Wild Prospect Filip Johansson Signs Two-Year Extension In Sweden
The Wild have been waiting for a while to get prospect defenseman Filip Johansson under contract and it appears they’ll have to wait even longer now as his club team in Frolunda announced that they’ve inked the blueliner to a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season.
The 21-year-old was a first-round pick of Minnesota (24th overall) back in 2018 but has remained in Sweden since then, spending time at the Allsvenskan level after being drafted before transferring to Frolunda last season. So far this year, he has seven points in 26 games while his average ice time is up to 17 minutes per game.
What’s particularly notable here is that if the Wild don’t sign Johansson by June 1st of next year, they lose his rights. In that case, they would receive the 24th selection of the second round in the 2022 draft which would be 56th overall. However, since Johansson was a first-round pick, the NHL’s transfer agreement with Sweden permits them to sign the rearguard to an entry-level deal and have Minnesota controls where he plays. At that point, he could be loaned back to Frolunda or kept in North America. Lots can change over the next five and a half months but this will be a situation to monitor for the Wild.
Blake Wheeler To Be Out For A While
Friday’s game against Vancouver got off to a positive start for Jets captain Blake Wheeler as he picked up his first goal of the season. However, it ended on a much worse note as he left the game early with a lower-body injury and following the game, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe that it’s not going to be a short-term issue:
It’s going to be a while. We’ll get him looked at tomorrow. I’m not a doctor, but it’s going to be a while.
We’ll get him healed up, we’ll find other players and we’ll find a way to do it without him.
Winnipeg isn’t scheduled to practice this weekend so a full update with an estimated timeline for Wheeler’s return won’t come until Monday at the earliest.
While the 35-year-old hadn’t scored until last night, he had still been one of their better point producers with his 16 assists leading the team. Wheeler has still logged heavy minutes – 19:24 per game which is more than a minute higher than last season – which will make replacing him a little more difficult.
The Jets have basically used all of their allowable LTIR for Bryan Little and have still only been able to carry a dozen forwards on the roster, three of which have an AAV at or below the league minimum. Assuming Wheeler will miss at least 10 games or 24 days, they’ll be able to add him to LTIR which will give them plenty of short-term cap space to recall a replacement forward. However, trading for one will be out of the question unless he was to be ruled out for the rest of the season as they’d have to get back into cap compliance before being able to activate Wheeler.
Winnipeg only has eight forwards on NHL contracts that aren’t up with the team already. The most promising of those is winger Cole Perfetti although he won’t be an option for a better part of a month following his loan to Team Canada for the World Juniors yesterday. Most of their other options are basically only fits for the fourth line so Wheeler’s absence will be a tough one to overcome for a Jets team that is in a very tight battle in the Central Division.
Stars Recall Ben Bishop From Conditioning Loan, Playing Career To End
Ben Bishop‘s attempt to return to the crease for the Stars has come to an end. The team announced this morning that they’ve recalled the netminder from his conditioning assignment with AHL Texas but that he will remain on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) due to his current knee injury. Later in the day, Stars GM Jim Nill told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that Bishop’s playing days are over:
“It’s no secret, he has a degenerative knee injury, and he went down there, he wanted to be a big part of this. He wanted to do everything he could to get back. In the end, by going through the process, going down there and playing, he found out that it’s the end of his career.”
The 35-year-old missed all of last season due to the injury plus the first couple of months of 2021-22. He made one appearance with Texas and it didn’t go well as he allowed eight goals on 26 shots and clearly, something didn’t go right with his knee with Bishop asking Dallas to end the conditioning loan early and shut him down. The netminder is scheduled to speak to the media on Tuesday.
His playing days come to an end with 413 games played for five different teams. He was a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and posted a 2.32 GAA along with a save percentage of .921 along with 33 shutouts. He is signed through next season with a $4.916MM AAV and will remain on LTIR during that stretch.
From a cap perspective, this lessens their need to try to move veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin. While he’s clearly the odd man out in their goaltending trio at the moment, they would have needed to clear his contract off the books outright plus free up a bit more room in order to activate Bishop. With that not happening anymore, they can now afford to be more patient in looking for the right return and will be able to take a player back instead of needing to clear his entire $3.33MM AAV off the books. Dallas made Khudobin available earlier this month after Jake Oettinger came up from the minors and has been quite dominant in his first seven appearances, posting a 1.52 GAA with a .951 SV%.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PHR Mailbag: Sullivan, Projections, Miller, Canadian Struggles, Ownership
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Mike Sullivan’s candidacy for the Jack Adams award, future scoring projections, an intriguing trade target for the Bruins, discussing the struggles of several Canadian teams, and league ownership. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in Monday’s mailbag.
Rayno15: Why is Mike Sullivan not in the running for Coach of the Year?
Who says he isn’t? It’s an award that’s voted on at the end of the season, not just past the one-quarter mark. The end result in the standings often dictates who is and isn’t a finalist for this award and in mid-December, it’s way too early to set that.
To be honest, I think Sullivan could be a viable contender depending on how things play out. Pittsburgh has been hit hard with injuries this season with offensive cornerstones Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust all having missed or are currently missing significant time while most of their back end has missed a handful of games as well. To be hanging around the playoff mix in spite of all of that is certainly impressive.
But can they stay there? It’s one thing to be in the mix in December and another to be playing in May when the playoffs get underway this season. Where they finish will determine whether or not Sullivan is a viable candidate for the award. If they can get into the playoffs in spite of their injury trouble, there’s a good chance he’ll be on quite a few Jack Adams ballots.
The Duke: Dear PHRM Crystal Ball, As you know by now, I’m always looking to be one step ahead in my 12-team Keeper League, ergo I pose these questions:
- Of the following, please rank and project which has the quicker/brighter scoring future, with goals ranked ahead of assists: Matt Beniers, Adam Beckman, Cole Perfetti & Jack Dugan.
- Same as above for Rasmus Sandin and Calen Addison.
1) In terms of a quicker future, I don’t think you’re going to see any of these four get substantial NHL action this season. Perhaps Beniers at the end of the year will see time but there’s no short-term impact coming. Next season, I’d expect both Beniers and Perfetti to be regulars and likely in a top-six role. The fact that Dugan didn’t get a look last season was curious and injuries haven’t helped this year. But he turns 24 in March so the clock is ticking fast on his NHL upside. Beckman’s skating is a concern for me. The rest of his skillset is promising but overcoming skating has been easier said than done.
That puts Beniers and Perfetti in a class of their own for me as the other two may be more complementary players than high-impact ones. I’ll rank them by a ballpark guess of what a typical season for them could be in terms of goals and points once they’re established in the league.
Beniers: 30/80
Perfetti: 25/60
Dugan: 15/40
Beckman: 15/35
2) Obviously, Sandin is the quicker option considering that he has basically been a regular this season with the Maple Leafs while Addison has been up and down with Minnesota. Barring injuries, Addison probably isn’t a regular down the stretch while Sandin should stay in Toronto’s lineup. So for short-term help, Sandin is the better play.
I also think he’s the higher-scoring option on a long-term basis. Neither project to see substantial power play time with veterans locked up in front of them on the depth chart (Morgan Rielly and Jared Spurgeon) and both have top-four upside at five-on-five. If I have to guess which one will be the higher-scoring option, I’ll go with the team that has the better long-term offensive outlook and that’s Toronto. Minnesota’s scoring more this season but is that sustainable with the cap-related cuts to the roster? I’m not so sure on that one. Nonetheless, their projections would be pretty close:
Sandin: 8/30
Addison: 6/25
I could see both of them having some years where they’re over those thresholds but others where they’re below so call that an average forecast.
SkidRowe: J.T. Miller to the Bruins. What would it take?
From a fit perspective, this would certainly be a good one for Boston. He could slide into the number two center spot that they’ve been trying to find the right fit for all season long and plays an all-situations game that would really make their top six a real strong spot.
However, it’s worth mentioning the cap situation before digging into a hypothetical trade. Boston has just over $13MM in cap room for next season, per CapFriendly. Adding Miller would knock that just under $8MM with a few roster spots to fill including re-signing Patrice Bergeron. That would be a very tight squeeze, perhaps too tight to try to fill. Accordingly, Boston would need to move out some money for next season to make a move justifiable; acquiring Miller only to have his contract price out Bergeron next summer wouldn’t be ideal.
I’m sure you’re thinking Jake DeBrusk would be part of such a package but I don’t think his trade value is all that strong. Vancouver doesn’t have the cap space to take multiple pricey players back and DeBrusk’s deal is up next season and the Bruins should want to clear some 2022-23 money off the books here. I don’t think he’s a good fit here as a result. Given the state of the Canucks’ defense, I could see someone like Matt Grzelcyk carrying some value and that would offset a good chunk of Miller’s money. A first-round pick is a given as well.
These deals also usually have a good prospect in there. I could see Vancouver interim GM Jim Rutherford asking for John Beecher, a 2019 first-rounder if the trade market for Miller is robust enough to basically get a second first-rounder included and with the season he’s having, that’s a definite possibility if he’s made available. I could see Boston GM Don Sweeney countering with someone like Jack Studnicka. Two-way point-per-game centers don’t become available often and while Miller would be a great fit for Boston, he’d be a great fit for many other teams as well. The price is going to sting as a result, especially with him on a below-market contract for another year. Either way, this is a move that probably comes closer to the trade deadline as right now, the Canucks are still trying to get back into the playoff hunt.
pawtucket: How does one put out the Canadian tire fires that are the Canucks, Canadiens, Sens, and even recently the Jets?
Vancouver: They’ve made two big swings quickly with Bruce Boudreau and Rutherford coming in as win-now people. From an ownership perspective, they’re hoping Boudreau can turn things around and the early returns are good. Their defense still needs improvement although getting one with next to no cap space will be a challenge. They could still sneak into the playoffs and while that’s not a great accomplishment, this is a win-now roster and they have to get to the postseason to see if this core group can get something done. A bit of patience will be needed as Boudreau makes his mark.
Montreal: Sometimes, it’s just not your year. The Canadiens are beyond battered due to injuries and have already set a franchise record for the most games played in a calendar year at 106 (and they have nine more before the month is out). I don’t think they get out of this funk this season and they will embark on some sort of rebuild/reset by the trade deadline with a coaching change as soon as the offseason to see if a different approach can spark the players that are still around.
Ottawa: I thought they’d be better this season. Not necessarily a playoff team but not a lottery contender either, however, injuries have hurt them as well. For now, it’s ride it out with some prospects getting a longer look but for the offseason, they need to do a better job of bringing in impactful buffer veterans that can shelter some of their younger players instead of just taking up spots at the back of the roster. That would help move them from the back of the standings towards the middle where they’ll be battling for a Wild Card spot and although that’s not too exciting, it’s a step they need to take; teams rarely go from pretender to contender all at once.
Winnipeg: I don’t think there’s much they really can do. They’re in a money in, money out situation so the only card they have to play is a coaching change and I don’t think that’s warranted at this time. As I mentioned in last week’s mailbag, I think they’ll be fine by the end of the season.
blueavenger77: Has the NHL ever had a publicly owned franchise similar to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers? If not, do NHL rules prohibit a publicly held non-profit corporation from owning a team? I ask the question because it seems to me that many NHL franchises would have a better chance of stability and success with a different ownership structure.
There isn’t anything quite like Green Bay’s public ownership structure in the NHL with the closest thing to any type of public ownership being able to buy shares in the group that owns the team such as the Rangers and Madison Square Garden Entertainment. There’s nothing that I can see in the NHL Constitution that prohibits such an ownership structure although there is a note that says the Board of Governors can change the ‘membership’ criteria from time to time which, I suppose, could allow them to block such an attempt if they so desired.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yanni Gourde And Riley Sheahan Placed In COVID Protocol
The Kraken will be without the services of one of their top centers for the next little bit as the team announced (Twitter link) that Yanni Gourde has been placed in COVID protocol. His spot on the roster is being taken by Alexander True who was recalled from AHL Charlotte.
Gourde has had a nice start to his first season with Seattle. After recovering quicker than expected from offseason shoulder surgery, he quickly jumped into a permanent spot in the top six. The 29-year-old has six goals and 16 assists in 22 games so far this season, good for third on the team in scoring behind Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle while averaging 18:51 per game, a career-high.
Gourde had become the second Kraken center to enter COVID protocol, joining Colin Blackwell who entered it earlier this week. If subsequent testing reveals a confirmed positive, he’ll have to miss at least the next ten days. However, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Riley Sheahan has also entered the protocol alongside assistant coach Jay Leach. Sheahan has four points in 19 games this season and also cleared waivers last month.
As for True, he was claimed from San Jose in expansion but has yet to see any action with Seattle this season. He has 18 points in 22 games with AHL Charlotte, a split affiliate with Florida and leads the Checkers in scoring.
Atlantic Notes: Mrazek, Del Zotto, Cernak, Bogosian
The Maple Leafs will activate goaltender Petr Mrazek off LTIR to start him tonight against Chicago, notes Postmedia’s Lance Hornby (Twitter link). The veteran has been limited to just two appearances this season due to a groin injury and after being brought in to push Jack Campbell for playing time, it may be hard to come by with Campbell currently sporting a 1.99 GAA with a .935 SV%. Joseph Woll, who had been serving as Toronto’s backup, will soon return to the minors.
While not yet announced by the team, it would appear as if winger Mitch Marner will be transferred to LTIR to create the cap space for the Maple Leafs to activate Mrazek. Marner suffered a shoulder injury in practice earlier this month that was expected to keep him out for a few weeks. In his case, an LTIR transfer (which can be done retroactively to his initial IR placement) would keep him out for at least 10 games and 24 days.
More from the Atlantic:
- Ottawa’s decision to waive Michael Del Zotto on Friday came as a bit of a surprise considering they only recently gave him a two-year deal. However, head coach D.J. Smith told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link) that injuries have forced the Senators to shift more towards making this a development year which means the prospects get the priority moving forward. Smith referenced that Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson are young blueliners that should start seeing NHL action again soon.
- Erik Cernak’s timeline for a return has been delayed as Bryan Burns of the Lightning’s team site relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is now listed as week to week and won’t play until after the holiday break. The 24-year-old suffered a lower-body injury last week in just his third game back from an upper-body issue. In between those ailments, Cernak has been an important part of Tampa Bay’s top four, logging 19:30 per game. The extended timeline will make him LTIR-eligible.
- Cernak isn’t the only injured Lightning blueliner either as the team announced (Twitter link) prior to their game against the Sens that Zach Bogosian is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Injuries have limited the 31-year-old to just 15 games this season where he has four points, 41 hits, and 34 penalty minutes.
Tyler Toffoli Undergoes Hand Surgery
Montreal’s injury woes have been an issue all season for them and they’ll now be without one of their top wingers for a while. The team announced following their morning skate today that Tyler Toffoli has undergone successful hand surgery and will be out of the lineup for eight weeks.
Toffoli is in his second season with the Canadiens and this one hasn’t gone anywhere near as well as his first one did. Last season, he was one of the higher-scoring wingers in the league, collecting 28 goals in 52 games while chipping in with 14 points in 22 playoff contests. But as has been the case with many Montreal players, this season has seen him struggle as he has scored just five times in 26 games with his shooting percentage down nearly 10% from a year ago.
The 29-year-old is likely to be out longer than the timeline that the team listed as that basically takes them to the All-Star Break which is immediately followed by the Olympics. Accordingly, the earliest that he’s likely to return is February 26 versus Ottawa, a little more than three weeks before the trade deadline. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek recently listed Toffoli as a trade candidate to watch for with a $4.25MM AAV for two more years after this one, a bit below market value for a top-six winger but he won’t have a lot of time to show he’s back to full strength before teams need to decide whether or not he’s worth acquiring this season.
Montreal will get a bit of help on the injury front tonight as Joel Armia returns from an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss the last two games. However, they’re also losing another regular as Arpon Basu of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that forward Jake Evans is now listed as day-to-day and won’t suit up versus St. Louis.
AHL Shuffle: 12/11/21
It’s another busy Saturday across the NHL with a dozen games on the schedule including Minnesota going for their ninth straight win as they travel to Los Angeles. A busy schedule typically means a lot of roster movement which we’ll keep track of here.
Atlantic Division
- The Red Wings have made a pair of roster moves today, sending center Kyle Criscuolo and defenseman Brian Lashoff back to AHL Grand Rapids, per a team release. Criscuolo made his Detroit debut at the beginning of the month while Lashoff didn’t play after being brought up on Thursday. The moves drop the Red Wings back to a minimum-sized roster although they’re expected to have Tyler Bertuzzi back from COVID protocol for their next game on Tuesday.
Metropolitan Division
- The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that they have returned forwards Austin Czarnik and Otto Koivula to Bridgeport of the AHL. New York needed to free up two roster spots to activate Brock Nelson from IR and Casey Cizikas from COVID protocol. Czarnik has been productive in limited action with the Isles this season, picking up a goal and two assists in four games while Koivula recorded his first career NHL point – an assist – over three appearances.
- Jackson Cates has been re-assigned to Lehigh Valley by Philadelphia. The 24-year-old Cates hasn’t gotten into an NHL game this season but has been funnelled up and down from the AHL due to his lack of waiver eligibility. He made his NHL debut last season.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Kraken have recalled center Alexander True, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old was selected from San Jose in expansion but hasn’t seen any NHL action yet this season. Instead, he has been quite productive with Charlotte of the AHL, recording 18 points in 22 games. Later in the day, Seattle announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Chris Driedger has been activated from IR with Joey Daccord being sent to Charlotte in a corresponding move. Injuries have limited Driedger to just five appearances so far this season.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
East Notes: Flyers, Mittelstadt, Spezza
Following the coaching change in Philadelphia on Monday, the Flyers find themselves down a couple of assistant coaches; Michel Therrien was let go while Mike Yeo moved from assistant to interim head coach. The team is looking to hire an assistant soon, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) with player development coach Nick Schultz helping out in the interim.
One candidate for a spot on Philadelphia’s bench is Adam Foote, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column. The 19-year NHL veteran isn’t currently coaching anywhere and last worked during the 2019-20 season when he was the head coach at WHL Kelowna. The Flyers’ back end has struggled this season and adding someone who was a strong NHL defender in Foote could certainly help, especially with youngsters Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim.
Elsewhere in the East:
- The Sabres may be without center Casey Mittelstadt for a while again, relays Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. The 23-year-old was injured in Tuesday’s contest versus Anaheim and head coach Don Granato revealed that it’s in the same area as the upper-body injury that took him out in the season opener that kept him out for six weeks. Mittelstadt is undergoing testing to determine the extent of the injury but Granato acknowledged that it could be another long-term issue.
- The NHLPA announced (Twitter link) that, as expected, they have indeed filed an appeal on the six-game suspension for Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza for his kneeing incident on Winnipeg blueliner Neal Pionk. Commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the appeal first and has the authority to reduce the suspension. If he elects not to do so, it can then go to a neutral arbitrator although, by the time that would likely be scheduled and a ruling rendered, the suspension will have been fully served.
Blues Sign Jon Gillies
The Blues have brought back a familiar face between the pipes, announcing the signing of goaltender Jon Gillies to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 27-year-old spent last season with St. Louis but didn’t see any action with them. Instead, he was their taxi squad netminder for a good portion of the year while also getting into five games with AHL Utica. Gillies has remained at the AHL level this season, getting into three games with Boston’s affiliate and one with Philadelphia’s.
Gillies won’t be going back to the minors though, at least not yet. Instead, his presence is needed with backup goaltender Ville Husso out with a lower-body injury and Jordan Binnington still in COVID protocol. They’re using an emergency roster exception to have Charlie Lindgren up and that carries a maximum allowable cap hit of $850K; anyone making more can’t be recalled. That takes their other AHL netminder Joel Hofer off the table which means they needed to sign Gillies to have a second goalie available for tomorrow’s game against Detroit.
Speaking of that roster exception, they were able to bring up Nathan Walker earlier today after playing short a forward. However, defenseman Jake Walman sustained an upper-body injury on Tuesday night and the team will once again have to play short a player on Thursday before being able to recall a replacement for him.