Charlie McAvoy To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Boston Bruins were triumphant last night and moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they’ll have to battle the Carolina Hurricanes a man down. Charlie McAvoy will have a disciplinary hearing to determine a suspension for his hit on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson last night. McAvoy was given a two minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head, but is expected to receive supplementary discipline.
McAvoy has been a force for Boston in these playoffs, averaging nearly 25 minutes a night while often taking on the other team’s best forwards. The 21-year old defenseman has added six points in 13 games, and has 30 hits including several of the devastating variety. In trying to lay another one of those big hits, he caught Anderson’s chin forcefully which snapped the Blue Jackets forward’s head around—the usual telling sign for the Department of Player Safety.
The league usually specifies if the hearing is of the in-person variety, meaning McAvoy is likely looking at a suspension of fewer than five games. He has never been suspended or fined in his career, which will have a positive impact on the decision.
Poll: Who Wins A Loui Eriksson-Milan Lucic Swap?
July 1st, 2016 is a day that a handful of NHL teams would like to forget. As the free agent market opened, mistakes were made, as they usually are, but this year in particular took a heavy toll. David Backes, Loui Eriksson, Andrew Ladd, Milan Lucic, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo: six contracts, each with a term of five or more years, totaling $220MM. The contracts all looked bad right away and now three years later, all six players have been massive disappointments. None of those six teams – the Bruins, Canucks, Islanders, Oilers, Red Wings, and Sabres – have been able to shed those cumbersome contracts to this point either. As with most bad pacts, the teams must either give away something of value or take on a similarly poor contract to move the player. Entering a new off-season, patience is running out on most, if not all, of these players and it seems that long-awaited moves could be on the horizon.
But what if two of these teams simply decided to swap a 2016 mistake? It wouldn’t do much to help with cap compliance, but it would at least allow for the players to get a fresh start and perhaps play at a level closer to what was expected when their contracts were signed. Over the past few days, two players on this unfortunate list have hinted that they may want to leave as much as their teams would like to be rid of them. There seems to be a fit to make a deal as well. As a result, rumors have emerged that Loui Eriksson and Milan Lucic could be traded for one another.
Eriksson, coming off his worst season since he was a rookie in 2006-07, told a Swedish newspaper that he and head coach Travis Green “do not get on 100%”. As translated by The Province’s Patrick Johnston, Eriksson goes on to say that there is a lack of trust from Green, as reflected my a major drop-off in ice time, as well as a lack of opportunity when he is on the ice, as Eriksson feels he has been pigeon-holed into a defensive role. Still a capable two-way winger, Eriksson believes in his ability and promises to “keep fighting”, but is clearly frustrated in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, Lucic stopped just short of saying he would rather be playing for the Canucks right now during an appearance on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver. When asked if he would welcome a move to his hometown, Lucic’s answer was pretty transparent:
That’s definitely something I wouldn’t rule out. It’s obviously something that potentially could happen. Like you said, things haven’t gone that well for me here with the Oilers. Especially the last year and a half. So a new GM, new coach, which haven’t even been named yet, coming in. You don’t even know what their plan is moving forward, and stuff like that. Like I said, it’s definitely something that could potentially happen… I think the Canucks right now are a very exciting team. I love what (Vancouver GM Jim Benning) has done as far as building the team within through the draft and developing players. He’s done a great job of that. I think Travis has done a really good job as well from a coaching stand point. Like I said, it’s an exciting team and it’s a growing team and you never know what the future has in store for you.
So, Lucic would seemingly like to be in Vancouver and Eriksson would seemingly like to be anywhere else. Benning has never been afraid to shake things up in Vancouver, while the Oilers are close to hiring a new GM, who will almost certainly want to shake things up. This deal, while only a convenient rumor, could happen. But is a one-for-one trade a fair swap? From a production and salary cap standpoint, it’s pretty close between these former Boston Bruins teammates.
Both Eriksson and Lucic carry a $6MM cap hit on their current contracts, but Lucic is signed for four more years versus only three for Eriksson. This is not inconsequential, as another year hurts even more on a bad contract as it additionally impacts potential buyout calculations. Lucic additionally has greater trade protection built into his deal, a problem if he continues to play poorly. The bulk of Eriksson’s actual salary has also largely been paid out in signing bonuses over the past few years, making him more affordable from a payroll standpoint. So while Lucic and Eriksson are even in terms of yearly cap calculations, Eriksson’s contract is friendlier. It is worth considering though that Eriksson, 33, has more tread on his tires than Lucic, 30, and could be less effective in year three than Lucic is in year four.
Lucic has the slight edge in terms of performance, as he has been the least bad of the pair. To his credit, Lucic has been extremely durable during his time in Edmonton, missing only three games over three seasons. In 243 games, the power forward has 104 points, including 39 goals. While his offensive numbers pale in comparison to his early years of production, he has maintained his physical style of play, logging 715 hits. In comparison, Eriksson has struggled to stay healthy with Vancouver. Formerly a tough, two-way winger, Eriksson has missed 50 games in his Canucks tenure and his injury history shows in his play style, which has become far less tenacious. Nevertheless, Eriksson has accumulated 76 points in 196 games, including at least 10 goals each season. It’s not much, but it’s a clip that would put Eriksson only ten points behind Lucic if he had played the same number of games. It’s worth noting that the overall picture looks poor for Eriksson, but he still shows flashes of offensive ability from time to time that Lucic does not.
Needless to say, neither Lucic nor Eriksson are players that any team would be excited to add at this point in time. But if the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks were to make this trade straight-up, would it be a fair deal? The Canucks land a hometown product who is younger and has been slightly more productive and far more durable over the past few years, while the Oilers get back a player that costs less, both in reality and against the cap, in the long-term and has a more versatile game and could have more upside. What do you think?
Who Wins A Loui Eriksson-Milan Lucic Swap?
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Edmonton Oilers 40% (708)
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Even Trade 35% (624)
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Vancouver Canucks 25% (442)
Total votes: 1,774
Playoff Notes: Acciari, Gavrikov, Dallas’ Defense, Andrighetto
The Boston Bruins could be without a member of their fourth line Saturday, as Noel Acciari missed Saturday’s morning skate with an undisclosed injury. Chris Wagner skated in his place and looks like a candidate to replace him if Acciari can’t go, according to NBC Sports Joe Haggerty. “We gave Noel the morning off,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy, “He’ll be a game-time decision for tonight. Chris Wagner will go in for him if he can’t go.”
It’s a significant loss for the Bruins for a crucial Game 5, as the hard-hitting winger has 38 hits so far in the playoffs over the course of 11 games. Wagner, who doubled his career-high in goals this season with the Bruins with 12 goals, has been held scoreless in seven playoff games. He played in the first game of the series against the Blue Jackets, but was a healthy scratch for the past three games. Wagner had missed the last two games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, but that was not the reason that Cassidy used when he replaced Wagner in the lineup with Karson Kuhlman, who Cassidy said brought more energy to the team.
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to make one lineup change. Russian defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov will make his NHL debut, giving Columbus seven defensemen, while rookie winger Alexandre Texier will be a scratch. Gavrikov, who signed with Columbus back on April 13th out of the KHL, could add some physicality for the Blue Jackets. The 6-foot-3 had two points and 60 penalty minutes in 60 games for SKA St. Petersburg. He also has five years of KHL experience as well as 57 games of playoff experience he can call on.
- NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski reports the Dallas Stars could have an interesting decision to make on defense for Sunday’s Game 6, as defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Joel Hanley are not expected to be ready. That leaves three potential options for Dallas to add a third-pair defenseman, including Taylor Fedun, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. Fedun, however, is questionable with an injury as well.
- BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that head coach Jared Bednar said there could be some changes in Game 5 on Saturday. Dater writes that he believes that winger Sven Andrighetto is likely to return to the lineup and likely to replace Derick Brassard. Andrighetto has only appeared in four playoff games so far this year and hasn’t broken the 10-minute mark in any of them. He had seven goals and 17 points in 64 games this year. Brassard has been held scoreless in six playoffs games this year and also found himself playing under 10 minutes in two of the last three games.
Boston Bruins Sign Oskar Steen
The Boston Bruins have signed prospect Oskar Steen to a three-year entry-level contract. Steen’s deal will kick in next season and carries an average annual value of just over $809K.
A sixth-round pick from 2016, the 21-year old Steen broke out this season in the SHL scoring 17 goals and 37 points in 46 games. That was good enough to lead all forwards on his team, and should bode well for his chances at the professional level in North America. The first thing you’ll notice with Steen is an incredible first step, as his acceleration is the key to his offensive game. The 5’9″ forward can create separation in the offensive zone almost at will, and get behind defenders through the neutral zone.
Still, there’s a long way to go for Steen to be an NHL contributor. He’ll need to prove his talent at the AHL level first, but any sort of contribution from a sixth-round pick is a bonus. The Bruins’ 2016 draft looks like a great one so far, as Charlie McAvoy, Trent Frederic and Ryan Lindgren have already made their NHL debuts—the latter for the New York Rangers after a trade in 2018.
Snapshots: Marchand, Tippett, Ruck
Boston Bruins agitator Brad Marchand was caught “punching” Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington in the back of the head as time expired on Game Three on Tuesday night. While unnecessary and unsportsmanlike, the NHL Department of Player Safety has decided that the otherwise innocuous play is not suspension-worthy. As The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline points out, there are no fines in the postseason, only suspensions, as players aren’t paid for playoff games and thus there is no mechanism for calculating fines. Even with Marchand’s track record, it would have been hard to imagine a postseason suspension for the incident as well. Commissioner Gary Bettman opined that Marchand should have received a penalty on the play, but given the timing of the incident and the result holding, it would not have made a difference. One might expect the Blue Jackets to thus police the situation themselves through the rest of the series, but Portzline believes that no retaliation is coming after speaking with several players. While Marchand is capable of getting fans riled up better than anyone in the league, it seems this issues could be over as soon as it began.
- There have been rumors for some time that Dave Tippett has been itching to get back behind an NHL bench, despite his current adviser position with the Seattle expansion team, and he is now officially taking steps toward such a move. Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman writes that Tippett has interviewed for the Buffalo Sabres head coaching vacancy, as some speculated he might. Tippett now joins Jacques Martin and less established options like Rikard Gronberg and Sheldon Keefe among Buffalo’s top options, according to Friedman. Tippett, who has nearly 20 year of NHL coaching experience, held both the head coach and VP of Hockey Operations positions with the Arizona Coyotes when he was last in the league in 2016-17 and would still be a great option for the Sabres even after a few years off.
- After losing starting keeper Cayden Primeau to the pros after a remarkable year, Northeastern University was hoping that graduate goaltender Ryan Ruck may stay with the program to help bridge the gap. That won’t happen, as Colorado College announced today that they have received a commitment from Ruck to join the program as a graduate transfer. Although he played in only six games last season for the Huskies, Ruck was nearly unstoppable, posting a .956 save percentage and 1.01 GAA. Those numbers should give Ruck the leg up on the starter competition at Colorado College, who lost this year’s starter Alex Leclerc to the pros. Meanwhile, Northeastern will likely have to lean on true freshman Connor Murphy in net next season.
Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins Recall “Black Aces”
Recalls and reassignment are few and far between these days, with just eight teams still alive in the NHL and AHL alike. A flurry of activity occurred today though, as two surviving Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders have called up a number of players from their AHL affiliates, who both ducked out of the Calder Cup Playoffs with first-round losses. According to the AHL, both the Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins have recalled their “black aces”, the group of minor league players brought up largely to practice with the NHL team during the postseason once their own season is over. With the salary cap not a factor in the postseason, most big league teams often choose to bring up a large number of AHLers for the experience, as well as emergency depth, and the Avs and Bruins have done just that.
Little more than a paper move for the Avalanche, the team has called up five players from their neighboring affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The group includes goaltender Pavel Francouz, defenseman Anton Lindholm, and forwards A.J. Greer, Dominic Toninato, and Logan O’Connor. Each of these players has logged time with the Avs this season, with Greer leading the way with 15 games while the others all played in at least two. The skaters played minimal roles and combined for just three points, but Francouz, a veteran import from the KHL, was clutch in two relief appearances with a .943 save percentage and 1.96 GAA. Yet, it is Francouz who is least likely to see any playoff action as the third-string keeper. With lineup regular Matt Calvert battling an injury, one of the forwards could in fact make an appearance in this postseason. Greer and O’Connor, who finished second and third respectively in Eagles scoring, would be the top candidates.
Boston’s recruits are not coming from far away either, as they have called up a whopping 13 players from the nearby Providence Bruins. Forwards Anton Blidh – who signed an extension earlier today – Paul Carey, Peter Cehlarik, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, Zach Senyshyn, Lee Stempniak, Jack Studnicka, and Jordan Szwarz and defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Urho Vaakanainen, and Jakub Zboril have joined the club. Amazingly, all but Fitzgerald, Studnicka, and Szwarz have suited up for Boston this season and Szwarz played in a dozen NHL games last year. The least experienced name is actually the most exciting, as this will be Studnicka’s first non-training camp experience with the Bruins. The 20-year-old, who most consider the Bruins’ top prospect, is fresh off a 73-point regular season and point-per-game postseason in the OHL and his NHL debut is highly anticipated. However, it is very unlikely to come in these playoffs. In fact, the Bruins are deep at every position as is and it would be a surprise to see any of their “black aces” take the ice outside of extenuating circumstances. On the other had, the team could use some energy and offense in their current series, so who knows.
Boston Bruins Extend Anton Blidh
The Boston Bruins are in the thick of a playoff run, but that doesn’t mean the front office has stopped working. The team today announced a two-year, two-way extension for Anton Blidh, keeping him in the organization through the 2020-21 season. The deal will come with an NHL average annual value of $700K. Blidh was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Blidh, 24, was a sixth-round pick by the Bruins back in 2013 and has been a big part of their AHL affiliate over the last several seasons. While he’s never been the top offensive threat for the Providence Bruins, Blidh provides a solid defensive and physical presence that carries a good amount of responsibility for the team. In 21 games at the NHL level he has just two points, but could potentially be an injury call-up next season to fill in on the fourth line.
At the league minimum of $700K, he’ll provide some inexpensive depth for the Bruins as they continue their pursuit of playoff success. Even if this season doesn’t end the way the team hopes, there is plenty of reason for hope in the future. Boston has built up a stable of young effective players that can be moved in and out of the lineup, including options like Blidh who will quietly bide their time at the AHL level.
Toronto’s Zach Hyman Out Six Months Following ACL Surgery
April 29: Hyman’s surgery was successful and he will now begin his long process of rehabilitation and recovery.
April 26: Everyone is injured to some degree if they’re still playing at this time of year, but every postseason there are a handful of unbelievable injuries that some NHLers are able to play through. The first such case in 2019 has come to light, as the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that Zach Hyman suffered a torn ACL in his knee during the team’s first round series against the Boston Bruins. Hyman is scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday, after which the timeline for his recovery is at least six months. His status for the start of the regular season is very much in doubt.
Hyman limped off the ice not once, not twice, but three times over the course of the Maple Leafs’ hard-fought seven games against the Bruins, but Hyman himself claims the injury occurred in Game Four of the series. Yet, Hyman continued to play for three more games, seemingly without a hitch. He averaged 18:07 average time on ice in the series, fourth-most among Toronto forwards, and recorded a goal and 25 hits. The skilled two-way forward played his role as best he could and Hyman is one of the few Leafs who have avoided a share of the blame pie since the team was eliminated. One can only imagine the pain that Hyman had to endure to continue playing on a torn ACL, which should only gain him further favor with the Toronto faithful.
However, the team must now consider that Hyman will almost certainly miss training camp and possibly weeks or months of the regular season while he recovers. The 26-year-old winger is coming off of a career year offensively and that production, as well as his gritty style, will need to be replaced early on. Hyman’s $2.25MM cap hit will likely be off the books to begin the year, which should help the Leafs slightly with their cap crunch, but how the team will go about using their small amount of cap space while also properly accounting for Hyman’s potential absence will be something to watch for as Toronto shakes things up this summer.
Blue Jackets Notes: Dzingel, Wennberg, Nutivaara, Nash
Ryan Dzingel may have wished that he signed a contract extension with the Ottawa Senators after all.
The winger opted against signing a contract extension before the trade deadline, which forced Ottawa to send him to the Columbus Blue Jackets instead. However, the 27-year-old hasn’t fared very well under head coach John Tortorella. He posted just 12 points in 21 games and has been scoreless in five playoff games. In Game 1 of Columbus’ second-round series against Boston, Dzingel only got 11:06 of ice time in an overtime game, the lowest among all forwards. That eventually prompted Tortorella to play Alexander Wennberg, who has long sat in Tortorella’s doghouse, in favor of Dzingel for Game 2, leading to what many believe was a healthy scratch, writes the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan.
While there was no confirmation that Dzingel was a healthy scratch, Brennan doubts that he is injured as he was one of the last players to leave the ice at the most recent optional skate. In fact Dzingel’s stock, which was quite high at the trade deadline, has dropped significantly and could have a major effect on his next contract. It is looking less and less that the speedy winger who played at Ohio State University will sign a long-term deal in Columbus next year and despite a 26-goal regular season, his suitors seem to be dropping.
- Speaking of Wennberg, the center, who had been a healthy scratch for seven straight games, fared quite well on the ice Saturday, playing 16:11 on the third line with Alexandre Texier and Oliver Bjorkstrand, according to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Wennberg could have proven that he belongs back in the lineup permanently as the center was crucial on the penalty kill that held the Bruins to just one goal on four chances.”The kill did a really good job,” Wennberg said. “Personally, it was good to be back out there. I tried to make good reads and have a good stick. It’s good to be out there.”
- In the same article, Svoboda reports that defenseman Markus Nutivaara could be close to returning to the lineup. While Tortorella won’t talk about lineup changes, Nutivaara skated with the team during an optional practice before Game 2 on Saturday and while he didn’t play Saturday, he could be ready to return to the lineup shortly. Nutivaara suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 2 of their series with Tampa Bay after being boarded by Nikita Kucherov and suspended for a game.
- Riley Nash, who took an explosive hit from former teammate Zdeno Chara in the first period of Saturday’s game, seems to be OK, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Nash looked shaken up, but was back on the ice not long after the hit. “That was a big hit,” Tortorella said. “It took him a few minutes on the bench, and next thing you know, he’s ready to go. He played a really good game, too, probably one of our most patient guys with the puck, especially on the wall play of our end zone.”
Eastern Notes: Zaitsev, Niskanen, Mayfield, Komarov
After another disappointing exit for the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which the team lost in a Game 7 to the rival Boston Bruins, has left the team with nothing more than an off-season to look forward to for the remainder of the year, many expect changes to be made to an already strong, but flawed roster.
The Athletic’s Ian Tulloch (subscription required) grades out each player for the season, breaking down who were the elite players on the team and who struggled throughout the season. While it’s no surprise that the Maple Leafs problems often centered on their defense, Tulloch points out that both Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey fell into the underwhelming category. Zaitsev, in particular, struggles to get the puck up the ice which often puts him constantly on the defensive, hence why his defensive numbers are so weak. Although his play has improved since being paired up with Jake Muzzin, Tulloch believes that Muzzin has been carrying him. The scribe adds that the Maple Leafs must find a way to rid themselves of Zaitsev’s contract, which will be critical for general manager Kyle Dubas.
Of course, that’s a tall task for Dubas as the underachieving defenseman has five more years on his contract at $4.5MM AAV and a modified no-trade clause kicking in this coming season, meaning that Toronto will have to give up something significant to a team that is willing to take on his salary.
- In a playoff report card for the Washington Capitals, The Athletic’s Chris Kuc (subscription required) grades out the defensive combination of Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov with C’s, suggesting that while neither defenseman hurt the team with their play, neither blue liner helped the team either. In fact, Kuc points out that at age 32, Niskanen is beginning to show signs of slowing down, compared to last year, and a sudden lack of jump could set the franchise back if he can’t return to form next season. Niskanen still has two years remaining on his deal at a $5.75MM AAV.
- Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that there is nothing to worry about after defenseman Scott Mayfield and forward Leo Komarov did not practice Saturday. Head coach Barry Trotz said that both players received maintenance days, but are expected to play in Game 2 of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Komarov has a goal and an assist in five playoff games so far. Mayfield has averaged more than 20 minutes in his last two playoff games.