Jaroslav Halak

Metropolitan Notes: Halak, Letang, Raanta

March 15, 2017 at 6:40 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders are considering bringing goaltender Jaroslav Halak back from Bridgeport of the AHL, notes Newsday’s Laura Albanese. Halak cleared waivers back at the beginning of January and has been in the minors ever since. With the Sound Tigers, the 31 year old has played quite well, collecting a 2.17 GAA and a .926 SV% in 24 games.

On the flip side, Jean-Francois Berube has not played well since moving into the number two role and has posted a 3.42 GAA and a .889 SV% on the season, both well below the league average. As a result, the team has asked Thomas Greiss to take on a much heavier workload which is starting to take its toll.

Just a couple of months ago, carrying three goaltenders was speculated as one of the reasons why the Islanders were struggling. Now, it may actually give them the boost they need to continue their push for a postseason spot.

Playoff Puzzle: Western Goaltending Experience

March 9, 2017 at 5:05 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Corey Crawford must feel like an old man these days. When the Chicago Blackhawks goaltender looks around at the creases of his main rivals in the Western Conference, one thing is constant: inexperience. He knows it well, from when he took on the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 as a rookie. At the other end of the rink was a 31-year old Roberto Luongo, who had already been through three playoff runs and was about to win the Jennings trophy for dominating in the regular season.

Crawford and the Hawks would lose in seven games, but it was an important step towards their cup win in 2013 when he would post a .932 save percentage—still the best mark of his career. It’s not easy to backstop a team to the Stanley Cup, even if you do have an excellent group in front of you. Just ask Martin Jones, who actually played his best hockey last year in the Finals against Pittsburgh, despite losing. It took a while for him to really find his groove and even then it wasn’t enough.

So when Crawford sees the standings and notices a trend among the biggest contenders, it might make him even more confident heading into this year’s tournament. Perhaps even if he is a bit older, that experience will pay off in the toughest two months of any sport.

In Minnesota, the team battling with the Hawks for the top of the Central Division, the crease is tended by Devan Dubnyk who has just 16 games under his belt in the playoffs. He’s clearly one of, if not the, best goaltender in the league right now but last season saw him struggle mightily in the first round. Like Crawford, he’ll eventually find his stride but is this the year?

Edmonton looks like they’ll be back in the playoffs for the first time in a while, but even Connor McDavid can’t save them if Cam Talbot falters. For all the strong play he’s given the Oilers this year, 46 minutes is all he has seen of playoff hockey. It will be a real test for the Oilers, especially because of the lack of an experienced backup for him. No wonder there were rumors about Jaroslav Halak at the deadline.

When Anaheim traded away Frederik Andersen to the Maple Leafs this summer, they decided to give the reins to John Gibson. While he’s been everything they hoped this year, Andersen was the one with 28 games of playoff experience, not Gibson. He looked shaky at best last year in his two games, allowing three goals in each of them. It will be a big test for Gibson, who is close to returning from injury, as he tries to prove the Ducks right in their decision to make him the #1 guy.

Jake Allen is in a similar situation, after the Blues decided to ship Brian Elliott to Calgary—more on him in a second. Allen has started just eight playoff games (though played in 11), and his .902 career save percentage in them doesn’t inspire much confidence. If the Blues do make it, he’ll have to take a few pointers from Martin Brodeur on how to perform in the postseason.

So that leaves the Predators, Flames and Kings (in addition to Jones in San Jose), all of whom have plenty of experience in net but varying confidence in those goaltenders. Pekka Rinne is basically an average starting goaltender at this point, and Brian Elliott is likely right beside him in that category if not a little worse. The duo of Jonathan Quick and Ben Bishop have well over 100 games of experience, but the Kings are on the outside looking in. Do they have another eighth place Cup run in them?

So Crawford and the Blackhawks will hope that no one surprises them this year, and they can lean on experience and history to help them out in their playoff run. Now it’s up to one of the inexperienced to turn the corner and prove they can perform when the games are just a little more meaningful.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Metropolitan Division

March 1, 2017 at 6:42 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 10 Comments

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 dominant Metropolitan Division:

Winners

Carolina Hurricanes:

Acquired 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo from Pittsburgh Penguins for Ron Hainsey
Acquired 2017 third-round pick from the Ottawa Senators for Viktor Stalberg

Not all that much happening in Raleigh, but what GM Ron Francis did do, he did well. Both Hainsey and Stalberg brought back returns that were greater than their market value. It was also nice of Francis to send Hainsey to a team where his career-long playoff drought would definitely be snapped. Not sure why Jay McClement wasn’t moved, but there simply may not have been interest. The Hurricanes have a ton of salary cap space and have to dip into their depth on defense sooner or later, but this year’s deadline was definitely not the time for big moves. Expect Carolina to be a major player in the off-season trade market.

New Jersey Devils:

Acquired Dalton Prout from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Kyle Quincey
Acquired 2017 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators for P.A. Parenteau

The Devils didn’t really have any trade capital today other than Quincey and Parenteau, so good on GM Ray Shero for doing what he could with what he had. It’s strange that New Jersey was able to get a higher pick from the Predators for Vernon Fiddler earlier this season than they did for Parenteau, but injuries may have played into that. A full season of production and a draft pick in compensation isn’t that bad a return for an early-season waiver claim. The Quincey deal was the real star of the show though. The Devils went from taking a risk on an older, washed-up defenseman this off-season to trading him for a young, strong defensive defenseman who can be a starter for years with the team. Shero played the long con on the league this year, and it paid off.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Acquired Ron Hainsey from Carolina Hurricane for 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo
Acquired Mark Streit from Tampa Bay Lightning for 2018 fourth-round pick
Acquired Frank Corrado from Toronto Maple Leafs for Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy, and a 2017 fourth-round pick

Sure, the Penguins didn’t get Kevin Shattenkirk or Martin Hanzal, both of whom they were targeting. They also didn’t add a single forward. Oh, and they never moved Marc-Andre Fleury. But are you really worried? Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2016-17 with an almost identical group. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the fold, they simply make due up front. Matt Murray has been lights out and the team can deal with Fleury after the fact. The only real issue facing the Penguins was injuries on defense and they responded by acquiring three defensemen, two of which are bona fide starters and the other could be a long-term addition. GM Jim Rutherford didn’t plan on having a big deadline this season and he carried out that plan. Pittsburgh is ready for the postseason.

Washington Capitals:

Acquired Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley from the St. Louis Blues for a 2017 first-round pick, a conditional 2019 draft pick, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The best team in the NHL went out and got the best player available and did so without having to give up all that much. A first-rounder is always tough to surrender, but that is the going rate for top-of-the-line rentals. Sanford is a good prospect and will be a good player. However, he and whoever St. Louis selects at #31 will mean nothing if and when the Capitals take home the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Losers

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Acquired Kyle Quincey from New Jersey Devils for Dalton Prout
Acquired Lauri Korpikoski from Dallas Stars for Dillon Heatherington

The Blue Jackets weren’t expecting to be in the position they are right now, but the reality is that they are in this position and they should have made the most of it. While the Capitals add Kevin Shattenkirk and the Penguins load up on defensive depth, the Blue Jackets simply swap Prout for Quincey in what very well could be a lateral move. If Columbus had added Quincey without losing Prout, then they at least would have bolstered their depth, but the one-for-one trade was confusing. As for Korpikoski, he is a solid player having a comeback year in Dallas, but he’s not all that exciting from an offensive standpoint. Is he really worth a 2013 second-round pick in Heatherington? An odd deadline for sure for Columbus, who both simultaneously overpaid and didn’t do enough.

New York Islanders:

No trades

A good tip when you’re in a tight playoff race but your team has major needs: do something. By standing pat as the Panthers and Maple Leafs (and Bruins and Senators and Canadiens) all got better, the Islanders have crippled their own playoff hunt. Currently tied with Florida for ninth in the Eastern Conference and just one point behind Toronto, the postseason is a real possibility for an Islanders team that struggled mightily earlier this season. Despite a miraculous comeback, New York still needs talented top-six forwards, depth on the blue line, and probably could have looked at a backup goalie. Instead, the team did nothing. If they though they didn’t have a chance this season, the Islanders should have at least accepted an offer on Jaroslav Halak or shopped Dennis Seidenberg. By virtue of everyone around them improving, either in the short-term or long-term, New York is one of the 2017 deadline’s biggest losers.

New York Rangers:

Acquired Brendan Smith from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick and 2018 second-round pick
Acquired Daniel Catenacci from Buffalo Sabres for Mat Bodie
Acquired Taylor Beck from Edmonton Oilers for Justin Fontaine

Much like the Blue Jackets, the Rangers really didn’t do enough to keep up with the Capitals and Penguins. The trade for Smith was likely an overreaction to Washington adding Kevin Shattenkirk; at least the high price they paid would indicate that they were desperate. Smith is a good player, but definitely not a game-changer. The Rangers have been hurt in the past by giving away too much at the deadline, but if the Eastern Conference standings hold, New York has an easier shot at the conference title through Montreal and Ottawa/Boston than their division rival do having to battle each other. With that in mind, the Rangers should have made more moves again this season with an eye on that elusive Stanley Cup. All that said, nice move by GM Jeff Gorton to quickly add Beck upon hearing the news of Jesper Fast’s injury status.

Philadelphia Flyers:

Acquired Valtteri Filppula, a 2017 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick from Tampa Bay Lightning for Mark Streit

The Filppula trade is really not that bad. It makes a confusing Expansion Draft situation even more confusing, but Filppula may be the consistent, veteran presence – on and off the ice – that the Flyers need to get their talented forwards playing to their potential. Filppula may work out really well in Philadelphia in fact. It was still a bad day for the Flyers, though. Impending free agent defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Nick Schultz were not moved, and the team likely could have gotten more from the Lightning if they had simply traded Streit to the Penguins themselves. There was also little talk of the team moving Matt Read or Scott Laughton, one of which will likely instead be selected in the expansion draft for nothing. Steve Mason will also walk in free agency. However, the worst part of deadline day for the Flyers were those extensions. The team overpaid for both Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Michal Neuvirth on two-year deals. There had to be better ways to deal with impending expansion then two give those two more money than they deserve.

At Least Two Teams Interested In Jaroslav Halak

February 28, 2017 at 2:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

2:00pm: Craig Custance of ESPN reports that the Edmonton Oilers are one of the teams interested in Halak.

1:30pm: According to several reports on Twitter including Sportsnet’s John Shannon along with Frank Seravalli and Darren Dreger of TSN, the New York Islanders are receiving calls about goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Seravalli claims that at least two teams have already put in offers for the netminder, with a third interested.

Halak has another year left on his deal at $4.5MM and is currently buried in the minors with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. His numbers there give some credence to the idea that he can still help an NHL team, as he is 14-2-1 with a .933 save percentage. The Islanders meanwhile have committed to Thomas Greiss in net, meaning if they can find a taker they’d likely move Halak at the deadline.

The former Montreal Canadiens goaltender burst onto the scene in 2010 when he took the Habs to the conference final and has been a steady playoff performer through his otherwise limited experience. A career .924 postseason save percentage should have many teams wondering if he can help them down the stretch and guard against a young goaltender buckling under the pressure.

With the Islanders still fighting for a playoff spot, perhaps moving Halak would allow them to take on even more money elsewhere to bolster their offense. They’ve been in and out of the Matt Duchene rumor mill all day, but could move on a smaller deal like Radim Vrbata to help John Tavares carry the offense.

Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

February 21, 2017 at 8:17 pm CDT | by Brett Barrett 2 Comments

With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

For the first time in years, the Edmonton Oilers are legitimate buyers at the trade deadline. NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot have lead the way thus far, and have the Oilers comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division. Despite the fact that the Oilers are a top-ten team in the NHL, GM Peter Chiarelli is on record as saying he isn’t “heavily interested” in the rental market, but did say the team deserves some tinkering because they’re “in the conversation.”

Record

32-19-8, 2nd in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Cautious buyer

Deadline Cap Space

Current cap space: $17.811MM
Deadline cap space: $21.375MM
48/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: EDM 1st, STL 3rd*, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, VAN 5th**, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2018: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th

A carryover from the now defunct compensation rule, the Oilers will need to surrender their 2nd round pick to Boston for hiring Chiarelli as GM back in April of 2015.

* The Oilers will receive either St. Louis’ third in 2017 or their second in 2018 in exchange for Nail Yakupov. The conditional pick becomes the second if Yakupov scores 15 goals this season; because Yakupov has just three goals so far this season, it’s likely to be a third.
**The Oilers will receive either a fourth or fifth round pick from Vancouver for defenseman Philip Larsen. It’s not known what the performance conditions are, but with Larsen sitting at one goal and six points in just 20 games, it’s safe to assume he won’t hit the required production thresholds.

Trade Chips

While the Oilers don’t have many forward prospects, they’re fully-stocked with blue-liners. When healthy, the Oilers have 10 or 11 legitimate NHL options. They could move one of Brandon Davidson or Kris Russell for help up front. Davidson is a likely candidate to be claimed in the expansion draft and is the Oilers most notable trade chip. with the emergence of Matt Benning, there’s an outside chance that pending-UFA Russell could be traded once the Oilers get Darnell Nurse back.

The Oilers don’t have much in the forward prospect cupboard, with just Jesse Puljujärvi and Tyler Benson showing promise as legitimate NHL scoring forwards. On the back-end, Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones are dominant in the WHL, and Markus Niemeläinen is a bright spot on a bad Saginaw Spirit team in the OHL. Over in Russia, potential seventh-round steal Ziyat Paigin has played well above his draft slot.

While some teams could be willing to move first-round picks in a somewhat-weaker draft class, the Oilers are without a second round pick and therefore won’t be likely to deal their first. Despite their successful season, they’re still a building team and will look to stock up on forwards. Don’t expect the Oilers to deal prospects or high picks for rentals; if a notable asset is moved then the return will likely be a long-term solution.

Player To Watch

D Brandon Davidson

Team Needs

1) Right-handed scorer – The Oilers’ biggest need is a right-handed top-nine forward who can shoot the puck. Center Leon Draisaitl has had success playing on the right side with McDavid, but both men produce at the same level when separated. That gives Chiarelli the option of acquiring either a center or right-winger. A center would allow Draisaitl to play on the wing, while a right-winger would allow McLellan to keep his two leading scorers on separate lines. Some players who could be of interest include Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Thomas Vanek, Brian Boyle, and Tyler Johnson. The initial asking price for lefty centers Hanzal and Boyle is out of Chiarelli’s stated price range, while the others are simply players who fit the Oilers’ needs and are on the market.

2) Backup goaltender — The signing of Jonas Gustavsson has not worked out for Chiarelli. The veteran backup is buried in the AHL after a horrific start to the year, and prospect Laurent Brossoit is currently serving as backup to the busiest starter in the NHL in Talbot. As of this writing, Brossoit is playing for Edmonton as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on the first night of a back-t0-back. If Brossoit can show his worth, then perhaps Chiarelli holds off on spending an asset on a backup. However, an injury to Talbot would be catastrophic to the Oilers. Two players of interest could be Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth; both men have struggled in the NHL this season, but have histories as solid options in the NHL and could be had for cheap. Halak is dominating in the AHL, but makes $4.5MM this season and next. If the Islanders are willing to take back Benoit Pouliot or Mark Fayne to make the salaries work, then Halak could be an option. Neuvirth has struggled in a tandem with Steve Mason, and could be acquired as a rental for a low cost, perhaps one of the Oilers’ third rounders.

PHR Originals: 01/30/2017 – 02/05/2017

February 5, 2017 at 1:29 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

As we get closer to the NHL trade deadline, PHR has been pumping out the original pieces. Here is a look at the past week:

The Trade Candidate pieces came fast and furious this week, with our staff taking a closer look at the cases for: Jannik Hansen (link), Cody Franson (link), Shane Doan (link), Teddy Purcell (link), Ben Bishop (link), Jimmy Howard (link), Michael Del Zotto (link), Jaroslav Halak (link), and Curtis Lazar (link).
Yesterday Zach Leach took a look at the expansion draft and the problems it is giving teams on the back end and in net. Calgary, Carolina and Philadelphia were specifically analyzed for some issues they will face. Stay tuned for part two this week.
I hosted our very first live chat on Thursday, and the questions came in bunches. The Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks seemed especially intriguing, as the two teams seem to match up on paper for a deal.
Brian La Rose took questions in his weekly mailbag feature, including addressing some concerns about Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill.
Brian also completed the first round of his 2005 re-draft series. Amazingly, Steve Downie was the consensus 30th pick. It goes to show how first-round picks aren’t a lock, as Downie only scored 196 points in his 434 career games.
Late Wednesday night I took a look at some smaller deals that paid off at last year’s trade deadline, and the value you can find in the margins of an NHL roster. It’s not always the blockbuster that makes the biggest impact, just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Glen Miller wrote about how Alexander Burmistrov is filling a much-needed role at center in Arizona. The former top pick was selected off waivers early last month.
And finally, just today I examined Peter Budaj’s renaissance and the other players around the league who have made a huge comeback this season.

Trade Candidates: Jaroslav Halak

January 30, 2017 at 8:37 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano 5 Comments

Update 11:58am: this post is updated to reflect that Jean-Francois Berube could become a Group 6 Unrestricted Free Agent if he fails to play in at least 19 more games this season

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Jaroslav Halak is the odd man out in the New York Islanders organization, and the likelihood of the goaltender being an Islander come opening puck drop next season is slim. The Islanders indicated who they want starting in net going forward by signing Thomas Greiss to a three-year contract extension worth $3.33MM a year. Halak’s $4.5MM contract has little place in the Islanders’ plans.

Contract

Halak has one more left on a $4.5MM a year contract. Signed in 2014, Halak’s actual salary increases each year—from $3.5MM in 2014 to $5.0MM next season. The Isles are still on the hook for a $3.55MM cap hit after burying Halak in the AHL. NHL teams only receive up to a $925K cap reprieve for players sent to the AHL.

2016-17

Halak’s stats this year are the worst of his career. In 21 games for the Islanders he sports a .904 SV% and a 3.23 GAA. That’s a far cry from last year’s .919 SV% and 2.30 GAA. Since being sent down to the AHL, however, Halak has posted a .927 SV% and a 2.03 GAA—good for 2nd among goalies with at least seven starts.

It did not help when the Islanders decided to carry three goalies this season. Along with Halak, the Islanders had the aforementioned Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube. The situation got so tenuous that Allan Walsh, agent for both Halak and Berube, tweeted his displeasure.

Season Stats

21 games: 6-8-5, .905 SV%, 3.23 GAA, 1 SO

Potential Suitors

The market for expensive veteran goaltenders decreases every year as teams realize young replacement level goaltenders provide more upside than goaltenders on a downward trend. That being said, GMs still value proven commodities as insurance in case a starter goes down during a post-season run. The question is whether Halak’s cap hit is too rich for interested teams.

The other option open to the Islanders is a team requiring a goaltender to expose in the NHL expansion draft this summer. Unfortunately for the Islanders, every team but one has already addressed that need. The lone remaining team—the Minnesota Wild—are unlikely to add a $4.5MM goaltender with almost $6MM on the books with two capable goaltenders. Should Devan Dubnyk go down, the Wild have confidence that Darcy Kuemper is up to the task. The Wild will most likely sign Alex Stalock to a contract prior to the draft so the team can meet the exposure requirements.

One option is trading Halak and a draft pick for the cap space. Teams like the Buffalo Sabres and the Calgary Flames could stash Halak on their roster if they received reasonable draft pick compensation for the additional salary obligation. Both teams have no goaltending contracts past this season.

Likelihood Of A Trade

A victim of circumstances, Halak’s stats show a goalie who may provide solid—if not incredible—goaltending for a team willing to take the risk that this season’s performance is an aberration rather than indicative of Halak’s current ability. A trade for any usable returns is unlikely, but a trade could be had if the Islanders want to shed salary and gain cap space.

If the Islanders do trade Halak, they will have to qualify AHL goaltender Christopher Gibson to meet the NHL Expansion Draft goaltender exposure requirements. The requirements state that a team must expose one goalie who is either 1) signed for 2017-18, or 2) an RFA at the end of this season that received a Qualifying Offer.

At first glance, the Isles seem to meet this requirement with Jean-Francois Berube, but an eagle-eyed reader caught that Berube may be eligible for Group 6 unrestricted free agency. Any goaltender 25 or older becomes a UFA if they have three or more years of professional experience but less than 28 NHL games played. And because the CBA only counts NHL games as starts 30 minutes or longer, Berube only has 9 NHL games played in his career. That means Berube will be a UFA if he plays 18 games or less from here on out.

John Tavares Open To Extension With Islanders

January 28, 2017 at 1:47 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Talking to Christ Johnston of Sportsnet at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles, New York Islanders superstar John Tavares revealed that he would be open to an extension with the team this summer. The centerman has just one year remaining on his current deal, which pays him $5.5MM per season.

Since he entered the league there has been unsubstantiated rumors that Tavares would welcome a return to him hometown of Toronto, but just like a long list of players before him it doesn’t seem like there is any truth to the matter. Tavares has made it clear that he’s open to returning to the Islanders, saying he is “excited about where the organization is headed.”

The Islanders are an interesting case. After making it to the playoffs the past two seasons and even winning a round last year, the team let two of their top names leave in the latest round of free agency. Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen both signed big deals elsewhere (Buffalo and Detroit respectively) and join Tavares at the All-Star game festivities. In their wake, the team signed Andrew Ladd to a seven-year contract but has seen the winger put up the worst year of his career and be unable to find any chemistry with Tavares early on.

While they’ll be paying Ladd until 2023, the team needs to lock up Tavares to have any chance at staying relevant long-term. The 26-year old is having another excellent season, with 19 goals and 40 points through his first 47 games. Skating most with Anders Lee and Josh Bailey, Tavares just hasn’t been able to find the elite talent that could project him and the Islanders to the next level.

The team will have plenty of cap-room for an extension, with Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Jason Chimera, Thomas Hickey and Jaroslav Halak all coming off the books that summer. Whether any of them are re-signed is still up for debate, but none of their play warrants a substantial amount of money going forward. Johnny Boychuk, signed for another five seasons after this with a cap hit of $6MM per, poses the biggest problem contract-wise for the Islanders, though they also will have a handful of restricted free agents to sign in the 2018 offseason.

Head Coaches Potentially On The Hot Seat

January 16, 2017 at 5:05 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 4 Comments

As we pass the halfway point of the 2016-17 schedule, teams will soon have to make the sometimes difficult decision as to whether they are going to act as a buyer or seller ahead of the March 1st trade deadline. Additionally, teams that have underachieved their internal preseason expectations will take the time to look in the mirror and assess what they can do to improve their on-ice fortunes, both for the remainder of the current campaign and into the future. Sometimes that assessment leads to coaching changes.

Though just one bench boss has been relieved of his duties so far this season, several more could soon join Gerard Gallant on the unemployment line. In this post we’ll examine the situations of several coaches who would appear to be on the hot seat at this point in the 2016-17 season.

Jack Capuano (New York Islanders) – The Islanders have been one of the biggest disappointments this season, just one year after making it to the second-round of the playoffs for the first time in more than two decades. Currently residing in last place in the Metro Division and tied for the lowest points total in the East, the Islanders under Garth Snow have generally exercised patience with their head coach. In five full seasons behind the Islanders bench, Capuano has missed the postseason twice and has two first-round playoff defeats on his record. Other teams might have already pulled the plug on the coach. It’s not necessarily fair to assign all of the blame for the team’s underachievment this year on Capuano as Snow allowed two key players – Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen – to leave via free agency this past summer, and the players he inked to help replace them – Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera – haven’t played well. Capuano has also had the unenviable task of trying to manage a three-headed monster in goal for much of the season until Jaroslav Halak was reassigned to Bridgeport after clearing waivers. With franchise player John Tavares nearing unrestricted free agency, the pressure to turn in a deep playoff run to help convince their captain to sign on long term has to be growing.

[Update: Capuano has been relieved of his coaching duties by the team.]

Dave Tippett (Arizona Coyotes) – It seems unlikely that just a year after being given more power and some influence over player personnel that the Coyotes would move on from their longtime head coach. Yet nonetheless, the struggles in Arizona will assuredly mean some changes are made and it’s always possible ownership in Arizona reverses course and moves on from Tippett. After all, it seems likely some improvement over their 78-point 2015-16 campaign was expected and with just 32 points to date, those improvements simply haven’t been there.

Paul Maurice (Winnipeg Jets) – The Jets certainly have talent in the form of Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler – among others – but the team has been maddeningly inconsistent this year. Some observers believe the Jets have a tough time sticking to their system and structure and that doesn’t speak well of Maurice. But, the absence of a true number one goaltender is another one of the issues stifling the team’s success and that’s not the fault of the head coach. Maurice has also integrated a number of younger players into the linuep during his tenure in Manitoba, allowing management to get a better sense as to the real quality of their yong talent. Ownership in Winnipeg has a reputation of being patient when it comes to making decisions and will likely give the veteran coach another season to see what he can do.

Claude Julien (Boston Bruins) – The Bruins are currently in second place in the Atlantic and if they end up qualifying for the postseason, it’s likely the team refrains from making a change behind the bench. But three teams – Florida, Ottawa and Toronto – are just three points behind Boston in the standings and all have games-in-hand, meaning there is a real possibility the Bruins could miss the postseason tournament for the third consecutive season.

Vancouver bench boss Willie Desjardins, who has been thought to be on the hot seat for much of the season, would seem to be safe for the time being with the Canucks in the mix for a playoff berth.

Islanders Waive Jaroslav Halak

December 31, 2016 at 11:03 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 9 Comments

Saturday: Halak has cleared and will be sent to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Friday: The New York Islanders announced via Twitter that they have placed goaltender Jaroslav Halak on waivers. The decision comes on the heels of him being pulled in a 6-4 loss on Thursday to Minnesota, a a game where head coach Jack Capuano was vocally critical of Halak’s performance, via Newsday’s Arthur Staple (Twitter link).

Halak has struggled this season, posting a 6-8-5 record with a 3.23 GAA and a .904 SV% in 21 games. He has been part of a three goalie system for each of the last two years alongside Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube. Greiss has had by far the better numbers this year (a 2.48 GAA and a .922 SV% in 14 appearances) while the team has acknowledged that they would like to find more playing time for Berube, who they claimed off waivers from Los Angeles back in October of 2015.

The 31 year old is in his 11th career NHL season, split between the Canadiens, Blues, and Islanders. He has a career 206-123-42 record with a 2.42 GAA, a .916 SV%, and 40 shutouts.

In late October, Halak’s agent, Allan Walsh, voiced his displeasure with the goaltending situation and shortly thereafter, the Isles made it known that Halak was available in a trade. However, they had been unable to find a taker, largely in part due to his contract, which carries a cap hit of $4.5MM through 2017-18.

While there are teams who could potentially use Halak, not many have the ability to absorb that type of money which decreases the odds that he will be claimed on Saturday. However, this could potentially rekindle trade talks if New York is willing to entertain the possibility of retaining some of his contract to get a deal done.

In the meantime, this opens up the opportunity for Greiss to firmly take hold of the number one job at an ideal time as he is a pending unrestricted free agent. It also may give them a chance to get Berube into enough action to avoid him becoming eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency in the summer. (The threshold for goalies in that situation is 28 career NHL games with at least 30 minutes of playing time; Berube currently sits at eight with three other appearances under 30 minutes.)

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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