Mike McKenna Placed On Waivers
As expected, the Vancouver Canucks have placed goaltender Mike McKenna on waivers today. McKenna was acquired earlier this week from the Ottawa Senators, but will likely swap placed with Thatcher Demko in the AHL so the young goaltending prospect can get a chance at the NHL level with the Canucks. McKenna will almost certainly take over the starting role with the Utica Comets, unless another team believes he can help them more in the NHL.
McKenna, 35, has played all over North America throughout his professional career, hitting the ice for six different NHL teams and 13 AHL cities. Heading to Utica is just the next chapter in a career that has seen it all. During all that time he’s proven to be an extremely capable AHL goaltender, but has struggled at the NHL level. Instead of keeping him as a backup in Vancouver, the Canucks will give Demko the chance to show that he is the next starter for the franchise.
There is a chance that McKenna is claimed, but even with his two-way deal that carries just a $700K cap hit it is unlikely. The veteran cleared before the season started, and there have been other goaltenders with more upside that have passed through recently. Any claiming team would have to try and put him through waivers again in order to send him to the AHL, at which point Vancouver would have a chance to get him back. There’s little reason to believe that McKenna is an upgrade at the NHL level for anyone, though there is always the chance that he’s used as an injury fill-in for a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Chicago Blackhawks Place Brandon Davidson, Jason Garrison On Waivers
Thursday: All four players have cleared waivers. Garrison will see his contract terminated and will pursue other opportunities, while Davidson has been activated from injured reserve.
Wednesday: Despite clearing regular waivers earlier this week, Jason Garrison now finds himself back on the wire. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Garrison on unconditional waivers, presumably in order to terminate his contract. The Blackhawks have also placed Brandon Davidson on waivers, while Wade Megan (Detroit Red Wings) and Ben Street (Anaheim Ducks) find themselves there as well.
Garrison, 34, did not report to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL after clearing waivers, leading to his placement on unconditional waivers today. Though the team has not confirmed it yet, it likely means Garrison has agreed to a mutual contract termination after not reporting, and will see the remainder of his one-year deal disappear. The veteran defenseman earned the contract after signing a professional tryout in Edmonton, but was limited to just 17 games before being included in the recent trade for Brandon Manning.
Davidson meanwhile is hitting waivers once again in his career, something that he experienced last season as well. The defenseman 27-year old was waived by the Montreal Canadiens in December 2017 only to find himself on two more teams before the end of the year. Dealing with injury for much of this year, he has suited up just seven times for the Blackhawks. Despite all that, there’s reason to believe that Davidson will be claimed by a defense-needy team given his league-minimum salary of $650K.
New Jersey Devils Extend John Hynes
The New Jersey Devils have taken a big step backwards from their impressive 2017-18 campaign, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be making a change behind the bench. The Devils have signed head coach John Hynes to a multi-year extension. Hynes’ current deal was set to expire at the end of this season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet adds that he expects GM Ray Shero to also receive an extension. Shero explained his decision to extend the New Jersey head coach:
John’s leadership has been instrumental in building both culture and systems that are focused on the development of our players. He has cultivated a group of veteran leaders, while helping our young players develop and gain experience. John is to be commended for the progress the team has made under his direction and this commitment shows that we are confident in the role he will play in our future success.
Hynes has been behind the bench for the Devils since 2015 and carries a .505 winning percentage in that time. He led the club to a playoff berth last season just a year removed from winning the first-overall draft pick, but has seen his team struggle to find that kind of success this time around. The Devils currently sit 15-17-7 and are near the very bottom in the Eastern Conference standings.
Still, last year was a completely unexpected occurrence in the rebuild and shouldn’t put expectations too high for this club. Shero and Hynes have been patient in their approach, and are trying to set up the team for long-term success. That success could very well hinge on this offseason, when Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier could both potentially negotiate long-term extensions. The pair of star forwards are signed through the 2019-20 season but no further, with Hall scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following next season.
In fact, only Cory Schneider, Damon Severson and Miles Wood are signed for longer than two years following this season, meaning Hynes and Shero can build and mold this roster as they see fit. Whether the team is willing to spend their ample cap space is still to be seen, but there was no reason to move on from Hynes at this point.
Joakim Nordstrom Suffers Fractured Fibula
The Boston Bruins have lost another player for a substantial period of time, as today the team announced that Joakim Nordstrom suffered a non-displaced fractured fibula during the Winter Classic. Nordstrom will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
It’s an unfortunate outcome for the 26-year old forward, who had settled into a nice role for the Bruins this season. After failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Carolina Hurricanes last summer, Nordstrom signed a two-year, $2MM deal with the Bruins and has been used extensively in the team’s bottom-six. Averaging more than 14 minutes a night, Nordstrom actually ranks sixth among all Bruins forwards in goals with five and has been a key penalty killer for the team. Though he doesn’t offer a ton of offensive upside, his consistent effort has been needed while the team has dealt with injuries all over the lineup.
His injury will open the door for another one of Boston’s young forwards to see more minutes, though the team has not made a roster move just yet. David Krejci was also absent from practice today, but that was due to the birth of his second child. Krejci is expected to be in the lineup tonight for Boston.
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Two Goaltenders
Ever since the Toronto Maple Leafs lost Calvin Pickard and Curtis McElhinney on the same day earlier this season, fans have dreaded a situation where their remaining two NHL netminders both suffered injuries, however minor, at the same time. With Frederik Andersen currently on the shelf, the team had recently gone out and acquired Michael Hutchinson from the Florida Panthers as a precautionary measure. Today that measure was necessary, as the Maple Leafs have recalled both Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo to serve as their goaltending duo this afternoon. Garret Sparks, who had been carrying the load since Andersen’s injury, is in the concussion protocol after taking a shot to the head at practice.
Hutchison looks like he’ll get the start for the Maple Leafs in a rare afternoon game today against the Minnesota Wild, which would mark his fifth appearance of the season. The other four were for the Panthers, an organization Hutchinson was supposed to serve in this capacity all season. Florida had signed Hutchinson to a one-year, $1.3MM deal to be the third goaltender behind oft-injured Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, but ended up sending him to Toronto for a 2020 fifth-round pick. The 28-year old goaltender comes with plenty of experience in the NHL and a history of success there, though his time in Florida didn’t go well.
Originally selected by the Boston Bruins, Hutchinson would make his debut for the Winnipeg Jets in 2013-14 and ended up playing 102 games for them over parts of five seasons. The big goaltender had his best season in 2014-15 when he went 21-10-5 with a .914 save percentage, but hasn’t been able to replicate those numbers since. Still, he represents a much more experienced option than Kaskisuo, who has just 83 games of professional experience including zero appearances at the NHL level.
Andersen has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 23rd meaning he can come off whenever necessary, while both Hutchinson and Kaskisuo have been recalled under emergency conditions.
Calgary Flames Looking For Left-Handed Defenseman
The Calgary Flames have one of the deepest defense corps in the entire NHL, with several young options pushing for regular roles and a captain playing at a Norris-caliber level even late in his career. Still, they are apparently looking to add to the group. Both Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet have recently noted that the Flames are looking for a left-handed defenseman, specifically a rental for the third pairing according to LeBrun.
Calgary currently has four left-handed options on the roster, though T.J. Brodie routinely plays on the right side. That leaves young Oliver Kylington holding down the third pairing left-hand side recently, something that the team may not be fully confident in given their Stanley Cup aspirations. Kylington is a talented prospect, but is still just 21 years old and obviously doesn’t have the full trust of the coaching staff at this point. He’s played fewer than 12 minutes in 11 of his 16 games this season including a low of just 8:21 on December 22nd.
Juuso Valimaki very well could be the answer on the left side, but is still dealing with a high ankle sprain and Friedman notes that the team is unsure of how he’ll respond when back in the lineup. Adding some depth to the roster in that position may be prudent, though it is not clear who they are targeting at the moment. In terms of left-handed rentals, Jay Bouwmeester and Niklas Kronwall stick out as veteran options on struggling teams, though both have trade protection and may not be what the Flames are after.
It is interesting that the Flames apparent search for help on defense comes just as the team is dealing with a situation regarding an expensive, underutilized forward’s agent publicizing his frustration. Michael Frolik‘s agent Allan Walsh went to Twitter recently to call out the Flames for scratching the veteran forward, spawning plenty of speculation over his future in Calgary. Frolik carries a $4.3MM cap hit through next season, a number that may be impossible for the team to keep around after handing out new contracts to Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett this summer. Frolik still has plenty of talent left in him—as evidenced by his two-assist performance on Monday after being reinserted into the lineup—and could certainly help someone around the league.
Obviously there is no guarantee the Flames find what they’re looking for, but the simple fact of them asking around about rentals should indicate that they have an appetite to “go for it” this season with their strong core. The team sits in first place in the Pacific Division with a 24-12-4 record and could very reasonably come out as the top seed in the Western Conference. With that kind of positioning halfway through the season, it’s easy to see why they would want to make sure every little roster hole is filled.
Montreal Canadiens Activate Carey Price From Injured Reserve
Good news for the Montreal Canadiens today, as the team activated goaltender Carey Price from injured reserve. Price practiced with the team and is at least healthy enough to serve as backup when the Canadiens take on the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night. Michael McNiven has been sent back to the AHL.
Price admitted to Stu Cowen of the Montreal Gazette that he had been playing with his lower-body injury for about seven weeks, and that it wouldn’t have stopped him from getting on the ice if it were playoff time. That’s a familiar story from a goaltender that has repeatedly played through injury, and one that might frighten Canadiens fans who remember when he played an entire game and set himself back in 2017. Still, this injury seems minor—and conspicuously timed with the birth of his second child—and hopefully will not affect the goaltender moving forward.
The Canadiens find themselves just one point behind the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division, a position very few expected them to hold this late into the season. With surprising performances from players like Max Domi and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the team has found a level of competition that should put them in the playoff race right down to the wire. Price is perhaps the biggest key to whether they actually qualify or not, as he has shown the ability to be a difference-maker in the past.
That past performance is what the team hopes returns before long, as the 31-year old goaltender is only in the first year of an eight-year, $84MM deal. He has just a .904 save percentage this season, a number that didn’t look any better seven weeks ago when the injury supposedly happened. In fact December was the best month of his season so far, with an 8-3-0 record and .916 save percentage. Even that level isn’t what’s expected of him though, meaning he’ll have to continue to improve as the season moves along.
Vancouver Trades Anders Nilsson, Darren Archibald To Ottawa
The Vancouver Canucks have moved one of their NHL goaltenders, trading Anders Nilsson and Darren Archibald to the Ottawa Senators. Coming back to the Canucks will be long-time minor league goaltender Mike McKenna, recently waived forward Tom Pyatt and a 2019 sixth-round pick. The two teams are set to face each other tonight in Ottawa.
The Canucks have long sought a way to provide an opportunity at the NHL level for top prospect Thatcher Demko, and moving Nilsson out of town will now do just that. The 28-year old Nilsson will join the sixth NHL organization of his career, and very well could find himself somewhere else when his current contract expires at the end of this season. Carrying a $2.5MM cap hit this season, his performance didn’t justify an extension with the Canucks given Demko’s presence.
In Ottawa, Nilsson will try to provide some NHL-caliber netminding to an organization that hasn’t gotten much of it lately. With Craig Anderson still out dealing with a concussion the team had turned to McKenna and Marcus Hogberg in net, a tandem that had a total of 24 NHL appearances prior to this season. The two have gone 1-6-1 with the Senators this year. Those performances, along with the disappearance of anything resembling NHL contributions from Mike Condon, actually make Nilsson a savvy move for the Senators who are hoping to capture some lightning in a bottle down the stretch. The team is obviously in a rebuild, but could potentially bring back Nilsson as another stop-gap option while Filip Gustavsson continues to develop.
Archibald too could be of use to the Senators, given his history of offensive production at the AHL level. Even if he doesn’t contribute to the Ottawa roster this year, he’ll be a solid addition for a Belleville AHL team that is still trying to compete for a playoff spot in the North Division. Archibald is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and will go directly to the AHL for the Senators organization.
Pyatt, whose $1.1MM cap hit cannot actually be entirely buried in the minor leagues, will also report directly to the AHL after clearing waivers today. He can now be moved up and down for the Canucks for the next little while, giving them some added flexibility and experience up front. Still, he won’t provide value for very long as he is scheduled to be a UFA at the end of the year.
McKenna’s role in this trade is to give the Utica Comets a starter should Demko be recalled, given the long-term injury to Richard Bachman. The Comets are not nearly as impressive as a year ago, but could still make the AHL playoffs and need an experienced netminder like McKenna—Utica would be his 15th AHL city—to get there. The veteran goaltender would need waivers to go to the AHL, something that you will likely see if the team decides to give Demko an NHL shot.
Alex Ovechkin Will Not Attend 2019 All-Star Game
Despite having been named one of the four All-Star captains, Alex Ovechkin won’t be taking part in the festivities this year. According to team reporter Mike Vogel, the Washington Capitals forward has informed the NHL that given his team’s mandatory bye week falls right alongside the All-Star break, he’ll take the time to rest for the second half of the season. This would mean Ovechkin would need to miss either the game prior to the break, or face a one-game suspension afterwards for missing the event without a definite injury. The veteran forward explained his decision:
First of all, thanks for all the fans who voted for me. I know it’s a tough decision, obviously. I like to be part of all the events, but right now I think that time of the year and my age we decide to take a one-week break. It’s hard but it’s better for me, I think, at this point.
The league will announce Ovechkin’s replacement as captain of the Metropolitan Division along with the rest of the All-Star lineups tonight. Sidney Crosby, who has been known to miss the event in the past, told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he plans on attending and could be a potential fill-in as captain given his division-leading 48 points this season.
While Ovechkin will miss a game for the decision, many Capitals fans will likely understand the decision given the high hopes of the club this year. Washington is on a good pace to once again lead the Metropolitan into the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup, with Ovechkin playing some of the best hockey of his career through parts of this season.
Minor Transactions: 01/02/19
While some fans may very well still be nursing hangovers from their New Year celebrations, the league is back in action with six games scheduled for the second day of 2019. The Colorado Avalanche will try to break their losing streak, while the Edmonton Oilers are just trying to find a way to stay afloat in the Pacific Division. Both teams will take on Western Conference opponents later this evening, and we’ll be here keeping track of moves made by those or any other team today.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore from the minor leagues under emergency conditions as the team prepares for their game tomorrow night. Moore is currently filling in for injured forwards Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis, though the former has resumed skating on his own and should be back before long.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled goaltender Jon Gillies, after David Rittich allowed five goals on 33 shots Monday against the San Jose Sharks. The Flames are back in action today against the Detroit Red Wings, and Rittich is apparently dealing with a lower-body injury.
- Brian Lashoff is back in the NHL with the Red Wings once again, a transaction that has an air of deja vu given how many times the veteran defenseman has bounced up and down this season. Lashoff has yet to actually play in a game for Detroit this year, but has been involved in six transactions since clearing waivers earlier on.
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Michael McNiven back to the minor leagues, indicating that Carey Price is at least healthy enough to serve as backup tomorrow. That is a huge step in the right direction for the Canadiens as they try to continue to compete for a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.