Canadiens-Oilers Postponed Due To COVID Protocol
While the NHL’s Canadian contingent had been largely immune to the Coronavirus this season, with no missed games and few names on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list, the North Division has finally fallen victim. After Montreal’s Joel Armia and later Jesperi Kotkaniemi landed on the CPRA list today, the NHL has decided to postpone the Canadiens’ Monday night match-up with the Edmonton Oilers, per an official announcement.
For now, it appears that the league is going to take this situation one day at a time, limiting their action to only postponing tonight’s singular game. There will be a further update tomorrow, likely as the league gathers more information. There is no way of knowing the specific reason why Armia and Kotkaniemi landed on the CPRA list today, as teams are not required to disclosed that information and a number of scenarios fall under the COVID Protocol. The Canadiens were expected to host the Oilers two more times this week, on Wednesday and Friday.
The NHL had overcome a number of team-wide infections and had gone weeks without a game postponement until the past few days, with the Boston Bruins first skipping games on Saturday and this upcoming Tuesday and now Montreal missing at least one game, if not more. While the CPRA list still remains relatively short compared to last month, this is a becoming a worrisome trend for the league.
Jordan Harris Returning To Northeastern University
The Montreal Canadiens will not be signing NCAA standout Jordan Harris to an entry-level contract this spring. The young defenseman has decided, after discussions with the organization and members of his family, to return to Northeastern University for his senior season in 2021-22. According to their release, Harris “remains totally committed to the Monreal Canadiens for the future.”
Despite that commitment, the pressure will be on the Canadiens next year when Harris will be just a few months away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. After his senior season, Montreal would only retain his draft rights through August 15, 2022, after which time he would be able to sign with anyone he wanted. Though the team may feel comfortable now, it does certainly pose additional risk.
Harris, 20, was outstanding this season for Northeastern, recording 19 points in 19 games while serving as an alternate captain. A former Team USA World Junior member, the smooth-skating defenseman was a third-round pick in 2018 and has developed quite nicely at the collegiate level.
There isn’t a direct line to playing time in Montreal next season, given they have six NHL-level defensemen already signed, but that does change in 2022. Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak are both unrestricted free agents after the 2021-22 campaign, perhaps opening the door a crack for Harris to compete at the NHL level. That’s certainly not a guarantee, but spending another year in college will only help his offensive development as he logs huge minutes for the Huskies.
Canadiens Have Made Contract Offer To Jordan Harris
- The Canadiens have made a contract offer to defense prospect Jordan Harris that would see the first year be burned this season, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). The 20-year-old recently wrapped up his junior season with Northeastern and are awaiting the brackets for the Frozen Four tournament to see if their year will continue; no decision on whether to sign or stay in college will be made until the tournament is set on Sunday. Engels notes that Montreal has offered to burn that first year in the NHL which suggests that they could have plans for him down the stretch.
Several Players Placed On Waivers
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.