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Sebastian Aho

Eastern Notes: Sabres Breakdown, Aho, Giroux

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Despite all the attention that had been given to the Buffalo Sabres’ new leadership of general manager Jason Botterill and new head coach Phil Housley at the start of the season, much of that fanfare is gone after the Sabres have reached the midway point with a disappointing 10-23-9 record. Their 29 points is the second worst record in the NHL with just the Arizona Coyotes struggling to do worse.

The Buffalo News’ John Vogl writes his mid-season assessment and writes that despite their disappointing play this season, there are some positives, including the play of young center Jack Eichel. While many had hopes that Eichel would be putting up similar numbers to that of Connor McDavid, that hasn’t happened. However, Vogl points out that his most recent play has set him up to have career highs in goals and points (30 goals and 70 points). He could easily have found himself on a different list after he had put up just eight goals in the team’s first 32 games, but has put up seven goals in his last nine games. Evander Kane’s success is also a positive to look at, although he is likely to be traded at the deadline.

However, much of the team’s fault, Vogl writes, falls to center Sam Reinhart, who is really struggling this year. The 22-year-old is having his worst season ever, which is unacceptable for someone who was the team’s second-overall pick in 2014. He has seven goals and just six assists this year. Six of his 13 points have come on the power play, suggesting that he really disappears in 5-on-5 play. Kyle Okposo is another obvious player, who has underperformed. His numbers were acceptable a year ago, but Okposo was brought in to score goals and produce offense. Instead, Okposo has scored just six goals for 19 points and hasn’t looked like the player the team locked up to. Rasmus Ristolainen, Chad Johnson and Johan Larsson all received poor grades for their first half performance.

  • NHL.com’s Michael Smith writes that after the Carolina Hurricanes consulted with doctors, they have listed winger Sebastian Aho as day-to-day with a lower-body injury after going down Saturday in a game against Boston. The 20-year-old Aho has been a key contributor for Carolina and has 13 goals and 20 assists, which would put him on pace for career-highs. They play next on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that after a disappointing season a year ago, Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux is proving to the league that he is an elite center in the NHL. The 29-year-old center was coming off a season in which he tallied 14 goals and 58 points — solid, but hardly great. Yet, it looks like Giroux has found his game again as he has dominated on offense this year. He has already equalled the 14 goals he had last year and is just seven points shy of tying his points total — at mid-year. Suddenly, Giroux is on pace for a career year. “I’m not surprised at anything G does,” coach Dave Hakstol said after Giroux’s three-point performance keyed Saturday afternoon’s 6-3 win over St. Louis at the Wells Fargo Center. “You guys know the hockey player and the person a little bit. But to know the person and know the competitiveness that burns inside of him, no, I’m not surprised.”

Minor Transactions: 12/28/17

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The roster freeze is over and we’re on to the next part of the season. With the trade deadline less than two months away, rumors and speculation will begin to heat up around the league. We’ll be here to sort through all the noise and bring you the most accurate, reliable information. Like always, we’ll also keep track of all the minor transactions of the day.

  • The New York Rangers have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the AHL, perhaps due to the injury Chris Kreider suffered last night. Kreider didn’t come back to the bench for the second period, and is out with an upper-body injury. Lettieri, 22, was signed out of the University of Minnesota last season and would be making his NHL debut if he gets into a game. Lettieri has 21 points in 31 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack this season, and can play both center and wing.
  • The Minnesota wild have officially sent Zach Parise down to the minors for his conditioning stint. We heard yesterday that it might just be for one day, while the Iowa Wild play Rockford.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Frank Corrado, after going without Kris Letang last night. The Penguins would end up winning the game in a shootout, but had to play with just five defenseman after Chad Ruhwedel left the game early. Corrado could get a chance right away with the Penguins heading to Carolina for a game tomorrow night.
  • With Johnny Boychuk headed to injured reserve, the New York Islanders have recalled Sebastian Aho from the minor leagues. No, not the forward who stars in Carolina but the defenseman who was a fifth-round pick in June. Aho was passed over in three drafts before finally being taken, and has made an immediate impact for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season with 20 points in 29 games. The smooth-skating, undersized defenseman would be making his NHL debut if he makes it into the lineup.
  • As expected when he was claimed back off waivers, Nathan Walker has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Washington Capitals. Walker spent some time in the Edmonton Oilers organization, but is now back with the Hershey Bears where he has made such an impact over the last few years.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Andrei Mironov from the minor leagues in time for their game tomorrow against the Maple Leafs. The team had just six defensemen up with the club, but will now have another option should one be fighting a minor injury.
  • Arizona, Toronto’s opponent tonight, also recalled Mario Kempe ahead of their matchup. Kempe has played 18 games with the Coyotes this season in his return to North American hockey, scoring four points. The 29-year old has spent the last three years in the KHL.

Ryan Getzlaf Leaves Game With Facial Injury

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The already injury-riddled Anaheim Ducks have yet another health concern and possibly the most worrisome to date. The latest casualty was none other than captain Ryan Getzlaf, who took a shot to the face from his long-time partner in crime, Corey Perry, in the opening seconds of tonight’s game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Getzlaf was evaluated for an “upper body injury” before eventually being declared out for the game by the team.

Initially, the injury seemed far from serious (video). Getzlaf seemed only stunned by the shot, which lost much of its momentum after a deflection by the ’Canes Sebastian Aho. There was no blood nor any exaggerated reaction and Getzlaf skated off the ice without issue. However, when he did not return, things became somewhat more daunting for the Ducks. Getzlaf, without a doubt, is the leader of the Anaheim forward corps and plays an invaluable role for the team. Fortunately, the injury still does not have the appearance of anything major and Getzlaf’s absence could be purely precautionary. At worst, a facial injury – even a bone break – tends to be a short-term loss. The Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno for example missed only a week with a facial fracture suffered in a fight earlier this season.

Yet, in the context of Anaheim’s mounting losses, any extended absence for Getzlaf could be problematic. Ryan Miller finally made his ducks debut tonight and Hampus Lindholm and Ondrej Kase re-joined the team this week as well, but that still leaves an injured reserve that features Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Cam Fowler, and Kevin Bieksa and an active Sami Vatanen who still seems unprepared to resume play. The Ducks already have Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna playing key roles on the blue line; the team can’t afford the same lack of depth up front, particularly at center, where a long stretch with 35-year-old Antoine Vermette as the top option down the middle could spell disaster for the team. The Ducks need to get healthy, and suddenly that starts with avoiding any sidelining of Getzlaf (if possible).

2017-18 Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the NHL season now underway, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last Season: 36-31-15 record (87 points), seventh in Metropolitan Division (missed playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $14.57MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Justin Williams (free agency, Washington), F Marcus Kruger (trade, Vegas), D Trevor van Riemsdyk (trade, Vegas), G Scott Darling (trade, Chicago)

Key Departures: F Jay McClement (free agency, unsigned), D Matt Tennyson (free agency, Buffalo), G Eddie Lack (trade, Calgary)

[Related: Hurricanes Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Sebastian AhoPlayer To Watch: F Sebastian Aho – The Carolina Hurricanes are heading into the season with several exciting rookies this season in Martin Necas, Haydn Fleury and Janne Kuokkanen. All three have impressed in training camp, but for all their youth and flash you shouldn’t forget about last year’s version.

Aho turned 20 years old just this summer and already has a season under his belt with 24 goals and 49 points. For all the ink that was spilled last year over Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and other rookies, Aho quietly put together an outstanding season at age-19 in Carolina and could explode into super-stardom this year. Remember that this is a second-round pick who jumped right from the Finnish professional ranks to the NHL, and clearly still has room to grow.

The Hurricanes will have a fun, up tempo offense this year with speed on every line, but look no further than the top unit with Aho, Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm as one of the best in the league. Each brings a different skill to the table, and should be able to dominate teams at even strength at both ends of the rink. When you think that Staal—who was recently named co-captain with Justin Faulk—is one of the elder statesmen on the team at 29, it starts to show just how much potential this squad still has.

Key Storyline: The Hurricanes are a sexy pick to make the playoffs this year. Everything written above would have you believe that they’ll easily surpass their 87-point total from last year and glide into the postseason on a barrage of goals. That could happen, but it will still take a lot of work to overcome the daunting task that is the Metropolitan Division.

The reigning Stanley Cup Champions are standing in their way in Pittsburgh, as are three other 100-point teams from a year ago in New York, Washington and Columbus. New Jersey, Philadelphia and the other New York (sorry, Islanders’ fans) aren’t going to lay down, and the Atlantic looks improved and ready to compete for both wild card spots. The Hurricanes will need everything to go right for them to climb this mountain, and a lot of it starts in net.

When the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 it was on the back of a rookie goaltender who stole the job and earned himself the Conn Smythe trophy in the process. Now Carolina will hope another goaltender will steal Cam Ward’s job and run with it. While Scott Darling isn’t the 21-year old upstart Ward was in 2005-06, he’s being given his first chance to earn a real starting position in the NHL and is ready to prove that he’s more than just a backup.

Fighting his way up from the Southern Professional Hockey League, Darling has taken a step forward at every level and recorded an impressive .923 save percentage behind Corey Crawford in Chicago. If he can bring that same level to the Hurricanes every night, they’ll be a team to be reckoned with. Luckily, Darling will have the experience of Ward to help him along the way, in what could be the veteran netminder’s final season in Carolina.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Metropolitan Notes: Aho, Hornqvist, Read, Andersson

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While the Hurricanes drafted Sebastian Aho as a natural center back in 2015 (35th overall), they plan to keep him on the wing for the full year once again, head coach Bill Peters told Chip Alexander of the News & Observer.  The idea behind doing so is to allow him to ease into the North American game at a slower pace and keep expectations in check which will be more beneficial for his development.  The 20-year-old is coming off of a strong rookie season that saw him post 49 points (24-25-49) in 82 games.  Carolina has been searching for a legitimate top line center for a few years now and Aho could be that player but they’ll be waiting at least another year to find that out.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:

  • Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist has yet to practice or play in the preseason as he recovers from offseason surgery on his broken hand but the team is hopeful that he will be able to suit up in the season opener on Wednesday, notes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Hornqvist will be heading into the year looking to surpass the 20-goal mark for the fifth straight year which would certainly help his case heading into unrestricted free agency.
  • With the Flyers still carrying 15 forwards in training camp, at least one more needs to be cut before the season-opening roster deadline on October 3rd. Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post speculates that winger Matt Read could be the odd man out with youngsters Taylor Leier and Oskar Lindblom both making strong cases to stick with the team.  Read is in the final year of his contract with a $3.625MM cap hit so if he were to be cut and clear waivers, Philadelphia would still be carrying a $2.6MM cap charge on the books even with him in the minors.
  • Although the Rangers can recall recently-cut center Lias Andersson from his SHL team in Frolunda if need be during the season, they don’t intend to do so, reports Brett Cyrgalis of the New York GM Jeff Gorton noted their preference is for Andersson to receive consistent top-six minutes which is something that he could receive in Sweden but not in New York this season.  Unlike a junior-aged player in the CHL, the Rangers don’t have to be in an emergency recall situation before they could bring Andersson back across the pond.

Carolina Hurricanes Extend Phil Di Giuseppe

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The Carolina Hurricanes and Phil Di Giuseppe have come to terms on a new contract that will keep the young winger in Raleigh, or at least across the state in Charlotte, for another year. TSN’s Aaron Ward reports that Di Giuseppe has re-signed with the ’Canes on a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $725K at the NHL level.

Di Giuseppe, a 2012 second-round pick of the Hurricanes, will enter his fourth pro season in 2017-18, but is still looking for his breakout campaign. The 23-year-old has had modest success in the NHL, but has been unable to carve out a full-time role for himself in Carolina. A former star at the University of Michigan and a consistent scoring threat in the AHL in with the Charlotte Checkers, Di Giuseppe’s skill is undeniable. A swift skater with good instincts, Di Giuseppe has complied 77 points in 144 AHL games over the last three seasons after registering 78 points in 115 games for the Wolverines. However, that scoring pace has not quite translated to success with the Hurricanes, where Di Giuseppe has 24 points in 77 games over the past two seasons. Still working to build a well-rounded game, Di Giuseppe’s ability to put up points is nothing to complain about – he could very well be a 30-point player over the course of an 82-game NHL schedule – but on a team full of young talent, Di Giuseppe has simply been unable to hold onto a roster spot due. The young forward could stand to bring a little more two-way play and special teams ability to the mix if he wants to make himself into a valuable piece of the puzzle for a Carolina team that is desperate to get back to the playoffs.

For now, Di Giuseppe is likely to be given a shot to make the NHL roster in camp, but faces an uphill battle to secure a spot with Jeff Skinner, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Elias Lindholm, Lee Stempniak, Brock McGinn and now Justin Williams as the competition for a shot on the wing. Di Giuseppe seems likely to head back to the Checkers to begin this season, but must capitalize on the next chance he gets in Carolina. The scoring forward seems like he has what it takes, but has simply lacked the ability to hold on to his job for longer than 30 or 4o games in a season. We’ll see if that changes in 2017-18.

With Di Giuseppe signed, the Carolina Hurricanes have dealt with all of their restricted free agents and look to have a deep and promising lineup that is ready to go for the new season. Predicted to be one of the worst teams in the NHL in 2016-17, the ’Canes showed everyone with a season that nearly ended in a playoff berth. The young squad hopes that they can take that next step this year.

Snapshots: NHL Three Stars, Gostisbehere, Johnson

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The NHL has named its Three Stars of the Week: Sebastian Aho, Mikael Granlund, and Peter Budaj.

Aho had four goals and an assist in three games, including two game-winning goals. In the Hurricanes’ first game of the week, Aho had a hat-trick and assist, before scoring the winning goal on Friday against the Oilers and being held pointless on Saturday. In 51 games, the 2015 second-round pick has 16 goals and 31 points, good for sixth among rookies.

Granlund had three goals and six points in three games as the Wild went 2-1-0. After two assists in the first two games of the week, he too had a hat-trick plus assist in the third game of the week. Granlund currently leads the Wild in scoring with 48 points in 51 games.

Budaj won three of four games with a 0.930 SV%, 1.62 GAA, and two shutouts. After starting the season as the Kings’ third-string goaltender, he now leads the NHL in shutouts with seven and has a sparkling 0.920 SV% with 25 wins in 46 appearances. With Jonathan Quick out from opening night until March, Budaj has allowed the Kings to remain in a wildcard spot.

  • The offensively-starved Flyers will be without last year’s rookie standout Shayne Gostisbehere yet again when the Blues come to Philadelphia tonight, but it’s not an injury or illness that’s keeping him out. Gostisbehere will be a healthy scratch for the third-straight game. After scoring 17 goals and 46 points in 64 games last year, he has just four goals and 21 points in 48 games this season. That’s a pace of 7-29-36 over 82 games, much lower than his 59-point-pace in 2015-16. While Gostisbehere will remain out of the lineup, rookie forward Travis Konecny will draw back in for Matt Read. When asked about the lineup, coach Dave Hakstol told NBC’s Jason Brough that he’s “trying to dress the best roster possible to win hockey games. Point blank.” Without Gostisbehere, the Flyers are 1-1, winning 3-1 and losing 1-0.
  • In an appearance on TSN Radio in Edmonton, Bob McKenzie put forward the idea that Tampa Bay could look to move pending RFA center Tyler Johnson for defensive help. Despite Johnson’s lessened production this year (33 points in 53 games), McKenzie suggests a combination of “needing a defenseman and maybe having a surplus of forwards, and… the cap issues and maybe not being in a position to sign [Johnson] might make him more expendable over some of the other pieces.” Besides making a decision on potential rentals like Ben Bishop and Brian Boyle and RFA forwards Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, and Johnson, McKenzie believes GM Steve Yzerman will be looking for a cost-controlled defenseman to make his team better going forward. Regardless of who he choses to keep, it’s going to be a stressful next few months for Yzerman.

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