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New York Islanders Place Travis Hamonic On IR, Recall Adam Pelech

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As previously reported, the Islanders have lost the services of Travis Hamonic for 4-6 weeks after blocking a shot and being removed from the game Saturday night. Hamonic was officially placed on injured reserve today, retroactive to November 5th  and the Isles have recalled Adam Pelech from Bridgeport to replace him.

The loss of Hamonic is a big blow to the Islanders, who are struggling out of the gate this season. With just one win in their last six games, they’ve slipped to 15th in the Eastern Conference, only ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. Andrew Ladd, the big free agent signing hasn’t transitioned well to New York State, and the ice is a huge problem at the Barclay’s Center.

[Updated: New York Islanders Depth Chart]

For a team that was thought of as a potential Stanley Cup contender, it’s been far from an easy ride through the first dozen games. They’ll try to use Pelech to turn it around, though with only nine games of NHL experience they likely can’t lean too heavily on the 22-year old. With the Islanders now having just a single right-handed option (Johnny Boychuk) on the blueline, someone will have to play on his off-side.

Lightning Recall Conacher From Syracuse Of AHL

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With Jonathan Drouin listed as day-to-day and questionable for Tampa Bay’s game against Florida Monday, the Lightning have recalled forward Cory Conacher from the club’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Conacher has made one appearance for the Lightning, failing to record a point in 13:26 of ice time. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound winger has scored three goals and eight points in seven games for the Syracuse Crunch.

Drouin, meanwhile, was hurt on a huge hit from Calvin de Haan of the New York Islanders. The Isles defender was given a five-minute major for interference on the play. Drouin has missed the two games Tampa Bay has played since, a shootout loss to Boston and a victory of New Jersey.

Conacher also refuted reports that he was considering a jump overseas to join HC Lugano, telling Syracuse.com that he had not heard from anyone representing the Swiss League club.

“I haven’t talked to anyone from Lugano. They like to talk and start rumors. I’m sure at some point throughout the year they’ll reach out. But as of right now, I haven’t had any contact with anyone in Switzerland, other than the fact that I keep updated with some of the guys in Bern.”

Although nothing seems imminent on that front, Conacher didn’t dispel the notion that a move to Switzerland could be an option at some point this season.

“You always have to keep your options open. But right now, my mindset’s with Tampa. If I wanted to listen right now, I’d be in Switzerland. I’m doing everything I can to get back up there (Tampa Bay). I think, down the stretch, when either injuries happen or they need guys up, I’m going to be the guy that steps in and helps them win.”

Conacher played for Bern SC last season before inking a one-year, one-way pact with the Lightning that guarantees the veteran of 142 NHL contests $575K. He finished seventh overall in the Swiss-A League in both goals (22) and assists (30) while ranking fourth in scoring with 52 points. It’s easy to see why there would be plenty of interest in his services from clubs in Switzerland.

Pacific Division Snapshots: Vermette, Puljujarvi, Kassian, Miller

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As part of the team’s widespread youth movement, the Arizona Coyotes jettisoned Antoine Vermette, buying out the final season of the veteran pivot’s contract during the summer despite a solid 38-point showing in 2015-16. Several teams were interested in securing Vermette’s services but the 13-year pro elected to ink a two-year pact with the Ducks in the hopes he could add some scoring punch to the team’s bottom-six. While the $1.75MM annual investment is minimal, given the Ducks tight salary cap situation and with the need to re-sign Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell as restricted free agents, some felt that money was best utilized elsewhere. But Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register argues the signing is paying off just fine for Anaheim.

Vermette has tallied two goals and seven points in 12 contests while averaging 15:46 of ice time per game. He’s assumed the third line pivot position behind Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler but has the ability to slide up the lineup when needed. Always known for his abilities in the faceoff circle, Vermette has won two-thirds of his draws so far on the young season.

Stephens also notes that Ducks coach Randy Carlyle is comfortable using Vermette in his penalty-killing rotation as well as on the power play. To date, Carlyle has been pleased with Vermette: “We had a discussion on where I saw him being used and where I felt he would get an opportunity. I could guarantee him that he would get certain things but if he held up his end of the bargain. That’s what the plan was. And I think that you can ask him that we’ve help up our end of the bargain and he’s held up his end of the bargain.”

As long as Vermette continues to perform at this level, the Ducks appear to have made a quality, value signing.

More from around the Pacific Division:

  • Edmonton is off to a rare good start but like many other teams in the league, injuries are starting to pile up for the Oilers, as Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes. Both Jesse Puljujarvi and Zack Kassian left Saturday’s game against the Islanders with injuries and did not return. Puljujarvi went down with what is being termed a Charley horse. Speaking from his own experience, Leavins termed the injury “short-term” but also noted that while the pain may be manageable, the stiffness might not be. The Oilers obviously decided not to risk it and scratched the Finnish winger for today’s game against Detroit. Kassian’s injury could be worse, according to Leavins. Head coach Todd McClellan called it a lower body injury but gave no other information. Leavins says the Oilers are at least fortunate that the rash of injuries have so far missed the team’s top players, noting that it would be much different if Connor McDavid, Oscar Klefbom or Cam Talbot went down for any length of time.
  • Last night’s tilt between Vancouver and Toronto was a rough and tumble affair, as we wrote about earlier on Pro Hockey Rumors. At one point, Canucks goalie Ryan Miller left his crease to defend rookie blue liner Troy Stecher, who had been jumped by Toronto’s Matt Martin. Miller would then be confronted by Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, and after all was said and done, Miller was assessed two game misconduct penalties. By rule, that would automatically come with a minimum two-game suspension but as Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma tweets, the league has rescinded one of those game misconducts, meaning Miller will not face a suspension.

Islanders’ Hamonic To Miss 4 – 6 Weeks

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The New York Islanders announced via their official Twitter account that defenseman Travis Hamonic would miss the next 4 – 6 weeks due to an upper body injury. Arthur Staple of Newsday originally reported that Hamonic had exited the Islanders shootout loss to Edmonton after blocking a shot with his right arm.

With Ryan Pulock already sidelined with a broken foot, Staple believes it’s likely the team will recall Adam Pelech from Bridgeport of the AHL to cover for the absence of Hamonic. Pelech has a goal and four points in 10 games so far this season for the Sound Tigers.

Hamonic has tallied two goals and five points in 12 games this season despite averaging a career-low 19:47 of ice time per game. He leads the team in penalty minutes with 23 and has the worst plus-minis rating on the club at a -7.

The injury to Hamonic is yet another setback for a team that not only had playoff aspirations but expected to make a deep postseason run. Offseason free agent signings Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera have combined for just four points – all assists – in 12 games this season while the players they were signed to replace, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen, have totaled seven goals and 14 points for their new clubs.

The Islanders are also dealing with controversy surrounding their three goalie system which makes it difficult to find adequate practice time for their netminders. Allan Walsh, who represents Jaroslav Halak and Jean-Francois Berube, criticized the arrangement and the Islanders subsequently announced Halak was available via trade. Berube, ostensibly the team’s third goalie in each of the last two seasons, has seen action in just seven NHL games and five AHL contests – all coming last season – during that time.

New York is currently in seventh place in the Metro Division, just one point ahead of Carolina, who has two games-in-hand on the Islanders. Obviously it’s way too early in the season to completely write the Isles off just yet but this is clearly not the start the team was hoping for or expecting.

 

Edmonton Oilers Recall Dillon Simpson

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The Edmonton Oilers have called up Dillon Simpson from the AHL ahead of their game tonight against the New York Islanders. Simpson has played seven games for Bakersfield this season, registering one point and eight penalty minutes.  He won’t play in tonight’s game, though may figure into the early game tomorrow against the Red Wings.

Simpson was a fourth-round selection in 2011 (though it was #92 overall, the first selection of the round) and has played the last two seasons in the AHL, scoring 37 points. He’s the prototypical all-around defenseman, without any standout skill. His size, speed, and puck movement is all just good enough. As he makes the jump and waits for his NHL debut, perhaps he’ll push his game just a little bit further and find a role on the back end of Edmonton.

Kris Russell is out for tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury, meaning that the Oilers needed some insurance on the back end for tomorrow. They’ll fly right from New York to Detroit tomorrow to play the Red Wings at 4pm central time.

Snapshots: Howard, Blue Jackets, Clutterbuck

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Over the last few seasons, there has been much talk about the Detroit Red Wings’ goaltending situation.

Petr Mrazek, the club’s fifth-round pick in 2010, has been developing into a solid starting goalie, while 32-year-old Jimmy Howard’s play has been below league-average since 2012-13. But while this season marks the first in which Mrazek has made over $1MM (he signed a two-year, $8MM contract in July), Howard has been making a shade under $5.3MM since 2013-14, the year after his numbers began to slide. Howard has an additional two seasons remaining on his contract.

The Red Wings have been trying to trade Howard for a while now, but have obviously been unable to find any suitors thanks to his cap hit. But as of right now, Red Wings GM Ken Holland may be glad about that. Howard has only allowed 3 goals in 4 appearances this season, with a 2-1-0 record and league-highs in GAA and SV% (0.86 and 0.974, respectively). Meanwhile expected starter Mrazek is 4-4-1 with a 0.904 SV% and a GAA over 3. Mrazek has lost three in a row, and Howard will be starting on Sunday versus the West-leading Edmonton Oilers.

It’s still early in the season, but Howard has helped keep the Red Wings in playoff contention; they’re currently in the first wildcard position in the Eastern Conference. Detroit will need Howard to keep up his stellar play if they want to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 1989-90.

  • The Blue Jackets laid a 10-0 beating on the NHL-leading Canadiens Friday night, the first game with a 10-goal differential since 2002-03. On January 11, the Washington Capitals beat the visiting Florida Panthers by a score of 12-2. Then-Capitals forward Jaromir Jagr scored a hat-trick and added 4 assists against his future team. There are only two other players from that game still active in the NHL: Jay Bouwmeester and Roberto Luongo.
  • It was the first 10-0 shutout win since 1996, when Trevor Kidd and the Calgary Flames shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Finally, John Tavares will have a new line-mate when his Islanders host the Oilers. Gritty forward Cal Clutterbuck will get a chance to play with his captain on the first line, alongside Josh Bailey. It’s a curious choice, seeing as Clutterbuck has only 1 goal and 5 points this season, and his career high of 34-points came back in 2010-11. It’s still more than big-name free-agent signing Andrew Ladd, who has only 1 assist so far. The Islanders have lost four of five, but hope to bounce back against the Oilers, who have dropped three in a row. Speaking of blowouts and the Islanders hosting the Oilers, Edmonton’s previous visit to Brooklyn was an ugly 8-1 win for the home side.

Bergenheim Signs With Frolunda

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Another player is headed overseas, but this time it’s one who hasn’t seen meaningful NHL action in some time. Sean Bergenheim has signed on to play with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Elite League, the team announced (link in Swedish). The Finnish winger was back in North America this off-season on a professional tryout agreement with the Anaheim Ducks, but was unable to earn a contract. Last season, Bergenheim played with Bern of the Swiss NLA, with his last big league action coming back in the 2014-15 season split between the Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild.

A first-round pick of the New York Islanders all the way back in 2002, Bergenheim got his NHL start early on, cracking the Islanders’ roster at the young age of 19. By 23, he had carved out a nice top-nine role for himself in New York. Never quite a 20-goal scorer, Bergenheim instead thrived as a strong two-way presence, capable of being a shutdown penalty killer, but also putting up 25+ points per season. After five seasons on the island, Bergenheim signed an affordable one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010-11 and had a breakout year. He followed up a career-high 29 points in a career-high 80 games with nine goals in 16 playoff games for the Lightning. His success translated into a nice raise in the form of a four-year, $11MM contract with the cross-state rival Florida Panthers that off-season. While Bergenheim continued to be a reliable player, his numbers didn’t live up to his contract, and he missed the entire lockout-shortened 2012-13 season with an injury. In the final year of his deal in 2014-15, a fed up Panthers team shipped Bergenheim to the Minnesota Wild, where he was a complete non-factor down the stretch. Bergenheim has not played in the NHL since.

Bergenheim’s contract with Frolunda, one of the most decorated teams in Sweden , is for just one year. Don’t be surprised if the 32-year-old veteran of over 500 NHL games tries his hand at earning a North American gig again next season.

NHL Investigating Islanders’ Ice

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According to New York Islanders beat writer Chris Botta, the league has reached its limit with tolerating the problems with the ice at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The NHL is sending experts to the building to inspect the ice conditions and facility. There have been complaints about the ice conditions for over a year now, since the team first began play, from both Isles’ players and visitors and something must be done.

In a series of tweets two weeks ago, Botta detailed the main issue with the Barclays ice. Essentially, the piping system in the arena does not meet NHL standards, yet arena leadership has not done anything about it. Around the same time as Botta’s analysis, a New York Post article detailed some honest comments from Cal Clutterbuck, who did not hesitate to call it “the worst ice I’ve ever seen”. When the Islanders were winning last season in spite of the poor conditions, the team was not as heavy-handed with their commentary. However, with New York off to a rocky 4-6 start, the last thing the Islanders need is an added disadvantage as they try to right the ship.

It’s no secret that the Barclays Center was not designed for hockey. The Brooklyn Nets were meant to be the sole inhabitants, but an interest in a move from the Nassau Coliseum by the Islanders late in the game led to New York heading to Brooklyn last season. However, the Islanders have an out clause in their contract allowing them to leave after next season. With many design flaws in the stadium already apparent and attendance down for the second straight year, if the ice issues persist, it will be foregone conclusion by the end of the 2017-18 season that the Islanders will be on the move. Whether they return to a renovated Nassau Coliseum, begin building a new arena, or decide to depart New York altogether, the ice is just another factor leading towards an almost-inevitable Barclays departure.

The Challenges Of Trading Jaroslav Halak

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Over the weekend, the New York Islanders made it known that Jaroslav Halak is on the market.  While there have been conflicting reports regarding the level of interest they have received so far, it’s fair to suggest that the interest has been lukewarm at best.  On the surface, that may seem surprising considering Halak’s track record and a cap hit below that of most starting goalies ($4.5MM) but unfortunately for the Isles, this is not a great time to be shopping a goaltender with term left on his contract.

Dec 12, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) follows the puck in play in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Islanders won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY SportsExpansion

Teams are only allowed to protect one goaltender in next June’s Las Vegas expansion draft.  As a result, any team interested in Halak would have to keep any of their incumbent goaltenders unprotected (unless they’re exempt due to two years of pro experience or less) or risk losing Halak less than a year after acquiring him.  That has to be factored into any acquisition cost from the perspective of other teams and that certainly won’t work in New York’s favor.

Lack Of Vacancies

While the Kings are in a tough spot right now with Jonathan Quick on the shelf, it’s still too early in the season for most teams to make a call on looking at a potential new starting netminder.  There are teams that are struggling between the pipes at the moment but they will likely show a bit more patience before deciding whether or not to make a move.

Plenty Of Other Options

There already or are expected to be several goalies that will be available at some point this season.  Despite his hot start, the Red Wings would likely want to divest themselves of the remaining two plus years on Jimmy Howard’s contract at just under $5.3MM while Dallas’ goalie tandem of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen is high priced ($10.4MM combined) especially relative to their production; it’s certainly plausible that either of them could be dangled.  Then there’s Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh who holds a no-move clause and a $5.75MM cap hit but it’s believed the Penguins will eventually move on from him after handing Matt Murray a three year extension last month in order to ensure they can protect Murray in June.

And then there are the rental players.  Ben Bishop ($5.95MM) doesn’t appear to be staying in Tampa Bay past this season with Andrei Vasilevskiy their starter-in-waiting.  Ryan Miller ($6MM) in Vancouver is off to a really nice start but isn’t likely in their future plans either.  Ondrej Pavelec ($3.9MM) in Winnipeg is believed to be available as well and wouldn’t cost as much to acquire especially since he’s currently in the minor leagues, passing through waivers thanks to his contract.  If teams are just looking for help this season, they may look at the potential rental players before going after goalies signed beyond this year.

Halak is a legitimate starting goaltender in the NHL and could certainly help quite a few teams around the league.  However, given the timing of his availability and the plethora of other options out there, GM Garth Snow may be in for a challenge if he wants to get top value in return.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The Jack Capuano Situation

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After finally breaking through to the second-round of the playoffs in 2015-16, following six consecutive first-round postseason defeats, it was expected that the New York Islanders might be ready to take yet another step in their progression. After all, the team returned its roster nearly intact and boasts a legitimate franchise player in John Tavares. Though it’s early, the Islanders are off to a disappointing 3 – 5 – 0 record and currently reside in a last place tie with Carolina. This combined with other factors has led Brandon Cohen of Today’s Slapshot to conclude that Jack Capuano has surpassed his expiration date as head coach of the Islanders.

In addition to the slow start to the 2016-17 campaign, Cohen points out that despite moving on to the second round last season and winning game one against Tampa Bay, the Islanders “crumbled” when it mattered most and turned in a disappointing effort in the series-clinching 4 – 0 loss to the Lightning in game five. Cohen also notes that a year earlier, with a chance to advance with a game seven win over Washington in the first round, the Islanders mustered just 11 total shots on goal in a performance that can best be described as “flat.”

Capuano was elevated to head coach early on in the 2010-11 campaign and is in his seventh season with more than 450 games running the Islanders bench. He’s guided the team to three playoff appearances and back-to-back 100-point seasons but as noted earlier, just a single playoff series win. It’s rare for a coach who has achieved little postseason success to be allowed that much time but GM Garth Snow has obviously exercised patience when it comes to Capuano.

The Islanders handling of their goaltending situation has elicited criticism in the last couple of days. The team has carried three goaltenders for much of the last couple of seasons due in large part to the fact Jean-Francois Berube is not waivers-exempt and would almost certainly be claimed if exposed. Because of this, it’s been hard to find appropriate practice time to keep the team’s goalies sharp. Of course some of the blame for this falls on Snow for his inability or unwillingness to move one of his tenders to clear the logjam while obtaining some value in return. But Capuano shoulders some of the responsibility as it is on him to schedulea nd plan practices.

Capuano has also found it difficult working offseason additions Jason Chimera and Andrew Ladd into the lineup. The duo has accounted for just four points, all assists, while taking up $7.75MM in cap space this year. Over the last six years, Ladd has averaged 0.33 goals-per-game and has tallied at least 23 markers in each of the last five full seasons he has played. Yet he has just one helper to date through eight games even though he has had John Tavares and Josh Bailey as linemates 63% of the time, according to the website Left Wing Lock.

Again, you could find fault with Snow for handing out those free agent deals but Ladd has been a steady producer for a long time and the onus is on Capuano to find a way to help jump start the veteran winger’s game.

Capuano has drawn praise for focusing on the development of young players. In addition to Tavares, Kyle Okposo has developed into a solid power forward who has tallied at least 60 points two of the last three seasons. Frans Nielsen turned into one of the game’s best two-way centers, mostly under Capuano’s tutelage. Meanwhile, Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan have grown into solid top-four defenders.

Of course there have also been several high draft picks who have yet to reach their potential. Josh Bailey was selected 9th overall in 2008 but has yet to score more than 16 goals or 41 points in any season. Ryan Strome had a 50-point campaign as a 21-year-old sophomore but his production tailed off tremendously in 2015-16, scoring just seven goals and 28 points last season.

As with any coach, there have been plenty of ups-and-downs for the Islanders under Capuano. But while Snow has demonstrated plenty of patience to date with his head coach, the time to make a change behind the bench might be drawing near if the Islanders can’t shake off the early season doldrums.

 

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