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Los Angeles Kings Sign Akil Thomas To Entry-Level Deal

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Akil Thomas to a three-year entry-level contract, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen. Terms have not been released for the team’s 2018 second-round pick.

Many people were surprised when a talent like Thomas, who was expected to go late in the first round, slipped all the way to the 51st pick in the draft last year and the Kings have been the benefactors. Thomas has had a dominant season in the OHL this year as he’s ninth in the league in scoring with 37 goals and 99 points in 61 games for the Niagara IceDogs this season.

Thomas was hoping to play for Team Canada this year at the World Juniors this season, but was not invited to their evaluation camp over the summer. However, when Gabriel Vilardi pulled out of the camp to rest his back, the 18-year-old Thomas got an opportunity to show them what he could do. However, Thomas got injured in the camp and didn’t make the team. He also struggled mightily at the NHL Rookie Camp over the summer as well, but has made up for it with an impressive campaign with the IceDogs. The 6-foot, 180-pound center is known for being a cerebral player with impressive stickhandling skills and solid speed and is good at finishing, but has a more pass-first mentality.

 

Kale Clague To Miss A Month

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  • Kings prospect Kale Clague has a broken bone in his foot that will keep him out of the lineup for the next four weeks, relays Curtis Zupke of the LA Times (Twitter link). The defenseman has had a decent start to his professional career with 29 points in 52 games with AHL Ontario and he had a chance to be a recall down the stretch to get him some NHL experience.

Rangers’ Hall Of Famer Harry Howell Dies At Age 86

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Hockey lost one of their greats Sunday when longtime New York Rangers defenseman Harry Howell passed away at the age of 86. The Hall of Famer, despite retiring from the NHL back in 1973, still holds the Rangers’ record for games played after playing 16 seasons in which he only missed 17 total games.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of legendary defenseman, consummate professional and Hockey Hall of Famer Harry Howell. He will be remembered not only for his consistency and leadership but with the ultimate class from with which he carried himself,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman from a statement.

Howell played 1,411 games at the NHL level, scoring 94 goals and 418 points throughout his career. He joined the New York Rangers in the 1952-53 season and immediately became an impact defense-first blueliner and while his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame was considered big for that era, Howell did not use his size to be overly physical as he was a defenseman who built his level of play with proper positioning and a high hockey IQ. While he had 418 points throughout his career, he was not a big point producer over the first nine seasons as he never reached the 20-point plateau in all those year. His first big offensive year actually came in 1966-67, his 15th season, when he tallied 12 goals and 40 points. That was the year he won the Norris Trophy, as the NHL’s best defenseman.

After the 1968-69 season, Howell began to have back problems that eventually required surgery. Despite offering him a position with the team, Howell, 37 at the time, wanted to keep playing, so the Rangers traded Howell to the Oakland Seals for cash. He played with the Seals for a season and a half before the then California Golden Seals traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for another two and a half seasons. He later continued his career by playing with the WHA for three more seasons after that before retiring completely in 1976.

He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 and had his number retired by the Rangers in 2009, and will no doubt be remembered as one of the great New York Rangers players ever.

 

 

Snapshots: Hart, Forsberg, Ferland, Debrusk, Hirose

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The Philadelphia Flyers got some good news as it looks like rookie goaltender Carter Hart is healthy once again and could find himself in net as early as Monday against the Ottawa Senators, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi.

Hart has been out since Feb. 21 with an ankle injury, but he was also coming off two of his worst performances, having been pulled in back-to-back games in which he allowed three goals on just six shots in both appearances. If the team opts to start him against Ottawa, it would be an opportunity to ease him back into the lineup as the Senators are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games.

The 20-year-old Hart is having a impressive season considering he was not meant to spend it in the NHL. Originally slated to spend his first professional season in the AHL, he appeared in just 18 games before being promoted alongside interim head coach Scott Gordon when he was hired. Since then, Hart was helped the Flyers rebound from a tough start with a 13-8-1 record with a 2.79 GAA. While that number doesn’t stand out, his .917 save percentage does.

  • Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean writes that Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg missed Saturday’s game and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to the team. Forsberg missed practice Thursday and Friday, but was believed to be available for Saturday’s game, but didn’t play in the end. Forsberg missed 19 games with an upper-body injury earlier this season, although there is no word on whether this injury is related to that one. The 24-year-old has 22 goals and 41 points in 52 games this season.
  • Michael Smith of NHL.com reports that Carolina Hurricanes forward Micheal Ferland remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team on their three-game roadtrip that started in Nashville today, according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Ferland has been having a solid season, putting up 17 goals and 35 points in 52 games. The 26-year-old has played under 14 minutes combined over the last two games.
  • The Boston Bruins’ Jake Debrusk is expected to miss a few more games as the forward is still in a walking boot, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa. While he’s expected to miss this weekend’s games, he could be back not long after that as head coach Bruce Cassidy said that Debrusk was the closest, of all their injured players, to return.
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Los Angeles Kings are interested in undrafted Michigan State forward Taro Hirose, currently the NCAA leading scorer. According to Rosen, Hirose is friends with Kings’ prospect James Anderson-Dolan and could be convinced to sign with L.A. although there is no word on whether the junior forward is ready to leave college. He has 16 goals and 37 points this season for Michigan State.

Pacific Notes: Ritchie, Neal, Virtanen, Wagner

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The Department of Player Safety announced that Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie has been fined $4,121.86, the maximum-allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Christian Folin.

The hit (video here) came in the first period of Anaheim’s 8-2 victory Friday over Montreal in response to an earlier hit when Folin delivered a high hit on rookie Troy Terry earlier in the game. The 23-year-old was assessed a two-minute minor for interference for the hit. Ritchie has been in trouble before, getting suspended for one game back in 2017 after punching Chicago’s Michal Rozsival.

  • Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg reports that Calgary Flames forward James Neal, who has been out since Feb. 14 with a lower-body injury, has begun skating again, although Flames head coach Bill Peters said that he still has a little way to go before returning. Despite the team being in first place and having a solid season, it’s been with little contribution from Neal, who the team signed to a five-year, $28.75MM free-agent deal this summer. Neal has struggled with injuries this year and hasn’t produced, posting just five goals and 15 points in 55 games in his first year with Calgary.
  • The Vancouver Canucks announced that forward Jake Virtanen will return tonight against Vegas. The 22-year-old has been out with a fractured rib since Feb. 13. The 2014 sixth-overall pick has improved on his rookie campaign with 12 goals and 22 points in 58 games, while averaging a career-high 14:49 of ATOI. He won’t be eased into the lineup either as he is expected to join the Canucks’ top line right away as well as the team’s second-line power play unit.
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen writes the Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner, who has been out for a week with a lower-body injury, may not be back soon. The 21-year-old rookie skated Friday in a track suit, but isn’t just ready to return to the lineup. “He’s probably more than a week out, I think,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “Maybe close to a week, but when you’re not skating (in gear) right now, you’ve got to be skating to be close, and he’s not that close.” Wagner has nine goals and 16 points in 49 games.

 

Minor Transactions: 03/09/2019

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With the Montreal Canadiens losing last night – and in convincing fashion, 8-2 to the Anaheim Ducks – the Tampa Bay Lightning have become the first NHL team to clinch a 2019 playoff spot. The President’s Trophy favorites needed just 68 games to do so, the second-fastest team to earn the “X” in the salary cap era. Don’t expect the Lightning to coast the rest of the regular season, but with a 15-point lead over the Boston Bruins for the league, conference, and division crowns, Tampa Bay is in a pretty good spot. For the Bruins, Habs, and 28 other teams (even the Ottawa Senators have not been statistically eliminated) the hunt for a postseason berth continues and tweaks to the roster will accompany that pursuit. There are 24 teams in action today, more than half of whom are currently in playoff positions, so expect a flurry of activity as teams prepare for critical contests at this point in the year.

  • After months of practicing with the team and weeks now of playing for their AHL affiliate, veteran forward Lee Stempniak will finally make his official return to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins announced that Stempniak has been recalled on an emergency basis, as Marcus Johansson and Jake DeBrusk remain sidelined with minor injuries. The 36-year-old winger was signed to a contract just prior to the trade deadline and has accumulated five points in seven games with the Providence Bruins this season. When he last played for the Bruins in 2015-16, Stempniak recorded ten points in 19 games; Boston would be ecstatic to get that kind of per-game production out of him again three years later. Stempniak spent the past two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, registering 49 points in 119 total games. Even that level of scoring may be wishful thinking, but this recall can at least be used to get the respected veteran of more than 900 NHL games back up to speed so that he can step in if needed in the postseason.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Los Angeles Kings have given forward Carl Grundstrom his first call-up. After being a late scratch by the AHL’s Ontario Reign last night, it seems likely that Grundstrom is on his way to L.A. and could potentially be set to make his NHL debut tonight. Acquired in the Jake Muzzin trade, Grundstrom was a second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. A hard-nosed winger with great work ethic and defensive instincts, Grundstrom already appears capable of being an impact bottom-six forward in the NHL. How his offense comes along – he has 39 points in 55 AHL games this season – will ultimately determine whether his ceiling is any higher. Either way, the Kings are likely excited to get a look at a young player who should be a regular next season.
  • Matt Read’s near-daily shuffle between the NHL and AHL continues.  The Wild announced that the veteran winger has once again been returned to Iowa.  He has been recalled and sent down four times already this month, something that is likely to continue as long as the health of some of their regular players continues to be in questions.  His earlier recalls have been on an emergency basis so they haven’t been counting against their four post-deadline non-emergency call-ups.
  • The Flames have returned center Curtis Lazar to Stockton of the AHL, per a team release.  He was recalled back on February 15th but did not get into a game in his time with Calgary.  The 2013 first-rounder (17th overall to Ottawa) has been productive with the Heat in the minors this season with 36 points in 46 games and with a qualifying offer of $1.05MM required this summer, he’s looking like a potential non-tender candidate in June.
  • With the massing amount of injuries, the New Jersey Devils announced they have recalled Eric Tangradi and Brandon Gignac from the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. The 30-year-old Tangradi has played in 144 NHL games throughout his career, but hasn’t played in a game since the 2015-16 season when he was with the Detroit Red Wings. He has nine goals and 19 points this season in the AHL. Gignac will be recalled for the first time. The 21-year-old, who was a third-round pick in 2016, has 10 goals and 30 points in 54 games this year with Binghamton. With those two added to their roster, New Jersey now has 21 forwards on their active roster.

Minor Transactions: 03/08/19

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After the Columbus Blue Jackets failed to gain any ground on the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes last night, the latter two will try to spread the gap even further tonight. The Hurricanes welcome in the powerhouse Winnipeg Jets while the Canadiens continue their west coast swing with a stop off in Anaheim to meet John Gibson and the Ducks. Things could start to look quite dire for the Blue Jackets if they fall back even further, a notion that seemed impossible when they acquired several assets at the deadline.

  • It’s a day that ends in Y, so Matt Read is involved in another transaction. This time the veteran forward has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild, his seventh move since the beginning of March. Read still has just six games played for the Wild this season.
  • Matt Luff is not quite at Read’s level, but he’s used to the assignment notice himself. Today Luff was sent back to the minor leagues by the Los Angeles Kings after just two games on his most recent call-up. Luff has 11 points in 33 games for the Kings this season, including a goal on Tuesday night against the Canadiens.
  • Hudson Fasching has been returned to the Tucson Roadrunners without playing a game for the Arizona Coyotes. The 23-year old was acquired by the Coyotes last summer, but still has yet to get into any game action at the NHL level. In 22 contests with the Buffalo Sabres, Fasching recorded three points.
  • Karson Kuhlman is heading back to the AHL after just one day with the Boston Bruins. The 23-year old forward has two points in five games for the Bruins this season, his first year of professional hockey.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Justin Bailey back to the AHL, the team announced. Bailey, acquired earlier this season from the Buffalo Sabres, was held scoreless in six games with the Flyers on the call-up and will look to spark his offense back down with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
  • The AHL’s registry lists Colorado Avalanche forward Sheldon Dries as having been returned to the Colorado Eagles. The moves comes as little surprise, as Dries has been a frequent back-and-forth player this season, suiting up for 40 games with the Avs and 13 with the Eagles.
  • Just prior to puck drop on their match-up with the Montreal Canadiens, the Anaheim Ducks have announced that young forwards Sam Steel and Kevin Roy have been reassigned to the AHL. The duo have played the majority of the season with the San Diego Gulls but Steel, a 2016 first-round pick, has skated in 16 games with the Ducks while Roy, the former Northeastern University standout, has seen just three games.

Poll: How Many Top Free Agents Will Re-Sign With Their Current Club?

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Back in January, PHR published our Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 1-10, 11-20, and several honorable mentions. With the NHL Trade Deadline now passed, the next chance that teams have to shake up their rosters is the off-season, with the majority waiting until July 1st, when the free agent market officially opens. However, the question always is how many would-be free agents actually make it to the open market? Mark Stone, Eric Staal, and Jakob Silfverberg – three of our top 20 –  have already signed or agreed to extensions. Will many more follow suit? With the trade deadline shaking up the status quo for several teams and players, how many more top free agents will skip free agency and sign extensions?

The Columbus Blue Jackets are now the team to watch for not just two but four of the best potential UFA’s. Artemi Panarin (No. 2) and Sergei Bobrovsky (No. 6) have long been expected to test the market, perhaps even as a package deal. Ottawa Senators imports Matt Duchene (No. 5) and Ryan Dzingel (No. 16) could now join them. The conditional first-round pick tied to re-signing Duchene would seemingly make it less likely that Columbus opts to extend him, while Dzingel, and Ohio State University alum, looks like a more natural long-term fit.

Another team of interest are the San Jose Sharks. Superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson (No. 1) and respected veteran forward Joe Pavelski (No. 7) are both heading for free agency and the Sharks may be hard-pressed to sign both. There’s also now deadline addition Gustav Nyquist (No. 14) to consider. How the season ends for the Cup contending Sharks could determine if any of the trio return to San Jose. The same could be said for the Western Conference rival Winnipeg Jets. Between rental center Kevin Hayes (No. 8) and big defenseman Tyler Myers (No. 10), the Jets have a pair of coveted free agents on the roster, but their impending cap crunch is severe and could make bringing back just one of the two nearly impossible.

After losing John Tavares last summer, going through the same with top forward Anders Lee (No. 9) would be devastating for the New York Islanders franchise. For that reason, it is fair to put faith in the team coming to a new agreement with their captain. However, that line of thinking if awfully reminiscent to last year. Less likely to return are center Brock Nelson (No. 11) and winger Jordan Eberle (No. 15), although either one could opt to re-sign after a strong playoff run. The big question is resurgent goalie Robin Lehner (No. 23). Will the Islanders lock up the young keeper who has been so solid this season? Or will they refuse to pay market value for a player that has benefited from their system while splitting time with Thomas Greiss?

Generally, playoff rentals proceed to hit the free agent market rather than re-up with their new teams. In addition to Duchene, Dzingel, Hayes, and Nyquist, Nashville’s Wayne Simmonds (No. 13), Dallas’ Mats Zuccarello (No. 21), and Colorado’s Derick Brassard (No. 24) could very well be headed to yet another destination. Some may also consider Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner (No. 12) and Carolina forward Micheal Ferland (No. 18) as “own rentals” given the high likelihood that both leave. However, there is room for a surprise or two in this group to sign an extension.

Safer bets to land a new deal rather than test free agent waters are a pair of long-time veterans and a breakout star. If there was any doubt that the Buffalo Sabres couldn’t re-sign Jeff Skinner (No. 4), there would have been talk of his availability at the trade deadline. Instead, it was dead quiet. Skinner has been a great match with Jack Eichel and certainly looks like a long-term fit in Buffalo. Vancouver’s Alexander Edler (No. 22) and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard (No. 25) both stated their preference not to be dealt at the recent deadline and are known to be working on new contracts. Yet, until pen meets paper they are still impending free agents. Similarly, Semyon Varlamov (No. 17) has expressed an interest in remaining with the Colorado Avalanche, but it’s unclear if the feeling is mutual.

Compared to recent years, this impending free agent class does look to have fewer locks for extensions among top players. Any of these 22 names could hit the market, although odds are they won’t all choose to do so. Regardless, this could be a healthy market come July 1st. Just how deep could it be? That’s for you to guess. How many of these top free agents will sign extensions? [Mobile users click here to vote]

Alec Martinez Expected To Return Tonight

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  • The Kings are expected to have defenseman Alec Martinez available tonight against Montreal, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. He has been out for nearly three weeks due to an upper-body injury.  Meanwhile, winger Austin Wagner is still listed as day-to-day but he’s unlikely to suit up on their current homestand which wraps up on Thursday night.

Minor Transactions: 03/04/19

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The NHL is almost entirely quiet today, with just two games on the schedule for this evening. Those include Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers travelling to Buffalo to take on the Sabres, while the Toronto Maple Leafs head to Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames. As teams take a day off there will surely be some roster movement, and we’ll be here to keep track of it all.

  • Matt Read was returned to the minor leagues by the Minnesota Wild last night after playing one game with the team, but is already back up today. Read scored in Saturday’s matchup against the Flames, his first goal in the NHL this season. The 32-year old has played just six games for Minnesota this season, instead spending most of the year in the AHL with the Iowa Wild.
  • Matt Luff has been recalled once again by the Los Angeles Kings, after being sent down just two days ago. Luff has been bouncing up and down for much of the year, but has played just one NHL game since the middle of January. The Kings will welcome the Montreal Canadiens into town tomorrow.

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