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Injury Notes: Blues, Coburn, Spurgeon, Carrier, Franson, Rutta, Jagr

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Injury news seems to be a daily affair in St. Louis as the St. Louis Blues are dealing multiple injuries at once, especially after the team learned that defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is expected to miss the weekend after he was put on injured reserve Friday with an unspecified injury, according to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Now, Chris Pinkert of NHL.com writes that the team has a new injury to worry about as the team’s fourth-line center, Kyle Brodziak, is likely to miss Saturday’s game and is day-to-day with an unknown injury.

“He’s a little dinged up, that’s why he didn’t practice yesterday. We were hoping he could come in and feel better today, but that wasn’t the case,” Blues head coach Mike Yeo said. “Hopefully he feels better tomorrow.”

Timmerman adds in a tweet that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is making progress, but his status for Sunday’s game (the first game he is eligible for against the Winnipeg Jets is unknown. The scribe points out, however, that since it’s the second game of a home-and-home against the Jets, it’s unlikely the team would carry just six defensemen for two straight games, which suggests the team is confident that Pietrangelo will likely play on Sunday. Another factor on defense was the status of veteran defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, whose status was questionable Friday after taking a shot off his right leg, which forced him to leave practice yesterday. Pinkert adds that he’s OK and is expected to play Saturday.

Other injury notes in the NHL:

  • Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith tweets that defenseman Braydon Coburn is likely to return tonight against the Avalanche. Coburn has missed seven games and hasn’t played since Nov. 29 with a lower-body injury. The 32-year-old veteran has seven assists in 25 games this season.
  • With Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon not playing in today’s matchup against the Oilers, The Athletic’s Michael Russo tweets that it’s likely that Spurgeon will return to the Wild for tomorrow’s matchup with the Blackhawks. He has missed nine games for Minnesota with a groin injury. The 28-year-old has three goals and 12 assists in 23 games this season.
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp tweets that winger William Carrier, who has missed nine straight games with an upper-body injury, continues to practice in a non-contact jersey, but a return could be coming soon. Carrier’s presence and toughness has been missed. He has one goal and one assist in 20 games.
  • The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine tweets that Cody Franson and Jan Rutta could be back on the ice soon, possibly even tomorrow, according to coach Joel Quenneville. Franson has missed three games with an upper-body injury, while Rutta missed Thursday’s game against Winnipeg with an apparent head injury.
  • Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson tweets that Jaromir Jagr is expected back into the lineup today after missing the past six games with a lower-body injury. He is expected to play on the team’s fourth line tonight.

Aaron Dell: “The Next Scott Darling”

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Much was said yesterday about San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell, after Pierre LeBrun profiled him on the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN. LeBrun compared him to a certain former Chicago Blackhawks netminder:

Aaron DellGenerating some interest I think, or at least people are taking notice. Could he be this year’s Scott Darling? The guy that goes from backup to number one. A year ago Darling was entering his UFA year getting a lot of interest. Aaron Dell, also, UFA on July 1st. Now, do the Sharks use him as trade bait closer to the February 26th trade deadline, or do they think about re-signing him as insurance to Martin Jones. We don’t know that yet.

At one point in the offseason, being labeled as this year’s Darling would have been a compliment. After all, Darling hit a big payday in Carolina when he signed a four-year, $16.6MM contract to become their new starter. It was a huge raise for a player who’d only been on a one-way contract for a single season, and had never made more than $600K in a year.

The comparison isn’t even fair on its face. Darling had been the backup in Chicago for three seasons, playing in 75 regular season games with the Blackhawks and posting a superb .923 save percentage. That also came with a five-game stint in the playoffs during Chicago’s 2015 Stanley Cup run where he admirably held the fort and went 4-1 with a .936. Darling had basically never shown anything but an exceptional ability at the NHL level, even if he did come by it later in his professional career.

Dell on the other hand has just 31 appearances under his belt in San Jose, and though so far they’ve been incredible—including a league-leading .939 save percentage this season—it’s hard to crown him a starting goaltender with such little experience.

Scott DarlingAnyone looking to place the mantle of “starter” on him should do so with caution, and you don’t have to look much further than the comparison LeBrun makes. Darling has been one of the biggest disappointments in Carolina this season, posting an .899 save percentage and allowing some unfortunate goals in the process. If he can’t get his game back together, that contract could look awfully bad.

The thing is, these aren’t improving goaltenders. Darling will turn 29 in a week’s time, and Dell isn’t far behind with a birthday in March. They’ve put on solid work as backup goaltenders, but starting in the NHL on a nightly basis is a different game entirely.

It’s true, that San Jose could use Dell as solid trade bait as the season progresses. We’ve examined recently how bad the goaltending market is right now, and that shiny save percentage should entice just about anyone looking for depth at the position. But come July 1st, signing him to a starter-type contract will be a risk. It’s not clear anyone will be willing to take it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Prospect Updates: Kyrou, Cholowski

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The St. Louis Blues are already having a great year. Adding to those good feelings is the performance of 2016 second round pick Jordan Kyrou, who is already approaching his goal totals from last year in nearly half the games. Kyrou notched 94 points last season (30-64) and already has 58 (19-41) this season in just 30 games. Should he play a full slate of 66 games, he’s on pace for 112 points and looks to be trekking in a similar trajectory of Chicago Blackhawks’ winger Alex DeBrincat, who has been scoring as the Hawks had hoped at the NHL level. Kyrou has a slightly bigger frame, the 19-year-0ld has hardly been a secret to the Blues. The St. Louis Dispatch’s Jim Thomas wrote back in November that both Kyrou and fellow Blues prospect and current London Knights center Robert Thomas are “tearing up” the OHL. Kyrou is also one cut away from making the Team Canada roster, where it’s expected he’ll showcase his scoring flair on the world stage in a few weeks.

  • The Detroit Red Wings, on the other hand, need all the help they can get and defenseman Dennis Cholowski, a controversial pick after Detroit passed on grabbing Jakob Chychrun, has seen his stock rise quite a bit since going to the Prince George Cougars of the WHL from St. Cloud State last season. Through 28 games, the speedy d-man has been nearly a point-per-game player with 25 points (8-17). The Red Wings are desperate for a speedy, puck moving defenseman who can contribute at both ends of the ice and anchor the blue line. It was the intent for Cholowski, who certainly had an upside but was viewed as a project. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James believes that Cholowski could be traded to a playoff bound WHL team, which would give him a better competitive opportunity before heading to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins by the end of their season. Though he was just cut by Team Canada (an expected move), the Red Wings brass are certainly crossing their fingers that their gamble to bet on a project instead of a sure-thing in Chychrun will pay off.

Morning Notes: Neil, Chara, Jokiharju

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Chris Neil has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey, ending his career after more than 1,000 games with the Ottawa Senators. The team made the decision not to bring him back early in the offseason, and though he was offered a professional tryout with the Montreal Canadiens (which he declined), never could find a full-time contract offer.

Neil, 38, was beloved by teammates for his work ethic and willingness to protect them on the ice, but will be remembered by the Senators’ organization for more than just his fists. Neil scored 250 points in his career, including a 16-goal season in 2005-06. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Neil around the alumni game on Friday, when two teams of Senators’ legends will take to the ice on Parliament Hill.

  • Zdeno Chara is still enjoying life in the NHL, and told Joe McDonald of Boston Sports Journal recently that though extension talks haven’t come up yet he believes one will be signed with the Bruins eventually. Even at 40, Chara is still logging more than 23 minutes a night for the Bruins and seems ready to continue his career. Earning just $4MM this season in the final season of his seven-year deal, he’s been a relative bargain for the Bruins. If he’s willing to take something similar—or even cheaper—there could still be some value to be added for the next couple of seasons.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic caught up with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Henri Jokiharju ahead of the World Junior tournament at the end of the month, and discussed a wide variety of topics. Jokiharju is starring for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, but will try to make the NHL squad out of camp next season. At just 18-years old, the Finnish defender has 36 points in 31 games, trailing only Kale Clague and Colby Sissons among WHL defensemen. For any Blackhawks fans wondering about the next wave of prospects, he’ll be a must-watch at the junior tournament, when he is part of an excellent defensive corps for Team Finland.

Minor Transactions: 12/13/17

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The transaction freeze is coming quickly in the NHL, as all 31 teams will lock down their rosters between December 19-27th. That means they have just a few days left to make any trades or waiver assignments they need, leading to daily intrigue around the league. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves of the day right here.

  • The St. Louis Blues have swapped backup goaltenders, sending Ville Husso back to San Antonio while calling up Jordan Binnington from the Providence Bruins. The Blues of course don’t have a primary affiliate this season, which explains why their prospects are scattered throughout the league. Husso had been up to fill in for the injured Carter Hutton, but needs playing time of his own to continue his development. Enter Binnington, who can backup Jake Allen for the time being.
  • The Nashville Predators have sent Frederick Gaudreau back to the AHL according to Adam Vingan of the Tenessean meaning that Scott Hartnell or Ryan Johansen are likely back tonight. Gaudreau has three points in 17 games this season.
  • Ville Pokka has been recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks while Cody Franson is moved to injured reserve. The Blackhawks have been waiting for Pokka to make his mark in the NHL since acquiring him in 2014, but he’s continued to struggle with defensive miscues throughout his career. If he does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut and a chance to prove that his offensive value can overcome any lapses in his own end.
  • Ben Harpur has been sent back to the AHL by the Ottawa Senators, though it’s not clear why yet. Head coach Guy Boucher recently said that Mark Borowiecki wasn’t close enough to return yet, and Chris Wideman is still out long-term. Harpur’s assignment leaves the Senators with just six healthy defensmen on the active roster, meaning another move is likely to follow. In the meantime the team has called up forward Nick Paul, bringing him back after his latest stint in the AHL. Paul, a 22-year old winger, has played four games with the Senators this season but has been held scoreless.
  • Arizona has recalled Joel Hanley from the AHL, bringing the 26-year old back for the third time this year. Hanley has played four games for the club this year, and is eligible to be brought up and down as he cleared waivers just a week ago. The team had sent Kyle Capobianco back to the minor leagues to keep him in game action, but needed another defenseman with Niklas Hjalmarsson still not ready to return.
  • The New Jersey Devils have brought Nick Lappin up from the AHL to replace Marcus Johansson, who ends up on injured reserve for the second time this year. Lappin had been tearing up the minor leagues with 12 goals in 23 games, continuing his pattern of finding the back of the net with ease. Johansson is out with an ankle bruise suffered on Saturday.
  • Duncan Siemens has been reassigned to the San Antonio Rampage, as the Colorado Avalanche continue to try and spark something in the first-round pick. Siemens was selected 11th-overall in 2011, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL for any length of time. In five career games, he has zero points.

Tanner Kero, Tyler Graovac Placed On Waivers

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Friday: Kero has cleared waivers and been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. The team has recalled Hinostroza in his place. Graovac has also cleared and been assigned to the minor leagues, though no recall has been made in his place.

Thursday: According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks have decided to place Tanner Kero on waivers today. Kero has been a healthy scratch for the majority of the season, and has three points in eight games on the year. The Blackhawks have lost five straight games and dropped to sixth in the Central Division at 12-11-5.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also reports that Tyler Graovac will join Kero on waivers today, placed there by the Washington Capitals. Graovac has played just five games for the Capitals, but has not scored a point yet this season. Greg McKegg, on waivers yesterday, has cleared.

While Graovac isn’t much of a surprise, given that he was acquired as a depth piece for the Capitals anyway and their team should be getting Andre Burakovsky back any day, Kero’s waiving will turn some heads. The 25-year old was an important piece for the Blackhawks last season, scoring 16 points in 47 games at the NHL level. Though he’s by no means a star, he moved up and down the lineup last season with relative success.

Instead, the Blackhawks seem poised to make a call-up from the minor leagues. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times believes it could be Vinnie Hinostroza, the diminutive 23-year old who seems able to score at will for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Ironically, Hinostroza was actually outscored by Kero last season in a similar number of games (Hinostroza put up 14 points in 49 games).

Mike Keenan Fired By KHL’s Kunlun Red Star

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Once Mike Keenan was stripped of his GM role this week, it was only a matter of time before the veteran coach was out of a job entirely. The KHL’s Kunlun Red Star made it official today, relieving Keenan of his coaching duties. The KHL’s first and only Chinese team had dropped nine straight games and is struggling to get out of the basement of the KHL’s Eastern Conference. Keenan, who joined the team last month and has been coaching in the KHL since 2013, was clearly not the answer for a team still looking to make a dent as a franchise. The evidence: Kunlun won their first game without Keenan behind the bench today.

Keenan of course is well-known for his time as a coach in the NHL. A tough personality to deal with, Keenan found much success in the NHL, but never with the same team for very long. His first head coaching job in the league was with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984-85. Keenan spent four years with the Flyers, the next four years with the Chicago Blackhawks, one year with the New York Rangers in 1993-94, in which he led the team to their most recent Stanley Cup title, then three years with the St. Louis Blues, two years with the Vancouver Canucks, one year with the Boston Bruins, three years with the Florida Panthers, and, in his final NHL job to date, two years with the Calgary Flames ending in 2008-09. Keenan made the jump overseas in 2013 to join Metallurg Magnitogorsk and won a KHL championship in his first season. Keenan joined the Red Star after being fired by Metallurg in 2016.

Keenan’s job with Kunlun now goes to his assistant, former NHLer Bobby Carpenter, with other assistants and former pros Cliff Ronning and Igor Kravchuk sticking by as well. The trio have nearly 3000 games of NHL experience between them and, as almost any coach to ever follow Keenan has found, should be able to relate better to the Red Star players.

Blackhawks Place Corey Crawford On IR

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Seemingly out of nowhere, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed All-Star goaltender Corey Crawford on the injured reserve today, the team announced. The team has recalled J-F Berube from the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs and he and Anton Forsberg will man the Chicago net for as long as Crawford is out with his unidentified injury.

Crawford not only played all sixty minutes for the Blackhawks last night, but even put in some extra time in an overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. At no point was there any clear injury to Crawford, nor did he leave the ice for any span of time. Yet, the Chicago keeper is headed to the IR, putting his team in a tough spot for an indeterminate amount of time. While Crawford has easily been a top ten NHL goalie this season, single-handedly winning some games for the defense-deficient ’Hawks while posting a truly impressive .930 save percentage. Now, he’ll be substituted for two new players to Chicago that have yet to impress. Forsberg, a piece of the Artemi Panarin–Brandon Saad deal, has struggled mightily as Crawford’s backup so far. He has just one win and a 3.67 GAA in five appearance. He’s now the impromptu starter, with Berube – who has been nothing more than pedestrian in the AHL – as the primary backup. Until more is known about Crawford’s condition, this is a scary situation for the Blackhawks, who now have an inexperienced and struggling duo behind an inconsistent defense.

Fortunately, Chicago is quite out of it just yet, despite some early season issues. Their 28 points puts them outside the Central Division’s top three spots, but well within the wild card mix. Even without Crawford, upcoming match-ups with Buffalo, Arizona, and Florida favor the Blackhawks and a quick return for Crawford from whatever ails him could mean little harm comes from this whole unexpected ordeal. A long-term injury is whole other discussion though…

Central Notes: Blackhawks, Anderson, Dotchin

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Always known for their offensive prowess on the ice, the Chicago Blackhawks have hit hard times. Sure, the team isn’t at the bottom when it comes to team scoring (13th overall), but the usual names aren’t showing up in the box scores, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Patrick Kane broke out of his slump on Wednesday with a pair of goals, but he had been fighting a one goal in 10-game slump. Jonathan Toews has two goals in the past 16 games, while Richard Panik hasn’t scored in 12 games. Nick Schmaltz has one goal in 17 games, while defenseman Duncan Keith hasn’t scored yet this season. Throw in Brandon Saad and Nick Schmaltz, who each have one goal in the last 15 and 17 games, respectively.

“It never gets easy,” said Patrick Sharp, who hasn’t scored in the last 15 games. “You think about it all the time. You feel that pressure in tight games, and in losses, definitely. You leave the rink thinking that you could have helped the team in some way.”

Lazerus writes that despite their offensive struggles, the team has been winning, going 3-1-1 in their past five games, which takes a lot of the pressure off the players. With Kane’s two-goal game, many players hope that signifies that the end of some of these slumps may be forthcoming.

  • James Gordon of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that while many people are blaming the Ottawa Senators for the team’s struggles this year, that’s not where the blame should be pointed. The scribe instead looks at the team’s goaltending, particularly the play of veteran Craig Anderson, who last year put up an impressive season in which he had a 2.28 GAA and a .926 save percentage to lead the team into a deep playoff run. Fast forward to this year and the 36-year-old goaltender has a 2.94 GAA and a .896 save percentage. Backup Mike Condon isn’t faring any better and his analysis suggests that both goalies are just making inexcusable mistakes.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin (undisclosed injury) has been placed on injured reserve, according to Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith. Smith also says that Dotchin will be eligible to return on Tuesday and might return by then, but he will sit out two games before he is eligible to return. Cory Conacher will take his place on the roster.

Central Notes: Tarasenko, Jets, Bouma

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The St. Louis Blues extended the Edmonton Oilers’ misery with an 8-3 beating on Tuesday night. But who would have thought the beating would have come not only from the blades of the stick, but from Vladimir Tarasenko’s fists, too? The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann highlights that Tarasenko’s Gordie Howe hat trick last night was just another sign that the Russian superstar is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the Blues as the top of the Western Conference. Tarasenko, along with winning the fight, added two goals, two helpers, and inspired the bench with his willingness to drop the gloves. Though its still early in the season and teams can fade down the stretch, there’s no denying that this tight-knit Blues squad is doing everything right so far.

  • The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn writes (paid content)  that no one saw the Winnipeg Jets being a top-five team at the start of the season. Even with a 79% chance to make the playoffs, according to Luszczyszyn’s projections, he does point out that some red flags exist despite the Jets’ hot start. Winnipeg is ranked in the bottom half of the league in Score-Adjusted Corsi. Additionally, as Luszczyszyn dives into the advanced stats, it reveals that the Jets are trending in the wrong direction statistically–indicating that the team is due to regress from its hot start. Luszczyszyn also presents some numbers that show a cause for concern about Blake Wheeler, who may be seeing his play decline at a quicker rate than many could have predicted.
  • Lance Bouma has been a great addition and his simple approach to the game is paying dividends for the Blackhawks writes the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus. Though his scoresheet stats aren’t exactly setting the league ablaze, it’s his defensive responsibility that is getting the attention. Lazerus reports that aside from the physical side of his game, it’s his ability to advance the puck out of trouble that has kept him as a mainstay in coach Joel Quenneville’s lineup. Bouma isn’t going to get fancy–instead he simply pushes to get the puck out of the defensive zone as quickly as he can. This simplicity, Lazerus writes, is something that some of his teammates could take note of.

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