Jake Dotchin Signs Extension In Czechia
A former up-and-coming, top-pairing fill-in for the Tampa Bay Lightning has signed a two-year extension in Czechia. Defenseman Jake Dotchin will continue with Rytíři Kladno of the Tipsport Extraliga for two seasons, as the team announced today.
Dotchin, a sixth-round draft pick of the Lightning in 2012, broke into the NHL in 2016-17 when injuries limited the Lightning to missing the playoffs entirely. He played 35 games with the Lightning that year, notching 11 assists and notably saw time with Victor Hedman on the team’s top pair. It earned him a two-year contract extension to keep him within the organization.
As the Lightning regained their elite status as a team, Dotchin saw only 48 games in 2017-18 as he remained a full-time member of the NHL club. Then, as Dotchin reported for camp prior to the 2018-19 season, the Lightning terminated his contract, citing a material breach of contract. It was later reported that Dotchin had shown up to camp extremely out of shape and was not fit for game action. Dotchin did sign with the Anaheim Ducks but played only 20 NHL games that year before seeing only AHL action in 2019-20. He sat out from professional hockey entirely during the COVID-stricken 2020-21 season before signing with Kladno last year.
Dotchin scored 21 points in 50 games this past season with Kladno and tallied 98 penalty minutes as well. He scored an additional goal and four assists in five qualification games to help Kladno stay in the top-tier Czech league for one more season. He’ll remain a core part of that Kladno team for the foreseeable future, possibly alongside former NHL stars Jaromir Jagr and Tomas Plekanec, who were both active for the club last year. Regardless, considering Dotchin will be 30 at the expiry of the contract, it likely marks a clear end to his NHL career.
Injury Notes: Price, Point, Kuemper
After playing only five games this season, Carey Price is preparing to get back on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens, as he said today. However, his status is still unknown. The 34-year-old had a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection in his knee and is waiting for it to take hold before he gets back to training and preparing. The netminder said that “I wish I felt better about the situation, but I don’t.”
Price had knee surgery in the 2021 offseason and the injury got reaggravated this season after he returned from personal leave to participate in the NHLPA Player Assistance program. In April, he had a meeting with his surgeon in Manhattan and is now under treatment. Being without their number one goaltender for the next season is a reason for concern for the Montreal Canadiens. If he doesn’t recover in time, they will have to make a plan and go after a goaltender this offseason with Price on LTIR.
- Tampa Bay fans can celebrate, albeit hesitantly. Forward Brayden Point was doing drills in practice for the first time since his injury in Game 7 in Toronto, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. He participated for 55 minutes, doing drills with the taxi squad. While this is not an indicator that he could be back for Game 3, it’s still good news for the team. It can be a needed boost for the current Stanley Cup champions in the series against the Rangers if he’s able to get back.
- Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that Darcy Kuemper‘s injury doesn’t seem too serious, but that backup netminder Pavel Francouz will likely start Game 3 in any event. Francouz is coming off a 24-save shutout in Game 2 that sparked the Avs to a 2-0 series lead.
Carey Price Wins 2022 Masterton Trophy
Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price is the recipient of the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, ” as voted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Price beat out other finalists in New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara and Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes to win the award.
Price, after leading the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, faced incredible amounts of adversity throughout the 2021-22 campaign. The well-respected veteran netminder waived his no-movement clause and was subsequently left unprotected by the Canadiens in the 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft, kicking off an offseason of uncertainty. He then dealt with knee and hip injuries over the offseason but was expected to only miss six to eight weeks and be ready for the start of the season. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Then, as Price missed camp with those injuries and a non-COVID illness, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program just days before the start of the season. Price returned to the team a month later, but as he recovered from the issues that caused him to enter the program, he wasn’t close to returning to game action. He continued to suffer injury setbacks throughout the season before finally returning to NHL ice on April 15 against the New York Islanders. He got his only win of the season in the team’s last game of the year, a 10-2 drubbing of the Florida Panthers.
The hockey world hopes that Price can continue to work towards full health and continue his Hall of Fame-caliber career.
Draft Prospect Matthew Savoie Avoids Surgery
Teams in the top 10 looking to select a high-end center can stop holding their breath a little. One of the best such players available, Matthew Savoie of the WHL’s Winnipeg ICE, will avoid shoulder surgery after being knocked out of the playoffs by a big hit, per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Savoie suffered the shoulder injury last week in Game 2 of Winnipeg’s Conference Final series against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Edmonton took the series and will play for the WHL championship.
However, the injury will keep him out of Saturday’s testing at the Draft Combine, as Morreale reports. It hasn’t seemed to quell any interest in the Alberta native, as Morreale noted that Savoie has already interviewed with 17 NHL teams.
Savoie’s draft stock has dropped somewhat near the tail end of the season, as some are beginning to question how his even-strength game will translate to the NHL. He did still hit the 90-point mark this season in 65 games, though, and given the demand for centers, it’s hard to imagine Savoie falling out of the top 10 at this point.
Three Bruins Defensemen Undergo Surgery
A trio of Boston Bruins defensemen underwent significant surgeries today, with two of them expected to miss the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, per the team. Most notably, Charlie McAvoy had a left shoulder arthroscopic stabilization procedure that’s set to sideline him for six months, meaning he won’t make his season debut until early December. Additionally, Matt Grzelcyk will miss five months after a right shoulder open stabilization procedure and Mike Reilly will miss three months after a right ankle tendon repair and removal of bone fragments.
They all join forward Brad Marchand, who’s also expected to be out until late November, on the injured list for the B’s.
Having Marchand and McAvoy out of the lineup, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Patrice Bergeron‘s NHL future, will be incredibly tough to navigate for this Bruins squad. Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak will be relied on very heavily for the first weeks of the season to keep the team from imploding.
However, if there’s good out of any of this for Bruins fans, it’s salary considerations. With Grzelcyk, Marchand, and McAvoy potential candidates for long-term injured reserve out of the gate, the team could have upwards of $15MM set aside on LTIR. This would give the team ample time into the season to figure out their salary picture, rather than just being constrained by the offseason. Prior to the injuries, the Bruins had just $4MM in cap space without Bergeron on the roster. The team had no real flexibility in free agency, but that might change if they can play their cards right.
It’s still a gutting loss, though, to have a top-ten defenseman in the league out of the lineup. Trade Deadline acquisition Hampus Lindholm will need to live up to his extension immediately, and that’s a lot of pressure for an also injury-prone defenseman. Head coach Bruce Cassidy will open the 2022-23 season undoubtedly facing the rockiest road he’s had so far as coach of this team. The team’s goal will be desperation mode until their stars are back, hopefully not falling too far back of the strong Atlantic Division pack.
Ivan Miroshnichenko Cleared To Return To Training
As the 2022 NHL Draft Combine gets underway in Buffalo, there’s some great news coming from NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr. Top prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma last year, has completed his treatments and has been given the green light to return to training. His goal is to be ready for next season, said Marr.
Based on pure skill, Miroshnichenko is a top-ten talent in this year’s draft class. With a somewhat tough season for him in the VHL, the second-tier Russian league, combined with the uncertainty of his cancer diagnosis, he started dropping on public boards and on the NHL’s Central Scouting list as well. While some (such as TSN’s Bob McKenzie) still have Miroshnichenko ranked in their top ten, others have dropped him all the way to the early second round. There’s also the question of how willing some NHL clubs will be to take Russian players.
Miroshnichenko did finish the year with 10 goals and 16 points in 31 games with Omskie Krylia of the VHL. He was notably left off the roster for the Russian World Juniors team as well.
Still, what seems to be a clean bill of health is spectacular news for the teenager, who can now hopefully continue to enjoy a development path to what could be a long and notable career.
East Notes: DeAngelo, Helm, Othmann
With the departure of Dougie Hamilton in the offseason, many questioned how the Carolina Hurricanes would rebuild their defense. Controversially, they signed Tony DeAngelo to a one-year deal after he was bought out by the New York Rangers. The signing hit about as well as the team could’ve hoped, with off-ice distractions mostly limited. Now a restricted free agent, the team has exclusive rights to keep him around.
Both the team and player want to keep the relationship going, though. DeAngelo notes a feeling of acceptance from the team. It will undoubtedly be a large increase over his $1MM cap hit, however, but that’s something they can try and work out with almost $20MM in cap space. The team has a lot of free agents, though, and they’ll need to be picky about how they allocate their money. He performed with 51 points in 64 games.
- The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel took a look at potential cheap, veteran replacements to fill the hole Jason Spezza left on the ice with his retirement. First on his list is pending UFA forward Darren Helm, who most notably recently knocked the St. Louis Blues out of the playoffs with just seconds left in regulation. As Helm, a member of the Colorado Avalanche, could be phased out of the organization this offseason with younger players fighting for roles, the Leafs could provide a home for him on the open market. The Stanley Cup-winning veteran had 15 points in 68 games this season.
- Larry Brooks of The New York Post reports that, even if his OHL Flint Firebirds are eliminated tonight, top New York Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann won’t sign his entry-level contract and join the Rangers for the remainder of their playoff run. Othmann, who the Rangers selected 16th overall in 2021, had a fantastic year with 50 goals and 97 points in 66 OHL games this season. He’s added 24 points in 19 playoff games as well. However, it seems as though the team is content to either leave him in juniors for another season or wait to sign him until the offseason.
Darryl Sutter Wins 2022 Jack Adams Award
Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter has won the 2022 Jack Adams Award, given to the coach of the year. It’s the first time in his illustrious career that he’s won the award.
Beating out finalists Andrew Brunette (Florida Panthers) and Gerard Gallant (New York Rangers), Sutter is in the second year of his second stint as head coach of the Flames. In 112 games since stepping back behind the Flames bench, Sutter’s now guided the team to a 65-36-11 record, including a Pacific Division title this year. This year’s 50-win campaign was the first such season for Calgary since 2018-19, when the team lost in the First Round. The team’s .677 points percentage this season, though, is the best since the team won the Stanley Cup in 1988-89. Despite bowing out in the Second Round to the Edmonton Oilers, Sutter created a deep, hard-working team out of players who largely underperformed last season in the COVID-shortened year.
Per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, Sutter had 54 first-place votes for the award. Brunette had 31, while Gallant had 12. Other coaches receiving first-place votes were Minnesota’s Dean Evason (seven), Colorado’s Jared Bednar (six), Los Angeles’ Todd McLellan (five), Carolina’s 2021 winner Rod Brind’Amour (two), Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan (two), Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper (one), and Nashville’s John Hynes (one).
Niclas Almari Signs In Finland
Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Niclas Almari has headed overseas. The 24-year-old defenseman signed a two-year contract with Lukko in Finland, sending him back to his native country for the time being.
Almari just completed the final year of his three-year entry-level contract. If the Penguins issue him a qualifying offer, they will retain his rights and he will remain a restricted free agent on their reserve list. He could theoretically return to the organization when his contract in Finland is done.
The Penguins actually had sent Almari to Lukko on loan for most of last season. Almari spent 13 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, tallying just two points, and he also had four assists in six games with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. He then spent 15 games back with Lukko, recording two assists. He went pointless in seven playoff games there.
A fifth-round pick in 2016, Almari has yet to solidify any role within the Penguins organization. Barring a gigantic jump in his development overseas, it’s likely the end of Almari’s North American career.
Anze Kopitar Wins 2022 Mark Messier Leadership Award
Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is the recipient of the 2022 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. Per the league, the trophy is awarded “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.”
The team had the following to say with Kopitar’s victory:
As a spokesperson and contributor in several team fundraising events, Kopitar strives to represent the organization at every opportunity, including local institutions such as the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Make a Wish Foundation, Wags and Walks and Kings Care Foundation. Kopitar also hosts a hockey academy yearly in his native Slovenia, which serves aspiring youth players who may not have access to similar programs. Typically attracting nearly 200 players per year, the academy has drawn players from more than 15 countries.
The winner of the award is chosen by Messier himself, and he announced the selection live during ESPN’s broadcast of Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Final.
Given out since the 2006-07 season, Kopitar becomes the second King to win this award. Former Kings captain and fresh retiree Dustin Brown won the trophy back in 2014 after guiding the Kings to their second Stanley Cup in three seasons. The Slovenian veteran forward has worn a letter on his jersey for Los Angeles since 2008 and has been the captain since replacing Brown in 2016. With two Stanley Cups under his belt, Kopitar’s 1,210 games are second in Kings history. He’s also just one of four players to register at least 1,000 points as a King.
The 34-year-old remains under contract with the Kings until 2024.