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Atlantic Division Notes: Lazar, Bylsma, Tampa Bay

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The Ottawa Senators have reportedly been perusing the trade market since early on in the campaign in search of a scoring forward, albeit without success to this point. With the recent news that Clarke MacArthur will not be returning this season due to lingering issues related to a concussion suffered in the preseason, the Senators search now has added urgency with the trade deadline approaching. However, as Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun writes, the Sens should not be willing to include Curtis Lazar in any potential trade for an upgrade at forward.

Even though Lazar has failed to register a single point in 23 games this season for Ottawa, Brennan sees parallels between the 21-year-old forward and another former Senators first-round pick, Nick Foligno. Selected with the 28th overall choice in the 2006 draft, Foligno spent the first five seasons of his NHL career with Ottawa but never scored more than 17 goals or 47 points in any single campaign and ultimately was dealt to Columbus in exchange for defenseman Marc Methot. Since the trade, Foligno has developed into a terrific power forward with a 30-goal campaign to his credit and is on pace for 60-plus points this season. To be fair, Methot has been a solid defender for Ottawa but a physical forward that can score, something Brennan believes Lazar can become, is exactly what this Senators club needs and the team should be hesitant to pull the plug too early on his development.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • The recent rumors pertaining to Claude Julien’s job security prompted Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News to compile a list of head coaches he feels also may be in jeopardy of losing their current gig. Chief among them is Buffalo Sabres bench boss Dan Bylsma. In the scribe’s estimation, the Sabres have no excuse to be sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings despite injuries to several key regulars, and the coach deserves his share of the blame. However, whether it would be warranted or not, Harrington doesn’t believe team owner Terry Pegula will pull the trigger on a coaching change in large part because the Buffalo Bills, also owned by Pegula, recently dismissed their high-profile head coach, Rex Ryan, who like Bylsma was in the second year of a five-year contract at the time of his termination.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning’s success in recent seasons has had a lot to do with a stingy defense, one that allowed the fifth fewest goals last year. It’s been a much different story this season, as the team has allowed nearly half-a-goal more per game and the Lightning are far closer to the bottom of the standings than the top as a result. However, in the midst of a crucial six-game road trip, it’s Tampa Bay’s offense that has let the team down and further jeopardized their playoff chances, as Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The Lightning have found the back of the net five times in their last four games while managing to amass just three points halfway through what Smith refers to as a “make-or-break” road trip. Conversely, the club’s defense has tightened up, allowing just four regulation markers during that span. There is plenty of scoring talent on the roster and it’s likely just a matter of time before the goals start coming in bunches, but will that happen soon enough to save the team’s season? The answer to that question may well dictate whether the team is a buyer or a seller at the trade deadline.

Clarke MacArthur Done For The Season

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Ottawa Senators winger Clarke MacArthur will not play this season after suffering a concussion back in training camp.

Senators GM Pierre Dorion said the decision was made after discussions with “numerous doctors,” who all indicated that MacArthur shouldn’t play hockey this year.

MacArthur missed all but four games of the 2015-16 season with a concussion, but his return ended before it started when he took a high hit from defenseman Patrick Sieloff during a scrimmage. MacArthur had to be helped off the ice as his teammates rushed Sieloff to confront his about the hit. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported that MacArthur hoped to return by the All-Star break, but a recent baseline test and examination nixed that. Two concussion experts deemed a return this season to be too risky, so while MacArthur has said he doesn’t want to retire, it may not be up to him. Dorion said MacArthur is “devastated” by the news, but he’s going to stay with the team and continue to work out with hopes of an eventual return.

MacArthur is in the second year of a five-year pact which pays him $4.65MM per season. He’s been on LTIR for all of this season and much of last one. Dorion was asked about his efforts to replace MacArthur via the trade market; he told Garrioch that “the prices are ridiculous, almost.”

There is some good news for Senators fans, however. Goaltender Craig Anderson will permanently return to the team sometime in late January or early February. Anderson has been away from the Senators on-and-off since late October when his wife, Nicholle, was diagnosed with cancer. Her cancer has responded well to treatment so Craig should be good to stay with the team.

Seravalli’s Latest: Team Priorities Leading To The Trade Deadline

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In his latest column, TSN’s Frank Seravalli looks at all 30 NHL teams (plus a note about the Vegas Golden Knights) and what their priorities are as they get closer to the deadline.  The whole article is well worth the read but here is a sampling of some of the highlights:

  • While the Sabres are likely to move pending unrestricted free agents Cody Franson and Brian Gionta, center Zemgus Girgensons (who is set to be a restricted free agent) could be someone teams look at as a reclamation project. Girgensons had a breakout year under former coach Ted Nolan in 2014-15 but has struggled since Dan Bylsma has taken over.  His role has considerably diminished this season which makes him an intriguing ‘change of scenery’ candidate.
  • The Blue Jackets could be poised to strike on what is shaping up to be a buyers’ market when it comes to goaltending. Given where the team finds themselves, Seravalli suggests that they may want a more proven backup behind Sergei Bobrovsky.  Youngsters Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo are poised to battle for the number two job with Curtis McElhinney now in Toronto but neither have much NHL experience.  One possible hiccup for Columbus could be the fact that a lot of the goalies believed to be available are signed beyond this season which may not appeal to them given the progress that Forsberg and Korpisalo have shown.
  • Although the Red Wings don’t appear to be entering selling mode any time soon, one area that GM Ken Holland may look to improve on is their cap situation. They have roughly $68MM committed for next year already (though Johan Franzen’s $3.95MM cap hit is including and he’ll be back on LTIR) and have a few restricted free agents including forwards Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou.  If they want to entertain the idea of keeping pending UFA Thomas Vanek around, they’ll need to free up some money and this might be the right time to accomplish that.
  • Seravalli wonders if this might be the year for the Senators to consider dealing away their first round pick. With Clarke MacArthur’s concussion symptoms not subsiding as quickly as anyone hoped, there is a void on the left side that needs to be addressed and their trade assets (such as Curtis Lazar and Nick Paul) won’t be enough by themselves to secure a legitimate top winger.
  • With the Canucks not likely to really be buyers or sellers at the deadline, they could be a team in the market for a reclamation project or two to try along the Sedins, similar to what Edmonton did with Patrick Maroon last year, a move that has worked out quite well this season. However, considering that they’re unwilling to move draft picks this year, being able to bring a player like that in may prove to be a bit more difficult.

Minor Transactions: 1/19/17

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Here is where we’ll keep tabs on today’s minor roster moves:

  • Minnesota announced that they have recalled defenseman Mike Reilly from Iowa of the AHL. He has spent the bulk of the year in the minors and has four goals and 11 assists in 29 AHL contests.  Reilly also has played in nine games with the Wild, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 12:57 of ice time per night.
  • Carolina has swapped backup goalies, announcing that they have recalled Michael Leighton while assigning Alex Nedeljkovic back to their AHL affiliate in Charlotte. The two swapped places earlier this week, allowing Leighton to get into a couple of minor league games to stay in game shape.  Eddie Lack, the regular backup for the Hurricanes, remains out of the lineup indefinitely due to a concussion.
  • Buffalo announced that they have summoned goalie Linus Ullmark from Rochester (AHL). Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports (Twitter link) that Anders Nilsson is dealing with the flu so Ullmark will take his place in the interim.  This is the fourth recall for Ullmark this year but he has yet to see action with the Sabres this year.  He has a 15-13-1 record in the minors this year with a 3.03 GAA and a .908 SV%.
  • Ottawa has recalled right winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton per their Twitter page. The Sens are currently dealing with a flu bug, notes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.  Bailey has played in four games for the Senators this season being held off the scoresheet but sits tied for second in goals in Binghamton with 10 in 33 minor league outings.
  • The Canucks swapped out depth defenders, announcing that they’ve recalled Jordan Subban while sending Andrey Pedan back to Utica (AHL). Subban leads all Comets blueliners with 22 points this season and has not yet played in the NHL.  As for Pedan, he had been up for the better part of a month but did not suit up in Vancouver and was close to needing waivers to be sent back down having been up for 29 days.
  • In what is becoming a daily shuffle, Anaheim announced the recall of winger Stefan Noesen from San Diego of the AHL.  It’s the fourth straight day that he has either been recalled or demoted as the Ducks look to conserve as much cap space as possible.  Noesen has a goal in nine NHL games with Anaheim this season while adding 15 points in 22 minor league contests.

Ducks Reassign Noesen, Theodore To San Diego

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The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned defenseman Shea Theodore and forward Stefan Noesen to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, the team has announced. Both players have already made this commute several times already this season as the Ducks take advantage of breaks in their schedule to reduce their daily salary cap commitments and bank space ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

Noesen, originally acquired by the Ducks in the Bobby Ryan trade, has appeared in just nine games this season and has tallied a single goal, the first of his brief NHL career. He was selected by Ottawa with the 21st pick in the 2011 entry draft and was shipped by the Senators along with fellow forward Jakob Silfverberg and a 2014 first-round draft choice – a pick which turned into Nick Ritchie – in the July 5, 2013 trade sending Ryan to Ottawa.

Theodore has dressed for 23 games this season for the Ducks and has registered seven points. He was drafted by Anaheim in the first round of the 2013 entry draft with the 26th overall selection. For his career, the native of Langley, British Columbia has seen action in 42 contests, recording four goals and 11 assists while averaging better than 18 minutes of ice time per game.

What’s Next For The Philadelphia Flyers?

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On December 15th, exactly one month ago, the Philadelphia Flyers woke up on a ten-game winning streak and safely headed for the playoffs. All the talk around the league was how both Eastern Conference wildcard spots had already been locked up, the Metropolitan division having five teams that were guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

Now, on January 15th as they lose 5-0 at the hands of the Washington Capitals, the story is very different. Since that 10th win in a row on December 14th, the Flyers have gone 3-8-3 and find themselves in real trouble of falling out of the wildcard spot. Carolina, Ottawa, Toronto and Florida are all within two points of the Flyers, with everyone having games in hand (the Leafs and Senators have 5 each).

As the Flyers head into their mandated bye-week – the team won’t play until next Saturday – they must find an answer to their recent problems. The question for this team isn’t up front, as they have scored 132 goals, good for 5th in the conference. It’s the back end that has so many question marks.

Their goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth that started so well have both taken huge steps backwards, highlighted by the four goals in five minutes allowed by Mason today against the Capitals before he was pulled from the net. Both netminders have a save percentage under .900, which is unacceptable in the NHL.

On defense, the team scratched last year’s rookie of the year candidate Shayne Gostisbehere yesterday for the second time this year, upset with his play in his own end. While that might be a development tactic, other blueliners like Andrew MacDonald and Michael Del Zotto haven’t played well enough for the team this year either.

The team has some excellent young players; Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny are both playing well as rookies, but disappear periodically (as rookies tend to do) and are still an unknown as the season stretches out.

If the front office believes this team could compete in the playoffs should they make a move or two, expect it to come on the back end and in net. With Mark Streit, Del Zotto and Nick Schultz all unrestricted free agents this summer, the team could also decide to sell off some expiring assets and give younger players more freedom.

In goal, acquiring a real NHL netminder is paramount, except it leaves the problem of Anthony Stolarz. The young netminder is almost ready to make an impact at the NHL level, and is exposed at the upcoming expansion draft. If the team were to acquire a goalie to help long term, they’d be at risk of losing him or Stolarz. This, by the way already may happen – the team currently must leave Stolarz exposed as he’s the only netminder under contract past this year.

It will be an interesting week for the Flyers front office, who need to start making decisions on this roster now. If they go another few games without turning this ship around, it might be too late. For now, they’ll crawl home and lick their wounds, hoping the unofficial second half brings more fruitful rewards.

East Notes: Sparks, Shaw, Hrivik

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent emergency call-up Garret Sparks back to the minors, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic. The team brought him up as insurance yesterday when it seemed like Curtis McElhinney might not be able to play. The former Blue Jackets goalie did play however, and played quite well in the Leafs’ 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs have now gone 8-1-1 in their last 10 and vaulted themselves into a playoff spot in the Atlantic division. They’re ahead of the Senators on the tiebreaker, and have played five less games than their next target, the Boston Bruins.

McElhinney seemed to debut quite admirably in the Maple Leafs net, that has had trouble finding a backup goaltender this season. Young phenom Auston Matthews gave all the credit post-game to McElhinney, saying that he kept them in it with some huge saves.

  • Andrew Shaw was ejected from last night’s Montreal Canadiens-New York Rangers game after a brutal hit on Jesper Fast. While fans around the game agreed it was both late and should be considered head-hunting, Shaw disagrees. Amanda Stein of TSN caught up with the Habs forward today and got his take on it. Shaw told her he disagrees with the decision to throw him out, and hasn’t received a call from NHL Player Safety about it. He apparently did his best for it to be shoulder-to-shoulder, but did admit it was “maybe half a second late”. We’ll hear later today if there is any supplemental discipline for Shaw, who only returned to the Montreal lineup last night.
  • After the New York Rangers placed Marek Hrivik on waivers earlier today, Steve Zipay of Newsday says it’ll be the end for him in New York for the time being. He’ll be headed back to Hartford to make room for the “imminent return” of Mike Zibanejad. Zipay also mentions the need for a backup goaltender on Tuesday, as Antti Raanta is out with an injury.

Snapshots: Senators, Blackhawks, Stars

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News and notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur skated with the team this weekend but is no closer to returning to action, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. MacArthur faced a litany of tests on Friday to help determine if he is ready to return to action, but GM Pierre Dorion refused to divulge any new information. MacArthur has missed the entire season so far after suffering a concussion in training camp. The Senators are exercising caution with the forward because of his concussion history. GM Dorion did say that MacArthur would accompany the team on its five game road trip—but he is not slated to play during that time.
  • The Ottawa Senators also recalled goaltender Chris Driedger from the AHL Binghamton Senators this morning. The team reassigned goaltender Matt O’Connor to go the other way. Both goalies have struggled in the AHL this year. Driedger has a 2.74 GAA and a .909 SV%, and O’Connor has a 2.90 GAA and a .896 SV%. No reason was given for the move, but Driedger costs $135K less per season so this may just be a business decision.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Nick Schmaltz from the AHL Rockford IceHogs. The young forward hit the ice this morning during a team optional skate, reports CSN’s Tracey Myers. Schmaltz has bounced between Rockford and Chicago this year, tallying 1G and 3A in 26 NHL games, and 6G and 3A in 12 AHL games. The former first-round draft pick has yet make the jump Chicago was hoping for, but expect Schmaltz to remain with the club until Chicago determines how much depth they need to add at the trade deadline.
  • The Dallas Stars recalled defenseman Patrik Nemeth from the AHL Texas Stars this morning. Nemeth is averaging just under 16 minutes a night when he plays with the Stars, but has yet to register a point. The Swedish defenseman has struggled to make the big club since joining the organization in 2012-13, and is dangerously close to becoming a veteran AHL presence.

Number Crunching: Shootouts

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The shootout is a subject of much debate in the hockey world. For some, a short skills competition at the end of the game is a fine way to decide who earns the extra point. For others, another few minutes of the new 3-on-3 would be a dream. For other still, ties were never an issue, and they’d be fine with their inclusion once again.

Whichever side of the argument you find yourself, the simple fact is that they are in the NHL right now. Every team has to compete in them throughout the season for those all important extra points.  This season only Dallas has yet to be involved in a shootout, while Philadelphia leads the way with nine games ending in one.

The old adage of “it all evens out in the end” almost proves true, as if you were to remove the shootout and just award both teams with a single point if the game was tied after overtime, not a single team would leapfrog another in the standings. It would, however, bring some teams into a tie (points-wise).

The Maple Leafs, with their awful 1-5 record would be tied with their rival Ottawa Senators, instead of chasing them by two points. They would also pull ahead of the Panthers, a team they’re tied with who have played in eight shootouts so far (second most in the league).

Suddenly the Metropolitan would be even tighter, with Washington and Columbus pulling even at the top. Philadelphia would fall into a tie with the Maple Leafs, Senators and Hurricanes for that last wildcard spot however, making things much more interesting.

In the west, where there haven’t been nearly as many shootouts would mostly see the bottom falling out of the standings. Vancouver would drop further back despite their recent run, and Arizona would be in a dog fight with Colorado for the worst team in the NHL; their 4-1 record in shootouts is the best thing about their season thus far.

For individual performances, Thomas Vanek ranks among the best in the league. He’s scored on all three of his attempts this season. Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov and Jakub Voracek all lead with four goals, though it’s taken each of them at least seven attempts. The worst is Nick Cousins, who has failed to score on each of his six attempts, though Kyle Okposo doesn’t fall far behind going 0-5. Despite leading the league in goals, Sidney Crosby is 0-2 this season in the shootout.

For goaltenders, Steve Mason has faced the most shots. He’s stopped 23 of 30 shooters, registering a pretty solid 76.7 save percentage. Braden Holtby has allowed the most, getting scored on an unbelievable 9 out of 14 times. There are six goaltenders who have stopped every shot they’ve faced, though they’ve all faced seven or fewer.  Tuukka Rask is the man to beat having stopped 16 of 19 attempts. Robin Lehner is on the other side, allowing all six shooters he’s faced to score.

It’s an interesting thing, the shootout. Even players who have incredible success during the game find it difficult to score, while others who aren’t expected to be offensive forces find the back of the net with ease. For now, the shootout is a part of the game – winning there may be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

Atlantic Notes: Beleskey, Leafs, St. Louis

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Since being injured on December 6th, Matt Beleskey hasn’t skated with the team once – until now. Beleskey returned to practice today to the cheers of his teammates, though he still was in a non-contact sweater. According to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE, the 28-year old winger was skating alongside David Krejci and David Backes when he did get into some rushes; otherwise that spot went to Frank Vatrano.

Beleskey was originally given a six-week timeline, which would be up on Tuesday, which looks like a possibility for the Bruins forward. Late next week might be more realistic, with Friday against Chicago being a likely target.

  • The Maple Leafs are back in action tonight after their bye week, and new backup Curtis McElhinney will wear #35 according to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. The Maple Leafs claimed McElhinney off waivers and are expected to give him his first start tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators.
  • The Maple Leafs are playing tonight at Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers are honoring Steven McDonald, a former police officer who passed away Tuesday. He had been a big fan of the Rangers since he was shot in the line of duty 20 years ago, and the team honored him by wearing throwback sweaters in warm-up that had #104 on the back – the number of McDonald’s precinct. McDonald was paralyzed from the neck down in the shooting, but instead of despair he has spread a message of forgiveness since his injury. Adam Graves and Mark Messier were on hand to escort McDonald’s wife and son to center ice.
  • In other pre-game ceremony news, the Tampa Bay Lightning retired Martin St. Louis’ number tonight with former head coach John Tortorella on hand to speak (Torts’ Columbus Blue Jackets are in town to face the Lightning). “He is a man who has been told ’no’ so many times in his career… I just have so much respect for him in how he did it.” Steven Stamkos also spoke about St. Louis, saying “He was, he still is, and he forever will be the heart and soul of this organization.” 

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