Shea Weber Named Captain Of Montreal Canadiens
Though he isn’t expected back on the ice for several months, Shea Weber has been named the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens. The team had a vacancy in the role since trading Max Pacioretty earlier this offseason, and Weber seemed the easy choice. The team has also named Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher as alternates for the upcoming season. Interestingly, the accompanying press release notes that the decision was made by team management.
Weber, 33, came to the Canadiens by way of trade in 2016, leaving the Nashville Predators behind in a swap for P.K. Subban. Weber had been serving as the Predators captain, and quickly took on a leadership role with his new club in Montreal. Unfortunately, after playing in 78 games during his first season with the Canadiens Weber was limited to just 26 contests in 2017-18 and is expected to be out until December this time around. Those injury woes are concerning for Montreal, as their new captain heads into the latter stage of his career with some chronic issues and uncertainty surrounding his level of play upon returning.
Still, there little doubt that Weber would be named the 30th captain in franchise history. Among the most well respected players in the NHL, the big defenseman has been known for his excellent two-way play for more than a decade and has been a Norris Trophy finalist several times. In fact, before his injury-shortened 2017-18 campaign Weber had finished in the top ten in Norris voting for nine consecutive seasons, though he has never actually won the award.
Other than the Norris and the still-elusive Stanley Cup though, Weber has had tremendous success throughout his hockey career. A two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada, Weber has also won a WHL Championship, Memorial Cup, World Cup, World Championship, and World Junior Championship. If he ever were to raise the Stanley Cup, he’d enter a very exclusive club with titles at nearly every level of play both domestic and internationally.
Still, that’s a tough ask for Weber and the Canadiens given the current state of the organization. After Pacioretty’s departure and some offseason injuries, there are very low expectations for Montreal as the season begins and an extremely tough Atlantic Division ready to pounce on any weakness. With teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs all considered legitimate Cup contenders, it would be a surprise to see the Canadiens push for the playoffs this season. With that said, a healthy Carey Price from the beginning of the season, impressive young players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi making their debuts, and a potential mid-season return from their new captain could lead to some surprising results for the franchise. Weber will be tasked with keeping this group’s focus over the coming months, until he can get onto the ice with them on a daily basis and lead by example during games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Edmonton Oilers Release Jakub Jerabek
The Edmonton Oilers have released veteran defenseman Jakub Jerabek today and the veteran is waiting to be re-assigned, according to the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples. However, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson adds that Jerabek may opt to head overseas after a so-so camp, rather than report to Bakersfield.
Jerabek was signed on Aug. 21 to a one-year, $1MM deal to help fill the team’s void on defense after the team lost veteran blueliner Andrej Sekera, who underwent surgery. However, Jerabek lost out to the play of a number of defensemen, including Kevin Gravel as well as rookie Evan Bouchard and veteran Jason Garrison.
The 27-year-old split time in the NHL last year between the Montreal Canadiens and the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, in which he played a total of 36 games, posting two goals and six assists. In the end, Jerabek was used as an emergency defenseman, as he only managed to appear in two playoff games for the Capitals, both in the team’s first series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18
It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)
F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)
G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)
F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)
F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)
D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)
D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)
D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)
F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)
Jesperi Kotkaniemi Will Start Season With Montreal Canadiens
While surprise probably isn’t the correct word, the Montreal Canadiens announced that head coach Claude Julien confirmed that 18-year-old prospect Jesperi Kotkaniemi will start the season in Montreal. No word on where he might play or even what position he might play out of the gate.
“We decided that he’ll start the season here in Montreal. It’s good news for him, and it’s good news for us,” said Julien.
The 2018 third-overall pick has been debated for weeks now about whether or not he should remain with the team. While the team is desperate for help down the middle, Kotkaniemi has not played center on a regular basis in over a year as he played left wing this past season with Liiga’s Assat Pori team as a 17-year-old. With the team already having abandoned the Jonathan Drouin experiment at center and only getting a minimal look at Max Domi as their No. 1 center before being suspended for the remainder of the preseason, the team may be hoping that Kotkaniemi can work his way into the role at some point during the season.
Kotkaniemi was already somewhat of a mild surprise when the Canadiens took him with the third overall pick when there were better-known wingers ahead of him, including Brady Tkachuk and Filip Zadina, but it is believed that the Canadiens fell in love with Kotkaniemi’s potential as a future No. 1 center, which now looks to be immediate. The team is allowed to play him for nine games before they burn the first year of his entry-level contract. The team may want to see how he responds to playing in the regular season before making a final decision on whether to keep him, send him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket or return him to Finland.
One other interesting point made by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) is that the salary cap specifics could fit perfectly if the team keeps Kotkaniemi this season. He points out that if Kotkaniemi does play more than 10 games this season, then he will sign his second NHL contract in 2021-22 when the Canadiens have freed themselves of some significant cap room, including the contracts of Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry and Phillip Danault (assuming none of them get extended). It’s also significant, because the team has quite a few other prospects that are a year behind Kotkaniemi such as Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling as well as a potential high pick in the 2019 NHL draft who could hit a big payday in 2022-23 and might have Montreal thinking ahead to avoid having all three get paid in the same year.
Canadiens Have Started Internal Discussions On Jesperi Kotkaniemi's Future
- The Canadiens have started internal discussions about what to do with top pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi to start the season, notes Postmedia’s Stu Cowan. The third-overall pick has played well in the preseason but spent most of last year on the left wing; the Canadiens view him as a center but it’s difficult to ask him to play that position in the NHL right away. Julien has already indicated his preference is to have the 18-year-old break camp with the big club but management may prefer to start him at either the AHL level or back in Finland (he has a European Assignment Clause he can choose to trigger). Kotkaniemi can play in nine games before officially burning the first year of his entry-level deal.
David Schlemko Out Six Weeks With A Knee Injury
Injuries were not kind to the Canadiens last season and it certainly appears that’s going to continue in 2018-19. The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman David Schlemko suffered a knee injury in Wednesday’s preseason game against Toronto and will miss up to six weeks.
This marks the second straight year that the 31-year-old won’t make it through training camp unscathed. Last year, a hand injury sustained early in camp cost him the opening 25 games of the season which set him back considerably. He wound up playing in 37 games overall, picking up a goal and four assists while averaging 18:04 of ice time per night.
The injury to Schlemko really simplifies Montreal’s remaining defensive battle at training camp. This should help pave the way for offseason acquisition Xavier Ouellet to make the opening roster while tryout Simon Despres is still in the mix as well but has to be viewed as a longshot at this point.
Schlemko is the fourth Montreal regular that will be starting the season on injured reserve joining fellow blueliner Shea Weber (knee) plus wingers Andrew Shaw (knee) and Nicolas Deslauriers (facial fracture). Combined, the group makes just shy of $15MM which means the Canadiens will likely be heading into the season icing a lineup that makes less than the Lower Limit of the salary cap.
Canadiens Tried To Trade Michael McCarron Over The Summer
- The Canadiens tried to move center Michael McCarron over the summer, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. However, teams weren’t willing to part with a draft pick for him as they were anticipating he’d be on waivers. That was indeed the case and he passed through unclaimed on Wednesday. Presumably, Montreal will now hope that their top pick in 2013 rebuilds some value in Laval although they also could look to flip him for a player in a similar situation in the hopes that a change of scenery proves to be beneficial.
Injury Notes: Red Wings, Bogosian, Beleskey, Peca
The Detroit Red Wings’ defense could look much different to begin the season than many expected. With top pair defenseman Mike Green already shut down and confirmed to be out for at least the team’s opener due to a viral infection, coach Jeff Blashill revealed today that banged-up blue liners Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, and Trevor Daley are all considered questionable to begin the season. As Ansar Khan of MLive.com points out, it could be a very young, inexperienced defensive corps to start the year in Detroit. Niklas Kronwall and Nick Jensen could be the only regulars healthy enough to play, joined perhaps by a veteran like Brian Lashoff or Dylan McIlrath. Outside of those options, rookies will likely make up the rest of the top six. 5’8″ Joe Hicketts, who got a brief look last season, leads the way, with 2016 first-rounder Dennis Cholowski, second-rounder the same year Filip Hronek, and Czech import Libor Sulak in the mix as well.
- Injury news about Zach Bogosian usually isn’t good and unfortunately, this could be trending in that direction as well. Bogosian has been taking it easy in training camp, working his way back from major hip surgery, but the Athletic’s Joe Yerndon reports that he has still managed to get injured. According to head coach Phil Housley, Bogosian is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Even worse, Yerndon notes that it is a new injury, unrelated to his hip issues. Bogosian’s career has been marred by frequent injuries and an inability to bounce back quickly. The Sabres have to hope that this case is different, as Bogosian and Marco Scandella will be needed to lead a young defensive unit and groom top overall pick Rasmus Dahlin.
- It didn’t take long for the New York Rangers to get clarification on Matt Beleskey‘s status. After head coach David Quinn said yesterday that it was “too early to tell” the extent of Beleskey’s injury, suffered during a fight on Monday night, the Rangers released an update today. Beleskey will be out two to four weeks with a separated shoulder, the team determined. Since Beleskey was a likely training camp casualty anyway, the only change for the Rangers is that he cannot be placed on waiver while injured. Instead, he will be placed on the injured reserve with only a minor salary cap charge.
- Montreal Canadiens’ free agent addition Matthew Peca is currently sidelined. The team revealed that he is dealing with a minor groin injury. No timeline has been established for his return. Peca’s NHL ability and role for the Habs is still unclear, so missing preseason action and potentially the start of the season is unfortunate. The former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect will have to hit the ground running upon his return.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/26/18
After a handful of preseason games last night and with another set of contests coming later today, teams have begun to ice lineups more similar to what they could look like on Opening Night. Most teams are working to trim their roster to 30 players or less for their final preseason games and those efforts will be evident today. Follow along here for all of the camp cuts across the NHL:
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Anton Blidh (to Providence, AHL)
F Colby Cave (to Providence, AHL)
D Cody Goloubef (to Providence, AHL)
F Mark McNeill (to Providence, AHL)
G Dan Vladar (to Providence, AHL)
F Jack Studnicka (to Oshawa, OHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team Twitter update)
G Jonas Johansson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Danny O’Regan (to Rochester, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release; Twitter update)
F Spencer Foo (to Stockton, AHL)
F Glenn Gawdin (to Stockton, AHL)
D Oliver Kylington (to Stockton, AHL)
F Ryan Lomberg (to Stockton, AHL)
D Adam Ollas Mattsson (to Stockton, AHL)
G Tyler Parsons (to Stockton, AHL)
F Matthew Phillips (to Stockton, AHL)
F Brett Pollock (to Stockton, AHL)
F Gilbert Brule (released from PTO)
D Justin Falk (released from PTO)
G Jeff Glass (released from PTO)
F Henrik Samuelsson (released from PTO)
D Duncan Siemens (released from PTO)
F Logan Shaw (released from PTO)
D Ryan Sproul (released from PTO)
D Viktor Svedberg (released from PTO)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
D Jake Bean (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Clark Bishop (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Julien Gauthier (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team Twitter update; second update)
F Victor Ejdsell (to Rockford, AHL)
F Alexandre Fortin (to Rockford, AHL)
F Matthew Highmore (to Rockford, AHL)
D Adam Boqvist (to London, OHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F Travis Barron (to Colorado, AHL)
F A.J. Greer (to Colorado, AHL)
G Spencer Martin (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nicholas Meloche (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Eric Robinson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Liam Foudy (to London, OHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Byron Froese (to Laval, AHL)
D Brett Lernout (to Laval, AHL)
F Michael McCarron (to Laval, AHL)
F Hunter Shinkaruk (to Laval, AHL)
D Rinat Valiev (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Eeli Tolvanen (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Brian Cooper (released from PTO)
New Jersey Devils (per team Twitter update)
D Egor Yakovlev (to Binghamton, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
D Cavan Fitzgerald (to San Jose, AHL)
F Noah Gregor (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
F Maxim Letunov (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jonathan Martin (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jacob Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
F Francis Perron (to San Jose, AHL)
F Vincent Praplan (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jeremy Roy (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alex True (to San Jose, AHL)
F Manuel Wiederer (to San Jose, AHL)
D Kyle Wood (to San Jose, AHL)
F Sasha Chmelevski (to Ottawa, OHL)
G Zachary Emond (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update)
D Andrew Nielsen (to Toronto, AHL)
D Rasmus Sandin (to Toronto, AHL)
F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (to Peterborough, OHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter update)
D Connor Hobbs (to Hershey, AHL)
F Juuso Ikonen (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Garret Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
D Colby Williams (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team Twitter update; release)
D Charles-David Beaudoin (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Simon Bourque (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jacob Cederholm (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Luke Green (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Tye McGinn (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Matt Ustaski (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Ken Appleby (released from PTO)
2018-19 Season Primer: Montreal Canadiens
With the NHL season now less than two weeks away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Montreal Canadiens.
Last Season: 29-40-13 record (71 points), sixth in the Atlantic Division (missed the playoffs)
Remaining Cap Space: $7.06MM per CapFriendly
Key Additions: F Joel Armia (trade with Jets), F Max Domi (trade with Coyotes), D Xavier Ouellet (free agency, Detroit), F Matthew Peca (free agency, Tampa Bay), F Tomas Plekanec (free agency, Toronto), F Tomas Tatar (trade with Vegas)
Key Subtractions: F Daniel Carr (free agency, Vegas), F Alex Galchenyuk (trade with Coyotes), F Ales Hemsky (free agency, unsigned), F Max Pacioretty (trade with Vegas), F Logan Shaw (free agent, PTO with Calgary)
[Related: Canadiens Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: G Carey Price – To put it lightly, last year was not a good one for Price. He dealt with fatigue issues, a lower-body injury, and a concussion which resulted in him playing in just 49 games. In those contests, he posted the highest goals-against average and lowest save percentage of his career.
Needless to say, that’s not what the Canadiens were expecting when they inked him to an eight-year, $10.5MM extension back in July, the richest contract given to a goalie in league history. Montreal committed to Price as their franchise player and instead, he provided a performance comparable to a mediocre backup netminder.
Despite the poor season and Montreal’s anticipated place in the standings this coming season, expectations remain high. If Price can rebound, the Canadiens should at the very least be out of the basement in the Atlantic but if he falters again, they’ll likely be a cellar-dweller and his contract could become among the worst in the league in a hurry. Montreal is a pressure-filled market and Price is really going to be under the microscope since the team goes as he goes.
Key Storyline: Montreal’s problems down the middle have been well-documented. Their short-term solution was to take the winger that they acquired last summer and converted to center and move him back to the wing (Jonathan Drouin) to take another winger that they picked up this summer and convert him to center (Domi). They also added Peca who has all of 20 games of NHL experience and Plekanec, a capable checker that was in the lineup for most of the season but whose role is likely to be lessened. That’s not the significant improvement that they needed.
The Canadiens were near the bottom of the league in scoring last season and dealt away arguably their two top pure scoring threats in Galchenyuk and Pacioretty which has left them with a dearth of natural scoring on the wing. Long story short, how is this team going to score on a regular basis? There’s a case to be made that they haven’t improved their attack which is going to put even more pressure on Price.
However, this is a young forward group. Plekanec is the lone one over the age of 29 so they are clearly banking on some internal improvement. Will some players take a step forward to help replace Galchenyuk and Pacioretty? If not, two of the biggest issues the team had last season (center play and scoring) will likely hold them back again.
Overall Outlook: Assuming Price rebounds even a little bit, Montreal shouldn’t be battling it out with Ottawa to stay out of the basement in the Atlantic. However, they will need a lot to go right for them to really get into the mix for a Wild Card spot. It’s looking like another non-playoff season for the Canadiens although their record shouldn’t be as bad as it was last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.