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Snapshots: COVID Protocols, Rangers, Kane

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Even with over 99% percent of players and 100% of staff being vaccinated against the Coronavirus, the NHL has still been faced with constant issues battling COVID-19 this season. While only two teams have had games postponed due to COVID outbreaks, 19 different teams have had to enter heightened COVID protocols at some this season. As a result, the league is contemplating stricter protocols for all teams if the virus continues to be a problem. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells TSN’s Chris Johnston that the NHL is currently working with league doctors to evaluate their COVID numbers and current protocols to see if changes can improve the state of the league’s battle with COVID. The NHL then plans to meet with the NHLPA soon to share their findings and to discuss options to better protect players and staff, as well as the league product. The COVID conversation will also impact the Olympic question, with understandable concerns from the league and players’ association about sending their stars to China given the ongoing spread of virus despite vaccination measures. The deadline for the NHL to pull out of the Winter Games in Beijing is January 10, so the upcoming meeting with the NHLPA could be a critical juncture for a decision.

  • Despite the havoc that the Coronavirus has wreaked on the past two NHL seasons (and counting), team valuations have somehow not just held strong, but in fact increased. Forbes published their 2021 NHL team values today with the impressive headline that the New York Rangers have become the league’s first $2 billion team. The Original Six franchise in the biggest market in North America increased in value by 21% from 2020 without making and significant improvement in their on-ice product. It bodes well for another potential jump next year, with the Rangers currently holding the best record in the Metropolitan Division. Unsurprisingly, New York is followed by fellow Original Six members in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins. Yet, it is not just the storied franchises who continue see growth in their value. On average, each team improved in value by 32% this year following a 2% dip the year before. The factors contributing to these soaring numbers are the league’s new media contract, their many new facilities, and of course the addition of their newest team, the Seattle Kraken. The recent sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins for $900 million also provided Forbes’ Mike Ozanian with a very up-to-date benchmark of actual real world value of a top franchise. While the optics of the past couple seasons – canceled games, limited attendance, temporary realignment – may portray a struggling league, the NHL has actually excelled in the face of adversity in their battle with COVID-19.
  • One player who is likely more familiar with financial terms that he ever hoped is San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane. The controversial star has had quite the year with bankruptcy proceedings, a league investigation into illegal gambling, a league suspension for COVID Protocol circumvention and more. Kane has seemingly been losing money at every turn. However, he is now off his suspension and – though reassigned to the AHL – ready to get back on the ice and earning his pay check. Well, maybe not so fast. Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the organization is not yet ready to give Kane any game action, even with minor league Barracuda. Pashelka writes that concerns about his conditioning, having missed training camp and the first quarter of the season, have limited Kane in practice and will keep him from competiting again this weekend. Pashelka also mentions an undisclosed injury and quotes Kane as being on board with a slow approach to returning to play. However, the scribe also touches on what is likely the root cause of Kane’s inaction: trade value. It does not appear as if Kane is welcome back in the Sharks’ locker room, but with three years remaining on a hefty contract, he needs to play somewhere. The consistent scoring forward is an established asset: high-end ability on the ice, red flags off the ice. San Jose is working the phones to find a new fit for Kane and won’t gain any leverage by having play in AHL game. However, they could lose out if he is injured. As a result, Kane could be used sparingly until he is eventually dealt elsewhere.

Igor Shesterkin Placed On Injured Reserve

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The New York Rangers have moved starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin to injured reserve with a lower-body injury, but it appears as though he may have avoided a long-term absence. Head coach Gerard Gallant explained that the team is confident that Shesterkin will be back in a week, missing only the team’s next three games. An IR stint means he will be off the roster for a minimum of seven days.

The team has recalled Adam Huska in the meantime, as veteran Keith Kinkaid is believed to be in quarantine due to a COVID outbreak with the Hartford Wolf Pack, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Huska was basically the only option, given 23-year-old Tyler Wall is the only other goaltender signed to an NHL contract in the organization. Wall has 19 games of professional experience, eight of them coming at the ECHL level this season.

Huska isn’t much further along in his career, but with Shesterkin only expected to miss a few games the 24-year-old likely isn’t going to make an appearance anyway. The team will lean on Alexander Georgiev for the time being, as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks (tonight and Tuesday) and Colorado Avalanche (Wednesday). Shesterkin could be activated in time for next Friday’s match, though obviously, the medical staff will have to see how he responds during his week off.

The Rangers have taken a huge step forward this season and much of that is thanks to the outstanding play of Shesterkin, who currently leads the NHL in wins with 13. The 25-year-old netminder has posted a .937 save percentage through 18 appearances and is very much in the mix (or perhaps leading) for the Vezina Trophy. Gallant points out that “rest won’t hurt” the young goaltender, and news of his return in just a week will allow Rangers fans to breathe a huge sigh of relief after what looked like a potentially serious injury last night.

Rangers Open Extension Talks With Ryan Strome

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The New York Rangers have begun talks with Ryan Strome on a new contract, according to Larry Brooks of New York Post. The 28-year-old is on the second season of a two-year contract that carries a $4.5MM cap hit and is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the summer. Strome’s connection with Artemi Panarin has led to some excellent numbers the last few seasons, including 14 points in 16 games this time around.

Pesce, DeAngelo, McKegg Added To COVID Protocol

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The Carolina Hurricanes have lost another two defensemen, as both Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo have been added to the COVID protocol. The two will remain in Raleigh while the rest of the team travels to Dallas, suggesting they won’t be available tomorrow night at the very least. If the pair has tested positive–which the Hurricanes did not confirm–and have experienced any symptoms, they will be held out for a minimum of ten days.

The New York Rangers also have an unavailable player, as Greg McKegg will not skate today after entering the protocol. Like the Hurricanes, the Rangers have not confirmed whether or not McKegg tested positive for coronavirus, only that he will miss today’s practice with a COVID-related absence.

Ethan Bear had already been unavailable for the Hurricanes after entering the protocol a week ago, meaning a huge swathe of the team’s defense corps is now out of the lineup. The Hurricanes had been using Brendan Smith more than they likely expected, but now will also likely have to make some additional recalls. Like with the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Ottawa Senators, who have all faced severe outbreaks this season, the Hurricanes aren’t likely to receive any help from the league in terms of postponements unless things get much worse.

Already the Hurricanes had been faltering a bit of late, losing the Metropolitan Division lead after a 6-3-1 run. If they want to catch the Washington Capitals (who have played two more games) in the coming days, they’ll have to do it with a defense group that isn’t quite as established. Pesce logs more ice time than anyone not named Jaccob Slavin, while DeAngelo has been one of the best point-producing defensemen in the league this season with 19 in 20 games.

Scott Mellanby Resigns As Canadiens Assistant GM

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8:09 pm: The Canadiens have released a statement, confirming that Mellanby has resigned. The team thanks Mellanby for his work but says they have no further comment at this time.

6:49 pm: As originally reported by The Athletic’s Michael Russo, it appears Scott Mellanby will be resigning from his role as an assistant general manager for the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s one of the multiple reports surrounding the state of Montreal’s front office on Saturday night. Minutes before Russo’s report, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canadiens are requesting permission from the New York Rangers to speak with former general manager Jeff Gorton about a role within the organization. While nothing is confirmed, it’s rather logical to believe that they view him as a potential replacement for Mellanby.

Friedman says in his report that the team isn’t inquiring about Gorton with the intention of hiring him as general manager. Current boss Marc Bergevin is in the final season of his contract, and now TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the “widely held expectation inside the industry” is that the Habs will be hiring a French-speaking general manager to replace Bergevin. While Bergevin’s future with the team is still technically undecided, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that he won’t be back with the team after this season.

Mellanby likely won’t have any issue finding work elsewhere. He’s long been desired by other teams for roles, but Mellanby has opted to stay with the Canadiens when faced with the choice. A veteran of nearly 1,500 NHL games, the 55-year-old Mellanby has been with Montreal since the beginning of Bergevin’s tenure in 2012-13. He’s been the assistant general manager for the past eight of his ten seasons in Montreal.

The Canadiens are just 5-15-2, and their .273 points percentage is third-last in the league.

Department Of Player Safety Fines Artemi Panarin For Unsportsmanlike Conduct

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In hockey, dropping the gloves is a well-known term.  But throwing a glove?  That’s one we don’t see every day.  However, it happened on Friday late in a game between the Rangers and Bruins when New York winger Artemi Panarin threw his glove from his bench (video link) at Boston winger Brad Marchand.  Both players received misconducts which was an easy way for the officials to try to diffuse the situation with just seconds left on the clock.

The Department of Player Safety felt that a bit more punishment for Panarin was warranted, however, as they announced (Twitter link) that he has been fined $5K for unsportsmanlike conduct which is the maximum allowable under the CBA.

This is the first time Panarin has faced any sort of supplementary discipline from the league in terms of a fine or a suspension.  As usual, the money from the fine goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  In the meantime, these two teams will be waiting a while for their next matchup which isn’t scheduled until April 23rd in the first of a back-to-back home-and-home set.

Mika Zibanejad Removed From COVID Protocol After False Positive

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4:12 pm: Zibanejad experienced a false positive test and has been removed from COVID protocol, per a team tweet. He’ll be available for Sunday’s game versus the Buffalo Sabres.

10:09 am: The Rangers announced (Twitter link) before their practice today that center Mika Zibanejad has been placed in COVID protocol.  As is often the case with these announcements, there is no indication as to whether or not he tested positive or entered the protocol for another reason.

The 28-year-old is off to a bit of a quieter start by his standards this season, scoring just four times in 17 games although Zibanejad has chipped in with ten assists to place him fourth in scoring for New York.  Zibanejad once again leads the way in terms of ice time by a forward, logging over 20 minutes a game.  He’s in the final year of his contract that carries a $5.35MM AAV, a considerable bargain compared to the eight-year, $68MM extension that he signed last month.

Zibanejad tested positive for the virus prior to training camp for last season but that was only back in January.  If this is indeed another positive test, he would be out for at least the next ten days which would cause him to miss New York’s next four games at a minimum.  While that wouldn’t be enough time missed to accelerate their shopping for more forward depth, it would still be a tough blow to a team that has gotten off to a solid start this season with a 10-4-3 record.

No Extension Talks Yet Between Rangers And Ryan Strome

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Throughout his tenure with the Rangers, Ryan Strome’s job security has seemed to be relatively thin.  Two years ago, the team acknowledged that they gave consideration to not tendering him a qualifying offer in part to avoid the risk of salary arbitration.  Instead, they agreed on a two-year, $9MM contract, one that ends in July.

For that money, New York has received a pretty good return.  Last season, the 28-year-old had 49 points in 56 games, the highest point per game average of his career (slightly besting his point per game average from 2018-19, his first full season as a Ranger).  This year, Strome is off to another good start with 10 points in 13 games.  Granted, a lot of that production has come alongside top winger Artemi Panarin but the combination has worked pretty well overall.

With that in mind, it would only seem logical for the two sides to be discussing an extension.  Not so fast, as Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports that there have been no such talks nor is there a plan for any to be held in the near future.

New York has some significant additions to their salary cap for next season which certainly plays a role in their current approach.  Mika Zibanejad’s AAV goes up by $3.15MM while Adam Fox goes from a base salary of $925K to a $9.5MM cap charge.  Add that to the likes of Sammy Blais, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexandar Georgiev all needing new deals as pending restricted free agents and all of a sudden, there isn’t a lot of money left; they have more than $70MM in commitments already per CapFriendly with the Upper Limit only expected to go up by a million or so for next season.

As a result, it looks like Strome could wind up being the odd one out even though it would open up a big hole inside their top six to try to fill, particularly internally with Filip Chytil looking like more of a bottom-six forward than a top-six option.  That’s something that GM Chris Drury will need to be mindful of as he looks to add to his current group with Blais out for the year.  In the meantime, Strome will look to pile up the points and hope that it will land him a sizable deal somewhere for next season, even if it’s not with Panarin and the Rangers.

New York Rangers Looking For Middle-Six Forward

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The New York Rangers lost last night to the Toronto Maple Leafs, mustering up just one goal against the red-hot Jack Campbell. That lack of offensive output probably only strengthened general manager Chris Drury’s belief that his team needs an extra forward, something that was reported before the game by TSN’s Darren Dreger. The Rangers are after a “middle-six” forward, following the season-ending injury to Sammy Blais.

Today, Arthur Staple of The Athletic examines eight potential targets for the Rangers, including Calle Jarnkrok of the Seattle Kraken and Phil Kessel of the Arizona Coyotes. Those are obviously very different types of players, but Staple examines several others that should fall somewhere in the middle. Interestingly, the scribe also notes that a veteran defenseman is also on the Rangers’ shopping list.

In last night’s PHR Live Chat, the idea of another depth forward being the Rangers most pressing need was also touched upon. The team has been good through the early part of the season but has notably been outscored at even-strength. Their powerplay, helmed by top talents like Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mike Zibanejad, has been dynamic, carrying them through several games with plenty of production. It’s past those few of skaters that things start to get a bit less rosy, as young talents like Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil have offered very little offense. Those three, in particular, have combined for just eight goals and 12 points, not quite what many expected heading into the season.

So another forward is on the mind of Drury, and he has plenty of ways to acquire one. The Rangers have extra second and fourth-round picks this year, plus more than $9MM in cap space. On an expiring deal, they could take on an expensive forward like Kessel or even someone that comes with a bit higher price in terms of future assets. The team is in a good place for buying, though they will have to consider the term when acquiring a new forward. Adding money to next year’s cap, when Zibanejad and Adam Fox both have huge extensions kicking in, would likely be a mistake at this point unless they are adding a key contributor.

Sammy Blais Suffers Torn ACL, Out Rest Of Season

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The New York Rangers will be without one of their offseason acquisitions, as several reports including Larry Brooks of the New York Post indicate Sammy Blais has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The injury occurred Sunday night against the New Jersey Devils, when Blais collided with P.K. Subban. Brooks adds that surgery on the knee will have to wait a few weeks for the swelling to subside. The team has now confirmed the injury, noting that Blais faces a six to eight-month recovery. Greg McKegg is back up from the AHL.

Blais, 25, was the player the Rangers received in exchange for Pavel Buchnevich earlier this year. He found a nice role in the team’s lineup adding his patented physicality, but was still looking for his first New York goal. In 14 games Blais had four points, 17 penalty minutes, and 37 hits.

It’s not that the Rangers are losing a forward that logs 18 minutes a night and carries the offense, but Blais was a perfect representation of the kind of hockey the new front office wanted to play. ’Hard to play against’ could describe the 6’2″ forward, a goal that general manager Chris Drury and staff had chased all offseason. Now with this injury, they’ll have to find someone else to take his minutes in the middle of the roster. Blais had been averaging close to 14 minutes a night through the first month of the season, including some time on the powerplay.

Though he carries a $1.5MM cap hit that could be moved to long-term injured reserve, the Rangers aren’t pushing the salary cap ceiling this season and will likely move him to normal IR. That said, the young forward is heading into an arbitration year as a restricted free agent, meaning he’ll have almost no leverage to bring up after a lost year. The Rangers could potentially get a slight discount because of this injury, a small silver lining given they have massive extensions for Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad kicking in next season and will need all the cap space they can get.

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