Alexis Lafreniere Set To Return For Team Canada
Team Canada is expected to get their explosive forward Alexis Lafreniere back for Thursday’s quarter-final game against Slovakia at the World Junior Championship, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Lafreniere was back on the ice today at practice after suffering a leg injury earlier in the tournament.
Not only is this good news for the Canadians but for draft season as well. Lafreniere is the expected first overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft and should step right into the league as a teenager. The 18-year old winger is the reigning CHL Player of the Year and could win it again after scoring 70 points in 32 games this season for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL.
It’s hard to find a more well-rounded forward prospect than Lafreniere, who is an elite playmaker and goal scorer while also being big enough to engage physically. Though his money will come for the performance on the offensive side of the game, he is strong enough through the neutral zone to help his team quickly turn over the puck and send it back the other way.
We won’t know where Lafreniere is headed until the draft lottery in a few months, but the Detroit Red Wings look like they’ll have the best shot. The Eastern Conference club is sitting firmly in last place, 11 points behind the New Jersey Devils even after their win last night.
2019 Year In Review: July
2019 has been a very busy year throughout the hockey world. There have been several big trades and free agent signings (including a record-setting contract), plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is the month of July, which of course is highlighted by unrestricted free agency.
Free Agent Frenzy: Millions and millions of dollars were spent on the UFA market, including huge deals for players like Artemi Panarin (seven years, $81.5MM), Sergei Bobrovsky (seven years, $70MM) and Matt Duchene (seven years, $56MM), who all happened to be leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets. July 1st saw the majority of money, with only the Anaheim Ducks sitting out day one of the frenzy.
Extension Season: It wasn’t just the unrestricted free agents getting big contracts however. Several players signed long-term deals with their current clubs, including Andrei Vasilevskiy (eight years, $76MM), Jacob Trouba (seven years, $56MM), and Samuel Girard (seven years, $35MM). Anders Lee actually became a UFA for a little while, before heading back to the New York Islanders on a seven-year deal of his own.
The Elusive Offer Sheet: We finally had an offer sheet again in the NHL, with the Montreal Canadiens trying to pry Sebastian Aho away from the Carolina Hurricanes. They didn’t really come close however, as the Hurricanes front office quickly announced they would match the five-year, $42.27MM deal. Aho turned out to be one of the few high profile restricted free agents to sign before training camp, not a bad outcome for the Hurricanes in the end.
Francis Hired, Fenton Fired: The Seattle expansion franchise got their first general manager, hiring former Carolina executive Ron Francis. The team already has plenty of hype around their future entrance into the league, and Francis has quite a bit of time to slowly build out the structure of the organization. That structure was something the Minnesota Wild lacked under their previous leadership, as Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) laid out in great detail after the team fired Paul Fenton. After only 14 months on the job and just a few weeks after handing Mats Zuccarello a $30MM contract, Fenton was out.
Trade Winds Blowing: There were also several trades around the league, including big ones that saw names like Tyson Barrie, Nazem Kadri, Nikita Gusev and others swapping conferences. Perhaps the one that got the most attention though was between two provincial rivals. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames swapped bad money when they completed a Milan Lucic–James Neal trade, players (or perhaps contracts) that had previously been deemed untradeable.
New Money In The Desert: The ownership of the Arizona Coyotes was officially transferred to Alex Meruelo, who purchased a majority stake in the team. Not only did the change stabilize the organization for the time being, but Meruelo’s influence has been felt all around the team as they attempt to involve the Hispanic market in the area. There is an increased buzz around the Coyotes this season, which has only fueled their strong play on the ice.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Evan Rodrigues Looking For Fresh Start
Earlier this month a report surfaced that Zach Bogosian, who was about to be a healthy scratch for the Buffalo Sabres, had requested a trade. Now, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Evan Rodrigues has also “made his interests in a trade known.” Joe Yerdon of The Athletic tweets that Rodrigues “does not see a future with the organization.”
The 26-year old forward has played fewer than nine minutes in three of his past four games, including just 8:34 on Sunday against the Boston Bruins.
Rodrigues is expected to be a healthy scratch (along with Bogosian and Colin Miller) tonight for the Sabres, while newly signed Dalton Smith is expected to make his NHL debut.
It’s been a rough season for Rodrigues, who was awarded a one-year $2MM contract through arbitration in the summer. That was because of his previous two years, where he provided the Sabres with 54 points in 122 games, looking like a useful middle-six piece. That usefulness has basically completely disappeared under new head coach Ralph Krueger, as Rodrigues has zero goals and three points in 24 games this season. Part of that is due to his drastically reduced ice time, but it’s hard to imagine a team running out to land a $2MM forward with such low production at this point.
Just like Bogosian, Rodrigues will likely not bring back anything of value for the Sabres at this point. He could get his wish at the end of the year though, as he’ll be a restricted free agent once again and would need a $2MM qualifying offer for the Sabres to retain his rights.
Metropolitan Notes: New Jersey, Andersson, Fines
The New Jersey Devils have played better under new head coach Alain Nasreddine, going 5-6-2 after today’s shootout win against the Boston Bruins. Even if the playoffs are an unlikely goal at this point, they may still be looking at upgrades on the trade market. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that he believes New Jersey is “considering” some of the excess defensemen that the Buffalo Sabres have been trying to trade.
Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian are the names that have been speculated on most over the last few months, though it’s not clear exactly who the Devils would be after. The Sabres have eight legitimate NHL options, not even including names like Lawrence Pilut and John Gilmour who are currently in the minor leagues.
- Friedman also writes that New York Rangers prospect Lias Andersson is back in Sweden again after recent reports that he was in North America after the holidays. The young forward left the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this month and was subsequently suspended, after requesting a trade out of the organization. Friedman suggests that the Rangers are treating Andersson just like the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars with their own discontented players, still valuing them as “young former first-rounders”—whatever that exactly means—in trade talks.
- Evgeni Malkin earned himself a $5,000 fine for high-sticking Jean-Gabriel Pageau last night, not the first time he’s been disciplined for hitting someone in the head/neck area with his stick. Pageau earned his own $2,500 fine for roughing during the incident.
Prospect Notes: Exceptional Status, Jenik, Sandin
In 2005 John Tavares became the first player to be granted exceptional status by the OHL to start playing junior hockey a year early. Since then, five other young men have been granted the distinction: Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, Joe Veleno and Shane Wright. None of those players have come from the WHL, though that may change next season.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that three prospective WHL players have applied for the status: Connor Bedard, Riley Heidt and Brayden Yager. There’s no guarantee that any of the three will receive it, but they are obviously names to keep in mind down the road. All three will be eligible for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
- The Czech Republic team at the World Juniors lost badly to the Canadians today, partly perhaps because they didn’t have alternate captain Jan Jenik in the lineup. Jenik has been one of the Czech’s best players in the tournament, but Frank Seravalli and Gord Miller of TSN report that his season is likely over thanks to the knee injury he suffered. That’s terrible news for the home fans at the tournament, but also for the Hamilton Bulldogs and Arizona Coyotes. Jenik was dominating in the OHL this season with 56 points in 27 games after being a third round pick in 2018.
- Another scare went through Toronto Maple Leafs fans watching the tournament today when Rasmus Sandin skated off clutching his wrist during the Sweden game. Sandin was slashed hard and left the game, but x-rays were negative according to Henrik Sjoberg of hockeynews.se. Sandin of course may be needed by the Maple Leafs this season now that Jake Muzzin is out with a broken foot.
Minor Transactions: 12/31/19
The NHL is embracing the celebratory feeling on New Year’s Eve with a few afternoon games today, including a tough matchup between the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals. As that gets underway, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves around the league.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Givani Smith from the AHL after Andreas Athanasiou suffered another injury. Athanasiou could be out for a few weeks according to head coach Jeff Blashill, though the team isn’t in a position to compete for the playoffs anyway.
- The Arizona Coyotes recalled Michael Chaput last night, giving them another option up front for their game against the St. Louis Blues. That game represents another potential playoff matchup, as the Blues are running away with the Central Division but Coyotes could drop into a wild card spot at any point.
Justin Holl Signs Three-Year Extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their unexpected contributors, signing Justin Holl to a three-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2MM and keeps Holl under contract through the 2022-23 season.
If you want a success story based on hard work, determination and patience, look no further than Holl. The right-handed defenseman was originally a second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, but after playing four years at the University of Minnesota failed to earn himself an NHL entry-level contract. Instead, Holl would take his talents to the ECHL where he played 66 games for the Indy Fuel and starred, resulting in an invitation to Toronto training camp in 2015.
That invitation wasn’t to play for the Maple Leafs though. Holl was with the Toronto Marlies for the training camp and eventually earned himself an AHL contract, a deal that would turn out to be very valuable to the Maple Leafs’ organization. After an excellent 2015-16 season with the Marlies–under Sheldon Keefe, who now coaches the Maple Leafs–Holl signed his first NHL contract. Still, he didn’t make his debut until the 2017-18 season and then was made a healthy scratch 71 times under Mike Babcock in 2018-19.
This year has been completely different. Taking a full-time role early in the year, Holl has developed into a legitimate top-four option for the Maple Leafs and arguably their best right-handed defensive option. While Tyson Barrie was brought in to provide offense, Holl has been a much more reliable player in his own end, even forming a sort of shutdown pairing with Jake Muzzin before the latter broke his foot recently.
When it came to the future on defense for the Maple Leafs, it was hard to know exactly what the plan was. Among the team’s regulars only Morgan Rielly was signed for next season, with Holl, Muzzin, Barrie, Cody Ceci and Martin Marincin all scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Travis Dermott is a restricted free agent and will also need a raise, something that complicates things for the Toronto front office. The team is already paying out so much money to their forward group that the budget for defense will be tight, and likely means at least one of Muzzin or Barrie will have to be let go.
This relatively cheap deal will help that situation, though there is still some risk in the contract. Holl has played only 51 NHL games to this point thanks to the year he spent in the press box, and will turn 28 in a month’s time. There’s no guarantee that he will continue to perform at a top level, or even provide $2MM in value. The Maple Leafs are already walking a tight rope in terms of cap flexibility, meaning there will be pressure on Holl to make sure he can stay in the lineup and performing for the next several years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jake Guentzel Out Four To Six Months
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their top offensive weapons for the rest of the season. Jake Guentzel has undergone shoulder surgery after suffering an injury last night and is expected to be out for four to six months.
Guentzel, 25, had taken his game to another level this season, leading the Penguins in scoring through the first part of the season with 43 points in 39 games. His presence at the top of the lineup had been the only real constant this season as Pittsburgh dealt with injuries to almost every other impact player, including Sidney Crosby who remains out. Guentzel had been rewarded with his first All-Star appearance, though obviously he now will not be able to attend (or, at least play).
This is just the latest in a brutal string of injuries for Pittsburgh, and yet the team continues to stay near the top of the standings in the Metropolitan Division. Thanks to a successful makeshift lineup and strong goaltending, the group sits in second place with a 24-11-4 record and only seven points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals. In fact, Pittsburgh is on an 8-2 run in their last ten and now have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.
Losing Guentzel for the rest of the year though will hurt dearly, as the young forward was averaging nearly 21 minutes a night and had turned into a real star in this league. A recovery period of four months would potentially allow him to return for some playoff action, but the team may have to try and win the Stanley Cup without Guentzel this season.
Joonas Korpisalo Undergoes Surgery
John Tortorella won’t be happy. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that All-Star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and will be out four to six weeks.
Korpisalo was injured in a shootout against the Chicago Blackhawks, one that Tortorella believed shouldn’t have even happened thanks to a time clock mistake at the end of overtime. Whether he’s right in that belief or not, he’ll have to deal with the fact that his starting goaltender is now out for at least a month.
Selected to the All-Star game as one of the Metropolitan Division goaltenders, Korpisalo has been as hot as any netminder in the league of late. The 25-year old took over for the departed Sergei Bobrovsky this season and has posted a .913 save percentage in 32 appearances. He will most likely miss that All-Star appearance now, giving an opportunity to someone like Tristan Jarry or Semyon Varlamov as a replacement.
Team Canada Wins 2019 Spengler Cup
In a 4-0 shutout of HC Ocelari Trinec, Team Canada has won the Spengler Cup for the 16th time. The Canadian contingent was filled with former NHL players including Dustin Jeffrey, who scored twice and added an assist in the title game.
Canada destroyed the competition this time around with one of the deepest teams they’ve entered, a good sign for the potential 2022 Olympics if the NHL decides not to go again. While some of these players may be too removed from action to participate at that point—Kris Versteeg for instance hinted that he was retiring when he left the Rockford IceHogs earlier this season—others will still be right in their prime and ready to compete.
Perhaps the most interesting player to watch from this Canadian group however is Ian Mitchell, who scored the second goal of today’s final on the powerplay. The 20-year old defenseman is a junior at the University of Denver whose rights are owned by the Chicago Blackhawks after they selected him 57th overall in 2017. Winning on the international stage is just another strong step in his development, one that should only help him down the line when he’s trying to crack an NHL roster filled with professional hockey players.