Andrew MacDonald Out Six Weeks After Off-Season Injury
The regular season is a month away and training camps have not even opened up yet, but the Philadelphia Flyers have already suffered a major loss. The team announced this morning that defenseman Andrew MacDonald has suffered a lower-body injury and will be out for an estimated six weeks. MacDonald reportedly suffered the injury during a workout away from the team, according to GM Ron Hextall.
MacDonald, 32, is in his sixth season with the Flyers and his eleventh overall. The veteran defenseman has had ups and downs in his career, but provides experience and leadership on the young Philly blue line. An alternate captain for the team and the oldest skater on the roster, MacDonald’s loss, especially at the start of the season, could be a blow to the Philadelphia locker room. With a six week window for recovery, MacDonald is sure to miss all of camp and the preseason and will likely miss the first two weeks or more of the regular season.
In his absence, the Flyers will need to lean more on their young defensive core. Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov, and Robert Hagg have established themselves as the next wave of top defenders for Philadelphia and were primed to take ice time and responsibility from MacDonald this season regardless. Now they will especially be thrust into more responsibility, as will veteran Radko Gudas. Travis Sanheim and Christian Folin will now begin the season with guaranteed starting jobs now that MacDonald is out, giving the Flyers a rounded out top six. With Samuel Morin sidelined for at least a few more months with an ACL injury, one big question now is who begins the season as the Flyers’ extra defender until MacDonald can return.
Metropolitan Notes: Johnson, Myers, Rangers
While defensemen have been receiving big deals in the last week or two, one deal that caught many by surprise was the five-year, $16.25MM deal that Jack Johnson signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins signed on July 1. While Johnson was a highly-touted prospect at one time and developed into a solid NHL veteran, the five-year term seemed like a lot considering that the 31-year-old had lost his job at the end of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and instead took up a role as a healthy scratch for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. Johnson finished the year posting
Regardless, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had coaches’ Mike Sullivan and Sergei Gonchar look into the three games leading up to Johnson’s benching and they walked away with a positive impression and the team signed the veteran.
The Athletic’s Jesse Marshall (subscription required) took a look at the three games before Johnson was benched and analyzes and breaks down the veteran’s play, citing that his performance was solid, but underwhelming and while the defenseman did have some bad luck at times, what stood out the most was his lack of involvement in the team’s offense as he seems to only have been focusing on his defensive game, which might be exactly what Rutherford and the Penguins want out of Johnson.
- Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Philadelphia Flyers’ signing of Christian Folin almost guarantees that defensive prospect Philippe Myers will begin the season with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season with the Phantoms last season and was expected to get a “long look” in Flyers training camp in September. However, with six quality NHL established defenseman already on the roster (not counting the injured Samuel Morin), Myers would have to beat one of them out to make the team. General manager Ron Hextall wouldn’t allow Myers to make the team as the team’s seventh defenseman when he could return to Lehigh Valley and get valuable playing experience. So, while many were upset that the team went out and signed Folin, it’s likely that Folin will man that extra defenseman role instead.
- The New York Rangers have been talked about as a potential third-team in any deal involving Erik Karlsson. The team has $23.7MM in cap room to work with and with the team in a quick rebuild, this would be the perfect time to add more picks or prospects to that effort. While the team might be open to acquiring Ryan Callahan from Tampa Bay, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that the team will not take on the contract of veteran Bobby Ryan, who still has four years at $7.25MM remaining on his deal. He writes that the Rangers don’t believe they will still be rebuilding in three or four years and being burdened by that deal down the road wouldn’t make any sense.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Christian Folin
The Philadelphia Flyers have added some more defensive depth, signing Christian Folin to a one-year contract. According to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, the deal is worth $800K. Folin ranked 48th on our Top 50 UFA List, where we had predicted a one-year deal worth just $900K after a relatively successful season with the Los Angeles Kings.
Folin, 27, is a valuable commodity around the league simply because of his handedness. Reliable right-handed defensive options are hard to find in today’s NHL, and ones that can respectably move the puck and do a little bit of everything are even harder. Folin falls into that category, and after putting up 13 points in 65 games while playing the most ice time of his career there was bound to be someone who felt he would be a positive addition to their club. That someone is Philadelphia despite their depth on defense, as Folin’s presence can help them slowly integrate the young wave of prospects ready to make an impact.
Though Samuel Morin is dealing with another knee injury, the Flyers still have Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg and Philippe Myers primed for big roles in the NHL (something Provorov has already accomplished) before they turn 24. Unfortunately the first three are all left-handed, meaning the team had enough depth on that side to let Brandon Manning walk in free agency but needed some depth on the right. Folin fits that bill perfectly, and has experience moving in and out of the lineup on a regular basis.
For Philadelphia, the deal has almost no risk involved. Even if Folin struggles to keep up with some of the quicker puck-moving defenders on the Flyers, his cap hit is extremely manageable and could even be buried in the minor leagues if necessary. He also provides them with a potential trade deadline asset should they feel the team is deep enough for a playoff run without him. In all, Folin represents a nice depth move for the Flyers a few days after free agency opened.
Kings Place Muzzin On IR; Activate Folin
Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake announced the Los Angeles Kings have made a roster swap as the team has placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on injured reserve and countered that move by activating defenseman Christian Folin Sunday.
Muzzin, who was injured during Thursday’s game against Calgary, was placed on IR, retroactive to that game on Jan. 4. He was previously listed as questionable for tonight’s game anyway with an undisclosed injury. Being placed on injured reserve is practically meaningless and could just be a way to save some cap space as the Kings have their bye week starting after tonight and don’t play again until Jan. 13, which is exactly when Muzzin could be activated. Muzzin is looking to be heading for a bounce-back season with three goals and 20 assists at the halfway mark of the season. The 28-year-old blueliner had just 28 points all of last season after putting up a pair of 40-point seasons the previous two years.
Folin returns after having missed six games. He was injured during a Dec. 18 game against Philadelphia. He has played in 26 games for the Kings this season since signing a one-year deal in the offseason after spending four years with the Minnesota Wild. He has two goals and three assists. Folin should fill in for Muzzin in tonight’s game.
West Notes: Benning, Horvat, Dunn, Folin, Elie
After the Blues locked up GM Doug Armstrong to a four-year extension last week, the focus has shifted to other managers in the final year of their contracts. One of those is Canucks GM Jim Benning. Speaking with the press, including Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, team president Trevor Linden indicated that there will be no discussions on a new deal anytime soon. While he stated that he is pleased with the current direction of the team, Linden prefers to leave those discussions for the offseason. Benning is in his fourth season at the helm of the team.
Linden also indicated that center Bo Horvat may take longer than expected to make it back to the lineup than originally anticipated. While he was initially supposed to miss four-to-six weeks after breaking his foot on December 5th, the Canucks are now expected to be without their top pivot until after the All-Star break which falls three weeks from now.
Elsewhere out West:
- Blues defenseman Vince Dunn did not accompany the team for their two-game road trip, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). He is dealing with an illness that kept him out of the lineup on Thursday as well. The rookie rearguard has been a pleasant surprise this season, logging just under 17 minutes per game of ice time while recording seven points in 39 games.
- Kings defenseman Christian Folin is expected to be cleared to return to the lineup in advance of Saturday’s game against Nashville, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. He has been dealing with an upper-body issue for the last couple of weeks. As Los Angeles is at the maximum roster of 23 active players, they will need to make a corresponding move before they can activate Folin off injured reserve.
- Stars winger Remi Elie has recovered from his illness and is available to suit up on Saturday against Edmonton, notes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He had missed the last two games and is expected to slot in on the fourth line. Elie has four goals and three assists in 34 contests so far this season.
Injury Notes: Wennberg, Martin, Folin, Vilardi
The Columbus Blue Jackets might be without one of their young centers, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. The scribe writes that head coach John Tortorella didn’t acknowledge what the injury is, but said Alexander Wennberg is “probably out a while.”
The team already with multiple injuries at the center position with Brandon Dubinsky out as well as the fact that Wennberg himself has already missed significant time with injuries. The 23-year-old center had a breakout year last season when he put up 13 goals and 59 points, but this year has already missed several weeks with an upper-body injury in November. He has four goals and 12 assists in 30 games this season and hasn’t been as effective this year, often playing on the team’s third line.
Portzline also tweets that defenseman Zach Werenski is still out with no updates. In other injury news around the league:
- San Jose Sharks defenseman Paul Martin‘s two week conditioning stint is up (it actually expires Sunday) and he has been recalled. However, it doesn’t look like he will be placed into the Sharks lineup anytime soon. An Associated Press article in the New York Post reported Friday night that Martin had a setback from his recovery from ankle surgery, although the injury is not a recurrence of the same injury. However, there is no timeline for his return. Martin played four games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, the first four games he’s ever played in the AHL in his entire career. The 36-year-old defenseman had one assist in that span.
- Fox Sports Jon Rosen tweets that Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Christian Folin remains out after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday due to a lower-body injury. According to Rosen, Kings’ head coach John Stevens said, “He hasn’t really started skating again yet, but we’ve got the break coming here. We want to just let everything settle down, get him going again after the break. I would hope he starts skating after the break, but we’ll see.”
- Rosen also tweets that Los Angeles Kings’ 2017 first-round pick Gabriel Vilardi, who has been out with a back injury since the start of the season, is expected to be cleared to play in games for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL on Dec. 28. Vilardi was the 11th-overall pick after scoring 29 goals for the Spitfires last season and has missed the entire year so far.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/17
Despite the NHL being in their holiday roster freeze, there are still minor moves that can be made. As we’ve discussed before, players can still be recalled from the minor leagues during this time, and those who were recalled after December 11th can still be loaned to the AHL until 11:59pm eastern on December 23rd. Thus, the league is not completely frozen and we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL, due to an injury to Zach Werenski that will keep him out of the lineup tonight against Toronto. Carlsson played 10 games with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, and is another highly touted defenseman in their system. Though he has quite a few excellent players ahead of him, expect Carlsson to make an impact on the Blue Jackets before long.
- The Vancouver Canucks have assigned Michael Chaput to the minor leagues, meaning either the move technically went through last night or Chaput had been up previously on emergency conditions. He’d previously been called up on December 6th, and played in three games with the club.
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Kevin Gravel from the AHL, bringing the hulking defenseman up for the first time this year. Gravel played 49 games with the NHL club last season, but has been toiling in the minor leagues all year, scoring nine points in 24 games. With Christian Folin headed to injured reserve yesterday, the Kings needed a seventh defenseman for the time being.
- Tomas Hyka has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Vegas Golden Knights, after sitting out last night’s match against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hyka still hasn’t made his NHL debut after signing out of Europe in the summer, but has 12 points in 16 games for the Chicago Wolves.
- Joseph Blandisi has been sent to the minor leagues by the Anaheim Ducks, something Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register suspected yesterday. Blandisi has dealt with injury since coming over from the Devils in the Adam Henrique–Sami Vatanen trade, and only played in three games with the Ducks.
- Shane Prince is back with the New York Islanders after a lengthy conditioning stint, where he registered two points in four AHL contests. Prince spent ten days in the minor leagues with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but is ready to return and contribute for the surging Islanders.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings
Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Cap Hit: $68,168,560 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Oscar Fantenberg (One year remaining, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
None
This is not a very young team and the only player to have an entry-level deal is Fantenberg, who is the 25-year-old blueliner, who signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this year. The defenseman has never played in the U.S. before, but he opened some eyes recently when he found himself on the Kings’ roster to travel to Japan for some exhibition games, suggesting he has a legitimate chance to earn a starting job on the team’s defense.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Mike Cammalleri ($1MM, UFA)
F Jordan Nolan ($950K, UFA)
F Nick Shore ($925K, RFA)
D Christian Folin ($800K, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($650K, RFA)
D Kevin Gravel ($650K, RFA)
G Darcy Kuemper ($650K, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($640K, UFA)
Have originally started his career in L.A., Cammalleri returns to his former team after a three-year stint in New Jersey, which came after a three-year stint in Calgary and after a three-year stint in Montreal. The 35-year-old wing isn’t the same guy who put up many 20-plus goal seasons, but the hope is he can fill a back-six line for the coming season at a low price. Nolan will fight for a fourth-line role, while Gravel may also have to fight for a bottom pairing on defense, especially since he is still waiver-exempt.
Shore is one of those young players the Kings hope will have a breakout year. The 24-year-old wing has not been able to put it all together yet. He finished last year with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, but is capable of more if he can put it all together.
Forbert played on the first line a year ago and managed to play in all 82 games. The team now hopes the 25-year-old starts to cash in on the team’s promise when they drafted him in the first round back in 2010. His defensive proficiency is designed to allow others to focus on offense more. The team also hopes Folin, signed away from Minnesota this offseason, will grab one of the last couple of defensive openings. The 26-year-old played 51 games for the Wild last season, but has had trouble getting a full-time role.
Minnesota Wild Sign Kyle Quincey
The Minnesota Wild have signed Kyle Quincey to a one-year contract worth $1.25MM. The Wild lost Christian Folin earlier today when he signed with the Los Angeles Kings for $850K and Marco Scandella after a trade to Buffalo, so they’ll bring in Quincey to fill some of those minutes.
Quincey of course is a left-handed shot, meaning he’s more likely to slide in behind Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin on the left side, taking Scandella’s place. It’s unclear who the Wild’s final defenseman will be this year, between the newly signed Ryan Murphy and Alex Grant, or youngsters Gustav Olofsson or Mike Reilly. They have plenty of options, and Quincey will just add to that depth after a season split between New Jersey and Columbus.
The 31-year old Quincey can be extremely frustrating at times, but can also go through long stretches of solid play where you may even consider moving him up in the lineup. That won’t have to happen in Minnesota, meaning he can settle into a less pressured role and try to help the Wild get back to the playoffs.
Los Angeles Signs Christian Folin To One-Year Deal
According to James Mirtle of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Kings have signed former Minnesota Wild defenseman Christian Folin to a one-year, $850K deal. Folin wasn’t issued a qualifying offer by the Wild, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The 26-year-old defender played a career-high 51 games for the Wild this season, scoring two goals and six assists in that span. He also played 28 games for the Iowa Wild and added four goals and nine assists. The undrafted free agent played two years at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and had just wrapped up his third season providing blueline depth for Minnesota.
Folin will be expected to fill in the bottom of the defensive rotation next year. The team remains short on defenders after losing several players from last year’s squad, including Brayden McNabb to the Golden Knights in the expansion draft.