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Snapshots: Flames, Senators, Blues

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“We were pathetic. It was a pathetic display. No bite back, no kick back. Our top guys didn’t do anything. We needed someone to step up.”

Tell us how you really feel, Glen Gulutzan. The head coach of the floundering Calgary Flames ripped into his team after another their fourth straight loss. All four games have seen Calgary going down 4-0 to start the game. The Flames nearly came back from the four-goal deficit against the Predators but lost 4-3. They were then smoked 7-3 by the Oilers, 4-0 by the Maple Leafs, and 5-1 by the Canadiens. Calgary has allowed the first goal in the previous nine games..

On Monday, I wrote about how Flames GM Brad Treliving is facing some big questions as they continue their rebuild. Gulutzan’s first year at the helm of the Flames has not gone well so far; the team is now 24-24-3 and is currently sitting in the second and final wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 51 points. They’re nine points behind the Oilers, who are in third in the Pacific Division. The Flames are two points behind the Blues for the first wildcard spot, and one point ahead of the Kings and Canucks.

  • The Ottawa Senators have announced the hiring of Tom Anselmi as the president and CEO of the organization, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He’ll replace Cyril Leeder, who was not offered another position; Leeder held the position since June of 2009. Anselmi spent 17 years with MLSE, ending his time there when Tim Leiweke replaced him as president and CEO in 2013. Garrioch speculated that Anselmi has a background in construction and could be key in getting the Senators a new arena. Owner Eugene Melnyk seconded that opinion at the press conference. Perhaps the most notable information to come out of the conference is the news that the Senators will likely be playing in an outdoor game in Sweden next year. As Garrioch puts it, the season-opening trip to Sweden appears to be “a done deal,” and negotiations continue with regards to the outdoor game.
  • With their starting goaltender struggling, St. Louis Blues backup Carter Hutton made a strong statement with a 3-0 shutout of the hot Pittsburgh Penguins. ESPN’s Scott Burnside believes that Hutton’s performance was the biggest story of Tuesday night. Hutton’s second shutout of the year snapped the Blues’ three-game losing streak. Burnside writes that the Blues still have to right the ship as far as their play in front of Jake Allen, who has struggled mightily in his first year as starter; his SV% has fallen below 0.900 after posting a 0.920 in 47 games last season. Allen begins a four-year, $17.4MM contract extension next season.

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Flames, Holland, Marleau

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Although the Edmonton Oilers find themselves comfortably in a playoff spot, TSN’s Darren Dreger doesn’t expect GM Peter Chiarelli to make any big splashes, he told TSN 1260 in Edmonton (transcription courtesy of Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“I don’t project that Chiarelli is going to be doing any big game hunting. That’s not to say he’s not listening, and if another defenseman was thrown into the market that the Oilers wouldn’t try and acquire that piece – or perhaps some depth on the wing, or maybe a little bit of insurance at center ice as well.”

Dreger suggests that one area that the Oilers could try to land an upgrade for is rookie Drake Caggiula’s third line center spot.  The youngster has fared okay in that role but the belief is that he’s more comfortable on the wing and given his smaller stature (5’9), he’s not an ideal fit down the middle.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Although he passed over goalies like Ben Bishop and Marc-Andre Fleury to acquire Brian Elliott from St. Louis last summer, Calgary GM Brad Treliving would be wise to reconsider those two options, suggests Jared Clinton of The Hockey News. Elliott has had more down moments than good ones and currently boasts a subpar 2.92 GAA and a .891 SV%.  Basically, he’s not the starter of the future to build around.  Backup Chad Johnson has fared better (a 2.41 GAA with a .917 SV%) but he isn’t viewed as a long-term starter either while youngster Jon Gillies is scuffling this year as he battles back from an injury-plagued 2015-16 season.  The Flames were active on the goalie market last summer and it’s shaping up to be that way again this coming offseason.
  • Arizona center Peter Holland was fined just over $3,600 for an unsuspecting punch to Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link). The incident occurred on Saturday night and the fine represents the maximum allowable under the CBA.
  • San Jose’s Patrick Marleau had quite the third period yesterday. He became only the 12th player in NHL history to score four goals in a single period and was the first to do in nearly 20 years (Mario Lemieux matched that feat on January 26, 1997 against Montreal).  As CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz notes, Marleau was dropped down a line prior to the third and clearly the move paid immediate dividends.  After a quiet start to the year, Marleau has 16 goals on the season and sits three away from 500 for his career.

Snapshots: NHL Three Stars, Flames, Lightning

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The NHL has named Conor Sheary, Thomas Greiss, and T.J. Oshie as their Three Stars of the Week.

The undrafted Sheary had six goals and nine points in four games as the Penguins went 4-0-0. He had two three-point games to bookend the week. He had two goals, including the overtime winner, in the Penguin epic 8-7 win over Washington, and the same statline in the Penguins 5-1 win over Boston. Sheary now has 17 goals and 34 points in 39 games this season, a significant increase over his 10-point rookie season.

Greiss had two shutouts and an overtime loss in a week where he had a 0.971 SV%.  The Islanders shutout the Bruins 4-0 then fired head coach Jack Capuano the next day. They followed the firing with a 3-0 shutout of the Stars and a 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers. Greiss is 12-7-3 with a 0.928 SV% so far this season, taking over the starting job from Jaroslav Halak.

Oshie had three goals and three assists in three games as the Capitals went 2-0-1 last week. Three of those points came in the 8-7 OT loss to the Penguins. The pending-UFA has 31 points in 38 games for the Capitals, and ranked fourth on PHR’s Top 20 UFA list.

  • The Calgary Flames are facing a crisis of confidence after being hammered by their division rivals, writes Mark Spector. The organization is facing some big questions, notably surrounding their top players’ ability to lead a championship team. Are Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett, with 30 and 18 points respectively, a Stanley Cup-calibre one-two punch up the middle? Does Johnny Gaudreau have the speed and temperament to get past the tight coverage? Who is the starting goalie of the future? The Flames are a fragile team, with Edmonton speeding past them in the rebuilding process and tonight’s opponent, Toronto, looking like they’re on a much better path back to the playoffs.
  • It’s not looking good for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After their 5-3 loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes, the Lightning are currently last in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith tweeted a bleak stat for Lightning fans: since 1993-94, only two teams have made the playoffs after sitting last in their conference on January 22. The 1997 Ottawa Senators and 2009 St. Louis Blues are the only two teams to accomplish the feat.

Eric Nystrom Making A Comeback

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The last word out of Eric Nystrom was that his NHL opportunities had dried up and he was considering retirement. The ten-year NHL veteran had been bought out by the Nashville Predators and cut from his preseason tryout deal with the St. Louis Blues, and could not find a contract – NHL, AHL, PTO or otherwise – in North America. He was considering joining his father, former NHLer Bobby Nystrom, in the insurance business. That was in early November; fast-forward to now and there has been no noise out of the Nystrom camp as no NHL teams have come calling due to injury and no foreign teams have lined up for his services. That is, until now.

Nystrom officially signed with the Oilers today (spoiler: link in Norwegian). No, not the Edmonton Oilers, but the Stavanger Oilers in Norway. Nystrom played with the team in 2012, prior to the resolution of the NHL lockout, and is now set to return. When Nystrom was there five years ago, the fans fell in love with him as he scored 14 points in just six games and dazzled the home crowd. The team is very excited to bring back not just a great talent, but also a “solid character” (translated from Norwegian).  The Oilers currently sit atop the Norwegian Elite League, or “Get Ligaen” with 77 points, eight points ahead of their closest competitor. They also boast two of the league’s top three scorers in fellow Americans Mark Van Guilder and Dan Kissell, teammates at Notre Dame University in the mid-2000’s whose NCAA success didn’t translate to the pro game. However, Nystrom should step in and become the best player on the team and in the entire league right away, as the Stavanger Oilers appear poised to roll to a league championship.

Should Nystrom really impress in Norway, which in terms of international leagues is likely outside the top five in competition level, he might be able to get another shot at the NHL. He will have to really light it up, though. The tenth overall pick by the Calgary Flames in 2002, Nystrom had a long, successful career, but nowhere near the one expected of him with that selection. Nystrom made a living off of being a reliable bottom-six forward, capable of scoring 10-15 goals a year, but not much more. A hard-working, gritty player who excelled on the penalty kill and could hit and block shots, Nystrom’s value came in his two-way ability. He certainly is a “solid character” as well. However, aging defensive forwards are not at the top of NHL wish lists, and Nystrom is fresh off being bought out by Nashville after seeing his ice time cut and scoring just seven goals in 46 games last season. Unless Nystrom can change everyone’s minds with a strong offensive and defensive stint in Norway, his comeback may be limited to just the Stavanger Oilers. However, a great veteran leader with strong work ethic can often find a way.

Snapshots: Burmistrov, Canucks, Ducks

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Since being selected off waivers on January 2nd, Alexander Burmistrov has still yet to make it to Arizona due to work visa issues. Now, according to Dave Vest the team’s director of news content, Burmistrov has his visa and is just waiting to get his passport back from the government. As soon as he does, he’ll fly out to Arizona and join the team.

The Coyotes hope he’ll be ready to play on Friday, when they’ll begin to evaluate what they have. The former top-10 draft pick has just two points this season and hasn’t developed into the dominant two-way center the Jets had hoped for when they selected him. The Coyotes will use the rest of this year to determine if they can find some use for him going forward, or if he’s just another busted prospect.

  • Pierre LeBrun says the Vancouver Canucks will not trade away draft picks for a short-term gain to get them into the playoffs. That would jive with what Frank Seravalli said earlier today when he said that gaining draft picks would probably be the priority for GM Jim Benning. LeBrun does say that if they could acquire a young player capable of contributing for the next few years they’d be open to it, but realistically who wouldn’t?
  • There’s a nasty flu going around the Anaheim Ducks room, reports Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report. That’s not good as starting tomorrow night the team has five games in eight nights and are fighting the San Jose Sharks for the first seed in the Pacific division. Luckily, they’ll face the hapless Avalanche twice during those games, with another one against the Coyotes to boot.
  • Dylan DeMelo will be out a couple of weeks, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN. The defenseman was seen in a cast tonight before the team’s game against the Calgary Flames. With DeMelo out, Tim Heed may work his way in on the bottom pairing at some point.

Minor Transactions: 1/10/17

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In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to shake up their roster. After sending Erik Condra and Adam Erne back down to the AHL yesterday, the team has recalled forward Gabriel Dumont from the Syracuse Crunch today. The 26-year-old center is in his first season with Tampa Bay, after signing a deal with the team this summer, but has yet to make his Lightning debut. It is expected that he will get the opportunity to do so when the Bolts return to action on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres. Dumont has not played an NHL games since February 2015, and in total has a goal and two assists in 18 NHL games with his former team, his hometown Montreal Canadiens. Dumont has ten points in 19 games for the Crunch so far in 2016-17.

Meanwhile, Tampa also made a move in net, sending down backup Adam Wilcox and replacing him with highly-touted prospect Kristers Gudlevskis. This could signal the end of Andrei Vasilevskiy ’s long run without a rest. Since Ben Bishop went down with injury, Vasilevskiy has started ten games in a row and the Lightning have allowed six goals in three of those last four starts. Wilcox did not make an appearance in his stint with the team, but considering the diminishing returns of Vasilevskiy, it would seem likely that Gudlevskis gets the chance. The young Latvian keeper has made just one NHL appearance per year in three of the past four seasons, missing out on his annual try in 2014-15 and coming in as a late-game replacement earlier this year. Though a small sample size, Gudlevskis has a stunning .959 save percentage and 1.37 goals against average in those few appearances. Though Vasilevskiy is on a three-day break and Bishop appears close to returning (back at practice today), expect Gudlevskis to get a shot while in Tampa and have his first multi-game NHL season.

Update (4pm CT): Forget all of that about Gudlevskis getting to make an appearance on this trip to Tampa. Less than 12 hours after recalling the minor league goalie, the Lightning have returned him to the Syracuse Crunch. This means that the Bolts coaches liked what they saw out of Bishop today and expect the star keeper to be back in action sooner than predicted. Heading back to the AHL with Gudlevskis is defenseman Slater Koekkoek, the 2012 first-rounder who is still trying to carve out a role for himself with the Lightning. Koekkoek has already far surpassed his career high in games with 29 on the season, but has little to show for it with four assists and a -4 rating. He’s continually been shifted in an out of the lineup and has now been demoted to Syracuse for the eighth time this season.

In other moves:

  • The Nashville Predators have promoted forward Pontus Aberg to the NHL squad, as the rookie winger has been nearly a point-per-game player for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals this season. He has already earned nine games with Nashville so far, but has just one goal and one assist to show for it. The Predators hope he can bring his minor league scoring touch to the big leagues and stick around for a longer stint this time around. The 2012 second-round pick has had a strong AHL career, but had not developed a complete enough game for the NHL level until this season, as least in the eyes of GM David Poile. 
  • As speculated yesterday, the Calgary Flames have recalled defenseman Brett Kulak from the Stockton Heat. In a corresponding move, Tyler Wotherspoon is headed back to the AHL. The 23-year-old Kulak has bounced back and forth this season, but has already played in a career-high 15 NHL contests. He has three assists in that span, and a goal and four assists in 11 games with Stockton. Wotherspoon has been held scoreless in four NHL games this season, and has six points in 20 AHL games so far. The 2011 second-round pick has not developed as the Flames would like and has seen his small role somehow decrease over the past few seasons.
  • A day after placing veteran goalie Curtis McElhinney on waivers (and subsequently losing him) and re-calling young Anton Forsberg, the Blue Jackets were forced to promote Joonas Korpisalo today as starter Sergei Bobrovsky is sick and unable to go tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Forsberg will start tonight’s game, with Korpisalo as the backup.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have placed forward Derek Grant on waivers. The journeyman center has played in 35 games already with the Sabres, but has only three assists to show for it. A team still looking for their identity, Buffalo is better served playing their own home-grown young talent rather than mediocre veterans, likely promting Grant’s movement.
  • Andrej Nestrasil has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, reports Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis. The Hurricanes have been busy on the waiver wire this season, including both claiming and losing Detroit’s Martin Frk and recently adding former St. Louis Blue Ty Rattie. Given Nestrasil’s age and his decent output in each of the last two seasons, as well as the fact that the only other player on waivers, McElhinney, was claimed, Carolina is lucky that this waiver transaction wasn’t yet another newsworthy one.
  • As expected, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled defenseman Andrey Pedan from the Utica Comets of the AHL. With Ben Hutton joing the laundry list of out or injured Canucks blue liners, Pedan can expect an extended stay in Vancouver, which needs all the defensive depth it can get right now.
  • With T.J. Oshie ready to return to the Capitals lineup, Washington has returned forwards Paul Carey and Liam O’Brien to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. While both forwards are having good seasons in the AHL with 25 and 18 points respectively in 28 games apiece, neither has managed to turn minor league success into any NHL production. The duo have combined for four points total in 42 combined games over the past four seasons.

More to come

Snapshots: Three Stars, Oshie, Kulak, Jersey Changes

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The NHL honoured Michael Grabner, Patrick Maroon, and Braden Holtby as the Three Stars of the Week.

Grabner has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers this season, having scored 18 goals for 26 points in 41 games. His goal total through the first half of this season equals his total point output from last season. Grabner scored five goals and added two assists in three games, including his fourth hat-trick of his career (second of the year).

Maroon scored five goals and six points in four games for the Oilers last week. He scored his first career hat-trick in a 4-3 win over Boston and added another two in last night’s loss in Ottawa. Maroon has 16 goals and 23 points in 42 games this season. He was acquired by the Oilers at the 2016 trade deadline for failed prospect Martin Gernát and a fourth-round pick. The trade is already a clear win for the Oilers, as the Ducks retained 25% of Maroon’s bargain $2MM-per-season contract, and Gernát is now in the Czech league. Maroon is already four goals past his career high, and is on pace for 30-plus goals. He has 24 goals and 37 points in 58 games in Edmonton, quickly becoming a fan-favorite.

Hotby went 2-0-0 in three appearances, following up a poor game versus the Maple Leafs with back-to-back shutouts over the Blue Jackets and Senators. He made 29 saves in the 5-0 win over Columbus, which ended their 16-game winning streak. Holtby is 18-8-4, with a 0.931 SV % and a 1.93 GAA this season. He also five shutouts, which ties him for tops in the NHL.

  • T.J. Oshie will miss Monday night’s game with an upper-body injury, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan. Oshie took a big hit from Dion Phaneuf on Saturday night and appeared to be favoring the same shoulder he had injured earlier this season. Oshie has 20 points in 32 games so far.
  • The Calgary Flames have recalled Brett Kulak from Stockton, according to Roger Millions of Sportsnet. Kulak has split this season beteween the NHL and the AHL, with three points in 15 NHL games and five points in 11 AHL games. He’s not expected to be in the lineup tonight when the Flames visit Winnipeg.
  • Some interesting news is coming out this morning about the NHL’s upcoming jersey-provider switch. Reebok has made the NHL’s jersey’s since 2005-06, but now their parent company, Adidas, is taking over. Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune cites multiple sources that all 18 teams with third jerseys will be dropping them to make the switch easier. Notable changes that have been leaked so far include the New Jersey Devils getting a full makeover, the Oilers dropping their current blue home uniforms in favor of their current orange thirds, and the Wild leaning towards using a re-designed green jersey as the home uniform.

NHL Teams With Prospects On Both USA and Canada

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The United States and Canada face off in the World Junior Championships gold medal game tonight. Each team is loaded with NHL draft picks, and it is inevitable that some teams have players from both teams. While these players may be part of the same organization, there is no love lost when the two countries play each other. Below are all the NHL teams who have prospects on both Canada and USA tonight:

Arizona Coyotes
F Dylan Strome (CAN) vs. F Clayton Keller (USA)

Boston Bruins
D Jeremy Lauzon (CAN) vs. D Ryan Lingren* and D Charlie McAvoy (USA)
*Lingren was a late scratch before the gold-medal game

Calgary Flames
F Dillon Dube (CAN) vs. G Tyler Parsons and D Adam Fox (USA)

Nashville Predators
D Dante Fabbro (CAN) vs. F Patrick Harper (USA)

New Jersey Devils
F Michael McLeod and F Blake Speers (CAN) vs. F Joey Anderson (USA)

New York Islanders
F Matthew Barzal (CAN) vs. F Kieffer Bellows (USA)

Ottawa Senators
D Thomas Chabot (CAN) vs. F Colin White (USA)

Philadelphia Flyers
G Carter Hart and D Phillipe Myers* (CAN) vs. F Tanner Laczynski (USA)
*Myers was injured in the CAN vs. USA preliminary game and was unable to play in the gold-medal game.

 

Central Division Snapshots: Iginla, Blues, Weber

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One of the few teams at this point in the season virtually assured of becoming a trade deadline seller is the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche currently have the league’s worst record and rumors have already begun to circulate that they could attempt to move major core pieces as soon as this month. Even if they stay the course with their core group, yet again, it’s likely the club will still look to deal players with expiring contracts and/or complementary veteran assets. One of those pieces is Jarome Iginla, and according to Adrian Dater, one potential suitor for the longtime NHL star could be the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago boasts a potent top line consisting of Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. That trio has combined for 42 goals and 63 assists this season. The Hawks also have Jonathan Toews, one of the league’s top all-around centers, and terrific two-way winger Marian Hossa but have struggled in recent years to find another winger to fill out the line.

In his tweet, Dater indicates Iginla could function as a “replacement” for Hossa, but since the Slovakian winger is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow, it’s unclear how, or even if, that would impact Chicago’s rumored interest in Iginla. It’s quite possible the Hawks would view the former Flames sniper as a player in need of a change-of-scenery and one who could contribute some big goals down the stretch and into the playoffs for a team with aspirations of capturing their fourth Stanley Cup in the last eight seasons.

Iginla is in the final season of a three-year deal with an AAV of $5.33MM and would qualify as a pure rental for any team looking to deal for him. After back-to-back strong seasons of 29 and 22 goals, the 39-year-old right wing has slumped to just five through 37 games this season for Colorado. However, a move to a playoff race, particularly if allowed to play with gifted offensive players like Toews and Hossa, could help rejuvenate the 20-year veteran.

The Blackhawks would have to figure out how to fit Iginla in under the salary cap as according to Cap Friendly, the team is slated to have just under $2MM in space at the deadline. They could certainly open up more room by reassigning a young player to the minor leagues and also could try to convince Colorado to take back salary by swapping a more valuable asset to the Avalanche in a hypothetical move.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • The St. Louis Blues are pushing for a renovation of the Scottrade Center and a recent proposal submitted to the city’s Board of Alderman seeks $67.5MM in taxpayer funds to help pay for it, as Mike Faulk and Koran Addo of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch write. According to the proposal, the city’s contributions would come from sales tax already generated at the venue and with a 1% sales tax on Blues tickets. The team’s Chairman, Tom Stillman, argues the arena is outdated and the renovations are necessary not only to satisfy the Blues’ needs but to ensure other events, such as NCAA basketball tournament games, remain in St. Louis: “The Scottrade Center is no longer competitive,” said Blues Chairman Tom Stillman, adding that NCAA and concert promoters have warned that they will stop coming to St. Louis without upgrades to compete with facilities in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, Tenn., and elsewhere. The team and the city also plan to petition the state for money for the renovation but governor-elect Eric Greitens has previously opposed taxpayer funding for stadiums/arenas, calling it “welfare for millionaires.” Whether Greitens’ reluctance to allocate public funds for such a project could hinder or even halt renovation is unclear. Additionally, if renovations are not completed on the arena, it’s unknown if that would prompt ownership to pursue moving the team to another market.
  • Nashville welcomed back Shea Weber for his first visit to the city as a member of the Montreal Canadiens last night. And while seeing the former team captain in a different sweater must have been bittersweet for many fans, particularly given Nashville’s struggles and P.K. Subban’s health issues, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean writes that ultimately the trade sending Weber to Montreal is one that shouldn’t be viewed with regret. Vingan argues that the reasons the trade was made last June still apply today. Simply put, Subban is younger and swifter than his counterpart and in four years, when Weber is 35 and likely well on the down-slope of his career, Subban will be 31 and likely still in his prime.

Snapshots: Russell, Eichel, Gilmour

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Oilers defenseman Kris Russell is a divisive figure in the hockey world. Stop me if you’ve heard this before.

Russell has five points (all assists) in 31 games with the Oilers, mostly playing on the team’s second pairing with Andrej Sekera. He’s been part of the best Oilers blue-line since 2008, and is considered one of the reasons that the Oilers are sitting in third in the Pacific Division and on pace for a 65-goal improvement in goal differential. The Oilers are 17-7-7 with Russell in the lineup and 2-5-0 without him.

However, hockey fans, executives, and experts are torn on Russell’s impact. Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli plans on discussing an extension with Russell’s camp and is on record as being “pretty happy” with Russell. That opinion is not shared by the majority of the analytics community, including Oilers blogger Darcy McLeod. McLeod’s analytical work is respected among the blogging community and appears regularly on TSN 1260 to discuss the Oilers. He took a closer look at the impact that Russell has on teammates, specifically the claims that Russell has a positive effect on “shooting percentage of team mates and zone exits that lead to offensive zone entries.”

Chiarelli has previously mentioned those two micro-stats as evidence for why he likes Russell. McLeod explored Russell’s effect on teammates in his two seasons with Calgary and all his games with the Oilers this season. The full article is well-worth the read. Ultimately, he concludes that the positive effect that Russell had on Flames teammates did not carry over to Edmonton, and that out of the Oilers’ four centers, only Mark Letestu scores better with Russell on the ice, writing that “if Russell excels at zone exits, these exits are not resulting in more goals for the Oilers.” Even Connor McDavid scores nearly a full point less per-60 minutes while sharing the ice with Russell.

McLeod writes that he still believes Russell is a valuable number-four or five defenseman, but doesn’t believe the Oilers should sign him long-term, with Oscar Klefbom, Andrej Sekera, Darnell Nurse, and Brandon Davidson all being left-handed defenders under contract and posting better results than Russell. A one-year, $3MM contract would be acceptable to McLeod, but signing Russell and trading any of the above-mentioned defensemen would be “a downgrade in the quality of the Left Handed Dcorps of the Edmonton Oilers.”

  • The second overall pick behind McDavid, Jack Eichel, expressed his disappointment with the way the Sabres’ season has gone so far. Despite the Sabres’ struggles (they’re currently last in the East), Eichel says the team hasn’t given up yet. He told John Vogl that “everyone needs to look in the mirror and we all need to get a lot better. I think I speak for the team in saying that we’re all frustrated with where we’re at, and I don’t think I’m the only person in the locker room that’s not satisfied.” It’s clear that Eichel is also stepping up as a leader in the locker room, and seems like the most-likely candidate to replace Brian Gionta as the next captain of the Sabres.
  • Monday marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most infamous trades in NHL history. On January 2, 1992, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Doug Gilmour in a 10-player trade with the Calgary Flames. The Leafs sent Gary Leeman, Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michel Petit, and Jeff Reese to Calgary for Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Kent Manderville, Ric Nattress, and Rick Wamsley. As with most controversial trades, it was immediately labelled as robbery by the Maple Leafs. In this case, that turned out to be quantifiably true. Sean McIndoe broke down the trade over at Sportsnet, and pointed out that if you remove Gilmour, the trade is just barely a wash for the Flames. But the trade did include Gilmour, who was recently named the 13th-best Maple Leaf of all time. He scored 452 points in 392 games during his first stint with the team, returning for just five shifts before suffering a career-ending injury in 2003.

 

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