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Steven Santini

Metropolitan Notes: Devils Defense, Santini, Svechnikov

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The New Jersey Devils outlook for their future shot upwards a few weeks ago during the draft lottery after they won for the second time in three years, and now have the opportunity to add top prospects Jack Hughes or Kappo Kakko. However, one thing that is missing from a potential playoff roster in the future is a dominant defenseman.

The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) divides up the current roster, but makes it clear on many occasions that what the team truly needs is a dominant defenseman who can run the defense. Even with 2018 first-rounder Ty Smith likely to join the team next season, the team could very well be on the lookout for a dominant blueliner via trade (if one can be found), suggesting the team may have to move one of their current top three to make a deal like that work in either Damon Severson, Will Butcher or Sami Vatanen.

Both Severson and Butcher are listed as unlikely to be traded unless a blockbuster deal can be found are both considered to be top-four defenseman along with Vatanen, but both blueliners would have significant value in return for an elite defenseman. Vatanen would unlikely have much trade value due to his age, but more importantly due to his injury history.

  • Sticking with the Devils defense, the team hopes they have found a regular to their defensive core as defenseman Steven Santini seemed to have found his niche in the final six weeks of the season. The 24-year-old had dealt with injuries and time in the minors, but looks to have a good chance to establish himself as an everyday defenseman next season for New Jersey, according to NJ.com’s Chris Ryan. After missing a large chunk of the season after breaking his jaw on the first game of the season last year, Santini came back in December, but needed time to find his game. His opportunity came at the trade deadline when the team traded Ben Lovejoy to Dallas, giving Santini a shot at Lovejoy’s minutes. He took advantage of them. “He’s got to be difficult to play against. Tight gaps on line-rush defense. He needs to be hard at the net front. He needs to be able to end plays defensively down low,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “We’d like to see him take a step on a penalty kill, missing a guy like Ben Lovejoy where he could fill into that type of role. And understanding that his puck skills need to improve.”
  • With Game 2 lineups out, the Carolina Hurricanes still don’t have injured forward Andrei Svechnikov back in the lineup. The 2018 second-overall pick has been in concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in a fight with fellow-Russian Alex Ovechkin in the first round of the playoffs. News & Observer’s Chip Alexander reports that a Game 3 return would be perfect timing for the Hurricanes and would get the home crowd even more hyped up, regardless of Carolina’s Game 2 performance.

Minor Transactions: 12/1/18

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It’s a full day of hockey today across the NHL, with Sharks-Senators kicking off the action with an early afternoon matinee, Stars-Canucks later on in the afternoon, and ten more contests on the way tonight. With 24 teams in action, it’s fair to expect some movement over the course of the day, even if all eyes will be on William Nylander regardless. Keep up with all of the minor transactions here:

  • After claiming Valentin Zykov off waivers, the Edmonton Oilers have made a move to open up a roster spot. The team announced that forward Patrick Russell has been returned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Russell, a native of Denmark, was on his first career NHL call-up after signing with the Oilers out of St. Cloud State University in 2016. Russell was held scoreless in his four games with Edmonton, albeit with limited ice time, but was involved at both ends and should see another opportunity soon.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled veteran defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer, the team announced. The 29-year-old is in the second season of a two-year minimum deal, during which he has primarily played with the Belleville Senators in the AHL. Named the minor league Sens’ captain this season, Burgdoerfer has six points in 16 games in Belleville and leads the team with a +5 rating. Burgdoerfer has only played in one game with Ottawa this year, but is expected to see some more action on this call-up. The Senators then announced after their 6-2 victory over San Jose that Burgdoerfer has been returned to Belleville. He was just recalled as a emergency forward and did not play in the game.
  • Eeli Tolvanen is back in the NHL, as the Nashville Predators have recalled their top prospect per a team release. It wasn’t long ago that Tolvanen was considering returning to the KHL this season, but opted instead to stay stateside and work toward a regular role for Nashville. It’s unclear if this call-up will be long-term or not, but Tolvanen has 11 in 21 games, tied for second among forwards on the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, and has shown flashes of brilliance amid some streaky play. Tolvanen already has an NHL skill set and would be better served to stay in the NHL if the Predators can afford the roster spot and regular play time.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have activated both Brett Pesce and Haydn Fleury from the injured reserve, the team announced, signaling the end of the brief debut call-up of promising young defenseman Jake Bean. Bean has been returned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, but not before he skated in two games with the Hurricanes and looked comfortable competing at the NHL level. Bean has 11 points on the year and a +6 rating, both second among Checkers defenseman. Bean is the next man up for Carolina and hopefully will get another look sooner rather than later.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced that they have activated defenseman Steven Santini and have assigned forward Michael McLeod to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL to make room for him. Santini has been with Binghamton since Nov. 20 on a conditioning loan after suffering a broken jaw. The 23-year-old has only played in one game for New Jersey this season and played in just three with Binghamton, going scoreless. McLeod, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, had a brief callup, but did make his NHL debut, but failed to register a point in that one game. He will continue to develop his skills in the AHL where he has three goals and 10 points in 21 games.
  • With the Winnipeg Jets placing Joe Morrow on injured reserve, the Jets announced they have recalled defenseman Nelson Nogier from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The 22-year-old stay-at-home defender has just one assist in 22 games for the Moose, but offers the team some size at 6-foot-2. He joins a bunch of Manitoba players on the Jets’ current roster, including Mason Appleton, Sami Niku and Cameron Schilling.

Steven Santini Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The New Jersey Devils should be getting back another young player soon, as according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com they today sent Steven Santini to the AHL on a conditioning loan as he works his way back from a broken jaw. Santini suffered the injury a month ago, and will need to get some game experience in before jumping back into the NHL fires.

The 23-year old defenseman has only played in a single game this season, and hasn’t quite caught on as a full-time member of the Devils. Playing in 36 games last season, Santini recorded 10 points but did not suit up in the playoffs for the club. That makes just 76 NHL games so far in his short career since being selected 42nd overall in 2013, and there is no clear spot waiting for him when he returns from the minor leagues.

East Notes: Panthers, Zuccarello, Howden, Devils

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The Panthers have gotten off to a slow start this season, posting a 3-5-3 record that has them last overall in the NHL.  Accordingly, speculation has picked up about whether it’s time for them to shake things up.  In an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger stated that he doesn’t expect GM Dale Tallon to make a significant move but instead may try to make a smaller one to see if that gets the team going:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s pretty eager to try and shake the culture of this group a little bit. I don’t get the sense that there’s going to be anything significant, but if it continues to drag on where this team is still playing sluggishly, maybe then the general manager does step in in some way, shape or form.”

It’s at least worth noting that the Panthers have at least four games in hand on every team in the Atlantic Division so while they sit seven points out of a Wild Card spot heading into tonight’s action, they can work their way back into the mix fairly quickly.  A healthy Roberto Luongo should help their fortunes but if they continue to scuffle, a small move could be on the horizon.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Rangers will be without winger Mats Zuccarello for at least the next two games due to a groin strain, notes Newsday’s Anthony Rieber. He will be re-evaluated by team doctors when they return from their road trip this weekend.  New York will, however, have center Brett Howden back for their game on Friday though after he missed Tuesday’s victory over Montreal because of an upper-body injury.
  • New Jersey will have winger Jesper Bratt back in the lineup tomorrow against Toronto, reports Abbey Mastracco of the Bergen Record. He has missed the entire season due to a broken jaw.  The 20-year-old surprised many by making the Devils last season but he wound up having a strong rookie year, tallying 35 points in 74 games.  Meanwhile, winger Stefan Noesen and defenseman Steven Santini participated in practice but aren’t expected to be taken off IR.  As the team has a full roster (Bratt will be activated into Eddie Lack’s soon-to-be-opened slot), some more movement is likely on the way.

New Jersey Devils Recall Egor Yakovlev

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After a promising start to the season the New Jersey Devils have dropped back to back games against the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers, and will now welcome the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Nashville Predators to town on Thursday night. With that in mind, the team has recalled former KHL defenseman Egor Yakovlev from the minor leagues. It didn’t take long for Yakovlev to make an impact with the organization, recording seven assists in his first seven AHL contests including two in his very first game.

Signed last May to a one-year, entry-level contract, Yakovlev is making his North American debut after playing for the last six seasons in the KHL. The mobile defenseman loves to skate the puck out of trouble and found success for years in the KHL and internationally until seeing his ice time drop dramatically in 2017-18 with SKA St. Petersburg. That’s a common occurrence for a player who has indicated he’s on his way to North America, though there’s no confirmation he was sat for that reason.

If he does get into the lineup, the 27-year old will fit in with a defense corps that moves the puck extremely quickly and tries to create tempo all over the ice. The team did have seven other defensemen, but has placed Steven Santini on injured reserve after suffering a broken jaw this weekend when a puck struck him in the face. The club has also recalled forward Kevin Rooney, who had been sent down in a paper transaction yesterday.

Devils’ Steven Santini Suffers Broken Jaw

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When the Devils started Steven Santini over Ben Lovejoy on Saturday, it was in hopes that the young defenseman could help suppress some of the Philadelphia Flyers’ offense after a 5-goal effort from the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Not only did the Flyers win 5-2 today, but the Santini experiment barely even got off the ground. On just his second shift of the night, Santini took a puck up high and was forced to leave the ice. He did not return. In speaking to head coach John Hynes after the game, beat writer Amanda Stein reports that Santini suffered a broken jaw. He will be out indefinitely.

This is an unlucky blow for both the player and team. Santini was making his first appearance of the season for the Devils and hoping to stick in the top six this time around. The 23-year-old defenseman played in 38 and 36 games respectively in his first two pro seasons, but has yet to even play half an NHL season, nevertheless establish himself as a starter. A second-round pick in 2013, Santini was a mainstay of the U.S. Juniors program and a standout defender at Boston College for three years. Santini is a stay-at-home type and does not bring much in the way of offensive potential, but is a smart, safe option on the back end and seemingly has the skill set and demeanor of a solid bottom-pair defenseman.

While that may not sound all that exciting, Santini is the exact type of player that the Devils could use right now. After a hot 4-0 start to the season, New Jersey has allowed ten goals in back-to-back losses and have the Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning on the docket this week. With a less-than-stellar goalie tandem of Keith Kinkaid and Eddie Lack and a defensive corps that is top-heavy with offensive-minded puck movers like Sami Vatanen, Damon Severson, Will Butcher, and Mirco Mueller. The team could use more conservative, tight defensive play right now and hoped Santini could provide it. Instead, the onus could be back on banged-up Lovejoy to pick up the slack in the defensive end.

Steven Santini Re-Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have inked another restricted free agent, signing Steven Santini to a three-year, $4.25MM contract. The salary in the contract breaks down as follows:

  • 2018-19: $1.10MM
  • 2019-20: $1.50MM
  • 2020-21: $1.65MM

Santini will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal (provided he plays in at least five more NHL games during that time), but this gives him some contract stability going forward and ensures his place with the Devils. The big defenseman played 36 games for the team last season and performed admirably, recording 10 points and routinely being among the most physical players on the team. That’s something GM Ray Shero pointed out in the press release for the Santini contract:

We are excited to lock up Steven, a young, developing defenseman, for the next three seasons. He provides size and a physical element that complements our existing defensive group moving forward.

The team obviously believes that Santini can handle himself in the defensive zone, as some of his poor possession statistics can be traced back to the incredibly lopsided zone-start numbers head coach John Hynes gave him. Still, those possession numbers will send up alarm bells for some New Jersey fans looking at a three-year term for the young defenseman. At a $1.42MM cap hit there is no reason to think that Santini will be a full-time player for all three seasons, but the deal is expensive enough to expect at least some contribution. With Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen and Ben Lovejoy all on deals expiring in either the 2019 or 2020 offseasons, the team will have to make some tough decisions on how the blue line will look going forward.

Santini represents the second-last RFA the Devils had to sign this offseason, as now only Miles Wood remains without a contract. Even with a raise coming for Wood, New Jersey will still rank near the very bottom of the league in terms of salary commitments and could potentially add basically whoever they want without causing real financial ramifications. Low-cost deals like the one given to Santini will ensure that the team still has enough money to hand out to players like Vatanan and Taylor Hall when their extension window opens, though they don’t guarantee that the team will move forward in the standings. We’ll have to wait and see if Santini can take another step forward in his development and become more than just a defensive zone whipping boy.

Minor Transactions: 02/02/18

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Last night had some interesting moments around the NHL, including Henrik Lundqvist getting pulled in his second consecutive game, Radko Gudas continuing his over-the-line physicality, and Jake Allen being swept out of the net before a Bruins goal. With the weekend coming up and teams trying to fix problems or find solutions, we’ll keep track of all the minor movement around the league.

Minor Transactions: 01/17/18

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The NHL has just two games on the schedule today before getting back to a full slate on Thursday, and should expect to see several minor moves around league rosters. We’ll keep track of all of them right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day to keep track of all the movement.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea from the minor leagues as they go on the road for back-to-back matchups against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. Dea has 23 points this season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but has just one NHL game under his belt in his short career. Looking for that first NHL point still, he’ll have to find a way into the lineup over the next few days.
  • Casey Nelson is on his way up to Buffalo, recalled today from the Rochester Americans. Nelson played 11 games for the Sabres last season, but has yet to suit up this year. Buffalo is back in action tomorrow night after their bye week, taking on the New York Rangers.
  • Colorado has brought back center Dominic Toninato from San Antonio of the AHL.  The first year pro has skated in eight games with the Avalanche already this season while recording seven goals and five assists in 30 games with the Rampage.
  • With Washington’s bye week set to come to an end, the Capitals have recalled winger Jakub Vrana and defenseman Madison Bowey from AHL Hershey, per the AHL’s Transactions page.  The moves come as no surprise as the demotions were simply to save some cap space (a little over $33K); neither player suited up while they were with the Bears.
  • The Devils made a pair of roster moves, recalling defenseman Steven Santini from Binghamton of the AHL while sending goaltender Ken Appleby back down.  This reverses the swap from Tuesday that saw Appleby promoted to take the place of Cory Schneider who was unable to dress last night against the Islanders due to an illness.

Devils Assign Blake Speers Back To Junior; Recall Steven Santini

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While we’re still a week or two away from a lot of teams having to make decisions on their junior-aged players, the New Jersey Devils didn’t want for the nine game mark when it comes to right winger Blake Speers as the team announced that they have sent him back to Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL.

Teams can play junior-aged players up to nine NHL games before the first year of their entry-level contract officially kicks in.  This allows teams to give some of their top young prospects an extended tryout beyond training camp to determine if they are ready for a full-time roster spot or not.  There are 20 remaining junior-aged players league-wide that teams will have to make a decision on in the coming weeks.

Speers has suited up in three games with the Devils this year, being held off the scoresheet with three shots on goal while averaging 9:29 of ice time per game.  Last season with the OHL Greyhounds, the 2015 third round pick (67th overall) had 26 goals and 48 assists in 68 games.

The team also announced that defenseman Steven Santini has been recalled and will take Speers’ spot on the roster.  The team recently sent him down to give him a game in the AHL over the weekend.

[Related: Devils Depth Chart]

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