Snapshots: Three Stars, Mahura, Boeser
The NHL released their three stars of the week, and Patrick Kane comes home with top honors. Kane had five points in three games including two game-winning goals, and moved into fifth on the all-time Chicago Blackhawks goals list.
Brian Elliott and Josh Bailey rounded out the list after a pair of incredible performances. It was Elliott’s second straight appearance on the list, as the Philadelphia Flyers goaltender has now won his last six starts, allowing just nine goals in the process. Amazingly that has followed a stretch where Elliott lost nine straight starts, as he echos the Flyers inconsistent season.
- Josh Mahura is back with the Canadian World Junior team despite being among the final cuts last week. The Anaheim Ducks defensive prospect will fill in for the injured Dante Fabbro during the pre-tournament games, but likely will return to the WHL before the start of the tournament. Mahura, a third-round pick by the Ducks in 2016, has developed quite well over the last two years and looks like he’ll be a full-time NHL defender one day. With 29 points in 28 games, Mahura is one of the most impressive defenders in the WHL and will try to compete for a role on the Ducks next training camp.
- Brock Boeser is undergoing an MRI on his injured foot today to find out exactly how much damage was done when he blocked a Mark Giordano shot last night. Boeser crawled to the Vancouver Canucks bench in obvious pain, and wasn’t able to return. Having an incredible rookie season, it would be a tough blow for the Canucks to lose Boeser for any length of time, especially with Bo Horvat dealing with injury already.
Minor Transactions: 12/16/17
It’s an action-packed day in the NHL with eleven games on tap, including the NHL 100 Classic, an outdoor re-match of the first game in NHL history back in 1917 between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. With some teams focused on games tonight, others focused on preparing for the upcoming week, and a pair of teams focused on what will likely be their most important game of the season, there promises to be some transaction action across the league today:
- The New Jersey Devils have reassigned Nick Lappin to the AHL’s Binghamton Devils in a move that likely means more than its face value. Lappin played in two games with New Jersey on this most recent recall – his first two NHL games of the season – and looked impressive in both outings. Lappin was involved in the offense, even contributing a goal in last night’s win over the Dallas Stars, and played well in an energy role. The former Brown Bear has also been on fire in the AHL, with 12 goals in 23 games. His demotion, if not for performance, must be an indication that the Devils are adding another healthy body to the lineup. With Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, and Marcus Johansson all banged up, the loss of Lappin is likely good news that one or more of that talented trio is ready to return.
- The Dallas Stars announced they have sent forward Jason Dickinson to the Texas Stars of the AHL today. He was called up on Dec. 10 and has played a total of five games this season for the Stars with all the injuries the team has dealt with recently. Dickinson hasn’t scored any points, but has been praised for his enthusiastic play for the Stars. He has 13 goals in 20 AHL games, and is a great depth guy when Dallas needs him. The team has recently gotten back both Martin Hanzal and Antoine Roussel from injury, so the need for the 22-year-old has waned.
- The Minnesota Wild announced after their game today against the Edmonton Oilers that they have assigned defenseman Ryan Murphy to the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Despite playing well, the move is most likely due to the fact that the team intends to activate defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who has been out for the past nine games with a groin injury. Murphy, a first-round pick in 2011, is expected to get more minutes while in Iowa. He has had one goal and one assist in nine games so far this year.
Lehtonen Happy Despite Reduced Role; Sets NHL Record On Thursday
- Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen has seen his workload reduced this season with the addition of Ben Bishop but told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News that he’s happy with where he is even with his role being reduced. The 34-year-old has posted a .909 SV% heading into Wednesday’s start against the Islanders, his highest mark since 2013-14. Speaking of that start, Lehtonen set a new NHL record for most appearances made by a Finnish-born goaltender with 624, passing Miikka Kiprusoff.
Minor Transactions: 12/10/17
There may only be four games on tap today, but with a busy slate yesterday that saw all but seven teams in action, there should be many squads reviewing their performances and making any necessary changes ahead of a new week:
- After being called up just yesterday, Sonny Milano is on his way back down to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters once again. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced the demotion of the struggling young forward late last night after an unimpressive performance against the Arizona Coyotes. Columbus came out on top 1-0, but Milano’s only statistic of note was one giveaway in his 8:34 time on ice. Milano has five goals and five assists in 25 games with the Jackets this season, but has scored only once since October 13th. With Columbus’ depth of talent, they don’t have to put up with that inconsistency.
- NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that the St. Louis Blues have recalled Ivan Barbashev from the AHL. After playing in 30 games for St. Louis in 2016-17, Barbashev has only skated in six NHL contests this season and hasn’t seen big league action since October after being held scoreless to begin the campaign. With the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, Barbashev has four goals and four assists in 18 games, so the 21-year-old Russian isn’t exactly tearing up the minors either. Barbashev needs to find a rhythm this season if he hopes to stick in St. Louis and this recall is his next chance to do so.
- The Dallas Stars announced the have recalled center Jason Dickinson from the Texas Stars of the AHL this morning. The 22-year old has played in just four games with no points with the Dallas Stars this season, filling in as an emergency forward. This will be no different as the team still has Martin Hanzal out and the status of Antoine Roussel (elbow) and Greg Pateryn (thigh contusion) are both up in the air for tomorrow’s game against the New York Rangers. Dickinson is expected to play as the team’s fourth-line center on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. The former first-round pick from 2013 has played well in the AHL, where he has scored 13 goals in 20 games.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they have activated winger Nikita Scherbak, who has been out since Oct. 26 after requiring surgery on his right knee, and has been assigned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Scherbak had only played with the Canadiens for less than a week when he was injured. He was recalled on Oct. 22 after a strong start with the Rocket when he put up one goal and eight assists in six games. Struggling for offense, Montreal hoped Scherbak might be able to infuse the team with his skills, but he managed to play in just two games and averaged just 7:59 of ice time before injuring his knee.
- The Anaheim Ducks placed Joseph Blandisi, who was recently acquired as part of the Sami Vatanen and Adam Henrique trade, on injured reserve with an upper body injury. He played in two games with no points after coming over in the trade, but was injured in the Dec. 2 game against the Nashville Predators. He has missed three games and could still be activated for Monday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team also recalled defenseman Andrew Welinski from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 24-year-old played four years with University of Minnesota-Duluth and has played well in San Diego as the blueliner has six goals and 11 assists in 21 games. This is his first callup to Anaheim.
- The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno tweets that the Vegas Golden Knights activated starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury off of injured reserve and assigned Maxime Lagace to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Fleury was reported yesterday to be ready for Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been out since Oct. 13 with a concussion and has played in just four games this season. The team’s leader has a 2.48 GAA and a 3-1 record. Lagace returns to Chicago after a long stint with the Golden Knights. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut this season and had some good and bad games, wrapping up with the team Saturday as he stopped 36 shots to win his sixth game of the season against the Dallas Stars. He finished his stint having played in 14 games with a 3.79 GAA and a .872 save percentage. Because Lagace was an emergency recall, he does not have to pass through waivers to return to Chicago.
Methot, Hanzal Unlikely To Return Soon
While both Stars center Martin Hanzal and defenseman Marc Methot have resumed skating, it sounds like both will be out of the lineup for a while yet. Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News notes that Methot (knee surgery) is hoping to get back before the holiday break while Hanzal’s timeline is more uncertain. Having dealt with four different injuries dating back to the preseason (the current one is a hamstring issue), head coach Ken Hitchcock stated that the plan will be for the 30-year-old to “practice for an extended period of time” before they put him back in the lineup. That way, they can ensure that he is indeed fully recovered and that he’ll have a better chance of avoiding any recurrences.
Stars Place Martin Hanzal On IR, Recall Jason Dickinson
- Following the reveal yesterday that Martin Hanzal‘s hamstring injury was of the week-to-week variety, it is no surprise that Dallas Stars beat writer Marc Stepneski reports that Hanzal has been placed on the injured reserve. In his stead, Dallas has recalled forward Jason Dickinson from the AHL’s Texas Stars. Dickinson, 22, has already played in four NHL games this season and is on pace to best his 10 games from last year. Selected in the first round in 2013 with the pick Dallas obtained from the Boston Bruins for Jaromir Jagr, Dickinson is already the most successful piece of that trade for either team, but nonetheless has overall not yet shown he was worthy of a first-round pick. Perhaps in this latest recall, things will finally click for the young forward.
Evening Notes: Division Realignment, Roussel, Engelland, Chychrun
With the Toronto Maple Leafs making stops in Calgary on Tuesday and Edmonton on Thursday, the rivalry between those Canadian Eastern and Western Conference matchups are off the charts. The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) wonders if it wouldn’t be a smart idea to change the conferences, especially down the road when the Quebec Nordiques return to the NHL.
The scribe’s suggestion is create an all-Canadian conference to replace the Central Division, moving all eight Canadian teams including the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Quebec City in the same division. Non-Canadian Central Division teams would be moved to either the Atlantic Division or the Pacific Division where the Canadian teams left holes.
There would be two key outcomes to this move, including increased revenue as rivalry matchups in 34 out of each team’s 82-game schedule will increase ratings and increase ticket sales. Currently, Canadian teams only play 16 games against in-country rivals. Playoffs would also promote multiple Canada-vs.-Canada rivalries and also would increase TV ratings.
Mirtle mentions some downsides to realigning the divison, which would include increased travel times for other teams such as the Minnesota Wild if they were moved to the Pacific Divison, but still feels the NHL should seriously look into that over the next few years.
- The Dallas Stars will be without wing Antoine Roussel, who is expected to miss tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with the flu, according to coach Ken Hitchock. The coach added that Roussel is day-to-day regarding Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Roussel has three goals and eight points in 25 games for Dallas.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen writes that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland remains day-to-day after suffering an injury to his hand in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. The 35-year-old blueliner missed last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. He has two goals and nine points in 24 games this season and has been a key piece to the expansion team’s successful run so far this year.
- Craig Morgan of NHL.com tweets that Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said that defenseman Jakob Chychrun might play Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 2016 first-round pick hasn’t played this year and is currently on a conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. He had knee surgery in August and would make a big addition the Coyotes defensive core. He played 68 games for Arizona last year as an 18-year-old.
Martin Hanzal Week-To-Week With Hamstring Injury
- Martin Hanzal’s tough year with the Stars continues. After missing time due to a lower-body injury as well as a hand injury already, the center is now listed as week-to-week with a hamstring issue, notes NHL.com’s Sean Shapiro (Twitter link). When healthy, Hanzal has yet to live up to his three-year, $14.25MM contract he signed back in July; he has just a goal and two assists in 19 games this season.
Stars Recall Curtis McKenzie
- The Dallas Stars announced that they have recalled forward Curtis McKenzie from AHL Texas. McKenzie has been back and forth multiple times already in 2017-18, but hasn’t had the opportunity to play for Dallas despite leading the Texas Stars with 10 goals and 68 shots in 19 games. The 2009 draft pick hasn’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut at the next level though; he recorded only five points in his first 39 NHL games, but at least took a step forward last season with 16 points in 53 games. Many expected McKenzie to have a full-time role after gaining so much experience last year, but it hasn’t happened for him just yet. Perhaps a strong showing – should he get the opportunity – on this latest recall could keep him in Dallas for a longer, more involved stay.
Snapshots: IIHF HOF, Players Of The Month, Devils
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named their 2018 Hall of Fame class today, with several notable NHL names among them. Former stars Daniel Alfredsson, Rob Blake, Chris Chelios, and Jere Lehtinen will all be immortalized for their impressive international careers. Between them, the Swede, Canadian, American, and Finn have 16 Olympic Games and 8 Olympic medals, to of course go along with outstanding professional careers. Builders Philippe Lacarriere, a former European player and IIHF Councilman, and Bob Nadin, a long-time referee, will also be inducted.
- In terms of current recognition, the NHL announced the top players of the month of November today. The Three Stars of the Month were Colorado Avalanche star center Nathan MacKinnon at #1, Toronto Maple Leafs keeper Frederik Andersen at #2, and new St. Louis Blue Brayden Schenn at #3. MacKinnon was a point per game player last month, notching five goals and fifteen assists in 12 games for the Avs. Andersen kept the Leafs going with nine wins, a 2.14 GAA, and .938 save percentage. Schenn was arguably better than either despite coming in third, with seven goals and twelve assists in just 12 games, bringing his season total to 30 points in 25 contests. Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser was named the Rookie of the Month behind his 16 points in 15 games, as the young scorer has kept the Canucks afloat early on and leads all first-year players in scoring.
- If there was an award for Team of the Month, it could have easily gone to the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have somehow survived another month at or near the top of the toughest division in hockey, the Metropolitan, despite little expectation that they would even be a playoff contender in 2017-18. To cap off the month, they swung a deal to acquire a much-needed elite defenseman yesterday as well. The Devils are just getting started though – the team announced that Sami Vatanen caught a cross-country flight, took part in morning skate, and will make his debut tonight and joining him will be Marcus Johansson, the big off-season acquisition, who is returning from a long injury absence. November was a great month for the Devils, but December is starting off even stronger.