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East Notes: Stamkos, Olofsson, Mayfield

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Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos will likely miss his second straight game Tuesday with a lower-body injury as he did not take line rushes with the team at morning skate, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays. It’s another significant injury blow for the Lightning, who remain without star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and depth forward Tyler Motte with longer-term injuries.

The Bolts have dropped back-to-back games against key divisional opponents and have struggled to keep the puck out of their net, although their patchwork goaltending tandem of Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins isn’t entirely to blame. The team has controlled just 41.7% of scoring chances at five-on-five play thus far and has conceded 80 shots over its last two defeats at the hands of the Red Wings and Senators. Missing Stamkos, who has two goals and two assists through two games, makes it harder for the team to outscore their problems. He’s in the final season of an eight-year, $68MM extension signed in 2016 and is one of the best pending free agents available, notably without any extension conversations to date.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference this morning:

  • Sabres winger Victor Olofsson will serve as a healthy scratch tonight against the Lightning, head coach Don Granato confirmed Tuesday morning. Tyson Jost, who’s served as a healthy scratch for their first two games of the season, will make his 2023-24 season debut. Olofsson, set to become a free agent next summer, was featured in trade talks this offseason. However, the team held onto him for scoring depth after youngster Jack Quinn sustained an Achilles injury that will keep him out until December. Olofsson is a skilled shooter who’s notched 20 goals in three out of the last four seasons, but his defensive impacts are poor, and his possession numbers are average at best, leading him to become viewed as a power-play specialist. He’s been held off the scoresheet through two contests this season and has a -2 rating, averaging 14:07 per game. 22-year-old Peyton Krebs is projected to fill Olofsson’s vacated spot in the top six, while Jost will slide in at fourth-line center to fill Krebs’ previous role.
  • Islanders head coach Lane Lambert told reporters that defenseman Scott Mayfield is officially out for Tuesday’s contest against the Coyotes. The veteran shutdown man is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot late in last Saturday’s win against the Sabres and did not practice yesterday due to swelling in his leg. Lambert confirmed Samuel Bolduc would replace Mayfield in the lineup and make his season debut. The 2019 second-round pick skated in 17 contests with the Islanders last season, recording two goals and an assist.

Metropolitan Notes: Couturier, Lindgren Brothers, Nosek, Mayfield

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Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier has been off to a strong start since returning from back injuries that sidelined him for nearly two years, notching an assist and a team-high +3 rating in two contests while averaging over 20 minutes per game. However, he’s hit a hiccup in his re-acclimation to everyday play. He is “banged up” and missed practice today, although head coach John Tortorella did confirm nothing is wrong with his back.

Couturier is locking down the team’s first line with Joel Farabee on his left flank, and youngsters Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster are rotating in on his right. The Flyers likely won’t be sniffing playoff contention this season, but having the 30-year-old Couturier back in action is a huge boost development-wise for a team looking to usher in, quite literally, a new era of orange this season.

Other injury considerations around the Metro this morning:

  • Both of the Lindgren brothers are dealing with injuries, starting with New York Rangers defender Ryan Lindgren. He was a late scratch for their loss to Columbus on Saturday, and head coach Peter Laviolette said he’ll once again be a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Coyotes. The 25-year-old logged 19:50 in their season-opening win against Buffalo last week.
  • Washington Capitals backup Charlie Lindgren is also questionable, leaving practice this morning. Head coach Spencer Carbery could not confirm Lindgren’s status for tonight’s game against Calgary after he allowed four goals in the team’s season opener against Pittsburgh last Friday. He played in relief of starter Darcy Kuemper, who returns to the team tonight after welcoming a son last week.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Tomas Nosek is officially out of the lineup tonight after being absent from practice yesterday. He’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Devils reporter Amanda Stein, and Curtis Lazar is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Florida. Nosek, who’s logged 12:10 per game in two contests, is still looking for his first point as a Devil.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is day-to-day after blocking a shot late in Saturday’s win against Buffalo, says head coach Lane Lambert. Mayfield did not practice today due to swelling in his leg, and his status for Tuesday’s game against the Coyotes is uncertain. He played 16:47 in that contest, and Samuel Bolduc will make his season debut on the third pairing should Mayfield be unavailable.

Metropolitan Notes: Mayfield, Devils, Kane

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While veteran defenseman Scott Mayfield is officially set to hit the open market today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that one potential team with interest in him already believes he has agreed to terms on a new deal with the Islanders.  In recent years, GM Lou Lamoriello has been a proponent of not announcing contracts when they’re agreed upon, waiting until closer to training camp to make them all official.  If that is indeed the case here, we might be waiting a while to see what type of raise the 30-year-old will be getting.  Mayfield is rated 17th on our Top 50 UFA list following a career year that saw him collect 24 points while logging over 21 minutes a night for the first time.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • While the Devils have shown some interest in trading for Connor Hellebuyck, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests (Twitter link) that they’ll go a different route. Instead of trading for him, he expects New Jersey to target a goalie that is set to play closer to 30-35 games, one that will cost a lot less on their books.  In that scenario, Vitek Vanecek would remain the starter while Akira Schmid, who took over as the starter during the playoffs, would likely return to AHL Utica to start next season; he still is waiver-exempt.  Alternatively, if they don’t find the right free agent fit, they can run with the tandem they currently have, one that would be among the cheapest in the NHL at just over $4.25MM combined.
  • While the Rangers found a way to make the money work to acquire Patrick Kane at the deadline, it doesn’t appear like that will be happening again this summer. The veteran’s agent Pat Brisson confirmed to Larry Brooks of the New York Post that there have been no discussions between the two sides about a contract for next season.  Kane, who is currently recovering from hip-resurfacing surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for at least the start of 2023-24, doesn’t appear to be a candidate to sign early in free agency and is instead expected to wait things out and see how things go with his recovery.

Metro Notes: Pacioretty, Mayfield, Penguins

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It seems that unrestricted free agent forward Max Pacioretty is generating substantial interest on the open market after back-to-back instances of a ruptured Achilles tendon within months of each other. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports Friday the Carolina Hurricanes, for whom Pacioretty played only five games in the 2022-23 season due to the ruptures, have granted him permission to explore early negotiations elsewhere before the market opens tomorrow.

The likelihood of re-injury has certainly diminished his chances of earning a lot of cash on his next deal, especially considering a much longer injury history that predates his Achilles issues. But when healthy, the 34-year-old left wing is still a threat for 25 to 30 goals in a season and can handle top-six minutes. He did light the lamp three times in his abbreviated stint with Carolina and has shot above 10% in every season since 2018. We predicted Pacioretty to receive a one-year, $2MM bonus-laden deal on our list of this summer’s top 50 UFAs, although it seems it won’t be with his former club.

More from the Metropolitan Division today:

  • As the Saturday deadline looms, the New York Islanders are actively negotiating with defenseman Scott Mayfield’s representatives in an effort to secure a contract extension before he becomes a UFA, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic says. Mayfield, who recorded a career-high 24 points this season, is likely to earn a significant raise on his current $1.45MM cap hit. Now 30, the 6-foot-5 Mayfield is still a very effective two-way defender who doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, also incurring a career-high 83 penalty minutes in 2022-23.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins and goaltender Tristan Jarry have shown mutual interest in reaching a new deal before 11 am CT tomorrow, but the term of the deal is a point of contention, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi says. Jarry carries his flaws as a long-term starter, especially when it comes to the injury department, but he’ll be the best goalie available if he does hit the market tomorrow. He’s posted 20 wins in four straight seasons and averaged a .915 save percentage over that timeframe, numbers certainly reflective of a starting-caliber netminder.
  • In a related development, Rossi says there are strong indications that the Penguins are close to securing a contract extension with forward Jake Guentzel. Don’t expect it to be announced soon, though, as both Guentzel and interim general manager Kyle Dubas recognize the Penguins have much more pressing offseason matters to handle, such as Jarry’s potential extension. Guentzel, a bonafide top-line winger, has averaged over a point per game over the past five seasons and would have been one of the top wingers available on the UFA market in 2024.

Islanders Notes: Bailey, Coaching Staff, Free Agents, Injury Updates

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Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello met with the media today (video link) and provided updates on several things while also confirming that he is under contract, though he declined to state for how long.  Here are some of the updates from his presser.

  • Speaking about veteran winger Josh Bailey, Lamoriello indicated that “In Josh’s case, it looks like, maybe it’s near the end here.” The 33-year-old had a rough showing this season, notching just eight goals and 17 assists in 64 games, resulting in him being a healthy scratch at times.  Bailey still has one year left on his contract with a $5MM AAV, one that would require New York to provide an incentive for another team to take on.  A buyout, meanwhile, would save around $2.33MM on the cap for next season while adding $1.167MM in dead space for 2024-25.
  • Lamoriello also confirmed that head coach Lane Lambert would be back for his second season behind the bench. The team was eliminated in the first round by Carolina and didn’t take as big of a step forward offensively as expected; the team scored just 12 more goals than they did under the defensive-minded Barry Trotz.  However, Lamoriello wouldn’t confirm that the full coaching staff would be back for next year, stating “that’s not something that I can assert to at this point”.  John MacLean and Doug Houda were the lead assistants this season for the Isles.
  • Lamoriello indicated that he’d like to re-sign pending UFA defenseman Scott Mayfield, goaltender Semyon Varlamov, and forward Pierre Engvall. Mayfield has become a steady top-four blueliner and should more than double the $1.45MM AAV from his expiring deal.  Varlamov played in just 23 games this season, his fewest games played total since getting a brief stint in his rookie year in 2008-09.  He’s coming off a $5MM contract and will be facing a likely cut in pay, especially if he wants to remain in New York.  Engvall, meanwhile, came over at the trade deadline from Toronto and picked up nine points in 18 games following the swap.  He’s coming off a $2.25MM contract and should be in line for more than that on the open market.  With the Islanders having a little over $5MM in cap space per CapFriendly, they have some work to do if they want to bring those three back.
  • As for Zach Parise, another pending UFA, Lamoriello mentioned he’d also like to bring him back but the veteran first needs to decide if he’s going to play again next season. The 38-year-old had a productive year with 21 goals but after 18 NHL seasons, it’s certainly possible that he decides to call it a career.
  • Lamoriello also noted that winger Oliver Wahlstrom has resumed skating as he works his way back from an ACL injury back in late December. He, along with Alexander Romanov (shoulder surgery), are both set to be ready in time for training camp.

Snapshots: Mayfield, Rodrigues, Barkov

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Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has been one of the better bargains in the league in recent seasons.  A bit of a late bloomer, he opted to take a five-year deal with a cap hit of just $1.45MM, giving him some much-desired stability in the process.  Since then, the 30-year-old has become an important part of their top four, logging nearly 20 minutes a night in a shutdown role.  A pending UFA, Mayfield is now well-positioned to potentially more than double that price tag on his next deal and he made it clear to Newsday’s Andrew Gross that his desire is to remain with New York.  The Isles already have over $73MM in commitments for next season per CapFriendly with a handful of roster spots to fill so they should have enough cap room to keep him in the fold unless GM Lou Lamoriello decides to shake things up next summer.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Avalanche forward Evan Rodrigues is officially listed as week to week but is expected to miss two to four weeks due to the lower-body injury sustained on Wednesday against Vancouver, relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link). The timeline won’t allow Colorado to transfer him onto LTIR to add to their pool unless the team learns that he will be out for the longer end of that timeline.  Rodrigues has been a useful addition this season as he has notched six goals and three assists through his first 18 games while spending some time both on the wing and down the middle.
  • Panthers center Aleksander Barkov is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game against St. Louis due to an illness, notes Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Florida remains in a situation where they can only afford to carry the minimum number of players on their roster so if the captain isn’t able to play, they will once again have to dress only 17 skaters tonight.

Metropolitan Notes: Staal, Capitals, Mayfield

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Back in June, Hurricanes center Jordan Staal indicated that he wasn’t interested in pursuing an early extension and that they’d look at his contract after the upcoming season.  However, it appears his stance has changed since then as the 34-year-old told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that there have been a few discussions about a new deal this summer and expressed his desire to stick around:

I want to be in the Hurricanes organization for as long as I can, and I’m sure whether it’s an extension now or they re-up me at the end of the year or if they’re done with me, it will happen.

Staal is entering his 11th season with Carolina and his fourth as team captain.  He remains one of the stronger defensive middlemen in the league and even as his ice time has dipped a bit lately, he still managed to put up 17 goals and 19 assists last season.  Those numbers won’t be enough to earn him a raise on the $6MM AAV that he currently has but a multi-year agreement at a bit of a lower rate is something that could be hashed out by both sides whether it’s in the coming days or closer to next summer.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Capitals are believed to be among the teams that have shown some interest in free agent winger Jake Virtanen, reports 630 CHED’s Bob Stauffer (audio link). The 26-year-old had his contract bought out by Vancouver last summer following accusations of sexual assault.  That went to trial and six weeks ago, he was found not guilty.  Virtanen spent last season in the KHL and has 100 points over 317 career NHL contests.  At this point, it seems likely that he’ll land a PTO or a contract near the league minimum over the coming days.
  • Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has no lingering issues from the lower-body injury that caused him to miss more than a month at the end of the season, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). Accordingly, he’ll be ready to go when training camp gets underway next week.  Mayfield has been an unheralded part of the back end for the Isles for several seasons now and he’ll likely be once again counted on to play upwards of 20 minutes per game.  Notably, the 29-year-old is entering the final season of a contract that has turned out to be a bargain at a $1.45MM AAV.

Scott Mayfield, Cal Clutterbuck Healthy For Training Camp

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Speaking with the media today, New York Islanders rookie head coach Lane Lambert said that defenseman Scott Mayfield and right wing Cal Clutterbuck are healthy and ready for training camp after missing the end of last season with injuries. Lambert mentioned that overall, he doesn’t expect any health-related absences at the beginning of camp.

Mayfield missed the last 21 games of the 2021-22 season with a lower-body injury, last playing in a March 22nd win against the Ottawa Senators. It was his fourth two-point game of the 2021-22 campaign. Clutterbuck, on the other hand, missed the last 23 games, last taking the ice in a March 19th win against Dallas. Both players otherwise remained healthy throughout the entire season, playing in 61 and 59 games respectively.

Both players are expected to reprise their roles as cornerstones at the bottom of the lineup. Mayfield will anchor the third pairing, slotting behind Ryan Pulock and Noah Dobson on the Isles’ depth chart for right-shot defensemen. The veteran defensive stalwart will partner with either the 26-year-old Sebastian Aho or youngster Robin Salo. Clutterbuck, meanwhile, is expected to once again be a part of the longest-running fourth line in the league with Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas. He had six goals, nine assists, and 15 points in 59 games last year, his highest point total in the last three seasons.

The Islanders open their preseason schedule on September 26 against the New York Rangers.

Cal Clutterbuck Out Rest Of Season

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The New York Islanders rewarded Cal Clutterbuck with a recent contract extension, something that certainly came at the right time for the veteran forward. The team announced today that Clutterbuck will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury that will require surgery. Additionally, Scott Mayfield will miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.

Clutterbuck, 34, last played on March 19, two days before the trade deadline when he inked a new two-year, $3.5MM extension that keeps him with the Islanders through the 2023-24 season. While his name had surfaced in trade speculation, it seems likely that it was never really in the cards given this injury and the timing of his extension.

Through 59 games this season, Clutterbuck has racked up six goals and 15 points, actually eclipsing the totals from each of the last two years. The last time he posted double-digit goals was 2015-16, and he hasn’t broken 25 points in a single season since he was still with the Minnesota Wild. Despite that lack of offensive output, Clutterbuck has been an important part of the smothering defensive system in New York, racking up almost countless hits in a bottom-six role. This season he sits fourth in the entire league with 229 collisions, trailing only Radko Gudas, Ryan Reaves, and Tanner Jeannot.

Set to turn 35 in November and now coming off shoulder surgery, it’s easy to wonder what kind of impact Clutterbuck can really have moving forward. His $1.75MM cap hit is half of what he’s earned for the last five years, but still seems like a relative overpay, given how uncertain his future contributions are.

Mayfield, who also was included in some pre-deadline speculation, was injured when he blocked a shot on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators and will now miss a good chunk of what’s left in the regular season. The depth defenseman is already signed through next season and has taken another step forward this season, adding 18 points in 61 games to his already stalwart defensive play. While he’s not a top-pairing option, some believed Mayfield could have been a sought-after addition for contenders at the deadline had he been made available by the Islanders.

With the team sitting 17 points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card spot, with the Columbus Blue Jackets in between, it was always going to be an extreme longshot for the Islanders to make a playoff push. Losing two more pieces from their lineup will only make that climb more difficult and could potentially end up giving them some better lottery odds instead.

Zdeno Chara Signs With New York Islanders

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October 10: Per CapFriendly, Chara’s one-year deal carries the league-minimum cap hit of $750,000. The deal contains an additional $750,000 in performance bonuses.

September 18: A future Hall of Famer is heading back to where it all began. As first reported by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and then confirmed by the team, the New York Islanders have signed veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara to a one-year contract. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Chara was of course drafted by the Islanders all the way back in 1996. He played his first four pro seasons with the club before being dealt to the Ottawa Senators in 2001 in the infamous Alexei Yashin trade. Since then, Chara has established himself as one of the best defensemen of his generation. A Stanley Cup champion, Norris Trophy winner, seven-time all-league defenseman, the NHL’s active leader in career plus/minus and penalty minutes, and an all-time captain, Chara has accomplished more than anyone could have expected when he last with the Islanders. However, he still wants to add another title to his trophy shelf and feels a return to New York could be the best fit.

The long-time Bruins captain, Chara left Boston after the 2019-20 season as the team was looking to move on with a younger core of defensemen and only offered Chara a depth role. The Washington Capitals took him on as an affordable, one-year rental and he provided solid stay-at-home defense all year. Yes, it was a career-low in ice time and a drop-off in most statistical categories, but at 44 years old that is to be expected. The skating and skill are largely gone from his game, but Chara was still a plus player who contributed physically and was not a liability on the back end. Having see up-close what Chara can do, the Islanders have signed him away from the division rival Capitals and will likely use him in a similar fashion. However, given their far more conservative system than Washington’s and the presence of several other dependable defensive blue liners such as Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, and fellow veteran Andy Greene, Chara will be under less pressure. This could serve to keep him well-rested and even more effective defensively late in the season and into the playoffs of his 24th NHL campaign.

Chara wanted to stay on the east coast near his family in Boston while still landing with a team that could give him one last shot at the Stanley Cup. It is safe to say that the reigning “East Division” champs have as good a shot as anyone who fits that description. Add in a homecoming to the team who started his illustrious career and the pairing of the Chara and the Islanders seems to be an excellent fit.

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