Nico Hischier, Ryan Graves Placed In COVID-19 Protocol
The New Jersey Devils announced that Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves were placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, and they’re unavailable for tonight’s game against the New York Islanders.
It’s a huge loss for this Devils team against a slumping, albeit still sound Islanders team. It’s always tough to lose your captain, even more so when you throw a first-pairing defenseman out of the mix as well just minutes before puck drop.
Hischier is New Jersey’s top center and has continued his sound two-way game into this season, scoring 16 points through 25 games while averaging 19:17 per game. Commonly playing between Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt, his line is enjoying offensive success.
Graves has been entrusted with tough minutes in his first year as a Devil, forming the top pair alongside free-agent acquisition Dougie Hamilton. Graves isn’t being counted on for offense but still has a respectable 10 points through 25 games.
If not false positives, Hischier and Graves could miss at least seven days while in protocol.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Ryan Getzlaf
The Anaheim Ducks have activated forward Ryan Getzlaf from injured reserve, according to The Orange County Register’s Elliot Teaford. He could be in for Saturday night’s game against Pittsburgh.
The Ducks captain originally went on injured reserve about a week ago, where he was classified as week-to-week. It’s a much swifter return to the lineup than expected.
Now 36, Getzlaf was enjoying a renaissance year with 20 points in just 23 games prior to his injury. He’s been an integral part of an unexpected resurgence for the 15-8-5 Ducks, who sit second in the Pacific Division.
Buddy Robinson, who’s played in just three games this season and is the only active Ducks forward to average under 10 minutes per game, is a likely candidate to sit out.
Getzlaf’s return is even more important considering the added absence of Adam Henrique, who’d been flanking Getzlaf along with Troy Terry this year. Vinni Lettieri and Sam Steel have filled in for the two of them alongside Terry, so the Ducks will have some lineup shuffling to do with their captain’s return.
Pacific Notes: Stephenson, Canucks, Russell
After missing Friday’s game against Philadelphia for personal reasons, Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson should be available for Sunday’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild, according to head coach Peter DeBoer. Stephenson’s brought lights-out play for a Vegas team that’s needed him this season with a slew of injuries, producing at a career-best pace with 22 points in 25 games. All that’s been done while playing steep minutes (19:48 a game) and spending time without his usual pair of elite wingers in Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. That line’s been reunited as Pacioretty and Stone are back healthy, and after Keegan Kolesar filled in down the middle for one game, Stephenson will return to his place atop the center depth chart for Vegas.
More from the Pacific Division:
- There are some injury updates for the new and improved Vancouver Canucks under Bruce Boudreau, as the new head coach said today that Oliver Ekman-Larsson should be back next week, while Travis Hamonic is expected to miss two to three more weeks. While the team is undefeated under Boudreau, they’re facing a significant list of injuries. However, neither Ekman-Larsson nor Hamonic have been particularly impactful to start the year. Ekman-Larsson has just five points in 26 games to start his Vancouver career, a far cry from his peak of consistent 40-point campaigns. Hamonic has just an assist in nine contests as he’s found his way up and down between the NHL and AHL.
- Injury news isn’t improving for the Edmonton Oilers defense, as head coach Dave Tippett notes that Kris Russell will be out for a couple of weeks. He joins Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek as Edmonton’s inactive blueliners. He’d been playing in an increased role with those injuries, but that responsibility now falls back on the shoulders of young defensemen Philip Broberg and William Lagesson.
Blake Wheeler To Be Out For A While
Friday’s game against Vancouver got off to a positive start for Jets captain Blake Wheeler as he picked up his first goal of the season. However, it ended on a much worse note as he left the game early with a lower-body injury and following the game, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe that it’s not going to be a short-term issue:
It’s going to be a while. We’ll get him looked at tomorrow. I’m not a doctor, but it’s going to be a while.
We’ll get him healed up, we’ll find other players and we’ll find a way to do it without him.
Winnipeg isn’t scheduled to practice this weekend so a full update with an estimated timeline for Wheeler’s return won’t come until Monday at the earliest.
While the 35-year-old hadn’t scored until last night, he had still been one of their better point producers with his 16 assists leading the team. Wheeler has still logged heavy minutes – 19:24 per game which is more than a minute higher than last season – which will make replacing him a little more difficult.
The Jets have basically used all of their allowable LTIR for Bryan Little and have still only been able to carry a dozen forwards on the roster, three of which have an AAV at or below the league minimum. Assuming Wheeler will miss at least 10 games or 24 days, they’ll be able to add him to LTIR which will give them plenty of short-term cap space to recall a replacement forward. However, trading for one will be out of the question unless he was to be ruled out for the rest of the season as they’d have to get back into cap compliance before being able to activate Wheeler.
Winnipeg only has eight forwards on NHL contracts that aren’t up with the team already. The most promising of those is winger Cole Perfetti although he won’t be an option for a better part of a month following his loan to Team Canada for the World Juniors yesterday. Most of their other options are basically only fits for the fourth line so Wheeler’s absence will be a tough one to overcome for a Jets team that is in a very tight battle in the Central Division.
Stars Recall Ben Bishop From Conditioning Loan, Playing Career To End
Ben Bishop‘s attempt to return to the crease for the Stars has come to an end. The team announced this morning that they’ve recalled the netminder from his conditioning assignment with AHL Texas but that he will remain on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) due to his current knee injury. Later in the day, Stars GM Jim Nill told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that Bishop’s playing days are over:
“It’s no secret, he has a degenerative knee injury, and he went down there, he wanted to be a big part of this. He wanted to do everything he could to get back. In the end, by going through the process, going down there and playing, he found out that it’s the end of his career.”
The 35-year-old missed all of last season due to the injury plus the first couple of months of 2021-22. He made one appearance with Texas and it didn’t go well as he allowed eight goals on 26 shots and clearly, something didn’t go right with his knee with Bishop asking Dallas to end the conditioning loan early and shut him down. The netminder is scheduled to speak to the media on Tuesday.
His playing days come to an end with 413 games played for five different teams. He was a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and posted a 2.32 GAA along with a save percentage of .921 along with 33 shutouts. He is signed through next season with a $4.916MM AAV and will remain on LTIR during that stretch.
From a cap perspective, this lessens their need to try to move veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin. While he’s clearly the odd man out in their goaltending trio at the moment, they would have needed to clear his contract off the books outright plus free up a bit more room in order to activate Bishop. With that not happening anymore, they can now afford to be more patient in looking for the right return and will be able to take a player back instead of needing to clear his entire $3.33MM AAV off the books. Dallas made Khudobin available earlier this month after Jake Oettinger came up from the minors and has been quite dominant in his first seven appearances, posting a 1.52 GAA with a .951 SV%.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PHR Mailbag: Sullivan, Projections, Miller, Canadian Struggles, Ownership
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Mike Sullivan’s candidacy for the Jack Adams award, future scoring projections, an intriguing trade target for the Bruins, discussing the struggles of several Canadian teams, and league ownership. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in Monday’s mailbag.
Rayno15: Why is Mike Sullivan not in the running for Coach of the Year?
Who says he isn’t? It’s an award that’s voted on at the end of the season, not just past the one-quarter mark. The end result in the standings often dictates who is and isn’t a finalist for this award and in mid-December, it’s way too early to set that.
To be honest, I think Sullivan could be a viable contender depending on how things play out. Pittsburgh has been hit hard with injuries this season with offensive cornerstones Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust all having missed or are currently missing significant time while most of their back end has missed a handful of games as well. To be hanging around the playoff mix in spite of all of that is certainly impressive.
But can they stay there? It’s one thing to be in the mix in December and another to be playing in May when the playoffs get underway this season. Where they finish will determine whether or not Sullivan is a viable candidate for the award. If they can get into the playoffs in spite of their injury trouble, there’s a good chance he’ll be on quite a few Jack Adams ballots.
The Duke: Dear PHRM Crystal Ball, As you know by now, I’m always looking to be one step ahead in my 12-team Keeper League, ergo I pose these questions:
- Of the following, please rank and project which has the quicker/brighter scoring future, with goals ranked ahead of assists: Matt Beniers, Adam Beckman, Cole Perfetti & Jack Dugan.
- Same as above for Rasmus Sandin and Calen Addison.
1) In terms of a quicker future, I don’t think you’re going to see any of these four get substantial NHL action this season. Perhaps Beniers at the end of the year will see time but there’s no short-term impact coming. Next season, I’d expect both Beniers and Perfetti to be regulars and likely in a top-six role. The fact that Dugan didn’t get a look last season was curious and injuries haven’t helped this year. But he turns 24 in March so the clock is ticking fast on his NHL upside. Beckman’s skating is a concern for me. The rest of his skillset is promising but overcoming skating has been easier said than done.
That puts Beniers and Perfetti in a class of their own for me as the other two may be more complementary players than high-impact ones. I’ll rank them by a ballpark guess of what a typical season for them could be in terms of goals and points once they’re established in the league.
Beniers: 30/80
Perfetti: 25/60
Dugan: 15/40
Beckman: 15/35
2) Obviously, Sandin is the quicker option considering that he has basically been a regular this season with the Maple Leafs while Addison has been up and down with Minnesota. Barring injuries, Addison probably isn’t a regular down the stretch while Sandin should stay in Toronto’s lineup. So for short-term help, Sandin is the better play.
I also think he’s the higher-scoring option on a long-term basis. Neither project to see substantial power play time with veterans locked up in front of them on the depth chart (Morgan Rielly and Jared Spurgeon) and both have top-four upside at five-on-five. If I have to guess which one will be the higher-scoring option, I’ll go with the team that has the better long-term offensive outlook and that’s Toronto. Minnesota’s scoring more this season but is that sustainable with the cap-related cuts to the roster? I’m not so sure on that one. Nonetheless, their projections would be pretty close:
Sandin: 8/30
Addison: 6/25
I could see both of them having some years where they’re over those thresholds but others where they’re below so call that an average forecast.
SkidRowe: J.T. Miller to the Bruins. What would it take?
From a fit perspective, this would certainly be a good one for Boston. He could slide into the number two center spot that they’ve been trying to find the right fit for all season long and plays an all-situations game that would really make their top six a real strong spot.
However, it’s worth mentioning the cap situation before digging into a hypothetical trade. Boston has just over $13MM in cap room for next season, per CapFriendly. Adding Miller would knock that just under $8MM with a few roster spots to fill including re-signing Patrice Bergeron. That would be a very tight squeeze, perhaps too tight to try to fill. Accordingly, Boston would need to move out some money for next season to make a move justifiable; acquiring Miller only to have his contract price out Bergeron next summer wouldn’t be ideal.
I’m sure you’re thinking Jake DeBrusk would be part of such a package but I don’t think his trade value is all that strong. Vancouver doesn’t have the cap space to take multiple pricey players back and DeBrusk’s deal is up next season and the Bruins should want to clear some 2022-23 money off the books here. I don’t think he’s a good fit here as a result. Given the state of the Canucks’ defense, I could see someone like Matt Grzelcyk carrying some value and that would offset a good chunk of Miller’s money. A first-round pick is a given as well.
These deals also usually have a good prospect in there. I could see Vancouver interim GM Jim Rutherford asking for John Beecher, a 2019 first-rounder if the trade market for Miller is robust enough to basically get a second first-rounder included and with the season he’s having, that’s a definite possibility if he’s made available. I could see Boston GM Don Sweeney countering with someone like Jack Studnicka. Two-way point-per-game centers don’t become available often and while Miller would be a great fit for Boston, he’d be a great fit for many other teams as well. The price is going to sting as a result, especially with him on a below-market contract for another year. Either way, this is a move that probably comes closer to the trade deadline as right now, the Canucks are still trying to get back into the playoff hunt.
pawtucket: How does one put out the Canadian tire fires that are the Canucks, Canadiens, Sens, and even recently the Jets?
Vancouver: They’ve made two big swings quickly with Bruce Boudreau and Rutherford coming in as win-now people. From an ownership perspective, they’re hoping Boudreau can turn things around and the early returns are good. Their defense still needs improvement although getting one with next to no cap space will be a challenge. They could still sneak into the playoffs and while that’s not a great accomplishment, this is a win-now roster and they have to get to the postseason to see if this core group can get something done. A bit of patience will be needed as Boudreau makes his mark.
Montreal: Sometimes, it’s just not your year. The Canadiens are beyond battered due to injuries and have already set a franchise record for the most games played in a calendar year at 106 (and they have nine more before the month is out). I don’t think they get out of this funk this season and they will embark on some sort of rebuild/reset by the trade deadline with a coaching change as soon as the offseason to see if a different approach can spark the players that are still around.
Ottawa: I thought they’d be better this season. Not necessarily a playoff team but not a lottery contender either, however, injuries have hurt them as well. For now, it’s ride it out with some prospects getting a longer look but for the offseason, they need to do a better job of bringing in impactful buffer veterans that can shelter some of their younger players instead of just taking up spots at the back of the roster. That would help move them from the back of the standings towards the middle where they’ll be battling for a Wild Card spot and although that’s not too exciting, it’s a step they need to take; teams rarely go from pretender to contender all at once.
Winnipeg: I don’t think there’s much they really can do. They’re in a money in, money out situation so the only card they have to play is a coaching change and I don’t think that’s warranted at this time. As I mentioned in last week’s mailbag, I think they’ll be fine by the end of the season.
blueavenger77: Has the NHL ever had a publicly owned franchise similar to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers? If not, do NHL rules prohibit a publicly held non-profit corporation from owning a team? I ask the question because it seems to me that many NHL franchises would have a better chance of stability and success with a different ownership structure.
There isn’t anything quite like Green Bay’s public ownership structure in the NHL with the closest thing to any type of public ownership being able to buy shares in the group that owns the team such as the Rangers and Madison Square Garden Entertainment. There’s nothing that I can see in the NHL Constitution that prohibits such an ownership structure although there is a note that says the Board of Governors can change the ‘membership’ criteria from time to time which, I suppose, could allow them to block such an attempt if they so desired.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Michael Del Zotto Clears Waivers
Saturday: Del Zotto was not claimed, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
Friday: When the Ottawa Senators recalled Jacob Bernard-Docker, it seemed likely that someone was going to find themselves on waivers soon after. That someone is Michael Del Zotto, who was placed on waivers today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Del Zotto, 31, signed a two-year contract with the Senators in the summer, one that carries a cap hit of $2MM. The team has received just ten games for their money to this point, scratching him several times instead of putting him in the lineup. The coaching staff obviously doesn’t trust the veteran defenseman, as several other options have been inserted over him and now kept as he is placed on waivers. Dillon Heatherington, for instance, could still have been sent down without having to clear waivers again.
So the question is now what does Del Zotto’s future look like in Ottawa? The team has already buried Matt Murray in the minor leagues for the time being, paying his full salary despite the goaltender suiting up for the Belleville Senators, not the ones in Ottawa. Will they do the same with Del Zotto, who is owed a salary of $1.75MM this season and $2.25MM next?
Part of that $2MM cap hit will be removed from the books for the Senators–$1.125MM to be exact–but for a team nowhere near the ceiling, that doesn’t really provide much benefit. The team will still be paying Del Zotto his full salary regardless of where he is assigned. A trade seems to make the most sense, though it is. unlikely that any team is going to give up a legitimate asset, even if he does clear waivers. In this case that would increase his value, as the acquiring team could put him in the minors, but there’s still not going to be much of a return on investment for Ottawa.
Interestingly enough, Del Zotto has still put up points even in his limited showings. With six points in ten games, he’s shown once again that he can contribute offensively, even if his defensive play leaves something to be desired. A veteran of more than 700 NHL games, perhaps a contender will feel as though he can help their depth down the stretch.
Yanni Gourde And Riley Sheahan Placed In COVID Protocol
The Kraken will be without the services of one of their top centers for the next little bit as the team announced (Twitter link) that Yanni Gourde has been placed in COVID protocol. His spot on the roster is being taken by Alexander True who was recalled from AHL Charlotte.
Gourde has had a nice start to his first season with Seattle. After recovering quicker than expected from offseason shoulder surgery, he quickly jumped into a permanent spot in the top six. The 29-year-old has six goals and 16 assists in 22 games so far this season, good for third on the team in scoring behind Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle while averaging 18:51 per game, a career-high.
Gourde had become the second Kraken center to enter COVID protocol, joining Colin Blackwell who entered it earlier this week. If subsequent testing reveals a confirmed positive, he’ll have to miss at least the next ten days. However, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Riley Sheahan has also entered the protocol alongside assistant coach Jay Leach. Sheahan has four points in 19 games this season and also cleared waivers last month.
As for True, he was claimed from San Jose in expansion but has yet to see any action with Seattle this season. He has 18 points in 22 games with AHL Charlotte, a split affiliate with Florida and leads the Checkers in scoring.
Atlantic Notes: Mrazek, Del Zotto, Cernak, Bogosian
The Maple Leafs will activate goaltender Petr Mrazek off LTIR to start him tonight against Chicago, notes Postmedia’s Lance Hornby (Twitter link). The veteran has been limited to just two appearances this season due to a groin injury and after being brought in to push Jack Campbell for playing time, it may be hard to come by with Campbell currently sporting a 1.99 GAA with a .935 SV%. Joseph Woll, who had been serving as Toronto’s backup, will soon return to the minors.
While not yet announced by the team, it would appear as if winger Mitch Marner will be transferred to LTIR to create the cap space for the Maple Leafs to activate Mrazek. Marner suffered a shoulder injury in practice earlier this month that was expected to keep him out for a few weeks. In his case, an LTIR transfer (which can be done retroactively to his initial IR placement) would keep him out for at least 10 games and 24 days.
More from the Atlantic:
- Ottawa’s decision to waive Michael Del Zotto on Friday came as a bit of a surprise considering they only recently gave him a two-year deal. However, head coach D.J. Smith told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link) that injuries have forced the Senators to shift more towards making this a development year which means the prospects get the priority moving forward. Smith referenced that Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson are young blueliners that should start seeing NHL action again soon.
- Erik Cernak’s timeline for a return has been delayed as Bryan Burns of the Lightning’s team site relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is now listed as week to week and won’t play until after the holiday break. The 24-year-old suffered a lower-body injury last week in just his third game back from an upper-body issue. In between those ailments, Cernak has been an important part of Tampa Bay’s top four, logging 19:30 per game. The extended timeline will make him LTIR-eligible.
- Cernak isn’t the only injured Lightning blueliner either as the team announced (Twitter link) prior to their game against the Sens that Zach Bogosian is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Injuries have limited the 31-year-old to just 15 games this season where he has four points, 41 hits, and 34 penalty minutes.
Tyler Toffoli Undergoes Hand Surgery
Montreal’s injury woes have been an issue all season for them and they’ll now be without one of their top wingers for a while. The team announced following their morning skate today that Tyler Toffoli has undergone successful hand surgery and will be out of the lineup for eight weeks.
Toffoli is in his second season with the Canadiens and this one hasn’t gone anywhere near as well as his first one did. Last season, he was one of the higher-scoring wingers in the league, collecting 28 goals in 52 games while chipping in with 14 points in 22 playoff contests. But as has been the case with many Montreal players, this season has seen him struggle as he has scored just five times in 26 games with his shooting percentage down nearly 10% from a year ago.
The 29-year-old is likely to be out longer than the timeline that the team listed as that basically takes them to the All-Star Break which is immediately followed by the Olympics. Accordingly, the earliest that he’s likely to return is February 26 versus Ottawa, a little more than three weeks before the trade deadline. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek recently listed Toffoli as a trade candidate to watch for with a $4.25MM AAV for two more years after this one, a bit below market value for a top-six winger but he won’t have a lot of time to show he’s back to full strength before teams need to decide whether or not he’s worth acquiring this season.
Montreal will get a bit of help on the injury front tonight as Joel Armia returns from an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss the last two games. However, they’re also losing another regular as Arpon Basu of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that forward Jake Evans is now listed as day-to-day and won’t suit up versus St. Louis.