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Snapshots: Fielder, Babcock, Hurricanes

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The expansion Seattle franchise doesn’t yet have a single player, but they do have a team award. The management group announced today that the organization will hand out a Guyle Fielder Award every season to the “player that embodies the sportsmanship and leadership of one of Seattle’s greatest hockey legends.” If you don’t recognize Fielder’s name, you’re not alone, as his story is one of the most overlooked in hockey history.

Fielder stands as the fourth-leading scorer in professional hockey history, recording 1,929 points over a long career spent mostly in the minor leagues. In fact, he didn’t register a single one of those points in his 15 NHL games, but routinely led the Western Hockey League—not the junior league it is today, but a minor professional one—in scoring. He played for the Seattle Bombers, Americans and Totems over his career and is a legend in the area for any hockey fan old enough to remember.

  • Though there may be some Toronto Maple Leafs fans hoping Mike Babcock would find his way somewhere else today, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic cleared up some confusion about the head coach’s contract. Babcock does not have an out clause in his contract as some had speculated, and “remains as committed as he’s always been” to leading the Maple Leafs. The team was eliminated by the Boston Bruins last night for the third time in six years, and still haven’t progressed past the first round since 2004. Babcock has four seasons left on the massive eight-year, $50MM contract that he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2015.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t hold a morning skate today as they prepare for Game Seven against the Washington Capitals, so there wasn’t a chance for Andrei Svechnikov or Micheal Ferland to get back on the ice. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he isn’t sure whether Svechnikov will be ready to play tonight, but Ferland will probably not suit up in the do-or-die elimination game. The Hurricanes will rely on their captain Justin Williams, who has often been dubbed “Mr. Game 7” for his heroics in these situations, but has also been one of the team’s best players through the first part of the series. If the Hurricanes win it would mean that all four wild card teams have advanced to the second round, showing just how wide open the Stanley Cup playoffs really are.

Maple Leafs Notes: Babcock, Gardiner, Sandin

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone through perhaps their worst stretch of the season recently, allowing 28 goals in their last six games highlighted by a 6-2 loss to the last place Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. That has many fans worried about their upcoming playoff appearance that will likely be against the Boston Bruins, a team that has knocked them out two of the last three times they’ve made it to the postseason. Like with any team that struggles, questions about the future of the head coach have started to bubble up, and James Mirtle of The Athletic tried to answer them in his latest mailbag (subscription required).

Mirtle admits that there is something of a “disconnect” between Mike Babcock and GM Kyle Dubas, but wouldn’t go so far as to say that there is any real fire under the head coach’s seat. In fact, he believes that Babcock’s pedigree will keep him in Toronto through 2019-20 regardless of what happens this postseason. It is important to remember that Babcock still has four years remaining on his current contract, one that pays him an average of $6.25MM per season.

  • If Babcock wants to find any success this postseason he’ll have to hope his ailing defense can come together soon, and he received some good news on that front today. Jake Gardiner was on the ice to skate before practice, the first time he’s done any extensive work since his injury nearly a month ago. Gardiner has dealt with back problems all year, but could potentially be back in time to suit up in the playoffs. Fellow injured defenseman Travis Dermott was also on the ice prior to practice, but then joined his teammates while wearing a non-contract sweater. Dermott is expected to be back before Gardiner, though the team is running out of regular season games to get them back up to speed.
  • One thing that was considered when Gardiner and Dermott went down was whether or not to call up top prospect Rasmus Sandin. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted on the radio today that the team believed that he isn’t quite ready to compete at the NHL level despite his strong showing in the minor leagues. Sandin, who turned 19 just a few weeks ago, was Toronto’s first-round pick last June and has 24 points in 37 games in the AHL. The quick-thinking defenseman has improved his stock tremendously and could potentially be a candidate for NHL time next season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Malkin, Sandin

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The NHL has released their three stars for last week, and another New York Islanders goaltender has taken the top spot. After Robin Lehner was honored earlier this season, Thomas Greiss has now been given the top spot after stopping 116 of 121 shots to go 3-1 last week. The 33-year old Greiss is having the best season of his career under Barry Trotz’ disciplined system, and now has a .928 save percentage through 40 appearances.

While Connor McDavid appearing in the third spot won’t surprise many, Brendan Perlini’s name in second certainly will. The former Arizona Coyotes forward struggled upon joining the Chicago Blackhawks this season, but has found the back of the net in three consecutive games and five of his last seven. That included a hat trick last week against his former club, and he now sits at 13 goals on the season.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their top players after Evgeni Malkin was listed as “week-to-week” last night by head coach Mike Sullivan. Somewhat quietly, Malkin is having another outstanding season with 71 points through his first 66 games and is a huge part of the Pittsburgh attack. The team will have to rely on their other superstars for the time being and hope the big Russian center can get healthy in time for the playoffs.
  • While the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to keep the puck out of their net since Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott suffered injuries (and perhaps even before that), they won’t rush top defensive prospect Rasmus Sandin to the NHL. Sandin has been on fire recently for the Toronto Marlies and now has 23 points through 36 games as a teenager, but head coach Mike Babcock reiterated the organization’s mantra to over-ripen prospects at the minor league level before bringing them up. Babcock pointed to Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson as examples of how the Maple Leafs development program has worked, and noted that there are still “good players” on the NHL roster. Sandin was the 29th overall pick last June and turned 19 earlier this month.

Toronto Maple Leafs May Search For More Goaltending

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to put newly acquired goaltender Michael Hutchinson right into the spotlight today after Garret Sparks suffered an injury in practice. Frederik Andersen, the regular starter is on the shelf with a groin injury, meaning Kasimir Kaskisuo was on the bench today as the backup. Hutchinson allowed four goals in a loss to the Minnesota Wild, and though he couldn’t be blamed entirely for the loss it is obviously a concern of the team. Head coach Mike Babcock said after the game to reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic that the team is discussing whether or not they’ll go after another goaltender in order to let Kaskisuo return to the minor leagues.

There is an experienced goaltender on waivers today in Mike McKenna, but that doesn’t necessarily give the Maple Leafs a better option than Hutchinson moving forward. If the team isn’t comfortable with him as the starter perhaps they will go after another netminder with more upside. Regardless, it’s an interesting comment given how close Andersen appears after hitting the ice the last few days. Sparks was put into the concussion protocol after taking a puck to the head and it’s not clear how long he’ll be out.

Goaltending depth is a familiar issue for the Maple Leafs, who over the last few years have struggled to find a reliable backup. Curtis McElhinney eventually took on that role after being claimed off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets, but was subsequently lost at the start of this season when the Maple Leafs decided to keep Sparks in the NHL. Calvin Pickard, similarly acquired to help add some organizational depth last season, was also lost on waivers and has bounced around the league since.

With Andersen facing so much work since joining the Maple Leafs, the team must surround him with some depth as they prepare for a long playoff run. Lower-body injuries can linger for goaltenders even well after they are ready to get back into game action, and can pop up at the most inopportune times down the line. While Sparks has done enough to keep the backup role for now, two consecutive injuries are showing just how thin the position is in Toronto.

Eastern Notes: Vanek, Bruins, Hickey, Ennis

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It’s been a quiet year for Thomas Vanek who was signed to a one-year deal by Detroit to provide some veteran scoring while the team waits for its young talent to develop. However Vanek, who has scored 20 goals in 11 of his last 13 seasons in the NHL, hasn’t really done much of that. Despite scoring the lone goal in Detroit’s 2-1 loss to Florida on Saturday, Vanek has just five goals and is on a pace to score a career-low 14 goals this year.

Granted, the winger is 34 years old now and is averaging just 13:24 minutes per game, a career-low as well. However, with recent injuries to players like Mike Green, Anthony Mantha and most recently Andreas Athanasiou, Vanek needs to get going and he says he’s losing sleep over his dropping numbers, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan.

“It’s been a frustrating year,” Vanek said. “Even tonight, I felt good and should’ve had two, should’ve had three, and I walked away with one. It’s frustrating. I’m losing sleep over it, but at the same time, I got to stay positive and keep getting to the net, and hopefully it will turn quick.”

  • The Boston Bruins announced that while Jake Debrusk, Kevan Miller and Zdeno Chara would all be out for today’s game against Carolina, head coach Bruce Cassidy said that all three could be back immediately after the Christmas break on Thursday when they play New Jersey. Debrusk hasn’t played since Dec. 6, while Miller has been out since Nov. 26. Chara has been out the longest since Nov. 14. If all three come back, the Bruins might be as close to fully heathy as they ever have been.
  • Newsday’s Aaron Gross writes that New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey, who has been out for a week with a concussion, participated in the team’s optional morning skate. He also skated on Friday and hasn’t suffered any setbacks in his recovery. There is no timeline yet for his return, but the team hopes it will be soon.
  • While the Toronto Maple Leafs have already recalled forward Trevor Moore, the youngster could find himself with the team for quite a bit longer than a simple cup of coffee after Saturday night’s injury to Tyler Ennis. Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported late last night that Ennis broke his ankle on a shot from Morgan Rielly in the second period. Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said “he’ll be out a while.” Ennis was having a impressive season in a bottom-line role as he already had seven goals and 11 points in 33 games.

Snapshots: Nylander, Hextall, Pilut

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock did nothing to curb his outspoken nature when asked about William Nylander again today, telling reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic that he still believes that the young forward will be on the team but the organization won’t beg him to return. Meanwhile, Frank Seravalli of TSN tweeted this morning that the Philadelphia Flyers had been in touch with Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas in his recent “last call” for trade offers. TSN broadcaster Gord Miller also heard that from a source in Philadelphia, and detailed what those talks were about:

This was the previous regime that was contacted by the Leafs on the weekend, and the Leafs asked for—they wanted to tap into the Flyers’ young D. Right away the Flyers said “Ivan Provorov? Not touchable.” So Provorov, who scored 17 goals last year is not on the table. Now again, this is the old regime. So the focus turned to Shayne Gostisbehere.

When Miller references the “old regime” he is speaking about former Flyers GM Ron Hextall, who was let go this week along with assistant GM Chris Pryor. The conversation regarding a fit between the Flyers and Nylander continues, but is highly speculative at that point especially given the changes in the Philadelphia front office since this apparent negotiation happened. Still, it only lends credence to the idea that Dubas and the Maple Leafs have been doing their due diligence in preparation for the deadline tomorrow, when there will finally (hopefully) be a conclusion one way or the other regarding Nylander.

  • Speaking of Hextall’s recent firing, the former Philadelphia GM spoke with the media today and expressed his shock at the entire situation. Hextall did not see his dismissal coming, and was “stunned” when team president Paul Holmgren delivered the news. Hextall is of course a legend in Philadelphia from his playing days, including being one of the rare players to ever win a Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP despite losing in the Stanley Cup Finals. Still, his tenure as GM had not yet resulted in any deep playoff success and upper management had grown tired of waiting.
  • With all eyes still on the Buffalo Sabres as they continue their fight for the Atlantic Division crown just a year after finishing last in the NHL, a new face will be scrutinized under the lights. Lawrence Pilut will make his NHL debut according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, despite the recent recall of Matt Tennyson. That gives Buffalo fans another highly anticipated Swedish defenseman to watch, and one that brings plenty of offensive upside. Pilut had 22 points in 16 games for the Rochester Americans before his call-up, and is still just 22 years old.

Latest On William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

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It’s hard to get through a day of hockey radio right now without hearing multiple takes on the ongoing negotiations between William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with just over 48 hours left before the December 1st deadline, there should be a conclusion of some sort very soon. The last unsigned restricted free agent must be under contract with an NHL team before 4pm on Saturday or will be forced to sit out the entire season, something that neither side can possibly hope for at this point. Still, there has been little reported about an impending deal between the two sides since Chris Johnston of Sportsnet told viewers of Hockey Night In Canada that they were “believed to be rather close” to a deal that could pay Nylander around $6.9MM on a long-term deal.

Today, with nothing bubbling up about an imminent contract, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Toronto has circled back with interested teams and instructed them to submit a sort of final trade offer. That due diligence is required in a situation like this, in which Toronto could be left holding a valuable asset as the clock strikes a figurative midnight on Saturday. It certainly doesn’t mean that Nylander will be traded in the next two days, but does perhaps lend credence to the idea that there will be a conclusion one way or the other.

For his part, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes that whether or not a trade or contract happens in the next few days, Nylander will not play for the Maple Leafs after the 2017-18 season, instead being traded by the draft even if he is under contract. It is important to remember that Nylander cannot be given a no-trade clause in negotiations until his free agent years, which would prevent him from forcing the Maple Leafs into corner over the next few months. Regardless of the length of the contract signed, the team could decide to move on from him at any point over the next several years.

That’s not what the Maple Leafs are planning on doing however, if you believe head coach Mike Babcock. Today, speaking to reporters including Johnston, Babcock explained that the organization believes Nylander will be with the club for a long time:

We think Willy’s going to be here and we think Willy’s going to be here a long time. We think Willy’s going to be a career Leaf.

According to Kristen Shilton of TSN, Babcock told people looking from the outside of the negotiations to not “confuse opinion with fact,” once again reminding many that there is little known about the actual inner workings of the dialogue. The Maple Leafs have never publicly shamed Nylander for his current position, and in fact he’s gotten quite a bit of support from his teammates over the first quarter of the season. The team obviously wants him back playing, but at this point nothing is certain.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Auston Matthews Set To Return For Toronto Maple Leafs

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The decision has been made, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will get one of their superstars back tonight. Head coach Mike Babcock confirmed this morning that Auston Matthews will return to the lineup against the San Jose Sharks after a four-week absence. Matthews will have to be activated from injured reserve, but the Maple Leafs were already operating with a 22-man roster and have room to fit him in.

Matthews, 21, was off to an incredible start to the season with 10 goals in his first 11 games before being injured by a hard check from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba. Suffering a shoulder injury on the play, he’s been out since October 27th leaving the Maple Leafs’ offensive attack in the hands of John Tavares and Mitch Marner. That pair has done just fine alongside contributions from others like Kasperi Kapanen and Nazem Kadri, leading the Maple Leafs to a 9-5 record without Matthews in the lineup.

Still, getting back a player of Matthews’ caliber can only help Toronto as they try to catch the suddenly exceptional Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are on a 10-game win streak and have taken over first place in the entire NHL. The Maple Leafs are just two points behind them, but it’s clear that the Atlantic Division is setting up to be a meat grinder for the entire season and could force a legitimate Stanley Cup contender into a wild card position. Getting Matthews back and healthy will go a long way to helping Toronto secure one of those top three spots.

Snapshots: Lafreniere, Quenneville, Heiskanen

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While many teams are curious to see if their team might capture the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft headed by Jack Hughes, who is currently playing for the U.S. Development team in the USHL, others are preparing for the 2020 draft and TSN’s Craig Button released his top 20 for ’20 list, placing Rimouski Oceanic winger Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL way ahead of the pack.

Lafreniere tallied 42 goals last year in his rookie campaign in the QMJHL as a 16-year-old and already has posted 12 goals and 36 points in 21 games this year. Button adds that his impressive performances in the IIHF U18 World Championships and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup make him a solid selection as the top-rated player in the draft, followed by Sudbury Wolves center Quinton Byfield and Swedish winger Lucas Raymond.

  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston writes that Nick Kypreos reports that former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville would like to return to work immediately, but is not willing to take on a large rebuilding process like the one that Mike Babcock undertook when he took over the Toronto Maple Leafs. On top of that, any team that wants to hire Quenneville between now and the end of next season would have to assume a considerable portion of the $6MM per season salary that the Chicago Blackhawks still owe him, making it a small group of teams that would likely be interested in his services. Johnston, however, wonders if Quenneville might be willing to change his mind about coaching the Detroit Red Wings if an opening comes about since he’s a native of Windsor, Ont.
  • With the recent loss of Dallas Stars’ top defenseman John Klingberg for four weeks, the team has placed their defensive hopes on rookie blueliner Miro Heiskanen, who suddenly is thrust into the role as the team’s No. 1 defenseman. That has been evident, which included a game-high 29:26 Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The Athletic’s Sean Shairo (subscription required) breaks down the film of the play of Heiskanen. Shapiro suggests that Heiskanen’s innate knack of stick angles and positioning is just one skill that few rookies have a keen grasp on as well as his ability to use his body well without being physical. That should bode well for a team that already has a high-quality No. 1 in Klingberg.

 

 

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Harpur, Maple Leafs, Reilly

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As if the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander negotiations weren’t getting enough attention, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that KHL Avangard Omsk head coach Bob Hartley, whose team owns the KHL rights to Nylander, would love to have the winger come play for them.

“I would like to see William in my team,” Hartley said. “I know his father. That would be great.”

Negotiations between the two sides have not fared well with rumors that Nylander’s camp is asking for $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs refuse to offer a record-breaking deal and are rumored to be closer to $6MM per season. An earlier report even suggests that Toronto’s latest offer was a four-year deal worth well under $20MM and the team is not interested in trading the 22-year-old.

Nylander could opt to sign a deal with Avangard Omsk, although that seems unlikely as he’d prefer to play in the NHL, but obviously Nylander’s camp is hoping the possible threat of sitting out the season might bring up Toronto’s offer.

  • The Ottawa Senators got another impressive performance from one of their young players Saturday when defenseman Ben Harpur finally made his season debut. The 23-year-old had been a healthy scratch up to now, but made an immediate physical impact to the game when he put a major hit on Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Iafallo early in the game. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound blueliner didn’t register a point in their 5-1 win over the Kings, but played so well, he led the team in ice time, playing 22:37, according to Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun. Harpur was teamed with veteran Mark Borowiecki on a pairing assigned to shutdown the Kings’ top line of Anze Kopitar, Ilya Kovalchuk and Iafallo. That line finished with no points and just six shots on goal.
  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (subscription required) gives credit to general manager Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the signings of center Par Lindholm and defenseman Igor Ozhiganov, who both have made quite an impact on the Maple Leafs already loaded roster, giving them another two “free” additions on a team that needs as many cheap options as possible. Lindholm potted his first career NHL goal Saturday, while Ozhiganov had his best game yet, according to head coach Mike Babcock. The team has already done a good job in past years, bringing in foreign players on cheap deals, including defenseman Nikita Zaitsev as well as Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman.
  • The Montreal Canadiens feel they have found an answer to who will eventually play alongside Shea Weber when he returns later this year. The team has been really impressed with the play of Mike Reilly, who has been a big part of the team’s 2-1-1 start so far this season, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required). He has done a good job moving the puck with his speed. He faced up against Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby twice and while the numbers don’t support it, Crosby wasn’t a major factor in either game. “It’s a good challenge, but I love it,” Reilly said after the Canadiens’ 4-3 shootout win Saturday. “I like to compete, I have high expectations, so it’s always fun to go out against guys like that.”

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