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Snapshots: Extension Updates, Letang, Pacioretty

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Now that the holiday break is over, teams will now shift their focus directly on the trade deadline and a push for the playoffs. Some clubs who find themselves on the bubble will have to determine whether an extension or a trade is the best option for some expiring contracts. With that in mind, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic examines several of the most intriguing contract negotiations, from David Pastrnak to Dylan Larkin.

While those two seem destined to eventually re-sign, that doesn’t seem quite as likely for the two big names in St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. Blues fans holding out hope that the former will be kept won’t love the comments from agent Pat Morris, who explained that there have not been any contract negotiations for O’Reilly this season and there is “nothing new to report” on that front.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins could be without Kris Letang again, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Rob Rossi of The Athletic that the veteran defenseman is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. Letang played over 27 minutes last night and nearly 26 the night before that in consecutive losses.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes won’t have Max Pacioretty in the lineup tomorrow, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour said today that it is possible he returns within the next ten games. The veteran forward tore his Achilles in August and was given a six-month recovery timeline – one that he appears well ahead of. Pacioretty scored 19 goals and 37 points in 39 games for the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

Marc Crawford Hired In Switzerland

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The ZSC Lions, one of the most popular teams in Europe, has made a big change behind the bench. They have parted ways with Rikard Gronborg and hired Marc Crawford as head coach, signing the former NHL bench boss to a deal through the 2024-25 season. Crawford will be joined by Rob Cookson.

This is actually a return to Zurich for Crawford, who coached the team for four years starting in 2012-13. The Lions won the league championship in 2014 and put up a 125-47-28 record overall with Crawford in charge. His time there also included a 2015-16 season with teenage phenom Auston Matthews, who scored 24 goals and 46 points as an 18-year-old in just 36 games.

Gronborg was already going to leave ZSC at the end of the season and rumors had emerged about his connection to teams in Finland. He is a free agent now, however, and has drawn plenty of NHL interest in the past. The 54-year-old coach was with Zurich since 2019, and had previously served with the Swedish national team for many years.

Crawford, meanwhile was most recently with the Chicago Blackhawks and has served with the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques. It was Crawford who took the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 1996 after the move from Quebec, though the rest of his NHL postseason resume isn’t quite as successful. Cookson worked with Crawford in Ottawa and served as an assistant with the Calgary Flames for many years previously.

Snapshots: Wilson, Sergachev, Holm

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Despite a strong 7-2-1 run in their last ten, the Washington Capitals remain in sixth place in the tough Metro, four points out of a divisional playoff spot. As they chase down the teams ahead of them, though some reinforcements are coming. Tom Wilson donned a regular jersey at practice today and skated on a line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, though the return for the first two is still a little way down the road. Wilson and Backstrom will not travel with the team to Ottawa according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, though Nic Dowd, Alex Alexeyev, and Darcy Kuemper will.

Wilson, 28, is one of the most unique players in the league, able to contribute at a high level offensively while still acting like a pseudo-enforcer on the ice. Racking up at least 93 penalty minutes in each of his nine NHL seasons, he had 24 goals and 52 points in 78 games last season. Since the Capitals never put him on long-term injured reserve, they can activate him without worrying about cap implications. Backstrom, whose $9.2MM cap hit has sat on LTIR all year, is a different story; the team will need to clear quite a bit to get him back on the roster.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev’s bank account took a little hit today, as he was fined $5,000 for slashing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting last night. That is the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA. While it doesn’t seem like much, the incident will be considered in any future supplementary discipline decisions, and could lead to increased punishment down the line. For Tampa Bay, they at least are escaping Toronto with no suspensions, after being pummeled by the Maple Leafs in a performance head coach Jon Cooper called “a complete bag of you know what.”
  • As expected, Arvid Holm has been returned to the minor leagues by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Connor Hellebuyck has recovered enough from his illness to return to action. In his absence, David Rittich stopped 35 of 36 shots in a win over the Ottawa Senators, raising his save percentage to .909 on the year – his highest since 2018-19.

Barry Trotz Unlikely To Coach In The NHL This Season

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Earlier this season, Barry Trotz left the door open to returning behind an NHL bench this season but it appears that he has closed his mind to that idea.  Speaking with Daren Millard on The Chirp podcast (audio link), the veteran bench boss acknowledged that he has had calls from teams but that he just isn’t ready to get back to coaching just yet:

I don’t know yet. I’m deciding. There’s a couple of teams that reached out, and I said I’m not there yet. I’m probably going to take the rest of the year off and see where I am. It’s still a part of me, but I’m going to continue to stay true to myself and my family right now.

Back in October, Trotz had suggested that an opportunity with an Original Six franchise might give him the spark he was looking for.  However, at this point, it’s unlikely that an opportunity with one of those teams is going to materialize in the coming months which takes that option off the table.

This is the first time that Trotz has had any sort of family time during the season as he had previously spent the last 23 seasons behind the bench between the Predators, Capitals, and Islanders.  The 60-year-old was offered the job in Winnipeg during the offseason but declined with the Jets then turning to Rick Bowness, a choice that has worked out quite well for them so far.  Trotz has the third-most wins in NHL history with 912 and when he wants to come back, he’ll almost certainly have a chance to add to that number.  But by choice, that chance isn’t likely to come this season.

Evening Notes: Canucks, O’Brien, Broberg, Barkov, MacEwen

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When looking back on previous NHL seasons, each seems to have one or two stories that, even if it wasn’t the most memorable part of that season, dominated the headlines. Last season, that story seemed to be the availability of Jakob Chychrun, which has carried into this season, and the year before was COVID absences and protocols, which carried into last season too. This season’s headlines, besides Chychrun, seem to be dominated by the Vancouver Canucks: their struggles, their work on extensions, and now, the availability of their players in trades.

Earlier this evening on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman continued that discussion. Friedman clarified the Canucks’ position, who apparently have just one untouchable player: Elias Pettersson. That one might feel obvious, but immediately begs another question: what about Quinn Hughes? As Friedman reports, while Hughes isn’t an untouchable, it would take “an absolutely mammoth offer” to pry the defenseman away from the Canucks. Despite having just the one untouchable, Friedman adds that the team isn’t interested in a rebuild or complete teardown, but instead is looking to change their mix and breath new life into the team. Finally from Friedman, it appears Vancouver isn’t willing to give Bo Horvat more than the $56MM J.T. Miller was extended for, however Horvat’s career-year has now put him over that number.

  • Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered last night against the New York Islanders, the team announced. The forward played just 9:41 last night in the win over the Islanders, lower than his 12:01 average this season. Not shy from fighting, it is notable that O’Brien did have a fight in the third period against Islanders’ defenseman Scott Mayfield, who’s experienced in that regard too.
  • Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg, who was scratched for today’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks, missed the game with an injury he suffered yesterday, head coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed postgame, via The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. Given Broberg’s play in 11 games this season, a healthy scratch wouldn’t be confusing, but certainly wasn’t deserved either, so news of an injury does make sense. It also further explains the decision to recall fellow defenseman Markus Niemelainen yesterday. Woodcroft did not elaborate further on the details or severity of Broberg’s injury.
  • Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was forced to leave tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils early with a lower-body injury, the team announced. Barkov appeared to be experiencing some discomfort after taking a faceoff earlier in the game. The center has played the last five games after missing two weeks with a bout of pneumonia. The extent of Barkov’s injury is unclear at this point.
  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Zack MacEwen missed this evening’s game against the New York Rangers with an illness, reports The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. Of course, no forced absence is a good thing, however one would expect an injury to carry a shorter timeframe, which would be preferable to getting MacEwen back into the lineup. MacEwen has just eight points in 28 games this season, but with Philadelphia showing value in grit this year, the forward’s 38 penalty minutes are much appreciated.

Jason Zucker Out Week-To-Week

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Not only will the Pittsburgh Penguins be without Jeff Petry for at least several weeks after placing him on long-term injured reserve yesterday, but now Jason Zucker is out too. Head coach Mike Sullivan explained today that Zucker is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will not travel with the club when they travel to Florida for tomorrow’s game against the Panthers.

Petry will be out “longer-term” according to Sullivan, though a clear timeline has not been given at this point. Neither player is expected to require surgery.

It is unfortunate news for Zucker, who was having a nice bounce-back season after two injury-riddled campaigns. He had just totaled just 18 and 17 points the last two years, numbers he had already surpassed this year with 20 points in his first 27 games. The versatile winger was playing regular minutes and had two assists in Monday’s game, including on the game-winning tally from Evgeni Malkin in the dying seconds.

For a player that has taken a lot of heat since he arrived in Pittsburgh, it looked like the 30-year-old was getting back to the player that scored 33 goals and 64 points for the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18. Unfortunately, the rebirth of that player will have to wait at least a few games as he deals with the lower-body injury.

Not only was this his best performance as a Penguin but Zucker is also a pending free agent, and a big year could set him up for a substantial payday. He’ll be 31 when the market opens next summer, coming off a five-year, $27.5MM deal he signed with Minnesota in 2018.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Cam York

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The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defensive prospect Cam York from the minor leagues, sending Yegor Zamula back down in his place. The team is headed out on the road for stops in Vegas, Arizona, Colorado, and New Jersey, meaning they needed an extra defenseman. It is somewhat surprising that York was the one getting the call, given how it didn’t seem like the team would be inserting the extra body into the lineup.

York, 21, was the 14th pick in 2019 and is still seen as a top prospect in the Philadelphia organization, even if his opportunity at the NHL level has been limited. He played 30 games with the team last year and was pushed hard by head coach John Tortorella in the preseason, but ended up failing to make it past the final cuts. After putting up 13 points in 20 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, perhaps he’ll get another chance to show he can help the Flyers.

In yesterday’s loss to the Washington Capitals, Nick Seeler and Justin Braun each played fewer than 16 minutes, with the former not seeing any time on special teams. It would be a difficult spot for York to make his season debut tomorrow, against the 19-8-1 Vegas Golden Knights.

Zamula, meanwhile, has played in just 11 games with the Flyers this season but continues to be given practice time with the club. His demotion today was planned to give him the opportunity to play big minutes in Lehigh Valley while Philadelphia was on the road, since he wasn’t expected to get in the lineup.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Blues, Brodin

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The Montreal Canadiens will be without defenseman David Savard and forward Sean Monahan when they take on the Seattle Kraken tonight. Per the team, Savard is dealing with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day. At the same time, Monahan has a lower-body injury and will be reevaluated when the team returns to Montreal after their road trip concludes tonight.

Savard is second among Canadiens defensemen this season in points (eight) and average time on ice (22:17). While his defensive play hasn’t been what it was during the end of his time in Columbus, he’s a vital minute-muncher on a youthful Montreal defense. His usage is the highest it’s been in more than five years, so it’ll be testing for the Habs rookies to see if they can handle some increased minutes in his absence. Monahan is also in the middle of a well-documented resurgence, sitting in fourth place on the Habs with 17 points in 25 games this year. He’s also been great in the faceoff circle, winning over 55% of his draws and leading the team in total faceoff wins (177).

  • While the St. Louis Blues are on their way to a convincing road win on Long Island, they did it without a pair of key players in winger Pavel Buchnevich and defenseman Torey Krug. Buchenvich was out with a lower-body injury, while Krug missed the game with an upper-body injury. Head coach Craig Berube noted pre-game that both players need further evaluations before “knowing whether the injuries would be more short-term or long-term.”
  • Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason said today that although defenseman Jonas Brodin won’t make his return to the lineup tomorrow, the Swede looked “great” today and is close to returning. Brodin, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, has missed a combined five games this year with this injury and an earlier illness. While known for his defensive prowess, he’s still in the middle of a down year offensively, with just four assists in 19 games.

 

Scott Laughton Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Philadelphia Flyers have some good news on the injury front for once, as Scott Laughton has been activated and will play tonight. The veteran forward has been out since November 19. Jackson Cates has been loaned back to the AHL to make room.

As with everything else when it comes to the Flyers right now, there is also some not-so-good news to go along with Laughton’s return. Tony DeAngelo left the optional morning skate early to meet with the medical staff and is a game-time decision, according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.

Laughton, 28, had seven points in 18 games before going down, adding his trademark physicality and penalty-killing prowess to the lineup. He was averaging more shorthanded ice time than any other forward on the team, while also seeing ample powerplay exposure. Despite a career-high of just 32 points, he is one of the team’s most important forwards, and one that head coach John Tortorella obviously trusted, given the more than 19 minutes he was getting every night.

Signed to a five-year, $15MM contract in 2021, Laughton will try to help turn around a sinking ship in Philadelphia that has lost ten in a row. The Flyers sit ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division and Tortorella is showing his frustration, breaking out a classic “up and down like a toilet seat” line to describe Morgan Frost’s play (Columbus fans might remember those words from a few years ago).

The club is now at home for the next five, and if they can’t turn things around soon, the Philadelphia faithful will certainly let them know about it. Not a great situation for Laughton to try and get back into game action.

Snapshots: Memorial Cup, Spengler Cup, Hanus

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The CHL has officially announced the four clubs that have submitted applications to host the 2024 Memorial Cup. The Kingston Frontenacs, Niagara IceDogs, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds will send in bids before the deadline in January, with the winning club announced in March.

The tournament is moved through the leagues each year, meaning it was only open to OHL bids for 2024. The 2023 tournament will be held in Kamloops, British Columbia.

  • Team Canada has its leadership for the Spengler Cup decided, with Shane Doan managing the roster and Travis Green taking head coaching duties, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Green is still under contract with the Vancouver Canucks, though he hasn’t coached since being fired in the middle of 2021-22.
  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have parted ways with Clay Hanus, as the undrafted defenseman has decided to leave pro hockey and accept the education package given by his former junior club. Hanus had only played two games – both at the ECHL level – since signing an AHL deal in the summer.

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