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Snapshots: Korpisalo, Russell, Downie

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo will be out for at least four weeks after suffering a groin injury Tuesday, reports the Columbus Dispatch’s Tom Reed. Korpisalo was favored by many to backup Sergei Bobrovsky this season, but the preseason injury opens up that spot to Anton Forsberg or Curtis McElhinney. Korpisalo had a terrific debut last season, earning a 2.60GAA and .920Sv% in 31 games for the Blue Jackets. He’ll likely have the backup job when he returns.
  • The Ottawa Senators are reportedly out of the Kris Russell sweepstakes. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reported that Sens GM Pierre Dorian is set with his eight defenseman and implied that they will not seek additional help via free agency. Russell still remains a free agent after failing to find a deal in the off-season. Time is ticking for the shot-blocking defenseman to find a home before the regular season begins. Russell is arguably the best UFA remaining, but with rosters all but finalized it will be hard for him to find a team willing to come close to his demands. Four teams are reportedly still in the mix, according to TheScore’s Cory Wilkins, but it is not known what offers are on the table.
  • Steve Downie, another unsigned UFA, is mulling over an offer to play in the KHL, per his agent (via SportsNet). Downie last played with the Arizona Coyotes, scoring 3G and 3A in 26 games. He had some success two seasons ago with the Pittsburgh Penguins—scoring 14G and 14A in 72 games—but could never duplicate his 2009-10 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. That year he scored 22G and 24P in 79 games while racking up over 200 penalty minutes. Discipline issues have dogged Downie his entire career, however, which may explain NHL GMs’ reluctance to sign him.

Training Camp Battles: Jets, Blue Jackets, Caggiula, Chabot

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Jets coach Paul Maurice isn’t ruling out carrying three goalies (Ondrej Pavelec, Michael Hutchinson, and Connor Hellebuyck) to start the season, writes Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun.  Hellebuyck is viewed as Winnipeg’s goalie of the future but is the only waiver exempt goalie of the three.  It’s uncommon but not rare for teams to carry three (the Islanders did for the bulk of last year) as not only does it mean that one is in the press box every night, it also prevents the team from carrying another extra skater which is often more desirable.

Pavelec is entering the final year of his contract which carries a cap hit of $3.9MM.  However, he struggled last year with a save percentage of just .904 with a GAA of 2.78 which would make it very difficult to trade him.

Hutchinson, meanwhile, signed a two year deal this offseason with a more manageable cap charge of $1.15MM.  While his numbers weren’t much better than Pavelec’s last year (a slightly worse GAA while being three points higher in save percentage), he likely slots in as the backup moving forward and doesn’t appear to be a candidate to be traded.

If they do keep all three up to start, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Winnipeg shuffle Hellebuyck back and forth between their AHL affiliate, who plays out of the same area as the Jets.

Other training camp battles to follow:

  • Still with goaltenders, there is a battle brewing for the number two job with Columbus, notes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Sergei Bobrovsky is the surefire starter but incumbent Curtis McElhinney plus youngsters Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo are both in the mix as well.  Of the three, only the 33 year old McElhinney would have to clear waivers.  Forsberg has had the best preseason but if the team decides that it’s best for their young players to play more in the AHL than dress as the backup with the big club, they may opt to keep the veteran around to start the season and see if one of the youngsters forces his way into the role midseason or as a spot starter.
  • Edmonton rookie center Drake Caggiula has turned heads at camp, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun. The Oilers signed the small but highly coveted college UFA late last season and he has made a run at a roster spot.  Tychkowski opines that his strong play could allow the team to bump Leon Draisaitl up to the wing to further strengthen their second line.
  • 19 year old defenseman Thomas Chabot has made the opening Ottawa roster, according to a tweet from his junior team in Saint John.  Chabot was Ottawa’s top pick in 2015 (18th overall) and had 45 points in 47 games at the QMJHL level last season.  He’s eligible to play in nine NHL games before burning the first year of his entry-level contract.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Ninth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)

Now we move forward to the ninth pick, which was held by the Ottawa Senators.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, the Senators selected blueliner Brian Lee with their top pick.  He was coming off an injury-marred season with Lincoln of the USHL which had him under the radar but the Sens were hoping that he’d become a solid two-way blueliner.  While he has over 200 NHL games under his belt, Lee never really became more than a depth defender and five years later, Ottawa dealt him to Tampa Bay for Matt Gilroy, who came to the NHL as a coveted NCAA free agent signing but he too never panned out.  Lee last played in 2012-13, splitting the season between the Lightning and their AHL affiliate.

With the ninth pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the Ottawa Senators select? Cast your vote below!

With the 9th overall pick, the Ottawa Senators select...
Ben Bishop 23.61% (106 votes)
James Neal 20.27% (91 votes)
T.J. Oshie 18.49% (83 votes)
Keith Yandle 10.69% (48 votes)
Marc Staal 6.46% (29 votes)
Paul Stastny 6.01% (27 votes)
Niklas Hjalmarsson 3.56% (16 votes)
Anton Stralman 2.67% (12 votes)
Jack Johnson 2.45% (11 votes)
Patric Hornqvist 1.56% (7 votes)
Devin Setoguchi 0.67% (3 votes)
Justin Abdelkader 0.67% (3 votes)
Sergei Kostitsyn 0.45% (2 votes)
Martin Hanzal 0.45% (2 votes)
Jakub Kindl 0.45% (2 votes)
Matt Niskanen 0.45% (2 votes)
Vladimir Sobotka 0.45% (2 votes)
Andrew Cogliano 0.22% (1 votes)
Cody Franson 0.22% (1 votes)
Nathan Gerbe 0.22% (1 votes)
Benoit Pouliot 0.00% (0 votes)
Gilbert Brule 0.00% (0 votes)
Jack Skille 0.00% (0 votes)
Steve Downie 0.00% (0 votes)
Ondrej Pavelec 0.00% (0 votes)
Mason Raymond 0.00% (0 votes)
Kris Russell 0.00% (0 votes)
Jared Boll 0.00% (0 votes)
Darren Helm 0.00% (0 votes)
Total Votes: 449

Mobile users click here to vote.

Training Camp Cuts: 10.05.16

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We’re now a week away from the beginning of the NHL regular season. Teams are getting closer to their final rosters, and with that comes more cuts.

Here are the cuts made on October 5, 2016:

Carolina Hurricanes (via General Fanager):
G Michael Leighton (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Keegan Lowe (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
C Brody Sutter (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
LW Brendan Woods (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):
D Keith Aulie (released from PTO)
D Marc-Andre Bergeron (released from PTO)
RW Mike Brown (released from PTO)
C Jarret Stoll (released from PTO)
RW Daniel Zaar (assigned to Cleveland, AHL)

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Atlantic Division Notes: Sergachev, Redmond, McKenna, Condra

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With Shea Weber, Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov all absent due to their participation in the World Cup, the Montreal Canadiens have had a chance to get long looks at other blue liners during training camp. As the Montreal Gazette’s Pat Hickey writes, several players have taken full advantage of the opportunity and impressed the team’s coaching staff.

Hickey specifically identified Nathan Beaulieu and Greg Pateryn as having “stood out” so far, while 2016 first-round pick Mikhail Sergachev and free agent signing Zach Redmond were both impressive in the team’s recent game against Ottawa.

Redmond has scored a goal in each of his preseason appearances and has shown a physical element. He was added in the offseason to provide depth and a solid camp might earn him a spot on the regular season roster.

Sergachev would have to really impress in order to stick. Montreal likely wishes to see the young Russian defender, who just turned 18 in June, get lots of quality ice time and the best chance for that would be if he was returned to junior.

Beaulieu and Pateryn are both already penciled into the club’s top-six and Montreal has to be pleased at their play so far. The Habs were recently said to be taking calls on the 23-year-old Beaulieu but if he’s been as impressive in camp as Hickey suggests it seems unlikely Montreal would be too keen on moving him. With a healthy Carey Price set to return from injury and an improved defense, it wouldn’t be hard to project a return to the playoffs for Montreal.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • When Florida went out and acquired Reto Berra and James Reimer – via trade and free agency respectively – this summer, Mike McKenna’s prospects of winning the Panthers backup goalie job dried up. But as George Richards of the Miami Herald writes, McKenna has been down this road before and knows all it takes is an injury to give the 33-year-old another opportunity between the pipes in South Florida. McKenna: “No matter what the situation looks like with contracts, you always want to put your best foot forward. You never know what will happen through the course of a season. I’m just trying to go in the right direction.” Last season, McKenna was called up from the AHL when Al Montoya went down with an injury, though he didn’t see any NHL action. As it stands, Roberto Luongo will be the starter with Reimer serving as his understudy. That would seem to put Berra in position to be the starter for the Panther’s AHL affiliate in Springfield but the 29-year-old veteran would have to clear waivers before being sent down and could conceivably be claimed by a team in need of an experienced backup. That would again elevate McKenna to third overall on the organization’s goaltending depth chart and would put him in line for promotion should Luongo or Reimer suffer an injury.
  • Tampa Bay is looking for depth scoring and one player who could help address that need is Erik Condra, as Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Condra had a disappointing first season with the Lightning, scoring just six goals and 11 points in 54 games after signing a three-year, $3.75MM deal with Tampa. Condra twice hit the 20-point plateau as a member of the Senators and the Lightning would likely be content with that level of production. Smith also lists Cedric Paquette and Cory Conacher as two more players who could also offer some scoring punch in the bottom-six. Conacher had by far his best NHL season during the 2012-13 campaign which he began with the Lightning. That season, Conacher tallied 29 points in 47 games – 24 in 35 with the Lightning. Conacher was dealt in-season to Ottawa in a deal that brought Ben Bishop to Tampa Bay in what has turned out to be quite the steal for the Bolts. Paquette saw his goal output decrease from 12 in 2014-15 to just six last season. Tampa would surely benefit from a return to double-figures in goals scored from the grinding Paquette.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/1/16

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With the turning of the calendar to October, the regular season is now less than two weeks away.  Accordingly, teams continue to pare down their training camp rosters.  Here are today’s cuts:

(Players denoted with an asterisk will be assigned if they clear waivers on Sunday.)

Buffalo Sabres (Via Team Release)
D Brady Austin (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
RW Justin Bailey (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
D Mac Bennett (released from PTO, will report to AHL camp)
LW William Carrier (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
C Daniel Catenacci* (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
C Eric Cornel (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
C Jean Dupuy (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
D Paul Geiger (released from PTO, will report to AHL camp)
RW Vaclav Karabacek (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
G Jason Kasdorf (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
C Justin Kea (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
LW Matthew Lane (released from PTO, will report to AHL camp)
G John Muse (released from PTO, will report to AHL camp)
LW Daniel Muzito-Begenda (released from PTO, will report to AHL camp)
D Brycen Martin (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
RW Evan Rodrigues (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
LW Cole Schneider* (assigned to Rochester, AHL)

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Atlantic Notes: Senators, Marchessault, Reway

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New Senators coach Guy Boucher intends to reduce players’ shift times this season, writes Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun.  Last season, the two Stanley Cup finalists (San Jose and champion Penguins) had an average shift length of 41 seconds which didn’t go unnoticed by Boucher:

“It’s a pace game now. Can you sustain it, can you maintain it. The only way to maintain it is with energy.  “Who won the Stanley Cup? The team that had the most pace. Period. That’s where we need to go.” 

The trend towards short shifts was also present at the World Cup of Hockey, particularly with Team Canada who routinely had their players take shifts under 40 seconds (sometimes even under 30).

Ottawa had 23 players with an average shift length higher than 41 seconds last season, including defenseman Erik Karlsson, who led the league with an average shift of 1:04, eight seconds higher than any other player.  While Karlsson has led all NHL blueliners in scoring in each of the last three seasons, the restrictions will apply to him, although Boucher noted that the 26 year old should still play the full two minutes on the power play (which will inevitably bring his shift average well about the league average once again this year).

Boucher hopes that keeping his players fresh will have some benefits on the defensive end as well:

“Usually problems happen in the extended part of your shift. That’s where you get tired, that’s where you get turnovers. That’s what we don’t want to get into.”

Other news from the Atlantic:

  • Jonathan Marchessault’s decision to leave Tampa Bay for state rival Florida came down to playing time, he told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Marchessault spent parts of the last two years with the Lightning but was in and out of the lineup frequently and was often scratched to allow the team to dress a seventh defenseman.  With the Panthers, Marchessault is eyeing a spot on the third line as the team looks to bring more skill into their bottom six.  He signed a two year, $1.5MM deal in Florida at the beginning of free agency.
  • Montreal Canadiens prospect Martin Reway may not be able to play at all this season, reports Louis-Andre Lariviere of TVA Sports (link in French) who spoke with one of the 21 year old’s agents. Reway was hospitalized last month with a virus and at that time, it was announced that he wouldn’t be participating in training camp.  The team would not comment on the report, only noting that there is no new information at this time.
  • Senators right winger Mark Stone skated on Friday for the first time since he suffered a concussion last week, notes the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. He still hasn’t been green lit to receive contact nor has he passed the baseline test but he’s hopeful that he will be able to get into a preseason game next week.

Injury Updates: September 29, 2016

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Many players are nursing off-season, World Cup, or training camp injuries as we get closer to Opening Night. Below are today’s updates for injured players in camp:

  • Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton’s recovery timeline remains the same, reports AZ Central’s Sarah McLellan, but he has been skating on his own throughout the recovery period. Connauton suffered a lower body injury during an informal skate early this month before training camp started. The Coyotes do not see the defenseman missing much time despite failing his physical.
  • Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone is still recovering from surgery in April that repaired his left ACL and MCL. Stone has not been cleared to practice yet, and will most likely miss the season opener. According to Sarah McLellan, Stone is at home with his wife as they are expecting twins soon.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur continues to rehab following a concussion sustained in a training camp scrimmage on September 25. MacArthur has a history of concussions, suffering four of them over an 18 month period, including one that sidelined him for most of last season. Despite concerns, however, reports indicate that MacArther does not plan on retiring.
  • Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Mark Alt is out indefinitely with an upper body injury suffered in camp. Alt scored 4G and 15A in 72 games for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

2016-17 Season Preview: Ottawa Senators

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As the NHL season quickly approaches, PHR is taking an in-depth look at each team. Today: the Ottawa Senators.

Last Season: 38-35-9 (85 points), 5th place in the Atlantic Division. Did not qualify for the playoffs.

Cap Space Remaining: $5.98MM  via CapFriendly.

Key Newcomers: Derick Brassard (C) – trade (New York Rangers); Chris Kelly (C) – free agency (Boston)

Key Departures: Mika Zibenajad (C) – trade (New York Rangers); Alex Chiasson (RW) – trade (Calgary); Patrick Wiercioch (D) – free agency (Colorado); Chris Phillips (D) – retired

Player to Watch: Erik Karlsson – the superstar posted an astounding 82 points last season, becoming the first defenseman to crack the NHL’s top-5 scorers since Paul Coffey finished third with 138 points in 1985-86. Karlsson has been the Senators most consistent player for the last few seasons and they can’t afford to waste another season of Karlsson’s prime. Not to mention, one of the final three seasons of Karlsson’s relative bargain contract at $6.5MM. The Senators indicated that they’re going for it this year with the Zibenajad-Brassard trade. Trading a 23-year-old center for a 29-year-old one shows the Senators believe their window to win is opening now.

Key Storylines: Can the club take a big step forward under new head coach Guy Boucher? They’ll need more offence from young Curtis Lazar  and the recently-injured Clarke MacArthur, though that may be unlikely after this most recent concussion. Last season’s major acquisition Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci will form a solid second pair in front of veteran starter Craig Anderson.

Which version of the Senators will we see? The 2014-15 miraculous stretch-run team or the inconsistent 2015-16 edition?

Senators’ Depth Chart

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Bitten, Brown

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After turning heads at the World Cup as the youngest player in the tournament, Auston Matthews is already making an impact at Leafs camp. At the end of his first practice with the blue and white, Matthews fired a one-timer from Mitch Marner into the glass, shattering it. While it’s probably not the last pane that will fall victim to Matthews’ hard shot, it’s just nice for the team to finally have him in their own building with their own jersey.

While Mike Babcock has repeatedly said that Matthews will start on the third line this year for the team, when he hit the ice for the first time he was skating between James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov on the first group. The 19-year old centerman will likely be sheltered to start his career, but many believe it won’t last long, just as it hasn’t at both the World Championships and World Cup.

At both tournaments, Matthews opened as one of the final few forwards, but finished among the top two lines. Every coaching staff that has worked with him speaks about his learning curve, and how hard he works. We’ll see if the curve isn’t a bit steeper once the real NHL season begins, and teams bear down on the youngster.

  • Montreal prospect Will Bitten has been dealt to the Hamilton Bulldogs, according to Ryan Yessie of HockeyProspect.com. Bitten was selected in the third round of the latest draft, but has flashed enough skill to have gone higher. The undersized center put up 65 points in 67 games last season on an awful Flint Firebirds team (20-42-6) and is expected to make another big development step this season. He’ll now be a little closer to home, playing for a familiar name to Canadiens fans – their former AHL affiliate was also the Hamilton Bulldogs, where players like Carey Price spent time seasoning before making the NHL.
  • The Ottawa Senators have sent first round pick Logan Brown back to junior as expected today. Brown, an absolute monster on the ice standing 6’6″, 222 lbs already, is actually incredibly skilled for a player his size. He notched 53 assists last season for the Windsor Spitfires, and showed off his offensive flair more than once. The Senators will hope he can start using that size a bit more as he gets stronger and matures as a player, letting him become a preeminent power forward in the NHL within a few years.  For now, he’ll return to junior for his third year, expected somewhere close to 100 points and lead the Spitfires back to another strong season.

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