Jake Dotchin, Valentin Zykov Placed On Waivers
The roster freeze is over, and teams can use waivers once again to try and move players to the minor leagues. The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers have done so, placing defenseman Jake Dotchin and forward Valentin Zykov there. Both players found themselves on waivers earlier this year, with Dotchin seeing his contract terminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Zykov claimed from the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Michal Cajkovsky and Joonas Lyytinen have also been placed on unconditional waivers by the Hurricanes and Nashville Predators respectively.
Dotchin, 24, is still in a grievance over how his deal was terminated earlier this year when the Lightning found him in “material breach of contract” when he showed up to camp out of shape. Though he was cut loose from the Tampa Bay organization, the young defenseman found a new team in Anaheim and worked hard to get back to the NHL level. He has played 16 games for the Ducks, though saw the end of the bench for much of his last one, playing fewer than seven minutes in a loss to San Jose.
The physical—and sometimes dangerous—Dotchin looked like a promising asset for Tampa Bay just a few years ago, when he recorded 11 points in 35 games down the stretch in 2017. Right-handed, he seemed like a perfect complement to some of the more skilled defenders on the Lightning blue line and was extremely inexpensive. Even the draft capital invested in him was minuscule, as the Lightning had found Dotchin in the 2012 sixth round after just a single year of junior hockey. He could be claimed by another team, but after inconsistent play and the recent trouble, some organizations may look the other way.
Zykov on the other hand just can’t seem to make good on his limited opportunities in the NHL. Claimed by the Oilers to give them some more offense on the wing, the 23-year old forward didn’t score a single point during his five-game stint and now finds himself in limbo. The Hurricanes could reclaim the second round pick, and if they are the only team that tries they would be allowed to immediately move him to the minor leagues. If not, Edmonton might try to build up his confidence and performance at the minor league level before giving him another opportunity.
P.K. Subban, Viktor Arvidsson Activated From Injured Reserve
The Nashville Predators have lost four straight games and released their stranglehold on the Central Division, but are finally getting healthy again. The team today activated both P.K. Subban and Viktor Arvidsson from injured reserve, and expect to have them both in the lineup immediately. Subban and Arvidsson have both missed more than a month of game action. To make room, Yannick Weber has been moved to injured reserve.
It’s been a tough season for Subban, who has suited up just 18 times for the Predators and has been sidelined since November 13th with this most recent injury. The Norris winner has 12 points on the year and is one of the engines that drives the Nashville attack, something they’ve sorely missed over the last few weeks. The team now sits four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division lead, despite allowing the fewest goals in the entire league. Getting Subban back may lead to a few more risky plays, but has always made the Predators a much better team overall given his ability to push the play forward.
Arvidsson meanwhile has been out even longer, playing just a single game since October 30th. The diminutive forward has scored 13 points in 13 games this year and is the straw that stirs the drink at even-strength, recording all eight of his goals there. Still just 25 years old, Arvidsson looked like he was playing the best hockey of his career at the beginning of the year and could really push the Predators back into contention for the Presidents’ Trophy if he comes back to full strength quickly.
Central Notes: Hartman, Crawford, Davidson, Dickinson
The Department of Player Safety announced they have fined Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman $1,000 for spearing Boston Bruins’ Chris Wagner Saturday with less than a minute left in the second period.
Hartman has been in trouble with the Department of Safety before as he was suspended for one game on Apr. 19 for an illegal check to the head against Colorado’s Carl Soderberg and then was fined for $2,320 for slashing Brayden McNabb in Oct. of 2017 against Vegas.
- The Chicago Blackhawks may get a better idea today of where starting goaltender Corey Crawford is at after he sustained another concussion on Dec. 16. According to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeloitis, head coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed this morning that Crawford was in the building, but still hadn’t talked to the coach. “As far as I know he’s still in the protocol. He is here, so that’s a positive,” Colliton said. Crawford missed quite a bit of time when he suffered a concussion last year in December as he still wasn’t ready to return at the start of this season. The team hopes Crawford can return much earlier this time.
- John Dietz of the Daily Herald reports that defenseman Brandon Davidson says that he should be ready to return to the Blackhawks lineup in 7-10 days. The blueliner underwent surgery on Nov. 27 on his right knee and was expected to be out for six to eight weeks, which suggests he could be ready at the six-week mark. The 27-year-old has only appeared in seven games for Chicago this year.
- The Dallas Stars may have lost one of their own Saturday when forward Jason Dickinson was forced out of the second period of Dallas’ game against Minnesota with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. Head coach Jim Montgomery said that Dickinson was doubtful for their game today against the Islanders. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay for Dallas on the bottom-six as he has five goals and 11 points in 34 games.
Minor Transactions: 12/22/18
After just three games yesterday, the NHL has a full slate of 14 contests today. Bruins-Predators and Blue Jackets-Flyers begin the day as matinee match-ups, with several more afternoon games on the docket and even more teams squaring off later tonight. The league may be on a roster freeze, but teams are still busy preparing for a loaded weekend ahead of the holiday break. As they do, those minor moves not prevented by the freeze are bound to happen throughout the day:
- A day after going back to the minors, CapFriendly reports that the Colorado Avalanche have recalled Sheldon Dries from the AHL. Dries, 24, has been frequently reassigned back and forth between the Avs and Colorado Eagles this season. The undersized forward has four points in 16 NHL games and only two points in ten AHL games. He’s set to take the place of Colin Wilson who sustained a shoulder injury on Friday night against Chicago and has been placed on IR. In addition, the Avs have brought up winger A.J. Greer and goalie Pavel Francouz, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. Greer has averaged a point per game in 21 contests with the Eagles but is scoreless in four NHL contests. Meanwhile, this will be Francouz’s first NHL recall after signing with Colorado in May. The 28-year-old has fared well in the minors, posting a 2.61 GAA and a .921 SV% in 21 games.
- The San Jose Sharks sent forward Rourke Chartier back to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda late yesterday, the team announced. Chartier has spent much of the season up with the Sharks but has been very productive in limited action with the Barracuda. in nine AHL games, the 22-year-old has logged eight points and a +8 rating. However, he has just one lone goal and no assists through 13 NHL games. Chartier has had no problem scoring in the minors so far in his pro career but needs to work on translating that ability to the next level.
- With Jake McCabe and Lawrence Pilut back to full health, the Buffalo Sabres announced that they have returned defenseman Brendan Guhle to the AHL. Guhle, 21, has been a major asset for the Rochester Americans this season with 13 points in 25 games and has especially stepped up alongside vet Zach Redmond since Pilut took on a full-time role in Buffalo. However, in two brief NHL appearances, Guhle has been a non-factor and still seems in need of seasoning in the minors.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have flipped forwards, announcing that they have recalled winger Jacob Nilsson from AHL Rockford while assigning center Luke Johnson to the IceHogs. Nilsson signed with Chicago back in May following a decent season in the SHL but he has yet to make much of a mark, collecting just 14 points in 31 minor league games this season. Meanwhile, Johnson has split the season between the Blackhawks and IceHogs. He has been productive in the minors with seven points in ten games but has just a single assist in 15 NHL contests.
- The Ottawa Senators revealed that have recalled goaltender Marcus Hogberg from AHL Belleville. Craig Anderson took a hard hit on Friday and didn’t finish the game so this appears to be some insurance if he’s unable to dress tonight. Hogberg has been the backup with Belleville this season, posting a 2.55 GAA with a .906 SV% in seven appearances. The Sens had an extra roster spot available so they don’t have to designate this as one of their two allowable 48-hour emergency recalls that would have allowed them to exceed the roster limit.
- When the Los Angeles Kings activated Ilya Kovalchuk today, the team had to free up a roster spot. The team announced they have placed defenseman Dion Phaneuf on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 11, with an upper-body injury that he suffered during the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres on that date. The veteran defenseman has struggled mightily this season after being a significant addition when the team acquired him in a midseason trade from Ottawa. Phaneuf has just one assist in 32 games this season and averages just 14:58 per game this season, well under his career averages.
- The Nashville Predators announced that they have returned forward Tyler Gaudet to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Gaudet was recalled Thursday and was a healthy scratch today against Boston.
Predators Notes: Sissons, Burakovsky, Fabbro
The Nashville Predators have taken another hit up front, announcing today that forward Colton Sissons has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. While it’s unclear when Sissons suffered the injury, he was not in the lineup when the Predators faced the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The team did not give any timeline for Sissons’ return, but any extended absence will hurt Nashville, who are also still without Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. Sissons has been a key contributor while those two have been sidelined, recording seven goals and nine assists in 35 games, tied for eighth on the team in scoring. Sissons also has a tremendous +17 rating and is an invaluable defensive presence among the forward corps. For the Predators’ sake, hopefully Sissons will return after the minimum ten days on the IR.
- With yet another starting forward out of commission, Predators GM David Poile may feel even more pressure to land some help via trade. Nashville was already expected to pursue scoring help before the trade deadline to help out their middling offense and was one of the teams speculated to have interest in Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky, who hit the trade block last week. The Capitals are reportedly looking to make a deal that would bring back a player that can help them immediately this season, of which the Predators have options. Pressed into regular action due to the rash of injuries, Miikka Salomaki and Frederick Gaudreau have both played well at times this season and could be of interest to Washington. The team could even be willing to dangle Calle Jarnkrok if they’re high on Burakovsky. The two teams would seemingly be a good fit for a deal, although there still could be lingering feelings from the last time the Capitals traded a young winger to the Predators (see Forsberg-for-Martin Erat).
- Speaking of reinforcements, Predators fans should be excited to see defensive prospect Dante Fabbro listed on the Team Canada roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup. The team’s first-round pick in 2016, Fabbro has been a productive member of the Boston University blue line for three seasons now and has even evolved into the Terriers’ captain. However, playing alongside pros at the Spengler Cup is the next step for Fabbro and could give the young defenseman the experience needed to step in to the Predators’ lineup later this season. Although Fabbro has another season of NCAA eligibility remaining, he is heavily expected to leave school when BU’s season is over. A strong showing in Switzerland could convince Poile and company that Fabbro is worth signing and playing immediately this year. The young puck-mover could be a nice depth addition for a Nashville team that is looking to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final this year.
NHL Experience Fills Canada’s Spengler Cup Roster
While most hockey fans are focused on the upcoming World Junior tournament that features some of the best young players from around the world, there is another international tournament scheduled for the end of the month. That’s the Spengler Cup, where high level players that are outside of the NHL come together to show their talents. This year, the Canadian Spengler roster is filled with former NHL players including some who played just last season.
The roster also notably includes Dante Fabbro, a Nashville Predators first-round pick who remains unsigned and playing at Boston University. Fabbro, 20, is used to competing internationally as he suited up in the past two World Junior Championships for Canada, taking home gold and silver medals. The young defenseman could potentially sign with the Predators after his college season ends.
The full roster is as follows:
F Colt Conrad
F Dion Knelsen
F Aaron Gagnon
F Jacob Micflikier
F Torrey Mitchell
F Zac Dalpe
F Andrew Ebbett
F Zach Boychuk
F Adam Cracknell
F Cory Emmerton
F Daniel Winnik
F Dominic Moore
F Matt D’Agostini
F Maxim Lapierre
F Chris DiDomenico
D Simon Despres
D Kevin Bieksa
D Kodie Curran
D Dante Fabbro
D Kyle Quincey
D Patrick Wiercioch
D Daniel Vukovic
D Maxim Noreau
G Zach Fucale
G Jared Coreau
Eeli Tolvanen Loaned To Team Finland
Finland’s medal chances at the upcoming World Junior Championship just got a huge upgrade. According to the AHL transactions page, Eeli Tolvanen has been loaned to Finland by the Nashville Predators. Tolvanen has split his time between the Predators and Milwaukee Admirals this season, but will now be away from the organization until early January.
This is a game-changer for the Finnish team, who also recently received Henri Jokiharju to lead their defense corps. Without the likes of Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Miro Heiskanen, the country looked to be in trouble with an extremely young and inexperienced group. Tolvanen changes all that, at least up front, as he brings experience from the last two World Juniors and also participated in the Olympics and World Championships last year. In fact, the teenager actually tied for the Olympic lead in goals and was the only non-Russian player to register more than seven points in the tournament. That kind of international success should be a huge factor as Finland tries to establish itself as a medal contender once again.
After finding huge success for Jokerit last season as a rookie in the KHL, Tolvanen hasn’t had quite the same impact in North America. Though he did register his first NHL goal earlier this season, his time in the minor leagues has been more difficult with just 12 points in 24 games. Getting him into a tournament against his own age group can only do good things for his development at this point, and should spark his offensive game once again.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/18
Though the NHL transaction freeze is now underway, there is bound to be some roster movement throughout the holidays. The freeze only stops teams from trading, waiving or loaning players away from their current roster, and there are certain loopholes. One of those is that any player recalled after December 11th can still be loaned back to the minor leagues, which is why we saw so many teams making paper transactions yesterday. Like always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Phil Varone is back up with the Philadelphia Flyers after a quick trip to the minor league roster. The team now has some flexibility and will be able to send both Varone and Carter Hart back to the minor leagues if necessary over the break. Varone, who has just five points in his NHL career, is an outstanding offensive player that hasn’t been able to break through at the highest level just yet. He’ll serve as some forward insurance for the club over the next little while.
- After clearing waivers yesterday, Garrett Wilson is on his way to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Wilson was just an injury fill-in for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but will now wait his turn in the minor leagues as Dominik Simon approaches a return to action. The team is allowed to do this because of the timing of Wilson’s waiver stint.
- Tyler Gaudet has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, which according to Paul Skrbina of the Tennessean could mean a trip to injured reserve for Colton Sissons. Gaudet hasn’t played in the NHL since 2016-17, but does have 14 points in 27 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this year.
- As expected, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled Adin Hill and Conor Garland after just a day on the minor league roster. The pair were sent down just to create some more flexibility over the break.
- In Calgary, Buddy Robinson and Ryan Lomberg have been recalled while Kerby Rychel has been sent back to the Stockton Heat. Robinson, 27, brings a huge body up to the Flames as the forward stands 6’6″ but also comes with some skill. With 53 points for the Manitoba Moose last season, Robinson outscored top prospects like Michael Spacek, Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Rinne, Dumba
The NHL released their Three Stars of the Week earlier today, and to absolutely no one’s surprise Alex Ovechkin received the top honors. Ovechkin recorded back-to-back hat tricks last week and seven goals total in his three games, giving him 29 on the season. That puts him on a pace for a career-high, something unthinkable for the 33-year old winger. Ovechkin now has 636 career tallies, and should challenge some of the all-time leaders in the category before he’s finished.
While Ovechkin is racking up his usual accolades, two young centers are trying to carve out their own legacies in the NHL. Mark Scheifele and Jack Eichel were second and third stars respectively, after outstanding weeks. Scheifele especially was a dominant offensive presence, recording 11 points in just four games for the Winnipeg Jets including two overtime winners.
- Pekka Rinne was expecting retirement after the 2018-19 season. That’s what the goaltender told Alex Prewitt in his latest profile for Sports Illustrated. The Nashville Predators goaltender believed that he would sail off into the sunset after his current seven-year $49MM deal expired at the end of this year, but that all changed when he inked a new two-year extension in November. Rinne is still playing at an incredible level, and going into tonight led the league with a .929 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average. That puts him in prime position to challenge for the Vezina Trophy once again, an award he took home last season after previously finishing as a finalist three times.
- Mathew Dumba is off to an exceptional start for the Minnesota Wild, with 12 goals and 22 points in just 32 games. The right-handed defenseman also doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, as seen this weekend when he took on Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames in a round of fisticuffs. Unfortunately, Dumba will now be out for at least a week with an upper-body injury. Head coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn’t give much more information on the subject, but did note that it’s not necessarily the worst timing for the team given the holiday break that they’ll enjoy next week.
Central Notes: Saros, Subban, Fabbri, Anisimov
The Nashville Predators have succeeded this year based on the play of Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne‘s play. While Rinne has posted a 14-5-1 record, a 1.96 GAA and a .929 save percentage, his backup Juuse Saros, who many felt might share net responsibilities with the 36-year-old Rinne this year, hasn’t fared nearly as well with an 8-5 record, a 3.14 GAA and a .893 save percentage.
However, while Saros’ numbers suggest that he’s struggling this season, head coach Peter Laviolette said Saturday that he believes that the team isn’t playing well when the 23-year-old is in net, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required).
“I’m going to be perfectly honest. I think that we’ve played lousy in front of (Saros),” Laviolette said. “There’s got to be accountability to the 18 guys that go out in front of him. Just too many odd-man rushes, too many point-blank chances, and that’s got to stop. And when that stops, he’s going to feel better and look better in there. There’s just too much coming at him.”
While Vingan writes that there is some truth to the comment as the team has had some of their worst defensive showings with Saros in net, including losses to San Jose on Nov. 13, to St. Louis on Nov. 23 and Calgary on Dec. 8. However, when looking even deeper, Vingan notes that both goalies have faced the same number of quality shots per game and it’s just Rinne’s amazing play that has separated the two goaltenders.
- Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos suggested (via The Athletic’s Adam Vingan)that the unknown injury that Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban is dealing with has nothing to do with the suspected back injury that he dealt with two years ago. Subban has missed 15 games this year with the undisclosed injury, but Kypreos said that Subban could be out for a bit longer. “It’s a real conservative approach by Nashville to keep him out. They think a 50-plus (game) regular season for P.K. could benefit him,” Kypreos said Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada.
- Lou Korac of NHL.com writes that oft-injured forward Robby Fabbri said he still should have a better idea around Christmas of his timetable of returning from his separated shoulder injury. “We’re just taking it day by day. I’m listening to the shoulder. What I do that day depends on how I wake up feeling and how I felt from the day before.”
- Jon Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that while he’s not playing today, Chicago Blackhawks forward Artem Anisimov is close to returning to action. The 30-year-old should be eligible to be activated off IR before Tuesday’s game as he continues his recovery from a concussion suffered by a hit from Montreal’s Shea Weber on Dec. 9. “He looks like he’s closer to coming back, so hopefully he can,” coach Jeremy Colliton said at the morning skate. “I haven’t heard that he’s ready-ready, but we think he’s not far away.”