PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards
Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:
Hart Trophy – Most valuable player
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Norris Trophy – Best defenseman
1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward
1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Calder Trophy – Best rookie
1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender
1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
Jack Adams Award – Best coach
1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues
Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award
1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues
Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman
1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Comeback Player of the Year Award
1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights
Blue Jackets Notes: Recent Surge, Bjorkstrand, Wennberg
No team in the NHL is hotter than the Columbus Blue Jackets in the new year. Columbus is 8-2-0 in their past ten games, which includes three shutouts and a pair of wins against the Boston Bruins. The team has now crept their way into the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, jumping ahead of the likes of Philadelphia, Carolina, and Toronto. Even more impressive is that the Blue Jackets have made this run while missing many of their best players: starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, top scorer Cam Atkinson and fellow forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, and Alexandre Texier, and defensemen Ryan Murray and Dean Kukan. With those players on their way back to health – Atkinson made his return on Thursday – one would think that Columbus has a chance to not only sustain their success, but possibly even improve upon it.
Yet, the question then becomes whether the team can really buy in to this season after the events of 2018-19. Last year, the Blue Jackets went all in, trading away Anthony Duclair, two top forward prospects, a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and three additional picks to load up with rentals Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid. The team also opted not to move their own impending free agents in Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Although Columbus stunned the Tampa Bay Lightning with a first-round sweep, the first playoff series win in franchise history, they fell in the second round and lost each of those six free agents in the off-season. If the Blue Jackets are again in a position only to battle for a wild card spot down the stretch, can the team risk another season of lost prospects and draft capital? Only time will tell how long the team can continue this dominant stretch and what position they may be in by late next month, but another active trade deadline would be a difficult hit to the team’s pipeline.
- Columbus’ best bet may be to depend on their internal options to get healthy and play to the best of their abilities. The team announced a step in the right direction today, as Bjorkstrand has been activated from the injured reserve and will return to action for the first time since December 22. Bjorkstrand is actually returning earlier than his expected four-to-six week timeline, healing quickly from broken ribs. Bjorkstrand was on pace for a career year prior to his injury, with 23 points in his first 36 games. The 24-year-old winger was embracing his increased responsibility and Columbus has to hope that he can continue to excel in his elevated role the rest of the year. With Bjorkstrand back, Kevin Stenlund is the odd man out, reassigned to the AHL.
- If the Blue Jackets are to lean on their existing roster this season for a playoff run, another intriguing situation will be the trade status of Alexander Wennberg. Wennberg has been on the trade block since early last season and in the minds of many hockey pundits remains a player that Columbus would like to move. The young center has not lived up to the long-term extension the team signed him to back in 2017, which carries a $4.9MM cap hit for three more years beyond this season. However, as opposed to last season when Wennberg recorded only 25 points and was scratched a handful of games, Wennberg too has embraced his increased role in the wake of free agent departures and injuries this year. The 25-year-old has played in all but one game for the Blue Jackets, recording 20 points. This puts him on pace for 34 points on the year, a sharp uptick from last season. It also makes him a top-six scoring forward for the team so far this year. Can Columbus afford to move out a player in such an important role this year for only salary cap purposes when they are trying to make it back to the postseason?
NHL All-Star Selections Announced
Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:
Atlantic Division
G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)
Metropolitan Division
G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Central Division
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:
Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner
Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie
Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine
Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Ottawa Senators
As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Ottawa Senators.
What are the Senators most thankful for?
Before the season even started, almost everyone throughout hockey predicated that the Ottawa Senators would finish dead last and have yet another embarrassing season after they finished in 31st place last year with just 64 points, not even close to 30th place.
However, with new head coach D.J. Smith, the team has not been a last place team. Granted the young, rebuilding squad is hardly in a playoff position, but the team has proven that they aren’t a laughing stock anymore as the team is starting to regain respectability and is proving that they are no longer they easy victory they have been in the past. The team is currently in a tie for 26th place in the league with a 16-18-4 overall record and their 36 points is a far cry from the last-place Red Wings, who have just 21 points.
Who are the Senators most thankful for?
The team has gotten a large chunk of their offense from two players who they weren’t expecting to get it from. Anthony Duclair, who was playing for his fifth team already at the young age of 24 and was written off just a season ago by Columbus head coach John Tortorella as someone who can’t play hockey, has been a surprise as the forward looks to have figured things out, having scored 21 goals and 30 points in 38 games. Duclair always had potential as a third-round pick back in 2013 and had a 20-goal season with Arizona during his second NHL season, but fell out of favor and failed to re-establish himself the last few years until now.
The team also has seen center Jean-Gabriel Pageau take another step in his development. Used mainly as a third-line center the last few years, the 27-year-old Pageau has taken on a bigger role this year, having already potted 18 goals and 28 points. He is just one goal away from tying his career high.
What would the Senators be even more thankful for?
The team is loaded with prospects and young talent, but the team has gotten little production so far from them. Several top prospects have played with Ottawa, but few have made any impact. Erik Brannstrom, who was the key piece in the Mark Stone trade, has struggled in 28 games and currently is working on his game in Belleville. Several others, including Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik, J.C. Beaudin, Jonathan Davidsson, Vitaly Abramov, Maxime Lajoie, Max Veronneau and Drake Batherson, have been given opportunities, but none has been able to cement a spot into the team’s permanent rotation yet. The team also has a number of young players thriving in Belleville, including Josh Norris, Rudolfs Balcers and Alex Formenton. If the team can get one or two of those players to step up and establish themselves as top-line players, they would be in a much better state.
What should be on the Senators’ Holiday Wish List?
Goaltending.
While many have been pleased with the play of Anders Nilsson in net for Ottawa, his numbers still haven’t been that impressive for a starting goaltender. The netminder has a 9-9-2 record with a 3.18 GAA and a .908 save percentage, which might work for a backup, but what the Senators really need is to find a starting netminder who can help take the team to that next level. Whether the team could find a trade partner soon or wait to try to pry a goaltender off the free-agent market, the team must find an answer to this problem sooner than later.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Anthony Duclair
There has been no bigger story on the Ottawa Senators this season than Anthony Duclair (Thomas Chabot‘s heavy usage might be a close second). The 24-year old forward was acquired as part of the return for Ryan Dzingel, but frustrating stints with four teams already in his young career made it hard to expect much of him in Ottawa. Instead, Duclair has completely turned things around and now sits with 21 goals through his first 38 games of 2019-20.
That kind of production is an incredible leap for the young forward, but on a one-year $1.65MM deal it also places a ton of intrigue on his future. The Senators are in an obvious rebuild, but Duclair now represents arguably their best offensive weapon and could be a huge part of their future.
When he got off to his hot start this season, many speculated that Duclair could be another trade chip for the Senators to use for future assets. Not so fast says Darren Dreger of TSN, who examined the situation yesterday:
I supposed there could be the threat of trade–again the Ottawa Senators are still very much in a rebuild format, so they could dangle Anthony Duclair out there. But again, given the offensive production of Anthony Duclair this year it makes sense that the Ottawa Senators will do everything they can up to January 1st, maybe soon after January 1st, to get a contract done.
Earlier in the segment, Dreger suggests that a three-year contract extension could work for both sides given that Duclair is two years away from unrestricted free agency. That would buy out a year of open market value on the young sniper, but also provide him with some security that he hasn’t had so far in his young career.
January 1st is the threshold for anything to get done, as Duclair can’t sign an extension until then given he is currently on a one-year contract. That gives him two more games to continue his torrid scoring pace and provide even more leverage, though you can’t get much hotter than 21 goals in 38 games. That is a full-season pace of 45, nearly equaling the entire rest of his career—Duclair had scored 48 goals before coming to Ottawa, and now has 29 in 59 games between this season and the end of last.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Three Stars, Hall, Kucherov
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, handing out the top spot to Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty. In four games the former Montreal Canadiens’ captain had five goals and eight points last week and leads the Golden Knights in both categories on the season.
While Jack Eichel‘s continued MVP-level performance has landed him the third star, a new face finds himself in the second spot. Anthony Duclair has risen from the ashes to become a star with the Ottawa Senators and now has 18 goals on the season. The 24-year old has scored 26 goals in 54 games since arriving in Ottawa and now looks ready to land a long-term deal as a restricted free agent this summer.
- There is still no concrete news on New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall and where he’ll end up after the inevitable trade, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) is ruling out one team (for the time being). The Florida Panthers have pulled back their pursuit of the scoring winger according to LeBrun—though he notes that things can obviously change at any moment—because the winger doesn’t seem ready to sign an extension with whatever team acquires him. Hall hasn’t played in the Devils’ last two games as the team tries to protect their asset.
- Nikita Kucherov has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a John Carlson slapshot over the weekend. Kucherov was forced from the game but seems to have avoided major injury. Head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic that Kucherov will likely be back before Christmas.
Senators Notes: No. 19 Pick, Paajarvi, Hogberg
Perhaps excited by the extension of Anthony Duclair and the additional second-round pick added by the Erik Karlsson contract, both occurring earlier today, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion was very positive and open when speaking with the media today. Per The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Dorion began by discussing the team’s plans for the upcoming NHL Draft. The Senators will travel to Vancouver tomorrow to begin meetings ahead of the round one of the draft on Friday night, but Dorion has already had many conversations with rival GM’s. Dorion states that he has already spoken with multiple teams about possibly moving up in the first round from No. 19. The Senators are without their own first-rounder, owed to the Colorado Avalanche from last year’s Matt Duchene trade, but the team was fortunately able to recoup a top pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in their own sale of Duchene. With that said, No. 19 is not exactly where a rebuilding team would like their first pick to be, even though Ottawa already has a deep, talented pipeline. Following the Karlsson news, CapFriendly reports that the Senators now have 28 picks in the next three drafts, including 16 in the top three rounds. That is plenty of ammunition if Dorion decides that he wants to move up the board on Friday. Teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks have hinted at their willingness to move back, while the Colorado Avalanche may also be open to moving their second pick in the round, No. 16. If Dorion is intent on moving up, he should be able to find a taker.
- Dorion also made the somewhat surprising reveal that the Senators are not pursuing a contract extension with free agent forward Magnus Paajarvi. Paajarvi, 28, has spent the past season and half with Ottawa after coming over from the St. Louis Blues on waivers in 2017-18. Although the 2009 tenth overall pick has never been able to live up to his draft stock nor his rookie year production, Paajarvi has grown into a solid two-way player and enjoyed the best season since his first in Ottawa this past year. Paajarvi seemed like a safe bet to stay with the Senators, especially given his key role on the penalty kill, but Dorion has other plans. He did say that talks continue with fellow UFA’s Oscar Lindberg and Brian Gibbons, both of whom performed well after deadline trades, as well as RFA defenseman Cody Ceci. As for Paajarvi, he’ll likely land on his feet elsewhere in the league once free agency opens.
- Finally, Dorion announced that a contract resolution with RFA goaltender Marcus Hogberg is imminent. Hogberg is expected to sign with the team this week after rumors emerged early this off-season that he was considering a move to Europe. It remains possible that Hogberg could still be loaned elsewhere, as his signing only adds to a logjam of keepers in both Ottawa and AHL Belleville. The Senators expect to enter next season with a tandem of veteran Craig Anderson and returnee Anders Nilsson. As of now, Mike Condon will also be in the mix. In the minors, the team hopes to give top goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson, college standout Joey Daccord, and now Hogberg the time in net they need to develop properly. If that is going to be impossible, even with a likely Condon departure, Hogberg is the top candidate to be loaned away, despite his advantage in pro experience.
Ottawa Senators, Anthony Duclair Agree To Extension
The Ottawa Senators landed an additional second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft when former star Erik Karlsson reportedly agreed to an extension with the San Jose Sharks earlier today. They have now made the most of another one of their big trades from this past season. Anthony Duclair, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Ryan Dzingel trade, has agreed to a one-year contract extension, the team announced. The deal will pay Duclair $1.65MM next season, which could prove to be a bargain for the Senators. Duclair had been set for restricted free agency and held arbitration rights, but has opted to take Ottawa’s offer in hopes that he can re-establish his value next season.
Duclair, 23, has had an up-and-down career and has already made many stops since breaking into the NHL at 19. The New York Rangers draft pick failed to impress as a rookie and was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in 2015. He broke out that same year, recording 20 goals and 44 points. However, when his output dropped to just 15 points in 2016-17, the Coyotes did not hesitate to trade him the following season to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks opted not to qualify Duclair, who signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer. Although Duclair was on pace for a bounce back season with Columbus, the team decided to move him at the deadline as part of their “all in” approach. Fortunately, he caught on quickly in Ottawa, registering 14 points in just 21 games.
The Senators hope that Duclair will again take advantage of the opportunity afforded to him on the young, inexperienced Ottawa roster. If he can keep up his scoring pace from late last season over the course of this next year, he could reach or even surpass his previous career high of 44 points. At just $1.65MM, that would be a tremendous value for the Sens. GM Pierre Dorion certainly likes what he sees, as the team’s press release states:
We were pleased with what Anthony was able to add to our lineup after his acquisition. This signing improves our team speed and scoring depth up front. Anthony’s speed and skill can be dynamic and at only 23 years old, we feel he has the chance to grow into a really consistent contributor.
Senators Not Likely To Retain Magnus Paajarvi And Oscar Lindberg
The Senators are likely to not bring back winger Magnus Paajarvi and center Oscar Lindberg for next season, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. However, Ottawa appears to be inclined to issue a qualifying offer to winger Anthony Duclair and may attempt to keep winger Brian Gibbons who made a significant impact after being acquired late in the season.
Paajarvi never quite lived up to his draft billing as a tenth overall pick of the Oilers back in 2009. While he had a regular role this season, he wasn’t overly productive as he posted just 19 points in 80 games. With several younger forwards looking to make a push for a roster spot next season, it appears Paajarvi will be yielding his spot to one of them.
As for Lindberg, the trade deadline deal that saw him join the Senators didn’t do much to bolster his offensive game despite a boost in playing time. Between Ottawa and Vegas, he had 20 points in 55 games and as a 27-year-old old pivot, he’ll garner some interest on the open market in July.
Duclair came over from Columbus as part of the Ryan Dzingel deal just before the trade deadline. He signed with the Blue Jackets in a hope to revive his career but it didn’t happen. However, he showed some promising signs after the trade, collecting 14 points in 21 games, giving him 33 points on the season, the second-most of his career. That should be worth a $715K qualifying offer although he is eligible for salary arbitration.
Gibbons, meanwhile, was brought in for minor league defender Patrick Sieloff to fill a roster spot for the stretch run to allow the younger players to remain at AHL Belleville. After being invisible with Anaheim after putting up just five points in 44 games, he picked up 14 in 20 contests following the trade. Clearly, he showed he fits in with Ottawa so depending on the contract he’s looking for – he made $1MM this season – he could be a fit to stick around in a depth role.
Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Ryan Dzingel
The Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t done adding. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Blue Jackets have finalized a deal to acquire forward Ryan Dzingel from the Ottawa Senators. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Senators will trade Dzingel and the Calgary Flames 2019 seventh-round pick to Columbus for Anthony Duclair and two second-round picks, ones in 2020 and 2021.
For Columbus, general managers Jarmo Kekalainen continues to add to a team that has decided to go all-in and try to win a Stanley Cup, so far getting all his additions from Ottawa after the team acquired Matt Duchene from the Senators Friday. This almost guarantees that the team will hold onto forward Artemi Panarin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as own-rentals instead of trading them both away. This time, Columbus moves a pair of second-rounders to get Dzingel, who should add another key element to the team’s top-six and continue to move the rest of their team to strengthen the third and fourth lines.
Dzingel, who was one of three pending unrestricted free agents in Ottawa who didn’t want to commit to the Senators’ long-term, returns to Ohio where he played three years of college hockey at Ohio State University (and was a Hobey Baker award finalist), making him a legitimate candidate to potentially re-sign with the Blue Jackets this summer. There has been no discussion as of yet of an extension, however. The 26-year-old has 22 goals and a career-high 44 points and should make an instant impact next to Duchene.
For Ottawa, the team gets back forward Anthony Duclair, who Columbus’ head coach John Tortorella said on Tuesday, “I don’t think he knows how to play.” The 23-year-old Duclair is considered to be a talented scorer, but is now on his fifth team in his young career and there were rumors that he was a locker room distraction. He will get a final chance to develop into the player that many teams have thought they could get when they traded for him. Duclair posted a 20-goal season with Arizona in his rookie season back in the 2015-16 season, but tallied five goals after that and combined for 11 between Arizona and Chicago last year. He was not handed a qualifying offer and eventually signed a minimum-salaried deal with Columbus this summer. Duclair started off strong this season as he scored eight goals in his first 19 games of the season, but has seen his playing time drop considerably due to his lack of defense. With the available playing time that Ottawa will have after moving their top three players, the Senators should have the playing time to see if they can get Duclair to figure things out in the NHL.
The key to the deal is the two second-round picks. While it is often said that second-round picks pan out at a significantly less rate than first-rounders, the Senators managed to snag two of them, not including the 2019 first-round pick that Columbus gave Ottawa in the Duchene trade as well as a conditional first-rounder in 2020. With their recent trades (not including those including Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson) last summer, Ottawa could have as many as 16 picks in the first three rounds of the draft in the next three drafts, including five first-round picks, seven second-rounders and four third-round picks.