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Ben Bishop Indicates He’s Open To A Trade

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Between losing playing time to Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lighting struggling, and being in the final year of a contract, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop has indicated he may be open to a trade should he be approached by general manager Steve Yzerman.

The catalyst would be more playing time, but according to Bishop, he’s not actively looking to leave the Lightning. For the veteran goalie, it’s about having an opportunity to play regularly. Yzerman is open to doing whatever is best for the team, as evidenced by his comments on the “Lightning Morning Skate Show.” Yzerman had this to say:

“If I could do something that helped our team make a trade that identified a need for us — not just for this year, but going forward — I would do that, and haven’t been able to do that to this point, and that’s been going on, really, since the [NHL Draft] last year.”

It’s an interesting turn in events, since Bishop was already a target to be traded before the season even began. But Bishop struggled out of the gate, and the Lightning are not quite the team everyone expected them to be. Flailing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Lightning may be more of sellers with the future in mind instead of peddling Bishop away for more depth in anticipation of a long playoff run. Affording Bishop the chance to have more playing time elsewhere certainly makes him more open to a trade, since Bishop has a limited no trade clause.

What could Bishop fetch should a trade commence? Our very own Mike Furlano had a detailed write up earlier this week. It appears, between the Bolts and Bishop agreeing that a trade could be good for everyone, that something could happen sooner rather than later.

Coyotes Deal To Build Arena In Tempe Is Dead

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A potential deal to build a new arena in Tempe, Arizona for the Coyotes is dead, according to a report by Anne Ryman, Mary Jo Pitzl and Jessica Boehm of The Arizona Republic. A plan involving the Coyotes and Arizona State University to build a 330-acre athletic district which would have included separate arenas for the two had been in the works since November but Arizona State has withdrawn from the negotiations.

In a statement released this evening by Arizona State, the school “has no intention of proceeding to sign a development agreement or an option to lease or any other agreement with the Coyotes.”

The Coyotes have long been looking for a resolution to their arena situation in Arizona and this is just another setback for the organization. It’s unclear whether the team has any other options in Arizona at this point.

The decision comes just days after Senator Bob Worsley introduced legislation that would have ultimately provided funding for the project without impacting the state’s general fund. He agreed to sponsor the legislation with the express purpose of ensuring the Coyotes would remain in Arizona.

Unless the Coyotes have an in-state alternative, this news will almost assuredly lead once again to rumors of relocation with Quebec City an Seattle representing possible destinations, though the latter option would not create a further imbalance among the conferences.

Pacific Division Snapshots: Marleau, Miller, Oilers D

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Prior to the start of the season, it seemed to be virtually a foregone conclusion that it would be Patrick Marleau’s last in San Jose. After all, the veteran of 19 NHL campaigns will turn 38 before opening night in 2017-18 and will reportedly be seeking a multiyear pact this summer as a free agent. However, a recent hot streak that has seen Marleau record seven goals in his last five games may have moved the needle some on the likelihood he remains in Northern California. According to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area, his return may ultimately hinge entirely on his willingness to accept a one-year deal worth something in the neighborhood of $3MM to $4MM.

Kurz compares the current situation with Marleau to that of Dan Boyle, who hit free agency at the age of 37 in the summer of 2014 and left the Sharks because the two sides couldn’t agree on the length of a new deal. Boyle would ink a two-year deal with the New York Rangers and as Kurz writes, the longtime Sharks blue liner was “devastated” to leave the Bay Area. Marleau has tallied 19 goals in 52 games this season and could attract multiyear offers on the open market this summer based on that strong production, in which case it’s probable he won’t be donning a Sharks jersey in 2017-18.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Like Marleau, it seemed likely that Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller would have a new home by the time the 2017-18 season started. The Canucks were expected by many to be a lottery team in 2016-17 and with Miller in the final year of his deal he would have represented an interesting rental asset the team could have cashed in to advance their rebuild. However, with Vancouver surprisingly still in the playoff hunt and with Miller turning in a solid performance between the pipes, the chances of the 36-year-old sticking around for another year or two have increased, as Ben Kuzma writes in a piece for the Vancouver Sun. Kuzma notes that good teams need quality play in net, pointing out the difference between former Canucks bench boss Alain Vigneault and the recently fired Ken Hitchcock of St. Louis. Vigneault, who has been fortunate to have Henrik Lundqvist, Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo man the pipes during his coaching career, just inked a two-year extension and received a raise to $4MM annually. The Blues have received lackluster play in goal this season and that fact played a role in Hitch’s termination. If Miller is willing to take a short-term deal to stay with Vancouver, he could provide a solid bridge to top prospect Thatcher Demko.
  • While the Oilers have received better play from their blue line in 2016-17, the team’s top-four has struggled of late, leading David Staples of the Edmonton Journal to suggest shuffling not just the defense corps but also the club’s forward lines. Staples tracks contributions that lead to scoring chances for and mistakes which lead to scoring chances against, and of late too many of the team’s key players are responsible for more of the latter than the former. The scribe feels the team could elevate Matt Benning and/or Brandon Davidson into the top-four, spreading the defensive responsibilities around some. Up front Staples thinks it’s time to split up Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, perhaps putting the struggling Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on McDavid’s wing. Ultimately, if the team continues to struggle, it’s possible Edmonton will circle back to the trade market to seek additional depth.

Arizona Coyotes Trade Henrik Samuelsson To Edmonton Oilers

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Just hours after dealing Justin Peters to the Dallas Stars, the Arizona Coyotes are at it again. They’ve sent Henrik Samuelsson to the Edmonton Oilers for Mitch Moroz. Both players were selected in the 2012 draft, just five picks apart (27th and 32nd respectively).

Samuelsson was once a highly regarded prospect, going in the first round and bursting onto the AHL season as a rookie. He scored 40 points in 68 games that season and had the pedigree of his former-NHL father Ulf Samuelsson. Since that rookie season when he got a three-game taste with the Coyotes, Samuelsson has completely dropped off the map. Scoring just 12 points last season and dealing with multiple lower-body injuries has him almost listed as a bust among Arizona prospects. His skating has never been good enough for the NHL and though he’s only 22, it will be a long road ahead for him to turn it around.

Moroz, much the same story, was a teammate of Samuelsson on the Edmonton Oil Kings when they won a Memorial Cup in 2014. Selected just a few picks later he hadn’t reached the same scoring highs as his teammate but was expected to grow into a legitimate NHL power forward. Also just 22, he may still find the scoring touch that he has been sorely missing but it’s been a long three years since he left junior. In 123 AHL games, Moroz has just 22 points. Even his physical play has taken a step backwards, and he’ll need to find new motivation should he want to continue his professional career.

It’s an odd move for the Coyotes, who would be the last team expected to go after a former enforcer with little to no scoring ability. Perhaps they see something in Moroz that the Oilers have given up on, but more likely this is just a positional move as the Coyotes have a surplus of centers and the Oilers need some for their minor league squad.

Stars Acquire Goalie Peters From Coyotes

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The Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes combined to finalize a trade this afternoon with four minor league players changing hands. Dallas announced the transaction on their official NHL.com website. The most notable name is that of goaltender Justin Peters, who goes from the desert to the Stars organization. He has appeared in 83 career NHL games, posting a GAA of 3.08 and a S% of 0.901 over parts of seven seasons. In three games earlier this season with Arizona, Peters has a loss in his only decision while allowing seven goals on 70 shots against.

Peters will provide experienced depth and a possible upgrade for Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Texas goaltenders have combined for a GAA of 3.35 and a S% of 0.890 in 50 games this season. Peters hasn’t had a particularly strong season for Arizona’s Tucson affiliate, recording a GAA of 4.17 and a S% of 0.868, but has posted solid numbers in the past in that league.

Also coming to Dallas is defenseman Justin Hache, who was Arizona’s seventh-round pick in the 2012 entry draft. He has split this season between the Coyotes AHL and ECHL affiliates, tallying one assist in five games for Tucson and nine points in 21 contests for the Rapid City Rush.

Joining the Coyotes organization are forwards Brendan Ranford and Branden Troock. Ranford is the only one of the two to have seen any NHL action, appearing in one game with Dallas last season. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound left wing was originally a seventh-round selection in 2010 by Philadelphia. Since turning pro in 2013-14, Ranford has appeared in a total of 250 games with Texas and has registered a scoring line of 55-105=160 with 89 minutes in penalties.

Troock, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound right wing was chosen by the Stars in the fifth-round of the 2012 draft and has spent the last four campaigns splitting time between Texas and Idaho of the ECHL. In 98 career AHL games, Troock has scored nine goals with 30 points.

It’s unlikely this trade will pay dividends for either team at the NHL level, but it’s possible that the clubs are shuffling some of their minor league depth in order to better facilitate another, more significant deal later. It’s likely the Coyotes will be a seller at the trade deadline and wingers Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata may generate interest in the weeks ahead. Adding Ranford and Troock gives the Arizona organization enough experienced minor league depth at that position to help survive the loss of one or both NHL veterans, should the right offer come along.

 

Minor Transactions: 2/1/2017

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Here’s where we will track the day’s less significant roster transactions:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets reassigned defenseman Dean Kukan to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, according to The Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline (via Twitter). The 23-year-old blue liner was recalled Sunday but did not appear in the Jackets wild 6 – 4 win over the New York Rangers last night. He appeared in eight games last season, his first in the NHL, but failed to register a point. The Swiss-born Kukan signed a deal with Columbus prior to the 2015-16 season after a lengthy pro career playing in his home country. In 37 games this year with Cleveland, Kukan has 13 points.
  • Joe Haggerty of CSNNE has relayed that Zane McIntyre has been recalled by the Boston Bruins to replace Anton Khudobin as the team’s backup netminder. The Bruins are desperate for quality play in goal behind starter Tuukka Rask. McIntyre and Khudobin have combined to post a woeful record of 1 – 8 – 2 in 15 appearances with a GAA of 3.42 and a S% of 0.875. Boston has just two back-to-backs scheduled this month, suggesting they won’t have to rely on their backup much, provided Rask remains healthy.
  • Defenseman Dylan McIlrath and forward Paul Thompson, each of whom was placed on waivers by Florida yesterday, went unclaimed and will remain in the Florida Panthers organization, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. George Richards, who covers the Panthers for the Miami Herald, later added that McIlrath was reassigned to Springfield, along with forward Jared McCann.  McIlrath, acquired earlier this season from the New York Rangers, has seen action in just five games for Florida this season. The former first-round draft pick has had trouble earning regular playing time. Thompson, 28, has played in 21 games for the Panthers, registering three assists while averaging less than eight minutes per game.
  • The Washington Capitals returned blue liner Christian Djoos to Hershey of the AHL, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Djoos was Washington’s seventh-round selection in the 2012 entry draft and has yet to debut in the NHL. He’s in the midst of a solid season for Hershey, tallying 26 points in 35 AHL contests.

 

Burmistrov Filling Need At Center For Coyotes

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After an active offseason in which rookie GM John Chayka aggressively added pieces to supplement a talented young core, it was expected the Arizona Coyotes would be an improved team; maybe not quite a playoff team, but better than the group that finished the 2015-16 campaign with 78 points. Instead the club is on pace for a 65-point season, and much of the reason for the team’s struggles are related to the lack of quality NHL-ready centers.

Injuries to Brad Richardson and Martin Hanzal exacerbated the situation leading Chayka to seek help, both via the waiver wire and through trade. The Coyotes acquired centers Josh Jooris and Peter Holland from the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs respectively in a three day span in December. While those additions helped bridge the gap for the short term, it was a later acquisition that may prove out to be a steal for Arizona.

On January 2nd, the Coyotes were awarded their waiver claim on forward Alex Burmistrov, a talented but underachieving former first-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers. Visa issues delayed his debut with his new team but in six games since entering the lineup, Burmistrov has tallied six points and as Craig Morgan writes in a piece for Fan Rag Sports Network, the 25-year-old is fitting in well with his new club.

Head coach Dave Tippett feels that the addition of Burmistrov, along with the improved play of Christian Dvorak has helped stabilize the center ice position in Arizona:

“We’ve stabilized our center ice a little bit with adding Burmistrov and the growth of [Christian] Dvorak,” Tippett said. “[Burmistrov] has filled a hole at center ice, where he’s good with the puck, he can distribute the puck and [he’s got] good skill and good vision.”

Prior to joining the Coyotes, Burmistrov posted just two points, both assists, in 23 games. While he’s shown flashes of high-end skill at times during his career, Burmistrov’s career-best single-season performance came during the 2011-12 campaign when he netted 13 goals and 28 points.

Burmistrov feels that the opportunity to play in different situations in Arizona has played a part in his strong start:

“That’s the way I grew up playing: in the key situations all the way around. Penalty kill, power play,” he said. “The big thing is coaching trust so I have to keep doing well and don’t let him down. This is a big opportunity for me.”

It should be noted that six games is of course a small sample and his previous coach, Paul Maurice, simply was unwilling to trust Burmistrov to kill penalties or play in key situations:

“Alex has a real strong view of what he’s good at,” Maurice told reporters after Burmistrov was waived. “That’s the most important thing: that a coach and player agree on what they’re good at and then the coach will put them in the position to succeed. Alex and I never would really agree on that.

“Alex and I have had a number of conversations about what he was hoping to have here. I just had other players ahead of him and the role he was looking for wasn’t here.”

Whether or not Burmistrov continues to excel with his new opportunity remains to be seen. However, the low-risk nature of the acquisition is exactly the type of move teams like the Coyotes, clubs who usually don’t spend to the salary cap ceiling, should always be willing to make. The type of skill Burmistrov boasts is hard to find on the open market and despite his inability to earn a regular role with the Jets sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to turn around a player’s career.

Burmistrov’s solid play may also give the team more confidence as they entertain offers for Hanzal. If they do find a suitor willing to meet their asking price for Hanzal, instead of exposing prospects to too much too soon they have Burmistrov on the roster to take up some of the responsibilities.

NHL Stars Support Going To Olympics In 2018

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Alexander Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Jonathan Toews, and Sidney Crosby all agree. The NHL should go to the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018.

Now it’s just up to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and IOC President Rene Fasel to hammer out a deal.

Toews told TSN’s Frank Seravalli “quite frankly, to turn on the Olympics next year and watch the hockey teams and the players representing their country — if it’s not the best in the world, I don’t know, I feel like we’re misrepresenting our sport on a pretty huge scale, on a pretty huge level.”

Toews is part of select group, including Crosby, Shea Weber, and coach Mike Babcock, who could win their third-straight Olympic gold medal in Pyeongchang. Toews believes the Olympics are on a “whole other level” than the World Cup and World Championships.

Pyeongchang would be the first chance for McDavid to represent Canada at the professional level. He told Seravalli that, after playing for Team North America at the World Cup, having a chance to represent his country “would be everything.”

“Just to get a chance to chase down a spot on the team and have that opportunity, it would be very special. But we’re very fortunate in Canada to have a long list of great Canadian players. It’d be a tough team to make.”

While the players appear to be a united front, as evidenced by the chatter at the All-Star Game, the NHL’s board of governors and owners are not in agreement. Many owners are not interested in taking a two-week break in the schedule with the potential for their superstars to come back hurt, like John Tavares did in 2014. Despite this, some owners are clearly supportive, like Ted Leonsis. The Capitals’ owner has be vocal about the players going, even saying he would allow Ovechkin to go regardless of official NHL participation.

Negotiations have not gone smoothly so far. The IOC initially said it wouldn’t cover insurance and travel costs for NHL players, but then found funds to do so. That didn’t go over well with Bettman, who said the IOC “opened a can of worms” with the NHL board of governors by appearing to not value the NHL’s participation, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Earlier this season, the NHL offered the Olympics to the PA as part of a deal that would see the current CBA extended by three years, but that was shot down without much consideration. The subject reportedly came up again at the board of governors’ meeting over the weekend, but talk lasted “just ten seconds.”

The NHL, it seems, would prefer to skip 2018 but return for 2022 in China. The league is already looking at hosting games in China as it looks to expand its presence in Asia.

Time is becoming an issue, as the Games are already just a year away. However, this wasn’t a problem in Turino or Sochi, writes CBC’s Tim Wharnsby, as the NHL didn’t officially agree to go until the summer before.

Despite the negativity surrounding negotiations, Crosby remains optimistic, telling ESPN’s Craig Custance that “you have to trust at the end of the day, everyone is going to work hard to make sure it can happen.”

It’s hard to imagine the NHL not going, especially with its biggest stars being so passionate about attending. Either way, the decision is approaching.

Snapshots: Three Stars, All-Star Game, Jersey Ads

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The NHL has named Wayne Simmonds, Patrick Marleau, and Frederik Andersen as its Three Stars of the Week.

Simmonds scored two goals in two games, including a game winner, in the abbreviated schedule before the All-Star weekend. He was then named MVP of the All-Star Game with three goals in two games as his Metropolitan Division won the weekend. Simmonds has 21 goals this season, good for ninth in the NHL.

Marleau began the week in spectacular fashion, scoring four goals in the third period of a 5-2 win over the lowly Colorado Avalanche. He is just the twelfth player in NHL history to accomplish that feat, and the first to do so since Mario Lemieux did it in January 1997. Marleau had another goal and assist in the Sharks 4-3 win over Winnipeg and 4-1 loss to Edmonton, respectively. He now has 17 goals on the season.

Andersen had back-to-back shutouts in his two appearances last week. He made 26 saves in a 4-0 blanking of the Calgary Flames and 22 saves in another 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Andersen has a 21-10-8 record to go with his 0.921 SV% and three shutouts in his first season with the Maple Leafs.

  • The second year of the new All-Star Game format was very popular, according to NBC Sports. In a series of tweets, NBC Sports PR reported the ratings were up dramatically over the 2015-16 edition of the game. The NHL switched from the previous format of two voted captains picking teams out of the players selected to a three-on-three tournament with all four divisions facing off for the prize money. Prior versions included Eastern Conference vs Western Conference and North America vs World.
  • Fear not, NHL jersey purists. The NHL is not considering putting ads on jerseys, despite having ads on the shoulders of the jerseys at September’s World Cup of Hockey. However, Commissioner Gary Bettman believes there’s a difference between the jerseys at the World Cup and the NHL teams’ sweaters. Bettman commented on the issue during All-Star Weekend, saying “it’s not an active discussion among NHL clubs. I always said we wouldn’t be first… The NBA is doing it. But it would take an unusual circumstance – which I would define as ‘a lot of money that I’m having trouble comprehending right now’ – for us to even be thinking about it.” Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshnyski writes that Bettman “understands the levels of fan backlash if the advertising became too ungainly.”

Hawks Place Rozsival On IR, Recall Forsling From Rockford

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Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter link) that the Chicago Blackhawks have placed 38-year-old blue liner Michal Rozsival on IR retroactive to January 25th and have recalled Gustav Forsling to take his place. It’s unclear what type of injury has led to Rozsival’s IR stint or how long he’ll be out, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of CSN Chicago.

Rozsival, a veteran of 16 NHL seasons, has served primarily as Chicago’s seventh defenseman this season, appearing in just 14 contests. He has registered a single point and is a minus-two while averaging just more than 15 minutes per game. The former Penguin, Ranger and Coyote was also a member of the 2012-13 and 2014-15 Stanley Cup champion Chicago teams.

Forsling, as Roumeliotis further notes, was sent down to Rockford to ensure he was getting top-four minutes to help advance his development. The rookie defender has appeared in 32 games this season for Chicago, tallying a goal and three assists. The 20-year-old Swede was originally a fifth-round selection, 126th overall, in the 2014 entry draft by Vancouver. He was acquired by Chicago via trade in exchange for fellow blue liner Adam Clendening in January of 2015.

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