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Alexander Wennberg

Snapshots: Wennberg, Pastrnak, Army, Butler

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Alexander Wennberg isn’t worried. Despite being one of the final 19 restricted free agents left to sign this summer, the Columbus centerman knows the two sides will get a deal done before long. That’s what he told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, who profiled Wennberg’s summer goals to get bigger and stronger for next season. Wennberg is a key part of the Columbus offense, recording 59 points last season and growing into the top line center spot that was vacated when the Blue Jackets traded away Ryan Johansen.

Wennberg was part of the reason that trade was possible, as Columbus knew they had something special ready to break out. The 22-year old now has 99 points over his past two seasons and could see even more offensive opportunity with Artemi Panarin now in the fold, and Cam Atkinson established as a top goal scorer. An absolutely deadly playmaker on the powerplay, the next step is getting Wennberg to shoot more at even strength and create his own opportunities. If he does, a long-term deal could look especially valuable in a year or two.

  • Similarly, David Pastrnak doesn’t seem fazed by the fact that he remains unsigned now into August. He told Tim Campbell of NHL.com that contract negotiations are entirely in agent J.P. Barry’s hands, and that he’s just focused on taking another step forward next season. It’s hard to believe more improvement is coming for Pastrnak, who scored 34 goals and 70 points as a 20-year old last season. Climbing any higher would put him among the absolute best in the league, if he’s not there already. For Boston fans worried about a potential deal, he had this to say: “The guys are great. The city is great. The fans are great. I like the arena. The city is full of good restaurants and young people.”  Sure doesn’t sound like a player that wants to leave anytime soon.
  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have hired Tim Army as an assistant coach for next season, after he was fired by the Colorado Avalanche earlier this offseason. The long-time NHL coach will work alongside head coach Clark Donatelli in a reversal of roles for the pair, after working together at Providence College in the past.
  • Bobby Butler is coming back to North America after a few years abroad, as he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Milwuakee Admirals. Butler was signed by the Ottawa Senators out of the University of New Hampshire back in 2010, and played 130 NHL games before finding himself stuck in the minors for 2014-15. Success was hard to come by in the SHL and KHL, so he’s back to try and show off his AHL All-Star talent once again. This contract will maintain his eligibility for the USA Olympic team, but at this point in his career he’d be a long-shot over some of the young college players.

Important Contracts Still To Sign For Columbus Blue Jackets

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As we approach the start of training camps in a little over a month, the Columbus Blue Jackets still have plenty of work to do in order to have the best players ready from day one. Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson both remain unsigned restricted free agents, and as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic points out, those negotiations could be holding up extension talks for Cam Atkinson as well. Cam Atkinson

Atkinson will hit unrestricted free agency next summer and is coming off a 35-goal performance in 2016-17. His goal explosion earned him his first all-star appearance, and set career highs in almost every offensive category. Heading into this season at just 28, he would be one of the prized forward options should he end up on the open market.

Wennberg and Anderson on the other hand represent two big parts of the Blue Jackets’ forward group that need contracts just to start the season on time. While there has been no negative reports out of Columbus that either is heading towards a lockout, the team does have to be careful with how they spend their funds. After clearing room by buying out Scott Hartnell, the team has just under $12.9MM left to spend for this season. That number isn’t hard to fit the pair under, but going forward the team has many other contracts to consider.

Along with Atkinson’s UFA status, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray are both restricted free agents next summer, while Artemi Panarin and Zach Werenski are due up in the summer of 2019. Panarin will be looking for a deal closer to $10MM per season than his current $6MM, and Werenski looks like a franchise defenseman that the team needs to lock up long term as soon as possible.

It’s rough waters to navigate for GM Jarmko Kekalainen, but for now the team is in pretty good shape. Not a single long-term deal will pay more than $5.85MM per season, and the team has options at nearly every position. Their solid drafting and development of young defensemen has come in handy, not to mention some successful trading to acquire certain assets. The Blue Jackets should be considered a top contender in the Metropolitan division once again, but it’ll take some more work this summer to get there.

Free Agent Notes: Wennberg, Anderson, Leier, Auger, Sifers

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It doesn’t seem like contract talks are progressing much between the Blue Jackets and their two remaining restricted free agents.  In a reader chat, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch noted that it could take until next month before they reach agreements with forwards Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson.  He was quick to add that this isn’t a sign that discussions are turning sour but it would appear that there’s still a notable gap to bridge.

Wennberg’s case is a very interesting one.  He’s coming off a season where he finished second in team scoring and has established himself as a top liner.  Several years ago, they signed Ryan Johansen in a similar situation to a three-year, $12MM deal.  That could be somewhat of a benchmark for a contract here but the Blue Jackets have more than $12MM in cap space to work with per CapFriendly which will give them the financial flexibility to go for a longer-term, bigger money contract if they so desire.  Having both options available to them is likely playing a part in the talks taking longer as well considering how different the money will be between short-and-long-term deals.

  • The Flyers have agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal with Taylor Leier, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link). The contract is reportedly worth $807K which suggests that he simply accepted their qualifying offer.  Leier collected a goal and an assist in ten games with Philadelphia this past season while adding 37 points (14-23-37) in 48 games with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley.
  • Winger Justin Auger has accepted his qualifying offer from the Kings according to CapFriendly (via Twitter). The contract will pay the league minimum $650K at the NHL level and $60K in the minors.  The 23-year-old is coming off a down season where he recorded just 20 points (11-9-20) in 61 games with Ontario of the AHL.
  • Unrestricted free agent defenseman Jaime Sifers, who was most recently under contract with Columbus, has signed a two-year minor league deal with Utica (affiliate of the Canucks), the AHL team announced. Sifers spent the last three years with the AHL affiliates for the Jackets and collected 20 points (6-14-20) in 74 regular season games.  He also has 37 games of NHL experience under his belt between Toronto and Minnesota.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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The free agent period is now less than a week away from opening up.  Several prominent players are set to hit the open market and many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: Alexander Wennberg. The team’s former first-round pick from 2014 looks like he’s paying dividends in his third full season in the league. The 22-year-old center stepped onto the team’s first line and had a breakout year, putting up 13 goals and 46 assists. While the Blue Jackets are not sure whether pass-first center is a first-line center, he is undoubtedly high in their plans for the future. At $1.4MM this past year, expect the young center to demand quite a pay raise.

F Josh Anderson. The 23-year-old winger is at the top of the list of restricted free agents that Columbus needs to lock up. The team went out of their way to make sure they didn’t lose the former fourth-round pick in 2012 to the Vegas Golden Knights and now must pay up to a player who had a breakout season with 17 goals and 12 assists last year, yet averaged just 12 minutes of ice time per game. Anderson made just $894,167 a year ago and should be in line for a modest raise.

Other RFA’s: G Oscar Dansk, F Jordan Schroeder, D Oleg Yevenko.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Sam Gagner. The 27-year-old forward signed with the Blue Jackets last year on a one-year “show me” contract and did just that, putting up one of his best seasons ever with 18 goals and 32 assists for 50 points. Now, if the Blue Jackets want to keep him, they will have to pay for him. The problem is that with such a mediocre group of free agents on the market this year, Gagner will find himself heavily in demand by other NHL teams and is in line for a big pay day.

Other UFA’s: D Marc-Andre Bergeron, F Brett Gallant, F Lauri Korpikoski, D Kyle Quincey, D Jaime Sifers, D Ryan Stanton, F T.J. Tynan.

Projected Cap Space: The team is in decent shape with just a $64.7MM cap hit that goes towards 21 players, giving them approximately $10.3MM to work with (per Cap Friendly) during the offseason, but that does not include locking up either Wennberg or Anderson, which will likely whittle away any significant space to sign a quality free agent.

Offseason Keys: Columbus Blue Jackets

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While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

What a difference a year can make.  After Columbus missed the playoffs in 2015-16, they were one of the top teams in the league in the regular season.  Unfortunately for them, they fell victim to the NHL’s playoff seeding that keeps the first two rounds inside the divisions so their reward for a top four finish league-wide was a date with Pittsburgh (the second overall team) in the first round.  They went down quickly to the Penguins which ended their year on a sour note.  GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t likely to make sweeping changes but here are some keys that he’s likely going to look to accomplish this summer.

Free Up Cap Room

The Blue Jackets have a little more than $70MM committed in payroll for next season per CapFriendly which doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room, especially with the salary cap not expected to rise by a significant amount.  It’s worth noting that David Clarkson will be eligible for LTIR once again which will allow them to exceed the cap by up to his $5.25MM cap hit but that alone probably won’t be enough to re-sign their free agents and add some pieces.  It was reported on Friday that Columbus is talking with Vegas in the hopes of getting them to pick the remaining three years of his contract.

Scott Hartnell’s $4.75MM deal is also cumbersome, especially with him primarily playing in a bottom six role.  However, he has a no-move clause and indicated back in training camp that he wasn’t willing to waive it; not only would that end hopes of a trade, it could also play a role in their expansion draft strategy.  Accordingly, he’s a candidate for a buyout which could give them a bit more room to work with; the cost against the cap for doing so would be $1.5MM next season, $3MM in 2018-19, and $1.25MM in the following two seasons.

The emergence of Zach Werenski plus having intriguing youngsters in Markus Nutivaara and Gabriel Carlsson might allow Kekalainen to move a blueliner.  The first one that would spring to mind is Jack Johnson who finds himself a year away from unrestricted free agency.  He’s capable of logging top four minutes and carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM which should attract some interest around the league and unlike Hartnell, there isn’t any trade protection.  If one of those two players were to come off the books, the Jackets would find themselves in a lot more comfortable of a situation.

New Deal For Wennberg

After a strong sophomore season, Alexander Wennberg followed that up with an even better year in 2016-17, posting career highs across the board.  The timing couldn’t have been much better as his entry-level deal is expiring, setting him up for restricted free agency in July.

Unlike some teams, Columbus hasn’t hesitated to go the bridge route in recent years, doing so with players like Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray (although they were able to hand Seth Jones a six year deal off his rookie contract last summer too).  Part of the rationale for that was likely cap-motivated and their current situation could certainly play a factor in the decision here as well as a long-term deal would likely cost a minimum of $5MM per season.

Regardless of what route they take, Wennberg is set to get a significant raise from the $925K he earned this season (before performances bonuses).  He finished second on the team in scoring and is their top line center which is going to make this contract a top priority for Kekalainen.

Atkinson Extension

Cam Atkinson has been a fairly consistent scorer in recent years but he took his game to another level this past season, tallying a career best 35 goals.  As a result, he led the team in scoring and was one of the better bargains league-wide with a deal that pays him $3.5MM per season.  He is only a year away from unrestricted free agency though and is eligible to sign an extension at the beginning of July.

Nov 25, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Cam Atkinson (13) shoots against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Amalie Arena. Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsIn a market where very few top scorers even make it to free agency, it’s likely that Kekalainen and Atkinson’s agent, George Bazos, will discuss a new deal at some point this summer.  With goal scoring at a premium at the moment, a long-term contract could hover around the $6-7MM per season range which would make the 27 year old the highest paid skater on the team.  (Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky carries the highest cap hit at $7.425MM.)

Given the fact that there’s another year left on his deal, this may not be at the top of the to-do list for the Blue Jackets but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to ink their top goal scorer before training camp gets underway.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jackets Notes: Team Building Goals, Gavrikov, Ruopp, Soberg

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Refreshingly straightforward Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was open and honest with Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently when asked about his teams short-term and long-term objectives. The Blue Jackets surprised many this past season with their stellar play, reaching 108 points on the year – a franchise record by a significant margin. Yet, Columbus was easily dispatched by the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. Kekalainen understands that his team must get better if they ever want to reach their first Stanley Cup, but he is not worried. Kekalainen told Friedman that they “are not thinking short-term. Our window is not just open now. We are only cracking the window.” Kekalainen clearly believes that his young, talented team can compete for a long time – even with a difficult Expansion Draft situation looming – without having to worry entirely about just the next couple of seasons.

When discussing what exactly he want to do to improve the team, Kekalainen named a number one center and a “sniper in the key moments” as the biggest needs. He expands on the desire for a “sniper” by stating that the team will look internally and externally for players with greater finish around the net. In 2016-17, Cam Atkinson had a breakout year with a career-best 35 goals, courtesy of a 14.6% shooting percentage. Captain Nick Foligno and rookie Josh Anderson also broke the 14% shooting mark, while others like Alexander Wennberg, Brandon Saad, and Brandon Dubinsky topped the NHL average, generally somewhere around 9%. Yet, other key contributors including every starting defenseman, Boone Jenner, and William Karlsson were not as lucky with their accuracy. Kekalainen hopes to add players who can make up for some of those missed opportunities with a better eye for putting the puck in the back of the net.

One player who has been known as a “sniper” and may also fit the bill as a top center one day is Oliver Bjorkstrand. The 2013 third-round pick was nearly unstoppable as a junior player with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, but has cooled down since turning pro in 2015-16 with just pedestrian AHL numbers. He also has largely moved completely to right wing in that time as well. Yet, last season Bjorkstrand played in 26 games with the Blue Jackets, recording 55 shots and scoring six goals for a 10.9% shooting percentage. He also scored four goals in 12 NHL games in his rookie season. Some more ice time, possibly even some back at center, in 2017-18 could be an internal solution for Columbus’ need for finish. However, in speaking with Friedman, Kekalainen made no mention of Bjorkstrand as the answer to either problem. He also left Wennberg out of the mix for an internal number one center, even though the 22-year-old had an outstanding campaign in exactly that role, recording 13 goals and 46 assists. Wennberg is by no means a “sniper”, but if Kekalainen can separate the two biggest needs of his team, Wennberg certainly has the appearance of a potential top-31 center in the NHL down the road.

The two players tabbed by Kekalainen, the former as possible top center option and the latter as a potential elite NHL finisher, were unsurprisingly 2016 third-overall selection Pierre-Luc Dubois and 2015 third-rounder Keegan Kolesar. Dubois nearly made the Blue Jackets out of camp in 2016-17, but was sent back to junior before he could make his NHL debut. After a somewhat disappointing junior season production-wise, aside from a strong QMJHL postseason run, Dubois appears to have outgrown juniors and should be in Columbus next season. He possesses high-end two-way ability and hockey IQ and has unique strength, both with and without the puck, for his age. While it remains to be seen if Dubois can stick at center in the NHL rather than move to left wing, where many scouts projected him even before he was drafted, Dubois is very likely to make an impact for the Jackets next season and surely could be an option at number one center. Meanwhile, Kolesar may not be ready for the big-time next season, but when he does arrive, the 6’2″, 223-lb. right wing will also bring with him a developed two-way game. However, where Kolesar catches your eye is his finish: he can capitalize around the net and he can strike from afar with a great shot. Kolesar could be that “sniper” that Kekalainen is looking for, but not for a few more years.

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Poll: Which Team Will Be Next To Make Stanley Cup Debut?

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With a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final last night, the Nashville Predators punched their ticket to the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup appearance. In fact, Nashville had never even advanced beyond the conference semifinals until this heroic run and now stand just four wins away from hosting the greatest trophy in sports.

A Stanley Cup berth has certainly been a long time coming for the NHL’s 27th franchise whose inaugural season took place in 1998. GM David Poile, who has been the man in charge through it all, did not qualify for the postseason for the team’s first five seasons of existence, but since 2003 the Predators have only missed the playoffs three times. With other 1990’s expansion or relocation teams having made the Final before, like the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers, and even more having won a Stanley Cup, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Carolina Hurricanes, many would expect that the Predators may be the last team to accomplish the feat. However, there are four teams who have yet to make it to Stanley Cup Final, the Expansion Class of 2000 – the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, the current Winnipeg Jets, and the original Winnipeg Jets, now the Arizona Coyotes. Which of these teams will be the next to realize their dreams of playing in June?

The Minnesota Wild certainly seemed to be heading in that direction for much of this season as they had their way with the Western Conference. Although in a tough Central Division with the Cup-bound Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota is armed with a depth and talent at every position and showed (in the regular season) that they can fight through a tough schedule. The team was able to turn goaltender Devan Dubnyk into a star, has one of the strongest defensive cores in the NHL, and has a combination up front of strong veterans like Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Eric Staal and exciting young players like Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker and Charlie Coyle. However, everything fell apart when it mattered most, as the Wild were easily bounced in the first round by the Blues. Can the Wild bounce back and, with the aid of top prospects such as Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin, make a Stanley Cup appearance in the next few years?

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be racing them for that honor. Almost mirror images of each other in 2016-17, the Blue Jackets also surprised many by dominating the Eastern Conference early in the year. At the time, the New Year’s Eve match-up between Columbus and Minnesota, both on historic winning streaks, was even touted as the game of the year. The Blue Jackets too have a stellar goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky and deep group of talented defenseman, like young game-changers Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. However, where Columbus may edge out Minnesota is in their youth up front. Although similarly successful, the Jackets were able to reach 108 points to the Wild’s 106 with a much younger forward corps. The likes of Brandon Saad, Alexander Wennberg, Boone Jenner, and Josh Anderson, plus incoming talent like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand could keep Columbus in the running for a Cup longer than the Wild.

Speaking of youth, the Arizona Coyotes seem to be building something special in the desert. Question marks abound throughout the roster, such as starting goalie and a long-term partner for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and many don’t expect the Coyotes to be contenders for several more years. However, after the rapid ascent of the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs this season, fueled largely by under-21 talent, Arizona may be relevant sooner rather than later. Their best players are also their top prospects – Max Domi, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Perlini, Jakob Chychrun – and that’s just the beginning, as even better young talent is on its way in Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome, not to mention whoever they select with the 7th and 23rd overall picks this year. It seems inevitable that the Coyotes will be good down the road, and, regardless of whether it’s in Arizona or not, have a strong chance to host a Stanley Cup final. However, will that day come before the likes of Minnesota or Columbus can take advantage of their current success?

Finally, there’s the Winnipeg Jets. They weren’t a playoff team this year like Columbus or Minnesota and they aren’t armed with years worth of high draft picks like Arizona either. Yet, the Jets may actually be the dark horse to reach the Stanley Cup first. Winnipeg finished ninth in the Western Conference in 2016-17, tenth in 2015-16, and eighth in 2014-15, consistently hanging around as a fringe team, not truly competing for a title. That seems like it is about to change. The Jets have one of the more dangerous forward groups in the NHL with Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and captain Blake Wheeler leading the charge. They also have talented defenseman in Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba. The Jets are a deeper team than many know and this season did not have a single player over the age of 32. Next year, they’ll add ace forwards Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic to the mix, and possibly goaltender Eric Comrie as well, all part of what The Hockey News called the top prospect system in the NHL. Given the wealth of talent on this team already, it seems strange they haven’t performed better. Throw some dynamic young players in and use some of the team’s ample cap space, and the Winnipeg Jets could be a breakout team in 2017-18.

What do you think?

Blue Jackets Open Contract Talks With Sam Gagner And Alexander Wennberg

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The Blue Jackets have opened up preliminary contract negotiations with pending free agent centers Sam Gagner and Alexander Wennberg, reports Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch.  Gagner is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st while Wennberg will become a restricted free agent with his entry level contract now complete.

Feb 3, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Sam Gagner (89) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsGagner was a late addition to Columbus last offseason and there’s a strong case to be made that he was the biggest bargain in free agency.  Despite being only able to garner a contract of $650K, the 27 year old set a career high in points with 50 (18-32-50) in 81 games played, also a career best.  Gagner noted that he’s certainly open to returning to the team:

“It’s a team that’s on the rise and as the year went on I felt like more and more a part of things and a big part of things. Yeah, I’d like to come back, but we’ll see where things go.”

Wennberg also set career bests across the board with 13 goals and 46 assists in 80 games; his 59 points were just three behind winger Cam Atkinson for the team lead while his assist total led the team.  Reed notes that the 22 year old recently hired a new agent in Pat Brisson while Wennberg himself emphasized that there’s no rush to get a new deal done.

The Blue Jackets already have $70MM committed in contracts for next season per CapFriendly though that amount will come down by $5.25MM when David Clarkson returns to long-term injury reserve.  Accordingly, they don’t have a ton of wiggle room to work with, especially since the team has a few other free agents to either re-sign or replace.  Trade deadline acquisitions Lauri Korpikoski and Kyle Quincey are also set to become unrestricted free agents while right winger Josh Anderson as well as goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo will become restricted free agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Morning Notes: Draft, RFAs, Galchenyuk

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Craig Button of TSN updated his rankings for the NHL Entry Draft, and there is big movement among the first round. After Timothy Liljegren has remained in the conversation for top-3 for so long, Button has now dropped him to eighth, as he struggles to find ice time in Sweden. Martin Necas slides into the spot following Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, as Button compares the Czech center to a young Claude Giroux.

Cale Makar from the AJHL has made his way into the top five, an impressive feat for someone playing in a “lesser league”. Button doesn’t consider this a problem, as he is focused on evaluating where they will be at the next level, not their current competition. Makar has 75 points in 54 games as a defenseman, and has received many comparisons to Erik Karlsson in the way that he handles the puck.

  • Columbus extended three restricted free agents yesterday when they inked Markus Hannikainen, Lukas Sedlak and Scott Harrington to two-year deals. The team still has three RFAs left for this summer, and according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch the Blue Jackets aren’t worried about signing them. Alexander Wennberg, Josh Anderson and Joonas Korpisalo all require new deals, and the Jackets are going to be tight on money once again. Depending on who is taken at the expansion draft, they may have to consider some sort of salary dump—like Scott Hartnell, who will be scratched tonight in favor of Sedlak—in order to keep their cap structure in tact.
  • The Montreal Canadiens experienced a heartbreaking loss last night to one of the worst teams in the conference when they fell 2-1 in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings. Again their expected top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov was broken up in the third period, something that has become far too common. Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes about how Galchenyuk in particular had a rough night, and doesn’t seem to mesh well with Radulov in terms of play style. The young forward had a breakout 30-goal campaign last season, but has struggled all year with his consistency and defensive play. With just nine games remaining until the playoffs, most first-place teams don’t have the kind of doubt Montreal is feeling with their #1 centerman.

Metropolitan Notes: Islanders Arena, Wennberg, Strome, Rangers

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While there has been talk that the Islanders would be forced to find a new home following the 2018-19 season with Barclays Center ownership preferring to host other events, the two sides are in discussions regarding a short-term extension that would keep the team in Brooklyn a bit longer, reports Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos (video link).

A report back in September suggested that the current deal can only be renegotiated up until January 1st, 2018.  The current contract allows the Islanders to opt out as early as the end of next season but with no firm plan in place for a new arena, that wouldn’t be feasible.  On the other side, arena ownership currently has the ability to opt out following 2018-19.

While any temporary arrangement would reduce the immediate need to find another place to play within the area, it certainly doesn’t look like the Islanders will be playing in Brooklyn anywhere near the 25 year term of the original agreement.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Blue Jackets held out center Alexander Wennberg from their game against the Devils this afternoon, one in which they became only the third team in NHL history to score two penalty shot goals in the same game. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch notes (via Twitter) that the 22 year old is dealing with a stiff neck and was held out for precautionary reasons.  Wennberg leads Columbus in assists with 42 on the season in 70 contests.
  • In a separate tweet, Portzline notes that Islanders center Ryan Strome will not be suspended for the hit that caused Wennberg to be out of the lineup. The league felt Strome’s push wasn’t an overly aggressive one.  No penalty was assessed on the play.
  • Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and defenseman Kevin Klein both skated in advance of Saturday’s game against the Wild, the team announced via Twitter. Lundqvist last played March 7th and is dealing with a hip injury.  The team has been targeting a return sometime during New York’s California trip which kicks off March 25th.  As for Klein, he has been dealing with back spasms for the better part of a month and there is no timetable for him to return to game action.

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