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Metropolitan Notes: Yzerman, Rangers, Penguins, Devils

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The announcement yesterday that long-time New York Rangers president Glen Sather would be stepping down from his hockey operations role has opened up a vacancy that will be highly valued by many. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman could be one of a number of experienced players or executives with their eye on the job. Yzerman notably left his post as Tampa’s GM prior to this season and many have speculated that he would be moving on to a new team and new title this off-season. Much of that speculation has centered around his former club, the Detroit Red Wings, but Brooks believes the top job in New York would also be a desirable destination. While Brooks cites several sources, he also stops short of confirming Yzerman’s interest in the job, saying that he simply “is amenable to being wooed” and would not “necessarily accept an offer if one were to be presented.” Nevertheless, the prospect of Yzerman joining the rebuilding Rangers, who are both a popular free agent destination and a well-stocked farm system, is intriguing. Yzerman has a track record of success with the Lightning and Team Canada and could be a major asset in turning the Rangers around in short order.

  • Brooks also names current Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson as a candidate to make a lateral move over to the division rival Rangers. In fact, Brooks names Davidson and Yzerman as the two favorites to replace Sather at this point. Other possible candidates include Rangers legend and Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, another long-time Ranger and current radio analyst Dave Maloney, and the recently retired Brad Richards. Brooks believes that the Rangers will work quickly to name a new president, citing Sather himself as saying the team hopes to make the hire by at least the start of free agency, if not by the NHL Entry Draft.
  • Two exciting Pittsburgh Penguins prospects are getting a taste of the pro game for the remainder of the season. The AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced that forward Jordy Bellerive and defenseman Calen Addison have been signed to amateur tryout offers and have joined the team. The Lethbridge Hurricanes teammates saw their junior season end in the first round of the WHL playoffs, but are now on to a new challenge. Bellerive, 19, was undrafted but signed as free agent with the Penguins ahead of the 2017-18 season. He has since posted 175 points in 139 games over back-to-back tremendous seasons. The Lethbridge captain is arguably the Penguins’ top forward prospect and the team will be interested to see how he looks in the minors. Meanwhile, Addison may be Pittsburgh’s top defense prospect. The small, but speedy blue liner just completed his second season of near point-per-game production and is developing into the type of puck-moving defenseman that is re-shaping the way the NHL is played. A second-round pick last year, the Penguins spent considerable draft capital on Addison, but have to be happy with his consistent offensive play and the growth of his two-way game.
  • Fans of the New Jersey Devils will be fans of the Los Angeles Kings for the final two days of the regular season. While the Ottawa Senators (aka the Colorado Avalanche) have locked up the best odds in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery, the No. 2 spot is still up for grabs and only the Devils and Kings can claim it. New Jersey, at 70 points with one game remaining, is currently in the third spot, but L.A. has 69 points and two games remaining. Just a single point out of four could be enough to give the Devils the second-best odds at winning the first overall pick. The difference in odds between second place and third place is only 2%, but this year in particular the No. 2 spot has added value. The presumptive top two picks in the upcoming draft, forwards Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, are in a tier of their own. If the lottery yields results matching the final leagues standings, as is statistically the most likely outcome, there is a major difference between drafting second overall versus third. The Devils could move up into one of those top two spots regardless of their finish, but have the best chances with a Kings win on Friday or Saturday as well as their own loss in the season finale. New Jersey just won the draft lottery in 2017, moving from No. 5 to No. 1 and selection Nico Hischier helped fuel the team to a playoff appearance last year. Another elite young talent to pair with Hischier and a healthy Taylor Hall could again make the 2019-20 season a “worst-to-first” scenario for the Devils.

Jeff Blashill Signs Two-Year Extension

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The Detroit Red Wings have apparently liked the development of their young players enough to reward the man behind the bench. Jeff Blashill today signed a two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2020-21 season. Blashill’s current deal was set to expire at the end of the season, but GM Ken Holland has repeatedly explained that the coach is doing an excellent job. The executive did it again today when discussing the extension:

Jeff has done a tremendous job developing our young talent as we continue to rebuild our organization. Our young players have made significant strides during his time as head coach and are playing important minutes in key situations. As we continue to build towards the future, we have the utmost confidence that Jeff is the coach best suited to help our prospects become impactful NHL players. He has gained valuable experience as an NHL coach in each of his four years in Detroit and has instilled a work ethic in our current team that makes us hard to play against every night and competitive in every game, which is the identity we want our team to have as we move forward.

After three outstanding seasons behind the bench of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Blashill took the role he was being groomed for in the NHL and hasn’t looked back. Replacing Mike Babcock in 2015-16, Blashill took an aging Red Wings team back to the playoffs with a 41-30-11 record but was quickly eliminated. That summer legendary forward Pavel Datsyuk left the team to return to Russia and things drastically changed in Detroit. For three years now Blashill and the Red Wings have failed to reach the playoffs and there are very different goals for the franchise. No longer are they competing for championships, but are now focused on developing the next wave of talent.

That development is what Blashill has been in charge of, and he has now been rewarded for it. Dylan Larkin, the new face of the franchise after Henrik Zetterberg finally left the team, has become a legitimate star this season with 32 goals and 70 points, while complementary pieces like Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Andreas Athanasiou look like they could form a core to get the team back to the postseason.

Still, there is obviously work to be done in Detroit. Even with his successes developing the young talent, Blashill will have to produce some results in the standings before long. The Red Wings have a long and storied history of winning and at some point in the next two years will need to turn the corner from rebuilding to competing. There’s obviously a reason why Blashill was given just a two-year extension, as development isn’t what NHL coaches are paid for in the long term.

Luckily the team has some excellent prospects like Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno who look ready to make an impact, and four picks in the first two rounds this draft. They also have plenty of money coming off the books the next few seasons and should be able to build a winner if handled properly.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Marlies, Byron

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The NHL has released their three stars for last week, and Sergei Bobrovsky has taken the top spot after an incredible stretch. The goaltender went 4-0 and stopped 115 of 117 shots to push the Columbus Blue Jackets back into a playoff spot. While there is plenty of speculation over Bobrovsky’s future, he’s obviously committed to helping the Blue Jackets this season. The 30-year old goaltender will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Darcy Kuemper has been awarded the third star after he continued his excellent season in Arizona, but it’s Tyler Bertuzzi who may raise some eyebrows in the second spot. The Detroit Red Wings forward had ten points in four games last week and now has 44 on the season including an impressive 19 goals. Though the team may not have found much success in the standings this year, it’s been an incredible development year for players like Bertuzzi, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou.

  • With CHL and college seasons coming to an end several junior players will be heading to the AHL. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is one of those players, assigned to the Toronto Marlies while the team has also signed Alex Basso, Zachary Bouthillier and Erik Brown to amateur tryouts. Der-Arguchintsev was the Maple Leafs`third-round pick in 2018 and had 46 points in 62 games for the Peterborough Petes this season. Other CHL players joining their AHL teams are Vladislav Kotkov (San Jose Barracuda) and Matthew Strome (Lehigh Valley Phantoms).
  • The Montreal Canadiens welcomed back an important player today when Paul Byron made his return to practice. The speedy forward had missed two games after fighting MacKenzie Weegar but could make his return in an extremely important game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow. The Canadiens are sitting one point behind Carolina for the final wild card spot and may need to win out to qualify for the playoffs.

Minor Transactions: 04/01/19

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Welcome to April and the end of the NHL regular season. There are just a handful of games remaining before the 2018-19 playoffs begin and teams have started locking up their first round opponents. Still, for teams battling on the edge of postseason contention the next week may be just as important as any other. Today eyes will be drawn to the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues’ game, which very well could decide the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Avalanche currently hold the spot with a one-point lead over Arizona, but have this game in hand on them. As teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes are just one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens in the East and have recalled Haydn Fleury under emergency conditions to help them stay there. The team was defeated last night and need to get back on track tomorrow night when they travel to Toronto, but will be without Calvin de Haan who is heading back to Carolina after suffering an upper-body injury.
  • With Louis Domingue banged up the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Eddie Pasquale from the minor leagues. The team obviously wants their backup goaltender healthy, but all eyes are on Victor Hedman as he deals with an upper-body injury. Pasquale has played in one game for the Lightning this year but has a solid .916 save percentage through 43 appearances for the Syracuse Crunch.
  • The Calgary Flames are set to rest several regulars after clinching a playoff spot, and Juuso Valimaki has been recalled to take their place. Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin will all be out of the lineup.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Hicketts from the minor league under emergency conditions, and CapFriendly believes they have moved Mike Green to long-term injured reserve in order to fit him in. Hicketts’ recall follows an injury to Danny DeKeyser, who looks like he may miss the last few games of the season.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled forward Miikka Salomaki from the minor leagues, bringing him back from a conditioning stint. Salomaki hasn’t played an NHL game since early January but could be an option for the team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
  • With Nico Sturm set to join the Minnesota Wild immediately, Matt Read has been sent back down to the AHL. The team is expected to put Sturm into the lineup as soon as possible, though since he hasn’t yet practiced with the team it is not clear when exactly that will be. Read meanwhile will be on call for the next opportunity as he has been all season.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have returned Sam Carrick back to San Diego of the AHL.  He had been recalled on Saturday and suited up that night, logging just over 12 minutes against Edmonton while picking up an assist.

Minor Transactions: 03/31/19

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Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin picked up his 50th goal of the season on Saturday in the team’s 6-3 victory over Tampa Bay, giving him eight 50-goal seasons throughout his career. That puts the Capitals forward among elite company, as only Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky have accomplished that feat. Of course, both of those two players have done it nine times, which means that Ovechkin will need to pull it off one more time if he wants to tie those two legendary players. With another slate of potential season-altering games today, with the playoffs now right around the corner, keep an eye out for the minor moves that teams are making to give them the best chance to maximize their points in these final games:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have returned defenseman Matt Tennyson to the Rochester Americans of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The team recalled him Thursday, but Tennyson didn’t see any action in either game the Sabres have played since then. The 28-year-old Tennyson has four goals and 20 points in 45 AHL games.
  • The San Jose Sharks have returned defenseman Jacob Middleton after recalling him Saturday night to serve as an emergency defenseman, according to CapFriendly. He did not play in Saturday’s overtime win over Vegas. The 23-year-old Middleton will return to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, where he has five goals and 19 points in 54 games.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Boston Bruins have assigned center Karson Kuhlman to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Kuhlman was recalled Friday on emergency conditions. Kuhlman did not see any action in the team’s loss to Florida Saturday. The 23-year-old Kuhlman has 12 goals and 30 points in 58 AHL games.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced they have recalled goaltender Kaden Fulcher from the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL under emergency conditions. He is expected to backup starter Jimmy Howard while Jonathan Bernier is out with an upper-body injury. Fulcher hasn’t even made an appearance with the Griffins as the 20-year-old has played his entire season with the ECHL Toledo Walleye where he has gone 15-7-2 with a 3.00 GAA and a .899 save percentage. CapFriendly also reports that the team has recalled forward Dominic Turgeon on an emergency basis. The 23-year-old prospect hasn’t played a game for Detroit this season, but has accumulated six goals and 19 points in 69 games with the Griffins.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs officially announced they have recalled defenseman Calle Rosen from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. Rosen, who signed as a free agent in the summer of 2017, played four games for Toronto immediately then, but then was assigned to the Marlies. He put up 22 points in 62 games that year , but has taken his game to another level this season as he has posted seven goals and 46 points in 54 games and was signed to an inexpensive, tw0-year extension with the understanding he will take over a spot on the Maple Leafs’ blueline next season. Rosen is expected to meet the team in New York and play with the team on Monday.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled defenseman Mark Barberio from his conditioning stint with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old blueliner hadn’t played in a game since Jan. 21, so the team sent him to the AHL to get his timing back in case they need to use him. Barberio has played in just 12 games this season for the Avalanche. He picked up an assist in two games with the Eagles.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled forward Austin Watson from his conditioning stint with the Milwaukee Admirals, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan. Watson, who had been suspended indefintely to an “alcohol related relapse,” and entered Stage Two of the joint Substance Abuse and Behavioral Program, was reinstated on Mar. 18. To get him ready for the approaching playoffs, the team sent him on a conditioning loan where he scored four goals in two games.

Red Wings Agree To Two-Year Extension With Jeff Blashill

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The Red Wings are in agreement on a two-year contract extension with head coach Jeff Blashill, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.  The deal is expected to be made official on Tuesday and financial terms are not yet known.

Blashill is in the final season of his current four-year deal since taking over for Mike Babcock.  Detroit made the playoffs in his first year but they are set to miss for the third straight season since then.  Overall, the team has compiled just a 134-143-47 record under his tutelage.

While that record isn’t particularly flattering, GM Ken Holland indicated earlier in the season that he was pleased with the development of their younger players.  It’s hard not to argue with that as their four top scorers on the active roster are all 24 or younger while Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou have each reached the 30-goal plateau, a mark that no Red Wing had hit in the past decade.  There has certainly been some progress made with their young core.

Still, it’s somewhat noteworthy that the length of this contract is only two seasons.  That would seemingly imply that while Holland is content with the state of their current rebuilding process, expectations will soon be shifting towards having some more success in the standings.  If that doesn’t come to fruition, the short term of the contract gives Detroit the flexibility to quickly shift to someone else behind the bench if the record under Blashill doesn’t improve.

Snapshots: Svechnikov, Maatta, Fox

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The Detroit Red Wings have found some success with several young forwards this year as they try to move on from the Henrik Zetterberg era and embrace a youth movement, but one that was expected to play a big part was nowhere to be found. Evgeny Svechnikov, selected 19th overall in 2015, was forced to undergo knee surgery to reconstruct his ACL in October. He was expected to return to action near the end of the season, but Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press is now reporting that he will not play at all in 2018-19.

Interestingly, as St. James notes, that may actually be a blessing in disguise for the Red Wings. The young forward will now not be waiver eligible in the 2019-20 season as he was scheduled to be, meaning the team can start him in the AHL right out of training camp if he’s not ready to help the NHL lineup. Svechnikov wouldn’t have maintained his waiver-exempt status if he’d played in even a single professional game—NHL or AHL—this season.

  • Olli Maatta has been activated from injured reserve by the Pittsburgh Penguins and will return after missing 21 games with a lower-body injury. The 24-year old is coming back with just enough time to get his legs under him before the playoffs begin, a huge boost for a Penguins team that has suffered from several injuries on the back end this season. It’s tough to know exactly how much the team will push Maatta over the last few games of the regular season, but he lengthens out the team’s defense group by a considerable amount. Brian Dumoulin switched over to the right side in practice recently to accommodate Maatta’s return, though it’s not clear if that pair will stay together.
  • With Adam Fox and Harvard losing today in the NCAA tournament, we will soon find out what his official decision is regarding signing or returning to school next season. Fox has repeatedly said that his mind is not yet made up, something that Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) also reported earlier today. Though there is obviously a draw to turning pro and getting into the Carolina Hurricanes organization right away, Fox could potentially graduate next year with a Harvard degree and the chance to become an unrestricted free agent in August 2020. LeBrun also explores the idea of Carolina trading Fox’s rights this season instead of waiting for the summer, in order to get full value if they do not believe he will sign with them down the road. If Fox signs this season he would burn the first year of his entry-level deal, and would be eligible for the expansion draft if he played just a single game.

Minor Transactions: 03/29/19

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The Montreal Canadiens weren’t able to win last night’s important game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and now things are even tighter in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It’ll have to wait for tomorrow though, as the NHL has mostly Western Conference playoff implications on tap tonight. The Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche will do battle in a must-win situation for both teams, while the Minnesota Wild are just trying to stay alive in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. As they prepare for the action, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Martin Frk and Jake Chelios under emergency conditions in time for their game tonight. The game will be a battle for draft lottery odds against the New Jersey Devils and very well could involved several players held out for minor injuries. If Chelios—the son of legendary NHL defenseman Chris Chelios—gets into a game with the Red Wings he would be making his long awaited NHL debut at the age of 28.
  • Troy Grosenick has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, who announced that Juuse Saros is sick. Grosenick is expected to back up Pekka Rinne in tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Karson Kuhlman again under emergency conditions, meaning he’ll turn around and come back from Providence. The young forward was sent down just yesterday, but will get another chance to experience the NHL.

Minor Transactions: 03/28/19

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Just a handful of games remain in the 2018-19 NHL regular season, and eight of them will be played tonight. All the focus is on Columbus as the Blue Jackets will host their playoff competition in the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens sit two points ahead of the Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot but have played one extra game and do not hold the tiebreaker, meaning tonight is an absolute must-win for the team. Columbus meanwhile can’t fall any further behind after spending so many assets to put themselves in a position of contention this season. As they and the rest of the league prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • After recalling Victor Olofsson from the AHL yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Tage Thompson down in his place. Thompson hasn’t had the kind of impact the Sabres hoped for this season, recording just 12 points in 65 games after being acquired as part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal. The 21-year old still has quite a bit of potential, but will have to really take a step forward next year to be considered a core piece.
  • Before their game against the New York Rangers last night, the Boston Bruins returned Karson Kuhlman to the minor leagues. Kuhlman has played seven games for the Bruins this season, recording two goals and three points in his first year of professional hockey. Signed out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the 23-year old has 30 points in 58 games at the minor league level.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled Landon Bow after Ben Bishop suffered another minor injury, but the veteran goaltender is expected to stay with the team on their current road trip. That means Bow will likely not see any action, though he is expected to back up Anton Khudobin tonight.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson, despite having ten defensemen on the roster already. Jake McCabe was back at practice today, though both Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen remained out. Tennyson has played four games for the Sabres this season, spending most of the time in the AHL instead.
  • Jake Dotchin is back up with the Anaheim Ducks, possibly through the end of what has been a difficult season for the big defenseman. Dotchin had his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning terminated in training camp due to his physical fitness levels, but was able to find a new home with Anaheim. Yet, he has so far suited up in just 20 games for the Ducks, recording one lone point, after he played in more than half of Tampa’s games last season and registered double-digit point. Dotchin will be a restricted free agent this off-season and it will be interesting to see if the Ducks opt to qualify him or not.
  • The San Jose Sharks have called Nick DeSimone over from the AHL locker room. The team continues to shuffle through Barracuda defenders and DeSimone is the next in line. The 24-year-old is tied for second in scoring for AHL San Jose and has certainly earned his NHL debut at this point.
  • Martin Frk has been reassigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, their parent club, the Detroit Red Wings, announced. Frk has been disappointingly unproductive in the NHL this season, recording five points in 25 games. He’s done much better in the AHL, with 13 points in just ten games, but Detroit was hoping for that contribution to be at the top level. Frk is an RFA this off-season and the Red Wings will have to decide whether or not to bring him back.

Snapshots: Lehtera, Red Wings, Byron

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera was convicted Wednesday of buying cocaine, according to Tricia L. Nadolny and Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lehtera had been charged in Finland with the offense earlier this season, and has been sentenced to a four-month suspended prison sentence. He will not serve any time in jail as long as he is not arrested again before October 2021.

The Flyers placed Lehtera on waivers in early February and sent him to the AHL where he has played five games. His contract is set to expire at the end of this season, at which point he will become an unrestricted free agent. It is not clear what this conviction will mean for his playing career, though early reports out of Finland say he will be appealing the decision.

  • The Detroit Red Wings likely won’t see either of Michael Rasmussen or Jacob de La Rose on the ice again this season. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that de La Rose saw a specialist today about his accelerated heart beat, and Rasmussen is unlikely to return from his upper-body injury before the end of the year. The Red Wings have just six games left in their season and are currently sitting in 29th place in the NHL.
  • Paul Byron will not travel with the Montreal Canadiens to Columbus after suffering an injury in a fight last night. Byron took on MacKenzie Weegar of the Florida Panthers and was knocked down with a hard punch. After stumbling to the bench he did not return. Byron’s agent told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) his thoughts on how fights like these have no business in the game today, explaining that the only reason for it was a hit from earlier in the season. Byron received a three-game suspension for the hit in January. It is unclear when the speedy forward will return to the Montreal lineup.

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