Philadelphia Flyers Looking For Goaltending Help
Despite seeing top prospect Carter Hart have a successful NHL debut on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers appear to still be searching for an answer in net. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that new GM Chuck Fletcher “sounds like he’s shopping for a goalie.” That shopping of course will have to officially wait until after the trade freeze is lifted later this month, but Fletcher is still able to have discussions with teams.
It’s not hard to understand why trading for a goaltender would be Fletcher’s first big move as GM. The Flyers have seen goalie after goalie fail miserably in their net over the last few years (or perhaps decades) and are dealing with several injuries to their group right now. Brian Elliott is still awaiting the results of some recent medical testing, while Anthony Stolarz is on the shelf again for a few weeks. Hart was impressive in his first start, but it’s hard to imagine that throwing him to the wolves as the Flyers’ full-time starter this early in his career is good for his development. More likely the team would rather keep Hart at the AHL level for this season and hand the reins to him somewhere down the road.
The Flyers are just one point ahead of the last place New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference standings, and are looking at a very interesting goaltending situation at the end of the year. Elliott and Michal Neuvirth are both pending unrestricted free agents, while Stolarz is scheduled to become a restricted free agent once again. Acquiring a netminder with a little term could help ease Hart into the role and provide some experienced help for him without having to re-sign any of their injury-prone options. Still, who they would be targeting is unclear.
It’s been reported several times already that Fletcher was looking to get a trade done of some sort before the freeze took effect, but nothing was submitted before it began this week. There’s bound to be goaltenders available, though the most notable ones—Jake Allen and Jonathan Quick come to mind—are inconsistent or expensive in both cap hit and pieces needed to acquire them. The Detroit Red Wings for instance are allegedly looking for a first-round pick for Jimmy Howard, something that doesn’t make much sense for a struggling Philadelphia team.
We won’t know where the Flyers are leaning in net until after the freeze lifts on December 28th, but for now Hart is scheduled to start another game tonight. If he can put up another impressive performance against Detroit, perhaps the team will reconsider their shopping efforts altogether.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/18
Though the NHL transaction freeze is now underway, there is bound to be some roster movement throughout the holidays. The freeze only stops teams from trading, waiving or loaning players away from their current roster, and there are certain loopholes. One of those is that any player recalled after December 11th can still be loaned back to the minor leagues, which is why we saw so many teams making paper transactions yesterday. Like always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Phil Varone is back up with the Philadelphia Flyers after a quick trip to the minor league roster. The team now has some flexibility and will be able to send both Varone and Carter Hart back to the minor leagues if necessary over the break. Varone, who has just five points in his NHL career, is an outstanding offensive player that hasn’t been able to break through at the highest level just yet. He’ll serve as some forward insurance for the club over the next little while.
- After clearing waivers yesterday, Garrett Wilson is on his way to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Wilson was just an injury fill-in for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but will now wait his turn in the minor leagues as Dominik Simon approaches a return to action. The team is allowed to do this because of the timing of Wilson’s waiver stint.
- Tyler Gaudet has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, which according to Paul Skrbina of the Tennessean could mean a trip to injured reserve for Colton Sissons. Gaudet hasn’t played in the NHL since 2016-17, but does have 14 points in 27 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this year.
- As expected, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled Adin Hill and Conor Garland after just a day on the minor league roster. The pair were sent down just to create some more flexibility over the break.
- In Calgary, Buddy Robinson and Ryan Lomberg have been recalled while Kerby Rychel has been sent back to the Stockton Heat. Robinson, 27, brings a huge body up to the Flames as the forward stands 6’6″ but also comes with some skill. With 53 points for the Manitoba Moose last season, Robinson outscored top prospects like Michael Spacek, Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux.
Minor Transactions: 12/19/18
Today is the final day before the holiday roster freeze comes into effect, though there can still be some movement afterwards. Teams are allowed to recall players during the next two weeks, and can also send down any player recalled after December 11th. That would include anyone called up today, meaning we’ll keep our eye on all the minor moves around the league.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Luke Johnson from the minor leagues while putting Marcus Kruger on injured reserve with a concussion. Kruger suffered the injury last night when he was hit by Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman, and will be out indefinitely. Johnson meanwhile returns to the Blackhawks after playing 13 games with the club earlier in the season.
- Phil Varone is on his way back to the minor leagues, loaned from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms today. Varone has played four games for Philadelphia this season but has been held scoreless in each. The veteran forward is a dominant AHL player though, and has 28 points in 22 games for the Phantoms after posting a 70-point season in 2017-18.
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent goaltender Adin Hill and forward Conor Garland back to the minor leagues, though with no corresponding moves yet one or two could be back up quickly. Since Hill and Garland were both originally recalled before December 11th, they would not be able to be sent down during the freeze. Now they will be able to freely move up and down throughout, allowing them to get into game action should Arizona activate some of their injured players.
- The same tact might be taking place in Los Angeles, where Michael Amadio, Sean Walker and Austin Wagner have all been sent down to the AHL. Again, all three players had been recalled prior to December 11th, meaning this move is likely only to create some roster flexibility through the roster freeze.
- In Vegas however, the Golden Knights have recalled Brandon Pirri and had him at practice today with the club. Pirri has been dominating the minor leagues once again, and with Max Pacioretty headed to the injured reserve, the team needed another forward. The 27-year old Pirri once scored 22 goals in just 49 games for the Florida Panthers, but has struggled to find consistent work in the NHL since. This year for the Chicago Wolves, he has 41 points in 28 games and has looked far too capable for the AHL.
- Thomas Hickey has been moved to injured reserve, giving the New York Islanders roster room to recall Devon Toews. The 24-year old Toews has yet to make his NHL debut but is a leader for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers all over the ice. The defenseman has 86 points through 130 minor league games since being a fourth-round pick in 2014, and could give the Islanders a decent puck-moving presence going forward.
- Another Los Angeles Kings player is on his way down, but this time it’s for a conditioning stint. Jack Campbell has been sent to the minor leagues to continue his rehab, an important step on his recovery process from a meniscus injury earlier this year. Campbell is still on injured reserve for the time being.
- Clark Bishop is on his way back to the NHL, as the Charlotte Checkers announced that the rookie forward has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes. Bishop, 22, was a fifth-round pick and was never much of an offensive force in his junior years. The two-way center even split his first pro season between the AHL and ECHL. However, Bishop has worked hard and is now a regular call-up for Carolina in his third season. Bishop has two points in 15 games for the ‘Canes this year.
Canucks’ Olli Juolevi Out For Season Following Knee Surgery
Olli Juolevi continues to defy expectations, but not in a good way. The Vancouver Canucks’ first-round pick in 2016, No. 5 overall, was unable to win a roster spot with the team last season and was loaned back to his native Finland. So far this year, Juolevi had played exclusively with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Last month, the young defenseman suffered a knee injury, but was only expected to miss a couple of weeks. Juolevi even returned to practice with the Comets last week. Yet, the Canucks announced this evening that Juolevi underwent surgery on his knee today and will miss the remainder of the season.
Whether Juolevi’s knee injury was more severe than originally indicated or whether the team was simply playing it safe, the fact of the matter is that the recent top-five pick will go yet another season without making his NHL debut and could wait even longer. Vancouver does expect that he will make a full recovery by training camp, but in no way is he guaranteed a roster spot and will most likely have to prove that he is game-ready by beginning another season in the minors. The team press release stated that the Canucks’ medical staff felt that “surgery was… the best option for Juolevi’s long-term health and career”, but the decision also must have weighed whether or not the team felt they would need him this season or early next season, with the answer apparently being no.
If there was any question as to whether University of Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes had bypassed Juolevi as Vancouver’s top defensive prospect, that debate is now over. Hughes, the seventh overall pick in June, is expected to step into a starting role with Canucks next season, if not sooner. Meanwhile, Juolevi’s future is a question mark, with his development now marred by injury in addition to underwhelming performance.
Snapshots: Blues, Bieksa, Bakos
For fans of the Blues, hoping that the team can turn the season around, as well as fans of other teams hoping for a chance at acquiring their top players, today’s news comes as a welcome change to the status quo in St. Louis. The Blues announced that three players were back at practice today and looking healthy and ready for game action. Alex Pietrangelo, Carl Gunnarsson, and Robby Fabbri all took the ice today and are expected to return to the lineup as early as tonight, when St. Louis takes on the Edmonton Oilers on the road. “Obviously we missed those guys tremendously”, said teammate Patrick Maroon, one of a number of Blues players who spoke about their excitement to have three difference-makers back at practice. Pietrangelo is clearly the greatest addition to the lineup, but Gunnarsson is also a regular on the Blues blue line and Fabbri has struggled with constant injurie issues for parts of three seasons and St. Louis would like to see him stay healthy for the rest of the campaign. At full strength, the Blues do have plenty of talent on paper and could put together a comeback of sorts this season. However, if that doesn’t happen, the team will continue to take calls on nearly anyone on the roster. GM Doug Armstrong won’t trade anyone whose value has dipped, so getting Pietrangelo and company back to health also improves his asking price should he decide to make some moves down the stretch.
- On a recent appearance on the “31 Thoughts” podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa made it clear that he is not retired. In fact, Bieksa has already committed to play with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland later this month. A strong performance from the 37-year-old could earn him a contract from a contender for the second half of the NHL season. Brian Gionta and Chris Kelly accomplished similar feats after the Olympics last year and Bieksa has the experience and claims to still have the physical conditioning to follow suit. The long-time Vancouver Canuck and Anaheim Duck was unwilling to sign long-term with any team far from his family in California this off-season, but on a half-season deal he will likely be more open to taking the offer that gives him the best chance at an elusive Stanley Cup title.
- After his time with the Boston Bruins didn’t go according to plan due to an early-season injury and a lack of opportunity, Martin Bakos had his contract terminated last week after clearing unconditional waivers. He’s now on to a new opportunity, as HK Sochi of the KHL announced that they have inked Bakos to a contract for the remainder of the season. Bakos has several seasons of KHL experience on his resume, but this is first time playing for one of the league’s many Russian squads after previous stints with HC Bratislava in his native country of Slovakia, as well as a year in China with the Kunlun Red Star. Bakos only managed to record four points in 16 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, a skilled minor league squad, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on a Sochi roster that lacks much talent up front. Bakos joins recent NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Yohann Auvitu in Sochi, hoping to push for a playoff spot with the team this season.
Joel Hanley Placed On Waivers
Tuesday: Hanley has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Monday: With several defensemen approaching a return from injury, the Dallas Stars have placed Joel Hanley on waivers. That’s according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who also reports that Max McCormick of the Ottawa Senators has cleared. McCormick was subsequently assigned to the minor leagues.
Hanley, 27, is no more than a seventh defenseman for the Stars, playing in 15 games this season but seeing relatively little ice time. The undrafted UMass-Amherst graduate has suited up 37 times in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes and Stars, while recording six points. None of those points have come since the start of the 2016-17 season, and Hanley is still looking for his first NHL goal.
With a two-way contract that brings just a $650K cap hit at the NHL level there may be some interest in Hanley, but the likely outcome is his assignment to the Texas Stars of the AHL. The veteran will serve as some help to that group while being able to come back up to Dallas at a moment’s notice. Connor Carrick, John Klingberg and Stephen Johns meanwhile will continue their recovery, and likely get into the lineup over the next few weeks. All three were present at practice this morning, though Klingberg is the only one facing an imminent return. Marc Methot, also dealing with an injury, still has no timetable for return according to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Rinne, Dumba
The NHL released their Three Stars of the Week earlier today, and to absolutely no one’s surprise Alex Ovechkin received the top honors. Ovechkin recorded back-to-back hat tricks last week and seven goals total in his three games, giving him 29 on the season. That puts him on a pace for a career-high, something unthinkable for the 33-year old winger. Ovechkin now has 636 career tallies, and should challenge some of the all-time leaders in the category before he’s finished.
While Ovechkin is racking up his usual accolades, two young centers are trying to carve out their own legacies in the NHL. Mark Scheifele and Jack Eichel were second and third stars respectively, after outstanding weeks. Scheifele especially was a dominant offensive presence, recording 11 points in just four games for the Winnipeg Jets including two overtime winners.
- Pekka Rinne was expecting retirement after the 2018-19 season. That’s what the goaltender told Alex Prewitt in his latest profile for Sports Illustrated. The Nashville Predators goaltender believed that he would sail off into the sunset after his current seven-year $49MM deal expired at the end of this year, but that all changed when he inked a new two-year extension in November. Rinne is still playing at an incredible level, and going into tonight led the league with a .929 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average. That puts him in prime position to challenge for the Vezina Trophy once again, an award he took home last season after previously finishing as a finalist three times.
- Mathew Dumba is off to an exceptional start for the Minnesota Wild, with 12 goals and 22 points in just 32 games. The right-handed defenseman also doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, as seen this weekend when he took on Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames in a round of fisticuffs. Unfortunately, Dumba will now be out for at least a week with an upper-body injury. Head coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn’t give much more information on the subject, but did note that it’s not necessarily the worst timing for the team given the holiday break that they’ll enjoy next week.
Prospect Notes: Dobson, Bertuzzi, Zadina
When New York Islanders prospect Noah Dobson was selected to the Canadian World Junior team, it was likely a welcome reprieve. The talented defenseman had been playing for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, a team that is currently 6-26-1 with a league-worst 68 goals for. Dobson hadn’t been able to find much success, recording just 16 points in 28 games despite being better than a point-per-game producer last season. The 12th-overall pick from 2018 went to selection camp and was suddenly surrounded by the best talent in the CHL, something he may have to get used to.
Today, according to Stephane Leroux of RDS, the Titan agreed to send Dobson to rival Rouyn-Noranda after he returns from the upcoming international tournament. The 18-year old will find himself on the best team in the QMJHL upon his return, and one that is loaded for a Memorial Cup run. The Huskies have a 28-6-1 record along with a +74 goal differential. If the Islanders were hoping for a good development year, they’re certainly getting it.
- Speaking of CHL trades, the Guelph Storm have continued to sell off their excess talent to build for the future, this time sending top prospect Tag Bertuzzi to the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for three draft picks. Bertuzzi, the second-overall pick in the 2017 OHL draft, has just nine points for the Storm this season but is still considered a potential 2019 NHL draft pick given his physical style and bloodlines. The son of former NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, and cousin of current Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, the 17-year old will try to find more success in Hamilton going forward.
- A scare went through the Czech Republic World Junior team when Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina sat out yesterday’s Grand Rapids Griffins game with an undisclosed injury, but Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that it won’t change his planned participation in the upcoming tournament. Zadina’s injury is minor, and he is still expected to be a major contributor at the tournament. The 19-year old sniper turned a lot of heads when he scored seven goals in eight games during last year’s tournament, and he should be even better prepared for the international competition after refining his game at the AHL level.
Central Notes: Saros, Subban, Fabbri, Anisimov
The Nashville Predators have succeeded this year based on the play of Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne‘s play. While Rinne has posted a 14-5-1 record, a 1.96 GAA and a .929 save percentage, his backup Juuse Saros, who many felt might share net responsibilities with the 36-year-old Rinne this year, hasn’t fared nearly as well with an 8-5 record, a 3.14 GAA and a .893 save percentage.
However, while Saros’ numbers suggest that he’s struggling this season, head coach Peter Laviolette said Saturday that he believes that the team isn’t playing well when the 23-year-old is in net, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required).
“I’m going to be perfectly honest. I think that we’ve played lousy in front of (Saros),” Laviolette said. “There’s got to be accountability to the 18 guys that go out in front of him. Just too many odd-man rushes, too many point-blank chances, and that’s got to stop. And when that stops, he’s going to feel better and look better in there. There’s just too much coming at him.”
While Vingan writes that there is some truth to the comment as the team has had some of their worst defensive showings with Saros in net, including losses to San Jose on Nov. 13, to St. Louis on Nov. 23 and Calgary on Dec. 8. However, when looking even deeper, Vingan notes that both goalies have faced the same number of quality shots per game and it’s just Rinne’s amazing play that has separated the two goaltenders.
- Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos suggested (via The Athletic’s Adam Vingan)that the unknown injury that Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban is dealing with has nothing to do with the suspected back injury that he dealt with two years ago. Subban has missed 15 games this year with the undisclosed injury, but Kypreos said that Subban could be out for a bit longer. “It’s a real conservative approach by Nashville to keep him out. They think a 50-plus (game) regular season for P.K. could benefit him,” Kypreos said Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada.
- Lou Korac of NHL.com writes that oft-injured forward Robby Fabbri said he still should have a better idea around Christmas of his timetable of returning from his separated shoulder injury. “We’re just taking it day by day. I’m listening to the shoulder. What I do that day depends on how I wake up feeling and how I felt from the day before.”
- Jon Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that while he’s not playing today, Chicago Blackhawks forward Artem Anisimov is close to returning to action. The 30-year-old should be eligible to be activated off IR before Tuesday’s game as he continues his recovery from a concussion suffered by a hit from Montreal’s Shea Weber on Dec. 9. “He looks like he’s closer to coming back, so hopefully he can,” coach Jeremy Colliton said at the morning skate. “I haven’t heard that he’s ready-ready, but we think he’s not far away.”
Tampa Bay Lightning Juggles Roster To Keep Erik Cernak With Team
It looks like the Tampa Bay Lightning are about to get back defenseman Anton Stralman, as the team activated him off of injured reserve for tonight’s game with Winnipeg, but rather than assign impressive rookie Erik Cernak to the AHL, the team instead opted to place forward Mathieu Joseph on IR instead, according to CapFriendly. That should give the team a little more time to decide what to do with Cernak.
The Lightning have liked what they’ve seen from Cernak since he was recalled on Nov. 13. The right-shot defenseman has already appeared in 16 games and has five assists as well as a plus-eight rating and already has outshined the team’s seventh defenseman Slater Koekkoek. However, considering the 21-year-old doesn’t need to pass through waivers is counting against him. Regardless, the team seems to be doing everything it can to keep him on their roster. He is getting solid minutes with the club, as he has exceeded the 20-minutes mark four of his last seven games. While playing time might be harder to get with Stralman back in the fold, the team isn’t ready for Cernak to depart.
“He’s developing at a faster pace than any of us thought,” head coach Jon Cooper said. “When he left camp I’m not sure he sat there and thought he’d play any games in the NHL. Now he’s just under 20. He’s left a great impression on us. And he’s still with us.”
Joseph was considered to be day-to-day with a lower-body injury, but Cooper referred to him as extremely doubtful earlier today. He was injured on Dec. 8 against Colorado, but tried to play through it Monday. By placing him on IR retroactive to that date, Joseph would have to sit at least two more games, giving the team time to decide what to do. The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that the team has several options, which includes opting to keep him on the roster permanently and putting either Danick Martel or Koekkoek on waivers to free up a roster spot. It could also send Koekkoek on a conditioning assignment, considering he hasn’t played in a month. However, if the team can’t guarantee Cernak consistent minutes, they might be better off sending him back to the Syracuse Crunch.
“He’s on our team,” Cooper said of Cernak on Friday. “In the organization, there’s on the team and in the lineup. There’s a whole bunch of steps in there. But he’s really opened our eyes. And he’s completely added depth to our organization, to our team. How things play out when Stralman comes back? You want everyone healthy. You want to be able to have different players in the arsenal. So we’ll see where it goes from there.”
While the team is focused on this year, the team also has to consider their future on defense as the Lightning must deal with serious cap issues this offseason and have three unrestricted free agents on defense coming up, including Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Dan Girardi. Koekkoek also will be a restricted free agent himself. Getting Cernak into a regular role now could ease some of the concern next year if the team has to let several of those players go.