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Eric Lindros

Snapshots: Dahlin, Tanev, Zaitsev, Ellis

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While Nico Hischier used the World Junior Championships a year ago to propel him to be the top pick in the 2017 draft, that hasn’t been needed for Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the consensus No. 1 overall pick for the upcoming 2018 draft. However, no matter how secure Dahlin has that spot locked, he has done more than enough in this tournament to prove his worth, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

On the final day of preliminary-round play, Dahlin is tied for the lead in points in the tournament with six and that’s as a 17-year-old. Most of the top players are 19. However, his play is what has garnered the most attention.

“Rasmus Dahlin is to a franchise what McDavid and Matthews have meant to the Oilers and Maple Leafs,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said. “He is to defencemen what those two guys are to centremen. He is a No. 1, elite defencemen who can play in the NHL right now. Right now.”

Seravalli adds that while Team Canada won’t decide until Jan. 11 whether to use major junior players for the Olympics, Dahlin could be the first player to go from the World Juniors to the Olympics since Eric Lindros did it in 1992.

  • The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver tweets that Winnipeg Jets winger Brandon Tanev will be out two to three weeks with a lower-body injury. The 26-year-old Tanev has been a regular for the Jets, having put up three goals and 10 points in 39 games so far this season.
  • Jonas Siegel of The Athletic tweets that Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said that defenseman Nikita Zaitsev might return by Jan. 16. The team needs help on defense after falling 6-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. “The reality is whoever you play on a nightly basis has to be able to play and sometimes when you play quick teams (like) tonight some guys get exposed and that was evident,” Babcock said.
  • Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes that now that the Nashville Predators have assigned Frederick Gaudreau to Milwaukee of the AHL, the team has an open roster spot. He adds that defenseman Ryan Ellis, who has been out all season after undergoing knee surgery, has been cleared to play and the team may have opened up a roster spot for his return. It was reported earlier that Ellis’ targeted return was on Jan. 2.

Morning Notes: Lindros, Sabres, McCool

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they will raise Eric Lindros’ #88 sweater to the rafters in January of next year, retiring it from circulation among their players. No one has worn the number since Lindros’ departure, but his sweater will now officially join the likes of Bernie Parent (#1), Mark Howe (#2), Barry Ashbee (#4), Bill Barber (#7) and Bobby Clarke (#16) in retirement.

Lindros was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, and as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post points out on Twitter, Mark Recchi’s #8 could join the retired list next season. Recchi is among the 2017 Hall of Fame inductees, and spent parts of ten seasons with the Flyers. Lindros’ ceremony will be held on January 18th, before the Flyers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

  • The Buffalo Sabres announced a huge list of number changes for the upcoming season, including Jason Pominville re-acquiring his #29 from Jake McCabe. Pominville has worn the number for his entire career, including the nine previous seasons he spent in Buffalo. McCabe will wear #19 this season. To keep up with all player numbers and depth charts, make sure to head over to Roster Resource where things are constantly updated with the latest information.
  • According to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports, Hayden McCool will be in rookie camp for the St. Louis Blues, fresh off a Memorial Cup win in Windsor. McCool is a big forward who was deployed in a purely checking role for the Spitfires of the OHL. Undrafted, he’ll attend camp hoping to earn an AHL spot somewhere, though the Blues don’t have a single affiliate this season. McCool will more than likely only make an impact at the minor league level, but his work ethic and physical game is one that could translate to a fourth-line at some point.

Panthers Notes: Ekblad, Bjugstad, Playoff Race

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Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is out of the lineup with a neck injury, and his coach feels responsible.

After Ekblad missed four games with a concussion, he was medically cleared to return to the lineup. He lasted one game, and is now on the shelf with a sore neck. Coach and GM Tom Rowe made a startling admission to the Miami Herald’s George Richards.

“I’m not going to lie, I wish we didn’t. That’s on me. The doctors cleared him, our medical staff cleared him but I had some reservations and I wish I stayed with my gut. That’s no one’s fault but my own.”

The team has made it abundantly clear that Ekblad’s current injury is not related to his recent concussion, but suffering head and neck injuries 10 days apart is not a good thing for the 21-year-old defenseman. He’s already suffered at least two concussions in his career: in 2014 at the Canadian World Juniors camp and in 2016 after getting run by the Oilers’ Matt Hendricks. He also suffered whiplash at the World Cup in September, after a big hit from the Maple Leafs’ Leo Komarov; whiplash and concussions are often linked. With the Panthers’ season essentially over (more on that below), there’s little sense in trying to get him back in the lineup, argues Matt Larkin of The Hockey News. Ekblad has suffered as many concussions as NHL seasons played, which Larkin fears could lead him down the Eric Lindros path.

Ekblad is in the final year of his entry-level contract, and will start an eight-year extension next season.

  • It’s been a brutal season for center Nick Bjugstad. After three-straight seasons of 34-plus points, Bjugstad has just 10 points in 45 games this season, including five goals. Both Bjugstad and Rowe have publicly expressed displeasure with how the player’s season has gone. Injuries have played their part, but no one is using that as an excuse. Veteran teammate Jussi Jokinen told Richards that “every player has a tough year but you don’t define a career on one rough season.” Bjugstad has four years left in a six-year extension, making $4.1MM per season. After the season he’s having, it’s unlikely anyone will be trading for him just yet, so Bjugstad will get his chance to turn it around in Florida.
  • The Panthers were four points out of the playoffs when two-thirds of their top line returned from injury in early February. They won six of their next seven games, but have once again fallen out with just six wins in their next 17 games. Florida is seven points out of the final wildcard spot with nine games remaining. It would take a huge run combined with several stunning collapses by division rivals for them to make it now.

Morning Notes: Ekblad, Street, McCarron

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Aaron Ekblad will return to the lineup for the Florida Panthers tonight, according to Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel. The Panthers superstar suffered his third concussion—not including the bout of “whiplash” he suffered at the World Cup—ten days ago, and apparently has cleared all the procedures to return to the lineup. With the Panthers now eight points back of the Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot, they hopefully wouldn’t have rushed Ekblad back at all.

As Matt Larkin of The Hockey News wrote a week ago, the Panthers have to play this carefully or risk Ekblad’s career before it has even truly begun. The 21-year old looks like he will be a force in the game for a very long time, but has now already suffered multiple concussions early on. In comparing him to Eric Lindros, who suffered several head blows within a short time frame, Larkin pleaded with the Panthers to shut him down for the rest of the season to make sure he wasn’t at risk. None of this is to say that the Panthers medical staff is mistreating the situation, but with just 11 games left and four teams between them and a playoff spot, it does seem a bit unnecessary to bring him back at all. Here’s hoping for some continued health for one of the game’s brightest young stars.

  • With Ekblad returning, the Panthers have sent MacKenzie Weegar back down to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. Weegar never did actually get into a game, with Florida playing Jakub Kindl in the vacant defense position. Weegar will return to the Thunderbirds where he was having an excellent season, scoring 12 goals and 29 points in 51 games.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have called up Ben Street on emergency basis after last night’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Detroit lost Darren Helm to an injury on Saturday, though perhaps someone else suffered a minor wound last night. The 30-year old Street is having another excellent season at the AHL level, with 51 points in 57 games this year. The undrafted forward has found much success at the lower level since starting his pro career in 2010, though has only seen an NHL contest 29 times. Held to just two points in those games, he’ll look to make an impact with this chance.
  • Steve Ott will draw back into the lineup for the Montreal Canadiens tonight, meaning oft-scratched Michael McCarron will be back in the press box according to Renaud Levoie of TVA Sports. The former first-round pick has played just 26 games for the Canadiens this season, registering five points in less than 10 minutes per night. The 22-year old can’t seem to impress either coaching staff enough to stay in the lineup, despite bringing a physical presence. In 32 games in the AHL this year, McCarron has 19 points.

NHL Releases Celebrity Shootout Rosters

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Today is the skills competition portion of the NHL All-Star weekend, and the league has combined the skill of the sport with the star power of Hollywood. The league released the rosters for the Celebrity Shootout, packed with former NHL stars as well.

The league will start with the Celebrity Shootout which features celebrities like Tim Robbins and Cuba Gooding Jr. Justin Bieber was name highlighted by the NHL. Both teams will wear patches honoring Alan Thicke who passed away in December. Thicke was a noted actor for his work on the 80’s television show Growing Pains, and was also a diehard hockey fan.

The Celebrity Shootout is scheduled for 4:15 pm CST. Below are the rosters for both teams.

Team Lemieux (Black)

77 Ray Bourque
21 Peter Forsberg
91 Sergei Fedorov
17 Jari Kurri
19 Larry Robinson
27 Scott Niedermayer
44 Chris Pronger
20 Luc Robitaille
26 Peter Stastny
24 David Boreanaz
37 Taylor Kitsch
91 Riker Lynch
32 Ross Lynch
7 Ron MacLean
13 Steven R. McQueen
8 Teemu Selanne
22  Vincent Piazza
4 Angela Ruggiero
2 Mr. Zhou (goalie)

Team Gretzky (White) 
6 Justin Bieber
88 Patrick Kane
4 Rob Blake
11 Mike Gartner
88 Eric Lindros
5 Nicklas Lidstrom
19 Joe Sakic
18 Denis Savard
21 Borje Salming
12 Cuba Gooding Jr
19 Jerry Bruckheimer
25 Joe Nieuwendyk
44 Billy Flynn
7 Michael Rosenbaum
37 Tim Robbins
20 Carter Thicke
72 Ken Baker (goalie)
1 James Badge Dale (goalie)

Auston Matthews Scores 20th Goal Of Rookie Season

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Since the 2005-06 season when the NHL brought itself into a new era, 33 players have scored 20 or more goals in their rookie year. Headlined by the unbelievable rookie campaigns of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin (the latter of which who scored more than 50, the first of seven such seasons) it’s a group of all-stars and perhaps even more than a handful of hall of fame players. It also includes Petr Prucha and Peter Mueller, showing that it’s not a guarantee for success though a pretty good indicator.

This year, the group will likely have a handful of entrants. With players like Patrik Laine in Winnipeg and Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary having great success, this may be the best rookie crop in years. But today it’s Toronto that took the rookie spotlight, with Mitch Marner, Connor Brown and Auston Matthews all scoring in the Centennial Classic. Matthews, who scored twice (including the overtime winner) has already punched his ticket as the 34th player to score 20 as a rookie in the salary cap era.

The rookie phenom now has 32 points in 36 games, and is on pace to score more goals that even Crosby did as a rookie. The league hasn’t seen a teenager score 40 goals in his rookie season since Eric Lindros did it in 1992-93, and there may be two (with Laine) that do it this year. That exclusive group includes just five players: Lindros, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk and Sylvain Turgeon.

When you add Connor McDavid to the teenage mix (though no longer a rookie), it’s an unbelievable group that is doing unprecedented things in the NHL. With 14 goals in his last 17 games, Matthews is likely on an unsustainable pace, just as Laine was earlier in the year. But even if his production slows down, he’s already in the discussion as an elite center in the NHL and should be for a long time.

The Calder Trophy run should be a heck of a battle down the stretch, with no clear winner emerging so far. We’re excited to watch.

Notable NHL Players Who Made Comebacks

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In light of Eric Lindros’ comments yesterday about former Philadelphia Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren suggesting he attempt a comeback to the NHL in 2012, five seasons after retiring, let’s take a look at few notable NHLers who did come back after some time away:

Richard Zednik and Clint Malarchuk – Zednik and Malarchuk survived two of the scariest on-ice incidents in NHL history. In 1989, Malarchuk, then a Sabres goaltender, had his cartoid artery sliced by a skate. His life was saved by the trainer Jim Pizzutelli, who was a former US Army Medic who served in the Vietnam War. Nineteen years later, Zednik had his exterior cartoid artery sliced by the skate of Olli Jokinen. Both men survived and ultimately returned to the NHL the next season, though neither man played much longer.

Gary Roberts – After playing parts of 10 seasons with the Calgary Flames, Roberts was forced to retire at age 30 because of nerve issues in his neck. However, he began working with a chiropractor on a new form of physiotherapy and was able to return to the NHL after missing the 1996-97 season. The Flames traded his rights to Carolina, where the travel would be better than in the Western Conference, and he played 11 more seasons with a handful of teams before retiring in 2009. He founded the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre and Fitness Institute in Ontario, where he trains several high-end athletes including Steven Stamkos and Connor McDavid.

Saku Koivu – The longest-tenured captain in Montreal Canadiens history made an unforgettable comeback in the 2001-02 season. In September of 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He missed nearly the entire season, but made a triumphant return in the Canadiens’ third last game of the season. He was welcomed back with an eight-minute standing ovation by fans, and had two assists in three games as the Canadiens clinched a playoff spot. They went on to beat the first-seeded Boston Bruins in six games before losing to the upstart Carolina Hurricanes, who were on their way to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Koivu won the Masterton Trophy that season for dedication to hockey.

Mario Lemieux – Lemieux retired after the 1996-97 season. While he was still dominating the NHL, scoring 50 goals and 122 points in 76 games that season, he stepped away from the game at age 31. He was just a few years removed from his battle with Hodgkin’s Disease, a form of cancer. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived the mandatory three-year waiting period and immediately inducted Lemieux. He was part of a team that bought the Penguins to keep them in Pittsburgh in September 2000. Four months later, the team announced that he would be returning to the lineup. In his second NHL debut, Lemieux had an assist on his first shift and ended up with a goal and two assists versus the Maple Leafs. Lemieux went on to captain Team Canada to gold at the 2002 Olympics and 2004 World Cup. He scored 229 points in 170 NHL games over the next five seasons, including a 91-point performance in 2002-03, before an irregular heartbeat sidelined him once more.

Eric Lindros Talks Career On Eve Of Hall Of Fame Enshrinement

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Perhaps no player who has ever suited up in the NHL offered the size-skill combination that former Philadelphia Flyers center Eric Lindros brought to the table. Before ever playing a game in the league Lindros was being compared to some of the game’s greats and had already been given the nickname, “The Next One,” which was a play on Wayne Gretzky’s “The Great One” moniker.

Ultimately, concussions would derail his career, causing him to miss substantial time throughout his playing days. Just once did the big pivot appear in more than 73 games in a single season. Still, Lindros tallied 1.14 points-per-game throughout his career and recorded better than a point-per-game average in each of his first nine NHL campaigns. His accomplishments have finally been rewarded with his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame following a six year wait.

Lindros talked about his career today and among other topics, Dave Isaac writes that at one point in 2012, four years after he initially retired from the NHL, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren talked with the “Big E” about a comeback.

Evidently, while participating in the alumni game just prior to the 2012 Winter Classic, Lindros impressed Holmgren enough that the Philadelphia executive approached him about rejoining the Flyers for the stretch run.

“Yeah, I did place a call to Eric in 2012 to see whether he would consider coming back. He looked that good at the outdoor alumni game. I thought he could help our team.”

Apparently Lindros was unsure if Holmgren was serious or not:

“We were playing in that baseball stadium and I think he had the worst seat in the house. He must have been up in the bleachers or something. I don’t know what game he was watching, but I got a call.”

“I don’t know! He was talking cap space. He was going right into it. I don’t know if he was pulling my leg or not. I don’t know. I think he was pretty serious, but I was laughing. Wow.”

Of course the idea sounds far-fetched today given Lindros would have turned 39 in February of 2012 and hadn’t seen any NHL action since the 2006 – 2007 campaign. But it’s interesting to imagine how Lindros would have fared had he decided on a comeback.

 

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