Winnipeg Jets Recall Brandon Tanev From Manitoba
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
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
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
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. 
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
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.
Snapshots: Matthias, Western Playoff Race, Jagr
The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Shawn Matthias for the remainder of the season, the team announced Saturday.
The first sign of trouble was on Wednesday, when Matthias missed practice. He was held out of the Jets’ last game with an upper-body injury. Matthias has eight goals and 12 points in 45 games this season, his first in Winnipeg after signing a two-year, $4.25MM contract in free agency. He split last season between Toronto and Colorado.
Detroit’s second round pick in 2006 has played 524 NHL games, scoring 171 points with Florida, Vancouver, Toronto, Colorado, and Winnipeg.
- With just 11 or 12 games remaining, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the schedules for the Western Conference teams involved in a tight playoff race. Anaheim, Calgary, and Edmonton are within two points of each other, and will likely finish two-through-four in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have a game in hand on both teams, and play the Canucks tonight. Spector gives Edmonton the advantage in home games, strength of opponent, and ease of the final week of the season. Calgary gets the nod for having back-to-backs and getting tired opponents. Anaheim’s biggest advantage comes during a home-and-home series with the Flames in early April; Calgary hasn’t won in Anaheim since January 2004. The next team in the Pacific, Los Angeles, is four points behind St. Louis for the second wildcard spot. At eight points back, they have a slim chance at catching the next three teams, but do get Edmonton and Calgary three times each.
- With two assists last night, NHL legend and Panthers winger Jaromir Jagr passed Gordie Howe for most points scored by a player in his 40s, with 269. The 45-year-old told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel that he’s “going to pass [Howe] for most points after 50.” For the record, Howe had 41 points in 1979-80 a 51-year-old in his return to the NHL after six years in the WHA.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Miro Aaltonen To ELC
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dipped their toes back into the KHL market, signing 23-year old forward Miro Aaltonen to an entry-level contract. A former sixth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, he became a free agent when his season ended in Russia. As is usual with the Maple Leafs, no details on the contract have been revealed at this point.
Aaltonen has played professional hockey in his home country of Finland for several years, including lining up with Jesse Puljujarvi and Sebastian Aho for Karpat last season. Though he was much older than that pair, he kept up with them offensively and has broken out even further this year in the KHL. Scoring 19 goals and 44 points in 59 games this season for Chekhov Vityaz, Aaltonen ranked third on the team in scoring and first among 24-or-under players in the entire league.
Blessed with unbelievable skill, Aaltonen has always been undersized and without elite top end speed was thought of as somewhat of a project. Now as he’s started to fill out and increased his skating ability, he may well translate his success to the North American game. His play down-low is excellent for his size, protecting the puck and shaking defenders behind the net. While he may be headed for the AHL to begin his career for the Maple Leafs organization, it’s not out of the question for him to move through the system quickly and make his NHL debut next year.
While success in Finland and Russia does not guarantee success here, the Maple Leafs have found success bringing players over as recently as this season. Nikita Zaitsev, had played in the KHL for years before making it across the pond this season. He’s now playing top-pairing minutes as a rookie for the Maple Leafs, and though there has been bumps in the road has established himself as an NHL force. They’ll try to find the same success with Aaltonen, who will likely join the Marlies for their AHL playoff run this year.
Snapshots: Outdoor Game, Fedun, Bonuses
After a report yesterday that the 2018 Winter Classic would be played at Citi Field in New York, there is some more news about outdoor games next season. Tomorrow, according to a report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the NHL will announce a game between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens that will take place at TD Place, the home of the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks. The stadium, which sits in Lansdowne Park right along the Rideau Canal, will host the CFL’s Grey Cup just a few weeks prior and will have expanded seating still installed.
This would be the Senators first time hosting an outdoor game, and just their second appearance in one. In 2014, they were part of the Heritage Classic in Vancouver (where the Sens won 4-2) but will obviously welcome a chance to host their own. Honoring the first NHL game played in Ottawa on December 19th, 1917—when the original Ottawa Senators were in existence—the game is expected to be played around the same date. It will be Montreal’s fourth appearance as a visitor in an outdoor game, though they’ve never hosted one themselves.
- As rumored yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have brought up Taylor Fedun from the AHL today prior to their game in Los Angeles. The team is in the middle of a four-game rad trip, and will not have Justin Falk in the lineup tonight or tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks. Fedun has 25 games with the NHL club this season, recording seven points. A prolific point producer at the AHL level, Fedun has just 37 games under his belt in the NHL and has never been able to find a consistent role.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have used their cap space over the past two years as something of an asset, acquiring bad contracts and burying them in the minors in order to get better returns on transactions. Brooks Laich, Milan Michalek and Colin Greening were all examples of this, and they now find themselves right up against the cap. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes, that may end up costing them at least a few million next season as the bonuses for their young players will be taken as a penalty. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev will all likely max out their Schedule A bonuses this season, and Matthew may trigger a $2MM Schedule B if he finishes in the top 10 for goals. If they decide to be big players in free agency, that Matthews bonus could be a big factor.
Snapshots: College FA, Fasching, Hamilton
After releasing our (partial) list of prominent NCAA free agents yesterday, Bob McKenzie of TSN has released his own today. While we looked at just the defensemen, McKenzie covers all the top prizes including Zach Aston-Reese and Gavin Bayreuther, both of whom are expected to sign within the next 48 hours. McKenzie lists Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles and Detroit among the suitors for Aston-Reese, who we learned was being pursued by as many as fifteen teams last week. McKenzie connects Buffalo, Dallas, New Jersey and Colorado to Bayreuther, a offensive defenseman who still lacks consistency in his own end.
McKenzie told us earlier today that Daniel Brickley would be heading back to Minnesota State next season, meaning that Bayreuther and the other top defensemen might be in even more demand. The insider has a ton of great information on the immediate future for several drafted prospects playing in college, like Adam Gaudette (Vancouver) and Luke Kunin (Minnesota). As teams continue to get eliminated from tournament contention, decisions will come quickly on their players. NHL clubs want to get them into their systems as soon as possible to help at the professional level.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Hudson Fasching from the AHL for the latest chapter in a very tumultuous season thus far. Fasching, a NCAA standout of his own last season, has played just six games with the Sabres this season. Still looking for his first point of the year in the NHL, Fasching has battled a groin injury all season. It has kept him out for months at a time, as he has just 31 combined games under his belt this season. The powerful winger out of the University of Minnesota made his NHL debut last spring after signing, and was expected to contribute more this year to a young Sabres squad. Hopefully now he’ll get into the swing of the NHL, and after another lost season from the Sabres lock down a role next fall.
- It was a crazy first half of the season for Dougie Hamilton, as trade rumors swirled despite being repeatedly shot down by the Calgary Flames front office. As Eric Francis of Sportsnet writes, with that behind him Hamilton has turned into the elite defenseman the Flames had hoped for when they acquired him from the Bruins. The Flames have won nine straight games, and a big part of that should be placed at the feet of the 6’6″ defender. Still just 23-years old, Hamilton set a new career high this weekend in points and looks like he could challenge one day for a Norris trophy. Calgary has their sights set on the Anaheim and second place in the Pacific Division, as with a win tonight against Pittsburgh they could overtake the Ducks with just 13 games to go.
Evening Snapshots: Spooner, Gibson, Enroth
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Boston Bruins announced that forward Ryan Spooner will not play tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks. Spooner suffered a concussion last Monday in a tilt with the Ottawa Senators. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy stated that Spooner is progressing well through the concussion protocol. Spooner has 11G and 23A in 65 games for the Bruins, and the Bruins hope to get his offense back as soon as possible. The team holds down the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division by only two points, and a bad stretch could have the Bruins on the outside looking in.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that goaltender John Gibson will not play tonight against the Washington Capitals. Gibson is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Gibson missed time with a lower body injury before returning on Friday against the St. Louis Blues, but heappears to have aggravated something and will take more time off. So far this season Gibson has earned a .921 SV% and a 2.28 GAA in 49 games. Expect back up goaltender Jonathan Bernier to make the start tonight.
- To deal with Gibson’s injury, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Jhonas Enroth from the San Diego Gulls, the team announced this evening. Enroth was sent down on March 10th to make room for Gibson, but Gibson’s injury necessitated that Enroth return and back up goaltender Jonathan Bernier. With only 13 games remaining after tonight’s match, the Ducks are comfortably in a playoff spot, but are on the brink of becoming a wild card team and playing a much tougher opponent.