Flyers Lose Laughton, Manning To Injury
According to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, the Philadelphia Flyers have lost two players to injury today. Scott Laughton will be out 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury, while Brandon Manning is week-to-week with an injury to his upper-body.
Laughton, a former first-round pick of the Flyers, had his first full NHL season last year, contributing 21 points in 71 games. The 22-year old was hoping to improve on those numbers as he headed into this season, but will now have to wait for a few weeks to join the club. With the season starting in less than a week, his timeline should keep him out for the first 10 games or so.
Manning, 26, was an option for the Flyers on the back end after spending 56 games with them last season. The undrafted blueliner has built quite a career since his days with the Chilliwack Bruins, making his NHL debut as a 22-year old and finding a ton of success at the AHL level. In 2014-15 he put up 43 points in 60 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms while also racking up 150 penalty minutes (he had 31 and 231 the year before).
The Flyers had some tough decisions coming in camp, especially around youngsters Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov, both of whom should benefit from these injuries. The two 19-year olds are trying to make the jump from the CHL to NHL and have turned heads at camp this year. Each was a first-round pick in the past and look ready to contribute at a professional level.
Flyers Notes: MacDonald, Gostisbehere, Konecny, Cousins
After being cut and waived by the Flyers early last season, that’s not likely to be the case this time around, CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio believes. Not only does Philadelphia have the room to keep his $5MM cap hit on the books but MacDonald’s ability to play both sides on the blueline has made him a much more valuable player to have around.
Last season, MacDonald formed a pairing with Michael Del Zotto with MacDonald playing on the left side. In camp, he has found himself on the right side alongside top prospect Ivan Provorov, who appears likely to make the opening night roster.
The Flyers currently have eight defensemen in camp and are expected to trim that to seven before the season gets underway. While it remains likely that the team could ship MacDonald back to the minors as he would be a safe bet to clear waivers, another option is Brandon Manning, who was in and out of the lineup last season and would be in a similar role if he were to break camp with the team. However, he would have to clear waivers to be sent down. The only players who don’t are Provorov and Calder finalist Shayne Gostisbehere, who is a lock to make the team.
[Related: Flyers Depth Chart]
More out of Philadelphia:
- While rookies who quickly surge to become impact players midseason often drop off the next year, the Flyers are expecting Gostisbehere to buck that trend, writes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. After starting last season in the AHL, he was recalled and quickly became a force, scoring 17 goals while adding 29 assists in just 64 games and merely repeating those numbers over a full season would have him among the higher scoring blueliners in the league once again. The 23 year old logged just over 20 minutes per game last season and will likely shoulder a similar workload in 2016-17.
- Speed is a huge factor in today’s NHL which should work well for 2015 Flyer first rounder Travis Konecny, Isaac pens in a separate piece. The 19 year old is looking to forego his last junior season (with OHL Sarnia) to stick with Philadelphia and has made a strong impression at camp, leading the team in preseason scoring with four points in four games. However, at just 5’10, he’s undersized for the bottom six role he would likely play with the team. As a junior aged player, Konecny can play in nine NHL games before burning the first year of his entry level contract.
- Also from the above column, center Nick Cousins is attempting to transition to the left wing. Although he spent a good portion of the season as their third line center last year, the bottom two spots at that position appear to be earmarked for returnee Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and newcomer Boyd Gordon. Cousins appears to be open to the move, telling Isaac, “It’s going to be a little different, but I’m open to try it. I think once I get used to it, I’ll be good at it. I’ll fit in wherever they want me.”
Metro Notes: Pirri, Leighton, Wilson
The hardest skill to find on the open market is goal-scoring yet one of the NHL’s most prolific when it comes to finding the back of the net, Brandon Pirri, remained unsigned as a UFA late into the summer. Pirri is tied for 30th in goals scored for every 60 minutes of ice time he plays at even strength over the last two seasons. Eventually, the New York Rangers decided to roll the dice and invest in a one-year deal with Pirri and as Sean Hartnett of CBS New York writes, the Blue Shirts might have scored the steal of the summer.
Despite his offensive prowess, Pirri has bounced around the league quite a bit since breaking into the league with the Blackhawks during the 2010-11 season. He wouldn’t earn a regular role until dealt from Chicago to Florida during the 2012-13 campaign. Pirri would spend parts of three seasons with the Panthers before a trade deadline deal to Anaheim this past season. The Ducks chose not to qualify Pirri after the season, thus making the forward a free agent.
Recently, after a preseason loss to Philadelphia, Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault acknowledged the offensive abilities but also pointed out other areas Pirri needs to improve upon before earning the bench boss’ trust.
“There’s no doubt that he’s got the knack to find the net and score. Tonight, he scored a big goal for us. But there’s other areas where I need to be sure he’s going to be able to make the play, get the puck out, be strong on the wall. And tonight, in certain areas, he needed to make a better play. But there’s no doubt offensively that he’s got good hands and he can find the back of the net.”
Pirri is also locked in a tight battle for a roster spot. Even after placing Marek Hrivik and Nicklas Jensen on waivers for the purpose of sending them down to the AHL, the Blue Shirts have four or five players competing for perhaps three spots. Additionally, Vigneault has previously said Pirri would be best served in a top-nine role and he might have a hard time beating out some of his competition despite a four goal, six point preseason. But as Hartnett notes, Pirri’s versatility could be key as he can play either wing and even fill in at center if needed. If Pirri can find enough playing time in New York and continues to put the puck in the net as he has done for much of his career, the minimal investment the Rangers made this summer could prove one of the wisest moves of the offseason.
Elsewhere in the Metro Division:
- When goalie Michael Leighton inked a deal with Carolina in September, he knew in all likelihood he was destined to spend most of the season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers. But as Chip Alexander of The News & Observer writes, the veteran of 106 regular season NHL contests is content being the #3 netminder in the organization and with his role mentoring the teams goalie prospects. “They’ve got two solid goalies up here, I knew that coming in. I just want to go down there and help the young guys, hopefully show them a little bit of leadership and kind of guide them toward what they should be doing in the future. And also play well. I want to win. If I go down to Charlotte I want to win games and hopefully win a championship.” Of course Leighton is aware he is just an injury away from NHL duty. Last season, while in the Chicago organization, Leighton got that call and would see action in a single NHL contest. Leighton is perhaps best known for back-stopping the 2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers to within two wins of an improbable Stanley Cup championship. He won eight of his 13 starts that spring and recorded three shutouts during the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal. Regardless of whether Leighton sees any NHL action this season or not, his experience should prove valuable to the Hurricanes organization.
- LW Scott Wilson of the Pittsburgh Penguins is doing his best to land a plum job skating next to one of the elite centers in the game today. As Seth Rorabaugh of DKPittsburghSports.com writes (subscription required), Wilson has taken advantage of the absence of several high profile players due to their World Cup commitments and impressed the Penguins coaches with his play. He is being rewarded with an opportunity to skate along side Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist in tonight’s preseason tilt with Detroit. Whether the Penguins leave Wilson in the spot to open the season is open for debate. But assuming the Carl Hagelin – Nick Bonino – Phil Kessel line that was dominant in the postseason remains intact, the Penguins will need to find four wingers to play with Sidney Crosby and Malkin. Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz and Conor Sheary figure to fill three of those vacancies but that does leave open the possibility Wilson could force his way into that last spot.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.05.16
We’re now a week away from the beginning of the NHL regular season. Teams are getting closer to their final rosters, and with that comes more cuts.
Here are the cuts made on October 5, 2016:
Carolina Hurricanes (via General Fanager):
G Michael Leighton (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Keegan Lowe (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
C Brody Sutter (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
LW Brendan Woods (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):
D Keith Aulie (released from PTO)
D Marc-Andre Bergeron (released from PTO)
RW Mike Brown (released from PTO)
C Jarret Stoll (released from PTO)
RW Daniel Zaar (assigned to Cleveland, AHL)
Snapshots: Patrick, Gudas, Tootoo
The NHL’s Central Scouting has released their initial rankings for the 2017 draft today, and 29 players have received ‘A’ grades, the first-round stamp of approval. Among them is expected top pick Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who is already getting unfair comparisons to hall of fame players like Jonathan Toews.
Whether Patrick develops into an elite two-way center or not, he does look like a blue-chip prospect at this point, after scoring 102 points in 72 matches last season. He’s off to a nice start this year, having scored three points in his first two games.
- According to multiple reports including Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports, Radko Gudas will not receive any supplementary dicipline for his hit on Jimmy Vesey last night. The Flyers’ defenseman was ruled to not have time to change his path once Vesey turned his back to him. Vesey was not seriously injured on the play, though he easily could have been as his head hit the glass. This comes after the league issued a one-game suspension to Niklas Hjalmarsson for his hit on Ty Rattie. The league is also considering additional punishment for Tanner Pearson after an illegal check to the head.
- No stranger to league discipline himself, Jordin Tootoo is trying to make the Blackhawks’ roster this fall and as Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times writes, it’ll take more than just his leadership. Tootoo understands that the game has changed in the past decade, and his place as an enforcer on the fourth line is no longer safe. He’ll have to prove he can play an effective style of hockey with his stick and skates before lending his fists to the team. Tootoo has shown he can contribute in the past, scoring double digit goals twice in his career, most recently in 2014-15.
Flyers Sign Hart To Entry-Level Deal
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have signed young goalie Carter Hart to an entry-level contract. A 2016 2nd-round pick, Hart was signed to the maximum three-year deal worth $925K per year. However, he is unlikely to make his pro debut anytime soon, as he has already been returned to the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League to start the upcoming season.
The first goalie take in the draft this past June, Hart is coming off a stellar junior season in which he was named CHL Goalie of the Year. Behind Hart’s 2.14 Goals Against Average and .918 save percentage, Everett was a playoff team in 2015-16, and Hart shown again in the postseason. He returns to juniors, looking to polish his skills before taking the next step in a year or two.
Hart’s progress could be vital for the Flyers, as their future in net is very much in doubt. Both of their NHL keepers, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth, are unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. AHL starter Anthony Stolarz is a restricted free agent as well, and has had his ups and downs since going pro two years ago, and 2015 3rd-rounder Felix Sandstrom has yet to commit to coming overseas. Yale standout Alex Lyon was brought in to provide some more depth and potential at goalie, but Hart appears to have a clear path to being Philly’s future in goal.
Compelling RFA Cases For 2017: Gostisbehere, Dumoulin
Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau and Nikita Kucherov highlight a strong and deep group of restricted free agents that remain unsigned at the moment. While they will each ultimately cash in and receive substantial contracts for the 2016-17 campaign and likely beyond, their status as restricted free agents has certainly complicated their respective negotiation processes.
Next summer, another quality group of players are set to hit restricted free agency, unless they can agree to terms on a new deal prior to the 2017-18 league year. In a series of posts, Pro Hockey Rumors will profile the top pending 2017 RFAs and examine what kind of contract they could elicit assuming they put up a strong performance during their platform year. Today we continue in the Metro.
Shayne Gostisbehere (Philadelphia): Gostisbehere exploded upon the scene in 2015-16, netting 17 goals and 46 points – in just 64 games – to lead all rookies in those categories. The former Union College defenseman quickly became one of the league’s most exciting blue liners and earned a spot on the Team North America entry in the World Cup.
The agents for this year’s top remaining unsigned RFA defenders – Hampus Lindholm and Rasmus Ristolainen – are pointing to the recently-signed and massive extension signed by Aaron Ekblad as the target. Ekblad of course inked an eight-year, $60MM deal with Florida and while Lindholm and Ristolainen are probably not at the level the Panthers blue liner is, they will still likely pocket something in the vicinity of $6MM annually when they finally sign.
Chances are Gostisbehere is also going to use the Ekblad deal as a comparable. Ekblad hasn’t produced offense at the same rate as Gostisbehere (0.72 PPG for “The Ghost” versus 0.47 PPG for Ekblad) but is a former #1 overall pick and projects as a perennial Norris Trophy candidate.
It’s likely the Lindholm and Ristolainen deals will actually serve as a better framework for a new contract for Gostisbehere. Assuming they each get something close to $6MM per, it’s fair to guess the Flyers young blue liner will also land in the same neighborhood.
Brian Dumoulin (Pittsburgh): Dumoulin tallied just 16 points in 79 contests and failed to net a single goal in 2015-16. Ordinarily those numbers wouldn’t be reflective of a guy who is going to cash in but Dumoulin showed in the postseason he has more to offer the Penguins. In 24 playoff games, Dumoulin scored two goals and eight points while averaging 21:31 of ice time per game. If he can carry over that level of play into the 2016-17 regular season, Dumoulin will surely be rewarded handsomely on his next contract.
A similar comparable could be Dmitry Orlov, who eventually signed a one-year deal with Washington worth $2.57MM. Orlov has clearly been a superior offensive producer, averaging 0.30 PPG during his career while Dumoulin has averaged just 0.19. But at 25, Dumoulin is just entering his prime and as we saw in the playoffs, he is capable of producing more offense in the right role. Currently he is listed opposite Kris Letang on the Penguins top blue line pair which could result in a higher point total for Dumoulin.
Even if Dumoulin doesn’t produce much offensively, there is still plenty of value in a steady and reliable performer on the back end. If both team and player elect for a one or two-year bridge deal, an AAV close to $2.5MM would seem fair. A long-term deal buying out free agent years could take the price up north of $3MM annually.
Central Division Notes: Trouba, Carle, Rozsival, Tuch
Despite Jacob Trouba‘s recently publicized trade request, the Jets should only move him if it’s on their terms because of the bad precedent it would set for future RFAs, opines Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun. As Wyman notes, the Jets are a draft-and-develop organization given their status as a small market team and the difficulties they face in competing for marketable free agents. Acquiescing to Trouba’s request would harm the club’s leverage when it comes to future negotiations with players like Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor and Patrick Laine when they reach restricted free agency. A small market club needs to be able to retain as much of their best young talent as possible and the Jets must be able to keep the salaries of their RFAs in line while those players are still under team control.
Wyman also believes that since Trouba has yet to live up to his full potential in his first three seasons on the league, he should be willing to accept a fair market contract and to play wherever his coach wants him to play. If he wants to move over to the right side, as he has indicated, he needs to beat out one of the incumbents – Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers.
As Wyman writes further, it’s likely Trouba’s insistence on playing on the right side is in fact a smoke screen and the reality is the young defenseman simply wants out of Winnipeg. Of course Trouba and his agent, Kurt Overhardt, have both insisted his request is based solely on his desire to be a right-side defenseman and has nothing to do with the city or the organization.
More from the NHL’s Central Division:
- Four seasons ago, Matt Carle‘s stock was such that the 27-year-old defender received the second-largest contract inked by any player during the summer of 2011. Last season, he fell out of favor in Tampa Bay and despite the Lightning often suiting up seven blue liners, Carle still couldn’t crack the lineup. It was no surprise, then, that the Lightning opted to buy out the remaining two years of his deal as the team looked to save as much money as possible in order to re-sign several important free agents. Carle would end up signing a one-year deal with Nashville worth just $700K, where the 11-year veteran will be reunited with head coach Peter Laviolette. Under Laviolette, Carle had some of his best yearss, statistically, while a member of the Flyers, tallying at least 35 points in each of his final three seasons with the team. Carle hopes that at age-32 and playing for a coach with whom he is both comfortable and familiar, that he can once again be an important player for a contending team. The Predators do boast one of the league’s most talented blue lines but there is room for a veteran to stabilize the unit, particularly after dealing away team captain Shea Weber this summer.
- Veteran defenseman Michal Rozsival has carved out a solid 15-year NHL career and realizes his days in the league are numbered. Rozsival has spent the past four seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and was brought back by the club for what the 38-year-old defender hopes will be his fifth campaign in the windy city. But after the 2015-16 season, Rozsival wasn’t sure he would be back in Chicago and despite signing a one-year, $600K deal, he isn’t even sure what his role with the Hawks will be, as Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune writes. “Right now, I still don’t know what my role is. It might be determined by the way I play. The last four years I’ve played 20 games, I’ve played 30 games and I’ve played 50 games. I’m ready for anything and for any kind of role. Obviously, I would love to be playing. I’m always trying to fight for my ice time.” It’s likely the Blackhawks value his experience and will find a spot for him on the roster, even if it is as the seventh or eighth defenseman.
- Minnesota entered training camp with a few openings at forward and plenty of candidates to earn those jobs. Unfortunately for the Wild, none of those candidates have impressed head coach Bruce Boudreau to this point in the preseason, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. Veteran role players Zac Dalpe and Ryan Carter have failed to make a mark while youngsters Alex Tuch, Kurtis Gabriel, Joel Eriksson Ek and Tyler Graovac have yet to grab hold of a job. Whether this might prompt GM Chuck Fletcher to explore his alternatives or not is unclear but he may have to if the in-house options continue their collectively mediocre play.
Preds Extend Head Coach Laviolette
Update (4:15pm): Vignan fills in some of the details, indicating the extension binds Laviolette to the club through the 2020-21 season. Evidently the current contract between the parties was set to expire following the 2018-19 campaign.
The Nashville Predators have extended the contract of head coach Peter Laviolette, adding another two years to his pact, according to a tweet from Adam Vingan, who covers the team for The Tennessean. It’s unclear how many years remained on the current deal, though perhaps it’s fair to assume he was entering the final season.
Laviolette was named head coach of the Predators in May of 2014 and in two seasons has posted a record of 88 – 52 – 24. The 200 points the club has accumulated during that time is the 10th highest team total in the NHL. He replaced longtime head coach Barry Trotz, who was hired by Washington upon his dismissal from Nashville. Laviolette is just the second man to serve in the capacity during the 17-year history of the franchise.
Prior to joining the Predators, Laviolette spent five seasons behind the bench in Philadelphia, leading the Flyers to three postseason berths, including a run to the Cup Final in 2009-10. He guided the Carolina Hurricanes to their only Stanley Cup Championship in 2005-06, though the club missed the postseason in each of Laviolette’s other four seasons at the helm. The former defenseman got his NHL head coaching start with the Islanders, spending two years in New York and leading the team to the playoffs in both seasons.
All told, Laviolette has a career head coaching record of 477 – 334 – 25 – 87, winning two division titles, a Stanley Cup and guiding his teams to eight playoff berths in parts of 14 seasons behind an NHL bench.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/16
With the last day of September upon us, expect many players to be sent home from NHL camps today, as teams look forward to October and the start of the 2016-17 season. Today is also the first day that waivers applies to any eligible players being sent down. Here is list of players that have been cut so far and where they have been assigned:
Columbus Blue Jackets (Via Team Release)
F Paul Bittner (Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan Craig (Cleveland, AHL)
F Jordan Maletta (Cleveland, AHL)
D Blake Siebenaler (Cleveland, AHL)
C Alex Broadhurst (waivers -> Cleveland, AHL)
LW Brett Gallant (waivers -> Cleveland, AHL)
D Jaime Sifers (waivers -> Cleveland, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (Via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie)
F Marc Hagel (waivers -> Iowa, AHL)
D Zach Palmquist (waivers -> Iowa, AHL)
Nashville Predators (Via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie)
D Petter Granberg (waivers -> Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Irwin (waivers -> Milwaukee, AHL)
LW Mike Liambis (waivers -> Milwaukee, AHL)
F Adam Payerl (waivers -> Milwaukee, AHL)
LW Harry Zolniercyk (waivers -> Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Islanders (Via Newsday’s Arthur Staple)
F Ben Holmstrom (waivers -> Bridgeport, AHL)
F Bracken Kearns (waivers -> Bridgeport, AHL)
D Loic Leduc (Bridgeport, AHL)
F Kyle Schempp (Bridgeport, AHL)
C Carter Verhaeghe (Bridgeport, AHL)
LW Josh Winquist (released from PTO)
Philadelphia Flyers (Via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie)
D T.J. Brennan (waivers -> Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Greg Carey (waivers -> Lehigh Valley, AHL)
RW Chris Conner (waivers -> Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Andy Miele (waivers -> Lehigh Valley, AHL)
RW Petr Straka (waivers -> Lehigh Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (Via NHL.com’s Lou Korac)
LW Andrew Agozzino (waivers -> Chicago, AHL)
D Chris Butler (waivers -> Chicago, AHL)
RW Jordan Caron (waivers -> Chicago, AHL)
C Alex Friesen (waivers -> Chicago, AHL)
D Morgan Ellis (waivers -> Chicago, AHL)
D Brad Hunt (waivers -> Chicago, AHL)