2019 All-Star Rosters Announced
The NHL has announced the four rosters for the 2019 All-Star Game today, scheduled to be held on January 26th in San Jose. Earlier today, Alex Ovechkin, who was elected captain of Metropolitan Division squad, told the league that he wouldn’t be attending and will accept the punishment of missing one game either before or after the break. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews will represent the Pacific, Central and Atlantic respectively, as the other captains. A replacement Metropolitan captain for Ovechkin has yet to be named.
The full rosters are as follows:
Pacific Division
G John Gibson (ANA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK)
D Erik Karlsson (SJS)
D Brent Burns (SJS)
D Drew Doughty (LAK)
F Connor McDavid (EDM)*
F Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
F Joe Pavelski (SJS)
F Elias Pettersson (VAN)
F Clayton Keller (ARI)
Central Division
G Pekka Rinne (NSH)
G Devan Dubnyk (MIN)
D Roman Josi (NSH)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)
F Nathan MacKinnon (COL)*
F Mikko Rantanen (COL)
F Blake Wheeler (WPG)
F Patrick Kane (CHI)
F Mark Scheifele (WPG)
F Ryan O’Reilly (STL)
Atlantic Division
G Jimmy Howard (DET)
G Carey Price (MTL)
D Keith Yandle (FLA)
D Thomas Chabot (OTT)
F Auston Matthews (TOR)*
F Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
F Steven Stamkos (TBL)
F John Tavares (TOR)
F David Pastrnak (BOS)
F Jack Eichel (BUF)
Metropolitan Division
G Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
G Braden Holtby (WAS)
D John Carlson (WSH)
D Seth Jones (CBJ)
F Sidney Crosby (PIT)
F Taylor Hall (NJD)
F Mathew Barzal (NYI)
F Claude Giroux (PHI)
F Cam Atkinson (CBJ)
F Sebastian Aho (CAR)
*Denotes team captain
One final skater spot on each roster has yet to be announced, as it will be determined by the “Last Man In” fan ballot, a concept borrowed from Major League Baseball. The format of the current All-Star Game, which requires one representative from each team on these smaller 3-on-tournament rosters, was bound to cause some confusion with the initial selections. Seven top-twenty scorers were not selected – Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Phil Kessel, and Gabriel Landeskog – and several will inevitably remain out of All-Star participation even after the fan ballot additions. Morgan Rielly, the league’s top-scoring defenseman, and Mark Giordano, enjoying an elite season on both sides of the puck, are two surprising omissions on the blue line. Several of the league’s top goalies are also going to miss out, ineligible for the fan ballot, including Ben Bishop, Frederik Andersen, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The “Last Man In” will be an intriguing new addition to the All-Star process, with nominees to be named shortly, but more than a few notable names will be left out regardless. Meanwhile, the health of players like Price and Chabot for Team Atlantic and Hall for Team Metropolitan will bear watching, as those players may opt to skip the All-Star festivities, opening up more players to selection.
Impact Defensive Rentals Could Be Quite Rare At Trade Deadline
For an NHL team to grind their way to a Stanley Cup, a few things are almost always necessary. A hot goaltender, who can steal at least a few games through the long playoff run, center depth that can lift linemates up and provide secondary scoring, and extra defensemen who are able to step into the lineup when a top option inevitably suffers an injury. The postseason in hockey is a brutal period of injury for almost every player, and often leads to players suiting up despite major injuries.
Though you might not be able to guarantee the play of your starting goaltender at the trade deadline, you can give your team some help in the other two categories by going after players on expiring contracts. Rentals, as they are referred to because of their short-term nature, are always flipped around the league in the last few weeks of February as teams prepare for a potential playoff run. All but one team usually regret those acquisitions, but they continue anyway.
This year, the rental center market could have some legitimate impact talent in it with names like Matt Duchene, Kevin Hayes and even perhaps Eric Staal shopped by struggling teams down the stretch. Obviously any of those names or the several others available could be re-signed instead, but there should be at least a few options for teams looking to upgrade down the middle.
On defense though, teams might have to settle for players more suited to bottom-pairing or depth roles. That’s not because of a lack of pending free agents on the blue line—although the recent extensions for players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty and Ryan Ellis certainly changed the market—but because of the situations their respective teams are in this season.
When looking at the group that is scheduled to be available on July 1st, one name immediately stands out. Erik Karlsson doesn’t have a long-term extension with the San Jose Sharks yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t before the end of the year. In order for San Jose to be eligible to sign Karlsson to an eight-year deal, they have to wait until after the trade deadline to pass. Perhaps the two sides are just waiting on that to happen, though it’s very unlikely the Sharks would trade Karlsson even if they aren’t. First of all, the Ottawa Senators included a clause in the summer blockbuster that essentially prevents Karlsson from being traded to the Eastern Conference. If the star defenseman ends up on an Eastern roster by the end of the year, San Jose would have to send over another first-round pick. But San Jose is also fighting for first place in the Pacific Division, and likely would choose to keep Karlsson regardless as a sort of “own rental.”
That same situation surrounds the other impact defensive options. Tyler Myers, Jake Gardiner and Anton Stralman are arguably the next three best rentals, and all could potentially be on different teams next season. But the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are all legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and need these players to keep them on that track. Zdeno Chara can make an impact, but holds a full no-movement clause and almost certainly will not leave Boston even if they fell out of the playoff race (something that seems unlikely anyway).
Those circumstances mean that the defensive rental market could be relatively shallow this season, with Alex Edler really being the crown jewel. Edler has been logging huge minutes for the Vancouver Canucks as they continue their rebuild and could help several teams, but beyond that names like Nick Jensen, Roman Polak and Alex Petrovic start popping up. That’s not to say there won’t be movement, but if you’re looking for real impact help teams might have to look for players with a little more term.
San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson Suspended Two Games
The Department of Player Safety announced that they have suspended San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson two games for an illegal check to the head Saturday against Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner. Karlsson is expected to miss two Pacific Division contests, including tonight’s game against Arizona and then a Dec. 27 game against the Anaheim Ducks. Karlsson will be eligible to return on Dec. 29 in Edmonton.
It’s a blow for San Jose, who have seen an uptick in production from their big offseason acquisition. Karlsson has scored 11 points over the past 10 games (all assists). The incident occurred 2:33 into the second period when Karlsson checked Wagner in the neutral zone with his shoulder that appeared to hit Wagner’s head. Karlsson admitted Saturday that it was an accident.
“It’s one of those plays, I’m closing (the) gap, and he skates into me,” he said. “I don’t really even lean into him. I’m in his lane, and just shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Unfortunately he went down hard and he didn’t come back, and I hope he’s OK, but at the end of the day it’s a hockey play.”
Karlsson has never been suspended in his career and was fined just once for a slash in 2012. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement and based on his annual average salary, Karlsson will forfeit $69,892.48, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Pacific Notes: Karlsson, Wagner, Miller, Puljujarvi
The Department of Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson will have a hearing tomorrow for an illegal check to the head on the Los Angeles Kings’ Austin Wagner during the second period of Saturday’s game. Karlsson has never been suspended in his career and was fined just once for a slash in 2012.
While there was no penalty on the ice, Wagner was forced to leave the game and never returned. While there was some contact to the head, it might be more challenging for the Department of Player Safety to determine if the hit was intentional and meant for the head. Wagner and Karlsson also had an issue earlier in the shift, which could suggest that there may have been payback involved, something the league will factor into their decisions as well.
- As for Wagner, the 21-year-old left the game not long after the hit and a representative of the team referred to him out with an upper-body injury. The hope is that he isn’t out long, if at all. The team is already without a number of key players, including Trevor Lewis, Alec Martinez, Carl Hagelin, Jonny Brodzinski and Dion Phaneuf. However, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes that Wagner is expected to join the team for their road trip to Las Vegas for Sunday’s game against the Golden Knights, although that doesn’t mean he will be cleared to play.
- Speaking of the Vegas Golden Knights, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that defenseman Colin Miller remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury after missing his second straight game. He, however, has not been placed on injured reserve. However, Miller is expected to be back soon. Miller has been critical to the team’s offense since the return of Nate Schmidt. Miller has two goals and six assists since Schmidt returned from a suspension in mid-November.
- Sportsnet’s Mark Spector writes that Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi has gotten a second life with new head coach Ken Hitchcock as the struggling 20-year-old has gone from a exiled player in the AHL to a first-line winger next to Connor McDavid. However, the scribe writes one of the biggest challenges that Puljujarvi has struggled with is the language barrier, considering he knew no English when he come over to North America two years ago. “It’s more challenging for a Euro player who’s played in Europe to just come over and play in the NHL,” said Hitchcock. “What happens is, when you’re not comfortable in the lifestyle, you kind of stay to yourself. So you’re worried about how you fit in, you’re worried about the length of the season, you’re worried about a lot of things. Now, we’re starting to see his natural personality.”
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Ottawa Senators
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Ottawa Senators. Click here for the other articles in this series.
What are the Senators most thankful for?
Not being dead last. Most experts as well as fans had the Senators picked as the worst team in the league and with all the offseason turmoil coming from issues surrounding Erik Karlsson as well as locker room issues, the team was being viewed as a laughing stock. Throw in the fact that the team traded away their first-round pick to Colorado in the Matt Duchene trade and things were looking even worse. While the team isn’t in the playoff hunt, the Senators have been respectable on the ice and considering that they have opted to rebuild their team, 14-16-4 record, which could be a lot worse.
Who are the Senators most thankful for?
After almost an entire year of Erik Karlsson rumors, the team finally unloaded their superstar defenseman in a deal with San Jose. Many felt that loss would destroy the team, but second-year defenseman Thomas Chabot has been nothing, if not remarkable. The 21-year-old has already surpassed his offensive totals from last year when he posted 25 points in 63 games. This year, Chabot has already reached 35 points in 34 games and is tied for first in the NHL in points along with Toronto’s Morgan Rielly and Washington’s John Carlson.
This development has made the transition away from Karlsson, who hasn’t taken off yet in San Jose, much easier for Ottawa fans as Chabot is starting to just scratch the surface to his skills in Ottawa. For a young team with very few veteran players, to have a defenseman averaging a point a game is a big deal.
What would the Senators be even more thankful for?
The team needs even more offense and while many of their young players have had some success already, the Senators are a team loaded in young talent. If the team could get some of those players to take that next step, the team would be far better off. The team have gotten some success from both Brady Tkuchuk and Colin White as both players have nine goals already. Surprise defenseman Max Lajoie is another rookie who has already posted six goals and 12 points. However, the team needs others to step up, including Drake Batherson who has seven points in 16 games so far. However, the team needs some of the top prospects in Belleville to take that next step at some point as well, including players like Rudolfs Balcers, Filip Chlapik and Logan Brown.
What should be on the Senators Holiday Wish List?
More than anything, the Senators need some clarity with some of their veteran players. The team has a number of pending unrestricted free agents in Duchene, Mark Stone and to a lesser extent Ryan Dzingel, and the last thing this franchise needs is for those players to walk away in free agency and leave the team with nothing. Unfortunately, no players have given a solid indication that they intend to return and if the team can’t come to terms on an extension with any of them before the trade deadline, they need to move them. Both Duchene and Stone have been impressive this year, so the team should get significant returns for those two if they are forced to trade them, but the team has to hope they can sign one of these players and begin to build this franchise up from there. Another firesale isn’t going to make the franchise look any better.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Karlsson, Spezza, Morrow
While the Sharks envisioned signing Erik Karlsson to a long-term extension when they acquired him back in September, the defenseman indicated to reporters including NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger that he hasn’t given any consideration towards signing an extension at this time. Karlsson got off to a very slow start to his season but has picked up his play as of late with 11 points over his last 17 games. While a new deal can be made official as early as January 1st, it’s more likely to come later on; if he waits until after the February 25th trade deadline, he can get an eighth year on his contract if he re-signs with San Jose.
More from the West:
- The Stars were pleased with the results their experiment of playing center Jason Spezza on the wing, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that the move was made to free him up from some of his defensive responsibilities but there could be an additional benefit as well. Center Martin Hanzal is believed to be a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup and having Spezza on the wing would allow Hanzal to slide onto the second line when he’s cleared to return.
- The Jets have placed defenseman Joe Morrow on injured reserve, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). He missed Thursday’s game against Chicago with a lower-body injury and it appears that issue will keep him out a little while longer. Assuming they backdate the placement, he’ll be eligible to be activated in the middle of next week. Morrow has played in 19 games with Winnipeg this season but has been quieter than usual offensively as he has failed to record a single point while logging just over 14 minutes per game of playing time.
East Notes: Norris, Wilson, Carlo, Daley
With Josh Norris off to a very strong start with the University of Michigan, some have wondered if he could potentially turn pro next season. He indicated to Postmedia’s Ken Warren that while it’s certainly an option, he’s not ready to make that decision just yet:
“That’s a little too far ahead. I have a lot of hockey to play, there’s a lot of development left for me. There’s four months left on the schedule. Of course I want to play in the NHL, and, when the time is right, I have to make that decision – whether it’s after this year or not.”
Norris was one of the key players involved in the Erik Karlsson trade back in September and was a first-round pick of the Sharks back in 2017. He sits tied for tenth overall in NCAA scoring with eight goals and eight assists through 13 games and if he can maintain that level of production, he could certainly make a case that he’s ready to suit up for the Senators as early as next season.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Capitals winger Tom Wilson was assessed a match penalty for a hit on Devils winger Brett Seney on Friday night. That carries an automatic suspension pending a league review. Washington next plays on Sunday afternoon so a decision will come fairly quickly. Seney briefly left the game but returned for the third period.
- The Bruins appear to be set to get some help on the back end tomorrow night. The team announced (Twitter link) that Brandon Carlo is probable to play on Saturday versus Detroit. The defenseman has missed the last nine games due to an upper-body injury. Carlo was averaging a career-best 20:58 per game before being injured and will likely be counted on to take on even more of the workload with Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller, and Charlie McAvoy all on the shelf.
- The Red Wings will be without defenseman Trevor Daley for tomorrow’s game in Boston and isn’t expected to play on Sunday against Colorado, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The blueliner sustained an undisclosed injury on Wednesday in the first period versus St. Louis and did not return. As Detroit now has just six healthy defensemen on the roster, they may soon be bringing someone up from Grand Rapids of the AHL.
Snapshots: Couture, Matthews, Thomas
The San Jose Sharks entered the 2018-19 season with high expectations after their off-season blockbuster acquisition of Erik Karlsson. One of the best teams in all of sports over the past decade or so never to win a title, the Sharks have been the epitome of consistency, but have been unable to land that elusive Stanley Cup title. With Karlsson in the mix on a roster that is deep and talented in all areas, many felt this could finally be the season than San Jose puts it all together. More than a quarter of the way through the season, those expectations have yet to be met. The Sharks have been a fine team – their 29 points places them second in the Pacific Division – but in no way are they running away with a conference championship. At least one player on the team is fed up with the poor effort: star forward Logan Couture. After a third straight loss last night, Couture told the Canadian Press that things need to change:
“My personal opinion, I don’t think we’re close. We show spurts and signs that we’re capable (of playing with the best in the league) but we haven’t put together an effort against a top-quality team. … We gotta figure it out soon. I’m a believer that it takes time. (But) I’m a believer that it doesn’t take 26 games.”
Couture, who signed a long-term deal this off-season, is the centerpiece of the Sharks’ offense for the foreseeable future. Couture has as much right as anyone on the team to criticize their efforts, seeing as he has done his part so far with 25 points in 26 games. While Couture did not name names, it is easy to point at Karlsson, last year’s big acquisition, Evander Kane, and a lackluster bottom-six as those that need to step up if the Sharks wish to play to their potential. Perhaps Couture being open and honest about the team’s disappointing results that will flip a switch and turn this team into the true contender they should be.
- It was Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs who took down the Sharks last night and the young superstar played very well in his return to the lineup. Even in the midst of the final days of the William Nylander drama, Toronto continues to win and remain focused on the present. But what if their struggles to sign Nylander are just the beginning? The Leafs face quite the cap crunch moving forward and there is concern that a Nylander signing could eventually push out either Matthews or Mitch Marner. Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland relays word from sources around the league that Matthews could be a prime target for an offer sheet this off-season. Although rare, due to their financial cost and draft pick cost, a maximum offer sheet isn’t out of the realm of possibility for a young player of Matthews’ caliber. Strickland asks what the Leafs could possibly do, with so many RFA’s and a defense in need of rebuilding this summer, if a team was to offer Matthews a contract worth $14MM per season? Such a situation seems far-fetched, but may be more grounded in reality than we know. It would be yet another difficult obstacle for the Maple Leafs who are truly having trouble with having so much talent on their roster.
- The Boston Bruins retired Rick Middleton‘s number tonight, making him the eleventh member of an illustrious group of all-time greats. The question now turns to who could be next to join the Bruins’ stars in the rafters? Of their recently retired players, the one who truly sticks out is two-time Vezina Trophy winner and Stanley Cup hero Tim Thomas. Although Thomas’ career was not a long one, he was one of the top goaltenders in the NHL for several years and is arguably the most clutch postseason keeper in NHL history, with the league’s all-time best playoff save percentage. The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa asked one of the Bruins’ retired numbers, and the team’s current president, Cam Neely, for his thoughts on Thomas’ case, but he didn’t seem optimistic about the odds. Neely points to longevity as working against Thomas, but did not rule him out completely. “There’s no question, that team in ’11, what it meant to Bruins fans and New England. Timmy, what he did in that playoffs, not just in the finals but all of the series, was pretty impressive”, but Neely added “I don’t want to rule anything out, but you look at some of the guys up there, they have a bigger sample size of what they did throughout their career in Boston.” It seems that Thomas, who was a star in his own right but simply over a short period of time, faces an uphill battle to have his No. 30 retired. Instead, current long-time players Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara are likely next up to be immortalized by the Bruins.
One Year Later: Matt Duchene Will Dictate The Senators’ Future
A year ago today, the Ottawa Senators made a three-team deal with the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. Since then, names like Erik Karlsson, Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Evander Kane, and Tomas Tatar (twice) have all been traded. Yet, it’s that November 5th deal that is still the most memorable recent trade for many, due to both the immediate impact and the lasting results.
In that trade, Ottawa – at a contract impasse with center Kyle Turris – dealt he, first-round prospect forward Shane Bowers, goaltender Andrew Hammond, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick to Colorado. The Avs then flipped Turris to Nashville for defenseman Samuel Girard, forward Vladislav Kamenev, and a second-round pick. It was quite a haul for Colorado and they have yet to even use either of Ottawa’s picks, including a likely lottery pick in the first round next year. The Predators meanwhile signed Turris to a six-year extension and he has 53 points in 79 games since joining the team. The return for all of this for the Senators? Matt Duchene, who a year later is in limbo with an expiring contract and a team that is far from the contender he was promised.
As TSN’s Ian Mendes notes, Senators GM Pierre Dorion was coming off a 2016-17 season that saw his team make a run to the Eastern Conference final. When he acquired Duchene, he thought it could be the final piece of the puzzle to get them back and through that third round of the playoffs. Instead, Ottawa sunk to the second-worst record in the NHL. It’s too late to reverse that trade or the events of last season. The team could have simply traded Turris for picks and prospects at the deadline, as Mendes points out, and certainly could have found a deal for a top-six forward this off-season that was far less expensive. Their first-round pick in 2019 could be first overall, franchise center Jack Hughes, and there’s nothing they could do. Boston University standout Bowers could blossom into a top-line forward, but there’s no recourse for that. The only element of the trade left in the control of Dorion and the Senators is the future of Duchene and with it potentially the future of the team.
Ottawa is faced with two choices this season: pay Duchene or trade him. The 2009 third overall pick carries a $6MM cap hit on his current contract. If he were to hit the open market, he would certainly be due a raise. Duchene’s alleged reason for wanting out of Colorado last season was ironically that he didn’t want to play through a rebuild. If that is still his mindset, it would take a substantial sum from the Senators to keep him around. Owner Eugene Melnyk has been unwilling to pay his better player their fair value, leading to the Karlsson trade and likely more moves to come. Will he make an exception for Duchene? If not, the Senators need to move Duchene and sooner rather than later. The trade deadline will be the final opportunity to trade the star center, who will have a long list of suitors, but his value drops each day leading up to that point. Dorion will likely never get back a package commensurate with what he gave up for Duchene, but his best chance to get close is to trade him as soon as possible to the highest bidder.
Either option serves to benefit the Senators. Duchene may not be a superstar, but he is a talented, well-rounded player who is capable of leading Ottawa out of the basement if provided with at least a little support. On the other side, the team cannot escape the reality of their own rebuild and could greatly use the trade capital that they would gain from a Duchene trade. The worst case scenario – and a veritable death knell for the franchise – would be to make neither decision, opting not to trade Duchene and waiting and hoping for an extension agreement only to watch him walk away in free agency. One year later, this notorious trade is still so prevalent around the NHL. The Senators should celebrate the anniversary by making another major move with Duchene – a new contract or another trade – as soon as humanly possible.
Pacific Notes: Suomela, Pacioretty, Eaves
The San Jose Sharks have done a nice job of re-making their roster over the past year, adding players like Erik Karlsson and Evander Kane to an already talented roster, but one area the team still needs help in is that the center position, particularly the third-line center position that was vacated by Chris Tierney when the Sharks traded him to the Ottawa Senators in the Karlsson move, according to Paul Gackle of The Mercury News.
After starting the season with Finnish import Antti Suomela for the first 13 games, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said he intends to sit Suomela and look at other options for that spot.
“I felt good until the last two games about our four-line game,” said DeBoer. “The answer to (the Tierney question) is internally in here. It’s just about guys grabbing that job and that opportunity.”
DeBoer believes that there are three in-house candidates who can take that center spot on the third line, including Suomela, Rourke Chartier and Dylan Gambrell. DeBoer hasn’t given up on Suomela being the answer, but notes that many players struggle after the first exciting stretch of games.
“You hit a little bit of a wall,” said DeBoer. “You take your foot off the gas a little bit. He’s out tonight and we’ll reset. He knows he can play in this league. He knows he can create offense in this league, but there’s a consistency to that compete level every night that maybe in some other leagues you don’t need. That’s something you have to learn.”
- The Vegas Golden Knights believe winger Max Pacioretty is close to returning as the 29-year-old was a full participant in Saturday’s morning skate and while he is not playing in Saturday’s game against Carolina, is expected to join the team on their upcoming four-game roadtrip, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Pacioretty has missed three straight games after taking a severe hit from Tampa Bay Lighning defenseman Braydon Coburn and is still listed as day-to-day. “Everything’s going real well,” coach Gerard Gallant said after practice. “He told me it’s going in the right direction. It’s a good sign.”
- While Anaheim Ducks forward Patrick Eaves didn’t do anything significant in his first game back Thursday since missing all but two games last year due to illness and injury, but the veteran forward feels that he can make a difference for a struggling Ducks’ team. Even though expectations are low for Eaves, the 34-year-old veteran had a 32-goal season in 2016-17 and is capable of sparking the offense. “It’s hard to put any expectations on him other than, hopefully, he survives, gets through it and gets his feet underneath him,” Coach Randy Carlyle said. “It’s going to take him some time, so I’m going to withhold my assessment until maybe after the next game.”