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Evening Snapshots: Spectacular Sophomores, Hartman

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  • The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton makes his case for five players who avoided the dreaded sophomore slump this season. At the top of his list is Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who Clinton writes is the reason for the Oilers’ turnaround this season. Had it not been for the clavicle injury last season, McDavid would have had one of the best back-to-back seasons that rivaled Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Next is the Blackhawks’ Artemi Panarin, who Clinton believes the Hawks have to absolutely re-sign at all costs. That would certainly cause some financial posturing, but he believes Panarin to be a devastating personnel loss should he go elsewhere. The Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin, and the Blues’ Colton Parayko round out Clinton’s top five.
  • The Blackhawks have been on a tear lately and rookie Ryan Hartman has been one of the brightest spots for Chicago. Chris Hine writes that the young forward has learned quite a bit about being more patient on the ice and not corralling penalties as he would have in the past. Hine describes him as an irritant, there’s a reason for Hartman’s change of play:

“You have an opportunity to play in the NHL and be in the lineup every night. If you’re going to take penalties and do that kind of stuff, you’re not going to be in the lineup for long,” Hartman said. “I just try to stay out of the box as much as possible, and it related to me being on the ice more.”

Drawing penalties instead of causing them has been a boon for the Hawks and the young forward. He’s also shown a knack for scoring timely goals. Hartman notched the winner against San Jose on Sunday night and already has six on the season. Playing for a coach known to favor veterans, Hartman is making the most of his chance and certainly justifying his playing time from Joel Quenneville.

Should The Red Wings Embrace a Full Rebuild?

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Hockeytown is hurting.

The Detroit Red Wings have been moribund at home. They are listless offensively.  The Arizona Coyotes came into the Joe Louis Arena and pummeled them 4-1. Playoff hopes are precarious. And their power play is more of an advantage to their opponent.

The mainstream media has taken note, as Sportsnet’s Dimtri Filipovic has a lengthy write up on how the Red Wings’ inevitable downfall in a parity based league was coming. 25 straight years of making the playoffs, including 11 of those seasons being in a salary cap era is unbelievably impressive. But over the last five seasons, the Red Wings have only made it out of the first round once, losing by an eyelash to the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks in seven games–after blowing a 3-1 series lead.

Already through the midway point of December, the Red Wings hardly appear to be a playoff bound team. Should their current streak of poor play continue, it has to be a message to general Ken Holland and company that a true rebuild must be embraced. The “rebuild on the fly” strategy Holland has embraced no longer looks feasible.

Reading the tea leaves, however, the Wings don’t act like a team looking to change strategies. The fear in Detroit by many is that the Wings could hang around and make another puzzling trade for a washed up veteran to try and get them over the hump. Deals for David Legwand and Erik Cole were damaging since they lost prospects and neither had any impact on the playoff push. Damien Cox wrote at length about this as well, wondering why the brass is so hesitant to build a stronger future when right now, the team is a few matches short of a tire fire.

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Blackhawks Notes: Kempny, Trade Possibilities

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The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine answers a number of questions about the Blackhawks and begins with Michal Kempny’s status as a consistent healthy scratch. Hine indicates it’s a common question and he defers to head coach Joel Quenneville:

“I just think that consistency without the puck and how he defends in his own end is probably the area (where) there’s (room for) growth in his game,” Quenneville said. “But I still think our defense is pretty good and we’ve got some tough decisions on a game to game basis. He adds one more guy we feel can play. But I think the depth, that’s a strength, and sometimes that’s part of the decision.”

Hine writes that Kempny is young and will experience ups and downs. He adds that he expects him to find his way back into the regular rotation again, but that with a roster fortunate with depth, it’s the nature of the beast. However, Kempny found his way into the lineup tonight, but through nearly two periods, his ice time lagged significantly behind those of the other five defenseman. He was also a -3 with just under seven minutes of ice time.

  • Hine also addresses potential trades that the Blackhawks could make. He doesn’t see Trevor van Riemsdyk going anywhere, but indicates that the Hawks could make a deal or two at the trade deadline. The caveat is that they will refrain from trading a first round pick because of the draft being held in Chicago. He also believes that since Bowman has relinquished two picks the last two seasons, it’s unlikely, regardless of draft location, that he would give this year’s pick up.

Atlantic Notes: Tallon’s Status In Florida, Ken Holland

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8:36 pm: Harvey Fialkov reports that Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell reached out to him to say that nothing has changed in the managerial hierarchy involving Tallon. In a series of tweets, Caldwell indicates that Viola never met with Tallon to hand over personnel reins while also indicating that group discussions among the ownership group determines decision making. Further, Fialkov tweets  that the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Panthers hockey is too much “he said, she said” talk that is too tough to prove.

7:54 pm: Out with the old, in with the–old? Darren Dreger tweets that Dale Tallon will assume control during a time for the Panthers that has been turbulent. Dreger adds a series of tweets on Tallon’s updated status with the Panthers. Tallon will take over day to day operations and bring stability to an organization that has had a tough few weeks–and season. Elliotte Friedman adds that Florida owner Vinny Viola said that “nothing has changed” regarding Tallon’s status as having the “final say” in personnel decisions. Friedman is baffled by this, wondering why a report would even be made if nothing changed. In the official release of Tallon’s promotion back in May, the Panthers indicated that “Tallon will continue to oversee all aspects of hockey operations in this role including scouting, player acquisition and development.” Technically speaking, Tallon was still in charge of overseeing all aspects of hockey.

Dreger tweets that Tallon will not oversee an overhaul but will want to reevaluate things. He adds that the firing of Gerard Gallant was a poor choice, and that decisions needs to be made with one voice in charge. Further, Dreger tweets that the players trust Tallon and that the move will add some much needed stability to the team. Finally, he tweets that Tallon will not ignore analytics. Instead, he’s looking to improve team defense and make them tougher to play against.

The Panthers have been in flux this season and after firing Gallant in a move widely panned throughout the league, there’s been little improvement with general manager and now head coach Tom Rowe guiding the ship. The move to place Tallon in a position to have more say is one that certainly helps the Panthers’ chances.

Regardless of how it’s explained, it’s been a strange chapter of hockey in Miami.

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Red Wings Notes: Nyquist, Zetterberg, Sheahan

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Gustav Nyquist is once again being unfairly criticized writes Red Wings blogger Prashanth Iyer via Winging It In Motown. Nyquist was expected to see an uptick in goals this season after Jeff Blashill promised more ice time, but the Swede hasn’t responded in turn, scoring just one goal in his last 24 games. However, Iyer argues that his production is what should be expected out of an average first line player while pointing out the disconnect in expectations between the fanbase and Nyquist. Iyer reports that Nyquist’s insane goal scoring binge of 2013-14 was an anomaly based on the results versus his time on the ice. Those expectations, coupled with a strong season in 2014-15, made Nyquist a bonafide goal scorer in the minds of Detroit fans.

Iyer shows through stats and graphs that the culprit for Nyquist’s drop off is a shift in power play philosophy, where Nyquist is quarterbacking a powerplay instead of cashing in on chances in the slot. Putting Nyquist back into the slot–where he buried goals at an impressive rate–is one suggestion Iyer has for the coaching staff. Though he’s not the caliber of a Henrik Zetterberg or a Pavel Datsyuk, Nyquist is certainly valuable. It’s a matter of being utilized correctly.

  • Speaking of Zetterberg, he was a game time decision in tonight’s game against Arizona. According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, there isn’t a major cause for concern since Zetterberg also sat out practices in the past. Khan speculates that it could be either back or knee issues, since they have flared up in the before. Through a period of play, Zetterberg was playing his usual high number of minutes.
  • Riley Sheahan has struggled immensely this season and it’s been a source of frustration for the team, fans, and himself. Helene St. James reports that Sheahan’s lack of production, along with Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, has “choked” the Wings. Blashill had his own thoughts as well:

“I talked to him on Saturday,” Blashill said. “You’re telling me Vanek said a few words — I don’t think it hurts. If Riley keeps playing the way he is playing, he’s going to get points. No question. So, you just have to keep playing the way you’re playing and not panic. The only thing I’d say is to make sure he hits the net, because he’s got a really good shot.”

This Week In Hockey Blogging: A Dozen Articles To Read

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Here are a handful of articles from various hockey bloggers this week:

Winging It In Motown looks at the ongoing discussion of toughness in the NHL and how it’s unfairly used to criticize players.

Pension Plan Puppets  closely scout Auston Matthews.

Lighthouse Hockey likens their Islanders to the Walking Dead and take a deep dive into how the Islanders got to where they are.

The Committed Indian examines how the salary cap has created the parity intended, but in a ho-hum way.

Raw Charge analyzes Tampa Bay’s problem with developing first round draft picks.

Down Goes Brown lists the ten lies that every hockey fan is guilty of reciting.

Blueshirt Banter talked to Ryan McDonagh about the team and the season so far.

Bleedin Blue suggests that the Blues look into why they’re struggling so much on the road.

Copper and Blue discusses everything from Connor McDavid’s wingers to players in Bakersfield who should see time with the big club down the road.

Pensburgh compares Bryan Rust’s three-goal performance to a legendary Penguin’s five goal performance.

Hockey Wilderness  suggests two players for Chuck Fletcher to acquire.

Finally, Canucks Army offers advice to ownership: new management.

We’re always looking to add to the list. Tweet us some articles you like @prohockeyrumors or let us know through our comments section.

Red Wings Notes: Howard, Athanasiou, Marchenko, Daniels

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Jimmy Howard and Andreas Athanasiou are ready to come back for the Red Wings writes Dana Wakiji. Detroit has been plagued by injury since the onset of the season, and the return of two key players should boost a team starving for more points as they sit outside the final wildcard spot. Howard, Athanasiou, and Alexey Marchenko all returned to full practice but only the latter might be held out of Friday’s game. Getting Athanasiou back, who has a knack for disrupting opposing teams because of his blazing speed, will be a major asset according to bench boss Jeff Blashill:

“He certainly adds an element of speed that’s obviously important in the league, and he can self-create,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s hard to self-create in this league, and he’s one of the guys that can do it. So he brings another guy in our lineup that can do a good job. That said, I think the guys that have been in the lineup have done a good job as well. When Andreas comes back he needs to make sure he’s ready to be an impact player.”

Howard has been a savior in the net for the Wings before he succumbed to a minor groin injury according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. St. James adds that Howard is relieved it’s only a two week layoff whereas a groin injury in the past had a longer duration–and saw a dip in his play. Marchenko is close, and if he’s not ready by Friday’s game, he will certainly be slotted into Sunday’s contest. The defenseman has been out with a shoulder injury since November 20.

In other Red Wings news:

  •  Red Wings television play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels’ son Jamie passed away suddenly at the age of 23 Thursday. The Red Wings released a brief statement after learning of the tragic news:

“Both the Red Wings organization and Fox Sports Detroit would like to offer their heartfelt condolences to the Daniels family during this most difficult time.”

 

Snapshots: Uncertainty in Dallas, Hanzal

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The Dallas Stars are in a precarious position due to a number of factors writes Mike Heika. Besieged by injury, and seemingly in some form of hockey purgatory, Heika begins his column with prose:

The Stars are neither fish nor fowl.

They are not fast, yet they are not slow.

They are not young, yet they are not old.

They are not tough, yet they are not weak.

The Stars have been an enigma this season, expected to build on last year’s successes while bringing along a lot of the young, speedy talent that seemed ready to carry the team. Instead, Heika writes that the injuries to Mattias Janmark and Ales Hemsky altered the plan to include bigger, and albeit slower, forwards. Additionally, a more veteran blue line gave way for youth, which includes a learning curve as it acclimates to NHL talent.

Heika adds that with the uncertainty of the youth delivering, comes the unknowns associated with the 2017 offseason where a number of unrestricted free agents are set to be re-signed or hit the market. Those names include Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Johnny Oduya, Adam Cracknell and Hemsky. Throw in what many analysts observe as a “shaky” goaltending tandem in Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, and Heika indicates there’s yet another aspect of the team that may see change. Finally, head coach Lindy Ruff is in the final year of his contract.

What does it all mean? The Stars are a team in “no man’s land” according to Heika. Ruff put the team through a tough practice and indicated that the way through the inconsistency was to keep working. Heika is convinced it’s the one way that Dallas can determine what they’re truly made of.

In other Western Conference news:

  • Montreal needs help up front and Arizona’s Martin Hanzal may be just the the man to solve their problems writes Navin Vaswani. The 29-year-old could be had for a young NHL ready forward and Vaswani believes Phillip Danault could do the trick. But Vaswani adds that Marc Bergevin isn’t forced to make a trade at all. Pierre LeBrun tweets that he isn’t sure if the Habs’ interest in Hanzal has spiked since the injuries to Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais.  What he does indicate, is that regardless of what decision they make, injuries are part of the game and the Habs–whether they make a deal or not–must find a way to survive the injuries. LeBrun also adds that Arizona may still make a run at re-signing Hanzal.

Custance’s Latest: Teams Hurt By Cap Recapture Rules

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In the salary cap era, there is nothing worse than a bloated contract, especially one susceptible to the cap recapture rules. ESPN’s Craig Custance listed a number of teams who suffer from such a fate, and explains as such:

For some teams, that pain has arrived. And it could be worse than originally projected because of cap recapture rules since put in place in the new CBA to punish teams if the player retires early or the contract is traded.

“Teams that did those contracts essentially embarrassed Gary [Bettman]. We found a way to circumvent the CBA legally,” said one executive. “He was incensed, and said ’I’m going to get you back.’ Which he did.”

Now because of decisions made years ago, in the name of winning it all or rewarding players who helped make it happen, there are a group of teams that have legacy costs built into their current salary cap structure.

Two teams who managed to stay in good shape contract wise–while contending– are the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, with the Pens not having any legacy costs. But the teams below, according to Custance, are the ones who suffered from the wrath of Bettman.

  • Los Angeles Kings

Dustin Brown, Marian Gaborik, and Matt Greene are the contracts that have the Kings on the hook for awhile. Along with Mike Richards’ cap recapture hit of $1.32MM, the Kings have a legacy cost of $8.545MM. Though they won two Stanley Cups since 2012, the cost may have hurt them in terms of losing Milan Lucic and Justin Williams due to a lack of cap room.

  • Chicago Blackhawks

Sure, they’ve won three Cups since 2010, but the Marian Hossa deal will eventually be a “real headache” since it still has four years left. Further, Custance writes that the Hawks could be in for real trouble by the 2019-20 season when the core of the Hawks, namely Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford are all into their 30’s and saddling the payroll with a combined $40MM.

  • Detroit Red Wings

General manager Ken Holland anchored the team with a number of long term, and expensive contracts. Custance’s list doesn’t include the new deals that include a 32-year-old Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader, and Darren Helm. Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard, and Johan Franzen combine for a legacy cost of $9.34MM. Custance believes the Wings could get out of the Howard contract by trade, but Kronwall and Zetterberg’s deals will cripple the Wings for years to come, especially as their play declines. The legacy cost for Detroit: $9.34MM.

  • Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have a few big contracts, namely the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, Alexander Edler and Roberto Luongo ($800K retained). Custance notes that while he would take the Sedins on his team any day, their decline is certainly happening.

 

Philip Larsen Leaves Game On A Stretcher

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8:06pm: The Canucks Twitter account reports that Larsen was “awake and responsive” as he left the ice.

A scary moment in New Jersey as Vancouver Canucks defenseman Philip Larsen absorbed a brutal check by Taylor Hall that resulted in him being taken off the ice on a stretcher. Frank Seravalli tweets that replays appeared to show Larsen unconscious before he hit the ice. The tweet also includes video of the hit.

As Hall approached, Larsen was caught with his head down as he tried to play the puck behind the net. Seravalli adds that Larsen had some movement in his extremities as he was wheeled off the ice. The Canucks tweeted out their support for Larsen while the Devils responded with a similar tweet.

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