Goalie Notes: Price, Bachman, Hill
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that starting goaltender Carey Price will not travel with the team to Florida as he deals with a lower-body injury, something that immediately set off alarm bells among the fan base. Price has dealt with several lower-body issues over the last few seasons that kept him from playing up to his potential, something that certainly still hasn’t been reached this season. The 31-year old goaltender now carries a .904 save percentage on the season which, while better than last year’s totals, is simply not good enough for the Canadiens to really challenge for a top spot in the Atlantic Division.
In Price’s place, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports speculates that Michael McNiven will be recalled given Charlie Lindgren is dealing with an injury of his own. McNiven has an .884 save percentage in 12 AHL games this year, and still hasn’t made his NHL debut. That leaves Antti Niemi as the goaltender to carry the load until Price can return, whenever that may be.
- The Vancouver Canucks have some enviable minor league goaltending depth, but Thatcher Demko may have to carry even more weight for the Utica Comets going forward. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet tweets that Richard Bachman could be out long-term with an Achilles injury, meaning Dmitri Kulbakov will be the backup tonight. Kulbakov has been bouncing between the ECHL and AHL this year, but could end up sticking with the Comets depending on what Vancouver does to address the injury.
- Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes once again, giving them three goaltenders on the current roster. Amazingly Calvin Pickard hasn’t played in a single game for the team since being claimed a month ago, while they continue to give opportunities to the young Hill. He’s done well with those spots, but one has to wonder how long the team will continue to employ three without giving Pickard any work. He very well could find himself on waivers for the third time this season in the near future. Arizona also recalled Michael Bunting and Conor Garland, who had been sent down as a cost saving measure over the holidays.
Arizona Coyotes Not Looking For Goaltending Help In Wake Of Raanta Injury
The Arizona Coyotes announced some terrible news yesterday on goaltender Antti Raanta, telling reporters that he could be out for the entire season after surgery. Raanta was originally supposed to be out just a few days, but was then downgraded to week-to-week and is now out indefinitely. That is a huge blow for a Coyotes team that was relying on the veteran goaltender to help carry them to the playoffs, and immediately sparked speculation about whether the team would go after another experienced starter to help them for the rest of the year.
That speculation can be put to rest, as Coyotes GM John Chayka told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that the team would go with their internal options instead of seeking any help on the trade market. The team currently has Calvin Pickard and Adin Hill in the NHL crease, with Darcy Kuemper approaching his own return from injury. It appears that trio will handle the load for the rest of the season.
It’s hard to blame Chayka for believing in a group that includes Hill, who has posted a .939 save percentage through seven appearances this season, and Kuemper, who has a long history of serving well in a backup role.
Pacific Notes: Coyotes Goaltending, Frolik, Caggiula
The Coyotes have received strong goaltending from Adin Hill after he was pressed into action following the lower-body injuries to both Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper. He has posted a 0.56 GAA with a .977 SV% in five appearances so far this season which has led some to speculate if he could make a run for the starting job even when the team is fully healthy. In an interview on Arizona Sports (audio link), GM John Chayka was quick to dispel any talk of a goalie controversy but hinted that they may keep all three goalies up when Raanta and Kuemper return:
“We’re in a performance-based industry. We’ve had some injuries and underperformance at times whether it’s been goalies or other players. To have a young guy step in who has got a good track record, it gets your attention. Credit to him. I think we need all three [goalies].”
That doesn’t appear to bode well for Calvin Pickard’s future in the desert. The Coyotes added him off of waivers late last month but has yet to see game action with Arizona so far. With both Raanta and Kuemper (who took part in practice today) getting close to returning, the 26-year-old could find himself back on the wire shortly.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Flames winger Michael Frolik has suffered a setback in his recovery from lower-body injury, reports Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. He last played on November 19th and was initially listed as day-to-day but it appears he’ll be out a fair bit longer as he has yet to even skate over the past week. Frolik has had a quiet start to his season; while he has a respectable seven goals in 20 games, he has yet to record a single assist while his ice time has dropped to a career-low 12:07 per night.
- The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that winger Drake Caggiula is dealing with a minor hand injury and will miss tonight’s game against St. Louis. As a result, winger Patrick Russell will remain in the lineup instead of ceding his place to center Connor McDavid who returns after missing the last game due to illness.
Calvin Pickard, Jean-Sebastien Dea Claimed Off Waivers
With the Arizona Coyotes dealing with some health concerns in net, they’ve decided to claim goaltender Calvin Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Pittsburgh Penguins meanwhile have reclaimed Jean-Sebastien Dea off waivers from the New Jersey Devils. Dea has been immediately sent to the minor leagues, meaning the Penguins were the only team who put in a claim.
Pickard is off to his fourth team since the end of the 2016-17 season, when he finished the year as the starting goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche. He was then selected in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, only to be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs before ever playing a regular season game for Vegas. In Toronto, he spent nearly the entire 2017-18 season in the minor leagues, winning a Calder Cup as a backup to Garret Sparks, before eventually being waived just prior to the start of this year.
In Philadelphia, his numbers have not been up to the level he showed in Colorado and was obviously not the long-term solution for the Flyers. He’s no more the solution in Arizona though, as he is an obvious short-term solution while Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper try to get healthy. Adin Hill will make the next start for Arizona, just his fifth of his career. That forced GM John Chayka to go out and acquire some more experience, something that Pickard brings even if there hasn’t been a lot of success lately.
Pittsburgh meanwhile will get Dea back after watching him score five points in 20 games for the Devils this year. The undrafted forward was a project of the Pittsburgh development system for the last few seasons, and will now re-enter that organization after getting his feet wet at the NHL level. Though it was obviously not planned, this was actually not the worst outcome for the Penguins if they felt they couldn’t afford to give Dea that short opportunity themselves. The 24-year old now has some additional NHL games under his belt, and can attempt to improve his game even further in the minor leagues.
Florida Panthers Seeking Upgrade In Goal
Entering the season, the Florida Panthers’ goaltender trio of Roberto Luongo, James Reimer, and Michael Hutchinson seemed like one of the deepest in the league. As the second month of the season wraps up, the Panthers currently hold the second-worst goals against average in the NHL and their play in the net has been the team’s greatest weakness. As a result, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports (subscription required) that, despite their considerable depth, Florida is looking for an upgrade behind the injury-plagued Luongo.
Injuries have limited Luongo, 39, to just nine appearances, but even when healthy he has not looked like himself. Luongo holds a 3.07 GAA and a .902 save percentage that, if the season were to end today, would be his career-low. It could be that Luongo’s play is reflective of his poor health, especially considering his strong performance just last year. However, between his injury issues and inconsistent results, Luongo simply can’t be relied upon as a bona fide starter. Of course, that was the reasoning behind the Panthers initially signing Reimer three years ago. Reimer looked the part in his first season in 2016-17, with perhaps his best NHL campaign. Yet, his numbers tailed off last season as he too struggled with injuries and now this year Reimer looks far from a starting option. The 30-year-old leads the Panthers with 14 appearances, but has just four wins, tied with Luongo despite five more showings. His performance has been bleak, with an .895 save percentage and 3.39 GAA. Yet, the injury concerns and inconsistency of Luongo and Reimer is exactly why Florida signed Hutchinson this summer. That has quickly proven to have been a mistake, as the AHL veteran has been out of his depths in four NHL games, sporting a brutal .839 save percentage and 4.17 GAA. Hutchinson has struggled to even perform at an average level in the minors this season.
Nothing has worked out according to plan in Florida, so the team needs to make a move to improve in net. The problem with that plan, as LeBrun points out, is that Reimer still has two years remaining on his contract at $3.4MM. That contract could prove very difficult to move. Luongo is also signed long-term, with three years remaining, but it appears that the team would prefer to hold on to him despite his current struggles, even if they were able to find a take. As such, a long-term solution in net may be difficult to find, unless the team is also able to move Reimer. Nearly any established goalie signed beyond this season would put too much strain on the Panthers’ payroll, which is already close to $2MM from the salary cap. An expensive rental, such as Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, would also be difficult to manage. Cheap rentals, such as New Jersey’s Eddie Lack, Carolina’s Petr Mrazek, Edmonton’s Al Montoya, and recent waiver placement Calvin Pickard, are readily available, but would be unlikely to shift the status quo substantially. The Panthers could make a play for a young, affordable goalie lacking opportunity, such as Montreal’s Charlie Lindgren, Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko, Los Angeles’ Cal Petersen, or Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry, but it would come at a cost. The Panthers may want to upgrade their goalie depth, but such a move won’t come easy for the team this season.
Calvin Pickard, Jean-Sebastien Dea Placed On Waivers
Philadelphia Flyers president Paul Holmgren was clear that he would make a change to the team’s goaltending situation if he felt the need even as they continue their search for a new GM, and today did just that. The Flyers have placed Calvin Pickard on waivers, while also sending forward Tyrell Goulbourne back to the minor leagues. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the New Jersey Devils have also placed Jean-Sebastien Dea on waivers.
Pickard, 26, was claimed off of waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs just prior to the start of the season and ended up playing 11 games for the Flyers so far. His performance so far hasn’t been good despite a 4-2-2 record, as he has registered an .863 save percentage and is allowing more than four goals per game on average. Part of the problem may be the Flyers defensive structure given Pickard’s career .909 save percentage, but he hasn’t shown much NHL ability at this point.
That’s not to say he doesn’t have some value though, especially to the Maple Leafs who could very likely put in a claim for him. Should they be the only team to do so they would be able to send Pickard directly to the Toronto Marlies, who have had goaltending troubles for much of this season. Pickard won a Calder Cup with the Marlies last season, though he was the backup to Garret Sparks at the time. His contract carries an $800K cap hit, and would be completely buried in the minor leagues if he cleared waivers or ended up with the Marlies.
Dea meanwhile has been playing full-time with the Devils, recording five points in 20 games but became the odd man out when Marcus Johansson returned to practice. The 24-year old Dea has had a lot of success in the minor leagues with the Pittsburgh Penguins since signing out of the QMJHL as an undrafted free agent, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer from that organization in the summer. He then re-signed a one-year two-way deal with the Penguins, before being claimed by the Devils on waivers at the end of September.
Brian Elliott Out Two Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
When the Philadelphia Flyers recalled Alex Lyon from the AHL this morning, it was an indication that every was not alright with starter Brian Elliott. Elliott left the Flyers’ game against the New Jersey Devils last night after appearing to overextend himself going post-to-post in the third period. Elliott was then absent from practice today. While the exact ailment remains unclear, the team announced after practice that he suffered a lower-body injury and will be out approximately two weeks.
Neither Elliott nor the Flyers are strangers to injury. Elliott, 33, has missed more than 50 games due to injury in his NHL career, including 29 games last season alone. In his second year in Philadelphia, injuries have been a reoccurring issue for Elliott, particularly of the lower-body variety. Between Elliott missing time and Anthony Stolarz missing the whole 2017-18 season, Philadelphia was forced to lean on backup Michal Neuvirth, the rookie Lyon, and trade acquisition Petr Mrazek. A season later, only the names and roles have changed. This year it has been Neuvirth limited to just one game due to injury, Lyon hampered with injuries early on, and now another absence from Elliott, while preseason waiver pickup Calvin Pickard has had to stand in as the backup and now starter. With Stolarz and promising rookie Carter Hart also available, the Flyers continue to be saved by their depth these past two seasons, but would enjoy a stretch of health from their starter and primary backup at some point this season.
Through 14 appearances this season, Elliot is 6-7-0 with a .911 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average and he has improved as the season has worn on. His numbers are solid, but look incredible compared to the paltry performance of Pickard thus far. Pickard will have to step up over the next two weeks or more if the Flyers are to survive this stretch, or else Lyon will have to have another miraculous run like last season. Flyers beat writer Bill Meltzer also reports that Neuvirth skated yesterday and may potentially be able to return while Elliott remains sidelined. Whoever is able to take the reins in net in Philadelphia could be one of the team’s heroes this season. With a .500 record thus far, two weeks of poor goalie play could sink the team as they approach the one-third mark of the season.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Alex Lyon
The Philadelphia Flyers are already four deep into their goaltending depth, as they’ve recalled Alex Lyon from the AHL. The move was needed after placing Michal Neuvirth back on injured reserve, while Brian Elliott deals with an injury suffered at practice. Calvin Pickard got the start on Saturday night, and may have to take over as the starter for the time being. Lyon meanwhile was off to a fast start in the minor leagues with a .934 save percentage through three appearances, and may be given another chance to prove that he’s ready for the NHL.
For an organization that has struggled finding quality netminders for a long time, the Flyers actually could claim to be one of the deepest at the position. Though none have been able to really post above-average numbers at the NHL for a long stretch, the group of Elliott, Neuvirth, Pickard, Lyon and Anthony Stolarz all have experience at the highest level. That’s not even including super prospect Carter Hart, who has been given the lion’s share of starts for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season. Though Hart—a 20-year old netminder who had one of the most impressive junior careers of all time—has struggled through his first taste of professional hockey, he’s going to be given the net consistently for the Phantoms as they try to develop him into an NHL star.
That leaves scraps for Lyon and Stolarz, unless the NHL group proves to need help as they are now. Neuvirth seemingly can’t stay healthy for any length of time, and Elliott now faces injury after colliding with Travis Konecny in practice. It’s not clear how long either will be out, but Pickard hasn’t instilled the kind of confidence needed for a team that was expected to challenge for the playoffs and perhaps even the Metropolitan Division crown. Lyon may earn his chance to take the net in the coming days, something that shouldn’t be out of the question given his fairly impressive NHL debut a year ago. Lyon recorded a 4-2-1 record and .905 save percentage in 11 games during the 2017-18 campaign, and has a history of success in the minors.
Eastern Notes: Nylander, Elliott, Hedman, Rask
The Toronto Maple Leafs are running out of time to sign restricted free agent William Nylander and as each day passes, general manager Kyle Dubas may be more and more inclined to look to deal Nylander before they lose him for the season.
In Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada segment, Elliotte Friedman said that if/when the Maple Leafs decide to move Nylander, expect the Carolina Hurricanes to be ready to make a deal.
“When the time does come — if the time does come that Toronto decides they are going to deal [Nylander] — Carolina has made it very clear that they are all in,” said Friedman.
Carolina has a number of key assets that might interest Toronto, including defensemen Justin Faulk and Brett Pesce. Nylander would be another key piece for the Hurricanes to build up their forward core that already includes Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
- The Philadelphia Flyers lost one of their goalies Saturday when Michal Neuvirth was sent back home to Philadelphia for medical reasons. Now, Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that Brian Elliott left practice early today after he collided with teammate Travis Konecny. The injury-prone goalie left holding his head, but there is no update, nor is it known if he can play in Monday’s game against Arizona. If not, Calvin Pickard will fill in for him and the team may have to recall Alex Lyon from Lehigh Valley of the AHL. The 33-year-old Elliott has been adequate at best so far in 10 appearances this year. He has a 3.10 GAA and an .893 save percentage.
- The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) reports that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach said defenseman Victor Hedman, who has been out since Oct. 26 when he collided with Vegas’ Ryan Reaves will be out on Tuesday, but could be ready to return later this week.
- With lots of mailbag questions about Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, NBC Sports Joe Hagerty writes that he doubts the team would be able to trade the struggling Rask in any upcoming deal. The 31-year-old Rask, who has been outplayed by free agent Jaroslav Halak so far this season, has a 3.15 GAA and a .902 save percentage in six appearances. However, his contract ($7MM AAV for two more years after this one), but more particularly his no-trade clause will prevent Boston from moving him. While many teams might want to give Rask a new opportunity, Haggerty writes he doesn’t believe that Rask has any interest in leaving Boston and wouldn’t be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
Metropolitan Notes: Buchnevich, Nieves, Murray, Rask, Pickard
After sitting in the press box for the last two games of their road trip, New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich is expected to be in Sunday’s lineup against the Sabres. This is just another example of the coaching demeanor of David Quinn who isn’t hesitant to make clear what he demands from his players, both physically and mentally. Regardless, Quinn expects Buchnevich to respond in only one way about the scratches.
“I hope he’s pissed, and I think he is,” Quinn said after Saturday’s practice up in Westchester (via the New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis). “I want everybody to be pissed when they don’t play. Now do something about it.”
Buchnevich so far has kept his feelings about his benching quiet and prefers to keep his conversations with Quinn to himself. However, the general belief is that Quinn needs to see more consistency from Buchnevich, who has scored points in five games, but has also disappeared in the other five games this season. Quinn can only hope that Buchnevich is ready to buy in.
- Staying with the Rangers, Newsday’s Anthony Rieber writes that forward Boo Nieves practiced with the team after suffering a concussion that he sustained in the preseason opener on Sept. 17. Nieves practiced with the Hartford Wolf Pack while the team was on their four-game road trip. While there is no timetable for the 24-year-old to be activated off of injured reserve, the 6-foot-3, 203-pounder is getting closer to providing the team with a big body in their lineup. Nieves played 28 games for the Rangers last year, putting up a goal and eight assists.
- Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray is getting tired of being hit during games. The 24-year-old has been hit incidentally with no penalties being called all season, including it happening three times on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. With three concussions in his young career, this new trend is alarming to the goalie. “I’m out there to stop the puck,” Murray said. “That’s got to be my main focus. If I have to do take a hit to do so, it is what it is. I hope that the refs will do something.”
- In a Q&A with Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell, NHL.com’s Michael Smith learned that the team is expecting to get back winger Victor Rask in the first week of December. Rask injured his hand while slicing food in his kitchen and underwent hand surgery during the preseason and was listed as out indefinitely. Waddell said the team met with team doctors at the last home game who confirmed that week was viable.
- The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (subscription required) writes that Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Calvin Pickard may have lost the game Saturday on two late goals by the San Jose Sharks, but the scribe writes that Pickard actually played a solid game and didn’t deserve to take the loss. The third-string goalie was called into action when injury-prone Michal Neuvirth returned to Philadelphia with an undisclosed injury. Despite struggling playing the puck on numerous occasions, the 26-year-old did play well in the net as two of the goals by Timo Meier and Joe Pavelski were unstoppable.