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Pacific Notes: Simek, Forbort, Fleury, Comtois, Kassian

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The San Jose Sharks find themselves down a defenseman as The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek will return to San Jose and is expected to miss two weeks to have a minor procedure on his meniscus, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the start of the season.

Simek sat out the first month of the season with the knee injury he suffered during the season last year. However, his return to the Sharks’ lineup coincided with San Jose’s success as the team has gone 11-4-1 as the team struggled with their defensive depth up until then. The 27-year-old has averaged 16:54 of ATOI and has a goal, four assists and 28 hits over 16 games.

  • The season debut that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Derek Forbort was anticipating soon will go on hold as the blueliner was placed back on injured reserve Saturday after suffering a setback of his back injury, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Forbort, who has yet to make his season debut after going down with a back injury during the preseason. He was expected to return soon, however, as he was sent to the Ontario Reign of the AHL on a conditioning assignment. However, he played two games before suffering the setback. There is currently no timetable on his return.
  • After a six-game layoff, the Vegas Golden Knights will have to wait at least one more game before starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will return to the ice. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that Malcolm Subban will get the start again despite Fleury’s return since his father passed away. The scribe writes that head coach Gerard Gallant wants to give Fleury some more practice time before throwing him into a game.
  • Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford writes that with the injury of Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie for the next 6-10 weeks, the beneficiary of that injury is likely to be Max Comtois, who immediately was moved onto the team’s second line in hopes more playing time will spark his development. Comtois, a second-round pick in 2017, has had some success with the Ducks. He has two goals and five points so far in 13 games with the Ducks, but the injury will give the 20-year-old an even bigger opportunity to put up more offense.
  • While the Edmonton Oilers announced that they had activated forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off of injured reserve and expect him to play Sunday, the team also expects to get back forward Zack Kassian as well. The 28-year-old Kassian has missed the past three games with a back injury, but is expected to join Nugent-Hopkins and likely will take his place on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Kassian has been averaging a career-high 16:22 of ice time this season and has nine goals and 19 points this year.

Anaheim’s Nick Ritchie Out 6-10 Weeks With Sprained MCL

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The Anaheim Ducks lost one of their key players as general manager Bryan Murray revealed that forward Nick Ritchie will miss the next 6-10 weeks after spraining his left MCL, according to Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford. Murray said the injury is similar to the one suffered by defenseman Josh Manson, who is nearing a return.

Ritchie suffered the injury in the team’s loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday after taking a hit from the Capitals’ Radko Gudas early in the game. Ritchie only played in 4:04 of the game and was unable to return to the ice as it was an apparent knee injury.

The news could be considered good news as there were some fears that he might miss the remainder of the season. The injury will likely keep him out until late January at the minimum, meaning a return sometime after the all-star break is the most likely outcome. The 24-year-old has three goals and 10 points in 27 games this season as a top-six winger. The team recalled forward Sam Carrick Saturday as his replacement.

Pacific Notes: Coyotes, Ritchie, Nugent-Hopkins, Kovalchuk

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With hints that the Arizona Coyotes are interested in acquiring New Jersey Devils star Taylor Hall, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required) confirms that the team is interested, but general manager John Chayka also has made it clear that he likes his roster as would prefer to keep his roster in tact. However, if the team continues to perform well, the GM might be willing to make a big splash.

“I view each season as sacred,” Chayka said. “Any time you get a chance to make a push, you have to look to do that. When players have earned that right and are serious about making a push — if they’re doing their job then I’ve got to do my job. If these guys keep playing hard and playing well, then yeah, I think it’s going to force us to make some additions to this team.”

Chayka might prefer to move picks and prospects in a deal for Hall rather than break up the team. However, Morgan does add that there are a few prospects that are off limits, including Barrett Hayton, Victor Soderstrom and Jan Jenik.

  • While there is nothing official on the severity of his injury, Anaheim Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins said that the injury that forward Nick Ritchie sustained Friday against the Washington Capitals “does not look very good,” according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens. Ritchie injured his knee after sustaining a late hit from the Capitals’ Radko Gudas and Ritchie had trouble putting weight on his leg as he left the ice, suggesting the injury could be long-term.
  • The Edmonton Oilers look to be getting back a familiar face as the team announced that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will return to the ice Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. Nugent-Hopkins has missed the past six games with a hand injury. Nugent-Hopkins has five goals and 16 points in 25 games.
  • Little has changed for the Los Angeles Kings Ilya Kovalchuk, who has not appeared in a game since Nov. 9, according to The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required). Regardless, Kovalchuk has continued to practice and travel with the team and has maintained a positive attitude despite sitting in the press box. “The situation with Kovy is a tough one for everybody,” Kings head coach Todd McLellan said. “I can tell you that he’s been outstanding. Kovy’s situation has nothing to do with him as a person or his work ethic or anything like that. He’s outstanding. He works as hard as anybody right now.

 

Minor Transactions: 12/7/19

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As is often the case, Saturday is a busy day on the NHL calendar with a total of 11 games on the docket which means there should be plenty of roster shuffling.  We’ll keep tabs on those moves here as well as others of note around the hockey world.

  • The Canadiens have returned Charles Hudon to AHL Laval, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. The winger has been shuttled back and forth routinely in recent weeks in order to slow down his waiver clock.  Hudon has played in nine games with Montreal so far this season, recording one assist.
  • Veteran Eric Tangradi has decided to return for a second stint with the Red Wings organization as their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids announced that they’ve signed the winger for the rest of the season. He had been playing with Barys Astana in the KHL prior to the move.  Tangradi has a total of 150 career NHL games under his belt including six with New Jersey last season.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Sam Carrick from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, while sending goaltender Anthony Stolarz down. The team likely recalled Carrick due to a pending injury to forward Nick Ritchie, although little is known about him. The 27-year-old Carrick has 10 goals and 16 points in 18 games with the Gulls.

Minor Transactions: 12/02/19

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Five games are on tap for this evening in the NHL, including the Detroit Red Wings trying to avoid a ten-game losing streak when they welcome in the Buffalo Sabres. The Red Wings have been a mess all season and look like strong contenders to land the first-overall pick in 2020. As teams prepare for action, we’ll be keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • Jacob Markstrom has been granted a leave of absence from the Vancouver Canucks in order to attend the memorial service of his late father, meaning Michael Dipietro is on his way up to serve as an emergency goaltender. The Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night and will likely have Thatcher Demko in net.
  • Brendan Gaunce has been sent to the minor leagues by the Boston Bruins to make room for John Moore, who the team has finally activated from long-term injured reserve. Moore hasn’t played a single game for the Bruins this season but will be a welcome addition to one of the best teams in the NHL.
  • Ryan Miller will be starting for the Anaheim Ducks after John Gibson came down with an illness today, leading to the recall of Anthony Stolarz. The 25-year old Stolarz has a .910 save percentage in 14 games for the San Diego Gulls this season.

Pacific Notes: Vegas Defense, Kase, Hjalmarsson, Coyotes

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Plenty of praise has been lauded out by Vegas Golden Knights’ players after the team changed their defensive format from a man-to-man concept to a zone defense. The belief was that teams were taking advantage of holes in their man-to-man concept, so head coach Gerard Gallant switched the team’s defense two games ago with the idea that a zone defense would give players more energy as it cuts down player movement.

“The way we’ve tweaked our D-zone (coverage), you have a little more energy,” Deryk Engelland said. “It’s less chasing around and more positional, so maybe that plays a little bit of a factor in it, and I think that’s a big part of why we wanted to change it.”

According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic (subscription required), the Golden Knights were on target to give up the most goals in their short franchise history. The hope is that these changes should solve some of the team’s defensive issues.

  • There were some concerned faces Friday after Anaheim Ducks winger Ondrej Kase, who has a history of concussions, was hit hard by Winnipeg’s Anthony Bitetto, just two minutes into the game, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Kase got up slowly and immediately headed to the dressing room, most likely to undergo concussion protocol. Fortunately, Kase returned to the ice not long after and resumed action, which is good considering the amount of time he has missed (51 games so far since the start of the 2018-19 season). “A guy goes down and he comes off the ice and leaves the bench, you’re usually just waiting for word that he’s done something to his shoulder or his elbow or his knee or whatever it’s going to be,” head coach Dallas Eakins said. “For him, to go in and everything check out fine is great.”
  • Despite expecting to miss 10 to 12 weeks, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson is ahead of schedule, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required). Hjalmarsson, who has been out since Oct. 12 after breaking his fibula when blocking a shot, is already walking on his own and should be expected to start skating soon. The team still has no timetable for his return. “Nik is progressing well,” president of hockey operations John Chayka said. “No new timetable at this stage.”
  • Sticking with the Coyotes, Morgan also reports that forwards Carl Soderberg (lower-body injury) and Lawson Crouse (upper-body injury) are both game-time decisions for Saturday’s game against the Sharks. The team did recall Michael Chaput in case neither player can play today.

Minor Transactions: 11/30/19

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As usual, Saturday presents a large slate of games around the league with 26 teams in action.  That means there will likely be plenty of roster movement which we’ll keep track of here.

  • The Golden Knights announced that they’ve returned goalie Garret Sparks to Chicago of the AHL. He was brought up on an emergency basis to serve as the backup while Marc-Andre Fleury tended to an illness in the family but it appears that Fleury is ready to return. The team also announced they have recalled forward Nicolas Roy from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on an emergency basis. Roy has been up and down between Vegas and Chicago for much of the season. The 22-year-old has played in six games for the Golden Knights, scoring a goal and three points and has appeared in 11 games for the Wolves, tallying two goals and six points. Since it’s an emergency recall, Roy could be recalled while the team determines if Cody Eakin is seriously hurt after taking an elbow to the head Friday against Arizona.
  • A.J. Greer’s stint with the Avalanche was short-lived. One day after being recalled, he has been returned to AHL Colorado, per the AHL’s Transactions Page.  The winger has had two NHL call-ups this season but has yet to play with the big club.  Greer has two goals and 44 penalty minutes in nine games with the Eagles so far.
  • The Avs also announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned center Sheldon Dries to the minors.  He has just one NHL game under his belt this season after playing 40 a year ago.  He has been productive with the Eagles though, leading them in scoring with 14 points in 17 contests.
  • With Carl Soderberg suffering a lower-body injury late yesterday against Vegas, the Coyotes have recalled center Michael Chaput from AHL Tucson.  This will be his first NHL action of the season but the 27-year-old got into 32 games with Montreal last year.  He has 12 points (9-3-12) in 15 games with the Roadrunners.
  • The Jets announced that they have placed defenseman Nathan Beaulieu on IR, creating a roster spot that they used to recall defenseman Cameron Schilling from AHL Manitoba.  With Beaulieu and Dmitry Kulikov both injured, Winnipeg needed to get an extra defender on the roster.  The 31-year-old has just 10 games of NHL experience but has played in 512 AHL contests.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced they have assigned defenseman Jonathan Ericsson to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. The 35-year-old has been a major piece to the Red Wings success over the years, but has been the odd man out as Detroit continues to get younger. Ericsson made the team out of camp, but was placed on waivers on Oct. 23 and sent to the Griffins where he played 10 games for the AHL squad. He was recalled again due to injuries on Nov. 14 and now returns to Grand Rapids. Ericsson is on the final year of a six-year, $25.5MM contract.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned defenseman Jacob Larsson to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Larsson appeared in 25 games for the Ducks so far this season in a bottom-pairing role with a goal, two assists and a minus-three rating, while averaging 17:31 ATOI.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Brayden Tracey To Entry-Level Contract

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The Anaheim Ducks have decided to officially bring in their 2019 first-round pick. The team has announced that forward Brayden Tracey has signed his entry-level contract. It is a three-year contract that can slide this year and next if Tracey does not play in a minimum 10 NHL games. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Tracey, the No. 29 overall pick in June, was the Ducks’ second first-rounder of 2019 after Boston University forward Trevor Zegras was selected No. 9 overall. However, Tracey has arguably been the more impressive of the two players so far this season. Tracey has registered 10 goals and 22 points in just 13 games thus far with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. The team’s leading per-game scorer, Tracey and 2021 top prospect Ryder Korczak have almost single-handedly fueled the Moose Jaw offense this season. However, the Warriors are still struggling and Tracey could become an intriguing WHL trade candidate this season.

A late riser in the draft process, scouts began to take notice of Tracey’s game midway through an 81-point campaign that marked his first full WHL season. A player whose game is defined by his patient approach, soft hands, and elite vision, Tracey is a high-end play-maker in the making. He is yet another member of an alarmingly talented group of young forwards in the Anaheim pipeline. The team can afford to take their time with his development and this contract is no guarantee that he will see pro action even next season, nevertheless this year. Yet, his ability and upside should excite Ducks fans even if his NHL debut is still a few years down the road.

Poll: Which Teams Will Buck The Thanksgiving Playoff Trend In 2019-20?

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Just how important is playoff position in just the second month of the regular season? Very, if you look at recent results. Over the past six years, more than 70% of teams in a playoff position at American Thanksgiving have held on to their spot. While last year was slightly below the mark – 11 of 16 teams (69%) in a playoff position on November 22 qualified – the standings at the time were even more predictive than usual. The Lightning, Predators, Flames, Maple Leafs, Jets, and Sharks all finished in the same divisional seed that they occupied at Thanksgiving.

So who were the outliers in 2018-19? Obviously, the St. Louis Blues’ return from the basement of the league standings to win the Stanley Cup is a story that will stand the test of time. However, four other clubs also turned their seasons around: the Islanders, Penguins, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights. And the teams whose seasons took a turn for the worse: the Sabres, Wild, Rangers, Canadiens, and Ducks. Ironically, the Canadiens were narrowly inside the playoff window on Thanksgiving and ended up just barely outside in the spring. Meanwhile, the Ducks, Oilers, and Coyotes were all tied for the lowest playoff-qualifying record on Thanksgiving, with the Ducks getting the tiebreaker at the time, and all three failed to qualify for the postseason.

This season has gotten off to an unpredictable start, which could potentially threaten to derail the Thanksgiving trend. Several teams considered Cup contenders are currently outside the playoff picture, while multiple surprises currently occupy a spot. With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, this is the current status of the NHL standings (reminder – points percentage is the ideal way of viewing NHL standings):

Eastern Conference

M1 New York Islanders (.773)
A1 Boston Bruins (.771)

M2 Washington Capitals (.740)
M3 Carolina Hurricanes (.646)

A2 Tampa Bay Lightning (.619)
A3 Florida Panthers (.604)

W1 Pittsburgh Penguins (.625)
W2 Philadelphia Flyers (.604)

Outside the Playoff Picture: Montreal Canadiens (.563), New York Rangers (.545), Columbus Blue Jackets (.522), Buffalo Sabres (.521), Toronto Maple Leafs (.520), Ottawa Senators (.479), New Jersey Devils (.435), Detroit Red Wings (.327)

Western Conference

C1 St. Louis Blues (.680)
P1 Edmonton Oilers (.673)

C2 Dallas Stars (.615)
C3 Colorado Avalanche (.609)

P2 Arizona Coyotes (.620)
P3 Vancouver Canucks (.560)

W1 Winnipeg Jets (.604)
W2 Nashville Predators (.543)

Outside the Playoff Picture: San Jose Sharks (.540), Chicago Blackhawks (.521), Anaheim Ducks (.500), Vegas Golden Knights (.500), Calgary Flames (.481), Minnesota Wild (.480), Los Angeles Kings (.417)

2018-19 playoff teams jump off the page as potential candidates to disrupt the status quo. Particularly in the Pacific Division, it is hard to image none of the Golden Knights – who beat the Thanksgiving odds last year – the Sharks or the Flames will make the playoffs, especially as they look up at the Oilers, Coyotes, and Canucks.  There could also be hope in West for the Ducks and Blackhawks, who sit at .500 currently. Over in the East, the Maple Leafs stick out like a sore thumb among non-playoff teams and could be line for improvement following their coaching change. But will it be enough given their difficult start? The Canadiens will also hope for a reverse of fortunes from last year, going from first team out in the conference at Thanksgiving to in the postseason come April. The Sabres have started hot and collapsed two years in a row, but there is still time for them to turn things back around. All three Atlantic clubs see a Panthers team with plenty of problems ahead of them in the standings right now. Meanwhile, the Rangers and Blue Jackets will look to make an unlikely run to the postseason as they chase down the Flyers.

What do you think? Which of these teams will find their way into the playoff picture and which will fall victim to the Thanksgiving postseason trend? Select as many teams below as you like, but remember that for every addition, there has to be a subtraction of a current playoff team.

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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Anaheim Ducks

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Anaheim Ducks.

What are the Ducks most thankful for?

A developing young core with a coach (Dallas Eakins) who has a track record for player development.  While Anaheim has a reputation for being an older group, they have seven players on entry-level deals that have played at least eight games this season (center Sam Steel, wingers Troy Terry, Maxime Comtois and Max Jones, and defensemen Jacob Larsson, Brendan Guhle, and Josh Mahura).  In a season where many don’t expect them to be contending for a playoff spot, the fact that they have this many youngsters already making some sort of an impact can only bode well for their future.  Those players are all under team control for at least four more years and the majority of them will likely form a big part of their core group when they get back into playoff contention.

With Steel as well as recent first-round picks Trevor Zegras and Isac Lundestrom, Anaheim appears to be well-positioned down the middle for the long haul.  Impact center depth is difficult to accumulate and this is one of the stronger young groups around the league.

Who are the Ducks most thankful for?

For most of last season, goaltender John Gibson was the only thing standing between them and the basement to the point where he was a serious Vezina Trophy contender until he struggled down the stretch.  He’s a consensus top-ten goalie in the league and with salaries for top netminders quickly going up, Anaheim won’t have to worry about that for a long time.  Gibson is locked up on a team-friendly eight-year deal with a $6.4MM cap hit.  A franchise goalie can be hard to get but Anaheim has theirs in Gibson and he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

What would the Ducks be even more thankful for?

More scoring.  The team was dead last in the goals scored department last season which meant they had nowhere to go but up.  The hope was that Eakins, a more offence-minded coach than his predecessor in Randy Carlyle, would help things and while they’re doing a little better in that regard, they’re still in the bottom ten in the league in goals scored and are averaging just 2.7 per game.  That should improve as some of their youngsters get more comfortable with playing at the NHL level but they’ll need more from the likes of Nick Ritchie (three goals) and Ondrej Kase (two goals) as well.

What should be on the Ducks’ Holiday Wish List?

While getting some more scoring help is never a bad way to go, adding an impact defender should be at the top of GM Bob Murray’s to-do list.  There was a time where Anaheim was ripe with impact blueliners but that depth has taken a hit with the departures of Sami Vatanen, Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour, and Marcus Pettersson in recent years.  Yes, there is some hope in the system but right now, they’re pretty thin on the back end, a problem that’s exacerbated with the injury to Josh Manson.  Murray has added veteran depth in the form of Michael Del Zotto and Erik Gudbranson but a more impactful piece will need to be added.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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