A Closer Look At The Head Coach Hot Seat
Before the season even started, several names surfaced as options to be on the dreaded “first to be fired” list released by a number of outlets. Detroit’s Jeff Blashill led the pre-season predictions while Chicago’s Joel Quenneville was even included on the list. Other names included were Colorado’s Jared Bednar, and Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice. PHR ran a poll last week on this and Alain Vigneault and Claude Julien led the votes.
Heres a closer look at some of these names as teams approach completion of the first quarter of the season.
Raise your hand if you expected his name on this list before the season started. Edmonton, who was mentioned as a possible Stanley Cup contender during the preseason, has not only struggled in the first month of the season, but also had a heck of a time trying to score goals. Is it all on McLellan? It’s probably unfair to say so. But with giving up 13 more goals than scoring, and spared only by a dreadful Arizona team from being in last place, McLellan might be in trouble if the Oilers continue to slide.
Alain Vigneault
Another coach who was expected to lead his team deep into the playoffs, Vigneault’s Rangers were sputtering for the first few weeks of the season. Just two weeks ago, New York Post writer Larry Brooks wondered if Vigneault would even make it out of October with a job. It’s amazing what can change in such a short time. The Blueshirts are riding a six-game winning streak and have racked up quality wins against Vegas, Tampa Bay, and Columbus. Vigneault will still be scrutinized but the latest change in fortune have certainly helped his job status.
Jeff Blashill
After a brutal six game losing streak, Blashill’s seat was rumored to be scorching. Following a couple wins and a not-so-bad road trip, the Red Wings have 13 of their next 15 at home. This will most likely dictate Blashill’s fate, should there be a coaching change during the season. The third year coach can’t possibly be blamed for the roster, but the Red Wings want to be a perennial playoff participant. While that doesn’t seem realistic, an 8-8-1 record through 17 games is certainly not helping matters. Further, should the Red Wings not see progression with their younger players, it may seal Blashill’s fate.
Paul Maurice
Out of all the coaches who have been spoken of, Maurice’s name constantly pops up on the list. But so far this season, the Jets are 8-4-3 with 19 points and in second place in the Central Division. How many had him on the list is surprising since the veteran coach was not only extended back in September, but also has a winning mark in Winnipeg.
Jared Bednar
Mark it down as one of the biggest surprises that Colorado is 8-6-1 and are now sitting prettier after finally dealing Matt Duchene in what looks like a win for Joe Sakic. Bednar accepted the job after winning the Calder Cup with AHL Affiliate Cleveland before he endured the most miserable season in Avalanche history since moving to Denver in 1995. If the Avs continue to keep their head above water, Bednar would have a relatively cool seat.
Joel Quenneville
It doesn’t seem right to put him on this list. A man who led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups is leading a team that is now older and shuffling a roster to remain cap-compliant. Firing him, regardless of what the Blackhawks do, seems like a cop out for a general manager who outside of a few players, has won off of his predecessor’s work. Fan Rag’s Craig Morgan wrote as much back in August.
After a torrid start, the Blackhawks have cooled, and are struggling to find the back of the net. The power play is in the bottom rung of the league at 13.6% (27th out of 31) and Quenneville has been employing a line blender to try and find something to work. Should Chicago run out of gas and be eliminated early again or worse, miss the playoffs, then it’s safe to say Coach Q is in trouble. However, if history has taught hockey fans anything, it’s to never count out the Blackhawks.
Andrew MacDonald To Resume Skating Next Week
- Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald is expected to resume skating sometime next week as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury, notes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. He has been out of the lineup since October 22nd and he was originally expected to miss four-to-six weeks so it appears that his recovery is right on schedule. Although his contract ($5.5MM through 2019-20) is a burden on Philadelphia’s salary cap, the veteran has still played a fairly important role in the early going, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night.
Minor Transactions: 11/5/17
As the first full week in November begins, teams are evaluating their first month’s performance and making tweaks to the roster to address both short-term needs and more long-term issues. Here are today’s minor moves:
- The Vancouver Canucks announced (via twitter) that they have assigned Jayson Megna to the Utica Comets of the AHL today. Megna has been with the team since he was recalled on Oct. 29. The 27-year-old center, who was called up for depth purposes, played in just one game and didn’t score any points. He filled in last week after Brock Boeser missed a game due to injury.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have sent forward Landon Ferraro to the Iowa Wild of the AHL. He had been recalled back on Oct. 18 and recorded a goal in two games with the Wild, but the 26-year-old suffered a hip flexor injury in his second game on Oct. 20 and has been out for the last seven games. As reports have surfaced that he’s close to returning to the ice, a little time in Iowa might be just what he needs to get back into game shape. He has two assists in three games for Iowa this year.
- With veteran defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson out for a few days with an upper body injury, the Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled defenseman Joel Hanley from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL to fill in for at least the first of the team’s three-game road trip. The 26-year-old has had four assists in nine games with Tucson. Signed away from the Montreal Canadiens this summer, Hanley has played in 17 NHL games for Montreal and has tallied six assists.
- The injury-plagued blue line of the Philadelphia Flyers is hopefully on its way back to full strength, so – for the time being – Will O’Neill has been returned to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, per a team release. The long-time AHL veteran, who turns 30 in April, made his NHL debut Thursday in a limited bottom pair role for Philly. However, it was a symbol of hard work paid off more than anything for the Boston native, a 2006 seventh-round pick and former UMaine star who has had to work his way through the minors for the better part of this decade. With nearly 200 points in close to 350 AHL games, on top of an impressive NCAA resume, an NHL experience was the last thing left on O’Neill’s checklist. Now he just needs to stay motivated and earn a second call-up for the Flyers.
- The AHL’s Toronto Marlies have signed former New York Rangers goaltender Mackenzie Skapski to a one-year AHL contract, however he’ll likely be spending much of his time on the other side of North America from Toronto. Skapski has already been assigned to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, the Leafs’ and Marlies’ “AA” affiliate. Orlando recently lost veteran keeper Matt Hackett, who left the team to pursue other opportunities, and were hurting for depth in net. While the Marlies have arguably the best goalie group in the AHL – Garret Sparks, Calvin Pickard, and Kasimir Kaskisuo (currently on loan) – the team took it as an opportunity to add another goalie they were comfortable with to the mix. Skapski had been in camp with the Marlies for an extended period this fall, but left without a contract. Having seen him in action, the Marlies clearly felt they could add a reliable fall back to their impressive depth and help out their affiliate in one fell swoop. Skapski started two games for the Rangers back in 2014-15 at just 20 years old and performed admirably, but overall he has struggled in the pros and has settled into an ECHL role. Nevertheless, he presents a solid, experienced option for Orlando in 2017-18.
- The Boston Bruins have returned Zane McIntyre to the minor leagues, following the team’s loss against the Washington Capitals last night. McIntyre’s return likely means Anton Khudobin will be ready to dress in tomorrow’s matchup. McIntyre has been up several times this season, filling in for both Tuukka Rask and Khudobin as they nursed injuries, but hasn’t actually played a game. The sixth-round pick will have to wait for his next opportunity.
- The Calgary Flames will be without Travis Hamonic after the defenseman was injured in practice yesterday. Rasmus Andersson has been recalled as an insurance policy, but according to Roger Millions of Sportsnet Matt Bartkowski will be the replacement for Hamonic in the lineup. The Flames take on the New Jersey Devils tonight.
More to come throughout the day…
Despite Injuries, Flyers Not Shopping For Defensive Help
After being faced with a surplus of quality defensemen at the beginning of the season, the Flyers now find themselves in the exact opposite situation. They currently are without three blueliners in Shayne Gostisbehere, Andrew MacDonald, and Radko Gudas. To make matters worse, veteran T.J. Brennan, who likely would have been an early recall from AHL Lehigh Valley, is dealing with an injury as well while Samuel Morin, who broke camp with the team, is out for a couple of weeks with an undisclosed injury. On top of that, prospect Phillipe Myers is working his way back from a groin injury and isn’t ready to be recalled.
[Related: Flyers Depth Chart from Roster Resource]
As a result, they have had to dig deep on their farm team with veteran minor leaguers Mark Alt and Will O’Neill drawing into the lineup as of late; the latter making his NHL debut on Thursday at the age of 29.
With the injuries, some have speculated that Philadelphia could be on the lookout for some short-term help on the back end. However, GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that he’s not on the market to add anyone to help get them through this rash of injuries:
“One reason you have depth is for when you get in situations like this. Unfortunately, some of our depth is hurt, too. But to add a guy for a week and [then others return], you have too many players. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Of their injuries on the back end, Gostisbehere appears to be the closest to returning to the lineup as he continues to work his way back from concussion-like symptoms while Gudas remains day-to-day with an upper-body issue. MacDonald (leg) is out for the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, it appears the Flyers will continue to run with an inexperienced defensive lineup, one that has only one player with more than 100 games of NHL experience (Brandon Manning).
Philadelphia Calls Up Samuel Morin
Given the rash of recent injuries on the Philadelphia blue line, it came as no surprise when the Flyers announced this evening that they had recalled rookie defenseman Samuel Morin from the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms. Morin is expected to suit up for the team when they host the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night.
In Saturday night’s contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Shayne Gostisbehere left early with injury and his status is still unknown. With Andrew MacDonald out long-term with a lower body injury, an extended absence for Gostisbehere would have left the Flyers down two starters with only five defenseman on the roster. Morin rounds that number back up to six and provides Philly with another capable defenseman.
However, the Flyers may need to think about looking around for another defenseman, if they aren’t already. The “future is now” mentality may be exciting, but Philadelphia will square off with the Coyotes tomorrow with three rookies – Morin, Robert Hagg, and Travis Sanheim – and 20-year-old Ivan Provorov, a severe lack of experience on the back end. Add in just two stay-at-home defenders in Radko Gudas and Brandon Manning as their veteran support, and Philadelphia could benefit from another body on the blue line. With four waiver-exempt assets, the Flyers have the flexibility to add another defenseman without causing themselves any sort of roster crunch down the road.
Snapshots: Vanek, Gostisbehere, Palmieri
Thomas Vanek has been used to playing big minutes his entire career. He was used to playing between 16-18 minutes. Then he came to the Vancouver Canucks, where suddenly his minutes have dropped dramatically in head coach Travis Green‘s rewards-based system. Now he’s averaging 13:33 worth of time with some days getting quite a bit more and others, quite a bit less, but Vanek just finds himself working harder to make sure he gets his minutes, according to Ben Kuzma of The Province.
The scribe writes that Green’s system in which he rewards players who are playing well and penalizes them when they make mistakes is working in Vancouver as Green’s style is being compared to that of legendary New York Islanders’ coach Al Arbour. And it’s that style of coaching that has Green’s Canucks boasting a 6-3-1 start.
As for Vanek, his numbers have fluctuated a lot, which has a lot to do with his success or lack thereof. Kuzma wrote that Vanek has always been that player where you get a mixed bag from and that shows. The 33-year-old wing, however, did score his fourth goal of the season for Vancouver Thursday in their 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals, but still only got 11:48 of ice time.
“The best coaches I’ve had, it goes two ways,” Vanek said. “You need the trust from him and he needs the trust from you. The biggest thing is honesty. Greener has done a real good job of that and we’re winning, so the message is sent well. But talk to any player. You want to be around that 15- or 16-minute mark. Right now, that’s not happening so you just try to make the most of what you get.”
- Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager Ron Hextall announced that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is out for the game with an upper-body injury after sustaining a big hit against the boards from Toronto’s Leo Komarov in the second period. While the hit received no attention from the referees, the general belief is that it will be reviewed by the NHL tomorrow. If Gostisbehere can’t play on Monday, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi tweets that Samuel Morin will likely be brought in to help the team.
- Andrew Gross of The Record tweets that New Jersey Devils winger Kyle Palmieri is day-to-day with an injured left foot. He will be re-evaluated on Monday. The 26-year-old hasn’t skated since Oct. 22 and may not be able to go on the team’s upcoming road trip. However, Gross tweets that the team will not necessarily call anyone up, because Brian Boyle might be ready soon.
Patrick Not Expected To Miss Any Times; Simmonds Evaluated For Undisclosed Injury
- Despite leaving Tuesday’s game early after hitting the glass head first after taking a check, Flyers center Nolan Patrick is not expected to miss any time and should be ready to play on Thursday night, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The second overall pick from June has played in all nine games for Philadelphia so far which means that he will officially burn the first year of his entry-level contract in his next outing. Carchidi adds that winger Wayne Simmonds missed practice today while being evaluated for an undisclosed injury.
NHL Snapshots: MacDonald, Haula, Marchessault, Bennett
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that defenseman Andrew MacDonald will miss four to six weeks with a lower body injury. According to NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer, MacDonald stepped into a path of a slap shot from Edmonton’s Milan Lucic during a penalty killing shift of Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. It hit his knee and MacDonald suffered a deep bone bruise, according to CSN’s Tim Panaccio.
Despite the injury, MacDonald stayed in the game. In fact, after taking the hit and going down, he still forced himself to get up and help clear the puck. The 31-year-old blueliner had a dominant performance against the Oilers, as he recorded three shots on goal, six blocked shots and played the second-most minutes on the team at 22:03.
No corresponding moves have been made, although its possible the Flyers will promote defenseman Samuel Morin, who made the team out of training camp, but was a healthy scratch for four games before he was sent down to Lehigh Valley. In five games with the AHL team, he has put up a goal, three assists, 10 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +3.
- While the Vegas Golden Knights await the injury status of goaltender Malcolm Subban, Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp tweets out that Erik Haula, who was put on injured reserve eight days ago, practiced with the team today and told Carp he is ready to return to the team, but wouldn’t say when. David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that Jon Marchessault, who was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 15, also says he is ready to return to the Golden Knights lineup and said he expects to be activated for Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks after practicing today. The team may reverse their transactions from last week and send Vadim Shipachyov and Alex Tuch back to the AHL. Both Shipachyov and Tuch tallied no points and neither had any shots on goal in Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Shipachyov received only 10:22 of ice time, while Tuch had 8:49.
- Kent Wilson of The Athletic (subscription required) answers mailbag questions about Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett, who has zero points after eight games. Wilson writes the lack of offense would be acceptable if he was impacting the game in other ways, but that isn’t the case. Bennett, whose first full season showed a lot of promise two years ago when he finished with 18 goals and 18 assists, took a step down last year when he only had 13 goals and 13 assists. Now his numbers look even more bleak. Wilson suggests the team move the 2014 fourth-overall pick to the wing in hopes of helping the 21-year-old’s success and promoting Mark Jankowski, who is tearing up the AHL right now with five goals and four assists in six games.
Sanheim's Play Still Up And Down
- Kurt Rohrbeck of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that for the second straight game, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is getting minutes equal to that of a top-four defenseman. Rohrbeck writes that Sanheim’s performance was a mixed bag. Sanheim, who sat out as a healthy scratch often in the first few games of the season, often struggled in the defensive zone, as the scribe points to a moment in the first period in which he allowed Edmonton’s Brad Malone to steal the puck from him and almost score. However, the scribe writes the 21-year-old made up for those rookie mistakes by showing quite a bit of offensive skill, getting off two legitimate shots that could have been scoring chances.
Weal, Leier Listed As Day-To-Day
- Flyers forward Jordan Weal missed his second straight game today due to an upper-body injury. GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) that he is listed as day-to-day. Weal is off to a strong start in his first full NHL season with a goal and three assists through six games. Also listed as day-to-day is winger Taylor Leier who is dealing with an upper-body issue of his own.