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College Notes: Phillips, Knoepke, Campoli

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The University of Minnesota is set to bring in a rare mid-season recruit, as the College Hockey News reports that defenseman Clayton Phillips has committed to join the Golden Gophers. Phillips, 18, was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round this past June and has 12 points in 16 USHL games this season. The undersized blue liner makes up for his lack of a physical game with outstanding skating and good offensive instincts. Phillips will bolster the defensive depth of a Minnesota team that already features a starting six that has all been drafted into the NHL, led by Boston Bruins prospect Ryan Lindgren.

  • However, Minnesota will  be without freshman defenseman Nate Knoepke for the remainder of the season and potentially longer. The 2018 draft-eligible prospect has left school and returned to the USHL, citing a lack of playing time with the Gophers as the reason for his departure. As previously stated, Minnesota has a solid starting six and while a previously-drafted player like Phillips may not mind battling for play time, Knoepke felt he needed more exposure ahead of the 2018 NHL Draft. Because he is staying in the USHL, joining the Sioux City Musketeers, instead of going the major junior route, Knoepke will not lose his NCAA eligibility and could still return to Minnesota or another institution next season.
  • Boston College sophomore rearguard Michael Campoli is also giving up on the college game for now. The BCHL’s Penticton Vees announced that Campoli has left school and signed with the team for the 2018 segment of the team’s season. Campoli, 19, played in only 12 games for the Eagles last season and has yet to see any action so far in the 2017-18 campaign. However, with a 6’3″, nearly 200-lb. frame, Campoli has the size to make a difference on the back end. Like Knoepke, by joining the Junior-A BCHL, Campoli too can return to the NCAA later on if the right opportunity presents itself.

Snapshots: Penguins, Boeser, Maple Leafs

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The Pittsburgh Penguins made two trades today ahead of the holiday roster freeze, but might not be done this season. Josh Yohe of The Athletic spoke with Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford earlier, who told him that the presence of Jamie Oleksiak—a player Pittsburgh has been looking at for two years—could mean more trades down the line due to added depth on defense.

That’s the same idea that Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had when he suggested Oleksiak could potentially be “insurance against a future Ian Cole trade.” Cole has been rumored to be available since ending up a healthy scratch earlier this season, and has reportedly clashed with head coach Mike Sullivan multiple times. You’d expect Oleksiak would need to prove his worth for a while before they sent any defenseman out of town.

Dallas Stars Trade Jamie Oleksiak To Pittsburgh Penguins

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After clearing some room on the roster by dealing Josh Archibald, the Pittsburgh Penguins have now acquired Jamie Oleksiak from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a conditional 2019 fourth-round pick. Pittsburgh had just acquired Minnesota’s fourth-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in the previous deal. Dallas will get whichever pick, Minnesota or Pittsburgh’s own, is earlier in the fourth round.

"<strongOleksiak, 24, was a first-round pick by the Stars in 2011 but hasn’t quite had the impact expected at the time. The 6’7″ defender has had trouble staying in the lineup for Dallas, even playing forward at times just to get back in game action. At times he can look like the dominating defensive presence the Stars had hoped for, but those moments have been too few and far between for them to give him added responsibility.

In Pittsburgh, Oleksiak will get another chance to impress and prove that he’s an NHL defenseman before hitting restricted free agency again this summer. Currently on a one-year deal worth $965K, he’ll actually cost the Penguins a little more than Archibald on the year. Interestingly, Oleksiak is another left-handed defenseman for the Penguins, something they’re already full of. With Justin Schultz on injured reserve, only Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel hold right-handed sticks at the moment, making it unclear where Oleksiak will fit in. Kevin Czuczman has been sent to the minor leagues for the time being.

Still, it is clear that Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has decided at least a minor shakeup is needed for his club. Pittsburgh has been a disappointment this season after back-to-back Stanley Cups, and find themselves out of a playoff spot at the moment. Oleksiak isn’t the answer to all of their problems, so expect other moves to eventually come down the pipe for the Penguins, though they may have to wait until after the holiday roster freeze.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Michael Leighton From Arizona Coyotes

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The Pittsburgh Penguins made a deal ahead of the trade freeze, acquiring Michael Leighton and a 2019 fourth-round pick (originally Minnesota’s) from the Arizona Coyotes. They’ll send back Josh Archibald, Sean Maguire and a 2019 sixth-round pick. Leighton will join his third organization of the season, after already being dealt from Tampa Bay to Arizona earlier this year.

While Leighton has a long history in professional hockey, he hasn’t played well during his tumultuous season so far and is an interesting move for a club that had reportedly been after goaltending depth. The fact that Maguire—younger and performing better in his split ECHL/AHL season—is going the other way means it’s not a clear upgrade in terms of raw talent in net.

Archibald, who may be the only player in the deal to spend any more time in the NHL this season, is a 25-year old undersized forward without a ton of upside. Though he was an excellent college player, Archibald hasn’t been able to find much success at the professional level.

For Pittsburgh, the upside to this deal isn’t readily apparent. While they do drop a contract of their roster limit, they already had quite a few spots free. Moving up a couple of rounds in the draft and gaining some minor league experience in net is at least worth something, but Archibald is a useful extra player and Maguire clearly has more upside than Leighton at this point in their respective careers.

We’ll have to wait and see what Pittsburgh has in store, which could potentially include another goaltender move or something that needed Archibald’s active roster spot. The young forward isn’t waiver-exempt any longer, meaning Pittsburgh could have lost him if they tried to send him to the minor leagues.

Patric Hornqvist Sent Back To Pittsburgh With Upper-Body Injury

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The Pittsburgh Penguins had a noticeable absence from their morning skate today when Patric Hornqvist was missing, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that there was no locker for the winger in the dressing room.

Yohe reports that the team has sent Hornqvist back to Pittsburgh with an upper-body injury, another blow to a team that has struggled to find their footing this season. The Penguins now sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, and are only two points ahead of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes despite having played two more games than each team. The premise of finding themselves at the bottom of the division isn’t a familiar one to the team, and losing Hornqvist just makes it even tougher.

The 31-year old winger has 21 points this year, and is tied for the team lead with six powerplay goals. Though he’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’s an important part of the Penguins offensive group and isn’t expected to be moved unless the team falls out of the race entirely.

Dominik Simon was also missing from the skate due to illness.

Ryan Reaves' Diminishing Role In Pittsburgh

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The Penguins paid a notable price to acquire winger Ryan Reaves back at the draft, trading down from the end of the first round to the middle of the second plus losing forward Oskar Sundqvist to secure his services.  The hope was that Pittsburgh’s lineup would benefit from his toughness.  However, his ice time has steadily declined in recent weeks to the point where Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that it may be time to take Reaves out of the lineup in an effort to play someone who can have more of an impact overall in winger Josh Archibald, at least against teams that aren’t overly physical.  At any rate, GM Jim Rutherford can’t be too pleased with what Reaves has provided as of late, especially given the price they paid to get him.  If this continues, it will be interesting to see if Reaves finds himself on the trade block, especially since several teams look to add grit as the playoffs get closer.

Metropolitan Notes: Hoffman, Lundqvist, Giroux, Hunwick

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The New York Islanders are doing everything they can to re-sign star forward John Tavares, which includes their attempt to build a new stadium, their hopes for a solid playoff run and now New York Posts’ Brett Cyrgalis writes that the team should consider taking advantage of the Ottawa Senators struggles and blow the team away with an offer for star defenseman Erik Karlsson.

The scribe writes that the Islanders are a perfect destination for the franchise defenseman, who recently told the press that he will not take a hometown discount after his contract expires in 2019. Many feel that the Senators nor their owner would want to pay as much as $11MM per year to retain him for the next eight seasons, especially after the team might be looking at a rebuild. Karlsson will be 29 when he is eligible to sign a new deal and if the team starts over again, there aren’t many good reasons to keep the star around. However, the Islanders are a team with assets and a will to win, especially if that might prove valuable to locking up Tavares.

Cyrgalis suggests the team offers top prospect Joshua Ho-Sang, one of the team’s 2018 first-rounders and second-rounders (they have two of each next year) and a few smaller pieces as the framework to the deal. The deal might vault the Islanders up a few pegs in the standings and create a dominant core of the future in New York.

  • Cyrgalis also wrote a piece about the amount of playing time that has been handed to New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The goalie, who has played both ends of back-to-back games twice in the last two weeks, says he prefers it that way as the more he plays, the more relaxing it is mentally for him to play in the net. The 35-year-old does admit, however, it’s harder on him physically to play so many minutes. “Physically, it’s more challenging,” Lundqvist said. “But mentally, it’s easier, I find. The biggest part to the game is the mental aspect.”
  • Philly.com’s Marc Narducci writes that one reason the Philadelphia Flyers have improved could be the transition of Claude Giroux from center to left wing this season. Giroux has been paired with Sean Couturier this season on the team’s first line and while in many ways the transition to a wing spot has been a success, the 29-year-old admitted that it wasn’t that easy earlier this year. “I think it was an adjustment early on in the season,” Giroux said. “Now being on the wing the entire time, you get a little more comfortable on the wall or even in the neutral zone defensively.”
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey writes that the play of Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Matt Hunwick has actually improved since he suffered a concussion earlier this year. The 32-year-old blueliner signed with the team this offseason to provide defensive depth. He has been playing with the team since Nov. 18 after missing 15 games due to a concussion, but has actually played even better since missing time. He has three goals on the season since the concussion, most among Penguin defenders. Hunwick was a 42.6 percent possession player before the concussion, which has now increased to a 51.6 percent in the past 12 games and a 58.6 in the last five games. Unfortunately, that hasn’t translated well in the win column for the team, but it does make the team’s chances better.

Are The Atlantic Division Playoff Teams Already Set?

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It’s December and the 82-game NHL season is not even half over. Think what you will about the “Thanksgiving Rule”, but a lot can change over a long season. There’s no telling exactly how things will shake out this early in the campaign.

Yet, it seems almost impossible that the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs entries from the Atlantic Division are not already set. The Tampa Bay Lightning (23-6-2, 48 pts, .774 PTS%) are the best team in the league. The Toronto Maple Leafs (20-13-1, 41 pts, .603 PTS%) are second in the division and tied for second in the Eastern Conference in points, despite a current three-game losing streak. The Boston Bruins (15-10-4, 34 pts, .586 PTS%) are the closest team to the Leafs in terms of points percentage in the East and rank third in points in the division with the least games played in the NHL. The rest of the teams in the Atlantic are not even close.

The Montreal Canadiens (14-14-4, 32 pts, .500 PTS%) perhaps represent the best bet at a spoiler in the Atlantic, but needed a 6-2-2 record in their last ten just to get to .500. The team is still struggling to find its identity under Claude Julien and there has been more talk of a rebuild than a playoff run this season. The Detroit Red Wings (12-13-7, 31 pts, .484 PTS%) are overachieving this season in the opinion of many, yet are still a ways out in the Atlantic. Despite a talented roster, the Florida Panthers (12-15-5, 29 pts, .453 PTS%) are in even worse shape. The Buffalo Sabres (8-18-7, 23 pts, .348 PTS%) are challenging for the worst record in the NHL and, with the team in turmoil, the Ottawa Senators (10-13-7, 27 pts, .450 PTS%) are trending in that direction as well.

As of now, these five Atlantic Division teams hold the five worst records in the Eastern Conference and five of the seven worst records in the entire NHL. Not only will they struggle to catch the Lightning, Leafs, and Bruins, but a wild card spot versus the relatively dominant Metropolitan Division also seems far outside the realm of possibility. If the Metro’s worst team is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (16-14-3, 35 pts, .530 PTS%), how could any of the five hope to beat out its fourth and fifth best teams, currently the identical records of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders (17-12-3, 37 pts, .578 PTS%)?

A lot can change over the course of the NHL season, but in 2017-18 it seems very likely that the Atlantic Division playoff status is already set before the 2018 segment of the season even begins. Tampa Bay simply has too much talent to slow down. Toronto has the talent and youth to keep pushing forward. Boston is only now getting healthy for the first time this season. All three teams are likely to get better as the season progresses and, in turn, the gap between them and the remainder of the Atlantic will only get worse.

Snapshots: Penguins, Sharks, Predators

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The Pittsburgh Penguins might be in the news for a trade before long, that is if they don’t improve their play very soon. GM Jim Rutherford spoke to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, telling the reporter that the team is “coming in to a critical period where we’ll make a decision whether we need to shake things up or not.” 

What that trade would be is unclear, but as we examined just this week the Penguins still need help down the middle and seem willing to use whatever assets necessary to put forward a Stanley Cup contender again this season. The team does have its top two picks in the upcoming draft, and several young players that could be moved. A shake up would seem to suggest a roster player moving out though, which should be expected since the team is pressed right up against the cap. Either way, they’re a team to watch before we enter the holiday roster freeze on December 19th.

  • Speaking of dealing young assets, the San Jose Sharks aren’t ready to do something like that anytime soon just to get back to the playoffs. Curtis Pashelka of the East Bay Times spoke with Sharks GM Doug Wilson, who told him that you won’t “see me trading key young core players” for rentals that could help them this year. The Sharks have turned around their season recently and now sit in third place in the Pacific Division, but are still far from guaranteed a spot in the postseason. Getting there may have to come from the inside, if they don’t find a fit on a short-term rental.
  • The Nashville Predators are back near the top of the Central Division after going 7-1-2 in their last ten games and will get a boost tonight after activating both Ryan Johansen and Scott Hartnell from injured reserve. Their returns make the Predators lineup something to marvel at, with four lines capable of scoring at any time. At some point this season the team is also expecting Ryan Ellis to get back into the lineup, at which point few will doubt them as a Stanley Cup contender. For now, they’ll hope Johansen and Hartnell are enough to overcome the Vancouver Canucks and get another two point.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Pittsburgh Penguins

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered the following teams: ANA, ARZ, BOS, BUF, CGY, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, EDM, FLA, LAK, NSH, NJD, NYI, NYR, PHI, SJS, STL, TOR, VAN, VGK and WSH.

Phil KesselWho are the Pittsburgh Penguins most thankful for?

Phil Kessel.

Since coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs, all Kessel has done is put up 166 points in 196 regular season games, 45 more in 49 playoff games and won two Stanley Cups. He’s on pace for 95 points and the best season of his career, and people still mention him third when discussing the Penguins’ firepower up front.

Kessel has been a perfect fit for the Penguins, sliding in behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the third musketeer. He’s even found a leadership role on the team that few expected from his days in Boston and Toronto, and is continuously talked up by teammates and coaches for his dedication to the team. It’s not often that an $8MM player is a bargain, but that’s exactly what Kessel seems to be for the Penguins after Toronto agreed to retain $1.2MM per season and salaries are starting to balloon around the league.

Next year, when the salary cap moves to somewhere between $78-82MM, Kessel’s $6.8MM hit for the Penguins will represent around 8.5% of the cap. As long as his play doesn’t drop off considerably as he enters his thirties, that number should be a reasonable amount through the last four years of his deal. The fact that the actual salary decreases significantly as well is just icing on the cake.

What are the Penguins most thankful for?

Healthy bodies.

The careers of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang have been tarnished by several injuries, with each missing huge chunks of time with various ailments. While Matthew Murray has been in and out of the lineup, the rest of the Penguins have been relatively healthy this year. Nine players have suited up for all 32 games this season, including Crosby, Kessel and Letang, while Malkin has missed just four.

No, they’re not without incident. But after watching the team struggle to even ice six NHL defensemen during their playoff run last season, getting through the first third of the season relatively healthy is a big boost. Now with Murray back off injured reserve, don’t be surprised if you see them start to creep up the standings in the Metropolitan.

What would the Penguins be even more thankful for?

Being in any other division.

The Metropolitan Division is an absolute meat grinder again this season. Ten points separate first from eighth, and no team has a goal differential worse than Carolina’s -11. In contrast, the Atlantic houses four teams that would be in last place in the Metro and five that carry goal differentials of -14 or worse.

Currently, even at 16-13-3 and with 35 points in the standings, the Penguins are out of a playoff spot. If they’re to get themselves back into the postseason to try and three-peat the Stanley Cup, they’ll need to kick one of the other strong teams out. The Metro is set to pummel itself down the stretch until a few teams remain, and the trade deadline should be quite the arms race with so many teams still in the hunt.

What should be on the Penguins’ Holiday Wish List?

Another center.

Riley Sheahan was a solid pickup for the Penguins, even if he hasn’t put up the strongest possession numbers since coming over from the Detroit Red Wings. Pittsburgh simply didn’t have enough depth down the middle, and Sheahan has recorded nine points in 23 games. Still, the team could use another real third-line center to solidify the top-9 and make them a tougher team to match up against in the playoffs.

Obviously Crosby and Malkin make any top two units dangerous, but the Penguins seem to be missing the lineup length that was afforded them by players like Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen in the past. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them go out and acquire another body to fill in down the middle by the trade deadline, even if it does cost them future assets. Win-now doesn’t even fully describe how the Penguins’ front office must feel, after taking home back-to-back titles. Why not supplement your All-World core with another star player, even if it does cost you some future talent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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