Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers
The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again. However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener. However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip. An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
- Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating. As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
- While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.
Team Canada Announces First Three Members Of 2022 Olympic Team
The first three members of the 2022 Canadian Olympic team have been announced, as general manager Doug Armstrong revealed to Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com that Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Alex Pietrangelo have made the team. Each participating country was required to declare three players, while the full “long-list” of 55 potential names will be submitted by October 15.
Crosby is an easy choice and likely the team’s captain, after finding so much success at the head of Team Canada in the past. The 34-year-old center has won World Junior, World Championship, World Cup, and Olympic Gold (x2) throughout his dazzling career, including scoring one of the most well-known goals in Canadian hockey history at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Conn Smythe winner, two-time Hart Trophy winner, there was never any thought of leaving Crosby off of the team.
If Crosby is the legend, McDavid is the focus though, entering his first Olympics as the best player in the world. The 24-year-old has won gold at the World Juniors and World Championship but hasn’t been able to suit up for Team Canada at the Olympic level to this point due to the NHL not going in 2018. The reigning Hart winner, McDavid had 105 points in just 56 games last season and has already won the Art Ross Trophy three times in a six-year NHL career. There’s no doubt he will be the forward that the rest of the roster is built around, and it makes sense he would be announced at this early stage.
Pietrangelo may be the most surprising of the three, but that doesn’t mean he’s much of a surprise. The 31-year-old has his own long history of success with Team Canada, taking home World Junior, Olympic, and World Cup gold medals. He has a long history with Armstrong from their days in St. Louis and there was little doubt he would be one of the defensemen to suit up in February. Pietrangelo finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting in 2020 and has received votes for the award in seven different seasons.
The list of potential names that will be submitted later this month will include many that won’t end up going to Beijing, making the first part of this NHL season something of a tryout. Only these three have their spots guaranteed, but that wasn’t something that really was in question even before this announcement.
Metropolitan Notes: Zibanejad, Lee, Malkin
The New York Rangers began extension talks with top center Mika Zibanejad earlier this month, but the two sides have not yet reached a resolution on a new contact. However, don’t expect that to bother Zibanejad this season. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reports that Zibanejad is unfazed by his impending free agent status. He has been candid with comments stating that he will leave negotiations to his agent and the Rangers’ front office while he remains focused on the upcoming season. “Right now, they’re taking care of business — so I’m taking care of mine,” Zibanejad stated. While many players state us much while actually posturing, Zibanejad really does have nothing to worry about. Sure, the skilled center has stated that he enjoys playing in New York and would like to sign long-term with the Rangers. However, the 28-year-old could also be the top name on the open market if he cannot come to terms with the team on a new deal. Walker reports that Zibanejad’s side is seeking upwards of $10MM per year on a seven- or eight-year term, while the Rangers would prefer to keep that cap number between $7-9MM. While Zibanejad would lose the possibility of that eighth year should he test the market, competition would also certainly drive that AAV up toward his asking price. As a result, Zibanejad has all the leverage in talks with New York, especially if he performs this season, so it makes sense that he can calmly focus solely on his play and let negotiations unfold behind the scenes.
- Across town, the New York Islanders are looking forward to the return of one of their own core players in Anders Lee. Lee missed the final 29 games of the regular season and the entirety of the postseason after undergoing ACL surgery in March, but is now back to full strength. Yet, his comeback is still on hold for the time being. Though Lee has not been limited in training camp, NYI Hockey Now’s Christian Arnold relays word from head coach Barry Trotz that Lee will not be rushed into preseason action. The star forward is expected to be held out of at least the first few Islanders preseason games, if not more. While the team wants Lee to be up to game speed by the start of the regular season, they are being cautious with his workload on a surgically repaired knee. A hard-working veteran, Lee will be ready to go for New York’s season debut regardless of how much work he puts in prior.
- As for Evgeni Malkin, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports that it is status quo for the star center’s return from off-season knee surgery. While Sidney Crosby is only expected to miss a few games to start the year following his own wrist surgery, the expectation remains that Malkin will miss the first two months of the season. The Penguins surely had hoped that Malkin could fast-forward his return to action, especially since the team’s limited cap space handicapped their ability to find a suitable replacement down the middle. The focus so far in training camp has been on veteran Evan Rodrigues and youngster Radim Zohorna battling for a starting center role, though neither will be able to bring even replacement-level offense to the lineup. Jeff Carter, Teddy Blueger, and eventually Crosby will likely be the Penguins top-nine centers until Malkin returns and the lines are re-shuffled.
Sidney Crosby Undergoes Wrist Surgery
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without captain Sidney Crosby when training camp opens in a few weeks, as he underwent wrist surgery today. Crosby is expected to miss six weeks, likely meaning he will not be ready for the start of the season. Penguins GM Ron Hextall released a statement explaining why the surgery was done now:
This is not a new injury for Sid. It is something that he has played through for years. After exhausting all minimally-invasive options and much discussion, it was decided that surgery was in his best interest.
Crosby, 34, is no stranger to injury, having played in all 82 games just once in his storied career. Despite that, and whatever discomfort this wrist problem was causing him, the Penguins star has maintained a streak of at least a point-per-game rate in each of his 16 seasons. In 2020-21, he registered 62 points in 55 games, finishing tenth in league scoring and first on the Penguins. That earned him a fourth-place finish in the Hart Trophy voting, with 11 voters actually putting him second behind the unanimous selection of Connor McDavid.
While obviously getting this surgery earlier in the summer would have been better for the Penguins regular season hopes, Crosby still shouldn’t miss much time. Should he return six weeks from today, he would be absent for just four games to start the year, certainly not something that would put a season in jeopardy.
Of course for the Penguins, every game matters as they try to battle for standing in the Metropolitan Division. With Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang now all in their mid-thirties, the challenge of competing for a Stanley Cup seems even greater. With the captain out, it seems likely that Jeff Carter, a trade deadline acquisition last season, and Teddy Blueger, will slide into the top-six center positions for the first few games given Malkin’s own injury concerns. The 35-year-old Malkin underwent knee surgery in June and was not given a definitive timeline other than he will not be available for training camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Crosby, Morrissey, Cech
Will Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby be Captain Canada once more this year? The Athletic’s Rob Rossi believes that Hockey Canada has already tipped their hand prior to an official announcement. Rossi notes that as the organization begins to promote the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Crosby has been participating in commercial shoots, print ad shoots, and today an actual in-person promotional appearance with the “C” on his jersey. Now, Crosby did serve as the captain in his last appearance at the Olympics with Canada in 2014, which could explain the “C”. However, it is also just as much evidence that he could serve as captain again, especially he also captained the 2015 World Championship team and 2017 World Cup team in last two international appearance. One of the best all-time, it would be no surprise if Crosby remains Canada’s captain until his playing days are over. To this point, that role is not official for the 2022 Winter Games, but all signs point in that direction.
- Mike McIntryre of the Winnipeg Free Press writes that perhaps Jets fans should lighten up on their criticism of top defenseman Josh Morrissey. Morrissey is coming off of a disappointing 2020-21 season after signing a lucrative long-term deal last off-season, leading many to call the blue liner out for taking his foot off the pedal now that he has his money. However, that may not be the situation at all. Morrissey’s father recently passed away from brain cancer and it was revealed that Morrisey was battling with that difficult personal issue all season. While professional athletes are expected to perform regardless of off-ice/field problems, it is only human for those things to weigh on them. Morrissey is a hard-working, two-way defenseman who has been a positive player that excels in all three zones for every season up until this past campaign. There is no reason to believe that the 26-year-old won’t bounce back this year, especially with the Jets bringing in some extra support on the blue line in Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon.
- Former all-world soccer goalkeeper Petr Cech is back for another run at hockey. After retiring from soccer, Cech made a highly-publicized transition to hockey in 2019-20, signing with the Guildford Phoenix of the NIHL second-tier league in England while concurrently working as an advisor to his long-time Premier League soccer club Chelsea. Cech played in six games with the Phoenix, recording two shutouts and a .934 save percentage – not bad for a 37-year-old rookie. After a year off, Cech is ready to get back in net (on the ice). The Phoenix have announced that they have signed Cech to a one-year contract as he continues to play out his lifelong dream of playing hockey, even after a historic career in soccer. Cech will remain employed by Chelsea in the meantime as well. The legend of the star Czech athlete continues to grow.
2021 Ted Lindsay Award Finalists Announced
This week, the NHL has started to release the finalists for all the major regular season awards. After the Vezina Trophy came out yesterday, the Ted Lindsay Award, given to “the most outstanding player in the NHL” as voted on by members of the NHLPA is up.
The three finalists this year are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
Crosby, 33, is the veteran of the group and has been here several times before. The legendary Penguins center has taken home the Lindsay (which used to be called the Pearson) three times and could match Mario Lemieux for second behind Wayne Gretzky‘s five should he win another this year. He hasn’t taken home the award since leading the league in scoring in 2013-14, but there’s little doubt of his impact on Pittsburgh’s season. Crosby scored 24 goals and 62 points in 55 games, finishing tenth in league scoring. The Penguins were carried by their captain all year as they dealt with injuries to everyone from Brandon Tanev to Evgeni Malkin.
Matthews, 23, is the youngest of the group and is a finalist for the first time after his outstanding season with the Maple Leafs. He would become just the second American-born player to win the award, joining Patrick Kane in the 2016 season. Though he missed four games due to injury, Matthews still won the Rocket Richard trophy for the league’s top goal scorer, leading the field by eight tallies. His 41 in 52 is a pace that would have him score 65 in a full 82-game schedule, a number that has only been reached by 12 players in the history of the NHL and none since Alex Ovechkin did it in 2007-08. It wasn’t only goals though, as Matthews finished tied for fifth in league scoring with 66 points.
Still, it’s going to be difficult for either of the first two finalists to topple McDavid, who recorded 105 points in a 56-game season. He was 21 points ahead of the second-place scorer, who happened to be his teammate and reigning Ted Lindsay winner Leon Draisaitl. McDavid was 36 points ahead of the next non-Oilers player, an absolutely incredible stat in any season, let alone a shortened one. McDavid’s point pace would have given him 154 in a full 82-game season, something that has only ever been done by Gretzky, Lemieux, and Steve Yzerman. The scoring he accomplished this season was truly historic, and it seems likely to give him his third Lindsay already in a young career. Should he win it, he’ll tie Crosby, Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, and Guy Lafleur with three wins.
2021 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced
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
Edmonton: Kyle Turris
Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky
Los Angeles: Trevor Moore
Minnesota: Mats Zuccarello
Montreal: Jonathan Drouin
Nashville: Pekka Rinne
New Jersey: P.K. Subban
NY Islanders: Anders Lee
NY Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa: Thomas Chabot
Philadelphia: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby
San Jose: Kurtis Gabriel
St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly
Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn
Toronto: John Tavares
Vancouver: Tyler Motte
Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington: Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler
Sidney Crosby, Todd Reirden Exit COVID Protocol
Sidney Crosby has been the biggest name to land on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list so far this season, but it was a short stay for the Penguins captain. Pittsburgh has announced that Crosby has been activated from the COVID Protocol and will be in the lineup for their Thursday night game.
Assistant coach Todd Reirden has also been cleared of the COVID Protocol and will be back behind the bench. He was replaced by development coach Ty Hennes for the team’s last game.
Both men only landed on the list on Tuesday and missed just one game. Led by a 40-save effort from Tristan Jarry, the team stepped up in their stead with a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. They face their in-state rival again tonight.
Sidney Crosby Placed In COVID Protocol
There will be a new name on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list when it comes out later today, and it’s a big one. Sidney Crosby has entered the league’s protocol according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan and will not be available for tonight’s game. The team did not have a morning skate today because of the protocol.
To be clear, this does not necessarily mean that Crosby has tested positive for coronavirus. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
The Penguins appear to still be on for tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers and will have Tristan Jarry in the net. Mark Jankowski will also not be available and remains listed day-to-day with an injury. He skated this morning on his own but is not quite ready.
The CPRA list is released at 5pm ET every day.
East Notes: Crosby, Ristolainen, Bruins
Tonight is a milestone game for Penguins center Sidney Crosby as he plays in his 1,000th career NHL contest, all in a Pittsburgh uniform. However, with the team struggling, some have speculated as to whether or not the 33-year-old would be better off or happier with a trade. Speaking with reporters including NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, the captain tried to downplay that, reiterating his desire to stay with the that drafted him first overall in 2005:
Nothing’s changed. [The rumors are] definitely kind of a new subject that I’ve had to deal with and hear about a little bit. But I love playing here. This is where I’d love to play for the rest of my career. So I can’t really control what’s said or rumors or things like that, but that’s just kind of how I approach it.
Crosby is off to a bit of a slower start by his standards having averaged over a point per game in all of his first 15 NHL seasons but still sits second in scoring on the Penguins this season with six goals and seven assists in 15 games.
Elsewhere in the East Division:
- While Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is off the CPRA list, he’s not expected to join the team on their current road trip and remains out indefinitely, Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News report. The 26-year-old had a particularly rough case of the virus and head coach Ralph Krueger indicated that it will be a “long process” for the blueliner to return to the lineup. Ristolainen was off to a strong start to his year with six points in ten games while logging over 23 minutes per night but it appears that he will be out for a while yet.
- The Bruins will be without center David Krejci and defenseman Kevan Miller for their outdoor game at Lake Tahoe tomorrow, notes Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette (Twitter link). Krejci is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained on Thursday versus New Jersey while Miller’s absence is believed to be more for rest as he works his way back from missing all of last year. Jack Studnicka and Urho Vaakanainen were both recalled to Boston’s taxi squad yesterday.