West Notes: Gagner, Pospisil, DeMelo
With this being Ken Holland’s final year under contract as GM of the Oilers, some have started to wonder who his replacement might be if the 68-year-old decides to move into an advisory role or if the team decides to make a change. One speculative candidate has been player agent Dave Gagner who worked with Jeff Jackson, now the president of hockey operations for Edmonton. Meanwhile, his son Sam is in his third stint with the franchise. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the former NHL player has indicated that he isn’t interested in the job and wouldn’t pursue it if it became available. Edmonton had an in-house candidate to eventually take Holland’s spot in Steve Staios but he is now with Ottawa.
Elsewhere out West:
- Sportsnet’s Eric Francis points out that Flames winger Martin Pospisil is now waiver-eligible once again having now played in 11 games this season. The 24-year-old has fared well in his first taste of NHL action with three goals and two assists which would make it much riskier to try to send him back down now that he has shown he can produce at the top level. Accordingly, Francis suggests that Pospisil’s spot is likely secure for the time being, even though it will present some challenges cap-wise later on when they want to bring others up from the minors.
- Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo is a pending UFA for the second time in his career as he can hit the open market this summer. He told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that his uncertain contract status affected his play last time when he was with Ottawa, who eventually moved him to Winnipeg. DeMelo’s desire is to remain with the Jets but noted that he knew he was lower on the priority list to re-sign. However, with extensions for Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck done, it’s possible that talks about a new deal for DeMelo could be in the works before long.
PHR Mailbag: Blue Jackets, Gaudreau, Kane, Rasmussen, Oilers, Hockey Canada
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the rough start to the season for the Blue Jackets, how the Oilers could get out of their slump, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in next weekend’s mailbag.
Black Ace57: What does Columbus do going forward if their high-paid stars keep struggling? They looked like a team that could compete this year, but if their top guys keep struggling it looks more like a team in need of a retool or short rebuild.
I wasn’t sold on the Blue Jackets being a playoff team this season but I was expecting them to be more competitive than they have been so far. In theory, I agree with you that a retool would help but the problem is who do they retool with? Selling low on Patrik Laine isn’t wise. Same for Johnny Gaudreau. I don’t think they’re moving Boone Jenner either. So, aside from the currently injured Jack Roslovic, the forwards they’d move don’t have a particularly significant track record; they aren’t players that will bring impact pieces in return.
On defense, Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist have some value but they’ve been on the block for most of the season now. Clearly, the offers haven’t been great as otherwise, they’d have been moved already. Erik Gudbranson doesn’t have a trade market and the other veterans are players they probably don’t want to trade.
If they can find a taker for Merzlikins, they can try the lateral goalie swap and hope the change of scenery works for each player. With his contract ($5.4MM through 2026-27), that’s easier said than done.
They’ve changed the coach multiple times now. They’ve changed the goalie coach. Pulling those levers again isn’t going to change much. So my recommendation to them would be to play the youngsters as much as possible and hope that the veterans find their footing. If they don’t, at least the development of their young core players gets advanced. That’s a small win but with their current situation, that might be the best-case scenario aside from moving out some rentals closer to the trade deadline if they’re out of it by then.
Pyramid Headcrab: Any insight on Johnny Gaudreau? His scoring has completely fallen off a cliff, and his play does not inspire confidence. Can you think of any other players who have had such a precipitous drop after signing a new contract?
And more vitally, is this a case of a guy completely phoning it in after getting a big paycheque, or is this a case of a player not fitting in a new system?
The player who replaced Gaudreau in Calgary comes to mind, Jonathan Huberdeau. He gets acquired, signs the long-term extension, and falls off a cliff, notching 60 fewer points compared to 2021-22. This season, he’s on pace for even less. Jeff Skinner also fits the bill. After a 40-goal year in his first season with Buffalo, he followed that up with 23 points followed by 14, making his deal one of the worst in the league. Fortunately for the Sabres, he turned it around and while his contract isn’t a bargain, it looks a lot better now.
Gaudreau will get an opportunity to do like Skinner and play his way out of this. There is no trade market for him at the moment. In a perfect world, Adam Fantilli becomes the top-line center they think he can be, giving Gaudreau a higher-end linemate that he hasn’t had with the Blue Jackets so far. If that happens, I think he can rebound somewhat. Not to the point where $9.5MM is viewed as a bargain but also not among the worst in the league either.
I also don’t think this is a case of Gaudreau cashing in and checking out, so to speak. I suspect this is more just him not fitting into the current system and lacking that impact center to play with. Granted, at $9.5MM, it should be Gaudreau helping elevate a linemate, not him needing a better linemate to bring out the best in him. It hasn’t gone well for him in Columbus so far but I think he can turn it around.
Winter in Colorado: What’s your take on Patrick Kane’s return? Every talking head out there thinks he’ll come back and be fine. No player has ever returned successfully from hip resurfacing surgery. It’s entirely possible Kane will be the next Nicklas Backstrom. Yet, I haven’t heard this from any hockey media. It really doesn’t matter what team or contract Patrick Kane wants if he can’t play.
This is a great point and frankly, it wasn’t even one I was really considering too much but you’re absolutely right, it does have to be factored in. Ed Jovanovski didn’t come back for too long when he had it. Ryan Kesler had it done and never played again. Backstrom wasn’t bad last season after coming back but now, it’s fair to wonder if his playing days are done. If I’m a GM, this should be something to consider.
I wonder if Backstrom’s situation could make Kane’s camp lean toward pursuing a multi-year deal. While it’s possible he leaves money on the table if he is able to buck the trend, locking in guaranteed money with injury concerns can rarely be called a good idea.
Here’s what I keep coming back to with Kane. The contending teams that want him are almost all in cap trouble. Their preference is undoubtedly going to be Kane taking a cheap deal that doesn’t require them to turn around and move out another player, possibly with an incentive added with so few teams being able and willing to take on money.
Kane is going to have to pick between trying to ring chase now (and perhaps land in a spot where he can be insulated a bit which helps from a health standpoint) or going for one last big financial score. I lean toward him taking the former (perhaps not by choice; the big-money deals are going to be tough to get at this point of the year) as that’s where his best options for short-term success will be.
Binnie: Two questions to ask. The first one is which team has the best chance of signing Patrick Kane. The second is about Michael Rasmussen contract extension, how long are the terms and average salary per offered if true.
There seems to be some speculation that his preference would be to stay in the East after finishing up last season with the Rangers, a team that it doesn’t look like he’ll be returning to. Florida doesn’t have a lot of cap space but there seems to be considerable mutual interest and frankly, of the Eastern contender teams that could have a realistic shot at trying to afford him, they might be the best fit.
Buffalo is out there both for the fact he’s a local and the sense he’d help give them a boost in a season that they’re supposed to emerge from their rebuild. Detroit is believed to be in the mix as they’re looking to get out of missing the playoffs as well. Both of them can afford pricier long-term deals. If Kane wants one of those, I’d lean to Buffalo. If he’s willing to take the one-year deal, Florida is my pick for where he signs.
As for Rasmussen, I’m sure Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is at least kicking the tires. The center is a pending RFA so a deal will have to get done at some point. It’s safe to say that he’ll get more than his $1.72MM qualifier, especially with arbitration rights. But I don’t think Rasmussen has shown enough to receive a long-term extension, the types that are often done in-season. Barring injury, he’d have gotten there last year but he doesn’t have a 30-point season under his belt and he’s at a lower pace offensively so far this season.
Honestly, I think the best play for both sides here is a one-year pact, another bridge deal if you will. If I’m Detroit, I’d be leery about going higher than a low $3MM offer on a multi-year agreement (three or more seasons). If I’m Rasmussen, why am I locking in long-term for that when I can get $2MM or more on a one-year deal and ideally have a better platform year? Those would be my picks for a new contract for Rasmussen which is why I don’t think the two sides will get one done.
Nha Trang: Alright, how’s this for a deadly hypothetical? Congratulations, Brian! You’ve just been drafted to be the new GM of the Oilers, a team in the dumps, with over half of their cap space tied up in just six players (each and every one of them with NMCs), you’re projected to have only $10MM of cap space NEXT season, and you’ve got a goalie in the minors with a no-trade clause and a nearly $4MM cap hit himself. What’s your turnaround strategy, beyond fleeing screaming for Tahiti? (That, or coming to Massachusetts to clock me upside the head with a goalie stick for making the suggestion.)
My strategy is probably pretty similar to the one they’ve probably been looking into. In net, I’m looking for change-of-scenery players that wouldn’t necessarily require a huge inducement to take on Campbell’s deal. I’m looking at Columbus and Elvis Merzlikins or Seattle and Philipp Grubauer. Both netminders are signed for as long as Campbell and their AAV’s are less than $1MM apart. With Columbus, perhaps add in Cody Ceci and Andrew Peeke to make the money come close to matching and with Seattle, Ceci and William Borgen for the same purpose. That’s probably not the exact trade when all is said and done, that’s the core of the swap.
If those don’t work, I think I might make a bigger offer for Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka. (The problem is they won’t take Campbell back.) The Coyotes don’t seem to be locked in with having him as their long-term starter and if I can get two years at $2.75MM to pair with Stuart Skinner, that’s worth pursuing. Kulak is probably the money matcher and as much as I wouldn’t want to do it, I could be persuaded to put Xavier Bourgault, one of their top prospects, in the offer. This isn’t a viable situation for a rebuild, not with their core. Selling is not an option so the swing is defensible.
Failing that, Montreal’s Sam Montembeault would be my next target since his contract is a lot easier to fit into the current salary structure; he could be added without subtracting anyone of consequence off their current roster. A first-round pick is off the table but if they accepted a package headlined by a second-rounder, that would be worth pursuing. That’s not going to be a big upgrade in terms of getting a new starter but that at least shores up the backup spot, increasing the chances of getting points from those games which will help as they look to get back into a playoff spot.
I’d also look at shaking up the back end. Between Ceci, Brett Kulak, Evan Bouchard, and Philip Broberg, they have a lot of defenders who are mobile but not particularly good in their own end. One or two of those is manageable, four out of seven on the roster is an issue. Moving Kulak and/or Ceci for different-styled players making similar money (Peeke and Borgen are examples from the earlier goalie offers) would be useful. Getting more defensive structure and stability should help solve some of the goaltending struggles and with the remaining puck-movers plus Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm, their offensive game shouldn’t take much of a hit.
Up front, I don’t think I’d change a whole lot. What I would do is waive one of Adam Erne or Sam Gagner to make them waiver-exempt and shuffle one of them back and forth (down on off days) along with James Hamblin. (Not at the same time as they need 12 forwards though.) The idea would be to dip out of LTIR on those days and bank a tiny bit of cap space which might come in handy at the deadline. Ideally, it’d be nice to get a penalty kill specialist into Gagner’s spot and a more skilled fourth line grit player into Erne’s but given their weaker prospect pool, I wouldn’t be trading much for those. Rather, I’d watch the waiver wire for more optimal fits.
Otherwise, this is a good forward group and I expect they’ll turn it around on their own. That coupled with better defense and possibly better goaltending should get them into the playoffs at least.
Predators Activate Luke Schenn
The Predators announced Sunday evening that they’ve activated defenseman Luke Schenn from injured reserve. Schenn will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Jets.
Today’s appearance will be Schenn’s first since sustaining a lower-body injury after the NHL season-opening game against the Lightning on October 10. Within a week of Schenn exiting the lineup, the Predators announced he was expected out of the lineup for four to six weeks. His return comes right on schedule within that recovery timeframe.
The 34-year-old has had somewhat of a career renaissance over the previous two seasons. The fifth-overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Maple Leafs, Schenn was almost out of the league entirely in the mid-to-late 2010s and earned multiple demotions to the AHL. After capturing two Stanley Cup rings with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 while playing an extremely limited role, Schenn once again became an everyday NHLer after signing a two-year deal with the Canucks in 2021.
Over the last two seasons, Schenn remained in a somewhat limited role but was a regular appearance in the lineup, playing in 136 games with the Canucks and Maple Leafs after a 2023 deadline deal sent him back to Toronto. He’s notched 39 points, a +23 rating, and 145 penalty minutes in that time.
An especially strong finish to 2022-23, riding shotgun at times on Toronto’s top defense pairing with Morgan Rielly, earned Schenn a significant three-year, $8.25MM commitment with the Predators when free agency opened on July 1. It’s a bit of a risky gamble for a player who will be 36 at the end of the deal, but Predators GM Barry Trotz hopes Schenn will add a physical element to Nashville’s back end and provide some protection for star puck-moving defender Roman Josi.
The Predators had room on the 23-man roster to execute this move, meaning no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Ryan Hartman To Have Player Safety Hearing
Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday regarding a slew-foot against Detroit Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat during today’s loss, per a league announcement.
The incident occurred about halfway through the third period, with the Wild already trailing by multiple goals. As DeBrincat attempted to shield teammate Michael Rasmussen by the Wild bench as he carried the puck up the ice, Hartman approached DeBrincat from behind. Hartman’s foot made contact with the back of DeBrincat’s skates and continued to follow through as DeBrincat fell backward to the ice.
NHL Player Safety will likely determine whether Hartman intended to injure DeBrincat on the play, the principal factor in the length of a potential suspension. Because this is not an in-person hearing, a suspension would be five games or less.
Hartman has been among the few Wild players performing up to expectations this season. His seven goals rank second on the team behind Joel Eriksson Ek, and the natural winger continues to take a heavy amount of faceoffs and is averaging nearly 17 minutes per game. Hartman’s possession numbers are some of the best on the team, boasting a 52.5% Corsi share at even strength through 17 games. His lone absence this season came in the Wild’s Global Series game against the Ottawa Senators last weekend in Stockholm due to illness.
The 29-year-old is in the final season of a three-year contract carrying a bargain-bin cap hit of $1.7MM. He signed a three-year, $12MM extension with the Wild in October and will avoid unrestricted free agency next summer.
Golden Knights Sign Ben Hemmerling To Entry-Level Contract
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed forward prospect Ben Hemmerling to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. A natural right-winger, Hemmerling will remain on loan to the WHL’s Everett Silvertips for the remainder of the season, meaning the contract will likely slide to 2024-25. His deal would then break down as follows, per PuckPedia:
2023-24: $70K signing bonus
2024-25: $775K NHL salary, $82.5K minors salary,
2025-26: $775K NHL salary, $82.5K minors salary, $67.5K signing bonus
2026-27: $775K NHL salary, $82.5K minors salary
Hemmerling, 19, was selected by the Golden Knights in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. Some had viewed him as a potential selection as early as the third round, considering his good offensive production with Everett during the prior season. Elite Prospects was not optimistic about his NHL future in a 2022 scouting report, though, calling him a skilled but “inefficient” playmaker prone to costly turnovers. However, they did praise his physical game and his “proactive” defending style away from the puck.
Since then, Hemmerling’s stock hasn’t seen a meteoric rise, but it does appear he’s on his way to a pro career. Serving as a member of the Silvertips’ leadership team beginning in 2022-23, Hemmerling has notched over a point per game in junior play since his draft day and saw preseason action with the Golden Knights in September. After beginning this season with seven goals, 18 assists, and 25 points in 24 games for the Silvertips, an entry-level contract comes to avoid Hemmerling re-entering the draft next summer.
He will be a restricted free agent when his entry-level deal expires in 2027. Expect him to spend at least one season with the Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate in Henderson before looking at a potential NHL call-up.
Flames Assign Nick DeSimone To AHL
The Flames assigned defenseman Nick DeSimone to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Sunday, per a team announcement. As Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson points out, DeSimone finds himself on the outside looking in for a regular spot in the Flames lineup, and with the team not feeling a need to carry an extra defender during their upcoming homestand, the veteran blueliner will head back to the minors for the time being.
Returning DeSimone to the Wranglers also delays when he’ll need to clear waivers again to return to the AHL, which could be an impactful decision. The 29-year-old has been a healthy scratch in three straight contests but was impactful in over eight prior games, serving in a third-pairing role but seeing some offensive zone usage that translated to good possession numbers. An undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks after three seasons at Union College, DeSimone has played for three NHL organizations but has only appeared in the big leagues for the Flames.
After four full pro seasons spent mainly with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate and a brief stop with the AHL’s Rochester Americans while on loan from the Vegas Golden Knights in late 2021, DeSimone signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Flames that summer. He again spent the entire season in the minors with the AHL’s Stockton Heat.
Still, he opted to re-sign with the Flames after reaching unrestricted free agency, signing a two-year contract with a salary guarantee of $350K in both seasons. It’s proved to be a wise choice, as DeSimone tied his AHL career-high with 46 points in 65 games with the Wranglers last season and earned a handful of call-ups, which resulted in him making his NHL debut.
DeSimone passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of this season but was called up to the Flames less than a month in. He’s been on the roster since his initial recall on November 3, aside from a one-day paper transaction that saw him briefly head back to the Wranglers two days later.
The right-shot defender recorded his first NHL point in his season debut against the Kraken on November 4 and managed to record four assists across eight games, although he averaged just 12:50 per game when in the lineup. However, he was far from a defensive liability, posting a 56.5% Corsi share at even strength. That’s much improved from his 47.9% mark in four games last season.
As he has been on the Flames’ roster for less than 30 days and played less than 10 games since clearing waivers at the beginning of the campaign, he does not need to clear them again to return to the AHL at this time. He’ll suit up for the Wranglers again in the coming days, with whom he has four assists and a +4 rating in six games.
Coyotes Reassign Jan Jeník
The Arizona Coyotes announced Sunday that they’ve assigned forward Jan Jeník to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL.
In doing so, the team has freed up a spot on the active roster, potentially indicating one of their three players on injured reserve, likely forward Jack McBain or defenseman Travis Dermott, could be nearing a return. It could also be a transaction to give the 23-year-old Jeník some playing action in tonight’s contest with the Roadrunners against the Henderson Silver Knights, as the Coyotes are out of action until Tuesday.
Arizona summoned Jeník from the minors over a week ago after announcing that center Barrett Hayton would be sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Jeník was a healthy scratch in three of four games during his call-up, making his lone appearance (and season debut) last Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. In that contest, he logged just 8:21 of ice time, one shot on goal and a -1 rating.
He’s been used in a similarly limited role during previous call-ups this season, also serving as a healthy scratch for a couple of games last month. A third-round pick of the Coyotes in 2018, Jeník is now in his fourth professional season after making his NHL debut during the 2020-21 campaign. He’s on his second NHL contract after his entry-level deal expired last summer, inking a one-year, two-way pact with a minimum guaranteed salary of $125K after reportedly seeking a trade upon reaching restricted free agency.
In 18 NHL games, Jeník has tallied four goals, one assist and a -4 rating while averaging 10:10 per game. While not a highly-touted prospect on draft day, he had a solid finish to his junior career that positioned him as a potential top-six fixture in Arizona if things panned out the right way. That seems unlikely now, as he’s yet to come close to carving out a full-time role for himself and is off to a mediocre start with Tucson, notching two goals and three assists in nine games. His professional point production has continued to decrease from its peak in 2021-22 when he notched 47 points in 51 games for the Roadrunners.
Next summer, Jeník will once again be a restricted free agent. Unlike last year, he will be eligible for salary arbitration. He’s due a qualifying offer of $813,750 per CapFriendly; however, if things continue in their current direction, Jeník seems like a strong non-tender candidate and could find himself on the open market when July 1 rolls around.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Carolina Hurricanes
As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Carolina Hurricanes
Who are the Hurricanes Thankful For?
Of all the Hurricanes players, so far this season Jarvis has been the most impressive and taken the biggest step forward. 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a contender for this title until the calendar flipped to November and his hot start faded quickly.
While Kotkaniemi still appears on track to have the best season of his NHL career, it’s Jarvis who has stood out the most.
At the moment, Jarvis is only behind franchise pivot Sebastian Aho on the team’s scoring leaderboard and is on pace to register 35 goals and 65 points by the end of the season. But based on how he has been performing, there is a distinct possibility that Jarvis’ pace even increases over the course of the season.
A player who is defined by his aggressive and fearless approach to creating offense, Jarvis stands just five-foot-ten and yet is an extremely difficult player to win battles against.
The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette reported that Jarvis added eight pounds of muscle this offseason, and his diligent preparation for 2023-24 stands in contrast to how he began last season. Hurricanes head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston told Lavalette that last season, Jarvis “really wasn’t where we thought he should be or could be” in terms of his preparedness to handle the rigors of the NHL season. (subscription link)
That’s changed in 2023-24, and the Hurricanes are reaping the benefits on an almost nightly basis.
What are the Hurricanes Thankful For?
The struggles of several of their Metropolitan Division rivals.
Entering the season, most neutral observers viewed the Metropolitan Division as easily the NHL’s most cutthroat collection of teams. The division boasted three clear-cut Stanley Cup contenders in Carolina, the New York Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils, while fans were also optimistic that both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin would lead their teams to bounce-back campaigns.
In addition, aggressive offseason additions made by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the returns of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers, and the presence of elite netminder Ilya Sorokin between the pipes for the Islanders meant that the entire Metropolitan division could conceivably have entered the season with legitimate hopes of making the postseason.
So far, things haven’t shaken out quite as expected in the Metro. The Rangers have clearly separated themselves and the Washington Capitals are close to doing the same after a slow start, but otherwise, each team in the division has had its fair share of struggles.
So while the Hurricanes have had a less-than-ideal start to their season, they still find themselves firmly in the mix for a playoff spot due to similarly uneven starts from expected contenders.
The Devils, for example, are currently second-to-last in the division. The Penguins are at the moment sitting on a flat .500 record with 10 wins and 10 losses, while the Islanders have not been able to carve out any sort of consistency under head coach Lane Lambert, whose seat may be starting to warm.
In prior seasons, the Hurricanes’ slow start could very well have doomed them in such a competitive division. This year, the Hurricanes remain firmly in the playoff picture thanks to many division rivals also struggling. That’s definitely something for the franchise to be thankful for in a Stanley Cup-or-bust season.
What Would the Hurricanes be Even More Thankful For?
An improved penalty kill.
When looking for explanations as to why the Hurricanes are currently 11-8-0 and a point behind the still-rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, the penalty kill might be one of the most obvious choices. Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Hurricanes fans have grown accustomed to having among the best short-handed units in the entire NHL.
From 2018-19, Brind’Amour’s first season as the bench boss in Carolina, through 2022-23, the Hurricanes rank a clear first place in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. Their 84.7% kill rate stands a full percentage point above the next-best team, and has been a clear driver of team success throughout the club’s entire Brind’Amour era.
That longstanding track record of success short-handed makes this season’s immense struggles all the more confusing. The team currently ranks eighth-worst in the NHL in penalty killing with a 74.6% kill rate, a far lower number than any years prior. There do not appear to be major structural differences driving this decline, as NHL Edge indicates that the Hurricanes are actually spending even less time in their defensive zone while short-handed than they did last year.
So why has their penalty kill been so uncharacteristically bad? The answer could lie in goaltending. Last year, according to MoneyPuck, Carolina saved 88.24% of its shots on goal while on a four-on-five penalty kill. This season, that number has crashed all the way to 75%, which is by far the lowest mark in the NHL. To put it simply: Hurricanes goalies are not making the saves while short-handed that they once made.
The Hurricanes’ penalty kill, for the entirety of Brind’Amour’s tenure as coach, had served as the bedrock for the team’s exceptional team play. That team play, in turn, translated into success in the standings and multiple deep playoff runs. So far this season, that bedrock has eroded and the penalty kill has dropped to the league’s basement. So the number-one thing that the Hurricanes would be even more thankful for would likely be a return to form for its short-handed units.
What Should Be On the Hurricanes Holiday List?
Potential reinforcements in net.
Expected number-one netminder Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely with a blood-clotting issue. As a result, the Hurricanes have relied more heavily upon a tandem of Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, and that tandem has appeared to be a major weakness so far this season.
According to MoneyPuck, Raanta currently ranks fourth-worst in the NHL in goals-saved-above-expected. Kochetkov, in just six games played, has also posted a below-expected mark.
Using more traditional numbers, both Raanta and Kochetkov have posted disastrous save percentages. Kochetkov has a grisly .874 mark, while Raanta’s .854 save percentage through ten games is a glaring issue.
Although the Hurricanes have found ways to win despite Raanta’s struggles (he has a 6-3-1 record) the veteran netminder will be 35 years old come the postseason and looks far worse than last season, when he posted a respectable .910 save percentage.
Moreover, Raanta’s tendency to run into injury trouble throughout his professional career raises questions as to whether the Hurricanes can rely on him to endure the rigors of being an NHL starting goalie. With each day that passes, it appears more and more necessary for Carolina to seek outside help between the pipes. They already did so in the form of signing veteran Jaroslav Halak to a PTO, but that tryout was relatively short-lived.
Moving into the Holiday season, the Hurricanes should be scouring the goalie market to find a netminder capable of leading them to a Stanley Cup championship. Should contract talks between 27-year-old Sam Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens end without an extension in place, he could be the kind of goalie the Hurricanes target.
Montembeault ranked as one of the league’s better goalies by goals-saved-above-expected last season and has excelled for the Canadiens so far this season. It’s possible that in an environment where his club is likely entering almost every game with a talent advantage, Montembeault could post even greater numbers, just as he did for Canada at the recent IIHF Men’s World Championships. (6-1-0, 1.42 GAA .939 save percentage)
Regardless of if it’s Montembeault or someone else, the Hurricanes should be looking for external help between the pipes. Raanta has simply played too poorly and proven himself to be too injury-prone for the Hurricanes to count on him as their number-one goalie this season, a year where the team is looking to win the Stanley Cup. Entering the Holiday season, a talented goalie should be number one on the team’s wish list.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ottawa Senators Reassign Roby Järventie, Mads Søgaard
In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators have reassigned netminder Mads Søgaard and forward Roby Järventie to their AHL affiliate, the Bellville Senators.
With Søgaard, this reassignment is likely an indication that starter Joonas Korpisalo is ready to at least dress as the backup goalie tomorrow against the Panthers. Korpisalo had been injured, prompting the Søgaard recall, but there was hope that he’d be ready for the Florida game tomorrow. With this reassignment, it now appears those hopes have become reality.
Søgaard, 22, did not see game action in his latest NHL stint with Ottawa. He has been strong in eight games as the starter for Belleville, posting a 4-3 record, 2.35 goals-against-average, and .923 save percentage.
As for Järventie, this reassignment is less based on roster juggling and likely more about performance. Given the first NHL opportunity of his career, Järventie didn’t receive many minutes and didn’t do very much with the ice time he did receive. Other than registering his first NHL point in a surprising victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on November eighth, Järventie didn’t make much of a mark.
He’s been significantly better at the AHL level, though, and has scored 33 points in his last 46 games there. Now headed back to Belleville, the 21-year-old 2020 33rd overall pick will look to have a productive stretch and potentially earn another shot at the NHL level.
Vegas Golden Knights Recall Kaedan Korczak
The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled defenseman Kaedan Korczak from their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The move appears to be motivated by the fact that Vegas is currently missing two defensemen due to injury.
Alec Martinez is currently out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while Shea Theodore is out with his own upper-body injury on an unclear timeline. The Golden Knights already roster eight defensemen, meaning they can still have a full unit of six blueliners with these two injuries.
But as Vegas begins a three-game road trip that will take them through Western Canada, it appears the team has decided it needs to carry a fully healthy seventh defenseman, which in this case would be Korczak.
Should Korczak get into the Golden Knights’ lineup during their road trip, he would be playing in relatively familiar surroundings. Korczak, a Saskatchewan native, played the entirety of his junior career with the Kelowna Rockets. As a result, he frequently played road games in all three of Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary.
A 22-year-old right-shot defenseman, the Golden Knights drafted Korczak 41st overall at the 2019 draft. He’s developed nicely for them, currently serving as a depth blueliner who plays heavy minutes at the AHL level and a more sheltered role when called upon by the big club. This season, he’s already played in seven games for the Golden Knights and tallied four points. He last played for Vegas in a November 5th loss to the Anaheim Ducks.