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Panthers’ Vincent Trocheck Leaves Game On Stretcher

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Tuesday: Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Trocheck is undergoing surgery on his leg today, giving a long-term timeline for his recovery. It is a huge blow for the Panthers as they try to climb their way out of the Eastern Conference basement.

Monday: In a scary incident on Monday night in Ottawa, Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was forced from the game with what appears to be a serious lower-body injury. Trocheck left the ice on a stretcher after a collision with Senators forward Ryan Dzingel along the end boards. The Panthers were quick to announce that Trocheck was being evaluated for his injury and would not return to the game.

The crash in question occurred late in the first period as Trocheck and Dzingel battled for the puck while skating toward the Panthers’ net (video). The duo got tied up and  Trocheck’s right leg was trapped under him as he fell backwards. The twisting of the knee, paired with Trocheck’s visible pain, would seem to indicate ligament damage and Florida will have to hold out hope that it is a strain rather than a tear, especially of the ACL. Such an injury would keep Trocheck sidelined for a long period of time. The incident looked similar to the injury suffered by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz earlier this season and Schultz was given a four month recovery timeline.

Trocheck, 25, has 14 points in 18 games to date, including an assist earlier in this game. After a career 75-point campaign last year, Trocheck has established himself as a top offensive asset for the Cats. Trocheck is especially key to the power play, which could suffer during his likely absence. The slick center is a mainstay in the top-six for Florida, who will have to ask others in the organization to step up if they hope to avoid the ill effects of the injury.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/18

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Nine games grace the NHL stage tonight including some key matchups featuring some of the best teams in the league. Perhaps the best example of that is when the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Nashville Predators in a battle of Stanley Cup contenders. As teams prepare for their big night, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Washington Capitals are expected to have Braden Holtby dressed once again as he returns from injury, and have sent Ilya Samsonov back down to the minor leagues. Taking his place on the roster is young defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who has played two games for the Capitals this season. Samsonov is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world, but will have to wait for his next opportunity before making his NHL debut.
  • Micheal Haley is back with the Florida Panthers, as the team recalled him today along with Dryden Hunt. Denis Malgin and Maxim Mamin were reassigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds to make room. Haley, 32, spent the start of the season away from the team working with the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, but has now resumed his career and will try to inject some physicality and energy into the Panthers lineup.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have returned three players to the AHL as they make room for other on the roster returning to health. CapFriendly reports that forward Mario Kempe and defensemen Dakota Mermis and Robbie Russo have all been reassigned to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Russo did not see any game action on his first recall of the season, while Mermis skated in just over eleven minutes in his one appearance and Kempe recorded a team-low 10:22 ATOI in four games. The trio don’t seem to have the trust of the coaching staff just yet and the Coyotes likely hope that they can stay healthy enough to avoid seeing any of the group for a while.

Minor Transactions: 11/18/18

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After an outstanding Saturday filled with exciting finishes and huge comebacks the NHL is relatively quiet today with just five matches scheduled. Things get kicked off this afternoon between the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders, but first there will be roster moves around the league. We’ll be here to keep track of those moves:

  • The New York Rangers have reassigned Vinni Lettieri to the minor leagues, after he seemingly got benched yesterday for much of their game. Lettieri took a two-minute penalty in the first period, but ended up seeing the ice for just 4:29  in total. The 23-year old has been held scoreless in all 14 of his opportunities this season, and now will have to rediscover his game in the AHL.  They  announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Steven Fogarty from AHL Hartford to take Lettieri’s place.  He’s off to a strong start to his third full professional campaign, collecting 14 points through the first 18 games of the season.  (For reference, his career high is 20.)
  • CapFriendly reports that the Florida Panthers have recalled veteran forward Micheal Haley from a conditioning loan with the Springfield Thunderbirds after spending the first part of the season in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Now ready to return, the veteran played two games with Springfield, putting up a goal and an assist and now is ready to return to Florida. The 32-year-old had three goals and nine points in 75 games last year. CapFriendly also reported they have recalled Dryden Hunt from Springfield, who was tearing up the AHL with eight goals in 15 games. The team countered those moves by assigning two players to Springfield, including Maxim Mamin and Denis Malgin. Mamin has played seven games with no points, while Malgin has been more successful with a goal and five points in 14 games.
  • The Los Angeles Kings announced they have recalled forward Austin Wagner from the Ontario Reign of the AHL to help fill in for injured veteran Trevor Lewis who is out week-to-week. The 21-year-old has already played eight games with Los Angeles and has no points, but has a pair of goals in five games with the Reign. The team also assigned goaltender Cole Kehler to Ontario.
  • With the Boston Bruins currently missing six defensemen due to injury and icing a starting six that includes four players expected to spend the majority of the season in the AHL, the Providence Bruins are also suffering from a dearth of defenders. The team currently rosters just three defensemen signed to NHL contracts, one of whom – Cody Goloubef – is also out with an injury. As a result, the team today brought in some reinforcements in the form of ECHL loans. Veteran pro Kyle Cumiskey of the Newfoundland Growlers and young Chris Carlisle of the nearby Manchester Monarchs have been added by Providence, per the ECHL. They join Boston-area native Desmond Bergin of the Adirondack Thunder as three on-loan players competing for ice time among a total of just seven healthy defensemen.
  • With John Gibson feeling sick, the Anaheim Ducks announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Kevin Boyle from San Diego of the AHL.  The 26-year-old has posted a .920 save percentage so far this season, ranking sixth among AHL netminders.

Minor Transactions: 11/13/18

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Another busy Tuesday night in the NHL as nine games are scheduled to take place, with the Minnesota Wild welcoming in the Stanley Cup champions, and the Nashville Predators battling the San Jose Sharks. It’s a busy night, but teams are already working to finalize their rosters and make small changes. We’ll be here to keep track of all of them.

  • Erik Cernak has been recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning, as Anton Stralman deals with an injury. Cernak, another one of the interesting prospects in the Lightning system, has seven points in nine games for the Syracuse Crunch this season. The talented defenseman combines both size and skill to get by, and could make his NHL debut this week if the team inserts him into the lineup.
  • Micheal Haley has been dealing with personal issues and entered the player assistance earlier this season but will now get a chance to get back on the ice. The Florida Panthers have assigned the veteran forward to the minor leagues on a conditioning loan, in order to get him back into game shape. Haley, 32, played 75 games for the Panthers last season, the most in any single season of his career. He recorded 212 penalty minutes in those 75 games, which easily led the league.
  • Pavel Zacha is back in the NHL, recalled by the New Jersey Devils after they placed Brian Boyle on injured reserve. Zacha had recently been sent down to the minor leagues to regain his confidence and scoring touch, which he seemed to do with five points in four games for the Binghamton Devils. The 21-year old forward is still without a point this season in the NHL, and will be a key part of any turnaround the Devils have in store this year.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Gustav Forsling from the minor leagues, while placing Marcus Kruger on injured reserve retroactive to November 9th. Forsling comes into a defense corps that is without Brandon Davidson for the time being as he deals with a leg injury, and one that has struggled recently to keep the puck out of their net. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Forsling is on his way up to join forces with new Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton, but it is still to be seen whether he can help the Blackhawks break their current eight-game losing streak.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have continued to send players back to the minors during homestands, today assigning A.J. Greer to the AHL. That’s the benefit of having an affiliate so close, something the Avalanche are now experiencing with the Colorado Eagles entering the AHL. Greer has played just a single game for the Avalanche this season.
  • Ben Gleason almost scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game this past weekend, but after it was tipped by a player in the slot he was forced to settle for just his first point. Now, after two games with the Dallas Stars, Gleason will need to wait for his next opportunity to score that elusive goal. He has been sent down to the Texas Stars.

Atlantic Notes: Weber, Athanasiou, Pysyk, Kovar

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The Montreal Canadiens have had a nice start to the season with an 8-5-3 record to start the season. However, more good news could be on the way as there was a Shea Weber sighting today as the veteran defenseman took the ice this morning along with David Schlemko, Brendan Gallagher, Noah Juulsen and Carey Price, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

The team captain was originally scheduled to return sometime in December, so it still may be a while before he fully returns, but this is a step in the right direction for the veteran. Weber could add another key element to a young team that seems to have found some offense from a number of young names and gotten some solid goaltending from Price. Adding Weber to their blueline could only make the team stronger as they start hitting the middle of their season schedule.

  • The Detroit Red Wings like what they see from winger Andreas Athanasiou so far this year. What the 24-year-old has always lacked was competive consistency, which they are finally starting to see everyday, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. Athanasiou has always had the speed that many people felt he could put up big numbers if he figured things out. However, the best the Red Wings have gotten out of him has been 18 goals, two years ago. Through 13 games so far this season, he already has six goals and nine points and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. “I know those chances are going to come, so it’s just playing hard when I get out there and capitalizing on those chances,” Athanasiou said.
  • George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk remains a healthy scratch for the seventh straight time despite being medically cleared to play again on Thursday, but can’t seem to work his way back into Florida’s lineup. He was knocked out of the lineup after taking a hit from Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on Oct. 19. The hope is he will be in the lineup on Sunday.
  • Jan Kovar was brought overseas with the intention of plugging him in the New York Islanders’ lineup. Two months later has the 28-year-old Kovar playing on a PTO with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, but faring quite well with five goals and nine points in eight games. Could a promotion be in order? “Smart player,” said Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney (via Providence Journal’s Mark Divver). “I really like the skills, top of the circles down in the offensive zone. What probably surprises me a little bit, coming from (the KHL), is how gritty he is, as far as playing in high traffic, possession.”
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Adam Erne were out tonight and are listed as day-to-day, both with upper-body injuries. With the return of defenseman Victor Hedman, it looked as if the team’s defense was almost healthy. Instead, the team will be without Stralman for the time being, who was the one to fill many of Hedman’s minutes. Slater Koekkoek remains in the lineup.

 

Panthers Unlikely To Make A Big Trade In Wake Of Slow Start

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The Panthers have gotten off to a slow start this season, posting a 3-5-3 record that has them last overall in the NHL.  Accordingly, speculation has picked up about whether it’s time for them to shake things up.  In an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger stated that he doesn’t expect GM Dale Tallon to make a significant move but instead may try to make a smaller one to see if that gets the team going:

It’s at least worth noting that the Panthers have at least four games in hand on every team in the Atlantic Division so while they sit seven points out of a Wild Card spot heading into tonight’s action, they can work their way back into the mix fairly quickly.  A healthy Roberto Luongo should help their fortunes but if they continue to scuffle, a small move could be on the horizon.

Derek MacKenzie Undergoes Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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The Florida Panthers announced today that veteran forward and former captain Derek MacKenzie has undergone successful shoulder surgery which will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely. The surgery had been planned since before the team left for their games in Finland, given the injury he suffered on opening night. MacKenzie is in the final year of his current contract, and played fewer than three minutes of ice time before coming out of the game earlier this year.

If this is the end for MacKenzie, who will turn 38 in June, it has been a successful run. After being selected in the fifth round in 1999 by the Atlanta Thrashers, it took him a decade to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. That came in 2010-11 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, when he played in 63 games and set a career-high with 23 points. The nine goals he scored that year were the closest he’d come to double digits, but he was valued nonetheless as a bottom-six player and emotional leader on both Columbus and then Florida.

Named captain of the Panthers in 2016 after Willie Mitchell retired, MacKenzie held the position for two seasons before relinquishing the “C” to Aleksander Barkov this summer. Though he was not scheduled to wear a letter this year, MacKenzie is still a huge part of the leadership group in Florida and his presence is notoriously missing on the ice. The former Calder Cup champion has 611 career regular season games under his belt in the NHL, but never was able to get his teams to even the second round of the playoffs. If he can get back on the ice before the season is over, the Panthers will clearly welcome him with open arms. If not, it’s been a career to be proud of and one that has stretched nearly two decades.

Brendan Lemieux Suspended Two Games For Illegal Check

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The decision has been made on Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux. The Department of Player Safety has suspended Lemieux for two games following his illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck. Lemieux delivered a check almost exclusively to the head of Trocheck, and was given a match penalty for the contact in addition to the fighting major he earned after MacKenzie Weegar initiated a fight. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that the head is clearly the main point of contact on this hit, and that the head contact on this hit was avoidable. While Trocheck is playing the puck, he does not materially change the position of his head or body just prior to contact in a way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact on this hit. If Lemieux wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Trocheck’s shoulder and core rather than picking his head and making it the main point of contact.

Lemieux, 22, hasn’t faced any previous disciplinary action from the DoPS, but that’s not saying a lot considering his NHL career is just 18 games old. The 31st-overall pick from the 2014 draft, he was traded by the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Evander Kane deal several years ago and has racked up 328 penalty minutes in 125 AHL games. Though his physical play is encouraged and a big part of his game, there will be increased punishments by the league if he continues to engage in dangerous hits like this.

Trocheck returned to the game and finished with 19 minutes of ice time, luckily escaping a major injury. The Panthers aren’t back in action until Thursday, giving him some extra time to recover from any ill effects. Lemieux meanwhile will miss at least a week, given that the Jets don’t play again until Friday. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Wednesday, November 14th.

Minor Transactions: 11/05/18

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Ten teams are back in action tonight, kicked off by the reigning Stanley Cup champions welcoming Connor McDavid and the red hot Edmonton Oilers into Washington. Before the games start, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves:

  • Tom Kuhnhackl has been recalled by the New York Islanders in time for their game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Kuhnhackl scored three points in his lone AHL contest, and will try to reestablish himself in the Islanders bottom six. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait for at least one game as the Islanders will go with the same lineup that won on Saturday night.
  • Anton Blidh is the latest call-up for the Boston Bruins, giving them another option up front. The 23-year old forward has six points in 11 games for the Providence Bruins this season, but adds some energy and physicality to whatever lineup he joins.
  • The Florida Panthers are no longer carrying three goaltenders, as Michael Hutchinson has been returned to the minor leagues. Roberto Luongo was activated just before the team went to Europe, meaning Hutchinson is no longer required to stay with the group at the NHL level. Unfortunately, his short opportunity didn’t go well, as the 28-year old goaltender registered just an .839 save percentage in four appearances. He’ll still serve as quality depth at the position, but needs to get his game back on track.
  • Travis Boyd is back with the Washington Capitals after finishing his conditioning stint in the minor leagues. The 25-year old forward played two games with the Hershey Bears, but now will re-join the Capitals in time for their game against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. Nathan Walker has been reassigned to the AHL in the meantime, after clearing waivers today.

Winnipeg’s Brendan Lemieux Will Get Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Sunday: The Department of Player Safety announced that Lemieux’s hearing will take place Monday afternoon.

Saturday: The Department of Player Safety announced that there will be a hearing for Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux for his illegal check against Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck Friday in the NHL Global Series in Finland. No time and date have been set yet.

Lemieux clipped Trocheck directly in the head as he passed by him in the neutral zone (video here) during the second period of the game. Lemieux was given a match penalty, triggering an automatic review of the hit. Immediately after, Lemieux and Florida Panthers’ MacKenzie Weegar got into a fight with Lemieux ejected afterwards.

Lemieux, the son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux, is still trying to find his scoring touch as he hasn’t posted a point so far in nine games this season and only has one NHL goal to his name, picked up last season. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2014 and accumulated 300 penalty minutes in two seasons in the AHL.

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