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Florida Panthers Demote Sam Montembeault

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The plan in net seemed so simple for the Florida Panthers. The team made two huge splashes on the goalie front this summer, signing top available free agent Sergei Bobrovsky to a long-term deal and drafting top available prospect Spencer Knight with the No. 13 overall pick. The team believed they could lean on Bobrovsky, a netminder capable of making 60+ appearances in a season, for many years to come before eventually moving on to Knight as the starter. All they needed was a backup who could put up decent numbers in limited action for a few years while bridging the gap to Knight. They believed the man for the job was Sam Montembeault.

On many levels, that plan has not worked out for Florida and now changes are being made. The team announced that Montembeault has been reassigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds with Chris Driedger getting the call as his replacement. Yet, the issues in net truly stem from the keeper not involved in this transaction: Sergei Bobrovsky. After inking a seven-year, $70MM contract this off-season, the Panthers $10MM man has been nothing but a massive disappointment. Bobrovksy is in the midst of the worst season of his career – and it’s not particularly close. He holds an .888 save percentage and 3.44 GAA, both well worse than his existing career lows. Yet, the Panthers have had little choice but to continue playing him over the inexperienced Montembeault. In fact,  Bobrovsky actually leads the league with 20 appearances. He has started 19 of the team’s 24 games despite a paltry .368 quality start percentage.

Bobrovsky may be on pace for 65 starts, but Florida still likely did not plan for Montembeault to have made five starts and two relief appearances at the quarter pole of the season. The 23-year-old was supposed to have a sheltered role, but has instead been exposed frequently early this season; and it shows in the results. Montembeault has been just as bad as Bobrovsky, posting an .889 save percentage and 3.31 GAA. The young keeper, who can still be moved to the minors without needing waivers, has been asked to do too much and now the team has opted to send him to the AHL, where he can hopefully see some consistent action and re-discover his game against weaker opposition. Whether or not they trust him to be back as Bobrovsky’s backup anytime soon remains to be seen.

If there is one silver lining to this situation, it is that Driedger will get a chance to show what he can do at the highest level. Two of Driedger’s three NHL appearances have been shutouts, but that hasn’t stopped him from also spending time in the ECHL in five of the past six seasons as he has continually been passed up on the depth chart. Driedger has earned a real chance in the NHL, especially as he sports a .983 save percentage and 2.08 GAA in 14 appearances for Springfield this year. The 25-year-old former Ottawa Senators prospect will undoubtedly get another NHL opportunity soon given Bobrovsky’s play and his edge in experience over the previous backup Montembeault. Who knows, he could even be a candidate for a Jordan Binnington-esque storyline this season if the Panthers’ starter continues to falter. The Panthers could use that sort of breakout, as they undoubtedly are already re-thinking this summer’s big investment.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/19

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A new week is upon us in the NHL and nine games will kick things off tonight. That schedule includes the struggling Calgary Flames heading to Pittsburgh to try and get another win to slow the bleeding, while the super-hot Dallas Stars welcome the Vegas Golden Knights into their arena. With plenty of action on the schedule we’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to prepare.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Matthew Highmore from the minor leagues, his first opportunity at the NHL level since the 2017-18 season. That year Highmore played in 13 games for the Blackhawks and scored two goals, but missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.
  • Riley Stillman has been sent back to the AHL by the Florida Panthers, while the team takes a few days off. Florida doesn’t play again until Wednesday, when they will try to stop their short two-game losing streak in its tracks.
  • After just a couple of days in the minors for cap reasons, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee have been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers. Both players were in the lineup when the Flyers took on the Calgary Flames on Saturday and were sent down just to bank some cap space on the off day.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea from the AHL, giving them another option with Evan Rodrigues unavailable for tonight. While Dea gives the Sabres a fine option, the team is really testing their organizational depth with all the recent injuries.
  • Daniel Carr has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, a little more than a month after he cleared waivers and was sent down. Carr absolutely tore up the AHL during that time, posting 21 points in 16 games. The 28-year old is an elite AHL offensive weapon, but has just 103 NHL games under his belt.
  • Jack Studnicka and Brendan Gaunce have both been recalled by the Boston Bruins. The team will not have Patrice Bergeron, Brett Ritchie or Par Lindholm for their two-game road trip that starts tomorrow in Montreal.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Michael Hutchinson, sending Kasimir Kaskisuo back to the minor leagues. The backup goaltender usage under new head coach Sheldon Keefe isn’t clear, but the Maple Leafs do have a back-to-back situation coming up this weekend.

Atlantic Notes: Yandle, Mantha, Johansson, Brannstrom

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Any doubt that Florida Panthers fans may have had that defenseman Keith Yandle’s iron man streak could be over after the veteran took a puck to his mouth and lost nine teeth in the process (video here), were relieved this morning. NHL Network’s Ryan Whitney reports that Yandle had dental surgery this morning and is expected to play tonight to keep his streak alive.

Yandle, who currently leads all active NHL players with 820 consecutive games played, took the puck to his face in the first period Saturday, missed the second period, and returned to play during the third period. The 33-year-old Yandle is only 10 games shy of catching Andrew Cogliano, whose streak stopped in 2017 at 830 games and is in fourth place. Doug Jarvis holds the iron man record at 964 games played.

  • NHL.com’s Dave Hogg reports that the Detroit Red Wings will be without forward Anthony Mantha for at least a week with a lower-body injury. It’s a tough injury to swallow for a team with the worst record in the NHL with just 17 points this season. Mantha has been one of the few bright spots this season as the 25-year-old has 12 goals and 23 points in 25 games, which has him on target for career highs. Mantha scored 25 goals last season.
  • The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that forward Marcus Johansson will miss games today against Florida and Monday versus Tampa Bay with an upper-body injury. Head coach Ralph Krueger said he hopes to get Johansson back early next week. The 29-year-old has four goals and 10 points in 17 games this season, but remains on injured reserve. The team will have to make a move to activate him.
  • The Ottawa Senators should be getting back one of their young talents sooner than later as defenseman Erik Brannstrom is close to returning. The 20-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury for the past three games, but could still be out another week, according to head coach D.J. Smith. “He’s close,” said Smith. “We just didn’t want to put him through that practice today so he’s going to stay home and he’ll practice with us when we get back. He’s probably within a week.” Brannstrom has two assists in 19 games.

Micheal Haley, Dryden Hunt Put On Waivers

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Monday: Hunt has cleared waivers and was assigned to the minor leagues immediately. Haley has also cleared.

Sunday: Two more names have hit the waiver wire as Elliotte Friedman announces that the New York Rangers have put enforcer Micheal Haley on waivers, while the Florida Panthers have done the same with winger Dryden Hunt.

Haley’s time was coming in New York. His playing time was decreasing by the game as the 33-year-old “tough guy” was only averaging 5:49 on the ice. Haley may have worn out his welcome on the team’s two-game trip to Florida where he racked up 24 penalty minutes against Tampa Bay in 4:09 of ice time on Thursday and then immediately picked up two more after 1:26 on the ice against Florida on Friday after which he was benched for the rest of the game. To make matters worse for the Rangers, they found themselves on the penalty kill 10 times between the two games, allowing seven power play goals. With a penalty kill ranked 29th with a 73.2 percent success rate, Haley, and his ability to accrue penalties, might seem expendable.

Hunt, on the other hand, has not been productive on an offensive standpoint. The 23-year-old has no goals and just four assists over 20 games and has just one assist over his last 11 appearances. His playing time seems to have dwindled as well over the last few games, playing a season-low 7:50 against the Rangers on Saturday. While he’s been known as a hard-worker, Hunt just hasn’t been able to justify his place with the Panthers due to his lack of production. Hunt did produces at the AHL level last year, scoring 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games, while scoring three goals in 31 games with Florida last season.

Snapshots: Brodie, Luongo, Vande Sompel

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There was a frightening moment at Calgary Flames practice today when defenseman T.J. Brodie collapsed and started convulsing on the ice. Paramedics were called to the rink and Brodie was transported to hospital. He was “alert and responsive” according to the team, and has been discharged.  A further update is expected on Friday morning.

Everyone in the hockey world is hoping for a speedy recovery for the veteran defenseman.

  • When Roberto Luongo took a job with the Florida Panthers, questions started being raised about the cap recapture penalties that his retirement had caused earlier this summer. The Panthers and Vancouver Canucks are currently dealing with cap penalties because of the structure of Luongo’s contract, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that there will be no relief given now that he is employed by Florida once again. Both teams and the league addressed the issue before the hiring and determined that it was not cap circumvention in any way. LeBrun goes on to examine the other potential recapture situations around the league.
  • While providing updates on several of his injured players, New York Islanders Lou Lamoriello told reporters today that Mitch Vande Sompel will likely be out for the entire season. Vande Sompel suffered an injury in training camp when he crashed into the net and has been on season-opening injured reserve all year. The 22-year old defenseman scored 31 points in 70 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season and was an up-and-coming prospect for the Islanders.

Florida Panthers Hire Roberto Luongo

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Retirement won’t last long for Roberto Luongo. The Florida Panthers have officially announced the hiring of Luongo as special advisor to the general manager, bringing him back into the organization. GM Dale Tallon explained how much the former goaltender means to the Panthers:

I’ve had the honor and privilege to work with Roberto during his time playing for the Panthers and am proud to welcome him to our franchise’s hockey operations staff. Roberto always approached every game with an unmatched work ethic and we are confident he will take to this new role with the same passion. A cornerstone player in our franchise’s history, we are thrilled that ’Lu’ will have a hand in shaping our franchise’s future.

Luongo retired from the NHL this offseason after a long, long career. He played more games in net than any player in league history other than Martin Brodeur, and ranks third in wins only behind Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Regarded as one of the league’s best netminders for nearly that entire period, he nevertheless only got to play in 70 total playoff games, reaching the Stanley Cup Final just once when he was with the Vancouver Canucks.

In March, the Panthers are set to retire Luongo’s sweater number.

Eastern Notes: Barrie, Brassard, Trocheck

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Tyson Barrie tallied 28 goals and 116 points over the previous two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and the general belief was that after the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired him in an offseason trade last summer, Barrie would continue that offensive success in Toronto. So far that’s not been the case as the 28-year-old blueliner has struggled to find his footing.

In fact, TSN’s Mark Masters writes that Barrie doesn’t look like the aggressive blueliner who dominated in Colorado. While he has five assists this season for the Maple Leafs, he only has one assist over his last 14 games.

“It’s different switching teams,” said Barrie, “and switching teams and coaches and the whole thing so you’re just trying to feel it out a little bit and I’m still feeling some teammates out and trying to get some chemistry going and its tough. I wish I had the answers for it.”

One significant difference is that in Colorado, he quarterbacked the power play, while in Colorado, Barrie has averages just 2:09 of power play for the game.

“We feel he’s gotten better & better. We really feel our pairs are starting to come, all three of them,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “Pairs take longer than lines, just because you’ve got to know the nuances of one another …. he’s going in the right direction, just like our team.”

  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that with the return of winger Jordan Eberle to the first line, New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz opted not to return fill-in Derick Brassard back to centering the third line, where the veteran struggled at before Eberle’s injury. Instead, Trotz had Brassard join Brock Nelson as the team’s second-line winger in hopes of generating more offense from Brassard, who thrived on the wing. Brassard had a career-high five-game goal streak on Thursday, which was five games he was on the first line.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards reports that Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was eased into the lineup Saturday in Florida’s game against the New York Islanders. Trocheck, who suffered a lower-body injury when blocking a shot against Nashville on Oct. 19, returned to the team’s second line, but played just 15:35. Head coach Joel Quenneville said he was trying to save him for Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers.

Minor Transactions: 11/06/19

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Last night was another step in the right direction for three struggling Western Conference teams, as the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild were all victorious in their respective matchups. The same can not be said about the Los Angeles Kings, who are now 5-10 and have trade rumors swirling all about. Just two games are on the schedule tonight, and as teams prepare for that action we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • With Alexandre Texier nearing a return, the Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Markus Hannikainen to the minor leagues. Hannikainen still hasn’t played in a single game for the Blue Jackets this season after suiting up 44 times in 2018-19. The 26-year old is just injury depth at this point.
  • Dominic Toninato has been recalled by the Florida Panthers, after they sent Riley Stillman back yesterday. The Panthers acquired Toninato from the Colorado Avalanche just a few months ago, and this will be his first call-up with the organization.
  • German Rubtsov’s time with the NHL club is over for now, as the Philadelphia Flyers have sent him back to the AHL and recalled Mikhail Vorobyev. In three games Rubtsov was held scoreless and still looks to have some development to do in the minor leagues. The 21-year old has played just 21 AHL games so far after injury robbed him of much of the 2018-19 season.
  • Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy are on their way back to the Chicago Wolves, the latest in a series of transactions for the pair of Vegas Golden Knights prospects. The team is using off days to bank some cap space, but could recall one or both down the road.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have sent Ashton Sautner back down, a good sign after he was forced from his only game with an injury. The 25-year old defenseman won’t be a full-time player for the Canucks this season, but is valuable injury depth.
  • Josh Mahura has been assigned to the Anaheim Ducks, another likely cap-saving move that while the team waits for their next game. The Ducks don’t play again until Sunday.
  • Zachary Senyshyn and Cameron Hughes have both been sent back down by the Boston Bruins, who don’t play again until Friday evening. At least one of the young forwards will likely be recalled at that time, but for now the team will save some cap space on the off days.
  • Jayson Megna has been returned to the AHL by the Colorado Avalanche, with T.J. Tynan taking his place on the NHL roster. The 27-year old Tynan has been on fire at the minor league level, scoring 12 points in his first ten games for the Colorado Eagles.
  • The Washington Capitals have returned Liam O’Brien to the minor leagues, giving him a chance at some playing time after sitting on the sidelines the last few days. O’Brien is an important player for the Hershey Bears, but hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since 2017-18.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced that defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been re-assigned to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The 23-year-old has split his season between the NHL and AHL, most recently getting some starts in Chicago in place of Brent Seabrook. 

Atlantic Notes: Hyman, Bobrovsky, Hainsey

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Zach Hyman has never been fully appreciated by Toronto fans over the years, but the forward, who has sat out all season so far after undergoing offseason knee surgery this summer, has been strangely missed as the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled out of the gate.

A favorite of head coach Mike Babcock due to his work ethic and attitude, Hyman is close to returning with many believing he might be ready to return this weekend. That hasn’t happened, but the winger believes he’ll be ready soon, according to The Star’s Kevin McGran. Hyman is traveling with the team, but there is no word on when he might be activated.

“Honestly, it’s not my decision,” he says. “I mean, I have a say in it, but we have a great medical staff, great therapists, great strength coaches, great doctors where you don’t make a decision by yourself.”

  • Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that despite the slow start of Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, head coach Joel Quenneville isn’t worried about the two-time Vezina Trophy winner. Bobrovsky, who signed a seven-year, $70MM contract this summer with Florida, hasn’t been too impressive in his first 11 appearances with the Panthers, posting a 5-2-3 record with a 3.71 GAA and a .873 save percentage, numbers that are second-to-last among goalies who have appeared in at least eight games. “I think the way we’re playing, he’s getting comfortable in how we play in front of him,” Quenneville said. “I think eventually the goals against is something we can improve as a group of defenseman in our team game. I think the second opportunities, whether we take more responsibility in that area, we can clean that up and help him.”
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that while the Ottawa Senators brought in defenseman Ron Hainsey over from Toronto this summer in free agency to fill a veteran defensive void in their lineup, there was a secondary reason as well. The scribe writes that one major benefit of having Hainsey around is having him mentor top prospect Erik Brannstrom in his rookie campaign. Hainsey has been paired with Brannstrom since the first day of training camp and the two have stayed together almost exclusively. “There’s been a lot of information thrown at him in a short amount of time in the (six weeks) since we went to training camp to now,” Hainsey said before facing the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at TD Garden. “In some situations in the game, it’s easy, it’s like, ‘Hey, maybe we should try to do it this way.’ Other times, it’s better for me to be quiet and let him go about his way. He’s got plenty of people and coaches giving him stuff 24/7 and it’s a lot for a young player to take in when you’re playing against the best players in the world. It’s not like we’ve been matched against the top guys, but we’ve been out against everybody at some point.”

Jayce Hawryluk To Miss At Least A Month

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  • Panthers winger Jayce Hawryluk will miss at least a month due to an upper-body injury (likely to the shoulder), notes George Richards of The Athletic (Twitter link). The injury was sustained on a hit from Colorado’s Nikita Zadorov on Wednesday night.  Hawryluk has played in eight games with Florida so far this season, picking up a goal and two assists from the fourth line.  With Vincent Trocheck also believed to be unavailable, Florida is now down to 11 healthy forwards on their roster.

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