PHR Live Chat Transcript: 02/13/20
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
League Notes: KHL, AHL, Escrow
The KHL has a new president according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, and it is a name familiar to NHL fans—especially those who root for the Pittsburgh Penguins (or perhaps the New Jersey Devils). Alexei Morozov will take over from Dmitry Chernyshenko, who stepped down earlier this year to take a job in Russian government.
Morozov, 42, played parts of seven seasons with the Penguins between 1997-2004, and was famously named as the one shooter that Devils’ goaltender Martin Brodeur didn’t want to face on a breakaway. Morozov would return to Russia during the 2004 lockout and have an outstanding career that included two Gagarin Cup championships, two World Championship gold medals and a RSL championship.
- The AHL is also close to naming new leadership, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that a board of governors vote is scheduled for tomorrow. Friedman tweets that Scott Howson, who currently serves as Edmonton Oilers vice president of player development, is likely to replace outgoing league president David Andrews. Howson has served in NHL front offices for more than two decades, including a period as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Gavin Hockey Wealth Specialists tweeted today that last week players were informed that 2017-18 hockey related revenue accounting has been finalized, with an escrow refund of 3.15%. As Frank Seravalli of TSN points out, given the original escrow collected was 11.5%, players were paid 91.65% of their published salaries.
Sami Vatanen Placed On Injured Reserve, Nick Merkley Recalled
The New Jersey Devils have made a few interesting transactions today, moving Sami Vatanen to injured reserve while recalling Nick Merkley. Vatanen of course is the subject of many trade rumors at the moment, but remains out with a bruised leg. His IR stint is retroactive to February 1st, meaning he can be activated at any point.
Merkley, 22, was acquired as part of the Taylor Hall trade earlier this year and has played exceptionally well for the Binghamton Devils. In 21 games with the AHL team he has seven goals and 18 points, earning a call-up to the NHL. The 30th overall pick in 2015, Merkley has just a single NHL game under his belt and has a lot to prove still.
Vatanen’s injury still doesn’t seem extremely serious, making his absence from the lineup a potential bonus for any acquiring team. The Devils also scratched Hall for several games before eventually trading him, though that was to prevent injury not avoid further complications.
While Kevin Bahl may have been discussed with more hope after the deal with the Arizona Coyotes was made, Merkley still represents a potential impact player for the Devils. If he’s given the opportunity to play an offensive role at the NHL level perhaps he can fulfill some of that promise he showed as a junior player. If he does, it will make for an interesting negotiation in the summer. Merkley is currently scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season after his entry-level deal expires.
Minor Transactions: 02/13/20
The entire hockey world watched two icons have their numbers raised to the rafters together in Vancouver last night, as Daniel and Henrik Sedin were honored by the Canucks. Twin brothers who were miraculously drafted second and third overall by the same franchise (after some wheeling and dealing by then-GM Brian Burke) spent 17 seasons connecting with a city and fanbase. The Sedins each scored over 1,000 points in a Canucks sweater and no one else will ever wear #22 or #33 in Vancouver. As the Canucks and other teams prepare to go back to work this evening, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- As the Dallas Stars get set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, they’ve placed Alexander Radulov on injured reserve. Taking his place is top prospect Jason Robertson, who could make his NHL debut. Selected 39th overall in 2017, Robertson has taken quite well to professional hockey, recording 20 goals and 35 points as a rookie with the Texas Stars.
- The Boston Bruins have returned Jeremy Lauzon to the minor leagues, after he served the final game of his suspension by sitting out last night. Lauzon could be an option for the Bruins down the stretch, but has spent most of the season in the AHL.
- Yakov Trenin has been sent to the AHL by the Nashville Predators, as the team readies for their matchup against the New York Islanders tonight. Trenin has played 17 games for the Predators this season and must be getting used to the trip between leagues.
- Once again the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Andrei Chibisov, and perhaps this is the time he will make his NHL debut. The 26-year old forward has 24 points in 47 games for the Manitoba Moose in his first season in North America.
- The Buffalo Sabres have sent Scott Wilson back to the minor leagues, as Victor Olofsson and Kyle Okposo return to the lineup tonight. Olofsson will try to resume his excellent rookie campaign and provide some more scoring punch for the Sabres.
- Mark Barberio has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, after playing in 14 games with the team earlier this season. The 29-year old defenseman has two points on the season.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled both Antti Suomela and Noah Gregor from the minor leagues, though the latter seems to be dealing with a minor injury. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that Suomela will be the extra forward for tomorrow’s Sharks’ game against the Winnipeg Jets.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Barrett Hayton from the minor leagues, sending Aaron Ness down to make room. Hayton had to come up now that his conditioning loan has expired, and will need to either stay with Arizona or go back to the CHL for the rest of the year.
Trade Deadline Primer: Tampa Bay Lightning
With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Tampa Bay Lightning
After a crushing loss in the first round last spring, the Tampa Bay Lightning came back with plenty of question marks. Could they repeat the same outstanding regular season? Would Andrei Vasilevskiy maintain his Vezina performance? Could Nikita Kucherov remain in contention for the Hart Trophy? Early on each of those things did not seem possible, but after really turning up the heat over the last two months they’re challenging for the Atlantic Division crown once again.
Record
37-15-5, second in the Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$8.63 in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2020: TBL 1st, VAN 1st*, TBL 2nd, TBL 3rd, TBL 4th, DET 4th, TBL 6th, OTT 6th, TBL 7th
2021: TBL 1st, TBL 2nd, TBL 3rd, TBL 4th, TBL 5th, TBL 6th, TBL 7th, NSH 7th, NJD 7th
Trade Chips
You might think that a team which has amassed so much talent may have a bare prospect cupboard or nothing to deal, but that’s not the case in Tampa Bay. The team has continued to produce assets through their draft and development system, while also holding onto as many high picks as possible. Just this year the team has two first-round selections they could dangle, after moving J.T. Miller to the Vancouver Canucks.
If they wanted to dangle some young roster talent, they have plenty of that as well. While the team isn’t going to part with future Selke Trophy candidate Anthony Cirelli, other players that have come through the system in recent years like Mitchell Stephens, Carter Verhaeghe and Mathieu Joseph could be of value. All three are restricted free agents at the end of the season, and with a cap crunch coming could be expendable.
In the minor leagues they have talent too, with the likes of Alexander Volkov, Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk and Alex Barre-Boulet all having various degrees of success. Cal Foote and Nolan Foote are likely off limits at this point unless the Lightning get into a big trade—something you can never rule out with this organization—but it would take a lot to pry the brothers out of their system.
Like every year, the names Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn will also surely come up in trade speculation at some point. The trio of role players are all having fine seasons, but there is enough there to replace them if the team feels they’re upgrading elsewhere.
Five Players To Watch For: F Mathieu Joseph, F Alexander Volkov, F Taylor Raddysh, F Boris Katchouk, F Tyler Johnson
Team Needs
1) Bottom-Six Size: No, the Lightning won’t be going out to get an enforcer for the fourth line, but the team does seem interested in adding some size to the bottom-six in some fashion. Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) recently suggested that Joe Thornton could be a fit as a player that brings size and plenty of playoff experience. It’s not so much that the future Hall of Fame center is going to throw his weight around, but he could give the team a little different look after rolling out those first few units of speed.
2) Defensive Depth: To be honest, this would even be a real need for the Lightning had Jan Rutta and Ryan McDonagh both not suffered injuries recently. The Lightning don’t even really need to add anything at the deadline after going 23-4-2 over the last two months. But if they want to go deep in the playoffs this year they might do well to add an expiring contract on the back end just to give them a security blanket in case of future injuries. You can bet the team is keeping an eye on a player like Sami Vatanen and waiting to see how the market shakes out at the deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Paul Maurice To Multi-Year Extension
6:40pm: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal is for three years.
12:05pm: The Winnipeg Jets won’t be making a change behind the bench for a while. The team announced a multi-year contract extension for head coach Paul Maurice, who has been leading the squad since 2013.
There has been chatter all season about Maurice’s future with the Jets, given the team’s performance so far. Though loaded with talent, Winnipeg sits fourth in the Central Division with a 29-24-5 record and is no sure thing to make the playoffs. Connor Hellebuyck‘s performance in net has been one of the biggest reasons why the team is even within a sniff of the postseason, but obviously management believes that Maurice has done a strong enough job.
It certainly shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Winnipeg would choose to stick with Maurice. The veteran coach has a 264-186-53 record with the Jets since arriving in 2013, and actually ranks seventh on the all-time coaching list in wins with 724. Though he doesn’t have the winning percentage of some of the names around him on that list, there is little doubt that he can be an effective coach at the NHL level.
The one question now for Maurice is whether he can get over the playoff hump. Despite coaching in nearly 1,600 regular season games, he has just 80 appearances behind the bench in the postseason, and a 36-44 record in them.
Cam Atkinson Out 2-3 Weeks With Sprained Ankle
4:30pm: The Blue Jackets have recalled Liam Foudy once again under emergency conditions. Foudy made his NHL debut on Monday night but had to be returned to the OHL following the game. He is still not a long-term option, but could play Thursday for the Blue Jackets.
10:42am: The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost another key player for the next little while, announcing today that Cam Atkinson will be out for two to three weeks with a sprained ankle. Atkinson already missed a dozen games earlier in the season with a high-ankle sprain. Though he hasn’t been officially put on injured reserve, when he does he’ll join a group that already includes Seth Jones, Brandon Dubinsky, Alexander Wennberg, Ryan Murray, Josh Anderson, Alexandre Texier and Dean Kukan (though some are approaching a return). The team has also been without Joonas Korpisalo since the end of December, though he never made it onto IR.
Even with the never ending injuries, the Blue Jackets remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL. An overtime loss to the Lightning on Monday made them 7-1-2 in their last ten games, a period in which they’ve only allowed 15 goals against. That stingy defensive strategy will hopefully get them through the next few weeks, though Jones’ will be out much longer than that.
In a such a tumultuous season, one can bet that John Tortorella will be getting plenty of votes for the Jack Adams trophy should the Blue Jackets end up in the playoff picture. To do it, he’ll need Atkinson back and healthy as soon as possible.
Shea Weber Out 4-6 Weeks With Ankle Injury
After consulting a specialist in Wisconsin today, Shea Weber will be out for the next four to six weeks with an ankle sprain. The Montreal Canadiens announced today that the veteran defenseman is expected to fully recover.
That kind of a diagnosis actually probably comes as a relief to the team and fans alike after rumors had swirled all day that Weber could be facing a more long-term injury. The Montreal captain has obviously dealt with several serious injuries over the last few years, including missing most of the 2017-18 season.
This new ailment brought up discussions of Weber’s contract and whether he will be able to play out the remaining years, given his recent health issues and aging body. The defenseman will turn 35 this summer but still has six seasons left on the 14-year, $110MM deal he signed with the Nashville Predators in 2012. Because of the structure of that deal, the Predators could face massive recapture penalties if Weber were to retire early. Injury however, could be a solution.
If Weber instead goes on long-term injured reserve at some point for the rest of his contract, the Predators won’t have to deal with those recapture penalties. Even if he does recover fully from this latest injury, it seems likely that that the end of Weber’s career will be spent on LTIR.
For now though, losing arguably their best skater for the next month may be a death sentence for the Canadiens. The team had been playing well of late and was barely hanging on to some playoff hopes, but without their on-ice and off-ice leader it will be hard to keep up in the Atlantic Division. The team is seven points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final divisional spot, despite having played one extra game.
Jay Bouwmeester Doing “Very Well” Following Collapse
Though there had been speculation and rumors running wild in the hours since Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench last night at the St. Louis Blues-Anaheim Ducks game, the hockey world can now breathe a sigh of relief. Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong met with reporters after arriving in Las Vegas and gave an update on the veteran defenseman’s status. Bouwmeester is doing “very well” but still undergoing tests to determine exactly what happened.
Midway through the first period last night, Bouwmeester had a cardiac event while sitting on the St. Louis bench and collapsed behind the boards. Immediately trainers and physicians from both teams rushed to his aid, administering a defibrillator to restart his heart and bring him back to consciousness.
The game was cancelled, and will likely be played in its entirety on another date. No details have come out about the potential rescheduling so far. Armstrong stated that the NHL is working on a solution, though it is expected to start at 1-1 but with all 60 minutes to play.
Later, a statement was released from the team indicating that Bouwmeester was stable and moving his extremities. This new update should put players, media and fans even more at ease, though obviously the Blues will continue to monitor the veteran closely in the coming days and weeks.
Bouwmeester, 36, has long been known and respected for his fitness level, logging huge amounts of ice time on a nightly basis. Early in his career he even had a season where he averaged 27:28, playing nearly half of every game for the Florida Panthers. Now in the latter part of his career he has still been a consistent presence for the Blues, and is currently averaging more than 21 minutes a night.
With a situation as serious as this, speculation will continue to run amok surrounding Bouwmeester’s future. All hockey fans can do is hope that he will return to full health and be able to play again down the road.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Pierre Engvall Signs Two-Year Extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t waiting around the lock up some of their young talent, this time signing Pierre Engvall to a two-year contract extension. The deal will keep him under contract through the 2021-22 season and carries an average annual value of $1.25MM. Engvall is in his rookie season with the Maple Leafs and was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year.
The 23-year old forward has come out of basically nowhere for the Maple Leafs, but now looks like a potential building block moving forward. Selected in the seventh round in 2014, he came over to North America just in time to help the Toronto Marlies to a Calder Cup championship in 2018. Last season in his first full year on this side of the ocean, he recorded 19 goals and 32 points for the Marlies, gaining trust from his head coach at the time.
That head coach, Sheldon Keefe, is now back behind Engvall in the NHL and has trusted him in various situations including on the penalty kill and in a bottom-six center role. The 6’5″ forward has an incredibly long reach and can fool defenders with his surprising speed. In 35 games this season with the Maple Leafs he has 14 points, a nice start for a player that could have a bigger role down the road.
The Maple Leafs obviously have to include some relatively inexpensive names on their roster given the huge amount of cap space used at the top, and Engvall has shown he can perform at the NHL level admirably. A deal like this doesn’t carry a ton of risk for the team, and leaves him as a restricted free agent at its conclusion.