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Luca Sbisa

Pacific Notes: Sbisa, Strome, Jokinen

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Injuries haven’t been kind to Golden Knights defenseman Luca Sbisa this season.  He has dealt with multiple lower-body injuries already (costing him a combined 16 games) while missing another 16 due to a hand issue.  He had just got back into the lineup two weeks ago and now will be on the shelf again.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Sbisa will be “out for a while” with an undisclosed injury so as a result, he will likely be heading to the injured reserve list once again.  When healthy, the 28-year-old has put together a decent season with 14 points (2-12-14) in just 30 games while averaging 19:31 per night, his highest average since 2012-13.  Unfortunately for him, his trouble staying healthy enough to play will likely undo overshadow that as he gets set to hit the free agent market in July.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Although the Coyotes find themselves well out of a playoff spot and have top center prospect Dylan Strome lighting it up in the AHL, assistant GM Steve Sullivan acknowledged to Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan that there is no firm plan in place to recall the soon-to-be 21-year-old for some more NHL time down the stretch. Strome has been unproductive in his appearances with the big club over his career and has just a single point in 11 games this season.  However, he has shown that he is among the top players at the minor league level with 48 points in just 41 games.  He remains a big part of their future plans so it seems likely that he will get another look over the next few weeks.
  • The inclusion of winger Jussi Jokinen in the trade that saw Thomas Vanek join Columbus came as a bit of a surprise considering he had cleared waivers mere hours before the swap was announced. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet notes that the Blue Jackets insisted that the Canucks take him as part of the deal to help free up some wiggle room under the 50-contract limit.  Meanwhile, instead of assigning the 34-year-old to the minors as they are free to do since he went unclaimed, Vancouver has opted to keep him up with the big club although it remains to be seen how much ice time he will actually receive down the stretch.

Deadline Primer: Vegas Golden Knights

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With the trade deadline now just a few days 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 Vegas Golden Knights.

It’s hard to imagine that the Vegas Golden Knights are even an expansion team after the success they’ve had this season. Just in their inaugural season, the franchise which was expected to be among the bottom teams in the league, is atop the NHL with a league-leading 86 points in the standings and has forced the Golden Knights to re-evaluate their needs at the upcoming trade deadline. Expected to be sellers, the team now has opted to keep their top trade prospects in James Neal and David Perron and may be looking to add as the team makes its historic run towards a playoff spot and, who knows, maybe even a Stanley Cup run. The real question is what should this team do? The team already made a minor move when they were used to help offset some salary for the Pittsburgh Penguins and got enforcer Ryan Reaves in return. However, is general manager George McPhee done or does he have other ideas?

Record

41-16-4, first in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$34,263,967 in deadline cap space
43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: VGK 1st, VGK 2nd, VAN 4th, PIT 4th, CAR 5th, VGK 5th, VGK 6th, TOR 6th
2019: VGK 1st, VGK 2nd, COL 2nd, NYI 2nd, VGK 3rd, NSH 3rd, WIN 3rd, VGK 4th, VGK 5th, MON 5th, VGK 6th, VGK 7th

Trade Chips

Don’t expect the Golden Knights to be moving any of their trade chips and don’t expect Vegas to make any major moves. One of the many things that is going right for this franchise is the team’s chemistry and adding a bunch of players could easily break up what they already have. On top of that McPhee is well aware of the goals and timetable the team had set, so trading away the franchise’s future is also just as unlikely. The most likely trade chip the Golden Knights have will be their cap space, which is exactly what they did when they acquired Reaves and a fourth-round pick to help in the Derrick Brassard trade. The team retained $2MM for this year and next, but with their ample cap space, they likely won’t notice that hit much. While there has been talks the Golden Knights might try to flip him again, many believe he will stay in Vegas as his personality might be a perfect fit with the chemistry in the locker room. While there are names that could be moved if a team wants some of Vegas’ depth, don’t count on too many players getting moved out.

Players to Watch: D Jason Garrison, W Brendan Leipsic, W James Neal, W Ryan Reaves, D Luca Sbisa

Team Needs

1) Forward Depth

One thing Vegas is lacking is depth. While the team has been challenged this year when it comes to their goaltending depth, Vegas hasn’t been hit as hard when it comes to its offense. Despite minor injuries to Neal and others,

Feb 23, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

However, even with the addition of Reaves who might be a solid addition to their fourth-line, the team might still want to add some more players who could either play on their back-six or even some veterans that they can add to their AHL club just in case things go downhill.

2) Draft Picks

McPhee has done a great job of adding assets through the draft, which has always been the plan to build up this franchise. He netted two extra first-round picks for last year’s draft and has built up assets for the 2019 and 2020 draft. However, the original plan was to accumulate a bunch of picks for this year’s draft now at the trade deadline. While the Golden Knights aren’t sellers, don’t be shocked if they can’t add a couple of extra picks in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 1/20/18

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With the bye weeks now over with, the schedule is in full swing today with 13 games on tap.  As a result, there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep tabs on those minor moves here.

  • The Sharks have recalled goalie Troy Grosenick from San Jose of the AHL, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). This comes on the heels of starter Martin Jones being seen limping following their last game so it appears that Grosenick will be an insurance policy for the time being.  The 28-year-old has seen limited action in the minors this season, playing in just 15 games while posting a 2.91 GAA and a save percentage of .891.
  • The Blue Jackets announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Markus Hannikainen as well as defenseman Dean Kukan from AHL Cleveland.  Hannikainen has spent most of the season with Columbus but had been sent down on Thursday to get into a minor league game last night.  As for Kukan, he has been up with the team on three other occasions already this season but has yet to play an NHL game in 2017-18.  He is their top scoring defender in the minors though with 15 points in 31 games.
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen tweeted that the Vegas Golden Knights have sent veteran defenseman Jason Garrison back to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The transaction was announced on the AHL transaction wire, according to Schoen. The 33-year-old blueliner was recalled Wednesday to fill in for injuries to defensemen Luca Sbisa and Jonathon Merrill. Many felt he was also brought up to face his old team Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning, but Garrison proved to be just the team’s extra defenseman in both games and was scratched both times. He was originally placed on waivers by the team on Oct. 27 after playing just four games with the Golden Knights.
  • The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Joel Eriksson Ek today after the team sent the 20-year-old to the Iowa Wild to get in some playing time while the team went on their bye-week. With Minnesota slated to play the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, the youngster will return to the team’s fourth line. The 2015 first-round pick has struggled adjusting to the NHL with just one goal and five assists in 39 games so far this year.
  • While talk that defenseman Brett Pesce might be close to returning soon, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled defenseman Roland McKeown from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL to hold his roster spot. The 22-year-old, 2014 second-round pick currently is tied for fifth in the AHL with a plus/minus of +22 and has three goals and 10 assists in 37 games for the Checkers. It will be his second trip to join the Hurricanes. He was recalled in early November and played in two games, garnering two assists.

Vegas Likely To Stand Pat At Deadline

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If there were any last thoughts that the Vegas Golden Knights – who are on pace to be the best expansion team in sports history – would be sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline, they went out the window with the team’s convincing 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. Tampa, who sits atop the league standings with 65 points, is now just two points ahead of Vegas, with the Knights holding a game in hand. Not only is Vegas playoff-bound in their first season, but they have a legitimate chance at the President’s Trophy. Unbelievably, they have a chance at a Stanley Cup title in their inaugural season as well.

For that reason, the idea of the team selling off their impending unrestricted free agents like James Neal, David Perron, or Luca Sbisa has become unthinkable. Despite the long-term benefits that trading away those players for picks and prospects may have on the young franchise, GM George McPhee is surely unwilling at this point to take the wind out of his team’s sails when they truly feel they can win it all in 2018. There is some evidence already that this team is happy with it’s current roster and more interested in extensions than blockbusters. Deryk Engelland and Jonathon Merrill recently signed new deals and the team is reportedly focused on an extension for Neal. The current Golden Knights roster is unlikely to change this season.

That just may include additions as well. For the same reason some are holding out that the Knights will be sellers is the same reason they are extremely unlikely to be buyers too. In just their first year existence, Vegas is in no position to be dealing away picks and prospects. While most teams are already stocked with prospects, Vegas has just their 2017 selections and a few free agent signings to build off. Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Jake Leschyshyn, Erik Brannstrom, and Nicolas Hague are nothing to laugh at, but the team needs to focus on quantity just as much as quality among their junior-level prospects. Their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, has been a middling team this season (currently 18th in the league), and that’s with a veteran free agent signing leading the team in scoring in Brandon Pirri and another team’s goalie as their starter in Kasimir Kaskisuo. Tomas Hyka may be the only prospect on the Chicago roster to ever make a noticeable difference in Vegas. The Stanley Cup is the toughest championship in sports to win and even a number one seed only gives the Knights the same shot that 15 other teams get, not a guaranteed trip to the final. In short, Vegas cannot afford to give up talented top prospects, nor can they give up the draft picks needed to keep filling out the system, for a greater chance at a a difficult title to claim.

The Vegas Golden Knights are rolling right now, playing far better in 2017-18 than anyone could have ever possibly imagined. There is no way they are sellers at the deadline but, due to the constraints of being an expansion franchise, they are unlikely to be sellers either. Like the old saying goes though, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Vegas is no less threatening this season or moving forward if they do indeed stand pat this season.

2018 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: Best Of The Rest

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With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, it’s time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2018. We ranked the top 20 pending unrestricted free agents based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Nate Brown, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. You can find numbers 1-10 right here, and 11-20 here.

Today, we’ll look at those names that just missed the cut but will still be interesting options this summer. All of these players were included on at least one ballot, but did not accumulate enough points to crack the top 20.

Michael Grabner, F, New York Rangers — Included on three of five ballots, Grabner is a useful player that nevertheless doesn’t grab many headlines. Despite scoring 20 goals already this season and having a career-high of 34, there aren’t many teams who would slot Grabner into their top-six without hesitation. That’s because he’s best used as a straight speed threat and penalty killer, who counter-punches extremely well but has trouble creating opportunities for his linemates. In fact, Grabner has just 86 assists in 519 career games and has only once registered more helpers than goals in a full season. There’s no doubt he’ll be gobbled up quickly in free agency, but it’s hard to claim he’s one of the absolute top options.

Ian Cole, D, Pittsburgh Penguins — Included on two ballots, Cole is an interesting free agent case that may be clouded by his relationship with his coach this season. Despite being one of Pittsburgh’s more reliable defenders over the past few years, he’s clashed with head coach Mike Sullivan and spent time in the press box as a healthy scratch this season. Whether that plays a role in determining how much he can get on the open market is still to be seen, but there is certainly value in a two-time Stanley Cup defenseman that will be just 29 when he hits free agency.

Henrik Sedin, C, Vancouver Canucks — Amazingly, Sedin was included on just one ballot and was left out of the top 20 despite his twin brother Daniel making it in. He’ll be going wherever Daniel ends up, and you have to wonder whether it will be Vancouver or nothing. Today, agent J.P. Barry told Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 that he’ll have discussions with the Canucks on the future of the twins before the trade deadline, but there’s a real chance the club will decide to go in a different direction.

Lars Eller, C, Washington Capitals — Included on just one ballot, Eller is an example of how valuable centers are in the NHL. Though he’s never scored more than 30 points in a single season, his consistent effort at both ends of the rink will surely land him a multi-year contract around the league. Whether the Capitals are able to keep him around might be dependent on what happens with John Carlson, as the team doesn’t have a lot of money to give out on July 1st. If he’s able to convince people that he’s closer to Nick Bonino than Jay Beagle and not the other way around, he might be able to land himself a nice chunk of money for the next few years.

Erik Gudbranson, D, Vancouver Canucks — The fact that Gudbranson, the third-overall pick form 2010 was included on just one ballot shows how far he’s fallen. The rough defenseman doesn’t give you any offensive upside, but still could be sought after for his youth and physical play. He’s still logging lots of time in Vancouver, and has a really impressive pedigree to ride into at least one contract. What he does with it will determine his future in the league.

Luca Sbisa, D, Vegas Golden Knights — If Sbisa had been healthy all year and part of the Golden Knights run he may have been ranked higher, but his time on injured reserve has hurt his upside going into the summer. If he comes back and proves that he can still use his skating ability to help the team in the playoffs, teams will certainly add him as a depth defender with upside.

Leo Komarov, F, Toronto Maple Leafs — Komarov is still one of Mike Babcock’s favorites in Toronto, but the media and fans alike have started wondering why exactly that is. Though he’s physical, works hard and is one of the best penalty killers in the league, Komarov’s offensive game has fallen off a cliff with just 11 point on the season despite playing regularly with Patrick Marleau and Nazem Kadri. If those numbers don’t improve, he may find it hard to secure anything but fourth-line minutes (and money) on his next team, especially as he heads into free agency at 31.

Golden Knights Recall Jason Garrison

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When the Vegas Golden Knights selected 13 veteran defenseman in the NHL Expansion Draft this past June, traded for Shea Theodore, and signed Brad Hunt, it was clear that moves would need to be made to handle their overage on the blue line. Yet, even after trading away Marc Methot, Trevor van Riemsdyk, David Schlemko, and Alexei Emelin soon after selecting them, it still left the NHL’s newest team with a log jam on the back end. The long-term injury status of Clayton Stoner also helped the cause, but by the end of October, the team was faced with no options remaining but to waive Griffin Reinhart and, more surprisingly, Jason Garrison. Both players cleared waivers and were assigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, where they have remained since.

However, Garrison is finally getting the chance to return to the NHL ranks. The Knights announced today that they have recalled Garrison from the Wolves. With Jonathon Merrill and Luca Sbisa both sidelined with injuries, Vegas is in need of some added depth on the blue line for the first time this season. The Expansion Draft pick from the Lightning is expected to join the team on their current road trip in Tampa and could make his return against his former team. A veteran of over 500 NHL games, Garrison was once a formidable defender, though his play has slipped as his age has climbed. Nevertheless, few would have expected the 33-year-old to have just four NHL games under his belt in 2017-18 versus 31 games logged in the AHL.

While Garrison cleared waivers earlier this season, the Knights do face some risk by calling him back up to the big league squad. If Garrison stays on the roster for less than 30 days or plays in less than 10 games, he can safely be returned to the AHL. However, should Garrison exceed either of those limits, he would need to be passed through waivers again if the Knights want to demote him prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. If Garrison performs admirably in that short stint, he could prove to be a tempting option for another contender to grab on waivers. Thus, Vegas faces a situation where they either want to return Garrison to the minors as soon as possible or ensure he stays on the roster until the Trade Deadline has come and gone.

Snapshots: Sbisa, Wennberg, Bonuses

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Luca Sbisa hasn’t had a very comfortable season in Vegas so far, suffering several injuries and only suiting up for 24 games. It doesn’t look like it’ll turn around anytime soon, as the defenseman has ruptured a ligament in his hand according to Swiss Hockey News and will be out six to eight weeks.

When healthy, Sbisa has been an effective defenseman for the Golden Knights, using his speed and mobility as a two-way option for the club. With 10 points in those 24 games, he’d almost already matched the 13 points he recorded last season in Vancouver, when he played in all 82 contests.

What Should Vegas Do With James Neal?

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The Vegas Golden Knights had it all figured out. The plan from Day One was to build the team through the draft with a goal of reaching the playoffs in three years and winning a Stanley Cup in five. Evidently, the team did their math wrong. They won’t stop winning now in Year One.

However, despite the team’s success, they have done exactly as they’ve planned. The Golden Knights built their 2017 NHL draft based on multiple trades that came with the expansion draft as they picked up an extra two first-round picks in draft-day deals. They also added an extra second rounder as well as extra fifth and sixth round picks. That totaled 12 picks in that draft, or 13, if you add seventh-round pick Dylan Ferguson, who the team picked up in a trade after the draft.

The draft pick collecting didn’t stop just with the 2017 draft, however. They picked up quite a few for the 2019 NHL draft as well as they have seven picks in the first three rounds in that draft and 12 picks total. Even in 2020, the Golden Knights have four picks in the first two rounds. However, the one draft that Vegas hasn’t targeted is this upcoming draft, the 2018 NHL Draft. It’s obvious, the team’s plan was to accumulate picks at the trade deadline this year. The team has several top players in the last year of their deals that could be sold off for assets, players like James Neal, David Perron, Luca Sbisa and possibly even Jon Marchessault. That has always been the plan, until now.

The team had been winning quite a bit early on, but the team’s recent 8-0-1 run may have changed the outlook of many. Now at the holiday break, Vegas finds itself with a 23-9-2 record, good enough for a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference. This team is for real, having pulled off victories in just the last week over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals. Just a few days ago, NHL.com’s Gary Lawless said that he doesn’t expect Vegas to break up their team at the deadline.

But what do you do with Neal? While Marc-Andre Fleury has been the face of the franchise, it’s Neal that has endeared himself to Vegas fans. The winger has 17 goals, which leads the team and fans would love to have him stay with the franchise. However, he will be 31 years old at the start of the season next year. This will be Neal’s last opportunity to cash in on a big contract, which he truly deserves. However, do you give a 31-year-old player a long-term contract? An six-year deal? Eight years? At what cost? Or do they just let him walk away next season and start all over again.

Perron and Sbisa are probably easy enough to let walk away at the end of the season. While they both have played extremely well this year, the team could probably find replacements at their positions quickly enough. Don’t forget they have two young first-round picks who are dominating their junior league in Cody Glass and Nick Suzuki and another first-rounder in Erik Brannstrom in Sweden waiting to come over. Even Marchessault’s situation is easier to predict as he’ll just be 27 next year. A long-term deal might not look too bad at his age. No matter how many years they sign him for, after two years he’d be 33 years old in a league that caters to young players and have started separating themselves from older ones. Is that what you want on a young expansion team? So, what should Vegas do with Neal?

Minor Transactions: 12/19/17

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The NHL will activate a roster freeze tonight at 11:59pm eastern, effectively shutting down the trade market for a little over a week. While today may bring some movement in terms of trade, more likely small changes will be made to rosters to ensure the team is ready for the next few games. Players can be called up during the freeze, but not waived or loaned.

  • Last night, the Vegas Golden Knights recalled Tomas Hyka from the minor leagues and placed Luca Sbisa back on injured reserve. Hyka, 24, was signed this summer by the Golden Knights as one of the very first players in franchise history. This will be the first time he’s up in the NHL, after showing an offensive capability at the minor league level. With 12 points in 16 games for the Chicago Wolves, Hyka is off to a great start in North American professional hockey.
  • With Sonny Milano returning for the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, the team has sent Tyler Motte back to the minor leagues. The 22-year old Motte had four points in 19 games with the Blue Jackets, but will have to wait for his next opportunity.
  • After acquiring Josh Archibald from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Arizona Coyotes have sent Dylan Strome back to the minor leagues. The 20-year old Strome has just one point in 11 games with the Coyotes this season, but has dominated the AHL level with 26 in 15 games.
  • The San Jose Sharks have assigned Danny O’Regan and Marcus Sorensen to the AHL, while recalling Joakim Ryan. Remember, that the team can still recall players during the freeze.

Vegas Golden Knights Activate Luca Sbisa, Place Two Others On IR

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The Vegas Golden Knights are getting an important defender back, activating Luca Sbisa from injured reserve. Unfortunately in his place the team has placed both David Perron and William Carrier to IR, and neither are with the club on their current road trip.

Sbisa hasn’t played since November 10th, when he was knocked out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The 27-year old defenseman had been logging more than 20 minutes a night for the Golden Knights, and was on a career-high pace in the early season. Having only recorded more than 20 points in a season once before, eight in his first 16 games was certainly impressive. His speed and experience will come in handy for the Golden Knights as they continue to lead the Pacific Division a quarter of the way through the season.

For Perron and Carrier, Sunday is the earliest either can return since both will have their IR stints dated retroactive to their previous game. The pair both missed Tuesday’s 3-0 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars, a team chasing them in the standings. Sbisa is expected to jump back into the lineup alongside Colin Miller.

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