Puljujarvi, Nurse, Lagesson Enter COVID-19 Protocol
Dec 20: Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson have now joined the rest of the unavailable Oilers in the COVID protocol. The team has already seen games postponed until December 27, but several of these key names will have not crossed the ten-day threshold by then. Nurse especially is a huge loss for the team, given how much he plays and how important he is to the team’s defensive corps. The team has also announced that their practice facilities will be closed through the holiday break.
Dec 18: Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi was placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol ahead of the team’s game tonight against the Seattle Kraken, per a team tweet.
Puljujarvi joins notable absences Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Duncan Keith on the COVID list for Edmonton.
It’s especially of note as the Oilers have an incredibly compressed schedule before the holiday break. They have four games remaining, including tonight’s bout with Seattle. Their road trip takes them through the three California teams, playing three games in four nights from December 20-23.
For Puljujarvi, it’s a tough break. The fourth overall pick in 2016 is finally enjoying what seems to be a serious breakout with 23 points in 28 games, already just two points behind his career-high of 25. He’s found a home playing alongside Connor McDavid, and his two-way game is quickly blossoming as he becomes a legitimate top-line threat.
Obviously, the concern now rests with the Oilers players who are on the wrong side of the border with the holidays approaching. Hopefully, there’s a way to get quarantined players at least back home for the short break in the schedule.
Kevin Hayes, Brendan Smith Enter COVID Protocol
A pair of Metropolitan Division players have entered the COVID protocol today, as the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers have announced the absences of Brendan Smith and Kevin Hayes respectively.
The Flyers were set to take on the Washington Capitals tomorrow and Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, but will now have to do it without the services of a top forward. Hayes has had a nightmare season to this point, suiting up for just 11 games so far due to injury. He does have six points in those games, but now faces another period on the sidelines.
Carolina meanwhile wasn’t scheduled to play until after the break, meaning they should at least be getting a handful of players back from the COVID protocol in time to face the Florida Panthers on Dec 27. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis have already been in the protocol for a week, while others like Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov, Ian Cole, and Steven Lorentz will have also cleared the ten-day threshold by the time the Hurricanes are set to return to action.
Blue Jackets, Canadiens Shut Down Through Holiday Break
Two more teams have been shut down in the NHL as Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens will be put on pause through the holiday break. The Blue Jackets canceled today’s morning skate while waiting for COVID results and did not actually even travel to Buffalo, where they were supposed to play this evening. The teams were set to play a rematch in Columbus on Thursday, but that game has also been postponed. The Blue Jackets have subsequently placed Eric Robinson, Andrew Peeke, and Joonas Korpisalo in the COVID protocol.
The Canadiens actually didn’t have any games scheduled as they had already been postponed, but will also pause team activities. Still, Mike Hoffman was added to the protocol today, joining Artturi Lehkonen and Laurent Dauphin.
More than 40 games have now been postponed through the early part of the season, many of those coming over the last few days as the NHL deals with a massive COVID-19 outbreak. Several teams have been shut down completely through the Christmas break and all games that required cross-border travel have also been postponed.
While there is hope that things can get back to normal in the coming weeks, confidence from the NHL and NHLPA that the season will continue, and some teams still not really affected by the outbreak, it’s certainly not a perfect scenario for the NHL schedule maker. Remember, even if the league doesn’t go to the Olympics, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said during a media availability earlier this month that it would be difficult to use that three-week break for many rescheduled games. Buildings have already booked events for many of those dates, though there will likely be some opportunities to make up some of these missed games.
Jason Demers Signs In KHL
After Hockey Canada announced that they will no longer be participating in the Spengler Cup, players were left scrambling for other opportunities to stay in game shape. For Jason Demers, that means a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. The veteran defenseman has signed a deal for the rest of the season, one that will presumably still allow him to take part in the Olympics for Canada should the NHL officially pull the plug.
Demers, 33, has 699 regular season NHL games under his belt but was surprisingly left unsigned in last summer’s free agent frenzy. Perhaps the Olympics were a consideration in that regard, as he will almost certainly be on the team if it’s being made up by players from outside the NHL. Once a reliable two-way defenseman that would put up 20-30 points every single season, Demers had just four in 41 games during 2020-21.
The KHL deal is interesting, as it suggests that Demers also won’t be an option down the stretch for an NHL club. There was at least some speculation that a player like him could attend the Olympics and then sign an NHL deal before the March 21st trade deadline, allowing him to join a club for the last few months of the season. A contract with Ak Bars though will prevent that, unless there is a buyout or termination at some point.
For now, Demers will get back on the ice and play at a competitive level, even if it will be a brand new experience for him. A regular in the NHL since the 2009-10 season, his only overseas action was during the 2012-13 lockout, when he racked up 21 points in 30 games for Karpat in Finland.
Canada Officially Withdraws From Spengler Cup
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Hockey Canada has decided to withdraw from the 2021 Spengler Cup, an international tournament that was to serve as a pre-Olympic tune-up for players and coaches outside of the NHL. Claude Julien was set to coach the club, but as Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated reported yesterday, he’s already back home in Canada.
In their explanation, Hockey Canada said this:
We have a long-standing tradition of participating in the Spengler Cup, and it is disappointing that we are unable to attend the prestigious event this year. However, we strongly believe this is the right decision to maintain the health and safety of our players, coaches and support staff that were set to represent Canada.
The tournament was set to kick off later this month and would have included many of the same players that would be selected for the Olympics, should the NHL officially pull out as expected. Now, those players could be looking for contracts with other European club teams to keep in shape for the next few months. Canada has won more titles at the Spengler than any other participant, taking home the title 16 times (compared to 15 for HC Davos). That includes the most recent event in 2019–the 2020 tournament was canceled.
Five Key Stories: 12/13/21 – 12/19/21
This past week will largely be remembered for two things – a bunch of players being placed into COVID protocol and numerous games being postponed. However, there was some other notable news across the NHL over the past seven days which is highlighted in our key stories of the week.
Labanc Out Long-Term: A tough season for Sharks winger Kevin Labanc has gotten even worse as he will miss the next three months after undergoing surgery to repair a shoulder injury. The 26-year-old had been off to a particularly rough start offensively with just three goals and three assists in 21 games, marking the third straight season that he hasn’t played close to the same pace he had back in 2018-19 when he had 56 points in 82 games, earning himself a four-year, $18.9MM contract in the process. Labanc will be eligible to be placed on LTIR if San Jose needs to free up cap space although that shouldn’t be an issue for them in the short term at least.
Good News To Bad For Spezza: It was an interesting 24 hours or so for Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza. First, his six-game suspension for a kneeing incident on Winnipeg’s Neal Pionk was reduced to four games by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on appeal which is an outcome that doesn’t happen very often. That made him eligible to return right away. However, that good news was quickly tempered as he was placed into COVID protocol less than 24 hours later. Toronto is among the teams who have had their games postponed through the holiday break.
Maurice Resigns: There was a big surprise out of Winnipeg when head coach Paul Maurice suddenly tendered his resignation. It wasn’t related to an off-ice concern, he simply felt he had taken the team as far as he could and that the team would benefit from a new voice. Maurice also indicated that he had less enjoyment at the rink lately with the various COVID protocols. The ‘new’ voice for the Jets is a familiar one with assistant Dave Lowry taking over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Maurice departs with a 315-223-62 record at the helm of the Jets and sits fourth in NHL history in total games coached with 1,684.
More Selling In Arizona? When the Coyotes started selling off their players, the belief was that there was one untouchable in defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Now, it appears they’re at least open to the idea of moving him as well following a report that they’re gauging the market on the 23-year-old with a hefty asking price. Chychrun’s numbers aren’t the greatest this season – seven points and a league-worst -29 plus/minus rating in 26 games but he’s logging significant defensive minutes on one of the worst teams the league has seen in quite some time; the ugly numbers are to be expected. With a $4.6MM AAV through 2024-25, there will be no shortage of teams interested in acquiring him but will anyone be willing to pay the price? We’ll find out over the months to come.
Fabbri Extension: Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri will be sticking around for the foreseeable future after he agreed to a three-year, $12MM extension. The deal does not contain any trade protection. Fabbri is in his third season with Detroit and has been a capable secondary scorer since being acquired, notching 32 goals and 31 assists in 111 games. If he can stay healthy (and that has been a question mark throughout his career), Fabbri should be able to give the Red Wings a reasonable return on this deal, especially since they’re not dealing with any salary cap issues now or in the next few seasons. Fabbri is one of nine Detroit players that have been in COVID protocol at some point over the past week which has resulted in their games being postponed until after the holiday break.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Tuch, Red Wings, Sgarbossa, Point, Dauphin
The Sabres are set to welcome back winger Alex Tuch for their game on Monday, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 25-year-old was a big part of the Jack Eichel trade but he has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. With Vegas, Tuch was used in more of a secondary scoring role but with Buffalo, he should get a chance to play a considerably bigger role. He was expected to be back in roughly six months and if he does suit up against Columbus, he’ll have gotten back in just under five months.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- When the Red Wings had their pre-holiday break games postponed, some wondered if there may be more positive tests coming from them. That’s indeed the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that centers Pius Suter and Joe Veleno plus winger Sam Gagner along with assistant video coach Jeff Weintraub in COVID protocol. That brings them up to nine players currently unavailable.
- Capitals center Michael Sgarbossa was a late scratch from their game tonight against Los Angeles and it turns out that it was COVID-related as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been placed in COVID protocol. The 29-year-old was coming off a two-point performance on Friday and has three points in seven games with Washington this season. The Caps did get some good news on that front as well, however, as winger Garnet Hathaway was taken out of protocol.
- The Lightning could be getting a key player back soon after the holiday break. Head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Brayden Point could be reclassified as day-to-day once they return from the break. Point has been out with an upper-body injury for just under a month and was off to a strong start to his season before it occurred with 13 points in 16 games.
- The Canadiens announced that they’ve placed center Laurent Dauphin in COVID protocol. The 26-year-old was recalled two weeks ago and has three points in five games since then including his first NHL goal in over five years. The team has also shut down their facilities through December 26th.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Los Angeles Kings
As the holiday season approaches, 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 Los Angeles Kings.
What are the Kings thankful for?
Jonathan Quick playing like the Jonathan Quick of old.
Ten years ago, Quick, then in his prime, was an elite goaltender in the NHL. He led the league in shutouts, had a save percentage of .929 (his career high), and of course then helped lead Los Angeles to the Stanley Cup. However, the last few years, he has battled injuries and poor performance with a save percentage that started with an eight in two of the last three seasons which is at the lower end for a backup let alone a starter. That played a role in Cal Petersen getting a three-year, $15MM extension at the start of the season, giving them some insurance for a declining Quick.
Except Quick isn’t in decline this season. In fact, he has gone back to being one of the elite goalies in the NHL with a save percentage that’s slightly better than the mark he put up a decade ago. That has been the primary reason that the Kings have allowed the seventh-fewest goals in the NHL despite Petersen struggling and Los Angeles being hit hard at times with injuries on the back end. Quick may not be in his prime anymore but he’s certainly playing like he still is.
Who are the Kings thankful for?
Through the good times of a decade ago and the not-so-good times that the last few seasons have been, Kopitar has been his usual reliable self. He produces plenty of points, takes plenty of faceoffs, and often faces top opponents while doing that (although Phillip Danault has taken some of the pressure off of him this season). The captain just does it all for Los Angeles. As the Kings look to stay in the thick of the playoff race in the Pacific Division – they’re five points out at the moment – they’ll need Kopitar to help lead what’s still a fairly young roster. There’s no reason to think he won’t be able to do just that in the second half of the season.
What would the Kings be even more thankful for?
Defensive production. The Kings have just six goals from their defensemen this season, three of which have come from Drew Doughty who has been limited to just 11 games this season due to an early injury and a stint in COVID protocol. The forward group isn’t the strongest in terms of proven NHL talent (more on that shortly) but this is a back end that has the potential to produce more than they have so far. Michael Anderson was productive in college but has just one point this season. Matt Roy was above average in terms of AHL production but he’s still chasing down his first goal of the season. Kale Clague has their third-highest point per game average among blueliners but he’s in Montreal now with Sean Durzi producing at a similar clip since being brought up. There is some room for improvement from their blueliners and that could go a long way towards helping them close the gap in the division.
What should be on the Kings’ Holiday Wish List?
Scoring upgrades. If Los Angeles is going to hang around the playoff picture, they need to score more. Only three players have scored more than six goals so far and only one (Adrian Kempe) has hit the double-digit mark. It’s hard to have much success when a team is only scoring 2.62 goals per game. A top-six winger that can give the Kings a second capable scoring line would be a big addition and could allow them to move Dustin Brown into a more optimal role. With Sean Walker on LTIR for the rest of the year, they have a bit of flexibility to try to add and as LTIR room doesn’t bank like regular cap space does, it’s a need they can try to fill before the trade deadline.
A depth defenseman could also be a worthwhile addition but with Doughty now recovered from his injury, that’s less of a need than it was a month ago. A top-four pickup would go a long way but there aren’t really (if any) available at the price point that they can afford on the cap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brett Connolly Suspended Four Games
The verdict is in for Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly. The Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that they have issued him a four-game suspension for his interference incident on Stars winger Tanner Kero on Saturday.
In the video, it was noted that Connolly tried to argue that it was more of a collision than an intentional body check. However, while the league acknowledged that it wasn’t a full-force collision, it was still a suspendable offense:
It is important to note that Kero was never in possession of the puck on this play and therefore is not eligible to be checked in any manner. Fully aware of Kero’s presence and, with a substantial amount of time to change his path, avoid the contact entirely, move toward the wall to seal off the boards, or do more to minimize the impact on Kero, Connolly braces himself for impact and skates directly through his opponent. And because Kero is never close to being in possession of the puck, he is in no way braced for contact, making him substantially more vulnerable.
In the ruling, the league also acknowledged Kero’s injury as a factor but also that Connolly had no prior history of any fines or suspensions. He will forfeit $70K in salary as a result of the suspension which, as always, goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Injury Notes: Wilson, Stone, Boyle
According to The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell, the Washington Capitals placed right wing Tom Wilson on injured reserve, although the move is retroactive to December 10. He hasn’t played the last week as he deals with an upper-body injury. Due to the retroactive nature of the move, he can be activated at any time. The team needed to free up roster space for Garnet Hathaway, though, who came off COVID protocol today, and moving Wilson to injured reserve accomplished that. Wilson’s day-to-day status hasn’t changed. He has nine goals and 15 assists in 27 games this season, on pace for a career-high in points.
More injury notes from around the league:
- Many Vegas Golden Knights fans were concerned when captain Mark Stone missed today’s game with an upper-body injury due to his lengthy absence earlier in the season. However, head coach Peter DeBoer said after the game today that he doesn’t expect Stone to be out long-term. That’s great news for a Vegas team that’s finally getting on a roll after a nightmarish season in terms of health. The team now sits atop the Pacific Division, the place many expected them to be before an injury bug bit the team hard. The captain’s been red-hot recently, scoring four goals and 17 assists in 18 games.
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brian Boyle is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the New Jersey Devils, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed. Pittsburgh somewhat unexpectedly added Boyle, who didn’t play at all in 2020-21, to the roster prior to training camp with injuries to both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin limiting them down the middle. Boyle’s gotten into 19 of Pittsburgh’s 29 games, scoring three goals and providing a good defensive game.