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Morning Notes: Blackwood, Crosby, Maple Leafs

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One of the interesting storylines to follow when it comes to potential Olympic participation was the goaltending competition for Team Canada. The long list had six names, including Carey Price, but it’s not at all clear who will actually be selected for the final roster. Mackenzie Blackwood was one of those listed, but his status was up in the air because to participate at the Olympics, a player needs to be fully vaccinated. To this point, Blackwood had declined the COVID-19 vaccination.

That has changed now, as Mike Morreale of NHL.com confirms Blackwood received his first shot at the end of last week and is on track to be fully vaccinated before the New Jersey Devils take their first road trip to Canada in early December. Blackwood will now be eligible to play for Team Canada as well, should he be one of the goaltenders selected.

  • Sidney Crosby was back practicing with the main group after some more individual work today, as the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to roll without their captain. The veteran forward is inching toward a return, though it’s not clear yet if he’ll be ready for tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jeff Carter and Kris Letang, who are in the COVID protocol, were both absent, while Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust skated before practice.
  • After an embarrassing loss to the Penguins over the weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs have overhauled their lines according to Mark Masters of TSN, splitting up Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The team also had injured goaltender Petr Mrazek on the ice with the main group, as he works his way back from a groin injury. The Maple Leafs haven’t scored more than three goals in a single game yet this season, and have just 12 total in six games.

Max Pacioretty Moved To Long-Term Injured Reserve

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The Vegas Golden Knights have opened up a little bit of cap flexibility, but it comes at the cost of a top forward. According to CapFriendly, Max Pacioretty has been moved to long-term injured reserve after originally being placed on normal injured reserve after suffering a lower-body fracture earlier this month.

That means Pacioretty will be out at least ten games and 24 days, but also adds an additional $7MM to the team’s long-term relief pool. Previously, the team  Alex Tuch and Jake Bischoff on LTIR creating $5.47MM in relief, almost all of which had been used up. The Golden Knights wouldn’t have had enough space left to even recall a 23rd player, but now can operate freely with Pacioretty moved to LTIR, bringing up an extra player, or acquiring someone through trade.

Still, it guarantees that they’ll be without a top offensive option for the next little while. Pacioretty led all Golden Knights in goals last season with 24 and scored twice in his season debut this year. Vegas has had trouble scoring in his absence and were even shut out last night by the New York Islanders. The team now finds themselves last in the Pacific Division with a 1-4 record, certainly not what anyone expected.

Colton White Clears Waivers

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Saturday: White has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.  No one was placed on waivers today.

Friday: With Ty Smith set to come off injured reserve this weekend, the New Jersey Devils have placed Colton White on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

White, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2015 that has never been able to establish himself as anything more than an injury call-up. He’s played a handful of games in each of the last four seasons, including two early on for New Jersey this year. Averaging just over 12 minutes a night in those games, his play was adequate for the role he was in. White even recorded a point–the first of his career–on a Jimmy Vesey goal a few nights ago.

There seems little risk of him being claimed, given the acquiring team would need to keep him in the NHL, but even if he does the Devils have some other options to fill that depth role. Already they were carrying eight defensemen after claiming Mason Geertsen earlier this month, though they’ve been using him as a forward through the early part of the season. Should White clear, he’ll likely return at some point this year if the team deals with any other injuries on the blue line.

Seattle “On The Radar” For Outdoor Game

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The Seattle Kraken haven’t even played a game at their home rink yet, but there may be plans forming for them to host a different kind of event. Chris Daniels of KING 5 reports that Gary Bettman said today Seattle is “on the radar” for an outdoor game. Bettman was speaking at the Climate Pledge Arena opening event, where the Kraken will host the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night for the first home game in franchise history.

The Vegas Golden Knights, the most recent expansion team prior to the Kraken, had to wait a few years before gracing the outdoor circuit. They battled the Colorado Avalanche at the first “NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe” earlier this year, an event that didn’t go very smoothly once the sun came out and started making playing conditions dangerous.

Still, the overall neutral location idea was well received and there are likely more games like that in the works for the future. This year, the schedule currently has three outdoor games confirmed. January 1 in Minneapolis, when the Wild will host the Blues at the Winter Classic, February 26 in Nashville where the Predators will host the Lightning in the Stadium Series, and March 13 in Hamilton when the Sabres will “host” the Maple Leafs in the Heritage Classic.

While the shine of an outdoor game may have dulled for some fans, players, coaches and team staff routinely marvel at the experience and speak about how unforgettable it is. The events have also been successful financial hits for the league, both in-person and via broadcast. While Seattle is just getting their feet wet in the NHL, you can bet they’ll be on the outdoor lineup before long.

Max Jones To Undergo Surgery

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The Anaheim Ducks could be without Max Jones for the rest of the season, as the young forward will undergo surgery to repair a torn pectoralis major tendon next Wednesday and is facing a recovery timeline of four to six months. GM Bob Murray released a short statement:

It’s a tough blow for Max as he made strides last season and was heading in the right direction this year as well. We hope to have him back this year and at full strength.

Four months would have Jones returning near the end of February, but that potential six-month timeline could keep him out basically the whole season. It’s a brutal situation for the 23-year-old first-round pick, who has had trouble establishing himself at the NHL level but had arguably his best stretch of hockey at the end of last season. He ended the year with seven goals and 11 points in 46 games, reaching 100 hits for the first time and leaning into his role in the bottom-six.

Now, with several months of rehab ahead of him, Jones not only will have to work back to that level but also runs the risk of falling further down the depth chart. In his favor is the three-year deal he signed in August, which carries a cap hit of $1.295MM and keeps him under contract through the 2023-24 season, though even that is going to seem expensive if he can’t keep himself healthy enough to contribute. For now, he’ll sit on injured reserve and watch the Ducks as they try to stay competitive this season.

Ottawa Senators Looking For Top-Nine Forward

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The Ottawa Senators got their best player back in the lineup last night, as Brady Tkachuk made his season debut after a long contract negotiation came to an end. He ended up playing 19:39 in his first game back, racking up six hits, three shots, a block, and an assist on the team’s only goal. The Senators dropped the game to the San Jose Sharks but still look like a team that will be much more competitive this season.

That’s despite a few injuries, including one last night to youngster Shane Pinto. The rookie won’t play Saturday, so the team is down another center option as they try to navigate the early part of the season without Colin White or Clark Bishop. Even before the game though, the Senators were looking to add a forward. Chris Johnston explained exactly what they’re after on TSN’s Insider Trading:

They would like help down the middle, I think they would even take some help on the wing if that’s what it takes to get this done. They’re looking to add a player to their top-nine who can produce a little offensively, help out their group in that regard. 

As for what they might give up, they have 11 draft picks in the upcoming draft plus some prospects, so I think Pierre Dorion is open and shopping, trying to add to his team. 

Available players like Dylan Strome and Vitali Kravtsov may fit that bill, though Johnston did not link either one to the Senators. As he touched on, Dorion and the rest of the Ottawa front office could likely get anyone they want given the amount of draft capital they’ve built up over the last few years. Not only does the team already have several top picks in place, but those 11 selections this season would be an easy start for any trade negotiations. Six of them are in the first three rounds, meaning they wouldn’t be taking themselves out of the picture at next year’s draft by moving one or two.

There is also the situation regarding Erik Brannstrom, who has been the center of trade speculation for some time now. The 22-year-old defenseman finds himself in the minor leagues still two and a half years after being the centerpiece of the Mark Stone deal. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but not enough consistency for the Senators coaching staff to trust him to this point. If the team moves on some forward help, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Brannstrom involved in the deal.

Tampa Bay Lightning Claim Alex Barre-Boulet

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The Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to bring back one of their own. The team has claimed Alex Barre-Boulet off waivers from the Seattle Kraken. If they were the only team to submit a claim, they can assign the young forward directly to the AHL as if he cleared.

It certainly made sense for the Lightning to reclaim the 24-year-old Barre-Boulet, given what has happened since he was claimed by the Kraken earlier this month. While he was skating in two games for Seattle, the Lightning lost Nikita Kucherov from the lineup with an injury. By placing Kucherov on long-term injured reserve, Tampa Bay now has cap space and a roster spot to keep Barre-Boulet up if they choose.

It’s basically the best scenario possible for the Lightning. Not only did they reclaim a valuable asset, but Barre-Boulet was able to keep in game shape by suiting up twice for the Kraken. He even recorded a point, despite averaging fewer than nine minutes of ice time. That’s nothing new for the undrafted forward, who has been essentially a point-per-game producer at the minor league level for several seasons. In terms of depth forwards to plug into the lineup, the Lightning certainly could do worse.

Latest On Dylan Strome

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After being a healthy scratch the first few games of the season, Dylan Strome got back into the Chicago Blackhawks lineup last night. Head coach Jeremy Colliton said after the game that Strome worked hard, but the young forward still found himself skating lower and lower in the lineup throughout the game. He ended up playing 13:12, ninth among Chicago forwards in another loss. The Blackhawks have not held a lead through any of their first five games and have been outscored 21-9 so far.

It’s easy to see why Strome is the subject of much speculation these days, given his current role on the team and cap hit. The Blackhawks are using $3MM of their precious cap space on a player who has been a healthy scratch for the first several games, not exactly the best use of assets. So a trade seems the most likely outcome, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet included his opinion on the latest 32 Thoughts:

I think there is a certain price that they’re looking for. This is a little bit of guessing on my part just based on the conversations I’ve had. I think they’re looking for as high a draft pick as they can get. I’m not talking about a first-rounder, but probably as close to that as they can get. I just don’t think at this point in time anybody’s there. 

Strome, 24, would be heading to his third team if he is traded, after originally starting his career with the Arizona Coyotes. Selected third overall in 2015 after Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel (just ahead of Mitch Marner), he has been one of the most inconsistent talents in the league over the last few years. A 20-goal, 57-point player in 2018-19, Strome looked like he would be a core piece in Chicago for a long time. But a 38-point effort followed that, and last season brought just nine goals and 17 points as he basically played himself out of the Blackhawks plans entirely.

Still, with his relative youth and obvious upside, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see someone take another shot on Strome. One thing that could make them hesitate though is the fact that his contract is structured in such a way that he will be owed a $3.6MM qualifying offer next offseason, a price some may not want to pay. He’s also eligible for salary arbitration, and does have some interesting point totals that he could present in the hearing. Those factors could make many teams essentially see him as a pending unrestricted free agent, should they not want to qualify him at that level. The trade price in that case wouldn’t be as high, and could even turn some rebuilding clubs off altogether.

Jeff Carter, Tristan Jarry Placed In COVID Protocol

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Oct 22: Jarry was back at practice today for the Penguins, and Sullivan explained to Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his was a false positive. Carter is still asymptomatic, but continues to be in the protocol and away from the team.

Oct 21: The Pittsburgh Penguins have a couple more unexpected absences, as Jeff Carter and Tristan Jarry have been put in the COVID protocol. According to head coach Mike Sullivan, who spoke with reporters including Wes Crosby of NHL.com, Carter has tested positive. Both players are currently asymptomatic.

The Penguins have a few days before they have to play, giving time for either or both to post negative tests and get them out of the protocol. The team will travel to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, as they try to continue what has been a relatively successful start. Pittsburgh has still yet to lose in regulation, drawing six of a possible eight points through their first four games. That’s good enough for first in the Metropolitan Division so far.

If Carter is out that night, the team will be without their top three centers as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will also be unable to participate. Though Crosby is getting closer, Sullivan confirmed that he would not play on Saturday night. The team is also without Bryan Rust, meaning it’ll be a very different lineup than expected when the Maple Leafs faceoff against the Penguins for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Cal Foote Assigned To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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The Tampa Bay Lightning could be getting a young defenseman back in the coming days, as Cal Foote was assigned to the AHL on a conditioning stint. Foote is recovering from offseason finger surgery and will be able to get up to speed with the Syracuse Crunch.

Foote, 22, played in 35 games as a rookie last season for Tampa Bay, averaging fewer than 13 minutes a game. By the time the playoffs rolled around though and the Lightning had made some in-season additions, he found himself on the outside looking in and failed to suit up for a single postseason game.

Heading into this season it looked like Foote would be in line for a full-time spot, but after missing training camp and the first few games he’s lagged behind the bottom pairing of Jan Rutta and Zach Bogosian. Now that Bogosian is dealing with an injury of his own and Andrej Sustr of all people is in the lineup, there’s certainly a chance for Foote to grab hold of a spot if he can quickly move through the last stage of his rehab.

While the Lightning are once again operating in long-term injured reserve space, defense appears to be a place where they could make an improvement at some point this season. It’s up to Foote to make sure they don’t need to, by stepping into that bottom-pairing role and running away with it.

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