Nathan Beaulieu Requests A Trade
Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has asked to be traded, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). He’s slated to be a healthy scratch tonight against Calgary, something that has been a recent occurrence as of late.
The 26-year-old is in his second season with Buffalo after being acquired from Montreal just before the protection lists for the Vegas Expansion Draft were due. At the time, the hope was that an opportunity for more ice time elsewhere would help him unlock the potential he had shown, allowing him to become a top-four defenseman. Unfortunately for Beaulieu and the Sabres, that hasn’t happened.
Last year, he dealt with a concussion and multiple illnesses while spending time as a healthy scratch. As a result, he put up just nine points in 59 games, well below the 28 he had tallied in his final season with the Canadiens. On top of that, his playing time dropped from 19:29 per game in Montreal to less than 16 minutes a night with Buffalo.
This season, things haven’t gone much better. His hold on a spot on the lineup continues to be tenuous and he has been a frequent scratch once again. Beaulieu has played in just 26 games this season and while he has been a bit better offensively (his 0.27 point per game average equals his average from his time in Montreal), his ice time has dropped to just 14:46 per night. Clearly, he doesn’t have the confidence of the coaching staff.
Beaulieu is in the second and final season of a two-year, $4.8MM contract that he signed shortly after being acquired. He’s owed a qualifying offer of $2.5MM this summer and has arbitration eligibility. As things stand, it appears to be highly unlikely that Buffalo will tender him an offer so the trade request has been made in the hopes of restoring his value somewhere else. Given his limited role, there probably won’t be many suitors but a team looking for some mobility on the back end may be inclined to take a flyer on him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Schedule For Upcoming NHL “Bye Weeks”
For the third year in a row, the NHL has scheduled a mandated multi-day break for each team in the middle part of the season. Meant to give each team a rest, much like the bye week in the National Football League, this break also includes limits on practice, including several days in which all team activities are prohibited. A seven-day break this season, on paper an increase from the original five-day break, the “bye week” is actually less intrusive this season than it has been in the past despite the longer length. All 31 teams will take their break either right before or right after the upcoming All-Star Weekend, with those two days counting toward the seven and simply extending what has always been a short break for non-participants. Below are the lists of teams who will take leave on one side of All-Star festivities or the other:
Before All-Star Weekend (January 20 – 24)
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg Jets
After All-Star Weekend (January 27 – 31)
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
How each team feels about taking an extended break in the middle of the season generally varies based on situational factors. While many players would enjoy getting to spend some time away with their families, others would rather keep the pedal to the metal mid-season. More specifically, a team that is playing well and stringing together wins would rather keep playing and not lose out on that momentum. Another team may be in a slump or struggling with injuries and desperately in need of a break. Either way, not every team will be in favor of the bye week each season.
There also remains some scheduling flaws with the mandated break, as most teams will only get the actual seven days or an eighth day off for travel, but others are set to go ten or eleven days without a contest. The “bye week” seems to be a move by the NHL that has enough support to continue in future seasons, but the league could work on sharpening the schedule so as to give teams as close to an even break as their competition as possible.
Josh Gorges Announces Retirement
Though he hasn’t played an NHL game since last year, Josh Gorges’ playing career was not officially over. That changed today when the veteran defenseman announced his retirement from the game of hockey. Gorges played 34 games last season for the Buffalo Sabres, and failed to reach an extension with the team as they moved on to a younger core.
The 34-year old defenseman will finish his NHL career with 783 regular season games, most of which were spent with the Montreal Canadiens. Gorges was a fan favorite in Montreal and a warrior in his own end, suiting up 57 times in the postseason for the franchise and averaging nearly 22 minutes a night in those games. Though he was never considered an offensive player, responsibility was heaped upon Gorges to slow down the opponent’s best players every single night.
In 2014 he was traded to the Sabres where he would wear an “A” as an alternate captain for three seasons, before transitioning out of that role last year. The well-liked veteran nevertheless failed to help Buffalo to the playoffs, and was an obvious choice to let go when his contract expired given the youth being injected into the lineup for this season.
Atlantic Notes: Toronto Goaltending, Sergachev, Chabot
Sunday’s practice in Toronto seemed like old times as both of the Toronto Maple Leafs injured goaltenders, Frederik Andersen (groin/illness) and Garret Sparks (concussion) could be found on the ice. The team had already sent Kasimir Kaskisuo back to the Toronto Marlies in the AHL and Michael Hutchinson was seen after practice working on his own.
TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Andersen said he feels fine and is ready to return. However, Toronto head coach Mike Babcock said that he had to refer to the staff before naming a starter for Monday’s game against Colorado. Andersen hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 22. Andersen has been the team’s rock in goal as he has a 2.50 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 30 games this season.
Masters adds that Sparks said he’s been medically cleared to return to the team and it’s now up to the staff to determine whether he can return to the roster on Monday. Toronto has to be hopeful that both goaltenders can take over some of the workload as Hutchinson has now played in nine games this season. If he reaches 10 games, the team will have to pass him through waivers when both their goalies are healthy and there is a likelihood the team could lose another goaltender there. The team already lost both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard to waivers at the beginning of the year.
- The Department of Player Safety announced that they have fined Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev $2,403.67, the maximum fine allowable by the CBA, for cross checking Buffalo Sabres forward Johan Larsson Saturday. The incident occurred at 13:24 of the third period and Sergachev received a double-minor penalty on the play. Despite the fine, the 20-year-old has seen an improvement from the offensive end as he has a goal and four assists in his last five games with a plus-two rating. Despite the fact that many feel that Sergachev has taken a step back this season, he has actually increased his ATOI from 15:22 last season to 17:44 this season.
- While it’s vague, Ottawa Senators head coach Guy Boucher responded positively when asked about the injury status of second-year defenseman Thomas Chabot, saying that “Chabot is doing terrific,” according to Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren. Chabot has been out since Dec. 28th after taking a hit from New York Islanders’ Matt Martin with an upper body injury and was deemed to be out “long-term.” While the update gives no projection on when he’ll be back, the team has been crippled without him as he has developed into the team’s No. 1 defenseman after the team traded away Erik Karlsson. Chabot was averaging a point a game so far this year with 10 goals and 28 assists in 38 games.
Buffalo Sabres Expected To Start Negotiations With Jeff Skinner “Pretty Soon”
It is a pretty exciting day for Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner, who was just announced as the “Last Man In” to the 2019 All-Star game just hours before taking on his former team. The Carolina Hurricanes traded Skinner away last summer after a new management group took over, and the talented forward has responded by putting up 29 goals through his first 43 games for the Sabres, the best pace of his entire career.
That pace is coming at the perfect time for Skinner, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. That status likely helped inform the decision to trade him, but the Sabres have always believed they could sign him to an extension at some point. Now, as Skinner is in the news for all the right reasons today, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News tweets that the Sabres are expected to start contract negotiations “pretty soon” with their All-Star forward.
One of the very first things that Buffalo GM Jason Botterill did after taking over the franchise in 2017 was hand out an eight-year, $80MM extension to Jack Eichel and he very well may come close to that with his next big long-term deal. Skinner has the advantage of being a pending unrestricted free agent and has plenty of leverage over the Sabres, so when salary numbers around $8.5-9MM were floated earlier this season it was easy to understand. While it may not get quite that high, investing heavily into a 26-year old forward who has found great chemistry with the face of your franchise and very well could score 50 goals in his first season in town makes a lot of sense.
It’s important to note that Skinner cannot technically sign an eight-year extension until after this season’s trade deadline passes, though he can obviously agree to one in principle beforehand. One would have to believe that is where negotiations are headed, given it is basically the only piece of leverage the Sabres have. If Skinner hits the open market in July, he would only be able to sign a seven-year deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 01/11/19
Just four games are on the schedule for this evening, but one will feature the return of a former franchise player. Jeff Skinner returns to Carolina for the first time as a Buffalo Sabres forward and has his team on track for the playoffs. The Sabres sit just two points behind the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division and could tie them with their game in hand tonight. Skinner’s 29 goals are a huge part of Buffalo’s success, and have him on pact for a new career high.
- Kasimir Kaskisuo has been returned to the minor leagues by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but won’t be there for long. Frederik Andersen is not expected to play until Monday according to Lance Hornby of Postmedia, meaning Michael Hutchinson will likely get another start in net tomorrow night.
- With MacKenzie Blackwood on injured reserve and potentially staying in the NHL long-term, the Binghamton Devils have signed Evan Cormier to an AHL contract for the rest of the season. Cormier had been playing on an amateur tryout previously, but has a .938 save percentage in four games.
- Speaking of the Devils, the New Jersey variety have sent Egor Yakovlev back down to Binghamton today. Yakovlev is expected to suit up for the minor league game tonight, his ninth game with Binghamton this season.
- The Ottawa Senators have placed Colin White on injured reserve, recalling Stefan Elliott in his place. White suffered an upper-body injury against the Los Angeles Kings last night when he was crushed by defenseman Jake Muzzin.
- Troy Grosenick is heading back to the AHL after filling in for Juuse Saros on the bench last night. The minor league goaltender was called up under emergency conditions when Saros was sick, but won’t get into an NHL game just yet.
- The San Jose Sharks have returned both forward Rourke Chartier and defenseman Jacob Middleton to the AHL Barracuda, the team announced. Considering the Sharks and Barracuda share a building, every recall and reassignment in San Jose is a paper transaction. The duo are expected to play for the Barracuda tonight, but could very well be called up tomorrow when the Sharks host the Ottawa Senators. With both Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun still sidelined, there’s a a good chance that at least Middleton’s return is only temporary.
- In search of more offense, the Buffalo Sabres recalled top AHL forward C.J. Smith last month. After recording, one point in four games, he’s headed back down. The team announced that Smith has been reassigned to the Rochester Americans. No corresponding move has been made as of yet.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have shuffled their lineup, sending emergency backup J-F Berube and winger Eric Robinson back to the AHL and promoting center Kevin Stenlund, per a team release. The 6’4″ pivot has yet to make his NHL debut, but has performed well in his second season in North America and has the makings of a strong bottom-six center. A second-round pick by Columbus back in 2015, Stenlund’s arrival to the Blue Jackets roster has been long-awaited.
Scott Wilson, Miroslav Svoboda Placed On Waivers
Wednesday: Both Wilson and Svoboda have cleared waivers according to Friedman. The latter will see his contract terminated, while the former has been assigned to Rochester.
Tuesday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Buffalo Sabres have placed depth forward Scott Wilson on waivers. Wilson is currently on injured reserve. In addition, the Nashville Predators have placed another player on unconditional waivers, this time heading towards a contract termination with goaltender Miroslav Svoboda who has spent the early part of the season in the ECHL.
Because of his injury status Wilson actually could have gone to the minor leagues on a short-term conditioning stint, but the Sabres are hoping he’ll slip through and provide them with even more flexibility going forward. Should he clear waivers tomorrow he can be assigned to the Rochester Americans for a longer period of time, and be recalled when necessary. Given the expected return of Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart within the next few games, the depth forward wasn’t needed at the current time.
Wilson, who played for three different organizations last season, found a home in Buffalo in the second half. Registering 14 points in 49 games he showed that he could be a reasonably valuable bottom-six player for the club. He’s still waiting for his first opportunity of 2018-19, but there’s certainly no reason to think the Sabres have given up on him. After all, they did sign him to a two-year $2.1MM contract last July. That contract is cheap enough to be buried in the minor leagues if necessary, but also represents a commitment to Wilson that should not have disappeared at this point.
Montreal Canadiens Will Not Be Deadline Buyers
The Montreal Canadiens have been inside or on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff picture for much of the season. Yet, in the stacked Atlantic Division, GM Marc Bergevin knows that he faces an uphill battle to advance very far this season. The experienced executive has thus decided not to fall into the trap of acquiring short-term rentals ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline this season. Addressing the media today, Bergevin stated:
I don’t think I’ll be in the rental business… I’m going to listen. If it makes sense, I’ll do it. But I’m not going to start mortgaging the future… I know …who they’re going to be asking for and I’m not going moving these kids. So it will be a short conversation I think.
As TSN’s John Lu clarifies, Bergevin is speaking about protecting his recent World Junior Championship standouts. Montreal’s prospects stood out at the 2019 WJC perhaps more than any other NHL team. At the front of that group is obviously reigning tournament MVP Ryan Poehling, the Habs’ 2017 first-round pick out of St. Cloud State University, who notched five goals and points in seven games for the Americans. Alexander Romanov, the team’s second-round pick this past June, was also a top performer at the WJC; the KHL product was named the tournament’s top defenseman with eight points in seven games as well. Cayden Primeau, the starting goaltender for Team USA, and one of the few who beat him in the gold medal game, Finnish forward Jesse Ylonen, also belong to the Canadiens. So too do Team Canada contributors Nick Suzuki and Josh Brook, who both impressed before their team’s early exit.
Bergevin has done a great job of stocking the cupboard for the Canadiens and is right to protect his top young assets. There is always a chance to win for any team that makes the playoffs, but Montreal would first have to qualify, battling for a wild card spot with the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Islanders, at the very least. Currently, the projection model of The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn gives the Canadiens a 50% chance at making the playoffs, but does place them in the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. However, that would still land Montreal with a first-round match-up with the likely President’s Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning and, if by some miracle they advance, then a face-off with the Toronto Maple Leafs-Boston Bruins winner. It’s a tough road for the Habs and one that is unlikely to be successful this year, so the team may as well steer clear of the rental market and hold on to their top prospect talent. As Bergevin states, he’ll listen, but doesn’t expect to be convinced. Without any obvious rental pieces of their own either, this could be a quiet deadline season in Montreal.
Minor Transactions: 12/31/18
On the last day of 2018, 26 of the league’s 31 teams will be in action. The day starts with an epic matchup between the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, and ends with a pair of Western Conference battles that could have a big impact on the playoffs. While teams prepare for 2019, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves they make today.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Eric Robinson from the minor leagues, after a great start from the former Princeton University standout. Signed last spring as an undrafted college free agent, Robinson played in one game down the stretch for the Blue Jackets but was held scoreless. That hasn’t been the case very often in the minor leagues, where the 23-year old forward has recorded 19 points in 33 games and is tied for second on the team in goals with 10.
- C.J. Smith is on his way up to the Buffalo Sabres, recalled from the AHL today. Smith has followed up an outstanding first professional season with 29 points in 33 games this year, and is tied with Victor Olofsson for the Rochester Americans scoring lead. The 24-year old has two NHL games under his belt, but is still waiting to score his first goal at the highest level.
- The Washington Capitals are preparing for the return of Brooks Orpik by assigning Tyler Lewington to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, his NHL stint over for now. Lewington played two games for the Capitals and actually recorded two points, also getting into a fight to kick off his NHL career.
- Nicholas Baptiste is on his way up to the Nashville Predators, the first time he’ll be part of an NHL locker room that doesn’t belong to the Buffalo Sabres. Baptiste, 23, has 14 points with the Milwaukee Admirals this season after being acquired from the Sabres in early October.
- While they deal with a lengthy injury to Dustin Byfuglien, the Winnipeg Jets will rely on their defensive depth to keep them afloat in the Central Division. Relying on that depth means Sami Niku is headed back to the NHL, where he could see some additional playing time. Niku played in five games earlier this season for the Jets but is still looking for his first point of the year.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore under emergency conditions once again, and the young forward will continue to fill in for the injured Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis. Moore has two points in his first three NHL games and has injected some more speed into the Maple Leafs’ fourth line.
- Egor Yakovlev has played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils this season, but for now he is heading back to the minor leagues. The team sent Yakovlev down before their afternoon tilt against the Vancouver Canucks.
- The Ottawa Senators have officially placed Christian Jaros on injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Jaros broke his finger while in a fight with Islanders’ Ross Johnston Friday and will be out for a month. The team already placed Thomas Chabot on IR further weakening the team’s defense.
- He’s already playing, but before the game today, the New York Rangers activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old was expected to miss two to four weeks with a separated shoulder, but has returned closer to the two-week mark. The veteran has struggled with injuries since signing with New York in the summer of 2017. Shattenkirk has appeared in 29 games this season, but has clashed at times with new head coach David Quinn, and is playing a career-low 18:23 of ATOI this season. He will attempt to boost those numbers again now that he’s healthy.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have assigned veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski to the Iowa Wild of the AHL after their 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh today. That could suggest that defenseman Nick Seeler will be ready to return to the team for Thursday’s game at Toronto. Bartkowski played in two games filling in, scoring a goal Saturday.
Minor Transactions: 12/30/18
After 30 NHL teams played yesterday, just two take the ice tonight as the Arizona Coyotes host the Vegas Golden Knights in the day’s only action. However, that won’t stop a likely multitude of minor moves today ahead of a 13-game slate on New Year’s Eve tomorrow. Keep up with all of the transactions right here:
- The carousel at backup goalie in St. Louis continues to turn. Since the Blues lost Chad Johnson on waivers earlier this month, the team has swapped Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso several times. However, with Husso currently sidelined, it’s Binnington heading back to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, while first-year pro Evan Fitzpatrick gets the call to St. Louis, the team announced. Binnington has made two relief appearances this season, including just last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After starter Jake Allen was pulled after giving up four goals on 17 shots, Binnington surrendered two more on 13 shots. That performance may have earned him a demotion back to the minors, although the Rampage may simply need a starter today after Fitzpatrick played last night. Fitzpatrick, the Blues’ second-round pick in 2016, began the season in the ECHL and has only made two AHL appearances. However, the 20-year-old has impressed in San Antonio, allowing just two goals, which seemingly qualified him for his first NHL call-up. Whether Fitzpatrick has earned an NHL start already remains to be seen, but so far this season whoever sits behind Allen has a decent chance of seeing game action regardless.
- After acquiring Michael Hutchinson yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs have returned interim backup Kasimir Kaskisuo to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, per CapFriendly. Forward Trevor Moore will also reportedly be joining him on the short cross-town trip back to the minor league team. Both players had been on emergency recall, but will now resume their normal AHL activities. While Kaskisuo is suffering through a miserable season and was a scary sight on the Maple Leafs roster, Moore has impressed, recording 24 points in 27 games with the Marlies and two points in three games with the Leafs. Moore will likely continue to be the next man up at forward for Toronto this season.
- The Los Angeles Kings announced they have assigned forward Michael Amadio to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Amadio has been shuttling back and forth between the two teams all year. He was recalled three days ago and has already appeared in 28 games for the Kings this season, having put up two goals and four points this season. While no corresponding move has been made, it’s possible the team will be activating goaltender Jack Campbell soon as he has made one start in a conditioning stint with Ontario.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced they have sent goaltender Scott Wedgewood to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Wedgewood was recalled Saturday to fill in as an emergency backup when Linus Ullmark couldn’t go. However, Ulmark was ready to go during practice today.
- The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled forward Joseph Gambardella from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL to fill the open forward spot which the team opened up after trading Drake Caggiula to the Chicago Blackhawks. Gambardella leads the Condors with 12 goals and 21 points in 28 games. The 25-year-old has not played in an NHL game yet.
- Winger Logan O’Connor has received his first NHL call-up as the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him from Colorado of the AHL. The 22-year-old is in his first professional season after spending the past three years with Denver of the NCAA. O’Connor is off to a nice start in his rookie campaign with 16 points in 29 games with the Eagles.