Penguins Notes: Malkin, COVID, Recalls
The day has come for Evgeni Malkin, who will make his season debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. The star center has been out all season rehabbing his knee after offseason surgery but now returns to a Pittsburgh lineup that won ten straight before falling to the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
With 48 games left in the regular season, Malkin will have a chance to climb a little further up the all-time points list. He currently sits 63rd with 1,104, just behind Patrick Kane‘s 1,119. Both those names could jump over several impressive names, including former teammate Marian Hossa who is 57th with 1,134. Given Malkin recently said that he wants to play several more seasons, there’s no telling how high he’ll climb before eventually hanging up his skates.
- Unfortunately, Malkin’s return won’t be the only story of the day for the Penguins. Danton Heinen and Zach Aston-Reese have both tested positive for coronavirus and have entered the league’s COVID protocol. They are out for tonight’s game. Head coach Mike Sullivan explained that Heinen is experiencing symptoms, but Aston-Reese is not. The latter could test out of the protocol after five days, while Heinen will need his symptoms to resolve (and provide a negative test after a minimum of five days) before rejoining his teammates.
- The interesting part for the Penguins is how they’ll make the financials fit, as they actually don’t have the cap space to activate Malkin from long-term injured reserve without sending someone else down. With Heinen, Aston-Reese, and Casey DeSmith all on the COVID protocol, they’ll first have to get cap compliant before using emergency recalls to fill out a lineup.
- Moving Jason Zucker to LTIR could solve the issue for now but he too is close to a return. Zucker skated with the club today in a non-contact jersey, but Sullivan explained that his status hasn’t changed and is not ready to return just yet. Given Zucker hasn’t played since December 19, his stint on LTIR could be backdated to allow the Penguins to activate him whenever ready.
Minnesota Wild Extend Jon Merrill
Jon Merrill won’t be looking for a new contract this summer after all. The Minnesota Wild have extended the pending free agent defenseman, signing him to a new three-year, $3.6MM contract that will carry him through the 2024-25 season.
Merill, 29, signed a one-year, $850K contract with the Wild last offseason after a Stanley Cup run with the Montreal Canadiens and was expected to be nothing more than a depth option. He’s quickly shown he can be more than that, averaging more than 17 minutes a night through 33 games and racking up 11 points. That has him on track to blow past his previous career-high of 15 points, set in 2018-19 with the Vegas Golden Knights, and has landed him this multi-year contract that brings a level of security and stability.
Selected 38th overall in 2010, Merill is on his fifth NHL organization already. Starting out with the New Jersey Devils, he then moved to the Golden Knights, Detroit Red Wings, and Canadiens before ending up in Minnesota. It’s with the Wild where he has found the best fit, and where he’ll be the next while after inking a three-year extension.
In that nine-year career, he’s played in 438 games, scoring 77 points while registering 557 blocked shots and 389 hits. A $1.2MM cap hit is still representative of his role on the Minnesota depth chart–that is, as an option well behind the likes of Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, and Matt Dumba–but also suggests that he’ll have a full-time role for the team moving forward. Jordie Benn and Alex Goligoski are both unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, though the latter is expected to sign an extension at some point to keep him in Minnesota.
Boston Bruins Sign Tuukka Rask
The Boston Bruins are officially bringing back one of the most successful goaltenders in franchise history, agreeing with Tuukka Rask on a new one-year contract for the rest of this season. According to PuckPedia and Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press the deal carries a cap hit of $1MM, but Rask will actually only earn $545K due to it coming this far through the season. CapFriendly adds that the contract also contains a no-move clause.
Now 34, Rask is coming off major hip surgery to repair a torn labrum and has been practicing with the Bruins for weeks. He also had recently signed a professional tryout contract with the Providence Bruins to try and get into game shape, but after the AHL squad saw several games postponed due to COVID, the agreement was terminated before Rask played. Instead, his return will come at the NHL level, potentially as soon as this week. The Bruins face the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night and the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
With 560 games of NHL experience, Rask brings a history with the Bruins that can’t be overlooked, even if the team was already getting solid goaltending from its current options. Offseason signing Linus Ullmark and young netminder Jeremy Swayman have combined for a .917 save percentage through 32 games this season. Swayman, who is still waiver-exempt, will likely spend some time in the minor leagues now that Rask is signed, though the team could also rotate three goaltenders over the second half of the season.
It’s completely unclear what kind of load Rask can handle at this point, but his promise of being a “cheap goalie” for the Bruins has come true. He’ll cost barely more than Swayman’s $925K and should not materially change Boston’s deadline cap space.
The 2020 Jennings winner and Vezina runner-up, Rask played in just 24 games last season and posted a .913 save percentage. He currently sits 33rd all-time in wins with 306, and fifth all-time in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 100 starts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Rem Pitlick Placed On Waivers
The Minnesota Wild have placed Rem Pitlick on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The 24-year-old forward was claimed off waivers by Minnesota earlier this season, meaning the Nashville Predators could potentially send him directly to the minor leagues if they are the only team to put in a claim this time around.
Through 20 games with Minnesota, he actually has six goals and 11 points, but has seen his ice time drop to just a handful of minutes over the last while. In Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals, Pitlick played just 5:35 and seemed obviously on his way out of the lineup. With Joel Eriksson Ek approaching a return and Kirill Kaprizov avoiding major injury, Pitlick’s time in Minnesota could be over.
Should he clear, the team could send him to the minor leagues but not the taxi squad. Since he was on the active roster for most of the season, he isn’t eligible to be placed there despite his salary being under the $1MM threshold. Pitlick is on a one-year, two-way deal that carries a cap hit of $917,831 and will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the year unless he plays in an additional 59 games this season.
Lucas Elvenes Claimed By Anaheim Ducks
Jan 11: Perhaps even more surprisingly, the Anaheim Ducks have actually claimed Elvenes, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That would mean his contract will not be terminated and he will not be able to pursue an opportunity back in Sweden at this time.
Jan 10: In a surprising move, the Vegas Golden Knights have placed Lucas Elvenes on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Elvenes is in the final year of his entry-level contract and would have been a restricted free agent in the summer. This move will make him an unrestricted free agent, potentially opening a return to Sweden or another overseas league.
While contract terminations do happen from time to time, this one is surprising only because of Elvenes’ success in the minor leagues for the Golden Knights organization. Selected in the fifth round of the team’s inaugural draft, the Swedish forward eventually came to North America to make his debut in 2019. In 59 games as a rookie for the Chicago Wolves, he scored 48 points and went to the AHL All-Star Game.
In the years since Elvenes has racked up 34 points in 57 games, but just two of his 20 career AHL goals have come this season. Perhaps it’s that diminishing offensive performance that has him looking for a fresh start, or simply the fact that he hasn’t earned a single call-up to this point.
Now 22, Elvenes will still be a player to watch in the coming years even if he returns to Europe for the rest of this season. A successful SHL player even before he came to the Golden Knights organization, he will likely pique the interest of an NHL team down the road.
Oilers’ Holland Discusses Kane, Coaching, Deadline Plans
Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland took the podium today to field questions from reporters, as scrutiny and frustration grow in the market. Holland was visibly frustrated himself, noting multiple times how the team was among the best in the league at the start of December, something that he believes can happen again this season.
On the future of head coach Dave Tippett, Holland once again indicated that he doesn’t think a change is needed and suggested he doesn’t even really believe in-season firings are an option. Tippett is in the final season of his three-year contract from 2019 and so far doesn’t have a single playoff win during his tenure. The Oilers did win a qualification round game against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2020 bubble, but failed to even move on past that round. “You can’t just keep whipping through coaches,” Holland explained, noting how many coaches have been through the Oilers organization over the last decade.
Many of the questions had to do with reports that Evander Kane is a possibility for the Oilers though, and Holland was asked specifically about the free agent forward.
Well I’ve talked to his agent. His agent is Dan Milstein, I know Dan very well because he was Pavel Datsyuk‘s agent. I had lots of dealings with Dan Milstein.
I say to you as the manager it’s my responsibility to investigate every situation, talk to managers. So I have talked to Dan.
Holland was also clear that he does “believe in second chances” for players who have not found success elsewhere or made a mistake in the league. He obviously can’t speak directly about his Kane negotiations, but it does appear as though the Oilers are interested in the forward.
Kane does represent a unique opportunity because of his free agent status, especially for a manager like Holland who doesn’t want to offer up picks and prospects for a rental. In fact, he explained that he believes the answer is in his dressing room and will not sacrifice futures for a rental at this point. If there is a “hockey trade” to be made, it might make sense, but Holland was clear about how the Oilers need to keep building depth through the draft.
Right now none of those are on the table.
I wouldn’t do that. I think the answer is in that locker room. Why would I trade a first-round pick or one of our top prospects to have somebody give us a little bit of a boost, and then next year we have a press conference where you’re asking about secondary scoring? The depth has to be built internally. The depth of this organization has to be the growth.
The Oilers are off until Saturday when they will take on the Ottawa Senators in the 35th game of the season. They currently sit at 18-14-2, have lost five straight, and are now sixth in the Pacific Division, one point behind the San Jose Sharks.
Detroit Red Wings Hire Nicklas Lidstrom
The Detroit Red Wings have added another legendary franchise icon to the front office. Nicklas Lidstrom has been hired as the team’s new vice president of hockey operations, joining an executive group led by his former teammate Steve Yzerman. The Red Wings indicate that Lidstrom will now be involved in all aspects of hockey operations.
Lidstrom, 51, worked as a scout for the Red Wings a few years ago but has generally not had much front office experience. That certainly doesn’t mean he’s inexperienced though, as a 1,564-game career will explain. One of the very best defensemen in history, Lidstrom scored 1,142 regular season points, was awarded the Norris Trophy seven times, won the Stanley Cup four times, and is a member of the “Triple Gold Club.” He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 and saw his No. 5 retired by the Red Wings in 2014.
The Red Wings, under Yzerman, have undergone a massive rebuild and are now focused on taking the next step. After a nice start this season it appears as though they are falling out of the playoff race again, but there is more than enough to get excited about in Detroit. For a young player like Moritz Seider–or even 2021 draft pick Simon Edvinsson–there is arguably no better role model than Lidstrom to be around and influenced by.
Yzerman and Lidstrom are certainly not alone in terms of ex-Red Wings. Pat Verbeek (assistant GM), Niklas Kronwall (European player development), Jiri Fischer (associate director of player personnel), Dan Cleary (assistant director of player development), Mark Howe (director of pro scouting), Kris Draper (director of amateur scouting), Kirk Maltby (pro scout), and others are all members of the organization, bringing a wealth of playing experience to the front office.
Jaccob Slavin Placed In COVID Protocol
Perhaps it’s a good thing that their game against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight was canceled. The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that Jaccob Slavin is now in the COVID protocol, meaning he would have missed the game anyway. Slavin is the only Hurricanes player on the protocol at the moment, as though Brendan Smith hasn’t played since the middle of December, he returned to practice before the new year.
If there’s one player you wouldn’t want to take out of the Hurricanes lineup it’s probably Slavin, who has truly been a do-it-all star for the team this season. The 27-year-old defenseman has 18 points in 33 games, is averaging nearly 24 minutes a night, and leads all NHL players in short-handed ice time. In fact, his 129:13 is nearly 12 minutes ahead of the second-place Ryan McDonagh‘s 117:55, showing just how important he is to the Hurricanes’ penalty-killing effort.
With tonight’s game postponed, the Hurricanes will next take the ice on Thursday for a match with the Columbus Blue Jackets. If Slavin has tested positive, he’ll miss that game and Saturday’s match against the Vancouver Canucks at a minimum. He could potentially return for next week’s game against Boston, but that is still dependant on him testing out of the protocol in the meantime.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Islanders, Blackhawks Announce More COVID Placements
The New York Islanders will not have Barry Trotz behind the bench when the team takes on the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, as the head coach has been placed in the COVID protocol. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there as Ryan Pulock has also found his way to the protocol today despite being injured.
Pulock hasn’t played since the middle of November as he deals with a lower-body injury, but now won’t even be able to get on the ice to rehab for the next little while. The loss of the 27-year-old defenseman has been one of the biggest problems for the Islanders this season. After receiving Norris Trophy votes and Olympic consideration, Pulock has played in just 12 games so far.
The COVID announcements don’t end there. The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Jake McCabe and head athletic trainer Mike Gapski in the protocol, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. Jakub Galvas has been recalled from the taxi squad to take McCabe’s place and could be making his NHL debut should he get into the lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Galvas, 22, is in his first year of North American hockey after several years in Czechia and Finland. Through 20 games with the Rockford IceHogs, the fifth-round pick has six points but has shown enough to earn this recall to the NHL squad. While perhaps not a full-time solution at this point, filling in for a few days while McCabe goes through his isolation period shouldn’t be an issue.
Flyers Notes: Cancelation, Giroux, Brown, Hextall
The late-night cancelation of today’s Philadelphia Flyers-Carolina Hurricanes game is raising eyebrows all across the league, especially after the Flyers took the ice today for practice. The team seemingly has enough players to continue their season, even if several key ones would be missing tonight’s game. In an email to Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now, deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote that the decision to postpone was “based on totality of circumstances” and that the league stands by it.
A bit later, the Flyers announced that Rasmus Ristolainen has been added to the COVID protocol. Perhaps his test is what predicated the postponement, as the league has always tried to contain spreading outbreaks.
More from Flyers practice:
- Claude Giroux has exited the COVID protocol and rejoined practice today, skating for the first time since isolating a week ago. The Flyers captain is still leading the club in scoring with 29 points in 32 games despite the recent time off and is putting up a strong case for a new contract in the offseason. While his days in Philadelphia seem numbered if only because of the lack of team success the group has had, Giroux is proving to be a top offensive player in the league. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, he’ll turn 34 tomorrow.
- The Flyers will be without Patrick Brown for the next month after he suffered an MCL sprain in Saturday’s game. The 29-year-old center has four points in 20 games this season but was a necessary option with so many others out with injury. Brown, who was claimed on waivers at the beginning of the season, is in the first season of a two-year deal that pays him the league minimum of $750K.
- On the latest edition of the Cam and Strick Podcast, Flyers’ legend Bobby Clarke discusses Ron Hextall‘s time as the Philadelphia general manager and specifically confirms that the team’s scouts wanted to select Cale Makar over Nolan Patrick with the second overall pick in 2017. Makar ended up going fourth to the Colorado Avalanche after the Dallas Stars took Miro Heiskanen third overall.