West Notes: Fiala, Stars, Sharks
Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala is injured and listed as day-to-day according to Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. Fiala will miss tonight’s contest when the Kings host the Nashville Predators. Fiala left the Kings game on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche after a knee-on-knee hit from Andrew Cogliano. Of course the Kings don’t want Fiala to miss any time, but the fact he is only listed as day-to-day is great news as the collision looked like it could possibly result in a much more serious injury.
Fiala is leading the Kings in scoring with 68 points this season. He has been terrific in Los Angeles after being acquired from the Wild for a first-round pick and Brock Faber in the offseason. The 26-year-old winger plays a great two-way game and has fit in on the team’s top line with Anze Kopitar and also fills in on a tremendous all-around trio with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson from time to time. It sounds like his absence will be short term and that is great news for Kings fans who were holding their breath since Thursday night.
- The Dallas Stars have provided a bit of an update on their injured players. Mike Heika of NHL.com reports Tyler Seguin is not skating today which means he is not close to returning to action. The veteran center left Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres after suffering a laceration above his knee from the skate of Jordan Greenway. Luke Glendening and Scott Wedgewood did skate today, meaning they are close to getting back into the lineup. Glendening has not played since February 17 and Wedgewood’s last game was February 18.
- Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group reports San Jose Sharks defensemen Radim Simek and Jacob MacDonald are out week to week. Simek is dealing with concussion symptoms and MacDonald left Monday night’s game early after taking a high hit. There is no update on what the injury is, but the timeline sounds like the Sharks will be without a couple of depth defenders for the next few weeks. In better Sharks news, winger Jonah Gadjovich is getting closer to returning but is not quite ready. He has three goals and seven points in 35 games this season but hasn’t played since February 12 with an upper-body injury.
Tyler Seguin Leaves Game With Cut On Leg
The Dallas Stars have announced that forward Tyler Seguin won’t be returning to tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Seguin left the game with what TSN is reporting as a laceration above his knee after he was cut by a skate.
Seguin becomes the third high profile NHLer to suffer a severe cut this season after Ryan Johansen was cut by a blade on his ankle, and Evander Kane had a frightening scene when he had wrist cut against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With the NHL GM meetings set to take place next week, one has to wonder if the issue of cuts from skate blades will make its way onto the docket. The horrific Kane injury is one that most people will not forget. Player safety is always an issue and with this recent trend it could make for interesting dialogue should changes be discussed.
If Seguin is out long term, it would be a big blow to a Dallas Stars team that is leading the Central Division. Seguin has 17 goals and 42 points in 64 games this season and has been playing much more of a 200-foot game for head coach Peter DeBoer. Should the 31-year-old miss substantial time it would likely mean moving youngster Ty Dellandrea onto the third line to play wing next to newcomer Max Domi.
Evening Notes: Stars, Letang, Samsonov
The Dallas Stars are off to a strong start under new head coach Pete DeBoer, and they’re looking to get stronger. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger on tonight’s edition of Insider Trading, the Stars are still looking to add a top-six forward, preferably to play with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment.
They’ve had a rotating cast playing on the wing with those two, and although Seguin and Marchment have played well, they’d obviously like some added depth and to get a player that boasts chemistry with them. Jamie Benn is having a resurgence in limited minutes, scoring 26 points in 23 games, and they’d prefer to keep his ice time down below 15-16 minutes. If nothing comes to fruition, the strong performances of youngsters Ty Dellandrea and Wyatt Johnston should still safeguard their depth scoring.
- Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been in and out of the lineup recently, and he’s missing another contest tonight. Letang is absent from their game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an undisclosed illness, the team announced before puck drop. It’s his second missed game of the season after missing a game earlier this month, also with an illness. He revealed weeks ago that he had been battling an illness for a stretch of games; whether or not this is a related illness is unclear.
- Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov says he’s pain-free after his knee injury and is “ready to play,” according to TSN’s Mark Masters. Head coach Sheldon Keefe pumped the brakes on his status, however, saying the team would check on him tomorrow to determine his return to play. The young netminder, who had a strong start to the season, has missed nearly a month.
Pittsburgh Penguins Promote Kerry Huffman
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a notable front-office change, promoting Kerry Huffman to the role of Director of Professional Scouting.
Huffman had joined the Penguins last season as a pro scout after serving five years as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The former Philadelphia Flyer hung up his playing skates in 1999 and only has one previous year of scouting experience with Pittsburgh.
He comes in to replace Ryan Bowness as he previously held the role, with Bowness leaving the organization four months ago. Per the Penguins, Huffman will oversee a team of four as the scouting team puts its attention on the NHL and AHL.
Prior to his coaching and scouting career, Huffman was a player agent from 2012-2016 and represented clients such as current/recent NHLers Tyler Seguin and Alex Galchenyuk.
Offseason Notes: Chychrun, White, Dallas
It’s been a while since we’ve heard Jakob Chychrun‘s name atop trade rumors, especially when considering how he was viewed as one of the hottest commodities ahead of the Trade Deadline. It’s not often an under-25 defenseman with top-pairing pedigree becomes available, but the Arizona Coyotes decided not to move him just yet. That could change, however, as the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that the Blue Jackets and Coyotes are talking about a deal. While he couldn’t offer Chychrun’s name specifically, he also reminds that Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has said that the team could move their 12th overall pick at the 2022 draft in exchange for a young NHL player with term.
Chychrun certainly fits that bill, signed at just $4.6MM through 2025. It also matches up with the rumblings that Columbus is looking to add aggressively on defense, as multiple reports suggested they were in discussions with the Tampa Bay Lightning about landing Ryan McDonagh. If Arizona acquired the 12th overall selection, it would give them a jaw-dropping four first-round picks in addition to their five second-round picks.
- There’s significant interest in soon-to-be free agent Colin White after he was placed on waivers for the purpose of a buyout today by the Ottawa Senators. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that up to 14 NHL teams have shown interest in White over the past few months, which could lead to a significant bidding war for his services once free agency opens. TSN’s Darren Dreger specifically names the Montreal Canadiens as a team that could be a fit, as general manager Kent Hughes was his agent prior to getting hired in Montreal.
- The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta says the Dallas Stars are looking to add a significant punch at forward this offseason, specifically to add a jump to a line with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Dallas will reportedly be active on both the trade and free-agent markets, looking to be aggressive and squeeze out whatever this core has left in them to try and win a championship. Neither Benn nor Seguin, who are making above $9MM per season each, cracked the 50-point mark last year.
Stars Notes: Klingberg, Bowness, Injuries
As things currently stand, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg is arguably the best defenseman set to be available in this summer’s free agent market. But according to Klingberg, he hopes he doesn’t get there. In today’s season-ending meeting with the media, Klingberg, who has been the subject of many trade rumors in the past, emphasized his desire to remain in Dallas, saying:
At the end of the day, I always want to stay here. We’ve been trying to find different ways to get it done. Year length, money-wise, just trying to get something we’re both happy with.
The factors that could potentially block a Klingberg return are the ones he mentioned, the cost and length of his extension. On May 7th, Stars GM Jim Nill said that he would love to keep Klingberg. But it may not be possible given the team’s cap situation and the other offers Klingberg could receive on the open market. The Stars already have Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter under contract for at least the next three seasons, and with extensions for Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov, and Roope Hintz to consider over the next two offseasons, it’s difficult to imagine that the Stars will be able to match the kinds of offers Klingberg could receive from elsewhere. So, despite the mutual interest in a return that was communicated today, it looks as though some serious creativity will be required if Klingberg is to remain with the only NHL team he has ever known.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Stars:
- Stars head coach Rick Bowness coached this season on an expiring contract, a deal that has now ended thanks to the Stars’ defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames. Per Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News, Bowness stated today that he would prefer a one-year contract at this stage of his career and that he may consider retirement if that’s the path he chooses to go down. Nill did praise Bowness’ work today, emphasizing that Bowness has “done a good job” in this 98-point campaign. He did also say, though, that they will need to “reassess everything.” So with both Bowness and Nill’s comments in mind, it’s certainly possible that the Stars join the multitude of teams seeking a new head coach this offseason.
- On exit days across the NHL, it is common for the numerous injuries a team’s players have been playing through to be revealed publicly for the first time. The Stars’ end-of-season press conferences were no different, and we learned today of a multitude of ailments that Stars players were battling during the season. As relayed by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin fractured his foot in Game One of the series, Hintz strained his oblique in Game Six, and Luke Glendening had a concussion and both knee and groin issues that would have kept him out on a week-to-week basis. While it’s certain that all three players would rather be taking on the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night, one small benefit of the Stars’ loss is that they now get to begin the recovery process in earnest.
Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.
Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd
Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk
Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo
Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev
Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta
Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome
Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson
Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth
Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin
Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell
Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair
Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte
Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon
Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price
Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki
New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier
New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara
New York Rangers – Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg
Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes
Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle
St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko
Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz
Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase
Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn
Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel
Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey
Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom
Stars Notes: Seguin, Heiskanen, Holtby
Dallas Stars’ forward Tyler Seguin was back on the ice for practice today in Minnesota, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks (link to Tweet). Not only has Seguin returned to practice, but afterwards Stars’ head coach Rick Bowness said that Seguin “should be fine” for Sunday’s game in Minnesota against the Wild, adds DeFranks.
Seguin missed last night’s game in Winnipeg due to a non-COVID illness. The forward has 17 goals and 13 assists in 53 games this season, but will need to be a key factor in the Stars’ push to the playoffs. The Stars currently sit in a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, sitting on 65 points in 54 games, just a point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and Sunday’s opponent, the Minnesota Wild.
- The Stars may still be without another key piece, writes DeFranks, as Miro Heiskanen did not practice today and is currently questionable for the game against the Wild (link). Like Seguin, Heiskanen missed last night’s game in Winnipeg with a non-COVID illness. This was only the second game Heiskanen has missed this season, after he missed a game in December with a non-COVID illness as well. The Stars have had to rely heavily on Heiskanen this year, as the young defenseman has posted 29 points in 52 games and leads the team in average time-on-ice at 24:46. With Dallas just holding onto a playoff spot, even one extra game without a player like Heiskanen could be a big loss.
- Shifting gears on the Stars,, should the organization decide to sell any pieces at the deadline, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan believes that goaltender Braden Holtby is definitely in play (link). Holtby is having himself a solid bounce-back season after struggling greatly the last two seasons. Holtby’s .913 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average are the best he has had since the 2018-19 season with the Washington Capitals. While he is no longer the elite goalie he once was, Holtby may still carry some value to a team looking for a quality backup, or even someone to split time in net, especially given Holtby’s pedigree as a Stanley Cup winning goaltender. Holtby only carries a $2MM cap hit that expires after this season, so acquiring him should not be a strain for interested teams.
Snapshots: Tkachuk, Stars, Garland
With Drake Batherson now signed, the Senators can squarely turn their focus to getting a new deal done with RFA winger Brady Tkachuk. Speaking with reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, GM Pierre Dorion declined to comment on the status of negotiations, only stating that “We’ve had productive, positive discussions with Brady’s camp” which would contrast a recent report from TSN1200’s Shawn Simpson who relayed (Twitter link) that there is some frustration setting in with Tkachuk’s camp.
The 21-year-old could be eyeing Andrei Svechnikov’s eight-year, $62MM deal with Carolina as a legitimate comparable contract which would make him Ottawa’s highest-paid forward but would still keep him below Thomas Chabot’s $8MM AAV for the highest-paid player on the team. As some of Ottawa’s top youngsters come up for new deals, trying to keep all of those below Chabot’s price tag would seem like a viable strategy for the Senators in an effort to keep their window for contention open as long as possible.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Stars head coach Rick Bowness told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that forwards Tyler Seguin (hip and knee), Roope Hintz (groin), Alexander Radulov (core), and defenseman Joel Hanley (core) have all recovered from their respective injuries and surgeries and will be ready for training camp. Seguin, in particular, will be a welcome return as he was only able to suit up in three games last season, managing a pair of goals in those contests. They’re still not fully healthy, however, as there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding goalie Ben Bishop’s future which is why Braden Holtby was surprisingly signed in free agency this summer.
- While winger Conor Garland believed the Bruins might show interest in him, he told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe that his camp never heard from Boston when Arizona was shopping him around the league. The 25-year-old Scituate native had identified Boston, Toronto, and Los Angeles as potential fits but he wound up being moved to Vancouver instead where he quickly signed a five-year, $24.75MM contract. Garland wouldn’t rule out the idea of playing for his hometown team down the road but it won’t be happening anytime soon.
Tyler Seguin Activated From Injured Reserve
For the first time this season, the Dallas Stars now have Tyler Seguin on the active roster. The 29-year-old forward has been on the non-roster injured list the entire year as he worked his way back from hip surgery but has now been activated and is a game-time decision for the Stars matchup this evening. Seguin’s long, difficult recovery which included surgical delays and rehab setbacks was detailed by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic ahead of the match.
Seguin is returning at the most important time for the Stars, who still have a shred of hope in the Central Division playoff race. The team currently sits three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final spot but has a game in hand. If their highest-paid forward can make a difference, there is still a chance the Stars sneak in and try to make another Cinderella run like last year.
Though he hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since September, it’s hard to not think Seguin could make an impact right away. The Stars have scored just a single goal in their last three games combined and still have Denis Gurianov listed as a game-time decision with his upper-body injury. Even just a little bit of offensive pressure from Seguin could go a long way for a team desperate for any positives.