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Frank Corrado Finally Plays

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Frank Corrado will finally see the ice after playing but one NHL game this season. Corrado has been a healthy scratch for almost the entire season—minus a week long conditioning stint in the AHL—because of Toronto’s blue line logjam.

The young defenseman took to the media earlier this year to express his frustration with the lack of playing time. Corrado remained a healthy scratch despite gaining muscle and working hard every practice. He questioned whether coach Mike Babcock liked him, and whether he fit into the team’s plan.

With star defenseman Morgan Rielly out, however, Corrado finally gains his chance to show the team what he brings to the table. Rielly suffered a lower body injury against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night, and it is unclear how many games the blue line mainstay will miss. According to the Athletic’s James Mirtle, Corrado will man the left side on a third pairing with Connor Carrick. Mirtle expects Corrado to get around 13 minutes of playing time.

The Maple Leafs will have to rely on its defensive depth to weather Rielly’s injury. Rielly plays over 22 minutes a night on the top pairing with the surprise breakout defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. Defenseman Jake Gardiner is expected to shoulder an increased load while Rielly remains sidelined. If Frank Corrado can impress Mike Babcock over the next few games, his current situation may change for the better.

Snapshots: Oilers, Staal, Hedman

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening

  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled forward Anton Lander from the Bakersfield Condors today. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector speculates that the move means Jujhar Khaira may be out for longer than initially thought. Khaira suffered an upper body injury yesterday in the first period against the Florida Panthers. Lander’s callup was inevitable given how he’s lighting up the AHL. Lander has 14G and 13A in only 16 games—almost a two points per game pace. Those stats have not translated at the NHL level, however, with Lander scoring only 1G and 3A in 20 games.
  • New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal may be nearing a return. According to the Newsday’s Steve Zipay, coach Alain Vigneault did not rule out Staal returning soon, and that Vigneault will play Staal as soon as he is healthy. Staal is recovering from concussion symptoms that kept him out since January 3rd. He’s been skating with the team for the past week to keep up conditioning and monitor his progress.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman still needs more time before returning to action, reports James O’Brien of NBCSports. Hedman misses his third straight game tonight with the vague “illness” tag. The Lighting are three points back of a playoff spot, but do not face a conference opponent until they visit the Florida Panthers next Thursday. Despite missing games, Hedman remains 2nd in scoring among defenseman with 7G and 31A in 44 games. The Lightning desperately need his production, so any absences indicate a more severe issue than initially thought.

Snapshots: Sharks, Capuano, Pavelec

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The San Jose Sharks have placed sophomore Joonas Donskoi on injured reserve, reports CSN’s Kevin Kurz. Donski will miss his third straight game with an upper body injury, but Kurz indicates that the injury is not serious. Donskoi is off to a slow start this season with only 6G and 8A in 41 games. According to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka, the Finnish forward continues to skate with the team, but does not want to return to early lest he aggravates the injury. The Sharks recalled forwards Ryan Carpenter, Barclay Goodrow, and defenseman Tim Heed from the AHL San Jose Barracuda. The trio of recalls suggest another injury elsewhere in the lineup.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman thinks that recently-fired New York Islanders head coach’s demise stems partly from bad goaltending. He also states that the Isles did not want to wait until the end of the year because of an anticipated hot coaching market. The Vegas Golden Knights are also looking for a head coach, and the Isles hope they can get a jump on the competition. Finally, it allows the team to evaluate its talent under a different voice. Players can bloom or wilt under a certain coach, so the change will allows the Isles front office to see which players are worth keeping.
  • Winnipeg Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec will start Wednesday night against the Arizona Coyotes. Pavelec was relegated to the AHL after a poor start this season. While his numbers haven’t drastically improved, Winnipeg’s goaltending situation is dire and the team hopes Pavelec can right the ship. Pavelec earned a 2.78 GAA and a .917 SV% in 18 games for the Minnesota Moose—good for 28th and 13th in the league, respectively.

Player Movement: Canadiens, Lightning, Rangers

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  • Montreal Canadiens forward Chris Terry cleared waivers today and was sent down to the AHL St. John IceCaps. The Canadiens recalled Jacob de la Rose in his stead. Both moves were reported by TSN’s Amanda Stein today. Despite scoring 26 points in the AHL, Terry only managed 2G and 2A in 14 games for the Canadiens. The Canadiens hope Terry can re-find his game, and fans should expect to see him recalled again. Today’s recall, Jacob de la Rose, has 3G and 12A in 34 games this season in St. Johns, and the callup represents his first stint in the NHL this year. Last year de la Rose played 22 games for the Canadiens but recorded only one assist.  The Swedish native is only 21 and the organization hopes his frame and game play turn him into a future two-way forward.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled Joel Vermin from the AHL Syracuse Crunch. The Swiss forward has 7G and 6A in 23 games for Syracuse, but only 2A in 8 games for the Lightning this year.
  • The New York Rangers have placed forward Marek Hrivik on waivers today, reports TVASports’ Renaud Lavoie. Hrivik is having a great year with the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack—scoring 8G and 9A in 20 games—but amassed only 2 assists with the Rangers in 16 appearances. The undrafted Slovak will need more production to keep his fourth line role with the Rangers, but could be a valuable depth asset during a playoff run.

Trade Rumors: Coyotes Edition

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The Arizona Coyotes were not expected to compete this year, and with the team firmly entrenched in the league’s basement—with the Colorado Avalanche as roommates—the expected trade rumors begin to swirl. As is tradition, most basement-dwelling teams start trading pending free agents and veteran players for draft picks and prospects in an effort to stockpile for the future. And with forward-thinking GM John Chayka at the helm, Arizona should be aggressive at the deadline to take advantage of the available futures.

One name that comes up again and again is Coyotes captain Shane Doan. Doan trade rumors crop up every year, and this year is no different. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night that Doan may be open to waiving his NMC in the right situation. Doan, however, is the face of the franchise, and a valuable marketing tool for an organization in a non-traditional market. Nevertheless, according to Friedman, the franchise is interested in looking to see who the next team leader is, and that cannot happen as long as Doan remains. Obviously Doan would only waive his NMC for an advantageous situation both for himself and his familty, and that may limit Arizona’s trading partners to west coast teams. The desire to win a Stanley cup usually ends up trumping team legacy—just ask Jarome Iginla and Ray Bourque—but then players like Mats Sundin chose to stay pat. It is unclear what Doan does this month, but rest assured the trade rumors will heat up exponentially.

Another Coyote target is center Martin Hanzal. The Coyotes are all but guaranteed to move the impending free agent at the deadline. The question is where, and for how much? Hanzal has struggled so far this year, tallying only 9G and 6A in 36 games. His production may dampen the return Arizona receives, but a player like Hanzal is a hot commodity come trade deadline. Teams looking to make an extended post-season run want to add talented center depth. Andrew Ladd returned a prospect (Marko Dano) and a first and third round draft pick. Eric Staal returned a prospect (Aleksi Saarela) and two second round draft picks. Both had similar production and similar ages to Hanzal at the deadline last year. Where the Coyote ends up will depend on what prospects the team covets.

One interesting possibility is that the Coyotes dangle sophomore forward Anthony Duclair. Duclair was linked to trade rumors early in the season, and he could be the piece that sweetens the deal alongside Doan or Hanzal for a top-notch prospect. Duclair still struggles for the Coyotes, scoring only 3G and 6A in 39 games. He is still young enough that teams may take a flyer on him, and could lessen the blow of giving up a top prospect in return.

Snapshots: Senators, Blackhawks, Stars

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News and notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur skated with the team this weekend but is no closer to returning to action, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. MacArthur faced a litany of tests on Friday to help determine if he is ready to return to action, but GM Pierre Dorion refused to divulge any new information. MacArthur has missed the entire season so far after suffering a concussion in training camp. The Senators are exercising caution with the forward because of his concussion history. GM Dorion did say that MacArthur would accompany the team on its five game road trip—but he is not slated to play during that time.
  • The Ottawa Senators also recalled goaltender Chris Driedger from the AHL Binghamton Senators this morning. The team reassigned goaltender Matt O’Connor to go the other way. Both goalies have struggled in the AHL this year. Driedger has a 2.74 GAA and a .909 SV%, and O’Connor has a 2.90 GAA and a .896 SV%. No reason was given for the move, but Driedger costs $135K less per season so this may just be a business decision.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Nick Schmaltz from the AHL Rockford IceHogs. The young forward hit the ice this morning during a team optional skate, reports CSN’s Tracey Myers. Schmaltz has bounced between Rockford and Chicago this year, tallying 1G and 3A in 26 NHL games, and 6G and 3A in 12 AHL games. The former first-round draft pick has yet make the jump Chicago was hoping for, but expect Schmaltz to remain with the club until Chicago determines how much depth they need to add at the trade deadline.
  • The Dallas Stars recalled defenseman Patrik Nemeth from the AHL Texas Stars this morning. Nemeth is averaging just under 16 minutes a night when he plays with the Stars, but has yet to register a point. The Swedish defenseman has struggled to make the big club since joining the organization in 2012-13, and is dangerously close to becoming a veteran AHL presence.

Lineup Notes: Neal, Gostisbehere, Predators

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News and notes from around the NHL this afternoon:

  • The Nashville Predators have activated  forward James Neal from the injured reserve, reports the Tennesean’s Adam Vingan. Neal has been out since January 3rd with an upper body injury. So far this season Neal has 14G and 6A in 33 games for Nashville, but went pointless in his last five games before his injury. Neal’s return is good news for the Predators as they continue to battle injuries elsewhere. P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, and Colin Wilson are all out right now as the Predators struggle to stay afloat in the NHL’s Central Division
  • Philadelphia Flyers scratched defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere once again this season, as first reported by the Courier-Post’s Dave Isaac. This is the sophomore’s second healthy scratch this season, but it comes off of a decent performance against the Vancouver Canucks. Points-wise Gostisbehere performs fine—4G and 15A in 42 games—but his defensive play leaves coach Dave Hakstol wanting more.
  • The Nashville Predators announced that they called up defenseman Petter Granberg and reassigned forward Pontus Aberg to the AHL Milwaukee Admirals. The move makes room for the returning James Neal, and also shores up Nashville’s bleeding blue line. Nashville plays the Colorado Avalanche tonight riding a two game winning streak.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Ryan Carpenter prior to their game tonight against the St. Louis Blues. Carpenter has 18 points in 28 AHL games this season. Kevin Kurz of CSN thinks that it’s a sign that Joonas Donskoi, who missed yesterday’s practice, will be out for tonight.

Waivers: Terry, Gordon

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The Montreal Canadiens placed Chris Terry on waivers this morning. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Boyd Gordon clears waivers. Both were first reported by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. Gordon was subsequently assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The Flyers forward Boyd Gordon has struggled to make a mark in Philadelphia this year. He has only one goal in 13 games, and is on track for his second straight season without achieving double-digit points. Last season Boyd scored 2G and 2A in 65 games for the Arizona Coyotes. The move coincides with the Flyers officially activating defenseman Mark Streit from the long-term injured reserve list.

The Canadiens forward Chris Terry has fared better. In 14 games with the big club, Terry has tallied 2G and 2A, alongside 26 points in 20 AHL games. Terry is merely a victim of scarce roster sports as both Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Shaw return to the Canadiens lineup tonight. Because of Terry’s excellent AHL numbers, expect to see him back in Montreal soon.

 

Morning Snapshots: Canadiens, Lightning, Leafs, Patrick

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News and notes from around the NHL this morning:

Evening Snapshots: Murray, Avalanche, Callahan

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray makes his first start tonight since suffering a lower body injury on December 28th. Murray actually returned to action last night against the Washington Capitals but rode the pine as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup. The Penguins welcome Murray back as he’s earned a .928 SV% and a 2.18 GAA in 19 games this season. That is in contrast that with Fleury’s .908 SV% and 3.12 GAA. Every point matters in the tight Metropolitan division this season, and right now Murray gives the Penguins that best chance to win in the season’s second half.
  • Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic wants to reboot the team to get younger and faster, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun this evening (video link). The expectation is that a number of players currently in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage are ready to step up. But Sakic also admitted that he has been in talks with other teams about undisclosed players. We mentioned here and here that both Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene are also rumored to be traded.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan will miss his second straight game tonight as he deals with a lower body injury. While the team did not disclose the nature of the injury, many think it’s related to his hip after he underwent surgery on it this season. Callahan is struggling this season, scoring only 2G and 2A in 18 games.

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