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Injury Notes: Zuccarello, Joseph, Kase

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Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello was absent from Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury. While the Wild were able to take the game with a 4-2 win, Zuccarello’s great performance so far this season (16 points in 16 games) means they’ll want him back as soon as possible. Head coach Dean Evason said after the game that Zuccarello’s got a “nasty injury” on his bottom hand. Zuccarello will try to practice during the Wild’s optional skate tomorrow, but Evason offers no guarantees.

More injury news from around the league:

  • Mathieu Joseph of the Tampa Bay Lightning sustained an injury and did not return to today’s game against Minnesota. Joseph had been playing in the team’s top six along with Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli and had seven points in 19 games. It’s a tough blow to a team that’s already missing Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point up front. It’s unknown if Joseph will miss how much, if any, time.
  • Ondrej Kase isn’t returning for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, but head coach Sheldon Keefe assures that his absence is more precautionary in nature. An upper-body injury to Kase is concerning considering his concussion history, but Keefe said today “There’s no clarity on that right now. But that has not been designated as the case.” Kase’s been working out on his own without practicing with the team.

Dylan Larkin Suspended One Game For Roughing

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced a one-game suspension for Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin. The ruling comes after Larkin was given a match penalty during Thursday night’s game after a punch to the face of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Mathieu Joseph. As noted in the explanatory video, the rationale behind the suspension from the Department is as follows:

Larkin and Joseph raced for the loose puck, and Larkin cuts in front of Joseph to establish position. Joseph shoves Larkin, causing him to hit the boards and fall to the ice. Larkin then gets to his feet, finds Joseph, and swings wildly, punching the unsuspecting Joseph in the face with a gloved hand, with sufficient force to knock him to the ice. This is roughing. It is important to note that this is not a case of two players who willingly choose to engage in a mutual confrontation. Joseph has no warning that he is about to be punched, and Larkin gives him no time to brace for contact, defend himself, or choose to engage in the altercation. We understand that Larkin is frustrated on this play, but, as our Department has established in the past, players are not excused from punishment merely because they’re acting in response to the actions of another player. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the retaliatory nature of the punch and the force with which it is delivered to an unsuspecting opponent.

Larkin has no previous history of suspension. He will miss Saturday’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks and will be eligible to return on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It’s also important to note that Larkin may have been held out of the game against Vancouver regardless, as he was an extremely limited participant in practice this morning due to a potential injury suffered on the controversial hit by Joseph. Larkin’s health will be evaluated today.

In Larkin’s absence, it’s likely that Robby Fabbri will shift to center on the top line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond, who could make his NHL debut on Saturday, on his wings. Carter Rowney could slot into the lineup in a fourth-line role.

Dylan Larkin Will Have Department Of Player Safety Hearing

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12:33 pm: Head coach Jeff Blashill reports that Larkin’s absence from most of practice was indeed due to the Joseph hit. Blashill notes that Larkin will “see some people today,” likely meaning the team will issue an update tonight or tomorrow.

10:50 am: Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will have a Department of Player Safety hearing Friday for roughing the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Mathieu Joseph, the league announced.

The play originated with Joseph making a controversial hit on Larkin into the boards, which caused Larkin to fall. Larkin’s hearing generates from when he got back up from the fall, immediately punching an unsuspecting Joseph, who fell to the ice.

Referees assessed Joseph a roughing penalty on the play, while Larkin was assessed a match penalty and removed from the game. He finished the night with a goal and a +3 rating. It was an unexpectedly chaotic home opener for the Red Wings, who fell 7-6 to the Lightning in overtime after entering the last ten minutes of the third period with a 6-3 lead.

MLive.com’s Ansar Khan reports that Larkin made a brief appearance at the Red Wings’ practice this morning, but promptly left the ice. It’s unclear at this time whether this has to do with the timing of the hearing or if Larkin suffered any injury on the play.

 

Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning Begin Extension Talks

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have begun contract extension talks with head coach Jon Cooper. Cooper is entering the final season of a three-year deal paying him $3.5MM per season.

A raise is undoubtedly in order for Cooper, who’s now guided the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. It’s an incredible achievement for Cooper, who’s already the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL. He took over the reins with 15 games left in the 2012-13 season after Guy Boucher was fired.

The Lightning have never won less than 40 games in a full season coached by Cooper, who’s now 54 years old. His coaching record stands at 384-197-53, good enough for a .647 points percentage during his time as a head coach in the league. Those numbers tie him for 42nd all-time in wins and 11th among all current head coaches in the league.

Cooper’s job could get more challenging this year. Salary cap constraints hit the Lightning hard this offseason, and they’re now a team that will be relying on their youth more than in recent years. He’s shown at multiple junctures in the past that he can get the most out of Tampa’s prospect system, helping coach underappreciated assets like Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli to the heights of their success.

He’ll have to perform a similar act this year with names such as Ross Colton, Callan Foote, Mathieu Joseph, and other potential roster players such as Alex Barre-Boulet and Taylor Raddysh. If Cooper’s able to guide Tampa Bay to yet another Stanley Cup championship, he could become the first coach to win three straight Stanley Cups since Al Arbour won four in a row from 1980 to 1983.

Long List Of RFAs Still To Sign In Tampa Bay

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You can forgive the Tampa Bay Lightning for taking their time this offseason. The team is celebrating the second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and first for this super-talented core that has been so dominant for the last several years. Since Jon Cooper’s first full season as head coach of the team in 2013-14, the Lightning have put up a record of 343-172-47, reached the playoffs in six of seven years, and made it to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in four of those. Now, after finally getting over the hump and raising that silver chalice over their heads, GM Julien BriseBois and his front office staff have a ton of work to do.

In fact, there is no one with more restricted free agents still to get under contract in the entire league. And it’s not just quantity over quality in Tampa Bay, the players still without contracts are key members of the team now and for the future.

Anthony Cirelli, the unheralded third-round pick that has turned himself into one of the best two-way centers in the league, just finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting for a season played at age-22. He scored 44 points in 68 games and saw his minutes skyrocket, becoming the most important forward on Tampa Bay’s penalty kill. While he may not get the fanfare of some of the other superstars on the roster, BriseBois and his staff know exactly how important Cirelli is to the team’s future. It is likely why they were trying to move Tyler Johnson and his $5MM cap hit early in the offseason, even waiving the veteran forward at one point.

But it’s not just Cirelli that will command a substantial raise if the Lightning want to sign multi-year contracts with their young free agents. Mikhail Sergachev also sits waiting for a new contract after his best year in the NHL, one which saw him turn from sheltered offensive piece to full-fledged top-four powerhouse. Sergachev, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jonathan Drouin in 2017, has seen his average time on ice increase dramatically each of his three seasons in Tampa Bay. In 2019-20 he averaged more than 20 minutes a night, seeing more than anyone not named Victor Hedman at even-strength. In a season completed while he was still 21, Sergachev still put up excellent offensive numbers—ten goals and 34 points in 70 games—but became a player the team can rely on much more heavily and in many more situations.

It doesn’t end there. Erik Cernak and his nearly three minutes of nightly short-handed ice time is also an RFA. For two seasons the 23-year-old has been a versatile, physical presence that counterbalances some of the team’s more skilled defenders, and was a fearless shot-blocker in the playoffs. In 25 games he recorded 52 blocks, a total that beat out even veteran warrior Ryan McDonagh for the team lead. Even though Cernak doesn’t have the offensive chops of Sergachev, he’ll still need a considerable raise after his early-career performance.

Even past those three, several other depth options are still waiting on new deals. Mathieu Joseph and Alexander Volkov, who each suited up at various times this season and will likely be asked to do the same in 2020-21, are RFAs with no arbitration rights. Neither one has a lot of leverage in talks, but their negotiations are still work to be done before the start of training camp. Dominik Masin was also issued a qualifying offer, but the 24-year-old defenseman is currently playing in the KHL.

Sure, these contracts could come together quickly and at any moment, but the Lightning can’t just sign them all and call it a day. By CapFriendly’s count, the team has less than $3MM in cap space with a roster of 18 players, meaning substantial raises for the three big names isn’t possible without moving other players out. Johnson has been the name thrown around most, but even if his $5MM cap hit is shed completely that still may not give them enough room to sign everyone.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Lightning, Robertson, Blackhawks, Ehlers, Nurse

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The Tampa Bay Lightning is traveling to Toronto, but will be doing so without their star defenseman. Victor Hedman will not be traveling with the team, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, due to personal reasons at his own request. However, he is expected to meet up with the team on Friday and is expected to participate in all three round-robin games. The blueliner did practice Saturday and is expected to work with strength coach Mark Lambert. He is expected to be tested regularly while in Tampa Bay.

The team did release its roster as NHL.com’s Bryan Burns reports that the team will only bring 28 players with them to Toronto. Including the team’s normal 25-man roster, the team is only adding forwards Mathieu Joseph, Alexander Volkov and goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

Also, head coach Jon Cooper said that Steven Stamkos remains day-to-day and is not expected to participate in the exhibition game, according to Smith. The veteran is hoping to be more involved in practice once the team gets to Toronto. “It’s still in the window of time to get him back,” said Cooper.

  • TSN’s Mark Masters writes that if 19-year-old Nick Robertson hopes to get into the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff lineup, he must show that he can be comfortable on the ice in their upcoming exhibition game. The team’s 2019 second-round pick had an impressive junior campaign and has impressed the team enough to keep him on the playoff roster for the upcoming 24-team tournament. What might be more surprising is that the youngster continues to get third-line looks during practice. “He needs to look comfortable,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He needs to make an impact on the game, be it through his work ethic and enthusiasm or his ability to create some offence and capitalize when he gets chances. All those kinds of things … We’re just really looking to see if he can be comfortable and be himself and then see how it all sorts itself out in terms our other players.”
  • Brandon Cain of NHL.com reports that the Chicago Blackhawks will take four goaltenders with them to Edmonton for the upcoming 24-team tournament. That is necessary due to the status of veteran Corey Crawford, who recently admitted he tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the first 12 days of training camp. While he has been cleared and participated in a full practice Saturday, that doesn’t mean he’s in game shape for the tournament. The team also will bring Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen.
  • NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton reports that Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was forced to leave Thursday’s scrimmage due to an undisclosed injury, was back at practice Saturday before the team leaves for Edmonton. He is expected to take on a second-line role with the team after scoring 25 goals in 71 games this year.
  • Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that Edmonton Oilers fans don’t need to worry about the fact that defenseman Darnell Nurse was forced to sit out Saturday’s team scrimmage with an undisclosed injury. The scribe described the injury as something he “tweaked” during practice earlier in the week. He’s expected to be ready to go.

Minor Transactions: 2/15/20

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As usual, the Saturday slate of games across the NHL is a busy one with 22 teams in action including Colorado and Los Angeles facing off at the U.S. Air Force Academy as part of the Stadium Series.  There is likely to be plenty of roster movement today which we’ll keep track of here.

  • The Sabres announced (Twitter link) the recalls of defenseman John Gilmour and goaltender Andrew Hammond from AHL Rochester. Gilmour has spent most of the season in the minors but hasn’t come close to his 54-point output from a year ago with just 13 points in 32 games.  He will likely be taking the place of Zach Bogosian on the roster.  Meanwhile, Carter Hutton is taking a maintenance day which warranted Hammond’s recall to get them back to two goalies on the active roster.  Buffalo is back in action on Sunday against Toronto.
  • Joey Keane’s first NHL stint was a short one as the Rangers announced last night (Twitter link) that they had returned him to AHL Hartford.  He didn’t suit up against Columbus as the team opted to dress Brendan Smith instead.
  • Andrei Chibisov has twice been recalled by the Jets this month but he’ll be waiting a little while longer to make his NHL debut as the team announced (via Twitter) that he has been sent back to AHL Manitoba.  The 26-year-old is in his first season in North America after previously playing in Russia and has 24 points (7-17-24) in 47 games with the Moose this season.
  • The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Mark Friedman from AHL Lehigh Valley.  The 24-year-old has played in five games this season with Philadelphia where he recorded his first career NHL point (an assist).  Friedman has spent the bulk of the year with the Phantoms where he has 13 points in 38 games. The team followed that up hours later by announcing that Friedman has been returned to Lehigh Valley. The team obviously didn’t need him.
  • With the return of Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have assigned forward Mathieu Joseph to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The forward was originally sent to Syracuse to find his confidence back in December, but was brought up recently to fill in with all of the team’s injuries. In three games since being promoted, Joseph was scoreless with just three shots on goal.

Minor Transactions: 02/10/20

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We’re now just two weeks from the 2020 NHL trade deadline and the rental market is still not exactly clear. Even after the Toronto Maple Leafs squeezed a backup goaltender out of Los Angeles, we’re still waiting on teams to really start buying and selling. As they prepare for the six games on the schedule, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have returned Andrew Hammond to the minor leagues, though it is not clear whether he’ll be back for tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. Carter Hutton was away from the team for a family reason during yesterday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
  • Mathieu Joseph has been recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning, returning to the NHL after more than a month away from the team. The 23-year old winger has seven points in 34 games with the Lightning this season.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Pontus Aberg to help them out at practice, given some absences up front. Though William Nylander is back, John Tavares and Justin Holl have taken his place on the shelf with an illness. Zach Hyman is also missing the practice as a maintenance day, while Kyle Clifford is away attending a funeral.
  • Alex Lyon has been returned to the AHL by the Philadelphia Flyers, indicating that Carter Hart is ready to return for them. The Flyers take on the Florida Panthers tonight in the first half of an important back-to-back.
  • Martin Fehervary has been recalled and will play for the Washington Capitals again tonight, after being involved in a paper transaction yesterday. Fehervary is getting a look in order for the Capitals to know what kind of depth they have on defense as the deadline nears.
  • Calle Rosen has been returned to the Colorado Eagles, as the Avalanche return home after a five-game road trip. Rosen has played eight games for the Avalanche this season after being acquired in the Tyson Barrie–Nazem Kadri deal last summer.

Evening Notes: Kubalik, Petry, Joseph, Ekman-Larsson, Barkov

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The NHL announced that Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik as the “Rookie of the Month” for January after he scored 10 goals and 14 points in 10 games. Kubalik, whose rights were acquired from Los Angeles for a fifth-round pick more than a year ago, signed with the team and currently has 21 goals and 32 points in his rookie campaign.

The 24-year-old, in fact, was second in the NHL in goals scored in January, behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Kubalik beat out goaltenders Elvis Merzlikins and Ilya Samsonov, as well as defensemen, Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar in January.

  • With rumors starting to surface that the Montreal Canadiens could consider moving defenseman Jeff Petry at the trade deadline, it could be one of the biggest trade chips if they wanted to move him. Besides being a solid blueliner, Petry has another year on his contract worth $5.5MM, making him a better option for teams that want to avoid rentals. However, Petry has made it clear he would like to remain in Montreal. “From the day I got here, it’s been a special place for me here,” said Petry (via Sportsnet’s Eric Engels). “Getting to play in the playoffs the first time here was incredible and I honestly believe I don’t think there is a better place to win that it would be here. I think, like I said, we have our work cut out for us this year. But I still believe this group can do it.”
  • Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a look at all the assets the Tampa Bay Lightning might have at their disposal at the trade deadline. One of the top names on his list is forward Mathieu Joseph, who had an impressive rookie campaign last season. The 22-year-old surprised many last year when he made the team out of training camp and put up 13 goals and 26 points. However, his sophomore campaign has been disappointing and he is now trying to find his game with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. However, Smith notes that many teams are interested in a NHL-experienced player who possesses speed and defensive ability and has a good chance to find his game sooner than later. Joseph currently has three goals and 12 points in 16 AHL games.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they will be without defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Saturday after he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Coyotes blueliner went down after taking a hit from the Kings’ Dustin Brown and was forced to leave the game. He is considered day-to-day.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards reports that Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov will undergo an MRI Sunday after going down during today’s game against Montreal with what appears to be a left knee injury. Barkov has only missed two games in the past three years. Head coach Joel Quenneville did say he believed the injury was not serious.

Atlantic Notes: Zaitsev, Bobrovsky, Grzelcyk, Joseph

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It has been a strange last few weeks for Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev.  Originally expected to return shortly after the holiday break from his deep bone bruise, that plan has been pushed back a few times.  However, it appears that the wait may be coming to an end.  Head coach D.J. Smith told Postmedia’s Ken Warren that the hope is that the blueliner will be able to return to practice at some point this week and that they haven’t ruled out him returning before their bye week.  Zaitsev has been out since December 16th with the issue but still ranks second on the team in blocked shots with 74 in just 32 games while ranking second in ice time per game behind only Thomas Chabot.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t playing tonight against Toronto but it doesn’t sound as if he will be out for too long. Head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters, including TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link), that the netminder should be available for their next game on Thursday against Los Angeles.
  • Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk left Saturday’s game early after taking a slash but it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out for long. Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald mentions that the blueliner skated on Sunday after x-rays came back negative and that he could be available for their next game on Monday.
  • The demotion of Lightning winger Mathieu Joseph to the minors late last month came as somewhat of a surprise after being a regular with Tampa Bay for most of last season. Joe Smith of The Athletic notes (subscription required) that the team has no internal timeline for when they plan to bring him back but the fact that Alex Volkov was recalled to serve as injury insurance suggests that it’s going to be a longer-term stay that they don’t want to interrupt with some short-term recalls.  The 22-year-old has been relatively productive so far with AHL Syracuse with six points through his first seven games.

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