John Tavares Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
In an interview today with NHL.com, Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares says that he expects to be healthy and cleared to play for the team’s training camp, which starts in mid-September. Tavares missed the remainder of the season after being stretchered off the ice during Game 1 of the team’s First Round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tavares has been working out during the summer and steadily improving after he was cleared to return to on-ice participation last month. The team’s captain had this to say on his recent participation:
For me, it was nice to just kind of get back out and work on some things I wanted to work on, come off the injury and be on the ice a lot, get a good feel for my game and build from there with a good group of guys.
It’s reassuring to see a stable recovery path from Tavares, especially considering the apparent severity of the play on which he was injured. His leadership and performance will be perhaps more crucial than ever to Toronto’s success this season after a retooled roster leaves the team’s offense with some question marks. Add in the health concerns surrounding Auston Matthews, who’ll miss the start of camp but is expected to be ready for the season opener on October 13th, and Tavares’ position on the team this season is of high importance to the team’s record.
Tavares likely enters the 2021-22 campaign working with some new linemates. While he’ll still likely be flanked by William Nylander on the right side, there’s a long list of names that’ll battle for the second line left-wing spot including Nick Ritchie, Michael Bunting, Alexander Kerfoot, and Ilya Mikheyev. Tavares and Nylander will be relied upon heavily to provide secondary scoring behind the duo of Matthews and Mitch Marner up front, and the team hopes they can catch lightning in a bottle with a new linemate.
Auston Matthews Undergoes Wrist Surgery
There’s nothing quite like unexpected, late-offseason surgery to make fans nervous. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced late on Friday evening that star center Auston Matthews has undergone successful wrist surgery. The minimum recovery time is expected to be six weeks.
This is the same wrist injury that plagued Matthews last season, but to this point had only been treated with rest and rehab. According to the team, Matthews began increasing his on-ice training this past week and was noticing some discomfort in his wrist. After receiving medical consultation, both inside and outside the Maple Leafs organization, the decision was made to proceed with surgery.
It is hard to imagine that this injury will not at least impact Matthews’ training camp and cost him some preseason games. If Toronto sticks to their timeline and does not re-evaluate Matthews’ wrist for six weeks to the day – assuming the surgery occurred today – that would be September 24. The Maple Leafs begin training camp the week prior and make their preseason debut the following day, Saturday September 25. Even more concerning is the word “minimum”. Toronto will not want to rush their MVP candidate back from surgery too quickly, but with the Leafs’ season set to begin on October 13, exactly two months away, even a two-week extension in Matthews’ recovery period will mean that the team begins the year without their best player.
Beyond that, there is also the question of whether the surgery impacts Matthews’ shooting ability moving forward. Head coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned multiple times last season that Matthews’ wrist was affecting his shot, yet the skilled center still won the Rocket Richard Trophy. However, that was before surgical intervention into the issue. How Matthews looks when he does eventually return to action will be critical to the Maple Leafs’ success this season as they return to the uber-competitive Atlantic Division.
Dylan Larkin Expected To Be Healthy By Training Camp
It is easy to forget that Detroit Red Wings Dylan Larkin suffered a season-ending injury this past season. The upper-body injury occurred late in the season, courtesy of a cross check to the neck by fellow captain Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, with the Red Wings well out of contention and Larkin himself not even playing too well. Yet, with a new season right around the corner and Detroit and its best player looking forward to taking a step in their rebuild this year, Larkin’s injury has come back into focus.
Nearly three-and-half months since Larkin was felled by what appears to be a neck or back injury, the talented forward is still recovering. According to The Athletic’s Max Bultman, Larkin only returned to skating last month and was cleared to resume shooting last week. He has not yet been cleared for contact with training camp arriving in six weeks. Fortunately, Larkin believes he will be ready by then. The savvy young forward has been taking his rehab in stride and tells Bultman that he is feeling great and is confident in his recovery. With plenty of time left to keep progressing at a healthy rate, Larkin expects to be back at full strength for training camp.
Larkin did admit to Bultman that he was not as measured with his off-season training last year, believing that he may have overworked himself during the extended break in preparation for the 2020-21 season. This could have explained Larkin’s injury and extensive recovery period. It also may have contributed to a career low in goal-scoring, both total and per-game. Larkin notched just nine goals in 44 games last year. He totaled just 23 points as well. This is a far cry from the expectation for the skilled center, who recorded 189 points in 229 games over the three season’s prior, including 32 goals and 73 points in 2018-19. The Red Wings hope that a healthy, rested, and re-focused Larkin can get back to that elite scoring pace this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Ondrej Kase
High ceiling, low floor. That’s what comes with skilled forward Ondrej Kase. When healthy, Kase’s talent is apparent. The 25-year-old winger has a 20-goal season on his resume and has scored at nearly a half-point per-game pace in his young career. The problem is that Kase has only played in 207 games through five NHL seasons, averaging just a half-season’s worth of games per year due to injury. The Boston Bruins learned the hard way that Kase cannot be relied upon, as he played in just nine regular season games total with the team after coming over from the Anaheim Ducks at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. This past year, he missed all but three games due to a head injury in the second game of the season and left his return game early, unable to handle getting checked.
Yet, the Bruins still nearly extended him a $2.6MM qualifying offer this summer. Bruins GM Don Sweeney had planned on retaining the dynamic, but fragile forward but changed course. The fact that Kase even remained in consideration for a new deal at that price point speaks to the upside that he brings if he can get healthy and stay healthy.
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear willing to take that chance. The team has announced a one-year, $1.25MM with Kase. While the term mitigates some risk of Kase being unable to return to form following a year missed almost entirely due to concussion symptoms, the Maple Leafs still had to commit over $1MM in order to sign Kase. That signing puts Toronto right up against the salary cap with their projected 23-man roster; so much so in fact that if Kase is on regular injured reserve, the Leafs will not have the room to even recall a minimum salary player to replace him. The trade-off of course is that a healthy Kase will be an excellent addition to their forward corps as a player who can skate with their stars and produce points. It is the ultimate boom-or-bust bargain for Toronto.
Sabres’ Jake McCabe To Test The Market
Injury could not have come at a worse time for Jake McCabe. The Buffalo Sabres defenseman had been nothing but dependable in his first five full NHL seasons, establishing himself as a solid two-way defenseman capable of shut-down defense with his checking and shot-blocking as well as transitioning the puck up the ice and contributing modest offense. Entering a contract year at just 27 years old, McCabe looked primed to play a critical role again for the Sabres and then was likely to be a highly sought-after trade deadline target. That all was supposed to conclude with a considerable raise and long-term contract in free agency, from Buffalo or elsewhere.
Instead, McCabe suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his right knee in February, just 13 games into the season. In that small sample size, McCabe posted a Corsi For rating that held as the best possession mark on the Sabres this season. He was also on pace for a career high in hits per game. Everything was going according to plan and just like that his season was over. Not only that, but the timeline for recovery was considered six-to-eight months and history has shown that ACL injuries can take even longer to heal for hockey players. McCabe’s season was over and now the following season was in doubt. At best, McCabe will not be healthy until a month after the free agent market opens. At worst, he may not be ready to play through the first month of the season or longer.
This has completely changed the outlook of McCabe’s impending free agency. The hopes of a long-term deal are likely shattered and it will be far harder to make a case for a pay raise. In fact, many had speculated that perhaps McCabe would simply re-sign in Buffalo, the team that knows the most about his current recovery and whose lineup it would be the easiest to transition into post-injury. However, it doesn’t seem like that will be the case. Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe reports that McCabe will in fact test the market when free agency opens on July 28. Hoppe writes that the Sabres have been in contact with McCabe, but haven’t prioritized an extension with the career Sabre, despite his leadership role in the locker room as well as the recent losses of Rasmus Ristolainen and William Borgen from the back end. GM Kevyn Adams stated that McCabe will enter the market on his own accord though. He noted that the Sabres would welcome McCabe back if he wants to return at a fair price, but that the defenseman is “going to see what’s out there”.
McCabe’s market will certainly be an interesting one. While there are many good defensemen available, there are few great options. McCabe may have to settle for a one-year “show me” deal given his injury, but if a team believes in his ability and instead sees the injury as a way to sign the blue liner at a bargain price, perhaps he could still wind up with a multi-year deal. The Boston Bruins are one club that have been previously linked to McCabe, but there will be no shortage of teams that kick the tires on the defenseman now that it is confirmed that he is interested in testing the waters.
Canadiens Give Update On Price, Weber, Drouin
The reports of Carey Price‘s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin took to the podium today to speak with the media and indicated that the veteran goaltender will see doctors to examine some injuries, but the team isn’t expecting anything major. Bergevin gave an estimate of six-to-eight weeks recovery and noted there was a “small percentage” that it would be longer, once they determined the extent.
Price was left unprotected in the recent expansion draft, and rumors had been swirling that he might miss part of next season thanks to hip and knee injuries. That seems unlikely now, though at his age–Price will turn 34 in a few weeks–things can obviously change quickly.
Bergevin also spoke about Shea Weber, with much less confidence he will ever return to the Canadiens lineup. As Eric Engels of Sportsnet tweets, Weber is dealing with injuries to his ankle, foot, knee, and thumb and will not play next season. Bergevin even noted that he “probably won’t be back for his career.”
If it is indeed the end for Weber, it comes directly after the longest playoff run of his career, captaining the Canadiens all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 35-year-old defenseman has played in 1,038 regular season games, racking up 224 goals and 589 points. Weber sits 15th all-time in goals from a defenseman and could very well be headed for the Hall of Fame when he officially retires.
That likely won’t be for some time though, as there are still five years left on Weber’s contract. His injury status should give the team grounds to move him to long-term injured reserve for those years, allowing Weber to collect the $12MM still owed to him. It would also give the team some added cap flexibility, but obviously takes an important piece of their lineup out.
His will still be a story to follow closely, if only because of the cap recapture penalties that could be enforced on the Nashville Predators if Weber retires before his contract expires. Remember though, recapture penalties were changed in the last CBA, meaning that no single-year penalty can be greater than the contract’s cap hit. It means, instead of the $24.5MM penalty that Nashville potentially faced if Weber retired in 2025, they would instead incur penalties of $7.85MM for three years, and then $1MM in 2028-29. Not exactly ideal still, but at least not completely crippling.
After Price and Weber were discussed, Bergevin moved to Jonathan Drouin, who took a leave of absence from the team earlier this year. The Canadiens GM was happy to report that Drouin is ready to return for the 2021-22 season, and specifically noted the connection between the talented forward and head coach Dominique Ducharme, going back to their days in the QMJHL. Drouin has two years left on his contract with Montreal and carries a $5.5MM cap hit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Carey Price Could Miss Time With Knee Injury
UPDATE: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is now reporting that the injury is to Price’s knee while the hip will also be assessed. Price will consult doctors next week, and LeBrun states that the hope is that the injury isn’t serious.
The saga of Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has taken a variety of unexpected twists and turns over the weekend. After being left exposed with his no-movement clause waived, his future with Montreal suddenly became extremely uncertain. Now, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Price may miss significant time next season with a hip injury.
It complicates what’s already a very uncertain goalie selection process for the Seattle Kraken. General manager Ron Francis has a bevy of options to choose from. It’s been widely reported that the Kraken have immense interest in Florida Panthers netminder Chris Driedger, so the question of who his partner in the crease will be remains. While many suggest Price due to his legendary status, this news about his health may sway them otherwise. It’s a similar situation with Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop, who was left exposed but didn’t play a single game this season due to injury. Other potential options include Braden Holtby and Kaapo Kahkonen, among others, but Seattle has a tough choice ahead of them.
For Montreal, this could be a decently sized blow to their success next season. It’s softened a bit with the guarantee that Jake Allen will be back with the team next season. But despite posting better regular-season numbers than Price, the team won more with Carey in the crease. With no specific guidelines on how much time Price will miss, it’s extremely hard to project how this news could affect both Montreal and Seattle. Still, it’s certainly a development that shifts both their plans.
Ben Bishop Agrees To Waive No-Movement Clause For Expansion
The Dallas Stars may not have to expose Anton Khudobin to the Seattle Kraken after all. Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News reports that Ben Bishop has agreed to waive his no-movement clause for the expansion draft, meaning the Stars will not be forced to protect him. Bishop’s agent, Allain Roy, explained why his client made the decision:
I thought that was a good move for him and the team. In the big picture, the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, so I think he felt that was the right move for the team to be the best team possible next year. Makes sense.
The 34-year-old Bishop missed the entire 2020-21 season due to injury, but remains an enticing option for the Stars if he can get back to full health. Since arriving in the NHL, the 6’7″ netminder has been one of the league’s best, posting a .921 save percentage over 413 appearances. That number has Bishop sitting fifth in NHL history, with Tuukka Rask the only active netminder ahead of him (Dominik Hasek, Johnny Bower, and Ken Dryden are the other three). A three-time Vezina Trophy finalist, he was outstanding in his first three years in Dallas, posting a .923 in 143 games.
Of course, that success would also make him a very attractive choice for Seattle, if only they knew he would be healthy enough to play. That uncertainty and the $4.92MM cap hit likely keeps him off the Kraken’s radar, but waiving the no-movement still helps out the club. Jake Oettinger, the team’s presumed “goaltender of the future” is still exempt from selection, meaning the team can protect Khudobin and keep their depth intact.
Uncertainty Surrounding Shea Weber For Next Season
Following a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, it would seem hard to believe at first that Montreal wouldn’t consider protecting their captain from Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft. However, it appears that this will be the case. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the Canadiens won’t protect defenseman Shea Weber after recent medical evaluations revealed that he could miss all of next season and potentially longer due to injury.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays that the issue is a left foot or ankle problem that has been lingering for several years. He had surgery to repair a tendon in that area in 2018 and also missed time with that same issue two years later. The injury isn’t going away and the team, the league, and the NHLPA are now doing due diligence to determine next steps for the 35-year-old.
On the ice, Weber’s absence would be a significant loss for the Canadiens. While he had been slowing down in recent years, he still logged heavy minutes for Montreal and averaged 22:42 per game this season (second-most to Jeff Petry by two seconds) while recording 19 points in 48 games. His ice time increased significantly in the playoffs despite playing through a thumb injury, logging more than 25 minutes a night while still chipping in with six points in 22 games.
On the expansion front, this situation creates some clarity as the team would simply protect Petry, Ben Chiarot, and Joel Edmundson with Brett Kulak serving as the notable rearguard left unprotected.
However, it creates a big hole on Montreal’s back end as well with no real certainty on what they’ll be able to do. While he will be eligible to be placed on LTIR, the Canadiens may not be able to do much to replace him unless they can determine that he will miss all of next season. In that situation, they’d be permitted to spend up to his $7.857MM over the Upper Limit of the salary cap but if they feel he could come back at some point, they’d be more restricted in what they could do and might only be able to fill his spot with a low-cost internal replacement.
Still on the contract front, Weber’s deal still has five years remaining on it but only $12MM in cash payments due to the front-loaded nature of the contract, one that is now illegal and subject to recapture. PuckPedia has a Twitter thread about the short-term salary cap recapture potential for both teams if Weber was to retire. (Montreal’s cap recapture potential ends after the 2022-23 season while Nashville’s will last the duration of the contract.) However, the likeliest scenario at this point is that Weber doesn’t retire, collects his salary which sits at $6MM next season, and no recapture penalties would apply to either team.
The Canadiens were already eyeing down a busy offseason with several notable players in need of new contracts. This development with their captain and one of their top blueliners could very well make it that much busier for GM Marc Bergevin.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Tampa Bay Lightning Reveal Playoff Injuries
The Tampa Bay Lightning, like any victorious team in the NHL, had to battle through most countless injuries in the postseason. Today at his end-of-season press availability, Julien BriseBois gave some updates on the health of his players. First and foremost was Victor Hedman, who tore his meniscus on March 30 and will get surgery to repair it today. The Norris finalist is expected to be out just two to four weeks, meaning he is not in danger of missing next season.
As Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports, BriseBois also revealed that both Ryan McDonagh and Barclay Goodrow broke their hands in the playoffs, while Nikita Kucherov had a non-displaced rib fracture that required an injection before each game. These injuries are in addition to the broken fibula that Alex Killorn had previously revealed, which kept him out of all but one game in the Finals, and various other ailments (Blake Coleman was seen with his arm in a sling) that were not mentioned by BriseBois.
It has almost become a ritual at this point, as teams finish their postseason runs, to reveal countless major injuries that the roster was battling through. Tampa Bay is no different than every other team in this regard, but it is still impressive to hear how the players continued to perform through injury. Hedman, for instance, averaged nearly 25 minutes a night in the series against Montreal, eclipsing 26 in each of the final two games.
All of the injured players, whether they are getting surgery or not, are expected to be ready for training camp according to BriseBois.