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Evening Notes: Hanifin, Nugent-Hopkins, Jones, Crevier

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The Tampa Bay Lightning could be viewing Noah Hanifin as their replacement for Mikhail Sergachev, per TSN’s Chris Johnston on Insider Trading. Sergachev has had terrible injury luck this season, recently fracturing both bones in his lower left leg just 10 minutes into his return from a separate lower-body injury that held him out for two months. The 25-year-old defenseman has played just 34 games this season, scoring 19 points. He’s now out indefinitely and is currently on the team’s long-term injured reserve.

Hanifin would be a darling replacement for Sergachev and a major addition to a Tampa Bay blue line that’s been battered and bruised all season long. Hanifin has scored 30 points in 56 games this season, operating as Calgary’s clear-cut top defenseman and averaging over 23 minutes of ice time. His role in Tampa would likely be a bit easier and focus more on taking responsibility off of Victor Hedman’s shoulders. Hedman currently averages nearly 25 minutes of ice time each game, almost six minutes more than any other healthy Lightning defenseman.

Hanifin is on an expiring contract with a $4.95MM cap hit. He’s currently expected to test the open market, though any team that acquires him will get a head start in negotiating a new contract. Tampa Bay is expected to have $7.55MM in cap space available at the Trade Deadline but just $11.5MM available this off-season, with Steven Stamkos headlining their list of pending free agents. That likely limits their ability to give Hanifin the contract he’ll be asking for. All of these factors will undoubtedly come up in trade negotiations, as Tampa Bay looks to acquire one of the top names on the open market.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out with illness and is questionable to play in the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Boston Bruins, per Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector. Nugent-Hopkins has had another productive season with the Oilers, scoring 49 points in 52 games this season. That puts him on pace for 77 points through 82 games, which would be both the second-most Nugent-Hopkins has ever scored and a notable step down from the 104 points he scored in 82 games last season. His absence would likely lead to Connor Brown stepping back into the lineup, as Edmonton doesn’t have any extra forwards currently on the NHL roster.
  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones is okay after taking a puck to the groin at the team’s Wednesday practice, while defenseman Louis Crevier is out with soreness after taking a puck to the face in the team’s last game, per team reporter Scott Powers. Crevier will be replaced by Isaak Phillips, who has six assists, 22 penalty minutes, and -22 through 29 games this season.

Vancouver Canucks Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed centerman Dakota Joshua on injured reserve retroactive to February 13th and Carson Soucy on long-term injured reserve. Joshua is currently week-to-week with a hand injury, while Soucy has already missed the required 10 games, making him eligible to be activated off of LTIR whenever he’s healthy.

In a corresponding move, Vancouver has also recalled defenseman Jett Woo from the AHL. Woo recently received the first midseason call-up of his career, though he’s still waiting to play in his first NHL game. Woo has scored 18 points in 44 AHL games this season, a mark that, surprisingly, ranks second among Abbotsford Canucks defensemen.

Vancouver has promoted rookie forward Arshdeep Bains to the NHL to help fill in for Joshua’s absence. Bains, who has nine goals and 39 points in 42 AHL games this season, made his NHL debut in the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, recording no points, one penalty, and a -2 in roughly 13 and a half minutes of ice time. Bains also added two shots on net, three hits, and one takeaway. He will likely get an extended look in the lineup, though Vancouver also has Sam Lafferty operating as a healthy scratch.

Woo will join Mark Friedman as the extra defenseman on the Canucks roster, backing up Noah Juulsen, who has filled in while Soucy is out. Friedman has appeared in 20 games with Vancouver this season, scoring one point and tallying 21 penalty minutes. Juulsen has six points and 16 penalty minutes of his own, scored through 41 games. Woo would offer a change of pace from each veteran depth defenseman, though the Canucks could be wanting more from the 23-year-old before they rely on him as anything more than added depth.

Houston Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta Hoping To Add An NHL Team

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The owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Tilman Fertitta, is reportedly in talks with the NHL about bringing a team to Texas’ biggest city, Bloomberg reports (subscription required). The NHL is the last of the major male sports leagues to not have a team in Houston, with the NBA, NFL, MLB, and MLS all existing in the city since 2005. Fertitta told Bloomberg, “We are talking to the NHL, but it’s got to be good for both of us… We just know that when there’s a concert downtown, how it activates downtown, we know what the Astros do for downtown, we know what even soccer does for downtown.”

Fertitta mentions that he’s been discussing an NHL team with the league ever since his acquisition of the Rockets in 2017, but that talks have recently ramped up – even sharing that he’s received interest from Houston suburbs willing to host a team, though Fertitta would prefer to keep the arena downtown. Fertitta’s Rockets currently play out of the Toyota Center, which recently underwent renovations to make it suitable for a hockey team.

Houston has been named as one of six cities interested in potential NHL expansion, with Salt Lake City, Utah, requesting official initiation of an NHL expansion process. The request was made by the Smith Entertainment Group, which also owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, as well as teams in both the MLS and NWSL. The NHL called Salt Lake a “promising market” and acknowledged the next steps they’re taking towards making Utah their newest host. Houston may soon enter a similar process, now expressing interest in a team a month after Salt Lake City’s request.

While both cities could make sense for an expansion team, the NHL could also eye them as potential landing spots for the Arizona Coyotes, if the team’s ownership can’t make progress on a new arena soon enough. The NHLPA recently shared that Arizona has missed two deadlines to find a new arena, adding significant pressure to the search. That pressure is no doubt added to now with two billionaire ownership groups with ties to the NBA and other professional sports leagues declaring their interest in an NHL club.

Bruins Move Matthew Poitras To LTIR, Recall Mason Lohrei

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The Boston Bruins have moved rookie forward Matthew Poitras to long-term injured reserve and recalled rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei from the AHL, per team reporter Joe Haggerty. Poitras has been declared as out for the season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. He was 33 games into his NHL career, scoring five goals and 15 points, after surprising fans by making the roster out of training camp. Lohrei also had a strong training camp, leading many to believe he’d join Poitras in making the NHL roster. That didn’t come to fruition, with Lohrei starting the season in the AHL, but he quickly earned a call-up and NHL debut. He’s since played in 27 NHL games, scoring six points, split evenly, while also scoring 13 points in 17 AHL games.

Lohrei has emerged as a top prospect in Boston’s system this year – his first full professional season. The 23-year-old defenseman made his pro debut last year, following the end of The Ohio State University’s season, playing in eight AHL games between the regular season and playoffs and recording one assist. He’s since only added one more AHL goal to his resume, though he has managed three NHL goals already, speaking to where he might fit better. Lohrei has always been a productive defender, scoring 61 points in 71 games over the course of two seasons at Ohio State. The Bruins drafted Lohrei 58th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He’s since become one of 15 players from that round to make their NHL Debut, including rookie standout Brock Faber and sophomore scorer John-Jason Peterka.

Poitras was also a second-round selection, joining the Bruins in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s played in the most NHL games of any player not taken in the Top 10 of that draft, and scored more than all but three players. His success speaks to Boston’s ability to find difference makers throughout the draft, a trait that’s kept them on top of the league for so long. While season-ending surgery is the worst news you can hear in a rookie season, the Bruins have certainly seen enough from Poitras to be eager for his return to the NHL lineup.

Five Key Stories: 2/12/24 – 2/18/24

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We’re in the calm before the potential storm when it comes to the March 8th trade deadline.  Despite that, there was still some notable news throughout the NHL over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Kekalainen Fired: After 11 seasons as general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen is no longer with the Blue Jackets after being relieved of his duties.  Columbus made five playoff appearances with Kekalainen at the helm but only made it to the second round once back in 2019.  But over the last three years, the Blue Jackets haven’t finished higher than sixth in the Metropolitan Division, a streak that is quite certain to be extended to four this season.  Between their declining performance and a failed head coaching hire in Mike Babcock who had to leave the team before ever coaching a game, the time was right to make a change.  That said, the Blue Jackets have several promising core youngsters so there is certainly some hope for the future.

Kessel Gets A Chance: If Phil Kessel is going to play an 18th NHL season, it might wind up being with the Canucks.  The veteran has joined their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford to work out with the team and if things go well, he could eventually join Vancouver in the coming weeks.  The NHL’s reigning Ironman, Kessel had 36 points last season for Vegas but wasn’t able to land a guaranteed deal in the preseason or through the first half of the year.  However, for what would certainly be low-cost injury insurance, Kessel could be a worthwhile depth pickup for the stretch run if his workouts in the AHL go well.

Five For Rielly: The Department of Player Safety handed down a five-game suspension to Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly for his cross-check on Ottawa forward Ridly Greig following an empty-netter late in last Saturday’s game.  The suspension conceivably could have been longer considering the league offered an in-person hearing, allowing for a suspension of six games or longer.  An appeal on the ruling was quickly filed and was heard by Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday whose ruling is expected in the next day or two.  As the suspension wasn’t six games or longer, there is no secondary appeal option to a neutral arbitrator.  He has already served the first three games and is eligible to return to Toronto’s lineup on Thursday.

Guentzel To LTIR: The Penguins are still within striking distance of a Wild Card spot but getting there just got tougher as it was announced that winger Jake Guentzel has landed on LTIR due to an upper-body injury.  The injury isn’t a season-ender but he will be out until around the March 8th trade deadline.  The 29-year-old sits second on Pittsburgh in team scoring with 52 points in 50 games, the fourth time in the last five seasons that his scoring average is above the point-per-game mark.  A pending unrestricted free agent, it’s also possible that Guentzel will be traded by the deadline if the Penguins are out of the race.  If that’s the route they ultimately go, they’ll be hoping the injury won’t impact the offers they’ll receive.

More Injuries: Guentzel’s injury wasn’t the only one of note around the NHL.  Sharks forward Tomas Hertl underwent knee surgery and while his season isn’t necessarily over, it looks like he’ll be out for a good chunk of the remainder of the year, costing San Jose its top scorer.  In Philadelphia, blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen was a speculative trade candidate but any trade talk is likely on hold now as the veteran is out for a few weeks after having an upper-body procedure.  It stands to reason that moving someone with the contract he has (three more years after this season at $5.1MM) may be more of a summer move anyway.  Meanwhile, Rangers winger Blake Wheeler’s season has come to an early end due to a lower-body injury.  A return in the playoffs hasn’t been ruled out while New York will now be able to add his $800K base salary to its LTIR pool.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New York Rangers Sign Brandon Scanlin To Two-Year Extension

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The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Brandon Scanlin to a two-year, one-way contract extension. The new deal carries Scanlin through the 2025-26 season and pays a $775K base salary in both the NHL and AHL, per CapFriendly. Scanlin has spent all season in the AHL, playing in 43 games and scoring 14 points, split evenly, with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

This season marks Scanlin’s third professional season, making his debut with the Wolf Pack at the end of the 2021-22 season. Scanlin joined the team as an undrafted free agent after his junior season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha ended. He’s since totaled 119 career AHL games and 30 points. It’s been a step down in scoring from his collegiate days when he managed 62 points across 98 games in Omaha.

New York has been clear about rewarding their young minor leaguers this season, recently holding Matt Rempe on the NHL roster during a break in the schedule, earning him a brief taste of an NHL paycheck. Now the 24-year-old Scanlin earns a major pay raise and potentially more NHL consideration, signing a one-way deal. The Rangers currently have $5.178MM in cap space, getting a boost from Filip Chytil’s move to long-term injured reserve. The 24-year-old centerman is out for the season with an upper-body injury that required him to return to his home country of Czechia.

NHL, CHL Facing Class-Action Lawsuit Over Antitrust Law

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A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, New York argues that the NHL and CHL violate antitrust law. The suit – filed in part by the North American Division of the World Association of Icehockey Players Union (WAIPU) – argues that teenagers are, “involuntarily drafted, poorly compensated, and completely controlled” by CHL teams, crediting the exclusivity between the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL and full-time schedules for players as ways players are exploited. It further adds that the NHL supports these challenges through its annual payments to the leagues and specific parts of the NHL-CHL Transfer agreement.

The CHL told the Associated Press, “We have just been made aware of the complaint, filed by WAIPU, an organization that has not been certified to represent any CHL players… Until we can thoroughly review the document, we are unable to provide comment as to the legitimacy of its contents.” The NHL has so far declined to comment.

There is currently no collective bargaining agreement between CHL teams and players – something that the NHL, AHL, and ECHL all have. The nature of the suit draws comparison to recent movements from minor league baseball players and NCAA athletes, who have pushed for expanded supports and compensation. The NHL and CHL did not receive advanced notice of the suit before it was filed on Wednesday morning. University of Illinois labor law professor Michael LeRoy commented on the international status of the suit – which targets juniors teams in Canada and the U.S. – saying, “They’re doing business in the United States, and the end users of the most successful products are going to be, presumably, NHL hockey players both in the U.S. and Canada, I don’t think that’s a problem.”

Metropolitan Notes: Pesce, Schmid, Foerster, Ristolainen

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Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff writes that Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce has returned to team practice after missing the last two games with an illness. The 29-year-old hasn’t played since last Tuesday and is mired in a seven-game point drought in what has been a disappointing offensive season for the pending unrestricted free agent. Pesce has just three goals and four assists in 41 games after posting a career-high 30 points last season in 82 games. His defensive metrics are still fantastic as Pesce remains the Hurricanes’ best option for the difficult defensive matchups against elite competition.

Pesce could suit up tomorrow night when the Hurricanes travel to Dallas to take on the Stars in their first of three games on the road. Carolina currently sits second in the Metropolitan Division with a 30-16-5 record and has begun to pull away from the teams behind them as they are 7-3 in their last ten games.

In other Metropolitan notes:

  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from the Utica Comets of the AHL. Schmid dressed in 15 games for the Devils earlier in the season but struggled to hold onto an NHL job with a 5-7-1 record, a 3.26 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage. Schmid will serve as the likely backup to Nico Daws while Vitek Vanecek is sidelined due to a lower-body injury. Schmid was assigned to the AHL a month ago and has struggled in 12 games going 3-5-4 with an .885 save percentage and a 3.58 goals-against average.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers are dealing with a couple of minor injuries as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and forward Tyson Foerster will be sidelined until at least the weekend. Ristolainen has an upper-body injury and Flyers GM Daniel Briere is hoping he will be back by the weekend. Foerster has a lower-body injury and Briere is also hoping he can play this weekend as well. Ristolainen has struggled this season and has just a goal and three assists in 31 games while Foerster has posted career highs with 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. The Flyers take on the Devils in the Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Saturday night.

Five Key Stories: 2/5/24 – 2/11/24

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The first full week of February is in the books.  While there wasn’t any activity on the trade market (compared to two notable swaps last week), there was still some notable news around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.

Kings Hire Smith: With Jim Hiller taking over as interim head coach, the Kings elected to bring in an experienced assistant, hiring D.J. Smith.  Smith began the season with Ottawa as their head coach but was let go a little under two months ago after the team got off to a sluggish start.  Smith spent parts of five seasons behind the bench with the Sens but his time in this role with Los Angeles could be short-lived as the contract is only for the rest of the season.  Smith could be considered for other head coaching positions this summer or perhaps even the top job with the Kings if it’s decided that Hiller won’t be the full-time bench boss.

Kuznetsov Takes A Leave: Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov has taken a leave of absence from the team and has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  This is the second time he has been in the program with the first one coming back in 2019.  The 31-year-old has struggled on the ice this season, averaging just 0.40 points per game, the lowest rate of his career.  There is no timeline for his return and while he is away from the team, his $7.8MM AAV will not count against Washington’s salary cap.

Injured Again: In his first game back after recovering from a left leg injury, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev suffered another long-term injury, fracturing his fibula and tibia in that same left leg.  He underwent surgery the next day.  While no official timetable for his return was released, head coach Jon Cooper indicated that the blueliner would miss the rest of the regular season at a minimum.  Sergachev is a big part of Tampa Bay’s back end, logging over 22 minutes a night while being a key contributor so he will definitely be missed.  The Lightning now will be able to go over the cap by an additional $8.5MM once they place him on LTIR, giving them some extra flexibility heading into the trade deadline, albeit at a key cost with Sergachev out long-term.

Edmundson On The Block: In the weeks leading up to the March 8th trade deadline, buyers will be looking to add some extra depth on their back end.  One of the players they’ll be considering is Joel Edmundson as the Capitals are believed to be shopping the veteran.  The 30-year-old was acquired at the start of free agency for a pair of draft picks with Montreal retaining half of his $3.5MM cap hit.  However, Edmundson has underachieved with Washington, logging just over 16 minutes a night, well below his career average while chipping in with just three points in 34 games.  However, he has two deep playoff runs under his belt (2019 with St. Louis and 2021 with Montreal) and was effective in both of those which should help generate some interest in him as a proven postseason performer.

Suspensions: The Department of Player Safety handed out a pair of suspensions to defensemen this week.  First, Jets blueliner Brenden Dillon received a three-game ban for an illegal check to the head on Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, keeping him out of their lineup until this coming Saturday against Vancouver.  Speaking of those Canucks, rearguard Nikita Zadorov was handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Detroit’s Lucas Raymond.  He’ll be eligible to return on Thursday in a rematch against the Red Wings.  Meanwhile, another defender is likely to receive a suspension as Toronto’s Morgan Rielly will have an in-person hearing on Tuesday for his cross-check on Ottawa’s Ridly Greig following a late goal on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Flames Place Daniel Vladař On IR, Recall Dustin Wolf

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Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg is reporting that the Calgary Flames have placed goaltender Daniel Vladař on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled netminder Dustin Wolf from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

According to Julian McKenzie of The Athletic, Vladař’s injury occurred in warm-ups last night and not in any game action. The 26-year-old hasn’t played since a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on January 20th. The native of Prague, Czech Republic has struggled this season with a 7-7-2 record with a 3.27 goals against average and a .888 save percentage. While those metrics sometimes don’t paint the whole picture of a goaltender’s performance, Vladař’s underlying numbers have been poor as well. In 16 games this season, Vladař has posted a goals saved above expected of -6.7 (Money Puck).

Wolf hasn’t fared any better at the NHL level, going 1-2-1 in five games with a 3.46 goals against average and an .893 save percentage. His underlying numbers have been even worse as Wolf has given up 5.2 more goals than expected despite playing just five games. At the AHL level, Wolf’s numbers have been a different story, as the 22-year-old has appeared in 28 games and has a sparkling .927 save percentage to go along with a 2.27 goals-against average and an 18-7-2 record.

The Flames used an EBUG today at practice as they are out East to take on the New York Islanders tomorrow and Wolf has yet to arrive. There has been speculation that the club could move out a goaltender and it will be interesting to see if Vladař’s injury cools those rumors.

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