Sharks’ Kevin Labanc Returned To Minors
Young San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc has been given every chance to succeed this season from head coach Peter DeBoer. The 21-year-old winger has spent ample time on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, yet he has only seven points to show for it, only one of which came in the last six games. After moving through the lineup this past week, Labanc was dropped down to the fourth line during last night’s game, a shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks. After this in-game demotion, and a subsequent meeting with DM Doug Wilson, The San Jose Mercury News’ Paul Gackle predicted that LaBanc was likely headed to the AHL.
According to the American League itself this morning, this has in fact come to fruition. Labanc has been reassigned to the Barracuda, which of course is not a long trip – they share a building with the Sharks. Labanc is expected to be in the lineup tonight for the Barracuda, as they take on the Texas Stars.
The question now is whether this is only a message to Labanc or instead a long-term decision. That much will be indicated by the Sharks’ next move. The team does not play again until Wednesday, when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Labanc could easily be on a short-term AHL stint to rediscover his scoring touch prior to a mid-week recall. However, if San Jose opts to call up Danny O’Regan, Marcus Sorensen, or Adam Helewka instead, all of whom have had a strong start to the minor league campaign, then perhaps Labanc will need to wait a bit longer.
San Jose decided to stand pat this off-season and hope that their young forwards could take the next step and make up for the loss of Patrick Marleau and an overall lack of scoring depth. The team is 8-5 thus far, good enough for third in the Pacific, and are far from desperate for help. Yet, their 22nd-ranked offense is concerning and if Labanc and company don’t start putting the puck in the net more often, San Jose could be scouring the forward market in short time.
Columbus Signs Max Fortier To Entry-Level Deal
An in-season free agent signing, particularly of a junior player, is rare. However, when it comes to a player with the ability and pedigree of Maxime Fortier, it comes as no surprise. The QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads have announced that their captain has signed an entry-level deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. While Columbus has yet to make the official announcement, thus leaving the salary terms unknown for the time being, the contract will be for three years and should finally give Fortier the shot at the pros that he has earned.
Passed over in the NHL draft twice and having left Montreal Canadiens camp without a contract in each of the past two years, Fortier’s production in juniors has finally become too impressive to ignore, even in light of his size concerns and lack of any defensive game. Fortier, now in his fifth season with Halifax at the age of 20, erupted on to the scene in the QMJHL in 2015-16, when he doubled his point total from the previous season, notching 77 points in 68 games. That production increased again last season, jumping to 87 points in 68 games and a point-per-game performance in the playoffs. To begin the 2017-18 season, Fortier already has 27 points in 18 games, on pace for a whopping 102 points if he plays 68 games again. Perhaps even more impressive is that Fortier is a +12 thus far, a positive player for the first time in his junior career. Fortier is taking steps toward becoming a true NHL-caliber player and it would be no shock if the other 30 NHL teams are looking back in frustration at the many times they missed out on Fortier as he blossoms into a star in Columbus.
However, that future is still a ways away. Halifax was clear in their team release that Fortier will remain with the team for the remainder of the season, skating alongside top 2018 draft hopefuls Jared McIsaac, Filip Zadina, and Benoit-Olivier Groulx on a team that plans to contend for a QMJHL title. They also made mention that Fortier is likely to begin his pro career with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and, considering his need to develop a more well-rounded game, especially against bigger, stronger competition, it seems likely that Fortier could spent ample time in the minors before making his NHL debut in a couple of years. Still, Fortier’s offensive prowess makes him a player to watch in seasons to come and potentially franchise-altering move by the Blue Jackets.
Brett Ritchie Out With Upper Body Injury
It’s a headline that has come up far too often for such a young player: Dallas Stars forward Brett Ritchie is out with an injury. This time, the 24-year-old power forward has suffered an undisclosed upper body injury and the team has already announced that he has been sent home to Dallas early from the current road trip for further evaluation.
While Ritchie is only considered day-to-day for now, any instance of injury concern regarding the young scorer comes with more than its fair share of concern. Since his first career call-up midway through the 2014-15 season, Ritchie has missed 40 games, just at the NHL level, from a variety of different injuries. The most well-known is of-course the wrist injury suffered prior to the 2015-16 season that kept Ritchie on the injured reserve for the team’s first 27 games and with the AHL’s Texas Stars for all but eight of the remaining contests, as he worked his way back to fill strength. Additionally, Ritchie has struggled to finish a season, missing the final six regular season games and first two postseason games for Dallas in 2015-16 and again missing the final two games last season. The worst part may be that Ritchie’s absences have all been the result of different injuries, indicating that he may just be a fragile player. For a power forward who plays a physical game and lives in the crease, that is problematic for the young winger’s future.
For now, there is no reason to believe that this current injury should keep Ritchie sidelined for any extended period of time. Instead, it may well just be chalked up as yet another occurrence of minor injury. At 7-5 through 12 games, the season has not gotten off to a terrible start for the Stars, but after “winning the off-season” expectations are high. The team would rather have their 6’3″, 217-lb. net front presence who showed 20-goal potential in 2016-17 in as many games as possible in 2017-18.
The Unleashed: Group VI Free Agency
Normally in the NHL, players aren’t allowed to reach unrestricted free agency before they turn 27. Even then, most players end up trading away some of their free agent years for pay raises and long-term contract stability. Sometimes though, you end up with a player like Steven Stamkos who in the summer of 2016 was set to become a free agent at the age of 26.
Stamkos debuted in the league at such a young age because of his outstanding talent, that he had already accrued the necessary seven seasons in the league. He actually could have become a free agent in the summer of 2015 had he not signed a contract including the 2015-16 season several years earlier. Almost every star does this, as you can see around the league. Connor McDavid is already locked up until he’s 29, signing away four years of free agency in his recent $100MM extension.
But, there is another way to hit free agency early and it’s at the opposite end of the spectrum. Players that are stuck in the minors and never really given a chance to play in the NHL can become free agents at age-25, as Jordan Weal did this summer. Weal, who dominated for several years in the AHL without ever getting a full-time look in the NHL became a Group VI free agent this summer. To do so, he had to meet three requirements (via CapFriendly):
- The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
- The player has completed 3 or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19 year old player), or 1 or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
- The player has played less than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender.
Every year there are several players who qualify as Group VI free agents, and 2018 will likely be no different. Here are a few notable candidates.
Mark McNeill – Dallas Stars – 2 GP
Dallas would have had to play McNeill all season long to break the 80-game threshold. The 18th-overall pick from 2011 has been dominant at times in the AHL, but was never given a chance in Chicago. Dealt last season in a move for Johnny Oduya, McNeill will hit free agency and could look for a brand new start somewhere else. Whether another opportunity will ever come in the NHL is a different story, as McNeill has fallen off the prospect map in recent years.
Tyler Wotherspoon – Calgary Flames – 30 GP
Wotherspoon was once considered a top prospect that looked like a lock for a long NHL career, but without showing any real top-four potential the excitement has died in recent years. The 14 games he played with the Flames when he was just 21 would end up being the most he would see in any single season so far, and he’d need to jump into the lineup quite soon (and stick) to avoid being granted free agency this summer.
Josh Leivo – Toronto Maple Leafs – 43 GP
Leivo has once again been pulled from the Maple Leafs’ lineup prior to their matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, a feeling he must be getting used to by now. He’s never played in more than 13 games in a single season with the Maple Leafs, and would need to suit up for 47 more this season in order for the team to hold onto his rights. The third-round pick from 2011 has actually fared quite well in his sporadic games, recording 11 points in his last 15 contests.
Stefan Noesen – New Jersey Devils – 53 GP
Noesen has been a solid player for the Devils since being selected off waivers from Anaheim last year, and has played 39 of his 53 games in that time. He isn’t a full-time player for them though, and he was scratched on Wednesday when Brian Boyle returned to the lineup. The question will be can he get into another 27 games this season to crack that 80-game mark, or does the first-round pick—that once was a key part of getting Bobby Ryan to Ottawa—hit the open market this summer.
There are many, many more candidates for Group VI free agency and we’ll be taking a look at some of the others throughout the season depending on how their season progresses.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Roland McKeown Recalled By Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Roland McKeown from the AHL due to the concussion suffered by Brett Pesce in practice yesterday. Pesce was hit in the head by a puck, and is not travelling with the team on the current road trip to Colorado and Arizona. It seems unlikely that McKeown will get into the lineup, but if he does it would mark his NHL debut.
McKeown, 21, has turned into another top defensive prospect for the Hurricanes after a trade from the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings sent him along with a first-round pick (which turned into Julien Gauthier) for Andrej Sekera in 2015. Already stocked with talent on the NHL roster, McKeown is part of the next wave that will soon include Jake Bean and Luke Martin as well. In nine games for the Charlotte Checkers this year, McKeown has three points and is close to being ready to make the jump to the next level. Never an elite offensive talent, his two-way game will nevertheless fit in nicely in Carolina where mobility is king. His skating ability charts above most of his peers even at the professional level.
The young defenseman is another reason why so often Carolina is involved in trade speculation. As they’ve shown with Haydn Fleury‘s easy transition this year, the Hurricanes system is stocked full of NHL-caliber defense prospects. Though Pesce is obviously a loss, it’s not like there aren’t several others waiting to step up and take on some of his minutes.
Snapshots: Coaches, Franson, Prospects
The morning after Halloween and the mask is coming off for some teams around the league. While Alain Vigneault and the New York Rangers stayed alive by fighting off the Vegas Golden Knights last night, seats are getting hotter for some coaches around the league. Frank Seravalli of TSN lists 13 potential hires should a team want to go in a different direction, including several very interesting names.
Along with the usual NCAA suspects like Jim Montgomery and David Quinn, Seravalli lists several options that are currently associate coaches in the league. It would be surprising to see any of them stolen away to coach a different team in the league mid-season, but don’t forget their names come springtime.
- Cody Franson has gone all the way from a professional tryout to the top pairing of the Chicago Blackhawks, as Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune reports that he practiced alongside Duncan Keith yesterday for the team. Franson’s summer was one of the most surprising in free agency, as the 30-year old defenseman was unable to find an NHL contract for some time. Even with a rumored handshake deal with the Blackhawks, who waited until Marian Hossa could be put on long-term injured reserve before signing Franson, he will still earn just $1MM this season. The right-handed defenseman has always been a fairly productive offensive player, and has two points through three games for the Blackhawks this season.
- Jeff Marek of Sportsnet released his November prospect rankings, and there is no surprise at the top. Rasmus Dahlin continues to lead the pack in the race to be the number one pick, and his recent naming to Sweden’s Karjala Cup roster certainly won’t hurt. Marek is lower than many on Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm, who figures to have a broad range of rankings due to his size and defensive play. The OHL defenseman is only 5’11” 164-lbs, but has incredible offensive upside and can carry and distribute the puck as well as any prospect in the draft. With 15 points in 15 games, he has a real chance to lead all OHL defensemen in points this season (though he’ll have to quickly make up some ground on the current leader, Sean Durzi, who has been lined up at wing in the past).
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Patrick Brown
Patrick Brown has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes, robbing the Charlotte Checkers of their captain for the time being. Brown, just 25, was named captain last season during his third year with the AHL squad. Known for his leadership and work ethic more than anything else, Brown also wore the captain’s “C” at Boston College before signing with the Hurricanes as an undrafted free agent. That BC team had a ton of talented players including Johnny Gaudreau, Kevin Hayes and Michael Matheson (none of whom were freshmen), but it was Brown who was given the leadership role.
There is no doubt that Brown is a student of the game, and it started a long time ago when his father, Doug Brown, was playing in the NHL. The elder Brown spent 15 years in the league, playing mostly for Detroit and New Jersey and winning two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings. A veteran of 854 career regular season games, Doug Brown would send his son off to follow his footsteps at BC and then to the NHL. Patrick’s uncle Greg Brown also attended the school, captaining the Eagles himself before a short-lived NHL career. Greg is back there now as an associate coach, who also works with the USA Hockey World Junior program.
It’s not the younger Brown’s first time in the NHL, as he’s played 28 games there over the past few years. It is interesting however that he would be called up after Janne Kuokkanen was sent down recently. Apparently the Hurricanes have decided that Kuokkanen’s development is more important, and that Brown can act as a insurance policy while they head out on the road to face Colorado and Arizona. It’s a nice bonus for him, as he’ll get to cash NHL-level checks for the time being. Brown re-signed with the Hurricanes this summer for one-year on a two-way deal that earns the minimum of $650K at the NHL level.
Ryan Stanton Placed On Waivers
While we were already told not to expect Vadim Shipachyov‘s name to appear on the waiver wire today, we weren’t left with an empty list. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Ryan Stanton of the Edmonton Oilers has been waived, likely meaning he’s now healthy enough to be assigned to the AHL. Stanton had been on season-opening injured reserve so far, after signing a two-year two-way contract with the Oilers this summer.
Stanton spent all of last season in the minor leagues, but was once a full-time part of the Vancouver blueline. In 120 career NHL games, the 28-year old undrafted defenseman has just 27 points. If he goes unclaimed (which seems likely) he’ll provide the Bakersfield Condors with some extra experience and depth, something the 3-4 team could desperately use.
Bruins Send Agostino, McIntyre Back To AHL
The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Kenny Agostino and goaltender Zane McIntyre back to Providence of the AHL, after both dressed for the team last night. McIntyre backed up Tuukka Rask, while Agostino played just under six minutes up front. Both will return to the P-Bruins, where they were having excellent seasons.
With Anton Khudobin dealing with just a minor injury, McIntyre was never expected to stay up with the NHL club for much longer. He’ll serve as the third goaltender for the Bruins organization all season, but hopefully not need to start many games for the big club. The 25-year old goaltender has a .928 save percentage with Providence this season, something he’ll look to continue now that he’s back in the AHL.
Agostino is a more interesting story. Last year’s AHL MVP and scoring leader, he signed a one-year, one-way $875K contract with the Bruins this summer and looked like he had an inside track for a role up front. That all disappeared in training camp when several young players showed they were ready, and Agostino has been limited to just five games and 12 minutes a night for Boston. He’s registered just one point in those games, but has generated 11 shots. While there are obvious shortcomings to his game, he does have offensive upside that could feature at some point this season.
For now, he’ll have to continue his domination of the AHL and prove that he’s ready to take the next step. At 25, Agostino now has seasons of 43, 57 and 83 points in the minor leagues and was off to a hot start with seven points in his first three games for the P-Bruins. If there ever was such a thing as a “Quad-A” player in hockey, he is it.
Minor Transactions: 10/30/17
The NHL will have plenty of moves today as team prepare for the next month of the season, and try to deal with injury and inconsistency. The Columbus Blue Jackets already called up an intriguing young forward prospect as they try to overcome an injury to Cam Atkinson. We’ll chronicle the rest of today’s minor moves right here.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Max McCormick once again from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. McCormick has played two games for Ottawa this season, and is an important member of Belleville’s group. The 25-year old, that blends physical play with a bit of scoring upside, has just four points in 29 NHL games. Should he get back into the lineup, it will likely be as a fourth-line presence once again.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Hunter Miska from the AHL, continuing their merry-go-round of goaltenders. Miska has yet to make an appearance in the NHL after signing a two-year entry-level contract this spring. The Coyotes of course placed Louis Domingue on waivers yesterday, and will likely send him to the AHL if he is not claimed by another team. It seems as though Scott Wedgewood, who the team acquired recently, will be asked to step into the starter’s role should Antti Raanta remain injured.
- According to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers are expected to recall Mark Alt from the AHL. Philadelphia is dealing with injuries to both Samuel Morin and Shayne Gostisbehere, meaning Alt will likely go straight into the lineup alongside Brandon Manning for their game tonight against the Coyotes. If he does, it would be just the second NHL game for the 26-year old Alt, who hasn’t turned into quite the shutdown defender that the Carolina Hurricanes envisioned when they selected him 53rd-overall in 2010.
- Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 in Vancouver reports that the Canucks will recall Anton Rodin from the Utica Comets, marking his first call-up since clearing waivers just prior to the season. Rodin, a 26-year old forward who spent three games with the Canucks last season, underwent knee surgery in February and had a long rehab to get back on the ice. In three games with Utica this year he’s scored two points.
- The Buffalo Sabres have sent Zach Redmond back to the AHL, likely due to the impending return of Justin Falk to the lineup. The Sabres are off until Thursday when they travel to Arizona to take on the Coyotes, and could have Falk back in the lineup. Redmond will return to the Rochester Americans where he can make a much bigger impact.
- The Minnesota Wild have brought two of their recent assignments back up, recalling Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin. The Wild had a couple of days off in between Saturday’s matchup and tomorrow’s game, so they sent the pair down to let them bank some cap space by manipulating the roster. The young promising forwards will likely be back in the lineup when they take on the Winnipeg Jets, especially after Kunin was buzzing all over the ice in this weekend’s game.