Blackhawks Notes: Keith, Gustafsson, Smith
With the Blackhawks once again being a playoff bubble team, some have wondered if veteran defenseman Duncan Keith would be willing to waive his no-move clause to go to a contender. Speaking with Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required), the 36-year-old indicated that his preference is to remain with Chicago and is particularly holding out hope that the team will soon be back in contention. Keith has spent the entirety of his 15-year NHL career in the Windy City and it’s evident that he’d prefer to finish his career with the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2002. He has three years remaining on his contract after this one with a $5.538MM AAV, a price tag that would be tricky for a lot of contenders to take on anyway even if Keith was more open to the idea of moving.
More from Chicago:
- It has been a quieter season offensively for defenseman Erik Gustafsson. While he still leads all Chicago blueliners in points in 25, he’s well below the pace needed to reach his point total of 60. He admitted to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago that his contract situation has weighed on him this season which may be contributing to the lower production. The 27-year-old is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and with Keith, Olli Maatta, and Brent Seabrook all signed for several more years, there may not be room to keep Gustafsson around on the left side. With a $1.2MM cap hit, he should garner a lot of interest if the Blackhawks decide to sell at the trade deadline.
- Forward Zack Smith will miss the next seven-to-ten days due to a left hand injury, the team announced (Twitter link). The veteran has had a limited role in his first season with Chicago, recording just 11 points in 50 games while averaging just 11:47 per night, his lowest average in any full season of his career. The Blackhawks had made Smith available earlier in the season but between this and his $3.25MM cap hit, a trade at this point seems unlikely.
Brent Seabrook Undergoes Third Surgery
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Brent Seabrook has undergone successful surgery on his right hip. That’s the third surgery he has had over the last two months, following left hip surgery in January and right shoulder surgery in December. The team expects Seabrook to be ready to return to action in five to six months. If that timeline proves accurate, the veteran defenseman would be ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.
Seabrook, 34, is often referenced as one of the worst contracts in the league thanks to his declining play over the last several years. Once a rock solid two-way defender for the Blackhawks, he was a huge part of all three Stanley Cup championships and received Norris Trophy votes on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, things have not gone so well lately, though there’s no way to tell how much these injuries had affected him. Seabrook had played in at least 78 games of every full-length season (and 47 in the lockout-shortened one) since his rookie campaign.
His contract still has four years remaining at a $6.875MM cap hit, and still includes a full no-movement clause for the next two. Hopefully Seabrook can regain some of his former success, but otherwise there are few ways out of his deal for the Blackhawks. Obviously, if he isn’t able to return to full fitness the team could place him on long-term injured reserve, though from all appearances the veteran wants to continue his career.
Chicago Blackhawks Claim Nick Seeler
The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. The team has sent Dennis Gilbert to the minor leagues to make room.
Seeler, 26, is actually signed through the 2020-21 season, meaning the Blackhawks have bought themselves a little depth for the next season and a half. The physical defenseman carries a $725K cap hit, but has only played in six games for the Wild this season after suiting up 71 times in 2018-19.
With a claim, Seeler will be staying in the NHL for the time being as he tries to show his new club he can be a regular at the highest level. Coincidentally, the Blackhawks will play the Wild tomorrow night when they travel to Minnesota.
Minor Transactions: 02/03/20
A new week of NHL action and wild speculation starts with three games this evening, including the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs battling for position in the Atlantic Division. The two clubs are trying desperately to capture a divisional playoff spot and avoid the wild card race entirely, with Toronto currently leading by two points. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Christian Folin from the minor leagues, after sending two of their youngsters down in recent days. Folin played five games for the Canadiens earlier this season and has one point.
- Joey Anderson is on his way to the New Jersey Devils, recalled after scoring 34 points in 44 games for the Binghamton Devils this season. Anderson made his NHL debut in 2018-19 and ended up playing in 34 contests for New Jersey, but has been limited to AHL action this year.
- Carl Grundstrom has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings, with Matt Luff heading down in his place. The 22-year old forward has played in nine games with the Kings this year, but once again has spent most of his season in the minors. Acquired as part of the Jake Muzzin deal last season, Grundstrom has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level.
- After bringing up Maxim Letunov yesterday, the San Jose Sharks recalled another pair from the minor leagues. Andrew Shortridge and Danil Yurtaykin both joined the NHL roster, after the team placed Logan Couture and Joel Kellman on injured reserve. At least part of this move was to get as close to the salary cap ceiling as possible before placing Tomas Hertl on long-term injured reserve. Once that move was made earlier today, Shortridge and Yurtaykin were returned to the Barracuda and forward Alex True was recalled.
- Nicolas Roy and Zach Whitecloud are back, after being in a paper transaction yesterday for the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy has to be used to this by now, after spending nearly the whole season bouncing up and down between the two levels.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Gilbert has split his season almost evenly between the two teams, with 20 games for Chicago and 15 gmes for Rockford. He’s still looking to find consistent production in either place.
- Daniel Sprong is back up with the Anaheim Ducks. The Dutch winger has been recalled from the AHL and hopes to stick longer than he has in numerous short trips this season. It will help if he can improve on just two points in eight games thus far with Anaheim.
Evening Notes: Kubalik, Petry, Joseph, Ekman-Larsson, Barkov
The NHL announced that Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik as the “Rookie of the Month” for January after he scored 10 goals and 14 points in 10 games. Kubalik, whose rights were acquired from Los Angeles for a fifth-round pick more than a year ago, signed with the team and currently has 21 goals and 32 points in his rookie campaign.
The 24-year-old, in fact, was second in the NHL in goals scored in January, behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Kubalik beat out goaltenders Elvis Merzlikins and Ilya Samsonov, as well as defensemen, Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar in January.
- With rumors starting to surface that the Montreal Canadiens could consider moving defenseman Jeff Petry at the trade deadline, it could be one of the biggest trade chips if they wanted to move him. Besides being a solid blueliner, Petry has another year on his contract worth $5.5MM, making him a better option for teams that want to avoid rentals. However, Petry has made it clear he would like to remain in Montreal. “From the day I got here, it’s been a special place for me here,” said Petry (via Sportsnet’s Eric Engels). “Getting to play in the playoffs the first time here was incredible and I honestly believe I don’t think there is a better place to win that it would be here. I think, like I said, we have our work cut out for us this year. But I still believe this group can do it.”
- Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a look at all the assets the Tampa Bay Lightning might have at their disposal at the trade deadline. One of the top names on his list is forward Mathieu Joseph, who had an impressive rookie campaign last season. The 22-year-old surprised many last year when he made the team out of training camp and put up 13 goals and 26 points. However, his sophomore campaign has been disappointing and he is now trying to find his game with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. However, Smith notes that many teams are interested in a NHL-experienced player who possesses speed and defensive ability and has a good chance to find his game sooner than later. Joseph currently has three goals and 12 points in 16 AHL games.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced they will be without defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Saturday after he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Coyotes blueliner went down after taking a hit from the Kings’ Dustin Brown and was forced to leave the game. He is considered day-to-day.
- The Athletic’s George Richards reports that Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov will undergo an MRI Sunday after going down during today’s game against Montreal with what appears to be a left knee injury. Barkov has only missed two games in the past three years. Head coach Joel Quenneville did say he believed the injury was not serious.
Ian Mitchell Still Plans To Sign At End Of College Season, Dylan Strome Nearing Return
- Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that his intention remains to turn pro at the end of his current college season. The 2017 second-round pick is having a strong junior season with Denver while faring well in an international stint with Canada at the Spengler Cup. If Denver’s season ends before Chicago’s does, it’s quite possible if not probable that they will opt to burn the first year of his entry-level deal in 2019-20 which would give them an intriguing youngster to use down the stretch.
- Still with the Blackhawks, center Dylan Strome has resumed skating, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. He has missed the last three weeks to an ankle injury. The 22-year-old is producing at a slightly lesser clip than he did after being acquired last season but with 10 goals and 20 assists in 40 games, he sits fifth on the team in scoring.
Poll: What Should Chicago Do At The Trade Deadline?
By now, most teams have a good idea as to what their plans are for next month’s trade deadline. One of the teams whose short-term future is still up in the air though is Chicago. They sit just three points out of a Wild Card spot and there are justifiable cases for them to buy, sell, or stand pat.
Case To Buy
With Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan both out for the season, the Blackhawks now have plenty of short-term cap space to work with via LTIR. While they’re limited to the rental market, it’s mostly players with expiring contracts that move at this time of year anyway. And with Alex DeBrincat’s cap hit going from $778K this season to $6.4MM next year, they probably wouldn’t want to add money for next year regardless of their LTIR situation.
DeBrincat isn’t the only bargain contract that’s expiring though. Rookie winger Dominik Kubalik already has 21 goals and will be looking for a big raise on his current deal worth $925K before bonuses. As he’s already 24, he also has salary arbitration eligibility.
Chicago also has a strong goaltending situation, one that’s unlikely to be the case next season. Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford are a quality tandem but both have stated that they see themselves as number ones. As a result, it’s almost a certainty that their goalie duo next year will be weaker so if you’re going to make a run, now would seem to be the time.
They’re only three points out despite the injuries on the back end. Adding an impact blueliner alone could be enough to close the gap. When you’re that close, it’s hard not to go for it.
Case To Sell
The goalie situation around the league has been a bit of an odd one this season with several veterans that were expected to lead the way struggling. As a result, the potential is there to have a rental goalie (Lehner or Crawford) go for a better return than what rental netminders have gone for in recent years as the market should be stronger. If they know which one they intend to keep already, GM Stan Bowman could get the contract extension done now and flip the other for a reasonable price. (It’s worth noting that Crawford has a ten-team no-trade clause that could come into play at some point.)
It’s also unlikely that they’ll be able to afford defenseman Erik Gustafsson over the offseason. While his numbers are down this season (not unexpected considering he came out of nowhere with a 60-point season in 2018-19), he’s still one of the better rental blueliners that could move over the next month. That should have Chicago well-positioned to cash in and would allow them to get a longer look at Slater Koekkoek and Dennis Gilbert to see if one of them is ready to seize a full-time role for next season and beyond.
As is always the case with bubble teams, there’s also the matter of how far they’re going to go if they make it. While upsets are certainly possible (look no further than one of their division rivals last season), they’re not probable. If the likely end result is a quick postseason exit, is that really better than adding a few more draft picks and prospects to the cupboard?
Case To Stand Pat
Just look at the standings. They’re three points behind Vegas with a game in hand so the gap could be as low as one. If Bowman wants to send the message that he believes in this group, just maintaining the status quo could be the way to go. The platooning of Lehner and Crawford should pay dividends down the stretch as they’ll be more rested than most of their counterparts at the other end of the ice. If the goalie market isn’t as strong as I think it could be, the more prudent move may be to keep both netminders over selling one for a mid-to-late-round pick.
It’s also possible that Andrew Shaw returns from his concussion at some point between now and the end of the year. While he wasn’t as productive as he was last season with Montreal before sustaining the injury, his physical style of play should come in handy as the pressure picks up down the stretch. Depending on when he returns, he could be worth a point or two in the standings and that could be enough to leapfrog whoever the fifth-place team in the Pacific Division is at the end of the year.
While Chicago has a reputation of being an older team, that isn’t the case this year. They have seven players on entry-level contracts at the moment (including the currently-injured Dylan Strome). Playing meaningful games down the stretch can certainly help from a player development standpoint. However, with guys like DeBrincat and Kubalik looking at raises for next season, the prospect of a potential bonus overage penalty lingers so the safest play may just be to stay the course and hope that the current roster is good enough to stay in the race.
Which direction do you think the Blackhawks should go? Have your say by voting in the poll below.
(Mobile users, click here to vote.)
Minor Transactions: 01/29/20
Six games are on tap in the NHL this evening, including Jason Spezza‘s return to Dallas after leaving the Stars for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will have the latest battle of Alberta as well, with all eyes on Matthew Tkachuk and Zack Kassian after their altercation the last two times these teams played.
- Edmonton will have a familiar face back in the lineup tonight for the battle as Matt Benning has been activated from long-term injured reserve. Benning hasn’t played in nearly two months, after suffering multiple head injuries.
- The Los Angeles Kings have also activated a defensemen, bringing back Joakim Ryan for their game tonight. Ryan has missed ten straight games for the Kings with a lower-body injury.
- With all eyes on the New York Rangers’ goaltending situation, they’ve recalled Igor Shesterkin again after the break. The team will have three goalies on the roster until they decide what to do with Alexandar Georgiev.
- Dennis Gilbert is on his way back to the NHL after being recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks, where he has spent half the season. The third-round pick from 2015 looks like he might be a full-time member of the squad at some point in the future, but so far has split his year between the Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs.
- After the St. Louis Blues placed Oskar Sundqvist on injured reserve earlier today, they have recalled the recently waived Troy Brouwer. The veteran forward hadn’t even reported to the AHL yet and was still deciding whether to continue his career.
Patrick Kane Wins Shooting Stars Competition
- Shooting Stars: Patrick Kane (Blackhawks), 22 points
NHL Announces All-Decade Teams
The 2010’s are in the books and the NHL has used this weekend’s All-Star festivities to announce the selections to the All-Decade First and Second Teams. The games best players of the past ten years, as decided by a panel of general managers, hockey operations executives, NHL.com writers, and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports, are listed below:
F Sidney Crosby
F Patrick Kane
F Alex Ovechkin
D Drew Doughty
D Duncan Keith
G Marc-Andre Fleury
F Patrice Bergeron
F Evgeni Malkin
F Steven Stamkos
D Zdeno Chara
D Erik Karlsson
G Henrik Lundqvist
The one obvious thing that many of these players have in common are Stanley Cups. The Chicago Blackhawks won three titles this decade, more than any other team, and first-team stars Kane and Keith played key roles in each. The Pittsburgh Penguins took home two Stanley Cups while making the playoffs every year in the 2010’s and franchise icons Crosby and Malkin continue to lead their team. Meanwhile, Fleury appeared in three straight championships, leaving the Penguins to carry the Vegas Golden Knights to the Cup final in their inaugural season. The Los Angeles Kings also won a pair of titles in the decade, just one year apart, with dominant defenseman Doughty leading the way. In fact, much of the 2010’s were taken up by a six-year span from 2012 to 2017 wherein only Chicago, Pittsburgh, and L.A. took home the Cup. Yet, few would discount Boston’s prevalence during these past ten years as well, as they won a Stanley Cup title and made three final appearances overall, with the ageless Chara and Bergeron playing key roles in runs on either end of the decade. Ovechkin finally got his Cup in 2018 after a decade of consistency unlike any other player in the league.
While few would argue that the likes of Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, and Bergeron are some of the best NHLers of all time, it speaks measures that Stamkos, Karlsson, and Lundqvist were elected to the all-decade team with just two Stanley Cup Final appearances between them and no Cup wins. All three have played on teams that were both true contenders and bottom dwellers at times during the decade, but have continued to maintain a constant level of elite play.
Each of these dozen players have plenty of accolades to warrant their selection as an All-Decade team member. That’s not to say that many other players don’t also have strong cases. Who were the biggest snubs from the All-Decade roster? Let your opinion be known in the comments below.