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Philipp Grubauer

West Notes: Grubauer, Calvert, Schmaltz, Simek

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With Jordan Binnington signing an extension and taking himself off the UFA market, Avalanche netminder Philipp Grubauer may be the top goalie that is set to hit free agency this summer.  With the season he’s having, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that the 29-year-old could be in a position to double his current $3.33MM AAV over the offseason, a price tag that Colorado may not be able to afford.  With a 1.69 GAA and a .931 SV% in 27 games this season, he’s first in the league in GAA and second in SV% so even in this market, doubling his price tag isn’t unreasonable.  For his part, Grubauer isn’t worried about his contract status:

We are so busy and my main focus lays on Vegas and stopping the puck. Everything else is going to take care of itself. If it’s now or in a week or a couple months or like after the season — I don’t think there is any rush to do that right now.

Grubauer is one of several key Avalanche players in need of a new contract for next season, joining wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad (UFA) plus defenseman Cale Makar (RFA).  With more than $56MM in commitments for next season already per CapFriendly, they won’t be able to afford to keep them all.

More from the West:

  • Still with the Avalanche, winger Matt Calvert is now listed as week-to-week, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 31-year-old missed Thursday’s victory over Vegas with an undisclosed injury, the latest issue in a season that has seen him miss time to two separate upper-body issues.  Another pending UFA, Calvert has just three assists in 18 games this season and won’t be able to command anywhere near his current $2.85MM AAV on the open market.
  • The Department of Player Safety announced that Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz has been fined the maximum $5,000 for a boarding incident partway through the third period on Sharks defenseman Radim Simek. Meanwhile, Simek is questionable to play in tonight’s rematch as a result of the hit, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News.

Snapshots: Yandle, Podkolzin, Cizikas, Grubauer

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While no decisions have been made yet or will be made in the coming weeks, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville split his roster in practice, with the core of the team on one side and the fringe players on the other. One notable name on the wrong side of the ice was veteran defenseman Keith Yandle, who was working with the fringe players, according to FloridaHockeyNow’s George Richards.

Quenneville said those groups can change throughout this week, but he said he wants to see some of the team’s younger defensemen for a while. While it might be easy to dismiss a move like this, the team is trying to develop a better defense-first attitude, something that the highly-paid Yandle can struggle with at times. The 34-year-old blueliner still has three years remaining on his contract at $6.35MM per season, meaning there is a chance that Yandle may sit from time to time this season. Yandle’s playing time dropped last season under Quenneville after years of averaging more than 20 minutes. He averaged 19:42, almost three minutes less than the previous year.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out that this is worth keeping an eye on, especially since he is currently the top active player in the league in consecutive games with 866 and is fourth all-time.

  • The Vancouver Canucks are expected to sign and begin playing 2019 first-round pick Vasili Podkolzin later this season after his contract with KHL’s SKA-St. Petersburg expires on April 30. Of course after being a healthy scratch by SKA Saturday, rumors began that the 19-year-old Russian could be heading to Vancouver sooner than later. However, TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that there is no truth to the rumor. According to his sources, the plan remains to leave the forward with SKA for the remainder of the season.
  • Despite an injury prone season last year, New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas was hoping for a healthy season in 2021. Cizikas missed time with a left leg laceration and then suffered a detached retina in the postseason bubble last season. However injuries keep hitting the fourth-line forward. Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that Cizikas went down Sunday in a team scrimmage. Linemate Matt Martin and Cizikas sandwiched defenseman Thomas Hickey along the boards during the scrimmage and Cizikas went down in pain. He was attended to on the ice, then on the bench and taken into the locker room after the game. “He’s getting checked out,” coach Barry Trotz said. “The first indication may be more positive than negative. But I don’t have a firm update.”
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said he expects goaltender Philipp Grubauer to be the team’s starting goaltender entering the season and expects him and Pavel Francouz to split games 60/40, according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Bednar is confident that Grubauer, who missed the first three days of camp, will be ready for opening night.

Injury Notes: Patrick, Dallas, Colorado, Marchand

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The Philadelphia Flyers had a welcome face join them for the first on-ice session of training camp today. Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played an NHL game since April of 2019, was present and taking part in practice. In fact, he’s even cleared for contact and says he’s feeling better every day as he recovers from the migraine issues that kept him off the ice for so long.

Patrick, the second overall pick from 2017, is still just 22 and could be a big part of the Flyers lineup this season should his health hold. Without any leverage in negotiations, he accepted a one-year contract at his qualifying offer salary of $874,125. Even if he never becomes the top-line center they hoped for, Philadelphia can still certainly use a bargain in the middle-six.

  • The Dallas Stars were without two postseason standouts as camp opened, announcing that Anton Khudobin is still dealing with some immigration issues and Joe Pavelski is listed as day-to-day pending further examination results on an undisclosed injury. Remember, with such a short training camp this year every day is even more important, meaning there may be some extra rust to shake off for Dallas early on.
  • Speaking of missing important time, five Colorado Avalanche players were deemed “unfit to play” today and head coach Jared Bednar wasn’t sure when they would be back. Gabriel Landeskog, Brandon Saad, Erik Johnson, Philipp Grubauer, and Keaton Middelton (AHL contract) were all held out, though the exact reasoning was not given. The first four are obviously extremely important to the Colorado lineup, so hopefully they can get back on the ice before long.
  • While David Pastrnak wasn’t on the ice and will still miss the first part of the regular season, the Boston Bruins had Brad Marchand out there in his familiar place next to Patrice Bergeron. Marchand is coming back from sports hernia surgery in September and explained today that he had been dealing with the injury for the last two and a half years. The veteran forward also spoke about Kevan Miller’s return to the ice with the Bruins, calling him an “animal” and saying that he hasn’t missed a beat. Miller last played an NHL game in April of 2019 and has had multiple major surgeries in the interim. He signed a new one-year, bonus-laden deal with the Bruins in October.

GM Quotes: Sakic, Rutherford, Benning

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Although many will blame goaltending performance for the Colorado Avalanche loss in the Western Conference semifinals, GM Joe Sakic is not so quick to blame his netminders, Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. Both goaltenders were injured in the seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, leaving Michael Hutchinson to fend for himself. Grubauer also missed time due to injury in the regular season and many felt his play was affected. Overall, the pair played well this year and both are signed through at least next season at a valuable rate. While many have speculated, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, that the club could still use their considerable cap space to bring in a new starting goalie for next year, Sakic says otherwise. Speaking with Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Sakic offered support for his tandem and stated that he does not plan to bring in another keeper for next season:

They both had good years. Unfortunately, they both got hurt at the wrong time, but neither of those injuries are injuries you have to worry about. Train hard in the summer and make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t predict injuries, but no, they both had good stretches and we expect that next year.

Sakic revealed that Francouz was already dealing with an injury when he replaced the injured Grubauer in the postseason and tried to battle through the pain as long as he could. Fortunately, he stated that both goalies – and in fact all injured Avs – are expected to be back at full strength for next season. As a result, Sakic does not anticipate chasing a new goalie on the free agent or trade markets, as he is content with his duo’s performance, blaming only the poor timing of their injuries.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford made yet another major trade on Friday, his second already since his team was eliminated in the qualifying round, when he dealt Nick Bjugstad to the Minnesota Wild in a salary cap dump. Talking to The Athletic’s Josh Yohe about a deal that on paper seemed to net Pittsburgh little in return – a conditional seventh-round pick and only half of Bjugstad’s 2020-21 cap hit ($2.05MM) – Rutherford made it clear that he is simply doing what he can to create enough cap space as to allow the Penguins to be active in free agency:

Well, I’d really like to be able to get there, to be at the point where we can do something in free agency, but we aren’t there yet… I want to be able to be active on that day, but it’s going to be difficult to get to that point… You’ve got to realize that teams don’t know how much money they’ll be making next season and moving forward. Plus, teams all thought the salary cap for next season was going to be anywhere between $3 million and $6 million higher than what it is. So, everyone is in a pretty difficult situation, and that includes us… First things first, we need to get to a point where we are comfortable that we’ll be compliant with the cap. We’ll see what happens between then and now.

  • If there has been any one theme to Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning’s comments all season long, it has been that he would like to keep as many of his current players on the team as possible, including his pending unrestricted free agents. While much of that focus has been on a trio of top players in Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli, Benning has thrown his support behind role players as well. The latest name that Benning hopes to squeeze back on the roster next season is Josh Leivo, who lost much of his season to a fractured knee cap but was working his way back into game shape when the Canucks were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals. Benning knows what Leivo can do when healthy and in an interview with TSN Radio 1040 he stated that he hopes to give him another chance in Vancouver:

He played well for us. We haven’t ruled out re-signing him… He’s a big body, shoots the puck well, is a smart player… His rehab has gone well… he’ll be ready to play next year for us.

Snapshots: Colorado, Gaudreau, Bjorkqvist

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without both Philipp Grubauer and Erik Johnson for the next while, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the pair would be out “indefinitely.” Luckily they have Pavel Francouz to step into the net and takeover, as he did so many times this season. The 30-year old undrafted goaltender put up a .923 save percentage in 34 appearances for the Avalanche this season, his first full year in the NHL.

On defense, it will be Kevin Connauton inserted into Johnson’s spot. The veteran NHL defenseman has plenty of experience in the regular season, but hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2014. You can bet the Avalanche won’t be leaning as heavily on Connauton as they did on Johnson, who had been averaging over 19 minutes this postseason.

  • When the Calgary Flames collapsed and allowed seven straight goals to the Dallas Stars in an elimination game, many fans called for the team to be blown up. Johnny Gaudreau was the target of much of the frustration, with Eric Francis of Sportsnet even calling him a “likely trade candidate” after he struggled to produce any even-strength offense in the playoffs once again. For what it’s worth, Gaudreau told reporters today including Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia that he loves playing in Calgary and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Flames. He even directly addressed the rumors that have always swirled about his desire to return to the east coast (Gaudreau is from New Jersey and attended Boston College), saying he is “really comfortable” in Calgary, a place that is “special” to him and his family.
  • Kasper Bjorkqvist has played just six games at the minor league level, but he won’t be playing another for a while. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect been loaned to KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga for the 2020-21 season. Bjorkqvist, a 2016 second-round pick, played three years at Providence College before signing his entry-level deal in 2019. He played just six games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before injuring his knee and requiring surgery, ending his 2019-20 season.

Snapshots: Crawford, Toffoli, Myers, Grubauer, Ritchie

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When Stan Bowman addressed the media Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks general manager made it quite clear he wasn’t going to comment on the team’s plans regarding their goaltending situation and in particular, longtime goaltender Corey Crawford.

Crawford, who hits unrestricted free agency at the age of 35, finds himself in a unique position. He could choose to stay or go, but no matter what, he isn’t likely to meet his 2019-20 salary of $6MM. While Bowman didn’t want to comment on what the teams plans are regarding their goaltending, he did remark that some players might be willing to take a home-town discount to stay with the team. Obviously, Chicago hopes that Crawford might be willing to accept that, according to John Dietz of the Daily Herald.

“It’s fair to say that there is a value to a situation where you’ve been around, not just the city, but coaching staff, players, the whole (thing),” Bowman said. “You’ve lived this. You also have time outside that you’re going to have to experience in a new city. Some people may look at moving as an adventure. Others, it’s daunting. I don’t try to figure that out. That’s something players will have to decide on their own.”

The team hopes to make an even bigger mark in the playoffs next year, but really don’t have a starting caliber goaltender under contract for next year unless they can convince Crawford to re-sign with the team. He finished the season with a 2.77 GAA and a solid .917 save percentage in 40 appearances during the regular season. His numbers weren’t as solid in the playoffs as he finished with a 3.31 GAA and a .907 save percentage.

  • The Vancouver Canucks will have to go without one of their top scorers for another game as Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy reports that Tyler Toffoli will be out for Game 1 against the Golden Knights Sunday with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old has only made one playoff appearance so far this postseason. He did tally six goals and 10 points in 10 games after being acquired by the Canucks. TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that both Toffoli and defenseman Tyler Myers (also out Sunday) are both getting closer to being ready. However, TSN’s Matthew Sekeres reports that Myers will likely need at least a week before being able to return with a Game 3 or 4 return potentially possible.
  • The Colorado Avalanche will be without a few players for Game 2 of the conference semifinals, according to head coach Jared Bednar. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports that the team will be without goaltender Philipp Grubauer for Game 2 as Pavel Francouz will take over as the starter with Michael Hutchinson as his backup. The team is trying to bring in Hunter Miska into the bubble in Edmonton to serve as the team’s third goalie. Bednar also noted that defenseman Erik Johnson is probably out, while Matt Calvert is questionable to play.
  • With the Tampa Bay Lightning having more size and strength on its side, NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty reports that the Boston Bruins intend to start forward Nick Ritchie to their lineup to add some size of its own. He will likely fill in on the third line, dropping Sean Kuraly to the fourth line. Par Lindholm is expected to drop out of the lineup. The 24-year-old Ritchie does provide some size as he is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and should make a physical difference against the Lightning. However, he hasn’t found the scoreboard yet with no points in four playoff games this year.

Minor Transactions: 12/10/19

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The NHL already saw a coach fired for unprofessional conduct this morning and now prepares for a busy evening with 12 games on the schedule. There’s no slowing down as we head into the middle of December. As teams prepare for all the action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • Mason Appleton has been reassigned by the Winnipeg Jets as they get set to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight. The 23-year old forward has played in nine games for the team, but will now return to the AHL where he spent much of the last two seasons.
  • With Nico Hischier still sick, he has been placed on injured reserve in order to recall Michael McLeod from the minor leagues. The New Jersey Devils’ center’s designation is retroactive to December 5th, meaning he can come off as soon as he’s healthy enough to return.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have returned Adam Werner to the minor leagues, meaning Philipp Grubauer must be healthy enough to return to action. The Avalanche relied on Werner earlier this season as an emergency fill-in, but his place is in the AHL at this point in his career.
  • Just like most of the other days this season, Cory Conacher has been flipped by the Tampa Bay Lightning–this time to the AHL. Conacher has been bounced back and forth all year, but this move is a little more interesting thanks to the presence of Mitchell Stephens. After making his debut last night, Stephens will stay on the roster for the time being.
  • Speaking of debuts, the Calgary Flames have recalled Matthew Phillips from the minor leagues and will insert him into the lineup tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Phillips is one of the AHL’s most dynamic offensive weapons this season, but stands just 5’8″ 160-lbs.

Philipp Grubauer Activated From Injured Reserve

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Not only did the Colorado Avalanche send Adam Werner back to the minor leagues yesterday, but now Antoine Bibeau has joined him heading back to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. That’s because Philipp Grubauer has been activated from injured reserve and Pavel Francouz is also set to dress again for the team.

The Avalanche were forced to use Werner and Bibeau for three games when they lost both NHL goaltenders suddenly, and the pair got two wins for the club. Werner’s came in a 40-save shutout when he took over for Francouz early against the Winnipeg Jets, while Bibeau took home a victory over the weekend against the Vancouver Canucks. The fact that the Avalanche were able to win two tough Western Conference matchups with minor league goaltending and two-thirds of their top line out shows just how dangerous they are this year.

Now, they’ll get their regular tandem back for the next stretch of games and try to keep pace with the surging St. Louis Blues atop the Central Division. Colorado takes on the Flames tonight and Grubauer is expected to start. He is 6-3-2 this season with a .915 save percentage in 11 outings.

Western Notes: Brodie, Faulk, Grubauer, Prout

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Doctors are still trying to find the cause for Calgary Flames defenseman T.J. Brodie’s collapse during practice Thursday at the Saddledome, and while there still is no answer, according to Calgary Sun’s Wes Gilbertson, many of the worst-case scenarios have already been ruled out.

“All tests that have been done to date have come back negative,” said Calgary general manager Brad Treliving. “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned in terms of the tests we go through, and there is no set timetable for TJ’s return. We’ll just go through the process and check every box and make sure we administer every test. But there is good news in that he has come through everything thus far and is doing well, feeling good and is on the mend.”

He will remain out for the time being until the team has a better understanding on why he collapsed.

  • In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) suggests that it’s far too early to look at the disappointing numbers of St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk and suggest his acquisition was a mistake. Rutherford admits that his numbers are down from his numbers when he played for the Carolina Hurricanes, however he needs time to adjust to new teammates and a Craig Berube’s new system. “He’s been fine,” Berube said Thursday. “It takes time for a guy that’s been one place his whole career and he’s moved. It’s not going to happen overnight. We’ve got to be patient and I think we have been patient. He’s played pretty well, though. He doesn’t have a goal, but he’s been shooting the puck. One or two will go in and that will change things.”
  • With two minor league goaltenders on their roster, The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark reports that goaltender Philipp Grubauer is progressing by the day. Grubauer practiced once again, but the scribe reports that this was the first practice that saw him play at full strength. Head coach Jared Bednar also noted that backup Pavel Francouz remains in concussion protocol, although the goalie claims he’s feeling better. Clark also adds that forward Tyson Jost remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
  • Despite returning and appearing in two games with the San Jose Sharks, the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka reports that defenseman Dalton Prout is out again with an upper-body injury and no timeline has been set for when he might return. Prout appeared in two games, going scoreless, but adding seven penalty minutes, while adding a much needed veteran presence at the bottom of their defensive lineup.

 

Colorado Avalanche Facing Tricky Goaltending Situation

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4:42pm: Well, that was fast. The Avalanche have recalled Bibeau from the AHL, though it is not clear if he could actually play for the team if they needed him. He last played for the Eagles on October 4th.

4:33pm: The Colorado Avalanche got an outstanding performance from Adam Werner in his first NHL appearance last night, stopping all 40 shots in a shutout of the Winnipeg Jets. Werner had been called up to serve as a backup goaltender for Colorado, but ended up in the net when Pavel Francouz suffered an injury just 31 seconds into the game. Philipp Grubauer, the team’s regular starter was already missing the game due to an injury of his own.

Though details on Francouz’ injury are few, Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now has heard that the team will recall another goaltender. Who that might be is a bit of a mystery however, as the only other goaltender under an NHL contract in the organization is Antoine Bibeau, who is dealing with his own injury and has played just a single game for the Colorado Eagles this season.

Grubauer is nearing a return, but if he and Francouz both aren’t ready to go tomorrow night it poses a problem for the Avalanche. Either they can dress one of their injured goaltenders with no intent of playing him, giving the net to Werner regardless of what happens, or find another way of getting an NHL goalie on the roster in time. That could either be through trade or a free agent signing, including potentially extending an NHL contract to Hunter Miska, the other Eagles’ goaltender. Miska is currently on an AHL deal, signed after the Arizona Coyotes did not issue him a qualifying offer this summer.

The team did send Logan O’Connor down to the AHL today, opening up another roster spot. They could also place Francouz on injured reserve, but Grubauer would need to be activated in order to dress, even if there was no intent to put him in the game.

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