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Brandon Wheat Kings’ Nolan Patrick Returns To Ice

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In the upcoming entry draft, there are a couple of players who are considered locks to be in the top few picks. One of them has only played six games this season, yet remains the consensus number one option.

Nolan Patrick, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ superstar center, has been out since the early part of the season after re-aggravating the area that needed surgery in the summer. Patrick had sports hernia surgery after Brandon was eliminated from the playoffs, and admittedly came back a little early.

Though he hoped to have been ready for the World Juniors, he missed that deadline and is now just trying to work his way back to help Brandon this season. He got another step closer to that today as he took the ice just after practice.  He’s skated on an off for a while now, testing the injury at times with varied results.

As Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun has said for a while, the rumors of Patrick not reporting back to the Wheat Kings were fabricated. While the team may still consider a trade of the young superstar – the team is 18-15 and a long way from winning a Memorial Cup – he will return to the team soon.

It’s an odd year for draft prospects, with Patrick basically absent all year and Timothy Liljegren, the expected second pick, struggling before being loaned to the lower Swedish league just yesterday. After those two, the field opens up to players like Maxim Comtois, Gabriel Vilardi and Nico Hischier, among others.

For Patrick, getting back on the ice won’t do much for his draft stock, but it would do loads for his development. Missing the majority of your draft year is never good for any prospect looking to make an impact in the NHL right away. Hopefully he’ll be back lighting up rinks very soon.

The Disastrous Duty Of Drafting Defensemen

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In professional sports, there is an oft-quoted saying that suggests that “defense wins championships”. It’s no surprise that in the NHL, the best of the best are getting extensions like Aaron Ekblad (8 years, $60MM) and Victor Hedman (8 years, $63MM). They’re valuable assets in a league that doesn’t have enough capable defenders.

Back in the summer, we looked at the increasing value of right-handed defensemen, with players like Jason Demers (5 years, $22.5MM), Ben Lovejoy (3 years $8MM) and Roman Polak (1 year, $2.25MM) all getting contracts that seemed expensive for their on-ice value.

Perhaps it’s not just the right-handed ones though. Prices for defensemen are skyrocketing on both the open market and in trade negotiations, and it’s because even though teams want to draft and develop their own blueliners, it’s incredibly difficult to do so.

In the 2007 entry draft, there were 60 defensemen selected and only 13 of them have played more than 200 NHL games. Even that group includes players like Keaton Ellerby, Ian Cole and Yannick Weber who would not inspire much confidence at the top of anyone’s depth chart (apologies to Cole, who is having a fine season in Pittsburgh).

In comparison this is actually a fairly good draft, as in 2006 just six out of the 65 defensemen chose have crossed that 200 games threshold. While 2006 is perhaps the most stark example, as Erik Johnson (drafted first overall) is the only high-end defenseman in the entire draft – his competition for that title are the likes of Andrew MacDonald, Jeff Petry and Mike Weber.

Drafting defensemen is even more of a crap shoot, as often they develop later than forwards and rely more on experience and positioning than raw skill. In 2006, eight were taken in the first round and only Johnson is still in the NHL. Ty Wishart, Bobby Sanguinetti and Chris Summers highlight the rest of the round.

This past draft nine defenders were taken in the first round, with Jakob Chychrun in Arizona and a three-game taste from Montreal’s Mikhail Sergachev being the only forays into the NHL so far. Obviously, it’s much too early to tell whether any of these will be long-term options, but the past seems to say that many won’t.

For teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs or Edmonton Oilers, whose fan bases and media members have said for years to ’just draft a defenseman’, it’s much more difficult than it seems. Even using your first round pick on a blueliner does not guarantee success, or even an NHL player. It’s hard to find those elite defensemen, even if you sink your whole draft into them.

With only a few successful ones coming out each year, it’s no wonder players like Jacob Trouba and Cam Fowler have huge price tags on their heads. Their teams may never get a chance at a player of their caliber again (although, Anaheim seems to buck this trend and have success with a high number of defensive draft picks).

Mirco Mueller Recalled By Sharks…Again

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In what has become one of the more amusing stories of the season so far, Mirco Mueller has been recalled once again by the San Jose Sharks. The team has moved Marc-Edouard Vlasic to injured reserve to make room.

For the eighth time this year, Mueller will be involved in a transaction between the NHL and AHL. There was a period in December that saw the defenseman called up and sent down three times in a single week.

Amazingly, Mueller has still yet to play in a single game for the Sharks, instead just helping the team practice and then sitting in the press box. He has however played in 25 games for the San Jose Barracuda between all the moves, registering eight points.

The former 18th-overall pick is having a strange season, but from all accounts a strong one for the AHL team, as he continues to develop into a two-way defenseman. With both Vlasic and David Schlemko absent from practice today, perhaps he’ll get into his first game with the Sharks this season on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

Snapshots: Pedan, Benn, Auvitu

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The Vancouver Canucks have decided that Andrey Pedan might have a better chance of realizing his potential if he actually plays. The team has sent him back to the AHL to join the Utica Comets. Pedan has spent multiple periods with the Canucks this season, but has yet to get into a single game. Like Frank Corrado in Toronto, he’ll go back to the AHL to get some game time in.

The 23-year old has had trouble with his defensive game since coming over from the Islanders organization, but is a physical presence and can chip in offensively when he’s playing well. He’s played 19 games this season for the Comets, registering three points and 30 penalty minutes.

  • Jamie Benn is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury for the Dallas Stars, reports Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. The captain will hopefully be able to play in the team’s next game, which thankfully isn’t until Wednesday. Benn has 34 points in 38 games this season, though his 10 goals is a far cry from the 41 he put up a year ago.
  • The Devils have sent Yohann Auvitu to Albany to make room for their recent waiver claim, Reid Boucher. In welcoming back the former Devil, Auvitu will head back to the AHL after playing 24 games this season with the NHL club. The French-born defenseman has four points (two goals, two assists) in those 24 games this season.
  • Arizona, the other team who made a waiver claim today, has moved Ryan White to injured reserve to make room. White hasn’t played since December 21st due to a lower-body injury, and has five points in 30 games this season. Likely back soon, the team will have to make a move to accommodate him when he does return.

Frank Corrado Sent To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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The Maple Leafs have basically refused to play Frank Corrado all season, sitting him in the press box for all but one of their games this year. With that in mind, the team has sent him to the AHL on a conditioning stint that can last up to two weeks. Corrado is allowed to play in seven games before returning, which would feel like an entire season for him at this point.

The team has also sent Byron Froese to the Marlies today ahead of their upcoming road trip. The 25-year old center played in just two games after being brought up to replace an injured Tyler Bozak. The team has inserted young Frederik Gauthier into their fourth line center role after Ben Smith was placed on injured reserve, and from all accounts he’s done well enough to keep it.

These are interesting moves for a team that is about to go on a short road trip through Washington and New Jersey, especially because it’s the Leafs’ annual “Dad’s Trip”, where they bring the players’ fathers along on the road with them. The team now has two empty roster spots for the upcoming trip, meaning only Josh Leivo is there as an extra skater.

Likely there will be a corresponding move, whether it’s a trade or separate call up. It’s nice for Corrado though, who has had a tough year not playing anywhere. The 23-year old has now played just 40 games over the past two seasons with the Maple Leafs, which some would say has stunted his development somewhat. The former fifth round pick was a strong puck mover in junior, but has now played in just 68 games across parts of five seasons in the NHL.

Quotable: Babcock On Centennial Classic, Maple Leafs Future

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When Auston Matthews scored his 20th goal of the season and lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 overtime victory in the Centennial Classic Sunday night, they extended their win streak to five games and pulled within three points of the third place Boston Bruins for a playoff spot. While the team is still constantly blowing third period leads and have faced exactly zero playoff teams during the streak, many fans and media members are starting to think the postseason is a realistic possibility for the young club.

After the game, head coach Mike Babcock talked candidly about where he thinks his team is now and the atmosphere at the outdoor game.

On Matthews’ continued success:

Well he’s a good player. I mean, he played head to head with [Henrik Zetterberg], Z had three points, [Anthony] Mantha had three points. They were really good too, so let’s not get too carried away there.

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Auston Matthews Scores 20th Goal Of Rookie Season

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Since the 2005-06 season when the NHL brought itself into a new era, 33 players have scored 20 or more goals in their rookie year. Headlined by the unbelievable rookie campaigns of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin (the latter of which who scored more than 50, the first of seven such seasons) it’s a group of all-stars and perhaps even more than a handful of hall of fame players. It also includes Petr Prucha and Peter Mueller, showing that it’s not a guarantee for success though a pretty good indicator.

This year, the group will likely have a handful of entrants. With players like Patrik Laine in Winnipeg and Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary having great success, this may be the best rookie crop in years. But today it’s Toronto that took the rookie spotlight, with Mitch Marner, Connor Brown and Auston Matthews all scoring in the Centennial Classic. Matthews, who scored twice (including the overtime winner) has already punched his ticket as the 34th player to score 20 as a rookie in the salary cap era.

The rookie phenom now has 32 points in 36 games, and is on pace to score more goals that even Crosby did as a rookie. The league hasn’t seen a teenager score 40 goals in his rookie season since Eric Lindros did it in 1992-93, and there may be two (with Laine) that do it this year. That exclusive group includes just five players: Lindros, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk and Sylvain Turgeon.

When you add Connor McDavid to the teenage mix (though no longer a rookie), it’s an unbelievable group that is doing unprecedented things in the NHL. With 14 goals in his last 17 games, Matthews is likely on an unsustainable pace, just as Laine was earlier in the year. But even if his production slows down, he’s already in the discussion as an elite center in the NHL and should be for a long time.

The Calder Trophy run should be a heck of a battle down the stretch, with no clear winner emerging so far. We’re excited to watch.

Atlantic Notes: Erne, Farnham, Mantha

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The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday, putting them just two points behind the Boston Bruins for the final divisional playoff spot with one game at hand. As they welcome in the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, they’ll have a new face in the lineup. Adam Erne has been recalled by the team, and likely will make his NHL debut against the Jets. The 2nd round pick (33rd overall) has earned his stripes in the AHL this season and last with 47 points in 90 games. After scoring 86 in his final year of junior, the American-born Erne will look to make an impact at the NHL level.

The callup is likely to replace Bryan Boyle, who left last night’s game with a lower-body injury and did not return.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have also made a roster move, bringing up tough-guy Bobby Farnham from the AHL for the second half of their current 7-game road trip. Farnham has played in 64 NHL games and has just ten points and 121 penalty minutes.
  • Anthony Mantha is finally showing why he was picked 20th overall in 2013. The big winger has extended his current point streak to six games with a goal in the Centennial Classic in Toronto. That makes it seven points over that stretch, and 14 for the season in 22 games. If he can turn into the dominant power-forward he was projected to be for the Red Wings, perhaps it won’t be too long at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
  • After Johan Larsson suffered a dislocated wrist in Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins, he has remained in a local hospital nursing the injury. Jourdon LaBarber reports that it’s also an elbow injury for Larsson, who will be out “long term” for the Sabres. He’ll travel back to Buffalo with the team on Monday for further evaluation.

Snapshots: Blue Jackets Win 15th Straight, Jagr, Subban

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Not even the Minnesota Wild could defeat the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild, winners of 12 straight heading into Saturday’s contest, lost 4-2 to Columbus. The Jackets ran their winning streak to 15 games. Yahoo’s Jen Neale called it  the “Unsustainabowl” as both teams went into the game with franchise record winning streaks. With the win, the Jackets now hold the second longest winning streak in NHL history while also wrapping up an undefeated December. Aaron Portzline reports that the Jackets tied the 1981-82 New York Islanders and the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Penguins with their 15th consecutive win.  The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins hold the all-time record, winning 17 straight.  That team was coming off back to back Stanley Cup wins. Portzline writes that after yesterday’s triumph, several Blue Jackets players finally acknowledged that they want to usurp the NHL record. Portzline quoted Brandon Saad as saying:

“It’s pretty hard to fathom actually,” said wing Brandon Saad, a Pittsburgh native. “What a team that was and we all know what it (the streak) is at and we’re looking to take over. We’re continuing one game at a time and we have some tough tests coming, but this has been fun to be a part of.”

  • A member of that 92-93 Penguins squad continues to rack up accomplishments of his own. Jaromir Jagr tied Paul Coffey for fifth all time on the assist list when he set up Vincent Trocheck’s goal Saturday night. Jagr also scored his 756th goal in the Panthers’ 3-1 victory over Dallas. The accomplishments for the 44-year-old winger continue as in addition to moving up on the career assists list, Jagr is second all time in points (1,891) and third all time in goals.
  • After a report that P.K. Subban may have a herniated disc, the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan writes that the loss of Subban for an extended amount of time would be “problematic” for a team that hasn’t lived up to the preseason expectations of being a Stanley Cup contender. Vingan adds that the Predators’ defensive depth should be able to absorb such a loss.

 

Centennial Classic Notes: New Start Time, Differing Expectations

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Frank Seravalli tweets that due to a sun glare in Toronto, the Centennial Classic will be pushed back thirty minutes from its expected 3ET start. Pierre LeBrun adds that concern for the players safety, due to the sun being in their eyes, is the main reason for the 3:30 ET start.

  • Pension Plan Puppets managing editor Scott Wheeler writes how the Maple Leafs’ expectations are much different than they were three years ago when they played Detroit in the Winter Classic. Calling the team three years ago one in “flux,” Wheeler takes a long look at the changes made in what has been a transition toward building a champion. He notes that while the Leafs are sitting tenth in the Eastern Conference, the tone of the season feels “decidedly different” than the former, where they were competing for a playoff spot during the 2013-14 season. Besides the new faces, younger talent, and having Mike Babcock running the team, the Centennial Classic strikes a chord of change–one that signals a team on the rise versus a team, just three seasons ago, trending down with no hope in sight.
  • On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Leafs’ opponents in Detroit are trying to figure out just what they really are. The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin reports that the Red Wings believe their chances to make the playoffs are there because of parity. But Larkin paints a more honest picture of the team than those within are willing to admit. The Red Wings power play is a nightmare, Larkin writes, and is a major reason the Wings are just 16-16-4. He adds that Detroit is the second oldest team in the league, saddled with an aging core, and unable to build around star Dylan Larkin because they lack “can’t-miss” talent in the minors. The main issue, however, is that the organization is hard wired to make the playoffs, a quarter century tradition that may impede the ability to rebuild properly. From Larkin:

Whether it’s a good thing for this team to keep wheezing its way to low-seed playoff berths doesn’t matter to the guys wearing the winged wheel crests. They’ll keep fighting until reality finally sets in. They believe the league’s unprecedented parity will help them triumph.

  • Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com writes about Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, who says the Red Wings are not only trying to extend the streak, but to win the Stanley Cup. Though some may bristle in the face of Detroit’s struggles, Cotsonika writes that the players “do not want to go quietly” and have no interest in being part of a rebuild. Cotsonika also included a story about the mixing of Leafs old and new, and how interacting with those from the Leafs’ storied past serves as inspiration for the new generation.

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