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Injury Updates: Stamkos, Ekblad, Luongo, Fast, Flyers

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Lightning center Steven Stamkos participated in his first full practice on Friday as he continues his recovery from a torn meniscus, reports Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s team website.  While it’s certainly a positive sign that he’s getting closer to returning to the lineup, there remains no timetable for him to suit up and head coach Jon Cooper was quick to caution that a return isn’t yet imminent.  The original estimate was that he’d be back in four-to-six months.

Stamkos was injured back in November 15th so he’s just at the four month mark now and clearly isn’t ready to return just yet.  If he is able to get the green light within the next few weeks, he’d be a big boost to a Tampa Bay lineup that is making a late push at the final Wild Card spot in the East.  On the season, the captain has nine goals and 11 assists in 17 games.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • The Panthers will be without top blueliner Aaron Ekblad for at least another week, coach/GM Tom Rowe told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). The 21 year old suffered a concussion on Saturday against Tampa Bay.  Roberto Luongo’s return is still not close as Rowe noted that he will be out longer than Ekblad will.  The veteran netminder re-aggravated a lower body issue back on March 2nd against the Flyers and the team has won just once in his absence to fall out of the playoff picture.
  • Rangers right winger Jesper Fast will return to the lineup tonight against the Panthers after missing the last seven games with a shoulder injury, notes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. He’s expected to play on the third line and will force rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich to the press box for the time being as the team plans to keep Tanner Glass in the lineup.  Through 59 games this season, Fast has five goals and 15 assists while logging just under 14 minutes a night in ice time.
  • Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning missed his third straight game last night and remains day-to-day with an upper body injury (believed to be a shoulder), GM Ron Hextall told CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. Recent call-up Jordan Weal returned to the lineup but admitted he’s still not fully recovered from his lower body issue.  He took the place of forward Nick Cousins, who missed the game with an upper body problem.  Like Manning, he’s classified as day-to-day.  Still with Philly, goaltender Steve Mason left last night’s game due to cramping, adds Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post.

Teammate Reveals T.J. Oshie Was Out With A Concussion

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When T.J. Oshie was held out of the last four games with an “upper-body injury”, many believed it to be an aggravation of the shoulder problems he had dealt with  earlier this season. Last night in a post-game interview for NHL Tonight (h/t Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post for pointing it out), teammate Justin Williams let it slip that Oshie had suffered a concussion the last time the Capitals had faced the Philadelphia Flyers. This led to some animosity between the two clubs, and Williams fighting with Nick Cousins early in the game.

Oshie is no stranger to head injuries, having suffered a concussion in 2014 that kept him out of the lineup for two weeks. He even once joked that the Columbus goal-cannon almost “gives you a concussion every time, especially if you’ve had concussions in the past.” He’s taken head shots before too, though the time Marco Scandella hit him in 2014 he returned to the game after a period.

The Capitals’ winger returned to action last night against those same Flyers, playing over 19 minutes in his first game back. Obviously over the concussion symptoms, it will be something to watch for the rest of the season as players are often more susceptible after suffering multiple brain injuries. It will also be interesting to see if he immediately returns to his high-level of performance from this season, which has brought about 43 points in 51 games.

This comes at a time when the league is embroiled in a lawsuit surrounding the protection and care of their current and former athletes in regards to head injuries. Rick Westhead of TSN has covered this story from the beginning, with his latest entry surrounding the battle between the league and Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist that was integral in the NFL’s battle with CTE; Omalu’s story was also adapted into the Hollywood film Concussion, released in 2015.

Deadline Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

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With the trade deadline less than 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 Philadelphia Flyers are one of the most depressing stories of the season so far (sorry Flyers fans) after their hot start has crumbled in front of their eyes. Once winners of ten straight, the Flyers have gone 9-15-4 since then and have almost seen their playoff hopes vanish entirely. They are currently five points out of a playoff spot with two teams between them, and are in danger of being overtaken by the surging Tampa Bay Lightning and perhaps even the Buffalo Sabres.

It’s not all bad for the Flyers though, who have seen Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny have solid debuts as teenagers, and Wayne Simmonds continue to make his deal look like one of the best in the NHL. They have two games remaining before the deadline, one against their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins, and one against the lowly Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps they will decide the fate of the Flyers come the deadline.

Record

28-25-7, 6th in Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Likely Seller, but with eyes on a quick reload.

Deadline Cap Space

$740K – full-season cap hit, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, BOS 3rd, PHI 4th, NYI 4th, PHI 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
2018: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th

Trade Chips

Michael Del ZottoIt’s all about the rental defensemen for the Flyers, who have a few options to sell at the deadline. If they want to move on from both Mark Streit and Michael Del Zotto, there will be takers for both. While neither is a defensive dynamo, both provide offensive ability and can be used to boost a powerplay. Their value is fairly low, as both have been healthy scratches at times this season and aren’t reliable enough in their own end to warrant a high draft pick or top prospect.

Both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are free agents at the end of the year, but neither has played well enough for a team to think they could help them win games down the stretch. Philadelphia is likely stuck with them for the rest of the year, unless they can convince someone to take Mason’s hit in a salary-swapping deal.

It will be interesting to see if the Flyers push any of their other assets into the fray, and try a little rebuild on the fly. They’ve benched Shayne Gostisbehere at times this season to try and help his development defensively, and could get a ransom for him if they made him available. Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier would both be considered among the best available names if they listened on them, and could bring back packages close to the ones Joe Sakic is looking for in Colorado.

Likely though the deadline will come down to shopping defenders for Philadelphia, who would listen on Radko Gudas and Andrew MacDonald if anyone called. Both players (especially MacDonald) likely have too big of a contract to deal in-season though.

Five Players To Watch: D Michael Del Zotto, D Mark Streit, D Radko Gudas, C Nick Cousins, F Chris VandeVelde

Team Needs

1) Expansion Draft Goaltending: The Flyers have a decision to make at the expansion draft, as currently the only goaltender that fills the requirement is Anthony Stolarz, a prospect they likely wouldn’t want to lose—though they do also have Carter Hart and Alex Lyon in the pipeline. They’ll either have to re-sign one of the two pending free agents, or bring in another goaltender to expose. It doesn’t have to be anyone who will play for the team next season, but look for them to at least address that situation by the deadline.

2) Young Roster-Ready Players – The Flyers won’t want to undergo a complete rebuild, with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek right in their prime and signed long-term. Mid-round draft picks are nice to keep a pipeline full of talent, but the Flyers need to get better now. Look for them to go after any pre-prime player that is available, though those are few and far between this season. The crunch up front in Tampa Bay, or the crop of good young defenders in Carolina and Anaheim could be targets but will likely have to wait until the summer to get anything done.

Number Crunching: Shootouts

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The shootout is a subject of much debate in the hockey world. For some, a short skills competition at the end of the game is a fine way to decide who earns the extra point. For others, another few minutes of the new 3-on-3 would be a dream. For other still, ties were never an issue, and they’d be fine with their inclusion once again.

Whichever side of the argument you find yourself, the simple fact is that they are in the NHL right now. Every team has to compete in them throughout the season for those all important extra points.  This season only Dallas has yet to be involved in a shootout, while Philadelphia leads the way with nine games ending in one.

The old adage of “it all evens out in the end” almost proves true, as if you were to remove the shootout and just award both teams with a single point if the game was tied after overtime, not a single team would leapfrog another in the standings. It would, however, bring some teams into a tie (points-wise).

The Maple Leafs, with their awful 1-5 record would be tied with their rival Ottawa Senators, instead of chasing them by two points. They would also pull ahead of the Panthers, a team they’re tied with who have played in eight shootouts so far (second most in the league).

Suddenly the Metropolitan would be even tighter, with Washington and Columbus pulling even at the top. Philadelphia would fall into a tie with the Maple Leafs, Senators and Hurricanes for that last wildcard spot however, making things much more interesting.

In the west, where there haven’t been nearly as many shootouts would mostly see the bottom falling out of the standings. Vancouver would drop further back despite their recent run, and Arizona would be in a dog fight with Colorado for the worst team in the NHL; their 4-1 record in shootouts is the best thing about their season thus far.

For individual performances, Thomas Vanek ranks among the best in the league. He’s scored on all three of his attempts this season. Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov and Jakub Voracek all lead with four goals, though it’s taken each of them at least seven attempts. The worst is Nick Cousins, who has failed to score on each of his six attempts, though Kyle Okposo doesn’t fall far behind going 0-5. Despite leading the league in goals, Sidney Crosby is 0-2 this season in the shootout.

For goaltenders, Steve Mason has faced the most shots. He’s stopped 23 of 30 shooters, registering a pretty solid 76.7 save percentage. Braden Holtby has allowed the most, getting scored on an unbelievable 9 out of 14 times. There are six goaltenders who have stopped every shot they’ve faced, though they’ve all faced seven or fewer.  Tuukka Rask is the man to beat having stopped 16 of 19 attempts. Robin Lehner is on the other side, allowing all six shooters he’s faced to score.

It’s an interesting thing, the shootout. Even players who have incredible success during the game find it difficult to score, while others who aren’t expected to be offensive forces find the back of the net with ease. For now, the shootout is a part of the game – winning there may be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

Metropolitan Notes: Wilson, Cousins, Schenn, Teravainen

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After being predominantly a fourth line physical presence through the first three years of his career, Washington right winger Tom Wilson is looking to redefine himself as more of an all-around player, writes Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.  The Capitals made Wilson their first round pick (16th overall) back in 2012 but he has primarily been known for his hitting and fighting and not the scorer he was back in junior where he had 91 points in 125 OHL games with Plymouth.

Considering the role he had as a junior-aged rookie (he had more fights than points by a 14-10 margin), some members of Washington’s front office have expressed some regret in rushing him to the NHL as an energy player instead of allowing him to hone his all-around game at the junior level.

Wilson is hardly the first high draft pick to start out as a fourth line tough guy and then develop more of an offensive game over the years as both Milan Lucic and Wayne Simmonds have had career paths like that.  As Wilson does that, he is passing up on more opportunities to fight (his fight totals have dropped each year) and in turn, he is spending a lot less time on the penalty box.  He’s on pace for 82 PIMS this season and while that total may seem high, his career low in that regard is 151 which came in his rookie year.

Head coach Barry Trotz hasn’t hesitated to trust Wilson more this season as he is averaging over 13 minutes of playing time per game (a career high) while he also is playing a regular role on the penalty kill.  While that hasn’t translated into offensive success just yet as he has just a single goal in 21 games, the fact that he is playing a bigger role should pay dividends down the road even if the production isn’t there yet.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Flyers appear to be moving Nick Cousins back to the left wing, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Cousins has played the last four games down the middle but has struggled at the faceoff dot, winning just 13 of 53 draws, a success rate of just 24.5%.  Brayden Schenn, a natural center but a player who has spent most of his career on the left side, will move back to the middle and play on the second line.  Sean Couturier, Philadelphia’s regular second line pivot, is out for another three-to-five weeks with a sprained MCL.
  • Teuvo Teravainen is getting the first shot at replacing Jordan Staal (concussion) as Carolina’s top line center but as Michael Smith of the Hurricanes’ website reports in a reader mailbag, the team envisions him the 22 year old Finnish forward at that position long-term. Head coach Bill Peters likes his two-way game and feels that will allow him to play down the middle successfully: “He’s very good defensively, and that’s what allows him to play center and have the coach’s trust, so I can play him against anybody. … He’s a playmaking center. We’re excited about seeing him there for the foreseeable future.”  Teravainen is in his fourth NHL season but short of a small stint at center last year with Chicago, he has spent the bulk of his career on the left wing.  He’s off to a decent start this season with five goals and five assists through 22 games while averaging a career high in ice time per game at 15:37.

Metropolitan Notes: Parenteau, Saad, Dubinsky, Flyers

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Late in the preseason, the Islanders waived right winger P.A. Parenteau, a decision that came as a surprise to many considering they had just signed him to a one year, $1.25MM deal in the summer with the expectation that he’d reunite with former linemate John Tavares.  When they let him go, it seemed like the plan was to give his spot to either Anthony Beauvillier or Mathew Barzal.  That hasn’t exactly transpired though as Beauvillier has been a scratch at times while Barzal, who has sat for most of the season, was sent back to his junior team earlier today.

With the benefit of hindsight, Brian Erni of Islanders Point Blank suggests that the Islanders could have exercised some better foresight back at the end of the preseason.  Was it worth losing Parenteau so that Barzal could see less than 20 total minutes of action?

On the other end of the coin, the Devils certainly have to be pleased with their waiver acquisition.  Parenteau has five goals so far this season, tying him with fellow newcomer Taylor Hall for the team lead (while Tavares leads the Isles with five tallies as well).  It’s not often to get someone who can play top six minutes off of the waiver wire and while it’s a small sample size so far, Parenteau is looking like the one that got away for the Islanders.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Although Blue Jackets left winger Brandon Saad was expected to be a healthy scratch tonight for the first time in a Columbus uniform, he will be in the lineup tonight against the Ducks, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. He will be effectively taking the place of Brandon Dubinsky, who will not play due to a lower body injury.
  • Flyers center/left winger Nick Cousins has been a healthy scratch the last couple of games but as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post writes, his absence from the lineup isn’t entirely performance related. Head coach Dave Hakstol believes that Cousins’ mental toughness is strong enough to allow him to sit once in a while without it affecting his game while allowing other players to either get back into or stay in the lineup.  It would appear that Cousins will be back in the lineup soon as the team announced that they have sent forwards Scott Laughton and Roman Lyubimov to Lehigh Valley of the AHL.  The Flyers now have the minimum 12 forwards on the roster so it’s likely one will be called up before their next game on Friday against Toronto.

Flyers Notes: MacDonald, Gostisbehere, Konecny, Cousins

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After being cut and waived by the Flyers early last season, that’s not likely to be the case this time around, CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio believes.  Not only does Philadelphia have the room to keep his $5MM cap hit on the books but MacDonald’s ability to play both sides on the blueline has made him a  much more valuable player to have around.

Last season, MacDonald formed a pairing with Michael Del Zotto with MacDonald playing on the left side.  In camp, he has found himself on the right side alongside top prospect Ivan Provorov, who appears likely to make the opening night roster.

The Flyers currently have eight defensemen in camp and are expected to trim that to seven before the season gets underway.  While it remains likely that the team could ship MacDonald back to the minors as he would be a safe bet to clear waivers, another option is Brandon Manning, who was in and out of the lineup last season and would be in a similar role if he were to break camp with the team.  However, he would have to clear waivers to be sent down.  The only players who don’t are Provorov and Calder finalist Shayne Gostisbehere, who is a lock to make the team.

[Related: Flyers Depth Chart]

More out of Philadelphia:

  • While rookies who quickly surge to become impact players midseason often drop off the next year, the Flyers are expecting Gostisbehere to buck that trend, writes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. After starting last season in the AHL, he was recalled and quickly became a force, scoring 17 goals while adding 29 assists in just 64 games and merely repeating those numbers over a full season would have him among the higher scoring blueliners in the league once again.  The 23 year old logged just over 20 minutes per game last season and will likely shoulder a similar workload in 2016-17.
  • Speed is a huge factor in today’s NHL which should work well for 2015 Flyer first rounder Travis Konecny, Isaac pens in a separate piece. The 19 year old is looking to forego his last junior season (with OHL Sarnia) to stick with Philadelphia and has made a strong impression at camp, leading the team in preseason scoring with four points in four games.  However, at just 5’10, he’s undersized for the bottom six role he would likely play with the team.  As a junior aged player, Konecny can play in nine NHL games before burning the first year of his entry level contract.
  • Also from the above column, center Nick Cousins is attempting to transition to the left wing. Although he spent a good portion of the season as their third line center last year, the bottom two spots at that position appear to be earmarked for returnee Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and newcomer Boyd Gordon.  Cousins appears to be open to the move, telling Isaac, “It’s going to be a little different, but I’m open to try it. I think once I get used to it, I’ll be good at it. I’ll fit in wherever they want me.”

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