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Central Division Snapshots: Predators, Desjardins, Bulmer

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One of the projected favorites in the Central Division and a squad thought by some capable of competing for a Stanley Cup, the Nashville Predators are off to a rough start to the 2016-17 campaign. After eight games, the Predators have just five points and are already eight points out of first place in the division. As Adam Vingan of The Tennessean writes, the team has been plagued by inconsistency throughout their lineup.

Vingan points out the Predators even-strength play as a primary factor in the team’s slow start. They’ve tallied just eight goals on the season in even-strength situations and currently rank 19th in the NHL in Corsi For % at five-on-five. Over the last three seasons, Nashville ranks in the top-half of the league in Corsi For %, about three percentage points better than they are this season.

First year team captain Mike Fisher knows the Predators are better than they have shown so far.

“We feel like we’re just not playing up to our potential right now. Individually, as a group, you know you’re a better team. When you’re not getting the results, it’s frustrating.”

Usually a strength, Nashville’s goaltending has also been below par this season. Pekka Rinne has stopped just 90.6% of the shots he has faced overall and is allowing better than three goals a game. Worse yet, he’s not bailing out his defense when they give up a high-quality scoring chance. According to Corsica Hockey, of the 18 goalies who have played at least 240 five-on-five minutes, Rinne is dead last stopping just 71% of high-danger shots against.

Nashville is an experienced team with too much talent to linger near the bottom of the standings for much longer. It’s likely just a matter of time before they iron out their inconsistencies and return to their winning ways.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Checking line forward Andrew Desjardins, who has yet to make his 2016-17 season debut due to a left foot injury suffered in training camp, practiced for the first time since hurting the foot on October 8th, according to Chris Hine writing for the Chicago Tribune. Desjardins is also one of the team’s top penalty-killers, averaging the second-highest shorthanded ice time per game among Blackhawks forwards last season. The Hawks, who have been historically bad killing penalties this year, have allowed 15 power play goals in 30 opportunities against and would surely welcome Desjardins back with open arms. The 30-year-old winger previously did not wear shot-blocking guards on his skates but after this injury Desjardins will be in the future.
  • Brett Bulmer, who was drafted in the second-round of the 2010 draft by Minnesota, has signed with Tampereen Ilves of the Finnish League, the team announced on its Twitter account – tweet in Finnish. Bulmer has appeared in 17 NHL contests over parts of three different seasons recording just three points. In 203 AHL games in the Minnesota system, Bulmer has tallied 23 goals and 55 points along with 245 minutes in penalties.

 

Early Calder Trophy Candidates: Matthews, Marner, Laine

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The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy writes a very preliminary guess as to the front runners for the Calder Trophy, awarded yearly for the league’s best rookie. Brophy concedes that it’s still very early in the season, but based on what he’s seen over the first three weeks, he lists some players to watch as the year progresses. Some names Brophy highlights:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward and #1 overall pick in 2016 Auston Matthews leads the pack, turning in a four goal performance in his first NHL game and following that up with being second overall in league scoring with 10 points (6-4). Linemate William Nylander is right behind him, with four goals and nine points in seven games.
  • Teammate Mitch Marner is also an early candidate, notching a goal and six points in seven games.
  • Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine has eight points (6-2) in seven games and is showing that he was absolutely worthy of the second overall pick in the 2016 draft.
  • Jimmy Vesey, the focus of nearly every team this summer as a free agent out of college, has proven the Rangers right so far. Vesey had four goals (4-1) in seven games thus far.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had two goals and five points in just six games, being a bright spot on what has started out as a disappointing start for the Jackets.

Regardless of who wins, Brophy talks of how the injection of youth in the league is hopefully leading to another wave of talent. Further, Brophy talks about how the excitement of the player’s speed, and skill could hopefully bring back the excitement that Brophy feels has been missing for some time.

Western Conference Snapshots: Eriksson, Baertschi, Stars

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After a solid 4 – 0 start to the campaign, the Canucks fortunes have fallen off as they’ve dropped four straight, including back-to-back shutout losses in their last two starts. While not expected to be an offensive juggernaut, Vancouver’s offense has been worse than advertised averaging a measly 1.75 goals per game. In fact, they are the only team in the NHL that tallies fewer than two per contest. The struggles of prized free agent addition Loui Eriksson and skilled youngster Sven Baertschi have played a big role in Vancouver’s offensive ineptitude. But as Steve Ewen of The Province writes, despite not tallying a single goal between them this season, head coach Willie Desjardins still believes in Eriksson and Baertschi.

Eriksson, who inked a six-year pact with Vancouver worth $36MM this summer, adds much more than simply offense to the team, says Desjardins.

“Loui’s been good. He hasn’t scored, but he’s been good. He gives so many things in so many areas. We’d like to see scoring. But I’m not worried. It will come. He gives us a lot.”

Still, $6MM annually is a lot of money for a player who isn’t contributing much offense. Vancouver will need to him to start putting the puck in the net soon to realize a positive return on their investment.

Baertchi, a former first-round pick, seemed to finally put it together in 2015-16, recording 15 goals and 28 points in 69 contests. The Swiss winger has always had talent but prior to last season had tallied just 8 times prior to joining the Canucks as a result of a 2015 trade with Calgary. But through eight games this season he has just a single point and carries a plus-minus rating of -2.

Desjardins has noted the hard work from Baertschi and envisions good things happening for the 24-year-old winger if he maintains this effort.

“Early, he was methodical. Now, he’s crossed a spot where he’s had enough and he’s pushing harder and things are happening for him.”

Vancouver likely isn’t a playoff-caliber team unless a few things bounce their way. However, they’ll have virtually no chance of staying in the race unless they can start putting the puck in the net. Simply put, Eriksson and Baertschi will need to be much better for Vancouver.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • From the same piece, Ewen also notes that the Canucks have lost forward Jayson Megna to an upper-body-injury and the forward is expected to miss at least 10 days. Megna was injured during the second period of Friday night’s loss to Edmonton. In his place, the Canucks could insert Michael Zalewski, himself recently recalled from Utica, or use defenseman Alex Biega up front, writes Ewen. Injured forwards Derek Dorsett and Alexandre Burrows have both started skating again and could return to the lineup soon.
  • Earlier today the Dallas Stars activated forward Jiri Hudler from IR. In a related move, the team has reassigned Justin Dowling to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Dowling, 26, made his NHL debut this season and appeared in two games for Dallas, recording an assist and a -1 plus-minus rating. In 264 AHL games across parts of seven seasons, Dowling has netted 67 goals and 187 points.

 

Slide-Rule: Who’s Staying In The NHL?

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As the NHL season approaches the nine-game mark, teams will need to make decisions about whether or not to keep their rookies on their roster.

Should a rookie play more than nine regular season or playoff games in one NHL season, then their entry-level contract will begin. If the player plays nine or less NHL games before being sent back to their junior or their European clubs, then their entry-level contract slides to the next season and no longer counts towards the 50-contract limit. There is also an exception whereby rookies without a major junior affiliation can play a full season in the AHL without burning a year of their entry-level contract. This is why Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen still has a three years left on his entry-level, despite playing nine NHL games and 52 AHL games. Anaheim defenseman Jacob Larsson and Buffalo winger Alexander Nylander are able to slide, should they remain in the AHL for the remainder of the year.

There are 21 players still in the NHL who can slide to next year. Here’s a list, with games played (GP) and where they can be sent (information via Cap Friendly):

Arizona:
D Jakob Chychrun (6 GP, Sarnia Sting, OHL)
LW Lawson Crouse (5 GP, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL)
C Dylan Strome (3 GP, Eerie Otters, OHL)

Boston:
D Brandon Carlo (7 GP, Tri-City Americans, WHL)

Calgary:
LW Matthew Tkachuk (7 GP, London Knights, OHL)

Carolina:
LW Sebastian Aho (7 GP, Charlotte Checkers, AHL or Kärpät, Liiga)

Colorado:
LW Mikko Rantanen (1 GP, San Antonio Rampage, AHL)

Columbus:
D Zach Werenski (7 GP, Cleveland Monsters, AHL)

Edmonton:
RW Jesse Puljujärvi (6 GP, Bakersfield Condors, AHL or Kärpät, Liiga)

Florida:
C Denis Malgin (7 GP, Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL or ZSC Lions, NLA)

Minnesota:
C Joel Eriksson Ek (4 GP, Iowa Wild, AHL or Färjestad, SHL)

Montreal:
D Mikhail Sergachev (3 GP, Windsor Spitfires, OHL) (Assigned to junior Oct. 31)

New Jersey:
C Pavel Zacha (7 GP, Sarnia Sting, OHL)

New York Islanders:
C Mathew Barzal (2 GP, Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL)
C Anthony Beauvillier (7 GP, Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL)

Ottawa:
D Thomas Chabot (1 GP, Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL) (Assigned to junior Nov. 2)

Philadelphia:
F Travis Konecny (8 GP, Sarnia Sting, OHL)
D Ivan Provorov (8 GP, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

Toronto:
RW Mitch Marner (7 GP, London Knights, OHL)
C Auston Matthews (7 GP, Toronto Marlies, AHL, or Zurich, NLA)

Winnipeg:
LW Patrik Laine (8 GP, Manitoba Moose, AHL or Tappara, Liiga)

Matthews, Marner, Aho, Konecny, and Laine appear to be locks to remain in the NHL for good, while Werenski, Puljujärvi, and Provorov are more likely than not to stay in the NHL. The remainder of the list could go either way.

Should a player stick beyond nine games, there is another key deadline to be aware of: 40 games. Should a player play 40 games, then that season counts towards unrestricted free agency. A player must play seven seasons in order to qualify. This has happened twice in recent memory: Daniel Sprong played 18 games with the Penguins last season, starting the clock on his entry-level contract, but not burning a year towards UFA; the Oilers kept Leon Draisaitl in the NHL for 37 games in 2014-15.

Columbus Sends Sonny Milano, John Ramage To AHL

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After placing John Ramage on waivers yesterday, the Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned both him and Sonny Milano to Cleveland of the AHL. Ramage cleared today, after not getting into a single game with the team this season.

Milano was Columbus’ first round selection (fourteenth overall) in 2014, and since has been an effective scoring threat in both the OHL and AHL. He broke into the NHL last season for three games, notching a single assist. After starting the year with the Monsters, he was called up a week ago but didn’t get into a game with the big club.

Ramage, a former fourth-round pick of the Flames wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer after the 2014-15 season and thus became a free agent. He signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jackets tht summer, only to be extended this past March for two more years. The 25-year old is the son of former NHLer and #1 overall pick Rob Ramage, who played over 1000 games in the NHL and collected 564 points.

Wild Waive Teemu Pulkkinen; Assigned To Iowa

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Saturday:  Pulkkinen has cleared waivers and been assigned to the Iowa Wild of the AHL.

Friday: Only 17 days after claiming him from the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild waived forward Teemu Pulkkinen after just eight games with the team. In those eight games, Pulkkinen had one goal and was a -1. Though many felt Pulkkinen didn’t get a fair shake in Motown, his performance in Minnesota fell short of what the Wild brass certainly thought they were getting in a player expected to score goals.

NBC Sports’ Mike Halford wonders if Pulkkinen could be reacquired by the Red Wings, since he would be able to go back to Grand Rapids, not impacting the NHL roster as he did three weeks ago. Halford quotes Wings coach Jeff Blashill as having “an unreal amount of respect” for him. Perhaps a return to Detroit isn’t far fetched after all.

Should Pulkkinen clear waivers, he will report to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.

Buffalo Sabres Send Linus Ullmark To Rochester

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According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have sent goaltender Linus Ullmark back to Rochester of the AHL. Anders Nilsson will start tonight in net.

Ullmark was recalled this week because Robin Lehner was ill and unable to play, but will head back down to start in the AHL. The 23-year old was off to a great start with the Americans this season, holding a 3-1 record with a .926 save percentage.

While goaltenders tend to take a while to develop, it seems like Ullmark is close to being ready for an NHL job already. In starting 20 games for the Sabres last year after Lehner went down, he showed that at least on a part-time basis he can handle the rigors of an NHL schedule and perform at a capable level. Though the Sabres have discussed committing long-term to Lehner and believe he’s an above-average NHL starter, the fact that Ullmark isn’t far off should excite Sabres fans.

Ottawa Senators Recall Matt O’Connor

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With Craig Anderson on a leave of absence from the team, the Ottawa Senators have recalled goaltender Matt O’Connor from the Binghamton Senators today. The Sens other goaltender, Andrew Hammond left yesterday’s game with a lower-body injury, leaving Chris Driedger as the only healthy netminder left in Ottawa.

Now with O’Connor up, the team will be playing with the pair that was meant to be their AHL tandem this season, not unlike the situation in Los Angeles. O’Connor only left Boston University two seasons ago, and has 37 professional starts to his name. While he hasn’t had much success so far at the AHL level, he was exceptional in college; the netminder went 25-4-4 with a 2.18 GAA and .927 save percentage in his final year.

Driedger, for what it’s worth, is even younger than O’Connor and has a similar level of pro experience. The Sens’ third-round pick in 2012, Driedger has spent more time in the ECHL than the AHL since his selection. The 22-year old has played in a single NHL game in each of the last three seasons though, as the Senators have dealt with issues in net on a regular basis.

Red Wings Notes: Vanek, Howard, Pulkkinen

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The Detroit Red Wings are off to a great 6-2-0 record this season, and part of it has been the exceptional play from Thomas Vanek. The Austrian winger has scored eight points in seven games this season, but missed the Wings last game against the Blues with a lower-body injury.  He’s not at the morning skate again today, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com and won’t play again tonight.

Vanek signed a one-year, $2.6MM deal with the Red Wings this summer, a huge bargain if he could get back to the ~60 point player he was once a lock to be. The former forty-goal man has been on a steady decline in recent years, and has big question marks defensively.

  • Jimmy Howard will start tonight, his third of the season. After Petr Mrazek took the job last season, Howard has been fighting to prove that he is capable of starting at this level still, in order to entice another team to go after him.  The 32-year old has been heavily rumored to be on the market, but since he comes with such a big price tag Detroit might ultimately have to keep him as the backup. Howard is owed almost $5.3MM annually for the next three seasons.
  • Former Red Wing Teemu Pulkkinen has been waived again, this time by the Minnesota Wild. The AHL sniper can’t seem to find his footing in the NHL, and will likely be claimed by a team once again. He had one goal in his eight-game stint with Minnesota that was filled with concern about his foot speed at the NHL level. While his shot is incredibly strong, he often couldn’t keep up with the level of play.
  • Tomas Jurco was back skating today at practice, according to Khan. While the young forward hasn’t played this season, he’s set to make his return from a back injury in mid-November.

Snapshots: Oduya, Sproul, Trouba, Fowler

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Mike Heika writes that the development of Dallas’ young defenseman has been helped by the presence of Johnny Oduya. The four defenseman standing to benefit, Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, Stephen Johns and Esa Lindell, have the two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman patrolling the blue line. General manager Jim Nill talked about Oduya’s professionalism and dedication to the sport and how it plays a huge role in the development of younger players:

“It’s hard to tell his age, because he’s in such great shape. He’s a consummate professional, and he’s the kind of guy that players naturally attract to. They want to ask him what he’s eating and why. They want to know how he’s working out.”

Oduya was signed as a free agent by the Stars in 2015 and defenseman Stephen Johns followed from Chicago when he was dealt along with Patrick Sharp to the big D. Johns commented on Oduya’s leadership, especially during a rough series for Johns against Minnesota during the 2016 playoffs. Johns said that Oduya’s words of wisdom were instrumental in his confidence growing.

Though the Stars are 3-3-1, the steady Oduya should help the younger defensive corps bring the Stars back to its expected perch as one of the best in the West.

In other NHL news:

  • The Red Wings have guaranteed one of their young defenseman an extended stay with the big club writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Khan answered a number of questions and regarding young defenseman Ryan Sproul, the club has apparently told Sproul to a find a place to live in the Detroit area. Khan reports that Sproul will duke it out with Alexey Marchenko and Xavier Ouellet for a final spot on the blue line when Niklas Kronwall returns from a knee injury. When Tomas Jurco returns, Khan opines that it will most likely be Ouellet as the odd man out, which would mean being exposed to waivers.
  • Khan also answers about the Red Wings’ likelihood of obtaining Jacob Trouba or Cam Fowler via a trade, but from the sounds of it, Trouba is still a far fetched option while Fowler might end up staying in Anaheim after all. Khan says that the Ducks may reconsider moving Fowler should their offensive woes continue. Trouba, on the other hand, will simply cost too much for the Wings to trade for, and the young, left handed defenseman the Jets seek in return is something Detroit cannot provide.

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