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Josh Leivo

GM Quotes: Sakic, Rutherford, Benning

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Although many will blame goaltending performance for the Colorado Avalanche loss in the Western Conference semifinals, GM Joe Sakic is not so quick to blame his netminders, Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. Both goaltenders were injured in the seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, leaving Michael Hutchinson to fend for himself. Grubauer also missed time due to injury in the regular season and many felt his play was affected. Overall, the pair played well this year and both are signed through at least next season at a valuable rate. While many have speculated, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, that the club could still use their considerable cap space to bring in a new starting goalie for next year, Sakic says otherwise. Speaking with Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Sakic offered support for his tandem and stated that he does not plan to bring in another keeper for next season:

They both had good years. Unfortunately, they both got hurt at the wrong time, but neither of those injuries are injuries you have to worry about. Train hard in the summer and make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t predict injuries, but no, they both had good stretches and we expect that next year.

Sakic revealed that Francouz was already dealing with an injury when he replaced the injured Grubauer in the postseason and tried to battle through the pain as long as he could. Fortunately, he stated that both goalies – and in fact all injured Avs – are expected to be back at full strength for next season. As a result, Sakic does not anticipate chasing a new goalie on the free agent or trade markets, as he is content with his duo’s performance, blaming only the poor timing of their injuries.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford made yet another major trade on Friday, his second already since his team was eliminated in the qualifying round, when he dealt Nick Bjugstad to the Minnesota Wild in a salary cap dump. Talking to The Athletic’s Josh Yohe about a deal that on paper seemed to net Pittsburgh little in return – a conditional seventh-round pick and only half of Bjugstad’s 2020-21 cap hit ($2.05MM) – Rutherford made it clear that he is simply doing what he can to create enough cap space as to allow the Penguins to be active in free agency:

Well, I’d really like to be able to get there, to be at the point where we can do something in free agency, but we aren’t there yet… I want to be able to be active on that day, but it’s going to be difficult to get to that point… You’ve got to realize that teams don’t know how much money they’ll be making next season and moving forward. Plus, teams all thought the salary cap for next season was going to be anywhere between $3 million and $6 million higher than what it is. So, everyone is in a pretty difficult situation, and that includes us… First things first, we need to get to a point where we are comfortable that we’ll be compliant with the cap. We’ll see what happens between then and now.

  • If there has been any one theme to Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning’s comments all season long, it has been that he would like to keep as many of his current players on the team as possible, including his pending unrestricted free agents. While much of that focus has been on a trio of top players in Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli, Benning has thrown his support behind role players as well. The latest name that Benning hopes to squeeze back on the roster next season is Josh Leivo, who lost much of his season to a fractured knee cap but was working his way back into game shape when the Canucks were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals. Benning knows what Leivo can do when healthy and in an interview with TSN Radio 1040 he stated that he hopes to give him another chance in Vancouver:

He played well for us. We haven’t ruled out re-signing him… He’s a big body, shoots the puck well, is a smart player… His rehab has gone well… he’ll be ready to play next year for us.

Snapshots: Pominville, Leivo, Red Wings Goaltending

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He hasn’t played in a game since the 2018-19 season ended and it now looks like Jason Pominville’s NHL career is officially over. The veteran forward hasn’t made a formal announcement regarding his retirement, but accepted a coaching position with the Lanaudiere Pioneers, a youth hockey team near his hometown of Repentigny, Quebec, according to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski.

Pominville, who said he had hoped he would be signed by an NHL team at the trade deadline, will be an associate coach at the pee-wee and midget levels, but is also expected to serve as a special adviser and a skills trainer within the organization. The 37-year-old spent last season training, but also serving as an assistant coach, coaching his son Jayden with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.

The veteran played 1,060 games in his 15 years in the league. He spent the majority of that time with the Buffalo Sabres where he ranks eighth in franchise history in games played with 733.

  • Many teams might be able to take advantage of the suspension in play if/when the NHL continues. Several players, who were expected to miss most or all of the 2019-20 season, are now expected to be ready to return to duty when play resumes. However, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that Vancouver Canucks forward Josh Leivo isn’t currently one of those players. Leivo, who fractured his kneecap during a game on Dec. 19, was expected to miss the 2019-20 season. However, the Canucks always stated that if they could go deep into the playoffs, Leivo might be able to return. However, MacIntyre adds that if the playoffs started today, Leivo would not be ready. The 26-year-old already passed his career high in points, posting 19 points in 36 games.
  • While there has been plenty of talk about what the Detroit Red Wings intend to do about their goaltending situation, MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that the team will be looking for a veteran backup in free agency this offseason. The team believes that goaltender Jonathan Bernier is their starter and likely was the team’s most valuable player despite average numbers of a 15-22-3 record, a 2.95 GAA and a .907 save percentage. However, Khan notes, his numbers look pretty good when you look at the goalie numbers when he wasn’t playing: 2-27-2, 4.33 GAA and a .875 save percentage. With a price range likely under $3MM, the best fits might include Cam Talbot, Thomas Greiss and Aaron Dell.

 

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.

 

Vancouver’s Josh Leivo Expected To Miss 2-3 Months

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The Vancouver Canucks, struggling recently with a 5-5 record in their last 10 games, have lost a member of their top line for quite a bit as head coach Travis Green announced that forward Josh Leivo will miss two to three months with a fractured knee cap. It’s a tough injury for the forward, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The 26-year-old was injured during Thursday’s game against Vegas when he took a hit from Golden Knights’ defenseman Nick Holden. Leivo appeared to hit his knee against the boards after Holden hit him from behind. There was no penalty on the play and the Department of Player Safety didn’t feel that the hit required any supplementary discipline.

Leivo, skating alongside Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson on the top line, was set to be having a career season as he has seven goals and 19 points this year. His previous career high was last season when he 14 goals and 24 points between Toronto and Vancouver. For the moment, the Canucks have moved Loui Eriksson onto the top line to replace Leivo.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Josh Leivo

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The Vancouver Canucks have come to an agreement with another one of their restricted free agents, signing forward Josh Leivo to a one-year contract worth $1.5MM. Leivo was eligible for salary arbitration, and will be an unrestricted free agent when this contract expires. GM Jim Benning explained what he likes about Leivo’s game:

Josh made a positive addition to our roster last year. He has a versatile game, is a strong two-way player and generates offence throughout our lineup. We’re excited to have Josh sign as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

Ending up in Vancouver was the chance of a lifetime for Leivo, who had been previously stuck in a difficult situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite showing strong offensive numbers whenever he got the chance to play, Leivo was strapped to a press box seat on a nightly basis. He ended up playing just 34 games at any level over a two-year span between 2016-18, wasting two key years of his prime.

Now with the Canucks, he’s trying to make up for that lost time. After a trade from the Maple Leafs mid-season took him to the west coast, he was given the opportunity to play with some of the team’s best players and quickly started producing. While that rate didn’t continue for the whole year, he did finish with 18 points in 49 games for the Canucks. Add that to his 27 games in a Toronto sweater to start the year and Leivo more than doubled his NHL experience in one season. With a new one-year deal in his back pocket he’ll try to contribute even more and set himself up for a multi-year contract next summer.

Injury Notes: Pettersson, Lewis, Steen, Kase, Rasmussen, Rantanen

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The Vancouver Canucks hope that the wait for star forward Elias Pettersson to return from injury will be over soon. Canucks’ coach Travis Green said Pettersson looked good in practice Saturday on a line with Brock Boeser and Josh Leivo and the team is hopeful that he might play Sunday against Detroit.

“I hope he can go. We’ll see,” said Green.

Green said he will talk to the medical staff about Pettersson’s status before making a decision on whether the 20-year-old will be available Sunday. Pettersson has been a revelation for the Canucks in his rookie campaign as he has 22 goals and 42 points in 39 games.

  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that while Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis has not started skating  yet, he’s been told that the veteran is close to getting on the ice by himself. The 32-year-old has been out with a broken foot since Nov. 13, but could be ready to make his way back to the ice. Lewis had surgery on his foot on Dec. 4 and was expected to be out for four to five weeks which is fast approaching.
  • NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that the St. Louis Blues have activated forward Alex Steen of injured reserve Saturday. The veteran forward has missed the past six games for the Blues after suffering a shoulder injury. The 34-year-old has six goals and 15 points in 32 games.
  • While it has already been reported that Anaheim Ducks forward Ondrej Kase was placed on injured reserve today, Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register reports that the injury isn’t another concussion, like the one that kept the 23-year-old out of the lineup for the first month of the season. The scribe writes that Kase’s right arm is in a sling, but offers no other details about how long he might be out. Kase has 11 goals and 20 points in 30 games this season.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen participated in a full practice for the first time since he injured his hamstring. The 19-year-old rookie remains on injured reserve and hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 4. Rasmussen has six goals and 13 points in 41 games.
  • The Colorado Avalanche lost Mikko Rantanen to a lower-body injury early in the third period Saturday in their game against the Kings, according to The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark. No word on how serious the injury is, but the team was already up 7-0 at the time of the injury, so they could have pulled him for precautionary reasons. However, if the injury was serious, that could be crippling for a struggling Avalanche team as Rantanen is third in the league in points with 71.

Minor Transactions: 01/13/19

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It’s a relatively busy Sunday for the NHL as six games are scheduled for today, including an afternoon tilt between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes. While the league prepares for another important week, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Rourke Chartier back to the minor leagues, given the team doesn’t play again until Tuesday. The 22-year old forward has played 13 games with the Sharks this season but has just a single goal. He very well could be recalled once again in a few days.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Kole Sherwood, a 21-year old forward that spent time in the ECHL earlier this year. The hometown kid has seven points in 22 games for the AHL Cleveland Monsters, but will get a shot to see what life is like in the NHL for at least a little while.
  • Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan have bother been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, giving the team two forward options in very different situations. Kyrou is still trying to get his footing in his first season as a professional, but has recently found his way as the AHL Rookie of the Month for December. Nolan meanwhile is just trying to hold onto his NHL career after finding himself in the minor leagues this season for the first time since 2012-13.
  • In a minor transaction, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Blues’ goalie prospect Evan Fitzpatrick has been re-assigned from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL to the Tulsa of the ECHL. The scribe adds the transaction is significant because it likely suggests that prospect Ville Husso might be ready to return from injury, which could provide the Blues with a solid emergency goaltender down the road. The 20-year-old Fitzpatrick has served as an emergency backup already, but has spent most of his season in Tusla.
  • The Vancouver Canucks announced they have assigned center Adam Gaudette to the Utica Comets of the AHL as the team expects the return of Josh Leivo, who has been out with back spasms. The former Hobey Baker Award winner spent the early portion of the season with Vancouver, learning as a bottom-line player, but was sent to Utica to get more playing time in. He has been producing in Utica, posting three goal and seven points in seven games, including a two goal, three-point performance on Jan. 5th. He was then recalled after Elias Pettersson went down with his knee injury and scored a goal in his one appearance on Thursday against Arizona.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL now that his conditioning stint is over. The team claimed Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers due to injuries to both Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper. However, with Kuemper healthy once again and the emergence of Adin Hill, the Coyotes would have to keep Pickard around as a third goaltender, which they may not want to do. Pickard struggled in four appearances in Tuscon, despite a 3-0 record, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .889 save percentage.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vancouver Canucks

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With the holiday season now here, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Vancouver Canucks.  Click here for the other articles in this series. 

What are the Canucks most thankful for?

Many people had the Vancouver Canucks listed to be among the two worst teams in the NHL this season after an offseason that saw stars Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin both retire, leaving the team with a nucleus of young players. While some of those players like Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser were expected to lead a new wave of talent, few expected Vancouver to be a competitive team this season as many felt the franchise had a chance to compete for the No. 1 overall pick this season.

Halfway through the season and Vancouver is far from one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, the Canucks are actually one point away from a wild card spot as the team carries a 19-18-4 record for 42 points, just a point behind the Dallas Stars. While it’s a long season and much can change, the Canucks have shown the ability to play well as a young group with a sprinkling of veterans throughout their lineup.

Who are the Canucks most thankful for?

While Boeser looked like the star of the future and continues to put up solid numbers, the team got the star power they needed, much quicker than they expected as Elias Pettersson has dominated in his rookie campaign and looks like an obvious choice as a Calder Trophy candidate, barring injury of course. The 20-year-old had an impressive season in the SHL last season, breaking numerous records and while the team had planned to ease the rookie into their lineup, Pettersson has had other plans. He has 19 goals and 39 points in 35 games, good enough for a point per game production and looks to be the face of this franchise for many years.

What would the Canucks be even more thankful for?

While the team has had quite a bit of success from a number of young players, including Nikolay Goldobin, Jake Virtanen and recent addition Josh Leivo, several of their veteran players have been hampered by injuries and have seen little action this season, including Sven Baertschi, Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter. Baertschi finally returned to the lineup Saturday after being out since Oct. 24 with a concussion. Beagle missed almost two months of the beginning of the season and is only now earning solid minutes after the team handed out a four-year, $12MM deal to him this summer. Sutter has yet to return to the team after suffering an upper-body injury in October. Combined the three players have played a total of 41 games combined. If the team can get some consistency from those veterans, that should only help the team fight for a potential playoff spot.

What should be on the Canucks’ Holiday Wish List?

The team needs defense and are salivating while watching the World Junior Championships as defenseman Quinn Hughes, the team’s first-round pick (sixth-overall) in the 2018 draft has dominated and looks to be ready to join the Canucks immediately after his season at the University of Michigan ends. Scouts say that Hughes should make an immediate impact once he arrives and with the struggles of former top defensive prospect Olli Juolevi up in the air (he’s out for the season after undergoing knee surgery), Hughes should be able to walk in and take over quarterbacking the power play and providing some offense from the blueline, something that Vancouver has struggled to do the last couple of years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Canucks Return Sam Gagner To Toronto Marlies

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Veteran forward Sam Gagner was surprised to find that he would not be starting the season at the NHL level after the Vancouver Canucks waived him and subsequently assigned him to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. However, Gagner got the call from the injury-plagued Canucks in mid-November and saw it as an opportunity to win back his job with Vancouver. Gagner’s efforts were clearly not enough, as the team announced today that they have returned Gagner to the Marlies.

In seven games in Vancouver, Gagner played a pivotal role for the Canucks, averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game. In fact, in his last game on Saturday, Gagner logged more than 19 minutes, among the Canucks’ top skaters that night. His ice time also included a healthy amount on the power play, where he has always been effective. Altogether, Gagner only recorded three points – a goal and two assists – but was crippled by a 5.9% shooting percentage that would currently go down as the lowest of his career and is far from the norm over his twelve seasons. Nevertheless, three points in seven games is far from overwhelming and Gagner was a non-factor defensively and a liability at the face-off dot during his brief call-up. Gagner could certainly be of benefit to Vancouver this season, but he certainly did not do enough to force their hand in keeping him, especially with trade acquisition Josh Leivo incoming and Jay Beagle getting close to a return.

The question now is whether or not Gagner improved his stock enough during the recall to rejuvenate his trade market. The likely end to Gagner’s time in Vancouver became a trade as soon as they waived and reassigned him earlier this season. A solid player with years of success at the NHL level, few believe Gagner should be relegated to the minors full-time, but no teams were willing to take on his full contract via waivers. After seeing him play big minutes again for the Canucks, as well as point-per-game production in the AHL, it is possible that competitors could begin putting in calls to Vancover GM Jim Benning.

Josh Leivo Traded To Vancouver Canucks

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After the Toronto Maple Leafs finally were able to sign William Nylander, it created a roster crunch for their NHL group. One forward needed to be sent out, and with no obvious waiver-exempt options the front office turned to the trade market to see if they could get a deal. A deal they did get, by sending Josh Leivo to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Carcone.

For Leivo, even though a trade takes him away from the powerful Maple Leafs and to a new, unfamiliar organization, it is probably a welcome result. The 25-year old forward has been battling for years to try and make an impact on Mike Babcock and the Maple Leafs coaching staffs, only to find himself in the press box more than on the ice. Originally selected 86th overall in 2011, Leivo has played just 84 NHL games to this point in his career, spending more than that as a healthy scratch throughout the years. The last time he even had any substantial time in the minor leagues was 2015-16, when he was nearly a point-per-game player for the Toronto Marlies.

In the NHL, Leivo has produced 28 points in those 84 games and too rarely shown that he has the versatility to contribute in a bottom-six role. That’s all he was going to get in Toronto given their other young forward talent, but he never really grew into the type of player that Babcock wanted on his fourth line. Instead, his ice time was extremely limited even when he did get into the lineup, although he was given time on the second powerplay this season.

Vancouver will likely attempt to coax every bit of offensive potential out of Leivo, using his big body and hard, powerful shot to create a mismatch alongside some of their smaller forwards. If they can get any production out of him the deal will be a win for them, given that they only sacrificed an undrafted minor league forward.

Toronto was in a tough spot and was likely heading for a situation where they would lose Leivo or someone else to waivers anyway, so they accepted Carcone to at least get something in return. The 22-year old had a great season in his final year of junior with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, but has had middling results in the AHL so far. That changed early this season with 17 points in his first 20 games, but there is still a long road ahead of the undersized forward if he’s ever to make the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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