P.K. Subban May Have Herniated Disc
According to Elliotte Friedman, Predators defenseman P.K. Subban is expected to meet with doctors tomorrow to discuss a course of treatment for “what is believed to be a herniated disc.” In a follow-up tweet, Friedman states the two options the talented blue liner and the Predators have are resting the back and hoping for improvement or surgery, which would sideline Subban for “quite a while.”
Subban has already missed seven games with what had been termed an upper-body injury and while the team has considered the defender day-to-day, this latest bit of news obviously throws serious doubt on that belief.
Acquired in the summer blockbuster trade which sent Shea Weber to Montreal, Subban has tallied seven goals and 17 points in 29 games in his first campaign with Nashville.
More to come as new information comes to light.
Dater’s Latest: Trades, Duchene, Landeskog
In the most recent edition of “Avalanche Talk with Adrian Dater,” a podcast appearing on 5280 Sports Network, longtime Colorado Avalanche scribe Adrian Dater offers his thoughts on the team’s dreadful season and what he would do if he was in the GM’s chair to fix the issues. The whole podcast is well worth a listen but here are a few of the highlights.
- On the cause of the team’s struggles, Dater points to the young core receiving lucrative long-term deals before helping to lead the team to any real on-ice success as a contributing factor. He suggests that without the added motivation of earning a big contract, complacency set in leading to some of the Avalanche’s issues. Matt Duchene inked his five-year, $30MM extension prior to the 2013-14 campaign and on the heels of a nearly point-per-game performance. Later that summer, Gabriel Landeskog was awarded a seven-year, $39MM deal. Midway through the 2013-14 season Colorado also extended goalie Semyon Varlamov with a five-year, $29.5MM pact. The other members of the team’s core, Erik Johnson, Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie, have all agreed to new deals since the start of the 2015-16 season. The Avalanche have made the playoffs just once in the last seven seasons and were eliminated in the first round in 2014, perhaps lending further validity to Dater’s hypothesis.
- In terms of fixing the team, Dater isolated the blue line corps and suggested the club should pursue two young top-four defensemen while utilizing their 2017 first-round pick and one of Landeskog or Duchene as bait. As it stands now, the Avalanche own the worst record in the league at 12 – 22 – 4. Should that remain the case at the conclusion of the season, the Avalanche would be guaranteed one of the top two selections in June’s drat. Nonetheless, Dater opines that this crop of draft-eligible prospects lacks the flair of past years and Colorado would be better suited to cash the pick into a top-flight young blue liner. He also argues that Duchene likely has more value on the trade market than Landeskog and would also be able to return the Avalanche another solid defender. Among the names Dater mentions as the type of players the team should target are Jacob Trouba of Winnipeg and Colton Parayko of St. Louis. To be clear, Dater wasn’t reporting on any specific rumor he has heard or even suggesting the defensemen are in play in any trade discussions; he was simply identifying Trouba and Parayko as the type of players the team needs to improve their overall defensive play.
- Dater also mentions that Landeskog, the team’s captain, is playing through an undisclosed lower-body injury and that might be a factor in the player’s offensive struggles this season. In 25 appearances, the Swedish winger has just six goals and 11 points, numbers far below the normal expectations of a top-six forward. His track record also suggest better production as he has tallied 20 or more goals in each of the three previous campaigns. Landeskog missed 10 games earlier this season with a lower-body injury and it’s possible the issues Dater alluded to are related to the prior problem. His so-far underwhelming production is further evidence that he wouldn’t have as much value in a potential trade as Duchene.
Western Notes: Jost, Dano, Coyotes
When the Colorado Avalanche picked Tyson Jost 10th overall this year out of Penticton, they knew he was headed to the NCAA. After all, Jost played in the BCHL, an NCAA breeding ground because they retain eligibility unlike the CHL. But now it sounds like it will be one-and-done for Jost at the University of North Dakota.
Mike Chambers of the Denver Post writes in his latest column that Jost will sign after his freshman season concludes and may even make his NHL debut this season. The 18-year old center has 18 points in 17 games for the Fighting Hawks, and is starring for Canada at the World Juniors. For a team that is starved for something positive this year, the development of Jost is something to look forward to. He will likely slot in full time next season with the club, especially if one of their other young forwards is moved out between now and then.
- After head coach Paul Maurice told us yesterday that Marko Dano would be out at least a few weeks, he clarified the diagnoses today. Dano will miss eight weeks with his lower-body injury, keeping him out until just before the trade deadline. The former first-round pick (by Columbus in 2013) has 10 points in 28 games this year, a solid pace for the 22-year old. He’ll have another setback now though as he misses more time. Jets fans will have to wait jut a little bit longer to see his potential come to fruition.
- The Arizona Coyotes will watch two of their prized prospects battle it out today in the Canada-USA World Junior game. Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome each lead their respective teams in scoring at the tournament, and will be big parts of the Coyotes in the future. While Strome got a taste of the NHL this season before heading back to Erie in the OHL, Keller has been starring as a freshman at Boston University all year. 15 points in his first 10 games in the NCAA it won’t be long until he jumps to the AHL. Both top-10 picks, the Coyotes have a bright future in this tournament.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Jordan Oesterle, Assign Mark Fayne To AHL
After the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 last night to improve their record to 4-1 in their last five games, the team has recalled Jordan Oesterle from the AHL Bakersfield Condors. In addition, the team has activated Mark Fayne from injured reserve and assigned him to the minor league team.
According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the team is claiming that Andrej Sekera is sick and may not be available for Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. Sekera took a shot off his foot in his final shift on December 23rd and apparently hasn’t been seen around the team since – including missing the Kings game last night.
If Sekera is out for any length of time the Oilers defense will take a big hit, as the veteran blueliner has been logging close to 22 minutes a night for the club. He was also anointed as the team’s No. 1 defender just a few days ago by head coach Todd McLellan.
Oesterle hasn’t played with the NHL club this year but has gotten into 23 games over the past two years. An undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan University, the 24-year old has turned into an excellent puck moving defenseman in the minors. With eight points in fourteen games this season, he’s continued his strong play and deserves another chance in the NHL.
Fayne on the other hand has fought injury all season, playing in just four games thus far. Gone are the days of him logging big minutes for this team now that they’ve improved the right side immensely. He’ll head down to Bakersfield to try to get back into game shape and be ready for the next injury. A veteran of almost 400 career games and owner of a $3.625MM cap hit this season (and next), it’s surely not the last we’ve seen of him in the NHL.
Snapshots: Benson, Connauton, Burrows, Flyers, Olympics
The Edmonton Oilers have put pen to paper with one of their 2016 draft picks as they announced that they have inked left winger Tyler Benson to a three year, entry level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Benson was Edmonton’s second round pick (32nd overall) back in June. The Edmonton native had long been touted as a first rounder but an injury-plagued 2015-16 season (he played in just 30 games) certainly didn’t help his draft stock.
This season, Benson leads his junior team, the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, in scoring with 40 points (10-30-40) in 31 games. As has been the case with several young prospects who have signed recently, unless Benson plays in ten or more games with the Oilers this season, his contract will actually ‘slide’ a year with the team receiving a small reduction in his salary cap charge.
Other notes from around the league:
- Per a team release, the Arizona Coyotes have assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to their AHL affiliate in Tucson on a conditioning assignment. Connauton has played just twice this month and only nine times this season as he has predominantly been the seventh defenseman for Arizona.
- Canucks left winger Alex Burrows will play in his 800th game tonight against Anaheim. All of those games have come in a Vancouver uniform and once he suits up, he’ll be only the sixth player in franchise history to play in 800 games for the Canucks. The 35 year old has been an effective bottom six player this season with 14 points (6-8-14) in 32 games and has 378 points (190-188-378) through his first 799 contests.
- The Flyers will make rookie winger Travis Konecny a healthy scratch tonight, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The timing is a little strange as Konecny is coming off a two assist game but head coach Dave Hakstol wants to see his play improve without the puck on his stick. Left winger Michael Raffl will return to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s game with a lower body injury and slot in on the top line while defenseman Radko Gudas is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
- The NHL has drafted two versions of the 2017-18 schedule with the uncertainty surrounding their participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, notes Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter links). As a result, the league is no longer imposing any deadline on the decision regarding whether they will or won’t be participating. However, the IOC is still hoping for a decision by January 15th.
Injury Updates: Dano, Sharp, Faulk, Letang, Maatta
The Winnipeg Jets have placed left winger Marko Dano on injured reserve with a lower body injury, the team announced. Taking his place on the roster will be center Andrew Copp, who has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Dano suffered the injury in Thursday’s loss to Columbus and following the game, head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t too optimistic about the situation, notes Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press:
“I’ll be surprised if we come back on a short term injury here. We’re talking about weeks, easily.”
Dano, who was acquired by Winnipeg back in February as part of the Andrew Ladd trade, has played in 28 games with the Jets this season after being cut in training camp. He has three goals and seven assists in that span.
As for Copp, he has been up with Winnipeg for the majority of this season but had been sent back to Manitoba when the roster freeze lifted on Wednesday. In 25 games with the Jets this year, he has three goals and four assists.
More injury updates from around the league:
- Stars left winger Patrick Sharp has been given the green light to return to game action, Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge reports (Twitter link). He’s expected to be in the lineup tomorrow night as they host Florida. Sharp has been out of the lineup since December 1st and has played in just 11 games this year due to multiple concussions, picking up just a goal and an assist in that span.
- The Hurricanes are quite pleased with how defenseman Justin Faulk is progressing in his rehab from a lower body injury, writes Chip Alexander of the News & Observer. While he could be back earlier than expected, it’s unlikely that he will be back before Tuesday against the Devils and even being available for that game may be a stretch. Faulk has 16 points (7-9-16) in 30 games to lead all Carolina blueliners in scoring this season.
- The Penguins could have defensemen Kris Letang and Olli Maatta back in the lineup tomorrow when they host Montreal, reports Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Letang, who has two goals and 17 assists in 25 games this year, has been out since December 14th with a lower body injury while Maatta has missed the last two games with an illness.
Aleksander Barkov Out Two To Three Weeks
The Florida Panthers will be without top center Aleksander Barkov for the next 2-3 weeks with an undisclosed injury, reports NHL.com’s Alain Poupart. While Barkov left Wednesday’s game against Toronto after taking a shot to the ribs from Keith Yandle, head coach Tom Rowe stated that this is not the injury that will keep Barkov out of the lineup. He noted that the injury occurred a couple of games ago and that the 21 year old had been trying to play through it. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (Twitter link) that Florida has placed him on injured reserve.
Barkov leads the Panthers in scoring this season with nine goals and 18 assists through 36 games and had a five game point streak snapped against the Leafs.
The injury opens up a spot on Florida’s top line alongside Jaromir Jagr and Seth Griffith. Center Nick Bjugstad, who has struggled mightily since returning from a broken wrist, got the first look in that spot last night against Montreal. Through 18 games, he has just a single goal and an assist but has put up at least 15 goals in each of the last three seasons.
Injuries And Recalls: December 29
Injury Updates:
- 4:20pm: The Kings have activated defenseman Brayden McNabb off IR, Elliott Teaford of the Southern California News Group relays. He last played on October 29th before suffering a collarbone injury.
- 1:20pm: The Devils announced that center Jacob Josefson has been activated off of injured reserve. He had missed the last five games with a concussion and has two assists in 14 games this year.
- 11:17am: The Lightning announce that rookie forward Brayden Point will miss the next four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury. Point has 15 points in 36 games so far this season.
- 10:28am: After leaving last night’s game, Florida Panthers center Sasha Barkov will undergo an MRI. This is according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, who says Barkov’s injury does not appear to be serious at this time. Barkov has been one of the Panthers’ few bright spots in an otherwise difficult year, with 27 points in 36 games. He will not be in the lineup on Thursday night when the Panthers host the Montreal Canadiens.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Buffalo Times-Herald, Sabres defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be out of the lineup on Thursday night. Kulikov aggravated a prior back injury and will be replaced by Cody Franson, who is returning from a mid-to-lower-body injury. Kulikov was one of the Sabres’ bigger additions this past summer, but only has one assist in 20 games, and that came on Tuesday night.
- Also via Hoppe, Tyler Ennis is once again skating with the team seven weeks after undergoing surgery. His initial timeline was around six weeks. There is no timetable for his return.
- Oilers winger Iiro Pakarinen is skating, according to Mark Spector. Pakarinen has yet to play a game this season after suffering an ugly knee injury in a pre-season game versus the Kings on October 2. He has 16 points in 80 games over the past two seasons with the Oilers.
Recalls:
- 5:20pm: The Minnesota Wild announced that they have demoted forward Kurtis Gabriel to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The 2013 third-round pick recorded his first NHL point while on recall, an assist in an early December win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but has failed to build on that. He has just the one point in 13 games with Minnesota over the past two seasons. The fourth liner was averaging just under six minutes of ice time so far this season. Not known for his offensive ability, the 23-year-old Gabriel will have to prove in the AHL that he is an NHL-caliber checker to earn another shot.
- In light of Point’s injury, the Lightning have recalled Erik Condra and Yanni Gourde from Syracuse. Condra has played seven games for the Bolts so far this season, but has been held pointless. He does have 19 points in 21 AHL games. Gourde has just two NHL games under his belt, both last season. He has 26 points in 29 AHL games so far.
- Columbus has recalled left winger Markus Hannikainen as they look to win their fourteenth straight game. He’s not expected to be in the lineup on Thursday night versus the Jets. Hannikainen has no points in five NHL appearances this season, but has 13 points in 23 AHL games in Cleveland.
- The Panthers have recalled Michael Sgarbossa to fill Barkov’s roster spot, according to NBC Sports. The Panthers originally acquired Sgarbossa last month from the Ducks. He has 12 points in 14 games for the Panthers’ AHL affiliate.
Metropolitan Notes: Islanders, Devils, Miller, Nash
The New York Islanders looked into what it would cost to acquire Colorado center Matt Duchene, Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports in a reader mailbag. However, the Isles experienced some “sticker shock” with regards to how high the cost would be.
Duchene has three years remaining on his contract (including this season) and potentially could provide the team with a bit of insurance behind captain John Tavares, a potential unrestricted agent in the summer of 2018. However, as the two play the same position, he wouldn’t necessarily be a fit alongside Tavares, something the team has been searching for this season as newcomer Andrew Ladd has not been able to thrive in that role.
Staple also provided an update on injured center Mikhail Grabovski. The 32 year old has been dealing with a concussion all season long and is nowhere near close to returning to the lineup. Staple notes that the assumption in training camp was that Grabovski was never going to be cleared to play. He has another year left on his contract after this season with a cap hit of $5MM.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:
- While defense and strong goaltending have been the hallmarks of the Devils for many years now, that hasn’t been the case lately, writes Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media. New Jersey has allowed four or more goals in 14 of the last 19 games, a big step back after they allowed three or more just six times through the first 16 contests. As a result, they have seen their goals against average jump to 2.85 per game while goalie Cory Schneider is posting the worst numbers of his career. With the Devils also being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, their margin for error is quite slim if they want to get out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.
- Rangers winger J.T. Miller was dropped to the fourth line during Tuesday’s victory against Ottawa and head coach Alain Vigneault has not been pleased with his play as of late, notes Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The bench boss believes Miller needs to be better in his decision making, particularly when it comes to not forcing things and just making the safer play. Not only has he been moved to the fourth line for now, the Rangers have also dropped him off their second power play unit. After a hot start to the season with 18 points in 20 games, Miller has been much quieter since then, recording just four points in his last 17 outings.
- Brett Cyrgalis, also of the New York Post, provided an update (Twitter link) on injured Rangers winger Rick Nash, who is out with a groin injury for the second time this month. He’s not yet ready to practice with the team but hopes to skate on his own on Friday. However, Nash told Cyrgalis that he is still “a while away” from being ready to return to the lineup. Nash is second on the team in goals with 13 this season, one behind team leader Michael Grabner.
Matt Murray Out Week-To-Week With Lower Body Injury
Penguins goaltender Matt Murray, who left yesterday’s game in Carolina early, has been diagnosed with a lower body injury and is out on a week-to-week basis, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).
The rookie netminder has picked up right where he left off after a stellar postseason performance, posting a 13-3-1 record this year in 19 appearances with a 2.18 GAA and a .928 SV% along with two shutouts, taking over as the undisputed starter from incumbent Marc-Andre Fleury.
Murray has long been viewed as Pittsburgh’s goalie of the future and signed a three year, $11.25MM extension in mid-October. That has called Fleury’s future with the team into question, especially with the expansion draft coming up in June. Fleury has struggled considerably this year with a subpar 3.13 GAA and a .908 SV% but could help his potential trade value with a strong showing in Murray’s absence.
The timing of this could be worse for the Penguins who play just once in the next ten days as they are one of the first teams to receive the CBA-mandated ‘bye week’ at the beginning of January.
In the meantime, Pittsburgh has called up a top prospect, Tristan Jarry, who is off to a strong start with their AHL affiliate this season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting a 2.15 GAA and a .921 SV% in 19 games, to serve as Fleury’s backup.