Snapshots: Three Stars, Metropolitan Division, Laine
For the second straight week, a Philadelphia Flyer has been named the first star of the NHL.
Jakub Voracek had nine points in four games (3-6-9) as the Flyers went 4-0-0 as they continue their incredible nine-game winning-streak. The high point of the week was a four-point game in the Flyers 6-5 win over the Oilers. Voracek is now third in NHL scoring with 32 points in 31 games behind only Vladimir Tarasenko (32 points in 29 games) and Connor McDavid (39 points in 31 games).
Antti Raanta went 3-0-0 with two shutouts as he temporarily takes the net over from Henrik Lundqvist. His back-to-back shutouts marked the first time that a Rangers goaltender earned back-to-back shutouts since 2003 when Mike Dunham did it. Raanta now has an 8-1-0 record with a sparkling 0.943 SV%.
Sam Gagner may be the best value contract (non entry-level) in the NHL, with 19 points in 25 games for just $650K. He had six points in three games this past week (3-3-6) as the Blue Jackets added to their six game winning streak. He has already surpassed his point totals from last season (16 points in 53 games with an AHL demotion).
- The Metropolitan Division is the best division in hockey right now, writes NBC Sports’ Jason Brough. The New York Rangers are tied for first in the NHL, but just below them are the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers who have won nine games in a row, the Columbus Blue Jackets who have won 11 of 16 and six in a row, and the reigning President’s Trophy winners in the Washington Capitals. All those teams are four points apart. They’re at least seven points up on the Devils, Hurricanes, and Islanders. The latter has gone 6-1-1 in their last eight, but are still ten points behind the fifth place team. Those top five teams are all in the top eight of the NHL.
- Patrik Laine is leading all rookies in goal scoring and is third in the entire NHL with 17 goals in 32 games, but he had a rough go last night. With the Jets and Oilers tied at two in the last ten minutes of the third, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck kicked a Mark Letestu shot into the slot and Laine one-timed the puck into his own net, in an apparent attempt to clear the puck. It stood up as the winning goal. New Jets captain Blake Wheeler did a good job consoling Laine on the bench and Laine got another shot-on-goal as the Jets fought to tie the game.
Notable Major Junior Trades From Recent History
We reported yesterday that Pierre-Luc Dubois, the 2016 third-overall pick, is about to be traded from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada when the QMJHL trading period opens on December 18.
While the Screaming Eagles’ return on Dubois won’t be known until that date when the trade goes through, let’s take a look at the most recent top-five picks to be traded in junior:
John Tavares – Tavares was the first player to be granted exceptional status by the OHL; in fact, the rule was colloquially known as the John Tavares Rule for years afterward. Tavares is a little different from the rest of the players on this list, in that he was traded during his draft year, as opposed to after. On January 8, 2009, the Oshawa Generals (who will appear a few more times in this list) traded Tavares, future NHL defenseman Michael Del Zotto, and goaltender Daryl Borden to the London Knights for winger Christian Thomas, defenseman Scott Valentine, goaltender Michael Zador, and six draft picks. Tavares and Del Zotto were rentals who went on to play in the NHL the following seasons, while Borden played three games with the Knights before ending up in senior hockey. Thomas scored 246 points in 212 games with the Generals before turning pro. He’s appeared in 27 NHL games with three points to his name, and 241 AHL games with 125 points. He’s currently a member of the Hershey Bears. Valentine played out his uneventful CHL career in Oshawa and then bounced around North American pro leagues before heading to Europe. Zador is now retired.
Brayden Schenn – The younger Schenn brother was traded while he was playing for Canada at the 2011 World Juniors. The Los Angeles Kings 2009 fifth-overall pick was traded from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Saskatoon Blades, who were gearing up for a playoff run. Schenn had played just two games that season prior to the WJC due to injury. Schenn was fantastic for the Blades, scoring 53 points in 27 games and another 11 points in 10 playoff games. The Wheat Kings received four draft picks (two first round picks) and two 15-year-old prospects, Tim McGauley and Ayrton Nikkel. Nikkel is now playing Canadian University hockey, while McGauley was actually a member of the Wheat Kings until last year; he’s now on the AHL Hershey Bears roster.
Leon Draisaitl – The Oilers selected Draisaitl third overall in 2014 with high expectations for “The German Gretzky.” Draisaitl had earned that nickname while playing German junior where he scored a ridiculous 192 points in 29 games. He then came to the WHL, where he scored 163 points 128 games before being drafted. With only two actual NHL centers (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Boyd Gordon) on the roster, Draisaitl made the Oilers out of training camp despite not showing he was ready. He played 37 games with the Oilers, scoring just 2 goals and 9 points before Oilers GM Craig MacTavish orchestrated a trade of Draisaitl’s rights in the WHL. The Memorial Cup-bound Kelowna Rockets acquired Draisaitl from the Prince Albert Raiders for forward Kris Schmidli, defenceman Dalton Yorke and three draft picks. Neither player did much for the Raiders, while Draisaitl scored 53 points in 32 games for the Rockets and was named the MVP of the Memorial Cup, which the Rockets lost to the aforementioned Oshawa Generals in overtime.
Michael Dal Colle – The Islanders’ fifth-overall pick in 2014, Dal Colle had three productive seasons in Oshawa before struggling in his second season, post-draft. Dal Colle was not picked by Canada for the World Juniors and fought with injuries. He had 25 points in 30 games before the Generals traded him on New Years’ Day 2016. The Kingston Frontenacs traded Robbie Burt, a first round pick, two seconds, and two thirds for the Generals captain Dal Colle. The ’99 born Burt has just 12 points in 56 games, and is not ranked by Central Scouting for the upcoming draft. Dal Colle turned it on in Kingston, scoring 55 points in 30 games and is now playing in the AHL, where he has 11 points in 24 games.
Shayne Gostisbehere Day-To-Day With Hand Injury
A surprise omission from the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup tonight in Detroit was young defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. The team announced that their top blue liner would miss the game due to an upper body injury and that he is considered day-to-day. Gostisbehere in fact took a shot to the hand in yesterday’s game against the Dallas Stars, that forced him to leave. Although he was able to return before the end of the game, the injury appears to be more serious than originally thought, as it is now causing him to miss time.
Gostisbehere is in the midst of yet another strong year in his sophomore campaign, with 16 points in 29 games thus far. This mark is tops among Flyers defenseman, as his 46 points in 2015-16 was as well. After struggling through some defensive issues earlier in the season that earned him a healthy scratch, “Ghost Bear” has turned it around. He’s playing a more responsible defensive game, leading the team in ice time, and currently on a four-game point. The Flyers themselves are streaking right now, having won eight in a row and 10 of 13 since Gostisbehere was scratched.
With a hole on the back end now, Philadelphia is putting their great defensive depth to work by inserting Michael Del Zotto into the lineup. With the emergence of rookie Ivan Provorov and the return to form of Andrew MacDonald, to go along with what was already a strong corps of blue liners, Del Zotto has seen his role greatly reduced. Between some time lost to injury early in the season and several games spent in the press box with fellow defenseman Nick Schultz, Del Zotto has played in just 13 games this season. He’ll get a chance to earn more frequent play time with a strong performance as Gostisbehere’s fill-in.
Stars Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak Suspended For Two Games
Dallas blue liner Jamie Oleksiak has been suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde during Saturday afternoon’s game, the league announced. According to Cap Friendly, Oleksiak will forfeit $10,208.33 in salary. The defenseman was not penalized on the play.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News speculates the Stars could turn to Patrik Nemeth or Johnny Oduya to take Oleksiak’s spot in the lineup. Nemeth was a healthy scratch yesterday while Oduya is currently on IR. Heika mentions that the team has made roster moves that would be necessary in order to activate Oduya.
Oleksiak is in his fifth season with the Stars and in 13 contests in 2016-17, the 6-foot-7, 255-pound defender has three goals and four points with 16 penalty minutes. In 91 career appearances, he has tallied four goals and 16 points with 61 penalty minutes. Dallas selected Oleksiak in the first-round of the 2011 entry draft.
Snapshots: McDavid vs. Manning, Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets
Following last night’s 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid didn’t hold back in his criticism of Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning. The pair were at it all night, and after the game McDavid let the press know why. It was Manning’s check that injured McDavid last season, sending him crashing into the boards and costing the rookie 37 games with a broken collarbone and, according to McDavid, Manning admitted on the ice last night that he did it on purpose. Usually a quiet kid, McDavid was fired up after the game, calling Manning “classless” and saying that the dirty hit “shows what kind of guy he is”. The physical blue liner has since refuted this claim, but McDavid holds that he is telling the truth. He went as far as to say that he regrets standing up for Manning last season when the media blamed him for the injury, but McDavid felt it was an accident.
Playing against star players with increased physicality and sometimes an intent to injure is no stranger to the NHL. The man who would know best, Wayne Gretzky, came to McDavid’s defense on the matter. It’s Gretzky’s opinion that having that competitive fire and willingness to call competitors out is important for a superstar. Gretzky opined that “(McDavid’s) been tested since he was a kid and then playing junior hockey and now in the NHL and he’s always responded and done his part.” While off-ice trash talk is usually frowned upon, Gretzky’s philosophy is that a player of McDavid’s caliber needs to be able to keep opponents in check with his comments since he can’t always match up with them physically. Accountability when it comes to intent to injure is important, and a player with McDavid’s persona can help to eliminate dirty play against him on the ice by making it known off the ice.
In tonight’s marquee matchup:
- Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson was a surprise scratch from tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the team has revealed that the veteran is dealing with an injury. Apparently, Ericsson could not play due to back spasms and he is currently listed as day-to-day. There has been no word on whether or not this was caused by a recent injury or if it is a chronic issue for the blue liner. Ericsson has looked off at times this season, but has five points already, which puts him well on his way to his career-high 15 points if he can stay healthy.
- Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno was also a surprise scratch from the same game tonight, but he is simply feeling under the weather, according to the team. With Foligno out sick, Oliver Bjorkstrand has drawn into the lineup. The 21-year-old has been used sparingly this season, appearing in just three games, after posting eight points and a +6 in 12 games last year. The young winger has plenty of talent, but head coach John Tortorella has been unimpressed with his consistency and effort at times. One of the top-scoring teams in the league does not need more offense right now, so Bjorkstrand will have to work on playing a more complete game if he wants to carve out a role in Columbus.
- Tonight’s game is a special one for Blue Jackets’ rookie sensation Zach Werenski, as it marks his return to Michigan for the first time as a pro. Werenski played two seasons with the University of Michigan Wolverines, scoring 61 points in 71 games. He was also the roommate of Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin when he was a freshman. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the college phenom and future All-Star.
Minor Transactions: Stars, Sharks, Isles, Flyers
The Dallas Stars have recalled young center Jason Dickinson from the AHL’s Texas Stars, his first call-up of the season. A first-round pick of the Stars in 2013, Dickinson made his NHL debut late last season, scoring a goal in his very first game. However, Dickinson was then returned to the minors and did not play in the playoffs. Dickinson made his presence felt at the AHL level last season though, with 53 points in 73 games, including 22 goals. He already has ten points in 13 games to begin the new campaign. If the former captain of the OHL’s Guelph Storm had not begun the season on the injured reserve, many believed that he would have made the Stars roster out of camp, given the spot vacated by the injury to Mattias Janmark. Instead, Dickinson will now be looked upon to add a jolt of energy and offense to a Dallas team that has fallen short of expectations so far this season.
Other promotions and demotions:
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Kevin Labanc from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda (a.k.a the next locker room down). Labanc played in his first NHL game earlier this season after being promoted to the Sharks in early November, but was sent back to the AHL squad just two days ago to get some play time over the weekend. Now, he’s back with the Sharks and looking to stick. In twelve NHL games in 2016-17, Labanc has two goals and two assists, while in eight AHL games he has an impressive 13 points while posting a +8. Labanc has been a revelation of sorts; he scored a combined 227 points in just 133 games with the OHL’s Barrie Colts in the two junior seasons after he was drafted by the Sharks in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The Sharks hope he continues to show his offensive upside at the highest level and earns a full-time role with the team this season.
- The New York Islanders gave defenseman Scott Mayfield an emergency promotion today, with Johnny Boychuk suffering from the flu. The 2011 second-round pick has played in a couple games already this season and will make his 14th career NHL start tonight against the cross-town rival New York Rangers. The shutdown defender will skate alongside Thomas Hickey in tonight’s contest.
- In a somewhat surprising move, the Philadelphia Flyers have demoted Scott Laughton again. The 2012 first-round pick has been a fixture in Philadelphia for a few years now, having made his NHL debut the year after he was drafted and then playing in 31 games in 2014-15 and 71 games in 2015-16. The 22-year-old forward plays a tough, two-way game, but that hasn’t been enough to earn him play time with the Flyers this year. Laughton was first sent down to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in early November, but was recalled last week with the presumption that he would stick around. Instead, he’s headed back to the AHL, with Taylor Leier on his way up to take his place. Laughton has played in just two NHL games with season and has been held scoreless, but is a point-per-game player for the Phantoms with two goals and six assists in eight games. Although Leier is having a strong season in the AHL, as he did last year, he did not record a point in six games with the Flyers last season. It seems to be a case of Philadelphia preferring an offensive forward in the lineup right now over a defensive one, even if Laughton appears to be a superior player to Leier at the NHL level.
Flyers Send Scott Laughton To Minors
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have loaned center Scott Laughton to its AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The team recalled forward Taylor Leier from Lehigh Valley as a replacement.
Laughton played two games for the Flyers this season but failed to record a point in his short time with the team. The former first round draft pick—20th overall in 2012—made some progress last year with the team but could not find his game so far this season. In his eight AHL games, however, Laughton has 2G and 6P. Consider this a temporary loan and expect to see Laughton back in a Flyers’ jersey sooner rather than later.
His replacement Taylor Leier was also drafted by the Flyers in 2012 (117th overall) and is lighting up the AHL so far this season. His 6G and 14A in 22 games are good for 12th in AHL scoring. With Matt Read injured for the next few weeks, Leier will have ample opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level.
Matt Read To Miss Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
After being pulled out of Sunday’s game in the first period, the Philadelphia Flyers have announced that Matt Read will be out for at least four weeks with an upper-body injury. Previously reported as an oblique strain, the forward will now be out until after Christmas.
After a disappointing 2015-16 that saw Read register only 26 points in 79 games, the 30-year old winger got off to a blistering start this season scoring five goals in his first five games. Since then though, he’s only put up five more points in 22 games despite still seeing a solid share of ice time. The former 20-goal scorer hadn’t lit the lamp in fourteen games going into Sunday, in which he left after just three shifts.
Currently in the third year of the four-year, $14.5MM deal he signed prior to the 2013-14 season, Read was supposed to be a solid secondary scoring threat on a team desperate for them. He was successful in that first season, but has seen his production drop in each following year. Now dealing with an oblique injury, he’ll miss at least a dozen games and likely need some time to shake off the rust after that. In what looked at one point like a strong bounce-back season, it’s now looking like another year in his decline.
For the Flyers, who find themselves on a five game winning streak that’s pushed them back into the playoff picture, this likely means the return of either Boyd Gordon or Scott Laughton to the lineup. While Gordon has been on injured reserve since the beginning of November, he’s closing in on a return date. The younger Laughton however provides a bit more offensive upside and potential, and has been stuck in the press box for much of the season.
Snapshots: NHL Three Stars, Grabner, Koivu
The NHL has named Steve Mason, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Martin Jones as the three stars of the week.
Mason went 4-0-0 with a 0.945 SV% and a 1.71 GAA. He made 120 saves in those four games. Mason’s great week has boosted the Flyers back into a wildcard spot. He’s one win away from tying his career-best winning streak. Mason now has a 9-8-3 record with a 0.908 SV% and a 2.76 GAA for the season. Prior to his hot week, he had a save percentage of 0.892, which is not good for a starting goalie.
Tarasenko had four goals and five points in four games as the Blues earned five of six possible points. He scored the overtime winner against Dallas on November 28th, and then potted a hat-trick on December 1 against the Lightning. His four points against Tampa Bay matched his career high. Tarasenko now has 27 points in 25 games, good for third in the NHL behind only Connor McDavid (34 points) and Nikita Kucherov (29 points).
Jones had a 3-0-0 record with a 0.962 SV% and a goals-against of 1.01. He allowed just one goal in each appearance, as the Sharks passed Edmonton for first in the Pacific Division. Jones is tied for second among goalies with 13 wins, and has a sparkling 0.924 SV% and 1.99 GAA with two shutouts.
- The New York Rangers will be without Michael Grabner on Tuesday night. After the speedy winger practiced on the fourth defense pair with Adam Clendening, NHL Live host Jim Cerny tweeted that Grabner had a death in his family and will be a scratch against the Islanders. Grabner has been lights-out this year, with 13 goals in 26 games so far.
- Wild captain Mikko Koivu had a tremendous game on Sunday night. He scored the overtime winner, dangling around Oilers goalie Jonas Gustavsson, but also won an astounding 91.3% of his face-offs (21/23). In a league where a face-off percentage higher than 50% is considered good, Koivu had an unreal night. He’s currently sitting at 55% on the season.
The 2016 All UFA Bust Team
Last week we presented our 2016 All UFA Bargain team, highlighted by Jonathan Marchessault and Chad Johnson, each of whom has provided results well in excess of any expectations based on the contracts they signed this summer. Of course for every free agent bargain in the NHL there is likely at least one free agent signing that will rate as a bust. Strangely enough, only a handful of UFA blue liners inked multiyear pacts this summer with two of the biggest names, Keith Yandle and Alex Goligoski, traded by their previous employers before agreeing to lucrative deals prior to reaching unrestricted free agency. Subsequently, finding two defensemen who have severely under-performed their new contracts was not as easy as expected.
Without further ado, here is Pro Hockey Rumors 2016 All UFA Bust Team.
Forwards
Andrew Ladd (New York Islanders) – Seven years, $38.5MM: The Islanders, needing to replace the scoring tough of Kyle Okposo, reached a lucrative agreement July 1st with veteran left wing Andrew Ladd. It was expected that in addition to 25-goal, 50-point production, Ladd would also add leadership to a relatively young squad. But Ladd has just five points in 23 contests with his new club and has struggled despite seeing a lot of early-season ice time with John Tavares.
Many were critical of the Ladd contract, primarily due to the seven-year term. Ladd, soon to turn 31, already has nearly 800 regular season games under his belt and likely won’t remain productive into his mid-to-late-30’s. However it was at least expected that Ladd would maintain his 20-goal plus production through the first half of his deal.
Mikkel Boedker (San Jose Sharks) – Four years, $16MM: After falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final last June, the San Jose Sharks decided they needed to add some speed to help keep up against the league’s quicker clubs. Enter Boedker, who had tied his career-high in points, tallying 51 while splitting the 2015-16 campaign between Arizona and Colorado. Boedker was supposed to help allow the Sharks to ice four quality lines with skill and add some more speed to the lineup. Unfortunately the production – two goals and four points – simply doesn’t measure up to the lofty contract he received.
Dale Weise (Philadelphia Flyers) – Four years, $9.4MM: Weise parlayed an excellent platform season – 14 goals, 27 points – into a nice, multiyear deal with the Flyers this summer despite his late-season struggles following a trade from Montreal to Chicago. The physical winger tallied just one assist in 15 games with the Blackhawks down the stretch. Yet the AAV of $2.35MM is in line with Weise’s full-season production in both 2014-15 and 2015-16. The problem is, Weise has just two goals and four points in 22 game so far on the campaign and that’s not nearly enough to justify his contract.
Defense
Dan Hamhuis (Dallas Stars) – Two years, $7.5MM: The Stars pursued Hamhuis at last season’s trade deadline but the veteran defender elected to exercise his NTC to block a proposed deal to Dallas as he didn’t want to uproot his family at that time. After losing Kris Russell, Jason Demers and Alex Goligoski from last year’s blue line, it seemed only natural that the Stars would turn again to Hamhuis for help. The 13-year-vet has long been a steady performer and the two-year term is reasonable, but he has just five points in 24 games and has been a healthy scratch at times this season. Surely the Stars expected a little more from their investment.
Jason Demers (Florida Panthers) – Five years, $22.5MM: It’s not that Demers is having a terrible year as he is on pace for around 10 goals and 29 points. But Florida remade their blue line in the offseason, moving on from tough, physical defenders Erik Gudbranson and Dmitry Kulikov in favor of better puck movers like Demers. To say that plan hasn’t worked out would be an understatement. Defensively the team is allowing 2.44 goals-per-game, exactly the same as last year. However on offense, the team is averaging 0.51 fewer goals per game. Yes, some of that likely has to do with the injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad, but the bottom line is the season has been a bitter disappointment for the Panthers and Demers shares in some of the responsibility.
Goalie
James Reimer (Florida Panthers) – Five years, $17MM: With Roberto Luongo now 37, and the upcoming expansion draft at least providing the Panthers with the possibility of getting out from under the final five years of his onerous contract, the Panthers elected to buy the best goalie on the free agent market this summer to provide a competent fallback option. After eight starts this season, Reimer has a Save % under 0.900 and a GAA above 3.0. While a $3.4MM AAV may not be on par with most of the league’s starters, it is excellent money for a backup and Reimer is currently not even playing to that modest level.