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Injury Notes: Scheifele, Schmaltz, Fast, Hamilton

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The Winnipeg Jets may have lost their top center and top sniper in the same game, as both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine left last night’s test against the Calgary Flames with an injury. Scheifele’s in particular looked serious, as he collided with Matthew Tkachuk and fell to the ground bellowing in pain. The hit got quite the response from head coach Paul Maurice, who indicated today that both players were still undergoing examination, and updates would be issued later in the day.

If the Jets do lose Schiefele for the rest of the qualification round they’ll have to figure out an answer on the top line and find a way to dig themselves out of the early hole after losing to Calgary last night. Here’s more info about injuries around the league:

  • Nick Schmaltz will not play in game one for the Arizona Coyotes after taking a high hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves in the exhibition match. Schmaltz, the Coyotes leading scorer from the regular season, played in four playoffs games with Chicago in 2017 but hasn’t seen the postseason since. Youngster Barret Hayton will be making his own playoff debut after suiting up just 20 times this season.
  • The New York Rangers are still not sure of Igor Shesterkin’s availability for game two according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, but will not have Jesper Fast in the lineup. Fast was hit hard by former teammate Brady Skjei and was forced from yesterday’s game after just a minute of ice time. The depth winger is a key part of the Rangers leadership group and recorded 29 points in 69 games this season.
  • Dougie Hamilton is getting better according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour, but won’t be in the lineup for Carolina tomorrow. The Hurricanes did just fine without their top offensive defenseman, but relied heavily on their top two pairings—Jake Gardiner played just 11:55 while Jaccob Slavin logged 24:40.

NHL Makes Rulings On Three Trades With Conditional Picks

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For fans of the Flames and Oilers that have been awaiting the final decision on the James Neal–Milan Lucic trade, the verdict is in.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that Edmonton will have to transfer a third-round pick in either 2020 or 2021 to Calgary to complete the trade.  The Oilers will have until the start of the third round in October’s draft to choose whether they will transfer the selection this year or wait until the next draft.

The issue in this trade was in the wording of the rather unique conditions that were put on the deal.  In the original swap, Neal had to have at least 21 goals and Lucic ten or fewer.  Neal was at 19 when the season was shut down due to COVID-19 while Lucic was at eight so only the second element was met.  However, by extrapolating Neal’s output over a full 82-game season, he scored at a 23-goal pace.  It appears the league used a similar interpretation with the awarding of the draft pick.

It’s worth noting that Edmonton is currently without their second-round pick for the next two years from their acquisition of Andreas Athanasiou.  They also are without their fourth-rounder in 2020 from the Mike Green pickup.

The NHL has also tweaked the terms of the Kings-Maple Leafs trade that saw Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford go to Toronto.  Johnston notes in a separate tweet that Toronto will owe a 2021 second-round pick if they win their Qualifying Round series against Columbus and Campbell gets two or more wins or if Clifford re-signs.  The original terms of the deal had the pick transferring if the Maple Leafs made the playoffs and Campbell winning six games or Clifford re-signing.  If those don’t happen, then a 2021 third-round pick will be transferred to Los Angeles.

A decision has also been made on the conditional pick involved in the Hurricanes’ acquisition of Sami Vatanen from the Devils at the trade deadline and as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in a Twitter thread, the details are a bit more complex.

If Carolina beats New York in the Qualifying Round series and Vatanen plays in 70% or more of their playoff games, the Hurricanes send New Jersey their 2020 third-round pick.  If Vatanen doesn’t play in 70% or more of the playoff games but plays in two or more contests against the Rangers, then two more scenarios present themselves.  In that situation, if Carolina wins the series, the Devils get Carolina’s 2020 fourth-rounder.  If he plays at least twice but the Rangers win, then Carolina gets to pick between sending a 2020 or a 2021 fourth-round selection.  If none of this plays out, then no pick transfers.

This closes the books on the remaining questions surrounding conditional trades with the league ruling back in May on ones that had picks contingent on making the playoffs.  Teams will have to be in the final 16 teams in order to be classified as a playoff team for the purpose of those trades.

Jack Drury Leaving Harvard, Signs In Sweden

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Like Morgan Barron earlier today, who is leaving Cornell to sign with the New York Rangers and start his professional career, other NCAA players will have to find different ways to continue their hockey careers after several schools canceled the upcoming season. One of those players is Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Jack Drury—son of Ted Drury and nephew of Chris Drury—who is off to Sweden to play with the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL for 2020-21.

The 20-year old Drury was the 42nd overall pick in 2018 and had an outstanding (albeit shortened) season this year for Harvard, scoring 39 points in 28 games. He also participated in the World Juniors for the second year in a row, representing the United States and scoring two points in five games. The young center has impressive offensive upside, plus the same responsible two-way play that his uncle was known for (Chris received Selke Trophy votes on five occasions).

Heading to Sweden will give Drury a chance to continue playing and is going to be an interesting option for many prospects affected by the current hockey climate. It could potentially mean a flood of college-aged players signing professional contracts, or perhaps deciding to return to the CHL should that league get underway on schedule. For many, professional hockey in Sweden might be too difficult, the opportunities too few. But in Drury’s case, he was likely ready for a bigger challenge after having his way with the NCAA on so many nights this season.

For Carolina, they’ll retain his draft rights for now and do not need to sign him to an entry-level contract immediately. Seeing how he does against professionals may actually give them a better idea of his readiness when the 2021-22 season comes around.

Jesper Sellgren Loaned To SHL

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When the Carolina Hurricanes signed Jesper Sellgren to a three-year entry-level contract in 2019, they likely expected him to be an important contributor for the Charlotte Checkers. After all, the young defenseman had just debuted for the Checkers in the Calder Cup playoffs and would help them secure a league championship soon after.

Unfortunately, Sellgren hasn’t played a single game for the organization since that 2019 AHL playoff run. Last season he was loaned back to the SHL where he recorded 21 points in 47 games. That was likely a decision made to get him more playing time and opportunity since the Checkers already had names like Jake Bean eating up ice time in the minor leagues. Today, Sellgren has been loaned to the SHL once again, this time to Frolunda, for the 2020-21 season (with the release from Sweden indicating it will be for the entire season).

That means two of his three contracted years will already be gone before Sellgren gets back into the Carolina organization. The deal is scheduled to expire in 2022, at which point he will become a restricted free agent. The sixth-round pick from 2018 is quite an interesting prospect, but it’s hard to know exactly how his future in North America will play out without more experience on this side of the pond.

Injury Notes: Hamilton, DeAngelo, Carlson

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Dougie Hamilton won’t be in the lineup when the Carolina Hurricanes open their qualification round against the New York Rangers tomorrow. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told team reporter Michael Smith that Hamilton is still unfit to play, although he is “getting better” after suffering an injury in training camp.

Martin Necas, the other important player that has been sitting out for the Hurricanes, could be in the lineup after looking “really good” at practice. Losing Hamilton is a big deal for a team that is already operating without Brett Pesce as he continues to rehab. Remember the qualification rounds are a best-of-five, with the Hurricanes playing the first three games by Tuesday.

  • The Rangers may be without their own right-handed defenseman, however, as Tony DeAngelo didn’t practice today and is a game-time decision for tomorrow. While he is sometimes overlooked among the top offensive defensemen in the league, DeAngelo did have 53 points in 68 games this season, good enough for fourth on the entire Rangers roster.
  • Though they won’t have Ilya Samsonov, the Washington Capitals are expected to have John Carlson back in the lineup for the round-robin. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that Carlson should be skating with the team tomorrow and play on Sunday. Carlson had to leave the team’s exhibition game after falling awkwardly into the boards.

Morning Notes: Kase, Gibbons, Crosby

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The Boston Bruins still don’t have Ondrej Kase inside the bubble with them and even when he gets there he may find it difficult to get into the lineup. Speaking with reporters today including Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy explained that he may not necessarily insert Kase when he joins the team:

I don’t know the player right now. He’s only had a handful of games with us. Those are things we’ll decide down the road. Wouldn’t be automatic that I’d put Ondrej back in if one of the kids was playing well.

Kase of course arrived in Boston at the trade deadline, just a few days before the season was put on pause, but was expected to challenge for a role in the team’s top-six. In fact, it cost the Bruins their 2020 first-round pick to acquire him from the Anaheim Ducks—although one may argue that moving David Backes’ contract was the biggest part of that deal for the Bruins. Boston will have some time to figure out their lineup, as they play three round-robin games to determine playoff seeding.

  • Cory Conacher isn’t the only former NHL player headed to Switzerland, as Brian Gibbons has also signed with Lausanne HC for the 2020-21 season. Gibbons’ deal is only for one year, but means he won’t be returning to the Carolina Hurricanes organization where he played this season. Now 32, Gibbons played 15 games for the Hurricanes but failed to record a single point.
  • Sidney Crosby will be a game-time decision for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers later today. Even if he doesn’t end up playing, that status should be encouraging for Penguins fans hoping to see their captain suit up in game one against the Montreal Canadiens. Crosby missed a chunk of training camp but returned to practice when the Penguins arrived at the Toronto bubble.

Morning Notes: Pastrnak, Hamilton, Colorado

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Exhale, Boston Bruins fans. David Pastrnak is back. The superstar winger is expected to practice with the team today in Toronto as they prepare for their round-robin games. Pastrnak has been sitting out after coming in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. Ondrej Kase, who has also been sitting out, has not yet joined the team in Toronto and will hopefully meet them at a later date. Remember, Kase will be subject to a four-day hotel quarantine after arriving in Toronto–whenever that is.

The Bruins will start their official games on Sunday when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers, trying to lock up the top seed that they held when the season was paused. They’ll have to watch and see who comes out of the qualification round before knowing which team is their first-round matchup.

  • It could potentially be the Carolina Hurricanes, but winning that qualification round may be a bit tougher for Rod Brind’Amour’s squad, given that they’re still missing Dougie Hamilton. The defenseman suffered an apparent injury last week during training camp and is still “unfit to play” according to his head coach. Hamilton is on the 31-man roster for the Hurricanes, which also includes Brett Pesce who is dealing with his own injury rehab. Pesce underwent shoulder surgery in March that gave him a four-to-six month recovery timeline.
  • Speaking of interesting 31-man rosters, the Colorado Avalanche included several young players that could be interesting difference-makers if inserted into a lineup. Shane Bowers, Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins all made the cut, while Vladislav Kamenev did not. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic examines what exactly that means for the future of each prospect, while also looking at other pressing issues for the Avalanche like the goaltending battle between Pavel Francouz and Philipp Grubauer.

Hurricanes Notes: Hamilton, Drury, Necas, Pesce

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Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton was expected to be a key addition to Carolina’s lineup for the postseason.  However, he has missed the last several practices and it seems that he’ll be out for a little while longer.  Sara Civian of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the injury is not a recurrence of his broken leg that shelved his season prematurely and that the estimated recovery period is weeks instead of months.  That would shelve him for their upcoming series against the Rangers at a minimum plus likely the first round if they make it that far.  His absence should allow Sami Vatanen, a trade deadline acquisition that has yet to make his debut with the team, to potentially debut on their top pairing.

More from Carolina:

  • Prospect Jack Drury is expected to leave Harvard and play in Vaxjo of the SHL next season, reports Johan Svensson of SportExpressen. The 20-year-old had a stellar season with Harvard and still has two years of college eligibility left.  However, with the pandemic expected to cancel sports there until January at the earliest, their season is in some jeopardy so if Drury wants a guaranteed chance at playing, turning pro is the only way to go.  While he could sign with Carolina, the start of the 2020-21 AHL season is going to be delayed as well so going to Sweden will ensure that he’ll be suiting up in September.  Svensson adds that several SHL teams were vying for Drury’s services.
  • Center Martin Necas did not participate in practice today, notes Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. As is the new standard, there is no further information available than that.  The 21-year-old had been skating with the team earlier in the week.
  • While defenseman Brett Pesce will not be available for their series against New York, he was included on Carolina’s playoff-eligible roster, Alexander relays (Twitter link).  Pesce suffered a shoulder injury just before the trade deadline which helped prompt the Hurricanes to acquire both Vatanen and Brady Skjei at the trade deadline.

Snapshots: Martinook, Toews, Tortorella, Khudobin

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The Carolina Hurricanes really don’t like the NHL’s Return to Play plan. After Jordan Martinook and the ‘Canes were one of just two teams to vote against the initial postseason format last month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Martinook was also one of the two NHLPA representatives who voted against ratifying the Return to Play plan and CBA extension. Martinook has previously stated that he and his teammates felt that the expanded playoff structure was a disadvantage to teams who were safely in the postseason picture, but not within the top four in their conference. It is a fair opinion for Carolina to have; the team has the second-best record of qualifying round contenders and almost certainly would have made the playoffs. Their reward for those regular season efforts? A five-game series match-up with a New York Rangers team that was playing their best hockey down the stretch and has been a tough match-up for the Hurricanes all season. As a result, Martinook tried not once but twice to change the league’s plan, but to no avail. They will face the Rangers in just over a week’s time with a playoff berth on the line.

The other “no” vote against the Return to Play plan was reported to belong to Chicago Blackhawks representative Jonathan Toews. However, Toews has come out today and refuted that report. There is no doubt that Toews asked hard questions about health and safety protocols and gameplay logistics and made the case for why his peers should consider voting against the plan, but he tells Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times that at the end of the day he voted “yes”. In fact, he said that he always planned to vote yes but wanted to make sure that there was a thorough conversation before a decision was made. There is no word on who the mystery second “no” vote came from, but it was not the Blackhawks captain.

  • Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella might be re-thinking his teams approval of the expanded postseason plan. While a standard 16-team format would have excluded his team, which was in ninth in the Eastern Conference at the time of the league’s pause, their preparation for the knockout round is not going according to plan. Tortorella told NHL.com’s Craig Merz outright that he does not like what he has seen from his best players. “My concern is some of the people that we are going to need to make a difference for us to win a series, I don’t think they’re ready right now,” the Jack Adams finalist stated. “I don’t think they’re doing the things they need to do right now to get ready for that series… This isn’t getting ready for the regular season and then trying to find your game in 15 games during the regular season. This is a sprint… I don’t want us to fall into this trap of wading in. We need to be ready to go.”
  • Anton Khudobin and the Dallas Stars have some extra time to get ready for the postseason as they are one of the four top seeds in the West and will have four round robin games ahead of them before the real competition begins. Although Khudobin may only see action in the round robin and not in the Stars’ postseason series, as starter Ben Bishop will get the nod unless his play warrants a change, Khudobin’s value to Dallas cannot be understated. One of the best backups in the NHL, Khudobin recorded a .930 save percentage and 2.22 GAA in 30 games this season. While these numbers are outstanding, even better than Bishop’s, it doesn’t appear that Khudobin is looking to move on from Dallas to a greater role. He tells Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News that his preference is to remain with the Stars for a while longer. However, the impending UFA admits that he will let his agent work out the details and find the best opportunity. Khudobin is certainly comfortable and thriving in Texas, but the Stars’ limited cap space and the presences of Bishop and top prospect Jake Oettinger may mean that his current team cannot offer him top dollar. On the other hand, a potentially strong goalie market and Khudobin’s age, not to mention a flat salary cap, may mean that there won’t be the demand on the open market that Khudobin’s performance would normally command. This seems to be the case with another elite backup, Boston’s Jaroslav Halak, who recently signed a one-year extension for less guaranteed money despite another stellar season as the Bruins’ backup after replacing Khudobin himself. Perhaps Khudobin will have to settle for the same fate, especially if he wants to remain in Dallas.

Metropolitan Notes: Murray, Samsonov, Hamilton

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have a choice to make in net when they head into the 24-team playoff, deciding whether to use Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry as their starter. Though he admits it is the coach’s decision, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic that he believes Murray will be the choice after seeing how well the more experienced netminder performed in this week’s practices.

Murray, 26, is only a year older than Jarry but has the added benefit of two Stanley Cups and 48 playoff games under his belt. The 6’4″ netminder struggled mightily this season, however, posting an .899 save percentage. Jarry meanwhile put up a .921 and was selected to the All-Star game, but has never appeared in the postseason. The Penguins will start things off with a qualification round against the Montreal Canadiens.

  • There is another interesting goaltending situation to keep an eye on in the Metropolitan Division, and that’s what is happening in Washington. The Capitals still haven’t gotten a single practice out of young star netminder Ilya Samsonov, who has been “unfit to play” for the entire training camp so far. When asked, head coach Todd Reirden wouldn’t comment on whether Samsonov will be traveling with the team to Toronto in a few days as the Capitals enter the “bubble.” For now, Braden Holtby remains the default choice as starter for Washington despite his own struggles—to the tune of an .897 save percentage—this season.
  • After leaving practice yesterday, Dougie Hamilton was absent again for the Carolina Hurricanes this morning. The defenseman was in “visible discomfort” when leaving yesterday according to team reporter Michael Smith, who also notes that the Hurricanes are already missing Brett Pesce thanks to his shoulder surgery in March. While Pesce hasn’t been ruled out completely from participating in the playoffs, Hamilton was expected to be back to full strength after missing the last two months of the regular season. Given the league’s policy on not giving out injury information, there’s no way of telling what exactly happened to Hamilton or how long he’ll be out.

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