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Archives for April 2021

Snapshots: Rossi, Draft Odds, All-Star Game, Nosek

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In late January, the Wild announced that Marco Rossi wouldn’t play this season due to “complications from COVID”.  In a harrowing interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), the 19-year-old revealed that he was diagnosed with myocarditis (a heart inflammation) and that his life could have been in serious danger had Austria moved on to the medal round at the World Juniors.  The great news is that Rossi is doing well and the plan is for him to start ramping up to on-ice training in the coming weeks as he looks to try to return for next season.

More from around the hockey world:

  • With the Arizona Coyotes forfeiting their first-round pick this season as a result of last year’s fitness testing violation and the fact they’re not in a playoff spot at the moment, it had the potential to affect the June 2nd draft lottery. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the league will not do a redistribution of odds if Arizona’s pick winds up in the lottery.  Instead, they’ll keep them as they normally are and simply redraw if Arizona’s number combination is drawn.  As a reminder, Seattle will have the third-highest odds for those proceedings.
  • Seravalli also relays that the NHL intends to hold an All-Star Game next season. While that alone isn’t notable, the league typically shied away from doing so in years that they intend to participate in the Olympics with the last time both events happened being back in 2002.  Seravalli notes that the plan is for them to find a way to squeeze it in even with the extended break so this shouldn’t be construed as a sign that they won’t be participating.  As things stand, the NHL and NHLPA are believed to be pushing to finalize things with the IOC within the next month or so.
  • While Tomas Nosek won’t be returning right away from the injury he suffered over the weekend, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he expects to have the veteran available by the time the playoffs start next month. The veteran has 18 points in 38 games this season while averaging 13:00 per night.

Devils Working On Extension With Tom Fitzgerald

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Tom Fitzgerald’s situation in New Jersey has been a bit of an odd one.  While he was elevated to the full-time GM role for this season, the removal of the interim tag back in July didn’t come with a contract extension which meant that he was entering the final year of his contract.  It appears that ownership is pleased with how things are going as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the two sides are now working on a contract extension.

It hasn’t been a great season on the ice for the Devils this season as they entered tonight’s game against Philadelphia with a 14-27-7 record and will miss the playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine years.  However, it has also been a tough year on the injury front while the team was hit hard by COVID-19 which derailed some early-season momentum they had.  Their younger players including Jack Hughes, Ty Smith, Pavel Zacha, and Mackenzie Blackwood have taken some steps forward this season which is encouraging for the future.

So too is Fitzgerald’s limited trade history.  After securing a first-round pick and Nolan Foote for Blake Coleman last season while in the interim role, he was able to land a first-round selection back at the trade deadline for Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, giving them some extra chips to build with.  He also used his cap space for some low-cost adds last fall with the additions of Ryan Murray and Andreas Johnsson to build up their depth.

The true test for Fitzgerald – assuming a new deal does get worked out – will be selling New Jersey as a destination for impact free agents which has been a challenge in recent years.  They’ll have ample cap room to work with (more than $37MM per CapFriendly) which is notable at a time when many teams will still be tight to the Upper Limit but he will need to be able to add a significant piece or two to truly start to elevate the Devils from their rebuild.

Injury Updates: Panthers, Avalanche, Sabres Goalies, Watson

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The Panthers are in a battle for first place in the Central Division but will be without a few regulars for a little while.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goalie Chris Driedger has been ruled out for the rest of the road trip which takes him out for the next three games though he isn’t expected to be out much longer than that.  Winger Patric Hornqvist is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Meanwhile, winger Carter Verhaeghe isn’t expected to play on the trip either, notes David Wilson of the Miami Herald.  As a result, Florida entered tonight’s game down two of their top four scorers plus their top netminder statistically.  Between that and Carolina holding two games in hand, the Panthers will have their work cut out for them if they want to secure that top seed.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Logan O’Connor have both suffered setbacks in their recoveries from upper- and lower-body injuries respectively, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Byram was recently taken off the COVID-Protocol Related Absences (CPRA) List but his injury preceded his placement there.  As for O’Connor, he has been out since the end of March.  Both players are now listed as week-to-week.
  • On the other hand, Colorado is set to get several key regulars back as com’s Rick Sadowski mentions that wingers Mikko Rantanen and Joonas Donskoi plus goalie Philipp Grubauer could all return to the lineup on Friday. Those three were on the CPRA list until recently as well and would undoubtedly provide a boost to the Avalanche’s lineup as they look to chase down Vegas for the top seed in the West.
  • The Sabres are unlikely to have goaltenders Linus Ullmark or Carter Hutton return this season, reports Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Ullmark has not yet resumed skating after suffering a lower-body injury two weeks ago while interim head coach Don Granato noted that Hutton recently had a setback after resuming skating as he worked his way back from a leg issue.  That means that Dustin Tokarski and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely remain Buffalo’s tandem for the rest of the year.
  • The Senators have ruled out a return for winger Austin Watson this season, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). Watson suffered a wrist injury back in late March, one that carried a four-to-six week recovery time and it appears it will be the latter with him not returning.  He wraps up his first year with Ottawa with 10 points, 40 penalty minutes, and 100 hits in 34 games.

Alex Nedeljkovic To Avoid Group VI Unrestricted Free Agency

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At the beginning of the season, Alex Nedeljkovic seemed like his time in the Carolina Hurricanes organization was running out. Despite being the 37th overall pick in 2014 and having lots of success at the minor league level, the undersized goaltender hadn’t really ever been given a chance in the NHL. It seemed the Hurricanes were ready to move on when they claimed Anton Forsberg off waivers and then exposed the 25-year-old Nedeljkovic to the rest of the league, but when he went unclaimed, plans changed. He could then be put on the taxi squad, meaning Forsberg was suddenly expendable.

But still, a split between the Hurricanes and Nedeljkovic was fast approaching. Given his age and minimal NHL experience, he was a prime candidate to be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. He would be able to sign with whatever team he wanted and the Hurricanes would essentially lose him a few years early. Unless, of course, they found 20 games for him somehow in this shortened 56-game schedule. That seemed impossible with Petr Mrazek and James Reimer both on the roster, given he’d only played in six NHL games previously.

The impossible has happened, as Nedeljkovic was given an opportunity to run with the starting job when Mrazek suffered a long-term injury. Now 12-4-3 on the season with an eye-popping .930 save percentage, Nedeljkovic will start his 20th game tonight, meaning he is no longer eligible for Group VI UFA status (provided he makes it through 30 minutes of this evening’s match). Instead, he will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and one of the most interesting cases to watch this offseason.

Carolina hasn’t committed yet to any goaltender for the 2021-22 season, as both Reimer and Mrazek are on expiring contracts. Both of the veterans will be unrestricted free agents. Nedelkjovic meanwhile could potentially have stolen the job long-term, if the front office believes this performance is indicative of his true talent level (or close to it). There’s a good argument to be made that he should be in consideration for the Calder and Vezina trophies as he currently leads the league in save percentage and goals-against average. He hasn’t played as much as some of the leaders—Juuse Saros, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Marc-Andre Fleury have all started at least 30 games—but as head coach Rod Brind’Amour continues to give him starts, he’s inching towards his totals being “enough” for voters to take notice.

For a goaltender who was available for nothing at the start of the season, it’s been quite the turnaround for Nedeljkovic. It’s about to pay off handsomely in the offseason, even if he will be now be restricted.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dmitrij Jaskin Eyeing NHL Return

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April 27: Nothing is official yet, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that the Coyotes are indeed the frontrunner to sign Jaskin and that it could actually be a two-year deal.

April 21: Apparently, Dmitrij Jaskin can score anywhere but the NHL. That doesn’t mean he won’t give it another try. The former St. Louis Blues forward is eyeing a return to North America after two outstanding seasons in the KHL. After a report out of Russia emerged that had Jaskin signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes, Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider spoke to his agent Allain Roy. Roy confirmed that the Coyotes are one of the teams they are talking to, but that no decision has been made yet.

Jaskin, 28, has dominated the KHL the last two years, scoring 69 goals and 123 points in 117 regular season games. He’s been nearly a point-per-game player in the playoffs too, registering eight goals and 14 points in 16 postseason contests. That performance correlates with the incredible scoring numbers that Jaskin put up in his one season of CHL hockey–46 goals and 99 points in just 51 games with the Moncton Wildcats. He was a strong offensive player in the AHL too, but just couldn’t ever seem to find that consistency with the Blues. In 327 career NHL games, all but 37 of them coming with St. Louis, Jaskin scored just 73 points.

Still, you can understand why an NHL team would be interested in giving the 6’2″ 224-lbs forward another shot. His last contract carried just a $1.1MM salary and it’s hard to believe he’ll be able to land substantially more than that upon his return–at least not right away. Even though his KHL numbers have been off the charts, there’s still a lot of proving Jaskin would have to do to convince an NHL team he can be a regular in the top-six. Blues fans that don’t want to go down that road again need not worry; Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweets that the Blues are not on Jaskin’s list of interested teams.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/27/21

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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:

Anaheim – Adam Henrique
Calgary – Josh Leivo
New Jersey – P.K. Subban, Jonas Siegenthaler

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: None

The NHL will take days like this, with no one added and no one removed. Henrique hasn’t been joined by any other Ducks, while Leivo remains the only Flames player several days after his original addition.

As Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes, teams around the league were told that there will be serious consequences for any postseason COVID outbreaks that result from not following protocols. That could even include the forfeiture of a series, something that would be a disaster for everyone involved. Hopefully, nothing like that occurs as we move into the Stanley Cup playoffs in the coming weeks.

*denotes new addition

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/27/21

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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

  • The St. Louis Blues have assigned Mitch Reinke to the taxi squad, sending Dakota Joshua to the AHL’s Utica Comets in the process. Reinke has recorded 12 points in 18 games for Utica this season but hasn’t seen NHL ice since 2018.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have sent Kodie Curran to the AHL and replaced him on the taxi squad with Trevor Carrick. Neither one has played an NHL game this season, which is somewhat surprising given Curran’s success in the SHL the last two years.
  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Ivan Chekhovich and Alexander True back to the AHL where they have spent most of this season. True, a 23-year-old undrafted forward, has 20 points in 27 games for the San Jose Barracuda.  Joel Kellman and Fredrik Handemark were also sent down, per CapFriendly, with True being recalled later in the day back to the taxi squad.  Greg Pateryn, Joachim Blichfeld, and Alexander Barabanov were also all sent back to the taxi squad.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have returned Kiefer Sherwood and Miikka Salomaki to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Sherwood has two assists in eight games with the Avs while Salomaki, a veteran of 167 career NHL games, has yet to suit up with Colorado this season.

North Division

  • The Winnipeg Jets have returned Dominic Toninato to the AHL, where he has two goals in two games this season. The 27-year-old played 46 games for the Panthers last season but has yet to play in the NHL this year.

Central Division

  • The time has come for Joe Veleno, who the Detroit Red Wings recalled from the taxi squad today. Veleno is expected to make his NHL debut after spending this season in Sweden playing for Malmo in the SHL. The Red Wings have also done their daily goalie swap, recalling Kaden Fulcher to the taxi squad and sending Kevin Boyle back to the AHL. They have also added Hayden Verbeek to the taxi squad.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have returned Joakim Ryan to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Ryan has played in the last three games while on an emergency loan, being shifted back to the taxi squad on non-gamedays.
  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi from the taxi squad to the active roster, and both will be in tonight against the Predators.
  • The Dallas Stars are giving Ty Dellandrea a chance to get some game action in, sending him to the minors.  He has played just once since April 9th, hardly an ideal situation for one of their better prospects. The 20-year-old has five points in 26 NHL games this season.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought up Callan Foote from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Foote, a 2017 first-rounder, has averaged 13:00 per game in 34 games this season.

East Division

  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Trent Frederic from the taxi squad while sending Jeremy Swayman back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Frederic has played in 36 games so far this season while Swayman has impressed in limited action, posting a .946 SV% in seven starts and should get another chance soon.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have brought up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  He’s expected to make his second career NHL start tonight.
  • The New Jersey Devils have promoted Nolan Foote and Connor Carrick from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Foote made his NHL debut earlier this month and has a point in each of the two games he played while Carrick has been held off the scoresheet in five games.  In corresponding moves, Colton White was assigned to the taxi squad while Fabian Zetterlund was recalled to the taxi squad.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers are giving Yegor Zamula his NHL debut night, recalling him from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 21-year-old has five assists in 17 games with Lehigh Valley of the AHL this season.  Andy Andreoff was also brought up from the taxi squad.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Roby Jarventie Signs With Ottawa Senators

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The Ottawa Senators continue to add talented prospects to the organization, this time signing Roby Jarventie to a three-year entry-level contract. CapFriendly reports that the contract carries a $925K cap hit for all three seasons and does not have any performance bonuses.  The deal will begin in the 2021-22 season, though since Jarventie is still just 18, it could slide forward again depending on where he spends next year. For the remainder of this season, Jarventie will join the Belleville Senators on an amateur tryout following the required quarantine period.

Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on his newest prospect:

We’re pleased to get Roby under contract at such an early stage of his development. He has already demonstrated good promise as a goal scorer while using what is both a good shot and good hockey sense. He’s competitive and has a knack for getting to the net. Acclimatizing to the North American game for the remainder of this season should prove valuable for him.

Jarventie was selected 33rd overall at the 2020 draft, but because of the three first-round picks the Senators had, will join the organization with a little less fanfare than usual for such a high second-round pick. Doubting his upside is a mistake though, as the 6’2″ winger played very well in his first full season in Liiga, Finland’s highest tier. In 48 games for Ilves Tampere, Jarventie recorded 14 goals and 25 points.

Using his big frame to protect the puck, Jarventie can create offense off the cycle instead of being rush-dependant, something that will come in handy at the next level. Transitioning to the speed of the North American game may be difficult at first, but the Senators obviously believe he’s ready to test himself against AHL opponents already. Whether he stays with Belleville next season or returns to Finland isn’t clear, but it is unlikely he challenges for a roster spot in Ottawa during 2021-22.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Justin Barron

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Just when you thought the Colorado Avalanche had enough young defensemen, here comes Justin Barron. The 2020 first-round pick has signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche after a strong (albeit shortened) season in the QMJHL. Barron will report to the Colorado Eagles immediately.

CapFriendly reports that the deal carries a $925K cap hit (the entry-level maximum) in all three seasons with performance bonuses of $212.5K in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and $275K in 2023-24.

When the Avalanche took to the (virtual) podium last October to make their first-round selection, many expected them to go with a forward. The team already had names like Samuel Girard and Cale Makar leading the way in the NHL, with Bowen Byram set to debut soon enough and Conor Timmins working his way back from injury. But instead of drafting for organizational need, the Avalanche went with the player they deemed the best available, a right-handed defenseman from the Halifax Mooseheads.

Soon after, concern emerged over Barron’s future as he was diagnosed with a blood clot. The Mooseheads announced he would be out indefinitely, but after missing some time, he received a clean bill of health. Barron would join Canada at the World Juniors and captain Halifax this year, scoring 31 points in 33 QMJHL games. The 6’2″ defenseman doesn’t have the offensive upside of someone like Byram, but is a rock-solid two-way option that you can rely on to eat big minutes in all situations.

That kind of style could make him a perfect fit on the Avalanche in the coming years, who will have more than enough offense generated from their other young guns. Barron will turn 20 in November and should climb the depth chart quickly once he jumps into professional hockey.

Dallas Stars Sign Jacob Peterson

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The Dallas Stars have signed another one of their prospects, this time inking Jacob Peterson to a two-year entry-level contract. Peterson spent this season with Farjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League and could have become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June 1.

Just 21 until later this summer, Peterson scored 14 goals and 33 points in 46 this season, breaking out offensively after flashing his potential the last two years. The fifth-round pick from 2017 has already outshone his draft position and will now get a chance to test himself at the professional level in North America. Per CapFriendly, the deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $842.5K.  Peterson will likely need some time in the minor leagues to get acclimated before pushing for an NHL opportunity.

If Peterson can hit, the 2017 draft is starting to look like one of legend for the Stars. It started with Miro Heiskanen at the top of the draft, but the team also added future starter Jake Oettinger at 26 and potential Calder Trophy candidate Jason Robertson at 39. Even Dylan Ferguson, the Stars’ seventh-round pick that year has made his NHL debut, though that came in a time of desperation for the Vegas Golden Knights while the young goaltender was still in junior hockey.

Earlier this year, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Peterson as the Stars’ 11th-best prospect, noting that though he is polished and has some “interesting qualities,” he may top out as a very good minor league player for the organization. It’s up to him now to prove that incorrect.

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