Blackhawks Sign Cale Morris
With Chicago’s goalie depth being tested with both Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen now in protocol, the Blackhawks have converted Cale Morris to an NHL contract, inking him to a one-year, two-way deal, reports Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The deal is worth the league minimum of $750K in the NHL.
The 25-year-old was a dominant goaltender at the NCAA level, posting a 2.18 GAA with a .931 SV% and 11 shutouts in four seasons with Notre Dame, earning Player of the Year honors back in 2017-18. Accordingly, he was a player many expected to land an NHL contract when his college career came to an end but instead, he had to settle for a minor league deal.
This season, Morris has spent most of the season in the ECHL, collecting a 2.82 GAA with a save percentage of .898 in 14 games with Indy while also making his first two career appearances at the AHL level with Rockford. He’ll serve as Chicago’s third-string option as he has been assigned to their taxi squad; Collin Delia and Arvid Soderblom, who was recalled from the taxi squad today, will serve as their tandem for their game against Nashville tomorrow.
West Notes: Wild, Fowler, Blackhawks, Sharks
Wild GM Bill Guerin provided an update on a pair of injured Wild players, telling reporters, including Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that defenseman Jared Spurgeon and center Joel Eriksson Ek will miss a couple more weeks. Both had been listed as out indefinitely but it appears Minnesota won’t be without two of their top players for much longer. Spurgeon is dealing with a recurrence of a lower-body injury from two weeks ago while Eriksson Ek suffered an upper-body injury a week and a half ago.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference:
- While the Ducks were concerned that Cam Fowler’s upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game could be a long-term issue, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register relays that the blueliner traveled with the team for their two-game road trip that opens up tonight in Vegas which suggests that the veteran may not be out for long. Fowler is having a nice season with 17 points in 33 games while leading the team in ice time at just over 23 minutes a game.
- The Blackhawks received a bit of relief on the injury front yesterday as they announced (Twitter link) the activation of winger Jujhar Khaira and center Henrik Borgstrom from injured reserve. Khaira had missed the last three weeks after being stretchered off the ice in a game against Dallas while Borgstrom had been out just as long with a non-COVID illness.
- The Sharks had good news and bad news on the COVID front yesterday. The team announced that defenseman Mario Ferraro was placed into protocols while winger Jonathan Dahlen was activated. Under the new NHL guidelines, Ferraro could return after five days instead of the ten it has been for most of the season.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 12/31/21
The final day of 2021 originally featured seven games on the schedule today but that has been trimmed down to four due to some postponements. Nevertheless, it should once again be a busy day on the transaction and taxi squad fronts and we’ll keep track of those moves here.
Atlantic Division
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that forwards Clark Bishop and Logan Shaw have been added to the taxi squad. Those moves are likely linked to the placement of Joshua Norris and Tyler Ennis in COVID protocol earlier today.
- The Bruins have recalled John Moore to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. The veteran has played in just four games with Boston this season while chipping in with six points in ten games with Providence.
- The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Chad Krys from the taxi squad to AHL Toronto. The 23-year-old was acquired from Chicago three weeks ago and has played in ten AHL contests between the two teams this season.
- The Panthers have recalled defenseman Matt Kiersted to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old has a dozen points in 23 games with AHL Charlotte this season plus two points in five NHL contests with Florida. Later in the day, they announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Chase Priskie was also recalled to the taxi squad while goaltender Spencer Knight was sent back to the taxi squad.
Metropolitan Division
- The Penguins announced the recalls of wingers Anthony Angello and Radim Zohorna to the taxi squad. Both players had NHL time with Pittsburgh last season (19 games for Angello, nine for Zohorna) but both have played exclusively with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
- The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Lucas Johansen from the taxi squad while sending Alexander Alexeyev to the taxi squad. Johansen, a 2016 first-rounder, has yet to make his NHL debut but may get that opportunity now with this promotion.
- The Hurricanes have assigned defenseman Jalen Chatfield to the taxi squad, per a team release. The 25-year-old has an assist in seven games this season while averaging a little under 17 minutes per game.
- The Blue Jackets announced the recall of defenseman Scott Harrington from AHL Cleveland. He takes the place of forward Justin Danforth on the roster as the rookie will miss six weeks with a sprained MCL. Harrington has an assist in six games with Columbus this season while Danforth has two goals and two assists in 13 contests.
Central Division
- With the World Juniors ending earlier than expected, the Jets are taking advantage of it, announcing (Twitter link) the recall of winger Cole Perfetti to the taxi squad. The 19-year-old had six points in two games for Canada while picking up 15 in 17 contests with AHL Manitoba.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad while sending Matt Luff and Michael McCarron back in their place. The moves come ahead of tomorrow’s afternoon match against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Pacific Division
- The Sharks have recalled defenseman Jaycob Megna, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 29-year-old has played in six games with San Jose this season and will be needed as depth with Mario Ferraro currently in COVID protocol.
- The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent winger Vladimir Tkachev and defenseman Jacob Moverare back to AHL Ontario. Both players were recalled yesterday but didn’t play for Los Angeles in their win over Vancouver.
- After Dustin Wolf served as the backup for the Flames last night, the team announced (Twitter link) that the goaltender has been sent back to AHL Abbotsford. That suggests that backup Daniel Vladar will be cleared to return for Sunday’s game against Chicago.
- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that winger Bryce Kindopp has been sent back to AHL San Diego. He had been brought up on an emergency recall on Wednesday after putting up 10 points in 22 games with the Gulls. Taking his place on Anaheim’s roster is Sam Steel who was activated from COVID protocol.
- The Golden Knights have sent defenseman Daniil Miromanov and center Jake Leschyshyn back to Henderson of the AHL, per their team Twitter account. Miromanov has played in four games with Vegas this season, picking up an assist while Leschyshyn has a goal and three assists in 19 NHL games.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Sean Couturier Out Week To Week
The Flyers will be without one of their top forwards for a little while as the team announced late Thursday (Twitter link) that Sean Couturier is out with an upper-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve. He is listed as being out week to week.
It has been a tough year for the 29-year-old who has struggled offensively compared to his production from the last few seasons. Through 29 games, Couturier has just six goals and 11 assists, his lowest point per game average since 2016-17. He continues to play a big role defensively as always and is winning nearly 56% of his faceoffs but as someone that was penciled in as their top center, that production is somewhat underwhelming although GM Chuck Fletcher revealed earlier this month that Couturier has been playing through a variety of upper-body and lower-body issues this season.
Even with the slower than anticipated start offensively, Couturier will still be a big loss for the Flyers who are still playing him more than 20 minutes per night. After clearing COVID protocol earlier this week, the hope was that he’d be ready to return to the lineup but now, they’re hoping that he won’t be out more than a few weeks as they look to hang around the mix in the battle for the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Georgiev, Hofmann, Kotkaniemi
The Penguins received some good and bad news on the COVID front today. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Evan Rodrigues has been removed from protocols but center Jeff Carter has been placed in COVID protocol. Rodrigues is in the middle of a career year for Pittsburgh with 23 points in 30 games while seeing regular minutes on the top line so he’ll be a welcome return. Meanwhile, it’s the second time this season that Carter has been placed in COVID protocol. The veteran is having a nice year in a top-six role, notching 17 points in 27 games so far. Pittsburgh currently has eight players in COVID protocol.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- While Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev isn’t thrilled about his current lack of playing time, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that the team is unlikely to trade the netminder in advance of the March 21st trade deadline. With Igor Shesterkin’s injury history and the fact that Keith Kinkaid is their next best option, Georgiev may very well be more valuable to New York as an insurance policy than as a trade chip. Accordingly, a move in the offseason when their cap situation gets trickier and more replacements are available seems like a better time for the netminder to be moved.
- Blue Jackets winger Gregory Hofmann has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has seven points in 24 games in his first NHL season after his rights were acquired from Carolina last season. His wife is expecting the birth of their first child soon so there is no firm date yet for his return.
- While there was plenty of speculation at the time that Jesperi Kotkaniemi signed his one-year, $6.1MM offer sheet with Carolina that the framework of a longer-term extension was also discussed, GM Don Waddell told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that there have been no discussions on that front as of yet. The 21-year-old is eligible to sign an extension as of Saturday but is off to a quieter start than he and the Hurricanes were hoping for as he has 14 points in 30 games this season while playing just 12:15 per game. As a result, finding a price tag that both sides are comfortable with for a long-term contract may be difficult at this point. Carolina will need to tender a $6.1MM qualifying offer this summer if no extension is reached by then.
Senators Place Tyler Ennis And Josh Norris In COVID Protocol
The Senators are set to return to action tomorrow against Toronto but will be doing so without two of their forwards as the team announced (Twitter link) that center Josh Norris and winger Tyler Ennis have been placed in COVID protocol. While not every Canadian province has adapted their quarantine protocol to the shorter period, Ontario has which means the two could be back after five days of isolation.
Norris, in particular, is a notable loss for Ottawa as he sits second on the team in scoring with 22 points in 28 games while logging nearly 19 minutes a game of ice time which puts him third among Senators forwards. Ennis, meanwhile, had a successful training camp PTO and while he has only scored once this season, he has also picked up 11 assists in 26 games, providing a decent return on his $900K price tag.
Earlier this morning, the team announced (Twitter link) that forwards Clark Bishop and Logan Shaw were added to the taxi squad, likely as the corresponding moves for the COVID news. Bishop played in 13 games with Ottawa last season but injuries have limited him to just five games this year, all with AHL Belleville. As for Shaw, he has a goal and two assists in 16 games with Ottawa this season and just one helper in six AHL contests.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Ottawa Senators
In the spirit of the holiday season, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter 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 Ottawa Senators.
What are the Senators thankful for?
The future.
While the rebuild might not yet be completely over like GM Pierre Dorion had hoped, many of the long-term building blocks are in place. Up front, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, and Alex Formenton form a quality group of players that are 23 and under. All are signed or under team control for at least the next four years while the recently-signed Tyler Boucher, as well as Ridly Greig, are first-round picks that might not be all that far away from being ready for NHL duty.
On the back end, there aren’t as many younger options that are established but the pipeline is still strong. Jake Sanderson appears to be a candidate to turn pro at the end of the year and should be able to jump into the NHL right away. Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson have shown some promising signs while Erik Brannstrom is still young enough to be a part of their long-term plans still despite his struggles. Those are all 22 and younger and under team control for at least five years after this one.
The present may not be all that fun in terms of wins and losses but the future is coming quickly and it looks promising.
Who are the Senators thankful for?
With the state of Ottawa’s current back end, they have asked an awful lot out of their number one blueliner and he has delivered. He leads the league in ice time per game by nearly a full minute after just finishing second in that category last season (and he led the league in that category in 2019-20 as well). They ask for him to be their top offensive threat from the back end and while he only has one goal, he leads all Ottawa blueliners in points. Despite the heavy workload – including a 35:39 outing last game – the 24-year-old has been able to thrive and emerge as a legitimate number one defenseman. While he’s slightly older than those listed above, he’s signed for six more years after this at an $8MM AAV, a price tag that is already below market value and growing more team-friendly by the day.
What would the Senators be even more thankful for?
Matt Murray playing at a level that’s at least somewhat close to his contract. The one element the Sens don’t truly have yet in their pipeline is a legitimate starting goalie; there are some youngsters with some upside but none that are sure-fire starters of the future. Murray was supposed to lessen the need for that right away when he was acquired and quickly signed a four-year, $25MM contract, giving him the sixth-highest AAV among all NHL goaltenders. For that money, he has played to a 3.35 GAA with a save percentage of just .892. Goaltending was a big question mark before and even after this commitment, it’s still a big question mark.
What should be on the Senators’ Holiday Wish list?
With the Sens being 13 points out of the last playoff spot already, a trip to the postseason isn’t in the cards. As a result, the wish list will be more draft picks and prospects. At this point, Chris Tierney, Zach Sanford, and Nick Holden are the veterans they’re likely to move but with how each has performed this season, they’re not likely to bring back much. In an ideal world, those underperforming veterans improve their play over the next couple of months to give them some better trade chips to work with.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: QMJHL, Balcers, Niemela, Highmore
The QMJHL announced that they have extended their holiday break through to January 14th with the season set to restart no earlier than January 17th. With most teams not permitted to have any fans plus an increase in positive COVID tests, the move doesn’t come as much of a surprise. With several games in the OHL and WHL being postponed as well plus more restrictions on attendance in recent days, it wouldn’t be surprising to see those major junior leagues hit the pause button on their seasons as well.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Sharks are hoping to have winger Rudolfs Balcers back in the lineup on Sunday against Pittsburgh, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 24-year-old has missed the last three weeks due to a lower-body injury after getting off to a decent start with 10 points in 24 games (a career high in points per game) while also averaging nearly 16 minutes a game, a mark that would also be a career best if maintained.
- While it was a disappointing day for players at the World Juniors following their cancellation yesterday, there was a silver lining for Finnish defenseman Topi Niemela. Karpat of the SM-liiga announced that the Maple Leafs prospect has signed a one-year extension through the end of next season, meaning his arrival in North America will have to wait. The 2020 third-rounder (64th overall) leads all Liiga blueliners in scoring with 24 points in 31 games this season.
- The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they have activated winger Matthew Highmore off long-term injured reserve. The 25-year-old had missed the last 23 games due to an upper-body injury. Highmore had two assists in eight games before being injured and is in his first full season with Vancouver after they acquired him back at the trade deadline in April.
2021 Year In Review: March
2021 has certainly been another eventful year, both on and off the rink. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is a look at March.
New TV Partner: After a lengthy run with NBC that dated back to 2004, the primary television rights holder in the United States changed following the announcement of a seven-year rights agreement with ESPN. The deal is believed to be worth around $400MM per year which is double what they were receiving on their last contract (and that’s not even factoring in the secondary rights which were announced later on). The increased revenue is subject to HRR calculations (which set the salary cap) and will go a long way towards stabilizing league-wide revenues which have been reduced during the pandemic.
Seabrook Hangs Them Up: Then-Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook had attempted to come back at the beginning of the 2020-21 season from hip and shoulder injuries but was unable to do so. In the end, after consulting with doctors, he announced the end of his playing career, a way of retiring without formally filing the paperwork as he’s under contract through the 2023-24 season with a $6.875MM AAV. Seabrook’s career ended with 1,114 career games (all with Chicago) with 464 points and three Stanley Cup championships. He was traded to Tampa Bay in the offseason and will sit on LTIR with them for the duration of his contract.
Binnington Extension: The Blues didn’t let their starting goalie test unrestricted free agency in the summer as they agreed to a six-year, $36MM contract extension with Jordan Binnington. The $6MM AAV is a small raise on the $4.4MM AAV he had on his bridge deal and ties him for the eighth-highest cap hit in the league among goaltenders. Binnington was a significant part of St. Louis’ Stanley Cup run in 2019 and while he hasn’t been able to quite back to that level of performance since then, posting a .911 SV% with a 2.64 GAA (including games from this season), numbers that are around the league average for starters. However, the deal gives them some certainty on the cap front and ensures that an important position is locked up for years to come.
Coaching Changes: With March representing close to the midway point of the abbreviated regular season, a pair of teams opted to shake up their coaching staffs. First, Calgary fired Geoff Ward, a move that had been speculated as a possibility for a while so it may not have come as a big surprise. On the other hand, his replacement was a big surprise as Darryl Sutter was brought on as their new bench boss. It’s Sutter’s second stint in Calgary after coaching there from 2002 through 2006 and as he had last worked in the NHL back in 2017 with Los Angeles, his name wasn’t really on the radar as a potential coaching candidate.
Meanwhile, not even two weeks later, Buffalo shook things up as well, dismissing Ralph Krueger with the team mired in a 12-game losing streak. Assistant coach Don Granato took over on an interim basis for the rest of the season. While that losing streak lasted another six games, the Sabres were much more competitive with Granato running things with the team hovering close to a .500 points percentage after that streak came to an end.
Peel Out: Following a ‘hot-mic’ incident that had referee Tim Peel caught indicating he had wanted to assess a make-up penalty to Nashville, the league announced that he would “no longer will be working NHL games now or in the future”. Peel worked over 1,400 games between the regular season and the playoffs in a career that spanned more than 20 years and was in his final season before retirement. However, this incident meant that his career came to an end a little sooner than he planned.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blue Jackets Activate Patrik Laine And Adam Boqvist
The Blue Jackets will have some help in the lineup tonight against Nashville as the team announced that winger Patrik Laine and defenseman Adam Boqvist have both been activated off injured reserve.
Laine has been out of the lineup for nearly two months with an oblique strain. Prior to the injury, he was off to a nice start to his season with ten points in nine games. With Laine being eligible for one more trip through salary arbitration in July, a big year would go a long way towards giving him a raise and potentially a long-term contract but missing 19 games won’t help his chances of that.
Meanwhile, Boqvist returns after missing three games due to an upper-body injury. It has been an interesting first year for him in Columbus; after being one of the centerpieces of the Seth Jones trade, the 21-year-old has been held out of the lineup at times and is logging just 15:59 per game. Despite that, he has done relatively well offensively, notching nine points in 18 contests.
Columbus had one roster spot available before these activations while defenseman Gavin Bayreuther was officially designated as non-roster due to his recent placement in COVID protocol to free up the other.