Seth Jones Moved To Injured Reserve; Alec Regula Recalled
The Chicago Blackhawks have moved Seth Jones to injured reserve retroactively to October 29 as he deals with a thumb injury. Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago reports that the team has recalled Alec Regula in his place.
Jones is expected to miss three to four weeks, meaning there may be a chance for Regula to get into a few more games. He was practicing as an extra today, but the 22-year-old already did play one with the Blackhawks before being sent down last month.
Selected 67th overall in 2018, Regular has 19 career games in the NHL but was excellent for the Rockford IceHogs last season, registering 26 points in 41 games. The 6’4″ defender logged just over 17 minutes in his first game this season.
After an excellent start to the year, the Blackhawks have now lost their last three. Each of those games has been decided by just one goal (or a shootout), and head coach Luke Richardson has his band of misfits playing hard. Losing Jones will be a blow, but no one expected Chicago to even be competitive this season and they’ve proved us wrong, so perhaps they can keep their head above water without the high-priced defenseman.
Seth Jones Out Three to Four Weeks With Thumb Injury
The Chicago Blackhawks’ blueline will be without its best player for the next few weeks. The Blackhawks have announced that defenseman Seth Jones will miss the next three to four weeks due to an injury to his right thumb. Per head coach Luke Richardson, Jones injured his thumb blocking a shot in yesterday’s game.
This news comes as the Blackhawks have gotten off to a surprisingly strong start. The team is 4-3-1, an impressive early-season record for a squad most expected to spend most of this season in the basement of the NHL standings.
Jones’ play has helped Chicago get off to this quality start. The 28-year-old defenseman has four assists in eight games and has registered 25:14 time-on-ice per game, more than five minutes higher than the next-most-utilized player. Four of those minutes per night come on the penalty kill and nearly four have come on the power play. He’s been an all-situations defenseman for Richardson, who will now need to find a new way to fill that heavy workload.
The Blackhawks’ defense beyond Jones is shaky. Connor Murphy and Jack Johnson each play over 19 minutes per game, and it’s possible that one or both of these players sees their ice time rise to above 20 minutes per game in Jones’ absence. This injury certainly isn’t ideal for the Blackhawks, especially with number-one goalie Petr Mrazek still sidelined.
Still, it’s an early test of the team’s mettle that will at the very least provide an opportunity for others to make more of a mark on the Blackhawks’ season than they might have been able to with Jones healthy.
Central Notes: Jones, Toews, Brown
While there has been plenty of speculation as to when Chicago will trade winger Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, there hasn’t been much trade chatter when it comes to Seth Jones. The Blackhawks are clearly in a rebuilding mode so having a $9.5MM defenseman on a long-term deal runs counter to that approach. However, as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports, it’s unlikely that the team will even try to move the 28-year-old this season or even next year. With the salary cap situation for many contenders being tight, it’s unlikely they’d be able to accommodate such a contract and even if they were, being able to yield top value would be difficult. Instead, Jones will be counted on to be the top defender for Chicago and should average more than 25 minutes a night for the fifth straight season.
More from the Central:
- While Devon Toews isn’t in tonight’s lineup, he won’t be out much longer than that as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) it’s a short-term injury for the blueliner; Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar hasn’t officially ruled the 28-year-old out for Saturday’s contest yet. Toews is off to another good start to his season with three assists in four games while logging over 21 minutes per game, a number that’s artificially low after being injured early in Wednesday’s overtime loss to Winnipeg.
- The Blues should get some help on the injury front soon as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes (Twitter link) that center Logan Brown is close to returning to the lineup. He has been out with an upper-body injury for a little under three weeks so he has yet to play this season. The 24-year-old picked up 11 points in 39 games for St. Louis last season in limited action while giving them some size at the bottom of the lineup. Brown remains on the active roster despite being out this long and accordingly, they won’t have to clear a roster spot once he’s cleared to return.
Snapshots: Benn, PHF, Team USA
The Department of Player Safety has handed out another fine for Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, his second of the series. This time it is a $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for tripping Calgary Flames forward Trevor Lewis.
With no points and two fines, the series isn’t quite going how Benn had hoped, and he’ll now have to be even more cognizant of any supplementary discipline. The league will be keeping a close eye on his play as the games continue, and any further events might result in a suspension for the 32-year-old forward.
- The PHF, which recently made headlines with a massive contract for one of its rising stars, has grabbed the news again today by pulling an Olympian away from the PWHPA. Amanda Pelkey has signed a contract with the Metropolitan Riveters, just a few months after winning gold with Team USA. Pelky, 28, last played in the league in 2018-19 (then called the NWHL) and has two World Championship golds to go with her Olympic hardware.
- Speaking of the World Championship, the U.S. announced their captains for the upcoming event, adding a “C” to Seth Jones‘ sweater and an “A” to both Nate Schmidt and Austin Watson. The tournament kicks off in just a few days in Finland, where the U.S. will open things with a game against Latvia. Jones, 27, is returning to the event for the first time since 2015.
USA Hockey Announces Roster For 2022 World Championship
The U.S. roster for the upcoming IIHF World Championship has been set, a group that includes both NHL stars and prospects waiting for their first opportunity. The event will be held later this month in Helsinki, Finland, and will see the U.S. squad try to improve from their third-place finish a year ago.
The full roster:
G Jon Gillies
G Strauss Mann
G Alex Nedeljkovic
D Nick Blankenburg
D Jordan Harris
D Luke Hughes
D Caleb Jones
D Seth Jones
D Jaycob Megna
D Andrew Peeke
D Nate Schmidt
F Riley Barber
F Kieffer Bellows
F Thomas Bordeleau
F Sasha Chmelevski
F Sean Farrell
F Alex Galchenyuk
F Adam Gaudette
F John Hayden
F Sam Lafferty
F Vinni Lettieri
F Karson Kuhlman
F Ben Meyers
F Austin Watson
One of the most interesting names to watch will be Mann, who represented his country at the Olympics earlier this year and recently signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old netminder has had quite an odd path to this point, including going undrafted, playing three years at the University of Michigan, and then going to play in Sweden this season.
It will certainly be some mixed emotions for Canadian fans from the Montreal area, given how this squad includes two of the highly-touted Canadiens prospects in Harris and Farrell. The former signed and made his debut at the end of the year, while the latter just completed an outstanding rookie season at Harvard. Farrell was also a part of the U.S. Olympic squad this year, and scored three goals and six points in four games on the international stage.
The U.S. will kick things off on May 13 against Latvia.
Snapshots: Eichel, Jones, Stalock
Jack Eichel was on the ice at practice today for the Vegas Golden Knights, not even two months since undergoing artificial disk replacement surgery. At the time, Eichel was given a three-month recovery timeline and when speaking with the media today, he said he feels like everything is going well.
The recovery to be completely honest was pretty smooth. I was pretty fortunate to be in the hands of Dr. Mark Lindsay and I just let him do what he does best. We had a good plan all along and–knock-on-wood–there weren’t any setbacks. It felt like the first few weeks I was getting used to how I felt, the next few weeks it was like ‘okay I’m starting to feel better.’ The last few weeks I feel really good now, I basically feel back to normal.
With Max Pacioretty out, the Golden Knights have options for how to play the cap when Eichel is ready to return. It could still precipitate a trade of some sort, but suddenly a first-place Vegas squad appears to be close to adding a top-line center to the mix. Eichel hasn’t played since March 7, 2021, but scored 355 points in his first 375 games in the league.
- When Seth Jones was not available to the media following morning skate, a few eyebrows were raised given the situation. The star defenseman was set to play in Columbus tonight for the first time since the offseason trade, but that now is in jeopardy. Though the team hasn’t officially announced his placement in the COVID protocol yet, he is no longer listed on the Blackhawks official roster and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Jones tested positive for coronavirus. The team is likely waiting for the result to be confirmed, but it looks like Jones may not get to face his old mates after all. (UPDATE: The Blackhawks have officially announced Jones’ placement in the protocol, along with another staff member. He will not play tonight.)
- Alex Stalock, who has missed the entire season so far with a heart condition, is attempting a comeback according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. He will report to the Bakersfield Condors where he’ll take a physical, but he would need to clear waivers in order to be officially assigned to the minor league club (though a conditioning stint may be possible in this case). The Edmonton Oilers netminder was claimed off waivers last March but still hasn’t actually played for the club. In his career, he has a .909 save percentage in 151 appearances.
Latest On John Klingberg Extension Talks
John Klingberg is facing down quite the predicament this season. Playing on an expiring contract – a contract that has made him a bargain for the Dallas Stars for many years – Klingberg is planning his future. The talented defenseman has watched a number of defensemen, unrestricted and restricted free agents alike, sign massive, long-term extensions over the past few months. Unsurprisingly, Klingberg has expressed his interest in joining this group with his next deal. Klingberg, 29, would be one of, if not the top defender on the open market if he makes it there this summer and could command such a contract. Yet, Klingberg has also been adamant about his desire to stay in Dallas. The Stars just gave fellow rearguard Miro Heiskanen an eight-year, $67.6MM extension and have both Esa Lindell and Ryan Suter signed for three more years beyond 2021-22 at substantial cap numbers. Can Klingberg land the deal he wants in Dallas?
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was the first to put hard numbers to the hypothetical, reporting that Klingberg was seeking a a max-term deal in the $62-66MM range. This would put him just below his young teammate Heiskanen over the same number of years. This would likely be a palatable scenario for the Stars to keep their elite top-four together without paying more for Klingberg, who would be 37 when his next deal expired, than for Heiskanen, who will be as old as Klingberg is now.
Unfortunately, that may be a pipedream for the Stars. Klingberg is among the top ten scoring defensemen in the NHL over the course of his current contract. Why should he settle for an AAV of $7.75-8.25MM as Marek suggests when he has outscored the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, and Darnell Nurse – all of similar age and experience – and they each came in at $9MM+ on recent deals? The Athletic’s Saad Yousef claims that Marek’s numbers are merely a starting point. He has heard from sources that Klingberg is chasing that $9-9.5MM AAV and on a long-term deal, knowing this could be his last chance at a big pay day given his age.
Klingberg’s camp has not drawn a line in the sand on their numbers just yet as the defenseman truly does wish to stay in Dallas. Yousef also notes that even at this elevated, fair-market asking price, the Stars can still afford to re-sign Klingberg and likely will do just that if he performs well early this season. There could be some wiggle room for Klingberg to take a slightly shorter deal or come in a little lower than his comparable given his age and the “hometown discount” factor. However, the pressure is on for the Stars to work out those kinks and come to an agreement. The longer the season wears on, the longer Klingberg has to prove he is elite and the prize of the free agent class, driving up his bargaining power on contract talks. Both sides want to see the relationship extended, but those odds go down the longer they wait. Dallas is prepared for that possibility, but that would make it no less of a major blow if Klingberg walks away.
Finland, Czech Republic, U.S. Announce Members Of 2022 Olympic Teams
Like Sweden and Canada before them, three other hockey powers have announced the first few members of their 2022 Olympic team today. Finland is going with Aleksander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, and Sebastian Aho, while the Czech Republic will have Ondrej Palat, Jakub Voracek and David Pastrnak in Beijing next year.
The U.S. meanwhile will have Seth Jones, Patrick Kane, and Auston Matthews suiting up for their country. Stan Bowman, general manager of the U.S. team, released a short statement on the selections:
It’s no secret we’re excited about the prospects of our team for the 2022 Games. Patrick, Auston and Seth reflect the high level of talent that will make up our final roster as we strive to bring gold back home to the U.S.
For Kane, this is nothing new. He was on the ice at both the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, while also wearing the “C” for the U.S. at various other international tournaments. What would be different is winning a gold, given his history at those tournaments. It’s been a long time since he took home the top prize, going all the way back to 2006 at the U18 WJC. Bronze at the U20 tournament, bronze at the World Championship and silver at the Olympics doesn’t create the international legacy that many would assume a player of Kane’s stature would have.
This year though he’ll have some help that he’s never had before. Jones and Matthews will both be taking part in their first Olympics, with the latter only having one World Championship under his belt. Matthews actually joined the U.S. team at the 2016 tournament before he even made his NHL debut and worked his way from extra skater to top-line center by the end of the event. That’s exactly the spot he will be expected to fill this time around after winning the Rocket Richard Trophy and coming second in Hart Trophy balloting last season.
For Finland and the Czechs, they too are starting off with some powerhouse trios. Barkov and Aho are a formidable 1-2 center punch that can play with anyone, while Rantanen brings his unique mix of size and skill on the wing. Palat, a key member of the Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup teams, is one of the best two-way players in the entire league and Pastrnak is one of the brightest offensive talents in the entire world.
The event is sure to be exciting as the NHL returns to the world stage.
Stars Notes: Bishop, Offseason Targets, L’Esperance
Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop is participating in training camp but don’t expect him to be ready for the season opener. Instead, his goal is much simpler as he told Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website is that he’s hoping to simply be able to play at some point during the year. The 34-year-old has dealt with lingering knee issues that have seen him undergo two surgeries and the uncertainty surrounding his availability for the season led them to sign Braden Holtby to join holdovers Anton Khudobin and Jake Oettinger. As Heika notes, the Stars will need to free up cap space in order to have Bishop on the active roster so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them be very cautious in bringing Bishop back to the point where he maybe starts on LTIR for a few weeks to buy them some more time to evaluate him.
More from Dallas:
- In a separate piece from Heika, he reports that the Stars showed interest in trading for defenseman Seth Jones and signing winger Blake Coleman this summer. However, those discussions didn’t last too long as the price tag got too high for their liking. Dallas was still able to add to their back end this summer, inking veteran Ryan Suter to take Jamie Oleksiak’s spot on the roster. They weren’t able to make a big splash up front – veteran center Luke Glendening was their biggest UFA forward signing but the returns to health of Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov effectively give them two significant additions compared to what they had for most of last season.
- Winger Joel L’Esperance confirmed to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that he has not been vaccinated nor does he intend to be. The 26-year-old scored twice in a dozen games for the Stars last season but is likely ticketed to play in the AHL for most of the season. Dallas’ affiliate in Texas has six games in Canada this season and under new protocols for 2021-22, the team will be able to suspend L’Esperance without pay for those missed games while it may affect his chances of getting recalled knowing there may be a seven-day quarantine to be served following any promotion from the minors.
Zach Werenski Signs Long-Term Extension With Blue Jackets
After several difficult years of asset management, capped off by the recent forced departure of Seth Jones, the Columbus Blue Jackets are stepping up do whatever it takes to keep their stars. In the wake of the Jones trade, no player is more important than fellow star defenseman Zach Werenski – and the team just made that clear. The Blue Jackets have signed Werenski to a six-year, $57.5MM contract extension, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston and confirmed by the team. That contract, which begins in the 2022-23 season, will make Werenski the third-highest paid defenseman in the NHL at a $9.583MM AAV, even higher than Jones’ recent deal. The breakdown is as follows:
- 2022-23: $2MM SB, $8MM salary
- 2023-24: $2MM SB, $10MM salary
- 2024-25: $2MM SB, $9.5MM salary
- 2025-26: $2MM SB, $7.5MM salary
- 2026-27: $6.25MM SB, $1MM salary
- 2027-28: $6.25MM SB, $1MM salary
The structure of this deal makes the contract buyout-proof, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the Blue Jackets. Werenski has committed to the team, publicly stating his excitement to remain in Columbus, and that is exactly what the team is hoping for. The team and city have developed a reputation for not being able to retain top talent in recent years, but they are hoping to change that perception. Rewarding players with loyalty (and a lot of money) is a great first step.
While this is certainly a large sum to award Werenski, it isn’t a massive overpay. Perhaps in the shadow of Jones, Werenski has quietly been one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL since breaking in with an All-Rookie debut season in 2016-17. At 24, Werenski already has 335 games under his belt, in which he has recorded 65 goals and 189 points, among the top blue line scorers in that time. Consistency has been the most impressive part of his offense as well; Werenski recorded double-digit goals and 37-47 points in each of his first four full NHL seasons, including a 2019-20 campaign in which he played only 63 games. This year, he again played at a full-season pace of 16 goals and 47 points.
On top of his elite shot, puck possession, and offensive instincts, Werenski has also developed into a solid defensive player who has been using his 6’2″ frame more effectively of late. This more mature, well-rounded game has allowed Columbus to use Werenski in all situations, leading to a career-high 24:22 time on ice per game this year. That role is only going to increase with Jones gone and Werenski will also be asked to help develop the likes of new additions Jake Bean, Adam Boqvist, and eventually Corson Ceulemans and Stanislav Svozil. Werenski seems ready for the challenge.