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Pacific Notes: Sharks Roster, Lucic, Larsson, Richardson

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With a drastically poor start, the San Jose Sharks find themselves at the bottom of the Pacific Division 4-10-1 record, tied for the second-worst record in the NHL. That wasn’t what most people expected at the start of the season and Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News wonders when change might start happening if the team doesn’t quickly turn things around.

The team is currently in the midst of dropping five straight and being outscored 22-8 in that span. The scribe writes that while the Sharks haven’t had too many poor starts in the last 15 years, general manager Doug Wilson hasn’t sat and watched often. The team made some small moves to shake things up in 2015 when they started 0-5-1, but also made bigger moves back in 2005 when they went out and acquired Joe Thornton to shake up the team.

Now word what Wilson might do now, but the team likely will make some smaller roster moves to start. Assuming he stays healthy during his AHL game Sunday, the Sharks are likely to recall defenseman Radim Simek and place him next to Brent Burns, moving rookie Mario Ferraro next to Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The team may also recall rookie Lean Bergmann, who has looked sharp in four games with the Barracuda with three goals and three assists, and could help the team’s fourth line.

However, if things don’t start to improve soon, don’t be surprised if Wilson begins to make major changes to the roster. Also of note, the Sharks do not have their first-round pick this year as they traded it to the Ottawa Senators for Erik Karlsson back in 2018.

  • NHL.com’s John Shannon reports that Calgary Flames winger Milan Lucic, who hit Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Kole Sherwood late on a play, already had his hearing today. There has been no word on the league’s decision yet, which could come later today, but Shannon mentions that Lucic is not considered to be a repeat offender. He was last suspended in 2016, although he was fined last year. That will likely be considered by the league when they make their decision.
  • Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes that Edmonton Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson, who suffered a fractured fibula after playing in just one games this season, is now skating and could be back in two or three weeks. Larsson, the team’s best defensive defenseman, was projected to miss six to eight weeks after suffering the injury.
  • The Arizona announced earlier today they have recalled Michael Chaput to take the place of injured forward Brad Richardson. However, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that to make room for Chaput, the Coyotes have placed Richardson on injured reserve, retroactive to his injury date, which means he can be activated whenever he is ready.

Latest On Jesse Puljujarvi

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It’s hard to know exactly how the Jesse Puljujarvi situation will play out with regards to the Edmonton Oilers, after the young forward requested a trade and refused to sign a contract with the team this summer. Puljujarvi instead returned to Finland where he is off to a great start, scoring 11 goals and 20 points in 18 games with Karpat and recently being named to the national team for the Karjala Cup.

Oilers GM Ken Holland will attend the international tournament to see Puljujarvi, which has led to more speculation about a potential trade back on North American soil. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported last night on Headlines that interest in Puljujarvi has increased again, noting that the New York Rangers in particular have continued to shown “persistent interest.”

There is now less than a month left to get Puljujarvi signed to a contract. The restricted free agent must have a deal registered with the NHL by December 1st in order to be eligible to play at all this season. That NHL future is entirely in the hands of Holland, who isn’t forced to move Puljujarvi’s rights at all.

The 21-year old will be waiver eligible, meaning that any team deciding to acquire Puljujarvi will have to keep him on their NHL roster—or risk losing him to someone else. That’s a tough ask even with his overseas success, at least for teams expecting to contend for a playoff spot this season.

Pacific Notes: Hughes, Fleury, Subban, Russell

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Vancouver Canucks fans are hoping that defenseman Quinn Hughes will be back sooner than later after the Calder Trophy candidate went down in the first period of Friday’s game against the Ducks. Having played nearly half of the first 15 minutes of play, the rookie blueliner was rushing to get back into his zone when he appeared to pivot and stub his toe that had him fall forward to his knees and needed to helped off the ice.

Sportsnet’s Ian McIntyre writes that the injury is likely to be a short-term injury and the defenseman will be re-examined Saturday in San Jose before their game against the Sharks with a remote possibility of playing. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Hughes will not play Saturday.

Hughes has been a key member to the Canucks’ defense despite his youth as he has immediately become a top-four player and already averages more than 20 minutes per game. His ability to quarterback the power play has been critical to the Canucks’ recent 8-1-1 streak. Hopefully, he’ll be back sooner than later.

  • With Garret Sparks recalled under emergency conditions and the return of Malcolm Subban to the ice, many were wondering what was going on with the Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltending situation. However, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger answered that question by reporting that starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has the flu and will sit out today. Head coach Gerard Gallant stated that it wasn’t anything that will keep the veteran goaltender out for very long. Without Fleury, Granger also reported that Subban, who has been out since Oct. 10 when he played just one period, will get the start tonight against the Jets. Subban, coincidentally, has never allowed a goal to Winnipeg in his career.
  • In a mailbag piece, The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman (subscription required) writes that while it would be advantageous for the Edmonton Oilers to trade off some of their defensive depth for some forward help, however the team few players that have much value. The most likley candidate to trade would be Kris Russell, who has just one more year on his contract. However, the scribe adds that Russell might be hard to move due to his $4MM contract right now as well as the fact that he has a 20-team no-trade clause in his contract. Both those issues would make it difficult to move him, especially since it might be a stretch to consider him as a No. 4 defenseman.

Morning Notes: Puljujarvi, Scherbak, McGinn

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Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland will travel to Helsinki, Finland for the Karjala Cup (an international tournament) this week according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, to check in on restricted free agent Jesse Puljujarvi. The young forward is having a ton of success in his home country and away from the bright lights of the NHL, scoring 11 goals so far for Karpat in just 17 games.

As the calendar flips into November, the Oilers (or any acquiring team) now have just a month to get Puljujarvi under contract if they want him to play in the NHL this season. As an RFA, he has to be signed by December 1st in order to be eligible to play at all. As Spector writes however, leaving him in Finland all season may be the best option for the Oilers at this point.

  • Nikita Scherbak’s contract with Avangard of the KHL has been terminated, making the former Montreal Canadiens prospect a free agent once again. Scherbak had just six points in 16 games with the team this season, another disappointing outcome for a first-round pick that had such high expectations a few years ago.
  • After just two games with the Charlotte Checkers, Jamie McGinn has decided to pursue other opportunities. The veteran forward has been released from his professional tryout at his request, though it is unclear where he may land next. The 31-year old missed most of last season due to back surgery and was trying to work his way back to the NHL. In the two AHL games, he had zero points and 15 penalty minutes.

Pacific Notes: Haas, Simek, Motte, Roy, Prokhorkin

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Several people were a little surprised that the Edmonton Oilers chose to recall forward Gaetan Haas from the Bakersfield Condors after two games when fourth-line winger Josh Archibald went down with a broken foot. Haas was sent down to work on his game on North American rinks, but the team felt they needed to recall him after two games and one assist.

Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that many in the organization were fearful that Haas would choose to return to Europe if he was expected to stay in the AHL for much longer, however, which could be the reason for the recall. The scribe wonders whether prospect Kailer Yamamoto might have been a better choice as the 21-year-old can kill penalties and serve on the fourth line, but that decision has been put on hold.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek has returned to San Jose. The blueliner has sat out all season as he recovers from a leg injury he sustained last season. According to Kurz, Simek is expected to begin a conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, a good sign that he is close to returning and adding some much needed defensive depth. Simek played 41 games for the Sharks last season, scoring a goal and nine points.
  • Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor writes that Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte is expected to miss at least a week, possibly two, after he suffered a lower-body injury against the Washington Capitals on Friday while blocking a shot. The 24-year-old Motte has played a key role on the team’s bottom-six and has just one assist over six games. While many people felt that Loui Eriksson might be recalled, the team already recalled Adam Gaudette to cover the loss.
  • David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that center Nicolas Roy will make his Vegas’ debut tonight when the Golden Knights face off against the Anaheim Ducks. Roy came over as part of a package that sent winger Erik Haula to Carolina. The 6-foot-4 Roy was expected to be developed into a fourth-line option for Vegas. He is expected to take over as the team’s fourth-line center, while Tomas Nosek, who has filled that role will move to the third line.
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Los Angeles Kings will have their own debut as KHL winger Nikolai Prokhorkin is expected to make his debut tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 26-year-old winger signed with the Kings out of the KHL after a 20-goal season there, but failed to make the team out of training camp. He has appeared in four games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, picking up two assists. However, the team is hoping he can add some offense to the struggling Kings squad.

 

Minor Transactions: 10/26/19

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It’s a quieter schedule than usual on a Saturday but there are still 18 teams in action including Calgary and Winnipeg who will face off in the first outdoor game of the season at the Heritage Classic plus a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final with St. Louis and Boston.  There will likely be plenty of roster movement throughout the day which we’ll keep tabs on here.

  • The Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman William Borgen to AHL Rochester. He was recalled on Friday to serve as an extra with Marco Scandella dealing with a lower-body injury.  He has yet to record a point in seven games with the Americans but leads the team with 27 penalty minutes this season.
  • Defenseman Reid McNeill is returning to the Penguins organization as their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced that he has signed a tryout deal with the team. McNeill was a sixth-rounder of Pittsburgh back in 2010 and spent parts of five seasons in their minor league system before they traded him to St. Louis back in 2016.
  • Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that center Anthony Richard has joined the Predators in Tampa Bay which suggests that he has been recalled.  The 22-year-old made his NHL debut with Nashville last season but has spent most of his career in the minors.  Though he led AHL Milwaukee in scoring last season, he’s off to a slow start offensively with them this year with just a goal and an assist in seven games.
  • The Wild announced (via Twitter) that they have assigned center Gabriel Dumont to AHL Iowa.  His roster spot will go to fellow center Joel Eriksson Ek who has been activated off IR.  Dumont got into three games with Minnesota while on recall and was held off the scoresheet while averaging 11:30 per night.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled forward Gaetan Haas from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL after two games. Haas brought in from the NLA this summer to add some forward depth to the team failed to show much offense in his first five games of the season with Edmonton, picking up just one assist. He was assigned to Bakerfield to give him more playing time. He tallied one assist in two games there and now returns to the Oilers to see if he can boost the team’s bottom-six scoring struggles. He will replace Josh Archibald, who was placed on IR Friday.
  • After being recalled yesterday for the Carolina Hurricanes’ game Saturday, the Hurricanes announced today, after their 4-0 shutout over Chicago, that they have assigned forward Brian Gibbons to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL again. The 31-year-old played 11:59 today for the Hurricanes, registering a hit and two blocked shots. Gibbons has dominated with the Checkers, posting three goals and eight points in six games. He’ll likely be recalled the first chance the team needs an extra forward.
  • With a desperate need for a goaltender, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced they have signed former NHL goaltender Sebastien Caron to a professional tryout contract for tonight’s game. The 39-year-old Caron hasn’t appeared in a professional game since the 2015-16 season when he played in the German DEL league and hasn’t appeared in a North American game since the 2011-12 season when he played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Caron appeared in 95 NHL games with a 3.45 GAA and a .892 save percentage. He also played a large chunk of his AHL career (123 games) for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Kase, Archibald

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The St. Louis Blues will be without sniper Vladimir Tarasenko for at least their next two games, as he isn’t traveling with the team on their latest road trip. Tarasenko suffered an upper-body injury last night and will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Here’s some more injury news from around the league:

  • The Anaheim Ducks acquired Erik Gudbranson today from the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps in part due to the fact that Josh Manson has been placed on injured reserve. He’ll be joined there by Ondrej Kase, with both players out for at least the next two games. The Ducks say a further update will be given next week, but those are two very important players to lose for a pair of weekend tilts against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
  • The New Jersey Devils have activated Will Butcher from injured reserve, though he is still not expected to play tonight when they take on the Arizona Coyotes. In his place, Connor Carrick has been moved to IR with an upper-body injury suffered yesterday in practice.
  • Josh Archibald hasn’t scored a point yet for the Edmonton Oilers, and won’t get one anytime soon. That’s because he’s been placed on injured reserve with a right foot fracture and will miss two to four weeks.

Minor Transactions: 10/24/19

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After the NHL held just two games on Wednesday night, this evening’s action is quite a bit busier. Ten games are scheduled, including a matchup between two division leaders in Edmonton. The Oilers are still holding onto the Pacific Division despite two straight losses, while the Washington Capitals are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference and now sit at 7-2-2. As teams prepare for the big night, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Riley Stillman from the minor leagues, giving them another defenseman for their western road trip. The team takes on the Calgary Flames tonight and then has a back-to-back situation in Edmonton and Vancouver starting Sunday.
  • After playing yesterday afternoon, Joel Hanley is back with the Dallas Stars. Recalled from the minor leagues, Hanley will give the Stars another option when they welcome in the Anaheim Ducks tonight. Dallas is in the midst of a four-game homestand, giving them the opportunity to flip players back to the Texas Stars on off days to keep them fresh.
  • Logan Day is on his way to the Bakersfield Condors after being activated from the season-opening injured list. Day earned a one-year NHL contract in May after playing 64 games for the Condors last season. The 25-year old defenseman had 34 points, leading all Bakersfield defensemen.

Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Niemelainen, Hall

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Some fans in Edmonton are probably wishing that Jesse Puljujarvi would just fade into irrelevance in Europe so that they can stop hearing about him. However, the reality is that Puljujarvi is excelling in his native Finland and it is only creating more buzz about his availability. The Oilers have been adamant that they will not rush into a trade for Puljujarvi and will wait for a fair return, but as he continues to put up points for Karpat in the Liiga, the more likely that offer will come. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell tries to put Puljujarvi’s production into context rather than let the hype train run wild. He writes that there is some question as to the quality of a few of Puljujarvi’s six goals on the year and, more importantly, adds that his point-per-game pace in the Liiga is only equivalent to approximately 0.43 points per game in the NHL. Puljujarvi’s level of play in Finland lends itself to a projection of a third-line forward in the NHL in Mitchell’s estimation; however, given his upside and natural size and athleticism, the 22-year-old is worth more than your typical third-liner. The Oilers will eventually get an offer that they like for Puljujarvi and this story will go away, but the question is whether or not that deal occurs before the December 1st signing deadline for Puljujarvi, a restricted free agent, to play this season. Mitchell does not add any new names to the list of teams interested in Puljujarvi, but reiterates that the Carolina Hurricanes remain intrigued, as do the Oilers do in ’Canes prospect Julien Gauthier. Mitchell also posits that Dominik Bokk, a raw, but talented prospect recently acquired by the Hurricanes in the Justin Faulk trade, could be another target of Edmonton’s in a Puljujarvi trade. Carolina sought a regular NHL forward in exchange for Faulk, but settled for the upside of the young Bokk. Perhaps the team could be convinced to flip him for Puljujarvi. One way or another, the Hurricanes lead the pack when it comes to the most likely landing spot for Puljujarvi until new information emerges on the race to land the divisive young forward.

  • Another Edmonton prospect could also be looking at an extended stay in Finland. Defenseman Markus Niemelainen, the team’s third-round pick in 2016, has signed a one-year extension with Assat of the Liiga, the team announced. Niemelainen is in his first year with the Aces after growing up in the system of HPK, as well as two seasons with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. While the big defender has been held scoreless through 12 games, he brings a well-rounded game that balances checking ability and defensive awareness with mobility and play-making ability. Niemelainen has the makings of a player ready for the jump to North America, but claims in the team’s release that he is happy to continue developing with Assat. It seems likely that the Oilers will have to wait until 2021-22 to see Niemelainen cross the pond.
  • The “Taylor Hall-back-to-Edmonton” rumors were inevitable once the New Jersey Devils entered the season without an extension in place with their superstar and then subsequently got off to a rough start. Despite what many may think, Hall never requested a trade when he was with the Oilers, the team that selected him No. 1 overall in 2010, and actually enjoyed playing in Edmonton. It’s possible that Edmonton could continue to build off their hot start to the season and put themselves in position to be a real contender and a potential rental destination for Hall later this season. However, The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis all but rules out Hall as a possible free agency target and long-term fit. With the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, James Neal, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signed long-term on substantial contracts and a number of other top players in need of new contracts, there doesn’t appear to be space for Hall, who Willis expects to command a contract in the vicinity of $11MM per year. Even taking into account salary cap inflation, Willis feels that the Oilers would need to shed considerable salary to afford Hall and questions whether that would be the right play. Edmonton’s days as home to Hall are likely exclusively in the past.

Pacific Notes: Oilers Cap Space, Bjornfot, Mangiapane

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The Edmonton Oilers have two major contracts already on their roster and a handful of reasonably well-paid players, leaving them little wiggle room this past summer when they tried to upgrade their roster. Instead, general manager Ken Holland spent much of the summer finding bargain-bin players and veterans to fill their ranks to stay under the cap.

Well, what about next year? What about the team going out and bringing Taylor Hall back into the fold?

The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis (subscription required) breaks down the Oilers’ future cap situation this coming summer where the team could have as much as $26MM available in cap space. However, that’s with 13 roster players still to sign, and if Hall costs the team approximately $11MM AAV, that would leave little room to fill out the rest of their roster, which includes a number of RFA’s such as Darnell Nurse and Matt Benning, who would likely command raises, suggesting that going after Hall is likely a pipedream. The scribe does add that the team could attempt to unload a contract like Kris Russell, whose $4MM AAV with one year remaining might be moveable.

Regardless, it looks like quite a longshot and that doesn’t even factor on whether Hall would want to return to the Oilers in the first place.

  • The Los Angeles Kings demoted 18-year-old Tobias Bjornfot Friday to the Onatrio Reign of the AHL, which The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) writes is a positive sign for the 2019 first-round pick. Bjornfot shocked quite a few people when the team opted to keep the Swede on the NHL roster. He played the first three games, picking up a minus-four plus/minus, but much of that can be attributed to the team’s lack of defense. However, general manager Rob Blake said that the initial talk during training camp was to return Bjornfot to his SHL team this season. With Bjornfot being instead sent to the AHL, it suggests the team still feels that the youngster might have a future in the NHL still this season.
  • Eric Francis of Sportsnet reports that forward Andrew Mangiapane did not join the Calgary Flames for their road trip against the Kings and Ducks this weekend. However, the scribe suggests that Mangiapane should be available to play at some point next week, possible early as Tuesday against the Washington Capitals. Mangiapane has been out with an undisclosed injury. The forward scored a goal in each of his last two games before taking injury.

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