Evgeni Malkin Hoping To Play Several More Years
Evgeni Malkin is set to return from a long injury rehab in the next few weeks, so he stood in front of the media for the first time in several months and took questions about his future. As Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, Malkin explained to the gathered media that he plans on playing three or four more years and that he’s not thinking about money right now. “I’m like pretty rich guy,” Malkin said when asked about his future as an unrestricted free agent.
With career earnings of nearly $116MM according to CapFriendly, the 35-year-old forward may be underselling himself.
Malkin is in the final season of an eight-year, $76MM contract signed in 2013 and currently carries a cap hit of $9.5MM. When the deal was signed it accounted for 14.77% of the salary cap; now, with the cap set at $81.5MM, that number is down at 11.66%, a much more reasonable amount for an aging superstar. Whether Malkin’s career in Pittsburgh continues past this season and what an extension would look like are the real questions now.
If healthy, Malkin should still be a dominant presence in the league. In 2019-20 he put up 74 points in just 55 games, leading to Hart and Selke Trophy votes after the shortened season. Last year he was still almost a point-per-game despite dealing with the knee injury that limited him to just 33 contests. Now, with that knee feeling “200 percent stronger” according to the big Russian, it will be interesting to see what he can do down the stretch, and how that will influence contract negotiations with Pittsburgh or elsewhere.
There have been questions about Malkin’s future in Pittsburgh for years, ones that have been amplified over the past few seasons as the Penguins failed to register any playoff success. But there is also something to be said for his legacy as one of the greatest Penguins of all time and a huge reason why the franchise now has five Stanley Cups. Malkin has played his entire career in Pittsburgh, scoring 1,104 points in 940 regular season games, and will go into the Hall of Fame years from now as a Penguin. Whether he ever plays for another organization remains to be seen, but three or four more years is a long time, especially if he can’t live up to the level of performance he has shown in the past.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 12/30/21
Seven, count ’em seven games on the NHL schedule this evening as the league starts to get back to a full slate. That includes a battle between Mark Giordano and the team he captained for so long, Bruce Boudreau looking to stay undefeated as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, and an important Atlantic Division matchup between two Florida-based teams. As they and the rest of the league prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Teemu Kivihalme and Chad Krys to the taxi squad, giving them some extra bodies on defense while they continue to deal with COVID absences. The team actually had a defenseman from Ryerson University–Gregory DiTomaso–take part in practice today, while Krys, acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this season, also joined the big club for the first time.
- The Buffalo Sabres have assigned Oskari Laaksonen, Brandon Biro, and Ryan MacInnis to the taxi squad. Laaksonen especially is an interesting prospect for the Sabres, given how well he has scored at the AHL level so far. The 22-year-old defenseman has 32 points in 51 games since joining the Rochester Americans last season. A third-round pick in 2017, he has yet to make his NHL debut.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Chase Priskie to the taxi squad. Priskie has played twice for the Panthers this season but is still looking for his first NHL point. The 25-year-old has 12 points in 22 games for the Charlotte Checkers.
- John Moore has been removed from the Boston Bruins taxi squad and sent back to the AHL. The 31-year-old defenseman has spent more time in Providence than Boston this season, scoring six points in 10 games for the P-Bruins.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have made a small swap, sending Gerald Mayhew to the taxi squad while recalling Jackson Cates. Mayhew made his Flyers debut on Wednesday while Cates has a goal in two games with Philadelphia this season.
Central Division
- Ahead of the Winter Classic, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Connor Dewar and Dakota Mermis to the taxi squad, adding some extra insurance as they deal with uncertain COVID cases and injuries. Dewar, 22, has played in four games for Minnesota this season but is still looking for his first NHL point.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Vladislav Kolyachonok from the AHL to the taxi squad, where the young defenseman will get the chance to practice with the NHL club. Kolyachonok, 20, has five points in 15 games for the Tucson Roadrunners after being acquired as part of the Anton Stralman trade last summer.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Alec Regula and forward Josiah Slavin from AHL Rockford, assigning them to the taxi squad. Regula got into three games with Chicago last season while Slavin has an assist in nine NHL games this season.
Pacific Division
- The Edmonton Oilers have loaned Dmitri Samorukov back to the AHL, as Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson return to practice. The 22-year-old Samorukov has played just one NHL game but looks like he could be a part of the Oilers blueline down the road. For now, he’ll return to the Bakersfield Condors where he has three points in 15 games this season.
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Vladimir Tkachev and Jacob Moverare from the AHL. Quinton Byfield has been activated from the COVID protocol and loaned back to the Ontario Reign. Moverare, 23, is still waiting to make his NHL debut, despite several recalls in the last few weeks.
- The Arizona Coyotes have brought up goaltender David Tendeck to the taxi squad. The 22-year-old has played in 12 games with Rapid City of the ECHL this season, posting a 3.21 GAA with a .912 SV%.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Cal Foote, Taylor Raddysh Enter COVID Protocol
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced some good news and some bad news today. Head coach Jon Cooper and forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare have both exited the COVID protocol, but Cal Foote and Taylor Raddysh have taken their place. Goaltending coach Frantz Jean has also entered the protocol.
Getting Cooper back is obviously big news for the Lightning, who take on their state rival Florida Panthers tonight in a matchup that could have playoff implications down the road. Tampa Bay, Florida, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are all battling for supremacy at the top of the Atlantic Division, with the Lightning currently holding a four-point lead on both. The head coach doesn’t have to split his attention anymore either–his services at the upcoming Olympics are no longer required, after the NHL decided against participation.
Losing Foote hurts though, even if he is averaging just over 13 minutes a night this season. The 23-year-old defenseman is a key piece of depth for the Lightning and has suited up 20 times this season, registering strong results in his limited ice time. With Andrej Sustr and Mikhail Sergachev already unavailable due to the COVID protocol, the defensive depth of Tampa Bay will be tested.
Foote and Raddysh join Sergachev, Sustr, Anthony Cirelli, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Brian Elliotte on the sidelines.
Minnesota Wild Extend Dean Evason
Ahead of this weekend’s Winter Classic, the Minnesota Wild have left a present under the tree of each member of their coaching staff. Dean Evason and his entire staff have signed multi-year contract extensions. Evason, assistants Darby Hendrickson, Brett McLean, and Bob Woods, goaltending coach Frederic Chabot, and video coaches T.J. Jindra and Jonas Plumb aren’t going anywhere.
Hired partway through the 2019-20 season, Evason has done nothing but win since arriving in Minnesota. The team has a 62-29-7 record during his 98 games behind the bench, including a 19-9-2 record this season. There is obvious buy-in from many of the team’s stars, while other players like Joel Eriksson Ek have taken huge leaps in development since Evason took over.
An extension for the head coach was always likely given his success, but the Wild have rewarded the entire staff for how they work together. It’s not often you see such a widespread contract announcement, but management obviously likes what’s going on behind the bench and on the ice.
The Wild take on the St. Louis Blues at Target Field on Saturday night in what looks like it will be one of the coldest NHL games of all time. Perhaps the security a new contract extension brings can keep Evason warm as he tries to navigate the wintery outdoor game.
Ottawa Senators Activate Erik Brannstrom From Injured Reserve
Per CapFriendly, the Ottawa Senators activated defenseman Erik Brannstrom from injured reserve on Wednesday night.
A broken hand in mid-November gave Brannstrom an expected return timeline of two months. However, it appears as though he’ll be returning to the lineup about two weeks ahead of schedule, which is great news for both him and the Senators.
Ottawa’s current depth on defense is running a tad thin with both Nikita Zaitsev and Josh Brown on injured reserve. With Michael Del Zotto waived and sent to AHL Belleville, names like Dillon Heatherington and Jacob Bernard-Docker are on their list of six healthy defensemen at the NHL level.
Brannstrom had played sparingly prior to the injury, however. The 15th overall pick in 2017 got into just two games with Ottawa, recording no points and an average ice time of 16:54. He did, however, spend some time in Belleville, recording three points in nine games.
Now healthy again, Brannstrom’s short-term future in the Ottawa lineup may seem unclear due to him jumping up and down between the NHL and AHL this season. However, with the current state of their defense personnel, it’s likely he gets another shot in an NHL role.
IIHF Will Attempt To Reschedule 2022 World Junior Championship
International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif told Russian outlet Championat on Wednesday that they’d like to reschedule the 2022 World Junior Championship, which was cancelled today due to a series of forfeited games at the tournament due to COVID cases among teams.
Tardif says that the summer of 2022 is the most likely outcome and that the tournament would likely stay in Canada. From a financial and television perspective, it would make sense to hold the tournament after the conclusion of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final in July.
Translated from Russian, Tardif had this to say on the tournament’s cancellation:
The integrity of the tournament was violated, for reasons of player safety, we decided it was necessary to hold the [WJC] for real… Hockey is excellent, but the [Omicron] situation is disappointing. We preferred to end the tournament now, we will develop a proposal for all federations with new dates.
One important note from the interview is that teams will be able to modify their rosters for the tournament, should it be rescheduled. It’s big news for players like Finland’s Aatu Raty, who weren’t taken to the tournament due to testing positive for COVID during the selection process.
Tardif says he doesn’t know if the tournament will be held in a bubble this time around. To be fair, it’s impossible to predict the nature of COVID six months from now, and it’s therefore impossible to make a call on that front.
Still, optimism remains for these junior players to get an honest crack at medalling at the World Juniors in 2022.
Minnesota Wild Facing Organizational COVID Issues
Some tough news hit the Minnesota Wild organization today, as four Iowa Wild players entered the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol, per the team, including center Mason Shaw, who’s gotten into two games with the Wild this season and was a potential call-up option for the team in the coming days.
It’s apparent at this stage that the Minnesota Wild won’t be playing in the Winter Classic on January 1 with a full squad. Center Joel Eriksson Ek is out with an upper-body injury, and head coach Dean Evason confirmed earlier this week that he won’t play. Captain Jared Spurgeon is on injured reserve, listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He won’t be in either.
Now with defenseman Jonas Brodin entering COVID protocol yesterday, it became apparent that the Wild will need depth options in the coming days to continue to field a competitive team. There’s also the very viable concern of more Wild members entering COVID protocol – they’re one of the very lucky teams who have just one COVID-related absence as of now.
It’s important to note that Minnesota still stands in pretty good shape right now. Young Calen Addison and Jordie Benn are legitimate NHL options who can fill in for Brodin and Spurgeon on the back-end, and assigning more minutes to players like Ryan Hartman and Frederick Gaudreau down the middle can help alleviate Eriksson Ek’s absence.
But ahead of the Winter Classic, one of the most-talked-about and most-watched regular-season games of the year, it’s concerning. Over the past few weeks, the hockey world’s seen seemingly endless times how quickly situations like this can devolve.
It’s what makes the news out of Iowa so concerning. Minnesota still has quality depth options available for recall, including forwards Matt Boldy, Kyle Rau, Adam Beckman, Connor Dewar, and defensemen Dakota Mermis and Kevin Czuczman. If the COVID situation worsens in Iowa, however, it could seriously affect Minnesota’s ability to construct a competitive roster for the Winter Classic.
Devils Remove Five From COVID Protocol, Add Two Others
Dec 29: Jimmy Vesey has joined Tatar and Gillies in the protocol. The Devils have recalled Jesper Boqvist and Marian Studenic from the taxi squad to fill the empty roster spots.
Dec 26: The Devils got some good news and bad news on the COVID front as they returned from the holiday break. The team announced that winger Tomas Tatar and goaltender Jon Gillies have been placed in protocols but they were able to activate centers Nico Hischier and Jesper Boqvist plus defensemen Ryan Graves, P.K. Subban, and Christian Jaros from the COVID list. Tatar and Gillies will be out for the next ten days.
Tatar is in his first season with New Jersey after signing a two-year deal with them in the offseason and is off to a quiet start offensively with just six goals in 30 games although his possession stats are once again well above the league average which was also the case when he played with Montreal previously. Meanwhile, Gillies was just acquired from St. Louis to give them another option between the pipes with both Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier injured. Fortunately for the Devils, Blackwood has returned to practice and should be ready to play soon.
As for those returning, Hischier sits second on the Devils in assists with 13 in 25 games although his three goals are underwhelming for the 2017 first-overall pick. Boqvist has been up and down with the team this season and has suited up in eight NHL contests so far. They’ll get a nice boost on their back end with the returns of Graves and Subban who sit third and fifth respectively in ATOI among New Jersey blueliners while Jaros has had a very limited reserve role.
New Jersey is set to play against Buffalo on Wednesday in their first game back from the break barring any further changes or postponements.
OHL To Reinstate Logan Mailloux
The OHL has announced that Logan Mailloux, a member of the London Knights and first-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, will be reinstated from his indefinite suspension effective January 1, 2022. In the press release, they explained the decision:
Since the time of suspension, with the support of the London Knights, Logan Mailloux has participated in therapy and counselling with Dr. Lindsey Forbes, and a personal development plan under the leadership of Wendy Glover. Ms. Glover is a London-based, experienced holistic athlete development practitioner, academic and personal development advisor, teacher and member of the Ontario School Counsellors Association.
The player’s Personal Development Plan has included weekly meetings, ongoing completion of certifications, and reflections of concepts explored. Some of the certifications and programs available to athletes that he completed were Respect in Sport, Mental Health in Sport, Sport Media, Ethics in Sport, Diversity and Inclusion, Sport Psychology, and Cultural Awareness.
After reviewing the program, speaking with the player and Ms. Glover, and receiving a commitment from the player to continue with his personal development program, the League is satisfied that Logan Mailloux has undertaken the necessary steps and will reinstate him, effective January 1, 2022.
Mailloux was suspended in September after news spread of an incident that took place in Sweden where he was playing during the 2020-21 season. Mailloux was charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent, of which he was convicted in December 2020. Now 18, he tried to renounce himself from the NHL draft, asking teams not to draft him and saying at the time:
…I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL Draft and ask that no one select me this upcoming weekend. I feel that this would allow me the opportunity to demonstrate an adequate level of maturity and character next season with the London Knights in the OHL and provide all the NHL teams the opportunity to reassess my character towards the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Canadiens selected him 31st overall and explained that they would make a “commitment to accompany Logan on his journey,” providing him with support to guide him in his development. The OHL then suspended him for violating the league’s “expectation of appropriate conduct.”
Michael Sgarbossa Clears Waivers
Dec 29: According to CapFriendly, Sgarbossa has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.
Dec 28: The Washington Capitals have placed Michael Sgarbossa on waivers today, allowing them to move him to the taxi squad or minor leagues should he clear. He did just that in October, but after spending the last month on the roster he needed to again before being sent down.
Sgarbossa, 29, has played in seven games for the Capitals this season, joining them when injuries and illnesses started hitting hard at the end of November. He’s scored two goals and three points in those games, but with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom returning from the COVID protocol, wasn’t really needed on the active roster anymore.
The risk of a claim, however, seems to be much higher now given the situation many teams in the league find themselves in. With players entering the COVID protocol every day, Sgarbossa would certainly offer more than many of the inexperienced call-ups that have been used. The longtime professional has 62 games at the NHL level over his career and nearly 500 in the AHL.