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Paul Martin Recalled By San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks have brought veteran defenseman Paul Martin back to the NHL, recalling him along with Rudolfs Balcers today. In a corresponding move, the team has moved Joel Ward and Tomas Hertl to injured reserve.

Martin, 36, was waived earlier this season after battling injury and assigned to the minor leagues for the first time in his career. Since jumping right from the NCAA to the NHL in 2003, Martin had played 859 NHL games split between three clubs. A stay-at-home defenseman capable of a good first pass, Martin had been a key member of the Sharks blue line and a perfect complement to Brent Burns’ roving style.

No one took a chance on Martin when he was on waivers, mostly because of his hefty $4.85MM cap hit this year and next. He took the demotion in stride and tried to prove his worth at the AHL level, and has now been given another chance in the NHL. He’ll still be eligible to be sent back down without clearing waivers for some time, and another team could reach out to try and acquire him if he shows well. It’s not clear where exactly he fits into the Sharks lineup right now, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the veteran defenseman.

Minor Transactions: 2/18/18

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With a full slate of games last night, the Vegas Golden Knights continued their winning ways. With their victory over the Montreal Canadiens, the first-year expansion team has become the NHL points leader once again as the team now has 82 points so far this season. With a seven-game matchup today, many NHL teams will be making moves today. Check back in as those moves are made throughout the day.

  • The New York Rangers announced they have assigned goaltender Brandon Halverson to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He was recalled Saturday to serve as backup to starter Henrik Lundqvist against the Ottawa Senators. However, due to Lundqvist’s struggles against Ottawa, Halverson did manage to make his NHL debut last night, allowing one goal and saving five shots in 12:33 of action. Halverson was a second-round pick in 2014. With backup Ondrej Pavelec out with a strained MCL, the team had called up Alexander Georgiev from Hartford, but he was out Saturday with the flu. Halverson’s assignment would suggest that Georgiev should be ready for the team’s next game on Thursday.
  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz tweets that the San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Daniel O’Regan from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL for today’s game. The scribe suggests that Tomas Hertl might not be ready to play yet after leaving Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury when he crashed into the boards. He already missed one game. O’Regan has been up and down for much of the season. He has played 17 games for the Sharks this year and has four assists. O’Regan has seven goals and 18 assists in 30 games with the Barracuda.
  • The Dallas Stars announced that they have sent forward Jason Dickinson to Texas of the AHL.  He has played in 13 games with Dallas this season, averaging 9:19 per night while being held off the scoresheet.  He has been more productive at the minor league level though, recording 22 points in 33 contests.

Expansion Primer: San Jose Sharks

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The San Jose Sharks took an expected step backwards this season after an impressive display in 2015-16 saw them reach Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The team is certainly at a crossroads, with long-time leaders Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton hitting unrestricted free agency. They were ousted quite easily in the first round by the upstart Edmonton Oilers, and GM Doug Wilson will look to craft a strategy that will put them back in contention for a title.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Mikkel Boedker, Joel Ward, Tomas Hertl, Melker Karlsson, Jannik Hansen, Chris Tierney (RFA), Barclay Goodrow (RFA)

Defensemen:

Brent Burns, Paul Martin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun, Brenden Dillon, David Schlemko, Dylan DeMelo, Mirco Mueller (RFA)

Goaltenders:

Martin Jones, Troy Grosenick, Aaron Dell

Notable Exemptions

Joonas Donskoi, Timo Meier, Kevin Lebanc, Marcus Sorenson, Danny O’Regan, Tim Heed, Joakim Ryan

Key Decisions

The Sharks are looking to infuse some youth into their lineup next season, and they are hopeful that one of the poor-performing vets in Mikkel Boedker or Joel Ward will be the only loss to expansion. Unfortunately for them, it seems unlikely that the Golden Knights are looking to acquire many greybeards. A huge debate, at least from the outside, is whether they will opt to protect 8 skaters and one goalie, or the more popular 7F/3D/1G setup. San Jose has done quite well to build a stable group of defensemen, but they do have some forwards they’d prefer not to sacrifice.

On offense, there are three locks to be protected, at the least. Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski are the offensive leaders of this team and are both in the primes of their careers. Tomas Hertl has amazing creativity and flare, and will only improve as he just turned 23. Melker Karlsson seems the next safest bet, as he has displayed great defensive play and versatility. He is the team’s swiss-army knife, and has too much value to sacrifice. The remaining group of forwards that would be exposed if San Jose opts to go the 4F/4D/1G route would be thus: Mikkel Boedker, Joel Ward, Jannik Hansen, Chris Tierney. Losing one of Hansen or Tierney would be irritating, but surmountable.

On defense, Brent Burns is a dominant offensive force from the blueline – he led the league in points from the blueline. Marc-Eduoard Vlasic takes the bulk of quality competition and has been a rock defensively. Justin Braun didn’t have the most phenomenal year, but he is an integral piece of the team going forward. This leaves Paul Martin, David Schlemko, Mico Mueller, and Brenden Dillon all exposed – with one of the group nearly certain to be lost. Martin has been a top-pairing guy for a decade, and his loss would be significant. Vegas’ has stated the goal of starting young and could certainly pass over the 36 year-old. It’s a sizable risk, but it certainly seems a possible scenario that he remains untouched. Dillon hasn’t performed well enough to warrant protection over the other two D-men. He had a much better possession season this year (53.0 Corsi For %) than last (49.3% CF), but his offensive impact is truly minimal. He also sees bottom-pairing minutes and a lower quality of competition than Schlemko.

Of the remaining two, Schlemko is clearly the better player at this moment. Schlemko had a great possession year (54.6% CF)and has been a positive influence on every team he’s played. Protecting Schlemko would serve to provide insurance if Martin were for some reason claimed. There is a marginal case to protect the younger Muelller, as he is only 22 and could serve as a cheap option on the blueline for the next few years. He did only played 4 NHL games last year, and impressed no one, but as a recent first-rounder Vegas could jump on the opportunity. The organization does seem low on him, so he could easily find himself on the outs.

In net, Martin Jones will obviously be the protected asset. The team just re-signed backup Troy Grosenick, but with the plethora of available goalies Vegas can choose from, he’s entirely safe.

Although there are plenty of no-trade clauses (NTCs) on the roster, there are no players who require protection due to an NMC. Additionally, the Sharks will benefit heavily from their foresight (and/or luck) with having Thornton and Marleau both turning UFA this particular off-season.  Vegas could theoretically “claim” either, but it wouldn’t do anything other than give the Knights a head start on potential contract negotiations. With those two older players relatively safe, the organization will focus on protecting others who will contribute to their chances in the near future. Schlemko had a solid year and will be playing long after Martin is retired, and that will likely be the tie-breaker.

Projected Protection List

F Joe Pavelski
F Logan Couture
F Tomas Hertl
F Melker Karlsson

D Brent Burns
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic
D Justin Braun
D David Schlemko

G Martin Jones

By all indication, the Sharks are trying to compete again next year. I fully expect them to sign at least one of Marleau and Thornton and to make another strong push in the Pacific before going complete re-build. Burns is still a top defenseman, and with a solid re-tooling of the bottom-six, it’s not an inconceivable goal. Schlemko is not too far behind Martin in terms of performance, and could see his role improved. They are flirting with moving him for assets, which wouldn’t be the worst decision if they then protected Martin. One of the two has to be there to round out the top-four on defense.

As for Vegas, they could go with a semi-“proven” commodity in the speedy Boedker, fill out the roster with the solid but unremarkable Tierney, take a risk on an unproven talent like Mueller, or go the safest route and employ the aged Martin to guide the youngsters along. They will have options, but no loss the Sharks couldn’t endure.

 

Joe Thornton Played With Torn MCL And ACL

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San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer spoke with the media today about their series loss against the Edmonton Oilers, and revealed that Joe Thornton had been playing with a torn MCL and ACL. He also says that Tomas Hertl had been playing with a broken foot, while Patrick Marleau had a broken finger. It likely means there is surgery in the near future for Thornton, which could drastically affect his free agency.

As he heads into the summer, Thornton is one of the top free agents on the market in what is a light year up front. Along with Alexander Radulov and T.J. Oshie, Thornton is one of the only proven top-six contributors available even as he approached 38 years old. His 50 points this season were a considerable step backwards, but he is just a year removed from an 82 point season in 2015-16. If his knee injury is further debilitating, he could be looking at a much lower cap-hit for someone to take a chance on him.

Though the Sharks would like to retain both Thornton and Marleau, it may be time to move on from the legends and try to build around Hertl and some of the other young players they have. Melker Karlsson, Marcus Sorensen, Joonas Donskoi and Chris Tierney are all restricted free agents this summer and deserve raises, while the team already has quite a bit of money tied up in their over-30 crowd, including the new $64MM extension for Brent Burns that kicks in next year.

Should Thornton make a full recovery, several teams may bite the bullet on the risks that his age and health pose, and offer a two-year deal to give him one last chance at the Stanley Cup. If it was his last stint in San Jose, skating with a “floating” knee seems like a loyal way to pay off a fan base that has cheered him for years, even if it did result in a first round exit.

5 Key Stories: 1/23/17 – 1/29/17

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Congratulations to the members of the Metro Division All-Star team, who capped off an entertaining three-on-three tournament by defeating the Pacific Division 4 – 3. It’s time for PHR’s weekly roundup of the five key stories from the week of 1/23/17 through 1/29/17.

Colorado center Matt Duchene, the subject of trade rumors for much of the season, expressed a willingness to being dealt to another club in comments made to The Denver Post this week. The talented pivot has two years remaining on a contract that comes with an AAV of $6MM and is sure to attract plenty of trade interest. The team is reportedly hoping to land at least a young, top-four defenseman and a high draft pick in return.

The Ottawa Senators added some bottom-six depth by acquiring veteran winger Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks for minor leaguers Zack Stortini and Buddy Robinson along with a seventh-round draft pick. Still just 28, Wingels could prove to be a solid pickup for the Senators. During the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns, the seven-year veteran combined for 31 goals and that’s the kind of production the Senators are hoping for. From the Sharks perspective, the trade cleared needed cap space with Tomas Hertl poised to come off of IR.

Looking for additional defensive depth, the Montreal Canadiens picked up Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league prospect Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round draft choice. Nesterov has tallied 12 points in 35 games this season and could provide solid value for the Habs as a long-term fit on their blue line. He carries a cap hit of $725K and will be a RFA this summer.

As he draws nearer unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, New York Islanders franchise center John Tavares indicated he is open to inking a long-term extension to remain on Long Island despite the team’s struggles this season. It’s not a surprising position for the #1 overall selection in the 2009 draft to take. There’s no point in limiting any option this far from free agency and a lot can change between now and July 1, 2018. Any way you look at it, Tavares is going to land a lucrative long-term deal, whether it’s with the Islanders or another franchise.

Semyon Varlamov, Colorado’s starting goaltender, will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a groin injury. Like many of his teammates, the 2016-17 campaign has not been a good one for the Russian netminder and now his season is going to be cut short. Varlamov will have two years remaining on a deal that comes with a $5.9MM cap hit and it will be interesting to see what the Avalanche, already rumored to be considering significant roster changes, do with their goaltending situation.

 

 

Minor Transactions: 1/26/2017

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PHR is monitoring all of the day’s roster transactions and will update this post throughout the day:

  • The New York Rangers have announced via their official Twitter account that they have reassigned goaltender Magnus Hellberg to Hartford of the AHL. Hellberg was called up 10 days ago to serve as the backup to #1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist after Antti Raanta suffered a lower-body injury in his last appearance on January 14th. Hellberg appeared in one game in relief of Lundqvist, stopping all four shots faced. The reassignment indicates Raanta will be ready to go after the All Star break.
  • St. Louis Blues center Kyle Brodziak has been placed on IR with a right foot injury and will be out at least five weeks, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com. Korac adds in a separate tweet that the team has recalled Ivan Barbashev. Brodziak has tallied six goals and 10 points in 47 contests this season for St. Louis. Barbashev was a second-round pick of the Blues in the 2014 entry draft. He is in his second professional campaign and has registered 19 goals and 37 points for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The Moscow native could make his NHL debut tonight.
  • With Evgeni Malkin sidelined with a lower-body injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Carter Rowney from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, tweets Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rowney, who has yet to appear in an NHL game, has tallied 10 goals and 21 points in 24 AHL games for the baby Pens.
  • Jim O’Brien and Spencer Martin have been reassigned by the Colorado Avalanche to their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, the club announced via Twitter. O’Brien was called up Tuesday but didn’t dress for the team’s game last night against Vancouver. Colorado doesn’t play again until next week Tuesday and obviously won’t need a backup goalie. The move will allow the team to bank some cap space and give Martin a chance to see some game action in the minors.
  • Steve Oleksy, placed on waivers yesterday, has cleared, reports Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. At this point it appears he will remain with the team though he can be reassigned to the AHL at any point in the next 30 days without again being subject to the waivers process. Update (1:25pm): Oleksy has indeed been sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
  • The San Jose Sharks have activated center Tomas Hertl from IR and also recalled forwards Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier from the AHL, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. Hertl last appeared for San Jose on November 17th and has missed the last 32 games. Labanc and Meier both were reassigned to the San Jose Barracuda yesterday in what was essentially a procedural move designed to allow the Sharks to bank a little extra salary cap space.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have reassigned blue liner Shea Theodore and forward Kalle Kossila to San Diego of the AHL. Theodore has been a frequent mention in these posts as he’s been recalled by the club eight times this season, only to be returned to the Gulls each time. Kossila, meanwhile, was called up yesterday and made his NHL debut last night. He didn’t register a point but played 6:54 in the Ducks 4 – 0 loss to Edmonton.

Pacific Division Snapshots: Jones, Hertl, McDavid, Draisaitl

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With San Jose goaltender Martin Jones scheduled to make his 42nd start of the season tomorrow, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area wonders whether the 27-year-old’s workload has been too heavy. As it stands now, Jones is on pace to start nearly 70 games in 2016-17. The scribe spoke with former Sharks net minder Brian Boucher to seek his opinion on the matter. In Boucher’s estimation, if San Jose is to seriously contend for a Stanley Cup, they need to find a way to cut Jones’ workload, perhaps to something in the neighborhood of 65 games over a full schedule.

Boucher also questions whether the team fully trusts rookie goalie Aaron Dell, who has posted terrific numbers in limited action. Dell, 27, has won six of his eight starts and has posted a S% of 0.930 with a GAA of 1.97. The Sharks are currently in first place in the Pacific Division, 13 points ahead of fourth place Calgary, and assuming they can maintain that cushion it’s quite possible the Sharks will give Dell more time between the pipes in order to keep Jones as fresh as possible for a playoff run. If not, the team might peruse the trade market in search of a quality backup, much like the did a year ago by acquiring James Reimer ahead of the deadline.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Sticking with San Jose, it appears the Sharks are going to be welcoming young forward Tomas Hertl back to the lineup, as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports. Hertl, who has been skating with the team for the last week, missed the team’s last 31 games with a knee sprain. Pashelka is unsure where Hertl will slot into the lineup upon his return but he notes the 23-year-old Czech had been the team’s third-line pivot prior to the injury.
  • David Staples of Postmedia suggests it’s time for the Edmonton Oilers to split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, noting that each has become a solid defensive pivot and slotting one on the other’s wing is a waste. The notion represents a possible solution to the club’s third-line center question as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as solid two-way pivot, would slide down the lineup in this scenario. The flip side, of course, is such a move weakens the team on the wing thus lessening the possibility of the team listening on offers for Jordan Eberle and perhaps increasing the odds Edmonton might rather add a winger prior to the trade deadline.

 

Injury Updates: Hertl, Zibanejad, Senators, Canadiens, Green

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San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl is making progress in his rehab from knee surgery back in mid-November but there remains no timetable for him to even return to practice, reports CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz.  Kurz speculates that sometime after the All-Star Break (January 27-29) could be the target for him to get back into the lineup.

Last month, GM Doug Wilson told reporters that Hertl was likely to miss weeks rather than months but considering it has been over a month since the surgery was performed back on November 18th, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Hertl was off to a strong start to the season before undergoing the operation with nine points (4-5-9) in 17 games while averaging a career high 16:28 per game.  That came off the heels of a career 2015-16 campaign that saw him pick up 46 points (21-25-46) in 81 games while chipping in with 11 points (6-5-11) in 20 postseason contests.

While his slower recovery isn’t ideal, it should be worth it for San Jose if the procedure stabilizes the knee so that minor collisions no longer cause issues as they have in the past, including an injury in the Stanley Cup Final back in June.

More injury updates:

  • New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad is around the midway point of his recovery from a broken fibula, writes Matt Calamia on their official team site. He is no longer in a walking boot or on crutches and was on the ice shooting pucks today (although he didn’t have skates on).  Zibanejad, who last played November 20th, has 15 points in 19 games for New York so far this season.
  • Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond is listed as week-to-week with an ankle injury, the team announced via Twitter. He has seen action in just three NHL games so far this season because of injuries and the fact he cleared waivers last month.  Prospect Matt O’Connor will serve as the backup in his absence or until Craig Anderson returns from his leave of absence.  Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that Hammond could be out for months with the issue being a high ankle sprain which are notoriously slow to recover from.
  • Still from Garrioch, Senators winger Clarke MacArthur has backed off his targeted return date of January 7th. Fortunately for the team, this isn’t due to a setback but simply due to the fact that he won’t be able to get the final test needed for clearance until after the holiday break instead of before as was originally anticipated.  He has yet to play this season due to a concussion sustained in training camp.
  • Montreal Canadiens right winger Sven Andrighetto has recovered from his upper body injury that caused him to miss the last two games and has been assigned to their AHL affiliate in St. John’s, per a team announcement on Twitter. After being a regular in the second half of last season, the Swiss forward hasn’t made much of an impact with Montreal this year with just two assists in eight games and cleared waivers back in October.
  • The Canadiens also officially placed injured defenseman Andrei Markov on injured reserve, reports Renaud Lavoie of TVASports. Markov was injured in Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals, and the coaching staff expressed that the injury—described as a lower body injury—was nothing major. Markov is having a stellar year so far, posting 2G and 19A in 31 games for the surging Canadiens.
  • Detroit Red Wings blueliner Mike Green will not be available for tomorrow’s game against Florida, head coach Jeff Blashill told reports, including Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News (Twitter link). This will be the second straight game that he will miss.  Green is Detroit’s leading point getter on the blueline this year with seven goals and 11 assists in 32 games and ranks second to only Henrik Zetterberg in team scoring.

San Jose Sharks Call Up Timo Meier

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Finally, the savior is coming up in San Jose – or, so the fans would have you believe. Timo Meier is on his way up to San Jose after just 17 games in the AHL. The injury to Logan Couture last night against the Ottawa Senators forced the Sharks hand, as they’re also without Tomas Hertl for the immediate future.

Meier was the 9th overall pick in the 2015 draft after dominating the QMJHL with 90 points in 61 games. His next year, he scored 87 in just 52 despite having to deal with being traded mid season. This year, the 20-year old is scoring at almost a point-per-game pace in the AHL, and showing that he can use his physical style in the professional game.  A power-forward through and through, Meier can get in penalty trouble with his aggressive game, but can already dominate at times against much older players.

Since the Sharks are missing Couture and Hertl, Meier may well find his way into the top-six immediately, with Joe Pavelski sliding back to the middle to solidify the second line. While nothing is set in stone, it’ll be interesting to see the line rushes tomorrow morning when the Sharks prepare for their game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Amazingly, the player sent down to make room for Meier is Mirco Mueller, who has been involved in more transactions than one can count in the last few days. Also a former first-round pick, Mueller has spent many days with the Sharks this season without getting into a single contest. He was just called up on Monday, his third time in seven days.

Sharks Reassign Labanc, Carpenter To AHL

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The San Jose Sharks have reassigned forwards Kevin Labanc and Ryan Carpenter to the San Jose Barracuda, according to the AHL’s transaction page and reported by Curtis Pashelka (Twitter link). The moves leave the team with just 12 healthy forwards on the roster but with the Sharks off until next Wednesday, it allows the duo to perhaps get in some game action in the interim as the Barracuda have games tonight and tomorrow in San Antonio. One or both could be recalled in advance of Wednesday’s contest in San Jose against Ottawa.

Pashelka also adds that the reassignments allow the Sharks to bank a little bit of cap space ahead of the trade deadline. Currently the club has roughly $2.5MM in cap space but that includes nearly $3MM in relief due to Tomas Hertl being on LTIR. As a team so close to the cap ceiling, any dollar saved today can help give them enough space to add reinforcements at the trade deadline.

Carpenter, who scored his first career NHL goal on November 30th, has been a healthy scratch in each of the last two contests. He’s appeared in three games this season and is averaging 8:52 of ice time. He’s accumulated seven points in 12 contests for the Barracuda this season.

Labanc, soon to turn 21, has two goals and four points in 12 appearances for the Sharks. The first-year pro has tallied four goals and 10 points in six AHL games.

 

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