Rangers Notes: Nieves, Buchnevich, Injuries
It didn’t last long, but for Cristoval Nieves his first taste of the NHL was probably an exciting one. The hometown kid who was called up from the AHL on Monday was sent back to Hartford today, according to Steve Zipay of Newsday. Nieves played on Tuesday because of a rash of injuries that hit the Rangers, getting just under 12 minutes of icetime in a 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Nieves will head back down to the AHL where he has six points in thirteen games. The former second-round pick will try to make his way back to the big leagues now that he has a taste of NHL game action.
- Pavel Buchnevich, one of the injured players who allowed for Nieves’ callup, will skate today according to Zipay but is still unlikely to play Friday against the Blue Jackets. The 21-year old has suffered from back spasms all year, only skating in 10 games thus far. Off to a blistering start in his rookie season, the Russian forward had already put up 8 points this season.
- Kevin Hayes and Derek Stepan, both banged up on Tuesday should be ready for the Blue Jackets. Hayes scored twice in the win, adding to his impressive point total of 16. Hayes is on pace to blow by last year’s of 14 goals, and the Rangers need him to. At just 24, perhaps he’s developing into something more than a secondary scoring option.
Red Wings Notes: Injuries, Sproul, Mantha
The injury bug has certainly bitten Detroit hard as Darren Helm is the latest Red Wing to take a turn on the injury carousel. He joins Andreas Athanasiou, Thomas Vanek, and Niklas Kronwall as wounded Wings, but Vanek is expected to be back for Sunday’s game. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that Helm is expected out 6-8 weeks, but general manager Ken Holland said that no surgery will be required. Athanasiou will be out for another two weeks at a minimum while Kronwall is game to game with a bad knee. St. James writes that the Red Wings will be calling up a forward later this evening to take Helm’s place. Detroit just sent Tyler Bertuzzi back to Grand Rapids, but he could be back quicker than expected.
- Speaking of younger Red Wings, the Detroit News’ John Niyo pens a column about the emergence of youth in the shadow of injury and how they might just be exactly what Detroit needs. Niyo looks at Ryan Sproul who stepped up in the place of Kronwall and to the joy of a Red Wings fan base clamoring for an injection of youth, looks to be closer to regular play. From Niyo:
And it’s a big reason, though hardly the only one, why Sproul needs to stay right where he is. Not just in Detroit, but also in the lineup, which is sort of what Blashill promised earlier in the day. Sproul hadn’t played in seven games, the last five because veteran Niklas Kronwall was back on the ice. But with Kronwall resting that chronic bad knee again Tuesday — he didn’t look good in the 5-0 loss at Montreal on Sunday — Sproul was given another chance. At the morning skate, Blashill stuck to his pat answer about how long it’d last, saying Sproul’s job was to make sure he was “ready to jump through the window.”
Sproul had a goal and an assist in the Red Wings 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay, but it was his work on the power play that opened eyes. Sproul is known for his booming slapshot, and it was featured in both goals, one that found its way into the net. The other led to a rebound that was dished to Henrik Zetterberg from another young Wing, Anthony Mantha. Mantha has stood tall in his call up, being a net-front presence on the power play, which led directly to the goal that tied the game. There have been questions as to why Mantha hasn’t been allowed to snipe goals like he has in the AHL, but Detroit wants consistency and a two-way game out of him. As injuries pile up, however, the Wings may be better off letting Mantha play the game that’s brought him success since he played juniors: shoot the puck often. The goal scoring problem that has plagued the Red Wings for several seasons may just be solved.
Niyo argues that as Detroit sits seventh in the Atlantic and is on pace for 82 points (which would certainly be way off of a playoff spot), letting the kids play may be in the Red Wings’ best interest.
New York Islanders Looking For An Offensive Boost
Maybe Cal Clutterbuck isn’t a good enough winger for John Tavares — who knew? In a piece for Newsday, Arthur Staple reports that the New York Islanders are looking for an upgrade on offense, and have been scouring the league for possible options. Staple mentions the Colorado Avalanche as a possible trade partner, as their struggles mirror those found in New York. While Matt Duchene‘s name is bandied about, the possibility of that kind of a blockbuster still seems far-fetched.
The Islanders sit last in the Metropolitan Division and have scored just 2.5 goals per game, a big drop from the 2.83 they scored last season. While that drop-off could have been partially expected after the departures of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to free agency, big ticket signing Andrew Ladd has been a disaster for the Isles, relegated to the fourth line at times. His three points in 16 games lends credence to the idea that he was always more of a secondary-scoring type playing in excellent situations.
While no one is questioning Ladd’s work ethic or leadership qualities, it’s quite telling that Clutterbuck and Josh Bailey have been skating with Tavares over him. It’s not clear where the next wave of offense is expected to come from though, as youngsters Ryan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier have each scored just five points through the first part of the season. In Staple’s article, he mentions Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle as potential additions; both are skating with Bridgeport of the AHL at the moment and finding varying degrees of success. Ho-Sang though has apparently caught whatever Ladd has, and has seen his playing time reduced and was even a healthy scratch on Friday night.
If Garth Snow, who is in Toronto at the annual GM meetings, decides to look elsewhere he’ll need to be careful not to mortgage the team’s future in pursuit of something that may not be able to be found. A single player, while clearly helpful, may not be able to turn around what has been a disaster of a season so far. If one were to listen to Islanders’ fans, it’s a problem with the head coach Jack Capuano and not the players. Staple reiterates what many others have said however, that Capuano is in no danger of losing his job – for now.
Duchene, while an interesting option, would surely cost a huge haul coming off his first 30 goal season in the NHL. The speedy forward is only 25 still despite having over 500 games of experience and is under contract for two seasons after this at a $6MM AAV. After signing Ladd to a seven year, $38.5MM deal this summer the Islanders are right up against the cap and although they do have some flexibility with LTIR they would likely need to move out some money to bring in an impact forward.
To add a little bit of insult to injury, P.A. Parenteau, the winger New York waived prior to the season is off to a hot start in New Jersey. His five goals would tie him for the lead on the Islanders with Tavares and costs just $1.25MM.
Canucks Send Jake Virtanen To AHL Comets
Jake Virtanen might be starting to feel like a yo-yo.
After he started the year in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks sent Virtanen to their AHL farm team, the Utica Comets. He played two games for the Comets last weekend (no points) before being called back up to the NHL. GM Jim Benning called it a conditioning stint. But Virtanen didn’t return to the Canucks lineup after being recalled; he was scratched in both games the Canucks have played since his return. And now, the Canucks have once again sent Virtanen to the AHL.
Virtanen has just one assist in 10 games with the Canucks so far this season. He was drafted out of the WHL as a power forward, where he had a respectable 161 points in 192 games for the Calgary Hitmen. So far, Virtanen has just 14 points in 65 NHL games over two seasons.
The Canucks drafted Virtanen sixth overall in 2014, ahead of William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dylan Larkin. It’s still early in Virtanen’s career, but it’s hard not to think the Canucks would like a mulligan on that pick.
NHL, Stakeholders Discuss Possible Change To Draft Age
Could the NHL change the draft age from 18 to 19?
TSN’s Bob McKenzie spoke about the possibility on Tuesday night’s edition of Insider Trading. Former third-overall-pick Pat LaFontaine is leading a group of stakeholders that includes the NHL, NHLPA, CHL, USHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and NCAA to discuss a “whole new development model.”
According to McKenzie, the model would go from age five to age 20, and would include changing the NHL Draft-eligible age to 19, with “some obvious exceptions for exceptional players.”
The system would likely feature an expanded version of the CHL’s Exceptional Player Status. Normally, players aren’t eligible to play in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL (the CHL’s three leagues) until they’re 16. However, there is a process (outlined extensively by McKenzie here) where players deemed exceptional can begin to play Major Junior at age 15. Players and their families apply to the CHL and Hockey Canada, and the player is examined on and off the ice to determine if he truly is exceptional. So far, only six players have ever applied, with John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and 2018-eligible Joseph Veleno being successful candidates. The first thee on that list went first overall in their OHL and NHL draft years, while Day went fourth in the OHL draft was a third-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2016. While it’s still early in his career, McKenzie noted that “some were questioning whether he was as blatantly exceptional as Tavares, Ekblad or McDavid.”
Changing the NHL Draft age would drastically change the way the draft is conducted. Looking back over the past two drafts, top selections like McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, and Patrik Laine would likely have been able to still be drafted at age 18. All four of them have been successful in their rookie seasons, and were clearly NHL-ready at age 18/19. While McDavid was a CHL exceptional-status player, the other three played NCAA, Swiss National League, and Liiga in their draft years. The NHL and other stakeholders would need to find a way to coordinate with all leagues to determine which players are truly exceptional and deserve to be drafted at age 18.
While the above mentioned players would still have been drafted at 18, elite prospects like Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner, Noah Hanifin, Jesse Puljujärvi, and Pierre-Luc Dubois may have been forced to wait an extra year, depending on the rules set out. As it stands now, several teams have issues with how the NHL-CHL agreement is laid out, as it forces 19-year-old draft+1 players to either play in the NHL or CHL when the AHL may be the best for their development. Strome is a current example: he’s posted 129 and 111 points in his last two years in the OHL and has nothing to gain from returning to junior, where he will dominate and potentially learn bad habits because of how dominant he is at that level. Strome has just one assist in six NHL games this year, and would be well-served by 40 games in the AHL to learn the pro game. That’s currently prevented by the NHL-CHL agreement. On one hand, it’s easy to see that CHL teams don’t want to lose their brightest stars before they absolutely have to, but at the same time it may not be in the player’s best interests to go back to junior. Changing the draft age to 19 could alleviate this issue, with drafted players only playing one more year of junior, at most, before turning pro.
LaFontaine and the stakeholders will meet again on Wednesday. On Insider Trading, McKenzie said they’ll “need to get some traction soon if it’s going to happen.”
The NHLPA would also need to agree to the change in collective bargaining when the current CBA expires in 2022 (both sides can opt out two years early). Convincing the Players Association that players will have to wait an extra year before making an NHL salary could be a tough argument, but it will be interesting to see how the discussion goes over the next little while.
Blues Recall Ty Rattie From Chicago Following Conditioning Assignment
With 14 NHL-caliber forwards on the roster it’s proven to be a challenge at times for St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock to find playing time for everyone. In fact, Ty Rattie, once the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft, has made just one appearance for the Blues, playing just eight minutes in an OT loss to Vancouver on October 18th. The inactivity prompted the team to send Rattie down to Chicago just to get him some game action. Today the team recalled the 23-year-old right wing from the AHL.
The Blues obviously still see potential in Rattie as evidenced by their refusal to expose him to waivers and risk losing him to another club. Still, the clock has to be ticking for Rattie on his Blues career and if he doesn’t impress the coaching staff at some point in the near future, it’s possible the team will finally choose to move on. Given the Blues roster situation and barring an injury to a top-nine forward, it doesn’t appear as if there’s a clear path to playing time in St. Louis.
Rattie has put up good numbers in the AHL, tallying 69 goals and 137 points in 196 games in Chicago. But he’s had limited chances in the NHL, seeing action in just 27 contests and averaging 9:18 of ice time. His junior pedigree suggests he has the talent to succeed at this level and perhaps only needs an extended opportunity with another team.
Pacific Division Notes: Burns, Kopitar, Virtanen
Assuming he resists overtures from the Sharks to sign a massive extension first, Brent Burns will hit free agency next July as one of, if not the top player on the market. In fact, as Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News writes, his situation closely mirrors that which confronted Steven Stamkos last season.
Like Stamkos, Burns will be a much-desired commodity if he reaches the open market. And just like Tampa Bay, the Sharks surely want to retain their star player. Though again, like Tampa Bay, San Jose will want to do so at a price less than that which Burns will be able find in free agency.
Of course the situation has already generated a lot media attention and will continue to do so until a resolution is reached. For many players, his pending free agency can prove to be a distraction and perhaps even impact his performance on the ice. That doesn’t seem to be the case to date for Burns as the 31-year-old blue liner has already tallied six goals and 14 points through 15 contests. But should Burns struggle with the attention and seek advice on how to handle things, he has a good resource in his friend Stamkos.
As Pashelka notes, the two players have known each other for more than two decades and spent some time together this summer. But according to Stamkos, Burns didn’t broach the subject of his free agency:
“Can’t say we’ve had a lot of discussions about it. I’m definitely open to a conversation if it comes a point where he needs somebody to talk to. But I know Burnzie. He knows what he’s doing.”
Burns certainly enjoys playing in San Jose and likely will give the Sharks every opportunity to extend his contract. Surely the Sharks will hope that Burns, like Stamkos, decided to forsake the probability of more money to remain somewhere he is happy.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- It looks like the Kings may have dodged a bullet as the upper-body-injury suffered by team captain Anze Kopitar is considered day-to-day, reports Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times. Kopitar appeared to injure his wrist/upper arm area when taking a spill along the boards in the third period of the team’s tilt with Ottawa. Kopitar, one of the NHL’s best centers, did miss this afternoon’s game against Winnipeg but the fact he’s been listed as day-to-day is good news for a team that dropped to 7 – 8 – 1 after today’s shootout loss to the Jets. The 29-year-old native of Slovenia is off to a slow start production-wise, with just eight points in 15 games.
- Earlier this week the Vancouver Canucks assigned 20-year-old winger Jake Virtanen to their AHL affiliate in Utica. However, as reported, the team recalled Virtanen today after he saw action in two games this weekend for the Comets. Virtanen is off to a tough start to the campaign with just one point, an assist, in 10 games with Vancouver. He was also held off the scoresheet this weekend while suiting up for Utica. Virtanen did not play today in the Canucks 5 – 4 win OT win over Dallas.
Michal Neuvirth Out Four To Six Weeks
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Michal Neuvirth will be out more than a month after suffering an injury Saturday in the Flyers’ game against the Minnesota Wild. Although it was unclear when Neuvirth was actually injured (he never returned after the first period) or what exactly the injury is, GM Ron Hextall, a former goalie himself, has stated that it is a lower body injury that will keep the net minder out four to six weeks. In the meantime, Steve Mason will see even more ice time than he had and rookie keeper Anthony Stolarz is expected to be called up.
Neuvirth, like Mason, has struggled between the pipes this season for the Flyers. The Czech goalie has stopped just 85.9% of the shots he has faced and has a goals-against-average of 3.54 in nine games so far. His performance in 2016-17 has dropped off considerably from a year ago when he won 18 of his 29 starts and finished with a 92.4% save percentage while allowing just 2.27 goals-per-game.
Stolarz, meanwhile, is off to a fine start for Lehigh Valley of the AHL, winning six of his eight starts and compiling a save percentage of 92.7. He was originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2012 draft – 45th overall – following two seasons between the pipes for the London Knights of the OHL. Stolarz has spent the last two campaigns in Lehigh Valley, seeing action in 78 games and stopping 91.2% of the shots he has faced.
While Mason is likely to get most of the starts in Neuvirth’s absence, he too has had his problems this year for Philadelphia. His 88.0% save percentage ranks 34th among all NHL goaltenders with at least eight appearances this season. If he continues to scuffle, it’s possible Stolarz will be given more opportunities to prove himself at this level.
*Glen Miller contributed to this post.
Canes Recall Brock McGinn, Derek Ryan From Charlotte
With the sad news regarding Bryan Bickell‘s health and the assignment of Phillip Di Giuseppe to Charlotte earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled forwards Brock McGinn and Derek Ryan from their AHL affiliate, according to a release on the team’s official site.
Ryan currently leads the Checkers in scoring with 13 points through nine games and in six career NHL contests, all of which came last season, the 29-year-old pivot has tallied two goals. He has spent a majority of his pro career playing in Europe, including three years in Austria and another in Sweden. Ryan originally signed with the Carolina organization in June of 2015.
McGinn was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round of the 2012 entry draft out of Guelph of the OHL. He made his NHL debut last season, appearing in 21 games with the Canes and scoring three goals with one assist. At the time of his recall, McGinn was on a seven-game points streak with Charlotte and ranks third on the team in scoring with eight points.
The moves now leave Carolina with 13 healthy forwards – not including Bickell of course.
Hurricanes Send Phil Di Giuseppe To Charlotte
The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned left wing Phillip Di Giuseppe to Charlotte of the AHL, as first reported by Elite Prospects via Twitter. The move was later confirmed on the Charlotte Checkers official team website.
Di Giuseppe has appeared in 11 of Carolina’s 13 contests this year but has failed to record a point and carries a -6 plus-minus rating. The 6-foot, 200-pound forward made his NHL debut in 2015-16 and impressed tallying seven goals and 17 points in just 41 games for the Hurricanes.
It’s not clear whether there will be a corresponding move to recall someone to take Di Giuseppe’s spot. The Hurricanes have just 12 forwards on their roster now with Di Giuseppe off to Charlotte.
Carolina drafted Di Giuseppe in the second round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Michigan. He spent three years in Ann Arbor, playing in 115 games for the Wolverines and scoring 78 points. After signing with Carolina, Di Giuseppe saw action in 104 AHL contests over parts of three seasons and tallying 19 goals with 30 helpers.
Di Giuseppe is in the final season of his two-way, entry level contract which calls for a $867.5K salary while on an NHL roster and just $70K for suiting up in the AHL. Clearly a long-term stint in Charlotte will cost Di Giuseppe a fair amount of cash.