Trevor Moore Out Indefinitely With Concussion
The Toronto Maple Leafs have given an update on the mysterious condition of forward Trevor Moore, announcing that he will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Moore had only returned from his previous shoulder injury for a single game, but then was pulled back out of the lineup after more symptoms emerged. The team will now have to move forward without him, though they have been finding plenty of success with his replacements so far.
Moore, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing in 2016 after starring at the University of Denver and quickly developed into a reliable option for Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, who was then coaching the Toronto Marlies. In his first professional season Moore scored 13 goals and 33 points in 57 games, a total he matched the next season before performing at an incredibly high level in the Marlies’ Calder Cup championship run.
Last year the speedy forward made his debut in the NHL and was hard to take out of the lineup, even if the offensive production didn’t completely follow. After the beginning of this season Moore now has 13 points in 47 career NHL regular season games, but will have to wait for his next chance.
In the meantime, the Maple Leafs are red hot under Keefe and have found real contributors in players like Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall. Toronto will start a back-to-back tonight against the New Jersey Devils,
Joel Armia, Paul Byron Out “Week-To-Week”
The Montreal Canadiens have been struck with some more bad injury news, as head coach Claude Julien told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that both Joel Armia and Paul Byron will be out on a “week-to-week” basis. Armia was injured on Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, while Byron hasn’t played since the middle of November. The team will get one forward back however, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi is expected to play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Armia, 26, has been an absolute bargain for the Canadiens since being acquired in a salary dump in 2018. Montreal took Steve Mason and his hefty contract from the Winnipeg Jets and proceeded to buy the goaltender out, but ended up with a depth forward who had just set career highs with 12 goals and 29 points. Right away Armia was a huge addition for the Canadiens, changing the look of their penalty kill while also providing some much needed secondary scoring. Though last season was also cut short to injury, he still provided 13 goals in 57 games.
This year has been even better, with Armia scoring at the best pace of his career. With 12 goals in 35 games he trails only Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher for the team lead, while his 21 points put him fifth among Canadiens forwards. His presence in all situations will be missed dearly, especially as Montreal tries to keep pace with the red hot Toronto Maple Leafs and make up some ground on the bruised Boston Bruins.
Torey Krug Placed On Injured Reserve
After sustaining an upper-body injury on December 23rd, Torey Krug has been placed on injured reserve. The Boston Bruins have recalled Steven Kampfer from the minor leagues to take his place under emergency conditions. Krug left the game on Monday after taking a hard hit from Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, though it is not clear exactly what the ailment is at this point.
If Krug misses any significant time, the Bruins will have to find other ways of moving the puck quickly to their talented forwards. The 28-year old has been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the league the last several years and had 26 points in his first 33 games this season. That included 14 powerplay assists, a spot that the Bruins will need to find a replacement for as well.
Obviously the exit of Krug doesn’t completely torpedo a Bruins team that sits firmly in first place in the Atlantic Division, but the group had already shown cracks in their armor recently. Boston is just 2-4-4 in their last ten games and do have a hard-charging Toronto Maple Leafs team now within nine points. The ship needs to be righted at some point, and losing Krug certainly doesn’t help.
Minor Transactions: 12/27/19
As the holiday season comes to an end and teams are back in action, plenty of players will be on their way back to the NHL. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves with 11 games on the schedule for tonight.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Adam Clendening, Gabriel Carlsson, Ryan MacInnis and Jakob Lilja, showing just how many injuries they are dealing with at the moment. All but Lilja are up under emergency conditions after placing Cam Atkinson on injured reserve.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins, another team dealing with plenty of injuries, have recalled Kevin Czuczman, Thomas DiPauli and Joseph Blandisi. The Penguins will take on the Nashville Predators tonight as they continue to try and navigate a difficult season.
- Jake Walman has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues ahead of their game against the Winnipeg Jets. The Blues sent Niko Mikkola down before the holidays, but perhaps they’ve decided to see what Walman can do instead.
- Riley Stillman is on his way to join the Florida Panthers, though they won’t play until tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. Stillman has spent most of the season in the AHL, but does have three games at the NHL level this year.
- With the Toronto Maple Leafs back in action tonight, the team has recalled Martin Marincin and Adam Brooks from the AHL. Brooks, who still has yet to make his NHL debut, has 16 points in 20 minor league games and has long been a favorite of head coach Sheldon Keefe.
- Nico Sturm has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild, after getting into four games before Christmas. Sturm is still looking for his first NHL goal, but looks like he can handle the center position, at least in limited minutes.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Christian Djoos in time for their game tonight against the battered Blue Jackets, as both Michal Kempny and Radko Gudas are both dealing with an illness. The two veteran defensemen are game-time decisions.
- Andrew Ladd has been returned to the AHL by the New York Islanders, after playing in one NHL game. It appears as though the end is coming quickly for the 34-year old forward, who still has three more years on his contract but has been stuck in the minor leagues.
- Filip Zadina, Calvin Pickard and Brian Lashoff have all been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings as they prepare for a back-to-back this weekend. The Red Wings sit in last place in the entire NHL and are already looking ahead to the draft lottery in the spring.
- Colin Blackwell and Jarred Tinordi have both been recalled by the Nashville Predators, giving them a full 23-man roster once again. Tinordi, 27, hasn’t played in an NHL game since the 2015-16 season.
- Curtis Lazar has been recalled by the Buffalo Sabres, who were hoping that Johan Larsson would be ready for tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins. Lazar has bounced back and forth all year, playing eight games with the Sabres and 18 with the Rochester Americans.
- Mathieu Joseph is on his way back to the AHL once again, assigned there by the Tampa Bay Lightning today. The 22-year old forward has played in 32 games with the Lightning this season, but needs to get his game back on track and will get some more time at the minor league level to do it.
Mattias Norlinder Signs Extension In Sweden
The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of questions among their defense corps right now, but it seems as though some answers are coming in the way of top prospects. Alexander Romanov was a second-round pick in 2018 but looks like he’ll be coming over before long, and Mattias Norlinder has already raised his stock considerably since being selected in the third round last June.
Norlinder, 19, has been excellent this season for MODO in the Swedish second league, scoring 14 points in 28 games. He was recently named to the Swedish World Junior team alongside an elite defensive group, and teammates are convinced he’ll make the NHL one day. That won’t be next year though, as Norlinder has signed a one-year extension with MODO to continue his development in Sweden for 2020-21.
To be sure, the Canadiens will be watching his play closely as he takes on more responsibility with his club team. If MODO can win promotion to the SHL all the better, but even without that he has become a prospect to keep your eye on. With Cole Caufield set to star for Team USA at the upcoming World Junior tournament, we may even see some battles between future teammates in the coming weeks.
Latest On Anthony Duclair
There has been no bigger story on the Ottawa Senators this season than Anthony Duclair (Thomas Chabot‘s heavy usage might be a close second). The 24-year old forward was acquired as part of the return for Ryan Dzingel, but frustrating stints with four teams already in his young career made it hard to expect much of him in Ottawa. Instead, Duclair has completely turned things around and now sits with 21 goals through his first 38 games of 2019-20.
That kind of production is an incredible leap for the young forward, but on a one-year $1.65MM deal it also places a ton of intrigue on his future. The Senators are in an obvious rebuild, but Duclair now represents arguably their best offensive weapon and could be a huge part of their future.
When he got off to his hot start this season, many speculated that Duclair could be another trade chip for the Senators to use for future assets. Not so fast says Darren Dreger of TSN, who examined the situation yesterday:
I supposed there could be the threat of trade–again the Ottawa Senators are still very much in a rebuild format, so they could dangle Anthony Duclair out there. But again, given the offensive production of Anthony Duclair this year it makes sense that the Ottawa Senators will do everything they can up to January 1st, maybe soon after January 1st, to get a contract done.
Earlier in the segment, Dreger suggests that a three-year contract extension could work for both sides given that Duclair is two years away from unrestricted free agency. That would buy out a year of open market value on the young sniper, but also provide him with some security that he hasn’t had so far in his young career.
January 1st is the threshold for anything to get done, as Duclair can’t sign an extension until then given he is currently on a one-year contract. That gives him two more games to continue his torrid scoring pace and provide even more leverage, though you can’t get much hotter than 21 goals in 38 games. That is a full-season pace of 45, nearly equaling the entire rest of his career—Duclair had scored 48 goals before coming to Ottawa, and now has 29 in 59 games between this season and the end of last.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 12/24/19
Even though the roster freeze is in full effect and no hockey is scheduled for the next two days, there are still a handful of transactions coming through the AHL wire. As always we’ll keep you caught up on all the minor moves.
- The St. Louis Blues sent Niko Mikkola down to the AHL without getting him into a single game. Mikkola was recalled on December 14th, but is still waiting to suit up for his first NHL contest. The 23-year old could very well be recalled again later this week.
- Maxime Lajoie and J.C. Beaudin have been sent to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators, as they save some money over the holidays. Ottawa has been decimated by injuries on the blueline, meaning Lajoie is likely coming back as soon as they’re ready to play again.
- The New Jersey Devils have returned Michael McLeod to the AHL, where he’ll continue to try and get his offensive game on track. The 21-year old is still without a single goal in 25 NHL games and has just four in 24 games with the Binghamton Devils this season.
- Jordan Gross has been returned to the AHL by the Arizona Coyotes, after playing in his first two NHL games. The 24-year old had an assist but is still looking for his first point at the highest level.
- Martin Frk and Kale Clague have been sent back to the Ontario Reign, but their stay will likely be short. Clague played nearly 18 minutes in his NHL debut on Saturday and looked like he fit in quite well, even if the boxscore did have him as a -2.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Nashville Predators
As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Nashville Predators.
What are the Predators most thankful for?
Cost certainty.
That doesn’t sound like a very sexy thing to be excited about, but the Predators have used long-term deals to create a program that keeps them in the race every year. All six of the team’s top scorers are currently on contracts of at least six years in length, a testament to David Poile‘s willingness to extend his players early and often. If Roman Josi was still looking at unrestricted free agency in a few months while on pace for a career-high 30 goals and 77 points, his price tag would only be going up from the $9.059MM average annual value they got him to agree to in October.
That kind of foresight has worked out brilliantly in other cases too, like Calle Jarnkrok who agreed to a six-year deal in 2016 that carried just a $2MM annual cap hit. Jarnkrok has been outstanding this season with 25 points in 35 games, scoring in all situations.
Who are the Predators most thankful for?
That has to be Josi, who is not only scoring at the best rate of his career but is also carrying his best underlying analytics in some time. The 29-year old captain would be a real contender (or perhaps the clubhouse favorite) for the Norris Trophy this season as the league’s best defenseman if it weren’t for the absurdity that is John Carlson‘s point production.
It’s hard to know exactly how Josi’s new eight-year, $72.47MM extension will work out in the long run, but at the current $4MM cap hit he carries on the last year of his old deal? He’s one of the biggest bargains in the entire league.
What would the Predators be even more thankful for?
A more consistent bottom-pairing.
Even with the exceptional talents that the Predators boast at the top of their defense group, the team has still allowed 114 goals this season and are barely keeping pace in the tough Central Division. Some of those struggles at least can be pinned on the backs of their depth defenders, including former star Dan Hamhuis who has shown his age this season. The 37-year old was once a rock solid two-way option for the Predators, but may need to be upgraded if the team wants to contend for the Stanley Cup once again.
What should be on the Predators’ Holiday Wish List?
Exactly what it says above, if there’s a way to fit another defenseman into the group right now. The Predators don’t need to add scoring after Viktor Arvidsson returned to the lineup, but tightening up defensively is an absolute must if they want to sneak their way back into the playoffs. With a reliable tandem of Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros that can handle the net and enviable depth down the middle, a new option on the bottom pairing might be the only thing missing from a late-season run.
Whether they can find that fit will be the question, especially one that doesn’t cost much in the future. Obviously moving Kyle Turris out would clear some room down the road, but with the enigmatic forward seemingly finding his game recently there may be some hesitation to ship him out at this point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Kapanen, Canucks, Holtby
The Toronto Maple Leafs roared back to take an afternoon tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes today, scoring eight goals in total (while giving up six against). That kind of offensive firepower is because of the team’s depth up front, even with lineup regulars Trevor Moore and Andreas Johnsson still out with injury. That depth, along with a tough cap situation and defense corps that has struggled has led many to speculate on the future of Kasperi Kapanen, who recently signed a three-year, $9.6MM deal with the team. Pierre LeBrun spoke on TSN radio before the game about Kapanen’s future with the team:
I still talk to some teams that value him and like him. If he were to be made available I don’t think the Leafs would have a hard time gaining value in a trade involving him. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if they did deal him. I think it’s probably in the offseason that it is before February 24th.
But again, because of the pressure of the cap and the pressure of having to figure out the defense moving forward next year, I think he’ll be one of the expendable parts. Not because I think the Leafs’ front office thinks any different of him, I think it’s just he’s at a certain number and I think they can get cheaper players to play those roles. It wouldn’t shock me if he was involved in a trade in the offseason.
Kapanen, 23, has eight goals and 19 points in 38 games this season. This is the second time recently a major hockey insider has spoken about the ease in which Toronto could trade the young winger, after Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet included a note about Kapanen’s value in his 31 Thoughts column earlier this month. Though there has been no indication that the Maple Leafs are leaning that way at this point, he’ll obviously be a player to watch in the summer.
- The Vancouver Canucks have gotten standout performances from several young players this season, but as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet points out that may actually have a consequence moving forward. Johnston notes that the performance bonuses of players like Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Adam Gaudette could add up to more than $4MM this season, a total that would be carried over against next year’s cap if they don’t have the room on this year’s books. The Canucks already have buyout hits and cap recapture penalties that add up to more than $4MM as well, meaning they could be playing with a much diminished pocket book in 2020-21.
- Friedman also noted over the weekend that negotiations with Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals have been put off until after the season is over, something that makes his future with the team even more interesting. Holtby has been a rock for the Capitals for nearly a decade now, winning a Vezina Trophy in 2016 and earning all 16 wins in their Stanley Cup championship in 2018. That said, the team now has young netminder Ilya Samsonov showing what he can do at the NHL level (9-2-1 with a .916 save percentage in 12 appearances) and cap issues to solve with Nicklas Backstrom due for a new deal in 2020 and Alex Ovechkin in 2021. Friedman was clear to point out that the Capitals have extended other players like John Carlson and T.J. Oshie after the season previously, but Holtby may be a different situation entirely.
USA Hockey Announces Preliminary WJC Roster
December 23rd: According to Corey Pronman of The Athletic, Janicke, Regula and Krygier are the final three cuts for the Americans. Previously the team had been trimmed down to 26, with Johnson, Gruden and Mastrosimone being sent home. Oliver Wahlstrom was added to the group late and will play in the tournament.
December 9th: USA Hockey has followed several other countries in announcing their preliminary roster for the upcoming World Junior tournament. The team will compete for spots at a training camp in Plymouth, Michigan later this month, where a 23-man roster will be selected.
The full camp roster:
Goaltenders:
Spencer Knight (FLA)
Isaiah Saville (VGK)
Dustin Wolf (CGY)
Defensemen:
Ty Emberson (ARI)
Jordan Harris (MTL)
Ryan Johnson (BUF)
Zac Jones (NYR)
Christian Krygier (NYI)
K’Andre Miller (NYR)
Alec Regula (CHI)
Mattias Samuelsson (BUF)
Spencer Stastney (NSH)
Cam York (PHI)
Forwards:
John Beecher (BOS)
Bobby Brink (PHI)
Cole Caufield (MTL)
Jack Drury (CAR)
Parker Ford (2020 eligible)
Jon Gruden (OTT)
Curtis Hall (BOS)
Trevor Janicke (ANA)
Arthur Kaliyev (LAK)
Robert Mastrosimone (DET)
Shane Pinto (OTT)
Jacob Pivonka (NYI)
Nick Robertson (TOR)
Alex Turcotte (LAK)
Trevor Zegras (ANA)