Brian Lashoff Signs Two-Year Extension
The Detroit Red Wings have signed Brian Lashoff to a two-year two-way contract extension worth $700K at the NHL level. The veteran defenseman was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but will now be with the organization until the summer of 2021.
Lashoff, 28, has played just six NHL games since the 2014-15 season but is an important part of the Grand Rapids Griffins. A two-time Calder Cup champion, Lashoff is a reliable defensive presence that brings size and leadership to the organization, mentoring the Red Wings next wave of young talent. With players like Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski such an important part of the future for Detroit, having someone like Lashoff to set an example in the minor leagues is valuable.
Still, this extension will likely have little on-ice impact for the Red Wings. Lashoff has been used as an injury replacement but does not have much of a future as a Red Wings player. He’ll need to clear waivers next fall in order to be sent back down, but that shouldn’t cause much of an issue.
Snapshots: Draft Ranking, NTDP, Gendron
Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino has a new top prospect for the 2019 draft, as Kaapo Kakko has overtaken Jack Hughes in his latest ranking. The Finnish forward has found success this season everywhere he has played including the top league in his home country, and has plenty of upside as a franchise-changing talent at the top of the draft. Hughes still slots into the second spot, though Cosentino admits he is still unlikely to fall that far in the actual draft.
An interesting placement on this list is Philip Broberg, who is all the way down at 18. The Swedish defenseman has been considered a potential top ten pick by some scouts, but Cosentino questions the offensive upside in his game. Broberg did not make a huge impact at the World Juniors and has just nine points in 41 games for AIK in the Swedish second league.
- Looking even further into the future, USA Hockey has released their 52-man roster for the National Team Development Program evaluation camp today. The list includes quite a few familiar names, including Luke Hughes (younger brother of Jack and Quinn Hughes) and Luke Mittelstadt (younger brother of Casey Mittelstadt). This camp will provide the roster for the National U17 team this season and will be held at the end of March in Plymouth, Michigan.
- While the Ottawa Senators wait for the above players to become available, they have added another prospect of their own to the organization. The Belleville Senators have signed Miles Gendron to an AHL contract for 2019-20, while he’ll join the Brampton Beast on an ECHL deal for the rest of this season. Gendron played four seasons at the University of Connecticut, serving as captain this year.
Gary Bettman Upholds Jakub Voracek Suspension
The NHL commissioner has reviewed the facts and conducted a hearing with Jakub Voracek and his NHLPA representatives, but does not believe the two-game suspension was unwarranted. Gary Bettman released his decision today to uphold the ban, given to Voracek for an incident with Johnny Boychuk in a game on March 9th. Voracek has already missed one game for the Philadelphia Flyers, and will be forced to sit out tomorrow night as well. He will also forfeit more than $88K in salary. From the decision:
While I accept Mr. Voracek’s explanation that he thought Mr. Boychuk was going to initiate a check, the video makes it clear that it was Mr. Voracek who initiated the contact. At the hearing, it was acknowledged that Mr. Voracek had other options available to him, but instead Mr. Voracek moved into Mr. Boychuk’s path by taking a step to the left and driving upwards into Mr. Boychuk. The onus was on Mr. Voracek to avoid causing a significant blow to Mr. Boychuk’s head. The force was significant enough to cause Mr. Boychuk to require medical attention on the ice and he did not return for the balance of the game. It is worth acknowledging that during his long career in the NHL, Mr. Voracek has maintained a strong character and a clean record with no prior supplemental discipline history. However, that does not absolve Mr. Voracek of the responsibility to play this game in a safe manner in accordance to the applicable rules.
The decision also explains how Voracek would not have appealed a one-game suspension, and that he was seeking a reduction to that level. These kind of short-term suspensions are never appealed in this manner and as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet points out, they can not be taken to an independent arbitrator now that Bettman has made his ruling. Obviously Voracek believed he was being unfairly punished, especially given his lack of discipline history.
Philadelphia will now have to hope they can take down the Washington Capitals tomorrow night without one of their key offensive pieces, a task that quite literally could decide their season. The team is currently sitting five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot and can’t afford to slip any further in the standings.
Thomas Chabot Out With Broken Toe
The Ottawa Senators have had a bright spot all season in Thomas Chabot, who has developed into a top defenseman in the NHL at a very young age. Unfortunately that bright spot will be snuffed out for at least a few weeks, as Chabot deals with a broken toe. Brent Wallace of TSN reports that the team has listed Chabot as week-to-week, but are hopeful he can play again this season. The Senators finish their season on April 6th, three and a half weeks from now.
Chabot, 22, has racked up 49 points through 62 games this season, establishing an early career high and proving himself to be one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the league. Logging more than 24 minutes per night for the Senators, Chabot is a huge centerpiece for their rebuild and will be relied upon moving forward.
Unfortunately, that may have to wait until next season if he doesn’t recover quickly. There’s not much point in rushing him back, though the Senators have said that they’re trying to win as many games as possible down the stretch. Tanking for a higher draft pick isn’t a problem for them, but they seem destined to finish in last place.
Minor Transactions: 03/13/19
The NHL is quiet on this Wednesday evening, with only three games on the schedule. In Edmonton, the Oilers will try to keep their season alive against the New Jersey Devils, while in Toronto they just try to forget the beat down they suffered earlier this week. With most of the league resting today, there will likely be several minor moves to keep track of. Like always, we’ll do that right here.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Paul Carey from the minor leagues according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Carey has 20 points in 21 games since being acquired by the Bruins in mid-Januaray, and could potentially jump right into the NHL lineup. The 30-year old forward has long been an excellent scoring threat at the minor league level, but has totaled just 16 points across 97 NHL appearances.
- The Bruins have also recalled Connor Clifton from Providence, while assigning Peter Cehlarik back down to the AHL. Clifton, 23, has played in just nine NHL games this season but has been dynamic in the minor leagues with 27 points.
- Colton White was returned to the minor leagues last night, without actually getting a chance with the New Jersey Devils. The 21-year old defenseman has 25 points in 61 games for the Binghamton Devils this season, but will have to wait a little longer to make his NHL debut.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Filip Chlapik back down, since he was only on an emergency recall. The young forward will get plenty of opportunity in the coming years to make an impact for Ottawa, but for now will continue his development with the Belleville Senators.
- With Robin Lehner getting ready to make his returned to the New York net, the Islanders have reassigned Christopher Gibson back to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The 26-year-old Finnish keeper has been stellar in two appearances with the Isles this season, posting a .941 save percentage and 1.50 GAA in two periods of relief. However, he may be yet another beneficiary of the team’s system; his underlying AHL numbers – a .900 save percentage and a 2.89 GAA – and his previous NHL outings suggest he’s still not playing at an NHL level.
- The AHL’s Hershey Bears have signed veteran Joey Leach to a contract for the remainder of the season. Leach, 27, had been loaned to Hershey from their AHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, but did enough in 17 games with the Bears to earn a contract. Leach was both the captain of the Stingrays and one of their most valuable player. He had 20 points in 28 games with the team prior to his loan, suiting up at both defense and forward.
Kasperi Kapanen Diagnosed With Concussion
The Toronto Maple Leafs kept Kasperi Kapanen out of the lineup on Monday with what they deemed as an illness, but gave a more serious diagnosis today. Kapanen will be held out again tonight because of a concussion, sustained at some point during the game in Edmonton on Saturday night.
Kapanen, 22, has been a welcome addition to the Maple Leafs this season, recording 42 points in 68 games in his first real opportunity as a full-time NHL player. Originally selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins, he came to Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal several years ago and had only really found his way to the Maple Leafs roster late last year. The speedy winger has developed into an excellent counter-attack option that can make teams pay for turning the puck over, and is even used as a penalty killer by head coach Mike Babcock.
Losing him right now as the Maple Leafs attempt to track down the Boston Bruins in the standings isn’t a perfect scenario, but the team does have other options to take over Kapanen’s minutes. William Nylander has been promoted to the wing of Auston Matthews while young forward Trevor Moore will likely see regular time on the fourth line. There is currently no timetable for Kapanen’s return, but his penchant for scoring timely goals will certainly be needed if the Maple Leafs are expecting to do any damage in the playoffs this year.
Calvin De Haan To Make Full Recovery From Eye Injury
It was a scary moment for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Calvin de Haan when Alexander Kerfoot‘s stick came up and hit him in the eye during last night’s game. The veteran defenseman writhed in pain on the ice for a few moments before leaving the game and travelling to a nearby hospital. GM Don Waddell updated the situation with some great news today, indicating that de Haan avoided serious injury.
Calvin sustained an injury to his right eye last night, but was released from the hospital in time to make the flight home with the team. At this point, his eye is responding as we would hope. We are optimistic that he will make a normal recovery without restrictions to his ability to play hockey in the near future.
de Haan, 27, has come back strong this season after dealing with injury for much of 2017-18. Signing a four-year, $18.2MM deal with the Hurricanes in the offseason, he has stepped into a valuable role for the team as one of their key penalty killers. Logging nearly 19 minutes a night, de Haan also leads the team in hits with 169 and has contributed 14 points on the season.
Getting him back in the lineup quickly will be important for Carolina, who suddenly have jumped into a divisional playoff spot in the Metropolitan. With a 7-2-1 record in their last ten, the team now sits just four points behind the New York Islanders for second in the division and four points clear of a Columbus Blue Jackets team sitting in the final wild card position. There’s no guarantee that they’ll make the postseason, but having de Haan healthy and on the ice in the coming weeks will certainly help.
The team has recalled Haydn Fleury from the AHL under emergency conditions for the time being.
Three Princeton Free Agents Sign NHL Contracts
Princeton Tigers head coach Ron Fogarty may be disappointed with the way his hockey club’s season ended, but today he’ll be proud of several of his players. Three Princeton free agents have signed entry-level contracts. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports on each, tweeting that Max Veronneau has signed with his hometown Ottawa Senators, Ryan Kuffner is heading to the Detroit Red Wings, and Josh Teves will sign with the Vancouver Canucks.
Veronneau, 23, signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Senators after nearly the entire league expressed interest in him. That two-year deal is all he could sign at his current age, but the Senators have offered him the chance to burn the first year immediately by joining them for the rest of the season. Veronneau will be in Ottawa in time for practice on Wednesday. GM Pierre Dorion explained the process of signing another prospect:
We are very excited to have Max join the Ottawa Senators. We aggressively pursued Max, whose talents made him one of the highly sought-after college free agents available this year. He plays the game with tremendous pace and has terrific offensive instincts. Max will be given the opportunity to compete to be part of the Senators team, both now and in the future.
The talented forward had 37 points in 31 games this season after trailing only Adam Gaudette in 2017-18 with 55 points. He had previously attended development camps with several teams, and has been on the radar as a potential college signing for years. Veronneau will become a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.
Kuffner meanwhile actually led Princeton in scoring this season with 44 points and is certainly another sought after talent. The 22-year old forward is also from the Ottawa area and was a star in the CCHL before heading to college. In four years at Princeton the 6’1″ winger recorded 152 points in 132 games, and will join a Red Wings organization that is slowly rebuilding their talent pool after many years of Stanley Cup contention. Like Veronneau, Kuffner has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings that will start this season, making him a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020.
Teves, the lone defenseman of the trio is also the oldest at 24 but has had great success as a puck-mover over the years. The Calgary-born Teves has signed a one-year entry-level deal with Vancouver given his age, and if it is for this season—which Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet has heard it is—it would make him a restricted free agent in just a few months. He’s certainly familiar with the area, given he attended Canucks development camp and played much of his junior hockey in British Columbia.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Philipp Kurashev
The Chicago Blackhawks have inked one of their intriguing forward prospects, signing Philipp Kurashev to a three-year entry-level contract. Kurashev is currently playing with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, where he will remain for the rest of this season.
Kurashev certainly didn’t make headlines when he was selected 120th overall in the 2018 draft, but a few months later he was the talk of junior hockey. That came at the most recent World Junior tournament where the 19-year old led the field with six goals in seven games for Switzerland, impressing everyone in attendance with his slick puck skills and ability to finish around the net. Kurashev returned to the Remparts where he has 28 goals and 62 points in 57 games, easily leading the team in both categories.
The talented forward was actually ranked much higher than his eventual draft position by many outlets, and he’ll now get the chance to prove that he should have been a higher selection. Turning 20 in October means his contract will kick in for the 2019-20 season regardless of where he plays, making him a restricted free agent in the summer of 2022.
Cooper Zech Signs With Providence Bruins
The Boston Bruins organization has signed an undrafted college free agent, but not to an NHL contract. Cooper Zech has agreed to a two-year AHL contract that will kick in next season according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Zech will join the Providence Bruins for the rest of this year on a tryout contract.
Divver states that Zech “wanted out” of Ferris State University, where he played just one season. The 20-year old defenseman went undrafted despite putting up points at every level, likely because of his small frame. The 5’9″ Zech didn’t let his stature stop him from performing on the collegiate stage though, as he recorded 28 points in 36 games. The left-handed puck-mover is another lottery ticket, though Boston doesn’t actually own his rights given the AHL contract.
Still, Zech will jump into the organization’s player development system and could very well earn himself an NHL entry-level deal down the road. There might be quite a bit of time before that happens, but he’ll have the benefit of working with professional coaches while earning a minor league salary. At this point he will also not count towards Boston’s 50-contract limit.