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Brad Marchand Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has issued a three-game suspension to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson last night.

As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that there are many occasions during the course of a game where players use either their legs or their stick and upper body to restrain or impede opponents, or to gain leverage during a puck battle. When these players rise to the level of being illegal, the vast majority of them can be adequately punished with in-game penalties.

What causes this play to rise to the level of supplementary discipline, is Marchand’s use of both his upper and lower body to take Ekman-Larsson to the ice in a dangerous fashion and the speed at which the players are traveling towards the boards. 

While the video includes reasoning on why it rises to the level of supplementary discipline, it’s Marchand’s lengthy history with the DoPS that makes it a three-game ban. The Bruins forward has been suspended six times in the past, including once for a slew foot in 2015.

Ekman-Larsson did not suffer a serious injury on the play. Marchand was also not penalized, but he will have to sit down for the Bruins next three games and forfeit more than $90K in salary.

William Karlsson Enters COVID Protocol

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Though he’s still on long-term injured reserve and hasn’t played in a month, William Karlsson has been moved into the COVID protocol, according to Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer, who spoke with reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic today. Karlsson was moved to long-term injured reserve recently when the team activated Max Pacioretty, as the Golden Knights continue to perform a delicate salary cap dance.

It’s been four weeks since Karlsson broke his foot and was given a six-week recovery timeline, meaning this doesn’t necessarily take him out of the picture for any game action. It could however set his rehab back, as if Karlsson tested positive and is experiencing any symptoms, he’ll have to isolate for a minimum of ten days. After a solid few years in Vegas it’s been a hard start to the season for the 28-year-old center, who has just eight games under his belt and registered just three points in that time.

DeBoer provided updates on some other players, indicating that Nolan Patrick has taken some positive steps in his recovery but is not close to returning. Patrick hasn’t played in over a month and remains a “What could have been?” candidate now nearly five years into his NHL career. It’s been nothing but injuries for the 2017 second-overall pick, including a migraine issue that kept him out the entire 2019-20 season. Patrick is signed through the 2022-23 season, but it is completely unclear whether he’ll ever be able to get his career back on track. He has just five goals and ten points since the end of the 2018-19 season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Penguins, Avalanche

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The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and Alex Ovechkin has taken home the top spot once again. The Russian Machine notched his 28th career hat trick and totaled seven points on the week, taking him ahead of Connor McDavid and into second place in the league scoring race. His 19 goals in 22 games (at age-36 no less) have brought him within 145 of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record and has him just 17 behind Jaromir Jagr for third place. With four years left on his new extension and still 60 games left this season, it seems to be a matter of when, not if, Ovechkin will set the NHL record for goals.

Second and third place have been given to Tristan Jarry and Cale Makar respectively, after two more fantastic weeks. Jarry stopped 91 of 93 shots he faced to win all three games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, bringing his overall record to 10-4-3 on the year. The 26-year-old netminder has now played more minutes than any other goalie in the league and has a .936 save percentage on the year. Makar meanwhile is showing once again why he has been a Norris nominee through his first two seasons in the league, as the 23-year-old defenseman now has nine goals and 20 points in 16 games. That’s just two points behind John Carlson for the most by a defenseman, despite having played six fewer games so far and his 1.25 points-per-game rate ties him for sixth among all players (not just defensemen) that have suited up at least ten times.

  • While Jarry has led the Penguins to a better record of late, he might be getting some help soon. Evgeni Malkin was on the ice at practice today in a non-contact sweater, and though there’s still no exact timeline for his return to action, it’s good to see him back with teammates. The 35-year-old hasn’t played yet this season after offseason surgery but would obviously be a huge boost to the Penguins when healthy. That’s especially true now that Bryan Rust has been listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He’s not with the team on their current road trip, which starts tonight against the Calgary Flames and lasts through December 10.
  • Speaking of teams that may soon receive help, the Avalanche could have Nathan MacKinnon back on Wednesday according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, who tweets that though nothing is official, it’s “looking like” the superstar center will return against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, that news also comes with a bad injury update, as Ryan Murray is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury that the team is still evaluating. Murray lasted just 11 seconds before leaving the team’s game against Nashville on Saturday.

Evander Kane Clears Waivers, Has “Multiple Options”

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San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has cleared waivers and is expected to be assigned to the AHL. Previous reports have made it clear that the Sharks would retain salary in order to facilitate a trade of the veteran forward, and Kane’s new agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that there are “multiple options on the table.” Milstein even included the Vancouver Canucks specifically as one of the teams he will be contacting as he tries to get his client a new home.

Remember that once Kane is activated from his suspension, assigning him to the minor leagues will not remove his entire cap hit from the Sharks books, nor will it mean the team owes him any less in salary. His $7MM cap hit would only be reduced by $1.125MM and the remainder of his salary would need to be paid out. So far in the season his cap hit was removed because of the 21-game suspension he received for violating league COVID protocols, but that expired when the Sharks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks last night.

It’s unclear at this point whether Kane will actually suit up for the Barracuda, but perhaps playing AHL games would be beneficial to both sides if a trade is to be worked out. Of course, despite all of the off-ice issues that have followed Kane around for most of his career, he’s coming off an excellent season with the Sharks in 2020-21. In the team’s 56 games, he registered 22 goals and 49 points, the best per-game rate of his career.

Professional sports organizations are often willing to overlook off-ice (or field, or court) transgressions because of the skill of a player, and it is important to note that Kane was cleared of both the gambling and domestic abuse investigations that the NHL held this offseason. Whether a team will take the chance on him remains to be seen, but his time with the Sharks does appear to be over, at least for now.

Logan Shaw Clears Waivers

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Nov 29: Shaw has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.

Nov 28: In addition to the Sharks’ Evander Kane hitting waivers today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Ottawa Senators are waiving forward Logan Shaw as well.

With forward Drake Batherson becoming the last Senator to be activated from COVID-19 protocol, Ottawa needed an additional roster spot with waiver claim Adam Gaudette joining the team.

Shaw’s gotten into 16 games with the Sens this season, scoring a goal and two assists while averaging just 9:26 of ice time per game. He spent the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, which is where he’ll be going if he clears waivers on Monday.

Shaw, a veteran of 231 NHL games with Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal, Anaheim, and Florida, is in the second year of a $1.45MM two-way contract.

Daniel Briere Linked To Montreal Canadiens GM Job

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Montreal Canadiens president and CEO Geoff Molson met with the media for more than an hour today to discuss the recent changes in senior leadership. He discussed several things, including the dismissal of former general manager Marc Bergevin, the appointment of the new executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, and the search for the team’s next GM. The team continues to explain to fans that the next GM will speak french, which immediately set off speculation across the hockey world on who could be a candidate for the job.

One interesting point Molson made, however, is that the Canadiens are open to hiring someone who does not have previous GM experience. The executive pointed to the fact that Bergevin himself did not have any GM experience when he was hired in 2012, and the new front office boss will have Gorton to lean on in a partnership.

With that in mind, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that Daniel Briere is “very high up on the list” of candidates for the GM job. That would certainly make sense, given his familiarity with the language, market, and Gorton. The Gatineau native played the 2013-14 season for the Canadiens and has been running the Maine Mariners of the ECHL–a team that was affiliated with the New York Rangers when Gorton was in charge–since 2017. Briere is considered an up-and-coming executive after his long, successful NHL career, though jumping from the ECHL directly into the Montreal GM job would certainly be a leap.

Of course, the Canadiens are likely to hire several people after firing not only Bergevin but also assistant GM Trevor Timmins and seeing assistant GM Scott Mellanby resign. Even Molson admitted today that the job is too big for one person, explaining his regret that he didn’t insulate Bergevin further with another high-ranking executive. Obviously, Gorton–who signed a long-term deal–will be one of the decision-makers, but whoever does take the GM job will need assistants as well.

In all, this should be an exciting search that could result in a huge opportunity being given to someone who has yet to lead an NHL front office. Briere is very high up on the list, but that list is long.

AHL Shuffle: 11/29/21

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It’s a new week in the NHL and four games kick things off this evening. That includes the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens battling while headlines swirl around each franchise, and the Pittsburgh Penguins taking the ice for the first time since announcing an approved sale. As those teams and others prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling right here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Matt Kiersted and Aleksi Heponiemi, as Aleksander Barkov continues to work on his recovery. The Panthers captain was at practice but skating with the extras, which also included Heponiemi. Now 22, Heponiemi has played just nine games at the NHL level but has 11 points in 18 games for the Charlotte Checkers this season.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Gabriel Fortier from the AHL, as Mathieu Joseph deals with an injury. Fortier, 21, has yet to make his NHL debut but has 11 points in 17 games for the Syracuse Crunch this season. The 2018 second-round pick was a strong performer in junior and has been in the system for years, making his AHL debut back in the 2018-19 season.
  • Following a California road trip, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have at least one well-rested skater when they take on Colorado on Wednesday. The team has announced that Joey Anderson has been recalled from the AHL Marlies with Kirill Semyonov heading the other way.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Connor Bunnaman and Max Willman back to the AHL, with the team off until Wednesday. Philadelphia is plummeting in the standings, losing six in a row and dropping to seventh in the Metro. The group is 2-6-2 in their last ten and now has a -12 goal differential.
  • With a pair of starting defenders entering COVID Protocol earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes have called in reinforcements. Maxime Lajoie and Jalen Chatfield have been recalled to the NHL from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the ’Canes announced. The duo has 80 NHL games between them, but neither has suited up for Carolina yet. One or both could get their first opportunity in the team’s next game.

Central Division

  • The Colorado Avalanche have activated Martin Kaut from injured reserve, loaning him to the AHL in the process. Kaut has played a handful of games at both levels this season but will get his feet back underneath him in the minor leagues.
  • With Philipp Kurashev struggling to get going in his sophomore season, the Chicago Blackhawks have opted to send him to the AHL for the time being. Coming up from the Rockford IceHogs is a familiar name – or at least a familiar last name. Rookie Josiah Slavin, younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes star defenseman Jaccob Slavin, has earned his first NHL recall after leaving Colorado College last year. Slavin leads the IceHogs in plus/minus by a wide margin and is a top-five scorer as well.

Pacific Division

  • Benoit-Olivier Groulx has been added back to the San Diego Gulls roster for the time being, with the Anaheim Ducks off until tomorrow. Groulx, 21, has three points in 16 games during his rookie NHL season but has been bounced back and forth on off-days.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Pesce, DeAngelo, McKegg Added To COVID Protocol

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The Carolina Hurricanes have lost another two defensemen, as both Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo have been added to the COVID protocol. The two will remain in Raleigh while the rest of the team travels to Dallas, suggesting they won’t be available tomorrow night at the very least. If the pair has tested positive–which the Hurricanes did not confirm–and have experienced any symptoms, they will be held out for a minimum of ten days.

The New York Rangers also have an unavailable player, as Greg McKegg will not skate today after entering the protocol. Like the Hurricanes, the Rangers have not confirmed whether or not McKegg tested positive for coronavirus, only that he will miss today’s practice with a COVID-related absence.

Ethan Bear had already been unavailable for the Hurricanes after entering the protocol a week ago, meaning a huge swathe of the team’s defense corps is now out of the lineup. The Hurricanes had been using Brendan Smith more than they likely expected, but now will also likely have to make some additional recalls. Like with the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Ottawa Senators, who have all faced severe outbreaks this season, the Hurricanes aren’t likely to receive any help from the league in terms of postponements unless things get much worse.

Already the Hurricanes had been faltering a bit of late, losing the Metropolitan Division lead after a 6-3-1 run. If they want to catch the Washington Capitals (who have played two more games) in the coming days, they’ll have to do it with a defense group that isn’t quite as established. Pesce logs more ice time than anyone not named Jaccob Slavin, while DeAngelo has been one of the best point-producing defensemen in the league this season with 19 in 20 games.

Brad Marchand To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety still has Brendan Lemieux to deal with tomorrow, but will focus on Brad Marchand today. The Boston Bruins forward will have a hearing today for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver-Ekman Larsson.

The incident occurred partway through the first period of last night’s game and Marchand did not receive a penalty on the play. Ekman-Larsson also did not suffer a serious injury, going on to play more than 24 minutes in the game.

This is not the first slew foot to draw the attention of the DoPS this season, in fact, it appears as though this season is going to be ruled by the offense given how often it has been in the headlines so far. P.K. Subban has been involved in several incidents (which were notably referred to as trips, not slew foots), while Ryan Hartman earned a $4,250 fine recently. Kevin Labanc is the only one to have earned a suspension for a slew foot this season, drawing a one-game ban for his incident earlier this month.

In Labanc’s video explanation, the league used the following language to explain the suspension:

What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the speed the players are traveling, and their proximity to the boards. 

Ekman-Larsson also collided with the boards after the Marchand incident, though the pair weren’t traveling at an exceptional speed. It will be interesting to see if the league decides on a fine or suspension in this case.

Fenway Sports Group Approves Purchase Of Pittsburgh Penguins

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Nov: 29: After receiving unanimous approval from the FSG board earlier this month, the team has officially announced the agreement, which is still subject to approval from the NHL’s board of governors. In today’s release, it confirms that Lemieux and Burkle will remain part of the ownership group, and that management–from CEO David Morehouse all the way to head coach Mike Sullivan–will be maintained as is. The sale is expected to go through before the end of the year.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the sale is expected to be worth around $900MM.

Nov 16: The Pittsburgh Penguins majority owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux are in talks to sell the team to Fenway Sports Group, the company that owns Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, according to Cara Lombardo and Laine Higgins of the Wall Street Journal. Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Lemieux will likely retain a minority stake and will continue to be involved in the hockey operations.

It’s been more than two decades since Lemieux and Burkle effectively saved the Penguins, taking control of the team in 1999 after converting more than $32MM in deferred salary into equity. While it has certainly not been a smooth ride since then–the Penguins have been close to selling or relocating several times over the years, including a notorious saga with Jim Balsillie in 2006–Lemieux has held the team together, helped orchestrate a rebuild, and eventually brought multiple Stanley Cup victories to the club as an executive.

Forbes estimates the Penguins value at $650MM, the same price that the Seattle Kraken recently paid as an expansion fee. Sportico meanwhile valued them at $845MM recently, ranking them 15th in the NHL. The details of this sale are not public, but the report suggests that the deal could be finalized by the end of the week. It would also need to be approved by the NHL.

Fenway Sports Group was formed in 2001–then called New England Sports Ventures–when John Henry, among other investors, took control of the Red Sox. In 2010 the company purchased Liverpool FC, and they also own other smaller sporting ventures and venues. Henry has previous experience in sports ownership and was involved in an expansion bid for a Florida-based team that eventually went to another group and became the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Of note, the NHL has a standard agreement in place that prevents new owners from relocating a franchise for seven years.

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