Morgan Geekie has been summoned from Carolina’s taxi squad, per a team release. The recall is on an emergency basis and may pertain to Jordan Staal’s placement on the COVID-protocol list on Friday.  Geekie played in two games with the Hurricanes last season, recording three goals and one assist.
  • The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned defenseman Conor Timmins to the taxi squad. Meanwhile, blueliner Bowen Byram was recalled from AHL Colorado.  To make room on the taxi squad, forwards Shane Bowers and Logan O’Connor were assigned to the Eagles.  Timmins has played in both games so far this season, logging a little over 15 minutes per night.
  • The Maple Leafs have recalled winger Nicholas Robertson from their taxi squad and sent Alexander Barabanov down, the team announced. Robertson played in four games against Columbus in the Qualifying Round last summer but tonight marks his first regular season NHL contest.  Barabanov, meanwhile, has played in both games for Toronto so far but logged just 4:19 on Friday night against Ottawa.
  • The Kings have made a series of roster moves, notes Jack A. Harris of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). With Cal Petersen, Sean Walker, and Kurtis MacDermid all being activated to the roster from the COVID protocol list, defenseman Mark Alt and Tobias Bjornfot along with goalie Jacob Ingham were sent to the taxi squad.  To make room on that group, Los Angeles also assigned defenseman Austin Strand and goalie Matthew Villalta to Ontario (AHL).
  • Nashville has recalled forward Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad, adding some physicality up front. The big forward made his NHL debut last season and saw eight games of action with the Predators while also setting new AHL career highs with the Milwaukee Admirals in his second pro season. The Mississippi native could be a frequent fourth line option for Nashville this season given his size, engery, and propensity for checking.
  • Derek Ryan and Oliver Kylington have been activated to the roster of the Calgary Flames, the team announced. Two of the bigger names to hit the waiver wire during training camp, Ryan and Kylington both cleared and were assigned to the taxi squad. However, it didn’t take long for the pair to get back in action for Calgary.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Buffalo Sabres

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Buffalo Sabres

Current Cap Hit: $79,614,282 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Dylan Cozens (three years, $894K)
D Rasmus Dahlin (one year, $925K)
D Henri Jokiharju (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Cozens: $850K
Dahlin: $2.85MM
Jokiharju: $637.5K
Total: $4.3375MM

Cozens made the team despite a shortened training camp due to him playing at the World Juniors where he was one of the top performers in the tournament.  He isn’t eligible to play in the AHL whenever the WHL gets underway so a decision will have to be made in a few weeks as to whether or not to burn the first year of his entry-level deal.  The threshold has been cut to seven games meaning that if Cozens plays in that seventh contest, his contract officially burns a year.

Dahlin hasn’t been the flashiest player since being taken first overall in 2018 but he has already established himself as an important part of their back end and a player they’ll want to build around.  Discussions surrounding a long-term deal would likely use Florida’s Aaron Ekblad ($7.5MM AAV for eight years) as a potential comparable and with the flexibility that they’re about to have on the cap, they can easily afford to go that route if they want.  As for Jokiharju, he played a regular role on the third pairing after being acquired from Chicago.  Unless he’s able to jump into their top four though, a short-term contract makes the most sense and without arbitration eligibility, he shouldn’t be able to command a sizable raise.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Taylor Hall ($8MM, UFA)
G Carter Hutton ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Matt Irwin ($700K, UFA)
D Jake McCabe ($2.85MM, UFA)
D Brandon Montour ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Sam Reinhart ($5.2MM, RFA)
F Tobias Rieder ($700K, UFA)
F Riley Sheahan ($700K, UFA)
F Eric Staal ($3.25MM, UFA)
G Linus Ullmark ($2.6MM, UFA)

The Sabres made a big splash in free agency by getting Hall to sign with them.  It was a surprise on multiple fronts in that a non-playoff team landed him and that it was just for one year although the state of the UFA market helped push his fate in that direction fairly quickly.  He’ll get a chance to rebuild his value a little bit in the hopes of getting a similar price tag on a long-term deal this summer but with many teams trending to tight to the cap for next year as well, a contract similar to this one can’t be ruled out either.  Staal was brought in from Minnesota in the offseason and is coming off a solid season.  He’s slowing down but as long as he can produce like a second-liner, there’s a spot for him around his current price tag.  Rieder and Sheahan are both depth players and will either be retained or replaced by others making the minimum.

Reinhart’s situation largely has flown under the radar due to Hall but it’s reaching the point where a decision is going to need to be made.  Instead of inking a long-term deal this past offseason, Reinhart and the Sabres opted for a one-year deal, giving him another crack at restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility in the summer.  However, he’s now only one year away from UFA eligibility so if talks on a long-term deal don’t go well, he can easily just file for arbitration, get his one-year contract, and hit the open market in the prime of his career.  They’ve kicked the can as far as they can and GM Kevyn Adams will need to get a long-term agreement in place with Reinhart this offseason.

Montour was a speculative non-tender candidate after a tough first full season with the Sabres although he wound up accepting a small raise that walks him to UFA eligibility.  But if he doesn’t show the promise that he did in his time with Anaheim, he’ll be hard-pressed to receive his current salary on the open market.  McCabe has seen a lot of second pairing playing time in recent years and has held his own although he’s better used as a fifth option.  While he doesn’t produce much offensively, he’s still fairly young and it wouldn’t be surprising if he winds up with a deal around what Joel Edmundson signed to avoid hitting the open market with Montreal, a multi-year deal in the $3.5MM range.  Irwin has been at or near the minimum for a few years now and that’s unlikely to change.

Ullmark was expected to be part of the long-term solution for Buffalo between the pipes and while that’s still possible, the fact that he only received a one-year deal to get him to UFA eligibility means that the Sabres aren’t yet sold on that possibility.  While he should be able to do enough to earn a small raise at a minimum given the recent demand for quality backups, he’ll need a big year to have a shot at starter money.  Hutton is coming off of a tough season and will need a bounce-back year to garner some interest.  At the very least, he’ll be going year-to-year moving forward as any future contracts will have 35-plus rules attached to them.

Two Years Remaining

F Cody Eakin ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Curtis Lazar ($800K, UFA)
D Colin Miller ($3.875MM, UFA)
F Victor Olofsson ($3.05MM, RFA)
D Rasmus Ristolainen ($5.4MM, UFA)

Olofsson was one of the pleasant surprises in what was a tough season for the Sabres as he was one of the top-scoring rookies in the league before a lower-body injury derailed his momentum.  A bridge deal made a lot of sense for both sides given how his production caught many off guard but if he picks up where he left off and scores at a 20-goal or more pace, he could easily add another million or two to his price tag.  Eakin was brought in as an unrestricted free agent to give them some veteran depth down the middle although the price tag was on the high side given what other role players had to sign for.  Lazar hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft billing but he’s affordable depth that will either be replaced or retained at that price tag.

Ristolainen continues to be one of the more polarizing blueliners in the league.  There’s no denying that he has a strong offensive game but his play in his own end isn’t graded anywhere near as favorably.  Still, he will enter the market at 27 in the prime of his career and is a right-shot player, the side where supply is much shallower than demand.  A small raise, even in this marketplace, is a definite possibility.  After being a key part of the back end in Vegas, Miller didn’t fare anywhere near as well with Buffalo and his ice time has been cut further in the early going this year.  He will need to establish himself as a viable top-four option if he wants to have a chance at getting something close to his current AAV in 2022.

Three Years Remaining

F Zemgus Girgensons ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Kyle Okposo ($6MM, UFA)
F Tage Thompson ($1.4MM, RFA)

Okposo is now officially in the back half of the deal he signed in the ill-fated 2016 offseason.  His days of being an impact player have come and gone but he’s still serviceable in a bottom-six role.  It’s too bad for the Sabres that he’s paid way too much for that particular role though.  Girgensons also got an above-market deal for a depth player and it’s certainly not off to a good start as he’s already out for the season.  Thompson is the lone player left from the Ryan O’Reilly deal to St. Louis and battled injury troubles last year.  He accepted a bit of security by taking the three-year agreement and it shouldn’t take much for Buffalo to get a good return on it but he’ll need to establish himself as a top-six forward to have a shot at a significant raise in 2023.

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Jared McCann Fined For Elbowing Incident

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2:43 PM: McCann has avoided a suspension as the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that he has been fined $10K for his elbow, the maximum allowed in the CBA.

9:01 AM: Penguins center Jared McCann will have a disciplinary hearing on Saturday, the Department of Player Safety announced.  The play in question was an elbow to Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim during the second period in Friday’s contest; a two-minute minor was assessed at the time.

After a tough showing in the postseason, McCann is off to a good start for Pittsburgh this year with a pair of assists in his first two games despite logging just 12 minutes per game, an amount lower than all but two other forwards on the Pens.

If a suspension is levied, the Penguins will have to add a forward to the active roster as they’re currently carrying the minimum of 12.  Kasperi Kapanen is nearing clearance to play as he works his way through quarantining protocols while they have three forwards on their taxi squad in Drew O’Connor, Frederick Gaudreau, and Anthony Angello.  Pittsburgh’s next game is scheduled for Sunday against Washington so expect a decision to be levied by then.

Sean Couturier To Miss At Least Two Weeks

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The Flyers will be without their top center for a little while as the Flyers announced (Twitter link) that Sean Couturier will miss at least the next two weeks with a Costochondral separation.  That injury is more commonly known as a rib separation.  The injury was sustained on Friday night against Pittsburgh in just his second shift.

Couturier’s absence is a big loss for Philadelphia as he has been one of their top offensive performers in recent years.  On top of that, the reigning Selke Trophy winner for the NHL’s top defensive forward is a key part of their penalty kill and has become one of the top players at the faceoff dot in recent years.

With the schedule being more compact than normal, Couturier will likely miss at least the next six or seven games, roughly one-eighth of the entire regular season.  His absence could open up an opportunity for Morgan Frost to join the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch in their first two games.  Frost had seven points in 20 games while Philadelphia last season and as an offensive-minded forward, a spot in their top six may be an ideal spot to slot him in but even so, filling Couturier’s shoes considering all of the ways he makes an impact for Philadelphia will be tough for him or anyone to accomplish.

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