Jannik Hansen Out For Up To Six Weeks
The Vancouver Canucks announced today via Twitter that right wing Jannik Hansen is expected to miss 4 – 6 weeks with a knee injury suffered Friday night. Hansen was apparently hurt on a knee-to-knee hit from Mathieu Perreault of Winnipeg. Replays show the hit may also have been late but the league later said that no further action will be taken against the Jets forward.
Hansen, obviously feeling the hit was illegal, immediately dropped his gloves and went after Perreault who refused the invitation.
The Danish forward has appeared in only 18 games this season and has five goals and four assists while averaging 16:11 of ice time per contest. Hansen was starting to heat up and had tallied three times in his previous three games.
The Canucks had been searching much of the season for a right wing to skate with the Sedins, Daniel and Henrik, and Hansen had been filling that role of late. Prized free agent acquisition Loui Eriksson previously failed his audition with the twins before the team turned to Hansen. The 10-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Canucks after being selected by the club in the 9th round of the 2004 draft. Hansen will be a UFA after the 2017-18 season and is currently in the third year of a four-year, $10MM deal he inked with the Canucks in September of 2013.
Pacific Division Snapshots: Russell, Kassian, Hertl
Kris Russell was believed to be one of the top free agent blue liners available this summer and was expected to land a lucrative multi-year contract as a result. After all, Russell was just 29, an age still young enough to reasonably expect that a long-term deal would include multiple campaigns of steady production before an inevitable age-related decline set in. Additionally, the former Flame had posted a 34-point campaign as recently as 2014-15, suggesting Russell would be able to contribute some offense from either a team’s second or third pairing. However Russell remained available deep into the offseason before inking a one-year, $3.1MM pact with Edmonton, which made him just the fifth highest-paid defender on the Oilers.
Much of the reason for Russell’s stagnant summer market is due to the wide chasm in the analytics community regarding the defenseman’s actual value, as the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples opines. Staples writes that analysts who favor possession-based metrics have never thought highly of Russell’s work while others who rely more on tracking “the individual actions of players in game, such as zone entries, crucial good and bad defensive and offensive plays, and shots and passes that lead to scoring chances,” like Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli for example, rate Russell more favorably.
Essentially, the former sees Russell as nothing more than a competent third-pair defenseman, one who excels at blocking shots and plays a physical game and should be compensated as such. The latter would be comfortable putting Russell out on their second-pair and paying him accordingly. Edmonton clearly saw Russell as a top-four option and has awarded him with ice time commensurate of such. Currently, he is averaging nearly 21 1/2 minutes per game, two minutes more than his career average.
What remains to be seen, however, is how much effort, if any, the Oilers put into extending Russell prior to July 1st when he becomes a UFA again. The team is projected to have more than $19MM in cap space available and only Leon Draisaitl stands out as a pending free agent that will warrant a hefty outlay. But Edmonton is just one summer away from Connor McDavid becoming a restricted free agent and may wish to keep as much cap space available to get what is likely going to be an expensive long-term deal done with their franchise player. That could limit their interest in a reunion with Russell to a one-year term and the veteran defenseman may not be amenable to another short-term pact.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Staying with Edmonton, it was one year ago nearly to the day that Chiarelli swung a deal with Montreal to acquire physical forward Zack Kassian. Kassian had just completed a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and while the trade was certainly a risk for Edmonton, 12 months later the gamble is paying off for both the team and the player, as Terry Jones of the Edmonton Journal writes. While Kassian is not lighting up the score sheet with just two goals and nine points in 33 games this season, Chiarelli says the power forward is playing well: “He’s kept clean. He’s in terrific shape. He’s settled down. And at some point he’ll start scoring. He’s playing well. He’s skating. He’s providing the physical element.” Kassian was originally selected the 13th overall by Buffalo in the first-round of the 2009 draft but was dealt to Vancouver during his rookie campaign for Cody Hodgson. His best season came in 2013-14 when the 6-foot-3, 217-pound forward tallied 14 goals and 29 points with 124 penalty minutes in 73 games for the Canucks. It’s certainly possible Kassian can match or even better those numbers playing on a skilled Oilers team headlined by McDavid, Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
- Perhaps a bit of good news for San Jose as young winger Tomas Hertl was spotted this morning skating for the first time since undergoing knee surgery. Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area tweeted a photo of Hertl on the ice, apparently by himself. He’s still expected to be out for a while but this at least suggests his recovery is moving along relatively well. Hertl appeared in 17 games for the Sharks before the injury and registered four goals and nine points.
Canadiens Recall Andrighetto
The Montreal Canadiens have recalled forward Sven Andrighetto from St. John’s of the AHL in advance of their game Wednesday night in Tampa Bay, according to Amanda Stein of TSN 690 via Twitter. Stein notes that the team returns to practice tomorrow and recalling the Swiss forward this evening permits him to skate with the club before the game.
Andrighetto has spent much of the season bouncing back-and-forth between Montreal and St. John’s. He’s appeared in eight NHL games this season and has recorded two assists. For his career the 23-year-old forward has registered nine goals and collected 13 assists in 64 contests.
The recall of Andrighetto suggests that Andrew Shaw, out since December 12th due to a concussion, is not ready to return to the Habs lineup quite yet. Andrighetto’s addition to the roster gives the Canadiens 13 healthy forwards, not counting Shaw of course.
The Canadiens are likely anxious to get Shaw back into the lineup. Montreal is 2 – 3 since Shaw went on IR and the team has also had to make do without their top center, Alex Galchenyuk, who has been out of action the last three weeks with a knee injury. Despite missing the last nine contest, Galchenyuk remains the team’s third leading scorer with 23 points on the season.
Injury Updates: Sharp, Smith, Penguins, Buchnevich
Stars left winger Patrick Sharp was participating in full practices prior to the holiday break, reports Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. He had a chance to play in their last game on Friday but head coach Lindy Ruff said that the team does not want to rush him back:
“Right now, it’s not in the conversation. With Patrick, we really want to be sure this time around. I’ve liked the way he’s skating in practice, I like where he is when it comes to energy. And, really, his body mannerism now is so much better, which I think those are all good signs. He’ll know when he’s ready. He’ll tell us when he thinks he’s ready.”
Sharp has played just 11 games this year because of multiple concussions, picking up just a goal and an assist. Last season, he was fifth in team scoring with 55 points (20-35-55) in 76 games and his return would go a long way towards lengthening out their lineup. Even if Sharp isn’t ready to go when Dallas plays tomorrow in Arizona, it sounds like he is close to returning.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- The Red Wings hope to have defenseman Brendan Smith in the lineup tomorrow night, writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Smith has been out for the last month with a sprained MCL and has four points in 20 games this season while logging just over 18 minutes per night in ice time. The good news stops there for Detroit though as fellow blueliner Mike Green as well as forwards Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader are expected to miss at least another week.
- Pittsburgh defensemen Kris Letang (lower body) and Trevor Daley (upper body) as well as right winger Tom Kuhnhackl (lower body) all remain week-to-week and aren’t expected to be available this week, notes Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. After playing three games this week, the Penguins will be off until January 8th so the team could ere on the side of caution and hold them back to make sure they’re fully ready to return after their long layoff.
- Rangers rookie left winger Pavel Buchnevich (back) skated with the team in a non-contact jersey before their last game in advance of the holiday break, notes Newsday’s Steve Zipay. While he’s still not ready to return, the fact he is back on the ice is a positive after being shut down in early December when he suffered a setback in his recovery. Buchnevich has four goals and four assists in ten games this year and has been out of the lineup since mid-November.
Atlantic Division Notes: Danault, Kennedy, Stamkos
Injuries to Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais have forced the Montreal Canadiens to shuffle their forward lines around as they try to survive without two of their top offensive players. The loss of Galchenyuk was particularly difficult as the fifth-year pivot was averaging nearly a point-per game (23 points in 25 games) as the team’s top center but the play of Phillip Danault has helped offset Galchenyuk’s absence of late, writes Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette.
With a scoring line of 6 – 6 – 14 through 34 contests, Danault has already bested last season’s totals (4 – 6 – 10) in 17 fewer games. In his last eight games, the 23-year-old center has tallied one goal and five points. As Cowan notes, Danault posted solid offensive numbers during his junior career, potting 18 goals and 71 points in 62 contests in his final junior season with Victoriaville, suggesting his recent rate of production for Montreal is sustainable.
Danault was originally drafted in the first-round of the 2011 draft by Chicago when current Habs GM Marc Bergevin was a member of the Blackhawks front office. Bergevin was able to acquire Danault at last season’s trade deadline as part of the deal that sent rental players Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann to the Hawks. Known as a strong two-way player in juniors, Danault is taking advantage of increased ice time of late to show the Canadiens what he can do at the NHL level.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Tim Kennedy hasn’t appeared in an NHL game in three years and despite a recent return to the organization with whom he made his NHL debut, it’s not likely that the veteran winger will make much of an impact for the Buffalo Sabres this year either. As John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes, Kennedy was signed by the club to add some offense and to serve as a mentor for the team’s prospects playing for the Rochester Americans in the AHL. Since suiting up for 37 games with the Coyotes during the 2013-14 campaign, Kennedy has made appearances for four different franchises in four different countries, including stops in the KHL, Swedish League and a 75-game stint with Hershey of the AHL in 2013-14. The piece provides an interesting insight into the life of a career minor-league player and his travels around the world in professional hockey.
- With the Tampa Bay Lightning struggling on the ice and in the standings, a return of franchise center Steven Stamkos could be just the spark the team needs to make a playoff push. Unfortunately, while Stamkos is progressing just fine after surgery to repair a torn meniscus, he is still looking at a mid-March return, as Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Stamkos is still on crutches and is a month or two away from even putting on skates. The 26-year-old pivot was off to a strong start, with nine goals and 20 points in 17 contests before the injury but if Tampa Bay is going to make a postseason run, it looks like it’s going to have to come without the assistance of Stamkos.
Snapshots: Connolly, Stars, Varlamov, Red Wings/Hurricanes
When right winger Brett Connolly signed a one year, $850K contract with Washington in the summer, some believed that playing in a more offensive-oriented environment might help unlock the potential he has shown over the years after being the sixth overall pick to Tampa Bay back in 2010. However, he has been a healthy scratch for nearly half the season and admitted to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that his lack of playing time has been taking its toll on him:
“It’s obviously frustrating, you don’t want to be sitting out no matter what the reason is. But we’ve talked about kind of my situation and what’s going to be going on moving forward.
“I need to be playing. I need to be out there, so we’ll see. It’s obviously a big year. I’m being patient, and there’s still 51 games left. There’s still a big chunk of the season left and then playoffs, so you’ve just got to stick with it and hopefully you can get in there and be kept in there and play well and produce.”
Connolly has played in 17 games this season, scoring three times while adding an assist. However, ice time has been hard to come by as he has spent the bulk of the year on the fourth line when he has played and as a result is playing less than 11 minutes a night. He’ll get another chance as he will be back in the lineup tonight against Tampa Bay but once again will be on the fourth line.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Stars are likely to dress seven defensemen tonight as they take on the Kings, notes Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge. Dallas is still without Cody Eakin due to his four game suspension and they are not permitted to replace him on the active roster. Meanwhile, winger Antoine Roussel and defenseman Stephen Johns are both listed as doubtful but are also on the active roster, leaving them without a spot to bring up an extra forward. Head coach Lindy Ruff said that if they have to use a defender as a forward at times, it will be either Patrik Nemeth or Jamie Oleksiak.
- After recently returning to the lineup from a groin strain, Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov has once again been sidelined with a groin issue, the team announced via Twitter. Varlamov had a tough night against Toronto on Thursday night, allowing five goals on 18 shots before being pulled. Spencer Martin has been recalled and will back up Calvin Pickard until Varlamov is ready to return.
- The Detroit/Carolina game that was postponed due to ice issues earlier this week has been rescheduled for March 27th, the league announced. Interestingly enough, this creates a rare three games in three nights for the Red Wings who host the Wild on the 26th and already were scheduled to play in Carolina on the 28th.
Tyler Pitlick Out For The Season
The Edmonton Oilers will be without right winger Tyler Pitlick for the remainder of the season as the team announced Friday that he has suffered a torn ACL. The injury occurred in the third period against St. Louis on Monday night.
Pitlick, a second round pick of the Oilers back in 2010 (31st overall), was in his first full season with the team and had been providing them with good production from the fourth line. He had eight goals (tied for fifth on the team) and three assists despite averaging just under ten minutes per game.
In his career, the 25 year old has played in 58 NHL games, scoring 11 goals while adding three assists.
At least for the time being, the injury could open up a spot for rookie Jesse Puljujarvi to play more often although he’s expected to be scratched for Taylor Beck tonight. The fourth overall pick back in June has played in just four games this month while being a healthy scratch for the other seven. The Oilers declined to loan him for the World Juniors and if this injury doesn’t result in much more action for him in the short-term, a stint in the minors might not be a bad idea. As he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, he is eligible to be loaned despite being under 20.
One other player who should see more action as a result of Pitlick’s injury is veteran Matt Hendricks who has played in just 11 games this season due to a lower body injury while being scratched frequently. It was reported earlier this month that he was on the trade block. A more regular role for him may make it a bit easier to move his $1.85MM cap hit closer to the trade deadline.
Snapshots: Clinton’s Latest, Crawford, Hossa
The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton breaks down five significant summer signings that haven’t quite lived up to their billing. While a number of players were given lucrative deals, Clinton gives the number one spot to Andrew Ladd, who after receiving a seven year, $38MM deal, has produced at an abysmal level. Ladd had only one assist in his first 12 games, and if his current pace of four goals and seven points continue, he is on pace for only 10 goals and 18 points. It’s hardly a return on investment.
Second on Clinton’s list is Mikkel Boedker, who inked a four-year, $16MM with San Jose. Boedker has six points (2-4) in 33 games, and Clinton wonders if this is why the winger barely fetched anything at the trade deadline last season. On the defensive side, Clinton looks at Dan Hamhuis, who appeared to be a great pickup for the Dallas Stars. It hasn’t worked out as such. Clinton notes that the veteran defenseman has been a healthy scratch twice, seen his average ice time drop by nearly two minutes, and has been relegated to a third line pairing.
With the salary cap not expected to move much in the next year, these signings could serve as a cautionary tale as to spending wisely instead of just spending to spend.
In other NHL news:
- Corey Crawford is set to return in net tonight writes the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine. The 31-year-old goaltender has been out since having an emergency appendectomy almost three weeks ago. Crawford will face the struggling Colorado Avalanche, who were dismantled 6-0 by Toronto last night. Crawford has been outstanding for the Hawks this season, posting a 12-6-2 mark with a .927 save percentage.
- With the good comes the bad, and Hine reports that Marian Hossa will miss his first game since suffering an upper body injury Tuesday night against Ottawa. In Hossa’s place will be Tanner Kero, who leads AHL affiliate Rockford in points this season. Kero worked in with Jordin Tootoo and Andrew Desjardins during practice. In addition to Hossa, Artem Anisimov is slated to miss his third straight game with an upper body injury.
Jimmy Howard To Miss 4-6 Weeks With MCL Sprain
The Detroit Red Wings cannot catch a break. Veteran netminder Jimmy Howard is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a mild MCL sprain tweets MLive’s Brendan Savage. Helene St. James reports the news as well. This couldn’t be worse for a team struggling to find consistency.
Howard has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Wings this season, but recently has sputtered due to injury and poor team play. Howard was injured Tuesday night when Wings defenseman Nick Jensen collided with him during a mad scramble at the net.
After being the subject of trade rumors all summer, Howard responded with one of his better seasons in recent memory. Despite his sparkling play, Howard has been the victim of a team that cannot score, as his wins-loss record indicates.
Howard is 5-7-1 this season with a .934 save percentage and a 1.96 GAA.
Injury Updates: Hertl, Zibanejad, Senators, Canadiens, Green
San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl is making progress in his rehab from knee surgery back in mid-November but there remains no timetable for him to even return to practice, reports CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. Kurz speculates that sometime after the All-Star Break (January 27-29) could be the target for him to get back into the lineup.
Last month, GM Doug Wilson told reporters that Hertl was likely to miss weeks rather than months but considering it has been over a month since the surgery was performed back on November 18th, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Hertl was off to a strong start to the season before undergoing the operation with nine points (4-5-9) in 17 games while averaging a career high 16:28 per game. That came off the heels of a career 2015-16 campaign that saw him pick up 46 points (21-25-46) in 81 games while chipping in with 11 points (6-5-11) in 20 postseason contests.
While his slower recovery isn’t ideal, it should be worth it for San Jose if the procedure stabilizes the knee so that minor collisions no longer cause issues as they have in the past, including an injury in the Stanley Cup Final back in June.
More injury updates:
- New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad is around the midway point of his recovery from a broken fibula, writes Matt Calamia on their official team site. He is no longer in a walking boot or on crutches and was on the ice shooting pucks today (although he didn’t have skates on). Zibanejad, who last played November 20th, has 15 points in 19 games for New York so far this season.
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond is listed as week-to-week with an ankle injury, the team announced via Twitter. He has seen action in just three NHL games so far this season because of injuries and the fact he cleared waivers last month. Prospect Matt O’Connor will serve as the backup in his absence or until Craig Anderson returns from his leave of absence. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that Hammond could be out for months with the issue being a high ankle sprain which are notoriously slow to recover from.
- Still from Garrioch, Senators winger Clarke MacArthur has backed off his targeted return date of January 7th. Fortunately for the team, this isn’t due to a setback but simply due to the fact that he won’t be able to get the final test needed for clearance until after the holiday break instead of before as was originally anticipated. He has yet to play this season due to a concussion sustained in training camp.
- Montreal Canadiens right winger Sven Andrighetto has recovered from his upper body injury that caused him to miss the last two games and has been assigned to their AHL affiliate in St. John’s, per a team announcement on Twitter. After being a regular in the second half of last season, the Swiss forward hasn’t made much of an impact with Montreal this year with just two assists in eight games and cleared waivers back in October.
- The Canadiens also officially placed injured defenseman Andrei Markov on injured reserve, reports Renaud Lavoie of TVASports. Markov was injured in Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals, and the coaching staff expressed that the injury—described as a lower body injury—was nothing major. Markov is having a stellar year so far, posting 2G and 19A in 31 games for the surging Canadiens.
- Detroit Red Wings blueliner Mike Green will not be available for tomorrow’s game against Florida, head coach Jeff Blashill told reports, including Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News (Twitter link). This will be the second straight game that he will miss. Green is Detroit’s leading point getter on the blueline this year with seven goals and 11 assists in 32 games and ranks second to only Henrik Zetterberg in team scoring.