Snapshots: Olympics, St. Louis, Florida Injuries, Oleksiak
While the International Olympic Committee was originally hoping to have a firm answer regarding the NHL’s participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics by January 15th, there is no specific deadline for the league to make their decision, an IOC rep told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
The league continues to work on two different schedules for next season, one that would accommodate the NHL stopping midseason and one that would not. While that might sound like reason for optimism, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly isn’t as bullish on the league heading to South Korea:
“The fact of the matter is that we have never at any time received a direct communication from the IOC on the prospect of NHL Player participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, and we still do not have the details of precisely how the expenses related to our possible participation would be funded as they have been in the past in the event we decided to go.
“In addition to that, and as we have said on numerous occasions, while those logistical and funding details are obviously important, absent there being some new and compelling reason for the Board [of Governors] to potentially reconsider the issue, there does not appear currently to be anywhere near the requisite support from our clubs that would be necessary for the league to commit to Olympic participation in 2018.”
While there hasn’t been a firm announcement yet regarding the funding, it is believed that International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel has a plan in place to cover the costs although it remains to be seen if that alone will be enough to sway NHL owners to participate. At any rate, it’s looking like this may not be as close to being resolved one way or the other as originally anticipated.
Other news and notes from around the league:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning will retire Martin St. Louis’ jersey tonight. He will be the first player in team history to receive the honor. Louis spent parts of 13 seasons with the Lightning while also seeing time with the Flames and Rangers (after requesting a trade there in 2014) and has the most assists and points in franchise history. Among those scheduled to speak at the ceremony tonight is former head coach John Tortorella and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
- Panthers GM and interim head coach Tom Rowe provided an update to George Richards of the Miami Herald regarding several of their injured players. Left winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who has missed the entire season with a torn Achilles tendon, is now expected to be back in the lineup in early March instead of sometime in early-to-mid February. Blueliner Alex Petrovic (ankle) could be back following the All-Star Break while center Nick Bjugstad (groin) is still out at least a couple more weeks. The team didn’t have as much of an update on center Aleksander Barkov, who remains week-to-week with a lower body issue.
- Though the original report suggested he’d miss only a couple of weeks, the Stars will be without defenseman Jamie Oleksiak will miss three to six weeks with a hand injury, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters, including Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. The injury occurred on Tuesday against Anaheim. While Oleksiak spent a lot of time early on as a healthy scratch, he had been playing more frequently as of late. The 24 year old has five goals and an assist in 20 games with Dallas this year.
Minor Transactions: 1/11/2017
There has been a flurry of roster transactions so far today with several players recalled from or reassigned to the minor leagues. We’ll keep track of those moves in this post:
- According to Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register, the Anaheim Ducks recalled forward Stefan Noesen and blue liner Shea Theodore from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. In a corresponding move, defenseman Brandon Montour was reassigned to the Gulls. Montour made his NHL debut after initially being recalled on December 28th though he failed to register a point in five appearances. Noesen has one goal on the campaign in seven games while Theodore has a goal and five assists in 21 contests this season for Anaheim.
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News tweeted this morning that Jamie Oleksiak is dealing with a hand injury and will likely be “out for a bit.” He goes on to say that fellow defenseman Stephen Johns will take Oleksiak’s spot in the lineup for tomorrow’s game at home against Detroit. With eight defensemen on the roster – Patrik Nemeth is currently playing for the AHL Texas Stars on a conditioning assignment though remains on Dallas’ official roster – no call-up is expected to be made. In a later tweet, Heika adds that with Texas playing at home, Stars head coach Lindy Ruff would easily be able to bring Nemeth back from his assignment if necessary.
- After adding forward Derek Grant via waiver claim from Buffalo today, the Nashville Predators reassigned fellow forward Frederick Gaudreau to Milwaukee of the AHL, according to The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. The 23-year-old rookie has made nine appearances for Nashville this season, the first NHL action of Gaudreau’s career, and has tallied a single assist. In 24 contests with the Milwaukee Admirals, Gaudreau has netted five goals and 14 points. Vingan speculated that Gaudreau’s reassignment might indicate that either James Neal or Colin Wilson could be ready to return to the lineup. Neal was placed on IR retroactive to 1/3 and is currently eligible to be activated. Wilson last played on 1/6.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled blue liner David Warsofsky from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while reassigning net minder Tristan Jarry to the Baby Pens. Jason Mackey, who covers the club for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reported on the moves and added that with Jarry back to the minors, Matt Murray should be ready to at least serve as Marc-Andre Fleury‘s back-up for tonight’s game against Washington.
- Defenseman Slater Koekkoek and goalie Kristers Gudlevskis were both returned to the AHL Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay’s top minor league affiliate, tweets Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Koekkoek’s assignment might seem odd on the surface as the blue liner had appeared in 12 of the last 13 Lightning games. But, as Smith points out, Koekkoek does not need to clear waivers to be sent to the minors while fellow defenders Luke Witkowski and Nikita Nesterov do.
- The Washington Capitals announced they have sent forwards Paul Carey and Liam O’Brien to Hershey of the AHL, according to the team’s official Twitter account. The assignments leave the team with just 12 forwards on the active roster, a fact that suggests T.J. Oshie will be back in the Caps lineup tonight. That was later confirmed by Capitals head coach Barry Trotz.
- Two days after sending the fourth overall selection in the June entry draft, Jesse Puljujarvi, to Bakersfield the Edmonton Oilers have assigned fellow forward Anton Lander to the same club. Called up from the Condors was forward Jujhar Khaira, who has eight goals and 18 points in 24 AHL games this season.
Stars GM Jim Nill On Goaltending, Roster Management, Identity
After a strong season in 2015-16 that saw the Stars make the second round of the playoffs, expectations were high for Dallas heading into the season. They’ve yet to live up to the hype though and find themselves out of the playoffs coming out of the holiday break. General Manager Jim Nill sat down with Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News to talk about the team. Here are some of the highlights:
On the goaltending which, aside from the last few weeks, has struggled this season:
“Our goalies have taken a pretty good beating from the outside, but I think they’ve been very good. Goals against isn’t just goaltending, it’s team defense and playing the right way and managing the puck. I think we’ve seen in recent weeks that when we’re better as a team at those things, then the goaltending numbers can be very good.”
The goaltending tandem of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen is the most expensive in the league with a combined cap hit of $10.4MM. For that money, they have a team save percentage of just .899, tied for 27th overall while they are allowing just over three goals per game. While there’s no denying that they have plenty of firepower on paper, it’s difficult to win most nights knowing you’ll likely need to score four or more goals to do so.
In a follow-up question, Nill was asked if he foresaw the team making a run for the postseason with both netminders still on the team and the GM indicated that he doesn’t expect any changes at this time.
On carrying eight defensemen, one more than the standard seven that most teams carry:
“I just think you have to have it for depth. You’re going to have injuries, and you need that depth. In the end, the players decide who is going to play, and I think we’re settling into a group of six or seven, so that’s been good. But we could wake up tomorrow and two defensemen are hurt, so I like having the depth.”
While Dallas has an excess of depth at that position on their roster, it hasn’t necessarily helped in terms of developing some of their young blueliners. Patrik Nemeth has been scratched for 19 games this season while Jamie Oleksiak has only played in a total of 14 games and is in his second of spending the bulk of his time in the press box.
On the identity of the team and if it changes from year to year:
“I think the core of your team dictates your identity, and we know what the strength of our core is. Now, injuries can force you to play a different style or force you to tweak or adjust, and I think we’ve seen that this year. We have an identity as a fast, skilled team, and I think we still are that. In more recent weeks, we have been more defensive, and in the long run that might be a good thing for us. I think you always have to be able to adapt.”
After coughing up six goals in the first game of the month, Dallas has been better defensively as of late, allowing just 21 goals in ten contests since then, well below their season average in goals allowed.
If Dallas plans to make a push to get back into the postseason (they currently sit three points out of the last wild card spot), they will need to keep up their improved play in their own zone, especially since the team isn’t scoring as much as they expected to at the beginning of the year (only two players are over 20 points currently in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn).
Stars Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak Suspended For Two Games
Dallas blue liner Jamie Oleksiak has been suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde during Saturday afternoon’s game, the league announced. According to Cap Friendly, Oleksiak will forfeit $10,208.33 in salary. The defenseman was not penalized on the play.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News speculates the Stars could turn to Patrik Nemeth or Johnny Oduya to take Oleksiak’s spot in the lineup. Nemeth was a healthy scratch yesterday while Oduya is currently on IR. Heika mentions that the team has made roster moves that would be necessary in order to activate Oduya.
Oleksiak is in his fifth season with the Stars and in 13 contests in 2016-17, the 6-foot-7, 255-pound defender has three goals and four points with 16 penalty minutes. In 91 career appearances, he has tallied four goals and 16 points with 61 penalty minutes. Dallas selected Oleksiak in the first-round of the 2011 entry draft.
Snapshots: Raanta, Blackhawks, Player Safety Meetings
New York Rangers backup Antti Raanta will make his third straight start in favor or Henrik Lundqvist on Sunday afternoon.
Raanta has won two straight, allowing just one goal. He beat the Jets 2-1 before shutting out his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks 1-0 on Friday. He’s made 43 saves in those two games.
Raanta’s two game streak comes just as Lundqvist is hitting a dry streak. He’s lost two of his last three appearances, which included an ugly goal from center ice against the Sabres; he’s allowed 10 goals in those three games.
While there’s no danger of Raanta permanently displacing Lundqvist in the Rangers net, he’s certainly picked a good time to get hot. The Rangers brought in Raanta to replace current Oilers starting goalie Cam Talbot in 2015. After a disappointing early playoff exit in which he was torched for 15 goals in five games, the Rangers appear to be giving Lundqvist more rest throughout the regular season to keep the 34-year-old fresh for the playoffs.
- Despite being ruled out of tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews returned to the ice 0n Sunday morning, according to Tracey Meyers of CSN Chicago. Toews hadn’t skated in a week before this morning’s optional skate, and has missed the previous eight games. NHL.com writer Brian Hedger reported that Toews was first on the ice and last man off.
- Another couple injured Blackhawks are inching closer to their returns as well. Defenseman Brent Seabrook missed Friday’s 1-0 overtime loss against the Rangers, and will also be out of the lineup tonight. However, Seabrook told Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune that he plans on going on the Blackhawks upcoming road trip.
- Goaltender Corey Crawford, who has been out since an appendectomy on December 2, is also making progress in his recovery. Coach Joel Quenneville told Meyers that Crawford is “doing all right,” but that it will take some time to “get him back to square one.” The initial diagnosis was around three weeks, which would mean Crawford will be out until just after Christmas.
- Meanwhile, Mark Stepneski reports that Dallas Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak will be meeting with NHL Player Safety later today to discuss his high hit on the Flyers’ Chris Vande Velde during Saturday afternoon’s game. Oleksiak was not penalized on the play. Fellow defenseman Mark Borowiecki will also have a hearing today after the Senators defenseman boarded Kings winger Tyler Toffoli. Borowiecki received a major penalty for the hit.
Western Conference Notes: Stars, Red Wings, Labanc, Toews, Seabrook
A year after riding the league’s most prolific offense to a Central Division title, the Dallas Stars have been beset by injuries and currently sit on the outside looking in at a postseason berth. Obviously the absences of key players like Ales Hemsky, Patrick Sharp, Jiri Hudler, Mattias Janmark and Cody Eakin for parts – or in the case of Janmark, all – of the season has played a role. However, Mike Heika addressed another possible factor for the team’s on-ice struggles in a recent mailbag feature.
When asked what trade he would make if he were the GM to improve the Stars, Heika suggested making a relatively minor deal sending blue liner Patrik Nemeth to Detroit for a goalie prospect. While on the surface it’s difficult to envision a trade of this nature having much of an impact on the ice for either team, Heika reasons that moving one of the eight defensemen on the roster would “alleviate the pressure of eight defensemen for the players and the coaching staff and that could immediately make a player such as Jamie Oleksiak better.”
Ordinarily having quality depth is considered a good thing but perhaps not when it comes to the Stars blue line. As Heika suggests, carrying seven blue liners may allow head coach Lindy Ruff to more easily identify consistent defense pairings.
While this does not qualify as an actual trade rumor, Heika’s hypothetical deal does provide a look at what the Stars brass may actually consider at some point. The team does have solid depth on the back end and with neither Antti Niemi nor Kari Lehtonen performing well between the pipes for Dallas, the Stars could certainly find themselves in the market for a young goaltender-of-the-future.
- Highly-regarded rookie Kevin Labanc isn’t exactly lighting up the league with just three goals and five points in the first 14 games of his NHL career. But after going scoreless in his first four, the 20-year-old winger – 21 on December 12th – has been more productive of late with all of his points coming in the last 10 contests. As Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area writes, the mini outburst from Labanc has already helped the youngster leapfrog veteran forwards Joonas Donskoi, Joe Thornton and Mikkel Boedker in the goal-scoring department. As Kurz notes, Labanc’s contributions have likely earned him a regular role on the Sharks for the balance of 2016-17.
- Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune provides an update on the status of Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook. Toews has missed the past eight contests with a back problem while Seabrook missed his first game of the season with an upper-body-injury. Hawks bench boss Joel Quennville has already said that before returning to the lineup, both players will need to skate with the team. To this point, neither player has been able to do so, though Seabrook’s injury is a recent development. The injury to Toews has to be of great concern to the Blackhawks. There is no timetable for a return and back injuries can be problematic, leading to the possibility Chicago’s top pivot could be odd for a while yet.
Quotable: Stars GM On Eight Defensemen, Injuries, Nichushkin, Goalies
Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill sat down for an interview with Mike Heika of the Dallas News over the weekend. The full interview is certainly worth a read but here are some of the highlights.
On whether there are any challenges associated with carrying eight defensemen instead of the standard seven:
“I don’t think so. I think you look at the schedule and it’s going to be a grind, so I really feel we will need that depth. You look at last season, and we didn’t need that depth until the end of the season, but if we didn’t have that depth, we would have been in trouble. So it worked out for us. I think this year, somebody steps in and somebody steps out, and we’re seeing growth in those players. Jamie Oleksiak, I think we’re seeing growth in him. Esa Lindell, we’re seeing growth in him. That’s what we want.”
Jamie Oleksiak’s situation has been well documented as he has effectively been the eighth blueliner dating back to last season. He has played just 24 of a possible 98 regular season games since 2015-16, hardly an ideal scenario for a 23 year old former first round pick.
Regarding the decision to not utilize potential LTIR on right winger Ales Hemsky ($4MM cap hit) and Mattias Janmark ($800K cap hit), both of whom are out for at least several more months:
“It’s a complicated process, and that’s why we haven’t done it yet. But if we had to do that, we could and we could allow ourselves more spending space. To simplify it, I can just say we don’t anticipate any problems with the cap. We should be fine.”
The Stars currently have over $1.5MM in salary cap space according to Cap Friendly despite effectively carrying a 28-man roster due to all of the injuries they’re currently dealing with. As some players return to the lineup, that number should only increase, suggesting that they’ll be in good shape moving forward without needing to dip into LTIR.
On the decision to let Valeri Nichushkin go back to the KHL – given the injury woes the team has up front, does Nill believe he should have been more flexible in negotiations with the former first rounder?
“No, not at all. We’re comfortable with the offer we gave and we’re comfortable with the process. Every contract you sign can affect another contract, especially with younger players. We made a decision, and he made a decision, and that’s just negotiations. I think in the end, it could be good for him to go back there and maybe mature, and then maybe when he has the opportunity, he will better understand what he has here and want to come back.”
Regarding one contract possibly affecting another, Nill later added that the team is trying to follow a certain structure when it comes to restricted free agents and that consistency in that process is important. In recent years, the Stars have been pushing for shorter-term bridge deals with restricted free agents coming off their entry-level deals even though that goes against the current league-wide trend.
On the current struggles of goaltenders Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen:
“The numbers aren’t good, but at the same time I get back to the injuries and the team that’s in front of them. It’s a challenge for both of them, and I think there have been times when they have really stepped up. I think they both had great training camps, and they both have stepped up a times. We just need to strive to improve every game, but that’s the same for the whole team.”
The Stars currently have a team goals against average of 3.44, ranking 26th in the league and a team save percentage of .890, good for 27th. Those are hardly ideal numbers for a team that is spending more money on their goaltenders (a combined $10.4MM) than any other team in the NHL. In a follow-up question though, Nill noted that he isn’t worried about looking for an upgrade right now.
Stars Notes: Sharp, Lineup Changes, Goaltending
The Dallas Stars have been without Patrick Sharp for almost three weeks now after the veteran forward experienced concussion-like symptoms. The problems arose after Sharp took a devastating hit from Brayden McNabb of the Los Angeles Kings on October 20th, and initially there was no timetable for his return. Sharp skated with the team today, and according to head coach Lindy Ruff (via Mark Stepneski) doesn’t sound too far away:
It’s a step in the right direction and some light at the end of the tunnel for him. He’s feeling better. Hopefully we can get him two or three practices and he can be ready possibly for Sunday.
Sharp, one of the most consistent goal scoring wingers in the league over the past decade had a successful first season with the Stars last year after being traded there last summer. He provided another 20-goal season and recorded 55 points mostly skating alongside Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. His return to the lineup would help deepen a Stars forward group that is really struggling to score goals. With Jason Spezza, Cody Eakin, Jiri Hudler and Ales Hemsky all missing time for various injuries this season, Sharp would be a sight for sore eyes for Ruff and the Dallas coaching staff.
- Following three straight losses, the Stars will make some lineup changes for tonight. Justin Dowling and Jamie Oleksiak will both get back into the lineup, while Patrik Nemeth and Esa Lindell will visit the press box. Oleksiak is set to skate on the third pairing with Jordie Benn, while Dowling will center the fourth line between Gemel Smith and Adam Cracknell. Both newcomers have played just two games for the Stars this season.
- Kari Lehtonen will be in net tonight against the Calgary Flames for his third start in a row despite being pulled in his last game. The 32-year old netminder was relieved after giving up four goals on eleven shots against the Jets on Tuesday. Antti Niemi didn’t fare much better though, as he gave up four goals as well on twenty shots. The Stars are now 4-6-3 and off to a terrible start in many facets of the game.
Stars Notes: Oleksiak, Spezza, Smith
Have the Dallas Stars put defenseman Jamie Oleksiak in an impossible situation? Mike Heika of the Dallas News suggests that may very well be the case. Dallas has been carrying eight defenders all season long and while head coach Lindy Ruff said last month that he wanted to keep all of them fresh, that hasn’t been the case with Oleksiak so far this year as he has played just twice and has been scratched since October 20th.
Heika notes that the team loves rookies Esa Lindell and Stephen Johns and want to give them every chance to stay in the lineup. Both of them are waiver exempt but the Stars aren’t going to send one of them down if they’re playing well enough to be in the lineup most nights. They’re also hesitant to sit veterans Dan Hamhuis or Jordie Benn while Patrik Nemeth is the one getting into the lineup when any of those players get a night off; Nemeth is even seeing time on the wing due to their injuries up front.
This is the second straight year where Oleksiak finds himself in this situation and he got into just 19 games last season, hardly ideal for a 23 year old. There have been reports suggesting that Dallas is open to trading him although Heika adds that it’s doubtful they’d be willing to give him away for cheap as he is their injury insurance policy.
More from Dallas:
- Center Jason Spezza skated yesterday for the first time since suffering a lower body injury over the weekend, Heika notes in a separate column. Ruff told reporters that Spezza is “not close to 100 percent yet” which would suggest that his availability for their next two games, Thursday in Calgary and Friday in Edmonton, is certainly in question.
- With the Stars being overrun by injuries up front this year (they’re currently missing six regular forwards), one youngster that has taken advantage of his opportunity is Gemel Smith, writes Mark Stepneski on the team’s official site. After starting the season in the minors, Smith has suited up in eight games and has set new career highs in ice time in each of his last three games, including 17:44 last night in their 8-2 loss to Winnipeg. Ruff acknowledged that Smith wasn’t even on the radar in training camp but that he is becoming a key piece, in part thanks to his positional versatility. With several of their injuries being longer-term, Smith should get a chance to make a push for a more permanent spot on the roster in the weeks ahead.
Snapshots: Oduya, Sproul, Trouba, Fowler
Mike Heika writes that the development of Dallas’ young defenseman has been helped by the presence of Johnny Oduya. The four defenseman standing to benefit, Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, Stephen Johns and Esa Lindell, have the two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman patrolling the blue line. General manager Jim Nill talked about Oduya’s professionalism and dedication to the sport and how it plays a huge role in the development of younger players:
“It’s hard to tell his age, because he’s in such great shape. He’s a consummate professional, and he’s the kind of guy that players naturally attract to. They want to ask him what he’s eating and why. They want to know how he’s working out.”
Oduya was signed as a free agent by the Stars in 2015 and defenseman Stephen Johns followed from Chicago when he was dealt along with Patrick Sharp to the big D. Johns commented on Oduya’s leadership, especially during a rough series for Johns against Minnesota during the 2016 playoffs. Johns said that Oduya’s words of wisdom were instrumental in his confidence growing.
Though the Stars are 3-3-1, the steady Oduya should help the younger defensive corps bring the Stars back to its expected perch as one of the best in the West.
In other NHL news:
- The Red Wings have guaranteed one of their young defenseman an extended stay with the big club writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Khan answered a number of questions and regarding young defenseman Ryan Sproul, the club has apparently told Sproul to a find a place to live in the Detroit area. Khan reports that Sproul will duke it out with Alexey Marchenko and Xavier Ouellet for a final spot on the blue line when Niklas Kronwall returns from a knee injury. When Tomas Jurco returns, Khan opines that it will most likely be Ouellet as the odd man out, which would mean being exposed to waivers.
- Khan also answers about the Red Wings’ likelihood of obtaining Jacob Trouba or Cam Fowler via a trade, but from the sounds of it, Trouba is still a far fetched option while Fowler might end up staying in Anaheim after all. Khan says that the Ducks may reconsider moving Fowler should their offensive woes continue. Trouba, on the other hand, will simply cost too much for the Wings to trade for, and the young, left handed defenseman the Jets seek in return is something Detroit cannot provide.