Penguins Notes: Crosby, Malkin, Rust
Sidney Crosby is this week’s second star in the NHL, after his sizzling hat trick on Sunday night. The Penguins captain broke 40 goals for just the second time in his illustrious career, while retaking the lead in the Rocket Richard race and tying Connor McDavid for the league-lead in point.
The 29-year old Crosby is doing most of his damage 5-on-5, leading the league in even strength goals with 28. His dominance comes in just the fourth year of his twelve-year, $104.4MM deal he signed in 2012. The contract sees him cause just an $8.7MM annual cap-hit, mostly because of the three extremely cheap seasons tacked on at the end. That means Pittsburgh will only have to pay a 35-year old Crosby $3MM in 2022-23, likely still an unbelievable bargain.
- Olli Maatta and Kris Letang were both spotted out early today in Pittsburgh by Will Graves of the Associated Press. It’s still unclear when the two will return to the lineup, but it is an encouraging sign to see them back on the ice after lengthy absences.
- The team will not bring Evgeni Malkin with them on their road trip to Buffalo and Ottawa as he continues to rehab an upper-body injury that he’s been dealing with. The star center hasn’t played in the last two contests since leaving practice early last week.
- Bryan Rust was not just on the ice, but returned for the practice in full this morning, skating in a regular jersey. He hasn’t been confirmed for the game tomorrow but did say that “there’s a game [he’s] shooting for.” Rust hasn’t played since leaving a game earlier this month against Colorado.
Snapshots: Guentzel, Bindulis, Rangers
The Pittsburgh Penguins, like any other champion of the salary-cap era, have found worthwhile contributions from previously unheralded sources. Last year saw the playoff breakout of Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary, while this year Justin Schultz has turned into the defenseman that everyone had hoped for in Edmonton. As Dave Holcomb of FanRag Sports details, it may be Jake Guentzel that is the next breakout star for a team that has so many.
Guentzel has seen his ice time skyrocket since his latest call up, playing as much as 19:52 in a regulation loss on the 28th. He’s become a relied-upon member of the Penguins top-9 and will be needed past this year’s playoffs. With Sheary and Schultz up for new contracts as restricted free agents this summer and Nick Bonino hitting the open market, the team will have to make some tough decisions on the future construction of their lineup around the $25MM trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Having a cost-controlled option like Guentzel that can slot in with any of the three is a huge plus for the Penguins and their long-term future.
- Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Kristofers Bindulis is the latest college free agent to watch. Several teams are after the Lake Superior State defenseman after his solid debut in the WCHA. The Lakers are having a rough season, but Bindulis has turned heads with 12 points in 28 games. Rail-thin in his draft year, Bindulis is now listed at 6’3″, 180-lbs and likely still able to fill out into his large frame. Watch for Vegas to start their roster off with some college free agents, and perhaps Bindulis is on their minds.
- The New York Rangers better hope they don’t finish fourth in the Metropolitan Division. After getting pummeled by the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 last night and causing Alain Vigneault to become more angry than he has all season (according to Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post), the team is now just 5-4-1 in their last 10 and 0-3 against the Habs this season. With the first wildcard sport set to face the Atlantic Division winner, the Rangers would be up against the Canadiens right away and would need to turn that record around fast.
Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Metropolitan Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the dominant Metropolitan Division:
Winners
Carolina Hurricanes:
- Acquired 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo from Pittsburgh Penguins for Ron Hainsey
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick from the Ottawa Senators for Viktor Stalberg
Not all that much happening in Raleigh, but what GM Ron Francis did do, he did well. Both Hainsey and Stalberg brought back returns that were greater than their market value. It was also nice of Francis to send Hainsey to a team where his career-long playoff drought would definitely be snapped. Not sure why Jay McClement wasn’t moved, but there simply may not have been interest. The Hurricanes have a ton of salary cap space and have to dip into their depth on defense sooner or later, but this year’s deadline was definitely not the time for big moves. Expect Carolina to be a major player in the off-season trade market.
New Jersey Devils:
- Acquired Dalton Prout from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Kyle Quincey
- Acquired 2017 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators for P.A. Parenteau
The Devils didn’t really have any trade capital today other than Quincey and Parenteau, so good on GM Ray Shero for doing what he could with what he had. It’s strange that New Jersey was able to get a higher pick from the Predators for Vernon Fiddler earlier this season than they did for Parenteau, but injuries may have played into that. A full season of production and a draft pick in compensation isn’t that bad a return for an early-season waiver claim. The Quincey deal was the real star of the show though. The Devils went from taking a risk on an older, washed-up defenseman this off-season to trading him for a young, strong defensive defenseman who can be a starter for years with the team. Shero played the long con on the league this year, and it paid off.
Conor Sheary To Miss Up To Six Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Conor Sheary, one of their most productive forwards and Sidney Crosby’s wing man, from four-to-six weeks, according to Jonathan Bombulie of the Tribune-Review. Pittsburgh bench boss Mike Sullivan made the announcement following the team’s practice today. It’s unclear when exactly Sheary suffered the injury, but presumably it occurred during Pittsburgh’s 4 – 2 win over Nashville last night.
Sheary, who was originally signed by the Penguins as an undrafted free agent, has developed into a solid winger and currently ranks third on the team in goals with 17. In 42 games this season, the 24-year-old winger has totaled 35 points and posted a plus/minus rating of plus-18.
He made a name for himself after being called up to the team around mid-season last year, providing speed and key goals down the stretch and into the playoffs for Pittsburgh. In 44 appearances in 2015-16, Sheary potted seven goals and 10 points. He added another 10 points in 23 playoff contests, helping the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship.
NHL Stars Support Going To Olympics In 2018
Alexander Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Jonathan Toews, and Sidney Crosby all agree. The NHL should go to the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018.
Now it’s just up to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and IOC President Rene Fasel to hammer out a deal.
Toews told TSN’s Frank Seravalli “quite frankly, to turn on the Olympics next year and watch the hockey teams and the players representing their country — if it’s not the best in the world, I don’t know, I feel like we’re misrepresenting our sport on a pretty huge scale, on a pretty huge level.”
Toews is part of select group, including Crosby, Shea Weber, and coach Mike Babcock, who could win their third-straight Olympic gold medal in Pyeongchang. Toews believes the Olympics are on a “whole other level” than the World Cup and World Championships.
Pyeongchang would be the first chance for McDavid to represent Canada at the professional level. He told Seravalli that, after playing for Team North America at the World Cup, having a chance to represent his country “would be everything.”
“Just to get a chance to chase down a spot on the team and have that opportunity, it would be very special. But we’re very fortunate in Canada to have a long list of great Canadian players. It’d be a tough team to make.”
While the players appear to be a united front, as evidenced by the chatter at the All-Star Game, the NHL’s board of governors and owners are not in agreement. Many owners are not interested in taking a two-week break in the schedule with the potential for their superstars to come back hurt, like John Tavares did in 2014. Despite this, some owners are clearly supportive, like Ted Leonsis. The Capitals’ owner has be vocal about the players going, even saying he would allow Ovechkin to go regardless of official NHL participation.
Negotiations have not gone smoothly so far. The IOC initially said it wouldn’t cover insurance and travel costs for NHL players, but then found funds to do so. That didn’t go over well with Bettman, who said the IOC “opened a can of worms” with the NHL board of governors by appearing to not value the NHL’s participation, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Earlier this season, the NHL offered the Olympics to the PA as part of a deal that would see the current CBA extended by three years, but that was shot down without much consideration. The subject reportedly came up again at the board of governors’ meeting over the weekend, but talk lasted “just ten seconds.”
The NHL, it seems, would prefer to skip 2018 but return for 2022 in China. The league is already looking at hosting games in China as it looks to expand its presence in Asia.
Time is becoming an issue, as the Games are already just a year away. However, this wasn’t a problem in Turino or Sochi, writes CBC’s Tim Wharnsby, as the NHL didn’t officially agree to go until the summer before.
Despite the negativity surrounding negotiations, Crosby remains optimistic, telling ESPN’s Craig Custance that “you have to trust at the end of the day, everyone is going to work hard to make sure it can happen.”
It’s hard to imagine the NHL not going, especially with its biggest stars being so passionate about attending. Either way, the decision is approaching.
NHL Names Top 100 Players Of All Time
Last night on the NBC Sports Network, the NHL released the top 100 players of all time and the debate, which has raged long before this was released, will continue on. Hosted by actor Jon Hamm, the ceremony honored players by decade, and categorized them by goalies, defensemen, and forwards.
The first thirty-three were released on New Years Day during the Centennial Classic in Toronto. The players named in the first thirty-three were active between 1917-1966. The rest, named last night, have played from 1967 to the present day.
There were a number of story lines:
- Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press wrote that Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Gretzky agree that Gordie Howe is the greatest hockey player of all time. Gretzky added that while Sidney Crosby is the greatest in the game today, Connor McDavid is making the case to “chase him” as the next in line.
- Speaking of Crosby’s generation, the selection of the more recent players to the top 100 caused quite the debate around the hockey world. The arguments boil down into a couple ways: either include more current players by subtracting players from other decades or be more selective in the current generation. The six on the current list were Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin.
- The Score’s Sean O’Leary thinks that Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, and Joe Thornton should have “cracked” the list. O’Leary believes that Malkin is a lock for the top 100, while Iginla, though never winning a Cup, was a dominant force in the league, scoring 617 goals in his long (and still active) career.
- Curtis Pashelka also wonders why Joe Thornton isn’t included on the list. His stats alone seem to qualify him for the top 100, but the lack of a Stanley Cup makes Pashelka think that it kept Thornton out of the illustrious club.
- Finally, Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski includes his list of snubs which name the aforementioned Iginla, Malkin, and Thornton. But Wyshysnki also lists Zdeno Chara, Ed Belfour, Dale Hawerchuk, and Pierre Pilote as players deserving of inclusion.
Penguins, Capitals Combine For Nine Goals In A Period
Is there a better rivalry in the NHL right now than the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals? The teams opened their seasons against each other back in October with a wild game that needed a shootout to decide the winner. In November, the Caps shocked the world with a 7-1 win over the defending champs and then just last week put an end to the Penguins’ five-game winning streak with a 5-2 result. Tonight, it’s almost as if the two sides colluded to produce the best result for our entertainment in their final (regular season) match-up of the year. After going up 2-0 in the first period, Washington allowed six goals in the second while scoring three of their own for a total of nine goals in just twenty minutes. Then, two goals for the Capitals and another for the Penguins tied it up at 7-7 and took the game to overtime. A goal by Conor Sheary in overtime clinched it for Pittsburgh, as unfortunately one team had to come out on top and the game had to come to an end, but only after 15 goals.
The OT goal was Crosby’s third assist of the game, to go along with a goal, but he was just one of the game’s many amazing performances. Fellow Pittsburgh superstar Evgeni Malkin put together a hat trick, all in the second period to lead both teams in goals. Sheary had two goals and an assist for the Penguins, and defensemen Justin Schultz and Trevor Daley combined for seven assists. On the Washington side, T.J. Oshie had a goal and two assists, while Lars Eller added two goals, including the game-tying tally late in the third. On the other hand, it was clearly a night to forget for all of the goaltenders involved.
Unbelievably, the nine goals in a period were not the league record and neither was the Penguins’ six by themselves. However, the six goals scored in the second is the most scored by the Penguins in a game since 2000, when they scored that many in a match-up against the New York Islanders.
The season series between these two teams ends tied at two games apiece and also snaps the Capital’s nine-game winning streak. All hockey fans can hope for now is that these two teams meet up in the playoffs, which could end up being one of the most anticipated series of all time.
Snapshots: Capitals-Penguins, Myers, Lightning, Oilers
Capitals fans will likely see a major milestone when Washington hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
Captain Alex Ovechkin needs one point to hit 1,000 for his career. His fellow captain, Sidney Crosby, is sitting at 982, though in 139 less games. Ovechkin will become the 84th player in NHL history to hit the 1,000-point mark, and the second-fastest active player to do so behind only former Penguin and Capital Jaromir Jagr.
Ovechkin has 19 goals and 14 assists for 33 points in 40 games so far this season. Overall, he has 544 goals and 455 assists in 879 games. In a swap of their normal roles, Crosby has been the more prolific scorer this season with 26 goals and 18 assists for 44 points in 33 games. Crosby has 364-618-982 in 740 games. Both superstars, who broke into the NHL together back in 2005-06, will hit the 1,000-mark in the same season.
The two teams have played twice, with the Penguins winning in overtime in the season-opener and the Capitals winning 7-1 in mid-November. Washington has a six-game winning streak while the Penguins are riding a five-game streak.
In other good news for the Capitals, top-six winger T.J. Oshie will make his return after missing one game with an upper-body injury.
- Tyler Myers will be away from the Winnipeg Jets for an unknown amount of time, as the defenseman deals with a personal matter, according to Scott Billeck, who covers the Jets for the Winnipeg News and the NHL. Billeck reports that Myers had been travelling with the team, but left the team sometime last week while the team was in Florida. Myers has been out of the lineup since mid-November with a back injury. He has two goals and five points in 11 games played.
- It’s been a nightmare of a season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steven Stamkos is likely out until the playoffs, but there’s no guarantee that the Lightning can survive that long. Currently, they have 42 points, four back of a playoff spot. While that’s not a big deficit, the Lightning have lost four games in a row for the second time this season, and are battling several key injuries. Stamkos, Brayden Point, Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, J.T. Brown, Braydon Coburn, and Ben Bishop are all out of the lineup. The Lightning are facing the end of their current roster’s window of Cup contention, with Bishop, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin all needing new contracts. GM Steve Yzerman won’t be able to sign all of his pending free agents, and the team needs to go for it this year. TSN’s Bob McKenize reports that Yzerman is willing to deal nearly “just about anybody” up front, besides Drouin in order to acquire a top-four defenseman (interview transcribed by Chris Nichols of FanRag). Kevin Shattenkirk, Michael Stone, and Dougie Hamilton have all had their names out there this season, and are potential targets for Yzerman to go for. The former two are pending free agents while the latter has been the subject of rumors all year, despite Brian Burke’s insistence that he’s not available for less than 20 first-round picks.
- The Edmonton Oilers are on pace for 94 points, which would be their first season above 90 points since 2005-06, when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals. Despite their fancy new digs, the Oilers are just 9-8-2 at home. OilersNation’s Robin Brownlee gave a startling statistic: the Oilers have won just 86 of their last 207 home games. Brownlee writes that the Oilers need to improve their home record if they want to solidify a playoff spot, seeing as 13 of their last 18 games of the season are at home. The Oilers are on pace to make the playoffs, in spite of their home record, not because of it.
NHL All-Star Captains Announced
After the conclusion of the fan voting that took place from December 1st to January 2nd, the results are finally in on who will be leading each divisional team in the upcoming All-Star Weekend 3-on-3 tournament. The Metropolitan Division will be led by none other than the best player in the league, Sidney Crosby. He’ll be opposed by the young stud gunning for his title, Connor McDavid, who will captain the Pacific Division team. Leading the charge for the Atlantic Division team, and from the most important position as well, will be Carey Price. If healthy, a new addition to the loaded Central Division, P.K. Subban, will captain his squad.
While the rest of the rosters have yet to be filled out, fans nailed at least three of their four selections. The building rivalry between Crosby and McDavid as to who is the best player in the world has really take off in 2016-17. At 29 years old, and already a surefire Hall of Famer, Crosby may be having the best season of his career. With 26 goals in just 32 games, he’s scoring at a career-best clip and seems likely to shatter his personal best of 51 goals in a season. Crosby is also third overall in points with 42. The Penguins are bona fide contenders again, as they look to defend their Stanley Cup title, and Crosby is leading the way. However, just above him at 43 and tied for the league lead in points is the prodigy McDavid. McDavid also has complete control over the league lead in assists with 29. The Oilers have finally climbed out of the NHL’s basement, and the owe a lot, if not all, of their success to McDavid. As good as he’s been, many expect better. With Evgeni Malkin hogging a lot of points for himself in Pittsburgh, most believe that McDavid will eventually pull away from the Penguins’ dynamic duo and claim the Art Ross, and likely the Hart, for himself. We’ll get a preview of the stretch run points race at All-Star weekend.
Price is also the obvious choice, especially to lead a division that is lacking in offensive superstars with Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos sidelined. Price is the undisputed best goalie in the league, and is at it again in 2016-17. Price is currently fourth in save percentage at .930, seventh in goals against average at 2.07, and fifth in wins with 18. The collapse of the Canadiens last season was due completely to Price’s injury absence, as he proved to be the most valuable asset in the entire league. As long as he stays healthy, Montreal appears to be a lock to win the Atlantic, with their all-world goalie leading the way.
The selection of Subban follows a different thought process. Despite moving from Montreal to Nashville, which in fairness has become quite a hockey city itself, Subban remains one the most popular players in the NHL. With one of the biggest personalities in the league and a persona that exceeds the boundaries of the game, fans want to make sure that they see the talented blue liner in action whenever they can. However, their votes may not be enough this time. Subban was just placed on injured reserve by the Predators on Sunday, as he has struggled with a herniated disk in his back for weeks. Rather than surgery, Nashville has opted to let Subban rest and recover until he is game-ready. Returning to action for an All-Star tournament doesn’t quite align with that task. Unless the team has cleared Subban for action prior to the end of the month, it seems unlikely that he will be able to captain the Central team. However, don’t expect him to pass up the opportunity to stop by and get his face in front of a camera regardless.
All-Star Weekend takes place on January 28th and 29th. Stay tuned for more info on the complete rosters in the coming weeks.
Sidney Crosby Injured [Update: Returns To Bench]
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took a stick to the face in the dying seconds of the first period tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. He returned to the bench early in the second period after getting repaired by the Penguins medical staff.
No penalty was called on the play as Crosby caught Arizona’s Martin Hanzal‘s stick in the face after Hanzel collided with both Crosby and Crosby’s teammate Patric Hornqvist. Crosby stayed down for a minute before skating off to the dressing room.
Any head-related injury for Crosby is concerning when considering his history with concussion and concussion-related symptoms. Crosby has already missed time this season with a head injury, and losing more time in a tight Metropolitan Division could cost the Penguins dearly in the long run.