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Jack Eichel

Buffalo Sabres To Name Captain Prior To Regular Season

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The Buffalo Sabres haven’t officially had a captain since just prior to this season when they stripped the title from the injured Jack Eichel prior to an early-season trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. That year-long absence will come to an end soon, though, as newly-extended general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters today that the team will announce their leadership group for 2022-23, including a team captain, prior to the regular season.

As mentioned by The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski in the linked story above, veteran winger Kyle Okposo is the leading candidate for the role, supported by rumors over the offseason. Okposo had his best offensive year as a Sabre despite largely playing in a fourth-line role, cracking the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2015-16 and had 45 points, his highest total in a Sabres jersey. Forming solid chemistry with Zemgus Girgensons, also expected to be named an alternate captain as the longest-tenured Sabre, Okposo’s taken on a de facto leadership role and is becoming an integral part of the team’s voice.

While Okposo has been an alternate captain in Buffalo for the past five seasons, Alex Tuch also jumps out as an obvious candidate for the job. Acquired in the Eichel trade, the Buffalo native had 38 points in 50 games as a Sabre this past year and cemented himself as a top-six fixture.

Speaking today on the team’s leadership group, head coach Don Granato said the following:

I’ll just point out our three older, I think our three oldest guys, are Girgensons, Okposo and Craig Anderson. And they do a tremendous job. They have that presence. And they are in it, obviously, as competitors, but they really have a deep care for helping some other guys achieve more. They don’t fear that this guy might replace me. Which is very uncommon. Whether that is an unconscious thought, or a subconscious thought. Sometimes it’s hard for the older players to really, really help a guy who might replace them or take some ice time away from them. And those three guys there, they love it.

Latest On Patrick Kane

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With the Chicago Blackhawks deciding to rebuild halfway through their previous rebuild, speculation has run rampant about all-time great Patrick Kane’s future with the team. If dealt, he’d be one of the best players and biggest names traded in the past few seasons, joining blockbuster deals like the Jack Eichel and Erik Karlsson trades. However, TSN’s Darren Dreger today pumped the brakes on trade rumors, saying that Kane’s camp “remains undecided” and that any rumors at this point are purely speculative.

At 33 years old, Kane still has 100-point potential while logging heavy minutes. He hasn’t hit that mark since posting 110 points in 2018-19, but he’s stayed well above a point-per-game pace since then on a continually struggling Blackhawks squad. One of the most decorated American-born players of all time, his playing ability still remains very close to his prime.

It’s because of that fact that a potential trade seems so realistic to fans around the league. It would’ve seemed a guarantee just a few seasons ago that Kane would remain a Blackhawk for life, but as the team failed to rebuild quickly (or properly in the slightest) and management changed hands drastically, no one would blame him for not wanting to waste the last few seasons of his peak on a sinking ship.

With or without Kane, Chicago figures to be a bottom-five team next year with little doubt. Trading him could, however, end up being the difference between a top-five selection and the 2023 first overall selection, which would land them a potentially generational center in Connor Bedard.

Just one season away from unrestricted free agency, it could make a lot of sense for Chicago to deal him ahead of the season too. While they might not get as high of a return without an extension in place for Kane with his new team, it could open the door for him to return to the team in 2023-24 to potentially usher Bedard into the league if they do land the top pick.

Regardless, Kane’s choice will be an important one to watch as the offseason progresses. He’ll still command a fair bit of salary cap space even if Chicago does retain salary, unless the acquiring team wishes to pay a third team extra assets in order to retain additional salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Looking At The Impending Vegas Cap Crunch

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To say the 2021-22 season was a gigantic disappointment for the Vegas Golden Knights would also be a massive understatement. After mortgaging a large part of their future to acquire superstar center Jack Eichel, albeit for the long term, the team missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and fired head coach Peter DeBoer earlier this week.

Now, general manager Kelly McCrimmon has an arduous offseason to retool the roster and find a new head coach. Both will need significant attention, however, the Knights are already entering free agency with the pressing need to shed cap space. With a roster size of 23, the team is already in a salary deficit of about $500,000, even with the small cap increase to $82.5MM next year (CapFriendly).

While some of those players may be sent to AHL Henderson when the team is fully healthy, the team needs to make a decision on RFAs Nicolas Roy, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, and Nicolas Hague, who have all been extremely valuable to the team in their depth roles. It’s clear that unless the Knights somehow make a move to acquire significant long-term injury relief (Shea Weber?), the team needs to move on from a decent chunk of cash to be comfortable under the cap in 2022-23.

Obviously, the choice that jumps off the page is forward Evgenii Dadonov. Signed just through next season at $5MM, the veteran forward was already involved in a trade intended to dump his salary but was reversed due to his limited no-trade clause. He did hit the 20-goal mark again this year and could do so again if given good support. It’s a low-risk acquisition for teams looking for scoring depth, especially with his contract expiring at the end of the year. However, Vegas has absolutely no leverage in this situation given the failed trade in March. If that incident didn’t happen, the Knights could probably have made a decent deal involving Dadonov this offseason. They’ll likely still be able to make a trade, but it won’t involve much benefit for the team other than cap space.

Another potential option is William Karlsson. Given his offensive upside and defensive acumen, teams would probably like to have a top-six centerman under a $6MM cap hit. With the Eichel acquisition and solid play from the cheaper Chandler Stephenson, there is no longer a pressing need for Karlsson in the lineup. He had a very tough season putting pucks in the net, though, and his 40-goal 2017-18 campaign seems like decades ago for him now. He’s scored just 15, 14, and 12 goals in the past three years, and while he still puts up points, he’s signed through 2027. It would clear a tad more cap space than Dadonov, though, and the wing is more a position of need for the Knights. Yet, the relationship between Dadonov and the Knights must be considered. If the relationship is irreparably severed, the team might have no choice. That’s not to say they still couldn’t entertain the idea of moving Karlsson, however.

Lastly, there’s backup netminder Laurent Brossoit and his $2.3MM cap hit. He’s almost surely gone considering the incredibly strong play of youngster Logan Thompson down the stretch. It’s not much cap relief, though, and the team likely needs a little more wiggle room to adjust the roster as desired.

Snapshots: Eichel, Forsberg, First Overall Pick

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When the Vegas Golden Knights ended up missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, many seemed to quickly point to Jack Eichel’s somewhat lackluster 25 points in 34 games this season as part of the problem. Now, as in keeping with the story behind Vegas’ season, team president George McPhee revealed Eichel played the final six weeks of the regular season with a broken thumb after suffering the injury on March 17.

With sniper Max Pacioretty limited to 39 games and captain Mark Stone limited to 37, the Golden Knights were ravaged by injuries on an unprecedented level this season (although this year’s Canadiens also belong in that conversation). The team had just seven skaters hit the 70-game mark, and, to make matters worse, starter Robin Lehner was also limited to just 44 starts as he battled through injury this season as well. If a fully healthy Eichel (after a healthy offseason as well) returns to the Vegas lineup come October, there’s a strong chance the team will pick up where they left off at the end of 2020-21.

Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.

Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk

Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo

Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev

Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta

Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome

Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson

Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth

Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin

Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell

Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair

Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki

New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier

New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara

New York Rangers – Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg

Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle

St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko

Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz

Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn

Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase

Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn

Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel

Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey

Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom

Mark Stone Placed On LTIR; Jack Eichel To Make Season Debut

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Speaking to reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic, Vegas Golden Knights general manager confirmed what had been reported in recent days. Mark Stone is headed to long-term injured reserve with a back injury. This is notable not only because the Golden Knights will be without their captain for the next while but it also opens up enough salary cap space to activate Jack Eichel to make his season debut on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche.

McCrimmon explained that the team’s medical staff or the numerous specialists he has met with haven’t been able to determine exactly what is causing Stone’s injury, and did not have a concrete timeline for his return. That answer will certainly draw some curious glances from around the league as the team escapes the cap crunch they were facing without trading away any assets.

Still, losing Stone is no small thing. The 29-year-old forward is among the best two-way players in the game as a two-time Selke Trophy finalist and point-per-game producer. In 28 games this season–broken up by multiple absences due to his back concerns–Stone has scored eight goals and 28 points while playing a little over 18 minutes a night. Taking him out of the lineup for an extended period of time will certainly not be an ideal situation for the Golden Knights, especially as they are in no sure position in the Pacific Division

While they are in first currently, the Calgary Flames are nipping at their heels with a better points percentage and the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks are all above .500 and within striking distance. With so much time left, it’s not even a sure thing that the Golden Knights make the playoffs, let alone secure the division crown.

One way to help your case–add a $10MM center into the lineup. Eichel hasn’t played an NHL game since March 7, 2021 but is now fully healthy and ready to resume what has been a strong career so far, at least in terms of individual production. The second-overall pick in 2015, he has recorded 355 points in 375 games and scored a career-high 36 goals in 2019-20. That put him eighth in Hart Trophy voting, meaning this is a potential MVP candidate that the Golden Knights are sliding into the lineup. Sure, there will be some rust for the 25-year-old pivot, but Vegas has also never had a center like this to build around.

If the team is to bring Stone back before the playoffs, they’ll need to find a way to shed some salary. That would presumably need to be done before the March 21 deadline, so if they don’t–expect the captain to miss the rest of the regular season. Alec Martinez, the other key player on LTIR, is getting closer but there is also no clear timeline for his return just yet. Robin Lehner, who missed practice today, is out with an upper-body injury but his status for Wednesday is not yet determined.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Eichel, Blue Jackets

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The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and because that included the All-Star game, Claude Giroux has been given the top honors. The Philadelphia Flyers captain did record four points in two games before heading to Las Vegas, where he won the All-Star MVP. The speculation over whether Giroux stays in Philadelphia through the trade deadline continues, with the veteran forward explaining that there is still a lot of time left before those decisions need to be made.

Second and third place went to two players who weren’t at the event, as Mitch Marner and Mason Marchment took home second and third respectively. The Toronto Maple Leafs star had seven points in the two games before the break, scoring three more goals to keep his streak alive. While Marner isn’t known as a goal scorer, he now has tallied in each of his last six games and 14 on the year. Marchment, meanwhile, had a six-point effort on the last day of January, taking him to 23 points in 22 games this season. An undrafted forward that the Maple Leafs then Florida Panthers developed, the 6’4″ Marchment has learned to impact the game in almost every capacity.

  • Jack Eichel was on the ice at Vegas Golden Knights practice today and he was no longer wearing a non-contact jersey according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic. The injured forward still wasn’t practicing in the top-12, skating on a reserve line with Nolan Patrick and Michael Amadio, but it’s a good sign that he could be back in the coming days. Head coach Pete DeBoer suggested as much at the All-Star game, exciting Golden Knights fans and sending the rumor mill swirling again with how the team will clear the cap space.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Jake Bean, Eric Robinson, and Alexandre Texier to injured reserve, recalling Brendan Gaunce from the AHL under emergency conditions. All three players are dealing with long-term injuries that were announced over the past few weeks and aren’t expected back for a little while. The placements on IR are all retroactive as well–Bean to January 30, Robinson to January 31, and Texier to January 26.

Latest On Jack Eichel’s Recovery Timeline

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The Vegas Golden Knights will be represented well at this weekend’s All-Star Game, with Jonathan Marchessault joining Mark Stone and Alex Pietrangelo at the hometown event. There’s another star player who has stolen the headlines today though, as Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Jack Eichel could be cleared for contact after the break.

Eichel, recovering from artificial disk replacement surgery in November, was originally given an aggressive three-month timeline to return to action. When he was spotted on the ice just a few weeks after surgery it appeared as though it would be possible and now it seems his return is right around the corner.

Obviously, there are still the normal caveats that come with any player returning from injury, but Eichel’s Golden Knights debut will likely come with even more caution and patience because of his position as the first NHL player to receive this procedure. Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson, who underwent the same surgery in December, is expected back in March according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, which would be along the same three-month timetable.

DeBoer even went so far as to say that Eichel has been the best player on the ice at some recent practices, a dream scenario for the Golden Knights after taking a substantial risk in acquiring him earlier this season. The hope is that Eichel can return to full strength quickly and become a game-changing center at the top of the Vegas lineup, but that certainly is no guarantee after he missed so much time waiting for surgery. The 25-year-old’s last NHL game was played on March 7, 2021.

Vegas’ Stephenson, Coghlan Land In COVID Protocol

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As the Vegas Golden Knights take the ice in Tampa tonight to square off with the Lightning, the team will be without a pair of players. Vegas has announced that forward Chandler Stephenson and defenseman Dylan Coghlan have been placed in the NHL’s COVID Protocol. The team has only indicated that Stephenson and Coghlan would miss Saturday’s game, but like any COVID situation the absences could last longer.

An immediate impact will be felt on the Knights’ top line, where Stephenson will be replaced by Nolan Patrick for the time being. Though Patrick was once a top prospect, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, while Stephenson was a role player for much of his early career, this is a significant drop-off for Vegas. Stephenson currently leads the team in scoring with 38 points and is tied for second with a dozen goals. He leads all forwards in ice time, plays on the top power play and penalty kill units, and is the go-to faceoff man. Patrick, on the other hand, is still trying to find his footing in Vegas (and the NHL overall). He has played in just 14 games and served in a limited role. There is hope though, should Stephenson miss extended time; Patrick’s underlying possession numbers are very strong – the best in Vegas – and he has managed five points and a team-best face-off mark despite his minor role. With more ice time and supporting talent, this could be the jolt that Patrick needs to get back on track.

As for the versatile Coghlan, Vegas will be missing a key cog in the wheel. Coghlan has played in 35 games and has recorded 11 points as well as some impressive possession numbers. The Golden Knights will miss their plug-and-play specialist, who can make a difference anywhere in the lineup and anywhere on the ice.

Though Vegas technically sits second in the Pacific Division, they in fact hold the best record in the division with a .602 points percentage. That is not to say that the Knights are comfortable though. Just .038 percentage points separate the top five teams in the Pacific, with the Flames, Ducks, Kings, and Oilers right behind the Knights. If the playoffs started today, only four teams would come out of the Pacific, so Vegas is that close to being outside the postseason picture entirely. The hope is that Stephenson and Coghlan, as well as Alec Martinez and Jack Eichel, can return sooner rather than later. Following match-ups with Tampa and the Buffalo Sabres, the Knights have a long break. However, that is followed by a critical stretch of games against Edmonton, Calgary, Colorado, and Los Angeles. It’s crunch time for Vegas.

Snapshots: Eichel, Jones, Stalock

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Jack Eichel was on the ice at practice today for the Vegas Golden Knights, not even two months since undergoing artificial disk replacement surgery. At the time, Eichel was given a three-month recovery timeline and when speaking with the media today, he said he feels like everything is going well.

The recovery to be completely honest was pretty smooth. I was pretty fortunate to be in the hands of Dr. Mark Lindsay and I just let him do what he does best. We had a good plan all along and–knock-on-wood–there weren’t any setbacks. It felt like the first few weeks I was getting used to how I felt, the next few weeks it was like ’okay I’m starting to feel better.’ The last few weeks I feel really good now, I basically feel back to normal. 

With Max Pacioretty out, the Golden Knights have options for how to play the cap when Eichel is ready to return. It could still precipitate a trade of some sort, but suddenly a first-place Vegas squad appears to be close to adding a top-line center to the mix. Eichel hasn’t played since March 7, 2021, but scored 355 points in his first 375 games in the league.

  • When Seth Jones was not available to the media following morning skate, a few eyebrows were raised given the situation. The star defenseman was set to play in Columbus tonight for the first time since the offseason trade, but that now is in jeopardy. Though the team hasn’t officially announced his placement in the COVID protocol yet, he is no longer listed on the Blackhawks official roster and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Jones tested positive for coronavirus. The team is likely waiting for the result to be confirmed, but it looks like Jones may not get to face his old mates after all. (UPDATE: The Blackhawks have officially announced Jones’ placement in the protocol, along with another staff member. He will not play tonight.)
  • Alex Stalock, who has missed the entire season so far with a heart condition, is attempting a comeback according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. He will report to the Bakersfield Condors where he’ll take a physical, but he would need to clear waivers in order to be officially assigned to the minor league club (though a conditioning stint may be possible in this case). The Edmonton Oilers netminder was claimed off waivers last March but still hasn’t actually played for the club. In his career, he has a .909 save percentage in 151 appearances.

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