Metropolitan Notes: Marchenko, Morehouse, Panarin, Copp
It is only a matter of time now before prospect Kirill Marchenko officially signs with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Marchenko, 21, has finished his KHL season, as SKA St. Petersburg fell in the conference finals of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, and he isn’t wasting any time making his next move. While his contract does not officially end until April 30, like many of his SKA teammates Marchenko is already negotiating his next deal. Russian source Sport Express reports that Marchenko will soon sign his two-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets. The 2018 second round pick is coming off a 20-point KHL season, finish fifth for St. Petersburg in scoring – a notable feat for a player of his age in a league with many accomplished veterans. A big, rangy winger with a goal scorer’s mentality, Marchenko figures to be yet another young impact player next season for a Columbus team that will have Yegor Chinakhov, Cole Sillinger, and Kent Johnson up front as well.
- After 16 years on the job and contributing to three Stanley Cup titles, Pittsburgh Penguins CEO David Morehouse has stepped down, the team announced. The Penguins’ release states that Morehouse made the decision himself, though the move comes not long after the team was sold to the Fenway Sports Group which may have played a role. Morehouse, a Pittsburgh native, joined the team in 2007 to spearhead the arena construction project that became Consol Energy Center and now PPG Paints Arena. Not only did Morehouse oversee the construction of the arena, but played a key role in filling the seats as well. Morehouse played a role in a number of strategic initiative and capital projects that have taken advantage of the Penguins’ lengthy stretch of consistent success to help build one of the NHL’s most valuable franchises.
- Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp both left Tuesday night’s game between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes due to injury, but head coach Gerard Gallant was adamant that these were precautionary measures. He told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen that both would have returned if it was a playoff game. There is reason to be skeptical of these comments though. First, last night’s game was virtually a playoff game; the Rangers faced the Hurricanes in a must-win for New York if they hoped to take the division crown from Carolina. Even more interesting though was the Rangers’ lineup for tonight’s game. New York understandably kept a number of starters in the press box for the contest with Tuesday’s loss cementing their playoff position. However, rather than listed as a health scratch like the rest, Panarin and Copp were listed as injured. Rosen reports that Panarin is out with an upper-body issue and Copp with a lower-body issue. In case this ends up being a strategic move by the Rangers to downplay these injuries ahead of a seven-game series, the health of Panarin and Copp bears watching.
Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Blue Jackets
The Toronto Maple Leafs, while still remaining competitive with a tough schedule, have faced significant injury setbacks over the past few weeks. A mass of updates came today during a press conference with head coach Sheldon Keefe, where he revealed that forward Michael Bunting will miss the final two games of the regular season, defenseman Rasmus Sandin is likely to return for the team’s finale on Friday versus the Boston Bruins, and forward Ondrej Kase remains day-to-day with no timeline to return.
As the Maple Leafs prepare for a likely impending First Round matchup with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, this is mostly positive news. The language surrounding Bunting’s injury wasn’t initially positive after he fell awkwardly during an April 23 game against Florida, but his prognosis has improved since then and it looks like a possibility that he could be ready for the beginning of the series. Sandin has missed over a month with a knee injury, while Kase has missed the same duration with a concussion.
- There are some more updates on various players on a Stanley Cup contender, as the Colorado Avalanche deal with some injury issues of their own. Head coach Jared Bednar spoke to reporters today, saying that defenseman Devon Toews will return to the lineup tonight after dealing with an undisclosed injury, forward Mikko Rantanen is working toward a return on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, and captain Gabriel Landeskog won’t return until the postseason. Toews has missed just around a week and a half, but his absence cannot be understated, as he continues to be one of the most underrated defensemen in the league with 57 points in just 64 games this year (while averaging over 25 minutes per game). Meanwhile, the Colorado captain has been out since early March with a leg injury.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that both captain Boone Jenner and Sean Kuraly will miss the short remainder of the season with respective injuries. Kuraly, in his first season with Columbus, suffered a foot injury last Sunday and will miss the remaining three games. Jenner will have missed the last month and a half of the season with a back injury.
Yegor Chinakhov To Return For Columbus
- It’s been more than three weeks since rookie Yegor Chinakhov was in the lineup for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he’ll make his return today against the Oilers. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda tweets that Chinakhov will go into the lineup for Brendan Gaunce, giving the 21-year-old a chance to add to his totals down the stretch. Selected 21st overall in 2020, the young forward has 14 points in 58 games this year.
NHL Announces 2022 Global Series
The NHL is going overseas again. The league announced the 2022 NHL Global Series games, which will feature the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, and Columbus Blue Jackets playing in European cities during the regular season.
Two of those games will open the NHL season. The Sharks and Predators will do battle in a pair of games in Prague, Czechia at O2 Arena on October 7 and 8. Those games follow exhibition matches for both clubs, with the Sharks taking on Eisbaren Berlin in Germany on October 4 and the Predators battling SC Bern in Switzerland on October 3.
Then, a month later, the Avalanche and Blue Jackets will meet in Tampere, Finland for a pair of games on November 4 and 5.
Columbus and Colorado are obvious candidates for games in Finland, since they have some of the biggest current stars the country has produced. Patrik Laine and Mikko Rantanen will be the headliners, though others like Artturi Lehkonen and even general manager Jarmo Kekalainen will certainly draw some attention as well. Laine and Kekalainen are even from Tampere specifically, meaning this is a homecoming of sorts for the Blue Jackets.
It’s no different for the Czech games, where Tomas Hertl of the Sharks will be the big draw. Hertl just signed a massive extension with the Sharks that makes him the team’s highest-paid forward and will lead his club into his hometown a decade after he left for the NHL. Teammate Radim Simek is also from the Czech Republic, as is Nashville goaltender David Rittich, though the latter is not yet signed for next season.
Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine Out Day-To-Day
Any injury hurts a team and a star player’s injury makes an even greater impact. However, when superstar players are sidelined, it even hurts the league itself as the on-ice product suffers. The NHL was dealt some bad news on Sunday night regarding two high-profile players, but at least their absences seems short-term. The Toronto Maple Leafs were without league-leading goal scorer Auston Matthews as they took the ice, with TSN’s Mark Masters relaying that he was out with an undisclosed “minor” injury. The Columbus Blue Jackets were in the same sport with point-per-game scorer Patrik Laine, announcing that he would miss Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury. Both players, who went No. 1 and No. 2 overall in 2016, are considered “day-to-day”.
Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe told Masters that Matthews was held out for precautionary reasons, especially as the team played the second of a back-to-back. In fact, it was during Saturday’s game that Matthews suffered the injury. Matthews has been relatively healthy this season, only missing time due to injury for the first three games of the campaign, which has helped him reach his massive 58-goal, 102-point totals for the year. The Maple Leafs are understandably playing it safe surrounding the source of so much of their offense.
While Columbus is out of the playoff picture, the team is still rightfully careful with their skilled winger who has dealt with injury issues. Laine is quietly having a career year, recording 56 points through 56 games thus far. Had he been healthy this whole season, Laine very easily might have been on an 80+ point pace. There is no reason to rush him into action if he is dealing with an ailment, no matter how small, with the season lost. Instead, the Blue Jackets will hold out hope that Laine can stay on the ice next season and produce at the same rate.
Sean Kuraly Clears COVID Protocol
- Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly will return to the lineup after missing the last two games due to a stint in COVID protocol, relays Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). He’ll take the place of Brendan Gaunce in the lineup. Kuraly has set new career bests in goals (12) and points (28) in 72 games this season in his first year with Columbus.
Kent Johnson To Make NHL Debut
- Kent Johnson‘s immigration issues have been resolved, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, meaning the young forward will make his NHL debut tonight for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Johnson, 19, had 37 points in 32 games for the University of Michigan this season, scoring five in five for Team Canada at the Olympics as well. The fifth-overall pick from 2021 is incredibly skilled and should be an instant offensive boost for the Blue Jackets.
Sean Kuraly Placed In COVID Protocol
The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they have placed center Sean Kuraly in COVID protocol which means he will not play tonight against Detroit. The team has been dealing with the virus lately with both head coach Brad Larsen and assistant coach Steve McCarthy entering the protocol late last month (they have since returned) while associate coach Pascal Vincent entered on Monday. Kuraly has had a good first season with his hometown team, posting career highs in goals (12), points (28), faceoff wins (580), and hits (216) over 72 games.
Blue Jackets Sign Nick Blankenburg
One of Kent Johnson‘s Michigan teammates is joining him on the Columbus Blue Jackets. After the team inked the 2021 fifth-overall pick, Columbus announced they also signed the captain of the Michigan Wolverines, Nick Blankenburg. Blankenburg, 23, went undrafted and chose to sign with Columbus as a college free agent. His entry level contract is a one-year deal, lasting for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, and he is expected to join the team alongside Johnson on Monday.
Blankenburg is a veteran of four seasons at the University of Michigan, where he has collected 68 points in his 133-game career. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen referred to Blankenburg as “a talented, smart, really competitive player with great leadership qualities” and stated that the Blue Jackets organization is “thrilled to welcome him.”
While Blankenburg is a bit undersized, standing at five-foot-nine and 175 pounds, it’s not his physicality that has earned him an NHL contract. Blankenburg is a right-shot defenseman who flashed offensive upside in his most recent season as a Wolverine and could help the Blue Jackets as a puck-mover. It remains to be seen if Blankenburg has a true NHL future, but his signing today should afford him the opportunity to make his case to Columbus’ management team that he deserves to be in their future plans as they rebuild their squad.
Blue Jackets Sign Kent Johnson
The stretch run of this Blue Jackets season looks set to become significantly more exciting. The team announced that they have signed top prospect Kent Johnson to a three-year entry-level contract. Johnson is expected to join the team on Monday and is expected to make his NHL debut in the team’s Wednesday contest against the Montreal Canadiens, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Johnson, 19, was the fifth overall selection in the 2021 draft, coming off of a freshman season at the University of Michigan where he posted 27 points in 26 games. Johnson is a dazzling playmaker who has become one of the most consistently creative players outside of the NHL this season. In his sophomore season at Michigan, which recently ended in an overtime loss to the University of Denver, Johnson improved his production, posting 37 points in 32 games. Johnson has experience at both winger and center, so while he has been utilized more as a winger it will be interesting to see how Columbus coach Brad Larsen chooses to deploy him.
Additionally, the unique package of skills Johnson brings to the game caught the attention of Hockey Canada’s Olympic selectors, and Johnson represented his country at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he collected five points in four games. Johnson won’t turn 20 until October, but if his skill and playmaking ability at the college level (and his brief showing at the Olympics) is any indication, he should make the Blue Jackets’ on-ice product a lot more exciting sooner rather than later.