William Carrier Signs Extension With Vegas Golden Knights
1:15pm: Well that didn’t take long. The Golden Knights have announced a four-year extension for Carrier that will carry an average annual value of $1.4MM.
12:33pm: The Vegas Golden Knights were busy in February adding pieces for a Stanley Cup run, but now that the trade deadline has passed there is work to be done with the rest of the roster. Specifically the restricted free agents, who will need new contracts by the start of next season. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the team is working hard with pending RFA forward William Carrier on an extension.
The bang-and-crash winger has found a home with the Golden Knights, using his speed to create havoc in the offensive zone even in limited minutes. Though he still averages fewer than 10 minutes of ice time a night, Carrier has seven goals and 18 points on the season, which actually puts him eighth among Vegas forwards.
Currently in the final season of a two-year, $1.45MM deal, Carrier will be arbitration eligible in the summer but could avoid any nasty hearings by inking an extension in the coming weeks. Though he obviously won’t be demanding top-six money given his role, there’s certainly reason for him to get a slight raise.
One of the most interesting things to watch in Vegas however is how they treat Robin Lehner after acquiring him at the deadline. If the team shows any interest in retaining his services and pairing him with the $7MM/year Marc-Andre Fleury, they won’t have a ton of cap space to spend around the edges of the roster. President George McPhee and GM Kelly McCrimmon haven’t been shy to hand out extensions to rental players they’ve acquired through trade, but there is only so much pie to go around.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ottawa Wants Mark Borowiecki To Be A “Senator For Life”
The Ottawa Senators have had trouble over the years retaining the talent they develop, with earlier this week being the latest example. Though they reportedly discussed an extension with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, the two-way center was eventually traded at the deadline only to immediately sign with the New York Islanders for six more seasons. One could be skeptical then when Pierre Dorion tells TSN radio that he wants Mark Borowiecki to be a “Senator for life.”
Perhaps Borowiecki is different though. The 30-year old defenseman was a fifth-round pick by the Senators back in 2008 and slowly made his way up the hockey ladder. Originally thought of as just a physical presence in Ottawa’s lineup, he has become much more than that this year, establishing himself as a leader on and off the ice while also experiencing his best offensive season to date.
Though he has seven goals on the year—nearly doubling his previous career total—it’s still hard to envision that Borowiecki would price himself out of the Senators’ market by the end of the year. Currently in the final season of a two-year, $2.4MM deal he can expect a small raise but not even to the level of some other Senators’ players.
Not only is Borowiecki a leader for the Senators, but his influence on the Ottawa community has been felt as well. The hometown boy gained national notoriety when he was involved in stopping a crime in Vancouver, but citizens of Canada’s capital will tell you stories of him helping regular folk on a regular basis.
An unrestricted free agent in July, it’s hard to imagine Borowiecki in any other jersey at this point in his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 02/27/20
How about ten NHL games with plenty of playoff implications for your Thursday night? That’s what is on offer this evening around the league as several postseason hopefuls do battle. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers kick things off with their seasons on the line, while the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators battle to stay in the Western Conference race. As the league prepares, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Joshua Norris, the young forward who has dominated the minor leagues in his first taste of professional hockey. One of the key parts in the Erik Karlsson deal, Norris now has 30 goals and 58 points in 52 AHL games.
- With Sami Niku dealing with an injury, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Nelson Nogier from the Manitoba Moose. The 23-year old Nogier has 11 NHL games under his belt, and just one since the 2016-17 season.
- Jonathan Drouin will not play tonight for the Montreal Canadiens, so the team has recalled Charles Hudon under emergency conditions. Teams have limited recalls after the trade deadline, but emergency ones do not count towards that total.
- The Predators have sent Connor Ingram back to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, signaling that Pekka Rinne has recovered from his recent illness. Ingram had been up under emergency conditions.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Lawrence Pilut from the minor leagues, as they continue their current road trip. After facing the Colorado Avalanche last night, Buffalo will journey to Vegas, Arizona and Winnipeg before heading home.
- Joshua Jacobs has earned his first call-up of the season from the New Jersey Devils, after clearing waivers in late September. The 24-year old has just a single NHL game under his belt to this point, despite being the 41st overall pick in 2014.
- Once again the San Jose Sharks have involved Lean Bergmann in a transaction, this time bringing him back up from the minor leagues. The 21-year old forward has played eight games with the Sharks this season, registering one points.
- After needing Calvin Thurkauf to fill in for a long list of injured forwards, the Columbus Blue Jackets have sent him back to the AHL. The 22-year old played in three games, but didn’t tally his first NHL point.
Snapshots: Post-Deadline Moves, Thornton, Lindholm
Even though it is referred to as the trade deadline in the NHL, this Monday was not actually that. In fact, teams are still allowed to make basically any move they want, with one caveat—players switching squads will not be eligible for the postseason. With that limitation in place it almost never makes sense for a team to make a trade in the weeks following the deadline but perhaps in one specific situation this year it could.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced earlier today that Jake Muzzin will be out a month with a broken hand, leaving them with a handful of defenders that were almost all playing in the minor leagues a few years ago. Tyson Barrie stands as the only real defenseman with any experience, at least until Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci return down the road. Perhaps the Maple Leafs could break with tradition and acquire a depth defender just to help them for the next few weeks, given their precarious hold on an Atlantic Division playoff spot.
- Speaking of Toronto, the latest edition of 31 Thoughts by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet includes an interesting nugget regarding the Maple Leafs. When examining the Joe Thornton situation and his recent comments about being disappointed he didn’t move at the deadline, Friedman speculates that the veteran forward could find his way to Toronto should he decide the San Jose Sharks aren’t in a position to compete next season. In fact, Friedman believes that the Maple Leafs considered adding him this year, though there were obvious obstacles in the way. In the summer of 2017 when the Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau as a free agent there were plenty of rumors about Thornton joining him there, but will there even be an opportunity for him next season at age-41?
- After leaving last night’s game with an upper-body injury, Hampus Lindholm wasn’t at practice today for the Anaheim Ducks according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Brendan Guhle has been recalled in his absence. Losing Lindholm for any length of time would really test the rest of the Anaheim defenders, perhaps even giving them a chance to see what they have in some of their younger options. The 26-year old logs more than 23 minutes a night for the team, and has 22 points in 55 games.
Jay Bouwmeester Will Not Play Again This Season, Playoffs
At an emotional press conference this afternoon, St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester announced that he still hasn’t made a decision on his long-term hockey playing future. Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong did confirm however that Bouwmeester would not play again for the team this season or playoffs.
That’s certainly not unexpected after Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode earlier this month and underwent an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) procedure.
The 36-year old defenseman will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. In 17 NHL seasons, the minute-munching Bouwmeester has played over 1,300 games and won the Stanley Cup last year as a member of the Blues.
Minor Transactions: 02/26/20
The deadline is over but the season is still far from it. Teams are playing the most important games of the year and tweaking their rosters to find just the right balance. With that, there are always minor moves to be kept track of and right here is where you’ll find them.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled Sam Lafferty from the minor leagues under emergency conditions for their road trip to the west coast, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks over the next few days.
- Nicolas Roy and Zach Whitecloud are back up as expected for the Vegas Golden Knights, after being involved in a paper transaction this week. Both players stayed with the team and were involved in the regular lineup at morning skate.
- Chris Driedger has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan, meaning the Florida Panthers goaltender is getting closer to a return. The 25-year old Driedger has actually been the team’s best goaltender this season, though that sample is limited to just nine appearances.
- Gabriel Vilardi has been recalled once again by the Los Angeles Kings, who welcome in the Penguins later this evening. Vilardi has two points in three games for the Kings this season, finally healthy after such a struggle to get back on the ice.
- With enough healthy forwards along with their equipment ready for tomorrow’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Ottawa Senators have sent Filip Chlapik back to the AHL. While there may not be much to play for in Ottawa, the Belleville Senators are in first place in their division and rank third in the entire AHL.
- Lean Bergmann and Maxim Letunov have been returned to the minor leagues as the San Jose Sharks return home for the next several games. Defenseman Dalton Prout has been recalled from his conditioning loan with the Barracuda in a corresponding move.
- Mitchell Stephens has been recalled again after being sent down just a couple of days ago by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stephens will be eligible for the AHL playoffs if necessary, but the focus now is on Steven Stamkos who was forced from last night’s game.
- The Detroit Red Wings have announced the recall of Dennis Cholowski. The young defender has split the season between Detroit and the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, contributing routinely at both levels.
Victor Mete Out For Season With Broken Foot
If the Montreal Canadiens are going to make a last second dash for a playoff spot, it’ll have to be without one of their young defensemen. Victor Mete has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken foot. The injury was suffered on Februrary 18th against the Detroit Red Wings.
Mete, 21, finally scored his first (second, third and fourth) NHL goal this season, but still hasn’t quite established himself as the reliable top-four option that many believed he would quickly become. Averaging just 16 minutes a night for the Canadiens, he’s been more of a role player than an impact one in most games.
Still, there are high hopes for the future and Mete now enters his first contract negotiation with 171 NHL games under his belt. The young defenseman is a restricted free agent without arbitration rights at the end of the season and will likely argue he deserves quite the raise.
Just where exactly he fits into next year’s plans are unclear, especially with the Canadiens expected to bring Alexander Romanov over from the KHL. The two play very different games but could compete for minutes depending on how things shake out over the summer.
Peter Laviolette Named Coach Of 2020 U.S. National Team
Though he’ll have to wait for his next opportunity in the NHL, Peter Laviolette will be back behind a bench this spring. Laviolette has been named head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team that will take part in the IIHF World Championship. The tournament will be held in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland between May 8-24. Chris Drury, the team’s general manager, released a short statement on the hiring:
It’s great to have Peter as our head coach. He brings significant international experience, both as a player and a coach, and his passion and desire to win align with our goal of bringing home the gold medal.
The ironic part about this appointment is that many believed John Hynes to be a candidate for the job, before he was hired to replace Laviolette with the Nashville Predators. It also represents a different voice than Jeff Blashill, who had led the team the last three years.
Laviolette isn’t new to the international scene, having served as head coach of the World Championship entry three times previously and acting as an assistant coach at both the Olympics and World Cup. He’ll try to take Team USA to the gold for the first time since 1960.
Jake Muzzin Out Four Weeks With Broken Hand
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ defensive depth is getting even thinner by the day. The team announced today that Jake Muzzin will be out for the next four weeks after suffering a broken hand last night. The recently re-acquired Calle Rosen has been recalled in his place.
With Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci already out, the Maple Leafs’ defense now consists almost entirely of the group that won the AHL Calder Cup in 2018. Travis Dermott, Justin Holl, Timothy Liljegren, Martin Marincin and Rosen were all on that team, leaving only Tyson Barrie and Rasmus Sandin—a 19-year old with 24 NHL games under his belt—as those who weren’t part of the playoff run. For a team trying to clinch a divisional playoff spot, that group will have to take some real development steps in a hurry.
Muzzin, 31, just inked a four-year extension with the Maple Leafs that will start paying him an average of $5.65MM next year. His veteran leadership has been immeasurable for the team this season, but this will be his second major injury after breaking his foot earlier on. In 53 games he has 23 points.
If he does return in four weeks it would leave just five games before the end of the season for Muzzin to get his legs under him and help the Maple Leafs secure a spot. Rielly and Ceci are both expected back before the end of the year as well, but for now the team will have to rely on their inexperienced group to get them close to the finish line.
Mike Condon Assigned To Charlotte Checkers
If you wondered how the Charlotte Checkers were going to get by after both Alex Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg were recalled to fill in for the Carolina Hurricanes, you now have your answer. The Tampa Bay Lightning have loaned Mike Condon to the Checkers from the Syracuse Crunch, where he had been buried but was rarely playing. Condon is on the final season of his three-year, $7.2MM deal and will still count towards the Tampa Bay cap, but can now actually get some action with the Checkers.
The 29-year old goaltender has hit the ice six times for the Crunch and another four times for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL this season, ten forgettable appearances in total. Once considered a legitimate NHL option, Condon recorded a .905 save percentage in 129 appearances for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators between 2015-2018.
At this point, just getting an opportunity to play in the AHL should be good enough for Condon as it looked like his career in North America might be coming to an end.