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Oilers Waive Gustavsson, Demote Puljujärvi

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On the heels of a tough loss in Ottawa, the Edmonton Oilers have made a few widely expected roster moves.

Backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has been placed on waivers after another poor performance that cost the Oilers a win. Fourth-overall pick Jesse Puljujärvi has been sent to Bakersfield of the AHL and winger Anton Slepyshev has been called up after a strong couple weeks with the Condors.

The Oilers coach, Todd McLellan clearly does not trust Gustavsson, as Cam Talbot is on pace to play 74 games, which would rank in the top-20 all-time for games-played by a goaltender in a single season. Gustavsson has a 1-3-1 record in seven appearances with a 0.878 SV % and a 3.10 GAA. His last two appearances have come exactly a month apart, with him allowing six goals on 31 shots in a tough 6-5 to the Flyers on December 8, and then allowing four goals on 17 shots in last night’s 5-3 loss in Ottawa.

It remains to be seen who will replace Gustavsson: the Oilers top goaltending prospect, Laurent Brossoit, has been struggling this year but has a great track record in the AHL. The Oilers could also make a claim on Curtis McElhinney, who was waived by the Blue Jackets earlier today. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggested Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth, among others, as possible replacements for Gustavsson. Halak recently cleared waivers, but Matheson suggests a deal could be made if the Islanders are willing to take back money (Mark Fayne, perhaps?). Neuvirth is a fringe starter who is a pending UFA, both positive qualities in a backup.

Meanwhile, Puljujärvi has struggled to break into the NHL, with one goal and eight points in 28 games, mostly in the bottom six. His only goal came in the season opener. It’s a curious decision by the Oilers, as Puljujärvi has been on the roster for 42 games, meaning the Oilers have burned a year of RFA eligibility to keep him on the roster in order to keep him in the NHL as a healthy scratch or playing less-than 10 minutes per night (the deadline is 40 games on the roster). He was scratched for the Oilers last two games, and played just three minutes in his last appearance. While, there’s something to be said for getting him acclimated to North America (Puljujärvi only speaks around 100 words of English), it’s not clear why Peter Chiarelli waited until just past the second important deadline to send him down. It’s akin to a team waiting until a rookie has played 10 games then sending him back to junior. The Oilers hope Puljujärvi will regain his offensive confidence by spending some time playing big minutes with the Condors.

The player replacing Puljujärvi has benefitted from a brief stint in the AHL. Slepyshev has been much improved this season; he scored one assist in 11 NHL games and 21 points in 49 AHL games in 2015-16. This season, he has two goals and four points in 15 NHL games and 10 points in nine games with the Condors. Look for him to get a chance in the Oilers top-nine to make a difference with Puljujärvi demoted and Tyler Pitlick done for the season.

Pair Of Major OHL Trades Made Ahead Of Deadline

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The Ontario Hockey League’s trade deadline comes down at noon Eastern time on Tuesday, January 10.

There have been a few notable names on the move, including a pair of Oshawa Generals: Anthony Cirelli and Mitch Vande Sompel. The Generals are known to make big trades, having previously traded John Tavares and Michael Dal Colle.

Cirelli had seven points in seven games for Team Canada at the recent World Juniors. He has 34 points in 26 game for the Generals this season. Cirelli is heading from the Generals to the Erie Otters to play with Team Canada teammates Dylan Strome and Taylor Raddyish, as well as Blackhawks’ second round pick Alex DeBrincat. Cirelli was a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Generals will acquire six draft picks (three second-round picks, a fourth-round pick, and two conditional sixth-rounders, all ranging from 2018 to 2024) and 2018 NHL Draft prospect Allan McShane for Cirelli. The Otters hope to make some noise in the OHL playoffs and hopefully win a Memorial Cup, something they weren’t able to do with Connor McDavid (who is actually still eligible to play for the Otters, despite leading the NHL in scoring).

The roving defenseman Vande Sompel is heading to the powerhouse London Knights. The Knights are the reigning Memorial Cup Champions. Vande Sompel is a third-round pick of the New York Islanders, and was signed to an NHL contract back in October. He has 37 points in 37 games this season, and has 158 points in 188 OHL games overall. The Generals acquire 2017 NHL Draft prospect defenseman Ian Blacker and a handful of draft picks, according to Jeff Marek.

Another notable name in the OHL who is thought to be available is Mitchell Stephens. Stephens, like Cirelli, is a Tampa Bay prospect who played well for Canada at the World Juniors. Stephens has 28 points in 22 games with the Saginaw Spirit, where he serves as captain. The 33rd-overall pick in the 2015 draft had five points in five games for Canada at the World Juniors.

Blue Jackets Waive McElhinney

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The top team in the NHL made a few minor roster moves on Monday morning.

Columbus backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to the Monsters. To replace him, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Anton Forsberg from the Cleveland Monsters. In addition, the Blue Jackets sent LW Markus Hannikainen back to the AHL.

McElhinney has a 2-1-2 record in seven appearances with the Blue Jackets so far this year. He has a very good 0.924 SV% and a 2.39 GAA. He’s in his fourth year with the Blue Jackets organization, in which he’s gone 26-33-8, recording a 0.909 SV% and a 2.86 GAA in a backup role. The career backup may not make it through waivers, with a few teams needing help in the blue paint. At least the Senators, Maple Leafs and Oilers will likely be taking a long look at McElhinney.

Forsberg (no relation to Peter) has a 12-6-1 record in the AHL with a 0.930 SV%. He was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jackets back in 2011. Forsberg is 1-7-0 in his NHL career with a 0.882 SV% and a 4.02 GAA.

Hannikainen has played five games for the Blue Jackets this season, with no points. He’s posted 14 points in 24 games with the Monsters of the AHL.

Brendan Gallagher To Miss Eight Weeks

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The Montreal Canadiens will be without one of their top forwards for at least the next two months.

Feisty winger Brendan Gallagher underwent surgery in Montreal last night to repair a fracture in his left hand. The Canadiens announced that Gallagher will miss a minimum of eight weeks. The injury occurred when Gallagher was hit by a Shea Weber slapshot during Wednesday night’s game in Dallas (GIF of the injury). Gallagher left the ice quickly.

It’s the same hand that Gallagher broke last year, missing 17 games after being hit by a Johnny Boychuk slapshot. Unfortunately for Gallagher, Weber can shoot the puck a little harder than Boychuk. As one Twitter user dryly observed, being hit in the hand by a Weber slapshot is “like trying to catch a meteor with a baseball mitt.”

Gallagher’s injury is a tough loss for the Canadiens, as he’s one of their better forwards. He has 18 points in 39 games so far this year, which represents a down year for him. His 37-point-pace is the lowest of his NHL career, and would be his lowest point total since his rookie year, which was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.

Gallagher’s injury is the latest in a long list of injured Canadiens. Forwards Alex Galchenyuk, Andrew Shaw, David Desharnais, and Paul Byron are all injured. On defense, the club is missing Andrei Markov and Greg Pateryn. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s five top-nine forwards and a top-four defenseman missing. Despite all the injuries, the Canadiens are in first place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division with 54 points, which is 10 points above the second-place Boston Bruins and third-place Ottawa Senators.

 

Minor Transactions: 1/6/17

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Here are the minor transactions from around the hockey world for January 6, 2017.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have called up goaltender Tristian Jarry and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Wilkes-Barrie/ Scranton Penguins. Jarry has 14 wins this season, which puts him in a four-way tie to lead the AHL. Jarry returns to the NHL club to cover for Matt Murray’s recent injury. The Penguins had their CBA-mandated bye-week, so Jarry was sent down to play games instead of getting a week off. He has yet to make his NHL debut. Ruhwedel has 15 points in 27 games with the AHL club this year, and two points in five NHL games.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Liam O’Brien from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. O’Brien has 18 points in 28 games with the Bears, and could play his first NHL game since 2014-15. He had two points in 13 games with the Capitals in his first year of professional hockey. O’Brien has 42 points in 132 AHL games in his career, and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
  • A day after clearing waivers, Anton Khudobin is on his way to the AHL as the Bruins call up Zane McIntyre in a swap of backup goaltenders. McIntyre is unbeaten in the AHL this season with a spectacular 10-0-0 record and an AHL-leading 0.951 SV% and a 1.41 GAA. He hasn’t had the same success at the NHL level, though. He’s 0-2-0 in three appearances with a 0.859 SV% and a 4.04 GAA. Meanwhile, Khudobin has struggled in his second stint in Boston, with just one win in seven games and a GAA of 3.06. He’s in the first season of a two-year contract which pays him $1.2MM per season. Khudobin will still account for $250K against the Bruins cap while he plies his trade in the AHL.
  • The Bruins have also returned energy forward Noel Acciari to the Providence Bruins. Acciari has struggled to earn regular play time in Boston since returning from injury two weeks ago.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Gustav Forsling to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Forsling was a pleasant surprise who made the Blackhawks out of training camp, but has seen his ice-time decrease throughout the season. He has four points in 32 games in the NHL this season. The Blackhawks likely wanted to stop carrying eight defensemen, as veterans Brian Campbell and Michal Rozsival were healthy scratches for last night’s game. Forsling did not need to clear waivers to be sent down, so he was the odd-man out.
  • Staying with the Blackhawks organization, Spencer Abbott was recalled by Chicago on January 3. Three days and one game later, he’s heading back to the Rockford. Abbott was held pointless in just over eight minutes of ice on Thursday night. He has 21 points in 30 AHL games in his first full year in the Blackhawks organization since being acquired at the 2015 NHL trade deadline. Abbott played last season in Sweden before returning to North America. It’s likely that Jordin Tootoo will draw back into the lineup in his place.
  • The Dallas Stars have sent Patrik Nemeth to the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 6’3, 215 lbs defenseman has played in just 16 games with the Stars this season, with no points.
  • Oilers prospect Jordan Oesterle is heading back to Bakersfield. He has yet to appear in any NHL games this season, having been recalled to serve as the seventh defenseman twice. The speedy defenseman has eight points in 14 AHL games this year after scoring five points in 17 games with the Oilers last season.

Blue Jackets’ Streak Ends One Win Shy Of NHL Record

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“It’s going to be a really good, fun moment for us to end it.”

That’s what Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky told the Washington Times when asked about facing the Blue Jackets prior to Thursday night’s game. The Blue Jackets were on the verge of tying an incredible NHL record, going for their 17th-straight win. Their last loss was a distant memory, back on November 29, 2016.

Unfortunately for Columbus, the streak ended with a thud, as Washington beat them soundly, 5-0.

Daniel Winnik, John Carlson, Nate Schmidt, Burakovsky, and Justin Williams scored for Washington, who won their fourth game in a row. Braden Holtby made 29 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

Sergei Bobrovsky, who has been a major part of the Blue Jackets’ win streak, allowed five goals on 23 shots before being pulled in the third period. Bobrovsky was 14-0-0 during the winning streak, with just 23 goals allowed and a 0.941 SV%. One of the other key facets of the Blue Jackets’ streak that failed them was their deadly power-play (15/53, or 28%). They went 0/5 versus the Capitals.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Blue Jackets recover from the end of their winning streak, which featured more wins than four teams (Arizona, Colorado, Buffalo, and the Islanders) have all season, and as many wins as three teams (Dallas, New Jersey, and Florida) have so far this season. Damien Cox of Sportsnet writes that the next challenge for coach John Tortorella is to “convince his group that the streak wasn’t a fluke but a demonstration of capability.”

The Blue Jackets play 11 games in the next 20 days before the NHL All-Star break. They’re going to have a big target on their backs, as teams try to prove that they can beat the team who went more than five weeks without a loss.

Despite the incredible run, nothing is guaranteed for Tortorella and his team. The team they were trying to catch, the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, won 17 straight but were upset in the second-round of the playoffs. As Cox wrote in his article:

The 16-game streak was nice and all, but it doesn’t change the fact that this hockey club has never won much of anything. Tortorella, an experienced, hardnosed coach, will be reminding them of that, you can bet.

The Blue Jackets are first in the NHL, but only by three points. And the next two teams, Pittsburgh and the Rangers, are both division rivals in the Metropolitan Division. Washington has 53 points, which would be tops in both Western Conference Divisions, but remains in fourth in the Metropolitan. Columbus will need to continue winning consistently if they hope to improve their franchise’s 2-8 all-time playoff record.

Avalanche Prefer To Trade Duchene Over Landeskog

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It’s often said that NHL GMs are liable to throw an anvil to a struggling NHL team instead of a life preserver.

Joe Sakic probably knows that better than anyone. The Colorado Avalanche GM is taking calls on several key players on his team, including Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, and Jarome Iginla.

TSN Insider Darren Dreger appeared on Montreal radio on Tuesday morning, and offered some insight on what he believes Sakic is thinking. Many insiders have suggested that Sakic will only make a trade if it’s clear why.

Dreger wondered if “they’re better off to just hold tight and see where they’re at on March 1 or around March 1. If they’re still a 30th-place team at that point, then I think it becomes abundantly obvious… that they’re playing for the draft.”

However, Dreger suggests that if a team offers “what [the Avalanche] might need in a collection of draft picks or young prospects, why wouldn’t you consider trading Duchene?”

The two players who have keyed in the most trade discussions are Duchene and Landeskog. Dreger mentioned that there was a potential deal involving Landeskog for a defenseman around the draft lottery in April, but that talk died down. It was widely believed that said defenseman was Jacob Trouba. Now, Dreger believes that Sakic is “more inclined” to trade Duchene instead of Landeskog, saying he doesn’t “believe that Sakic really wants to move him.”

Duchene will likely have more value than Landeskog, as a speedy first-line center who is a proven point-producer. He’s also appeared on Team Canada at the last two best-on-best tournaments. In addition, the Avalanche have 2013 first-overall-pick Nathan MacKinnon as a built-in replacement for Duchene. That’s not to say Landeskog doesn’t have characteristics (big, tough, point-producing winger) that would be popular among NHL GMs, but Duchene would definitely fetch a pretty price for the Avalanche, who clearly need to make some serious changes.

Devils Waive Reid Boucher For Second Time This Season

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Just one day after re-claiming him on waivers, the New Jersey Devils have placed Reid Boucher on waivers… again.

Boucher was a fourth round pick of the Devils in 2011. He played 82 games over three seasons in New Jersey before being claimed on waivers by the Nashville Predators in early December. Boucher only appeared in three games in the Music City (scoring one goal) before being re-claimed by the Devils..

With just three points in 12 games at the NHL level this season, Boucher has been unable to find last season’s scoring success; the 5’10, 195 lbs winger scored 19 points in 39 games with the Devils in 2015-16.

Because players claimed on waivers must remain on the NHL roster, the Devils need to place Boucher on waivers in order to send him to Albany of the AHL. He has 110 points in 169 AHL games in his career, including a solid 4-1-5 statline in five games with Nashville’s AHL club while on a conditioning stint earlier this season.

Shea Weber To Play First Game Against Predators

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“Shea meant everything to this franchise.”
– Predators GM David Poile

After 11 seasons in Smashville, Shea Weber will get take on the Predators as a visiting player for the first time

Weber played 763 games for the Predators, scoring 443 points and serving as captain for five seasons. He was unquestionably the face of the franchise for the majority of his time in Nashville, and his profound impact on the community will not soon be forgotten. In that respect, last June’s blockbuster is similar for both sides: P.K. Subban and Weber both were top pairing defensemen who donated much of their time and money to their adopted city before being traded in an actual hockey trade.

While Subban will not play for the Predators, he spoke with the media on Tuesday morning and said that he’s “seeing progress every day” on his injury, which he says is a new issue. The two superstar defensemen will face off for the first time on March 2 in Montreal, when a hopefully-healthy Subban makes his return to la belle province.

Weber’s return will be emotional for both players and fans. Pekka Rinne and Ryan Ellis both expressed respect and admiration for Weber and the way he helped welcome younger players into the NHL. Predators season-ticket holder Biff Collins also told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that Weber’s return is “kind of heartbreaking, but he’s going to get a very warm response tomorrow. You might be surprised at how much we’re going to cheer, it’s going to be awesome.”

Weber is on pace for a career-high in goals and points, as the Canadiens are tops in the Atlantic Division. The Predators are still recovering from the trade, and are two points out of the Western Conference Wildcard.

Snapshots: Tavares, D. Sedin, Erne

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The New York Islanders enjoyed a very successful 2015-16 campaign.

Seven months after winning their first playoff series since 1993, the Islanders couldn’t be further away from repeating last year’s feat. They’re fifteenth (out of 16) in the Eastern Conference and nine points out of the final wildcard spot. Nine points isn’t insurmountable, however, the Islanders are in the best division in hockey and would need a miracle to catch any of their playoff-bound division peers.

Matthew Coller of Hockey Prospectus took a look at what happened to one of the feel-good stories of last year’s playoffs (ESPN Insider link). He links their downfall to three items: allowing Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to walk in free agency, signing Andrew Ladd to replace Okposo, and the poor goaltending of Jaroslav Halak.

The team’s leader and superstar John Tavares has struggled by his standards this season, with 27 points in 36 games. Coller suggests that could be because the loss of his longtime winger in Okposo. Anders Lee and Josh Bailey have been Tavares’ most common linemates this season, and while they’re both undoubtedly quality NHLers, neither are at the level of Okposo. Ladd has not been good as a replacement for Okposo’s offence (at similar salaries), and GM Garth Snow was unable to replace Nielsen, who was one of the most valuable players in their lineup.

That leads to Coller’s most important point about the Islanders future: getting an answer from Tavares. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the summer of 2018, and is the key to the entire franchise. Should he be willing to sign long-term, then Snow “can start moving assets to acquire win-now players around Tavares.”

However, should Tavares express concern over the direction of the team and want to test free agency as a franchise center in his prime, then Coller believes the Islanders should trade him sooner rather than later. It’s hard to imagine the kind of haul that Snow could acquire for a player of Tavares calibre. A rebuild would be greatly boosted by the assets acquired for Tavares, which could include several big-time prospects who are close to contributing at the NHL level and high draft picks. Consider Tavares’ trade at the OHL level as a possible template, where the Oshawa received three players and six draft picks for the star forward.

Ultimately, the future of the Islanders comes down to whether or not Tavares wants to stay long-term and right the ship. If he stays, then the club will try to make moves to become a Stanley Cup contender; if he wants to move on, then it will be a full-on rebuild for the Islanders.

  • On Monday night, Vancouver Canucks left winger Daniel Sedin got his 600th career assist on a goal by Sven Baertschi. Sedin currently sits in sixth for assists among active players; the top five are Jaromir Jagr, Joe Thornton, Henrik Sedin, Jarome Iginla, and Sidney Crosby. Marian Hossa is three assists behind Daniel. Sedin’s 600 assists are good for 83rd all-time. He’s one point behind Hockey Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson and two behind Kirk Muller. Crosby is 77th all time, 16 points ahead of D. Sedin.
  • With the injuries piling up in Tampa Bay, three players have made their NHL debuts so far this season. Now, a fourth as Adam Erne will be suiting up for his first NHL game. Erne was the 33rd overall pick in 2013 and has 18 points in 31 games at the AHL level this year. Brian Boyle is out with a lower-body injury, and head coach Jon Cooper wasn’t optimistic about a possible return this week, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. However, injury-plagued Ryan Callahan is listed as probable for Tuesday night’s game against the Jets. Callahan told Smith that he’s ready to play his game after being out since November with a lower-body injury.

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