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Casey Cizikas

Islanders’ Perplexing Side-Deal With Vegas

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As I briefly mentioned in a previous article, the New York Islanders decided to travel a very perplexing road with their protection list. They shielded only 3 forwards, and protected 5 defensemen, allowing a whole host of forwards to be claimed.  These include Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Casey Cizikas, Nikolai Kulemin, and Josh Bailey at the upper end of the spectrum. Defenseman Calvin de Haan, who has reportedly has had difficulty coming to a deal with management on a new contract, is also left at Vegas’ disposal

What complicates matters is that Arthur Staple of Newsday has been insinuating that the Islanders have a deal in place to protect Nelson, Strome, and de Haan, while others, such as Darren Dreger, believes the deal only applies to forwards.  NHL Numbers stated today that the protection agreement would protect only Bailey and Cizikas, which is easily the most disastrous deal of the group. From a pure value standpoint, Nelson, de Haan and Strome have far more value than either player. Staple believed yesterday evening that the Islanders were going to trade their 15th overall selection in order to push Vegas in a favorable direction. Even still, it doesn’t explain the particulars of the players protected.

John Tavares is an obvious keeper, and Andrew Ladd helped the offense in a big way after a rocky start. Anders Lee is coming off a phenomenal 34 goal season in only his 3rd full outing. The defense revolves around Nick Leddy and Travis Hamonic, and despite his steps backward Johnny Boychuk is a big minute eater for the team. You could have made a case for Ryan Pulock over Boychuk, and made that quite convincingly, but it seemed inevitable that team would lose a defender no matter what. Boychuk did have an NMC, which complicated that matter. Considering that the team was 17th in goals against this past season, that wasn’t exactly a worst-case scenario.

Instead of taking the orthodox 4-4 route and protecting Nelson or Strome as well as Pulock or de Haan, or protecting all but one forward in a 7-3 scheme, the Islanders chose instead to protect a relative no-name in Adam Pelech. Pelech had a solid season, to be sure, but he is a bottom-pairing defenseman and doesn’t project as a difference maker. By opting to leave these players exposed, they take a large aspect of the decision making out of their own hands. GM Garth Snow sacrificed a first round pick and a certain degree of autonomy to protect two forwards, when they could instead have done that on their own. If the end goal was to entice Vegas into selecting Thomas Hickey, they could have done so without the bizarre protection structure. This isn’t even delving into the insanity of surrendering a first-round selection to protect one mid-level player over another.

All in all, the Islanders and GM Garth Snow have stolen the show today for most bewildering decision. Unless the deal with Vegas is far more encompassing than it appears at the moment, they are looking to lose a solid contributor and a 1st-round pick when both could have been avoided.

 

The original article incorrectly linked Dylan Strome.

Metropolitan Division Offers Vegas Multiple Goalies, Project Players

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The Metropolitan Division was undoubtedly the most competitive last season, with 3 of the league’s top 5 points finishers within it, including the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Penguins. Some teams in the Metro have prepared poorly, while others look to take a minor hit and move on from expansion relatively unscathed. No major surprises exist outside of Brooklyn, where the Islanders took the crown for the most unorthodox and confounding strategy.

The Penguins seem to have known for quite some time that Marc-Andre Fleury was Vegas bound. GM Jim Rutherford balked at trade offers last off-season despite the goalie’s no-movement clause potentially complicating matters further down the line. The organization finally asked him to waive his clause in February, and both parties seem willing to move on. Rutherford did seem to be leaning toward the 7-3-1 model originally, but eventually opted to go with the 4-4 route to protect both Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz. If for whatever reason Fleury is not chosen, playoff performer Bryan Rust is almost certainly the claim. Columbus’ list is about what we expected, but it still seems strange to see Josh Anderson and Jack Johnson are left exposed. If there is a deal in place for a 1st round pick, as reported earlier by the Columbus Dispatch, Johnson is the likely selection. He’s still got a lot of talent, and with all his international experience, he could be a great leader for younger players in Vegas.

The Philadelphia Flyers made one of the smarter (if unexpected) decisions of the day and opted to protect Scott Laughton over assistant captain Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and the streaky Michael Raffl. Jordan Weal is still left exposed, and theoretically any of the three could be headed to Vegas. The Washington Capitals are absolutely going to lose a solid player, and it’s destined to be either the very promising defenseman Nate Schmidt or standout goalie Philipp Grubauer. The Capitals knew this was coming for a long time, but it can’t hurt any less to lose assets in this fashion. A possible scenario to watch out for is whether Vegas will pursue T.J. Oshie as a free agent in the short-term. They have first dibs on negotiations if they want to open that conversation, and he’s considered by many to be the top available UFA. The team doesn’t really need another goaltender, and their defense would survive without Schmidt, even with his incredible talent.

The New Jersey Devils arguably have the weakest roster on paper at the moment, and it shows with the potential selections Vegas need to consider. Mike Cammalleri is unproductive and overpaid, Beau Bennett has all but busted when he isn’t injured, Jacob Josefson scored one goal last season, and Devante Smith-Pelly is with his third club in as many years. The New York Rangers couldn’t move Antti Raanta and now it seems probable that Vegas will take advantage. Other options would include Jesper Fast and the very productive (27 goals) Michael Grabner, neither of whom is good enough to justify passing on the solid Raanta. No surprises here, but management certainly waited until the final hour to buyout Dan Girardi – which allowed them to utilize that 7-3-1 strategy effectively. Carolina will offer up one of the worst prizes to the Golden Knights, and Lee Stempniak is the only name that truly jumps out. Long-time goalie Cam Ward finds himself on the outs, as does Eddie Lack, but when the team moved for Scott Darling this fate was very foreseeable. Perhaps management will try to entice Vegas to claim one of the keepers and help their logjam along.

The New York Islanders seem to have botched their efforts today, but there may be machinations behind the scenes which could justify such a bizarre strategy. GM Garth Snow opted to protect only 3 forwards and 5 defensemen – the only team to do so. Even worse, one of the defenseman left unprotected was Calvin de Haan. Assuming there is no deal to take a blueliner in the works, Vegas could choose de Haan or their favorite from a large selection of intriguing forwards. Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, and Ryan Strome are all available, and each provides a different skillset. McPhee could even take one of the league’s toughest bottom sixers in Casey Cizikas or a crafty, veteran Nikolai Kulemin. He has loads of options, and none of them are any good for an Islanders team who survive off their depth. Why Adam Pelech, with his 12 career points and 46.6% Corsi For in 2016-17, was worth protection over any of those names will surely be one of the draft’s greatest quandaries.

Vegas will get an opportunity to draft their starting two goaltenders from the Metro, and will have a wide assortment of options elsewhere. The Washington situation should be fun to speculate on, and trying to find a worthwhile pick in New Jersey could be an adventure for the Knights. Snow’s Islanders are just an incredible anomaly, and that list may draw some serious criticism.

Casey Cizikas Activated From Injured Reserve

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The New York Islanders are getting a key member of their team back. Casey Cizikas has been activated from injured reserve ahead of their Saturday night matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team will play an afternoon game in New York before taking a three day break and recharging for the rest of the playoff run. Currently one point behind the Maple Leafs for the final wildcard position, the Islanders desperately needed some good news on the health front. Casey Cizikas

Cizikas has been out almost a month with an upper-body injury, leaving the February 21st game against the Detroit Red Wings after just seven minutes of ice time. After several years centering the league’s best fourth line between Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin, Cizikas has been used all throughout the Islanders lineup this season as they’ve dealt with injuries and players leaving in free agency. With 23 points in 53 games, he was well on track to shatter his previous career high of 29 points and looked like he was developing into a solid secondary scoring option.

With the emergence of Josh Ho-Sang as a legitimate option in the Islanders’ top-six, it’s unclear who will come out of the lineup should Cizikas play tomorrow. Anthony Beauvillier and Alan Quine are both options or head coach Doug Weight could sit an under-performer like Nikolai Kulemin and move one of those two to the wing. At any rate, getting Cizikas back into the lineup is a big boost for the team as they look to make it back to the playoffs after a dreadful start to the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

East Notes: Weegar, Namestnikov, Islanders

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After Aaron Ekblad was taken out of Saturday’s game for the Florida Panthers, it looks like he’ll be out for at least a while with a concussion. In the meantime, the Panthers are expected to recall MacKenzie Weegar, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. The 23-year old has developed steadily in the minors since being selected in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2013 draft. With 12 goals and 29 points this season, Weegar has been Springfield’s “best defenseman overall” according to Eric Joyce, the Panthers’ assistant general manager.

Weegar will likely make his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, as the Panthers try to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Now seven points behind Toronto for the final playoff spot, their current five game losing streak has all but dashed those postseason hopes completely.

  • Vladislav Namestnikov was at Lightning practice this morning in a regular jersey according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. One of the three Lightning centermen that were injured last Thursday, it would be huge if he could return so quickly. With Tampa just three points back of the Maple Leafs, this back-to-back against the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators is crucial to their season hopes. Today, the team called up Byron Froese to give them some depth up the middle, but hopefully Namestnikov can still return either tonight or tomorrow.
  • Both Tyler Johnson and Cedric Paquette missed the skate entirely, with Smith not convinced Paquette even made the trip to New York. That likely explains why Froese was called up, though it doesn’t bode well for the Lightning.
  • Smith also reports that Steven Stamkos again skated before the rest of the team as he continues to work his way back. Wednesday would mark four months since he last appeared in a game, the minimum amount of time he was expected to miss. If the Lightning have any chance of taking and holding a playoff spot, they’ll need their captain back sooner than later.
  • The New York Islanders had some friendly faces back at their morning skate, as Alan Quine and Casey Cizikas both stayed on after their pre-skate workout to practice with the team according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Though they’re both “close, but not ready”, it is definitely a good sign for a team battling for their playoff lives. Cizikas is a very important piece to their lineup, able to move up and down whenever needed. After returning home from their nine-game road trip, the Islanders have a home-and-home with Carolina tonight and tomorrow. They currently sit just a point back of Toronto, and have as good of a chance as anyone to take home that final wildcard position.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Cizikas, Sprong

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Draft picks are always an important trade currency but this offseason they could carry more importance than usual which, as Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media suggests, could make things interesting for the Devils.  GM Ray Shero hasn’t hesitated to move picks for players at the June Entry Draft but something similar could happen in advance of the Vegas expansion draft as teams like the Devils may look to take advantage of unprotected lists and flip a pick or two for a player at that time.

As things currently stand, New Jersey has 11 draft picks for the 2017 draft and aren’t the deepest of teams which could make them a team to watch for as the expansion draft approaches if they decide to try to make a move for someone that’s slated to be unprotected.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:

  • The Islanders could get some good news on the injury front shortly as center Casey Cizikas is recovering quicker than anticipated from a broken hand, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple. Cizikas suffered the injury on February 21st and was expected to miss at least a month but instead, he could be back in the lineup sometime next week.  The 25 year old has 23 points (7-16-23) in 53 games with New York this year while logging a career high in ice time at 14:02 per game.
  • Pittsburgh could potentially make an intriguing addition late in the season or in the playoffs, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2015 second round pick Daniel Sprong is lighting up the QMJHL with 50 points in 27 games, including 30 goals.  He also has made some strides in the defensive end which was a big factor in him being returned to the junior level this year.  If the Penguins are comfortable with his two-way game, he could be a late addition to deepen out their lineup.  However, they won’t be able to bring him up until his junior team, the Charlottetown Islanders, is eliminated from their own postseason.

Casey Cizikas To Miss Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

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After leaving last night’s game, Casey Cizikas will be out for approximately four weeks according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Casey Cizikas The Islanders made an emergency recall of Bracken Kearns today to fill in, but was thought of as the fill-in for Cal Clutterbuck who also left with an injury. We’ll wait and see what the lineup looks like tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.

With Cizikas out, the Islanders have lost even more depth at a position they severely lack. Center ice has been a problem for them all season with Mikhail Grabovski fighting concussion symptoms and Ryan Strome not being able to make the transition at the NHL level. Cizikas has played up and down the lineup for the team and takes the second most draws behind only John Tavares. His absence will not only leave a defensive hole, but also a physical one. He and Clutterbuck have formed one of the most punishing combinations in the league in recent years—along with Matt Martin who signed with Toronto this summer—and have worn out defenders with a persistent forecheck.

For the Islanders, who are actually tied for a playoff spot currently, it is a big blow to an already depleted forward group. Since watching Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo leave in free agency, the team has had a difficult time finding forwards that can provide consistency for them. Cizikas even has more points than the big offseason fish Andrew Ladd, though that is turning around recently. This may force the team to pursue an upgrade at the trade deadline, even if it does come in the form of a rental from one of the bottom-dwellers of the Western Conference.

Clutterbuck And Cizikas Leave Game

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The New York Islanders are on their way to costly victory in Detroit tonight.

Forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas will not return after suffering lower and upper-body injuries respectively. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk also temporarily left the game after blocking a shot, though no word on whether or not he’ll return. If the Islanders hold on to their 3-1 lead, they will leapfrog Boston and Toronto into the final wildcard spot, should the Maple Leafs be held pointless in their game against the Jets.

This is the third-straight game that Clutterbuck has left early; he left early on January 26 before returning on February 3 in Detroit, where he also left early. In 44 games this season, Clutterbuck has three goals and 15 points. It’s been six seasons since he last cracked 30 points. Despite his low totals, he signed a five-year extension in early December worth $3.5MM per season.

Cizikas has 23 points in 52 games, and is on pace to set career-highs in all three offensive categories. The Islanders were already interested in solidifying their center depth, and losing their solid fourth line center for any length of time will be a tough loss.

While the two fourth liners have been declared done for the night, Boychuk returned to the ice after taking a Niklas Kronwall slap-shot off the ankle. The tough-as-nails defenseman has 21 points in 54 games so far this season in a top-four role.

The Islanders have won 10 of their last 16 games since Doug Weight took over as head coach, battling their way back into playoff contention. They are already without Travis Hamonic (lower-body injury), Shane Prince (upper-body injury), and Mikhail Grabovski (likely career-ending concussion issues) due to injuries.

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