Snapshots: Kovar, Nurse, Edmundson, Morin
Last year, Czech center Jan Kovar was one of the more intriguing international players out there but he wasn’t able to come to the NHL since he had one more year left on his KHL deal. That has now expired and in an interview with VK’s Pavel Kadoshnikov (link in Russian), Kovar confirmed that he is leaving the KHL and is open to crossing the pond to play in North America. His offensive numbers were down in 2017-18 (35 points in 54 games after putting up 63 in 59 contests last year) but he did play well in the Olympics and should still garner some NHL interest. As he’s 28 years old, he falls outside the restrictions of the entry level system.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time but noted to Dhiren Mahiban of the Sporting News that he isn’t particularly worried about the situation, nor does he plan to get overly involved in the negotiations. He also indicated that he’d like to remain in Edmonton; with their salary cap situation though, there are bound to be some changes on the horizon. Nurse led all Oilers defensemen with 26 points and sat second on the team in ice time. As a result, he is well-positioned to land a significant raise on the $863K he received this past season.
- After missing the opener at the World Championships on Friday, Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to officially be added to Canada’s roster and play on Sunday against Korea, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). He had been dealing with a groin injury.
- Flyers defenseman prospect Samuel Morin is expected to play for the first time in more than three-and-a-half months, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News. He’ll be suiting up with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley as they continue their second-round series against Charlotte. It has been a trying year for the 2013 first-rounder as recurring groin issues have hindered him all season long which certainly doesn’t help his bargaining position as he enters restricted free agency in July.
Team Canada Names First 18 Players For IIHF World Championship
April 16: Add Josh Bailey to the Canadian team, as the New York Islanders forward has agreed to join his teammates for the tournament. Unfortunately, Hockey Canada announced that Dunn would be unable to participate, meaning another spot has been opened up on the blueline.
April 12: For all those players who have missed the playoffs, the World Championships provide some respite and a chance to play some more meaningful hockey. For some, it is the highest level of international competition they will ever play in, for others just another chance to represent their country on the world stage.
Team Canada has released a list of 18 players set to compete in the upcoming tournament, with more to come as the playoffs eliminate teams.
Goaltenders:
Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
Defensemen:
Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators
Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Pulock, New York Islanders
Forwards:
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Anthony Beauvillier, New York Islanders
Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders
Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo Sabres
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ottawa Senators
The Canadians will be coached by Bill Peters (Carolina Hurricanes), with Mike Yeo (St. Louis Blues) and Bob Boughner (Florida Panthers) assisting. They obviously will have more players added to this group, but already it is quite formidable. The forwards are especially strong, with a half dozen excellent options for the four center positions.
This will be O’Reilly’s fourth straight appearance for Canada, winning two golds and a silver in the last three tournaments. Last year’s squad featured Calvin Pickard and Eric Comrie in net, but both are heading to the playoffs with their respective AHL teams. Chad Johnson, the other goaltender to play last year, is coming off a terrible season in Buffalo.
Pacific Notes: Cogliano, Martin, Dell, Bellemare
The Department of Player Safety announced they will have a hearing today for Anaheim Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano for his illegal check to the head on Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe during the first period of Saturday night’s game between the two teams.
A possible suspension for the iron man Cogliano in jeopardy. The veteran has not missed a game since 2007 and has played 830 consecutive games, ranking fourth highest in NHL history, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Elliotte Friedman added that he is just 134 games behind Doug Jarvis, who played with Montreal, Washington and Hartford between 1975 to 1988.
- On his Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman reports the San Jose Sharks are trying to trade defenseman Paul Martin. The veteran defenseman, in his third season with San Jose, was injured in the second game of the season and has only appeared in one game since then on Dec. 7. He played a four-game stretch of games in the AHL on a conditioning loan, but has been called up and has been a healthy scratch since. With the emergence of defensemen Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan on San Jose’s blueline, there is no place for Martin. With defenseman Dylan DeMelo about ready to be activated off of injured reserve, the team hopes to send Martin elsewhere. Martin played 159 games in his first two seasons with the Sharks. The problem is Martin is owed $4.85MM both this year and next, which might make moving the veteran much more difficult than it looks.
- Paul Gackle of the Mercury News writes that while the Sharks are likely to move goaltender Aaron Dell before he hits unrestricted free agency this summer, the team cannot consider moving their backup goaltender until the last possible moment as the team finds itself fighting for a playoff spot. The Sharks are currently one point out of a playoff spot in a highly competitive race. “We need great goaltending in the second half,” head coach Peter DeBoer said. Due to the recent struggles of starter Martin Jones, the team doesn’t want to lose Dell too quickly in case Martin, who has struggled since the beginning of December, fails to bounce back. Gackle adds that in a perfect world, the team would try to send Dell off as soon as possible to get a fourth-line center or a wing.
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp writes the Vegas Golden Knights avoided a possible injury Saturday in their game against Edmonton when forward Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare took a puck to the face off a shot from defenseman Darnell Nurse. The veteran tough-guy took three stitches and only missed one shift.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Edmonton Oilers
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.
Edmonton Oilers
Current Cap Hit: $65,647,000 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Matt Benning (One year remaining, $925K)
F Drake Caggiula (One year remaining, $925K)
F Connor McDavid (One year remaining, $925K)
F Jesse Puljujarvi (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Anton Slepyshev (One year remaining, $925K)
F Kailer Yamamoto (Three years remaining, $925K)
D Darnell Nurse (One year remaining, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
McDavid: $2.85MM
Puljujarvi: $2.5MM
Nurse: $850K
Slepyshev: $600K
Caggiula: $425K
Benning: $300K
Yamamoto: $230K
Total: $7.755MM
Believe it or not, McDavid is still on the list as the Art Ross Trophy winner, Hart Memorial Trophy winner, and Ted Lindsay Award winner is on the last year of his entry-level deal. McDavid will also be listed later in the story under four year and more as McDavid signed his eight year, $100MM extension this summer and will be locked up long term regardless. More on him later …
The Oilers have high expectations for both Benning and Nurse to take that next step. With injuries mounting, both should be vaulted into bigger roles than they were last year. The 23-year-old Benning played in 62 games last year and played solidly while filling in for injured players. The 22-year-old Nurse also had a solid showing in 44 games this year. Both may be asked to jump onto top-four pairings on defense throughout the year.
Slepyshev, who suffered an ankle injury in the offseason looks close to being ready. He had 10 points in 41 games a year ago, but also scored three goals in the playoffs for Edmonton last year and many feel the 23-year-old is ready to take that next step. Caggiula, a big college player from the University of North Dakota, had seven goals and 18 points in 60 games a year ago in his first year with Edmonton and is also thought to be a player ready to make a jump.
Both Yamamoto and Puljujarvi (Edmonton’s 2017 and 2016 first-round picks, respectively) went head-to-head and battled it out for a final roster spot this training camp with Yamamoto getting the edge and Puljujarvi getting sent to Bakersfield, but don’t be surprised if Puljujarvi is back up at some point during the season.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
D Mark Fayne ($2.6MM, UFA – team saved $1.025MM in cap relief by sending him to AHL)
F Ryan Strome ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Mark Letestu ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Patrick Maroon ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Jussi Jokinen ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Laurent Brossoit ($750K, RFA)
F Iiro Pakarinen ($725K, RFA)
Perhaps the most interesting player the team must focus on will be Maroon, who had a breakout year playing next to McDavid. The 29-year-old wing scored 27 goals and has proven to be one guy who seems to play well next to McDavid. He is a presence in front of the net and a physical force for the team.
Letestu, is another player the team will have to consider. Likely to be the team’s fourth-line center, Letestu put up 16 goals last year, although that was a career high and he’s already 32 years old. Jokinen, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, put up 11 goals last year in Florida, but at 34 years old is likely not a priority to the team.
As for restricted free agents, the team will take a long look at Strome, who the team acquired in the Jordan Eberle deal. The 24-year-old center has had an inconsistent career with the New York Islanders, but put up 13 goals and 30 points last year. The Oilers hope he can keep improving on those numbers. Brossoit will get his first chance to be Talbot’s backup. The 24-year-old looked promising in eight appearances last year.
Pacific Notes: Virtanen, Neal, Slepyshev, Sekera
One preseason game remaining and Jake Virtanen remains with his team. The former sixth overall pick in 2014, has failed to crack the Canucks roster, but a solid training camp has many believing he has a good chance to become a regular in Vancouver this year, according to NBC Sports Cam Tucker.
After getting into 55 games two years ago with Vancouver in an underwhelming season, he managed to make just 10 appearances last year and even struggled with the AHL’s Utica Comets, scoring just 19 points in 65 games. However, his skills are obvious. Canucks GM Jim Benning has stated that his size and speed just need developing. At 6-foot-1 and 229 pounds and only 21 years old, Virtanen is trying to establish himself now, but is also trying not to think about whether he makes the roster this season. He has focused on his play instead and has already notched three preseason goals.
“I’m not going to worry about that,” Virtanen said of the team’s upcoming roster decisions. “I love when I can get in games. Whatever opportunity you can get, you want to make the most of it.”
- Vegas Golden Knights’ forward James Neal, who has been out with an injured hand, is reportedly practicing today without a red jersey, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. That suggests the top scorer might be ready for the regular season next week. The 32-year-old wing, one of the team’s top players, put up 23 goals last year and is considered to be a key trade chip at the trade deadline later this season.
- The Edmonton Oilers tweeted that forward Anton Slepyshev is expected to make his preseason debut tonight in Vancouver. “We’ve got to get him up and running,” said coach Todd McLellan. Slepyshev has missed all of training camp with an ankle injury. The 23-year-old wing scored four goals in 41 games for Edmonton last year.
- The Athletic’s Sunil Agnihotri (subscription required) writes that Edmonton’s choice to not bring in a veteran defenseman to help the team out while Andrej Sekera is out until January with a torn ACL is a big mistake. The scribe details how relying on internal options to replace him such as Darnell Nurse, Matt Benning or Yohann Auvitu is unreliable as the team hopes one of them makes a jump in their development. One example in his breakdown is Sekera’s success on the power play, which the young candidates have a combined 78 minutes of experience playing there.
Don’t Expect Edmonton To Make Major Move
Don’t expect the Edmonton Oilers to make any splashy moves this offseason. At least that’s what Edmonton Journals’ David Staples writes about statements that general manager Peter Chiarelli made that the team will stand pat during the offseason, at least when it comes to major deals. And Staples says that Chiarelli is a man of his word, so don’t expect a big deal for a top-four defenseman.
With the loss of Andrej Sekera, who is out till midseason 2017-18, the team would be in need of improved defense. Chiarelli says the team will do everything it can to re-sign Kris Russell in the offseason. However, the possible loss of Russell also makes one wonder if the Oilers might force a trade to upgrade
With the flurry of trades expected before the expansion draft next month, there could be some quality defensemen that might come available as teams realize theyâd be better off trading a player for an asset rather than handing them over to the Las Vegas Golden Knights for nothing. There might be several defensemen who could fill a vital role on the Oilers’ blueline next season. However, the scribe believes that Chiarelli will allow his young nucleus to develop and fill in the holes for a team that made a 16-win improvement from 2015-16. The belief is that he is expecting young defensemen Darnell Nurse and Matt Benning to take the next step until Sekera returns.
- The Edmonton Oilers have inked Iiro Pakarinen to a one-year contract extension, tweets CapFriendly. Pakarinen, a restricted free agent, agreed to a one-year, one-way contract for $725,000. The 25-year-old winger only played 14 games for Edmonton last year, tallying two goals and two assists. He played in 63 games, scoring five goals in 2015-16.
Klefbom Out For Oilers
In a potentially devastating blow to their defense, Edmonton’s Oscar Klefbom will not participate in Game 6 in what is a must-win against Anaheim. He left warmups prior to puck-drop and did not return. Fellow defenseman Andrej Sekera was already ruled out earlier in the day. The defenseman has taken heavy assignments on the top pairing with Adam Larsson. Klefbom’s aggressive defending helps clear the slot and move the puck up ice. The swede’s offensive game had truly blossomed this year – he posted 12 goals and 26 assists during the regular season to lead the team from the blueline. Klefbom has been a workhorse for the young Oilers, and his loss will definitely alter matchups for coach Todd McLellan. For tonight however, McLellan has the benefit of last change at home.
Without Klefbom, Mark Fayne was initially slotted to take third pairing duties. Instead, Griffin Reinhart found his way back to the take the ice, after a late season call up. The once promising prospect has had his fair share of struggles in Alberta. His entry was a surprise to most, but Fayne’s rust likely became a factor. Fayne had not played an NHL contest since December and did not overly impress for the AHL Bakersfield Condors. Reinhart certainly has more upside, but also the potential to commit more egregious defensive errors. Edmonton will need to rely even more heavily upon Larsson, as well as ask Kris Russell and Darnell Nurse to substantially up their minutes and quality of play.
Eric Gryba will replace the injured Sekera and play alongside Reinhart.
Injury Updates: Stars, Callahan, Nurse, Malkin, Predators
The Dallas Stars got some good news and some bad news on the injury front as they start a three game road trip today in Nashville, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Center Jason Spezza, who has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, accompanied the team on the trip and head coach Lindy Ruff thinks he’s close to returning to the lineup although he won’t play against the Preds. Although Spezza is having a down year offensively, he’s still tied for fourth in team scoring with 31 points in 45 games.
The news isn’t so good for blueliner Johnny Oduya. He has sat out ten straight contests with an ankle injury and isn’t with the team on the trip. The pending UFA is likely to garner some interest at the trade deadline but it would be much easier for Dallas to move him if he’s back in the lineup for a few games by then.
Right winger Ales Hemsky is also on the trip. While he’s not expected to play, he is progressing well from hip surgery back in October and Ruff expects him to be ready before the end of the season.
Other injury news from around the league:
- Lightning right winger Ryan Callahan is slated to be re-evaluated during their upcoming bye week, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. He has missed the last four weeks while rehabbing his hip and doesn’t appear to be close to returning. It’s possible that if the evaluation comes up poorly that the team could opt to shut the 31 year old down for the rest of the season. Callahan has been restricted to just 18 games this season where he has two goals and two assists.
- Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse appears to be ahead of schedule in his rehab from ankle surgery back in December, notes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun. Nurse has been skating on his own for the last two weeks and is ready to participate in full practices. The initial time frame for his return was 12 weeks; it has only been eight and considering he’s set to skate with the team, he should be able to play sometime within the next month. That should be a nice boost for Edmonton’s back end right around the deadline.
- While it was expected that Penguins center Evgeni Malkin would return to the lineup yesterday against the Coyotes, he was held out of the lineup for the eighth straight game with what is believed to be a lower body injury. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he’s still close to returning but that the doctors and Malkin agreed for him to sit for at least one more game. Malkin remains eighth in league scoring despite not suiting up since January 24th.
- Nashville has placed left winger Cody McLeod on injured reserve, reports Adam Vingan of The Tennessean (Twitter link). The nature of the injury is not yet known. The 32 year old has played in 13 games with the Predators since being acquired from Colorado, scoring three goals while adding an assist. Vingan also notes that left winger Harry Zolnierczyk has been activated off IR after missing the last three games with an upper body issue.
Snapshots: Stars, Oilers, Bruins, Capitals
After winning the Central Division in 2015-16, the Dallas Stars were expected to once again lead the way this season. Unfortunately for the Stars, that has not been the case.
Stars GM Jim Nill told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun that “it’s been a frustrating season.”
The Stars have been playing catchup all season, as Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin missed all or most of the World Cup, then Mattias Janmark and Ales Hemsky were lost for the year before the season was two weeks old, and then the team couldn’t outscore poor goaltending to make up the ground.
After a 109-point season last year, the Stars are now 21-23-10 for 52 points in 54 games. They’re seven points behind Calgary for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. The team’s play isn’t exactly helping their cause, either. The Stars have lost three in a row, and could be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.
Nill hasn’t officially decided whether or not to go for it this year, saying they’re “taking it game-by-game.” The Stars could do themselves a big favor by acquiring a big-name goaltender like Ben Bishop or Marc-Andre Fleury before the deadline and hoping for a hot streak. But if the losing streak continues, then pending UFAs like Patrick Sharp, Jiri Hudler, and Patrick Eaves could find themselves in new jerseys next month.
- One team that could have interest in Sharp is the Edmonton Oilers. TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke about the Oilers’ deadline plans on That’s Hockey, and said while there’s no desperation, GM Peter Chiarelli would like to add a depth center for the playoff run. Sharp is a skilled veteran who has three Stanley Cups, who has played center before and is right-handed. That would fill two needs for Edmonton.
- For the time being, Dreger believes the Oilers are comfortable with their defense. They’ll get Darnell Nurse back from injury in early March, which will serve as a solid addition to their defensive depth. However, a move could be made with either expansion draft-eligible Brandon Davidson or pending-UFA Kris Russell.
- The fallout continues in Boston. The Bruins were criticized, not only for firing Claude Julien, but for the timing. Firing a coach while the Super Bowl parade happens across town is the sports equivalent of the Friday night news dump in politics. After the move was announced, the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy called the firing disgraceful, among other adjectives, and questioned if the Bruins management thinks their fans and media are stupid. Now, Bruins reporter Jimmy Murphy tweeted that the timing of the press conference was not the work of the team’s PR department; it was ordered from “above.” Murphy also reported that the struggling Bruins are in danger of losing two major sponsors, and that the press conference timing did not help.
- The Washington Capitals are currently five points ahead of anyone else in the NHL, and their 22-5-1 home record is clearly one of the big reasons. Rob Carlin of CSN reported a ridiculous stat; in their last eight home games, the Capitals have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 42-6. That includes a 6-0 victory and four 5-0 wins.
Edmonton Oilers Activate Eric Gryba, Send Dillon Simpson To AHL
The Edmonton Oilers announced Wednesday that the team will activate Eric Gryba from injured reserve ahead of their matchup this Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ve sent Dillon Simpson back to the Bakersfield Condors to continue his development and see more ice time.
As we wrote after learning that Darnell Nurse would miss up to twelve weeks following surgery, Simpson has been used extremely sparingly by Edmonton during his time in the NHL. The young defender saw just 10:53 of average icetime in his three contests, and is obviously not ready for the higher level.
The team will now look to Gryba to step back into an important role with Nurse out, likely pairing with Andrej Sekera or Kris Russell in his absence. Gryba was logging just over 17 minutes before he was injured last month and was a nice surprise for Edmonton this summer. The former Ottawa Senators defenseman signed a PTO with the Oilers and though he has been held pointless all season, playing tough minutes is more than they were expecting bringing him to camp.