Snapshots: Guentzel, Bindulis, Rangers
The Pittsburgh Penguins, like any other champion of the salary-cap era, have found worthwhile contributions from previously unheralded sources. Last year saw the playoff breakout of Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary, while this year Justin Schultz has turned into the defenseman that everyone had hoped for in Edmonton. As Dave Holcomb of FanRag Sports details, it may be Jake Guentzel that is the next breakout star for a team that has so many.
Guentzel has seen his ice time skyrocket since his latest call up, playing as much as 19:52 in a regulation loss on the 28th. He’s become a relied-upon member of the Penguins top-9 and will be needed past this year’s playoffs. With Sheary and Schultz up for new contracts as restricted free agents this summer and Nick Bonino hitting the open market, the team will have to make some tough decisions on the future construction of their lineup around the $25MM trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Having a cost-controlled option like Guentzel that can slot in with any of the three is a huge plus for the Penguins and their long-term future.
- Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Kristofers Bindulis is the latest college free agent to watch. Several teams are after the Lake Superior State defenseman after his solid debut in the WCHA. The Lakers are having a rough season, but Bindulis has turned heads with 12 points in 28 games. Rail-thin in his draft year, Bindulis is now listed at 6’3″, 180-lbs and likely still able to fill out into his large frame. Watch for Vegas to start their roster off with some college free agents, and perhaps Bindulis is on their minds.
- The New York Rangers better hope they don’t finish fourth in the Metropolitan Division. After getting pummeled by the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 last night and causing Alain Vigneault to become more angry than he has all season (according to Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post), the team is now just 5-4-1 in their last 10 and 0-3 against the Habs this season. With the first wildcard sport set to face the Atlantic Division winner, the Rangers would be up against the Canadiens right away and would need to turn that record around fast.
Snapshots: MacEwen, Tynan, Vermette
The Vancouver Canucks have dipped their toes into the 20-year old free agent waters, signing undrafted center Zack MacEwen to a three-year entry-level contract. MacEwen is playing for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL where he often skates with Blue Jackets’ third-round pick Vitaly Abramov, one of the league’s top scorers.
Elliotte Friedman reports that both Ottawa and Tampa Bay had been in on MacEwen recently, before the Canucks eventually signed him. MacEwen is a point-per-game player for the first time in his junior career, scoring 62 in 59 games this season. He’ll join Matthew Highmore and many others as teams around the league start snapping up any talent that has slipped through the cracks.
- The Blue Jackets have recalled T.J. Tynan from the AHL on an emergency basis prior to tomorrow’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The 5’8″ forward is a former third-round pick that is known for his pass-first mentality and soft hands. Tynan was a linemate of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust at Notre Dame, where he led the team in scoring three out of four years.
- According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, Anaheim Ducks forward Antoine Vermette will not appeal his 10-game suspension with a neutral arbitrator the way Dennis Wideman did last season. Vermette has already served five games of the suspension and is eligible to return March 12th. Though winning an arbitration would recoup some of his lost salary, at this point it might just be better off to let sleeping dogs lie—as the Calgary Flames likely wish Wideman had.
Snapshots: Subban, Roussel, Rust
Bon retour P.K.! That’s what the Bell Centre’s video board read as the crowd jumped to their feet so salute a former star returning last night. P.K. Subban made his return to Montreal as a member of the Nashville Predators and received quite the ovation from Canadiens fans, standing and cheering him on throughout his video tribute as tears rolled down the defenseman’s face. Arpon Basu of NHL.com writes that those tears are all we saw from the former Norris winner all night, as the Predators fell 2-1 on a last second goal from Paul Byron.
At ESPN, the insiders—including Craig Custance, Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun—take a look at the short and long term ramifications of the Subban-Weber trade 60 games in. Weber is signed for another nine seasons in Montreal, while Subban is only under contract through 2021-22.
- The hits just keep on coming for the Dallas Stars, who lost Antoine Roussel last night to injury and likely for the year. Mike Heika of SportsDay reports that head coach Lindy Ruff expects Roussel to be “a while; in all likelihood the rest of the year.” Though the Stars aren’t really competing for a playoff spot any longer, Roussel was having a career year. He was just three points shy of setting a career-high in points, and would likely have broken his goal and assist marks as well with 20 games remaining.
- Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has some good news for Penguins fans, as he spotted Bryan Rust skating before practice. A playoff hero last season, Rust has been a solid contributor to the Penguins run this year. With 25 points in 50 games, he’s giving the team some excellent secondary scoring and is a useful piece up and down the lineup. Molinari also adds that new defenseman Mark Streit will be wearing #32 for the Penguins when he suits up for a game.
Snapshots: Rust, Chara, Maple Leafs
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust will miss Saturday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes, reports KDKA’s Bob Pompeani. Rust suffered an injury midway through last night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Avalanche defenseman Mark Barberio hit Rust in front of the Colorado net and Rust did not return after leaving the ice. In Rust’s stead comes Josh Archibald, fresh off of a recall from the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as reported by the Tribune-Review’s Jonathan Bombulie. Archibald has 11G and 11A in 48 games so far with WBS. This will be Archibald’s second game ever in the NHL.
- Boston Bruins defenseman—and captain—Zdeno Chara should return tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Chara missed Thursday’s game with an illness he has been battling for weeks. In 49 games this season Chara has 4G and 11A, but more remarkably still leads all Bruins skaters in average ice-time. Details about the illness are scarce, but Chara spoke to NHL.com and implied that he was generally fatigued and under the weather.
- ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun pointed out that the Toronto Maple Leafs have not yet used any LTIR space, and could get $13.5MM in cap relief should they have to hit the cap ceiling. Stephane Robidas, Joffrey Lupul, and Nathan Horton all remain sidelined indefinitely with various long-term injuries. If they want to bring in a experienced rental to further mentor their young prospects, they have the cap space to do so.
Pittsburgh Notes: Cullen, Rust, Jarry, Guentzel
Penguins center Matt Cullen is the third oldest player in the NHL this season behind Florida’s Jaromir Jagr and Arizona’s Shane Doan. Despite recently turning 40, Cullen isn’t ruling out playing another season beyond this one, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The decision on whether or not to retire won’t be coming any time soon either, noted Cullen:
“Once I decided to come back this year, that was the only thing on my mind. I know some people can do it, but I’m just not a guy who can have all that stuff in his head. I just want to focus on one goal. Then I’ll deal with that later.”
Through 38 games this season, Cullen has seven goals and seven assists which puts him at a 30 point pace, comparable to the 32 he put up last season. It’s also pretty good production for a player who predominantly plays a bottom six role who also continues to bring an above average success rate at the faceoff dot to the table. Cullen admits he’s pleasantly surprised with how he has held up so far:
“I feel really good. I was tired. Of course, everyone’s tired and banged up after the playoffs. I was a little bit. I’ve been really happy with how I feel. My legs feel great. I feel good on the ice. I feel strong. The body feels like it’s holding up really well. I consider myself pretty blessed in that regard. It’s not fun if your body doesn’t feel good.”
With a cap hit and salary of only $1MM, Cullen has been one of the better bargains from this past offseason. If he holds up over the second half of the season and what he hopes is another lengthy postseason run, he should have several suitors for his services in July if he decides to keep playing.
More from Pittsburgh:
- When he first came up to the NHL back in 2014, right winger Bryan Rust was so concerned about turning the puck over that he would frequently just bank the puck off the boards and chase it. Two years later, it’s a big reason for his success, writes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. As analytics suggest dumping the puck in isn’t ideal, Rust’s compromise of banking it ahead and chasing it down has resulted in several scoring chances or drawn penalties. Through 35 games, the 24 year old is having a career season with ten goals and six assists while spending time on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby; it’s safe to say his approach is paying off.
- The Penguins will have a pair of prospects representing them at the AHL All-Star Game as netminder Tristan Jarry and left winger Jake Guentzel were named to the game yesterday. Jarry was just recalled to the big club earlier today while Guentzel leads the AHL in goals with 18 and had quite the NHL debut back in November, scoring on his very first shift while adding a second goal later on in the opening period of that game.
This Week In Hockey Blogging: A Dozen Articles To Read
Here are a handful of articles from various hockey bloggers this week:
Winging It In Motown looks at the ongoing discussion of toughness in the NHL and how it’s unfairly used to criticize players.
Pension Plan Puppets closely scout Auston Matthews.
Lighthouse Hockey likens their Islanders to the Walking Dead and take a deep dive into how the Islanders got to where they are.
The Committed Indian examines how the salary cap has created the parity intended, but in a ho-hum way.
Raw Charge analyzes Tampa Bay’s problem with developing first round draft picks.
Down Goes Brown lists the ten lies that every hockey fan is guilty of reciting.
Blueshirt Banter talked to Ryan McDonagh about the team and the season so far.
Bleedin Blue suggests that the Blues look into why they’re struggling so much on the road.
Copper and Blue discusses everything from Connor McDavid‘s wingers to players in Bakersfield who should see time with the big club down the road.
Pensburgh compares Bryan Rust‘s three-goal performance to a legendary Penguin’s five goal performance.
Hockey Wilderness suggests two players for Chuck Fletcher to acquire.
Finally, Canucks Army offers advice to ownership: new management.
We’re always looking to add to the list. Tweet us some articles you like @prohockeyrumors or let us know through our comments section.
Metropolitan Notes: Alzner, Berube, Rust
Washington defenseman Karl Alzner is one of a slew of Capitals players who aren’t currently under contract for next season. As Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post notes, a potential hold up to re-signing Alzner may be the looming Las Vegas expansion draft next June.
Teams can protect three defensemen under what will be the most common option used by teams (there is also the ability to protect eight skaters regardless of position but it’s unlikely that many teams will go that way). The Capitals already have John Carlson and Matt Niskanen that are likely to be protected which would leave one slot for Alzner and pending RFA Dmitry Orlov. Keeping Alzner unsigned would allow them to safely protect Orlov but GM Brian MacLellan noted it could be a priority to get Alzner signed to an extension before then:
“Depending on the value, it would be, yes. We can protect three defensemen, so there’s going to be a decision to be made here at some point. I mean, we have guys that are pretty good.”
Alternatively, the team could come to an agreement on terms and just wait until after the waiver draft to make the deal official. That way, the team could leave Alzner exposed, allowing them to protect Orlov or another defender. MacLellan doesn’t anticipate going that route, nor does he expect other teams to:
“I think that’d be a risky move. I don’t know that anybody’s going to try that. There’s probably a window, I mean, but I don’t know that you can really wait until then. … I don’t think there’s a guarantee. I don’t think you can come to an agreement and say, ‘We’ll sign you after that,’ you know? I don’t anticipate that would work.”
Alzner has spent his entire career with the Capitals, playing in 509 regular season games. While his point total in that time isn’t particularly strong (16 goals and 88 assists), he has been a reliable shutdown rearguard and would have no shortage of suitors if he were to hit the open market.
Other news from the Metropolitan:
- The Islanders considered placing goalie Jean-Francois Berube on waivers, Newsday’s Arthur Staple reported in a reader mailbag. However, they feared that at least one team (San Jose) would have had interest in claiming him so they have opted to keep three goalies up again at least to start the season. While the Sharks didn’t claim a goalie off the waiver wire, one possible suitor for Berube is no longer on the market for a backup with the Penguins adding Mike Condon from the Canadiens earlier this week. With Jonathan Quick out for the Kings though, it’s possible that they could have some interest in repatriating their former farmhand in Berube.
- Pittsburgh right winger Bryan Rust skated for the first time since the playoffs on Wednesday as he works to return to the lineup from an undisclosed injury, notes Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Rust had a quiet regular season with 11 points in 41 games but played an important role for the Penguins in the playoffs, picking up six goals and three assists in just 23 postseason contests. While he is now skating, there remains no timetable for his return to game action.