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Tommy Wingels

San Jose Sharks Announce Several Hires

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After Brian Wiseman was originally announced as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders for the upcoming season, the team eventually decided that he would not be joining the team. Now, the veteran coach has found a new gig, as he will join David Quinn’s staff with the San Jose Sharks as an assistant.

He isn’t the only one joining the Sharks today though. The team has also named Stephane Leblanc its director of CHL scouting, and added Tommy Wingels and Luca Sbisa as development coaches.

Wingels, 34, played parts of seven seasons with the Sharks to start his NHL career, after working his way up from the sixth round of the 2008 draft. The hard-working forward managed to set a career-high with 16 goals and 38 points in 2013-14, though that kind of production wouldn’t last long. His last season in the NHL was 2017-18, before playing a pair of years overseas.

Sbisa meanwhile never did play for the Sharks, but he certainly faced them many times. A veteran of 549 regular season games, most of them in the Pacific Division, the 32-year-old saw just one game in the 2020-21 season before failing to play at all in 2021-22. Retirement will bring him to the Sharks staff, where he can pass on some of the tricks that made him a first-round pick in 2008.

Tommy Wingels Announces His Retirement

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After a strong season in the Swiss NLA this season, it seemed like veteran winger Tommy Wingels could be a candidate to return to the NHL this offseason.  However, that won’t be the case as his now-former club team in Geneve-Servette announced that the 32-year-old has decided to retire.

Wingels spent the last two seasons in Switzerland and had a good year offensively for the Eagles, collecting 16 goals and 23 assists in just 44 games which was good enough to put him second on the team in scoring behind former NHL winger Daniel Winnik.  Their playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before crossing the pond, Wingels was a veteran of 448 career NHL regular season games, the majority of which were spent in San Jose who drafted him in the sixth round (177th overall) back in 2008.  He wrapped up the final couple of years with Ottawa, Chicago, and Boston where he was predominantly in a fourth line and penalty killing role.  Overall, Wingels calls it a career with 62 goals and 81 assists under his belt along with 1,211 hits, good for an average of 2.7 per game.

Geneve-Servette wasted little time finding his replacement as they’ve inked winger Linus Omark to a two-year deal to take his place.  Omark spent parts of three NHL seasons between Edmonton and Buffalo before returning overseas for the 2014-15 campaign.

Nazem Kadri Scheduled For In-Person Disciplinary Hearing

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1:18: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Kadri’s hearing is scheduled for Monday.

8:31: It’s not a question of if Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri will be suspended, but rather for how many games. The aggressive forward will undoubtedly miss time for his second straight postseason after cross-checking Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk in the face in last night’s chippy Game Two loss. Kadri received a major penalty and game misconduct, but the NHL Department of Player Safety was quick to announce that Kadri’s hit would be reviewed further and not via a phone hearing, but instead an in-person hearing. The date and time have yet to be revealed, but it will certainly be before the two teams square off again in Game Three on Monday night.

An in-person hearing allows for Kadri to be suspended for longer than five games, which seems like a very likely outcome in this case. In fact, the initial reaction to the hit from NBC analysts Eddie Olczyk and Keith Jones after the game was that Kadri could face upwards of ten games in this suspension. The hit in question was unquestionably egregious, after Kadri took issue with a hard but clean hit by DeBrusk on Patrick Marleau along the boards in the third period. Deep in the Bruins zone, Kadri cornered DeBrusk and delivered a cross-check right to the head area, taking DeBrusk down. It was nearly the exact same area in which Kadri intentionally boarded Bruins forward Tommy Wingels in the playoffs last year, which earned him a three-game suspension. At the time, that was Kadri’s fourth career suspension, for a total of 14 games, and his seventh punishment from Player Safety. After his eighth interaction with the Department in this upcoming hearing, it is safe to assume that the suspended games total will go up significantly. A repeat offender who has clearly not learned his lesson, Kadri seems likely to feel the full force of the Department. It is expected that they will take full advantage of the in-person hearing rule, banning Kadri for more than five games. He is unlikely to see the Bruins again this postseason and may have even played his final game already. His absence will be a big loss for the Maple Leafs.

As for DeBrusk, the response from many – especially in Toronto – has been that the Bruins forward deserves a second look of his own. Not only did DeBrusk check Marleau dangerously close to the curved-glass stanchion, but he also caught Kadri with a knee-to-knee hit earlier in the game. However, neither check was considered a penalty by the officials nor did they appear to have an intent to injure, and the expectation is that Player Safety does not have interest in further discipline for DeBrusk. In fact, the escalating aggression between Kadri and DeBrusk, which began in Game One and re-started early in Game Two, may only be used to justify keeping Kadri from a Round One return. DeBrusk’s health will also be taken into account, as the young forward did not return to the game after Kadri’s cross-check and his status is unknown for Game Three. All signs point to the tough youngster avoiding serious injury and being ready come Monday night, but his absence from the rest of the third period will be a factor in Player Safety’s decision.

Tommy Wingels, Lance Bouma Sign With Swiss Team

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Wednesday: Geneve-Servette has officially announced the contracts, which are both for one year with an additional option year. Wingels and Bouma will be out of the North American hockey world for at least one season, thinning out the free agent market even more.

Tuesday: Given how quiet the unrestricted free agent market has been lately, one could expect that veteran players may start to find jobs overseas for the upcoming season. That looks like it’s happened for Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma, as Patrick Andrey of RTS in Switzerland reports that both will sign with Geneve-Servette of the NLA. The team has not announced anything official yet, meaning there still could be some negotiating to be done.

It may be a bit surprising to see both players unable to find work in North America, but there was likely nothing more than a professional tryout or two-way contract available at this point in the offseason. Wingels and Bouma both represent fourth-line options at best in the NHL, despite some success in the past. The former was once an effective player for the San Jose Sharks, recording back to back seasons of 38 and 36 points while playing both the powerplay and penalty kill. Since that 36-point campaign in 2014-15 though, Wingels has failed to reach 10 goals or 20 points in each of the last three seasons and only played in four postseason contests with Boston this spring.

Bouma on the other hand brings a big, physical presence to the ice, and once used that power forward stature to score 16 goals and 34 points for the Calgary Flames. He too looked like he could contribute for a long time in the NHL, but has fallen off considerably over the last few seasons. In 2017-18 he played just 53 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, recording nine points and 132 hits. Both players will try to find new heights in Switzerland, playing on a team known for giving NHL veterans a good opportunity.

Nick Spaling, Nathan Gerbe, Jim Slater, Tom Pyatt, Matthew Lombardi and others have all played big roles under head coach Chris McSorley in recent seasons, and it looks like Wingels and Bouma will be the latest to join that group. If they can show a renewed level of play perhaps they will garner some more interest next summer.

Free Agent Profile: Tommy Wingels

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Depth center options are always in need, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see a fourth-line forward like Tommy Wingels remain unemployed at this point in the offseason. Teams are especially now starting to look for depth to add to their system and Wingels could find himself near the top of a list of quality veterans that teams can pick from.

Wingels, who was a solid contributor for years with the San Jose Sharks as a bottom-six forward, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason who were in desperate need of depth. Wingels performed well, but as Chicago’s season began to go south, the team instead opted to trade him, sending him to the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick.

Wingels provides teams with that gritty edge and experience that many teams covet for their fourth line. On top of that, he has the ability to produce some offense despite his limited minutes. He posted two goals and five points in 18 games when he arrived in Boston, but failed to produce in four playoff games as he missed time after taking a hit to the head from Toronto’s Nazem Kadri. Wingels is also only four years from two 30-point seasons. In all, he totaled nine goals, 17 points, 179 hits and 45 penalty minutes in 75 games, while averaging 11:29 of ATOI.

Potential Suitors

The most obvious match would be for the Bruins to bring back Wingels. While the veteran helped fill in for an injury-plagued team in their stretch run, Wingels hardly dominated and with the plethora of young talent waiting in the wings, it’s hard to tell whether Boston would want to bring Wingels back. On top of that, the 2019 fifth-rounder they gave to Chicago would turn into a 2019 fourth-rounder if they brought Wingels back, although that may not be that significant if they wanted him.

While there are a number of teams that may look to add some grit to their depth, there are a few teams known to hoard depth, especially at the center position. The Nashville Predators are already deep, but there are some who believe the team might continue to look at a player like Wingels if they think they can pass him eventually through waivers.

A potential return to Chicago would also make sense as the Blackhawks, with their salary cap issues, are always in need for depth and are already familiar with Wingels. The team even has some cap room to afford a relatively cheap contract that Wingels would require.

Projected Contract

Wingels days of making big numbers are gone as he had to settle for $750K last year in Chicago and likely will sign a deal with similar numbers this offseason, which will make him a solid bargain. However, if he can’t get an official contract, the veteran may have to settle for a PTO.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Bruins, Komarov, Grabner

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The Bruins are on the verge of having some lineup decisions to make in advance of Game Three of their first-round series against Toronto.  The team announced (via Twitter) that center Riley Nash could be ready to return from concussion-like symptoms sustained on an ear laceration while winger Tommy Wingels skated and is very close to returning as well.  Nash put up a career-best 41 points this season and will certainly be slotted back in as soon as he gets the green light, likely in place of Ryan Donato who drew in when Wingels missed Saturday’s contest.  However, Wingels may have to wait to get his spot back as it’s unlikely that Boston will want to make too many changes following a strong two games to start the series.

More from the East:

  • Still with the Toronto-Boston series, Maple Leafs winger Leo Komarov may not be ready to suit up in Game Three after suffering a lower-body injury on Saturday. Head coach Mike Babcock acknowledged to reporters, including TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link), that Komarov is still being evaluated but they are planning as if he won’t be available. If he can’t play, one of Matt Martin, Josh Leivo, or Dominic Moore will draw into the lineup.
  • With winger Michael Grabner struggling to produce in New Jersey since being acquired, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that this could create an opportunity to return to the Rangers next season. The 30-year-old speedster has posted just five points (2-3-5) in 23 games since the trade, including the playoffs, hardly what New Jersey was hoping for when they dealt for him.  Brooks believes that this could quell his market in free agency and while he could still double his current $1.65MM cap hit, Grabner’s asking price could drop down to the point where a reunion on Broadway may make sense.

Injury Notes: Wennberg, Beagle, Nash, Wingels

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are likely to be without center Alexander Wennberg Sunday when they play their second-round matchup with the Washington Capitals. Wennberg is listed as doubtful, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) and did not practice today. He was victim of a hit to the head from Washington’s Tom Wilson in Friday’s 5-4 overtime victory in Game 1. Despite the impact of the hit, the league ruled that they were not going to punish Wilson as the league could not determine whether Wennberg’s head was the main point of impact.

The injury will force the Blue Jackets to adjust their lines as Brandon Dubinsky will move up to the third line to replace Wennberg. It likely means the return of rookie Sonny Milano to the team’s lineup. The 21-year-old has 14 goals this season.

  • The Washington Capitals could be getting a little help as the team hopes to get back bottom-line center Jay Beagle back for Game 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. Beagle has been day-to-day with an upper-body injury and has missed four games. While he only has 22 points this season, the 32-year-old is one of the team’s top faceoff specialists as he has won 58.5 percent of faceoffs this year, a career high. “Jay is one of those guys that you don’t probably value him as much until you don’t have him,” said Washington coach Barry Trotz via Khurshudyan. A final decision will be made tomorrow, says NBC Sports Tarik El-Bashir, but Beagle said it will be up to coaches and team doctors. The team also expects that T.J. Oshie and defenseman Michal Kempny are both expected back Sunday despite lingering injury issues.
  • The Boston Bruins announced that Riley Nash will miss Game 2 today. The veteran has missed five straight games, including Game 1 of their playoff series against Toronto. The 28-year-old had 41 points this season, but suffered an ear injury when he took a puck to ear and needed 40 stitches.
  • In the same tweet, the Bruins added that Tommy Wingels is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Wingels was hit in the head on a hit by Toronto’s Nazem Kadri, who was suspended three games for the incident. “Feel better than I did yesterday and I’ll come to the game tonight and see how I feel. Decide from there,” Wingels said via the Bruins. If Wingels doesn’t play, rookie Ryan Donato will get the call for Boston.

Nazem Kadri Will Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were pummeled by the Boston Bruins in the first game of their playoff series, and could lose a key player for at least another game. Nazem Kadri has a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after his hit on Tommy Wingels in the third period. Kadri slammed into a kneeling Wingles and made significant contact with his head, driving it into the boards. Wingels would leave the game and Kadri would be given a five-minute boarding penalty along with a game misconduct.

While Kadri defended the check after the game by saying had Wingels not fallen moments before contact, it wouldn’t have even been penalized, there is some evidence to the contrary. Kadri appears to leave his feet before contact, and be targeting Wingels from several strides across the ice. Though obviously no one can truly know if he had time to avoid contact after seeing the Bruins player drop to one knee, the onus is on the checking player to avoid contact to the head.

As we saw with Drew Doughty yesterday, the league will not hesitate to suspend a player during the playoffs. One thing to consider though is that Doughty was not penalized during his incident, while Kadri was taken out of the game and his five-minute major essentially ended any comeback hopes the Maple Leafs had. The league does seem to consider initial punishment in their rulings, though obviously Kadri’s may still warrant further discipline.

Minor Transactions: 3/10/18

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There are eleven games on the docket today, including action for each of the league’s top eight teams and a match-up with major wild card implications in Blues-Kings. As teams continue to push toward the playoffs and jockey for position, here are the roster transactions being made before a busy day:

  • Last night, the Colorado Avalanche recalled defenseman David Warsofsky from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. The 27-year-old journeyman rearguard is in his fifth NHL season, but has seen less and less of the NHL ice as the years have gone on. Thus far in 2017-18, Warsofsky has suited up for just six games for the Avs and hasn’t done much to prove he deserves more, with zero points to his credit, zero hits, and just two shot attempts per game. Currently the eighth defenseman in Denver, don’t expect Warsofsky to be the spark that ignites a playoff-clinching stretch run for Colorado.
  • Ahead of their Original Six matinee match-ups today and tomorrow versus the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks added some grit to their lineup in the form of John Hayden. The team announced this morning that they had called up Hayden from AHL Rockford and he will play this afternoon in Boston. The move was an emergency recall, with Vinnie Hinostroza dealing with family issues, but also a timely addition for Chicago. With Tommy Wingels gone, ironically to the Bruins, the ’Hawks could use a degree of toughness, which the 6’3″, 220-lb Hayden certainly brings. The Yale product has 11 points in 39 games with Chicago this year, as well as 103 hits and 43 penalty minutes.
  • Another Central Division moves comes from the Winnipeg Jets, who have brought back Tucker Poolman. It was a brief demotion for the young defenseman, who has spent much of the season as an extra man for the Jets. Poolman, playing in his first pro season out of the University of North Dakota, has played in 15 games with Winnipeg, recording just one point, and 17 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose crammed into several short trips, where he has posted 10 points.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have recalled journeyman defenseman Chris Butler from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL today under emergency conditions. Butler has been up and down several times this season, but has only appeared in two games for the Blues. While there is no official word on who is out, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmerman writes that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo did not practice Friday.

Injury Notes: Penguins, Blue Jackets, Bruins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins could be without rookie forward Zach Aston-Reese long-term. Actually, head coach Mike Sullivan described the injury as “longer-term”, though he refrained from putting any specific timeline on his return. He did say that Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury in practice, which is why he missed last night’s game, a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, and will presumably miss many more. While the Penguins made a splash with their acquisition of center Derick Brassard at the trade deadline, Aston-Reese has been a point-per-game player since being recalled to Pittsburgh, spending ample time beside Sidney Crosby. Fortunately for the two-time defending Cup champs, they are also deep at wing and should have no trouble making up for the loss of Aston-Reese in their top-nine.

  • While the Penguins lose a man to injury, the rival Blue Jackets add one. Columbus announced today that captain Nick Foligno has been activated from injured reserve. Foligno missed more than a week with a lower body injury suffered against the Penguins back on the 18th. However, he’s returning to the lineup sooner than expected. The Blue Jackets are thankful for Foligno’s quick bounce back; not only are they looking to solidify their playoff position, but they also lost forward Josh Anderson to long-term injury recently. Fortunately, Foligno’s return and the additions of Thomas Vanek and Mark Letestu at the trade deadline make for a timely situation to replace Anderson.
  • Speaking of trade deadline injury replacements, the Bruins could not be happier with how their additions played in the absence of Patrice Bergeron last night. When a player of Bergeron’s caliber goes down, the team always suffers. Bergeron will be out at least two weeks with a fractured foot and it showed right away last night on the defensive side of the match-up, as Boston surrendered three easy first period goals to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, it was Rick Nash and Tommy Wingels leading the charge to a comeback victory. The pair of new Bruins combined for two goals and an assist in 32 minutes of ice time as Boston won 4-3.

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