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Snapshots: Canucks Direction, Tanev, Clutterbuck

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The Vancouver Canucks have been the center of significant attention early in this NHL season. They were the last team to earn their first win of the campaign, and they now sit 27th in the league standings with just three wins in a year where the franchise added Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko with the intention of making the playoffs. It could take longer for the Canucks to reach true contention than they may have believed it would this summer, and that fact has forced the team’s front office to ponder a possible change of course.

In conversation with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah on Sportsnet 650, as relayed by Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff, Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford shed some more light on the organization’s current mindset. Rutherford mentioned that the team’s goal heading into next offseason would be to clear some major contracts off the team’s books in order to get the necessary cap space to make moves. That goal may be motivated by the Canucks’ desire to retain their captain Bo Horvat beyond this season. Horvat is a pending unrestricted free agent and could be seeking a contract in line with other top-six centers, meaning at or above a $7MM AAV.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev has now missed three straight games with an injury, something that has concerned those who remember Tanev’s repeated struggles to remain fully healthy as a member of the Canucks. Tanev has been remarkably healthy as a member of the Flames, though, and it appears that Tanev’s injury may not be a major setback. Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson reports that Tanev’s injury is not related to the shoulder he had surgically repaired this summer, which is good news for the Flames, who rely on Tanev as a key defensive contributor.
  • New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck left tonight’s game against the Flames in the first period after taking a hit from Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Of note is the fact that Clutterbuck missed the Islanders’ Friday practice for maintenance. Clutterbuck has a goal in eleven games for the Islanders so far this season and his absence could pave the way for Ross Johnston to get some games in on the team’s fourth line.

Snapshots: Allen, Tanev, Andrae, Guay

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It appears that the key sticking point in extension discussions between the Canadiens and goaltender Jake Allen revolve around term, Arpon Basu and Marc-Antoine Godin of The Athletic report (subscription link).  To this point, Montreal is only comfortable offering a two-year deal and it appears that Allen’s camp is looking for more.  The 32-year-old is entering the final season of his contract that carries a $2.875MM cap hit and should be able to land a bit more than that on an extension.  However, while the Canadiens appear to want Allen to be a bridge to whoever their goalie of the future will be (whether that player is currently in the organization or is brought in via trade or free agency), their preference is to use him only as a short-term bridge, not someone that will be around for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Flames defenseman Chris Tanev should be ready to participate in training camp after undergoing labrum surgery in May, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The estimated timeline for recovery was up to six months so it’s clear that the 32-year-old is progressing a little ahead of schedule.  Tanev has logged over 20 minutes a night on Calgary’s back end in a key shutdown role so even with him expected to get a clean bill of health during medicals next week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran have a limited role in the preseason to ensure he’ll be fully ready for opening night.
  • Flyers prospect defenseman Emil Andrae was taken to the hospital after taking a puck to the face in an SHL preseason game today, notes HockeyNews’ Mattias Ek in Sweden. The 20-year-old had a strong showing at the World Juniors and should have an opportunity for a big season with HV71 in 2022-23 before coming to North America.  His availability for Saturday’s regular season opener is in question.
  • The Golden Knights have signed Patrick Guay to a two-year AHL contract per an announcement from their farm team in Henderson. The 20-year-old was selected in the fifth round back in July (145th overall) after a 104-point season and was expected to return to the QMJHL where his rights were traded to Blainville-Boisbriand back in July.  Instead, Vegas will get a look at them in their system.  The two-year term coincides with how long they have to sign him to an NHL deal as he’ll have to sign by June 1, 2024 or Guay will become an unrestricted free agent.

Calgary Notes: Tkachuk, Injury Updates, Monahan

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After the conclusion of the Calgary Flames’ season on Thursday, the team took some time to digest and spoke to the media today in their end-of-season media availability, touching primarily on injury news, some known and some not, as well as topics for this offseason. One of those offseason topics comes with the status of superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is a RFA after finishing a three-year, $21MM contract this season. Tkachuk impressed over the life of the contract, capping it off with an incredible 42 goals and 62 assists in 82 games this season. Keeping the forward in the fold long-term is absolutely a priority for the Flames, however they also have to focus on re-signing superstar Johnny Gaudreau, who is a pending UFA, and give fairly significant raises to forward Andrew Mangiapane and defenseman Oliver Kylington.

Calgary did seem to clear one hurdle today, as Tkachuk himself told the media, when asked about an extension, that he would love to sign a long-term deal with the Flames, expressing his love for the team, the city, and the fanbase. Tkachuk’s sentiment is no small feat for the Flames considering the league has seen a number of superstar players depart their teams in free agency in recent years. Though a RFA, Tkachuk could opt for a shorter-term bridge deal and hit the unrestricted free agent market sooner than later, which would put Calgary in a tough spot, with forwards Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Backlund, and Elias Lindholm, as well as defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev all set to become UFAs after the 2023-24 season. All of that before considering what an extension with Gaudreau would include. Keeping Tkachuk long-term won’t ease the burden of his cap hit, but will provide Calgary with the security of knowing a superstar is staying put for a certain salary while they navigate that predictably difficult 2024 offseason and the future of the franchise.

  • Sportsnet’s Eric Francis provided injury updates on several Flames players, including Tkachuck, Mangiapane, Tanev, Milan Lucic, and Nikita Zadorov. Lucic, who had struggled to just one assist in 12 playoff games has an AC sprain. Tkachuck had an injured hand and Mangipane a bad wrist. Perhaps most notably, Zadorov, who had done an excellent job shutting down both Edmonton and the Dallas Stars, did so in some part with two broken ribs. Despite the number of injuries for Calgary, it appears that Tanev, who has a torn labrum, separated shoulder, and sprained neck, will be the only one having surgery (link).
  • More from the injury front, as The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian also provided an update on forward Sean Monahan, who had hip surgery in the first week of April. Flames GM Brad Treliving told Salvian that Monahan’s recovery was about 5-6 weeks ahead of schedule as compared to where he was with his hip surgery last offseason, and the forward should resume skating in the coming weeks. With opening night over four months away, we will have to wait a while to see Monahan back in the Calgary lineup at full strength. However, the update on Monahan, who has struggled more and more over the past three seasons while dealing with injury, is absolutely encouraging, and getting him back to the form that saw him hit a career-high 82 points in 2018-19 could work as a “free” addition for the Flames, who are currently at-risk of losing Gaudreau in free agency this offseason.

Pacific Notes: Megna, Chiasson, Tanev

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Prior to their semi-final game against Finland today, the United States found themselves down another defenseman as it was revealed by Daily Faceoff’s Chris Peters (Twitter link) that Sharks defenseman Jaycob Megna had left the team to tend to a family emergency.  That left the Americans with just four healthy defensemen for the game while the team is out of available roster slots which meant they weren’t able to add Montreal blueliner Jordan Harris – who has skated with the team as an extra all tournament – to the roster.  Sam Lafferty and Riley Barber, both forwards, comprised the third pairing and will likely do so again on Sunday when they battle Czechia for the bronze while Finland and Canada go for gold.

More from the Pacific:

  • Earlier this week, a report surfaced that Canucks winger Alex Chiasson would be heading to Switzerland for next season. However, his agent Pat Morris told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link) that the pending UFA has no intention of signing in Switzerland and intends to pursue an NHL contract this season with his first choice being to re-sign with Vancouver.  Chiasson will have to wait a while for that option to present itself as team president Jim Rutherford recently indicated that they won’t decide on whether or not to keep the 31-year-old until after free agency.  Chiasson had 13 goals and nine assists in 67 games this season.
  • On Friday, the extent of the injuries for Flames defenseman Chris Tanev was revealed – including a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder. Today, the veteran told reporters, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link) that the recovery time for the labrum surgery he’ll be undergoing next week carries a recovery time of four to six months.  If things go well, the 32-year-old would be ready around the start of training camp but if the recovery time is towards the back end of that range, he could miss more than a month of the regular season.

Chris Tanev Expected To Undergo Surgery

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It was obvious that Chris Tanev wasn’t at full strength as he tried to gut out the end of the Calgary Flames’ second-round series. The veteran defenseman was dealing with multiple injuries, according to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV, who tweets that Tanev had a torn labrum, a separated shoulder, and a sprained neck. He’ll go in for surgery next week, according to Dhaliwal.

Tanev, 32, was a horse for the Flames during the regular season, playing in all 82 games, setting a new career high with 28 points, and blocking 158 shots. He unfortunately was injured in game six of the first round against the Dallas Stars, and was limited to just two matches against the Oilers. Incredibly, he was still a +3 in those games, as the Flames outscored the Oilers 6-3 with him on the ice at even strength.

Among the very best shutdown defensemen in the entire league, Tanev does have a long history of serious injuries. In fact, this was the first time he had ever played more than 70 games in a single season, missing huge chunks nearly every year while with the Vancouver Canucks. After suiting up in every regular season game the Flames have played for two years, his luck finally ran out, and he’ll have to undergo a long rehab period once again.

Tanev has two years left on the contract he signed in 2020, which carries an average annual value of $4.5MM.

Nikita Zadorov Avoids Suspension

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4:58 pm: The Department of Player Safety, as a result of the hearing, has determined to not issue a suspension to Zadorov. They gave the following explanation via Twitter:

While there was significant head contact on this play, Zadorov took a proper angle of approach, did not extend outward or upward, and hit through Glendening’s core. Therefore, under Rule 48.1 (i), the head contact was determined to be unavoidable.

10:42 am: The Calgary Flames have to try and stave off elimination at home tomorrow night, and they might be without one of their big, intimidating defensemen. Nikita Zadorov will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety regarding the check to the head of Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening last night.

Zadorov ended up taking 14 minutes in penalties last night, but none of them were assessed on the hit that knocked Glendening out of the game. Viewers could clearly see Stars head coach Rick Bowness yelling at the officials that it was a “head shot,” after the forward slumped to the ice in a scary position. Glendening played just over four minutes in the game.

A suspension would obviously take Zadorov out of the mix for game seven tomorrow, a player that has come into his own for the Flames this year. Perhaps more importantly, is the fact that Chris Tanev also exited the game early with an injury, meaning two of the team’s more reliable options might not be available for head coach Darryl Sutter.

The 6’6″ Zadorov is an incredibly intimidating presence on the ice as one of the league’s most powerful open-ice hitters. He also racked up 22 points, a career high, in 74 games this season, while averaging just under 17 minutes a night. His possession statistics were by far the best he’s ever posted, while he still managed to rack up 181 hits on the year, trailing only Milan Lucic among Flames.

Calgary already did dress seven defensemen last night, but that group will be stretched quite thin if both Zadorov and Tanev are unavailable. Connor Mackey, who didn’t dress, is also up with the team at the moment.

Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.

Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk

Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo

Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev

Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta

Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome

Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson

Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth

Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin

Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell

Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair

Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki

New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier

New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara

New York Rangers – Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg

Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle

St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko

Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz

Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn

Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase

Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn

Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel

Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey

Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom

Injury Updates: Miller, Hintz, Arvidsson, Tanev

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Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller was taken to hospital for scans and further evaluation following an injury sustained on a hit from Washington blueliner Dmitry Orlov in tonight’s Game Four, the team announced (Twitter link).   A video of the hit can be seen here.  Orlov was initially given a major penalty on the play but it was subsequently dropped to a double-minor before play resumed.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Stars forward Roope Hintz has undergone successful surgery to repair his left adductor tendon that was injured back in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, relays Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 24-year-old was basically a game-time decision for the majority of the season and while he did miss 15 games, he was still quite strong offensively, notching a career-high 43 points while finishing third in scoring for Dallas.  He is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp in the fall and considering the year he had while playing injured, there is certainly cause for optimism for him finding another level offensively next season.
  • Predators winger Viktor Arvidsson was a late scratch in their third game against Carolina with the team announcing (Twitter link) that he’s dealing with an upper-body injury. He was fifth in scoring this season for Nashville with 25 points in 50 games and is listed as day-to-day.  Calle Jarnkrok, who missed Game Two with an illness, took Arvidsson’s place in the lineup.
  • Flames defenseman Chris Tanev has had tough luck with injuries over the years and while he played in all 56 games this season, it turns out he was far from healthy. Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson notes that the blueliner was dealing with a pair of broken ribs and a torn pectoral muscle by the end of the year but preferred to stay in the lineup and play through it rather than get an early start to his offseason.  Tanev’s first year in Calgary was a good one as he was able to adapt to playing a bigger role in the lineup (he was second in ATOI among Flames defenders) and while he clearly wasn’t healthy, he didn’t miss a game for the second straight year.

Vancouver Canucks Plan To Retain Jim Benning As GM

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Things are getting interesting in Vancouver. On the eve of their season finale, a disappointing season at that, rumors are swirling around the Canucks. Earlier reports suggested that sweeping changes could be coming to the organization, including a potential return of Daniel and Henrik Sedin in front office roles. Meanwhile, head coach Travis Green is still working on an expiring contract and there has been no indication that a resolution is in sight. Given all of this mystery and speculation, the Canucks have made perhaps the most surprising move they could: retaining GM Jim Benning. The often-criticized executive has been informed that he will be back with the team next year, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

As Friedman relays, given all of the uncertainty that has arisen over the past 24 hours, ownership indicated to their front office leader that he would be returning. It’s a major decision to make ahead of a crucial off-season, as Benning will be charged with managing the Canucks’ approach to the NHL Expansion Draft (made more important by the Seattle Kraken becoming a geographical rival right away), properly executing a top-ten overall draft pick, and otherwise handling an off-season in which his roster must significantly improve despite sorely lacking cap space.

Therein lies most of the criticism of Benning as well. The GM, who has been on the job since 2014, has made some questionable decisions in regards to his most precious resource, cap space. Benning has deemed the likes of Brandon Sutter, Erik Gudbranson, Sam Gagner, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Sven Baertschi, and Micheal Ferland as being worthy of sizeable commitments during his tenure, which has hurt the team on the payroll and in opportunity cost. It also forced the departures of superior players, such as Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli last off-season. Those losses were felt this year as the Canucks, fresh off a run to the Western Conference semifinals last year, lived in the basement all season. Benning is left having to pick up the pieces and will try to find a way to squeeze more talent into his roster this summer.

Why is it Benning fixing the problem though? For starters, his track record on the trade market and in the draft at least come close to balancing out his contract negotiation mistakes. Since the 2018-19 trade deadline, Benning has added core members Tanner Pearson, J.T. Miller, and Nate Schmidt at below-market prices. His recent draft picks also include current and budding stars such as Quinn Hughes, Nils Hoglander, Vasili Podkolzin, Jack Rathbone, Michael DiPietro, Jett Woo, Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich, and more. So while some of Benning’s criticism is fair, too often his successes are ignored. Despite allegedly wanting to make major internal changes, the Canucks understand and appreciate what Benning has achieved and what he is trying to build in Vancouver. It seems that he will now be given at least one more year to show that he is still steering the organization in the right direction. It’s unlikely to appease the fans in the meantime, but the club hopes that their loyalty will be rewarded.

Calgary Flames Seeking Right Side Defenseman

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The Calgary Flames addressed the right side of their blue line in a big way earlier this off-season, stealing free agent Chris Tanev from the rival Vancouver Canucks. Tanev is a solid two-way defenseman who has earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike over his career. He should settle in nicely as the replacement for T.J. Brodie in the top-four for Calgary, with young Rasmus Andersson beginning a new contract of his own that comes with higher expectations. Someone from the left side can slide over as well, with captain Mark Giordano, young standout Noah Hanifin, top prospect Juuso Valimaki, and recent import Nikita Nesterov under contract and restricted free agent Oliver Kylington awaiting a contract extension.

However, that apparently isn’t enough for the Flames on the right side. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that GM Brad Treliving is still actively seeking another right side defenseman, evaluating both the free agent and trade markets. Whether this is due to Tanev’s injury history or Andersson’s inexperience, it is believed that Treliving would like to add another established right-handed defenseman. However, that may be easier said than done given Calgary’s salary cap situation. The aforementioned six defensemen under contract are part of a group of CapFriendly’s current roster projection of 21 players that comes in just about $1MM under the salary cap ceiling. With Kylington in need of a new deal and one more body required to round out the roster, the Flames don’t have enough cap space as is. Adding a significant name will be difficult without moving out considerable salary.

Ironically, the remnants of the free agent market at right side defense includes a number of familiar names. First and foremost, Travis Hamonic is the exact veteran defenseman that the Flames are trying to replace. Hamonic spent the three seasons with Calgary and alongside Brodie and Andersson made for a solid starting group on the right side. While it was seemingly a done deal that Hamonic would be leaving Calgary, emphasized by his opting out of the postseason, Hamonic’s name has not made much noise this off-season and he could decide to return to the Flames for another year if there are no superior options. Of course, Hamonic will not come cheap. Michael Stone was another member of the Flames’ right side this past season (and for parts of the past four seasons) and could make the easy transition back to the team. Veteran Deryk Engelland is also still available and could return to Calgary after three years with the Vegas Golden Knights, while Dalton Prout could return as a depth option after a one-year hiatus with the San Jose Sharks. If the Flames can move some salary to add a legitimate starter, the top free agent target would be Sami Vatanen. However, more realistic free agent options for Calgary’s budget in addition to Stone, Engelland, and Prout include Jan Rutta, Korbinian Holzer, Yannick Weber, Christian Folin, and Cody Goloubef.

Of course, if the Flames need to move out salary anyhow, the trade market may make more sense than merely signing a free agent. With a number of teams still scrambling to get their rosters set for next season under the shadow of the flat salary cap, there could be plenty of willing partners who might have a right side defenseman to spare in exchange for a similarly priced forward. Backup goaltender David Rittich, whose $2.75MM cap hit reflects a greater role than he will likely play behind big free agent addition Jacob Markstrom, could also be attractive to a number of teams still seeking a reliable backup.

One way or another, don’t be surprised if the Flames are not done making moves this off-season. Between their desire to add to the right side of the blue line and their need to clear cap space in order to complete the roster, Calgary is bound to be scouring the trade and free agent markets for a while longer.

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