Snapshots: Three Stars, Oshie, Kulak, Jersey Changes
The NHL honoured Michael Grabner, Patrick Maroon, and Braden Holtby as the Three Stars of the Week.
Grabner has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers this season, having scored 18 goals for 26 points in 41 games. His goal total through the first half of this season equals his total point output from last season. Grabner scored five goals and added two assists in three games, including his fourth hat-trick of his career (second of the year).
Maroon scored five goals and six points in four games for the Oilers last week. He scored his first career hat-trick in a 4-3 win over Boston and added another two in last night’s loss in Ottawa. Maroon has 16 goals and 23 points in 42 games this season. He was acquired by the Oilers at the 2016 trade deadline for failed prospect Martin Gernát and a fourth-round pick. The trade is already a clear win for the Oilers, as the Ducks retained 25% of Maroon’s bargain $2MM-per-season contract, and Gernát is now in the Czech league. Maroon is already four goals past his career high, and is on pace for 30-plus goals. He has 24 goals and 37 points in 58 games in Edmonton, quickly becoming a fan-favorite.
Hotby went 2-0-0 in three appearances, following up a poor game versus the Maple Leafs with back-to-back shutouts over the Blue Jackets and Senators. He made 29 saves in the 5-0 win over Columbus, which ended their 16-game winning streak. Holtby is 18-8-4, with a 0.931 SV % and a 1.93 GAA this season. He also five shutouts, which ties him for tops in the NHL.
- T.J. Oshie will miss Monday night’s game with an upper-body injury, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan. Oshie took a big hit from Dion Phaneuf on Saturday night and appeared to be favoring the same shoulder he had injured earlier this season. Oshie has 20 points in 32 games so far.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Brett Kulak from Stockton, according to Roger Millions of Sportsnet. Kulak has split this season beteween the NHL and the AHL, with three points in 15 NHL games and five points in 11 AHL games. He’s not expected to be in the lineup tonight when the Flames visit Winnipeg.
- Some interesting news is coming out this morning about the NHL’s upcoming jersey-provider switch. Reebok has made the NHL’s jersey’s since 2005-06, but now their parent company, Adidas, is taking over. Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune cites multiple sources that all 18 teams with third jerseys will be dropping them to make the switch easier. Notable changes that have been leaked so far include the New Jersey Devils getting a full makeover, the Oilers dropping their current blue home uniforms in favor of their current orange thirds, and the Wild leaning towards using a re-designed green jersey as the home uniform.
Oilers Waive Gustavsson, Demote Puljujärvi
On the heels of a tough loss in Ottawa, the Edmonton Oilers have made a few widely expected roster moves.
Backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has been placed on waivers after another poor performance that cost the Oilers a win. Fourth-overall pick Jesse Puljujärvi has been sent to Bakersfield of the AHL and winger Anton Slepyshev has been called up after a strong couple weeks with the Condors.
The Oilers coach, Todd McLellan clearly does not trust Gustavsson, as Cam Talbot is on pace to play 74 games, which would rank in the top-20 all-time for games-played by a goaltender in a single season. Gustavsson has a 1-3-1 record in seven appearances with a 0.878 SV % and a 3.10 GAA. His last two appearances have come exactly a month apart, with him allowing six goals on 31 shots in a tough 6-5 to the Flyers on December 8, and then allowing four goals on 17 shots in last night’s 5-3 loss in Ottawa.
It remains to be seen who will replace Gustavsson: the Oilers top goaltending prospect, Laurent Brossoit, has been struggling this year but has a great track record in the AHL. The Oilers could also make a claim on Curtis McElhinney, who was waived by the Blue Jackets earlier today. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggested Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth, among others, as possible replacements for Gustavsson. Halak recently cleared waivers, but Matheson suggests a deal could be made if the Islanders are willing to take back money (Mark Fayne, perhaps?). Neuvirth is a fringe starter who is a pending UFA, both positive qualities in a backup.
Meanwhile, Puljujärvi has struggled to break into the NHL, with one goal and eight points in 28 games, mostly in the bottom six. His only goal came in the season opener. It’s a curious decision by the Oilers, as Puljujärvi has been on the roster for 42 games, meaning the Oilers have burned a year of RFA eligibility to keep him on the roster in order to keep him in the NHL as a healthy scratch or playing less-than 10 minutes per night (the deadline is 40 games on the roster). He was scratched for the Oilers last two games, and played just three minutes in his last appearance. While, there’s something to be said for getting him acclimated to North America (Puljujärvi only speaks around 100 words of English), it’s not clear why Peter Chiarelli waited until just past the second important deadline to send him down. It’s akin to a team waiting until a rookie has played 10 games then sending him back to junior. The Oilers hope Puljujärvi will regain his offensive confidence by spending some time playing big minutes with the Condors.
The player replacing Puljujärvi has benefitted from a brief stint in the AHL. Slepyshev has been much improved this season; he scored one assist in 11 NHL games and 21 points in 49 AHL games in 2015-16. This season, he has two goals and four points in 15 NHL games and 10 points in nine games with the Condors. Look for him to get a chance in the Oilers top-nine to make a difference with Puljujärvi demoted and Tyler Pitlick done for the season.
Blue Jackets Waive McElhinney
The top team in the NHL made a few minor roster moves on Monday morning.
Columbus backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to the Monsters. To replace him, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Anton Forsberg from the Cleveland Monsters. In addition, the Blue Jackets sent LW Markus Hannikainen back to the AHL.
McElhinney has a 2-1-2 record in seven appearances with the Blue Jackets so far this year. He has a very good 0.924 SV% and a 2.39 GAA. He’s in his fourth year with the Blue Jackets organization, in which he’s gone 26-33-8, recording a 0.909 SV% and a 2.86 GAA in a backup role. The career backup may not make it through waivers, with a few teams needing help in the blue paint. At least the Senators, Maple Leafs and Oilers will likely be taking a long look at McElhinney.
Forsberg (no relation to Peter) has a 12-6-1 record in the AHL with a 0.930 SV%. He was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jackets back in 2011. Forsberg is 1-7-0 in his NHL career with a 0.882 SV% and a 4.02 GAA.
Hannikainen has played five games for the Blue Jackets this season, with no points. He’s posted 14 points in 24 games with the Monsters of the AHL.
Minor Transactions: 1/8/2016 (Updated)
With some teams preparing for their mandatory mid-season break, GM’s are trimming their rosters, reassigning waivers-exempt players to the minors to ensure they can continue to play during the off time. Additionally, teams bank additional cap space during the hiatus by moving players off of the big league roster. We’ll monitor all of today’s roster transactions in this post and update throughout the day.
- (Update) 5:30pm: With T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson both dealing with injuries and unable to practice today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Paul Carey from Hershey of the AHL, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Both Oshie (upper-body injury) and Wilson (lower-body injury were hurt in the team’s 1 – 0 win over Ottawa last night. Carey has already seen action in three games with Washington but has not registered a point. He currently ranks third in scoring for Hersey with 25 points.
- The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Petter Granberg on waivers, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The 24-year-old Swedish blue liner has appeared in nine games this season for the Predators but has not recorded a point and has averaged just under nine minutes a game. Granberg was originally acquired by Nashville from Toronto via waivers in November of 2015. After failing to make the team in training camp he was waived on the last day of September and after clearing the team assigned him to Milwaukee. Nashville recalled Granberg from the AHL on November 26th. It’ likely he will again clear waivers and remain in the Predators organization.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to do the backup goalie shuffle, again sending Antoine Bibeau to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and recalling Jhonas Enroth, reports James Mirtle of The Athletic. Bibeau has appeared in just two games, winning one and losing one, while putting up excellent overall numbers – 1.98 GAA and 0.927 Save %. Enroth has posted a record of 0-3-1 in four starts, with a GAA of nearly four. It’s likely the move was made so that Bibeau can stay sharp playing in the minors and he will again be recalled from the Marlies when the Leafs return to action Friday.
- The Arizona Coyotes assigned Laurent Dauphin, Brendan Perlini and Anthony DeAngelo to Tucson of the AHL, the team announced via their Twitter account. Dauphin has tallied three points in 21 games for Arizona and is averaging 11 minutes per game filling in on the team’s bottom line. Perlini, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in 15 games, scoring four goals and five points. DeAngelo, acquired via trade from Tampa Bay this past summer, has tallied three goals and nine points in 20 games in his first taste of NHL action. Again, it’s likely the assignments were made to ensure the trio continue to play during the break.
Pacific Division Snapshots: Vermette, Heed, Mueller, Tryamkin
It came as a bit of a surprise when the Arizona Coyotes bought out the final season of forward Antoine Vermette‘s contract. Joining the ranks of the unemployed in August is not ideal for any free agent as most teams have already expended their available salary cap space and have essentially finalized their rosters by that point. Fortunately for Vermette, Anaheim decided to roll the dice and add the veteran pivot, signing him to a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.75MM. As Sarah McLellan of AZ Central writes, while Vermette was certainly disappointed to move on from Arizona, the situation in Southern California has worked out quite well for the former Coyote, Blue Jacket, Senator and Blackhawk.
Through 41 games with the Ducks, Vermette has scored seven goals and registered 18 points while winning 64.3% of the faceoffs he has taken. Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle is glad to have the veteran two-way center around.
“We’re lucky to have him,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “He fits in with our group. He displays a work ethic, and (he’s) a true professional day-in, day-out. So (he) can’t help but be positive for our group.”
The buyout surprised Vermette but he focuses on the positives of his time in the desert and not the way it ended.
“I made some good friends,” Vermette said. “I had some good times. We had our share of success. Good memories collectively and personally, also. That’s not going to take it away. Obviously, I would have liked it to be different at the end, but that was absolutely out of my control and you gotta move on.”
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- It’s been a busy week for San Jose Sharks defenseman Tim Heed. The 25-year-old was recalled from the AHL Thursday, reassigned to the Barracuda Friday, then brought back to the Sharks on an emergency basis in advance of Saturday’s game against Detroit. Fortunately Heed didn’t have to travel too far as both the Barracuda and Sharks were playing at home this weekend. Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer thought about inserting Heed into the lineup tonight in place of former first-round draft pick Mirco Mueller but ultimately decided against it, according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. “We think Mirco deserves a chance to play again here, but there’s people knocking on the door for that opportunity too,” DeBoer said, “and Mirco needs to understand that.” DeBoer’s remarks should be taken as a warning to Mueller that he isn’t performing up to expectations. However, Mueller is still just 21-years-old and has only two games of NHL experience this season. Defensemen tend to take longer to develop than forwards so there is still plenty of time to find his way in the league.
- Nikita Tryamkin, whose development into a reliable blue liner has been a bright spot this season for Vancouver, had trouble cracking the club’s lineup early in the campaign and at one point refused to accept a conditioning assignment to Utica, as the opt-out clause in his contract allowed him to do. Tryamkin believed in himself and knew he was able to contribute at the NHL level and as Jason Botchford writes in a piece for The Province, it’s now clear the Russian defenseman was correct. However, if Vancouver had not relented and had instead kept Tryamkin in the press box, it’s possible the young blue liner would have considered a return home. Fortunately for both parties, injuries on the blue line created an opportunity for Tryamkin and he has taken advantage of it. The 6-foot-7 defender is one of only two Canucks with a plus rating and has added five points in 31 games. One thing that made an impression on Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins was Tryamkin’s work to get into game shape “You look where he is now, and you have to think he did a great job (of handling it),” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “He wanted to play. He did not want to sit. He was not happy when we didn’t play him. I felt, for him to be his best, he had to change his (fitness) to be ready. It’s not that he ever accepted it, but he worked at it and did it.”
New York Hockey Notes: Tortorella, Davidson, Isles, Buchnevich
The Columbus Blue Jackets, fresh off their 16-game winning streak, are in the unusual position of being considered among the best teams in the NHL. They currently own the league’s best record at 27-6-4 and currently rank among the top teams in several statistical categories. With the Jackets taking an early lead at home against the New York Rangers tonight, it’s perhaps interesting to note how much of an impact two former Blue Shirts have had on the fortunes of Columbus this season, argues Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.
Former Ranger net minder and television analyst John Davidson took over as President of the Blue Jackets back in 2012 and has overseen the acquisition of much of the current roster. One of his first moves was to bring in the team’s GM, Jarmo Kekalainen, with whom Davidson worked while both were in the Blues organization. Kekalainen and his staff are responsible for drafting Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski, among others, and have orchestrated trades for Brandon Saad and Seth Jones.
Perhaps the biggest move Davidson and the Jackets have made was hiring head coach John Tortorella, who spent parts of five seasons behind the bench in New York and who led the Rangers to the playoffs four times and a berth in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final. Tortorella has rebuilt his reputation as one of the league’s top coaches and according to Davidson, Torts has pushed the players and adds “the players are also allowed to not only play the game hard, play the game in the way it should be played, but also have fun doing it. And Torts has done all that stuff.”
It remains to be seen just how far the Jackets will go this season. They certainly look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender at this point and as the second youngest team in the league, they should remain one of the league’s best for the foreseeable future. Much of the credit for their success is owed to two men who used to be members of one of their Metro division rivals.
Elsewhere in New York hockey:
- Unlike Columbus, the New York Islanders have underachieved and unless they get things turned around, they’ll be in danger of missing the playoffs. Their struggles this season may also have a negative affect on star center John Tavares’ desire to remain with the Islanders beyond the term of his current contract. Tavares has one more season left on his deal and it would be a crushing blow if he were to leave the team after the 2017-18 campaign. However, while things appear bleak today, the team does have hope for the future as Arthur Staple of Newsday writes. Even though they aren’t quite NHL-ready, Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle are getting a thorough education playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL and will soon be ready to contribute for the big club. The talented youngsters are learning what it takes to be pros from former NHL defenseman and Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson and while there is still work to be done their skill is undeniable.
- Pavel Buchnevich, who was assigned to Hartford on the AHL yesterday, appeared in the Wolf Pack’s game last night and tallied a power play goal in his first game action in nearly eight weeks. More importantly for Buchnevich and the Rangers, Buchnevich reported no pain after the game, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. While the Wolf Pack return to the ice tonight but Buchnevich will not be joining them. Brooks reports that he won’t participate in back-to-back games but is expected to be in the lineup again for the third game of the weekend set, barring any complications of course.
Predators To Recall Frederick Gaudreau From AHL
The Nashville Predators will apparently recall forward Frederick Gaudreau from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, tweets Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. Gaudreau has appeared in eight games this season for Nashville, the first NHL experience for the 23-year-old native of Bromont, Quebec, and has registered a single assist in 8:43 of average ice time.
In a follow-up tweet, Vingan notes that the Predators, who were already without forwards James Neal and Viktor Arvidsson, lost Colin Wilson early in the second period of the team’s game last night. Neal leads the Preds with 14 goals while Arvidsson is second on the club in scoring with 25 points.
To help cover for the absences of Neal and Arvidsson, the team recalled center Vladislav Kamenev from Milwaukee yesterday. The Russian center made his NHL debut last night, seeing 10:21 of ice time without registering a point. Kamenev was Nashville’s second-round selection in the 2014 entry draft and is having a strong second season with Milwaukee, tallying nine goals and 24 points in 31 AHL games.
To create room on the roster for Gaudreau, the Predators have placed Neal on IR, according to a team press release.
Minor Transactions: 1/6/17
Here are the minor transactions from around the hockey world for January 6, 2017.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have called up goaltender Tristian Jarry and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Wilkes-Barrie/ Scranton Penguins. Jarry has 14 wins this season, which puts him in a four-way tie to lead the AHL. Jarry returns to the NHL club to cover for Matt Murray’s recent injury. The Penguins had their CBA-mandated bye-week, so Jarry was sent down to play games instead of getting a week off. He has yet to make his NHL debut. Ruhwedel has 15 points in 27 games with the AHL club this year, and two points in five NHL games.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Liam O’Brien from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. O’Brien has 18 points in 28 games with the Bears, and could play his first NHL game since 2014-15. He had two points in 13 games with the Capitals in his first year of professional hockey. O’Brien has 42 points in 132 AHL games in his career, and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
- A day after clearing waivers, Anton Khudobin is on his way to the AHL as the Bruins call up Zane McIntyre in a swap of backup goaltenders. McIntyre is unbeaten in the AHL this season with a spectacular 10-0-0 record and an AHL-leading 0.951 SV% and a 1.41 GAA. He hasn’t had the same success at the NHL level, though. He’s 0-2-0 in three appearances with a 0.859 SV% and a 4.04 GAA. Meanwhile, Khudobin has struggled in his second stint in Boston, with just one win in seven games and a GAA of 3.06. He’s in the first season of a two-year contract which pays him $1.2MM per season. Khudobin will still account for $250K against the Bruins cap while he plies his trade in the AHL.
- The Bruins have also returned energy forward Noel Acciari to the Providence Bruins. Acciari has struggled to earn regular play time in Boston since returning from injury two weeks ago.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Gustav Forsling to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Forsling was a pleasant surprise who made the Blackhawks out of training camp, but has seen his ice-time decrease throughout the season. He has four points in 32 games in the NHL this season. The Blackhawks likely wanted to stop carrying eight defensemen, as veterans Brian Campbell and Michal Rozsival were healthy scratches for last night’s game. Forsling did not need to clear waivers to be sent down, so he was the odd-man out.
- Staying with the Blackhawks organization, Spencer Abbott was recalled by Chicago on January 3. Three days and one game later, he’s heading back to the Rockford. Abbott was held pointless in just over eight minutes of ice on Thursday night. He has 21 points in 30 AHL games in his first full year in the Blackhawks organization since being acquired at the 2015 NHL trade deadline. Abbott played last season in Sweden before returning to North America. It’s likely that Jordin Tootoo will draw back into the lineup in his place.
- The Dallas Stars have sent Patrik Nemeth to the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 6’3, 215 lbs defenseman has played in just 16 games with the Stars this season, with no points.
- Oilers prospect Jordan Oesterle is heading back to Bakersfield. He has yet to appear in any NHL games this season, having been recalled to serve as the seventh defenseman twice. The speedy defenseman has eight points in 14 AHL games this year after scoring five points in 17 games with the Oilers last season.
Pacific Notes: Horvat, Nieto, Thornton
In Vancouver, a recent surge has many fans thinking playoffs once again. The team is just three points out of a wildcard spot, after winning their last four games and going 6-3-1 in their last ten. Pierre LeBrun thinks that adding a rental doesn’t make sense for the team. It’s true, that adding a veteran likely won’t improve the Canucks chances of winning a Stanley Cup, but as Vancouver attendance and revenues have fallen over the past few years it may be a mandate from ownership to try and earn some playoff income.
Ben Kuzma of The Province says that the focus from the front office remains on Bo Horvat and locking him up long term. It’s much more important to their future to get Horvat under a reasonable contract, and the longer they wait the more he’ll likely demand. Horvat is already deep into a career season and on pace to blow last year’s 16 goals and 40 points out of the water. Kuzma compares Horvat to Florida’s Vincent Trocheck, who received a six year, $28.5MM deal this summer. Trocheck was coming off a similar season to Horvat but was older and didn’t have nearly the pedigree that the former ninth-overall pick does.
As Horvat turns just 22 this April, he’s already set to take a crack at a similar deal that escalates through the years. If the Canucks want to lock him up even further into his free agent seasons, it will likely cost them upwards of $5MM.
- David Staples of the Edmonton Journal suggests that the Edmonton Oilers should take a swing at the recently waived Matt Nieto. Staples thinks that since Jesse Puljujarvi isn’t getting regular minutes or linemates, the team should send him down to the AHL to play on their top line, and fill his spot (or that of Benoit Pouliot) with the 24-year old Nieto. Even though he only has two points this season, and 17 last, he did score 24 and 27 points in his first two seasons in the NHL. Perhaps he could find a new home in Edmonton and add to their young core.
- LeBrun went on to talk about Joe Thornton and his upcoming free agency. Thornton will turn 38 a day after free agency opens, and is apparently looking for a three-year deal. While that seems ridiculous in a vacuum, a closer look at his numbers may lend credence to the idea. Thornton scored 82 points last season, his highest mark since 2009-10 and is on pace for another 50+ season despite an unsustainably-low shooting percentage. He remains an elite set-up man and is still among the league leaders in assists. As Darren Dreger adds on Twitter, he hasn’t heard much chatter from either side on a Thornton extension.
Anaheim Ducks Extend Dustin Tokarski
Another goaltender has been extended early, as the Anaheim Ducks have extended Dustin Tokarski another year on a two-way deal. The team needed a goaltender to expose in the upcoming expansion draft or risk losing John Gibson.
Tokarski for his part hasn’t actually done much to deserve the extension, as he currently has a .889 save percentage in the AHL in 16 games. The team acquired Tokarski from Montreal in the middle of last season for prospect Max Friberg when Gibson was injured. He got into one game for the team earlier this season in relief.
This is the second backup or minor league goaltender, including Al Montoya the other day, that has received an extension well before it was necessary to do so. This is likely teams giving themselves some certainty heading into the unknown of the expansion draft. Every team needs to expose at least one goaltender that is signed through the 2017-18 season (or is an RFA this summer). Both Jonathan Bernier and Matt Hackett in Anaheim are free agents this summer.
Minnesota and Philadelphia are in similar situations, with Darcy Kuemper, Alex Stalock, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth all becoming unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Expect them to make similar moves in the next few months to make sure that Devan Dubnyk and Anthony Stolarz can be protected.