Justin Abdelkader Leaves Game With Lower Body Injury
MLive’s Ansar Khan tweets that Justin Abdelkader has a lower body injury and will not return to the game tonight. During the first period of the Detroit Red Wings’ matchup with the Florida Panthers, Abdelkader left the ice after finishing a check and banging his right leg into the boards following the hit. He was seen wincing on the bench and flexing his knee as he skated off the ice.
If Abdelkader is out for a number of games, he will join wounded Wings Darren Helm, Jimmy Howard, Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Bertuzzi, Alexey Marchenko, and Brendan Smith. It’s been that kind of a season for Detroit, who is seeking its 26th consecutive playoff appearance.
Abdelkader has eight points (4-4) in 21 games and after signing a massive seven-year extension last season, he was to be counted on for a net-front presence and to chip in at least 20 goals. His absence from the lineup creates another hole in an already ravaged lineup.
The Red Wings, through November 27, lead the NHL in man-games lost with 141.
Rowe And Gallant: A Tale Of Two Hockey Philosophies
After the shocking dismissal of Gerard Gallant on Sunday night, general manager and head coach Tom Rowe ran his first practice today. The Miami Herald’s George Richards writes that the practice didn’t look too different from the ones run under Gallant. Richards also included Rowe’s comments regarding Gallant after making the move to fire him Sunday:
“Gerard Gallant, first, is a great human being, a really good guy. The other day was brutal on everyone,” Rowe said. “The players really liked him, respected him. I came in and told them we weren’t going to change a whole lot, maybe a few things.”
Richards adds that Rowe hasn’t had a lot of time to change much in a short turnaround, but that some changes included Jonathan Marchessault returning to the top line. Jussi Jokinen was shuffled to the second line while Seth Griffith, who played on Florida’s fourth line, changed to the third line.
While Richards looked at Rowe’s changes on the ice, The Sun-Sentinel’s Dave Hyde focused on the shift in thinking within the organization.
Hyde reports that it was analytics winning out in Rowe’s favor. Hyde doesn’t mince words, writing that old school mindsets have given way for the new wave of analytics and Gallant, along with President of Hockey Operations (and former general manager) Dale Tallon, were casualties of the new way of doing business. He also wonders who is “in charge” of the organization, quipping:
To announce Gallant’s firing Monday, four Panthers officials were needed on the teleconference with media. Four. One more and they’d have a starting lineup Tuesday night in Chicago for the first game of their next chapter.
Gallant thought his big presence could help and kept pushing for him to be promoted from the minors. The front office didn’t like his analytics profile. Shaw recently was traded to Anaheim in a small deal for winger Michael Sgarbossa. Maybe it’s a good trade. Again, we’ll see. But it certainly sent a message to Gallant of where he stood.
Meanwhile Pierre LeBrun feels that there was no justifiable reason to fire Gallant, writing that the dismissal generated a league-wide “shaking of the head.” Echoing Hyde, LeBrun chalks the firing up to a philosophical schism, but cautions by saying he doesn’t intend to “fan the flames of that debate.” LeBrun continues:
I think you need to keep an open mind to both analytics and how best to use that information, within the context of understanding what makes a player useful just from knowing the game. There’s room for both schools of thought in hockey, and I’m mighty tired of people trying to make you pick a side.
LeBrun wonders who will receive the credit or blame based on the Panthers’ performance. Regardless, the Panthers’ decision making seems to be a microcosm of the debate raging on in the NHL regarding “old school” thinking versus the “new school” way.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Friedman’s Latest: Florida, Alzner, Virtanen
In Elliotte Friedman’s latest wonderful 30 Thoughts column, the Sportsnet reporter goes in detail on Florida’s recent philosophical change that resulted in the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant last week. Comparing the Panthers to baseballs Pittsburgh Pirates of 2013 – a team that completely bought into an analytical approach and made the playoffs for the first time in twenty years. The Panthers are trying similarly to buy-in to a game-changing approach, even after the most successful season in franchise history.
Part of the turnaround will hopefully be Tom Rowe stepping from the front office to behind the bench, but Friedman has another note. The Panthers moved Dave Bolland out this summer to clear cap room for a major acquisition in-season. Whoever that ends up being, combined with the return of Jonathan Huberdeau could be a huge swing for the Panthers down the stretch. It cost Lawson Crouse to rid themselves of Bolland, meaning they better take advantage of the cap space it bought them.
- In looking at the upcoming free agent class, Friedman zones in on two names in particular. Kevin Shattenkirk, who has been widely talked about since the last draft as being a possible trade candidate, and Karl Alzner, the steady Washington defenseman who is said to be looking for somewhere between $5.5-6MM dollars this summer. Alzner has been a rock for the Capitals, but with shrinking cap space the team likely won’t be able to afford him past this season. If he does make it to the open market, Friedman points to Western Canada for hints on who will be after the former Team Canada captain (World Junior’s, 2008).
- The Buffalo Sabres are still a rebuilding team, but have suffered through a ton of injuries this season and may not be as bad as their record looks. Interestingly, Friedman reports that the team has been scouting a ton of the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate Utica. While he opines that the team is watching Jake Virtanen who has been up and down all year between the two clubs, perhaps something other than Evander Kane was brought up when Buffalo and Vancouver were talking earlier this year.
Injury Notes: Little, McNabb, Toews
The Winnipeg Jets have scored a respectable 62 goals in 24 games, and they’ve done it without one of their top weapons. Bryan Little has been out since being injured just two and a half minutes into his season, but will return tonight against the New Jersey Devils on home ice. The 29-year old is a proven goal scorer in the NHL, with 163 to his name including four seasons of 20+. The Jets have placed Nic Petan on injured reserve retroactive to November 27th to make room.
While the media has focused on the Jets’ lack of faceoff success, Little thinks he can help the team in that department.
That’s one of my goals to come back. It’s something I feel like I can be good at right away again, to get back into the faceoff dot. I see the guys working on it every day, they’re talking to the coaches, watching video and practicing in practice.
I think we can all help each other a bit. Throughout the game we take faceoffs against different centermen on the other team…we’ve got some good communication through the centers of trying to work through things.
Little is actually a 48.6% faceoff man throughout his career, though he won just over half of his draws last season which led the Winnipeg centers.
- According to Jon Rosen of NHL.com, Brayden McNabb took to the ice today for the first time since injuring his collarbone on October 29th. While he didn’t take part in any drills, it’s a step in the right direction for the big defenseman. Rosen passes on from head coach Darryl Sutter that McNabb is still “at least a month away”. The 25-year old had been logging over 20 minutes a night for the Los Angeles Kings before being injured, skating alongside Drew Doughty in what was considered by some to be the second-best pairing in the league. The Kings, not short on defenders, have continued to be tough to score against even without McNabb or Jonathan Quick, who remains out.
- Jonathan Toews will miss his third straight game tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Florida Panthers. The team captain was seen in street clothes while the team was practicing, meaning his return might not be imminent. Chicago is 1-1-1 without Toews in the lineup, having lost to the Kings in overtime on Saturday.
Reactions To Gerard Gallant’s Firing
Here are some reactions from around the hockey world regarding yesterday’s surprising firing of Florida head coach Gerard Gallant:
- The move to let Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly go showed the differing viewpoints between management and the coaches, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes. GM Tom Rowe, now the interim coach for the remainder of the season, is very analytically-inclined which led to a lot of changes being made over the offseason, especially on the back end where Willie Mitchell and Erik Gudbranson, a pair of physical, stay-at-home players, being replaced by less physical but more skilled defenders. That shift in philosophy didn’t sit well with Gallant, a coach who values grit in the lineup, something he was vocal about having more of just last week.
- While there are no other current head coaching vacancies in the NHL, TSN’s Frank Seravalli wonders if Gallant would be a favorite to take over the Vegas Golden Knights next season. Vegas GM George McPhee noted last week that they weren’t planning to name their head coach this soon but that they would keep tabs on whoever was to become available during the year.
- ESPN’s Joe MacDonald argues that Florida’s slower start (11-10-1) shouldn’t be placed entirely at the feet of Gallant. The Panthers have been without left winger Jonathan Huberdeau – who was tied for third in team scoring last year – for the entire season while Nick Bjugstad has played in just three games. Plus, the team realistically was going to take some time to adjust to all of the changes made over the offseason. MacDonald also questions who is calling the shots in Florida, Rowe, or new owner Vinnie Viola and suggests that Rowe taking over will have a negative effect in the end.
- TSN’s Travis Yost takes a closer look at the numbers and suggests that the team is “screamingly average” and one that was degrading over time. He notes that the Panthers were relying too much on goaltenders Roberto Luongo and James Reimer while Aaron Ekblad’s early season struggles on the back end also played a big role in the team hovering around the .500 mark.
With regards to the remainder of their coaching staff – Goalie Coach Robb Tallas, Associate Coach Dave Barr, and Assistant Coach Scott Allen, they all will remain with the team, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds (via Twitter) that no other coaches will be brought in at this time.
As for Rowe, while he will officially retain his General Manager title while he serves as the interim head coach, McKenzie notes that they will use a management-by-committee strategy with Assistant GMs Eric Joyce and Steve Werier along with former GM and current Team President Dale Tallon (links to Twitter).
Florida Panthers Fire Gerard Gallant
Reported first by Nick Kypreos, the Florida Panthers have fired head coach Gerard Gallant. Brian Compton of NHL.com confirms that Gallant has been relieved of his duties. Elliotte Friedman tweets that general manager Tom Rowe will take over for Gallant. Friedman continues that despite an extension, Gallant and the front office were butting heads over the direction of the team. Panthers beat writer George Richards of the Miami Herald tweets that he tried to reach out to Gallant, but the coach had already the stadium left by taxi. The Associated Press, via a tweet from Luke DeCock, confirmed this with photos of Gallant leaving by taxi.
The Panthers are currently 11-10-1 in the Atlantic Division, good enough for fifth place and 23 points. A very busy offseason, however, ratcheted up expectations in Miami, and Gallant appears to be the first major casualty of those expectations. The move has been met with shock, and questions are already beginning to be asked of the front office and their decision to sack Gallant.
Chip Alexander tweets that Gallant met with the media following the Panthers 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes this evening. Yahoo’s Josh Cooper joins a group of puzzled analysts, tweeting that Gallant led the Panthers to 91 points in his first season behind the bench, and then 103 points last season, which included a division title.
Meanwhile, Martin Biron wonders if the Vegas Golden Knights will swoop in and hire Gallant as its first head coach.
The 2016 All UFA Bargain Team
Organizations generally wait until around the quarter mark of the campaign before making determinations on their team. Are they contenders or pretenders? Do they anticipate being buyers or sellers at the deadline? These are among the questions teams begin to ponder at this point in the season. Subsequently, now seems like a good time to look back at the summer’s free agent signings to see which are outperforming expectations and can safely be called free agent bargains.
Forward
Eric Staal (Minnesota) – Three years, $10.5MM: After a down season in 2015-16 split between Carolina and the New York Rangers, questions surfaced about whether Staal was a legitimate top-line center or if his decline in production was representative of a player past his prime. Staal recorded 10 consecutive seasons – 2005-06 through 2014-15 – in which he recorded at least 53 points but stumbled to a 39-point output last season. Those concerns led to a discounted contract which compensates Staal at the level of a well-paid third liner as opposed to a top-line player.
Staal has rebounded this season and through 20 games with the Wild, the 13-year veteran has registered 15 points. Perhaps a better sign his early-season production may be based more on ability than on luck, Staal is back to averaging close to three shots per game. Last season he averaged just 2.4 shots per contest and for his career he is at 3.3. Staal is currently tied for 57th among forwards in points-per-game; a rank perfectly in line with that of a top-line forward.
Jonathan Marchessault (Florida) – Two years, $1.5MM: Marchessault could prove to be the steal of the summer. He signed a two-year deal with the Panthers worth just $1.5MM this summer after failing to find a permanent role in either Columbus or Tampa Bay. Through 20 games in South Florida, the 25-year-old forward has nine goals and seven helpers and is on pace for a 65-point campaign.
While Marchessault struggled to earn regular NHL work prior to this season, he has an excellent junior and minor league track record. In 306 AHL games, the 5-foot-9, 174-pound wing tallied 98 goals and 262 points. That success at least suggests Marchessault can continue to produce at the level of a top-six forward. That’s a steal for $750K.
Michael Grabner (New York Rangers) – Two years, $3.3MM: Grabner was a solid producer while with the Islanders, averaging 0.30 goals-per-game over parts of five seasons. But after registering just nine goals and 18 points in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2015-16 campaign, Grabner was available at a bargain price for the Rangers.
All he’s done for the Blue Shirts is register 12 goals, all at even strength, and 16 points in 22 games with the Rangers. He ranks third overall in goals scored while his total at even strength leads the league. He’s also tops in the NHL in plus-minus with a rating of +20. His penalty-killing ability has also been welcome on Manhattan. Perhaps he won’t continue to produce at this level but even then, he’s well on his way to a 20-goal campaign which would be a tremendous return on a $1.65MM investment.
Defense
Brian Campbell (Chicago) – One year, $1.5MM: Campbell was dead set on returning to Chicago as a free agent this summer and he did, at a rate the cap-strapped Hawks could afford. Campbell has eight points in 22 games this season, despite seeing nearly four fewer minutes of ice time per contest than he averaged in 2014-15. Currently, the 37-year-old blue liner is on pace for a 29-point campaign, which is pretty good value relative to Chicago’s minimal commitment.
Patrick Wiercioch (Colorado) – One year, $800K: Wiercioch inked a one-year contract with Colorado after his previous employer, the Ottawa Senators, elected not to submit a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent. Wiercioch has been a good fit on the Avalanche blue line, ranking fifth on the team in scoring with eight points and leading the club with a +2 plus-minus rating. The 26-year-old has been utilized primarily as a third-pair defender and is fifth among the team’s blue liners in average ice time at 17:27 per game.
Goaltender
Chad Johnson (Calgary) – One year, $1.7MM: Johnson was signed by Calgary to ostensibly serve as the understudy to summer trade acquisition Brian Elliott. But while Elliot has struggled in his new surroundings – 3.43 GAA and a 0.882 Save % – Johnson has provided the Flames with steady play between the pipes. In 11 starts this season, Johnson has a GAA of just 1.98 and a Save % of 0.928. Only five goalies who have appeared in at least 10 games have a better GAA than Johnson.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Sabres, Huberdeau, Stralman, Ottawa Arena
Two years ago the Buffalo Sabres finished with the worst record in the NHL and were outscored by an astounding 113 goals. This was largely by design as the team was in the midst of a full rebuild and the 2015 entry draft boasted two top talents in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Sabres management knew if they wanted to secure a true franchise player they would need to finish at the bottom of the NHL standings.
That season the Sabres scored the fewest goals in the league and as bad as their offense was then, this year’s edition is so far even worse. During the 2014-15 campaign Buffalo averaged a meager 1.96 goals-per-game. This season the team is averaging just 1.86 goals-per-game. The team has struggled even more in the month of November, tallying just 19 goals in 13 games.
Even without Eichel, who has been out all season with an ankle injury, the Sabres were expected to mount a more prolific offensive attack. But as John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes, while the team is struggling to put the puck in the net, they are generating plenty of chances.
Ryan O’Reilly, who was acquired from Colorado in a blockbuster deal during the summer of 2015, has been counted on to lead the offense with Eichel on the shelf. He has nine points in 15 games on the campaign, but just one goal in his last 12, and he expects more from himself.
“It’s frustrating. It’s scoring goals again is the problem, and that’s my job. I’m not doing it right now.”
“We’ve got to shoot the puck better. It’s that simple. We’re moving it well. We’re supporting each other. We’re getting these good looks, but it’s beating the goalie. That’s all it is. It starts with myself. I’ve got to do that.”
Goaltender Anders Nilsson feels that the team is overdue for a little luck.
“We don’t get those dirty goals, and we don’t get those goals off the post and in or off a shin pad and in. We have to work really hard for every goal we score. Hopefully, we can turn that around and get the bounces with us.”
It does appear as if Eichel should be back in the lineup in relatively short order but even without their franchise center, the Sabres boast a talented group of forwards who are capable of putting the puck in the net. Kyle Okposo has topped the 20-goal mark three times in his career while Evander Kane has done so twice, including last season. Matt Moulson has three 30-goal campaigns on his resume and O’Reilly has tallied at least 50 points in four of the last five seasons. Once Eichel is back on the ice, the Sabres should be able to get their offense back on track.
- Like Buffalo, the Florida Panthers have been without one of their top players all season. Jonathan Huberdeau injured his Achilles during training camp and was expected to miss three to four months. According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Huberdeau is progressing in his rehab but is still not expected back in action for a while. Panthers bench boss Gerard Gallant described the recovery time line as between four and six months, which indicates Huberdeau could be out for much of the regular season.
- The news is better for the other Florida team as Anton Stralman appears to be nearing a return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup. Bryan Burns, who covers the Lightning for NHL.com, tweeted that head coach Jon Cooper said the blue liner could see action on the team’s upcoming road trip. Stralman has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body-injury. Stralman has seven points in 15 games this season and is averaging better than 22 minutes per contest.
- A new arena for the Ottawa Senators appears to be one step closer to a reality, as Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes. The National Capital Commission (NCC) has given its formal approval for negotiations between the federal government and RendezVouz LeBreton to proceed. Garrioch adds that the Rogers Place Arena Ice District in Edmonton has provided the perfect model for what the Senators want to build in Ottawa. One NCC board member is impressed with how the Rogers project revitalized the downtown area in Edmonton and hopes a new arena will do the same in Canada’s capital.
Roster Moves: Kuraly, Shaw
The Boston Bruins have decided to change things up, after their 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Sean Kuraly has been returned to the AHL after just four games. In five total this season, the 23-year old has yet to record a point, playing just eight minutes a night.
While Kuraly isn’t a core piece, the Bruins were hoping to get just a bit more from the former fifth-round pick. His big body and physical style may eventually slot into the bottom six, but for now he’ll return to Providence to play in the AHL. The Bruins expect David Pastrnak to return tonight against the Ottawa Senators.
In Anaheim, the team has recalled Logan Shaw from the San Diego Gulls. This will mark Shaw’s debut in Anaheim after being acquired from Florida earlier this month. The team dealt Michael Sgarbossa for the 24-year old winger, hoping that he can slide into the fourth line for the majority of the season.
Playing in 53 NHL games last year, Shaw contributed 7 points. He also dressed for three of the Panthers’ playoff matches, but was held without a point. At the time of his acquisition, Ducks’ head coach Randy Carlyle said that he could “play right side or center”.
Waiver Wire: McKegg, Carle, And Bass Clear
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that all three waiver additions yesterday—Florida’s Greg McKegg and Nashville’s Cody Bass and Matt Carle—cleared today at noon. The Panthers confirmed today that McKegg has been reassigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
McKegg has struggled with the Panthers so far this year with only two assists in 19 games. The writing was on the wall after Coach Gerard Gallant reduced McKegg’s playing time to sub-ten minutes for the last two games.
The Predator’s Cody Bass and Matt Carle haven’t fared much better. Bass is pointless so far this year, and played less than five minutes in his last game on November 19th against the St. Louis Blues. Matt Carle garnered an assist in six games with the Predators this season, but hasn’t impressed on the blueline.