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2019 Vezina Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the best goaltender in the league as voted on by all 31 general managers. The finalists are Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Robin Lehner of the New York Islanders and Ben Bishop of the Dallas Stars.

This is second year in a row that the 24-year old Vasilevskiy has been among the finalists for the award, after once again leading the league in wins. Though he started just 53 games on the season due to injury, a .925 save percentage helped him compile a 39-10-4 record that included six shutouts. Vasilevskiy is arguably the most athletic young goaltender the league has seen in some time, but unfortunately wasn’t good enough to help the Lightning past the first round of the playoffs. The voting only takes regular season performance into account however, meaning he is certainly a strong candidate to take home the trophy for the first time in his career.

It’s hard to write a better comeback story than the one Lehner has penned (literally, at times) this season. The 27-year old goaltender did not receive a qualifying offer from the Buffalo Sabres last summer as the team decided to go in a different direction, meaning Lehner was left to sign a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Islanders just for a chance at redemption. It wasn’t clear if he would even get a chance to start in New York given the fact that Thomas Greiss was still under contract. If Barry Trotz’ system was the biggest reason that the Islanders turned around their defensive woes, Lehner might have been next in line as he posted an incredible .930 save percentage in 46 games including six shutouts. He and Greiss—who had a .927 in 43 games and likely deserved some votes of his own—took home the Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders for the team with the lowest goals against average. It is the first time Lehner has ever received Vezina votes, let alone be named a finalist.

Speaking of comebacks, how about the 32-year old Bishop who was ushered out of Tampa Bay two years ago to make room for Vasilevskiy in the first place. The two-time Vezina finalist posted the best save percentage of his career this season, leading the entire league with a .934 mark. The 6’7″ netminder has battled through injuries the last few years including this one, but was outstanding for the Stars as they punched their ticket to the playoffs. With four more years on his contract the Stars would have been happy with more of the level he played at last season, but Bishop has always had more in the tank.

Central Notes: Boudreau, Kunitz, Stars

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Although the Wild will miss the playoffs this season, GM Paul Fenton and owner Craig Leipold have not discussed a coaching chance, reports Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  That suggests that Bruce Boudreau will be back behind the bench next season.  He has one year remaining on his contract after this season so it will be interesting to see if the two sides work out an extension or if Fenton opts to wait and preserve some flexibility to make an in-season change if they get off to a slow start in 2019-20.  Boudreau has the third-highest points percentage amongst active NHL coaches at .641.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Blackhawks winger Chris Kunitz has yet to decide whether or not he wants to play next season, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. The 39-year-old has played a very limited role with Chicago this year, collecting just ten points (5-5-10) in 55 games while logging just over nine minutes a night.  However, given his previous postseason successes (including four Stanley Cups), there still may be teams interested in him this summer if he decides that he wants to keep playing.
  • While Stars winger Mats Zuccarello suited up on Tuesday, he was noticeably absent from Friday’s loss to Chicago. However, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic notes (subscription required) that Zuccarello’s absence wasn’t injury-related but rather just precautionary.  He’s available to play tonight but head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that he’s confident that Zuccarello is ready to play in the postseason without another tune-up game.  Meanwhile, goalie Ben Bishop is expected to start tonight after missing four straight contests due to a lower-body injury.

Injury Updates: Lightning, Stars, Buchnevich, Johnsson

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Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is doubtful to play this week, reports Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday and with Tampa Bay’s positioning for the postseason locked in, there’s no real point in risking anything.  The team is hopeful he’ll be ready to go to start the first round next week.  Meanwhile, fellow blueliner Anton Stralman could get into a game on their four-game road trip to end the season while Dan Girardi is expected to skate sometime this week.  That makes it unlikely he’ll play before the season comes to an end but he should be available for the playoffs.

Other injury notes around the league:

  • Dallas is hoping to have goalie Ben Bishop and winger Mats Zuccarello get into one of their upcoming games this weekend, notes Mark Stepneski of the Stars’ team website. Bishop skated for the first time today after sustaining a lower-body injury last week while Zuccarello, who was injured in his first game with the team, went through a full practice today and may be the closer of the two to returning.
  • Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich is in concussion protocol, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (via Twitter). He left Sunday’s game against Philadelphia late with the injury and while they were hopeful he’d suit up tonight, that wasn’t the case.  Buchnevich, a pending restricted free agent this summer, has 37 points in 61 games this season.
  • Maple Leafs winger Andreas Johnsson is dealing with an illness that kept him out of the lineup for tonight’s game against the Islanders, notes Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (Twitter link). The pending RFA has been in a bit of a slump as of late, posting just a single goal in his last 15 games but has 20 tallies on the season.

Central Notes: DeBrincat, Strome, Hamhuis, Bishop, Schuldt

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With the signing earlier today of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Schmaltz to a seven-year, $40.95MM contract extension, The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) wonders what kind of extensions might forwards Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome earn, as both will be eligible to sign new deals on July 1.

DeBrincat, who is in the second year of his three-year, entry-level contract, has already tallied 68 goals in two years, including a 40-goal campaign this season. With those numbers, Powers writes that the Blackhawks are most likely going to get DeBrincat to eventually sign a six-year deal, likely heading into the $8MM AAV-range, pointing out that a seven or eight-year deal is unlikely since a six-year deal will leave him looking for a third contract at age 27, the perfect age for a long-term extension. If he can continue posting 30-to-40 goal seasons, DeBrincat could be in line for double digit cap hits in the future.

As for Strome, the team may be better off waiting for another year to lock up the young forward. Strome has played well in Chicago with 14 goals and 45 points in 53 games, but both sides would be better off to wait another year for more proof that he deserves a big contract extension. Plus, it would be wise if Chicago doesn’t have two big contracts handed out in the same year, which could get expensive, possibly between $13-15MM combined.

  • The Athletic’s Adam Vingan reports that the Nashville Predators have activated defenseman Dan Hamhuis from injured reserve. The veteran blue liner has been out with a leg injury since February 23rd, but it finally ready to return. The team’s third-pair defender has played 53 games this season for the Predators and will now partner up with rookie Dante Fabbro, who is expected to make his debut Saturday against Columbus. The Predators also announced they have assigned Troy Grosenick to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
  • SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks reports that the Dallas Stars will be without goaltender Ben Bishop on Saturday and likely longer, as he is considered to be day-to-day. The 32-year-old Bishop has been a key reason why Dallas has been playing so well as they fight to hold onto their wildcard spot. Bishop has a 2.03 GAA and a .933 save percentage so far this year and may even be a Vezina Trophy finalist at this rate. NHL.com’s Mike Heika writes that he suffered a lower-body injury while going down into the butterfly in the Stars’ last game. DeFranks also adds that Mats Zuccarello and Justin Dowling are about three days away from returning to the lineup.
  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that the Minnesota Wild are expected to be one of the most active teams in trying to sign St. Cloud State defenseman Jimmy Schuldt in the next few days. Schuldt finished his four-year college career Friday night, posting 38 career goals. Russo reports that the Wild hope to sign the four-year blue liner by burning the first year of his deal this season and allowing him to play in the NHL for the team’s final few games.

Snapshots: Boychuk, Cizikas, Foligno, Bishop

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The New York Islanders could have gotten back defenseman Johnny Boychuk Saturday as the veteran defenseman was available to play, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Boychuk appeared to hurt his shoulder when he took a hit from Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek last week, but Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said that Boychuk could have played. However, with the defense having played so well against Montreal Thursday, Trotz elected to keep the same six on defense against Detroit. He could play Sunday, however.

The team could also get back Casey Cizikas on Sunday as well. The Islanders named him a late scratch after he suffered a lower-body injury in warmups before Saturday’s game. The 28-year-old, who is having a career year, was suffering from a stomach flu several weeks ago and still hasn’t recovered from it.

“I was expecting him to play,” Trotz said. “We’re at that point in the year where we have to make sure with our players. He’s been pretty worn out. He lost a lot of weight.”

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that captain Nick Foligno did not travel with the team to Boston for their game today against Boston for personal reasons, but add that the personal reason doesn’t have anything to do with his daughter’s recent surgery. Foligno, who has 16 goals and 30 points this season, is expected to be back in the lineup soon. Foligno has missed some time this year due to the health of his now-five year-old daughter, who had to undergo a procedure in December/January. The Blue Jackets next play on Tuesday in Calgary.
  •  SportsDay’s Gerry Fraley writes that the Dallas Stars hope to have goaltender Ben Bishop back soon. The goaltender, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury which he sustained Thursday at Minnesota, has been red-hot lately, having gone 230 minutes and 53 seconds without allowing a goal, a club record. Despite the fact that his injury improved the following day and had no difficulty walking out of the arena that night, the team opted to bench Bishop Friday against Vegas. However, the team hopes to get him back real soon as Dallas is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to making the playoffs. “I think he’s just being smart,” said Dallas head coach Jim Montgomery. “He’s trying to make sure it doesn’t become a two-week thing.”

 

Snapshots: Three Stars, Rasanen, Free Agents

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The NHL has released their three stars for last week and a few new faces have finally received some recognition. Jonathan Huberdeau is the league’s top performer after putting up nine points in just four games. Though it may not be enough to push the Florida Panthers to the postseason this year, Huberdeau is having an outstanding season and has already recorded a career high 74 points in 69 games. That’s the kind of performance the Panthers were hoping for when they selected him third overall in 2011.

Second place last week went to Ben Bishop, who didn’t allow a single goal in his two appearances. Bishop has had an outstanding season and is actually carrying the best save percentage of his career at .930. The big goaltender also leads the league in goals against average, and has helped push the Dallas Stars into a playoff position. While Bishop has had plenty of recognition over his career, the third place spot went to a fresh face in Troy Terry. The young Anaheim Ducks forward put up seven points in four games and now has ten in 23 games on the season. Terry, 21, will be a huge part of any rebuild in Anaheim.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were already expected to soon sign forward Yegor Korshkov to an entry-level contract, and now may be bringing another prospect over from the KHL. A report out of Finland notes that Eemeli Rasanen has terminated the remainder of his contract with Jokerit—which only ran until the end of April—in order to sign an entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs. Rasanen was a second-round pick two years ago but returned to the OHL in 2017-18 before jumping to the KHL this season.
  • Speaking of unsigned prospects, Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) ranked the top free agents from various leagues around the world including those undrafted young players from the CHL and college ranks. Nico Sturm from Clarkson University comes in as the top unsigned option after putting up 41 points in 34 games this season. Sturm, a 6’3″ center, likely has a bottom-six ceiling in the NHL but is considered relatively pro ready.

Minor Transactions: 02/21/19

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The NHL has a full slate of action on tap tonight, with 11 matches taking place including a rematch of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. The Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks face off in an important game for both clubs as they try to secure playoff berths in their respective conferences. As the league prepares for tonight’s play, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled J.T. Brown from the minor leagues, though Ryan Donato is expected to enter the lineup. Brown has just four points in 35 games for the Wild this season and was sent down to the AHL earlier this month.
  • The Washington Capitals have officially sent Devante Smith-Pelly to the minor leagues after he cleared waivers, meaning he will play his first AHL game since the 2013-14 season. Even with the recent addition of Carl Hagelin, the Capitals could very well bring up Smith-Pelly at some point down the stretch for his playoff experience.
  • Jonny Brodzinski has been activated from injured reserve, and could help replace Hagelin in the Los Angeles Kings lineup. Brodzinski hasn’t played a game for the Kings this season but recorded one goal in a three-game conditioning stint with the Ontario Reign.
  • Landon Bow has been returned to the AHL by the Dallas Stars, which should signal a return to action for Ben Bishop. Bishop hasn’t played a game since February 4th, but will have to play a big role for the Stars down the stretch if they’re to make the playoffs.

Central Notes: Wild, Blues, Bishop

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With Mikko Koivu now out for the season, some have speculated that the Wild could be turning to the trade market to bring in a center to replace him.  However, GM Paul Fenton told reporters, including John Shipley of the Pioneer Press, that the team isn’t looking to bring in anyone else down the middle for the time being.  This means that Charlie Coyle will likely shift over to center for the foreseeable future, opening up a spot on the right side.  Given that the asking price for wingers at the deadline is often lower, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Minnesota turn around and look to add one as Koivu’s replacement.

More from the Central Division:

  • While it has been expected that the Blues would deal their pending UFA defensemen in Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that St. Louis might consider opting to keep one of them around to ensure they have six proven blueliners for a possible playoff push. The Blues have won four straight games and are now tied for a Wild Card spot which could result in a temptation to keep some of their veteran assets around.  Bouwmeester is the more notable of the two rearguards but with a full no-trade clause and a $5.4MM cap hit, he could wind up being the more difficult to move.
  • The Stars announced that they’ve placed goaltender Ben Bishop on injured reserve retroactive to February 4th. This allows them to keep Landon Bow up with the team after he was brought up on an emergency basis.  Fortunately for Dallas, Bishop isn’t expected to be out for much longer.  While he’s ineligible to play on Saturday against Arizona, head coach Jim Montgomery acknowledged that the expectation is that the 32-year-old should be ready to play in their next game on Tuesday in Florida.

Minor Transactions: 02/07/19

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While the NBA sends players all over the league during their trade deadline, the NHL prepares for an extremely busy night on the ice. 28 of the league’s 31 teams will be in action tonight, with prime divisional matchups like Sharks-Flames and Predators-Stars highlighting the action. As always we’ll keep track of all the minor moves as teams prepare for tonight.

  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled A.J. Greer and Anton Lindholm from the minor leagues, giving the team 22 players for their trip to Washington. The Avalanche are trying to right the ship after plummeting out of the playoff race over the last few weeks. The team now sits in sixth place in the Central with a 22-22-8 record.
  • Joel Eriksson Ek has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild after they lost Mikko Koivu for the rest of the season, and he will take up familiar residence as the team’s third-line center. Eriksson Ek is a talented young player, but will have big shoes to fill in Koivu’s absence.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Andy Welinski from the minor leagues to take the roster spot of Korbinian Holzer who has left the team for personal reasons. Holzer has been moved to a non-roster designation, while Welinski will become the team’s seventh defenseman for the time being.
  • With Ben Bishop banged up, the Dallas Stars have recalled Landon Bow under emergency conditions. Bow will serve as backup for Anton Khudobin until Bishop, who is listed as day-to-day, is ready to return.

2019 All-Star Rosters Announced

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The NHL has announced the four rosters for the 2019 All-Star Game today, scheduled to be held on January 26th in San Jose. Earlier today, Alex Ovechkin, who was elected captain of Metropolitan Division squad, told the league that he wouldn’t be attending and will accept the punishment of missing one game either before or after the break. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews will represent the Pacific, Central and Atlantic respectively, as the other captains. A replacement Metropolitan captain for Ovechkin has yet to be named.

The full rosters are as follows:

Pacific Division

G John Gibson (ANA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK)

D Erik Karlsson (SJS)
D Brent Burns (SJS)
D Drew Doughty (LAK)

F Connor McDavid (EDM)*
F Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
F Joe Pavelski (SJS)
F Elias Pettersson (VAN)
F Clayton Keller (ARI)

Central Division

G Pekka Rinne (NSH)
G Devan Dubnyk (MIN)

D Roman Josi (NSH)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)

F Nathan MacKinnon (COL)*
F Mikko Rantanen (COL)
F Blake Wheeler (WPG)
F Patrick Kane (CHI)
F Mark Scheifele (WPG)
F Ryan O’Reilly (STL)

Atlantic Division

G Jimmy Howard (DET)
G Carey Price (MTL)

D Keith Yandle (FLA)
D Thomas Chabot (OTT)

F Auston Matthews (TOR)*
F Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
F Steven Stamkos (TBL)
F John Tavares (TOR)
F David Pastrnak (BOS)
F Jack Eichel (BUF)

Metropolitan Division

G Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
G Braden Holtby (WAS)

D John Carlson (WSH)
D Seth Jones (CBJ)

F Sidney Crosby (PIT)
F Taylor Hall (NJD)
F Mathew Barzal (NYI)
F Claude Giroux (PHI)
F Cam Atkinson (CBJ)
F Sebastian Aho (CAR)

*Denotes team captain

One final skater spot on each roster has yet to be announced, as it will be determined by the “Last Man In” fan ballot, a concept borrowed from Major League Baseball. The format of the current All-Star Game, which requires one representative from each team on these smaller 3-on-tournament rosters, was bound to cause some confusion with the initial selections. Seven top-twenty scorers were not selected – Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Phil Kessel, and Gabriel Landeskog – and several will inevitably remain out of All-Star participation even after the fan ballot additions. Morgan Rielly, the league’s top-scoring defenseman, and Mark Giordano, enjoying an elite season on both sides of the puck, are two surprising omissions on the blue line. Several of the league’s top goalies are also going to miss out, ineligible for the fan ballot, including Ben Bishop, Frederik Andersen, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The “Last Man In” will be an intriguing new addition to the All-Star process, with nominees to be named shortly, but more than a few notable names will be left out regardless. Meanwhile, the health of players like Price and Chabot for Team Atlantic and Hall for Team Metropolitan will bear watching, as those players may opt to skip the All-Star festivities, opening up more players to selection.

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