Snapshots: Rossi, Draft Odds, All-Star Game, Nosek
In late January, the Wild announced that Marco Rossi wouldn’t play this season due to “complications from COVID”. In a harrowing interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), the 19-year-old revealed that he was diagnosed with myocarditis (a heart inflammation) and that his life could have been in serious danger had Austria moved on to the medal round at the World Juniors. The great news is that Rossi is doing well and the plan is for him to start ramping up to on-ice training in the coming weeks as he looks to try to return for next season.
More from around the hockey world:
- With the Arizona Coyotes forfeiting their first-round pick this season as a result of last year’s fitness testing violation and the fact they’re not in a playoff spot at the moment, it had the potential to affect the June 2nd draft lottery. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the league will not do a redistribution of odds if Arizona’s pick winds up in the lottery. Instead, they’ll keep them as they normally are and simply redraw if Arizona’s number combination is drawn. As a reminder, Seattle will have the third-highest odds for those proceedings.
- Seravalli also relays that the NHL intends to hold an All-Star Game next season. While that alone isn’t notable, the league typically shied away from doing so in years that they intend to participate in the Olympics with the last time both events happened being back in 2002. Seravalli notes that the plan is for them to find a way to squeeze it in even with the extended break so this shouldn’t be construed as a sign that they won’t be participating. As things stand, the NHL and NHLPA are believed to be pushing to finalize things with the IOC within the next month or so.
- While Tomas Nosek won’t be returning right away from the injury he suffered over the weekend, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he expects to have the veteran available by the time the playoffs start next month. The veteran has 18 points in 38 games this season while averaging 13:00 per night.
Tomas Nosek Re-Signs With Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed Tomas Nosek, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The deal will be a one-year contract worth $1.25MM. Nosek has spent the last three seasons with the Golden Knights but became an unrestricted free agent today.
One of those talented depth forwards that has made the Golden Knights so dangerous over the last few years, Nosek got his first real opportunity when he was selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft. Prior to that season he had played just 17 games with the Detroit Red Wings, but stepped in and became a regular with the Golden Knights almost immediately. Though he doesn’t bring a ton of offense to the table—in 202 games with Vegas Nosek has scored just 47 points—he’s a capable defensive forward that actually lined up at center for much of this season.
The Golden Knights made their name on rolling four lines of fast, defensively-structured forwards and though Nosek averages just over 11 minutes a night, he’s an important part of that structure. The team likely couldn’t have retained him however without first moving out some money, which is what they did by trading Paul Stastny earlier today.
Minor Transactions: 02/29/20
Today is leap day and a number of NHL teams will be looking to do just that when it comes to the standings. Saturday’s slate of a dozen games features ten games with at least one team in the thick of the playoff race, including six collisions between current playoff teams. The Bruins and Islanders kick off the action this afternoon; New York has a chance to pull into a tie with the Penguins for the final Metropolitan Division spot, but Boston has won their past ten road games versus the Isles. Later this afternoon, the Lightning – losers of four straight – look to get back on track as they host the Flames. The nighttime lineup begins with the Panthers, desperate for a win to keep up with the Maple Leafs, hosting head coach Joel Quenneville’s former club, the Blackhawks. Toronto will have their hands full themselves as they face the Canucks, who need to make the most of their games in hand to catch the red-hot Golden Knights. The new-look Hurricanes must do the same to keep up in the wild card race, as they visit the Canadiens. The Central Division could be in for a shake-up, as the streaking Avalanche take on the Predators while the equally hot Blues face the Stars. Finally, in late night action for those not on the west coast, the Jets and Oilers collide in a game that could make waves in the Western wild card chase, while the Penguins look to end the league’s worst current losing streak against the Sharks. With plenty of action, there very likely could be plenty of roster adjustments as well. Keep up with all those minor transactions right here:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have recalled Ryan MacInnis from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. MacInnis, 23, has been up and down a number of times this season, but has recorded just one assist in nine games with Columbus. However, he has already set a new career high in points in the minors, with 30 points in 45 games. The two-way center appears to be adding more of an offensive touch to his game, but just needs to transition that ability to the top level.
- With the news that Blackhawks forwards Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith will not be returning this season due to their current injuries, there are opportunities for others to step up in the Chicago lineup. Brandon Hagel will get his chance, as the team has recalled the 21-year-old from the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The first-year pro has 19 goals and 30 points in 55 games with Rockford in an impressive debut campaign and will continue a year of firsts when he takes the ice for the first time with the Blackhawks. UPDATE: Unfortunately, for Hagel, the team announced they opted to return him just hours later as the Blackhawks did not need him.
- CapFriendly reports that the Colorado Avalanche have reassigned forward Logan O’Connor to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The University of Denver product has been a fixture of Colorado hockey for many years now, but still has yet to make much of an impact at the NHL level with just one point in 14 games over the past two seasons.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have recalled forward Jesper Boqvist from the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. The team has been playing with 12 forwards and no reserves lately, but with three games in the next four days out on the West Coast, New Jersey is likely going to need some insurance at forward. Boqvist spent most of the season in New Jersey, posting four goals and no assists in 34 games, but was sent to the AHL on Jan. 19 to get more playing time. He has five goals and eight points in 15 games in Binghamton.
- CapFriendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens have activated defenseman Xavier Ouellet off of injured reserve. The blueliner has missed more than a week with a concussion, but could be in the Canadiens’ lineup later today. That move could also signal the end for Karl Alzner, who replaced him on the roster and is likely headed for Laval.
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have recalled forward Joel Farabee from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Farabee was sent to the AHL last Monday, which allowed him to be eligible for the AHL playoffs. The 20-year-old has had an inconsistent rookie season with the Flyers, having posted seven goals and 20 points in 49 games, which included a January demotion to the Phantoms. He has two goals and three assists over his last nine games.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced they have recalled forward Brandon Pirri from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. That likely suggests that forward Tomas Nosek, who left Friday’s game with an undisclosed injury. Pirri was expected to play a bigger role in Las Vegas this season after potting 12 goals last year. However, after going scoreless after 11 games, he was sent to Chicago where he has had 15 goals and 35 points in 38 games.
Pacific Notes: Haas, Simek, Motte, Roy, Prokhorkin
Several people were a little surprised that the Edmonton Oilers chose to recall forward Gaetan Haas from the Bakersfield Condors after two games when fourth-line winger Josh Archibald went down with a broken foot. Haas was sent down to work on his game on North American rinks, but the team felt they needed to recall him after two games and one assist.
Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that many in the organization were fearful that Haas would choose to return to Europe if he was expected to stay in the AHL for much longer, however, which could be the reason for the recall. The scribe wonders whether prospect Kailer Yamamoto might have been a better choice as the 21-year-old can kill penalties and serve on the fourth line, but that decision has been put on hold.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek has returned to San Jose. The blueliner has sat out all season as he recovers from a leg injury he sustained last season. According to Kurz, Simek is expected to begin a conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, a good sign that he is close to returning and adding some much needed defensive depth. Simek played 41 games for the Sharks last season, scoring a goal and nine points.
- Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor writes that Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte is expected to miss at least a week, possibly two, after he suffered a lower-body injury against the Washington Capitals on Friday while blocking a shot. The 24-year-old Motte has played a key role on the team’s bottom-six and has just one assist over six games. While many people felt that Loui Eriksson might be recalled, the team already recalled Adam Gaudette to cover the loss.
- David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that center Nicolas Roy will make his Vegas’ debut tonight when the Golden Knights face off against the Anaheim Ducks. Roy came over as part of a package that sent winger Erik Haula to Carolina. The 6-foot-4 Roy was expected to be developed into a fourth-line option for Vegas. He is expected to take over as the team’s fourth-line center, while Tomas Nosek, who has filled that role will move to the third line.
- Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Los Angeles Kings will have their own debut as KHL winger Nikolai Prokhorkin is expected to make his debut tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 26-year-old winger signed with the Kings out of the KHL after a 20-goal season there, but failed to make the team out of training camp. He has appeared in four games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, picking up two assists. However, the team is hoping he can add some offense to the struggling Kings squad.
Vegas Golden Knights Re-Sign Pirri, Nosek
The Vegas Golden Knights have brought back a pair of forwards, re-signing Brandon Pirri to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $775K and Tomas Nosek to a one-year contract worth $1MM.
Pirri, 28, can’t seem to convince anyone to reward him with consistent playing time despite scoring at every level. In 31 games for the Golden Knights last season he recorded 12 goals, and has 72 in 259 games despite averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night for his career. The second-round pick can flat out score goals, and he’ll be a depth weapon for the Golden Knights to insert into the lineup whenever they have the opportunity. Unfortunately Pirri has never been trusted to play a complete game at both ends of the rink, and may never earn the kind of big contract that players with his goal scoring talent usually command.
Nosek, 26, took a much different path to the Golden Knights, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Red Wings and winning a Calder Cup in the AHL before being selected in the expansion draft. He registered 17 points in 68 games for Vegas last season playing in a fourth-line role, and will be back to likely fill the same this season. The 6’3″ winger doesn’t bring a ton of offensive skill, but can do enough little things right to receive regular playing time from head coach Gerard Gallant.
Vegas Golden Knights Closing In On Contract For Tomas Nosek
The Vegas Golden Knights failed to issue a qualifying offer to free agent forward Tomas Nosek this week, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be hitting the open market. Golden Knights president George McPhee confirmed to Jesse Granger of The Athletic that the team is close to a deal with Nosek, though nothing has been officially submitted yet.
Nosek, 26, is coming off a one-year $962K contract with the Golden Knights and ended up playing in 68 games for them last season. The undrafted forward recorded just 17 points but had excellent possession numbers and was a key part of the team’s penalty kill. Vegas recently cleared some cap room by dealing Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes, but still have plenty of work to do in order to get under the cap and give themselves a little bit of wiggle room for the upcoming season. Another move can be expected soon, as McPhee explained to SinBin.vegas when asked about whether Nikita Gusev‘s presence allowed them to move Haula:
Um, yeah, I guess so. And again, we’ll see where things go in the next few days, but we made a move yesterday and there’s probably another one coming. We’ll talk about that when it happens.
Gusev is one of a few restricted free agents that did get qualifying offers and will need new contracts in the coming months. Where the team will find the room for that is unclear, but for now they’re at least confident that they can get a deal done with Nosek before any other team comes calling for the depth forward.
Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Oilers, Canucks
After two years of heavy turnover and maneuvering to get their franchise off to a hot start, it looks like the Vegas Golden Knights will be taking a back seat when free agency opens on July 1. While most people weren’t expecting Vegas to be active this offseason, with their cap room already used up, Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas writes that President of Hockey Operations George McPhee admitted the team will be inactive:
Well we’re in pretty good shape with our core group. We have basically everyone signed up and we are close on some other things. So I don’t imagine we’re going to be out looking at free agents this summer. We like the team the way it is and we like the young guys that we have coming along.
What McPhee meant when he said the team was close on some other things could be very interesting, although it could range anywhere from a potential long-term deal with restricted free agent William Karlsson, to potential deals for fellow RFA’s Nikita Gusev, Tomas Nosek, Jimmy Schuldt or veteran UFA Deryk Engelland, or even a trade to free up cap space to sign any of them.
- The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis (subscription required) looks at the potential compatibility between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets, wondering if the two teams might be a perfect match for solving each of their problems. The scribe suggests the Jets could use Edmonton to help unload some of their less-significant contracts, such as Mathieu Perreault or Dmitry Kulikov, or if the Jets are more motivated, they could consider sending winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who is coming off a disappointing season, to Edmonton for a package that could include a defenseman such as Darnell Nurse or Andrej Sekera and some of Edmonton’s youth that could help bolster the team’s depth.
- Allan Mitchell of the Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Oilers are in need of an inexpensive third-line center option, one that can kill penalties, suggesting the team look via the trade market to find that player. He writes that the Oilers should consider trying to pry Montreal Canadiens’ center Phillip Danault, as well as look at Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry, Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Detroit’s Luke Glendening, or Dallas’ Radek Faksa. The scribe adds that the most likely candidate that Edmonton would be able to steal away could be Pageau.
- The Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston writes that the Vancouver Canucks should seriously consider trying to convince Toronto Maple Leafs unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner to sign with them this offseason. While there have been rumors that Toronto wants to unload other contracts in hopes of keeping Gardiner in the fold, Johnston writes that Gardiner would be the perfect puck-carrying defenseman that the team hasn’t had since Alexander Edler was in his prime. However, he wonders whether the U.S.-born blue liner might prefer to avoid playing in Canada after a taking a lot of heat from Toronto fans over the years.
Golden Knights Re-Sign Tomas Nosek
Wednesday: Vegas has officially announced the contract, confirming the salary details as reported.
Tuesday: The Vegas Golden Knights have avoided arbitration with winger Tomas Nosek; CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Nosek has signed a one-year, $962.5K contract. He had previously been scheduled for an arbitration hearing on July 30th.
Nosek came to Vegas via the expansion draft and after being predominantly a minor leaguer in Detroit’s system the previous two years, he worked his way into a largely-regular role last season. All in all, the 25-year-old played in 67 regular season games, scoring seven times while adding eight assists. He followed that up with an even better showing in the playoffs, scoring four goals in just 17 postseason contests as the Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before being eliminated by Washington.
Next season, it’s likely that Nosek will reprise his role as a fourth liner and penalty killer for Vegas. For a salary under $1MM, that’s pretty good value for the Golden Knights.
With the signing, Vegas has just shy of $14MM in cap room to work with, per CapFriendly. They have three remaining restricted free agents on their NHL roster to re-sign in center William Karlsson, defenseman Shea Theodore, and winger William Carrier. Of that group, only Karlsson is eligible for arbitration with a hearing scheduled for August 4th.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Colin Miller To Four-Year Deal
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed restricted free agent Colin Miller to a four-year, $15.5MM contract worth an AAV of $3.875MM, according the Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno. The deal makes him the highest paid defenseman with the Golden Knights.
Miller was one of the key components for Vegas during an impressive run in its inaugural season that took them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 25-year-old had his best year as a pro player with the Golden Knights. He led all defenseman with 41 points, including 10 goals and 31 assists and was a key contributor in the team’s playoff run, where he tallied three goals and seven points in 20 games. He was also a critical part of the team’s power play unit. For Miller, it marks a big raise as he played the last two seasons for $1MM per year.
Acquired through the expansion draft from the Boston Bruins, Miller has quickly taken the reigns as the top defenseman along with Nate Schmidt in Vegas. His average ice time for the year increased from over 15 minutes a game last year in Boston to 19:21 this year with the Golden Knights. Considered to have an elite-level slapshot as he had a record-breaking shot back in the 2015 AHL Hardest Shot competition, clocking in at 105.5 mph, Vegas has asked him to shoot more, which he did all season. However, more importantly, Miller’s defensive game has rounded out this year, which has been key to the blueliner’s success.
The four-year deal means the team opted to offer him a long-term deal that ate into two future unrestricted years. At $3.875MM, the Golden Knights got solid value again from a young, emerging player. The team still has quite a few restricted free agents it must deal with including No. 1 center William Karlsson, as well as Shea Theodore, Tomas Nosek, William Carrier, Philip Holm and Teemu Pulkkinen. Vegas remains in a good situation cap-wise as the team still has a little under $15MM in salary cap space left after the Miller signing and that doesn’t include the money they will get back for David Clarkson, who’s $5.25MM contract can be put onto LTIR when the season starts.
West Notes: Kings, Nosek, Avalanche Injuries
Earlier this season, it was being suggested that the Kings might be willing to part with a defenseman at some point during the year. Now, it appears that not only are they going to keep the ones they have but add as well. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that GM Rob Blake has identified a defender that can shift between the second and third pairings as their top priority heading into the trade deadline.
There is a well-defined top-four for Los Angeles with Derek Forbort sliding in at that fourth spot while averaging 21:04 of ice time. However, their depth players haven’t established themselves as players that can move up in a pinch and as a result, there is a sizable gap between the playing time for their bottom pairing; Christian Folin checks in at fifth in ATOI at just 15:23 per game. Acquiring someone that could play on the second pairing would not only give the Kings some insurance in case injuries arise but would also go a long way to stabilizing their third pairing.
Elsewhere in the West:
- Golden Knights winger Tomas Nosek has returned to Vegas to be evaluated by team doctors for an upper-body injury sustained last night against Nashville, notes Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). The injury came from a hit from Predators defenseman Alexei Emelin. Nosek has been a regular on the fourth line for the surprisingly-strong expansion team this season, collecting eight points through 41 games. His absence will open up a spot for one of winger Brendan Leipsic or center Cody Eakin to return to the lineup.
- Avalanche center Tyson Jost is dealing with a leg issue and won’t play tomorrow night against the Sharks, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The injury came about when he inadvertently blocked a shot from a teammate on Monday. Colorado is getting some good news on the injury front, however. Winger J.T. Compher will play on Thursday after missing the last six games with an upper-body problem. Meanwhile, defenseman Tyson Barrie (hand) and Semyon Varlamov (groin) have both resumed skating as well so it appears that more help will soon be on the horizon.