Red Wings Notes: Burnside, Zetterberg, Ott, Larkin
Count ESPN’s Scott Burnside as an impressed realist. Burnside notes that while the Red Wings are “cooked” and still sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference, they put on an impressive show when they beat the Washington Capitals Saturday and the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday. Burnside reiterates that the Red Wings are all but out of the race, but that the fanbase should take solace in the fact that with its team showing such fight, the future isn’t so bleak after all. Petr Mrazek, in general, posted two strong games, and should Detroit improve its blue line, their return to prominence may not take as long as it could.
In other Red Wings news:
- The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan writes that captain Henrik Zetterberg is anything but done as he leads the team in points and continues to cobble together quality games despite the Red Wings’ struggles. Head coach Jeff Blashill is quoted as saying that with Zetterberg’s struggles as last year’s season wore on, he was prepared to slash the captain’s ice time. But this season hasn’t seen that fall. Zetterberg’s 45 points (13-32) are just five short of his total last season, and that’s impressive being that last season included Pavel Datsyuk on the roster. In the face of challenges not seen in over 25 years, the captain has still carried the team.
- Kulfan continues, complimenting the play of forward Steve Ott, who added a goal and an assist of his own in yesterday’s victory over Pittsburgh. He quotes Blashill as saying that Ott “has a way about him in the locker room and he’s an asset to a hockey team.”
- On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of age and productivity, center Dylan Larkin has seen a dip in ice time due to some of his struggles writes the Detroit Free Press’ George Sipple. He reports that Larkin has played less than 12 minutes in his past three games, and Blashill states that its more of Larkin not being on the ice for power plays and penalty kills than punishment. The bench boss, does, however offers words for improvement, saying that the 20-year-old center needs to work on his stopping “all over the ice” to earn the trust from his coach–which leads to more ice time. Sipple adds that Blashill indicated that after a few talks with the young forward, it has already improved.
Penguins Notes: Defense, Trade Deadline, Fleury
The Penguins are reportedly seeking some defensive reinforcement prior to the March 1st trade deadline. However, as Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, the team recently lost defensemen Justin Schultz and Olli Maatta, perhaps adding some urgency to their pursuit. General manager Jim Rutherford told Molinari that the recent injuries wouldn’t urge him to quickly make a deal.
“I don’t think it changes a whole lot,” he said. “Everybody is going to move their players at their own time. I don’t think, necessarily, that they’re going to move up the date on when they decide to move any of their players.
“We were considering a defenseman going into the trade deadline, and we’ll [still] consider doing that. Whether we’re able to pick up one or two, we’ll have to see what the market is.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes out of Pittsburgh…
- Of course, with the Penguins competing for playoff seeding, the team will still be seeking a trade. “We have a lot of games between now and [the playoffs], so we have to address that,” Rutherford said. “We have depth guys in our organization who we believe in, so we’ll just move when we feel the right trade comes along.”
- There’s still plenty of time prior to the offseason, but Rutherford is already thinking about the upcoming expansion draft. “That’s a tough call,” he told Molinari. “We have a bunch of good players at forward, and a bunch on defense. That’s something we won’t decide until after the year.” As the writer notes, teams are required to protect players with no-movement clauses, so Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury wouldn’t be going to Vegas.
- Speaking of Fleury, there’s no guarantee that the goalie will be on the squad following the trade deadline. During Thursday’s victory, the veteran had the Pittsburgh fans chanting his name at what could have been his final home game as a Penguin. “The support I get here is always amazing,” Fleury told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. “You don’t know what’s coming [at the trade deadline], and that was nice, a nice feeling.”
Pittsburgh Penguins Looking To Add Defense
With Olli Maatta (hand surgery) and Justin Schultz (concussion) out for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the next few weeks will test their defensive depth unless they can make a move to bring in someone at the deadline. That’s exactly what Jim Rutherford is trying to do, according to Jonathan Bombulie of TribLIVE, who spoke with the Pittsburgh GM earlier today.
We’re going to have to go through these next two weeks and go along on the time frame of everyone else. We’ll be looking at adding one or two more defensemen.
Rutherford has been on the phones already trying to add to his blueline, but with the market not having quite materialized just yet, it’s been tough sledding. Just finding one defenseman on the market that doesn’t come with red flags is difficult, acquiring two seems almost impossible. The Penguins don’t exactly need all-stars on the back end, but if they don’t want to see Kris Letang have to log 30 minutes a night (like he did yesterday against the Columbus Blue Jackets) for the rest of the season they need capable defenders.
The Penguins’ GM goes on to say that his search won’t be focused entirely on defense at the deadline and is open to anything. It does sound like he will be an active participant on March 1st, hoping to propel his group to another Stanley Cup. Last season he acquired Schultz, Trevor Daley and Carl Hagelin in-season, though all three came before deadline day (with Daley and Hagelin well before).
Look for them to target rentals mostly, as they are already going to have some tough decisions heading into the expansion draft. Anyone under contract for more than this year would likely be at risk in the Vegas draft.
For now, they will turn to the group of Steve Oleksy, Chad Ruhwedel and Cameron Gaunce to fill the holes, though the former two only got 14 minutes each yesterday. The pairing of Letang and Brian Dumoulin were leaned on heavily, something that will be interesting to follow down the stretch.
Morning Snapshots: Bruins, Penguins, Leafs, Lightning
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Boston Bruins recalled forward Peter Cehlarik from the AHL Providence Bruins this morning, reports the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver. Cehlarik was sent down during the Bruins’ bye week to get more ice time. He didn’t actually play in any games, but practiced with the team and worked on his game. The Slovak prospect has impressed in his short stint with the Bruins, recording 2 assists in his second NHL game. Cehlarik currently has 18G and 15A in 40 AHL games.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned forward Josh Archibald to the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this morning, reports the Post-Gazette’s Dave Molinari. Archibald scored two goals in his season debut with the Penguins on February 11th, but followed it up the next night with no points and only 8 minutes played. The small forward returns to the AHL where he has 11G and 11A in 48 games.
- Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston speculates that Toronto Maple Leaf forward Mitch Marner is out tonight against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs expect prospect Nikita Soshnikov to play tonight, implying that Marner is out of the lineup. Marner suffered a shoulder injury Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and is listed as day-to-day. Soshnikov is coming off an upper-body injury himself, and looks to make the most of his return.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Cory Conacher, reports the Tampa Bay Times Joe Smith. Conacher is lighting up the AHL right now, with 10G and 32A in 41 games. He’s been less productive at the NHL level, recording only 1G and 1A in 7 games. Smith speculates that the recall acts as insurance in case Lightning forward Tyler Johnson cannot play. Johnson missed the last two games with a lower-body injury.
Where Do The Dallas Stars Go From Here?
In a couple pieces written about the Dallas Stars, The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Heika and Fan Rag’s Carolyn Wilke both look at what has gone wrong with the Stars and how best to reverse course. Heika calls them “toast,” recognizing that a 1-7-0 run sunk the Stars chances at the playoffs. Heika notes that though the Stars have missed the playoffs six out of the last eight seasons, it isn’t often in February that their season obituary could be written. While some fans may think it’s unfair to write the Stars off so early, he shows that unless the Stars go 18-5 the rest of the way, it’s pretty hopeless.
Heika offers advice, noting that the Stars need to evaluate their young defensemen, determining which ones should be kept since the expansion draft is around the corner. He also believes they need to assess their best veterans, seeing if they should take a flier on Ales Hemsky, Lauri Korpikoski, Adam Cracknell and Jiri Hudler beyond this season. It would also be best if the Stars chose one goaltender between Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen since it’s leading to a financial impasse.
Wilke takes a different look, wondering if the coaching staff is to blame, and takes the approach that Ruff simply cannot be the sole blamed for the season they’ve endured. A roster decimated by injury didn’t help matters, she writes, but Ruff can still shoulder some blame with his playing decisions and deployment, not to mention an anemic penalty kill. But going in Ruff’s favor is a lack of coaches on the market, none of whom seem a good fit for the young and fast Stars. Wilke sees the Stars selling off and warns fans to wave goodbye to some of their favorite players. She also asks some questions about Jim Nill’s job.
PHR’s Glen Miller wondered a few weeks ago if the Stars are going to follow in Minnesota and Columbus’ footsteps, finding success only a year after a throw away season. Injury is certainly the greatest factor in Dallas’ fall. Further, coaches or front office executives don’t suddenly become geniuses or buffoons over one season’s time. Nill sat a little too long on the goalie issue, as Wilke points out, but without Nill, the Stars don’t have last season’s successes. His aggressiveness and eye for talent, especially with prospects, will pay dividends for the Stars. Further, looking at Jim Rutherford, who made a few tweaks to a Penguins roster and shuttled a coach, suddenly found himself hoisting a Stanley Cup six months later.
There is no secret formula. Teams like the Detroit Red Wings have shown that not everything can last forever, especially with a loyalty that has been one of the strongest in the NHL Rutherford’s example shows that sometimes it takes a few changes to win. Others, like the Avalanche, struggle to find success no matter how many changes they make.
The Stars have the roster to compete. It may just be a few Rutherford-like moves that shows this season was an anomaly.
Olli Maatta Out Six Weeks After Hand Surgery
Give the Pittsburgh Penguins credit for moving quickly on this one. After injuring his left hand in last night’s win over the Winnipeg Jets, defenseman Olli Maatta underwent successful surgery this morning, according to GM Jim Rutherford. Maatta is expected to be out six weeks while he recovers, and should return just in time for the playoffs.
Maatta was hit by Adam Lowry in the second period last night, and left the ice cradling his left hand. Not long after, Justin Schultz was also the recipient of a big hit, this one from Dustin Byfuglien, and left with an apparent head or neck injury. Neither defenseman returned to action, leaving Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Ian Cole, and Trevor Daley to each log over 23 minutes on the blue line and, amazingly, help to erase a third period deficit and escape with a win. There is no word yet on Schultz’ condition, but it is clear now that the Penguins will need to find a solution other than playing down a defenseman to make up for the long-term loss of Maata.
The 22-year-old Finnish defender is about as solid in his own end as one can be at his age. Though he doesn’t bring much in the way of offense, with just one goal and six assists this season, Maatta is relied on to play big minutes in Pittsburgh and is a top shot-blocker and short-handed specialist. The Penguins can always find offense from their blue line, but they face a harder task in replacing Maatta’s defense as they jockey for postseason positioning down the stretch. First and foremost, expect Cole to see a much greater role over the next two months. Chad Ruhwedel and Steve Oleksy would then be the next men up as in-house options to replace Maatta, but don’t inspire much confidence. Derrick Pouliot and David Warsofsky may be better options, but are more offensively-inclined and wouldn’t make up for Maataa’s loss in the defensive zone. Instead, the Penguins, who had already been rumored to be looking for a veteran depth defenseman, may increase the vigor of their search. A smart, physical, two-way blue liner could be a key addition by Rutherford to keep Pittsburgh afloat in the competitive Metropolitan Division, at least until Maatta is ready to return.
Minor Transactions: 2/17/2017
The Washington Capitals announced that they have recalled rookies Zach Sanford and Jakub Vrana from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The pair has combined to play in 33 games for the Capitals in 2016-17, and their continued growth will become even more important down the stretch. Sanford has played in 21 games, but has only a goal and an assist in limited ice time. Vrana has suited up for just 12 games, but has a goal and two assists in that time, as well as a +2 rating. When active, Vrana has seen more ice time with the Capital’s skill players, while Sanford has settled into a bottom-six role. Regardless, both players need to work harder to bring their strong AHL production to the next level in Washington. With Andre Burakovsky sidelined, the Capitals approach the Trade Deadline with very little forward depth beyond their starters other than the two rookies. If Sanford and Vrana can’t pick up the pace when the Caps return from their bye week on Saturday, Washington will very likely target one or two veteran forwards by March 1st.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Arizona was forced to promote goalie Marek Langhamer last night on an emergency basis, as backup Louis Domingue was injured earlier in the day. The AHL Tuscon Roadrunners’ keeper traveled to Los Angeles to meet the team prior to their road game and will head back to Arizona and remain with the team for now. Langhamer hasn’t had his best season in 2016-17, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average to accompany a losing record in 12 games with the Roadrunners, but performed much worse in his first AHL season last year. Langhamer has looked much better down in the ECHL over the past two campaigns and seems to just need more time to develop. He is still a better prospect than many would have expected when he was drafted in the seventh round in 2012 out of the Czech Republic national junior program.
- In the wake of injuries to Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled fellow defensemen Steven Oleksy and Cameron Gaunce from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Maatta will miss the next six weeks, while Schultz’ condition is still unknown, so a long-term role or two may have just opened up for Oleksy, Gaunce, or Chad Ruhwedel.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted forward Gabriel Dumont from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Dumont was passed through waivers last month and demoted to the minors, but in need of an extra body up front, he’ll return to West Florida from upstate New York. Dumont has just two points in 14 games with the Bolts, and five points overall in his NHL career.
- The Calgary Flames assigned defenseman Brett Kulak to the AHL’s Stockton Heat, the team announced. Kulak has played in 21 games with the Flames this year, picking up three assists while averaging a little more than 14 minutes per game. He also has suited up in 11 minor league games with the Heat, recording five points.
- Anaheim Ducks blueliner Shea Theodore has once again been re-assigned to their AHL affiliate in San Diego per a team release. This marks the 12th different time he has been sent down this year in an effort to save cap space and to get him as much playing time as possible. In 30 games with the Ducks, Theodore has eight points but has been more of an offensive threat in the minors with nine points in just 13 games.
- The San Jose Sharks continued their near-daily shuffle of youngsters to and from the minor leagues, announcing (via Twitter) that winger Timo Meier and defenseman Tim Heed have been assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Meier has played in 26 games with the Sharks while Heed, despite being recalled eight separate times since January, has played just one NHL game this year.
- The Nashville Predators have flipped backup goalies once again, sending Juuse Saros to AHL Milwaukee while recalled Marek Mazenec, reports Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. The move will allow Saros to get into a game or two in the minors to stay in game shape before likely returning to Nashville next week.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have recalled center Michael McCarron from St. John’s of the AHL. McCarron had been sent down to play while the team was on their bye week. McCarron, who is one of the players Arizona is coveting in a Martin Hanzal trade, has a goal and four assists in 18 games with the Canadiens this season.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced that they recalled winger Brandon Tanev from the Manitoba Moose. Defenseman Toby Enstrom was placed on injured reserve (retroactive to February 12th) to make room on the roster for him. Tanev has spent the bulk of the season with the Jets, playing in 39 games while scoring two goals and two assists.
Sidney Crosby Records 1,000th Point
In just 787 games, Sidney Crosby has recorded his 1,000th NHL point. On a beautiful setup of Chris Kunitz, the assist made Crosby the 12th fastest player to the mark and the third to hit it this season (Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Sedin). With it, the Penguins released an interactive booklet showing the journey to 1,000 for “Sid”, who is widely considered one of the greatest players of all-time.
The booklet included quotes from players and alumni around the league, including Wayne Gretzky, Evgeni Malkin and Jonathan Toews. Malkin’s is borderline adorable as he gives it to his long-time teammate:
Hey Sid, I want to say congrats on your 1,000 points. It is a huge number. We both know that 999 [of those] points is because of my help. I have enjoyed playing with you. Every game, every night is so fun. Everyone knows that you are the best player.
Crosby hit the mark in six fewer games than another Pittsburgh legend, Jaromir Jagr, who recently recorded the 1900th point of his career. While Crosby has quite a few seasons left before he catches that ageless wonder, he is pushing himself further up the career lists. He’s only the 86th player in league history to make it to 1,000 and may even jump into the top-75 before the end of the season. He’s still 723 points behind the Penguins’ franchise leader Mario Lemieux, though it’s not so far-fetched that he may push to pass him eventually. At just 29 years old, Crosby has many years of solid hockey left to play. With no evidence of slowing down—in fact, some may say he’s speeding up—he’d need 547 more games at his current pace to tie Lemieux. That’s just six and a half seasons.
More likely he’ll go down as the best player of the post-lockout generation, and that’s still a heck of an accomplishment. Congratulations Sid.
Friedman’s Latest: Dallas, Colorado, Flyers, MVP
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman made his weekly appearance on Edmonton radio, and commented on a few topics from around the NHL.
Friedman broke down some potential sellers, saying he could see “a lot of teams throwing themselves at Johnny Oduya” out of Dallas. The Stars have lost six of their last seven games, and are now seven points out of the final wildcard spot. Other names out of Dallas include pending UFAs Patrick Eaves and Patrick Sharp, and “maybe” Ales Hemsky. The latter was expected to be done for the season, but will play again this season according to Mike Heika of the Dallas News.
One of the few clear sellers, the Colorado Avalanche, has set a “very high price” for their players, according to Friedman. However, there may be a wider market than many realized. Friedman listed Pittsburgh among others as unexpected teams calling GM Joe Sakic. Citing GM Jim Rutherford‘s willingness to win now and “sort things out” in the offseason, Friedman speculated that the Penguins could consider moving Olli Maatta as part of a package for Matt Duchene. To be clear, Friedman isn’t suggesting the Penguins have made an offer, simply that they’re interested and Maatta is the kind of player that the Avalanche would be interested in. Another potential suitor for Duchene could be Montreal, but GM Marc Bergevin “doesn’t like the price.”
Former Canadiens forward and Flyers UFA signing Dale Weise will be a healthy scratch in Edmonton tonight; he has just two goals and five points in 46 games after signing a four-year contract worth $2.35MM per season. Friedman pointed out that many players struggle in their first year with a new team, but the Canadiens won’t be interested in re-acquiring Weise at his current term.
Staying in Philadelphia, Friedman said it’s not just Shayne Gostisbehere who “doesn’t look like himself.” The whole team is looking for answers; after their ten-game winning streak earlier this season, they’ve won just eight games of their last 25. Friedman told Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer that several teams scouted Gostisbehere “to death” over the summer, and he hasn’t been able to adjust his style.
It remains to be seen what will happen in the next couple weeks, as the GMs are all playing “one big poker game” leading up to the deadline, according to Friedman.
Trade deadline aside, Friedman chatted about the MVP race this season. With Brent Burns sitting between Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby at the top of the scoring race, Friedman predicted a scoring title would guarantee an MVP title for Burns. However, he also said that if Edmonton makes the playoffs, then Friedman “doesn’t know how [he’s] not going to vote for Connor McDavid.”
Another consideration is goal scoring. Both Burns and Crosby are outscoring McDavid considerably, but Friedman pointed out that McDavid has clearly put the Oilers on his shoulders and elevated them to a playoff team.
Trade Candidates: Dennis Seidenberg
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
The Islanders may be 8-3-2 since they replaced head coach Jack Capuano with Doug Weight, but their early season struggles still have them in a hole in the pursuit of a playoff spot. The Islanders trail the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, still sit a point back of the Philadelphia Flyers as well and must make the most of their games in hand to catch the Boston Bruins. Their 7-1 loss to the Leafs last night doesn’t help the cause. The Islanders will surely take the rest of the month to decide if they are sellers, but if they do, Dennis Seidenberg is clearly a prime target. Seidenberg signed late in the off-season, September 28th to be exact, to an affordable, one-year deal and has provided the Islanders with more value than anyone could’ve anticipated. Should they swap him for a pick or prospect at the deadline, it would only make the deal that much better.
Contract
Seidenberg is on a one-year, $1MM deal and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. His cap hit will have been accumulated to around only $250K by the March 1st Trade Deadline.
2016-17
Though a fan favorite with the Boston Bruins, Seidenberg struggled in his final three seasons with the team. Between battling injuries and struggling to put up points, it seemed as though Seidenberg had hit a wall in his early 30s. When the Bruins decided to re-sign John-Michael Liles and not bring back Seidenberg, many felt it would be the end of his career. However after an impressive performance at the World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe, the New York Islanders decided to give the veteran blue liner a shot. Their decision has paid off; Seidenberg is in the middle of his best season since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign and has been a key component in the Isles’ turnaround. At 34 years old, the German defender is on pace for what could be his best offensive year since the 2010-11 Cup-winning season in Boston. He also leads the Islanders with a whopping +18 rating, twice what the next man up, Casey Cizikas, has on the year. Seidenberg appears to be back to his old self, and his old self was one of the premiere shutdown defensemen in the NHL over the last decade.
Season Stats
48 GP: 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points, +18 rating, 87 hits, 100 blocks, 19:34 ATOI
Suitors
If the Islanders choose to trade Seidenberg, that likely means that either they are struggling or the Boston Bruins are continuing their strong play under new head coach Bruce Cassidy. What better story for Seidenberg than a return to Boston for yet another playoff run. Many said this summer that Seidenberg felt he would either play for the Bruins or retire, as he wanted to remain in the city of Boston. While the Bruins have Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug on the left side, as well as the veteran Liles, they have been using right-shot defenseman Kevan Miller as the pair-mate of young Colin Miller, also a right-handed shot, and could stand to upgrade that slot. The Bruins have made it known that they are looking for another left-handed defenseman, and while their search may be more for a long-term replacement for Chara, they likely would not turn their back on a deal to bring back one of the most successful players in recent memory of Bruins hockey. That is, if it’s at the right price. With Liles likely a goner after this season, the Bruins may be more willing to acquire Seidenberg if they plan to give him another year as a veteran safety net on a defense that could lose a contributor in the Expansion Draft.
There certainly are teams with a greater need on defense though, and willing to pay higher prices as well. Atlantic contenders like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Rangers are all in need of defensive depth. However there’s always the possibility that the Islanders refrain from trading Seidenberg within the division on the off chance that they keep pace in the postseason race following March 1st. The last thing that GM Garth Snow wants is for his diamond in the rough off-season addition to be a cause of the Islanders playoff elimination.
Out west, one team in desperate need of a veteran top six defenseman is the Los Angeles Kings. While the Kings would likely rather add a right-shot defenseman, those can be hard to find and Seidenberg presents a great option for the team regardless. Seidenberg has a history of playing on the right side, and would be a significant upgrade to Kevin Gravel on the bottom pair. Also, don’t be surprised if the Nashville Predators start sniffing around for a stay at home defensive defenseman like Seidenberg prior to the trade deadline. Although they have tremendous blue line depth, the Predators could use a player with Seidenberg’s two-way tendencies and defensive instincts. Seidenberg would fill out what would likely be the best six-man blue line group in hockey.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Seidenberg’s trade fate is obviously tied to the success of the Islanders. New York is battling just for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and assuming they have that space locked up on March 1st, even if they are currently in position then, is a precarious situation. If the Islanders want to hedge their bet on a postseason run, they may choose to trade Seidenberg, who could potentially earn them a good return. Meanwhile, Seidenberg is an ideal trade candidate for a contenders due to his extensive postseason experience and performance history, his checking ability and strong two-way game, and of course a cap hit that will hardly make a dent. For all those reasons though, the Islanders could also choose to simply retain the big veteran. They don’t have a readily available option to step in as a replacement and they too face a very strong chance of losing a defenseman in the Expansion Draft and could seek to extend Seidenberg. For those reasons the probability of this deal will remain uncertain unless the next couple of weeks really paint a clear picture of the Eastern Conference playoff race.