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Matt Duchene

Western Conference Notes: Campbell, Hawks, Avalanche

December 26, 2016 at 8:45 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

It was evident after being eliminated in the first-round of last spring’s Stanley Cup tournament that the Chicago Blackhawks needed a boost on the blue line before seriously challenging for their fourth championship since 2010. The Hawks options would of course be limited by their lack of salary cap space. Fortunately veteran blue liner Brian Campbell, who spent three seasons with the Hawks earlier in his career and was part of the 2010 Stanley Cup championship roster, was willing to sign a deeply discounted deal to return to the Windy City to provide added versatility to Chicago’s defense corps. That versatility has proven to be vital given the way head coach Joel Quenneville utilizes and and assembles his defense pairs, as Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune writes.

As Hine notes, Campbell has filled in as both a right and left side defender and has played with everyone from veterans Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith to rookie Gustav Forsling. The biggest difference between playing with experienced blue liners and younger players, according to Campbell, is communication.

“You have to be a little more assertive (with younger defensemen),” Campbell said. “Seabrook talks a lot and he expects you to talk a lot on the ice. Some guys are a little bit quieter. Young guys coming into the league are a little intimidated, but you need them to help you out as much as you’re hopefully helping them out.”

Niklas Hjalmarsson, who is also able to slide over to his off side, has spent a lot of time in his career opposite Keith, and the two have developed a rapport that enables them to keep each other on point. Hjalmarsson believes that relationship sets a standard that should apply across the blue line.

“(Keith and I) kind of know exactly what we get from each other night in and night out,” Hjalmarsson said. “It’s not too often we get on each other’s case, but we rely on each other to bring our best every night.

“That’s the standard for how it should be, and if you play with a first-year guy, you want to be talking more and be more active that way and help him out on the ice.”

While Campbell isn’t the offensive force he has been in the past, his addition gives Quenneville a multitude of options when it comes to his defense pairings and it allows the coach to spread out the minutes a little bit better than in the past. The Hawks still rely heavily on Keith – sixth in the NHL averaging better than 26:00 per game – and might prefer to scale back a bit on his ice time as the season wears on. The continued development of Forsling and Trevor van Riemsdyk may allow Quenneville to do just that.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference on this quiet evening:

  • Mike Chambers of The Denver Post compares the Colorado Avalanche to the Blackhawks, both in terms of how the clubs were constructed and their current salary cap situations. Chambers points out that both teams have had the advantage of multiple high lottery draft picks – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for Chicago and Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog for Colorado –  with which to build the foundation of their respective clubs. Additionally, as Chambers further argues, the two have invested heavily in keeping their core groups intact. The Hawks have more than $38MM allocated to just five players – Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook and Corey Crawford, while Colorado has more than $35MM annually tied up in their core – MacKinnon, Duchene, Landeskog, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Semyon Varlamov. The large investments in their core players limits how much each team has to spend on complementary pieces while also pushing them close to the cap ceiling. However that’s where the similarities end. While Chicago has been one of the league’s top teams since 2010, Colorado has been to the playoff just once in the last six seasons and this year is last in the NHL in goals scored, goals allowed and currently sit 30th in the league in the standings. Clearly where Chicago has excelled in putting the right pieces together on the ice, the Avalanche have failed to find the right mix. At some point the Avalanche is likely going to make a move or moves to change their core.

Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Joel Quenneville| NHL| Players Brent Seabrook| Brian Campbell| Corey Crawford| Duncan Keith| Gabriel Landeskog| Gustav Forsling| Jonathan Toews| Matt Duchene| Nathan MacKinnon| Niklas Hjalmarsson| Patrick Kane| Salary Cap

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Should Joe Sakic Be Shown The Door?

December 23, 2016 at 9:45 am CDT | by natebrown 4 Comments

Is it time for the Colorado Avalanche to concede that Joe Sakic isn’t getting the job done?  The Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla writes exactly that after the Avs suffered a humiliating 6-0 loss to Toronto and cemented their status as the worst team in the NHL. Frustration is mounting, and Kiszla believes this to be the lowest point in the organization’s history in Denver.

A once proud franchise that won a Stanley Cup immediately after moving from Quebec prior to the 1995-96 season, the last decade has been a wandering in the wilderness. And while the return of Sakic and former bench boss Patrick Roy were supposed to be an indication of happier times, it’s been just the opposite. From Kiszla:

The problem is too big to ignore, and the stink starts at the top. This is a poorly constructed hockey team, a roster that cannot win.

Josh Kroenke tried to recreate the Avalanche’s glory years by bringing back two superstars, with Sakic in the front office and Patrick Roy as coach. Hey, it was worth a shot. I endorsed the idea.

But it’s not working. The grand plan began falling apart late last winter, when Roy told me he thought it was essential the Avs make the playoffs, while Kroenke preached patience.

When Patrick Roy abruptly left the organization back in August, reviews were mixed as to what it meant. Was it Patrick being petulant? Was Sakic painted into a corner? Was it a philosophical difference? Or was it a sign that the players of the past weren’t the answer as management? Now more than ever, it seems like the latter is truly the case.

Nov 13, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) defends his net in the second period against the Boston Bruins at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Avalanche have been miserable, seeing significant slippage in nearly ever facet of the club. Not only do the Avs have the worst record in hockey, but they’ve been shut out seven times already this season–and it’s not even January. Kiszla goes as far to say that the team’s core, namely Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Semyon Varlamov and Matt Duchene is no longer the answer. Kiszla is hardly alone in his thinking.

Darren Dreger chimed in, tweeting that business as usual in Colorado may change once the roster freeze expires next week. Ray Ferraro agrees, going as far to call Colorado a “train wreck.”

The solution? Kiszla believes it’s time Sakic walks away from the team at the end of the season, doing what’s best for the franchise he won two Stanley Cups with. Should he stay on, it will not only continue to damage the future of the Avs but it could also tarnish the legacy of one of Colorado’s most beloved players.

Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| Joe Sakic| Minnesota Wild| NHL| Patrick Roy| Players| Uncategorized Gabriel Landeskog| Matt Duchene| Nathan MacKinnon

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Central Division Notes: Avalanche, Duchene, Haula, Dalpe

December 18, 2016 at 3:30 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

The Colorado Avalanche rank among the biggest disappointments this season in the NHL. With a talented roster and a new coach hired to implement a system that plays to the team’s strengths, it was expected the Avalanche would at least contend as a dark horse in the playoff race. Instead they currently boast the league’s worst record and appear well on their way to a lottery pick next June.

The easy assumption is that Colorado’s core group of players is flawed and that drastic changes need to be made. But is that assumption accurate? Terry Frei of The Denver Post recently examined and dispelled three “off-target reactions” about the Avalanche at this point in the season.

It’s clear base on the moves made and not made this past summer that Joe Sakic believed his core group was good enough to contend. Instead of making a blockbuster trade, Sakic dabbled around the edges of the roster, adding some depth on the blue line in the form of Patrick Wiercioch and Fedor Tyutin and bringing in Joe Colborne up front. Roughly 30 games into the season and it’s obvious something more needed to be done.

However, as Frei opines, the problem isn’t just with the core or with the complementary pieces on the roster; in fact the whole roster is flawed.

Next Frei addresses ownership and notes that Stan Kroenke and Co. do two things all NHL owners should do: They stay out of the way allowing management run the team and they spend nearly to the salary cap ceiling. Whether the hands-off approach by ownership is intended or is a result of having other priorities is irrelevant as ownership is blameless in this case, argues Frei.

Finally, it’s been said that allowing Paul Stastny to leave as a free agent for nothing and then dealing Ryan O’Reilly to Buffalo once Colorado concluded they couldn’t re-sign him were mistakes the team shouldn’t have made. However, Frei makes the case that each of those choices were made as part of a larger strategy to implement a salary structure a mid-market franchise can survive with in today’s NHL.

It’s an interesting read and provides terrific insight into the mess that is the Colorado Avalanche.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Hockey Prospectus’ Matthew Coller pushes the argument that the Avalanche need to embrace a rebuild, even if that means trading away Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog. While acknowledging the high-end talents of Duchene and fellow pivot Nathan MacKinnon, Coller believes the team desperately needs a strong, two-way center to match up against the other team’s top lines. Of course they had a guy like that in O’Reilly, as Coller notes, but what’s done is done. If they do finish at the bottom of the league’s standings, the Avalanche would ensure themselves of one of the top overall players in the June entry draft which could fast forward a rebuild. And if Sakic can make a couple of good trades, it may not take as long as expected to build a contender.
  • While the Minnesota Wild extended their winning streak to seven games with a victory over Arizona last night, the win didn’t come without a cost. Forward Erik Haula left the game early in the first period with what was termed as an upper-body injury and did not return, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. Haula has been a solid contributor this season for the Wild, posting five goals and ten points in 23 games while averaging a career-best 14:13 of ice time per game. Meanwhile, Zac Dalpe was cleared to return from injury and was assigned to Iowa of the AHL. Russo states that he is a good bet to be recalled for next Tuesday’s game should Haula not be able to go.

AHL| Colorado Avalanche| Injury| Joe Sakic| Minnesota Wild| NHL| Players Erik Haula| Fedor Tyutin| Gabriel Landeskog| Matt Duchene| Nathan MacKinnon| Patrick Wiercioch| Paul Stastny| Salary Cap

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Central Division Snapshots: Lehtera, Parise, Avalanche

December 3, 2016 at 8:30 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

In his latest chat feature appearing in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jeremy Rutherford tackles an array of reader questions yesterday. A popular topic for Blues fans are the ongoing struggles of center Jori Lehtera, who St. Louis made a healthy scratch for this evening’s game against Winnipeg.

Lehtera posted a strong rookie campaign in 2014-15, finishing with 14 goals and 44 points in 75 games. He followed that up with a 34-point campaign last season, a noticeable drop off in output but still enough to convince the Blues to ink the 28-year-old Finnish pivot to a three-year deal with an AAV of $4.7MM. As Rutherford noted, the Blues might have been better off waiting another year to prove himself but the team decided to get that deal done so as to allow themselves to focus on re-signing David Backes and Jaden Schwartz. With just seven points in 20 games this season it’s looking like that extension may have indeed been premature.

Rutherford also believes it’s more likely now that the team will leave Lehtera unprotected and available to be taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in next June’s expansion draft. He projects the Blues will choose to protect 10 skaters – seven forwards and three blue liners – but has Lehtera and Ty Rattie as two the team will leave unprotected.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  •  Mike Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Zach Parise is indeed healthy, according to the team’s bench boss, Bruce Boudreau. There was concern after the veteran winger blocked a shot in the first period of Minnesota’s recent loss to Calgary. Boudreau described Parise’s skating as “sluggish” and “methodical,” in post-game remarks, which led to the questions pertaining to Parise’s health status. The long-time NHL coach did sit down with Parise along with winger Charlie Coyle, and plans to do the same with center Eric Staal to discuss the line’s recent struggles. As Russo notes, the line is pointless in its last two contests and the trio combined for just two even-strength shots in the Calgary game.
  • Lastly, Colorado GM Joe Sakic is sticking by the team’s core group despite a rough start to the 2016-17 campaign, writes Terry Frei of The Denver Post. The Avalanche are currently tied with Arizona for last place in the Western Conference and are seven points out of a playoff berth. With their season on the verge of slipping away, Sakic still expresses faith in his core – Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Semyon Varlamov, Tyson Barrie, Erik Johnson and Nathan MacKinnon – and feels the team needs to play with more urgency in order to get their season back on track: “I have faith in them. But to me, the start is not a core thing; it’s a team thing. I think you see we’re trying to hold people accountable. We know we have certain guys who can give more, and those guys know they can give more, but it’s not like it’s a whole thing. We’re not as consistent as we need to be. We didn’t win two straight Cups and have that leeway. We have to play with that urgency every night on a consistent basis to be successful.” Sakic’s reluctance to break up the team’s core played at least some part in the division between the GM and former head coach Patrick Roy. Unless the Avalanche can turn things around relatively quickly, it’s going to look like Roy, and not Sakic, was correct in his assessment.

Bruce Boudreau| Colorado Avalanche| Expansion| Joe Sakic| NHL| Patrick Roy| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues| Vegas Golden Knights Charlie Coyle| David Backes| Eric Staal| Gabriel Landeskog| Jaden Schwartz| Jori Lehtera| Matt Duchene| Nathan MacKinnon| Semyon Varlamov| Ty Rattie| Tyson Barrie| Zach Parise

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Central Notes: Hitchcock, Bowman On Expansion, Avalanche

November 20, 2016 at 2:45 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While some have speculated that St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock could be at risk of losing his job, GM Doug Armstrong was quick to shoot that down, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Speaking with Rutherford, Armstrong said that Hitchcock isn’t in danger of losing his position:

“The guy has the best winning percentage in hockey over the last six years.  If he’s in danger, then everybody’s in danger.”

Hitchcock’s unique situation has been well documented.  With associate coach Mike Yeo set to take over next season, some have suggested it may make sense to make the transition early and eliminate any ‘lame duck’ situation.  The team has had a decent start to the season overall, sitting second in the Central Division but have had some lulls along the way.  The up-and-down start doesn’t really surprise Armstrong, however:

“This season was going to have more peaks and valleys than years in the past. It’s part of the growing pains that you go through.  Obviously you’d like to have smooth waters all the time, but I don’t think it’s realistic.  When you look how many games we’ve played, we’re competitive.”

Still with the Blues, Alex Steen missed his second straight game on Saturday with an upper body injury.  Hitchcock noted that Steen is quickly getting better and remains day-to-day.

More from the Central:

  • Although some teams are beginning to plan around next June’s expansion draft, Chicago GM Stan Bowman isn’t too worried about it at this point, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Bowman tells Lazerus that the team has some flexibility when it comes to the expansion draft; as the roster currently stands, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and center Marcus Kruger would be among the more notable players that would be left unprotected.
  • After shuffling back and forth between center and the wing in the past three years, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is feeling much better this season as a full-time player down the middle, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. MacKinnon is winning a career best 51.4% of his faceoffs (his previous high was 48.4%), taking an average of over 18 per night.  However, the former first overall pick in 2013 off to another slower start offensively with 12 points in 17 games and has had to adjust to several different wingers lately thanks to injuries to Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog.  In a separate article from Frei, Duchene noted that he hopes to return from a concussion on Monday while Landeskog isn’t quite ready to return from his lower body injury but shouldn’t miss too much more time.

Chicago Blackhawks| Ken Hitchcock| St. Louis Blues Alex Steen| Gabriel Landeskog| Matt Duchene| Nathan MacKinnon

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Injury Updates: Steen, Drouin, Duchene

November 17, 2016 at 7:31 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

Injury notes this evening:

  • Alex Steen will not play for the St. Louis Blues this evening against the San Jose Sharks, reports the team. Steen left Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres after Josh Gorges shoved his head into the glass. He was not on the ice for the pre-game warmups and will be missed. Steen has 2G and 8A in 10 games, good for third in team scoring.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin returns tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, reports Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith. Drouin has been out with an upper-body injury, but travelled with the team on its five-game road trip. Drouin’s return provides temporary relief for Tampa Bay after it lost Steven Stamkos for at least four months due to a meniscus tear.
  • Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene will not return tonight for the team’s game against the Dallas Stars, reports Terry Frei of the Denver Post. Duchene has missed the past two games with a concussion, and although he skated with the team today, he did not feel ready to return. Duchene joins Gabriel Landeskog on the sidelines as the latter sits out with a lower-body injury. Coach Bednar stated that Landeskog is “questionable moving forward.” Duchene and Ladeskog are 1st and 2nd in scoring for the Avalanche this season, and their absences are of concern for the struggling team. The Avalanche currently sit last in the Central Division.

Colorado Avalanche Alex Steen| Gabriel Landeskog| Jonathan Drouin| Matt Duchene

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New York Islanders Looking For An Offensive Boost

November 16, 2016 at 1:19 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Maybe Cal Clutterbuck isn’t a good enough winger for John Tavares — who knew?  In a piece for Newsday, Arthur Staple reports that the New York Islanders are looking for an upgrade on offense, and have been scouring the league for possible options. Staple mentions the Colorado Avalanche as a possible trade partner, as their struggles mirror those found in New York. While Matt Duchene’s name is bandied about, the possibility of that kind of a blockbuster still seems far-fetched.

The Islanders sit last in the Metropolitan Division and have scored just 2.5 goals per game, a big drop from the 2.83 they scored last season. While that drop-off could have been partially expected after the departures of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to free agency, big ticket signing Andrew Ladd has been a disaster for the Isles, relegated to the fourth line at times. His three points in 16 games lends credence to the idea that he was always more of a secondary-scoring type playing in excellent situations.

While no one is questioning Ladd’s work ethic or leadership qualities, it’s quite telling that Clutterbuck and Josh Bailey have been skating with Tavares over him. It’s not clear where the next wave of offense is expected to come from though, as youngsters Ryan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier have each scored just five points through the first part of the season. In Staple’s article, he mentions Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle as potential additions; both are skating with Bridgeport of the AHL at the moment and finding varying degrees of success. Ho-Sang though has apparently caught whatever Ladd has, and has seen his playing time reduced and was even a healthy scratch on Friday night.

If Garth Snow, who is in Toronto at the annual GM meetings, decides to look elsewhere he’ll need to be careful not to mortgage the team’s future in pursuit of something that may not be able to be found.  A single player, while clearly helpful, may not be able to turn around what has been a disaster of a season so far. If one were to listen to Islanders’ fans, it’s a problem with the head coach Jack Capuano and not the players. Staple reiterates what many others have said however, that Capuano is in no danger of losing his job – for now.

Duchene, while an interesting option, would surely cost a huge haul coming off his first 30 goal season in the NHL. The speedy forward is only 25 still despite having over 500 games of experience and is under contract for two seasons after this at a $6MM AAV. After signing Ladd to a seven year, $38.5MM deal this summer the Islanders are right up against the cap and although they do have some flexibility with LTIR they would likely need to move out some money to bring in an impact forward.

To add a little bit of insult to injury, P.A. Parenteau, the winger New York waived prior to the season is off to a hot start in New Jersey. His five goals would tie him for the lead on the Islanders with Tavares and costs just $1.25MM.

AHL| Colorado Avalanche| Free Agency| Garth Snow| Injury| Jack Capuano| NHL| New York Islanders| Players Andrew Ladd| Anthony Beauvillier| Cal Clutterbuck| Frans Nielsen| Frans Nielsen| John Tavares| Josh Ho-Sang| Kyle Okposo| Matt Duchene

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West Notes: Flames On The Trade Block, Connor, Duchene

November 14, 2016 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Calgary Flames have made defenseman Deryk Engelland and center/left winger Lance Bouma available, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.  Neither player appears to be drawing much interest, however.

Engelland is in his third season with the Flames and has four points while averaging a career best 19:10 per night.  However, he carries a cap hit that’s a little higher than $2.9MM which is pricey for a player whose reputation is that of a third pairing physical blueliner.  However, as a pending unrestricted free agent, there could be more interest as the season progresses and more teams have cap space to work with.

As for Bouma, who currently is on injured reserve for a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury, he is off to a tough start so far this season.  In 13 games, he has just one assist although he is averaging over 2.5 hits per game.  Back in 2014-15, he had a 16 goal, 34 point campaign that also saw him rank seventh in the league in hits with 264.  That offseason, he signed a three year deal with a cap hit of $2.2MM which has the remainder of this year plus one more season to go on it.  Given his struggles dating back to last season and the extra year left on his deal, GM Brad Treliving may be hard pressed to find a suitor for Bouma unless he retains salary or takes back another not-so-ideal contract.

Other news from the Western Conference:

  • The Jets have placed left winger Kyle Connor on injured reserve, the team announced. He suffered an upper body injury in Sunday’s victory over Los Angeles on a hit from Kyle Clifford.  Clifford will not face any supplemental discipline for the hit, one that earned him a five minute major for boarding.  Connor, the 17th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has played in all but one of Winnipeg’s games so far this season, collecting four points (1-3-4) while playing 13:31 per game.  The team has recalled center Chase De Leo from their minor league affiliate in Manitoba to take Connor’s spot on the roster.  De Leo has three goals and four assists in 12 AHL games this year.
  • Avalanche center Matt Duchene was expected to skate in advance of Colorado’s practice today but those plans were aborted after Duchene didn’t feel he was ready to practice, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. Accordingly, he will miss his second straight game on Tuesday against the Kings.  Duchene is Colorado’s team leader in goals (six) and points (11) in the early going this season.

Calgary Flames| Injury Deryk Engelland| Kyle Connor| Lance Bouma| Matt Duchene

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Snapshots: Duchene, Trouba, Waiver Activity

November 12, 2016 at 11:32 am CDT | by Brett Barrett Leave a Comment

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba made his presence felt in his first game of the season. It wasn’t on the scoresheet, however. Just ask Matt Duchene.

Trouba caught Duchene with a high hit to the head, causing the speedy Avalanche center to leave the game. Adrian Dater reported that the NHL’s concussion spotters may have pulled Duchene from the game. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said post-game that he has no update on his star’s condition.

The two players have been linked before, with some speculation the Avalanche offered Duchene up in a trade for Trouba. With Trouba signing a two-year contract with the Jets before withdrawing his trade request and Duchene leading the Avalanche in scoring, it seems unlikely that anything will come to fruition soon.

  • The Florida Panthers have claimed forward Seth Griffith on waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Chris Johnston. The Leafs had previously claimed Griffith on waivers from the Bruins just last month, but he was held off the scoresheet in just three games in blue and white. The Leafs needed to make a move with Matt Hunwick returning from IR and Josh Leivo coming back from a conditioning stint. As Johnston points out, the young forward will have a much better chance to make an impact in Florida, where the Panthers are dealing with a handful of injuries. Griffith won’t have to wait long to face his former team; the Panthers are in Toronto this Thursday.
  • Defenseman Nicklas Grossmann is on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutually terminating his contract with the Calgary Flames. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests Grossmann may have an offer to play overseas. He’s been in and out of the Flames lineup after a successful PTO. Shortly after the signing, Christian Roatis of Flames Nation broke down why the Flames signed the aging defenseman to a one-year, league-minimum contract: to boost their LTIR savings on the injured Ladislav Smid.
  • Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jakub Nakladal cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The Hurricanes have called up Matt Tennyson to take his place on the roster. Nakladal is -4 in three games this season; Tennyson has 7 points in 9 AHL games so far.  Also clearing waivers was Florida’s Shane Harper who was assigned to Springfield of the AHL.  Harper has two goals and an assist in 14 games with the Panthers this season.

Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Colorado Avalanche| Florida Panthers| Jared Bednar| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs Elliotte Friedman| Jacob Trouba| Jakub Nakladal| Matt Duchene| Matt Tennyson| Nicklas Grossmann| Seth Griffith| Shane Harper

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Western Conference Snapshots: Ducks, Preds, Duchene

October 23, 2016 at 6:00 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

The Ducks have been busy making moves the last couple of days, according to Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register, though none included the highly anticipated re-signing of top defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Off to just a 1 – 3 – 1 start out of the gates, Anaheim demoted Mason Raymond – who recently cleared waivers – forward Nick Sorensen and blue liner Jacob Larsson. All three will report to San Diego of the AHL.

Meanwhile, the Ducks have recalled forwards Joseph Cramarossa and Michael Sgarbossa, along with defenseman Shea Theodore. Theodore was partnered with veteran defender Kevin Bieksa in practice and appears poised to make his 2016-17 debut for Anaheim.

The Ducks will also insert one of Cramarossa or Sgarbossa into the lineup for the first time this season. For the soon-to-be-24-year-old Cramarossa, an appearance would also represent his NHL debut. Cramarossa has played in 164 AHL games in the Anaheim organization since being drafted in the third-round of the 2011 draft, and has netted 17 goals and 31 points.

Additionally, the team also placed defenseman Simon Despres on LTIR as we noted earlier.

Whether these moves will spark the team and help shake the Ducks out of their early season doldrums or not remains to be seen. If not, and given the team just brought back head coach Randy Carlyle, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team make a trade or two to help try to right the ship.

More from around the Western Conference:

  • Nashville is another team that has had a busy weekend with regards to making transactions. With the team ravaged by food poisoning, the Predators were forced to recall five players from the AHL just to field a full lineup for Staurday night’s showdown against Pittsburgh. Team captain Mike Fisher, wing Craig Smith and goaltender Pekka Rinne all missed the game, which Nashville somehow managed to win despite the depleted lineup. Today the club announced that they’ve sent three of the call-ups back to Milwaukee of the AHL. Juuse Saros, who made his NHL debut in goal and earned the win, joins forwards Frederick Gaudreau and Trevor Smith in returning to the minors.
  • It might be hard for some to believe but 25-year-old Matt Duchene appeared in the 500th NHL game of his career in last night’s loss to Florida, as Terry Frei of The Denver Post writes. Afterwards, Duchene said, “it’s the first real milestone game that made me feel a bit old.” Duchene is the third player from the 2009 draft class to reach the 500-game mark, joining the top overall pick, John Tavares, and former Colorado teammate Ryan O’Reilly. For his career, Duchene has scored 159 goals and 382 points in his eight seasons with the Avalanche.

AHL| Anaheim Ducks| Colorado Avalanche| NHL| Nashville Predators| Players| Randy Carlyle| Snapshots| Transactions| Waivers Hampus Lindholm| John Tavares| Joseph Cramarossa| Mason Raymond| Matt Duchene| Pekka Rinne

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