Snapshots: Hedman, Pacioretty, Merzlikins, Suter, Schmaltz, Boychuk
With Tampa Bay Lightning fans waiting for word on the status of top defenseman Victor Hedman after the blueliner looked to twist his ankle Saturday during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers, the injury report may have to wait until Monday. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the team is off today and will practice Monday before likely starting the playoffs on Tuesday.
There is plenty of fear that the defenseman could miss significant time after Hedman frustratingly slammed his stick four times against the boards on his way into the dressing room. Smith (subscription required) writes that of all Tampa Bay players, including the injured Steven Stamkos, Hedman could be the one player the Lightning cannot do without. Hedman, a finalist for the Norris Trophy, for four years straight and the winner in 2017-18 and will be badly missed.
Incidentally, the Lightning’s depth is likely going to be tested on defense as the team only brought nine defensemen with them into the bubble. With Jan Rutta unfit to play so far in the playoffs, that leaves the team with just seven defenseman, which could be an issue if more injuries arise.
- Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer said that forward Max Pacioretty has arrived “in the bubble,” and is expected to be ready to play for Game 1 of their playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Pacioretty missed the round-robin series due to an undisclosed injury, but completed his quarantine with four negative tests and is expected to practice with the team on Monday. He is the team’s leader in scoring after tallying 32 goals and 66 points in 71 games this season.
- There was some debate on who should start in goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets for their Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Joonas Korpisalo has been given the nod, it turns out that another reason for that is because Elvis Merzlikins is injured and will not dress later today as Matiss Kivlenieks will step in as the backup, according to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Head coach John Tortorella said the goaltender, who was in net during the team’s late collapse in Game 4, is injured and “unfit to play,” according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
- With the Minnesota Wild having been eliminated, defenseman Ryan Suter was allowed to reveal to The Athletic’s Michael Russo that he injured his right foot during Game 3 of the team’s playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks. Yes, that’s the same foot he had operated on back in 2018 when he broke his ankle. His MRI in Edmonton was incomplete due to the irritation to the injury. The team sat him to make sure he doesn’t injure it any further. Suter said he should be fine and is going to the doctor tomorrow to get it checked further.
- NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports that the Arizona Coyotes could be getting back a key forward for the next round of the playoffs. Forward Nick Schmaltz, who missed the entire series with the Nashville Predators, participated in a full practice with the team Sunday and could be ready to return. The 24-year-old had 11 goals and 45 points for Arizona this season.
- After missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury, Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk practiced Sunday and is expected to be ready to play for the team’s upcoming series against the Washington Capitals. Boychuk only played in 5:17 of Game 1 before leaving due to injury against the Florida Panthers.
Wild’s Mikko Koivu Not Ready To Make Decision On NHL Future
With their elimination on Saturday to the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, the Minnesota Wild’s offseason is already underway. The team has shown some signs that it is still a consistent playoff contender and can now focus their attention on recently signed Russian import Kirill Karpizov to look forward to for the 2020-21 season. However, the team could be saying goodbye to another longtime Minnesota player.
One question that has already been asked is what veteran captain Mikko Koivu intends to do next season. The 37-year-old has been with the organization ever since he was drafted sixth-overall in 2001, posting 205 goals and 709 points in 15 seasons. He will be hitting unrestricted free agency this upcoming season after making $5.5MM the past two years, but admitted he needs time to decide what his plans are going forward, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo.
“I need to be real careful, especially with that game and what do I want with the future and then go from there,” said Koivu, via The Athletic’s Jessi Pierce. “It’s such a big decision, there’s no way I’m ready to do that right now.”
Koivu, captain of the team since the 2008-09 season has been a major contributor over the years. While those numbers have decreased in the last few years, he did still post a 45-point season back in 2017-18. Those numbers have taken a back role in the last two years, however. He tallied only 29 points in 48 games in 2018-19 due to injuries and scored only 21 points in 55 games this year. He has seen his playing time drop dramatically as well in the last two years, having always been a 20:00+ player for much of his career on the ice. That number dropped to just 15:34 this past year as he spent most of the season on the fourth line. His playoff numbers were even worse as he averaged less than 12 minutes per game on the ice, including just 9:54 in Game 2.
Draft Pick Fall Out From Qualifying Round Results
It was a dark day in the NHL on Friday as five teams were eliminated from playoff contention and, barring a miraculous last-minute comeback by the Toronto Maple Leafs, it could have been six-for-six. While the focus on these pivotal games yesterday was on those teams advancing and those team going home, there were also numerous draft picks impacted:
- In addition to yesterday’s winners, it was also a big day for the New Jersey Devils. In a year in which the draft class is lauded for its depth, particularly in impact forwards, the Devils are now the proud owners of three first-round picks. New Jersey acquired Arizona’s first-rounder in the Taylor Hall trade and Vancouver’s first-rounder from Tampa Bay in the Blake Coleman However, both picks were lottery protected. Now that the Coyotes and Canucks have advanced, they will not take part in Monday’s second draft lottery to determine the No. 1 pick and as a result their picks have officially been sent to the Devils.
- The Ottawa Senators will also have three picks in the first round of the 2020 Draft. Already owners of their own pick and San Jose’s, the Senators officially acquired the New York Islanders’ pick yesterday. The Isles had sent a lottery-protected first-rounder to Ottawa in the Jean-Gabriel Pageau trade, but with New York moving one they will not be in the running for a lottery pick. There is also a conditional 2020 second-round pick involved in that deal which will transfer to the Senators if the Islanders win the Stanley Cup. That dream for now remains alive for New York.
- The clock is ticking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first-round pick that the team sent to the Minnesota Wild in the Jason Zucker trade contained a condition that the Penguins could keep the pick if it landed in the top 15. Now that the team has been surprisingly knocked out of the postseason, their first-rounder will fall in that range. They now have seven days to decided whether or not to retain the pick and send their 2021 first-round pick instead or to simply trade their 2020 selection. Obviously, the team will wait for the results of Monday night’s lottery, but regardless it seems likely that the Penguins will keep the pick and bet on themselves to make the playoffs next season.
- One first-round pick that still remains undecided is the pick that will transfer to the New York Rangers as part of the Brady Skjei When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Skjei, they promised the Rangers the later of their two first-rounders, their own and the Toronto Maple Leafs’, acquired alongside Patrick Marleau. However, the Toronto pick has conditions of its own; if the Leafs pick lands in the top 10, they will retain the selection and transfer their 2021 first-rounder instead. The only way for this to occur would be for Toronto to both lose Game Five against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday and then win the No. 1 overall pick in Monday’s draft lottery. If the Maple Leafs lose both the game and the lottery, their pick will be No. 13 and by default will be earlier than Carolina’s, meaning the Hurricanes’ own pick will go to the Rangers. Should Toronto win on Sunday, it will remain to be seen how far each team goes in the playoffs and which pick will head to New York.
Snapshots: Bubble Life, Belzile, Omsk
Life in the NHL is different these days, with regular afternoon games, no fans in the stands and a lockdown outside the rink. If the Stanley Cup playoffs weren’t unpredictable enough, things are sure to amaze this year when teams come together in the early rounds.
Though the league has done everything possible to make the players as comfortable as possible there are bound to be some oddities. Marcus Foligno of the Minnesota Wild will be giving fans an inside look at “bubble life” in Edmonton with a diary for The Athletic, and in his first edition, perhaps unsurprisingly, he mentions that most of the players took advantage of a Tim Hortons pop-up truck on day one. The continuing diary is sure to be interesting, though fans will have to hope the Wild make it through the qualifying round.
- After taking a punishing hit from Jake Muzzin last night, Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Belzile did not participate today at practice. Belzile played under two minutes thanks to the hit, which forced him out of the game after he slammed his head into the boards. As with any injury these playoffs, the exact diagnosis is not expected to be released publicly.
- After reporting earlier today that SKA St. Petersburg had shut down training camp temporarily, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN gives us some more news on the KHL COVID-19 situation. According to Dhaliwal, up to 20 players on Avangard Omsk have been “infected” and most of the team is being quarantined. Reid Boucher, who signed with the club for 2020-21, had not yet arrived.
Minnesota Makes Three Roster Cuts
With teams heading into the bubble this weekend, final cuts to get to the 31-player maximum will soon be on the horizon. The Wild decided not to wait until the last minute to make their roster trims as they announced (Twitter link) that wingers Sam Anas and J.T. Brown plus defenseman Calen Addison are no longer participating in camp and their roster now sits at 31 players.
Brown is the most recognizable player on the list as he has 365 games of NHL experience over parts of seven seasons although this season was the first one since 2012-13 that he didn’t see any action at the top level. Instead, the veteran played exclusively with AHL Iowa, collecting nine goals and 13 assists in 62 games.
Anas, meanwhile, was much more productive with Iowa. He had 20 goals and 50 assists in 63 games which made him the team leader in scoring but also the AHL’s leader in assists and points. Despite that, the 27-year-old didn’t get an opportunity with Minnesota during the regular season and won’t get a chance to boost his stock heading into October’s free agent market.
As for Addison, he was part of the midseason trade that saw Jason Zucker head to Pittsburgh. The 20-year-old spent this season in junior with WHL Lethbridge, averaging just over a point per game in the process. He was more of a longshot to see action this postseason but this camp gave him a chance work with the Wild’s coaching staff for the first time which should help his development.
Ivan Lodnia Loaned To KHL
The Minnesota Wild have decided to loan prospect Ivan Lodnia to the KHL for the 2020-21 season, according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Michael Russo of The Athletic confirms that Lodnia will play the entire season in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk, instead of returning to North America when the 2020-21 NHL training camps open.
Selected 85th overall in 2017, Lodnia has spent the years since playing in the OHL where he was the leading scorer for the Niagara IceDogs in 2019-20. The two-way winger scored 62 points in 41 games and will now have to try and take his game to the professional ranks. During a six-game try-out with the Iowa Wild in 2018 he failed to record a single point and now he’ll have to wait an entire season to get another chance in the AHL.
Lodnia, 20, signed his entry-level deal with Minnesota back in 2017 and saw it kick in for the 2019-20 season. He’ll burn the second year playing in the KHL, though technically the team could recall him at some point if they felt it necessary. If not, that means he’ll have just one year of North American pro hockey under his belt when he goes into negotiations as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2022, not exactly a position of leverage for the young forward.
NHL Releases Qualifying Round, Round Robin Schedules
July 20: The NHL has announced some minor changes to the schedule for the round robin. The Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game that was scheduled for August 8 will now be played on August 9. The Philadelphia Flyers-Tampa Bay Lightning game that was originally scheduled for August 9, will now be played on August 8.
July 14: After revealing the schedule earlier today for the exhibition games occurring after the conclusion of training camp, the NHL has followed up with the schedules for the games that actually matter. The league has announced the full schedule for the best-of-five qualifying round match-ups, four each per conference between the teams seeded No. 5 to No. 12, as well as the six round robin games per conference between the teams seeded No. 1 to No. 4. As a reminder, the qualifying round will serve as a knockout round to trim the list of postseason teams to 16 for a standard playoff format while the round robin games will serve as a means to seed the top team in each conference. Teams will re-seed following the conclusion of the qualifying round and each subsequent round.
The full schedule is as follows (all times ET):
Saturday, Aug. 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1, 12 p.m.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 1, 4 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 1, 3 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, 3 p.m.
Best-of-5 series
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs, Nashville Predators, Game 1, 2 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 2, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 2, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 2, 4 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 3, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 3, 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 2, 10:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 3, 12 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 3, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 3, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 3, TBD
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 3, TBD
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 4*, TBD
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 4*, TBD
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 4*, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 4*, TBD
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 4*, TBD
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 4*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 5*, TBD
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 5*, TBD
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 5*, TBD
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 5*, TBD
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
With round robin games scheduled through August 9, the first round will not begin until August 10 at the earliest. However, given that exhibition games don’t even begin until July 28, the NHL is about to cram a lot of hockey into a span of just a dozen days.
Alex Galchenyuk Hopeful Of Remaining With Minnesota
- Wild forward Alex Galchenyuk was quietly off to a decent start with Minnesota before the pandemic hit. He had been shifted back to center and put up three goals and four assists in 14 games before things were shut down. In doing so, he may have restored a bit of value heading into free agency but he told Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press that he’s not thinking about the open market at this time. However, he indicated that he’s hopeful to remain in Minnesota for next season. Having said that, he’ll quite likely be looking at a considerable dip from his current $4.9MM AAV considering he only had 24 points in 59 games between the Wild and Penguins this season.
Snapshots: Stingrays, Beaudin, Koivu
The Washington Capitals and South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL have renewed their affiliation, signing a three-year extension that will keep them together moving forward. The Stingrays were first affiliated with the Capitals between 2004-2012, and were reunited in 2014. The two teams, along with the Hershey Bears of the AHL, have experienced plenty of success as one of the strongest three-tiered development system in professional hockey.
Perhaps the best-known success story is Braden Holtby, who spent time with the Stingrays in 2009-10 before eventually moving up the depth chart. The ECHL is routinely used to give raw goalie prospects a chance to hone their talents in game situations and will continue to be a valuable development path for the Capitals.
- With the shortened season the league had to institute a pro-rating system for things like the entry-level slide rule in the new CBA. Previously, players had to eclipse ten games for their entry-level contract to kick in. That changed slightly with the new rules, but according to CapFriendly the new formula will only actually affect one player—Nicolas Beaudin. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect could see his first year burned if he is to play in eight more games, even though he only played one in the regular season. There are still many players who could see their first year kick in should they play enough games in the playoffs, but those thresholds remain at 10 games. CapFriendly has the entire list right here.
- Mikko Koivu is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, but he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether he’ll continue to play. The 37-year old Minnesota Wild captain told Michael Russo of The Athletic that he would make that decision after his season is over. After several major injuries and the slow march of time Koivu isn’t the same two-way monster he was for so many years, but he did still contribute 21 points in 55 games for the Wild this season. He’ll get a chance to strengthen his legacy with a playoff run, but the Wild will have to dispatch the Vancouver Canucks in their qualification round first.
Snapshots: Suter, McLeod, Senators Logo
Switzerland’s leading scorer is headed to the NHL, but to which team exactly is still a mystery. Pius Suter has opted into his exit clause for the 2020-21 season with the expectation of signing in the NHL, the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NLA have announced. Head coach Rickard Gronberg also thanked and congratulated the young star on his move to North America. A former OHL prospect who has played at home in Switzerland for the past five years, Suter had shown flashes of scoring ability before but truly broke out this season with a league-leading 30 goals and 53 points in 50 games. The NLA has slowly been climbing the ranks of the top leagues in Europe and several players who have graduated from Switzerland in recent years have found instant success in the NHL. Suter, 24, dominated the Swiss ranks this season and has shown an innate ability to create offense. This sounds very similar to Chicago rookie Dominik Kubalik, who had nearly identical stats to Suter in the NLA in 2018-19 and went on to record 30 goals and 46 points in 68 games in an incredible debut season this year. Kubalik’s success continues a trend of Europeans finding a good fit with the Blackhawks, which could be why The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that the club is considered a front-runner for Suter’s services. With little cap space and a relatively thin forward corps, a productive player on an entry-level deal would be an excellent addition for Chicago and Suter would also like the opportunity that the Blackhawks could offer. Suter is expected to make his decision in the coming days – and other teams are in the mix – but don’t be surprised if it’s Chicago who lands the exciting Swiss scorer.
- Veteran grinder Cody McLeod is coming back for another year of pro hockey. The fan favorite agitator earned a one-way NHL contract for a decade before this season and instead settled for a one-year deal with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. To no surprise, McLeod was a hit in Iowa and a good leader for the young prospects as well and has earned an extension. The junior Wild announced that that they have signed McLeod to another one-year deal for 2020-21. McLeod only played in 21 games for Iowa, recording seven points (and 41 penalty minutes), but as long as McLeod remains a positive locker room influence and a menacing presence on the ice, he can play as long as he likes.
- The Ottawa Senators are rewinding back to 2007. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reports that the franchise is returning to the two-dimensional logo that they debuted in 1997 – or at least one that looks very similar – next season. The 2D look was retired after a decade and replaced with the three-dimensional logo that the team donned this season. However, Salvian writes that the club has decided that they favor the more retro look. The two-dimensional logo does better represent the Roman style of their centurion logo in a way that the three-dimensional logo never could, and Ottawa fans are already excited about the return of the old logo. Salvian also writes that the new logo will be accompanied by redesigned jerseys, including a brand new third jersey. The Senators hope that these changes will drive merchandise sales and, more importantly, pair with a promising young roster, two top-five draft picks, and a long hiatus from hockey in the city to create an atmosphere of excitement in Ottawa ahead of the 2020-21 season and help to cure the league’s worst attendance numbers.