David Sklenicka Clears Unconditional Waivers
Saturday: Sklenicka has cleared waivers, Engels reports, paving the way for his deal to be terminated. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the defenseman will be signing in the KHL.
Friday: The Montreal Canadiens have placed David Sklenicka on unconditional waivers according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet. That usually precedes a mutual contract termination, which would make sense in this case given Sklenicka has played just seven games for the Laval Rocket this season. The 23-year old was assigned to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL yesterday but after refusing the assignment, will instead become an unrestricted free agent when his contract is terminated.
Sklenicka was one of two signings the Canadiens made in the summer of 2018 out of the Czech Republic along with Michal Moravcik, who already saw his deal terminated in January. Even though they didn’t work out, the Canadiens risked almost nothing by bringing them in and giving them a chance to show what they could do on North American ice.
Canadiens Assign Charles Hudon To Laval
- The Canadiens have returned Charles Hudon to AHL Laval, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. The winger has been shuttled back and forth routinely in recent weeks in order to slow down his waiver clock. Hudon has played in nine games with Montreal so far this season, recording one assist.
Injury Notes: Chicago, Minnesota, Columbus, Montreal
The Chicago Blackhawks have placed both Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw on injured reserve, though both of their designations are retroactive and allow the team to activate them at any point. Without them, the team is down to just 21 players on the active roster meaning they could potentially bring up some more bodies to help out.
More injury placements from around the league:
- The Minnesota Wild have sent Mikko Koivu back home to see the team doctor, placing him on injured reserve in the process. Greg Pateryn has been recalled from his conditioning stint and placed back on injured reserve, while Nico Sturm has come up from the AHL.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets meanwhile have moved Zach Werenski to injured reserve, retroactive to November 30th. The young defenseman is expected to miss four weeks thanks to a shoulder injury, which opened the door for Andrew Peeke to get his first NHL chance.
- For the Montreal Canadiens, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has suffered a concussion from the big check he took last night. Kotkaniemi was leveled by Nikita Zadorov in the corner and is out indefinitely, though avoided any other significant damage.
Minor Transactions: 12/04/19
After a busy Tuesday night in the NHL there are just four games on the schedule for this evening. One of those will see the Pittsburgh Penguins try to cobble together a healthy lineup in order to take on the reigning Stanley Cup champions, while another has Nazem Kadri returning to Toronto for the first time since an offseason trade took him to the Colorado Avalanche. As teams prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Dennis Gilbert from the minor leagues, while Duncan Keith continues to deal with injury. Keith has already been ruled out of the Blackhawks two-game road trip, meaning Gilbert gets another chance to be on an NHL roster.
- Mathieu Olivier has been reassigned to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators, after playing in his first eight NHL contests. The young forward recorded one point in those games, but will have to wait for his next opportunity.
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Gustav Olofsson to the minor leagues, and later recalled Otto Leskinen for the first time in his career. Leskinen was signed just last spring to an entry-level contract after impressing in Finland, and has 12 points in 24 games for the Laval Rocket.
- Mikhail Vorobyev has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, who moved Michal Raffl to long-term injured reserve today. Raffl will be out up to a month with a broken finger, meaning Vorobyev might get a solid look in the NHL.
- Jean-Sebastien Dea has been returned to the minor leagues by the Buffalo Sabres, as they prepare for their Western Conference road trip. The Sabres will have Kyle Okposo with the team during that trip, though it is not clear yet if he will play after dealing with another concussion.
- Brian Gibbons has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes, who missed Andrei Svechnikov at practice as he deals with a minor injury. Gibbons, 31, is always one of the team’s first injury call-ups and has been up and down all season.
- Filip Chlapik has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators, who are in Edmonton today to play the Oilers. That likely signals that J.C. Beaudin or Mikkel Boedker will be back in the lineup tonight, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
- After moving Antti Suomela to injured reserve, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Lean Bergmann from the AHL. Bergmann, 21, has played in eight games for the Sharks this season but spent most of the year with the San Jose Barracuda where he has 12 points in 15 games.
Prospect Notes: Barron, Holtz, Romanov
Top 2020 draft prospect Justin Barron has been ruled out indefinitely by the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, after a blood clot diagnosis this week. Barron had been considered a potential top-15 selection in the upcoming draft after another great start in the CHL. The 6’2″ right-handed defenseman has 17 points in 27 games for the Mooseheads and was part of Canada’s gold medal-winning Hlinka-Gretzky team in the summer.
If Barron misses a substantial part of the season, it will be interesting to see how far he falls down draft boards. An all-around talent that could play on both the powerplay and penalty kill one day in the NHL, he’ll hopefully be able to get healthy enough to return to action before Halifax finishes their year.
- Sweden is expected to release their World Junior camp roster tomorrow, but one top name may potentially have to miss out. Alexander Holtz, considered a potential top-five pick in the 2020 draft, suffered a knee injury today and had to leave the game. He’ll be examined further by the team, but a serious injury would mean he misses the chance to perform in front of scouts from all over the world. Holtz, an incredibly skilled winger, has been playing at the highest level in the SHL despite being just 17-years old.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin met with Alexander Romanov today in Russia, but the young defenseman still hasn’t made a decision on whether he’ll come to North America next season. Romanov was given just eight minutes of ice time by the CSKA coaching staff as Bergevin looked on, but it wasn’t a terrible day—he was named to the Russian World Junior camp roster.
Keith Kinkaid, Joseph Blandisi Clear Waivers
Tuesday: Both players have cleared waivers and can be sent to the minor leagues.
Monday: The Montreal Canadiens have decided to place goaltender Keith Kinkaid on waivers today, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Kinkaid will be assigned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL should he clear, where the organization will give him a chance to rebuild some confidence facing minor league opposition. The Pittsburgh Penguins have also placed Joseph Blandisi on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
After signing a one-year, $1.75MM contract in the offseason, Kinkaid has been an utter disappointment so far for the Canadiens. In six appearances he has allowed a total of 24 goals and sits with a 1-1-3 record. His .875 save percentage is second-worst in the league among goaltenders who have made more than one appearance, only coming in ahead of Cory Schneider‘s .852. That performance simply isn’t good enough for a team hoping to make a playoff run this season, and after the Canadiens lost their eighth straight game on Sunday, something had to change.
There is at least an argument to be made in favor of Kinkaid, who had a career save percentage of .906 coming into the year. Carey Price has looked completely mortal in net for the Canadiens as well, left out to dry too often, leading to an .898 save percentage of his own. That’s easily the worst of his career, and perhaps not entirely a product of bad goaltending. Montreal needs to figure out some way to protect their net more regularly, or hope that Price and his next backup can find some next level of performance.
Blandisi meanwhile already cleared waivers before the season began and needs them again to continue bouncing up and down between the AHL and NHL. The 25-year old has played nine games for Pittsburgh and ten games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the season, and will likely continue to split time should he clear.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Cayden Primeau
The Montreal Canadiens have decided that Cayden Primeau will be the goaltender to replace Keith Kinkaid on the NHL roster. The 20-year old is coming up from the Laval Rocket along with Matthew Peca, giving him an incredible opportunity to establish himself as the primary backup for Carey Price. Kinkaid was placed on waivers earlier today with the intention of sending him to the minor leagues, at least for a few games.
Primeau has skyrocketed up the prospect charts over the last few years, since being a seventh-round pick in 2017. The very last goalie taken that year, he immediately found stardom at Northeastern University and could become just the third netminder from his class to play in an NHL game—Michael Dipietro and Dylan Ferguson have each played a single time.
At Northeastern, Primeau showed that he was more than just a famous hockey name. In his freshman season he was named the Hockey East goaltender of the year and New England rookie of the year after posting a .931 save percentage. If that wasn’t enough, his sophomore season was even better with a .933 save percentage and the Mike Richter trophy for the top goaltender in the entire NCAA. Primeau backstopped Team USA to a World Junior silver medal, and was even included on the roster for the World Championships.
Now, with Kinkaid and Price facing real struggles in the Montreal net, the team will see if Primeau has what it takes to play at this level. While it may not be a permanent solution—he is only 20 after all—there’s nothing wrong with giving him a taste of the NHL.
Notes On Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils
With reports Saturday that the New Jersey Devils and general manager Ray Shero are listening to offers for prized forward Taylor Hall, plenty of speculation has drifted around the hockey world. Moving Hall, who has made it increasingly clear that he isn’t willing to sign an extension during the season, might be the best option for the Devils as the team certainly doesn’t want to lose him for nothing on July 1.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there are a number of suitors who would be willing to acquire Hall. In fact, he said Hall’s former team, the Edmonton Oilers, might be among the top suitors in a potential trade Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada.
“I do think that the Oilers are one of several teams with the likes of Montreal, Colorado and St. Louis who will be in this,” Friedman added. “But like Chris said, I think a lot of it depends on price for the Oilers and anyone else who may bite.”
Hall was originally traded to the Devils in 2016 for defenseman Adam Larsson and many in Edmonton would like to see that trade rectified and bring Hall into a top-six group that already includes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and James Neal although the Oilers’ cap concerns could make a deal challenging.
Both Colorado and Montreal have the potential to easily sign Hall to an extension, while having the prospects and picks to make a deal work. The Blues would be a tougher fit under their cap constraints, but the team does have some prospects it could move and an expiring contract in Alex Pietrangelo.
- Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes that too many people dismiss the Oilers due to their salary cap. The Devils have between $4-5MM in cap space and are willing to retain salary for the best possible package. The Devils might even be able to take a contract back in a deal and with a significant amount of solid prospects and draft picks, it’s more than reasonable to think that Edmonton could acquire Hall.
- After a 4-0 drubbing to the rival New York Rangers, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that it is up to Shero to fix the mess that is currently underway in New Jersey. With a 9-12-4 record, Brooks wonders how much longer the GM intends to stick with head coach John Hynes, suggesting it might be better for the Devils to move on from a coach that has failed to inspire players to play better against rival teams and has only reached the playoffs once in four years. Firing Hynes and bringing in the right coach might make a difference on whether Hall might opt to stay in New Jersey in the future.
- The Athletic’s Cory Masisak (subscription required) writes that the Devils are at a crossroads as trading Hall means trading one of greatest players in the team’s franchise history. Acquiring Hall for Larsson in that trade in 2016 was a key to Shero’s tenure as general manager and what the GM does over the next few months will have a major and long-term effect on the franchise. The team will also have to commit to a path which includes committing to a significant rebuild or attempting to rebuild the team like the New York Islanders did by replacing Hall with veteran players in hopes of competing sooner.
- In the same article, Masisak also points out that if Hall does get traded, that could also mean that several other players could be on their way out as Wayne Simmonds and Sami Vatanen, both unrestricted free agents this summer, would also be likely trade candidates. While Andy Greene is in a different situation, he might be willing to move his no-trade clause to head to a contender rather than stay for any kind of rebuild.
Jonathan Drouin Reveals How He Suffered His Wrist Injury
- Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin met with reporters today, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, to discuss the injury he sustained back on November 15th. The incident occurred when he fell and landed awkwardly on his wrist, tearing a tendon and didn’t have anything to do with a hard hit he had received earlier in the game. The original timeline for his recovery was eight weeks and so far, he appears to be on track with his recovery.
Poll: Which Teams Will Buck The Thanksgiving Playoff Trend In 2019-20?
Just how important is playoff position in just the second month of the regular season? Very, if you look at recent results. Over the past six years, more than 70% of teams in a playoff position at American Thanksgiving have held on to their spot. While last year was slightly below the mark – 11 of 16 teams (69%) in a playoff position on November 22 qualified – the standings at the time were even more predictive than usual. The Lightning, Predators, Flames, Maple Leafs, Jets, and Sharks all finished in the same divisional seed that they occupied at Thanksgiving.
So who were the outliers in 2018-19? Obviously, the St. Louis Blues’ return from the basement of the league standings to win the Stanley Cup is a story that will stand the test of time. However, four other clubs also turned their seasons around: the Islanders, Penguins, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights. And the teams whose seasons took a turn for the worse: the Sabres, Wild, Rangers, Canadiens, and Ducks. Ironically, the Canadiens were narrowly inside the playoff window on Thanksgiving and ended up just barely outside in the spring. Meanwhile, the Ducks, Oilers, and Coyotes were all tied for the lowest playoff-qualifying record on Thanksgiving, with the Ducks getting the tiebreaker at the time, and all three failed to qualify for the postseason.
This season has gotten off to an unpredictable start, which could potentially threaten to derail the Thanksgiving trend. Several teams considered Cup contenders are currently outside the playoff picture, while multiple surprises currently occupy a spot. With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, this is the current status of the NHL standings (reminder – points percentage is the ideal way of viewing NHL standings):
Eastern Conference
M1 New York Islanders (.773)
A1 Boston Bruins (.771)
M2 Washington Capitals (.740)
M3 Carolina Hurricanes (.646)
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning (.619)
A3 Florida Panthers (.604)
W1 Pittsburgh Penguins (.625)
W2 Philadelphia Flyers (.604)
Outside the Playoff Picture: Montreal Canadiens (.563), New York Rangers (.545), Columbus Blue Jackets (.522), Buffalo Sabres (.521), Toronto Maple Leafs (.520), Ottawa Senators (.479), New Jersey Devils (.435), Detroit Red Wings (.327)
Western Conference
C1 St. Louis Blues (.680)
P1 Edmonton Oilers (.673)
C2 Dallas Stars (.615)
C3 Colorado Avalanche (.609)
P2 Arizona Coyotes (.620)
P3 Vancouver Canucks (.560)
W1 Winnipeg Jets (.604)
W2 Nashville Predators (.543)
Outside the Playoff Picture: San Jose Sharks (.540), Chicago Blackhawks (.521), Anaheim Ducks (.500), Vegas Golden Knights (.500), Calgary Flames (.481), Minnesota Wild (.480), Los Angeles Kings (.417)
2018-19 playoff teams jump off the page as potential candidates to disrupt the status quo. Particularly in the Pacific Division, it is hard to image none of the Golden Knights – who beat the Thanksgiving odds last year – the Sharks or the Flames will make the playoffs, especially as they look up at the Oilers, Coyotes, and Canucks. There could also be hope in West for the Ducks and Blackhawks, who sit at .500 currently. Over in the East, the Maple Leafs stick out like a sore thumb among non-playoff teams and could be line for improvement following their coaching change. But will it be enough given their difficult start? The Canadiens will also hope for a reverse of fortunes from last year, going from first team out in the conference at Thanksgiving to in the postseason come April. The Sabres have started hot and collapsed two years in a row, but there is still time for them to turn things back around. All three Atlantic clubs see a Panthers team with plenty of problems ahead of them in the standings right now. Meanwhile, the Rangers and Blue Jackets will look to make an unlikely run to the postseason as they chase down the Flyers.
What do you think? Which of these teams will find their way into the playoff picture and which will fall victim to the Thanksgiving postseason trend? Select as many teams below as you like, but remember that for every addition, there has to be a subtraction of a current playoff team.
Which Teams Will Buck The Thanksgiving Playoff Trend?
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Maple Leafs 21% (279)
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Golden Knights 19% (252)
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Sharks 10% (134)
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Blackhawks 9% (113)
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Rangers 8% (106)
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Canadiens 6% (81)
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Sabres 6% (76)
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Flames 6% (76)
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Kings 4% (49)
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Blue Jackets 3% (43)
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Wild 3% (34)
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Devils 2% (25)
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Ducks 2% (22)
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Red Wings 2% (22)
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Senators 1% (9)
Total votes: 1,321
[Mobile users click here to vote]