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Arizona Coyotes Release Barrett Hayton For WJC

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Team Canada received a huge boost when it was recently announced that Joe Veleno would be loaned from the Grand Rapids Griffins for the World Junior tournament, and now they’re getting an even more experienced name. Barrett Hayton of the Arizona Coyotes will be allowed to attend the event as well. Hayton has played in 14 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring four points.

Not only has Hayton already played a number of games in the NHL, but he was also part of the Canadian contingent at the U20 World Juniors last year and scored four points in five games. There’s a good chance that he opens this year as the team’s top center, though Veleno, Dylan Cozens and Ty Dellandrea are also great choices down the middle.

Selected fifth overall in 2018 despite scoring just 60 points in 63 games during his draft year, Hayton has developed into one of the top prospects in the league and a huge part of the Coyotes future. His opportunity with the NHL club this season has been limited, but he’ll get a chance to dominate his age group once again when the tournament kicks off later this month.

Jason Demers Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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The Arizona Coyotes will be without an important defensemen for the next while, as they announced Jason Demers will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury. Craig Morgan of The Athletic tweets that the injury was sustained during the Coyotes’ game against the Chicago Blackhawks and could need a minor procedure.

Demers, 31, also missed a huge chunk of last season with a knee injury, making this news concerning to Coyotes fans hoping to compete this year. The team is already without Niklas Hjalmarsson but still find themselves in second place in the Pacific Division with the second-best goal differential in the Western Conference. Demers’ absence will perhaps be felt most on the penalty kill where he averages more ice time than any other Arizona player. His 18:31 every night at even-strength puts him firmly in the top-four, a position the team will have to find a way to fill for the time being.

Minor Transactions: 12/09/19

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A new week begins in the NHL with four games on the schedule, including the NHL’s two hottest teams. The Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche are both on six-game winning streaks and will welcome in the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames respectively. As teams prepare for that action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Cory Conacher again, but this time he’s coming with another teammate. Mitchell Stephens has been recalled as well and could make his NHL debut tonight after taking part in the morning skate. Tyler Johnson was absent according to Joe Smith of The Athletic, leaving an opening for the young forward.
  • Marcus Hogberg is back for the Ottawa Senators, while Craig Anderson is heading back to the injured reserve list. Anderson suffered a lower-body injury over the weekend when taking on the Philadelphia Flyers, meaning Anders Nilsson will take over the starting duties once again in Ottawa.
  • Jordan Kyrou has recovered fully and is on his way back to the St. Louis Blues. He and Austin Poganski have both been recalled by the club, giving them a little more forward depth while they continue to deal with major injuries.
  • Michael Dipietro has been returned to the minor leagues by the Vancouver Canucks, meaning Jacob Markstrom is back with the team. Markstrom had been granted a leave of absence to attend the memorial service of his late father.
  • The Avalanche are dealing with a few minor injuries, leading to the recall of goaltender Adam Werner from the AHL. Philipp Grubauer has been listed as day-to-day, but with Colorado taking on the Flames tonight they needed someone to backup Pavel Francouz.
  • Caleb Jones is getting another chance at the NHL level, recalled by the Edmonton Oilers today. The team has sent Joel Persson to the AHL in his place. Jones, 22, has played in nine games for the Oilers this season.
  • Nico Sturm has been returned to the minor leagues by the Minnesota Wild, after being recalled just a few days ago. Sturm is still waiting to make his NHL debut after signing with the team in the summer.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Valentin Zykov from AHL Chicago.  Cody Eakin and Cody Glass are dealing with injuries so even with Zykov up, Vegas is only carrying 12 healthy forwards on their active roster.
  • Robbie Russo is getting his first look of the season as the Arizona Coyotes announced that they’ve recalled the defenseman.  He last saw NHL action with Detroit back in 2016-17 when he played in 19 games with Detroit.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Galchenyuk, Penguins

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While New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero has stated that he won’t pigeonhole teams into one specific type of return for superstar winger Taylor Hall, it’s safe to say that the eventual trade won’t be a one-for-one deal like the infamous trade that sent Hall to New Jersey in the first place. In fact, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the belief around the league is that it will take at least four pieces to acquire Hall. That could be current NHL players, contracted prospects, prospect signing rights, or draft picks, but one way or another it seems that the Devils are seeking a large return not just in quality but in quantity for their best player. Of course, Johnston also adds that conversations thus far have mostly been one-sided, with Shero encouraging teams to make offers, but not yet diving in with any one suitor. That has not stopped rampant speculation though that the Colorado Avalanche are the heavy favorites to land Hall, given their contender status, ample cap space, and depth in picks and prospects. Not only does Johnston echo this sentiment, but he states that there is some belief that the Avs intend to try to land Hall prior to the league’s holiday trade freeze in late December. Other teams rumored to be in the mix include the Arizona Coyotes, New York Islanders, and a possible return to the Edmonton Oilers. But in all likelihood, the only team without some interest in having the Hart Trophy winner on their roster after the trade deadline is New Jersey.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that another name that has hit the rumor mill is Pittsburgh Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk. Galchenyuk has been a poor fit in Pittsburgh since coming over in the Phil Kessel trade this summer, an idea all but confirmed by GM Jim Rutherford in recent comments about the team being unsure of his place in a healthy lineup. The impending UFA is being shopped and Friedman states that at least one team confirmed to be interested is the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have been on the hunt for forward help all season and it makes sense that they could be intrigued by buying low on Galchenyuk. However, Buffalo is currently outside the playoff picture, tied for tenth in the Eastern Conference. If they were to acquire Galchenyuk, it would likely be a scenario that required an extension agreement. This could complicate the process and could lead the Penguins to consider other teams looking for a pure rental and able to make the deal sooner rather than later.
  • Of course, the question would then become what the Penguins do next. Rutherford is not the type to squander excess cap space and would look to use Galchenyuk’s $4.9MM absence to his advantage. While the Penguins are currently short-handed on the blue line without the injured Brian Dumoulin, it is doubtful that they would have any interest in taking back a long-term defenseman. Instead, the Penguins could seek a rental defenseman (Buffalo’s Marco Scandella or Zach Bogosian perhaps?) or could try to add a forward who can replace the production that they expected from Galchenyuk this season. If the Penguins opt to replace Galchenyuk in a separate deal, the Rangers’ Chris Kreider and Senators’ Vladislav Namestnikov are players with similar cap hits and production profiles to Galchenyuk who will be available.

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.

 

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Thirtieth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now.  Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)
9th Overall: Wayne Simmonds, San Jose Sharks (61)
10th Overall: Kevin Shattenkirk, Florida Panthers (14)
11th Overall: Jake Muzzin, Carolina Hurricanes (141)
12th Overall: Kyle Turris, Montreal Canadiens (3)
13th Overall: David Perron, St. Louis Blues (26)
14th Overall: Mikael Backlund, Colorado Avalanche (24)
15th Overall: Evgenii Dadonov, Edmonton Oilers (71)
16th Overall: Alec Martinez, Minnesota Wild (95)
17th Overall: Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers (168)
18th Overall: Lars Eller, St. Louis Blues (13)
19th Overall: Alex Killorn, Anaheim Ducks (77)
20th Overall: Nick Bonino, Pittsburgh Penguins (173)
21st Overall: Pat Maroon, Edmonton Oilers (161)
22nd Overall: Paul Byron, Montreal Canadiens (179)
23rd Overall: Sam Gagner, Nashville Predators (6)
24th Overall: Justin Braun, Calgary Flames (201)
25th Overall: Ian Cole, Vancouver Canucks (18)
26th Overall: Brandon Sutter, St. Louis Blues (11)
27th Overall: Karl Alzner, Detroit Red Wings (5)
28th Overall: Carl Gunnarsson, San Jose Sharks (194)
29th Overall: Riley Nash, Ottawa Senators (21)

While Nash has largely been a role player throughout his career, it was still enough to keep him in the first round as he slips from 21st to 29th.

Although he hasn’t been a point producer in the pros, he was at the lower levels.  A strong showing in the BCHL is what got him selected in the first round while he averaged a point per game in 102 contests with Cornell which is certainly solid.

However, Nash never spent a minute with the Oilers (who drafted him) or any of their affiliates.  Instead, they flipped him to Carolina in 2010 for a second-round pick (used on Martin Marincin who has been a fringe defender for most of his career).  They turned him pro right away but it took until 2013-14 for him to make the Hurricanes on a full-time basis.  He spent three seasons with them as a regular and didn’t surpass the 25-point mark.

Things started to look up when he joined Boston in free agency in 2016.  He had a clearly defined role and in his second season, his production took off as he produced career highs across the board with 15 goals and 26 assists.  It had taken a while, but now Nash looked to have established himself as a capable two-way center.

That’s what Columbus was banking on when they signed him to a three-year, $8.25MM deal that beat the combined value of all of his previous contracts.  Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, that hasn’t happened.  Instead, Nash has a combined four goals in 101 games with them while averaging less than 11 minutes per night on the fourth line.  He’s still playing a role but not the one that they initially envisioned.

We now turn our focus to the final pick of the first round in this draft class which was held by the then-called Phoenix Coyotes.  This pick was originally held by Edmonton but they moved up to take Nash nine spots earlier.  They took defenseman Nick Ross with this pick and after not getting an NHL opportunity during his entry-level deal, he was non-tendered and hasn’t played in North America since then.  He has bounced around between Austrian and Slovakian leagues in recent years and is averaging nearly a point per game with DVTK Jegesmedvek, a Hungarian team in the Slovak league this season.

Suffice it to say, while the depth of this draft class wasn’t particularly strong, the Coyotes will wind up with a better selection here than their initial choice.  With the 30th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should they select? Cast your vote below.

(Mobile users, click here to vote.)

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.

Latest On Taylor Hall’s Trade Market

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While the Colorado Avalanche are usually the first name mentioned when it comes to a potential Taylor Hall trade (and for good reason), there’s another Western Conference team trying to acquire the pending free agent. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Arizona Coyotes are “definitely interested” in the New Jersey Devils star forward and are “not concerned” about the potential high asking price.

That asking price may be flexible however, as in the same segment Bob McKenzie explained that the Devils aren’t necessarily looking for the first-round pick, top prospect and young roster player package that is usually discussed when talking about high-end rentals. Instead, they “haven’t set any parameters” and will just ask for the best offer from any interested teams, regardless of what exactly that includes.

Being open to anything like that will certainly perk up the ears of general managers around the league that might not necessarily have the same prospect capital as teams like the Avalanche, who are still one of the most logical destinations for Hall because of their current situation. If the Devils are willing to take some salary back in a trade it could basically make any contender an option, as there aren’t many teams that wouldn’t improve by adding Hall.

That said, McKenzie expressed some uncertainty over when this move would even happen. That’s the same implication that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave when he wrote earlier this week that though the Hall talks have intensified it “doesn’t mean it’s going to happen at this time.” Even if it does look more and more like Hall will be moved, there’s no clear playbook to use here. The Devils can’t miss on whatever package they get for him, given the struggles they’ve had this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

PHR Originals: 11/25/19 – 12/01/19

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In an otherwise quiet week for news and action, with three different days of three games or less, PHR’s writers stayed busy with some original articles:

Brian La Rose began our annual holiday series “What Your Team Is Thankful For”. Going alphabetically, he took a look at Anaheim, Arizona, and Boston. The league leading Bruins obviously have plenty to be thankful for, but so too do the Coyotes, who currently hold a top-ten record in the NHL. There’s room for improvement in Arizona, but the team has to be happy with how the season has gone thus far. Anaheim however has a hefty wish list this holiday season, needing more out of their young forward corps and a difference-maker on defense. Stay tuned for more write-ups from Brian on the other 28 teams as we march toward 2020.

Sticking with the holiday theme, I outlined the recent trend of the standings at American Thanksgiving being a strong playoff predictor and asked who could be the outlier teams that qualify for the postseason this year after missing the mark on Turkey Day. The readers responded very favorably toward one team in each conference – the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights. If only those two teams turn things around this season, then the current standings already reflect 14 of 16 playoff teams.

Gavin also offered a poll to the readers, asking who might be the early favorite for the Hart Trophy this season as NHL MVP. Gavin detailed the accomplishments to this point in the year of a number of the game’s biggest names, but voters gravitated toward two forwards on ungodly scoring paces. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid already has almost 50 points and is currently on pace for 144 points, while Boston’s David Pastrnak has 24 goals in 26 games and looks poised to score 75+ goals at this rate. However, do the presences of Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand also among the league’s top scorers hurt their teammates’ Hart cases? Could the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and John Carlson swoop in as more “valuable” candidates?

In my bi-weekly piece, I took a look at the happenings in college hockey of late. As Hockey East teams continue to underwhelm this year, especially Boston University, other northeast schools have filled the top-ten void in Cornell, Clarkson, and Harvard. Meanwhile, Minnesota may not be a top contender in the Big Ten this year, but added another talented recruit to an impressive incoming class. And college hockey will continue in Alaska, at least for now.

Finally, Gavin hosted his weekly chat, with topics ranging from coaches on the hot seat, the sustainability of upstart teams, and franchise building blocks. The Red Wings, Predators, and Senators received some special attention in yet another great segment.

For all of the original work from PHR’s writers, be sure to keep up with all of the action each and every day!

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.

Red Wings Acquire Eric Comrie

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With Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta entrenched as the one-two punch in Arizona, it was only a matter of time before goalie Eric Comrie was on the move again.  That trade has now occurred with the Coyotes announcing that they’ve dealt him to the Red Wings in exchange for defenseman Vili Saarijarvi.

Comrie joined Arizona via waiver claim at the beginning of the season with Raanta unavailable to play.  However, he didn’t dress for them upon his return so he hasn’t played at all in 2019-20 with the exception of a four-game conditioning stint with AHL Tucson where he posted a 2.75 GAA and a .900 SV% in that stretch.  The 24-year-old has a total of five NHL games under his belt from his time with Winnipeg (who drafted him in the second round back in 2013), collecting a 4.21 GAA with a .870 SV%.  He’s in the first season of a two-year deal that carries a $700K cap hit.  It’s a two-way contract this season and converts to a one-way pact for 2020-21.

Comrie will find himself serving a similar role with Detroit.  Jimmy Howard was placed on injured reserve yesterday while Jonathan Bernier was forced to play part of a game despite being quite sick earlier in the week.  With Bernier now healthy, Calvin Pickard will likely return to AHL Grand Rapids and Comrie will serve as the backup until Howard returns at which point he’ll be a third-string option once again.

As for Saarijarvi, he was a 2015 third-round pick of Detroit.  He was an offensive threat at the major junior level with stints in Flint and Mississauga of the OHL but that hasn’t translated to much success in the pros yet.  He has played in 13 AHL games with the Griffins this season, recording just a single assist.  The 22-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level deal and carries a cap hit that’s just under $698K.

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