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Sharks Notes: Goodrow, Karlsson, Burns

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San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer was less than forthcoming when facing the media today, but he did reveal a few interesting pieces of information as relayed by beat writer Curtis Pashelka. Among them was the fact that energy-liner Barclay Goodrow will be out more than a week. Goodrow will not be be out for a “significant amount of time”, but his upper body injury should keep him sidelined through the Sharks’ busy four-game week. Goodrow has had an odd NHL career, skating in 60 games in his rookie season in 2014-15, only to play in only 14 games and three games respectively in the past two seasons. Goodrow already has two points in six games in 2017-18, which would put him on pace for the best scoring numbers of his career should he play in 60 games again. Goodrow is a reliable fourth-liner and an ace on the face-off dot, so San Jose will be looking forward to getting him back on track as soon as possible.

  • Joining Goodrow on the injury report is winger Melker Karlsson, who DeBoer states was “banged up” against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. Karlsson is also suffering from an upper body injury and is day-to-day. However, unlike Goodrow, Karlsson is relied upon for offense in San Jose and one of the league’s lowest scoring teams and worst powerplay units can ill-afford any extended absence for the two-way forward. Karlsson too was on pace for a career high in points with three goals and three assists in 18 games, but this injury could bring him back down to the consistent low-20’s range he has shown in his first three seasons.
  • Perhaps the most interesting topic discussed with DeBoer today, albeit not quite newsworthy, was whether he had considered moving Brent Burns back to forward. DeBoer answered with a resounding “no” before expanding on his perceived ridiculousness of the notion. Granted, Burns is the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman, but the idea of playing him at forward is not as ludicrous as it may seem. Burns has played a substantial amount at forward during his time in San Jose and regardless of his performance last season is nonetheless goal-less through 18 games and has just seven assists. Conversely, the big blue liner scored 75+ points in each of the past two seasons. Given the team’s overall offensive struggles, if one of the league’s top scoring defenseman continues his disappearing act, maybe DeBoer will revisit a shakeup at some point.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/17

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There are only five games on tap today, but teams may use their time to make some roster adjustments in preparation of a new week of play. Keep up with everything right here:

  • Winnipeg Jets insider Jamie Thomas tweets that the Jets will recall defenseman Tucker Poolman to replace defenseman Toby Enstrom, who will reportedly miss eight weeks due to a lower-body injury. Poolman has been up with the team before and has played three games for Winnipeg. He had played seven games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, picking up an assist. The 24-year-old blueliner signed with the club earlier this year after playing three years with the University of North Dakota.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have sent Wade Megan to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Megan was recalled Friday by the Blues for Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, but was a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old center has played in just one game for the Blues, but has played 10 games with the Wolves and has three assists in that span.
  • According to Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens, Anaheim has returned rookie Kalle Kossila to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. After making his NHL debut with one game in 2016-17, the French-Finnish forward has already skated in seven games for the Ducks this season and has performed well. A four-year product of St. Cloud State, Kossila was a major scoring threat for the Gulls last year and has shown flashes for the Ducks, with a goal and an assist already. Undersized, but strong on the puck, Kossila is likely to get another shot at the NHL soon enough.
  • The Florida Panthers have announced that Curtis Valk is headed back to the AHL, as they have loaned him to their affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Valk made his NHL debut on Tuesday, albeit he played only 3:25 and contributed only three face-off losses, but in doing so reached a level that likely seemed impossible at a time. Despite a solid junior career in the WHL, Valk spent almost all of his first two pro seasons in the ECHL, a rare way for a future NHLer to start out. It was only after a breakout AHL campaign with the Utica Comets last season that he drew any big league attention, signing a one-year deal with Florida on July 1st. Valk is small, but has a scoring touch that should keep him in the AHL for a while and could afford him some more looks at the highest level.
  • Arizona Coyotes promising defender Dakota Mermis is on his way back to the AHL, the team announced. Mermis has played in seven games for the ’Yotes thus far, but can get some more work in with the Tuscon Roadrunners, especially with the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun soon returning from injury. However, Mermis has looked good in his limited exposure and will continue to be the next man up on the Arizona blue line.
  • Following the first two games of his NHL career, Andrew Crescenzi has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, their parent club, the L.A. Kings, announced. The 6’5″ forward debuted on Tuesday vs. the Vancouver Canucks and skated again on Thursday against the Boston Bruins, but failed to make much of an impact in limited ice time. He’ll head back to the minors for some more seasoning.

Austin Watson To Face Player Safety Hearing

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It looks like Radko Gudas won’t be the only player speaking with the NHL Department of Player Safety today. The league has announced that Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson also has a disciplinary date today. Watson was the perpetrator of a hard check from behind on Colorado Avalanche rookie Dominic Toninato yesterday.

As you can see in the video, Watson hit Toninanto right on the numbers with some real force and may have even gotten his elbow up in Toninato’s head area as well. The hit occurred midway through the first period in what was Toninato’s NHL debut. Watson was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct, leaving his team short-handed for much of the game, though the Predators still won 5-2. Toninato missed much of the game, but did return later on in the third period.

A notably physical player, Watson has nevertheless never been suspended in his NHL career. Also, unlike Gudas, the league requested only a phone hearing with Watson, meaning that a suspension – if any – will be less than five games. It may be the first major infraction for Watson, but given the ferocity of the check and the league’s efforts to clean up the game, it seems likely that Watson will end up with a suspension of some sort.

Toby Enstrom Out Eight Weeks With Lower Body Injury

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According to Winnipeg Jets insider Jamie Thomas (rather nonchalantly), it appears as though the injury suffered by defenseman Toby Enstrom yesterday was much more severe than first imagined. Enstrom left Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils with a lower body injury and now it looks like he won’t be back on the ice for quite some time. Thomas reports that the injury will keep Enstrom sidelined for eight weeks. He will be placed on injured reserve.

The loss of Enstrom is a tough blow for Winnipeg, albeit not shocking. Enstrom has played in 60 games, 72 games, and 60 games in each of the past three seasons respectively, only 78% of the possible contests. The 33-year-old has gotten used to being banged up and the Jets have gotten used to dealing with it. Thomas already indicated that Tucker Poolman is likely to be called up and given a regular role on the Winnipeg blue line in Enstrom’s stead.

With that said, it’s still a difficult situation for a club that has the fourth-most points in the NHL and finally have the look of the playoff team that many have speculated over the past few seasons. Enstrom may not bring much offense – in fact he has only two assists this season – but is very reliable in his own end and has been a mainstay for the Jets/Thrashers organization throughout his 11-year career. Enstrom’s offense and ice time may be down in 2017-18, but his absence will still be apparent over the next two months.

NHL Considering Changes To Minor Penalties

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All 31 NHL general managers met in Montreal on Friday for the annual GM Meetings to discuss important league policies and procedures. Despite little conversation on the topic arising beforehand, Sportsnet insiders Christ Johnston and Elliotte Friedman report that one of the major issues discussed was potential changes to minor penalties, specifically the length of certain minor penalties and the length of minor penalties in overtime.

What exactly was discussed? While the league has expressed its pleasure with the cleaner game this season as a result of tighter penalty calls, it has now come to the attention of all GM’s that perhaps not all minor penalties are worthy of the same penalty. The solution debated Friday was instituting one-minute minors. Johnston reports that two-minute minor penalties in overtime, where each and every second is amplified, are perhaps too punitive in regards to a five-minute period. A one-minute minor for all minors in OT would still allow for the drawing team to have an advantage, without eliminating the scoring chance of the penalized team for nearly half of the overtime frame. Friedman continued that besides the situational OT one-minute minors, GM’s discussed cutting a pair of controversial minor penalties in half during regular time as well. Unsurprisingly, these two penalties are delay of game and face-off violation. The delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass has been criticized since its inception for unduly harming a team for what is almost always a pure accident. The new face-off violation penalty has also been seen as unworthy or penalty status, though the frequency of the call has dropped off substantially from the preseason to the regular season.

A change in penalty time in the overtime period would be a novel move for the NHL; something unseen in most major sports. The change in time for specific minor penalties though would not be unlike lacrosse, in which most leagues use a wide range of different penalty lengths depending on the infraction. It is an intriguing idea that is just in its infancy, but variable minor penalty times could serve to benefit the NHL.

Blue Jackets Send Three To AHL

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11/19 – 12:00: Carlsson has now been reassigned to Cleveland again. Quite the stretch for the young defender.

11/19 – 9:15: After all of that, the team has announced less than 24 hours later that all three players have been recalled to Columbus and Kivlenieks has been sent back down. It appears as though the entire noteworthy transaction was only to get the trio play time in last night’s AHL contest between the Cleveland Monsters and Milwaukee Admirals. Korpisalo performed admirably, stopping 32 of 33 shots in the win, but Milano and Carlsson had no points and did not record a single shot between them. Maybe the Jackets should have considered keeping them in the minors after all.

11/18: After just yesterday hinting at his disappointment with the play of Sonny Milano, head coach John Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets have today announced him as one of a trio heading to the AHL. Joining Milano on their way to the Cleveland Monsters are backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo and rookie defenseman Gabriel Carlsson. 

After a hot start to the 2017-18 season offensively, Milano has tailed off and has just eight points in 17 games thus far despite ample top nine opportunity. However, the real issue of late, especially for Tortorella, has been Milano’s reluctance and inability to perform in his own end. The trip to the AHL, for one of the team’s top goal scorers, surely has to be in hopes of developing a superior two-way game. Korpisalo has also had his fair share of struggles this season. His 1-3-0 record accounts for nearly half of the teams losses thus far and his .896 save percentage and 3.28 GAA have been less than spectacular. Still just 23, Korpisalo is young to be a full-time backup and the Jackets’ hope is likely that some regular work can help him get back on track. Carlsson has also been the victim of a lack of opportunity. The 20-year-old rearguard has played in only eight of the team’s 20 games and averages only eleven minutes of ice time per night to boot. Carlsson, perhaps more than either of his transitioning teammates, simply needs to play more.

The only corresponding move made by the team was the recall of a replacement backup goalie in Matiss Kivlenieks. The young Latvian keeper is in his first pro season and has seen only modest action and results this year, but the club clearly wants to see what they have in up-and-coming undrafted goalie. With a superstar starter like Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus can afford to give Korpisalo starts in the minors and leave the unproven Kivlenieks as the #2, at least for now.

Lightning’s Cole Guttman Commits To University Of Denver

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Cole Guttman might not be a major name among hockey fans just yet, but one of the top programs in college hockey has at least taken notice. Guttman, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning this past June, has committed to the University of Denver, the reigning NCAA Champions.

Guttman is currently in his second season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and has four goals and four assists through eleven games. In 2016-17, Guttman was one of only 13 forwards in the league with a scoring rate of more than a point per game. Among that group were 2017 first rounders Casey Mittelstadt, Josh Norris, and Eeli Tolvanen and potential 2018 first overall pick Andrei Svechnikov. The league’s 7th-best goal scorer, Guttman was a major piece to Dubuque’s run to the USHL semifinals along with fellow NCAA commits Zach Solow (Northeastern) and Colin Theisen (Notre Dame).

With Denver, Guttman will re-unite with former Fighting Saints coach Jim Montgomery and a program loaded with talent. While any or all of the Pioneers’ big names – Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry, and Dylan Gambrell could be gone by next season, some may remain to join Guttman, 2017 second-round defender Ian Mitchell, Eero Teravainen, brother of Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen, and a flurry of other incoming, 2018 draft eligible talents like Mathias Pettersen, Will MacKinnon, Erik Middendorf. It looks as if the good times for Denver won’t be ending any time soon.

 

Radko Gudas To Have Phone Hearing Sunday

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There is finally a concrete date for decision-making in regards to a developing story over the past two days. After yet another questionable dangerous play from Radko Gudas on Thursday night, the big Philadelphia Flyers defenseman has been on track for his third career suspension and second already this season. The NHL Department of Player Safety had offered Gudas an in-person hearing, however an announcement was made late last night that he has waived this right and has instead opted for a phone hearing which will take place Sunday.

The significance of the choices on both sides are two-fold. Player Safety may only suspend a player for five or more games following an in-person hearing, or at least if such a hearing is offered. While Gudas has waived his right to an in-person hearing, that does not change the fact that he may miss significant time due to his latest transgression. If history is an indicator, an offer for an in-person hearing tends to simply be a procedural way of informing a player that a long suspension is on its way. However, Gudas himself is essentially tacking on an extra game to his absence. By waiving his in-person hearing for the alternative, a phone hearing Sunday, he is not allowed to play for the Flyers until that phone hearing has been completed. That means that Gudas will be ineligible to play in Philly’s matinee match-up against the Calgary Flames tonight, a game in which the Flyers are looking to stay above .500.

Will this latest punishment for Gudas finally get through to him? It may be difficult for a player whose career has been built on physicality to suddenly clean up his act. Since the notorious checker entered the league in 2012-13, he is eighth overall in hits and second among defenseman with 1097. Per game, his 3.8 hits puts him in a class with only Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, and Mark Borowiecki. Yet, only Martin has more penalty minutes in that time span than Gudas’ 12th-ranked 490 and Martin’s total includes 54 fighting majors – which do not leave the team short-handed – to only 94 minors, while Gudas is much more minor-heavy: 129 to 18. For all intents and purposes, Gudas is called for penalties more often than any of the other top hitters in the NHL in his career, and that’s not even counting game misconducts. Without much of an offensive game, it is clear that Gudas owes much of his $3.5MM salary to his physicality, but he is wandering down a dangerous road if he thinks he can continue to be the reckless checker he is now and remain well-paid or even employed in the NHL.

Snapshots: Jagr, Iginla, Tatar

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The Prime Time Sports Management Conference, which was held in Toronto the past two days, featured several big names in the world of hockey including Commissioner Gary Bettman, IIHF President Rene Fasel, and of course, Calgary Flames President Brian Burke. With such a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience in one room, the interesting opinions and stories were constantly flowing. Yet, two tales stood out above the rest:

  • Burke, unsurprisingly, was the author of one of them. Burke told the crowd that Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla, two future Hall of Famers who seemingly spent the summer with little attention paid to their free agent statuses, were in facts targets of the Flames all summer long. As we now know, Jagr was the end choice, as the 45-year-old signed on in Calgary in early October. Burke stated that the team evaluated and monitored both storied veterans throughout the off-season, waiting to see how things played out. Burke stated that, in the end, the team felt that Jagr had a much stronger 2016-17 season and brought a “charisma” to the team that they desired. It is no surprise that the team considered long-time captain Iginla, but after a difficult campaign where he looked lifeless at times, no one can blame the Flames for instead going with the ageless Jagr. In eight games thus far, Jagr already has a goal and four assists, as well as a +5 rating in Calgary.
  • The second intriguing story came from player agent Ritch Winter through sources at the NHL Players’ Association. It seems as though the current contract between forward Tomas Tatar and the Detroit Red Wings came much closer to not getting done than even the arbitration hearing time line indicated. The two sides went to salary arbitration this summer and were one of only a handful of cases to actually go to hearing. Yet, the two sides struck a deal prior to the arbitrator’s award – a four-year, $21.2MM bargain that even includes a no-trade clause beginning next season. Well, according to Winter, the fax from the arbitrator with his binding one-year decision came in to the NHLPA office mere minutes after the contract was signed. A few minutes earlier and any late agreement between the two sides would have been rendered null and void. It would come as no surprise if the Red Wings wish it had. Detroit filed at $4.1MM in arbitration, while Tatar’s side countered with $5.3MM. The eventual contract holds a $5.3MM AAV, meaning anything but an absolute finding for Tatar by the arbitrator would have resulted in a lesser cap hit than what the Wings are paying now. And what of the future? Yes, the long term deal keeps Tatar in Detroit longer, but with seven points in 18 games, the soon-to-be-27-year-old is on pace for the worst full season of his NHL career. The Red Wings may regret their long-term commitment and knowing they were only minutes ahead of a disqualifying decision only adds to the sting.

Blues’ Beau Bennett Reassigned To AHL

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When Beau Bennett signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent this summer, he saw it as a fresh start in a career that has been marred by injury and missed opportunity. After an impressive rookie campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012-13, following his surprise early departure from the University of Denver, Bennett looked lay he may be a long-term option for the Eastern Conference dynasty. Yet, in three more seasons with Pittsburgh, Bennett would never play a full-time role for the team nor top his 14-point total from his first campaign. A move to New Jersey last season in exchange for a third-round pick – showing that the league still believed in the 25-year-old’s ability and potential – was supposed to be a new start for Bennett. However, even in a career-high 65 games, Bennett only managed 19 points and was not qualified for the Devils.

Cue the Blues, who signed Bennett right away when free agency opened on July 1st. While the contract was only for the league minimum of $650K, it looked like the young winger still had a shot at a depth role in St. Louis. Those dreams were deterred early on, as Bennett was loaned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves before even the end of September. Yet, Bennett was recalled to the NHL squad three weeks ago and since had been given six games to prove he could stick in St. Louis. In those six contests, Bennett failed to record a point and took only six shots. He may have seen only 11 minutes or so of ice time per game, but Bennett was still invisible in that sample size.

Unsurprisingly, the once-promising forward is now back in the AHL, according to the Wolves. Bennett had three points in five games for AHL Chicago prior to his call-up, so he may have found a fit with the minor league team. However, when he’ll get his next chance with the Blues and just how many chances he has left in the NHL have now become legitimate questions.

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