Metropolitan Notes: Murray, Couturier, Lundqvist, Merzlikins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot invested in their goaltender of the present and future in Matt Murray. You would think replacing Marc-Andre Fleury might be a challenging procedure, but Murray’s .923 save percentage in 49 games proved that the youngster was ready for the full-time role, one of the reasons why it wasn’t as hard to let Fleury go. However, last year’s struggles already has several fans worried about Murray’s long-term success.
Murray struggled with both injuries as well as the death of his father during the 2017-18 season in which he still played in 49 games, but didn’t fare as well, posting a .907 save percentage as well as a 2.92 GAA. However, Murray as well as the team’s other backups, Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry, have worked hard with goaltending coach Mike Buckley, who challenged each one of them, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Buckley feels that Murray has put too much pressure on himself to replace Fleury and needs to accept that he’s the “guy” now.
“The next step for him is to take it all in and enjoy it. ‘Hey, I’m the guy now. I can accept that. I don’t have to be Marc-Andre Fleury, but I can be tighter with my teammates and really open up to them.’” Buckley said.
Buckley added that Murray has worked hard on his conditioning and hopefully should be able to avoid injury, although some injuries like concussions are just unavoidable.
“In terms of how he takes care of his body, he’s meticulous,” Buckley said. “The problem is the things that you can’t control. A concussion, for example. Someone coming down and landing on you the wrong way. There’s really very little you can do about that.”
- Sam Carchidi of philly.com writes that Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall says that No. 1 center Sean Couturier will be “absolutely” 100 percent at the start of the season in October and is already ready to resume skating. Couturier, who was expected to miss four weeks on Aug. 22 with a lower-body injury, is coming off a career-best season in which he scored 31 goals and 76 points and was a key part to the Flyers’ late-season success on a line with Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny.
- Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that this will be a challenging season for New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who is coming off two poor seasons and now finds himself in the middle of a rebuilding project. Lundqvist has endured a very physical workload over the course of his career and didn’t get significant rest last season from then-head coach Alain Vigneault. One thing is imperative. The 36-year-old needs rest, which will be a key for new head coach David Quinn. The problem is that the team lacks an adequate backup as the no longer have either Cam Talbot or Antti Raanta serving behind him. The team now has a number of prospects, including Alexandar Georgiev, Dustin Tokarski and Marek Mazanec. However, unless one of them can step up, none seem likely to provide Lundqvist the kind of rest that he needs.
- With the possibility that the team could lose star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to another team when he hits free agency next season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are placing more emphasis on the future suddenly, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). While the team has their immediate goaltender of the future in their backup Joonas Korpisalo, the team is focusing their long-term hopes on Elvis Merzlikins, their third-round pick in 2014, who has been a dominant prospect for Lugano of the Swiss League. The 24-year-old has been one of the top goaltenders in the league, posting a .924 save percentage last year and is ready to come to North America next season.
East Notes: Koekkoek, Grabner, Jarry, Anderson, Fletcher
The Bruins have expressed an interest in Lightning pending RFA defenseman Slater Koekkoek, NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty reports (Twitter link). The tenth overall pick in 2012 has yet to progress beyond the level of a depth defenseman and could be a candidate for a change of scenery. However, Tampa Bay has been in contract talks with Koekkoek, per Joe Smith of The Athletic (via Twitter). Given that the two teams are division rivals, both Haggerty and Smith think a trade is unlikely although Haggerty suggests that the Oilers could be a landing spot for the 24-year-old if he winds up being dealt.
More from the East:
- Also from Haggerty, the Bruins have checked in on UFA winger Michael Grabner. Boston had shown interest in the speedster back at the trade deadline before they ultimately wound up acquiring Rick Nash. Grabner scored 27 goals in 2017-18 (the third-most among all unrestricted free agents) and is believed to have interest from several teams already.
- The Penguins are open to dealing RFA goaltender Tristan Jarry, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted in an appearance on TSN 690 (audio link). The 23-year-old is believed by some to have starter upside but with Matt Murray in the fold ahead of him, that opportunity isn’t likely to come in Pittsburgh. This doesn’t appear to be a situation where the team is shopping him but if a team decides to ignore the veteran free agent options out there in the hopes of acquiring someone that could fit for the longer-term, Jarry would be one player to watch for.
- The Islanders are among the teams that have kicked the tires on Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (video link). The 37-year-old requested a trade earlier this month but with free agency being so close, it’s hard to imagine teams will want to give up anything of significance when they can simply sign a similar goalie for free on the open market. Anderson is set to start his new two-year contract on Sunday, one that carries a $4.75MM cap hit but a $5.5MM salary.
- Former Wild GM Chuck Fletcher has joined the Devils as the team announced that he has been hired as a senior advisor to GM Ray Shero. This won’t be the first time the two work together as Fletcher was Shero’s assistant GM for three years with the Penguins from 2006-07 to 2008-09.
Goalie Notes: Jarry, Lehtonen, Nedeljkovic
With the Penguins seemingly being comfortable with goaltender Casey DeSmith as a backup for Matt Murray, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette speculates that Tristan Jarry could be someone they look to deal this summer. The pending RFA has been dominant at the AHL level at times over the course of the past few years and doesn’t have much left to prove down there although he does have one more year of waiver exemption. If the team looks to get out of one of their larger contracts this summer, the 23-year-old could make sense to dangle as a sweetener to entice a team to take on that larger contract while there should be quite a few teams that would have interest in a potential goalie of the future in his own right.
More goalie notes from around the league:
- Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and while earlier in the season it looked like a new deal at a cheaper cap hit was a possibility, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News suggests that with the way he played down the stretch, that’s likely no longer the case. Lehtonen was pushed into the starting role when Ben Bishop went down with a knee injury and Dallas eventually fell out of a playoff spot. The 34-year-old will undoubtedly be taking a pay cut from his $5.9MM cap hit and it appears he’ll be doing so elsewhere.
- With Cam Ward set to become an unrestricted free agent in July, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer wonders if youngster Alex Nedeljkovic could be in line to move up to the Hurricanes. He has been quite strong in the postseason at the AHL level and bringing him up would allow Carolina to put more money this summer towards upgrading their forward group. With Scott Darling locked up for three more years at a $4.15MM cap hit, the ‘Canes may not want to have both their goalies on pricey contracts, something that would likely be required to keep Ward in the fold.
Snapshots: Calgary, Mironov, Murray
The Calgary Flames were involved in a battle for funding for a new arena for quite some time, until the talks were abruptly halted in September. After Mayor Naheed Nenshi was re-elected in October, there hasn’t been any progress or even discussion on how to fix the deteriorating financial situation the Flames find themselves in.
Today according to the Canadian Press, as part of his tour through Western Canada, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about how the Flames are now relying on the league’s revenue sharing program instead of contributing to it as they had in the past. The Flames have indicated their dedication to the community in the past, but hinted that could change if it becomes impossible to operate a financially sound organization. While much of the back and forth in this story has been public posturing, Calgary’s hockey team remains without a long-term fix to their arena situation.
- Andrei Mironov will indeed head back to Russia after terminating his contract, and as agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey explains on Twitter, he’d like to thank everyone in the Colorado Avalanche organization. It doesn’t seem like there is any bad blood between the two sides, but there just wasn’t a fit for Mironov after signing his entry-level contract last May. The 23-year old defenseman played just 10 games in the NHL, and will likely return to the KHL.
- Matt Murray was back on the ice doing drills today, though didn’t take any live shots from teammates. That’s huge news for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who despite having faith in Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith, obviously would rather have their two-time Stanley Cup winner in net for the playoffs. We saw first hand last night the struggles that the rookie tandem could have, as the Boston Bruins chased DeSmith from the net in the first period and ended up with eight goals. There is still no timeline for Murray’s return from a concussion, but seeing him on the ice is a good first step.
Matt Murray Diagnosed With Concussion
After taking a puck to the head in practice yesterday, Matt Murray has been diagnosed with a concussion. The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to go with Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith for the time being, starting tonight when they welcome the New Jersey Devils to town.
This is terrible timing for the Penguins as they fight to stay in the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division. The Philadelphia Flyers, on another one of their extended winning streaks, have claimed the very top spot ahead of the Washington Capitals while the Devils are nipping at the Penguins’ heels. With just 19 games left, the idea of having Murray sit out for any length of time could be devastating to their playoff seeding.
In the meantime, Jarry will likely be asked to carry much of the load as he did earlier in the year when Murray was injured. The 22-year old rookie has a .916 save percentage on the season through 20 appearances, and could even be asked to step into a playoff start should Murray’s injury history flare up again in the postseason. While the Penguins feel confident in his and DeSmith’s play, it’s tough to rely solely on rookie goaltenders at this late stage of the season.
Murray has not had a season to remember in his first chance as the unquestioned starter. After Marc-Andre Fleury departed to Vegas in the offseason, Murray has only been able to start 37 games and is carrying easily the worst save percentage of his career at .909. There’s no telling how a concussion will affect him down the stretch, but the Penguins will hope he can get back for the playoffs where he has a .928 save percentage—and two Stanley Cups—through his first two seasons in the league.
Minor Transactions: 2/4/18
After a full slate of games Saturday, the NHL only has a three-game schedule on Super Bowl Sunday, the most interesting of which is the early game which matches up the Vegas Golden Knights with the Washington Capitals. With most teams having played last night, there may be quite a few roster moves made today to get ready for the new week.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned goaltender goaltender Ken Appleby to the Binghamton Devils and recalled goaltender Eddie Lack. Appleby was recalled back on Jan. 20 on emergency loan after backup goalie Keith Kinkaid went on injured reserve and starter Cory Schneider went down with a groin injury. Appleby played well in his three appearances as he had a 1.45 GAA and a .945 save percentage in that time. While Kinkaid has been activated, Schneider is still not skating yet. Lack, who has been injured recently, finally returned to Binghamton’s lineup and stopped 28 of 30 shots, and might be the preferred backup until Schneider returns to the team.
- NHL.com’s Brian Hedger writes that the Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned defenseman Cameron Gaunce to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL after having been recalled Saturday. He did not play in last night’s game and still hasn’t made his NHL debut this season. The 27-year-old blueliner has two goals and 10 assists in 36 games for Cleveland. The assignment suggests that defenseman Ryan Murray might be ready to return for Columbus.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins swapped goaltenders today as the team has recalled Tristan Jarry from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette’s Jason Mackey. The team also assigned Casey DeSmith to their AHL team. Jarry has played 18 games for Pittsburgh this year, backing up Matt Murray. The 22-year-old has a 2.44 GAA and a .919 save percentage. DeSmith has also fared well in just seven appearances for the NHL club. He owns a 2.24 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
- The New York Rangers announced that they have recalled forward Vinni Lettieri from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Lettieri was assigned to Hartford on Jan. 26. In 10 games for the Rangers, he has one goal and three assists. He has fared well in Hartford as he has 14 goals and 23 points in 35 AHL games. Lettieri should fill the roster spot for forward Jimmy Vesey, who isn’t expected to play Monday after taking a hit from Nashville’s Filip Forsberg.
- The Boston Bruins announced they have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to the Providence Bruins Sunday. The 25-year-old forward was recalled on emergency loan Saturday. The diminutive forward did play in last night’s game, picking up an assist in 9:07 of playing time in the Bruins 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced they have assigned goaltender Adin Hill to the Tucson Roadrunners Sunday. He was recalled as an emergency replacement on Friday after starter Antti Raanta was in a car accident. Raanta wasn’t hurt, but was held out for precautionary reasons. Hill didn’t see any time. He has played in three games for Arizona, but has struggled with a 3.76 GAA. The 21-year-old has fared better with Tucson as he has 2.59 in 20 appearances.
- NHL.com’s Alex Stepneski tweets the Dallas Stars have assigned goaltender Landon Bow to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Bow was recalled Saturday after starter Ben Bishop took a puck to the head. A concussion had been ruled out, but the team removed him for precautionary reasons. Bow’s assignment suggests Bishop will be ready for their next game.
Minor Transactions: 01/24/18
We’ve already seen a signing today that brought Nathan Gerbe back into the North American fold, but there will be several other minor moves around the league. Right here is where we’ll keep track of all of them.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Tucker Poolman from the minor leagues, placing Shawn Matthias on injured reserve. The move could be due to Dmitry Kulikov‘s injury, suffered after being hit by Tomas Hertl last night. Poolman has played 13 games this season for the Jets, recording a single point but showing that he could potentially be an answer on defense in the coming years. The 24-year old turned pro out of the University of North Dakota last March, and will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
- Oscar Dansk has been loaned back to the Chicago Wolves, now that he is healthy enough to return to action. Dansk was moved off injured reserve this week and will continue his development in the AHL. The 23-year old played in four games with the Vegas Golden Knights this season, allowing just five goals and recording a .946 save percentage.
- The Detroit Red Wings have indeed sent David Booth to the minor leagues now that he’s cleared waivers for the third time. The team recalled Dominic Turgeon, who had only just been sent down this week, to take his place.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Tyler Motte back to the minor leagues, another good sign for Cam Atkinson who is close to returning. Atkinson had his foot broken by a Seth Jones shot just a month ago, but has been skating with the team recently.
- With James Reimer dealing with a lower-body injury, the Florida Panthers have recalled goaltender Samuel Montembeault from the AHL. That puts the Panthers with a duo of Montembeault and Harri Sateri, who have a combined three NHL appearances (all Sateri). It’s not clear how serious Reimer’s injury is, but we’ll surely find out soon.
- According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the San Jose Sharks have brought Marcus Sorensen back up from the minor leagues after getting the news that Joe Thornton would be out at least a couple of weeks. Sorensen has played 15 games for the Sharks this season, scoring three goals.
- The Penguins Penguins have sent goaltender Tristan Jarry to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This will allow him to play in up to two games in the minors during the NHL All-Star break. Jarry has lost playing time to Casey DeSmith in recent games so this will serve as an opportunity to keep him in playing shape before deciding whether or not to bring him back afterwards.
Penguins Not Looking To Trade Young Goalies
The Penguins may be seeking a third-line center, but that doesn’t mean they’re willing to give up one of their young goalies. General manager Jim Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he isn’t listening to offers for youngsters Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith.
“I don’t have any interest in moving any of those guys,” Rutherford said. “We’ve gone through a transition period here where the No. 1 goalie for years – and one of the franchise’s most beloved players – has moved on.
“We’ve transitioned into a team that probably has the best group of young goalies in the league. I don’t have any interest in talking [to other teams] about these three guys.”
Matthew Murray will continue being the team’s top goalie, but both Jarry and DeSmith provide the organization with plenty of insurance. Mackey notes that Jarry would net a much stronger package than DeSmith, although the 22-year-old is higher on the depth chart. Jarry is 9-4-2 this season with a 2.44 GAA and .919 save percentage. The 26-year-old DeSmith is 1-2 with a 2.12 GAA and .921 save percentage.
Rutherford did sound like he’s still pursuing that offensive reinforcement, but he noted that the current trade market is a bit different than previous seasons.
“It’s a little tighter at this point than other seasons, but there are still players out there that are available,” Rutherford said. “Are they the right fit? Does that improve our team? Those things all get factored in.
“At this point in time, there’s not somebody out there that can improve our team.”
Snapshots: Team USA, Fines, Murray
With rosters for the upcoming World Junior tournament released in the next few weeks, Bob McKenzie of TSN took a look at the potential names for Team USA. The club is expected to be one of the favorites after taking home the gold medal last season at both the U20 and U18 events. McKenzie figures the top line to be a trio of Casey Mittelstadt–Logan Brown–Kailer Yamamoto, a group that would likely hold their own in the NHL let alone a junior tournament. Brown and Yamamoto both played in the NHL this season, while Mittelstadt is starring at the University of Minnesota.
One player McKenzie doesn’t mention is Sean Dhooghe, the 5’2″ forward that earned the respect of his teammates at San Jose prospect camp this summer. Dhooghe isn’t one to overlook because of his size though, as he has eight points in 17 games as an undrafted freshman for the University of Wisconsin, and led the U18 team in scoring at last year’s tournament. Dhooghe, 18, could also attend next year if he’s not selected this time around, as there is plenty of talent to choose from for this year’s tournament. It will be held in Buffalo starting December 26th.
- The NHL Department of Player Safety handed out $5,000 fines to both Patrick Kane and Mathew Dumba for their respective incidents last night, the maximum allowable under the CBA. Kane two-handed Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie as he went towards the bench and was assessed a minor penalty, while Dumba squirted water from the bench at Winnipeg Jets forward Joel Armia. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen fines handed out for water bottle antics, as Steven Stamkos and others were disciplined earlier in the year.
- Casey DeSmith was called up earlier today to fill in for Matt Murray in Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t clear how long the Penguins’ starting goaltender would be out. Turns out he’ll be out on a week-to-week basis, leaving the team with two rookies to fill the crease for the next while. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette caught up with GM Jim Rutherford to ask if he’d be going after another goaltending option, but he seemed okay to trust Tristan Jarry and DeSmith for the time being. “Obviously now we’ll keep a closer watch on it. [Adding a veteran backup] is not something I’m trying to do right now,” said Rutherford, who is also involved in many rumors about defenseman Ian Cole. The Penguins aren’t a perfect hockey team at the moment, and Rutherford has long been known for his willingness to make trades when necessary. It will be interesting to see when (and if) he decides this is one of those times.
Minor Transactions: 11/28/17
Like always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor transactions around the league right here. Make sure to bookmark or refresh throughout the day to keep up with all the movement.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled goaltender Casey DeSmith from the AHL while starter Matt Murray deals with a lower-body injury. Tristan Jarry will take over the lion’s share of the workload while Murray is out, but DeSmith could be called on if he falters. The Penguins, who’ve struggled with goaltending issues all season so far are now putting their faith in two unproven rookies for the time being. Jarry and DeSmith have a combined four starts in the NHL.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL on an emergency basis, sending Markus Hannikainen down in his place. It’s not clear why Carlsson was needed with Scott Harrington already on the roster as an extra defender, but perhaps more than one injury was sustained last night against the Montreal Canadiens. Jack Johnson did play just 15:29, his lowest total of the season.
- Colorado will welcome Anton Lindholm back off injured reserve, but it’ll cost two of their other defensemen. The team has assigned both Chris Bigras and Andrei Mironov to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, while bringing Duncan Siemans back up. Patrik Nemeth is still on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and doesn’t appear close to a return.
- The Los Angeles Kings have placed Andy Andreoff on injured reserve retroactive to November 25th. That’s the game in which Andreoff took a “Superman punch” from Kevin Bieksa, and was immediately knocked down. Bieksa is becoming infamous for that punch, as it also knocked out Radko Gudas earlier in the year. No corresponding move has been made yet by the Kings.