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Snapshots: Duchene, Trouba, Waiver Activity

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba made his presence felt in his first game of the season. It wasn’t on the scoresheet, however. Just ask Matt Duchene.

Trouba caught Duchene with a high hit to the head, causing the speedy Avalanche center to leave the game. Adrian Dater reported that the NHL’s concussion spotters may have pulled Duchene from the game. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said post-game that he has no update on his star’s condition.

The two players have been linked before, with some speculation the Avalanche offered Duchene up in a trade for Trouba. With Trouba signing a two-year contract with the Jets before withdrawing his trade request and Duchene leading the Avalanche in scoring, it seems unlikely that anything will come to fruition soon.

  • The Florida Panthers have claimed forward Seth Griffith on waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Chris Johnston. The Leafs had previously claimed Griffith on waivers from the Bruins just last month, but he was held off the scoresheet in just three games in blue and white. The Leafs needed to make a move with Matt Hunwick returning from IR and Josh Leivo coming back from a conditioning stint. As Johnston points out, the young forward will have a much better chance to make an impact in Florida, where the Panthers are dealing with a handful of injuries. Griffith won’t have to wait long to face his former team; the Panthers are in Toronto this Thursday.
  • Defenseman Nicklas Grossmann is on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutually terminating his contract with the Calgary Flames. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests Grossmann may have an offer to play overseas. He’s been in and out of the Flames lineup after a successful PTO. Shortly after the signing, Christian Roatis of Flames Nation broke down why the Flames signed the aging defenseman to a one-year, league-minimum contract: to boost their LTIR savings on the injured Ladislav Smid.
  • Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jakub Nakladal cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The Hurricanes have called up Matt Tennyson to take his place on the roster. Nakladal is -4 in three games this season; Tennyson has 7 points in 9 AHL games so far.  Also clearing waivers was Florida’s Shane Harper who was assigned to Springfield of the AHL.  Harper has two goals and an assist in 14 games with the Panthers this season.

Notable NHL Players Who Made Comebacks

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In light of Eric Lindros’ comments yesterday about former Philadelphia Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren suggesting he attempt a comeback to the NHL in 2012, five seasons after retiring, let’s take a look at few notable NHLers who did come back after some time away:

Richard Zednik and Clint Malarchuk – Zednik and Malarchuk survived two of the scariest on-ice incidents in NHL history. In 1989, Malarchuk, then a Sabres goaltender, had his cartoid artery sliced by a skate. His life was saved by the trainer Jim Pizzutelli, who was a former US Army Medic who served in the Vietnam War. Nineteen years later, Zednik had his exterior cartoid artery sliced by the skate of Olli Jokinen. Both men survived and ultimately returned to the NHL the next season, though neither man played much longer.

Gary Roberts – After playing parts of 10 seasons with the Calgary Flames, Roberts was forced to retire at age 30 because of nerve issues in his neck. However, he began working with a chiropractor on a new form of physiotherapy and was able to return to the NHL after missing the 1996-97 season. The Flames traded his rights to Carolina, where the travel would be better than in the Western Conference, and he played 11 more seasons with a handful of teams before retiring in 2009. He founded the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre and Fitness Institute in Ontario, where he trains several high-end athletes including Steven Stamkos and Connor McDavid.

Saku Koivu – The longest-tenured captain in Montreal Canadiens history made an unforgettable comeback in the 2001-02 season. In September of 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He missed nearly the entire season, but made a triumphant return in the Canadiens’ third last game of the season. He was welcomed back with an eight-minute standing ovation by fans, and had two assists in three games as the Canadiens clinched a playoff spot. They went on to beat the first-seeded Boston Bruins in six games before losing to the upstart Carolina Hurricanes, who were on their way to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Koivu won the Masterton Trophy that season for dedication to hockey.

Mario Lemieux – Lemieux retired after the 1996-97 season. While he was still dominating the NHL, scoring 50 goals and 122 points in 76 games that season, he stepped away from the game at age 31. He was just a few years removed from his battle with Hodgkin’s Disease, a form of cancer. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived the mandatory three-year waiting period and immediately inducted Lemieux. He was part of a team that bought the Penguins to keep them in Pittsburgh in September 2000. Four months later, the team announced that he would be returning to the lineup. In his second NHL debut, Lemieux had an assist on his first shift and ended up with a goal and two assists versus the Maple Leafs. Lemieux went on to captain Team Canada to gold at the 2002 Olympics and 2004 World Cup. He scored 229 points in 170 NHL games over the next five seasons, including a 91-point performance in 2002-03, before an irregular heartbeat sidelined him once more.

Canadiens To Scratch David Desharnais

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The Canadiens may have won two in a row since their 10-0 blowout loss, but they’re still making lineup changes.

Coach Michel Therrien confirmed that center David Desharnais will be among the scratches for Thursday night’s game versus the Los Angeles Kings. Greg Pateryn will also be up in the press box while Sven Andrighetto and Joel Hanley draw in.

While the other three men have all missed time as healthy scratches, this is the first time Desharnais has found himself healthy scratched in a while. He’s in the final year of a four-year, $14MM contract. The 5’7, 171 lbs center has bounced around the lineup since the Canadiens moved Alex Galchenyuk to center last season.

The 30-year-old Desharnais has just four points in 13 games so far this season. His point totals have been up and down since coming into the NHL, scoring 22, 60, 28, 52, 48, and 29 points.

Ennis Undergoes Groin Surgery

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Buffalo Sabres forward Tyler Ennis is expected to miss “several weeks” after undergoing surgery on his groin.

He missed last game with what was described as a mid-body injury. The diminutive forward was pointless in his previous seven games, and has just one goal and one assist in 12 games this season. Ennis is coming off an injury-plagued 2015-16 season, where he only appeared in 23 games due to a pair of concussions. John Vogl speculated Ennis could miss 2-3 weeks.

The Sabres have been cursed with injuries so far this season; Ennis is just the latest in a long list including Jack Eichel, Zach Bogosian, and Ryan O’Reilly.

Buffalo currently sits in a tie with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs for last place in the Atlantic Division, both with 5-5-3 records. Their goaltending duo of Robin Lehner and Anders Nilsson have had success numbers-wise, but the wins haven’t come as often as they’d like. The missing forwards are obviously playing a role in their struggles, though we reported earlier today that Sabres defense has yet to score a goal this season.

Snapshots: Larsson, Sabres, Minor Moves

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It was one of the most controversial moves of the summer, but so far the Adam Larsson–Taylor Hall trade isn’t looking as bad as many in Edmonton expected, writes David Staples of the Edmonton Journal.

Staples notes Devils GM Ray Shero is one of the strongest proponents of the trade, and why wouldn’t he be? His Devils are in a playoff spot and Hall is tied for the Devils scoring lead. But he also believes the Oilers got what they needed, according to Kevin Allen of USA Today.

“The Oilers have taken a lot of grief over this, but has anybody sat down and watched Larsson? He’s actually pretty good.”

Shero pointed to Edmonton’s desperate need for a good, young defenseman to go with their young offensive forwards, while the Devils desperately needed an offensive catalyst like Hall.

“You have to make a team, and that is challenging in a salary cap world… They are off to a great start this season. That says something.”

Staples take on the trade is that he likes Larsson’s game, but doesn’t love it yet. He’s had the occasional struggle, but he’s also playing incredibly tough minutes with a skilled but inexperienced parter in Oscar Klefbom. Staples gives the trade a passing grade, with the note that Hall is clearly the better player but the Oilers got what they needed.

  • Meanwhile, only one defense core in the NHL has yet to score a goal this season. Despite having weapons like Rasmus Ristolainen and Cody Franson, none of the Buffalo Sabres defensemen have scored. They have contributed 14 assists, however eight of those belong to Ristolainen. Franson told Bill Hoppe that he couldn’t “care less if I scored one goal in a season,” saying he prefers to get assists. Coach Dan Bylsma isn’t concerned with the lack of production, but would like his defensemen to be more aggressive.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled LW Markus Hannikainen from the Cleveland Monsters. The undrafted Hannikainen has seven points in 11 games for the Monsters so far.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled LW Roman Lyubimov from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He was sent down to the AHL on Wednesday; Sam Carchidi reported it was simply a paper transaction made for salary cap reasons. Lyubimov has one goal in 11 NHL games so far this season. Carchidi also noted that it appears Chris Vande Velde will be a healthy scratch, despite scoring twice in the last four games.
  • Rookie center Noel Acciari did not take part in Boston Bruins practice on Thursday morning, according to Joe Haggerty. He hasn’t skated since suffering a lower-body injury on Monday night versus the Sabres.

U20 Notes: McDavid, Laine, Matthews

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“I think he’s the best 19-year-old hockey player I’ve ever seen.”

Wayne Gretzky had some high praise for Connor McDavid on Tuesday night. In an appearance on the NHL Network (transcribed by Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot), Gretzky called McDavid the “catalyst” of the Oilers. Edmonton is off to a 9-4-1 start, tied with Chicago for tops in the Western Conference, and McDavid is a major part of that. He is tied for second in the NHL with 17 points.

Tuesday night marked the first time McDavid, the future face of the NHL, took on Sidney Crosby, the current face of the NHL. The Oilers captain posted three assists while Crosby was held pointless for the first time this season. McDavid won the battle, but his team lost the war on a Benoit Pouliot own-goal with less than two minutes remaining.

Despite his high praise for McDavid, Gretzky still believes Crosby is the best player in the NHL, until “somebody knocks him off that mantle.”

McDavid leads the way for several highly-skilled young players like the top two selections from last June’s draft: Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Laine is leading the NHL with 11 goals in 14 games; he already has two hat-tricks in his young career, earning him the nickname “Hat-trick Laine”.

ESPN’s Joe McDonald relayed a story from the World Cup, where Laine represented the Finns. During a team practice, Laine ripped a shot past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. Rask admitted he never even saw the puck go past him. Laine’s 11 goals in 14 games ties former Winnipeg Jets sniper Teemu Selanne’s record for goals in his first 14 NHL games. While Laine may not reach Selanne’s mark of 76 goals this season, he will certainly be among the NHL rookie leaders.

In Toronto, Matthews set an NHL record with a four goal outburst in his debut, but has slowed down slightly since then. He has six goals and 11 points in 13 games on a rebuilding Maple Leafs squad.

On the NHL Network, Gretzky complimented a few young players, including McDavid and Matthews for accepting “a responsibility of being that person for their city.”

Still in their prime, Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are two of the best player in the NHL. With McDavid, Matthews, and Laine now in the picture, the future appears to be in very skilled hands.

Snapshots: Scandella, Benson, Sabres

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The Minnesota Wild will be without defenseman Marco Scandella for the foreseeable future. Scandella suffered a high ankle sprain in his right ankle back on October 27 versus the Buffalo Sabres, according to a team release.

Scandella had previously been listed as week-to-week, before the Wild placed him on Long Term Injured Reserve. According to Cap Friendly, his entire $4MM cap hit is now available for the Wild to use until he returns. While Minnesota hasn’t given an indication other than week-to-week and now LTIR, generally high ankle sprains take 4-6 weeks at minimum to recover from. The Wild have recalled defenseman Mike Reilly from Iowa to take his place, as well as forwards Christoph Bertschy and Zack Mitchell.

  • The WHL All-Stars and Russian Juniors are even at one game apiece in the CIBC Canada Russia Series. One of the WHL’s best players in their game two win was Vancouver Giants left winger Tyler Benson, with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 win. Benson was playing in his hometown of Edmonton, who also drafted him 32nd overall back in June. Benson has dealt with injuries for much of his junior career, but told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector that he’s “starting to get [his] game back” after dealing with a shoulder injury in training camp. Benson was expected to be a top pick before injuries contributed to his slide down the rankings. Back in 2013, Benson was widely predicted to be the first CHL Exceptional Status Player from the WHL, before he decided to play at a prep school in B.C. In 2012-13, Benson scored an astounding 57 goals and 146 points in 33 games in Bantam AAA hockey (doubling his next highest-scoring teammate), breaking that league’s record for points.
  • The Buffalo Sabres received some news on the injury front, with winger Evander Kane expected to return tonight, according to Dan Bylsma (quoted by Amy Moritz). However, Ryan O’Reilly is questionable for tonight with an unspecified injury and Tyler Ennis is out with a “mid-body injury.”

Islanders Return Mathew Barzal to WHL

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The New York Islanders have sent top prospect Mathew Barzal back to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, according to Arthur Staples.

Barzal made the team out of training camp, but only appeared in two of the Islanders’ 13 games, going pointless with 6 PIM and a -2 rating. Meanwhile, fellow rookie Anthony Beauvillier has 5 points in 10 games and appears to be sticking with the Islanders for the rest of the season

The Thunderbirds will be very happy to get their top center Barzal back; they’re in last place of the WHL’s Western Conference with a 7-7-1 record. Barzal has 199 points in 161 WHL games, and should be a catalyst for their offence. No player on the Thunderbirds is currently at or over a point-per-game.

Barzal was the 16th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The Islanders acquired that pick (originally Pittsburgh’s) and a high second rounder from the Edmonton Oilers for Griffin Reinhart. They traded the second round pick alongside their own third round pick to move up to take Beauvillier. Meanwhile Reinhart has yet to crack the Oilers defence, and is in danger of not becoming even an everyday NHL defenseman.

Versteeg To Miss “A Couple Of Weeks”

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Calgary Flames forward Kris Versteeg will miss “a couple of weeks” with a groin injury, according to coach Glen Gulutzan. Versteeg suffered the injury against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. He left the game after playing just 3:19.

The Lethbridge-native has been held off the scoresheet for four straight games, and has just one assist to show for his last six games. Versteeg has just two goals this season, both coming versus the Blues on October 22. He’s also one-for-two in the shootout, having scored the winner against Chicago earlier this season.

The Flames signed Versteeg away from division rival Edmonton, where he was in training camp on a PTO. Calgary is Versteeg’s seventh NHL team in 10 seasons.

With Versteeg back in Calgary for evaluation, the Flames further broke up their top line, splitting up Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Sam Bennett will center Gaudreau and Troy Brouwer, while Monahan is centering Micheal Ferland and Alex Chiasson. Calgary will visit the injury-plagued Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.

Pacific Division Notes: Flames, Canucks, Oilers

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The Calgary Flames have struggled in the early stretches of this season, and some of their fans have found a scapegoat: “The Wideman Effect”.

The belief is that since January 2016, when Dennis Wideman ran linesman Don Henderson from behind, ending the latter’s career, the referees have been biased against the Flames. Despite the catchy name, it appears that the perception just isn’t true. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the penalties called in the 47 games before the incident and the 46 since. While the Flames did see a nearly 50 per cent increase in penalties last season after the attack, they still spent more time on the power-play. Moving to this season, the Flames are the second-most penalized team in the NHL after the Bruins. But they’ve also had the fifth-most power-play opportunities of any team.

Fans can look no further than the struggles of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Brian Elliott, and some questionable lineup choices on the blue line. Fresh off signing new contracts for $6.375MM and $6,75MM respectively, Monahan and Gaudreau have combined for just 11 points through 12 games. That’s eight less than last season at this time.

Elliott was traded for to stabilize the Flames wretched goaltending from last season, and so far has a sub-900 save percentage and a GAA over 3. Backup Chad Johnson has been better, but is still below league-average.

Finally, the Flames new coach Glen Gulutzan’s usage of Dougie Hamilton has been weird this season. Hamilton scored 43 points last season while playing just under 20-minutes per game, but has fallen below 19 minutes this season and has been playing third-pairing at even-strength with lesser players.

  • It has been an ugly stretch for the Canucks, who have lost seven games in a row after starting 4-0-0. They’ve fallen from first in the NHL to 26th. Even worse, the Canucks have scored just seven goals in that stretch and have been shutout in four of their last five games. The Blue Jackets outscored the Canucks’ entire losing streak in 38-minutes on Friday night, and they weren’t even done yet. Coach Willie Desjardins said he believes in their players and thinks they can turn it around, despite admitting this season’s losing has been tough on him. Desjardins is on the hot seat, considering GM Jim Benning believes the Canucks are a playoff team. However, Benning may not be entirely accurate in that belief: the Canucks are averaging just 1.45 goals-per-game, nearly a goal-and-a-half less than the league-average. Most prognosticators have the Canucks pegged as a real contender, not for the playoffs, but for the best draft lottery odds.
  • Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are sitting in first in the Western Conference after a hot start. They’ve cooled down a little, going 0-2-1 in the last week. Spector echoed a common sentiment about the team: if they can get their hands on a legit point-threat for their floundering power-play, then watch out. The Oilers were linked to Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban and Tyson Barrie over the summer, and more recently pending-UFA Brent Burns. In his article, Spector suggests Jason Garrison might be available in Tampa Bay as a cap casualty, though he’s another lefty; when healthy, five of the Oilers top-six defenders are left-handed.

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