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Last Minute Reassignments: Bibeau, Froese, Gazdic, Helgeson (Updated)

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UPDATE: (3:30pm): Mike Russo of the Star Tribune tweeted earlier today that the Minnesota Wild have loaned Pat Cannone and Jordan Schroeder to Iowa of the AHL. As Russo points out, the Wild won’t play again until Tuesday thanks to the holiday break while Iowa is slated to host Rockford Monday night. Russo does say that unless Erik Haula or Zach Parise is healthy enough to return Tuesday, the Wild will have to recall a player or two, meaning Cannone and/or Schroeder could be back with Minnesota sooner rather than later. Cannone, who finally made his NHL debut at the age of 30 and after six professional campaigns, was held off the score sheet in three appearances with the Wild.

(1:15pm): While the NHL’s holiday roster freeze officially began at midnight of December 20th, a provision allows teams to reassign or loan waiver-exempt players originally recalled by the parent club after December 11th back to their minor league affiliates. The deadline for those roster transactions passed at 11:59pm on December 23rd (last night). With a majority of AHL teams in action the day after Christmas, a couple of NHL clubs took the opportunity to reassign players to their affiliates with the intent of getting them some game action during the Christmas break.

  • The New Jersey Devils announced via their official Twitter account that they have reassigned rugged forward Luke Gazdic and defenseman Seth Helgeson to Albany of the AHL. Gazdic has appeared in four games with New Jersey, failing to register a point while accumulating seven penalty minutes. In 13 contests for Albany, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound winger has two assists and 19 penalty minutes. Helgeson has seen action in just two games, also failing to record a point. (New Jersey Devils Roster)
  • Goaltender Antoine Bibeau, along with forwards Frederik Gauthier and Byron Froese were loaned by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the AHL Toronto Marlies ahead of last night’s deadline, as reported by Cap Friendly. Meanwhile Jhonas Enroth was recalled from the minors to fill the void as the Leafs backup netminder. Bibeau has appeared in just one game, his NHL debut, this season for Toronto and took the loss in a 3-1 defeat on December 11th against Colorado. Gauthier tallied his first career NHL goal and has added an assist in three games this season for the Leafs while Froese is scoreless in two outings. Enroth was inked by the Leafs this summer to serve as Frederik Andersen’s understudy but failed to win a game in four starts for Toronto and posted a GAA of nearly four. His last appearance for the Leafs came on November 30th in a loss at Calgary. Enroth has seen action in just one contest for the Marlies since his demotion to the AHL. (Toronto Maple Leafs roster)

Atlantic Division Notes: Danault, Kennedy, Stamkos

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Injuries to Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais have forced the Montreal Canadiens to shuffle their forward lines around as they try to survive without two of their top offensive players. The loss of Galchenyuk was particularly difficult as the fifth-year pivot was averaging nearly a point-per game (23 points in 25 games) as the team’s top center but the play of Phillip Danault has helped offset Galchenyuk’s absence of late, writes Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette.

With a scoring line of 6 – 6 – 14 through 34 contests, Danault has already bested last season’s totals (4 – 6 – 10) in 17 fewer games. In his last eight games, the 23-year-old center has tallied one goal and five points. As Cowan notes, Danault posted solid offensive numbers during his junior career, potting 18 goals and 71 points in 62 contests in his final junior season with Victoriaville, suggesting his recent rate of production for Montreal is sustainable.

Danault was originally drafted in the first-round of the 2011 draft by Chicago when current Habs GM Marc Bergevin was a member of the Blackhawks front office. Bergevin was able to acquire Danault at last season’s trade deadline as part of the deal that sent rental players Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann to the Hawks. Known as a strong two-way player in juniors, Danault is taking advantage of increased ice time of late to show the Canadiens what he can do at the NHL level.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Tim Kennedy hasn’t appeared in an NHL game in three years and despite a recent return to the organization with whom he made his NHL debut, it’s not likely that the veteran winger will make much of an impact for the Buffalo Sabres this year either. As John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes, Kennedy was signed by the club to add some offense and to serve as a mentor for the team’s prospects playing for the Rochester Americans in the AHL. Since suiting up for 37 games with the Coyotes during the 2013-14 campaign, Kennedy has made appearances for four different franchises in four different countries, including stops in the KHL, Swedish League and a 75-game stint with Hershey of the AHL in 2013-14. The piece provides an interesting insight into the life of a career minor-league player and his travels around the world in professional hockey.
  • With the Tampa Bay Lightning struggling on the ice and in the standings, a return of franchise center Steven Stamkos could be just the spark the team needs to make a playoff push. Unfortunately, while Stamkos is progressing just fine after surgery to repair a torn meniscus, he is still looking at a mid-March return, as Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Stamkos is still on crutches and is a month or two away from even putting on skates. The 26-year-old pivot was off to a strong start, with nine goals and 20 points in 17 contests before the injury but if Tampa Bay is going to make a postseason run, it looks like it’s going to have to come without the assistance of Stamkos.

Where Does Kyle Okposo Rank In Islanders History?

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Tonight marks the first time the New York Islanders will welcome in Kyle Okposo as an opponent, after the winger signed with the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason to a whopping seven-year, $56MM deal. After parts of nine seasons with the Islanders, the team couldn’t afford (or didn’t want to pay for) his services any longer and let him find a huge payday somewhere else.

Okposo was drafted by the Islanders seventh overall in 2006, right after Derick Brassard and just before Peter Mueller. The team had whiffed the previous two years (though they didn’t know it yet) with Ryan O’Marra (15th overall 2005) and Petteri Nokelainen (16th overall 2004) and needed a good young player after a very disappointing season. Okposo was the third USA-born player taken in the draft after Erik Johnson and Phil Kessel both went in the top five. It would turn out to be one of the strongest drafts ever for American players, with no less than nine going in the first round.

Despite knowing the Okposo would be headed to the University of Minnesota, the Islanders couldn’t pass up the skilled offensive forward. Within two years he was playing in the NHL, and would never look back.

While many still don’t see Okposo as a star, he’s provided solid production for the better part of a decade and has accumulated some numbers that shouldn’t be dismissed, even for a franchise with such a storied history.

With 369 points, Okposo ranks 14th all-time in Islanders history, despite being down at 24th on the games played list. He ranks in the top-15 in game winning goals, and has done all of it before his 30th birthday. While it’s obvious he’s not in the same category as Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin or the other Islanders legends, he does deserve some recognition for what he’s accomplished for the franchise.

That’s what the Islanders did tonight as they honored him before the game. With a standing ovation, the crowd showed him what he meant to them, and how much they missed him now that he’s gone (the Islanders are desperate for some scoring off the wing). Islanders fans, where do you think Okposo fits into your franchise history? Tell us below.

Preliminary Round Schedule For IIHF World Junior Championship

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On December 26th, the IIHF World Junior Championship will kick off for it’s yearly batch of holiday hockey. The annual tournament pits the best under-20 players in the world against each other and this year (like two years ago) will be held in Toronto and Montreal at their respective NHL arenas.

Teams from Canada, USA, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland will duke it out for the three medals and bragging rights among young players around the world. This tournament is a breeding ground for NHLers, as most played for their country at one time or another.

The opening game will see Denmark face off against Sweden at noon (CST) on Monday, followed by three other matchups throughout the day. The gold medal game will be played on Thursday, January 5th at 6:30 (CST). Below is the full schedule for the preliminary round of the tournament, along with the venue (all times CST).

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Snapshots: Clinton’s Latest, Crawford, Hossa

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The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton breaks down five significant summer signings that haven’t quite lived up to their billing. While a number of players were given lucrative deals, Clinton gives the number one spot to Andrew Ladd, who after receiving a seven year, $38MM deal, has produced at an abysmal level. Ladd had only one assist in his first 12 games, and if his current pace of four goals and seven points continue, he is on pace for only 10 goals and 18 points. It’s hardly a return on investment.

Second on Clinton’s list is Mikkel Boedker, who inked a four-year, $16MM with San Jose. Boedker has six points (2-4) in 33 games, and Clinton wonders if this is why the winger barely fetched anything at the trade deadline last season. On the defensive side, Clinton looks at Dan Hamhuis, who appeared to be a great pickup for the Dallas Stars. It hasn’t worked out as such. Clinton notes that the veteran defenseman has been a healthy scratch twice, seen his average ice time drop by nearly two minutes, and has been relegated to a third line pairing.

With the salary cap not expected to move much in the next year, these signings could serve as a cautionary tale as to spending wisely instead of just spending to spend.

In other NHL news:

  • Corey Crawford is set to return in net tonight writes the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine. The 31-year-old goaltender has been out since having an emergency appendectomy almost three weeks ago. Crawford will face the struggling Colorado Avalanche, who were dismantled 6-0 by Toronto last night. Crawford has been outstanding for the Hawks this season, posting a 12-6-2 mark with a .927 save percentage.
  • With the good comes the bad, and Hine reports that Marian Hossa will miss his first game since suffering an upper body injury Tuesday night against Ottawa. In Hossa’s place will be Tanner Kero, who leads AHL affiliate Rockford in points this season. Kero worked in with Jordin Tootoo and Andrew Desjardins during practice. In addition to Hossa, Artem Anisimov is slated to miss his third straight game with an upper body injury.

Should Joe Sakic Be Shown The Door?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Should Joe Sakic be fired?
Yes 72.63% (284 votes)
No 27.37% (107 votes)
Total Votes: 391

Is Gustav Nyquist A Scapegoat For Detroit’s Problems?

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When Gustav Nyquist was called up for good in 2013-14, he made sure that Detroit wouldn’t send him back to Grand Rapids. In what was the first of many injury ravaged seasons for the Red Wings, Nyquist went on an absolute tear, scoring 28 goals and 48 points in just 57 games, setting the bar high in terms of expectations. Nyquist followed up in 2014-15 with 27 goals and 54 points. From there, however, Nyquist has fallen off in terms of overall production. In 2015-16, he had 17 goals and 43 points, and had a goal in five playoff games. This year has seen similar results on the score sheet, as Nyquist has only one goal in his last 27 games.

The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James suggests that the Wings begin benching players to send a message as Detroit dawdles near the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Detroit is 14-15-4 and failing to score goals, have an inefficient power play, and cannot keep pucks out of their net. St. James begins with the idea of possibly sitting Nyquist, who St. James has written about before in terms of his lack of production. However, a deeper dive shows that Nyquist should not be the first player benched by Jeff Blashill.

Nov 23, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA;Detroit Red Wings right wing Gustav Nyquist (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Winging It In Motown’s Prashanth Iyer argues through a series of tweets that Nyquist’s value to the Red Wings is beyond just goal scoring. Though he is one of the higher paid Red Wings, Nyquist’s value is seen on the ice because of what he produces in both goals and assists. Additionally, the team sees a jump in production with Nyquist skating. Iyer begins with this idea, tweeting that Nyquist ranks 35th in 5v5 points per minutes played, which leads all players on the Detroit roster. This is also higher than stars like Alex Ovechkin, and Artemi Panarin. A harder look beyond just goals reveals that the Wings are earning a fair return from Nyquist. It’s just outside the goal column.

In fairness to St. James, she targets other players like Riley Sheahan, and Tomas Tatar, citing their scoring woes as the #1 reason Detroit is struggling. But the Red Wings problems are much deeper than this. The roster construction of this team has been heavily criticized, as players like Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Drew Miller, Luke Glendening, and Steve Ott are not known for excessive goal scoring. Those five players constitute nearly two lines of players who do not score at high clips. But as written about before on PHR, several of those players, namely Helm, Glendening, and Abdelkader, were given handsome raises despite their lack of goal scoring prowess. Ott, who St. James held up against Nyquist, brings the “grit” factor that general manager Ken Holland and Blashill laud and has been labeled as a valuable “locker room guy.” While his $800K value doesn’t break the bank, it could be argued that he blocks the way for younger players who could score goals–which is what Detroit desperately needs.

St. James in one of her tweets argues that Ott justifies his cost because of his role, while Nyquist does not. Iyer answered this here, revealing that Nyquist is still a better bargain than pricey addition Frans Nielsen, Abdelkader or Helm.

Related: Detroit’s Depth Chart

The point is not to pile on a writer who’s seeking answers for Detroit’s struggles: it’s more about looking at the whole picture instead of focusing on a few players. Nyquist, along with Tatar, were supposed to be the next in a long line of duos to lead the Red Wings. They were supposed to follow in the footsteps of Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov or Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. But that hasn’t happened for a number of reasons, beginning with how the talent level is not nearly as high as it was for the aforementioned, but also because of some flaws in building the roster. Even Iyer admits that Nyquist and Tatar are “really good,” but not elite.

Nyquist is hardly the problem. While his lack of scoring hasn’t helped matters, his presence on the ice is a positive for a team failing to score goals. Porous defense, questionable coaching decisions, flawed roster construction, and excessive injuries have the Red Wings rivaling Toronto for the last spot in the Atlantic. If players are benched, it shouldn’t start with Nyquist.

What Does Your Team Need For Christmas?

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With the holiday roster freeze now upon us, NHL teams get a moment to sit back and take stock of their franchise. Decisions will be made over the direction of a team this season, and what, if anything, they will do to fix their roster in the New Year. There are a handful of pieces out there, with rumors still surrounding players like Kevin Shattenkirk, Anthony Duclair or James van Riemsdyk.

If your team had a chance to pick up a piece in early January in order to take a run at the playoffs or solidify their status as a cup contender, what would it be? Vote in the poll and be sure to leave a comment below explaining your decision.

What do you want your favorite team to add?
Top 4 Defenseman (i.e. Kevin Shattenkirk, Cam Fowler) 42.81% (429 votes)
Scoring Winger (i.e. James van Riemsdyk, Rick Nash) 32.34% (324 votes)
Young Talent (i.e. Anthony Duclair, Alex Burmistrov) 10.28% (103 votes)
Draft Picks (It's over folks.) 6.89% (69 votes)
Starting Goaltender (i.e. Ben Bishop, Marc-Andre Fleury) 4.89% (49 votes)
Other (explain in comments) 2.79% (28 votes)
Total Votes: 1,002

[Mobile or app users click here to vote!]

Evening Snapshots: Spectacular Sophomores, Hartman

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  • The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton makes his case for five players who avoided the dreaded sophomore slump this season. At the top of his list is Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who Clinton writes is the reason for the Oilers’ turnaround this season. Had it not been for the clavicle injury last season, McDavid would have had one of the best back-to-back seasons that rivaled Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Next is the Blackhawks’ Artemi Panarin, who Clinton believes the Hawks have to absolutely re-sign at all costs. That would certainly cause some financial posturing, but he believes Panarin to be a devastating personnel loss should he go elsewhere. The Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin, and the Blues’ Colton Parayko round out Clinton’s top five.
  • The Blackhawks have been on a tear lately and rookie Ryan Hartman has been one of the brightest spots for Chicago. Chris Hine writes that the young forward has learned quite a bit about being more patient on the ice and not corralling penalties as he would have in the past. Hine describes him as an irritant, there’s a reason for Hartman’s change of play:

“You have an opportunity to play in the NHL and be in the lineup every night. If you’re going to take penalties and do that kind of stuff, you’re not going to be in the lineup for long,” Hartman said. “I just try to stay out of the box as much as possible, and it related to me being on the ice more.”

Drawing penalties instead of causing them has been a boon for the Hawks and the young forward. He’s also shown a knack for scoring timely goals. Hartman notched the winner against San Jose on Sunday night and already has six on the season. Playing for a coach known to favor veterans, Hartman is making the most of his chance and certainly justifying his playing time from Joel Quenneville.

Central Division Notes: Avalanche, Duchene, Haula, Dalpe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

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

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