Snapshots: Free Agents, Sweden, Plekanec
The 2019 unrestricted free agent class was supposed to be a super group, but since names like Tyler Seguin, Drew Doughty and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have re-signed there isn’t quite as much fanfare surrounding it. Still, Erik Karlsson headlines what could be an expensive July 1st and Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) does his best to break down the situations surrounding the top 25 options.
The Columbus Blue Jackets feature prominently with two of the top three names, including Artemi Panarin who Custance terms as a possibility for “this year’s version of John Tavares.” Panarin is off to a great start, and could be a franchise-altering talent that’s available at the deadline if there isn’t any progress between his camp and the Blue Jackets.
- When the Swedish team lost in the gold medal game at the 2018 World Junior Championship, silver medals were placed around each coach’s neck while Canada celebrated their victory. Those coaches almost immediately removed the medals despite a rule that they must wear them during the celebration, leading to an eventual suspension for the entire staff. That suspension was supposed to keep them from working the 2019 tournament, but today was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Tomas Monten, Nizze Landen and Henrik Stridh will be allowed to coach at this year’s tournament after all.
- The Montreal Canadiens haven’t used Tomas Plekanec much this season, and now will be without his services altogether for the next few weeks. Plekanec has been moved to injured reserve with a lower back injury, and will be out “several weeks.” The veteran center celebrated his 1000th game recently, and has one goal in three appearances with Montreal this season.
Detroit Red Wings Claim Jacob De La Rose
The Montreal Canadiens tried to find a trade partner in recent days to avoid losing Jacob de La Rose for nothing, but weren’t able to get a deal done. Today, exactly what they’d feared has happened as the Detroit Red Wings claimed de La Rose off waivers.
Still just 23 years old, de La Rose is a perfect example of a player needing a fresh start with a new organization. Selected 34th overall in 2013, he failed to turn into a full-time player for the Canadiens due to his lack of offensive growth, and was bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL for several seasons. Last year saw him play in a career-high 55 contests for Montreal, but with just 12 points to show for it there was little reason for optimism coming into 2018-19. Those doubts were only compounded when de La Rose suffered a cardiac episode near the end of training camp which held him out of the lineup, a minor condition that he has recovered from.
In Detroit, de La Rose will be tested to see if he can be a building block for the future. The Red Wings are not expected to contend for the playoffs this season, but are building an exciting young group of players that should turn things around over the next few years. Since he won’t turn 24 until May, there is certainly still time for de La Rose to prove that he can be a part of that turnaround, and in Detroit should get every chance to. The big, speedy winger is signed through 2019-20 with a cap hit of $900K.
Nicolas Deslauriers Returns To Practice
- Montreal winger Nicolas Deslauriers participated in practice today for the first time since sustaining facial fractures in a preseason fight last month, notes Matt Cudzinowski of the Canadiens’ team website. While he’ll need a few more skates before being game ready, it appears that they will soon once again be facing a roster crunch up front with the team already carrying 14 forwards on their active roster. He’s coming off a season that saw him post ten goals in 58 games while leading the Canadiens in hits with 238.
Jacob De La Rose Placed On Waivers
The Montreal Canadiens knew they were heading towards a roster crunch, but weren’t able to trade away their problems in time. Today the team has placed Jacob de La Rose on waivers, and risk losing him to another organization. The 23-year old forward had been dealing with a minor health concern to start the year, but with his return to action along with the impending return of Nicolas Deslauriers, the team had to make a decision on who to send down. With only Jesperi Kotkaniemi still waiver-exempt among the forward group, de La Rose has drawn the short straw and will be available for claim. Stephen Gionta, the only player on waivers yesterday, has cleared for the New York Islanders.
There is certainly reason to believe that de La Rose will be claimed by someone around the league, given his relatively high draft pedigree and still youthful career. Selected 34th overall in 2013, there were plenty who believed the Swedish forward could develop into a solid two-way player capable of using his size and speed to create offense on a regular basis. That hasn’t happened at any level, with de La Rose recording his professional high of 31 points in a combined 71 games in 2016-17. He experienced a minor cardiac episode earlier this summer which has kept him out of the lineup, but it’s his on-ice performance that’s put him in a situation like this.
It’s hard not to like the package though, as de La Rose stands 6’3″ and can skate extremely well for his size. Any number of teams may believe that he represents an upgrade on their fourth line, and a worthwhile investment. There is of course the fact that he is signed to a two-year, one-way contract with a cap hit of $900K, something that teams may not want to take on with no guaranteed production. That might help the Canadiens slip him through waivers and allow them to send de La Rose to the minor leagues, at which point they would still owe him the full salary but his cap hit would be removed from their books.
Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Harpur, Maple Leafs, Reilly
As if the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander negotiations weren’t getting enough attention, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that KHL Avangard Omsk head coach Bob Hartley, whose team owns the KHL rights to Nylander, would love to have the winger come play for them.
“I would like to see William in my team,” Hartley said. “I know his father. That would be great.”
Negotiations between the two sides have not fared well with rumors that Nylander’s camp is asking for $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs refuse to offer a record-breaking deal and are rumored to be closer to $6MM per season. An earlier report even suggests that Toronto’s latest offer was a four-year deal worth well under $20MM and the team is not interested in trading the 22-year-old.
Nylander could opt to sign a deal with Avangard Omsk, although that seems unlikely as he’d prefer to play in the NHL, but obviously Nylander’s camp is hoping the possible threat of sitting out the season might bring up Toronto’s offer.
- The Ottawa Senators got another impressive performance from one of their young players Saturday when defenseman Ben Harpur finally made his season debut. The 23-year-old had been a healthy scratch up to now, but made an immediate physical impact to the game when he put a major hit on Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Iafallo early in the game. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound blueliner didn’t register a point in their 5-1 win over the Kings, but played so well, he led the team in ice time, playing 22:37, according to Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun. Harpur was teamed with veteran Mark Borowiecki on a pairing assigned to shutdown the Kings’ top line of Anze Kopitar, Ilya Kovalchuk and Iafallo. That line finished with no points and just six shots on goal.
- The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (subscription required) gives credit to general manager Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the signings of center Par Lindholm and defenseman Igor Ozhiganov, who both have made quite an impact on the Maple Leafs already loaded roster, giving them another two “free” additions on a team that needs as many cheap options as possible. Lindholm potted his first career NHL goal Saturday, while Ozhiganov had his best game yet, according to head coach Mike Babcock. The team has already done a good job in past years, bringing in foreign players on cheap deals, including defenseman Nikita Zaitsev as well as Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman.
- The Montreal Canadiens feel they have found an answer to who will eventually play alongside Shea Weber when he returns later this year. The team has been really impressed with the play of Mike Reilly, who has been a big part of the team’s 2-1-1 start so far this season, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required). He has done a good job moving the puck with his speed. He faced up against Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby twice and while the numbers don’t support it, Crosby wasn’t a major factor in either game. “It’s a good challenge, but I love it,” Reilly said after the Canadiens’ 4-3 shootout win Saturday. “I like to compete, I have high expectations, so it’s always fun to go out against guys like that.”
Calgary Flames Hesitant To Move Sam Bennett Despite Interest
Through four games this season, young Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett has just one point. He has yet to score a goal and has taken just six shots. He is seeing just over ten minutes of ice time per game, down more than four minutes from his career average. Bennett is currently on pace for just over 20 points on the year. It seems like a disappointing start and perhaps just an aberration for the 2014 fourth overall pick. In reality, it is par for the course for the 22-year-old forward. Since his strong 36-point rookie campaign in 2015-16, Bennett has failed to improve his production and has seen less and less ice time. This is simply a continuation of the trend.
To say that Bennett has failed to live up to the expectations of his lofty draft position would be to understate the issue. Drafted ahead of the likes of William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dylan Larkin, and David Pastrnak in 2014, the Flames certainly expected far more out of Bennett thus far. His overall production is decreasing, he has never cracked 20 goals or 20 assists in a season, and a center when drafted now plays almost exclusively on the wing. Bennett has simply not at all been what the Flames thought they were getting at fourth overall. Meanwhile, the team is without a playoff win in the three years since Bennett became a regular and patience is running out in Calgary. Bennett has shown flashes of immense ability, but has lacked consistency and, more than anything, has been a poor fit in the Flames’ system. With the hire of new head coach Bill Peters, many expected a turnaround from Bennett this year, but it has been far from it so far. It would seem that Bennett’s time in Calgary is almost up, right?
Wrong, in fact. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman led off his latest edition of “31 Thoughts” by acknowledging the trade interest in Bennett, but doubting that GM Brad Treliving and the Flames were ready to move on. Calgary is wary of trading Bennett while his value is at its lowest to a team seeking to buy low on the talented forward and finally find a way to get the most out of his ability. Friedman expanded on his comments with Sportsnet Radio 960 in Calgary, stating that the Flames appear to be obsessed with avoiding the mistake that provincial rivals the Edmonton Oilers made in trading away Taylor Hall at well below his true value. Hall was also struggling to meet the expectations of his draft slot, first overall in 2010, and it was compounded by the team’s struggles as well. Hall was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson and is now the reigning Hart Trophy winner and a top ten forward in the league. The Flames could certainly use a Larsson-caliber piece in their pursuit of a playoff berth this season, but not at the cost of losing a player that they still believe has untapped potential.
That is not to say that the team hasn’t considered offers, though. Friedman states that, while no deal was ever close, Calgary went “far down the road” in trade talks with several teams. Friedman specifically names the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning as teams that he knows have had interest in Bennett before and, especially in the case of Anaheim and Montreal, likely continue to. The fact that Bennett is perceived as being available via trade would seem to indicate that the Flames continue to field offers for the young forward, even if they aren’t actively selling. While Friedman doesn’t see it happening, Bennett’s play so far this year is trending towards 2018-19 being a new career low. With a year remaining on his contract beyond this season, giving a new team the time to attempt to turn his development around, a poor season for Bennett could see Calgary finally give up on their once-top prospect. It’s fair to want to avoid giving up on potential, particularly for a disappointing return, but a point is fast approaching when Bennett can no longer be seriously compared to a player like Hall.
Minor Transactions: 10/13/18
Forward Logan Shaw has re-joined a familiar locale. The journeyman power forward, who attended Calgary Flames training camp on a PTO, was unable to secure NHL employment this season. Instead, he has signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate announced. The Gulls are one of the seven different NHL or AHL teams that Shaw has played for in his five-year pro career, albeit only briefly with a pair of contests in the 2016-17 season. Were it not for the Montreal Canadiens claiming him on waivers last season, that number would be much higher. The Anaheim Ducks, who had traded for Shaw early in 2016-17 and gave him a then-career high 55 games and a contract extension, attempted to slide the big winger through the waiver wire after another 42 games last year, only for the injury-riddled Canadiens to claim him. Shaw skated in 30 games for Montreal and, combined, recorded a career-best 72 games and 14 points last year. However, that wasn’t enough to drum up NHL interest and Shaw has instead returned to the AHL level and a team in San Diego with which he has some familiarity. Shaw made his Gulls season debut last night, notching an assist in a narrow loss to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Shaw could be a leading scorer for San Diego this year and, at 26 year old, the door to an NHL return may not quite be shut just yet.
More minor moves as the day goes on:
- The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Martin Bakos to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, the team announced. Bakos, a free agent signing out of the Czech Republic, began the season on the injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury early in training camp. That lack of ice time with the starters in the preseason eliminated any chance that Bakos had of cracking the Bruins’ roster right away, but the team does have high expectations of the veteran Slovakian forward. Bakos, 28, has several season of experience in the KHL as well as the Czech League, including his career-high 40-point campaign with Liberec last season. Bakos is a versatile, two-way forward who can play all three forward positions and competes in all three zones. The Providence Bruins are deep with talent, both young and older, but Bakos could be one of the first call-ups if he stays healthy, adjusts to the North American game, and produces for Providence.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled goalie Charlie Lindgren from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, the team noted this morning. It is an emergency recall for Lindgren, as starter Carey Price is apparently unavailable do to the flu. The Habs square off with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight and it will presumably be the first appearance of the season for primary backup Antti Niemi. However, given the Penguins’ scoring punch, Lindgren could also potentially make his season debut. The 24-year-old has made 17 NHL appearances in his young career, posting a save percentage of .914 and a goals against average of 2.78.
- With their injury-plagued parent club already drawing on their roster depth, the Belleville Senators have re-signed forward Daniel Ciampini to a two-way contract for this season, the team announced. Ottawa could prove to be a team with a fluctuating roster this season in need of AHL reinforcements, so Belleville has proactively added one of their own in Ciampini. The 27-year-old played in 49 games with the junior Senators last season, recording 16 points. The former Union College standout has also scored at a better than a point-per-game clip in the ECHL the past two years, showing some production potential that Belleville hopes spills over into the AHL.
- The Florida Panthers have sent defenseman Jacob MacDonald to the AHL, the team announced. MacDonald will head to the Springfield Thunderbirds, somewhat of a return for a player who briefly played for the former Springfield Falcons back in 2015-16. The MacDonald experiment always seemed to have an expiration date with the Panthers having several injured defensemen on the mend, but MacDonald did score on his first (and only) NHL shot and performed well in sheltered minutes through two games. However, the team will move on without MacDonald for now, as he looks to continue the success he found at the AHL level last season. In the meantime, KHL import Bogdan Kiselevich has been activated from the injured reserve and will likely take on a regular role in Florida.
Montreal Canadiens Making Depth Forwards Available
The Montreal Canadiens are coming up to a roster crunch given the face that Jacob de La Rose and Nicolas Deslauriers are both nearing a return from injury and during the TSN broadcast of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings game today, Bob McKenzie explained that GM Marc Bergevin is “open for business” when it comes to trading one of his depth forwards:
They’re getting into a bit of a crunch here where they’re going to have to move some bodies to the minors, and some of those guys require waivers. So I guess Bergevin is just testing the waters to see what interest there might be in some of his guys and could he get something instead of instead of losing someone potentially on waivers.
Even before de La Rose and Deslauriers come back the Canadiens find themselves with 14 forwards on the roster, and only star rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi is waiver-exempt. Unless they decide to send Kotkaniemi away to continue his development somewhere else, the team is already sitting players like Tomas Plekanec on a nightly basis. That’s not ideal, but the team also doesn’t have a lot of leverage with other clubs knowing they’ll have to put someone on waivers eventually.
If the team can get something for one of their depth forwards, it likely won’t be a big return. de La Rose and Nikita Scherbak, who can’t seem to find a way into the lineup either, are both high draft picks that haven’t quite worked out to this point. Still, a 22-year old first round pick that has only played 29 NHL games and produced well at the minor leagues has to have a little bit of value, if the Canadiens decide that Scherbak is the easiest one to deal away. The decision still probably doesn’t have to be made for a few days, but expect some movement in Montreal in the near future.
Injury Notes: Weber, Deslauriers, Murray
The Montreal Canadiens are off to a better start than many expected in the 2018-19 season, taking the Toronto Maple Leafs to overtime before demolishing the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road. That success is coming thanks to a healthy Carey Price and young speedy lineup that is playing without any expectations. The group got some more good news today when captain Shea Weber took to the ice for a short session to test out his injured knee.
Despite all the negative things that came out of Montreal this summer, Weber remains a beacon of hope for many fans as he works his way back from injury. The newest captain is a rock on defense for the team and should improve any chances they have of battling for a playoff spot this season, or in the development of their younger defensemen. Head coach Claude Julien has already made his stance clear by scratching veteran options like Tomas Plekanec and Karl Alzner, but would obviously love to get Weber back into the lineup as soon as possible. There has been no update to his timetable, which had him scheduled to return at some point in December.
- One player closer to a return for the Canadiens though is Nicolas Deslauriers, who suffered a facial fracture in the preseason but was also on the ice today. Deslauriers is by no means the offensive engine of the Canadiens, but did fit in nicely with the group last season by providing a physical presence and chipping in 10 goals. The big, heavy winger is a good skater and will find his way back into the lineup before long, as long as he’s deemed healthy.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins will go with Casey DeSmith as their starting goaltender tonight, but there’s reason to believe that Matt Murray could be back sooner than expected. Murray suffered the third concussion of his young career recently, but was back on the ice today and took shots from teammates during an optional skate. Though Tristan Jarry will serve as the backup for tonight and likely split duties with DeSmith as long as Murray is out, that might only end up being a short stint.
Snapshots: Gagner, Despres, Flyers, Bruins-Red Wings
Count Sam Gagner among the many of us surprised by his waiver placement and subsequent loan by the Vancouver Canucks. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox recently sat down with Gagner, now re-located to Toronto to play for the AHL’s Marlies this season, and found that the veteran forward “didn’t see it coming”. Just one year into a three-year, $9.45MM contract, Gagner said he was “shocked” that the Canucks had decided to move on so quickly. “I came to camp prepared, I had a really good summer of work, I did well on the [fitness] tests, I thought I played pretty well in pre-season…”, but it was all for naught, as Vancouver decided to move forward with their young players, leaving Gagner as the odd man out. To make matters worse, the Toronto native had just re-located his young family to Vancouver, only to get reassigned to Toronto, where he currently lives with his parents. Gagner has been a serviceable albeit streaky player throughout his playing days, but after this surprising and unfortunate shift in his career, one can only hope that a more permanent solution for Gagner and his family comes around sooner rather than later.
- TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that veteran defenseman Simon Despres has opted not to sign with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Despres, a former first-round pick and NHL regular with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks, struggled with injuries and was more or less forced out of the league in recent years. After finally returning to full health last season and performing well with the KHL’s HC Slovan Bratislava, Despres expressed an interest in returning to the NHL this year. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned his interest in the relatively new AHL franchise in his hometown of Laval and signed a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens this summer in hopes of landing a two-way contract where he could play in Laval and potentially work his way onto the Habs’ roster. He fell short of that goal, but a one-way AHL contract with the Rocket seemed like the next-best thing. Instead, Lavoie indicates that Despres has chosen the unknown over minor league certainty. He has no plans for the season right now, but won’t be accepting an AHL contract and could certainly entertain offers back in Europe.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have announced their support group for captain Claude Giroux, naming their alternate captains for the season. Wayne Simmonds, an impending free agent but a fan favorite and respected veteran, will wear the “A” at all times this year. On the road, the elder statesman of the blue line, Andrew MacDonald, will serve as an alternate. Back at home, 2017-18’s breakout star Sean Couturier will be the other alternate. With a substantial number of young players playing key roles for Philly, their leadership corps has an important role to play if the Flyers are to be contenders this season.
- The Bruins have made things easier for Boston sports fans this Saturday. With the Boston Red Sox eliminating the New York Yankees in the ALDS on Tuesday night, the team moves on to the ALCS to face the Houston Astros with Game One taking place on Saturday night. The Bruins were also scheduled to play on Saturday night, facing the Detroit Red Wings at 7pm ET. However, the team announced that they have re-scheduled the game for 3pm ET to avoid the conflict with the Red Sox game. Head coach Bruce Cassidy recently spoke about his support for the Bruins’ baseball counterparts and the privilege of coaching in a city with so much fan support and success across all four major sports.