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Snapshots: Jets, Kings, Badgers

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A lot has been made about the rumored discourse in the Winnipeg Jets’ locker room. The team suffered another early exit from the postseason this year and some reactions from players, coaches, and media members alike indicated that chemistry concerns may have played a role. This off-season hasn’t helped the narrative either, with mainstays Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot, and Brandon Tanev all electing to walk away as free agents, while Jacob Trouba was traded and Marko Dano and Joe Morrow were not qualified. Andrew Copp was re-signed, but only after a salary arbitration award, and Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor remain unsigned. It’s not good look for a group of players who some feel don’t get along.

Well, star player Mark Scheifele wants to put a stop to these whispers. Speaking with NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger, the Jets’ No. 1 center said that he is confident in his team’s chemistry. “People can claim whatever, but I know we have a tight-knit team,” Scheifele said, “We have great guys in our room. And there’s no question in my mind about the character we have in our room, the unity that we have.” He summed up the ongoing drama by stating that “you know what’s going on in your room. Anything extra is a bunch of baloney.” Scheifele admitted that it was difficult to see the likes of Trouba, Myers, Chiarot, and Tanev leave and hopes that there are resolutions shortly with Laine and Connor, but did not hint that internal issues were the cause of any of their negotiations. Of course, Scheifele would never come out and say otherwise, but it should provide Winnipeg fans with a bit of comfort that he was willing to speak openly about the locker room and tried to shut down the rumors that personalities have or could continue to affect the team’s performance.

  • The World Junior Summer Showcase is underway and fans of the Los Angeles Kings should pay close attention. NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman writes that the Kings lead the way with seven prospects participating in the tournament, headlined by recent No. 5 overall pick Alex Turcotte of Team USA. In fact, each of L.A.’s top four selections in June are in attendance; Turcotte is joined by fellow first-round pick Tobias Bjornfot, fellow American forward Arthur Kaliyev, and forward Samuel Fagemo, who joins Bjornfot on Team Sweden. Fourth-round pick Kim Nousiainen will also suit up for Team Finland. 2018 picks Akil Thomas and Aidan Dudas will both line up at forward for Team Canada. It’s an impressive collection of young talent for the Kings and one that should inspire hope for the future for a team that finished last in the Western Conference this past season with just 71 points. This group likely won’t be making an impact in the NHL in 2019-20, but L.A. is grooming a talented young core to take over down the road.
  • As for next season, Turcotte definitely won’t be in L.A., as he’s committed to playing at the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers’ incoming recruiting class has been very highly regarded, as it features Turcotte and fellow U.S. National Team Development Program products Cole Caufield (MTL) and Owen Lindmark (FLA), as well as another 2019 draft selection in Ryder Donovan (VGK) and potential 2020 top-ten pick in Dylan Holloway. With so many talented freshmen incoming, the question has been how head coach Tony Granato would use his rejuvenated roster. That question has been partially answered for the arguably the team’s new two best forwards. Talking to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman at the Summer Showcase, Caufield stated that he and Turcotte will play on the same line for Wisconsin, at least to begin the year. The duo have some familiarity, although Caufield – the No. 15 pick this year – largely played on Jack Hughes’ wing last season. However, they both possess immense offensive talent, while Turcotte has the two-way intelligence to compensate for Caufield’s lack of size and defensive focus if need be. Having played on the international stage already, the adjustment to the college level should not be too difficult and Turcotte and Caufield could put up huge numbers in their first (and likely only) collegiate season.

West Notes: Karlsson, Spezza, Morrow

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While the Sharks envisioned signing Erik Karlsson to a long-term extension when they acquired him back in September, the defenseman indicated to reporters including NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger that he hasn’t given any consideration towards signing an extension at this time.  Karlsson got off to a very slow start to his season but has picked up his play as of late with 11 points over his last 17 games.  While a new deal can be made official as early as January 1st, it’s more likely to come later on; if he waits until after the February 25th trade deadline, he can get an eighth year on his contract if he re-signs with San Jose.

More from the West:

  • The Stars were pleased with the results their experiment of playing center Jason Spezza on the wing, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that the move was made to free him up from some of his defensive responsibilities but there could be an additional benefit as well.  Center Martin Hanzal is believed to be a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup and having Spezza on the wing would allow Hanzal to slide onto the second line when he’s cleared to return.
  • The Jets have placed defenseman Joe Morrow on injured reserve, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). He missed Thursday’s game against Chicago with a lower-body injury and it appears that issue will keep him out a little while longer.  Assuming they backdate the placement, he’ll be eligible to be activated in the middle of next week.  Morrow has played in 19 games with Winnipeg this season but has been quieter than usual offensively as he has failed to record a single point while logging just over 14 minutes per game of playing time.

Minor Transactions: 12/1/18

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It’s a full day of hockey today across the NHL, with Sharks-Senators kicking off the action with an early afternoon matinee, Stars-Canucks later on in the afternoon, and ten more contests on the way tonight. With 24 teams in action, it’s fair to expect some movement over the course of the day, even if all eyes will be on William Nylander regardless. Keep up with all of the minor transactions here:

  • After claiming Valentin Zykov off waivers, the Edmonton Oilers have made a move to open up a roster spot. The team announced that forward Patrick Russell has been returned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Russell, a native of Denmark, was on his first career NHL call-up after signing with the Oilers out of St. Cloud State University in 2016. Russell was held scoreless in his four games with Edmonton, albeit with limited ice time, but was involved at both ends and should see another opportunity soon.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled veteran defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer, the team announced. The 29-year-old is in the second season of a two-year minimum deal, during which he has primarily played with the Belleville Senators in the AHL. Named the minor league Sens’ captain this season, Burgdoerfer has six points in 16 games in Belleville and leads the team with a +5 rating. Burgdoerfer has only played in one game with Ottawa this year, but is expected to see some more action on this call-up. The Senators then announced after their 6-2 victory over San Jose that Burgdoerfer has been returned to Belleville. He was just recalled as a emergency forward and did not play in the game.
  • Eeli Tolvanen is back in the NHL, as the Nashville Predators have recalled their top prospect per a team release. It wasn’t long ago that Tolvanen was considering returning to the KHL this season, but opted instead to stay stateside and work toward a regular role for Nashville. It’s unclear if this call-up will be long-term or not, but Tolvanen has 11 in 21 games, tied for second among forwards on the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, and has shown flashes of brilliance amid some streaky play. Tolvanen already has an NHL skill set and would be better served to stay in the NHL if the Predators can afford the roster spot and regular play time.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have activated both Brett Pesce and Haydn Fleury from the injured reserve, the team announced, signaling the end of the brief debut call-up of promising young defenseman Jake Bean. Bean has been returned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, but not before he skated in two games with the Hurricanes and looked comfortable competing at the NHL level. Bean has 11 points on the year and a +6 rating, both second among Checkers defenseman. Bean is the next man up for Carolina and hopefully will get another look sooner rather than later.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced that they have activated defenseman Steven Santini and have assigned forward Michael McLeod to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL to make room for him. Santini has been with Binghamton since Nov. 20 on a conditioning loan after suffering a broken jaw. The 23-year-old has only played in one game for New Jersey this season and played in just three with Binghamton, going scoreless. McLeod, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, had a brief callup, but did make his NHL debut, but failed to register a point in that one game. He will continue to develop his skills in the AHL where he has three goals and 10 points in 21 games.
  • With the Winnipeg Jets placing Joe Morrow on injured reserve, the Jets announced they have recalled defenseman Nelson Nogier from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The 22-year-old stay-at-home defender has just one assist in 22 games for the Moose, but offers the team some size at 6-foot-2. He joins a bunch of Manitoba players on the Jets’ current roster, including Mason Appleton, Sami Niku and Cameron Schilling.

Central Notes: Crawford, Morrow, Greenway, Granlund, Zadorov

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The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping that goaltender Corey Crawford returns to action sooner than later after admitting that he’s been dealing with concussion issues when he went down last season. Still experiencing difficulties with concussions, head coach Joel Quenneville said the goal is to have the veteran goaltender out on the ice during practice as long as he can manage it, according to the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus.

“Good progress. Comparable over the last week and a half that when he’s on the ice, he’s better and he’s stronger and he’s feeling better. It’s all encouraging.”

The team desperately hopes that Crawford, upon return, will return to his elite form. He posted a 2.27 GAA and an impressive .929 save percentage in 28 games before going down. While it is unknown how much longer Crawford will be out, the Blackhawks are preparing to use Cam Ward as their primary starter if they have to.

  • With the loss of Toby Enstrom, who opted to leave the NHL after 11 years with the Winnipeg Jets, the Jets have an opening for a defenseman and that candidate is likely to be Joseph Morrow, according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. Morrow, who the team acquired at the trade deadline a year ago. The blueliner didn’t get a lot of playing time when he arrived in Winnipeg as his ATOI dropped from 17:47 in Montreal to 14:30 with the Jets. However, he now has a chance to crack a spot in the top four as he did fare well in limited time next to Dustin Byfuglien. “Yeah, that’s a dream to play with Big Buff and be able to match that guy’s personality,” Morrow said. “I got to play with him a bit last year and we were pretty successful together.”
  • The Minnesota Wild and head coach Bruce Boudreau have added a couple wrinkles into the early stages of camp as rookie Jordan Greenway has been playing the center position, while Mikael Granlund has been quarterbacking the first-unit power play, according to Mike Russo of The Athletic (subscription required). Greenway, normally a winger, was used at center during his junior year at Boston University by David Quinn. Boudreau wanted to keep him there as he led a line along with Joel Eriksson Ek and Charlie Coyle, which was a big success in their first scrimmage. Granlund also showed that he could handle the pressure of running a power play on the left wall and looked impressive in that role. “I thought the best testament was all the other forwards want to play the right half wall the way he was feeding them up there,” Boudreau said. “He can make that play. He can even put the behind-the-back pass to Suts. Granny has probably been our most skilled player. I don’t think I’m dissing anybody by saying that. When he’s got the puck, he’s pretty special.”
  • Unlike last year when Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov came into camp overweight and out of shape, this year, the bruising 23-year-old did just the opposite, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. He’s come into camp in good shape and has changed his diet to accommodate his conditioning. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound blueliner started in Jared Bednar’s doghouse for the early part of the season due to his conditioning, but slowly worked his way back into the rotation before finally settling in next to veteran Tyson Barrie and that hasn’t changed so far in training camp. Now, with the team much happier with his development, he has a chance to develop into a solid NHL defenseman.

Winnipeg Extends Defenseman Joe Morrow

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Wednesday: The team has officially announced the contract, bringing back Morrow for one year at $1MM.

Tuesday: A team declined to extend a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent defenseman who had been a good fit, only to re-sign him to an affordable one-year deal. Sound familiar? Less than an hour after the Vancouver Canucks re-signed Derrick Pouliot to an extension, the Winnipeg Jets have followed suit with a new contract for Joe Morrow. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Morrow has signed a one-year, $1MM extension to remain in Winnipeg.

Like Pouliot, Morrow does not lose out on not getting a qualifying offer by yesterday’s deadline. The 25-year-old defender made the league minimum $650K last year, making a new million-dollar pact a substantial upgrade. In fact, it is almost a surprising raise for Morrow. The young journeyman, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and traded to the Dallas Stars and then to the Boston Bruins before even making his NHL debut, was on his third team in two years when he finished the 2017-18 season with the Jets. Boston had declined to qualify Morrow last summer, only they intended to let him walk as a free agent. Morrow signed with the Montreal Canadiens and posted a career high in games played and points while also showing some defensive improvements. However, Morrow was still less than a full-time player and his move to Winnipeg was more of an afterthought depth addition at the time of the NHL Trade Deadline. Morrow was solid albeit unspectacular down the stretch for the Jets and was used only sparingly in the postseason. With that said, the Jets were vocal about how pleased they were with Morrow’s acquisition.

The Winnipeg front office and coaching staff clearly saw enough of the puck-moving defenseman to decide on using some of their precious cap space to bring him back. The Jets face a daunting number of restricted and unrestricted free agency conundrums this summer, but seemingly worked quickly to get a deal done with Morrow. With four veteran defenseman signed for next season and three more qualified as RFA’s, Winnipeg has plenty of depth on the blue line, but must have plans to use Morrow in some capacity next season.

Western Notes: Trouba, Kovalchuk, Canucks

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While the Winnipeg Jets are coming off an exemplary season in which it reached the Western Conference Finals with a young, talented team, now comes the hard part. The team is full of key restricted free agents which could start taking up what was once an ample amount of cap space. The team has already all but said they don’t intend to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Paul Stastny and for good reason. The team must lock up a number of key players, including all-star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Adam Lowry, Joel Armia, Marko Dano, Tucker Poolman, Josh Morrissey, Joseph Morrow, and oh, Jacob Trouba.

Two years ago, the contract negotiations between Trouba and the Jets went south, as Trouba ended up holding out for an entire month of the season before coming back and signing a below-value two-year bridge deal. Now, with Trouba’s stock sky-high as one of the top defensemen on the team, things could get even more dicey, according to Winnipeg Free Press’ Paul Wiecek. Trouba and his agent are expected to ask for about $7MM per year, while the Jets hope to keep it between $5MM and $6MM. The question is whether the Jets can afford to give him a big, long-term contract, considering that his offense isn’t even close to his defense after posting three goals and just 24 points on the year.

The team not only has to lock up these younger players, but must eventually lock up captain Blake Wheeler as well as pay youngster Kyle Connor in one year. The money will start to dry up soon. The scribe suggests the team consider moving Trouba now to save some of that money, considering his value is at a premium. Bringing back a big haul could save the team some cap space and fill some of its holes in one swoop.

  • While there was a rumor mentioned by Pierre LeBrun recently about the St. Louis Blues’ interest in Ilya Kovalchuk, NHL.com reports that general manager Doug Armstrong confirmed the team’s interest in the veteran KHL winger. “There’s certainly intrigue there because he’s been such a dominant player internationally and he was a hell of a player when he left [the NHL],” Armstrong said. Kovalchuk, who has played in Russia for the past five seasons is looking for a new home and has already visited the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, while other teams like the Boston Bruins have expressed interest in the 35-year-old veteran, who has tallied 417 goals in 816 NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils.
  • Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Vancouver Canucks, who have always been adept at mining organizations to get quality players, need to continue to do that more than ever with the retirement of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. With a lineup full of holes, the scribe writes that the team needs to continue mining other organizations for their unwanted, forgotten or unfulfilled talent like in previous years. Over the last few years, the team has picked up several key players such as Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund, Nikolay Goldobin, Derrick Pouliot and Brendan Leipsic. The scribe goes on to point out three players the team should look into during the offseason and pry them away for late picks include Winnipeg’s Nic Petan, Columbus’ Sonny Milano and the New York Islanders’ Michael Dal Colle. All three are on the outside looking in within the organization and might need a franchise to give them a new chance.

Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference

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After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:

Deadline Day

Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny

St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar

Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick

 

Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick

Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick

 

San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane

Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera

New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm

Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic

 

Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow

Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick

 

Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore

Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick

Read more

Montreal Canadiens Trade Joe Morrow To Winnipeg Jets

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The Montreal Canadiens have traded Joe Morrow to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2018 fourth-round pick. The Jets add another depth option on the blue line in the form of Morrow, 25, who had finally been given a real NHL role in Montreal after many seasons as an under-utilized extra man with the Boston Bruins.

In Morrow, Winnipeg rounds out a solid defensive corps as they march toward the postseason. While he may only contribute sparingly, Morrow can provide good puck movement and offensive instincts.

Montreal moves on from the 2018 deadline having replaced two young defenseman, Morrow and Jakub Jerabek, with two others, Mike Reilly and Rinat Valiev. The team also netted some draft picks along the way in a solid albeit unspectacular series of moves.

Brandon Davidson Placed On Waivers

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After all the talk of Brandon Davidson being on the Montreal Canadiens’ trade block and the numerous teams who could have considerable interest in acquiring him, it seems no deal could materialize for the Habs and their hand has been forced. Davidson has been placed on waivers today, as first reported by TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

With Shea Weber returning from injury, Montreal needs a roster spot and they will get one by placing Davidson on waivers. It seems somewhat unlikely that Davidson will clear waivers, as he is not far gone from being and up-and-coming defender and still plays a solid defensive game. The only roadblock could be his contract, but at just under $1.5MM, it’s far from an albatross for any D-needy team to take on.

Davidson’s absence means greater roles for Victor Mete, Jakub Jerabek, and Joe Morrow moving forward, as the Canadiens look for the right mix to get back on track this season. Montreal is in the bottom third in the league in goals for, goals against, power play, and penalty kill. If coach Claude Julien thinks potentially losing Davidson and giving more ice time to this trio of young defenders is a way to reverse their fortunes in even one of those areas, it is probably worth it.

Montreal Sends Streit, Schlemko To AHL

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UPDATE: TVA’s Renaud Lavoie confirms that Streit will not report to Laval and will take some time to evaluate his options. It seems the two sides are likely headed toward a mutual split, which is best for both.

12:00PM: The Montreal Canadiens have sent defensemen Mark Streit and David Schlemko to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, according to a pair of team releases. However, for those proponents of keeping Streit in Montreal, it is not just a clean-cut demotion for Schlemko. Schlemko is coming off an injury – the exact reason why Streit was placed on waivers yesterday and cleared today – but for now he will play with Laval on a conditioning stint. Once Schlemko is healthy, he will be back with the Habs and nine defenseman would be one too many to fit on the roster.

There will remain increased focus on the play of young Victor Mete and a fringe talent like Joe Morrow, but for now the easiest move was to waive 39-year-old Streit and subsequently loan him to Laval to make eventual room for Schlemko upon his return. On a one-year, 35+ deal, the entirety of Streit’s $700K contract can be buried in Laval for now, while the team further evaluates their blue line situation.

However, the question becomes what the next step is for Streit and the Habs. The nearly-40-year-old defenseman can’t be happy about being placed on waivers, nevertheless being assigned to the minors. Having cleared waivers, it will be easier for Streit to be traded now, but the market may not be there for his services. The most likely result is that Streit asks for his release and heads overseas, likely home to Switzerland and perhaps later Pyeongchang. Stay tuned.

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