Ribeiro, Marchenko On Waivers; Three Players Clear
The Nashville Predators have placed center Mike Ribeiro on waivers, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean.
We reported earlier this morning that Ribeiro may have asked for a trade out of Nashville. He was a healthy scratch for the Predators past three games and five of their past 11. Ribeiro has four goals and 25 points in 46 games so far this season. This is his third year in Nashville, but the first year he’s struggled to produce. Ribeiro had 62 and 50 points in his first two seasons in Nashville. The first sign of trouble was likely in the playoffs last season, when he was a healthy scratch twice while posting just two assists in 12 games. Vingan writes that Ribeiro is the most sheltered player in the NHL this season, starting more than half his shifts in the offensive zone. When Vingan asked coach Peter Laviolette about Ribeiro, all he said was “he’s a member of our team.” That’s not exactly a vote of confidence.
In addition, the Detroit Red Wings have placed Alexey Marchenko on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Marchenko has six assists in 30 games with the Red Wings this season. He also represented Russia at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The right-handed Marchenko is on waivers to make room for defenseman Brendan Smith, who will be activated off IR tomorrow, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Devils tough guy Luke Gazdic, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Eric Gelinas, and the Buffalo Sabres center Cal O’Reilly all cleared waivers.
Gazdic signed with the Devils as a free agent back in July. He had spent the previous few seasons in Edmonton, and actually lived with superstar Taylor Hall, who was traded to New Jersey just days before Gazdic signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K. He has no points and 12 PIM in 10 games with the Devils so far. He has two assists in 13 AHL games this season. He’s already cleared waivers once this season.
Gelinas, a former Devil, was traded to Colorado for a third round pick at last year’s trade deadline. He has a single assist in 26 games. His $1.575MM contract is likely why he cleared waivers. Should he be assigned to the AHL, he’ll account for $625K on the Avalanche’s salary cap. Gelinas’ roster spot will likely go to Mark Barberio, who was claimed off waivers from Montreal on Thursday.
O’Reilly is the older brother of Sabres’ star Ryan O’Reilly. He has one assist in 11 games, but is much better at the AHL level. He has 34 points (8-26-34) in 36 games. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported Buffalo is looking for an upgrade at the fourth line center position (which O’Reilly had been occupying) via the trade market.
PHR Mailbag: Blashill, Trade Deadline, Savard
Over the last few days, we’ve taken your mailbag questions on Twitter using the hashtag #PHRMailbag and on the site via the comments feature. Here are the inquiries for this edition of the mailbag:
@JimRouleau39: When will the Red Wings make a move on Jeff Blashill? The team seems to have no energy! And continue to beat themselves.
This season has been nothing short of a disaster so far for Detroit. They sit dead last in the Eastern Conference and their quarter-century playoff streak is in serious jeopardy. Despite that, I don’t suspect Blashill’s job is in jeopardy any time soon.
GM Ken Holland is quite patient and Blashill was long heralded as Mike Babcock’s successor even while he was still behind the bench for the Red Wings. At that time, they were hesitant to grant interviews for Blashill to interview for other NHL head coaching jobs, something that doesn’t typically happen. Blashill has been Holland’s guy for a long time now and it’s hard to see one season, as bad as it has been, cause him to change his mind.
Detroit has been hit hard by injuries this year while goalie Petr Mrazek hasn’t played anywhere near the level that he is capable of. These are also factors that suggest that Blashill will get another opportunity next season with what may be a bit of a different looking roster.
Jay: In general would you expect less trades this deadline because of the expansion draft or will that not really have a huge impact.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see a quieter deadline this year because of the dearth of sellers and a lot of teams being capped out. I don’t expect the expansion draft to be at the forefront at the deadline though except for the sellers who can try to plan ahead a little bit. For the teams that are looking to contend, their focus is going to be adding the right piece(s) to help them win now and worry about sorting out their protected list later. Most of the deadline deals are likely to be rental players anyways and it’s unlikely that those pending unrestricted free agents will be considered for protection.
For teams like Arizona, Colorado, and whoever else becomes a sure fire seller over the next month, they can determine what their list is likely to look like in June and who is most likely to be selected by the Golden Knights. From there, they could see if a buyer would have interest in making a move for that player but beyond that, I suspect the bulk of the expansion-related deals will come after the trade deadline.
@Grade5Woolgar: Where and how is Marc Savard? Post concussion and no news since. Is he ok?
Savard is living in Peterborough, ON and is staying involved in hockey as, like many retired players, he is coaching his son at the minor hockey level. He also has taken up golf and has qualified for a couple of tournaments on a lower professional golf circuit although his physical limitations have made it difficult for him to play a full four rounds. He’s also dealing with some memory loss as well given all of the concussions he has dealt with, the last one coming back in 2010-11 when he last played.
This is the final year that Savard will be on the books of an NHL team as the Devils acquired him from Florida as a salary cap dump last offseason. Once his contract expires, he will likely officially file his retirement papers.
Trade Candidate: Jimmy Howard
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Another trade candidate, another Red Wing. This time, we’ll look at veteran netminder Jimmy Howard, who has been the subject of trade rumors since last summer.
Contract
Six-year, $31.750MM deal. Three years remaining. $5.291MM AAV.
2016-17
In a season where the Red Wings have struggled tremendously, Howard has been the antidote to a team hemorrhaging goals. While Petr Mrazek was expected to be the stalwart in net, it’s been Howard and rookie Jared Coreau picking up the slack for Detroit. Howard, however, has succumbed to injury twice this season, but is close to coming back. The real question is which Howard will return? The dominant one? Or the Howard of seasons past, who has struggled to find his groove following injury?
Season Stats
GP: 17 (15 started): 5-7-1; .934 sv%; 1.96 GAA; .667 QS%
Potential Suitors
When healthy, Howard has been extremely good for the Red Wings. This season alone, on a team that is dreadful at both ends of the ice, Howard has stolen games while keeping the Wings in games they should have been out of early.
Dallas is one team to look at, especially since former Detroit assistant general manager Jim Nill is there. Though the Stars are trying to figure out what they are, Howard could be an asset with two years remaining and numbers that are certainly better than that of what the Stars currenly have in Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. But outside of familiarity, there are few teams on the radar.
While Howard could fetch offers, there is one key reason he will scare off potential buyers.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Howard’s contract is a hinderance to any team interested. Still locked in for two seasons with over $10MM owed, few teams are going to bite on a deal that involves a strong performing, but injury prone goalie. While Howard’s name has been mentioned before, the Wings couldn’t peddle him elsewhere last summer. There are also rumblings that Detroit could be growing impatient with Mrazek, and may dangle Mrazek as trade bait. But that could be speculation in a season that has been disastrous for a franchise not used to losing as often–and as badly–as they have been.
Snapshots: Vegas, Klefbom, Calgary Goalies, Red Wings
Assuming owner Bill Foley’s final expansion payment goes through as expected by early March, the Vegas Golden Knights will be able to make trades right away. As Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski points out though, there will be some restrictions early on.
GM George McPhee will not able to acquire any active player off an NHL roster. However, he can still trade for draft picks, unsigned prospects, plus make any agreements pertaining to the expansion draft. They’ll also be allowed to sign college free agents and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them active in that market early on.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also told Wyshynski that while the name Golden Knights is currently under scrutiny in terms of a potential trademarking issue, the name won’t be changed although the process of getting that resolved is likely to take some time.
More news and notes from around the NHL:
- It’s rare for an everyday player to have not taken a single penalty by this point of the season. It’s even rarer for a defenseman to be in that situation but as Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun notes, that is the case for Oilers blueliner Oscar Klefbom, who has to be whistled for a penalty through 51 games. Head coach Todd McLellan attributes Klefbom’s high-end skating as a big reason for him being able to stay out of the box. This isn’t just a one-time fluke either; Klefbom had only recorded ten penalty minutes in 107 games heading into this season. His last penalty came back on November 18, 2015, a hooking minor against Columbus.
- The Flames plan to employ a ‘win and you’re in’ strategy when it comes to their goaltending for the foreseeable future, reports Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson have been consistently inconsistent for most of the season and as a result, Calgary finds themselves in a tight battle for a Wild Card spot in the West. Elliott, having picked up a win in their last game before the break, will get the nod against the Wild tonight.
- If the Red Wings are going to make a real run at extending their 25 year playoff streak, it will have to be on the back of their power play, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News suggests. Detroit finds themselves with the worst man advantage in the league coming out of the break with a success rate of just 11.1%, a number that drops to just 5.7% on the road.
Minor Transactions: 1/31/17
Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor roster moves:
- After clearing waivers, the Canadiens assigned defenseman Zach Redmond to St. John’s of the AHL, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie via Twitter. He has played in 16 games with Montreal this year, posting five assists while averaging 12:19 of ice time per night. He also got into a pair of games with St. John’s on a conditioning assignment from an early season foot injury and was held off the scoresheet.
- The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they recalled goalie Sam Brittain from Manchester of the ECHL. He was expected to back up Roberto Luongo tonight as Florida takes on Ottawa as James Reimer was with his wife who gave birth earlier today. However, he has returned to the team and Florida has subsequently returned (Twitter link) Brittain to Manchester. Brittain has played in 26 games with the Monarchs, posting a 2.96 GAA and a .902 SV%.
- As expected, the Red Wings announced that they have assigned left winger Drew Miller to Grand Rapids of the AHL, freeing up the roster spot to allow them to activate center Dylan Larkin off of injured reserve. As Miller hadn’t been up with Detroit for 30 days since clearing waivers earlier this month, they were able to send him down without requesting waivers on him once again. Miller has played in 35 games with the Wings this season, recording six points (5-1-6).
- Via a team release, the Predators have activated blueliner Petter Granberg off IR and have assigned him to AHL Milwaukee. Granberg missed the past six games with an unspecified injury in his first game after being recalled. Similar to Miller, the defenseman cleared waivers earlier this month and hadn’t been on Nashville’s roster long enough to be waived again. Granberg has played in ten games for the Preds this season, being held scoreless while averaging just shy of ten minutes per night in ice time.
- The Sharks have recalled defenseman Tim Heed from the AHL Barracuda according to the AHL’s Transactions page. It’s the sixth separate time this month he has been recalled as he has been brought up and sent down frequently in an effort to save up as much cap space as possible. Heed has seen action in just one NHL game this year but has put up better than a point per game at the minor league level, tallying 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 AHL contests.
Injury Updates: Larkin, Anderson, Barkov
Injury updates around the NHL this evening:
- MLive’s Ansar Khan tweeted this evening that Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin is cleared to play tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils. The Red Wings placed Larkin on injured reserve on January 23rd with an upper-body injury. Larkin’s numbers this year have declined from last season’s breakout rookie performance. In 47 games Larkin scored 12G and 6A. Last season Larkin has 23G and 22A in 80 games. The Wings hope that Larkin’s return sparks an anemic offense that sits 21st in goals for. Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News believes that Drew Miller will be sent down to Grand Rapids to make room for Larkin’s return.
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson returns to the team today, and is expected to start tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers, reports the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. Anderson left the team in December to be with his wife Nicole as she battles cancer. It was the third time Anderson left the team this season, but the latest absence proved to be the longest as Anderson last started on December 5, 2016. The Senators look forward to Anderson’s return as they try and hold down a playoff spot in the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
- Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov returns to practice for the first time since injuring his back on December 28, 2016. The Finnish forward has 9G and 18A in 36 games so far for the Panthers, and hopes to pick up right where he left off. Despite his absence, however, Barkov is taking it slow and not rushing his recovery. He says there is no timetable for his return, but practicing with the team is always a good sign.
Eastern Conference Snapshots: Hurricanes, Trocheck, Mantha
From the outside looking in, the stars seem to be aligned for the relocation of an NHL franchise. The Carolina Hurricanes are up for sale and their attendance figures once again rank near the bottom of the league. And up north, Quebec City, the former home of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise, has a shiny new arena lacking an NHL tenant. It almost makes too much sense but as Chip Alexander of The News & Observer writes, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league remains committed to the “Triangle.”
“Peter may sell, he may not sell,” Bettman said Saturday. “He may sell all of it. He may sell some of it. He may sell none of it. There’s no formal sale process going on. There’s no imperative for the franchise to be sold on any immediate basis, and the franchise is not moving. I hope that was definitive enough.”
While there is a strong possibility the team will be sold, the NHL sees far too much promise in the Carolina market to abandon it now. As Alexander notes, the Triangle is one of the fastest growing markets in the country and given that the Hurricanes appear to have a bright future with loads of young talent int he pipeline, it may only be a matter of time before the organization turns it around, both on and off the ice.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- First time All-Star Vincent Trocheck is on pace to register a 30-goal season, one year after netting 25 goals and 53 points as a 22-year-old in his sophomore NHL campaign. The former third-round pick has turned heads with his strong offensive production the last two seasons but Trocheck believes he is just scratching the surface of his potential, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. Trocheck is contributing more than just offense, as Fialkov points out, taking the fourth highest number of draws in the entire NHL. He also ranks second on the team among forwards in hits and shot blocks. Florida felt strongly enough in Trocheck’s future to ink the youngster to a six-year, $28.5MM contract extension this past July and the early returns have proven positive for the Panthers.
- The Detroit Red Wings are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in more than a quarter-century and while that won’t make the fans in Motown happy, the development of the club’s young talent this season could represent a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. Among the young Wings who are coming into their own is Anthony Mantha, the team’s first-round pick in 2013, as Brendan Savage of MLive.com reports. Mantha enjoyed tremendous success with Val d’Or of the QMJHL, capping off his junior career with a 57-goal season and being named CHL Player of the Year in 2013-14. His pro career got off to an auspicious beginning, due in part to a broken leg his first season with Grand Rapids but the 22-year-old winger is finally showing his promise this year in Detroit. Mantha has recorded 11 goals and 22 points in 34 games this season and is tied for third on the club in goals. Even if the Wings fall short of extending their playoff run, the continued development of players like Mantha will go a long way as the team looks to begin its next streak.
Unfortunate Extensions: Jake Allen & Petr Mrazek
When the St. Louis Blues went into this offseason, they had a problem. Some may call it a good problem, but it was an issue all the same; what to do with the tandem of Brian Elliott and Jake Allen? The team had gone to the Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years, and did it on the back of two outstanding seasons from their pair of netminders. Allen had a .920 save percentage in 44 starts, while Elliott carried a .930 mark through his 38 starts and continued his dominance into the playoffs, essentially moving Allen to the bench.
But when the summer came, the team decided it was time to move on from one of them and traded Elliott to the Calgary Flames. With just a year left on each goalie’s deal, the Blues wanted to get ahead of the controversy and establish Allen as their true franchise netminder. They signed him to a four-year, $17.4MM extension on the first day of free agency, locking him in long-term as their starter. After all, he was coming off the best season of his career and was still just 25-years old.
That decision hasn’t turned out too well for the Blues, who last week sent Allen away from the team, not even bringing him on a road trip to Winnipeg. Allen is sporting a .897 save percentage through the first half of the season, easily a career low for him. While some of that is a much weaker team in front of him defensively, not all of the blame can removed from his shoulders. He simply hasn’t been good enough for the Blues, and now it comes time to wonder about the decision to extend him in the summer.
With a $4.35MM cap-hit going forward, it’s not like the Blues will be completely hamstrung by his deal. There is room to get a quality veteran to split the season with him like Florida is doing with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, but it is far from ideal. A team that has pending unrestricted free agents in Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrik Berglund, along with big RFA deals with Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko looming in the next couple of seasons, needs their cap space used in effective manners. A long-term extension for a struggling goalie is not that.
In Detroit, a similar goaltender situation played out last year when Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard split the duties and pushed a underwhelming team into the playoffs. While Howard struggled during parts of the season and in the playoffs, Mrazek looked like a lock as a starting goaltender and perhaps even all-star going forward. The Wings were locked into Howard for another three seasons, but looked like they wanted to give the number one job to Mrazek after his great stretch run.
The team likely shopped the veteran Howard around but found no takers, and eventually decided on just a two-year deal with Mrazek when it came to free agency. Had they been able to find a taker for Howard and his $5.3MM cap hit, they probably would have tried to work out a longer-term deal with the younger netminder. Perhaps their inability to move Howard was a blessing in disguise however, as Mrazek has imploded in the Wings’ net, posting an .894 save percentage behind a reeling team. Howard was actually off to a great start before suffering an injury, making the decision even harder this summer.
Howard is still likely on the move out of town as the Red Wings start a rebuild, but luckily they haven’t committed to Mrazek long-term. If they decide he’s not the goaltender they thought he was, and in a year choose to go in a different direction he’ll be a hefty trade chip on the market. If he rebounds and shows them that this was just a blip on what will be an otherwise excellent career, they can then lock him into a longer deal.
For St. Louis though, they have to hitch their horse to Allen and hope he can pull them out of it. With another four-years after this dedicated to the former second-round pick, they basically don’t have any other choice.
Afternoon Snapshots: Duchene, Wings’ Contracts, McLellan
Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun reports that it will cost a lot for the Ottawa Senators to acquire the Avalanche’s Matt Duchene. He adds that it would behoove the Sens to wait on any potential deal for Duchene. According to Garrioch, it would cost upwards to a first round pick, a top four defenseman, and a top prospect. Garrioch adds that the requests are “fantasy” like, and that Colorado might even ask for more should the trade market yield little fruit in the way of impact players. Though Pierre Dorion is looking to improve the roster, he won’t be that desperate to give up so much.
In other news around the league:
- TSN’s Travis Yost breaks down the nightmarish contracts the Red Wings have and it appears as bleak as it looks. He lists Henrik Zetterberg‘s deal as one that will bog the team down as he ages, noting that Zetterberg is not producing as he once did. He adds that Frans Nielsen is not living up to his rich and long term contract, but that at only 32, he’s still movable. It’s the contracts for Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader where Yost sharpens his criticism as the Wings threw money away on players hardly worth the financial investment (a combined $8.1MM cap hit). Those that passed the test? Gustav Nyquist. Though paid to be a goal scorer, Yost points out that Nyquist is a core player and there are other arguments out there defending Nyquist’s value. Mike Green is another name Yost brings up as worth the money. Regardless, it’s another indication that unless Ken Holland is prudent and crafty, the Wings are in for tough times ahead.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins believes that Edmonton bench boss Todd McLellan doesn’t get the credit he deserves in the Oilers’ turnaround. An underrated catalyst to the success of the Oilers, McLellan has Leavins’ vote for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the league’s best coach. To turn around a decade’s long culture of losing is impressive in itself. Leavins even points out that McLellan, a patient man who gets coaching advice while at Edmonton gas stations, is more than willing to accept blame for the team’s failures. Regardless of who deserves the credit for the Oilers turnaround, Leavins feels it’s a disservice to not give McLellan the lion’s share of the kudos.
Trade Candidates: Tomas Tatar
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
With the Red Wings on the outside looking in, several names are popping up as potential trade pieces for a team looking more seriously at rebuilding. One name that continues to generate interest, and who was rumored to be asked about by the Chicago Blackhawks, is Tomas Tatar.
Contract
Tatar is in the final year of a three-year, $8.25MM deal and will be a restricted free agent this summer. Expected to get a pay raise, it’s one of many reasons he’s an option to be moved.
2016-17
Much has been written about the Red Wings’ struggles this season, and Tatar has been a lightning rod for much of that criticism. Through 49 games, Tatar has 23 points (11-12), which isn’t nearly good enough for a player counted on to score more than 20 goals, and flirt with 30. Though criticism is there, it’s not entirely warranted. Tatar has been one of Detroit’s better players this season, despite his numbers. Much has been made of the Red Wings’ awkward lineup construction, and insistence on playing individuals with “grit” or those who are penalty kill “specialists” (Luke Glendening, Drew Miller) and offer little else in goal scoring or generating scoring chances.
Season Stats
49 games: 11 goals, 12 assists, 23 points, -2; 51.7% CF%; 16:43 ATOI
Potential Suitors
The Chicago Blackhawks are already one team rumored to have inquired about Tatar. He provides two positives. First, Tatar is under club control. Two, he is an undervalued asset being in Detroit. Placed on a dominant team like the Blackhawks, he would immediately contribute with talent like Jonathan Toews centering a line, or with other team’s best lines focusing on Patrick Kane‘s line. Tatar would also be valuable on the man advantage Detroit’s historically bad power play has made everyone look bad, including Tatar.
His affordable salary could make him one of the better options in fitting in financially with the cap-challenged Hawks.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Everything is based on Ken Holland’s philosophy. He’ll either sell or “stand pat” based on the team’s fortunes in late February. But after losing 4-0 to the rising Maple Leafs, one wonders how Holland can sit back and just stand pat instead of recognizing that the Red Wings needs draft picks and prospects to expedite what looks to be a rebuilding effort. Further, I’m not entirely sure the Wings are ready to give up on Tatar. Holland especially is notoriously loyal to his players. Especially those drafted and developed by Holland.
Strapped with several bad contracts, needing to sign other players, and due a raise, Tatar remains one of many options to be moved by the trade deadline.