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Jakub Nakladal, Shane Harper On Waivers

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First-year forward Shane Harper has been placed on waivers by the Florida Panthers tweets Bill Whitehead, who covers the team for the AP. The 27-year-old Harper made his NHL debut this season, seeing action in 14 games and recording three points for the Panthers.

Harper was signed by the Panthers in the summer of 2015 and spent the entire campaign with the AHL Portland Pirates. He scored 12 goals and 37 points in 59 games for the Panthers top minor league affiliate. It’s probable Harper will go unclaimed and be returned to the minors.

Elliotte Friedman adds that joining Harper on waivers this afternoon is defenseman Jakub Nakladal of the Carolina Hurricanes. Nakladal inked an unrestricted free agent deal last month with the Hurricanes and appeared in three contests for Carolina. Nakladal was held scoreless and finished with a -4 plus-minus rating while averaging 14:30 of ice time per game.

Given Nakladal remained unsigned until just days before Carolina’s 2016-17 season opener, it would seem likely he’ll clear waivers and be eligible to be sent to Charlotte of the AHL.

Justin Faulk Out “Week-To-Week”

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that All-Star defenseman Justin Faulk is considered “week-to-week” with an upper body injury. Faulk was injured in the third period of the Hurricanes game against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and will be out of the lineup for the rematch tonight. Although Faulk has not yet been placed on injured reserve, that does not mean that he will not be out of the lineup long-term. Coach Bill Peters said that more will be known about the undisclosed injury once preliminary MRI results come back.

Carolina’s second-round pick in 2010, Faulk has quickly developed into a star on the blue line in Raleigh. After becoming a regular player at just 19, the 24-year-old now sits in a leadership position as the centerpiece of a young defense core for the Hurricanes. Faulk has 161 points in 337 career games, all while logging top pair minutes. Thus far in 2016-17 he leads the ’Canes in ice time and is fourth on the team in goals (3) and points (3).

Faulk’s rank among Carolina skaters is a good indication as to how well the team is playing. At 3-5-3, the Hurricanes sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Not only have they been unable to score, but even with a healthy Faulk the defense has struggled. Carolina is currently allowing 3.5 goals per game, and with Faulk out of the lineup, the pressure is on for youngsters Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Noah Hanifin to prevent that mark from further inflation. Replacing the minutes and production of Faulk is a daunting task, and it seems like more hard times are on the way for the rebuilding Hurricanes.

New York Islanders Place Travis Hamonic On IR, Recall Adam Pelech

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As previously reported, the Islanders have lost the services of Travis Hamonic for 4-6 weeks after blocking a shot and being removed from the game Saturday night. Hamonic was officially placed on injured reserve today, retroactive to November 5th  and the Isles have recalled Adam Pelech from Bridgeport to replace him.

The loss of Hamonic is a big blow to the Islanders, who are struggling out of the gate this season. With just one win in their last six games, they’ve slipped to 15th in the Eastern Conference, only ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. Andrew Ladd, the big free agent signing hasn’t transitioned well to New York State, and the ice is a huge problem at the Barclay’s Center.

[Updated: New York Islanders Depth Chart]

For a team that was thought of as a potential Stanley Cup contender, it’s been far from an easy ride through the first dozen games. They’ll try to use Pelech to turn it around, though with only nine games of NHL experience they likely can’t lean too heavily on the 22-year old. With the Islanders now having just a single right-handed option (Johnny Boychuk) on the blueline, someone will have to play on his off-side.

Red Wings Claim Martin Frk Off Waivers From Carolina

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The Detroit Red Wings have reclaimed right winger Martin Frk off of waivers from Carolina, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).  Bob Duff of the Windsor Star adds via Twitter that Frk has been assigned to Grand Rapids of the AHL.

Frk, originally drafted by the Wings in the second round (49th overall) in 2012, has spent the bulk of his professional career at the minor league level.  Last season was his first full season at the AHL level after splitting the previous two campaigns between Grand Rapids and Toledo of the ECHL. In 2015-16, he played in 67 games for the AHL’s Griffins, scoring 27 goals while adding 17 assists.

The Wings waived Frk last month but the Hurricanes scooped him off the wire and were one of three teams in total to place a claim according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie (Twitter link).  However, Carolina rarely used the 23 year old as he has played in just two games so far this season, being held pointless with a -3 rating while averaging just 8:20 of ice time per game.

Because no other team placed a claim on Frk, Detroit was be able to send him down.  Had another team put in a claim, the Red Wings would have been forced to keep him on their NHL roster or re-waive him to attempt to send him to the AHL.

[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]

Meanwhile for Carolina, with Frk now off the roster, the team has activated defenseman Ryan Murphy off of injured reserve.  Murphy suffered a lower body injury in the preseason and has not yet suited up for the Hurricanes this season.

Snapshots: Sergachev, Frk, Bauer

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The red-hot Montreal Canadiens have assigned rookie defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. The ninth overall pick of the 2016 draft started the season with the Canadiens, going pointless in 3 games. The Canadiens are 8-0-1 so far this season.

Sergachev is expected to play a big role for the Spitfires, where he scored 57 points in 67 games last season. He was one of the top-ranked defensemen for last summer’s draft, alongside Olli Juolevi and Jakob Chychrun.

As a result of him not reaching nine games played, his contract will slide to next year. There are now 20 slide-eligible rookies in the NHL.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have placed Martin Frk on waivers. Frk went pointless and -3 in 2 games played with the Hurricanes, his first two NHL games. Carolina claimed Frk on waivers earlier this month from the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings will get first waiver priority to claim their 2012 second rounder, then the remaining order is the reverse standings order from the end of the 2015-16 season. The waiver priority will change to this season’s standings on November 1st.
  • Some high profile NHLers may be without endorsement deals as soon as today. Players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Alex Ovechkin all make between $300K and $500K per season for using Bauer equipment. However, Bauer’s parent company, Performance Sports Group (PSG), has filed for bankruptcy protection. TSN’s Rick Westhead quoted a source as saying a bankruptcy judge can “cancel those endorsement contracts and list the players as creditors.” PSG is expected to have more than $400MM in debt by the end of the year. There are also shareholders preparing to file a lawsuit for inflated sales figures and growth prospects. PSG bough Bauer from Nike in 2008, and also purchased equipment makers Cascade and Easton in recent years.

Metro Division Snapshots: Carolina, Jooris, Buchnevich, McIlrath, Poulin

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The Carolina Hurricanes, a team projected by some as a potential dark-horse in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, have won just one of their first six games and currently reside in the Metro Division basement. They’ll finally get a taste of home cooking Friday after starting the campaign on a six-game road trip as the Hurricanes will host the New York Rangers. Despite a respectable offense that is averaging three goals a game and a defense limiting opponents to the fourth-fewest shot attempts, Carolina has been undone by poor goaltending and as Ben Pope writes for Today’s Slapshot, it might be time for the Hurricanes to panic.

Cam Ward and Eddie Lack have combined for an 85.3% save percentage, the worst in the NHL, and have allowed four goals a game. Beyond the common numbers, the Hurricanes goalie duo is also performing at a below average level preventing goals against on low-, medium-, and high-danger shots, as Pope notes.

After just six games it’s fair to wonder about sample-size but Pope goes on to write that Ward, while sometimes making the spectacular save, has been a subpar netminder for much of his career. Lack, on the other hand, is nearly league-average in stopping shots from the outside but struggles mightily against attempts from in close.

Citing statistics available on Corsica.hockey, Pope opines the team’s defense hasn’t done the goalies any favors. Even though they have been excellent overall in suppressing shots, the ones they do allow have been of the medium-to-high-danger variety. The data shows 81.2% of the shots Carolina gives up are either of the medium of high-danger variety with the league average coming in at 63.4%.

Ultimately, the Hurricanes need better play between the pipes if they want to remain a relevant playoff contender. If that improvement doesn’t come internally, Carolina may have to scour the trade market to find a solution.

More from around the Metro Division:

  • With Pavel Buchnvich expected to return to the lineup Friday the New York Rangers were facing a difficult decision regarding whom to remove from their 23-man roster to open a spot for the rookie forward. But the injury to Josh Jooris Wednesday night allowed the Rangers to delay that decision a little longer, writes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. However, instead of taking advantage of that opportunity, the Blueshirts this morning have placed Dylan McIlrath on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the club will likely send their 2010 first-round draft pick to Hartford of the AHL. McIlrath has suited up for just one game this season and has been a healthy scratch six times.
  • Former New York Islander netminder Kevin Poulin has signed a deal with Barys of the KHL, tweets Igor Eronko of Sports Express. Poulin showed promise early in his career after debuting in the league with a 92.4% save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.44 in 10 appearances as a 20-year-old back in 2010-11. It’s been downhill ever since with his save percentage declining in each subsequent campaign. Poulin last saw action in the league in 2014-15, starting once and allowing three goals on 26 shots. He appeared in 29 contests for Stockton in the AHL, winning 14 and stopping 90.9% of the attempts against.

Two Players On Waiver Wire

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Forwards Emerson Etem and Andrew Miller have been placed on waivers, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Etem was a first round pick of the Ducks in 2010, before being traded to the Rangers. The Ducks claimed him off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Etem was held pointless in two games with the 2-3-2 Ducks. It’s not clear if he’ll be assigned to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL or remain with the Ducks.

Miller was injured in the pre-season and started the season on injured reserve. He’s healthy now, and is waivers for purpose of assignment to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Miller signed with the Hurricanes organization on July 1 after playing some of last season with the Checkers while on loan from the Edmonton Oilers’s farm team in Bakersfield in exchange for Zach Boychuk.

Injury Notes: Zatkoff, van Riemsdyk, Little

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After news broke earlier today that Jeff Zatkoff had injured himself in practice, and would be unable to continue, rumors swirled about how long the netminder would be out. While an exactly length hasn’t been given, Zatkoff has been placed on injured reserve and been replaced by emergency call-up Jack Campbell from the Ontario Reign.

To fill in for Campbell on an emergency basis, the Reign will dress Dusty Imoo tonight to back up his son Jonah Imoo. The elder Imoo is a goaltending coach for the Reign and was one the Olympic starter for Japan at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. He hasn’t played in a professional hockey game in almost a decade, when he skated for the Oji Eagles of the Asian League.  The 46-year old will be cheering on his 22-year old son, who will be making his AHL debut.

Friedman’s Latest: Lindholm, Blackhawks, Babcock, Hurricanes

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman covers a wide gamut of hockey news today, starting with the situation regarding Hampus Lindholm and the Ducks’ negotiations. Though the rumored $700K chasm has decreased, the term of the deal remains the sticking point. Anaheim is seeking a five-year deal while the Lindholm camp seeks six years. Friedman emphasizes that neither side will rush, but indicates that the Ducks need Lindholm “badly” as they’ve gotten off to a slow start. (As a side note, Bob McKenzie tweeted something very similar about the terms being the sticking point).

Other tidbits from Friedman

  • The Blackhawks are hunting for a forward and are apparently willing to part with defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was purportedly dangled for Nail Yakupov. Yakupov eventually went to St. Louis, and Friedman indicates that the Hawks will have to “sweeten the pot” to get the forward they seek should they include van Riemsdyk in a deal. Further, he indicates that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will try to add a veteran presence to the lineup at some point.
  • Mike Babcock loves to check in on his players and current Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly says that the bench boss is true to his word. Friedman writes this:

“He’s in contact with you in the summer a lot more than you’d think,” Rielly answered. “Not all of it is hockey. Yes, he’s asking if you’re doing what he wants you to do, but he’s also asking what else you’re up to.” He then laughed a little and said, “I like hearing from him. But my family was surprised at how much he reached out.”

  • The Hurricanes are betting a lot on forward Teuvo Teravainen and defenseman Noah Hanifin. Both have been featured on the powerplay and Freidman writes that despite some mistakes, the ’Canes expect the young players to be a part of the core for years to come. The challenging experiences will occur and it’s part of the learning process.

Snapshots: Reilly, Kokkonen, ‘Canes

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The Minnesota Wild have sent defenseman Mike Reilly to the AHL after just one game, allowing the 23-year old to play bigger minutes and be in the lineup every night. Reilly was a scratch against the Los Angeles Kings, and instead of watching from the press box he’ll go down and lead.

The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Reilly in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of the BCHL and watched as he flourished in the NCAA, increasing his scoring totals in all three years at the University of Minnesota. They couldn’t sign him however, and he ended up getting a contract from the Wild in 2015. Last year for the Iowa Wild he put up 23 points in 45 games and earned himself an extended look in the NHL.

Though this is a setback in his career, it won’t be long until he’s back up with the NHL squad if his development continues as it has. His long wingspan and offensive pedigree will be excellent tools once he improves his work in his own end.

  • According to FinnProspects.com, 15-year old Mikko Kokkonen will make his Liiga debut for Jukurit tomorrow, making him the youngest player to ever play in the league. The defenseman was born in 2001, and isn’t NHL draft eligible until 2019, but has turned heads already in Europe. Kokkonen played in a pre-season tournament against this same level, but will now experience it when it counts. His 5’11”, 190-lb frame is already big enough to handle some punishment, but is almost certainly still growing.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have made some lineup changes going into Tuesday’s tilt with the Oilers, as Michael Smith reports.  Phillip Di Giuseppe, Martin Frk and Jakub Nakladal will all dress according to coach Bill Peters.

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