Eastern Notes: Smith-Pelly, Andersen, Fedun
A few days ago, Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz hinted that bottom-six winger Devante Smith-Pelly might be nearing a promotion to a better line. Well, NBC Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir writes that tonight will be that promotion as the 25-year-old has been moved onto the team’s top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in their game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Smith-Pelly, who came to Washington this offseason, has had a very inconsistent career, starting when he was a highly-touted prospect and was drafted in the second round in 2010 by the Anaheim Ducks. Despite his junior success and his success at the AHL level, the winger had trouble figuring things out at the NHL level and quickly found himself bouncing around different teams. He signed a one-year, $650K deal with Washington this offseason after a one-year stint in New Jersey a year ago in which he tallied just nine points in 53 games.
Now, with the Capitals, he has started to show some of his skills and has earned the trust of Trotz. While he’s yet to score a goal, the belief is that his talents might be a perfect fit alongside Ovechkin and Kuznetsov. Smith-Pelly will replace Jakub Vrana, who moves to the team’s second line next to T.J. Oshie and Niklas Backstrom, who is returning after missing a game due to illness.
“He deserves it. He’s put in the work. His game is such that he needs to move up in the lineup,” Trotz said on Smith-Pelly’s promotion.
Ottawa’s Ryan Out For At Least A Month After Breaking Finger
Despite a big 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators suffered just as bad of a disappointment Saturday when team leader Bobby Ryan broke his right index finger in the third period of the game, trying to block a Ron Hainsey shot and will likely miss a month, according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun.
Ryan, the former second-overall pick in the 2005 draft (the pick after Sidney Crosby), had a down year after struggling with injuries last year and even found himself a healthy scratch during the season, only put up 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games. Ryan has had a long history of finger injuries in his career. In fact, he broke his finger last year in November. However, this year, the 30-year-old center has started the season strong. Despite not getting on the scoreboard so far this year, Ryan has put up six assists in eight games.
“I feel for him, I really do, because this man has made some giant leaps personally, on and off the ice and the way he has presented himself this year and all the efforts he has put in,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher. “I find it sad right now. We’ve got to push with our team and find ways to stick together, just like last year when we had a lot of adversity.”
Ryan is the team’s highest paid players at $7.25MM AAV after signing a seven-year, $50.8MM deal back in 2014, a deal which he has had trouble living up to. He is still locked in with Ottawa until 2021-22.
Warren writes that the Senators will recall a player from Belleville of the AHL.
NHL Snapshots: Rangers Offense, Ekholm, Sanheim
The New York Rangers’s offense has lived on their power play and their top line of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich. They have dominated the early season on offense, while the rest of the team is quiet. However, after a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators today, it’s quite obvious that a new line is starting to step in Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast and Jimmy Vesey.
The trio haven’t been together too long as Fast has only been back from injury for the last four games. However, they seem to have a connection, according to Steve Zipay of Newsday. Hayes, who scored the game-winner today, has had three goals and an assist in the last five games. Vesey recently picked up his first goal and assist of the season, while Fast scored the first goal in today’s game and has a goal and an assist in four games.
“It’s a real hardworking line,” said coach Alain Vigneault. “Simple, north-south, get it in deep, work the corners, work on the forecheck . . . Kevin, with his size and hockey smarts, fits in real well.”
- Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes that Mattias Ekholm has really established himself as the leader on defense. Already on a defense with many big names like P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, it’s Ekholm who leads the team in even strength ice time at 19:03, which is 75 seconds more than any other player on the team. Combined with special teams play, Ekholm is currently averaging 25:52 of total ice time and after scoring a goal today, has one goal and two assists so far this year. Vingan writes that with more responsibility ever since the team traded away Seth Jones and now an injury to Ellis, Ekholm has thrived.
- Kurt Rohrbeck of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that for the second straight game, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is getting minutes equal to that of a top-four defenseman. Rohrbeck writes that Sanheim’s performance was a mixed bag. Sanheim, who sat out as a healthy scratch often in the first few games of the season, often struggled in the defensive zone, as the scribe points to a moment in the first period in which he allowed Edmonton’s Brad Malone to steal the puck from him and almost score. However, the scribe writes the 21-year-old made up for those rookie mistakes by showing quite a bit of offensive skill, getting off two legitimate shots that could have been scoring chances.
Western Notes: Stars, Wiercioch, Parayko, Fabbri
The Dallas Stars have won three and a row and host the equally impressive Carolina Hurricanes, who have won their last two, but the Stars feel that the have momentum on their side, writes Scott Burnside of NHL.com. The team’s top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have combined for nine goals on the season, while the remainder of the team has managed to put up 10 goals combined. Seguin’s five goals and two assists in seven games has been solid, while Benn has added three goals and four assists. Radulov has a goal and two assists.
The Stars hope that the trio remains hot, but also feel they need more offense from their middle lines. The team feels that the line of Radek Faksa, Tyler Pitlick and Antoine Roussel have picked up the slack in the last three games as Faksa has scored two goals, but the team still has quite a few players who haven’t scored a goal, including Jason Spezza, Devin Shore, Brett Ritchie and rookie Remi Elie. After beating the likes of the Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes twice, the Stars will need more from their other lines if they hope to continue their winning streak.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced they have sent defenseman Patrick Wiercioch to Utica of the AHL today. He was called up yesterday as an extra defenseman for last night’s victory against Buffalo with defenseman Erik Gudbranson missing the game due to a one-game suspension. Veteran Alex Biega, already called up, played instead to fill in for Gudbranson. The 27-year-old Wiercioch has already played two games for Utica and has one goal.
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post Dispatch writes that St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko is expected to play tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old blueliner was questionable after taking a puck to his left hand early in the third period of Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. He was removed from the remainder of the game. However, Timmermann writes he practiced today and coach Mike Yeo gave him a clean bill of health. Entering his third season, Parayko might be needed against the 5-1 Golden Knights. He has a goal and two assists in eight games.
- The St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon responds to fan questions in his column and addresses Robby Fabbri‘s impending restricted free agency this offseason. The young star, who is out for the year after re-injuring his surgically repaired knee, will be in a tricky situation since he hasn’t played since Feb. 4. Gordon suggests the team sign him to a short term and low AAV deal to see how he responds to his recovery. If he bounces back, then give the 21-year-old a long-term deal.
Sabres Place Gorges On IR, Recall Redmond
The struggling Sabres continue to take hits. At 1-5-2, Buffalo is no longer win-less like the Arizona Coyotes, neither are they the worst team even in the Atlantic, having passed up the Montreal Canadiens. However, four points in eight games is nothing to write home about and now the injuries are starting to pile up. Zach Bogosian doesn’t appear to be close to a comeback, and the team recently recalled Taylor Fedun with Jacob Josefson also sidelined. The latest addition: veteran defenseman Josh Gorges, who the team placed on injured reserve this morning.
While the team did not specifically address what is ailing Gorges in the press release, a recent article by Buffalo News’ John Vogl updated the injury statuses of several players, including Bogosian, Josefson, another downed defender Justin Falk, and yet another concern, banged up forward Zemgus Girgensons. In the piece, Vogl asks coach Phil Housley about Gorges’ condition, which the bench boss describes as a “lower-body injury”. While this is not much to go off of, more details can be expected the longer that Gorges’ absence lasts.
In the meantime, Buffalo has recalled defenseman Zach Redmond from Rochester of the AHL. Redmond was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month for Nicolas Deslauriers and will make his Sabres debut should he get into one of their upcoming games, perhaps even tonight against the Boston Bruins. While by any metric Redmond is a replacement-level player, his 16 games with the Canadiens last season was a bit of an outlier compared to his recent experience. Redmond played a semi-regular role for the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15 and 2015-16, skating in 59 and 37 games respectively and posting a total of 26 points and a 115 blocked shots. Redmond is capable of stepping up and being a reliable man on the back end for Buffalo – and they need it. The Sabres currently rank 29th in points percentage and goal differential and are on a course for another disappointing season. Gorges has undeniably lost a step in recent years; perhaps Redmond can be the surprise catalyst in his place that gets the Buffalo blue line back in shape.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Marner, Hill
The NHL released its “Three Stars of the Week” today, and after Alex Ovechkin was #1 a week ago, Nikolaj Ehlers takes home the title this time around. Ehlers scored five goals and two assists in just three games, including sending Jets fans home happy with two game-winners. The 21-year old Dane is looking even better than last year when he broke out with 64 points, and more than deserved of the seven-year, $42MM extension he signed earlier this month.
Auston Matthews and Nicklas Backstrom rounded out the three stars, after impressive performances of their own. Backstrom is currently tied for the NHL lead in points with 11, including six on the powerplay already. With Ovechkin looking determined to get back to the 50-goal club this year, Backstrom will certainly continue to rack up points. Speaking of offense, Matthews’ four-goal week included a few highlight reel tallies as the 20-year old Maple Leafs forward continues to show off his incredible skill set. The Maple Leafs wouldn’t be sitting at 4-1 without his two overtime winners.
- Speaking of the 4-1 Maple Leafs, head coach Mike Babcock tinkered with the lines today in practice. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Babcock had Mitch Marner practicing on the fourth line with Matt Martin and Dominic Moore. Connor Brown was the recipient of a promotion, moving up into Marner’s spot alongside Tyler Bozak. Though Maple Leafs’ Twitter immediately went into panic mode, but Babcock gave a quick explanation to reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN: “Let’s not read too much into this. Their line wasn’t going. Tie goes to the veteran.” That veteran would be James van Riemsdyk on the other wing, who continues to struggle in the defensive zone despite his six points in five games.
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent Marek Langhamer to the AHL and recalled Adin Hill. The goalie swap comes after a 22-save shutout by Hill for the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday night, and could be a move just to get both goalies some work. Langhamer hadn’t suited up for a game yet in the NHL, and the team likely wants him to stay fresh during the season. We saw a similar situation last year in Columbus after the Blue Jackets waived Curtis McElhinney. Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo flip-flopped constantly between the two leagues thanks to their waiver-exempt statuses, something the Coyotes could do as well. While Antti Raanta continues to nurse a lower-body injury, Louis Domingue looks to get the lion’s share of the work for the Coyotes.
Minor Transactions: 10/15/17
The Ottawa Senators announced they are sending defenseman Thomas Chabot to the Belleville Senators of the AHL and are returning Alex Formenton to London of the OHL. That means that Erik Karlsson‘s return is close and Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun writes that head coach Guy Boucher said Saturday that Karlsson could be back for Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Karlsson’s return will be welcome in Ottawa, who have been without him since last year. The team leader and quarterback of their power play, the 27-year-old defenseman scored 71 points last year and averaged 26:50 minutes of ice time. However with his return, the team freed up some roster space.
Chabot was called up last week, due to multiple defensive injuries, and fared well. In two games, the 2015 first-round pick picked up an assist and had a plus/minus rating of +3. The defense had been an issue without Karlsson, who had foot surgery this offseason. Both Johnny Oduya and callup Ben Harpur were also injured prompting Chabot’s call-up. However, the team has made it clear they want Chabot to get as many minutes as possible and Belleville will provide that for the time being.
Formenton, a surprise keeper after training camp, will be returned to his junior team, the London Knights, who he played with last year before Ottawa made him the 47th pick in the draft this year. He could have played up to nine games in the NHL before his entry-level contract started, but played in just one game and only for 4:54, picking up no points. Instead his contract will slide another year.
- The Minnesota Wild also made a few transactions today, sending forwards Zach Mitchell, Christoph Bertschy, Landon Ferraro and Luke Kunin back to the Iowa Wild. All the forwards were recalled within the last day or two to help fill in holes in their lineup for their game against the Blue Jackets last night due to multiple injuries. Neither Mitchell, Bertschy or Ferraro, who formed the team’s fourth line last night, played more than six minutes in the game, but Ferraro, nonetheless, got on the scoreboard with a second-period goal assisted by Mitchell. Kunin, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, played 13:53 in his first game, but had no points. The Wild also promoted Mike Reilly, who had been demoted Saturday when Minnesota added Kunin to their roster. Reilly, played one game while in Iowa and scored a goal.
Ducks Notes: Slashing Penalties, Getzlaf, Gibson, Miller
The Anaheim Ducks are holding steady at 2-2-1, but after a 3-1 loss to last year’s cellar-dwelling Colorado Avalanche on Friday, many feel that coach Randy Carlyle might point to their struggling power play, but according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, it’s the team’s inability to adjust to the NHL changes in slashing penalties.
The NHL has made changes to the slashing penalties in order to reduce them due to the number of injuries that have cropped up over the years. However, Anaheim seems to have missed the memo, according to Stephens, who writes that 12 of the 27 penalties the team has taken this year are for slashing, nine of which have come in the last two Ducks’ games and six against the Avalanche on Friday.
“Discipline has got to be adhered to, especially to the rules when they do change,” Carlyle said. “And there is a learning curve. But the learning curve should have taken place during training camp.”
Carlyle went on to suggest the reason the team has so many slashing calls is due to the team playing too much in their own defensive zone. Several players have been hit with multiple infractions, including defensemen Cam Fowler and Brandon Montour as well as forwards Rickard Rakell and Antoine Vermette.
- Stephens, in the same piece, also writes that Ryan Getzlaf, who missed Friday’s game against the Avalanche is an unknown for today’s game against the Sabres. The 32-year-old center aggravated a lower-body injury earlier this year and has only suited up for two games this year. The scribe writes that it wouldn’t be surprising if the team holds him back today since the team has a four-day break before their next game.
- Starting goaltender John Gibson is also questionable for today’s. The veteran was hurt on a shot he took in pre-game warm ups on Friday and he was removed after the first period. Stephens said the injury was to either the hands or wrist, but couldn’t get that confirmed. Journeyman Reto Berra took over since goaltender Ryan Miller was not available.
- Stephen writes that Miller is edging closer to returning to the team and should be ready to dress soon, but it won’t be for tonight, according to The Buffalo News Mike Harrington. Miller, who came over from Vancouver to backup Gibson in the offseason, suffered a wrist injury in the preseason and has not dressed yet for Anaheim.
Evening Notes: Tavares, Haula, Boston Rookies
With the hopes of avoiding a full-on rebuild, the San Jose Sharks and general manager Doug Wilson are attempting to figure out how to revitalize their team after suffering the loss of free agent Patrick Marleau and the realization that they might be moving on from 38-year-old Joe Thornton. The team still made the playoffs last year and have quite a few solid veterans still on the team, but the team suddenly is lacking in superstars not named Brent Burns.
Paul Gackle of the Mercury News writes that as the San Jose Sharks are set to focus on tonight’s home game against the New York Islanders, don’t be surprised if the Sharks make a run at their star forward John Tavares, either at the trade deadline or free agency itself if it gets very far. Tavares, who is in the last year of a six-year, $33MM deal, has not signed an extension and has made it clear that he is waiting to make sure the Islanders find themselves a permanent home before signing. However, there are some who feel that he will not re-sign with the team and the Islanders will be forced to trade him at the trade deadline or lose the 27-year-old center for nothing.
Gackle writes that San Jose would be a perfect fit for Tavares, who could come in and supply the team with a superstar that can replace Marleau and Thornton. However, despite the great fit and the fact the team should have the cap room to make a deal for Tavares work, the team could struggle at the cap like the Chicago Blackhawks as they already are committed to Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and will have to pay up for Logan Couture in two years. It might still be worth the effort to make a deal like that happen, because the Sharks would like to be a team that could make the necessary changes and stay in the playoffs like the Detroit Red Wings once did when they switched from Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan to Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom.
- The Vegas Golden Knights issued an update on injured wing Erik Haula, who was placed on injured reserve today with a lower body injury. According to the Golden Knights’ website, Haula is expected to miss at least a week with his injury. That will give general manager George McPhee more time to manipulate his roster before he must make a cut to activate Haula.
- Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that the Boston Bruins struggles on offense can easily be looked at the rookies as the team has handed major roles to Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk and defenseman Charlie McAvoy this year. And while the scribe points out that there are plenty of veterans who are fighting with their consistency as well, the rookies struggles to consistently play their game could be what holds up early success for the Bruins until they can figure things out. “It’s up to them to do what they do best, which is attack, play inside and get to the net,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy. “Hopefully, they do a little bit more of that as a line. Some guys catch on quicker than others. We knew there would be consistency issues as every young kid goes through them. So we saw highs in the first game and some lows in the second game, and we saw them starting to come out of it in the third period [in Colorado]. We’re going to try to keep them confident, but also on their toes and aware of what needs to be better.”
Eastern Notes: Fast, Bruins, Koekkoek, Morin
The New York Rangers tweeted that head coach Alain Vigneault announced injured forward Jesper Fast will play tonight vs. the New Jersey Devils. Fast, who had hip surgery on June 5, missed all of training camp and the first five games of the season so far this year. He was cleared for contact last week, and completed on-ice skills testing before practice and had the fourth-highest score. The 25-year-old wing scored six goals and 15 assists in 68 games last year, which was disappointing after a promising second-season in which he put up a 30-point campaign. Regardless, his work as a bottom-six player has been missed. The Rangers have come out of the gate slowly this year, as the team has started with a 1-4 record and have lost two straight.
- Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that the Bruins, who have struggled both offensively and defensively to start the year and find themselves as 1-2, are attempting to simplify their offense for their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Haggerty writes the team had the most success recently in the third period against Colorado when they posted two goals in that period. “The third period [in Colorado] we scored two goals and I don’t think we did anything spectacular other than win pucks, go to the net and be belligerent there. If that’s what it takes to get going, that’s what it takes sometimes to score goals in this league,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.
- Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that despite the Lightning’s logjam of eight defenders on the roster, the team is slowly giving more playing time to Slater Koekkoek. After he received two healthy scratches and playing in only 3:09 in his season debut Monday, Koekkoek got 9:44 in playing time on Thursday’s game, rewarding Tampa Bay with two goals. Despite playing under 10 minutes, Koekkoek still got more playing time than Mikhail Sergachev (5:22) and is starting to earn the coaching staff’s trust and could see another increase in time tonight when they play the St. Louis Blues.
- The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor breaks down (subscription required), why Philadelphia Flyers rookie Samuel Morin was sent down to Lehigh Valley. Many people were upset that Morin was sent down, because they feel he is NHL-ready now. The scribe breaks down some of the criteria of whether he belongs in the NHL, pointing out that he is physically ready for the NHL at 6-foot-6, 202 pounds and he has had success in the AHL so far with two solid seasons there. He then looks whether Morin showed off enough skill in training camp to deserve a spot before finally analyzing whether he is better than another defenseman on the roster, which is where O’Connor points out the problem. He writes that while Morin is right there, he didn’t prove to be better than the other two rookies in Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim and is not ready to beat out veterans like Radko Gudas or Andrew MacDonald.