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Kirby Dach To Stay With Chicago Blackhawks

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After impressing in his first six games in the NHL, Kirby Dach is here to stay. The Chicago Blackhawks have confirmed that Dach will stay with the team for the “foreseeable future” instead of returning to the CHL. When the young forward plays his tenth game, the first year of his entry-level contract will be burned.

Dach, 18, was the third overall pick in June after an outstanding season for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. The 6’4″ forward could have gone back to dominate that league again, but a concussion during training camp actually may have changed that plan. With the injury, Dach was able to not only stick around the NHL team but get a conditioning stint in the minor leagues with the Rockford IceHogs. After showing well in the AHL, his strong six-game NHL career has come as no surprise.

Scoring his first NHL goal and recording two points, Dach will stay with the Blackhawks and try to get them out of their early season funk. The team is 3-6-2 through their first 11 games and have only scored 25 goals. Hopefully the young forward will be able to change those fortunes, but at the very least he’ll be continuing his development at the highest level.

Scratch Notes: Seabrook, Gusev, Fiala

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The Chicago Blackhawks are sitting one of their franchise icons in the press box again tonight, as Brent Seabrook waits his turn to get back into the lineup. That obviously isn’t what the 34-year old was hoping for at this point in his career, and he made it clear to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports that he believes he can still play:

I don’t think I need rest. I think I feel great, I’m 34, you guys seem to want to write articles about my age and my speed. I feel like I still got a lot to offer in this league and still be a good player for somebody.

The most interesting part of the Seabrook quote may be the very last word, as he didn’t specify the Blackhawks. There has been a contingent of Chicago fans hoping to get rid of Seabrook’s hefty contract for years now, but it still remains one of the toughest deals to make in the league. While the quote might suggest that he’d be willing to waive his no-movement clause in order to get back on the ice, Seabrook carries a $6.875MM cap hit through the 2023-24 season, something no team wants to take on.

  • The New Jersey Devils will be sitting Nikita Gusev in the press box tomorrow night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gusev will get a chance to sit with Devils legend Patrik Elias for the game and pick his brain, something head coach John Hynes hopes will help down the road. Gusev has four points through his first nine NHL games, but has recently seen his minutes drastically reduced.
  • Kevin Fiala will be a healthy scratch for the Minnesota Wild once again tonight, with head coach Bruce Boudreau telling reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic “we expect more” from the talented forward. Fiala has played in just seven games this season and has a lone assist, after being acquired from the Nashville Predators by former GM Paul Fenton. The 23-year old signed a new two-year, $6MM contract in September but has yet to show that high-end offensive skill that made him such an attractive trade target.

Detroit Red Wings Acquire Brendan Perlini

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The Chicago Blackhawks told Brendan Perlini that they would try to find him a new home after he asked for a trade, and they’ve made good on their promise. Perlini has been traded to the Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks will receive Alec Regula in return, and do not have to retain any of Perlini’s salary.

The 23-year old forward had played just one game for the Blackhawks this season after failing to earn a job in training camp, and has now been traded twice in his young career. That’s a disappointing outcome for a player that had such high expectations back in 2014 when he was selected 12th overall by the Arizona Coyotes.

Perlini actually did get off to a solid start to his career, scoring 14 and 17 goals in his first two seasons in the NHL. Even last season after he was traded to the Blackhawks as part of the return for Nick Schmaltz he found success, potting 12 goals in just 46 games. His lack of assists were troubling though and too often Perlini disappeared almost entirely from games, failing to contribute in any meaningful way.

Still, there’s no reason to believe Perlini still can’t make enough improvements to become an impact player at the NHL level. The Red Wings can take that chance given they aren’t expected to compete for the Stanley Cup right away, providing ample opportunity for him to find his game. The Blackhawks obviously weren’t willing to do that, and found an acceptable return.

Regula, 19, was selected 67th overall in 2018 but has already started to show why he may be an NHL option down the road. The 6’4″ defenseman put up 39 points for the London Knights of the OHL last season and is off to an even better start this year. The fact that he played last season with Blackhawks prospect Adam Boqvist should make them very familiar with him. The team does need to sign Regula still, though that is not usually a problem for CHL players. His exclusive draft rights would expire in June, 2020.

Western Notes: Blackhawks, Hayton, Canucks, Greenway

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The next 10 days are critical ones for the Chicago Blackhawks who have not started off the season the way they intended. The team made a number of moves this offseason to restock the team in order to be competitive while they still have Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in their prime. Instead, the team has started the season in last place in the Central Division with a 2-5-2 record through nine games.

While general manager Stan Bowman has made it clear that there won’t be a shake-up like last season when the team fired head coach Joel Quenneville, could there be other changes? The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) wonders what President John McDonough might do if things continue to head south this season. Last season, McDonough approved the Quenneville firing, but kept every other department in tact with the idea that the rest of the organization can fix the problems.

However, if the team continues to struggle, McDonough might approve significant changes. Would that include firing new head coach Jeremy Colliton? Firing Bowman? It’s too early to tell, but continued losing could bring about quite a bit of change down the road.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have taken quite a bit of criticism for their lack of playing time they have given to 19-year-old Barrett Hayton, who has appeared in just three of the team’s first 10 games this season, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required). The 2018 first-rounder was held back last season at the start of the year before Arizona returned him to his junior team as Hayton watched the team for the first week of the season. However, assistant general manager Steve Sullivan suggests this is different. “We’re one bad game or one injury away from him getting into the lineup so I feel like everyone thinking it’s not great for his development is a little premature,” Sullivan said. “We’re three weeks into the regular season so it’s not the end of the world.”
  • While the emergence of J.T. Miller on the Vancouver Canucks top line has been a boon for the team, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that has left quite a hole on the team’s second line which has struggled outside of the play of center Bo Horvat. The current linemates of Horvat have been Micheal Ferland and Jake Virtanen have created mixed results as the team needs more offense from them. The team’s third line has proven to be impressive on the defensive end, but the scribe doubts that the current second line lasts long-term.
  • Minnesota Wild forward Jordan Greenway remains in concussion protocol after taking a hit Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers, according to Rachel Blount of the StarTribune. Greenway did not play Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings and remains day-to-day. While Greenway has been held off the scoreboard in nine games this season, he does have five assists and is working his way into becoming a solid top-six option down the road.

 

Lineup Notes: Boston, Buffalo, Big Names Scratched

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Fresh off a decisive win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, the Boston Bruins’ forward lines will look a little different when they face the New York Rangers tonight. The team has announced that bottom-six forwards Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom will both miss the game due to injury. However, the release does not make it sound as if either player is at risk of missing significant time, especially since both played the entire game last night with normal ice time. Wagner is listed as being out as a result of a shot block against the Blues, although no actual injury is listed and the aggressive winger may just need the night off for soreness. Nordstrom has been in and out of the lineup frequently in the young season, dealing with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Today’s news adds even more mystery to his condition, as the Bruins state he is dealing with an “infection issue”. With these two absences coming on top of the injuries to David Krejci and Karson Kuhlman – Kuhlman is expected to join Krejci on IR to create roster space – Boston is shorthanded up front and added that they will recall Peter Cehlarik from AHL Providence. Cehlarik, who played in 20 NHL games last season, leads Providence with six goals and eight points in eight games. The Bruins hope that he can provide the same offensive spark that Anders Bjork has since he was recalled. Tonight should also mark the return to action of David Backes, who has played in five games so far this season and has been held without a point.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to a hot start this season and their lineup has been almost identical night in and night out. That is about to change. The team has issued an injury report that includes two new additions in Marco Scandella and Jimmy Vesey. The pair both missed Buffalo’s last game, with Scandella suffering from a lower-body injury and Vesey an upper-body injury. Although the specific injuries are not expanded upon in this new report, Scandella is listed as being out two to three weeks, while Vesey is considered week-to-week. It is a blow to the chemistry and consistency that the Sabres have enjoyed so far this season, especially on the back end where they lose their veteran defensive leader. However, in more positive news, defenseman Brandon Montour has been upgraded to day-to-day and a return to the lineup could be imminent. Montour began the year on the injured reserve with a hand injury, but is nearing his season debut and will provide a major boost for Buffalo.
  • At this point in their respective careers, both Brent Seabrook and Bobby Ryan are known more for their notorious contracts than for their performance. Yet, both are fixtures in their respective lineups. However, reports out of both Chicago and Ottawa state that Seabrook and Ryan will each be a healthy scratch tonight. It is only the second career scratch for both players in their careers and the first under their current head coaches. Per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators head coach D.J. Smith revealed that Ryan would be a scratch, after recording just three points through the team’s first ten games. Ryan, who is in the fifth year of a seven-year, $50.75MM contract, had been relegated to a fourth line role based on his production, but Smith reportedly does not feel he is a good fit as an energy forward. The team has recalled Filip Chlapik to take his place in the lineup and there is no indication of when Ryan may return. Ryan has not cracked 50 points in any of the past three seasons and has three seasons remaining at a $7.25MM cap hit. As for Seabrook, his contract is arguably even worse. The 34-year-old defenseman still has five years remaining on an eight-year, $55MM contract that carries a $6.875MM cap it. Seabrook’s game has fallen off in both the offensive and defensive departments over the past two years and things are only getting worse. The veteran rearguard has just one point in nine games and a -5 rating, on pace for a career worst in both categories. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton will sit Seabrook in favor of untested rookie Dennis Gilbert. Colliton also indicated that Seabrook did not take his benching well. It could be the beginning of an even uglier situation in Chicago. Powers’ colleague Mark Lazerus points out that with Seabrook scratched alongside Zack Smith, the Blackhawks will have over $10MM in salary – approximately 12.4% of the salary cap ceiling – watching from the press box tonight.

Blackhawks Shopping Zack Smith

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Zack Smith’s tenure in Chicago has been rather short thus far as he’s only in his first season with the Blackhawks after being acquired for Artem Anisimov over the summer.  However, it appears that they’ve seen enough from him already as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Chicago is shopping the center around the league.

The 31-year-old has played in just five of Chicago’s eight games so far this season and was scratched for the other three.  When he has played, his role has been rather limited as Smith has averaged just 9:52 per night, well below his career average of 14:56.

Smith is signed through 2020-21 with a cap hit of $3.25MM.  Considering the price tag and term relative to his limited role, it’s hard to imagine that there will be a long list of suitors; it’s worth noting that Smith cleared waivers outright last season.  As a result, it’s likely that Chicago would have to retain on the contract to find a taker, take another not very good contract back, or both in order to facilitate a trade.

Smith joins Brendan Perlini as players that are known to be available from the Blackhawks in the early going of the season.  While neither player has made much of an impact, it seems as if GM Stan Bowman is open to shaking up the bottom end of his roster with the team off to a quiet 2-4-2 start in 2019-20.

Brendan Perlini Confirms Trade Request

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It was reported on Thursday that the Blackhawks and winger Brendan Perlini were in agreement that a trade would be ideal for both sides.  Speaking with Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required), the 23-year-old confirmed the trade request due to a lack of playing time.  He has played just once so far this season and with Kirby Dach up with Chicago now, Perlini appears to be 14th on the depth chart so more playing time doesn’t appear to be on the horizon despite the fact he has scored at least 14 goals in each of his first three NHL seasons.  Powers notes that the asking price is believed to be a draft pick although with only four teams being more than five contracts under the 50-contract limit, a player-for-player swap may be a likelier scenario.

Snapshots: Capitals, World Juniors, CBA Talks

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Two of the biggest names among impending unrestricted free agents belong to the Washington Capitals. Long-time cornerstone Caps and Stanley Cup winners Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby will both see their current contracts expire this summer, barring an extension before then. Yet, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that there has been little in the way of contract talks between Washington and either Backstrom or Holtby. LeBrun states that the team has decided to be patient with the decisions, letting the season play out as a way to better gauge their needs moving forward. He adds that the team is on the same page with both camps in this regard as well. It could be that the team waits through the whole season before making a call on Backstrom and Holtby, taking both individual and team performances into account. Thus far, Holtby, 30, has struggled in net – for the second year in a row at that – posting an .884 save percentage and 3.60 GAA in eight games for the Capitals, losing three starts to 22-year-old Ilya Samsonov. Continued poor performance, especially in light of Samsonov’s strong play, could convince Washington GM Brian MacLellan that he does not need to pay the premium price required to retain the 30-year-old Holtby. Meanwhile, Backstrom is still playing at the same elite level, recording nine points in eleven games so far and leading all Capitals forwards in even strength ice time. The 32-year-old has been the epitome of consistency throughout his whole career, recording 882 points in 906 career games while skating in less than 90% of Washington’s games in a given season just once. It’s hard to say that Backstrom has ever had a bad season and it may be difficult for MacLellan and company to say goodbye to a player who has never given any indication that his days and an impact player are anywhere close to being over, unless they determine that the Capitals days as true contenders are over and the team is in need of transition. The salary cap will of course play a major role in these decisions as well. Washington has $63.5MM tied up in just 14 players next season, and likely lack the space needed to re-sign both Holtby and Backstrom while filling out the rest of the roster. Which way they go, re-signing on or the other or perhaps neither, will be a tough call and the Capitals are smart to use all of the information available, including this season’s results, to make that decision.

  • TSN colleague Bob McKenzie also notes today that Hockey Canada is in the beginning stages of forming their official roster for the 2020 World Junior Championships later this winter and are hoping that they can count on the three players currently in the NHL who also qualify for inclusion on the U-20 roster: the Coyotes’ Barrett Hayton, the Blackhawks’ Kirby Dach, and the Islanders’ Noah Dobson. The pair of centers and dynamic defensemen are each of their respective team’s top prospects, but their usage so far this season has been minimal. All three of Hayton, Dach, and Dobson have played in just two NHL games so far this year and are still eight games away from burning a year on their entry-level contracts. However, for Hayton and Dobson, McKenzie does not believe that the ten-game limit is a concern, as he doesn’t feel Arizona nor New York plan on sending their promising prospect back to the junior level. That doesn’t mean that they can’t still be loaned to Team Canada for the WJC though; it is not an uncommon practice for young pros in need of experience playing at different levels of competition instead of solely in the NHL to briefly leave their clubs for the international exhibition. With that said, both the ‘Yotes and the Isles hope to be playoff teams and may be unwilling to give up top young players mid-season, especially if they have become regular contributors. As for Dach, it is still unclear what Chicago’s intentions are this season. The youngest of the group, the No. 3 overall pick in June, Dach has spent some time in the AHL this season and has seen limited ice time in his two games with the Blackhawks. The team could still decide he would be better off with another year in the WHL, although McKenzie believes they are not yet ready to make that decision. Either way, Dach stands the best chance of participating in the WJC, given his current role in Chicago and the expectations of the team this season.
  • LeBrun also reports that, while there haven’t been any in-person meetings this month, collective bargaining continues between the NHL and NHLPA. Back in September, both the league and the players’ association declined to use their opt-out clause in the CBA, which would have prematurely ended the current agreement after this season. The decisions extended the CBA through the 2021-22 season, giving the parties plenty of time to work through their issues. However, both sides felt comfortable in declining their opt-outs as a result of positive ongoing talks and all stakeholders of hockey wanted to see that progress continue. LeBrun writes that those talks have not stalled, but are simply now ongoing in a more behind-the-scenes fashion. The hope is that the NHL and NHLPA can sort out a new collective bargaining agreement long before the September 2022 expiration date of the current deal and put to rest any thoughts of another work stoppage. Continued talks are a good sign that labor peace will come easier this time than in years past.

Blackhawks Give Brendan Perlini Permission To Seek Trade

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The relationship between the Chicago Blackhawks and young forward Brendan Perlini has seemingly been a tumultuous one from the start. Fortunately for both sides, it appears that relationship could soon becoming to an end. After a start to the season that neither party expected or has been content with, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Blackhawks have given Perlini and agent Darren Ferris permission to seek a trade. Both sides have agreed that it is in the best interest of both player and team for Perlini to find a new home, so a trade could be imminent.

Perlini, 23, was trending towards becoming a legitimate top-six forward through his first two NHL seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. The No. 12 overall pick in 2014 by the ‘Yotes, Perlini was a big, strong prospect whose aggressive offensive game seemed built for the NHL. In his first pro campaign, he played in 57 NHL games with Arizona, followed by 74 games in his sophomore season. Through those first 131 contests, Perlini recorded 31 goals and 51 points and looked like he had the makings of an impact power forward in the NHL.

Yet, Arizona made the somewhat surprising decision to deal both he and Dylan Strome to the Blackhawks last season in exchange for the more established Nick Schmaltz. While Strome took off in Chicago, Perlini struggled and only began to find his game late in the season. Altogether, Perlini recorded just 15 points in more than half a season with the Blackhawks and never looked to fully gain the trust of the coaching staff. It thus came as little surprise that Perlini’s name was floated on the rumor mill this summer while he worked through contract negotiations as a restricted free agent. The two sides finally came to an agreement – if you can call it that – in early September, as Perlini signed his one-year, $874K qualifying offer. The move signified that neither the Blackhawks nor Perlini saw Chicago as a long-term fit at that time and things have certainly not gotten better since. Perlini has played in just one game with the ‘Hawks and has been left to watch the remainder from the press box. He is desperately in need of a change of scenery and today’s report likely comes as a major relief.

A young forward with offensive instincts and, at one time anyway, a promising track record should have value on the trade market. Add in his super affordable cap hit of less than $1MM, and teams should be very interested. While other alienated forwards exist on the trade market – the Oilers’ Jesse Puljujarvi and the Islanders’ Josh Ho-Sang – Perlini does not bring the baggage of behavioral questions and career-long underwhelming production that the others do. The Blackhawks also are unlikely to charge a steep price, as Perlini’s value has dropped considerably since the team acquired him and they probably just want to cut bait and move forward. Perlini was once on his way to a solidified top-six role and there will be some team that believes he could get back to that position in his development. Perhaps even the Coyotes would have interest in a reunion, seeing how well Perlini played in his first two seasons with the team. Time will tell what is next for the young forward, but it should take too much time, with both sides incentivized to move on from one another as soon as possible.

Connor Murphy Placed On LTIR

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The Chicago Blackhawks will be without Connor Murphy for the next while and have placed him on long-term injured reserve with a groin injury. That means he will have to miss a minimum of ten games and 24 days. The team has recalled Dennis Gilbert from the AHL in the meantime, and acquired Ian McCoshen from Florida last night.

Murphy hasn’t been quite the player that the Blackhawks hoped for when they acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, but he was still logging more than 21 minutes a night this season in the five games for which he was (relatively) healthy. The 26-year old never developed a ton of offensive ability but can still use his long reach and physicality to shut down things in the defensive zone.

The Blackhawks have revamped a large part of their defense this season with the additions of Calvin de Haan, Olli Maatta and Slater Koekkoek, and will now have to rely on the newcomers even more.

Gilbert, who was picked in the third round of the 2015 draft, has only played two games in his NHL career so far, but is still an interesting prospect for the Blackhawks. A solid presence on the Notre Dame blueline, it will be interesting to see if he gets much of an opportunity in Murphy’s absence.

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