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Zach Aston-Reese Tests Positive For COVID

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Zach Aston-Reese for a while after he tested positive for COVID-19. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Josh Yohe of The Athletic that Aston-Reese will enter the league’s protocol.

With the Penguins already missing their two best forwards, losing Aston-Reese for any length of time is certainly not ideal. The team re-signed the 27-year-old forward to a one-year, $1.75MM contract this summer as a valuable, versatile option that has experience playing all over the lineup. While he should be out of the protocols before the season begins, this obviously complicates his status.

This, like the recent absences of Kevin Lankinen and Mike Hardman in Chicago, is another reminder that this season will not be completely back to normal. Teams and players, even those who have achieved full vaccination status, could still face sudden absences based on testing results and will have to prepare accordingly. Having depth options at the ready will be extremely important, especially for a team like Pittsburgh that can’t afford to throw away any games in the competitive Metropolitan Division.

Metropolitan Notes: Zibanejad, Lee, Malkin

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The New York Rangers began extension talks with top center Mika Zibanejad earlier this month, but the two sides have not yet reached a resolution on a new contact. However, don’t expect that to bother Zibanejad this season. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reports that Zibanejad is unfazed by his impending free agent status. He has been candid with comments stating that he will leave negotiations to his agent and the Rangers’ front office while he remains focused on the upcoming season. “Right now, they’re taking care of business — so I’m taking care of mine,” Zibanejad stated. While many players state us much while actually posturing, Zibanejad really does have nothing to worry about. Sure, the skilled center has stated that he enjoys playing in New York and would like to sign long-term with the Rangers. However, the 28-year-old could also be the top name on the open market if he cannot come to terms with the team on a new deal. Walker reports that Zibanejad’s side is seeking upwards of $10MM per year on a seven- or eight-year term, while the Rangers would prefer to keep that cap number between $7-9MM. While Zibanejad would lose the possibility of that eighth year should he test the market, competition would also certainly drive that AAV up toward his asking price. As a result, Zibanejad has all the leverage in talks with New York, especially if he performs this season, so it makes sense that he can calmly focus solely on his play and let negotiations unfold behind the scenes.

  • Across town, the New York Islanders are looking forward to the return of one of their own core players in Anders Lee. Lee missed the final 29 games of the regular season and the entirety of the postseason after undergoing ACL surgery in March, but is now back to full strength. Yet, his comeback is still on hold for the time being. Though Lee has not been limited in training camp, NYI Hockey Now’s Christian Arnold relays word from head coach Barry Trotz that Lee will not be rushed into preseason action. The star forward is expected to be held out of at least the first few Islanders preseason games, if not more. While the team wants Lee to be up to game speed by the start of the regular season, they are being cautious with his workload on a surgically repaired knee. A hard-working veteran, Lee will be ready to go for New York’s season debut regardless of how much work he puts in prior.
  • As for Evgeni Malkin, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports that it is status quo for the star center’s return from off-season knee surgery. While Sidney Crosby is only expected to miss a few games to start the year following his own wrist surgery, the expectation remains that Malkin will miss the first two months of the season. The Penguins surely had hoped that Malkin could fast-forward his return to action, especially since the team’s limited cap space handicapped their ability to find a suitable replacement down the middle. The focus so far in training camp has been on veteran Evan Rodrigues and youngster Radim Zohorna battling for a starting center role, though neither will be able to bring even replacement-level offense to the lineup. Jeff Carter, Teddy Blueger, and eventually Crosby will likely be the Penguins top-nine centers until Malkin returns and the lines are re-shuffled.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/21

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Training camp means training camp cuts. Even though the preseason only kicked off last night and waivers does not begin until later this week, teams are already making moves to trim their rosters of junior and waiver-exempt talent and failed tryouts. Keep up with all of those moves here:

Boston Bruins (via team Twitter)

D Ryan Mast (to Sarnia, OHL)
D Noah Dorey (released from ATO to Kelowna, WHL)

Los Angeles Kings (via team Twitter)

F Lorenzo Canonica (released from ATO to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
F Brett Hyland (released from ATO to Brandon, WHL)
F Logan Morrison (released from ATO to Hamilton, OHL)
F Tye McSorley (released from ATO to Oshawa, OHL)
D Cameron Supryka (released from ATO to Hamilton, OHL)
D Landon Kosior (released from ATO to Prince Albert, WHL)
D Dylan Robinson (released from ATO to Windsor, OHL)

Minnesota Wild (via team release)

F Caedan Bankier (to Kamloops, WHL)
D Daemon Hunt (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Carson Lambos (to Winnipeg, WHL)
D Kyle Masters (to Red Deer, WHL)
F Pavel Novak (to Kelowna, WHL)
D Ryan O’Rourke (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
G Trevin Kozlowski (released from PTO to Iowa, AHL)
F Bryce Misley (released from PTO to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

F Joshua Roy (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
F Xavier Simoneau (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
G Joe Vrbetic (to North Bay, OHL)

New York Rangers (via team release)

G Talyn Boyko (to Tri-City, WHL)
F Jake Elmer (to Hartford, AHL)
G Dylan Garand (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Patrick Khodorenko (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ryder Korczak (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Hunter Skinner (to Hartford, AHL)
F Evan Vierling (to Barrie, OHL)
D Zach Berzolla (released from PTO to Hartford, AHL)
D Zach Giuttari (released from PTO to Hartford, AHL)
F Michael O’Leary (released from PTO to Hartford, AHL)
F James Sanchez (released from PTO to Hartford, AHL)
F Alex Whalen (released from PTO to Hartford, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Sam Houde (to Wilkes-Barre, AHL)
D Chris Bigras (to Wilkes-Barre, AHL)
D Chris Merisier-Ortiz (to Wilkes-Barre, AHL)
D Josh Maniscalco (to Wilkes-Barre, AHL)
G Alex D’Orio (to Wilkes-Barre, AHL)
G Tommy Nappier (to Wilkes-Barre, AHL)
F Lukas Svejkovsky (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
F Josh Williams (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Isaac Belliveau (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
D Ryan McCleary (to Portland, WHL)

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Evgeni Malkin To Miss First Two Months Of The Season

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are likely going to be without Sidney Crosby to start the year after undergoing wrist surgery earlier this month that will keep him out a minimum of six weeks. There wasn’t any clarity on Evgeni Malkin’s timeline until today, when Penguins GM Ron Hextall confirmed he will likely miss the first two months of the season as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.

That means the Penguins are without their top two centers for the first bit, but Malkin’s considerably longer absence is a bigger concern. The 35-year-old center is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, which saw him record just eight goals–his lowest total–and 28 points in 33 games. Malkin’s ice time dropped to fewer than 18 minutes a night for the first time and he once again missed a huge chunk of the season.

While obviously, the hope is that he comes back at full strength after the first two months and gets back to the player who scored 74 points in 55 games during the 2019-20 season, that may be wishful thinking for the Penguins faithful. The veteran center has dealt with countless injuries over a long career, failing to play in every game of a season since 2008-09 when he won the Art Ross Trophy with 113 points.

Even once Crosby returns, the absence of Malkin leaves question marks at the center position for the Penguins. The team does have Jeff Carter after a deadline deal last season, but he will turn 37 on January 1 and has seen a decline in offensive production in recent years. Teddy Blueger has shown he is likely better suited in the bottom-six, while other options like Evan Rodrigues and Sam Lafferty are not even proven NHL options. The team does have young prospect Filip Hallander, who has shown strong potential down the middle, and veteran Brian Boyle in camp on a PTO, but there will certainly be a void felt while Malkin is on the sideline.

With the ever-competitive Metropolitan Division coming back into play this year, losing Malkin for two months could be devastating. There are at least three teams in the division that are already projected to be equal or better than the Penguins this season, while each of those that missed the playoffs last year are expected to take steps forward. Every game will be important, and now the first 20 or so will be without one of the team’s key players.

Training Camp Notes: Bruins, Blue Jackets, Penguins

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As development camps begin to wrap up around the NHL, training camp rosters have been released throughout the day and into the evening. There’s been a variety of rather interesting surprises and irregularities as the rosters have been released to the public. One of the more unusual aspects of the day has to do with the Boston Bruins training camp roster. It appears as though veteran AHL defenseman Aaron Ness will be attending camp with the team. While no contract terms have been announced, he had previously signed a professional tryout contract with the Seattle Kraken. A contract announcement can likely be expected in the near future.

Elsewhere from training camps around the league:

  • Another surprise inclusion comes in the form of a veteran goaltender. The Columbus Blue Jackets released their roster today, including 30-year-old veteran netminder Jean-Francois Berube. The Quebec native, originally a selection of the Los Angeles Kings in 2009, is returning to the organization after a one-year stint there in 2018-19. It was played entirely with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. While Berube’s numbers have dipped in recent seasons, he was once a capable third-string option and still could provide valuable goalie depth to the organization. Similar to Ness, no contract terms have been released yet for Berube, but it’s something to look out for.
  • The Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh reports that forwards Sam Houde and Josh Williams are attending Pittsburgh Penguins camp on amateur tryout contracts. Both signings could help plug some organization depth weaknesses caused by a cascading injury effect. Houde comes to the team after serving as the captain for the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens, scoring 28 points in 29 games during his final QMJHL season. Williams, a winger out of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, showed off his goal-scoring skills this year with 17 goals and 30 points in 22 games. Both could slot into depth roles in the AHL and could eventually become bigger parts of the organization if signed.

Filip Lindberg Eyeing NHL Role With Penguins

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Training camp is a time for special interest stories. Seasoned vets and rookies alike sit down with their teams’ communications staffs and talk about their summers, their history with the team – or for newcomers their introduction, and their hopes and dreams for the seasons. However, no team is going to provide their fans with false hope about a prospect’s chances to help the team with stories of unreasonable expectations for the season. They may ask an AHL-bound player about his aspirations for the year, but will keep their own statements at least relatively grounded.

So when the Pittsburgh Penguins publish an article about premier college free agent signing Filip Lindberg hoping to win a job with the NHL team in his first pro season, it isn’t just puffery. When the team writes that “Lindberg is in [a] competition for playing time amongst the other netminders here in Pittsburgh as he looks to earn a starting role”, it doesn’t require much reading between the lines. It appears that the reigning NCAA National Champion, at just 22 years old, will actually have a chance to battle for a roster spot this preseason.

The Penguins were expected to bring in a veteran goaltender this off-season following inconsistency issues with starter Tristan Jarry and injury concerns with backup Casey DeSmith. Louis Domingue is not exactly what fans were expecting. Instead, Lindberg was the real value addition to the crease this summer. A seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2019 following his freshman season at UMass, Lindberg had far outplayed his draft stock by the time he decided to leave college early and turn pro this year, spurning Minnesota for free agency in the process. In three NCAA seasons, Lindberg never posted a GAA over 2.00 nor a save percentage below .927. In 50 appearances for the Minutemen, he recorded a stunning .937 SV% and 1.55 GAA and, unsurprisingly, a .711 points percentage. This culminated in an NCAA Tournament performance for the ages, earning two shutouts for a .986 save percentage and 0.33 GAA in three games en route to UMass’ first ever title.

As accomplished as he may be at the college level, is Lindberg really ready for the NHL as a first-year pro? Maybe not for most NHL teams, but the Penguins have limited options. Jarry, 26, still appears to be locked in as the team’s starter, especially with another season left on his contract. However, 30-year-old DeSmith who has had struggles with injuries and inconsistency and is in the final year of his deal with the Penguins may not have much left to offer. Even if DeSmith begins the season on the NHL roster, he may not last. Would it really then benefit Pittsburgh to bring in journeyman Domingue over potential future NHL starter Lindberg? A strong performance in camp would be a good start for the college star, but may not be enough to win him a job outright. However, continued excellence in the AHL, including stealing starts from Domingue, could quickly put Lindberg in line for an NHL shot and perhaps even a full-time job in year one.

Before too long, even the starter’s job could belong to the lightning-quick netminder. Lindberg already unseated one Matt Murray in his career. Who’s to say he can’t do the same to Matt Murray’s replacements in Pittsburgh?

East Notes: Eichel, Chara, Hallander

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It was a busy news day in the Eastern Conference. It was highlighted by the New York Islanders signing Zdeno Chara and the Ottawa Senators signing Logan Brown, both to one-year deals. But those weren’t the only items of note from around the East today as things begin to heat up prior to training camps. The Associated Press’s John Wawrow reports that Jack Eichel will indeed report to the Buffalo Sabres for his physical next week. Considering the importance that Eichel’s health status plays in any potential trade from Buffalo, the results of this appointment will likely be of especially high interest to Buffalo and teams interested in acquiring the star center. It could provide some additional clarity about paths forward for Eichel, as well as a potential return date from his neck injury.

Elsewhere from around the East:

  • Assuming Chara actually suits up for game action with the Islanders this year, he’ll be setting an NHL record in the process. According to Sportradar, Chara will have gone the longest amount of time between games with a singular franchise of anyone in the league. His last game with the Islanders was in April of 2001, making it roughly 20 years and six months since he last suited up for the Isles. It smashes the previous record held by Brendan Shanahan, who went 17 years and nine months between games with the New Jersey Devils.
  • After being dealt from and back to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization via trades with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Filip Hallander remains committed to making an NHL career for himself with the team. Participating in this year’s development camp with the team, he notes to Penguins writer James Leo that he’s “here to take a spot.” It’s not something that’s entirely out of the realm of possibility. Neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin will be ready for the start of the season, stretching the team’s center depth extremely thin. The 21-year-old had 24 points in 51 games last year with Luleå in the Swedish Hockey League, and could at least earn a few games out of camp in a bottom-six role while the team heals up.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2021-22 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Current Cap Hit: $81,378,205 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

None projected to play a full-time role in the NHL this coming season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Zach Aston-Reese ($1.725MM, UFA)
F Jeff Carter ($2.636MM, UFA)*
G Casey DeSmith ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Mark Friedman ($725K, RFA)
F Danton Heinen ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Kasperi Kapanen ($3.2MM, RFA)
F Sam Lafferty ($750K, UFA)
D Kris Letang ($7.25MM, UFA)
F Evgeni Malkin ($9.5MM, UFA)
D Juuso Riikola ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Evan Rodrigues ($1MM, UFA)
D Chad Ruhwedel ($750K, UFA)
F Bryan Rust ($3.5MM, UFA)

*-Los Angeles is paying 50% of Carter’s cap hit.

Malkin had a quiet year by his standards last season as he notched 28 points in 33 games and isn’t expected to be ready to start the upcoming campaign due to knee surgery.  Now 35, Malkin’s days of being an elite producer may have come to an end which means a pay cut should be on the horizon.  Rust didn’t put up a point per game last season but still produced at a top-line level.  Showing that over a full season would have him very well-positioned for a sizable raise on his next deal.  Kapanen’s second go-round in Pittsburgh was better than his first as he established himself as a strong second-liner.  He’ll be a year away from UFA eligibility at the end of this contract so a long-term, pricier contract is heading his way.  If not, he’d be wise to just file for arbitration and head to the open market in 2023.

Carter made an immediate impact after coming over from Los Angeles, notching 13 goals in 20 games (regular season and playoffs combined).  If he even comes close to that pace this coming season, they’ll get good value on the contract and Carter, who seemed to be a candidate to retire when this deal was up, could wind up sticking around the league a little longer.  Aston-Reese couldn’t work out a long-term contract (the cap situation played a role in that) which sends him to the open market next summer.  The market for bottom-six players improved considerably this offseason which bodes quite well for his future earnings.  Heinen was non-tendered by Anaheim following a tough run with them and lands in a favorable situation where he’ll be in a better offensive environment to try to rebuild his value.  He can be controlled through a qualifying offer although salary arbitration could be a factor.  Rodrigues was a serviceable role player and got a small raise this summer but unless his offensive numbers take a step forward, he won’t get much of one next year.  Lafferty brings grit but not a lot of production which will keep his price tag close to the minimum moving forward.

While Malkin is probably heading for a smaller salary, the same can’t necessarily be said for Letang, another long-time core piece that’s set to hit the open market.  The top-end production is still there as he very quietly finished tied for third in the league for points by a defenseman last season.  With the way the cost for top-pairing blueliners has gone up, Letang could have a decent case for a small raise.  If he’s willing to take a discount to stay in Pittsburgh – a reasonable possibility – the discount may simply be signing for something close to what he’s making now.  He’ll be subject to 35-plus provisions (unless a multi-year deal has equal compensation throughout) on his next contract but Letang still should still land a multi-year commitment.  Ruhwedel and Friedman are depth defenders whose biggest value comes from their low cap hits and those will need to be low-cost slots beyond this season.

DeSmith returned to the NHL last season after being the third-stringer in 2019-20 and the results were mixed as Pittsburgh’s goaltending ran hot and cold at times but overall, he provided slightly above average numbers at a price tag well below many recent backup signings.  A repeat showing could put him in a spot to double his current AAV next summer.

Two Years Remaining

F Teddy Blueger ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Brian Dumoulin ($4.1MM, UFA)
G Tristan Jarry ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Radim Zohorna ($750K, UFA)
F Jason Zucker ($5.5MM, UFA)

At the time that Pittsburgh acquired Zucker, his contract looked more than reasonable.  He was a quality top-six winger with the expectation that joining the Penguins would help improve his production.  That hasn’t happened and he wound up being unclaimed in expansion.  All of a sudden, his deal is an overpayment relative to the production he has provided which won’t help his market value two years from now.  Blueger has become an important bottom-six piece and should have an opportunity to play a bit of a bigger role this season.  Even capable bottom-six centers can land notable contracts so he should be looking at a raise in 2023.  Zohorna held his own in his NHL debut last season but is waiver-exempt for one more year.  He’s likely to be shuffled back and forth as a result to save some money on the cap.

Dumoulin doesn’t generate a lot of buzz around the league but he has been a key cog on their back end for several years.  His limited offensive production won’t help his chances of landing top dollar in free agency but as a reliable defensive defender that can log top-pairing minutes, he’s still looking at a fairly hefty raise on his next deal.

Jarry’s first season as the undisputed number one goalie didn’t exactly go as planned.  He struggled with consistency throughout the year with a propensity for allowing untimely weak goals.  Even so, he’s still only making what a top backup does so while he was overpaid for what he did last season, it wasn’t by as much as it might seem.  Needless to say, he’ll have to be a lot better to get a contract for number one money two years from now.

Three Years Remaining

F Jake Guentzel ($6MM, UFA)

Guentzel was once again slightly above the point per game mark last season and has basically been a point per game player over the last three seasons.  Not many can say that and even fewer have an AAV that is closer to a second-liner than a top-line forward.  He’s still young enough to land close to a max-term contract in his next negotiation and it could be a pricey one if this keeps up.

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Burke: Not Time To Rebuild Penguins Yet

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  • While the Penguins haven’t had much playoff success as of late, team president Brian Burke told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that he doesn’t feel the time is right to rebuild yet. Pittsburgh wasn’t able to add much to their roster this summer – Brock McGinn was their biggest acquisition – but he feels the core is still good enough to contend.  With both Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang set to become unrestricted free agents next summer, that will be the key time for a decision to be made on whether this core can still contend or it’s time to change things up.

Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Core, Ryfors, Denisenko

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While the Maple Leafs opted to keep their core intact this summer, GM Kyle Dubas acknowledged on a recent edition of the Bob McCown Podcast (audio link) that he did give some consideration to shaking things up but that none of the moves would have made them tangibly better, only different.  Instead, he opted to change up some of the depth players instead while bringing in a handful of wingers to battle for Zach Hyman’s spot in the top six while believing that Toronto will be able to get over the playoff hump following another early elimination last season.  There will be more decisions to be made next summer when it comes to their core with defenseman Morgan Rielly and goalie Jack Campbell slated to become unrestricted free agents and not a lot of cap flexibility to work with at that time.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Maple Leafs, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun suggests that Toronto may look to bring someone in on a PTO in the coming days. With most of their roster spots spoken for and a need to carry a group that’s below the maximum roster size, there don’t appear to be a lot of spots for someone on a PTO to fill but more depth for training camp battles rarely is a bad thing.  The Leafs already have one tryout deal on the books in winger Joshua Ho-Sang but that is most likely for a spot with their AHL squad.
  • Tampa Bay’s signing of Simon Ryfors back in May largely went under the radar but Joe Smith of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that a total of five teams offered the undrafted forward an entry-level contract for 2021-22. The 24-year-old ultimately chose to sign with the Lightning and with the departures they had up front this summer, Ryfors could have a chance to break camp with the big club or be one of the first recalls from AHL Syracuse.  He had 25 goals and 20 assists in 51 games last season with Rogle of the SHL.
  • George Richards of Florida Hockey Now pegs winger Grigori Denisenko as a likely candidate from development camp to make a push for a full-time role with the Panthers this season. The 21-year-old, a 2018 first-rounder, got into seven games with Florida in 2020-21 but wouldn’t be a good fit in a depth role as he’s waiver-exempt and more of an offensive-minded player.  But if he can show that he’s ready for a spot on the top three lines, he’d likely leapfrog many of the depth additions that Florida brought in this summer.

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