Michal Neuvirth Activated From IR
Philadelphia Flyers’ GM Ron Hextall announced today that goaltender Michal Neuvirth has been activated from the injured reserve. In a corresponding move, his replacement, Anthony Stolarz, has been returned to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Neuvirth has been out since mid-November with a knee injury, but has been deemed healthy enough to return to NHL action.
The move is likely bittersweet for the Flyers and their fans. While Neuvirth is likely the superior goalie to Stolarz and, for stretches of time, has been better than starter Steve Mason over the past two seasons, Philadelphia has seen anything but struggles since Neuvirth went on IR. The Flyers are 13-7-3 since Neuvirth’s injury, including winning ten straight in the first half of December. Admittedly, one win in their last seven games has not been as impressive, but the team overall has improved. Much of this success has occurred in net as well. The Flyers were the worst team in the league in goals against average before Neuvirth’s injury, but rose to nearly 20th before this recent bad stretch, during which they’ve fallen back down into a tie for 27th. Mason has improved on his poor start, sporting a .904 SV% and 2.78 GAA which, believe it or not, are much better than his early numbers. In relief, Stolarz has been excellent. He has a .938 Sv% and 1.79 GAA in four appearances for the Flyers. As he heads back to the minors, Hextall and company have to feel confident that they have found a solid future pro in Stolarz.
However, it would be a stretch to assume that Stolarz would continue to outplay a healthy Neuvirth for the remainder of the season. Despite a dismal (read: awful) .859 SV% and 3.54 GAA in nine games so far in 2016-17, Neuvirth is good NHL goalie. Although he has bounced around to several organizations, overall Neuvirth has provided reliable production along the way. He has a career save percentage of .912 and goals against average of 2.69, but his numbers have improved each year since his early days with the Washington Capitals. Perhaps the highlight of his nine-year pro career was his 2015-16 season in Philadelphia, during which he again split time with a streaky Mason and posted career highs with a .924 SV% and 2.27 GAA in 32 games. Though he was out with injury, Neuvirth has had time to refocus mentally and a rejuvenated performance in the second half of the year would not be a surprise. Neuvirth may not be the future in net for the Flyers, but he is a free agent at the end of the year and will be working for a job nonetheless.
Flyers Activate Matt Read From IR
Sometimes injury timelines prove to be more than just educated guesses. The Philadelphia Flyers have announced the return of veteran forward Matt Read to the lineup, after they called for an early January return following the original injury. It doesn’t get an earlier than January 1st, as the Flyers welcome back their long-time right wing.
Read suffered an oblique strain early in December, five games into Philadelphia’s eventual ten-game winning streak to start the month. However, the Flyers’ fortunes have reversed of late, as they have lost five of their last six. Although Read has been skating for a couple of weeks now, he is only now in game condition and the timing is perfect for a Philly team that needs an injection of energy and grit.
While Read has never been able to replicate his success from his breakout rookie season in 2011-12, in which he scored 47 points, he has been able to play a key role for Philadelphia ever since. Facing criticism after a down year in 2015-16 – just 26 points and an eventual loss of ice time and special teams responsibilities – Read was heading towards a better season prior to his injury. He had six goals (only 8 and 11 in the two seasons prior) and ten points in 27 games. However, after missing a month of games, Read will have to get his legs under him quickly to return to form and prove he still has an offensive touch. If Read wants to avoid being exposed in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, he needs a strong second half. Otherwise, he would be a likely selection by Las Vegas as a key role player.
In a corresponding move, the Flyers sent forward Taylor Leier back down to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Leier has just two points in ten games with Philadelphia this season, and has been shuffled back and forth from the minors several times.
New Jersey Devils Place Vernon Fiddler On IR
After suffering a lower-body injury on Tuesday night against Pittsburgh, the New Jersey Devils have placed Vernon Fiddler on injured reserve. The team has recalled Luke Gazdic from Albany to replace him on the roster.
Earlier today it was reported that Fiddler will miss 3-4 weeks. That would keep him out of at least 11 games for the Devils, who at 13-15-7 are already in trouble this season. The team is already 11 points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the last wildcard spot, and find themselves last in the conference. For a team that traded for Taylor Hall and signed several free agents (including Fiddler) the season has been a massive disappointment.
The 36-year old Fiddler has been a solid contributor throughout his long career, scoring at least 20 points in eight of his ten full seasons. He’s taken a step back this year though, with only three points through 35 games. His presence is mostly felt on the penalty kill and in the faceoff dot, where he’s winning a career-high 55.3% of his draws.
Gazdic has played in four games for New Jersey this season and 140 in his NHL career. The hulking winger will add some toughness to the fourth line if he gets into the lineup. Since Hall will also miss Thursday’s game, he probably will.
Snapshots: Canada, Peca, Bailey
While it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, Team Canada is dominating at the World Juniors.
After a hard-fought win over Russia on December 26, Canada easily beat Slovakia 5-0 on Tuesday night. The Canadian goalie, Lightning prospect Connor Ingram, had a six-save shutout. Bruins defensive prospect Jérémy Lauzon, who began the tournament as Canada’s seventh defenseman, scored a goal and an assist in the second period to spark the offence and begin the onslaught.
However, another Canadian defenseman has been getting some love as an underdog story. Philippe Myers went undrafted in 2015, but earned an entry-level contract after attending Philadelphia Flyers training camp on an amateur tryout. Myers then had a 45-point campaign in the QMJHL and has 18 points in 19 games this season. The 6’5 right-handed defenseman is now playing on Canada’s top pairing with 2015 first-round-pick Thomas Chabot.
As for why Myers was passed over in the draft, with the value of right-handed defensemen at an all-time high, that’s something that Flyers GM Ron Hextall would like to know. Hextall told Postmedia’s Mike Zeisberger that he didn’t ask his scouting staff why they didn’t take him, but instead wanted to learn from the experience. With Myers tracking well, all 30 NHL teams will be wondering how Myers slipped through the draft. “I’m more trying to figure out how the hell that happened,” Hextall added.
Myers gave advice for all other undrafted players, saying “it’s all about your attitude and your mindset. If you see yourself playing at the bigger levels and you really believe it and you put the work in, everything’s possible. That’s what happened with me.”
- Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Matthew Peca (no relation to Michael) will make his NHL debut tonight at home versus the Montreal Canadiens. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Peca centered J.T. Brown and Michael Bournival at practice this morning.The 2011 seventh-round-pick has 17 points in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat are both considered “probable” for the Lightning after missing the past two weeks or so.
- With Zack Smith sidelined by an upper-body injury, the Senators have recalled Casey Bailey, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Smith left Tuesday night’s game against the Rangers. Bailey has 14 points in 28 games with the Binghamton Senators so far this season, but has been held pointless in two NHL games. Bailey was acquired by the Senators as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade.
Metro Division Injury Updates: Faulk, Lundqvist, Raffl, Couturier
With teams resuming their normal practice and game-day routines after the three-day holiday break, news and updates regarding several Metro Division players have been released today. Here’s a quick roundup:
- Justin Faulk, Carolina’s #1 defenseman, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury evidently suffered in the latter half of the team’s recent game against Boston, according to Michael Smith, who covers the team for the Hurricane’s official NHL.com website. Faulk is averaging better than 23 minutes-per-game for Carolina and has tallied seven goals and 16 points in 30 games this season. He currently leads the team’s blue line corps in scoring and is second behind Jaccob Slavin in ice time.
- The New York Rangers have recalled goalie Brandon Halverson from Hartford to backup Antti Raanta tonight as the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators at MSG, according to this tweet from the team’s official Twitter account. New York’s starter, Henrik Lundqvist is battling the flu and has been ruled out for the game. Though unlikely, should Halverson see any action tonight, it would qualify as the 20-year-old netminder’s NHL debut.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly.com has several developments after the Flyers practiced today. With Michael Raffl expected to miss up to two weeks with an upper-body injury suffered against New Jersey last Thursday night, rookie winger Taylor Leier is likely to fill in on the team’s top line. Leier scored his first NHL goal on December 17th and has two points in eight games this season.
- Meanwhile, Flyers GM Ron Hextall is hopeful that center Sean Couturier will be back in the lineup for the first time since November 22nd. Couturier has missed the last 16 games with a knee injury.
- Michal Neuvirth is nearing a return to the team after practicing with the team today, though he is not expected to play during the Flyers upcoming three-game road trip. Neuvirth has not played for Philadelphia since November 12th because of a knee injury. In his absence, Anthony Stolarz has given the Flyers two quality starts, winning both and posting a GAA of 1.84 and a Save % of 0.932.
Metropolitan Notes: Maatta, Philly Prospects, Standings, Tavares
While he wasn’t drafted to be a key offensive blueliner, Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta surprised many in his rookie season with 29 points in 78 games back in 2013-14. That raised the level of expectations for him right away that he could be a legitimate two-way threat in the league. Fast forward to today and suffice it to say, that hasn’t happened, writes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
This season, Maatta has only managed a pair of assists in 35 games, a stat line that more than a few goaltenders around the league have. The Penguins have deployed him in a primary shutdown role which has limited his offensive opportunities but the 22 year old knows he can be better at that end of the rink:
“It’s something that should be part of my game as well, and it hasn’t been this season. It’s something I gotta pay attention to. You have to try to get better as a player as the season goes on. That’s a big thing, and I think that’s part of my game that I can be better at. I can improve.”
With Kris Letang and Trevor Daley, two of Pittsburgh’s top offensive threats from the back end, both out of the lineup, Maatta should get more of an opportunity to be a factor offensively in the coming games.
More from the Metro:
- Philadelphia fans will be keeping a close eye on the World Junior Hockey Championships which get underway today. As Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post notes, the Flyers have an impressive nine prospects that will be representing the team. By comparison, no other team has more than five. Among those nine players are three netminders, Carter Hart (Canada), Felix Sandstrom (Sweden), and Matej Tomek (Slovakia). With the uncertainty surrounding Philadelphia’s NHL goaltending situation moving forward (Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are both unrestricted free agents at the end of the season), it’s certainly encouraging for the Flyers to know they have several quality prospects in their junior ranks even if these goalies are still a few years away from contributing at the NHL level.
- Newsday’s Steve Zipay wonders if there’s a chance we may see tanking of a different kind come April. As things sit in the standings, both Wild Card spots in the East are from the Metropolitan Division, creating a scenario where it could arguably be more beneficial to see a top three team drop into the first Wild Card spot and cross over to the bracket in the Atlantic Division. There’s still more than half the season to play but if things hold up close to where they are now, it will certainly be something to keep an eye on as we hit the stretch run of the season.
- With Casey Cizikas expected to be out through the Islanders’ five day break from January 1st to the 5th, captain John Tavares is expected to take a regular turn on the penalty kill, writes Arthur Staple, also of Newsday. Head coach Jack Capuano noted that Tavares has the hockey IQ to handle the role, even though it’s one he hasn’t played since his days in junior hockey. It also helps that Tavares is their best faceoff threat at 52.9% and winning shorthanded draws is an area that the Islanders have struggled at this year as they’ve won just 45.4% of their faceoffs in that situation.
Flyers Notes: Del Zotto, Defense, Raffl
The start to this season hasn’t been a great one for Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto. He suffered a knee injury in training camp that caused him to miss the first month of the season and since then, he has been a healthy scratch on several occasions with head coach Dave Hakstol looking for a better compete level. Despite that, he still feels good about his play, writes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post.
Through 19 games this season, the 26 year old has four goals and five assists which is pretty good production for a blueliner. However, his ice time has been scaled back significantly as he is playing 18 minutes a night compared to 23:25 last season.
Being sat down while having your minutes cut is hardly a desirable spot for anyone to be in but the timing is particularly poor for Del Zotto, a pending unrestricted free agent in a market that isn’t all that strong when it comes to defensemen. He told Isaac that his UFA status isn’t in his mind at the moment:
“I know I can contribute offensively and I’ve proven over the last couple of years that I can be a No. 1 defender and I have the ability to shut the other team’s top lines down. I think at this point whatever happens, happens. It is a business. I’m not too worried about it. I’m comfortable with my game. I know I can contribute and help the team win every night.”
While free agency may not be something Del Zotto is currently concerned with, he has to realize that a strong second half of the season would go a lot way towards cementing himself as one of the top free agent blueliners available. Between that and being sat down at times, he’ll have plenty of motivation the rest of the way.
More news from Philadelphia:
- Del Zotto is far from the only blueliner to make an impact offensively this season. Mark Streit, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Ivan Provorov are all in the top-35 league-wide for points by a defender, a byproduct of Hakstol’s request to have the back end get more involved at the offensive end, writes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The decision to have them take more chances offensively certainly has worked so far as the Flyers lead the league in points by defensemen.
- Left winger Michael Raffl is set to miss the next one-to-two weeks with a lower body injury that’s believed to be a knee sprain, notes CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. This is the second time this season that the 28 year Austrian will be on the shelf as he also missed eight games with an abdominal injury sustained in mid-October. In 27 games this season, he has seven goals and two assists and has frequently been up and down the lineup.
Jaromir Jagr Ties Mark Messier For Second-Most Points
Jaromir Jagr played his first NHL game on October 5, 1990 in Washington. He scored the first goal and point of his Hall of Fame career two nights later at home versus the New Jersey Devils.
So far, 766 players have played in the NHL this season. Just 455 of those, or 58%, were born before the end of 1990. Jagr has played against players born from 1951 (Guy Lafleur) to 1998 (Patrik Laine). Yet he’s still here, and reached an incredible milestone on Tuesday night: Jagr is now tied with Mark Messier for second all-time in NHL scoring.
With three assists against the Sabres, Jagr now has 755 goals, 1,132 assists, and 1,887 points. That’s 524 points more than the next highest active player, Joe Thornton. The 45-year-old Jagr is now playing in his twenty-third NHL season, and has played for eight teams.
The new top five for all-time points looks like this, until Jagr gets his next:
1. Wayne Gretzky – 2,857 points in 1487 games
T2. Jaromir Jagr – 1,887 points in 1662 games
T2. Mark Messier – 1,887 points in 1756 games
3. Gordie Howe – 1,850 points in 1767 games
4. Ron Francis – 1,798 points in 1731 games
5. Marcel Dionne – 1,771 points in 1348 games
Jagr has said that he wants to play until he’s at least 50-years-old. Should he average 50 points from now until then, he would end up in the neighborhood of 2,150 points. While he would still be 700 points behind Gretzky, he would be the first, and likely only NHLer to ever surpass Gretzky’s assist total. The first years of fantasy hockey pools had a rule: no one could take Gretzky, it was either his goals or his assists. That rule was there for a good reason, as Gretzky still has more assists than any other player in history has points, with 1,963. TSN’s Frank Seravelli wrote that Jagr would need to start another Hall of Fame career to even come close to Gretzky, but says “finishing second only to Gretzky, though, is sort of like being first among the rest of the nearly 6,000 other mere mortals to play in the NHL.”
While it may seem like a longshot for anyone to play until the age of 50, Jagr is still having fun. He’s brought back his legendary mullet from the 1990s and is still one of the most dedicated players in the league when it comes to staying in shape. He once told Sportsnet Magazine:
“The time between when I quit hockey and I die, I want it to be the shortest. It’s not going to be as exciting, that time. So as long as I can play, that’s what I’m doing. If I can play ’til I die, that’s what I will do. What else are you gonna do?”
Flyers Notes: Neuvirth, Injuries, Weise
With the Philadelphia Flyers recently having a ten game winning streak, it’s difficult to imagine there being any frustrations. As Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post writes though, that’s exactly the case when it comes to goaltender Michal Neuvirth.
Neuvirth entered this season poised to battle with Steve Mason for the number one job between the pipes after both goalies had an up-and-down season in 2015-16. However, he got off to a slow start this season, posting a 3.59 GAA and a .859 SV%, both significantly worse than the league average. Then in mid-November, he suffered a knee injury and hasn’t played since, allowing Mason to seize the starting role and run with it while Anthony Stolarz has also played well in limited action.
While that’s great for Mason and the Flyers, this certainly won’t help Neuvirth’s cause when it comes to getting a new contract this summer as an unrestricted free agent. Neuvirth is making $1.75MM this season, the second of a two year contract that carries a $1.625MM cap hit. A strong year where he took over as the starter while staying healthy could have allowed him to at least double his current salary but as things stand, that’s not likely to be the case unless his second half of the season goes a whole lot better than his first half has.
On the plus side, Neuvirth has been skating recently and he noted that there haven’t been any issues with his recovery so far:
“No setbacks, but it’s a difficult injury, especially for goalies. Can’t rush it back. Stolie and Mase are doing a good job, so there’s no pressure for me to rush it.”
Assuming there are no setbacks, Neuvirth is expected to return to the lineup sometime in January.
More from Philadelphia:
- The ten game win streak has raised the bar when it comes to expectations for the rest of the season, GM Ron Hextall told CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. Hextall acknowledged that he didn’t expect that the Flyers could pull off ten straight victories with as much parity as there is in the league. He also provided some updates on their injured players. He noted that there is a chance that center Sean Couturier (knee), defenseman Mark Streit (shoulder), and right winger Matt Read (oblique) could be back late this month but it’s more likely that all of those players will be out of the lineup until early January.
- Right winger Dale Weise will be a healthy scratch as the Flyers take on the Predators, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Weise’s first year with Philly has not gone as anyone had hoped as he has just two goals and two assists in 29 games and this is not the first time he has been scratched either. The 28 year old is in the first of a four year deal with a cap hit of $2.35MM. Center Boyd Gordon will slot into the lineup in Weise’s place.
P.K. Subban Not Travelling With Predators
After missing Saturday night’s shootout loss against the New York Rangers, P.K. Subban did not accompany the Nashville Predators on their upcoming two-game road trip, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean.
Subban is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Saturday was the first game that Subban missed as a member of the Predators. Subban has seven goals and 17 points in 29 games so far this season.
GM David Poile recalled Adam Pardy from the Milwaukee Admirals to replace Subban on the roster. Pardy has appeared in one game with the Predators this season. He split last season between the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers, posting four assists in 23 games. Based on Vingan’s report, the Predators’ defense is as follows:
Josi-Ellis
Ekholm-Granberg
Irwin-Weber
Pardy
Nashville plays in Philadelphia on Monday night and New Jersey on Tuesday night. Subban may be able to join the team in New Jersey, but it’s not known how serious the injury is. The Predators have struggle of late, losing seven of 10 and falling out of a playoff spot to sixth in the Central Division.