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Alex Nedeljkovic

Carolina Hurricanes Hope To Keep Both Mrazek, McElhinney

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Heading into the 2018-19 season, many questions were raised about the goaltending situation for the Carolina Hurricanes. The team had watched Scott Darling struggle mightily in the first year of his four-year $16.6MM deal, and made moves to insulate him with other veteran goaltenders. Petr Mrazek was signed to a one-year $1.5MM deal after he failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Philadelphia Flyers, and just before the season began the team claimed veteran backup Curtis McElhinney from the Toronto Maple Leafs. That duo would end up being the team’s full-time tandem during the season after Darling was quickly buried in the minor leagues.

In the playoffs, Mrazek would start and play well for the team before eventually relinquishing the role to McElhinney. Both men weren’t good enough to stop the bleeding against the powerhouse Boston Bruins, but their performance in getting the Hurricanes to an Eastern Conference Final was still admirable. Unfortunately, both are scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer. It’s not clear what their camps are thinking, but Hurricanes GM Don Waddell made his intentions clear today when he told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that Carolina’s goal was to bring back both Mrazek and McElhinney next season. Waddell also said there was no decision yet on whether to buy out Darling’s contract, despite the recent reports.

Trying to retain the pair makes sense on the surface. Mrazek posted a .914 save percentage in the regular season and went 23-14-3 for the team, while McElhinney continued his late-career renaissance with a 20-11-2 record and .912 save percentage. Both of those were leagues better than Darling has been since joining Carolina, and gave the team a reliable backbone in their Stanley Cup chase.

Still, they certainly also bring some risk. McElhinney will turn 36 on Thursday and has never played more than 33 games in a single season, which he did this year. Though he has been excellent for both Toronto and Carolina, the entire body of work—which also includes stops in Columbus, Calgary, Anaheim, Ottawa and Phoenix—is less attractive. Mrazek meanwhile has been one of the most frustratingly inconsistent goaltenders in the league since debuting in 2013 for the Detroit Red Wings. Showing flashes of absolute brilliance mixed with long stretches of poor play, committing long-term to him is only possible if you believe he has turned a corner. His overall performance in the playoffs, in which he posted just an .894 save percentage, should at least make the Hurricanes question that.

Obviously, either player could also decide to wait until July 1st and see what other offers they receive. Carolina also has young goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic waiting in the wings, fresh off a Goaltender of the Year award in the AHL. Nedeljkovic posted a .916 for the powerhouse Charlotte Checkers, and has a 6-2 record in the postseason. If the team can’t retain one or both of their free agent goaltenders, Nedeljokic could potentially step into an NHL role next season, though goaltending depth is obviously extremely important for a team with their eyes on the Stanley Cup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carolina Hurricanes Recall Alex Nedeljkovic, Jake Bean

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The Carolina Hurricanes have listed Petr Mrazek as “day-to-day” after he was forced to leave yesterday’s game with an injury, and today recalled Alex Nedeljkovic to serve as Curtis McElhinney’s backup. Nedeljkovic is set to begin a second round playoff series with the Charlotte Checkers on Friday, but for now will do his best to help the NHL club. The team has also recalled Jake Bean, after Trevor van Riemsdyk also suffered an injury and will be out for some time.

Nedeljkovic, the reigning Goaltender of the Year in the AHL, recorded a .916 save percentage for the Checkers this season and is pushing hard for a full-time role in Carolina. The second-round pick has developed nicely since his junior hockey days, and could be the long term answer for the Hurricanes if they’re not able to retain Mrazek in free agency. The team wasn’t travelling with three goaltenders previous to this recall, meaning they were actually down to an emergency netminder had McElhinney also suffered an injury in yesterday’s game.

Bean meanwhile will likely serve as the team’s seventh defenseman as Haydn Fleury draws in, but could be asked to play if the team needs another body on the blue line. The 13th-overall pick from 2016 is another player pushing for a roster spot in Carolina after an outstanding 44-point rookie season in the AHL. Bean is still just 20 years old, and will likely be part of the Hurricanes defense corps for many years.

Snapshots: Willie O’Ree Award, Hurricanes’ Injuries, Haley

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The NHL revealed the finalists for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. The award was established last year, named after O’Ree who was the NHL’s first black player and spent decades bringing the sport of hockey to people who might normally not be exposed to it, to honor people not directly affiliated with the NHL or any teams.

The finalists are Anthony Benevides, Tammi Lynch and Rico Phillips. Benevides has built an affordable hockey program in Detroit, which serves Latino youth in impoverished areas. Lynch, a hockey mom, started a movement called Players Against Hate after her son’s teammate was a victim of racial slurs. Phillips has run a free hockey program in the inner city of Flint, Michigan, which he has run for the last six years.

AHL Announces 2018-2019 First, Second All-Star Teams

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After announcing their All-Rookie team earlier this week, the AHL have now given us their choices for the first and second All-Star Teams for 2018-19. These players were voted in by coaches, players and media all across the league. This is not the same as the rosters for the All-Star Game, instead these are the top players at each position for the entire season.

First All-Star Team:

Goaltender: Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)

Defenseman: John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers)

Defenseman: Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)

Left Wing: Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

Center: Carter Verhaeghe, Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Right Wing: Jeremy Bracco, Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Second All-Star Team:

Goaltender: Shane Starrett, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)*

Defenseman: Aaron Ness, Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)

Defenseman: Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Left Wing: Tyler Benson, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)*

Center: Chris Mueller, Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Right Wing: Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)

*Also named to All-Rookie Team

Just like last season when Sami Niku and Mason Appleton made both the All-Rookie and All-Star rosters, Starrett and Benson will draw quite a bit of praise for their outstanding years. The fact that Starrett is having this much success even as an undrafted goaltender is all the more impressive, while Benson certainly delivered on his 32nd-overall selection in his first year of professional hockey.

Talented minor league wingers seem to grow on trees in Toronto, as the team once again has a player with several league accolades. Bracco is currently leading the AHL in scoring with 78 points heading into the last few games of the season, and is a good bet to challenge for a roster spot with the Maple Leafs in the future. So too will Nedeljkovic, who will likely be pushing for a full-time role with the Hurricanes pretty soon.

Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the trade deadline just days away, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  As we continue with the Metropolitan Division, here is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.

In less than 100 hours, the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline will come and go. While there are many deals still to be made, most teams have at least decided if they are buying, selling, or sitting out at the deadline. Perhaps the one team still waiting to make that call are the Carolina Hurricanes, and for good reason.

Tuesday night was a rough result for the Hurricanes. The team fell to the non-playoff New York Rangers, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens both picked up wins. Carolina now trails both of those teams by three points, while the Columbus Blue Jackets occupy the final wild card spot with a one-point lead and a game in hand on the Hurricanes. Despite their strong play of late, Carolina looks like the first team out in the Eastern Conference right now. Of course, that can change before the deadline. The ‘Canes have a winnable match-up tonight against the Florida Panthers, followed by a tougher test against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. How they perform, as well as the results for the Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Canadiens, before Monday will inform their deadline decision.

Carolina holds the NHL’s longest playoff drought of nine years and desperately would like to make the playoffs. At the same time, they are a young team who could really use the return on any trade assets if the postseason doesn’t look realistic. It’s a difficult choice to make, but where they sit in the playoff race after the next few days could cause them to lean one way or another or, perhaps the most likely outcome, no way at all.

Record

31-23-6, fifth in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

TBD

Deadline Cap Space

$76.26MM in full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: CAR 1st, BUF 2nd, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CGY 6th, BOS 7th
2020: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, BUF 3rd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, BUF 6th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th

Trade Chips

With their status at the deadline still so uncertain, chances are the Hurricanes will be involved in both the buyers’ and sellers’ markets, but could very well choose to do nothing at all. For discussion’s sake though, let’s say the Hurricanes decide to sell. Of the two options, selling is more probable as there are no pieces that Carolina could move that would automatically end their push for the postseason. The one player who would certainly be on the move is impending UFA power forward Micheal Ferland. Ferland, acquired from the Calgary Flames in the off-season, has been excellent in Carolina and is in fact on pace for a career high in points. However, Ferland seems destined to test the free agent market and the recent acquisition of Nino Niederreiter has made his departure manageable. Carolina would miss Ferland’s contributions down the stretch this season, but are prepared for life without him and would likely land a nice return if they chose to trade him. Several contenders are in search of grit and offense at this time of the year and Ferland checks both boxes.

Ferland is the only impending UFA skater thought to have any value on the trade market. Captain Justin Williams is not available and Greg McKegg has been a serviceable player that is more valuable to the ’Canes as a depth option than any low-end return might be. However, goaltenders are a different story. Both Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek are impending free agents and both have performed well this season, especially McElhinney. With Scott Darling still under contract next year, young Alex Nedeljkovic in consideration, and a strong goalie free agent class, it’s unclear if McElhinney or Mrazek will be back in Raleigh next season. With that in mind, the Hurricanes may be willing to part with one or the other at the deadline if the right offer presents itself. It goes without saying that if the team could move Darling, they would.

Elsewhere in the lineup, there continues to be speculation that the Hurricanes would like to deal from a position of strength on defense. With Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce, and Trevor van Riemsdyk on the roster, Carolina is flush with talented right-shot defenders. Chances are one will be dealt at some point soon. However, it will be in a hockey trade, with the ‘Canes getting a top-nine forward back in return. Such trades are uncommon at the deadline, so don’t hold out hope that the team will be make such a move before the off-season.

What if the Hurricanes are buyers? Then the list of trade chips is a slightly more extensive. Charlotte Checkers defensemen Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown continue to wait patiently for roles in Carolina that may never come and the time may have arrived for the Hurricanes to move them in the right deal. The same could be said for another pair of impending RFA’s, forwards Andrew Poturalski and Saku Maenalanen, both of whom have been productive in the minors but underutilized at the top level. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what is an impressive pipeline for the Hurricanes, but as they’re not expected to be major buyers, top names like Martin Necas, Janne Kuokkanen, Jake Bean, and Adam Fox are likely untouchable. Carolina has plenty of draft picks to peddle as well, rather than moving their top prospects

Five Players To Watch For: F Micheal Ferland, G Curtis McElhinney, D Haydn Fleury, D Roland McKeown, F Saku Maenalanen

Team Needs

1) Top-Six Forward: It’s no secret that the Hurricanes desire a top-six forward. The team was in on William Nylander for months before he re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs (they could revisit that option this summer) and eventually swung a deal with the Minnesota Wild for Nino Niederreiter. However, scoring is still an issue. This season, only the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders have scored fewer goals per game than Carolina among teams in playoff position. The offense is stagnant at times and has been carried by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen all year. Looking ahead, the likely loss of Micheal Ferland could further diminish scoring next season. Although the pipeline is loaded with capable forward in Carolina, the team needs a long-term top-six addition. It remains to be seen if such a player is available at the deadline this year. Expect the ’Canes to kick the tires on Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Hoffman, as well as the likes of Jason Zucker or Adam Henrique.

2) Value Forwards: If Carolina decides to buy in to playoff run this year, but the prices are too high on a long-term forward acquisition, the team would be better off trying to wait out the market to add some bargains than give up considerable future pieces for top rentals. For example, the idea of an Eric Staal return is great, but not an affordable option for Carolina. Instead, players like Richard Panik, Sven Andrighetto, or Alex Chiasson would come at a much lesser cost and would be less risky acquisitions in light of Carolina’s current playoff position, but would help fill some gaps in the lineup and create some more offense. The Hurricanes may very well stand pat at the deadline, but making even just a minor addition up front could go a long way.

Minor Transactions: 01/24/19

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The league is has gone dark as they prepare for the All-Star festivities to start tomorrow, and with it teams will be sending their eligible players down to the minor leagues. This is done to save a few days of cap space and give young players a chance to continue their development. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • Along with Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan who were sent down yesterday, the St. Louis Blues have assigned Mackenzie MacEachern and Sammy Blais to the minor leagues over the break. The Blues don’t play again until February 2nd, meaning the set of forwards can get some extra ice time in for the San Antonio Rampage.
  • Colin Blackwell has been sent down by the Nashville Predators, returning the 25-year old center to the Milwaukee Admirals after three games in the NHL. Blackwell is still waiting to register his first NHL point, and could get that chance later on in the year.
  • After bringing up Ryan Graves for last night’s game, the Colorado Avalanche have returned him to the minor leagues. Graves will be accompanied by both Dominic Toninato and Sheldon Dries, two other waiver-exempt players that can spend the break in the AHL.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have returned Alex Nedeljkovic to the minors where he’ll resume starting for the Charlotte Checkers, and Haydn Fleury has also been sent down to get some more ice time. Fleury has been a regular scratch in the NHL this season as the odd man out among the Carolina defense corps.
  • Trevor Moore played again for the Toronto Maple Leafs last night but is now on his way back down to the AHL to participate in that league’s All-Star game. The speedy forward has made quite the impact this season with 19 goals in 32 AHL contests.
  • Joel Eriksson Ek spent some time in the minor leagues earlier this year to get his game right, and now he’ll get another chance to hone his skills in the AHL. Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin have both been sent down for the time being, though one or both could see a recall immediately after the break.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have flipped backup goaltenders, sending Maxime Lagace back down and recalled Oscar Dansk. Dansk won’t be starting anytime soon for the Golden Knights, but will receive a bigger paycheck while the team lets Lagace get back on the ice.

Carolina Hurricanes Recall Alex Nedeljkovic

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As if the Carolina Hurricanes haven’t had enough goaltending problems this season, the team has seemingly lost Curtis McElhinney for tonight’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. The team today recalled Alex Nedeljkovic from the minor leagues, while placing Micheal Ferland on injured reserve. McElhinney left yesterday’s practice early, though there was no update yet from head coach Rod Brind’Amour. With Scott Darling down in the minors already, tonight’s start will likely go to Petr Mrazek.

Nedeljkovic, 22, was a high draft pick for the Hurricanes, selected 37th overall in 2014 out of the OHL. At the time he was coming off an outstanding season with the Plymouth Whalers, but has since struggled a bit to find much consistency. He never did repeat his 2013-14 numbers as he found himself in two other OHL organizations to finish his junior career, and then had minimal success in his first year as a professional. Despite making his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season, he spent time in the ECHL trying to develop his game.

When watching Nedeljkovic, it’s easy to see why scouts still believe he can be an NHL goaltender. His agility in the crease allows him to make some highlight reel saves, and there is an innate ability to battle through traffic and find the puck. Unfortunately, his quick movements can also sometimes get the better of him and over the last season and a half he’s struggled to put up exceptional statistics in the minor leagues. Those stats may be a bit misleading though, as Nedeljkovic always seems to find a way to win for the Charlotte Checkers and may actually be better suited to the NHL in the long run. It seems unlikely that he’ll get another chance right away, but if McElhinney’s injury is anything more than a few days we could see the Hurricanes turn to their young netminder.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/18

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With the season-opening roster deadline fast approaching, many teams will be putting the final touches to their rosters this weekend so another busy day of cuts is expected.  We’ll keep tabs on the non-waiver roster cuts here and update this post throughout the day.

Boston Bruins (via CapFriendly)

G Zane McIntyre (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team Tweet)

D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

D Michal Cajkovsky (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Janne Kuokkanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Saku Maenalanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Nicolas Roy (to Charlotte, AHL)

Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge)

F Denis Gurianov (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

D Jake Chelios (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Patrik Rybar (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per CapFriendly)

G Al Montoya (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Springfield, AHL)
D Julian Melchiori (to Springfield, AHL)

New York Rangers (per CapFriendly)

D Chris Bigras (to Hartford, AHL)
F Peter Holland (to Hartford, AHL)
G Marek Mazanec (to Hartford, AHL)
F Cole Schneider (to Hartford, AHL)
G Dustin Tokarski (to Hartford, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via CapFriendly)

F Brendan Gaunce (to Utica, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)

F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via TSN’s Brian Munz)

F Dennis Everberg (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Manitoba, AHL)
F J.C. Lipon (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Nicolas Kerdiles (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Manitoba, AHL)

Goalie Notes: Jarry, Lehtonen, Nedeljkovic

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With the Penguins seemingly being comfortable with goaltender Casey DeSmith as a backup for Matt Murray, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette speculates that Tristan Jarry could be someone they look to deal this summer.  The pending RFA has been dominant at the AHL level at times over the course of the past few years and doesn’t have much left to prove down there although he does have one more year of waiver exemption.  If the team looks to get out of one of their larger contracts this summer, the 23-year-old could make sense to dangle as a sweetener to entice a team to take on that larger contract while there should be quite a few teams that would have interest in a potential goalie of the future in his own right.

More goalie notes from around the league:

  • Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and while earlier in the season it looked like a new deal at a cheaper cap hit was a possibility, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News suggests that with the way he played down the stretch, that’s likely no longer the case. Lehtonen was pushed into the starting role when Ben Bishop went down with a knee injury and Dallas eventually fell out of a playoff spot.  The 34-year-old will undoubtedly be taking a pay cut from his $5.9MM cap hit and it appears he’ll be doing so elsewhere.
  • With Cam Ward set to become an unrestricted free agent in July, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer wonders if youngster Alex Nedeljkovic could be in line to move up to the Hurricanes. He has been quite strong in the postseason at the AHL level and bringing him up would allow Carolina to put more money this summer towards upgrading their forward group.  With Scott Darling locked up for three more years at a $4.15MM cap hit, the ‘Canes may not want to have both their goalies on pricey contracts, something that would likely be required to keep Ward in the fold.

Hurricanes’ Brett Pesce, Victor Rask Done For The Year

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The Carolina Hurricanes still have a shot at making the playoffs. Well, Sports Club Stats gives them a 0.2% chance of  making it anyway. However, those already-minuscule odds are now almost certainly gone. The team announced this afternoon that two key players, defenseman Brett Pesce and center Victor Rask, have been shut down for the season due to shoulder injuries.

Without Pesce and Rask, any semblance of hope that Carolina fans had of ending their league-worst postseason drought this year has evaporated. Pesce, 23, is part of the Hurricanes’ dominant top pair alongside Jaccob Slavin and one of the main reasons why the team allows the fewest shots against in the NHL. Rask, 25, has 31 points and an even rating (anything non-negative is an outlier among ’Canes players this season) and leaves a team that is already shallow down the middle with even fewer options.

In response to this announcement, the team has recalled young defenseman Roland McKeown from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. McKeown may be relied on to play a top-six role for the remainder of the year and, if he is successful, could further the narrative that the time has come for the Hurricanes to trade one of their top blue liners. It is likely the first of many call-up’s down the stretch to test out young players in game action ahead of the off-season. Expect the likes of Aleksi Saarela, Janne Kuokkanen, Julien Gauthier, Warren Foegele, and Alex Nedeljkovic to be among the names given a promotion in the coming weeks.

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