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Snapshots: Three Stars, Expansion Draft Tool, Senators

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News and notes around the NHL this evening:

  • The NHL named its three stars of the week today: (1st) Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot, (2nd) Chicago Blackhawks center Artem Anisimov, and (3rd) Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green. Cam Talbot leads all goalies in wins, and racked up a 3-0-0 record with a .970 SV% and a 1.00 GAA. Talbot topped it all off with a shutout in the Heritage Classic last night against the Winnipeg Jets. Artem Anisimov led the league in points this week, scoring 4G and 3A in three games. Anisimov has struggled to find his foothold in the NHL, but with more opportunity in the Chicago Blackhawks organization after they shed salary to remain cap compliant, this year could be the year Anisimov fulfills his potential. Finally, Mike Green scored 3G and 2A in four games, though all three came in a 5-1 win against the Ottawa Senators.
  • Capfriendly—PHR’s cap tracker website of choice—has unveiled a new Expansion Draft tool that allows visitors to mock a team’s expansion draft protections. The addition comes a week after the Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka and shut down the General Fanager site, including its popular Expansion Draft tool.
  • The Ottawa Senators have mixed up their offensive lines ahead of their three-game Western road trip, reports Ottawa Sun reporter Bruce Garrioch. The Senators are 3-2 this season and sit 6th of 8 in the Atlantic Division. Tom Pyatt joins Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris, and Ryan Dzingel gets a chance to play with Bobby Ryan and newcomer Derick Brassard. Ottawa has struggled to find chemistry after losing winger Clarke MacArthur to yet another concussion in the pre-season.

Injury Notes: Zatkoff, van Riemsdyk, Little

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 While an exactly length hasn’t been given, Zatkoff has been placed on injured reserve and been replaced by emergency call-up Jack Campbell from the Ontario Reign.

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

Trevor Van Riemsdyk Out Five To Six Weeks

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Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is expected to miss the next five to six weeks with an upper body injury according to a report from Scott Powers of The Athletic.  TSN’s Mark Masters adds (Twitter link) that the blueliner had his right arm in a sling.  The injury was sustained in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Columbus.

Injuries have not been kind to the 25 year old in recent years.  Since January of 2014, he has suffered a broken ankle, a fractured patella, and a wrist injury, the latter two requiring surgeries.  Powers adds that this particular injury is not expected to require surgery.

It has been a tough start to the season for van Riemsdyk.  After playing all 82 games last season, he has seen time in just two of four games this year and last night’s game saw the team dress seven defenders instead of the usual six, reducing his ice time.  He has been held off the scoresheet so far this season but had three goals and 11 assists last year.

In the short-term, this will alleviate the logjam on Chicago’s back end as the team has been carrying eight blueliners since the start of the season.  This certainly won’t help van Riemdsyk’s trade value though as the team continues to shop him around the league.

[Related: Blackhawks Depth Chart]

Blackhawks Notes: Penalty Kill, Motte

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Through just nearly two periods in Friday night’s game against Columbus, the Chicago Blackhawks surrendered their second power play goal, in as many attempts, driving their penalty kill percentage down to an anemic 42%. The statistics revealing just how bad it’s been aren’t encouraging. The Hawks have given up 11 power play goals in just five games, while last season they only let in 46 powerplay goals through 82 games. Dimitri Filipovic tweets a statistical breakdown of Corey Crawford’s significant dip in save percentage when the team is on the kill. His point isn’t to blame Crawford, but instead, highlight the deficiencies of his teammates on the kill.

Strategically speaking, CSN’s Tracey Myers tweets that teams are using a net-front presence to score on the man advantage, and the Hawks seem more than willing to oblige. The Daily Herald’s Jon Dietz reports that the Hawks 5-on-3 marathon against St. Louis started the slide and is a culprit in the Hawks’ early tumble:

One reason the kill rate looks so bad — it was the second-worst in the league going into Monday’s games — is because of how St. Louis took advantage of 3 penalties in 94 seconds in the opener. That led to a 5-on-3 goal late in the second period and another tally early in the third.  Being short-handed for that long is not an easy task, and once a team scores it only breeds more confidence for the next opportunity — especially when that opportunity comes right away.

Dietz adds that the Hawks have done a poor job of clearing the zone, allowing teams more time to setup and prolong shifts, which leads to tired penalty killers. He also mirrors Myers’ thoughts of allowing players to camp out in front of Crawford without impediment.

Then again, should the struggles come as a surprise? Last March, CSN Chicago had a lengthy article centering on the Hawks’ problems shorthanded when they were ranked (at the time) 24th in the league. Though they were missing both Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger at the time, maybe it’s a trend that was forewarned months earlier.

In other Blackhawks news:

  • Tyler Motte scored his first NHL goal against Columbus Friday night. After Jonathan Toews rushed the net and generated a juicy rebound, Motte banged in the opportunity for his first goal as a Chicago Blackhawk.

Bobby Hull A No-Show At Own Ceremony

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One of hockey’s greatest legends decided not to go attend a ceremony celebrating his career, as Bobby Hull skipped out on his jersey retirement by the Winnipeg Jets this week. Hull and his teammates from the 1970’s “Hot Line”, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, were the inaugural class inducted into the Jets Hall of Fame, and the trio had their jerseys raised into the rafters at MTS Centre. To the surprise of many, Hull wasn’t there to see it.

Others were not as surprised. The 77-year-old Hull has somewhat of a dark personal history since his playing days ended. Allegations of domestic abuse emerged not long after he retired, claiming that both during and after his career he threatened his now ex-wife with bodily harm. Hull has also made comments over the years that were blatantly racist and anti-Semitic. There is always an issue in sports as to where to draw the line between player and person. When Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 without much worry over his personal life, and his public support of son Brett Hull was rarely met with public comment or further inquiry as well. Since the Hull family has left the NHL though, the lack of hockey relevance for Bobby has led to more focus on his past words and actions, creating a large population of fans who are now disgusted by a player they once revered.

Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that as a player, Bobby Hull has earned his spot in Winnipeg Jets history. No player had a greater impact on the establishment of the team, and on the World Hockey Association altogether, than Hull. Fans from his playing days in both Winnipeg and Chicago will always remember Hull as a champion, All-Star, and all-around legend on the ice. However, as time passes and fewer fans from 60’s and 70’s remain, Hull will not be able to escape his negative past if he chooses to expose himself to the spotlight of the hockey world. Likely looking to stay irrelevant and to avoid further damage to his tarnished reputation and legacy, Hull did not attend his own ceremony last night. For many reasons and for many people, it is a sad situation.

Trevor Van Riemsdyk On The Block

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According to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is available to interested teams. After missing out on Nail Yakupov and going all in with several young, unproven kids up front, Chicago is now hoping to bring in a veteran forward to help out, and they are dangling van Riemsdyk as trade bait. Whether or not the 25-year-old defenseman is enough to get the deal done is another matter.

Since signing with the Blackhawks out of the University of New Hampshire in 2014, van Riemsdyk has yet to find the same success in the NHL as older brother James van Riemsdyk. His rookie year in 2014-15, he played in 18 games, recording just one point. Last season, he actually played in all 82 games for Chicago, but again was somewhat of a non-factor, with just 14 points and a -5 rating playing on the bottom pair. Yet, the Blackhawks re-signed the RFA defenseman to an affordable, two-year extension this summer. To begin the new campaign, van Riemsdyk got the call in the season opener at home, but was unimpressive in a 5-2 blowout loss to the rival St. Louis Blues. In the three games since, van Riemsdyk has yet to play. Now, it seems as if his time in Chicago altogether could be coming to an end. The signings of Brian Campbell and Michal Kempny, breakout of Gustav Forsling, and presence of veteran Michal Rosival as the extra defenseman and several others with NHL experience down on the farm has made van Riemsdyk more than expendable. Although his contract is cheap, the Blackhawks have seen him in action in over 100 NHL games and believe that his play leaves something to be desired.

Chicago’s hope is that someone else sees potential in van Riemsdyk. They want to leverage their depth on the blue line into help up front. Not quite a prospect at 25, the Blackhawks have to hope that they can find a desperate, D-needy team looking for a depth defenseman capable of playing big minutes. Otherwise, van Riemsdyk alone will not be enough to net the veteran forward that Chicago wants. Given the team’s cap crunch, the Blackhawks will either have to ship out more salary than just van Riemsdyk’s $825K cap hit, or offer a package enticing enough to get the other team to retain salary. In either scenario, van Riemsdyk alone is not enough to get the player that GM Stan Bowman would like. It is possible that they acquire an affordable, low-ceiling depth player straight up for van Riemsdyk, and continue to give major ice time and responsibility to Tyler Motte, Ryan Hartman, Nick Schmaltz and Vinnie Hinostroza, but that does not seem to be the ideal plan for Bowman.

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

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

Other tidbits from Friedman

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

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

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

Snapshots: Malkin, Athanasiou, Subban

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Penguins writer Sam Kasan reports that with Sidney Crosby out for indefinitely, the Penguins are looking at Evgeni Malkin as the man to lead the team in his absence. A mainstay in Pittsburgh since being drafted second overall in 2004, teammate Chris Kunitz comments that having Malkin is a huge plus that most teams in the NHL don’t have:

“Most teams don’t have that luxury. ’Geno’ is an important guy for us. He’s going to get more offensive zone time for himself with ’Sid’ being out and showed (Thursday) that he can change a game at any time.”

Kasan writes that Malkin already put the team on his back after having a breakaway goal, assist, and a shootout goal in the Pens’ 3-2 victory over Washington. Malkin admits that it’s not easy being with Crosby, but adds that he feels his confidence is back after having a sub-par performance in the World Cup of Hockey.

In other news from around the league:

  • Ansar Khan tweeted earlier that the Red Wings are already shuffling lines in the wake of a 6-4 loss at the hands of Stanley Cup favorite Tampa Bay Thursday night. The Red Wings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and held a 3-1 lead before the Lightning reeled off four straight goals. The Detroit penalty kill had a busy night while the line of Steve Ott, Drew Miller, and Luke Glendening had a statistically brutal evening. Khan reported that Andreas Athanasiou was slotted into a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Frans Nielsen, while Ott was working into the fourth line. Khan later tweeted that those would indeed be the lines for Saturday’s contest against Florida, meaning that Ott would be the odd man out. This could be an early indicator that head coach Jeff Blashill will truly mix and match in order to find a spark, and will be quick to yank players from the lineup swiftly, whether they’re veterans or rookies. Last season, Athanasiou had 14 points (9-5) in 37 games and did so averaging just over nine minutes on the ice.
  • PK Subban notched his first goal as a Nashville Predator with a blistering slap shot in the first period of Nashville’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. Subban, who was traded for Shea Weber on June 29, ripped a shot from just inside the blue line to even the score at one. Known for his enthusiasm, and philanthropy during his time in Montreal, Nashville has fallen in love with its new star and the success expected on the ice should only increase his legend in the Music City.

Hjalmarsson Returns To Blackhawks Lineup

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The Chicago Blackhawks failed to impress in their first game of the season, losing 5-2 to division rivals St. Louis. Despite the ugly loss, there are plenty of reasons to believe Chicago will be better when they visit the Nashville Predators on Friday night, namely the return of Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Hjalmarsson was suspended for much of the pre-season and the first game of the regular season for a charge/ hit to the head of St. Louis forward Ty Rattie. Hjalmarsson is one of the top defensive defensemen in the NHL, and a very good penalty killer. After the Blues scored three powerplay goals on the Hawks, Hjalmarsson returning to the PK will be a welcome addition.

The Blackhawks have great depth on the backend, with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, Brian Campbell, Gustav Forsling, Michal Kempny, and Trevor Van Riemsdyk. The latter struggled in the home opener, taking two bad penalties. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times believes Van Riemsdyk will be the healthy scratch tonight, after Kempny and Forsling both had solid NHL debuts.

Van Riemsdyk admits he has work to do, but is glad the Blackhawks have some competition on the blue line, saying it “always brings out the best in you.”

Whoever sits out, the Blackhawks will dress a dependable defence against P.K. Subban and the skilled Predators.

Calgary Flames Closing In On Deal With Kris Versteeg

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Update (1:10pm): In a follow-up tweet, Dreger pegs the value of Versteeg’s one-year deal with the Flames at $950K pending final approval.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, Kris Versteeg’s time with another club has come to an end. He’ll be leaving the Oilers, and is close to a deal with the Calgary Flames instead. The veteran winger also was close to a deal in Switzerland earlier this summer, before taking a PTO from the Oilers. Dreger says that the deal with the Flames would be for one year, somewhere under $1MM.

Versteeg, 30, has been a solid contributor in the league for nearly a decade now, scoring 30+ points six different times, while playing for seven different teams. He’s the perfect trade deadline addition (as many teams have found out), as he can provide depth on the wing and play anywhere up or down a lineup.

A former fifth-round pick, Versteeg has accomplished more than most first rounders do in their career, winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 before beginning his journeyman path. The Flames will try and take advantage of that playoff experience – Versteeg has 44 points in 89 career playoff games – and get back to the postseason this year. One of their biggest weaknesses was depth on the wing, which Versteeg would fill admirably.

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