Injury Updates: Backstrom, Subban, Carrier, Perron
Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom took an important step in his recovery as he works to return to Washington’s lineup. Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post notes that after taking part in a pair of optional skates earlier this week, Backstrom returned to regular practice on Wednesday. However, his status remains up in the air for Game Four against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Given that he’s dealing with a hand injury, taking faceoffs would be a challenge for Backstrom. However, head coach Barry Trotz stated that he would still use the center in the lineup even if he isn’t 100% recovered, citing that there are many other areas he could contribute in even if he can’t take the draws. Backstrom is one of three Capitals forwards averaging more than a point-per-game this postseason and he will certainly make a big impact whenever he gets the green light to return.
Other injury news and notes from around the league:
- Golden Knights backup goaltender Malcolm Subban is dealing with an undisclosed injury or illness, head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters, including Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). As a result, Maxime Lagace will serve as the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury in Game Three tonight against Winnipeg. Subban is listed as day-to-day so there is no word yet on whether or not he will be available for Game Four on Friday.
- Still with Vegas, the Golden Knights will once again be without winger William Carrier tonight. NHL.com’s Shawn Rourke notes that he has yet to resume skating since being sidelined late in the second round. With that in mind, it’s certainly fair to wonder if the 23-year-old will be able to get back into the lineup before the series comes to an end. Meanwhile, winger David Perron, who missed Monday’s contest due to an illness, is listed as a game-time decision.
Vegas’ David Perron Out For Game Two
When the Vegas Golden Knights released their routine lineup for Game Two this evening, there was a name (or emoji) conspicuously missing. Despite no official word from the team – including no evidence that he is injured – David Perron will not suit up for the Knights as they look to even the Western Conference Finals series on the road against the Winnipeg Jets. Already reeling from a convincing Game One loss and likely without William Carrier for the series, this is another blow for Vegas and not ideal for matching up with the Jets.
While Perron’s status remains a mystery, one has to believe that his absence is injury related after his performance this season. Perron notched 66 points in 70 games, including a team-best 50 assists, and has added another seven points through nine games thus far in the playoffs. It has easily been the best season of the veteran winger’s 11-year career and head coach Gerard Gallant is not about to bench him for any reasons related to his play at this point in the team’s Stanley Cup run. Perron has yet to score a goal in the playoffs and has really struggled to even get the puck on net, but he has made up for it with a strong possession game and his play-making ability. He doesn’t seem at risk to be scratched at all. One possible reason for Perron missing the game could be a lingering issue related to the undisclosed injury that cost him the final six regular season games and first two postseason games. Another potential answer could be an injury related to a collision with teammate James Neal in Game One that left Perron looking shaken up. For one reason or another, Perron is out and there are no clues as to how long he will be out, but the Golden Knights must make do.
A lot of that burden will fall on the shoulders of Tomas Tatar. Vegas paid an exorbitant price at the deadline to acquire the young forward from the Detroit Red Wings, but thus far he has been a disappointment. Tatar recorded only six points and was -11 in the final 20 games of the regular season with the Knights and has found himself as a regular scratch in the postseason. In the four playoff games he has skated in, Tatar has looked good, but like Perron has had trouble getting the puck on net. As a result, he has been held scoreless. A one-shot-per-game pace simply won’t do for Tatar if he is to replace Perron successfully; the four-time 20-goal scorer needs to return to form as soon as possible. If not, the Jets’ Game One domination is only likely to continue against the shorthanded Knights.
Devils Plan To Make A Splash This Summer
No one could have expected that the New Jersey Devils would improve by 16 wins from last season to this season, transforming from a bottom feeder to a playoff team. The team added impact rookies Nico Hischier and Will Butcher and traded for defenseman Sami Vatanen, but also lost Adam Henrique in that deal and watched 2016-17 top-six forwards Mike Cammalleri and P.A. Parenteau depart. Yet, the team took a major leap forward with only a marginal improvement to their roster. Hoping for a repeat in that trend, NJ.com’s Chris Ryan reports that GM Ray Shero has been given the “green light” by the Devils to spend in free agency this summer.
New Jersey enters the 2018 off-season with substantial cap space. A bottom-five spender this season, the team is likely to lose Patrick Maroon, Michael Grabner, Drew Stafford, and Jimmy Hayes to free agency, which will open up even more room. They will also finally be rid of Ryane Clowe‘s cap hit. Even if the team was to hang on to defenseman John Moore, goaltender Eddie Lack, or forward Brian Gibbons, they would still have more than enough space to make a significant splash this summer.
Ryan addresses several players who Devils fans are intrigued by in his mailbag. He begins by throwing water on the idea that New Jersey will be in hot pursuit of John Tavares if he hits the open market. Seeing as Tavares will command a seven-year deal that could approach nine figures, Ryan rules the Devils out as a destination. New Jersey has its star center of the future in Hischier and must pay he and Hart finalist Taylor Hall in the next few years. However, Ryan does not shy away from any other recommended targets.
Among those other players the Devils could pursue are defenseman John Carlson, who would be the biggest name on the market if Tavares re-signs with the Islanders, fellow blue liners Mike Green and Calvin de Haan, and big winger James van Riemsdyk. Ryan rules out a reunion with Ilya Kovalchuk, but New Jersey could also be a destination for other stars of yesteryear like Joe Thornton or Rick Nash. Evander Kane, Paul Stastny, David Perron and James Neal are other top names who could wind up in Newark.
Ryan does add that the Devils may be content to sign just one of the big-name players on this summer’s free agent market. Given the luck he had making a blockbuster trade this year, Shero could surely explore the trade market instead of exclusively signing free agents. He may also want to give time to forward prospects like Michael McLeod and Joey Anderson, after Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Blake Coleman found success this year. It will be a busy off-season one way or another for New Jersey and will continue to be a fun process of building a contender for team members and fans alike.
Western Notes: Coyotes Free Agency, Perron, Jarnkrok, Fowler
With the team comfortable at both goaltending and defense, the Arizona Coyotes are expected to be add to their forward lines this offseason. Don’t be surprised if Arizona looks into the free agent market this summer and attempts to grab itself a top-six forward, according to AZCentral’s Richard Morin.
A team with ample cap space, Arizona has spent the last few years building through the draft and then this past season made multiple trades to upgrade its roster, acquiring the likes of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Richard Panik. The scribe writes the franchise, especially after an impressive second-half run, might look to dip its feet into the free agency market. While acquiring center John Tavares is not a likely scenario, the team might be able to snag an elite winger such as James van Riemsdyk, Patrick Maroon or Rick Nash. The team will have a couple of their own free agents they must sign, including veteran Brad Richardson, Zac Rinaldo, Kevin Connauton and Luke Schenn (as well as try to extend defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson), but the team should have the assets to upgrade their offense.
Morin does also admit that general manager John Chayka might also go back to the trade route as well, but at the same time, the team believes they will see an uptick in production from rookie Clayton Keller and now believe that prospect Dylan Strome is ready to handle full-time duties in the NHL.
- While the Los Angeles Kings are expecting back defenseman Jake Muzzin from injury, the Vegas Golden Knights might get back an injured player of their own as head coach Gerard Gallant said winger David Perron is a game-time decision, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Perron, who has been out since Mar. 26 with an undisclosed injury is expected to return and start on the team’s third line if he returns to the game. “There’s a chance he might play tonight,” Gallant said.
- Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes the Nashville Predators might be getting Calle Jarnkrok back from injury soon. The forward hasn’t played since Mar. 13 due to an upper-body injury. He scored 16 goals this year as a bottom-line forward.
- Orange Country Register’s Eric Stephens reports that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler is not expected to go on the team’s road trip to San Jose. Fowler has been out with a shoulder injury since early April.
Western Notes: Bennett, Murphy, Girard, Perron, Bieksa, Fowler
The Calgary Flames have a lot of questions this offseason after a disappointing season that leaves them wondering what happened. However, the biggest question probably falls on what to do with Sam Bennett. The former fourth-overall pick in 2014 should be improving every season, but that hasn’t been the case for the 21-year-old who has seen his numbers drop every year.
After putting up 18 goals and 18 assists in a promising rookie season, he has put up only 26 points in each of the last two seasons and his goals have dropped from 13 in 2016-17 to 11 this year. The Calgary Sun’s Wes Gilbertson writes the team must decide whether he can take his game up several notches or whether to use him as trade bait. Of course, you don’t want to be the general manager that trades him away only to thrive with another team, but the team needs production out of the forward and is running out of time to figure out if he is the star they thought they drafted. He has one year left after this one at $1.95MM before hitting restricted free agency again.
- The Chicago Blackhawks think they have found something in defenseman Connor Murphy. The 25-year-old, who was acquired in the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade last season from Arizona, struggled early on in the season with Chicago, according to Chicago Sun Times’ Mark Potash, but was one of the team’s better defensemen in the second half and the team believes he can develop into a top-four defenseman. “If you look at the way he played over the last 30 to 40 games, I think there’s reason for excitement,” said Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman.
- The Colorado Avalanche is without defenseman Samuel Girard today as the young defenseman is out with an upper-body injury sustained in a hit from Nashville’s Filip Forsberg during Thursday’s game. The rookie defenseman is day-to-day.
- Vegas Golden Knights winger David Perron, who has been out since Mar. 26 with an undisclosed injury, says he hopes to play before the series with the Los Angeles Kings is over, but did not give a timetable on a potential return, according to SinBinVegas.
- The Anaheim Ducks expect defenseman Kevin Bieksa to play in Game 2 tonight against the San Jose Sharks, according to Orange Country Register’s Eric Stephens. Bieksa has been out since Mar. 12 after having hand surgery. Stephens also notes that defenseman Cam Fowler is no longer wearing a sling on his shoulder and will resume skating shortly. The blueliner has missed 13 straight games, but no timetable is set for his return.
Poll: Who Is The More Valuable Vegas Free Agent Forward?
The Vegas Golden Knights had a clear mantra in the expansion draft. They would select players that didn’t have much term left on their contracts, and use cap space and flexibility to build a strong organization over the next few years. Then the season began, and they suddenly went from an fun expansion team to an NHL powerhouse.
Among those that they selected, were a pair of free agent forwards that had bounced around the league but found success nearly everywhere they’d been. David Perron and James Neal both had six seasons with 40+ points heading into 2017-18, and were accepted as good (but not great) NHL scoring threats. Neal came with a bit more shine on him after his long playoff run with the Nashville Predators, but perhaps Perron should’ve been the top name all along.
This season, despite Neal being the team’s lone All-Star representative up front, Perron hasn’t stopped scoring. The 29-year old winger has 66 points in 70 games, including a team-leading 50 assists. An underrated player establishing a career high in points isn’t a rare occurrence for the Golden Knights, but NHL teams around the league are sure to be watching closely to Perron’s season.
As unrestricted free agents this summer, Neal and Perron both could fetch big money contracts from a team looking for an offensive upgrade. Both have playoff experience, and are about to get even more with Vegas in the coming weeks. We at PHR may have underestimated Perron, ranking him #11 in our Midseason UFA Power Rankings. Neal came in at #5, but it’s not as clear now who will be the better option on the open market.
So what do you think? Which Golden Knights forward will garner more interest in free agency? Will they both secure long-term deals? Will they even get there? Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Who is the more attractive free agent?
-
James Neal 67% (390)
-
David Perron 33% (190)
Total votes: 580
[Mobile users click here to vote!]
Deadline Primer: Vegas Golden Knights
With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Vegas Golden Knights.
It’s hard to imagine that the Vegas Golden Knights are even an expansion team after the success they’ve had this season. Just in their inaugural season, the franchise which was expected to be among the bottom teams in the league, is atop the NHL with a league-leading 86 points in the standings and has forced the Golden Knights to re-evaluate their needs at the upcoming trade deadline. Expected to be sellers, the team now has opted to keep their top trade prospects in James Neal and David Perron and may be looking to add as the team makes its historic run towards a playoff spot and, who knows, maybe even a Stanley Cup run. The real question is what should this team do? The team already made a minor move when they were used to help offset some salary for the Pittsburgh Penguins and got enforcer Ryan Reaves in return. However, is general manager George McPhee done or does he have other ideas?
Record
41-16-4, first in the Pacific Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$34,263,967 in deadline cap space
43/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: VGK 1st, VGK 2nd, VAN 4th, PIT 4th, CAR 5th, VGK 5th, VGK 6th, TOR 6th
2019: VGK 1st, VGK 2nd, COL 2nd, NYI 2nd, VGK 3rd, NSH 3rd, WIN 3rd, VGK 4th, VGK 5th, MON 5th, VGK 6th, VGK 7th
Trade Chips
Don’t expect the Golden Knights to be moving any of their trade chips and don’t expect Vegas to make any major moves. One of the many things that is going right for this franchise is the team’s chemistry and adding a bunch of players could easily break up what they already have. On top of that McPhee is well aware of the goals and timetable the team had set, so trading away the franchise’s future is also just as unlikely. The most likely trade chip the Golden Knights have will be their cap space, which is exactly what they did when they acquired Reaves and a fourth-round pick to help in the Derrick Brassard trade. The team retained $2MM for this year and next, but with their ample cap space, they likely won’t notice that hit much. While there has been talks the Golden Knights might try to flip him again, many believe he will stay in Vegas as his personality might be a perfect fit with the chemistry in the locker room. While there are names that could be moved if a team wants some of Vegas’ depth, don’t count on too many players getting moved out.
Players to Watch: D Jason Garrison, W Brendan Leipsic, W James Neal, W Ryan Reaves, D Luca Sbisa
Team Needs
1) Forward Depth
One thing Vegas is lacking is depth. While the team has been challenged this year when it comes to their goaltending depth, Vegas hasn’t been hit as hard when it comes to its offense. Despite minor injuries to Neal and others,
However, even with the addition of Reaves who might be a solid addition to their fourth-line, the team might still want to add some more players who could either play on their back-six or even some veterans that they can add to their AHL club just in case things go downhill.
2) Draft Picks
McPhee has done a great job of adding assets through the draft, which has always been the plan to build up this franchise. He netted two extra first-round picks for last year’s draft and has built up assets for the 2019 and 2020 draft. However, the original plan was to accumulate a bunch of picks for this year’s draft now at the trade deadline. While the Golden Knights aren’t sellers, don’t be shocked if they can’t add a couple of extra picks in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trade Candidate: David Perron
With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
Ever since the Vegas Golden Knights were contructed, the plan had always been to build through the draft, but add a few veteran players they could move at the trade deadline. While James Neal was an obvious choice when the team selected him from Nashville Predators, no one was as confident that veteran winger David Perron would be as successful. Yet one season in, Perron is having a one of his best seasons of his career. The question now is does the team still want to trade him?
Contract
Perron is in the final season of a two-year, $7.5MM contract—$3.75MM cap hit, $3.75MM salary that he signed with the St. Louis Blues. He will be a UFA in July, and a modified no-trade clause in which he can submit three teams he doesn’t want to be traded to.
2017-18
Perron has been fantastic on the Golden Knights’ second line along with Neal and Erik Haula this season. Acquired via the expansion draft from St. Louis, the original plan had been to move him at the trade deadline, but instead, he’s made himself a key top-six player on a team that has the best record in the Western Conference. While he has just 13 goals this year, that’s still on target for his best goal-scoring season since 2013-14 when he potted 28 goals when he was with the Edmonton Oilers.
However, what makes his game stand out more than anything is his ability to move the puck. His 36 assists puts him already at 49 points with still almost a third of a season left. That already gives him more points than he’s had since that 2013-14 season in Edmonton. Add that to his clutch play in key moments, which includes four game-winning goals and he’s become too good to move.
Season Stats
48 GP, 13 goals, 36 assists, 49 points, +7 rating, 36 PIM, 89 shots, 17:42 ATOI, 48.9 CF%
Potential Suitors
At this point, almost any team might want to get a hold of Perron as a player rental for the upcoming playoffs. Even at $3.75MM, that’s a pretty good deal for a 29-year-old player having a great season. However, there is little chatter considering where the Golden Knights stand at present. General manager George McPhee has been non-committal to whether they intend to be buyers or sellers, but most believe they won’t be sellers.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Extremely unlikely. While you can never say never, Perron is a fixture for a team that looks ready to make a deep playoff run in their first-ever season, which no one predicted. With the team’s chemistry operating at peak efficiency, moving one of their key pieces could wreck their success. Once considered a trade deadline candidate, it looks like Vegas will hold onto him as their own player rental. While there has been little early indication that Vegas intends to extend Perron’s contract, that’s still a possibility as well.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Trade Candidates: James Neal
With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
The Vegas Golden Knights had everything set up perfectly at the beginning of the season. They acquired a number of extra picks through the expansion draft for the 2017, 2019 and 2020 drafts and had an abundance of rental players they could trade off at the trade deadline to add picks for the upcoming 2018 draft, including James Neal. Instead, the team took off and is currently the top team in the Western Conference. So, will the Golden Knights consider trading him?
Contract
Neal is entering the final year of a six-year, $30MM ($5MM AAV) that he signed back in 2012 when he was still with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He does have a Modified No Trade Clause in which he can list eight team he cannot be traded to.
2017-18
Neal is on pace for a very strong season as he has been an integral part to the the team’s second line alongside center Erik Haula and winger David Perron. Neal has 22 goals already this year in just 48 games, just one goal shy of tying last year’s total of 23 when he was with the Nashville Predators. His success garnered him a spot in the all-star game today. Assuming he keeps up his success, Neal is on pace for one of his best goal-scoring seasons, although his team-high is 40 goals back with Pittsburgh in the 2011-12 season.
Another positive is that the winger has shown consistency throughout the season. Besides a small scoreless streak in December, he has shown himself to be a player the Golden Knights can count on during most games. In his last eight games, he has put up five goals.
Season Stats
48 GP, 22 goals, 12 assists, 34 points, +1 rating, 20 PIM, 17:26 ATOI, 53.2 CF%
Potential Suitors
Neal would likely be a great fit to a number of teams if the Golden Knights were truly interested in moving on from the winger. A team like Tampa Bay, who might want to add one more key piece wouldn’t complain if they could add Neal to their second of third line as a final piece for their title run this year. However, many teams are looking for goal scorers for the playoff run, so if Vegas chose to move him, they would likely get a number of bidders for him.
Likelihood of a Trade
The plan would have worked perfectly had Vegas performed like everyone thought an expansion franchise would. However, at this point, there is little to no chance that Neal goes anywhere as the team is on a title run of their own. Moving him might easily break up the team’s winning chemistry. While the team has said they are focused on locking up Neal, who is looking to score big on one final contract at age 30, there has been no updates on negotiations, suggesting that none have truly started or the team is having trouble finding terms that both sides are amenable to. However, general manager George McPhee has already said that Neal isn’t going anywhere this year, so the worst case scenario is the team will use him as their own rental player. Of course, if they could find a way to get a similar player back, anything is possible, but a deal remains highly doubtful. He is likely staying in Vegas for the stretch run.
Vegas Likely To Stand Pat At Deadline
If there were any last thoughts that the Vegas Golden Knights – who are on pace to be the best expansion team in sports history – would be sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline, they went out the window with the team’s convincing 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. Tampa, who sits atop the league standings with 65 points, is now just two points ahead of Vegas, with the Knights holding a game in hand. Not only is Vegas playoff-bound in their first season, but they have a legitimate chance at the President’s Trophy. Unbelievably, they have a chance at a Stanley Cup title in their inaugural season as well.
For that reason, the idea of the team selling off their impending unrestricted free agents like James Neal, David Perron, or Luca Sbisa has become unthinkable. Despite the long-term benefits that trading away those players for picks and prospects may have on the young franchise, GM George McPhee is surely unwilling at this point to take the wind out of his team’s sails when they truly feel they can win it all in 2018. There is some evidence already that this team is happy with it’s current roster and more interested in extensions than blockbusters. Deryk Engelland and Jonathon Merrill recently signed new deals and the team is reportedly focused on an extension for Neal. The current Golden Knights roster is unlikely to change this season.
That just may include additions as well. For the same reason some are holding out that the Knights will be sellers is the same reason they are extremely unlikely to be buyers too. In just their first year existence, Vegas is in no position to be dealing away picks and prospects. While most teams are already stocked with prospects, Vegas has just their 2017 selections and a few free agent signings to build off. Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Jake Leschyshyn, Erik Brannstrom, and Nicolas Hague are nothing to laugh at, but the team needs to focus on quantity just as much as quality among their junior-level prospects. Their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, has been a middling team this season (currently 18th in the league), and that’s with a veteran free agent signing leading the team in scoring in Brandon Pirri and another team’s goalie as their starter in Kasimir Kaskisuo. Tomas Hyka may be the only prospect on the Chicago roster to ever make a noticeable difference in Vegas. The Stanley Cup is the toughest championship in sports to win and even a number one seed only gives the Knights the same shot that 15 other teams get, not a guaranteed trip to the final. In short, Vegas cannot afford to give up talented top prospects, nor can they give up the draft picks needed to keep filling out the system, for a greater chance at a a difficult title to claim.
The Vegas Golden Knights are rolling right now, playing far better in 2017-18 than anyone could have ever possibly imagined. There is no way they are sellers at the deadline but, due to the constraints of being an expansion franchise, they are unlikely to be sellers either. Like the old saying goes though, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Vegas is no less threatening this season or moving forward if they do indeed stand pat this season.