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Casey Cizikas To Miss Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

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After leaving last night’s game, Casey Cizikas will be out for approximately four weeks according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Casey Cizikas The Islanders made an emergency recall of Bracken Kearns today to fill in, but was thought of as the fill-in for Cal Clutterbuck who also left with an injury. We’ll wait and see what the lineup looks like tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.

With Cizikas out, the Islanders have lost even more depth at a position they severely lack. Center ice has been a problem for them all season with Mikhail Grabovski fighting concussion symptoms and Ryan Strome not being able to make the transition at the NHL level. Cizikas has played up and down the lineup for the team and takes the second most draws behind only John Tavares. His absence will not only leave a defensive hole, but also a physical one. He and Clutterbuck have formed one of the most punishing combinations in the league in recent years—along with Matt Martin who signed with Toronto this summer—and have worn out defenders with a persistent forecheck.

For the Islanders, who are actually tied for a playoff spot currently, it is a big blow to an already depleted forward group. Since watching Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo leave in free agency, the team has had a difficult time finding forwards that can provide consistency for them. Cizikas even has more points than the big offseason fish Andrew Ladd, though that is turning around recently. This may force the team to pursue an upgrade at the trade deadline, even if it does come in the form of a rental from one of the bottom-dwellers of the Western Conference.

New York Islanders May Be Buyers At Deadline

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If Garth Snow had told the New York Islanders fans a couple of months ago that they might be buyers at the deadline, he’d likely be laughed out of the building. The early season struggles of the Islanders had people talking about their decisions to let Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo walk in the offseason, only to give a huge contract to Andrew Ladd. Through December 18th, the $38.5MM man had just seven points and looked like one of the biggest busts of the 2016 free agent class. The team was floundering near the bottom of the conference, and it looked like a lost season for the Islanders. Garth Snow

In the 20 games since, Ladd has 10 goals and 13 points, looking more like the consistent goal-scoring threat he has been throughout his career. The team has turned it around as well, and climbed right back into the East playoff race. At 62 points they’ve hopped over the Philadelphia Flyers and are just one behind the Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot.

That’s what has new head coach Doug Weight and Snow looking at possibly adding at the deadline instead of selling, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Weight—who is still an assistant GM after moving from the front office to the bench when the Isles fired Jack Capuano—especially seems to think they can do something, telling Staple “we’re in a position where we can really do something.”

Staple lists Patrick Sharp, Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal as rentals that could help the Islanders over the last third of the season and all three would be solid additions. Lacking secondary scoring after John Tavares and whoever he ends up playing with on a nightly basis, Sharp and Vrbata would add some ability on the wings. Hanzal, a much discussed target heading into the deadline, would solidify the center ice position and allow Casey Cizikas to move back down into a more familiar role.

Whether the Islanders decide to buy will likely depend on the next five games (one of which they’re losing 2-0 at the time of this writing) and where they sit when they shut down between February 26-March 1. If they can keep pace with the rest of the conference, they will likely decide that the window is now with Tavares and end up adding for the short or mid term. It seems unlikely that they would get into the Matt Duchene sweepstakes, but it is definitely a possibility. They do have a solid group of young defenders, the thing the Avalanche seem to covet most.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Tootoo, Barzal, Parenteau

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It’s not easy to open up about alcoholism and the effect it has on your life and the people around you. Jordin Tootoo has done just that over the past few years, and again to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. In a stunningly open interview with Kuc that is reminiscent of the piece done by David Pollock of The Hockey News concerning Devin Setoguchi (who cleared waivers today and was sent to the AHL), Tootoo speaks about the past six years of sobriety and how he has changed from a bottle-swigging teenager to a bottle-feeding parent.

A role-model on the ice and off of it, Tootoo has turned from rampant alcoholism onset by the suicide of his brother to clean living and mentoring of younger players of his Inuit background. Those from his hometown of Rankin Inlet in Nunavut, Canada are starting to follow his lead and leave the bottle for a hockey stick instead. The piece is a wonderful look inside a player who has seen pretty much everything in his NHL career, and is now trying to help the Chicago Blackhawks get back to the Stanley Cup finals.

  • The New York Islanders might not have performed exactly as expected this season, but even if they don’t make the playoffs—which, after an excellent stretch is far from certain—they have some bright spots in their future. Kelsey Smith of NHL.com checks in on some of their prospects, including two that received some league honors this week. Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock earned player of the week honors in their respective leagues, and the two first-rounders seem like locks to eventually make it to the NHL on a full-time basis. After starring at the World Juniors, Barzal has 54 points (including 46 assists) in just 29 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, while Pulock has 22 points in 27 games from the back-end of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.
  • P.A. Parenteau has found a home in New Jersey after being selected off waivers by the Devils just before the season started. The Islanders had signed the free agent winger prior to the year, but decided he wasn’t cut out for John Tavares’ wing anymore and allowed the Devils to take him for nothing. He’s put up 13 goals and 25 points this year in 53 games and doesn’t want to go anywhere at the deadline. “I want to stay here, they’ve been great to me,” Parenteau told Andrew Gross of The Record, while admitting he understands that his name will surface on March 1st, if not before. Just like last year when Parenteau was in the midst of a 20-goal season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s an expiring contract who can provide goal scoring for almost no money; plenty of teams will be after that at the deadline, if they believe that he is capable of playing a role in their playoff push.

5 Key Stories: 1/23/17 – 1/29/17

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Congratulations to the members of the Metro Division All-Star team, who capped off an entertaining three-on-three tournament by defeating the Pacific Division 4 – 3. It’s time for PHR’s weekly roundup of the five key stories from the week of 1/23/17 through 1/29/17.

Colorado center Matt Duchene, the subject of trade rumors for much of the season, expressed a willingness to being dealt to another club in comments made to The Denver Post this week. The talented pivot has two years remaining on a contract that comes with an AAV of $6MM and is sure to attract plenty of trade interest. The team is reportedly hoping to land at least a young, top-four defenseman and a high draft pick in return.

The Ottawa Senators added some bottom-six depth by acquiring veteran winger Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks for minor leaguers Zack Stortini and Buddy Robinson along with a seventh-round draft pick. Still just 28, Wingels could prove to be a solid pickup for the Senators. During the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns, the seven-year veteran combined for 31 goals and that’s the kind of production the Senators are hoping for. From the Sharks perspective, the trade cleared needed cap space with Tomas Hertl poised to come off of IR.

Looking for additional defensive depth, the Montreal Canadiens picked up Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league prospect Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round draft choice. Nesterov has tallied 12 points in 35 games this season and could provide solid value for the Habs as a long-term fit on their blue line. He carries a cap hit of $725K and will be a RFA this summer.

As he draws nearer unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, New York Islanders franchise center John Tavares indicated he is open to inking a long-term extension to remain on Long Island despite the team’s struggles this season. It’s not a surprising position for the #1 overall selection in the 2009 draft to take. There’s no point in limiting any option this far from free agency and a lot can change between now and July 1, 2018. Any way you look at it, Tavares is going to land a lucrative long-term deal, whether it’s with the Islanders or another franchise.

Semyon Varlamov, Colorado’s starting goaltender, will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a groin injury. Like many of his teammates, the 2016-17 campaign has not been a good one for the Russian netminder and now his season is going to be cut short. Varlamov will have two years remaining on a deal that comes with a $5.9MM cap hit and it will be interesting to see what the Avalanche, already rumored to be considering significant roster changes, do with their goaltending situation.

 

 

Trade Candidate: P.A. Parenteau

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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.

Now that the New Jersey Devils are all but eliminated from playoff contention – they are part of a four-way tie for fewest points in the Eastern Conference but have played more games than the three other clubs – it’s likely they will begin to market veteran players on expiring contracts, or other assets that can help speed up their roster rebuild. One player that fits the former mold, P.A. Parenteau, may well be on the move again, set to possibly join the seventh different NHL team since debuting in the league 10 years ago if the Devils decide a trade is worthwhile.

Parenteau broke into the league during the 2006-07 campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks, appearing in five games. The winger was traded to the New York Rangers where he didn’t see any NHL action until the 2009-10 season, getting into 22 contests with the Blueshirts. He finally secured a full time role in the NHL in 2010-11 at the age of 27 as a member of the New York Islanders, for whom he would record his first 20-goal season. Parenteau has bounced around the last four seasons, spending time with Colorado, Montreal, Toronto and now the Devils, who acquired the nine-year vet via waivers just prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

Contract

On July 2nd, Parenteau inked a one-year, $1.25MM deal to return to the Islanders where it was expected he would have a chance to earn a spot playing on John Tavares’ wing following the departure of Kyle Okposo. Instead, Parenteau failed to make the team out of camp and was placed on waivers where he was claimed by New Jersey. He will again be an unrestricted free agent this summer upon the expiration of his current agreement.

2016-17

Parenteau has earned a top-six role with the Devils, seeing extensive action at both even strength and on the power play. He is averaging better than 15 1/2 minutes per game and has tallied 12 goals with 11 assists in 48 games this season. The 6-foot, 200-pound winger is tied for second on the team in man-advantage goals with four and his eight even strength markers rank third.

Potential Suitors

Any team looking for cheap secondary scoring might take a hard look at Parenteau. Most clubs in the league would easily be able to accommodate his minimal cap charge and his production this year has been solid. He’s probably not a top-six winger on a Stanley Cup contender but with everyone looking for scoring from all four forward lines, Parenteau should be able to slide in on a team’s bottom-six and produce.

Anaheim presently resides in third place in the Pacific and in possession of the guaranteed playoff spot that represents. However, just three forwards are currently on pace to net 20 or more goals this season and just six have registered at least 20 points. Granted, both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are not producing up to their lofty standards but the team could use an offensive boost.

Los Angeles ranks 22nd in goals scored this season while Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik each have just five goals on the season. Kings GM Dean Lombardi likely doesn’t want to deal prospects or draft picks for a quick fix but Parenteau likely wouldn’t cost an acquiring team much more than a mid-round choice.

Chicago is thought to be on the lookout for someone to ride shotgun on Jonathan Toews’ line and if they strike out on preferred options such as Thomas Vanek and Patrick Sharp, Parenteau could represent a nice low-risk investment for the team.

Likelihood of a Trade

Parenteau is almost a lock to be traded unless the Devils see value in extending the 33-year-old winger. He has a solid pedigree of success and his contract can be absorbed into any payroll situation. Additionally, the low acquisition cost would appeal to any team unwilling to mortgage a significant part of their future for a trade deadline move.

Projecting John Tavares’ Next Contract

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True superstars don’t hit the open market very often. When Steven Stamkos got close enough to talk to other teams in the negotiating window last summer, it was as close as you’d ever expect a player of that caliber in his prime to get to unrestricted free agency. Stamkos eventually signed on June 29th, a day that will live in hockey infamy (due to the massive trades that also happened within minutes of the Lightning re-signing). Thus, it was technically an extension that Stamkos signed, as he’d not yet become a free agent.

This weekend at the all-star game, a player who has been linked to Stamkos for a long time made his feelings clear about a possible extension. John Tavares, the superstar center that has been mired in New York (and not that New York) for the first part of his career told the media that he’d be open to an extension come July 1st, and that he liked the direction the organization was heading. Now, whether or not you agree with him on liking the direction GM Garth Snow and company are headed in, it’s a big deal that Tavares would come out so publicly in support of at least a negotiation.

So the question now becomes what would an extension look like. Tavares has one more season on his current deal, which will pay him $6MM (with a $5.5MM cap hit) and contains a full no-movement clause. He signed that deal back in 2011, before he’d even turned 21. Now 26, any extension he signs will start when he’s heading into his age-28 season almost two years older than Stamkos was.

It’s with Stamkos that the comparison has to begin. The two were the first overall selections in back to back years, and faced each other countless times in junior. They were even teammates at 17 for Canada at the World Juniors, while battling near the top of the OHL scoring charts (with another future first-overall selection in Taylor Hall). Stamkos’ deal then is a good starting point for projecting what Tavares will get.

It’s that though that poses so much difficulty, because of their distinct situations. As mentioned, Tavares is due to hit free agency later than Stamkos and doesn’t quite have the resume of the Lightning sniper. As surprising as it may be, Tavares lags behind in most categories including individual awards and team success. The Lightning have been players deep into the playoffs, while the Islanders have won just a single playoff round with Tavares. Stamkos has two Maurice Richard trophies for the league’s top goal scorer, while amazingly Tavares has only come relatively close to an award during the lockout-shortened season.

Stamkos received an eight-year deal from the Lightning, with an average annual value of $8.5MM. Many saw this as a steal for Tampa Bay, as there were numbers bandied about as high as $12MM from the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the blue-and-white shadow looming over Tavares as well (another home-town boy) $8.5 is an interesting starting point for an extension. Even if Stamkos did take a bit off to stay in Tampa, there are only seven forwards who earn more on a per-year basis than him in the league, and four of them were just named to the NHL’s top-100 players of all time (and another should have been, but I digress).  While Tavares simply doesn’t have the numbers to approach Stamkos – he has scored .92 points per game to Stamkos’ .99 – many believe he is the better defensive player and doesn’t have the injury history that the Lightning forward does.

Anze Kopitar, a center who lags behind Tavares offensively but is considered among the best defensive forwards in the game just got $10MM per season for the next eight years, and it seems like that may actually be closer to what the Islanders will have to dish out. While the real number will likely fall somewhere in between, it’s not out of the question that Tavares could get the largest annual value ever should he wait to hit the open market. Like Stamkos before him a bidding war would likely open, and with the loss of that eighth year possibility (contracts are capped at seven years once a player hits unrestricted free agency), the AAV would likely go up.

For the Islanders, signing Tavares is obviously a huge priority. But after committing long term to Andrew Ladd and having $6MM tied up in an under-performing and rapidly aging Johnny Boychuk it won’t be an easy task. The team has a lot of money tied up in players that aren’t giving them a chance at the Stanley Cup, meaning this superstar may just hold out a little longer to really see what direction the team is headed in for the next eight years.

John Tavares Open To Extension With Islanders

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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.

What’s Next For The Islanders?

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In the midst of a disappointing 2016-17 campaign, the New York Islanders made a change behind the bench yesterday, relieving Jack Capuano of his duties and turning the team over to AGM Doug Weight on an interim basis. The team has also received permission from the Florida Panthers to speak with their former head coach, Gerard Gallant, about taking the reins with the Isles on a full time basis. While the coaching change was surely made with the idea of sparking a second half playoff charge, it’s also quite possible this is just the first of several moves intended to get the Islanders back on the right track.

First and foremost, the goal for the Islanders will be to show superstar center John Tavares that the organization is fully committed to icing a competitive team around him. Tavares is eligible to become a free agent following the 2017-18 season and despite repeatedly stating his desire to remain with the organization that drafted him first overall in 2009, many in the industry feel that unless he views the Islanders as a legitimate contender, he’ll consider other options in free agency. That may pressure the front office into action, both at this year’s trade deadline and during the upcoming summer.

Assuming the new voice – whether Weight remains in charge for the duration of the campaign or the team hires another head coach such as Gallant – is unable to alter the team’s course ahead of the deadline, it’s conceivable the team will look to cash in veteran assets for controllable young talent and/or draft choices. Unfortunately the Islanders don’t possess much in the way of pending free agents that would appeal to other teams. Only Dennis Seidenberg, Stephen Gionta and Thomas Greiss are scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the season and none represent the type of asset that would command a significant return in trade.

The team could look to this summer’s free agent class in an effort to improve the roster but with more than $61MM already committed to 19 players in 2017-18, there won’t be much room to do so. It’s also possible the Islanders will look to move a big salary to create needed roster flexibility but other teams simply won’t have much interest in taking on the contract of someone like Andrew Ladd, who has six years and $33MM left on his deal and has struggled with just eight goals and 12 points in 41 contests this season. Mikhail Grabovski, who has been out all season with post-concussion syndrome, and Nikolai Kulemin are also unlikely to generate much interest on the trade market. Dealing any other roster player would only serve to create another hole the Islanders would have to fill.

It’s also fair to wonder whether GM Garth Snow will be the team’s leading decision-maker for much longer. After all, his offseason moves this past summer have not worked out particularly well and new ownership may not be as committed to the longtime Islanders executive as was Charles Wang. Remember, it was Wang who abruptly fired Neil Smith just six weeks into his tenure as GM and hired Snow, then the team’s backup goaltender, back in 2009. It has been reported that the organization’s new leaders, Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin, have already been on the hunt for a “big name” executive to lead the team’s hockey operations department. The Islanders on-ice struggles could prompt ownership to transition away from Snow and bring in new leadership.

Clearly the Islanders organization has their work cut out for them and big decisions yet to make. The key question will be whether those decisions are enough to convince Tavares to sign on beyond the expiration of his current contract.

 

Head Coaches Potentially On The Hot Seat

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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.

 

New York Hockey Notes: Tortorella, Davidson, Isles, Buchnevich

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The Columbus Blue Jackets, fresh off their 16-game winning streak, are in the unusual position of being considered among the best teams in the NHL. They currently own the league’s best record at 27-6-4 and currently rank among the top teams in several statistical categories. With the Jackets taking an early lead at home against the New York Rangers tonight, it’s perhaps interesting to note how much of an impact two former Blue Shirts have had on the fortunes of Columbus this season, argues Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.

Former Ranger net minder and television analyst John Davidson took over as President of the Blue Jackets back in 2012 and has overseen the acquisition of much of the current roster. One of his first moves was to bring in the team’s GM, Jarmo Kekalainen, with whom Davidson worked while both were in the Blues organization. Kekalainen and his staff are responsible for drafting Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski, among others, and have orchestrated trades for Brandon Saad and Seth Jones.

Perhaps the biggest move Davidson and the Jackets have made was hiring head coach John Tortorella, who spent parts of five seasons behind the bench in New York and who led the Rangers to the playoffs four times and a berth in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final. Tortorella has rebuilt his reputation as one of the league’s top coaches and according to Davidson, Torts has pushed the players and adds “the players are also allowed to not only play the game hard, play the game in the way it should be played, but also have fun doing it. And Torts has done all that stuff.”

It remains to be seen just how far the Jackets will go this season. They certainly look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender at this point and as the second youngest team in the league, they should remain one of the league’s best for the foreseeable future. Much of the credit for their success is owed to two men who used to be members of one of their Metro division rivals.

Elsewhere in New York hockey:

  • Unlike Columbus, the New York Islanders have underachieved and unless they get things turned around, they’ll be in danger of missing the playoffs. Their struggles this season may also have a negative affect on star center John Tavares’ desire to remain with the Islanders beyond the term of his current contract. Tavares has one more season left on his deal and it would be a crushing blow if he were to leave the team after the 2017-18 campaign. However, while things appear bleak today, the team does have hope for the future as Arthur Staple of Newsday writes. Even though they aren’t quite NHL-ready, Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle are getting a thorough education playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL and will soon be ready to contribute for the big club. The talented youngsters are learning what it takes to be pros from former NHL defenseman and Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson and while there is still work to be done their skill is undeniable.
  • Pavel Buchnevich, who was assigned to Hartford on the AHL yesterday, appeared in the Wolf Pack’s game last night and tallied a power play goal in his first game action in nearly eight weeks. More importantly for Buchnevich and the Rangers, Buchnevich reported no pain after the game, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. While the Wolf Pack return to the ice tonight but Buchnevich will not be joining them. Brooks reports that he won’t participate in back-to-back games but is expected to be in the lineup again for the third game of the weekend set, barring any complications of course.

 

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