OHL Working On Hub City Restart Plan
The QMJHL has completed more than 150 games of their 2020-21 schedule, giving prospects in the league a chance to continue their development and put performances on tape for scouts to view. The WHL hasn’t announced an official schedule yet but is on track to start their season later this month. That left the OHL as the last remaining CHL member without a clear plan for their teams this season, as Ontario continues to debate how even AHL hockey will take place.
We may be heading closer to a return for the OHL however, as Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports that a memo was sent to teams today with plans for a restart. The 24-game season would be held in four hub cities, with a target start date of the April 2-4 weekend. None of that plan has been made official and is still subject to government approval.
While development and scouting is certainly the most important result of an OHL campaign taking place, it also would have an impact on NHL rosters later this season.
For instance, a player like Philip Tomasino, who is currently tied for the AHL scoring lead with five points in his first three games, would not actually be eligible to play in the minor league if the OHL was in session. The 19-year-old forward would have to either stay with the NHL club or go back to his OHL club (in this case the Oshawa Generals), but importantly, once assigned to junior could not be recalled until his season there was complete. Currently, Tomasino could be recalled from the AHL at any time to help the Predators if they felt he was ready.
Still, the benefits for an NHL scouting department are huge, given the league is already considering drastic options like pushing the 2021 Entry Draft until next year. There’s simply not enough information about this year’s draft class, or at least not as much as NHL teams want. 24 games would be better than none, though even this plan is far from confirmed at this point.
NHL Postpones Another Philadelphia Flyers Game
The NHL has announced another postponement, this time for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. The game between the two teams scheduled for February 14 has been postponed because of the Flyers currently in the COVID Protocol.
The league expects the Flyers will be able to re-open their facilities for practice on Monday, February 15. The Rangers meanwhile will now have a break over the weekend after playing the Boston Bruins on Friday night. Three Flyers players are currently listed on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list: Travis Sanheim, Claude Giroux and Justin Braun.
The list of postponements continues to grow with each passing day.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/10/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 protocol. While Los Angeles is still listed as TBA, the rest of the league is in:
Buffalo – Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar, Jake McCabe, Casey Mittelstadt, Brandon Montour, Tobias Rieder, Rasmus Ristolainen
Chicago – Ryan Carpenter
Colorado – Samuel Girard, Tyson Jost, Gabriel Landeskog
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Nick Bjugstad, Nick Bonino, Jonas Brodin, Ian Cole, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Foligno, Brad Hunt, Marcus Johansson, Carson Soucy, Jared Spurgeon, Nico Sturm, Cam Talbot, Victor Rask*
New Jersey – Nathan Bastian, Jesper Bratt, Connor Carrick, Eric Comrie, Nikita Gusev, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Andreas Johnsson, Dmitry Kulikov, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Damon Severson, Yegor Sharangovich, Ty Smith, Matt Tennyson, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac
Philadelphia – Justin Braun, Claude Giroux, Travis Sanheim
Vegas – Tomas Nosek*
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Lucas Wallmark, Chicago Blackhawks; Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils; Pavel Zacha, New Jersey Devils
Nosek has been added today after being removed from the third period of last night’s game against the Ducks. The league has issued a statement regarding the situation:
The National Hockey League announced today that, immediately upon notification that one of its Players had returned a positive test for COVID-19, the Vegas Golden Knights removed forward Tomas Nosek from Tuesday night’s game vs. Anaheim, in precise accordance with the terms of the League’s COVID Protocol. Nosek was immediately isolated from his teammates and close contact tracing was begun, also in accordance with the Protocol.
Tomorrow night’s game in Las Vegas between the Golden Knights and Ducks remains scheduled to be played at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Rapid PCR Point of Care tests will be administered to all Players and staff on both teams in advance of that game (in addition to the daily lab-based PCR testing) and any decision regarding potential postponement will be made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Clubs’ medical officials, following all COVID Protocols and local and federal regulations.
The Devils had two players removed today, a good sign that they are heading towards a resumption of play eventually. The team is still currently shutdown while they deal with the situation.
*denotes new addition
Poll: Did The Penguins Make The Right Hires?
The Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed the headlines again yesterday as they announced the two men that will lead their hockey operations moving forward. Ron Hextall, who was hired as general manager, had been in the news as a potential candidate basically since the moment Jim Rutherford announced his resignation. But Brian Burke, who was hired as president of hockey operations, surprised many.
The moves seemed to come with equal shares of praise and criticsm, given the checkered history of both executives. Hextall’s patient approach in Philadelphia resulted in a strong stable of young, homegrown talent, but the Flyers haven’t actually won anything yet. In fact, since he re-joined Philadelphia’s front office in 2013 (first as an AGM), the Flyers have won just a single playoff round and it came well after he was fired. The future looks bright, and Hextall did win a Stanley Cup as a member of the Los Angeles Kings front office, but that was nearly a decade ago.
Still, if Hextall’s hiring came with mostly positive reviews because of his drafting and development history, the opposite could be said of Burke’s. The in-your-face manager has been part of the media for the last few years and is nearly 15 years removed from his Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. His stints in Toronto and Calgary since leaving the Ducks haven’t gone very well and to say he rubs some people the wrong way is to put it lightly. Remember, this is the man who wanted to rent a barn to fight Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe.
That is not to say Hextall and Burke can’t have success. Both have been part of winning teams in the past and no one is questioning how much experience they have between them. But it’s a tough situation in Pittsburgh to walk into. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote today that the Penguins’ job “wasn’t as coveted as it should be” and Burke even explained that other general managers have called him to tell him things will end badly, given the situation the team is in. Other names that were interviewed, according to Friedman, included (but may have not been limited to) Patrik Allvin, John Ferguson Jr., Mike Futa, Mark Hunter, Jason Karmanos, Chris MacFarland and Kevin Weekes.
Are they the right men for the job? Vote below and make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
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Snapshots: Canucks, Laine, McCann
The Vancouver Canucks are shopping around a few of their underperforming forwards, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Nashville Predators are one of the teams interested in Adam Gaudette. The 24-year-old forward seemed to have a breakthrough season last year for the Canucks, scoring 33 points in 59 games, but was virtually invisible in the postseason and has just two points in 12 games this season. Gaudette is on a one-year, $950K contract this season and will be an arbitration-eligible RFA in the summer.
On the other name that is swirling around, Jake Virtanen, Friedman seems less certain but does note that the Boston Bruins were checking him out at one point. The San Jose Sharks “poked around” in the offseason, which makes sense given it appeared at one point as though Virtanen would not be back with the Canucks this year. The 24-year-old Virtanen still has just one point through 12 games.
- The recent benching of Patrik Laine was because he “verbally disrespected” a member of the coaching staff, according to both Aaron Portzline of The Athletic and Brian Hedger of the Columbus Post-Dispatch. The young forward and Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella told reporters today that the incident was behind them, and Laine is expected to be back on the top line with Jack Roslovic and Cam Atkinson when the team plays tomorrow. Despite all that has happened this season, Laine still has five goals and six points through five games, a testament to just how impressive his offensive ability can be. His is still a very interesting situation to watch unfold, however, after playing just 11 minutes on Monday night.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Jared McCann a little longer than originally anticipated, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today that the young forward will be out “week-to-week” while he deals with a lower-body injury. McCann played just four minutes in the team’s last game before exiting and has five points on the season.
Michael Peca Hired By Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals have added a fresh face to the organization, hiring Michael Peca as a player development coach. Peca is expected to work primarily with the players on Washington’s taxi squad this season.
If you remember the Buffalo Sabres team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 (only to lose to the toe of Brett Hull), you remember Peca. A whirlwind of offensive talent, defensive responsibility and devastating open-ice hits, Peca made the most of his relatively small frame.
In 864 career games he recorded 465 points, including a career-high 60 with the New York Islanders in 2001-02. He won his second Selke Trophy that season while playing under Peter Laviolette, who happens to be the Capitals head coach. If Peca can instill any of that defensive responsibility—he finished in the top-five of Selke voting for seven straight seasons—in the Capitals depth players, he’ll be a valuable coaching asset.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/10/21
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 Los Angeles Kings have performed their daily cap move, sending Lias Andersson, Tobias Bjornfot, and Austin Strand to the taxi squad. To make room, Mark Alt, Markus Phillips, and Boko Imama have been sent to the Ontario Reign. The team continues to move players on and off the roster depending on whether they play that day and will likely do so throughout the season.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have sent Tomas Jurco and Kaedan Korczak to the AHL, recalling Carl Dahlstrom and Tyrell Goulbourne to the taxi squad in their place. The Golden Knights are still scheduled to take on the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow, despite Tomas Nosek testing positive for coronavirus during the third period of last night’s match.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Logan Brown to the AHL, allowing him to start playing minor league games now that the Canadian division is starting up. Brown, 22, was the 11th overall pick in 2016 but has still only played in 29 NHL games, none this season. In his place on the taxi squad, Matthew Peca has been recalled.
- The Calgary Flames have sent Michael Stone to the AHL, while recalling Glenn Gawdin to the taxi squad. The 23-year-old Gawdin has been outstanding in his first two seasons of professional hockey, scoring 38 and then 47 points. He seems poised to get his first chance in the NHL at some point in the near future, especially if the team continues to not get much offense from the bottom half of the roster.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have sent Giavani Smith and Mathias Brome back to the taxi squad, given it’s an off day for the team. The Red Wings fell again last night, pushing their record to 3-9-2 in the early part of the season.
- The Dallas Stars have loaned Julius Honka to the AHL while placing Ty Dellandrea and Tanner Kero on the taxi squad. Taylor Fedun, who was put on waivers earlier today, is also likely headed for the taxi squad should he clear tomorrow.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Alexandre Carrier from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad while reassigning Anthony Richard to the Chicago Wolves. Michael McCarron and Sean Malone are both back on the taxi squad.
East Division
- The Washington Capitals have sent Daniel Carr down to the taxi squad, while sending Pheonix Copley from the taxi squad to the Hershey Bears. The Bears had their season opener postponed, but played one game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, in which Copley stopped 26 of 28 shots in a losing effort. With Hershey back in action tomorrow, he’s on his way back down. Later in the day, the team sent Martin Fehervary and Michael Sgarbossa to the minor leagues as well.
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Kevin Bahl and Gilles Senn down to the minor leagues from the taxi squad, giving them a chance to play in the coming days. Mikhail Maltsev has been moved from the NHL roster to the taxi squad, while Joshua Jacobs has been called up from the AHL to it.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Dustin Tokarski to the taxi squad, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen prepares to make his season debut in the minor leagues. The team has also assigned C.J. Smith to the Rochester Americans.
Brent Seabrook Unlikely To Return Soon
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was hoping that after undergoing three surgeries last season that ended his 2019-20 campaign early, he would be ready to go in training camp. That didn’t happen and the veteran has yet to play this season with very little information coming out about how long he’ll miss. Speaking with Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, GM Stan Bowman indicated that Seabrook won’t be coming back anytime soon and that there is some concern about his future:
He’s been a warrior for us. Think of his time in Chicago — he never really missed any games. But now we’re realizing he was playing through a lot of pain those years, and it’s caught up to him.
He was dealing with his shoulders and his hips to the point where he probably should have had [the surgeries] done years ago, but that’s how he’s always been driven — to keep moving forward, don’t worry about injuries, play through it. So, yeah, we are concerned for him. We certainly hope he can get past it.
Seabrook had planned to be in Chicago’s training camp before tweaking his back which has kept him out since then. He has managed to skate lightly on his own in recent weeks but nowhere near a level where he’d be considered close to returning. Pope likens Seabrook’s situation to that of teammate Zack Smith who also had a back injury, had planned to be ready for training camp, then wound up on the injured list and has yet to play this season.
The Blackhawks have used four blueliners on entry-level contracts so far this season and with it appearing that Seabrook won’t be back anytime soon (if at all this year), they will be able to get a longer look at some of those younger prospects. In the meantime, Seabrook and his $6.875MM AAV can be placed on LTIR if Chicago needs the cap room although they’re safely in cap compliance for the time being with Jonathan Toews on there and no word on how much longer he’ll be out.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: St. Louis Blues
We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the league approaching the one-quarter mark of the season.
What are the Blues most thankful for?
A strong start to the season from Justin Faulk.
It was only a year and a half ago that GM Doug Armstrong surprised many by trading for Faulk, giving them a big upgrade on their back end. Or so they thought. The 28-year-old struggled mightily with his new team and after being brought in to bolster their offense from the defense, he had the worst statistical year of his career. Instead of serving as insurance in case they couldn’t re-sign Alex Pietrangelo, Faulk’s $6.5MM contract extension signed at the time he was acquired ultimately was instrumental in the former captain heading elsewhere.
As it turns out, Pietrangelo’s departure has been a boon for Faulk. Now entrenched in a top role that he was accustomed to, he has been much better in the early going this season. His production has rebounded a bit and he’s leading the team in ice time at just under 24 minutes a night. This is what they were expecting from him when they acquired Faulk – it just took him a while to get there.
Who are the Blues most thankful for?
Their new captain, Ryan O’Reilly. He has been exactly what they were hoping for when they acquired him (for what has turned out to be a very minimal return) from Buffalo and has established himself as a legitimate top-line center. He had a career year offensively in his first season with the team, matched what was his previous career high last season despite the pandemic, and is off to a quick start this year where he’s just under a point per game. He’s a reliable defensive pivot with two straight top-three Selke finishes (including winning in 2018-19) and is as dominant as ever at the faceoff dot. O’Reilly has quickly become a key cog for the Blues who remains under contract for two more years after this one.
What would the Blues be even more thankful for?
Finding the right fit for a Vince Dunn trade. The blueliner is clearly out there in trade talks and while he’s now in his fourth NHL season, he hasn’t really been able to work his way into a more prominent role. At 18:12 of ATOI per night, he’s only fifth on the Blues among their defenders and that’s basically where he has been for most of his career. He’s coming off a quieter year offensively and that resulted in a one-year deal over the offseason. He’ll be arbitration-eligible next summer where his offensive numbers will play a bigger role so a trade seems like the likely outcome at this point. With a cap hit that’s affordable this season, they should be able to find a taker for him and still get good value in return.
What should be on the Blues’ wish list?
Vladimir Tarasenko getting healthy and staying healthy. He has resumed skating, albeit lightly, as he tries to work his way back from his latest shoulder surgery. This has been a lingering problem for years which has taken away their top pure offensive player for extended periods of time. If he can stay healthy, St. Louis will add a capable top-liner to their lineup for the second half of the season which would be a huge boost as they look to secure one of four playoff spots in the West Division.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Transactions: 02/09/21
With the AHL season underway, activity has started to pick up on the signing front as teams look to bolster their rosters. Here’s a rundown of the latest moves:
- The Avalanche have signed three players to minor league deals per a team release from the AHL Eagles. Wingers Jerry D’Amigo and Riley Woods plus defenseman Miles Gendron have all inked tryout agreements with the team. D’Amigo is the headliner of the group having played in 31 career NHL games between Toronto and Columbus. Woods spent last season in Toronto’s system while Gendron, a former Ottawa prospect, spent last season with the Sens on a minor league deal.
- The Devils are taking a closer look at one of their prospects as Binghamton announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed winger Graeme Clarke to a minor-league deal. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick of New Jersey back in 2019 and with the OHL not having started yet, he hasn’t played aside from a six-game stint in Slovakia. Clarke, who must sign an NHL deal by June 1st, will have to return to OHL Ottawa if and when that league starts its 2020-21 season.
- The Lightning released winger Maxim Cajkovic from his AHL deal, per the AHL’s Transactions log. The 20-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2019 and needs to sign by June 1st or Tampa Bay will lose his rights. Cajkovic started the season with Bratislava of the ICEHL and will now report to Val d’Or of the QMJHL for his final junior season.