Jesperi Kotkaniemi Out For Rest Of Season
It certainly hasn’t the sophomore campaign that Jesperi Kotkaniemi or the Montreal Canadiens were hoping for. Now, after struggling to maintain any sort of production in the NHL and spending time in the minor leagues, Kotkaniemi will miss the remainder of the season thanks to a splenic injury. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that the young forward will not require surgery, but no recovery timeline has been determined.
There’s no way to describe Kotkaniemi’s 2019-20 season other than disappointing, especially given the flashes of brilliance he showed as a rookie. In 36 games with the Canadiens he scored just eight points, never seeing more than 16 minutes of ice time in a single game. While he has been a point-per-game player at the AHL level, that includes just a single goal in 13 games.
It’s obviously not the end of the world for the 19-year old forward, but when players selected after him in the 2018 draft are already in starring roles—namely Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, selected at fourth and seventh respectively—it’s a bit frustrating to see the Montreal youngster struggling.
Now that his season is over, Kotkaniemi will have several months to work on his game and come back ready to take a full-time spot in the Canadiens’ lineup. He still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract and a lot to accomplish if he wants a big extension like some of his draft contemporaries will be getting.
Minor Transactions: 03/11/20
The party ended for the Philadelphia Flyers last night, unable to extend their winning streak to ten games after being defeated 2-0 by the Boston Bruins. They’ll be able to get right back on the horse tomorrow night, but first the NHL will hold five games this evening. Today’s schedule is heavily represented by Western Conference teams, with a battle between the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers perhaps the most interesting in terms of playoff implications. As they prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves throughout the day.
- Ahead of their road trip that starts tonight in Chicago, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Nick DeSimone. San Jose will face the Blackhawks, Blues, Stars and Avalanche before heading home later this month.
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Lukas Vejdemo back to the minor leagues after playing in three games during this latest recall. The 24-year old forward scored his first NHL goal last night but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Nashville Predators.
- Once again, Martin Kaut has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, the third such occasion over the last few weeks. The young forward has looked ready to make the jump to the NHL and will give Colorado another body as Nathan MacKinnon deals with a lower-body injury.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Steven Fogarty under emergency conditions, likely meaning that Filip Chytil will not be ready to go tonight against the Avalanche. Chytil has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Fogarty, 26, has played in six games this season and 17 in his career, but is still looking for his first NHL point.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Fines, Wisconsin
The NHL has released their Three Stars from last week, and the five-goal man is at the top once again. Mika Zibanejad was always going to be the first star after scoring five goals in a single game (including the OT winner). The New York Rangers center scored seven on the week, giving him a career-high 39 through just 55 games this season.
Second and third place go to two Western Conference stars in Gabriel Landeskog and Leon Draisaitl, who continued their scoring ways with nine and eight points respectively. That means Draisaitl is up to 110 on the season, an incredible feat given he has only played 69 games so far.
- St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been fined $5,000 for his roughing of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist, which resulted in a line brawl between the two teams. Sundqvist tried to lay a check along the boards, but when he missed his left hand (while clutching his stick) came around and hit Boqvist in the face. The amount is the maximum allowable under the CBA, and will affect other supplementary discipline in the future.
- While other college players are starting to sign with teams in the NHL, a few names from the Wisconsin program have yet to make their decisions. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Montreal Canadiens will meet with Cole Caufield over the next week while his colleague Rick Carpiniello adds that the Rangers have been in contact with K’Andre Miller but the prospect defenseman has not yet made a decision.
Rangers Sign Jeff Gorton And Chris Drury To Contract Extensions
The Rangers have had an impressive season so far and have played themselves into the thick of the playoff race. They appear to be past their rebuilding stage and have a strong core in place. Ownership is clearly pleased with the direction of the team as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines (video link) that New York has given GM Jeff Gorton as well as assistant GM Chris Drury contract extensions. Terms of the deals have not been disclosed.
Gorton is in his 13th season with the team and has held a variety of roles with the Rangers since coming to them from Boston for the 2007-08 campaign. He took over from Glen Sather as GM prior to the 2015-16 season and helped shepherd them through their rebuilding process which took a drastic turn last offseason when they traded for defenseman Jacob Trouba and handed out a record breaking contract to winger Artemi Panarin in free agency.
As for Drury, he finished up his playing career in New York, spending his last three NHL seasons with the Rangers with the last one being in 2010-11. Once Gorton took on his current role, Drury joined the front office, spending one year as Director of Player Development before taking on his current assistant GM title. He also currently serves as the GM for the AHL’s Hartford WolfPack and led USA’s entry into the World Championships a year ago. He’ll undoubtedly attract some interest as other GM vacancies become available across the league.
Gorton will have some work cut out for him this summer when it comes to the salary cap. Even after moving blueliner Brady Skjei to Carolina at the trade deadline, they still have a little over $67MM in commitments for next season with several key young players (goalie Alexandar Georgiev, defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, and forward Ryan Strome) all in need of new contracts with arbitration eligibility. That will take up a big chunk of their remaining cap room so if Gorton wants to make another big addition this summer, he’ll need to free up some space first.
East Notes: Islanders, Hainsey, Drouin, Meyer
The New York Islanders had high hopes this season and looked like serious contenders in the Metropolitan Division at the trade deadline. The Islanders even went out and were active at the trade deadline, suggesting that they were going to go for it, trading a first, two seconds and a conditional third-round pick to pick up center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and defenseman Andy Greene.
Suddenly, however, the Islanders have struggled, losing six straight and going 2-5-3 in their past 10 games, and sliding out of the top three in the Metro. The Islanders now are hanging onto a wild card spot and if the team cannot figure things out, they could easily slide out of the playoffs. Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that falling out of the playoffs would be a disaster for the Islanders.
The scribe adds that there would be a lot of question marks if that happens and wonders if the team needs to add a star forward in the offseason to give the team a boost in the future. One possibility would be trying to sign soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall away from Arizona. Hall spent the past three and a half years in the New York area and if the Islanders can find the cap room, make him a significant offer.
- The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that Ottawa Senators defenseman Ron Hainsey is a strong candidate to re-sign with the club this offseason. The 38-year-old blueliner, who signed a one-year, $3.5MM contract with Ottawa last summer, has spent the season paired with Thomas Chabot, mentoring the young defenseman. Hainsey has one goal and 11 points this season, but more importantly carries a plus-10 rating on a weak Ottawa squad and is a personal favorite of coach D.J. Smith, who got to know him when he was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin has skated several times this week. The 24-year-old has been out most recently with an ankle injury that has already waylaid him for three games and there still remains no timetable on when he will return. Drouin has not been able to stay healthy this season, being held to just 27 games this year due to various injuries. He currently has seven goals and 15 points.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets will have a decision to make soon on one of they draft picks, Carson Meyer, who is wrapping up his senior season with Ohio State University. The 22-year-old is having a breakout season with 17 goals and 31 points, but Columbus must decide if they want to offer the 2017 sixth-round pick a NHL contract. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes the team might sign Meyer to a professional tryout agreement with the Cleveland Monsters to see how the forward might fare at the professional level before making a final decision. He also will become an unrestricted free agent in August of this year.
Atlantic Notes: Kotkaniemi, Zadina, Sabres
Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t had the sophomore campaign that he had hoped for. After an impressive rookie season in which the Montreal Candaien scored 11 goals and 34 points, the 19-year-old was hoping to improve on those numbers. Instead it’s been one disappointment after another, which includes a slow start, demotion to the AHL and now a spleen injury.
The Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, announced (translation required) that Kotkaniemi suffered a spleen injury and spent Friday night in the hospital. He has been released, but there is no word on how long the young center will be out.
Kotkaniemi started the 2019-20 season with just six goals and eight points in 36 games, prompting the team to send him to Laval in hopes of getting increased playing time there as well as to find his confidence. So far through 13 games, Kotkaniemi has one goals and 13 points.
- While the playoffs are out of reach for the Detroit Red Wings, the team’s main focus will be on developing their youth. That’s expected to include forward Filip Zadina, who has been out since Feb. 1 with a fractured ankle. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that Zadina returned to practice Saturday and should be ready to return soon. “I just want to get stronger and get better and get back in the lineup,” Zadina said. “I just need to be a little more patient and get healthy 100 percent, get myself in shape and feel ready to go. Right now, I just want to (spend) most of the time on the ice and in the gym to get stronger.” Head coach Jeff Blashill said it won’t be Sunday, however.
- The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) looks into the future possibilities this summer when the Buffalo Sabres hit free agency. The scribe breaks down the team’s potential salary cap situation, cautiously estimating that Buffalo should have $21.5MM in available cap room. The team is in need of a second-line center, two right wingers and a left wing. With the right wing market likely to be the strongest at free agency, the team could focus on a player like Mike Hoffman or Tyler Toffoli to fill a need, but the team is unlikely to find help at the other two positions without making trades.
Henri Richard Dies At 84
The Montreal Canadiens family and the hockey world at large has lost one of its most beloved members today, as Henri Richard passed away at age 84 in Laval.
Richard, nicknamed the “Pocket Rocket” thanks to the exploits of his big brother Maurice Richard, was an outstanding player for the Canadiens in his own right. Playing two decades for Montreal, he amassed over 1,000 regular season points and won the Stanley Cup on 11 different occasions. Those 11 championships are more than any other individual player in NHL history, a feat that will likely never be eclipsed.
Not only was he a legend on the ice, but Richard was revered off of it as well. He represented the Canadiens organization as an ambassador for many years after his retirement, along with fellow Hall of Fame talents like Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur.
Richard is survived by his wife Lisa, his children Michèle, Gilles, Denis, Marie-France and Nathalie, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
There are few players who make such an impact on the game, and likely never another that will ever reach his level of success. The hockey world mourns today as one of the greatest players to ever lace up his skates passes on.
Injury Notes: Vatanen, Lankinen, Tatar, Staal
The Carolina Hurricanes decided to take the risk at the trade deadline of acquiring an injured rental defenseman, and it may be about to bite them. Sara Civian of The Athletic reports that Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour does not expect Vatanen back any time soon after suffering a setback today.
Vatanen hasn’t played since February 1st with the New Jersey Devils, but the Hurricanes still gave up Janne Kuokkanen and a conditional draft pick to acquire his services down the stretch. How many actual games that may consist of isn’t clear at this point, especially given the fact that the Hurricanes are currently outside the playoff picture. Carolina still has 18 games remaining.
- Should the Chicago Blackhawks need an extra goaltender down the stretch, it won’t be Kevin Lankinen. The 24-year old is out for the next four to five months after shoulder surgery, ending his season with the Rockford IceHogs. Lankinen, an undrafted free agent signing out of Finland, had posted a .909 save percentage through 21 AHL games this season.
- Tomas Tatar won’t be with the Montreal Canadiens for a while, as he instead will fly back to Montreal for further evaluation. Tatar suffered an upper-body injury earlier this week and hasn’t improved yet. The skilled forward is the team’s leading scorer, and with just 14 games any absence will only be amplified.
- Though not an injury, Eric Staal will also not be with his team while they go on the road. The Minnesota Wild center has left the team for the time being after a death in his family. The Wild begin a three-game west coast road trip tonight.
Minor Transactions: 03/04/20
Just four games are on the NHL schedule this evening, though the earliest game is one to tune in for. The Philadelphia Flyers will travel and take on the Washington Capitals in a battle of the top two teams in the Metropolitan. The Flyers, on a six-game winning streak, have climbed to within three points of the division lead and look unstoppable of late. As they and the rest of the league prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- After last night’s game, the San Jose Sharks sent Nick DeSimone back to the minor leagues. Today however they’ve recalled him again, continuing his season of bouncing up and down between leagues.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled both Nicolas Roy and Brandon Pirri, giving them two more forward options for their game on Friday night.
- After being recalled by the Dallas Stars to fill in for an injured Ben Bishop, Jake Oettinger has been returned to the minor leagues. The top goalie prospect will get his chance one day in the NHL but that time is not just yet.
- With Tomas Tatar‘s injury last night, the Montreal Canadiens have recalled Lukas Vejdemo from the minor leagues. The young forward will join the team on the road and is available for Thursday night.
Atlantic Notes: Protective Gear, Tatar, Sandin
It was an outstanding start to his North American career for Ilya Mikheyev, who scored 23 points in his first 39 games in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just a few days after Christmas however, Mikheyev’s season was ruined when Jesper Bratt‘s skate blade cut his wrist so bad that surgery was required to repair arteries and tendons in his right arm. The 25-year old forward has resumed practicing recently and could make a return before the playoffs, but his and other injuries like it have made the league take a closer look at protective equipment.
In fact, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the league is delivering equipment to every team around the league and that the Maple Leafs will force their young players to wear wrist protection. It hasn’t just been Mikheyev injured in this way recently, as speeds continue to increase in the NHL so does the damage that skate blades can inflict in the wrong situation. Hopefully the new changes keep players on the ice and out of the surgical unit.
- Speaking of injury, the Montreal Canadiens’ season took another bad turn tonight when Tomas Tatar left their game with an upper-body injury. The team scoring leader will not return, though they are doing just fine without him at the time of this writing.
- Rasmus Sandin is expected to be a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs tonight after some recent struggles, which brings up some interesting questions about his contract status. Sandin has played in enough games to make his entry-level contract kick in, but with just 15 games remaining (after tonight) in the season for the Maple Leafs he may not get to the 40-game threshold that would get him a year closer to unrestricted free agency. The 19-year old defenseman has played in 26 so far, but both Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci are expected back soon, meaning another handful of scratches could keep that number down for the Maple Leafs.