Gionta, Wisniewski Drawing NHL Attention
Team USA won’t kick off their Olympic tournament until Wednesday, but that hasn’t stopped NHL teams from already reaching out to the agents of veteran Americans Brian Gionta and James Wisniewski. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes that the unemployed former NHLers may not stay that way for long after the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea wrap up. Teams have already begun to inquire into the availability of both long-time pros for contracts through the end of the regular season. At this time of year, the concept of bringing in game-ready, experienced assets without paying inflated prices is sure to entice many squads.
Gionta, 39, and Wisniewski, 33, will only have about a day and a half following the end of the Olympics to sign in the NHL and remain eligible for the postseason, Whyno writes. This means that the agents for both players will be busy working the phones while the players are hard at work in pursuit of a gold medal. The case for each is simple. Gionta is less than a year removed from NHL action and played in all 82 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, recording 35 points, which was good enough for sixth among Buffalo forwards. He has both the experience and ability to be a depth asset up front for a contender. Wisniewski, on the other hand, last played a full NHL season in 2014-15. A season-ending injury in the first and only game of his 2015-16 season and Carolina Hurricanes tenure derailed Wisniewski’s NHL career, but after bouncing around Russia, Switzerland, Germany, and the AHL over the past two seasons, looking especially impressive with the Deutsche Eishockey Liga’s Kassel Huskies this fall, Wisniewski has proven to still be a capable player. A strong outing at the Olympics for the offensive-minded, right-shot defenseman would make him all the more attractive addition.
While the agents do their jobs of selling their players, Gionta and Wisniewski will do theirs, leading the American team through their Olympic schedule. Both need a strong individual performance to boost their value to interested NHL teams, but will surely be more invested in the performance of the team. Despite several promising young players like Ryan Donato, Jordan Greenway, and Troy Terry and two of the best players in the Swiss NLA, Garrett Roe and Mark Arcobello, Team USA will undoubtedly look to their only two established stars to be the leaders on the ice and in the locker room.
Snapshots: Leivo, Danault, Smith
Not so long ago it was reported that Josh Leivo had requested a trade away from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 24-year old forward has barely played over the last few seasons, spending more time in the press box than the bench. It was natural for him to want a fresh start somewhere, and a chance to prove he is a full-time NHL player.
This morning, speaking with reporters including Jonas Siegal of The Athletic, Maple Leafs’ GM Lou Lamoriello expressed that he never did receive a trade request from Leivo despite the widespread reports. When asked about the trade request earlier this month, Leivo’s agent wouldn’t confirm it but did say that the forward “simply needs to play regularly.”
- Phillip Danault is back travelling with the Montreal Canadiens, and says the only symptom he suffered after taking a Zdeno Chara shot to the head was vertigo. Danault hasn’t played in nearly a month, but was actually having a nice season for the Canadiens with 23 points in 43 games. He could rejoin the lineup on Wednesday evening.
- Eric Francis of Sportsnet reports that Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Smith‘s injury may not be as bad as it looked, though no clarification past that is given. Smith had to be helped off the ice by the training staff and two teammates, just at the end of their game against the New York Islanders. Smith has been a huge part of the Flames season so far, and a long-term injury could be devastating to their playoff hopes.
Minor Transactions: 02/12/18
Just two weeks remain until the NHL trade deadline, and the rumor mill is starting to heat up. To make room for trades, teams often make minor moves to open up a roster spot or change the make up of the team. We’ll keep track of all those minor transactions right here.
- The Dallas Stars have sent Jason Dickinson and Dillon Heatherington back to the AHL, at least for the next few days. The Stars don’t play again until February 16th, and can save some cap space by sending the pair down. The Texas Stars don’t play until the 17th, so they won’t be needed during that time. We’ll have to wait and see if they are recalled in a few days.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs plan on recalling Nikita Soshnikov from his conditioning stint later today, but will keep him on injured reserve for the time being. Though there has been some confusion over a “deadline” of sorts to activate Soshnikov, players on long-term injury conditioning loans do not have to be activated when such a loan ends. Instead, Toronto will take their time to decide how to fit Soshnikov back into their roster picture.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Jon Gillies from the AHL under emergency conditions, thanks to Mike Smith‘s injury last night. The team also moved Troy Brouwer to injured reserve retroactive to February 8th. Gillies and David Rittich will have to hold the net while Smith recovers from an injury that isn’t as bad as expected.
- Cory Schneider is finally on injured reserve for the New Jersey Devils, retroactive to his last game on January 23rd. In the meantime, the club has used the roster spot to recall forward Nick Lappin from the minor leagues. The 25-year old Lappin has 29 points in 42 games for the Binghamton Devils this season.
- Paul Thompson has been returned to the Chicago Wolves after just one day up with the Vegas Golden Knights, and will have to wait for another opportunity to make his 2017-18 NHL debut. The 29-year old forward has 24 games of NHL experience, but has been a solid AHL offensive player for years.
Buffalo’s Jack Eichel Out Indefinitely With High Ankle Sprain
5:09 PM: Head coach Phil Housley told reporters, including NHL.com’s Joe Yerdon (Twitter link) that Eichel could still return this season. He is, however, expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks at a minimum.
1:05 PM: The Buffalo Sabres will be without their best player as the team announced that Jack Eichel will be out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain. This is the second year in a row he’s suffered this injury, although last year’s sprain was with his left leg. This sprain is with his right leg.
Eichel, the team’s leading scorer suffered the same injury a year ago when he missed the first 21 games of the season and didn’t start his season until Nov. 29 in 2016. A similar timetable could suggest he might miss most if not all of the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old center has played in 55 games this year and has 22 goals and 53 points and was well on his way to posting career highs this season.
From a team outlook, Eichel’s loss shouldn’t affect much as the team plans to be sellers at the deadline and have the second-worst record in the league with a 16-29-10 record. The team should have a good chance of snagging the top pick in the 2018 draft lottery in Rasmus Dahlin.
The Buffalo News’ John Vogl tweets that the team plans to recall 22-year-old center Nicholas Baptiste from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He has one goal in eight games with the Sabres this year.
Minor Transactions: 2/11/18
With the NFL season over, the NHL seems to have increased their Sunday games from just a handful to a nine-game set today. With a busy weekend, there should be quite a bit of movement on many NHL rosters today.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled forward Nikolay Goldobin from the Utica Comets of the AHL. He returns almost a month after he was sent down. The 22-year-old 2014 first-round pick has nine goals and leads the Comets in assists with 21 assists. He has played 14 games for the Canucks this season. He has two goals and two assists, but has averaged just 12:01 of ice time for the NHL club so far this year.
- After losing backup goaltender Malcolm Subban to injury, the Vegas Golden Knights have officially recalled goaltender Manny Lagace from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Lagace had his moments earlier this season while starting for Vegas, while both Subban and Marc-Andre Fleury were out. Lagace was 6-6-1 in 14 games. He had his ups and downs as he carries a 3.79 GAA and a .872 save percentage during that time. He has a 2.65 GAA and a .907 save percentage in Chicago.
- The San Jose Sharks made a couple of moves as they have recalled defenseman Tim Heed and Rudolfs Balcers from the San Jose Barracuda. For Heed, this is one of many moves over the last few days. He was sent to the Barracuda on Wednesday, recalled the following day and then sent back to the Barracuda Friday. He played one game for the Barracuda. For the Sharks, the 27-year-old offensive defenseman played in just 27 games this season and has three goals and eight assists. Balcers gets his first call-up to the Sharks. The 20-year-old wing has 12 goals and 31 points this season for the Barracuda.
- The Vegas Golden Knights made a second move for the day as they have recalled forward Paul Thompson, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. This will be the first time the 29-year-old has been recalled for Vegas as he’s spent the whole season in Chicago of the AHL. In 48 games with the Wolves, Thompson has 14 goals, 26 points and 82 penalty minutes. He did play 21 games with the Florida Panthers last year and had three assists.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they recalled defenseman Nick Seeler from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. The team also announced the have assigned forward Viktor Loov to Iowa. Seeler, 24, has played 49 games for Iowa and has two goals and 10 assists on the year. If he plays Tuesday, it would be his NHL debut. Loov, was just picked up Thursday in a minor trade from New Jersey. The 25-year-old did not get into a Wild game, however. Loov had five goals and 12 assists in 36 games for the Binghampton Devils of the AHL before the trade.
Injury Notes: Granlund, Hendricks, Hutchinson, Elliott
The Vancouver Canucks took another injury hit when they announced that forward Markus Granlund will be out for a month with an ankle injury, which he suffered Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He landed awkwardly on his ankle after being bumped on the boards by Ryan Callahan.
The 24-year-old Granlund was expected to be a big contributor this season after a breakout season last year when he scored 19 goals. However, that hasn’t been the case this year. He has eight goals so far this year in 53 games and has seen less average ice time as he’s seeing almost a minute less than last year.
As reported earlier, the Canucks recalled Nikolay Goldobin from the Utica Comets of the AHL.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced they have activated veteran center Matt Hendricks off of injured reserve and placed goaltender Michael Hutchinson on injured reserve to make room for him. Hendricks, who was signed to a one-year deal this offseason, was out with an upper body injury and has missed the past two games. The team’s fourth-line center, Hendricks has put up a solid season with four goals and eight assists. Hutchinson was placed on IR, retroactive to Feb. 6. He was called up to replace backup Steve Mason, who went down with a concussion. However, Hutchinson himself suffered a concussion in a pre-game skate on that date. Eric Comrie is filling in as an emergency backup.
- The Philadelphia Flyers might be without starting goaltender Brian Elliott again after he had to leave Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. He actually left the game after the overtime period against Arizona and was replaced by Michal Neuvirth for the shootout. The team only just got Elliott back on Monday from a lower-body injury. Carchidi suspects that the veteran pulled a groin muscle before going down. He will be re-evaluated after tonight’s game against Vegas. The team announced they have recalled Alex Lyons from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to serve as the backup.
Rangers’ Ondrej Pavelec Out 2-3 Weeks
The New York Rangers will be without their backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who sprained his MCL and will be out for two to three weeks, according to Justin Tasch of the Daily News. The injury happened during Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames when the 30-year-old goaltender was forced to leave during the first period of the game.
The injury is just another one of many for the Rangers, who have been decimated by them. The team already is without winger Chris Kreider (rib resection), defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (meniscus surgery), Pavel Buchnevich (concussion), Marc Staal (cervical strain). Defenseman Ryan McDonagh is also out with an upper-body injury. Winger Jimmy Vesey has also missed some time, but is expected to play today.
Pavelec has struggled at times with the Rangers as he has a 3.01 GAA in 16 appearances and a .910 save percentage. He did, however, have a dominant streak between Oct. 26 and Jan. 7 in which he had a 2.27 GAA and a .937 save percentage. The recalled Alexander Georgiev from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL Saturday. The 22-year-old has been hot recently there with an 8-0-1 record and a 1.76 GAA in his last nine starts.
Atlantic Notes: Draper, Lecavalier, Eichel
The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James sat down with Detroit Red Wings special assistant (to the general manager) Kris Draper and talked scouting and development with the forward who played in Detroit from 1993-2011. The topic ranged from his assessment of the current squad to his optimism about the progress of prospects Dennis Cholowski and Michael Rasmussen. On the current team, Draper was complimentary about their fight, and stopped short of rooting for them to lose to help the team’s draft odds:
Listen, I know they are going to play hard and do everything they can to make the playoffs. They basically want to screw up our draft. Here we are talking about Rasmus Dahlin, a kid that potentially is going to be a franchise defenseman — they don’t care about that. They want to win. But in the end, for us to get better, we have to draft really well and then we have to find some gems.
St. James asked a follow-up question, wondering if the 2004 Selke Trophy winner would admit he was pulling for competitive, one-goal losses, but he wouldn’t bite. Draper works directly for Ken Holland, and he’s certainly a name to watch should Detroit and Holland part ways. Draper scouts both amateur and pro talent and is involved with team strategy according to the team’s site. But his greatest asset is his connection to the past, as the Red Wings have been very loyal to those who have worn the Winged Wheel. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Detroit go to a trusted name if Holland steps away–whether it’s Draper or assistant general manager Ryan Martin. The vast majority of Detroit fans are clamoring for the return of Yzerman–considered one of the best managers in the league and who was blocked by Holland when offered a chance to be the GM. His return seems unlikely, as Yzerman built the Lightning into a powerhouse. If Yzerman returned, he would have to endure an arduous rebuild in Hockeytown, saddled down by many unmovable contracts.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning former captain Vincent Lecavalier‘s #4 tonight, Lecavalier was the team’s #1 overall choice in the 1998 NHL draft and played fourteen seasons with the Bolts before being bought out after the 2012-13 season. Lecavalier is still the franchise’s all-time goals leader (383) and still holds the record for most points in a single season (108) back in 2007-08. Lecavalier’s number joins Martin St. Louis‘ #26 in the Amalie Arena rafters.
- Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel was injured after he fell awkwardly during the first period tonight and did not return. It appeared to be a right ankle or right leg injury. Despite a dreary season in Buffalo, Eichel has 53 points in 54 games (22-31), showing again the immense talent he possesses on a squad struggling to find its way. Though the team is positioned for a top pick in the coming draft, losing Eichel to any significant injury is just another negative to an already tough season for Sabres fans.
Vegas Places Malcolm Subban On Injured Reserve
Just 54 games into their existence as an NHL franchise, perhaps no team in the league more familiar than the Vegas Golden Knights when it comes to injuries in goal. Other than their amazing success in their inaugural season, the other big story line for Vegas this season has been the unbelievable frequency with which their net minders get hurt. Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Oscar Dansk, and Maxime Lagace have all missed time this season due to injury and much of it came at the same time. Their #1, #2, and #3 keepers were all injured in October and the unproven Lagace struggled in relief. Yet, the Knights stayed strong through it all and had put their goalie injury woes behind them.
Now, they’re back again. The Sin Bin reports that Subban is headed to the injured reserve for the second time this season. Subban sustained an upper-body injury on Thursday morning ahead of the team’s game with the San Jose Sharks. Vegas took a risk and still dressed Subban for the match-up, though The Sin Bin states that he was not actually available to play. Following a practice today in which the team’s emergency goalie was in attendance and Subban was not, came the official move to place him on IR.
The loss of Subban is not without some significant repercussions. While Fleury has been phenomenal for the Knights this season, Subban has also done very well for himself in his first full NHL season. After struggling to even win the AHL job with the Boston Bruins over the past few years, Subban has thrived in Vegas after coming over via waivers. The 24-year-old has an 11-3-1 record and seven quality starts, which has mattered more the to capable Golden Knights than his pedestrian .912 save percentage and 2.49 GAA.
Lagace has been tabbed as his replacement for now, as he has been recalled from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. While Lagace’s NHL numbers earlier this season were far from Stellar, Dansk is still working his way back to full health, making Lagace the clear choice for the time being. Both young goaltenders could see action in Vegas while Subban remains sidelined. The last thing the Golden Knights want to do is overwork Fleury and risk injury to then end up with both NHL options on the shelf yet again.
Bruins Notes: Acciari, Czarnik, Donato
The Boston Bruins have been on a roll for going on three months now. The team is 27-4-4 since November 16th – a whopping .829 points percentage in that span – and is neck-and-neck with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the NHL. A major part of that success has been balance and chemistry among the forward lines. Over this long streak of impressive play, the Bruins have been lining up the same four groupings in every game in which they have access to all twelve forwards. Outside of a recent Brad Marchand five-game suspension, during which the Bruins dropped their first regulation loss since December 14th, the only regular up front who has missed considerable time is energy line winger Noel Acciari. Acciari has been banged up for much of the campaign, including missing 13 games with a fractured finger early on, when the team was battling severe injury issues. However, his latest sidelining comes courtesy of a lower-body injury back in January. Since then, Acciari has missed the last six games and, according to coach Bruce Cassidy, will miss another tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. However, there is some optimism that Acciari could be ready to go tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils.
- The question now becomes whether Acciari can reclaim his regular fourth-line role. His replacement, AHL All-Star Austin Czarnik, has performed admirably in his stead and has received praise from Cassidy for his play. The quick, skilled forward, who is one of the AHL’s top scorers with 42 points through 38 games with the Providence Bruins, has added a new dimension to the team’s bottom line. Playing alongside Czarnik, Sean Kuraly broke a 29-game goal drought on Tuesday night and then added another on Wednesday, while Tim Schaller scored this uncharacteristic highlight reel goal on Wednesday as well. Czarnik himself has a three-game points streak going and has fit in well in Boston. While it may be difficult to figure out how to fit Czarnik onto the roster long-term, it could be worth the effort. Acciari, in comparison, had just one point in eight games prior to his injury – though that stretch was preceded by a three-game goal-scoring outburst.
- Czarnik’s immediate production, on Boston’s checking line no less, speaks both to the ability of the team and the depth of talent available to them. Another dark horse depth addition down the stretch – and yet another reason the deadline could be quiet for the Bruins – is a name that many will hear in the coming weeks: Ryan Donato. One of the four college players named to Team USA for the ongoing Olympic Games, Donato is not just expected to play for the U.S., but to star. A Harvard product and son of former Bruin and Crimson head coach Ted Donato, Ryan is arguably the best pure scorer on the American roster. He has recorded 21 goals in just 23 games this season, leading the NCAA in scoring and earning him a Hobey Baker Award nomination. That kind of ability is why there are big expectations for him in both Pyeongchang and in Boston. Many foresee the Bruins trying to sign Donato as soon as his junior year season ends and perhaps adding him to the roster for the playoffs, much like they did last year with Charlie McAvoy.