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Anaheim Ducks Re-Assign Jhonas Enroth To San Diego

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In what is one of the best things an Anaheim Ducks fan can hear—though not because of anything he has done wrong—Jhonas Enroth has been sent back to the AHL. The goaltender didn’t play, but has been with the team for two weeks as John Gibson rehabbed from his latest lower-body injury. The move signals that Gibson is at least healthy enough to backup Jonathan Bernier, giving the Ducks two capable goaltenders.

Since Gibson’s original injury in late February, Bernier has gone 10-2-1 with a .937 save percentage and created somewhat of a goalie controversy where there had previously been none. With Randy Carlyle’s familiarity with Bernier from their time in Toronto coupled with Gibson’s expected rust after being out for so long, it wouldn’t be unfathomable for the team to go with Bernier to start the playoffs (Maple Leafs fans rejoice, as that is good news for you).

Either way, the demotion of Enroth is good for the Ducks who have recently taken over first place in the Pacific Division and are trying to lock up home ice advantage for the majority of the playoffs. If they can finish first in their division, they’ll still likely have to go through a Pacific rival in the first round, meaning they’ll need all the healthy bodies they can get.

For Enroth, he’ll return to San Diego where he has been spectacular this season, putting up a .944 save percentage since being acquired from the Maple Leafs earlier this year. The Gulls have already locked up a playoff spot and are a real threat for the Calder Cup now that they have their best goaltender back.

Clayton Stoner Sent To San Diego Gulls On Conditioning Loan

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After last playing in mid-November, Clayton Stoner is returning to professional hockey. The Anaheim Ducks defender has been sent to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL on a long-term injury conditioning loan. Stoner underwent abdominal surgery in December that came with a four to six week timetable, which obviously has extended much further. The 32-year old had rejoined practice with the Ducks in recent weeks, and is now presumably healthy enough to get back into game action. Clayton Stoner

Since Stoner’s been out the Ducks have used several defensemen in his spot, most notably Shea Theodore, who has been shuffled up and down between the NHL and AHL so many times it inspired a Sports Illustrated article. The team used Korbinian Holzer Wednesday night, and Brandon Montour the game before that, but none have really stuck in the lineup so far. If Stoner can get back to 100% by the end of the season, it wouldn’t be impossible to see him start the playoffs in the Ducks lineup. His experience would be a welcome addition as the team heads into a tough first round matchup in the Pacific Division.

Signed—somewhat inexplicably—to a four-year, $13MM contract in the summer of 2014, Stoner has another year at $3.25MM left after this one. Should he return and show he can still compete at the NHL level, perhaps the team will retain him to off-set a possible loss of one of their younger defensemen in the expansion draft. If he can’t, he’ll have to be one of the first players out the door to create some cap-space to re-sign some of the Ducks’ upcoming restricted free agents. For now though, he’s focused on one thing: getting healthy.

Evening Snapshots: Olympics, Ducks, Ristolainen

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Rene Fasal publicly stated today that the NHL has until the end of April to decide whether NHL players will play in the 2018 Winter Olympics, reports The Associated Press. NHL participation in the upcoming games has been a point of contention this year. Most recently, Steve Keating of Reuters reported that Gary Bettman stated that everyone “should assume the players are not going.” Whether or not Fasal’s deadline is a hard deadline or a soft one, Olympic participation may dominate hockey conversation when the League wants the attention focused on its first round playoffs.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Ondrej Kase to the AHL San Diego Gulls, reports Eric Stephens of the OC Register. The move comes as little surprise since Kase was scratched three times in the last four games, and failed to break the eight-minute mark in his last two appearances. In 51 games for the Ducks Kase scored 5G and 9A. In Kase’s nine games with the Gulls earlier this season he scored 3G and 4A, and a similar production streak could have him back up the NHL before the playoffs.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety released its video explanation regarding its decision to suspend Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen received a three game suspension for interference after hitting Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel. The League’s decision was based on two points: (1) Guentzel did not touch the puck before being hit, and (2) the onus was on Ristolainen to alter course after the pass to Guentzel was tipped. The league did not accept Ristolainen’s defense that because he was skating backwards into the hit, he could not move in time. The league retorted that it was Ristolainen’s choice to lead into a hit that way, and he has to take responsibility for the consequences.

Injury Notes: Ferland, Stone, Leivo, Rust

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Calgary Flames winger Micheal Ferland has rejoined his teammates in Nashville today after being quarantined for almost a week. The 24-year old had showed signs of the mumps outbreak that had swept through the NHL briefly, but is now symptom free. He’ll be back in on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan tonight, according to Kristen Odland of Postmedia.

Here are some other injury notes from around the league:

  • Josh Leivo will take the spot of the injured Eric Fehr in tonight’s Maple Leafs lineup according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. With Nikita Soshnikov still on the mend following a big hit from Zdeno Chara, Leivo will look to get back to his scoring ways tonight. The young winger had nine points in a ten game stretch last month when Mitch Marner was dealing with an injury, and has considerable offensive upside. He’ll slot in on the fourth line tonight beside Brian Boyle and Matt Martin.
  • Despite skating with the team in a regular jersey this morning, Cedric Paquette will not return to the lineup for Tampa Bay according to Caley Chelios of FOX Sports. The Lightning center will remain out alongside Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson for the time being.
  • On Stamkos, he was seen skating again before practice, but admitted to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that “time is running out” for him to return this season. Stamkos has been skating for weeks as he tries to come back from a meniscus tear in his right knee. The Lightning are currently sitting five points back with ten games to play.
  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone was back skating this morning, though he won’t play tonight. Stone was out early and stayed late at practice as he works hard to get back into the Senators lineup. The team can smell first place in the Atlantic Division, and getting Stone—arguably their best forward—back before the end of the season could help them wrestle the crown away from the Montreal Canadiens. With a matchup against the fourth Metropolitan team looming in the first round, whether they should really want it is a different story.
  • Penguins’ forward Bryan Rust is almost back in the lineup reports Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after taking part in just about everything at today’s Pittsburgh practice. Though he won’t play tonight, the 24-year old forward will likely be back in a game before the end of the week; the Penguins take on Ottawa tonight, New York (Islanders) tomorrow and Philadelphia on Sunday.
  • Three goaltenders were at practice today for the Anaheim Ducks, including John Gibson as he continues to rehab his latest injury. Head coach Randy Carlyle said today that Gibson will definitely play before the end of the regular season, though that still leaves the question of whether he’ll be tested enough to start game one of the playoffs. We’ll see how many games the young netminder gets in before Anaheim has to take on a team like the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames in the first round.

Pacific Notes: Bernier, Meier, Maroon

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While no talks have been held regarding a potential contract extension, Ducks goaltender Jonathan Bernier told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register that he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to stick around with the team beyond this season.  Anaheim brought him in early in July after Toronto paid his $2MM signing bonus that was due July 1st and he has had a resurgent season, posting a 2.49 GAA and a .918 SV% in 32 games, much better numbers than he had with the Leafs over the last couple of years.

What may be a challenge is finding the right cap hit for both sides for next season.  While it’s a certainty that Bernier will come in below the $4.15MM he’s getting this year, it’s not a given he’ll be willing to accept regular backup money either.  However, the Ducks won’t really be able to afford a premium backup as things stand as they already have nearly $70MM committed next season to 19 players which doesn’t leave them a lot of wiggle room to work with.   While a potential extension for Cam Fowler will dominate the offseason discussion, Bernier’s case will need to be addressed by then as well.

More from the Pacific:

  • Sharks coach Peter DeBoer detailed to CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz the reasoning for winger Timo Meier’s return to the AHL last month. One area in particular that they wanted the 20 year old to focus on was shot selection.  While he has done well at getting the puck through to the net (he’s averaging 2.4 shots per game), the coaches have asked him to pick and choose his spots better instead of just putting the puck on net for the sake of doing so.  Meier has played in San Jose’s last two games since being recalled but could find himself on the outside looking in once Jannik Hansen (upper body) returns to the lineup.
  • Oilers winger Patrick Maroon acknowledged to Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun that he needs to be more selective in terms of when he drops the gloves. He has long had the reputation of being a willing fighter but as his role increases with Edmonton, the team needs him on the ice more often and not in the box.  The 28 year old already leads the team in fights with nine but he also happens to be tied for the team lead in goals with 25.  Maroon also noted that his hands are starting to hurt from fighting which may force him to put a stop to that part of his game for a while.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Brandon Tanev From Manitoba

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With the Winnipeg Jets heading out to the west coast for a two game road trip that will see them take on the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, they’ve recalled Brandon Tanev from the Manitoba Moose on an emergency basis. Though Chris Thorburn returned to the lineup, he skated only 2:47 last night.

Tanev has actually played 42 games with the Jets this season, but was sent down during the Jets’ bye-week and never brought back up. The forward had four points in those games and saw his ice time reduced heavily in the dozen games before his re-assignment. The younger brother of Vancouver’s Chris Tanev, Brandon went undrafted before being signed out of Providence College last spring.

The Jets find themselves out of the playoff picture once again as they sit 10 points back of Nashville for the final spot with just nine games to play. It has been a year with tremendous highs and lows for the Winnipeg franchise, who will try to avoid injury and go into next year with an excellent young group.

Evening Notes: Tavares, Fowler, Elliott, Prospects

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TSN’s “Insider Trading” segment is always good for some tidbits of news, and the trio of Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Bob McKenzie delivered earlier today. We’ve compiled some of their more notable remarks below:

  • If the two sides can’t come to an agreement prior to the beginning of July, Dreger wouldn’t be shocked if the Islanders consider trading star John Tavares. While fans may not like to hear it, the insider believes the organization would be smart to get something for the All-Star. Of course, he notes that an extension isn’t necessarily less likely than a trade.
  • Cam Fowler has one year left on his deal, and LeBrun says the Ducks have had talks with the 25-year-old camp’s regarding an extension. With so many talented defensemen in the organization and the impending expansion draft, LeBrun says Anaheim needs to make a decision on Fowler sooner than later.
  • If prospect Colin White signs an entry-level contract and plays even one game for the Senators this season, he’ll essentially “burn” the first year of the contract. Bob McKenzie says that organization is “absolutely adamant” that they won’t compromise this flexibility, which could end up being a sticking point between the two sides. The reporter notes that the Senators would prefer to sign White to an amateur tryout agreement and have him finish the season with Binghamton in the AHL.
  • On the flip side, the Canucks are willing to “burn” the first season of Brock Boeser’s entry-level contract. Curiously, Vancouver is out of the playoff picture, so there isn’t a clear incentive to wasting the flexibility.
  • Brian Elliott would like to stick with the Flames, but LeBrun notes that the organization doesn’t want any distractions right now. The team is interested in retaining the goaltender, but they’d prefer to delay negotiations until after the season.

Recapping Today’s NHL College Free Agent Signings

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Today was a busy day for NHL GMs as three teams signed a total of four NCAA college hockey free agents.

Tim Clifton – San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks officially signed forward Tim Clifton to a two-year, two-way deal today. Clifton just finished his fourth season with Quinnipiac University, and put up 13G and 12A in 39 games. Clifton is expected to join the San Jose Barracuda—the Sharks’ AHL affiliate—to finish out the rest on the season.

Mitch Hults – Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks dipped into the college free agent market by signing Lake Superior State University forward Mitch Hults. Hults had 11G and 23A in 36 games for his school. Hults signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Ducks, and will report to the San Diego Gulls for the rest of the AHL season

Austin Ortega – Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks continued raiding the college free agent market by signing University of Nebraska-Omaha forward Austin Ortega to what looks to be an amateur try-out agreement with the San Diego Gulls. Ortega had an excellent season, scoring 20G and 27A in 38 games for his school.

Alex Kile – Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate Rochester Americans signed University of Michigan forward Alex Kile. Kile captained the Michigan Wolverines to a disappointing 13-19-3 record and scoring just 7G and 7A in 28 games.

 

Jonathan Bernier’s Success Could End Up Costing The Anaheim Ducks

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The Anaheim Ducks made a decision in the off-season to trade Frederik Andersen to the Maple Leafs and install John Gibson as the full-time starter. The young netminder had shown an extremely high ceiling in 2015-16, when he finished the year with a .920 save percentage and split the William Jennings trophy with Andersen. The Ducks were hitching their wagons to Gibson, but wanted someone a little more established behind him just in case. They decided to take back Jonathan Bernier from the Leafs, even at a substantial cap-hit so that they would have a backup capable of playing 25-30 games and helping them into the playoffs. Jonathan Bernier

Bernier was never expected to wrestle the starting job away, but when the young Gibson went down with an injury in late February he was forced into the number 1 role and has flourished ever since. With Gibson returning for one game this month only to re-aggravate his injury, the Ducks will use Bernier down the stretch to get them into the playoffs. Since Gibson went down on February 20th, Bernier has posted a .943 save percentage and is looking like a realistic choice to start the playoffs if his partner isn’t fully healed. Gibson for his part hasn’t returned to practice, though Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that he has skated on his own.

With ten games left in the Ducks’ season before another playoff appearance, some doubt may now be entering the mind of head coach Randy Carlyle on who will be his starting goaltender in the postseason. Should Gibson miss most of the remaining few weeks, it would be hard to reinsert him into the net for the first round. That is where we (finally) get to the headline and the potential for a lost asset for the Ducks.

When they took Bernier from the Maple Leafs, it was for a draft pick with conditions that seemed so unlikely to trigger that they didn’t look like they would have to send anything to Toronto at all. Those conditions are based on Bernier playing in at least 50% of the Ducks playoff games, and the team getting to the Stanley Cup Final; they’ll give up a second-round pick should they win it all, while surrendering a third-rounder if they fall in the final series. With Gibson ready to take over that seemed like a far fetched condition and one that Bernier showed little capability of fulfilling during his final season in Toronto. But now, as he looks like the goaltender everyone thought he would become in Los Angeles, it doesn’t seem as insane as it once did.

After all, he doesn’t necessarily need to get them the entire way. He could play just the first two rounds before Gibson returns, and still qualify for the condition. Sure, some may say it’s worth it if the Ducks are going to go to the Finals anyway, but that shouldn’t reduce the value of the pick being lost. Ducks fans should be hoping even more that Gibson is ready to go next month, while Maple Leafs fans are praying that their old teammate can give them one last gift before hitting free agency this summer.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Mitch Hults To Entry-Level Contract

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The Anahiem Ducks have gotten in on the college free agent frenzy, inking Mitch Hults to a two-year deal. Hults will report to the San Diego Gulls on an amateur tryout for the remainder of this season, along with Austin Ortega, another NCAA standout. The pair will help San Diego in their playoff run, as the Gulls currently sit in second place in the Pacific division.

Hults has spent the last two seasons at Lake Superior State, where he broke out this year with 34 points in 38 games. The forward led the club in points while being one of only a handful of players that ended the season with a positive +/- rating. A player who looks like a classic late bloomer, Hults never stood out in the USHL in his draft years and only started finding offensive success as a 20-year old in 2014-15 with the Madison Capitols. Cutting down on undisciplined penalties was a big step forward for Hults this year, as he started using his speed—which is excellent—and skill more and more. He’ll try to continue that growth with the Bears for the rest of this year, before being a real threat for an NHL roster spot as soon as 2017-18.

Ortega on the other hand is a classic case of being overlooked because of his size, as he stands at a generously recorded 5’8″ 170-lbs. His offensive skill has never been in question and he showed it off this year at the University of Nebraska with 47 points in 38 games. With three straight 20-goal seasons in the NCAA ranks, Ortega has been able to find a way to limit his weaknesses while preying on some less skilled opponents. That will be much harder to do at the professional level, but the 22-year old has found success at every level and shouldn’t be doubted. He’ll look to earn an AHL deal for next year, and prove down the line that he can keep up with the more physical professional game.

 

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