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Montreal’s Phillip Danault Receives Max Fine For Tripping

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A late-game scuffle is going to cost Montreal Canadiens forward Phillip Danault. The Department of Player Safety announced today that Danault has been served with a $5,000 fine for a “dangerous trip” on Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the maximum fine for that type of penalty under the NHL CBA. While it the maximum amount that Player Safety may fine Danault, $5,000 is less than one-seventh of Danault’s next game check on his $3MM salary this season.

The incident in question occurred late in the third period, when Danault lodged his stick underneath the left knee of Ekblad after a scrum along the boards. Danault then used that leverage to upend Ekblad, causing him to topple to the ice. Ekblad responded immediately, chasing down Danault before the pair dropped the gloves. However, it was again Danault getting the takedown as Ekblad was once gain forced to the ice. Danault received a two-minute minor on the play for tripping in addition to the five-minute major for fighting that both players received.

While Player Safety properly saw fit to punish Danault further for the dangerous takedown and the Montreal center will be out a decent amount of money, it is safe to say that last night’s events were far more damaging for Ekblad. This was the first meeting between the Panthers and Canadiens since the preseason, when Max Domi earned a suspension for the remainder of the preseason for sucker punching an unwilling Ekblad. Many expected the big Florida defenseman to seek his retribution against Domi in this re-match, but again the 6’4″, 220-lb. Ekblad shied away from confrontation despite knowing that the much smaller Domi is usually a willing combatant. Instead, Ekblad waited until the last minute before engaging with Danault, not known for his physical prowess, and still ended up “losing” the fight after being taken down by the smaller Danault. It was Ekblad’s first bout of the season and only the fifth of his career, as the Panthers’ defensive cornerstone hasn’t felt the need to fight to prove that that he has the toughness to match his size and strength. Now that smaller Canadiens forwards have gotten the best of him twice, will he feel the need to prove himself?

Montreal Canadiens Plan To Keep Jesperi Kotkaniemi In NHL, Will Continue To Evaluate

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On Saturday night the Montreal Canadiens played their tenth game of the season, and with it Jesperi Kotkaniemi burned through the first year of his entry-level contract. The third-overall pick from June has impressed with his play in the early going, despite still looking for his first NHL goal. Four assists and a fine showing at both ends of the rink has kept him in Montreal, and will for the next few weeks at the very least. Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin told reporters today that they’ll reassess the situation in 10-15 games, but that right now “the plan is to keep him in Montreal.”

The Canadiens have been better than many expected in the early part of the season, and trail the Toronto Maple Leafs by just two points for the Atlantic Division lead. They’ve only allowed 25 goals so far, thanks in part to a solid effort from their center group that was so derided in the offseason. While Max Domi has easily been the most impressive player in the middle for the Canadiens, Kotkaniemi has given them a legitimate third option that can be relied on for around 14 minutes a night. That is an outstanding feat for a player that won’t turn 19 until July, and one that hadn’t played in North America prior to this year.

One team that is hoping that the Canadiens change their mind is the Finnish World Junior squad, who look like they’ll be quite depleted this season. Kotkaniemi and Miro Heiskanen in Dallas would likely have been two of the best players in the tournament, but don’t look like they’ll be sent to take part. That could obviously change, but if Montreal believes he can help them compete for the playoffs this year, Kotkaniemi will remain in the lineup.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi Will Start Season With Montreal Canadiens

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While surprise probably isn’t the correct word, the Montreal Canadiens announced that head coach Claude Julien confirmed that 18-year-old prospect Jesperi Kotkaniemi will start the season in Montreal. No word on where he might play or even what position he might play out of the gate.

“We decided that he’ll start the season here in Montreal. It’s good news for him, and it’s good news for us,” said Julien.

The 2018 third-overall pick has been debated for weeks now about whether or not he should remain with the team. While the team is desperate for help down the middle, Kotkaniemi has not played center on a regular basis in over a year as he played left wing this past season with Liiga’s Assat Pori team as a 17-year-old. With the team already having abandoned the Jonathan Drouin experiment at center and only getting a minimal look at Max Domi as their No. 1 center before being suspended for the remainder of the preseason, the team may be hoping that Kotkaniemi can work his way into the role at some point during the season.

Kotkaniemi was already somewhat of a mild surprise when the Canadiens took him with the third overall pick when there were better-known wingers ahead of him, including Brady Tkachuk and Filip Zadina, but it is believed that the Canadiens fell in love with Kotkaniemi’s potential as a future No. 1 center, which now looks to be immediate. The team is allowed to play him for nine games before they burn the first year of his entry-level contract. The team may want to see how he responds to playing in the regular season before making a final decision on whether to keep him, send him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket or return him to Finland.

One other interesting point made by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) is that the salary cap specifics could fit perfectly if the team keeps Kotkaniemi this season. He points out that if Kotkaniemi does play more than 10 games this season, then he will sign his second NHL contract in 2021-22 when the Canadiens have freed themselves of some significant cap room, including the contracts of Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry and Phillip Danault (assuming none of them get extended). It’s also significant, because the team has quite a few other prospects that are a year behind Kotkaniemi such as Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling as well as a potential high pick in the 2019 NHL draft who could hit a big payday in 2022-23 and might have Montreal thinking ahead to avoid having all three get paid in the same year.

 

Robert Bortuzzo Suspended For Preseason Games, Season Opener

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo faced a disciplinary hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety and the results are in. For elbowing Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny, who remains sidelined, the league announced that they have suspended Bortuzzo for the Blues’ final two preseason games and one regular season game, the team’s season opener on October 4th against the division rival Winnipeg Jets.

Player Safety called Bortuzzo’s hit a blatant case of “elbowing”, describing the situation as the following: “Bortuzzo does not keep his arm close to his chest and deliver a full body check. Instead, he raises his arm up and away from his chest and his forearm and elbow are the only parts of his body to make meaningful contact with Kempny.” They go on to detail Bortuzzo’s previous record with suspensions and fines, acknowledging that he is not a first-time offender.

Curiously, the league did not really treat him as a repeat offender who intended to harm Kempny in this situation. Although it is a three-game suspension in total, the two preseason contests are meaningless. Essentially, Bortuzzo will lose just one real game and will forfeit $6,182.80 in salary, whereas Kempny may miss several games with an expected concussion. The decision isn’t as egregious as the recent mishandling of the Max Domi sucker punch case, but is another miss by the league when it comes to policing the game.

Robert Bortuzzo To Face Player Safety Hearing

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo is in trouble again. The big blue liner has earned a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety for an elbow to the head of Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny in last night’s preseason contest, the league announced. Bortuzzo is not a first-time offender either, having received a maximum fine early last season for repeatedly cross-checking the New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson while he laid on the ice. Player Safety recently came under fire for being too lenient with Montreal Canadiens forward Max Domi and, given Bortuzzo’s history, seem likely to strike the bruising defender with a regular season suspension.

The hit in question occurred in the third period of Tuesday night’s game. Bortuzzo tracked Kempny to the corner behind his own net and led with his elbow on a high hit. Kempny took the blow and fell backwards into the boards and was slow to get up (video). Player Safety should be able to define this as elbowing at the very least, if not boarding. Bortuzzo hit with intent and was fully in control of his body throughout the check.

The league could also take Kempny’s status into account when deciding Bortuzzo’s punishment. Although he was able to skate off the ice under his own power, The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that early indications are that he suffered a concussion. It is unknown as to the severity of the head injury of whether or not Kempny could miss regular season time, but Bortuzzo hitting with the intent to harm and actually inflicting harm make his chances of staying un-suspended less than spectacular. Player Safety did not specify whether this was a telephone or in person hearing, which would dictate whether the suspension may be more than five games, but odds are Bortuzzo receives enough games to keep him out for the remainder of the preseason and then tack on another game or two to begin the year.

Alex Galchenyuk “Week-To-Week”, Will Miss Opening Night

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Late last week, it was reported that Arizona Coyotes forward Alex Galchenyuk had been sidelined with an injury. However, the team had not yet evaluated the injury or its severity. Head coach Rick Tocchet was tight-lipped about how it occurred, what type of injury it might be, or how long Galchenyuk could be out for. It seems now that the team has taken the proper time to consider Galchenyuk’s status and the results are not optimal. Arizona announced that Galchenyuk is “week-to-week” with a lower body injury and is expected to miss the team’s opener in Dallas on October 4th.

Missing just one game would be a best case scenario at this point, as there continues to be a lack of details or answers regarding this injury. As the Coyotes biggest off-season acquisition, there was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding the young scoring forward entering this season. Beginning the season without him is less than ideal, but even hinting at a long-term injury would be a tough pill for fans to swallow before the season even begins. “Week-to-week” is a difficult time frame to estimate, especially for a player who has been rather resilient in his career. However, when Galchenyuk did suffer a serious knee injury in 2016-17, he had a tough time getting healthy and would up missing 21 games over two stints on the injured reserve. A similar outlook for this mysterious lower-body ailment would be disastrous for Arizona.

Early indications had Galchenyuk not at center, but at left wing for the Coyotes and certainly in the top-six. Until he returns, his spot will likely return to what it was last season – a revolving door of options including Richard Panik, Brendan Perlini, Mario Kempe, and Lawson Crouse. That lineup is even less appealing than last year, when Max Domi (traded for Galchenyuk), Jordan Martinook (also traded), Tobias Rieder and Anthony Duclair (free agency) were also in the mix. The ’Yotes have to hope that the rest of their forward corps can pick up the slack and could use a hot start from free agent addition Michael Grabner and rookie Dylan Strome. Either way, the team will need Galchenyuk back as soon as possible if they want to take a step forward this season.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Paul Byron To Four-Year Extension

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Despite some speculation from the fan base that Paul Byron might be the next player out the door for the Montreal Canadiens, Byron himself confirmed last week that he was in talks for a contract extension with the team. Those talks have proved fruitful, as the Canadiens announced a new four-year, $13.6MM contract with the veteran forward. Byron has one year remaining on his current contract at $1.17MM, but will get a hefty raise to $3.4MM per year on average through 2022-23. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Byron’s contract does not contain any trade protections and will pay him $4MM in years one and three and $2.8MM in years two and four.

This move lines up nicely with what Montreal wants to do over the course of the contract: continue to be competitive while rebuilding their core. Byron has been a great fit for the Habs since coming over from the Calgary Flames via waivers early in the 2015-16 season. Byron has recorded more points in Montreal over the past two seasons (78) than he did his first 200 NHL games prior (66), including a career-high 43 in 2016-17. He has also proven to be a dependable and durable player, skating in all but one game and logging new highs in ice time in the past two years. One could argue that no Canadien has been more consistent than Byron over the past two seasons, who now has the security to further transition into a leader in the locker room.

The versatile forward joins a new Canadiens’ top six of Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, and Phillip Danault, all signed on for multiple seasons with the team. A good checker, penalty killer, and all-around two-way contributor, Byron has blossomed into a balanced player who should provide responsible play up front for years to come for the Canadiens. Byron may not have the same name value as some of this teammates or others in the mid-$3MM salary range, but make no mistake – this is a savvy signing by Montreal to lock up a very capable player.

Max Domi Suspended Entire Preseason

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His regular season debut won’t be affected, but Max Domi has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason schedule for his punch on Florida’s Aaron Ekblad last night. Montreal has five more games on the exhibition schedule, that they’ll have to play without their new first line center. As the accompanying video explains:

Domi spends a considerable amount of time attempting to force Ekblad into a fight, and Ekblad visibly refuses him multiple times. Ekblad ignores Domi as he throws multiple jabs with his gloves on, clearly showing restraint and declining to engage. Rather than skate away and accept that is opponent is an unwilling combatant, Domi drops his stick and glove and delivers a forceful, bare-knuckle punch to Ekblad’s face.

Domi will be allowed to practice with the team and actually does not forfeit any salary, but will be considered a repeat offender going forward. His NHL record will also now include a second suspension, which will lead to more harsh consequences should he ever be involved in an incident again. Still, the biggest loss for both Domi and the Montreal Canadiens at this point is likely any in-game chemistry that he would have built with his new teammates over the next few weeks as they’ll need to integrate someone else into the top line.

The 23-year old Domi needs a good offensive season to really establish himself as a core piece going forward for the Canadiens. Remember, he’s only signed through the 2019-20 season on his current deal and will need to start extension negotiations next summer. A return to the 18-goal, 52-point performance of his rookie campaign would be a good start, but even more important may be his play at center ice. If Domi can prove himself a capable option down the middle, he’ll hold even more leverage over the Canadiens in the summer of 2020. He’ll have to avoid incidents like this going forward if he’s to stay on the ice, but has escaped this time without missing any regular season action.

Max Domi To Receive Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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In what was essentially a meaningless preseason affair for veteran players just looking to shake off the rust before the season begins, Max Domi may have risked the start of his Montreal Canadiens career. After coming together with Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and attempting to start a fight, Domi quickly dropped his glove and delivered a punch to the unsuspecting Ekblad, knocking him to the ice. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety will have a hearing today with Domi over the incident, and could potentially hand out a suspension.

Domi did receive a match penalty for the punch, ending his night early in what would eventually become a 5-2 loss for the Canadiens. For a player who is expected to be the first line center in Montreal this season, it wasn’t a great first impression and could get even worse if a suspension is handed down today. It seems unlikely that Domi will miss any regular season games since the incident happened so early in the exhibition schedule, but nothing is certain at this point.

The Canadiens have a lot riding on the 23-year old Domi, and are hoping that he can experience a bounce back offensive campaign after scoring just nine goals last season in 82 games. While this doesn’t change those hopes, it certainly gets him off on the wrong foot.

Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Senators

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If you were heading into the season believing that Jonathan Drouin will be the first-line center for the Montreal Canadiens, you may have to rethink that position. GM Marc Bergevin was on TSN radio today and told Tony Marinaro that he currently projects Max Domi, Phillip Danault, Tomas Plekanec and Matthew Peca as the four centers for the Canadiens to start the year. Drouin obviously still could end up at the position at some point given Domi’s lack of experience there, but it sounds like he’ll be starting on the wing.

The Canadiens have been searching for center help for quite some time, and though there is help on the way with prospects Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki—though the latter has played quite a bit of wing as well during his junior career—2018-19 doesn’t look like it will necessarily be any different. For Drouin at least the move might be beneficial, given that he struggled to score last season down the middle with just 13 goals in 77 games.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs meanwhile aren’t handing out roster spots at all to their young players, instead expecting them to earn a role in training camp. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes that Mike Babcock expects both Travis Dermott and Andreas Johnsson, who are expected to play big roles on the Maple Leafs going forward, to prove that they deserve spots instead of just acting like they’ve “arrived now.” Many Toronto fans are hoping that Dermott will be part of the solution to their perceived defensive woes this season, but he’ll have to convince his head coach that he’s ready before being handed a full-time job.
  • Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion was on CBC radio with Robyn Bresnahan today, speaking about the dilemma he faced with the recent Erik Karlsson situation. Dorion admitted that he knew he couldn’t “get nothing” for Karlsson by watching him walk away in free agency next offseason. Contract negotiations quickly broke down between the two sides this offseason, meaning Dorion felt he “owed it to our fans to tell them what the plan was and before the season started.” The team is quite openly in rebuild mode, and are expected to give plenty of opportunities to young players this season.

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