Trade Rumors: Canadiens, Canucks, Maple Leafs
The Montreal Canadiens are not even 12 hours into their latest trade and the team is already thinking about their next move. A report from Sportsnet’s Eric Engels states that defenseman Brandon Davidson could soon be on his way out of town. Habs GM Marc Bergevin is not just listening to offers for Davidson; he emailed the entire league informing the other 30 general managers of the blue liner’s availability. While the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Ian Cole is also known to be on the block right now, Davidson should come at a much lesser price and be much easier (and more timely) to move. The 26-year-old has been a frequent scratch this season and has just one point in 13 games. It wasn’t long ago that Davidson was thought to be an up-and-coming rearguard, playing major minutes for the 2015-16 Edmonton Oilers after a long stretch of solid AHL play. However, when he was shipped to Montreal for a rental in David Desharnais at last year’s trade deadline, it was clear his stock had dropped. Davidson could still be a valued depth addition for many teams, though. The Canadiens likely won’t have to shop him for very long.
- Following the difficult news about Derek Dorsett, Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning was very clear with the media today that he won’t be looking to trade for a replacement for the veteran grinder. Instead, Benning said that the situation “gives guys a chance to play more and step up.” The Canucks plan to fill Dorsett’s void internally, with the recently-promoted Nikolay Goldobin getting the first shot. After a hot start, Vancouver has been slipping of late and more than anything needs to put the puck in the net more often. Goldobin should be an offensive upgrade over Dorsett, but can he handle a big role?
- Following the Anaheim Ducks-New Jersey Devils blockbuster today, many in the hockey media are asking a predictable question: Why weren’t the Toronto Maple Leafs in on Sami Vatanen? It feels like the Leafs have been searching for a top-pair right-shot defenseman to play alongside Morgan Rielly for years now, yet couldn’t top an offer of Adam Henrique and Joseph Blandisi to get an elite righty puck-mover in Vatanen? Nazem Kadri is perhaps the closest comparable in the NHL to Henrique and, although three years older, Tyler Bozak compares favorably to Henrique as well. With a wealth of young talent in the AHL to boot, it seems unlikely that Lou Lamoriello and company couldn’t have outbid the Devils if they wanted to, so perhaps the better question is why didn’t they want to? In a relatively weak Atlantic Division, no one will be surprised if Toronto makes a run to the Eastern Conference Finals this year and maybe farther. If they don’t reach that goal, they may find themselves regretting missing the chance to strengthen the defense both this season and beyond.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Adam Cracknell
The Montreal Canadiens have completed a minor trade, swapping minor league forward Peter Holland for Adam Cracknell from the New York Rangers. Cracknell was claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars earlier this year, but will report directly to the AHL’s Laval Rocket for the time being.
While this is just a minor league swap on paper, both players have considerable NHL experience. Holland was a first-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2009 but could never quite find a role as a top-six center in any of his previous stops. A natural puck-carrying forward, his offense has been limited throughout his career. For Laval this season, he had 18 points in 20 games and will certainly improve the Hartford attack.
Cracknell on the other hand has always been a hard working bottom-six player, but actually had 10 goals last season for the Stars. He was waived early on but couldn’t catch on in New York either. The 32-year old could add some size to Montreal’s group if called up, but is likely just a minor league depth addition at this point.
Morning Notes: Cole, Keenan, Weber, McDonagh
Even though trade rumors out of Pittsburgh continue to come out about Ian Cole, Bob McKenzie of TSN doesn’t believe the defenseman’s eventual departure is guaranteed. McKenzie took to Twitter to explain how he views the situation, underscoring that Pittsburgh will only make a deal if it improves their chances at the Stanley Cup this season. As he points out, the team hasn’t worried about losing potential free agents before and why should they? The Penguins are going after their third straight Stanley Cup this season and after a tough start are still in the Metropolitan Division mix.
Cole certainly should command a fairly high trade value even with his recent healthy scratches, as he’s cheap and relatively young (he doesn’t turn 29 until February. McKenzie also feels that a “quality center” is likely what the team is after in any potential deal.
- Mike Keenan has been removed from the GM role of Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The infamous NHL coach will remain behind the bench for the Chinese club, despite losing their last seven games. Kunlun stands at 12-14-8 so far this season and find themselves out of the playoffs. Keenan won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, but has been coaching in the KHL now for 2013.
- The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers watched their star defensemen skate this morning, as both Shea Weber and Ryan McDonagh got back on the ice. Neither player is ready to return for their respective teams, but are getting closer with every passing day. McDonagh in particular is expected to return to the Rangers lineup on Friday if all goes well this week. Weber is still working out on his own and has no clear return date.
Vegas Golden Knights Expected To Recall Stefan Matteau
The Vegas Golden Knights have been on fire for most of the season, and currently sit in first place in the Pacific Division. The expansion franchise has turned a rag-tag group of players from the fringes of NHL rosters into a cohesive unit, even in the face of staggering injuries. Though Luca Sbisa was at practice wearing a no-contract jersey, and Marc-Andre Fleury skated before teammates according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review Journal, David Perron and William Carrier were nowhere to be seen on the ice at T-Mobile Arena. That leaves them with just 11 healthy forwards at practice, and in need of some help up front.
Enter Stefan Matteau, who according to NHL.com contributor Anthony Marcotte will be recalled by the Golden Knights for the first time this season. The son of former NHLer Stephane Matteau, Stefan was selected 29th-overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2012, and eventually dealt to Montreal for Devante Smith-Pelly. He wasn’t qualified this summer by the Canadiens, and eventually signed a one-year contract with Vegas. Projected as a powerful winger with speed and physicality, it was hoped that Matteau would eventually develop more of an offensive game to be able to stick in the NHL. That hasn’t happened yet, as he has just six points in 56 career NHL contests and hasn’t been a big scoring threat even at the minor league level.
Still, Vegas has built their season on players that were underestimated so far in their careers and will try to catch more lightning in a bottle with Matteau. The 6’2″ 220-lbs forward could bring an added level of physicality and energy to their bottom six, and perhaps show that he’s ready for an increased role. Power forwards often find their footing later in their careers, and at 23 years old Matteau can’t quite be labelled a bust just yet. Even if his offensive game never develops, perhaps he can provide different value to the Golden Knights.
Habs Have A Crucial Week Ahead
- The Montreal Canadiens have a big week in front of them writes the Montreal Gazette’s Pat Hickey, and it will most likely determine where the Habs truly stand. With a home-and-away series with division rival Detroit, Montreal has a chance to surpass Detroit in the standings by taking at least three of four points when the two teams play. Columbus and Ottawa are the other two foes in the four game stretch. Columbus proves to be an effective gauge in how the Habs fare against a playoff contender while the Sens are another inter-division game that can yield crucial points. Hickey adds that the fourth line–who is just one of many culprits in Montreal’s inability to score, has been “stunningly” inefficient. To gain any traction in the standings–and ultimately the season–the Canadiens will need to see more from their depth lines.
Injury Notes: Bruins, Rakell, Weber, Wennberg, Sutter
The Boston Bruins injury list keeps growing as the team is dealing with injuries to Brad Marchand, Anders Bjork, Ryan Spooner and Peter Cehlarik. However, the one good piece of news is that forward David Backes, who underwent surgery to have a piece of his colon removed on Nov. 1, has already been cleared for contact in practice, according to NBC Sports Joe Haggerty.
Originally estimated to be out for eight weeks, putting the timetable to early January, Backes has already been skating with the Bruins for a week and could be returning sooner than expected.
The other news isn’t as good, according to Haggerty, who says that Marchand will miss today’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and was still sporting a non-contact sweater in practice Saturday. Bjork is expected to miss another week with an upper-body injury, while neither Spooner or Cehalrik practiced Saturday. The scribe says only Spooner has a chance to play today.
- Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register tweets that Anaheim Ducks center Rickard Rakell, who didn’t play in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings due to an upper-body injury, won’t travel with the team starts their road trip. Stephens adds that coach Randy Carlyle was vague about when Rakell would return to the team.
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber, who has missed the past three games lower-body injury, missed practice today, according to the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan. Instead, the veteran defenseman opted for therapy. He remains day-to-day as Montreal hosts Columbus on Monday.
- Cowan also reports that defenseman David Schlemko, who is on a condidtioning stint with the Laval Rocket of the AHL, was practicing with the Canadiens today, suggesting a return could be near.
- Columbus Blue Jackets center Alexander Wennberg, who has been out with an upper-body injury since Nov. 11, participated in practice fully today and is expected to travel with the team for Monday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
- Vancouver Canucks center Brandon Sutter, who is expected to miss today’s game against the New York Rangers, is more than just “day-to-day,” according to Canucks head coach Travis Green. The coach adds that it’s nothing too serious, but in his place Alexander Burmistrov will fill in for him while he is out.
- Dallas Morning News’ Mike Heika reports that defenseman Stephen Johns, who was suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames, skated today and is expected to be ready for Tuesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Shea Weber To Miss Third Straight Game With Lower-Body Injury
- Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber will miss his third straight game on Saturday as a result of his lower-body injury, the team announced via Twitter. He did, however, take part in the morning skate so his return likely isn’t too far away. Weber leads Montreal’s defenders in points (13) and average ice time (26:07) so far this season.
David Schlemko Sent To Laval On Conditioning Stint
- The Canadiens announced that they have assigned defenseman David Schlemko to Laval of the AHL on a conditioning stint. This marks the second time this season that this has happened; he played in one game the first time and then went back on injured reserve with the same hand injury. He has yet to play in Montreal after being acquired from Vegas shortly after the Expansion Draft.
Canadiens Activate Carey Price Off Injured Reserve
The Canadiens are set to get a boost to their lineup tomorrow night as the team announced that goaltender Carey Price will be activated off injured reserve and will get the start against the Sabres. Price has been out of the lineup since sustaining a lower-body injury in the pregame warmup on November 2nd in Minnesota (although he did play that full game).
It will be interesting to see if the time off helps Price revert at least closer to his typical form. Through 11 starts this season, he has posted a 3.77 GAA and a .877 SV%, both career-worsts by a considerable margin. He currently has the highest goals against average among all goalies with at least ten appearances and the second-lowest save percentage.
In a corresponding move, rookie Charlie Lindgren has been sent back down to Laval of the AHL. The rookie has fared quite well since being recalled with a 2.43 GAA and a .924 SV% in nine starts but it’s not ideal to have him on the bench on a regular basis when he is still waiver-exempt.
Recent waiver acquisition Antti Niemi has gotten off to a very tough start to his campaign but played well in his first start with Montreal back on Wednesday and will hold on to the backup spot for the time being. Al Montoya, their other goaltender, remains out indefinitely with a concussion.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Campbell, Wideman, McDavid
The Los Angeles Kings acquired Torrey Mitchell earlier tonight in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, but it’s not the only move they’ve made recently. Late last night the team signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a two-year, $1.35MM extension. The deal is two-way for 2018-19, but becomes a one-way contract in 2019-20.
Campbell has rediscovered his game after leaving the Dallas Stars organization, who originally selected him 11th-overall in 2010. He ran with the starting job for the Ontario Reign of the AHL last season, posting a .914 save percentage and has improved on that early in this season. The 25-year old was once considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the league and will continue to try and fight his way towards the NHL. Though Jonathan Quick is signed long-term, the Kings will have an opening to back him up after Darcy Kuemper‘s deal expires this summer.
- Dennis Wideman has returned to hockey, this time as an assistant coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The Rangers, who are one of the most impressive teams in the league this season, are currently coached by former NHL defenseman (and Wideman teammate) Jay McKee. Wideman, a Kitchener native, was unable to secure a contract this summer after the Calgary Flames decided not to re-sign him. In 815 career NHL games, he had 387 points.
- Connor McDavid has been playing through a serious illness according to Darren Dreger of TSN, who reports that the Edmonton Oilers captain has lost between five and ten pounds recently. Amazingly, McDavid has nine points in his last five games, the best stretch of the season so far for the reigning Hart Trophy winner. McDavid and the Oilers remain near the very bottom of the NHL standings, with just 18 points through 22 games.