Snapshots: Doughty, Nylander, Altybarmakyan
The Toronto Maple Leafs ended up landing the biggest fish of free agency in John Tavares, but long before the Tavares sweepstakes even began, the team was linked to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty, a Toronto area native, ended up signing an eight-year, $88MM extension early this off-season, ending any thoughts that he might be a free agent in the summer of 2019. So where did the homecoming rumors come from? Doughty has now admitted, via TSN, that he never seriously considered moving on from L.A. Instead, he floated the idea of departing the Kings for the Maple Leafs as a negotiation tactic. Doughty negotiated his latest deal without an agent and, in order to ensure he wasn’t taken advantage of, made sure he had some leverage on his side. The rumors that he might leave if able to test the free agent market surely encouraged the Kings to give him what he wanted on his latest extension, the largest contract for a defenseman in NHL history.
- Another player who has no interest in signing with the Maple Leafs, at least not at their current offer, is restricted free agent forward William Nylander. Toronto and their young forward seem to be at an impasse in contract negotiations and the December 1st deadline, after which Nylander would be prohibited from playing in the NHL this season, is starting to look like a real possibility. Should that come to fruition, Nylander would likely turn to the KHL for his paycheck this season. Nylander’s rights are held by Avangard Omsk, currently led by former NHL head coach Bob Hartley, who recently spoke to TSN about his excitement about the possibility of having Nylander on the roster this season. Avangard already added Cody Franson, Alexei Emelin, David Desharnais, and Kris Versteeg this off-season and could really make waves in the KHL by adding Nylander to the mix. Nylander is currently skating in his native Sweden and could make the short trip over to Russia rather than the trip back across the Atlantic this season, if talks continue to go poorly with the Maple Leafs.
- Staying in the KHL, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Andrei Altybarmakyan is on the move. The 20-year-old winger was traded today, swapped by SKA St. Petersburg to HK Sochi for fellow young forward Ivan Larichev, the league reports. Both Altybarmakyan and Larichev are fringe KHLers with limited experience at the highest level, but Sochi appears to be the long-term winner in this deal, acquiring the 2017 third-round pick. There has been no indication that Altybarmakyan is heading over to North America any time soon and could continue to develop into a bona fide starter for Sochi down the road.
Paul Stastny Out Up To Two Months
The whole league seems to be getting hit hard by injury lately, and the Vegas Golden Knights are no different. Head coach Gerard Gallant revealed today that Paul Stastny will be out up to two months with his latest lower-body injury. Jesse Granger of The Athletic believes it was suffered on a play at the end of the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, though it wasn’t expected to be very severe at the time.
Stastny, 32, was brought in this summer as a replacement for some of the outgoing talent in free agency. With James Neal and David Perron heading for greener pastures elsewhere, Stastny signed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Golden Knights and then saw his friend and international linemate Max Pacioretty added through trade. Things looked set up for success in Vegas, but after being held scoreless through three games Stastny now faces a long recovery period and some diminished totals for 2018-19.
The center hit the 50-point mark last season for the first time in several years, mainly because he finally had remained healthy. Stastny played in all 82 games for the first time since his rookie year in 2006-07, but won’t be able to repeat that feat this season. That’s troubling for the Golden Knights who have quite a bit of money invested in the veteran forward, and were expecting to have their second line built around him this season. Instead, Erik Haula has moved back to the middle of that unit and could get Alex Tuch back on his wing soon. Not exactly the start of the season the Golden Knights were hoping for, but one they’ll have to deal with for at least a little while.
Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Harpur, Maple Leafs, Reilly
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.”
Injury Notes: Pettersson, Schultz, DeKeyser, Andrighetto, Johns, Kovalchuk
While there has been no official diagnosis revealed, The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning reports that 19-year-old phenom Elias Pettersson is feeling a little better today after taking a brutal hit and flung to the ice by Florida’s Mike Matheson that forced him out of the game Saturday evening.
“I just talked to him in the meal room, he’s feeling a little bit better,” said Benning before the team headed for the airport.
Pettersson was reportedly quite woozy after the hit, where it looks as if he hit his head against the glass during the hit and then hit his head a second time when Matheson threw him to the ice. The Department of Player Safety already confirmed there will be a phone hearing about the incident.
- While there also is no official word from the injury that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz suffered Saturday after he fell awkwardly with Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that speculation is that he sustained a fracture to his leg/ankle and the recovery time is likely to be significant. McKenzie adds that while a fracture can be better than a high ankle sprains in some cases, if Schultz requires surgery, that could make it the recovery time even longer.
- The Detroit Red Wings will be without defenseman Danny DeKeyser as he is expected to see a hand specialist on Tuesday, suggesting he might be out a while, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The scribe adds that the team will get back Dennis Cholowski, who has missed two games with an upper-body injury for Monday’s game.
- BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele reports that Colorado Avalanche’s Sven Andrighetto skated with the full team in a non-contact jersey Sunday. He suffered a lower-body injury before the season started and the team hopes it can get the 25-year-old back during their upcoming four-game road trip. The team intends to recall a player from the AHL until Andrighetto is ready to return.
- Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns skated on back-to-back days this weekend, suggesting the 6-foot-4, 225-pound blueliner is edging closer to a return as he deals with a concussion from the preseason, according to The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro. The scribe adds that he isn’t that close as he is still dealing with headaches.
- The Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke reports that Los Angeles Kings winger Ilya Kovalchuk left practice early today. Head coach John Stevens said he’s been dealing with a “nagging issue” and is day-to-day.
Central Notes: Byfuglien, Suter, MacKinnon, Eriksson Ek
The Winnipeg Jets open up a six-game homestand, but will be without one of their best players as defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will sit out Sunday due to an upper-body injury he sustained in practice Saturday, according to the Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe.
He is listed as day-to-day, according to head coach Paul Maurice. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound blueliner will be a major loss as the team hosts the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes, who have been impressive in the first week and a half of the season. The team will turn to Dmitry Kulikov to make his season debut in place of Byfuglien and will likely be paired with Ben Chiarot on the bottom pairing.
“It’s been a lot of hard work over the summer and I knew at some point I was going to get in the lineup,” said Kulikov, who dealt with off-season back surgery. “It’s exciting for me. I just want to get out there and play some games.”
- Much praise has been given towards the recent play of Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, which has been impressive in the last few games, according to Pioneer Press’ Dane Mizutani. That’s key after the veteran defenseman is returning from a broken right ankle late last season. His numbers have improved in the four games he’s played so far this season as his ATOI has increased in each game that he’s played so far as he played 28:21 in Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He also has posted a goal and three assists in his last two games.
- Nathan MacKinnon has started his season off on a positive note as he has already tallied six goals in his first five games, yet the Colorado Avalanche center indicates that he can do even better. “I think I can dominate more than I am,” said MacKinnon, the reigning Hart Trophy runner-up. MacKinnon currently is tied for third place in goal scoring behind Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Boston’s David Pastrnak.
- Sarah McLellan of the StarTribune reports the injured center Joel Eriksson Ek was skating this morning. He was reportedly expected to miss a week after suffering a lower-body injury. There is no update on his status, however, and the team is still considering recalling a player from the Iowa Wild of the AHL with a back-to-back games approaching. While he hasn’t posted any points yet in three games, many have been impressed by the play of the 21-year-old center.
Chicago Blackhawks’ Crawford Expected To Return Thursday
In an analysis of the Chicago Blackhawks season so far, the Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield mentions one interesting fact nestled deep in his article that Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said he expects goaltender Corey Crawford to return this week on Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes.
Crawford, who hasn’t played since Dec. 23 of last season due to concussion issues, has been rumored to be getting closer to being ready and is a critical piece to Chicago’s playoff hopes. The hope had been that Crawford would have been ready for training camp, but he admitted this summer that he wasn’t ready and might miss training camp and some time during the season. He finally got back onto the ice during training camp and now has been practicing with the team for a little over two weeks now.
The 33-year-old was having a fine season until he got hurt last year, posting 16 wins, a .929 save percentage and a 2.27 GAA in 28 games. While no one really knows how often Crawford can play or if he can return to form from his previous years, but the team is better off with him on the ice than without, even though the play of Cam Ward has improved significantly in his last two games, as he is boasting a .917 save percentage.
Poll: Does Michael Matheson Deserve A Suspension?
Even with some spectacular games and finishes last night, many people in the hockey world were focused on an incident that happened behind the net in the Florida Panthers-Vancouver Canucks game. After putting his talents on display again, by eluding several defenders, Elias Pettersson was run into the boards by Florida defenseman Michael Matheson, who then seemed to throw the young Vancouver star into the ice. Pettersson, one of the lightest players in the league, was injured on the play and had trouble even getting to his feet before leaving the game.
Immediately there was outcry from the Canucks faithful that Matheson deserves a suspension, and today Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that the league is indeed reviewing the incident. As of this writing no hearing has been offered to the Panthers defenseman, but many believe he should be facing several games for something that could be construed as “intent to injure.” Vancouver head coach Travis Green certainly seems to think so, repeatedly saying after the game that it was a “dirty play.”
There are of course many who oppose the idea of any supplemental discipline for Matheson, saying that the incident looked worse than it actually was because of Pettersson’s slight frame. Though officially listed at 176-lbs, the rookie phenom may well weigh even less than that and certainly doesn’t have the sort of size or strength of many around the league. Incidentally neither really does Matheson, who is listed at 193-lbs himself and is not regarded as an overly physical player.
It’s easy to see the arguments on both sides, but what do you think? Should Matheson be given a suspension for the play last night? Does the fact that he was not even penalized on the play come into the decision, or the fact that Pettersson suffered an injury? Vote below and share your thoughts about the incident in the comment section.
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Pacific Notes: Getzlaf, Thornton, Yamamoto, Coyotes’ PK
The Anaheim Ducks got some good news today as Ryan Getzlaf skated for the first time since suffering a groin injury in the third period of their game against Arizona on Oct. 6. While he skated effortlessly, his appearance on the ice was a short one and isn’t expected to play in either game this weekend, according to Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register.
Regardless, the Ducks and Getzlaf have high hopes that he’ll be back soon, which is much better than the original estimate that he could miss as much as a month, although the veteran refused to commit to a return date.
“It’s hard to say because you talk to the doctors and originally it was going to be 2-3 weeks, 3-4 weeks, those kinds of thing,” he said. “Obviously, we’re ahead of schedule. We can’t put a timeline on it because everybody’s body is going to heal differently. We’ll make our adjustments. If the leg progresses faster, then I’ll be back faster.”
Getzlaf has posted two assists in the two games he’s played this year. He scored 11 goals last season in 56 games.
- Paul Gackle of The Mercury News wonders whether the San Jose Sharks made a mistake putting all of their faith in a Stanley Cup run when much of their center-line depth relies on 39-year-old Joe Thornton, who suffered an infection in his surgically-repaired knee and is currently out. While it is not considered to be a serious injury, the scribe writes that the Sharks are weak up the middle as even head coach Peter DeBoer admits that Joe Pavelski isn’t a real center when Thornton isn’t in the lineup. If the team loses Thornton for any significant time this season, the team may have trouble competing with other teams in the Pacific Division that are much stronger at that position.
- The Edmonton Oilers picked up their first win of the season today when they defeated the New York Rangers 2-1, but the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins, in grading the performances of several different players, suggests that 20-year-old Kailer Yamamoto hasn’t shown much in his stint with the team so far this year and while he showed some potential early in the game, he disappeared after the second period and might need to be moved off the team’s second line.
- Richard Morin of The Arizona Republic writes that the Arizona Coyotes success this year may come down to the success of their penalty kill unit. The Coyotes are just one of four teams that hasn’t allowed a power play goal this season as they’ve stopped seven power plays going into Saturday’s play. The team, which is focused on playing defense and limiting their opponents chances, believe that an impressive penalty kill will be whether the team has success or not. “Our special teams is something we’re really going to rely on this year,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “Our PK (penalty kill) and power play have to be better than they were last year because it can win you hockey games. Saying that, I think anytime you have a commitment to defense and playing a pursuit style to limit the other team’s chances, you have a better chance at winning.
Eastern Notes: Murray, Flyers’ Goalies, Kapanen, Zadina
Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray is back with the team on the active roster after suffering a concussion less than a week ago, but will serve as the backup to Casey DeSmith for tonight’s game in Montreal, according to Seth Rorabaugh of The Athletic (subscription required). Third-stringer Tristan Jarry traveled with the team in case Murray cannot serve as backup.
Head coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t surprised that Murray was ready to return from a concussion after just a few days.
“And the reason is, it’s really hard to compare one concussion to the next,” Sullivan explained. “The nature of that injury is that they’re all different. Some guys recover very quickly. With some guys, it lingers. There’s so many things associated with it.”
Murray has struggled in the two games he has appeared in this year, having allowed 11 goals, but Sullivan believes that sitting Murray on the bench rather than sitting in the press box is the best thing for his recovery.
“When you see the game up close on the bench, it’s a whole different game than it is from the press box,” Sullivan said. “Things happen a whole lot faster. It’s one step in the process that we think prepares our goalies to be successful when they step back on the ice.”
- David Isaac of the Courier Post writes that Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall isn’t opposed to the team keeping three goaltenders when injured backup Michal Neuvirth returns to the lineup, which is “not too far away.” The team has had quite a bit of success with the tandem of Brian Elliott and Calvin Pickard, but the team would have to expose someone to waivers if they want to keep just two goalies on the roster. “We’ll have to deal with that at the time,” Hextall said when asked if he intends on carrying three goalies on his roster. “It’s not an ideal situation, but if that’s what’s right for our hockey club, that’s what we’ll do. All these injuries, we have a roster issue. Thankfully we don’t have a (salary) cap issue. We’ll deal with it at the time and see what information comes to us between now and then and make a decision.”
- Jordan Samuels-Thomas of The Athletic (subscription required) profiles Toronto Maple Leafs top-line winger Kasperi Kapanen and how he’s found chemistry with the team’s top line while William Nylander holds out for a contract extension. Kapanen’s effort, well-rounded game and speed have made him a perfect fit alongside Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau.
- MLive’s Steve Kaminski writes that Detroit Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina is starting to get hot in Grand Rapids after posting a two-goal game in his third appearance for the AHL club. “I am getting better every single game, and I’m way more comfortable than I was when I played the first game,” the sixth-overall pick in this year’s draft said. “(The goals) helped me a lot mentally, and I am more confident with the puck.”
Injury Notes: Schwartz, DeKeyser, Luongo, Eriksson Ek, Engelland
The St. Louis Blues will be without Jaden Schwartz for a few more days as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, writes that the winger will be out Saturday vs. Chicago due to a lower-body injury when he took a shot off his foot/leg last Saturday vs. Calgary. Head coach Mike Yeo also doubts he will be available for Sunday’s game against Anaheim.
“He’s out for tonight, looking like he’s doubtful to questionable for tomorrow,” Yeo said. “I don’t know that there’s gonna be a big improvement there (overnight). But certainly the report that we got, there’s nothing to be concerned about long-term here.”
The only positive about being without Schwartz is it will give Yeo more of an opportunity to offer more minutes to their three top prospects with Sammy Blais likely getting the bulk of Schwartz’ minutes, including power play time. However, Yeo also said he intends to mix up lines as well against Chicago to get more playing time for both Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
- The Detroit Red Wings’ defense continues to fall more and more apart as Danny DeKeyser exited Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury and is not expected to return, leaving the team with just five defensemen, according to Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. While there is no word on the severity of DeKeyser’s injury, MLive’s Ansar Khan updates other defensive injuries, including that Dennis Cholowski is possible for their game Monday against Montreal, while Jonathan Ericsson is doubtful for Monday. Meanwhile, Trevor Daley is out Monday.
- George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke to Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo for the first time since the goaltender suffered a lower-body injury in the season opener. The veteran netminder said that he expects to be out for the back end of the 2-4 weeks that he was listed out for as he hasn’t begun to skate yet. “I’m still trying to get comfortable walking,” Luongo said. “I’m working hard to be back as soon as I can. I have done enough sitting around the past couple of years. I want to be on the ice with the boys.
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo writes that the Minnesota Wild will be without center Joel Eriksson Ek for at least a week as he suffered an upper-body injury recently. The 21-year-old has been critical for the team’s third line even though he still hasn’t registered a point in three games. The team intends to move center Eric Fehr onto the third line, but general manager Paul Fenton and head coach Bruce Boudreau will both speak after today’s game in regards to a potential callup.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have listed defenseman Deryk Engelland as day-to-day after he was forced to leave in the second period of Saturday’s game against Philadelphia, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. He’ll be re-evaluated when the team returns to Las Vegas. The 36-year-old has made a name for himself with a career-year last year, who has made Las Vegas his home since he played for the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers back in the 2004-05 season.