John-Michael Liles Out Indefinitely With A Concussion
The Boston Bruins tweeted that John-Michael Liles has been diagnosed with a concussion, and as such, will be out indefinitely due to league concussion protocol. Boston also issued a release on its’ website.
Initially reported as an upper body injury, Liles was hurt when he tripped over Ben Bishop‘s goalie stick and went head first into the boards. He needed assistance from teammates to leave the ice and didn’t return to the game. Video of the incident is available via NBC Sports.
Liles has five assists in 22 games this season.
Darren Dreger On Dougie Hamilton
TSN Insider Darren Dreger was on Naylor & Landsberg in Toronto this morning to talk about the possibility of a Dougie Hamilton trade out of Calgary and the interest of the Maple Leafs. While Dreger downplayed the idea that anything has been discussed between the Maple Leafs and Flames, he admitted that he believes Hamilton is still available for the right price.
I think that Toronto should be intrigued by Dougie Hamilton. But as (TSN analyst) Ray Ferraro just pointed out, Hamilton is valued by the Calgary Flames. His game has improved over the past three weeks to a month, and big…young, right-shot d-men are hard to find.
(General manager Brad) Treliving is at a place where if someone’s calling he’s willing to listen, but we in the media have done the bidding. Hamilton’s name is out there because we continue to talk about it – right or wrong.
I think that Calgary is at least willing to listen…maybe Treliving does something significant like this, not just with Toronto, but moving Hamilton or a bigger piece to shake up the core.
Dreger mentions that Arizona and other teams called in on Hamilton at the NHL draft, though obviously nothing materialized from those talks. The defenseman is signed long-term, inking a six-year $34.5MM deal before the beginning of last season. He’s an interesting piece to basically the whole league, as his potential is still mouth-wateringly high despite his rough start in Calgary.
Hamilton was drafted with Toronto’s first-round pick in 2011, only by the Boston Bruins. The team acquired the selection in the initial Phil Kessel deal (along with #2 overall in 2010 – Tyler Seguin) but traded the hulking defenseman to the Flames last summer for a package of draft picks. Dreger seems convinced that the rumors of Hamilton returning to Toronto should be put to sleep, as Trelving answered him quite candidly the last time they spoke.
I asked Brad Treliving point blank yesterday if he had anything going on with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I didn’t suggest Hamilton, I just said anything. His response was: ‘Nothing. Zero.’ When managers tell you that specifically, that bluntly, it means they don’t want that conversation to continue on, because there’s nothing there at least for the moment.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Vasilevskiy, Bruins, Leafs
When the Tampa Bay Lightning inked Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year contract extension this summer, a deal that doesn’t go into effect until the 2017-18 season, it appeared as if the organization was committed to the Russian net minder as its future number one goalie. With Ben Bishop set to hit free agency next July, the idea was to give Vasilevskiy about 35 starts this season to be sure he was ready to assume the load as a starter. After eight starts this season, it’s becoming clear to all that the 22-year-old is most definitely ready to be the man for the Lightning, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Vasilevskiy is 6 – 1 – 1 on the season and has a GAA of just 1.50 and a Save % of 0.951 in eight appearances. His hot start comes on the heels of helping the Lightning make it to game seven of the Eastern Conference Final against Pittsburgh last season after Bishop was injured. Vasilevskiy was solid in the postseason, stopping 0.925% of the shots he faced in eight games.
Assuming Vasilevskiy continues to develop into a quality starting option, his extension, which calls for an AAV of just $3.5MM, will prove to be a tremendous bargain for a team that already has a lot of its cap space tied up in long-term deals.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- The Boston Bruins have long been thought to be in the market for a top-four blue liner, with Kevin Shattenkirk being one name linked to the team. However, given the team’s recent offensive struggles, Bruins management may want to reconsider their plans. Joe Haggerty, of CSNNE, reports that both the players and the coaches are becoming frustrated with the team’s lackluster goal scoring. David Pastrnak, the team’s gifted 20-year-old sniper, leads the team with 12 goals in just 16 games. Brad Marchand, currently out with a lower-body-injury, is second with six tallies while fourth-line pivot Dominic Moore ranks third on the club with five markers. Overall the Bruins rank 25th in the NHL, averaging just 2.3 goals-per-game. However, defenseman Torey Krug is confident the goals will come given the team finished fifth in the league last season in scoring: “When you see other teams get lucky bounces here and there – in Ottawa they’re shooting the puck wide and it goes off one of our guys and in, or in Minnesota the same thing happens – and we find ourselves not getting those bounces, then it starts to get frustrating when you’re getting good looks like we have been. Every team goes through these little lulls and we’ll work our way out of it. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”
- While the Toronto Maple Leafs are certainly a fun team to watch, bouyed by a talented young core of forwards, veteran head coach Mike Babcock knows defense wins championships. Ian Shantz of the Toronto Sun writes that Babcock is asking more from his blue liners as the team battles to stay relevant in the postseason race. Babcock singles out Morgan Rielly as the guy he wants to see play like a #1 defender: “We need (Morgan) Rielly to be our No. 1 guy. We need him to be very good for us, and that’s not racing around the rink. That’s playing without the puck.” The Leafs do have some talent on the back end but it’s likely that if they are buyers at the trade deadline that the blue line is the one area the team will look to improve.
Atlantic Notes: Hudon, Marchand, Sabres
The Montreal Canadiens announced that young forward Charles Hudon is out indefinitely with a broken sternum. The rookie took a hard shot to the chest in practice on Friday and did not return. Hudon has played in just six NHL games, only three thus far this season, but has been looking strong in his early appearances and has earned an increase in play time as a result. However, a broken sternum is a rare and painful injury that usually recovers multiple months of recovery.
Hudon, a 2012 fifth-round pick, has greatly outplayed his draft slot and become one of Montreal’s top prospects and a major minor league contributor. After a strong junior career in the QMJHL, Hudon has dominated the AHL and was hoping to finally carve out a role for himself in the NHL. With that plan on hold, for the time being Montreal appears to be set to give 2013 second-rounder Artturi Lehkonen a spot back on the team. The rookie has played in 12 games with Montreal this season, but has missed the past few weeks with an injury. His return is well timed with Hudon now out long-term.
In other Atlantic news:
- The Boston Bruins hope that a practice injury like that of Hudon is far from what happened at their practice earlier today. Star winger Brad Marchand blocked a big shot from defenseman Adam McQuaid and went down hard. Marchand left the ice and did not return to practice. The Bruins offense has been anemic of late, other than the contributions of the top line, featuring Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and the upstart David Pastrnak. A long-term absence for Marchand would be difficult for the Bruins to overcome, especially with Zdeno Chara already injured. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.
- The Buffalo Sabres continue to use their promotions and demotions with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, pretty liberally this season. The team announced that they have sent down William Carrier, Cole Schneider, and Cal O’Reilly, a trio that has been up and down several times already this season.
Allen’s Latest: Hamilton, Kane, Shattenkirk, Hanzal, Murphy
The USA Today’s Kevin Allen is more than happy to suggest a holiday wish list for a handful of NHL teams. Allen offers advice to the follow clubs:
- New York Rangers: Allen suggests that the Rangers could snap up Dougie Hamilton from the Calgary Flames should they be willing to give up J.T. Miller. But just as quickly as he suggests it, he provides rationale as to why it might be far fetched. First, the financials wouldn’t work with Hamilton’s $5.75MM cap hit. Second, Miller is playing well with 18 points in 21 games while Hamilton has been struggling. For the deal to work, Allen believes the Rangers would have to shed another contract to either Calgary or another team in need of a defenseman (Allen suggests Kevin Klein).
- New York Islanders: The team in Brooklyn is Allen’s next focus and he suggests Evander Kane to the Isles. The losses of Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin, and Frans Nielsen coupled with the poor production from pricey free agent pickup Andrew Ladd makes Kane a reasonable target. However, Allen points out that the Isles do not have the cap room to add Kane’s bulky contract and would have to do some “juggling” in order to make it work. Allen adds that a defenseman would help out Buffalo’s cause if they were willing to talk about Kane.
- Boston Bruins: How many people have suggested Kevin Shattenkirk to Boston? Allen chimes in here as well, believing that the right handed defenseman would be the perfect addition to the blue line. Further, Allen writes that if Boston can convince Shattenkirk to re-sign with them, overpaying a bit would be well worth it.
- Montreal Canadiens: Arizona’s Martin Hanzal would be a great target for the Habs, who Allen feels could use another scorer to make a Stanley Cup run. What would it take? Allen believes a young player and a draft pick.
- Detroit Red Wings: It hasn’t been easy to fill the enormous hole that Nicklas Lidstrom left four seasons ago, and the Wings have struggled to find any solutions. Allen believes the Carolina Hurricanes could provide some help in the way of defenseman Ryan Murphy. Allen predicts that the Red Wings could trade a young forward to land him, but also sees a number of potential suitors for Murphy, namely the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks.
Roster Moves: Kuraly, Shaw
The Boston Bruins have decided to change things up, after their 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Sean Kuraly has been returned to the AHL after just four games. In five total this season, the 23-year old has yet to record a point, playing just eight minutes a night.
While Kuraly isn’t a core piece, the Bruins were hoping to get just a bit more from the former fifth-round pick. His big body and physical style may eventually slot into the bottom six, but for now he’ll return to Providence to play in the AHL. The Bruins expect David Pastrnak to return tonight against the Ottawa Senators.
In Anaheim, the team has recalled Logan Shaw from the San Diego Gulls. This will mark Shaw’s debut in Anaheim after being acquired from Florida earlier this month. The team dealt Michael Sgarbossa for the 24-year old winger, hoping that he can slide into the fourth line for the majority of the season.
Playing in 53 NHL games last year, Shaw contributed 7 points. He also dressed for three of the Panthers’ playoff matches, but was held without a point. At the time of his acquisition, Ducks’ head coach Randy Carlyle said that he could “play right side or center”.
Snapshots: Prust, Lindbohm, Pastrnak
News and notes from around the NHL this afternoon:
- Brandon Prust is close—but not final—on a deal to play in the DEL in Germany this year, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Prust’s agent Claude Lemieux says that Prust is waiting on a potential deal from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Le Journal de Montreal first broke the story (link in French) that Prust had a deal lined up but Prust is still angling for one last shot at an AHL position. Prust signed a PTO with the Toronto this preseason but failed to make the cut.
- The St. Louis Blues have reassigned forward Petteri Lindbohm to the AHL Chicago Wolves today. He did not impress in his five-game stint with the club, averaging 12 minutes a night and failing to register a point. The Finnish defenseman was looking to make the next step in his young career, but he’ll have to refine his game a bit more in the AHL.
- The Boston Bruins announced that forward David Pastrnak will return tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Pastrnak missed the last three games with an upper body injury, but still leads the Bruins with 10 goals. He has 10G and 4A in 14 games so far this season. Pastrnak is on the final year of his ELC and will see a significant raise on an RFA deal next year if he maintains his production.
Snapshots: Senators, Bruins
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled defenseman Fredrik Claesson from Binghamton ahead of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, reports Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. The stay-at-home defenseman has one assist in nine games with Binghamton this season, and zero points in his six games with Ottawa. Claesson’s recall initially pointed to Sens defenseman Dion Phaneuf not playing tonight, but Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun expects the Phaneuf to play after he left Ottawa’s optional skate early.
- Continuing with the Senators, the Ottawa Citizen’s Don Butler reports that owner Eugene Melnyk’s development group RendezVous LeBreton can now negotiate with the National Capital Commission’s board on placing an arena in downtown Ottawa. The Commission was considering Melnyk’s bid alongside a competing bid from Decore Canderel DLS. Melnyk’s venture plans to create an arena, practice center, and sports and recreation community center in the heart of downtown Ottawa on 21 hectares. The Senators currently play in Kanata, Ontario, which is about a thirty minute drive without traffic from the city center.
- Staying with the Senators, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that forward Bobby Ryan will return to the lineup tonight. Ryan missed the past two games with a severe bone bruise on his finger. The forward has struggled so far this season, scoring only 3G and 3A in 17 games. Garrioch expects Ryan to play on a line with Kyle Turris and Ryan Dzingel.
- Boston Bruins backup goaltender Anton Khudobin may return from his conditioning stint with the Providence Bruins, reports Mark Divver. Khudobin did not travel with the AHL team to St. John’s today, which indicates that he might join Boston tonight against the Ottawa Senators. The goalie had a rough time in the AHL, posting a 3.49 GAA and a .874 SV% in three games.
Bruins Notes: Chara, Pastrnak, Miller
The Boston Bruins are off to a solid 11-8-0 start to the year, and much of the success has to be attributed to the tight defensive hockey the team is playing. That might take a hit over the next two games, as the team has officially announced that Zdeno Chara will miss tomorrow’s game against the Ottawa Senators, and is questionable for Friday’s matchup. Without Chara, the Bruins’ and their 6th place ranking with 44 goals against is in jeopardy. Even at his advanced age (39), the Solvakian defender is a monster on the ice, limiting goal opportunities and dominating puck battles.
- The team will get David Pastrnak back though, in a hope that his added offense will equal out the defensive loss. The Bruins’ leading goal scorer this season was out for two games this weekend before returning to practice today. Skating alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, the former first-round pick has 10 goals in 14 games, on pace to shatter his career-high of 15. At just 20-years old Pastrnak looks like he’s developing into a top-line winger, capable of skating opposite Marchand for many years. Coach Claude Julien says he’s likely to play “unless there’s a setback tomorrow”.
- Kevan Miller was also cleared to return to practice today, and took a regular turn alongside Joe Morrow among Boston’s defense pairings. While Julien wouldn’t say whether Miller would get back into the lineup, his return obviously lines up fairly well with Chara’s absence. “We’re going to have some decisions to make before tomorrow’s game” is all the coach would say. Miller has yet to suit up for a game this year after breaking his left hand and needing surgery prior to the season opener. The 29-year old played in 71 games for the club a season ago, notching 18 points and 53 penalty minutes.
Injury Updates: Chara, Boyle, Scandella, Connor, Eichel
Zdeno Chara is day to day after the Bruins released a very short release on his status. Chara left the game after one shift in the second period, and bench boss Claude Julien reported that he knew nothing further about the injury. In the statement, the Bruins characterized the injury as lower body, while Mike Loftus tweets that the Bruins don’t expect Chara to play Thursday and that he’s “iffy” for Friday’s game. Chara is a +12 this season and has six points (1-5) in 19 games.
In other injury news:
- Bryan Burns tweets that Tampa Bay center Brian Boyle is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Erik Eriendsson also tweets his day-to-day status and writes that he’ll be out for the game tonight. Boyle was also not at the morning skate.
- The Minnesota Wild’s Marco Scandella is back in the lineup after missing the last 10 games. Mike Halford writes that Scandella has been skating for the past 10 days after suffering an ankle injury. He also writes that his Scandella’s return will bolster a blue line tasked with stopping the Jets’ Patrik Laine.
- Speaking of the Jets, Kyle Connor has taken his non-contact jersey off in practice tweets Ken Wiebe. Connor has been out with an upper body injury since last week.
- Jack Eichel might be back in 3-5 games tweets Mike Harrington. Head coach Dan Bylsma believes that “the end is near” for the Sabres being without their star center, though there is no expected timetable per Bylsma.