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Ducks’ Defensive Depth Holding Their Own Despite Injuries

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Defensive injuries seem to be mounting throughout many NHL playoff teams, but the defensive depth of the Anaheim Ducks as well as their 2-0 lead over the Calgary Flames is why there is little mention of Anaheim’s struggles. Injuries to Cam Fowler (knee) and Sami Vatanen (upper body) as well as season ending losses of Clayton Stoner (abdominal surgery) and Simon Despres (concussion) have forced a lot of the Ducks’ young blueliners to take a greater role.

NHL’s Adam Brady writes that Korbinian Holzer, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore have all had to step up and play big minutes, despite only having 10 games of playoff experience combined, coming into Saturday’s game. Despite the lack of experience, they have shined, with the exception of a shaky 10-minute period between the first and second frames when the Flames scored twice to tie the game. Montour and Theodore even assisted on offense on Jakob Silfverberg’s first-period goal.

“We stated before the playoffs started, that we thought we were going to have to use nine defenseman through the course of the playoffs season,” coach Randy Carlyle said this morning just before his Ducks got on a plane to Calgary for Games 3 and 4. “We’ve at eight right now, and that’s great for our younger kids, getting the exposure and experience of playoff hockey and should only bode well for their future. I don’t see them intimidated by it, not in the first two games anyway.”

Holzer, at 29 years of age and hardly a youngster, played in his first-ever playoff game after Vatanen was forced to miss Game 2 yesterday. He was actually sent out as a starter with Manson to start the game. “For me, it was a great feeling and I was excited,” Holzer said. “There were a little more butterflies than normal. It was kind of like your first NHL game. But it was good that I started the game, to get those nerves out of the way early, and after that I thought it was a good experience.”

With Fowler out indefinitely, Vatanen will be reassessed tomorrow morning before Game 3. If he is forced to miss Game 3, the young defenders will be ready. “Obviously those guys are elite players, but for us as a whole core, anybody can play any role with the depth that we have,” Montour said. “So we were very calm out there. All of us can skate and play hard in our own end. I think that showed last night, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”

Bruins Scouting Ducks-Wild Game

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It would be a surprise to no one that the Boston Bruins’ brass are out watching other teams. While the Bruins are still clinging to a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, currently tied with the Ottawa Senators for second with 52 points, that position is only temporary. The Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, just two points behind, have six games in hand on Boston. They are currently doing battle with each other, which could result in a three-way tie with a Toronto win, a drop to third in the division with a Senators win, or the worst-case scenario, a Leafs OT-win in which both results would occur. Regardless, the Bruins are not going to be able to hang on to their spot long with the way they have been playing. Boston has lost three straight, including shutouts by the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders and a crushing 6-5 shootout defeat to the Detroit Redwings wherein they blew two three-goal leads. The Bruins have only won six of their last sixteen games and those six wins have come against four teams that are struggling as much or more than they are: the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers (twice), and Buffalo Sabres (twice). Beyond just wins and losses, there are rumors about coach Claude Julien, reported turmoil in the front office surrounding president Cam Neely, injuries on defense to Kevan and Colin Miller, a 16-game goal-less streak for early-season superstar David Pastrnak, and ongoing issues with line chemistry. The Bruins need a shake-up to save their season, and everyone knows it.

So, when Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo reported that Bruins GM Don Sweeney was on the press box list at tonight’s game, with the Wild hosting the Anaheim Ducks, it came as no surprise. Both teams are known for their immense lack of talented depth on defense, something that Boston would definitely be interested in. While the team has been shut out three times this month, their scoring has actually been trending upward. Patrice Bergeron has begun to shake off his early struggles, Frank Vatrano has been a shot in the arm since his return from injury, and Brad Marchand and Torey Krug have remained on fire. The recent return of Matt Beleskey should help to add some scoring and balance out the forward lines (much-needed), while the AHL’s Providence Bruins, who won 9-1 tonight, have been explosive and could potentially offer support up front. That’s not to say that the Bruins, who will have about $17MM in cap space by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolls around, won’t still look to add an impending free agent forward with some finish, but despite appearances, the offense should be able to figure itself out in the short-term. The defense is a different story. While the Bruins are loaded with defensive talent in the system, none of it is on its way this year and maybe not next year either, and the Bruins need some help now. Krug has four goals and 25 assists, but has also had his issues in his own end. His pair mate Adam McQuaid has had a nice bounce-back season, but offers little in the way of puck movement and offense. Same goes for the top pairing of Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo, who have been one of the better shutdown duos in the league this season, but are slowing down as a 39-year-old and a rookie respectively. John-Michael Liles, an impending free agent, has just recently returned from injury and has yet to make a major difference. Colin Miller, though he has upside, was in and out of the lineup even before his injury, and Kevan Miller, also injured, is likely better suited as an extra man. The Bruins need a legitimate top-four defenseman for this year and for the near future, and both the Wild and Ducks provide intriguing trade partners.

As it stands right now, Anaheim and Minnesota are both guaranteed to lose a top-four caliber defenseman in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, if the Vegas Golden Knights choose to select that player. A team can either protect seven forwards and three defenseman or eight skaters total, allowing them to protect a fourth defenseman. Neither situation works out particularly well for either team. The Ducks will be forced to protect veteran Kevin Bieksa, due to his no-movement clause, and will likely choose to protect young cornerstone blue liners Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, and Cam Fowler as well, even if it means leaving a promising forward like Jakob Silfverberg exposed. However, Vegas could choose to instead take another good young defenseman in Josh Manson or potentially Simon Depres. Similarly, the Wild too are expected to protect four defenseman, selecting from Ryan Suter (a veritable lock), Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba. One way or another, one of those d-men will be exposed and almost certainly scooped up by the Golden Knights. So, with both teams fighting for position atop the Western Conference and with their eye on a Stanley Cup, Anaheim and Minnesota also have to be thinking about trading a defenseman. They would much rather get something in a trade rather than nothing in the draft, even if that means dealing away talent in a Cup-contender season. Armed with a deep prospect system and quality forwards they may willing to part with, such as David Krejci, Ryan Spooner, and Jimmy Hayes, the Bruins would be an interesting suitor for either team. With Don Sweeney in attendance, watching two teams that are facing a difficult situation and may feel like pressured to make a move, an important shake-up trade could be on the horizon in Boston. Could it be the revitalized Fowler? The youngster Dumba? A more Bruin-like player like Scandella or Manson? Only time will tell, but the connection between the Bruins and these defense-deep teams will be something to keep an eye on as we head toward the Trade Deadline in just over a month.

Pacific Notes: Lindholm, Gaudet, Injuries

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Hampus Lindholm will make his long awaited debut tonight for the Anaheim Ducks, figuring into the lineup after a long hold out and visa process. While the team is off to a 6-5-2 start without him, he’ll be a welcome addition to a blueline that has already lost Simon Despres for an indefinite period.

Lindholm is one of the more underrated skaters in the league, with his smooth possession style falling somewhat under the radar. He’ll likely take the place of Korbinian Holzer, who had worked his way into the lineup after the team sent Shea Theodore back to the AHL.

  • After just a single game with the big club, the Arizona Coyotes have decided to send Tyler Gaudet back to the AHL. Gaudet got into the match against the Colorado Avalanche last night, but will now retake his spot with Tucson where he was off to a good start. The 23-year old has five points in eight games at the minor league level.
  • On the ice today for the Coyotes were Michael Stone and Mike Smith, two key injuries the team has been fighting. Stone has gotten into just four games this season between two injury stints, while Smith has been out since October 23rd with a lower-body injury. Louis Domingue has taken the reigns in his absence and fared poorly, notching an .896 save percentage through ten games.  The Coyotes will need both Stone and Smith to make quick returns should they hope to keep the playoffs within sight.

Snapshots: Trouba, Ducks, Goaltending

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In the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN, the panel of Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun discussed a number of subjects. One of them was Jacob Trouba, and the potential of a trade in his future. While Trouba has insisted all along that it isn’t about money in his contract dispute, the Jets are rumored to be willing to go to six-years, $33MM to get the defenceman under contract.

Even though it seems like most teams would want Trouba, Dreger reports that it doesn’t look like there is a fit anywhere in Canada. The Maple Leafs, Oilers and Canadiens have all been rumored to be interested in the 22-year old in the past.

  • On Hampus Lindholm and a possible deal of Cam Fowler, LeBrun reports that it might not be as guaranteed as one would think.  While it still seems likely that one of the Ducks young defenceman will have to be shipped out, the fact that Simon Despres has hit the LTIR and has no timetable on his return the team has a little more wiggle room under the salary cap.
  • In Carolina, Dreger suggests that Ryan Murphy may be on the block, since he’ll likely be exposed at next year’s expansion draft. The 23-year old former first round pick split last season between the NHL and AHL levels.
  • On the goaltending front, Los Angeles sounds like they’re putting all their eggs in the Peter Budaj basket for now. They’re waiting for Mike Condon to hit waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that may not happen for a while as Pittsburgh wants to try and keep or get an asset for the young goaltender.

Ducks, Lindholm Agree To New Pact

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According to Bob McKenzie, the Anaheim Ducks have come to terms with RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm, signing the Swede to a six-year deal with an AAV of $5.25MM. It had been reported in recent days that the chasm between the two sides had shrunk to around $250K annually but that each had “a line drawn in the sand.” Now, with the new pact coming in short of the recent contract inked by Buffalo blue liner Rasmus Ristolainen, it’s fair to speculate it was Lindholm who lowered his salary demands in order to get a deal done.

At this point Lindholm likely concluded it no longer made sense to miss any more paychecks. If the two sides were in fact hung up on just $250K per year, the Ducks defender will earn more than that in four games under terms of his new deal.

Given the two sides seemed to be locked firmly into their relative positions just 24 hours ago, it’s clear significant progress was made last night in order for the deal to be announced this morning. In fact, Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot provides a timeline demonstrating the “shift” in negotiations based on the reports of insiders Darren Dreger, Elliotte Friedman and McKenzie.

Cap Friendly reports that the Ducks are now about $1.4MM over the salary cap ceiling meaning the team will have to make a roster move or moves in order to clear sufficient space. As Cap Friendly further notes, even if the team sends Emerson Etem – who cleared waivers yesterday – and Dustin Tokarski down to San Diego of the AHL, the Ducks will still be approximately $150K over the cap ceiling.

It’s been widely rumored that the team could look to deal a player like Cam Fowler – $4MM cap charge – and that still might be the case; especially if the Ducks can acquire an impact LW in the trade. It’s also possible the club could simply put C Nate Thompson and his $1.6MM cap hit on LTIR. Thompson had surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury in June and his return date is unknown.

Of course with Simon Despres already on LTIR and temporarily clearing his $3.7MM cap hit from the books, it’s likely the Ducks will still have to trim salary at some point this season when Despres and or Thompson are healthy enough to return.

Despite officially being under contract, Lindholm likely won’t see the ice for Anaheim for at least another week to 10 days, according to McKenzie. Lindholm, who has been in Sweden during the holdout, will require a new work visa and the process, as McKenzie notes, can take up to two weeks.

Snapshots: Flyers, Escrow, Murray, Despres

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While the Flyers are receiving some good news on the injury front, it will be a while before they can actually benefit from it, writes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post.  Center Scott Laughton has been skating since Friday and is hoping to be ready in the next seven to ten days to return to the lineup from a knee injury.  As for Michael Del Zotto, he skated for the first time on Sunday after suffering a knee injury of his own.

On the surface, that might sound promising that both are nearing returns to the lineup but there is one hiccup they have to deal with.  At the start of the season, the Flyers placed both players on long-term injury reserve (LTIR), allowing them to have replacement players while remaining cap compliant.  As a result, both players must miss at least 10 games and 24 days of action.  Even though both players may be ready to go before the 24 days are up, neither will be able to return to playing until their November 5th game against Montreal.

Other news from around the league:

  • The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to set the first quarter escrow rate on pay at 15.5%, notes TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Teams withhold the escrow amounts in order to maintain an equal 50/50 split of revenues as listed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  While the 15.5% represents a reduction compared to last year (17%), it’s still unlikely that the players will receive a lot of that money back.  In 2014-15 – the last season where total revenues have been finalized – the players had 15% withheld as escrow and only received 2.05% of it back.  The large gap will likely continue to be a problem as league revenues begin to flat line with the NHLPA exercising at least some part of their cap escalator each offseason.
  • Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray is not currently with the team on their road trip but could join them at some point this week, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Murray missed Saturday’s game in Dallas with a head injury after a collision with Chicago’s Brent Seabrook on Friday night.
  • The Ducks have placed blueliner Simon Despres on LTIR, TSN’s Bob McKenzie notes (Twitter link). The move gives Anaheim some more financial flexibility in the short-term as they look to re-sign RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm.  Despres is currently out with an upper body injury that is believed to be concussion-like symptoms.

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