Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Snapshots: Parise, Franson, Toffoli

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise missed tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Minnesota Wild Digital Content Coordinator says that Parise has been battling strep throat for weeks, and it is the cause of tonight’s scratch. Parise is off to a slow start this season with only 5G and 8A in 24 games, and on pace for his worst statistical season since his rookie year.
  • Buffalo Sabres defenseman Cody Franson was a late scratch in tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Franson was initially pencilled into the lineup and even skated during the warmup drills, but must have suffered an injury before the game started. Justin Falk, who was initially scratched, replaces Franson in the lineup.
  • The Los Angeles Kings announced that Tyler Toffoli is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury, reports Helene Elliot of the LA Times. Toffoli has had a decent season so far, scoring 8G and 12A in 32 games. The Kings forward is in his final year of his RFA deal which pays him $3.25MM a year. Toffoli is eligible for arbitration, but with approximately $60MM on the books already for next year, it’s unclear whether the Kings have the resources to Toffoli any sort of raise.

Jimmy Howard Injured

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was injured during a pileup in the 2nd period tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Howard is the second starting goaltender to leave this game, as Tampa Bay starter Ben Bishop left in the 1st period with a lower-body injury.

Howard appears to suffer a lower-body injury and was replaced by Petr Mrazek. Howard is having a resurgent season, posting a .934 SV% and a 1.95 GAA in 16 games. The veteran goaltender had lost the starting job to Mrazek, but Howard’s stellar stats has reopened the conversation. Mrazek hasn’t faired as well, posting a .902 SV% and a .298 GAA.

The Red Wings sit in 6th in the Atlantic Division and are in real danger of ending its record playoff streak. Howard’s strong play was keeping the team afloat so Mrazek will have to step up to get the Red Wings back into the playoffs.

Ben Bishop Injured

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop injured what looks to be his right leg in an innocent play midway through the first period against the Detroit Red Wings. Bishop extended his right leg on a puck that went wide before immediately falling to the ice in pain. Bishop was replaced by backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Bishop did not return to the bench to start the second, leaving the Lightning with no apparent backup should Vasilevskiy go down. According to Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith, the Lightning have not designated an emergency third goaltender, but both goalie coach Frantz Jean and PR rep Brian Breseman have goaltending experience should the need arise.

Bishop has not had an ideal season, posting a .906 SV% and a 2.82 GAA in the final year of his contract. In contrast, backup goaltender Vasilevskiy has a .921 SV% and a 2.49GAA. Most experts consider this Bishop’s last season with the Lightning, and the team could trade him before the trade deadline if they believe Vasilevskiy could backstop a deep playoff run.

 

Snapshots: Steel, Cogliano, Jagr

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they’ve signed 2016 1st round draft pick (30th overall) Sam Steel to a three-year Entry Level Contract. The Ducks acquired the pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs—who themselves acquired it from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Phil Kessel trade— in the Frederik Andersen trade. Steele is lighting up the WHL this season, scoring 23G and 31A in 25 games. Despite his numbers, Steele was a surprise cut from Team Canada’s World Junior Team.
  • Staying with the Anaheim Ducks, forward Andrew Cogliano surpasses Jay Bouwmeester for the fifth-longest consecutive game streak with 738 consecutive games played. Cogliano has never missed a game in his entire NHL career, and is the only active player with such a significant streak from the start of their career.
  • Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr is two points away from tying Mark Messier for second on the NHL’s all-time points list with 1887 points. Jagr started tonight three points back but as of 7:15CST has one assist in the Panthers’ game against Buffalo Sabres. Jagr has 1885 points (755G and 1129A) in 1661 NHL games. One wonders how many more points Jagr would have amassed had he not played in the KHL from 2008-2011.

Canada’s Spengler Cup Roster Announced

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Each year Canada fields a team for the Spengler Cup—an invitational tournament hosted by HC Davos—made up of Canadians playing overseas and in non-NHL/AHL leagues. Last year the Canadian entry won the tournament so this year’s team has some pressure built-in before they have even taken the ice.

The full roster is below:

Goaltenders
Drew MacIntyre
Jordon Cooke
Zach Fucale

Defensemen
Daniel Vukovic
Mark Flood
Chay Genoway
Brandon Gormley
Shaone Morrisonn
Shaun Heshka
Maxim Noreau
Blake Parlett

Forwards
James Sheppard
Chris DiDomenico
Cory Emmerton
Gregory Campbell
Andrew Ebbett
Colby Genoway
Dustin Jeffrey
David McIntyre
Jacob Micflikier
Marc-Antoine Pouliot
Mason Raymond
Nick Spaling

Many are former NHLers or junior players that either could not make the NHL, or could not stay in the NHL.  Most notable are Gregory Campbell, Mason Raymond, and Nick Spaling. Campbell and the Columbus Blue Jackets parted ways on Sunday after the Blue Jackets placed Campbell on unconditional waivers before terminating his contract. Campbell had been sent down to the AHL in October but declined to report. Raymond made the Anaheim Ducks out of training camp but lasted just four games before being reassigned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Like Campbell, Raymond refused to report, and the Ducks terminated his contract. Nick Spaling also played in the NHL last year (Toronto/Nashville) before joining Geneve-Servette HC of the Swiss hockey league NLA.

This post has been updated to reflect the five returning Spengler Cup players that were previously omitted from the original story.

Evening Snapshots: Carolina-Detroit, Toronto-Anaheim

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

A look at a couple of tonight’s games around the NHL:

  • 7:45 pm: Per St. James, who spoke with Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, the game has been cancelled.
  • 7:43pm: The next update looks to be in about 15 minutes tweets the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. More boos and St. James feesl the game may be called.
  • 7:08pm: The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan tweets that repairs continue on the coolant that is causing the problems. Another update will be at 7:30pm CST. Kulfan reports that the crowd booed the announcement, which is understandable after the game was supposed to begin at 6:00pm CST.
  • The game tonight between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Detroit Red Wings will be delayed at least an hour (as of 6:55pm EST) due to a malfunctioning ice-cooling system. According to the team, they discovered a freon leak in the compressor and are working to fix the issue. Neither team has had its pre-game warmups yet, so fans are in for a bit of a wait. The Red Wings, however, are up against a time crunch because they play tomorrow night in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. According to Team President Don Waddell, the NHL imposes a “22-hour rule” between starts. That means that any game must start at least 22 hours before a team’s next start. If the ice cannot be repaired in time, the NHL may postpone the game to a mutually available time.
  • If the Detroit Red Wings end up playing, they will be without Tomas Jurco, reports the Detroit Free Press’s Helene St. James. Jurco has the flu and is considered day-to-day. Since returning from back surgery, the Czech forward remains scoreless in nine games and is averaging less than ten minutes of playing time a game.
  • Tonight’s matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs marks returns for two people: current Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle, and current Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Carlyle coached the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2012-15 before management fired him midway through the 2014-15 season. Carlyle remained outside the NHL until the Ducks fired Bruce Boudreau and hired Carlyle this offseason. Andersen’s return pits him against his successor John Gibson. The Ducks decided to stick with the young Gibson, and trade the then-RFA Andersen to the Maple Leafs. Both goalies won the Jennings Trophy last year with the NHL’s fewest goals against.

Rick Nash Injured (Again)

at CDT | by 1 Comment

New York Rangers forward Rick Nash re-injured his groin and will be out for an undetermined amount of time, reports the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. Nash had just returned from a previous groin injury suffered on December 6th. Nash lasted three games in his return before injuring the other side of his groin.

Nash has 13G and 7A in 30 games for the Rangers, including 2G in 3 games after returning from his first groin injury. While the Rangers appreciate Nash’s goal-scoring prowess, the team has been getting scoring by committee so far as six players have 20 or more points. The Rangers should be able to weather Nash’s absence in the short term.

Depending on the injury’s severity, Nash may only miss two or three games. The Rangers play on December 20th (against the Pittsburgh Penguins) and 23rd (against the Minnesota Wild), but then not again until the 27th (against the Ottawa Senators). The NHL observes the holidays and does not play games from December 24th through the 26th.

Evening Snapshots: Campbell, Tortorella, Panarin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • Gregory Campbell passed through unconditional waivers today and the Columbus Blue Jackets immediately terminated his contract, reports the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline. Campbell is now an unrestricted free agent able to sign with any team that expresses interest. Campbell initially refused to accept reassignment earlier in the season so the Blue Jackets suspended him without pay. It is thought that a team has finally expressed interest in Campbell, prompting Campbell’s agent to ask the team to place him on waivers.
  • Staying with Columbus, the Blue Jackets’ Head Coach John Tortorella won his 500th career game behind the bench today when his team beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime. He becomes the first American-born coach to reach the 500-win milestone. Tortorella must be relishing this moment after having a tumultuous start to the season. He joined the Blue Jackets after leading the U.S team to a disappointing 0-3 record in the World Cup of Hockey, before losing his first two games with Columbus. Despite that, however, Tortorella has turned the Blue Jackets into a team that has won nine straight. The team sits 3rd in the Metropolitan Division, but only one point away from league-leading Pittsburgh with three games in hand.
  • Artemi Panarin moves closer to unlocking his Schedule B bonus and costing the Chicago Blackhawks an additional $1.75MM. Panarin’s ELC outlines that the Blackhawks will pay him an additional $1.75MM if he finishes in the top-10 for goals, assists, points, or points-per-game—or wins a major NHL award. He scored two points tonight (1G and 1A) to put him comfortable within the top-10 in both goals and assists. Should he reach his bonus target, the Blackhawks will have to shoulder any salary cap overage next season.

Weekend In Review: Key Stories From 12/12/16 – 12/18/16

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

This week’s key stories revolve around injuries and suspensions as not a single notable trade transpired in the NHL this week. Despite the lack of transactions, however, NHL teams have been busy dealing with unexpected absences. Here are your key stories from this week in the NHL:

Max Domi Out Indefinitely
Arizona Coyotes sophomore forward Max Domi will miss significant time recovering from a hand injury received in a fight with Calgary Flames’ Garnet Hathaway. Domi fought Hathaway on December 8th and left the game immediately after the fight. Domi is not known as a fighter but he will drop the gloves if necessary—something no doubt gleaned from his father Tie Domi.

Quick Out Until Mid-February
Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi expects goaltender Jonathan Quick to be out until around mid-February. Quick is still rehabilitating a groin injury sustained in the Kings’ season opener in October. The Kings have managed to keep afloat with an above-average set of performances from Peter Budaj, and Lombardi stated that the team will not overpay for goaltending help.

Kris Letang Placed On IR
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost defenseman Kris Letang for a few weeks as they placed him on Injured Reserve. Letang suffered a lower-body injury Wednesday against the Boston Bruins. The Penguins have struggled without their star defenseman, losing their last two games in overtime and scoring only one goal over both games. The latest loss came at the hands of the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs where the Penguins let the Leafs take 49 shots.

Trevor Daley Out With UBI
The bad news kept on coming for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they lost another defenseman to injury. Trevor Daley is week-to-week with an upper body injury. Daley was injured in the Penguins 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Penguins blue line depth will be tested for the next few weeks as Letang and Daley are the Pens number one and two defensemen in terms of playing time.

NHL Fines Vlasic and Suspends Hoffman and Eakin
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety issued three punishments Friday. Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman was suspended two games for crosschecking San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture in the head. Dallas Stars forward Cody Eakin was suspended four games for hitting New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Finally, San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was fined $5K for spearing Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson.

 

Snapshots: Anisimov, Crawford, Kennedy

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Artem Anisimov is out tonight against the San Jose Sharks, reports TSN’s Mark Lazerus. Anisimov misses the game with an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day. The centerman is tied for 19th in NHL scoring this season, and the Blackhawks hope that his injury is nothing serious.
  • Staying with the Chicago Blackhawks, coach Joel Quenneville told reporters that goalie Corey Crawford could return as early as December 23rd. Crawford is currently recovering from an emergency appendectomy suffered on December 3rd. Backup goaltender Scott Darling had been holding down the fort admirably until recently, stringing together a streak of starts without letting in more than two goals. In his last two games, however, he’s let in four goals apiece. Chicago won both those games but it seems that Darling’s play is coming back down to earth.
  • Tim Kennedy’s profession situation gains some clarity today. Earlier, Kennedy signed a minor-league deal with the Rochester Americans—AHL affiliates of the Buffalo Sabres—but was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes because any player playing overseas must first pass through waivers before rejoining an NHL organization. It was unclear whether Kennedy would report to Carolina (or Charlotte, where the Hurricane’s AHL affiliate plays), but now Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that the Hurricanes have loaned Kennedy to Rochester. Before signing with Rochester—and being claimed by Carolina—Kennedy played in Sweden for Lulea of the Swedish Elite League.
AJAX Loader
Load More Posts

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top