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Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine

April 23, 2021 at 11:32 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 11 Comments

The Department of Player Safety has decided that Joe Thornton’s hit on Mathieu Perreault last night did not rise to the level of a suspension, issuing the Toronto Maple Leafs forward a $3,017.24 fine for interference instead. Perreault left the game for a time but ended up returning to action for the Winnipeg Jets. That is the maximum allowable amount under the current CBA.

The incident occurred partway through the third period and Thornton did receive a minor penalty for it. Still, this is now the second time a Toronto player has been fined in the last week for a dangerous play against the Jets, following Zach Hyman’s high-stick on Neal Pionk. Between those incidents, Alexander Edler was given a two-game suspension for a hit on Hyman.

It’s getting physical in the North Division as the playoffs approach, especially between the Maple Leafs and Jets who are still battling it out for the top spot. The lack of serious injury likely helped Thornton’s case here and Toronto will certainly be happy their veteran forward will be available going forward.

Toronto Maple Leafs| Winnipeg Jets Joe Thornton| Mathieu Perreault

11 comments

Expansion Draft Issues: Several Teams Have Moves To Make Before July 17

April 22, 2021 at 9:33 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 26 Comments

The trade deadline may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more trades over the courses of the remainder of the league year. The NHL Expansion Draft is right around the corner, with protection lists due on July 17, ahead of the draft on July 21. By that time, all 30 participating teams must be able to submit a protection list that complies with the exposure requirements of the draft. As a reminder, teams may protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and a goalie or eight skaters and a goalie. However, they must also expose two forwards and one defenseman signed beyond this season and who have played in 27 NHL games this season or 54 games over the past two seasons, as well as a goaltender under team control beyond this season.

For many teams, this is easier said than done though. Long-term forwards and defensemen with considerable games played who are also deemed expendable are not all that common. With the trade deadline completed, teams are stuck with the group that they have unless they decide to make a trade in the time between their regular season end or postseason elimination and the week of the draft. Some can solve their problems internally, while others may be more hard pressed. Based on their most likely protection scheme, here are the teams with work to do:

Calgary Flames

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: The Flames may be having a difficult season, but they have a talented top-six who are all signed long-term. Except, that’s where the term forwards end. If Calgary cannot convince Milan Lucic to waive his No-Movement Clause, the team will be missing both of their required forwards for exposure by protecting Looch and the top-six. Even if Lucic does waive, the team will need to make another forward available to Seattle. RFA Dillon Dube meets the games played criteria, but the team is likely to protect the young forward or, if not, will not do anything to make him more attractive to the Kraken. That leaves fellow RFA Dominik Simon and impending UFA’s Derek Ryan, Josh Leivo, and Joakim Nordstrom, as well as Brett Ritchie with six more games played, as other names who could earn extensions due to otherwise meeting the exposure criteria.

Likelihood of a Trade: Medium. With so many affordable, bottom-six role players that the team could hand new one-year deals, the Flames have options. However, if Lucic does not waive and the team feels pressured to re-sign two of those players, they may look for outside help rather than bring back too much of a forward corps that has underachieved this year.

Colorado Avalanche

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: As one of the top scoring team’s in the NHL, the Avalanche will want to keep as much of their forward corps as they can and with the likes of Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad heading to free agency and not in need of protection, the team can do just that. However, if Colorado does protect their top nine scoring forwards minus Landeskog and Saad, that leaves them with, at best, one forward to expose and zero if they choose to protect both Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Compher. If the Avs do choose to protect the duo, that should leave RFA Tyson Jost unprotected, who they could extend in order to meet the exposure requirement. However, Jost has arbitration rights and may not rush into a new deal. Other candidates to re-sign would be UFA’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Carl Soderberg, or Matt Calvert. Fortunately, the Avalanche have an even easier internal fix and that is simply playing Logan O’Connor five more times before the end of the season.

Likelihood of a Trade: Low. Between playing O’Connor and exposing one of Nichushkin or Compher, Colorado may not have to make any move at all. If they do, they have options. Who wouldn’t want to re-sign in Colorado right now, even if its only for the purpose of being expansion draft fodder.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: It’s easy to guess six forwards that the Blue Jackets will protect, but the seventh is a bit trickier. Do they expose star Gustav Nyquist, who has missed the whole season due to injury and is on a substantial contract and on the wrong side of 30? Or do they expose Eric Robinson, who has been a hard-working depth presence this season but has limited upside? Well, if they choose to protect either one, it only leave the other as meeting exposure criteria. Only if both are exposed is Columbus good to go and that scenario seems unlikely. However, the only forward currently meeting the requirements other than term is RFA Kevin Stenlund, though UFA Mikhail Grigorenko requires only two more games played (and a new contract).

Likelihood of a Trade: High. The Blue Jackets surely want to bring Stenlund back, but he has arbitration rights and may not be keen to sign quickly just to help with expansion requirements. If a Stenlund deal can’t be reached sooner rather than later, Columbus may not have a choice but to bring someone in from the outside. A Grigorenko extension seems unlikely, as does exposing both Nyquist and Robinson.

Dallas Stars

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: The Stars’ protection scheme at forward is fairly obvious, as they have seven core forwards who stand out above the rest. However, those seven are also the only regular forwards with term on their contracts. Of all other expansion-draft eligible forwards for Dallas, only Joel L’Esperance has additional time on his current deal and he cannot reach the games played requirement. As a result, the Stars must find two forwards to expose, whereas most of these other problematic teams can at least scrounge up one forward. Among the options to re-sign are veteran UFA’s Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano or younger UFA’s Tanner Kero and Justin Dowling. However, it may be easier to re-up an RFA like Jason Dickinson or, with three more games, Nicholas Caamano. 

Likelihood of a Trade: Medium. The Stars have a number of options, many of whom will likely re-sign at some point anyhow or else Dallas will have to rebuild their bottom-six from scratch. However, with two slots to fill there is always a chance that acquiring a player could be easier than negotiating a pair of early extensions.

New Jersey Devils

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Options: A rebuilding Devils team has a number of regular forwards who are ineligible for the draft and many others, protected or not, who are restricted free agents. What they lack is many term forwards, especially of the the expendable variety. While New Jersey could go in a few different direction with their protected list, the reality is simply that they have only five draft-eligible forwards who are signed beyond this season and at least four of those are locks to be protected. The x-factor is Andreas Johnsson. The first-year Devil has fallen well short of expectations and it would not be a surprise to see him exposed, leaving the team with just one spot to fill to meet the quota. However, if they are determined to give Johnsson a second chance and not lose him for nothing, then that becomes two slots that must be filled. The other problem in New Jersey is that the team doesn’t want to give Seattle any added incentive to steal some of their promising young players. Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen, Yegor Sharangovich, and Nathan Bastian would all meet the exposure criteria if extended, but it’s safe to assume that the Devils will protect two or three of that group and may not be too excited to lose any of the others. Nick Merkley, who requires seven more games played and a new deal, could be seen as more expendable and may be okay with accepting a quick extension, even if it just for expansion purposes.

Likelihood of a Trade: High. With the possibility that New Jersey could protect Johnsson and, in any scenario, will want to steer the Kraken away from their young forwards if at all possible, the Devils seem like a prime candidate to bring in some outside help with meeting exposure criteria.

San Jose Sharks

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Options: Much like the Stars, the Sharks are not an elite team right now, but possess a solid group of top-six forwards who will all be protected. Also like Dallas though, the team has complete lack of long-term commitment to any forward outside of that group. The only other eligible forward signed beyond this season is Jayden Halbgewachs, who has not played a single NHL game, nevertheless enough to meet the requirement. There is not a great list of internal options to re-sign either. Of the players who would meet exposure criteria with an extension, Patrick Marleau is likely to retire, Marcus Sorensen seems to need a fresh start in free agency, and one of Rudolfs Balcers and Dylan Gambrell is likely to be the seventh forward protected. That really leaves UFA Matt Nieto as the lynchpin. If the Sharks can re-up Nieto and whoever they don’t protect between Balcers and Gambrell, they are good to go. If Nieto isn’t keen to re-sign and if Balcers or Gambrell wish to pursue arbitration, the Sharks will be stuck without any forwards to expose.

Likelihood of a Trade: High. The Sharks are in as tough a position as any team on this list. If left exposed, Washington native Gambrell seems like a very likely pick by Seattle, but San Jose needs to meet the exposure quota all the same. That could involve bringing in one if not two forwards before the draft. There simply aren’t many other options on the roster.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Problem Area: Forward OR Defense (Scheme-Dependent)

Internal Options: It should come as no surprise that a team build entirely on a small, expensive core group and veterans on affordable, one-year deals is not well-prepared for the expansion draft. Of the ten Toronto skaters who currently meet the exposure criteria, four are forwards that will be protected in any scenario and three are defensemen that will be protected in any scenario. This leaves Alex Kerfoot at forward and Justin Holl on defense(with Pierre Engvall as the odd man out will likely be exposed regardless); only one can be protected and the other is the most likely Leaf to be selected. If the Maple Leafs value Holl more than Kerfoot, they will go with eight skaters in their protection list. In this scenario, they will not have any defensemen who meet the exposure criteria. Fortunately, any of RFA Travis Dermott or UFA’s Zach Bogosian or Ben Hutton could re-sign and fill that role. Alternatively, if the team values Kerfoot more than Holl, they will go with the standard 7-3 protection scheme. This would allow them to protect Kerfoot as well as extend and protect others like Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton, or Jason Spezza. Those three would all meet exposure requirements as well with a new deal, but Toronto will not offer them up to Seattle. Wayne Simmonds, Riley Nash, or Alex Galchenyuk could be more likely though. Unfortunately, these are all unrestricted free agents and not as easy to re-sign before the off-season as a restricted free agent. The Leafs could find themselves in a bind as a result.

Likelihood of a Trade: Low. There is still so much to be determined about the Leafs’ approach to the draft and they have options either way and player who would likely be eager to re-sign. It’s not a straightforward situation by any means, but they should be able to figure it out without taking the risk of adding salary that they can’t spare by making a trade.

Winnipeg Jets

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Options: The Jets are known for their depth at forward and eight of their top-nine meet the exposure criteria as a result, with RFA Andrew Copp not fitting the bill but almost certain to be protected anyway. The decision for the seventh and final protection slot is likely between the recently-extended Adam Lowry and upstart Mason Appleton. Whoever isn’t protected fills one of the two exposure roles. However, no one else is currently eligible. Extension candidates include UFA’s Mathieu Perreault, Trevor Lewis, and Nate Thompson, but Winnipeg may not necessarily want to commit further to any of those three. The solution: Jansen Harkins is signed through next season and requires just four more games to meet exposure level.

Likelihood of Trade: Low. Just play Harkins and move on. The list of teams in trouble is already long enough.

 

Arbitration| Calgary Flames| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Expansion| Free Agency| Injury| NHL| New Jersey Devils| Players| RFA| San Jose Sharks| Seattle| Toronto Maple Leafs| Winnipeg Jets Adam Lowry| Alex Galchenyuk| Andreas Johnsson| Andrew Cogliano| Andrew Copp| Ben Hutton| Blake Comeau| Brandon Saad| Brett Ritchie| Carl Soderberg| Derek Ryan| Dillon Dube| Dominik Simon| Dylan Gambrell| Eric Robinson| Gabriel Landeskog| Gustav Nyquist| J.T. Compher| Jason Dickinson| Jason Spezza| Joakim Nordstrom| Joe Thornton| Josh Leivo| Justin Holl| Kevin Stenlund| Mason Appleton| Mathieu Perreault| Matt Calvert| Matt Nieto| Michael McLeod| Mikhail Grigorenko| Milan Lucic| Nate Thompson| Nick Merkley| Patrick Marleau| Pierre Engvall

26 comments

Patrick Marleau Breaks NHL All-Time Games Played Record

April 19, 2021 at 9:09 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 13 Comments

When the San Jose Sharks dropped the puck tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights, history was made. Patrick Marleau was in the lineup for San Jose, the 1,768th time that he has suited up for a regular season NHL game. This sets a new NHL record, breaking the age-old mark set by the one and only Gordie Howe in 1961.

While no one is comparing Marleau to Howe, who played six additional seasons in the WHA in addition to 26 years in the NHL and is considered one of the greatest of all time, Marleau has had a storied career of his own. The 41-year-old began his NHL story as the 1997 No. 2 overall pick, just one spot behind eventual long-time teammate Joe Thornton. Marleau played immediately for the Sharks, earning Calder Trophy votes in his first season, and the rest is history. Marleau played 19 consecutive seasons with San Jose before finally departing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017. After two seasons in Toronto, Marleau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and subsequently bought out. He returned to San Jose, though the Sharks gave him potentially his last chance to win a Stanley Cup last year when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It unfortunately didn’t work out for Marleau, but he was still welcomed back to San Jose again this season for a chance to break the games played record. While Marleau’s long career may not include a title, he has many other accolades. A three-time All-Star, Marleau has also received votes for the Hart Trophy five times, the Selke Trophy four times, and the Lady Byng trophy a whopping 15 times, not to mention earning a number of Sharks franchise records as well. Altogether, Marleau has 566 goals and 1196 points in his career, second and fourth respectively among all active players and top-50 all-time.

Beyond the statistics, Marleau has always provided the most important ability as well: availability. Outside of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and these past two COVID-impacted campaigns, Marleau has never played fewer than 74 games in a season – and that low mark occurred in his rookie season. In fact, Marleau already shares in another impressive NHL games played mark. He, Jarome Iginla, and Henrik Sedin are the only players in league history to have played every game in an 82-game schedule 11 times (although Sedin holds the record with 12).

Marleau’s new career games played record could stand the test of time as well. The only active players within even 500 games of the mark are Thornton, 41, Zdeno Chara, 44, and Eric Staal, 36. Marleau has the remainder of this season to further tack on games as well. What happens beyond that point is unknown, though many speculate that Marleau could retire now that the record is set, but also given the drop-off in his performance this year. However, Thornton and Chara are also equally likely to retire, while Staal is about six full 82-game seasons from matching the mark. Marleau should be safe for quite awhile atop the all-time games played list.

Congratulations to Marleau on this tremendous achievement from everyone at PHR.

Carolina Hurricanes| NHL| Pittsburgh Penguins| San Jose Sharks| Schedule| Toronto Maple Leafs Eric Staal| Gordie Howe| Henrik Sedin| Hockey History| Jarome Iginla| Joe Thornton| Patrick Marleau

13 comments

Injury Updates: Makar, Dubois, Thornton, Backlund

February 14, 2021 at 7:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While Colorado is back in action today for the first time in 12 days, they’re doing so without the services of their top offensive threat from the back end as Cale Makar is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters, including Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, that he’s not quite sure how the injury happened.  Makar participated in three practices with the Avalanche this week as they worked their way up to today’s game but Bednar allowed for the possibility that the injury occurred away from the rink as well.  Makar is averaging just over a point per game this season and was on a five-game point streak before their schedule was paused and he will have to wait a little while longer to try to extend it.

More injury news from around the league:

  • The Jets aren’t expected to have center Pierre-Luc Dubois in the lineup on Monday against Edmonton, reports Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link). He missed Saturday’s contest versus Ottawa due to a lower-body injury and it appears it will cost him a second game as well.  Head coach Paul Maurice indicated that Dubois will travel with the team which suggests they expect him back at some point on this four-game road trip.
  • The Maple Leafs are expected to welcome back Joe Thornton for their opener against Ottawa on Monday, relays Postmedia’s Lance Hornby. The 41-year-old suffered a fractured rib in Toronto’s fifth game of the season and was immediately placed on LTIR.  Assuming he is able to play tomorrow, he’ll wind up missing just the minimum amount of time.  Thornton has a goal and an assist so far this season which has mostly been spent on the left wing of their top line after playing down the middle for the last two decades.
  • While Flames center Mikael Backlund left Saturday’s game against Vancouver early with a lower-body injury, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out for long. Head coach Geoff Ward told reporters, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link), that Backlund is already feeling better today and will be re-evaluated on Monday.  Calgary is back in action for the fourth and final game of this stint versus Vancouver on Monday night.

Calgary Flames| Colorado Avalanche| Injury| Toronto Maple Leafs| Winnipeg Jets Cale Makar| Joe Thornton| Mikael Backlund| Pierre-Luc Dubois

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Injury Notes: Mrazek, Letang, Thornton

February 1, 2021 at 1:34 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes are going to be without starting goaltender Petr Mrazek for longer than initially thought. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said today that the injury suffered against the Dallas Stars on Saturday is “more serious” than they originally believed and Mrazek may even require surgery. That’s terrible news for a goaltender who was leading the league with a .955 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average through his first four appearances. Mrazek had already recorded two shutouts on the year and looked to be playing at an entirely different level in the early going.

For the Hurricanes, it means James Reimer will take most of the load, while minor league netminder Alex Nedeljkovic will get a chance to serve as the primary backup. The 25-year-old Nedeljkovic was placed on waivers earlier this season but the Hurricanes managed to hold onto him. He has just six appearances at the NHL level but won the AHL Goaltender of the Year award in 2019, leading the Charlotte Checkers to a Calder Cup.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t have Kris Letang in the lineup tonight as the star defenseman continues to be evaluated for an injury he suffered on Saturday night. The Penguins have lost almost all of their defensive depth to injury this season, but at least one silver lining continues to grow. Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been a shining light for the team in the early going and logged nearly 26 minutes against the New York Rangers on Saturday in just his fifth NHL game. He’ll be asked to carry a heavy load if Letang is out long-term, given the lack of offensive upside many of the other options possess.
  • Joe Thornton and Nicholas Robertson were both on the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs today as they continue to work their way back from injury. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that nothing has changed in the recovery timelines originally given, which were a minimum of four weeks. The Maple Leafs have a few days off before resuming the grind of the condensed season on Thursday in the first of three straight games against the Vancouver Canucks.

Carolina Hurricanes| Injury| Pittsburgh Penguins| Sheldon Keefe| Toronto Maple Leafs Alex Nedeljkovic| James Reimer| Joe Thornton| Kris Letang| Petr Mrazek| Pierre-Olivier Joseph

2 comments

Joe Thornton Out With Fractured Rib

January 22, 2021 at 2:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 9 Comments

2:00pm: Thornton has been moved to long-term injured reserve, meaning he must miss at least ten games and 24 days. It will give the Maple Leafs some added cap flexibility in his absence but certainly won’t excite many fans that were holding out hope for a quick comeback.

9:45am: The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without the services of Joe Thornton for at least the next month, as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN this morning that the veteran forward suffered a fractured rib in Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. For at least one game, Toronto will actually be missing two-thirds of their top line as Auston Matthews is also listed as day-to-day with upper-body soreness and will not play tonight. Pierre Engvall, Alexander Barabanov, and Adam Brooks will be inserted into the lineup.

The Maple Leafs’ forward depth has already been an issue this season, with Thornton, Barabanov, Jimmy Vesey, Wayne Simmonds, Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, and Nick Robertson combining for just two goals and five points through the first five games. That’s a total of 27 games played from the depth forwards without much to show for it, as Toronto has relied heavily on their top guns to carry the offensive load. Now with Matthews—who was averaging more than 23 minutes a game through the early part of the season—out, the team will need someone else to step up and put the puck in the net.

For Thornton, missing a month in a condensed season is much more concerning. The 41-year-old legend could miss a quarter of the 56-game schedule, meaning his spot on the top line will have to be filled with someone else as he works to get back into the lineup. It’s hard to know how long he’ll take to get back up to speed and whether he’ll be able to contribute at the level he is used to.

Sheldon Keefe| Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews| Joe Thornton

9 comments

Snapshots: Ullmark, Tryamkin, Thornton

January 21, 2021 at 2:02 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Buffalo Sabres have been taking the ice without Linus Ullmark for the last two games and this morning the goaltender explained why. After Monday’s morning skate, Ullmark received news that his father had passed away in Sweden. Carter Hutton took the net that evening, but captain Jack Eichel awarded Ullmark with the game puck after a 6-1 victory. He expressed his gratitude towards the whole organization for how they’ve come to his support in the days since.

Ullmark plans on traveling with the team to Washington and could be available for Friday’s game against the Capitals. Hutton meanwhile will not be on the trip as he deals with an injury and is listed as day-to-day.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have a very interesting relationship with Russian defenseman Nikita Tryamkin, who is still playing in the KHL despite a long negotiation last year. The 26-year-old defender is still technically a restricted free agent and can only sign with the Canucks if he chooses to return to the NHL. Now, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN gives an update on the situation and spoke with Yekaterinburg executive Maxim Ryabkov, who expressed how much Tryamkin has improved in the last year, even calling him “one of the best defensemen in the KHL.” The 6’7″ behemoth pairs incredible size with excellent skating ability to shut down rushes and move the puck quickly. If he is not signed this offseason, Tryamkin can actually become an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-22 season.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs had the blender out at practice today following a loss to the Edmonton Oilers that included Joe Thornton’s early exit with an injury. Thornton will undergo further testing to determine the extent of the injury but is expected to miss some time. Interestingly, Auston Matthews also left practice just before it began, though all head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that the star center “wasn’t feeling great.” Adam Brooks, Pierre Engvall, and Alexander Barabanov were all skating with the main group as the Maple Leafs try to figure out their lines moving forward.

Buffalo Sabres| Injury| KHL| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks Carter Hutton| Joe Thornton| Linus Ullmark| Nikita Tryamkin

1 comment

Snapshots: Stuetzle, Thornton, Duclair, Spurgeon

January 3, 2021 at 3:04 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

The Ottawa Senators have already been in camp for several days already, but the team will get another big name player into camp soon as 2020 first-round pick Tim Stuetzle arrived in Ottawa Saturday night. The 18-year-old is coming off an impressive performance at the World Junior Championship after he led Team Germany to one of the countries best finishes ever. After a seven-day quarantine, he will join his team and is likely to start his NHL career, according to the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch.

“I hope I’m going to play in the NHL this season, that’s 100% my goal and I will work very hard for that,” Stuetzle told reporters in Edmonton following Germany’s elimination in the quarterfinals.

Stuetzle finished the World Juniors with five goals and 10 points in five games. The third-overall pick, who signed his entry-level deal last week, is likely going to play wing for the Senators this season.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe surprised a few at his opening press conference today when he announced that 41-year-old Joe Thornton will play with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on a line entering camp, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle. That’s a bit higher than many thought he would play on after a seven-goal season with the San Jose Sharks last year. Keefe added that Jimmy Vesey will play alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, while Ilya Mikheyev, Alexander Kerfoot and Zach Hyman will play on the third line and Wayne Simmonds, Jason Spezza and Alexander Barabanov will man the fourth line.
  • Speaking of lines, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said today that newly signed forward Anthony Duclair is expected to start training camp on the team’s No. 1 line next to Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, according to FloridaHockeyNow’s George Richards. Duclair had trouble finding a new team after an impressive season with the Ottawa Senators when he tallied 23 goals and 40 points in 66 games. With the losses of Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman off their top-six, Duclair was brought in to take a big role with the Panthers this season.
  • The Minnesota Wild haven’t had to make a change in their captaincy since 2009, but after allowing Mikko Koivu to leave via free agency during the offseason, a new captain was needed. Despite bigger names on the roster such as Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Minnesota Wild announced that Jared Spurgeon will be the new captain of the team, according to Sarah McLellan of the StarTribune. Spurgeon, who signed a seven-year, $53MM contract extension in September of 2019, has been a team leader for years and has been with the team for 10 years already. The 31-year-old paired with Suter as the two of them posted a plus-13 at 5-on-5 together, making them one of the top No. 1 pairings in the league.

Florida Panthers| Minnesota Wild| Ottawa Senators| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs Aleksander Barkov| Alexander Kerfoot| Anthony Duclair| Auston Matthews| Ilya Mikheyev| Jared Spurgeon| Jason Spezza| Jimmy Vesey| Joe Thornton| John Tavares| Jonathan Huberdeau| Mikko Koivu| Mitch Marner| Tim Stuetzle| Wayne Simmonds| William Nylander| Zach Hyman

4 comments

Joe Thornton Returning To Toronto

December 14, 2020 at 10:02 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Veteran forward Joe Thornton won’t get to spend the holiday season in Switzerland after all. The 41-year-old has been recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs and is on his way back to North America to begin his pre-training camp quarantine.

Thornton was signed to a one-year, $700K contract with the Maple Leafs this offseason but had been playing in Switzerland for HC Davos, where his family usually spends the summer. In 12 games for the club, he scored 11 points, a short return for one of the most legendary players in Davos history (despite his relatively low games played totals). Thornton had previously spent the 2004-05 lockout with Davos and had returned for the first half of 2012-13 when the NHL was on hold once again.

The former San Jose Sharks captain will start a new chapter of his hockey career in Toronto, the club that his father cheered for and one just a few hours up the road from his St. Thomas childhood home. While some may snicker at the idea that Thornton would chase a Stanley Cup in Toronto—a team that hasn’t won in more than 50 years—there’s no doubting the team is loaded with talent. Whether the addition of a grizzled veteran will take them over the top is still to be determined, though detractors will point out that Thornton himself has never sipped from the Cup.

Another thing that isn’t quite so certain yet is whether Thornton even has any game left. His point totals dropped off a cliff last season for the Sharks and though he has told the media he feels refreshed after the long break, 41 is 41.

Toronto Maple Leafs Joe Thornton

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Pacific Notes: Fischer, Sharks, Bowey

October 18, 2020 at 5:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

With the deadline for players to accept their qualifying offers having passed earlier today, Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan reports that the Coyotes are still working on a deal for restricted free agent forward Christian Fischer, even though there is no word on whether they requested an extension from the league. The forward does not have arbitration rights.

Fischer struggled significantly last season, seeing his playing time reduced by more than two minutes, going from 13:10 ATOI to 11:01 this season) and scored just six goals and nine points in 56 games. The 23-year-old just wrapped up his entry-level deal where he made $1.08MM.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that the loss of center Joe Thornton will have a significant effect on the team. While his offense should be able to be replaced, the bigger effect is how the team will fare without his presence in the locker room, where the veterans had quite an effect over the years. Now with Thornton and Joe Pavelski gone, much of the leadership will fall on the shoulders of second-year captain Logan Couture, who will tough shoes to fill in the Sharks’ locker room. “You have to have a whole leadership group,” general manager Doug Wilson said. “It’s on a whole group of players, it’s not a one-person leadership mentality. … Yes, you’ve got some of the veterans that certainly know it’s their responsibility, but some of the younger guys, too — Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc. It’s their time. They need to step up to the next level. We have to be the sum of all our parts.”
  • With Matt Benning gone and prospects Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg still developing, the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that one player that the Oilers may consider adding is former Detroit Red Wings blueliner Madison Bowey. The Red Wings opted not to give the 25-year-old a qualifying offer, making him a free-agent. However, Oilers general manager Ken Holland is familiar with Bowey, who he traded for back when he was with the Red Wings and it could be a good fit. The 6-foot-2 blueliner averaged 17:54 last season in 53 games with Detroit, posting three goals and 17 points.

Detroit Red Wings| Edmonton Oilers| San Jose Sharks| Utah Mammoth Christian Fischer| Joe Thornton| Logan Couture| Madison Bowey

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