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Tomas Jurco

Avalanche Lose Varlamov, Johnson To Major Injuries

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The Colorado Avalanche’s playoff chances took a big hit as the team announced today that starting goalie Semyon Varlamov will be out for the season after sustaining a lower-body injury Friday night, while defenseman Erik Johnson will miss the next six weeks with a fractured patella. The two injuries figure to be a huge blow to team who many felt had a good chance of reaching the playoffs this year.

The irony is that Varlamov and Jonathan Bernier made history Friday after the two combined for the first combined shutout in franchise history (Nordiques as well). Varlamov saved 30-of-30 shots before Chicago’s Tomas Jurco collided with Varlamov on an attempted shot late in the third period, forcing the goaltender to be helped off the ice. Bernier finished the game. Varlamov was having a solid season as he has a 2.68 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 51 games. Bernier will have to take over as starter. He has a 2.82 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 33 games this year.

Johnson did not play in Friday’s game with no explanation, but is just as likely done for the year unless the Avalanche can not only reach the playoffs, but make an extended run in them. The oft-injured defenseman has been having a solid season, but has never played an entire 82-game season ever. His 62 games this season are the highest in two years.

Despite the disappointment, the Avalanche who finished with the worst record last season, have put together a remarkable season and considering they made no moves at the trade deadline, the team should look at this season as a positive regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not.

 

Waivers & Recalls: 10/02/17

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The waiver wire is very busy today as teams pare down their rosters. The season begins this week, and teams will try to sneak through some veterans and prospects to keep them in the organization. Here is the entire list of waivers for today:

Malcolm Subban (BOS)
Phillip Di Giuseppe (CAR)
John Ramage (CBJ)
Luke Gazdic (CGY)
Garnet Hathaway (CGY)
Jean-Francois Berube (CHI)
Tomas Jurco (CHI)
Jordin Tootoo (CHI)
Gabriel Bourque (COL)
Curtis McKenzie (DAL)
Patrik Nemeth (DAL)
David Booth (DET)
Ryan Sproul (DET)
Ryan Murphy (MIN)
Byron Froese (MTL)
Andreas Martinsen (MTL)
Brian Gibbons (NJD)
Brian Strait (NJD)
Steve Bernier (NYI)
Stephen Gionta (NYI)
Matt Read (PHI)
Brandon Bollig (SJ)
Troy Grosenick (SJ)
Brandon Mashinter (SJ)
Jordan Binnington (STL)
Cory Conacher (TB)
Colin Greening (TOR)
Vincent LoVerde (TOR)
Chris Mueller (TOR)
Kerby Rychel (TOR)
Ben Smith (TOR)
Garret Sparks (TOR)
Andrey Pedan (VAN)
Teemu Pulkkinen (VGK)
Anthony Peluso (WSH)
J.C. Lipon (WPG)

2017 NHL Free Agency Tracker

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Stay with PHR for all of the free agency signings this off-season. As of noon ET on July 1st, unrestricted free agency is open, but not before many extensions earlier in June. This page serves to organize everything in one spot, and are linked to the PHR story that corresponds with the signing. All July signings will be separated by date while June signings are organized alphabetically by team. It will be updated as soon as stories post.

Please note that signings on this list start on June 12.

July 1st:

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Chicago Blackhawks Sign Anton Forsberg, Tomas Jurco

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed two of their pending restricted free agents, inking Anton Forsberg to a two-year contract and Tomas Jurco for one year. While no details have been released, getting the two restricted free agents under contract early is a nice bonus for the Blackhawks, who will be navigating a difficult salary cap all summer. While Jurco will still be an RFA at the end of the contract, Forsberg could potentially become a Group VI free agent should he play less than 19 games over the next two years.

Acquired last week from the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the Artemi Panarin deal, Forsberg is the likely backup for Corey Crawford next year. His short experience in the NHL has been very underwhelming, though he’s performed incredibly well in the AHL. He was a big reason the Lake Erie (now Cleveland) Monsters won the 2016 Calder Cup, recording a .949 save percentage after taking over from Joonas Korpisalo. He’ll have big shoes to fill, as Scott Darling has been one of the best backups in the league in recent years and earned himself a starting job with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Jurco on the other hand was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline but recorded just one point down the stretch for Chicago. Hoping he could be the next Richard Panik, the Blackhawks will try to turn him around and get back to the offensive player he was in junior and the early parts of his professional career. Selected 35th-overall by Detroit in 2011, he’ll need to make an impact soon or will have a hard time finding a regular job around the league.

Detroit’s Uncertain Future

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The Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years in 2016-17. Not seeing the winged wheel on the ice is something deeply unfamiliar to many, and Detroit’s management is hoping that it won’t become a trend. However, there is definitely concern going forward as to what direction the team will head. While the team is technically going through a rebuild, effectively doing so can be quite difficult when you have so many aging players taking up spots and cap dollars. There are also questions as to whether any extended period of failure would be embraced by management, as fan-site Winging it in Motown wondered earlier this month. The strategy for GM Ken Holland is going to be complicated, as fans might need to grow accustomed to losing for a brief spell if the team is to strengthen its core.

Firstly, they will need to decide which players are part of the core and which are accessory pieces. There were good signs this off-season when Holland decided to sell assets, including Thomas Vanek, Tomas Jurco, Brendan Smith, and Steve Ott. This is a solid portent that there will be future moves, but there is room for doubt. For example, the 36 year-old Henrik Zetterberg has 4 years left on his contract at $6.083 MM, while the 33 year-old Frans Nielsen was just signed to his long-term deal, good for another 5 years at $5.25 MM. Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm still have plenty left in the tank, but at $4.25 MM and $3.8 MM respectively, and years of term, is a full rebuild truly so feasible? Niklas Kronwall is another well-paid veteran at 36 years-old, and he has two more seasons under contract.

Then there is the goaltending situation. Detroit is paying over $9 million dollars in contracts to their two tenders, both of which have had their difficulties. Jimmy Howard had what could be considered a bounceback year, posting a .927 save percentage after the awful .906 dip the season before. The caveat – he only started 26 games. The other half of the duo, Petr Mrazek, received the bulk of the starts – 50 in all. Unfortunately, his stats took a nosedive to a .901 save percentage, as he struggled mightily behind his flightless team. To complicate matters, Howard has a modified No-Trade Clause, under which he can list the 10 teams he would accept a trade. The obvious decision seems to be that they will bank on Howard going forward and try to flip Mrazek to a team in need of help in the crease – he only has one year remaining at $4 MM before he needs his contract re-negotiated. If they are unable to do so, Mrazek would likely be snagged by Vegas in the expansion draft. But management obviously showed confidence in Mrazek’s abilities this season, sticking through him despite his impressively bad statistics. Perhaps Howard is the one on the way out of Motown. But if Mrazek flounders yet again, what does the pipeline hold?

The team as a whole has already allotted $67.09 MM to 18 players (two of whom are now on LTIR), and they need to sign RFAs Andreas Athanasiou, Xavier Ouellet, and Tomas Tatar. Only two players are coming off the books, the moderately paid forwards Joe Vitale and Drew Miller, either of whom could potentially re-sign. In terms of prospects, the talented winger Evgeny Svechnikov is the most promising potential addition. He posted 20 goals and 51 points in his rookie season with the Grand Rapids Griffins and impressed with his size. Anthony Mantha continues to be intriguing, and Athanasiou definitely has the talent to take another step forward. However, there isn’t a ton of help on the horizon in terms of defense. A top-flight prospect here would do wonders for the squad going forward. With 11 picks in this year’s draft, in what is Holland’s last contracted season as GM, decisions with incredible importance lie ahead. Will Hockeytown fully commit to a long-term rebuild, or will they make runs at competing in the relatively weak Atlantic division with a mix of aging and inexperienced players?

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division

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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 neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:

Winners

Boston Bruins:

GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.

Detroit Red Wings:

As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.

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Friday Trades Recap: Patrick Eaves, Tomas Jurco

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Friday featured a couple trades as the trade deadline approaches. Here’s another look at what went down today, and what it could mean for both teams down the road.

Trade #1: Anaheim acquires Eaves

Ducks Receive: F Patrick Eaves

Stars Receive: 2017 2nd round pick (conditional)

Patrick Eaves

The Details: This could be a huge win for both teams should the Ducks see the playoff success they hope for. Eaves has had a tremendous season, netting 37 points (21-16) for a Stars team that could never turn the corner. Eaves brings another dimension of scoring for the Ducks who are looking up at the Sharks and Oilers. The Stars did well, too, snaring a 2nd round pick at the very least for a player who only had one 20-goal season until this year. Should the Ducks advance to the Conference Finals, Eaves needs to play in at least 50% of those games for the 2nd rounder to turn into a first.

Who wins? It all depends on how far the Ducks advance. It’s a win-win should the Ducks go to the Conference Final or beyond since the Stars have a second round pick become a first. If Eaves bolsters their scoring or has a good playoff, it helps the Ducks case in dealing away a second round pick. Should they get bounced in the first round or Eaves not help out as anticipated, it would be a slight nod to the Stars.

Trade #2: Chicago acquire Jurco

Blackhawks receive: F Tomas Jurco

Red Wings receive: 2017 3rd round pick 

Tomas Jurco

The Details: The Red Wings and Tomas Jurco never worked together. A highly touted prospect, Jurco never gave the Wings what they sought while the Wings never gave Jurco the ice time or playing time he expected. Enter the Blackhawks. Chicago dealt a third round pick for the 24-year-old winger, who can slide in nicely on the third or fourth line that is less about grit (unlike Detroit) and more about goal scoring and puck possession. Two seasons ago, Jurco netted eight goals in 36 games. The Blackhawks boast a much stronger roster than the Red Wings, and it could be a steal if Jurco lives up to the potential many thought he had.

Who wins? If Jurco flourishes in Chicago, it’s an absolute win for the Hawks. Still young, Jurco never really broke into the lineup despite being known for his puck possession prowess. While Ken Holland is known for letting his prospects “over-ripen,” this seemed to be an “over-done” situation in Detroit. Regardless, they still got a third round pick for a player they would have most likely lost this summer. Another way of looking at it? The Wings weren’t playing him regardless, and getting a third round pick is an absolute win.  Should Jurco be a regular contributor for Chicago, a third round pick suffices as a nice giveaway and pickup for both teams.

Detroit Red Wings Trade Tomas Jurco To Chicago Blackhawks

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In another pre-deadline deal, the Detroit Red Wings have sent Tomas Jurco to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a third-round pick in 2017. Despite Stan Bowman’s comments to the contrary, the Hawks have indeed jumped into the deadline fray. <a rel=Tomas Jurco” width=”219″ height=”300″ />

Jurco is a 24-year old winger who has yet to make a real impact at the NHL level, scoring just 39 points in 159 career games. After scoring 15 points in 36 games as a rookie in 2013-14, his play and icetime have been cut down substantially, and has been held pointless in 16 games this season. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN however reports that the Hawks have been after him for the past six weeks and really wanted him at the deadline.

Chicago does have a tendancy of turning cast off wingers into something valuable, and perhaps Jurco will be the latest in that narrative. The former second-round pick (35th overall in 2011) does seem have potential upside left to unlock. One scout told Craig Custance of ESPN exactly that: “I’ve always thought he had a little bit more skill than what we have seen from him.”

Since Jurco is earning just $900K this season, it won’t cost the Hawks much in cap-space but did require a legitimate pick. Though the Hawks have their eyes set on a fourth Stanley Cup and a very low draft number, a third rounder is still a valuable asset. Earlier this week it was enough to pry Michael Stone from Calgary, though Jurco obviously comes with much longer control. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of this year, and is arbitration eligible.

The Hawks don’t have much room, but don’t let Bowman fool you. He’s always involved in what’s going on at the deadline, and Frank Seravalli of TSN tweeted that he thinks Patrick Eaves—who was dealt to Anaheim just minutes prior—was also a target for Chicago. The Ducks received a second-round pick that may turn into a first depending on their playoff results, something that the Hawks may not have been willing to part with.

Chicago has sent down Vinnie Hinostroza to make room for Jurco on the roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Garrioch’s Latest: Shattenkirk, Lightning, Jurco, Vegas

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The recent run of the St. Louis Blues has all of a sudden made their decision regarding pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk a much more difficult one, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun in his latest Insider Trading column.  It has long been believed that the Blues – who aren’t expected to re-sign him – were hoping to move him in an effort to avoid losing him for nothing in July but with the team now sitting somewhat comfortably in a playoff spot, it’s a much tougher sell as moving him would hurt their fortunes considerably.

The asking price from GM Doug Armstrong remains quite high, including a first round pick, a high quality prospect, plus a third element.  If he can get all of that in a return, moving him even while in a playoff spot would be a lot more palatable but there’s little indication at this time that anyone is willing to meet that price for a rental player, even the top one on the market.

Garrioch also has updates on several other goings-on around the league.  As usual, the full column is worth a read but here are a handful of the highlights:

  • Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is looking to free up some cap space beyond this season with players like Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Jonathan Drouin all headed for restricted free agency. A couple of players they’d like to move are defensemen Braydon Coburn and Jason Garrison.  Coburn has two years left on his deal after this one with a $3.75MM cap hit while Garrison has one year remaining at $4.7MM.  However, Yzerman will need to provide some sort of incentive to get a team to take on one of those deals and while it appears he’s willing to do so, the question becomes how much of a sweetener would they be willing to part with?
  • On top of pending UFA Thomas Vanek, the Red Wings are looking to find a new home for winger Tomas Jurco. It came out last month that the 24 year was hoping to be dealt as he has spent a significant portion of this season as a healthy scratch.  While it’s likely that GM Ken Holland would like to move some players with term left on their deals, that will be quite difficult as quite a few are on long-term pacts and are underachieving this season.
  • Golden Knights GM George McPhee reached out to now-Canadiens coach Claude Julien after he was let go by the Bruins but clearly no deal was reached. Considering Julien was primed to be in a spot to be very selective about where he went if he waited until the offseason and the likelihood that the expansion team struggles out of the gate, he likely wouldn’t have been the right fit in Vegas anyways.  The scribe suggests that former Florida bench boss Gerard Gallant remains the favorite to get the job although ex-Islanders coach Jack Capuano has also been interviewed.

Rumor Roundup: Hanzel, Jurco, Parity

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News and notes from the NHL’s rumor mill:

  • According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Arizona Coyotes offered the Montreal Canadiens pending UFA Martin Hanzal in exchange for Michael McCarron, a 1st round draft pick, and a conditional draft pick. That is a steep price to pay for a player with only 10G and 8A in 39 games. Hanzal hasn’t done anything lately to help the Coyotes, either—he’s scored in only two games this month. Unfortunately for teams looking at Hanzal, the Coyotes’ asking price is in line with previous deals for Hanzal-like players. Andrew Ladd returned a prospect (Marko Dano) and a first and third round draft pick, while Eric Staal returned a prospect (Aleksi Saarela) and two second round draft picks. Both had similar production and similar ages to Hanzal at the deadline last year. That first round pick could turn into a second round pick if Hanzel continues to underproduce, but the Coyotes are not out the realm of reasonability right now.
  • According to the Detroit Free Press’s Helene St. James today, Tomas Jurco had asked the Detroit Red Wings for a trade this season. Jurco has sat as a healthy scratch for all but 11 games this season, and has failed to register a point in those games. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has also heard that Jurco wants out, and one can see why. Sometimes a player has no room in a given organization, and no player wants to sit idly by at any point in his career. Teams are usually good about accommodating these requests—like when the Maple Leafs traded Peter Holland to the Arizona Coyotes for a conditional seventh round draft pick—but nothing is guaranteed. The problem for most teams is that the player usually has untapped potential and they want to hold on to that player as long as they can.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger said on TSN 1040 Vancouver today that the trade market is paralyzed by parity. Because so many teams are within a few points of a playoff spot, those teams are wary of trading away assets. Part of that parity stems from the so-called loser point, where many games end up becoming three point games (2 for a win, 1 for the OT/SO loss). The parity may be an illusion however. Three years ago Elliotte Friedman, then with the CBC, wrote that of the 32 teams 4 points or more back of a playoff spot, only 3 teams managed to make the playoffs.

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