Minor Transactions: 03/28/18
Tonight’s games are the first time the NHL situation room will have control over goaltender interference reviews, which will undoubtedly come up at some point in the four games on tap. If it does, we’ll get to see the first instance of what should be a more consistent decision-making process. Hopefully, all the kinks will be ironed out before the playoffs start in a few weeks.
As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league heading into tonight’s action. Check back throughout the day for more updates.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Ben Sexton back to the minor leagues, after playing just eight minutes last night for the club. The 26-year old forward made his NHL debut on Monday, but will have to wait some more for his next chance.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Andrew Hammond, as Semyon Varlamov is dealing with an illness and cannot start tonight. According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, Hammond looks like he’ll make his Colorado debut tonight in an important game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Avalanche are one point out of the playoffs after their most recent loss, though will be playing their game in hand over the Anaheim Ducks tonight.
- With the Charlotte Checkers in the midst of a playoff run, the Carolina Hurricanes have sent Warren Foegele and Roland McKeown back to the minor leagues. They could be back up next week, after showing their worth at the NHL level recently.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have activated Michal Neuvirth from injured reserve, which means the end of the run for Alex Lyon for the time being. Neuvirth hasn’t played since February 18th, and is coming back just in time to help the Philadelphia playoff run. Things aren’t locked in for the Flyers just yet, but getting healthy in net can only help.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Felix Sandstrom To Entry-Level Contract
The Philadelphia Flyers have inked another impressive young goaltending prospect, signing Felix Sandstrom to a three-year entry-level contract. Sandstrom dealt with an abdominal injury for much of the season, getting into just 11 games in the SHL. If he’s coming over to North America for 2018-19, the Flyers have some decisions to make on who will get what playing time.
Sandstrom, 21, was selected in the third round in 2015 and is part of a huge pipeline of young goaltenders in the Philadelphia system. He might be best known to North American fans for his performance at the World Juniors last year, when he took home Top Goaltender honors for Sweden. Though his club didn’t win a medal, he was a rock in net putting up a .915 save percentage against top competition, including 38 saves in a loss against Canada in the semifinals.
The man at the other end for that game (well, most of it anyway after replacing Connor Ingram just three shots in) was Carter Hart, a fellow Philadelphia goaltending prospect who could be a teammate of Sandstrom next season in the AHL. Hart dominated the WHL this season but will likely be transitioning to the AHL next season as a 20-year old, to get some fine tuning before hitting the NHL. Hart may be the prize of this pipeline, but Sandstrom isn’t to be overlooked. The Swedish netminder will try to stake his own claim in the system as the goalie of the future, especially with such disarray at the NHL level.
NHLPA Approves Proposed Changes To Lottery Odds
In what has become an annual event, the NHL Players’ Association has yet again approved changes to the NHL Draft lottery odds. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the NHLPA today signed off on a new lottery set-up recently submitted by the league. It marks the third season in a row that the odds have been altered.
The percentage chance that a team is selected to pick first, second, or third, as expressed by the number of ping pong balls present in the lottery draw, is dependent on where they finish in the overall league standings. Unsurprisingly, the changes to the odds first agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement began with the Edmonton Oilers and the painful realization that they had won yet another lottery in 2015 and would move up in the draft order to select Connor McDavid as their fourth first overall pick in a six year span. In response, the league significantly boosted the odds in 2016 toward the teams finishing last winning the lottery – expecting that Edmonton would no longer be in that range – as LeBrun notes that the 30th-place team had 20% odds of picking first two years ago. After the worst team in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs, retained the top pick that year and selected Auston Matthews, the league and NHLPA again agreed to lessen the odds and insert more chance (and excitement) into the lottery. LeBrun indicates that last year the league’s worst, the Colorado Avalanche, had an 18% chance of holding on to the top pick. However, in a wild turn of events, three teams outside the bottom four won the lottery and moved into the top three draft slots, the biggest shift being the Philadelphia Flyers, who narrowly missed the playoffs, picking second. So, to perhaps combat another clean sweep, the odds have again been increased for those toward the bottom
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the new odds of selecting first for the upcoming 2018 NHL Draft will be 18.5% for 31st, 13.5% for 30th, and 11.5% for 29th. With the addition of an extra non-playoff team, there is also a new distribution which in fact increases the odds for the last team to miss the playoffs, the 17th-place finisher, by a tenth of a percent to 1%. This is accomplished by lessening the odds for the middle-of-the pack lottery teams. It may not be a coincidence that the Oilers are part of that group. Nor may it be a coincidence that the current bottom three – the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, and Arizona Coyotes – are all teams that have been struggling for years and would certainly appreciate retaining their high picks. This yearly change in draft lottery odds seems to be very responsive to the results of each prior lottery, but that isn’t a bad thing. So long as both the league and NHLPA agree, it’s safe to assume that the changes have the best interests of competitive balance in mind.
Philadelphia Flyers Trade Cooper Marody To Edmonton Oilers
The Philadelphia Flyers have traded the rights to prospect Cooper Marody to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a third-round pick. The pick will be New Jersey’s third-round selection in 2019, previously acquired for Patrick Maroon. Marody is a junior at the University of Michigan, and would need to be signed still.
Remember that the NHL trade deadline is only for playoff eligibility, and trades like this can happen at any time. Marody and Michigan are headed for the NCAA tournament, where he will lead them against Northeastern on Saturday afternoon. Marody led the Big-10 in scoring this season with 46 points in 37 games, and was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award (though he was not named a top-10 finalist).
The strong skating center was selected in the sixth round three years ago, but has progressed enough that the Oilers decided he was worth a third-round pick today. As they attempt to bring talent to the NHL as quickly as possible, trading a future pick for a player who could potentially contribute as soon as next season could be a transaction we see Edmonton use more often over the next few months.
Prospect Notes: Kahun, Tomek, Scarfo
Not long after the initial report that German Olympic hero Dominik Kahun was drawing NHL interest, there is now a more concrete picture of what the market looks like for the young scoring forward. German new site TZ reports that Kahun’s jump overseas is a sure thing, as ten NHL teams have legitimate interest in signing him. They go one step further, adding that the Chicago Blackhawks are at the top of the list and have offered Kahun a two-year contract worth around $940K per year. While it may not seem like that much, the article indicates that the contract would be worth more than three times Kahun’s current pact with EHC Munich. It’s also a fair value for an unproven import. The 22-year-old certainly shows some promise though, with nearly a point per game pace in the German DEL and at the Winter Games in 2017-18. The Blackhawks, or whoever else ends up winning the bidding war, will land an exciting prospect in Kahun.
- An intriguing career path continues for young Slovakian goalie Matej Tomek. A third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2015, Tomek originally enrolled at the University of North Dakota in 2015-16 and expected to take over for departed starter, and Hobey Baker finalist, Zane McIntyre. Instead, he lost out to Cam Johnson, who remains the North Dakota starter to this day, and made just two appearances in two seasons, struggling mightily. Tomek left school, joining the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks for the 2017-18 season, and saw improved performance at the junior level. Now, Tomek has announced that he’s heading back to the NCAA, committing to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for next season. Tomek still has two years of eligibility remaining, but may only need one to re-establish his pro potential. All three Omaha keepers have struggled this year and Tomek may have an easy path to take over next season. Even if starter Evan Weninger holds on to the job or at least forces a split in net, Tomek can always stick around for the 2019-20 campaign when he would surely be the starter. Either way, Flyers fans should be happy to see another of their many promising goalie prospects working to get back on track.
- A top senior scorer and college free agent is off the market, but he’s not headed to an NHL team just yet. Ryan Scarfo, the leading scorer for Union College, has signed with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, the team announced. Scarfo will skate with the team on a tryout deal for the remainder of this season, but already inked a full AHL contract for the 2018-19 season. Scarfo, 24, saw a major boost in production in his fourth and final year as a starter for Union. The alternate captain led all Dutchmen in goals and points and his rugged, two-way play also placed him in the top five on the team in plus/minus and penalty minutes. His 20 goals additionally ranked 13th in the entire NCAA. Scarfo has likely reached the extent of his skill development, but with some time in the minors, can further polish his hockey sense. He has some upside to be a bottom-six forward given his ability to be physical and find the back of the net. A strong performance in his first pro season in 2018-19 could earn Scarfo a big-league deal with the Ottawa Senators or another NHL squad sooner rather than later.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Matthew Strome To Entry-Level Deal
Another familiar name has signed an NHL contract, as the Philadelphia Flyers announced today that Matthew Strome has inked his three-year entry-level deal. Strome is the younger brother of Ryan Strome and Dylan Strome, who have both played in the NHL this season.
Like his brothers, Strome is an intelligent forward from the OHL with question marks surrounding his skating ability. Unlike them, he doesn’t have the elite offensive talent to make up for some deficiencies, and watched his draft stock fall because of it. Strome went in the fourth round in 2017, while his brothers both went in the top-5 overall in their respective drafts. Interestingly though, he may be able to follow a different path to the NHL.
The biggest of the three, Matthew Strome is a real handful to contain in front of the net and can engage physically, something that was a knock on his younger brothers during their draft years. They both had to mature physically before becoming professionals, while the youngest already checks in at 6’3″ 201-lbs. He’s already a talented goal scorer, who has set a new career high with 37 this season for the Hamilton Bulldogs, and might be able to carve out a role as a net-front presence at the next level.
Unfortunately, those problems with his skating still exist, and he’ll need his stride cleaned up if he is ever to make it at the NHL level. As the game becomes faster and faster, there isn’t a ton of ice time for a talented but unproven offensive player who can’t keep up. Strome will have to make his mark as a two-way force, contributing in other areas of the game. For now though, he’ll try to lead the Bulldogs to an OHL Championship and potential Memorial Cup berth, before likely returning to them again next season.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Maksim Sushko
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced a three-year entry-level contract with Maksim Sushko, which will begin during the 2018-19 season. Sushko is currently playing for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL, where he has 55 points in 57 games.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, Sushko has made quite the impact on the hockey world this season. After winning a gold medal at last year’s second division World Juniors, he captained Belarus this time around in the main tournament and recorded eight points in six games. Unfortunately, despite his strong play the club went winless in the tournament and will be relegated once again.
Now he’s back with the Attack and is on his way to the OHL playoffs, as one of the team’s top players. His 30 goals include six short-handed tallies, which ties him for the lead in the entire CHL. That comes as evidence of his frenetic work ethic, which has Sushko always moving his feet and looking for opportunities to create offense. Though he has some trouble drifting out of position in his own end, his talent in the offensive zone will immediately make him a prospect to watch in the Flyers’ system. He only turned 19 last month, meaning he is likely headed back to the OHL for another season in 2018-19.
Minor Transactions: 03/13/18
The entire hockey world was watching last night as the league’s top two goal scoring talents went up against each other in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Though Patrik Laine is quite the challenger, Alex Ovechkin showed once again why he is regarded as one of the greatest of all-time. Ovechkin scored two, including the 600th of his career, just the fourth player in history to do so in fewer than 1,000 games.
As the league sends out congratulations to Ovechkin for his impressive accomplishment, they’ll continue to try and make minor tweaks to their roster to take him down once again in the postseason. We’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Linus Ullmark from the minor leagues in time for today’s practice. Ullmark is the future in goal for the Sabres, as both Robin Lehner (RFA) and Chad Johnson (UFA) are free agents this summer. Lehner will bring quite an expensive price tag, and has struggled at times this season.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Andreas Johnsson to the NHL for the first time in his career. The young forward has been the best player on the Toronto Marlies for most of the season, and has earned a taste of the next level after the Marlies clinched a playoff spot on the weekend. Calle Rosen has also been recalled under emergency conditions, meaning the sickness Nikita Zaitsev has been suffering from could be more serious than expected.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Anthony Stolarz to their ECHL team today, which could mean that the goaltender is ready to get into some games finally. Stolarz has been ravaged by injuries for the last year, but remains an interesting option for the Flyers going forward. His 6’6″ frame and relatively good performance at the AHL level shows some potential, but he’ll have to stay healthy and prove that he’s ready for a full workload.
- Interestingly, the Tampa Bay Lightning have assigned Louis Domingue to the minor leagues now that Peter Budaj is healthy enough to play again. Domingue played well in his short stint as the backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, but will now wait in Syracuse for another opportunity.
- Ville Husso is on his way back down after backing up Jake Allen for the St. Louis Blues yesterday, meaning Carter Hutton is likely ready to return. The Blues play again on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche, in a very important game if they have any hope of making a charge at the playoffs.
- The Washington Capitals have decided that Madison Bowey is better off playing for the Hershey Bears than sitting in the press box, and have assigned the defenseman to the AHL. Bowey had been sitting out since the team acquired Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek at the deadline, and needs to get back into game action. The 22-year old looks like a big part of the future of the Washington blue line, and will likely be back up if they face any injuries down the stretch.
- Ryan Sproul is on his way up to the New York Rangers, as the team deals with an injury to Anthony DeAngelo and a setback in Kevin Shattenkirk‘s recovery. Sproul has played just four games in the NHL this season, but once again has shown his offensive ability in the minor leagues with 29 points in 49 games.
Michal Neuvirth Is Ahead Of Schedule In His Recovery
- The Flyers are getting closer to getting at least part of their regular goalie tandem back in the fold. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News notes that Michal Neuvirth (lower body injury) has been skating recently; GM Ron Hextall acknowledged that he’s a little ahead of schedule in his recovery. Meanwhile, starter Brian Elliott (abdominal injury) is expected to resume skating in the coming days as well. Petr Mrazek was acquired in advance of the trade deadline to provide some stability in their absences but he has posted a save percentage of just .899 in eight starts so far.
Snapshots: General Manager Hot Seat, Cholowski, Cullen
With many teams starting to see the writing on the wall that their season is coming to a close sooner than they had intended, the next question that comes about is whether the team has any intentions of making changes to their staff. After a look at possible changes to the coaching ranks, the next question would likely turn to which general managers are on the hot seat. The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) takes a look at 10 candidates who could find themselves without a job this offseason.
Mirtle quickly addresses the obvious ones, including Detroit’s Ken Holland and Toronto’s Lou Lamoriello, both who have been rumored to either be on their way out or moved to a different role within the organization. However, Mirtle also admits that both could easily stay in their present roles too.
The next stage of general managers that are most likely on the hot seat include Peter Chiarelli of Edmonton, the New York Islanders Garth Snow and Montreal’s Marc Bergevin, while other general managers might be given more time to prove to the organization that their plan works. Colorado’s Joe Sakic, Arizona’s John Chayka, Minnesota’s Chuck Fletcher and Columbus’ Jarmo Kekalainen are all likely to be on short leashes due to their inability of taking their teams to a new level.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that while 2017 first-round pick Michael Rasmussen might make the Detroit Red Wings team next season, the real prospect to keep an eye on will be 2016 first-round pick Dennis Cholowski, whose having a stellar year with both the Prince George Cougars and the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. The 20-year-old blueliner is in his final year of junior and has 14 goals and 50 assists this year. St. James writes that while Rasmussen must make the Red Wings roster out of training camp to stick, Cholowski could play with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL and get a midseason callup if he can’t break into the Red Wings lineup.
- StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan writes that the NHL Players Association released a players poll this week and for the question of which player would make great coach after they retire. Minnesota’s Matt Cullen won the poll. He received 4.5 percent of the votes, yet Cullen hasn’t decided if that’s the avenue he plans to go down. “I’ve never really put a lot of thought into it, to be honest,” Cullen said. “I guess I’ve had a lot of experience, and I’ve been through a lot through a long career, I guess. Truthfully, I’ve never thought a lot about it. I don’t know. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’m done playing.”