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Philadelphia Calls Up Samuel Morin

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Given the rash of recent injuries on the Philadelphia blue line, it came as no surprise when the Flyers announced this evening that they had recalled rookie defenseman Samuel Morin from the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms. Morin is expected to suit up for the team when they host the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night.

In Saturday night’s contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Shayne Gostisbehere left early with injury and his status is still unknown. With Andrew MacDonald out long-term with a lower body injury, an extended absence for Gostisbehere would have left the Flyers down two starters with only five defenseman on the roster. Morin rounds that number back up to six and provides Philly with another capable defenseman.

However, the Flyers may need to think about looking around for another defenseman, if they aren’t already. The “future is now” mentality may be exciting, but Philadelphia will square off with the Coyotes tomorrow with three rookies – Morin, Robert Hagg, and Travis Sanheim – and 20-year-old Ivan Provorov, a severe lack of experience on the back end. Add in just two stay-at-home defenders in Radko Gudas and Brandon Manning as their veteran support, and Philadelphia could benefit from another body on the blue line. With four waiver-exempt assets, the Flyers have the flexibility to add another defenseman without causing themselves any sort of roster crunch down the road.

Ryan Getzlaf Leaves Game With Facial Injury

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The already injury-riddled Anaheim Ducks have yet another health concern and possibly the most worrisome to date. The latest casualty was none other than captain Ryan Getzlaf, who took a shot to the face from his long-time partner in crime, Corey Perry, in the opening seconds of tonight’s game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Getzlaf was evaluated for an “upper body injury” before eventually being declared out for the game by the team.

Initially, the injury seemed far from serious (video). Getzlaf seemed only stunned by the shot, which lost much of its momentum after a deflection by the ’Canes Sebastian Aho. There was no blood nor any exaggerated reaction and Getzlaf skated off the ice without issue. However, when he did not return, things became somewhat more daunting for the Ducks. Getzlaf, without a doubt, is the leader of the Anaheim forward corps and plays an invaluable role for the team. Fortunately, the injury still does not have the appearance of anything major and Getzlaf’s absence could be purely precautionary. At worst, a facial injury – even a bone break – tends to be a short-term loss. The Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno for example missed only a week with a facial fracture suffered in a fight earlier this season.

Yet, in the context of Anaheim’s mounting losses, any extended absence for Getzlaf could be problematic. Ryan Miller finally made his ducks debut tonight and Hampus Lindholm and Ondrej Kase re-joined the team this week as well, but that still leaves an injured reserve that features Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Cam Fowler, and Kevin Bieksa and an active Sami Vatanen who still seems unprepared to resume play. The Ducks already have Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna playing key roles on the blue line; the team can’t afford the same lack of depth up front, particularly at center, where a long stretch with 35-year-old Antoine Vermette as the top option down the middle could spell disaster for the team. The Ducks need to get healthy, and suddenly that starts with avoiding any sidelining of Getzlaf (if possible).

Sale Of Carolina Hurricanes Hits A Snag

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It’s no secret that the ownership situation of the Carolina Hurricanes has been less than ideal in recent years. However, it seems current owner Peter Karmanos will hold onto the team at least for a little while longer. According to The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell, negotiations toward a sale of the team have been slowed due to financial complications.

Chuck Greenberg, a partner in the ownership group of the MLB’s Texas Rangers, has been actively pursuing a deal with Karmanos to purchase the Hurricanes. Campbell reports though that rumors had recently arisen that Greenberg had pulled out of a possible deal due to a lack of financial banking. When he reached out, Greenberg ensured Campbell that he was very much still talking to Karmanos, but that he had in fact been having issues raising sufficient funds. It is estimated that Karmanos is open to selling the team for $500MM, which is hard number for anyone to produce offhand. Take it into account the recent struggles, both in the NHL standings and in attendance numbers, for the Hurricanes and it is understandable why drumming up interest in purchasing Carolina has been somewhat of a struggle for Greenberg.

Yet, things are trending in the right direction. The Hurricanes have the longest playoff drought in the league, having last seen postseason action in 2008-09. When the ’Canes were en route to a Stanley Cup in 2005-06 though, the RBC Center was selling out. With a young core, including arguably the league’s best group of youthful defensemen, and a few top-notch prospects still to come, the future is bright. Carolina may only be 4-3-1 to start the season, but no one would be surprised if their (lack of a) postseason streak snapped this year. A few years from now, they could be a Stanley Cup contender and no one would be shocked. So, with a chance to buy low on a promising franchise, Greenberg can find a way to secure his funding if he really is serious about the transaction. Then, the Hurricanes can truly move forward, with a new ownership group at the lead.

Jay McClement Signs With Swiss Club Olten

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It’s been a whirlwind month for consummate pro Jay McClement. The veteran center was very nearly the winner of the third-line center sweepstakes for the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead, the team released him to the surprise of many after an impressive effort in the team’s preseason finale. Now, less than thirty days later, McClement has finally found employment – with EHC Olten of the NLB.

The Swiss National League B, the relative minor league to much more well-known NLA, seems like an odd landing spot for a veteran of more than 900 NHL games. However, the team has confirmed the signing (link in Swiss) with much excitement. The contract is only for 2017-18, but holds a mutual option for next season. Could McClement exercise that option? He is 34, far from his prime, but just a few years ago played one of his best seasons – an 82-game, 21-point 2014-15 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes. McClement seems to have some gas left in the tank, so an extended stay in the Swiss minors would be surprising. However, McClement could more or less be done with hockey and sees Olten as a “retirement job”.

Olten isn’t completely unknown. The NLB squad in a perennial contender and rosters to other NHL veterans, Americans Tim Stapleton and Ryan Vesce. Neither has skated in the league since 2010, but nevertheless bring an experience and style that McClement could work with.

If it doesn’t work out? There’s a chance that McClement could be a contender for a bottom-six role for Team Canada at the Olympics, which would take up a significant amount of his time over the course of this season. Then, when his contract expires, don’t be surprised if McClement declines his offer and tries again at one last chance in the NHL.

Capitals Recall Anthony Peluso

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The Washington Capitals have made a minor roster move this evening, announcing the recall of Anthony Peluso. The 28-year-old right wing will look to make his Caps debut in his most recent NHL recall, after signing with the team as an unrestricted free agent this off-season.

With Tyler Graovac, another relatively new addition in Washington, headed to the injured reserve, GM Brian MacLellan made the call to the AHL’s Hershey Bears and decided on the veteran Peluso. A long-time member of the Winnipeg Jets, Peluso skated in 142 NHL games over  four seasons with the club, recording 14 points.

However, Peluso is not a player called upon for offense; he is more a specific replacement for Graovac rather than the true next man up. In those same 142 games, Peluso logged 277 hits – including more than two hits per game in 49 games in 2015-16 – and has built up a reputation as a plug-and-play grinder. Considering his OHL, AHL, and even ECHL offensive production leaves a lot to be desired, no one is pretending that Peluso has room to develop into a top-nine scorer. Yet, he knows his fourth line role and plays it well with a hard-nosed edge. Capitals fans have embraced the overtly aggressive game of Tom Wilson; there’s no reason to think that Peluso couldn’t soon be a fan-favorite should he carve out an enforcer role in Washington.

 

Teddy Purcell, Lauri Korpikoski Sign Overseas

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Two of the more notable names left without an NHL contract when the 2017-18 season began have come to terms on new deals elsewhere. Teddy Purcell, a former 65-point scorer who of late was on a PTO with the Boston Bruins, signed with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk today, the team announced. Lauri Korpikoski, fresh off a strong campaign with the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, somewhat surprisingly drew little attention this off-season and has now signed with the ZSC Lions of the NLA, according to a team release. The former Edmonton teammates will each look to rejuvenate their careers overseas this season.

Purcell, 32, was had a roller coaster career. The undrafted University of Maine product made a surprise jump to the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007-08 after just one year of college and made an immediate impact. After being swapped for Jeff Halpern early in his career, Purcell took off with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 51 points his first season and 65 the next. His scoring continued, but that didn’t stop the Bolts from trading him to the Edmonton Oilers, who in turn traded him to the Florida Panthers less than two years later. During this time, Purcell had continued to be a consistent scorer no matter where he landed. So, when Purcell given nearly no attention in the free agent market last year and ended up back in L.A. and soon after buried in the minors, it came as a shock to many. This time around, no one was surprised when Purcell was unable to turn his tryout in Boston into a contract, but the fact remains that there is still no evidence that Purcell ever stopped being a solid play-making forward. Now in Russia, Purcell has the potential to light it up with Avangard. Don’t be surprised if the swift winger scores early and often in the KHL and catches the eye of the Canadian Olympic team.

As for Korpikoski, his off-season went much like Purcell’s last year. 20 points in 60 games aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it was a pleasantly surprising season for Korpikoski in Dallas. The two-way forward had never been a big producer – his career high 40 points came back in 2010-11 with the Phoenix Coyotes, a team on which he was pressed into a top-six role due to a lack of talent – but Korpikoski had made a career out of his well-rounded game. A 2004 first-round pick of the New York Rangers, the now-31-year-old was a hard-working and reliable player for long stretches in New York and Arizona, but a drop-off in production in the desert and a subsequent trade to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015 looked like the beginning of the end. Yet, the Stars took a gamble last summer and it paid off with a sold effort from Korpikoski and a trade return of young defenseman Dillon Heatherington from Columbus at the deadline. However, the renewed interest never came and Korpikoski has had to settle for Switzerland. With ZSC, Korpikoski will join a talented NLA team and will get a chance to skate alongside NHL veterans like Robert Nilsson and Drew Shore. While Finland is in better shape for the upcoming Winter Games than the U.S. or Canada, don’t count out the possibility of the veteran Finn winger from getting the call to go to Pyeongchang as well.

Anaheim Ducks Recall Steve Oleksy

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Journeyman defenseman Steve Oleksy is set to make to join the Ducks for the first time, as Anaheim announced that they have called up the veteran blue liner. The Ducks are in Florida tonight to face the Panthers, so don’t expect Oleksy to make his debut right away, but with dates with the Lightning and Hurricanes still to come this weekend, the expectation is that Oleksy will join the team on their southeastern swing and could see some game action before the return trip to Anaheim.

Oleksy, 31, signed with the Ducks as a free agent this summer after spending last year with the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins after playing the three seasons prior with the rival Washington Capitals. Oleksy has never been an NHL regular – his career-high 33 games came in 2013-14 – but he has proven to be serviceable when called upon.

That’s all that Anaheim can ask for, as they are already on to their tenth different defender of the season. The Ducks revealed today that Kevin Bieksa is out indefinitely with a hand injury, as he joins stalwarts Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler on the sidelines. With Shea Theodore and Clayton Stoner now in Las Vegas, the Ducks simply don’t have the depth that they used to on the blue line, leading to this opportunity for Oleksy on top of regular roles already for 37-year-old addition Francois Beauchemin and the likes of Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna. 

Sabres Place Gorges On IR, Recall Redmond

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The struggling Sabres continue to take hits. At 1-5-2, Buffalo is no longer win-less like the Arizona Coyotes, neither are they the worst team even in the Atlantic, having passed up the Montreal Canadiens. However, four points in eight games is nothing to write home about and now the injuries are starting to pile up. Zach Bogosian doesn’t appear to be close to a comeback, and the team recently recalled Taylor Fedun with Jacob Josefson also sidelined. The latest addition: veteran defenseman Josh Gorges, who the team placed on injured reserve this morning.

While the team did not specifically address what is ailing Gorges in the press release, a recent article by Buffalo News’ John Vogl updated the injury statuses of several players, including Bogosian, Josefson, another downed defender Justin Falk, and yet another concern, banged up forward Zemgus Girgensons. In the piece, Vogl asks coach Phil Housley about Gorges’ condition, which the bench boss describes as a “lower-body injury”. While this is not much to go off of, more details can be expected the longer that Gorges’ absence lasts.

In the meantime, Buffalo has recalled defenseman Zach Redmond from Rochester of the AHL. Redmond was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month for Nicolas Deslauriers and will make his Sabres debut should he get into one of their upcoming games, perhaps even tonight against the Boston Bruins. While by any metric Redmond is a replacement-level player, his 16 games with the Canadiens last season was a bit of an outlier compared to his recent experience. Redmond played a semi-regular role for the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15 and 2015-16, skating in 59 and 37 games respectively and posting a total of 26 points and a 115 blocked shots. Redmond is capable of stepping up and being a reliable man on the back end for Buffalo – and they need it. The Sabres currently rank 29th in points percentage and goal differential and are on a course for another disappointing season. Gorges has undeniably lost a step in recent years; perhaps Redmond can be the surprise catalyst in his place that gets the Buffalo blue line back in shape.

Bruins Hoping To Re-Sign Zdeno Chara

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While Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was putting together an article about Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara late last night, the big man was busy scoring two goals as the Bruins rolled the Arizona Coyotes 6-2. Friedman’s report and Chara’s game prove the same point: the 40-year-old is far from done.

Friedman reveals that Boston GM Don Sweeney has received trade inquires about Chara, and it is thought that some teams have been considering acquiring the Norris Trophy-winner since as far back as the 2017 Trade Deadline. However, with his play continuing to hold steady as he enters his 20th NHL season, Sweeney has had no interest in moving Chara. Instead, Friedman reports that the team would prefer to re-sign him and Chara has been candid that he would like to continue his career with Boston.

Part of the reason for the uptick in interest in Chara is also why the Bruins would like to keep him this year and re-sign him: they have already extended this contract once to cover the 2017-18 season, during which Chara will count for just $4MM against the cap. That is a far cry from the $7.5MM-$6.9MM that Chara has made each year since originally signing in Boston in 2006. For the first time in a few years, Chara is in fact an excellent value this season. If, going forward, Sweeney can keep his captain at that lower number, he could continue to be a bargain asset into his 40’s.

At 6’9″, 250-lbs, Chara may not have the longevity of a Jaromir Jagr. However, the role that he is being asked to play in Boston is one that he can maintain for at least a couple more years. Chara has lost a step in his skating no question and he could benefit from playing fewer minutes, as he has tended to tail off in individual games and toward the end of the season. Yet, Chara is still one of the best checkers in the game – maybe one of the best all-time – and his shot has hardly lost its record-setting power, as evidenced last night. However, the most important role that the Slovakian superstar plays for a Bruins team getting younger with each year is captain. The Bruins are loaded with leadership and experience, as Patrice Bergeron and David Backes would be the captains of nearly any other team in the league, but Chara’s mentoring on the blue line is invaluable. Brandon Carlo, Chara’s defensive partner for the last year plus, is developing into a top-notch shutdown defender in his own right and with Charlie McAvoy now in town and the likes of Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, Urho Vaakanainen and (especially) Ryan Lindgren on their way, the Bruins have one of the best teachers possible to help develop a new generation of defenseman, while still playing a meaningful role.

Since signing with Boston in 2006, among all defenseman Chara is seventh in scoring, seventh in hits, fifth in time on ice, second only to Shea Weber in power play goals, and second only to Duncan Keith in +/-. Not only has he been great, but the future Hall of Famer has become one of the most recognizable names in hockey. Luckily for fans, not just in Boston but across the planet, it doesn’t seem as if we’re seeing the last of Chara. The big man still has gas left in the tank.

Sabres Call Up Justin Bailey

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The Buffalo Sabres may only be five games into the season, but they are already in a must-win situation with only one point to show for their efforts. Buffalo is tied with Arizona for the worst record in the league at 0-4-1 and for the worst goal differential at -11. It’s also been a top-heavy effort, with 20 of the 28 player points so far coming from just three players: Jack Eichel, Evander Kane, and Jason Pominville. It’s clear that Buffalo needs balance and they need talent if they are to go anywhere in 2017-18.

Looking for that spark, the Sabres have announced this morning that they have recalled young forward Justin Bailey from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The 22-year-old was a 2013 second-round pick and at 6’4″, 214-lbs., has grown into a physical, power forward. In 40 NHL games over the past two seasons, Bailey has only recorded four points, but down in the minors he has continued to be a proven goal-scorer just as he was in the OHL. With little reason to not play any promising, young players, it appears now could finally be the time for Bailey to stick in Buffalo. The team is in dire need of energy and ability, both of which Bailey has in spades. While Kane and, to some extent, Zemgus Girgensons both play a power forward game, the Sabres lost a ton of physicality in the off-season departures of Marcus Foligno and William Carrier. The top-nine needs another big body who can crash the net and make things happen. If Bailey is ready to step up at the highest level, he is well-suited to fill that role and could develop into a key piece of the Sabres’ 2017-18 campaign.

The down side to Bailey’s promotion is that it is due to the opening of a roster spot. The Sabres have additionally placed defenseman Zach Bogosian on the injured reserve. Bogosian has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury suffered in the preseason and doesn’t appear to be returning any time soon. A very capable defenseman who provides a boost to any lineup, Bogosian unfortunately is simply not in the lineup enough. The 26-year-old blue liner has not played more than 65 games in a season since he was a teenager with the Atlanta Thrashers. In 2016-17, he suited up for just 56 games and posted a career-low 11 points. Bailey might be a big help for the Sabres, but they also need a healthy, effective Bogosian if they want to maximize their production this season.

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