P.K. Subban

Jacob Panetta Suspended Rest Of ECHL Season, Released By Jacksonville

January 27, 2022 at 11:30 am CDT | by Zach Leach 24 Comments

Jan 27: Panetta has been suspended for the remainder of the ECHL season, which amounts to 38 games. Commissioner Ryan Crelin released the following statement:

Insensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our game. We all need to learn and grow from this incident, and remain steadfast to further educating and advancing our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our league.

Panetta will have a conditional opportunity to apply for reduction of the suspension and reinstatement after March 17, 2022, pending successful completion of a learning experience conducted in conjunction with the NHL’s Player Inclusion Committee.

Jan 23: The ECHL has announced an indefinite suspension for Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta in response to racist gestures made toward South Carolina Stingrays counterpart Jordan Subban on Saturday. The final determination of Panetta’s suspension will be made following a hearing in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Panetta will find it hard to defend his racist actions in last night’s game, which were clearly caught on camera during overtime of the ECHL contest. The video was then shared all over the internet, most notably by the eldest Subban, NHL star P.K. Subban.

The AHL just recently suspended San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik for 30 games for racist actions, though it took more than a week to make that decision. The ECHL wasted no time in taking Panetta off the ice.

Panetta is in his second pro season, both with Jacksonville, after four years at Colgate University. Subban is a former NHL prospect, drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the fourth round of the 2013 Draft. He last played on an NHL contract in 2018-19 and is in his first season playing primarily in the ECHL.

The Jacksonville Icemen, after initially stating this morning that the team would wait to take any action until a league review had concluded, announced they’ve released Panetta. Team CEO Andy Kaufmann, in the statement, pledged to “continue [their] mission of sharing our love of community and hockey.”

Why The 2022 Trade Deadline Could Be A Seller’s Market

January 3, 2022 at 8:55 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 9 Comments

The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is not exactly imminent. The delayed March 21 date this season is 11 weeks away and a lot can change in that amount of time. However, the end of the holiday trade freeze is the unofficial start to trade season leading up to the deadline. In the first few months of the season there have been ten trades completed, but outside of the Jack Eichel deal there have been very few moves of any substance. That may not change any time soon either.

An active trade deadline requires there to be identifiable buyers and sellers and they must be willing and able to deal. Buyers should not be an issue this season; the eight teams currently in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference may be locked in, as nearly 100 percentage points separate the eighth and ninth team in the conference standings, while the Western Conference includes 13 teams with .500+ records. Therein begins the sellers problem though. Only three teams out west look like potential sellers right now, while there could be more teams willing to sell in the east but many are in a rebuild and don’t have much to offer, while others are merely lacking impact rentals. There are also a number of fringe teams that probably should be sellers, but are close enough to a playoff berth that would mean so much to their players and fan base that they may hold out.

The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek notes another wrinkle that could limit sellers: five teams are currently operating with an interim GM. The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks have hired new heads of their respective front offices in Jeff Gorton and Jim Rutherford, but neither has in turn hired his GM yet and seem unlikely to make major moves independently. This could take Gorton’s Canadiens, one of the most obvious sellers on paper, off the market. Rutherford’s Canucks hope to be in the playoff race, but he has already vowed that the team will either sell or stand pat this season and the longer it takes to hire a GM, the more likely it will be the latter. The Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks are all operating with temporary GMs, all of whom have limited experience. Chicago and Anaheim fired their most recent GMs and have internal replacements for the time being, while San Jose GM Doug Wilson is currently away from the team for medical reasons. As Duhatschek points out, the likes of Kyle Davidson, Jeff Solomon, and Joe Will are not only new to the GM position, but lack the relationships around the league to make impact moves. So while the Blackhawks look like bona fide sellers and the Sharks and possibly the Ducks could get to that point, will they actually be willing to make trades?

The Seattle Kraken also fall into a category all their own. The NHL’s newest team was just put together in its entirety this off-season. Although they struggled mightily all season and do possess a number of expiring contracts, it remains to be seen if GM Ron Francis is ready to blow it up.

On top of all of this, the rental market among potential sellers is not strong. Of the top 20 impending UFA’s in per-game scoring this season, zero are on teams with sub-.500 records and just three are on teams not currently in a playoff spot. Expand that to the top 50, and only ten players are on sub-.500 teams: Phil Kessel, Travis Boyd, and Johan Larsson for Arizona, Vinnie Hinostroza for Buffalo, Chris Wideman for Montreal, P.K. Subban for New Jersey, Tyler Ennis for Ottawa, and Calle Jarnkrok, Colin Blackwell, and Mark Giordano for Seattle. Even if valuable defensemen like Ben Chiarot and Colin Miller or even a future Hall of Fame goaltender like Marc-Andre Fleury are considered, it’s not exactly an inspiring list for teams adding at the deadline. More importantly, it’s a short list for a potentially large group of buyers.

For those teams looking to make a meaningful trade this season, the conundrum is when to make a move. On one hand, with a small group of exciting targets it may be beneficial to make a trade early and possibly avoid the high prices of deadline bidding wars. On the other hand, the pool of sellers could also expand closer to the deadline and prices could drop if there is a flood of supply to meet the demand. Until that happens though – if it even does – there will be few moves to make early on and quite possibly right up to the deadline. Serious contenders should be prepared to pay up or sit tight this season.

Devils Remove Five From COVID Protocol, Add Two Others

December 29, 2021 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Dec 29: Jimmy Vesey has joined Tatar and Gillies in the protocol. The Devils have recalled Jesper Boqvist and Marian Studenic from the taxi squad to fill the empty roster spots.

Dec 26: The Devils got some good news and bad news on the COVID front as they returned from the holiday break. The team announced that winger Tomas Tatar and goaltender Jon Gillies have been placed in protocols but they were able to activate centers Nico Hischier and Jesper Boqvist plus defensemen Ryan Graves, P.K. Subban, and Christian Jaros from the COVID list. Tatar and Gillies will be out for the next ten days.

Tatar is in his first season with New Jersey after signing a two-year deal with them in the offseason and is off to a quiet start offensively with just six goals in 30 games although his possession stats are once again well above the league average which was also the case when he played with Montreal previously. Meanwhile, Gillies was just acquired from St. Louis to give them another option between the pipes with both Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier injured. Fortunately for the Devils, Blackwood has returned to practice and should be ready to play soon.

As for those returning, Hischier sits second on the Devils in assists with 13 in 25 games although his three goals are underwhelming for the 2017 first-overall pick. Boqvist has been up and down with the team this season and has suited up in eight NHL contests so far. They’ll get a nice boost on their back end with the returns of Graves and Subban who sit third and fifth respectively in ATOI among New Jersey blueliners while Jaros has had a very limited reserve role.

New Jersey is set to play against Buffalo on Wednesday in their first game back from the break barring any further changes or postponements.

No Supplemental Discipline For P.K. Subban, Marcus Foligno

December 5, 2021 at 1:19 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 17 Comments

Despite considerable media attention paid to both situations, New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno will not receive any discipline from recent altercations. The NHL Department of Player Safety has reviewed each scenario and determined that neither rises to the level of a suspension or fine.

In the case of Foligno, this appears to be a perfectly appropriate decision. The incident in question occurred on Saturday night as the Wild took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just as Foligno had jumped off for a change, a scrum ensued right in front of the Minnesota bench. Foligno got back on the ice to engage with the Leafs’ Wayne Simmonds. Typically, leaving the bench in this scenario would be a an automatic ten-game suspension, one of the NHL’s most harsh penalties. However, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports, the league did not consider this to be a case of Foligno leaving the bench, as no one had yet replaced him on the ice. Kirill Kaprizov was supposed to sub in for Foligno, but given the budding altercation in front of him smartly stayed put, which allowed Foligno, who was still straddling the boards, to legally get back on the ice. The Wild just narrowly avoided losing one of their veteran leaders for an extended period of time.

As for Subban, the lack of retribution from the league continues to be a strange phenomenon. Subban appeared to slew foot the Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers on Friday night, though it was not called on the ice. The general understanding in this scenario is that the incident does not meet the league’s textbook definition of “slew foot”. Call what you will, but this shockingly marks his fourth dangerous trip this season. Yet, the veteran defenseman had not received any punishment and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that this will continue with this latest incident. It remains a mystery how Subban continues to get off scot-free with obvious slew foots, especially when the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand recently received a three-game suspension for a slew foot that received no attention from the officials nor the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Seravalli states that extra attention is being paid by the league to both Subban and slew foots, yet it made no difference yet again.

P.K. Subban Fined $15,000 For Tripping

November 3, 2021 at 1:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 9 Comments

1:55pm: It appears as though Subban has avoided suspension once again. The DoPS has issued a $15,000 fine for tripping, the maximum allowable under the CBA for this additional incident.

12:15pm: At least twice already this season, P.K. Subban has been involved in tripping incidents that had fans clamoring for a suspension. The first was in the preseason, when Subban appeared to slew foot New York Rangers forward Ryan Reaves, causing an injury. The second came in the regular season against the Calgary Flames’ Milan Lucic, which earned Subban a maximum fine.

Now, Subban appears to be receiving a more serious penalty. The Department of Player Safety has announced that the New Jersey Devils defenseman will have a hearing today for tripping Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks. It is not clear exactly when the trip happened in last night’s game, but Subban was not given any penalties in his nearly 22 minutes of action. Corey Masisak of The Athletic believes it was a collision early in the first period, in which Subban again appears to slew foot a player in the corner.

At the time of his fine, Subban’s coach Lindy Ruff explained that it was “not acceptable” and that the team wouldn’t put up with it. Given that a hearing is taking place, it appears as though the league won’t put up with it any longer either.

P.K. Subban Fined For Dangerous Trip

October 27, 2021 at 9:56 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban has avoided suspension for his trip on Calgary Flames forward Milan Lucic last night, earning a $5,000 fine instead. That’s the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA, given the Department of Player Safety deemed the incident not suspendable.

Partway through the first period, as Subban was approaching Lucic in the corner, he appeared to stick out his left leg and slew foot the Flames forward. It caused Lucic to fall dangerously backward, though he did not suffer a serious injury on the play. The call from many fans for Subban to be suspended comes from his history in these events, including an eerily similar play in the preseason against Ryan Reaves of the New York Rangers.

Subban, 32, is averaging fewer than 20 minutes a night for the first time in his career and played just 17:45 for the Devils on Tuesday night. He has yet to record a point through five games after scoring a career-low five goals last season. In the final season of his eight-year, $72MM contract, the 2013 Norris winner has been moved down the lineup since the arrival of Dougie Hamilton in New Jersey.

Pekka Rinne Wins 2020-21 King Clancy Memorial Trophy

June 14, 2021 at 8:26 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The NHL kicked off awards season on Monday night with the announcement of this year’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner for “leadership qualities on and off the ice” and “noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” The 2020-21 recipient is none other than well-respected veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, who beats out New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and San Jose Sharks forward Kurtis Gabriel for the honor.

A career Predator, Rinne has long been making his presence felt in the Nashville community in many ways. He has been an active member of the Best Buddies program and Make-A-Wish Foundation, has organized events for the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease, and stepped up in a major way during the COVID-19 pandemic, participating in the Predators’ “Feed the Frontline” initiative that provided meals to police and firemen and partnering with Chick-Fil-A and Dunkin Donuts to provide food to Nashville doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. However, Rinne’s greatest contribution to the community has been his leadership of the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund, raising over $3MM for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center and bringing patients and their families to Bridgestone Arena to enjoy games from the 365 Fund suite, which he personally funds in full. For all he gives to his community, Rinne remains humble:

After spending 15 years with the same organization and in the same city, and with the opportunities I’ve had through local charities in my community – this is very special to me. At the same time, I want to congratulate P.K. and Kurtis on their nomination and for everything they do for their communities. I want to thank the Predators and the Predators Foundation for letting us players get involved and help in our community. I also want to recognize Shea Weber, who helped start the 365 Fund with me. This award means a lot to me and my family, and it’s a huge honor.

Predators General Manager David Poile also had plenty to say about Rinne’s deserving recognition:

I view the King Clancy Memorial Trophy as a lifetime achievement award of sorts, and Pekka winning this year is totally reflective of what he has done on the ice, but equally, if not more importantly, what he’s done off the ice in our community. For years, and for good reason, Pekka has been the face of our franchise and our most popular player. This is shown by the countless hours he’s spent working to make our community a better place and the sacrifices he’s made to make the lives of everyone around him better. Pekka is completely deserving of this honor, and our organization couldn’t be happier for him.

In honor of Rinne’s King Clancy victory, the NHL will donate $25,000 to the 365 Fund, an amount that the Predators have also promised to match. For more on Rinne’s contributions, the Predators provided this great video tribute to his work with kids. An impending free agent nearing the end of his career, if this is the last of Rinne in the NHL, it is a fitting sendoff for the star goalie.

2020-21 King Clancy Trophy Finalists Announced

June 4, 2021 at 10:30 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 9 Comments

The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2021 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team nominated one player for the award, but the finalists are Kurtis Gabriel of the San Jose Sharks, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, and P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils.

The selection committee, led by Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, consider the following criteria:

Clear and measurable positive impact on the community
Investment of time and resources
Commitment to a particular cause or community
Commitment to the League’s community initiatives
Creativity of programming
Use of influence; engagement of others

2021 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

May 18, 2021 at 11:05 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Charlie Coyle

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Mikael Backlund

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Connor Murphy

Colorado: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Esa Lindell

Detroit: Dylan Larkin