What Your Team Is Thankful For: Minnesota Wild
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 Minnesota Wild (when it eventually resumes).
What is Minnesota thankful for?
Finally having a true star to market.
Throughout the history of the Minnesota Wild, there have been some excellent players. Marian Gaborik, the team’s first-ever draft pick, stepped into the spotlight as a teenager and scored 30 goals in his sophomore season. He would hit a career-high 42 in his last full, healthy season with the Wild, but was never really even close to any individual awards. Mikko Koivu was picked sixth overall in 2001, but it took him several years to reach the NHL and when he did, his two-way ability was probably never appreciated as much as it should have been. He was a Selke finalist once in a long career, but never received a single vote for any other individual award–not exactly a superstar, even if he was the heart and soul of the franchise.
In 2012, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise put the Wild on the NHL map by signing massive free agent contracts to head back to the State of Hockey, but even they blended into a mediocre team that would make the playoffs on a yearly basis without ever really contending.
Now things have changed, with their marketable, dynamic star forward Kirill Kaprizov. There’s no doubt that signing Kaprizov to a five-year, $45MM contract this offseason was a risk; after all, he had played just 55 regular season games to that point. But there was no doubting Kaprizov’s obviously ability, not only to put the puck in the net but also to invigorate the Minnesota market. Kaprizov was called “the most exciting player in franchise history” almost from the moment he arrived, and with 36 points in 30 games, he’s on pace to set a team record in just his second year. Only one player in Wild history has registered more than 80 points–Gaborik, exactly once. Kaprizov looks like that won’t be much of a problem for him should he stay healthy throughout this contract.
Who is Minnesota thankful for?
There’s no doubt that Kaprizov is the most marketable, and arguably the most important player on the team. That doesn’t, however, mean that the team is most thankful for him in particular. For that, we come to Hartman, who has figured it out at age-27 and now looks like one of the most incredible bargains in the league.
After two mediocre seasons with Minnesota, Hartman actually accepted a three-year contract that saw his cap hit go down this offseason, dropping from $1.9MM to $1.7MM. He’ll carry that number through 2023-24 and actually earns just $1.1MM in actual salary this season. What do you get for $1.1MM? How about 14 goals and 26 points through 30 games, all while driving possession and contributing defensively. If plus-minus is more your thing, Hartman leads the entire league at +22 to this point and has done nearly all of his damage at even strength. It’s an impressive accomplishment for a player that is on his fourth team and has a career-high of 31 points. If this is what Minnesota is going to get from Hartman moving forward, he’ll be one of the most valuable contracts out there.
What would Minnesota be even more thankful for?
A consistent Kevin Fiala.
Make no mistake, when at his best, Fiala is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the entire league. There’s good reason to believe that he could have become that marketable star that Minnesota longed for, had he been able to find any level of consistency to this point. But it just hasn’t been there for him this season, as he struggles to find the back of the net despite plenty of good chances.
It’s not that Fiala is having a terrible year–20 points in 30 games is certainly nothing to turn your nose up at–but it’s those flashes of superstardom that leave fans wanting so much more out of the 25-year-old forward. Decision time is coming quickly as Fiala is a restricted free agent after the season, owed a qualifying offer that would open up a potential arbitration award even higher than his current $5.1MM salary. With whispers about his future in the organization (or lack thereof) coming out earlier this year, a more consistent performance over the second half of the year would go a long way to securing the next stage of his career.
What should be on Minnesota’s Holiday Wish List?
More center depth.
While this may actually come from an internal source, if the Wild decide that Marco Rossi is ready for the NHL, there’s little doubt that the center ice position is still an area of weakness for Minnesota. Joel Eriksson Ek‘s upcoming diagnosis after leaving with injury last night will likely decide what kind of player the Wild need to target on the trade market, but a center of some level is needed even if he’s healthy enough to quickly return to action.
The clock has struck midnight on Victor Rask‘s 2020-21 performance, with the veteran center now receiving just around 10 minutes a night when he’s even in the lineup, Nick Bjugstad is basically a fourth-line winger at this point, and the combination of Nico Sturm and Frederick Gaudreau doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence when it comes to long playoff runs. If Eriksson Ek is out long-term, the team will desperately need to add a top-six center to the mix at some point. If he’s coming back, some extra depth will still be required.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
USA Hockey Names Captains For WJC
Another defenseman will lead his squad into the World Junior Championship that starts this weekend. Jake Sanderson has been named captain of the U.S. National Junior Team, where he can show exactly why the Ottawa Senators picked him fifth overall in 2020. He’ll be joined by Matty Beniers, Brock Faber, and Landon Slaggert who will serve as alternates for the tournament.
Head coach Nate Leaman explained that it’s not just these four who will lead the team:
The strength of this team is its leadership and we have a group of guys that have earned the letter on their jersey both on and off the ice. There are even more leaders in our locker room. We’re excited about this group overall, and for us to be successful, every player will need to find a way to lead.
Sanderson, a sophomore at the University of North Dakota, has improved his offensive game this season to go with a defensive repertoire that could likely have him hold his own in the NHL right now. In 15 games for the Fighting Hawks, he has 19 points and is obviously processing the game at a higher level when the puck is on his stick. There’s still work to be done if Sanderson’s going to become the true top-pairing player that the Senators hope for, but there’s little doubt he will dominate this tournament as a do-it-all defender for Team USA.
Beniers, the second-overall pick from 2021, is in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan and is once again playing at a point-per-game pace. With 22 points in 20 games he needs just two more to match the total he set in the shortened 2020-21 season, one which left many Michigan players wanting another crack at the NCAA tournament. The Seattle Kraken were happy to see him return but will likely be looking to sign Beniers as soon as possible, in order to start building their brand around the 19-year-old forward.
Faber, another member of the Los Angeles Kings’ huge number of high-end prospects, is a defenseman for the University of Minnesota, where he is in his sophomore season. While he has just nine points in 18 games this season, he showed at last year’s World Junior tournament that he can step directly into an offensive role if given the opportunity as well. It’s his mobility on the defensive end that stands out with Faber though, as he smoothly closes gaps and disrupts plays with extremely quick feet.
Slaggert, the lowest draft pick of the bunch, is a returnee to the team (they all are) after he played his way in during selection camp last year. The Chicago Blackhawks third-round pick from 2020, Slaggert has continued to take steps forward in his overall game while playing at Notre Dame but doesn’t provide the kind of offensive upside some of his teammates will. That doesn’t matter, as there’s absolutely no quit in Slaggert’s high-energy play which will set the tone for the U.S. squad every game.
Brent Burns Placed In COVID Protocol
Dec 21: Burns has been joined by Tomas Hertl and Jonathan Dahlen, both added to the protocol today. An additional Sharks staff member has also been added.
Dec 20: When the San Jose Sharks experienced their COVID outbreak earlier in the season, one of the key names that went unaffected and helped carry them through was Brent Burns. The veteran defenseman has played in all 30 of the team’s games so far this season, but that could be about to change. Burns has been added to the COVID protocol, though his placement there is apparently retroactive to December 17. That means he would be technically eligible to return for the Sharks’ next game, currently scheduled for December 27, should he pass all of the medical testing.
Burns, 36, has averaged nearly 26 minutes a night this season for the Sharks and is once again racking up points at a strong pace. The roving defender has 17 points in 30 games, good for 23rd in the league among defensemen. Should he have to miss any games after the holiday break, it would be a huge blow to San Jose’s chances.
Given that no other players have entered in the past few days for the Sharks, the hope is that this is a contained case. If that proves incorrect and other players enter the protocol in the coming days, they wouldn’t be available when the season resumes. For a team just barely hanging on in the Pacific Division playoff race, losing any more bodies could have a dire impact.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Bobby Ryan Headed To Spengler Cup
When Canada pulled out of the upcoming Spengler Cup, the tournament added a sixth team which would be known as the Bern Selects. The team that was chosen is made up of players from across the Swiss league mostly, but also has a familiar face to many NHL fans.
Bobby Ryan will participate in the tournament, listed as a free agent on the new squad. There are others who will also spark memories of the NHL, including Phil Varone, Lauri Korpikoski, and Cory Conacher, but Ryan is the biggest name in the group.
The 34-year-old scored 569 points in an 866-game NHL career, including 14 in 33 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2020-21. He signed a professional tryout with the Red Wings again this year, but failed to receive an NHL contract by the end of camp.
That doesn’t mean his playing career is over though, as participation in the Spengler could actually hint at some further plans for Ryan. A member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic team that took home a silver medal in Vancouver, perhaps Ryan will get another chance to represent his country 12 years later. With the NHL expected to officially pull out of Olympic participation in the coming days, there will be a scramble for players at the minor league, European, and college levels. A strong showing at the Spengler would certainly make a case for Ryan to be on the team.
Dan Vladar Added To COVID Protocol
After three consecutive days with no additional positive cases, the Calgary Flames reopened their training facility yesterday. Unfortunately, Dan Vladar, one of the handful of players that had not yet entered the protocol for the Flames, was placed there today.
That leaves just Matthew Tkachuk, Blake Coleman, and Michael Stone as the only active, healthy players for the Flames not in the COVID protocol. The team hasn’t played a game since December 11 and is not scheduled to take the ice again until December 27 against the Edmonton Oilers.
Whether that game will actually happen remains to be seen, as cases rise across the league, but the Flames would potentially have some players back in time. Not Vladar, though, if he’s put through the same 10-day quarantine period as others.
Maple Leafs, Red Wings Announce More Additions To COVID Protocol
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, both off for the next several days, have announced more additions to the COVID protocol. Toronto has placed David Kampf, Ilya Mikheyev, Petr Mrazek, Rasmus Sandin, and goaltending coach Steve Briere in the protocol, while Detroit added Adam Erne, Jordan Oesterle, and a member of the support staff.
For the Maple Leafs, that’s a good chunk of their team, given that John Tavares, Alexander Kerfoot, Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds, T.J. Brodie, Travis Dermott, Jack Campbell, head coach Sheldon Keefe, and assistant Spencer Carbery were already in the protocol. The team isn’t scheduled to play again until December 27 after the holiday break, but could very well be without several key players if it’s not postponed as well.
Detroit meanwhile has its own growing list, as Sam Gagner, Pius Suter, Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina, Givani Smith, Carter Rowney, Alex Nedeljkovic, Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, and basically the entire coaching staff were already in the protocol. They too are off until December 27, but given these new placements, could be shorthanded when they take on the New York Rangers, should that game go on as scheduled.
While some of the players listed will be eligible to return soon for both teams, the fact that more players are testing positive is a concern at this point. Hopefully, it stops here, but with the number of players across the league entering the protocol, it seems unlikely.
Capitals-Flyers Game Postponed
One of the two games left this week has been postponed, as the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers will no longer play tonight. The decision was made after more COVID-related issues for the Capitals, who canceled today’s media availability. Daniel Sprong and Justin Schultz were pulled from the group this morning and are undergoing further testing. Tonight’s game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights is now the last one before the holiday break, though Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that game also may be in danger of postponement.
The Capitals were already going to play the game without top options like T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, while the Flyers lost Kevin Hayes to the protocol just yesterday. The fact that the game was still scheduled despite the extended holiday break was perhaps the most surprising thing, but both teams will now head into the break a little earlier than expected.
For Washington, the team is now set to resume on December 27 against the Ottawa Senators. Philadelphia meanwhile will be off until December 29, when they’ll travel to Seattle to take on the Kraken. That gives the Flyers even more time to recover from injury and try to reset their season.
The NHL has now postponed 50 games, 45 of those coming since December 13.
Skinner, Girgensons Added To COVID Protocol
The Buffalo Sabres had their games postponed this week and yesterday added Vinnie Hinostroza to the COVID protocol. He wasn’t alone for very long, as both Jeff Skinner and Zemgus Girgensons were added today. The Sabres won’t play again until Monday but now could be without all three, should they have to face the full ten-day period that comes with a positive, symptomatic case.
Skinner has found part of himself again this season, getting back on the scoresheet fairly regularly and playing a big role on the powerplay. His nine goals and 17 points through 30 games have already eclipsed both marks he posted in 53 games last season, when he fell completely out of favor with the coaching staff and even found himself in the press box on occasion.
Now back in the mix as a top-six option (and at least not a total anchor contract-wise), losing Skinner would actually be a big blow for the Sabres. If he misses ten days, it would mean at least three games on the sideline.
Girgensons meanwhile is once again playing his role as a middle-six player for the Sabres, lining up at center or the wing and providing some reliability on defense. He has six goals and 11 points in 30 games as well, a pace that actually would have him close to matching previous career highs if he keeps it up. For now, that will have to wait as he’ll also miss the next few games if held out ten days.
AHL Shuffle: 12/21/21
It’s the last day of the pre-Christmas schedule, as the rest of this week’s games have now been postponed. The Washington Capitals will visit the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are off to see the Vegas Golden Knights. Those teams aren’t the only ones who will do a little roster shuffling today though, as teams had previously prepared for action tomorrow and Thursday. As always, we’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Andrej Sustr from the AHL, giving them another defenseman for tonight’s match. Sustr has actually played eight games already for the Lightning this season, following his two-year stint in the KHL. The 31-year-old defenseman has one goal on the year.
Metropolitan Division
- After sending him down just yesterday, the Washington Capitals have recalled Brett Leason once again. The young forward has been bouncing up and down rather frequently of late but has spent most of the year in the NHL. In 21 games with the Capitals, he has six points. (Update: After the Capitals’ game today was postponed, the team sent Leason and Joe Snively back to the minor leagues.)
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Gerry Mayhew from the minor leagues for tonight’s game, suggesting he’ll be in for Kevin Hayes, who was recently put on the COVID list. Mayhew, a prolific minor league scorer, has just 17 NHL games under his belt.
Central Division
- The Minnesota Wild, following their game last night against Dallas, have returned Kevin Czuczman and Mason Shaw to the AHL. The Wild will play again on Monday when they travel to Winnipeg.
- With the Stars not playing again until after Christmas, the team has sent Riley Tufte and Thomas Harley back to the minor leagues. Likely just a paper transaction, the two could be back up in a few days after Dallas saves a few dollars.
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent Blake Speers and Jan Jenik back to AHL Tucson. Speers played last Friday in his first NHL action since October 22, 2016 while Jenik last saw NHL action last month, being held off the scoresheet in two games. As is the case with pretty much everyone else on this list, the move was made to save Arizona some money with them being out of action until Monday.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have reversed a few of their recent moves, sending Alex Turcotte and Samuel Fegemo back to the minor leagues while recalling Sean Durzi and Christian Wolanin. Those players had been involved in opposite moves just yesterday to maximize cap relief from putting Alexander Edler and Sean Walker on long-term injured reserve. Quinton Byfield, who was also called up, has been placed in the COVID protocol, meaning he won’t be going back down just yet.
- The Vancouver Canucks have returned Madison Bowey and Noah Juulsen to Abbotsford of the AHL. Both defensemen were brought up with Vancouver having several blueliners in COVID protocol but with them being off until December 27th, they’ll save a few dollars and delay the waiver clock for each veteran for a few days.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Eric Fehr Signs In KHL
Just like Jason Demers yesterday, another Canadian Olympic hopeful has found a new job overseas. Canada withdrew from the Spengler Cup yesterday, forcing players that were preparing for it to find other work. Eric Fehr will join Demers with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL through the end of the 2021-22 season after spending the last two seasons playing in Switzerland.
A veteran of more than 700 NHL games, Fehr was last active in North America during the 2018-19 season. He had seven goals and 15 points that year for the Minnesota Wild before taking his talents to Switzerland where he has become a star. In 94 regular season games with Geneve Servette, Fehr has scored 36 goals and 76 points, while racking up an incredible 199 penalty minutes.
A member of the last Spengler Cup-winning Canadian team, Fehr is a likely candidate to go to the Olympics should the NHL officially withdraw participation. In the meantime, he’ll hit the KHL for the first time in his career to continue his preparation. Fehr had previously played in Finland during the 2012-13 lockout, but this will be his first stint in Russia.