Shayne Gostisbehere Suspended Two Games
The Department of Player Safety has issued a two-game suspension to Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for his boarding of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman at the end of last night’s game. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that this is not a defensive play in which Gostisbehere is attempting to reach the puck carrier to prevent the goal from being scored. It is only after the empty net goal was apparent that Gostisbehere adjusts his skating path, takes a hard stride to reach Friedman and begins to initiate this contact. It is significantly after the puck enters the net, well past the time where Friedman should reasonably expect and prepare for contact that the shove is delivered.
The league notes the shove was at a dangerous distance from the boards and though acknowledged that Gostisbehere has not been fined or suspended in his 380-game career, decided to issue the two-game ban.
Gostisbehere will now miss two of the remaining three games in the season. The Flyers will not be making the playoffs after a disappointing year and will now need to find another body to insert into the lineup down the stretch.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Karel Vejmelka
May 5: The Coyotes have officially announced the contract for Vejmelka, confirming that it will start in the 2021-22 season. GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement:
We are very pleased to sign Karel. He is a talented young goaltender with the combination of size and quickness. We look forward to working with him next season and will monitor his development.
May 4: The Arizona Coyotes have come to an agreement with a goaltending prospect as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed goalie Karel Vejmelka to a one-year, entry-level deal. The contract is for next season and carries a $750K base salary, a $92.5K signing bonus, and $82.5K in performance bonuses for a $925K AAV. CapFriendly originally reported that Nashville had signed Vejmelka but subsequently revised that report.
The 24-year-old was drafted by Nashville all the way back in 2015 when they selected him with the 145th overall selection but they lost his rights by not signing him by 2019. Since then, he has played with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga. This season, Vejmelka posted a 2.79 GAA along with a save percentage of .911 in 35 regular season games, numbers that were actually below his career averages in that league (2.56 GAA, .913 SV%).
With Antti Raanta and Adin Hill both on expiring contracts this season, there appears to be a potential opening for someone to step in, especially if Hill moves up to Arizona to back up Darcy Kuemper. Vejmelka joins Ivan Prosvetov and David Tendeck as other goalies under contract for next season. Prosvetov has split his time between the AHL and NHL while Tendeck has exclusively played in the ECHL so on the surface, it appears as if Vejmelka will be battling Tendeck for a spot in AHL Tucson next season.
New Jersey Devils Sign Nico Daws
The New Jersey Devils have added an interesting goaltending prospect to the pipeline, signing Nico Daws to a three-year entry-level contract. The young goalie recently finished his first season of professional hockey, suiting up ten times for ERC Ingolstadt in the German DEL. This contract will kick in for the 2021-22 season.
Daws, 20, was the 84th overall pick in 2020, a year after he went completely undrafted. That meteoric rise was helped by a selection to the 2020 Canadian World Junior team and outstanding performance for the Guelph Storm when he went 23-8-6 with a .924 save percentage. The big, flexible goaltender takes up a huge portion of the net but has struggled with his lateral puck tracking against top competition at times.
Still, the young netminder will be able to jump into the Devils development program and get his feet wet at the AHL level next season without any real rush to climb the ranks. With 24-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood still the team’s starter at the NHL level, New Jersey can take their time with Daws and allow him the time to learn how to best use that 6’4″ frame.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Elliot Desnoyers, Olle Lycksell
The Philadelphia Flyers have inked a pair of prospects, signing Elliot Desnoyers and Olle Lycksell to entry-level contracts. Both deals will start in the 2021-22 season, though Desnoyers’ contract could slide depending on where he spends next season. Flyers AGM Brent Flahr released statements on both players:
Elliot Desnoyers had a productive year in Halifax and played a strong, two-way game with lots of passion. As he matures physically and gets stronger, his game should continue to grow.
Olle Lycksell has continued to grow his overall game since being drafted in 2017. It’s taken some time for him to mature physically but he’s worked hard on his body and overall game. He had a strong second half for Farjestad and we look for him to continue to grow his game.
Desnoyers, 19, broke out offensively this season for the Halifax Mooseheads, scoring 21 goals and 49 points in just 37 games. The 2020 fifth-round pick hadn’t broken the 35-point mark in either of his first two QMJHL seasons, both spent with the Moncton Wildcats. After that strong development, it makes sense that the Flyers would sign him to an entry-level deal, especially given the fact that the deal could still slide forward. Should Desnoyers play in the QMJHL again next season (he will not be eligible to start the year in the AHL), his contract won’t kick in until 2022-23.
Lyckell meanwhile is a much different prospect, who will turn 22 over the summer and has already completed parts of four professional seasons in the SHL. He scored 21 points in 46 games this season for Farjestads BK and could be a fast mover up the Philadelphia depth chart. Selected in the sixth round in 2017 before he had ever played a game at the SHL level, his draft rights would have expired on June 1 had the Flyers not signed him.
Tyler Bertuzzi Undergoes Back Surgery
Tyler Bertuzzi‘s season will end with just nine games played. The Detroit Red Wings forward underwent successful back surgery on April 30 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and is expected to make a full recovery. Bertuzzi should be ready for the start of the 2021-22 season.
The 26-year-old forward last played on January 30, scoring his fifth goal of the season in the first nine games. He looked like he was well on his way to a third consecutive 20-goal season, but things quickly went off the rails. He was listed out with an upper-body injury for most of the season and even back in April, the team was clear the focus was on the 2021-22 campaign.
Now Bertuzzi faces a long rehab, but also a summer of negotiation. After receiving a one-year, $3.5MM contract through arbitration last offseason, he is scheduled to become a restricted free agent again and for the final time. An arbitration award this summer would take him right to unrestricted free agency in 2022, so the two sides must decide if a multi-year deal can be reached.
Now with the feisty forward coming off a back injury, there’s good reason for the Red Wings to be hesitant, but perhaps that gives them an opportunity to lock him in at a reduced price. He’s a very useful piece when healthy, though Detroit GM Steve Yzerman does seem committed to a younger group moving forward. Anthony Mantha, one of the team’s other former core pieces, was dealt to the Washington Capitals at the deadline, meaning no player in the organization is signed to a one-way contract past the 2022-23 season.
Bertuzzi is one of 13 pending RFAs and one of 30 free agents of any kind, meaning Detroit can completely overhaul the depth chart if Yzerman sees fit. Right now, all the young forward can control is his rehab process and getting to full strength by the start of next season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/05/21
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 recalled Dakota Joshua from the Utica Comets, placing him on the taxi squad. The 24-year-old forward has played in 11 games for the Blues this season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process.
- The Los Angeles Kings have added Troy Grosenick to the active roster, while bringing Matt Villalta up to the taxi squad. Jonathan Quick missed practice today and is listed as day-to-day, so all the other goalies in the organization got a bump.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Victor Soderstrom from the taxi squad, sending Frederik Gauthier back to the AHL. Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that Soderstrom isn’t actually going to be in the lineup tonight, but could play this weekend in San Jose should the Blues clinch the final playoff spot.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Olle Alsing from the taxi squad, bringing up Jonathan Aspirot to take his spot. Alsing, 25, is expected to make his NHL debut after splitting this season between Austria and the AHL. Aspirot meanwhile will join the taxi squad after recording nine points in 22 games this season with the Belleville Senators.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled top defensive prospect Ville Heinola from the taxi squad, backfilling with Joona Luoto from the AHL. Heinola has only played two games at the NHL level this season but could be a major factor in the playoffs for the Jets if they decide he’s worked his way into the regular lineup.
Central Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Roland McKeown to the taxi squad, all the way from Sweden where his SHL season has ended. The 25-year-old defenseman will join the team once his requisite quarantine is over. McKeown hasn’t seen the NHL since the 2017-18 season, despite. posting strong offensive numbers at the AHL level.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled Nolan Foote from the AHL to the taxi squad, while sending Evan Cormier and A.J. Greer back down. The Devils have just three games left in the season.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Daniel Carr from the taxi squad with both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin unavailable. Zach Fucale is also on his way up to the taxi squad as Ilya Samsonov remains out for Washington.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Shayne Gostisbehere To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety took a lot of heat for their decision to not suspend Tom Wilson yesterday, but that won’t stop them from moving forward with other supplementary discipline. The league has announced that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere will have a hearing today for his hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman last night.
The incident occurred with a few minutes left in the game just as Friedman slid home an empty-net goal. The Penguins player turned away from the net, and Gostisbehere delivered a cross-check that sent Friedman sliding into the boards at a high speed. A scrum ensued, and it looks like Gostisbehere will earn more than just the two-minute minor he was assessed on the play.
Obviously, any decision the DoPS makes today will be scrutinized even more than normal, but the two incidents don’t have anything to do with each other. In the eyes of the league, this was a dangerous play by Gostisbehere that is deserving of a harsh penalty. The Flyers have three games remaining on the schedule.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Kirill Semyonov
The Toronto Maple Leafs may be focused on the upcoming playoffs, but at least part of their front office is looking forward to next year. The team has signed Kirill Semyonov to a one-year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season.
Semyonov, 26, recently won the Gagarin Cup with Avangard Omsk in the KHL after putting up 26 points in 60 regular season games. The Maple Leafs have curated a pipeline of talent from the KHL in recent years, signing players like Nikita Zaitsev, Igor Ozhiganov, Ilya Mikheyev, Mikko Lehtonen, and Alexander Barabanov to their first NHL contracts. Of course, only Mikheyev remains in Toronto from that group, but the team obviously has the attention of top Russian (or in the case of Lehtonen, Finnish) players as a way into the NHL.
Now with Semyonov, the Maple Leafs are taking another swing at a player who has been an excellent producer in the KHL for several years. In 2019-20 he registered 46 points in 62 games, earning himself a trip to the league All-Star game. This isn’t a league-leading scoring talent the team is bringing over, but a potential depth piece that can fill out their bottom-six for the low price of an entry-level contract. Toronto continues to try and find bargains to improve the fringes of the roster while also paying top dollar to their superstars.
Snapshots: Kuznetsov, Kraken, Boucher, Donato
It has been a tough season for Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov. He missed time earlier this season due to COVID-19 (and is back on the CPRA list today) while being benched for last night’s contest as well for team disciplinary purposes. On top of that, he has underwhelmed offensively with 29 points in 41 games. Accordingly, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment (video link) that Washington may be willing to listen to offers on the 28-year-old this summer. While a season like this doesn’t help his value, it’s once again a quiet UFA market in terms of impact centers so there would certainly be plenty of interest in Kuznetsov’s services, even though he carries a $7.8MM AAV through 2024-25 and a 15-team no-trade clause at a time where cap space will be limited for many teams.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- For the upcoming expansion draft, the Kraken have to select at least $48.9MM in contracts. One thing that they’ll need to keep in mind with who they select will be signing bonuses as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts column that if they select someone who had a July 1st bonus paid, Seattle will have to repay that signing bonus to the original team. Knowing that who they pick could cost cap space and a cash repayment to the team they took the player from could certainly affect some of their selections.
- Winger Reid Boucher is receiving some interest from NHL teams, Friedman reports in the same column. The 27-year-old has been a strong point producer in the minors but after playing just one NHL game over the previous two seasons, Boucher went overseas and joined Avangard Omsk of the KHL. Not surprisingly, he was quite productive there this season, leading the team in scoring with 24 goals and 24 assists in 51 games. There should be lots of interest from teams looking for a productive veteran to play in the minors but he may be hard-pressed to find a team willing to give him a long look at an NHL opportunity.
- The Sharks are expected to hold contract talks with winger Ryan Donato once the season comes to an end, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. The 25-year-old is in his first season with San Jose since coming over from Minnesota in an offseason trade and has managed just six goals and 14 assists in 50 games this season. Owed a $2.15MM qualifying offer this summer, the fact he has arbitration eligibility puts him in that zone where it could be deemed too risky to tender him an offer. With that in mind, early talks to see if something can be agreed to beforehand certainly makes a lot of sense.
Blackhawks Prospect Slava Demin Transfers To UMass
Another NHL prospect is changing colleges. After entering the transfer portal two weeks ago, Blackhawks prospect Slava Demin has found his new school as Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports (Twitter link) that he is off to UMass after spending his first three seasons at Denver.
The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick (99th overall) of Vegas back in 2018 and was moved to Chicago as part of the deal that also saw them acquire Malcolm Subban and a second-rounder (Drew Commesso) in exchange for Robin Lehner.
Demin was more of an offensive defenseman in his BCHL days back with Wenatchee but that hasn’t translated to the college ranks with any consistency. His career high in points came in his freshman year when he had four goals and ten assists in 41 games although he put up a slightly better point per game rate in this pandemic-shortened season with three goals and five helpers in 21 contests.
UMass has lost a couple of blueliners to the pros recently in Zac Jones (Rangers) and Marc Del Gaizo (Predators) so it stands to reason that Demin should have an opportunity to step in and play a big role right away in the hopes of securing an entry-level deal with the Blackhawks.