Talks Not Progressing Between Devils And Kyle Palmieri
- Negotiations between the Devils and pending UFA winger Kyle Palmieri don’t appear to be going well. In the latest Insider Trading from TSN (video link), Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic indicated that the two sides are “struggling to find common ground on a contract”. The veteran is in the midst of a fairly quiet season with just six goals and nine assists in 29 games this season but has had at least 24 tallies in each of the past five seasons. While the free agent market wasn’t kind to wingers last fall, the 30-year-old projects to be one of the top ones available and still should be able to command a raise on his current $4.65MM AAV.
New Jersey Devils Sign Aarne Talvitie
The New Jersey Devils have added another college prospect to the mix, signing Aarne Talvitie to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal begins in the 2021-22 season, but the young forward has signed an AHL contract for the rest of this year and will join the Binghamton Devils after a short quarantine.
Talvitie, 22, was a sixth-round selection of the Devils back in 2017 and is coming off his junior season at Penn State. In 21 games this season he recorded seven goals and 13 points but also contributed just as much in the defensive zone where he routinely shadowed opponents. That two-way game has become Talvitie’s calling card, as it was during the 2019 World Juniors when he captained Finland to a gold medal.
During that tournament, despite Finland having top NHL draft picks like Kaapo Kakko, Rasmus Kupari, and Eeli Tolvanen, it was Talvitie that drew rave reviews for his play. He led the Finns with four goals and trailed only Aleksi Hoponiemi in scoring.
By that point, it was clear that Talvitie would have an NHL contract waiting for him whenever he chose to leave school and now he has finally signed it. He will be foregoing his senior year to start his professional journey, testing himself first at the AHL level.
New Jersey Devils Sign Tyce Thompson
10:35am: And just like that the Devils have made it official. The two-year entry-level contract does indeed start with the 2020-21 season. Thompson has reported to the team to begin his quarantine.
10:15am: According to AHL reporter Mark Divver, the New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with prospect Tyce Thompson on his entry-level contract that will begin this season. Thompson is expected to report to the team today and could play in the NHL as soon as he is through the league’s protocols.
Thompson, 21, recently finished his junior season at Providence College, where he recorded 25 points in 25 games and was nominated for the Hobey Baker award. Originally selected 96th overall in 2019, the young winger was a star in all three years of college, totaling 94 points in 101 games. That included a 44-point campaign in 2019-20 that really opened eyes around the league, suggesting that he could have more NHL upside than originally believed.
The 6’1″ winger is the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson, who was selected much earlier perhaps because he is six inches taller. The younger Thompson has all the same history of offensive success and has now thrown himself into the mix for an NHL opportunity in the short-term. Even if that chance doesn’t come this season, the Devils certainly aren’t so full with talented forwards that Thompson will be blocked next year. Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri, and Nikita Gusev are all unrestricted free agents this summer, leaving a sizable gap upfront that will have to be filled internally.
New Jersey Devils Sign Michael Vukojevic
The New Jersey Devils have signed one of their draft picks, inking Michael Vukojevic to a three-year entry-level contract that will start in the 2021-22 season. Vukojevic has been playing on an AHL contract with the Binghamton Devils this season as he waited for the OHL to return to play.
Selected 82nd overall in 2019, the 19-year-old defenseman has been quite impressive for Binghamton, recording five points in seven games so far this season. The 6’3″ Vukojevic could be considered a mid-round steal for the Devils, given that at times in the past he’s been considered a top prospect with a lot more upside than you can normally find in the third round. He took part in the 2019 CHL Top Prospects game that included names like Bowen Byram, Kirby Dach, and Dylan Cozens, has competed at both the U18 World Junior Championship and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for Canada, and was ranked 55th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Though there are obvious warts to his game, the Devils obviously believe that Vukojevic was worthy of an NHL deal. He would have become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June, but will now be able to return to Binghamton next season and refine his performance. When (or if) the OHL returns this season, he’ll need to be sent back to the Kitchener Rangers.
Nico Hischier Undergoes Surgery
The New Jersey Devils have finally given an update on the health of captain Nico Hischier, announcing that he underwent successful surgery to repair the frontal sinus fracture that he suffered on February 27. He has been on injured reserve since March 4 and is still expected to be out for the next three weeks. Hischier has cleared the concussion protocol from the event.
It’s been a tough season for the 22-year-old Hischier, despite being handed the captaincy in February. He started the year on the injured reserve list thanks to an offseason leg injury and has had two different stints on the COVID Protocol list. This latest injury, suffered when a P.K. Subban slapshot deflected up a stick and into his face, means he has played just five games this season. Three more weeks means he’ll return with only about 20 games in the Devils’ season and when they’re completely out of the playoff race.
It was supposed to be another strong development year for the young core in New Jersey, but thanks to injury Hischier hasn’t been part of it. While Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes, and Ty Smith lead the way, the captain has had to watch from the sidelines. When he returns, you can bet Hischier will be eager to contribute and show that his ceiling is much higher than the 50-point pace he’s shown so far in his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Notes: Eichel, Pietrangelo, Bruins, COVID
Jack Eichel is leaving Buffalo… to get a second opinion on his injury. The Sabres superstar has been dealing with a lingering upper-body injury this season, which was aggravated on Sunday according to The Athletic’s John Vogl. Eichel returned to Buffalo while his team took on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and now as they head home, Eichel is leaving to see a specialist. It is still unknown what exactly is bothering Eichel and there have been contrasting reports as to its severity. While head coach Ralph Krueger stated that Eichel may miss only a week, other sources claim that the injury could be much more severe. Seeking a second opinion is certainly not an indication that this is an ailment that only requires a week of rest. Fortunately (?), the Sabres’ season is already lost and they have no reason to bypass proper treatment and rehab for Eichel in order to rush him back to action. While the All-Star center surely would like to return and improve upon a dismal season by his standards, there should be no pressure from the team. Perhaps only Krueger, the optimistic voice on Eichel’s injury, stands to gain from his quick return, as the head coach’s seat is very hot.
- Alex Pietrangelo has also left his team, abandoning the Golden Knights’ road trip in order to return to Las Vegas, head coach Peter DeBoer tells NHL.com’s Danny Webster. Pietrangelo is out “for the foreseeable future” due to an upper-body injury. Pietrangelo left the Knights’ Saturday tilt with the San Jose Sharks after blocking a shot and did not suit up on Monday. While the team has not disclosed the specific injury that their big off-season addition suffered, it is believed to be related to his left hand or wrist. DeBoer stated that he does not think that Pietrangelo will be out “long, long-term” but did say that there is not timetable for his return.
- The Boston Bruins have suffered through consistent injuries all season long and there is still a lack of concrete information on their extended absences. GM Don Sweeney spoke to the media and attempted to provide some insight, but had few details to offer. Forward Ondrej Kase, acquired at the 2020 trade deadline, has been out since the Bruins’ second game of the season after suffering his third head injury in a calendar year. He has resumed skating and is “eager to play”, but there is still no timetable for his return as they work him back cautiously from another concussion. Kase was expected to provide secondary scoring for the Bruins this season, which has again been a struggle for the team, and they will likely have to make a call on adding a forward at the trade deadline before they get to see much of Kase back in action. Sweeney also addressed the status of another injury-prone player, Kevan Miller. Miller missed all of last season with a fractured kneecap and recently suffered a “setback from a volume standpoint”, likely overworking his surgically-repaired knee. An absence from Miller, even just due to rest, is not unexpected but Sweeney stated that he too has not timeframe for a return. Jeremy Lauzon, who suffered a broken hand late last month, was given more of a ascertainable timeline to return, but according to Sweeney he appears to be on track to return later in his four-to-six-week window. Lauzon has already missed over two weeks following surgery, but he reportedly will still not be re-evaluated for another four weeks. As for Brandon Carlo, whose recent head injury was well-publicized, Sweeney offered no update other than to say he is feeling better, but not skating.
- The NHL has done a tremendous job of working their COVID Protocol Related Absences list down to just a handful of names over the past week or so. The league finally appears to have a handle on the virus, just in time for many players to soon start receiving vaccines. However, Coronavirus continues to rear its ugly head in other corners of the hockey world. On Wednesday night, an AHL game between the Binghamton Devils and Lehigh Valley Phantoms was suspended after the first period due to COVID-19 protocols affecting the Devils, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports. At the college level, the ECAC announced that Clarkson University, ranked second in the conference and 14th nationally, will be forced to end their season due to COVID. Not only will Clarkson miss out on both the ECAC and NCAA Tournaments, but the ECAC is now left with just three teams playing two games to determine a conference champ, with their Ivy League members also not competing this season. Clarkson becomes the second program, after Merrimack College, forced to end their season prematurely due to COVID.
New Jersey Devils Sign Graeme Clarke
Saturday: Official now, the Devils have signed Clarke to his three-year ELC which is set to begin next season. The team notes in their release that Clarke is currently playing with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils and should remain there for the time being.
Friday: Though the team hasn’t officially announced it yet, Graeme Clarke has signed his entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils. PuckPedia was the first to report the deal, which is a three-year contract that carries a cap hit of $850K. The deal will kick in for the 2021-22 season.
Clarke, 19, was selected with the 80th overall pick in 2019 and like many other prospects has been just trying to get games in wherever he can. In December, he agreed to a loan overseas and played six games in the Slovakian professional league, recording a single point. In early February, while still waiting on the OHL to return, he inked an AHL deal with the Binghamton Devils where he has played in four games. Though he still doesn’t have a point, just getting some on-ice experience is a huge step for a player that saw his 2019-20 season shortened drastically.
In October of 2019, just a few months after being selected by the Devils, Clarke suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. He’d end up playing just 16 games with the Ottawa 67’s thanks to the rehab and early shutdown, meaning it was nearly a lost development year for the young winger. Now, even with a handful of games at the AHL level, his path is still stunted. When the OHL returns in some fashion, Clarke will be forced to return to junior.
The Devils meanwhile still obviously believe in his talent, enough to sign him to an entry-level deal. Had they not, his draft rights would have expired in June.
Devils’ Nico Hischier Placed On Injured Reserve
An unlucky season for newly-minted New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier continues. The Devils have announced that Hischier has been placed on the injured reserve as a result of injuries suffered when he was struck in the face with the puck in a February 27 match-up with the Washington Capitals. He is considered week-to-week.
This latest incident for Hischier occurred on Saturday when a high slap shot from teammate P.K. Subban hit Hischier square in the visor, knocking him out of the game. Hischier has not played since and the Devils have revealed that he has been in concussion protocol and will continue to undergo observation. Additionally, Hischier suffered a “sinus fracture”, a broken nose or facial bone.
This is Hischier’s third separate health issue so far this season. He got a late start to the season due to a leg injury, only to land on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list with many of his teammates before he could even return to action. Hischier finally returned to the lineup on February 20 and, thanks to a condensed schedule, was able to play in five games before this latest injury occurred only a week later. Altogether, he has missed 13 games – or 72% – of New Jersey’s season so far and there is now out for another indefinite period of time.
The Devils will continue to have to rely on their many young players to step up in Hischier’s place as they have so far this season. One of the early highlights for New Jersey this season has been Janne Kuokkanen, who has six points in 13 games. While it may not seem like much, it is in fact tied for fifth-most among Devils forwards. Kuokkanen has been promoted back to the active roster from the taxi squad to take Hischier’s place in the lineup.
Devils Expect To Have Update On Nico Hischier's Status Over The Next Couple Of Days
- The Devils expect to have an update on Nico Hischier’s status over the next few days, notes Sean Farrell of the Bergen Record. The center has missed the last two games after getting hit in the face with a puck on Saturday, extending his tough luck to start the season. While he was named captain, he has hardly played, missing time due to a leg injury sustained in offseason training as well as a stint on the CPRA list. As a result, Hischier has played in just five games so far, collecting two goals and an assist.
Poll: NHL’s “Thanksgiving Trend” Revisited
Fans of the NHL are sure to be familiar with the deeper meaning that American Thanksgiving holds each season. With unrelenting consistency, the NHL’s standings on the final Thursday of November have had great predictive ability when compared to the final regular season standings. In fact, over the past seven years the Thanksgiving standings have been about 75% accurate at forecasting eventual playoff teams, predicting 12 of 16 spots on average. Even though American Thanksgiving only rolls around less than two months into the season, three out of four teams in a playoff spot at that time will have retained their postseason berth when the season ends.
The 2019-20 season of course did not have a standard postseason, but if it had then the Thanksgiving trend would have proved even more prophetic in a shortened campaign. Last year, in which teams were limited to between 68 and 71 games apiece prior to the early termination of the regular season, the Thanksgiving standings would have predicted 13 of 16 playoff teams in the standard format. Of the three teams that would have slid out of the postseason, the Florida Panthers trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs by .014 points percentage in the Atlantic Division and the Winnipeg Jets missed out by a measly .001 points percentage behind the Calgary Flames as the final Western Conference wild card. The Thanksgiving standings were that close to predicting 15 of 16 playoff teams in the shortened season, with the unexpected slow start for the Vegas Golden Knights and hot start for the Arizona Coyotes being the other unsurprising course correction.
But how does this trend impact a season that didn’t even begin until well after American Thanksgiving? Based on total games played by Thanksgiving over the past few seasons, Thanksgiving represents about the 30% progress through the NHL season. In the current 56-game season, that comes out to about the 17-game mark. Although postponements and rescheduling have created a wide discrepancy in games played among teams this year, the league as a whole passed that 17-game average on Saturday: Happy Thanksgiving. Admittedly, the 2020-21 campaign does have a different playoff model as well, one that is somewhat stricter than the last few years without the fallback of a wildcard spot for a team on the fifth-place fringe in their division. Yet, it is still a 16-team postseason and the Thanksgiving trend should hold. Using points percentage to rank the standings (the stat may end up determining playoff position for a second consecutive season anyhow) and adjusting for the season’s makeshift divisions, here is the current “Thanksgiving” outlook:
North Division East Division
Toronto Maple Leafs (.789) Boston Bruins (.733)
Montreal Canadiens (.625) Philadelphia Flyers (.679)
Winnipeg Jets (.618) Washington Capitals (.594)
Edmonton Oilers (.600) Pittsburgh Penguins (.594)____
Calgary Flames (.472) New Jersey Devils (.583)
Vancouver Canucks (.405) New York Islanders (.559)
Ottawa Senators (.237) New York Rangers (.469)
Buffalo Sabres (.429)
West Division Central Division
Vegas Golden Knights (.700) Carolina Hurricanes (.781)
Colorado Avalanche (.679) Florida Panthers (.750)
St. Louis Blues (.611) Tampa Bay Lightning (.700)
Minnesota Wild (.571) Dallas Stars (.583)
Los Angeles Kings (.531) Chicago Blackhawks (.579)
Arizona Coyotes (.500) Columbus Blue Jackets (.526)
San Jose Sharks (.500) Nashville Predators (.412)
Anaheim Ducks (.417) Detroit Red Wings (.325)
Now this begs the question, especially seeing how accurate the Thanksgiving standings were in last year’s shortened season but also accounting for the many disruptions for a number of teams early this season, who is the trend currently overlooking? Which teams currently outside the playoff picture, if any, do you think will make the postseason when all is said and done later this season? Use the comments section below as well to discuss which teams may fall out of the postseason and whether you feel the Thanksgiving trend will apply this season.