Nashville Predators Fire Peter Laviolette
The Nashville Predators have decided to move in a different direction. The team announced that head coach Peter Laviolette has been relieved of his coaching duties, along with associate coach Kevin McCarthy. General manager David Poile released a short statement:
Under the leadership of Peter and Kevin, our organization reached unprecedented heights – from our franchise-altering run to the Stanley Cup Final to a Presidents’ Trophy and our first two Central Division titles. Their passion for the game, ability to motivate a team and drive to be the best makes this a difficult decision. On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Peter and Kevin for all their contributions to the Nashville Predators over the past five-and-a-half seasons.
Just a few days ago Poile had claimed that Laviolette’s job was not in jeopardy, but that apparently didn’t last long. The Predators lost again last night in a shootout to the Anaheim Ducks, putting them at 19-15-7 on the season despite a positive goal differential. Their stars have been good, but the team can’t seem to get any sustained success, only once having a winning streak of more than two games. Perhaps most embarrassing was a loss to the Dallas Stars in the Winter Classic, even after getting out to a 2-0 lead.
Amazingly, the Predators are now looking for only their third coach in franchise history. Barry Trotz coached the team for their first 15 seasons, and Laviolette has been in charge since 2014. In that time he led the team to the Stanley Cup final and compiled a regular season record of 248-143-60, but clearly wasn’t the choice for the team at this point. A team representative told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the head coach for the Predators’ game tomorrow night is “to be announced” as there was no interim coach named in the release.
It will be interesting to see if Laviolette quickly lands somewhere else in the NHL, as he has had an extremely successful career behind the bench. A Stanley Cup winner in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, he has an all-time head coaching record of 637-425-25-123 in the regular season and 75-68 in the playoffs.
Los Angeles Kings Make Several Roster Moves
The Los Angeles Kings have activated Trevor Lewis from injured reserve, meaning he, Dustin Brown and Derek Forbort are all expected to make their returns tonight. Because of the roster crunch, Martin Frk has been sent to the minor leagues. He’ll be joined there by Tobias Bjornfot and Rasmus Kupari who have both been recalled from their World Junior loans. Kupari was forced from the tournament due to injury, but there is no update on his condition yet.
Getting Lewis and Forbort back in the lineup may not change the Kings’ fortune this season, but both are potential trade deadline assets for the club. They only become assets if they’re healthy and playing though, meaning their return will help build up some value over the next several weeks.
Bjornfot meanwhile is coming back after a disappointing bronze medal finish at the World Juniors. He was part of an elite defensive group playing mostly alongside Edmonton Oilers prospect Philip Broberg, and will come back to continue his development in the minor leagues.
Justin Braun Out Through All-Star Break
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that defenseman Justin Braun will not play until after the All-Star break later this month. Braun is dealing with a groin injury, meaning Robert Hagg will get back into the lineup for the Flyers tomorrow night. Philadelphia has eight games remaining before the break.
Braun, 32, was one of the big offseason additions for the Flyers, meant to help stabilize a defensive group that was talented but inconsistent. While his ice time has dropped considerably since his days with the San Jose Sharks, he’s still seeing more than 17 minutes a night and will be missed most on the penalty kill where he is a regular.
Even though he was only acquired last summer, Braun is an interesting name to watch at the upcoming trade deadline thanks to an expiring contract. The Flyers have a whole group of young defensemen looking for more opportunity at the NHL level and even another prospect in Yegor Zamula that looks like he might have a future at the highest level. While the team is currently still right in the thick of the Metropolitan Division playoff race, if they should fall back in the standings selling off expiring assets like Braun will be a tempting strategy.
Snapshots: Three Stars, QMJHL Trades, Jets
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with Nathan MacKinnon taking home top spot. The Colorado Avalanche superstar had eight points in three games and has now almost caught Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in the NHL scoring race. MacKinnon has 25 goals and 64 points on the season, a pace that would see him easily eclipse his personal best of 99 points set last season.
In second place is another exceptional center in Mark Scheifele, who posted eight points of his own in three games. The Winnipeg Jets forward now has 20 goals and 48 points this season, while averaging close to 22 minutes a game. The third star went to Zach Werenski, who incredibly scored five of the eight goals that the Columbus Blue Jackets totaled last week. The 22-year old defenseman now has double digit goal totals in each of his first four seasons, and 13 this year in just 35 games.
- With the World Juniors over, several CHL players that took part in the tournament will likely see their rights traded as teams load up for Memorial Cup runs. Nowhere is that more obvious than the QMJHL, where both Raphael Lavoie and Dawson Mercer were dealt today. The pair of Canadian gold medalists are on the move to Chicoutimi where they’ll join a Sangueneens team that is 27-7-4 on the season.
- Andrew Copp has been officially activated from injured reserve by the Winnipeg Jets, with Nathan Beaulieu taking his place. Copp hasn’t played since the middle of December, but is an important depth forward for the Jets. In 34 games this season the 25-year old has 14 points, seeing more playing time and better linemates than ever before in his career.
Minor Transactions: 01/06/20
Another week starts in the NHL with four games on the schedule, including the expected debut of Ilya Kovalchuk with the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal will take on the Winnipeg Jets, who Kovalchuk never played for yet holds many all-time records. Those records of course were set when he was a member of the Atlanta Thrashers before the organization relocated, the real prime of Kovalchuk’s career. As the teams in action tonight prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Andrew Agozzino while sending Thomas Di Pauli to the minor leagues. Di Pauli made his NHL debut just a few days ago, but will now have to return to the AHL and wait for his next opportunity.
- Niko Mikkola is on his way back to the NHL from the San Antonio Rampage, flipped for Jake Walman by the St. Lous Blues. Walman made his debut on Saturday night and played just over 11 minutes, but will be replaced by Mikkola who is still hoping to get into an NHL lineup for the first time. The Blues play the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night and will try to get back on track after three consecutive losses.
- Steven Kampfer has been recalled by the Boston Bruins to serve as an extra defenseman as they head on the road. The Bruins will play the Nashville Predators tomorrow, trying to crack their own three-game losing streak and stay above the pushing Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Dalton Smith has been sent back to the AHL after just 86 seconds of NHL ice time. The veteran minor league forward was given a contract with the Sabres recently but he’ll have to head back to the Rochester Americans for the time being.
- Joel Kiviranta is back with the Dallas Stars after a short trip to the AHL. The 23-year old forward has already been involved in three transactions since the start of the year, moving up and down between the two leagues.
Igor Shesterkin Recalled By New York Rangers
Welcome to the three-headed goalie monster known as the New York Rangers. The team has recalled top prospect Igor Shesterkin from the minor leagues, giving them three top netminders on the roster. Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev remain, and Larry Brooks of the New York Post confirms that the recall has nothing to do with any health issues.
It is important to note that Shesterkin, who signed his entry-level contract in the summer, had a European Assignment Clause and could have exercised it to return to the KHL. Given that he is seen as the future in goal for the Rangers, they obviously didn’t want that to happen, though it is not actually clear if he had threatened to use it at this time. Instead, this may simply be a situation that New York’s front office was always planning for. Lundqvist is getting closer to the end of his career, and though Georgiev has been excellent this season the team still needs to find out just how good Shesterkin can be at the NHL level.
All indicators at this time point towards his skill translating quite well. The 6’2″ netminder was a fourth-round pick in 2014 but quickly became one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. In his final three seasons in the KHL with St. Petersburg, Shesterkin recorded .937, .933 and .953 save percentages. Any doubt that he could perform like that in North America has been put to bed with a .932 save percentage through 23 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Now that Shesterkin is up in the NHL, trade rumors will begin again surrounding Georgiev, who is actually a few months younger. The undrafted goaltender has been excellent in his NHL appearances so far, posting a .913 save percentage over 63 appearances through three seasons. While his upside may not be quite as high, there are plenty of teams who could use a talented young goaltender to either serve as a backup or tandem starter. Georgiev is also a restricted free agent after this season, meaning he’ll be looking for a raise of his own. Lundqvist still has one more season on his deal at $8.5MM.
Corey Perry Suspended Five Games
The Department of Player Safety has been busy today. Corey Perry has been given a five-game suspension for his elbow on Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis during the Winter Classic. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that while we acknowledge Perry’s argument that he did not intend to elbow Ellis in the head, he is in control of this hit at all times and solely responsible for the end result. While Ellis is releasing a shot, he does not move sharply or suddenly in an unexpected that contributes to the end result of this hit. Perry acknowledges that he initially takes an angle of approach to attempt to make a play on the puck, causing him to cut in front of Ellis’ body. Now unable to make any meaningful body contact, Perry follows through with his elbow, driving it into Ellis’ head.
Not only did Ellis suffer a serious injury on the play—he left the game and has been placed on injured reserve today—but Perry also has another factor working against him. Even though he has played in more than 1,000 games, he has two previous suspensions on his record which only make this punishment more severe.
The Dallas Stars will be without Perry for almost two weeks, as the next game he is eligible for will be Thursday, January 16th at the Buffalo Sabres. Of note, that means he will miss the Stars’ first trip to Anaheim to take on the Ducks, where he played the first 988 games of his NHL career.
Dean Kukan Out Indefinitely With Meniscus Tear
The Columbus Blue Jackets could rebrand as a hospital at this point. The team has suffered another major injury, this time to Dean Kukan. The defenseman has a medial meniscus tear and articular cartilage injury in his left knee and is out indefinitely. Kukan suffered the injury in Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins.
Kukan joins an ever-growing list of Blue Jackets with serious ailments, and will have his season cut short—or at least delayed. That’s unfortunate as the 26-year old had finally worked his way into an NHL lineup on a full-time basis, even if it was partly due to injury in the first place. Kukan has played in 33 games for the Blue Jackets this season, nearly doubling his career totals after bouncing between the NHL and AHL the last several years. He also recorded his first NHL goal a month ago, and had contributed five points on the year.
Just the Blue Jackets’ injured reserve list—which doesn’t even include goaltender Joonas Korpisalo at this point—is now made up of Kukan, Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Murray, Markus Nutivaara, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, Emil Bemstrom, Andrew Peeke and Alexandre Texier. That’s a good chunk of the team’s regular lineup, meaning any success by the healthy group is even more impressive.
It’s success that they’ve experienced lately though, as the Blue Jackets are now 7-0-3 in their last ten and can legitimately claim to be in the playoff race. The team sits in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, but is now just seven points behind the second-place New York Islanders. If the injury run ever turns and the Blue Jackets get healthy, perhaps they can still make some noise this season.
Kurtis MacDermid Suspended Two Games
The Los Angeles Kings will be without big defenseman Kurtis MacDermid for the next while after the Department of Player Safety handed out a two-game suspension today. MacDermid was given the ban after an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov earlier this week. As the accompanying video explains:
On this hit, it is clear to us that while MacDermid may make glancing contact with Provorov’s shoulder, Provorov’s head absorbs the brunt of the impact and is therefore the main point of contact. It is also important to note that the head contact on this play is avoidable. Rule 48 does provide situations where a body check may be excused. None of these exemptions apply on this hit.
The check was not penalized by the on-ice officials, but Provorov did not suffer an injury on the play. Both of those things come into play in the decision, along with MacDermid’s clean history of supplemental discipline. That history only covers 71 games of NHL action, and will now be marred by this incident. Any future discipline will be increased because of it.
MacDermid will miss games against the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets, and is eligible to return for the Kings’ game agains the Dallas Stars on January 8th.
Ryan Ellis Placed On Injured Reserve
The Nashville Predators failed to protect their lead in the Winter Classic, and came out of it with a significant injury as well. Ryan Ellis has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, after taking a shot to the head from Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry early in the outdoor game. The team has recalled Alexandre Carrier from the AHL to take his roster spot.
Ellis was caught with an elbow as Perry went by him, leading to an ejection and likely suspension for the Stars forward. Even if he’s suspended for several games though, it likely won’t have the same level of impact losing Ellis will bring. The Nashville defenseman–who turns 29 today–averages more than 23 minutes a night for the Predators and has 28 points in 39 games. One of the best do-it-all defenders in the league, there are few situations where head coach Peter Laviolette can’t rely on Ellis.
Carrier, 23, has some upside as a puck-moving option but doesn’t have the same defensive polish, especially at the highest level. The fourth-round pick hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season, though he was recently named to the AHL All-Star team for his tremendous start with the Milwaukee Admirals.