Snapshots: Round Two And World Championships
The NHL is expected to wait on the result of Game Seven tomorrow night between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs before announcing a full schedule for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, they have at least put an end to the wait on the dates and times of the series openers. No one is more relieved than the Vegas Golden Knights, who have already been inactive for a week after sweeping the Los Angeles Kings. The Knights will host the San Jose Sharks, also fresh off a sweep of the Anaheim Ducks, at 10 PM ET on Thursday, April 26th. The second round will kick off earlier that evening with the third-straight postseason collision between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. With their Metropolitan Division rivals out of the way, that series will get underway in Washington at 7 PM ET on Thursday. Friday night, the 27th, will feature the much-anticipated match-up between the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets, the top two teams in the NHL in the regular season. That series starts in Nashville at 8 PM ET on Friday. Finally, the Tampa Bay Lightning await the winner of Bruins-Maple Leafs and the decision also affects when their second round begins on Saturday, the 28th. If the Bruins win on Wednesday night, they’ll travel to Tampa for a 3 PM ET puck drop, but if the Leafs pull off the comeback and take the series, they’ll take the ice against the Lightning later in the day at 8 PM ET. Stay tuned for more Round Two schedule updates in the next 36 hours or so.
- Meanwhile, the “consolation playoffs”, the IIHF World Championships, will begin in Denmark on May 4th and teams continue to add talent from those NHL teams who have been eliminated from the postseason. Insider Juha Hiitela adds another name to the list, confirming that Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund will suit up for Finland at the tournament. Granlund scored at the highest clip of his career in 2017-18, recording 67 points in 77 games, including a career-high 46 assists. He added another three points in Minnesota’s first round playoff series versus Winnipeg, but the Wild were outmatched by the Jets and fell in five games. Now, Granlund will have a chance to return to the World Championships, where last he scored 12 points in 10 games to lead Finland to a second-place finish.
- However, Hiitela adds that New Jersey Devils top defenseman Sami Vatanen will not be joining Granlund in Denmark. Per Hiitela, Vatanen suffered a concussion in the Devils opening series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This adds some clarity to the recent situation in which Vatanen missed most of Game Four and all of the deciding Game Five with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Just as he was missed by New Jersey, he’ll be missed by Finland at the World Championships. This would have been the first appearance at the tournament for the five-year NHL veteran.
Chuck Fletcher Will Not Return As Minnesota GM
The Minnesota Wild have decided to not renew Chuck Fletcher‘s contract as Vice President and General Manager, the team announced today. In a statement, owner Craig Leipold explained the decision:
I want to thank Chuck Fletcher for his substantial contributions to our franchise over the past nine years. Through his strong work ethic, integrity and vision, Chuck and his staff built a winning culture and a perennial playoff team. For all of that I am grateful. I feel it is time for a new approach aimed at delivering a Stanley Cup to the deserving fans of the State of Hockey. I wish Chuck and his family the very best going forward.
The team will immediately begin a search for a new general manager, but will have Brent Flahr serve in the role until one is found.
Fletcher has been with the Wild since 2009, when he was hired away from the Pittsburgh Penguins following their Stanley Cup victory. The son of legendary hockey executive Cliff Fletcher, Chuck has been noted as an exceptional manager over the years and has a long history of playoff appearances. The Wild have qualified for the postseason in six consecutive seasons, but have failed to get past the second round. That failure is likely why Fletcher is out of a job today, even with the combined 359-266-80 regular season record since he was hired.
One of the biggest contributing factors to Fletcher’s dismissal could be the trade he made at the 2017 deadline to acquire Martin Hanzal. The Wild had to send a heft package including a first-round pick for the oft-injured center, a deal that Leipold has publicly regretted since. Fletcher’s record in trades is certainly not perfect, but does include some outstanding moves for players who had been underwhelming for their previous teams.
In 2014 he used a third-round pick to acquire Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes, who despite his recent playoff struggles has been an elite goaltender for the Wild the last few seasons. He finished third in Vezina voting the season he was acquired, and has registered a .923 save percentage in 231 appearances for the Wild.
A year prior, he sent Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round pick to the New York Islanders for Nino Niederreiter. Niederreiter had been a fifth-overall draft pick for the Islanders in 2010 but famously posted just a single point in 55 games during the 2011-12 season before spending the next full year in the minor leagues. He would immediately become a two-way force for the Wild after being acquired, while Clutterbuck had failed to eclipse the 25-point mark in any of his five seasons in New York.
Most notably for Fletcher though might be the work he did in the 2012 offseason, when he convinced both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to sign in free agency. The good friends earned identical 13-year, $98MM contracts that still have seven years remaining on them. At the time, they were seen as two superstar talents that could immediately make the Wild into Stanley Cup favorites. Though both of them have remained excellent players for the team, neither has been able to carry the team into the late rounds of the playoffs, meaning the contracts are becoming more and more troublesome.
Parise will be 34 when the 2018-19 season begins, while Suter’s birthday doesn’t come until midseason. Whoever replaces Fletcher in the Minnesota front office will have to deal with the two contracts, and even the thought of cap recapture penalties should they retire early.
Fletcher will be a sought after candidate for other jobs around the league, but it’s unclear where his ideal landing spot would be. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s given the keys to another franchise, or will have to join as a support member for the next chapter in his hockey career.
Snapshots: Boucher, Thornton, Hamhuis, Lindholm, Cullen
The Vancouver Canucks placed center Reid Boucher on waivers with the hopes of sending him to Utica of the AHL, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. The forward missed the final three games of the season when he broke his hand, but Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that he is healthy again and ready to join the Comets for the first-round series against the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup playoffs.
The 24-year-old Boucher struggled to make an impact with the Canucks this season as he had just three goals and five points in 20 games. However, he was quite successful when playing for the Comets, putting up 25 goals in just 45 games for the AHL squad. He is a restricted free agent this offseason.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said that center Joe Thornton has been ruled out in Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights later this week, although no date has been set yet by the NHL. The 38-year-old has been working his way back from a torn MCL injury in January. He has been practicing on his own, but obviously if he’s been ruled out already for Game 1, then it might be another week. Regardless, he could be back at some point in the series.
- SportsDay’s Mike Heika profiles defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who was a key shutdown defender alongside Greg Pateryn this season for about 50 games before the 35-year-old veteran began to wear down. The defensive-minded defenseman still tallied three goals, 24 points, 113 blocks and 82 hits during the season, but the scribe writes the veteran’s play was part of the reason for Dallas’ late-season struggles. Heika adds that it’s likely the team will move on from Hamhuis who will be a unrestricted free agent this summer. He is finishing up a two year, $7.5MM deal. The team is likely to go with a younger defense as they will want to give minutes to Julius Honka and last year’s third-overall pick Miro Heiskanen, who many believe will come over from Finland next season.
- With his team having lost the SHL finals, center Par Lindholm, one of Skelleftea top players, is expected to leave the team and come to the NHL, according to Expresssen (translation required). The 26-year-old put up 18 goals and 29 assists in 49 games this past season, and added another six goals and 11 points in 16 playoff games and played for Sweden in the 2018 Olympic Games. There is no word in the article where he might go, although there is plenty of interest from NHL teams.
- The Minnesota Wild’s Matt Cullen has not made any decisions about whether he intends to return next season, according to StarTribune’s Sarah MacLellan. “I don’t know,” the 41-year-old said after the Wild were eliminated Friday. “My only though here the last while was getting it back home for Game 6. So to be honest, I don’t have an answer right now.” Cullen, who has played 20 seasons so far in the NHL, waited until August last year before opting to leave Pittsburgh and join Minnesota, his hometown team. He played in 79 games, but saw his points total drop to one of his lowest totals ever with 22 points.
Litany Of Reasons Bounce Wild Again
- For a litany of reasons, the Minnesota Wild are out of the first round for a third straight season. Chief among them: they didn’t show up for a crucial game five. CBS Sports’ Pete Blackburn cites the poor showing in the deciding game as a reason the Wild need to make serious changes this offseason. Teams are judged by their play when their backs are against the wall, and Blackburn charges the Wild as a squad that “produced a nice, wet, stinky turd.” In addition, the Jets relentless attack, some bad luck, and the strong play of Connor Hellebuyck doomed the Wild in the series.
Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher May Not Get Extension
After suffering a embarrassing 5-0 defeat Friday that knocked the Minnesota Wild from the first-round of the playoffs, there is likely to be consequences going forward. At least that’s what The Athletic’s Mike Russo (subscription required) writes, suggesting that general manager Chuck Fletcher‘s job may not have the security it did a couple of weeks ago. The GM is in the last year of his deal and is awaiting a contract extension.
For the third consecutive season, the Wild have exited after the first-round and have lost 16 of their last 20 playoff games, suggesting that Fletcher may not have assembled the right players meant to sustain a run throughout the playoffs. Granted, Fletcher has done a lot of good in Minnesota. His team’s have reached the playoffs for six straight seasons and the team has reached 100 points in three of the last four seasons. On top of that, key injuries have hampered this year’ playoff hopes, including losses to defensemen Ryan Suter and most recently Zach Parise.
Russo wrote a story 10 days ago, suggesting owner Craig Leipold felt Fletcher deserved an extension and was ready to extend Fletcher after the playoffs, but Russo now says he’s heard that Leipold might be rethinking that.
Much could have to do with recent moves over the last year. One major blunder that is often pointed out is that the Vegas Golden Knights walked away with two top-six forwards from the expansion draft in Erik Haula and Alex Tuch so the Wild could protect some of their younger defensemen. Both players are starting on the Golden Knights’ second line on a team that has advanced farther than Minnesota recently in just one year of existence, thanks in part to the performances of those two players. Haula, who had 15 goals and 11 assists last year in Minnesota, broke out for a 29-goal, 55-point season in Vegas, while the 20-year-old Tuch had 15 goals and 22 assists in his rookie campaign.
Last season at the trade deadline, the team sent their 2017 first-round pick to Arizona for rentals Martin Hanzal and Ryan White, neither of which made much of an impact for the team’s playoff fortunes that year. The team also traded Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella for Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis in the offseason. Foligno produced one of his worst NHL season with just eight goals, while Ennis was a healthy scratch four out of five times in the playoffs and is a buyout candidate this summer at $4.6MM. Other deals, including signing defenseman Kyle Quincey and then quickly burying him in the AHL (although he never played a game there) after just 18 games.
The franchise will likely take a few days before making any decisions on their management.
Minor Moves: Niku, O’Reilly, Peca
The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Sami Niku as expected, now that Josh Morrissey has been suspended for Game 5. If Niku does get into the lineup, he’ll be checking another box in what has been an outstanding season. Not only did he make his North American professional debut in the AHL, he won the league’s award for most outstanding defenseman, was named to the All-Rookie and First All-Star team, and scored in his NHL debut. A playoff appearance would be icing on the cake for the seventh-round pick.
More minor moves from around the league…
- Cal O’Reilly has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild as another “Black Ace.” He’s unlikely to get into a game for the team, as Michael Russo of The Athletic tweets his recall was just delayed. O’Reilly has been an elite minor league player for more than a decade, and put up another excellent season with the Iowa Wild. 64 points in 75 games marked the fifth time he’s put up at least 60 in an AHL season.
- Matthew Peca has been returned to the Syracuse Crunch ahead of their first round playoff series, despite the Tampa Bay Lightning being in the NHL playoffs. It was unlikely that Peca was going to get into a game without an injury, so he’ll go back to the AHL to stay ready. Unlike O’Reilly, Peca could be given an opportunity in the NHL playoffs if Tampa needs an extra body at some point. He’ll start his first round AHL series against the Rochester Americans tomorrow evening.
Jets’ Josh Morrissey Suspended One Game
The NHL Department of Player Safety is staying busy this season, handing down yet another suspension. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey has been suspended for Game Five of the Jets’ first round series against the Minnesota Wild for cross-checking Eric Staal in the head area. The check, which went unnoticed by the officials, was followed up moments later by a Winnipeg goal. Staal was able to return to the game, but that made the check no less dangerous and purposeful. As Player Safety explains in this video:
“Morrissey sees Staal and moves towards him, raising his stick… Morrissey raises his stick above his shoulders and makes sharp contact with Staal’s neck. This is cross-checking… This also is not a routine motion to box out an opponent. Staal is in Morrissey’s field of vision. There is no ongoing battle between the players. Morrissey is in control of this play and initiates contact… This is a reckless strike to an opponent’s neck with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.”
While Staal and the Wild are happy to have Morrissey out of the lineup for an elimination game on Friday, head coach Bruce Boudreau was frank that the lack of an in-game call cost Minnesota a win. Not only should the first goal of the game soon after not have happened, but the Wild should have enjoyed at least a two-minute power play.
Perhaps the Wild will get their revenge against a Jets blue line that is severely lacking right now. With Morrissey’s suspension on top of injuries to Tyler Myers and Toby Enstrom and the long-term injury absence of Dmitry Kulikov, Winnipeg may be left to employ all three of Joe Morrow, Tucker Poolman, and Sami Niku in Game Five, none of whom began the year as starters for the Jets. The suspension may also throw Paul Maurice for a loop; the head coach expected a hearing, but was adamant that Morrissey’s check did not have the requisite intent to warrant a suspension. However, Player Safety continues to play hardball in these playoffs.
Zach Parise Suffers Fractured Sternum, Listed As Week-To-Week
The injuries just keep piling up for the Minnesota Wild, who announced today that Zach Parise has suffered a fractured sternum and will be out on a week-to-week basis. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that it will be six to eight weeks for the Minnesota forward, which likely takes him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
The Wild were already missing Ryan Suter, perhaps the most important player on their team, and will now have to go with one of their most important forwards. Parise has had a tough season, dealing with a back injury through the first half only to now be taken out again. He played in just 45 games total, but had three goals in the playoffs already and is a capable two-way player.
Even if Minnesota climbs out of their 2-1 series deficit, it seems unlikely that Parise will be back at all this postseason. That means the team will have to rely on other forwards for offense, something they might have to get used to going forward. The 33-year old winger has seen his point totals decline in three consecutive seasons, and if he can’t stay healthy it’s unlikely he’ll ever get back to the dynamic force he was in his youth.
Unfortunately, Parise is still under contract for another seven seasons at a cap hit of $7.5MM and a full no-movement clause. That deal, signed before the last CBA negotiations, would cause cap recapture penalties if he were to retire early. There’s no doubt that Parise is still an impactful player when healthy, but he’ll have to find some luck in that department if the Wild are to get fair value out of the rest of his contract.
Minor Transactions: 4/15/18
Four teams Saturday took 2-0 leads in the first-round series of the Stanley Cup playoffs first round. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators did their job at home and now will try to further advance their leads as they travel to Toronto, New Jersey and Colorado, respectively, to play on the road. The San Jose Sharks, however, completed a two-game sweep in Anaheim with a 3-2 victory over the Ducks and now go home to further take control of the series. In the meantime, several teams will keep making moves to keep their roster as stocked as possible.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have recalled goaltender Jeff Zatkoff as a third goalie option from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The 30-year-old journeyman was acquired in January from the Los Angeles Kings and will serve as an extra goalie to help the team during practices between games. Zatkoff has played in 17 games for the Monsters, putting up a 3.22 GAA and a .855 save percentage. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that more Blue Jackets will be recalled in the next couple of days after exit interviews.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have recalled four players from the Iowa Wild now that their AHL season has finished. The team promoted forwards Kurtis Gabriel, Justin Kloos, Kyle Rau and goaltender Niklas Svedberg. All will provide depth, most likely for practices in between games. Gabriel, a long-time member of the Iowa Wild, had three goals in 45 games. Kloos had 19 goals with Iowa, while Rau had 23 goals this season. Svedberg had a 2.87 GAA in 44 games this year.
- After being assigned to the San Antonio Rampage Saturday for their final regular season game, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Spencer Martin has been recalled once again to serve as a third goaltender, according to CapFriendly.
- The Washington Capitals have added a third goalie for their playoff run as the team recalled Pheonix Copley from the Hershey Bears of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. Likely to provide depth during practice in between games, Copley had a tough year with the Bears, finishing his AHL season with a 2.91 GAA and a .896 save percentage.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Matthew Peca from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. He was recalled as insurance in case the injury to veteran Ryan Callahan is more serious than the team thought. The 24-year-old has played in 10 games for the Lightning this season, putting up five points.
- The Nashville Predators announced that they have recalled netminder Anders Lindback from Milwaukee of the AHL. Their season came to an end on Saturday so he will serve as injury insurance for Pekka Rinne and Jusse Saros. Lindback tied for the AHL lead in victories with 31 while posting a 2.82 GAA and a .908 SV% in 56 appearances.
Jared Spurgeon Is A Game-Time Decision For Game One
- While the Wild will be without blueliner Ryan Suter for their postseason run, they are getting closer to getting a key defender back in the lineup. John Shipley of the Pioneer Press notes that Jared Spurgeon made it through a full practice for the second straight day but head coach Bruce Boudreau is calling him a game-time decision for Wednesday’s game against Winnipeg. Spurgeon tore his hamstring back on March 13th and was initially diagnosed to be out for a minimum of a month so it appears he is right on schedule. If Spurgeon can’t play in Game One, Shipley suggests that Ryan Murphy will make his postseason debut instead.