Washington Capitals Extend Conor Sheary
The Washington Capitals have signed Conor Sheary to a two-year extension, keeping him in the organization after a strong season. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.5MM. Sheary is a pending unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year, $735K deal with the Capitals in late December.
It’s been a very interesting career for the 28-year-old winger. Undrafted despite dominating the Massachusetts prep scene, the 5’9″ forward went to UMass-Amherst and just never stopped scoring. In 138 NCAA games he scored 38 goals and 104 points, but was still overlooked and ended up signing an AHL deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate for the 2014-15 season. When he dominated the minor leagues, there was no overlooking him anymore. Sheary signed his entry-level deal with the Penguins in 2015 and quickly became a regular, impact player on a team that won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
Then, in 2018 he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres as part of a salary dump and basically forgotten, watching his production decline like so many others for the struggling franchise. By the time he reached unrestricted free agency again last offseason, the $3MM salary he had been earning seemed like a huge overpay. Enter the Capitals, who brought him in for just a little over the league minimum and guaranteed very little to the undersized forward. As Washington head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters including Tom Gulitti of NHL.com just today, Sheary has been an excellent addition to the team:
I think everybody really admires & respects the way he went about his work this year. He doesn’t make any noise. He just competes really hard out on the ice and put himself in a position where you want him out there a lot in different situations.
Whatever line he goes to, I think he helps make it a better line. Right now, he’s in a real good place with regard to his game and confidence and it shows by the way he’s playing.
With 11 goals and 19 points in 40 games, Sheary has been the ideal role player for the Capitals. The fact that he brings a wealth of playoff experience—61 games already in his five-season career to this point—only adds to the value he holds for Washington. The team obviously believes so as well, inking him to a reasonable multi-year extension well before he hits the open market.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke news of the contract on Twitter.
More to come…
Snapshots: Calgary Event Centre, Marlies, Canucks
The new arena development in Calgary has hit a snag, as Tom Ross of 660 News reports. Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation released a statement about budget issues:
At this early stage in the project, there is a difference in the current budget estimate and the program requirements for the facility. Given the significance and importance of the project, the parties have jointly agreed to pause the project team to allow time to resolve these challenges. The decision to take this pause is the responsible and prudent approach to ensure we find the best solutions to move the project forward successfully, without incurring any additional costs on the project while these discussions progress.
Construction on the new arena development was expected to begin in August after the city of Calgary and the Flames agreed to split the cost in 2019. Ross reports it was due to open in 2024, but does not speculate on what kind of delay this pause will cause. Eric Francis of Sportsnet offers some clarification from a source who says “the arena isn’t in jeopardy.” The Flames have been playing in the Saddledome (currently the Scotiabank Saddledome) since 1983.
- The Toronto Marlies have shut down their operations for the time being and three games have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Matches on April 15, 18 and 21 have been postponed, though no make-up dates have been determined at this point. The Marlies are 10-11-1 through the first 22 games of the season and have lost their last three. It is not yet clear if the entire minor league roster will be unavailable for call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs—as was the case during other AHL outbreaks this season—or if the protocol is just affecting a select few.
- The Vancouver Canucks are operating as though their season will resume later this week and today recalled two players from the AHL. Guillaume Brisebois and Arturs Silovs have been recalled to the taxi squad. The Canucks had 16 players still on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, though that number is expected to continue to decrease as players finish their mandated quarantine and test negative. The team is scheduled to play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Buffalo Sabres Hire Jason Karmanos
1:30pm: The Sabres have made it official, hiring Karmanos as associate general manager. The release indicates that Karmanos will serve as general manager of the Rochester Americans and also oversee the Sabres’ scouting, player development and analytics departments.
11:30am: The Buffalo Sabres are “finalizing the details” in the hiring of Jason Karmanos as associate general manager, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. John Buccigross of ESPN tweeted earlier today that he also expects Karmanos to join the Buffalo front office.
Son of former Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, Jason Karmanos has been involved in NHL front offices for more than two decades. He was part of the Hurricanes executive team from 1998 until 2013, then followed Jim Rutherford to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he served as vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager for six years. Karmanos was let go by the Penguins in October, just a few months before Rutherford would eventually resign from the GM position.
In Buffalo, he’ll join GM Kevyn Adams, a familiar face from the Carolina days. Adams was part of the 2006 Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup (though amazingly, he registered zero points in 25 postseason games that year) and played several years for the organization before ending his playing career in 2008. Karmanos has been linked to the Buffalo AGM job since he left the Penguins, but it appears that will now soon become official.
Dallas Stars Sign Joel Hanley
The Dallas Stars have rewarded one of their depth defensemen with a two-year contract extension, signing Joel Hanley through the 2022-23 season. Hanley was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer but has now inked a two-year, $1.5MM ($750K AAV) deal with the team he has spent the last three seasons with.
Hanley, 29, hadn’t come close to becoming a regular at the NHL level before recently, with just 46 games played through the end of the 2019-20 season. Then he played 12 times for the Stars in the postseason bubble and has returned as a semi-regular this season. In 24 games he has four points (all assists, as he still looks for his first career regular season goal) but has been a useful depth option for the Stars, eating around 12 minutes a game without issue.
That depth role isn’t likely to increase with this contract, but it does keep him in the organization as a valuable piece for just a little more than the league minimum. Should he play three more games this season, he’ll also fill the Stars exposure requirements for the upcoming expansion draft. Up until now, only Esa Lindell, John Klingberg, and Andrej Sekera had played enough games and were also signed through 2022, meaning at least one of them would have to be exposed to the Seattle Kraken. Signing Hanley gives the team a little bit more flexibility in that respect since Lindell and Klingberg are obvious choices for protection along with Miro Heiskanen.
While the deal may have some added expansion draft benefits, it’s really about how well Hanley has developed into a part-time NHL player. Undrafted, he spent four seasons at UMass-Amherst before grinding away in the minor leagues for years. A two-year deal is a nice reward for a player that has always been ready when his number was called.
Ben Bishop, Alexander Radulov Out For Season
The Dallas Stars will not get Ben Bishop or Alexander Radulov back this season, announcing that both are now focused on returning to full health for the 2021-22 campaign. Radulov will soon be undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury, while Bishop continues his rehabilitation and will not return this season.
Bishop, 34, hasn’t played at all this season, spending the year on long-term injured reserve after meniscus surgery in his right knee. That surgery happened in October and the hope was that he could be back in action by March. That obviously didn’t happen and now it is unclear when Bishop will be back in the crease at all for the Stars. The veteran goaltender has dealt with knee issues for a long time now but still does have two years left on his contract with the Stars. He’ll turn 35 in November.
Given that they never had Bishop in the first place, the update today on Radulov perhaps comes with a little more bite. The big winger last played for the team on March 18 and had 12 points through 11 appearances this season. A huge part of their offense, the 34-year-old Radulov has just one year remaining on his current contract and will now be facing a surgery that has often affected players’ performance long after the official rehab is complete.
In Radulov’s absence, some younger players have taken up residence at the top of the Stars points chart. Jason Robertson has been a revelation for the team, scoring 12 goals and 29 points in his rookie season. Roope Hintz has continued his development into a top-line player, and even Denis Gurianov–the ever-inconsistent forward–has still had flashes of brilliance. With Radulov missing most of the year and Tyler Seguin having yet to play a single game, it’s the new guard that will have to find a way to catch the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/14/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Kyle Capobianco from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad. The 23-year-old defenseman has bounced up and down the last several seasons but still has just 14 NHL games under his belt. In 18 matches with the Tucson Roadrunners this year, Capobianco has 12 points. Ivan Prosvetov has also been assigned to the taxi squad.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Jacob Middleton, Nicolas Meloche, and Jayden Halbgewachs from the AHL, sending Greg Pateryn back to the San Jose Barracuda in the process. The Sharks sent some of their depth players like Nick DeSimone, Antti Suomela, Fredrik Claesson, and Stefan Noesen away during the trade deadline, leaving room for some minor leaguers to get a bigger opportunity down the stretch.
North Division
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have re-assigned Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, and Matt Tomkins to the taxi squad, as both Adam Boqvist and Calvin de Haan are both missing practice due to injury. Beaudin, 21, has 10 points in nine games with the Rockford IceHogs and will likely soon be a staple on the Chicago blue line.
- Philip Tomasino, one of the Nashville Predators’ top prospects, was recalled to the team’s taxi squad today from the minor leagues. The 19-year-old forward has 20 points in 18 games for the Chicago Wolves in his first year of professional hockey. Tommy Novak has been returned to the AHL in his place.
East Division
This page will be updated throughout the day
Colorado Avalanche Cancel Morning Skate Due To Positive COVID Test
The Colorado Avalanche have canceled their morning skate today after a positive result in their COVID-19 testing yesterday. The person is isolating and the rest of the tests have all returned negative, meaning the game against the St. Louis Blues this evening is still currently scheduled as planned.
As Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reported last night, the Avalanche players were vaccinated on Monday. Peter Baugh of The Athletic tweets that Colorado head coach Jared Bednar revealed on the radio that some players are also feeling fatigued because of this. The team already had Bowen Byram in the COVID protocol after a positive test last week, and now seem likely to be missing at least one more player when they take on the Blues this evening.
In addition to Byram and the other player who tested positive, the team will also be missing Logan O’Connor (lower-body, indefinite), Matt Calvert (upper-body, week-to-week), Patrik Nemeth (upper-body, day-to-day), Pavel Francouz (lower-body, rest of season), and Erik Johnson (upper-body, rest of season). Colorado sits first in the West Division with a 29-9-4 record.
Cole Koepke Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning
After seeing his teammate turn pro, Cole Koepke has also decided to sign his entry-level contract. The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed the University of Minnesota-Duluth forward to a two-year entry-level deal that will start in the 2021-22 season. Koepke has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL for the remainder of 2020-21.
The 22-year-old Koepke was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft and has spent the last three seasons racking up goals and points in the NCAA. In 2019-20 he was nearly a point-per-game forward with 33 in 34, and though that rate dipped a bit this season he was still nominated for the Hobey Baker Award as one of the nation’s best players.
He was ranked eighth among Corey Pronman’s list of drafted NCAA prospects who could elect free agency after the season for The Athletic. Normally a player would have to wait four years from his draft year to reach unrestricted free agency, but since Koepke was passed over and wasn’t selected until he had already turned 20, he doesn’t have to wait as long. It doesn’t actually matter now, as Koepke has decided to sign with the team that drafted him and start his pro career with Tampa Bay.
In January, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic suggested that Koepke could potentially develop into a third-line NHL talent. The 6’1″ winger is a volume shooter who put up 15 goals even in this year’s shortened season and continues to drive the puck to dangerous areas. Whether he’ll be able to continue that at the professional level isn’t clear, but even earning an entry-level deal after being a sixth-round pick is a win.
Florida Panthers Make Several Roster Moves
The Florida Panthers have made a number of roster moves today, predicated on the fact that Carter Verhaeghe is now listed out on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury. Anthony Duclair has been activated from injured reserve, while both Lucas Wallmark and Spencer Knight have been recalled from the taxi squad. Kevin Connauton has been moved to the taxi squad to make more room, as Sam Bennett and Nikita Gusev have also been added to the active roster.
It’s tough news for Verhaeghe, who has been one of the biggest stories of the season so far in Florida. A breakout star, the 25-year-old forward has scored 17 goals and 35 points in 42 games, often skating on the top line with Aleksander Barkov. He’ll now miss several games with this injury, though the team has certainly brought in some reinforcements to help while he’s out.
Duclair hasn’t played since March, missing the team’s last six games after suffering an upper-body injury against the Detroit Red Wings. He’ll be back tonight and is joined on the active roster by recent additions Wallmark, Bennett, and Gusev when they will each make their respective debuts.
Also patiently awaiting his professional debut is Knight, who signed out of Boston College but has yet to see any NHL or even AHL action. The 19-year-old netminder is one of the top goalie prospects in the world and posted a .932 save percentage this season for BC. Selected 13th overall in 2019, he’s been the subject of much debate due to the presence of Sergei Bobrovsky and an emerging Chris Driedger.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/13/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:
Boston – Jaroslav Halak
Colorado – Bowen Byram
Florida – Brandon Montour
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Jon Merrill*
New York Islanders – Braydon Coburn
Toronto – Nick Foligno, Riley Nash, William Nylander, Ben Hutton*
Vancouver – Travis Boyd, Jalen Chatfield, Thatcher Demko, Alexander Edler, Jayce Hawryluk, Nils Hoglander, Braden Holtby, Bo Horvat, Zack MacEwen, Marc Michaelis, Tyler Motte, Tyler Myers, Antoine Roussel, Nate Schmidt, Brandon Sutter, Jake Virtanen
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: Jay Beagle, Vancouver Canucks; Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
The number of names included on the list today was always expected to increase thanks to the trade deadline yesterday, as players travel all over the continent to their new homes. We will likely see several more added in the next few days, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be held out more than a few days.
The important thing is that players continue to be removed from the Canucks’ list as the team approaches a return to the ice. Beagle was only added over the weekend, but Hughes was one of the first names to be added, appearing for the first time on April 2. Hopefully, the trend continues and the Canucks have a clean board later this week.
*denotes new addition