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Marc-Andre Fleury Added To COVID Protocol

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Collin Delia from the AHL after Marc-Andre Fleury entered the COVID protocol. The team has also activated Calvin de Haan from the protocol while moving Brett Connolly to the taxi squad.

Chicago is set to resume their season on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets, but it appears as though Fleury will not be available to them. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been good of late, raising his season save percentage to .913 in the process. Though he’s 9-10-1 overall, Fleury went 4-1-1 in December and helped the Blackhawks climb out of the league basement.

Delia meanwhile has played in just nine games this season, all at the AHL level. The 27-year-old undrafted netminder once looked like he might be part of the future in Chicago, but has regressed in recent seasons and has just a .907 for the Rockford IceHogs this year. Still a capable fill-in, it remains to be seen how the Blackhawks navigate the goaltending position with Fleury out. Kevin Lankinen figures to get the start on Wednesday should the game proceed as planned.

NHL Announces More Postponements

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The NHL has officially announced the temporary formation of taxi squads and three additional postponements. The following games will be rescheduled for later in the season:

  • Columbus Blue Jackets at Chicago Blackhawks, December 28
  • Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs, December 29
  • Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators, December 29

The other games scheduled for Tuesday are set to play as originally planned, though there will be continued testing that could change that. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff writes that more players are expected to be placed in the COVID protocol tomorrow when test results have been confirmed.

In addition to the postponements, the league has officially revealed the new taxi squad rules. As previously reported, they will be in place from today through each team’s final game prior to the All-Star Break. It will have a maximum of six players at any time, will be subject to normal waiver requirements and no player may spend more than 20 cumulative days on the taxi squad.

There have also been temporary modifications to the CBA, allowing some salary cap relief for clubs dealing with COVID absences. Roster Emergency Exception recalls are now allowed to be players with a cap hit of up to $1MM (previously it had been limited at $850K). Teams can now recall a goaltender under emergency conditions–i.e. if they have fewer than two goaltenders on the active roster–without playing a game short. That means we won’t continue to see EBUGs pop up around the league (or at least not as often).

The full changes can be found here.

Should Kyle Davidson Have The Interim Tag Removed?

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  • Kyle Davidson has only been the interim GM of the Blackhawks for two months but Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times feels that the 33-year-old has shown enough to take the job on a full-time basis. Davidson has already made one significant change with the dismissal of Jeremy Colliton behind the bench plus a handful of smaller moves but he has had his hands in other parts of this team having been with Chicago since 2011.  Even with that longer-term connection, Pope believes that Davidson should be able to evaluate things without any pre-existing biases which would be critical if he retains the role but that the team would be wise to bring in a president of hockey operations to oversee things and provide some experience in the front office.

2022 WJC Participants By NHL Team

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The 2022 World Junior Championships will get underway from Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta on Sunday. As is the norm and to be expected from the top U-20 competition in the world, the World Junior tournament field is loaded with drafted NHL talent. While most nations don’t have the prospect depth to form a roster completely composed of NHL prospects and those that do have opted to include some younger, future draft picks, there are still a whopping 106 drafted players on WJC rosters. Nine of ten WJC have at least one current NHL prospect and six of those nine have at least ten draft picks. Those players come from 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams, with the Carolina Hurricanes leading the way with ten prospects. While enjoying the WJC action in the coming days, keep track of who may one day be playing at the highest level:

Anaheim Ducks (4):
F Mason McTavish, Canada
D Ian Moore, USA
F Sasha Pastujov, USA
D Olen Zellweger, Canada

Arizona Coyotes (1):
F Dylan Guenther, Canada

Boston Bruins (1):
F Fabian Lysell, Sweden

Buffalo Sabres (4):
F Jakub Konecny, Czechia
D Nikita Novikov, Russia
D Owen Power, Canada
F Isak Rosen, Sweden

Calgary Flames (1):
F Matt Coronato, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (10):
F Nikita Guslistov, Russia
D Aleski Heimosalmi, Finland
D Ville Koivunen, Finland
D Scott Morrow, USA
F Zion Nybeck, Sweden
D Joel Nystrom, Sweden
F Alexander Pashin, Russia
F Vasily Ponomarev, Russia
G Nikita Quapp, Germany
D Ronan Seeley, Canada

Chicago Blackhawks (4):
G Drew Commesso, USA
D Wyatt Kaiser, USA
D Michael Krutil, Czechia
F Landon Slaggert, USA

Colorado Avalanche (1):
F Oskar Olausson, Sweden

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):
F Kent Johnson, Canada
D Samuel Knazko, Slovakia
F Martin Rysavy, Czechia
D Stanislav Svozil, Czechia

Dallas Stars (4):
F Mavrik Bourque, Canada
F Daniel Ljungman, Sweden
F Logan Stankoven, Canada
F Albert Sjoberg, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (8):
G Jan Bednar, Czechia
G Sebastian Cossa, Canada
D Simon Edvinsson, Sweden
F Carter Mazur, USA
F Theodor Niederbach, Sweden
F Redmond Savage, USA
D Donovan Sebrango, Canada
D Eemil Viro, Finland

Edmonton Oilers (2):
F Xavier Borgault, Canada
D Luca Munzenberger, Germany

Florida Panthers (5):
F Elliot Ekmark, Sweden
D Kasper Puutio, Finland
F Mackie Samoskevich, USA
F Ty Smilanic, USA
F Justin Sourdif, Canada

Los Angeles Kings (6):
F Martin Chromiak, Slovakia
D Brock Faber, USA
D Helge Grans, Sweden
F Samuel Helenius, Finland
D Kirill Kirsanov, Russia
F Kasper Simontaival, Finland

Minnesota Wild (6):
F Marat Khusnutdinov, Russia
D Carson Lambos, Canada
F Pavel Novak, Czechia
D Ryan O’Rourke, Canada
D Jack Peart, USA
G Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden

Montreal Canadiens (3):
D Kaiden Guhle, Canada
F Oliver Kapanen, Finland
F Jan Mysak, Czechia

Nashville Predators (4):
G Yaroslav Askarov, Russia
F Simon Knak, Switzerland*
D Anton Olsson, Sweden
F Fedor Svechkov, Russia

New Jersey Devils (4):
F Alexander Holtz, Sweden
D Luke Hughes, USA
G Jakub Malek, Czechia
D Shakir Mukhamadullin, Russia

New York Islanders (0)

New York Rangers (4):
F Brett Berard, USA
F William Cuylle, Canada
G Dylan Garand, Canada
F Kalle Vaisanen, Finland

Ottawa Senators (5):
F Ridly Greig, Canada
F Roby Jarventie, Finland
D Tyler Kleven, USA
G Leevi Merilainen, Finland
D Jake Sanderson, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (3):
D Emil Andrae, Sweden
F Elliot Desnoyers, Canada
D Brian Zanetti, Switzerland*

Pittsburgh Penguins (3):
G Joel Blomqvist, Finland
G Calle Clang, Sweden
F Kirill Tankov, Russia

St. Louis Blues (3):
F Tanner Dickinson, USA
D Leo Loof, Sweden
F Jake Neighbors, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):
F William Eklund, Sweden

Seattle Kraken (2):
F Matthew Beniers, USA
D Ville Ottavainen, Finland

Tampa Bay Lightning (0)

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):
F Roni Hirvonen, Finland
F Matthew Knies, USA
D Topi Niemala, Finland

Vancouver Canucks (1):
F Dmitry Zlodeyev, Russia

Vegas Golden Knights (4):
F Jakub Brabenec, Czechia
D Lukas Cormier, Canada
F Jakub Demek, Slovakia
G Jesper Vikman, Sweden

Washington Capitals (1):
F Oskar Magnusson, Sweden

Winnipeg Jets (4):
F Nikita Chibrikov, Russia
F Chaz Lucius, USA
F Cole Perfetti, Canada
F Daniel Torgersson, Sweden

*Switzerland roster pending finalization on Sunday; team has been in COVID-19 quarantine since Thursday but will be ready to begin tournament and participate as schedule, the Swiss announced.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2021-22 season and beyond.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $84,388,897 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Kirby Dach (one year, $925K)
F Reese Johnson (one year, $881K)
F Philipp Kurashev (one year, $843K)

Potential Bonuses
Dach: $2.5MM
Entwistle: $32.5K
Kurashev: $32.5K
Total: $2.565MM

Dach hasn’t progressed as much as anyone in the Chicago organization had hoped.  At 20, he’s still certainly young enough to be a long-term fixture for them but he’s not there yet.  As a result, a bridge deal is quite likely and he’ll have to pick up his play to have a shot at any of his four ‘A’ bonuses worth $212.5K each.  Kurashev has been a useful player that has moved up and down the lineup but his production has been limited each season.  He should be able to get a small raise but it won’t be on a long-term deal.  Johnson has spent most of the season on the big club in a limited role and seems like a good candidate to take a minimum NHL salary next summer in exchange for a higher AHL salary.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Ryan Carpenter ($1MM, UFA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury ($7MM, UFA)
D Calvin de Haan ($4.55MM, UFA)
F Kurtis Gabriel ($750K, UFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($850K, UFA)
D Caleb Jones ($850K, RFA)
F Dominik Kubalik ($3.7MM, RFA)
G Kevin Lankinen ($800K, UFA)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM, UFA)
F Dylan Strome ($3MM, RFA)

Shaw has been on LTIR all season and won’t return but his cap relief will keep Chicago in compliance to the salary cap.  Kubalik’s third NHL campaign hasn’t gone anywhere as well as his first two as he has been more of a depth scorer this season.  He’s owed a $4MM qualifying offer in the summer and that might be too pricey for the Blackhawks to afford which would put him on the open market in a spot to take a pay cut.  They’re in a similar situation with Strome who has struggled to even crack the lineup this season.  A $3.6MM qualifier is what is required and it seems quite unlikely that will be tendered.  Instead, something closer to $2MM on the open market may be doable.  Carpenter is a capable checker but as someone that’s best suited for the fourth line, he’ll be hard-pressed to get much more than that on the open market.  Gabriel was just acquired from Toronto and after clearing waivers at the start of the season, it’s safe to suggest he’ll be capped at a minimum deal next year.

In his prime, de Haan was a quality shutdown defender but he hasn’t been that player for the last few seasons.  He can still kill penalties and play on the third pairing but with no offense to speak of, he’s someone that should be landing closer to $1MM on the open market in the summer.  Jones has been limited due to injury this season which doesn’t help his free agent case.  A small raise beyond the required 5% in his qualifying offer is reasonable but he’s not going to break the bank and a long-term contract makes no sense for him.  Gustafsson caught on with Chicago late in training camp and has been better in his own end although that has coincided with a drop-off in production.  For a player known for his production, that’s not ideal.  It’s hard to see him doing better in free agency in July as a result.

Now 37, Fleury is clearly nearing the end of his career.  He’s having an okay season but he’s going to have a hard time selling himself as a sure-fire starter in the summer.  A one-year deal around half of his current price tag – still in that higher tier for a platoon goalie – may be a more reasonable target if he wants to play another year.  Lankinen is having a tough year compared to his rookie season which isn’t going to help his case in free agency.  He’ll be able to land a raise based on that first year but he looks likelier to settle for something in the lower end of the backup market in the $1.25MM to $1.75MM range.

Two Years Remaining

F Henrik Borgstrom ($1MM, RFA)
F Brett Connolly ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Alex DeBrincat ($6.4MM, RFA)
F Patrick Kane ($10.5MM, UFA)
F Jujhar Khaira ($975K, UFA)
F Jonathan Toews ($10.5MM, UFA)

Kane and Toews have been linked together for well over a decade now and are on their second set of identical contracts.  That won’t happen again two years from now, however.  Kane continues to produce at a top-line rate and while that could change between now and then, there still should be enough interest in him on a medium-term deal for him to remain one of the higher-paid wingers in the league.  That shouldn’t be the case for Toews.  He has struggled considerably this season after missing all of last year due to illness.  Aside from an outlier in 2018-19, he hasn’t produced at a top center level in a while.  If he can turn it around and still produce like a second liner, he could land a deal around half of his current price tag.  But if his current struggles are a sign of things to come, that price tag will be going down even further.

DeBrincat is a particularly interesting RFA case in 2023.  His contract, although it kicked in after the rule change for the qualifying offer, still goes by the old rules since it was signed early.  That means his qualifying offer is $9MM instead of 120% of his AAV.  Right now, there are 19 forwards in the league at that price tag or more and quite a few are centers.  DeBrincat is scoring like a high-end winger but his size is always going to give some teams pause.  It’d be difficult to envision Chicago non-tendering him unless his production falls off a cliff next season but will they be ready to hand him a Kane-like contract to buy out the remaining prime years of his career?  The Blackhawks can offer less but with DeBrincat being a year away from UFA eligibility, he could simply accept the qualifier.  Whoever is at the helm next summer – either interim GM Kyle Davidson or someone else – this is a file that they’ll want to try to address.

Borgstrom’s return to North America hasn’t gone well as he has had a limited role when he has been in the lineup and hasn’t done much with it.  If that continues, he’ll be a non-tender candidate even at a $1.1MM qualifying offer due to his arbitration eligibility.  Connolly is who they took on to add Borgstrom plus some other pieces.  He’s an NHL-caliber player but is making much more than he should.  He’s someone that should be closer to $1MM on the open market and he could get there this summer if Chicago needs to free up some short-term cap room.  Khaira is a capable checker but nothing much has changed for him since he hit the market last summer after being non-tendered.  Accordingly, it’s reasonable to project his next contract should check in close to this one.

Three Years Remaining

F Mackenzie Entwistle ($812K this season, $800K through 2023-24, RFA)
F Brandon Hagel ($1.5MM, RFA)
F Mike Hardman ($913K this season, $800K through 2023-24, RFA)
D Riley Stillman ($1.35MM, RFA)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM, UFA)

Johnson was acquired from Tampa Bay over the summer to give them some extra center depth while adding a second-round pick in exchange for a player who won’t play again (Brent Seabrook).  There’s some value in what they got but it remains an above-market contract and as tight as they are to the cap ceiling, it’s fair to wonder if that was the best utilization of that money.  Hagel has turned into a reliable secondary scorer and was a good undrafted free agent pickup.  As long as he can even hold his own on the third line (and he’s doing better than that now), they’ll get a nice return on their deals.  Entwistle and Hardman are currently on entry-level deals but signed cheap one-way extensions that can be cleared off the cap entirely if they lose their spot.  Otherwise, they’re decent depth pieces for just above the league minimum.

Stillman was the other player of note brought on when they took on Connolly’s contract.  He’s not playing heavy minutes but he’s a regular part of Chicago’s back end.  Assuming he can hold down that sixth spot moving forward, they’ll get okay value at least on this contract but they’re certainly hoping he’ll be able to take on a bigger role down the road.

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Calvin De Haan Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the few teams left in the league without a player in the COVID protocol–until now. Calvin de Haan has been added to the protocol today, meaning they won’t be able to get through the holiday break unaffected. Notably, de Haan had missed the last two games with what was dubbed a “non-COVID illness.”

That diagnosis appears to have changed, though the team did not technically confirm that de Haan has tested positive for coronavirus. Like the rest of his protocol peers, de Haan will be held out for a minimum of ten days if he has tested positive and is experiencing symptoms. That would mean he is at a minimum not available for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, and likely means he’s also out for December 28/29 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets.

While not the player he once was, de Haan is still a regular part of the Blackhawks lineup and averages nearly 19 minutes a night. He has failed to register a single point through 26 games this season.

Brett Connolly Suspended Four Games

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The verdict is in for Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly.  The Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that they have issued him a four-game suspension for his interference incident on Stars winger Tanner Kero on Saturday.

In the video, it was noted that Connolly tried to argue that it was more of a collision than an intentional body check.  However, while the league acknowledged that it wasn’t a full-force collision, it was still a suspendable offense:

It is important to note that Kero was never in possession of the puck on this play and therefore is not eligible to be checked in any manner.  Fully aware of Kero’s presence and, with a substantial amount of time to change his path, avoid the contact entirely, move toward the wall to seal off the boards, or do more to minimize the impact on Kero, Connolly braces himself for impact and skates directly through his opponent.  And because Kero is never close to being in possession of the puck, he is in no way braced for contact, making him substantially more vulnerable. 

In the ruling, the league also acknowledged Kero’s injury as a factor but also that Connolly had no prior history of any fines or suspensions.  He will forfeit $70K in salary as a result of the suspension which, as always, goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Blackhawks’ Brett Connolly To Face Player Safety Hearing

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It was a scary scene in Dallas on Saturday night as forward Tanner Kero had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher early in the first period following a vicious collision along the boards. Kero was unconscious when he left the ice, surrounded by the entire Stars roster, but fortunately the team announced shortly thereafter that he was “conscious, alert, and responsive.” Kero was transported to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment. There has been no further update from the team.

The guilty party in the incident was Blackhawks forward Brett Connolly. The physical winger hit Kero along the boards as the puck was being cleared out of the Stars’ defensive zone. Though the puck was near Kero, he did not have a reasonable opportunity to play it. Connolly’s check was unexpected and blindsided Kero (video). Connolly received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct as a result.

However, that may not be the end of his discipline. The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Connolly will face a hearing today to further evaluate the play in question. While Connolly did already serve essentially a full-game suspension, having been handed a game misconduct just a few minutes into the contest, there is reason to believe that an actual suspension could still be coming. The severity of Kero’s injury could be taken into account, as could the optics of the interference call – hitting a defenseless player. The counter argument is that Connolly has no history with Player Safety. A decision should arrive later today.

Blackhawks Recall Ian Mitchell

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  • The Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Ian Mitchell from AHL Rockford, relays Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link). After being a regular for the bulk of last season, the 22-year-old has been limited to just six games with Chicago so far and has instead spent most of the year with the IceHogs where he has 12 points in 19 games.

No Extension Talks Between Blackhawks And Either Of Their Goaltenders

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  • Although the Blackhawks have just one goaltender under contract for next season (prospect Arvid Soderblom), the team has not yet engaged in extension discussions with either Kevin Lankinen or Marc-Andre Fleury, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). While Fleury is understandable – there’s no word on whether or not he’d be open to the idea and that needs to be determined before starting talks – the fact that they haven’t discussed anything with Lankinen’s camp is a bit surprising.  His numbers are down a bit from last season but with his limited NHL experience (just 47 career games), he’s someone that should be cheaper than several veteran backups to keep around.  With several key players needing new deals for next season, securing at least one goalie should be fairly high on interim GM Kyle Davidson’s list over the coming weeks.

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