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Archives for September 2021

Rangers Loan Karl Henriksson To Sweden

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Although the New York Rangers signed Karl Henriksson to his entry-level contract this past spring, he will once again be playing back at home in Sweden this season. Among the training camp cuts today came news that the Rangers had loaned the skilled center to the SHL’s Frolunda HC, the organization with whom he has spent the past five seasons. Henriksson, the team’s 2019 second-round pick, will have to wait another year to make his North American debut.

Henriksson, 20, may be the Rangers’ top prospect not already in the NHL. A two-way center with strong skating and puck possession skills, Henriksson looks like someone who should be in the league at some point. He has already made his mark on the top level in Sweden with 54 games played as a teenager, and looks ready to take on an even bigger role this season after recording two points in four games with Frolunda in Champions League play this summer.

While the young pivot is certainly still developing, it is interesting to see the Rangers send him back to Sweden – and so quickly. New York has admitted that they have a weakness down the middle and need to find another top-six center. Yet, they are not giving much of an opportunity to their best internal option to eventually fill that role. Letting Henriksson adjust to the North American game in the AHL this season rather than returning to the SHL might have been worth some more consideration. Even if they still felt that he was best served going back home, they could have at least given him a taste of NHL play this preseason. Perhaps the club is not yet sold on Henriksson’s upside, something that the young center will try to change this season by establishing himself as a capable pro in Sweden.

Canucks’ Brady Keeper Out Indefinitely With Broken Leg

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When new Vancouver Canucks defenseman Brady Keeper went down in obvious pain following a blocked shot in practice in on Saturday and had to be stretched off the ice, the result was never going to be good. However, the hope was that Keeper’s injury would not cost him his entire debut season with the Canucks after signing a two-year, one-way contract this summer. While the team has not provided a definitive diagnosis or recovery timeline, it unfortunately seems likely that Keeper will miss extensive time, if not the whole season. Head coach Travis Green updated the media today and disclosed that Keeper did in fact suffer a fractured leg on the blocked shot. The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal adds that Keeper underwent surgery this morning.

Some sources are reporting that Keeper suffered both a fractured tibia and fibula, while others have merely stuck with “broken leg” until an official confirmation from the Canucks. Either way, there is a chance that Keeper may not be able to return this season, especially since the fracture required surgery. Timelines vary for recoveries from a broken leg, but the most recent cases in the NHL all cost players a minimum of three months. This would actually be a positive result for Keeper, getting him back in action after the calendar flips to January. Even if he is out close to four or five month, the extended regular season due to the Olympic break should still allow Keeper to return. However, if the defenseman is looking at a six-month recovery, considered to be the maximum for a leg fracture, the Canucks may simply shut him down rather than try to bring him back in April with so little time left in the year.

While Keeper may not be a household name and may only seem like a minor off-season addition, the 25-year-old defenseman out of the University of Maine was clearly in the Canucks’ plans this season. A Group 6 free agent from the Florida Panthers, Keeper only has two regular season NHL games to his credit, but has impressed in the AHL with his well-rounded play. His market was such this summer that Vancouver gave him a one-way contract and at a $762.5K AAV that is above the minimum salary. Keeper was expected to at least compete for an opening night roster spot with the Canucks.

Fortunately, Keeper was one of a number additions to the blue line this off-season for Vancouver. In addition to returners Tyler Myers, Travis Hamonic, Olli Juolevi, and (unsigned) Quinn Hughes, the Canucks added Oliver Ekman-Larsson as well as Keeper, Tucker Poolman, and Brad Hunt. Prospects Jack Rathbone and Jett Woo and veterans Madison Bowey and Guillaume Brisebois will also be in the mix. The Canucks have the depth to replace Keeper, but will still be disappointed to be without him for a length of time this season.

Dylan McIlrath Suspended Two Preseason And Two Regular Season Games

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Whatever Ridly Greig is having, Dylan McIlrath will take double. After the rookie forward was suspended one preseason game and one regular season game earlier today for a cross-check in the Ottawa Senators’ preseason game last night, the veteran defenseman has now been handed a pair of each for his own illegal check in the Washington Capitals’ preseason game yesterday. McIlrath knocked Boston Bruins forward (and former Hartford Wolfpack teammate) Steven Fogarty out of the game with a dangerous high hit. McIlrath left the game as well after receiving a match penalty, but that was not the end of his discipline. The league took notice and did not hesitate to respond with a considerable suspension:

After (Fogarty) moves the puck, McIlrath finishes a high, forceful check that cuts across the front of Fogarty’s core, missing the shoulder and making his head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head… McIlrath’s shoulder makes clear, forceful contact through Fogarty’s head and the head absorbs the brunt of the impact of the check. Further, the head contact on this play is avoidable. While we recognize that Fogarty does initially lower himself slightly to make a play on the puck, that movement does not happen immediately prior to or simultaneous with the hit in a way that significantly contributes to the head contact. At issue on this play rather is McIlrath’s angle of approach. While hits from the side are not illegal, they are difficult to execute legally and on this play McIlrath chooses an angle that cuts across the front of his opponent, making the head the main point of contact.

Though McIlrath is known for his physical play, the Department of Player Safety did note that he has no history of league discipline, with no suspensions or fines in 66 career NHL games. What they did take into account however is that Fogarty did suffer an injury on the play. The Bruins’ off-season addition had to be helped off the ice and did not return. As a result, not only did McIlrath commit an illegal and dangerous check, but he in fact succeeded in causing harm to his opponent.

Like Greig, it is unclear when McIlrath will actually be able to serve his regular suspension. The 29-year-old has been a frequent depth call-up over the past few years, but did not see any action at the top level last season with the Detroit Red Wings. He is far from guaranteed a spot with the Capitals to begin the year. Also like Greig, the preseason suspension further hurts McIlrath’s chances of making the opening night roster as he will miss out on at least one preseason contest that he was likely to play in, giving Washington one less opportunity to evaluate their free agent addition. McIlrath’s regular season suspension also damages his value as a replacement player, as he cannot be an emergency recall for the Caps until he has first spent two games on the active roster to burn his suspension. This incident certainly doesn’t help McIlrath’s chances with his new team, but then again he is still in a better situation than Fogarty hence the substantial retribution from the league.

Minor Transactions: 09/27/21

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Even though the regular season is right around the corner and there are tons of training camp cuts coming down the pipe, it doesn’t necessarily mean teams are finished adding. There have been a few more names brought into training camp today and as always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here:

  • According to CapFriendly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed goaltender Evan Cormier to a professional tryout, giving them an extra netminder following a few injuries. Joseph Woll and Ian Scott, two of the team’s most experienced prospects, are both out for the time being and unable to help in the preseason schedule. Cormier, who wasn’t issued a qualifying offer by the New Jersey Devils at the end of the season, can fill that role after playing 11 games with the Binghamton Devils last season. An NHL contract seems unlikely, unless the other injuries turn out to be long-term.
  • CapFriendly also reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Brandon Crawley, another player with minor league experience that can help fill out a roster during the preseason. The 24-year-old defenseman split last season between the Hartford Wolf Pack (the New York-to-Tampa pipeline continues) and Cleveland Monsters, registering one point in 20 games.

This page will be updated with any further transactions

Latest On Jack Eichel

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The Jack Eichel situation continues to drag on with no resolution one way or the other. The injured forward failed his physical last week and was stripped of the Buffalo Sabres captaincy, but he’s still not moving forward on either surgery that would potentially get him playing again at some point this season. There has been almost no information coming out of the Sabres camp on what they intend to do with Eichel (other than move him to injured reserve, where he is now listed), but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes enough is enough. On his latest 31 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggests it is time for the league to step in:

I think the NHL has to step in, I do. I understand that the NHL wants to protect the rules of the CBA, I get that. But at the end of the day I don’t think that it is a good look for your league when you have a star player like this and a team that can’t agree on this. This player, who is a star player who can drive a franchise, is in some way held back from playing because they can’t agree on a surgery. 

I think this is one thing that the NHL can do. If Jack Eichel agrees–and I think Jack Eichel would agree–everyone should be able to see his medicals. St. Louis and Tarasenko, anyone could have seen the medicals. If anyone has seen [Eichel’s] medicals aside from the Sabres, I don’t know it.

Friedman, like other reporters who have been following this story, can’t confidently confirm that no other team has seen any of Eichel’s medicals, but the shroud surrounding them is still making this an extremely difficult situation to resolve. It’s hard to trade a player making $10MM even when healthy, but the lack of information certainly makes this one seem impossible. Co-host Jeff Marek suggests that with opening day coming in short order, we could already be approaching a lost season for Eichel given the impasse the two sides have reached.

One other thing that Friedman mentions is the possibility of a tolled contract, meaning that this year wouldn’t count if Eichel sits out the year under a team suspension. It would mean his contract would be extended through the 2026-27 season, though that outcome does not seem likely at this point.

A few days ago, Nick Kypreos of Line Movement tweeted that Eichel had made it clear he would go anywhere, though he doesn’t have control over that anyway. His no-movement clause does not come into play until the fifth year of his contract. Kypreos added that at least one of the interested teams would want the Sabres to add conditions to any draft picks involved, based on his games played and scoring totals after surgery.

The Sabres start the regular season on October 14, and it is not at all clear whether this situation will be resolved by then.

Ridly Greig Suspended One Preseason, One Regular Season Game

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Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig has been suspended one preseason game and one regular season game for his cross-check on Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is not a case of inadvertant contact that can occur when a player reflexively pulls his stick up in a defensive motion, when bracing for unexpected contact. Greig sees Dubois coming, and decides to both elevate his stick and extend it outward, making direct and forceful contact with Dubois’ head. Greig’s forceful actions with his stick make him the aggressor on this play, and merit supplemental discipline. 

Greig, 19, is not guaranteed to make the Senators this season, meaning the regular season game could have to wait a while. If loaned back to junior before the season begins, that game will be waiting for whenever he does make his NHL debut. The Senators could, however, keep him on the roster through the first game of this season and then send him back, though it would cost them one of their 23 spots on opening day and potentially cause a roster crunch elsewhere.

This is not the first time Greig has faced a suspension in his hockey career, though this is the first one that is on his NHL record. That’s not a great way to start, as this incident will now be used to determine any future supplementary discipline.

Key Dates Announced For 2021-22 Season

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The NHL has set in stone various key dates for the upcoming season, as several reporters including Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star tweeted the list nearly simultaneously. It includes this year’s trade deadline, which will be significantly pushed back because of the Olympic break in February. The deadline will be March 21 this season. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff includes the full list:

  • March 21: Trade deadline
  • April 29: Last day of regular season
  • May 2: First day of Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • June 30: Last possible day of Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • July 1: First buyout period opens
  • July 2: Deadline for first club-elected salary arbitration notification
  • July 7-8: 2022 NHL Draft
  • July 11: Deadline for qualifying offers
  • July 12: First buyout period ends; club’s ability to sign own pending UFA to eight-year contract expires
  • July 13: Free agency opens
  • July 17: Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration notification; commencement of second club-elected salary arbitration notification period
  • July 18: Deadline for club-elected salary arbitration notification
  • July 22: Qualifying offers expire
  • July 27: First day of salary arbitration hearings
  • August 11: Last day of salary arbitration hearings

As PuckPedia points out on Twitter, the deadline is 40 days from the end of the regular season, meaning that players acquired will carry 20% of their cap, a number slightly smaller than the normal 22%. While the result of that small change won’t be seen for several months, it could potentially allow playoff teams to load up even further at the deadline by accruing cap space throughout the first part of the year.

These dates confirm what was reported earlier this month, that the NHL Draft in Montreal will start on a Thursday in July, several weeks after it would take place in a normal year. Free agency is now nearly two weeks after its normal date, meaning the offseason will be condensed once again.

Seravalli also notes that though taxi squads are not in place right now, the league and NHLPA have discussed the potential of bringing them back should they be deemed necessary at some point during the season.

Snapshots: Lundqvist, Caufield, Popugaev

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Immediately after Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement last month, the New York Rangers confirmed that they would be retiring his number. They’ve now announced that on January 28, 2022, his No. 30 will be raised to the rafters and never worn again. Lundqvist is the franchise leader among goaltenders in games played, wins, saves, and save percentage (among those with at least 60 appearances).

He will become the 11th player to have his number retired by the team, joining Ed Giacomin (1), Brian Leetch (2), Harry Howell (3), Rod Gilbert (7), Andy Bathgate (9), Adam Graves (9), Mark Messier (11), Vic Hadfield (11), Jean Ratelle (19) and Mike Richter (35).

  • The Montreal Canadiens have confirmed that young star Cole Caufield will be out for a week with an upper-body injury suffered over the weekend. The 20-year-old played against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and then was pulled from the warmup for an intrasquad game on Sunday. With how important he is going to be for the team this year, keeping him healthy to start the season is extremely important for the Canadiens.
  • It appears as though former New Jersey Devils prospect Nikita Popugaev has ended his hockey career, listing himself as an “ex hockey player” on Instagram. Popugaev was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2017, but never signed with the team and spent last season in the KHL. Though his rights are technically retained indefinitely by the Devils, it appears as though the 22-year-old will no longer be pursuing his career on the ice.

Sami Vatanen Signs In Switzerland

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Just a few years ago, Sami Vatanen was one of the NHL’s most consistent two-way defensemen, logging up to 22 minutes a night and recording strong offensive numbers. Now, the 30-year-old veteran failed to sign a contract in the offseason and instead is taking his talents overseas. Vatanen has signed with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland for 2021-22.

Only a few months into his thirties, this is a shocking development for the former Anaheim Ducks defenseman. In his first four seasons, Vatanen produced 120 points in 257 games and averaged nearly 21 minutes a night for the Ducks, forming part of a formidable young group alongside the likes of Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler. Those young defensemen were so good that Anaheim considered then-prospect Shea Theodore expendable, sending him to the Vegas Golden Knights in order for them to assume Clayton Stoner’s contract in the expansion draft.

A few years later and not only is Vatanen no longer in Anaheim, but he’s also not even in the NHL. In 2020-21 he played 39 games, split between the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars, switching teams in April after being claimed off waivers. He had just six points in those 39 games and averaged 17 minutes. night, easily his lowest total since an eight-game stint in 2012-13.

It seems unlikely that there was no interest at all in the veteran defenseman, but perhaps Vatanen just couldn’t find a landing spot that was offering a substantial role in the NHL. He’ll be able to try to get his game back on track overseas and should be considered a potential free agent signing again next year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Zach Aston-Reese Tests Positive For COVID

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Zach Aston-Reese for a while after he tested positive for COVID-19. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Josh Yohe of The Athletic that Aston-Reese will enter the league’s protocol.

With the Penguins already missing their two best forwards, losing Aston-Reese for any length of time is certainly not ideal. The team re-signed the 27-year-old forward to a one-year, $1.75MM contract this summer as a valuable, versatile option that has experience playing all over the lineup. While he should be out of the protocols before the season begins, this obviously complicates his status.

This, like the recent absences of Kevin Lankinen and Mike Hardman in Chicago, is another reminder that this season will not be completely back to normal. Teams and players, even those who have achieved full vaccination status, could still face sudden absences based on testing results and will have to prepare accordingly. Having depth options at the ready will be extremely important, especially for a team like Pittsburgh that can’t afford to throw away any games in the competitive Metropolitan Division.

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