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Harri Sateri

Snapshots: Three Stars, Plekanec, Talbot

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Evgeni Malkin took home the top honors among the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week, after scoring six goals and eight points in just three games. Malkin is turning it on at the right time for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who now find themselves in a Metropolitan playoff spot for the time being.

Amazingly, goaltender Harri Sateri garnered the second star of the week after stopping 88 of 93 shots in his three starts. For the Florida Panthers, who’ve dealt with injuries to Roberto Luongo and James Reimer all season, Sateri’s emergence has been a welcome sight. Not so is the third star, Reilly Smith, who the Panthers sent to the Vegas Golden Knights in the offseason only to see him come into his own offensively. Smith had five points in four games last week and needs just ten more to match his career-high of 51. The 26-year old is a whopping +25 on the season, trailing only teammate William Karlsson (+28) and Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (+27) for the league lead.

  • In Montreal, Tomas Plekanec remains one of the interesting players to watch for the Canadiens as he heads towards unrestricted free agency at the end of the year. In a frustrated column for Sportsnet, Eric Engels writes that Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin should be shown the door if he doesn’t trade Plekanec for something at the upcoming deadline. Engels doesn’t totally disagree with the idea of bringing Plekanec back next season, but posits that the team absolutely has to get an asset out of his expiring deal this year. Vegas, Tampa Bay, Columbus, and San Jose are all examined as potential landing spots for the 35-year old center, who has seen his offensive production fall off a cliff in recent years. Plekanec has also been linked to the Pittsburgh Penguins as an ideal fit for their third line.
  • One veteran center with a more certain future than Plekanec is 11-year NHL veteran Max Talbot, who is now playing overseas with the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Talbot isn’t making an NHL comeback, but he isn’t retiring either. Talbot has earned a one-year extension from Lokomotiv, the KHL announced today. Talbot has served as an alternate captain for Yaroslavl for two years now and had the best offensive season of his career – NHL or otherwise – last season and has shown no sign of slowing down. While the reliable two-way forward won’t be suiting up for Team Canada at the Olympics, he remains one of the best North American skaters not playing in the NHL and Lokomotiv was wise to retain the services of their experienced import.

James Reimer Out Weeks With Lower Body Injury

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When the Florida Panthers recalled first-year goalie Samuel Montembeault yesterday to join fellow rookie keeper Harri Sateri, it was only a matter of time before the news came out about what injury had forced starter James Reimer to join the Panthers’ other dinged up veteran, Roberto Luongo, on the sidelines. That announcement came today, as head coach Bob Boughner told the media that Reimer will be out “a few weeks” with a pulled groin.

It’s more bad luck and tough timing for Florida, who will now have a hard time staying relevant in the Eastern Conference behind two goalies with a combined three games of NHL experience. The Cats are already 11 points outside of a wild card spot and, despite being fourth in points percentage in the Atlantic, are even farther behind for a divisional berth. Health in net has been no small factor, as both Luongo – out with a lower body injury of his own since December – and Reimer have missed time this season. In fact, the duo have only both been healthy for 21 of Florida’s 46 games. However, this will be the first time that both could be out for an extended period of time. Boughner did state today that he hopes Luongo back in practice next week, but stopped short of predicting his return to game action.

In the meantime, the bulk of the net action will fall to Sateri, beginning with the start tonight against the Metropolitan-leading Washington Capitals. Sateri, 28, isn’t your typical rookie. The Finnish journeyman returned to North America on a two-way deal with Florida following three seasons in the KHL. Prior to that, Sateri played four seasons with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks after being selected by San Jose in the fourth round in 2008 out of the Finnish Liiga. Montembeault, on the other hand, is a true rookie; the 21-year-old is in his first season out of the QMJHL after being selected by the Panthers in the third round in 2015.

Injury Updates: Luongo, Manning, Fleury

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It looked bad when Roberto Luongo was forced out of Monday’s game with an apparent lower-body injury, and the update won’t be very comforting to Florida Panthers fans. Head coach Bob Boughner told reporters that Luongo will miss an “extended period of time,” going as far as claiming five weeks could be a possibility. The Panthers wouldn’t confirm what the injury exactly is, though it’s believed to be the goaltender’s groin.

The 38-year old was playing exceptional this season, and carries a .928 save percentage on the season. While his play hasn’t suffered, injury was always a risk for a goaltender at his age as he showed by missing a large chunk of the season last year, and already being held out with a hand injury in the early going this season. The Panthers will turn to James Reimer and Harri Sateri for the time being, who will have to try and turn things around to keep the team in the playoff race. Florida currently sits seventh in the Atlantic, with just 24 points through 27 games.

Minor Transactions: 12/06/17

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As always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves around the league today. One thing to keep an eye out for is teams releasing young players for the World Juniors, though it’s not clear if it will happen for anyone this year. Clayton Keller, Jesper Bratt and others have already been skipped over.

Snapshots: Athanasiou, Sateri, Blackhawks

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Andreas Athanasiou is back. The 23-year old forward that has spent the last few weeks holding out for a new contract, was on the ice for the Detroit Red Wings today, practicing with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm. While there’s no clear indication when Athanasiou will get back into the lineup, it was a promising sign to have him working with the team.

After a summer that was filled with speculation, rumor and intrigue, the Red Wings will welcome back their talented young sniper. Athanasiou has excellent speed and skill, and had just scratched the surface of his offensive potential last season, scoring 18 goals and 29 points. That number could increase this year even with the lost time, especially if given plenty of powerplay opportunities. The Red Wings, now losers of five straight, could use some offensive punch. They’ve scored just one goal in their last two games.

  • Harri Sateri has been sent back to the AHL by the Florida Panthers, after the team claimed Antti Niemi off waivers yesterday. The 27-year old Sateri didn’t get into a game, and has a slow start in his return to North America. Originally a draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, Sateri left for the KHL in 2014 where he found immediate success. Earlier this summer he turned down an extension with his KHL club in order to try and secure and NHL job, and eventually signed a two-way deal with Florida to essentially be their #3. With a .859 save percentage in the AHL, and now Niemi in the fold, he’ll have to play better if he wants to get a crack at a full-time NHL role (even as a backup) down the road.
  • Shane Doan has found the next chapter in his NHL career, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the former Arizona Coyotes’ captain will join the league’s Hockey Operations group. Working with Colin Campbell, Doan will follow the path set out by other former players like Brendan Shanahan and Rob Blake. Shanahan and Blake of course are now running franchises in Toronto and Los Angeles.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have made quite a few moves over the years to get their core group under the salary cap, but perhaps never so many as this offseason. The team saw Artemi Panarin, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marcus Kruger, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Scott Darling all leave through trade, Brian Campbell retire and of course Marian Hossa kept out with a chronic skin condition. That’s a lot of talent to have leave in one offseason, but as GM Stan Bowman tells Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, he’s pretty happy with how it’s turned out. Chicago is 5-3-2 so far this season, but on most nights still look like a team that could compete for the Stanley Cup. In terms of improvement, Chicago doesn’t have to make a deal, as they have talented players sitting in the press box or AHL most nights. Or, as Bowman puts it: “I’m not, like, itching to make a trade.”

Florida’s Roberto Luongo Placed On IR

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Florida Panther goaltender Roberto Luongo was placed on injured reserve Saturday after suffering an injury to his right hand in 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to Matthew DeFranks of the Sun Sentinel. He left the game after getting injured in the third period, forcing backup James Reimer to take over for the remainder of the game. Reimer finished the game allowing one goal on 12 shots. The injury happened when Pittsburgh’s Conor Sheary sped by and Luongo got his hand caught between him and the goalpost.

The 38-year-old goaltender has struggled early on in the season in four starts. His 3.55 GAA, despite the small sample size, has been disappointing, especially after a down year a season ago when he had a 2.68 GAA.

Now, Reimer will take over in net for the time being. The 29-year-old backup split much of last season with Luongo as Reimer made 42 appearances and often outplayed the veteran. Reimer finished last year with a 2.53 GAA, but a respectable .920 save percentage. This year, Reimer has made three appearances with a 4.11 GAA and a .880 save percentage.

The team already recalled Harri Sateri from the Springfield Thunderbirds this morning. The 27-year-old signed with Florida this offseason after spending the last three years playing in the KHL.

East Notes: Kane, Sateri, Flyers, O’Gara

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Despite a very strong start to the season, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested during an interview with WGR 550 in Buffalo (audio link) that the Sabres are unlikely to re-sign pending UFA winger Evander Kane.  However, it doesn’t appear that GM Jason Botterill is actively shopping him either at this time.  Kane has ten points through eight games and keeping up anywhere near close to that pace should set him up well to hit the open market.  That said, Dreger noted that even though the 26-year-old could on pace for a career season, he still could be in tough to land a long-term contract given some of the concerns surrounding him that have come up over the years.

Elsewhere around the East:

  • The Panthers have recalled goaltender Harri Sateri from Springfield of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions page. He will serve as insurance for Roberto Luongo, who left Friday’s game against the Penguins with a hand injury and is questionable for tonight versus Washington.  The 27-year-old is off to a rough start this season with a 4.51 GAA and a .859 SV% in a pair of games in the AHL; it’s his first season back in North America since 2013-14 when he was with the Sharks organization.
  • Flyers forward Jordan Weal missed his second straight game today due to an upper-body injury. GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) that he is listed as day-to-day.  Weal is off to a strong start in his first full NHL season with a goal and three assists through six games.  Also listed as day-to-day is winger Taylor Leier who is dealing with an upper-body issue of his own.
  • The Bruins announced that they have recalled defenseman Rob O’Gara from AHL Providence on an emergency basis. He will play tonight if blueliner Kevan Miller, who left practice early yesterday after taking a puck off his knee and is listed as a game-time decision, can’t go.  O’Gara has played in three games at the minor league level this season, picking up an assist and also got into three contests with Boston last year.

Waivers & Recalls: 09/28/17

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Waivers are coming fast and furious as teams have to have their final rosters submitted by the evening of Tuesday, October 3rd. After Jordan Nolan was claimed a couple of days ago, everyone on waivers yesterday cleared. Here is the list from today thanks to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, which contains quite a bit of NHL experience.

Waivers:

Scott Sabourin (ANA)
Corey Tropp (ANA)
Sam Carrick (ANA)
Steve Oleksy (ANA)
Mike Liambas (ANA)
Jeremy Smith (CAR)
Jake Chelios (CAR)
Trevor Carrick (CAR)
Brad Malone (EDM)
Harri Sateri (FLA)
Chris Terry (MTL)
Matt Puempel (NYR)
Andrew Hammond (OTT)
Tom Sestito (PIT)

There are also bound to be a few recalls over the next few days, as injuries and poor performance lead teams to reconsider their original decisions.

Recalled:

Nikita Scherbak (MTL)
Alex Lyon (PHI)
Jacob Middleton (SJS)
Nick DeSimone (SJS)

Harri Sateri Turns Down KHL Offer; Looking For NHL Deal

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According to Finnish news outlet Iltalehti, Harri Sateri has turned down an extension with HC Vityaz of the KHL and wants to return to North America for a chance to play in the NHL. Sateri just finished a run at the World Championships in the Finnish net, recording a .916 save percentage.

Unlike many other European goaltenders, Sateri actually has some North American experience to stand on as he looks for an NHL job. The 27-year old was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, and played parts of four seasons in the AHL before heading to Russia. After three very successful seasons for Vityaz, it may be time for the 6’1″ goalie to return.

Sateri represents an interesting option for teams looking for a relatively inexpensive backup, as though he’ll be free to sign with whoever he wants for as much as they offer him, his market is likely not booming. He does though provide some upside, as his .929 save percentage in the KHL the past two seasons has shown. Remember though that the KHL have generally higher save percentages than the NHL, with Sateri actually only ranking 14th among goaltenders who played at least 25 games.

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