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Jake Guentzel Out Four To Six Months

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their top offensive weapons for the rest of the season. Jake Guentzel has undergone shoulder surgery after suffering an injury last night and is expected to be out for four to six months.

Guentzel, 25, had taken his game to another level this season, leading the Penguins in scoring through the first part of the season with 43 points in 39 games. His presence at the top of the lineup had been the only real constant this season as Pittsburgh dealt with injuries to almost every other impact player, including Sidney Crosby who remains out. Guentzel had been rewarded with his first All-Star appearance, though obviously he now will not be able to attend (or, at least play).

This is just the latest in a brutal string of injuries for Pittsburgh, and yet the team continues to stay near the top of the standings in the Metropolitan Division. Thanks to a successful makeshift lineup and strong goaltending, the group sits in second place with a 24-11-4 record and only seven points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals. In fact, Pittsburgh is on an 8-2 run in their last ten and now have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.

Losing Guentzel for the rest of the year though will hurt dearly, as the young forward was averaging nearly 21 minutes a night and had turned into a real star in this league. A recovery period of four months would potentially allow him to return for some playoff action, but the team may have to try and win the Stanley Cup without Guentzel this season.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Pittsburgh Penguins

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

What are the Penguins most thankful for?

Surviving the first half of the season despite a litany of injuries.  To be fair, that’s underselling just what the Penguins have accomplished.  They’ve had numerous core players go down and despite that, they sit just one point out of second in the division.  They’ve had role players like Bryan Rust pick up their play considerably.  Some of their younger players have stepped up and instead of just holding down a roster spot, they’ve made contributions on both ends.  Even with Matt Murray struggling, they just keep trekking on as Tristan Jarry has taken over the number one job and has been dominant.  Pittsburgh has had a lot thrown at them already this season and they haven’t missed a beat.

Who are the Penguins most thankful for?

There are a lot of viable options here.  Their franchise forwards would each be a safe pick.  Rust and Jarry have been terrific.  Kris Letang is still logging heavy minutes to help that back end.  There’s a case to be made for any of them.

But Jake Guentzel’s continued emergence gives him the nod.  While he scored 40 goals last season, some attributed that to riding Crosby’s coattails.  That hasn’t been the case this season and the production hasn’t gone down.  Actually, it has gone up slightly as he’s on pace to surpass the point per game mark for the first time in his career while he leads the team in scoring.  He’s also locked up on a long-term deal that’s looking like a bargain more and more by the day; he has four years remaining on his contract after this one at a $6MM AAV.  His ability to help carry a line could make their attack even more dangerous when they get back to full health in the coming weeks.

What would the Penguins be even more thankful for?

Simply put, at this point, they’d be thrilled if no one else got hurt the rest of the way.  Beyond that, they’d be really thankful if Alex Galchenyuk became more of a productive player.  Despite having a reasonable track record of offensive success and plenty of opportunities to play up in the lineup with so many others out, the 25-year-old has struggled mightily this season and has just four goals in 29 games.  GM Jim Rutherford has already suggested that it may be tough to keep him in the lineup when everyone’s healthy.  That’s a bitter pill to swallow for someone that was a key part of the Phil Kessel trade over the summer.

With it being Galchenyuk’s final year before unrestricted free agency, there’s a lot at stake for him as well.  Instead of being a prime candidate to land a long-term contract, he’s looking like a reclamation project at this point.  A strong second half would go a long way towards changing that while being a boon for Pittsburgh as well.

What should be on the Penguins’ Holiday Wish List?

In the short term, getting Marcus Pettersson signed to an extension early in the New Year is something they want to get done and they haven’t exactly hidden that.

Whenever that gets done, finding more cap flexibility may be something else that Rutherford is wishing for.  For starters, he always likes to try to make a big addition and creating more cap space would certainly make that possible.  Assuming their forward group gets healthy, an impact defender would be the ideal target.  Beyond that, with Murray and Jarry (among others) being in need of new contracts next summer, freeing up some room for bigger deals for them is something they may look to try to do over the next couple of months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NHL All-Star Selections Announced

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Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:

Atlantic Division

G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)

Metropolitan Division

G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Central Division

G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

Pacific Division

G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:

Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner

Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie

Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine

Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty

Minor Transactions: 12/30/19

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With just one game on the schedule for this evening, teams are licking their wounds waiting for the New Year and the second half of the NHL season. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will be in action, but even those on a rest day will be making minor tweaks. As those come in, we’ll list them here.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Timothy Liljegren and Teemu Kivihalme, two defensemen yet to make their NHL debuts. The Maple Leafs already lost Jake Muzzin to a broken foot and need to replace him on the roster. It seems Kivihalme will get the first shot, as Liljegren has already been returned to the AHL Marlies.
  • With Charlie McAvoy going onto injured reserve, the Boston Bruins have recalled Jeremy Lauzon under emergency conditions. McAvoy hasn’t played since before Christmas, though the injury isn’t expected to keep him out long-term. The Bruins got some good news on the injury front as well, activating forward Karson Kuhlman from the injured reserve and assigning him to AHL Providence.
  • Calvin Pickard has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings once again, giving them another healthy goaltender. Pickard has ended up playing two games for Detroit this season, but has a 5.32 GAA and .818 save percentage.
  • Mathieu Joseph is heading back to the minor leagues once again, something the Tampa Bay Lightning have done several times this month. The young forward has still spent most of his season with the NHL club, but is bouncing back and forth lately.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Joachim Blichfield from the AHL Barracuda, giving the youngster another opportunity after he made his NHL debut early last month. Blichfield has been one San Jose’s best minor league forwards this season and the struggling Sharks could use an offensive boost if he can translate his game to the next level.
  • Daniel Sprong is back in the NHL after a brief layover with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The Anaheim Ducks called up the young forward, who has spent considerable time with the team this year, but has only actually played in one game. Sprong recorded 19 points in 47 games with the Ducks last year and already has 19 points in 25 games with the Gulls, so he has the potential to make an impact in Anaheim if given the chance.
  • With the Minnesota Wild activating captain Mikko Koivu, the team has reassigned rookie forward Nico Sturm to AHL Iowa. Sturm, a highly sought-after college free agent last spring, has 12 points in 25 games wIowa this year and a pair of points in six games with Minnesota as well.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/19

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There were nine games in the NHL last night and, outside of a surprising 6-1 drubbing of the Flyers by the Sharks, it was a slate of tight results. The other eight match-ups combined for a margin of victory of just 12 goals, including five one-goal decisions. With another ten games on the docket today, including five divisional rivalries, it should be another competitive slate. Every team will be trying to make the right roster moves to improve their odds of winning, so keep up with all of the action here:

  • Last night, the Nashville Predators recalled Yakov Trenin, replacing the roster spot of Colton Sissons, who has been placed on injured reserve. Trenin has been up-and-down frequently this season, playing in six games with the Predators and 20 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Trenin’s minor league production this season suggests he could assert himself as a top-nine forward for Nashville if he continues to get opportunities.
  • Another notable move last night was the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signing Sebastien Caron to a PTO to serve as their emergency backup goalie. That name should be familiar, as Caron made his WBS Penguins debut back in 2000-01 and made 95 NHL appearances over a 15-year pro career, 90 of which came with Pittsburgh and the other five in brief stops with Chicago, Anaheim, and Tampa Bay. Caron also spent parts of nine seasons in Europe. Since retiring from regular play in 2015-16, Caron has made multiple emergency backup appearances for the AHL Penguins, as well as the Binghamton Devils.
  • Derek Forbort finally returned to action last night, as the Los Angeles Kings activated the defenseman from the injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a conditioning loan. Forbort began the season on the injured reserve with a back injury, but looked like he was trending toward a return in late November. However, Forbort suffered a setback during a previous conditioning stint and never made it back to active duty with the Kings. The team hopes that this time around he can stay healthy in the AHL and make his NHL debut sooner rather than later.
  • With a few days between games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Kenny Agostino and Timothy Liljegren back to the AHL. With Jake Muzzin out due to a broken foot and Rasmus Sandin currently overseas playing for Sweden, Liljegren seems to be the next in line for an NHL opportunity in Toronto.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have assigned forward Morgan Frost to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL and have activated forward Michael Raffl off of injured reserve. Frost, one of the team’s top prospects, scored two goals in his first two NHL games, but has failed to score in the past 16 games. His last game, the team’s 6-1 loss to San Jose, Frost finished with a minus-three rating. He will return to the AHL to find his scoring confidence. Raffl has been inserted in the Flyers’ lineup after sitting out since Dec. 3 after breaking his finger. The 31-year-old has three goals and six assists this season in 28 games.

Patric Hornqvist To Be Activated Off IR, Nick Bjugstad Resumes Skating

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  • The Penguins are set to get some good news on the injury front as the team announced that they will activate winger Patric Hornqvist off IR in advance of tonight’s game against Nashville. The veteran had missed the past ten games due to a lower-body injury.  Winger Thomas Di Pauli has been returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to make room on the roster.  Meanwhile, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that forward Nick Bjugstad skated for the first time after sustaining a core muscle injury more than a month ago.  He’s still likely a few weeks away from returning though.

Minor Transactions: 12/27/19

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As the holiday season comes to an end and teams are back in action, plenty of players will be on their way back to the NHL. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves with 11 games on the schedule for tonight.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Adam Clendening, Gabriel Carlsson, Ryan MacInnis and Jakob Lilja, showing just how many injuries they are dealing with at the moment. All but Lilja are up under emergency conditions after placing Cam Atkinson on injured reserve.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins, another team dealing with plenty of injuries, have recalled Kevin Czuczman, Thomas DiPauli and Joseph Blandisi. The Penguins will take on the Nashville Predators tonight as they continue to try and navigate a difficult season.
  • Jake Walman has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues ahead of their game against the Winnipeg Jets. The Blues sent Niko Mikkola down before the holidays, but perhaps they’ve decided to see what Walman can do instead.
  • Riley Stillman is on his way to join the Florida Panthers, though they won’t play until tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. Stillman has spent most of the season in the AHL, but does have three games at the NHL level this year.
  • With the Toronto Maple Leafs back in action tonight, the team has recalled Martin Marincin and Adam Brooks from the AHL. Brooks, who still has yet to make his NHL debut, has 16 points in 20 minor league games and has long been a favorite of head coach Sheldon Keefe.
  • Nico Sturm has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild, after getting into four games before Christmas. Sturm is still looking for his first NHL goal, but looks like he can handle the center position, at least in limited minutes.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Christian Djoos in time for their game tonight against the battered Blue Jackets, as both Michal Kempny and Radko Gudas are both dealing with an illness. The two veteran defensemen are game-time decisions.
  • Andrew Ladd has been returned to the AHL by the New York Islanders, after playing in one NHL game. It appears as though the end is coming quickly for the 34-year old forward, who still has three more years on his contract but has been stuck in the minor leagues.
  • Filip Zadina, Calvin Pickard and Brian Lashoff have all been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings as they prepare for a back-to-back this weekend. The Red Wings sit in last place in the entire NHL and are already looking ahead to the draft lottery in the spring.
  • Colin Blackwell and Jarred Tinordi have both been recalled by the Nashville Predators, giving them a full 23-man roster once again. Tinordi, 27, hasn’t played in an NHL game since the 2015-16 season.
  • Curtis Lazar has been recalled by the Buffalo Sabres, who were hoping that Johan Larsson would be ready for tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins. Lazar has bounced back and forth all year, playing eight games with the Sabres and 18 with the Rochester Americans.
  • Mathieu Joseph is on his way back to the AHL once again, assigned there by the Tampa Bay Lightning today. The 22-year old forward has played in 32 games with the Lightning this season, but needs to get his game back on track and will get some more time at the minor league level to do it.

Penguins Likely To Start Extension Talks With Marcus Pettersson Next Week

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With January 1st quickly approaching and being the first day that players on one-year contracts can sign contract extensions, it’s likely we’ll see some activity on that front fairly soon.  One player that appears to be likely to get one is Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson.  Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they plan to start those talks as early as possible:

We owe it to him to have that discussion at the earliest time we can have it. We both agreed to do a different contract that he ultimately took because it’s the only thing we could do with the cap situation. Now that we’ve moved Gudbranson, we’ve got some cap space.

Last summer, it was reported that Pettersson was intent on getting a multi-year deal done but with the limited funds they had, all they were able to afford was a one-year deal at his qualifying offer that checked in at just over $874K.  As Rutherford alluded to, now that Erik Gudbranson and his $4MM salary through 2020-21 is in Anaheim, the Penguins now have some financial flexibility to get a longer-term deal in place with Pettersson.

The 23-year-old is averaging nearly 19 minutes per night this season and has become a fixture in their top four.  His offensive numbers are limited (1-12-13 in 36 games) which will limit his overall earnings upside but he should still surpass the $2MM mark without much difficulty as he’s now into his arbitration-eligible years.  Vensel notes that a multi-year deal has basically been agreed upon over the summer and would have been done if not for the cap situation so it will be interesting to see how quickly the two sides can work out a deal starting next week.

NHL Draft Picks Participating In The World Junior Championship

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The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship is underway from Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech Republic. The tournament began today and will run through the championship game on January 5th. Each of the NHL’s 31 teams has at least one representative at the WJC. Five teams have only one draft pick participating, while the Los Angeles Kings (9) and Arizona Coyotes (7) each have more than those teams combined. However, it only takes one player and one moment to make history at the WJC. Check out which future NHLers will have that chance this year:

Anaheim Ducks (2):

G Lukas Dostal, Czech Republic
F Trevor Zegras, USA

Arizona Coyotes (7):

F Barrett Hayton, Canada
F Jan Jenik, Czech Republic
F Matias Maccelli, Finland
D Aku Raty, Finland
D Victor Soderstrom, Sweden
F Valentin Nussbaumer, Switzerland
D Ty Emberson, USA

Boston Bruins (3):

F Jakub Lauko, Czech Republic
F John Beecher, USA
F Curtis Hall, USA

Buffalo Sabres (4):

F Dylan Cozens, Canada
F Matej Pekar, Czech Republic
G Erik Portillo, Sweden
D Mattias Samuelsson, USA

Calgary Flames (1):

G Dustin Wolf, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (5):

D Anttoni Honka, Finland
F Lenni Killinen, Finland
F Patrik Puistola, Finland
F Dominik Bokk, Germany
F Jack Drury, USA

Chicago Blackhawks (2):

F Antti Saarela, Finland
F Michal Teply, Czech Republic

Colorado Avalanche (4):

D Bowen Byram, Canada
G Justus Annunen, Finland
F Sampo Ranta, Finland
D Daniil Zhuravlyov, Russia

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):

F Liam Foudy, Canada
F Kirill Marchenko, Russia
F Dmitri Voronkov, Russia
D Tim Berni, Switzerland

Dallas Stars (3):

F Ty Dellandrea, Canada
F Oskar Back, Sweden
F Albin Eriksson, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (5):

D Jared McIsaac, Canada
F Joseph Veleno, Canada
D Moritz Seider, Germany
F Jonatan Berggren, Sweden
F Jesper Eliasson, Sweden

Edmonton Oilers (4):

F Raphael Lavoie, Canada
G Olivier Rodrigue, Canada
F Matej Blumel, Czech Republic
D Philip Broberg, Sweden

Florida Panthers (3):

Justin Schutz, Germany
F Grigori Denisenko, Russia
G Spencer Knight, USA

Los Angeles Kings (9):

F Aidan Dudas, Canada
F Akil Thomas, Canada
F Lukas Parik, Czech Republic
F Rasmus Kupari, Finland
D Kim Nousiainen, Finland
D Tobias Bjornfot, Sweden
F Samuel Fagemo, Sweden
F Arthur Kaliyev, USA
F Alex Turcotte, USA

Minnesota Wild (1):

F Alexander Khovanov, Russia

Montreal Canadiens (4):

D Alexander Romanov, Russia
D Mattias Norlinder, Sweden
F Cole Caufield, USA
D Jordan Harris, USA

Nashville Predators (1):

D Spencer Stastney, USA

New Jersey Devils (5):

D Kevin Bahl, Canada
D Ty Smith, Canada
D Daniil Misyul, Russia
F Nikola Pasic, Sweden
G Akira Schmid, Switzerland

New York Islanders (2):

F Jacob Pivonka, USA
F Oliver Wahlstrom, USA

New York Rangers (5):

D Nico Gross, Switzerland
F Karl Henriksson, Sweden
D Nils Lundkvist, Sweden
D Zachary Jones, USA

D K’Andre Miller, USA

Ottawa Senators (3):

D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Canada
D Lassi Thomson, Finland
F Shane Pinto, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (4):

F Egor Zamula, Russia
D Adam Ginning, Sweden
F Bobby Brink, USA
D Cameron York, USA

Pittsburgh Penguins (1):

D Calen Addison, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):

Santeri Hatakka, Finland

St. Louis Blues (2):

G Joel Hofer, Canada
F Nikita Alexandrov, Russia

Tampa Bay Lightning (3):

F Nolan Foote, Canada
F Maxim Cajkovic, Czech Republic
G Hugo Alnefelt, Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):

D Mikko Kokkonen, Finland
D Rasmus Sandin, Sweden
F Nicholas Robertson, USA

Vancouver Canucks (4):

F Karel Plasek, Czech Republic
D Toni Utunen, Finland
F Vasily Podkolzin, Russia
F Nils Hoglander, Sweden

Vegas Golden Knights (3):

F Pavel Dorofeyev, Russia
F Ivan Morozov, Russia
G Isaiah Saville, USA

Washington Capitals (2):

F Connor McMichael, Canada
D Martin Has, Czech Republic

Winnipeg Jets (2):

F David Gustafsson, Sweden
D Ville Heinola, Finland

Overseas Notes: Shore, Howden, Zatkoff

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The NHL may have a holiday roster freeze, but there’s still plenty of action ongoing in Europe. A few recognizable names are on the move, including Drew Shore. The former top prospect, who last played in North America in 2016-17 with the Vancouver Canucks, is now in his fourth season in Europe, split between the Swiss NLA and KHL. Shore began this season with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk, but after a hot start has been moved to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Shore, who has 17 points in 24 games thus far, moves up the KHL’s Western Conference standings from a basement dweller to a team competing for a playoff spot.

  • With the addition of Shore, Torpedo has opted to trade another NHL veteran, Quinton Howden, to Vityaz Podolsk. Howden, a former Florida Panthers prospect like Shore, last suited up in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets in 2016-17. Howden had 13 points in 36 games prior to the trade, but Torpedo essentially sold Howden, using the money to pay for a more productive player in Shore. It’s a somewhat risky move however, seeing as how Vityaz holds a higher position in the standings than Nizhny Novgorod.
  • Veteran goaltender Jeff Zatkoff will be staying overseas a while longer. The former Penguins and Kings keeper, who last played in North America in 2017-18, has signed an extension with the Straubing Tigers of Germany’s DEL. Now in his second season with the Tigers, Zatkoff has excelled since moving to Germany and it makes sense that the 32-year-old would like to stay put.

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