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Canucks’ Pettersson Out For World Championships With Fractured Thumb

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The Vancouver Canucks injuries keep coming. After a season in which the team lost several of their key players for chunks of time, including Brock Boeser, Sven Baertschi, Chris Tanev, Markus Granlund and Erik Gudbranson among others, the Canucks now have learned that 2017 first-round pick Elias Pettersson, who was playing for Sweden at the IIHF World Championships in Denmark, will miss the rest of the tournament after suffering an injured thumb against Switzerland today, according to international correspondent Uffe Bodin.

ESPN’s Chris Peters reports the injury is a fractured thumb. It’s a setback for Pettersson, who many expect to join the Canucks next season after a monster rookie season in the SHL last season. The 19-year-old center scored 24 goals and 32 assists in 44 regular season games with Vaxjo. However, he even outdid himself in the SHL playoffs by putting up 10 goals and nine assists in 13 games. Combined, he put up the best rookie season in the SHL in the history of the league.

Still unsigned by the Canucks, there is no word or timetable on how long the injury will take to heal or whether this changes the Canucks plan to bring him to the U.S. after the tournament. It was believed the team intended to bring the youngster over this year and move him to the wing to acclimate him to the NHL. Pettersson was the fifth-overall pick in the 2017 draft last year. In five games so far at the World Championships, he had a goal and two assists.

 

Draft Lottery Can Change Many Franchises’ Futures

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A lottery it really is this year.

While the NHL draft lottery always garners quite a bit of attention, some years are just a bit different if the top pick is a game-changer, whether you’re talking about Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews or this year’s No. 1 option. With prospect Rasmus Dahlin listed as the consensus top pick this year, and described by many as having no weaknesses, he is considered to be one of the top defensive prospects to enter the league in possible decades. The 18-year-old defenseman out of Sweden should immediately change the state of any franchise that wins tonight.

With the lottery just hours away, how will each club look if they were to get lucky and win it?

Buffalo Sabres (18.5%) — The Sabres franchise would get a huge boost with the addition of Dahlin plus some badly needed luck that they seem to never have. Already boasting one of the worst defenses in the league and sudden talk that the team shouldn’t consider Rasmus Ristolainen a No. 1 defenseman, the team and general manager Jason Botterrill’s job would get much easier if they can win the lottery.

Ottawa Senators (13.5%) — Winning the lottery should make their tough decision easier as they traded away their top pick in the Matt Duchene trade, which is, fortunately for them, top-three protected. Winning the lottery is a no-brainer as they would take Dahlin who could either join star defenseman Erik Karlsson or allow the team to trade the veteran, knowing they already have his replacement. However, the real issue is they end up in the top three, do they keep the pick or send it to Colorado to avoid giving Colorado an unprotected first-rounder in 2019.

Arizona Coyotes (11.5%) — Despite having the third-worst record in the league this year, the Coyotes seem to be heading in the right direction as they went 19-12-4 in their final 35 games of the season as many of the team’s young players had started to figure things out. What better way to improve on that then to add Dahlin, who could convince fellow countryman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to stay on with the team for many years to come.

Montreal Canadiens (9.5%) — With the injury struggles of aging defenseman Shea Weber and little else defensive help nearby, the team could use the infusion of a franchise-changing defenseman joining the team. With Weber and goaltender Carey Price on huge contracts, a cheap franchise player could move the team in the right direction.

Detroit Red Wings (8.5%) — What better way to finally start the rebuild, then by adding a young, talented defender to join the team. With few defensive prospects on the horizon, the team’s suspect defense could get a huge boost with Dahlin. With the return of Mike Green unknown, and a group of aging veterans, the team needs someone to take over as the face of the franchise.

Vancouver Canucks (7.5%) — The Canucks rebuild is looking better and better with players like Adam Gaudette, Elias Pettersson, Jonathan Dahlen and defenseman Olli Juolevi about to arrive. Throw in Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and a number of other prospects on the way, Dahlin would only quicken this team’s rise of young players. On top of that, the team is loaded with defensive-minded blueliners and could use an offensive power-play quarterback.

Chicago Blackhawks (6.5%) — While a lottery victory by the Blackhawks might infuriate the rest of the league, the Blackhawks do need to bolster their defensive depth and Dahlin could easily vault a struggling team back into the playoffs as he could take a lot of pressure off veterans Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

New York Rangers (6%) — Just started a rebuild and they walk away with a generational talent? While many people believe the Rangers intend to have a quick rebuild and compete for a playoff spot within the next year or two, having Dahlin on the roster would only jettison the team to that goal quicker and putting him alongside Brady Skjei and Neal Pionk along with veteran Kevin Shattenkirk would help stabilize their blueline.

New York Islanders (6% total with 3.5% from their pick and Calgary’s 2.5%) — Perhaps winning the lottery would be enough to convince John Tavares to stay. Regardless, adding Dahlin to their defensive woes would only stabilize a team that has the offense to reach the playoffs. He could be a cornerstone the franchise hasn’t had there since Denis Potvin. Add in the fact that the Islanders also have the Calgary Flames’ pick, the team has a better chance to winning the lottery than quite a few teams.

Edmonton Oilers (5%) — Angry fans might protest Edmonton walking away as another lottery winner, but adding Dahlin to, again, a failing defense would allow a team that already has McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should bounce back to where they left off one year ago. Dahlin would provide the team with the No. 1 defenseman that they currently lack

Carolina Hurricanes (3%) — As the percentage begin to really drop, Carolina would only get richer as the team is already loaded in quality young defensemen and would allow the team to move other defenseman like Justin Faulk and acquire more scoring, which the team badly needs.

Dallas Stars (2%) — The addition of Dahlin along with last year’s third overall pick in Finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen would make for a deadly combo and that’s not including John Klingberg.

Philadelphia Flyers (1.5% from St. Louis Blues) — Adding Dahlin could put Philadelphia at the same level with Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa Bay.

Florida Panthers (1%) — The hottest team that didn’t make the playoffs would get a much needed boost if they could hit that 1/100 chance.

 

 

Poll: Who Should Win The Calder Trophy?

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The finalists for the Calder Trophy were announced yesterday, with Mathew Barzal, Brock Boeser and Clayton Keller landing in the top three. You can’t really argue with the nominations for any of the three after their outstanding seasons, but they certainly weren’t the only ones.

Kyle Connor in Winnipeg led all rookies with 31 goals, scoring at an incredible pace in the second half of the season. 21 of those goals came in his final 45 games, as a huge part of the Jets offensive attack.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy registered just 32 points for the Boston Bruins, but logged more than 22 minutes a night as part of their top pairing. The 20-year old was tasked with playing against some of the best players in the league, and is hard matching against Auston Matthews and company in the playoffs.

Perhaps the most overlooked is Yanni Gourde, the undersized forward who finally made it to the NHL and showed why he should have been there all along. The 26-year old undrafted Gourde was an outstanding offensive player in junior, and registered 64 points—third most by any rookie—while playing in all 82 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What about goaltenders? Juuse Saros played in 26 games for the Presidents Trophy-winning Nashville Predators, posting a .925 save percentage. That put him ninth in the entire league among goaltenders who made at least 20 starts, and would put him in Vezina contention had he played more games—teammate Pekka Rinne’s .927 has him as one of the favorites to win the award.

So who do you think should win the Calder? Cast a vote for not who you think will win, but who should win, and explain your reasoning in the comments below. We’ve listed several players as options to see if our readers at PHR end up with the same three finalists.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Canucks Could Entertain Trading Sven Baertschi

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In general, it’s a bad idea for rebuilding teams to trade away promising young talent. While the Vancouver Canucks have defied the logic of a rebuild on several occasions, that rule applies to them as well. However, Jason Botchford of The Province makes a convincing case for one exception: Sven Baertschi.

Baertschi, 25, is a highly-skilled winger for the Canucks who has always carried a ton of potential since being selected 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2011. When on the ice, Baertschi shows flashes of brilliance that reminds fans of why he was selected so high. Yet, as Botchford points out, Baertschi has struggled to stay on the ice in his young career. In Calgary, it was inconsistency that kept him out of the lineup, but in Vancouver, it has instead been injury, which is even more concerning. Baertschi played in just 53 games this season and was shut down in early March with a separated shoulder. It was the third straight season in which Baerschi missed significant time and has still yet to crack 70 games in a campaign. Availability is one of the most important abilities a player can have and thus far Baertschi has failed in this department.

That alone is not enough to trade away a young player either, though. If Baertschi had played in 82 games in each of the past two seasons, he would have likely exceeded 20 goals and 45 points in both. If sold for pennies on the dollar, the often goal-hungry Canucks could live to regret a deal if Baertschi was to stay healthy and be a consistent 40-50 point player. However, Botchford also recognizes that Vancouver has ample depth in young player that they can afford to trade Baertschi if the right offer comes along. In particular, Botchford notes that Nikolay Goldobin has the makings of a very similar player to Baertschi and, beginning next season, is no long waiver-exempt and will require a full-time role. With players such as veterans Loui Eriksson, Sam Gagner, and Markus Granlund, Calder candidate Brock Boeser, young projects like Goldobin, Jake Virtanen, and Brendan Leipsic, and incoming prospects Elias Pettersson and Jonah Gadjovich, there is plenty of competition for spots on the wing, even without Baertschi. This doesn’t even count additions in free agency or with one of the Canucks early draft picks, either. There’s a safety blanket to moving Baertschi in the Canucks’ depth of options.

Will a deal actually happen? Baertschi is a restricted free agent and Botchford points to comments from GM Jim Benning stating that the team is only interested in re-signing him to a one-year deal. That doesn’t invoke feeling of confidence in their long-term plans for him. Then, even if he does have a full, consistent season, he would be an unrestricted free agent capable of pricing himself out of Vancouver for now return. It certainly appears that the time is now for the Canucks to capitalize on Baertschi’s remaining upside and intrigue to acquire further (re)building blocks. There’s always risk associated with trading away young talent, but for a player who has been better in theory than in reality thus far in his pro career, Benning and company would be smart to the pull the trigger this summer if the right opportunity presents itself.

Barzal, Boeser, Keller Nominated For Calder Trophy

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The NHL released the names of the 2018 Calder Trophy nominees as the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Vancouver Canucks’ Brock Boeser and the Arizona Coyotes’ Clayton Keller were named as the league’s top rookies. The award will be voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association with the winners to be announced on June 20 in Las Vegas.

In a year in which there were a large amount of talented rookies, several good players didn’t get nominated, including the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Yanni Gourde, Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy, New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier, Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat and Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor.

Barzal is the likely hands down winner after putting up a great rookie year with 22 goals and 83 points, centering the Islanders’ second line for most of the season. He was the only rookie to average more than a point per game (1.04) and had three five-point performances throughout the season. His emergence could lessen the blow if teammate John Tavares opts to leave via free agency as Barzal could easily take over as the team’s franchise player.

Boeser’s chances are slimmer after only playing in 62 games when he was lost for the season with a back injury. However, in that time, he put up 29 goals, 55 points and was named MVP of the 2018 All-Star Game. He should be a constant presence along with Bo Horvat with the young core of forwards that are coming in as the team’s rebuilding project begins to come to fruition.

Keller led all rookies in ice time (18:05) and put up 23 goals and 42 assists in his freshman campaign and also led the team in goals, assists and points. He provides the franchise with another core piece as the Coyotes begin to build their team back to contending status.

NBC Sports’ Sean Leahy was the first to report the news.

Morning Notes: Trotz, Stamkos, Boeser

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The playoffs are important for every coach in the league as they try to secure their job and legacy in the league. None more than for Barry Trotz though, who could face unemployment if he can’t get the Washington Capitals past the second round, despite winning the Metropolitan Division for the third consecutive season.

Trotz is in a unique position, as detailed by Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. Svrluga writes that assistant coaches Todd Reirden and Blaine Forsythe both have contracts beyond this season, despite Trotz being in his final year. Brian MacLellan was also just signed to a new multi-year extension, meaning the coach will likely take the heat should Washington fail once again.

  • Steven Stamkos hasn’t played since the first of April, but that won’t stop him from getting into the lineup for Game 1 in the Tampa Bay Lightning-New Jersey Devils series. Stamkos has been confirmed healthy enough to go, giving the Lightning back another superstar just in time.
  • Brock Boeser was one of the brightest lights in the entire NHL this season, starring for the Vancouver Canucks in his rookie year. That all came to an end when he suffered a broken bone in his back in early March, an injury that could have been much worse. “That injury could have ended my career, honestly” Boeser told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, while discussing the pain he went through in the hospital. The young forward is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2018-19 season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Keller, Makar, Boeser

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The NHL announced its three stars for the month of March as Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid has found his way to the top once again, named the first star. McDavid picked up 13 goals and 15 assists in 16 games, which pulls him into the lead for the Art Ross Trophy race. Despite the Oilers struggles, McDavid has taken his game to a new level as he has hit career highs in goals (41) and points (103) and remains six points ahead of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for top spot in the NHL.

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is the league’s second star for March as he had 10 goals and 16 assists in 15 games. Anaheim goaltender John Gibson picked up third star honors after playing in 13 games, picking up nine wins and boasting a .931 save percentage during that span.

  • Arizona Coyotes announced rookie Clayton Keller was named NHL Rookie of the Month for the second time this season. Keller, who won the award in October, had a strong start to the season, but struggled during the winter months before picking it back up recently. He picked up 19 points in the month of March, including six goals over 17 games. The 19-year-old is ranked second among rookies in points with 63 behind the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal.
  • BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater tweets that the Colorado Avalanche will have to wait a little while longer to get bring in 2017 first-round pick Cale Makar into the fold. The fourth-overall pick has decided to return to the University of Massachusetts – Amherst for his sophomore year.  An elite power-play defenseman, Makar had a solid freshman year at Amherst, putting up five goals and 21 points and the Avalanche had hopes of instantly upgrading its defense for next year.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal tweets that it is doubtful that Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser plays for Team USA at this year’s 2018 IIHF World Championships in Denmark. Boeser went down for the season with a back injury and likely will spend his summer getting ready for the 2018-19 season. The 21-year-old had a great rookie season in which he scored 29 goals and picked up 55 points.

Canucks Notes: Boeser, Archibald, Tryamkin

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The Vancouver Canucks have had their season turned upside down of late, with Brock Boeser injured for the rest of the year. The star rookie is out for at least four weeks with a small fracture in his lower back, which could cost him more than just the last month of the season.

Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 reports that it is “highly unlikely” Boeser plays in the World Championships this year, though the Vancouver reporter wouldn’t rule it out entirely. Boeser would be one of the top options for the US squad, but might want to just heal completely before getting back on the ice. The tournament starts on May 4th, about eight weeks from the injury.

  • Dhaliwal also updates on the status of Darren Archibald, who is a pending unrestricted free agent. Apparently the Canucks have not approached the gritty forward with extension talks so far, but his strong recent play has put him in a good position for any future negotiations. The 28-year old has never been given much of a chance at the NHL level, but now has five points in 12 games with the Canucks and doesn’t look completely out of place in this league.
  • Lastly, Dhaliwal also spoke with Alexei Volkov, the GM of Nikita Tryamkin’s KHL team. Tryamkin also likely won’t be heading to the World Championships, and definitely isn’t on his way back to Vancouver. Volkov—who obviously must be taken with a grain of salt since it’s in his interest to keep Tryamkin around—told Dhaliwal there is “zero chance” the hulking defender would be returning next season. Tryamkin has two years remaining on his KHL contract, but could negotiate a buyout to return to the NHL if both sides were open to it.

Brock Boeser Diagnosed With Small Fracture, Out Four To Six Weeks

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Though he won’t suit up again for the Vancouver Canucks this season, the news is still relatively positive regarding Brock Boeser. The rookie phenom will make a full recovery in just four to six weeks after suffering a soft tissue injury and small non-displaced fracture in his lower back.

Boeser fell hard into the open bench door after receiving a check from Islanders’ forward Cal Clutterbuck, and immediately clutched his back in pain. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance from the rink, but appears to have avoided serious injury.

The 21-year old winger was having a Calder-worthy season with 55 points in 62 games, but will unfortunately not be able to add to those numbers for the rest of the season. While that may confirm Mathew Barzal as the rookie of the year, Canucks fans will be happy that the injury won’t affect Boeser’s ability to contribute next season.

Trade Candidate: Thomas Vanek

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With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

New coach, new expectations, but in the end, the Vancouver Canucks don’t look that much different. Vancouver finds themselves in seventh place in the Pacific Division, once again not competing for a playoff spot. The Canucks had higher expectations this year when they decided to add some veteran depth to the team in hopes it might spark their young core to play at a higher level. The team does have hope as they have a large amount of talented young prospects that aren’t too far away from joining the team over the next few years, but they must answer the question if they want to move out veteran scorer Thomas Vanek.

Contract

Dec 19, 2017; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks right wing Thomas Vanek (26) skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Canadiens won 7 - 5. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

Vanek is currently finishing up the one-year contract he signed this offseason with Vancouver at $2MM. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

2017-18

At age 34, many teams believed that Vanek’s game may have passed him by and many of those teams chose to look elsewhere this offseason. He wasn’t signed until Sept. 1 by Vancouver, but he continues to prove that he can score in this league. He currently has 16 goals in 56 games and has impressed management to the point that they are considering re-signing him to an extension.

While Vanek has been fortunate enough to play on a line with rookie sensation Brock Boeser, the veteran has shown he can still score clutch goals and set up his teammates as well. He is quite versatile and is capable of playing anywhere in the lineup if needed. His lack of speed, however, doesn’t help him.

Season Stats

55 GP, 15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points, -15 rating, 24 PIM, 102 shots, 13:59 ATOI, 44.7 CF%

Potential Suitors

Vanek could have a number of suitors, because of the fact that he won’t be very costly. The Detroit Red Wings, who traded away Vanek at the trade deadline a year ago, only received an average prospect and a third-round pick from the Florida Panthers. So, many teams that are short on salary cap space and picks may find Vanek to be an interesting option, ranging from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Nashville Predators.

One possibility could be the Boston Bruins, who are desperate for depth on the wings. Vanek might be a good fit to join the Bruins second or even third line and provide even more offense during a playoff run. His penalty killing skills might also be helpful for Boston as well.

Likelihood Of A Trade

It’s more of a 50-50 proposition. The team could easily find a take for Vanek, but will the Canucks get true value for him? Perhaps if the team can get a second-rounder for Vanek, then it might be worth it, but at the same time, there are rumors that Daniel Sedin and his brother Henrik Sedin are considering returning for another year next season. The question then is, should they keep Vanek around for another year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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