Garrioch’s Latest: Coaches, Pouliot, Islanders, Canadiens, Hayes
With Gerard Gallant being the first coach fired, talk has quickly swirled to who may the next to go. Ottawa Sun columnist Bruce Garrioch reports in his latest Insider Trading column that several executives around the league believe that Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice and Buffalo bench boss Dan Bylsma are both on the hot seat. The suggestion is that the Jets have played well enough that they should be firmly in a playoff spot instead of fighting for a Wild Card berth while the Sabres have underachieved even after factoring in the long list of injuries they’ve had to deal with.
Garrioch also provided some information about several players that are available on the trade market and what some teams are looking to acquire:
- The Edmonton Oilers have held trade talks with a few teams regarding left winger Benoit Pouliot. He’s off to a slow start this season with just four goals and one assist in 23 games while also spending time as a healthy scratch. The 30 year old has two years left after this with a cap hit and salary of $4MM. Garrioch clarifies that GM Peter Chiarelli isn’t actively shopping Pouliot but he is trying to see if there is any interest in him throughout the league.
- Islanders GM Garth Snow is looking for a top line winger to play alongside John Tavares. Long-time linemate Kyle Okposo signed in Buffalo back in July while Andrew Ladd has struggled considerably with New York so far. Even though Tavares won’t be a free agent until July of 2018, Snow is aware that finding him another winger that he’s comfortable with would go a long way towards helping them re-sign him. One winger who doesn’t appear to be the solution is Nikolay Kulemin, who the Islanders are actively shopping.
- Philadelphia would like to trade defenseman Andrew MacDonald. However, with a cap hit of $5MM through 2019-20, that is a move that will be much easier said than done. The 30 year old cleared waivers last season and almost undoubtedly would again if they tried to clear his contract through that route.
- Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has been calling teams looking for a defenseman that could play alongside Shea Weber on their top pairing. Alexei Emelin is currently forming the other half of that duo but he’s better suited as a bottom pairing player. Speculatively, the team would likely be looking for more of a mobile puck mover to go along with the physical Weber.
- Boston “wouldn’t mind moving” right winger Jimmy Hayes. He has had a disastrous start to this season, scoring just a single goal in 22 games and is playing just over ten minutes per night, not exactly what they were hoping for when they dealt Reilly Smith for him back in July of 2015. Hayes has a cap hit of $2.3MM through 2017-18 which may present some challenges to move considering his current struggles.
Ryan Spooner, Matt Hendricks On The Trade Block
As part of their Saturday Headlines segment (video link), Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman provided some information regarding a couple of players believed to be on the trade block:
Ryan Spooner (Bruins)
Kypreos suggested that the Vancouver Canucks could be a possible fit for the Boston center. GM Jim Benning is familiar with the 24 year old from his time as an Assistant GM with the Bruins while Spooner has also had some success with Loui Eriksson, who left Boston to sign with the Canucks back in July.
After a 49 point season last year, Spooner has had a quieter start to this season with just eight points (3-5-8) in 24 games. However, with a cap hit of just $950K, he’s an affordable player for any team and with the Canucks likely looking to transition towards being more of a younger team, the fit makes sense.
Friedman noted last month that teams had been expressing an interest in Spooner but it’s far from a guarantee that he gets dealt. It’s certainly possible that the Bruins view him as part of their long-term core and that this slow start isn’t a sign of things to come.
CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty reports that talks regarding Spooner have increased in recent weeks and that the team is now seeking a top six forward in return, a departure from their previous asking price of a top four blueliner. He also gets the sense that Boston’s management is motivated to move him as he may not be the right fit for head coach Claude Julien’s system.
Matt Hendricks (Oilers)
Hendricks was a healthy scratch in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Ducks and Friedman believes that Edmonton is making him available to other teams. He has missed over a month with a lower body injury and as a result, Hendricks has played in just five games so far this season.
With a cap hit of $1.85MM this season, teams may be hard pressed to fit Hendricks into their salary structure, especially since the 35 year old is limited to a fourth line role. Friedman suggests that his hometown Minnesota could be a potential fit. However, the Wild are currently into LTIR meaning that their cap space to work with is extremely limited. For any deal to work, Minnesota would likely have to send equal salary the other way or the Oilers would have to retain some of his salary.
Both Kypreos and Friedman also touched on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty. While they were quick to emphasize that the Canadiens are not shopping their captain, Kypreos suggested that there may be a bit of friction between Pacioretty and head coach Michel Therrien. He has heard that several teams around the league are watching the situation closely and suggests that if Montreal decides to commit to playing more of a defensive game in front of Carey Price, that they could consider moving the 28 year old for a top four defenseman. However, with a cap hit of $4.5MM, quite low for a four time 30-goal scorer, it would be challenging for GM Marc Bergevin to get top value back at a similar price tag.
Metro Division Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Islanders, Berube
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the league’s pleasant surprises through the quarter point of the campaign. Expected to again be a lottery team after a 27th place finish in 2015-16, Columbus is off to a 14 – 5 – 4 start and their 32 points are good enough to place them in a tie for fifth most in the NHL. The Jackets also rank in the top-ten in goals scored, goals allowed and have the league’s top ranked man advantage unit. Craig Morgan, writing for Fan Rag Sports Network, explores how Columbus has been able to turn things around after an offseason that didn’t yield any major personnel changes.
Morgan spoke with Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline, who was able to provide his insights into the team. Right off the top Portzline cites three key reasons for Columbus’ early success. First, Sergei Bobrovsky has been healthy and is performing at a high level between the pipes. Second, Alex Wennberg is producing at the level of a top center. Third, rookie blue liner Zach Werenski has shown he wasn’t just ready to play in the NHL, he was ready to be a star in the league.
Among goalies who have played in at least 15 games this season, Bobrovsky ranks 5th in Save % (0.929) and 6th in GAA (2.08). Wennberg, in his third NHL campaign, has 6 goals and 21 points in 23 contests and is tied for 7th in the league in assists. Werenski leads all rookie blue liners in goals (5) and points (16).
In addition to the output of those three key players, young defenseman Seth Jones has also played a vital role in the Blue Jackets unexpectedly strong play. Columbus head coach John Tortorella had this to say about Jones’ impact:
“You can see how he can control the game with the puck. We have a lot of teaching to do with him without the puck, but the God-given ability that he has, it’s at a different level than a lot of other players in this league.”
Whether or not Columbus can maintain this level of play and compete for a playoff berth of course remains to be seen. However, by this point in the campaign, teams that are currently hold a postseason spot have excellent odds of making the playoffs and that should bode well for the Jackets.
Elsewhere in the Metro Division:
- With new ownership now pulling the strings in Brooklyn, there are rumblings that the New York Islanders may be searching for a high level executive to join their front office, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. The plan is to add a big name and evidently among those who are under consideration are two former NHL’ers with ties to the New York area: former Islander and Ranger Pat LaFontaine and Brad Richards, who retired after last season and spent three seasons with the Blueshirts. Staple adds that another name linked to the potential new role is Pat Brisson, who just so happens to be John Tavares‘ agent and was a contender for the Pittsburgh Penguins GM position two years ago. It’s not clear whether the hire, if eventually made, would join the team as team president and work with Islanders GM Garth Snow, or if that person would be charged with reshaping the organization’s front office.
- Jean-Francois Berube is currently in a tough spot as the Islanders #3 goalie behind Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss. Fearful of losing the 25-year-old net minder on waivers but apparently unwilling to give him any playing time, the Islanders have planted Berube firmly in the press box for much of the last two seasons. Berube has yet to see any action this season at any level and got into just 12 games – seven in the NHL and five in the AHL – in 2015-16. It’s certainly an unusual situation but as Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes, it’s not an entirely unique one. According to Brooks, goaltender Wayne Thomas spent the entire 1974-75 campaign on the roster of the Montreal Canadiens without even dressing as the backup. Berube has at least been on the Isles bench 10 times this season. Thomas would go on to appear in 243 career NHL contests – including a career-high 64 appearances the next season – perhaps providing some hope for Berube, who has all of seven games to his credit. While Brooks’ story is somewhat anecdotal, Berube and his representation have not been amused with the net minder’s lack of usage over the last two seasons. A resolution of some sorts that allows Berube to get on the ice, whether in Brooklyn or another NHL city, is likely best for all parties involved.
Snapshots: Anderson, LeBrun’s Power Rankings, Blues
The Associated Press reports that Ottawa Senators’ net minder Craig Anderson will take another leave of absence to be with his wife during her battle with throat cancer. Anderson will not be available to play Thursday when the Sens take on the Flyers in Ottawa. In turn, the Senators recalled Andrew Hammond and also have Mike Condon ready to go. Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen writes that Sens’ bench boss Guy Boucher said that there is no timetable for Anderson’s return but that the earliest he could be back is Saturday. Warren added a quote from Condon who said: “I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s going through and I wish him the best.”
In other NHL news:
- The Chicago Blackhawks remain #1 on Pierre LeBrun’s Power Rankings as the first of December approaches. Though they went 3-3-1 on the annual Circus Trip, the Hawks were able to survive without captain Jonathan Toews, who has missed the past three games. Seated second are the Montreal Canadiens, followed by the New York Rangers, who are tops in scoring in the NHL. Fourth and fifth in LeBrun’s rankings are the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Ottawa Senators jumped six spots to number six, while the Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Nashville Predators round out LeBrun’s top ten respectively. In the power rankings basement? The Islanders hold the spot, due to only a pair of wins in November. LeBrun wonders if ownership will still be as patient if similar results follow in December.
- Despite an earlier report indicating that the St. Louis Blues could be cutting ties with AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves, KSDK Sports Director Frank Cusumano was contacted directly by a Blues Executive who denied such reports. NHL.com’s Lou Korac wrote earlier that the Blues were readying to put a new AHL team in Kansas City, and the report, via his blog “In the Slot,” was posted on KSDK’s site. Though Korac said the Blues have not made the plans official, a source told him that it’s pretty much a “done deal.” That news conflicted with what a Blues executive told Cusumano, saying that, “No decisions are close to being made. We are talking to a lot of people.”
Forbes’ 2016-17 NHL Team Valuations
If you’re looking to buy an NHL franchise, here is your market value. For those who do not know of the world-famous company, Forbes is a leading American business magazine, named for its editor-in-chief, Steve Forbes. The company focuses on financial and business stories in a multitude of industries, including technology, sciences, art, law and, of course, the professional sports industry. Each year, Forbes runs a valuation of sports franchises around the globe, from NFL football in the United States to UEFA “football” in Europe. Today, Forbes released its valuations and rankings of all thirty current NHL teams – with the Vegas Golden Knights not quite ready to be analyzed just yet.
Unsurprisingly, the most successful team in North America’s biggest city reigns supreme over the rest of the league. With deep playoff runs in back-to-back years and a hot start to 2016-17, the New York Rangers are considered to be the NHL’s most valuable franchise with a $1.25B valuation. The Rangers top the chart for the second year in a row, after being denied the top spot for more than a decade prior, and see a 4% bump in their value from last year. Success coupled with some heavy renovations to Madison Square Garden and nearly a nightly sellout rate brings New York the big bucks, as they took in about $219MM in revenue last year, $17MM more than the next in line.
Second and third overall are Original Six Canadian power houses: the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Both hold on to their respective places from last year. However, the Maple Leafs held the top spot for an astonishing ten-year stretch from 2005 to 2014, before being bumped down to #3 last year. Having made the playoffs just once in the last decade, as well as seeing a 13-year sellout streak snapped in 2014-15, there is no doubt that the team has lost some value. A $1.1B valuation for a team that has struggled as much as Toronto has is not too shabby though, and is a testament to the city and its fans. Meanwhile, Montreal joins the Rangers as the only team to bring in over $200MM in revenue in 2015-16. The annual leader in attendance among the seven Canadian NHL teams, Montreal is a titan of industry in Canadian pro sports with a $1.12B valuation. Although both the Canadiens and Maple Leafs lost value this past year (5% and 4% respectively), this is most likely due to the weakness of the Canadian dollar. Both teams continue to excel fiscally, worth much more than any other Canadian NHL team or the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, or likely the entire Canadian Football League combined.
Tampa Bay Recalls Vermin, Bournival From Syracuse
With Ryan Callahan still nursing an injury and a few other players banged up, the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Joel Vermin and Michael Bournival from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
Neither player has suited up for the Lightning this year, however both have had good starts in the AHL. Signed to a one-year, two-way deal this summer, Bournival has 11 points in 17 games for the Crunch. A 24-year old former third-round pick, he has 89 games of NHL experience with the Montreal Canadiens. Expected to be a strong scorer when he was drafted, the next two seasons in Shawinigan were solid but not spectacular, and he’s turned into a bottom-six only type in his short professional career.
For Vermin, this is familiar ground having been called up by the team last season for six games. A smaller Swiss forward, Vermin has shown his capability as an energy guy who uses his speed to force turnovers. The Lightning will need some of that energy, as they’re currently on a three game losing streak and have fallen to third in the Atlantic Division.
Travis Moen Retires From Professional Hockey
After fourteen years and 747 career games, veteran forward Travis Moen has announced that he will retire from professional hockey. The 34-year old from Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan hadn’t found a job this season after spending the last two seasons playing sporadically with the Dallas Stars. 
Moen is perhaps best known for his shutdown play alongside Sami Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer en route to the 2007 Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. Their play helped the Ducks run roughshod over the rest of the league in those playoffs, losing only five games total. Moen actually was credited with the Cup-winning goal, though it was put into the net by Chris Phillips in one of the biggest NHL bloopers of all time.
The winger would then spend time with the San Jose Sharks before playing for the Montreal Canadiens for parts of six seasons. Though his offensive game never hit that 2006-07 high again, he remained an effective penalty killer and bottom-six checking forward for much of his time there.
Across the 747 games, Moen scored 59 goals and 136 points. He played in a whopping 83 playoff games, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. Always playing with an edge, and willing to drop the mitts at a moment’s notice, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move into a coaching role one day, as many checking forwards have before.
Atlantic Notes: Hudon, Marchand, Sabres
The Montreal Canadiens announced that young forward Charles Hudon is out indefinitely with a broken sternum. The rookie took a hard shot to the chest in practice on Friday and did not return. Hudon has played in just six NHL games, only three thus far this season, but has been looking strong in his early appearances and has earned an increase in play time as a result. However, a broken sternum is a rare and painful injury that usually recovers multiple months of recovery.
Hudon, a 2012 fifth-round pick, has greatly outplayed his draft slot and become one of Montreal’s top prospects and a major minor league contributor. After a strong junior career in the QMJHL, Hudon has dominated the AHL and was hoping to finally carve out a role for himself in the NHL. With that plan on hold, for the time being Montreal appears to be set to give 2013 second-rounder Artturi Lehkonen a spot back on the team. The rookie has played in 12 games with Montreal this season, but has missed the past few weeks with an injury. His return is well timed with Hudon now out long-term.
In other Atlantic news:
- The Boston Bruins hope that a practice injury like that of Hudon is far from what happened at their practice earlier today. Star winger Brad Marchand blocked a big shot from defenseman Adam McQuaid and went down hard. Marchand left the ice and did not return to practice. The Bruins offense has been anemic of late, other than the contributions of the top line, featuring Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and the upstart David Pastrnak. A long-term absence for Marchand would be difficult for the Bruins to overcome, especially with Zdeno Chara already injured. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.
- The Buffalo Sabres continue to use their promotions and demotions with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, pretty liberally this season. The team announced that they have sent down William Carrier, Cole Schneider, and Cal O’Reilly, a trio that has been up and down several times already this season.
Brandon Prust Signs In Germany
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported this morning that the rumors of NHL veteran Brandon Prust accepting a deal overseas are indeed true. The veteran agitator is heading to Germany to pursue an opportunity to extend his playing career. While it is currently unknown exactly which team he will sign with, it will more than likely be a team in the country’s premiere league, the DEL. Prust will leave for Germany tomorrow and an announcement is expected in the coming days.
Right up until this decision was made, many expected that Prust could sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 32-year-old forward accepted a PTO deal with the Leafs, but was unable to secure a roster spot in training camp. However, he has continued to practice with the team over the past few months. When Auston Matthews and Tyler Bozak missed time with the flu a few weeks back, Prust went as far as to join line rushes and many speculated that a contract offer was imminent. Just a couple of days ago, Prust’s agent, and a former gritty NHLer himself, Claude Lemieux was reportedly waiting to accept any offer from outside of North America while anticipating a deal with Toronto. However, that opportunity did not arise and Prust has moved on to a new adventure overseas.
A journeyman enforcer, Prust’s days in the NHL appeared numbered when he was demoted to the AHL by the Vancouver Canucks last season. Although never an offensive force, Prust showed an ability to chip in an occasional goal throughout his career. After being traded from the Montreal Canadiens to Vancouver for Zack Kassian last summer, that ability seemingly evaporated and led to Prust playing in just 35 games last season and was part of the reason he was unable to find a guaranteed contract in the off-season. In nine seasons split between the Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, Canadiens, and Canucks, Prust recorded 40 goals and 75 assists for 115 points in 486 games. More memorable will be the 1036 penalty minutes he sat for in his career as well. With the league trending away from enforcers, especially those who are on the wrong side of 30, Prust has likely played his last NHL game, but will continue his career by bringing his tough, physical brand of hockey to Germany.
Allen’s Latest: Hamilton, Kane, Shattenkirk, Hanzal, Murphy
The USA Today’s Kevin Allen is more than happy to suggest a holiday wish list for a handful of NHL teams. Allen offers advice to the follow clubs:
- New York Rangers: Allen suggests that the Rangers could snap up Dougie Hamilton from the Calgary Flames should they be willing to give up J.T. Miller. But just as quickly as he suggests it, he provides rationale as to why it might be far fetched. First, the financials wouldn’t work with Hamilton’s $5.75MM cap hit. Second, Miller is playing well with 18 points in 21 games while Hamilton has been struggling. For the deal to work, Allen believes the Rangers would have to shed another contract to either Calgary or another team in need of a defenseman (Allen suggests Kevin Klein).
- New York Islanders: The team in Brooklyn is Allen’s next focus and he suggests Evander Kane to the Isles. The losses of Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin, and Frans Nielsen coupled with the poor production from pricey free agent pickup Andrew Ladd makes Kane a reasonable target. However, Allen points out that the Isles do not have the cap room to add Kane’s bulky contract and would have to do some “juggling” in order to make it work. Allen adds that a defenseman would help out Buffalo’s cause if they were willing to talk about Kane.
- Boston Bruins: How many people have suggested Kevin Shattenkirk to Boston? Allen chimes in here as well, believing that the right handed defenseman would be the perfect addition to the blue line. Further, Allen writes that if Boston can convince Shattenkirk to re-sign with them, overpaying a bit would be well worth it.
- Montreal Canadiens: Arizona’s Martin Hanzal would be a great target for the Habs, who Allen feels could use another scorer to make a Stanley Cup run. What would it take? Allen believes a young player and a draft pick.
- Detroit Red Wings: It hasn’t been easy to fill the enormous hole that Nicklas Lidstrom left four seasons ago, and the Wings have struggled to find any solutions. Allen believes the Carolina Hurricanes could provide some help in the way of defenseman Ryan Murphy. Allen predicts that the Red Wings could trade a young forward to land him, but also sees a number of potential suitors for Murphy, namely the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks.