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Ondrej Kase

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ondrej Kase

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Ondrej Kase to bolster their forward depth, giving him a one-year contract worth $1.5MM. Kase was recently left unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, though the team did try to re-sign him before he decided to head south. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell released a short statement on his newest forward:

Ondrej is an exciting young player and we’re happy to add another goal-scoring winger to our forward group. He can play in all situations and we expect him to contribute offensively.

After losing several key forwards to free agency or trade (though Nino Niederreiter has yet to actually sign anywhere), and missing out on Mason Marchment, who went to the Dallas Stars, the Hurricanes have still managed to add some impressive talent up front with the additions of Kase and Max Pacioretty.

The 26-year-old Kase isn’t someone you want to rely on, as one of the most injury-prone players in the league but when he’s healthy, he’s quite an effective middle-six winger who can play in a lot of different roles. For the Maple Leafs this season, he contributed 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games, while averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night.

For a Carolina team that could have lots of different alignments, he will likely plug into the third line next to Jordan Staal or even perhaps the fourth line, something that is more than reasonable with a $1.5MM cap hit. If they can keep him healthy all season there is a ton of room for excess value–the only problem is no team has been able to do that before.

Snapshots: Kane, Talbot, Kase

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As the league begins to decompress from a busy NHL Draft with some blockbuster news, the Chicago Blackhawks are sure to be in the forefront of many discussions after being one of the most active teams on the market this week. One question that remains to be answered is how their Hall of Fame talent feels about the club’s direction. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta confirms today that the team will reach out to winger Patrick Kane “in the very near future” to have a conversation about his future with the team.

Both Kane and Jonathan Toews each have just one year remaining on their matching contracts, both carrying a cap hit of $10.5MM. They also both have full say in what the future holds for them in the form of full no-movement clauses. If one or both do end up wanting a trade out of Chicago in order to make another championship run, it makes sense that the Blackhawks would want to know now. The highest value for them will likely be this offseason, as the risk of declining performance could lower their trade value by next year’s deadline.

  • There’s some good old-fashioned drama in the State of Hockey. Many believed the Minnesota Wild had reinforced their goaltending situation by re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year contract yesterday, but as quotes from general manager Bill Guerin and Cam Talbot’s agent George Bazos reveal, Talbot may not be entirely happy with the team’s choice to keep Fleury around. Bazos gave a cryptic quote after meeting with Guerin during the third round of today’s draft, saying that Guerin “had a lot to think about.” Guerin countered later, reminding media that Talbot is still under contract, and said that “George can say whatever the hell he wants.” If the relationship turns sour quickly between Talbot and the Wild, it could leave them in an interesting position next season in the crease.
  • The deadline for issuing qualifying offers to restricted free agents is July 11, and the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made a decision on whether or not to qualify winger Ondrej Kase. Kase is eligible for arbitration, and after producing 27 points in 50 games, the award might be too rich for Toronto’s blood if Kase elects for it. Not issuing a qualifying offer to Kase wouldn’t prevent him from returning to Toronto, but it would make him an unrestricted free agent, and could sign anywhere in the league.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Richardson, Price

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are pushing on to sign some of their pending free agents, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, who breaks down each UFA and RFA in the group. Mirtle suggests that both Ilya Mikheyev and Jack Campbell will be elsewhere next season, and examines the tricky situations that Pierre Engvall and Ondrej Kase represent as arbitration-eligible restricted free agents.

One thing he notes, and something that we wrote about recently, is the recent deal for Denis Gurianov and how it and Jack Roslovic’s extension will affect some of these older RFA negotiations. Gurianov signed a one-year, $2.9MM deal (equal to his qualifying offer) after scoring just 11 goals and 31 points this season. Kase had 14 goals in fewer games and Engvall had 35 points this season.

  • It was reported yesterday that the Chicago Blackhawks requested permission to speak with Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson, and today Eric Engels of Sportsnet confirms that the team has granted it. They will also allow Richardson to pursue any other head coaching opportunities that could arise this summer.
  • Engels also spoke to Carey Price, who confirmed that he is currently preparing as if he will be playing in 2022-23. Price recently had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his injured knee, though it’s not clear yet how his body will respond when training ramps up. With the uncertainty surrounding the netminder’s $10.5MM cap hit, this offseason will be a difficult path to navigate for rookie general manager Kent Hughes.

East Notes: Ekblad, Ovechkin, Maple Leafs

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Most people have forgotten that despite the Florida Panthers’ torrid pace over the past few months, defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been rehabbing a lower-body injury for about the past six weeks. Team head coach Andrew Brunette said today that Ekblad was a full participant in today’s practice and that the team remains hopeful he returns at some point during the First Round series against the Washington Capitals. There’s even a possibility Ekblad is ready to go for Game 1 on Tuesday night if all goes smoothly for him.

It’s likely just adding insult to injury at this point for Washington, who’ll now have to face the Presidents’ Trophy winner and the hottest team in the East with another added All-Star component in the lineup. Ekblad was playing nearly 25 minutes per game prior to his injury, notching 57 points in 61 games, which still has him at ninth in the NHL among defensemen despite the injury. He’ll slide right back into a nightmare top pairing for opponents with MacKenzie Weegar, who’s flourished in the no. 1 defenseman role since Ekblad’s injury.

  • Alex Ovechkin was a full participant at Capitals practice today, and AP’s Stephen Whyno reports it’s looking like he’ll dress for Game 1 against the Panthers. This is obviously an indescribable boost to Washington’s chances in this series, as they’ll need everyone firing on all cylinders in order to pull off one of the largest possible upsets in these playoffs. His 50 goals leads the time by a wide margin, and it looks like he’ll get a chance to add to his 71 career playoff goals and 135 career playoff points.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs got some mixed injury news at practice today. Ondrej Kase, who hasn’t played in six weeks, was a full participant in practice today and it appears he’ll be in the lineup for Game 1 tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, while Michael Bunting practiced for the first time since sustaining an injury against Tampa last week, he wasn’t a full participant and left practice halfway through. He’s extremely doubtful for Game 1.

East Notes: Price, Ovechkin, Maple Leafs Forwards

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While the return of Carey Price to the Montreal Canadiens lineup helped clear the murkiness surrounding his immediate health situation, it did not make his future in Montreal any more certain. Price, who is set to turn 35 before next season, has been one of the best goalies of his generation but questions have surfaced regarding his future with the only NHL team he has ever known. It has been speculated that Price’s healthy return could pave the way for goaltending-needy teams to consider acquiring him in the offseason, but it now seems that idea may not be very realistic.

In an interview with TSN on their broadcast of the team’s contest against the Panthers, Canadiens Executive VP of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton was asked about Price’s future with his team. Gorton was relatively non-committal, speaking in broad terms about meeting with Price and trying to “see what he wants to do” after the season ended. But after he gave that expectedly vague statement, Gorton did shed some light on how he views Price’s role in the Canadiens’ future. Gorton said: “If [Price] can be healthy, we’d be crazy not to want him.” While that comment is just an answer on a television interview and not any sort of binding statement regarding Price’s future, it does indicate that despite the Canadiens taking a more rebuild-oriented approach to their new regime’s early days, they still have Price in their plans moving forward.

Now, for a few other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:

  • Coach Peter Laviolette issued an update (relayed by Dan Rosen of NHL.com) on the status of Alex Ovechkin today. The Capitals’ captain has been out with an upper-body injury and did not play in the team’s season finale against the Rangers. But although he didn’t play in today’s game, it does seem that he is on track for a relatively soon return. Ovechkin skated this morning and had a “good day,” according to Laviolette, so it’s likely that he’ll be ready in time for the Capitals’ playoff series.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe updated the media on the injury situations of forwards Ondrej Kase and Michael Bunting before tonight’s game against the Bruins. Bunting participated in this morning’s optional skate and Keefe referred to both him and Kase as “close” to a return. Since the Maple Leafs’ season will be judged largely by whether or not they are able to get past their first-round opponent, getting both Kase and Bunting back in time for game one would be a major coup for the team. Bunting has been one of the league’s biggest breakout stories this season, with 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games, and Kase has also been a nice find too, with 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games.

Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Blue Jackets

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The Toronto Maple Leafs, while still remaining competitive with a tough schedule, have faced significant injury setbacks over the past few weeks. A mass of updates came today during a press conference with head coach Sheldon Keefe, where he revealed that forward Michael Bunting will miss the final two games of the regular season, defenseman Rasmus Sandin is likely to return for the team’s finale on Friday versus the Boston Bruins, and forward Ondrej Kase remains day-to-day with no timeline to return.

As the Maple Leafs prepare for a likely impending First Round matchup with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, this is mostly positive news. The language surrounding Bunting’s injury wasn’t initially positive after he fell awkwardly during an April 23 game against Florida, but his prognosis has improved since then and it looks like a possibility that he could be ready for the beginning of the series. Sandin has missed over a month with a knee injury, while Kase has missed the same duration with a concussion.

  • There are some more updates on various players on a Stanley Cup contender, as the Colorado Avalanche deal with some injury issues of their own. Head coach Jared Bednar spoke to reporters today, saying that defenseman Devon Toews will return to the lineup tonight after dealing with an undisclosed injury, forward Mikko Rantanen is working toward a return on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, and captain Gabriel Landeskog won’t return until the postseason. Toews has missed just around a week and a half, but his absence cannot be understated, as he continues to be one of the most underrated defensemen in the league with 57 points in just 64 games this year (while averaging over 25 minutes per game). Meanwhile, the Colorado captain has been out since early March with a leg injury.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that both captain Boone Jenner and Sean Kuraly will miss the short remainder of the season with respective injuries. Kuraly, in his first season with Columbus, suffered a foot injury last Sunday and will miss the remaining three games. Jenner will have missed the last month and a half of the season with a back injury.

Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.

Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk

Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo

Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev

Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta

Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome

Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson

Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth

Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin

Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell

Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair

Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki

New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier

New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara

New York Rangers – Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg

Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle

St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko

Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz

Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn

Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase

Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn

Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel

Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey

Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom

Injury Notes: Jarry, Muzzin, Kase, Dach

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their starting goaltender for at least tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Boston Bruins, as Tristan Jarry is undergoing evaluation for a lower-body injury according to head coach Mike Sullivan, who spoke with reporters including Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Jarry is not traveling with the team, though there is no timeline right now for his return.

Losing Jarry for any significant length of time is a scary thought for Penguins fans, given how well the netminder has played this season and how little a role Casey DeSmith and Louis Domingue have combined to play. The 26-year-old Jarry has started 56 of the team’s 76 games, and has a .919 save percentage so far.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were without Jake Muzzin at practice today, after recalling Kristians Rubins under emergency conditions. Muzzin played fewer than 16 minutes in last night’s game against the Washington Capitals and had missed a match just a few days ago entirely. With Rasmus Sandin still out with his own injury, the Maple Leafs defense group isn’t all that deep, though Justin Holl–a healthy scratch last night–will likely be the one to re-enter the lineup in Muzzin’s place.
  • Better news for the Maple Leafs came in the form of Ondrej Kase, who Mark Masters of TSN reports worked out on his own ahead of practice. Kase is dealing with another concussion, the latest in a long line of head injuries he has had to deal with over his career. The 26-year-old Kase has 14 goals and 27 points in what was a rebound year for him after playing just three matches in all of 2020-21.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks were without Kirby Dach at practice today, and Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that he is now out with a right shoulder sprain. Dach left last night’s game after just 8:46 of ice time, and it is not clear how long he will be out. In what has become another underwhelming season, the young forward has just nine goals and 26 points in 70 appearances, despite averaging more than 18 minutes a night–including substantial powerplay time. Dach is a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

Ondrej Kase Diagnosed With Concussion

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It’s been several weeks since Ondrej Kase was in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup, and today, finally, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters including Mark Masters of TSN that the forward is dealing with a concussion. Kase left a game on March 19 against the Nashville Predators after colliding with Matt Duchene at center ice, needing help to get to the room.

While it certainly isn’t surprising, given the way he reacted to the contact, it is concerning for the 26-year-old forward. Kase has dealt with multiple head injuries throughout his career, a journey detailed by James Mirtle of The Athletic last month, just a few weeks before he suffered this latest concussion. The first incident was in the minors, as a 19-year-old in his third game in North America, the latest–which Mirtle speculates could be a number into the double digits–coming in his 257th NHL regular season game.

With no timeline for his return, it appears as though this comeback season for Kase might end in the same way so many of his others have. When healthy, he had been so excellent for the Maple Leafs, providing energy and scoring depth for a low cost. In 50 games, he has 14 goals and 27 points, while averaging 14 minutes a night.

Now, it’s completely unclear what lies ahead. The Maple Leafs can retain Kase’s rights as a restricted free agent with a $1.25MM qualifying offer, though that would open up the possibility of arbitration. With a relatively flat salary cap, young players pushing for promotions in the organization, and now another head injury, it’s hard to see Toronto–or anyone else really–committing to more than just a one-year deal for the Czech forward.

That’s another disappointing result, given how incredible it is that Kase has even made it this far. Selected 205th overall in 2014, he was in the NHL just two years later with the Anaheim Ducks and actually sits 27th in scoring for his entire draft class. That’s well ahead of players selected in the first round, including a pair of top-ten picks. Hopefully, after some time, he’ll be symptom-free from this latest concussion, whether that results in a return to the ice or not.

Toronto Places Kase On LTIR, Recalls Three On Emergency Basis

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After losing three starters in Tuesday night’s game against the rival Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs were left with little choice but to tweak their roster. Up against the salary cap and managing a number of injuries, Toronto has opted to move forward Ondrej Kase to the Long-Term Injured Reserve, CapFriendly reports. This raised the Leafs’ LTIR pool just enough to make three emergency recalls while staying under the upper limit of the cap. Promoted to the NHL roster are defensemen Mac Hollowell and Filip Kral and goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who will replace Justin Holl, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Petr Mrazek, each of whom exited last night’s game.

Kase has been out since suffering a head injury earlier this month. As of Friday, the team had still not ruled it a concussion, but given Kase’s extensive history of head injuries it hardly matters. The dynamic, but oft-injured winger will need plenty of time to return to action, allowing the team to move him to LTIR. He joins defensemen Jake Muzzin and Rasmus Sandin on the long-term shelf, bringing the Leafs’ LTIR salary pool to $7.77MM, the amount that they may exceed the salary cap as a means of replacing those players. However, Muzzin and his $5.625MM cap hit are expected to be activated sooner rather than later, which will drastically change the calculus for Toronto.

Meanwhile, Holl, Lyubushkin, and Mrazek join starting goaltender Jack Campbell as the Leafs’ other injured players. Mrazek’s injury history and inconsistency this season make his absence both relatively unsurprising and somewhat inconsequential. However, the major hit to the blue line depth cannot be ignored. While Toronto impressed in a 6-4 win over Boston on Tuesday, they can ill-afford to continue battling this injury bug. They sit just two points ahead of the Bruins and one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the race for Atlantic playoff position and are set to face Tampa and the Florida Panthers next week.

While the veteran Hutchinson is battle-tested and ready for the challenge, he and rookie Erik Kallgren splitting the net for the Leafs is unlikely to be successful for too long. On the back end, Hollowell and Kral have no NHL experience and are an even bigger liability. Toronto is hoping that these emergency recalls are just that and their regulars will be back in action soon.

 

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