Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith has turned his season around over the past six weeks, posting a 2.18 GAA along with a .933 SV% in six appearances. In doing so, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that the netminder has done enough for the team to focus on other upgrades at the trade deadline, especially with the list of affordable veteran upgrades being relatively short. Pittsburgh is currently well into LTIR with winger Jason Zucker set to be back before the end of the season – he resumed skating today, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – so they’re not really able to use his freed-up space at the deadline. With limited resources, GM Ron Hextall may be better off trying to upgrade a regular depth spot in the lineup over DeSmith, a player who shouldn’t see much (if any) playing time when the playoffs roll around.
Penguins Rumors
Louis Domingue Back At Practice
- Goaltender Louis Domingue is back at practice for the Penguins today (link). Domingue has only played one game this season for Pittsburgh, a win on January 15th in San Jose, and has been working his way back from a foot injury. It still remains unclear what the timetable is for the goaltender.
Michael Matheson Placed On IR
- The Penguins have moved defenseman Mike Matheson to injured reserve, relays Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). The blueliner has been out with an upper-body injury that was sustained back on February 24th and the placement has been back-dated so he’s eligible to come off at any time. The purpose of the move is to free up a roster spot for them to bring someone up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the time being.
Snapshots: Knight, Maple Leafs, Canadiens
One of the most interesting notes in Frank Seravalli’s latest for Daily Faceoff is a report that the Arizona Coyotes brought up Spencer Knight from the Florida Panthers in negotiation for Jakob Chychrun earlier this season. The Panthers have turned down anything regard Knight, according to Seravalli, as the top prospect continues to play in the minor leagues.
It’s natural to wonder about Knight’s future in Florida, given the presence of Sergei Bobrovsky and his contract that extends through 2025-26, but the 20-year-old netminder is still an incredibly valuable asset that’s just getting his feet wet in professional hockey. Through 18 games with the Panthers this season he has a .898 save percentage but his time will come before long.
- Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas met with media today in Hamilton, at the site of the upcoming Heritage Classic game against Buffalo and cleared up some of the trade speculation around his team. The executive is not considering a goaltender addition at this point despite Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek’s recent struggles, and his focus is still on a defenseman, not a forward. With Jake Muzzin still hopefully coming back before the end of the season, Dubas explained that the team isn’t likley to make multiple moves at the deadline.
- The Montreal Canadiens have made another addition, hiring Adam Nicholas as director of hockey development. The founder of Stride Envy, a skill and skating development company, he has a resume that includes time with the Maple Leafs, the Chicago Steel of the USHL and UMass-Lowell.
Snapshots: Capitals, Penguins, King
Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan gave a variety of updates in a midseason presser today, recapped in this article by The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell. First and most concerning is the health status of winger Carl Hagelin, who was hit in the eye with a stick during yesterday’s practice. MacLellan called the injury “serious,” and Hagelin has had surgery within the past day. MacLellan says the examination went in a positive direction, but that the next steps for Hagelin are “still to be determined.” However, it’s possible that winger Anthony Mantha could return to the lineup this week in Hagelin’s absence. Mantha had six points in 10 games this season before going down with a shoulder injury.
More notes on this Wednesday evening:
- As the Pittsburgh Penguins embark on a tough schedule ahead with a long string of games against playoff teams, they could be getting two reinforcements back in the lineup. Head coach Mike Sullivan says center Teddy Blueger is now taking full-contact practices but will need a few practices more before he’s ready to return the lineup. Winger Jason Zucker “isn’t as close” as Blueger, but will likely return to practice soon. Blueger has been out since late January with a broken jaw, while Zucker has been out with an upper-body injury since around the same time.
- Newly-named Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson called interim head coach Derek King “definitely a viable candidate” to be the team’s next permanent head coach today. While Blackhawks fans may be frustrated that their management crew won’t see fresh faces, the rebuilding team has kept up a .500 points percentage under King, an impressive feat considering a weak roster and some tough injuries. It would be King’s first NHL head coaching role.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Jordan Frasca, Taylor Gauthier
3:15pm: Not only have the Penguins officially announced the contract for Frasca, but they have also signed Taylor Gauthier to a three-year entry-level deal. Both will start in 2022-23 and give Pittsburgh some extra prospect depth. Gauthier, 21, has been arguably the best goaltender in the WHL this season, posting a .932 save percentage through 28 games, winning 20 of those appearances. Since joining the Portland Winterhawks partway through the year, those numbers have actually only continued to rise, with a 13-1 record and .943 save percentage following the midseason trade. ’
While Frasca will likely end up starting with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, there’s a chance that Gauthier heads to the ECHL next season where NHL teams often send their raw goaltending prospects. Either way, Pittsburgh has nabbed another interesting name to keep an eye on.
11:15am: Teams are now allowed to ink prospects to entry-level contracts that start in 2022-23, meaning a rush of signings is likely to happen in the next few days. One of those is expected to be Jordan Frasca, who will sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
Frasca, 20, went undrafted but is having an outstanding season for the Kingston Frontenacs, scoring 32 goals and 65 points in 44 games. His performance in fact has been part of the reason why some people have considered Shane Wright’s season disappointing. The potential first-overall pick in this year’s draft sits behind Frasca in the Frontenacs scoring race (while both sit well behind 21-year-old Lucas Edmonds, another undrafted forward that returned to Canada after several years in Sweden).
Set to turn 21 in July, Frasca will still be signing a three-year entry-level contract. It’s an impressive run for a player who wasn’t even drafted into the OHL until the seventh round of the 2017 Priority Selection, and had just 23 points in his first full season–then with the Windsor Spitfires. He’s now set to join an NHL organization, though it won’t be the first time he’s around professionals. Last summer, Frasca attended development camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, something that likely helped fuel his dominance this season.
Mike Matheson Out Week-To-Week; Pierre-Olivier Joseph Recalled
5:25pm: The Penguins have recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from the minor leagues, likely due to Matheson’s absence. After impressing as a rookie in 2020-21, Joseph has played in just four games at the NHL level this season, spending nearly the entire year in the minor leagues. He’s been outstanding there, racking up 28 points in 40 games, and could now get an extended look in Matheson’s place.
12:55pm: Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has announced, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that defenseman Mike Matheson is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.
Matheson, 27, has had a bit of a career revival since arriving in Pittsburgh in a trade for Patric Hornqvist. In his 94 games with the Penguins Matheson has provided decent offense, with 12 goals and 37 points, and has also given the club’s defense some size and physicality. Matheson is on a significant contract, $4.875MM through 2025-2026, so while his cap hit may bring him some added attention he has settled into a nice role anchoring the Penguins’ third pairing.
With Matheson’s injury, the Penguins may choose to rely on Mark Friedman to take Matheson’s place on the team’s third pairing. Friedman is now an option due to him being recently called up from an AHL conditioning stint. Since being claimed off waivers from Philadelphia last season Friedman has seven points in 17 games for the Penguins. Other than Matheson, the Penguins could seek to call up another defenseman from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins or look for added external help on the trade market.
Before this injury, the Penguins’ defense corps had been largely healthy this season. Ruhwedel, Marcus Pettersson, Brian Dumoulin, John Marino, Matheson, and Kris Letang have all played in at least 48 games, and that degree of health up and down their defensive roster is something few other teams can boast of having. That being said, the Penguins have had a tough recent stretch of games, where they have lost three straight games and given up 14 goals in the process. Those results mean Matheson’s injury is particularly bad timing, and it will be interesting to see what GM Ron Hextall and the Penguins’ front office does to respond to Matheson’s extended absence.
Rodion Amirov Diagnosed With Brain Tumor
The Toronto Maple Leafs released a shocking and heartbreaking message to fans today. Rodion Amirov, the team’s first-round draft pick from 2020, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The young forward is receiving medical attention at a facility in Germany after extensive testing the last few months led to this discovery. General manager Kyle Dubas explained:
Rodion commenced the 2021-22 season with Salavat Ufa of the KHL but suffered an injury to open the season. During the course of his recovery from this injury, he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required ongoing extensive investigations over the last few months.
Rodion is currently undergoing treatment at a medical facility in Germany and will not return to play for the remainder of the season.
Our medical staff has been involved throughout the process alongside Ufa’s and we are in direct contact with the facility on an ongoing basis to monitor his treatment and care. Rodion has the complete support of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and we will continue to ensure he receives the best care possible throughout this process.
Out of respect for Rodion and his family, the Club will not have any further comment at this time.
Amirov, 20, has played just ten games this season with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, his KHL team. Speaking with Sportsnet, Amirov explained that he wants to “stay positive” and for people to “think positively” about him.
The young forward will not play again this season as he continues treatment, though his agent released a statement that includes some encouraging news. Amirov is still skating three times a week and working out every day. He is in “good spirits” and is “determined to return back to professional hockey.”
Trade Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins
With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite more predictions of their demise this offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins have kept on rolling all throughout 2021-22. The team’s ridden great depth scoring and good goaltending from Tristan Jarry through the entire season to overcome more injury issues with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh currently stands tied for first in the Metropolitan Division, and should undoubtedly be buyers at this year’s Trade Deadline. With an increasingly tricky salary cap situation, though, that’s easier said than done.
Record
31-12-8, 2nd in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Room
No base cap room, $4MM in deadline cap space with LTIR, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 4th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2023: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd (becomes 4th if Jeff Carter plays in 50 games this season), PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th, TOR 7th
Trade Chips
If one regular player is to get moved off the team’s current active roster in a trade, whether it be for salary or roster space reasons, it’s likely winger Dominik Simon. The 27-year-old hasn’t found his way up the lineup, being relegated largely to a fourth-line role. He’s averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time per game and has three goals and nine points in 45 games.
In terms of the prospect side of things, the Penguins don’t exactly have the largest cupboard to deal from. There is 21-year-old Swede Filip Hållander, who the team has already dealt away once, only to reacquire him later from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Jared McCann. Playing in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, he’s on pace for a full-season total of just seven goals and 23 points in 63 games, however, and his stock isn’t as high as it was after an impressive SHL season the year prior.
One position they could look to deal from is goaltending. They have considerable young depth at the position and could afford to lose a player there more than any other area. One name that should carry some value is Finnish netminder Joel Blomqvist. While he didn’t get into game action in the abbreviated World Juniors this season, he has an incredibly impressive .940 save percentage in 13 Liiga games with Kärpät this season. The Pens drafted him in the second round in 2020.
There’s also a pair of young forwards that remain on Pittsburgh’s roster as scratches or injuries in Radim Zohorna and Drew O’Connor. Zohorna looked good in stints last season but has only appeared in eight games this season as Pittsburgh’s forward depth remains tough to penetrate. O’Connor was impressive in the preseason but had just five points in 22 games before being sidelined with an undisclosed injury about a month ago.
Other Potential Trade Chips: F Tristan Broz (unsigned 2021 draft pick), D Mark Friedman (12 NHL GP in 2021-22, pending RFA), D Juuso Riikola ($1.15M cap hit buried in AHL, pending UFA)
Team Needs
1) Middle-Six Scoring Winger: Jason Zucker continues to be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and he hasn’t exactly been exceedingly productive when healthy, either. Pittsburgh could upgrade considerably on Danton Heinen, who’s currently riding shotgun on the second line with Malkin and Carter. Another true scoring threat behind the team’s big line who could benefit from playing with Malkin would help increase scoring and improve the team’s bottom-six depth and stability.
2) Sixth/Seventh Defenseman: The team obviously likes having Chad Ruhwedel around, considering the two-year extension assigned to him today. But he remains one of Pittsburgh’s starting six defensemen on a nightly basis with relatively little competition internally. A right-shot man with a higher pedigree to fit in on the third pairing with Mike Matheson will only improve this team’s playoff aspirations.
Penguins Sign Chad Ruhwedel To Two-Year Extension
Chad Ruhwedel has been a serviceable depth defenseman for the Penguins for the last several seasons and he has been rewarded for his efforts as the team announced that they’ve inked the veteran to a two-year contract extension. The one-way deal will run through 2023-24 and carry a cap hit of $800K. GM Ron Hextall released the following statement about the signing:
Chad exemplifies what it means to be a teammate. His work ethic and positive attitude never waver and we are happy he will be a part of our team for the next couple of years.
After being more of a depth defender over his first five seasons with Pittsburgh, the 31-year-old has basically been a regular this season, playing in all but four of Pittsburgh’s 51 games, setting a new career high in that regard. Ruhwedel hasn’t put up much offensively – just six points – but he is averaging more than 15 minutes a night while averaging nearly two hits and a little over one block per game.
With the Penguins having several notable veterans eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer (headlined by defenseman Kris Letang, center Evgeni Malkin, and winger Bryan Rust), they need to try to keep their depth players as close to the league minimum as possible. This move does just that with Ruhwedel’s price tag being just $50K over the minimum for next season and $25K over it for 2023-24 while still giving him a small raise on the $750K he’s making this season.