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Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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Training camps open this week all around the league and preseason hockey is right around the corner. Most of the restricted free agents are signed, big extensions have been handed out, and rosters are nearly complete for most teams. Hope is all over the league as pretenders try to become contenders, rebuilding clubs see rookie breakouts, and newcomers try to make an impact in unfamiliar surroundings.

With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag.

Last time, the mailbag was broken into two parts. The first looked at the center market over the next two years, and future dealings for Steve Yzerman, and predicted some of the RFA news that would follow. The second examined the tanking rosters, Ottawa’s interesting offseason, and how St. Louis can afford to re-sign Ryan O’Reilly.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Snapshots: Czechia, Columbus, Landeskog

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The Czech Foreign Ministry has told the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators that they will not welcome Russian-born players into the country for the Global Series games, scheduled to be held on October 7 and 8 in Prague. A report from the Associated Press confirms that a letter has been sent to the NHL explaining that visas are not to be issued to Russian players because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

However, deputy commissioner Bill Daly has expressed “no concern” to the AP about players traveling to Czechia, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Corey Masisak of The Athletic that the NHL is handling the situation. Grier also explained that his position is “we all go or we don’t go,” suggesting he will not take the Sharks to Prague if Alexander Barabanov and Evgeny Svechnikov, the team’s two healthy Russian players, are not allowed to participate.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have made several changes in their hockey operations department, naming Trevor Timmins assistant director of amateur scouting, and hiring Marshall Davidson, Dale Derkatch, and Roman Polak (previously reported) as scouts. Zac Urback has been promoted to director of hockey analytics, and Mike Eaves, formerly the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters, will now serve as a pro scout.
  • Gabriel Landeskog “won’t skate anytime soon” according to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, who told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic that the captain is still dealing with an injury from last season. Landeskog is expected to miss the start of the year.

Nolan Patrick Will Not Play In 2022-23

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced some training camp injuries today, listing Laurent Brossoit, Daniil Miromanov, Spencer Foo, and Jakub Demek as players who will miss training camp. Unfortunately, the list didn’t end there. Shea Weber, Robin Lehner, and Nolan Patrick have all been ruled out for the entire season.

While Weber and Lehner’s status had already been confirmed, this was only speculated about for Patrick, as he continues to deal with the issues that have plagued his career since the moment it began.

Selected second overall in the 2017 draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick has never played a full season in the NHL, and already missed an entire campaign in 2019-20 when he was dealing with migraines. The 24-year-old forward is so far behind in his development to this point that it is unclear whether his career will even continue, given another season down the drain.

Signed to a two-year, $2.4MM contract by the Golden Knights after they acquired him last summer, he will be a restricted free agent again in 2023. It is not at all certain that he will receive a qualifying offer, or where he will stand with the organization at that point.

A dominant junior player who used his size, strength, and skill to rack up goals and points with ease, he was supposed to be a two-way pivot in the league for years. After scoring 61 points through his first two seasons in the league, he has just 16 since the start of 2020-21.

While he is still relatively young, it’s hard to imagine Patrick ever becoming the player that many expected him to be after such a turbulent career to this point. He will be placed on long-term injured reserve, along with Weber and Lehner, opening up a little more cap flexibility for the Golden Knights.

Minor Transactions: 09/22/22

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Training camps opened across the league today, with players getting on the ice in formal settings for the first time. With just a few more days before preseason hockey starts, minor league teams are keeping their eye on cuts or desperate players looking for a home. As always, we’ll keep a track of any notable minor moves right here.

  • The Coachella Valley Firebirds have announced a trio of signings, inking David Cotton, Jimmy Schuldt, and Eddie Wittchow to AHL deals. Of note, Schuldt was set to attend Buffalo Sabres training camp on a PTO. Cotton, meanwhile, was unqualified by the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason after scoring just 16 points in 55 games with the Chicago Wolves.
  • Chris Terry and Kyle MacLean both appeared on the New York Islanders training camp roster as members of AHL Bridgeport, meaning they have likely re-signed with the minor league club. Terry, 33, is an AHL star, who scored 30 goals and 61 points in 61 games last season. MacLean, meanwhile, happens to be the son of Islanders assistant John MacLean.

This page will be updated with any further transactions

Andrew Ladd Fails Physical; Headed For IR

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It appears as though Andrew Ladd’s career may be coming to an end, as Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that the veteran forward has failed his physical due to lingering knee issues. He will be placed on injured reserve, which has a much greater impact than just taking him out of the lineup.

When the Arizona Coyotes agreed to take on Ladd’s contract from the New York Islanders in the summer of 2021, the trade included some very interesting conditions. Basically, if this exact scenario happened – Ladd still under contract for 2022-23, but not able to play – the Islanders would owe the Coyotes a 2023 third-round selection. If the veteran forward retired prior to this season or played even a single game, the pick wouldn’t be transferred.

The trade already brought two second-round picks to Arizona, one of which was used on overaged defenseman J.J. Moser, who stepped almost directly into the Coyotes lineup after being picked 60th overall in 2021. Moser had 15 points in 43 games while averaging nearly 19 minutes a night and figures to be a key building block for Arizona moving forward. Ladd himself even provided some valuable minutes, scoring seven goals and 12 points in 51 games last season after an impressive comeback.

Adding another third-round pick to the deal, while giving up nothing but money, certainly seems like a pretty nice haul for the Coyotes, who have collected draft picks better than any team in the league. Over the next three years, Arizona now holds 19 picks in the first three rounds alone. That’s after they picked three times in this year’s first round, twice in the second, and twice in the third.

If it is the end for Ladd, it comes after making it to an impressive milestone at the end of last season. The 36-year-old has played in 1,001 regular season games, scoring 256 goals and 550 points. He raised the Stanley Cup in both 2006 and 2010, first with the Carolina Hurricanes and then with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Injury Notes: Backstrom, Mitchell, Canadiens

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The Washington Capitals were back in front of the cameras and reporters today, answering questions about the upcoming season. Many of those questions were directed at Nicklas Backstrom, who is coming off hip surgery and has an unclear timeline. While it’s not yet certain when he’ll resume skating, Backstrom told reporters including Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic that he is “pain-free” for the first time in a long time. The veteran center first underwent hip surgery way back in 2015.

El-Bashir also spoke with T.J. Oshie, who had a core procedure this offseason and isn’t expected to miss any time, and Tom Wilson, who is ahead of schedule in his ACL rehab. With such a veteran core, injuries are always going to be something the Capitals have to monitor closely or risk their season being derailed quickly. Getting Wilson back ahead of time would be a big boost, and any games from Backstrom this year seem like a bonus.

  • When the Chicago Blackhawks released their roster today, they also announced a few injuries for the start of camp. Among them was Ian Mitchell, who will miss the next six weeks with a wrist injury. It’s brutal timing for the young defenseman, as there was a real opportunity for him to jump into the lineup while Jake McCabe is out for the first several weeks of the season. Selected 57th overall in 2017, Mitchell played 39 games with the team in 2020-21 but only eight last year, instead spending most of his time with the Rockford IceHogs. It is not clear where the 23-year-old (24 in January) sits in the organizational depth chart but an injury to start the year won’t help.
  • Speaking of tough starts, the Montreal Canadiens will be without new captain Nick Suzuki for the next two weeks after he suffered a lower-body injury. Josh Anderson and Jake Evans are also out day-to-day, while Joel Edmundson is still dealing with a lower-body injury and is out indefinitely. Sean Monahan, working his way back from surgery has not yet been cleared to participate, though he is skating. Eric Engels of Sportsnet is attempting to find out whether Edmundson’s lower-body issue is related to the back injury he dealt with last season, though there is no clarity to this point. The veteran defenseman played only 24 games last season.

Jake Gardiner Suffers Setback; Not At Hurricanes Camp

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When Jake Gardiner declared himself healthy enough to resume his NHL career, eyebrows raised all around the league. The defenseman had only played in 26 games during the 2020-21 season and missed all of 2021-22 because of chronic injuries, including a back issue that went back several years. Many had assumed that his career was over after missing the full season, but things were progressing like he would return to the Carolina Hurricanes this season.

Unfortunately, Gardiner has experienced a setback according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour and is not in training camp. Team reporter Walt Ruff passes on the full comment from the head coach:

He had a setback and just is not healthy enough to do it. Unfortunately he has had a lot of surgeries and we know he’s been nicked up. 

If this is it for the 32-year-old defenseman, it is a disappointing end to a career that was cut short right in his prime. During the 2017-18 season, the last time Gardiner played all 82 games, he racked up 52 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs, 16th among all NHL defensemen. He was a real difference-maker at even-strength, where he tied for sixth among defensemen with 37 points.

As back issues started to take their toll, he played just 62 games the following season. His first season in Carolina was relatively healthy but it was cut short by COVID, and then things deteriorated quickly. Gardiner’s contract with the Hurricanes is set to expire after this season.

If it’s the end, the 2008 first-round pick will finish with 645 regular season games and 277 points. The Hurricanes will be able to move his contract to long-term injured reserve if he is unable to play this season.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Ryan McLeod

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As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have worked out a deal with restricted free agent Ryan McLeod, agreeing to a one-year, $798K contract. It should come as no surprise, given that McLeod was at the facility yesterday to do his medical testing and general manager Ken Holland explained that he would be on the ice today.

McLeod, 23, had little leverage in negotiations as an RFA without arbitration rights, and will end up accepting a deal lower than his qualifying offer. That was always the risk of pushing talks this late into the summer with a team that has very little cap room, but it appears as though McLeod has decided missing training camp or the first part of the season isn’t worth it in this case.

It’s probably a good move in the long run, given the opportunity that McLeod has in front of him. As the most obvious candidate for the third-line center role, he should be able to carve out a place for himself this season and become indispensable to head coach Jay Woodcroft. If he can play solid defense while improving on the nine goals and 21 points his scored as a rookie, there will be plenty of time to work out a more lucrative contract down the road.

By keeping his cap hit low, he can guarantee his spot on the roster as an everyday player and provide some surplus value to a team that has its eye on the Stanley Cup. When more money is available down the road, the young forward (who only turned 23 yesterday), should be able to capitalize.

Ryan Ellis Not Expected To Play This Season

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There is a chance we never see Ryan Ellis on the ice at an NHL hockey game again. Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher met with the media today and explained to reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that there is no timetable for Ellis’ return and that it would be a “bonus” if he played at all this season. Though he can’t say now, Fletcher explained that there is a possibility Ellis’ career is threatened by this injury, which he described as “multi-layered.”

Clarity on what Ellis’ injury actually is has been hard to come by, but Fletcher indicated today that it includes a torn psoas and issues with his hip and adductor muscle. He missed all but four games last season – the first four he had ever played outside of the Nashville Predators organization.

Acquired for Nolan Patrick (who also may not play this season) and Philippe Myers, Ellis was supposed to reshape the Flyers’ defense and give Ivan Provorov or Travis Sanheim a long-term partner. The 31-year-old is signed through the 2026-27 season and carries a $6.25MM cap hit, making him the second highest-paid defenseman on the Flyers roster.

It appears that contract will live on long-term injured reserve for a while.

Sean Couturier, meanwhile, hasn’t been ruled out for the entire season so far, though he is getting a second opinion this morning and has not been cleared to play at this point. Fletcher called it premature to speculate about his season-long outlook or even his career, despite this being his second back injury in 12 months.

More On Jakob Chychrun Trade Speculation

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One of the ongoing talking points this summer when it comes to the Arizona Coyotes has been the future of Jakob Chychrun. A trade has been expected for some time now, yet with training camp opening this week, the defenseman is still a part of the organization that drafted him 16th overall in 2016. Recently, general manager Bill Armstrong discussed the situation and called Chychrun a “pro’s pro” in regard to how he has handled all of the speculation.

Today, Chychrun spoke directly with the media, including PHNX Sports, about what has happened so far. The team approached him at the beginning of last season about whether he wanted a trade to a more competitive situation, and Chychrun (after discussing it with his family) decided to take them up on the offer.

I don’t want these years to keep going by, and be ten, twelve years in the league not having a real good chance or shot at, not only at the playoffs, but winning the Stanley Cup…

…I think the team understands that mutual position right now for me to get moved on to a situation with a chance to win, a team that is fighting for the Stanley Cup. And for them here to get assets. I understand how rebuilds work, and I think it could be mutually beneficial. 

The candid nature of Chychrun today was surprising, yet it wasn’t much of a shock to hear that he is looking for a more competitive atmosphere. The Coyotes have leaned heavily into a rebuild, trading away nearly all of their successful players from recent years, and now look set to ice a roster mostly made up of NHL cast-offs or reclamation projects. The likes of Andrew Ladd, Zack Kassian, Nick Ritchie, Nick Bjugstad, Patrik Nemeth, and Shayne Gostisbehere are all expected to be regulars, not exactly the Stanley Cup contender that Chychrun mentions.

That said, it’s hard to know exactly when a deal will be reached. This situation is similar to one that played out in Colorado a few years ago, when Matt Duchene had made it clear that he didn’t want to go through another season with the Avalanche like the 22-win 2016-17 campaign. There were rumors all summer about where he would go but when training camp arrived, he showed up and went about his work. Duchene played 14 games for the Avalanche before a deal was worked out with the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators, one that ended up bringing back Samuel Girard and several other pieces (including one that became Bowen Byram).

That’s the mutually beneficial part, as a trade of Chychrun is likely to collect several important assets for the Coyotes, ones that can help them more down the road than he will be able to–despite still being just 24. With three years (including this one) on his deal, the team should be able to demand quite a haul of futures.

One complicating factor may be Chychrun’s health, which, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, is still a question mark. The defenseman had bone spurs removed from his ankle in the summer in addition to wrist surgery, and there is not yet a timeline for getting back on the ice.

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