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Nathan MacKinnon To Miss 1-2 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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While it obviously isn’t the worst news they could have received, the Colorado Avalanche will still be shaking their fists in frustration today. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that Nathan MacKinnon will be out for one to two weeks with a lower-body injury.

The team is already without several other forwards including Mikko Rantanen and Nazem Kadri, weakening their depth up front considerably. One positive is that Cale Makar is expected to return for the Avalanche tonight, though MacKinnon’s absence will still obviously be felt.

Not only does it hurt Colorado’s chances of catching the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division, but this also may rob MacKinnon of his first 100-point season. The explosive forward has recorded 97 and 99 points the last two years and sits at 93 in just 69 games so far this year. Two weeks could mean missing eight of the team’s final 13 games though, making it tough to crack the elusive threshold.

It could also potentially impact any Hart Trophy votes that may have been coming MacKinnon’s way, though Leon Draisaitl’s 110 points may have already done irreparable damage to that campaign.

Snapshots: League Cancellations, Bjugstad, Hamonic

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As the spread of COVID-19 continues around the world, professional sports leagues and organizations are starting to feel the effects. The San Jose Sharks are the first NHL team that is dealing with the consequences, as gatherings of more than 1,000 people have been banned in Santa Clara county. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) examined the situation in full, noting that the possibility exists that the Sharks will play in front of no fans later this month.

It’s not just individual teams feeling the changes though. Today, both the EBEL and DEL, leagues in Austria and Germany respectively, have cancelled the remainder of their seasons, including playoffs. The EBEL also includes teams from Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic.

  • It has become routine among the Pittsburgh Penguins this season to expect injury, though one still has to feel for Nick Bjugstad. The forward has suffered another lower-body injury that is unrelated to any prior, and has been listed as “week-to-week” once again according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Bjugstad has played just 13 games this season, scoring two points.
  • Travis Hamonic was back at practice in full for the Calgary Flames today, skating alongside T.J. Brodie on the second defense pairing. That suggests the veteran defenseman will return to the Flames’ lineup later this week for the first time in over a month. Calgary is barely holding onto their third place position in the Pacific Division, meaning Hamonic’s return will be a welcome one as they prepare for the stretch run.

Claude Julien Will Be Back As Montreal Head Coach

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Barring a late-season run, the Montreal Canadiens look destined to finish outside the playoff picture for the third year in a row. That playoff drought coincides with Claude Julien’s current tenure as head coach, at least in terms of full seasons under the veteran bench boss—he went 16-7-1 down the stretch after Michel Therrien was fired in 2017 to get the Canadiens in, but lost in the first round to the New York Rangers.

Despite the fact that the Canadiens have taken a drastic step back from their 96-point season a year ago and are currently sitting with their fourth-worst winning percentage since 2003, changes don’t appear to be coming. In an interview with RDS today, general manager Marc Bergevin explained that Julien will still be the team’s coach next season.

The veteran coach is in his second stint behind the bench of the Canadiens, but now has just a .529 winning percentage in those games. During that time his club has played in just 17 playoff contests, winning just a single round—back in 2004.

Missing the playoffs for three straight seasons quite often gets a coach fired, but questions about the Canadiens don’t end at Julien. Tomas Tatar has been the team’s most consistent offensive player this season but is under contract for just one more year. Shea Weber’s health was a concern once again, and top prospects like Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling didn’t have the development years many expected. There is obviously plenty of hope for the future—especially when you look at the way Nick Suzuki has transitioned to the NHL—but there will be a lot of pressure this offseason for the group to see appreciable improvements.

Even if Julien and Bergevin come back to start the 2020-21 season, it doesn’t mean their seats won’t be incredibly hot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Adam Erne Out With Broken Hand

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The Detroit Red Wings don’t have much to play for down the stretch, but it was still a period where young players could show the organization they deserve to be kept around. Adam Erne won’t get that chance, as head coach Jeff Blashill announced today that the forward has suffered a broken hand and may miss the rest of the season.

Erne, 24, followed Steve Yzerman to the Red Wings this season after becoming a full-time option for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but hasn’t been able to deliver the same sort of impact. In 56 games he has just five points for Detroit, and though his 142 hits are still impressive, it’s not exactly clear where his role will be moving forward.

Earning $1.05MM on a one-year deal, Erne will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. That’s a common situation among Detroit forwards, as seven of the 14 currently on the roster are scheduled to become RFAs. That sort of uncertainty in the forward ranks will make for quite the interesting offseason, especially if Yzerman and the rest of the front office plan to take a step forward next season.

If they decide not to bring back all of their free agents, who will end up going unqualified? Erne’s qualifying offer will actually be just shy of $1MM thanks to some signing bonuses, and because of this injury could potentially be a two-way offer (depending on whether he misses the rest of the year or not).

Minor Transactions: 02/29/20

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Today is leap day and a number of NHL teams will be looking to do just that when it comes to the standings. Saturday’s slate of a dozen games features ten games with at least one team in the thick of the playoff race, including six collisions between current playoff teams. The Bruins and Islanders kick off the action this afternoon; New York has a chance to pull into a tie with the Penguins for the final Metropolitan Division spot, but Boston has won their past ten road games versus the Isles. Later this afternoon, the Lightning – losers of four straight – look to get back on track as they host the Flames. The nighttime lineup begins with the Panthers, desperate for a win to keep up with the Maple Leafs, hosting head coach Joel Quenneville’s former club, the Blackhawks. Toronto will have their hands full themselves as they face the Canucks, who need to make the most of their games in hand to catch the red-hot Golden Knights. The new-look Hurricanes must do the same to keep up in the wild card race, as they visit the Canadiens. The Central Division could be in for a shake-up, as the streaking Avalanche take on the Predators while the equally hot Blues face the Stars. Finally, in late night action for those not on the west coast, the Jets and Oilers collide in a game that could make waves in the Western wild card chase, while the Penguins look to end the league’s worst current losing streak against the Sharks. With plenty of action, there very likely could be plenty of roster adjustments as well. Keep up with all those minor transactions right here:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have recalled Ryan MacInnis from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. MacInnis, 23, has been up and down a number of times this season, but has recorded just one assist in nine games with Columbus. However, he has already set a new career high in points in the minors, with 30 points in 45 games. The two-way center appears to be adding more of an offensive touch to his game, but just needs to transition that ability to the top level.
  • With the news that Blackhawks forwards Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith will not be returning this season due to their current injuries, there are opportunities for others to step up in the Chicago lineup. Brandon Hagel will get his chance, as the team has recalled the 21-year-old from the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The first-year pro has 19 goals and 30 points in 55 games with Rockford in an impressive debut campaign and will continue a year of firsts when he takes the ice for the first time with the Blackhawks. UPDATE: Unfortunately, for Hagel, the team announced they opted to return him just hours later as the Blackhawks did not need him.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Colorado Avalanche have reassigned forward Logan O’Connor to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The University of Denver product has been a fixture of Colorado hockey for many years now, but still has yet to make much of an impact at the NHL level with just one point in 14 games over the past two seasons.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have recalled forward Jesper Boqvist from the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. The team has been playing with 12 forwards and no reserves lately, but with three games in the next four days out on the West Coast, New Jersey is likely going to need some insurance at forward. Boqvist spent most of the season in New Jersey, posting four goals and no assists in 34 games, but was sent to the AHL on Jan. 19 to get more playing time. He has five goals and eight points in 15 games in Binghamton.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens have activated defenseman Xavier Ouellet off of injured reserve. The blueliner has missed more than a week with a concussion, but could be in the Canadiens’ lineup later today. That move could also signal the end for Karl Alzner, who replaced him on the roster and is likely headed for Laval.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have recalled forward Joel Farabee from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Farabee was sent to the AHL last Monday, which allowed him to be eligible for the AHL playoffs. The 20-year-old has had an inconsistent rookie season with the Flyers, having posted seven goals and 20 points in 49 games, which included a January demotion to the Phantoms. He has two goals and three assists over his last nine games.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights announced they have recalled forward Brandon Pirri from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. That likely suggests that forward Tomas Nosek, who left Friday’s game with an undisclosed injury. Pirri was expected to play a bigger role in Las Vegas this season after potting 12 goals last year. However, after going scoreless after 11 games, he was sent to Chicago where he has had 15 goals and 35 points in 38 games.

Atlantic Notes: Blashill, Krug, Ceci, Kinkaid

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The Detroit Red Wings find themselves at the bottom of the NHL this season with a dismal 15-47-4 record and already have been eliminated from a potential playoff spot on Feb. 21.

That could spell the end for head coach Jeff Blashill, who could find himself out of a job when the regular season ends. Both general manager Steve Yzerman and president and CEO Christopher Illitch have been supportive of Blashill recently. However, Illitch went a step further on Friday, stating that Blashill’s job will be completely in the hands of Yzerman, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press’ Carlos Monarrez.

“I think Steve had indicated that Jeff and Steve are going to talk after the season’s over and they’ll talk about the future and we’ll see where it goes,” said Illitch. “But at the end of the day, that’s Steve’s call. I support it, but I agree with Steve. I think Jeff’s done a good job in the situation he’s been given.”

Last Monday, Yzerman told the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James that the team can’t blame all the losing on Blashill and was supportive of a coach that he inherited last year when he took over as GM.

“It’s unfair to judge Jeff Blashill on our team’s record, it really is,” said Yzerman. “I put this team together. I had expectations for the year. I don’t think this is a playoff team honestly. A lot of things would have had to go right for us to be a playoff team at the start of the year. Obviously that hasn’t happened. A lot of things went wrong that we necessarily didn’t forsee, whether it be injury or what not.”

  • With rumors that Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, an unrestricted free agent this summer, could be looking for a $9MM per year on the open market and potentially asking for $8MM from the Boston Bruins, WEEI’s Matt Kalman spoke to Krug who said that he hasn’t changed his mindset on negotiations with the Bruins. “No, I’ve been in the same spot from Day One. Just obviously trying to respect the situation here and trying to find a balance of being paid fairly and obviously being part of a winning team too,” Krug said. Krug has eight goals and 45 points this year and is a key piece to the team, but at 28 years of age, the Bruins may be hesitant to hand him a long-term deal. The team did free up some cap room at the trade deadline, unloading the albatross contract of David Backes as well as moving Danton Heinen, but the team has a number of other players it needs to sign as well.
  • While there is no word on when Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Ceci might return, the blueliner did participate in Saturday’s morning skate, signaling he might not be that far away from returning, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. “It’s moving along pretty good. [Morning skate] was a nice step for me,” said Ceci, who is out with an ankle injury since Feb. 5. His next step is to take contact at a full practice.
  • In an unusual AHL transaction, the Laval Rocket announced they have re-assigned goaltender Keith Kinkaid to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Kinkaid signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the offseason as the backup to Carey Price. However, Kinkaid struggled in six appearances with a .875 save percentage. He has played with the Rocket for 13 appearances with little more success (.876 save percentage) and now will attempt to help out the Checkers, the AHL affiliate, who lost both Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic to the Carolina Hurricanes after their two starters went down with injury. Regardless, it’s an AHL transactions, which means his contract still belongs to the Canadiens.

Snapshots: Islanders, Stone, D’Aoust

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Randi F. Marshall of Newsday is reporting today that New York governor Andrew Cuomo will announce tomorrow the New York Islanders will play any playoff games this season at Nassau Coliseum. Not only that, but the team will also play the entire 2020-21 season at the Coliseum, while waiting for the new arena at Belmont Park to be completed.

That would mean the Islanders’ unfortunate stay at the Barclays Center will end in less than two months. Through all of the frustration and uncertainty, the Islanders have rebuilt their organization and found success on the ice. The team seems prepared to start the era at Belmont off on the right foot.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have lost Mark Stone to a lower-body injury, though it’s not clear for how long. Head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters today that his star forward is still being evaluated, but this couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Golden Knights. On a seven-game winning streak, the Golden Knights have finally established themselves as the leaders in the Pacific Division. Stone is a huge part of that as the team’s leading scorer and best defensive forward.
  • The Charlotte Checkers, short on forwards after a busy NHL trade deadline, have acquired Alexis D’Aoust from the Manitoba Moose in exchange for future considerations. The 23-year old D’Aoust has 26 points in 36 games for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen this season, but does have more than 100 games of AHL experience.

Seattle Notes: Coach, Practice Facility, Expansion Draft

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While the Seattle expansion team will not take the ice for another 20 months, it is never too early to start planning ahead. Initially, the team was expected to pursue the franchise’s first head coach between January and June of 2021. However, the 2019-20 season has forced a number of major names onto the open market and now TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the hiring timeline has moved up. With the likes of Peter Laviolette, Bruce Boudreau, Mike Babcock, and perhaps most notably Gerard Gallant, the man who guided the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, among the available coaches right now, LeBrun believes that the team is likely to make a decision at head coach this summer. While the move would come with more than a year to spare, the team is unlikely to have this same selection if they wait too much longer, especially with the Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils among teams who will be looking for a replacement this summer. LeBrun notes that GM Ron Francis has cleared it with ownership to get out in front of the rush and hire a head coach sooner rather than later.

  • While the ownership group and front office is already hard at work preparing to build their team, hard work is also being put in at building the actual facilities that the Seattle team will use. With the arena still under construction, Seattle President and CEO Tod Lewieke announced that they also broke ground today on the team’s practice facility. Located just a few miles from the arena and at Seattle Center, the practice facility will house three rinks – the only other rinks inside of Seattle city limits. The 180,000-square foot facility will also have seating for spectators and will be open to other hockey events.
  • While the 2021 NHL Expansion draft is more than a year away, the passing of the NHL Trade Deadline does provide some clarity when looking ahead to possible protection schemes for each team. While the off-season free agent and trade markets will surely shift a number of rosters yet again, it is fair to assume that many teams will have a similar composition at this time next year as they do now. Of course, in a year’s time, the passing of the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline will essentially cement rosters ahead of the expansion draft.

Peter Laviolette Named Coach Of 2020 U.S. National Team

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Though he’ll have to wait for his next opportunity in the NHL, Peter Laviolette will be back behind a bench this spring. Laviolette has been named head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team that will take part in the IIHF World Championship. The tournament will be held in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland between May 8-24.  Chris Drury, the team’s general manager, released a short statement on the hiring:

It’s great to have Peter as our head coach. He brings significant international experience, both as a player and a coach, and his passion and desire to win align with our goal of bringing home the gold medal.

The ironic part about this appointment is that many believed John Hynes to be a candidate for the job, before he was hired to replace Laviolette with the Nashville Predators. It also represents a different voice than Jeff Blashill, who had led the team the last three years.

Laviolette isn’t new to the international scene, having served as head coach of the World Championship entry three times previously and acting as an assistant coach at both the Olympics and World Cup. He’ll try to take Team USA to the gold for the first time since 1960.

Darcy Kuemper Returns For Arizona Coyotes

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The Arizona Coyotes are 11-13-4 in their last 28 games, and after a promising start to the season are now sitting fifth in the Pacific Division. That stretch just so happens to coincide with the absence of starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who last played for the Coyotes on December 19th. Kuemper was 15-8-2 when he went down, and still leads the NHL with a .929 save percentage on the year (among qualified goaltenders).

If there was ever a player to turn things around for the Coyotes it might just be that goaltender then, and as luck would have it Kuemper will return for the team tonight. After nearly two months on the sideline, the 29-year old will start for Arizona against the Florida Panthers. Head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t mince words about how important Kuemper’s return will be:

It’s been a long road, he’s probably been our best player for the last year, year and-a-half, now we get our best player back and it strengthens our goaltending.

It’s not a stretch to say that Kuemper has been the team’s best player since the start of the 2018-19 season. After failing to take the starter’s net in Minnesota or Los Angeles, Kuemper was given an opportunity when Antti Raanta suffered and injury and never looked back. His .925 save percentage last season for the Coyotes earned him a fifth-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting and he was one of the favorites for the award again this year before going down to injury.

In the Pacific Division, where things are as tight as possible, his return could bring big dividends. The Coyotes are sitting two points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the final divisional playoff spot, but have played four more games thus far. That means there isn’t time to waste if Arizona wants to climb back up—the wins need to start tonight.

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