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Maple Leafs Notes: Matthews, Jarnkrok, Lorentz, Clifford

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Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews sustained a minor upper-body injury during practice Tuesday, head coach Craig Berube said (via The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel). He wasn’t slated to play in tonight’s preseason contest against the Sens anyway, and his absence isn’t expected to stretch into regular-season play.

It’s not a particularly auspicious start for the star centerman, who’s led the league in goals in three of the last four seasons. Last season’s career-high 69 were the most by any player since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96.

One of the league’s most well-rounded players, the 27-year-old Matthews finished fourth in Hart Trophy and third in Selke Trophy voting in 2023-24. He scored and had a +1 rating in Toronto’s 6-5 overtime loss to Ottawa on Sunday.

Other injury updates out of Toronto:

  • Versatile depth forward Calle Järnkrok is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the team told David Alter of The Hockey News. Various injuries limited Järnkrok, who turns 33 on Wednesday, to 52 appearances last season, recording 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points. He’s entering the third season of the four-year, $8.4MM contract he signed with Toronto in free agency in 2022.
  • Camp invite Steven Lorentz and AHL depth piece Kyle Clifford were back on the ice today after missing brief sections of camp with upper-body injuries, per Alter. It’s a crucial step for the 28-year-old Lorentz, who’s looking to earn a contract and a roster spot in Toronto after playing a depth role for the Stanley Cup-winning Panthers last season. A fourth-line piece at most, he had three points and a -9 rating in 38 games for Florida. Clifford, 33, is signed with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season after posting 28 points in 53 games there last year.

Seth Jones Wants To Be Blackhawks Next Captain

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The Chicago Blackhawks don’t currently have a captain after long-time captain Jonathan Toews wasn’t re-signed this summer. Toews was Chicago’s captain from July of 2008 until April of this year when the season ended. During his time the Blackhawks had an unparalleled run of success on the ice winning three Stanley Cups.

Now with the captaincy vacant, defenseman Seth Jones has expressed an interest in the role telling Tracey Myers of NHL.com that he always wanted to be a captain after learning from great leaders such as Toews, Shea Weber, and Nick Foligno. Jones added that he understands his role in the room and will be a leader whether he has a letter on his jersey or not.

It’s an interesting statement from the 28-year-old rearguard as the Blackhawks are early in a big rebuild, but that process has certainly been accelerated with the team’s draft lottery win that allowed them to pick Connor Bedard first overall. It’s also unlikely to happen given that the Blackhawks will probably keep the captaincy vacant until Bedard is ready to take the reins in a few years.

Chicago’s captaincy may ultimately play out the same way it did with the Pittsburgh Penguins 18 years ago when Sidney Crosby began his career. At the time Mario Lemieux was the Penguins captain, but he didn’t make it through the 2005-06 season as he retired midseason. The Penguins then left the captaincy vacant until they gave it to Crosby in May 2007 after his second NHL season.

The other complications with Jones when it comes to the captaincy could be his contract status coupled with his play on the ice. Jones has long had the reputation as an elite, minute-eating defenseman, and while the latter is true, the former is much more complicated. Jones had a disastrous end to his time in Columbus and was dealt to Chicago. He quickly signed an eight-year $76MM contract with the Blackhawks that was panned by some and praised by others. There is no doubt that Jones provides a good amount of offensive punch, but his defensive play has been problematic as evidenced by his -75 the past two seasons.

Jones is entering the second year of his deal and it has already started to feel like he could become a buyout candidate before the end of the contract. It felt like an overpayment when it was signed and it really looks like one now. And with Jones pushing 30 his play is more likely to get worse before it gets better. Putting the captaincy on him now could become a PR nightmare in a few years if his play were to drop off and lead to a buyout.

Hall Of Famer Clark Gillies Passes Away At 67

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The hockey community, especially those in New York, has lost one of the greats. New York Islanders legend Clark Gillies has passed away at the age of 67, the team announced late Friday night. Gillies spent a dozen seasons in New York to begin his career and wrapped up his playing days with a pair of seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. Since retiring in 1988, he has worked closely with charities on Long Island, including his own Clark Gillies Foundation, and has stayed involved with the Islanders club.

Gillies is best remembered as a key piece of the Islanders early-1980’s dynasty that won four consecutive Stanley Cups. Gillies played an integral role in each title, recording 250 points in 302 games in those regular seasons and 47 points in 66 postseason games as well. Gillies was the fourth overall pick by the Isles in 1974 out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and the WHL’s Regina Pats and jumped immediately into the NHL. It didn’t take long for him to find his groove, recording career-best seasons of 85 and 91 points in 1977-78 and 1978-79. For his career, Gillies notched 697 points in 958 games, only topped by his 1,025 career penalty minutes. The epitome of a power forward, the 6’3″ Gillies was notoriously tough to play against in all three zones. A physical net front presence, especially on the power play, and menacing checker, it was easy for Gillies’ teams to score when he was on the ice and far more difficult for the opposition, as evidenced by a whopping +245 rating for his career. The two-time First Team All-Star had his No. 9 retired by the Islanders in 1996 and was a 2002 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.

The Islanders, in announcing the sad news of Gillies’ passing, including a statement from GM and fellow Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello:

The entire Islanders community is devastated by the loss of Clark Gillies. He epitomized what it means to be a New York Islander. The pride he felt wearing the Islanders sweater on the ice was evident by his willingness to do anything to win. Off the ice, he was just as big of a presence, always taking the time to give back to the local community. The New York Islanders have four Stanley Cups because of the sacrifices he and the members of those dynasty teams made for the franchise. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Gillies family.

Many more have released statements sharing their condolences and expressing their appreciation for the role that Gillies played in a number of hockey communities, including NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, WHL Commissioner Ron Robison, Pittsburgh Penguins great and close friend Mario Lemieux, and many former and current Islanders. It is clear that the charismatic and caring Gillies made a major impact on many lives.

We here at PHR extend our condolences to the family, friends, and many fans of Clark Gillies.

 

NHL Board Of Governors Approves Sale Of Pittsburgh Penguins

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Though there was never much doubt, the NHL Board of Governors has voted on and approved the sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The deal, which is for a reported $915MM, will be with Fenway Sports Group, a company that also owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, among other sporting ventures.

Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, the previous owners, will retain a five percent combined stake, according to reporting from Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News.

Forbes recently ranked the Penguins as the 12th most valuable franchise in the NHL, with an increase in value of 58% over the past five years. Their attachment to FSG, one of the most successful sporting ventures in the world, should only increase that value in the future as the Penguins receive even more financial backing.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last month that FSG first approached Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment with the idea of a potential merger, though for now, that is out of the question with this new acquisition of Pittsburgh. There has also been reporting suggesting that FSG could be heading toward a potential streaming service in the future.

Fenway Sports Group Approves Purchase Of Pittsburgh Penguins

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Nov: 29: After receiving unanimous approval from the FSG board earlier this month, the team has officially announced the agreement, which is still subject to approval from the NHL’s board of governors. In today’s release, it confirms that Lemieux and Burkle will remain part of the ownership group, and that management–from CEO David Morehouse all the way to head coach Mike Sullivan–will be maintained as is. The sale is expected to go through before the end of the year.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the sale is expected to be worth around $900MM.

Nov 16: The Pittsburgh Penguins majority owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux are in talks to sell the team to Fenway Sports Group, the company that owns Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, according to Cara Lombardo and Laine Higgins of the Wall Street Journal. Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Lemieux will likely retain a minority stake and will continue to be involved in the hockey operations.

It’s been more than two decades since Lemieux and Burkle effectively saved the Penguins, taking control of the team in 1999 after converting more than $32MM in deferred salary into equity. While it has certainly not been a smooth ride since then–the Penguins have been close to selling or relocating several times over the years, including a notorious saga with Jim Balsillie in 2006–Lemieux has held the team together, helped orchestrate a rebuild, and eventually brought multiple Stanley Cup victories to the club as an executive.

Forbes estimates the Penguins value at $650MM, the same price that the Seattle Kraken recently paid as an expansion fee. Sportico meanwhile valued them at $845MM recently, ranking them 15th in the NHL. The details of this sale are not public, but the report suggests that the deal could be finalized by the end of the week. It would also need to be approved by the NHL.

Fenway Sports Group was formed in 2001–then called New England Sports Ventures–when John Henry, among other investors, took control of the Red Sox. In 2010 the company purchased Liverpool FC, and they also own other smaller sporting ventures and venues. Henry has previous experience in sports ownership and was involved in an expansion bid for a Florida-based team that eventually went to another group and became the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Of note, the NHL has a standard agreement in place that prevents new owners from relocating a franchise for seven years.

Penguins Notes: Crosby And Malkin, Pryor, Attendance

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Though it should come as no surprise, Pittsburgh Penguins ownership consulted their biggest stars before making the recent hires of Ron Hextall as GM and Brian Burke as President of Hockey Operations. The Athletic’s Rob Rossi writes that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were informed of the Hextall-Burke possibility and endorsed the move, according to sources close to the players. While owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle typically do not intrude on hockey operations matters, the once exception over the years has been an insistence on keeping Crosby and Malkin in Pittsburgh at all costs. This why the pair, despite being 33 and 34 years old respectively, were consulted on a front office move that could outlast either’s career. Ownership’s lone mandate to Hextall and Burke is that they would like Crosby and Malkin to retire as Penguins if they so choose. Crosby is already signed through 2024-25 and has never given the team any reason to want to move him. Malkin however has not been as consistent and will be a free agent after next season. He has previously expressed a desire to sign on for three more years in Pittsburgh at the conclusion of his current contract to line up with the expiration of Crosby’s deal, allowing the two iconic Penguins to potentially retire together. Whether this is the same expectation shared by Hextall and Burke remains to be seen, but it appears as though the duo have been asked by their new bosses to treat Crosby and Malkin differently than the rest of the roster.

Interestingly, that even includes defenseman Kris Letang. Rossi reports that previous GM Jim Rutherford had been told that any trade involving Letang would need to be approved by ownership. However, Hextall and Burke are not operating under the same mandate. Rutherford had allegedly been gauging the trade interest in Letang around the league prior to his resignation and Hextall and Burke may be similarly interested in moving the veteran defenseman, whose expensive contract expires after the 2021-22 season. While Lemieux is still believed to prefer extending Letang, it seems he would be okay with moving the career Penguin “the right way”.

  • Rossi also notes that, while no other front office moves were made alongside the additions of Hextall and Burke and the return of interim GM Patrick Allvin back to his role as Assistant GM, permission was given to make an addition to the staff. Hextall reportedly asked that he be allowed to hire his former assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers, Chris Pryor, before accepting the position with the Penguins. Pryor was fired alongside Hextall in Philadelphia and has since been working as an amateur scout for the Nashville Predators. It is unclear why Pryor has not yet joined the Penguins and if the Predators have anything to do with the hold up. However, the expectation is that Pryor will eventually become a second Assistant GM for Pittsburgh, resuming his role as Hextall’s draft guru. Rossi does not believe that any other changes to the front office are imminent until after Hextall and Burke handle the numerous major tasks ahead – in-season trades, entry draft, expansion, etc. – and have time to review the department.
  • The Penguins continue to play in an empty building, but they might have 4,500+ in attendance before too long. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune writes that the team has made requests to the Pennsylvania Department of Health as well as the Governor’s office to allow for PPG Paints Arena to open to fans at 25% capacity. He adds that quarter capacity for the venue is 4,596 spectators, a far cry from the current 500 players and personnel maximum currently allowed on game days. With COVID rates on the decline in the state and neighboring New York opening sports venues to 10% capacity, the Penguins’ request is not unrealistic. The team has already undertaken a number of health and safety measures at PPG in anticipation of crowds. The club certainly hopes that those with the power to allow Penguins fans back in the building will take all factors into account and grant their request.

Trade Rumors: Penguins, Mete, Bjork

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Amidst the shocking news that Jim Rutherford had resigned as GM of Pittsburgh Penguins, it is easy to forget that this was a team that less than a week ago was reported as being active on the trade market. While ownership suddenly needs to focus on the long-term welfare of the franchise by finding a new GM, the Penguins are still in need of defense in the short-term. While Rutherford’s final move was to find a stopgap in free agent addition Yannick Weber, that might not be enough. The Pittsburgh blue line has been devastated by injuries early this season with Michael Matheson, Juuso Riikola, and Zach Trotman on injured reserve, Marcus Pettersson also officially out, and Brian Dumoulin injured in last night’s game. Even the thought-to-be-healthy John Marino was missing at practice today. What’s left is a group that is almost entirely right-handed, including the newcomer Weber, and includes a struggling Cody Ceci and an untested rookie in Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The Penguins need to to continue to be on the look out for help on the back end. With that said, NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz doubts that interim GM Patrick Allvin will have the authority to make a trade, until they potentially remove the interim tag that is. In the meantime, can the Penguins afford to stand pat in a shortened season facing tougher playoff odds and a more difficult division? Can they withstand extended absences from their current injured defenders? Unless owner Mario Lemieux decides to step in and pull the strings while also making a decision on his next GM, they may not have an option but to stick it out.

  • Through their first six games of the season, the Montreal Canadiens have yet to lose in regulation and have earned 10 of a possible 12 points. Everyone in Montreal is happy so far this year, that is except defenseman Victor Mete. With the team rolling on all cylinders, the Habs have had no reason to change out their starting six defenseman. In fact, there has been only one lineup change among skaters for one single game thus far. The Canadiens do not want to lose the promising, young Mete on waivers, but so far that has left 22-year-old sitting in the press box for every game. If Montreal continues to win and stay healthy, then there is also no reason for that to change. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has taken notice and he’s not alone. Friedman reports that there is interest in Mete across the league and offers will be coming to Montreal soon, if they haven’t already. After losing Noah Juulsen on waivers earlier this year, the Habs may be hesitant to part with another young defenseman whose career has been impacted by injuries but could be primed for a breakout. However, if Mete won’t get any opportunity to shine in Montreal, they may as well move him. After all, he will likely be available for free to the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft anyway.
  • If there is one thing that has quietly defined the Don Sweeney administration in Boston, it is that they are not afraid to move young forwards who are unable to carve out a consistent role in the lineup. In consecutive years, the Bruins have traded away Frank Vatrano, Ryan Donato, and Danton Heinen, each of whom was struggling and bouncing around the lineup prior to being moved. Now, Anders Bjork could be the next name on that list. The team has liked the upside of Bjork, 24, and made that clear with a three-year, $4.8MM contract this summer. However, injury and inconsistency has made it hard to get a good look at the player. Now healthy and in the starting lineup through six games this season, that look hasn’t been good. Bjork has played on several different lines and with different line mates but nothing has clicked. He has zero points and just two shots on goal and hasn’t made a major impact defensively either. With the emergence of rookies Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic as NHL-ready assets and the upcoming injury returns of David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase, there won’t be space left in the lineup for Bjork. Multiple sources are now reporting that in anticipation of this result, interest is growing in the young winger. Bjork may not be a fit in Boston right now, but as a player with positional and two-way versatility and under team control for several years, a number of teams could be interested in taking a chance. With a lineup that is looking pretty complete so far this season, Bjork may also come cheap with the Bruins opting for a pick or prospect rather than a roster player in return.

Austin Lemieux Retires From Hockey

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Austin Lemieux won’t be following in his famous father’s footsteps, at least not exactly. The son of all-time NHL great and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and a forward for Arizona State University, Lemieux did not appear on the Sun Devils’ 2020-21 roster when it was released Thursday. College Hockey News’ Greg Cameron reports that this is because Lemieux is no longer with the team. He has reportedly decided to retire from hockey.

Lemieux, 24, was never drafted into the NHL but was still considered a pro prospect due to his large frame and high hockey IQ. Lemieux earned a scholarship to Arizona State and joined the program in 2017. After redshirting for his first season, Lemieux helped the team to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 2018-19 with 13 points in 31 games. He followed that up with 14 points in 35 games this season for a Sun Devils squad that very likely would have made the tournament again if it had not been canceled. Although these are not remarkable numbers for Lemieux, he was a key piece of the ASU team. In several appearances at Pittsburgh Penguins development camp, he was also considered a standout participant.

For whatever reason, Lemieux has decided – with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining – to hang up his skates and abandon his NHL dreams. However, he is not done with his aspirations of being a pro athlete like his dad. Cameron writes that Lemieux plans to pursue a career in professional golf. While he did not play collegiately at Arizona State, Lemieux was a very successful amateur golfer while growing up in Pennsylvania and it appears that he now plans to re-focus his efforts onto golf as his sport of choice.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Fabbri, Nesterov

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The NHL announced it’s three stars for the month of January and they happen to be three bona fide NHL superstars. The first star is Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals’ cornerstone and captain, who recorded a whopping 13 goals as well as a pair of assists in just ten games. In doing so, Ovechkin passed Teemu Selanne, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Mark Messier to move into eight place on the NHL’s career goals list. At 695 career goals, Ovechkin is just five away from joining an elite group with 700 career goals and would need just nine more after that to pass Mike Gartner, the next name on the list. Career numbers aside, the 34-year-old is also tied for the league lead in goals this season with David Pastrnak and could be on his way to yet another Rocket Richard Trophy. The second star belongs to Leon Draisaitl, who has shown this season that he is far more than just Connor McDavid’s right-hand man. With 17 points in just nine games, Draisaitl led the league in per game scoring in January and overtook McDavid with a league-leading 79 points. Draisaitl and McDavid are currently on pace for 127 and 124 points respectively and have a chance at becoming just the fourth pair of teammates and the first since Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96 to each crack 130 points on the year. Finally, the third star went to Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. After a slow start to the season for both Vasilevskiy and the Bolts, January could not have gone much better. The team went 10-2-1 behind a 9-0-1 record from Vasilevskiy, who posted a stunning .948 save percentage and 1.58 GAA. All three marks from Vasilevskiy, as well as Tampa’s record, led the NHL this past month.

  • One other player who has been hot of late is Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri. Fabbri, whose career with the St. Louis Blues got off to a fast start but had been derailed by injury and inconsistency over the past two years, has found new life since being acquired by the Red Wings back in early November. Fabbri has recorded 25 points in 35 games, trailing only Anthony Mantha for the team lead in points per game. Fabbri is on pace to shatter his offensive career highs across the board in his first season with Detroit and understandably would like to stay. He tells Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he sees the upside in the young, rebuilding club and would like to be a part of it for as long as possible. Fabbri will be a restricted free agent this summer and will look to sign on long-term with the Red Wings if he can.
  • Despite NHL interest, it does not sound as though KHL defenseman Nikita Nesterov is looking to return to the league just yet, if at all. The CSKA Moscow standout has been dominant both in the KHL and on the international stage since he last played in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens in 2016-17, transforming into one of the top defensemen in Russia. With his current contract coming to a close, there had been some speculation that he would try to use his success in the KHL over the past three years as a platform to return to the NHL, but it seems his career aspirations lie elsewhere. CSKA has shared a recent Q&A in which Nesterov claims that he is hoping to stay in Moscow. He acknowledges that the NHL is the best league in the world and that he enjoyed his time there and has at least considered offers to return, but in the end he feels his KHL career has been more meaningful. That is why, as he notes, he has instructed his agent to begin negotiations on an extension with CSKA with hopes of signing on for another five years. That lengthy term, even for a 26-year-old, could mean that his NHL days are over, but at the very least it will likely be some time before he ever returns to action in North America.

QMJHL To Retire Sidney Crosby’s No. 87 League-Wide

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The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced a major honor for one of the best players in the game last night. Commissioner Gilles Courteau revealed that, beginning with the 2020-21 season, the No. 87 will be retired league-wide out of respect for the “contributions to the QMJHL and to hockey” of one Sidney Crosby.

Crosby, undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the NHL right now and perhaps one of the greatest players of all time, started to make a name for himself in hockey in the QMJHL 15 years ago. The Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia native debuted in 2003-04 with Rimouski Oceanic. While he only played two seasons of junior hockey, Crosby recorded a jaw-dropping 303 points over those two years with Rimouski. Since departing from the league to join the NHL, no QMJHLer has been able to top Crosby’s 168-point sophomore season and only one player has managed to surpass his 135-point debut campaign. Crosby’s time in the QMJHL represented two of the best seasons in the modern era of the league’s history. In fact, he is the only player to earn league MVP honors in back-to-back seasons. Crosby was named the third best player in all of QMJHL history last year, during the league’s 50th Anniversary celebration, behind only Guy LaFleur and mentor and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux.

Since he left the QMJHL, Crosby has managed to make his unbelievable junior production look like only a minor footnote on his tremendous career. Crosby has been the captain of the Penguins since 2007-08 and has led the team to three Stanley Cup championships in that time. He has averaged 1.3 points per game over his NHL career, including six different 100+ point seasons, totaling 1216 points in 943 games. Crosby is an eight-time All-Star who has won two Hart Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies, two Maurice Richard Trophies, and two Conn Smythe Trophies, as well as a total of five gold medals across the Olympics, World Championships, and World Juniors. And he’s still not done. Crosby shows no signs of slowing down and there are surely more accolades to come in his storied career. In selecting a true game-changing talent to honor with a league-wide jersey retirement, the QMJHL could not have done better than to choose Sidney Crosby, whose iconic No. 87 will now be immortalized forever in the league.

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