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Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers

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The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again.  However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener.  However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip.  An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
  • Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating.  As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
  • While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.

Latest On Kirill Kaprizov

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A few weeks ago, it seemed like things were progressing well in the contract talks between the Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov. A general structure of a five-year, $45MM contract had been tabled, and it appeared as though the high-scoring winger would be signed well before camp opens later this month. Now, without a deal announced, Wild fans are beginning to get nervous. Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Minnesota GM Bill Guerin explained that the two sides still aren’t very far apart but that things haven’t progressed recently:

I will say this, we are at a point where we feel we’re being extremely fair. How far apart are we? Not very, but sometimes those can be the things that take a while. I mean, that’s the way I see it. You could ask Paul [Theofanous] or Kirill and they might say something very different.

Guerin continues to caution fans that this is normal with high-profile RFAs, as you can see from the ongoing negotiations around the league. Elias Pettersson, Brady Tkachuk, Rasmus Dahlin, and Quinn Hughes are all still unsigned, along with several other mid-tier free agents as well. Kaprizov’s situation is not necessarily unique from that perspective, though his work visa and travel status make it so that he’ll have to face a longer wait to join camp whenever he does officially sign.

The Wild will start their preseason schedule in 11 days, taking on the St. Louis Blues on Sept 25. Whether Kaprizov will even be in camp by then is unclear, given the stalemate that Russo suggests.

A $9MM average annual value, the terms reported previously, would tie Kaprizov with Jeff Skinner of the Buffalo Sabres for the 18th highest-paid forward in the league next season. That’s a massive commitment for a player that has just 55 regular season NHL games under his belt, but Kaprizov is also a relatively unique case because of his success in the KHL and internationally.

Artemi Panarin, for instance, who is oft used as the closest comparable to Kaprizov because of their similar path to the NHL, signed a two-year contract extension just 117 games into his own career. That deal carried just a $6MM average annual value, but also took Panarin right to unrestricted free agency where he then signed a seven-year, $81.5MM deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the league. At the time of his extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, Panarin had 45 goals and 114 points in 117 regular season games, a 0.97 points-per-game rate. Kaprizov sat at 0.93 through his first NHL season and, like Panarin, took home the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie.

Whether Guerin cautions against it or not, Minnesota fans are certainly biting their nails waiting for the eventual decision to come down as the hopes for this season certainly rest on Kaprizov’s shoulders. The 24-year-old forward is arguably the most exciting player the franchise has ever known and is a key to their entire offensive structure.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Metropolitan Notes: Blue Jackets, Lee, Rangers

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For years, the Blue Jackets have been searching for help down the middle with those moves largely not panning out.  Now, with the team entrenched in a rebuild, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that they may back off of that approach now.  With the selections of Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger at the draft, the hope now is those two will represent their future at center, lessening the need to try to trade for a significant replacement.  Portzline also notes that GM Jarmo Kekalainen has spoken about the ability to take on a bad contract to add other pieces for a rebuild.  While such a move hasn’t happened yet, that could change depending on what happens in training camp as more players re-sign and injuries start to strike, potentially creating the need for some teams to move out money quickly.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Islanders forward Anders Lee believes that he has fully recovered from his torn ACL from late last season but he has not yet received full medical clearance, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross. The captain was limited to just 27 games in 2020-21 due to the injury sustained in mid-March but he still managed to notch 19 points along the way.  He could line up alongside Kyle Palmieri this coming season; Palmieri was initially acquired using the space created by Lee’s LTIR placement but re-signed earlier this summer.
  • With the Rangers having extra depth on the left wing, GM Chris Drury acknowledged to reporters, including Newsday’s Colin Stephenson, that the team is considering shifting one of Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, or Alexis Lafreniere to the off-wing to ensure all of them play in the top six this coming season. If it happens to be Lafreniere that shifts over to give him a more prominent role, it’s possible that New York’s top three right wingers are him, Kaapo Kakko, and Vitali Kravtsov, all recent first-rounders.  The last two will be restricted free agents next summer and will be hoping for bigger roles themselves in order to boost their negotiating leverage.

Injury Notes: Rangers, Kukan, Pacioretty

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The New York Rangers will be without several key players for their last few games of the season, as Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Ryan Lindgren were all ruled out today. Head coach David Quinn confirmed that the lower-body injury that will end Panarin’s season early was suffered on last night’s Tom Wilson incident, but didn’t give any specifics on what the ailment was.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Rangers, who were one of the youngest teams in the league and look poised to take another step forward in 2021-22. They won’t be making the playoffs, but can certainly be pleased with the development of several young players and know that in any other division their 26-21-6 record (with a +25 goal differential) would be right in the mix.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets are another team out of the playoff race, so many of their players are likely being targeted as potential options for the upcoming IIHF World Championship. According to a report out of Switzerland, the tournament isn’t an option for Dean Kukan, who will need surgery instead. The Swiss-born Kukan played over 15 minutes last night for Columbus and it is not clear if the report means that he will get surgery after the season, or that he suffered an injury recently and will have to miss the last few games. The Blue Jackets have three matches left and will finish their regular season schedule on Saturday. (UPDATE: Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch spoke to Kukan’s agent, who denied that his client needs surgery.)
  • Max Pacioretty was forced from the action over the weekend for the Vegas Golden Knights and missed last night’s game, but head coach Peter DeBoer doesn’t believe it will be a long-term injury according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic. Pacioretty is listed as day-to-day. It’s been another excellent season for the 32-year-old forward, who has rediscovered his game in Vegas and has 51 points in 48 appearances this season. The Golden Knights have five games remaining and currently sit just two points ahead in the race for the West Division crown.

Artemi Panarin Returns To New York Rangers

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Privet, Breadman. That’s how the New York Rangers announced that Artemi Panarin had returned to practice after taking a leave of absence from the team. Panarin had been dealing with the aftermath of an accusation that appeared in Russian media, which the Rangers and he both immediately denounced as untrue. It has been several weeks since he left the team, so to see him back on the ice was a welcome picture for fans of the team.

It may not be a welcoming sight for New York’s opponents though, given how important Panarin is to the team’s attack. The 29-year-old winger was a finalist for the Hart Trophy last season and had 18 points in 14 games before leaving the team. If he is back for good, the Rangers—who are not completely out of the running, but a 10-11-3 record so far isn’t great—will be a much tougher team to take on.

In the brutal East Division, even a positive goal differential hasn’t been good enough to result in much success. The Rangers sit sixth, six points behind the Philadelphia Flyers and seven points behind the Boston Bruins for a playoff spot. Panarin’s return couldn’t come at a better time, given New York will play the Bruins and Flyers for the next four games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

East Notes: Mittelstadt, Trouba, Miller

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It has been a tough first few professional seasons for Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt.  A productive forward in his lone college campaign, the 22-year-old hasn’t been able to have much success offensively since turning pro.  However, he has spent most of his eight games with Buffalo on the wing this season instead of his natural center position with head coach Ralph Krueger telling Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he’s pleased with Mittelstadt’s progress so far.  Krueger went as far as stating that Mittelstadt “looks to be crystalizing into more of a winger than a centerman”, something that may wind up being best for him down the road.  While he was drafted to play down the middle, Jack Eichel and Dylan Cozens are their one-two punch for the future and with Mittelstadt being waiver-eligible next season, Buffalo needs to find a permanent spot for him in their lineup before too long.  If that’s the wing, that’s a better outcome than him languishing down the middle.

Elsewhere in the East Division:

  • The Rangers activated defenseman Jacob Trouba off injured reserve, USA Today’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano was among those to note (Twitter link). The blueliner had missed the last eight games due to a thumb injury and actually came back quicker than expected.  Initially given a four-to-six-week recovery timeline, Trouba missed only three weeks of action.  New York will be expecting more from him offensively though as he has just three assists (and no goals) in 14 games heading into tonight’s contest.  To make room for Trouba on the roster, Artemi Panarin was designated as a non-roster player as his leave of absence continues.
  • Boston defenseman Kevan Miller is expected to resume skating sometime this coming week, relays Eric Russo of the Bruins’ team website. Miller was placed on IR midway through last month as his surgically-repaired knee was acting up but it appears that rest was all that was needed.  The 33-year-old has played in 15 games this season and is averaging 18:39 per game but given the recurrence of pain in that knee, the team may be better off giving him a smaller workload when he is able to return.

Artemi Panarin To Take Leave Of Absence

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The New York Rangers will be without their highest-paid player indefinitely after Artemi Panarin announced he will take a leave of absence today. The move comes following a report originating from former KHL coach Andrei Nazarov, alleging that Panarin beat up an 18-year-old girl in 2011. Panarin was playing for Chekhov Vityaz in the KHL at the time, which was coached by Nazarov, a former NHL winger who has led several different teams in the KHL. Some, including Larry Brooks of the New York Post, have suggested that the report was politically motivated as retribution for Panarin’s previous public support of opposition leader Alexi Navalny.

The Rangers released a statement in support of Panarin:

Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story. This is clearly an intimidation taxtic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team. The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations. 

The loss of Panarin will be a huge one for the Rangers, who rely on him to drive the offense every night. The 29-year-old winger has 18 points through his first 14 games this season, logging more than 20 minutes a night. Given it is not clear how long he will be out, the Rangers must find a new way to generate goals and a new player to fill Panarin’s role on the powerplay.

The Rangers have won two straight and find themselves inching back into the East Division playoff picture.

NHL Announces First And Second All-Star Teams, All-Rookie Team

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Following the announcements of the final five NHL regular season awards, the league also revealed their three all-league rosters: the First-Team All-Stars, the Second-Team All-Stars, and the All-Rookie Team. Below are the 2019-20 honorees:

First All-Star Team (link)

G: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D: John Carlson, Washington Capitals
LW: Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
C: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
RW: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

The 2020 First-Team All-Stars are a historic group, the first time since the inaugural all-league honors in 1930-31 that all six honorees are first-time members of the team. Unsurprisingly, this team also covers most of the league’s major awards with Draisaitl taking home the Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross, Josi winning the Norris, Hellebuyck winning the Vezina, and Pastrnak earning the Rocket Richard.

Second All-Star Team (link)

G: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
D: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
LW: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
C: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins finish with a league-best three players on All-Star rosters. Their division rival, and current Stanley Cup finalist, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other team with more than one inclusion on the all-star rosters. Noticeably absent from either all-star teams are future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. This is just the third time since 2005-06 that at least one of the pair have not been on a postseason All-Star team, while they have both have been selected in the same year eight times in the past 15 years.

All-Rookie Team (link)

G: Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
D: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
D: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
F: Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
F: Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks
F: Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

The rookie elite, led by Calder Trophy-winner Makar, is an older group than usual. Merzlikins, Olofsson, and Kubalik, all 25 or older, played in Europe for a considerable amount of time before jumping to North America as a polished product, while Makar and Hughes each played a pair of seasons in the NCAA and Suzuki aged out of juniors before turning pro. Nevertheless, the first-year pros were all impressive and still have many  quality years ahead of them.

Leon Draisaitl Wins 2020 Hart Memorial Trophy

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Last but certainly not least, the Hart Memorial Trophy was announced as the finale of the NHL Awards presentation. The Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl was named the recipient of the award, which is presented to the player deemed most valuable to his team. Draisaitl adds MVP honors to his impressive trophy shelf for this season, having already received the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award. The Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin were Draisaitl’s competition for the Hart, as they were for the Lindsay as well.

While Draisaitl won earlier in the night as the “most outstanding player”, the Hart puts more emphasis on which player is most valuable to his team, which makes the arguments for MacKinnon and Panarin much stronger than they were for the Lindsay. Both MacKinnon (43 points more than Colorado’s next-best scorer) and Panarin (20 points more than New York’s next-best scorer) were crucial to their teams’ successes this season and did not play with any other players who were even remotely in the conversation for the Hart. Having two or more elite players on one team often makes it hard for either to win MVP, as evidenced this year by the Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, who finished third and sixth respectively in NHL scoring but fourth and ninth in Hart voting.

Why then was Draisaitl able to win when Connor McDavid finished second in points and fifth in Hart voting? The answer lies not in the teams’ top talent, but in their depth. The Avalanche and Rangers are more similar to the Bruins in top-to-bottom talent than are the Oilers, who lack any real impact forwards outside Draisaitl, McDavid, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Panarin’s Rangers are deeper in difference makers than Edmonton and New York would not have even made the playoffs in a typical year, while MacKinnon’s Avs were missing some of their best players for much of the year, but had that star power nonetheless and likely would have been a playoff team even if he had played at a replacement level. The Oilers needed Draisaitl and McDavid to play at superstar levels this season to be a successful team, so with Draisaitl outplaying McDavid and covering for him when McDavid missed seven games, he really was immensely valuable. That explanantion can at least explain the slim margin of victory for Draisaitl over MacKinnon, as the former received just 147 voting points more than the latter.

Leon Draisaitl Named 2020 Recipient Of The Ted Lindsay Award

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Next up on NHL Awards night was the Ted Lindsay Award, a unique honor of “most outstanding player” as voted on by the players. This year’s winner is Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. Not only was Draisaitl objectively the best player in the league this season as the Art Ross Trophy-winner with the most points in the NHL, but his peers also viewed him as the game’s best in 2019-20. Draisaitl won the award over the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.

Draisaitl has been on the cusp of superstardom for the past few years, but the 24-year-old sealed the deal this season with his second straight campaign with more than 100 points. Draisaitl led the NHL in points, points per game, assists, and game-winning goals in 2019-20, while also finishing in the top-five in goals and power play goals and leading all forwards in time on ice per game.

By nearly all metrics, Draisaitl was the best offensive player in the NHL this season and can hold his own defensively as well. His fellow players clearly saw this and voted him as the Ted Lindsay winner. However, this win not only signifies that Draisaitl was an elite player this season, but that he has now officially escaped the shadow of Connor McDavid in the eyes of his teammates and competitors. While McDavid, considered by many to be one of if not the best player in the NHL, missed some time this season, he was outplayed by Draisaitl on a per-game basis when healthy too. If anyone still saw Draisaitl as the Kurri to McDavid’s Gretzky, those days are now over.

 

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