Minor Transactions: 03/23/18
While you get ready for some big matchups around the league tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here. Keep checking back throughout the day to stay up to date on your favorite team.
- Libor Sulak is coming over from Europe to join the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Czech free agent defenseman signed with Detroit last spring, but spent this season playing in Finland where he recorded 32 points in 42 games. The 24-year old will test his skills at the AHL level down the stretch, and battle for a spot with the Red Wings next year.
- Because it’s another day that ends in “Y”, Tim Heed has been recalled once again by the San Jose Sharks. Heed has been bouncing up and down constantly for the last few weeks, but hasn’t played since February 25th.
- Filip Gustavsson has been officially added to the Belleville Senators roster as expected, after paperwork was filed to bring him to North America. The young goaltender was the big addition at the trade deadline for the Ottawa Senators, who believe he can be an NHL goaltender (not so far) down the road.
- Brad Malone is back up with the Edmonton Oilers under emergency conditions, rejoining the team after just sending him down yesterday. The 28-year old forward likely never left the club, and was just part of a paper transaction for the game last night.
- With Marc-Andre Fleury back in the Vegas crease, Oscar Dansk has been returned to the Chicago Wolves. Dansk has played just four games for the Golden Knights this year, but carries a .946 save percentage and even recorded a shutout. The 24-year old goaltender will likely be the first call should Malcolm Subban or Fleury experience an injury in the postseason.
- Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, as the team tries to make one last push towards the playoffs. Blais has 35 points in 35 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season, and three points during his short time in the NHL.
- With Dominik Simon healthy enough to resume playing, the Pittsburgh Penguins have sent his interim roster spot replacement, Josh Jooris, back to the AHL. Jooris, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline, has yet to record a point with the Pens in four games.
Mike Green To Undergo Spinal Surgery, Out For The Season
- The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Mike Green will undergo surgery on his cervical spine and will be out for the rest of the season. This ends what has been a rough campaign for the pending unrestricted free agent whose health concerns played a big role in him not being dealt by Detroit at the trade deadline. Green wraps up his 2017-18 season with 33 points (8-25-33) in 66 games. GM Ken Holland told Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link) that the procedure is scheduled for April 5th and carries a two-month timeframe for recovery.
Ken Holland Not Worried About His Future, Will Meet With Ownership After The Season
Regardless of whether or not he is back with Detroit next season, GM Ken Holland intends to be working in the NHL and isn’t presently concerned with his contractual situation, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Holland’s contract is up following the season and St. James notes that he is expected to meet with owner Christopher Ilitch shortly after the season comes to an end to discuss his future with the team. It’s possible that the 62-year-old could stay on in his current role but the Red Wings may prefer to do what the Devils tried to do with Lou Lamoriello a few years ago and move him into a president/advisory position. If they do make a change in general managers, Kris Draper, a long-time Detroit player and current assistant to Holland, would appear to be a candidate to take over.
Frans Nielsen (Concussion) Returns To Practice
- Red Wings center Frans Nielsen returned to practice today for the first time as he continues to progress through concussion protocol, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. His injury was sustained back on Tuesday against Boston. Head coach Jeff Blashill ruled out a potential Monday return but is hopeful that the 33-year-old will be able to return to action at some point in their four-game Western road trip that runs through next Sunday.
Snapshots: General Manager Hot Seat, Cholowski, Cullen
With many teams starting to see the writing on the wall that their season is coming to a close sooner than they had intended, the next question that comes about is whether the team has any intentions of making changes to their staff. After a look at possible changes to the coaching ranks, the next question would likely turn to which general managers are on the hot seat. The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) takes a look at 10 candidates who could find themselves without a job this offseason.
Mirtle quickly addresses the obvious ones, including Detroit’s Ken Holland and Toronto’s Lou Lamoriello, both who have been rumored to either be on their way out or moved to a different role within the organization. However, Mirtle also admits that both could easily stay in their present roles too.
The next stage of general managers that are most likely on the hot seat include Peter Chiarelli of Edmonton, the New York Islanders Garth Snow and Montreal’s Marc Bergevin, while other general managers might be given more time to prove to the organization that their plan works. Colorado’s Joe Sakic, Arizona’s John Chayka, Minnesota’s Chuck Fletcher and Columbus’ Jarmo Kekalainen are all likely to be on short leashes due to their inability of taking their teams to a new level.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that while 2017 first-round pick Michael Rasmussen might make the Detroit Red Wings team next season, the real prospect to keep an eye on will be 2016 first-round pick Dennis Cholowski, whose having a stellar year with both the Prince George Cougars and the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. The 20-year-old blueliner is in his final year of junior and has 14 goals and 50 assists this year. St. James writes that while Rasmussen must make the Red Wings roster out of training camp to stick, Cholowski could play with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL and get a midseason callup if he can’t break into the Red Wings lineup.
- StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan writes that the NHL Players Association released a players poll this week and for the question of which player would make great coach after they retire. Minnesota’s Matt Cullen won the poll. He received 4.5 percent of the votes, yet Cullen hasn’t decided if that’s the avenue he plans to go down. “I’ve never really put a lot of thought into it, to be honest,” Cullen said. “I guess I’ve had a lot of experience, and I’ve been through a lot through a long career, I guess. Truthfully, I’ve never thought a lot about it. I don’t know. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’m done playing.”
Snapshots: Coaching Changes, Marchand Fine, McDonagh Debut
Buried in the news of Ron Francis being replaced as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes was the fact that it was the first major personnel decision of the 2017-18 season. It’s March, well beyond the three-quarter mark of the season, and there has been just one general manager fired (but promoted) and still no coaches. It’s rare to see so much inactivity, but it can likely be linked to the fact that the league’s worst teams – Arizona, Buffalo, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal – all have first- or second-year coaches: Rick Tocchet, Phil Housley, Guy Boucher, Travis Green, and Claude Julien respectively. Unsurprisingly, USA Today’s Kevin Allen lists the head coaches of four of the next five worst teams as being on the hot seat as the end of the season approaches. That includes the Edmonton Oilers’ Todd McLellan, the Detroit Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, the New York Rangers’ Alain Vigneault, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Bill Peters. The most obvious inclusion on this list is Peters, who has an owner looking to make changes and soon a new GM, and has also struggled to get the most out of his talented roster. Quenneville would be the biggest news, should he be removed, as the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, since 2008, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion. The last name on the list who doesn’t quite fit the pattern is the Washington Capitals’ Barry Trotz. Trotz has yet to be offered a contract extension and his future could depend on the Caps’ playoff success this season. However, as Allen states, Trotz would be the prime coaching candidate this summer if he isn’t retained by Washington. As of right now, all of these coaches are safe, but things could change quickly with the season coming to a close. In the meantime, if you would like to apply for the open Hurricanes GM position, here you go.
- One thing that there has been plenty of in the league this season has been punishment handed down by the NHL Department of Player Safety, as the league has focused on cracking down on certain penalties. A player who has gained plenty of attention, fair or not, has been Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Marchand has finally spoken out after his most recent hit, a $2,000 fine for diving. Marchand spoke to the media, saying things like “it’s a small amount of money”, “it’s a joke”, “it’s pretty stupid” and “I don’t care about this.” He did go a step further though, adding “how are they (Player Safety) to tell …they go from being players to management and running the league pretty quickly and forget how to play the game.” While Marchand doesn’t seem to care much about a very minor fine, he is making a point that any fine for diving, the most subjective call in the game, is somewhat unreasonable, especially when the call comes from those who were not even present at the game.
- While the Bruins are continuing to win behind three straight game-winners from Marchand, their rivals in the Atlantic Division and the President’s Trophy race, the Tampa Bay Lightning, continue to win as well. They’ll get even better starting tonight, as their huge trade deadline acquisition, Ryan McDonagh, is set to make his debut with the team tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Jon Cooper told beat writer Bryan Burns that McDonagh is ready to go, after dealing with an upper-body injury for more than a month. McDonagh’s addition to the Bolts blue line makes them a scary team for anyone to go up against and that includes the Bruins, who play Tampa three more times this season and could very well meet them in the second round of the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings Officially Recall Evgeny Svechnikov
Though there were reports the move was in the work yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings have officially recalled Evgeny Svechnikov from the minor leagues under emergency conditions. Svechnikov will fill in for Frans Nielsen while the veteran deals with an injury suffered at the hands of David Backes on Tuesday night.
Selected 19th-overall in 2015, Svechnikov has just two NHL games under his belt and has struggled through inconsistency for much of this season. After scoring 51 points as a rookie and taking home the Calder Cup as AHL Champion last season, the 21-year old forward has just 22 points in 52 games this year. He has played better of late, and will now get an opportunity to show that his game is NHL ready and prove he deserves a spot on the Red Wings in 2018-19.
Svechnikov of course is the older brother of Andrei Svechnikov, a top prospect in the upcoming draft. The younger forward has dominated the OHL this season and could go as high as second overall in June. Interestingly, Detroit looks like they’ll have a good shot at selecting that high if they keep up their play of late. The Red Wings have lost four straight and sit 24th in the league. If they win one of the lottery spots, it will be very intriguing to see if they reunite the brothers.
David Backes Suspended Three Games
David Backes has been suspended three games for his hit in last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Boston Bruins forward collided with Frans Nielsen well after the puck had been distributed, making contact with his head. As the accompanying video explains:
At the moment contact is made, [David] Pastrnak has already gained possession of the puck for the Bruins and made his next move with the puck. In addition to the lateness of the check, what elevates this hit to merit supplementary discipline, is the significant head contact that occurs, and the force with which it is delivered.
Backes will be forced out of the lineup for three games including a home-and-home against the Chicago Blackhawks this weekend. Despite playing with a physical style, the 33-year old Bruins forward has never been fined or suspended by the Department of Player Safety.
This is just another example of the league trying to reduce the occurrence of head shots in the NHL, as Nielsen was forced from the game and is not expected to play for the next few Red Wings contests. Had the check only been late—or if no injury had occured—it may have not been such a harsh punishment for Backes. As it happens, the Bruins will be without him for the next few days and Backes will be out nearly $100K.
Snapshots: Senators, Seattle, Last Place
Even though the NHL trade deadline has passed, the insiders are still hard at work for TSN. During tonight’s Insider Trading segment, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun discussed several topics including the potential dilemma the Ottawa Senators face at the upcoming deadline. LeBrun outlines the situation Pierre Dorion finds himself in, as the first-round pick Ottawa sent to Colorado for Matt Duchene is top-10 protected this season but not in 2019.
LeBrun believes the Senators may consider letting Colorado have this year’s pick if it is in the back half of the top-10, to avoid the risk of giving up the first-overall selection (and the right to draft someone like Jack Hughes) in 2019. Ottawa is currently 28th in the league, but could fall as many as three spots depending on how the draft lottery plays out.
- Dreger also suggested a few names that could be in play to lead the expansion Seattle franchise, including Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, Vegas Golden Knights AGM Kelly McCrimmon, and super agent Pat Brisson. While Seattle is still several years from icing a team, the front office will begin to take shape as soon as the team is officially accepted by the NHL. There will likely be several unexpected names put forward, and it will be interesting to see if the franchise goes with an established name (like Holland) or someone that has little experience running a hockey club but an obvious connection to the game (Brisson).
- At one point this season it looked obvious that the Arizona Coyotes were destined to finish in last once again and have the best chance at Rasmus Dahlin in the draft lottery. Now, that’s not so clear. After Arizona has played well the last few weeks while Ottawa and Buffalo have continued their inconsistency, there is now just a five point gap between the bottom three teams. There is a race for the bottom coming over the last month of the season, and one with another impressive prize. The draft lottery is shaping up to be another heartbreaking even for some teams, even though Filip Zadina, Brady Tkachuk and others aren’t bad consolation prizes.
Undrafted Free Agent Signings Dominating Juniors
Given that each team generally has seven chances to makes a pick in the NHL Draft each year resulting in, until recently, 210 selections, and now 217 moving forward, the bulk of top players in the league come through the draft process. However, no matter the level – Canadian juniors, American juniors and the NCAA, and Europe – there are always players that slip through the crack. Sometimes those particular players don’t slip too far. Case in point: take a look at some of the top players in the CHL this season. A significant proportion of 2017-18’s most valuable players in the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are not just undrafted, but have also already signed with an NHL team.
In the Ontario League, Aaron Luchuk is the poster boy for the year of undrafted signings. The 20-year-old Barrie Colts center signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators back in December. He’s rewarded them for taking a gamble on him by leading the league with 105 points thus far, including a league-leading 45 goals. This has been a major step up in his production of 60 points in 68 games in 2016-17. The 5’10” forward’s next step will be trying his hand at the AHL next season. Not far behind Luchuk is Sam Miletic, a fellow 20-year-old forward playing for the Niagara Ice Dogs. Miletic is fifth in the OHL with 86 points and also brings a good defensive sense to his game. Miletic signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in September after recording 55 points in 65 games with the London Knights last season; Miletic had 54 points in just 35 games with London prior to being traded mid-season. Undrafted netminders are also making a splash in the OHL. The Detroit Red Wings signed 19-year-old Kaden Fulcher back in October and the Hamilton Bulldogs goalie has since been a top goalie in the league, currently fourth in goals against average and seventh in save percentage among starters. Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser is right there with him, as the Oshawa Generals keeper is sixth in save percentage and seventh in goals against average among starters.
The Western League is littered with undrafted free agent signings among its top scorers. The Moose Jaw Warriors’ Brayden Burke has joined that group, having just signed with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Burke, 21, is tied for second in league scoring with 113 points in just 61 games, a pace of nearly two points per game this season. Burke is undersized at 5’10”, 165 lbs., but has done well for himself in the WHL, which is traditionally a heavier league, and will soon turn his sights on the pros. Also in the top ten in scoring are another Penguin, Jordy Bellerive, and the Colorado Avalanche’s Ty Lewis. Both forwards signed prior to the season and have each taken a big step in 2017-18, currently tied for eighth with 89 points. Bellerive, who is only 18, jumped on the opportunity to sign with the defending Cup champs after being passed over in the draft, and the Lethbridge Hurricanes center is now making the Penguins just as excited about the deal. Lewis, 20, has stepped into the top scorer role for the Brandon Wheat Kings left behind by Nolan Patrick and has excelled. Cameron Hebig of the Regina Pats is next in line with 88 points on the year, after signing with the Edmonton Oilers. The WHL also features an impressive undrafted goalie of their own in Cole Kehler, a 20-year-old for the Portland Winterhawks who inked a deal with the Los Angeles Kings in December as well. Kehler has a big frame and a quick glove, which has helped him maintain the best goals against average and fourth-best save percentage among goalies with at least 40 appearances this year.
While the Quebec League doesn’t count as many exciting undrafted prospects among its best, it does feature two consistent torrid scorers who, until recently, had been ignored due to their small stature. Alex Barre-Boulet joined the pro-bound on March 1st, when the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to an entry-level deal. Barre-Boulet, 20, may stand only 5’10”, 165 lbs., but he is enjoying his third-straight 80+ point campaign. In fact, he is far beyond that in 2017-18, with a league leading 109 points that dwarfs the next-best scorer by 15 points. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada star has at least earned a shot at the NHL. So too has Maxime Fourtier, the Halifax Mooseheads captain who has at least 70 points the past three years. Fourtier is slightly bigger that Barre-Boulet and has clearly focused on rounding out his game this season, after signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November.
The 2017-18 season shows that the draft is not the end of the line. These standouts make up only a fraction of the talented undrafted players skating in the CHL, some of whom are soon to be signed, and an even smaller fraction of undrafted players across the globe. Talent is always there to discover, even if it doesn’t fully manifest by the age of 18, and these players are proof. Expect to see many of them at the NHL level some time in the not-to-distant future.