Central Notes: Toews, Seguin, Acciari, Hurricanes
While the Blackhawks have been without top center Jonathan Toews all season long due to an illness, it appears as if he should be able to play next season. In a recent video appearance on NBC Sports (video link), TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that while the veteran isn’t expected to return this season, his health continues to improve and as things stand, is expected to be available for the 2021-22 campaign. Toews has two years left on his deal with a $10.5MM AAV and assuming he is back to full health by then, he would almost certainly return to his spot on Chicago’s top line; his vacancy is one that they’ve struggled to fill internally this season.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Back at the trade deadline, Stars GM Jim Nill was hoping that center Tyler Seguin would be able to return this coming Monday. However, head coach Rick Bowness told reporters, including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, that the target date is just “wishful thinking” at this point. However, it doesn’t sound as if the veteran will be out much longer with Bowness indicating he’s hopeful that Seguin will be able to play sometime later in the week. He has missed the entire season after offseason hip surgery and would undoubtedly be a significant addition to a Dallas team that is four points out of the final playoff spot in the division though they have three games in hand on Nashville.
- Panthers center Noel Acciari will miss his fifth straight game tonight due to an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). The team is targeting one of their games against Nashville on Monday or Tuesday for him to return. Acciari, who was on the top line recently when Aleksander Barkov missed time, has 11 points in 36 games this season.
- Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook won’t play today after being injured on Thursday, notes Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed some optimism that the 28-year-old won’t be out of the lineup for long. Meanwhile, while Teuvo Teravainen (concussion) took part in some team drills yesterday, he’s also not expected to suit up. He has played just once in the last two months because of his symptoms.
Artem Anisimov Focused On NHL
It certainly hasn’t been a banner year for Artem Anisimov. The 32-year-old forward has just two goals and eight points in 18 games with the Ottawa Senators. He has cleared waivers twice thanks to a contract that still carries a $4.55MM cap hit and has also dealt with injury. But that contract is coming to an end at the conclusion of this season and Anisimov will become an unrestricted free agent.
Though some speculation has emerged in the recent weeks that the veteran center will return to Russia and play in the KHL, that may be getting a little ahead of the situation. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reached out to Anisimov’s agent Todd Diamond, who denied any report of his client returning to the KHL noting that “his only focus is to continue his career in the NHL.”
Now obviously, that depends on whether an NHL team will actually want to sign Anisimov, and that’s no guarantee after the last few seasons. Even last year he wasn’t a strong performer for Ottawa, recording just 20 points (though 15 of those were goals) in 49 games.
Perhaps that was just a symptom of bad linemates and losing his role in Ottawa was simply because the team wanted to give their younger players more opportunity, but a bounce-back from Anisimov is no guarantee in 2021-22. If a team does sign him, it would likely be for near the league minimum, a salary he could likely eclipse if he did return to the KHL. For now, the focus is on the NHL–we’ll see if it stays there.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/23/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:
Calgary – Josh Leivo*
Colorado – Joonas Donskoi, Mikko Rantanen
New Jersey – P.K. Subban
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Philipp Grubauer, Colorado Avalanche
The Flames canceled morning skate today after Leivo’s positive test but will play as scheduled this evening against the Canadiens.
For Colorado, getting Grubauer back is incredibly important as they try to get back on track and chase down the Golden Knights. The goaltender has been outstanding for the Avalanche this season, posting a .920 save percentage through 34 appearances.
*denotes new addition
Zach Bogosian Out Minimum Of Four Weeks
The Toronto Maple Leafs had played the same six defensemen for nearly two months straight until recently but now may have to look for a new mix. Zach Bogosian went down with a shoulder injury in Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks and head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that after further evaluation, the veteran defender will miss a minimum of four weeks.
That means Bogosian will miss the rest of the regular season and could even be out of the picture for the first few games of the playoffs. Rasmus Sandin has played the last two games for the Maple Leafs after an early-season foot injury and last night paired with Travis Dermott on the third pair. Bogosian’s injury could mean a longer runway for the young Sandin, but it also could potentially open the door for trade deadline addition Ben Hutton.
This kind of injury is exactly why the Maple Leafs added Hutton, though losing Bogosian certainly isn’t an ideal situation. One of only two right-handed shots on the active roster, the 30-year-old had been strong in his limited role. Penalty killing and a physical presence are exactly why Toronto added the Stanley Cup champion, and Bogosian provided both while averaging under 15 minutes a night.
Interestingly, the Maple Leafs could now move Bogosian’s $1MM salary on long-term injured reserve retroactive to when he last played. Normally after the trade deadline that doesn’t provide a huge bonus, but there is still at least some thought that Frederik Andersen will be healthy enough to play before the end of the year. Activating him is tricky at the moment given how little cap space they have, but perhaps the team can find a creative way to get around that. If Bogosian is placed on LTIR he would have to miss a minimum of 10 games, meaning he would not be able to return before the end of the year.
It is incredible just how injury-prone Bogosian has been throughout his career. After playing 81 games in his sophomore season as a teenager, he hasn’t been able to total more than 71 in a single year. In fact, only once since that second season has he even played in more than 65, with just 689 total across his 13-year career.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/23/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- Joachim Blichfeld has been realled to the San Jose Sharks taxi squad. The 22-year-old forward actually earned himself a suspension in his season debut and has spent most of the year at the minor league level. He’s been outstanding in the AHL, scoring 12 goals and 22 points in 25 games.
North Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have flipped practice goalies, sending Eric Comrie to the AHL and recalling Mikhail Berdin. The 23-year-old Berdin is a very intriguing prospect despite his low draft profile after strong play in the minor leagues and KHL.
Central Division
East Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have returned Pascal Laberge to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recalling Mason Millman to the taxi squad once again. Millman, 19, hasn’t played in the NHL yet but is getting tons of professional experience this season, a year that he would normally have been limited to OHL hockey.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Jakob Silfverberg Undergoes Hip Surgery
The Anaheim Ducks won’t have Jakob Silfverberg back this season, as the veteran forward has undergone hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. The recovery timeline is between four and six months according to Elliott Teaford of The OC Register.
Silfverberg, 30, signed a new five-year extension with the Ducks back in spring of 2019, meaning he’s still under contract for the next three seasons at a $5.25MM cap hit. Unfortunately, his offensive productions declined rapidly this season, with just eight goals and 16 points in 47 games. Just five of those points came in the last 21 games, so perhaps shutting down Silfverberg to get him fully healthy is a good choice.
If he isn’t one of the victims of an Anaheim rebuild, the team will need him to get back to his previous level–that of a consistent 20-goal, 40-point man. When that kind of production is added to Silfverberg’s strong defensive impact, it creates a valuable player. If he isn’t scoring, that $5.25MM price tag suddenly looks pretty expensive.
With the league still looking at the beginning of October to start the 2021-22 season, there’s a chance that Silfverberg isn’t ready to go on opening day. He seems likely to miss at least part of training camp during his rehab, though obviously, things will have to be re-evaluated throughout the summer.
Dylan Larkin To Miss Rest Of Season
The Detroit Red Wings have announced that captain Dylan Larkin will miss the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury. Larkin missed last night’s game and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Larkin, 24, will end his season without even reaching ten goals, a disappointing output even if the year didn’t really mean anything in the long-term. Detroit is just at the beginning of a full rebuild and had no plans on reaching the postseason. Still, we’re now two years removed from the outstanding 32-goal, 73-point breakout for Larkin and everyone is waiting for him to reach those heights again.
While this injury doesn’t sound like it will affect his training for 2021-22, there’s not a lot left to play for this season. The Red Wings can give his minutes to younger players–including Joe Veleno, who could make his NHL debut in the coming days–while Larkin resets and gets ready for a year where Detroit could actually be pushing for a playoff spot.
After the Red Wings traded away Anthony Mantha, it’s interesting to watch what happens with the rest of their previous core, Larkin included. The 24-year-old has just two years remaining on his current contract before unrestricted free agency, but is also the captain and most consistent offensive player. GM Steve Yzerman has set up the Detroit cap situation with not a single player signed beyond the 2022-23 campaign, meaning if you don’t perform, he can go in a different direction.
Joe Thornton Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
The Department of Player Safety has decided that Joe Thornton‘s hit on Mathieu Perreault last night did not rise to the level of a suspension, issuing the Toronto Maple Leafs forward a $3,017.24 fine for interference instead. Perreault left the game for a time but ended up returning to action for the Winnipeg Jets. That is the maximum allowable amount under the current CBA.
The incident occurred partway through the third period and Thornton did receive a minor penalty for it. Still, this is now the second time a Toronto player has been fined in the last week for a dangerous play against the Jets, following Zach Hyman‘s high-stick on Neal Pionk. Between those incidents, Alexander Edler was given a two-game suspension for a hit on Hyman.
It’s getting physical in the North Division as the playoffs approach, especially between the Maple Leafs and Jets who are still battling it out for the top spot. The lack of serious injury likely helped Thornton’s case here and Toronto will certainly be happy their veteran forward will be available going forward.
Calgary Flames Cancel Morning Skate Due To COVID
The Calgary Flames have had a player test positive for coronavirus, resulting in the cancelation of today’s morning skate. The Flames are set to take on the Montreal Canadiens this evening and the game is still currently scheduled as planned. The rest of the team and staff have tested negative and the player in question has been placed in isolation.
As we approach the end of the season, a COVID outbreak could spell immense trouble for the NHL. There aren’t many days left to reschedule games into without pushing the start of the playoffs back. In the North Division, the Flames already have four games in a row scheduled against the Vancouver Canucks, meaning their schedule doesn’t end until May 19. That’s more than a week after the season was originally supposed to end.
Hopefully, the Flames are able to contain the spread of the virus and will not have to postpone any games. Even if they are able to play today, whoever did test positive will not be available. The identity of the player will not be released until the COVID Protocol Related Absences list comes out.
Expansion Draft Issues: Several Teams Have Moves To Make Before July 17
The trade deadline may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more trades over the courses of the remainder of the league year. The NHL Expansion Draft is right around the corner, with protection lists due on July 17, ahead of the draft on July 21. By that time, all 30 participating teams must be able to submit a protection list that complies with the exposure requirements of the draft. As a reminder, teams may protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and a goalie or eight skaters and a goalie. However, they must also expose two forwards and one defenseman signed beyond this season and who have played in 27 NHL games this season or 54 games over the past two seasons, as well as a goaltender under team control beyond this season.
For many teams, this is easier said than done though. Long-term forwards and defensemen with considerable games played who are also deemed expendable are not all that common. With the trade deadline completed, teams are stuck with the group that they have unless they decide to make a trade in the time between their regular season end or postseason elimination and the week of the draft. Some can solve their problems internally, while others may be more hard pressed. Based on their most likely protection scheme, here are the teams with work to do:
Calgary Flames
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Solutions: The Flames may be having a difficult season, but they have a talented top-six who are all signed long-term. Except, that’s where the term forwards end. If Calgary cannot convince Milan Lucic to waive his No-Movement Clause, the team will be missing both of their required forwards for exposure by protecting Looch and the top-six. Even if Lucic does waive, the team will need to make another forward available to Seattle. RFA Dillon Dube meets the games played criteria, but the team is likely to protect the young forward or, if not, will not do anything to make him more attractive to the Kraken. That leaves fellow RFA Dominik Simon and impending UFA’s Derek Ryan, Josh Leivo, and Joakim Nordstrom, as well as Brett Ritchie with six more games played, as other names who could earn extensions due to otherwise meeting the exposure criteria.
Likelihood of a Trade: Medium. With so many affordable, bottom-six role players that the team could hand new one-year deals, the Flames have options. However, if Lucic does not waive and the team feels pressured to re-sign two of those players, they may look for outside help rather than bring back too much of a forward corps that has underachieved this year.
Colorado Avalanche
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Solutions: As one of the top scoring team’s in the NHL, the Avalanche will want to keep as much of their forward corps as they can and with the likes of Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad heading to free agency and not in need of protection, the team can do just that. However, if Colorado does protect their top nine scoring forwards minus Landeskog and Saad, that leaves them with, at best, one forward to expose and zero if they choose to protect both Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Compher. If the Avs do choose to protect the duo, that should leave RFA Tyson Jost unprotected, who they could extend in order to meet the exposure requirement. However, Jost has arbitration rights and may not rush into a new deal. Other candidates to re-sign would be UFA’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Carl Soderberg, or Matt Calvert. Fortunately, the Avalanche have an even easier internal fix and that is simply playing Logan O’Connor five more times before the end of the season.
Likelihood of a Trade: Low. Between playing O’Connor and exposing one of Nichushkin or Compher, Colorado may not have to make any move at all. If they do, they have options. Who wouldn’t want to re-sign in Colorado right now, even if its only for the purpose of being expansion draft fodder.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Solutions: It’s easy to guess six forwards that the Blue Jackets will protect, but the seventh is a bit trickier. Do they expose star Gustav Nyquist, who has missed the whole season due to injury and is on a substantial contract and on the wrong side of 30? Or do they expose Eric Robinson, who has been a hard-working depth presence this season but has limited upside? Well, if they choose to protect either one, it only leave the other as meeting exposure criteria. Only if both are exposed is Columbus good to go and that scenario seems unlikely. However, the only forward currently meeting the requirements other than term is RFA Kevin Stenlund, though UFA Mikhail Grigorenko requires only two more games played (and a new contract).
Likelihood of a Trade: High. The Blue Jackets surely want to bring Stenlund back, but he has arbitration rights and may not be keen to sign quickly just to help with expansion requirements. If a Stenlund deal can’t be reached sooner rather than later, Columbus may not have a choice but to bring someone in from the outside. A Grigorenko extension seems unlikely, as does exposing both Nyquist and Robinson.
Dallas Stars
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Solutions: The Stars’ protection scheme at forward is fairly obvious, as they have seven core forwards who stand out above the rest. However, those seven are also the only regular forwards with term on their contracts. Of all other expansion-draft eligible forwards for Dallas, only Joel L’Esperance has additional time on his current deal and he cannot reach the games played requirement. As a result, the Stars must find two forwards to expose, whereas most of these other problematic teams can at least scrounge up one forward. Among the options to re-sign are veteran UFA’s Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano or younger UFA’s Tanner Kero and Justin Dowling. However, it may be easier to re-up an RFA like Jason Dickinson or, with three more games, Nicholas Caamano.
Likelihood of a Trade: Medium. The Stars have a number of options, many of whom will likely re-sign at some point anyhow or else Dallas will have to rebuild their bottom-six from scratch. However, with two slots to fill there is always a chance that acquiring a player could be easier than negotiating a pair of early extensions.
New Jersey Devils
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Options: A rebuilding Devils team has a number of regular forwards who are ineligible for the draft and many others, protected or not, who are restricted free agents. What they lack is many term forwards, especially of the the expendable variety. While New Jersey could go in a few different direction with their protected list, the reality is simply that they have only five draft-eligible forwards who are signed beyond this season and at least four of those are locks to be protected. The x-factor is Andreas Johnsson. The first-year Devil has fallen well short of expectations and it would not be a surprise to see him exposed, leaving the team with just one spot to fill to meet the quota. However, if they are determined to give Johnsson a second chance and not lose him for nothing, then that becomes two slots that must be filled. The other problem in New Jersey is that the team doesn’t want to give Seattle any added incentive to steal some of their promising young players. Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen, Yegor Sharangovich, and Nathan Bastian would all meet the exposure criteria if extended, but it’s safe to assume that the Devils will protect two or three of that group and may not be too excited to lose any of the others. Nick Merkley, who requires seven more games played and a new deal, could be seen as more expendable and may be okay with accepting a quick extension, even if it just for expansion purposes.
Likelihood of a Trade: High. With the possibility that New Jersey could protect Johnsson and, in any scenario, will want to steer the Kraken away from their young forwards if at all possible, the Devils seem like a prime candidate to bring in some outside help with meeting exposure criteria.
San Jose Sharks
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Options: Much like the Stars, the Sharks are not an elite team right now, but possess a solid group of top-six forwards who will all be protected. Also like Dallas though, the team has complete lack of long-term commitment to any forward outside of that group. The only other eligible forward signed beyond this season is Jayden Halbgewachs, who has not played a single NHL game, nevertheless enough to meet the requirement. There is not a great list of internal options to re-sign either. Of the players who would meet exposure criteria with an extension, Patrick Marleau is likely to retire, Marcus Sorensen seems to need a fresh start in free agency, and one of Rudolfs Balcers and Dylan Gambrell is likely to be the seventh forward protected. That really leaves UFA Matt Nieto as the lynchpin. If the Sharks can re-up Nieto and whoever they don’t protect between Balcers and Gambrell, they are good to go. If Nieto isn’t keen to re-sign and if Balcers or Gambrell wish to pursue arbitration, the Sharks will be stuck without any forwards to expose.
Likelihood of a Trade: High. The Sharks are in as tough a position as any team on this list. If left exposed, Washington native Gambrell seems like a very likely pick by Seattle, but San Jose needs to meet the exposure quota all the same. That could involve bringing in one if not two forwards before the draft. There simply aren’t many other options on the roster.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Problem Area: Forward OR Defense (Scheme-Dependent)
Internal Options: It should come as no surprise that a team build entirely on a small, expensive core group and veterans on affordable, one-year deals is not well-prepared for the expansion draft. Of the ten Toronto skaters who currently meet the exposure criteria, four are forwards that will be protected in any scenario and three are defensemen that will be protected in any scenario. This leaves Alex Kerfoot at forward and Justin Holl on defense(with Pierre Engvall as the odd man out will likely be exposed regardless); only one can be protected and the other is the most likely Leaf to be selected. If the Maple Leafs value Holl more than Kerfoot, they will go with eight skaters in their protection list. In this scenario, they will not have any defensemen who meet the exposure criteria. Fortunately, any of RFA Travis Dermott or UFA’s Zach Bogosian or Ben Hutton could re-sign and fill that role. Alternatively, if the team values Kerfoot more than Holl, they will go with the standard 7-3 protection scheme. This would allow them to protect Kerfoot as well as extend and protect others like Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton, or Jason Spezza. Those three would all meet exposure requirements as well with a new deal, but Toronto will not offer them up to Seattle. Wayne Simmonds, Riley Nash, or Alex Galchenyuk could be more likely though. Unfortunately, these are all unrestricted free agents and not as easy to re-sign before the off-season as a restricted free agent. The Leafs could find themselves in a bind as a result.
Likelihood of a Trade: Low. There is still so much to be determined about the Leafs’ approach to the draft and they have options either way and player who would likely be eager to re-sign. It’s not a straightforward situation by any means, but they should be able to figure it out without taking the risk of adding salary that they can’t spare by making a trade.
Winnipeg Jets
Problem Area: Forward
Internal Options: The Jets are known for their depth at forward and eight of their top-nine meet the exposure criteria as a result, with RFA Andrew Copp not fitting the bill but almost certain to be protected anyway. The decision for the seventh and final protection slot is likely between the recently-extended Adam Lowry and upstart Mason Appleton. Whoever isn’t protected fills one of the two exposure roles. However, no one else is currently eligible. Extension candidates include UFA’s Mathieu Perreault, Trevor Lewis, and Nate Thompson, but Winnipeg may not necessarily want to commit further to any of those three. The solution: Jansen Harkins is signed through next season and requires just four more games to meet exposure level.
Likelihood of Trade: Low. Just play Harkins and move on. The list of teams in trouble is already long enough.