Carey Price Suffers Setback, Restarts Injury Rehab
Montreal Canadiens VP of hockey communications Chantal Machabee issued an update to reporters today, saying that goalie Carey Price suffered a setback and is “essentially starting from scratch in his rehab for his knee,” remaining out indefinitely.
Price underwent knee surgery in late July after the conclusion of the team’s ill-fated Stanley Cup Final run. He was originally supposed to be ready for the 2021-22 season, but also took a personal leave of absence from the team prior to the start of the season. He had begun to skate with the team intermittently after returning in November, but they never issued any timeline for a return.
It’s not a promising sign for Price’s future after previous injury troubles in his career. The 34-year-old netminder is signed through 2025-26 with a cap hit of $10.5MM.
The lack of Price in the picture gave the starting role to Jake Allen, who’s been just okay. It’s hard to fault him and his .901 save percentage with the state of the team in front of him, however, as they’ve scored just 76 goals through 36 games.
A bigger issue than Allen’s play has been the lack of a reliable backup, however. With Price unavailable, the team claimed Sam Montembeault off waivers from the Florida Panthers prior to the season. He’s struggled to be a reliable NHL goalie, posting just a 1-6-3 record and .895 save percentage.
Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz Returns To Game Action
New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz is back behind the bench for game action tonight after a personal leave of absence from the team for the death of his mother and clearing COVID protocol, reports Newsday’s Andrew Gross.
The team placed Trotz in COVID protocol on January 11, not getting a chance to coach the team after returning from his leave of absence. The last Islanders game Trotz coached was against Buffalo on December 30th, taking his leave of absence the next day.
However, due to a rash of postponements, Trotz has been absent only for the last three of the team’s games. Assistant coach Lane Lambert took over head coaching duties in the process.
With Trotz back at the helm, the Islanders continue a long road back toward a potential playoff spot. By standings points, the team is third-last in the Eastern Conference and 18 points behind Boston for the last wild card spot. However, they have as many as 10 games in hand on some teams, ample room to make up some difference. The eighth-place points percentage in the conference is Washington’s .654, though, and New York’s .467 mark still lags far behind.
Anaheim Ducks Interviewing Internal GM Candidates
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported today that the Anaheim Ducks have started the process of interviewing internal options to fill the general manager position, currently filled by assistant GM Jeff Solomon. LeBrun named Solomon, Dave Nonis, and Martin Madden as the candidates they’ve interviewed.
The position opened up last November when Bob Murray, their GM of 12 years, resigned from the club to enter a treatment program for alcohol abuse.
The 64-year-old Solomon is actually in his first year with the Ducks organization. He was named assistant general manager and VP of hockey operations this past summer after a 14-year career with Los Angeles’ hockey operations department.
Nonis is the only one of the named candidates who have general manager experience in the NHL. He was the GM of the Vancouver Canucks from 2004 to 2008 and the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2012 to 2015. He’s worked in the NHL since 1998 and has been with Anaheim ever since departing Toronto in 2015.
Madden was also mentioned as a prospective candidate for Montreal’s GM vacancy, but those rumors have since cooled. The Québec City native was Anaheim’s director of amateur scouting from 2008 to 2020 before transitioning to his role as assistant general manager.
LeBrun mentions that Anaheim hasn’t yet begun the process of interviewing external candidates, but that should begin soon. He also notes that they haven’t yet reached out to the Tampa Bay Lightning for permission to interview their assistant general manager, Mathieu Darche, who’s one of the hotter candidates on the managerial market.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Washington Capitals
In the spirit of the holiday season, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season approaches the midway mark. 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 Washington Capitals.
What are the Capitals thankful for?
Young depth.
Make no mistake, the Capitals are still one of the most veteran teams in the league, relying mostly on the same core that took them to the 2018 Stanley Cup. But this year has been a little different on the fringes of the roster, where young players are starting to make a difference. Connor McMichael (21), Brett Leason (22), and Aliaksei Protas (21) have all been regulars this season, adding some entry-level contracts to the mix up front. Martin Fehervary (22) has also worked his way into the top-four on defense, giving the team another extremely cheap option.
It’s that inexpensive depth that allows the Capitals to spend so much on their top names, including more than half the cap on the top-six forwards. For everyone mentioned above except Leason, who is an RFA at the end of the season, those entry-level contracts will still be in effect for next year as well, when they should presumably play an even bigger role.
Who are the Capitals thankful for?
The Russian Machine.
Alex Ovechkin is having the best offensive season of his career at age 36. Through 39 games he is now on pace for 113 points, which would be one more than his career-high set in 2007-08. He’s currently the leader for both the Art Ross and Rocket Richard trophies; no one has won both in the same season since he did it in 2008. While it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll actually win them, this performance is an absolutely incredible accomplishment for one of the league’s all-time greats.
Not only is Ovechkin dominating on the ice and helping the Capitals win, but he’s also one of the most marketable stars in the league. His pursuit of Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time goals record–Ovechkin needs just 138 to catch the Great One–is a storyline that every hockey fan can appreciate and get invested in. Signed to another five-year deal last summer, it appears it will only be a matter of time before Ovechkin is at the top of the goal-scoring mountain.
What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?
More consistency from Ilya Samsonov.
When Samsonov came over from the KHL, he was lauded as one of the best goaltenders in the world that wasn’t currently in the NHL. After all, he had been a first-round pick by the Capitals in 2015 and had put up outstanding KHL numbers since he was a teenager. In his rookie season in North America he struggled in the minor leagues, but there was still plenty of optimism about his future.
After three up-and-down seasons, the question is starting to be raised about whether he’s really the long-term answer in Washington. Samsonov has just a .903 save percentage in 21 appearances this season and though that has resulted in a strong 13-4-3 record, it’s certainly not instilling a ton of confidence in fans that want another Stanley Cup. Samsonov has provided -4.0 goals saved above average, 18th-worst among all goaltenders in the NHL this season. This Washington team is good enough to contend and Vitek Vanecek has been a decent complementary option, but Samsonov taking the next step could really push them over the edge into a dominant group.
What should be on the Capitals’ wish list?
A scoring winger.
There’s basically nothing the Capitals can do this deadline without moving money out somewhere else, but if they could, adding offense on the wing would be priority number one. In a perfect world that role is filled by Anthony Mantha, coming back from shoulder surgery and stepping directly into the top-six. But Mantha isn’t even expected to start skating until next month and is still “nowhere close” to a return according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic.
The other options just haven’t been quite good enough to this point. Outside of Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, the Capitals’ best offensive winger to this point has been Conor Sheary with 10 goals and 19 points in 31 games. T.J. Oshie has been hampered by injury and illness all season, so he should easily climb to that third spot at some point, but that still leaves a hole where more secondary scoring needs to come.
Again, it will be extremely difficult for the Capitals to make an addition without shedding salary but there is actually a bit of opportunity there. Michal Kempny still costs $1.375MM against the cap despite being on the taxi squad, while Mantha’s placement on LTIR currently opens a bit of space that they could use in the interim. If Ovechkin wasn’t scoring at a career-best place, the offense would probably be a big talking point in Washington. Fixing that problem before it really becomes one may be prudent.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Three Stars, Bogosian, Stars
The NHL has released the Three Stars from last week, with Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins taking home top spot. The veteran winger has been outstanding again this season, registering 43 points in just 30 games. With his six goals last week he has hit 20+ for the ninth consecutive season and leaves just the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season as the only year he’s missed that threshold in a 12-year NHL career (he had 18 in 45 games). Now 33, Marchand has been over a point-per-game in each of the last six seasons and currently sits eighth all-time in Bruins history with 758 points.
Second and third place went to Marc-Andre Fleury and Nikita Kucherov respectively, two more players who will likely be in the Hall of Fame one day. The Chicago Blackhawks netminder went 3-0 with a .957 save percentage and continues to create plenty of speculation as a deadline candidate around the league. Kucherov meanwhile tallied seven points in three games, taking his total to 13 in eight appearances this season. The 28-year-old now has 560 points in 523 career games.
- The Lightning will be without Zach Bogosian for the next two to three weeks with a lower-body injury according to Joe Smith of The Athletic, continuing what has been a brutal season for the veteran defenseman. Bogosian has played in just 23 games so far, coming out very few matches with a new injury. Certainly not the model of health throughout his career, Bogosian hasn’t played more than 65 games in a single season since he was a teenager with the Atlanta Thrashers.
- The Dallas Stars have placed Tanner Kero and a support staff member in the COVID protocol, further reducing the number of available bodies they have. Luckily, Denis Gurianov, Braden Holtby, and two other staff members were removed today and can rejoin the club. With players moving in and out on a daily basis, Riley Damiani, Rhett Gardner, and Thomas Harley have been brought back up to the taxi squad from the AHL.
Karson Kuhlman Claimed By Seattle Kraken
Jan 17: The Seattle Kraken have claimed Kuhlman, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The forward will likely get a bigger opportunity with the expansion club than he was ever going to get in Boston, though where he fits into the lineup isn’t yet clear. Kuhlman will remain on an NHL roster though, something he hasn’t been able to say in years past.
Jan 16: The Boston Bruins have seemingly decided that Karson Kuhlman‘s time on the active roster has come to an end for the time being, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the depth forward is on waivers today.
Notably, if the Bruins wanted to clear a roster spot they could have sent the waiver-exempt Oskar Steen down, but the 23-year-old forward has played well of late in his first regular taste of NHL action. Kuhlman’s placement on waivers suggests that Steen has now secured his spot on the active roster, at least for now.
Kuhlman, 26, has played in 19 games this season for the Bruins and has registered just two points. In his last appearance against the Washington Capitals, he played just over ten minutes, almost exactly what he’s averaged for the year. The undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth has played in 75 NHL games to this point in his career, racking up 111 hits and 15 points.
Interestingly, Kuhlman actually carries a cap hit lower than the league minimum salary, as his two-year deal comes with just a $725K average annual value. That could certainly be attractive to other teams, though fourth-line claims are still relatively rare.
No Imminent Changes Expected In Edmonton As Losses Pile Up
The COVID announcements are coming fast and furious today, but one is an especially important absence. The Edmonton Oilers have placed Stuart Skinner in the protocol, meaning he won’t get another chance to steal the net this week. Edmonton will have to go back to Mikko Koskinen and Ilya Konovalov as Mike Smith remains injured and Alex Stalock is just starting his comeback attempt.
Skinner, 23, was the subject of much frustration over the weekend as he allowed five goals to the Ottawa Senators in a brutal loss for Edmonton. The Oilers entered the third period up 3-1 on the 30th-ranked Senators, but ended up losing 6-4 after a powerplay tally from Josh Norris put Ottawa on top with just a few minutes remaining. While Oilers fans seem mostly willing to give Skinner a pass, for now, the goaltending situation has been a firestorm all season as the team tries to find a way out of their current freefall.
The Oilers are 3-10-2 since the start of December and have allowed at least four goals against in nine of those games. They now are set to welcome in the red-hot Florida Panthers on Thursday, a team that has scored 50 goals in its last eight games (6.25 per game). Koskinen, who hasn’t won a game since the first of December, will need to carry the load until Skinner or Smith return.
This morning, Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported that Oilers general manager Ken Holland and his management team are currently in California at pro scouting meetings, and suggests that no “significant change is imminent.” Holland explained during a press conference last week that the team can’t just burn through coaches, and even suggested that he doesn’t necessarily believe in firing a coach midseason. Rishaug notes that those thoughts still hold true, despite head coach Dave Tippett‘s struggles to find any consistency among the group.
After blowing the third-period lead against Ottawa, captain Connor McDavid was at a loss for words when trying to answer questions from the media. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet called it a “thousand-yard stare” from McDavid on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast, as the superstar was once again facing reporters after a disappointing loss.
The Oilers have shown obvious interest in signing unrestricted free agent Evander Kane, though his status is unclear due to a new investigation from the league. Kane’s addition would certainly bring another offensive piece to the group and Edmonton isn’t as far out of the playoffs as they could be, given how poorly teams in the Pacific Division are playing. It’s goaltending (and defense) that obviously needs to be answered though, as no Oilers netminder has a save percentage over .907 this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Boqvist, Gavrikov Added To COVID Protocol
The Columbus Blue Jackets are down a pair of defensemen, as both Adam Boqvist and Vladislav Gavrikov have been added to the COVID protocol. The release notes that Boqvist actually entered the protocol yesterday, meaning his timer will be slightly ahead of his teammate.
Boqvist, 21, is having a nice season for the Blue Jackets, scoring seven goals and 14 points through 26 games. The young defender played more than 20 forgettable minutes on Saturday against the Florida Panthers though, as the team was blown out by the Eastern Conference powerhouse. Unfortunately, that’ll be the last action he sees for a few days as he faces a minimum of a five-day isolation period.
Gavrikov meanwhile played 18:35 on Saturday, which is actually close to a season-low for the 26-year-old defenseman. Usually playing more than 21 minutes a night, he too is having a strong offensive season for Columbus with 17 points in 36 games. That solid point total has been backed up by some analytical success too, as Gavrikov is given the hardest defensive deployment on the Blue Jackets roster but remains almost even in terms of goals for and against.
With both out, the Blue Jackets have elevated Gavin Bayreuther to the second pair with Jake Bean and will insert Gabriel Carlsson back into the lineup. The team already had Cole Sillinger and Jakub Voracek in the protocol, but should get the latter back at least if he can test out in the coming days. Columbus doesn’t play again until Thursday.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/17/22
Eight games grace the NHL schedule today, including quite a few afternoon tilts as the United States celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day. The Detroit Red Wings will head to snowy Buffalo to take on the Sabres, before the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche play an important Central Division test. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylonen, and Gianni Fairbrother back to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Fairbrother, 21, failed to actually get into a game with Montreal as he entered the COVID protocol almost immediately after being recalled. He’s out now, but will head back to the minor leagues.
- The Sabres have recalled Mattias Samuelsson from the AHL, sending Casey Fitzgerald to the taxi squad to make room. Samuelsson, 21, has 15 points in 20 games with the Rochester Americans this season, showing he’s ready to take the next step and contribute as an NHL defenseman.
- Thomas Greiss has entered the COVID protocol, leaving the Red Wings to recall Calvin Pickard from the AHL. Pickard will back up Alex Nedeljkovic in today’s match.
Metropolitan Division
- Defenseman Jake Christiansen is back up with the Columbus Blue Jackets, bringing him up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this season.
Central Division
- The Avalanche have recalled Kiefer Sherwood and Mikhail Maltsev, giving them a couple of extra bodies for this afternoon’s match. The team has announced that Valeri Nichushkin has entered the COVID protocol, explaining the recalls.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Calen Addison, Matt Boldy, and Andrew Hammond as expected ahead of today’s game. The team had been of since last Friday and used the time to save a little bit of cash and salary cap by sending these three down.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have added Adrian Kempe to the COVID protocol, leading to the recalls of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Samuel Fagemo and Jacob Moverare. While those three should be used to bouncing up and down, Kempe’s absence could lead to a little more playing time for at least one of the forwards.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Five Key Stories: 1/10/22 – 1/16/22
It was a fairly quiet week around the NHL with the biggest controversy stemming from the players that weren’t on the list of players named to the All-Star Game. There were, however, a few other stories of note over the past seven days which are covered in our top stories of the week.
Hofmann Leaves, Doesn’t Return: When Blue Jackets winger Gregory Hofmann took a leave of absence from the Blue Jackets late in December, it wasn’t a big deal. His first child was about to be born and teams let their players take a few days away from the team when that happens. However, Hofmann has decided not to return, first prompting a suspension from the team. Then, a few days later, the team ran him through unconditional waivers, allowing them to terminate his contract. Columbus acquired the rights to the 29-year-old from Carolina last season and brought him over to the NHL this year where he had held his own in a limited role, picking up seven points in 24 games. Instead of coming back, he’ll stay home with his family and will rejoin EV Zug of the Swiss NLA. He’ll also be eligible to play in the Olympics since Columbus released him instead of leaving him under suspension.
Another Investigation: Evander Kane has been no stranger to NHL investigations as the league had done three separate ones on him over the last few months. That number can now be increased to four as the league will take a closer look into the incident that caused San Jose to terminate the remaining three-plus years of his contract. Kane has already been suspended for a violation of COVID protocol this season and if the league deems that another one is warranted here, it could affect the 30-year-old’s short-term chances of catching on with another team. Edmonton is among the teams that have confirmed they have interest in signing the winger.
Officially Back: In a move that should have come as a surprise to no one, the Bruins officially brought back veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask, inking him to a pro-rated one-year, $1MM contract. The deal also contains a full no-movement clause. Rask made it clear over the offseason that he only intended to play for Boston this season if he decided to return after recovering from his hip surgery. The 34-year-old has played in 561 career NHL games, all with the Bruins, and will partner with Linus Ullmark down the stretch while Jeremy Swayman has been sent back to Providence of the AHL. As for Boston’s cap situation, this contract was basically all they could afford which will put them in a money-in, money-out spot if they want to make any more changes before the trade deadline.
Three For Merrill: After playing for three teams over the past two seasons and having to settle for a one-year contract in free agency back in July, defenseman Jon Merrill received some security from Minnesota, inking a three-year extension that carries a $1.2MM AAV. The 29-year-old has had a nice season on the third pairing for the Wild, averaging just shy of 18 minutes per game while chipping in with 11 points, more than double what he had last season with Detroit and Montreal. It’s the longest contract for Merrill since his entry-level deal so he gets some welcome stability while Minnesota gets a capable depth blueliner for a pretty good price tag.
Lidstrom Returns: Nicklas Lidstrom is once again a member of the Red Wings. No, the Hall of Famer isn’t coming out of retirement but he has rejoined Detroit’s front office, becoming their new vice president of hockey operations. Lidstrom, who patrolled the back end for them for 20 years, is no stranger to their front office having worked for them as a scout for three years soon after his retirement in 2012. This time around, however, he’ll be much more involved in all parts of hockey operations. He joins Pat Verbeek, Niklas Kronwall, Jiri Fischer, Dan Cleary, Mark Howe, Kris Draper, and Kirk Maltby among former Red Wings working under Steve Yzerman in their front office.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.