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Patrik Nemeth

Colorado Avalanche Begin Extension Talks With Patrik Nemeth

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After re-signing Mark Barberio and Mark Alt recently, the Colorado Avalanche aren’t done bringing back their suddenly deep defensive unit. Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports that they also intend on re-signing Patrik Nemeth, and that talks have already begun between the two sides. Dater expects a two or three-year deal for the restricted free agent.

Nemeth, 26, found a home in Colorado this season after bouncing up and down between the minor leagues and NHL for years in Dallas. Selected in the second round in 2010, Nemeth played just 108 games for the Stars over four seasons, while struggling to stay in the lineup for various reasons.

In 2017-18, he skated in 68 games and recorded 15 points while averaging the third most minutes of any Avalanche defenseman. His +27 rating led the club and placed him 11th in the entire league, only behind Josh Manson (+34), Victor Hedman (+32) and Anton Stralman (+29) among defenseman. While his possession stats still weren’t excellent, he was used in an extremely lopsided manner and given the toughest assignments and zone starts on the Avalanche.

Amazingly, that play came for under $1MM for the Avalanche, who claimed Nemeth off waivers just before the season began. Though he’ll likely never be an elite point-producing defenseman, getting him re-signed on a relatively short-term deal for a reasonable price should go a long way to filling out the Colorado defense corps for next season.

Western Notes: Former Stars, Turris, Kyrou, Heiskanen

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After a disappointing showing in the 2017-18 season that saw the Dallas Stars fall out of the playoffs early, SportsDay’s Mike Heika takes a look at former Dallas Stars players who got an opportunity to compete in the playoffs, asking the question of whether trading away players is the way to go or should teams keep all their players?

He points out several former Stars, including defensemen Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, as well as Matt Niskanen, as well as the Vegas Golden Knights’ trio of forwards James Neal, Reilly Smith and Cody Eakin.

The scribe writes that while Nemeth was lost to waivers to Colorado, it was unlikely that he was going to get an opportunity to play, while Oleksiak who the team traded away to Pittsburgh for a fourth-round pick, also would have found playing time remote with their group of young defenseman like Esa Lindell, Julius Honka, and Stephen Johns.

Neal and Niskanen were both traded back in 2011 for Alex Goligoski. Heika points out that while that trade looks bad now, Goligoski was a major contributor for years with the Stars as one of their top defensemen. Eakin was lost in the expansion draft, but freed up enough cap room to add Martin Hanzal via free agency, although so far that hasn’t worked out as well as they wanted. Smith went to Boston to get Tyler Seguin, which no one would complain about, although despite having already played for four teams, Smith might be the guy they could use the most.

  • Team Canada announced that they have added Nashville Predators center Kyle Turris for the IIHF World Championships in Denmark. He should add some veteran depth to a strong Canadian team. Turris, whose Predators were eliminated Thursday, had a solid year between Ottawa and Nashville, putting up 16 goals and 35 assists, but struggled in the playoffs. He failed to score and only had three assists in 13 games.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon answers questions in a mailbag column, but says that St. Louis fans shouldn’t hold their breath when it comes to the status of prospect Jordan Kyrou joining the St. Louis Blues out of training camp next season. The 20-year-old center is one of the team’s most heralded prospects after putting up 109 points in 56 games with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting this past season. However, Gordon writes it’s far more likely that Kyrou will start the season in the AHL and shuttle back and forth to gain experience.
  • Dallas Stars prospect Miro Heiskanen has been making his mark at the World Championships in Denmark for Team Finland. At 18 years old, the 2017 third-overall pick helped his team to a victory over Team Canada Saturday, which included a key save to a likely goal by Connor McDavid. His success on the ice likely means that he is ready to join the Stars next season. “It’s nice to face those guys and see where I am,” Heiskanen said. “It’s a good test to play them, maybe I will play them next year in the NHL. I want to play there as soon as possible, that’s my goal.”

Avalanche Activate Erik Johnson From IR

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The Colorado Avalanche have points in nine of their last ten games and have climbed back into playoff position. Now, they’ll get even stronger as they bring back one of their top defenseman. NHL.com’s Callie Parmele writes that Erik Johnson has been activated from the injured reserve and is set to return to the lineup today against the Detroit Red Wings.

Johnson, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career, was most recently sidelined with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He was placed on IR back on February 19th and has missed Colorado’s past 13 games. Fortunately, the Avs went 7-2-4 in that span and now Johnson’s return could vault them into a playoff spot.

As it stands, Colorado holds the first wild card berth in the Western Conference with 84 points in 71 games. The Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks also have 84 points, but the Avalanche have a game in-hand on both. With Johnson back in the lineup, potentially resuming his play on the top pair with Nikita Zadorov or, as Parmele suggests, possibly taking on a new role, maybe with Patrik Nemeth, the Avs will solidify their back end and could hold off those seeking to take away their postseason chances. Colorado faces the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Vegas Golden Knights twice in their next six games so Johnson’s impact, and the Avs’ ability to fight for their playoff lives, will be on display.

Tyson Barrie Unlikely To Be Traded By Deadline

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As it is with most teams who make a surprising turnaround from one year to the next, the Colorado Avalanche, fresh off one of the worst seasons in recent memory, may not even be a seller this time around at the NHL Trade Deadline. The 2017-18 season has gone much better for the Avs, with their play of late – a convincing eight-game winning streak – pulling them into the playoff picture. Of course, the team also already made a major deal earlier in the year, netting three prospects and three quality draft picks for Matt Duchene. With that impressive return already in the bag and the team rolling on all cylinders, it seems unlikely that Colorado would still resort to trading away valuable players over the next month. That even includes, in the opinion of The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin, polarizing defenseman Tyson Barrie.

Next to Duchene, Barrie was easily the next man up on the trade block for the Avalanche and, if this season was anything like 2016-17, he may have already been traded. Barrie, 26, is a gifted offensive blue liner who plays major minutes for Colorado and is depended on for much of their puck movement. However, he often struggles in his own end and there are questions as to whether he could ever really be a top pairing defenseman, despite his ample $5.5MM salary. In fact, that exact argument was reportedly part of former head coach Patrick Roy’s sudden departure from the team in 2016. It still feels like Barrie, who is currently on injured reserve, has yet to really carve out a comfortable, long-term role in Denver, which has led to much speculation that he could be moved. Around the league, there is less skepticism and many teams would love to add his offensive touch.

However, those teams will likely have to wait until the off-season for him to become available again. Larkin believes that the Avs’ recent play and lack of depth on defense has all but eliminated the chance that Barrie would be moved by the Trade Deadline. Behind Barrie, Erik Johnson, and young Nikita Zadorov, the rest of the Colorado blue line is made up of uninspiring names like Patrik Nemeth, Mark Barberio, Anton Lindholm, and David Warsofsky. Removing Barrie from that mix, even if a stopgap defender was part of the return, would hurt Colorado’s chances of making the playoffs. It seems like a move that Joe Sakic, who has stood by Barrie, would not make at this time.

With that said, Larkin acknowledges that Samuel Girard, one of the new pieces acquired for Duchene, has looked good and is deserving of more ice time and also notes that 2017 selections Cale Makar and Conor Timmins look like they will be surefire NHLers in no time. Barrie could certainly be moved sooner rather than later, to make room for the youth and to address the Avs’  lack of forward depth, but the soonest will likely be this off-season unless Sakic is blown away by an offer which has a long-term benefit worth sacrificing playoff hopes this season. Not too many blockbusters like that come around in-season, especially two in one year for the same team, so Barrie is likely safe and can soon return to the Avalanche lineup to help continue the team’s miraculous turnaround.

NHL Notes: Didomenico, Okposo, Neal

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While Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been working the trade lines hard in order to acquire a scoring forward, but the team may have found that forward in their own ranks in Chris Didomenico, writes Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun. Of course, the scribe writes that its too early to tell whether he would make for a good permanent fill-in with the Senators, but the journeyman showed the team something in Friday night’s shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils.

The 28-year-old forward had a goal and an assist in the loss, but Didomenico came close to changing that outcome. His goal in the final minute of regulation tied the game, helping the Senators get a point in the standings. He was even given the chance to take the first shot in the shootout Friday, although he was stopped by New Jersey’s Keith Kinkaid.

Brennan writes that once Didomenico was a highly-touted prospect whose size and injury history forced him to play overseas for much of his career, but he is playing for a chance to earn a permanent spot in the team’s rotation. He has played with Mike Hoffman on several occasions in his career and has been teamed with him once again. He had three goals and two assists in four games with the Belleville Senators in the AHL before being called up and now has a goal and two assists in four games with Ottawa.

  • Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News writes that the team could find itself in hot water if Kyle Okposo doesn’t start showing up. The scribe writes that if Okposo isn’t affected by any lingering concussion affects or having any medication reactions like he did last year, then he needs to take his game up a notch. The 28-year-old signed a seven-year, $42MM contract a year ago and has just two assists in 10 games. If he doesn’t find his offense soon, the team will be stuck with a middling forward, who the team gave the highest-ever free agent contract to and they will be stuck with him for another five years. Toss in the fact that he is untradeable, while Evander Kane is likely to be traded and the situation for the team looks even worse.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger James Neal lost some teeth during the team’s 7-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Friday, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. While there is no word on how many teeth the team’s top scorer lost when he took a high-stick from Colorado’s Patrik Nemeth in the first period, it didn’t stop the 30-year-old. He came back to score his seventh goal of the season in the second period and still dove to block a shot in the third period to help preserve the shutout. Neal is not expected to miss any time with the injury.

Injury Updates: Bonino, Parise, Nemeth, Borowiecki

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Although the Predators are calling center Nick Bonino’s lower-body injury a day-to-day issue, his agent, Peter Fish, told Adam Vingan of The Tennessean that he’s likely to miss a couple of weeks instead.  He did not play last night after suffering the injury on Saturday and Vingan notes that Bonino was spotted with a brace on his left ankle on Monday at practice.  His first season in Nashville hasn’t been the healthiest as he missed the entire preseason while recovering from a fractured tibia sustained with Pittsburgh back in the Stanley Cup Final although Fish told Vingan that this current injury isn’t related to that one.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • Despite leaving practice on Monday due to a setback, the Wild have yet to rule winger Zach Parise out of their next game on Friday, notes Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. The veteran has yet to play this season due to continued back issues and has had his expected season debut delayed a couple of times already.
  • The Avalanche received some good news when it came to defenseman Patrik Nemeth. Although there were some concerns that he may have dislocated or separated his shoulder in a fight with Stars center Tyler Seguin on Saturday, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that Nemeth could be given the green light to return to the lineup as early as Thursday.
  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Mark Borowiecki is listed as day-to-day and will not play on Thursday night. He sustained what appeared to be a shoulder injury in a fight with Vancouver winger Derek Dorsett and did not return for the third period.

Defensive Notes: Karlsson, Nemeth, Schlemko

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The Ottawa Senators will welcome back their captain and best player tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks, according to head coach Guy Boucher (via Ian Mendes of TSN). That’s a huge step for the Senators, though they haven’t seemed to need it yet. Ottawa is still undefeated in regulation, and have won their last two games with a combined score of 12-1.

Still, Karlsson is among the top handful of players in the league and will really stabilize a defense corps that has had some moving parts throughout the first few games. Nine different defensemen have already suited up for at least one game, with a ton of responsibility being heaped on the trio of Dion Phaneuf, Cody Ceci and Fredrik Claesson. Each of them are averaging at least 21 minutes a night, something that will likely change with as Karlsson gets his legs under him. Last year the captain averaged almost 27 minutes while finishing second in Norris voting.

  • Patrik Nemeth has left the Colorado Avalanche on their road trip and flown back to Denver for more tests according to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver. Nemeth suffered a shoulder injury while fighting former teammate Tyler Seguin in a game on Saturday night. Nemeth, who was claimed off waivers just before the season started, has been one of the Avalanche’s best defensemen in the early going.
  • David Schlemko was expected back in the Montreal lineup this week, but is not with the team in San Jose according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The Canadiens take on the Sharks tomorrow night and then will head to Anaheim and Los Angeles before returning home. The 30-year old played one game on a conditioning stint in Laval and was immediately recalled to the team, but still hasn’t suited up for the Canadiens this season.

Colorado Avalanche Claim Patrik Nemeth

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The Dallas Stars took a chance when they waived defenseman Patrik Nemeth to try and send him to the AHL yesterday, and they didn’t get away with it. The Colorado Avalanche have claimed Nemeth off waivers, and will add him to their roster for the start of the season.

Nemeth, 25, spent 40 games with the Stars last season but still can’t seem to put it all together and fulfill his second-round draft status. Through 108 games in the NHL now, he’s registered just 14 points and has averaged fewer than 16 minutes a night. With the Stars adding Marc Methot to the mix this offseason, and feeling stronger about Jamie Oleksiak and youngster Julius Honka, there was no longer any room for Nemeth on the roster.

In Colorado though, where there is a near void of NHL-capable defenders, Nemeth will likely be given a chance immediately to turn his career around. Beyond Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Nikita Zadorov, the team will carry a group of players all trying to prove their worth in the NHL. Nemeth will have to compete with the likes of Chris Bigras, Mark Barberio and others for minutes.

Waivers & Recalls: 10/02/17

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The waiver wire is very busy today as teams pare down their rosters. The season begins this week, and teams will try to sneak through some veterans and prospects to keep them in the organization. Here is the entire list of waivers for today:

Malcolm Subban (BOS)
Phillip Di Giuseppe (CAR)
John Ramage (CBJ)
Luke Gazdic (CGY)
Garnet Hathaway (CGY)
Jean-Francois Berube (CHI)
Tomas Jurco (CHI)
Jordin Tootoo (CHI)
Gabriel Bourque (COL)
Curtis McKenzie (DAL)
Patrik Nemeth (DAL)
David Booth (DET)
Ryan Sproul (DET)
Ryan Murphy (MIN)
Byron Froese (MTL)
Andreas Martinsen (MTL)
Brian Gibbons (NJD)
Brian Strait (NJD)
Steve Bernier (NYI)
Stephen Gionta (NYI)
Matt Read (PHI)
Brandon Bollig (SJ)
Troy Grosenick (SJ)
Brandon Mashinter (SJ)
Jordan Binnington (STL)
Cory Conacher (TB)
Colin Greening (TOR)
Vincent LoVerde (TOR)
Chris Mueller (TOR)
Kerby Rychel (TOR)
Ben Smith (TOR)
Garret Sparks (TOR)
Andrey Pedan (VAN)
Teemu Pulkkinen (VGK)
Anthony Peluso (WSH)
J.C. Lipon (WPG)

Training Camp Cuts: 10/02/17

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Training camp is over for all the clubs around the NHL, and the season begins on Wednesday. By tomorrow evening, all teams must submit their cap-compliant 23-man roster, meaning there will be several cuts today. We’ll keep track of them all right here, as teams try to slip players through waivers or send them back to junior and European clubs.

Anaheim Ducks

F Giovanni Fiore – San Diego (AHL)
F Kalle Kossila – San Diego (AHL)
F Scott Sabourin – San Diego (AHL)
D Jacob Larsson – San Diego (AHL)

Boston Bruins

F Jordan Szwarz – Providence (AHL)
F Tommy Cross – Providence (AHL)
F Jakub Zboril – Providence (AHL)
F Peter Cehlarik – Providence (AHL)
F Danton Heinen – Providence (AHL)
F Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson – Providence (AHL)
F Teddy Purcell – Released from PTO
G Malcolm Subban – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Calgary Flames

D Rasmus Andersson – Stockton (AHL)
G Jon Gillies – Stockton (AHL)
F Luke Gazdic – Waivers for purpose of assignment
F Garnet Hathaway – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Carolina Hurricanes

F Lucas Wallmark – Charlotte (AHL)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Chicago Blachawks

F Vinnie Hinostroza – Rockford (AHL)
F Jordin Tootoo – Waivers for purpose of assignment
F Tomas Jurco – Waivers for purpose of assignment
G Jean-Francois Berube – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Colorado Avalanche

F Gabriel Bourque – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Dallas Stars

F Remi Elie – Texas (AHL)
F Roope Hintz – Texas (AHL)
F Jason Dickinson – Texas (AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie – Waivers for purpose of assignment
D Patrik Nemeth – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Detroit Red Wings

D Libor Sulak – Lahti (Finland)
F Matt Lorito – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Ben Street – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Brian Lashoff – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F David Booth – Waivers for purpose of assignment
D Ryan Sproul – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Los Angeles Kings

F Brooks Laich – Released from PTO

Minnesota Wild

F Luke Kunin – Iowa (AHL)
D Ryan Murphy – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Montreal Canadiens

G Charlie Lindgren – Laval (AHL)
F Andreas Martinsen – Waivers for purpose of assignment
F Byron Froese – Waivers for purpose of assignment

New Jersey Devils

F Brian Gibbons – Waivers for purpose of assignment
D Brian Strait – Waivers for purpose of assignment

New York Islanders

F Devon Toews – Bridgeport (AHL)
F Stephen Gionta – Waivers for purpose of assignment
F Steve Bernier – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Philadelphia Flyers

F Matt Read – Waivers for purpose of assignment

San Jose Sharks

F Brandon Bollig – Waivers for purpose of assignment
F Brandon Mashinter – Waivers for purpose of assignment
G Troy Grosenick – Waivers for purpose of assignment

St. Louis Blues

F Sammy Blais – San Antonio (AHL)
D Jake Walman – Chicago (AHL)
G Jordan Binnington – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Cory Conacher – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Carl Grundstrom – Frolunda (SHL)
F Miro Aaltonen – Toronto (AHL)
F Frederik Gauthier – Toronto (AHL)
F Andreas Johnsson – Toronto (AHL)
F Kasperi Kapanen – Toronto (AHL)
F Tobias Lindberg – Toronto (AHL)
F Trevor Moore – Toronto (AHL)
F Nikita Soshnikov – Toronto (AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov – Toronto (AHL)
F Mason Marchment – Toronto (AHL)
D Travis Dermott – Toronto (AHL)
D Justin Holl – Toronto (AHL)
D Andrew Nielsen – Toronto (AHL)
D Michael Paliotta – Toronto (AHL)
D Rinat Valiev – Toronto (AHL)
G Kasimir Kaskisuo – Toronto (AHL)
F Colin Greening – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
F Chris Mueller – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
F Kerby Rychel – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
F Ben Smith – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
D Vincent LoVerde – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
G Garret Sparks – Waivers for purpose of assignment.

Vancouver Canucks

D Andrey Pedan – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Vegas Golden Knights

F Teemu Pulkkinen – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Washington Capitals

F Anthony Peluso – Waivers for purpose of assignment

Winnipeg Jets

F Jack Roslovic – Manitoba (AHL)
F Brendan Lemieux – Manitoba (AHL)
F Michael Spacek – Manitoba (AHL)
F J.C. Lipon – Waivers for purpose of assignment.

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