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Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Mark Friedman

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We finally have some skater movement on waivers. Today, the Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed defenseman Mark Friedman from the Philadelphia Flyers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

The easy connection to make here is straight from Friedman (the player) to Ron Hextall, who recently took over as Penguins GM. It was Hextall who drafted Friedman 86th overall in 2014 just a month after he was promoted to Flyers GM. It was also Hextall who would have seen Friedman at his best, a dominant all-situations force for the Bowling Green State University team.

The 25-year-old defenseman hasn’t made that kind of impact in the NHL yet, playing just 11 games to this point. Just four of those have come this season, but perhaps he’ll receive a bigger opportunity once he gets to Pittsburgh. The Penguins have dealt with injuries to their defense corps all season and still have two regulars on long-term injured reserve. Defense, in particular, will be an interesting test of Hextall’s new philosophy with the Penguins, given they had previously been invested in reclamation projects like Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci.

Friedman becomes the first skater to be claimed off waivers since before the season started. The other three players on waivers with him yesterday—Tanner Kero, Tommy Cross and Luke Schenn—all cleared.

Poll: NHL’s “Thanksgiving Trend” Revisited

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Fans of the NHL are sure to be familiar with the deeper meaning that American Thanksgiving holds each season. With unrelenting consistency, the NHL’s standings on the final Thursday of November have had great predictive ability when compared to the final regular season standings. In fact, over the past seven years the Thanksgiving standings have been about 75% accurate at forecasting eventual playoff teams, predicting 12 of 16 spots on average. Even though American Thanksgiving only rolls around less than two months into the season, three out of four teams in a playoff spot at that time will have retained their postseason berth when the season ends.

The 2019-20 season of course did not have a standard postseason, but if it had then the Thanksgiving trend would have proved even more prophetic in a shortened campaign. Last year, in which teams were limited to between 68 and 71 games apiece prior to the early termination of the regular season, the Thanksgiving standings would have predicted 13 of 16 playoff teams in the standard format. Of the three teams that would have slid out of the postseason, the Florida Panthers trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs by .014 points percentage in the Atlantic Division and the Winnipeg Jets missed out by a measly .001 points percentage behind the Calgary Flames as the final Western Conference wild card. The Thanksgiving standings were that close to predicting 15 of 16 playoff teams in the shortened season, with the unexpected slow start for the Vegas Golden Knights and hot start for the Arizona Coyotes being the other unsurprising course correction.

But how does this trend impact a season that didn’t even begin until well after American Thanksgiving? Based on total games played by Thanksgiving over the past few seasons, Thanksgiving represents about the 30% progress through the NHL season. In the current 56-game season, that comes out to about the 17-game mark. Although postponements and rescheduling have created a wide discrepancy in games played among teams this year, the league as a whole passed that 17-game average on Saturday: Happy Thanksgiving. Admittedly, the 2020-21 campaign does have a different playoff model as well, one that is somewhat stricter than the last few years without the fallback of a wildcard spot for a team on the fifth-place fringe in their division. Yet, it is still a 16-team postseason and the Thanksgiving trend should hold. Using points percentage to rank the standings (the stat may end up determining playoff position for a second consecutive season anyhow) and adjusting for the season’s makeshift divisions, here is the current “Thanksgiving” outlook:

North Division                                                             East Division

Toronto Maple Leafs (.789)                                    Boston Bruins (.733)
Montreal Canadiens (.625)                                     Philadelphia Flyers (.679)
Winnipeg Jets (.618)                                                 Washington Capitals (.594)
Edmonton Oilers (.600)                                          Pittsburgh Penguins (.594)____
Calgary Flames (.472)                                                        New Jersey Devils (.583)
Vancouver Canucks (.405)                                                New York Islanders (.559)
Ottawa Senators (.237)                                                      New York Rangers (.469)
                                                                                                Buffalo Sabres (.429)

West Division                                                                Central Division

Vegas Golden Knights (.700)                                   Carolina Hurricanes (.781)
Colorado Avalanche (.679)                                       Florida Panthers (.750)
St. Louis Blues (.611)                                                  Tampa Bay Lightning (.700)
Minnesota Wild (.571)                                                Dallas Stars (.583)                    
Los Angeles Kings (.531)                                                    Chicago Blackhawks (.579)
Arizona Coyotes (.500)                                                       Columbus Blue Jackets (.526)
San Jose Sharks (.500)                                                       Nashville Predators (.412)
Anaheim Ducks (.417)                                                         Detroit Red Wings (.325)

Now this begs the question, especially seeing how accurate the Thanksgiving standings were in last year’s shortened season but also accounting for the many disruptions for a number of teams early this season, who is the trend currently overlooking? Which teams currently outside the playoff picture, if any, do you think will make the postseason when all is said and done later this season? Use the comments section below as well to discuss which teams may fall out of the postseason and whether you feel the Thanksgiving trend will apply this season.

Which Of These Teams Will Buck The "Thanksgiving" Trend And Make The Playoffs?
New York Islanders 23.09% (263 votes)
Chicago Blackhawks 18.88% (215 votes)
Los Angeles Kings 9.66% (110 votes)
None - "Thanksgiving" goes 16/16 8.96% (102 votes)
Columbus Blue Jackets 7.73% (88 votes)
Calgary Flames 6.41% (73 votes)
New Jersey Devils 5.62% (64 votes)
New York Rangers 4.39% (50 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 3.69% (42 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 3.69% (42 votes)
Buffalo Sabres 2.19% (25 votes)
San Jose Sharks 1.58% (18 votes)
Detroit Red Wings 1.49% (17 votes)
Nashville Predators 1.23% (14 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 0.79% (9 votes)
Ottawa Senators 0.61% (7 votes)
Total Votes: 1,139

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Sidney Crosby Wants To Remain With Penguins For Entire Career

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Tonight is a milestone game for Penguins center Sidney Crosby as he plays in his 1,000th career NHL contest, all in a Pittsburgh uniform.  However, with the team struggling, some have speculated as to whether or not the 33-year-old would be better off or happier with a trade.  Speaking with reporters including NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, the captain tried to downplay that, reiterating his desire to stay with the that drafted him first overall in 2005:

Crosby is off to a bit of a slower start by his standards having averaged over a point per game in all of his first 15 NHL seasons but still sits second in scoring on the Penguins this season with six goals and seven assists in 15 games.

Marcus Pettersson Could Return Tuesday

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Slowly but steadily, the Penguins have been getting some of their defensemen back and it appears one more return is on the horizon.  Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Marcus Pettersson practiced today without contact restrictions and could be available to suit up against Washington on Tuesday.  The 24-year-old logged over 19 minutes per game on the back end last season and would be a welcome addition to a Pittsburgh back end that is still without Brian Dumoulin and Juuso Riikola.

Still with the Penguins, goaltender Casey DeSmith was unavailable for a second straight day due to illness.  Maxime Lagace is up from the taxi squad for the time being to serve as Tristan Jarry’s backup.

Penguins Notes: Crosby And Malkin, Pryor, Attendance

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Though it should come as no surprise, Pittsburgh Penguins ownership consulted their biggest stars before making the recent hires of Ron Hextall as GM and Brian Burke as President of Hockey Operations. The Athletic’s Rob Rossi writes that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were informed of the Hextall-Burke possibility and endorsed the move, according to sources close to the players. While owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle typically do not intrude on hockey operations matters, the once exception over the years has been an insistence on keeping Crosby and Malkin in Pittsburgh at all costs. This why the pair, despite being 33 and 34 years old respectively, were consulted on a front office move that could outlast either’s career. Ownership’s lone mandate to Hextall and Burke is that they would like Crosby and Malkin to retire as Penguins if they so choose. Crosby is already signed through 2024-25 and has never given the team any reason to want to move him. Malkin however has not been as consistent and will be a free agent after next season. He has previously expressed a desire to sign on for three more years in Pittsburgh at the conclusion of his current contract to line up with the expiration of Crosby’s deal, allowing the two iconic Penguins to potentially retire together. Whether this is the same expectation shared by Hextall and Burke remains to be seen, but it appears as though the duo have been asked by their new bosses to treat Crosby and Malkin differently than the rest of the roster.

Interestingly, that even includes defenseman Kris Letang. Rossi reports that previous GM Jim Rutherford had been told that any trade involving Letang would need to be approved by ownership. However, Hextall and Burke are not operating under the same mandate. Rutherford had allegedly been gauging the trade interest in Letang around the league prior to his resignation and Hextall and Burke may be similarly interested in moving the veteran defenseman, whose expensive contract expires after the 2021-22 season. While Lemieux is still believed to prefer extending Letang, it seems he would be okay with moving the career Penguin “the right way”.

  • Rossi also notes that, while no other front office moves were made alongside the additions of Hextall and Burke and the return of interim GM Patrick Allvin back to his role as Assistant GM, permission was given to make an addition to the staff. Hextall reportedly asked that he be allowed to hire his former assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers, Chris Pryor, before accepting the position with the Penguins. Pryor was fired alongside Hextall in Philadelphia and has since been working as an amateur scout for the Nashville Predators. It is unclear why Pryor has not yet joined the Penguins and if the Predators have anything to do with the hold up. However, the expectation is that Pryor will eventually become a second Assistant GM for Pittsburgh, resuming his role as Hextall’s draft guru. Rossi does not believe that any other changes to the front office are imminent until after Hextall and Burke handle the numerous major tasks ahead – in-season trades, entry draft, expansion, etc. – and have time to review the department.
  • The Penguins continue to play in an empty building, but they might have 4,500+ in attendance before too long. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune writes that the team has made requests to the Pennsylvania Department of Health as well as the Governor’s office to allow for PPG Paints Arena to open to fans at 25% capacity. He adds that quarter capacity for the venue is 4,596 spectators, a far cry from the current 500 players and personnel maximum currently allowed on game days. With COVID rates on the decline in the state and neighboring New York opening sports venues to 10% capacity, the Penguins’ request is not unrealistic. The team has already undertaken a number of health and safety measures at PPG in anticipation of crowds. The club certainly hopes that those with the power to allow Penguins fans back in the building will take all factors into account and grant their request.

Poll: Did The Penguins Make The Right Hires?

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The Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed the headlines again yesterday as they announced the two men that will lead their hockey operations moving forward. Ron Hextall, who was hired as general manager, had been in the news as a potential candidate basically since the moment Jim Rutherford announced his resignation. But Brian Burke, who was hired as president of hockey operations, surprised many.

The moves seemed to come with equal shares of praise and criticsm, given the checkered history of both executives. Hextall’s patient approach in Philadelphia resulted in a strong stable of young, homegrown talent, but the Flyers haven’t actually won anything yet. In fact, since he re-joined Philadelphia’s front office in 2013 (first as an AGM), the Flyers have won just a single playoff round and it came well after he was fired. The future looks bright, and Hextall did win a Stanley Cup as a member of the Los Angeles Kings front office, but that was nearly a decade ago.

Still, if Hextall’s hiring came with mostly positive reviews because of his drafting and development history, the opposite could be said of Burke’s. The in-your-face manager has been part of the media for the last few years and is nearly 15 years removed from his Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. His stints in Toronto and Calgary since leaving the Ducks haven’t gone very well and to say he rubs some people the wrong way is to put it lightly. Remember, this is the man who wanted to rent a barn to fight Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe.

That is not to say Hextall and Burke can’t have success. Both have been part of winning teams in the past and no one is questioning how much experience they have between them. But it’s a tough situation in Pittsburgh to walk into. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote today that the Penguins’ job “wasn’t as coveted as it should be” and Burke even explained that other general managers have called him to tell him things will end badly, given the situation the team is in. Other names that were interviewed, according to Friedman, included (but may have not been limited to) Patrik Allvin, John Ferguson Jr., Mike Futa, Mark Hunter, Jason Karmanos, Chris MacFarland and Kevin Weekes.

Are they the right men for the job? Vote below and make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Did the Penguins make the right hires?
Both were excellent choices. 39.39% (611 votes)
Hextall was a good choice, but Burke was wrong. 32.82% (509 votes)
Neither were good choices. 21.92% (340 votes)
Burke was a good choice, but Hextall was wrong. 5.87% (91 votes)
Total Votes: 1,551

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Snapshots: Canucks, Laine, McCann

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The Vancouver Canucks are shopping around a few of their underperforming forwards, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Nashville Predators are one of the teams interested in Adam Gaudette. The 24-year-old forward seemed to have a breakthrough season last year for the Canucks, scoring 33 points in 59 games, but was virtually invisible in the postseason and has just two points in 12 games this season. Gaudette is on a one-year, $950K contract this season and will be an arbitration-eligible RFA in the summer.

On the other name that is swirling around, Jake Virtanen, Friedman seems less certain but does note that the Boston Bruins were checking him out at one point. The San Jose Sharks “poked around” in the offseason, which makes sense given it appeared at one point as though Virtanen would not be back with the Canucks this year. The 24-year-old Virtanen still has just one point through 12 games.

  • The recent benching of Patrik Laine was because he “verbally disrespected” a member of the coaching staff, according to both Aaron Portzline of The Athletic and Brian Hedger of the Columbus Post-Dispatch. The young forward and Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella told reporters today that the incident was behind them, and Laine is expected to be back on the top line with Jack Roslovic and Cam Atkinson when the team plays tomorrow. Despite all that has happened this season, Laine still has five goals and six points through five games, a testament to just how impressive his offensive ability can be. His is still a very interesting situation to watch unfold, however, after playing just 11 minutes on Monday night.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Jared McCann a little longer than originally anticipated, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today that the young forward will be out “week-to-week” while he deals with a lower-body injury. McCann played just four minutes in the team’s last game before exiting and has five points on the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Hire Brian Burke, Ron Hextall

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Not only have the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Ron Hextall as the team’s next GM, but Brian Burke will be joining him. Burke will be installed as President of Hockey Operations, with Hextall as General Manager. Burke last held a similar role with the Calgary Flames until 2018 when he stepped down, joining the Sportsnet broadcast team and working in media since. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Hextall’s contract is four years long (with another option year), with the rest of the 2020-21 season counting as the first.

Penguins’ CEO David Morehouse released a statement on the hires, which were made official Tuesday afternoon:

We feel incredibly lucky to bring in two highly-respected executives with a combined 50-plus years of NHL management experience. Ron and Brian are well-known in the hockey world as fierce competitors with championship pedigrees. They’re very well-connected and experienced in all aspects of the game. They are both excited to get to work here in Pittsburgh, blending their skills and building on our long tradition of success.

Patrik Allvin, who served as interim GM since Jim Rutherford’s sudden resignation last month, will resume his role as assistant GM under Hextall.

This is certainly a change for the Penguins, who had been under the control of Rutherford since 2014. He had seen talented assistants come and go during that time, but it was ultimately Rutherford’s voice that ran the show. Now, by bringing in two veteran executives, there will be more voices in the room as they decide where to go next.

Burke, who famously mocked those who suggested the “Pittsburgh model” was one to follow while the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, first joined an NHL front office in 1987 and has been around the game basically his whole life. While there is some debate to how much credit he should actually receive, the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007 under his leadership and he has plenty of experience at the international level with USA Hockey, including a silver medal in 2010. There may be some who question his decisions, but there’s no one that questions the experience that Burke brings to the table.

Hextall’s arrival in Pittsburgh will come as a confusing moment for many Penguins fans, given how much he was hated during his playing days. A legend of Philadelphia Flyers hockey, the fiery goaltender was an easy villain for the cross-state rivals. That rivalry was reborn in retirement when Hextall took a position with the Flyers scouting department in 1999. After several years with the team, he left for the Los Angeles Kings, getting his first taste of managing by running the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL while serving as an AGM for the NHL squad. In 2013 he returned to Philadelphia and by the next year was named GM.

By 2018 however, he was fired from his job with the Flyers after seemingly being too patient in his approach. The team was slowly laying a foundation through the drafting and development of prospects, but Hextall refused to sacrifice any of it to take a big swing in trades or free agency. That foundation appears to be paying off for the Flyers now, as they contend for the East Division crown while also still having a strong prospect system.

In Pittsburgh, he’ll be challenged right away, given the team’s win-now decree. The Penguins still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to anchor their forward group, meaning the Stanley Cup should always be a goal. But with those two stars and Kris Letang heading into their mid-thirties, it’s unclear if that’s a real possibility for the team at this juncture. Now it’s up to Hextall and Burke to decide where the franchise goes from here.

Pittsburgh Penguins Offer GM Position To Ron Hextall

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have found their next general manager—if they can find the right terms. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the position has been offered to Ron Hextall, though the two sides are still negotiating a contract. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet confirms the negotiation, but neither insider is reporting that a deal is done at this point. Hextall was a front-runner from the beginning and had two interviews with the Penguins over the last week.

You likely couldn’t find two managers more unlike one another than Hextall and Jim Rutherford, the previous Penguins GM who suddenly resigned earlier this season. The former was fired from his last job with the Philadelphia Flyers for not taking enough chances and hoping a slow build would result in a championship program. The latter is a blockbuster-swinging gambler who is willing to sacrifice the future for a chance to surround his elite talents with the right supporting cast.

Perhaps offering the job to Hextall is a signal that the Penguins ownership sees the end of the run with this current group and wants their next hockey operations leader to have a history of building up a strong prospect foundation. After all, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all entering their mid-thirties, the latter two with just one year left under contract after this season. The Penguins currently sit fifth in the East Division, well behind Hextall’s old Flyers team that is now challenging for division crowns.

That’s not to say the Penguins are going to blow things up immediately, but perhaps they will no longer be taking wild swings at the trade deadline to try and find the right winger for Crosby or Malkin. The team already doesn’t have their first, third, fourth, or sixth-round picks from the upcoming draft and have a prospect pipeline recently ranked 29th in the league by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Even if Hextall is given a win-now mandate, there’s not a lot in the cupboard to trade this season.

Minor Transactions: 02/08/21

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The AHL (at least most of its teams) has now joined the NHL in a new season, but there are still plenty of moves being made in the minors as teams solidify their lineups for the new campaign. Of course, many of those who were not successful in securing a contract in the NHL or AHL continue to find work overseas, while other are returning to juniors. Keep up with all of the minor moves made today right here:

  • A pair of veterans have been successful with AHL tryouts in Pennsylvania. Tim Schaller has earned a spot with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, per a league release, while Chris Mueller will be back in the AHL for a 13th consecutive season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms announced a one-year deal. Schaller, 30, had been an NHL regular for several years before last season, when his lack of production for the Vancouver Canucks finally caught up with him and he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and subsequently demoted. Schaller has been an effective fourth liner in the past and will look to earn his way back to the NHL with a strong season in the minors. Mueller, 34, is likely beyond an NHL comeback at this point, having not played in the league since 2014-15, but the decorated AHLer is only a couple seasons away from cracking the league’s top 20 in all-time games played.
  • An intriguing prospect has signed on with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Pavel Gogolev, fresh off of a 96-point season in the OHL last year, has returned to Ontario to join the Marlies, according to the AHL’s transactions log. He had been playing with Vasby IK of Sweden’s Allsvenskan to begin the year, but the club confirms that his contract has been terminated. Gogolev, 20, was passed over yet again in the most recent NHL Draft despite finishing sixth overall in OHL scoring last season. Perhaps this was due to his advanced age relative to other draft-eligible prospects or the lack of development in his defensive ability, but there is no doubting that Gogolev has impressive offensive skill and has shown repeatedly that he is committed to North American hockey and pursuing an NHL career. He will take another step closer to that goal this season with AHL Toronto.
  • Blake Pietila is looking to stick around the North American game and has signed a PTO with the Hershey Bears, the team announced. The former New Jersey Devils prospect signed with the Anaheim Ducks for the 2019-20 season, but played exclusively in the AHL despite having set a new career high in NHL appearances the season prior. The hard-working forward is looking for another opportunity to show he can still be an NHL asset and hopes to not only crack the Hershey roster, but carve out a top role as well. Pietila has recorded 142 points in 266 career AHL games, proving himself to be an impact player in the minors.
  • Despite appearing in training camp for the San Jose Barracuda, Sharks prospect Vladislav Kotkov will wait another season to turn pro. The Sharks have reassigned Kotkov to the QMHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs for one final junior campaign, the team announced. The Sea Dogs are certainly happy about the decision; Kotkov was acquired this summer for a pair of draft picks which would have been squandered if he had never suited up for the team. The overage import forward is a big, powerful offensive presence who is sure to make a major impact for Saint John before inevitably doing so for the Barracuda and possibly the Sharks down the road as well.
  • Former NHL journeyman Andrew Ebbett made a career as a hired gun, playing for six different teams over eight seasons but still managing to suit up for 32 games each year on average. However, when his luck in North America ran out in 2015, he made the unlikely discovery of the first long-term home of his career with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA. Ebbett has spent the last five seasons with Bern, the past four of which as a captain and a top-five scoring forward. However, it is time for Ebbett to move on yet again. At 38, he is not ready to call it a career just yet, but has said goodbye to Bern and signed with EHC Munich of the German DEL. Having recently lost other names familiar to NHL fans in Derek Roy and Kalle Kossila, the Red Bulls were excited to land the veteran Ebbett as a replacement for the remainder of the year.

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