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Latest On Jack Eichel

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The Jack Eichel situation continues to drag on with no resolution one way or the other. The injured forward failed his physical last week and was stripped of the Buffalo Sabres captaincy, but he’s still not moving forward on either surgery that would potentially get him playing again at some point this season. There has been almost no information coming out of the Sabres camp on what they intend to do with Eichel (other than move him to injured reserve, where he is now listed), but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes enough is enough. On his latest 31 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggests it is time for the league to step in:

I think the NHL has to step in, I do. I understand that the NHL wants to protect the rules of the CBA, I get that. But at the end of the day I don’t think that it is a good look for your league when you have a star player like this and a team that can’t agree on this. This player, who is a star player who can drive a franchise, is in some way held back from playing because they can’t agree on a surgery. 

I think this is one thing that the NHL can do. If Jack Eichel agrees–and I think Jack Eichel would agree–everyone should be able to see his medicals. St. Louis and Tarasenko, anyone could have seen the medicals. If anyone has seen [Eichel’s] medicals aside from the Sabres, I don’t know it.

Friedman, like other reporters who have been following this story, can’t confidently confirm that no other team has seen any of Eichel’s medicals, but the shroud surrounding them is still making this an extremely difficult situation to resolve. It’s hard to trade a player making $10MM even when healthy, but the lack of information certainly makes this one seem impossible. Co-host Jeff Marek suggests that with opening day coming in short order, we could already be approaching a lost season for Eichel given the impasse the two sides have reached.

One other thing that Friedman mentions is the possibility of a tolled contract, meaning that this year wouldn’t count if Eichel sits out the year under a team suspension. It would mean his contract would be extended through the 2026-27 season, though that outcome does not seem likely at this point.

A few days ago, Nick Kypreos of Line Movement tweeted that Eichel had made it clear he would go anywhere, though he doesn’t have control over that anyway. His no-movement clause does not come into play until the fifth year of his contract. Kypreos added that at least one of the interested teams would want the Sabres to add conditions to any draft picks involved, based on his games played and scoring totals after surgery.

The Sabres start the regular season on October 14, and it is not at all clear whether this situation will be resolved by then.

Ridly Greig Suspended One Preseason, One Regular Season Game

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Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig has been suspended one preseason game and one regular season game for his cross-check on Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is not a case of inadvertant contact that can occur when a player reflexively pulls his stick up in a defensive motion, when bracing for unexpected contact. Greig sees Dubois coming, and decides to both elevate his stick and extend it outward, making direct and forceful contact with Dubois’ head. Greig’s forceful actions with his stick make him the aggressor on this play, and merit supplemental discipline. 

Greig, 19, is not guaranteed to make the Senators this season, meaning the regular season game could have to wait a while. If loaned back to junior before the season begins, that game will be waiting for whenever he does make his NHL debut. The Senators could, however, keep him on the roster through the first game of this season and then send him back, though it would cost them one of their 23 spots on opening day and potentially cause a roster crunch elsewhere.

This is not the first time Greig has faced a suspension in his hockey career, though this is the first one that is on his NHL record. That’s not a great way to start, as this incident will now be used to determine any future supplementary discipline.

Key Dates Announced For 2021-22 Season

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The NHL has set in stone various key dates for the upcoming season, as several reporters including Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star tweeted the list nearly simultaneously. It includes this year’s trade deadline, which will be significantly pushed back because of the Olympic break in February. The deadline will be March 21 this season. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff includes the full list:

  • March 21: Trade deadline
  • April 29: Last day of regular season
  • May 2: First day of Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • June 30: Last possible day of Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • July 1: First buyout period opens
  • July 2: Deadline for first club-elected salary arbitration notification
  • July 7-8: 2022 NHL Draft
  • July 11: Deadline for qualifying offers
  • July 12: First buyout period ends; club’s ability to sign own pending UFA to eight-year contract expires
  • July 13: Free agency opens
  • July 17: Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration notification; commencement of second club-elected salary arbitration notification period
  • July 18: Deadline for club-elected salary arbitration notification
  • July 22: Qualifying offers expire
  • July 27: First day of salary arbitration hearings
  • August 11: Last day of salary arbitration hearings

As PuckPedia points out on Twitter, the deadline is 40 days from the end of the regular season, meaning that players acquired will carry 20% of their cap, a number slightly smaller than the normal 22%. While the result of that small change won’t be seen for several months, it could potentially allow playoff teams to load up even further at the deadline by accruing cap space throughout the first part of the year.

These dates confirm what was reported earlier this month, that the NHL Draft in Montreal will start on a Thursday in July, several weeks after it would take place in a normal year. Free agency is now nearly two weeks after its normal date, meaning the offseason will be condensed once again.

Seravalli also notes that though taxi squads are not in place right now, the league and NHLPA have discussed the potential of bringing them back should they be deemed necessary at some point during the season.

Snapshots: Lundqvist, Caufield, Popugaev

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Immediately after Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement last month, the New York Rangers confirmed that they would be retiring his number. They’ve now announced that on January 28, 2022, his No. 30 will be raised to the rafters and never worn again. Lundqvist is the franchise leader among goaltenders in games played, wins, saves, and save percentage (among those with at least 60 appearances).

He will become the 11th player to have his number retired by the team, joining Ed Giacomin (1), Brian Leetch (2), Harry Howell (3), Rod Gilbert (7), Andy Bathgate (9), Adam Graves (9), Mark Messier (11), Vic Hadfield (11), Jean Ratelle (19) and Mike Richter (35).

  • The Montreal Canadiens have confirmed that young star Cole Caufield will be out for a week with an upper-body injury suffered over the weekend. The 20-year-old played against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and then was pulled from the warmup for an intrasquad game on Sunday. With how important he is going to be for the team this year, keeping him healthy to start the season is extremely important for the Canadiens.
  • It appears as though former New Jersey Devils prospect Nikita Popugaev has ended his hockey career, listing himself as an “ex hockey player” on Instagram. Popugaev was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2017, but never signed with the team and spent last season in the KHL. Though his rights are technically retained indefinitely by the Devils, it appears as though the 22-year-old will no longer be pursuing his career on the ice.

Sami Vatanen Signs In Switzerland

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Just a few years ago, Sami Vatanen was one of the NHL’s most consistent two-way defensemen, logging up to 22 minutes a night and recording strong offensive numbers. Now, the 30-year-old veteran failed to sign a contract in the offseason and instead is taking his talents overseas. Vatanen has signed with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland for 2021-22.

Only a few months into his thirties, this is a shocking development for the former Anaheim Ducks defenseman. In his first four seasons, Vatanen produced 120 points in 257 games and averaged nearly 21 minutes a night for the Ducks, forming part of a formidable young group alongside the likes of Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler. Those young defensemen were so good that Anaheim considered then-prospect Shea Theodore expendable, sending him to the Vegas Golden Knights in order for them to assume Clayton Stoner’s contract in the expansion draft.

A few years later and not only is Vatanen no longer in Anaheim, but he’s also not even in the NHL. In 2020-21 he played 39 games, split between the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars, switching teams in April after being claimed off waivers. He had just six points in those 39 games and averaged 17 minutes. night, easily his lowest total since an eight-game stint in 2012-13.

It seems unlikely that there was no interest at all in the veteran defenseman, but perhaps Vatanen just couldn’t find a landing spot that was offering a substantial role in the NHL. He’ll be able to try to get his game back on track overseas and should be considered a potential free agent signing again next year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Zach Aston-Reese Tests Positive For COVID

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Zach Aston-Reese for a while after he tested positive for COVID-19. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Josh Yohe of The Athletic that Aston-Reese will enter the league’s protocol.

With the Penguins already missing their two best forwards, losing Aston-Reese for any length of time is certainly not ideal. The team re-signed the 27-year-old forward to a one-year, $1.75MM contract this summer as a valuable, versatile option that has experience playing all over the lineup. While he should be out of the protocols before the season begins, this obviously complicates his status.

This, like the recent absences of Kevin Lankinen and Mike Hardman in Chicago, is another reminder that this season will not be completely back to normal. Teams and players, even those who have achieved full vaccination status, could still face sudden absences based on testing results and will have to prepare accordingly. Having depth options at the ready will be extremely important, especially for a team like Pittsburgh that can’t afford to throw away any games in the competitive Metropolitan Division.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/27/21

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Training camp is still just a few days old, but teams continue to pare down their rosters. The waiver process doesn’t open until later this week, but junior and minor league players are already being sent away from the main group. As always, we’ll keep track of all of the cuts right here.

Buffalo Sabres (via press release)

F Josh Bloom (to Saginaw, OHL)
F Viljami Marjala (to Quebec, QMJHL)
F Olivier Nadeau (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via press release)

F Matej Kaslik (released from ATO to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
F Jack O’Brien (released from ATO to Portland, WHL)
D Miles Gendron (released from PTO to AHL training camp)
D Rob Hamilton (released from PTO to AHL training camp)
F Benjamin Tardif (released from PTO to AHL training camp)

Nashville Predators (via press release)

F Zachary L’Heureux (to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Jack Matier (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Luke Prokop (to Calgary, WHL)

New York Rangers (via team Twitter)

F Matt Rempe (to Seattle, WHL)
F Karl Henriksson (to Frolunda, SHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)

G Leevi Merilainen (to Kingston, OHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

F Connor McClennon (to Winnipeg, WHL)
F Jon-Randall Avon (to Peterborough, OHL)
D Ethan Samson (to Prince George, WHL)

San Jose Sharks (via press release)

F Ethan Cardwell (to Barrie, OHL)
F Brandon Coe (to North Bay, OHL)
F Liam Gilmartin (to London, OHL)
F Danil Gushchin (to Niagara, OHL)
F Max McCue (to London, OHL)
D Gannon Laroque (to Victoria, OHL)
G Benjamin Gaudreau (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Zach Gallant (to AHL training camp)
F Dillon Hamaliuk (to AHL training camp)
F Timur Ibragimov (to AHL training camp)
F Jacob McGrew (to AHL training camp)
F Kyle Topping (to AHL training camp)
F Evan Weinger (to AHL training camp)
D Nick Cicek (to AHL training camp)
D Cole Moberg (to AHL training camp)
G Zachary Emond (to AHL training camp)
F Macauley Carson (released from ATO, to University of New Brunswick, USports)
D Jeremie Biakabutuka (released from ATO, to Rimouski, QMJHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic)

D Viktor Persson (to Kamloops, WHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (via press release)

F Marcus Kallionkieli (to Brandon, WHL)
F Jakub Brabenec (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
F Jakub Demek (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Daniil Chayka (to Guelph, OHL)
D Artur Cholach (to Barrie, OHL)
D Lukas Cormier (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
G Jesper Vikman (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Kaleb Pearson (released from ATO to University of PEI, USports)

This page will be updated throughout the day

Ridly Greig, Dylan McIlrath To Have Hearings With Department Of Player Safety

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The surest sign that NHL hockey is back is that the Department of Player Safety is hard at work. After the league saw preseason open this weekend, two players are already expected to receive suspensions. Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig and Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath will both receive hearings today for their plays over the weekend.

Greig’s incident happened partway through the second period of Ottawa’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, when he got his stick up in the face of Pierre-Luc Dubois. The result was a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, ending the prospect’s night a little early. Dubois had been skating toward him to attempt a hit, when Greig extended the shaft of his stick forcefully up and into the Jets’ forward’s head. With the new focus on cross-checking, the league is obviously not going to look the other way this season.

The 19-year-old Greig has received several stick-related suspensions in the WHL. In fact, twice previously he has been suspended in the first game of the junior season. A first-round pick in 2020 he also scored in Ottawa’s game, showing just how effective he can be if he manages to play on the right side of the line.

McIlrath meanwhile was ejected from the Capitals’ game against the Boston Bruins at the start of the third period for a head shot on Steven Fogarty. The match penalty results in an automatic review from the DoPS and will certainly result in a suspension. Given he hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2019-20 season there’s no guarantee he ever truly “misses time” in the NHL, but this isn’t totally unexpected from McIlrath. The 6’5″ defenseman was a high draft pick because of his physical style, but has struggled to fill anything other than a sort of pseudo-enforcer role at the NHL level. In his 66-game career, he has five points and 121 penalty minutes.

Montreal Canadiens Announce Several Injuries

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Saturday: Hoffman is expected to miss four weeks, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.  On that timeline, he will miss the first few games of the regular season.

Thursday: The Montreal Canadiens started their on-ice portion of training camp today, but they were a bit shorthanded. The team announced that Paul Byron, Mike Hoffman, Joel Teasdale, Josh Brook, and Carey Price all failed their physicals as they deal with various injuries. All five players are “most likely” out for the entire camp.

While the news about Price isn’t unexpected, the fact that Hoffman is going to miss all of camp came as a surprise to many after he signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract this offseason. The 31-year-old sniper is dealing with a lower-body injury and it is not clear if he will miss any of the season at this point.

Hoffman was signed to add a little more scoring punch to a group that finished 17th in goals for last season. They bid farewell to Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault, Corey Perry, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but should be getting a full season from young phenom Cole Caufield. One of the most consistent goal-scoring and powerplay threats in the league, Hoffman has scored 186 goals over the last seven seasons, including 17 in 52 games last year.

The Canadiens, who went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, will have a difficult path to the playoffs this year. The divisions are back to normal, meaning the Atlantic Division is packed with the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs, all teams that finished ahead of Montreal last season. Early injuries can be overcome, but they certainly won’t make things easier.

Florida Panthers Sign Justin Sourdif

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with Justin Sourdif on his three-year, entry-level contract. The young forward was one of the team’s 2020 draft selections and is at training camp with the team currently. The deal will carry a cap hit of $870K in the NHL according to CapFriendly. Panthers GM Bill Zito released a short statement on his newest player:

Justin is a dynamic forward who plays the game with speed and skill. He demonstrated his abilities as a playmaker in the WHL and we look forward to his development within our organization.

Sourdif, 19, was the 87th player selected last October, and spent this season back with his WHL Vancouver Giants. It was something of a breakout campaign for the right-handed forward, who scored 11 goals and 34 points in 22 games. That was the first time Sourdif had even been a point-per-game player at the junior level, signaling just how much of a jump he has made since his draft. He was even one of the players invited to Canada’s World Junior camp this summer, though the forward group for the upcoming tournament is going to be difficult to crack.

It’s not that a breakout was totally unforeseen. Sourdif had obvious talent, but his consistency wavered at times during the early part of his junior career. Despite just 54 points in 57 games during his draft year, he was still ranked 23rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Some even believed he could be a late first-round selection if a team fell in love with the offensive upside, though he eventually did fall to the third round. If the Panthers can develop that talent correctly, there’s a chance they could have an impact player on their hands. That is still several years down the road though, as Sourdif will return to the WHL this season to build on that shortened 2020-21 campaign.

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