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Jonathan Marchessault

Atlantic Notes: Chabot, Panthers, Bergeron, Nylander, Leivo

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The Ottawa Senators are expected to make a decision in the next few days regarding what to do with defenseman Thomas Chabot, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports (Twitter link).  The 19 year old is one of several ‘slide-rule players’ who can play up to nine NHL games before the first year of their contract kicks in.

As Chabot was drafted out of the CHL, the Sens must return him to his junior team in Saint John (QMJHL) if they don’t want to keep him up with the big club; the AHL is not an option for him.  So far, Ottawa has played him just once and only gave him 7:09 of action in that lone appearance so at first glance, it would seem likely that he will eventually be heading back to junior.

If they were to send him back, Ottawa may be on the lookout for a veteran depth defender as they were back in the offseason.  Internally, a likely option to be recalled in the interim to take Chabot’s place would be Mike Kostka who spent time in that role with the Senators last season.

[Related: Senators Depth Chart]

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Panthers are getting great value from a pair of under the radar free agent acquisitions over the summer, writes George Richards of the Miami Herald. Wingers Colton Sceviour and Jonathan Marchessault were lost among the dozens of early signings on July 1st but have been key contributors for Florida this season.  Marchessault is tied for the league lead in goals while Sceviour is second on the team in points behind only Marchessault.  Both players signed for under $1MM (Sceviour $950K and Marchessault $750K, both for two years), giving the Panthers two of the best bargains in the NHL through the first month of the season.
  • Boston center Patrice Bergeron sustained a minor injury following Monday’s practice and is questionable for tonight’s game, reports CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty. The issue is not related to the lower body injury that he had earlier this season.  Head coach Claude Julien wouldn’t rule out Bergeron playing but the team has called up prospect Sean Kuraly from their AHL affiliate in Providence in case he is unable to go.  The team will also be without David Backes who recently underwent elbow surgery.
  • The league announced that Toronto center William Nylander has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month. While Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have garnered the most attention, Nylander is tied for the league lead in multi-point games this season with four.  He leads all rookies in scoring with 11 points (4-7-11).  The Leafs also announced that winger Josh Leivo has been sent to the AHL on a long-term injury conditioning loan.  This loan typically lasts a maximum of six days or three games.

2016-17 Season Preview: Florida Panthers

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With the start of the regular season just one day away, we continue to look at each team’s off-season and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Florida Panthers.

Last Season: 47-26-9 (103 points), Finished 1st in the Atlantic Division. Lost 4-2 to the New York Islanders in the first round.

Remaining Cap Space: $9.71MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: Keith Yandle (Acquired from New York Rangers), Jonathan Marchessault (free agent), Colton Sceviour (free agent), Jared McCann (Acquired from Vancouver), Jason Demers (free agent), Mark Pysyk (Acquired from Buffalo), James Reimer (free agent).

Key Departures: Jiri Hudler (signed with Dallas), Brian Campbell (signed with Chicago), Teddy Purcell (signed with Los Angeles), Al Montoya (signed with Montreal), Dmitry Kulikov (traded to Buffal0).

[Related: Florida Panthers Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: Keith Yandle: The Panthers acquired him from New York and then signed him to a monster seven-year deal worth $44.45MM. So now the question is if the Panthers will get the return on investment. Yandle had a great season with New York in 2015-16, and is still only thirty years of age. Though the length of the term and a cap hit of $6.35MM will hurt in latter years, it’s right now that matters. Yandle will quarterback the power play, a place where the Panthers needed help. Further, he gives a tremendous 1-2 punch with Aaron Ekblad.

Key Storyline: How will the Panthers fare knowing that Jonathan Huberdeau is out for the next three to four months? This is a team that was busy in the offseason after a disappointing postseason result, and bolstered their blue line significantly with the additions of Demers, Yandle, and Pysyk. Huberdeau’s injury, however, could be a tough hole to fill as he accounted for 59 points (20-39) last season and was third on the team in points and goals. The loss is huge, and how the Panthers respond for the first half of the season should dictate their season. However, depth is not a weakness for the Florida, and should they be able to tread water during Huberdeau’s absence, his return will only bolster an already strong team on paper.

Atlantic Notes: Senators, Marchessault, Reway

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New Senators coach Guy Boucher intends to reduce players’ shift times this season, writes Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun.  Last season, the two Stanley Cup finalists (San Jose and champion Penguins) had an average shift length of 41 seconds which didn’t go unnoticed by Boucher:

“It’s a pace game now. Can you sustain it, can you maintain it. The only way to maintain it is with energy.  “Who won the Stanley Cup? The team that had the most pace. Period. That’s where we need to go.” 

The trend towards short shifts was also present at the World Cup of Hockey, particularly with Team Canada who routinely had their players take shifts under 40 seconds (sometimes even under 30).

Ottawa had 23 players with an average shift length higher than 41 seconds last season, including defenseman Erik Karlsson, who led the league with an average shift of 1:04, eight seconds higher than any other player.  While Karlsson has led all NHL blueliners in scoring in each of the last three seasons, the restrictions will apply to him, although Boucher noted that the 26 year old should still play the full two minutes on the power play (which will inevitably bring his shift average well about the league average once again this year).

Boucher hopes that keeping his players fresh will have some benefits on the defensive end as well:

“Usually problems happen in the extended part of your shift. That’s where you get tired, that’s where you get turnovers. That’s what we don’t want to get into.”

Other news from the Atlantic:

  • Jonathan Marchessault’s decision to leave Tampa Bay for state rival Florida came down to playing time, he told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Marchessault spent parts of the last two years with the Lightning but was in and out of the lineup frequently and was often scratched to allow the team to dress a seventh defenseman.  With the Panthers, Marchessault is eyeing a spot on the third line as the team looks to bring more skill into their bottom six.  He signed a two year, $1.5MM deal in Florida at the beginning of free agency.
  • Montreal Canadiens prospect Martin Reway may not be able to play at all this season, reports Louis-Andre Lariviere of TVA Sports (link in French) who spoke with one of the 21 year old’s agents. Reway was hospitalized last month with a virus and at that time, it was announced that he wouldn’t be participating in training camp.  The team would not comment on the report, only noting that there is no new information at this time.
  • Senators right winger Mark Stone skated on Friday for the first time since he suffered a concussion last week, notes the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. He still hasn’t been green lit to receive contact nor has he passed the baseline test but he’s hopeful that he will be able to get into a preseason game next week.

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