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Hockey Canada Names Captains For WJC

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There’s not a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens’ NHL squad this season, but that doesn’t mean fans won’t be in for a treat this holiday season. Kaiden Guhle, Montreal’s first-round pick from 2020, has been named captain of Canada’s World Junior Championship squad. He’ll be joined by Jake Neighbours from the St. Louis Blues and Cole Perfetti from the Winnipeg Jets, who will serve as alternates.

Guhle and Perfetti were both on last year’s squad, which took home the silver after losing to the U.S. in the final. Neighbours meanwhile was not, meaning he’ll get his first chance to compete for Canada at this level. All three were first-round picks in 2020 and have actually already played some professional hockey, though Guhle’s time in the AHL was limited to just three games last season.

The 19-year-old defenseman is an impressive, do-it-all blueliner who has the size, skating ability, and aggressiveness that will quickly make him a fan favorite. Known for his willingness to lay open ice hits when the chance presents itself, teams have actually started to avoid his side of the ice entirely when attempting a zone entry. The 6’2″ Guhle has improved his offensive output this season as well, racking up 18 points in 20 games so far this season, split between the Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings. That trade, which brought Guhle home to Edmonton, also took him to a WHL contender.

That contender also happens to have Neighbours in the lineup on a nightly basis, something that other teams fear when figuring out who to stop. The 19-year-old Blues prospect started the year in the NHL, scoring two points in nine games, and has 18 in ten contests since returning to the WHL. Able to create chances for himself and teammates almost at will, Neighbours should be a huge part of the Canadian attack even in his first go-round at the tournament.

It’s Perfetti though who was drafted the highest, and the one that’s currently starring at the professional level. The 10th-overall pick in 2020, he proved he could handle himself in the AHL as a teenager last season when he put up 26 points in 32 games. That performance hasn’t changed this season, as Perfetti has registered 15 points in 17 games with the Manitoba Moose as one of the few junior-aged exemptions. Last year the former Saginaw Spirit center was a difference-maker for Canada, this year will likely be no different.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Coyotes, Point

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with Dylan Larkin taking the top spot. The Detroit Red Wings captain scored five goals and seven points in three games, helping the club maintain a grip on the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. Larkin, seemingly rejuvenated by his upstart young teammates, has 29 points in 27 games this season. Should he finish with more than a point-per-game, it would be the first time in his seven-year career.

Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikolaj Ehlers took home second and third respectively after outstanding weeks of their own. The St. Louis Blues winger had four goals and six points in three games, proving once again that he’s healthy and ready to reclaim his place as one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. After two seasons marred by injury, Tarasenko is up to 29 points in 31 games. Ehlers meanwhile has grown into one of the most consistent players for the Winnipeg Jets and tallied seven points in just three games. The 25-year-old now has 24 points in 30 games, split evenly between goals and assists.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have paid approximately $930K to the city of Glendale, Katie Sharp of The Athletic confirmed with city manager Kevin Phelps. The team has “satisfied” what the city asked for when they threatened to lock them out of Gila River Arena earlier this month. The Coyotes have now gotten up to date with debts owed to the city and state, while NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly insisted that it wasn’t a problem and the team isn’t moving. In fact, Bettman suggested that Glendale had an “edge or agenda” in how they were dealing with the Coyotes. Phelps told The Athletic at the time that there was no agenda, only that the city wanted “assurances that the team pay all of their obligations to the city in a timely manner.”
  • Brayden Point was back on the ice at Tampa Bay Lightning practice today, and he was wearing a regular white jersey, according to team reporter Gabby Shirley. Point was not included in the regular lines but skated alongside Gabriel Fortier and Nikita Kucherov. The star center is expected to return soon after the holiday break; he last played on November 20 and was given a four-to-six-week timeline.

Calvin De Haan Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the few teams left in the league without a player in the COVID protocol–until now. Calvin de Haan has been added to the protocol today, meaning they won’t be able to get through the holiday break unaffected. Notably, de Haan had missed the last two games with what was dubbed a “non-COVID illness.”

That diagnosis appears to have changed, though the team did not technically confirm that de Haan has tested positive for coronavirus. Like the rest of his protocol peers, de Haan will be held out for a minimum of ten days if he has tested positive and is experiencing symptoms. That would mean he is at a minimum not available for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, and likely means he’s also out for December 28/29 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets.

While not the player he once was, de Haan is still a regular part of the Blackhawks lineup and averages nearly 19 minutes a night. He has failed to register a single point through 26 games this season.

Devils-Penguins Game Postponed

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Another day, another postponement. The NHL has announced that the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins will not play tomorrow due to “COVID-related issues” affecting the Devils. That means New Jersey is now off through the holiday break, as their game Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens was previously postponed.

Notably, these two teams played just last night, with the Penguins coming out on top 3-2. Nico Hischier, Ryan Graves, and Jesper Boqvist were all back on the ice today at practice after having been previously in the COVID protocol, but the announcement suggests there are more positive cases in the Devils organization.

The count is now at 43 for postponed games in the NHL, something that could certainly be classified as a “material disruption,” the term used by the league in regards to pulling the plug on the Olympics. There are of course other indicators that the players themselves don’t want to attend, but these postponements likely would have been enough anyway.

There are now just nine games scheduled for this week in the NHL.

AHL Shuffle: 12/20/21

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The NHL holiday roster freeze went into effect last night, meaning only players recalled since December 11 can be assigned to the minor leagues over the next few days. Things will come to a complete freeze on Friday, but for now, there will still be some movement between the NHL and AHL. As always, we’ll keep track of all that minor league shuffling right here.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Felix Sandstrom back to the AHL, suggesting that Carter Hart will be back with the team after missing a game due to illness. Sandstrom, 24, has an .896 save percentage in 15 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season and has yet to make his NHL debut.
  • Brett Leason and Beck Malenstyn have been returned to the AHL by the Washington Capitals, potentially suggesting that Tom Wilson is ready to return to the lineup tomorrow. The Capitals are one of the few teams still playing and have two games scheduled before the holiday break.

Central Division

  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Klim Kostin from his conditioning assignment, sending Matthew Peca and Alexei Toropchenko back to the minor leagues. The Blues won’t play again until next week, meaning they have some time to reassess the roster and see how everything will fit into their tight salary cap picture when the season resumes.

Pacific Division

  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Jasper Weatherby and Jayden Halbgewachs back to the AHL, saving some money as they don’t play again for a week. Weatherby, a first-year pro out of the University of North Dakota, has six points in 29 games with the Sharks this season. Halbgewachs meanwhile made his NHL debut this season as well, but has played in just that one contest to this point.
  • The Los Angeles Kings made several roster moves last night, sending Christian Wolanin, Sean Durzi, and Jacob Moverare to the minor leagues while calling up Quinton Byfield, Samuel Fagemo, and Alex Turcotte. Turcotte, 20, has yet to make his NHL debut after being the fifth-overall pick in 2019. Through 18 games this season for the Ontario Reign, he has 10 points.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Cooper Marody and Seth Griffith, two recent recalls, back to the minor leagues. The Oilers don’t play again until after the holiday break, but announced more COVID cases today as Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson are now unavailable.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Puljujarvi, Nurse, Lagesson Enter COVID-19 Protocol

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Dec 20: Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson have now joined the rest of the unavailable Oilers in the COVID protocol. The team has already seen games postponed until December 27, but several of these key names will have not crossed the ten-day threshold by then. Nurse especially is a huge loss for the team, given how much he plays and how important he is to the team’s defensive corps. The team has also announced that their practice facilities will be closed through the holiday break.

Dec 18: Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi was placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol ahead of the team’s game tonight against the Seattle Kraken, per a team tweet.

Puljujarvi joins notable absences Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Duncan Keith on the COVID list for Edmonton.

It’s especially of note as the Oilers have an incredibly compressed schedule before the holiday break. They have four games remaining, including tonight’s bout with Seattle. Their road trip takes them through the three California teams, playing three games in four nights from December 20-23.

For Puljujarvi, it’s a tough break. The fourth overall pick in 2016 is finally enjoying what seems to be a serious breakout with 23 points in 28 games, already just two points behind his career-high of 25. He’s found a home playing alongside Connor McDavid, and his two-way game is quickly blossoming as he becomes a legitimate top-line threat.

Obviously, the concern now rests with the Oilers players who are on the wrong side of the border with the holidays approaching. Hopefully, there’s a way to get quarantined players at least back home for the short break in the schedule.

Kevin Hayes, Brendan Smith Enter COVID Protocol

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A pair of Metropolitan Division players have entered the COVID protocol today, as the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers have announced the absences of Brendan Smith and Kevin Hayes respectively.

The Flyers were set to take on the Washington Capitals tomorrow and Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, but will now have to do it without the services of a top forward. Hayes has had a nightmare season to this point, suiting up for just 11 games so far due to injury. He does have six points in those games, but now faces another period on the sidelines.

Carolina meanwhile wasn’t scheduled to play until after the break, meaning they should at least be getting a handful of players back from the COVID protocol in time to face the Florida Panthers on Dec 27. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis have already been in the protocol for a week, while others like Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov, Ian Cole, and Steven Lorentz will have also cleared the ten-day threshold by the time the Hurricanes are set to return to action.

Blue Jackets, Canadiens Shut Down Through Holiday Break

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Two more teams have been shut down in the NHL as Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens will be put on pause through the holiday break. The Blue Jackets canceled today’s morning skate while waiting for COVID results and did not actually even travel to Buffalo, where they were supposed to play this evening. The teams were set to play a rematch in Columbus on Thursday, but that game has also been postponed. The Blue Jackets have subsequently placed Eric Robinson, Andrew Peeke, and Joonas Korpisalo in the COVID protocol.

The Canadiens actually didn’t have any games scheduled as they had already been postponed, but will also pause team activities. Still, Mike Hoffman was added to the protocol today, joining Artturi Lehkonen and Laurent Dauphin.

More than 40 games have now been postponed through the early part of the season, many of those coming over the last few days as the NHL deals with a massive COVID-19 outbreak. Several teams have been shut down completely through the Christmas break and all games that required cross-border travel have also been postponed.

While there is hope that things can get back to normal in the coming weeks, confidence from the NHL and NHLPA that the season will continue, and some teams still not really affected by the outbreak, it’s certainly not a perfect scenario for the NHL schedule maker. Remember, even if the league doesn’t go to the Olympics, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said during a media availability earlier this month that it would be difficult to use that three-week break for many rescheduled games. Buildings have already booked events for many of those dates, though there will likely be some opportunities to make up some of these missed games.

Jason Demers Signs In KHL

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After Hockey Canada announced that they will no longer be participating in the Spengler Cup, players were left scrambling for other opportunities to stay in game shape. For Jason Demers, that means a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. The veteran defenseman has signed a deal for the rest of the season, one that will presumably still allow him to take part in the Olympics for Canada should the NHL officially pull the plug.

Demers, 33, has 699 regular season NHL games under his belt but was surprisingly left unsigned in last summer’s free agent frenzy. Perhaps the Olympics were a consideration in that regard, as he will almost certainly be on the team if it’s being made up by players from outside the NHL. Once a reliable two-way defenseman that would put up 20-30 points every single season, Demers had just four in 41 games during 2020-21.

The KHL deal is interesting, as it suggests that Demers also won’t be an option down the stretch for an NHL club. There was at least some speculation that a player like him could attend the Olympics and then sign an NHL deal before the March 21st trade deadline, allowing him to join a club for the last few months of the season. A contract with Ak Bars though will prevent that, unless there is a buyout or termination at some point.

For now, Demers will get back on the ice and play at a competitive level, even if it will be a brand new experience for him. A regular in the NHL since the 2009-10 season, his only overseas action was during the 2012-13 lockout, when he racked up 21 points in 30 games for Karpat in Finland.

Canada Officially Withdraws From Spengler Cup

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Because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Hockey Canada has decided to withdraw from the 2021 Spengler Cup, an international tournament that was to serve as a pre-Olympic tune-up for players and coaches outside of the NHL. Claude Julien was set to coach the club, but as Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated reported yesterday, he’s already back home in Canada.

In their explanation, Hockey Canada said this:

We have a long-standing tradition of participating in the Spengler Cup, and it is disappointing that we are unable to attend the prestigious event this year. However, we strongly believe this is the right decision to maintain the health and safety of our players, coaches and support staff that were set to represent Canada.

The tournament was set to kick off later this month and would have included many of the same players that would be selected for the Olympics, should the NHL officially pull out as expected. Now, those players could be looking for contracts with other European club teams to keep in shape for the next few months. Canada has won more titles at the Spengler than any other participant, taking home the title 16 times (compared to 15 for HC Davos). That includes the most recent event in 2019–the 2020 tournament was canceled.

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