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Archives for February 2023

Penguins Recall Dustin Tokarski On An Emergency Basis

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It appears that Tristan Jarry won’t be able to return after the All-Star break as the Penguins announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis.  He had been sent down late last month when Pittsburgh hit their bye week.

The 33-year-old has made two appearances with Pittsburgh this season, posting a 2.67 GAA and a .915 SV%.  While it’s a small sample size, both marks are better than his career averages of 3.12 and .902 respectively in 78 appearances over nine seasons.  Tokarski has spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL and has done well with a 2.31 GAA and a .920 SV% in 21 games, numbers that put him in the top eight in both categories.

The Penguins were hoping that Jarry would be able to return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks but that’s unlikely to be the case now.  Instead, it will continue to be Casey DeSmith’s net for the time being as he tries to keep them in the playoff mix.  At the moment, Pittsburgh holds a one-point lead on Buffalo for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Their schedule resumes on Tuesday with a matchup against Colorado.

Sean Couturier Could Return This Season

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It has been a tough season for Flyers center Sean Couturier.  After it looked like he’d be able to return earlier than expected from a back injury, he suffered a setback in October and eventually required surgery.  However, it appears he’ll have a chance of getting back late in the season as GM Chuck Fletcher confirmed to Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now that they haven’t ruled out the veteran returning to the lineup:

He’s been progressing well. I know the surgeon is happy with the progress he’s made. As you ramp up the intensity of the on- and off-ice workouts, hopefully things continue to go as expected, and in that case, it would be great for him to come back this year and get some games.”

We’ll just have to see if there are things that slow down the recovery or not. That’s hard to predict, but right now he’s doing well. We’re certainly not on a fast-track with him. We do things very methodically. At the end of the day, it’s about the long-term and not this year.

When the 30-year-old underwent surgery in late October, the anticipated recovery timeline was three-to-four months so Couturier appears to be on track.  But with Philadelphia struggling for most of the year (they currently sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division), it was also a strong possibility that they just held him out for the season to err on the side of caution to avoid any concern about him sustaining another injury.

When healthy, Couturier has been one of the stronger two-way centers in the league and was rewarded for his efforts in 2021 with an eight-year, $62MM contract with 2022-23 being the first year of that deal.  Getting him back to top form would go a long way toward boosting Philadelphia’s lineup although that type of performance isn’t likely to come this season after being off for so long.  Even so, just getting him back and Couturier showing that he’s healthy would certainly be a welcome sign heading into the offseason.

Snapshots: Skills Results, International Games, Kastelic

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The All-Star festivities kicked off on Friday night with the annual Skills Competition which featured some staple events as well as some new outdoor ones.  Here is a listing of the winners for each event:

Tendy Tandem
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG/Juuse Saros, NSH (Central Division) – 13 points

Fastest Skater
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR – 13.699 seconds

NHL Pitch ‘n Puck
Nick Suzuki, MTL – 3

Splash Shot
Cale Makar/Mikko Rantanen, COL – 18.7 seconds

Hardest Shot
Elias Pettersson, VAN – 103.2 mph

Breakaway Challenge
Sidney Crosby, PIT/Alex Ovechkin, WSH – 40

Accuracy Shooting
Brock Nelson, NYI – 12.419 seconds

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • It appears that Australia will be where next season gets underway as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that it’s all but a lock that the NHL will have games there to kick things off. He suggests that Boston and Los Angeles are among the teams in the mix to go although the full details won’t be announced until everything is finalized.  Games were played in Prague to start this season while there were a pair of games in Tampere as well back in November.
  • While there were plenty of players who were sent to the minors during the All-Star break, at least one regular player won’t be getting recalled right away. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the Senators’ plan for Mark Kastelic is to keep the forward in the minors once the schedule resumes.  The 23-year-old has played in 43 games for Ottawa this season but has been out with a back issue for the last couple of weeks and will get some time to get back into form with AHL Belleville before potentially coming back up later on.

Blues Aren’t Expected To Re-Sign Ivan Barbashev

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While there are some notable forwards that have a shot at moving between now and the March 3rd trade deadline, some teams looking for upgrades might instead be aiming for someone a little lower in the lineup.  Those squads should be keeping tabs on the Blues as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the team has informed Ivan Barbashev that he won’t be re-signed for next season and they expect to trade in the next few weeks.

2021-22 was a breakout season for the 27-year-old.  With his career highs being 14 goals, 15 assists, and 26 points (set over two years), he blew past those last year with 24 goals and 36 assists in 81 games, becoming a key part of their attack in the process.

However, Barbashev hasn’t been able to repeat those numbers this season.  That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the jumps from a year ago.  But what bodes well for St. Louis in a potential swap is that the forward is on pace to post numbers that could beat those career bests before last season.  With 24 points in 51 games, he’s playing at a 39-point pace.

Barbashev is in the final season of his contract, one that has turned out to be quite a bargain at an AAV of $2.25MM.  Assuming that St. Louis is willing to retain up to the maximum 50% ($1.125MM), that would drop him to a price point that many teams – even the really cap-strapped ones – should be able to afford.

In an ideal world, St. Louis probably wouldn’t mind keeping Barbashev around.  However, their cap situation makes that idea basically impossible.  The team has over $69MM committed to just a dozen players for next season per CapFriendly and they need to either re-sign or replace Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly (replacing both seems to be the likeliest direction at this point) and fill out the rest of the roster.  By the time they do that, they won’t be able to afford Barbashev on a market-value contract.

As a player that can play both center and the wing, kill penalties in a pinch, and contribute some secondary scoring in a middle-six role, Barbashev can fill a useful role on several teams.  With what should be a fairly low price tag in terms of the impact on the salary cap, he’ll fit on the books of quite a few teams as well.  Accordingly, while Tarasenko and O’Reilly might be the headline names, Barbashev is likely to have a strong trade market of his own in the coming weeks.

Rangers Recall Sammy Blais

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It’s not too often we see transactions during All-Star weekend but the Rangers made a roster move today.  They brought back winger Sammy Blais from his conditioning loan, per the AHL’s transactions log.

It was a successful stint with AHL Hartford for the 26-year-old.  He had a two-goal effort last night against Utica and wound up with four goals in five games in his first minor league action since the 2018-19 season.  Unfortunately for both Blais and New York, that’s basically the only success that he has had this season as things simply haven’t gone well at the NHL level.  He has just five assists in 38 games on the fourth line which is hardly what they were expecting from him when they acquired him from St. Louis as part of the Pavel Buchnevich trade in 2021.  He actually hasn’t scored for the Rangers since being acquired as he missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Blais is in the final year of his contract which carries a $1.525MM cap hit; he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  At this point, a return to New York seems unlikely and he’s a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline as a salary offset if GM Chris Drury is able to make a big splash on the trade front.  With his time in the minors going well, it’ll be interesting to see if Blais will be back in the lineup when their schedule resumes on Monday against Calgary in an effort to try to boost his value heading into next month’s trade deadline.

Evening Notes: Nyquist, Sasson, Salo

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The Columbus Blue Jackets got some bad news when it was announced on February 1st that veteran forward Gustav Nyquist would miss the rest of the regular season. Not only would Nyquist’s absence be felt by the Blue Jackets on the ice, but many were disappointed that Columbus would not have the opportunity to trade Nyquist in order to recoup some assets before his contract expires at the end of this season.

According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, a trade is still a possibility. On TSN’s Insider Trading segment, Johnston reports that because of Nyquist’s injury, the ability of teams to place Nyquist on long-term injured reserve to “stash” Nyquist until the playoffs (when the salary cap is no longer a consideration) he has actually become a more attractive trade candidate. Nyquist is a three-time 20-goal scorer and should be able to help a team looking to reinforce its scoring attack,

Some other notes from across the hockey world:

  • The Colorado Avalanche could be eyeing some potential college free agents. Dater on Hockey’s Adrian Dater reports that the Avalanche are interested in Western Michigan center Max Sasson. Sasson, 22, is an undrafted player who has scored 31 points in 28 games so far this season. Should Sasson sign in Colorado, he would add to the Avalanche’s record of picking from the college free agent ranks, something they did last year when they inked Olympian Ben Meyers to his entry-level deal.
  • The Connecticut Post’s Michael Fornabaio reports that New York Islanders defenseman Robin Salo is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Salo, 24, is currently with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, and has four points in 12 games. While it is unclear whether this injury has any long-term implications, it could impact his viability for a call-up should the Islanders wish to shake up their current defensive arrangement.

Minor Transactions: 02/03/23

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While the NHL takes a brief pause to celebrate the league’s biggest stars in the All-Star Weekend, teams in minor leagues and foreign leagues are pressing forward with their respective seasons and making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Former Detroit Red Wings farmhand Jussi Olkinoura has found his new team after securing his contract termination two days ago. Per a team announcement, the 32-year-old goalie has signed with Brynas IF, a club in the SHL. This signing marks Olkinoura’s first venture into Sweden’s top league, having already tended the crease for teams in Liiga and the KHL. Brynas’ starter this season, former NHLer Anders Lindback, has struggled to the tune of an .896 save percentage in 31 games played. He’ll now have to contend with Olkinoura, an Olympic Gold Medalist, to remain Brynas’ number-one netminder.
  • Dallas Stars prospect Antonio Stranges has been re-assigned to the Stars’ ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads. This is the second time this season Stranges has been sent to the ECHL, with the first demotion coming in December. The former OHL star hasn’t played since January 14th, and will now head back to the ECHL with the hope of getting his season back on track. Stranges has been productive in his limited action in the ECHL, scoring six points in five games, but his time in the American league has been uneven.
  • Former Ferris State University captain Liam MacDougall is headed overseas. The 25-year-old forward has signed with the Fife Flyers, a club in the EIHL, the top division of professional hockey in the United Kingdom. MacDougall heads to Scotland after an unsuccessful professional debut in the ECHL. He got a short cameo on an amateur tryout agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones near the end of last season, registering a goal in six games. He signed with the Norfolk Admirals for this season to begin his ECHL career in earnest but struggled to make an impact, and after scoring just three points in 17 games he was released. Now nearly two months after receiving his release, MacDougall has a new team to continue his pro career with.
  • The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals have released netminder Michael Bullion. The 25-year-old Alaska native made his pro debut with the team last season, signing after a few years of playing at the Canadian university level. He was solid in his nine-game trial run, posting a .912 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against-average. This season Bullion and the Admirals have struggled mightily to keep the puck out of the net. Through 18 games Bullion has a 3-11-2 record, a 4.08 goals-against-average, and an .877 save percentage, and now both Bullion and the Admirals will part ways seeking other options.
  • Former Boston College netminder Eric Dop has signed with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. The deal marks the Thunder as Dop’s fourth team of what has been quite the professional debut. After playing last season as Boston College’s starter, Dop, 24, turned pro this year and signed with the Tulsa Oilers. After three games where Dop was used only in relief for the team’s starter, he posted an .854 save percentage and as promptly traded to the Allen Americans. Dop started one game for the Americans, saving 34 out of 39 shots, and played once in relief, before he was released. He then earned a PTO with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters before signing with the Utah Grizzlies. Dop started one game for Utah, a 6-2 loss to the Steelheads, and was released a few days later. With today’s signing, he now finds himself in Wichita with a chance to back up starter Evan Buitenhuis.
  • Danish forward Morten Jensen has signed a two-year extension to remain with his current team, Denmark’s Rungsted Seier Capital. Jensen is a star defenseman in Denmark’s Metal Ligaen, with 143 points in 177 career games there. The two-time Danish champion will look to help rise from their third-to-last place in the standings.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Snapshots: Meier, Larkin, Mikkola

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The New York Rangers have their sights set on San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, according to Frank Servalli of Daily Faceoff. The pending restricted free agent is now New York’s “No. 1 target” says the insider, who also points out how well Sharks general manager Mike Grier knows the Rangers organization from his time as a hockey operations coordinator there.

They won’t be the only time, though. Meier is set to be the hottest deadline chip and currently resides at the top of the TSN Trade Bait Board, with expected interest from the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and many others, along with the Rangers.

  • Dylan Larkin, meanwhile, is also approaching free agency and could be a huge chip for the Detroit Red Wings if they can’t come to an extension. On that front, Larkin and agent Pat Brisson will meet this weekend according to Pierre LeBrun, who noted on TSN’s Insider Trading that Larkin does have a full no-movement clause and could essentially decide his own fate at the deadline. Recent reports have indicated that the Red Wings offered Larkin an eight-year, $64MM deal to try and keep him in Detroit long-term.
  • Another name that has emerged as a deadline candidate is Niko Mikkola of the St. Louis Blues, according to Seravalli, who profiled his case yesterday. Mikkola is a pending UFA who could offer physical, shutdown play in a depth role for a contender this season. Given his age – the big Finn won’t turn 27 until April – he could also be a candidate for an extension with whatever team acquires him, should the Blues decide to sell.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The All-Star break is almost upon so it’s a good time for our next mailbag segment.  Following the break, playoff races will start to head up while the trade market should come into focus while there should start to be pressure on players and teams to finalize extensions or shift their focus toward finding a new destination.

Our last mailbag was run in two parts.  The first examined the possibility of Jonathan Toews joining Boston, possible trade candidates for Arizona, what’s next for Minnesota and Nashville, and more.  Among the topics in the second column were Vancouver’s potential difficulty for trying to shake up their core, if it’s time for New Jersey to go all in, and Detroit’s center situation.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Trade Deadline Primer: Chicago Blackhawks

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With the All-Star break now upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Just like the Anaheim Ducks, who we covered yesterday, the aim for Chicago is to lose as many games as possible down the stretch. The coaching staff won’t be trying to lose, meaning the front office will have to do the work for them by stripping the roster of as much NHL talent as possible.

That doesn’t mean just older players on expiring contracts, either. General manager Kyle Davidson has made it clear with the trades of Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, and Kirby Dach that he’s gutting this team before building it up with the players he chooses. Contract term or youth doesn’t mean off-limits for the Blackhawks, who are one of the most interesting teams to watch over the next few weeks.

Record

15-29-4, 8th in the Central

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$16.06MM today, $26.77MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: CHI 1st, TBL 1st, CHI 2nd, TBL 2nd, CHI 3rd, DAL 3rd, CHI 4th, CHI 5th, CHI 7th
2024: CHI 1st, TBL 1st, CHI 2nd, VAN 2nd, CHI 3rd, OTT 3rd, CHI 5th, CGY 5th, CHI 6th, CHI 7th

Trade Chips

All eyes are on Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who are coming to the end of their matching eight-year, $84MM contracts. Both have full no-movement clauses, meaning they can control their destiny, and both have $10.5MM cap hits with barely any actual salary left to pay out. These are two Blackhawks legends who have won three Stanley Cup championships, multiple individual awards, and have never suited up for another team.

In a normal situation, it would be easy to assume they re-sign and spend their entire careers in Chicago. But this isn’t a normal situation, and it appears that new homes are coming for them one way or another. If it’s going to come in the summer anyway, perhaps Kane and Toews agree to help the franchise they have dedicated themselves to for so long, and waive their protection to bring assets back to the Blackhawks. But they won’t be easy trades to pull off given those massive cap hits.

Beyond the two franchise icons there are a number of other pieces that should be in play. Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou signed one-year, $3MM deals last summer that immediately looked like deadline bait, while defensemen like Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe have seen their names in trade rumors. The latter two both have significant term left on their contracts (Murphy is signed through 2025-26 and McCabe through 2024-25), making them a little more complicated than a deadline rental deal, but could still be strong additions for contenders looking to beef up the back end.

What about Stanley Cup champion Jack Johnson, who is on an expiring deal of his own? Or Sam Lafferty, signed through next year at a reasonable amount and enjoying a nice season in Chicago?

Other potential trade chips: D Ian Mitchell, G Alex Stalock, F Philipp Kurashev

Team Needs

1) Draft picks: The Blackhawks aren’t trying to rebuild on the fly. They don’t need NHL-ready talent. It’s all about the draft, and how they can build up a class of players to support what will likely be several top-five picks over the next few years. If they can secure the next potential Kane and Toews – Connor Bedard and Michael Misa, for instance – they’ll need to find all the support players that are required to really contend. That’s what you can get at the deadline, and that’s what they’ll be after.

2) Potential flips: Don’t think that Chicago didn’t notice the way the Arizona Coyotes had dealt with a player like Shayne Gostisbehere. They had cashed in when acquiring him, and were about to cash in again at the deadline, had he not been injured. Acquiring a good player on a bad contract (along with a sweetener) just to turn around and sell him down the road after powerplay time boosts his numbers? Sounds like a recipe for success, and exactly the kind of opportunity that the Blackhawks front office will be looking for.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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