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Archives for April 2021

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/22/21

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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:

West Division

North Division

  • The Winnipeg Jets have reorganized their taxi squad today, sending Nelson Nogier, Joona Luoto and Dominic Toninato down to the AHL. C.J. Suess and Luke Green have been recalled from the Manitoba Moose to take their place for the time being.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned Guillaume Brisebois to the Utica Comets after he spent some time filling in on the taxi squad and even playing for the NHL team a few days ago.
  • Stefan Noesen showed up at Toronto Maple Leafs practice today, joining the taxi squad now that his quarantine is over. The depth forward had been in the minor leagues for the Sharks before a trade brought him to Canada at the deadline.

Central Division

  • Just like most days, the Detroit Red Wings have flipped their practice goaltenders, sending Kaden Fulcher to the taxi squad and Kevin Boyle to the AHL.

East Division

This page will be updated throughout the day

North Notes: Hyman, Podkolzin, Dubois

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Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman is in the midst of a career season offensively although he has now been slowed with a lower-body injury that will keep him out for a couple of weeks at least.  Given his improvement in that end, his stock is on the rise as he gets set to enter the UFA market for the first time this summer.  On the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted that a poll of several executives around the league pegged Hyman’s likely next contract anywhere between $4.5MM and $5.5MM, a significant raise on his current $2.25MM AAV.  With Toronto already having nearly $70MM in commitments to just 15 players for next season, per CapFriendly, they may need to get creative to find a way to keep the 28-year-old in the fold and still be able to fill out the roster with what’s expected to be a flat $81.5MM salary cap once again.

Elsewhere in the North Division:

  • At the beginning of the season, it was expected that the Canucks would bring top prospect Vasili Podkolzin over to North America at the end of his KHL season and have him burn the first year of his entry-level deal for the stretch run. However, his agent Sergey Isakov told Sport 24’s Maxim Samartsev that Podkolzin will instead stay in Russia and focus on earning a spot with their entry into next month’s World Championships.  It’s a logical decision as by the time that Podkolzin secures a work visa and gets through quarantine, Vancouver’s season would be close to over if not finished already.  The 20-year-old had 11 points in 35 games with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL this season.
  • While Patrik Laine has struggled considerably with Columbus, Pierre-Luc Dubois hasn’t fit in all that well with the Jets either; his 20 points in 35 games are certainly below the expectations they had for him. Along the way, he has changed position a few times.  However, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters, including Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun, that Dubois is being moved back to center for at least the next couple of weeks as they look to get their lines set for the playoffs.  Dubois had been on the wing with Blake Wheeler out of the lineup and also started there but with the price that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff paid for him, it’s clear that they envision him as a middleman for the long-term future.

NHL Targeting October 12 Start For The 2021-22 Season

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There has been an expectation that the NHL would look to have an abbreviated offseason this summer in an effort to try to get back to more of a normal calendar for the 2021-22 campaign.  It appears that this is indeed the case as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that general managers were told in today’s meeting that October 12th has been set as the target start date for next season.

That would be only about a week later than the normal start date which would allow them to get back to more of a regular schedule.  Doing so also would allow them to hold close to a full-length training camp with LeBrun noting that the target date for those is September 22nd assuming there are no further delays to the schedule (or anything happen over the summer to change those plans).

At the beginning of this season, the plan was to hold the Entry Draft on July 23rd and 24th with free agency starting up on the 28th.  Considering the regular season schedule has been pushed back a couple of times since then, it’s uncertain if those will remain intact or get pushed back slightly.  Either way, with already less than a two-month gap between the original start to free agency and the desired start of training camps, it should be a quicker-paced offseason than it was last year.

West Notes: Garland, Nieto, Avalanche

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Losing a top point producer is never ideal but especially so in the midst of a playoff race.  However, it appears that the Coyotes are in that situation as Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that winger Conor Garland suffered a knee injury at practice on Tuesday and that there is internal concern that he will miss significant time.  The 25-year-old is tied for second on Arizona in scoring with 10 goals and 22 assists in 45 games while logging over 17 minutes a night so any extended absence would significantly hurt their chances of snagging the last playoff spot in the West Division; they sit one point up on St. Louis but the Blues have three games in hand.  Garland isn’t playing tonight and the team should know more about his status over the next day or two.

More from the West Division:

  • Sharks winger Matt Nieto could return this season, or not. That’s certainly an odd way to update the status of a player but head coach Bob Boughner told Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News (Twitter link) that it’s possible that Nieto can play next week but at the same time, “it might be a marginal call whether he goes back in or not”.  Nieto has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last month and it appears that they are going to ere on the side of caution when he is cleared and if there isn’t enough time left in the year (or they fall out of the playoff race entirely), he could just be shut down.  Nieto has five goals and two assists in 28 games this season.
  • While Bowen Byram is now off the CPRA list, he will not accompany the Avalanche on their three-game road trip to St. Louis, reports Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 19-year-old rookie has played in 19 games so far this season, recording a pair of assists while logging 17:31 on the back end.  Assuming he’s able to suit up after this trip, he’ll have a couple of weeks to work on his conditioning before the playoffs get underway.  Meanwhile, Baugh adds that winger Logan O’Connor, who suffered a lower-body injury at the end of March, is on the trip.  Initially an injury fill-in, O’Connor has three goals and two assists in 22 games this season.

NHL Issues More Schedule Updates

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The NHL schedule maker has completed another shift, moving things around to try and fit in 56 games for all 31 teams. The Colorado Avalanche were the team that precipitated changes this time thanks to their recent COVID situation, but other teams in the West Division will also be affected.

The changes are as follows:

  • Game #191, Colorado at St. Louis, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for Monday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET
  • Game #762, St. Louis at Minnesota, scheduled for April 26, is now scheduled for Thursday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Game #207, St. Louis at Minnesota, scheduled for May 12, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Game #764, Colorado at Vegas, scheduled for April 26, is now scheduled for Monday, May 10 at 10 p.m. ET
  • Game #688, Los Angeles at Colorado, scheduled for April 16, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #790, Minnesota at St. Louis, scheduled for April 30, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Game #162, Vegas at San Jose, scheduled for May 10, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #704, Los Angeles at Colorado, scheduled for April 18, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #803, Minnesota at St. Louis, scheduled for May 1, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 8 p.m. ET

Of note, two games are now scheduled for May 13, extending the regular season for all four teams involved. The original plan was to have the season done by May 8, but that is obviously out the window after many of the league’s teams have experienced coronavirus outbreaks.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/21/21

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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. Here is today’s list:

Colorado – Philipp Grubauer, Joonas Donskoi, Mikko Rantanen
New Jersey – P.K. Subban

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: Dmitry Kulikov, Edmonton Oilers; Erik Gustafsson, Montreal Canadiens; Nick Foligno, Toronto Maple Leafs; Ben Hutton, Toronto Maple Leafs

Today’s report is about as good as the NHL could have hoped for. Just four names remain and the Avalanche did not have any further positive test results. Colorado is getting ready to return from their short shutdown, though they’ll still have to operate without three important players.

For the Maple Leafs, their trade deadline acquisitions have cleared, meaning they can use Foligno to help fill the role left by the injured Zach Hyman and Hutton to fill that left by Zach Bogosian. The team is coming off two embarrassing losses to the Canucks and will take all the help they can get.

*denotes new addition

Max Veronneau Staying In Sweden

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When Max Veronneau’s career at Princeton came to an end, there were more than 25 NHL teams trying to sign the undrafted free agent. He ended up inking a two-year entry-level deal with his hometown Ottawa Senators and entered their lineup almost immediately. At the end of the 2018-19 season, he played in 12 NHL games, recording four points.

Unfortunately, that was the highlight of his professional career so far. The next season Veronneau would find himself stuck in the minor leagues and then eventually traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he would play just three games for the Toronto Marlies before the COVID crisis shut down the AHL. At the end of the season, the Maple Leafs decided not to extend him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent once again.

He ended up going to Sweden to play for IK Oskarshamn, where he got back to the scoring ways he had been so used to in his college career. Though 25 SHL games, the 25-year-old forward recorded 12 goals and 18 points. Now, with a decision to make on where to take his career, Veronneau will stay in Sweden for a while longer. He has signed a two-year deal with Leksands IF that will keep him in the SHL through the 2022-23 season.

Connected at various times to teams like the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings, Veronneau’s decision to sign in Ottawa has certainly sent his career in an interesting direction. He’ll be a player to watch when he hits free agency again in two years, though perhaps just as a depth player if he decides to bring his talents back to North America.

Oskar Back Signs With Dallas Stars

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12:30 PM: The Stars have made the deal official. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

11:54 AM: Though the team has yet to make an official announcement, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas News reports that the Stars have signed Oskar Back to his entry-level contract. The young forward recently finished his second full season in the SHL and will be signing a three-year deal.

Back, 21, recorded four goals and 14 points in 52 games for Farjestad BK, but more importantly, continued his development as a top checking forward. That’s where his future lies if he is to ever crack an NHL roster, using his size and mobility to shadow the other team’s best players. Selected 75th overall in 2018, there’s not a ton of offensive upside in Back, but the Stars obviously believe he can still be an asset to the organization at some level.

The Stars have just 26 player contracts handed out for next season, with a ton of players hitting free agency in one form or another. Back should be able to find room in the minor leagues to play substantial minutes unless the team feels it necessary to send him back to the SHL for further development. At any rate, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in a Dallas uniform pretty quickly, though his potential to play more than just a fourth-line role is limited.

Morning Notes: Women’s Worlds, Seattle, Tryamkin

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The IIHF Women’s World Championship will be canceled for the second year in a row, according to Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek. The event was scheduled to take place in Halifax next month, but is now being shelved because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Canada. It’s difficult to keep seeing international events go down, but this one was especially important as teams from around the world prepared for the 2022 Olympics. They now will have to go another year without facing each other in the top annual tournament.

Update: The tournament in Halifax has been officially canceled, but the IIHF notes that “this does not mean that we will not have a Women’s World Championship in 2021.” Hockey Canada and the international organization will attempt to find another host city in the coming months.

More from around the hockey world:

  • The Seattle Kraken don’t have official standing in the league just yet so can’t make any signings or complete trades, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been in touch with teams around the league. Pierre LeBrun and Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic examine six situations that could be ripe for an expansion draft deal, including one in Tampa Bay where the Lightning already have more salary committed to next season than they’re allowed to under the cap. Bolts’ GM Julien BriseBois will need to move out some contracts this summer and who better than the expansion Kraken to take a performing-but-overpaid forward off their hands.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are a great story to watch down the stretch as they try to make a postseason run following their huge COVID outbreak, but the front office will have to be a little more forward-looking in the days to come. One of those future moves could be bringing back Nikita Tryamkin, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that the club will engage with the hulking defenseman in the next few days. Tryamkin has spent the last four seasons in the KHL where he has continued to develop into a legitimate two-way force, using his 6’7″ frame effectively all over the ice. The Russian defenseman’s agent Todd Diamond was on Donnie and Dhali just this week, saying he believes his client is ready for an NHL return.

New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Karl Henriksson

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April 21: The Rangers have officially announced the deal.

April 20: Another night, another signing by the New York Rangers, who continue to look ahead to next year despite still chasing down a playoff spot in the East Division this year. This time, they have come to terms with a top prospect to his entry-level contract. CapFriendly reports that the Rangers are set to sign forward Karl Henriksson to a three-year ECL, beginning in 2021-22, that carries an AAV of $870K. The breakdown of the contract is as follows:

2021-22: $750K base salary + 92.5K signing bonus + $82.5K games played bonus
2022-23: $750K base salary + 92.5K signing bonus + $82.5K games played bonus
2023-24: $832.5K base salary + 92.5K signing bonus

Henriksson, 20, was the Rangers’ second-round pick in 2019 out of the SHL’s Frolunda HC. A 200-foot center with great vision and play-making ability, Henriksson has continued to impress even in limited minutes as Sweden’s top level. He also was a late exclusion from Sweden’s World Juniors roster this year due to COVID-19 protocols. Regardless, New York has seen enough to ink the young pivot and see what he can do in North America.

Henriksson is yet another promising young prospect for the Rangers, but could be one of the more important names in the system due to his position. While the Blueshirts have lucked into elite prospect wingers in Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere over the past two seasons and have tremendous youthful talent on the blue line and in goal, but center is the one critical area of need. Henriksson perhaps represents New York’s best hope of finding a top-six center internally among their current prospects. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a young player who will be making his first trip to North America, but they hope that the Swedish standout can answer the call.

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