Starts and Scratches: Stars, Blues, Flyers
- The Dallas Stars are going without defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and forward Curtis McKenzie tonight, reports Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Both are healthy scratches for tonight’s game against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Oleksiak has been the odd man out on defense so far, starting in only five games this season. McKenzie has started 15, but has only put up 1G and 2A in those 15 games. Both players are in their final RFA year and were looking to impress this season.
- The St. Louis Blues have replaced former first overall pick Nail Yakupov with Ty Rattie tonight against the Nashville Predators, reports St Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford. Rattie was signed to a one-year deal this summer after scoring 17G and 29A in 62 games for the AHL Chicago Wolves last season. Rattie will skate with Patrik Berglund and Dmitrij Jaskin to start tonight. The Blues have also scratched defenseman Petteri Lindbolm for Robert Bortuzzo, reports Rutherford. Bortuzzo will man the bottom pair with Colton Parayko.
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is expected to return to the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gostisbehere was scratched the day he was named Philadelphia’s Pro Athlete of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
Snapshots: Senators, Lindback, Flyers
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson has left the team again for personal reasons, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Anderson has left the team twice so far this season to be with his wife after her recent cancer diagnosis. Andrew Hammond will serve as back-up to newcomer Mike Condon, who the Senators acquired from Pittsburgh for a fifth-round draft pick. Condon is 2-0-0 since being acquired and has put up a stellar 0.48 GAA and a .983 SV%.
- Former NHL goalie Anders Lindback was ostensibly released from, and reinstated to, his PTO today with the Los Angeles Kings affiliate Ontario Reign, reports Ontario Reign Insider Lindsay Czarnecki. The team initially announced that it released Lindback from the team before retracting that statement within the hour. Lindback was signed to the PTO on October 25th after the Kings found themselves without any starting goalies because both Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff were out with injury. The Kings are now carrying three goalies in Peter Budaj, Jack Campbell, and Zatkoff (injured), and will most likely send Campbell down when Zatkoff heals.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have scratched defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. In an ironic twist, Gostisbehere was named Philadelphia’s Pro Athlete of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association earlier this morning. Coach Dave Hakstol says that the benching should be good for his growth and development. The young defenseman currently has 3G and 7A in 17 games for the Flyers. He will be replaced by Andrew MacDonald who has 1G and 2A in 10 games.
Gaudreau Surgery Successful, Out Six Weeks
After undergoing successful surgery on his broken finger, Johnny Gaudreau has been given a recovery timetable of six weeks, according to GM Brad Treliving. The speedy forward was injured on a slash from Minnesota forward Eric Staal in the third period of last night’s game.
A huge blow to the offensive hopes of a team reeling already, Gaudreau represented the best goal scoring option on the team. The 23-year old held out most of the offseason in a contract negotiation, before signing a massive six year, $40.5MM deal just prior to the start of the year. Coming off a 78 point season he and fellow youngster Sean Monahan were expected to form one of the league’s top duos and help Calgary get back to the playoffs.
Not so fast, as the Flames have struggled out of the gate and Gaudreau and Monahan had been split up for much of the year. Now facing more than a month without their sniper, they’ll look to other players to step up. Perhaps one of those will be Matthew Tkachuk, the sixth-overall pick from this year’s draft who has stepped into a bigger role recently. Another option is Kris Versteeg, who though injured at the moment is “close to returning” according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. Versteeg provides some veteran experience that can play in any situation and slot into any of the top three lines if need be.
One thing is for sure, if the Flames are insistent on making it back to the playoffs this year, their team defense needs to get better. They’ve allowed a conference-worst 60 goals through 18 games, trailing only the Philadelphia Flyers for the league-wide lead.
Lindros On Concussions
Newly-inducted NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros and the league’s concussion issues sadly go hand-in-hand. The star forward lost much of the prime of his career due to head injuries and his absence from the game for long periods of time was the first step toward the recognition of concussion problems in the NHL. Lindros reportedly suffered six concussions between 1998 and 2000 and sat out the entire 2000-01 season. Having retired in 2007 and taken a step back from the game, Lindros has had time to reflect on his career and on safety in pro hockey.
In a piece by ESPN’s Chuck Gormley, Lindros spoke out on some of his thoughts on the current state of the game and it’s concussion protocols. “It’s not about the number,” Lindros says, “It’s about the degree of each one and the makeup of each individual person. Everyone is completely different.” He added that “That’s the hard part of (the NHL’s new concussion protocol). Some guys will take a big hit and feel fine and not want to come out of a game. No one is ever going to question how tough these guys are. That’s why they had to take it out of the players’ hands.”
Starting this season, the NHL has added concussion spotters to every game. These trained professionals watch for head contact and have the authority to remove players from games at the sign of concussion symptoms. While it seems like a great additional layer to help assist with player safety, it is not a fool-proof plan. Concerns over when, and if, goalies should be pulled, as well as how strictly the concussion protocols will be followed in the postseason lead the many questions that players and teams have about the new system.
However, Lindros says that he is happy to see that the league is taking a hard stance against concussions and taking the decisions away from the individuals or teams. As a former physical player himself, his game likely would have been impacted by these rules, but his health may have benefited. Other suggestions that Lindros has for further enhancing the safety of the game include adding the red-line back in, to reduce open-ice hits, and to make rinks wider, increasing space and lessening the occurrence of more physical encounters.
While such extreme changes to the game seem unlikely as of now, Lindros is content with how the NHL has handled it’s concussion problem recently. As the face of the issue back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lindros has more experience than he would have liked with head trauma and simply hopes to see a safer game for all players. For now, the Hall of Famer is just happy to have his own health back. “I feel lucky,” Lindros stated. “I feel good.”
Michal Neuvirth Out Four To Six Weeks
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Michal Neuvirth will be out more than a month after suffering an injury Saturday in the Flyers’ game against the Minnesota Wild. Although it was unclear when Neuvirth was actually injured (he never returned after the first period) or what exactly the injury is, GM Ron Hextall, a former goalie himself, has stated that it is a lower body injury that will keep the net minder out four to six weeks. In the meantime, Steve Mason will see even more ice time than he had and rookie keeper Anthony Stolarz is expected to be called up.
Neuvirth, like Mason, has struggled between the pipes this season for the Flyers. The Czech goalie has stopped just 85.9% of the shots he has faced and has a goals-against-average of 3.54 in nine games so far. His performance in 2016-17 has dropped off considerably from a year ago when he won 18 of his 29 starts and finished with a 92.4% save percentage while allowing just 2.27 goals-per-game.
Stolarz, meanwhile, is off to a fine start for Lehigh Valley of the AHL, winning six of his eight starts and compiling a save percentage of 92.7. He was originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2012 draft – 45th overall – following two seasons between the pipes for the London Knights of the OHL. Stolarz has spent the last two campaigns in Lehigh Valley, seeing action in 78 games and stopping 91.2% of the shots he has faced.
While Mason is likely to get most of the starts in Neuvirth’s absence, he too has had his problems this year for Philadelphia. His 88.0% save percentage ranks 34th among all NHL goaltenders with at least eight appearances this season. If he continues to scuffle, it’s possible Stolarz will be given more opportunities to prove himself at this level.
*Glen Miller contributed to this post.
Devils Acquire Petr Straka From Flyers
The New Jersey Devils have announced that they have made a trade to acquire forward prospect Petr Straka from the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, the Flyers will receive a conditional seventh-round pick in either 2017 or 2018. Straka played in three NHL games in 2014-15, recording two assists and four hits.
A second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010, Straka has failed to live up to expectations thus far in his young career. The Czech winger put up strong numbers in his junior career in the QMJHL, beginning with a better than point-per-game first season with Rimouski Oceanic in his draft year and ending with 82 points in 55 games in his fourth and final season in 2012-13 after a trade to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Having outlasted his entry-level contract and earned free agent status, Straka chose to sign in Philadelphia. However, the transition to the pro game has not gone smoothly. In his first AHL season, with the now-defunct Adirondack Phantoms, Straka had just 27 points in 60 games. Although his next season was even worse – 24 points and a -20 in 68 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Straka earned a call-up to Philadelphia in 2014-15 and showed off his both his speed and grit in an impressive three-game tryout. It wasn’t enough to earn him a full-time role with the Flyers though, as Straka did not see any NHL action in 2015-16. He did see an improvement in his game last season, scoring 37 points and finishing on the right side of +/- for the first time in his AHL career.
Whether due to an undisclosed injury or if he had simply fallen out of favor in the Flyers organization, Straka has yet to suit up for a game this season, a scratch for every single game. Following the trade, Straka has been assigned to the AHL’s Albany Devils where he will hopefully be able to get back out on the ice. While Straka’s skill has not yet fully shown up on the ice at the pro level, he does possess a lot of raw talent, a smooth game, and an invaluable intensity. A change of pace may be exactly what the former top prospect needs to finally get his career back on track. At the cost of a seventh-round pick, the Devils have made a low risk/high reward deal for a player that still has potential.
Eric Lindros Talks Career On Eve Of Hall Of Fame Enshrinement
Perhaps no player who has ever suited up in the NHL offered the size-skill combination that former Philadelphia Flyers center Eric Lindros brought to the table. Before ever playing a game in the league Lindros was being compared to some of the game’s greats and had already been given the nickname, “The Next One,” which was a play on Wayne Gretzky’s “The Great One” moniker.
Ultimately, concussions would derail his career, causing him to miss substantial time throughout his playing days. Just once did the big pivot appear in more than 73 games in a single season. Still, Lindros tallied 1.14 points-per-game throughout his career and recorded better than a point-per-game average in each of his first nine NHL campaigns. His accomplishments have finally been rewarded with his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame following a six year wait.
Lindros talked about his career today and among other topics, Dave Isaac writes that at one point in 2012, four years after he initially retired from the NHL, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren talked with the “Big E” about a comeback.
Evidently, while participating in the alumni game just prior to the 2012 Winter Classic, Lindros impressed Holmgren enough that the Philadelphia executive approached him about rejoining the Flyers for the stretch run.
“Yeah, I did place a call to Eric in 2012 to see whether he would consider coming back. He looked that good at the outdoor alumni game. I thought he could help our team.”
Apparently Lindros was unsure if Holmgren was serious or not:
“We were playing in that baseball stadium and I think he had the worst seat in the house. He must have been up in the bleachers or something. I don’t know what game he was watching, but I got a call.”
“I don’t know! He was talking cap space. He was going right into it. I don’t know if he was pulling my leg or not. I don’t know. I think he was pretty serious, but I was laughing. Wow.”
Of course the idea sounds far-fetched today given Lindros would have turned 39 in February of 2012 and hadn’t seen any NHL action since the 2006 – 2007 campaign. But it’s interesting to imagine how Lindros would have fared had he decided on a comeback.
Snapshots: Larsson, Sabres, Minor Moves
It was one of the most controversial moves of the summer, but so far the Adam Larsson–Taylor Hall trade isn’t looking as bad as many in Edmonton expected, writes David Staples of the Edmonton Journal.
Staples notes Devils GM Ray Shero is one of the strongest proponents of the trade, and why wouldn’t he be? His Devils are in a playoff spot and Hall is tied for the Devils scoring lead. But he also believes the Oilers got what they needed, according to Kevin Allen of USA Today.
“The Oilers have taken a lot of grief over this, but has anybody sat down and watched Larsson? He’s actually pretty good.”
Shero pointed to Edmonton’s desperate need for a good, young defenseman to go with their young offensive forwards, while the Devils desperately needed an offensive catalyst like Hall.
“You have to make a team, and that is challenging in a salary cap world… They are off to a great start this season. That says something.”
Staples take on the trade is that he likes Larsson’s game, but doesn’t love it yet. He’s had the occasional struggle, but he’s also playing incredibly tough minutes with a skilled but inexperienced parter in Oscar Klefbom. Staples gives the trade a passing grade, with the note that Hall is clearly the better player but the Oilers got what they needed.
- Meanwhile, only one defense core in the NHL has yet to score a goal this season. Despite having weapons like Rasmus Ristolainen and Cody Franson, none of the Buffalo Sabres defensemen have scored. They have contributed 14 assists, however eight of those belong to Ristolainen. Franson told Bill Hoppe that he couldn’t “care less if I scored one goal in a season,” saying he prefers to get assists. Coach Dan Bylsma isn’t concerned with the lack of production, but would like his defensemen to be more aggressive.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled LW Markus Hannikainen from the Cleveland Monsters. The undrafted Hannikainen has seven points in 11 games for the Monsters so far.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled LW Roman Lyubimov from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He was sent down to the AHL on Wednesday; Sam Carchidi reported it was simply a paper transaction made for salary cap reasons. Lyubimov has one goal in 11 NHL games so far this season. Carchidi also noted that it appears Chris Vande Velde will be a healthy scratch, despite scoring twice in the last four games.
- Rookie center Noel Acciari did not take part in Boston Bruins practice on Thursday morning, according to Joe Haggerty. He hasn’t skated since suffering a lower-body injury on Monday night versus the Sabres.
Metropolitan Notes: Parenteau, Saad, Dubinsky, Flyers
Late in the preseason, the Islanders waived right winger P.A. Parenteau, a decision that came as a surprise to many considering they had just signed him to a one year, $1.25MM deal in the summer with the expectation that he’d reunite with former linemate John Tavares. When they let him go, it seemed like the plan was to give his spot to either Anthony Beauvillier or Mathew Barzal. That hasn’t exactly transpired though as Beauvillier has been a scratch at times while Barzal, who has sat for most of the season, was sent back to his junior team earlier today.
With the benefit of hindsight, Brian Erni of Islanders Point Blank suggests that the Islanders could have exercised some better foresight back at the end of the preseason. Was it worth losing Parenteau so that Barzal could see less than 20 total minutes of action?
On the other end of the coin, the Devils certainly have to be pleased with their waiver acquisition. Parenteau has five goals so far this season, tying him with fellow newcomer Taylor Hall for the team lead (while Tavares leads the Isles with five tallies as well). It’s not often to get someone who can play top six minutes off of the waiver wire and while it’s a small sample size so far, Parenteau is looking like the one that got away for the Islanders.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Although Blue Jackets left winger Brandon Saad was expected to be a healthy scratch tonight for the first time in a Columbus uniform, he will be in the lineup tonight against the Ducks, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. He will be effectively taking the place of Brandon Dubinsky, who will not play due to a lower body injury.
- Flyers center/left winger Nick Cousins has been a healthy scratch the last couple of games but as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post writes, his absence from the lineup isn’t entirely performance related. Head coach Dave Hakstol believes that Cousins’ mental toughness is strong enough to allow him to sit once in a while without it affecting his game while allowing other players to either get back into or stay in the lineup. It would appear that Cousins will be back in the lineup soon as the team announced that they have sent forwards Scott Laughton and Roman Lyubimov to Lehigh Valley of the AHL. The Flyers now have the minimum 12 forwards on the roster so it’s likely one will be called up before their next game on Friday against Toronto.
Metro Division Notes: Mason, Neuvirth, Girardi
Perhaps not since Ron Hextall‘s first tour between the pipes in Philadelphia have the Flyers had consistently good goaltending. The team has had plenty of talented players call Philadelphia home over the years but the lack of steady play in goal is primarily why the Flyers have not celebrated a Stanley Cup championship roughly four decades. Through 13 games this season it’s becoming apparent that goaltending is once again the Flyers Achilles heel, opines Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Flyers boast one of the league’s most prolific offenses, averaging nearly 3 1/2 goals per game while three of their skaters currently rank among the top-10 in scoring. But despite the offensive firepower, the Flyers are still a .500 team with a 6 – 6 – 1 record.
Philadelphia’s goaltending duo of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth was excellent last season, ranking in the top-five in Save % and just outside the top-10 in GAA. They were good enough to carry the team to the postseason when many felt the roster was likely a year or two away from playoff contention. This season, however, it’s been a different story.
Mason owns a GAA of 3.46 and a Save% of 87.8%. Neuvirth, coming off a career season in 2015-16, has been even worse posting a 3.56 GAA and a 85.9% Save%.
While Hextall, now the team’s GM, and head coach Dave Hakstoll both believe that there’s more to the story than shoddy goaltending. Said Hextall: “There’s nobody here that’s going to point fingers at the goalies, or the D, or just the forwards. It’s the whole group on the ice.”
With Mason and Neuvirth both in the final years of their respective deals, it will be interesting to see how long the Flyers rides this out if they don’t see improved play in the goal prevention department. At some point the team might entertain a short term boost between the pipes. Or they could pivot entirely and try to acquire a a long term solution if they can find the right deal.
- New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault decided to scratch defenseman Dan Girardi for tonight’s game against Winnipeg, but according to Newsday’s Steve Zipay, it has nothing to do with either the play of the veteran blue liner or his health, but rather a concerted effort to give Girardi extra rest throughout the season. Girardi has long been the type who played through nagging injuries but after the worst season of his career in 2015-16, one that could be blamed at least in part on playing hurt, Vigneault plans to rest his defenseman for the second half of back-to-backs in order to keep him healthier and fresh. It’s hoped that the occasional game off mixed in with periodic maintenance days will reduce the accumulation of wear and tear his playing style tends to lend itself to and that Girardi will be a better player as a result. Adam Clendening will dress for the Blueshirts, making his sixth appearance for New York after sitting out the last seven contests.