Jori Lehtera To Be Healthy Scratched
Jori Lehtera will be watching tonight’s game from the press box.
The skilled center will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night when St. Louis host the Winnipeg Jets, according to Lou Korac, who covers the Blues for NHL.com. It appears that Nail Yakupov will take his spot in the lineup.
Lehtera has seven points (3-4-7) in 20 games, and was demoted to the third line during last game. Earlier this season, coach Ken Hitchcock scratched Robby Fabbri to get him motivated, and now he’s doing it again with another of the Blues top-nine forwards.
Yakupov will play on the third line with Patrik Berglund and Dmitrij Jaskin. The former first-overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers has five points (2-3-5) in 16 games this season. He’s been healthy-scratched eight times so far this season, since being acquired in October for ECHL forward Zach Pochiro and a conditional draft pick.
According to Korac, Hitchcock said he’s liked Yakupov’s effort in the last three practices. His last game was November 23.
Atlantic Notes: Barkov, Red Wings Call Up Candidates
A breakaway goal may just be what Aleksander Barkov needs to get going writes the Sun-Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov. Barkov was sprung loose during the Panthers’ 2-1 overtime victory last night when a Red Wings line change led to Barkov being wide open at center ice. He took the long outlet pass, raced to the net, and scored a five hole winner on Petr Mrazek. Before the game, new bench boss Tom Rowe chatted with the youngster and had this to say:
“I told him not to focus on scoring, that they will start going in,” Rowe said Friday on an unscheduled day off in Ottawa given as part reward, part mental and physical break during a season-long six-game road trip.
“Keep playing the right way and have some fun.”
Fialkov writes that the goal snapped Barkov’s 21-game goal drought, the longest of his career. He adds that Barkov reacted with humor after being asked about it. His response? “I don’t even remember my last goal, so it was good to see one go in.”
In spite of a scoring drought, Barkov is second on the team in points with 15 (3-12).
In other Atlantic Division news:
- Though Drew Miller could take the vacated spot after the Red Wings announced that Justin Abdelkader will be out 2-4 weeks, general manager Ken Holland said that a move would be made from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Some candidates? Forward Matt Lorito has been dynamite for the Griffins, being a point-per-game player since the Wings picked him up as a free agent this summer offering a two-year, two-way deal. Lorito was recently named AHL Player of the Week and currently sits seventh in the league with 19 points (7-12) and is also waiver exempt. Another candidate? Mitch Callahan, who is second on the Griffins in points with 14, has been knocking on the door for years. He’s a feisty winger who would go into the corners while also trying to score the “greasy goals” coach Jeff Blashill harps on. One other candidate could be Eric Tangradi, a big bodied forward who had a call up last season. It’s more likely that Miller slots in, as Blashill has already hinted that the veteran will get the call.
Justin Abdelkader To Miss 2-4 Weeks
After leaving Thursday night’s game with a lower-body injury, Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a “slight MCL sprain” according to MLive’s Ansar Khan.
Abdelkader injured his right knee after hitting it into the boards while finishing his check. He left the bench shortly thereafter. Following the game, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill told the media that the team may call up a forward to replace Abdelkader, but could also insert Drew Miller into the lineup. On Friday morning, GM Ken Holland said there will be a call-up from the AHL, but he won’t play on Saturday night.
While he’s posted 40+ points two years in a row, Abdelkader has struggled this year with just eight points in 22 games after a much-maligned appearance with Team USA at the World Cup.
Abdelkader is the latest in a long list of injured Red Wings, which includes forwards Darren Helm, Andreas Athanasiou, and Tyler Bertuzzi; defensemen Alexey Marchenko and Brendan Smith; and goalie Jimmy Howard.
The Wings are sixth in the NHL’s Atlantic Division as they look to make the playoffs for a 26th straight year.
Snapshots: Anderson, LeBrun’s Power Rankings, Blues
The Associated Press reports that Ottawa Senators’ net minder Craig Anderson will take another leave of absence to be with his wife during her battle with throat cancer. Anderson will not be available to play Thursday when the Sens take on the Flyers in Ottawa. In turn, the Senators recalled Andrew Hammond and also have Mike Condon ready to go. Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen writes that Sens’ bench boss Guy Boucher said that there is no timetable for Anderson’s return but that the earliest he could be back is Saturday. Warren added a quote from Condon who said: “I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s going through and I wish him the best.”
In other NHL news:
- The Chicago Blackhawks remain #1 on Pierre LeBrun’s Power Rankings as the first of December approaches. Though they went 3-3-1 on the annual Circus Trip, the Hawks were able to survive without captain Jonathan Toews, who has missed the past three games. Seated second are the Montreal Canadiens, followed by the New York Rangers, who are tops in scoring in the NHL. Fourth and fifth in LeBrun’s rankings are the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Ottawa Senators jumped six spots to number six, while the Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Nashville Predators round out LeBrun’s top ten respectively. In the power rankings basement? The Islanders hold the spot, due to only a pair of wins in November. LeBrun wonders if ownership will still be as patient if similar results follow in December.
- Despite an earlier report indicating that the St. Louis Blues could be cutting ties with AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves, KSDK Sports Director Frank Cusumano was contacted directly by a Blues Executive who denied such reports. NHL.com’s Lou Korac wrote earlier that the Blues were readying to put a new AHL team in Kansas City, and the report, via his blog “In the Slot,” was posted on KSDK’s site. Though Korac said the Blues have not made the plans official, a source told him that it’s pretty much a “done deal.” That news conflicted with what a Blues executive told Cusumano, saying that, “No decisions are close to being made. We are talking to a lot of people.”
Edmonton Oilers Recall Fayne, Move Gryba To IR
After losing the rematch against the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice last night, the Edmonton Oilers have decided to make a move. The team has recalled Mark Fayne from the AHL, while moving Eric Gryba to injured reserve.
Fayne was sent to the minors just yesterday after clearing waivers, but will rejoin the team for their upcoming matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. Playing in just one game this season it’s obvious that his favor has soured with head coach Todd McLellan and the entire Oilers organization.
Fayne once wore an alternate captain’s ‘A’ for the Oilers, suiting up in 143 games over the past two seasons. The 29-year old was demoted at one point last year and now seems destined to bounce back and forth as a contingency plan. His $3.65MM cap hit prevents anyone from putting in a claim on waivers, so it doesn’t matter much how many times he goes up and down.
On the other, but very similar, hand is Gryba. Another hulking defenseman, Gryba came over from the Ottawa Senators in 2015 and played 53 games for the team last season. Off to a pointless start in fourteen games, he last played for the Oilers on the 17th. The Oilers will likely continue to dress the six other healthy defensemen for the time being.
Rowe And Gallant: A Tale Of Two Hockey Philosophies
After the shocking dismissal of Gerard Gallant on Sunday night, general manager and head coach Tom Rowe ran his first practice today. The Miami Herald’s George Richards writes that the practice didn’t look too different from the ones run under Gallant. Richards also included Rowe’s comments regarding Gallant after making the move to fire him Sunday:
“Gerard Gallant, first, is a great human being, a really good guy. The other day was brutal on everyone,” Rowe said. “The players really liked him, respected him. I came in and told them we weren’t going to change a whole lot, maybe a few things.”
Richards adds that Rowe hasn’t had a lot of time to change much in a short turnaround, but that some changes included Jonathan Marchessault returning to the top line. Jussi Jokinen was shuffled to the second line while Seth Griffith, who played on Florida’s fourth line, changed to the third line.
While Richards looked at Rowe’s changes on the ice, The Sun-Sentinel’s Dave Hyde focused on the shift in thinking within the organization.
Hyde reports that it was analytics winning out in Rowe’s favor. Hyde doesn’t mince words, writing that old school mindsets have given way for the new wave of analytics and Gallant, along with President of Hockey Operations (and former general manager) Dale Tallon, were casualties of the new way of doing business. He also wonders who is “in charge” of the organization, quipping:
To announce Gallant’s firing Monday, four Panthers officials were needed on the teleconference with media. Four. One more and they’d have a starting lineup Tuesday night in Chicago for the first game of their next chapter.
Gallant thought his big presence could help and kept pushing for him to be promoted from the minors. The front office didn’t like his analytics profile. Shaw recently was traded to Anaheim in a small deal for winger Michael Sgarbossa. Maybe it’s a good trade. Again, we’ll see. But it certainly sent a message to Gallant of where he stood.
Meanwhile Pierre LeBrun feels that there was no justifiable reason to fire Gallant, writing that the dismissal generated a league-wide “shaking of the head.” Echoing Hyde, LeBrun chalks the firing up to a philosophical schism, but cautions by saying he doesn’t intend to “fan the flames of that debate.” LeBrun continues:
I think you need to keep an open mind to both analytics and how best to use that information, within the context of understanding what makes a player useful just from knowing the game. There’s room for both schools of thought in hockey, and I’m mighty tired of people trying to make you pick a side.
LeBrun wonders who will receive the credit or blame based on the Panthers’ performance. Regardless, the Panthers’ decision making seems to be a microcosm of the debate raging on in the NHL regarding “old school” thinking versus the “new school” way.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Friedman’s Latest: Florida, Alzner, Virtanen
In Elliotte Friedman’s latest wonderful 30 Thoughts column, the Sportsnet reporter goes in detail on Florida’s recent philosophical change that resulted in the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant last week. Comparing the Panthers to baseballs Pittsburgh Pirates of 2013 – a team that completely bought into an analytical approach and made the playoffs for the first time in twenty years. The Panthers are trying similarly to buy-in to a game-changing approach, even after the most successful season in franchise history.
Part of the turnaround will hopefully be Tom Rowe stepping from the front office to behind the bench, but Friedman has another note. The Panthers moved Dave Bolland out this summer to clear cap room for a major acquisition in-season. Whoever that ends up being, combined with the return of Jonathan Huberdeau could be a huge swing for the Panthers down the stretch. It cost Lawson Crouse to rid themselves of Bolland, meaning they better take advantage of the cap space it bought them.
- In looking at the upcoming free agent class, Friedman zones in on two names in particular. Kevin Shattenkirk, who has been widely talked about since the last draft as being a possible trade candidate, and Karl Alzner, the steady Washington defenseman who is said to be looking for somewhere between $5.5-6MM dollars this summer. Alzner has been a rock for the Capitals, but with shrinking cap space the team likely won’t be able to afford him past this season. If he does make it to the open market, Friedman points to Western Canada for hints on who will be after the former Team Canada captain (World Junior’s, 2008).
- The Buffalo Sabres are still a rebuilding team, but have suffered through a ton of injuries this season and may not be as bad as their record looks. Interestingly, Friedman reports that the team has been scouting a ton of the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate Utica. While he opines that the team is watching Jake Virtanen who has been up and down all year between the two clubs, perhaps something other than Evander Kane was brought up when Buffalo and Vancouver were talking earlier this year.
Peter Holland Stays Home During Maple Leafs Road Trip
2:11pm: Darren Dreger has a quote from Resnick:
Peter and Lou met this weekend. At this time, it appears that Peter’s future with the club is limited and Lou will do his best to trade him. Lou also stated that Peter not go on the road trip during this time frame.
It seems like Lamoriello is trying to protect his asset from any sudden injury by keeping him at home during the road trip, but whatever value he had must have been damaged by the public admission that he’s trying to trade him. We’ll see if the Maple Leafs can get anything of substance for the struggling forward.
1:21pm: Uncertainty around the fringes of the Maple Leafs roster continues, as today Peter Holland was not present at the morning skate in Edmonton. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Holland stayed home after talking to his agent Joe Resnick. Luke Fox of Sportsnet also tells us that Resnick met with Lou Lamoriello recently, and Darren Dreger says that he “absolutely wanted to go on Leafs’ trip west in hopes of playing.”
The expectation, from Dreger and Kristen Shilton of TSN, is that either a trade or waivers will follow soon for the 25-year old. Holland cleared waivers earlier this summer while negotiating a new contract and has only seen eight games through the early part of the season, registering a single point.
Since being drafted by Anaheim 15th overall in 2009, Holland has developed into a solid bottom-six player that contributes around 10 goals and 25 points per season. The Leafs and head coach Mike Babcock seem to have grown tired of him however, as even when he’s dressed he’s only seen around ten minutes of ice time per game.
With the impending return of Josh Leivo from injury, the team had a decision to make about the last roster spot, and it seems as though it won’t go to Holland. If he is placed on waivers, it will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him this time around. He’s currently earning $1.3MM on his second RFA contract.
Injury Notes: Little, McNabb, Toews
The Winnipeg Jets have scored a respectable 62 goals in 24 games, and they’ve done it without one of their top weapons. Bryan Little has been out since being injured just two and a half minutes into his season, but will return tonight against the New Jersey Devils on home ice. The 29-year old is a proven goal scorer in the NHL, with 163 to his name including four seasons of 20+. The Jets have placed Nic Petan on injured reserve retroactive to November 27th to make room.
While the media has focused on the Jets’ lack of faceoff success, Little thinks he can help the team in that department.
That’s one of my goals to come back. It’s something I feel like I can be good at right away again, to get back into the faceoff dot. I see the guys working on it every day, they’re talking to the coaches, watching video and practicing in practice.
I think we can all help each other a bit. Throughout the game we take faceoffs against different centermen on the other team…we’ve got some good communication through the centers of trying to work through things.
Little is actually a 48.6% faceoff man throughout his career, though he won just over half of his draws last season which led the Winnipeg centers.
- According to Jon Rosen of NHL.com, Brayden McNabb took to the ice today for the first time since injuring his collarbone on October 29th. While he didn’t take part in any drills, it’s a step in the right direction for the big defenseman. Rosen passes on from head coach Darryl Sutter that McNabb is still “at least a month away”. The 25-year old had been logging over 20 minutes a night for the Los Angeles Kings before being injured, skating alongside Drew Doughty in what was considered by some to be the second-best pairing in the league. The Kings, not short on defenders, have continued to be tough to score against even without McNabb or Jonathan Quick, who remains out.
- Jonathan Toews will miss his third straight game tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Florida Panthers. The team captain was seen in street clothes while the team was practicing, meaning his return might not be imminent. Chicago is 1-1-1 without Toews in the lineup, having lost to the Kings in overtime on Saturday.
Reactions To Gerard Gallant’s Firing
Here are some reactions from around the hockey world regarding yesterday’s surprising firing of Florida head coach Gerard Gallant:
- The move to let Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly go showed the differing viewpoints between management and the coaches, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes. GM Tom Rowe, now the interim coach for the remainder of the season, is very analytically-inclined which led to a lot of changes being made over the offseason, especially on the back end where Willie Mitchell and Erik Gudbranson, a pair of physical, stay-at-home players, being replaced by less physical but more skilled defenders. That shift in philosophy didn’t sit well with Gallant, a coach who values grit in the lineup, something he was vocal about having more of just last week.
- While there are no other current head coaching vacancies in the NHL, TSN’s Frank Seravalli wonders if Gallant would be a favorite to take over the Vegas Golden Knights next season. Vegas GM George McPhee noted last week that they weren’t planning to name their head coach this soon but that they would keep tabs on whoever was to become available during the year.
- ESPN’s Joe MacDonald argues that Florida’s slower start (11-10-1) shouldn’t be placed entirely at the feet of Gallant. The Panthers have been without left winger Jonathan Huberdeau – who was tied for third in team scoring last year – for the entire season while Nick Bjugstad has played in just three games. Plus, the team realistically was going to take some time to adjust to all of the changes made over the offseason. MacDonald also questions who is calling the shots in Florida, Rowe, or new owner Vinnie Viola and suggests that Rowe taking over will have a negative effect in the end.
- TSN’s Travis Yost takes a closer look at the numbers and suggests that the team is “screamingly average” and one that was degrading over time. He notes that the Panthers were relying too much on goaltenders Roberto Luongo and James Reimer while Aaron Ekblad’s early season struggles on the back end also played a big role in the team hovering around the .500 mark.
With regards to the remainder of their coaching staff – Goalie Coach Robb Tallas, Associate Coach Dave Barr, and Assistant Coach Scott Allen, they all will remain with the team, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds (via Twitter) that no other coaches will be brought in at this time.
As for Rowe, while he will officially retain his General Manager title while he serves as the interim head coach, McKenzie notes that they will use a management-by-committee strategy with Assistant GMs Eric Joyce and Steve Werier along with former GM and current Team President Dale Tallon (links to Twitter).