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Alexandre Texier Assigned To AHL

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The NHL playoffs are over for the Columbus Blue Jackets after losing to the Boston Bruins last night, but it won’t be the end of the season for at least one player. Alexandre Texier has been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters who are battling to stay alive in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Texier, 19, has been a welcome surprise for Columbus after they selected him 45th overall in 2017. While there was hope he would one day develop into a legitimate NHL option, Texier had only played in France and was untested against top competition. In the two seasons that followed he grew into one of the most dangerous offensive players in Finland’s Liiga, recording 41 points in 55 games this season before coming to North America. When he joined the Monsters he picked up right where he left off, scoring five goals and seven points in seven games. A call-up to the NHL got him into action right away, and in the playoffs he showed that he will likely be ready to join the Blue Jackets full-time next season.

That’s an impressive player to add to a Monsters playoff run that is on shaky ground. Cleveland is down 0-3 against the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies, and will need some magic tonight to even stay alive. Toronto has outscored Cleveland 11-5 in the series so far and have yet to lose a single playoff game this season.

Charlie McAvoy To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Boston Bruins were triumphant last night and moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they’ll have to battle the Carolina Hurricanes a man down. Charlie McAvoy will have a disciplinary hearing to determine a suspension for his hit on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson last night. McAvoy was given a two minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head, but is expected to receive supplementary discipline.

McAvoy has been a force for Boston in these playoffs, averaging nearly 25 minutes a night while often taking on the other team’s best forwards. The 21-year old defenseman has added six points in 13 games, and has 30 hits including several of the devastating variety. In trying to lay another one of those big hits, he caught Anderson’s chin forcefully which snapped the Blue Jackets forward’s head around—the usual telling sign for the Department of Player Safety.

The league usually specifies if the hearing is of the in-person variety, meaning McAvoy is likely looking at a suspension of fewer than five games. He has never been suspended or fined in his career, which will have a positive impact on the decision.

Playoff Notes: Acciari, Gavrikov, Dallas’ Defense, Andrighetto

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The Boston Bruins could be without a member of their fourth line Saturday, as Noel Acciari missed Saturday’s morning skate with an undisclosed injury. Chris Wagner skated in his place and looks like a candidate to replace him if Acciari can’t go, according to NBC Sports Joe Haggerty. “We gave Noel the morning off,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy, “He’ll be a game-time decision for tonight. Chris Wagner will go in for him if he can’t go.”

It’s a significant loss for the Bruins for a crucial Game 5, as the hard-hitting winger has 38 hits so far in the playoffs over the course of 11 games. Wagner, who doubled his career-high in goals this season with the Bruins with 12 goals, has been held scoreless in seven playoff games. He played in the first game of the series against the Blue Jackets, but was a healthy scratch for the past three games. Wagner had missed the last two games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, but that was not the reason that Cassidy used when he replaced Wagner in the lineup with Karson Kuhlman, who Cassidy said brought more energy to the team.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to make one lineup change. Russian defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov will make his NHL debut, giving Columbus seven defensemen, while rookie winger Alexandre Texier will be a scratch. Gavrikov, who signed with Columbus back on April 13th out of the KHL, could add some physicality for the Blue Jackets. The 6-foot-3 had two points and 60 penalty minutes in 60 games for SKA St. Petersburg. He also has five years of KHL experience as well as 57 games of playoff experience he can call on.
  • NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski reports the Dallas Stars could have an interesting decision to make on defense for Sunday’s Game 6, as defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Joel Hanley are not expected to be ready. That leaves three potential options for Dallas to add a third-pair defenseman, including Taylor Fedun, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. Fedun, however, is questionable with an injury as well.
  • BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that head coach Jared Bednar said there could be some changes in Game 5 on Saturday. Dater writes that he believes that winger Sven Andrighetto is likely to return to the lineup and likely to replace Derick Brassard. Andrighetto has only appeared in four playoff games so far this year and hasn’t broken the 10-minute mark in any of them. He had seven goals and 17 points in 64 games this year. Brassard has been held scoreless in six playoffs games this year and also found himself playing under 10 minutes in two of the last three games.

Blue Jackets Sign Goaltender Daniil Tarasov To Entry-Level Contract

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If current playoff hero Sergei Bobrovsky does indeed leave the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent this summer, they are lining up options to help replace him in net. After signing NLA star Elvis Merzlikins to his entry-level contract back in March, the Blue Jackets have now locked up another of their young European goalie prospects. The team has announced a three-year entry-level deal with Russian keeper Daniil Tarasov, set to begin in the 2019-20 season.

Tarasov, 20, was a third-round pick by Columbus in 2017 out of the top Russian junior league, the MHL. Tarasov was a consensus top-five goalie in his draft class, but immediately proved that he likely should have been selected earlier. The 6’5″ behemoth took the league by storm in 2017-18, posting a .928 save percentage and 1.85 GAA in 40 games. This year, he left the junior level behind and put up even better numbers in 25 appearances in the minor league VHL. He also made two appearances in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev Ufa and many expected that he would play for Ufa again next season. That won’t be the case though. Tarasov is taking the opposite approach of Merzlikins, a fellow Columbus third-rounder who took his time developing overseas, instead opting to make the jump at a very young age for a goalie.

More likely than not, Tarasov is several years of AHL (and possibly some ECHL) play away from pushing for an NHL spot, but stranger things have happened. The Blue Jackets currently count existing backup Joonas Korpisalo and new addition Merzlikins as their top options heading into next year, assuming both restricted free agents sign extensions. Tarasov and Matiss Kivlenieks would be next in line if no other changes are made. Columbus still has one other option in Europe who could come over in Finnish standout Veini Vehvilainen, who is considering making the move if he is allowed to compete for NHL time. Vehvilainen or a trade or free agent acquisition could push Tarasov further down the depth chart and into ECHL territory next season, but at just 20 years old he has plenty of time to continue growing and proving that he is a future NHL talent.

Minor Transactions: 05/04/19

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After last night’s defeat, the New York Islanders have been eliminated, swept out of the postseason by the Carolina Hurricanes, and just seven team remain alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Of those seven teams, just two – Carolina and the Columbus Blue Jackets – also have AHL affiliates still playing for a Calder Cup title. There are very few teams fortunate enough to still be recalling and reassigning players, but follow along here for any such roster moves:

  • For the fourth day in a row and fifth time this week, Hurricanes defenseman Jake Bean is on the move. Carolina has recalled the rookie rearguard this morning after sending him to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers yesterday to play in their second-round opener against the Hershey Bears. Bean has been operating as the Hurricanes’ eighth defenseman, but with the news of Trevor van Riemsdyk’s season-ending injury, it’s possible that he could be in for a longer stay in Raleigh this time around. Bean played in only two regular season games with the ’Canes and has not seen any action in the NHL playoffs, but has been Charlotte’s best defenseman this year with 44 points in 70 games.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned rookie forwards Max Comtois and Isac Lundestrom to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, with the prospects having wrapped up their seasons elsewhere. While it was a forgettable season in Anaheim, San Diego is still alive in the Calder Cup chase and have now received a major boost from the addition of these two players. Both Comtois and Lundestrom played with the Ducks and the Gulls early in the regular season before being loaned away following the World Junior Championships in January. Comtois had seven points in ten games in Anaheim and played in four games with San Diego as well before returning to the QMJHL to close out the year. He scored at nearly a two points-per-game clip in the regular season and point-per-game clip in the postseason during an incredible stint with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Lundestrom did not play juniors at all this season, but instead returned to his Swedish Hockey League club Lulea HF, but not before skating in 15 games with the Ducks and another dozen with the Gulls. Last year’s 23rd overall pick led Lulea’s forwards in scoring this postseason at just 19 years old.

Oliwer Kaski Drawing NHL Interest

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Since KHL contracts started expiring and free agency got underway there have been plenty of reports of NHL teams looking at Russian players that might fill their depth chart next season. The savvy ones will not forget that there are other professional leagues to pick from, and apparently one Finnish talent drawing interest from several teams. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the NHL teams pursuing Oliwer Kaski, an undrafted defenseman who spent last season playing for the Lahti Pelicans of Finland’s Liiga.

If Kaski does sign with an NHL organization, it wouldn’t be the first time he plays hockey in North America. The right-handed defenseman spent parts of two seasons playing at Western Michigan University, but returned to Finland in 2016 and has played there ever since. While his first two years at the highest level weren’t spectacular, he exploded after a move to the Pelicans and recorded 51 points in 59 games this season.

The 23-year old defenseman would be held to the entry-level system, but could potentially compete for a spot in the NHL right away depending on how the team feels that offensive game translates to North America. It’s not clear what other teams are chasing him, but you can bet his impressive performance had scouts from all over the league turning their heads to get a better look.

Snapshots: Marchand, Tippett, Ruck

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Boston Bruins agitator Brad Marchand was caught “punching” Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington in the back of the head as time expired on Game Three on Tuesday night. While unnecessary and unsportsmanlike, the NHL Department of Player Safety has decided that the otherwise innocuous play is not suspension-worthy. As The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline points out, there are no fines in the postseason, only suspensions, as players aren’t paid for playoff games and thus there is no mechanism for calculating fines. Even with Marchand’s track record, it would have been hard to imagine a postseason suspension for the incident as well. Commissioner Gary Bettman opined that Marchand should have received a penalty on the play, but given the timing of the incident and the result holding, it would not have made a difference. One might expect the Blue Jackets to thus police the situation themselves through the rest of the series, but Portzline believes that no retaliation is coming after speaking with several players. While Marchand is capable of getting fans riled up better than anyone in the league, it seems this issues could be over as soon as it began.

  • There have been rumors for some time that Dave Tippett has been itching to get back behind an NHL bench, despite his current adviser position with the Seattle expansion team, and he is now officially taking steps toward such a move. Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman writes that Tippett has interviewed for the Buffalo Sabres head coaching vacancy, as some speculated he might. Tippett now joins Jacques Martin and less established options like Rikard Gronberg and Sheldon Keefe among Buffalo’s top options, according to Friedman. Tippett, who has nearly 20 year of NHL coaching experience, held both the head coach and VP of Hockey Operations positions with the Arizona Coyotes when he was last in the league in 2016-17 and would still be a great option for the Sabres even after a few years off.
  • After losing starting keeper Cayden Primeau to the pros after a remarkable year, Northeastern University was hoping that graduate goaltender Ryan Ruck may stay with the program to help bridge the gap. That won’t happen, as Colorado College announced today that they have received a commitment from Ruck to join the program as a graduate transfer. Although he played in only six games last season for the Huskies, Ruck was nearly unstoppable, posting a .956 save percentage and 1.01 GAA. Those numbers should give Ruck the leg up on the starter competition at Colorado College, who lost this year’s starter Alex Leclerc to the pros. Meanwhile, Northeastern will likely have to lean on true freshman Connor Murphy in net next season.

Morning Notes: Datsyuk, Worlds, Fix-Wolansky

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Pavel Datsyuk’s contract has come to an end with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, but he’s not yet a completely unrestricted free agent. Datsyuk’s NHL rights still belong to the Arizona Coyotes until July 1st after they took on his contract in a cap relief deal. Still, Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News reports that the veteran forward is on his way to Michigan soon to discuss options with his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, and that he would only return to the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings.

That by no means guarantees a return for Datsyuk, who according to Kulfan would also consider playing for his hometown team in Russia. That would be Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, who actually had an outstanding 2018-19 season but were upset in the second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. That option still does seem the most likely, given that Datsyuk will turn 41 in July.

  • Auston Matthews won’t be heading to the IIHF World Championship later this month, but the next potential American-born first-overall pick will be there instead. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs star would not take part in the tournament, but Jack Hughes will join his brother on the USA squad. Hughes has just finished smashing nearly every record possible over the last year in the USNDTP and U-18 tournament, and will now try to show off his skills for the New Jersey Devils who hold the top pick in June’s draft.
  • Team Canada has also added another player to their roster, bringing in Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann. The Canadians have a few spots left for late additions, but will rely on the likes of John Tavares, Sean Couturier and Mark Stone to form the veteran core up front.
  • The Cleveland Monsters have added Trey Fix-Wolansky on an amateur tryout for the rest of the season, after his Edmonton Oil Kings were eliminated from WHL playoff contention. Fix-Wolansky was a seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018 but put up 102 points in 65 games as the captain of the Oil Kings this season, and has already signed his entry-level contract that will kick in next season.

Blue Jackets Notes: Dzingel, Wennberg, Nutivaara, Nash

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Ryan Dzingel may have wished that he signed a contract extension with the Ottawa Senators after all.

The winger opted against signing a contract extension before the trade deadline, which forced Ottawa to send him to the Columbus Blue Jackets instead. However, the 27-year-old hasn’t fared very well under head coach John Tortorella. He posted just 12 points in 21 games and has been scoreless in five playoff games. In Game 1 of Columbus’ second-round series against Boston, Dzingel only got 11:06 of ice time in an overtime game, the lowest among all forwards. That eventually prompted Tortorella to play Alexander Wennberg, who has long sat in Tortorella’s doghouse, in favor of Dzingel for Game 2, leading to what many believe was a healthy scratch, writes the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan.

While there was no confirmation that Dzingel was a healthy scratch, Brennan doubts that he is injured as he was one of the last players to leave the ice at the most recent optional skate. In fact Dzingel’s stock, which was quite high at the trade deadline, has dropped significantly and could have a major effect on his next contract. It is looking less and less that the speedy winger who played at Ohio State University will sign a long-term deal in Columbus next year and despite a 26-goal regular season, his suitors seem to be dropping.

  • Speaking of Wennberg, the center, who had been a healthy scratch for seven straight games, fared quite well on the ice Saturday, playing 16:11 on the third line with Alexandre Texier and Oliver Bjorkstrand, according to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Wennberg could have proven that he belongs back in the lineup permanently as the center was crucial on the penalty kill that held the Bruins to just one goal on four chances.”The kill did a really good job,” Wennberg said. “Personally, it was good to be back out there. I tried to make good reads and have a good stick. It’s good to be out there.”
  • In the same article, Svoboda reports that defenseman Markus Nutivaara could be close to returning to the lineup. While Tortorella won’t talk about lineup changes, Nutivaara skated with the team during an optional practice before Game 2 on Saturday and while he didn’t play Saturday, he could be ready to return to the lineup shortly. Nutivaara suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 2 of their series with Tampa Bay after being boarded by Nikita Kucherov and suspended for a game.
  • Riley Nash, who took an explosive hit from former teammate Zdeno Chara in the first period of Saturday’s game, seems to be OK, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Nash looked shaken up, but was back on the ice not long after the hit. “That was a big hit,” Tortorella said. “It took him a few minutes on the bench, and next thing you know, he’s ready to go. He played a really good game, too, probably one of our most patient guys with the puck, especially on the wall play of our end zone.”

Markus Nutivaara Resumes Skating

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  • Blue Jackets defenseman Markus Nutivaara resumed skating today for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury back in the second game of their opening round series against Tampa Bay, notes Adam Jardy of the Columbus Post-Dispatch. He ranked fifth in average ice time on the back end in Columbus this season, logging nearly 18 minutes a night.  There’s no word on his timetable for a return; the 24-year-old indicated he was unsure if he’d be able to return in this series.  Adam Clendening will remain in the lineup in his absence.

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