Dallas Stars Sign Mavrik Bourque
The Dallas Stars have inked one of their top prospects, signing Mavrik Bourque to a three-year entry-level contract. Unlike some of the other deals signed earlier today, Bourque’s can be filed for this season because it will slide forward this year and perhaps even next.
The 19-year-old is currently playing in the QMJHL with the Shawinigan Cataractes after being the 30th selection in the 2020 draft. Bourque has been outstanding so far this season, scoring 12 goals and 27 points in just 18 games. That’s good enough for tenth overall in QMJHL scoring and keeps him well over a point-per-game for his junior career.
A creative playmaking machine, Bourque routinely wows with his ability to deliver chances out of nowhere for himself and his teammates. With no hesitation, he can deliver sharp passes through small seams or protect the puck long enough for a teammate to get into position. There’s still plenty of polishing his overall game needs, but he will be a very exciting player to watch when he eventually gets to the professional level.
Bourque will still be 19 at the start of next season, meaning he could potentially be going back to junior once again. If he does, he’ll be a great candidate to play for Canada at the World Juniors, given his early-January birthday.
Poll: NHL’s “Thanksgiving Trend” Revisited
Fans of the NHL are sure to be familiar with the deeper meaning that American Thanksgiving holds each season. With unrelenting consistency, the NHL’s standings on the final Thursday of November have had great predictive ability when compared to the final regular season standings. In fact, over the past seven years the Thanksgiving standings have been about 75% accurate at forecasting eventual playoff teams, predicting 12 of 16 spots on average. Even though American Thanksgiving only rolls around less than two months into the season, three out of four teams in a playoff spot at that time will have retained their postseason berth when the season ends.
The 2019-20 season of course did not have a standard postseason, but if it had then the Thanksgiving trend would have proved even more prophetic in a shortened campaign. Last year, in which teams were limited to between 68 and 71 games apiece prior to the early termination of the regular season, the Thanksgiving standings would have predicted 13 of 16 playoff teams in the standard format. Of the three teams that would have slid out of the postseason, the Florida Panthers trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs by .014 points percentage in the Atlantic Division and the Winnipeg Jets missed out by a measly .001 points percentage behind the Calgary Flames as the final Western Conference wild card. The Thanksgiving standings were that close to predicting 15 of 16 playoff teams in the shortened season, with the unexpected slow start for the Vegas Golden Knights and hot start for the Arizona Coyotes being the other unsurprising course correction.
But how does this trend impact a season that didn’t even begin until well after American Thanksgiving? Based on total games played by Thanksgiving over the past few seasons, Thanksgiving represents about the 30% progress through the NHL season. In the current 56-game season, that comes out to about the 17-game mark. Although postponements and rescheduling have created a wide discrepancy in games played among teams this year, the league as a whole passed that 17-game average on Saturday: Happy Thanksgiving. Admittedly, the 2020-21 campaign does have a different playoff model as well, one that is somewhat stricter than the last few years without the fallback of a wildcard spot for a team on the fifth-place fringe in their division. Yet, it is still a 16-team postseason and the Thanksgiving trend should hold. Using points percentage to rank the standings (the stat may end up determining playoff position for a second consecutive season anyhow) and adjusting for the season’s makeshift divisions, here is the current “Thanksgiving” outlook:
North Division East Division
Toronto Maple Leafs (.789) Boston Bruins (.733)
Montreal Canadiens (.625) Philadelphia Flyers (.679)
Winnipeg Jets (.618) Washington Capitals (.594)
Edmonton Oilers (.600) Pittsburgh Penguins (.594)____
Calgary Flames (.472) New Jersey Devils (.583)
Vancouver Canucks (.405) New York Islanders (.559)
Ottawa Senators (.237) New York Rangers (.469)
Buffalo Sabres (.429)
West Division Central Division
Vegas Golden Knights (.700) Carolina Hurricanes (.781)
Colorado Avalanche (.679) Florida Panthers (.750)
St. Louis Blues (.611) Tampa Bay Lightning (.700)
Minnesota Wild (.571) Dallas Stars (.583)
Los Angeles Kings (.531) Chicago Blackhawks (.579)
Arizona Coyotes (.500) Columbus Blue Jackets (.526)
San Jose Sharks (.500) Nashville Predators (.412)
Anaheim Ducks (.417) Detroit Red Wings (.325)
Now this begs the question, especially seeing how accurate the Thanksgiving standings were in last year’s shortened season but also accounting for the many disruptions for a number of teams early this season, who is the trend currently overlooking? Which teams currently outside the playoff picture, if any, do you think will make the postseason when all is said and done later this season? Use the comments section below as well to discuss which teams may fall out of the postseason and whether you feel the Thanksgiving trend will apply this season.
NHL Postpones Another Dallas Stars Game
The NHL had already postponed three Dallas Stars games due to inclement weather and has now added a fourth. Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning has been postponed as a result of “ongoing power issues” caused by the weather in the Dallas area.
The league is now working to re-schedule the four games missed, but it now means the Stars will have a pause between February 13 and 22 after already starting the season late. The team has only completed 12 games so far and is on a five-game losing streak after a hot start. The Stars will have even less practice and recovery time down the stretch as they try to fit in the final 44 games.
The Lightning meanwhile are now off from Feb 15 to 22, as they’ll next take the ice on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Tampa Bay has had several postponements of their own, though not because of any internal outbreak, and have only completed 14 games. Unlike the Stars though, the Lightning have been able to battle through their odd schedule and are 10-3-1 on the year, still looking like the powerhouse that won the Stanley Cup last summer.
The list of postponed games for one reason or another is quite long already:
Stars-Predators Game Postponed Due To Extreme Weather
- Tonight’s game between the Stars and Predators was postponed. This had nothing to due with COVID-19 but instead, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News notes that the decision was made at the request the Mayor of Dallas due to ongoing power issues from the storm that has hit the area hard. DeFranks adds that a similar request could be made for tomorrow’s game. The league has not yet decided when the game will be rescheduled for.
Snapshots: COVID, U18, O’Ree
The NHL has sent out a memo to its teams detailing further enhanced COVID measures, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The memo includes specifically recommended masks, virtual meetings, removing the glass from the penalty box, further recommendations about remaining at home except for practices/games, and, perhaps most importantly, rapid testing on game days.
Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone spoke about the rapid testing change this morning, one that should hit close to home given his team had a player pulled mid-game recently. Tomas Nosek played two periods before his positive test results forced him out of a Golden Knights game, a situation that rapid testing can hopefully help avoid. Today, the Edmonton Oilers-Montreal Canadiens game has been pushed back an hour to give the league more time to process tests after one Edmonton player was added to the COVID protocol.
- While the NHL continues to try and navigate their season, international events are starting to be planned for later this year. USA Hockey has announced the 2021 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, to be held in conjunction with the Dallas Stars in Texas. The event is scheduled for April 26-May 6 and will primarily be held in Frisco, Texas at the Comerica Center.
- The Boston Bruins will postpone their banner raising ceremony for Willie O’Ree until next year, retiring his number 22 on January 18, 2022, instead, in the hopes that he will be able to attend the event in front of a full arena. That date will be 64 years after O’Ree made his debut as the first Black player in the NHL.
Loui Eriksson, Artem Anisimov Among Those On Waivers
Feb 11: All three players have cleared waivers. They can now be assigned to the taxi squad or AHL.
Feb 10: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Loui Eriksson on waivers again, after clearing just before the season began. Eriksson has played in just one game, but the team has decided to reset his waiver clock so that they can continue to move him to the taxi squad. He isn’t alone on waivers today. Artem Anisimov of the Ottawa Senators and Taylor Fedun of the Dallas Stars have also both been placed on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Seeing Eriksson there shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite carrying a $6MM cap hit, tied for the highest on the team, the 35-year-old forward is basically a practice player at this point in his career. He suited up 49 times last season for the Canucks but recorded just six goals and 13 points. Eriksson received an odd chance to skate beside Bo Horvat on the weekend, but was quickly moved back off that line and scratched the following game. He won’t be claimed, not at that price.
Anisimov’s story isn’t all that different. Now 32, Anisimov hasn’t been a regular in the Senators lineup this season and has just one point in four games. His contract carries a $4.55MM cap hit (though the actual salary remaining is very low) and he is a shell of his former self. There was a time when Anisimov could be relied on for 20 goals and forty points, but that seems to be in the past—at least while he remains in Ottawa.
Fedun is a much different kind of player, still scratching by for any chance he can get in the NHL. The 32-year-old undrafted defenseman has played in just 127 games over the course of his long professional career and none this season with the Stars. He does have some interesting possession statistics over the last two seasons and has recorded 20 points in 81 games, but it seems unlikely that anyone would claim him, given the other names that have slipped through waivers already this season.
Anton Khudobin To Be Benched For Disciplinary Reasons
When the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Stars take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, it won’t be playoff hero Anton Khudobin starting in net. Or dressing as the backup either, for that matter. Instead, the beloved veteran will sit in the press box, benched by head coach Rick Bowness for disciplinary issues. While Bowness would not disclose the specific reasoning behind Khudobin’s punishment beyond calling it an “internal issue”, per The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks, he did provide a short synopsis of his thoughts on the topic:
You deal with things by communicating and making your feelings known, what is and what isn’t acceptable. I have very few rules, but you damn well better follow them.
The experienced coach clearly is not happy with Khudobin’s actions, as his words express. As a result, highly-touted rookie Jake Oettinger will get his third career start tomorrow with experienced AHLer Landon Bow serving as backup. Both players were in attendance at practice on Saturday; Khudobin was not. The veteran netminder showed up at the end of practice and skated without his teammates. It remains unclear whether Khudobin’s absence was a cause or effect of these ongoing “internal issues”.
When asked whether Khudobin’s benching would last beyond Sunday, Bowness remained non-committal. “We’ll deal with it one day at a time” was all that he would say at this time. With starter Ben Bishop on Long-Term Injured Reserve as he rehabs a knee injury and not expected back until March, Khudobin will obviously return to the Dallas crease at some point and there is no indication at this point that his current issues are anything that would force a trade or any other major move. However, with an off-season approaching in which Khudobin will be exposed in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, this could only add fuel to the fire that Khudobin’s time with the Stars could be coming to an end this season. If Bishop returns and appears healthy and Oettinger seems ready to become an NHL backup sooner rather than later, bad blood between Khudobin and Bowness could see the Stars hoping that the Seattle Kraken select the talented veteran keeper. Just a few months ago, that statement would have been unthinkable as the well-liked Khudobin led Dallas to postseason glory. However, something has clearly changed.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 1/24/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.
- The Dallas Stars announced they have recalled forward Tanner Kero from their taxi squad after placing forward Joel Kiviranta on injured reserve. The 28-year-old Kero hasn’t made an NHL appearance since the 2017-18 season, but could get onto the ice depending on the injury status of Jamie Benn, who is a game-time decision. Kiviranta, who was listed as day-to-day Saturday after getting injured in practice, will have to sit out at least three games.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced they have recalled forwards Givani Smith and Taro Hirose from the taxi squad. Smith has been up and down between the NHL and taxi squad, while Hirose was recalled three days ago to the taxi squad from the AHL. Both are expected to make their season debuts on Sunday. Detroit also have re-assigned forward Riley Barber to the taxi squad. UPDATE: The Red Wings have reversed course, announcing they have sent Hirose and Smith back to the taxi squad after their game with Chicago ended.
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have loaned defenseman Derrick Pouliot from the taxi squad to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. The team also announced some salary cap moves, sending forward Connor Bunnaman and Samuel Morin to their taxi squad.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced they have swapped young players as the team has sent forward Dylan Cozens to the taxi squad and recalled Casey Mittelstadt, who is expected to make his season debut Sunday. Cozens scored his first career NHL goal Friday, but head coach Ralph Krueger made it clear before the season that he intends to ease his young players into the lineup. The team has also activated forward Kyle Okposo from injured reserve. He has missed the team’s first five games with a lower-body injury.
- Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have activated defenseman Nicolas Hague off the taxi squad and moved center Cody Glass to the taxi squad, a similar move from two games ago as the team continues to balance their salary cap with rotating between five and six defensemen.
- The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell reports that with two forwards (Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov), a defenseman (Dmitry Orlov) and a goaltender (Ilya Samsonov) out due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team was able to recall two players, including forwards Brian Pinho and Connor McMichael (as well as goaltender Craig Anderson), via the emergency recall exception rule and not count against their cap. McMichael is the most interesting of the two as the 2019 first-round pick will make his NHL debut Sunday.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned forward Jesper Boqvist to the taxi squad and they have recalled forward Nicholas Merkley, who is expected to make his season debut Sunday. Boqvist has appeared in four games for New Jersey, failing to register a point. Merkley, acquired from Arizona in the Taylor Hall trade last season, had a goal and an assist in four games last year with the Devils.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets already placed Brandon Dubinsky on LTIR earlier today, but the team also made a few other moves to get under the salary cap, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. The scribe writes that both Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy have been assigned to the taxi squad, but as paper moves to maximize their LTIR pool. The team has also recalled Emil Bemstrom and Stefan Matteau from the taxi squad.
- The New York Rangers announced they have recalled forward Colin Blackwell from their taxi squad and is likely to make his Rangers’ debut. The 27-year-old signed with the Rangers as a free agent after posting three goals and 10 points in 27 games for the Nashville Predators last season.
- The Calgary Flames made their standard game-day transaction, recalling Derek Ryan and Oliver Kylington from the taxi squad. Ryan has appeared in three games with no points, while Kylington has yet to make an appearance for Calgary this year.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have recalled goaltender Andrew Hammond from their taxi squad with the status of Cam Talbot being day-to-day. In order to keep three goaltenders on the roster, the team has assigned netminder Hunter Jones from Iowa of the AHL to the taxi squad. Hammond has not made an appearance yet for the Wild.
- With the Bruins off, CapFriendly reports that Boston has shuffled forwards Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic plus defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to their taxi squad, continuing their near-daily movement. Steven Kampfer was reassigned to AHL Providence from the taxi squad to create room for Vaakanainen’s placement.
- Avalanche defenseman Conor Timmins was in the lineup for their game today against Anaheim, meaning that he has been recalled from the taxi squad. The 22-year-old has played in four games so far with Colorado this season, logging a little under 13 minutes per game.
- Pierre Engvall and Jason Spezza were both in the lineup for the Maple Leafs against Calgary today, meaning they were promoted from the taxi squad. To get back into cap compliance, Travis Boyd was sent to the taxi squad.
- After scoring in his Canadiens debut on Saturday, Montreal has returned Corey Perry to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The veteran will likely be recalled in time for their next game against Calgary on Thursday.
- The Ottawa Senators have returned winger Micheal Haley to their taxi squad, per CapFriendly. He was recalled for Saturday’s game against Winnipeg and played 7:39 while getting into a fight.
Texas Stars Sign Six Players
The Texas Stars have added six players on AHL contracts for the 2020-21 season, bringing in a ton of experience and depth for their minor league run. Nicholas Baptiste, Cole Schneider, Nick Moutrey, Derek Barach, Nikita Scherbak have all joined the team, while Josh Melnick re-signs after spending last season in Texas.
These aren’t just minor league depth pieces, as Baptiste, Schneider, and Scherbak actually all have NHL experience. Baptiste, 25, was a third-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2013 and played 47 games at the highest level. He split last season between the Toronto Marlies and Belleville Senators, scoring 11 points in 35 games.
Schneider, 30, has just six games of experience at the NHL level but has been a force in the AHL for years. Last season he recorded 18 goals and 46 points in just 54 games for the Milwaukee Admirals.
Scherbak, 25, may be the most interesting name of the bunch, given he was a first-round pick in 2014. Selected 26th overall by the Montreal Canadiens, he received 37 games at the NHL level but never could quite make his mark. After spending some time in the Los Angeles Kings system, he left for the KHL last season and recorded 11 points in 31 games.
Texas will begin their season on February 5 against the Iowa Wild.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/22/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.
- With no other real options, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from their taxi squad under emergency conditions. The young defenseman is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the New York Rangers. Joseph, 21, was the 23rd overall pick in 2017 and recorded 17 points in 52 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have elevated Nathan Gerbe from the taxi squad, moving Emil Bemstrom down in his place. The 33-year-old Gerbe hasn’t played yet this season but recorded ten points in 30 games last year for the club.
- After clearing waivers, Brandon Pirri was re-assigned to the Chicago Blackhawks taxi squad. Carl Soderberg and Brandon Hagel have both been moved to the active roster. Soderberg, 35, has yet to play this season and is expected to make his debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Brian Pinho from the taxi squad as they try to fill out a roster card without their four Russian stars. Pinho, 25, scored 20 goals and 37 points in 62 games for the Hershey Bears last season and made his NHL debut in the postseason bubble.
- Givani Smith has been recalled from the Red Wings taxi squad, giving them another forward option as more players find themselves on the COVID list. The Red Wings start a two-game series with the Blackhawks tonight with a chance to climb even further up the Central Division table. Taro Hirose was also brought up to the taxi squad.
- The Edmonton Oilers have activated James Neal off injured reserve, meaning someone needed to go to the taxi squad. That someone is Joakim Nygard, who has been moved off the active roster. Olivier Rodrigue, who had been serving as the taxi squad goaltender, has also swapped places with Dylan Wells. Rodrigue will report to the AHL while Wells is now the third-string option for Edmonton.
- Samuel Morin has been moved back to the taxi squad as the Philadelphia Flyers wait for their next game. Morin, who is making the switch from defense to forward this season, has yet to get into a game.
- Brogan Rafferty has been moved to the taxi squad by the Vancouver Canucks, as they continue to try and work out their defensive issues. Rafferty had been up on emergency loan while the Canucks dealt with several injuries, but is now back down on the team’s day off.
- Victor Soderstrom is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after being recalled from the taxi squad by the Arizona Coyotes. The team has moved Jordan Gross down for the time being, allowing their young phenom to get into a game. Soderstrom, 19, was the 11th overall pick in 2019 and quickly became one of the top defensive prospects in the entire league. Aaron Ness was sent to the minors while Ivan Prosvetov was added to the taxi squad.
- The Los Angeles Kings have assigned both Lias Andersson and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the taxi squad while the team prepares for a four-game road trip that takes them to St. Louis tomorrow. The Kings are coming off their first win of the season and looking to continue to hold their own in a tough West Division.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad while also activating Mikael Granlund to the active roster after he completed his quarantine protocols. Olivier leads the Preds in hits in the early going this season with eight while Granlund will make his season debut.
- Anaheim has made a long list of moves, per CapFriendly. The Ducks have recalled David Backes, Max Jones, and Josh Mahura to the NHL roster while Anthony Stolarz and Isac Lundestrom are now on the taxi squad. Sonny Milano has been placed on IR while Lukas Dostal has been sent to AHL San Diego.
- The Boston Bruins have shuffled Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The two have been shuffled multiple times already this season to bank cap room and will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia.
- Colorado has recalled Martin Kaut on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly. Conor Timmins was sent back to the taxi squad in a corresponding move. Erik Johnson isn’t expected to play tonight and Kaut’s addition will allow the Avalanche to dress 12 forwards and six defensemen.
- The Islanders have shuffled Kieffer Bellows back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The winger has played in all four games this season but with them off until Sunday, New York can save nearly $15K in salary by sending him back for two days.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have flipped defensemen again as Andreas Borgman has been recalled with Luke Schenn going to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. While they’re so deep into LTIR where the small cap savings will be irrelevant, doing so extends Schenn’s waiver exemption a little longer.
- Vegas has recalled Cody Glass from the taxi squad, notes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Nicolas Hague has been sent back down to the taxi squad, meaning the Golden Knights will go back to dressing 13 forwards and just five defensemen.
This page will be updated throughout the day as more moves are officially announced.