Debut Notes: Bjugstad, O’Regan, Guentzel, Honka
Alex Petrovic may be sidelined for a while, but at least the injury-prone Panthers are getting back center Nick Bjugstad. The 24-year-old pivot suffered a hand injury during the preseason, but will return to the lineup to make his 2016-17 debut tonight. Bjugstad has had his injury struggles early on in his young career, but has managed to produce when healthy in each of the past three seasons.
The tenth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Bjugstad finally became a full-time player in Florida in 2013-14, putting up 38 points in 76 games as a rookie. He topped those numbers in 2015-16 with 24 goals and 43 points in 72 games, and then posted 34 points in just 67 games last year. A hard-working, physical forward, Bjugstad has shown resilience and an ability to bounce back from injury before, and the Panthers expect nothing less. Currently tied for fourth in the Atlantic Division with an offense on the wrong side of the league average, Florida will welcome the added offense that Bjugstad’s return will bring and hope that his presence can help to get the team back atop the division, where they spent most of the 2015-16 season.
In a corresponding move, the Panthers have sent Jared McCann to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. Florida had originally acquired the 20-year-old center from the Vancouver Canucks as part of the return for Erik Gudbranson in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks last season. McCann has three points in 17 games thus far, but has looked good. His demotion is more to ensure that he gets ice time and continues to develop. With Bjugstad back, the Panthers are set down the middle with Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck and Derek MacKenzie also in the fold.
Players making their NHL debuts tonight:
- The defending Stanley Cup champs are dealing with the injury bug and have called in reinforcements. Jake Guentzel will make his NHL debut tonight, likely lined up alongside Evgeni Malkin – not a bad place to jump start a career. After three outstanding seasons at the University of Nebraska – Omaha, Guentzel decided to leave school early to join Pittsburgh, and has shown he belongs in the pro game with 17 points in 16 games for the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins thus far. Pittsburgh will need the trend of AHLers exceeding expectations to continue with Guentzel, as they are facing down a severe challenge to their forward depth with injuries to Chris Kunitz and several minor leaguers and still awaiting the return of Daniel Sprong.
- The Penguin’s Stanley Cup opponents are dealing with some injuries of their own. The San Jose Sharks, in anticipation of the long-term absence of Tomas Hertl, have recalled Danny O’Regan from the AHL Barracuda and he will make his NHL debut tonight against the New Jersey Devils. The 22-year-old Massachusetts native has been playing point-per-game hockey in his first pro season, with 11 points in 11 games in the minors. Prior to 2016-17, O’Regan was a four-year starter for his hometown Boston University Terriers and played prep school and junior hockey in the Boston area as well.
- John Klingberg‘s loss is Julius Honka‘s gain. With top defenseman Klingberg struggling this season combined with him missing a recent team meeting, Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff announced that Honka will make his NHL debut tonight in place of the scratched Klingberg. The 14th overall pick in 2014, Honka has played two full seasons with the AHL’s Texas Stars, but to this point had not earned a call-up. An elite puck-moving defenseman from Scandinavia, just like Klingberg, the Stars are hoping that Honka can help out a defense that has struggled all season and seen numerous players moved in and out of the lineup on a nightly basis.
Alex Petrovic Out Two Months With Ankle Injury
The tough times continue in South Florida. The Panthers announced today that defenseman Alex Petrovic is expected to miss eight weeks with an ankle injury. Although no more information has been released pertaining to the exact injury, Petrovic has missed the past week with the ailment. The injury first occurred while the young blue liner blocked a shot in Florida’s win against the division-leading Montreal Canadiens last Tuesday. Petrovic joins star forward Jonathan Huberdeau on the shelf for the Panthers, a team that also missed winger Jussi Jokinen for a long period of time earlier this season and is just now getting center Nick Bjugstad back.
Petrovic had not gotten off to a hot start in 2016-17 prior to his injury last week. In 16 games, the 24-year-old defenseman has just one goal and four assists. However, coming off of a strong campaign last year in which he scored 17 points and was +17 as well, Petrovic has cemented himself as a valued member of Florida’s top four. It has shown thus far in the new season, as his time on ice has increased despite the big free agent additions of Keith Yandle and Jason Demers. Petrovic is a well-rounded defenseman who the Panthers have grown to lean on in the most important of situations. His absence over the next two months will definitely be felt by the team.
With Petrovic out of the lineup, Florida’s depth on the back end will have to step up. Since the initial injury on Tuesday, the Panthers have iced a a defensive unit of Yandle, Demers, young star Aaron Ekblad, rookie Michael Matheson, and newcomers Mark Pysyk and Jakub Kindl. Even with Petrovic out, the top four in Florida is still solid, but the team will need Pysyk to step up and Kindl, who has drawn into the lineup specifically to replace Petrovic, to play up to the potential he showed flashes of in Detroit. Having traded veteran Steven Kampfer recently, expect the return, Dylan McIlrath, to get some play time for Florida if his fellow former first-rounder Kindl struggles. The next man up would be Matheson’s Boston College teammate Ian McCoshen. Collectively, Florida has the depth to handle the Petrovic injury, but tied for fourth in the Atlantic Division is not where many expected this team to be and they would certainly prefer to be at 100% right now to try to get back into the playoff picture.
[RELATED: Florida Panthers Depth Chart via RosterResource]
NHL Announces Rule Changes To All-Star Voting
The league announced today a new set of guidelines for fan voting for the 2017 NHL All-Star in Los Angeles on January 29th. The changes are as follows:
- The 2017 NHL All-Star Fan Vote will allow fans to vote for one All-Star player from each Division, without regard to position. The top vote-getter from each Division will be named an NHL All-Star, as well as Captain of his respective team.
- Eligible players must be on an NHL Club’s active roster as of Nov. 1. Any player not on the active roster on that date due to injury or special circumstances can be added to the ballot if / when he returns to the NHL Club’s active roster.
- If a player is assigned/loaned to the American Hockey League (AHL) or any other minor league team between Nov. 1 and 5 p.m. on Jan. 26, the player is not eligible in All-Star balloting. However, if the minor league assignment/loan is due to conditioning reasons, the player remains eligible.
- In the event a vote leader is disqualified due to a minor league assignment or loan (or other reason) after close of the NHL All-Star Fan Vote on Jan. 2, the player with the second-most votes in that division will be named captain.
- Fans will be permitted to vote for a player from a list of all players that meet these eligibility guidelines. The list of eligible players will be updated as players are assigned to a minor league team or return from IR.
This new set of rules for the selection of team captains for the 3-on-3 tournament that was adopted last season and will continue this year is clearly meant to do one thing: prevent another John Scott situation. Scott, a career enforcer, had only played in eleven games for the Arizona Coyotes in 2015-16 and had recorded just one point when he was selected by the fans as the captain of the Pacific Division All-Star team. A huge social media push to get the 6’8″, 260-lb. winger with just 11 career points in 286 games into the All-Star game was wildly successful, but made a mockery of the voting process by putting perhaps the least talented player in the league into a game for the best of the best. After his selection, Arizona sent Scott to the AHL and then later traded him to the Montreal Canadiens (who also demoted him) all before All-Star weekend. Yet, Scott was still allowed to captain the Pacific squad and was even named tournament MVP, despite the league’s best efforts to ignore the fan vote and exclude him.
Despite the fanfare surrounding Scott’s selection last year, the NHL is hoping to avoid a repeat performance. The new rules disqualify AHL-caliber players – like Scott (and Rory Fitzpatrick before him) – from selection, ensuring that at the very least, this year’s All-Star game will have NHL talent. Fourth liners and press box frequenters could still slip in, but the NHL has made it known that they would like the All-Star game to be an exhibition of top talent and hope that the fan voting aligns with that position.
Predators Demote Goalie Juuse Saros
The Nashville Predators continue to play a confusing game with their backup goaltending situation. Just eight days ago, Nashville demoted struggling backup Marek Mazanec and recalled Juuse Saros to replace him. Then, two days ago the Predators recalled Mazanec and gave him the start against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mazanec proceeded to allow six goals in a loss that snapped the Preds’ longest winning streak of the season. Today, Nashville announces that not Mazanec, but Saros is headed back to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Saros did not play at all in this most recent call-up.
Saros, who made his NHL debut in a game last season, has been given only one more chance so far this season as well. In a start against the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Saros allowed only one goal on 35 shots in the win. Meanwhile, he has six wins with a 1.99 goals against average and .929 save percentage for the Admirals this season. Mazanec, on the other hand, has an atrocious 5.45 GAA and .809 save percentage in his three NHL appearances this season, and a dismal 3.90 GAA and .849 save percentage down in Milwaukee. Saros actually outplayed Mazanec last season in Milwaukee as well, where the pair shared starting duties in net.
While it seemed last week that the Predators brass had moved on to Saros as the preferred backup to Pekka Rinne, Mazanec continues to be choice #2 in net. While Nashville has somewhat come back from a brutal start to the season, they are still playing at a very underwhelming level and disappointing many who believed them to be a legitimate Stanley Cup threat in 2016-17. Rinne, who had his fair share of struggles last season, is back to his All-Star caliber play so far. But if Nashville continues to lose every time Mazanec is called on, it will make the task of fighting their way to the top of the Central Division that much harder. Mazanec may have four years of experience on Saros, but the numbers paint a clear picture of who can help the Predators more this season.
Ducks Trade Michael Sgarbossa To Panthers For Logan Shaw
Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt is reporting that a minor deal has gone down between the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers, with the clubs exchanging depth forwards. Going out west to is Logan Shaw, while Michael Sgarbossa is heading back east. The Panthers are treading water right now – playing .500 hockey in their past ten games and currently tied for fifth in the Atlantic Division – and are hoping that Sgarbossa, who has played nine games thus far in 2016-17, can help to shake up their lineup. The Ducks on the other hand are flourishing, having fixed their early season issues and climbed into a tie atop the Pacific Division. As of right now, they can afford the luxury of having Shaw, who played 53 games last season, be a depth option for the team.
Sgarbossa may finally get the chance in Florida to have the breakout performance that he has been unable to find thus far in his young career. An undrafted free agent in 2012, Sgarbossa signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2010, but continued to play at the junior level. At the NHL Trade Deadline in 2012, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche alongside Jamie McGinn as part of a deal for Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi. After putting up 102 points in just 66 games with the Sudbury Wolves in his final OHL junior season, Sgarbossa excited the Avalanche with the possibilities of a passed-up prospect. However, Sgarbossa was thrown into the Avs lineup at 20 years old, and was unable to record a point in six games and demoted to the AHL. Although his minor league numbers were strong with the Lake Erie Monsters, Sgarbossa remained relegated for most of 2012-13 and all of 2013-14. After failing to make an impression in three more games in 2014-15, Sgarbossa was traded again, this time to Anaheim for defenseman Mat Clark. Last season, Sgarbossa got into just one game for the Ducks, while continuing to play well in the AHL, now for the San Diego Gulls. So far in 2016-17, the 24-year-old has a career-high nine game played and two points, but has still struggled to carve out a role for himself. With potential to be a contributor at the NHL level, perhaps one more change of scenery is what Sgarbossa needs to establish himself.
Shaw’s career path has followed a more stable path, but contains just as much untapped potential. A third-round pick by the Florida Panthers back in 2011, Shaw made his name as one of the strongest and toughest forwards in the QMJHL. Although he was a point-per-game player in his final junior season with the Quebec Remparts, while continuing to dominate physically, he had a hard time taking translating that success to the pro level. In his first professional season in 2013-14, Shaw spent 20 games with Panthers ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones, and the remainder of the year in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage, and did not find much scoring success on either team. After playing in the AHL for the entirety of the following season, Shaw got the call in 2015-16 to take an energy line roll for the Panthers. In 53 games with the team, Shaw had just seven points, but earned his ice time by playing physical while staying out of the penalty box. Although the Panthers gave Shaw a one-year contract extension this summer, he was not given his spot back on the team this season. Shaw has yet to play an NHL game this season and has just six points in 13 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. However, he has proven himself to be a reliable checking line player at the highest level, and could be given the chance to carve out a nice bottom-six role for himself in Anaheim.
Vancouver Interested In Evander Kane
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported earlier on “Insider Trading” that the Vancouver Canucks are revisiting the idea of trading for Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane. McKenzie says that the two teams had discussions this summer, and with both off to a tough start in 2016-17, a shakeup may be in order.
The Vancouver native, who also played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, might seem like a natural fit, but the efforts to acquire him raise many questions. The biggest of these questions – which still appears to be a question for the team itself – is the direction of the Vancouver Canucks. While team president Trevor Linden, GM Jim Benning and the rest of the Canucks brass are trying to build a contender, the opinion of most, including many of their own fans, is that Vancouver should instead be looking toward a rebuild. The team was predicted by many to be one of the worst in the league in 2016-17, and at 6-9-1, they have not done much to prove those pundits wrong. With a core that is already made up of 36-year-old twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, 31-year-old free agent acquisition Loui Eriksson, and 36-year-old goalie Ryan Miller, the Canucks should really be trying to move veteran pieces to get younger players and prospects. The Buffalo Sabres (5-6-4) are also hoping to get younger, as they are committed to a rebuild. Would trading youth for Kane be a wise decision for Vancouver?
Benning has made it known that he would like to add a big, rugged, scoring winger to his current squad, and the 25-year-old Kane fits the bill. But at what cost? The 6’2″, 211 lb. forward has yet to record a point this season and has not scored more than 20 goals in a season since 2011-2012. While a change of scenery may boost those numbers and investing in a project player with raw talent like Kane could be worth it, he is not a solution to any of Vancouver’s immediate problems. McKenzie believes that the Sabres would like to bolster their blue line if they were to trade Kane. Losing a player like Alex Edler in a deal for Kane would not help the “contender Canucks” and losing a player such as Troy Stecher would not help the “rebuild Canucks”.
The other issue to take into account is the ongoing legal and behavioral problems that Kane has. While he may be less prone to problems back in his hometown, Kane’s off-the-ice issues are well-documented. Even if Vancouver can find the perfect deal, one that doesn’t cost them too much youth or an impact defenseman, a distraction is the last thing that this team needs.
At this point, the trade chatter surrounding Kane has gone on for so long that it seems inevitable that he’s dealt out of Buffalo in the near future. McKenzie believes that Vancouver is the most likely destination, but that doesn’t mean that they are the right one. The ongoing issues with the NHL’s most intriguing franchise will continue to be something to watch for in the 2016-17 season.
Steven Stamkos Leaves Game With Injury
Update 11/16 (5:30): While the timeline for a return is unclear, Steven Stamkos has officially been diagnosed with a later meniscus tear, the team reports. As of now, the injury will keep the Lightning captain out “indefinitely”. This injury usually occurs when the knee twists in an unusual way, much like Stamkos’ awkward fall, damaging the cartilage in the joint. While a torn meniscus is a common injury, it does take some recovery time to return to full strength. A conservative estimate of when Tampa fans can see Stamkos back on the ice would be two to three months maximum. Some return earlier than that with surgery (rarely before four to six weeks), while others (see Rick DiPietro) never truly recover.
In tonight’s game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings, Bolts captains Steven Stamkos picked up his 20th point of the season with a first period goal to put Tampa Bay up 2-0. However, that will not be what most think when recalling this game. Minutes later, Stamkos fell awkwardly along the boards. His right leg appeared to be hyper-extended and stiff as he went down, and he came up clutching the back of his knee. Stamkos skated to the bench, unable to put weight on the leg, and went down the tunnel. The team announced he would not return to the game after suffering a lower body injury.
Stamkos has had bad luck with injury to that right leg already, having broken it about three years ago. Recovery from the injury limited Stamkos to just 37 games in 2013-14 and caused him to miss the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. He also missed five regular season games and nearly the entire postseason last year with a blood clot disorder.
While a talented Tampa Bay Lightning team is capable of winning without Stamkos, a generational talent like his certainly causes a team to suffer in his absence. Stamkos has already contributed nine goals and eleven assists in 2016-17 and has put up 72 and 64 points in the past two seasons. While Stamkos status as a free agent was expected to be one of the biggest story lines of the summer, the two sides agreed to an eight-year, $68MM extension on June 29th, putting to rest any thoughts of Stamkos playing elsewhere any time soon.
The Lightning and their fans certainly hope for the best, but as of now the optics do not look good. Should the captain miss an extended period of time, it will have a massive impact on Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup chances this season.
Lindros On Concussions
Newly-inducted NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros and the league’s concussion issues sadly go hand-in-hand. The star forward lost much of the prime of his career due to head injuries and his absence from the game for long periods of time was the first step toward the recognition of concussion problems in the NHL. Lindros reportedly suffered six concussions between 1998 and 2000 and sat out the entire 2000-01 season. Having retired in 2007 and taken a step back from the game, Lindros has had time to reflect on his career and on safety in pro hockey.
In a piece by ESPN’s Chuck Gormley, Lindros spoke out on some of his thoughts on the current state of the game and it’s concussion protocols. “It’s not about the number,” Lindros says, “It’s about the degree of each one and the makeup of each individual person. Everyone is completely different.” He added that “That’s the hard part of (the NHL’s new concussion protocol). Some guys will take a big hit and feel fine and not want to come out of a game. No one is ever going to question how tough these guys are. That’s why they had to take it out of the players’ hands.”
Starting this season, the NHL has added concussion spotters to every game. These trained professionals watch for head contact and have the authority to remove players from games at the sign of concussion symptoms. While it seems like a great additional layer to help assist with player safety, it is not a fool-proof plan. Concerns over when, and if, goalies should be pulled, as well as how strictly the concussion protocols will be followed in the postseason lead the many questions that players and teams have about the new system.
However, Lindros says that he is happy to see that the league is taking a hard stance against concussions and taking the decisions away from the individuals or teams. As a former physical player himself, his game likely would have been impacted by these rules, but his health may have benefited. Other suggestions that Lindros has for further enhancing the safety of the game include adding the red-line back in, to reduce open-ice hits, and to make rinks wider, increasing space and lessening the occurrence of more physical encounters.
While such extreme changes to the game seem unlikely as of now, Lindros is content with how the NHL has handled it’s concussion problem recently. As the face of the issue back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lindros has more experience than he would have liked with head trauma and simply hopes to see a safer game for all players. For now, the Hall of Famer is just happy to have his own health back. “I feel lucky,” Lindros stated. “I feel good.”
Justin Faulk Activated From Injured Reserve
The Carolina Hurricanes have their best player back in the lineup and not a minute too soon. Fresh off of the team’s best win of the season, a 5-1 clobbering of the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, the Eastern Conference’s last ranked team may finally be righting the ship. They face a tough test tonight against the San Jose Sharks, but they’ll do so with the services of franchise defenseman Justin Faulk back in the lineup. The big-time blue liner missed the past three games with an upper body injury.
Originally described as a “week-to-week” injury, Faulk was placed on the injured reserve last week, only to miss just a few contests before making his return. The original diagnosis was not overly certain, and it appears as if the Hurricanes have gotten lucky with a quick return for their alternate captain.
Carolina’s second-round pick in 2010, Faulk has exceeded expectations and developed into the centerpiece for a rebuilding Hurricanes team. After becoming a regular player at just 19, the 24-year-old now sits in a leadership position and is know around the league as one of the best puck-moving defenseman in the game. Faulk has 161 points in 337 career games, all while logging top pair minutes. Thus far in 2016-17 he has only three points, but with the team hopefully turning the corner on a disappointing start, look for Faulk’s return to jump start the offense and help the Hurricanes build on their recent success.
Michal Neuvirth Out Four To Six Weeks
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Michal Neuvirth will be out more than a month after suffering an injury Saturday in the Flyers’ game against the Minnesota Wild. Although it was unclear when Neuvirth was actually injured (he never returned after the first period) or what exactly the injury is, GM Ron Hextall, a former goalie himself, has stated that it is a lower body injury that will keep the net minder out four to six weeks. In the meantime, Steve Mason will see even more ice time than he had and rookie keeper Anthony Stolarz is expected to be called up.
Neuvirth, like Mason, has struggled between the pipes this season for the Flyers. The Czech goalie has stopped just 85.9% of the shots he has faced and has a goals-against-average of 3.54 in nine games so far. His performance in 2016-17 has dropped off considerably from a year ago when he won 18 of his 29 starts and finished with a 92.4% save percentage while allowing just 2.27 goals-per-game.
Stolarz, meanwhile, is off to a fine start for Lehigh Valley of the AHL, winning six of his eight starts and compiling a save percentage of 92.7. He was originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2012 draft – 45th overall – following two seasons between the pipes for the London Knights of the OHL. Stolarz has spent the last two campaigns in Lehigh Valley, seeing action in 78 games and stopping 91.2% of the shots he has faced.
While Mason is likely to get most of the starts in Neuvirth’s absence, he too has had his problems this year for Philadelphia. His 88.0% save percentage ranks 34th among all NHL goaltenders with at least eight appearances this season. If he continues to scuffle, it’s possible Stolarz will be given more opportunities to prove himself at this level.
*Glen Miller contributed to this post.