Latest On Salary Cap Ceiling For 2020-21
Though NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wouldn’t give a specific salary cap range estimate for the 2020-21 season, Pierre LeBrun took the pulse of the league’s board of governors. LeBrun shared those thoughts on TSN today:
They had their interpretation of what they heard from Gary Bettman. A number of different ranges, but one governor saying to me that the low range is $82.5MM, which is just $1MM more than the current cap of $81.5MM. That’s what his team will budget for, and if it is higher so be it, but they are going to be conservative. I had another governor tell me $83.5MM is what he thinks it is probably going to be. I think teams are going to be cautious this time around.
Given how the range of cap predictions from this time last year didn’t come true, you can see why a team might lean a little more conservative this time around. Any movement in the salary cap will be hugely welcomed however, as more than half the league has had to dip into long-term injured reserve to stay compliant at various period this season. An increase of $3MM however could be almost a game-changing amount at this point.
With restricted free agent salaries skyrocketing and an unrestricted free agent class that may include players like Taylor Hall, Braden Holtby and Alex Pietrangelo, there will be plenty hoping for some extra space. Specifically, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights who had to sacrifice real assets to get under the cap ceiling at the start of this year would be relieved to know they have a bit more room.
Potential 2021 World Cup Of Hockey Cancelled
The NHL had been hoping to pull off another World Cup of Hockey in February of 2021, but commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters today including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet that the idea is now dead. The league will hold an All-Star game instead, though Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that it could potentially be in the style of an international competition of some sort. The last World Cup was held in 2016 and was considered a success by many, with the youthful Team North America and a Ralph Krueger-led Team Europe both connecting with fans across the league.
With the NHL pulling out of the last Winter Olympics, players and fans voiced their displeasure regarding the lack of a real best-on-best tournament. The IIHF World Championship only includes part of the NHL as many teams are still in the playoffs. The World Cup did represent a best-on-best format, however there were obviously some logistical issues that needed to be solved. For one, having it just before the season began risked injury for players, something Matt Murray experienced first hand. Murray suffered a broken hand in the tournament and missed the first part of the 2016-17 season, just a few months after winning his first Stanley Cup.
Because the league still very much intends on having a World Cup at some point, this news will bring up the question of participation in the next Olympics once again. The players have expressed that they want to go, but the league hasn’t changed their official stance on participation. Because the Olympics are not a league-run entity, the NHL feels as though the disruption to the regular season is too great. The World Cup, a joint effort between the NHL and NHLPA, would not be considered so. The next Winter Games are scheduled for February, 2022 in Beijing, China.
For now, we’ll have to wait to see what happens next for the World Cup and whether or not Team North America and Team Europe are one-time memories.
Jason Demers Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
The Arizona Coyotes will be without an important defensemen for the next while, as they announced Jason Demers will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury. Craig Morgan of The Athletic tweets that the injury was sustained during the Coyotes’ game against the Chicago Blackhawks and could need a minor procedure.
Demers, 31, also missed a huge chunk of last season with a knee injury, making this news concerning to Coyotes fans hoping to compete this year. The team is already without Niklas Hjalmarsson but still find themselves in second place in the Pacific Division with the second-best goal differential in the Western Conference. Demers’ absence will perhaps be felt most on the penalty kill where he averages more ice time than any other Arizona player. His 18:31 every night at even-strength puts him firmly in the top-four, a position the team will have to find a way to fill for the time being.
Madison Bowey Clears Waivers
Tuesday: Bowey has cleared waivers and will report to the Grand Rapids Griffins, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.
Monday: The Detroit Red Wings have placed Madison Bowey on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He is expected to be sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins should he clear tomorrow.
Bowey, 24, was the player the Red Wings acquired along with a second-round pick in exchange for Nick Jensen last season. Though obviously the pick was important to the rebuilding franchise, Bowey too was expected to handle an increased role with the Red Wings and perhaps be a core player to build around. Instead, he has been an adventure in his own end this year and is now available for the entire league.
Through 22 games Bowey does have eight points, but has been destroyed (like many other Red Wings players) in the defensive end. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year but currently carries a $1MM cap hit, which could end up saving him from claim. Even if he does make it through however, there is a real chance the Red Wings wouldn’t extend him a qualifying offer at the end of the season, given it would have to be equal to that $1MM salary (at the NHL level).
Minor Transactions: 12/10/19
The NHL already saw a coach fired for unprofessional conduct this morning and now prepares for a busy evening with 12 games on the schedule. There’s no slowing down as we head into the middle of December. As teams prepare for all the action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- Mason Appleton has been reassigned by the Winnipeg Jets as they get set to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight. The 23-year old forward has played in nine games for the team, but will now return to the AHL where he spent much of the last two seasons.
- With Nico Hischier still sick, he has been placed on injured reserve in order to recall Michael McLeod from the minor leagues. The New Jersey Devils’ center’s designation is retroactive to December 5th, meaning he can come off as soon as he’s healthy enough to return.
- The Colorado Avalanche have returned Adam Werner to the minor leagues, meaning Philipp Grubauer must be healthy enough to return to action. The Avalanche relied on Werner earlier this season as an emergency fill-in, but his place is in the AHL at this point in his career.
- Just like most of the other days this season, Cory Conacher has been flipped by the Tampa Bay Lightning–this time to the AHL. Conacher has been bounced back and forth all year, but this move is a little more interesting thanks to the presence of Mitchell Stephens. After making his debut last night, Stephens will stay on the roster for the time being.
- Speaking of debuts, the Calgary Flames have recalled Matthew Phillips from the minor leagues and will insert him into the lineup tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Phillips is one of the AHL’s most dynamic offensive weapons this season, but stands just 5’8″ 160-lbs.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Columbus Blue Jackets
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. 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 Columbus Blue Jackets.
What are the Blue Jackets most thankful for?
A rock-solid scouting staff.
There hasn’t been a ton to celebrate in Columbus over the past few months. The team watched several of their best players leave for greener pastures (or sandier beaches) this summer and have now struggled through the early part of the season en route to a 11-14-4 record. The hopes that Pierre-Luc Dubois, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski could take the next step and keep them competing for a divisional playoff spot have been dashed so far, as the offense and goaltending have desperately missed Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky (at least the one that played for Columbus).
There is reason to be hopeful for the future however. Players like Alexandre Texier, Emil Bemstrom and Andrew Peeke all selected outside of the first round, have made contributions in the NHL this season, despite each being under 22. The team’s most recent first-rounder, Liam Foudy, is one of the most dynamic skaters in the CHL and has a good shot at representing Canada at the upcoming World Juniors. If Columbus decides to hang onto their picks, or even collect some new ones, their staff have the skills to rebuild this pipeline quickly.
Who are the Blue Jackets most thankful for?
Seth Jones.
Through all the noise and disappointment, the Blue Jackets best defenseman has quietly logged huge minutes for the team while still being one of the best at both ends of the rink. Jones may not be having the best season of his career, but is a stabilizing presence for the organization that can be relied upon every night.
With an excellent contract that keeps him under control through the 2021-22 season, Jones can still be the core of whatever GM Jarmo Kekalainen tries to build in Columbus.
What would the Blue Jackets be even more thankful for?
A few more saves.
It’s not that Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins have been dreadful this season, it’s just that neither one is well suited to be a starting goaltender in the NHL right now. The former had played in 90 NHL games before this year and hadn’t been very effective since the 2015-16 season, while the latter had only been really tested against players of this caliber at the World Championships. Merzlikins had always shown quite well at international competitions, but the grind of the NHL is a much different animal.
Blaming a pair of goaltenders with such little experience for the struggles this season would be foolish, but getting an extra save or two would certainly make things look a lot better.
What should be on the Blue Jackets’ Holiday Wish List?
A draft lottery horseshoe.
If Kekalainen and head coach John Tortorella were speaking honestly, they probably would admit that the team isn’t going to win the Stanley Cup this season. While the St. Louis Blues showed everyone to not give up at this point in the year, the Blue Jackets are only three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils and 13 points out of a divisional playoff spot. It would be an incredible story if they were to turn things around, meaning they may soon end up focusing on the upcoming draft instead.
Columbus doesn’t have their second- or third-round picks thanks to the Ryan Dzingel and Ian Cole trades, but could very well end up as sellers at the deadline to recoup some of those lost assets. A draft lottery win would certainly be something to celebrate and build around moving forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Three Stars, Lemieux, Makar
The NHL has released their Three Stars of last week and the presumptive Norris favorite is at the top. John Carlson gets the honor after a six-point week with two game-winning goals, taking him to an incredible 43 points in 31 games this season. Carlson is on pace for 113 points this season, something only Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr have done as defensemen.
Second and third place go to Tristan Jarry and Jack Eichel, two more Eastern Conference players just coming into their own. Jarry was picked over Casey DeSmith as the Pittsburgh Penguins backup at the beginning of the season and has been exceptional. Eichel meanwhile has improved his offensive production for the fifth season in a row and now sits at 42 points through 31 games. The Buffalo Sabres captain may be overlooked at times due to team success, but is one of the most explosive scorers in the entire league.
- Brendan Lemieux has been fined $2,000 for his elbow on Cody Glass over the weekend. Lemieux tried to hit Glass in the corner and ended up contacting him in the head with his elbow when the two spun away from each other. While not a suspension, the fine will impact any future Department of Player Safety decisions in Lemieux’s career.
- Cale Makar was missing at Colorado Avalanche practice today, but it sounds like he avoided major injury. The team listed him as day-to-day after he was injured on a hit from Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Makar has been an incredible story this season as a rookie and seems to be running away with the Calder Trophy.
Joe Veleno To Play For Team Canada
The Detroit Red Wings have decided that minor league forward Joe Veleno will be allowed to play for Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior tournament. Hockey Canada announced that Veleno will join the team in the Czech Republic for the preparation camp later this month. The rest of the roster will be determined at a selection camp that opens today in Oakville, Ontario.
Veleno’s addition should make a real difference on a Canadian team that might not be considered the favorites this time around. Though there is obviously a ton of talent on the squad, including speculative 2020 first-overall pick and reigning CHL Player of the Year Alexis Lafreniere, questions remain about the group’s depth on defense and in net.
The Red Wings prospect obviously can’t help those positions directly, but his excellent two-way play and experience should raise the Canadians to another level. Not only did Veleno play on last year’s edition of the squad, he now has 25 games of AHL experience despite being just 19.
Being the first QMJHL player granted exceptional status, Veleno already had four full years of CHL experience under his belt when this season started and thus was eligible to play in the AHL before his 20th birthday. While he only has nine points in those 25 games, there is no doubt he is developing at a quicker rate than if he had returned to junior hockey.
Travis Konecny Out Indefinitely With Concussion
The Philadelphia Flyers explained a few absences from practice today, but the most significant one was easily Travis Konecny. The young forward will be out indefinitely with a concussion, likely suffered on the huge hit he took from Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki over the weekend.
Losing Konecny is a huge blow to the Flyers’ offensive attack, given the new level he seemed to have found this season. The 22-year old forward has 11 goals and 28 points in 30 games, leading Philadelphia in both categories for the season. That offense was achieved at both even-strength and on the powerplay, spots where someone else will have to step up in his absence.
The Flyers have actually been a pleasant surprise this season in the Metropolitan Division, currently sitting in third place with a 17-8-5 record. Though it will be tough to hold off the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes without their best offensive piece, Philadelphia’s future looks extremely bright. Not only is Konecny still a very young player, but new teammates like Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost look like they will be contributors for a long time.
Andrew Shaw Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve
The Chicago Blackhawks have decided to place Andrew Shaw on long-term injured reserve, retroactive to November 30th. Shaw is out with a concussion and his new designation means he will be out at least until the Christmas break. With the added roster space, the team has recalled Adam Boqvist and Matthew Highmore from the minor leagues.
Shaw, 28, has dealt with several neck and head injuries in the past, even going into devastating detail of his symptoms with Eric Engels of Sportsnet in 2017. At that point Shaw was trying to help expose the danger involved in the “tough” attitude of playing through brain injuries, but more than two years later it stands as a troubling reminder of how he has suffered in the past.
The Blackhawks will obviously have to take it slow with Shaw’s recovery, but hopefully this time he has the support and knowledge to help him through the symptoms. For now, the team will have to move on without him in the lineup.
Boqvist’s recall is a positive move, but it will bring up several questions. If the 19-year old plays in another four games in the NHL his entry-level contract will kick in for 2019-20, burning the first season. This also likely means he won’t be released for the World Juniors, a tournament he is still eligible for despite playing professional hockey this season. Camps for that tournament are opening this week, though the flashy defenseman would probably be welcomed into Sweden’s group without going through the regular selection process.