Tampa Bay Recalls Vermin, Bournival From Syracuse
With Ryan Callahan still nursing an injury and a few other players banged up, the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Joel Vermin and Michael Bournival from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
Neither player has suited up for the Lightning this year, however both have had good starts in the AHL. Signed to a one-year, two-way deal this summer, Bournival has 11 points in 17 games for the Crunch. A 24-year old former third-round pick, he has 89 games of NHL experience with the Montreal Canadiens. Expected to be a strong scorer when he was drafted, the next two seasons in Shawinigan were solid but not spectacular, and he’s turned into a bottom-six only type in his short professional career.
For Vermin, this is familiar ground having been called up by the team last season for six games. A smaller Swiss forward, Vermin has shown his capability as an energy guy who uses his speed to force turnovers. The Lightning will need some of that energy, as they’re currently on a three game losing streak and have fallen to third in the Atlantic Division.
Injury Notes: Dano, Oshie, Niskanen
Every hockey player that’s played without a full face-cage has experienced it, that almost-painless moment when you get a stick in the face. The rage boils over you just before the pain rolls in, and you get blood on your brand new gloves. Marko Dano knows it well, after taking a stick from Kyle Quincey in last night’s Winnipeg-New Jersey game. The anger has subsided, and the forward happily celebrated the laceration on twitter today. “Finally look like a real hockey player”.
Dano left the game in the first period and didn’t return, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to play in the Jets’ next game. In the photo he sent out, his eye is almost swollen shut. The 22-year old has just six points in fifteen games this season, but looks like he’ll be able to contribute more down the road.
- T.J. Oshie returned to Capitals practice today, but didn’t participate in any contact drills according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. Interestingly, Oshie spent most of the practice paired with Taylor Chorney on defense. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that Oshie is unlikely to play this week, although the forward didn’t rule it out himself.
- More good news from Capitals practice. Matt Niskanen was a full participant today, taking his regular turn with Karl Alzner during all drills. The defenseman has been out since Saturday with a lower-body injury, but seems fully recovered and is expected to play tomorrow when the New York Islanders come to town.
- With the best news of all, Dave Strader returned to the Dallas Stars broadcast booth last night after being diagnosed with cancer this summer. In a touching video, Strader calls out the starting lineups for the Stars in the dressing room, with the team giving him an encouraging cheer after each name. Strader has been a voice in hockey for almost four decades, and though he says he’s not strong enough to call a game just yet, we can’t wait to hear him again.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Scott Wedgewood Undergoes Surgery, Out Six Months
The New Jersey Devils announced today that goaltender Scott Wedgewood underwent successful shoulder surgery today and will be sidelined for approximately six months. The surgery was to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Wedgewood suffered the injury on Friday November 19th, when he relieved AHL backup Mackenzie Blackwood against the Binghamton Senators.
This is the same shoulder that Wedgewood injured last season and forced him to miss time. This summer, the netminder was one of the final cuts from the New Jersey training camp to the surprise of many. With outstanding AHL numbers in 2015-16 (when he was healthy), many believed that he was ready to step up to an NHL job. Instead, he cleared waivers and was assigned to Albany where he’d been playing well again. In 10 games this season he was 5-3-0 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA.
The baby-Devils will now ask two rookie goaltenders to fill the pipes for them, as Blackwood and Ken Appleby are the current duo. While Blackwood has struggled in eight games, Appleby has performed extremely well since a callup from the ECHL. In three games, the 21-year old is undefeated with a .932 save percentage. While Blackwood was the Devils’ second-round pick in 2015, Appleby went undrafted after playing his junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.
Injury Notes: Little, McNabb, Toews
The Winnipeg Jets have scored a respectable 62 goals in 24 games, and they’ve done it without one of their top weapons. Bryan Little has been out since being injured just two and a half minutes into his season, but will return tonight against the New Jersey Devils on home ice. The 29-year old is a proven goal scorer in the NHL, with 163 to his name including four seasons of 20+. The Jets have placed Nic Petan on injured reserve retroactive to November 27th to make room.
While the media has focused on the Jets’ lack of faceoff success, Little thinks he can help the team in that department.
That’s one of my goals to come back. It’s something I feel like I can be good at right away again, to get back into the faceoff dot. I see the guys working on it every day, they’re talking to the coaches, watching video and practicing in practice.
I think we can all help each other a bit. Throughout the game we take faceoffs against different centermen on the other team…we’ve got some good communication through the centers of trying to work through things.
Little is actually a 48.6% faceoff man throughout his career, though he won just over half of his draws last season which led the Winnipeg centers.
- According to Jon Rosen of NHL.com, Brayden McNabb took to the ice today for the first time since injuring his collarbone on October 29th. While he didn’t take part in any drills, it’s a step in the right direction for the big defenseman. Rosen passes on from head coach Darryl Sutter that McNabb is still “at least a month away”. The 25-year old had been logging over 20 minutes a night for the Los Angeles Kings before being injured, skating alongside Drew Doughty in what was considered by some to be the second-best pairing in the league. The Kings, not short on defenders, have continued to be tough to score against even without McNabb or Jonathan Quick, who remains out.
- Jonathan Toews will miss his third straight game tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Florida Panthers. The team captain was seen in street clothes while the team was practicing, meaning his return might not be imminent. Chicago is 1-1-1 without Toews in the lineup, having lost to the Kings in overtime on Saturday.
Darren Dreger On Dougie Hamilton
TSN Insider Darren Dreger was on Naylor & Landsberg in Toronto this morning to talk about the possibility of a Dougie Hamilton trade out of Calgary and the interest of the Maple Leafs. While Dreger downplayed the idea that anything has been discussed between the Maple Leafs and Flames, he admitted that he believes Hamilton is still available for the right price.
I think that Toronto should be intrigued by Dougie Hamilton. But as (TSN analyst) Ray Ferraro just pointed out, Hamilton is valued by the Calgary Flames. His game has improved over the past three weeks to a month, and big…young, right-shot d-men are hard to find.
(General manager Brad) Treliving is at a place where if someone’s calling he’s willing to listen, but we in the media have done the bidding. Hamilton’s name is out there because we continue to talk about it – right or wrong.
I think that Calgary is at least willing to listen…maybe Treliving does something significant like this, not just with Toronto, but moving Hamilton or a bigger piece to shake up the core.
Dreger mentions that Arizona and other teams called in on Hamilton at the NHL draft, though obviously nothing materialized from those talks. The defenseman is signed long-term, inking a six-year $34.5MM deal before the beginning of last season. He’s an interesting piece to basically the whole league, as his potential is still mouth-wateringly high despite his rough start in Calgary.
Hamilton was drafted with Toronto’s first-round pick in 2011, only by the Boston Bruins. The team acquired the selection in the initial Phil Kessel deal (along with #2 overall in 2010 – Tyler Seguin) but traded the hulking defenseman to the Flames last summer for a package of draft picks. Dreger seems convinced that the rumors of Hamilton returning to Toronto should be put to sleep, as Trelving answered him quite candidly the last time they spoke.
I asked Brad Treliving point blank yesterday if he had anything going on with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I didn’t suggest Hamilton, I just said anything. His response was: ‘Nothing. Zero.’ When managers tell you that specifically, that bluntly, it means they don’t want that conversation to continue on, because there’s nothing there at least for the moment.
Travis Moen Retires From Professional Hockey
After fourteen years and 747 career games, veteran forward Travis Moen has announced that he will retire from professional hockey. The 34-year old from Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan hadn’t found a job this season after spending the last two seasons playing sporadically with the Dallas Stars. 
Moen is perhaps best known for his shutdown play alongside Sami Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer en route to the 2007 Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. Their play helped the Ducks run roughshod over the rest of the league in those playoffs, losing only five games total. Moen actually was credited with the Cup-winning goal, though it was put into the net by Chris Phillips in one of the biggest NHL bloopers of all time.
The winger would then spend time with the San Jose Sharks before playing for the Montreal Canadiens for parts of six seasons. Though his offensive game never hit that 2006-07 high again, he remained an effective penalty killer and bottom-six checking forward for much of his time there.
Across the 747 games, Moen scored 59 goals and 136 points. He played in a whopping 83 playoff games, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. Always playing with an edge, and willing to drop the mitts at a moment’s notice, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move into a coaching role one day, as many checking forwards have before.
Roster Notes: Pulock, Hammond, Newbury
After a much-needed win last night over the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders have some more good news this morning. 22-year old defenseman Ryan Pulock has been activated off injured reserve and loaned to Bridgeport of the AHL. The former 15th-overall pick has played in just three games between the two levels this season as he dealt with a broken foot early on.
For the Islanders, Pulock’s return might be an important step in turning their season around. Expected to play a substantial role on the NHL blueline this year, the right-handed shot would slide in nicely beside Calvin de Haan if the team chose that route. He’ll look to get his game back on track at the lower level and force a callup. Last season, Pulock played in 15 NHL contests, notching four points. Even without him, the Islanders have one of the youngest bluelines in the league with Dennis Seidenberg out with a broken jaw.
- According to the AHL transactions page, recently waived goaltender Andrew Hammond has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators prior to tonight’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. Despite the call up, Bruce Garrioch reports that Craig Anderson was first off the ice and will start tonight after winning both games this weekend, allowing just a single goal in the process. The Senators are on a four-game winning streak thanks in big part to the 35-year old netminder who currently carries a .936 save percentage through 17 games.
- Veteran AHL forward Kris Newbury has signed on with the Charlotte Checkers after being released from his Bakersfield PTO. The 34-year old has never been able to find NHL success despite scoring at an impressive rate in the AHL. Newbury has 567 career minor-league points, but has been used exclusively as a fourth-liner grinder and fighter during his short NHL stints around the league.
Senators Call Up Forward McCormick From Binghamton
Preparing to play the second half of back-to-back games tonight, the Ottawa Senators apparently have a few players battling some nagging injuries. Accordingly, the team has called up forward Max McCormick from Binghamton, as reported on Ottawa’s official website. McCormick, along with defenseman Fredrik Claesson will skate in the team’s warm-up before head coach Guy Boucher decides on the lineup for tonight.
McCormick, 24, has already appeared in four games this season for the Sens, failing to register a point while averaging just 7:26 of ice time. In 12 games for Binghamton, he has tallied three goals and four points along with 11 penalty minutes. He was originally selected by the Senators in the sixth-round of the 2011 entry draft. In 24 career NHL games, McCormick has two goals, four points and 37 penalty minutes.
Claesson has played in six games for Ottawa this season, also without netting a single point. He’s seen action in 22 NHL contests with two career assists. Claesson, like McCormick, was a 2011 draft choice, selected in the fifth-round by the Senators.
Pacific Division Notes: Boedker, Canucks, Peters, Gaudet
After losing to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final, the San Jose Sharks, with most of their roster set to return, made just a couple of minor changes in the summer. Their headline acquisition was the signing of unrestricted free agent winger Mikkel Boedker to a four-year deal worth $16MM. The Sharks concluded after watching the Penguins storm through the postseason with a quick and deep roster that they needed an infusion of skill and speed and went out on the first day of free agency and signed Boedker to add those elements.
Unfortunately for Boedker and the Sharks, the adjustment to his new team isn’t going as smoothly as hoped. Through 22 games, the Danish forward has just two goals and is averaging less than one shot per contest. Last season, Boedker scored 17 goals and averaged better than two shots per game. Despite the presence of high-end offensive talent up front, Boedker has yet to develop chemistry with any of his fellow forwards. It got bad enough last night that Sharks coach Pete DeBoer benched Boedker for the third period of a game the Sharks would lose 3 – 2, as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News writes.
DeBoer didn’t mince words in postgame comments regarding the benching:
“Again, we were behind going into the third. Some guys it was just circumstance. Some guys didn’t deserve to play.”
Ryan Carpenter and Micheal Haley, two fourth-line forwards, also didn’t play in the third but that would seem to be due to circumstance, as DeBoer put it.
It’s obviously far too early to label the Boedker signing a bust but it’s clear that 22 games in the investment isn’t paying off to this point for the Sharks.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Jason Botchford pens a piece for The Province listing 10 reasons to feel good about the Vancouver Canucks. Despite internal expectations to compete for a playoff spot, most pundits felt the team simply doesn’t have enough talent still in their prime to challenge for the postseason. Unfortunately for Vancouver, the latter group has proven write. But as Botchford points out, even in the midst of a bad season, there still can be reasons to feel good about the Canucks. Perhaps the topic most relevant for us was Botchford’s mention of Erik Gudbranson‘s potential free agent asking price. Gudbranson was acquired in an offseason deal with Florida and is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next summer. Botchford believes that a figure of $5MM annually has been floated but suggests the early struggles, both of the team and of Gudbranson, could serve to bring that number down to something more palatable for the Canucks.
- The Arizona Coyotes called up a couple of players in advance of their game today against Edmonton – a contest they would win 2 – 1. Sarah McClellan of AZ Central Sports reports that the team recalled goaltender Justin Peters from Tucson to backup starter Mike Smith. Louis Domingue is currently day-to-day with a lower-body-injury. According to Arizona head coach Dave Tippett, the injury is “nothing serious,” but the Coyotes wanted a fully healthy net minder up if needed. Meanwhile, according to KPNX 12 News Sports, Arizona also recalled center Tyler Gaudet from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Gaudet has made one other appearance this season for the Coyotes and has 17 games overall of NHL experience. In 11 games with the Roadrunners, Gaudet has two goals and seven points. Neither player saw action this afternoon for Arizona.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Vasilevskiy, Bruins, Leafs
When the Tampa Bay Lightning inked Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year contract extension this summer, a deal that doesn’t go into effect until the 2017-18 season, it appeared as if the organization was committed to the Russian net minder as its future number one goalie. With Ben Bishop set to hit free agency next July, the idea was to give Vasilevskiy about 35 starts this season to be sure he was ready to assume the load as a starter. After eight starts this season, it’s becoming clear to all that the 22-year-old is most definitely ready to be the man for the Lightning, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Vasilevskiy is 6 – 1 – 1 on the season and has a GAA of just 1.50 and a Save % of 0.951 in eight appearances. His hot start comes on the heels of helping the Lightning make it to game seven of the Eastern Conference Final against Pittsburgh last season after Bishop was injured. Vasilevskiy was solid in the postseason, stopping 0.925% of the shots he faced in eight games.
Assuming Vasilevskiy continues to develop into a quality starting option, his extension, which calls for an AAV of just $3.5MM, will prove to be a tremendous bargain for a team that already has a lot of its cap space tied up in long-term deals.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- The Boston Bruins have long been thought to be in the market for a top-four blue liner, with Kevin Shattenkirk being one name linked to the team. However, given the team’s recent offensive struggles, Bruins management may want to reconsider their plans. Joe Haggerty, of CSNNE, reports that both the players and the coaches are becoming frustrated with the team’s lackluster goal scoring. David Pastrnak, the team’s gifted 20-year-old sniper, leads the team with 12 goals in just 16 games. Brad Marchand, currently out with a lower-body-injury, is second with six tallies while fourth-line pivot Dominic Moore ranks third on the club with five markers. Overall the Bruins rank 25th in the NHL, averaging just 2.3 goals-per-game. However, defenseman Torey Krug is confident the goals will come given the team finished fifth in the league last season in scoring: “When you see other teams get lucky bounces here and there – in Ottawa they’re shooting the puck wide and it goes off one of our guys and in, or in Minnesota the same thing happens – and we find ourselves not getting those bounces, then it starts to get frustrating when you’re getting good looks like we have been. Every team goes through these little lulls and we’ll work our way out of it. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”
- While the Toronto Maple Leafs are certainly a fun team to watch, bouyed by a talented young core of forwards, veteran head coach Mike Babcock knows defense wins championships. Ian Shantz of the Toronto Sun writes that Babcock is asking more from his blue liners as the team battles to stay relevant in the postseason race. Babcock singles out Morgan Rielly as the guy he wants to see play like a #1 defender: “We need (Morgan) Rielly to be our No. 1 guy. We need him to be very good for us, and that’s not racing around the rink. That’s playing without the puck.” The Leafs do have some talent on the back end but it’s likely that if they are buyers at the trade deadline that the blue line is the one area the team will look to improve.