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NHL

Pacific Division Notes: Boedker, Canucks, Peters, Gaudet

November 27, 2016 at 5:15 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

After losing to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final, the San Jose Sharks, with most of their roster set to return, made just a couple of minor changes in the summer. Their headline acquisition was the signing of unrestricted free agent winger Mikkel Boedker to a four-year deal worth $16MM. The Sharks concluded after watching the Penguins storm through the postseason with a quick and deep roster that they needed an infusion of skill and speed and went out on the first day of free agency and signed Boedker to add those elements.

Unfortunately for Boedker and the Sharks, the adjustment to his new team isn’t going as smoothly as hoped. Through 22 games, the Danish forward has just two goals and is averaging less than one shot per contest. Last season, Boedker scored 17 goals and averaged better than two shots per game. Despite the presence of high-end offensive talent up front, Boedker has yet to develop chemistry with any of his fellow forwards. It got bad enough last night that Sharks coach Pete DeBoer benched Boedker for the third period of a game the Sharks would lose 3 – 2, as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News writes.

DeBoer didn’t mince words in postgame comments regarding the benching:

“Again, we were behind going into the third. Some guys it was just circumstance. Some guys didn’t deserve to play.”

Ryan Carpenter and Micheal Haley, two fourth-line forwards, also didn’t play in the third but that would seem to be due to circumstance, as DeBoer put it.

It’s obviously far too early to label the Boedker signing a bust but it’s clear that 22 games in the investment isn’t paying off to this point for the Sharks.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Jason Botchford pens a piece for The Province listing 10 reasons to feel good about the Vancouver Canucks. Despite internal expectations to compete for a playoff spot, most pundits felt the team simply doesn’t have enough talent still in their prime to challenge for the postseason. Unfortunately for Vancouver, the latter group has proven write. But as Botchford points out, even in the midst of a bad season, there still can be reasons to feel good about the Canucks. Perhaps the topic most relevant for us was Botchford’s mention of Erik Gudbranson’s potential free agent asking price. Gudbranson was acquired in an offseason deal with Florida and is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next summer. Botchford believes that a figure of $5MM annually has been floated but suggests the early struggles, both of the team and of Gudbranson, could serve to bring that number down to something more palatable for the Canucks.
  • The Arizona Coyotes called up a couple of players in advance of their game today against Edmonton – a contest they would win 2 – 1. Sarah McClellan of AZ Central Sports reports that the team recalled goaltender Justin Peters from Tucson to backup starter Mike Smith. Louis Domingue is currently day-to-day with a lower-body-injury. According to Arizona head coach Dave Tippett, the injury is “nothing serious,” but the Coyotes wanted a fully healthy net minder up if needed. Meanwhile, according to KPNX 12 News Sports, Arizona also recalled center Tyler Gaudet from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Gaudet has made one other appearance this season for the Coyotes and has 17 games overall of NHL experience. In 11 games with the Roadrunners, Gaudet has two goals and seven points. Neither player saw action this afternoon for Arizona.

 

AHL| Dave Tippett| Free Agency| Injury| NHL| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| San Jose Sharks| Utah Mammoth| Vancouver Canucks Louis Domingue| Mike Smith| Mikkel Boedker

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Atlantic Division Snapshots: Vasilevskiy, Bruins, Leafs

November 27, 2016 at 1:00 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

When the Tampa Bay Lightning inked Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year contract extension this summer, a deal that doesn’t go into effect until the 2017-18 season, it appeared as if the organization was committed to the Russian net minder as its future number one goalie. With Ben Bishop set to hit free agency next July, the idea was to give Vasilevskiy about 35 starts this season to be sure he was ready to assume the load as a starter. After eight starts this season, it’s becoming clear to all that the 22-year-old is most definitely ready to be the man for the Lightning, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Vasilevskiy is 6 – 1 – 1 on the season and has a GAA of just 1.50 and a Save % of 0.951 in eight appearances. His hot start comes on the heels of helping the Lightning make it to game seven of the Eastern Conference Final against Pittsburgh last season after Bishop was injured. Vasilevskiy was solid in the postseason, stopping 0.925% of the shots he faced in eight games.

Assuming Vasilevskiy continues to develop into a quality starting option, his extension, which calls for an AAV of just $3.5MM, will prove to be a tremendous bargain for a team that already has a lot of its cap space tied up in long-term deals.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  •  The Boston Bruins have long been thought to be in the market for a top-four blue liner, with Kevin Shattenkirk being one name linked to the team. However, given the team’s recent offensive struggles, Bruins management may want to reconsider their plans. Joe Haggerty, of CSNNE, reports that both the players and the coaches are becoming frustrated with the team’s lackluster goal scoring. David Pastrnak, the team’s gifted 20-year-old sniper, leads the team with 12 goals in just 16 games. Brad Marchand, currently out with a lower-body-injury, is second with six tallies while fourth-line pivot Dominic Moore ranks third on the club with five markers. Overall the Bruins rank 25th in the NHL, averaging just 2.3 goals-per-game. However, defenseman Torey Krug is confident the goals will come given the team finished fifth in the league last season in scoring: “When you see other teams get lucky bounces here and there – in Ottawa they’re shooting the puck wide and it goes off one of our guys and in, or in Minnesota the same thing happens – and we find ourselves not getting those bounces, then it starts to get frustrating when you’re getting good looks like we have been. Every team goes through these little lulls and we’ll work our way out of it. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”
  • While the Toronto Maple Leafs are certainly a fun team to watch, bouyed by a talented young core of forwards, veteran head coach Mike Babcock knows defense wins championships. Ian Shantz of the Toronto Sun writes that Babcock is asking more from his blue liners as the team battles to stay relevant in the postseason race. Babcock singles out Morgan Rielly as the guy he wants to see play like a #1 defender: “We need (Morgan) Rielly to be our No. 1 guy. We need him to be very good for us, and that’s not racing around the rink. That’s playing without the puck.” The Leafs do have some talent on the back end but it’s likely that if they are buyers at the trade deadline that the blue line is the one area the team will look to improve.

Boston Bruins| Coaches| Free Agency| Injury| Mike Babcock| NHL| Players| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs Andrei Vasilevskiy| Ben Bishop| Brad Marchand| David Pastrnak| Dominic Moore| Kevin Shattenkirk

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Saturday Injury Roundup: Niskanen, Edler, Vlasic

November 27, 2016 at 11:40 am CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

It was a tough night to be a blue liner in the NHL last night as three, top-four defensemen went down with injury last night.

Matt Niskanen of the Washington Capitals suffered a lower-body-injury last night and did not return, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Capitals head coach Barry Trotz offered no further details after the game, only saying the 30-year-old blue liner would be reevaluated today. Niskanen comprises one-half of the team’s shutdown duo with Karl Alzner. He has posted nine points, all assists, in 21 games this season.

The Vancouver Canucks lost Alexander Edler last night after the 11-year vet blocked a shot during the team’s 3 – 2 shootout win over Colorado. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun tweeted that Edler would undergo x-rays on his hand and added that Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins that it “doesn’t look good for Edler.” Edler provides the Canucks with a steady, veteran presence on the blue line, particularly with Chris Tanev out of the lineup. On the season, the 30-year-old defenseman has three points and has a -8 plus-minus rating in 21 games.

Finally, Marc-Edouard Vlasic left the Sharks game against the Ducks last night after the second period and did not return. Curtis Pashelka, who covers the team for the San Jose Mercury News, added later via Twitter that the team’s head coach, Peter Deboer, provided no update on Vlasic after the game. Losing Vlasic for any length of time would be a blow to the Sharks. The 29-year-old defender is second on the team behind Brent Burns in average ice time and often lines up against the opposition’s top players.

Anaheim Ducks| Injury| NHL| Players| San Jose Sharks| Vancouver Canucks| Washington Capitals| Willie Desjardins Brent Burns| Chris Tanev| Karl Alzner

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Leafs AHL Goalie Sparks Suspended Indefinitely

November 27, 2016 at 10:38 am CDT | by Glen Miller 2 Comments

TSN reported last night that the Toronto Maple Leafs have suspended AHL net minder Garret Sparks indefinitely for violating team policy. Specifically, Sparks is believed to have used “violent and sexist language toward a user in an online group.”

Sparks has not appeared in a game this season for the Leafs and because of injury has been limited to just four appearances for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. For the Marlies, the 23-year-old goalie has won three of his starts and has a GAA of 2.02 with a Save % of 0.918.

The 2011 seventh-round draft choice made his NHL debut last season for the Leafs, starting 17 contests and finishing with a 3.02 GAA and a Save % of 0.893.

Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated there is no timetable for Sparks’ return but the situation will be reevaluated next week.

Should the Leafs need to recall a goalie from the AHL for any reason during Sparks’ suspension, it would likely be Antoine Bibeau who gets the call. Bibeau, the Leafs sixth-round choice in 2013, is 6 – 4 – 3 with a GAA of 2.50 and a Save % of 0.908 for the Marlies.

AHL| Injury| NHL| Suspensions| Toronto Maple Leafs Garret Sparks

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Central Division Snapshots: Arvidsson, Blues, Hawks, Johns, Oduya

November 27, 2016 at 10:15 am CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson is establishing himself as a legitimate top-six forward in the league with a strong early performance in Music City. In a feature on the team’s official NHL.com website, John Glennon writes that Arvidsson, after going undrafted on two separate occasions before finally going in the fourth-round of the 2014 entry draft, is exceeding any expectations associated with someone of that pedigree.

The Swedish winger saw significant action during the 2015-16 campaign, appearing in 56 regular season games and all 14 postseason contests, but only flashed his on-ice abilities. Arvidsson tallied just eight goals and 16 points last year but through 20 games this season, the 24-year-old has nearly matched that level of production with six goals and 13 points. He’s on pace to register 20-plus goals and eclipse the 50-point plateau, which is production commensurate with a top-six forward.

After going undrafted in both the 2012 and 2013 entry drafts, Arvidsson worked hard in his native Sweden to turn himself into an energy player:

“When I got up to the Elite League in Sweden, they wanted me to work on my strength and stamina so that I could play at a high level every game and every shift. I worked really hard, and I think it helped me a lot. Since then, I’ve been an energy player. Before that, I was kind of an average player.”

Glennon compares Arvidsson to a popular former Predator, tough guy winger Jordin Tootoo, in that despite playing different styles, there is a “buzz” generated when they are on the ice.

Earlier this season, Arvidsson graduated to the team’s top line with center Ryan Johansen and winger James Neal. He’s currently fifth on the club in scoring and second behind only Neal in shots on goal with 61.

Arvidsson is just another example that procuring NHL talent is an inexact science at best. Quality players often go undrafted but with hard work can become regulars in the NHL.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides updates on a couple of injured Blues. According to Rutherford, Alexander Steen returned to practice Saturday but it’s still unclear when he’ll return to action. Steen has missed the last five games due to an upper-body-injury. Meanwhile, the news is more optimistic for blue liner Joel Edmundson. He also returned to practice Saturday but Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock indicated the 23-year-old defender could be ready to return to game action next week.
  • After a 3 – 3 – 1 start to the campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks have turned their fortunes around, winning 11 of their last 16 decisions and accumulating 24 of a possible 32 standings points. This is despite boasting the league’s worst penalty kill, which allows nearly three goals for every 10 opportunities. The team has fared much better at even strength with a +13 goal differential in five-on-five man situations. But, as Chris Hine writes for the Chicago Tribune, the team feels as if they need to be even better. Head coach John Quenneville believes the team needs to generate more offensive opportunities at even strength: “We haven’t given up much five-on-five, but we haven’t generated what we’re looking for. A lot of games we’re neutralized (five-on-five), be it the neutral zone or both zones.”
  • Lastly, Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News discusses the juggling that Stars head coach Lindy Ruff is having to do with the team’s blue line. Dallas has eight NHL-caliber defenders on the roster but obviously can only dress six on any given night. Johnny Oduya is currently on IR with a lower-body-injury but Ruff has still found it difficult to get Stephen Johns into the lineup. Consequently, the team assigned Johns to their AHL affiliate to get some game action this weekend. Johns scored three goals in two games for Texas, earning a quick recall to the big club. Meanwhile, Oduya appears to be nearing a return, according to Heika.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Dallas Stars| Injury| Ken Hitchcock| Lindy Ruff| NHL| Nashville Predators| Players| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues Alexander Steen| James Neal| Joel Edmundson| Jordin Tootoo

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Metro Division Snapshots: Islanders, Hall, Stolarz

November 26, 2016 at 8:45 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 2 Comments

The use of advanced statistics and analytics is becoming more prevalent in the NHL with each passing year. Along with that, advances in technology have improved both the quantity and the quality the information available to teams. Companies who develop analytics platforms utilizing new technology continue to pop up and one, a startup based in Russia and called Iceberg, is now being employed by the NHL’s New York Islanders, according to this article on Bloomberg.com.

As Bloomberg goes on to report, Iceberg is already working with professional teams in the KHL, Sweden and Austria and now has its first NHL client. The platform includes several cameras small enough to fit into a suit case and easy enough to set up at any venue within minutes. The software is able to identify and track any player on the ice surface and its algorithms gauge up to 500 metrics while also suggesting which players to put on the ice in any situation.

It remains to be seen how effective the new platform will be for the teams employing it. As Henrik Evertsson, GM of the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish League, indicates, the system is just one of many tools decision-makers will use:

“We hadn’t jumped on this wagon if we didn’t believe in the system. It will be one tool of many in our toolbox.”

While advanced analytics will never fully replace traditional scouting, it can greatly augment the “eyeball test,” and serve as an important element of evaluation and decision-making in the game.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • Taylor Hall underwent knee surgery to repair meniscus damage nine days ago. The injury was expected to keep the goal-scoring winger out of action for three-to-four weeks but Devils head coach John Hynes tells NJ.com’s Chris Ryan that Hall is “a little bit ahead of schedule,” in his rehab. Hall has already missed six games – tonight makes it seven – during which the Devils have gone 2 – 4 – 0 while scoring 14 goals. Hall, who is tied for the team lead in goals with three others, is the Devils most potent offensive weapon. His return, particularly if it comes earlier than expected, will provide the Devils a much-needed spark as they attempt to remain in the playoff hunt as long as possible.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have struggled in the goal-prevention department, ranking dead last in goals allowed this season. Much of the blame can be placed on the team’s goaltending duo, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth, who have combined for a Save % of 0.879. With Neuvirth out of the lineup for up to a month, the Flyers recalled goaltending prospect Anthony Stolarz, and the 22-year-old net minder will make history tomorrow night by becoming the first New Jersey-born goalie to play in the NHL, as Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly reports.

 

Injury| John Hynes| KHL| NHL| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| Philadelphia Flyers| Players| RFA| Snapshots Michal Neuvirth

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The 2016 All UFA Bargain Team

November 26, 2016 at 7:15 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 7 Comments

Organizations generally wait until around the quarter mark of the campaign before making determinations on their team. Are they contenders or pretenders? Do they anticipate being buyers or sellers at the deadline? These are among the questions teams begin to ponder at this point in the season. Subsequently, now seems like a good time to look back at the summer’s free agent signings to see which are outperforming expectations and can safely be called free agent bargains.

Forward

Eric Staal (Minnesota) – Three years, $10.5MM: After a down season in 2015-16 split between Carolina and the New York Rangers, questions surfaced about whether Staal was a legitimate top-line center or if his decline in production was representative of a player past his prime. Staal recorded 10 consecutive seasons – 2005-06 through 2014-15 – in which he recorded at least 53 points but stumbled to a 39-point output last season. Those concerns led to a discounted contract which compensates Staal at the level of a well-paid third liner as opposed to a top-line player.

Staal has rebounded this season and through 20 games with the Wild, the 13-year veteran has registered 15 points. Perhaps a better sign his early-season production may be based more on ability than on luck, Staal is back to averaging close to three shots per game. Last season he averaged just 2.4 shots per contest and for his career he is at 3.3. Staal is currently tied for 57th among forwards in points-per-game; a rank perfectly in line with that of a top-line forward.

Jonathan Marchessault (Florida) – Two years, $1.5MM: Marchessault could prove to be the steal of the summer. He signed a two-year deal with the Panthers worth just $1.5MM this summer after failing to find a permanent role in either Columbus or Tampa Bay. Through 20 games in South Florida, the 25-year-old forward has nine goals and seven helpers and is on pace for a 65-point campaign.

While Marchessault struggled to earn regular NHL work prior to this season, he has an excellent junior and minor league track record. In 306 AHL games, the 5-foot-9, 174-pound wing tallied 98 goals and 262 points. That success at least suggests Marchessault can continue to produce at the level of a top-six forward. That’s a steal for $750K.

Michael Grabner (New York Rangers) – Two years, $3.3MM: Grabner was a solid producer while with the Islanders, averaging 0.30 goals-per-game over parts of five seasons. But after registering just nine goals and 18 points in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2015-16 campaign, Grabner was available at a bargain price for the Rangers.

All he’s done for the Blue Shirts is register 12 goals, all at even strength, and 16 points in 22 games with the Rangers. He ranks third overall in goals scored while his total at even strength leads the league. He’s also tops in the NHL in plus-minus with a rating of +20. His penalty-killing ability has also been welcome on Manhattan. Perhaps he won’t continue to produce at this level but even then, he’s well on his way to a 20-goal campaign which would be a tremendous return on a $1.65MM investment.

Defense

Brian Campbell (Chicago) – One year, $1.5MM: Campbell was dead set on returning to Chicago as a free agent this summer and he did, at a rate the cap-strapped Hawks could afford. Campbell has eight points in 22 games this season, despite seeing nearly four fewer minutes of ice time per contest than he averaged in 2014-15. Currently, the 37-year-old blue liner is on pace for a 29-point campaign, which is pretty good value relative to Chicago’s minimal commitment.

Patrick Wiercioch (Colorado) – One year, $800K: Wiercioch inked a one-year contract with Colorado after his previous employer, the Ottawa Senators, elected not to submit a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent. Wiercioch has been a good fit on the Avalanche blue line, ranking fifth on the team in scoring with eight points and leading the club with a +2 plus-minus rating. The 26-year-old has been utilized primarily as a third-pair defender and is fifth among the team’s blue liners in average ice time at 17:27 per game.

Goaltender

Chad Johnson (Calgary) – One year, $1.7MM: Johnson was signed by Calgary to ostensibly serve as the understudy to summer trade acquisition Brian Elliott. But while Elliot has struggled in his new surroundings – 3.43 GAA and a 0.882 Save % – Johnson has provided the Flames with steady play between the pipes. In 11 starts this season, Johnson has a GAA of just 1.98 and a Save % of 0.928. Only five goalies who have appeared in at least 10 games have a better GAA than Johnson.

 

AHL| Calgary Flames| Colorado Avalanche| Florida Panthers| Minnesota Wild| NHL| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| Ottawa Senators| RFA| Toronto Maple Leafs Brian Campbell| Brian Elliott| Chad Johnson| Eric Staal| Jonathan Marchessault| Patrick Wiercioch

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Kings Activate Marian Gaborik From IR

November 26, 2016 at 5:10 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Kings have activated right wing Marian Gaborik from IR, according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Gaborik is expected to take the ice for warm-ups and head coach Darryl Sutter will make the decision of whether the Slovakian forward will make his 2016-17 season debut tonight. A broken foot suffered during the World Cup of Hockey kept sidelined Gaborik all season.

No announcement of a corresponding move has been made but the Kings don’t need to clear a roster spot to accommodate Gaborik. With the 34-year-old winger back in the lineup, the Kings have 21 skaters – 14 forwards and seven defensemen – and two goaltenders.

Currently tied for 15th in the NHL in scoring, the Kings could certainly use the infusion of skill Gaborik brings to the table. A seven-time 30-goal scorer, Gabroik’s production has tailed off in recent seasons, however. He tallied just 12 goals in 54 contests during the 2014-15 campaign but netted 27 in 69 the season before, suggesting he still has something left to offer.

Now entering his 16th NHL season, the 34-year-old Gaborik has scored 386 regular season goals in 933 games. He was originally drafted third overall in the 2000 entry draft by the Minnesota Wild and has also spent time with the New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Darryl Sutter| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| NHL| New York Rangers| Newsstand Marian Gaborik| World Cup

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Atlantic Division Snapshots: Sabres, Huberdeau, Stralman, Ottawa Arena

November 26, 2016 at 3:45 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

Two years ago the Buffalo Sabres finished with the worst record in the NHL and were outscored by an astounding 113 goals. This was largely by design as the team was in the midst of a full rebuild and the 2015 entry draft boasted two top talents in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Sabres management knew if they wanted to secure a true franchise player they would need to finish at the bottom of the NHL standings.

That season the Sabres scored the fewest goals in the league and as bad as their offense was then, this year’s edition is so far even worse. During the 2014-15 campaign Buffalo averaged a meager 1.96 goals-per-game. This season the team is averaging just 1.86 goals-per-game. The team has struggled even more in the month of November, tallying just 19 goals in 13 games.

Even without Eichel, who has been out all season with an ankle injury, the Sabres were expected to mount a more prolific offensive attack. But as John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes, while the team is struggling to put the puck in the net, they are generating plenty of chances.

Ryan O’Reilly, who was acquired from Colorado in a blockbuster deal during the summer of 2015, has been counted on to lead the offense with Eichel on the shelf. He has nine points in 15 games on the campaign, but just one goal in his last 12, and he expects more from himself.

“It’s frustrating. It’s scoring goals again is the problem, and that’s my job. I’m not doing it right now.”

“We’ve got to shoot the puck better. It’s that simple. We’re moving it well. We’re supporting each other. We’re getting these good looks, but it’s beating the goalie. That’s all it is. It starts with myself. I’ve got to do that.”

Goaltender Anders Nilsson feels that the team is overdue for a little luck.

“We don’t get those dirty goals, and we don’t get those goals off the post and in or off a shin pad and in. We have to work really hard for every goal we score. Hopefully, we can turn that around and get the bounces with us.”

It does appear as if Eichel should be back in the lineup in relatively short order but even without their franchise center, the Sabres boast a talented group of forwards who are capable of putting the puck in the net. Kyle Okposo has topped the 20-goal mark three times in his career while Evander Kane has done so twice, including last season. Matt Moulson has three 30-goal campaigns on his resume and O’Reilly has tallied at least 50 points in four of the last five seasons. Once Eichel is back on the ice, the Sabres should be able to get their offense back on track.

  • Like Buffalo, the Florida Panthers have been without one of their top players all season. Jonathan Huberdeau injured his Achilles during training camp and was expected to miss three to four months. According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Huberdeau is progressing in his rehab but is still not expected back in action for a while. Panthers bench boss Gerard Gallant described the recovery time line as between four and six months, which indicates Huberdeau could be out for much of the regular season.
  • The news is better for the other Florida team as Anton Stralman appears to be nearing a return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup. Bryan Burns, who covers the Lightning for NHL.com, tweeted that head coach Jon Cooper said the blue liner could see action on the team’s upcoming road trip. Stralman has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body-injury. Stralman has seven points in 15 games this season and is averaging better than 22 minutes per contest.
  • A new arena for the Ottawa Senators appears to be one step closer to a reality, as Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes. The National Capital Commission (NCC) has given its formal approval for negotiations between the federal government and RendezVouz LeBreton to proceed. Garrioch adds that the Rogers Place Arena Ice District in Edmonton has provided the perfect model for what the Senators want to build in Ottawa. One NCC board member is impressed with how the Rogers project revitalized the downtown area in Edmonton and hopes a new arena will do the same in Canada’s capital.

Buffalo Sabres| Florida Panthers| Injury| NHL| Ottawa Senators| Players| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning Anders Nilsson| Connor McDavid| Evander Kane| Jack Eichel| Jonathan Huberdeau| Kyle Okposo

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Predators Make Handful Of Roster Moves

November 26, 2016 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators appear to have lost three key regulars to upper-body-injuries and to take their places the club has recalled four from Milwaukee of the AHL. James Neal, Ryan Ellis and Colton Sissons all missed either all or part of the team’s game Friday and each sat out practice today, according to the team’s official website. Jim Diamond, who covers the Predators for the AP, tweeted that the players were all listed on IR on the NHL media site.

Robby Stanley, the team correspondent for NHL.com, reported via Twitter that the team recalled forwards Kevin Fiala, Frederick Gaudreau and Michael Liambas along with blue liner Petter Granberg.

The loss of Neal is a particularly tough one for the Predators. The veteran winger leads the team in goals with 10 and his 15 points rank second on the team.

Ellis is one of the team’s top defenseman, averaging the third most ice time among skaters on the team. He has nine points in 19 games and is a plus-six on the season.

Fiala, one of Nashville’s top prospects, has appeared in 10 games this season with the Predators and has two goals. He has tallied two goals and eight points in seven AHL contests.

Liambas is known more for his toughness than for his skill. He has just one goal but 29 penalty minutes in 16 contests with Milwaukee. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound winger was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 2015. The 27-year-old has yet to appear in an NHL game during his career.

Gaudreau played in one game earlier this season, the first NHL action of his career, seeing nine minutes of ice time and failing to register a point. He has nine points in 15 games for the Admirals.

Granberg appeared in a career-high 27 games last season with Nashville, recording two assists while averaging 13:43 of ice time. The 24-year-old was selected by Toronto in the fourth-round of the 2010 entry draft but was lost to Nashville on waivers last year. In 16 games for Milwaukee, Granlund has not registered a point.

 

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| NHL| Nashville Predators| Players| Waivers James Neal| Petter Granberg

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