Michael Raffl Likely To Return Shortly After Christmas Break
- Flyers winger Michael Raffl has resumed skating as he works his way back from a finger injury sustained two weeks ago, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link). The team is hopeful that he’ll be able to return early in their post-Christmas road trip.
Travis Konecny Activated From Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers only lost their budding young star Travis Konecny for three games as it turns out, given he has been activated from injured reserve in time for tonight’s tilt against the Anaheim Ducks. Konecny was diagnosed with a concussion just over a week ago. Unfortunately, Scott Laughton has taken his place on injured reserve after leaving Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.
Konecny’s return will be welcomed in Philadelphia after the Flyers went 0-3 in his absence. They scored just five goals total in those three games, something he should help to remedy if he is back at full strength. The 22-year old has 28 points in 30 games this year to lead the Flyers and looks like he will soon take over as the face of the franchise as Claude Giroux enters his mid-thirties.
His breakout is coming at the perfect time for GM Chuck Fletcher, who got Konecny to sign a six-year, $33MM deal just before the season began. If he can continue to produce at close to a point-per-game while providing the kind of energy and peskiness he’s known for, Konecny will soon become one of the best bargains in the league at a $5.5MM cap hit.
Minor Transactions: 12/17/19
Eleven games on the schedule for this evening make this a busy and important night in the NHL. One of those games will feature the Arizona Coyotes with their newest star Taylor Hall take on the San Jose Sharks. As they and others prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Mitchell Stephens from the minor leagues as they deal with a minor injury to Nikita Kucherov. Stephens made his NHL debut this season and has played in four games for the Lightning.
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Evan Cormier back to the minor leagues, bringing up Gilles Senn in his place. Senn, 23, is in his first season in North America after signing out of Switzerland and currently carries an .896 save percentage through 13 AHL games. Neither Cormier nor Senn have made an appearance at the NHL level.
- Brian Lashoff has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings, as they place Jonathan Ericsson on injured reserve. The team also placed Jimmy Howard on long-term injured reserve in order to send him on a conditioning stint to the AHL. Howard, injured last month against the Toronto Maple Leafs, is getting closer to a return and will get in some game action in the minors.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have swapped Carsen Twarynski and Andy Andreoff, with the latter coming up to the NHL. Twarynski has played in 15 games with the Flyers this season but will have to spend some more time in the minor leagues.
- Though Trevor Moore was originally expected to return for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, he suffered a slight setback after being bumped in practice. Instead, the Maple Leafs have recalled Adam Brooks from the minor leagues under emergency conditions to serve as some insurance for the forward group.
- Similarly, Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes under emergency conditions to fill in for Antti Raanta, who is sick. Hill will backup Darcy Kuemper tonight, but likely won’t see any action on this recall.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Joachim Blichfeld back to the minor leagues, recalling Jacob Middleton in the process. Blichfeld played in two games with the Sharks but didn’t score, and will have to wait for his next NHL opportunity.
Joel Farabee Suspended Three Games
The Department of Player Safety has handed out another punishment, this time suspending Philadelphia Flyers forward Joel Farabee three games. Farabee delivered a late hit on Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault over the weekend. As the accompanying video explains:
What causes this incident to rise to the level of supplemental discipline, is the considerable lateness and force of a hit delivered to a vulnerable opponent. While we acknowledge Farabee’s assertion that he attempts to hit Perreault in a legal fashion, he fails to do so under the interference rule. Perreault is left unprepared for the impending contact, and unable to adequately protect himself, resulting in an injury.
The Jets have put Perreault in the concussion protocol after he left the game following the check. Farabee has never been suspended or fined before in his NHL career, though that only encompasses 27 games.
The 19-year old Farabee has become quite a revelation for the Flyers, scoring 11 points in 27 games after stepping almost directly into the NHL. The 14th overall pick from 2018 has become a regular in the Philadelphia lineup and looks like a core piece for the team to build around moving forward. He’ll have to watch that he doesn’t get a reputation for things like this however, as the DoPS will only hand out increasing punishments for each future incident.
Flyers’ Joel Farabee To Face Player Safety Hearing
When you hit a player as late as Joel Farabee did on Sunday night, you should expect a call from the NHL Department of Player Safety. The Philadelphia Flyers’ rookie delivered a high hit on Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault several seconds after he had passed the puck away, resulting in the unsuspecting veteran being knocked out of the game. Farabee received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the check, but that is unlikely to be the end of his discipline. The league was quick to announce that Farabee will have a hearing on Monday to discuss the incident.
The hit in question took place midway through the second period of what was a blowout 7- win for Winnipeg (video). Perreault held the puck in the corner behind his own net, eventually making a pass down the boards. As Perreault turned his head to follow the play, Farabee skated toward him from behind the net and delivered a hard shoulder check to the chest, at least two seconds after the pass. The check blindsided Perreault, who was not looking in Farabee’s direction and was not possessing the puck. Perreault had to be helped off the ice and did not return, though head coach Paul Maurice noted after the game that he was moving without assistance and will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
This will be a phone hearing for Farabee, meaning any suspension cannot exceed five games. This is understandable seeing as the 19-year-old first-year pro has hardly had the time to establish a record as a repeat offender with Player Safety. However, a multi-game suspension is still a very real possibility given the timing and obvious intent of the hit, as well as the resulting injury.
Five Key Stories: 12/09/19 – 12/15/19
It was a week full of intrigue leading into a week with the potential to be full of action, as some teams look to make a move before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze begins on Thursday, December 19. Here are the five biggest stories of the past seven days:
Taylor Hall Trade Talks Heating Up: The biggest story of the week remains a non-story, at least for now. The New Jersey Devils threw the hockey world into a tizzy on Friday night when they scratched impending free agent superstar Taylor Hall just minutes before their game started and after he had skated in warm-ups. This immediately sparked speculation that a trade was imminent, especially given the fact that the Devils were set to face the Colorado Avalanche and then the Arizona Coyotes the following night, two of Hall’s biggest suitors. The Devils stressed that Hall was being held out as a precaution and that no deal was in place, and so far that has been proven true. However, with the roster freeze right around the corner, the odds remain high that Hall will be dealt in the coming days.
Peter Deboer Fired By San Jose: A Stanley Cup appearance and two Western Conference Final visits were not enough to save San Jose Sharks head coach Peter Deboer, who was fired on Wednesday. The team’s poor start to the season, and statistics that show it was more than just a case of bad luck, left San Jose in need of a change. They got that and more, moving on from Deboer and three assistants. Former Florida Panthers head coach Bob Boughner has taken over as head coach, with a brand new staff, including two former Sharks players. Whether or not new guidance is enough to cure the Sharks’ woes in net and scoring slump remains to be seen, but Deboer seems unlikely to be unemployed for too long.
Dallas Dismisses Jim Montgomery: There is still almost nothing known about the firing of Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday. Unlike Deboer or New Jersey’s John Hynes, fired for team performance, or Calgary’s Bill Peters, fired for past instances of player abuse, Montgomery’s dismissal fits into neither category. The Stars only stated that Montgomery was fired for “a material act of unprofessionalism”. Assistant Rick Bowness has taken over as interim head coach of a Dallas team that had been on a roll under Montgomery.
Bogosian and Baertschi Request Trades: Two different players have decided that they have had enough of their current situations. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian requested a trade on Thursday, and Vancouver Canucks winger Sven Baertschi did the same on Saturday. Bogosian, an impending free agent, is not receiving regular play time on a crowded Buffalo blue line. The veteran is a talented defender who undoubtedly like to both conrtibute to a playoff run and establish his value ahead of next summer, but won’t have the opportunity to do either with the Sabres. However, a lofty cap hit and a penchant for getting hurt could make it difficult for Bogosian to move. Baertschi too has an unappealing salary situation. Baertschi has been a relatively productive player in his career, but with a $3.367MM cap hit through 2020-21 and a recent history of concussions, the winger is a risk. Vancouver had opted to send him to the AHL to begin the year, but Baertschi believes that he belongs at the top level and hopes that the Canucks can find him a new home.
Oskar Lindblom Battling Cancer: The Philadelphia Flyers announced sad news on Friday that young forward Oskar Lindblom had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Lindblom is not expected to return to the ice this season as he focuses on treatment. The 23-year old has 18 points in 30 games this year and the hope is that he can get back to health and continue his growth into a core piece for Philadelphia. Lindblom has received an outpouring of support from the hockey community and we here at PHR certainly wish him the best in this difficult process.
Philadelphia Flyers Make Multiple Roster Moves
The Philadelphia Flyers suffered two significant injuries Saturday night when it lost forwards Tyler Pitlick and Scott Laughton to undisclosed injuries. Neither player joined the team on its flight to Winnipeg Saturday night, leaving the team short two forwards. The Flyers announced several moves, which also includes the recall of two AHL forwards, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Carsen Twarynski from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, both of whom have already left to meet the team in Winnipeg before their game Sunday.
The Flyers also juggled its roster some more, as they moved forward Travis Konecny to injured reserve and also transferred Oskar Lindblom and Samuel Morin to long-term injured reserve.
Konecny is out indefinitely with a concussion he suffered last Saturday against Ottawa on an open-ice hit from Mark Borowiecki. Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma Friday and is expected to miss the season, while Morin tore the ACL in his right knee and is also expected to sit out the rest of the season. Those are serious injuries as Konecny has 11 goals and 28 points in 30 games, while Lindblom was having a breakout season with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games.
The Flyers announced that Laughton went down with a groin injury, while Pitlick suffered a concussion. Both could be out for a little bit, which is why the team is bringing in Aube-Kubel and Twarynski. This will be Aube-Kubel’s first recall to Philadelphia this season. The 23-year-old played nine games with the Flyers last season, but failed to register a point. He has appeared in 26 games with Lehigh Valley this year, scoring five goals and eight points. Twarynski has already seen 14 games of NHL action this season, scoring one goal. He has two goals and three points in 12 with the Phantoms.
Oskar Lindblom Diagnosed With Ewing’s Sarcoma
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced some dreadful news regarding forward Oskar Lindblom. Chuck Fletcher‘s statement explains that Lindblom will not return to the ice this season:
Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom has been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma by leading specialists at the University of Pennsylvania. He will undergo further testing and evaluation next week and begin treatment immediately thereafter. He is not expected to return to play for the remainder of the season. The Flyers will do everything possible to support Oskar and assist him in securing the best care available. Out of respect for Oskar and his family, the team will have no further comment at this time and asks that Oskar be afforded a period of privacy so that he may focus his efforts on his treatment and a return to full health.
The 23-year old had 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games for the Flyers this season and was coming into his own as a core piece of the team’s future. Everyone at PHR and around the hockey world sends their best wishes to Lindblom and his family.
Minor Transactions: 12/11/19
After last night’s busy schedule in the NHL only three games are on the docket for this evening. That includes a powerhouse Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals however, perhaps a preview of a playoff matchup down the road. Boston and Washington easily lead their respective divisions with 46 and 49 points respectively, making them the best two teams in the NHL at the moment. As they and the rest of the league prepares for tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- With a date against the Ottawa Senators tonight, the Montreal Canadiens have made several transactions. Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been placed on injured reserve, while Ryan Poehling and Christian Folin have been recalled from the AHL. Folin had been on a conditioning stint but could soon make his return to the Montreal lineup. Poehling meanwhile has been on fire for the Laval Rocket and will try to establish himself full-time at the NHL level.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled David Kase from the AHL for the first time in his short professional career. The 22-year old winger had six points in 21 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but is defensively responsible and can potentially add another bottom-six option to the Flyers lineup.
- Filip Zadina has been sent back to the Grand Rapids Griffins, perhaps to get him away from the constant losing with the Detroit Red Wings. While he could be getting sent down just for the day to play tonight for the Griffins, their game is in San Diego while the Red Wings are headed home to play in Detroit tomorrow night. The team has also sent Dennis Cholowski and Dylan McIlrath to the AHL.
- Aleksi Saarela has been returned to the minor leagues by the Florida Panthers, after making his NHL debut and playing in three games total. The 22-year old prospect is still looking for his first point at the highest level, but is an intriguing player to keep an eye on in the Panthers’ system.
- After Micheal Ferland was knocked out of last night’s game with an upper-body injury, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Zack MacEwen from the AHL. MacEwen has played in seven games earlier this year with Vancouver, recording two points.
- Adam Werner is back up with the Colorado Avalanche and will backup Pavel Francouz tonight, as Philipp Grubauer isn’t quite ready. It looked like the Avalanche would get their starter back for tonight’s action against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it appears as though they’ll have to wait a little longer.
- Gerry Mayhew is back with the Minnesota Wild, who have recently seen several top players go down to injury. Michael Russo of The Athletic believes the top three centers will be Viktor Rask, Ryan Donato and Joel Eriksson Ek tomorrow night, not exactly what the Wild had in mind at the beginning of the year.
Phillipe Myers Dealing With Back Spasms
- Travis Konecny isn’t the only injury the Flyers are dealing with today. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News reports that defenseman Phillipe Myers left practice early today due to back spasms that have been an issue in recent days. That leaves his availability for Wednesday against Colorado in question. Myers has very quietly been a surprising factor offensively on Philadelphia’s back end as he has chipped in with nine points in just 17 games this season.