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Cedric Paquette

Morning Notes: Islanders, Paquette, Leonard

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Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News writes that the New York Islanders’ recent trade of draft picks with the Chicago Blackhawks could be a prelude to a bigger move. Rosner wonders if the extra second-round draft pick the Islanders acquired might be used to clear salary cap space in a similar fashion to the trade the Islanders made last summer in which they traded Josh Bailey and his $5MM cap hit a second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.

The Islanders have several contracts on the books that they would love to move to acquire additional help in the top 6, but most of those contracts would require a sweetener to facilitate a trade. The Islanders are slated to have just over $6MM in cap space available heading into the summer.

In other morning notes:

  • Former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette has reportedly signed a two-year extension with Dynamo Moskva of the KHL (as per KHL). Paquette is a veteran of 448 NHL games and last played in the league back in 2021-22 with the Montreal Canadiens tallying two assists in 24 games. The 30-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020, before eventually moving on to play for Ottawa, Carolina, and eventually Montreal. Paquette spent his final season in North America split between the NHL and AHL before signing in the KHL in 2022 with Dinamo Minsk. Since making the move overseas, the Gaspe, Quebec native has seen his offensive numbers trend upwards as he enjoyed his best offensive season in a decade last year with 22 goals and 13 assists in 57 games.
  • Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside is reporting that if Boston College forward Will Smith signs his entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks as expected, it could create a ripple effect that might see his teammate Ryan Leonard move to sign his ELC as well. A report surfaced a few weeks ago that the Washington Capitals would re-engage in contract talks this summer with the 19-year-old in the hopes of having him turn pro, but now with the possibility of his teammate leaving the NCAA, it seems more likely that Leonard would move on as well. The Amherst, Massachusetts native had a terrific freshman year posting 31 goals and 29 assists in 41 games with the Eagles.

Cedric Paquette Signs In KHL

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After spending part of last season in the minor leagues for the first time in years, Cedric Paquette is heading to the KHL. The free agent forward has signed a contract with Dinamo Minsk for the upcoming campaign.

Paquette, 29 (just a few days ago), played 24 games for the Montreal Canadiens and 14 for the Laval Rocket in 2021-22. That was his first minor league experience since 2014-15, when he was still just a young player with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

For his career, Paquette has racked up 95 points in 448 games, playing limited minutes as a bottom-six center. Given that he didn’t score a single goal for the Canadiens in his 24 games – and the emergence of some other young players for the team – it wasn’t a surprise that they didn’t bring him back this year.

But heading to the KHL may still raise some eyebrows, given how close to NHL-caliber he still is. During his short time in the minor leagues, he showed exactly why he doesn’t belong there, scoring nine goals in 14 regular season games.

Paquette will certainly be a name to remember for next offseason, though a year spent in the KHL isn’t going to help his stock unless his offensive game goes through the roof. It is perhaps a sign of just how difficult it is right now for fringe players to land deals as teams continue to deal with tight financial situations.

Canadiens’ Cedric Paquette Clears Waivers

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March 13: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Paquette cleared waivers today. After going unclaimed, Montreal can now assign him to the Laval Rocket.

March 12: It has been a tough season for Canadiens center Cedric Paquette.  He has struggled to stay healthy and when he has been in the lineup, things haven’t gone much better.  As a result, Montreal has placed Paquette on waivers, as first reported by TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old signed with Montreal in the summer, inking a one-year, $950K deal with an eye on him playing a regular role on the fourth line and penalty kill.  However, he has wound up playing in just 24 games this season, recording two assists while logging less than nine minutes a night in ice time.  That production is largely in line with last season when he managed just eight points in 48 games between Ottawa and Carolina where he was in and out of the lineup.

Paquette is a veteran of over 400 NHL regular season games and has 95 career playoff contests under his belt so there’s a small chance a team might want him for depth for the postseason.  More likely is that he’ll go unclaimed on Sunday and be sent to AHL Laval where his entire cap hit would come off Montreal’s books.

Panthers’ Sam Bennett Suspended Three Games

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Following a hearing earlier today with the NHL Department of Player Safety, a decision has been handed down to Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett. Player Safety has announced that Bennett has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head of Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette on Saturday. Bennett will miss more than a week of game action, sitting out against Calgary on Tuesday – a revenge game for the former Flame – Dallas on Thursday and Carolina on Saturday, returning to action against Vancouver on Tuesday, January 11. The league’s reasoning was as follows (video):

Bennett delivered a high, hard hit on [Paquette], making his head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable… Bennett delivers a forceful shoulder check to Paquette that makes his head the main point of contact, knocking him to the ice. This is an illegal check to the head… While we acknowledge that Bennett does make subsequent contact with Paquette’s left shoulder after going through the head, it is clearly Paquette’s head that absorbs the brunt of the force of this blow. Bennett’s shoulder makes direct and forceful contact through Paquette’s head and jaw, snapping his neck back… Bennett has the time and space to deliver a legal check that hits through Paquette’s near shoulder and core. His chosen angle of approach however forces him to cut across and in front of the body and make the head the main point of contact.

Player Safety also took into account that Bennett is considered a repeat offender. The physical forward has only been suspended once, but it was just last year during the postseason and for a similar incident. Bennett was suspended one playoff game for boarding Blake Coleman, another dangerous hit to the head of an opposing player. It also did not help Bennett’s case that Paquette was injured on the play, eventually leaving the game with a reported neck injury. As for the length of the suspension, it was likely taken into account that no penalty was called on the play meaning Bennett did not miss any time on Saturday as a result of the incident.

Bennett’s absence will be felt on a number of levels for the Atlantic-leading Panthers. Bennett is playing a major role in his first full season in Florida, averaging a career-high 18:30 in ice time and on pace for a career-best – by a wide margin – 31 goals and 48 points. The second-line center is also relied upon at the face-off dot and for his defensive play. Bennett has a regular penalty kill role, his 59 hits rank second among Panthers forwards, and his +12 rating is also among the best marks on the team. In every facet of the game, Bennett will be missed for the next three games, especially against two fellow division leaders in the Flames and Hurricanes.

 

 

Sam Bennett Will Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The NHL Department of Player Safety tweeted Sunday morning that Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett will have a hearing today for an illegal check to the head on forward Cedric Paquette of the Montreal Canadiens.

During Saturday’s game between the two teams, Bennett laid a hit on Paquette in the low slot in the Panthers’ offensive zone. When looking at the video replay, it seems as though Bennett’s shoulder made contact with Paquette’s head during the hit.

In advance of the hearing, it’s important to note two things that aren’t working in Bennett’s favor. For one, he has a history — he was suspended one game during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs for boarding Tampa Bay’s Blake Coleman. Secondly, Paquette did suffer an injury on the play, leaving yesterday’s game with a neck injury.

The 25-year-old Bennett is on his way to a career year in his first full season with Florida. He’s averaging 18:30 per game, by far the highest mark of his career, and he has 11 goals and six assists through 26 games.

Snapshots: Paquette, Zuccarello, Canadiens Quarantine

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The Montreal Canadiens are absolutely ravaged at the moment by injuries and COVID, and bad turned to worse today when forward Cedric Paquette didn’t finish Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers due to a neck injury, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Montreal dressed just 11 forwards and five defensemen for that game, a 5-2 loss. They had just three players dressed with a cap hit greater than $1MM, with the majority of their lineup filled out by rookies and AHL call-ups. Paquette played a third-line role, centering Lukas Vejdemo and Alex Belzile. Paquette’s only played in 18 games this season, missing some time due to injury and suspension, but he only has one assist while averaging 9:11 per game. More injury news is certainly concerning for the 28-year-old Paquette, who signed a one-year deal with Montreal this offseason.

More notes from around the league on the first day of 2022:

  • With the Minnesota Wild missing captain Jared Spurgeon from tonight’s Winter Classic due to a lower-body injury, The Athletic’s Michael Russo tweets that right wing Mats Zuccarello will serve as the third alternate captain for the outdoor spectacle. Matt Dumba and Marcus Foligno are healthy and will serve as the other two alternates, as per usual. Zuccarello fought back from an early-season injury to have one of the most productive starts of his career, posting 24 points through 24 games. The Norwegian winger will likely reprise his role on the team’s top line, playing alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman.
  • The Canadiens aren’t playing again until January 12th at the earliest as their entire upcoming four-game homestand is postponed. The team won’t complain due to the aforementioned excessive amount of lineup absences, but now, head coach Dominique Ducharme says that a five-day quarantine for the entire team upon their return to Montreal is possible and will be discussed. While it won’t affect their playing schedule, it could give a chance for players to stay healthy and help their lineup get back to having experienced NHLers in the mix.

Poll: How Should The Montreal Canadiens Handle This Season?

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The Montreal Canadiens are one of just three teams that have already hit the 20-game benchmark this season. Their campaign is already a quarter complete – and they have 12 points to show for it. The reigning Stanley Cup finalists are tied for 31st in the NHL with a .300 record in what can only be described as a nightmare start to the year. The team is spending beyond the salary cap on a roster chock full of long-term contracts for players in the primes of their careers. They certainly did not expect to be in this spot, especially after last season’s playoff success. So where do the Canadiens go from here?

There are essentially three schools of thought when a team reaches a crossroads during the season, and that point in time does not need to be the trade deadline. They can buy, they can sell, or they can stand pat. All three strategies have merit, but the Habs would be wise to pick one and stick to it this season.

The team could certainly try to fight their way out of this funk. It would not be the first time in Montreal history that an underperforming team found a way to turn it around and make the playoffs only to hit their stride in the postseason. The Canadiens just made a surprise run last season and, at least on paper, have the pieces to do it again. As bad as the team has been so far this season, there has to be regression to the mean coming for their numerous talented scorer and stout defenders, right? There is also the potential for a Carey Price return and improved health across the roster to bring a boost to the team. However, if the plan is to compete then Montreal cannot just wait around for a spark. They need to shake up the roster and make a notable addition or two in the near future. It’s certainly a risk, but the reward for the team and its fans alike is the end to their current misery.

On the other hand, the team could look upward at the steep hill they have to climb and go in the opposite direction. The Atlantic Division is arguably the strongest in the NHL and it isn’t getting any easier any time soon. If the Habs’ current roster can perform this poorly, then they likely won’t be competitive in the Atlantic moving forward, never mind this season. A name like Brendan Gallagher or Tyler Toffoli or even Jeff Petry (though his appeal has taken a major hit) could draw a significant trade return to help the Canadiens re-tool and look toward the future. It would be a disappointing turn following last season’s success, but could be the right call given their struggles. The bright silver lining to tanking of course is remaining in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick and consensus top prospect Shane Wright. Wright could be a top line center and perhaps even a franchise player for the Canadiens and removing as much talent from their roster as is reasonably possible will help them stay at the bottom of the league standings and boost their odds in the draft lottery.

The final option is to do nothing. It actually has the potential benefits of either loading up or blowing it up, but requires no action at all. It could be the perfect plan for the Canadiens, given GM Marc Bergevin is expected by many to depart after this season, if not sooner. Rather than let Bergevin make moves in a futile attempt to save his job or impress future employers, Montreal could choose to just ride the season out. There is enough talent on the roster that they could turn the season around without making any moves. They also might never break out of their slump and remain in contention for the top draft spot. The latter could be helped along by making some easy deals like trading the expiring contracts of Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak, Artturi Lehkonen, Cedric Paquette, or Mathieu Perreault without doing anything earth-shattering. Of course, doing nothing runs the risk of achieving neither goal. The Canadiens are better than their current .300 record, but they likely aren’t good enough to crack the Eastern Conference playoff picture either, especially with this deficit. They could end up outside the postseason and with poor lottery odds. Standing pat also leaves fans with little guidance as to the teams direction in the short-term or the long-term. However, sometimes the right move in a disappointing season is just to call it and try again next year rather than do more damage by overreacting.

What do you think? Are the Habs good enough to get back to relevance this year if they can shake up the roster? Are they as bad as they have looked and need to start the rebuild now? Or is this just a fluke of a season that deserves to be  forgotten with an eye on a fresh start next year?

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Injury Notes: Canadiens, Flyers, Smith

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The Montreal Canadiens came back with a drastically stronger effort on Saturday night, winning 6-3 against the Nashville Predators for just their fifth victory of the season. They should also be getting some reinforcements in the coming days and weeks, as several updates were given on injured players today.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that Cedric Paquette could be back as early as Wednesday, while Mike Hoffman and Mathieu Perreault skated today. Hoffman is out for at least another week, while Perreault’s vision is not back fully yet but there is optimism he will be okay following his second procedure. Joel Edmundson and Jake Allen were both on the ice today as well, though the former isn’t expected to play just yet and an update on the latter won’t come until tomorrow.

  • While much of the focus today was on the news that Kevin Hayes re-injured himself and is out week-to-week, there were some other updates out of the Philadelphia Flyers organization. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Wade Allison has resumed skating and has been cleared for practice with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Unfortunately, Tyson Foerster could miss five months with a shoulder injury. Foerster, a 2020 first-round pick, is one of the handful of junior-aged players that secured an exemption to play in the AHL this season because of their games in 2020-21.
  • Some concern was raised today when a report emerged about Mike Smith’s status, but both Jason Gregor and Ryan Rishaug of TSN tweet that as of now, surgery is not the plan for the Edmonton Oilers goaltender. Rishaug adds that the expectation is still that Smith will return at some point in December. Smith hasn’t played since October 19, but Stuart Skinner has more than made up for his absence with a .939 save percentage in five appearances.

Cedric Paquette Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has come down with a decision regarding Cedric Paquette’s hit on Trevor Zegras last night, and the Montreal Canadiens forward will be suspended for the next two games. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that while Zegras does pivot slightly while making a play with the puck, this is not a case of a player turning his back immediately prior to contact in a way that turns a legal hit into an illegal one. When Zegras collects the puck in the corner, Paquette is at the bottom of the faceoff circle. From that time, until the moment he delivers the check, Paquette sees nothing but Zegras’ numbers. The onus is on Paquette to deliver this hit in a legal fashion, minimize the force of the contact or avoid the hit entirely. Instead, he hits forcefully into Zegras’ back, driving him dangerously into the boards.

The fact that Paquette has been suspended previously and fined previously was taken into account in the decision, as was the fact that Zegras did not suffer a serious injury on the play. On the ice, Paquette received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct but will miss an additional two contests while he serves his suspension.

Not only that, but this new incident will now also be taken into account in the future for the Canadiens’ center. Two suspensions on his record mean that all of his play will be examined more closely, with increasing penalties for any further plays that require supplementary discipline.

Cedric Paquette To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do, as Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette will have a hearing today for his hit yesterday on Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks.

Partway through the first period, Zegras was collecting a puck in his own end and was hit from behind by Paquette. The Montreal forward was given a five-minute boarding penalty, a two-minute roughing penalty and a game misconduct for the hit and the scrum that came afterward. Those 17 minutes in penalties won’t be the only discipline he receives though, as the hearing today suggests a suspension is coming.

Zegras ended up returning to the game, which should help Paquette’s case, but it still appears as though the Canadiens will have to go without their fourth-line center for at least tomorrow’s match against the Detroit Red Wings. Montreal is trying to find any way to salvage the early part of the season after losing their eighth game, and are about to start a five-game homestand.

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