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Injury Notes: Little, McNabb, Toews

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The Winnipeg Jets have scored a respectable 62 goals in 24 games, and they’ve done it without one of their top weapons. Bryan Little has been out since being injured just two and a half minutes into his season, but will return tonight against the New Jersey Devils on home ice. The 29-year old is a proven goal scorer in the NHL, with 163 to his name including four seasons of 20+. The Jets have placed Nic Petan on injured reserve retroactive to November 27th to make room.

While the media has focused on the Jets’ lack of faceoff success, Little thinks he can help the team in that department.

That’s one of my goals to come back. It’s something I feel like I can be good at right away again, to get back into the faceoff dot. I see the guys working on it every day, they’re talking to the coaches, watching video and practicing in practice.

I think we can all help each other a bit. Throughout the game we take faceoffs against different centermen on the other team…we’ve got some good communication through the centers of trying to work through things.

Little is actually a 48.6% faceoff man throughout his career, though he won just over half of his draws last season which led the Winnipeg centers.

  • According to Jon Rosen of NHL.com, Brayden McNabb took to the ice today for the first time since injuring his collarbone on October 29th. While he didn’t take part in any drills, it’s a step in the right direction for the big defenseman. Rosen passes on from head coach Darryl Sutter that McNabb is still “at least a month away”. The 25-year old had been logging over 20 minutes a night for the Los Angeles Kings before being injured, skating alongside Drew Doughty in what was considered by some to be the second-best pairing in the league. The Kings, not short on defenders, have continued to be tough to score against even without McNabb or Jonathan Quick, who remains out.
  • Jonathan Toews will miss his third straight game tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Florida Panthers. The team captain was seen in street clothes while the team was practicing, meaning his return might not be imminent. Chicago is 1-1-1 without Toews in the lineup, having lost to the Kings in overtime on Saturday.

Darren Dreger On Dougie Hamilton

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TSN Insider Darren Dreger was on Naylor & Landsberg in Toronto this morning to talk about the possibility of a Dougie Hamilton trade out of Calgary and the interest of the Maple Leafs. While Dreger downplayed the idea that anything has been discussed between the Maple Leafs and Flames, he admitted that he believes Hamilton is still available for the right price.

I think that Toronto should be intrigued by Dougie Hamilton. But as (TSN analyst) Ray Ferraro just pointed out, Hamilton is valued by the Calgary Flames. His game has improved over the past three weeks to a month, and big…young, right-shot d-men are hard to find.

(General manager Brad) Treliving is at a place where if someone’s calling he’s willing to listen, but we in the media have done the bidding. Hamilton’s name is out there because we continue to talk about it – right or wrong.  

I think that Calgary is at least willing to listen…maybe Treliving does something significant like this, not just with Toronto, but moving Hamilton or a bigger piece to shake up the core.

Dreger mentions that Arizona and other teams called in on Hamilton at the NHL draft, though obviously nothing materialized from those talks. The defenseman is signed long-term, inking a six-year $34.5MM deal before the beginning of last season.  He’s an interesting piece to basically the whole league, as his potential is still mouth-wateringly high despite his rough start in Calgary.

Hamilton was drafted with Toronto’s first-round pick in 2011, only by the Boston Bruins. The team acquired the selection in the initial Phil Kessel deal (along with #2 overall in 2010 – Tyler Seguin) but traded the hulking defenseman to the Flames last summer for a package of draft picks.  Dreger seems convinced that the rumors of Hamilton returning to Toronto should be put to sleep, as Trelving answered him quite candidly the last time they spoke.

I asked Brad Treliving point blank yesterday if he had anything going on with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I didn’t suggest Hamilton, I just said anything. His response was: ’Nothing. Zero.’ When managers tell you that specifically, that bluntly, it means they don’t want that conversation to continue on, because there’s nothing there at least for the moment.

Travis Moen Retires From Professional Hockey

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After fourteen years and 747 career games, veteran forward Travis Moen has announced that he will retire from professional hockey. The 34-year old from Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan hadn’t found a job this season after spending the last two seasons playing sporadically with the Dallas Stars. <a rel=

Moen is perhaps best known for his shutdown play alongside Sami Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer en route to the 2007 Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. Their play helped the Ducks run roughshod over the rest of the league in those playoffs, losing only five games total. Moen actually was credited with the Cup-winning goal, though it was put into the net by Chris Phillips in one of the biggest NHL bloopers of all time.

The winger would then spend time with the San Jose Sharks before playing for the Montreal Canadiens for parts of six seasons. Though his offensive game never hit that 2006-07 high again, he remained an effective penalty killer and bottom-six checking forward for much of his time there.

Across the 747 games, Moen scored 59 goals and 136 points. He played in a whopping 83 playoff games, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. Always playing with an edge, and willing to drop the mitts at a moment’s notice, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move into a coaching role one day, as many checking forwards have before.

Roster Notes: Pulock, Hammond, Newbury

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After a much-needed win last night over the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders have some more good news this morning. 22-year old defenseman Ryan Pulock has been activated off injured reserve and loaned to Bridgeport of the AHL. The former 15th-overall pick has played in just three games between the two levels this season as he dealt with a broken foot early on.

For the Islanders, Pulock’s return might be an important step in turning their season around. Expected to play a substantial role on the NHL blueline this year, the right-handed shot would slide in nicely beside Calvin de Haan if the team chose that route. He’ll look to get his game back on track at the lower level and force a callup. Last season, Pulock played in 15 NHL contests, notching four points. Even without him, the Islanders have one of the youngest bluelines in the league with Dennis Seidenberg out with a broken jaw.

  • According to the AHL transactions page, recently waived goaltender Andrew Hammond has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators prior to tonight’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. Despite the call up, Bruce Garrioch reports that Craig Anderson was first off the ice and will start tonight after winning both games this weekend, allowing just a single goal in the process. The Senators are on a four-game winning streak thanks in big part to the 35-year old netminder who currently carries a .936 save percentage through 17 games.
  • Veteran AHL forward Kris Newbury has signed on with the Charlotte Checkers after being released from his Bakersfield PTO. The 34-year old has never been able to find NHL success despite scoring at an impressive rate in the AHL. Newbury has 567 career minor-league points, but has been used exclusively as a fourth-liner grinder and fighter during his short NHL stints around the league.

Senators Call Up Forward McCormick From Binghamton

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Preparing to play the second half of back-to-back games tonight, the Ottawa Senators apparently have a few players battling some nagging injuries. Accordingly, the team has called up forward Max McCormick from Binghamton, as reported on Ottawa’s official website. McCormick, along with defenseman Fredrik Claesson will skate in the team’s warm-up before head coach Guy Boucher decides on the lineup for tonight.

McCormick, 24, has already appeared in four games this season for the Sens, failing to register a point while averaging just 7:26 of ice time. In 12 games for Binghamton, he has tallied three goals and four points along with 11 penalty minutes. He was originally selected by the Senators in the sixth-round of the 2011 entry draft. In 24 career NHL games, McCormick has two goals, four points and 37 penalty minutes.

Claesson has played in six games for Ottawa this season, also without netting a single point. He’s seen action in 22 NHL contests with two career assists. Claesson, like McCormick, was a 2011 draft choice, selected in the fifth-round by the Senators.

Pacific Division Notes: Boedker, Canucks, Peters, Gaudet

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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.

 

Atlantic Division Snapshots: Vasilevskiy, Bruins, Leafs

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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.

Saturday Injury Roundup: Niskanen, Edler, Vlasic

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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.

Leafs AHL Goalie Sparks Suspended Indefinitely

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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.

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

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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.

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