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East Notes: Jokinen, Elias, Cammalleri

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Today in things you didn’t realize: Olli Jokinen hasn’t officially retired. After last playing in the NHL in 2014-15 for the St. Louis Blues—after stints in Nashville and Toronto earlier that season—the former Florida Panthers captain will officially retire prior to the Panthers game on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. A third-overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings back in 1997, Jokinen suited up for the Kings, Islanders, Panthers, Coyotes, Flames, Rangers, Jets, Predators, Maple Leafs and Blues during his 18 year NHL career.

Now 38, Jokinen scored 750 points in 1231 games and was one of the most consistent producers in the game during his prime. Involved in a handful of huge trades over the year, he and Roberto Luongo were the package sent from New York to Florida after the Islanders drafted Rick DiPietro first overall in 2000. The two would help shape the next decade of Panthers hockey, while DiPietro would suffer multiple injuries and become a cautionary “what if” story.

  • Staying with the old guard, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that Patrik Elias has been skating on and off this season and will talk to Devils GM Ray Shero next week about the possibility of playing at some point this season. Elias is currently unsigned by the Devils, but would return to the only team he’s ever known in the NHL should he want to hit the ice this season. The 40-year old has 1025 points in 1240 games over his long and successful career.
  • Maybe the Devils could use him right now, as Andrew Gross of The Record reports that Mike Cammalleri will be out at least a week with an upper-body injury. The forward will be re-evaluated next week at some point to see when he’ll be able to return. In a down season for the 34-year old Cammalleri, he has just 10 goals in 55 games and is starting to show his age on the ice. With two more years on his contract at $5MM per season, he certainly isn’t performing up to his current deal.

Florida Panthers Recall Reto Berra On Emergency Basis

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After Roberto Luongo was injured in last night’s game, the Florida Panthers have recalled Reto Berra from the AHL on an emergency basis. According to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, Luongo will be out at least a week.

As it is an emergency recall due to injury, the Panthers will not burn one of their four remaining recalls. Berra will need to be returned when Luongo becomes healthy enough to play, but can stay as long as he needs. The former Colorado Avalanche netminder has played in 31 games for Springfield this year, registering a .910 save percentage. Since coming over from Switzerland in 2013, Berra has played in 64 NHL games and put up a .906 save percentage.

This is exactly why the Panthers went out and signed James Reimer in the offseason, in order to protect themselves from any potential injury to their 37-year old netminder. Reimer will now take over the crease full-time until Luongo gets back, presenting a great chance for him to prove that he’s capable of being a standalone #1 goaltender in this league. The Panthers are currently just a single point behind both the Maple Leafs and Islanders for the final playoff spot, and have be playing well as of late.

Reimer actually has better numbers than Luongo this season, leading some to believe he should have been in the net all season long. The Panthers do have four back-to-back situations remaining, including next weekend against the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Roberto Luongo Injured; Leaves Game

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Update 7:15pm: Luongo has returned to the bench for the Florida Panthers, reports CPSJ’s Flyers reporter Dave Isaac. He is not expected to return to the net this evening.

Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo suffered a lower-body injury tonight in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers and will not return, reports the Sun Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov. Luongo suffered the injury in the first period after making an awkward save. James Reimer started in goal for the Panthers in the second period. CSN’s Tim Pannacio speculates that Luongo pulled his groin.

Luongo’s injury halts a potential performance upswing for the veteran goalie. Tonight’s game marked the first time Luongo played in back-to-back games in over two weeks. The Panthers had been going with James Reimer as of late due to Luongo’s struggles and Reimer’s ability to right the ship. Luongo is not having his best season, going 17-15-6 in 39 games with a .914 SV% and a 2.70 GAA. Coincidentally, these mark Luongo’s worst stats since his final year with Florida in 2005-06 before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks. Conversely, Reimer has put together a 12-8-4 record in 26 games with a .919 SV% and a 2.47 GAA. Not significantly better numbers, mind you, but in the Eastern Conference’s tight playoff race, every edge matters.

If Reimer suffers an injury, the Panthers have two readily available—if unconventional—options. Goaltending coach Robb Tallas or forward Derek MacKenzie have both been emergency goaltending options in the past for Florida. Expect the Panthers to call up Reto Berra if they expect Luongo to miss some time. Berra currently plays for the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds and has a .910 SV% and 2.53 GAA in 31 games.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:

Winners

Boston Bruins:

GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.

Detroit Red Wings:

As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.

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Devils, Panthers Swap Minor Leaguers

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The second-to-last deal announced on deadline day was a minor deal between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. The Devils will receive forward Shane Harper, while going the other way to the Panthers is defenseman Reece Scarlett.

Though 28 years old, Harper is in his rookie season in the NHL and had three points in 14 games with Florida this season. An undrafted free agent out of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Harper worked his way through the minors to finally get his NHL shot and now will get to show that he should stay at the highest level when he joins the Devils.

After trading away Dylan McIlrath earlier in the day, the Panthers have filled his spot in the organization with Scarlett. A 2011 sixth-round pick, the 23-year-old blue liner was never given an NHL shot in New Jersey, despite years of decent offense in the AHL, and is likely happy to get a change of scenery.

Detroit Red Wings Trade Thomas Vanek To Florida Panthers

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that Thomas Vanek is headed to the Sunshine state. The Detroit Red Wings will trade the winger to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Dylan McIlrath and a third-round pick. The Red Wings will also retain 50% of his salary for this season. Darren Dreger reports that if the Panthers make the playoffs, the pick will be Arizona’s third-round selection, not Florida’s. Thomas Vanek

Earlier this month Dale Tallon told the media that he’d like to add something on the powerplay, and Vanek surely fills that need. The former 40-goal scorer has 129 career tallies on the PP and still has the ability to score from anywhere below the hash marks.

The 33-year old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season after signing just a one-year deal this summer with the Red Wings. At $2.6MM he already didn’t cost very much from this point in the season, and with Detroit retaining half the Panthers will be paying less than $1MM to add him.

Many Detroit fans may be disappointed with the return, as a third-round pick is the same thing they got for Tomas Jurco in a previous deal. Vanek is obviously much more established than Jurco, but the questions about his defensive ability have haunted him for a long time.

McIlrath is a former 10th-overall pick, but was never expected to go that high. He very predictably hasn’t become a defenseman you can trust with much more than a fight, despite several chances in the NHL. Perhaps Detroit believes they can turn his career around, just as Florida did earlier this year.

Vanek was the first domino to fall today (unless you count the deals last night) and should push along the markets for Radim Vrbata and Jarome Iginla. Vrbata stands as probably the best option for a top-six left on the market, which isn’t saying much.

The Latest On Radim Vrbata

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At least five teams have expressed an interest in Arizona right winger Radim Vrbata according to ESPN’s Craig Custance (Twitter link).  The Bruins, Flames, Islanders, Panthers, and Penguins are all interested in the services of the 35 year old, who is expected to be one of the more prominent forwards dealt today.  TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (via Twitter) that the Canadiens are among the teams that have the most interest in him as well.

Vrbata is in the middle of a strong bounce back season in his third stint with the Coyotes.  Through 62 games this year, he has 15 goals and 32 assists to lead the team in scoring.  That type of production would fit in well on just about any contender so GM John Chayka should be able to line up a nice return for the veteran.

Part of the allure for Vrbata is his contract which carries a cap hit of just $1MM and he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  However, it’s worth noting that he has playoff-based incentives in his deal as well: $250K if his team makes the postseason plus an additional $250K for each round that team wins and the acquiring team will be responsible for absorbing those onto their cap either this year or next season as a bonus overage penalty.

Atlantic Notes: Playoff Push, Carrick, Panthers

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The Atlantic is the most exciting division in hockey right now, and not necessarily for the product on the ice. Often thought of as the weakest in the league this season due to the low point totals, three teams made deals today to strengthen their squads, while another continued their sell off of expiring assets. The Maple Leafs acquired Brian Boyle from Tampa Bay, Ottawa brought in Alex Burrows from Vancouver, and Montreal swapped defenseman to get Jordie Benn into the fold.

With just five points separating first and fourth place in the division, the last 20 games are sure to be full of fireworks. With Boston the only squad of the four yet to make an acquisition, time will tell if they feel the pressure of the other three and move to improve their team in the coming hours. We’re now less 46 hours away from the deadline, and things are heating up in the Atlantic.

  • The Maple Leafs received some further good news today when they had Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner back as full participants at practice. Both players are expected to suit up tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks alongside the newly acquired Boyle. To make room for Marner coming back off injured reserve, defenseman Connor Carrick has replaced him there according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. If Boyle makes it in time, the team will have to send down another player—likely Frederik Gauthier—before the game.
  • Craig Custance of ESPN reported earlier that phones have been ringing in Buffalo after their terrible weekend. Whether anything gets done is still yet to be decided, but Custance assures fretting Sabres fans that at least no Evander Kane conversations were taking place.
  • Custance also says that though Radim Vrbata looks like a great fit for the Bruins, “as many as ten teams” are in on the Arizona winger, making it a tough call to project where he’ll end up. After the deals today, perhaps Boston is a little more pressured to acquire a scoring winger like Vrbata.
  • The Florida Panthers shouldn’t be ruled out of the playoff picture either, as they’re only three points back of the Maple Leafs for the final wildcard spot. Executive Dale Tallon had a Q&A with NHL.com today, admitting that he is a buyer this year (as is his hope every year). Tallon recently told the media that he wanted to address his powerplay if they were to do something, a unit that has fallen to 25th in the league at just 16%.

Greg McKegg, Zac Dalpe Claimed Off Waivers

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According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, the Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed Greg McKegg off waivers from the Florida Panthers, and the Columbus Blue Jackets claimed Zac Dalpe from the Minnesota Wild. Both Ryan Carter and Teemu Pulkkinen cleared today.

McKegg will join a crowded group in Tampa Bay after the team called up both Adam Erne and Yanni Gourde this morning as well. The former third-round pick may be another option for the team should the decide to trade any forwards before Wednesday’s trade deadline. Though he hasn’t found much success at the NHL level thus far in his career, he does provide some center depth for a team that has an expiring contract in Brian Boyle likely on the market.

Minnesota had been trying to slip Dalpe through waivers to reset his clock before the Wednesday trade deadline according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, but will now have to give him up to the Columbus Blue Jackets who are dealing with some injuries up front and could use some help. The former Carolina Hurricanes second-round pick has bounced around the AHL ranks throughout his career and will hope for an extended look at the NHL level with his new team.

As Russo points out, the Wild are willing to trade Pulkkinen after he cleared waivers, and a team could immediately install the elite AHL scorer into their minor league system. Should they find a taker, he’ll likely not command a big price after the Wild acquired him off waivers from the Red Wings earlier this seaosn.

Sunday Waivers: Dalpe, Pulkkinen, Carter, McKegg

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As we get ready for the final few days before the March 1st trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild have waived several players according to Renaud Levoie of TVA Sports. Today they placed Zac Dalpe, Teemu Pulkkinen and the newly signed Ryan Carter on waivers. Florida also placed forward Greg McKegg on waivers, after 31 fairly ineffective games this season.

Dalpe is on his way to Minnesota after returning from a meniscus injury suffered earlier this year, and has been placed on waivers to reset his clock as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune explains. The 27-year old forward is a former second round pick that has never quite found his way in the NHL despite performing well in the minor leagues. Recalled mostly as insurance for the next three games, he’ll provide some center depth over the next few days.

Russo also opines that Pulkkinen was placed on waivers as a type of memo to the league that he is available, though after playing just nine games in the NHL the league probably already knew that. The elite AHL scorer has never been able to make an impact at the NHL, mostly because of his skating ability. That quarter-step behind that is the difference between the two leagues often puts Pulkkinen behind the play, though he has been given very few chances to adapt, shuffled between the two leagues often throughout his career. Perhaps a rebuilding team will take a look at him before the deadline and let him play the rest of the season in the NHL to try and make the adjustments necessary.

McKegg has been a disappointment since being acquired for Zach Hyman in 2015. While the Maple Leafs have installed Hyman on their top line riding shotgun with Auston Matthews, the Panthers have been less enthralled with their player, giving him very little icetime and even sending him to the minors at times. The Leafs also received a seventh-round pick in that trade, making it even more painful for Panthers fans every time they see Hyman’s name on a scoresheet. McKegg will likely have to find his game again at the AHL level before getting another shot with the NHL club.

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