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Snapshots: Desjardins, Fisher, Gilbert, Chychrun

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Darren Dreger’s been making the radio rounds of late and today, while appearing on Ottawa’s TSN 1200, among many notes the NHL insider discussed was the suggestion that Vancouver bench boss Willie Desjardins could soon find himself on the hot seat if the Canucks can’t right the ship in short order. Dreger was clear that he didn’t believe that was the case as of this moment but the organization believes it has a roster capable of making the playoffs and if the team falls further out of the race, they could decide to make a change behind the bench.

“I’m not suggesting he’s on the hot seat today as we have this conversation. But Jim Benning, the general manager, had a much higher view of where he thought this team was coming out of training camp. He told many that he believed that the Vancouver Canucks are a playoff team and would definitely contend for a playoff spot. And they’re not playing that way right now.”

The Canucks got off to a surprisingly strong start winning their first four games but have since lost five straight to even their record at 4 – 4 – 1. Offense. or rather a lack of, is the biggest issue in Vancouver as the team is last in the league in goal scoring, averaging just 1.78 per contest. Their power play is also among the worst in the NHL converting just 10.7% of their opportunities, which ranks 26th overall.

The team invested heavily in skilled Swedish winger Loui Eriksson, to the tune of a six-year, $36MM contract this offseason but the former Bruin has failed to find the back of the net in nine games with Vancouver. Bo Horvat leads the club in goals with four but only five players have tallied more than once this season. At the other end of the scoring spectrum, the New York Rangers lead the league averaging four goals per contest with 10 players who have at least two markers on the campaign.

Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot relays a quote from Pierre LeBrun indicating the Canucks would like to pull the trigger on a deal for a proven 20-goal scorer, assuming they can find a trade partner. They’ve been rumored to be in that market since the summer but aside from inking Eriksson the Canucks have done little in the way of adding impact offensive talent.

Desjardins is in his third season as coach of the Canucks and owns a career mark of 83 – 71 -19. He guided the team to a 101-point season and a second place finish in the Pacific Division in 2014-15, his first as bench boss. Last season, Vancouver dropped 26 points in the standings and placed sixth in their division. Prior to being hired in Vancouver, Desjardins served as head coach of the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate and guided them to the Calder Cup championship in 2014.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Mike Fisher, who was injured in Tuesday’s 5 – 1 win over Colorado, is being listed as day-to-day with an upper-body-injury, tweets Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. Fisher, who replaced Shea Weber as Nashville’s captain, is tied for second on the club in scoring with five points in eight games. Now in his 17th season in the NHL, Fisher has scored 261 goals with 287 assists in 1,024 contests.
  • According to the NHL Department of Player Safety (Twitter link) Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tom Gilbert will face a hearing for his hit on Nick Ritchie of the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night. No penalty was assessed on the play but the league indicated the hearing is for boarding/charging. Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register provides an update on Ritchie and says the big winger won’t be in Anaheim’s lineup tonight as the Ducks host Pittsburgh. Gilbert has appeared in eight of L.A.’s 10 games this season and has recorded three points. Ritchie, meanwhile, has scored two goals and three points in 10 contests with Anaheim.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have elected to keep rookie defenseman Jakob Chychrun on the roster instead of returning the 18-year-old blue liner to his junior team, according to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. As a result, Chychrun will burn the first season of his three-year entry-level contract. The Coyotes made a trade with Detroit during the 2016 entry draft to move up four spots to select Chychrun and so far has rewarded management’s faith. Chychurn has averaged 17:15 of ice time and has three points in eight games so far.

Red Wings Notes: Leadership Questions

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George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press writes that while Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill appreciates Henrik Zetterberg taking one for the team, the Wings’ poor play against both Florida and Boston rests with him. From Blashill:

Ultimately, it’s on me. That’s my job … to make sure they’re ready. I appreciate Henrik saying that. I would say this — without question, you have to look yourself in the mirror and make sure you’re ready to go. We had too many guys not ready to go.

Zetterberg commented that it was on him to prepare the team better, and that Detroit needs to be play better at home. Blashill seemingly stamped out the question of leadership issues in the locker room. Blashill continued with MLive’s Ansar Khan:

“I have 100 percent belief in the group in this locker room, so I’m not concerned long-term at all,” Blashill said. “All I’m concerned about is tonight, which wasn’t good enough. I don’t have any worries about the level of leadership or the level of character that we have to a man in this locker room.”

Khan expanded further, speaking to several of the same players that Sipple did. Danny DeKeyser doesn’t believe there are leadership issues in Detroit, saying that:

“Leadership is important, but at the end of the day everyone is here in the NHL and they need to do whatever they need to do to get going and ready to play. I wouldn’t put much up on the captaincy or leadership, just guys doing what they need to do to be ready to go.”

If the Red Wings rip off another six game winning streak, the questions will fade. But should Detroit look listless through another pair of games,  the questions will likely multiply.

Penguins Notes: Crosby, Schultz, Defense

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Sidney Crosby is unquestionably one of, if not the very best player in the game today. Naturally the Penguins would much rather have Crosby in the lineup than out but over the years the team has done surprisingly well without their superstar center. This year was no exception as Pittsburgh went 3 – 2 – 1 with Crosby sidelined due to concussion-related symptoms. However, in the three games since he returned, Crosby has impacted the performance of the power play as much as anything else, as Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes.

With Crosby back in the lineup, the Penguins have cashed in on four of nine opportunities, good for a 44.4% success rate. In 25 chances without Crosby, Pittsburgh tallied five man-advantage goals, still a solid 20% mark. But as head coach Mike Sullivan notes, it isn’t simply the results; it’s that the power play creates a lot more high quality scoring chances with Crosby on the ice.

“One of the things that we like about our power play is the movement. That’s what makes it difficult to defend. We’ve had a lot of movement and that shot mentality, and Sid’s part of that group. He’s got great offensive instincts, so whether he’s beside the net or he’s on the half-wall or he’s in the slot, he’s a dangerous guy, whether he’s passing or shooting.”

In addition to his skills with the biscuit on his stick, Sullivan notes that his franchise pivot excels at gaining possession of the puck due to his ability to win faceoffs.

“It helps us to win that first faceoff so we can establish some zone time. He’s a threat, regardless of where he is on the rink.”

Of course, regardless of his proficiency on the power play, Crosby can affect a game in a multitude and the Penguins are simply a better and more dangerous team when he is healthy and playing.

More on the Penguins:

  • Speaking of the team’s power play success, Justin Schultz has done a fine job for the Penguins on the man advantage in the five games since stalwart defenseman Kris Letang went down with an injury, as Pro Hockey Talk’s Adam Gretz writes. Pittsburgh has been successful on five of 16 chances with Letang sidelined and Schultz has been on the ice for every one of those goals. Sullivan notes it’s Schultz’s willingness to simply fire the puck on goal that is key to this recent run of success: “Sometimes, when we put guys on our first power-play unit, there’s always a tendency to try to want to get the puck to (Sidney) Crosby or (Evgeni) Malkin or (Phil) Kessel when sometimes the right play is to put the puck on the net.” Letang appears to be nearing a return but at least Pittsburgh can breathe a bit easier knowing that Schultz has adequately replaced their best blue liner’s power play production.
  • Finally, in a piece for Today’s Slapshot, Dave Holcomb expresses his belief that the team’s sole weakness remains their blue line. That’s not a surprising position given that the Penguins boast two Stanley Cup winning goalies with Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury along with two of the best players in the world in Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But as Holcomb notes, while the team is still generating plenty of offense (seventh in the NHL in shots on goal per game), they are also allowing more chances against (second most shots allowed per game). Last season Pittsburgh finished with the second-best Corsi For % at 52.72. So far this season they are at 50%. Of course the team’s blue line was far from a strength last season when the won the Stanley Cup and it should also be noted again that Letang has missed more than half of the season so far. Pittsburgh smartly used the trade market a year ago to boost their defense corps, adding Trevor Daley and Schultz from Chicago and Edmonton respectively. That should serve as a reminder that Pittsburgh is likely to focus once more on improving the blue line as we draw nearer this season’s trade deadline.

PHR Originals

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Here’s a roundup of all of Pro Hockey Rumors original content for the week:

  • Zach Leach examined the precarious position the Pittsburgh Penguins may find themselves in ahead of the expansion draft with Marc-Andre Fleury’s NMC requiring the team to protect him and therefore leaving open the possibility Matt Murray might be available for Las Vegas to choose should the team not find another alternative.
  • Brett Barrett looks at the rookie players currently in the NHL who could see their entry-level contracts slide should they be returned to their respective Junior teams.
  • Gavin Lee posts the latest in the Franchise Faceoff series, comparing the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks.
  • Zach Leach ponders whether goalie Malcolm Subban, Boston’s first-round pick in 2012, is on the verge of being labeled a bust.
  • Brian La Rose continued with PHR’s 2005 Draft Take Two series, asking who the New York Islanders should select if they had a chance to do it all over again.

Early Calder Trophy Candidates: Matthews, Marner, Laine

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The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy writes a very preliminary guess as to the front runners for the Calder Trophy, awarded yearly for the league’s best rookie. Brophy concedes that it’s still very early in the season, but based on what he’s seen over the first three weeks, he lists some players to watch as the year progresses. Some names Brophy highlights:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward and #1 overall pick in 2016 Auston Matthews leads the pack, turning in a four goal performance in his first NHL game and following that up with being second overall in league scoring with 10 points (6-4). Linemate William Nylander is right behind him, with four goals and nine points in seven games.
  • Teammate Mitch Marner is also an early candidate, notching a goal and six points in seven games.
  • Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine has eight points (6-2) in seven games and is showing that he was absolutely worthy of the second overall pick in the 2016 draft.
  • Jimmy Vesey, the focus of nearly every team this summer as a free agent out of college, has proven the Rangers right so far. Vesey had four goals (4-1) in seven games thus far.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had two goals and five points in just six games, being a bright spot on what has started out as a disappointing start for the Jackets.

Regardless of who wins, Brophy talks of how the injection of youth in the league is hopefully leading to another wave of talent. Further, Brophy talks about how the excitement of the player’s speed, and skill could hopefully bring back the excitement that Brophy feels has been missing for some time.

Snapshots: Oduya, Sproul, Trouba, Fowler

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Mike Heika writes that the development of Dallas’ young defenseman has been helped by the presence of Johnny Oduya. The four defenseman standing to benefit, Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, Stephen Johns and Esa Lindell, have the two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman patrolling the blue line. General manager Jim Nill talked about Oduya’s professionalism and dedication to the sport and how it plays a huge role in the development of younger players:

“It’s hard to tell his age, because he’s in such great shape. He’s a consummate professional, and he’s the kind of guy that players naturally attract to. They want to ask him what he’s eating and why. They want to know how he’s working out.”

Oduya was signed as a free agent by the Stars in 2015 and defenseman Stephen Johns followed from Chicago when he was dealt along with Patrick Sharp to the big D. Johns commented on Oduya’s leadership, especially during a rough series for Johns against Minnesota during the 2016 playoffs. Johns said that Oduya’s words of wisdom were instrumental in his confidence growing.

Though the Stars are 3-3-1, the steady Oduya should help the younger defensive corps bring the Stars back to its expected perch as one of the best in the West.

In other NHL news:

  • The Red Wings have guaranteed one of their young defenseman an extended stay with the big club writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Khan answered a number of questions and regarding young defenseman Ryan Sproul, the club has apparently told Sproul to a find a place to live in the Detroit area. Khan reports that Sproul will duke it out with Alexey Marchenko and Xavier Ouellet for a final spot on the blue line when Niklas Kronwall returns from a knee injury. When Tomas Jurco returns, Khan opines that it will most likely be Ouellet as the odd man out, which would mean being exposed to waivers.
  • Khan also answers about the Red Wings’ likelihood of obtaining Jacob Trouba or Cam Fowler via a trade, but from the sounds of it, Trouba is still a far fetched option while Fowler might end up staying in Anaheim after all. Khan says that the Ducks may reconsider moving Fowler should their offensive woes continue. Trouba, on the other hand, will simply cost too much for the Wings to trade for, and the young, left handed defenseman the Jets seek in return is something Detroit cannot provide.

Franchise Faceoff: Anaheim Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks have now long been one of the NHL’s preeminent franchises, winning multiple Stanley Cups and sending player after player to the podium to receive NHL awards.  They’ve had to sell off young assets to keep their roster together, but seem to continually have a dangerous team capable of winning it all. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have developed into one of the most potent duos (though they rarely play together) in the league, and they’re supported by a strong secondary cast.

The Anaheim Ducks on the other hand, have built a powerhouse of their own, only to fall short each time they seem poised to take a long post-season run. Their own franchise duo in Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have just as many accolades as Chicago’s while their defense corps may be second to none in the league. For some reason though, they just can’t get it done in the playoffs and as many around the league are expecting a trade, Bob Murray has said he wants to “give this group one more shot” before a possible tear down.

[Chicago Blackhawks Depth Chart vs Anaheim Ducks Depth Chart]

With both teams running into cap trouble due to their aging but still effective superstars, they each have good young players to build their next iteration with.  After we looked at two rebuilding teams in Toronto and Edmonton, and two teams trying to get back to the playoffs in Calgary and Montreal, we now ask the same thing of two teams who are perennial candidates for the Stanley Cup.

If you were buying a roster (not all the franchise perks that go with it) to build a championship team, which would you take?

Which team would you rather have?
Chicago Blackhawks 69.42% (143 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 30.58% (63 votes)
Total Votes: 206

What’s Going On With The Chicago Blackhawks?

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Both Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times address the Chicago Blackhawks struggles out of the gate. Wyshynski tackles the anemic penalty kill while Lazerus touches on a number of issues that have been plaguing the Hawks.

Wyshynski begins with the penalty kill, pointing out the unusually bad stats (46%) but looking at it closer and highlighting some of the anomalies contributing to the struggles. Wyshynski points to usual stalwarts Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson, both of whom have been on the ice for nine goals against when defending against the man advantage. Captain Jonathan Toews has been on the ice for seven out of 14 power play goals against, while Marcus Kruger has seen six pucks head into the net during a kill. On Corey Crawford, Wyshynski says this:

Corey Crawford, meanwhile, has faced nine high-danger chances on the PK and let in six goals, giving him the lowest HD save percentage in the league on the penalty kill (via Corsica). That ranks fifth in high-danger chances shorthanded and first in goals allowed. He’s not bailing them out.

Will it turn around? Wyshynski figures that when Andrew Desjardins returns from injury, it will boost the penalty kill unit. While it won’t be as dominant as it once was with the current cast of players, Wyshynski figures it to improve from the disappointing start.

Lazerus scours some of the other issues plaguing the Hawks. Aside from the penalty kill, Lazerus writes that the grueling schedule certainly isn’t doing Chicago any favors. From Patrick Kane:

“We have a lot of young guys that probably haven’t played in that type of scheduling before,” Kane said. “It’s something to get used to, and something for us veteran guys to lead by example and make sure we’re getting off to good starts. Especially in the United Center. There’s no excuse not to come out and have a good first period and dictate the pace of play right away.”

Lazerus also points to the lack of production from key players. Toews has yet to score in seven games.  Artem Anisimov has been great on the score sheet but struggling in the faceoff circle (35%).  Richard Panik has been a nice surprise and Crawford has been stellar at even strength, only giving up three goals at 5 on 5. Despite the negatives, there have been positives, such as Panik and Crawford, to feel good about as a Chicago fan.

Lazerus finishes by saying that the “troubling signs” are of a team trying to figure things out–something unlike the championship Hawk squads of seasons past.

Snapshots: Maple Leafs Blue Line, Vancouver, McIlrath

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There has been much written about this past summer’s blockbuster trade which sent LW Taylor Hall from Edmonton to New Jersey in exchange or D Adam Larsson; most of it critical of the Oilers side of the transaction. But Kevin McGran of TheStar.com opines that not only has the trade benefited both teams so far, it actually represents the sort of trade the Toronto Maple Leafs may have to explore in the future.

Hall already has five goals in six games for the Devils while Larsson has fit in well on Edmonton’s blue line, helping the Oilers to a 6 – 1 – 0 record. Even if Hall is considered the superior player, it still appears as if the deal has worked out in both team’s favor.

McGran argues that the Leafs, much like Edmonton, have a lot of highly-skilled forwards but a lingering deficiency on the blue line. Toronto has some interesting players on defense – Nikita Zaitsev, Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly, for example – but with Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak seeing regular playing time and with few prospects of particular note in the system, it’s clear the Leafs could use more young talent on the back end. While it’s possible the youngsters already on Toronto’s roster develop into a decent group of blue liners, it’s more likely the Leafs may eventually have to instead consider dealing from a position of strength – scoring wing – to address a weakness – defense. And just as the Oilers had to do, the Leafs might have to sacrifice a talented and popular player – and perhaps even a better player than the one they acquire – in order to fix the issues on the blue line.

The scribe does note that the Leafs likely won’t have to make that decision right away; that they likely have a year or two to see how things shake out.

More from around the NHL:

  • Goal-scoring is up around the league with a per-game-average of 5.91 markers to date. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in Vancouver where the Canucks have averaged just two goals per game, the lowest rate in the NHL. Writing for The Province, Jason Botchford highlights some disturbing trends suggesting the Canucks offensive issues are likely to linger throughout the season. Botchford notes that the team is dead last in even-strength, score-adjusted shot-attempt differential and suggests that trend will place additional pressure on Vancouver’s special teams. But through seven games, the Canucks have converted on just 12.5% of their man-advantage chances. Two players the Canucks expected and needed to step up this season have yet to do so. Defenseman Ben Hutton has recorded just a single goal while winger Sven Baertschi has failed to find the back of the net. As Botchford writes, the Canucks have talent but perhaps not enough depth at this point.
  • Earlier today we learned the Rangers waived Dylan McIlrath. The former first-round pick had appeared in just one game and was the eighth defenseman on the team’s depth chart. As Larry Brooks of the New York Post noted via Twitter, the Rangers simply weren’t going to keep eight defensemen on the roster all season. Brooks also believes the chances of McIlrath getting claimed is “50-50.”

Flyers Recall Leier; Simmonds Avoids Hearing

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Update (3:25pm): Panaccio, via Twitter, confirms that the team has placed Raffl on IR creating the need for the recall of Leier.

The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled LW Taylor Leier according to a tweet from Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The reason for the recall is currently unclear though it appears it won’t be to take the place of Wayne Simmonds, who seems to have avoided a hearing with the Department of Player Safety after cross-checking Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov into the boards during last night’s game. Simmonds defended the hit, arguing he “barely touched” Markov, suggesting the Habs blue liner was trying to sell the penalty call, as Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly adds.

The Flyers currently have the maximum 23 players on their roster and will have to make a corresponding move to make room for Leier. Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post suggests that move may be placing Michael Raffl on IR retroactive to last Wednesday. Raffl was injured in last Tuesday’s game against Chicago.

Leier appeared in six games for the Flyers last season, failing to register a point while averaging just 7:43 of ice time. He was originally selected by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 2012 entry draft. Leier tallied 20 goals and 49 points last season for Lehigh Valley and has netted 81 points overall in 147 AHL games.

More to follow.

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