Drake Caggiula Suspended One Game
The Chicago Blackhawks will be without Drake Caggiula for their next qualification round game. The forward has been given a one-game suspension by the Department of Player Safety for the hit on Edmonton Oilers forward Tyler Ennis yesterday.
As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that the head is the main point of contact on this hit. While Caggiula does make some contact with Ennis’ arm, the brunt of the impact on this play is absorbed by Ennis’ head. It is also important to note that the head contact on this play is avoidable. While we acknowledge that Ennis’ body moves slightly while making a play on the puck, he does not materially change the position of his head or body in a way that substantially contributes to the head being the main point of contact.
Caggiula has never previously been fined or suspended, though this one-game ban is especially relevant in a short best-of-five series. He was not penalized on the play, but he’ll have to miss an entire game now as the Blackhawks attempt to upset the Oilers.
Mark Lazerus of The Athletic notes that Dylan Sikura is the likeliest candidate to replace Caggiula in the Blackhawks lineup.
Injury Notes: Scheifele, Schmaltz, Fast, Hamilton
The Winnipeg Jets may have lost their top center and top sniper in the same game, as both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine left last night’s test against the Calgary Flames with an injury. Scheifele’s in particular looked serious, as he collided with Matthew Tkachuk and fell to the ground bellowing in pain. The hit got quite the response from head coach Paul Maurice, who indicated today that both players were still undergoing examination, and updates would be issued later in the day.
If the Jets do lose Schiefele for the rest of the qualification round they’ll have to figure out an answer on the top line and find a way to dig themselves out of the early hole after losing to Calgary last night. Here’s more info about injuries around the league:
- Nick Schmaltz will not play in game one for the Arizona Coyotes after taking a high hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves in the exhibition match. Schmaltz, the Coyotes leading scorer from the regular season, played in four playoffs games with Chicago in 2017 but hasn’t seen the postseason since. Youngster Barret Hayton will be making his own playoff debut after suiting up just 20 times this season.
- The New York Rangers are still not sure of Igor Shesterkin‘s availability for game two according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, but will not have Jesper Fast in the lineup. Fast was hit hard by former teammate Brady Skjei and was forced from yesterday’s game after just a minute of ice time. The depth winger is a key part of the Rangers leadership group and recorded 29 points in 69 games this season.
- Dougie Hamilton is getting better according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour, but won’t be in the lineup for Carolina tomorrow. The Hurricanes did just fine without their top offensive defenseman, but relied heavily on their top two pairings—Jake Gardiner played just 11:55 while Jaccob Slavin logged 24:40.
Drake Caggiula To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
We have our first potential suspension of the NHL playoffs, as the Department of Player Safety has announced Drake Caggiula of the Chicago Blackhawks will have a hearing today. Caggiula hit Edmonton Oilers forward Tyler Ennis during the second period of their game yesterday, appearing to contact the head. Caggiula was not penalized on the play.
There have been several incidents already in the exhibition and early playoff games that could have warranted review from the DoPS, with almost every team trying to engage physically early to get the tempo of games up. Fights have already erupted between players that rarely drop the gloves and huge collisions have become standard, at least early in games.
Caggiula, who came to the Blackhawks from the Oilers last season, recorded nine goals and 15 points in 40 games for Chicago this year. He played a little over 11 minutes yesterday, recording four hits and a blocked shot.
Goaltending Notes: Halak, Korpisalo, Holtby
The Boston Bruins will be without their top option in goal tonight when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the round-robin. Tuukka Rask has been ruled unfit to play by head coach Bruce Cassidy, meaning Jaroslav Halak will be in net for the Bruins.
Perhaps more than any other team in the playoffs, the Bruins have prepared for a situation like this all season. Halak is much more than a backup for Boston, playing in 31 games during the shortened regular season and posting a .919 save percentage. That’s a number most teams would be happy to get from their starter, but it still is a step down from Rask’s .929. One of the advantages of being a top seed in each conference is this round-robin structure, which will allow the team to get healthy without the risk of elimination for the first week.
- One team not in quite as strong a situation is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who start a best-of-five series against the Toronto Maple Leafs later today. The Blue Jackets have two young excellent goaltenders of their own, but head coach John Tortorella has decided to go with Joonas Korpisalo in game one. While Elvis Merzlikins may have received more press this season due to it being his first in North America, it was easy to forget that Korpisalo was actually named to the All-Star game before suffering an injury. He posted a .911 save percentage on the season but has a strong history against the Maple Leafs and much more experience at the NHL level.
- It may not come as much of a surprise, but Braden Holtby will be in net when the Washington Capitals start their own round-robin tomorrow afternoon. Holtby will start over Vitek Vanacek according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post when the Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Once Ilya Samsonov was ruled out due to injury the obvious choice was Holtby given his experience, but it is also important to remember that he was far from his dominant self this season. In fact, Holtby posted an .897 save percentage on the season, putting him 52nd among NHL goaltenders who appeared in at least 20 games.
Jack Drury Leaving Harvard, Signs In Sweden
Like Morgan Barron earlier today, who is leaving Cornell to sign with the New York Rangers and start his professional career, other NCAA players will have to find different ways to continue their hockey careers after several schools canceled the upcoming season. One of those players is Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Jack Drury—son of Ted Drury and nephew of Chris Drury—who is off to Sweden to play with the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL for 2020-21.
The 20-year old Drury was the 42nd overall pick in 2018 and had an outstanding (albeit shortened) season this year for Harvard, scoring 39 points in 28 games. He also participated in the World Juniors for the second year in a row, representing the United States and scoring two points in five games. The young center has impressive offensive upside, plus the same responsible two-way play that his uncle was known for (Chris received Selke Trophy votes on five occasions).
Heading to Sweden will give Drury a chance to continue playing and is going to be an interesting option for many prospects affected by the current hockey climate. It could potentially mean a flood of college-aged players signing professional contracts, or perhaps deciding to return to the CHL should that league get underway on schedule. For many, professional hockey in Sweden might be too difficult, the opportunities too few. But in Drury’s case, he was likely ready for a bigger challenge after having his way with the NCAA on so many nights this season.
For Carolina, they’ll retain his draft rights for now and do not need to sign him to an entry-level contract immediately. Seeing how he does against professionals may actually give them a better idea of his readiness when the 2021-22 season comes around.
Jesper Sellgren Loaned To SHL
When the Carolina Hurricanes signed Jesper Sellgren to a three-year entry-level contract in 2019, they likely expected him to be an important contributor for the Charlotte Checkers. After all, the young defenseman had just debuted for the Checkers in the Calder Cup playoffs and would help them secure a league championship soon after.
Unfortunately, Sellgren hasn’t played a single game for the organization since that 2019 AHL playoff run. Last season he was loaned back to the SHL where he recorded 21 points in 47 games. That was likely a decision made to get him more playing time and opportunity since the Checkers already had names like Jake Bean eating up ice time in the minor leagues. Today, Sellgren has been loaned to the SHL once again, this time to Frolunda, for the 2020-21 season (with the release from Sweden indicating it will be for the entire season).
That means two of his three contracted years will already be gone before Sellgren gets back into the Carolina organization. The deal is scheduled to expire in 2022, at which point he will become a restricted free agent. The sixth-round pick from 2018 is quite an interesting prospect, but it’s hard to know exactly how his future in North America will play out without more experience on this side of the pond.
Injury Notes: Hamilton, DeAngelo, Carlson
Dougie Hamilton won’t be in the lineup when the Carolina Hurricanes open their qualification round against the New York Rangers tomorrow. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told team reporter Michael Smith that Hamilton is still unfit to play, although he is “getting better” after suffering an injury in training camp.
Martin Necas, the other important player that has been sitting out for the Hurricanes, could be in the lineup after looking “really good” at practice. Losing Hamilton is a big deal for a team that is already operating without Brett Pesce as he continues to rehab. Remember the qualification rounds are a best-of-five, with the Hurricanes playing the first three games by Tuesday.
- The Rangers may be without their own right-handed defenseman, however, as Tony DeAngelo didn’t practice today and is a game-time decision for tomorrow. While he is sometimes overlooked among the top offensive defensemen in the league, DeAngelo did have 53 points in 68 games this season, good enough for fourth on the entire Rangers roster.
- Though they won’t have Ilya Samsonov, the Washington Capitals are expected to have John Carlson back in the lineup for the round-robin. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that Carlson should be skating with the team tomorrow and play on Sunday. Carlson had to leave the team’s exhibition game after falling awkwardly into the boards.
New York Rangers Sign Morgan Barron
The New York Rangers have convinced a top college prospect to forego his senior season, agreeing to terms with Morgan Barron on a three-year entry-level contract. Barron spent the last three seasons playing at Cornell University, serving as captain in 2019-20. His new deal will start for the 2020-21 season.
There were actually some hopes that Barron would be allowed to sign for the 2019-20 season and help New York in the playoff tournament, but the NHL put an end to that speculation when they ruled new players would not be eligible. Barron will be a candidate for a roster spot as early as next season though, after an outstanding collegiate career.
In three seasons at Cornell, the 6’2″ center recorded 84 points in 98 games and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award this year. A tantalizing mix of size and offensive flair, Barron has come a long way since being a sixth-round selection in 2017.
His younger brother Justin Barron is a top prospect eligible for the 2020 draft after starring in the QMJHL, but the elder Morgan looks poised to make an impact at the professional level before long.
Ilya Samsonov Injured, Did Not Pass Physical
If Braden Holtby wants to improve his free agent stock, here’s his chance. Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told reporters today including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that Ilya Samsonov suffered an off-ice injury in Russia during the pause and failed his physical after returning to North America. Pell tweets that Samsonov “should be good to go for the start of next season.”
An injury to Samsonov makes a tough decision for the team as to who will start in their round-robin. Holtby obviously has the experience and was the goaltender who helped carry the team to a Stanley Cup in 2018, but is also coming off his worst season as a professional. The 30-year old goaltender posted just an .897 save percentage in 48 appearances, seeing his goals-against average balloon to 3.11.
That kind of performance paled in comparison to the .913 save percentage that Samsonov recorded in his first year in the NHL, when he went 16-6-2 in 26 appearances. The 23-year old netminder was simply better than Holtby and likely would have pushed for a chance to take the net in the playoffs.
This week in their exhibition game, the Capitals had Vitek Vanacek serve as the backup for Holtby but they also have Pheonix Copley who played 27 games for them in 2018-19. They’ll have options should Holtby struggle, but not ones quite as exciting as Samsonov.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Brett Murray
With the rest of the league preparing for a summer tournament, the Buffalo Sabres are focused on next season. Today, they added some prospect depth, signing Brett Murray to a two-year entry-level contract. Murray earned himself this deal with a strong rookie season for the Rochester Americans in 2019-20.
Murray, 22, was a fourth-round pick of the Sabres in 2016 and had quite the winding road to professional hockey. He first went to the USHL following his draft, playing 27 games for the Youngstown Phantoms in 2016. After producing at that level he decided to enroll early at Penn State and joined the college hockey program for the second half of 2016-17. Unfortunately, that proved to be a mistake, as Murray struggled to keep up and recorded just a single point in 12 games. He returned the next season and continued to fail offensively, leading to a decision to leave Penn State in 2018.
He returned to the USHL for a year while he waited out a transfer to Miami University, but after dominating the junior league to the tune of 41 goals and 75 points in 62 games, he ended up signing an AHL contract with Rochester instead of returning to the NCAA. Murray actually saw his exclusive draft rights with the Sabres expire a few months ago, but will remain in the organization with this new entry-level deal.
In 55 games for Rochester he scored 24 points and will likely be back in the minor leagues developing his game next season. The 6’5″ forward has a chance to be a difference-maker at that level, but his NHL future is still unclear.