Evening Notes: Updated Draft Odds, Keith
With the season winding down, and teams vying for the better odds of winning the Rasmus Dahlin sweepstakes, the Ottawa Senators took another step in upping their chances at the top pick by losing to Detroit 2-0 this afternoon. With just four games remaining, the Sens are tied with Arizona for the second worst record in the NHL with 65 points. Buffalo still has the best shot at securing the rights for the first overall pick. The NHL released the odds two days ago and with several teams within a few points of one another, the “tank-a-thon” race could be the matter of a few points as opposed to Colorado’s historically bad season in 2016-17. As it stands, here are the odds for the ten worst teams through Saturday evening. Vancouver won in overtime, blowing a 4-1 lead late but still notching two points, which moved them from a 9.5% chance to 8.5%. Please note that Arizona, Buffalo, New York (Rangers and Islanders), Edmonton, and Montreal all play tonight, which could alter the landscape a bit.
Buffalo (18.5%) – 60 points – 5 games remaining
Ottawa (13.5%) – 65 points – 4 games remaining
Arizona (11.5%) – 65 points – 4 games remaining
Montreal (9.5%) – 68 points – 5 games remaining
Vancouver (8.5%) – 69 points – 3 games remaining
Detroit (7.5%) – 71 points – 3 games remaining
Chicago (6.5%) – 74 points – 3 games remaining
NY Islanders (6.0%) – 74 points – 4 games remaining
Edmonton (5.0%) – 74 points – 4 games remaining
NY Rangers (3.5%) – 75 points – 4 games remaining
- The Chicago Blackhawks are going to miss the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, and some of that has to do with the Hawks inability to score goals. Duncan Keith has seen his share of struggles and is on pace to set an NHL record for the wrong reasons writes the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus. After taking 183 shots on net this season, Keith has only gotten the puck past a netminder once. Though his goal scoring has dropped off since he potted 10 back in 2014-15 when Chicago captured the Stanley Cup, nobody saw Keith’s performance going off the rails quite like this. Lazerus writes that if Keith doesn’t score in the final three games, Keith will set the NHL record for lowest non-zero shooting percentage. Lazerus adds that while Keith has been far and away the best defenseman for Chicago this season, he’s even fallen away from what has been his best play. Lazerus attributes this to being one of the only true top four defenseman on the team, something that has bogged down the two-time Norris Trophy winner.
Minor Transactions: 03/29/18
The Arizona Coyotes are playing the ultimate spoiler down the stretch, winning again last night against the Vegas Golden Knights to draw even with the Vancouver Canucks for last in the Western Conference. Arizona has played well of late, giving them some hope for next season as they look to build around a young core.
For the Coyotes and all the teams out of the playoffs, now is the time to experiment with players who might not have had a chance to prove what they can do earlier in the season. With that, we’ll keep track of all the minor transactions around the league right here.
- The Boston Bruins have sent Paul Postma back to the minors while recalling Tommy Cross under emergency conditions. Cross, the Providence Bruins captain, has played 66 games in the AHL this season and could be getting just a nice bonus for a good season. The 28-year old defenseman wasn’t on any of the pairings at morning skate, as both Zdeno Chara and Matt Grzelcyk took their normal spots.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Colin White under emergency conditions, and announced that Chris Wideman will not play again this season. White has played 15 games with the Senators this season, but failed to make enough of an impact to keep him in the lineup full-time. The 21-year old forward is still a big part of the Senators’ future, but hasn’t had the season many had hoped from him after his dominant career at Boston College.
- Josh Jooris has been recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins as Derick Brassard battles injury, meaning Riley Sheahan probably moves back to the third line center position. Jooris was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes for just this reason, giving the Penguins some added depth should they face injury.
- Pheonix Copley has been re-assigned once again, sent back to the minor leagues after a short recall. Copley has been filling in for the Washington Capitals when needed, but still hasn’t actually entered a game.
- Spencer Foo is coming up for the Calgary Flames, using their fourth post-deadline recall. Foo was signed out of the NCAA last spring, and has made an impact in the AHL during his first season of professional hockey. He’ll likely get a chance to make his NHL debut over the last week of the season, and compete for a full-time job next fall.
- With Semyon Varlamov (illness) and Jonathan Bernier (infection) both expected to be available on Friday night, the Avalanche have returned goaltender Spencer Martin to San Antonio of the AHL. Martin has not seen any action with Colorado this season but has appeared in 32 games at the minor league level, posting a 3.02 GAA and a .895 SV%.
Ottawa Senators Sign Andrew Sturtz To Two-Year Deal
The Ottawa Senators have signed NCAA free agent Andrew Sturtz to a two-year entry-level contract. Sturtz recently finished his junior season at Penn State, where he led the team in scoring with 40 points in 37 games.
Sturtz, 23, played his junior hockey in Carleton Place just outside of Ottawa and will now complete a homecoming of sorts after three years at Penn State. The undersized forward will actually graduate after just those three seasons, something Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion mentions in his press release to announce the signing:
Andrew is a player whom we identified as someone we were interested in for some time. He is a skilled, competitive player who can play both center and the wing. He’s not only talented, but the type of character player we are looking for. He’ll graduate from Penn State in only three years and we look forward to having him in camp next season.
The contract will begin in 2018-19, meaning that Sturtz won’t hit restricted free agency until the summer of 2020. Though he may have a long road to the NHL, this first step has been made possible by the continued effort around the league to give chances to smaller skilled players. Talent like Sturtz may have been overlooked in the draft even just a few years ago, but after finding success in college there is little risk in giving him an opportunity at the AHL level.
Minor Transactions: 03/28/18
Tonight’s games are the first time the NHL situation room will have control over goaltender interference reviews, which will undoubtedly come up at some point in the four games on tap. If it does, we’ll get to see the first instance of what should be a more consistent decision-making process. Hopefully, all the kinks will be ironed out before the playoffs start in a few weeks.
As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league heading into tonight’s action. Check back throughout the day for more updates.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Ben Sexton back to the minor leagues, after playing just eight minutes last night for the club. The 26-year old forward made his NHL debut on Monday, but will have to wait some more for his next chance.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Andrew Hammond, as Semyon Varlamov is dealing with an illness and cannot start tonight. According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, Hammond looks like he’ll make his Colorado debut tonight in an important game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Avalanche are one point out of the playoffs after their most recent loss, though will be playing their game in hand over the Anaheim Ducks tonight.
- With the Charlotte Checkers in the midst of a playoff run, the Carolina Hurricanes have sent Warren Foegele and Roland McKeown back to the minor leagues. They could be back up next week, after showing their worth at the NHL level recently.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have activated Michal Neuvirth from injured reserve, which means the end of the run for Alex Lyon for the time being. Neuvirth hasn’t played since February 18th, and is coming back just in time to help the Philadelphia playoff run. Things aren’t locked in for the Flyers just yet, but getting healthy in net can only help.
Matt Duchene Open To Talking Extension With Senators
Although negotiations can’t begin until July 1st, Senators center Matt Duchene acknowledged to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that he is open to discussing a long-term contract extension to remain with the team. Ottawa picked up Duchene in an early-season trade with Colorado and while he struggled early on, he has picked up his play in recent weeks, recording 25 points in 26 games since February 1st.
The 27-year-old carries a $6MM cap hit through 2018-19 while his salary increases to $6.5MM for next season as well. It’s likely that he will be looking for a similar, if not bigger, deal in order to put pen to paper on an early extension with the Senators and forego his first foray into unrestricted free agency.
Minor Transactions: 3/25/18
There have already been a couple early moves today as the league prepares for the second-to-last week of the regular season. Expect more to come as injuries and college additions continue to shift roster makeup. Others will be made to specifically prepare for key match-ups, such as major playoff position battles today between the Penguins and Flyers and Predators and Jets. Keep track of all the action here:
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Ben Sexton from their AHL affiliate in Belleville, marking the first big-league call-up for the 26-year-old. Sexton was a leader and top scorer as a college player at Clarkson University from 2010 to 2014, but the Boston Bruins, who had drafted him in the seventh round in 2009, moved on after just two disappointing minor league campaigns. Ever since, Sexton has been much more productive in the AHL and has finally earned his first NHL shot in his first season with the Senators after posting 10 goals and 21 points in 28 games so far in 2017-18.
- Victor Ejdsell is also making his first trip to the NHL, not long after making his North American pro debut. The Chicago Blackhawks have announced Ejdsell’s promotion this morning and the 22-year-old Swedish forward could be in the lineup in short order, seeing as it was an emergency recall. Ejdsell was acquired by Chicago in the Ryan Hartman trade last month and only joined the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs last week. Ejdsell recorded 34 points in 50 games in the Swedish Hockey League this season before making the jump and notched an assist in his first AHL game.
- With backup Al Montoya suffering through a minor ailment, the Edmonton Oilers announced they are recalling Laurent Brossoit on an emergency basis. The 25-year-old goaltender and one-time back-up this year has struggled in the NHL, posting a 3.22 GAA and a .886 save percentage in 13 games this year. He’s fared slightly better with the Bakersfield Condors with a 2.72 and a .912 save percentage in 22 games. The Oilers also announced they have sent forward Brad Malone to Bakersfield. Malone had been recalled Friday, but did not play Saturday.
- The St. Louis Blues’ Samuel Blais has been up and down quite a bit in the past couple of days. The 21-year-old winger was called up Friday on an emergency basis and sent back down that night. He was recalled Saturday on an emergency basis and was assigned back to the San Antonio Rampage this morning, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He did not play in either Friday’s or Saturday’s games. The Blues have also assigned emergency fill-in Ville Husso to the San Antonio Rampage, according to NHL.com’s Lou Korac. The move suggests that Blues backup Carter Hutton, who has been out with a neck injury since Mar. 3, is ready to return to the team.
GM Notes: Holland, Dorion, Bergevin
The Detroit Red Wings were officially eliminated from postseason contention recently, but the majority of their fans had already given up on this season some time ago. Even before it started, the Red Wings looked to be in a tough spot as they transition from the old guard to the first steps of a rebuild. They’ve done well to add draft picks over the last two years, but one question still remained. Who would be leading them down these uncharted waters, and towards the next successful Red Wings team?
Many fans have expressed a desire for change at the top, and GM Ken Holland‘s contract is up at the end of the season. Whether that means there will be a new voice steering the ship is still unclear, but Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) provides a wealth of insight into how the organization and other executives around the league see the situation. Answers range from an expected extension to a trip to Seattle for the long-time Detroit GM, but it seems we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out where he’ll be next year.
- Pierre Dorion, another GM on the edge of a potential rebuild and a fan mutiny, provided some answers on his plans for the Ottawa Senators offseason to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Dorion confirmed that on July 1st they will indeed offer an extension to Erik Karlsson, though he didn’t give any indication what that offer may look like. He also admitted that the front office will evaluate the coaching staff, including Guy Boucher, after the season and decide what the future will look like behind the bench. The Senators had an extremely disappointing season after coming just a goal shy of the Stanley Cup finals in 2017, and have faced several media firestorms over comments by everyone from Kyle Turris to owner Eugene Melnyk.
- In his latest 31 Thoughts column, Elliotte Friedman mentions that Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin received a vote of confidence from ownership for the second time this season. If that means Bergevin is sticking around to fix what went wrong this season, the response in Montreal will likely be very divided. There are many fans who believe the organization should go in a different direction with their front office, but if Bergevin does indeed remain this summer could be quite interesting. Never one to shy away from a big trade, the Canadiens have to do something to take advantage of the best years of Carey Price and Shea Weber, and are still starved for the first-line center they’ve been looking for for years. Friedman mentions that Martin Lapointe, currently the Director of Player Development, could assume a larger role going forward.
Minor Transactions: 03/23/18
While you get ready for some big matchups around the league tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here. Keep checking back throughout the day to stay up to date on your favorite team.
- Libor Sulak is coming over from Europe to join the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Czech free agent defenseman signed with Detroit last spring, but spent this season playing in Finland where he recorded 32 points in 42 games. The 24-year old will test his skills at the AHL level down the stretch, and battle for a spot with the Red Wings next year.
- Because it’s another day that ends in “Y”, Tim Heed has been recalled once again by the San Jose Sharks. Heed has been bouncing up and down constantly for the last few weeks, but hasn’t played since February 25th.
- Filip Gustavsson has been officially added to the Belleville Senators roster as expected, after paperwork was filed to bring him to North America. The young goaltender was the big addition at the trade deadline for the Ottawa Senators, who believe he can be an NHL goaltender (not so far) down the road.
- Brad Malone is back up with the Edmonton Oilers under emergency conditions, rejoining the team after just sending him down yesterday. The 28-year old forward likely never left the club, and was just part of a paper transaction for the game last night.
- With Marc-Andre Fleury back in the Vegas crease, Oscar Dansk has been returned to the Chicago Wolves. Dansk has played just four games for the Golden Knights this year, but carries a .946 save percentage and even recorded a shutout. The 24-year old goaltender will likely be the first call should Malcolm Subban or Fleury experience an injury in the postseason.
- Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, as the team tries to make one last push towards the playoffs. Blais has 35 points in 35 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season, and three points during his short time in the NHL.
- With Dominik Simon healthy enough to resume playing, the Pittsburgh Penguins have sent his interim roster spot replacement, Josh Jooris, back to the AHL. Jooris, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline, has yet to record a point with the Pens in four games.
Senators May Be Looking For A Quick Retooling Instead Of Long-Term Rebuild
Although the Senators were sellers at the trade deadline last month, TSN’s Darren Dreger cautioned in an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link) that their actions shouldn’t be interpreted that they’re looking towards a long-term rebuild. Instead, he suggests that Ottawa is leaning more towards a renovation over a full-scale overhaul.
Of course, that could change depending on which direction their 2019 unrestricted free agents are looking to go. Not only is defenseman Erik Karlsson a UFA after next season, so too is top center Matt Duchene. If one or both of them give an indication that they’re not willing to re-sign, the Senators may be forced to reconsider that plan. If that indeed happens, Dreger expects winger Mike Hoffman, who the team became more and more hesitant to move leading up to the deadline, to be someone that they consider trading.
Snapshots: Gustavsson, Stamkos, Global Series
The Ottawa Senators have been focused on adding young players to their organization lately, and one of the most important names is Filip Gustavsson. The 19-year old goaltender was the main piece coming back for Derick Brassard at the trade deadline, and today the team announced that they’ve finished the paperwork required to bring him to North America.
Gustavsson will join the Belleville Senators this week, and the team could give him an opportunity right away. The baby Senators have just 19 regulation or overtime wins this season, and are well out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. Though there isn’t much to look forward for fans of the franchise, Gustavsson’s arrival is a shining light.
- Steven Stamkos has been fined $5,000 (the maximum amount) for a “dangerous trip” of Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly last night. Though that amount may not seem like very much to a player earning $9.5MM this season, every incident of supplementary discipline is added to his record for future events. Stamkos was also fined earlier this year for unsportsmanlike conduct when he squirted water from the bench.
- The NHL announced today that tickets to the 2018 Global Series are already sold out. The games will include matches in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany, in an attempt to continue growing the game and the NHL brand around the world. With these events proving successful so far, the future of the Series seems safe.