Alex Burrows Suspended Ten Games
When Alex Burrows was invited to a in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety, it became known that the Ottawa Senators forward could be suspended more than five games. While the Senators squared off with the New Jersey Devils last night, Burrows got tangled up with Taylor Hall and seemed to intentionally and maliciously knee Hall in the head repeatedly. Player Safety saw the play the same way and tonight handed down a ten-game suspension for Burrows. Player Safety summed up the altercation as follows:
“In short, for the sole purpose of retribution, Burrows drags an unwilling opponent to the ice, punches him several times, then uses his knee pad to violently inflict more punishment on his opponent’s head… This is a dangerous and unjustifiable attack that runs the risk of severe injury and such plays will not be tolerated by the Department of Player Safety.”
This ten-game ban, more than 12% of the 82-game season and exactly one third of Ottawa’s remaining games, is the longest suspension of the season in the NHL. It’s no surprise that Burrows is the culprit, as the veteran forward has one of the more tarnished reputations in the league when it comes to dirty play. (Remember he bit Patrice Bergeron in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final). In fact, Burrows has already been fined $5,000 earlier this season for roughing, though that’s nothing compared to the $135,000 he is now set to lose.
Burrows does have the right to appeal the suspension, first to commissioner Gary Bettman and then to a neutral arbitrator, but such challenges are rare in the NHL and even more so is unlikely to be successful, given the clear graphic nature of the offense. Burrows will have to sit for ten game, unable to return to the Ottawa lineup until March. For the bottom-dwelling Senators, Burrow’s absence won’t mean the difference between making the playoffs or not. However, it does make last year’s trade, in which the Sens gave up promising prospect Jonathan Dahlen, that much harder to swallow.
Rick Nash Submits No-Trade List To New York Rangers
It has been expected for some time that Rick Nash would be dealt at the trade deadline, the only question was where. Now, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the New York Rangers have some idea of where they can send their pending unrestricted free agent, as they’ve asked him to submit his 18-team no-trade list. New York can now trade him to the twelve teams not included on the list, or ask him to waive the clause in order to deal with any of the others.
Nash, 33, is an interesting case to follow as the deadline approaches. Though he’s not the same 40-goal scorer he was a few years ago, he does still have 15 goals and 25 points on the season and can skate well enough to contribute in several different roles. He could be a useful addition to several teams, but both the no-trade list and his prohibitive $7.8MM cap hit are obstacles for the Rangers to navigate in the coming weeks.
Despite being just two points back of a playoff spot, the Rangers woke up today in last place in the Metropolitan Division. Their struggles this season have given both front office and fans of the team an appetite for a rebuild, as evidenced by the overwhelming results in our latest poll and constant trade rumors surrounding Nash and captain Ryan McDonagh.
If the Rangers do end up selling, Nash looks like he’ll be one of the first assets out the door. Interestingly though, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet this weekend floated the idea that both Nash and Michael Grabner could be traded as rentals only to return to New York in the summer as free agents.
Calgary Flames Officially Assign Jaromir Jagr To HC Kladno
It’s official. Jaromir Jagr is no longer in the National Hockey League. The 45-year old legend has been assigned to Kladno of the Czech league after clearing waivers earlier today. Though he remains technically part of the Calgary Flames organization, it seems unlikely that he will make a return to the NHL this season. Jagr issued a statement to the fans and organization:
I want to thank Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames for giving me the immense opportunity to be a part of their team and continue my NHL career this season. Although I am very disappointed that things did not turn out as we had hoped due to a number of circumstances, I am deeply grateful to the Flames, the fans and the City of Calgary for having welcomed me so generously. I now look forward to continuing the season in Kladno.
If this is the end of Jagr’s NHL career, he’ll finish among the very best that have ever played the game. He ranks third all-time in goals, fifth in assists, second in points and third in games played. He collected a Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, and was a five-time league scoring champion. In 208 career playoff games, Jagr recorded 201 points and lifted the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two seasons of his career. Though he was a threat on the powerplay, an incredible 538 of his 766 goals came at even-strength.
Playing for his ninth team in Calgary, he recorded just seven points in 22 games and never fit into their structure after missing all of training camp. Though there remains a possibility that he could return for the playoffs, it is more likely that he’ll retire to the Czech league where he actually owns Kladno. Whether he attempts a comeback in the summer after his current contract expires is unclear, but if he’s played his last game he’ll be remembered as one of the best and most interesting players to ever suit up in the NHL.
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Brad Marchand Receives Five-Game Suspension
Bruins winger Brad Marchand has been suspended for five games for an elbowing incident from late in last night’s game against New Jersey, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced (video link). This represents the maximum number of games he could have received after participating in a phone hearing this afternoon. This will keep the 29-year-old, who leads Boston in scoring this season with 50 points (21-29-50) in 38 games, out of the lineup until February 8th.
Devils winger Marcus Johansson was the victim of the elbow and has already been diagnosed with a concussion, his second of the season. There is no timetable yet on how long he will be out of the lineup.
Marchand will still be eligible to participate in this weekend’s All-Star Game, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). He is classified as a repeat offender as this is the sixth suspension of his career and as a result, he will forfeit just over $373K that will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Winger Anders Bjork was made a late scratch for Boston’s farm team in advance of their game tonight and the Bruins have announced that he has been recalled from AHL Providence on an emergency basis. Although they didn’t have a roster spot opened up with this suspension, they can create an opening on the 23-man roster by transferring defenseman Charlie McAvoy (abnormal heart rhythm) to injured reserve.
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No Extension Discussed With Evander Kane
While all eyes are on the Buffalo Sabres as they hold court over the trade deadline, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports something fans are loath to hear: Evander Kane has never been approached to negotiate a contract extension. Instead, he will almost certainly be traded before the deadline for whatever price GM Jason Botterill can get.
Kane, 26, was acquired by the Sabres along with Zach Bogosian in February of 2015 as part of a huge deal that sent Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and a package of prospects and draft picks back to the Winnipeg Jets. He was a former-30 goal scorer that had hit a rough patch in Winnipeg but could help lead the Sabres back to the playoffs. After all, Kane was the fourth-overall pick in 2009 and possessed a sky-high ceiling in terms of talent.
Though he never did turn into that superstar offensive talent, able to carry a squad on his back, he has been excellent for the team. Since 2015-16, his first year in Buffalo, he ranks 26th in the league in goals-per-game and is on his way to another big season with 16 in his first 44 contests. Those come along with physical play, good possession statistics and an ability to log huge amounts of ice time, and paint a portrait of an excellent NHL player.
Still, off-ice incidents have haunted Kane. As Harrington points out, ownership in Buffalo was appalled when he was arrested for harassment in 2016, and his name has been in the news time and again for incidents on social media. While that has all seemed to tone down recently, as Kane plays through what looks to be his final season in Buffalo, there was a recent eruption at practice involving Justin Falk. Everyone involved played down the incident, explaining it was just competitive spirit, but impressions persist.
The Sabres have been reported to be looking for as many as four pieces for Kane on the trade market, though Darren Dreger of TSN partially reeled in expectations by explaining that some teams may not be willing to pay that much. Whatever they do get, it does seem like Kane’s Buffalo tenure only has a few weeks left at most.
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2018 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 11-20
With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, it’s time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2018. Here is the first half of our top-20 rankings, based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Nate Brown, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. We’ll run numbers 1-10 tomorrow, and release an honorable mention group on Friday.
11. David Perron, F, Vegas Golden Knights — When Perron was scoring 20 goals as a 21-year old in St. Louis, he likely wouldn’t have believed that he’d be joining his sixth NHL team just a few days after his 30th birthday. That’s what could happen this summer if Perron isn’t re-signed by the Vegas Golden Knights, and he hits the open market as one of the most consistent forwards available. The winger has 34 points in 37 games and could realistically set a new career-high should he stay healthy down the stretch. For teams looking for secondary scoring from a do-it-all forward, Perron is the easy answer.
12. Joe Thornton, C, San Jose Sharks — Thornton ranked #3 on our midseason list last season, and ended up taking a one-year, $8MM deal to stay in San Jose. This summer could be much of the same, after he proves his seven-goal 2016-17 was just a fluke. Thornton is still one of the great setup men in the league, and has 32 points in 43 games on the year. After playing through torn knee ligaments in the playoffs, he’s shown off inexplicable health once again by suiting up for all 43 games. At 39 next year there is still time for him to bring home that elusive Stanley Cup.
13. Patric Hornqvist, F, Pittsburgh Penguins — We’ve seen the Penguins lose key players to free agency in the past, and if they can’t find the salary room to fit Hornqvist in there won’t be a shortage of teams calling his agent on July 1st. The 31-year old has never scored fewer than 21 goals in a season in which he played at least 64 games, and it doesn’t look like that streak will end this year. A weapon in front of the net on the powerplay and still capable at both ends of the rink, Hornqvist comes with the added bonus of some recent Stanley Cup experience.
14. Tyler Bozak, C, Toronto Maple Leafs — There’s a lot to like in Bozak’s profile, as an elite faceoff man with solid offensive upside, but he does come with some risk. No one would ever claim he’s a defensive specialist, and his game has slowed considerably over the past few seasons. He also will hit the open market at 32, and has seen his minutes diminished this season. Still, a 40-50 point center with plenty of powerplay experience will be an exciting prospect for a team looking to upgrade their depth down the middle.
15. Rick Nash, F, New York Rangers — Nash has certainly not lived up to his $7.8MM cap hit this season (or the last few), but there will surely be some teams convinced they can bring out some of the greatness that was once so apparent. The 427-goal man has just 11 this season, but can still skate well and kill penalties. Like fellow 33-year old Eric Staal, who has found a career renaissance after a stint in New York (albeit a much shorter one), Nash could be a sneaky bargain on the open market for a team willing to take a chance.
16. Thomas Vanek, F, Vancouver Canucks — Vanek was actually #8 on this list last season, but had to settle for a one-year deal with Vancouver after waiting until September to sign. This year, he’s done what he’s always done and continued to find a way to put up points despite obvious red flags in his game. With 32 points in 45 games and nice chemistry building with Brock Boeser, the Canucks could decide to keep him on for another few seasons as they continue their rebuild. If not, his market is about as easy to predict as the lottery numbers.
17. Patrick Maroon, F, Edmonton Oilers — After last year’s breakout playing mostly with Connor McDavid, Maroon looked like a key piece to the Oilers success going forward. Just a few months into the 2017-18 season though, and he looks like a sure-fire deadline rental with an unclear future. Save for the 27-goal output Maroon had last season, he has scored just 45 goals in 264 career games. If those point totals can creep back up in the second half, maybe someone believes he can be a real top-six option on a multi-year deal.
18. Zdeno Chara, D, Boston Bruins — He’ll be 41. He’s lost much of his mobility. He’s on pace for one of the worst offensive seasons of his career. But he’s still 6’9″ and logging more than 23 minutes a night for the Bruins. Chara isn’t the perennial Norris candidate of a decade ago, but there’s no reason why he can’t be an effective option going forward. He’s still a capable defenseman at even strength and one of the top penalty killing options in the league. With a reduced role he could be even more effective. It would be shocking to see him make it to the open market, but stranger things have happened.
19. Jack Johnson, D, Columbus Blue Jackets — The fact that Johnson wasn’t even in the top-20 of two ballots shows just how far he’s fallen in recent years. Once seen as an integral part of the Blue Jackets blueline, with the ability to quarterback a powerplay and log huge minutes, he’s now asked for a trade out of Columbus to get a bigger role somewhere else. At 31, there’s a real chance that his game may have taken a drastic negative turn and teams could stay away from giving him a long-term contract.
20. Daniel Sedin, F, Vancouver Canucks — Interestingly it’s Daniel, not Henrik Sedin that finds himself in the final spot on our rankings despite the latter having more points this season. Though his twin only missed the cut by a few spots, it’s likely Daniel’s better goal total (ten, to Henrik’s two) that makes up the difference. They won’t be going anywhere separately, but it would be a real shame to see them as part of a franchise other than Vancouver at this point in their careers. At 38 to start the 2018-19 season, it might be Canucks or bust.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Jon Merrill To Two-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights continue to lock up their pending free agents, this time issuing a two-year extension to Jon Merrill. The deal will pay Merrill $1.375MM per season, and take him to unrestricted free agency after the 2019-20 season. He becomes the fourth such extension handed out by the Golden Knights this season, after Jonathan Marchessault, Brayden McNabb and Deryk Engelland.
Merrill, 25, was the expansion selection from the New Jersey Devils at the draft last year, but has actually played just 14 games for the team this season. That’s because of a combination of injuries and the Golden Knights having too many defensemen on the roster, but when he has been in the lineup he’s done quite well. The former Michigan Wolverine has just two points on the season, but is a positive possession player and can be relied upon in his own end.
Selected in the second round, 38th-overall in 2010, the Devils hoped that Merrill would develop into a sort of shutdown defender that could be played against top competition on a nightly basis. There’s never been a ton of offense there, but he carries penalty killing experience and a big enough body to compete physically when needed (though, that’s still a part of his game that is underdeveloped.)
The Golden Knights still have too many defensemen in the organization, but going forward they’re going to need relatively cheap options to fill in the gaps. If Nate Schmidt gets a big extension, or Shea Theodore wants a long-term deal, relatively small commitments like the $2.75MM given to Merrill will help maintain long-term success. In each of their extensions so far, the Golden Knights have made sure to not go overboard rewarding this season’s production. Even Marchessault, who received a $30MM deal, will look like a bargain if he continues to put up 30-goal seasons.
Even with these moves, the question still remains in Vegas on what will be done with James Neal, David Perron and Luca Sbisa. All three are unrestricted free agents in the summer, and could be used as trade bait closer to the deadline. If the Golden Knights feel like they could replace their production internally without jeopardizing a playoff run, there is still a chance they could sell some assets this season. Otherwise, we may have to get used to these extensions being handed out.
Frank Seravalli of TSN was first to report the deal was done.
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Deryk Engelland Signs One-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have locked up another pending free agent, signing Deryk Engelland to a one-year, $1.5MM extension. The deal also includes up to $1MM in performance bonuses according to CapFriendly, similar to the deal he is currently on. Engelland was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, but has revitalized his career with the Golden Knights and been a huge part of their success on and off the ice.
Engelland was perhaps a surprise selection by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft, seeing as he was already an unrestricted free agent after playing last season with the Calgary Flames. There was a method to their madness however, as Engelland right from the start has been marketed as a hometown boy making good. Engelland is from Edmonton, but played for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and makes his home in Las Vegas during the offseason. He’s taken on a leadership role with the team, helping players get comfortable in the city.
He’s also been much more than just a placeholder on the ice. The big, physical defenseman has been a mainstay on the blueline for Vegas, logging nearly 20 minutes a night and contributing 13 points in 41 games. Easily on pace to break his career-high of 17 points, he also leads the team in shorthanded ice time and is a +9 on the season.
The $1.5MM figure is an interesting one for Engelland, who is making just $1MM in salary this season but has a potential to earn another $1MM in performance bonuses. It’s unclear what those bonuses actually are, but should he hit all of them this year but not next, he actually could be taking a pay cut to return. Though he’ll be 36 when the 2018-19 season begins, the Golden Knights will gladly keep him around even as his skills diminish, if only for his impact on the early connection of the franchise to the city.
Jack Johnson Asks To Be Traded
Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson has requested a trade, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). Portzline adds that the ask was made several weeks ago with the hopes that a deal could be worked out before the trade deadline next month. Johnson and his agent Pat Brisson declined to comment while GM Jarmo Kekalainen had a brief comment to George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link).
“It’s the same with him as anyone else on our team: We’ll make a trade if and when we have something that makes sense for the Blue Jackets.”
This season hasn’t gone as well Johnson was hoping for. After failing to agree on a long-term extension over the summer (talks cooled down back in August), he has seen his role reduced and now finds himself on the third pairing. He’s averaging a career-low 19:24 per game while he’s on pace for his lowest full-season point total since his rookie campaign back in 2007-08 with the Kings; he has just two goals and five assists in 46 games so far.
Portzline notes that Johnson isn’t unhappy with the team and that if he was still under contract beyond this season, the request wouldn’t have been made. However, with this being his walk year into unrestricted free agency, he wants to be in the best position to cash in on the open market.
As things stand, it would appear that Johnson will be in tough to match the $5MM salary ($4.357MM cap hit) that he’s currently making. However, a bigger role on another team could give him the chance to show that he can still be a quality top-four defender.
If Columbus was to consider granting Johnson his request, it’s likely that they would be seeking another defenseman in return. They’re carrying just six healthy blueliners at the moment with Ryan Murray on injured reserve and while the team has high hopes for youngster Gabriel Carlsson, he isn’t ready for full-time NHL duty just yet.
Andrew Cogliano Signs Three-Year Extension
The Anaheim Ducks have locked up one of their key contributors, signing Andrew Cogliano to a three-year extension through the 2020-21 season at an annual average salary of $3.25MM. Cogliano has suited up for all 43 games for the Ducks this season, extending his incredible streak to 829 games (his entire career in fact) without missing a single contest. The deal includes no signing bonuses, and gives him both no-trade protection for the rest of this season and a partial no-trade clause for the next three years.
Cogliano, 30, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and could have been a much sought-after player. Though his offensive upside is somewhat limited, he’s shown an ability to move up and down a lineup and has long been one of the top penalty killers in the league. Since entering the league in 2007-08, he ranks seventh in the league in shorthanded goals with 17. With the injuries to several key forwards for the Ducks this year, he’s actually recorded the second highest average time on ice of his career, and the most since coming over to Anaheim from the Edmonton Oilers in 2011.
Limited to just five goals this season, there is reason to believe that he’s been more unlucky than ever. His shooting percentage is at a career-low of 5.3%, despite him being on pace to record the second most shots on goal of his career. While no one will crown him a 30-goal player, an expectation of 12-18 goals and 30-35 points is still realistic going forward. Whether his body will eventually betray him is still to be seen, but you can’t get a more consistent player to invest in.
For the Ducks, a $3.25MM cap hit is more than palatable. Cogliano was already earning $3MM this season, and with Kevin Bieksa‘s contract coming off the books at the end of the season there is more than enough to go around. While the team does need to extend Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase, neither should demand a prohibitive cap hit going forward. Brandon Montour will need a new deal, but after just 68 career games so far he certainly could be signed on a smaller bridge deal.
Any problems, if they are to come, would be the summer of 2019 when the Ducks are scheduled to have Jakob Silfverberg (UFA), Adam Henrique (UFA) and John Gibson (RFA) all hitting free agency at the same time. With Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves and now Cogliano all in their thirties and signed through at least the 2019-20 season, things might get dicey when trying to fill out the rest of the roster.
Still, with the salary cap going up and Eaves’ unclear future coming back from Guillain-Barre Syndrome , Cogliano’s contract was almost must-sign for the club. He may have been able to fetch even more on the open market if a few bounces go his way in the second half, and his impact would have been difficult to replace internally. With the 2018 free agent class getting thinner with every extension, it will be interesting to see where the rental market finally lands at the end of next month.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first with the details of the contract, including salary breakdown and trade protection.
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