Max Domi Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
The hits keep coming for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team announced today that Max Domi underwent successful surgery to repair a labral tear of his right shoulder and has been given a recovery timeline of five to six months. The surgery was performed today in Colorado. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a short statement:
Max had been experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder, which he brought to our attention last week and a subsequent examination revealed a labral tear. It was determined that surgery was the best course of action and we look forward to Max’s return early next season.
As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic points out, this is the same surgery that Blue Jackets forward Gustav Nyquist underwent in November, causing him to miss the entire season. Domi will miss at least the first month of the 2021-22 campaign.
Domi, 26, was supposed to be an answer for Columbus down the middle when they acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens, but it certaintly didn’t work out in his first year as a Blue Jacket. Things quickly deteriorated between Domi and head coach John Tortorealla, who obviously didn’t trust him in the middle of the ice or in the defensive zone. Only three forwards—Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and Cam Atkinson—started a lower percentage of their shifts in the defensive zone and Domi ended up taking fewer than 400 draws on the year, his lowest total since 2016-17.
Tortorella certainly wasn’t the first coach to question whether Domi could handle the defensive responsibility that the center ice positon brings, but it will continue to be an issue for whoever replaces him behind the Columbus bench. The team traded away Pierre-Luc Dubois early in the year and then moved Nick Foligno and Riley Nash at the deadline. While a return to Columbus for Foligno seems like a plausible outcome this summer, even he isn’t a true center. The team doesn’t have a ton of options down the middle, so when Domi does eventually return, he may get another chance to take that role for the team.
Of course, given Domi is set to hit unrestricted free agency after next season, he’ll be motivated to show potential suitors what he can do. He also is another trade candidate for that reason, though the injury complicates things. The Blue Jackets seemingly have several hard decisions to make this summer on who will be the core moving forward.
Latest On Buffalo Sabres Coaching Search
The Buffalo Sabres are searching far and wide for their next head coach, bringing in candidates from all over the hockey world. That includes, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, Rikard Gronborg of the Zurich Lions. Gronborg has already interviewed for the position according to Dreger.
This is not the first time that Gronborg’s name has been connected to an NHL coaching search, but to this point, the 52-year-old has remained overseas. Serving as a staff member for the Swedish national team for more than a decade, Gronborg has almost countless international medals including Olympic silver as an assistant in 2014. He won the World Championship gold as head coach in 2017 and 2018 and has been leading the powerhouse Zurich team for the last three seasons.
In NHL history there have been only two European-born and trained head coaches, meaning Gronborg would be breaking new ground should he land the gig in Buffalo. It would certainly be an outside-the-box move for an organization desperate for answers, but he wouldn’t be coming in completely blind. Remember, Sabres franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is very familiar with Gronborg from his time with the national program for Sweden, including time together at the 2018 Olympics.
Still, with so much pressure on Buffalo to turn things around, going with a rookie head coach may not be the best idea. The team has not been able to find any sort of stability or consistency over the last several years, switching coaches and managers as quickly as players. Gronborg is just one of many candidates considered for the role, including interim head coach Don Granato.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
2020-21 King Clancy Trophy Finalists Announced
The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2021 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.
Each team nominated one player for the award, but the finalists are Kurtis Gabriel of the San Jose Sharks, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, and P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils.
The selection committee, led by Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, consider the following criteria:
- Clear and measurable positive impact on the community
- Investment of time and resources
- Commitment to a particular cause or community
- Commitment to the League’s community initiatives
- Creativity of programming
- Use of influence; engagement of others
Mark Scheifele Suspended Four Games
June 4: Speaking with the media today, Scheifele explained that though he had the option to appeal, he has decided not to.
June 3: The Department of Player Safety has reached a verdict in the case of Mark Scheifele, handing out a four-game suspension to the Winnipeg Jets forward. Scheifele will miss games two through five of the Jets’ second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens with his team already down 1-0.
As the accompanying video explains:
Scheifele, moving with excessive momentum gained from travelling a considerable distance, finishes his check violently and with excessive force into Evans, making significant head contact in the process and causing an injury.
The league also acknowledged Scheifele’s argument that the distance was travelled with the idea of trying to break up Jake Evans‘ empty-net goal attempt but felt that him not attempting to make a play on the puck meant that he was conceding the goal, leading to the following:
Instead, it is apparent to our department that his intention on this play is to deliver a hard, violent check to an opponent with the outcome of both the play and the game already having been decided. In short, this is a player who has travelled a considerable distance, is moving with exceptional speed, and is fully aware of his momentum who chooses to charge into a vulnerable opponent with a high, predatory hit that causes an injury.
The incident occurred at the very end of the game as Evans scored a game-clinching empty-net goal, and resulted in the Canadiens’ forward lying on the ice unconscious. Evans was eventually stretchered off the ice but did not require hospitalization. According to Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme, the young forward (who turned 25 last night) suffered a concussion but is recovering.
For Scheifele, it means that he will miss a good chunk of this series should the Jets fail to come out victorious without their star center. Now 28, he recorded his fifth consecutive point-per-game campaign in 2020-21, scoring 63 in 56 during the regular season. In the first-round sweep against the Edmonton Oilers, Scheifele recorded five points but was kept completely off the board by Phillip Danault and company last night.
He received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit on Evans and also did not have a history of supplementary discipline. Still, he’ll now miss four games in the North Division deciding series.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the suspension.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Pontus Holmberg
The SHL playoff MVP has an NHL deal. Pontus Holmberg has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal will kick in for next season, but Holmberg will be loaned back to Vaxjo in Sweden for 2021-22.
Holmberg, 22, was a sixth-round pick by the Maple Leafs in 2018 after he had played just two games at the SHL level. Just a few years later he was raising the championship trophy over his head after posting 14 points in 14 postseason games with Vaxjo. Playoff MVP, league champion, and Swedish forward of the year, it’s been quite a ride for Holmberg this season.
The next step will be taking that playoff dominance and bringing it on a consistent basis in the regular season. Holmberg had just nine goals and 23 points in 45 games during the regular season, well behind other prospects on his team like Jack Drury. If he is ever going to make an impact for the Maple Leafs, he’ll need to bring that offensive presence night in and night out.
Still, for Toronto, signing whatever prospects you can is key at this point. The team went out early again in this year’s playoffs despite loading up at the deadline and now have just three selections (2nd, 5th, and 6th rounders) in the upcoming draft.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 06/03/21
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 06/03/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in the COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:
Colorado – Jayson Megna
Vegas – Brayden McNabb
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: None
Another day and no changes for the Avalanche and Golden Knights, who are still without Megna and McNabb. The Golden Knights are headed home down 2-0 in the series after Mikko Rantanen‘s overtime winner and still don’t have McNabb available to them. The two teams face off tomorrow, so technically there is still time for him to come off the list and participate, but after being shelved for ten days it seems unlikely he would be ready to step back into the lineup against the speedy Colorado unit.
New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Nils Lundkvist
The New York Rangers already have a group of impressive young defenders, but add one name to the list. Nils Lundkvist has agreed to terms on his three-year entry-level contract. The 2018 first-round pick recently finished his fourth season with Lulea HF of the SHL and is with Sweden at the World Championship.
Lundkvist, 20, put up 32 points in 52 games this season, including 14 goals to lead all SHL defensemen. That impressive offensive output, when added to improving defensive play and excellent puck-moving ability landed him the league’s Defenseman of the Year award. All the accolades in the world don’t make Lundkvist a sure-fire NHL talent, but the 28th overall pick from 2018 has done nothing to indicate that he won’t quickly adapt to the North American game and be a difference-maker for the Rangers.
He’ll join a group that already includes Adam Fox (23), Ryan Lindgren (23), K’Andre Miller (21), and Zachary Jones (20) that are all under contract for next season, not to mention other young talents like Libor Hajek and Tarmo Reunanen. Matthew Robertson and Braden Schneider, two other high picks are signed and in the organization, while 27-year-old Jacob Trouba is still signed for another five years. It’s pretty impressive stuff from the Rangers, who despite missing the playoffs this season still have a very bright future.
Not only is Lundkvist an exceptional offensive talent, but he’s also right-handed, giving the team a little more balance among that young group. New GM Chris Drury can now decide whether or not to bring him along in the NHL next season or play it more slowly, giving him a chance to get his feet wet in the minor leagues. Of course, there may be other drastic changes that the new front office implements, meaning that decision certainly doesn’t have to be made today.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Samuel Ersson
The Philadelphia Flyers have added some more goaltending depth to the organization, signing Samuel Ersson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young netminder is coming off a strong year with Brynas in the SHL. Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr released a short statement:
We’re excited to get Samuel under contract with the Flyers. He’s steadily progressed since his draft year and has had success in junior, the SHL and at the International level. We look forward to watching his continued development as he makes the transition to North America.
Ersson, 21, was the team’s fifth-round pick in 2018, 143rd overall. At that point, he had played just a single game at the SHL level but had dominated at the junior level in Sweden and put up strong performances internationally. The next season he would take his game to the Allsvenskan (second tier) and post a .933 save percentage in 36 appearances, winning Goaltender of the Year and MVP. After an up-and-down transition to the SHL in 2019-20, Ersson was back with a vengeance this season, posting a .911 in 46 regular season appearances and then a .949 in the relegation round.
There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to the 6’2″ netminder, even if Philadelphia already has their young star netminder in Carter Hart. Ersson’s development path has been downright perfect to this point and the next step is proving his talent on North American ice. He’ll likely get that chance next season, but even if there is a hiccup at first, he has proven he’ll continue to work in order to raise his performance.
Emile Poirier Signs In KHL
In the 2013 draft, the Calgary Flames had three selections in the first round and a chance to really build a core for the organization. With the sixth pick, they hit, landing Sean Monahan, a franchise center and a staple of their first line for years to come. But the other two picks, Emile Poirier and Morgan Klimchuk weren’t quite as successful. The two have combined for just nine NHL games to this point (the two lowest totals of the entire round) and the former isn’t even playing in North America anymore.
Poirier, 26, spent this season with HC Kosice of the Slovakian league and has now signed a contract with Dinamo Riga in the KHL for the 2021-22 campaign. After spending several seasons in the Flames organization, the first-round pick went unqualified in 2018 and was forced to sign an AHL deal. Two relatively unsuccessful years with the Manitoba Moose later and he was off to Europe to see if he could get his career back on track.
He did find success in Slovakia though, scoring 17 points in 18 games and adding another handful in the postseason. Moving to the KHL will test Poirier even further and perhaps give him a springboard for a return to North America if he can perform well in 2021-22. There is certainly plenty of time left for the 26-year-old to earn a new deal in the AHL or even perhaps turn himself into a depth option with a bit of bite. Poirier never was afraid to drop the gloves, with fighting majors in almost every year of his pro career. For at least 2021-22, he will ply his trade in the KHL.