Blue Jackets Waive McElhinney
The top team in the NHL made a few minor roster moves on Monday morning.
Columbus backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to the Monsters. To replace him, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Anton Forsberg from the Cleveland Monsters. In addition, the Blue Jackets sent LW Markus Hannikainen back to the AHL.
McElhinney has a 2-1-2 record in seven appearances with the Blue Jackets so far this year. He has a very good 0.924 SV% and a 2.39 GAA. He’s in his fourth year with the Blue Jackets organization, in which he’s gone 26-33-8, recording a 0.909 SV% and a 2.86 GAA in a backup role. The career backup may not make it through waivers, with a few teams needing help in the blue paint. At least the Senators, Maple Leafs and Oilers will likely be taking a long look at McElhinney.
Forsberg (no relation to Peter) has a 12-6-1 record in the AHL with a 0.930 SV%. He was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jackets back in 2011. Forsberg is 1-7-0 in his NHL career with a 0.882 SV% and a 4.02 GAA.
Hannikainen has played five games for the Blue Jackets this season, with no points. He’s posted 14 points in 24 games with the Monsters of the AHL.
5 Key Stories: 1/2/16 – 1/8/16
Let’s recap the five biggest stories from the week of 1/2/2016 through 1/8/2016:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets occupy the top spot in the league due in large part to their recent 16-game winning streak. The team had a chance to tie a record set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins – a team led by “Super” Mario Lemieux and the ageless Jaromir Jagr – but the Blue Jackets came up short, falling to the Washington Capitals by the score of 5 – 0. Nonetheless, it’s an incredible feat accomplished by the Blue Jackets and an announcement to the rest of the league that they are indeed a team to be taken seriously.
- It’s been an up-and-down year in Winnipeg, but Jets rookie phenom Patrik Laine has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. The 18-year-old Finn is currently tied for third in the league in goal scoring with 21 and has already established himself as one of the league’s most exciting young stars. Unfortunately, Laine is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion in Winnipeg’s 4 – 3 loss to Buffalo on Saturday.
- Colorado has certainly been one of the league’s biggest disappointments in 2016-17. An offseason coaching change was expected to spark a talented roster back into playoff contention but instead the Avalanche have been the worst team in the league and at this point are one of the few clubs who can safely be called “seller” in advance of the trade deadline. This of course has led to all kinds of rumors, with the most recent involving Boston. The Bruins reportedly inquired as to the availability Gabriel Landeskog with Colorado asking for rookie blue liner Brandon Carlo in return. While there appears to be no traction in trade discussions between the two teams, that could change closer to the March 1st deadline.
- It was a busy week on the waiver wire with several players switching teams by virtue of waiver claims. Reid Boucher changed clubs twice going from Nashville to New Jersey and finally on to Vancouver all via waivers. Ty Rattie went from St. Louis to Carolina and San Jose lost Matt Nieto to Colorado.
- Montreal winger Brendan Gallagher is slated to miss the next eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hand. Gallagher was injured when a shot from teammate Shea Weber struck his hand during a recent game.
New York Hockey Notes: Tortorella, Davidson, Isles, Buchnevich
The Columbus Blue Jackets, fresh off their 16-game winning streak, are in the unusual position of being considered among the best teams in the NHL. They currently own the league’s best record at 27-6-4 and currently rank among the top teams in several statistical categories. With the Jackets taking an early lead at home against the New York Rangers tonight, it’s perhaps interesting to note how much of an impact two former Blue Shirts have had on the fortunes of Columbus this season, argues Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.
Former Ranger net minder and television analyst John Davidson took over as President of the Blue Jackets back in 2012 and has overseen the acquisition of much of the current roster. One of his first moves was to bring in the team’s GM, Jarmo Kekalainen, with whom Davidson worked while both were in the Blues organization. Kekalainen and his staff are responsible for drafting Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski, among others, and have orchestrated trades for Brandon Saad and Seth Jones.
Perhaps the biggest move Davidson and the Jackets have made was hiring head coach John Tortorella, who spent parts of five seasons behind the bench in New York and who led the Rangers to the playoffs four times and a berth in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final. Tortorella has rebuilt his reputation as one of the league’s top coaches and according to Davidson, Torts has pushed the players and adds “the players are also allowed to not only play the game hard, play the game in the way it should be played, but also have fun doing it. And Torts has done all that stuff.”
It remains to be seen just how far the Jackets will go this season. They certainly look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender at this point and as the second youngest team in the league, they should remain one of the league’s best for the foreseeable future. Much of the credit for their success is owed to two men who used to be members of one of their Metro division rivals.
Elsewhere in New York hockey:
- Unlike Columbus, the New York Islanders have underachieved and unless they get things turned around, they’ll be in danger of missing the playoffs. Their struggles this season may also have a negative affect on star center John Tavares’ desire to remain with the Islanders beyond the term of his current contract. Tavares has one more season left on his deal and it would be a crushing blow if he were to leave the team after the 2017-18 campaign. However, while things appear bleak today, the team does have hope for the future as Arthur Staple of Newsday writes. Even though they aren’t quite NHL-ready, Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle are getting a thorough education playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL and will soon be ready to contribute for the big club. The talented youngsters are learning what it takes to be pros from former NHL defenseman and Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson and while there is still work to be done their skill is undeniable.
- Pavel Buchnevich, who was assigned to Hartford on the AHL yesterday, appeared in the Wolf Pack’s game last night and tallied a power play goal in his first game action in nearly eight weeks. More importantly for Buchnevich and the Rangers, Buchnevich reported no pain after the game, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. While the Wolf Pack return to the ice tonight but Buchnevich will not be joining them. Brooks reports that he won’t participate in back-to-back games but is expected to be in the lineup again for the third game of the weekend set, barring any complications of course.
“Major” Juniors Trades: Dubois, Gauthier, Popugaev
The Pierre-Luc Dubois trade has been completed. Nearly a month after it was originally reported that the 3rd overall pick in the 2016 draft would be moved to another QMJHL team, the details of the deal have finally been formalized, and on the league trade deadline no less. Dubois will move from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, whom he has played for in parts of three seasons, to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In exchange, Cape Breton will receive 16-year-old forward Mathias Laferrière and the Armada’s first round draft pick in 2017 and second round pick in 2018.
The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect is quite a haul for Blainville-Boisbriand. Though Dubois had a less-than-stellar World Junior experience with Team Canada and has yet to find his rhythm since returning to juniors, he remains one of the top young two-way forwards in Canadian juniors. Dubois racked up a whopping 99 points in just 62 games with the Screaming Eagles last season, and his physical style earned him 112 penalty minutes as well. He’ll now bring that unique combination of high-end skill and grit to an Armada team that currently sits in second in the QMJHL’s West Division, just two points behind the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
- Another QMJHL team getting much better on deadline day is the Maritime Division-leading Saint John Sea Dogs, who have acquired 2016 first-round forward Julien Gauthier. Gauthier comes over from the Val-d’Or Foreurs, who sit in last place in the West Division, at the price of a third-round pick in 2017, two second-round picks in 2018 and a first rounder in 2019, as well as prospect Nathan Cyr-Trottier. It’s a steep price for the Sea Dogs, but well worth it for one of the junior league’s best power forwards. The 21st overall pick by the Carolina Hurricanes this June, Gauthier is back on his better than a point-per-game pace this year that he finished the season with in each of his first two campaigns with Val-d’Or. He’s also fresh off of a five-goal effort for Team Canada at the World Juniors. Joining fellow top prospects Thomas Chabot, Jakub Zboril, and Matheiu Joseph, Gauthier completes a formidable roster for Saint John, now likely the favorite to win the QMJHL this season.
- Over in Western Canada, the WHL is approaching their own Trade Deadline on Tuesday and the Prince George Cougars have mad a major move. Headed to the B.C. Division leaders is 2017 top-ten hopeful Nikita Popugaev. The 6’6″ scorer already has 51 points in 40 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in his second major junior season, good enough for a place in the top ten in scoring. The move is somewhat of a surprise as the Warriors sit in second place in the East Division, with just three points less than the Cougars on the season. However, Moose Jaw is getting their fair share in return, as Prince George sends 18-year-old forward Yan Khomenko, 17-year-old forward Justin Almeida, a second-round pick in the 2018 Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2017 Draft back in return.
Blue Jackets’ Streak Ends One Win Shy Of NHL Record
“It’s going to be a really good, fun moment for us to end it.”
That’s what Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky told the Washington Times when asked about facing the Blue Jackets prior to Thursday night’s game. The Blue Jackets were on the verge of tying an incredible NHL record, going for their 17th-straight win. Their last loss was a distant memory, back on November 29, 2016.
Unfortunately for Columbus, the streak ended with a thud, as Washington beat them soundly, 5-0.
Daniel Winnik, John Carlson, Nate Schmidt, Burakovsky, and Justin Williams scored for Washington, who won their fourth game in a row. Braden Holtby made 29 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.
Sergei Bobrovsky, who has been a major part of the Blue Jackets’ win streak, allowed five goals on 23 shots before being pulled in the third period. Bobrovsky was 14-0-0 during the winning streak, with just 23 goals allowed and a 0.941 SV%. One of the other key facets of the Blue Jackets’ streak that failed them was their deadly power-play (15/53, or 28%). They went 0/5 versus the Capitals.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Blue Jackets recover from the end of their winning streak, which featured more wins than four teams (Arizona, Colorado, Buffalo, and the Islanders) have all season, and as many wins as three teams (Dallas, New Jersey, and Florida) have so far this season. Damien Cox of Sportsnet writes that the next challenge for coach John Tortorella is to “convince his group that the streak wasn’t a fluke but a demonstration of capability.”
The Blue Jackets play 11 games in the next 20 days before the NHL All-Star break. They’re going to have a big target on their backs, as teams try to prove that they can beat the team who went more than five weeks without a loss.
Despite the incredible run, nothing is guaranteed for Tortorella and his team. The team they were trying to catch, the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, won 17 straight but were upset in the second-round of the playoffs. As Cox wrote in his article:
The 16-game streak was nice and all, but it doesn’t change the fact that this hockey club has never won much of anything. Tortorella, an experienced, hardnosed coach, will be reminding them of that, you can bet.
The Blue Jackets are first in the NHL, but only by three points. And the next two teams, Pittsburgh and the Rangers, are both division rivals in the Metropolitan Division. Washington has 53 points, which would be tops in both Western Conference Divisions, but remains in fourth in the Metropolitan. Columbus will need to continue winning consistently if they hope to improve their franchise’s 2-8 all-time playoff record.
Examining Recent January Trades
It’s been abnormally quiet on the trade front this season with completed deals primarily involving depth and/or minor league players switching teams. A combination of most clubs having limited cap space and so few far enough out of the playoff race to be considered obvious sellers has severely limited activities through roughly half of the 2016-17 schedule. It’s likely we’ll have to wait until the week of the March 1st deadline to see a thaw in trade discussions but if recent history is any indication, there is a good chance at least one trade of significance will be made in the month of January.
Here’s a brief rundown of notable transactions completed in January from the past three seasons:
- 1/16/2016 – Pittsburgh acquired Carl Hagelin from Anaheim in exchange for David Perron and Adam Clendening. The addition of Hagelin, one of the game’s swiftest skaters, helped pave the way for Mike Sullivan to implement a speedier attack that helped lead the Penguins all the way to a Stanley Cup championship. He has another three-years on his contract with an AAV of $4MM and has established himself as a key contributor in Pittsburgh’s top-nine. Perron, meanwhile, added some offense to Anaheim’s lineup, tallying 20 points in 28 games down the stretch last year but left the team as an unrestricted free agent in the summer, inking a two-year deal with St. Louis. Clendening was essentially a throw-in and didn’t see any action with Anaheim. He too left as a free agent, joining the New York Rangers in the offseason.
- 1/6/2016 – Nashville sent Seth Jones to Columbus for Ryan Johansen. This was a rare “hockey trade” that most considered a win-win for both teams at the time the deal was consummated. Columbus desperately needed a #1 defenseman and Jones has the potential to be just that player. Along with rookie blue liner Zach Werenski, Jones has added skill, quickness and puck-moving to the Blue Jackets back end. Johansen, meanwhile, addressed Nashville’s longstanding need for a top center and since the trade has registered 61 points in 79 contests in a Nashville sweater. To this point it’s fair to say this move has worked out just the way both parties planned it.
- 1/14/2015 – The Minnesota Wild added goaltender Devan Dubnyk in a deal with Arizona, sending a 2015 third-round pick to the Coyotes. Dubnyk was Edmonton’s first-round pick in 2004 but had yet to win a full-time starting gig until arriving in Minnesota, where he has evolved into one of the league’s top goalies. He won 27 of 39 starts following the trade and placed third in Vezina voting after the season. So far this year Dubnyk leads the league in both Save % (0.941) and GAA (1.75) and is 19 – 7 – 3 in 29 games. Arizona, who could certainly use Dubnyk between the pipes this year, ultimately chose left wing Brendan Warren with the draft choice acquired from Minnesota. Warren is in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan and has five points in 18 games.
- 1/22/14 – The New York Rangers dealt Michael Del Zotto to Nashville in exchange for fellow blue liner Kevin Klein. The Rangers, looking to balance their defense corps by adding another right-handed shot, got good value with Klein. The veteran defender had just begun the first year of a five-year, $14.5MM extension and for the most part he has been a good fit on the Rangers second pairing. He has struggled some this season but set or tied career highs in goals, assists and points in each of his first two full campaigns on Broadway. Del Zotto was brought to Music City for his offensive and puck-moving capabilities but didn’t perform well in Nashville, tallying just five points in 25 games as a Predator. He was not tendered a qualifying offer that summer and became a free agent, eventually signing in Philadelphia where he has been a solid producer for the Flyers the last three seasons.
Metro Division Notes: Blue Jackets, Read, Hurricanes
The Columbus Blue Jackets last night extended their remarkable winning streak to 16 games and the team undoubtedly qualifies as one of the league’s biggest surprises of the 2016-17 season. Expected to have a better chance of contending for the top pick in next June’s draft than a playoff spot, the Jackets currently have the best record in the NHL and sit at or near the top in a number of statistical categories. It’s gotten to the point where Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch wonders, “who are these guys?”
As Arace notes, the team is getting balanced scoring from throughout the lineup, excellent play between the pipes from Sergei Bobrovsky and have the ability to employ a stifling defense. The common refrain among Blue Jackets players, however, is hard work and a dedication to improving every day is the secret behind their success.
“The key thing is everyone works hard and for the team,” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. “The leaders push the key players, and (it filters down). The most important thing is we work hard for each other.”
The team’s captian, Nick Foligno, who has 33 points in 34 games, concurs.
“We have won by hard work and continuing to play to an identity,” Foligno said. “You don’t win 16 by luck. That is something the guys in here can hang their hat on, but also know it has to continue.”
“We can’t just sit on it now. That’s what I’ve seen as the big difference in here. We’re not a team that is content with that. We want to be a better team. … We know who we are and we’ve played to that for the first 30 or so games, and it has to continue for the next 40.”
Head coach John Tortorella, much-maligned and thought to be on the hot seat following a horrible showing by Team USA’s entry in the World Cup of Hockey, is proving to again be among the top coaches in the game with his deft guidance of the Blue Jackets and should garner plenty of support for the Jack Adams trophy if Columbus can parlay their outstanding start into a playoff berth.
Elsewhere in the Metro Division:
- Not long ago, the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and comfortably residing in a playoff spot in the competitive Metro Division. However, after dropping six of seven with their lone win coming via shootout, the Flyers are clearly scuffling and in need of a spark. As Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post writes, the team is hopeful that winger Matt Read, recently activated from IR, can help get the Flyers back on track. Read returned to the lineup Sunday in the team’s shootout loss to Anaheim and was held off the score sheet while skating on a line centered by Sean Couturier and with Dale Weise on the other side. Head coach Dave Hakstol liked what he saw from his reconstituted third line: “I like that group the other night,” coach Dave Hakstol added. “I thought Dale Weise played, the last two games, really well. In Anaheim he was in on forechecks. He was in and heavy on pucks. That whole line was. I thought that line was effective the other night.” As Isaac notes, the Flyers have roughly 40 games left on their 2016-17 schedule but with other team’s in the division playing well, the team needs to start stringing some wins together.
- Ron Smith, who spent seven seasons coaching in the Carolina Hurricanes minor league system, recently passed away at the age of 72. Luke DeCock of The News & Observer details the impact Smith had not only on the Hurricanes organization, but on the development of video analysis and statistical tracking. Smith helped develop Erik Cole, Eric Staal, Mike Commodore and Craig Adams, players who would be go on to help Carolina win a Stanley Cup in 2005-06. He also tracked scoring chances for and against long before anyone had heard of possession metrics such as Corsi or Fenwick, as DeCock notes. After his coaching career ended, Smith spent another decade as a pro scout for the Hurricanes before retiring from hockey altogether.
Blue Jackets Win Their 16th Straight Game
The Columbus Blue Jackets won their 16th consecutive game, knocking off the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 at home. With the win, the Jackets are just one game away from tying the NHL record of 17 consecutive victories, set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jackets got goals from Cam Atkinson, William Karlsson, and Nick Foligno. Oscar Klefbom notched the lone Oiler goal.
Sergei Bobrovsky won again after recently being named the league’s #1 star in December. Bobrovsky leads the league in wins, and is second in save percentage. The Jackets went undefeated in December and have continued their winning ways into January. With the win, Columbus improved to 27-5-4, good for 58 points and the top record in all of hockey.
The Blue Jackets dizzying win streak has been the talk of hockey while also being one of the biggest surprises in the NHL. Bench boss John Tortorella, once believed to be one of the first coaches fired this season, tops the list as a candidate for the Jack Adams Award.
The Blue Jackets have a chance to tie the NHL record on Thursday against Washington.
Snapshots: Blue Jackets Win 15th Straight, Jagr, Subban
Not even the Minnesota Wild could defeat the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild, winners of 12 straight heading into Saturday’s contest, lost 4-2 to Columbus. The Jackets ran their winning streak to 15 games. Yahoo’s Jen Neale called it the “Unsustainabowl” as both teams went into the game with franchise record winning streaks. With the win, the Jackets now hold the second longest winning streak in NHL history while also wrapping up an undefeated December. Aaron Portzline reports that the Jackets tied the 1981-82 New York Islanders and the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Penguins with their 15th consecutive win. The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins hold the all-time record, winning 17 straight. That team was coming off back to back Stanley Cup wins. Portzline writes that after yesterday’s triumph, several Blue Jackets players finally acknowledged that they want to usurp the NHL record. Portzline quoted Brandon Saad as saying:
“It’s pretty hard to fathom actually,” said wing Brandon Saad, a Pittsburgh native. “What a team that was and we all know what it (the streak) is at and we’re looking to take over. We’re continuing one game at a time and we have some tough tests coming, but this has been fun to be a part of.”
- A member of that 92-93 Penguins squad continues to rack up accomplishments of his own. Jaromir Jagr tied Paul Coffey for fifth all time on the assist list when he set up Vincent Trocheck‘s goal Saturday night. Jagr also scored his 756th goal in the Panthers’ 3-1 victory over Dallas. The accomplishments for the 44-year-old winger continue as in addition to moving up on the career assists list, Jagr is second all time in points (1,891) and third all time in goals.
- After a report that P.K. Subban may have a herniated disc, the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan writes that the loss of Subban for an extended amount of time would be “problematic” for a team that hasn’t lived up to the preseason expectations of being a Stanley Cup contender. Vingan adds that the Predators’ defensive depth should be able to absorb such a loss.
Blue Jackets vs. Wild: History In The Making
At this time last year, a match-up between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild would have gone largely unnoticed. Columbus was underachieving, setting themselves up for their eventual place near the bottom of the 2015-16 NHL standings. Minnesota was cemented as the fifth best team in the tough Central Division and was simply holding out hope that they could lock up the eighth and final spot in the conference. The NHL Expansion Class of 2000 was still trying to figure things out. Jump to December 31st, 2016 and this game is a whole different story. Tonight’s Jackets-Wild game is a historic battle, not just in hockey, but in North American pro sports altogether.
When the puck drops in Minnesota tonight, it will be the first ever game between two pro teams on winning streaks of 12 or more games. The Blue Jackets have been the surprise of the season, leading the league with 54 points and currently on a 14-game winning streak. The stretch is tied for third longest in NHL history and has catapulted the team ahead of their rival, and defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Meanwhile, it was the Wild who led the league early on this season, and still sit comfortably out West with 50 points, due to their 12-game winning streak.
However, one team will end their streak tonight. It took the Blue Jackets into March last season to win their 26th game, so they have that intrinsic benchmark on the line, as well as keeping their slim lead over the Penguins in the cutthroat Metropolitan Division. The Wild have been waiting years to claim the Central from the perennial favorite Chicago Blackhawks and, with four games in hand, can take the division lead back from Chicago with a win tonight. So who comes out the victor in one of the biggest regular season games in recent league history? Both teams have been stout defensively behind stellar goaltending. Minnesota and Devan Dubnyk lead the league with just 2.00 goals allowed per game, but Columbus and Sergei Bobrovsky are right on their tail in second with 2.06 goals allowed per game. Bobrovsky leads the NHL with 23 wins, but Dubnyk tops the list at goals against average and save percentage with a 1.67 GAA and .944 SV%. As a whole, the Wild are a superior defensive team, and Ryan Suter, Jason Zucker, and Jared Spurgeon as 1-2-3 in NHL +/- is evidence of such. But this game will come down to offense. In addition to being solid in their own end, Columbus leads the league with 3.44 goals for per game. Minnesota sits in fourth with 3.14 goals per game. Both teams have received scoring from throughout their lineup, with unlikely candidates like Wild free agent import Eric Staal and Blue Jackets gamble Sam Gagner leading the charge. Whichever team is able to put together a more complete, balanced offensive effort tonight will likely hold on to their impressive winning streak.