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NHL Moves Up Games From Later In Season

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The NHL has done what many fans and media members have suggested. Two games scheduled to take place between the Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues later in the season have been moved up. Originally scheduled for March 29 and 31, the two teams will now play on February 6 and 8.

This move comes with the Coyotes and Blues both facing changes in their schedule next week. Arizona was supposed to face the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche, but both teams have been shut down due to COVID cases. The Blues too were supposed to take on the Avalanche and then Wild, meaning St. Louis and Arizona have nothing better to do than get some of their matches finished.

The schedule maker is certainly earning his salary this season. The two teams are currently playing the second of a pair, and they had another two-game series set to start next weekend, meaning the Coyotes now have six straight games on the schedule against the Blues. St. Louis technically has a game against the Wild squeezed into that stretch, though it’s unclear whether it will be played.

NHL Postpones Colorado Avalanche Games Through February 11

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After Gabriel Landeskog showed up on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list today, the NHL has postponed all Colorado Avalanche games through February 11. The Avalanche already had games against the Minnesota Wild postponed because of their outbreak, but now will miss games against the St. Louis Blues this weekend and Arizona Coyotes early next week.

The team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain that way until further notice. The schedule continues to be reviewed.

This is a troubling outcome after the Avalanche played three games against the Wild, the second time in just a few days that there seems to have been an in-game spread. Though that can’t be confirmed obviously, the league is now facing several shutdowns across different divisions.

The chart of postponed games continues to grow.

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NHL Considering Postponing 2021 NHL Entry Draft

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As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact hockey at all levels, the NHL and its member teams have begun to discuss what to do about the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. If the draft proceeds as scheduled in July, teams will be facing an unprecedented lack of information on the eligible prospects. With the OHL and WHL yet to play this season, QMJHL teams limited to about 20 games or less thus far, and delays or cancellations in the NCAA, USHL, and throughout Europe, hardly any NHL draft-eligible has played a normal season. Expecting NHL teams to make educated selections comparable to a normal draft year at this point seems impossible. As a result, it should not come as a surprise that TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the league is discussing moving the date of the draft back, with teams expected to support the change.

In particular, Dreger notes that there have been discussions about pushing the draft scheduled for this summer all the way back to the following summer. This would allow for 2021 prospects to get in the full season that they have been denied this year before being selected. In this scenario, two drafts would potentially be held back-to-back in July of 2022, with 2021-eligible prospects selected first with an order determined by the 2020-21 final standings and then the second draft of 2022-eligible prospects determined as usual by the preceding season’s final standings. Of course, the NHL’s three-year window of draft eligibility could provide some interesting strategic decisions and quirky selections in regards to players passed over in the “2021” draft only to be selected just days or weeks later in the 2022 draft.

Dreger notes that draft details are collectively bargained and any changes to the dates or structure of the 2021 NHL Draft would need to be approved by the NHLPA. While the players’ union does not represent the interests of undrafted prospects, one would believe that they would go along with a decision to postpone the draft, if only to appease future constituents. At the end of the day, there is mutual interest between the NHL’s teams and the 2021 prospects to hold off on the draft until a more accurate profile can be had of all eligible players. Whether that means a delay of an entire year or possibly just until the developmental leagues can return to action for a few months early next season, it appears as though there is considerable support to push it down the line.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/04/21

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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, commissioner Gary Bettman announced some in-arena adjustments for the league to follow, but also released a statement on the current situation:

With about 20 percent of our season played, we are mindful of the fact that we might be seeing a more aggressive transmission of the virus and will continue to make adjustments to our Protocols as we consult on a daily basis with, and adhere to, the recommendations of our medical advisors.

It is important to note that, while we have seen almost 100 players enter our COVID Protocols, fewer than half have done so because of confirmed positive tests – and, among that group, many have not been symptomatic. Our priority has been and will continue to be to act conservatively with an abundance of caution, understanding that there are many things about the transmission of COVID-19 that are still being discovered. As a result, we won’t hesitate to take additional measures as indicated by what we are learning and as directed by our medical advisors.

Here is the CPRA list for today:

Buffalo – Taylor Hall, Rasmus Ristolainen, Brandon Montour, Tobias Rieder, Jake McCabe*
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter, Lucas Wallmark
Colorado – Tyson Jost, Gabriel Landeskog*
Dallas – Andrej Sekera
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Bonino, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, Jared Spurgeon, Nico Sturm*
New Jersey – Connor Carrick, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes, Damon Severson, Ty Smith, Matt Tennyson, Jesper Bratt, Nathan Bastian, Nikita Gusev, Yegor Sharangovich
Pittsburgh – John Marino
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – Pierre-Luc Dubois

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

Players removed today: Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings; Aaron Dell, New Jersey Devils;

Of course, the list does not include Buffalo head coach Ralph Krueger, who has also tested positive and is isolating away from the team. McCabe joins four other important members of the Sabres that are sitting out, though it is not clear how many have actually tested positive.

The addition of Landeskog is also important to note, given that the Avalanche are not shutdown like the Minnesota Wild, their last opponent and have a game scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The team is already dealing with a long list of injuries and now will likely be without their captain as well.

It is important to note that Dell wasn’t actually on the list because of the outbreak among the Devils, but because of quarantine rules after he was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, he still won’t get to practice with his new team until the Devils go back to work.

*denotes new addition

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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It’s been over a month since we last ran a mailbag and countless shocking news stories have come out since then. COVID postponements, the resignation of Jim Rutherford, and Tony DeAngelo’s time coming to an end with the New York Rangers are just some of the latest headlines, but there’s lots more to talk about as we start February.

With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR mailbag, where our Brian La Rose answers all your burning questions. If you missed it last time, the December mailbag was broken into two pieces. The first focused on the World Juniors, preseason expectations, and upcoming trade candidates. The second dealt with some realignment questions and predictions on where the future will take several young prospects like Rasmus Sandin, Filip Zadina, and Eeli Tolvanen.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. We’ll try to get to everything when the mailbag runs this weekend.

More On The Pittsburgh GM Search

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have begun conducting interviews to fill their vacant general manager position, with Kevin Weekes of NHL Network and interim GM Patrik Allvin reportedly among the first few. Chris Drury, who had been considered a top candidate withdrew his name from consideration, wanting to remain with the New York Rangers instead. The Penguins were also denied access to New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald.

Today, more reports have emerged to clarify the remaining candidates. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that Ron Hextall will have a virtual interview with the Penguins brass today, after the team received permission from the Los Angeles Kings to speak with him. Hextall currently works as an advisor for the Kings, but was previously the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins did not however receive permission from the Seattle Kraken to speak with Jason Botterill, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Botterill, who previously served as an assistant GM in Pittsburgh, recently took an AGM position with the expansion franchise after losing his job as GM of the Buffalo Sabres.

There are many other candidates expected to be involved, but things are expected to progress quickly. The Penguins are hoping to have a GM in place in the coming weeks, though that is obviously made more difficult by the fact that the season is in progress and the travel requirements/protocols to have anyone interview in person.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/04/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day.

North Division

  • After Braydon Coburn cleared waivers, the Ottawa Senators flipped him down to the taxi squad and brought up Erik Brannstrom. The 21-year-old Brannstrom played 31 games for the Senators last season and is expected to make his debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have sent Loui Eriksson to the taxi squad while activating Justin Bailey. It is cheaper for the team to keep Bailey on the taxi squad whenever the team isn’t playing, given his two-way deal earns less money when off the active roster. Eriksson hasn’t played yet this season but continues to be the team’s highest-paid forward.

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have made several moves again today, recalling Tobias Bjornfot and Boko Imama from the minor leagues to the taxi squad. Arthur Kaliyev has been sent back to the AHL, despite scoring in his NHL debut two nights ago. The Kings are traveling to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights twice in the next three days.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Michael Chaput from the taxi squad, moving Jordan Gross down in the process. With Ilya Lyubushkin back in the lineup, Gross can resume his role as the extra defenseman. Chaput meanwhile hasn’t played yet this season and actually only saw NHL action on two occasions during 2019-20. The 28-year-old did have 16 goals and 29 points in 47 AHL games last year but has never been able to bring that kind of offensive production up a level.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed Elvis Merzlikins on injured reserve while bringing up Matiss Kivlenieks from the taxi squad. Cam Johnson has been recalled from the AHL to the taxi squad to fill in as the third goaltender while the team deals with a minor injury to Merzlikins. The Blue Jackets have listed the goaltender as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
  • Jason Robertson is back with the Dallas Stars, recalled from the taxi squad today. The 21-year-old forward has played in two games so far this season but is still looking for that elusive first NHL goal. He’ll be back in the lineup tonight when the Stars take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

East Division

  • The Washington Capitals have sent Pheonix Copley back to the minor leagues, though that doesn’t necessarily mean Ilya Samsonov is coming off the COVID Protocol list right away. The team still has three goaltenders with the NHL team as Zach Fucale sits on the taxi squad. The Hershey Bears start their season tomorrow and will likely have Copley in net.
  • The New York Rangers have recalled Libor Hajek from the taxi squad, giving the young defenseman another chance now that they have moved on from Tony DeAngelo. Hajek, 23, played 28 games for the Rangers last season but wasn’t all that successful and has yet to suit up for a game this season. Selected 37th overall in 2016, he has just 33 NHL games under his belt thus far.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

COVID Notes: Protocol Changes, Fletcher, AHL

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As noted this morning by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the NHL is instituting some changes to the in-arena COVID protocols. James Mirtle of The Athletic examines the changes, which include the removal of the glass behind the benches. In the memo, the league explains the change:

To allow for air flow to more easily move away from the benches where Players and Coahces are in close proximity to on another during games, Clubs/Arenas shall remove the partitions of shielding that are behind the home and visiting team benches.

In Mirtle’s piece, he explains that some team personnel are “on edge” about whether the season can be completed. Yesterday, the league had 40 players on the COVID Protocol Related Absence list and three teams–Buffalo, New Jersey, and Minnesota–with their facilities currently shutdown and games postponed due to an outbreak.  The only division safe from disruption so far has been the North, which has not yet seen a game postponed this season.

  • It’s not just players and coaches that have to deal with the reality of COVID-19. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Philadelphia Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher tested positive for the virus last month and had to isolate in a hotel. The front office executive is now out of isolation and recovered. The league’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list is only for players and does not include staff—like Fletcher or Buffalo head coach Ralph Krueger—that have tested positive or required isolation for close contact.
  • The AHL is trying to start their season tomorrow, meaning they’ll have to deal with their own COVID struggles. That started today when two games were postponed already. Due to league protocols, the Cleveland Monsters are unable to travel to Rockford to face the IceHogs on Friday and Saturday. The Chicago Wolves will play Rockford on Saturday instead. While the league has officially listed those games as “postponed” on the schedule, it is not at all clear if they will actually be rescheduled for some point down the line.

Braydon Coburn Clears Waivers

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Feb 4: Coburn has cleared waivers. Almost immediately, the Senators moved him to the taxi squad and recalled Brannstrom.

Feb 3: The Ottawa Senators have placed Braydon Coburn on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The veteran defenseman carries a cap hit of $1.7MM this season and was part of the cap-clearing package acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason.

Coburn, 35, is only a few months away from winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, though he certainly wasn’t a huge part of their postseason run. He suited up just three times during the playoffs and ended up traded along with Cedric Paquette and a draft pick as part of Tampa’s attempt to get cap compliant. In eight games this season with the Senators (which include seven losses), he has one point and has averaged just over 17 minutes a night.

In a corresponding move, it appears as though Erik Brannstrom may be getting his next NHL opportunity. The Senators have recalled the young defenseman to the taxi squad while sending Jonathan Aspirot back to the minor leagues. Should Coburn clear tomorrow, he could be swapped with Brannstrom and end up on the taxi squad as a depth piece.

That’s likely where he should be as the Senators try to develop their young core, but it certainly isn’t what he was hoping for. Coburn was a very well-liked teammate in Tampa Bay, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain at times. Where his career goes from here isn’t clear, though he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

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