Snapshots: Team Canada, Fletcher, Kovar
Held in the middle of the NHL season, the Spengler Cup in Switzerland is often an afterthought among international events. Yet, Team Canada has put together quite the formidable group to lead their entry into the late December tournament, in pursuit of a fourth consecutive title. Hockey Canada has announced that Sean Burke and Ron Francis will put the Spengler Cup team together as co-GM’s, while Kevin Dineen will lead the selections as the head coach. Not only does that trio have extensive NHL playing careers on their resumes, but each have had success in their off-ice roles as well. Dineen has spent 14 seasons behind an NHL bench, including three as the head coach of the Florida Panthers, and has international coaching experience as well. His assistants, Gordie Dwyer and Mike Kitchen, are no strangers to the job either. Burke, currently a scout for the Montreal Canadiens, is familiar with Team Canada, having served as GM for the 2018 Olympic team, part of the management group for past four IIHF World Championship entries, as well as the GM of the past two Spengler Cup teams. However, it is Francis that sticks out the most. The former Carolina Hurricanes GM is currently considered a candidate for the Philadelphia Flyers’ new vacancy and, should the position remain open through the end of the calendar year, Francis’ efforts to put together a winning Spengler Cup team could be seen as part of his case for the job.
- Another candidate for the Flyers’ GM vacancy – and perhaps the favorite – is former Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. Fletcher was let go by the Wild this off-season and joined the New Jersey Devils as an executive, but is still held in high esteem by most in the game. Many pundits have suggested that he is the front runner for the job and now TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the wheels appear to be in motion. The Devils have given the Flyers permission to speak with Fletcher, McKenzie says, and reiterates the sentiment that he would be the preferred hire. Although Minnesota was unable to reach the ultimate goal, Fletcher had the team on a six-season postseason streak when he was dismissed and the Wild, currently with the third-best record in the Western Conference, have a core of veteran and young contributors that was by and large put together by Fletcher. The experienced executive would be a more than capable GM for Philadelphia.
- The Boston Bruins front office may soon be facing a decision, albeit to a much smaller extent. After he appeared to be weighing a return to Europe, Jan Kovar instead finds himself one step closer to his desired destination – another shot at the NHL. The Bruins announced this morning that Kovar, who has been playing with their AHL affiliate in Providence, was up practicing in Boston today. The question remains whether or not Kovar earns a contract with the Bruins, something that Lee Stempniak was unable to do despite ample practice time with the team. Boston is without Patrice Bergeron, but still has David Krejci and has been getting admirable efforts from rookie Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and veteran Joakim Nordstrom in his unnatural position. Yet, the team scratched Sean Kuraly in their last game and is still struggling to get secondary scoring. It may be the exact scenario that Kovar needed to get a second chance after quickly flaming out with the New York Islanders earlier this season.
Montreal Gives Karl Alzner’s Agent Permission To Seek Trade
When the Montreal Canadiens placed Karl Alzner on waivers this week there was little chance that he would be claimed. With a hefty contract that carries a $4.625MM cap hit—or $3.6MM when buried in the minors—through the 2021-22 season, it’s hard to imagine anyone picking up the tab and taking him off the Canadiens hands. In fact, his demotion to the minor leagues threatened the future of his NHL career given that Montreal had obviously moved on with younger, cheaper options on the blue line. Now, as if knowing that he has little chance of climbing back up to the top league, Alzner and his representation have been given permission to speak to other teams and seek a trade according to Pierre LeBrun on the latest edition of Insider Trading for TSN.
There is obviously always the chance that the Canadiens themselves find a need for Alzner, should injury or inconsistency plague their current group. The team doesn’t desperately need the cap discount they receive by keeping the 30-year old defenseman in the minor leagues, but does have a back log of players who are all eligible for waivers and would likely run the risk of getting claimed. That’s why Alzner was the odd man out in the first place, and why finding a trade partner isn’t necessarily a top priority for GM Marc Bergevin. Why not keep a veteran option in the minor leagues while you develop the rest of your group?
Still, it’s easy to understand why Alzner would want out. The former Washington Capitals defenseman reached unrestricted free agency in 2017 and signed a five-year deal with the Canadiens, only to watch his friends and teammates go on to win the Stanley Cup without him. He’d been with that group for nearly a decade, and hadn’t missed a single game since becoming a full-time NHL player in 2010. After suiting up for all 82 games in his first season with Montreal, Alzner was a healthy scratch on opening night this year and played just eight games with the Canadiens before hitting waivers.
It’s hard for any NHL player to accept an assignment to the minor leagues, but for one who hadn’t even missed a game in years the demotion is likely even tougher. Alzner obviously wants to play still, but any deal will likely have to include salary coming back to the Canadiens to even things out. Those deals are always the toughest to make, meaning his NHL future may still be extremely limited.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports IMages
College Notes: Henrikson, Crone, Risers
The jump to North America has not been kind to Arvid Henrikson thus far and it has impacted his college recruitment. Yet, the big Swedish defenseman has made his decision on where he will begin his NCAA career and hopes that transition yields better results than his move to the USHL this year. Henrikson, 20, was a seventh-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, following a point-per-game campaign in the Swedish juniors. His success in the pro ranks in Sweden has been less impressive, prompting a change in career path this off-season. Henrikson joined the Des Moines Buccaneers for the 2018-19 campaign, but has only registered one point through 18 games so far. While Henrikson has the size – 6’5″, 212 lbs. – and physical style to make a career out of being a stay-at-home defender, he has shown ample offensive ability before and hoped to showcase that side of his game in the USHL. Instead, he will hold out hope that perhaps his production will improve when he enrolls at Lake Superior State University next season. The Buccaneers announced today that Henrikson has committed to join the Lakers, where he will replace senior defenseman and Anaheim Ducks prospect Steven Ruggiero as the only drafted player in the program. Lake Superior may not be a powerhouse college program, but less spotlight and fewer expectations may be exactly what Henrikson needs to develop into the defenseman that the Canadiens hoped they were getting with a late flier a few years ago.
- When Hank Crone finished third in scoring in the USHL in 2016-17, ahead of the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Eeli Tolvanen, and future Boston University teammate Shane Bowers, many expected that it would be enough to get him drafted. Yet, the talented albeit undersized forward again was passed up. Last season, his first with BU, also did not go according to plan. Crone managed to record just twelve points and failed to live up to the offensive prowess he showed in juniors. As a result, Crone is back in the USHL this season, re-joining the Fargo Force rather than staying on with the Terriers. Unsurprisingly, he’s back at his old ways with 21 points in 19 games. As a result, he’s also willing to try his hand at the college game again and has committed to another top program. Hockey Commitments announced today that Crone has signed on to join the University of Denver next season, where he will have three years of eligibility left to show NHL teams what they missed. If Crone is able to get it right on his second try in the NCAA, he should draw considerable interest from the pro ranks down the road.
- In his latest article about the biggest early “risers” of the most recent draft class, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman tabbed college or college-bound players as half of the most surprising performers so far this season. The top played named, who Pronman says has established himself as a “legit NHL prospect”, is Calgary Flames pick Emilio Pettersen. The Denver forward was a sixth-round pick out of the USHL after a strong but unspectacular season, but has been better than a point-per-game so far through twelve games and has looked like an elite play-maker against tough competition. Northeastern forward Tyler Madden, the Vancouver Canucks’ third-round pick, is next up. Madden has ten points through twelve games for the Huskies and has easily transitioned his two-way game to the college level. Also on Pronman’s list are UConn center Jachym Kondelik (NSH, Rd. 4), UMass center John Leonard (SJ, Rd. 6), Pettersen’s Denver teammate Brett Stapley (MTL, Rd. 7), and St. Lawrence-bound Martin Pospisil (CGY, Rd. 4), as the college game continues be a great developmental option for the NHL’s top prospects.
Minor Transactions: 11/27/18
Another day, another 10-game schedule for the NHL that will start with an intriguing matchup between the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres. Jack Eichel and company will try to prove once again that they belong in the conversation for the Atlantic Division crown as they look for their tenth consecutive win, while Erik Karlsson and the Sharks are just trying to stay above water. As teams prepare for tonight’s festivities, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.
- Mark Borowiecki has been moved to injured reserve, though he already hasn’t played in six days. The bruising Ottawa Senators defenseman is out with an undisclosed injury and will be eligible to return as soon as he is healthy enough to do so.
- The Montreal Canadiens have activated captain Shea Weber, and will have him in the lineup tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Weber’s recovery went even better than expected and the Canadiens will welcome him back several weeks before his initial timeline suggested. The veteran defenseman will be a huge boost for the team as they look to continue their relatively strong start.
- Tim Gettinger has been sent down by the New York Rangers, returned after just a day at the NHL level. The club has been bouncing Gettinger up and down for the past week, using him as an extra body for the past couple of games but giving him very little ice time. The 20-year old is still looking for his first NHL point.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Lawrence Pilut for the second time this season, and could get him into the lineup given Zach Bogosian‘s absence from practice today. The young Swedish defenseman has great offensive upside, but will need to fight to get a full-time spot with the Sabres.
- Antti Raanta should be fine to start tonight for the Arizona Coyotes, but the team has recalled Hunter Miska from the minor leagues just in case. Carrying three goaltenders for the time being, Miska is likely headed back to the Tucson Roadrunners after the game.
- Michael Raffl has been activated from injured reserve by the Philadelphia Flyers, and is expected to be back in the lineup tonight. Raffl hasn’t played since October 22nd when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Colorado Avalanche.
Karl Alzner Placed On Waivers
Tuesday: Alzner has cleared waivers as expected, and is on his way to the minor leagues.
Monday: The Montreal Canadiens had to make a decision about their defense corps as they prepare to welcome captain Shea Weber back, but it wasn’t going to be easy. Today, they have placed Karl Alzner on waivers with the intent of sending him to the minor leagues. Alzner is not at practice with the Canadiens today, and will almost certainly clear waivers thanks to his hefty contract.
Alzner, 30, is less than two years removed from signing one of the largest contracts of the 2017 offseason, a five-year $23.125MM deal with the intent of him shoring up the Montreal blue line. The former Washington Capitals player was meant to be another physical, veteran presence alongside Weber and allow the team to develop their young defensemen slowly. Unfortunately, Alzner’s game took a quick and decisive downward turn and he started this season in head coach Claude Julien‘s dog house. Scratched on opening night and several more since then, Alzner has played just eight games this season despite previously playing all 82 games (or 48 in the case of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season) in his previous eight years.
Suddenly, not only does Alzner look like he’s headed for the minors but his NHL career could potentially be over. With a $4.625MM cap hit he would have to substantially improve his play to be appealing to any team in the league, and with three more seasons still left on his contract after this year he’ll be 34 before he could be back up with a lower cost. That is, unless the Canadiens buy out his contract at the end of the year.
Unfortunately, that buyout option doesn’t look very appealing at the moment. While the Canadiens would get more than $3.5MM in cap savings for the 2019-20 season, that benefit wouldn’t last because of the structure of Alzner’s deal. In fact, in 2020-21 they’d still have to carry a $4.2MM cap hit because of his low base salary. That’s more than the $3.6MM cap hit he’ll cause by playing in the minor leagues. Alzner also has a seven team no-trade clause, if the Canadiens hope to move him somewhere else for some cap relief.
Remember though, Alzner’s cap is not dead money like a player who has suffered a career-ending injury. With him healthy, the team still owes him his full $6MM salary this season, and though that decreases in the future, a team like Arizona who has been known to take on injured contracts in the past likely wouldn’t have much interest. There’s no insurance paying Alzner’s deal, meaning he’ll be a very expensive minor league asset for Montreal going forward.
Tomas Plekanec Signs In Czech Republic
When the Montreal Canadiens terminated Tomas Plekanec‘ contract earlier this season, he made it clear that he would head back to the Czech Republic to continue his playing career. The next thing we heard was that both Kladno—the team owned by former NHL star Jaromir Jagr—and HC Kometa Brno wanted to acquire his services. Now it turns out they will both have a piece of the veteran forward. In a press conference alongside Jagr on Monday, Plekanec was announced as a new member of Kladno who will also play games for Brno at various times throughout the year. The two teams are in different divisions after Kladno’s relegation a few years ago.
Plekanec, 36, retired from the NHL after agreeing to terminate his contract, and will return to his hometown of Kladno to try and help them earn a promotion to the Czech Extraliga once again. Used to a more rigorous schedule though, he will also play games for Brno before eventually making a decision between the two closer to the end of the year.
The veteran center played 1,001 regular season games in the NHL, all but 17 of those coming with the Canadiens. He never did get the chance to lift a Stanley Cup but had plenty of success in the playoffs, scoring 53 points in 94 games. He very well could face off against some of those NHL opponents once again at the World Championships next spring, a tournament he has attended ten times for his country, serving as captain on multiple occasions.
Canadiens Looking To Add A Veteran Left-Shot Defenseman
It appears that clearing their logjam on the back end isn’t the only thing the Canadiens are looking to do with their defense corps. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (video link) that they may be eyeing a veteran left-shot player to add to their blueline, suggesting that the Blues and Kings could be potential targets. Montreal has a collection of inexperienced youngsters and depth players on that side and if they plan to hang around the playoff picture, adding a proven top-four defender would certainly help their chances. In the meantime, with Shea Weber expected to return on Tuesday, they will need to make a roster move between now and then.
Atlantic Notes: Palat, Pageau, Dermott, Hudon, Rask
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced that winger Ondrej Palat is not expected to play Sunday, but after that the 27-year-old is expected to be listed as “day-to-day” and could be back soon. Palat hasn’t played since Oct. 26 when he left the game with a lower body injury and subsequently was listed out for at least four weeks. That seems about right as the team could get him back at some point this week.
Palat has appeared in just nine games this season and has failed to find the back of the net as he has just five assists in that span. The team needs the winger to return and re-establish himself in the team’s top-six as he also dealt with injuries last year as he played in 56 games, tallying only 11 goals.
Cooper also added that defenseman Anton Stralman is being re-evaluated and will be out Sunday. The 32-year-old hasn’t played since Nov. 8 with an undisclosed injury. Stralman has eight points in 16 games.
- The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has been out all season with a torn Achilles muscle, continues to make amazing progress as he joined the team on their four-game road trip in New York and skated with the team Sunday in a non-contact jersey. Despite a six-month timetable in mid-September, Pageau looks closer and closer to returning to the team quite a bit earlier than the original diagnosis. Garrioch also notes that Mark Stone, Colin White and Mark Borowiecki all took part in skating Sunday.
- The Athletic’s Ian Tulloch (subscription required) breaks down the play of many of the Toronto Maple Leafs from Saturday’s game. Of note, Tulloch writes that one necessity in the near future is that Toronto must find a way to find a spot in their top-four for defenseman Travis Dermott. The 21-year-old is only averaging 17:53 of ATOI, but has been used more and more, getting 23:06 of ice time Saturday. The scribe adds that Dermott has developed into the team’s top defenseman and the Toronto needs to make adjustments accordingly, which means cutting playing time for struggling blueliners Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev.
- After being a healthy scratch for Friday’s game, Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon talked to head coach Claude Julien, who told him to be more aggressive, like he was last season when he had 126 hits, according to Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan. Hudon’s response was he had 13 hits in 9:09 of ice time.
- It looks like the break that Tuukka Rask took a week ago has been paying off for the netminder. Rask has had three impressive starts since taking a critical weekend off earlier this month, including a .938 save percentage in his three appearances since his return, according to the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont.
Eastern Notes: Nylander, Zuccarello, Weber, Kovar
With just over a week remaining in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ deadline to sign William Nylander contract this season, many people are voicing their opinions on the impasse. Among them is Don Cherry, who chimed in on the contract negotiations Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. The former coach said that Nylander isn’t competing with the contracts of John Tavares or the future deal of Auston Matthews, but Cherry believes he is as good as Mitch Marner and wants to make sure that Marner won’t make more money than him down the road.
“Here’s the deal, it’s not Tavares and it’s not Matthews he’s thinking of, he’s thinking of Marner,” Cherry said. “What happens if he signs a six-year contract and Marner gets another million or million and more? He’s not worried about the other two guys, but he thinks he’s as good as Marner. What he’s worried about is that he signs a contract and Marner signs [for] a couple more million and he’s stuck with the contract.”
Cherry advises Nylander to agree to a bridge deal as he believes that there is no way that Nylander can beat Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, who must prove to the team and the city that he is worthy of the title and isn’t going to give in to him.
“You’re not going to beat Dubas because for Dubas this is his one shot, he can’t give in on this one,” Cherry said.
- Newsday’s Colin Stephenson writes that the New York Rangers scratched forward Mats Zuccarello Saturday as a precaution, but head coach David Quinn insists that the 31-year-old veteran is fine. He says that he didn’t want to play him in back-to-back games after recently returning from a groin injury. “Two games, back-to-back, so we’re just being cautious,’’ Quinn said, adding that Zuccarello felt fine after Friday’s game and declared himself available for Saturday. But the plan always had been to not play him in both weekend games. “We kind of chose, get him in, play him [Friday], not go back-to-back.’’
- As had been rumored earlier, John Lu of TSN reports that Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber will make his season debut Tuesday against Carolina, barring a setback, after missing the first half of the season after offseason knee surgery. The team will consider how Weber feels after Monday’s practice, followed by a final assessment by team doctors. Weber hasn’t played in a games since Dec. 16, 2017.
- Despite a report that Jan Kovar has been contemplating a return to Europe after failing to make the New York Islanders and finally agreeing to a PTO with the Providence Bruins, the 28-year-old has decided to stay with the AHL team for now, according to the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver. The scribe writes that Kovar took some time off to evaluate his options and returned to Providence for Saturday’s game against Lehigh Valley. Kovar has four goals and nine points in 10 games while with Providence, but no NHL team has come forward with an NHL contract.
Montreal’s Charlie Lindgren Drawing Trade Interest
Several teams have shown interest in Canadiens goaltender Charlie Lindgren, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link). The Panthers are among the teams to inquire as to Montreal’s plans for him despite already having Roberto Luongo, James Reimer, and Michael Hutchinson in the fold.
The 24-year-old is in the first season of a three-year, one-way deal that pays $750K per year. At the time he signed that contract, the belief was that the Canadiens planned to have him serve as the backup for Carey Price this season. However, they instead opted to keep veteran Antti Niemi around for this season and as a result, Lindgren has spent the entire year in the minors, posting a 2.36 GAA and a .894 SV% in 15 appearances with Laval of the AHL.
Lindgren has had some success at the NHL in the past. He has played at least once with Montreal in each of the last three seasons, totalling 17 appearances where he has a respectable 2.78 GAA and a .914 SV%. Some view him as being ready to take on a full-time number two role in the NHL but with him being waiver-exempt this season, their preference was to give him as much playing time as possible in the minors.
Friedman notes that while there are some big-name goaltenders being speculated as potential trade bait, those teams likely don’t want to move those players just yet. Accordingly, he suggests that Lindgren may be the best goalie that could actually be available at this time, adding that the asking price will be particularly high.
With Price signed for seven more years after this one on the richest deal ever given to a goaltender (it carries an AAV of $10.5MM), the Canadiens are going to have to go with a cheap backup which is part of the allure when it comes to Lindgren as his deal sits just $100K above the league minimum salary. As the price of quality veteran backups continues to increase, having that type of cost control in Lindgren is certainly important.
Considering that the only other goalie Montreal has under contract between Price, Niemi, and Lindgren is prospect Michael McNiven who has just 31 AHL games under his belt and isn’t close to being NHL ready, they would likely be looking for a goaltender to be part of any return to give them some insurance in case of injury.
Pending unrestricted free agents like Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus), Jimmy Howard (Detroit), and Semyon Varlamov (Colorado) have drawn most of the attention when it comes to trade speculation so far. However, it appears that Lindgren needs to be added to the list of those that are at least drawing some trade interest around the league.