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Josh Anderson

Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Anderson, Buchnevich, Voracek

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been dealing with quite a few absences so far in training camp, but the team were without a big name as star Sidney Crosby missed practice Sunday after leaving the ice during the second period of Saturday’s team scrimmage. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan declined after the scrimmage to comment on Crosby’s status due to the NHL’s new rules on withholding a player’s medical information during the coronavirus. However, TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh writes that a team source said Crosby was being held out for precautionary measures due to an undisclosed ailment.

The team is already without a number of players for various reasons, including Patric Hornqvist, Anthony Angello, Adam Johnson, Sam Militec, Samuel Poulin, Phil Varone, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Juuso Riikola and Alex D’Orio.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have placed forward Josh Anderson on the team’s 34-man roster. The 26-year-old Anderson, who had 27 goals in the 2018-19 season, has been recovering from a shoulder injury in December and subsequent surgery in March, but with the delay in the season, could potentially return at some point during the playoffs if Columbus can stay in the playoffs for a bit. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline writes that Anderson is expected to be left behind when the team travels to Toronto for the tournament, but Anderson could join them at some point.
  • The New York Rangers were without forward Pavel Buchnevich for Sunday’s scrimmage after he left practice on Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello. No word on the reason for the absence as the team is not allowed to disclose injury information. Rookie Kaapo Kakko took Buchnevich’s place alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
  • Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ed Barkowitz writes that the Philadelphia Flyers got a boost Sunday when forward Jakub Voracek returned to practice after being held out. The 30-year-old forward sat out of practice Saturday. However, Voracek, returned to his usual spot on the first line during practice alongside Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier. The winger led the team in assists this season with 44. NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer reports that Voracek admitted that he was held out due to a inconclusive test report, which later came back negative.

Snapshots: Anderson, Kaprizov, Pelech, Cizikas, Petan

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 33 players on their training camp roster, which will force them to cut two players. However, one roster spot may already be claimed by a player not even on the training camp roster in Josh Anderson. The forward has been out with a left shoulder injury since December and had surgery on March 2. While he was deemed to be out for the season in March, that could change if Columbus can make a playoff run, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required).

Anderson was given a four to six-month recovery period after his surgery. It’s already been four months and six months should hit in early September, so there is a chance the 26-year-old could be fully healthy any time before then. The team could use the winger’s grit. He scored 27 goals and recorded 214 hits in 2018-19, but struggled before his injury posting just one goal in 26 games along with 68 hits. Regardless, he could be a valuable addition to a team hoping to pull off more upsets like it did a year ago.

  • The Minnesota Wild are expected to burn the first year of Russian prospect Kirill Kaprizov’s entry-level contract, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Teams have a 53-hour window, starting tomorrow, to sign their prospects to a 2019-20 deal, which would burn that first year. Russo writes that general manager Bill Guerin indicated the team is willing to agree to that if they can get the 23-year-old to sign on the dotted line. Kaprizov, considered to be one of the top players playing outside the NHL, would not be allowed to play in this year’s playoffs. However, Guerin said that he would want to bring him over and get him acclimated and he would be allowed to practice with the team during Phases 3 & 4.. Kaprizov scored 33 goals in 57 games with CSKA Moscow of the KHL this year. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple followed Russo’s report up with the same sentiments for New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
  • The New York Islanders and head coach Barry Trotz are expecting to get back two injured players for the 24-team tournament. NHL.com’s Sasha Kandrach writes that defenseman Adam Pelech and center Casey Cizikas are both expected to be healthy for training camp. “I don’t get to see them a whole lot if at all,” Trotz said. “But I did get a peek or two of them when heading to our meeting site — they seem like they’re in really good shape. With Adam’s injury and the length of time, he might be in the best shape. He’s had to rehab right through the summer and had to be on the ice. Same with Casey in getting back.” Pelech has been recovering from surgery to his Achilles Tendon since Jan. 2, while Cizikas has been out since Feb. 12 after suffering a leg laceration. Pelech averaged heavy minutes on New York’s blueline with 21:01 of ATOI, while Cizikas has been the center for their fourth-line checking line.
  • Not long after the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t include forward Nic Petan on its training camp roster, general manager Kyle Dubas announced that Petan is now fit to play and is expected to be placed on the roster with forward Mac Hollowell being removed, according to NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. Petan was left off the intitial roster that the Maple Leafs released and should be a solid depth option for Toronto after the 25-year-old appeared in 16 games for the Maple Leafs.

Columbus’ Josh Anderson Will Not Be Ready To Begin Postseason

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced back in early March that forward Josh Anderson had undergone labrum surgery in his left shoulder and would need four-to-six months to recover. At the time, that meant that Anderson’s 2019-20 season was over. However, given the lengthy pause in the NHL season due to COVID-19, a number of players – including some Blue Jackets – who otherwise would have been done for the year are now looking likely for the delayed postseason. Anderson though is not so lucky.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline relays from a team source that Anderson will not be ready for the beginning of the playoffs, widely expected to start up in early August. Hope is not lost that he could return at some point, but it would require a significant run from the Blue Jackets. Portzline writes that Anderson is not expected to be ready for game action until September at the earliest.

As a result, for Anderson to play again this season the Blue Jackets would first need to win their knockout round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then would need to upset a top-four seed in the first round of the playoffs. In fact, if the Blue Jackets are the only lower seed to win in the knockout round, they would face the No. 1 seed next. Fortunately, Columbus does have some experience with this accomplishment, shocking the world in 2019 by sweeping the President’s Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lighting in Round One. They also went six games with the Boston Bruins, the eventual Eastern Conference champs and the 2019-20 President’s Trophy winners, in the second round. Few would argue that the current version of the Blue Jackets is more talented than last year’s squad, but at least the majority of the roster has experience with facing stiff competition and coming out victorious. They also have recent playoff experience against top-four seeds in Tampa and Boston and went 4-0-2 against the Bruins, Bolts, and Washington Capitals this season.

If the Blue Jackets are indeed alive when Anderson is back at full strength, he could be a difference-maker for the team. The 6’3”, 220-lb. power forward is build for the physical, high-intensity playoff game and provides the size and aggression that Columbus sometimes lacks up front. Though Anderson struggled offensively this season while batting injury, recording just four point in 26 games, he notched 27 goals and 47 points last year and added another three points in ten playoff games. If Anderson is truly healthy, he could be an x-factor for a Blue Jackets team that would already have to be hot at the point of his return.

If Columbus does not stay alive long enough for Anderson to return, there is some question as to whether we have already seen the last of him in a Blue Jackets uniform, or at the very least playing for the team in the postseason. An impending restricted free agent, Anderson is heading into his final off-season under team control barring a long-term extension. Given his previous contractual battles with the organization, his arbitration rights, and the questions surrounding his health and performance this season, a multi-year deal this summer seems like a long shot. The team had previously been rumored to be shopping Anderson at the trade deadline this season and could resume trade talks in the off-season. If he does indeed re-sign, it will almost certainly be a one-year deal via arbitration of qualifying offer. Thus an impending UFA in 2021, Anderson would likely be back on the block next season, especially if the Blue Jackets do not look like they are headed for the postseason.

Blue Jackets’ Josh Anderson Done For The Year

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The 2019-20 campaign is over for Josh Anderson. The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that the power forward has undergone surgery to repair the labrum tear in his left shoulder that has plagued him this season. The operation requires four-to-six months to make a full recovery. The timeline should have Anderson ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.

Anderson suffered the injury in question all the way back on December 14th in a match-up with the Ottawa Senators. Almost immediately, the team was faced with a decision of having Anderson undergo this surgery, effectively ending his season barring a deep playoff run, or instead hoping that rest and rehabilitation would allow him to return to the lineup. The team opted for rest and rehab, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen stated in today’s press release that “unfortunately, the injury has not responded as any of us had hoped to the latter and the decision was made to have the surgery now so that Josh will be fully healthy and ready to go next season.”

Even prior to the injury, this was shaping up to be a tough season for Anderson. The winger recorded just one goal and four points in the first 26 games of the year, a far cry from the pace that led to 27 goals and 47 points last season. Anderson continues to be a difficult player to nail down, which also put him on the trade block at this year’s deadline. The Blue Jackets have already had one contractual battle with Anderson during his young career and feared another this summer. However, Anderson’s injury played a major role in his value at the deadline and Columbus opted to retain him. Whether or not they decide to revisit trade talks this summer after he has received a clean bill of health remains to be seen.

Not only did the Blue Jackets not trade Anderson at the deadline, they came very close to standing pat altogether. The club made a hockey trade with the Anaheim Ducks, swapping Sonny Milano for Devin Shore, and essentially gave away Markus Hannikainen to the Arizona Coyotes, and that was it for Kekalainen and company. After going all in last year, Columbus is left to rely on the players in place to get into the postseason. Anderson is now one less reinforcement that they can rely on as they compete for a wild card spot. Seth Jones and Oliver Bjorkstrand likely won’t be back during the regular season and the returns of Cam Atkinson, Alexandre Texier, and Dean Kukan remain up in the air, so the Blue Jackets have their work cut out for them down the stretch.

Latest On Josh Anderson

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It’s now been almost 11 weeks since Josh Anderson has played a game for the Columbus Blue Jackets. When he was injured on December 14th, the team announced that it was expected to be a four-to-six week absence. That lengthy period on the sideline complicated any talks at the deadline regarding Anderson, and there may be even worse news in the coming days.

Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted today that Anderson could be done for the rest of the season thanks to his shoulder injury, which may need surgery. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) also wrote on the subject in his latest column, suggesting that things were “likely headed to an offseason divorce” between Anderson and the Blue Jackets, given the player is a restricted free agent this summer.

Missing the rest of the season and then leaving the organization would be a brutal end for a player who just a few months ago looked like a core piece. Anderson scored 27 goals during the 2018-19 season and was a true power forward, something that seems to be disappearing from today’s game. The 6’3″, 222-lbs winger is a force when healthy and playing his best, but it’s not clear when he’ll get back to that.

Anderson will be an RFA for the final time and is arbitration eligible, a process that would walk him right into unrestricted free agency if allowed to take place. Should Dreger’s information prove true and the forward is shut down for the season, it could mean he has played his last game for the Blue Jackets.

Bruins Interested In Josh Anderson

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As has been the tradition in recent years, the Bruins are on the lookout for an impact winger.  They’ve added Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson, and Rick Nash over the last two seasons and are known to have interest in Rangers winger Chris Kreider.  If nothing materializes there, their focus could turn to Blue Jackets winger Josh Anderson as Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston reports that they are very interested in the 25-year-old.

Anderson is having a particularly rough 2019-20 season as he has just a goal and four assists in 26 games this season and is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him out for the last two months.  He is nearing a return and Haggerty notes that Boston would like to see him back in action before potentially pulling the trigger on any deal.

The appeal with Anderson isn’t hard to see though.  Just last season, he put up 27 goals with the Blue Jackets along with 214 hits.  Young power forwards with offensive upside are hard to come by and there will undoubtedly be other suitors for his services as well.

Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen faces an interesting decision when it comes to Anderson.  The price that Tampa Bay paid to land Blake Coleman on Sunday suggests that teams will pay up to land a player that’s not a rental and can contribute at five-on-five; 22 of his tallies last season came in that situation.  In Anderson’s case, he’s a restricted free agent this summer so while his price tag will go up from his current $1.85MM AAV next year, he’ll be around for at least one more season.  Landing a possible package like that – Haggerty suggests Boston’s first-round pick and defense prospect Urho Vaakanainen as an offer structured similar to the Coleman trade – has to be appealing, even if the Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff picture.

On the other hand, Coleman is in the midst of his second straight 20-goal campaign while Anderson is nowhere near that.  Will his reputation be enough to overcome that or will Boston and others offer up less?  If that’s the case, Kekalainen would be wise to hold onto Anderson and hope that a strong stretch run could help up his value over the summer if they’re open to moving him.

Between Kreider, Anderson, and even Tyler Toffoli who was linked to Boston at times as well before his trade to Vancouver, Bruins GM Don Sweeney has cast a wide net to try to bring in some help on the wing.  At this point, it seems like a matter of when, not if, he’s able to bring one in.

Snapshots: Anderson, Blais, Lafreniere

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Despite the fact that the Columbus Blue Jackets have carried through an incredibly discouraging summer and are currently sitting in a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, they are still facing a decision on what to do with one of their core players. Josh Anderson, who scored 27 goals for the Blue Jackets last season and looked like he would be one of the faces of the franchise after Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovksy left in free agency, now be on the move himself. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the “feeling around the NHL” is that Anderson will be moved either by this season’s deadline or more likely in the summer as he becomes a restricted free agent for the final time.

Portzline examines the entire situation revolving around Anderson, including the potential ways his future could unfold. The 25-year old will be an RFA with arbitration rights in the offseason and could potentially take the Blue Jackets (or any acquiring team) to arbitration in order to walk right into unrestricted free agent status in 2021. Dealing with injuries all year, Anderson has just one goal and four points in 26 games with the Blue Jackets and hasn’t played since the middle of December.

  • Another physical forward dealing with injuries this season has been Sammy Blais, but he’ll have his return tonight for the St. Louis Blues. The 23-year old Blais has been activated from injured reserve after missing the last 28 games for the Blues. In 20 games this season he has five goals and eight points, both career-highs for the young forward.
  • If you’ve been counting the points Alexis Lafreniere has scored on a nightly basis, take a break. TSN reports that the prospective first-overall pick in this year’s draft has been suspended for the next three games in the QMJHL for a headshot, meaning he’ll have to sit at 84 points on the season for a while. Lafreniere leads all QMJHL players in scoring despite taking off part of the season to play in the World Juniors, but this is not the first time he has received supplementary discipline from the league. While his physicality is part of the appeal, he’ll need to avoid these kinds of hits if he wants to keep a clean record when he makes it to the NHL.

Blue Jackets Notes: Recent Surge, Bjorkstrand, Wennberg

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No team in the NHL is hotter than the Columbus Blue Jackets in the new year. Columbus is 8-2-0 in their past ten games, which includes three shutouts and a pair of wins against the Boston Bruins. The team has now crept their way into the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, jumping ahead of the likes of Philadelphia, Carolina, and Toronto. Even more impressive is that the Blue Jackets have made this run while missing many of their best players: starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, top scorer Cam Atkinson and fellow forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, and Alexandre Texier, and defensemen Ryan Murray and Dean Kukan. With those players on their way back to health – Atkinson made his return on Thursday – one would think that Columbus has a chance to not only sustain their success, but possibly even improve upon it.

Yet, the question then becomes whether the team can really buy in to this season after the events of 2018-19. Last year, the Blue Jackets went all in, trading away Anthony Duclair, two top forward prospects, a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and three additional picks to load up with rentals Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid. The team also opted not to move their own impending free agents in Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Although Columbus stunned the Tampa Bay Lightning with a first-round sweep, the first playoff series win in franchise history, they fell in the second round and lost each of those six free agents in the off-season. If the Blue Jackets are again in a position only to battle for a wild card spot down the stretch, can the team risk another season of lost prospects and draft capital? Only time will tell how long the team can continue this dominant stretch and what position they may be in by late next month, but another active trade deadline would be a difficult hit to the team’s pipeline.

  • Columbus’ best bet may be to depend on their internal options to get healthy and play to the best of their abilities. The team announced a step in the right direction today, as Bjorkstrand has been activated from the injured reserve and will return to action for the first time since December 22. Bjorkstrand is actually returning earlier than his expected four-to-six week timeline, healing quickly from broken ribs. Bjorkstrand was on pace for a career year prior to his injury, with 23 points in his first 36 games. The 24-year-old winger was embracing his increased responsibility and Columbus has to hope that he can continue to excel in his elevated role the rest of the year. With Bjorkstrand back, Kevin Stenlund is the odd man out, reassigned to the AHL.
  • If the Blue Jackets are to lean on their existing roster this season for a playoff run, another intriguing situation will be the trade status of Alexander Wennberg. Wennberg has been on the trade block since early last season and in the minds of many hockey pundits remains a player that Columbus would like to move. The young center has not lived up to the long-term extension the team signed him to back in 2017, which carries a $4.9MM cap hit for three more years beyond this season. However, as opposed to last season when Wennberg recorded only 25 points and was scratched a handful of games, Wennberg too has embraced his increased role in the wake of free agent departures and injuries this year. The 25-year-old has played in all but one game for the Blue Jackets, recording 20 points. This puts him on pace for 34 points on the year, a sharp uptick from last season. It also makes him a top-six scoring forward for the team so far this year. Can Columbus afford to move out a player in such an important role this year for only salary cap purposes when they are trying to make it back to the postseason?

Five Key Stories: 12/16/19 – 12/22/19

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The days leading up to the NHL’s Holiday Roster Freeze are always full of potential for big moves by teams looking to make a change before a stretch of mandatory inactivity. This year did not disappoint, as the biggest target on the rental market was dealt, highlighting a busy week. Here are the five biggest stories of the past week:

Taylor Hall Traded To Arizona: The week started with a bang, as the Taylor Hall saga came to an end with a trade to Arizona. The Coyotes sent a 2020 first-round pick, a conditional 2021 third-round pick, and prospects Nate Schnarr, Nick Merkley and Kevin Bahl to the Devils. New Jersey retained half of Hall’s $6MM cap as well. Hall was the top name in the rental market this season, but many were left underwhelmed by the trade return. The asking price may have been affected by Hall’s reluctance to negotiate an extension in-season, which he has maintained since arriving in the desert. Nevertheless, the Coyotes’ acquisition could make them the favorite to win the Pacific Division this year as they pursue the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Ilya Kovalchuk Leaves Kings: Veteran Ilya Kovalchuk is on the move as well, but his destination is yet to be determined. He and the Los Angeles Kings came to a mutual agreement on a contract termination on Monday, with Kovalchuk clearing unconditional waivers on Tuesday. The former superstar never fit with the Kings after returning from the KHL and could be tempted to return to Russia after this failure. However, he is reportedly willing to sign a minimum deal to remain in the NHL as he too is pursuing his first Stanley Cup, without much time left in his lengthy career.

Eric Comrie, Stefan Noesen Claimed: Three players entered the waiver wire on Wednesday and two emerged on new teams. Both goaltender Eric Comrie and forward Stefan Noesen were claimed on waivers. For Comrie, he returns to the Winnipeg Jets, the team with which he began the season, after making stops with the Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Noesen only signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins a few weeks ago, but is already on the move to the San Jose Sharks. Austin Czarnik, the most accomplished player waived on Wednesday, but also the most expensive, was not claimed and remains with the Calgary Flames.

The Injury Bug Bites: Injuries are not exactly an uncommon occurrence in the NHL, but this week in particular took a heavy toll across the league. Just how bad was it? Here is the list of players who were announced this week as being out long-term: Josh Anderson, Danny DeKeyser, Troy Terry, Derek Grant, Andrew Peeke, Ryan Murray, Darcy Kuemper, Jason Zucker, Josh Leivo, Brandon Saad, Cal Clutterbuck, Anthony Mantha, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. 

Chris Snow Diagnosed With ALS: Calgary Flames Assistant General Manager Chris Snow has been diagnosed with ALS, as disclosed by his wife in a public letter. As Snow begins this difficult battle, we here at PHR wish he and his family the best this holiday season.

 

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Werenski, Place Anderson On IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets provided some good news and bad news for their fans today. The team has activated Zach Werenski from injured reserve, but replaced him with Josh Anderson who is expected to miss four to six weeks. Anderson suffered a shoulder injury over the weekend.

It is brutal news for Anderson, who injured his shoulder in a fight with Mark Borowiecki and will miss another long stretch in a contract year. The physical winger had broken out last season with 27 goals and 47 points, showing he could be an elite power forward in the NHL if given the chance. This season though has been marred by injury and Anderson has just four points in 26 games.

That’s huge news, given the 25-year old will be entering a contract negotiation this summer. Anderson will be a restricted free agent for the final time and looking for a substantial raise on his current $1.85MM cap hit. Of course, he could always select arbitration to get a one-year deal and take him right to unrestricted free agency, hoping a healthy year gets him back to the level he had shown previously.

All of that is complicated by the fact that the Blue Jackets are struggling to stay in the playoff race this season. The team has scored just 82 goals this season (third worst in the Eastern Conference) and have a 13-14-6 record. While getting Werenski back will help, the team may be looking to sell off some assets before long.

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