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Several Players Placed On Waivers

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March 17: Vesey and Forsberg were claimed by the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators respectively, but both Byron and Grigorenko have cleared. The latter two can now be placed on the taxi squad or sent to the minor leagues.

March 16: Several players have been placed on waivers today, including Paul Byron of the Montreal Canadiens. Byron is joined by Jimmy Vesey of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anton Forsberg of the Winnipeg Jets, and Mikhail Grigorenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Byron has already experienced this once this season, clearing waivers a month ago. Since then he had played more than ten games, meaning if the Canadiens want to place him on the taxi squad he’ll have to clear again. It’s been a disastrous two seasons for the 31-year-old forward, with just 17 points since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. That includes just two goals in 27 games this season, a far cry from the player who was one of the most effective even-strength scorers in the league just a few years ago. With the development of other younger players on the Montreal roster, Byron finds himself either buried in the lineup or on the sidelines watching. His $3.4MM cap hit (through 2022-23) certainly makes him a tough target to claim.

Vesey hasn’t seen waivers before, but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise at this point. The 27-year-old forward has seven points in 30 games for the Maple Leafs and has been relegated to the fourth line in recent weeks. He has only cracked the 10-minute mark three times in his last ten games and played just 4:41 a few nights ago. With the Maple Leafs expecting Wayne Simmonds back soon and facing a delicate cap situation, Vesey’s time has come to be moved to the taxi squad.

Forsberg was already claimed off waivers twice this season, first by the Carolina Hurricanes and then by the Jets just a few days later. Now he faces another round that could change his destination as teams are still struggling to find NHL experience in net. Injuries all across the league make goaltenders like Forsberg valuable, if only because he could enter an NHL game in a pinch. It’s not like that’s actually happened this season though, through the first two months Forsberg hasn’t played a single game.

Grigorenko is an interesting name, after signing a one-year $1.2MM deal with the Blue Jackets as a return to the NHL. The 12th overall pick in 2012, Grigorenko left the NHL in 2017 to return to Russia and play in the KHL. After developing his game further there, his return was supposed to be a strong addition for Columbus. Unfortunately, with just seven points in 18 games and limited minutes, it hasn’t really worked out. Perhaps another team believes they can get the best out of him down the stretch, but a return to the KHL seems possible after this season concludes.

Canadiens Have Shown Interest In Luke Glendening

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Red Wings center Luke Glendening is no stranger to being involved in trade deadline speculation.  Veteran role players like him are always in demand at this time of year but no move ever came to fruition.  However, now that he’s in the final year of his contract and Detroit already way out of playoff contention, this feels like a case of when and not if he’s dealt and there should be quite a few suitors for his services.

One of those suitors is Montreal, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.  The Canadiens have struggled at the faceoff dot this season and Glendening is the best in the league among qualifying centers in that regard, winning 65.7 of his draws which is well above his career 55% average.  He also leads all Detroit forwards in shorthanded ice time per game and the Canadiens find their penalty kill in the bottom ten in the league.

While the 31-year-old isn’t known for his offensive contributions, he has already equalled his point production from last season with three goals and six assists through 27 games; his 0.33 point per game average is also a career best.

As is the case with many teams that are looking to buy, the salary cap will be a challenge.  While Glendening’s cap hit of $1.8MM isn’t particularly exorbitant, it’s more than they can afford right now.  Detroit could retain up to half of that to make a deal more affordable but that would only up the asking price.  Of course, there is also the two-week quarantine period to consider from Montreal’s perspective (or any other Canadian-based team interested in acquiring him).

As things stand, it may not be a trade deadline that sees plenty of top-end talent changing hands with role players that are more affordable on the cap becoming a higher priority.  For the Red Wings, they hold one of the more interesting ones in Glendening and Montreal certainly won’t be the only team calling about him in the coming weeks.

Montreal Not Looking To Add Defensemen

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When Ben Chiarot needed surgery to repair a broken hand, many speculated that the Montreal Canadiens would go out and acquire another defenseman through trade. Mattias Ekholm was immediately linked to the team, though the financial fit never did seem right. Ekholm has another year on his contract and the Canadiens have already spent big on the back end, with four players earning at least $3.5MM this season and next.

Speaking to the media today including Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin confirmed that they are not looking for Chiarot’s replacement, especially because the big defenseman could be back before the end of the regular season. Chiarot was given a six to eight-week timeline, but Bergevin believes it will be closer to six. Moving him to long-term injured reserve could open space now, but the Canadiens would be in quite the pickle should Chiarot be ready to return before the playoffs.

In fact, Bergevin downplayed the trade market entirely, stressing how little cap flexibility the team has this season. That means this could be the Montreal roster for the rest of the year, save for some minor tweaks.

On defense, the team already had an NHL-ready player to step into Chiarot’s absence with Victor Mete, but he actually didn’t play last night either. Instead, Xavier Ouellet came into the lineup and logged just over 13 minutes in his season debut, further complicating the situation with the 22-year-old Mete. After playing 171 games for the Canadiens over the last three seasons, he’s been on the outside looking in for much of this year, playing just seven games. His agent made headlines earlier in the year suggesting that a change of scenery would be welcomed, something that seems likely to come up again if he continues to sit in place of Ouellet.

Still, it doesn’t sound like Bergevin will be making any sweeping changes—though he has been known to immediately contradict his public statements in the past. The fact is the financial situation all around the league will make trades or any kind difficult.

Ben Chiarot Undergoes Surgery

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The Montreal Canadiens will be without Ben Chiarot for quite some time. The big defenseman underwent surgery on his broken hand today and has been given a recovery timeline of six to eight weeks. Chiarot broke the hand earlier this month, likely when he fought J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks.

Even the low end of six weeks is getting awfully close to the end of the regular season for the Canadiens, who finish up their schedule on May 8. That means the team must find an answer in the top-four and quickly if they want to stay in contention in the North Division. In each of the two games since Chiarot suffered the injury, both losses, Victor Mete has come into the lineup and Joel Edmundson has logged more than 20 minutes. Alexander Romanov, a rookie, also cracked that mark in the team’s most recent game, skating almost all of his 20:33 at even-strength. If that’s the plan going forward, it’s a lot of pressure on the 21-year-old.

There is potentially the trade market, though Chiarot’s specific timeline may actually complicate things further. If he was out for the entire regular season they could simply move his contract to long-term injured reserve (after a call-up to get them right up against the cap ceiling) and use the additional cap flexibility. But given he may come back for a few games before the end of the year, the team will have to be a little more careful about adding salary.

Of course, that is if the Canadiens still have their sights set on a deep playoff run. The team just lost two straight to the team chasing them in the standings, leaving them with just a two-point lead on the Calgary Flames and a three-point lead on the Vancouver Canucks.

If you’re speculating on a potential fit, Mattias Ekholm screams out as the perfect answer for the Canadiens right now. The Nashville Predators defenseman makes just $3.75MM, a hair above Chiarot’s $3.5MM hit, and could slide in right next to captain Shea Weber to make a formidable pair. The Canadiens have plenty of draft capital to spend if they want to, including 14 picks in this year’s event. The one reservation the team may have for Ekholm however is that his contract is through the end of next season. The Canadiens already have plenty of money committed to their defense and will want more opportunity for Romanov moving forward. With some key forwards to re-sign, adding money without shipping some out may not make a ton of sense.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ben Chiarot Returning To Montreal For Evaluation

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8:00pm: The Canadiens confirmed that Chiarot broke his right hand and will be re-evaluated in the next few days. Because he left (and flew commercial), Chiarot will face at least a seven-day quarantine to return to the Canadiens, but appears to be out much longer than that.

12:30pm: The Montreal Canadiens may have already been looking for some help on defense, but now that need is a little more urgent. The team has announced Ben Chiarot has returned to Montreal for further evaluation on the hand injury he suffered last night. Chiarot left the game against the Vancouver Canadiens after his fight against J.T. Miller and Marc-Andre Perreault of TVA Sports spotted him at the airport with a cast on his hand.

Chiarot, 29, has turned into quite an important figure on the Montreal blueline, averaging over 22 minutes a night before leaving yesterday’s game early. That number trails only Shea Weber and Jeff Petry by less than a minute, showing just how much trust the coaching staff has had in him this season, even through change.

It’s not that the Canadiens don’t have other options, especially if you ask someone like agent Darren Ferris. He made waves earlier this season when client Victor Mete couldn’t get in the lineup, hoping for a fresh start or a chance. Well, that opportunity has certainly presented itself if Chiarot is out for any substantial length of time. Mete has played in just five games and averaged fewer than 15 minutes in those, but was a regular as recently as last season.

Still, if the Canadiens have their eyes set on the postseason, perhaps a deadline addition is in order. The Fourth Period recently reported that Montreal is one of several teams interested in Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm, though it would take some salary cap gymnastics to fit him in at his full cap hit. Ekholm will be on the radar of any number of contenders because of his experience and relatively low $3.75MM hit, especially as he comes with another year of control in 2021-22.

Of course, if the Canadiens do decide to add before the deadline, they have the draft picks to do so without touching their NHL roster. Montreal currently holds 14 picks in the 2021 draft, including six in the first three rounds. Perhaps a Chiarot injury would push them in that direction as they currently sit in a playoff spot in the North Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

North Division Champion May Need To Adopt U.S. Home For Semis, Cup Final

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While progress is being made against the spread of the Coronavirus daily, there are still concerns about the restrictions that may still be in place even months from now. Speaking on TSN’s “Insider Trading” on Thursday night, Pierre LeBrun expressed that there remain worries that the Canadian borders will still be closed in June. By that time, the NHL regular season will be over and the four North Division playoff teams will have battled each other and produced a winner. At that point, the Canadian team can no longer be separated from their American counterparts as they have been during the regular season. The team will need to play on the road in the U.S. as well as host an American team in the semifinal round as well as possibly in the Stanley Cup Final. If crossing the Canadian border still requires a 14-day quarantine, or really any multi-day quarantine, by that time then a playoff series cannot occur in Canada.

Of course, given the progress being made LeBrun hopes that Canada will have loosened its border policies over the next three months. Even if the COVID climate in Canada has improved to the point that the national and provincial governments are willing to make an exception and put together specific protocol for NHL travel, that would work. Otherwise, the only alternative solution that LeBrun has heard to this point would see the Canadian winner relocate to the nearest American city that would be a suitable home. While not an ideal option for the team or its fans, this would allow the series to occur normally. Selecting a close city would also require the least amount of travel for the Canadians and would make the logistics of setting up a temporary home easier. LeBrun notes that the league would likely have the cities for selected for each of the four North Division finalists when the postseason begins so to allow time to set up their new home.

While LeBrun offered Buffalo as the new location for the division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs, Minneapolis for the current second-place Winnipeg Jets, and an early introduction to the NHL for the city of Seattle in the event of an epic comeback for the Vancouver Canucks this season, that is where the easy relocations end. The closest American city to the Montreal Canadiens is Boston, an unlikely destination not only due to the age-old rivalry but also because the Bruins are a potential finalist and even opponent. Would Montreal also call Buffalo home? They could also move to a current or former AHL city like Portland, Manchester, Albany, Utica, or Syracuse. The closest potential home may even be Burlington, Vermont, home of of the University of Vermont. Montreal has options, albeit not without work to do. However, the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are more difficult. The Alberta cities are not “close” to any American NHL or AHL cities. Seattle could be the best bet for these teams as well, if the arena is ready to go. However, Grand Forks, North Dakota, home to the University of North Dakota, made a strong pitch to the NHL to be a hub city for last season’s re-start and could make a similar offer to house the Oilers or Flames (or the neighboring Jets). Either way, the Alberta teams would be traveling quite far from home to close out the postseason. The plan would work, but surely the league and its Canadian contingent are hoping it won’t come to that when the time arrives in June.

Snapshots: Penguins, Waite, Fines

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are under new leadership, so no one has a clear idea of how they will operate at the upcoming trade deadline. Still, Josh Yohe of The Athletic did his best to create a “most-likely-to-leave” list, ranking the Penguins players and evaluating their future with the organization. While Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin remain in their own categories because of the legacy attachment to the franchise, some other rankings could raise some eyebrows.

Specifically, Yohe sees a potential trade coming for Marcus Pettersson, given the team’s left-handed depth and the young defenseman’s contract situation. Pettersson, 24, signed a five-year extension worth more than $20MM in the middle of last season, before the team brought in Mike Matheson (and his hefty contract). With John Marino’s new contract kicking in next season the Penguins have quite a bit of capital tied up on defense, which could lead to someone having to be moved out.

  • The Montreal Canadiens announced last night that Stephane Waite, the team’s goaltending coach, had been relieved of his duties and Sean Burke would take over as director of goaltending. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin confirmed to reporters including Arpon Basu of The Athletic that Waite was fired during the second period of last night’s game and the decision was not based on anything that happened recently, but a “pattern” that he had noticed. Burke was already under contract with the team through the end of the season and has not been given an extension at this time.
  • Nino Niederreiter has been fined $5,000 for his goaltender interference on Juuse Saros last night, the maximum allowable under the CBA. Niederreiter collided with Saros behind the net, making some contact with his head, and the goaltender left the game with an injury. The Carolina Hurricanes forward will avoid suspension, though this incident will be considered during any future supplementary discipline.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Gianni Fairbrother

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed prospect Gianni Fairbrother to a three-year, entry-level contract which will begin in the 2021-22 season. The deal carries an average annual value of $848K. The window to sign drafted players for next season opened today, meaning this is likely the first of many deals announced in the next few weeks.

Fairbrother, 20, was the team’s third-round pick in 2019, 77th overall. He has played three games for the Laval Rocket this season, registering his first point at the professional level. Just yesterday, Fairbrother was sent back to the WHL where he will play the shortened season with his Everett Silvertips.

If he had not signed a deal by June, his draft rights would have expired. The two-way defenseman had strong numbers last season, recording 25 points in just 37 games for the Silvertips, but missed the second half of the year due to injury.

WHL Notes: NHL Loans, Guenther, Knak

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The Western Hockey League is finally back in action. Nearly a year since the top junior league canceled the remainder of its 2019-20 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the WHL has returned to play. The league announced a 24-game season back in early January with a to-be-determined late-February start date and that date was Friday, as four Central Division teams matched up. As one might expect, the re-opening of the WHL has a number of previously displaced players rushing back to their respective teams. Below are the signed NHL prospects who had been playing in the AHL that have been officially reassigned to the WHL:

Adam Beckman, Minnesota Wild –> Spokane Chiefs
Gianni Fairbrother, Montreal Canadiens –> Everett Silvertips
Kaiden Guhle, Montreal Canadiens –> Prince Albert Raiders
Ridly Greig, Ottawa Senators –> Brandon Wheat Kings
Ozzy Wiesblatt, San Jose Sharks –> Prince Albert Raiders
Tristen Robins, San Jose Sharks –> Saskatoon Blades

  • The WHL season may only be one day old, but the league’s leading scorer is a name to know. Dylan Guenther, a consensus top-ten prospect in the 2021 NHL Draft, started his campaign with the Edmonton Oil Kings with a pair of goals and a pair of assists to take the WHL’s top scoring spot. Guenther is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the WHL’s return, however brief, if the NHL does not postpone the 2021 draft. The top prospect was facing the possibility of missing out on his entire draft year, having only played in four games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. While many CHL players jumped to the USHL this season, Guenther held out hope that the WHL would return and is now rewarded with 24 games to show what he can do. Likely a top-ten pick either way, the lack of certainty in this NHL draft class will now allow Guenther to fight his way into the top-five and potentially even to the top overall spot with an elite performance. A supremely skilled scoring winger, Guenther is the biggest name to watch in the WHL’s shortened season.
  • Another name to watch is Swiss forward Simon Knak. Despite some expectation that he would be selected last year in his first NHL Draft go-round, Knak slipped through the cracks. That was despite finding success in his first season in North America, recording 34 points in 49 games for the Portland Winterhawks. However, the draft dream is still alive. Knak has spent this season back home in Switzerland, suiting up for powerhouse HC Davos at the top level of the Swiss National League. He held his own too, recording eight points in 25 games in his first pro experience. Knack very easily could have stayed in Davos and continued his pro career. However, possibly inspired by his recent success as well as a strong run as captain of Switzerland’s U-20 team, Knak has decided to stay true to his plans and head back to Portland. Davos announced that Knak has been recalled from his loan and is returning to the WHL, hoping to catch the eye of NHL scouts by playing a top role for the Winterhawks. The question is whether he can do enough in a shortened season to earn a selection as an overage pick.

Poll: Was Firing Claude Julien The Right Decision?

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The Montreal Canadiens have made the first coaching change of the season, firing veteran bench boss Claude Julien and replacing him, at least for now, with Dominique Ducharme. Julien was hired by the Canadiens in 2017 after being let go by the Boston Bruins, inking a new expensive five-year deal with Montreal. He didn’t make it through that full contract (it has a year left), but his tenure there wasn’t actually all that unsuccessful. Sure, the Canadiens didn’t make it very deep in the postseason, but they did get there in two of his four chances.

Overall, the Canadiens were 129-113-35 under Julien this time around, but back-to-back losses against the Ottawa Senators eventually sealed his fate. General manager Marc Bergevin told reporters including Arpon Basu of The Athletic today that when the Canadiens had last week off between games, he gave Julien and his staff the benefit of the doubt that he would turn things around. Three straight losses out of the break obviously showed things hadn’t changed, so he made the move to give the younger Ducharme a chance.

The former CHL Coach of the Year has obviously been groomed for this role and will be given the rest of the 2020-21 season to make his case to continue as head coach into the future. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Bergevin won’t even be reaching out to other coaching candidates for the time being, giving Ducharme his chance instead. LeBrun also notes that Gerard Gallant, who has been thrown around as a potential replacement in Montreal, would not be willing to take an associate or assistant coach role–he’s waiting for a head coaching position.

Even though Julien’s recent history wasn’t great, it’s important to remember just how successful he’s been as a coach in the NHL. His overall record of 667-445-10-152 gives him a .587 points percentage, meaning his teams average over 96 points a season. He sits 13th on the all-time wins list and lifted the Stanley Cup as head coach of the Bruins in 2011.

Was it the right move for Montreal? Will this be able to turn their season around, given how readily available a playoff spot seems in the North Division? Is Ducharme the right coach to lead them moving forward? Vote on the poll below and make sure you leave your thoughts in the comment section.

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