Marc-Andre Fleury’s Agent Blasts NHL Concussion Protocol
NHL agent Allan Walsh blasted the league Friday over the NHL’s concussion spotter protocol, referring it to a public relations spin to pretend to show the league cares about player safety. The agent, who happens to have Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as a client, elabortated further in an interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen.
“I just want to be very clear,” said Walsh to the RJ the following day. “I am not in any way, what I said yesterday, referencing any specific client or in any way referencing any specific club. It is the league-wide implementation of the concussion spotter protocol that I am criticizing because it is not being applied properly. And, like I said, the way the NHL is allowing players to remain in games is a joke.”
Fleury has been on injured reserve for two weeks already, since Oct. 15, with concussion-related symptoms after he was kneed in the head by Detroit’s Anthony Mantha. Schoen writes that the Golden Knights have said that Fleury passed all the in-game tests, but showed concussion symptoms after the game. Since then, there have been no updates suggesting he may come back soon. Coincidentally, Walsh’s comments on Friday came 30 minutes after Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant announced that Fleury would not accompany the team for the start of their six-game road trip.
The comments from Walsh also might be more relevant after a recent injury to Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who took an inadvertent blow to the head from teammate Derek Forbort. The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell wrote a story last week detailing that teams have too much leverage and power when it comes to determining whether their players should come out for the game, referring to Quick’s experience. He cites that the league representative informed the NHL home office of the injury, but it took three play stoppages before Quick was taken off the ice with 1:14 remaining in the period and went down the tunnel into a quiet room, but returned seconds later and returned to his place in the crease during that same stoppage. However, before play started, he was removed again. This time backup Darcy Kuemper took his place in the net and played for 36 seconds before play was stopped and Quick came back and finished out the period’s final 35 seconds.
Campbell points out that it’s impossible to imagine that he received a proper concussion test in that short of a time. He said that the league felt that the injury was caused from a stick to the head, which only causes one percent of concussion injuries and Quick was therefore cleared quickly, but the scribe points out that the league is playing a dangerous game if they are determining whether players should or shouldn’t receive concussions tests based on replays.
Snapshots: Vanek, Gostisbehere, Palmieri
Thomas Vanek has been used to playing big minutes his entire career. He was used to playing between 16-18 minutes. Then he came to the Vancouver Canucks, where suddenly his minutes have dropped dramatically in head coach Travis Green‘s rewards-based system. Now he’s averaging 13:33 worth of time with some days getting quite a bit more and others, quite a bit less, but Vanek just finds himself working harder to make sure he gets his minutes, according to Ben Kuzma of The Province.
The scribe writes that Green’s system in which he rewards players who are playing well and penalizes them when they make mistakes is working in Vancouver as Green’s style is being compared to that of legendary New York Islanders’ coach Al Arbour. And it’s that style of coaching that has Green’s Canucks boasting a 6-3-1 start.
As for Vanek, his numbers have fluctuated a lot, which has a lot to do with his success or lack thereof. Kuzma wrote that Vanek has always been that player where you get a mixed bag from and that shows. The 33-year-old wing, however, did score his fourth goal of the season for Vancouver Thursday in their 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals, but still only got 11:48 of ice time.
“The best coaches I’ve had, it goes two ways,” Vanek said. “You need the trust from him and he needs the trust from you. The biggest thing is honesty. Greener has done a real good job of that and we’re winning, so the message is sent well. But talk to any player. You want to be around that 15- or 16-minute mark. Right now, that’s not happening so you just try to make the most of what you get.”
- Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager Ron Hextall announced that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is out for the game with an upper-body injury after sustaining a big hit against the boards from Toronto’s Leo Komarov in the second period. While the hit received no attention from the referees, the general belief is that it will be reviewed by the NHL tomorrow. If Gostisbehere can’t play on Monday, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi tweets that Samuel Morin will likely be brought in to help the team.
- Andrew Gross of The Record tweets that New Jersey Devils winger Kyle Palmieri is day-to-day with an injured left foot. He will be re-evaluated on Monday. The 26-year-old hasn’t skated since Oct. 22 and may not be able to go on the team’s upcoming road trip. However, Gross tweets that the team will not necessarily call anyone up, because Brian Boyle might be ready soon.
Injury Updates: Zajac, Connolly, Miller, Vatanen, Teravainen
While he is still a long way from returning to the lineup, Devils center Travis Zajac took a step forward in his recovery on Friday in the morning skate for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle back in mid-August. However, head coach John Hynes was quick to caution to Andrew Gross of The Record that he still has a long way to go and that there’s no updated timeframe yet for his return. At the time of the surgery, Zajac was expected to miss four-to-six months but if he doesn’t experience any setbacks as he begins to skate, he could potentially push to be back for the shorter end of that timeline.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- The Capitals will likely be without winger Brett Connolly for at least the next two games as he has been placed into concussion protocol, notes Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. Anthony Peluso, who was recalled yesterday, is likely to take his spot on the roster while Tyler Graovac (upper-body injury) was transferred to injured reserve.
- The Ducks have activated goaltender Ryan Miller off IR, reports Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. The netminder is expected to serve as the backup tonight and then potentially make his first start of the season on Sunday. Miller is in his first season with Anaheim after signing a two-year deal with them in free agency but suffered a wrist injury in the preseason and has yet to suit up in a regular season game in 2017-18.
- Also coming off the IR in Anaheim is blueliner Sami Vatanen, Stephens notes in the same column. He has missed the entire season so far after undergoing surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. His return to the Ducks’ lineup comes at a great time with Cam Fowler (knee) and Kevin Bieksa (hand) both dealing with injuries.
- After leaving Friday’s game with an upper-body injury, Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen will skate Sunday morning and is listed as a game-time decision for their game against Anaheim, the team announced (via Twitter). Teravainen is off to a nice start in his second season with Carolina, recording five points in the first nine games of the season which ranks him tied for third on the team.
Keeping An Eye On Entry-Level Slides: An Update
Two weeks ago we ran an article looking at the young players in the NHL who were also eligible to see their contracts slide by one year. Should they be sent back to their junior or European clubs before playing in 10 NHL games, they would avoid burning the first year of their entry-level contracts.
At the time, none of the players eligible had surpassed that threshold. Today is a different story. Three players have already played their 10th game in the NHL, changing the goalposts somewhat for their respective teams. Now, those clubs must decide whether or not to keep them past the next threshold of 40 games, when they’ll get a year closer to unrestricted free agency. Below, we’ll take an updated look at the entire group.
10+ Games Played
Mikhail Sergachev (TBL)
Victor Mete (MTL)
Alex DeBrincat (CHI)
Each of these three seemed to have a good shot at staying with their respective teams right from the start, but now the most interesting thing to watch will be that 40 game mark. For Sergachev especially it holds quite a bit of value. Due to a condition on the trade that brought him to Tampa Bay, if he fails to play 40 games this season the Montreal Canadiens would have to send a second-round draft pick (Montreal would also receive a sixth-round pick in return). That extra asset could be tantalizing for the Lightning, but with Sergachev’s outstanding start—the young defenseman has 10 points in 11 games—it may not be worth sending him away from the team.
8-9 Games Played
Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ)
Nico Hischier (NJD)
Jesper Bratt (NJD)
Nolan Patrick (PHI)
All four of these players seem destined to play past the nine game threshold, with Dubois set to play his tenth game tonight, and Patrick only sitting out due to injury this week. Bratt and Hischier have played in all eight of New Jersey’s games, combining for 13 points. Their strong early play will likely keep them in New Jersey for the year.
Interestingly, Dubois has lasted in the Columbus lineup despite registering just one point all season. He’s not being sent back before tonight’s game, but it will be interesting to see how the season plays out. He’s not struggling with the pace of play, but hasn’t received the opportunity to really show what his offensive ceiling is. Should Columbus face more injuries, Dubois could be thrust into a more important role.
5-7 Games Played
Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)
Yamamoto is one of the most interesting cases, because though he’s played seven games with the club and at times been one of the ice-time leaders beside Connor McDavid, he was scratched last night against the Dallas Stars. As Leon Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula came back, there seemingly wasn’t a spot left for Yamamoto in the top nine.
The diminutive forward has three points through his seven contests, but isn’t a lock to stay past nine games if the Oilers feel he still needs some more development. Though he obviously has the skill to play at this level, if they’re not going to play him every night his path may lie back in the WHL. That would certainly change the fate for the Spokane Chiefs, his junior team, who are currently 8-6-1 on the season.
1-4 Games Played
Owen Tippett (FLA)
Janne Kuokkanen (CAR)
Samuel Girard (NSH)
Tippett finally worked his way into the lineup for Florida, and the early results suggest he could stay there all year. The winger from the Mississauga Steelheads scored his first goal last night, and could find himself getting more ice time as the Panthers try to dig their way out of a rough start. By no means is he guaranteed, but the team has hinted that he would stay in the NHL right away since the start of training camp.
Kuokkanen started off hot for the Hurricanes in limited minutes, but has been relegated to the press box for the team’s last five games. As we wrote in the previous article, the Hurricanes could actually send him to the AHL instead of back to junior, meaning he could bounce up and down this season.
Girard has certainly impressed in the three games he’s played, but none of those have come in the team’s last four. He may be back in the lineup tonight however when the team takes on the Chicago Blackhawks, and if he keeps up his high level of play they may have no choice but to keep him around. Still, it’s always tough for a 19-year old defender to stick in the NHL and especially one that is just 162-lbs. He’ll have to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s ready to be a contributor to this team all season.
No Longer On Roster
Logan Brown (OTT)
Filip Chytil (NYR)
Alex Formenton (OTT)
Martin Necas (CAR)
All four made their NHL debuts, but were eventually sent back before breaking the first threshold. Only Chytil remains in the North American professional ranks, currently playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.
Cam Fowler Given Four To Eight Week Timeline
The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with never-ending injuries for the past few months, and now another one will keep a key player out for some time. Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that the knee injury that has kept Cam Fowler out since October 20th was given a four to eight week timeline. That would keep Fowler out until at least November 17th.
Anaheim have also been without Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm for the first part of the season—though the latter returned on Tuesday night—and were just dealt another blow when Kevin Bieksa was sent home from the road trip with a hand injury. While there is no timeline on Bieksa’s injury, the blueline is getting thinner and thinner for the Ducks, as they had to rely on Brandon Montour for more than 25 minutes last night.
While Vatanen is close to a return, the Ducks will miss Fowler’s presence on the back end after he developed into a legitimate top-pairing option a year ago. The 25-year old put up another solid offensive season with 39 points, while cleaning up his defensive play enough to be trusted with nearly 25 minutes a night. That excellent play in all situations earned Fowler some Norris votes as one of the league’s best defensemen, as well as an eight-year contract extension this summer. That deal won’t kick in until 2018-19, and will pay him an average of $6.5MM per season for most of the next decade.
When the season began it didn’t look like the Ducks would need to rely on Francois Beauchemin for more than about a month, but it now seems as though he’ll be needed for much longer in an advanced role. The 37-year old defenseman is averaging more than two minutes a game on both the penalty kill and powerplay, both numbers that could potentially increase with Fowler and Bieksa out long-term. For a player who was bought out by the Colorado Avalanche and signed to a one-year, $1MM deal the Ducks are certainly getting their money’s worth.
Florida Panthers Recall Chase Balisy
The Florida Panthers have made a roster move to start the morning off, recalling Chase Balisy from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The move is likely in response to Connor Brickley‘s upper-body injury suffered last night, which has been deemed day-to-day.
Balisy, 25, was a sixth-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2011, but has yet to crack an NHL lineup in his professional career. After four years at Western Michigan University, where he was a captain and solid offensive contributor, he’s found success in the minor leagues as well. Last year for the Thunderbirds, he scored 45 points in 76 games and though he’s off to a slow start in the minors this year still has the skill to hop to the next level, at least on a part-time basis.
The Panthers ended up beating the Anaheim Ducks 8-3 last night, on the backs of several new faces. Radim Vrbata scored three times while Evgeni Dadonov netted a pair himself. The most interesting may have been Owen Tippett though, who broke through with his first NHL goal in his fourth game. Tippett represents the start of the next wave of Panthers’ players, and Balisy will try to throw his name into that hat.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Steve Oleksy
Journeyman defenseman Steve Oleksy is set to make to join the Ducks for the first time, as Anaheim announced that they have called up the veteran blue liner. The Ducks are in Florida tonight to face the Panthers, so don’t expect Oleksy to make his debut right away, but with dates with the Lightning and Hurricanes still to come this weekend, the expectation is that Oleksy will join the team on their southeastern swing and could see some game action before the return trip to Anaheim.
Oleksy, 31, signed with the Ducks as a free agent this summer after spending last year with the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins after playing the three seasons prior with the rival Washington Capitals. Oleksy has never been an NHL regular – his career-high 33 games came in 2013-14 – but he has proven to be serviceable when called upon.
That’s all that Anaheim can ask for, as they are already on to their tenth different defender of the season. The Ducks revealed today that Kevin Bieksa is out indefinitely with a hand injury, as he joins stalwarts Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler on the sidelines. With Shea Theodore and Clayton Stoner now in Las Vegas, the Ducks simply don’t have the depth that they used to on the blue line, leading to this opportunity for Oleksy on top of regular roles already for 37-year-old addition Francois Beauchemin and the likes of Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna.
Chris Lee Signs One-Year Deal In KHL
One of the best stories in hockey last year was Chris Lee, the 37-year old defenseman who turned an invite to the World Championships and a freak injury to Tyson Barrie into a showcase for his talent. Lee had never played a game in the NHL, but suddenly was thrust into a key role on Team Canada after Barrie was injured while wrestling in his hotel room. He found immediate success as a puck-moving piece for the Canadians, logging two assists in seven games.
Lee tried to spin his silver medal performance into an NHL contract, but after attending training camp with the Kings on a professional tryout, has now signed a one-year deal to return to the KHL according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. Lee will suit up for his old team in Magnitogorsk, where he registered 65 points last season.
The intriguing part will be whether Lee suits up for Team Canada once again in Pyeongchang at the 2018 Winter Olympics, now that he won’t be tied to an NHL team. The veteran defenseman, who logged four successful years in the AHL before heading overseas, would likely be one of Canada’s best options. His experience in the KHL may prove even more important than his skill, as the Russian Olympic team will be made up almost exclusively of KHL talent.
Morning Notes: Athanasiou, Bieksa, Gaunce
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press has news that every Red Wings fan has been waiting to hear: Andreas Athanasiou should be in the lineup tonight. Athanasiou recently rejoined the team after holding out through all of training camp and the first few weeks of the season, but is expected to play tonight when the Red Wings take on Tampa Bay. The young forward will skate alongside Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm, and likely be part of one of the powerplay units.
Remember, Athanasiou signed for just one year after all the summer negotiating, meaning this season is huge for him as he heads into arbitration. A repeat of his 18-goal performance would help go a long way to secure the type of contract he was after this time around. Athanasiou has potential for even more, but will have to avoid a sort of sophomore slump in his second full season. It looks like he’ll be given every chance to do it, after missing just 10 games to start the year.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that Kevin Bieksa is out indefinitely with a hand injury, but amazingly it’s not the one he used to land a “Superman punch”. Bieka was in a fight with Radko Gudas when he jumped and delivered a knockout blow, landing on top of the Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman. Bieksa didn’t leave the game after serving his penalty in the first period, and logged 18:20 of ice time on the night. It appears to be his left hand that is injured however, and he’s left the team during their current road trip. Korbinian Holzer is expected to replace him in the lineup tonight.
- Brendan Gaunce hasn’t played yet this season, but will get into a game before long. The Vancouver Canucks have assigned Gaunce to the Utica Comets of the AHL on a conditioning stint. Gaunce is recovering from shoulder surgery he had in the spring, and will need some game action before being thrust into the Canucks lineup. The first-round pick from 2012 has yet to show much offense in the NHL with just six points in 77 career games, but still hopes to show another level upon his return.
Injury Updates: Krejci, Penguins, Johns, Flyers
Bruins center David Krejci has been downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week and has been ruled out of action for the rest of this week, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link). The upper-body injury occurred last Thursday against Vancouver after awkwardly hitting the boards. Although he played in all 82 games last season, staying healthy has been an issue at times for the 31-year old who missed 45 games due to injuries between 2014-15 and 2015-16. For the time being, Boston will likely shift David Backes to play down the middle, a position he has plenty of experience with from his time in St. Louis.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- Penguins defenseman Matt Hunwick has resumed skating but isn’t quite ready to return yet from a concussion sustained on October 17th, notes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Additionally, blueliner Justin Schultz is doubtful for their next game on Thursday after suffering a concussion last night against the Oilers. As a result, Zach Trotman will likely make his season debut after being a healthy scratch since being recalled last Thursday.
- Stars defender Stephen Johns has been diagnosed with concussion symptoms, notes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The team was carrying eight defensemen already so it’s unlikely they’ll look to make a corresponding roster move. Johns has played in all nine games with Dallas this season, recording a goal and two assists while averaging just over 17 minutes per game.
- Despite leaving Tuesday’s game early after hitting the glass head first after taking a check, Flyers center Nolan Patrick is not expected to miss any time and should be ready to play on Thursday night, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The second overall pick from June has played in all nine games for Philadelphia so far which means that he will officially burn the first year of his entry-level contract in his next outing. Carchidi adds that winger Wayne Simmonds missed practice today while being evaluated for an undisclosed injury.