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Kris Letang, Tristan Jarry Named To Metropolitan All-Star Team

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The NHL’s 2020 All-Star roster announcement on December 30th was poor timing when it came to the Metropolitan Division squad. The following day, it was announced that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo had undergone surgery on his right knee following an injury in his previous game and would require a four-to-six week recovery period, all but ruling him out for All-Star festivities. Within hours, it was reported that his would be All-Star teammate, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, would require surgery on his shoulder for an injury that he too had just suffered in his last game would miss four-to-six months. Neither player would be available in St. Louis and the Metropolitan team would need replacements.

With Guentzel out, the Pittsburgh Penguins – who have missed more man-games than any team in the NHL this season – were without an All-Star representative. The NHL has now rectified that situation. The league has announced that breakout goaltender Tristan Jarry and veteran defenseman Kris Letang have been named the substitutes for Guentzel and Korpisalo at the All-Star Game and Skills Competition.

Jarry, who made just two NHL appearances last year and has less than 50 games to his credit through five pro seasons, is nevertheless worthy of an All-Star nod in recognition of his play this season. Jarry has been dominant by any measure through 20 games with the Penguins, to the point that he has supplanted incumbent Matt Murray as the team’s starter. At this point in time, Jarry holds the league’s best numbers across the board with a .935 save percentage, a stunning 1.99 GAA, and three shutouts to boot. Jarry looks to be developing into the real deal and this may end up being the first of many All-Star appearances for the young netminder.

Letang, a five-time All-Star, is a good choice for recognition any year, but has really stepped up offensively in the wake of many injuries for the Penguins, including long absences for both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Letang is on pace for a career-high 22 goals to go along with 57 points, despite the fact that he too missed eight games due to injury. Letang is as dynamic a talent on the back end as any defenseman in the league and will be a major asset for the Metropolitan squad in both skills contests and 3-on-3.

Metropolitan Notes: New Jersey, Andersson, Fines

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The New Jersey Devils have played better under new head coach Alain Nasreddine, going 5-6-2 after today’s shootout win against the Boston Bruins. Even if the playoffs are an unlikely goal at this point, they may still be looking at upgrades on the trade market. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that he believes New Jersey is “considering” some of the excess defensemen that the Buffalo Sabres have been trying to trade.

Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian are the names that have been speculated on most over the last few months, though it’s not clear exactly who the Devils would be after. The Sabres have eight legitimate NHL options, not even including names like Lawrence Pilut and John Gilmour who are currently in the minor leagues.

  • Friedman also writes that New York Rangers prospect Lias Andersson is back in Sweden again after recent reports that he was in North America after the holidays. The young forward left the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this month and was subsequently suspended, after requesting a trade out of the organization. Friedman suggests that the Rangers are treating Andersson just like the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars with their own discontented players, still valuing them as “young former first-rounders”—whatever that exactly means—in trade talks.
  • Evgeni Malkin earned himself a $5,000 fine for high-sticking Jean-Gabriel Pageau last night, not the first time he’s been disciplined for hitting someone in the head/neck area with his stick. Pageau earned his own $2,500 fine for roughing during the incident.

Minor Transactions: 12/13/19

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After a busy Thursday only two games are on the NHL schedule for this evening, but both bring about some intrigue. The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights battle over wild card seeding, while the Colorado Avalanche get an up close viewing of the top trade deadline prize when Taylor Hall and the New Jersey Devils come to town. As teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Arizona Coyotes recalled Brayden Burke last night for the first time in his short professional career. The 22-year old was an undrafted free agent signing in 2018 by the Coyotes and has put it all together this season, scoring 24 points in 24 games for the Tucson Roadrunners.
  • Joseph Blandisi has been returned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, which bodes well for Evgeni Malkin’s status going into the weekend. Malkin missed last night’s contest with an illness, but the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to grind out a 1-0 win anyway.
  • The St. Louis Blues have sent Austin Poganski back to the AHL, after Oskar Sundqvist made his triumphant return last night. With Alex Steen and Zach Sanford also getting healthier, the Blues don’t have enough room to keep the waiver-exempt Poganski around.
  • Madison Bowey has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings after Jonathan Ericsson suffered an injury last night. Bowey cleared waivers recently and was sent to the minor leagues, where he had played in just one game.
  • After Eric Staal was deemed healthy enough to play last night, the Minnesota Wild have sent Gerald Mayhew back to the AHL. Mayhew is still one of the minor league’s most dangerous goal scorers, with 14 in 22 games this season for the Iowa Wild.
  • Matthew Phillips has been returned to the Stockton Heat of the AHL without getting into an NHL game. The 21-year old forward has taken a huge jump in his development this season and is a real option for the Calgary Flames moving forward.
  • Guillaume Brisebois has been recalled by the Vancouver Canucks, as they send Jalen Chatfield back down. Chatfield has yet to make his NHL debut and has just one point in 18 games for the Utica Comets.
  • Nico Hischier has been activated off injured reserve by the New Jersey Devils, meaning Colton White is on his way back to the AHL. White hasn’t played in a game with the team this season, but did earn some NHL pay during his latest week in the league.
  • Ryan Poehling is back. The Montreal Canadiens have completed a transaction with the young forward for the third consecutive day, this time recalling him from the minor leagues.
  • With Trevor Moore approaching a return for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team has sent Nic Petan to the minors. Petan has already cleared waivers earlier this season, and though he was being used regularly under new head coach Sheldon Keefe, he’ll be the odd man out.

Penguins Activate Evgeni Malkin From Injured Reserve

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to get their other superstar center back in action. The team has announced that Evgeni Malkin has been activated from the injured reserve. The expectation is that Malkin will be ready to suit up when the Penguins face the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Malkin has missed all but two games so far this season with an undisclosed leg injury and has just one point to show for the young campaign. The 33-year-old pivot’s 11-game absence has him on pace for a maximum 71 games this season, but it’s very likely that this will be another sub-70 game season for Malkin. Since 2012 he has only cracked the 70-game mark once, as injuries have been a consistent presence. In that one healthy season, Malkin recorded 98 points, the closest he has come to cracking 100 points as he did three times in his first six NHL seasons. Whereas his maximum point total in the other five seasons since 2012 has been 72 points. Malkin has still been one of the game’s more dominant offensive players for more than a decade now, but Penguins fans should probably temper their expectations of what to expect for the rest of the year from Malkin, who is likely in for another 70-odd point season at best.

With Malkin returning to the lineup, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Mike DeFabo writes that Dominik Kahun is the most likely candidate to take a seat. It’s amazing to think that the Penguins are now to the point that they are benching a capable, young trade acquisition when not long ago they were forced to play defenseman Juuso Riikola at forward due to an onslaught of injuries up front. Pittsburgh managed to go 7-4-0 without Malkin, while Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad, and Jared McCann were all among those who have missed time during that stretch as well. Back at full strength finally, the Penguins will face a tough decision each night as to who to play, with Kahun looking like the first casualty.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Seidenberg, Malkin

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and once again a member of the Boston Bruins top line headlines the group. This time it’s Brad Marchand’s turn after he recorded eight points in three games. Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron has been absolutely devastating this season with 54 combined points through their first 11 games. No other Bruins forward has more than four points this year.

The second and third spots were given to Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators and Brian Elliott of the Philadelphia Flyers respectively after similarly outstanding weeks. Josi put up six points in three games from the Nashville blueline, while Elliott has seemingly resurrected his career in Philadelphia with a 3-0 record last week.

  • After announcing his retirement recently, Dennis Seidenberg will remain with the New York Islanders organization in their player development department. The 38-year old was a sixth-round pick in 2001 but worked his way to the NHL and lasted for nearly 900 games, winning a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.
  • Not only did Evgeni Malkin return to practice today for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but even shed his non-contact jersey at one point and is now targeting Saturday night as his potential first game back from injury, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That would be an incredible return for the superstar forward after suffering the lower-body injury just three weeks ago. It’s not only Malkin who will return soon for the Penguins, who are finally getting healthy enough to really show what they are capable of this season.

Injury Updates: Devils, Gunnarsson, Malkin, Radil

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The Devils received some good news and bad news on the injury front when it comes to their back end.  Andy Greene told Amanda Stein (Twitter link) that he’s nearing a return after suffering an upper-body injury in the third game of their season.  He skated at practice but still needs to meet with team doctors before getting the green light to return.

Meanwhile, they’ll be down another blueliner for Saturday’s contest against Vancouver as the Devils announced (via Twitter) that Will Butcher has been ruled out after sustaining an undisclosed injury on Thursday night.  The 24-year-old is off to a quiet start to his season offensively with just a single goal in seven games.  Connor Carrick will likely return in Butcher’s absence.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson left Thursday’s game early due to a lower-body issue, one that will keep him out of the lineup for Saturday’s contest against Montreal, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Head coach Craig Berube stated that the veteran is listed as day-to-day.  St. Louis has seven blueliners on the active roster so no recall is needed which is important considering they have less than $200K in cap room.
  • Penguins center Evgeni Malkin skated for the first time since suffering a lower-body issue in the second game of the season, reports Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He’s currently on long-term injury reserve so he still has to miss 10 games or 24 days but the fact that he is back on skates is certainly a promising sign for Pittsburgh.
  • Sharks winger Lukas Radil is questionable for Saturday’s game due to an illness, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). If he’s unavailable and Marcus Sorensen is unable to return, San Jose will be down to 11 forwards on their roster and may have to reserve today’s assignment of Danil Yurtaykin to the minors.

Penguins Notes: Trade Market, Ho-Sang, Malkin

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Over the weekend, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed the sentiment from Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford that he is “not really that excited” about the names available on the trade market. It’s an echo of comments that the veteran executive made this summer about teams being unwilling to part with value or make a deal that he felt was a fair swap. The Penguins entered the season with a surplus of defensemen and a shortage of cap space, hoping to make a deal from their depth. That need to make a trade has only been exasperated by both injuries to the forward corps as well as the unexpected emergence of John Marino as an affordable NHL option on the blue line. Rutherford remains on the hunt for a trade, but thus far to no avail.

With that said, the equilibrium of the trade market shifted today with the announcement by the Arizona Coyotes that dependable defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson would be missing three months with a broken leg. The timing could not have been better for the Penguins, as Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that Arizona management was on hand in Winnipeg to watch the Jets host the Pens on Sunday ahead of their own match-up on Tuesday. The ‘Yotes are now another team that could be interested in acquiring a Penguins defenseman, particularly as they need to replace the solid defensive play of Hjalmarsson. Stay-at-home defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who was a healthy scratch for the Penguins last game, is one of the names available and would seemingly be a good fit in the desert. Arizona could also be interested in a cheaper addition like veteran Chad Ruhwedel or young Juuso Riikola. Of course, the player that most Penguins fans would like to be rid of is Jack Johnson – and the four years and $13MM remaining on his contract – but it remains a long shot that Pittsburgh will be able to trade Johnson without giving up another valuable piece of their own, whether they are dealing with Arizona or otherwise.

  • Another deviation from Rutherford’s comments comes in the form of a report that he has taken a liking to an available player. Dan Kingerski or Pittsburgh Hockey Now cites a league source that says the Penguins have talked to the New York Islanders about ostracized young forward Josh Ho-Sang. Ho-Sang has struggled to find a role with New York early in his pro career and after once again failing to make the team out of camp, he was instructed by GM Lou Lamoriello not to report to the AHL, but instead to wait for the team to find him a new home via trade. On one hand, the Islanders’ willingness to move Ho-Sang and the fact that he was already available on waivers this season means that the asking price is likely low. On the other hand, this means that Rutherford could solve his need for help up front, but would be unlikely to find a taker of one of his defensemen in the Islanders. Ho-Sang would be a good fit in Pittsburgh as a player with NHL experience and skill who can move back and forth between the AHL. However, it remains to be seen if Rutherford is willing to make a trade where one of his nine NHL defensemen aren’t headed the other way.
  • The timeline for Evgeni Malkin’s return from injury remains “uncertain”, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston this weekend. Malkin was injured when he went down awkwardly after a hit earlier this month and the Penguins have not updated his status with any concrete timeline. Johnston expects that Malkin will be out at least a month, dating back to when the injury occurred, which means there is hope he could return in early November. This would be the best-case scenario however and Pittsburgh is unlikely to rush him back, even in light of the three other regular forwards currently shelved by injuries. Malkin was not himself at times last year and his 21 goals in 68 games was far from the expectation. The Penguins would likely rather he take his time with recovery and get back to full strength before the second half and hopeful playoff run.

Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad Out “Longer-Term”

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4:15pm: Both Malkin and Bjugstad have been placed on injured reserve. In their place the Penguins have recalled Sam Lafferty and Andrew Agozzino under emergency conditions from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Malkin suffered a soft tissue injury and is expected to be out at least a month.

11:45am: The Pittsburgh Penguins have already been dealt a debilitating blow in their quest for a Metropolitan Division playoff spot. Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad will both be out “longer term” with injuries according to head coach Mike Sullivan, though he did confirm that Malkin’s is not expected to be a season-ending one. Even if it doesn’t put him on the shelf all year, losing Malkin for a long period of the season is a huge hit to the Penguins’ chances, as they were hoping for a strong bounce-back season from the veteran center.

Malkin was injured when he was hit by Columbus Blue Jackets defender Vladislav Gavrikov and pinned up against the boards on Saturday. He suffered a lower-body injury and will have to watch from the press box as Pittsburgh tries to stay afloat. The 33-year old center recorded just 21 goals last season, the fewest he’s ever had in a year in which he played more than 50 games. That still came with 51 assists to give him 72 points in just 68 games, but by all accounts his season wasn’t up to the standard he had set previously. After working hard to re-establish his mental state this summer, Malkin and the Penguins had big plans for this year with an eye on the playoffs. That resolve will certainly be tested now.

Without Malkin and Bjugstad in the lineup, the Penguins had Jared McCann in the second-line center role between Alex Galchenyuk and Brandon Tanev, a unit that will need to find another level of production if the team is to succeed. It certainly seemed on Saturday like McCann was ready for the challenge, recording three points including the game-winning goal in a 7-2 demolition of the Blue Jackets. The 23-year old forward had previously only ever recorded three points in a single game once in his career, but will certainly get the opportunity for more of that success if he’s moved higher in the lineup.

Snapshots: Malkin, Kase, Fiala

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Evgeni Malkin has been the target of trade rumors for years now, but after they perked up again following a disappointing 2018-19 season he’s hoping to put them behind him. In an incredible piece that delves into Malkin’s home life and the relationship he has had with teammates (including a spotlight on Phil Kessel) and coaches, Rob Rossi of The Athletic (subscription required) also got an idea of what the big Pittsburgh Penguins forward hopes his future holds:

It’s (a) huge next three years. I still want to play 100 percent — and sign (for) three more years with Pittsburgh.

Malkin’s current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2022, when he will be 35 (turning 36). That would mean another contract would be of the 35+ variety, adding some risk for the Penguins should Malkin decide to retire at any point during it. While that’s a long way away, you can bet GM Jim Rutherford has already contemplated his actions down the road in regards to the franchise icon.

  • With a Justin Faulk trade still being discussed between the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, Sara Civian of The Athletic confirms previous reports that Ondrej Kase would be involved. That news has surprised some other teams around the league according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that Kase was unavailable in trade talks for a long time and suggests his new availability may be linked to health concerns. Kase has never played a full 82-game season in the NHL and actually has just 149 games to his name at this point in his career. Still, the 23-year old forward has shown an ability to score goals at a strong rate and could be a nice addition for the Hurricanes.
  • Kevin Fiala remains unsigned, but Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin hopes his talented young forward is in town for training camp when it starts in a few days. Guerin told The Athletic (subscription required) that the team has made a “fair offer” to Fiala and that the 23-year old is now deciding. Fiala came to the Wild from the Nashville Predators last season and put up seven points in 19 games down the stretch, but has shown flashes of top-line offensive potential in the past and could be a huge part of the turnaround in Minnesota.

Metropolitan Notes: Namestnikov, Brown, Werenski, Siegenthaler, Malkin

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While a buyout of one of the New York Rangers defensemen seems like a popular option to fix the fact that the team is currently projected to be over the salary cap after New York paid out $19.65MM AAV for both Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba, there are still other options that might make even more sense.

With plenty of rumors that New York could choose to buyout Kevin Shattenkirk, Brendan Smith or Marc Staal when their buyout window opens on Monday, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that the team might be better off saving their future cap room from carrying extra dead weight. One way to do that is move forward Vladislav Namestnikov, who carries a $4MM cap hit this year before becoming a unrestricted free agent. While teams might have shown little interest in the 26-year-old who scored just 11 goals last season, one better option would be to retain some of his salary, which could easily make him a more attractive trade option and wouldn’t cost the team future cap costs. Namestnikov is only one year removed from a 22-goal, 48-point season.

  • Sticking with the Rangers, the team announced the passing of former great Arnie Brown Saturday. The defenseman died at the age of 77, but played a total of 12 seasons for five different teams, but made his mark with New York after playing seven seasons (from 1964-1971) for the franchise and is listed among the top 100 players in Rangers history. Brown played 681 games over the course of his career, posting 44 goals and 185 points. Everyone at PHR wishes the best for the family and friends of Brown at this time.
  • The Columbus Dispatch’s Michael Arace writes that little progress has been made between the Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agent Zach Werenski. While the team hopes that it can lock up the 22-year-old to a long-term deal, there is always the possibility that Werenski could be a training camp holdout if the two sides can’t find an equitable arrangement. Blue Jackets fans have already seen that as several players, including Josh Anderson and Ryan Johansen have done that in past seasons. Werenski has proven to be a top pairing defenseman, having tallied 38 goals and 128 points over the course of three seasons. With key losses this offseason of Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene, the team could benefit if they can convince Werenski to sign long-term.
  • After signing defenseman Christian Djoos and forward Chandler Stephenson to one-year deals last week, the Washington Capitals once again find themselves over the salary cap by $1.3MM. While one option to reduce their cap hit would be to send Jonas Siegenthaler to the AHL like the team did last year, NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan writes that won’t be possible. While Siegenthaler is still waiver exempt, the team only has seven NHL defensemen under contract and even if they felt that Tyler Lewington could be the team’s seventh defenseman, he wouldn’t save the team a significant amount of money to make the move worth it. Unfortunately for general manager Brian MacLellan, the team will have to make a different move this year to get under the cap.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) looks at candidates who could bounce back from disappointing seasons and marks Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin as a player who should return to his 90-point ways. The 32-year-old went from a 42-goal season in 2017-18 to half that total last year (21 goals) and went from 98 points to 72. Burnside writes that the team will need more goal scoring after losing Phil Kessel and Malkin will be looked to even more to fill that gap.

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