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Who Is On Pace To Score 60 Points In 2017-18?

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In 2016-17, only 42 NHLers hit the 60-point benchmark for the season. It was the lowest total since the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season (obviously), when only Martin St. Louis notched sixty, and down eleven from the 53 players who hit the mark two years earlier in 2014-15. However, with scoring up this season in the NHL, will the league increase it’s number of top scorers? Or will a greater depth and distribution of talent continue to limit players from reaching the high numbers of yesteryear?

As of now, with the 2017 segment of the season about to close, here are the players on pace for 60 points in 2017-18:

  1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 54 points in 37 games, Projection: 120 points
  2. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 48 points in 37 games, Projection: 107 points
  3. John Tavares, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  4. Josh Bailey, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  5. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  6. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  7. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 45 points in 38 games, Projection: 97 points
  8. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 43 points in 37 games, Projection: 95 points
  9. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 44 points in 39 games, Projection: 93 points
  10. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames – Currently: 41 points in 38 games, Projection: 89 points
  11. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 41 points in 39 games, Projection: 86 points
  12. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – Currently: 41 points in 40 games, Projection: 84 points
  13. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 40 points in 39 games, Projection: 84 points
  14. Anders Lee, New York Islanders – Currently: 39 points in 38 games, Projection: 84 points
  15. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – Currently: 38 points in 37 games, Projection: 84 points
  16. Brock Boeser*, Vancouver Canucks – Currently: 38 points in 36 games, Projection: 84 points
  17. Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 41 points in 41 games, Projection: 82 points
  18. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins – Currently: 32 points in 29 games, Projection: 82 points
  19. Jon Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 34 points in 33 games, Projection: 81 points
  20. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals – Currently: 39 points in 40 games, Projection: 80 points
  21. Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils – Currently: 36 points in 36 games, Projection: 80 points
  22. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  23. Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  24. Mathew Barzal*, New York Islanders – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  25. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  26. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 35 games, Projection: 78 points
  27. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 38 points in 41 games, Projection: 76 points
  28. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 35 points in 38 games, Projection: 75 points
  29. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  30. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  31. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  32. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  33. Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  34. David Perron, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 30 games, Projection: 74 points
  35. Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 34 points in 38 games, Projection: 73 points
  36. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  37. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  38. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 32 points in 34 games, Projection: 73 points
  39. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 29 games, Projection: 72 points
  40. Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  41. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  42. Vlad Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 32 points in 37 games, Projection: 71 points
  43. Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild – Currently: 33 points in 39 games, Projection: 70 points
  44. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 18 points in 15 games, Projection: 70 points
  45. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames – Currently: 32 points in 38 games, Projection: 69 points
  46. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings – Currently: 31 points in 37 games, Projection: 69 points
  47. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars – Currently: 32 points in 39 games, Projection: 67 points
  48. William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 36 games, Projection: 66 points
  49. Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 28 points in 33 games, Projection: 66 points
  50. Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 29 points in 35 games, Projection: 66 points
  51. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  52. Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  53. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  54. Clayton Keller*, Arizona Coyotes – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  55. John Carlson, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  56. Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 28 points in 36 games, Projection: 64 points
  57. Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 30 points in 39 games, Projection: 63 points
  58. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  59. Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  60. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  61. Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  62. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  63. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 62 points
  64. Kyle Turris, Nashville Predators – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 62 points
  65. Danton Heinen*, Boston Bruins – Currently: 26 points in 33 games, Projection: 62 points
  66. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  67. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  68. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  69. Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders – Currently: 28 points in 38 games, Projection: 61 points
  70. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks – Currently: 26 points in 35 games, Projection: 61 points
  71. Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild – 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  72. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  73. Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 61 points
  74. Erik Haula, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 61 points
  75. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 37 games, Projection: 60 points
  76. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins- Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points
  77. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points

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2017-18 Primer: Colorado Avalanche

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With the NHL season just underway, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Colorado Avalanche.

Last Season: 22-56-4 record (48 points), seventh in Central Division (missed playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $5.8MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Colin Wilson (trade, Nashville), F Alex Kerfoot (free agency, New Jersey), F Nail Yakupov (free agency, St. Louis), D Patrik Nemeth (waivers, Dallas), G Jonathan Bernier (free agency, Anaheim)

Key Departures: D Francois Beauchemin (buyout), F Mikhail Grigorenko (free agency, KHL), D Fedor Tyutin (free agency, unsigned), G Calvin Pickard (expansion, Vegas)

[Related: Avalanche Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Mikko RantanenPlayers To Watch: F Mikko Rantanen & F Tyson Jost – Though everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong in Colorado last year, there is still reason for optimism in the mountains. That optimism starts with the intriguing young core the team will ice at forward this year, including Rantanen and Jost. Both 10th-overall picks, Rantanen established himself as a full-time NHL player last year, recording 20 goals and 38 points in 75 games. While that seems underwhelming for a player many expect to be a top-line winger for years to come, it’s important to note that it ranked third on the team only behind established stars Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene.

Solidly built and armed with an incredibly accurate snapshot, Rantanen will score plenty of goals in this league. His ability to drift away from traffic and find a spot to unleash on net is uncanny, and will only develop with time and more successful linemates. At just 20, he’s only starting to fill out a 6’4″ frame that could carry around 220-lbs when it’s all said and done. That size, when added to his smooth skating and solid edgework shows a player who can contribute in several different elements of the game. While he struggled at times last year with consistency like many of the other Colorado Avalanche, a new season should bring better results.

Jost on the other hand jumped right from the NCAA tournament to the NHL last season, suiting up for just six games at the end of the year. Though he register his first NHL goal, it was the only point he put up through his short tenure. Still, Jost profiles as a prototypical two-way center that can score in bunches. He dominated his final season in the BCHL before heading to North Dakota where he continued to show why the Avalanche valued him so highly in the 2016 draft.

Not as big as some of the other number-1 centers in the league, Jost will likely settle into a second-line role with the Avalanche in the coming years. For now he’s been practicing with the fourth line, but there is clearly talent beyond that spot in the lineup. His development will be key to the success of the franchise, especially if they end up trading away some of their depth down the middle.

Key Storyline: That brings us to Duchene, who has been one of the biggest stories in the league for months now. While it now looks like he’ll begin the season with Colorado, there remains much speculation that a trade will eventually happen. Teams like Columbus, Carolina, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Nashville and New York have all been linked to Duchene at one point or another, though it’s unclear who would be willing to step up and pay the steep price GM Joe Sakic is still after.

The Avalanche are probably doing the right thing by waiting for their price to be met, but it must feel like torture to Duchene and agent JP Barry. The latter has been clear about his client’s desire for a fresh start, and Duchene has been hounded by questions and speculation since well before last year’s trade deadline. Perhaps showing that he can bounce back from last year’s disappointing 41-point season will catch the eye of a new team.

Unfortunately, Duchene will have a lot of responsibility heaped onto him to start the year. He’s been practicing between Nail Yakupov and Alex Kerfoot, who don’t inspire much confidence as they look to respectively rebuild and start their NHL careers. While both have high-end skill, Duchene will be required to drive play for the most part and play responsibly in his own end. While the speedster can do both of these things reasonably well, it’s not exactly his prime skill set.

The Avalanche are rebuilding, that much is clear. But this season is about more than just collecting assets and stockpiling draft picks. The team, coach and GM all need to prove that last year is behind them and that they’re no longer the laughing stock of the league. They’re just four years removed from an 112 point season with many of the same faces driving the team—that year Duchene had 70 points, while captain Gabriel Landeskog had 65. The playoffs are a long shot, but improvement is necessary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Avalanche Notes: Yakupov, Jost, Greer

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If there was a place that Nail Yakupov might be able to turn his NHL career around, the 23-year-old wing may have found the right place in Colorado. The 2012 former first-overall pick has struggled to establish himself the player that everyone thought he would be. Now, five seasons into his career, Yakupov may be nearing his last chance to revive his career.

After a solid rookie year in which he scored 17 goals in 48 games back in the 2012-13 season, Yakupov never was able to improve on that and eventually, his numbers began to decline. He was then traded last October to the St. Louis Blues. Some thought that when Edmonton traded him to the Blues, he could revive his career with the change of scenery. However, Yakupov managed just three goals in 40 games and wasn’t offered a qualifying offer. Finally, as a free agent, he signed a one-year, $875,000 deal for the opportunity to play.

NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that he will get a legitimate opportunity in Colorado as the team views him as a top-6 wing for them. He adds that its a gamble worth taking when you are last in the league in goals scored (2.01). He cites that agent Igor Larianov believes Yakupov’s lack of success is from his lack of confidence from his Edmonton days and was never given a real opportunity in St. Louis.

  • In a separate piece, Gretz also writes that while the team did little to improve the team this offseason, the team must hinge their hopes on their youth. The team already got good returns from 2015 first-rounder Mikko Rantanen, who put up a 20-goal season in his first full year. Gretz adds that this could also be the season that they see 2016 first-rounder Tyson Jost have a big season. The 10th overall pick in last year’s draft played one year at the University of North Dakota before signing after the season with the Avalanche. Jost, played in six games, scoring one goal for Colorado.
  • SB Nation’s Mile High Hockey also cites 20-year-old forward A.J. Greer as a potential breakout player this coming year. The 6-foot-3 forward, a second-round pick in 2015, had 15 goals for the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and got into five games for the Avalanche, picking up one point.

World Championship Updates

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Terry Frei of the Denver Post tweeted a list of Colorado Avalanche players that will play for their respective countries in the 2017 World Hockey Championships. In addition to the previously-announced selections of Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene, Frei states that defenseman Tyson Barrie and goaltender Calvin Pickard will join Team Canada. Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen will play for Finland, and forward J.T. Compher will play for the United States.

Mikko Rantanen has a decorated international career, earning a gold medal as captain of the Finnish World Junior team in 2016, and a silver medal in the World Championships that same year. Overall, Rantanen has 20G and 22A in 60 international games.

J.T. Compher’s addition displays Team USA’s depth issues, as the American forward only has 21 games of NHL experience. Compher did captain the University of Michigan’s D1 Mens Hockey team last season—scoring 16G and 47A in the process.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights will be hoping that Calvin Pickard gets some significant ice time after the Avalanche announced that—barring any trade—Pickard will be exposed in the NHL Expansion Draft. Pickard played in 50 games this season after Semyon Varlamov went down with a season-ending injury.

Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche

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With the trade deadline now just a week away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

The Colorado Avalanche are a mess. Their season began with a coach walking out on them just two months before the start of the season, and has gone downhill from there. Now with just 35 points through 58 games they are a lock for last place in the NHL and are about to pull the trigger on the latest rebuild.

Even though much of their team is still young enough to be considered developing, GM Joe Sakic has said that there are very few untouchables. It’s time for a reset in Mile High, and the deadline looks to be the starting point.

Record

16-39-3, 7th in Central Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$3.38MM – full-season cap hit, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: COL 1st, COL 2nd, COL 4th, NYR 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2018: COL 1st, COL 2nd, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th

Trade Chips

The Avalanche are one of just a few sellers (perhaps just two) that have appeared so far, and it may benefit them greatly. Multiple teams have already been in contact on Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, and the pair of young forwards look like some of the biggest fishes on the market this week. But it doesn’t end there for the bottom-dwelling Avs. <a rel=

Jarome Iginla is almost certain to be dealt, as he’s expressed his want to go somewhere to try and win a Stanley Cup. While he doesn’t provide the same type of offense he once did—Iginla only has seven goals and 16 points this season—many teams might think that is just a symptom of the team around him. Indeed, he is just a year removed from scoring 22 goals for the Avalanche in 2015-16. When you’ve scored 618 goals in the NHL, plus another 37 in the playoffs a team is going to want you for the experience you bring. Look for Iginla to be dealt on the deadline itself for a draft pick.

The team also has Rene Bourque and Patrick Wiercioch drawing calls, with both likely costing very little at the deadline. Mikhail Grigorenko and Carl Soderberg are interesting options up front, but one may be too young to deal and the other too expensive. It’s all on the table for Sakic, who listed just Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Tyson Jost as the untouchables on his squad.

If Sakic really wants to blow it up, perhaps he’ll even consider the idea of trading Tyson Barrie, the puck moving defenseman that may have been at the core of the Roy departure. The Avalanche signed him to a four-year deal this summer, but has seen his defensive play deteriorate even further.

Five Players To Watch: C Matt Duchene, LW Gabriel Landeskog, RW Jarome Iginla, D Patrick Wiercioch, F Carl Soderberg

Team Needs

1) Young Defensemen – The Avalanche lost Nikita Zadorov for the season recently, but his development into an NHL defender has brightened up what has been a nightmare season. The team will be looking for more players like him to build around and finally fix their defensive problems. Francois Beauchemin and Fedor Tyutin won’t be around when this team is ready to contend again, and Erik Johnson will likely be a shell of himself—he’s signed through the 2022-23 season, but is about to turn 29 and surely won’t continue at his level into his mid-thirties.

2) Draft Picks – The team needs to restock its cupboards and though this draft is considered to have a weak top-end, there is a lot of talent throughout the first round especially at the center position. The Avalanche have set themselves up to be almost guaranteed a shot at one of Nolan Patrick, Nico Hischier or Gabriel Vilardi, but could also add depth with some first round picks if they deal off their big assets.

3) Prospects – The other option is just to trade for already drafted prospects and hope they develop the way is expected. Sakic has reportedly asked for each of these three things in a trade for Duchene, essentially hedging his bets across all three avenues. For a team that was just out of the playoffs the last couple of seasons, it doesn’t have to be a decade long rebuild. A quick turnaround isn’t guaranteed, but with a legitimate #1 center in MacKinnon and solid goaltending, a few prospects making a big jump could push them back into a playoff race as soon as 2018-19.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Joe Sakic On Avalanche: “We Still Have To Get Younger”

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Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is perhaps the most sought after interview in the league these days, as rumors swirls about his two star forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene. It seems like half the league has been in contact with Sakic, who confirmed to Terry Frei of the Denver Post that he has been getting calls on the pair. Sakic disputes though that they’re on the block, saying that “I’m not going to make a deal just to make a deal,” and that he’s not the one spreading the rumors.

Sakic later says that he knows “we still have to get younger” and that “we’re going to free up some cap room and try and keep building up the younger guys.” While this makes sense for any rebuilding team, it’s interesting that Duchene and Landeskog would not be included in that youth movement. Landeskog is only 24, and currently the team captain, while Duchene is 26 and a former 30-goal scorer. Most teams would kill for their core to be that young and talented. In fact, Frei reports that when Sakic was speaking about the untouchables on the team, he only mentioned Nathan MacKinnon (21), Mikko Rantanen (20) and Tyson Jost (18).

The team only has a handful of older players, and even fewer that play important minutes for them. The idea of getting younger is always a good one—especially in an NHL that is continually shifting towards speed and skill—but not always possible. The second part of the statement is one that holds more weight, that they are looking to clear out cap room. If they are looking to get younger, it’s not clear who they would need that cap room for. The team has a handful of contracts coming off the books next season, and only a couple of important RFAs to sign. Perhaps it’s just a commentary on the contracts of Duchene, Landeskog and even Tyson Barrie who are all not performing to their standards.

If Sakic is truly looking to move age and money out, Jarome Iginla, Francois Beauchemin and Carl Soderberg are all on the wrong side of 30 and carry hefty cap hits (for at least the rest of this season). Perhaps those are the names he’d be floating if he had the choice.

For now, Avalanche fans should expect more of the same at the bottom of the NHL standings. “Getting younger” usually doesn’t result in immediate upgrades to the big-league roster (Toronto Maple Leafs be damned).

Latest On The Colorado Avalanche

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The trade deadline is just a month away, and teams are circling like vultures over the bottom feeders in the NHL. They smell blood in the waters of Colorado, with media and fan pressure to shake up the team and start again. This core, though still quite young, is apparently about to be broken up. Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are the most common names mentioned, and Adrian Dater of the Bleacher Report revealed what one source tells him it would cost to land one of them.

“At bare minimum it’ll take young, established D player and 1st round pick to get either Duchene or Landy”, Dater tweeted Saturday afternoon following it up by saying though Sakic could possibly get more, he’d likely do it for that package. This comes on the heels of an earlier report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun that said it would cost a young defenseman, first-round pick and a top prospect.

For the Avalanche, who sit in last place in the entire NHL and are on pace for an astonishingly-low season total of 50 points (the Toronto Maple Leafs finished 30th last season with 69 points) it’s clearly a frustrating time. The team has three forwards who are legitimate stars in Duchene, Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon and an emerging talent in Mikko Rantanen, but haven’t been able to put together anything this season. For Landeskog especially this has been a tough year, scoring just 17 points through the first half of the season.

Any team looking to add one of the Colorado forwards has to be wary of their contracts, as both carry hefty cap-hits for the next few years (Landeskog has four years left while Duchene only has two). Both players do come with quite a history of success however, and are young enough to fit into pretty much any stage in a team’s development.

Morning Snapshots: Backes, Trouba, Rantanen, Boychuk

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Former Blues captain David Backes inked one of the richest deals of the offseason when he left the mid-west to join the Boston Bruins on a five-year, $30MM deal. While Backes is an excellent two-way player, many criticized the length of the contract given to the 32-year-old C/RW. However, teams today seem to realize that is an inherent risk of free agency and generally hope to see surplus value in the earlier years of the pact.

Backes is only four games into his Bruins career yet the early returns are solid – two goals and three points. But as the Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa writes, the biggest benefit of the Backes addition may be in how it’s allowed bench boss Claude Julien to balance out his lines to better take advantage of the skill-sets of his other forwards.

With Patrice Bergeron back in the lineup, he joins Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak on the Bruins top line. Backes, meanwhile, is slotted in as the second line RW with rookie Danton Heinen on the left of veteran pivot David Krejci. The left-handed Heinen and right-handed Backes  give Krejci two wings who play on their strong side and allow the gifted center to deliver passes to his linemates’ forehands. As Shinzawa notes, Krejci has had some of his best seasons when he’s “had a right-hand strongman clearing space on his wing.” In past years, Nathan Horton, Jarome Iginla and Blake Wheeler have provided Krejci with just that and now he has Backes.

More from around the NHL:

  • The Jacob Trouba saga in Winnipeg appears no closer to a resolution, as ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun writes. Trouba and his agent, Kurt Overhardt, recently made public the defenseman’s request to be traded citing a desire to play top-four minutes on his natural, right side. With Tyler Myers and Dustin Byfuglien under contract with the Jets for at least the next three years, that opportunity didn’t appear to be in Winnipeg. For their part, the Jets have understandably placed a high price tag on Trouba, rumored to be a left-handed defenseman of comparable age and talent to the former first-round draft choice. According to LeBrun, the club hasn’t received an offer to their liking and are prepared to wait it out until they do. There is a hard deadline of December 1st; if Trouba is not under contract at that point he won’t be eligible to play this season.
  • The Colorado Avalanche appear poised to recall prospect Mikko Rantanen next week from San Antonio of the AHL, writes Mike Chambers of The Denver Post. Rantanen has been with the Rampage since the start of the season in what has effectively been a conditioning assignment as he works his way back from an ankle injury suffered during training camp. The Avalanche used their first-round selection in the 2015 draft to select Rantanen and the Finnish forward debuted in the NHL in 2015-16, appearing in nine games for the Avalanche. Chambers speculates the team will make room on their 23-man roster by placing veteran center John Mitchell on IR or by sending Gabriel Bourque or Ben Smith to San Antonio.
  • Zach Boychuk, who has appeared in 127 NHL games over parts of seven seasons with Carolina, Pittsburgh and Nashville, has inked a pact of HC Sibir of the KHL according to this link, re-tweeted by Cap Friendly (original link in Russian). Boychuk was chosen in the first-round of the 2008 draft by Carolina and has scored 12 goals and 30 points during his NHL career. He has had more success in the minors, once tallying 36 goals and 74 points while playing for Charlotte of the AHL during the 2013-14 campaign.

Roster Moves: Rantanen, Price, Harrington, Cramarossa

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The Colorado Avalanche have sent prized prospect right winger Mikko Rantanen to San Antonio of the AHL, reports Terry Frei of the Denver Post.  Rantanen suffered an ankle injury in a rookie game back in mid-September and the demotion will essentially work as a rehab stint.  Head coach Jared Bednar commented on the decision to start him with the Rampage:

“He’s missed a lot of meetings where it comes to our structure of our game and what we want to accomplish. He knows lots of it, but he’s also missed lots of it. They’re playing the same system as us down there, so he’ll get a chance to do that and go through game situations, be an impact player for them. Then we’ll re-evaluate and see how he’s feeling after he’s been down there for some games.”

The Avalanche were hoping that Rantanen would be able to start the season in a top six role after leading San Antonio in scoring with 24 goals and 36 assists in just 52 games despite being one of the youngest players in the league.  With this move, it appears that it will be a few more weeks at least before he gets that chance.

Other roster moves on Friday:

  • The Montreal Canadiens placed goaltender Carey Price on injured reserve retroactive to Monday, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link). Price missed the season opener with the flu and remains at home with no timetable for his return.  The move is primarily procedural as the team was utilizing an emergency recall to have prospect Charlie Lindgren serve as the backup goalie in Buffalo.  That can only last 48 hours so for him to remain on the roster, Price needed to be moved to injured reserve.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have loaned defenseman Scott Harrington to Cleveland (AHL) on an injury conditioning stint, the AHL team announced. The Jackets acquired the 23 year old from Toronto this offseason in exchange for former first round pick Kerby Rychel.  Harrington will be allowed to spend up to two weeks in the minors on the loan but if Columbus wants to keep him there longer, they must place him on waivers.  If that happens and Harrington is claimed, Toronto would then send a 2017 fifth round pick to the Blue Jackets as part of the original trade agreement.
  • After clearing waivers, Anaheim assigned center Joseph Cramarossa to the San Diego Gulls, the AHL team announced (Twitter link). Cramarossa had 11 goals and six assists in 61 games with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego last season.

Snapshots: Lundqvist, Rantanen, Crosby

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In a shocking turn of events, Henrik Lundqvist has been scratched from today’s matchup with Russia at the World Cup. As of this morning, Lundqvist was the expected starter, but came down with an illness that is making him unable to play in the game.  Jacob Markstrom will take his place in net, while the backup will be Jhonas Enroth.

For Sweden, it’s a huge blow to their chances against the high-powered Russians who will ice a top line of Nikita Kucherov, Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin. That trio had 96 goals between them last season, even with Datsyuk obviously in the tail end of his career. While the Russian defense isn’t nearly as strong, their top two lines can play with anyone in the world, and probably outscore the majority of them.  Lundqvist would have been a huge part in any Swedish victory.

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