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Injury Update: Stone, Marchand, Duclair, Crawford, Nutivaara, Bishop

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Ottawa Senators winger Mark Stone will not be making the trip to Florida for their game against the Panthers on Monday, according to Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan. Stone suffered a leg injury after colliding with Calgary’s Micheal Ferland on Friday.

Brennan added that Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said today that he did not know whether the injury would keep Stone out of the lineup short-term or long-term. The loss of Stone would be another disappointment in the Senators’ season. Stone has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season. The 25-year-old already has broken his career-high in assists with 42 and is on track to have a career-high in goals. He currently has 22 this season. He was one of the few untouchable players at the trade deadline this season.

  • The Boston Bruins announced that Brad Marchand would miss Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper body injury. The move has received a lot of attention as the forward was yanked at the last minute before the game, just one day after Marchand had another collision with a player, this time with Chicago’s Anthony Duclair. Many believe the team held him out as a precaution from potential retribution.
  • Speaking of Duclair, Tracey Myers of NHL.com writes that Duclair was wearing a walking boot on his right leg this morning. Coach Joel Quenneville said yesterday after the game that Duclair is expected to miss one to two weeks. Myers added that goaltender Corey Crawford is still not skating with the team, although he is working out on his own.
  • Steve Gorten of the Columbus Dispatch writes that good news could be coming for two players with the Columbus Blue Jackets as defensemen Dean Kukan and Markus Nutivaara are both practicing in full gear and may be close to returning to the team. Kukan and Nutivaara were both injured in the same game on Feb. 16. Kukan, who has been out with an upper-body injury, has appeared in 10 games for Columbus this year. Nutivaara has been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He has played in 51 games so far this season with three goals and 15 assists.
  • Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes that Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, who has been out since Mar. 5 with a knee injury, skated today with no pads and is scheduled to skate tomorrow with pads. No word on how soon, the veteran goaltender is expected to return. The 31-year-old has played 51 games for Dallas, posting a 2.49 GAA and a solid .917 save percentage.

Injury Notes: Marchand, Duclair, Vatrano, Klefbom, Smith, Avalanche, Seeler

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Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand could miss some time — not due to injury — but after another incident in which the forward collided with Chicago Blackhawks winger Anthony Duclair in Saturday’s game. You can see the video here. While on the surface it does look as if Marchand was attempting to avoid Duclair, one has to wonder how the Department of Player Safety will treat the incident after numerous incidents this season. A repeat offender, Marchand served a five-game suspension back in January for concussing New Jersey Devils forward Marcus Johansson.

Marchand was given a two-minute interference penalty on the play, but Duclair was forced to exit the game as he suffered a knee injury. The Blackhawks later announced that he will not return for the rest of the game and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that he will miss one-to-two weeks.

  • Matthew DeFranks of the SunSentinel writes the Florida Panthers have activated forward Frank Vatrano and will make his Panthers debut Saturday night. Vatrano, who was acquired a week before the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins for a third-round pick, will attempt to find his game with the rising Panthers despite missing some time with a high ankle sprain. He is slated to appear on the team’s second line alongside Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau as the team hopes Vatrano could be a valuable addition to their core. After putting up 39 goals in 45 career AHL games, he has struggled in the NHL. With Boston, the 23-year-old had just two goals in 25 games this year and often found himself scratched.
  • Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd MacLellan said defenseman Oscar Klefbom will miss the next two games to undergo a “minor procedure.” With rumors that Klefbom was been playing injured for much of the year, the eventual question will be whether the team should shut him down in the near future.
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp writes that center Reilly Smith was sent back to Las Vegas after he sustained an upper body injury during Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is not playing today and is not expected to be ready for Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Smith is having a career year with 22 goals and 38 assists in his first year with Vegas.
  • Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post writes that the team intends to start Jonathan Bernier today after Bernier has missed the past 10 games with a head injury. Starter Semyon Varlamov has struggled recently having allowed 11 goals in the past three games. The scribe also writes that defenseman Erik Johnson skated Friday in a non-contact jersey. He hasn’t played in a game since Feb. 18. There is no timeline for Johnson, according to head coach Jared Bednar. Forward Vladislav Kamenev, who broke his arm in November after being acquired from Nashville, practiced Friday and is likely to be sent to the AHL for a couple of games on a conditioning stint.
  • Sarah McLellan of the StarTribune writes that defenseman Nick Seeler, who has been dealing with a right bicep strain and the flu, is improving, but did not travel with the team to Vancouver and would only join the team in Edmonton if there is an injury on defense before then.

Snapshots: Coaching Changes, Marchand Fine, McDonagh Debut

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Buried in the news of Ron Francis being replaced as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes was the fact that it was the first major personnel decision of the 2017-18 season. It’s March, well beyond the three-quarter mark of the season, and there has been just one general manager fired (but promoted) and still no coaches. It’s rare to see so much inactivity, but it can likely be linked to the fact that the league’s worst teams – Arizona, Buffalo, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal – all have first- or second-year coaches: Rick Tocchet, Phil Housley, Guy Boucher, Travis Green, and Claude Julien respectively. Unsurprisingly, USA Today’s Kevin Allen lists the head coaches of four of the next five worst teams as being on the hot seat as the end of the season approaches. That includes the Edmonton Oilers’ Todd McLellan, the Detroit Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, the New York Rangers’ Alain Vigneault, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Bill Peters. The most obvious inclusion on this list is Peters, who has an owner looking to make changes and soon a new GM, and has also struggled to get the most out of his talented roster. Quenneville would be the biggest news, should he be removed, as the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, since 2008, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion. The last name on the list who doesn’t quite fit the pattern is the Washington Capitals’ Barry Trotz. Trotz has yet to be offered a contract extension and his future could depend on the Caps’ playoff success this season. However, as Allen states, Trotz would be the prime coaching candidate this summer if he isn’t retained by Washington. As of right now, all of these coaches are safe, but things could change quickly with the season coming to a close. In the meantime, if you would like to apply for the open Hurricanes GM position, here you go.

  • One thing that there has been plenty of in the league this season has been punishment handed down by the NHL Department of Player Safety, as the league has focused on cracking down on certain penalties. A player who has gained plenty of attention, fair or not, has been Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Marchand has finally spoken out after his most recent hit, a $2,000 fine for diving. Marchand spoke to the media, saying things like “it’s a small amount of money”, “it’s a joke”, “it’s pretty stupid” and “I don’t care about this.” He did go a step further though, adding “how are they (Player Safety) to tell …they go from being players to management and running the league pretty quickly and forget how to play the game.” While Marchand doesn’t seem to care much about a very minor fine, he is making a point that any fine for diving, the most subjective call in the game, is somewhat unreasonable, especially when the call comes from those who were not even present at the game.
  • While the Bruins are continuing to win behind three straight game-winners from Marchand, their rivals in the Atlantic Division and the President’s Trophy race, the Tampa Bay Lightning, continue to win as well. They’ll get even better starting tonight, as their huge trade deadline acquisition, Ryan McDonagh, is set to make his debut with the team tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Jon Cooper told beat writer Bryan Burns that McDonagh is ready to go, after dealing with an upper-body injury for more than a month. McDonagh’s addition to the Bolts blue line makes them a scary team for anyone to go up against and that includes the Bruins, who play Tampa three more times this season and could very well meet them in the second round of the playoffs.

Minor Transactions: 3/10/18

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There are eleven games on the docket today, including action for each of the league’s top eight teams and a match-up with major wild card implications in Blues-Kings. As teams continue to push toward the playoffs and jockey for position, here are the roster transactions being made before a busy day:

  • Last night, the Colorado Avalanche recalled defenseman David Warsofsky from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. The 27-year-old journeyman rearguard is in his fifth NHL season, but has seen less and less of the NHL ice as the years have gone on. Thus far in 2017-18, Warsofsky has suited up for just six games for the Avs and hasn’t done much to prove he deserves more, with zero points to his credit, zero hits, and just two shot attempts per game. Currently the eighth defenseman in Denver, don’t expect Warsofsky to be the spark that ignites a playoff-clinching stretch run for Colorado.
  • Ahead of their Original Six matinee match-ups today and tomorrow versus the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks added some grit to their lineup in the form of John Hayden. The team announced this morning that they had called up Hayden from AHL Rockford and he will play this afternoon in Boston. The move was an emergency recall, with Vinnie Hinostroza dealing with family issues, but also a timely addition for Chicago. With Tommy Wingels gone, ironically to the Bruins, the ’Hawks could use a degree of toughness, which the 6’3″, 220-lb Hayden certainly brings. The Yale product has 11 points in 39 games with Chicago this year, as well as 103 hits and 43 penalty minutes.
  • Another Central Division moves comes from the Winnipeg Jets, who have brought back Tucker Poolman. It was a brief demotion for the young defenseman, who has spent much of the season as an extra man for the Jets. Poolman, playing in his first pro season out of the University of North Dakota, has played in 15 games with Winnipeg, recording just one point, and 17 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose crammed into several short trips, where he has posted 10 points.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have recalled journeyman defenseman Chris Butler from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL today under emergency conditions. Butler has been up and down several times this season, but has only appeared in two games for the Blues. While there is no official word on who is out, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmerman writes that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo did not practice Friday.

Minor Transactions: 03/09/18

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Another week down in the NHL and the playoffs are coming quickly. With as few as 14 games remaining for some teams, every single night matters immensely in the playoff race. Tonight, even though there are just four games on the schedule, many eyes will be on the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars. Those two are tied in the standings with 80 points, and are in a dog fight for the last few spots. While we get ready for that, keep track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have sent Carl Dahlstrom to the Rockford IceHogs, leaving them with just six defensemen on the roster. There hasn’t been a corresponding move, but one would think someone is on their way back up tomorrow. Dahlstrom has played 11 games for the Blackhawks this season, recording his first three NHL points and showing that he can be a part of the solution going forward. With extensions to Jan Rutta and Erik Gustafsson in recent days, when the first full-time opportunity will come for Dahlstrom isn’t clear.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Brett Lernout from the AHL, bringing up the defenseman once again for a taste of the NHL. The 22-year old Lernout has played six NHL games across the last three seasons, and should get some time down the stretch to show what he can do at the highest level.
  • It’s been a month and a half since Travis Sanheim was sent back to the minor leagues, but he’ll finally get another chance with the Philadelphia Flyers. The 21-year old defenseman has been recalled and will be available for tomorrow’s afternoon matchup with the Winnipeg Jets. Sanheim played 35 games with the Flyers before being sent down, registering five points. In 18 AHL contests he recorded 16 points and generally showed that he’s ready for the next level.
  • Justin Bailey is on his way back up to Buffalo, after playing seven games in the NHL earlier this year. The 22-year old forward has three points on the season, but could be given an opportunity to prove that he belongs on the Sabres roster to start next year. Bailey is another relatively early draft pick of the Sabres who hasn’t worked out just yet, something that has become all too familiar to the organization lately.

Jan Rutta Signs Contract Extension With Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks are busy locking up some pending free agents, and have moved on to Jan Rutta. Today the team announced that Rutta has signed a one-year contract extension that will take him through the 2018-19 season. Rutta was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July, but will be around for at least one more season. The deal carries a cap hit of $2.25MM, though the breakdown of salary to signing bonus has not yet been reported.

Rutta, 27, was signed out of the Czech professional league last summer after an impressive performance at the World Championships. Though the Czechs wouldn’t win a medal, Rutta and several teammates were the talk of the tournament and drew a ton of NHL interest. It’s paid off this season, as the defenseman has 19 points in 43 games with the Blackhawks and has taken on more responsibility as the season has progressed. Though he doesn’t engage physically as often as one might expect for a 6’3″ player, he still can hold his own in the defensive zone and get pucks up quickly to the Chicago forward group. He’s been one of the team’s key penalty killers when in the lineup, trailing only Gustav Forsling in average short-handed ice time.

The Blackhawks recently re-signed Erik Gustafsson for two years at a $1.2MM AAV, meaning that they have basically all of their defensemen from this season under contract going forward. Though Cody Franson will expire at year’s end, everyone from Brent Seabrook to Forsling are now signed for at least one more season. While that may be disappointing to many Blackhawks fans, there is still lots of time left to shake things up to try and get a different result in 2018-19.

Like every offseason, the Blackhawks will have some interesting decisions to make regarding cap space. After signing Rutta, the team has somewhere around $10MM to spend depending on where the cap ceiling lands for 2018-19. That’s not taking into account new contracts for Anthony Duclair, Vinnie Hinostroza, Tomas Jurco and John Hayden, which could eat away even further. That doesn’t leave a ton of room for improvement, meaning a player like Artem Anisimov could be on the block once his no-movement clause turns into a partial no-trade clause this summer.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the financial details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Chicago Blackhawks Extend Erik Gustafsson, Sign Tyler Sikura

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced a few contracts this morning, giving out a two-year extension to Erik Gustafsson, while signing Tyler Sikura to a one-year contract. Sikura had been playing under an AHL deal with the Rockford IceHogs, while Gustafsson was likely going to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

If the last name rings a bell, it’s important to note that Sikura is not the well-regarded prospect currently playing at Northeastern. That’s his younger brother Dylan Sikura, who should also join the Blackhawks organization after his season is over. No, this is Tyler, the 25-year old  minor league veteran who went undrafted before attending (and captaining) Dartmouth College. With 25 points in 57 games for the IceHogs this season, Sikura has earned himself an NHL contract and a chance to potentially play with his brother next season.

Gustafsson on the other hand has played 19 games for the Blackhawks this season, which wasn’t enough to eclipse the 80 (total) he needs to avoid hitting Group VI free agency. The 25-year old defenseman has shown enough ability to contribute to the NHL team, at least in a depth role, and will now be with them through 2019-20. He was making the league minimum this season on a two-way deal, and will see a slight raise as the extension carries a $1.2MM average annual value. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic the breakdown for Gustafsson is as follows:

  • 2018-19: $800K salary + $200K signing bonus
  • 2019-20: $1.0MM salary + $400K signing bonus

Morning Notes: Player Poll, Draft Lottery, Matthews

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The NHLPA released its annual Player Poll, where it asks members to vote on a variety of things from fastest skater to best role model. Sidney Crosby’s name was understandably everywhere, leading categories like “most difficult to play against” and even getting some love in the top player of all-time.

Interestingly, the players were also asked which coach they would most like to play for and Joel Quenneville came out on top. With things deteriorating in Chicago, many have wondered whether Quenneville would be back in 2018-19 for the Blackhawks. If the player’s opinions mean anything, there is certainly still an appetite for him to be behind the bench.

  • The NHL Draft Lottery is a huge event these days, and with Rasmus Dahlin the top prize the draw will be just as exciting as ever. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the unofficial date that’s being considered is April 28th, which would be less than eight weeks from now. Remember, three non-playoff teams will be selected to move up in the draft, and while the worst team has the best chance, it’s still more likely that someone else takes home the first-overall pick.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are reeling recently, dropping four straight games and looking disjointed without their top forward on the ice. Luckily, the team welcomed Auston Matthews back to the beginning of practice today according to Kristen Shilton of TSN, though he remained in a non-contact sweater. Matthews had completed some work before practice by himself, and is getting closer to a return from the injury that he suffered against the Islanders on February 22nd.

Poll: Which Club Is Most Likely To Bounce Back?

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The 2017-18 season has not been good to preseason prognosticators. No one saw the Vegas Golden Knights going from expansion to excellence, and few could predict the disappointing seasons in Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal. Many even had the Oilers as a Western Conference favorite before the season began, thanks in large part (or entirely) to Connor McDavid’s ascent to the top of the league.

Now, as we head into the last few weeks of the regular season, it’s becoming clear who will finish the year at the very bottom. Amazingly, the Colorado Avalanche are not among the worst teams in the league despite having a historically-bad season in 2016-17. That bounce back is exactly what every non-playoff club will attempt next season, hoping that a few tweaks and some natural progression will get them right back into the hunt.

Of those teams already considered out of the running, which one is most likely to make the playoffs next season? Is it Edmonton, thanks once again to McDavid’s skill? Or a team like Vancouver who have their own young talents to build around? Will success ever come to Arizona or Buffalo?

Vote below, and make sure to list your reasons in the comments.

Which team is most likely to bounce back?
Chicago Blackhawks 38.10% (653 votes)
Edmonton Oilers 28.70% (492 votes)
Montreal Canadiens 7.88% (135 votes)
Buffalo Sabres 7.58% (130 votes)
Detroit Red Wings 6.24% (107 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 4.14% (71 votes)
Ottawa Senators 3.91% (67 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 3.44% (59 votes)
Total Votes: 1,714

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference

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After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:

Deadline Day

Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny

St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar

Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick

 

Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick

Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick

 

San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane

Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera

New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm

Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic

 

Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow

Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick

 

Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore

Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick

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