Snapshots: Three Stars, Bruins, Mikheyev
The NHL has released their Three Stars for the previous week, handing out the top honors to Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. The big Swedish star had eight points in three games including a four-assist effort against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Even with the Lightning struggling to find any sort of consistency this season, Hedman is having an outstanding year with 37 points in 35 games.
Second place went to St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has continued his outstanding play from last season and now carries a .921 save percentage on the year. The 26-year old is the backbone of a team that looks ready to compete for the Stanley Cup once again. Finishing the group is John Tavares, who takes home the third star after a seven-point week with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The high-flying Maple Leafs are scoring goals at a staggering pace, even as they deal with injuries all over the roster.
- Speaking of injuries all over the roster, the Boston Bruins gave updates on several players today. David Krejci, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy and Connor Clifton will all not travel with the team to New Jersey. Brad Marchand who was absent was taking a maintenance day and will play. After getting back on track recently with a trio of wins, the Bruins have stretched their lead in the Atlantic Division back to ten points.
- One player that will be traveling, though not to a team’s next destination, is Ilya Mikheyev. The Maple Leafs forward has been released from hospital in New Jersey and will fly back to Toronto today after having surgery to repair his lacerated wrist. GM Kyle Dubas stayed in New Jersey with Mikheyev while he was tended to and will be traveling back with him today. The rookie forward could miss the rest of the season with the injury after severing tendons and arteries in his wrist.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Matiss Kivlenieks
12:30pm: Korpisalo will be out “weeks” according to Tortorella, who also admitted to Hedger that his comments were undisciplined.
9:12am: After Joonas Korpisalo was injured in last night’s game, the Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks under emergency conditions. Korpisalo was injured in a shootout that head coach John Tortorella believes should never have even happened, after a clock issue late in overtime. Tortorella may be facing some discipline for his remarks, as NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that the comments were “unprofessional along with unacceptable.”
The focus now however is on Korpisalo, who has been excellent for the Blue Jackets lately and has them back on the playoff bubble in the Eastern Conference. While they still sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division, Columbus’ 42 points are just six shy of Carolina for the final playoff spot.
Kivlenieks meanwhile is having an inconsistent season with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL in his third full professional campaign. The 23-year old goaltender carries an .894 save percentage in 15 appearances, well behind his partner Veini Vehvilainen. If Korpisalo misses any length of time, you can bet Elvis Merzlikins will get the first chance to take the NHL net.
Minor Transactions: 12/30/19
With just one game on the schedule for this evening, teams are licking their wounds waiting for the New Year and the second half of the NHL season. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will be in action, but even those on a rest day will be making minor tweaks. As those come in, we’ll list them here.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Timothy Liljegren and Teemu Kivihalme, two defensemen yet to make their NHL debuts. The Maple Leafs already lost Jake Muzzin to a broken foot and need to replace him on the roster. It seems Kivihalme will get the first shot, as Liljegren has already been returned to the AHL Marlies.
- With Charlie McAvoy going onto injured reserve, the Boston Bruins have recalled Jeremy Lauzon under emergency conditions. McAvoy hasn’t played since before Christmas, though the injury isn’t expected to keep him out long-term. The Bruins got some good news on the injury front as well, activating forward Karson Kuhlman from the injured reserve and assigning him to AHL Providence.
- Calvin Pickard has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings once again, giving them another healthy goaltender. Pickard has ended up playing two games for Detroit this season, but has a 5.32 GAA and .818 save percentage.
- Mathieu Joseph is heading back to the minor leagues once again, something the Tampa Bay Lightning have done several times this month. The young forward has still spent most of his season with the NHL club, but is bouncing back and forth lately.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Joachim Blichfield from the AHL Barracuda, giving the youngster another opportunity after he made his NHL debut early last month. Blichfield has been one San Jose’s best minor league forwards this season and the struggling Sharks could use an offensive boost if he can translate his game to the next level.
- Daniel Sprong is back in the NHL after a brief layover with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The Anaheim Ducks called up the young forward, who has spent considerable time with the team this year, but has only actually played in one game. Sprong recorded 19 points in 47 games with the Ducks last year and already has 19 points in 25 games with the Gulls, so he has the potential to make an impact in Anaheim if given the chance.
- With the Minnesota Wild activating captain Mikko Koivu, the team has reassigned rookie forward Nico Sturm to AHL Iowa. Sturm, a highly sought-after college free agent last spring, has 12 points in 25 games wIowa this year and a pair of points in six games with Minnesota as well.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Dalton Smith
The Buffalo Sabres have decided that Dalton Smith has done enough to earn an NHL deal, signing the minor league veteran to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Smith has been with the Rochester Americans for the last three seasons, playing on AHL contracts.
If a deal like this comes as some surprise, it is important to note who the Sabres play on Tuesday evening. Buffalo will welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning into their building tomorrow night, the same team that has injured both Vladimir Sobotka and Rasmus Dahlin this season. Though Smith isn’t a prototypical enforcer, he does play an extremely heavy game and is not afraid to stand up for his teammates or drop the gloves.
The fact that Smith isn’t on waivers prior to signing indicates that he will not be sent down immediately. In fact, he was on the ice with the team at practice today and could very well be added to the lineup for tomorrow night. The 27-year old has four points in 21 games for the Americans this season.
2019 Year In Review: May
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. We’ll now look at May, which not only saw the start of the Stanley Cup Finals, but plenty of movement around the league.
Holland, Tippett Take Over In Edmonton: After years of frustration and pain, the Edmonton Oilers introduced a new leadership group in the form of GM Ken Holland and then head coach Dave Tippett to usher in a new era of success. While they got off to a hot start and looked like a completely different team, the Oilers have recently reverted to their losing ways and now sit fifth in the Pacific Division and 2-7-1 in their last ten games. While Holland explained it would take some time to rebuild the team, they’re in danger of wasting another year of Connor McDavid on an uninspiring roster.
Kesler Has Surgery, Likely Ending Career: Battling through immense pain for the entire 2018-19 season, Ryan Kesler got on the ice for 60 games and made it to the 1,000-game threshold for his career. In early May that pain was relieved after undergoing hip surgery, though it likely ended his time as a professional hockey player. Kesler will be remembered as a two-way wizard that won the Selke Trophy in 2011 while a member of the Vancouver Canucks and scored 573 points in 1,001 career regular season games—even if opposing fans still hate him.
Davidson Returns To Broadway: While the departures of Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene stole all the headlines in Columbus this season, another important member of the Blue Jackets organization left a few months earlier. John Davidson left his position as President of Hockey Operations with Columbus to take his dream job with the New York Rangers, who would also ultimately land Panarin in free agency. Davidson, one of the most respected executives in the entire hockey world, was only returning to the place he called home for so many years as a player and broadcaster.
Rangers Rebuild Takes Another Step: Davidson likely would have taken a job in New York regardless of where their team sat in a rebuild, but just a few weeks before he was officially announced, an injection of talent had occurred. The team agreed to terms with two top Russian prospects in Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shesterkin, while also convincing the newly acquired Adam Fox to leave Harvard and turn pro. While Kravtsov has had a tumultuous first season in North Ameria, Shesterkin is busy dominating the AHL level with a .932 save percentage in 21 appearances. His 1.98 goals against average leads the league, creating even more questions about the New York goaltending situation moving forward.
Come Mr. D.J.: After rumors swirled about a potential return to the NHL for Patrick Roy, the Ottawa Senators instead hired rookie head coach D.J. Smith to lead their team. Smith left the rival Toronto Maple Leafs’ bench after another first-round exit to take the reins of the Senators, where he has instilled a workman-like attitude and started to move the team in the right direction. Ottawa currently sits at 16-18-4 on the season and are no longer the laughing stock of the Eastern Conference, thanks in big part to the structure Smith has created.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Edmonton Oilers Recall Kailer Yamamoto, William Lagesson
When the Edmonton Oilers placed Markus Granlund on waivers yesterday, it raised some questions over who would be recalled to fill his spot on the active roster. Those questions were answered today after Granlund cleared and was assigned to the minor leagues. Kailer Yamamoto, one of the team’s top prospects, will get another chance at the NHL level after being recalled today along with William Lagesson. Brandon Manning, who was also waived yesterday, has also been sent to the AHL.
The 21-year old Yamamoto has had short stints with the Oilers in each of the last two seasons, but is still looking to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. Selected 22nd overall in 2017, he has just five points in 26 games with the Oilers but has been better of late in the minor leagues. Due to injuries he has been limited to just 50 AHL contests in his short career, scoring 34 points.
While there are still high hopes for Yamamoto, the question now becomes whether he can develop into the kind of top-six option the team desperately needs to find. Edmonton has relied so heavily on their top few forwards this season and are still getting almost nothing from the rest of the roster. Zack Kassian‘s 26 points in 38 games are good for third on the team in scoring, while other names like Alex Chiasson have been extremely disappointing.
It’s not just Yamamoto that will bring some excitement to the NHL team though. Lagesson too has become an interesting prospect for the Oilers after being selected in the fourth round way back in 2014. After a year in the USHL, two at UMass and one in Sweden, it was a long road for Lagesson to join the Oilers’ organization before last season. He was worth the wait though, as he recorded 27 points in 67 games for the Bakersfield Condors, while racking up a +25 rating (the highest among defensemen).
2019 Year In Review: March
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 March, one that featured plenty of news, even if the trade deadline had passed.
Ottawa Fires Guy Boucher: On the first day of March the Senators decided to take another drastic step in their rebuild, firing head coach Guy Boucher and replacing him with Marc Crawford for the last few days of the season. Boucher defensive system had taken the Senators all the way to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017 but hadn’t clicked with the new group of players. The Senators would continue to overhaul their roster and bring in rookie head coach D.J. Smith in the offseason.
Ted Lindsay Dies At 93: A few days later, the entire hockey world was in mourning as it said farewell to one of the giants of the sport. Ted Lindsay, a builder of the game on and off the ice, passed away at the age of 93. Even though he is gone, his career as a player and the work he did to form the NHLPA will never be forgotten.
Wright Given Exceptional Status: Just a few months after turning 15, Shane Wright was granted exceptional status by the OHL allowing him to enter the draft a year early. Wright was picked first overall by the Kingston Frontenacs and he has already started to dominate the league, scoring 29 points in his first 28 games in junior. He won’t turn 16 until next Sunday, and is eligible for selection in the 2022 NHL draft.
Stone Inks Huge Extension: It took a week before the Vegas Golden Knights could officially announce it, but Mark Stone eventually got his huge payday. The pending unrestricted free agent signed an eight-year, $76MM contract extension with the Golden Knights after arriving there in a deadline trade from Ottawa. The 26-year old immediately became one of the highest-paid wingers in the game and showed just how dominant he could be with an outstanding postseason performance. Now in the first year of the deal, Stone is on pace for another 70-point season and is trailing only Max Pacioretty in team scoring.
Quinn Leaves College: After two years at the University of Michigan, Quinn Hughes decided to turn pro and sign with the Vancouver Canucks. The young defenseman got into five games down the stretch for the Canucks, burning the first season of his three-year entry-level contract and getting him closer to restricted free agency where he will command quite a bit of salary. The smooth-skating Hughes has been outstanding this year for the Canucks and will be in contention for the Calder Trophy as one of the league’s best rookies. With 27 points in 37 games, there is already talk of a Norris push at some point in the future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Sergei Zubov Named Dallas Stars Senior Consultant
The Dallas Stars have officially hired franchise icon Sergei Zubov, today naming him Senior Consultant to the General Manager. Zubov was fired from his job as a head coach in the KHL earlier this season. GM Jim Nill will oversee Zubov in the Stars organization, and explained why he brought in the Stanley Cup-winning defenseman:
We are thrilled to bring Sergei back into the Stars family. He has been a big part of building hockey here in Dallas as a player, and we are excited for him to continue adding to that legacy in this management role. He has a brilliant hockey mind and his presence in the organization will benefit us all.
Zubov, 49, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this season after an incredible career that saw him win at basically every level. A member of the outstanding 1989 Soviet Union World Junior team that also included Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov, Zubov would win a gold medal at the Olympics just a few years later as part of the 1992 Unified Team. A Stanley Cup would follow in 1994 with the New York Rangers, before another in 1999 with the Stars.
While he was already a star with New York (and Pittsburgh, where he spent one year with the Penguins) in the early part of his career, it’s Dallas where Zubov spent most of his career. Suiting up for 839 regular season contests with the Stars, he anchored a defense corps for more than a decade, logging ridiculous ice time totals and points.
Amazingly never winning a Norris Trophy, Zubov ranks 20th all-time in points among NHL defensemen with this 771. The silky smooth playmaker will now try to help the Stars get back to the promised land by assisting Nill in the front office.
John McCarthy Retiring Due To Health Concerns
After a decade of professional hockey, San Jose Barracuda captain John McCarthy has announced his retirement. The forward experienced an Ischemic stroke earlier this month and though he has made a complete recovery from that incident, health concerns will end his playing career. McCarthy will immediately join Barracuda coaching staff, starting a new chapter behind the bench. McCarthy released a lengthy statement, explaining that even before the year started he was considering making it his final season:
I went into this year thinking I’m 33-years-old, I’ve been playing for a long time, this could be my last year playing,” said McCarthy. “The Sharks and Barracuda have been great, Joe (Will) and Doug (Wilson) have both been unbelievable to me as far as giving me a chance to play so when I suffered the stroke that decision kind of accelerated for me. It’s not something you can prepare for or see coming so I took some time. I spoke to some people whose opinions I value and, although it’s not out of the question that I could return after an extended period of time, I think it’s a good time for me to step away from playing.
Though he hasn’t played a game in the NHL since the 2015-16 season, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t an important part of the San Jose Sharks organization. A seventh-round pick in 2006, he became the captain of Boston University as a senior in 2008 and made his NHL debut the following season. An extremely hard worker, McCarthy has overcome a lack of real elite skill by polishing his game at both ends of the rink.
In 2018, McCarthy was part of Team USA at the Olympic Games when the NHL decided not to attend the tournament. An NCAA champion, he has served as captain of the Barracuda for the last four seasons and set a strong example for many of the organization’s prospects. He’ll now do the same as part of the coaching staff.
Injury Notes: Kupari, Mantha, Blackhawks
Los Angeles Kings fans hoping to get a glimpse of the future at the World Juniors won’t get to see one of their top prospects play for Finland anymore. Rasmus Kupari has left the team after suffering an injury in the opener. John Hoven reports that Kupari suffered a serious knee injury and will likely be out “months.”
Not only is that terrible news for the Finnish team who are already missing Anton Lundell, but Kupari’s absence will adversely affect the Ontario Reign as well. In his first season in North America, Kupari has six goals and eight points in 27 games for the Reign. The 19-year old forward was selected 20th overall in 2018.
- Anthony Mantha will be out for at least four weeks with his upper-body injury, which has to do with his ribs, not his head. The Detroit Red Wings forward was injured when he got into an altercation with Jake Muzzin against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now will have to wait at least a month to continue his strong season.
- If you were wondering whether Brent Seabrook would ever really make it back to the Chicago Blackhawks blueline after being ruled out for the rest of this year, Jeremy Colliton has your answer. The head coach told reporters today including Scott Powers of The Athletic that he expects both Calvin de Haan and Seabrook to be ready for training camp in 2020. The Blackhawks icon is having several surgeries and will have a long road back to the NHL.