Bruins Notes: Krejci, C. Miller, Morrow, Subban
Fresh off a 2-1 Game One win against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night without three starters in David Krejci, Torey Krug, and Brandon Carlo, it appears that the Boston Bruins will have to line up for Game Two with an even more short-handed roster. While the team has until their matinee puck drop on Saturday to make any official announcement, it sounds as though defenseman Colin Miller will join the growing list of injuries. Miller, who left the previous game after suffering a lower body injury on a trip from Mark Borowiecki, was on the ice for practice today, but left early due to pain and discomfort. After practice, head coach Bruce Cassidy made it sound very unlikely that Miller would be available for the next game.
With Miller out, in addition to Krug and Carlo, Joe Morrow is the next man up to slot in on the blue line. Morrow, a former first-round pick and a piece of the Tyler Seguin trade, has not been able to work his way into regular play time in years with the Bruins. With John-Michael Liles in the fold this season, Morrow was bumped down to eighth on the depth chart and has not played in almost three months. However, the Bruins were able to beat the Senators with just five defenseman for most of Game One, so even a cold Morrow could be an upgrade as Boston looks to take a stranglehold on the series with another road win.
- Having Krejci back would certainly go a long way to help the Bruins take a 2-0 series lead, but Cassidy confirmed that Boston’s highest-paid player will miss another game. Cassidy did add the qualifier that “as of today” he would miss the game, and Krejci did suit up for warm-ups before being a late scratch in Game One, however he missed practice today and all signs point to the Bruins playing is safe with their third-highest scorer.
- As reported earlier, the Bruins have made it official that they have returned goalie Zane McIntyre, who suited up as Tuukka Rask‘s backup for Game One, back to the AHL and has recalled Malcolm Subban on an emergency assignment to serve, fittingly, as an emergency backup should anything cause Rask or Anton Khudobin. Don’t worry Bruins fans, there’s no reason to worry about Rask’s health.
Edmonton Oilers Expected To Call Up Jesse Puljujarvi After AHL Season Ends
With the Bakersfield Condors needing a win tonight to stay alive in the AHL playoff race, it’s all hands on deck for the Edmonton Oilers’ affiliate. If they’re eliminated however, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Oilers will likely call up Jesse Puljujarvi as an option in the NHL playoffs. It’s not clear if they’d use him right away, or if he’d just practice with the team as a so-called “Black Ace”. 
Puljujarvi was the fourth-overall pick in last year’s draft—somewhat surprisingly, after Columbus selected Pierre-Luc Dubois at #3—but struggled early in the season to find a place among the Edmonton forward group. After several weeks of playing sparingly on the fourth line, Puljujarvi was sent to the AHL where he has put together a nice season. Still just 18-years old and playing against men sometimes twice his age, the Finnish winger has 28 points in 37 games and has improved his play throughout the season. His big frame and skating ability project as a high-end winger in the NHL, capable at both ends of the rink.
With the Oilers just one game into their first-round series with the San Jose Sharks, there is no guarantee they’ll even last longer than the Condors. If the AHL squad wins their last two games, while the Stockton Heat lose theirs (they play each other tonight), the Condors would get into the playoffs as the final seed in the Pacific division. If they lose, or the Heat gain even a single point, they would be eliminated.
The Oilers have relied on their top-six quite a bit this season, and continued to do so in game one against the Sharks. Iiro Pakarinen and David Desharnais both played fewer than ten minutes, while Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all broke 20—the latter leading the team thanks to over six minutes of short-handed play. Should the Oilers feel the young Puljujarvi is ready to contribute, or suffer an injury to an important winger it is easy to understand why they’d want him around.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
West Notes: Reddekopp, Keller, Agostino
The Los Angeles Kings have signed officially signed Chaz Reddekopp to a three-year entry-level deal. The 20-year old seventh-round pick of the Kings in 2015 was set to become a free agent should the team not have gotten him under contract by June 1st. A big defender, Reddekopp had 43 points in a breakout campaign with the Victoria Royals, but still wasn’t shy about dropping the gloves to defend a teammate.
With Reddekopp now signed the Kings have just one player, Matt Schmalz, whose exclusive rights would expire this June should they not get him under contract. After two disappointing years since being drafted, Schmalz may be left to fend for himself this summer.
- Clayton Keller and Noah Hanifin have been added to the Team USA squad for the upcoming World Championships in Germany. That will make four teams for Keller this year, as he’s suited up for Team USA at the World Juniors, finished his first year at Boston University, signed and played three games with the Arizona Coyotes and will now represent his country once again alongside other NHL stars. The young forward helped lead the Junior squad to gold in January, and will try to take this team to the podium as well.
- Kenny Agostino has been named the AHL’s Most Valuable Player after an 83 point season. The 24-year old played seven games with the St. Louis Blues, but spent most of his season dominating the lower level with 59 assists in 65 games. Picked by the Penguins in the fifth-round in 2010, Agostino hasn’t made an impact at the NHL level yet and wasn’t even tendered a contract by the Flames last summer—they acquired him in the Jarome Iginla deal of 2013. The Blues signed him to a one-year deal, making him an unrestricted free agent again at season’s end.
Steven Kampfer Signs Two-Year Extension With New York Rangers
Friday: The team has made the deal official, though no details were released.
Thursday: In the middle of the night after their playoff win, the New York Rangers did a little contract celebration, inking Steven Kampfer to a two-year extension according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. It’s a two-way deal worth $650K each season in the NHL, while only paying $300K in the AHL. The 28-year old will now become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season.
Kampfer came over from the Florida Panthers in a mid-season trade that sent former first-round pick Dylan McIlrath down south. He had actually been traded to the Rangers prior to that in a deal for Joey Crabb, and will now stick around in the Big Apple for a while. At the time of the McIlrath trade, our own Zach Leach had this to say:
The University of Michigan product appeared to have a bright future in front of him playing for the Boston Bruins right out of college. However, as his play dropped off, the Bruins sold high on him at the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline in a deal with the Minnesota Wild for Greg Zanon. This time around, Kampfer will provide some experienced depth for the Rangers, but seems likely to still see significant AHL minutes throughout 2016-17.
Zach was right in predicting a stint in the AHL, as Kampfer would go on to play 43 games for the Hartford Wolfpack this season, with 10 matches for the Rangers sprinkled throughout. He scored 19 points at the AHL level and registered just two during his time in New York.
The right-handed shot defenseman still provides that depth for the Rangers, and is still expected to be mostly an AHL defender over the next two years. He doesn’t fill any expansion requirements for the Rangers, as he is 12 games short of the 70 needed over the last two years. Instead, New York will have to expose one of Kevin Klein or Nick Holden (or sign Brendan Smith to an extension).
Snapshots: Kuznetsov, Michalek, Penguins
Among the many pieces of interest in Isabelle Khurshudyan’s excellent profile of Evgeny Kuznetsov for the Washington Post, was the fact that the 24-year old center would love to stay in Washington for his whole career, and that Capitals’ GM Brian MacLellan admits a long-term deal could be in the future. Kuznetsov is a restricted free agent this summer and is coming off another excellent season with 59 points in 82 games—already the third season in which he’s played at least 80. That durability is a big part of why he’s such an important piece for the Capitals to lock up long-term, but it won’t be easy for them to do so this summer.
Washington has quite a bit of money coming off the books, and with Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Brett Connolly, Dmitry Orlov, Nate Schmidt, Phillip Grubauer and a host of minor league players all set to become restricted free agents, it is still going to be a tight squeeze. Should the team want to re-sign any of the excellent veterans—T.J. Oshie, Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk and Justin Williams to name a few—that are heading to unrestricted free agency, it will be even tighter. Handing out long-term deals may seem like a good idea, but it just might not be possible for everyone in Washington.
- The Minnesota Wild have called up Steve Michalek from the AHL to serve as their third goaltender tonight. In the playoffs, teams often carry an emergency netminder in case something happens to one of theirs in the warm-up. As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune explains, this will likely be Alex Stalock after the next two Iowa Wild games. Stalock started two games down the stretch for the Wild over Darcy Kuemper, and it is still unknown who would go into the net should Devan Dubnyk falter or suffer an injury.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins recent history with turning minor league players into capable NHLers helped them land one of the biggest NCAA prizes this spring, as Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com writes in his latest piece. Zach Aston-Reese admits that it was part of his decision to sign there: “to see how much [AHL players] have grown as players and contributed to the team’s success at the NHL level, that was really attractive.” Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnackl are all prime examples of what starting off your young players in the minors can do for their development, as the Penguins head into the playoffs with a lot riding on players like those three.
East Notes: Tatar, Stephenson, Sparks, Lindgren
Ken Holland has a lot of work cut out for him this summer, even if he did get a vote of confidence from the Red Wings owner today. With a team struggling to get anything going during the season, he broke some more bad news today at their final presser of the year. According to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News, Holland said that Tomas Tatar will be out 4-6 months following shoulder surgery, putting training camp and the start of the season in jeopardy.
Tatar had 46 points this season and his third straight twenty-goal campaign, but couldn’t help the Red Wings continue their playoff streak. The 26-year old is one of the more interesting names to follow in the summer, as he is a restricted free agent and may be one of the best chips the Red Wings have in a potential rebuild. His injury doesn’t help that, as teams will be wary of acquiring a player who needs that much rehab. He made just $2.75MM this season, but will command a heft raise after three straight 45+ point seasons.
- The Washington Capitals have sent Chandler Stephenson down to the Hershey Bears, as they finalize their roster before the first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stephenson suited up for just four games this season, and has yet to find a way to crack into the Capitals lineup on a full-time basis. The 22-year old center has 38 points in 71 games this season in the AHL, but is still waiting for his first NHL point.
- The Maple Leafs sent Garret Sparks back to the minors as Frederik Andersen returned to practice and is expected to play game 1 on Thursday. Sparks never did get a chance to start a game for the Maple Leafs this season, despite an excellent season in the AHL. His .926 save percentage was among the minor league leaders, and bodes well for his chances at a backup position this summer. Curtis McElhinney, the Maple Leafs current backup, is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- The Leafs also dipped into their unsigned prospect pool, signing Jesper Lindgren to an amateur tryout after his season ended with MODO of the Swedish junior league. Lindgren is another small defender who has offensive upside, as he showed with 24 points in 50 games this season.
Snapshots: Team Canada, Luongo, Rozsival, Oilers
After Team USA announced that Jeff Blashill will lead their World Championship team earlier today, Team Canada responded by releasing their coaching staff as well. Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning will lead the squad, while Gerard Gallant, Dave Hakstol (Philadelphia) and Dave King will be the assistants.
Cooper, like Blashill, has never been the head coach of an international squad, though he was an assistant for Team North America at last fall’s World Cup. His Lightning were devastated by injuries this season and still only missed the playoffs by one point, making him an interesting candidate for the Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year—though very unlikely to win it. He’s proven his ability at every level, winning both a USHL and AHL championship before taking the Lightning to the finals two years ago.
- Roberto Luongo is worried about his hip being a chronic issue, reports Henry Fialkov of the Sun Sentinal. The soon to be hall of fame goaltender played just 40 games this season, the lowest total of his entire career (not including the lockout shortened 2012-13 season). While he’s “confident” he’ll return to his elite performance, it will be hard for a 38-year old with a bad hip to get back to a .920+ save percentage. James Reimer will be relied on even more heavily next season, after putting up a solid year.
- Michal Rozsival underwent surgery to repair facial fractures sustained when he was punched by Nick Ritchie earlier this month. Ritchie earned a two-game suspension for the punch, as it was delivered when Rozsival wasn’t ready and couldn’t defend himself. While there was no timetable given, expect the 38-year old to miss at least the first few rounds of the playoffs. He should make a full recovery.
- The Edmonton Oilers have signed Evan Campbell and Evan Polei to amateur tryouts with the Bakersfield Condors. Campbell has just graduated from the UMass-Lowell where he scored just five points in his senior season. It’s been back to back disappointing campaigns for the fifth-round winger, but he still garnered enough attention to deserve a look at the AHL. Polei on the other hand played well as an overager in the WHL with Red Deer, putting up 62 points in 69 games. An undrafted winger, Polei plays a physical game and can provide some size and strength even at the professional level. Bakersfield has just three games to try and make up three points and catch the Stockton Heat for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Morning Notes: Lombardi, Coaches, Rangers
Huge changes were laid down yesterday in Los Angeles, with the team firing both GM Dean Lombardi and coach Darryl Sutter. Lombardi had been with the team since 2006, and ushered in the first two Stanley Cups in Kings history in 2012 and 2014. The general manager was highly respected by his players, including those he drafted like Drew Doughty and others he brought in like Jeff Carter. It’s no surprise then that Gord Miller of TSN reported today that many Kings’ players showed up at his home last night to “console him”.
While the GM can certainly be critiqued for moves he made to try and keep the Kings relevant the last few years, Miller reminds us that most were due to loyalty for the players who took the team to the Stanley Cup. Whether that is an ideal way to run a franchise (it’s not), it is at least understandable from a man who found no such success with the San Jose Sharks in his previous stint as GM. He’ll definitely land on his feet somewhere, if only because of the loyalty and respect he’s earned over the years. The Kings though, are likely better off moving in a new direction.
- As for Sutter, he joins the rest of the recently fired coaches that will be looking for new employment this offseason. Craig Custance of ESPN took a shot at predicting who will fill the other four vacancies, with Ken Hitchcock (Dallas), Travis Green (Vancouver), Dallas Eakins (Florida) and Jack Capuano (Vegas) getting the nods. He also mentions coaches like Jim Montgomery of the University of Denver, David Quinn from Boston University, and Todd Nelson of the Grand Rapids Griffins as names to watch this summer for the vacancies. All three are considered excellent up-and-coming options, who should find their way into the NHL eventually if they so choose.
- The Rangers have made their playoff cuts, sending Taylor Beck and Magnus Hellberg back down to the Hartford Wolfpack for the last few games. Hartford has been the worst team in the AHL this season and will end their season in a few days with an ugly record. While that’s not neccessarily emblematic of a poor farm system, the Rangers haven’t selected in the first round since 2012 and it is obviously hurting their pipeline. They don’t have their second, third or fourth picks this year, but when they missed out on Kevin Shattenkirk at the deadline, they kept that first-rounder for the time being.
Minnesota Wild Sign UMD Defenseman Carson Soucy
The Minnesota Wild have wrapped up an immensely successful regular season and have turned their attention toward preparing for the postseason, but the front office is still working hard to prepare for the future. The Wild announced this evening that they have inked 2013 fifth-round pick Carson Soucy to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin in 2017-18. Soucy will join the AHL’s Iowa Wild for the remainder of the season.
Soucy is coming off a strong season playing for NCAA runner-up, the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The 6’4″ 22-year-old defenseman was a dominant force skating on the Bulldogs’ top pairing as they fought for the top spot in the nation all season long. Soucy, who wore the “A” in his senior season, was a model of defensive responsibility and physical play for four seasons in Duluth. Although he lack much offensive upside, with a career-high 15 points this season, he makes up for it in a solid stay at home game.
Although the Wild are known for having one of the deepest defensive units in hockey, their strength is also their weakness in the upcoming Expansion Draft. Able to protect only three or four defenseman, Minnesota faces a conundrum with five defenseman on the roster that would be very attractive to George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights. Ryan Suter must be protected, but it seems likely that only two of Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba will join him. One of the other two is prime for the picking. With that in mind, the Wild have begun stockpiling young depth options like Gustav Olofsson, Mike Reilly, and now Soucy. Assuming Minnesota is out a defenseman this summer, Soucy has a chance to make his NHL debut next season if his defensive game translates to the next level.
Minor Moves: Canucks, Devils, Sabres, Red Wings
With the Utica Comets two points out of a playoff spot with three games remaining, their parent club the Vancouver Canucks have sent them some reinforcements. Nikolay Goldobin, Richard Bachman and Yan-Pavel Laplante have all been sent down to the AHL. The trio were all up with the Canucks for the final game of the season, but will now try to go on a Cup run of their own.
Despite never having suited up for the Comets, Goldobin is actually playoff eligible thanks to a paper transaction on March 1st. In fact, the same type of transaction was needed for Bachman because he was up with the club at the time. Goldobin should provide a solid offensive presence for the Comets, after he scored 41 points in 46 games for the San Jose Barracuda before being traded for Jannik Hansen at the deadline.
- New Jersey has sent their own troops down to try and hold off those Comets, as the Albany Devils will welcome back Joseph Blandisi, Blake Coleman, Ben Thomson and Miles Wood from the NHL. Albany is the team just two points ahead of the Comets for the last playoff spot in the North Division. Coleman and Blandisi especially will help the offense of the Devils, with both scoring nearly a point-per-game during their AHL time this season. The group will try to improve on a round two exit last season, despite a much worse record heading into the playoffs.
- Buffalo has returned Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues and Linus Ullmark to the Rochester Americans, though the team is not headed for the playoffs. The trio will play the last few games before hanging up the skates for the summer and working to win full-time jobs again next fall. All three are in contention for the NHL come September, with Ullmark hoping the team decides not to bring back pending UFA Anders Nilsson.
- Matt Lorito, Tomas Nosek, Ben Street and Robbie Russo are all headed to Grand Rapids for their own Calder Cup run, as Detroit sends them down to keep playing. The quartet should be welcomed into the second place Griffins who look as dangerous as anyone in the AHL this year. Head coach Todd Nelson will be happy to get the group back after a recent 4-5-1 stretch that has seen them lose their first place standing to the Chicago Wolves.