Pacific Notes: Subban, Heed, Martin, Henrique, Dowd
Many people in Boston had already written off goaltender Malcolm Subban, who never seemed able to earn himself a place with the Boston Bruins, minus 62 minutes of time over the course of his career. That was one reason the team placed the 23-year-old netminder on waivers to start the season. However, few expected Subban to thrive after he was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights. In fact, Subban has done more than that. He might just be the team’s goaltender of the future.
Even NBC Sports Joe Haggerty admits that he may have misjudged the goaltender as well. Subban took his performance to a new level Friday when he saved 41 shots and staved off six penalty shots in leading Vegas to a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. Even despite missing time earlier this year with an injury, Subban now has a 7-2 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
- The San Jose Sharks have announced they have activated defenseman Tim Heed off of injured reserve and have sent veteran defender Paul Martin to San Jose on a conditioning assignment with the Barracudas of the AHL. Heed was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 2 after suffering an upper-body injury in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 25. As for Martin, he is closing in on being ready after aggravating an ankle injury on Oct. 10, and has been on injured reserve since. At 36 years old, Martin will make his first-ever appearance in an AHL game as he went directly from the University of Minnesota to the NHL back in 2003. He has played
- Scott Billeck of NBC Sports writes that while it’s still early, so far the Anaheim Ducks look like they made a great deal in acquiring center Adam Henrique from New Jersey for defenseman Sami Vatanen. Since the Ducks have been without without center Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks top line of Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry have struggled without Getzlaf, but Henrique’s addition has changed everything as he has fit in well with those two immediately. So far Henrique has three goals and six points in five games with Anaheim, while he had four goals in 24 games with New Jersey. In fact, the 27-year-old had just one goal in his previous 14 with the Devils. If he can keep this up, he could return to his 30-goal ways back in 2015-16.
- JD Burke of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Vancouver Canucks acquisition of Nic Dowd is an underrated one in which he breaks down the success of the 27-year-old center who arrived in a quiet trade from the Los Angeles Kings. According to Burke, Dowd’s presence on the ice, mostly due to his ability to keep offensive players from getting off shots, had given the Kings their second-most lopsided ratio of shot attempts when he is on the ice at even strength last year. While those numbers could be inflated due to previous coach Darryl Sutter‘s style of play, he could be a big addition to the Canucks. He had six goals and 16 assists last year in 70 games, but has had just one assist this year in 16 contests.
Cole Kehler Signs With Los Angeles Kings
On a day where the Los Angeles area is looking more at one of their baseball teams than their hockey clubs, the Kings are trying to carve out a piece of the news. The team has signed free agent goaltender Cole Kehler to a three-year, entry-level contract. Kehler is currently playing for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, where he has a .931 save percentage through 22 games.
The soon-to-be 20-year old Kehler went undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft, but has turned a corner in his play this season in the WHL. Possessing the size—Kehler stands 6’3″—and positional awareness, he’s improved his flexibility to the point where he looks like a legitimate professional goaltending prospect.
While the NHL is still a distant goal for the young netminder, signing an entry-level contract at least means he’ll get to take the next step after he finishes his junior career this year. Where that will be isn’t clear, as the Kings already have Jack Campbell and Cal Petersen dominating at the AHL level. All three have been added in the past year and a half, turning what was once a weak spot in the organization to a strength. Even as Jonathan Quick continues to play well in the NHL, the Kings are building a pipeline of talent behind him.
Los Angeles Kings Acquire Jordan Subban
In the middle of the night, the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks swung a trade to address their various needs. The Kings traded forward Nic Dowd to the Canucks in exchange for defense prospect Jordan Subban. The deal is one-for-one, without any salary retention or draft picks headed in either direction.
Subban, 22, is the youngest brother of Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban and Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Malcolm Subban. Drafted in the fourth round in 2013, the junior Subban has yet to make his NHL debut and has struggled to find much defensive consistency in the minor leagues. A talented offensive player, he doesn’t have the same size as his brothers and struggles at times in his own end.
Still, there is upside left in the right-handed defenseman. Young enough that there is still time to mature his game and make an impact at the NHL level, he’s a worthwhile lottery ticket for a Kings organization known for developing late-round picks.
Dowd, 27, will give the Canucks some help at center while Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter deal with injury. Dowd recorded 22 points as a rookie last season, but has just a single assist on the year through 16 games and hasn’t shown much more than being a big body for the Kings. Los Angeles has dealt with their own center depth issues, but apparently felt it was worth it to acquire the young Subban.
Interestingly, Subban will be a restricted free agent this summer as he comes out of his entry-level deal, while Dowd will hit the open market as a UFA. While he could obviously re-sign with the Canucks, this is a bit of a “win-now” move in order to keep their heads above water after learning of Horvat’s injury. Though Subban is far from a sure thing, it’s not often that teams give up on 22-year old defensemen to secure a depth forward.
The early success of the Canucks may have changed their minds slightly over this season, pulling their focus from a rebuild. Though they moved rental pieces last trade deadline to add prospect depth, they’ve now done the opposite in 2017-18.
Matt Moulson Loaned To Ontario Reign
Just moments after our last piece that referenced how the Buffalo Sabres and Matt Moulson were working to find an option for him, the team announced that the veteran forward has been loaned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. The Reign are the affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, but Moulson will remain on the books for the Sabres. As Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News points out, Moulson’s wife and Jonathan Quick‘s wife are sisters, giving him family ties to the area and organization.
This move would seem to at least halt any trade speculation for the time being, as the Sabres likely exhausted all options before sending Moulson to Ontario. That speculation may pick up in the future should he play well at the AHL level, since the 34-year old forward still costs the Sabres a hefty salary while playing in the minor leagues. Though his signing bonus for this year will have already been paid, he still carries a $3MM salary for the year (with a $5MM cap hit).
Moulson is also a candidate to be bought out at the end of the year, though because of the back-loaded nature of his deal it won’t save the Sabres a ton of cap space. He would still carry a $3.67MM cap hit for 2018-19, and a $667K hit for 2019-20. They’d also save only about $750K in actual money, though he would at least be free to search for another opportunity and remove a contract from the roster for the Sabres.
Austin Wagner Assigned To Ontario (AHL)
- The Los Angeles Kings could be getting mid-season reinforcements. Their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, announced last night that first-year pro prospect Austin Wagner has been medically cleared by L.A. and assigned to Ontario. Wagner, 20, had been off the ice rehabbing from off-season surgery, but participated in limited practice with the Reign over the past few weeks and is now ready to make his pro debut. The 20-year-old was selected by the Kings in the fourth round in 2015 and scored 60+ points in each of his last two seasons with the WHL’s Regina Pats. A big, tough, two-way forward with some offensive flair, Wagner has a chance to fill a role in the bottom-six in L.A. before the season is out, so long as he can get his legs under him in the minors and stay healthy.
Mitchell Could Make Debut For Kings
- Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider writes that Torrey Mitchell, acquired in a trade on Nov. 23, could make his Kings’ debut tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to coach John Stevens. “As long as there’s no issues during the day, I think he’s a good consideration to come in,” Stevens said. “He’s been off the ice for a few days, so skated him yesterday, skated him today, and he said he felt pretty good, so he’s an option to go in, for sure.” Mitchell had some trouble acquiring his work visa after being traded from Montreal to Los Angeles, but is now cleared to play. The 32-year-old didn’t have a point with the Canadiens in 11 games this year, but is expected to help center one of the team’s bottom two lines.
Torrey Mitchell's Work Visa Finally Gets Approved
- Although he was acquired more than a week ago, Kings center Torrey Mitchell has been waiting for a work visa before he could suit up. Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports (Twitter link) that he has finally received it and will be eligible to play. In a follow-up tweet, Rosen notes that Mitchell will fly to Chicago and meet up with the team there in advance of their matchup there on Sunday.
Snapshots: IIHF HOF, Players Of The Month, Devils
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named their 2018 Hall of Fame class today, with several notable NHL names among them. Former stars Daniel Alfredsson, Rob Blake, Chris Chelios, and Jere Lehtinen will all be immortalized for their impressive international careers. Between them, the Swede, Canadian, American, and Finn have 16 Olympic Games and 8 Olympic medals, to of course go along with outstanding professional careers. Builders Philippe Lacarriere, a former European player and IIHF Councilman, and Bob Nadin, a long-time referee, will also be inducted.
- In terms of current recognition, the NHL announced the top players of the month of November today. The Three Stars of the Month were Colorado Avalanche star center Nathan MacKinnon at #1, Toronto Maple Leafs keeper Frederik Andersen at #2, and new St. Louis Blue Brayden Schenn at #3. MacKinnon was a point per game player last month, notching five goals and fifteen assists in 12 games for the Avs. Andersen kept the Leafs going with nine wins, a 2.14 GAA, and .938 save percentage. Schenn was arguably better than either despite coming in third, with seven goals and twelve assists in just 12 games, bringing his season total to 30 points in 25 contests. Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser was named the Rookie of the Month behind his 16 points in 15 games, as the young scorer has kept the Canucks afloat early on and leads all first-year players in scoring.
- If there was an award for Team of the Month, it could have easily gone to the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have somehow survived another month at or near the top of the toughest division in hockey, the Metropolitan, despite little expectation that they would even be a playoff contender in 2017-18. To cap off the month, they swung a deal to acquire a much-needed elite defenseman yesterday as well. The Devils are just getting started though – the team announced that Sami Vatanen caught a cross-country flight, took part in morning skate, and will make his debut tonight and joining him will be Marcus Johansson, the big off-season acquisition, who is returning from a long injury absence. November was a great month for the Devils, but December is starting off even stronger.
Evening Notes: Kings, Capitals, Oilers
The USA Today’s Kevin Allen reports that the Kings’ move to make Pierre Turgeon an offensive coordinator has been just what they needed. Allen writes that Turgeon is essentially the “creative thinking” coach who, according to Allen, is in charge of “coloring outside the lines, and inspiring others to do the same.” Anze Kopitar, who has already reached his total of 12 goals from last season, says that Turgeon listens as well as offers his own perspective on things:
“..It becomes a discussion. He gives you ideas of what is open and what isn’t … but it’s almost a two-way street more than just coaching us.”
Something has clicked because the Kings’ scoring is up from 2.43 goals last season to 2.85 in the current. Described as a “vibrant” personality, Allen adds that he’s brought a positive presence to the locker room and a different dimension that is undoubtedly helping the team.
- Have the Capitals turned a corner? The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga writes that after winning three games over three quality teams by a combined score of 12-5, the Capitals are approaching their home stand with a “breathe easier” mentality instead of the rocky, stressed approach that gripped the team through a tough stretch in November. Svrluga admits that a falloff was expected, especially after the Kevin Shattenkirk deal last season that essentially pushed all the chips into the middle. Though it didn’t work out to a victory parade in June, there is still enough talent to not only make the playoffs, but still push to a deep run. Svrluga points out that in a bunched up league, several teams are scratching and clawing for better position, especially in the ultra competitive Metropolitan Division. Though they can beat the best, Svrluga wonders if they truly can hold up for the entire season.
- Sportsnet’s Mark Spector extolls the importance of Edmonton developing its younger players–something many thought was already happening last season. Instead, this season has seen a lot of struggle from the Oilers, and Spector writes that you can’t win in the league unless you’re developing your in-house talent. He points out that the Penguins won back-to-back Cups with two superstars and a swath of youngsters “dotting” the first three lines. What that means, for Spector, is that head coach Todd McLellan should be willing to have centers Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each have their own line. Though McLellan is averse to it, Spector argues that it would solidify the team with three strong lines, and mirror what many of those successful teams are doing–strengthening their top 9 from the center out.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Austin Strand To ELC
The Los Angeles Kings have added to their prospect pool, signing defenseman Austin Strand to a three-year entry-level contract. Strand went undrafted and is currently playing with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, where he has 26 points in 24 games.
Strand, 20, had an incredible playoff run with the Thunderbirds last season after coming over from the Red Deer Rebels mid-season, including an appearance in the Memorial Cup as WHL Champions. The 6’4″ 216-lbs defenseman was ranked 101st-overall among North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting heading into the 2015 draft, but wasn’t picked that summer or following year. He’ll turn 21 in February, but has shown the early signs of a step forward in his progression, earning him the entry-level deal.
Known more as a defensive defenseman, if Strand’s offensive game has taken a leap he could turn into a legitimate candidate to make the leap to the NHL sooner than later. That comes with a strong caveat though, as many often excel in the CHL as over-aged players and never take the next step in their professional journey. For now, he’ll try to take the Thunderbirds to his third-straight Memorial Cup—he also appeared in the tournament in 2016 with host city Red Deer—and finally hoist the trophy overhead.