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Anaheim Ducks Recall Three

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Just prior to puck drop of Game Two of the Western Conference finals tonight between the visiting Nashville Predators and host Anaheim Ducks, the Ducks announced that they have recalled a trio of players from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Joining Anaheim presumably for the remainder of their playoff run are goaltender Jhonas Enroth and forwards Nicolas Kerdiles and Sam Carrick. 

The group was no longer of use in the minor leagues, as the Gulls season came to an end last night in a 2-0 loss to the San Jose Barracuda, their rival and the affiliate of Ducks’ rival the San Jose Sharks, in Game Five of the series. Now, they’ll look help out the big squad in any way they can. Enroth is simply an insurance policy should John Gibson or Jonathan Bernier somehow unexpectedly be unable to suit up. The veteran keeper began the year at the NHL level with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but after a disastrous start of 0-3-1 to the tune of an .872 save percentage and 3.94 goals against average, he was traded to the Ducks for this exact purpose of being a fallback option. Enroth has eight years of NHL experience and should be able to step in in the unlikely chance that his services are needed. Kerdiles and Carrick lack the experience, but make up for it in energy and ability. Kerdiles made his NHL debut earlier this season and then added two playoff games to his resume earlier in the postseason. He has yet to record a point in three games, but it’s only a matter of time given that the 23-year-old was a point-per-game player for the Gulls in the AHL playoffs. Carrick has not seen NHL ice for over a year, and never with the Ducks nor in the playoffs. The 25-year-old played in 19 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 2014-15 and 2015-16, recording a goal and an assist. Carrick has 39 AHL points this season between San Diego and the Rockford Ice Hogs, following a minor mid-season trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Whether the Ducks intend to play Kerdiles and Carrick or not, the pair is not in the lineup tonight for Game Two. Anaheim announced their lineup shortly after making the call-ups official, but still went with Chris Wagner and Jared Boll on the energy line. If the Ducks lose at home again tonight and head to Nashville down 2-0, they may look to change things up and give Kerdiles or Carrick an opportunity to make a difference in their playoff fate.

High Likelihood Of Free Agent Class Shrinking Further

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Let’s state the facts: the 2017 unrestricted free agent class is really weak. Even before the season started it wasn’t full of household names, but with Brent Burns, Patrik Berglund, and, most recently, Ben Bishop agreeing to extensions already, the list has shrunk even further. The 2017 class has few impact players available, so much so that the New York Islanders easily have single-handedly deprived the rest of the league of three of the top fifty free agents simply by re-signing the likes of Thomas Greiss, Dennis Seidenberg, and Cal Clutterbuck.

Unfortunately, the trend of teams retaining their own talent and further forecasting a dull summer may not be done. The Washington Capitals have four of the best free agent names out there in T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, and Justin Williams and even given their tight cap space, it is reasonable to assume that at least one or two of that group will re-up with the President’s Trophy winners. Initially, many felt that the San Jose Sharks would not bring back both of their aging stars, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and possibly even neither. However, after a strong season from career-Shark Marleau, the team will likely look to retain him, and with Thornton turning 38 soon and facing significant injury questions, he simply might take a hometown discount to stay in San Jose as well. In Montreal, revelation Alexander Radulov and key veteran Andrei Markov are impending free agents, but many assume in name only as handshake agreements seem to have been made on new deals following the Expansion Draft. Anaheim Ducks trade deadline acquisition Patrick Eaves has been a great fit and has expressed an interest in extending his stay. Same goes for Drew Stafford and the Boston Bruins. Even veterans like Radim Vrbata, Mike Fisher, and Jaromir Jagr seem likely to stay put in their current homes.

This does seem to be an awful lot of deals to be made in less than two months before free agency opens on July 1st, but don’t rule it out. Many teams are wary of the Expansion Draft ramifications of re-signing their impending free agents too early and may instead act swiftly in the waning days of June. Most, if not all, of these names could be off the table by the time free agency opens. Could we be looking at a free agent class highlighted by the likes of Sam Gagner, Martin Hanzal, and Michael Del Zotto? Let’s hope not.

Hindsight Bias: The Best And Worst Of Trade Deadline Day

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With the conference championships underway, we’re left with just four teams remaining in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. For the rest, they can take a look at the major trades made up to and on March 1st this year and gauge whether they were a mistake or a success. It’s somewhat of a mixed bag this year, with no deadline acquisition fueling their team to postseason dominance and no scapegoat whose underwhelming performance is to blame for an epic collapse. With that said, over two months later, it is safe to say that there were some clear winner and loser trades at the 2017 NHL Trade Deadline.

Winner: Anaheim Ducks – Patrick Eaves

Eaves has quietly been one of the most consistent contributors in the NHL this season and that did not change when he moved from the Dallas Stars to the Ducks ahead of the deadline. A versatile, two-way winger, Eaves has fit in well in Anaheim as is the lone major deadline addition who is still playing in the conference championships. After scoring 37 points in 59 games with the Stars, about .63 points per game, he registered 14 more in the final 20 regular season games for the Ducks, boosting his scoring to .7 points per game down the stretch in his new home. He even has two goals and two assists in seven playoff games, despite battling injuries. Anaheim may be down 1-0 in their pursuit of the Campbell Bowl and a Stanley Cup berth and their postseason success has bumped the price for Eaves up from a 2017 second-round pick to a first-rounder, but with a one in four chance at a title and a chance to re-sign Eaves, the Ducks cannot be more pleased with how this deal has played out thus far.

Loser: Minnesota Wild – Martin Hanzal

A team that is not so happy with their first-round investment is Minnesota. The Wild had been one of the best teams in the league all season long when they surprised many by acquiring one of the top trade deadline targets in Hanzal. The power forward performed admirably post-trade, putting up half as many points as his season total in Arizona in less than half as many games, 26 in 51 versus 13 in 25. He even added a playoff goal. However, his time in the playoffs, by no fault of his own, was much shorter than expected. The Wild were upset by the St. Louis Blues in five games and just like that they’re Stanley Cup hopes were gone. Falling so short despite high expectations makes the cost of adding a piece that didn’t matter much more difficult to swallow. Minnesota owes the Arizona Coyotes a top pick this season and a second-rounder next season plus another conditional pick and prospect, with little to show for the price.

Winner: New York Rangers – Brendan Smith

While the Rangers were underwhelming in their semi-final series against the Ottawa Senators, one many expected them to win, their exit is still not all that surprising given their status as a wildcard seed. Helping them to upset the Montreal Canadiens in Round One and take the Senators to six games was deadline acquisition Smith. While some initially mocked the deal – a 2018 second-round pick and 2017 third-round pick for a defenseman with just five points – Smith proved to be an excellent fit in New York. He scored four points in 18 games with the Rangers and also played better in his own end, earning him more play time. A disappointing start to the season in Detroit for the career-Red Wing quickly turned into a career revival with impressive play for his new squad. The postseason brought yet another four points and continued high-level play for Smith. Unfortunately, perhaps his worst game as a Ranger came in the elimination loss to the Senators when he was exposed on defense multiple times. Yet, in the big picture he was a success in New York. There is no word yet on whether there is mutual interest between both sides in an extension, especially since the Rangers carry many expensive blue line contract, but regardless this deal has to be considered a win for the Blueshirts.

Loser: Los Angeles Kings – Ben Bishop

Bishop may be happily settling in to his new home in Dallas after signing a nice six-year deal, but his time in Los Angeles did little to help him secure that contact. The Kings and the keeper were strange bedfellows to begin with, as now ex-GM Dean Lombardi traded red-hot backup goalie Peter Budaj, 2015 second-round defenseman Erik Cernak, and a 2017 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Bishop, just as starter Jonathan Quick was returning to health. The Kings needed scoring, not better goaltending, if they wanted to make the playoffs, but ended up with neither from the Bishop trade as he picked up only two wins in seven appearances with L.A. and posted just a .900 save percentage. The Kings finished 10th in the Western Conference and eight points out of a playoff spot, not even all that close to a berth, and now need to find a new backup goalie for 2017-18. The Bishop trade makes as little sense now as it did then and undoubtedly figured in to Lombardi’s firing.

Winner: Boston Bruins – Drew Stafford

The Bruins may have lost in the first round of the playoffs, but they likely wouldn’t have if four of their six starting defenseman didn’t miss all or most of the series. Even with those major injuries, the Ottawa Senators still had a difficult time eliminating the Bruins and Stafford was a thorn in their side with two goals and consistent two-way contribution. Add in four goals, matching his total earlier in the season with the Winnipeg Jets, and four assists in 18 regular season games as well as an outstanding +8 rating, and Stafford was an excellent addition for Boston. Acquired for just a sixth-round pick, Stafford was easily the steal of the trade deadline and ongoing talks of an extension would only add more value to a shrewd deal by GM Don Sweeney. 

Loser: Florida Panthers – Thomas Vanek

Vanek was having a great season for the Detroit Red Wings when the Trade Deadline rolled around. He had 38 points in 48 games and was sniping with accuracy unseen over the past five years. When the Florida Panthers struck a deal to acquire that level of talent for just a 2017 third-round pick and struggling prospect Dylan McIlrath, there was a consensus that they had won the trade considering the affordable cost. Yet, the counter to that argument was that, even if he maintained the same rate of production, Vanek alone was likely not enough for the Panthers to make the playoffs. In the end, that proved to be true. Vanek’s scoring dropped off to just two goals and ten points in 20 games and his shooting percentage fell almost ten points, but even if it hadn’t, the Panthers wouldn’t have qualified for the postseason. They finished 13th in the Eastern Conference, 14 points shy of a playoff spot. At the end of the day, acquiring the impending free agent and missing the playoffs by that much was simply a waste of a third-round pick for a team that is still building.

Loser: New York Islanders – No One

The idea that you can’t lose at the Trade Deadline if you don’t make a deal is incorrect. Case in point: the 2016-17 Islanders. New York ended up missing the postseason by just one point and their playoff hopes were alive up to the final day of the season. Had the Isles made a trade, even a small one, that could have won them one more game down the stretch, they might have been a playoff team after all. Given their need to convince star John Tavares to stick around, the Islanders should have been more willing to do something – anything – to transform into a playoff team.

Coyotes Hire London Knights Assistant GM Jake Goldberg

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In an interesting front office move today, the Arizona Coyotes have hired Jake Goldberg to join their hockey operations staff. Goldberg had been the Assistant General Manager and of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights since 2016, before taking his first NHL executive position. The Toronto Sun’s John Matisz broke the news, but so far it is unclear what exact title he will have in Arizona.

Much like the Coyotes GM, 27-year-old John Chayka, Goldberg is much younger than the typical professional sports executive. Goldberg is just three years removed from law school. Also like Chayka, Goldberg has a strong background in analytics, a growing movement in hockey and one that they Coyotes have embraced.

Adding Goldberg to the mix will only serve to strengthen what could be revolutionary hockey operations department being built in the desert. The Coyotes have done exceedingly well with drafting in recent years and have one of, if not the best, prospect systems in the NHL. They’ll get another boost this June when they draft seventh overall in the first round. A possibility at that slot could be OHL prospects like the Windsor Spitfires’ Gabriel Vilardi or the Mississigua Steelheads’ Owen Tippett, two players that Goldberg has seen up-close many times. Arizona also has the Minnesota Wild’s pick at #23 and another high pick in the second round. An option there: how about the London Knights own Robert Thomas?

Nikita Gusev Does Not Plan To Leave KHL For Lightning

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Amidst the signing of Vadim Shipachyov with the Vegas Golden Knights and rumors of Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Dadonov hoping to make the move to the NHL as well, reigning KHL champion SKA St. Petersburg can at least take some solace in the fact that at least one of their star players would like to return. According to the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Nikita Gusev has no plans to jump ship to North America. A current free agent, Gusev instead hopes to re-sign with SKA.

Despite the ample attention that 28-year-old Dadonov is getting from NHL team right now, it was actually the 24-year-old Gusev who finished third on the team in scoring this season behind Shipachyov and Kovalchuk. Gusev scored 71 points in 57 games to Dadonov’s 66 point in 53 games, even narrowly edging him out in points per game. The 2012 seventh-rounder additionally led the team in playoff scoring with seven goals and 16 assists in 18 postseason games en route to a title. At 5’11” and 181-lbs., Gusev is quick and elusive and possesses top end puck-handling skills. He also has a penchant for play-making, finishing third overall in the KHL with 47 assists in 2016-17.

Gusev is certaintly a promising player, but doesn’t appear to be ready to follow in Nikita Kucherov’s footsteps and take his talents to Tampa and to the best league in the world. Kucherov committed to the Lightning and to the NHL at age 20 and has developed into one of the most dangerous scorers in the world. However, Kucherov also never had the impact on a KHL team that Gusev has had. With Shipachyov, Kovalchuk, and Dadonov all likely gone, Gusev knows that if he puts off on any NHL aspirations and doesn’t join a crowded Tampa forward group, he has the chance to be the leader of SKA and knows the fame (and payday) that would bring. So, for now, Lightning fans will have to wait on adding yet another elite Russian weapon.

NHL Announces 2018 Winter Classic Match-Up

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The NHL has announced the two teams competing in the 10th Annual Winter Classic on New Year’s Day 2018. The league will return to the roots of the event, pitting the original host of the first Winter Classic in 2008, the Buffalo Sabres, against their in-state rival, the New York Rangers. It is the first Winter Classic to be held in New York City, and the Rangers will host the event at Citi Field in Queens, home of the New York Mets.

Ironically, the area of New York where the Mets play has been the rumored location of a possible new arena for the New York Islanders, the one New York team left out of the proceedings. Nonetheless, this will be a great event on January 1st, as hockey fans throughout the state and the Big Apple will flock to see the rivalry match-up between two exciting teams. The Sabres are a team in flux, but Jack Eichel and his teammates will have something to prove. Meanwhile, the Rangers want to defend their status as the best team in New York and will bring the King, Henrik Lundqvist, and a deep, talented line up to try to get the job done. Interestingly, due to an odd agreement regarding the tax status of Madison Square Garden, the Rangers will likely be the visitors and the Sabres the home team in the contest. The Rangers were the road team in each of their two outdoor games at Yankee Stadium in 2014.

Unfortunately, the timing of the announcement is not great, as the Rangers are in the middle of a do-or-die Game Six match-up with the Ottawa Senators and, at the time of this writing, are down 2-0. At least they will have something to look forward to to help get over the (potentially) disappointing loss.

Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask Undergo Surgery

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The Boston Bruins kept things short and sweet in a press release today, as GM Don Sweeney announced that both Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask underwent successful surgery over the past two days. Barring any unforeseen complications, both players are expected to make full recoveries and be ready for the start of the 2017-18 season.

Unlike defenseman Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, and Adam McQuaid, whose injuries kept them out for the first round of the playoffs and seemed like the likely cause of the Bruins collapse at the hand of the Ottawa Senators, both Bergeron and Rask played through their ailments in the six-game series. It was revealed that Bergeron not only played through his injury, a sports hernia, for the postseason but the entire regular season as well. The Bruins’ alternate captain and perennial Selke candidate is no stranger to playing through pain; he memorably skated in Game Six of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final with a punctured lung. Rask is a different case, as he his physical and mental toughness has often been questioned by skeptics of the Boston keeper’s ability. Some minds may be changed after they find out that Rask played through a groin tear, perhaps the most taxing injury for a goalie, in the playoffs and still managed to post a .920 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average.

Luckily, both Bergeron and Rask – as well as half the defense – are on their way to health and should be ready to go for next season. Although Rask won a career-high 37 games, including a career-best and 2nd-best in the league 8 shutouts, and Bergeron scored 53 points, led the league in face-off wins, and was named a Selke finalist yet again, it was actually a down year for both players. Rask, the 2013-14 Vezina Trophy winner and the current holder of the best career save percentage all-time was streaky this season and helped him to finish a second straight season with an uninspiring .915 save percentage. Bergeron, who has the best Expected +/- all-time was just +12 on the year, third on the Bruins and outside the top 50 in the NHL. He also saw a drop off in goals from 32 in 2015-16 to just 21 in 2016-17 and with it a slight decrease in five-on-five and power play ice-time. Certainly neither player was disappointing this past season, but at full strength they can be better and the Bruins can build on their success this season with another impressive effort in 2017-18.

Kings Sign Tanner Pearson To Four-Year Extension

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It has been a busy day for the Los Angeles Kings and new GM Rob Blake. After trading impending free agent goaltender Ben Bishop to the Dallas Stars for a fourth round pick earlier, the Kings have announced another shrewd deal no more than an hour later: young winger Tanner Pearson has agreed to a four-year, $15MM extension to stay in Los Angeles. An impending restricted free agent, Pearson had only limited leverage, but will carry a $3.75MM AAV for the next four seasons which is a number that both sides are likely very happy with.

In a season that was an overall disappointment for the Kings, Pearson was one of the few bright spots of the campaign. The 24-year-old posted a career-high 24 goals and 44 points and took on a much larger role on the team. Pearson led the team in shorthanded scoring and shooting percentage, finished behind only stars Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar in points and just Carter in goals and his 20 assists, +5 rating, and 124 hits ranked in the top ten as well.

Yet, with just 44 points on the year and only 101 career points through four seasons, the Kings still held a significant degree of control in negotiations and were able to lock up a valuable young asset for a very reasonable rate. Pearson, who still shows signs of growth, will be a King until he is 28 at under $4MM per year. While he will make more than fellow youngster Tyler Toffoli next year, Pearson will likely be the fifth highest-paid forward on the team despite performing like the second or third-best in 2017-18. On the other hand, his contract compares to those of New York Islanders center Anders Lee and Dallas Stars forward Cody Eakin, whose play and skill set compare favorably to Pearson as well. It appears to be a good compromise all around for Pearson and Los Angeles, and the Kings can now turn to helping Pearson and his teammates out more by adding some more speed and skill to the forward corps this off-season.

Latest On Buffalo Sabres’ GM, Head Coach Searches

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On a quiet night for hockey news other than the two Eastern Conference playoff games, Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman used the second period break of the Penguins-Capitals contest to update the hockey world on the ongoing business of another Eastern Conference team. While Pittsburgh fans are hardly thinking of front office issues as their team appears to be on the fast track to second consecutive Stanley Cup appearance, the news certainly affects the Penguins as well. Kypreos revealed that, as has been expected, the Buffalo Sabres are likely to announce that Pittsburgh executive Jason Botterill will be their next General Manager. Friedman then chimed in that, with Botterill likely at the helm, Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet is a strong candidate for the open head coaching gig. Kypreos suspects that they could be waiting until after the end of the Penguins’ current series to announce at least Botterill, if not both if discussions have already been had about Botterill’s coaching choice.

The Botterill story has been told: a younger executive working for one of the most successful franchises in the game and eager for a new challenge and his turn in the spotlight. Botterill is also an expert on hockey analytics and salary cap analysis – a GM for the new age of hockey. Botterill has had two interviews with the Pegulas and other decision-makers in Buffalo and it seems that the job is all but his.

The Tocchet note though is new. Tocchet enjoyed an 18-year NHL career before becoming a coach, playing for six different teams, being selected to four All-Star Games, and winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1992. Tocchet was well-traveled and also well-rounded, capable of fitting into nearly any system he was part of. That versatility and two-way hockey intelligence translated well into coaching, as he has a broad understanding of the game. Tocchet was named an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche, a team he had never played for, less than a year after officially announcing his retirement from playing in 2002. He then moved to Phoenix to be an assistant under Wayne Gretzky, before moving to Tampa Bay in 2008 as an assistant for Barry Melrose. Tocchet replaced Melrose that same season and was the head coach of the Lightning for next two years, but was fired in 2010 with a 53-69-26 record. Tocchet was given a second chance by his former team in 2014 when he was brought on as an assistant coach for the Penguins by Mike Johnston. Tocchet outlived his head coach and the work he has continued to do for the Penguins has been praised by replacement Mike Sullivan and, of course, owner and former teammate Mario Lemieux. With Botterill probably getting a fresh start and his first GM gig, it doesn’t seem unlikely at all that the first coach he hires is someone experienced who he is also familiar with and Tocchet fits the bill.

Overseas Rumors: Miele, Zaar, Carey

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The free agent frenzy is already underway for most of the major European hockey leagues and news of many teams’ interest in and pursuit of North American players has begun to make its way across the Atlantic. One move that seems to be more than just speculation is the reported signing of Philadelphia Flyers minor-leaguer Andy Miele by Swedish Hockey League team Malmö. Apparently, a deal is already in place between the two sides, Miele told Tony Androckitis of the AHL Blog “Highland Park Hockey”. Miele explained that the contract is voidable if he can negotiate a new deal with the Flyers, or AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, by June 25th and that “will be a conversation…that (they) will have”. However, as Androckitis points out, an extension seems unlikely when Miele did not get to play in one NHL game this season despite leading the Phantoms in scoring. The Flyers’ organizational depth will likely prevent Miele from making a significant difference at the highest level, which would probably drive down the value of an extension as well. The 2011 Hobey Baker winner, who also failed to make an impact with the Detroit Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes in previous stops, is better off taking his talents overseas where he will likely be the Redhawks’ best player and be well-paid for his services. Miele, at 29 years old, has had a prolific minor league career with 368 points in 420 games and four AHL All-Star Game selections. It seems time that he take on a new challenge in his career.

  • Potentially, Miele could be joined in Malmö by a fellow AHLer. Swedish winger Daniel Zaar, a 2012 sixth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is considering heading back home next season. The 23-year-old was a key part of the Cleveland (then-Lake Erie) Monsters run to a Calder Cup championship in 2015-16 and, though his goal total fell off significantly, had another successful AHL campaign this year. Altogether, Zaar has 73 points in 126 AHL games since coming to North America. Yet, like Miele, Zaar has not been given an opportunity to try his hand at the NHL level. Zaar had 9 goals and 18 assists in 55 games with Lulea of the Swedish League prior to joining the Monsters and, given some apparent development, should be capable of greatly increasing those numbers. Both Zaar and Swedish suitors understand that, as Blue Jackets beat reporter Mark Scheig reports that bids for the young scorer have already begun, with Malmö in the lead. Zaar seems highly likely to head back overseas this off-season unless Columbus makes a convincing argument that he’ll see ample NHL ice time in 2017-18.
  • Although many have assumed that the Washington Capitals’ season is over, down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, technically it isn’t. That hasn’t stopped Swiss club Lugano from publicly stating that they are interested In Caps forward Paul Carey, who skated earlier in the series even. However, Carey is not exactly an NHL regular. The 28-year-old, a four-year starter at Boston College, has largely failed to build on his collegiate success at the highest level. In 32 regular season games and four postseason games with the Colorado Avalanche and Capitals, Carey has just one goal and one assist. In the AHL, he has been much more successful, including recently wrapping up a career-best point-per-game 55-point season. However, with little chance of becoming a full-time NHLer, Carey could certainly be interested in making the jump overseas and the NLA is one of the top destinations. A Carey-Lugano connection, as rumored, would be a logical fit for both.

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