Jamie Benn

Dallas Stars Sign Curtis McKenzie To One-Year Extension

By Gavin Lee | at March 10, 2017 10:32 am

The Stars have completed their expansion draft protection, signing Curtis McKenzie to a one-year, $700K extension. They also have announced a two-year entry-level deal for goaltending prospect Landon Bow. Both contracts will begin during the 2017-18 season.

As we predicted when the Stars extended Adam Cracknell earlier this week, McKenzie was the obvious choice for the Stars to extend and fulfill their expansion draft requirements up front. While Brett Ritchie or Radek Faksa could have been exposed to cover the requirements, both will likely be protected by the team. They now have Cracknell, McKenzie and Dan Hamhuis as expansion draft fodder that fill the 70/40 requirement.

McKenzie has played 43 games for the team this season, recording 11 points and 67 penalty minutes. His fourth-line role has been expanded slightly of late after the Stars shipped Patrick Eaves and Lauri Korpikoski out of town at the deadline. Whether he continues in that role next season is still to be determined, but he’ll benefit from the expansion draft with some guaranteed money. The 26-year old actually has two game-winning goals this season, and does have a bit of offensive upside to his game.

In his first season of professional hockey in 2013-14, McKenzie broke out with 65 points in 75 AHL contests. He has followed it up with more solid minor league numbers, though his impact at the NHL level has been less noticeable. For a Stars team that will need to reload this offseason and try again while Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are in their prime, McKenzie and his relatively low cap-hit could come in handy in their bottom-six.

Bow on the other hand is a 21-year old undrafted goaltender that has split time between the ECHL and AHL this season. His numbers while in the American league are poor, but has shown at least enough ability to be an intriguing lottery ticket. Goaltenders often mature much later into their game than other positions, and Bow was exceptional in his final season of junior hockey after already being passed over in the draft. Probably nothing more than organizational filler, he at least is worth an ELC to see what he can do. The Stars need all the goaltending help they can get, as the tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi continue to struggle at the NHL level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Central Division

By Zach Leach | at March 1, 2017 8:28 pm

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the “wild” Central Division:

Winners

Chicago Blackhawks:

Acquired Tomas Jurco from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick
Acquired Johnny Oduya from Dallas Stars for conditional 2018 fourth-round pick and Mark McNeill

Of course the Blackhawks are winners on deadline day. Did you expect any less? Although they didn’t make any major moves, Chicago brought in two players via trade that can help them immediately. Oduya, a former Blackhawk, is still familiar with the system and has played with many of the current players. Oduya should be able to step in right away, play major minutes, and form a shutdown pair with Niklas Hjalmarsson (when he’s healthy). Just like the good ‘ol days. Meanwhile, like nearly any forward, Jurco has a skill set that will fit in well with Chicago’s star forwards and for just the cost of a third-rounder, could represent a long-term fit with the Blackhawks.

Dallas Stars:

Acquired conditional 2017 second-round pick from Anaheim Ducks for Patrick Eaves
Acquired 2017 fourth-round pick and Greg Pateryn from Montreal Canadiens for Jordie Benn
Acquired conditional 2018 fourth-round pick and Mark McNeill from Chicago Blackhawks for Johnny Oduya
Acquired Dillon Heatherington from Columbus Blue Jackets for Lauri Korpikoski

The Stars are a tough team to place at the 2017 deadline. They are in the midst of an unforeseen epic collapse of a season and have done well to trade their impending free agents. If Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Adam Cracknell weren’t all hurt, Dallas would be a deadline loser for not moving them. As it stands, they did hold on to Jiri Hudler, but traded their three other healthy upcoming UFAs. Eaves earned them great value in return and Korpikoski, a late off-season addition, nets a promising young defenseman in Heatherington. Even McNeill and a fourth-rounder for Oduya is a pretty good deal. So for those three moves anyway, GM Jim Nill did well. With that said, the Benn trade was ill-timed and doesn’t make your team better. Benn still had term on his contract and was the team’s best defensive defenseman and, of course, captain Jamie Benn‘s older brother. Dallas will likely regret that move. The Stars are teetering on the edge of winner and loser, but they’ve been through enough this season, so we’ll call them winners.

Minnesota Wild:

Acquired Martin Hanzal, Ryan White, and a 2017 fourth-round pick from Arizona Coyotes for 2017 first-round pick, 2018 second-round pick, conditional 2019 fourth-round pick, and Grayson Downing
Acquired “future considerations” from Arizona Coyotes for Teemu Pulkkinen

The Wild did give up a lot to get the big Coyotes pivot Hanzal. This trade could even turn out to be a disaster. For now though, Minnesota has to be a winner for going out and getting the top forward on the trade block. Many expected the Wild to be quiet at the deadline and instead they swooped in and stole Hanzal right out from underneath several other hungry contenders. The move gives Minnesota undeniable depth down the middle for the stretch run and postseason and may just make all the difference in the playoffs this time around. If the Wild win the Stanley Cup in 2017, no one will be that worried about losing three years of high picks.

St. Louis Blues:

Acquired 2017 first-round pick, conditional 2019 draft pick, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone from Washington Capitals for Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley

The hardest thing for a GM to do is to trade an impending free agent star in the middle of a playoff race. Doug Armstrong deserves a lot of credit for having the guts to move Shattenkirk with the Blues in the thick of the Western Conference wild card race. Could he have gotten more for Shattenkirk this summer or even earlier this season? Yes. However, the return he ended up getting is a strong one, especially considering the Capitals see Shattenkirk as a rental instead of a long-term investment. The 2017 pick and Sanford will help St. Louis to rebuild on the fly. After moving Shattenkirk, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see the Blues target some extra help on the blue line or use the cap space on a rental scorer, but neither of those players would put St. Louis over the top as a contender this season, so no use wasting capital.

Losers

Colorado Avalanche:

Acquired Brendan Ranford from Arizona Coyotes for Joe Whitney
Acquired conditional 2018 fourth-round pick from Los Angeles Kings for Jarome Iginla
Acquired Sven Andrighetto from the Montreal Canadiens for Andreas Martinsen

If you’re looking for the trade deadline’s biggest loser look no further; not because they held on to Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog – those are more of off-season deals – but because they held on to almost everyone else. When you’re the worst team in the league (by a mile) what reason do you have to not trade any impending free agent that has any value at all? Joe Sakic succeeded in moving Iginla, to his credit, but sat on his hands regarding a multitude of other pieces. It’s hard to believe that no one made a suitable offer for any of Blake Comeau, Joe Colborne, John Mitchell, Rene Bourque, Fedor Tyutin, or Patrick Wiercioch. If any of those players could have been moved for picks or prospects, it would have benefited the franchise. Instead, a team with just 37 points on the year will head into the 2017 NHL Draft with just seven picks.

Nashville Predators:

Acquired P.A. Parenteau from New Jersey Devils for 2017 sixth-round pick

Parenteau is a nice player and GM David Poile got him on sale due to his injury in giving away just a sixth-rounder. Nashville simply needed more at the deadline. The team has won four in a row and is playing perhaps their best hockey of the season right now. However, many expected them to be much better than their current pace. In it’s current composition, the Predators would likely be a long-shot to knock off the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs, and that’s if they can hold off the St. Louis Blues for that divisional spot. Scoring is an issue in Nashville and the team needed a bona fide top-six scorer, which Parenteau (and his 27 points) is not. If anyone was going to make a big play for an Evander Kane, Tyler Johnson, or one of Colorado’s two stars, it would have been Nashville. Instead, Poile decided to play it safe and it could come back to bite him.

Winnipeg Jets:

Acquired conditional sixth-round pick from Boston Bruins for Drew Stafford

Luckily, the Jets at least made one move at the last minute, or they would have been even bigger losers. Winnipeg is out of the playoff race and should have been all-out sellers. They don’t have much in the way of trade capital, but they certainly have more than just Stafford. Did they offer up impending UFA forward Chris Thorburn? How about cast-off goalie Ondrej Pavelec? Did they dangle Shawn Matthias? Did they push Mathieu Perreault or Toby Enstrom? It was all quiet on the Winnipeg front today. No team was less involved in the deadline than the Jets, at least until half an hour or so after it was over. It’s unclear what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff‘s plan was today, but hopefully this wasn’t it.

4 comments Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars David Poile Jim Nill Joe Sakic Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Adam Cracknell Ales Hemsky Andreas Martinsen Blake Comeau Brendan Ranford Drew Stafford Fedor Tyutin Gabriel Landeskog Jamie Benn Jarome Iginla Jiri Hudler Joe Whitney John Mitchell Johnny Oduya Jordie Benn Kevin Shattenkirk Lauri Korpikoski Mark McNeill Martin Hanzal Mathieu Perreault Matt Duchene Niklas Hjalmarsson Ondrej Pavelec Patrick Eaves Patrick Sharp Patrick Wiercioch Pheonix Copley

Expansion Draft Issues At The Trade Deadline: Forwards

By Zach Leach | at February 11, 2017 5:32 pm

This trade season is one like never before. The addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and the Expansion Draft that goes along with it add a whole other layer to trade-making this year. With each and every transaction, the expansion draft protection formula can change. Even in 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets were welcomed into the league, the expansion rules were not a strict and general managers did not have to be as paranoid about their moves. This time around, everything is different. What does it all mean? For fans, there is a real possibility that this could be the quietest Trade Deadline in recent memory. Buyers interested in impending free agent rentals may not have to worry about the draft implications, but the sellers potentially taking back roster players with term certainly do. Trading is hard enough, especially in a season with very few teams significantly out of the playoff race, and expansion will only increase those barriers. Luckily, there are several teams that need to make moves prior to the deadline or they could risk being in very sticky situations when the Knights get ready to make their selections. With teams like the Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Anaheim Ducks, who have so much talented, veteran depth at multiple positions, there is really not much that they can do; they’re going to lose a good player. For others, a sensible contract extension can solve all of their problems. However, for these teams, making a trade before it’s too late may be exactly what they need. We’ve looked at the defense conundrums of the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and the goaltending scenario of the Philadelphia Flyers, but there a quite a few more teams with problems up front that need solving:

Chicago Blackhawks

Luckily for the Blackhawks, it’s hard to remember a deadline where GM Stan Bowman didn’t add a veteran forward. This year they may really need one though, regardless of their Cup run condition, to protect young scorer Ryan Hartman. The 22-year-old winger has 13 goals and 10 assists in his first full season with Chicago, and if nothing changes it would likely be his last season in Chicago. In setting their protected list for the Expansion Draft, the Blackhawks must protect Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, and Artem Anisimov due to their no-movement clauses. They would, of course, have protected those four anyway, but other than that group, the team has only two other players that meet the draft criteria of having two unprotected forwards that have played in 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons and have term remaining on their contract: Marcus Kruger and Hartman. Kruger is not a great loss, but retaining Hartman is a major priority as the deadline approaches. The ‘Hawks could simply re-sign 30-year-old Andrew Desjardins or 34-year-old Jordin Tootoo, who both hit the 40/70 benchmark, but are impending free agents. However, the pair have combined for one point in 63 man-games this season and may not strike Bowman as players worth keeping, since they are nearly guaranteed to not be selected by Vegas. Richard Panik and Dennis Rasmussen are both restricted free agents who would also qualify if given an extension, but the team might think twice about exposing either player when they don’t have to. If push comes to shove, Chicago would surely rather lose Rasmussen or have to re-sign Desjardins if it means that Hartman is safe, but acquiring an affordable, serviceable forward with years remaining on his contract prior to the deadline may be the easier move for Bowman and company.

Dallas Stars

Despite their performance this season, the Stars are very much built like a team trying to make one last run at a Stanley Cup. Only five players on Dallas and on the AHL’s Texas Stars have both two years of professional play under their belt and term remaining on those contracts. The rest of the team is composed of impending unrestricted free agents and the AHL squad is mostly restricted free agents. Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza have no-movement clauses and are obviously safe, as is All-Star Tyler Seguin. However, without any further moves, Dallas would have to leave 25-year-old center Cody Eakin and team enforcer Antoine Roussel exposed in the draft. With the likes of Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie and (probably) Valeri Nichushkin needing to be protected as well, the Star’s may have to leave one or the other on the table, but certainly not both. Roussel is having a career year, on pace to beat his career-high 29 points while also skating a career-best 15 minutes per game. Eakin, who missed time earlier this year and has been held to just six points in 33 games, is regardless coming off of three straight seasons of 35+ points and is just entering his prime. If they want to protect one or both, moves need to be made. Dallas is not short on extension options, with UFA’s Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Lauri Korpikoski, Adam Cracknell and even the injured Ales Hemsky meeting the 40/70 criterion. However, if the Stars want to make up for their disappointing season, trading several of those players for picks and prospects at the deadline seems likely may eliminate some choices. In the process of moving out that trade capital, it may simply be easier for GM Jim Nill to add one or two qualifying forwards along the way.

New Jersey Devils

As previewed in their Trade Deadline Primer, the Devils have a similar conundrum to the Stars. Outside of their core forwards, the young New Jersey team is mostly made up of impending restricted free agents. There’s no reason that New Jersey should have to break up their strong group of Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, and Mike Cammalleri with no other priority protectorates, but as of now one of that group would have to join Devante Smith-Pelly as potential future Knights. No one else on the roster currently meets the 40/70 mark and also has term remaining on their current deal. Upcoming unrestricted free agent P.A. Parenteau could be exposed if re-signed, but he represents one of New Jersey’s best trade chips at the deadline as they look to continue their rebuild. Beau Bennett and Jacob Josefson would also qualify if re-signed, but Josefson has struggled all season and is either a trade candidate or a player the Devils could move on from and it’s doubtful that New Jersey would expose Bennett after just trading for him at the NHL Draft last June. The easiest move for GM Ray Shero is probably to just bring in another body to expose via trade prior to March 1^st.

New York Rangers

The Rangers are going to lose a talented forward in the expansion draft, there’s no question about that. However, they would currently have to expose two top forwards instead of just one. New York has seven forwards who meet exposure criteria – Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Michael Grabner – and another player in obvious need of protection in RFA center Mika Zibanejad. The draft rules allow them to protect seven forwards, and given Nash’s no-movement clause, the odd man out is likely the 2016-17 rebound star Grabner. However, until another player becomes exposure-eligible or an eligible player is acquired, another Rangers’ impact forward would have to join Grabner and would be even more likely to be selected. Now, the fact that New York has seven forwards already lined up for protection actually helps them. They don’t have to consider whether or not they want to expose other impending restricted free agents, because they don’t have that option. They probably have already come to grips with the fact that they will likely lose Grabner. Thus, the extension and subsequent exposure of Jesper Fast, Brandon Pirri, Oscar Lindberg, or possibly even Matt Puempel would satisfy the two-forward criteria. However, the other route that remains is to acquire an a qualifying forward and save RFA negotiations for the summer.

Ottawa Senators

The streaking Senators are in the midst of a surprising playoff-caliber season, but may need to turn some attention to Expansion Draft preparation before it’s too late, because they have a few different issues to consider. Recent reports have indicated that Ottawa may ask Dion Phaneuf to waive his no-movement clause so that they can protect Erik Karlsson, Cody Ceci, and Marc Methot along with seven forwards. Another newsworthy rumor has been that the Senators may leave struggling star Bobby Ryan and his $7MM yearly cap hit exposed in the draft. If Ottawa cannot get Phaneuf to waive his clause and choose instead to protect all four defensemen, then their expansion problem with forwards is beyond help; they will lose a talented scorer whether they expose Ryan or not. That seems highly unlikely though, so assume for now that Phaneuf agrees or the Sens expose Methot. Unfortunately, they are still not out of the weeds, with or without Ryan. The Senators have six forwards who qualify for exposure by having years remain on their contracts and playing 40 games this year or 70 over the past two: Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Derick Brassard, Kyle Turris, and Zack Smith. Stone, Hoffman, and Turris lead the team in goal-scoring, while Brassard is recently-acquired and Smith is fresh off a contract extension. Ottawa has no interest in losing any of those five, and the Ryan rumor would mostly serve to open up another spot to add both RFA’s Ryan Dzingel and Curtis Lazar to the protected list. However, just exposing Ryan wouldn’t be enough; the Senators need another qualifying forward to meet the two-player quota. Should they trade Lazar, which has been talked about, and decide to keep Ryan, then Ottawa will need two qualifying forwards. The Senators are quietly facing quite the conundrum. Luckily, their recent move to bring in Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks could help them solve their problems. Ottawa will likely want to steer away from extensions for ineffective veterans Chris Neil and Chris Kelly, but if they can re-sign Wingels and Jean-Gabriel Pageau prior to the Expansion Draft, then they will cover their bases. Two new extensions during trade deadline season, the stretch run, and the postseason is somewhat of a daunting task for the Sens though, who may choose to bring in one or two qualifying forwards via trade instead.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Despite the immense number of Leafs forwards in their first or second pro seasons, the team’s expansion problems are not all that bad. In fact, their controversy comes down to one player: Leo Komarov. Toronto can comfortably protect centerpieces Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk from exposure, and probably don’t have to worry about the massive Matt Martin contract being scooped up by Vegas either. However, the only other Toronto player who meets the 40/70 rule and has remaining term is Komarov. If the Leafs had to make a tough call, Komarov just turned 30 and is having a down year, so the loss wouldn’t be huge. They shouldn’t have to make that call though. There is more than enough room for Kadri, Bozak, van Riemsdyk, Komarov, Connor Brown, and even two more on the protected list. Nearly a 20-goal scorer last year and reportedly a great mentor for some of the Leafs’ young stars, Komarov has earned his spot in Toronto and the team likely wants to keep him around. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy extension fix. Brooks Laich and, if he plays seven more games, Ben Smith present the only players who could meet qualification if they were to re-sign and Laich has been buried in the minors all season while Smith has just three points in 29 games. Of every team in trouble with balancing their forwards for the Expansion Draft, Toronto seems the most likely to go out and get a forward to expose via trade if they want to protect Komarov.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals are in nearly an identical situation to the Dallas Stars. Qualifiers Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, and Tom Wilson are safe, as are impending restricted free agents Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky. However, there is one spot left on the protected list, but the number of unrestricted free agents on the team make it that Lars Eller and Jay Beagle are the only other forwards who can cover the two 40/70 exposure slots. The team faces a chance of losing one, but they shouldn’t have to offer up both. Eller is in his first year in Washington and it cost two second-round picks to get him, while Beagle is a career Cap and a face-off dynamo. The Capitals likely know which one they would prefer to keep, but will need to make a move to protect him. Expensive extensions for T.J. Oshie or Justin Williams just to then let Vegas take them doesn’t make any sense, but that strategy may work for veteran Daniel Winnik. Also, the team would probably like to bring back 24-year-old sniper Brett Connolly, but he likely doesn’t make the extension short list. They might look to re-sign him to meet the quota in hopes that the Knights take goaltender Philipp Grubauer instead as has been rumored.

1 comment Chicago Blackhawks Dallas Stars Expansion Jim Nill New Jersey Devils New York Rangers Ottawa Senators RFA Ray Shero Stan Bowman Toronto Maple Leafs Transactions Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitals Adam Cracknell Ales Hemsky Alex Ovechkin Andre Burakovsky Andrew Desjardins Artem Anisimov Beau Bennett Ben Smith Bobby Ryan Brandon Pirri Brett Connolly Brooks Laich Chris Kreider Chris Neil Cody Ceci Cody Eakin Curtis Lazar Daniel Winnik Derick Brassard Dion Phaneuf Erik Karlsson Evgeny Kuznetsov J.T. Miller Jacob Josefson James van Riemsdyk Jamie Benn Jason Spezza Jiri Hudler Jonathan Toews Jordin Tootoo Kevin Hayes Kyle Palmieri Lars Eller Lauri Korpikoski Marc Methot Marcus Johansson Marcus Kruger Marian Hossa Mark Stone Matt Puempel Michael Grabner Mika Zibanejad Mike Cammalleri Mike Hoffman Nazem Kadri Nicklas Backstrom Oscar Lindberg Patrick Kane Patrick Sharp Ryan Hartman Trade Deadline Previews

Player Of Interest: Patrick Eaves

By Gavin Lee | at January 22, 2017 5:03 pm

With just over a month left before the NHL trade deadline, teams have started scouting in earnest to see who they can add for a playoff run. Usually the deadline is filled with struggling teams unloading expiring contracts for prospects or picks, and this year looks like it will be no different.

One name that hasn’t been talked about enough, is that of Patrick Eaves. The 32-year old Eaves is in the midst of a career season, scoring 17 goals through the first 47 games, the most since his 20-goal rookie season. Thought of usually as a defensive forward, Eaves has very rarely been given the opportunity he’s received this year.

That is, to skate alongside two superstars in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn for long stretches this season. The trio have accounted for an amazing 35% of the Dallas Stars’ goals this season, with Eaves actually leading the way one ahead of Seguin. Though he doesn’t play quite as much as those two, he is logging more than 16 minutes a night, easily a career-high for him.

While the Stars aren’t nearly out of the race yet, their slow start has really made it a tough climb out of the gutter of the Western Conference. Sitting at 19-20-9 they’re chances of really making a run at the Stanley Cup is basically none, even if they were to squeak into the playoffs. At this point, selling off assets to build for the future seems prudent.

In the case of Eaves, not only is he on an expiring contract but only has a cap hit of $1MM – a prorated version of which would be possible for basically any team in the league. Though he doesn’t have a long track record of offensive success, the ability to play with high level talents like Seguin and Benn doesn’t come easily.

For a team like Chicago, who has desperately searched for winger help for Jonathan Toews, Eaves may be an inexpensive upgrade should they be locked out of the more prized deadline additions. Even if he doesn’t score another 17 in the second half, his defensive acumen and strong possession numbers would be an addition on any line.

Teams like Nashville, Edmonton and even Ottawa, where Eaves started his career, may also be interested in adding him should they choose to buy at the deadline. With other rentals perhaps commanding a hefty price, Eaves may be a sneaky addition that would help a team lengthen out their lineup. His 76 career playoff games, including a six point effort last year for Dallas in nine games, would also be attractive.

While he’s not going to make anyone a cup contender overnight, Eaves may find himself playing in another city come March 1st. He’ll definitely be an interesting player to watch in the summer, as he looks for a multi-year deal coming off this career season.

2 comments Dallas Stars NHL Jamie Benn Jonathan Toews Tyler Seguin

Injury Updates: Subban, Streit, Tatar, Bishop, Benn, Brouwer, Getzlaf

By Brian La Rose | at January 12, 2017 3:53 pm

Nashville blueliner P.K. Subban took a step forward in his recovery from an upper body injury (that is believed to be a herniated disc) as he took part in their optional morning skate today, reports Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. However, GM David Poile acknowledged earlier this week that his return will be closer to three weeks instead of the two that the team was hoping for. He was placed on IR on January 1st so Poile’s comments would suggest he’s still likely another 10 or so days away from returning.

Subban has been out of the lineup since December 15th and the Preds have won just five of their 12 games in his absence. Through 29 games this season, the 27 year old has seven goals and 10 assists but also has a team-worst -11 plus/minus rating. If healthy by then, Subban will be Nashville’s lone representative at the All-Star Game.

Other injury news from around the league:

Flyers defender Mark Streit is hopeful that he can return from a sprained left shoulder on Saturday, notes CSN Philly’s Tom Dougherty. Streit has missed the last 12 games heading into tonight and is currently on long-term injury reserve. When he’s fully healthy and ready to play, Philadelphia will have to make a roster move to get back under the cap before they can activate him back onto their active roster. Prior to the injury, the 39 year old was off to a strong start with 16 points in 31 games. For comparison, he had just 23 points in 62 contests last year.
While he will remain in the lineup, Detroit left winger Tomas Tatar is dealing with lingering shoulder issues and told reporters, including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link), that he will likely require surgery at the end of the season. Tatar has underperformed this year (this issue likely has something to do with it) with nine goals and 10 assists through 41 games but still sits tied for fourth overall in team scoring with rookie Anthony Mantha.
Tampa Bay will be getting their starting goaltender back earlier than expected as Ben Bishop has been activated off injured reserve and will start tonight against the Sabres, reports Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s team website. Bishop has missed the last nine games with a lower body injury and the team has struggled without him, winning just three of those contests with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes while they’ve also dropped out of a playoff spot in his absence.
Stars captain Jamie Benn expects to return to the lineup tonight against the Red Wings, he told Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link). He has missed the last four games with a foot injury and has 34 points (10-24-34) in 38 games this season. Mike Heika of the Dallas News adds that Benn is expected to play on the top line alongside Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza.
Calgary right winger Troy Brouwer has been given the green light from doctors to return to the lineup tomorrow against New Jersey, notes Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). Brouwer has been out since breaking his finger on December 23rd. Through 36 games this year, the 31 year old has 17 points (8-9-17).
Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is expected to return tonight against Colorado, reports Kyle Shohara on Anaheim’s team website. He has missed the last four games after sustaining a lower body injury on January 1st. He’s expected to reprise his role on a line alongside Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell. The 31 year old has had no issues putting up assists this year as he leads the team with 25 but on the flip side, he has scored just five times through 38 games.

0 comments Injury Ben Bishop Jamie Benn Mark Streit P.K. Subban Ryan Getzlaf Tomas Tatar Troy Brouwer

Stars Place Jamie Benn On IR

By Zach Leach | at January 4, 2017 6:57 pm

The Dallas Stars announced today that captain Jamie Benn is headed to the injured reserve. While no one player can quite make up for his absence, they activated Antoine Roussel from the IR to assist with the efforts. Roussel has missed the past four games with an upper body injury and remains a game-time decision for tonight’s match-up against the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, Benn was considered just day-to-day with a foot injury and there were hopes that he could play tonight, but now it appears as if he could be out much longer.

Over the past three years, few players have dominated the NHL like Benn has. The Star winger has 255 points over the last three seasons, including his league-leading Art Ross-worthy 87-point campaign in 2014-15 and a career high 41 goals in 2015-16. However, over the past six months, Benn has also proven that he is not invincible. He spent most of the summer recuperating from a core muscle injury sustained in the 2016 playoffs, a process that took longer than expected and kept Benn out of the World Cup of Hockey and threatened his Opening Night availability. Now he has a lower body injury, and a expected short-term, day-to-day diagnosis has instead landed him on the injured reserve. An offense that is built around so few core weapons – Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp – has had it’s fair share of struggles this season as all have dealt with injuries and missed considerable time. With Benn now on IR and out for an unknown amount of time, the pressure is again on the supporting cast to pick up the slack. The Stars are tied with both the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets in fifth place in the Central Division this year, and stand almost no chance of defending their division crown in 2016-17. If they even want to return to the playoffs, Dallas needs to get healthy and get their offense going.

Roussel’s return will at least add another able body to the top nine to make up for the loss of Benn. Once exclusively just an agitator and checker, Roussel has begun to evolve his game into something more well-rounded. The 27-year-old French forward has been trending toward a 30+ point season for a few years, but has just missed his mark. With five goals and 12 assists thus far, Roussel may just hit a career high in points this season. It’s good timing too, as the Stars’ 18th ranked scoring is a far cry from their high-flying offense of a year ago. They need more goals than grit right now from Roussel if they want to right the ship.

0 comments Dallas Stars Jamie Benn

Snapshots: Pedan, Benn, Auvitu

By Gavin Lee | at January 2, 2017 12:38 pm

The Vancouver Canucks have decided that Andrey Pedan might have a better chance of realizing his potential if he actually plays. The team has sent him back to the AHL to join the Utica Comets. Pedan has spent multiple periods with the Canucks this season, but has yet to get into a single game. Like Frank Corrado in Toronto, he’ll go back to the AHL to get some game time in.

The 23-year old has had trouble with his defensive game since coming over from the Islanders organization, but is a physical presence and can chip in offensively when he’s playing well. He’s played 19 games this season for the Comets, registering three points and 30 penalty minutes.

Jamie Benn is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury for the Dallas Stars, reports Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. The captain will hopefully be able to play in the team’s next game, which thankfully isn’t until Wednesday. Benn has 34 points in 38 games this season, though his 10 goals is a far cry from the 41 he put up a year ago.
The Devils have sent Yohann Auvitu to Albany to make room for their recent waiver claim, Reid Boucher. In welcoming back the former Devil, Auvitu will head back to the AHL after playing 24 games this season with the NHL club. The French-born defenseman has four points (two goals, two assists) in those 24 games this season.
Arizona, the other team who made a waiver claim today, has moved Ryan White to injured reserve to make room. White hasn’t played since December 21st due to a lower-body injury, and has five points in 30 games this season. Likely back soon, the team will have to make a move to accommodate him when he does return.

0 comments AHL Dallas Stars Injury NHL New Jersey Devils New York Islanders Snapshots Vancouver Canucks Jamie Benn Reid Boucher

Ryan O’Reilly Has Emergency Appendectomy, Out Indefinitely (Updated)

By Gavin Lee | at December 27, 2016 2:40 pm

(Update) 2:30pm: The Sabres announced via Twitter that O’Reilly will need “roughly 10 – 14 days of rest and recovery.”

10:34am: According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, Sabres alternate captain Ryan O’Reilly had an appendectomy on Christmas Day and is out indefinitely. While this isn’t a long-term issue, Buffalo has been struck with injuries all season and won’t get a break any time soon.

The team is at 12-13-8 and has missed O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Jack Eichel and others for lengthy periods already. While the team hoped to have competed for a playoff spot this season after signing Kyle Okposo to a big offseason contract and pursuing several other big-name free agents, they’ve been snake-bitten all year and have fallen further and further behind. Their 32 points puts them dead last in the Atlantic Division, tied with the New York Islanders for last in the conference.

O’Reilly, who missed time with back spasms earlier this year, has been one of their most effective forwards when healthy with 18 points in 27 games. The 25-year old is in the first year of his long-term extension signed in 2015. While his cap hit will be $7.5MM for the next seven seasons, he’ll actually earn $11MM in salary (including signing bonuses) this year.

All Buffalo fans can do is shake their head at this point and hope that a quick return is in the cards for O’Reilly. As Harrington reports, other players like Max Pacioretty, Jamie Benn and Corey Crawford have returned within a few weeks of their surgery.

*Glen Miller contributed to this post.

0 comments Buffalo Sabres New York Islanders Players Corey Crawford Evander Kane Jack Eichel Jamie Benn Kyle Okposo Max Pacioretty

Full List Of Mandatory-Protection Players In Expansion Draft

By Gavin Lee | at November 23, 2016 3:41 pm

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston has published the full list of players who, due to no-movement clauses in their current contracts, must be protected in the upcoming expansion draft for the new Vegas Golden Knights. These are players who will count against the protection limits should they choose not to waive their NMC rights prior to the draft.

Each team has the right to protect either:

A) Seven forwards, three defenders, one goaltender

B) Eight skaters, one goaltender

These players will count against those numbers, and as Johnston points out, there are some notable inclusions and omissions from this group. Players like Jordan Staal, Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan all had incorrect information spread about their contracts. The former two will now need protection, while the latter will not, due to his deal only having a no-movement to the minors clause.

The Chicago Blackhawks, with eight players listed, will have little flexibility at the draft, with only four forward spots (or one defenseman) left to use. Many others, according to Johnston, including Toronto’s Nathan Horton, are likely to be made exempt if they are still on LTIR as the draft approaches.

2 comments Chicago Blackhawks Expansion New York Islanders New York Rangers Newsstand Players Vegas Golden Knights Alex Goligoski Andrew Ladd Anze Kopitar Bobby Ryan Brandon Dubinsky Cam Talbot Carey Price Corey Crawford Corey Perry Dan Girardi Daniel Sedin David Backes David Clarkson David Krejci Dion Phaneuf Duncan Keith Dustin Byfuglien Evgeni Malkin Frans Nielsen Frans Nielsen Henrik Lundqvist Henrik Sedin Jamie Benn Jason Pominville Jason Spezza John Tavares Jonathan Toews Jordan Staal Keith Yandle Kris Letang Kyle Okposo Loui Eriksson Marc Staal Marc-Andre Fleury Marian Hossa Mikko Koivu Milan Lucic Nathan Horton Niklas Hjalmarsson Patrice Bergeron Patrick Kane Pekka Rinne Phil Kessel Ryan Callahan Ryan Getzlaf Ryane Clowe Scott Hartnell Sergei Bobrovsky Sidney Crosby Steven Stamkos Valtteri Filppula Victor Hedman Zach Parise

Pacific Division Notes: Sedins, Desjardins, Doan, Flames

By Glen Miller | at November 11, 2016 9:00 pm

We’ve covered the Canucks awful start, which is largely driven by a poor offense, and how the job of head coach Willie Desjardins has been affected as a result. Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province offers additional insight into the situation, relaying this quote from team president Trevor Linden on Desjardins’ job security from an interview yesterday on TSN 1040:

“We know this topic has been widely covered and it’s definitely not something I, or we, plan to debate publicly.”

On the surface that doesn’t sound particularly ominous but as Botchford pointed out, that was no vote of confidence and in the opinion of the scribe the statement was “ice cold.” In the past Linden has been a vocal supporter of his head coach but there wasn’t much support contained in that brief statement.

Botchford expressed the odds around the league were 50/50 whether Desjardins would be relieved of his duties before their current road trip and evidently, he has done nothing to swing the pendulum in his favor.

Whether or not the team eventually does fire Desjardins, it’s unlikely his replacement would be able to do much better unless the players start performing significantly better.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

From the same piece, Botchford ponders whether the team should trade Henrik and Daniel Sedin, even if the team has to retain half of their salaries to do so. He argues that the twins are still far-and-away the team’s best players and subtracting them would leave the Canucks bereft of quality talent. Botchford finds it difficult to fathom the team could recoup anything close to fair value in a trade, particularly since they would certainly require being dealt to the same team. He also points out that the team really has no succession plan in place. While the Canucks have some quality young talent, both on the big league roster and in the system, they don’t have the type of prospects likely to develop into a franchise-type player. Ultimately Botchford posits that the Canucks would accomplish one of two things by trading the Sedins; either they essentially gut the franchise or they finally provide the needed roster and salary cap flexibility to begin a real rebuild of the organization.
Craig Morgan, writing for Arizona Sports, delves into Shane Doan‘s early struggles and wonders whether it’s a sign that the longtime Coyotes team captain is nearing the end of a terrific career or if it is just another in what has been a fairly long line of slow starts for Doan. Through 13 games, Doan has just one goal and four points after tallying 28 times in 2015-16. For his part Doan doesn’t believe the early season difficulties will be a portend of things to come, saying: “Not in my mind, it doesn’t. That really hasn’t been something that I’ve even thought too much about. I’m more than capable of being better than I’ve been.” His coach, Dave Tippett agrees: “He’s probably a little like our whole group: up and down a little bit. He just has high expectations for himself. I remember last November he was struggling a little bit and then he scored 28 goals. Some guys just have that make-up where they need to get up and going and it takes a little while.” Morgan points out Doan is seeing less ice time this season, averaging almost two minutes less per game, and that might play a part in the captain’s lack of production.
After addressing their goaltending situation in the offseason and adding veteran winger Troy Brouwer as a free agent, the Calgary Flames were expected to contend for a playoff spot this year. However a sluggish start suggests the team lacks an identity and needs to find theirs quickly if they want to avoid postseason elimination, writes Eric Francis of Sportsnet. First-year bench boss Glen Gulutzan believes the team is playing well at times but can’t find a way to win games: “We’re finding ways to lose. There are certain things that we’re doing well, but we’re finding ways to lose. We need somebody now to step up and find a way to win, and stop playing the victim.” Francis points to the Flames special teams as a culprit with the team’s penalty-killing unit ranking 29th in the NHL and the man-advantage failing to score a goal at home this season. Both played a role in the team’s latest loss, a 4 – 2 defeat at the hands of Dallas. Dallas’ Jamie Benn potted the go-ahead goal early in the third period while the Flames power play failed to convert a late advantage to tie the contest. It’s not too late for the Flames to find themselves but they’d better get it going soon before it’s too late.

1 comment Calgary Flames Dave Tippett Glen Gulutzan NHL Players RFA Utah Mammoth Vancouver Canucks Willie Desjardins Jamie Benn Salary Cap

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