Central Notes: Maatta, Ellis, Sissons, Fabbro, Klingberg
The Chicago Blackhawks worked hard at upgrading their defense last summer by trading for Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta. De Haan fared well when healthy (he’s now out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery). However, Maatta has struggled often and found himself often playing third-pairing minutes in his first season in Chicago and finds himself playing a career-low 17:54. The problem with Maatta is that he still has another two years on his contract at $4.08MM.
The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus (along with Scott Powers — subscription required) make several predictions for 2020 for the Blackhawks, and Lazerus believes that with new pending contracts for Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Robin Lehner, the team will have to free up some cap room. He suggests that Maatta would be a logical candidate for the team to cut loose, along with forward Zack Smith. Buying out Maatta would save the team $3.4MM over the next two years, while buying out Smith would save the team $2.1MM next season. With the expected arrival of Ian Mitchell and the continued development of prospect Nicolas Beaudin, there may be no need or even roster space for Maatta.
- Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes said that Ryan Ellis and Colton Sissons, both on injured reserve, continue to make progress in their recovery. However, neither player is expected to travel with the team on their two-game road trip, starting on Sunday, to Winnipeg and Edmonton, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan. Ellis has been on IR since Jan. 3 with an upper-body injury, while Sissons has been out since Dec. 23 after suffering a lower-body injury.
- Vingan also reports that defenseman Dante Fabbro is close to returning after practicing with the team on Satuday. Fabbro, out since Jan. 1, but found himself paired with Mattias Ekholm in practice, which suggests he may be ready to play again. Fabbro has been solid in his rookie campaign, scoring four goals and nine points in 39 games, while averaging 19:20 of ATOI.
- NHL.com’s Mike Heika reports that Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg skated Saturday. The blueliner has missed three games already with a lower-body injury, but is expected to miss a few more as Heika adds that Klingberg isn’t ready to return yet.
Minor Transactions: 01/10/20
It’s a quiet Friday evening around the NHL with only three games scheduled, though one of them is still appointment viewing. When the Pittsburgh Penguins head to Colorado to take on the Avalanche, it’s always a fireworks show between friends Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. The former has been injured for some time, but after traveling with the team there is hope he’ll be able to suit up tonight. As they and the other four teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of the minor moves.
- The Minnesota Wild have returned Kaapo Kahkonen to the minor leagues after he served as an emergency backup for Alex Stalock last night. The Wild don’t play again until Sunday, and will hopefully have Devan Dubnyk available.
- There was also a minor league trade today, as John Stevens was dealt to the Utica Comets in exchange for future considerations. The 25-year old forward has five points in 16 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season.
- Joel Hanley has been returned to the minor leagues by the Dallas Stars, a good sign that John Klingberg is close to returning. Klingberg hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in the Winter Classic.
- The Arizona Coyotes have returned Ivan Prosvetov to the AHL, after he helped fill in for some injuries in net. Though he didn’t actually get into a game with the Coyotes, he can use this experience with the big club as motivation as he continues his development.
- Alexander Volkov has been recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning, returning after spending the last two months in the minor leagues. Volkov played four games for the team earlier this season but has spent most of the year with the Syracuse Crunch, scoring two goals and 15 points in 25 games.
Stephen Johns Sent On AHL Conditioning Stint
After missing the entire 2018-19 season and everything so far in 2019-20, Stephen Johns is ready to get back on the ice. The Dallas Stars defenseman has been loaned to the AHL’s Texas Stars on a conditioning assignment. The last professional game Johns played was on March 29th, 2018. He has been out with post-traumatic headaches for the last year and a half.
Johns, 27, was the other piece that came to Dallas alongside Patrick Sharp in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, before he had ever played in the NHL. After being selected 60th overall by the Blackhawks in 2010, Johns had spent four years at Notre Dame and then a full season in the minor leagues. Though he had found success at both stops, there was no guarantee he would ever really become a regular at the NHL level. That quickly changed however, as Johns made his NHL debut the next season for Dallas and would work his way into the lineup on a nightly basis soon after that (even if injuries did help open some opportunities along the way). Between 2016-17 and 2017-18 he played in 136 games for the Stars, registering 25 points.
It wasn’t offense that stood out when watching Johns however. His 6’4″ frame could move well around the ice and he was absolutely fearless when engaging physically or blocking shots. In 2017-18 he easily led Dallas in hits and blocks, despite averaging just over 17 minutes a night. Add that to the fact that he is right-handed and has a little more skill with the puck than many give him credit for, and he becomes an intriguing package that any team could use on the back end.
There’s no clear timeline for his return to the NHL, but it is great to see Johns getting back into some game action. Hopefully he’ll be able to return to Dallas before long.
Injury Notes: Klingberg, Kupari, Ducks
The Dallas Stars buried the lede on Tuesday night, announcing that they had recalled defenseman Joel Hanley from AHL Texas. The reason behind the move was far more important, as the team has placed top defenseman John Klingberg on injured reserve. Klingberg has not played since the Winter Classic, considered day-to-day with a nagging lower-body injury. His IR placement is in fact retroactive to January 1, meaning he could return to action as early as Friday. However, there is no time frame for Klingberg’s return and Hanley’s promotion ahead of a four-game road trip for the Stars suggests that the valuable defender could remain sidelined for a while still to come.
- Los Angeles Kings prospect Rasmus Kupari had not made his NHL debut prior to being loaned to Team Finlnd for the recent World Junior Championship tournament and now it is certain that he will not make that debut at all this year, his first in North America. Kupari was knocked out of the WJC with an injury and the Kings announced today that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. The 2018 first-round pick will undergo surgery later this month and will miss the remainder of the season. The greater concern now is ensuring that Kupari is as close to full strength as possible before next season so as not to slow the development of a player that has already had his issues adjusting to the pro game.
- The Anaheim Ducks are one of the more banged-up teams in the NHL, but things are looking up. The team issued an update on multiple injured players, including announcing a return to the lineup for core contributor Rickard Rakell, who has been out for two weeks. Perhaps the biggest news though is that young forward Troy Terry, expected to miss ten weeks with a broken bone in his knee suffered in mid-December, has instead been cleared to play after just four weeks and is considered day-to-day. Defenseman Korbinian Holzer has also been cleared to return, although not in Tuesday night’s lineup, while forwards Derek Grant and Nick Ritchie have been cleared to skate and are expected to return after the All-Star break. Perhaps a Ducks team at full health can turn around the team’s 14th-ranked record in the Western Conference.
Minor Transactions: 01/06/20
Another week starts in the NHL with four games on the schedule, including the expected debut of Ilya Kovalchuk with the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal will take on the Winnipeg Jets, who Kovalchuk never played for yet holds many all-time records. Those records of course were set when he was a member of the Atlanta Thrashers before the organization relocated, the real prime of Kovalchuk’s career. As the teams in action tonight prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Andrew Agozzino while sending Thomas Di Pauli to the minor leagues. Di Pauli made his NHL debut just a few days ago, but will now have to return to the AHL and wait for his next opportunity.
- Niko Mikkola is on his way back to the NHL from the San Antonio Rampage, flipped for Jake Walman by the St. Lous Blues. Walman made his debut on Saturday night and played just over 11 minutes, but will be replaced by Mikkola who is still hoping to get into an NHL lineup for the first time. The Blues play the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night and will try to get back on track after three consecutive losses.
- Steven Kampfer has been recalled by the Boston Bruins to serve as an extra defenseman as they head on the road. The Bruins will play the Nashville Predators tomorrow, trying to crack their own three-game losing streak and stay above the pushing Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Dalton Smith has been sent back to the AHL after just 86 seconds of NHL ice time. The veteran minor league forward was given a contract with the Sabres recently but he’ll have to head back to the Rochester Americans for the time being.
- Joel Kiviranta is back with the Dallas Stars after a short trip to the AHL. The 23-year old forward has already been involved in three transactions since the start of the year, moving up and down between the two leagues.
Stars Assign Joel Kiviranta To Texas
- Joel Kiviranta is back on his way to the minors as the Stars announced (Twitter link) that he has been loaned back to AHL Texas. Dallas is off until Wednesday so this will be an opportunity for him to get in some game action.
Latest On The Firing Of Jim Montgomery
Dallas Stars fans received some clarity today on the abrupt and unexpected firing of former head coach Jim Montgomery back on December 10th. At the time, the team would only state that Montgomery was dismissed for “unprofessional conduct inconsistent with [its] core values and beliefs.” Now, information has finally emerged that can begin to fill the holes of the mysterious situation and the club’s vague response. Montgomery released a public statement today, announcing that he is entering an inpatient residential program for alcohol abuse, implying that this led to his firing, which he says was “the appropriate call”:
Losing my job as head coach of the Dallas Stars last month was a wake-up call. It was also the appropriate call. I let the team’s front office, staff and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down. The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help. I turned to professionals in the field of alcohol abuse for their guidance and counseling. It has been an overwhelming and a very humbling experience knowing that I am not alone.
Today, with the unconditional support of my wife and family, and many close friends, I took another step forward by admitting myself into an inpatient residential program, where I intend to take the steps to be a better husband, father, friend, coach and mentor – one day at a time.
Whether or not his alcoholism is the only factor that contributed to Montgomery’s firing – and it is doubtful that those full details will ever be disclosed – it seems that the loss of his job has inspired Montgomery to make positive changes in his life. His former employer continues to support him in this pursuit as well, as Dallas GM Jim Nill stated today that the organization is “supportive of this decision by Jim and we hope that by pursuing this help, he and his family will be stronger for it.” We here at PHR certainly wish him well in his path toward recovery.
Meanwhile, the Stars have continued to excel under new head coach Rick Bowness. Dallas is 6-3-1 since the change behind the bench and have shaken off the early season struggles. The team is now on pace for a 100-point season and could make waves in the postseason. Bowness, currently the interim head coach, is likely to shed that “interim” tag before too long with the way he has the Stars playing. Both he and the team deserve credit for not allowing the ongoing issues with Montgomery and the subsequent distraction of his firing to derail their season.
Corey Perry Suspended Five Games
The Department of Player Safety has been busy today. Corey Perry has been given a five-game suspension for his elbow on Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis during the Winter Classic. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that while we acknowledge Perry’s argument that he did not intend to elbow Ellis in the head, he is in control of this hit at all times and solely responsible for the end result. While Ellis is releasing a shot, he does not move sharply or suddenly in an unexpected that contributes to the end result of this hit. Perry acknowledges that he initially takes an angle of approach to attempt to make a play on the puck, causing him to cut in front of Ellis’ body. Now unable to make any meaningful body contact, Perry follows through with his elbow, driving it into Ellis’ head.
Not only did Ellis suffer a serious injury on the play—he left the game and has been placed on injured reserve today—but Perry also has another factor working against him. Even though he has played in more than 1,000 games, he has two previous suspensions on his record which only make this punishment more severe.
The Dallas Stars will be without Perry for almost two weeks, as the next game he is eligible for will be Thursday, January 16th at the Buffalo Sabres. Of note, that means he will miss the Stars’ first trip to Anaheim to take on the Ducks, where he played the first 988 games of his NHL career.
NHL All-Star Selections Announced
Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:
Atlantic Division
G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)
Metropolitan Division
G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Central Division
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:
Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner
Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie
Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine
Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty
Sergei Zubov Named Dallas Stars Senior Consultant
The Dallas Stars have officially hired franchise icon Sergei Zubov, today naming him Senior Consultant to the General Manager. Zubov was fired from his job as a head coach in the KHL earlier this season. GM Jim Nill will oversee Zubov in the Stars organization, and explained why he brought in the Stanley Cup-winning defenseman:
We are thrilled to bring Sergei back into the Stars family. He has been a big part of building hockey here in Dallas as a player, and we are excited for him to continue adding to that legacy in this management role. He has a brilliant hockey mind and his presence in the organization will benefit us all.
Zubov, 49, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this season after an incredible career that saw him win at basically every level. A member of the outstanding 1989 Soviet Union World Junior team that also included Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov, Zubov would win a gold medal at the Olympics just a few years later as part of the 1992 Unified Team. A Stanley Cup would follow in 1994 with the New York Rangers, before another in 1999 with the Stars.
While he was already a star with New York (and Pittsburgh, where he spent one year with the Penguins) in the early part of his career, it’s Dallas where Zubov spent most of his career. Suiting up for 839 regular season contests with the Stars, he anchored a defense corps for more than a decade, logging ridiculous ice time totals and points.
Amazingly never winning a Norris Trophy, Zubov ranks 20th all-time in points among NHL defensemen with this 771. The silky smooth playmaker will now try to help the Stars get back to the promised land by assisting Nill in the front office.