Can’t Miss Games Of The 2016-17 Season: November and December
The start of the NHL regular season may be a month away with the World Cup of Hockey and preseason still to come, but it’s never too early to get excited for the best slate of games the NHL has to offer this season. Here are the can’t miss-games of the holidays:
November 1st – St. Louis Blues vs. New York Rangers
The trade chatter surrounding a Rick Nash – Kevin Shattenkirk swap has not gone away, and should these two teams get off to a slow start in the first month of the season, this game could act as the final tryout before they pull the trigger. Even if the trade never happens, it’s still a battle between one of the best from each conference to kick off the month.
November 24th – Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
Hockey may not be able to take Thanksgiving away from football, but they’re doing their best with this match-up. Not only is Boston not far from the location of the first Thanksgiving, but they’re a team on a mission after missing the playoffs in back-to-back years. A rivalry game against the Senators should make for some great holiday hockey.
December 23rd – Los Angeles Kings vs. Dallas Stars
The NHL might freeze trades over the holidays and take a break around Christmas, but a Friday night face-off between two Western Conference titans is a great way to start off the holiday weekend.
Snapshots: World Cup Power Rankings, Updates
TSN’s Scott Cullen writes that Canada is the team to beat in the World Cup of Hockey. Cullen ranks Canada, Sweden, and North America ahead of the American squad, who he pegs as fourth in his tournament power rankings. Cullen expects the Americans to be competitive but can’t see a team squarely more concerned about a “tougher” style of play going very far in a tournament that emphasizes speed and skill. The US, Cullen writes, is all about smash mouth hockey, but their goalie tandem of Cory Schneider, Ben Bishop and Jonathan Quick could give those aforementioned skilled teams some fits. Cullen places Canada at the top simply because of the top end talent they boast on every line. Sweden, he writes, has an “absurd” defensive corps with Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman, Hampus Lindholm, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Mattias Ekholm all on the roster. He cautions that in order to knock off favorite Canada, they’ll need young forwards Filip Forsberg and Gabriel Landeskog to carry the team in scoring.
Team North America is one that Cullen believes could truly shock everyone. With young, fast, and skilled players like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and John Gaudreau, the under 23 team could turn some heads, and possibly pull some upsets that could unseat the favorites. For the rest of his rankings, Cullen places Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, and Europe as the bottom four teams respectively.
In other World Cup of Hockey News:
- The USA’s 4-2 victory over Canada featured a lot of aggressive play and injury scares that remained only as fears and nothing serious. Several high profile players took vicious hits, and some had to leave the ice. Flyers captain Claude Giroux took a hit from Joe Pavelski and didn’t return until later in the third period. Logan Couture also took a hard hit from T.J. Oshie in the second period but returned in the third. Though Shea Weber was slammed into the boards by Ryan Kesler in the second period, he didn’t miss any ice time. Kesler was assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct. Pavelski recorded the game winner while Derek Stepan sealed the game with an empty net goal in a contest that became more physical as it wore on. Earlier in the day, PHR recapped some of the other injury scares during exhibition play on Thursday.
Jets Notes: Setoguchi, Trouba, Heritage Classic
In a heartbreaking (but wonderful) piece by David Pollak of The Hockey News yesterday, Devin Setoguchi comes clean about his history with alcoholism and how it almost destroyed his career. The former 8th overall pick was a thirty goal scorer in the NHL once upon a time, but yesterday signed a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings after spending last season in Switzerland.
It’s been six years since he last scored 20 goals in an NHL season, but is still only 29 years old and feels he has enough left to help a team on the ice – even if it’s at the AHL level or in Europe.
Today, on the Hustler and Lawless show on TSN 1290, Setoguchi related a story about how Evander Kane came to his house once while they were teammates on the Winnipeg Jets, and poured out all his alcohol in an attempt to help him break his addiction. Ironically, some may say, because of Kane’s own troubled history, it may have been a turning point in his battle and he now is working towards helping younger players understand the risks involved.
- Also on TSN 1290, former NHL executive Bill Watters opined that the Jacob Trouba camp “wants out of Winnipeg”. While Watters isn’t close enough to either side to have any particular insight past what his hockey sense tells him, it does continue the narrative that has been going on. Both Matt Larkin of The Hockey News and Darren Dreger of TSN spoke recently on the station about a possible Trouba deal, with Larkin going so far as saying “I’m seeing a trade in Trouba’s future, because the two camps seem to be so far apart in terms of how they value what Trouba has done in the NHL so far.” Indeed, Trouba is currently playing at the World Cup without a deal, and both sides seem just as far apart as ever on the future of the young defenseman.
- The final rosters for the legends game at the Heritage Classic were announced today, after having their first group presented last month. Among the final few additions were Curtis Joseph for the Edmonton Oilers, and Eddie Olczyk for the Winnipeg Jets. The game will take place on October 22nd, with Dale Hawerchuk leading the hometown Jets against a star-studded Oilers squad captained by Wayne Gretzky.
Snapshots: Setoguchi, Rieder, Tortorella
News and notes from around the NHL:
- The Los Angeles Kings extended a training camp invitation to Devin Setoguchi, reports FOX Sports LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. The former NHL winger played in Switzerland last season for HC Davos after flaming out in Calgary the year before and then failing to make the Toronto Maple Leafs roster on a PTO. Setoguchi was drafted 8th overall in 2005, and peaked in 2008-09 when he scored 31G and 34A in 81 games for the San Jose Sharks. He never attained that level again, however, and slowly declined over the next few years. Setoguchi has scored 127G and 122A in 471 NHL games over his career, and he’s looking for another chance to add to the tally.
- Tobias Rieder says that he will not attend the Arizona Coyotes training camp without a new contract, reports Dhiren Mahiban. The Coyotes and Rieder seem far apart on the deal for the yet-unsigned RFA. Rieder cites visa issues as one of the reasons why he will not come to camp sans contract, but it could also be a negotiation tactic to put pressure on the Coyotes organization. The German forward will have a chance to make his case for a better contract offer this September as he suits up for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey.
- Columbus Blue Jackets and Team USA coach John Tortorella told ESPN’s Linda Cohn that he would bench a player if they protested during the national anthems—alluding to the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick protesting the American national anthem by sitting, and then kneeling. Tortorella is no stranger to controversy, though, as he has sworn at a reporter on live TV, threw a water bottle at a fan, and tried to fight a fellow coach during an intermission.
World Cup Notes: Grubauer, Kopitar, Caps
With the news hitting yesterday that Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen will miss 3-4 weeks with an injured shoulder, thus taking him out of the running for the upcoming World Cup, Team Europe has announced his replacement today. Philipp Grubauer will join the squad as the third goaltender, suiting up behind Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss. Grubauer, a Washington Capitals product, played in 22 NHL games last season and put up a 2.32 GAA with a .918 SV%.
The 24-year old has performed well for his native Germany in international competition before, including three recent Olympic qualifying matches. Grubauer led his team with a 0.67 GAA in the three matches and helped Germany lock up a spot for 2018.
- Recently named Los Angeles Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar is getting used to having a letter sewn into his sweater, as Team Europe named him captain today for the tournament. Kopitar is the most talented player on the roster, and represented his home country of Slovenia remarkably over the years. He also recently led his team to a qualifying spot at the next Olympics, scoring five points in the three games.
- With the Capitals sending both of their goaltenders to the World Cup (Braden Holtby will be suiting up for Team Canada), Mike Vogel reports that the team will bring in Drew MacIntyre to fill a spot in their training camp. MacIntyre split last season between the Charlotte Checkers and Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, his 14th professional season. The 33-year old has six games of NHL experience, playing for the Canucks, Sabres and Maple Leafs.
Versteeg’s Deal With SC Bern Hits Snag
In an unexpected twist, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that due to complications regarding insurance, Kris Versteeg is returning to North America and will again be available as a free agent. Dreger followed up on his original tweet suggesting that hip surgery four years ago may have “prevented full coverage in Switzerland,” though the player is currently healthy. Versteeg had previously agreed to a one-year pact with SC Bern in the NLA league roughly six weeks ago. Now it appears his job search will have to continue.
Versteeg began the 2015-16 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes where he netted 33 points in 63 contests before a trade deadline move sent the veteran forward west to Los Angeles in exchange for prospect Valentin Zykov and a fifth-round choice in the 2016 draft. He would tally four goals and five points for the Kings down the stretch before contributing a goal and an assist during the team’s first-round playoff loss to San Jose.
The nine-year NHL vet has won two cups with Chicago – 2009-10 and 2014-15 – and has appeared in games for six different clubs during his career. Versteeg has scored 131 goals and 313 points in 550 NHL contests.
It isn’t clear if the issues that have apparently derailed his deal with HC Bern – at least temporarily – are insurmountable or if the two sides will have an opportunity to work things out. However, if he can’t come to a resolution with the Swiss club, Versteeg would then immediately become the top free agent forward available for teams on the lookout for scoring depth. Versteeg has never recorded less than 0.4 points-per-game in a full season in the NHL and is versatile enough to contribute anywhere up-and-down a team’s lineup.
Kevin Allen’s Latest: Early Predictions, Pivotal Players
Kevin Allen writes that the Detroit Red Wings are one of five teams in danger of missing the playoffs this season. Similar to his reports while speaking with PHR, Allen lists a questionable defensive corps, inconsistent goaltending and whether or not goal scorers like Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist will find the net as they should as reasons why they may not make it back for a 26th straight season. Though he could see them sneaking in, the Wings are more vulnerable than ever before. It all depends on youth and everything coming together.
Allen also lists the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues as candidates to possibly miss. With the Kings, Allen believes that the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes, if better, could push the Kings who lost Milan Lucic to Edmonton. The Flyers, a surprise team in the playoffs last season, will have more competition in the Metropolitan Division while the Canadiens, who struggled after Carey Price‘s injury, will also be better in the Atlantic, making the Eastern Conference a lot tougher.
The Islanders, Allen writes, lost some key players in Frans Nielsen, and Kyle Okposo. Though he calls it “sinful” to bet against a John Tavares led team, he still wonders if they grabbed enough to compensate for their losses. Finally, with the Blues, Allen reports that they took a “half step” back while division foes Chicago, Minnesota, and Nashville all improved. Further, Arizona and Calgary are better, crowding the already tight Western Conference. Losing David Backes, Brian Elliott, and Troy Brouwer also doesn’t help for depth purposes.
- Earlier in the week, Allen also compiled a list of the ten most pivotal players heading into the season. Number one on that list is Kari Lehtonen, who will make an early push to be the primary option between the pipes for the Stars. Though he has struggled in the past, he has the opportunity to backstop a potential Stanley Cup contender. Should he not, the Stars have been an oft-reported team to land Ben Bishop should he be available. Other names Allen included were Brian Campbell, a player he believes could solidify the Blackhawks defense, and Elliott, who could finally give the Flames a strong goaltending option.
Las Vegas Hires Kelly Kisio As Pro Scout
If you were an expansion team, looking to fill your ranks with the best hockey minds not currently employed by an NHL team, where would you look? Las Vegas has decided that the WHL is the place to go, as they’ve mined another long-time front office member from the junior ranks. According to a team release, Kelly Kisio, a member of the Calgary Hitmen front office for the past 18-years, has been hired by the expansion franchise as a pro scout.
Kisio first joined the Hitmen in 1998-99 as the General Manager, and continued in that role until 2013 when he was promoted to President of Hockey Operations. He also spent four seasons behind the bench with the club from 2004-08 while still in his GM role. He’ll now join the Vegas club as a pro scout covering the western region.
An excellent player in his day, Kisio scored 658 points in 761 goals for the Red Wings, Rangers, Sharks and Flames, including a 78 point effort in 1987-88. Serving as captain of the Rangers for over three seasons he made one all-star appearance in 1993.
The hiring of Kisio follows a clear pattern for GM George McPhee this summer, after he hired AGM Kelly McCrimmon from the Brandon Wheat Kings and amateur scout Bruno Campese from the Prince Albert Raiders among others.
Jeff Carter Injured, Questionable For World Cup
UPDATE: Rosen reports that Carter’s injury is not considered to be severe, but that he is currently thought to be “week-to-week”, a prognosis that likely means the World Cup is not a realistic option for the L.A. playmaker.
According to Los Angeles Kings beat writer Jon Rosen, Kings forward Jeff Carter suffered a lower-body injury while training for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. Rosen added that the severity of the injury remains unknown, but that there are already doubts about his participation. Elliotte Friedman also chimed in on the news, acknowledging that Carter’s World Cup status is in question, but that there should be more clarity to the situation when Team Canada players report on Sunday.
Luckily for Kings fans, there has yet to be a report that puts Carter’s NHL season debut in doubt. While the exact type and extent of the lower-body injury has not been revealed, both Rosen and Friedman only questioned Carter’s availability for this month’s World Cup, with no mention of puck-drop on the new season in late October. L.A. has not been subjected to many injury concerns when it comes to Carter’s tenure with the team, as he has played in at least 70 games in each of the last three seasons and played in every regular season game in 2012-13 and 2014-15. Second only to Anze Kopitar in team scoring last season, Carter is an invaluable member of the Kings. If the injury is anything but minor, LA supporters would likely rather have their star forward sit out the World Cup and prepare for the season.
For those worried about Team Canada at the World Cup, don’t fret. The Canadian roster is loaded with talent and center depth. In fact, Brad Marchand is the only one of 13 forwards on the roster who isn’t a natural centerman. Should Carter not be able to go, expect another winger like Corey Perry or Taylor Hall to get the first look.
Snapshots: Player Agent, Marlies, Kings Goaltending
News and notes from around the NHL:
- NHL Player Agent Steve Bartlett spoke to WGR 550 in Buffalo today on how the NHL is now a buyer’s market when it comes to free agents. Bartlett points out that the GMs hold all the cards and predicts that more players will be forced to sign professional tryouts instead of deals between now and the start of training camp. Bartlett has represented Ryan Callahan and Thomas Vanek, and nearly became the NHLPA head in the 1990s.
- The Toronto Marlies, AHL affiliate for the Toronto Maple Leafs, bolstered its defensive corps by signing NCAA grad Jonathan Jutzi. The Tavistock, ON native put up 5G and 10A in 41 games with the Minnesota State University—Mantako last year. The Maple Leafs’ defense is anybody’s game this year, and Jutzi has a chance to log key minutes in the AHL as players get called up.
- Kings goaltending development coach Dusty Imoo spoke to Sheng Peng of Today’s Slapshot on recent Kings’ goalie acquisitions Jack Campbell and Tom McCollum. Both goalies were highly-touted prospects who failed to live up to expectation, but Imoo is confident that he can work with the goalies to rediscover their talent. Imoo is credited with turning aroud Peter Budaj’s season last year in the AHL. The veteran Slovak goalie struggled early before winning the AHL’s top goaltender award.