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Josh Jooris

Minor Transactions: 3/18/18

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The Tampa Bay Lightning look to bounce back from a shutout loss to the injury-riddled Boston Bruins, the Vegas Golden Knights try to right the ship after a 4-5-1 run, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers jockey for playoff positions, and the St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames look to stay alive in the postseason picture as the NHL provides a slate of eight intriguing games today. Here is how teams are preparing:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned Justin Bailey to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. However, beat writer John Vogl indicates that it could be short-term. Bailey owes the AHL a one-game suspension, which he will serve tonight, but Vogl expects he could be back up with the Sabres on Monday. Buffalo is far outside the playoff picture and should be playing as many of their young players as possible down the stretch.
  • With Carter Rowney dealing with injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Josh Jooris on an emergency basis. Jooris was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline in an exchange for Greg McKegg, but was not expected to play much of a role for Pittsburgh. Yet, he’s already played in two games for the Penguins and could take on a regular role on the fourth line moving forward.
  • CapFriendly tweets the Colorado Avalanche have activated forward Vladislav Kamenev off of injured reserve and is already playing with the team’s fourth line Sunday. Kamenev, who broke his arm in November one NHL after he was traded from Nashville in the Matt Duchene trade, has only played 17 AHL games between Milwaukee and San Antonio, putting up three goals and 13 assists. He had been on a conditioning loan with San Antonio for the past week.
  • CapFriendly reported that the San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Tim Heed from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL after being sent down Tuesday. Heed has served as a spare defenseman for most of the season for the Sharks as he’s played in 29 games this year, having put up three goals and eight assists.

Minor Transactions : 03/08/18

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Some minor transactions from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson, bringing up the goaltender once again as Steve Mason is dealing with a new injury. Mason suffered a lower-body injury at practice, but it’s not clear how long he’ll be out. Hutchinson will get a chance to backup Connor Hellebuyck once again.
  • Carolina has sent Lucas Wallmark back down to the minor leagues, where he’s done most of his damage this season. The 22-year old forward has one point in 11 games with the Hurricanes, but 36 in 32 games with the Charlotte Checkers.
  • Tomas Hyka is back up after a two day absence from the Vegas Golden Knights. While Reilly Smith deals with a minor injury and will miss tonight’s game, Hyka could get another chance to prove he belongs in the NHL. The 24-year old Czech forward has two points in six games with the Golden Knights this season
  • Josh Jooris has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Pittsburgh Penguins, as Bryan Rust and Dominik Simon deal with injuries. Jooris was acquired at the trade deadline for this type of situation, to give the Penguins some NHL experience that could step in in case of injury.

Trade Deadline Recap: Eastern Conference

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

Deadline Day

Tampa Bay Lightning receive:
D Ryan McDonagh
F J.T. Miller

New York Rangers receive:
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Brett Howden
D Libor Hajek
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2019 second-round pick

 

Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
F Thomas Vanek

Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Tyler Motte
F Jussi Jokinen

 

Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
D Ian Cole

Ottawa Senators receive:
F Nick Moutrey
2020 third-round pick

 

New Jersey Devils receive:
F Patrick Maroon

Edmonton Oilers receive:
F J.D. Dudek
2019 third-round pick

 

New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner

Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera

 

Boston Bruins receive:
F Tommy Wingels

Chicago Blackhawks receive:
Conditional 2019 fifth-round pick

 

Pittsburgh Penguins receive:
F Josh Jooris

Carolina Hurricanes receive:
F Greg McKegg

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Josh Jooris Traded To Pittsburgh Penguins

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Even though the deadline has technically passed, trades will still leak out over the next hour. Josh Jooris has been acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Carolina Hurricanes, the Penguins announced. Heading to the Hurricanes is AHL center Greg McKegg and Jooris has been assigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins to replace him.

An undrafted forward out of Union College, Jooris has carved out a role in the NHL for the last several years as a high-energy fourth line player. With 55 points in 204 career games, he won’t be relied upon for anything more than his usual role, but does give the team some NHL experience in the minor leagues in case injury strikes down the stretch.

McKegg was given a chance as the fourth-line center earlier in the year with Pittsburgh, but was pushed down the depth chart after they acquired Riley Sheahan. Now after adding Derick Brassard as well, his chances of making an impact with the club down the stretch were very slim. He’s off to the fifth organization of his short career, after being originally selected in the third round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010.

Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.

The NHL Trade Deadline is tomorrow at 2:00PM CT. Not only have the Carolina Hurricanes yet to make a move, but there have hardly been any whispers of GM Ron Francis and company talking to to other teams. The Hurricanes are in a tough position with the deadline growing closer and closer. Carolina is in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race, three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final postseason spot, grappling for position with the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers. They also have an NHL-worst eight-year postseason drought to think about when considering their deadline position. At the same time, few would call the ’Canes lineup a true contender this season. Carolina is a bottom-ten team in both goals for and goals against with a -25 goal differential that ranks last among any team remaining relevant in postseason contention. So while the team is desperate to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, they may be lucky to still even be in contention and could question giving up assets at the deadline without a real chance at a title run. The fact that the Hurricanes have had no presence on the trade market thus far speaks volumes about their own indecision on how to handle the 2018 trade deadline.

Record

27-25-10, seventh in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Standing pat

Deadline Cap Space

$72,699,714 in deadline cap space
49/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, VGK 7th
2019: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CGY 6th

Trade Chips

If the Hurricanes are sellers, then they have a few impending free agents with value to contenders. The main target would likely be Derek Ryan, who has had yet another strong season in Raleigh after breaking into the NHL seemingly out of nowhere. A versatile, two-way forward with strong possession abilities, Ryan is an ideal pickup for any team looking to add depth and fill out their bottom-six. Veteran Lee Stempniak is also a serviceable bottom-six forward who is no stranger to being dealt at the deadline and finding a role for himself on a new team. Of course, the big name that could move from the Hurricanes would be career keeper Cam Ward, the hero of Carolina’s magical Stanley Cup run in 2006. Ward is an impending free agent and, although he has taken the starting job back from newcomer Scott Darling, is not likely to stay with the ’Canes for much longer. There are one or two teams out there looking for relief in net and Ward could be an attractive target if made available. For anyone expecting the Hurricanes to “sell” players like Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner, don’t hold your breath, at least at this deadline.

If the Hurricanes are buyers, they offer several promising young prospects and a near-full collection of draft picks to sellers. Blocked by a deep top-six with staying power, young defenseman Roland McKeown is becoming more expendable as the days go on. The highly-regarded 2014 second-rounder could use a change of scenery to somewhere with more opportunity and Francis would be willing to deal him for the right return. Similarly, forward prospects like Valentin Zykov and Lucas Wallmark have been kicking around the AHL for long enough, without a real chance to showcase their NHL ability, that the value of their recent draft positions is beginning to wear off. The Hurricanes would be wise to move on from them if the right deal presents itself.

Players To Watch: F Derek Ryan, F Lee Stempniak, F Josh Jooris, D Klas Dahlbeck, G Cam Ward

Team Needs

1) A Star and A Starting Goalie

The main reason that the Carolina Hurricanes are most likely to stand pat at this deadline is because the two things they need to take the next step are the two things that are most difficult to find in hockey: a game-changing player and a top goaltender. It’s not unreasonable to think they can acquire these players somehow, but at the deadline it’s next to impossible. More than anything, the ’Canes need a legitimate first-line power center and that player simply isn’t available at this deadline. Maybe this summer, but not right now. The Darling experiment has been a failure, but there’s no one on the market who is a lock to outplay him long-term in net. Carolina’s two biggest needs are much easier to address in the off-season. Expect their efforts – and top trade assets – to be put to use then, rather than during the next 24 hours.

2) A Scoring Forward 

If, and it’s a big if, the Hurricanes decide to go for it this year and make a deal that significantly increases their odds of making the playoffs, they need to improve their scoring. The team is solid on the back end and the situation in net is what it is, but up front they have many nice complementary players, but lack that one player who can transform them into a cohesive unit (hence the need for a star forward). A player who can improve the team’s ability to put the puck in the net, not specifically a shooter or play-maker but simply a player with great offensive instincts, would be of interest to Carolina. An impending free agent or a player with term could be sought out; they certainly have the cap space to afford a long-term, expensive contract if need be. With a horrid playoff drought and a new, proactive owner, it’s definitely possible that Carolina could jump into the conversation for a Mike Hoffman or Max Pacioretty, but more likely than not, they save the assets needed to acquire either one for the summer trade market.

Eastern Notes: Hurricanes, Nash, McDonagh, Van Riemsdyk

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The Carolina Hurricanes are by no means out of the playoff hunt. Afterall, they have won two in a row and currently are clinging to the second and final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. However, the team might end up being sellers at the trade deadline as the young team have quite a few trade chips that could help this team down the road, according to The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek (subscription required).

The scribe writes that the Hurricanes have quite a bit of depth on the blueline and it should get deeper soon. The team already has captain Justin Faulk leading the defense and although he’s not having as good of a campaign as a year ago, he might make for a good trade chip especially as the defensive salary cap will rise for the team next season. Carolina already have Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce under contract and both their extensions will kick in next year at a combined $9.325MM. Defenseman Noah Hanifin will be a restricted free agent next year and should get a solid raise. The team has rookie Haydn Fleury back next year and likely will have 2016 first-rounder Jake Bean coming in. This might be the right time to make a move for a scoring forward.

Duhatschek also notes that the team, who recently waived Marcus Kruger and Josh Jooris, could also look to move another pair of veterans at the deadline including Derek Ryan and Lee Stempniak. Ryan is an excellent face-off specialist and would make a solid bottom-six center and is an excellent story, while Stempniak, is starting to find his groove after missing much of the season. Ryan has 11 goals and 26 points this season, while Stempniak has played in just 14 games, but has one goal and five assists so far.

  • The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that New York Rangers winger Rick Nash has set his 12-team trade approved list and the veteran revealed that he chose teams based on their chances to win the Stanley Cup this season. “I included the teams that I think have the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup and are also places I think would be good for my family,” the 33-year-old father of two young children said. “And, yes, that does include teams in Canada. I’m not excluding that as a possibility.” Nash says he would consider changing the list if a certain team not on the list shows interest in him. Brooks adds that several teams have shown interest including the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • Brooks also notes that the Tampa Bay Lightning have quite a bit of interest in adding defenseman Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline. They believe that with Victor Hedman and McDonagh at the blueline, the chances Tampa Bay could win a Stanley Cup would increase heavily. However, the scribe notes that the Rangers should demand 19-year-old defensive rookie Mikhail Sergachev as the asking price for the veteran defenseman.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten some interest in veteran forward James van Riemsdyk recently, Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston said during Saturday’s Headlines’ segment on Hockey Night in Canada. Johnston said two teams were told they have no plans to trade van Riemsdyk before the deadline. The 28-year-old goal scorer, who has 22 goals so far this year, will be an unrestricted free agent this year, but according to Johnston, has not received any contract extension offers yet. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos added on the segment that the main reason is because van Riemsdyk refuses to take a hometown discount.

Brendan Smith, Marcus Kruger, Josh Jooris Clear Waivers

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Friday: All three players have cleared, and can now be assigned to their respective AHL affiliates.

Thursday: The New York Rangers are not having the season they expected. Today, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, they have placed Brendan Smith on waivers less than a year after re-signing the defenseman to a four-year $17.4MM contract. He’s joined by Marcus Kruger and Josh Jooris of the Carolina Hurricanes according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

The Rangers recalled Neal Pionk earlier in the day and needed to make a corresponding move, but many expected it to be Marc Staal headed for injured reserve with his continued neck troubles. Instead, the team has decided to make Smith available to the rest of the league in an attempt to rid themselves of his contract. New York have allowed 35 goals in their last eight games and seen Henrik Lundqvist chased from the net three times, seemingly unable to complete simple defensive rotations at times. While Smith is still a capable NHL player, his extension is quickly looking like a mistake.

Kruger and Jooris are the first victims of a Carolina team that has said recently that they can’t keep running the same group out every night. Head coach Bill Peters and GM Ron Francis believe this team is good enough to compete right now, but still find themselves struggling near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Kruger, acquired in the offseason from the Vegas Golden Knights after he was part of the Chicago Blackhawks’ expansion package, comes with a $3.1MM cap hit for this year and next. Jooris is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent again this summer.

The Rangers and Hurricanes will both save the prorated version of $1.025MM in cap space by sending Smith and Kruger to the minors (along with the entirety of Jorris’ $775K hit) if they should clear, but this seems more about giving other players a chance. Both teams are fed up with how their seasons have gone, and are starting to bring in new blood to try and turn things around down the stretch. While the Rangers prepare to sell at the deadline, Carolina still seems undecided over which path they will follow.

Evening Notes: Skinner, Debrusk, Ducks, Chiarot

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One of the hardest things the Carolina Hurricanes have had to deal with is finding the perfect lines, especially for winger Jeff Skinner who has played with quite a few players so far this year. Yet Friday night’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs may have suggested that Skinner might have finally found a perfect line as he had one of his best games alongside Derek Ryan and Justin Williams, according to The News & Observer’s Chip Alexander.

Skinner has found himself with almost everyone at different points in the season. The former seventh-overall pick in 2010 had 37 goals last year, but while he has tallied nine goals this year, has had a harder time adjusting. He has found himself playing next to Ryan, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Brock McGinn, Josh Jooris, Phillip Di Giuseppe and Janne Kuokkanen.

With the combination of Ryan, Skinner and Williams on Friday, the line combined for 13 shots and two assists. “It’s a long season and things are going to change,” Skinner said. “You’ve got to be able to adapt and communicate with your linemates and try and find that success and get on a roll.”

  • Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that Boston Bruins’ rookie Jake Debrusk has started to look more comfortable out on the ice after head coach Bruce Cassidy made him a healthy scratch a week ago. In four games since, the 21-year-old winger has two goals and five points and was instrumental with a pair of assists in their 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. “It goes back to the mentality of playing fast,” said Debrusk. “I think that was one of the focuses. And ever since I got scratched, I think that I’ve had some jump in all the games or at moments.”
  • Mike Coppinger of The Los Angeles Times writes that the Anaheim Ducks’ biggest problem is the team’s lack of speed. Obviously, the injuries to Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler doesn’t help, but the team is getting outskated. “We have fast players, too,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “I just don’t think we’re playing fast enough for 60 minutes.” The Ducks currently sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 10-9-3 record.
  • Scott Billeck of NBC Sports writes that after the NHL’s Department of Player Safety handed down a $3,763.44 fine to Winnipeg Jets’ Ben Chiarot for butt-ending Anaheim’s Corey Perry, Winnipeg fans came to his defense. They have started a GoFundMe to raise the amount of money that Chiarot has been fined with the intention of donating the money to the Christmas Cheer Board, a charity that donates food and toys to children that are less fortunate during the holidays. The fundraiser has already reached half its goal as of earlier today, according to Billeck. Perry has been infamous for pestering Jets’ players for years.

Man On Wire: Checking In On The Waiver Claims

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In the new NHL where trades between cap-strapped clubs are so difficult, many teams look to the waiver wire to make small but potentially valuable additions to their club. That bottom pairing defenseman or fourth line center you just can’t seem to find may be available when another team has a roster crunch due to injury or poor play.

Since October 8th when teams made their final cuts before the season opener, there have been 26 players claimed on waivers. Many of these are duplicates as teams claim, then waive a player hoping to slip him through and down into the minors. Here we’ll check in on how they’ve done with their new clubs.

Martin Frk:
CAR from DET – 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A (returned to Detroit and sent to minors)

Mike Condon:
PIT from MTL –  1 GP, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV% (traded to Ottawa for a 5th round pick)

Seth Griffith:
TOR from BOS – 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A
FLA from TOR – 21 GP, 0 G, 5 A (returned to Toronto and sent to minors)

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Burmistrov Filling Need At Center For Coyotes

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After an active offseason in which rookie GM John Chayka aggressively added pieces to supplement a talented young core, it was expected the Arizona Coyotes would be an improved team; maybe not quite a playoff team, but better than the group that finished the 2015-16 campaign with 78 points. Instead the club is on pace for a 65-point season, and much of the reason for the team’s struggles are related to the lack of quality NHL-ready centers.

Injuries to Brad Richardson and Martin Hanzal exacerbated the situation leading Chayka to seek help, both via the waiver wire and through trade. The Coyotes acquired centers Josh Jooris and Peter Holland from the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs respectively in a three day span in December. While those additions helped bridge the gap for the short term, it was a later acquisition that may prove out to be a steal for Arizona.

On January 2nd, the Coyotes were awarded their waiver claim on forward Alex Burmistrov, a talented but underachieving former first-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers. Visa issues delayed his debut with his new team but in six games since entering the lineup, Burmistrov has tallied six points and as Craig Morgan writes in a piece for Fan Rag Sports Network, the 25-year-old is fitting in well with his new club.

Head coach Dave Tippett feels that the addition of Burmistrov, along with the improved play of Christian Dvorak has helped stabilize the center ice position in Arizona:

“We’ve stabilized our center ice a little bit with adding Burmistrov and the growth of [Christian] Dvorak,” Tippett said. “[Burmistrov] has filled a hole at center ice, where he’s good with the puck, he can distribute the puck and [he’s got] good skill and good vision.”

Prior to joining the Coyotes, Burmistrov posted just two points, both assists, in 23 games. While he’s shown flashes of high-end skill at times during his career, Burmistrov’s career-best single-season performance came during the 2011-12 campaign when he netted 13 goals and 28 points.

Burmistrov feels that the opportunity to play in different situations in Arizona has played a part in his strong start:

“That’s the way I grew up playing: in the key situations all the way around. Penalty kill, power play,” he said. “The big thing is coaching trust so I have to keep doing well and don’t let him down. This is a big opportunity for me.”

It should be noted that six games is of course a small sample and his previous coach, Paul Maurice, simply was unwilling to trust Burmistrov to kill penalties or play in key situations:

“Alex has a real strong view of what he’s good at,” Maurice told reporters after Burmistrov was waived. “That’s the most important thing: that a coach and player agree on what they’re good at and then the coach will put them in the position to succeed. Alex and I never would really agree on that.

“Alex and I have had a number of conversations about what he was hoping to have here. I just had other players ahead of him and the role he was looking for wasn’t here.”

Whether or not Burmistrov continues to excel with his new opportunity remains to be seen. However, the low-risk nature of the acquisition is exactly the type of move teams like the Coyotes, clubs who usually don’t spend to the salary cap ceiling, should always be willing to make. The type of skill Burmistrov boasts is hard to find on the open market and despite his inability to earn a regular role with the Jets sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to turn around a player’s career.

Burmistrov’s solid play may also give the team more confidence as they entertain offers for Hanzal. If they do find a suitor willing to meet their asking price for Hanzal, instead of exposing prospects to too much too soon they have Burmistrov on the roster to take up some of the responsibilities.

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