Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Kraken, Laferriere
Over the last two games, the Vegas Golden Knights have been without the trio of Chandler Stephenson, Nicolas Hague, and Nicolas Roy. Over that time, the league-leading Golden Knights have gone 1-1-0, losing to their division rival, Los Angeles Kings, last Wednesday.
In an update from practice today, Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that none of the trio are to be expected back in the team’s game against the Washington Capitals tomorrow night, but issued assurances they could be back by the weekend. Of the three, Roy has had the longest absence, after being put on the team’s injured reserve on October 24th.
Of the three, Stephenson is the most important to get back into the lineup, as he remains on one of the best-value contracts in the NHL. On the last season of a four-year, $11MM contract signed with Vegas back in 2020, Stephenson has scored 53 goals and 121 assists over 224 games as a Golden Knight.
Other notes:
- Some notable additions to the Seattle Kraken practice were Brandon Tanev and Jordan Eberle, who is now without a non-contact jersey, respectively (X Link). Eberle has gotten off to a relatively slow start with the Kraken this year, Eberle has scored four points in 13 games, coupled with a -8 rating already this season.
- According to the AHL transaction log, young NHL enforcer, Alex Laferriere is back on the roster with Los Angeles (X Link). Primarily playing in the team’s bottom six over the course of the young season, Laferriere has scored two goals and one assist through 14 games.
Latest On Pittsburgh Penguins Roster
The Pittsburgh Penguins finally found a goal scorer in their bottom six forwards as Radim Zohorna lit the lamp in the final minutes of the Penguins’ 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues last night. Zohorna was playing in his first game of the season after being sent down to the AHL after a strong training camp and formed a unit with fellow winger Drew O’Connor and center Lars Eller.
After the game, Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan was visibly frustrated with his team’s play, and while he didn’t talk about roster decisions going forward, General Manager Kyle Dubas has been. Dubas spoke with NHL On TNT just a few nights ago and said he wanted the bottom six forwards to be tougher to play against and added that he didn’t feel the group was there yet. Dubas’ comments sparked speculation that the Penguins could be looking to make a move in the bottom six and they did by waiving Jansen Harkins and re-calling Zohorna before last night’s game. The Penguins also health-scratched defenseman P.O. Joseph in favor of Ryan Shea who made his NHL debut on the Penguins’ third pairing.
Kyle Dubas stocked up on fringe NHL talent in the offseason and has stashed many of those options in the AHL specifically for a moment like this. The Penguins AHL affiliate has so many veterans in fact that Alex Nylander and Andreas Johnsson had to be veteran scratches for last night’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins game. On top of Nylander, Johnsson, and Harkins, the Penguins also have Vinnie Hinostroza, Rem Pitlick, and Colin White as former NHLers who could be called up to shuffle the furniture in the Penguins bottom six.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote in his 10 Postgame Observations piece that Sullivan typically doesn’t make major changes after a loss, but given the team’s recent record and his comments, he implies that it could happen. The Penguins third line of O’Connor, Eller and Zohorna was very good last night, however, the fourth line of Matthew Nieto, Jeff Carter and Noel Acciari has offered very little to the team and appears to be constantly chasing the play. That group is at the bottom of the Penguins lineup in almost every analytical statistic and has a combined zero points in five games together. Sullivan has been apprehensive about scratching Carter in the past and became defensive with the media last season on multiple occasions when the topic was asked about.
It might be just five games into the season but given that the Penguins are 2-3 against five teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season, there could be big changes brewing in Pittsburgh as Dubas and company try to find an identity for the bottom six forwards. A competent bottom-six has been something the Penguins have lacked since they lost Brandon Tanev (and Jared McCann via trade) in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft and it was one of the big reasons they missed the playoffs in 2023.
Seattle Forward Brandon Tanev Out Four-To-Six Weeks
The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward Brandon Tanev will miss the next four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. This injury was suffered in Seattle’s October 10th matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Tanev appeared in 10 minutes of that game, before taking an illegal check to the head from Vegas’ Brett Howden. Howden received a two-game suspension for this hit.
This is difficult news for Tanev, who was heavily limited during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, playing fewer than 35 games in each year. His 2020-21 season was cut short with upper-body injuries and a bout with COVID-19, and an ACL tear ended his 2021-22 campaign.
But despite past injuries, Tanev was able to appear in all 82 games for the Kraken last season. He tallied 16 goals and 35 points in that span, both career-highs. He also added 44 penalty minutes in those games, while playing in just over 14 minutes of ice time. Tanev was a stout member of Seattle’s roster, even earning a top-30 nomination for the 2023 Selke Award. This was the third time that Tanev has received Selke votes in his nine-year NHL career, speaking to the value he brings to an NHL lineup.
Seattle has yet to make any roster moves in response to Tanev’s long-term injury designation. Tye Kartye has served as the fill-in since Tanev’s injury, representing the first two games that he’s played during an NHL regular season. Kartye appeared in 10 postseason games with the Kraken this Spring, netting five points. He has yet to score this season but seems to be the team’s current go-to in Tanev’s absence.
Brett Howden Suspended Two Games For Illegal Check To The Head
Vegas Golden Knights winger Brett Howden was issued a two-game suspension today for an illegal check to the head of Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev in last night’s game, per the NHL Department of Player Safety.
In the short term, expect a domino effect for the Golden Knights. With winger William Carrier also injured in their season-opening win, head coach Bruce Cassidy said earlier today that Pavel Dorofeyev will draw into the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks after serving as a healthy scratch last night. With Howden suspended, Cassidy also said the team will recall forward Jonas Røndbjerg from AHL Henderson.
Howden was assessed a match penalty by officials on the play. NHL DoPS ruled that Howden made the head the principal point of contact “on a hit where such head contact was avoidable.” The 25-year-old forward has no previous fines or suspensions on record with DoPS.
Howden skated 11:57 before being removed from the game, recording the primary assist on Chandler Stephenson‘s game-opening goal. The 25-year-old signed a two-year, $3.8MM contract to remain a Golden Knight this summer after notching 10 points in 22 postseason games on the team’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup.
Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.
Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg
Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller
Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson
Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook
Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock
Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano
Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn
Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri
Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan
Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist
Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley
Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw
Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile
Nashville Predators – Cody Glass
New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton
New York Islanders – Zach Parise
New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey
Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard
Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler
Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang
San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov
Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev
St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais
Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano
Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser
Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel
Washington Capitals – John Carlson
Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner
Brandon Tanev Suffers Season-Ending ACL Injury; Mason Appleton Enters COVID Protocol
The Seattle Kraken will be without Brandon Tanev for the rest of the season, after the speedy forward suffered an ACL injury in the team’s game on December 18. Tanev will undergo season-ending surgery soon.
Like he did previously in Winnipeg and Pittsburgh, Tanev had quickly become a fan favorite in Seattle thanks to his all-out hustle and endless energy. The 29-year-old forward had nine goals and 15 points in 30 games, a career-best offensive pace despite playing around the same number of minutes. Three of those nine goals had been game-winners, an impressive achievement on a team that only has ten wins on the entire season.
Now on the shelf for the rest of the season, Tanev won’t be able to add to that total or help the Kraken turn around their inaugural season. The expansion team will have to find someone else to take over his role on the penalty kill, though it will be difficult to replace Tanev’s fearless nature. He led all Kraken forwards in blocked shots, led the entire team in hits, and actually ranked fifth in shots on goal.
The team also announced that Mason Appleton has entered the COVID protocol, robbing them of another important forward for the time being. Appleton had been playing more recently, averaging more than 16 minutes a night since the start of December.
Pittsburgh Penguins Content With Tristan Jarry As Starter
Heading into the off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed destined to bring in a new goaltender. GM Ron Hextall more than hinted at his desire to add an established veteran to the mix alongside young Tristan Jarry, whose play suffered this past season. Yet, the status quo remains in the Pittsburgh net with Jarry and injury-prone backup Casey DeSmith.
The root of this unexpected lack of change at the goalie position lies in the salary cap. Even with the departures of Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev, the Penguins are still right up against the upper limit. To this point, high-priced trade chips Jason Zucker, Marcus Pettersson, and Mike Matheson have yet to move, which leaves the team with little wiggle room in the free agent market. With what small space they had, the team opted to replace Tanev and McCann with Brock McGinn and Danton Heinen rather than address the goaltender position.
If and when the team is able to clear some space, perhaps adding a goalie will return to the forefront of their off-season objectives. The free agent market has largely been left bare, but the team could target a trade option such as Dallas’ Ben Bishop or Anton Khudobin, while Joonas Korpisalo, Alexandar Georgiev, and Malcolm Subban are other options believed to be available.
However, the team appears to no longer feel that they absolutely must add a goaltender before next season. Speaking with NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, Hextall stated that he believes Jarry is “going to bounce back” to starter quality for the Penguins this season. The 26-year-old did post a .921 save percentage and 2.43 GAA just a year ago, but those numbers fell to .909 and 2.75 this season. Most jarring was Jarry’s poor performance in the playoffs, in which he looked totally outmatched. Yet, Hextall – a former goalie himself – is confident that Jarry can return to form even without competition from a veteran addition. It seems he trusts DeSmith, who should be recovered from off-season surgery in time for the new campaign, as the backup again as well. This newfound confidence could be a product of the lacking talent available elsewhere or perhaps even some optimism for highly-regarded college free agent addition Filip Lindberg. Whatever the reason, the front office has changed their tune and Penguins fans have to hope that it all works out for the team as their championship window begins to close.
Expansion Tracker: Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken expansion picks were submitted to the league this morning, and after the conclusion of tonight’s Expansion Draft, everything has become official. It was a rather anticlimactic evening, as all of the picks had been leaked accurately throughout the day. It is important to note that considering some puzzling player selections and a large amount of cap space, more moves from the Kraken should happen later this week.
Anaheim: D Haydn Fleury
Arizona: F Tyler Pitlick
Boston: D Jeremy Lauzon
Buffalo: D William Borgen
Calgary: D Mark Giordano
Carolina: F Morgan Geekie
Chicago: F John Quenneville
Colorado: F Joonas Donskoi
Columbus: D Gavin Bayreuther
Dallas: D Jamie Oleksiak
Detroit: D Dennis Cholowski
Edmonton: D Adam Larsson
Florida: G Chris Driedger
Los Angeles: D Kurtis MacDermid
Minnesota: D Carson Soucy
Montreal: D Cale Fleury
Nashville: F Calle Jarnkrok
New Jersey: F Nathan Bastian
New York Islanders: F Jordan Eberle
New York Rangers: F Colin Blackwell
Ottawa: G Joey Daccord
Philadelphia: F Carsen Twarynski
Pittsburgh: F Brandon Tanev
San Jose: F Alexander True
St. Louis: D Vince Dunn
Tampa Bay: F Yanni Gourde
Toronto: F Jared McCann
Vancouver: F Kole Lind
Washington: G Vitek Vanecek
Winnipeg: F Mason Appleton
The Kraken finish with $29MM in cap space, via CapFriendly. Notable RFAs include Twarynski, Dunn, Borgen, and Cholowski. They could be looking at players like Geekie to make the full-time jump to the NHL next season, but for now, the roster looks relatively filled out. It’s got to be expected at this point that some defensemen will be dealt off the roster, as they currently sit with 10 at the NHL level with none of them being waiver-eligible.
This page will be updated as further reports come in, and the official list will be published later tonight.
Seattle Kraken Linked To Gourde, Tanev, Dunn, McCann
The expansion lists have been submitted, the picks will be officially announced later tonight, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has already heard several names that are expected to be announced. The insider tweets that the Seattle Kraken have focused on Yanni Gourde from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brandon Tanev from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jared McCann from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vince Dunn from the St. Louis Blues. The latter would mean the Kraken have passed on Vladimir Tarasenko, who was the subject of so much speculation over the past few weeks.
It won’t be official until the picks are actually made, but if these are indeed the selections from those four teams, it is quite a solid core the Kraken are starting with. Add in Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak who are expected to sign as unrestricted free agents and the Kraken are going to be a difficult team to play against in year one.
For Gourde, back-to-back Stanley Cup championships was always going to break up the Tampa Bay roster. His $5.17MM cap hit is a reasonable price to pay for nearly any team in the league, even if the Kraken decide not to take him. In 56 games this season, he scored 17 goals and 36 points, bouncing back from a down 2019-20 when his role on the club was reduced. Back to the center ice position full-time, he was one of the most reliable two-way players on the Lightning, drove offense even with lesser skilled linemates, and contributed on both special teams. In Seattle, if selected, he would represent a potential top-six center and could experience even more offensive success.
Tanev meanwhile is a clear bottom-six player, but one of the most highly-regarded around the league. The 29-year-old provides an incredible amount of physicality, forechecking ability and seemingly endless energy. Signed to a six-year, $21MM contract in 2019, he still has four years remaining at a $3.5MM cap hit. That’s a lot, for a player who averages just over 14 minutes a night, but it also guarantees that the Kraken’s third or fourth line will have a reliable anchor. In his 100 games with Pittsburgh since signing the contract, Tanev has recorded 18 goals, 41 points and 383 hits.
McCann, who only arrived in Toronto a few days ago after a trade from Pittsburgh, will head to his fifth team since debuting in 2015. The 25-year-old forward started his career as a first-round pick with the Vancouver Canucks was sent to the Florida Panthers after just a single year in the NHL, and ended up in Pittsburgh before his 23rd birthday. Though it seems like an odd move for the Maple Leafs, if McCann is selected it essentially means that Toronto traded prospect Filip Hallander and a 2023 seventh-round pick to become exempt from expansion.
Dunn will be one of the biggest stories of the day if he is indeed the Kraken pick, as Tarasenko’s name was much more talked about in recent weeks. Tarasenko’s relationship with the Blues has deteriorated to the point where he is not expected back in St. Louis, meaning the team will have to work out their own trade now. The Kraken did, according to reports, consider selecting the Russian sniper in order to flip him somewhere else, but that always came with a hefty opportunity cost.
That cost is represented in Dunn, who could very well become a star in Seattle. The 24-year-old defenseman has amassed 102 points in 267 games, including 32 goals, and routinely posts outstanding possession numbers. There are real deficiencies to his defensive game, but if put in the right role and sheltered minutes, he could provide huge offense for the expansion club.
Seravalli also notes that the Kraken are likely to select three goaltenders, with Chris Driedger‘s name already reported over the last few days. Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals and Joey Daccord from the Ottawa Senators are the other two, though like the names listed above, nothing will become official until later tonight.
Offseason Checklist: Pittsburgh Penguins
The offseason has arrived for all but a few teams. It’s now time to examine what those clubs need to accomplish over the coming months. It’s going to be a busy summer. What is on deck for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The Pittsburgh Penguins finished first in what was arguably the best division in the NHL this season. The East boasted the likes of the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and even the New York Rangers, the best team not to make the playoffs. Yet, Pittsburgh finished with 77 points for the fifth-best record in the league despite stiff competition. It seemed like Sidney Crosby and company were primed for another deep playoff run this season. Instead, it all came crashing down quickly in a first-round loss to the Islanders in which Pittsburgh could not counter New York’s smothering approach. The Penguins’ weaknesses were exposed in the postseason and must be addressed in the offseason, but the team currently lacks the flexibility to do much of anything.
Shed Salary
The Penguins cannot start adding until they do some subtracting. Pittsburgh is currently pegged to have just $3.2MM in salary cap space heading into the off-season, a projection that includes just 19 contracts. Forget improving the roster, Pittsburgh needs to create cap space just to preserve their current roster, as key restricted free agents Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese require new contract and the team will likely try to re-sign impending UFA defenseman Cody Ceci as well. Those three alone will cost well more than $3.2MM.
The Penguins could actually receive some help from the Expansion Draft – if they are lucky. Pittsburgh is likely to expose both forward Jason Zucker and defenseman Marcus Pettersson in expansion; the pair are talented players, but underperformed in 2020-21, especially relative to their substantial contracts. Either player would be a loss for the team, but the added cap space would more than make up for the departure.
If the Seattle Kraken instead grab Aston-Reese, Blueger, or Jeff Carter, the Penguins will be in trouble. Even if the pick is Zucker or Pettersson, new GM Ron Hextall will still likely work the phones in an effort to move some salary. Again, Zucker and Pettersson are both good players and the Penguins will not just give them away, but they could be had for a bargain price this summer as Pittsburgh is desperate to shed salary.
Add a Goaltender
What will the Penguins do if they can open up cap space? Hextall, a former goalie himself, has already hinted that adding a veteran netminder is a priority for Pittsburgh this offseason. It is difficult to look at the team’s postseason collapse and not attribute much of the blame to starter Tristan Jarry. The young keeper followed up a stellar 2019-20 season with a decent regular season this year, but he struggled greatly in the postseason and kept the Penguins out of several games. Backup Casey DeSmith actually outplayed Jarry this season, albeit in lesser games, but he himself is also streaky. More importantly, DeSmith is injury-prone and is not a reliable understudy to Jarry. The Penguins need a reliable veteran presence to push their young starter.
Of course, the popular prediction is going to be old friend Marc-Andre Fleury. The Vegas Golden Knights are also looking to shed salary and who better than Fleury, coming off an incredible season, to return to Pittsburgh to stabilize the net before he rides off into the sunset, retiring as Penguin. It all sounds great, but Pittsburgh taking on Fleury’s $7MM salary is an impossibility and Vegas retaining considerable salary, if any, is unlikely. A return for Fleury is probably not going to happen, but the shared history means it can’t be ruled out compeltely.
More reasonable targets include free agents Frederik Andersen, Jonathan Bernier, James Reimer, Antti Raanta, Jaroslav Halak or Devan Dubnyk. Even a young UFA like Linus Ullmark or Chris Driedger could see Pittsburgh as a good opportunity to win a starting role and prove they can be a top option. If the Penguins are lucky, the market may actually drive down the salary requirements if there are a number of goalies interested in a great situation to win games and have an open competition in net. While free agency seems like the more viable route, trade options will be numerous and the Expansion Draft could shake up the market. Anton Khudobin stands out as an ideal trade candidate.
Improve the Bottom Six
Another area where Hextall and company have been open about their desire to improve is in their forward corps. The Penguins have no problem scoring, but their two-way play up front was a major concern this season. For Pittsburgh to take a step forward and return to postseason success, they must become harder to play against. That starts with getting better defensive play and physical engagement from their forwards. Hextall has harped on the Penguins needing to be more physical and has talked about adding size and grit this off-season, but it’s more than that. Pittsburgh was poor on the penalty kill this season, did not block shorts (particularly at forward) and their issues at the face-off dot continued through the regular season and into the playoffs. In nearly all facets of defensive play, the Penguins must improve.
With that said, retaining the likes of Blueger and Aston-Reese through expansion, getting a full season of Carter, and getting a healthy season from Brandon Tanev is already a great start to improved bottom-six play. The roster does not need a complete overhaul to improve team defense. That doesn’t mean that they can’t add another impact player though. Mark Jankowski, Evan Rodrigues, and Colton Sceviour were not the answer this season and all three are on their way out of town. The Penguins need to use what little cap space they may have left after re-signing their key free agents and adding a goalie to add another veteran difference-maker to round out the bottom-six.
Decide the Future of Malkin and Letang
What is to become of the Penguins’ long-time core? Crosby is still as good as ever and still signed for several years, but Malkin and Letang are entering the final years of their current contracts. Malkin is coming off a down year by his standards and will spend all summer rehabbing from an injury. Letang continues to show signs of slow but steady decline and is not playing up to his $7.25MM price tag. Yet, both players are still major contributors to the team and franchise icons. The new administration has vowed to stick with them, but for how long? Do they enter the season on expiring contracts and deal with the repercussions? Do they sign them to extensions this summer despite the concerns? Do they trade one? Both? There are major questions that need answering about the veteran stars. The front office does not want to hurt themselves in the short-term by moving on too soon from either one, but they also don’t want to hamstring themselves long-term by throwing out new contracts that aren’t necessarily warranted. It’s a difficult decision and one that will weigh on the team this summer.