Jeremy Lauzon Out Week-To-Week
As the Nashville Predators look to secure their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they will be without their major trade deadline acquisition for the near future. The team announced today that defenseman Jeremy Lauzon will not play tonight against St. Louis and is going to be out of the lineup with a lower-body injury on a week-to-week designation.
Lauzon, 24, had arrived in Nashville via a trade deadline deal with the Seattle Kraken, who acquired him from the Boston Bruins in the expansion draft. The Predators paid a second-round pick to acquire Lauzon, an indication of how highly the team valued the young blueliner as part of the team’s plans for this season and beyond. Lauzon has gotten into 13 games for the Predators since the trade, and has scored one goal, logged 14 penalty minutes, and is a +3, all while playing a touch over 17 minutes a night. The Predators are a team with enviable defensive depth and should be able to absorb this loss, but the team paid a decent price to acquire Lauzon so coach John Hynes and the rest of the Predators organization have to be hopeful that Lauzon recovers sooner rather than later.
For Lauzon, this injury is a disappointment as he may miss time in the playoffs, should Nashville make it there. Lauzon’s hard-nosed, physical style plays better in a playoff environment where officiating is less strict, so if this injury costs Lauzon time in the playoffs it will come as a missed opportunity for him. A good playoff run can greatly enhance a physical defenseman’s reputation across the league, (as the Canadiens’ run in 2021 did for Ben Chiarot) so as a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights this injury could cost Lauzon an opportunity to enhance his case for this summer.
Snapshots: Bordeleau, Megna, Leddy
It has been a season to forget for the San Jose Sharks, but as their campaign winds down their fanbase may be treated to a night to remember. One of the team’s top prospects, Thomas Bordeleau, is set to make his NHL debut tonight in the team’s contest against the Minnesota Wild. According to coach Bob Boughner, Bordeleau will center a line with Rudolfs Balcers and Noah Gregor for his debut game.
Bordeleau, 20, has been one of San Jose’s most talented prospects since he was drafted 38th overall in 2020. As a freshman at the University of Michigan Bordeleau posted 30 points in 24 games, and this season he had 37 points in 37 games on a stacked Wolverines squad. Bordeleau’s professional career has gotten off to a decent start, with three points in two AHL games, and with the Sharks’ offensive issues in recent games Sharks fans have to hope that Bordeleau’s debut can add a spark to their team.
- In another update for the Sharks, defenseman Jaycob Megna will be out for the game against the Wild (and perhaps even longer) after taking a puck to the head in the Sharks’ game against the Stars last night, The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak relays. Megna, 29, has been an NHL-AHL tweener for most of his nine-year professional career, although he has set a career-high in games played this season, getting into 37 ties for the Sharks.
- The St. Louis Blues’ major trade deadline acquisition Nick Leddy had an injury scare on Saturday, leaving the game after being cut under the eye against the Wild. Today, Blues head coach Craig Berube issued an update on his situation, stating that he is “feeling better” but still is unable to play in tonight’s game. The Blues have serious intentions of going on a playoff run, so it will be important for Leddy to return to the lineup. As it stands with this update, it appears that Leddy’s injury will not be a major setback.
Looking At David Perron’s Impending Free Agency
With a dramatic 6-5 overtime victory over the division rival Minnesota Wild yesterday, the Blues clinched their spot in the playoffs this season. While the story of this Blues team is still unwritten, it isn’t too early to look forward to the offseason to examine what the future of this Blues team holds. With the emergence of Ville Husso as the team’s number-one goalie and Husso’s status as a pending unrestricted free agent, most of the attention paid to the Blues’ offseason decision-making has been centered around the situation with Husso and Jordan Binnington, who is the owner of a rich $6MM AAV contract extension. What has flown under the radar as a result has been the pending unrestricted free agency of winger David Perron.
That should not come as a surprise, though, as flying under the radar has become something of a trademark for Perron. Since he was selected from St. Louis to play for Vegas in the Expansion Draft, Perron has quietly become a star scoring winger in the NHL, flirting with point-per-game production several times over the past five years. After his campaign in Vegas where he had 66 points in 70 games, Perron signed in St. Louis, and with the Blues for the past four seasons Perron has a combined 218 points in 245 games, which is a 73-point pace over 82 games. That’s the kind of production that makes a player an elite winger, but Perron isn’t often viewed as the elite winger his production says he is. So, that can complicate his contract situation, as he has been by all accounts one of the better scoring wingers in the NHL for the past five seasons, but doesn’t carry the same name recognition that other scoring wingers hold. As an example, Max Pacioretty, one of the other successful scoring wingers from Perron’s 2007 draft class, has 187 points in 218 games over these past four seasons, which is 70-point pace. So Pacioretty has had similar levels of production to Perron (actually slightly lower) over the past four seasons’ worth of games, but Pacioretty is routinely mentioned as one of the league’s best left wingers while Perron typically maintains a lower profile.
So, why is that relevant for Perron’s free agency situation? Because relative to his production, Perron has been underpaid. Perron’s contract in St. Louis carries a $4MM cap hit, a number that is significantly below market value for wingers who score at a 70+ point pace. To use the Pacioretty comparable again, his extension with the Golden Knights holds a $7MM AAV, and the going rate for wingers like Perron and Pacioretty is around $7MM, if not more. So that begs the question, is a $7MM+ contract something Perron will be aiming for this offseason? Moreover, given that Perron is already 33 years old, will he be able to get a contract at that number with any real term attached to it, beyond just one or two years? The market will obviously dictate the answers to those questions, but since Perron’s career has reached new heights as he’s aged (rather than getting worse with age, as happens with most players) it will be fascinating to see how the open market values him. Wingers who can score like Perron don’t grow on trees, so despite his age, it cannot be put out of the question that Perron will be able to earn a major contract.
While talented scorers like Perron don’t grow on trees for most NHL clubs, they seem to be readily available for Perron’s Blues. The Blues’ top three forward lines are an embarrassment of riches, and the team has seven players above 50 points on the year, and two more (Ryan O’Reilly and Brandon Saad) are set to reach that plateau by the end of the season. The team’s wealth of weapons up front further complicates Perron’s free agency situation, as, given the raise he is in line to receive, St. Louis may not be in a position to retain him. St. Louis’ forward corps has significant money on the books, with Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, and Saad already locked into long-term deals. Additionally, two centerpiece young talents in Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou are set to be restricted free agents after next season. Two franchise icons in O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko also are set to be free agents after next season as well.
All of this is to say that the Blues are going to have some major decisions to make in the near future, and it’s very possible that given the contracts set to expire, the situation with Husso this offseason, and the team’s need to add to their defense, there simply isn’t enough room to pay Perron what he deserves. While Perron’s third tour of duty as a Blue has been a success, and Perron obviously has a real connection with the market and the organization, if he wants to be paid like the elite winger he has been for the past five seasons, it’s going to be difficult for him to get that contract in St. Louis.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Update On Johnny Gaudreau
The Flames have had a remarkable season this year, bouncing back from last year’s disappointment and clinching a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They sit sixth in the NHL with a 46-20-9 record and are in the conversation for the best team in the Western Conference. But despite these good times for the franchise, there is one looming uncertainty that could pose a serious threat to the team’s ability to compete after this season: Johnny Gaudreau‘s pending unrestricted free agency. Gaudreau, 28, has been the most skilled player to don a Flames sweater in years, and he has reached a new dimension of production this season, with 105 points in 75 games. He has played himself into the Hart Trophy conversation and cemented his status as the team’s most important player. But after this season, Gaudreau’s $6.75MM AAV contract expires, and he is set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Naturally, that situation has been a consistent storyline all season for Calgary. The Flames reportedly began extension talks with Gaudreau last July, but those talks obviously have not borne fruit. After this season began both parties decided they would not negotiate a contract mid-season in order to remove all distractions for the team and player. As a result, Gaudreau’s contract situation still looms large over the franchise, so much so that in an interview with Sportsnet after his team clinched the playoffs, Flames GM Brad Treliving was asked about Gaudreau’s situation directly. Treliving stated that the two parties’ choice to “keep things quiet” on the extension front during the season “should by no means be taken as any indication” that the team does not want Gaudreau back. Treliving even goes further on that sentiment, saying that the Flames will “move heaven and earth” and “do everything [they] possibly can to get Johnny back.” Treliving communicated a general sentiment in his comments that the Flames’ overall philosophy is to try to retain and support the team’s most talented players rather than to trade them away or let them leave. These comments cannot be seen as anything but a strong indication that Treliving intends to apply that philosophy to the contract situation of Gaudreau.
But despite Treliving’s intention to “move heaven and earth” for Gaudreau, like with any unrestricted free agent, the decision is not his alone to make. Gaudreau has had a fantastic platform season as he enters the open market, and he looks in line to command a massive contract. The Flames have a Matthew Tkachuk extension to consider after this season and are heading into the final two years of Elias Lindholm‘s team-friendly $4.85MM AAV deal. There is definitely room for the Flames to give Gaudreau that extension, especially if the team can find a way to move Sean Monahan and his $6.375MM cap hit, but it won’t be easy.
Additionally, one external factor complicates things as well. Gaudreau is from southern New Jersey and has in the past flirted with the idea of playing for the Flyers. The Flyers will be under significant pressure this offseason to build a team that can win in 2022-23, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on a 32 Thoughts podcast that the Flyers’ strategy for dealing with the financial pressures of losing is typically to “go out and get something shiny” that “the fans find attractive.” What would be more attractive to the Flyers fanbase and sponsorship base than a Hart Trophy candidate who grew up rooting for the Flyers? With all those factors in play, one has to wonder if the Flames are in the position to win a potential bidding war against a highly motivated Flyers club that has that hometown advantage over their player. But if Treliving’s comments from yesterday are any indication, the Flames look set to make a major push this offseason to retain their homegrown star.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Danil Gushchin Assigned To AHL
With the OHL regular season coming to an end today, several players signed to entry-level contracts will soon be joining their AHL affiliates to get a taste of professional hockey. Because the Niagara IceDogs failed to qualify for the postseason, that exodus has begun with Danil Gushchin, assigned today to the San Jose Barracuda.
Gushchin, 20, was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft by the San Jose Sharks, picked out of the USHL where he was playing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Russian-born forward moved to the OHL this season to play for Niagara, where he exploded onto the scene with 41 goals in just 51 games. That tied him for tenth in the entire league, despite the IceDogs having a brutal season overall. In fact, the next closest player to Gushchin in terms of goal scoring in Niagara was Liam Van Loon, who had just 19 tallies.
A Hlinka-Gretzky gold medal winner, a USHL All-Star, and now a standout in the OHL, Gushchin has never really shown any signs of slowing his development. He’ll now face the biggest test of his hockey career, transitioning to professional hockey. Unfortunately, the Barracuda only have a handful of games left themselves, as they will miss the playoffs after a tough season. He’ll have to wait until 2022-23 to really get a full slate of game action.
Michael Pezzetta To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Montreal Canadiens may be down a forward for a few days, as Michael Pezzetta will have a hearing tomorrow with the Department of Player Safety. The hearing will determine supplementary discipline following his illegal check to the head of Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie in yesterday’s game.
The hit occurred partway through the third period, as Pezzetta contacted Oshie’s head as the puck went up the ice. He received a two-minute penalty from the on-ice officials, while Oshie did not suffer a serious injury–or at least not one that kept him off the ice last night. The Capitals forward would remain in the game and score his tenth goal of the season on the ensuing powerplay.
Pezzetta, 24, is in his first season in the NHL and provides a huge amount of physicality for the Canadiens, racking up 143 hits in just 47 games. He’s also added 74 penalty minutes, as he carves out a fourth-line role for himself at the highest level. With this hearing, a suspension is likely, meaning he not only will have to miss some time, but his hits will be scrutinized even further in the future.
The Canadiens don’t play again until Tuesday, when they welcome in the Minnesota Wild and try to stop a five-game losing streak.
AHL Shuffle: 04/17/22
It’s another busy Sunday for the NHL, with six games on the schedule including an afternoon tilt between the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings. Later, the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators do battle in an important Central Division matchup, while Auston Matthews continues his chase for 60 goals against the New York Islanders. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Zachary Senyshyn from the AHL, one of their interesting deadline pickups. The 25-year-old forward was the 15th overall selection in 2015 but has just 14 NHL appearances to his name. In 13 games so far with the Belleville Senators, Senyshyn has just two points.
Metropolitan Division
- With Frederik Andersen‘s status still questionable after an injury last night, the Carolina Hurricanes have made a move to shore up their crease. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has been recalled from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on an emergency basis, presumably to back up incumbent number-two netminder Antti Raanta. Kotchetkov, 22, was the 36th overall pick in the 2019 draft and has been brilliant this season. He has a .921 save percentage in 15 AHL games and a .923 in 23 KHL games this year.
Central Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Mikey Eyssimont back to the AHL, where the Manitoba Moose are set to battle for the Calder Cup. Eyssimont has played just a single game in the NHL so far, recording fewer than six minutes of action last week. The 25-year-old forward has been good for Manitoba though, with 15 goals and 35 points in 53 appearances.
Pacific Division
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Santeri Hatakka from the AHL, giving the young defenseman another chance in the AHL. Hatakka has played in eight games with the Sharks this season, recording two points.
- Jiri Patera has been reassigned to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, Vegas announced. The move is a likely precursor to Robin Lehner‘s return to the Golden Knights lineup. Patera has played in 20 AHL games and 15 ECHL games this season, but has yet to make his NHL debut.
This page is updated throughout the day
Snapshots: Forsberg, NHLPA, PWHPA
This evening on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman discussed an update on Filip Forsberg‘s contract extension talks, noting that Forsberg’s agent, J.P. Barry and Nashville Predators’ GM David Poille recently met face-to-face for the first time in a while. Friedman says that while it is difficult to gauge any progress on the talks, as nothing was made public from these discussions, the development is significant and represents the two sides continuing to talk.
Forsberg is an impending UFA, who the Predators chose not to trade at this year’s trade deadline, despite not having an extension in place with the forward. Part of the reason to hang onto Forsberg would be for Nashville to use him themselves in another playoff run, but also perhaps their confidence that they could get a deal done with Forsberg before he hits free agency. One advantage Nashville will have over other teams, besides an extended negotiating period and familiarity, is the ability to give Forsberg an eight-year contract as opposed to seven, something he will almost assuredly get.
- Also from Friedman is that a succession plan for NHLPA Director Donald Fehr could be in place by this summer, though Friedman adds he is not entirely sure what that will look like. Fehr has served in this role since 2010, after a storied career with the MLBPA, however his position has come under fire recently, especially with the release of the results of an independent investigation into the NHLPA and Fehr’s handling of the accusations against the Chicago Blackhawks and Brad Aldrich. The 73-year-old Fehr had already been rumored to be nearing retirement, so to see a succession plan being rumored now is not surprising, even with the investigation news.
- With the PWHPA planning to go their own way in forming a league without the PHF, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek shares some details of what the new league will look like. First and foremost, Marek says that the league will have a new name, though what that will be is not yet known. The league’s first season will take place from January through April of 2023 and consists of 32 games per team, including six teams spread between the US and Canada. Each team is expected to have 23 players, with the minimum salary being $35K and the average salary being $55K, as well as benefits for all players. Without too many more pertinent details, it’s hard to forecast what this league and season will truly look like and what fans can expect, however having these basic plans in place is a promising step forward after talks between the PWHPA and PHF have not progressed to anything of note thus far.
Latest On 2023 World Junior Championships
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported tonight that Canada had agreed to host the 2023 World Junior Championship, with five potential bids for hosting in consideration. Marek lists pairings of Saskatoon and Regina, London and Kitchener, Ottawa (split between the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators), Quebec City and Trois Rivieres, and Halifax and Moncton.
Marek adds that while there are several competitive bids for the rights to host, he says that Canada is not necessarily concerned with the top bid financially, but is more interested in a “full fan experience” after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted this year’s tournament. He adds that packed arenas and an ability to cultivate good television would be among the list of priorities.
The leading candidate, Marek mentions, would be Halifax and Moncton. Though Canada has hosted the tournament numerous times in recent history, it has not been held this far east since Halifax and Sydney hosted in 2003. As mentioned, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking away some of the experience that the World Juniors brings both to those attending in person and watching at home, seeing Canada prioritize the overall experience for all is surely exciting for fans, especially considering the 2022 tournament is to be held in Edmonton an Red Deer, just four months ahead of the 2023 tournament.
Central Notes: Leddy, Wild, Meyers
There was good news and bad news today for the St. Louis Blues. The good news was the team clinched a playoff spot with a 6-5 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild. The bad news was defenseman Nick Leddy taking a high stick near his eye, causing him to leave the game. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford spoke to Blues’ Head Coach Craig Berube, who said that the incident had blurred Leddy’s vision and he is not expected to play tomorrow against the Nashville Predators.
With the Blues clinching today, the need to have Leddy in the lineup is not so pressing, however the team paid a hefty price to acquire the defenseman, who is rich with playoff experience, to use down the stretch and in the playoffs. Berube did not appear to be overly concerned about this injury, however any time an injury involving a player’s vision comes into question, it can be scary, not only for their playing career, but their life away from the rink too.
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo provided several updates on the Minnesota Wild, per Head Coach Dean Evason. Most notably, Tyson Jost, who took a big hit from Pavel Buchnevich earlier today, will not play tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks for precautionary reasons. Evason also notes that defenseman Jon Merrill is still out of the lineup going forward, having not played since March 31st with an upper-body injury. In more positive news for the Wild, Evason says that forward Jordan Greenway has started skating and star defenseman Mathew Dumba is getting closer to return as well.
- The Colorado Avalanche announced that forward Ben Meyers will make his NHL debut tonight as the Avalanche take on the Carolina Hurricanes at home. Colorado signed the undrafted college free agent earlier this week after his season at the University of Minnesota had come to an end at the hands of Minnesota State. A finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, Meyers figures to provide solid scoring depth for a deep, talented Avalanche team as they head into the playoffs. Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar said he plans to have Meyers center Andrew Cogliano and Logan O’Connor in tonight’s game.