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Metro Division Snapshots: Rangers, Flyers, Helgeson

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While many believe the New York Rangers need to upgrade their blue line before they can be safely be considered Stanley Cup contenders, head coach Alain Vigneault is content with the team’s current roster, writes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News.

“For me, right now I like my team,” Vigneault said Friday. “I like the way the guys prepare and their work ethic and how they compete. Jeff (Gorton) and I communicate every day on our team and obviously our needs, etc. But I’m focused on the group that I have now and on the next game that’s coming up, and I’m preparing them. He knows my opinion on our group and if there are areas we can improve. He knows that, he’s known that for quite some time. I’m really focused on this group and what we need to do.

“I’m happy with what we have here. I think we’ve got a good team, a good, young group that’s hungry, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

It’s common for coaches, and in particular Vigneault, to direct much of his focus on the players available to him at the moment and on how to get them playing their best hockey as a group. It’s understandable for the coach to take this public stance, even if the club is actively looking to add ahead of the deadline, as he wouldn’t want to weaken his GM’s position by advertising that the team isn’t comfortable with the roster as is. But the Rangers have been in “go for it” mode for the last several seasons and there is still much doubt whether the team as currently constructed is good enough to go all the way. If Rangers GM Jeff Gorton finds a deal that makes sense, one that improves the team without sacrificing NHL talent and/or mortgaging the club’s future, expect him to pull the trigger.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • With the Philadelphia Flyers falling further away from a playoff spot (the team is currently five points behind the Islanders for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card slot with two teams to pass) GM Ron Hextall has made it clear his team will not be a buyer at the trade deadline, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Instead, Hextall has indicated he will wait to see where the team resides in the standings after this weekend’s slate of games before determining just how much he is willing to sell off. The team will undoubtedly listen to fair offers for any of their five pending UFA’s, a group that includes Michael Del Zotto, Mark Streit, Nick Schultz, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth. But should the Flyers fall further out of the race, would Hextall consider dealing away players with term left on their deals? “Not to make us a worse team,” he said. “If we make something happen [with trades] and if we can bring someone up and we take a lateral move, yeah, that’s kind of where you want to get to. That’s why you don’t want to bring up 20-year-olds that aren’t ready to play.” It’s a reasonable tact to take given where the organization is in terms of their rebuild/retool. With plenty of quality young talent yet to come, it makes sense to remain patient and avoid making any impulsive trades, whether to fortify the current roster or to add additional young assets.
  • Seth Helgeson, whom the New Jersey Devils placed on waivers yesterday, has cleared but will remain with the team for the time being, tweets Andrew Gross of NorthJersey.com. In a subsequent tweet, Gross relays that Devils head coach John Hynes indicated the decision to keep the defenseman on the big league roster was made to maintain “roster flexibility.” Helgeson has appeared in nine contests this season for New Jersey, registering his first NHL goal.

 

New York Rangers Owner Backs Islanders’ Search For New Home

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In the continuing saga of the New York Islanders and where they will play in the future, a new report from Bloomberg has a “supergroup” of sports executives ready to invest in a new arena project for the team. The group includes James Dolan owner of the New York Rangers, Tim Leiweke former CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, and the Wilpon family, owners of the New York Mets.

The Islanders are currently playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the ice has been a huge problem all season and sight lines for fans are causing issues in attendance. The arena wasn’t meant for hockey, but took in the team when they left Nassau Coliseum in 2015. The new plan has the team building just outside of Queens at the Belmont site discussed earlier this season. The team’s current lease with Barclay’s could be terminated to allow the Islanders to move out of the arena as soon as the 2018-19 season, though obviously another building would need to be in place for it.

The team which was struggling for much of the first half of the season has turned it around and is vying for a playoff spot, but still has the second-worst attendance in the league at just 13,003. The capacity of Barclays is 15,795 when designed for hockey. The Rangers, meanwhile are averaging over 18,000 a night and have a stable home in the recently renovated Madison Square Garden. The NHL does allow current owners to have investments in other team’s arenas, though Dolan’s interest would be through the Oak View Group, an equity firm headed by Leiweke.

The Belmont site is not just open to anyone, as NYCFC of Major League Soccer also would like to build a soccer-specific stadium on it. They were mentioned in the original piece as potential bidders, though Bloomberg reports that “those negotiations aren’t active”. For now the Islanders will concentrate on making the playoffs and trying to fill the Barclays Center every night. With John Tavares up for an extension July 1st, a future home for the organization would definitely be a nice selling point.

Ben Bishop Has A Limited No-Trade Clause In His Current Contract

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During the blitz of this morning’s Ron Hainsey deal that saw the defenseman move to the Pittsburgh Penguins, CapFriendly tweeted out a bombshell about pending UFA Ben Bishop. Bishop has been long thought of to be on the move at the deadline if the Tampa Bay Lightning feel they’re out of the playoff race, but it may be harder for Steve Yzerman and company to do that than previously believed. According to the site, Bishop actually has an eight-team list that he cannot be traded to. While there isn’t any clarification on which teams those may be, it definitely makes it harder to trade him. Ben Bishop

The goalie market is more robust than year’s past because of the sheer number of teams that are still in the mix for the postseason, but if that list contains some specific teams it could completely tie the Lightning’s hands at the deadline.

New York (Islanders), Calgary, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Winnipeg could all have various interest in the goaltender, depending on how the next week shakes out for them and their own confidence in their current situation. His recent play has looked more like the Vezina-quality netminder than the one we saw earlier this season, including a shutout of the Los Angeles Kings earlier this month. The Lightning, who are making a case for their own playoff spot, may choose they are better off with him but risk losing him for nothing this summer.

The 30-year old netminder ranked fifth among our Top Midseason UFAs, and he is destined to be sought after this summer by multiple teams looking for a change in goal. All this NTC does is make it even tougher for the Bolts to move him, should any of the above teams fall on his list. He could, however choose to waive the clause to go after a Stanley Cup somewhere else if the Lightning fall out of it—with just two games before the deadline, it could very well hinge on Monday night’s tilt against the Ottawa Senators to decide which way the team goes at the deadline.

Minor Transactions: 02/23/17

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There are six games on tap in the National Hockey League tonight, including a big matchup between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens that both teams need desperately to keep pace with the rest of the surging conference. There will be quite a few roster moves as teams get closer to the trade deadline, and we’ll have them all right here for you. Keep checking back as it will be updated throughout the day.

Casey Cizikas To Miss Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

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After leaving last night’s game, Casey Cizikas will be out for approximately four weeks according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Casey Cizikas The Islanders made an emergency recall of Bracken Kearns today to fill in, but was thought of as the fill-in for Cal Clutterbuck who also left with an injury. We’ll wait and see what the lineup looks like tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.

With Cizikas out, the Islanders have lost even more depth at a position they severely lack. Center ice has been a problem for them all season with Mikhail Grabovski fighting concussion symptoms and Ryan Strome not being able to make the transition at the NHL level. Cizikas has played up and down the lineup for the team and takes the second most draws behind only John Tavares. His absence will not only leave a defensive hole, but also a physical one. He and Clutterbuck have formed one of the most punishing combinations in the league in recent years—along with Matt Martin who signed with Toronto this summer—and have worn out defenders with a persistent forecheck.

For the Islanders, who are actually tied for a playoff spot currently, it is a big blow to an already depleted forward group. Since watching Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo leave in free agency, the team has had a difficult time finding forwards that can provide consistency for them. Cizikas even has more points than the big offseason fish Andrew Ladd, though that is turning around recently. This may force the team to pursue an upgrade at the trade deadline, even if it does come in the form of a rental from one of the bottom-dwellers of the Western Conference.

Clutterbuck And Cizikas Leave Game

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The New York Islanders are on their way to costly victory in Detroit tonight.

Forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas will not return after suffering lower and upper-body injuries respectively. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk also temporarily left the game after blocking a shot, though no word on whether or not he’ll return. If the Islanders hold on to their 3-1 lead, they will leapfrog Boston and Toronto into the final wildcard spot, should the Maple Leafs be held pointless in their game against the Jets.

This is the third-straight game that Clutterbuck has left early; he left early on January 26 before returning on February 3 in Detroit, where he also left early. In 44 games this season, Clutterbuck has three goals and 15 points. It’s been six seasons since he last cracked 30 points. Despite his low totals, he signed a five-year extension in early December worth $3.5MM per season.

Cizikas has 23 points in 52 games, and is on pace to set career-highs in all three offensive categories. The Islanders were already interested in solidifying their center depth, and losing their solid fourth line center for any length of time will be a tough loss.

While the two fourth liners have been declared done for the night, Boychuk returned to the ice after taking a Niklas Kronwall slap-shot off the ankle. The tough-as-nails defenseman has 21 points in 54 games so far this season in a top-four role.

The Islanders have won 10 of their last 16 games since Doug Weight took over as head coach, battling their way back into playoff contention. They are already without Travis Hamonic (lower-body injury), Shane Prince (upper-body injury), and Mikhail Grabovski (likely career-ending concussion issues) due to injuries.

New York Islanders May Be Buyers At Deadline

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If Garth Snow had told the New York Islanders fans a couple of months ago that they might be buyers at the deadline, he’d likely be laughed out of the building. The early season struggles of the Islanders had people talking about their decisions to let Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo walk in the offseason, only to give a huge contract to Andrew Ladd. Through December 18th, the $38.5MM man had just seven points and looked like one of the biggest busts of the 2016 free agent class. The team was floundering near the bottom of the conference, and it looked like a lost season for the Islanders. Garth Snow

In the 20 games since, Ladd has 10 goals and 13 points, looking more like the consistent goal-scoring threat he has been throughout his career. The team has turned it around as well, and climbed right back into the East playoff race. At 62 points they’ve hopped over the Philadelphia Flyers and are just one behind the Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot.

That’s what has new head coach Doug Weight and Snow looking at possibly adding at the deadline instead of selling, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Weight—who is still an assistant GM after moving from the front office to the bench when the Isles fired Jack Capuano—especially seems to think they can do something, telling Staple “we’re in a position where we can really do something.”

Staple lists Patrick Sharp, Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal as rentals that could help the Islanders over the last third of the season and all three would be solid additions. Lacking secondary scoring after John Tavares and whoever he ends up playing with on a nightly basis, Sharp and Vrbata would add some ability on the wings. Hanzal, a much discussed target heading into the deadline, would solidify the center ice position and allow Casey Cizikas to move back down into a more familiar role.

Whether the Islanders decide to buy will likely depend on the next five games (one of which they’re losing 2-0 at the time of this writing) and where they sit when they shut down between February 26-March 1. If they can keep pace with the rest of the conference, they will likely decide that the window is now with Tavares and end up adding for the short or mid term. It seems unlikely that they would get into the Matt Duchene sweepstakes, but it is definitely a possibility. They do have a solid group of young defenders, the thing the Avalanche seem to covet most.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Candidates: Dennis Seidenberg

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

The Islanders may be 8-3-2 since they replaced head coach Jack Capuano with Doug Weight, but their early season struggles still have them in a hole in the pursuit of a playoff spot. The Islanders trail the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, still sit a point back of the Philadelphia Flyers as well and must make the most of their games in hand to catch the Boston Bruins. Their 7-1 loss to the Leafs last night doesn’t help the cause. The Islanders will surely take the rest of the month to decide if they are sellers, but if they do, Dennis Seidenberg is clearly a prime target. Seidenberg signed late in the off-season, September 28th to be exact, to an affordable, one-year deal and has provided the Islanders with more value than anyone could’ve anticipated. Should they swap him for a pick or prospect at the deadline, it would only make the deal that much better.

Contract

Seidenberg is on a one-year, $1MM deal and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. His cap hit will have been accumulated to around only $250K by the March 1st Trade Deadline.

2016-17

Though a fan favorite with the Boston Bruins, Seidenberg struggled in his final three seasons with the team. Between battling injuries and struggling to put up points, it seemed as though Seidenberg had hit a wall in his early 30s. When the Bruins decided to re-sign John-Michael Liles and not bring back Seidenberg, many felt it would be the end of his career. However after an impressive performance at the World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe, the New York Islanders decided to give the veteran blue liner a shot. Their decision has paid off; Seidenberg is in the middle of his best season since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign and has been a key component in the Isles’ turnaround. At 34 years old, the German defender is on pace for what could be his best offensive year since the 2010-11 Cup-winning season in Boston. He also leads the Islanders with a whopping +18 rating, twice what the next man up, Casey Cizikas, has on the year. Seidenberg appears to be back to his old self, and his old self was one of the premiere shutdown defensemen in the NHL over the last decade.

Season Stats

48 GP: 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points, +18 rating, 87 hits, 100 blocks, 19:34 ATOI

Suitors

If the Islanders choose to trade Seidenberg, that likely means that either they are struggling or the Boston Bruins are continuing their strong play under new head coach Bruce Cassidy. What better story for Seidenberg than a return to Boston for yet another playoff run. Many said this summer that Seidenberg felt he would either play for the Bruins or retire, as he wanted to remain in the city of Boston. While the Bruins have Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug on the left side, as well as the veteran Liles, they have been using right-shot defenseman Kevan Miller as the pair-mate of young Colin Miller, also a right-handed shot, and could stand to upgrade that slot. The Bruins have made it known that they are looking for another left-handed defenseman, and while their search may be more for a long-term replacement for Chara, they likely would not turn their back on a deal to bring back one of the most successful players in recent memory of Bruins hockey. That is, if it’s at the right price. With Liles likely a goner after this season, the Bruins may be more willing to acquire Seidenberg if they plan to give him another year as a veteran safety net on a defense that could lose a contributor in the Expansion Draft.

There certainly are teams with a greater need on defense though, and willing to pay higher prices as well. Atlantic contenders like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Rangers are all in need of defensive depth. However there’s always the possibility that the Islanders refrain from trading Seidenberg within the division on the off chance that they keep pace in the postseason race following March 1st. The last thing that GM Garth Snow wants is for his diamond in the rough off-season addition to be a cause of the Islanders playoff elimination.

Out west, one team in desperate need of a veteran top six defenseman is the Los Angeles Kings. While the Kings would likely rather add a right-shot defenseman, those can be hard to find and Seidenberg presents a great option for the team regardless. Seidenberg has a history of playing on the right side, and would be a significant upgrade to Kevin Gravel on the bottom pair. Also, don’t be surprised if the Nashville Predators start sniffing around for a stay at home defensive defenseman like Seidenberg prior to the trade deadline. Although they have tremendous blue line depth, the Predators could use a player with Seidenberg’s two-way tendencies and defensive instincts. Seidenberg would fill out what would likely be the best six-man blue line group in hockey.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Seidenberg’s trade fate is obviously tied to the success of the Islanders. New York is battling just for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and assuming they have that space locked up on March 1st, even if they are currently in position then, is a precarious situation. If the Islanders want to hedge their bet on a postseason run, they may choose to trade Seidenberg, who could potentially earn them a good return. Meanwhile, Seidenberg is an  ideal trade candidate for a contenders due to his extensive postseason experience and performance history, his checking ability and strong two-way game, and of course a cap hit that will hardly make a dent. For all those reasons though, the Islanders could also choose to simply retain the big veteran. They don’t have a readily available option to step in as a replacement and they too face a very strong chance of losing a defenseman in the Expansion Draft and could seek to extend Seidenberg. For those reasons the probability of this deal will remain uncertain unless the next couple of weeks really paint a clear picture of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Snapshots: Tootoo, Barzal, Parenteau

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It’s not easy to open up about alcoholism and the effect it has on your life and the people around you. Jordin Tootoo has done just that over the past few years, and again to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. In a stunningly open interview with Kuc that is reminiscent of the piece done by David Pollock of The Hockey News concerning Devin Setoguchi (who cleared waivers today and was sent to the AHL), Tootoo speaks about the past six years of sobriety and how he has changed from a bottle-swigging teenager to a bottle-feeding parent.

A role-model on the ice and off of it, Tootoo has turned from rampant alcoholism onset by the suicide of his brother to clean living and mentoring of younger players of his Inuit background. Those from his hometown of Rankin Inlet in Nunavut, Canada are starting to follow his lead and leave the bottle for a hockey stick instead. The piece is a wonderful look inside a player who has seen pretty much everything in his NHL career, and is now trying to help the Chicago Blackhawks get back to the Stanley Cup finals.

  • The New York Islanders might not have performed exactly as expected this season, but even if they don’t make the playoffs—which, after an excellent stretch is far from certain—they have some bright spots in their future. Kelsey Smith of NHL.com checks in on some of their prospects, including two that received some league honors this week. Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock earned player of the week honors in their respective leagues, and the two first-rounders seem like locks to eventually make it to the NHL on a full-time basis. After starring at the World Juniors, Barzal has 54 points (including 46 assists) in just 29 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, while Pulock has 22 points in 27 games from the back-end of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.
  • P.A. Parenteau has found a home in New Jersey after being selected off waivers by the Devils just before the season started. The Islanders had signed the free agent winger prior to the year, but decided he wasn’t cut out for John Tavares’ wing anymore and allowed the Devils to take him for nothing. He’s put up 13 goals and 25 points this year in 53 games and doesn’t want to go anywhere at the deadline. “I want to stay here, they’ve been great to me,” Parenteau told Andrew Gross of The Record, while admitting he understands that his name will surface on March 1st, if not before. Just like last year when Parenteau was in the midst of a 20-goal season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s an expiring contract who can provide goal scoring for almost no money; plenty of teams will be after that at the deadline, if they believe that he is capable of playing a role in their playoff push.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Canadiens

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For the Maple Leafs, the past calendar year has been one of wild swings. In the last 12 months (and a few days) the team dealt team captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa for cap relief, finished last in the NHL, drafted the future face of the franchise and vaulted themselves into playoff contention. In the last few weeks though the team has held on tight as the roller-coaster has tilted up on two wheels.

The team currently sits tied with Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, but has had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net in recent weeks. After two back-to-back shutouts over Calgary and Detroit in late January, the team has allowed 30 goals in eight games and gone 2-4-2. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports on their mediocrity and where the team’s mindset is as they try to turn things around. One of the positive notes has been the play of William Nylander, who after an early season demotion to the fourth line has recharged his defensive tanks and become a leader on a shutdown line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov.

The team has no time to settle in though, with a condensed schedule and eight games in the fifteen nights remaining in February. They’ll take on the New York Islanders tomorrow on home ice.

  • The Boston Bruins are 3-0 with their new head coach, getting a boost from the new voice of Bruce Cassidy behind the bench. They tore apart their rival Montreal Canadiens last night 4-0 and have put some space between them and the struggling Maple Leafs. Perhaps the coaching move was the right choice, but they’re in for a tough road trip when they come back off their mandated bye-week. The team will hit the road on the west coast with matchups against San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas out of the break—a tough schedule for anyone.
  • Montreal could do with a little of that coaching magic, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post. While the Bruins surge, the Canadiens flounder at the top of the Atlantic Division, now only six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators despite having played five more games. For what at one point looked like a lock for the top see in the division, Montreal now faces a tough final stretch of games. Traikos opines that Michel Therrien should be fired like his Boston counterpart, despite still holding onto that top seed. For now he remains with the team an they’ll come out of their break against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
  • Hopefully they will return with some help, says Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. In his latest column, Campbell examines the Canadiens need for some secondary scoring help behind the top duo of Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. After Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and AGM Chris McFarland were seen in attendance at the Bruins-Habs matchup on Sunday, hope sprung in Montreal about a possible addition of one of the two young players on the Avalanche trade-block. Both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog would provide a nice punch to the second line for the Habs, though the asking price remains as high as ever.

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