Central Notes: Brodin, Jets, Johnson, Stillman, Husso
The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they activated defenseman Jonas Brodin off injured reserve prior to their game tonight against the Rangers. The 28-year-old has had a bit of trouble staying in the lineup as he had also missed time due to COVID protocol and an upper-body injury before sustaining this lower-body injury three weeks ago. In between all of that, Brodin has put together a strong season, notching 16 points in 29 games while averaging 23:35 per night and blocking nearly two shots per contest. With Brodin’s activation, Minnesota now has its top seven fully healthy.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- Jets defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has been ruled out for their two-game road trip due to a lower-body injury, reports Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun (Twitter link). Meanwhile, they’ll have to wait for at least one more game to get blueliner Josh Morrissey back from his stint in COVID protocol while defenseman Dylan DeMelo has resumed skating but also won’t be ready to suit up on Saturday in St. Louis.
- Blackhawks center Tyler Johnson is still a month away from returning to the lineup, relays Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran is working his way back from artificial disk replacement surgery, the same procedure that Jack Eichel had after being traded to Vegas. Meanwhile, Powers adds that blueliner Riley Stillman will be out for two to three weeks due to a shoulder injury sustained last week.
- Although Blues goaltender Ville Husso has fared much better in his second NHL season and could be an intriguing trade option at the trade deadline, Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch feels that St. Louis would be better served by holding onto the pending UFA. Even though they may be hard-pressed to re-sign him for next season, Jordan Binnington’s recent struggles would make it advisable for them to hold onto the 26-year-old as an insurance policy even if it means they lose him for nothing this summer. Husso has a 1.81 GAA with a .945 SV% in 14 games so far this season.
St. Louis Blues Recall Scott Perunovich
It was only a matter of time before the St. Louis Blues recalled Scott Perunovich, and that date has finally come. The young defenseman was recalled this morning with the Blues sending Joel Hofer, Dakota Joshua, and Calle Rosen down to make room.
It likely would have been earlier had the Blues not dealt with COVID absences, making their cap situation even more delicate the last several weeks, but the AHL’s best player is finally getting the call. Perunovich has completely dominated the minor leagues this season, recording 20 points in 12 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds. That performance is as a rookie since the 23-year-old failed to suit up even a single time last year due to injury.
The winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker, Perunovich was expected by many to step directly into the NHL upon arrival. While it’s been a long, unexpected wait, it only allowed him to prove once again that he could be one of the most dynamic offensive defensemen at the lower level. Whether he can bring that kind of production to the NHL remains to be seen, but he’ll now finally get the chance.
Given Hofer’s assignment, it’s likely that Ville Husso will also be activated from the COVID protocol in the coming days. The backup netminder has been skating already and only needed to reach a comfortable level of fitness before rejoining the active roster. His absence, and Hofer’s recall, was part of the issue when recalling Perunovich, given the non-roster designation did not remove him from the Blues cap.
Ville Husso Placed In COVID Protocol
The St. Louis Blues didn’t have Ville Husso on the ice at practice this morning, and it’s because he has been added to the COVID protocol. He joins Ryan O’Reilly, who has been unavailable the last several days. Brandon Saad, who had previously been in the protocol, rejoined the team this weekend and was on the ice this morning. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that his colleague and former pro goaltender Mike McKenna will strap on the pads again to help out the Blues at practice.
If Husso is a confirmed positive and held out for the next little while, the Blues will need to find a new backup goaltender for their games later this week. The team is off until Wednesday, giving some flexibility for testing, but it seems likely that Charlie Lindgren could be recalled for the first time this season. The 27-year-old Lindgren signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues this summer after hitting free agency, and has played in two games for the Springfield Thunderbirds so far.
There have been many players ruled out because of COVID testing this year, but goaltenders, in particular, are obviously a tough situation for any team. This is exactly why some clubs expressed a desire to keep a taxi squad of sorts for that specific position, allowing every team to travel with a third netminder. If the Blues were playing in Los Angeles tonight instead of Wednesday, it may have been difficult to get someone across the country in time–McKenna’s appearance at practice exemplifies that.
St. Louis Blues Sign Jon Gillies
While most NHL teams are adding experienced backups ahead of what is expected to be a condensed 2020-21 schedule, the St. Louis Blues did the opposite, trading away Jake Allen. As they head toward the new season with untested Ville Husso looking like the presumptive new backup, the Blues have added to their depth in net as a precaution. The team announced that Jon Gillies has signed a one-year, two-way contract. No financial terms have been disclosed.
Gillies, 26, brings a dozen NHL appearances with him to the No. 3 role with St. Louis. Gillies was once a top prospect for the Calgary Flames and was even ahead of David Rittich on the organizational depth chart. A star at Providence College, Gillies’ performance in the pros has been a bit more schizophrenic, but he has shown flashes of great ability.
If Husso falters as backup or if an injury occurs to he or starter Jordan Binnington, the Blues could do worse than Gillies as a fallback option. However, St. Louis could very well be in the market for an established veteran backup on the trade market later in the season.
St. Louis Blues Agree To Terms With Ville Husso, Niko Mikkola
The St. Louis Blues have agreed to terms on two-year contract extensions with both Ville Husso and Niko Mikkola. The contracts are one-way, and will carry average annual values of $750K and $787.5K respectively. Both players were scheduled for restricted free agency, though Husso likely would have been eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency given he has still not made his NHL debut.
Though it simply may be a reward for his hard work at the AHL level, a deal like this for Husso also has expansion draft implications. The Blues previously had just one goaltender signed for the 2021-22 season, prospect Joel Hofer, and he is ineligible for the draft. Given that at least one goaltender needs to be exposed, Husso’s deal makes a lot of sense. Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen both become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2021, and if the former is re-signed the Blues would want to protect him from the draft.
For Mikkola, it’s a little different story. The 23-year old made his NHL debut this season after being originally selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and looks to be at least a capable injured replacement for the Blues. If the 6’4″ defenseman can continue on his solid development path he could even become a regular for a team that is going to need inexpensive options.
The Blues have committed $12MM to Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk next season (and beyond) but are also going to be tasked with re-signing captain Alex Pietrangelo. That deal could push close to, or even past, $10MM per season, meaning the bottom end of the roster will have to be as cheap as possible. That is of course if they do get a deal done with Pietrangelo, but having some depth options is never a bad thing.
Both players’ cap hits will not be counted against the Blues if they are in the minor leagues.
2019 Arbitration Figures And Results
August 6th: All arbitration cases have now been completed. In total, six cases were decided by an arbitrator’s award this year. That number, though seemingly not many, actually presents a 50% increase over last summer and more than the past two off-seasons combined. Of those six decisions, the teams and players received the favorable decision an even three times apiece, and each award landed within $150K of the midpoint. All things considered, there were few surprises in arbitration, even though there were more awards than expected. Now the question is where the relationships between those teams and players go from here.
Originally published on July 19th: Friday marked the start of the arbitration season in the NHL, with Brock McGinn first scheduled for his hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes. The appointments will come fast and furious after that, with 23 cases left on the books. When we asked our readers how many would actually get to the hearing stage more than 36% of voters thought 3-4 was reasonable, the same number that reached last year.
We know now that at least one will, as Andrew Copp‘s agent Kurt Overhardt told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that their camp will “look forward to” the hearing scheduled for Sunday. Copp and the Jets exchanged figures earlier today. It is important to remember that the two sides can actually work out a deal in the short period after the hearing and before the actual decision is submitted by the arbitrator. For every case except Ville Husso, who the St. Louis Blues took to arbitration, the team involved will be allowed to choose the duration of the contract awarded. They can choose either one or two years, unless the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency, at which point only a one-year deal is available.
Here we’ll keep track of all the hearings still on the books and the figures submitted. This page will be updated as the numbers come in:
July 20:
Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $1.75MM AAV, Player: $2.7MM AAV
Settled: Two years, $2.1MM AAV
July 21:
Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets – Team: $1.5MM AAV, Player: $2.9MM AAV
Awarded: Two years, $2.28MM AAV
July 22:
MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers
Settled: One year, $1.6MM AAV
Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins
Settled: Two years, $1.0MM AAV
Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues (team-elected)
Settled: One year, two-way, $700K AAV
Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals – Team: $800K, Player: $1.9MM
Awarded: One year, $1.25MM AAV
July 23:
Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $1.5MM, Player: $2.65MM
Awarded: One year, $2.0MM AAV
July 24:
Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Settled: Four years, $2.75MM AAV
Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
Settled: Two years, $3.0MM AAV
July 26:
Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
Settled: Seven years, $2.86MM AAV
July 27:
Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.55MM AAV
July 28:
Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
Settled: One year, $1.4MM AAV
July 29:
David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.75MM AAV
Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Settled: Two years, $3.25MM AAV
August 1:
Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres
Settled: One year, two-way $700K AAV
Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
Settled: One year, $1.05MM
August 2:
Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $800K, Player: $2.65MM
Settled: One year, $1.33MM
Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
Settled: Three years, $3.73MM AAV
August 4:
Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres – Team: 1.95MM, Player: $4.3MM
Settled: Two years, $2.85MM AAV
Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $700K/$70K, Player: $833K
Awarded: One year, $775K AAV
Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche
Settled: One year, two-way $735K AAV
Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators – Team: $700K/$70K, Player $1.275MM
Awarded: One year, $1MM
Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues – Team: $2.3MM, Player $4.2MM
Awarded: One year, $3.1MM
Ville Husso Signs One-Year Contract With St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues announced they have signed goaltender Ville Husso to a one-year, two-way contract. Husso, the team’s top prospect in goal even before the emergence of Jordan Binnington, avoids arbitration, which was set for this coming Monday. No salary information was released.
Husso was coming off two impressive seasons in the AHL the previous two years as he posted a .920 save percentage in 22 games with the Chicago Wolves in the 2016-17 season and then followed that up with a .922 save percentage in 38 appearances in 2017-18 with the San Antonio Rampage. It was believed that Husso would be the first goaltender to get recalled last year, but instead Husso struggled all season with an ankle injury with many of the belief that he was never healthy all season. He played just 27 games and finished with a 3.67 GAA and a .871 save percentage. Instead, Binnington got the call and put together one of the most impressive goaltender runs in half a season.
This will be a critical season for 24-year-0ld Husso as he is likely to get the majority of starts with San Antonio and if he can find his old game, could provide the Blues with an impressive tandem down the road as the team might be able to eventually move the contract of Jake Allen. Husso, was a fourth-round pick back in 2014 and was honored as the Finnish Elite League’s top netminder in 2014-15.
The Blues are now down to three restricted free agents now, including Joel Edmundson, Ivan Barbashev and Oskar Sundqvist, whose arbitration hearing is next, on July 24.
2019 Calder Memorial Trophy Finalists Announced
The finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given each year to the most proficient first-year player in the NHL, have been announced. The three rookies are Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal was the 2018 winner of the award.
While it seemed like a forgone conclusion that the Canucks’ Pettersson would walk away with the award early in the season, the young Swede has gotten some good competition from Binnington as well as fellow Swede Dahlin. However, Pettersson remains the front runner. The 20-year-old came over from Sweden this year and immediately posted 28 goals and 38 assists for 66 points, making the loss of both Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who retired a season ago, less noticeable. What’s interesting is that Pettersson was initially pegged to play the wing for a season as he transitioned to North American hockey. Instead, within a week or two of training camp the team announced he would play center immediately and fared extremely well at that. Despite the impressive numbers, the other two candidates have a legitimate chance at the award, as much of Pettersson’s production was concentrated in the first half of the season. He tallied 23 goals and 45 points in the first 40 games of the season, but struggled more in the second half, totaling just five goals and 21 points in his final 31 games.
Binnington didn’t make his first start this year until Jan. 7, but he made it count, posting a shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers and leading a struggling Blues team to the playoffs with a 24-5-1 record with a 1.89 GAA and a .927 save percentage. The 25-year-old netminder was not even considered the team’s top goalie prospect at the start of the season, as he was behind Ville Husso in San Antonio of the AHL, but a strong start to the season with the Rampage and his immediate success with St. Louis give the goaltender a good chance at challenging for the Calder.
Dahlin comes from a much more conventional place, as he was the 2018 No. 1 overall pick and immediately steadied a struggling Buffalo defense this season. He had one of the best seasons for an 18-year-old defensemen ever, as he posted nine goals and 44 points, second most in the NHL history for his age and position. Only his former coach, Phil Housley, did better as an 18-year-old defender, as Housley put up 57 points back in the 1982-83 season. Dahlin also played the second-most minutes among NHL rookies, averaging 21:09, behind Dallas Stars’ defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who many felt deserved to be among the top three in this race. Dahlin is the first Buffalo Sabres player to be a finalist for the award since Tyler Myers was nominated in 2009-10.
Evening Notes: Hitchcock, Chiarelli, Husso, Fox, Vidmar, Capitals
It’s been an interesting coaching season for Edmonton Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock, who retired from coaching in April last year. Instead, he returned to coaching in November to take over for Todd McLellan for a struggling Oilers’ squad and has led the team to a 24-24-7 record so far, despite the team surging to a 7-2-1 start when Hitchcock took over.
Since then, the team has moved on from general manager Peter Chiarelli and there remain lots of questions of whether Hitchcock would even want to come back. Pressed for an answer about whether he’d be interested in returning next season, Sportsnet’s John Shannon writes that Hitchcock would be open to coming back.
“For the record, I feel if I’m good I can coach until I’m 99,” Hitchcock said.
Of course, with the team looking for a new general manager once the season ends, there is a good chance that the new GM will want to hire his own coach, which could end Hitchcock’s tenure in Edmonton.
- Speaking of Chiarelli, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports that the former GM has been seen in the Blues’ management booth alongside St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong. While there is no word on whether Armstrong is considering bringing Chiarelli aboard or what role he might have in St. Louis, Rutherford points out that Armstrong has a history of hiring former GMs, including Bob Gainey and Dave Tippett.
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas notes that he saw St. Louis Blues goaltending prospect Ville Husso in a walking boot walking through the press box of Enterprise Center, suggesting that the San Antonio Rampage goaltender is out for the season. It’s been a rough season for the 24-year-old, who was considered the heir-apparent to Jake Allen last season. Instead, Jordan Binnington has surpassed him on the team’s depth chart, while Husso struggled with a 6-17 record with a 3.67 GAA and a .871 save percentage.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Carolina Hurricanes remain hopeful that they can sign Harvard University star defenseman Adam Fox to a contract once his season is over, but there are no guarantees. Harvard has a good chance to make the NCAA tournament, which means the Hurricanes will have to wait until the blueliner’s season is over. The 21-year-old is in his junior year, posting 10 goals and 48 points so far this year but due to signability issues, was already traded once when the Calgary Flames sent him to Carolina as part of the Dougie Hamilton–Elias Lindholm deal last summer.
- The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat announced that they have signed undrafted college free agent forward Sebastian Vidmar out of Union College. The 25-year-old just wrapped up his senior season with 10 goals and 22 points and finished a career with 40 goals and 63 assists in 137 career games. The 6-foot-3 forward joins a struggling Stockton team that is currently sixth in the AHL Pacific Division.
- Isabelle Khurshudyan writes that the Washington Capitals will likely have even more salary cap problems next year as the team is currently tight on cap space, but with bonus expected for both Jakub Vrana, who triggered a $212K bonus for reaching 20 goals recently and could get another bonus if he finishes among the top six forwards in ATOI (he’s currently sixth). Throw in the $500K that Brooks Orpik will get and the team will go over the cap at the end of the season, which will count against their cap space next year.
Minor Transactions: 01/13/19
It’s a relatively busy Sunday for the NHL as six games are scheduled for today, including an afternoon tilt between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes. While the league prepares for another important week, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Rourke Chartier back to the minor leagues, given the team doesn’t play again until Tuesday. The 22-year old forward has played 13 games with the Sharks this season but has just a single goal. He very well could be recalled once again in a few days.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Kole Sherwood, a 21-year old forward that spent time in the ECHL earlier this year. The hometown kid has seven points in 22 games for the AHL Cleveland Monsters, but will get a shot to see what life is like in the NHL for at least a little while.
- Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan have bother been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, giving the team two forward options in very different situations. Kyrou is still trying to get his footing in his first season as a professional, but has recently found his way as the AHL Rookie of the Month for December. Nolan meanwhile is just trying to hold onto his NHL career after finding himself in the minor leagues this season for the first time since 2012-13.
- In a minor transaction, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Blues’ goalie prospect Evan Fitzpatrick has been re-assigned from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL to the Tulsa of the ECHL. The scribe adds the transaction is significant because it likely suggests that prospect Ville Husso might be ready to return from injury, which could provide the Blues with a solid emergency goaltender down the road. The 20-year-old Fitzpatrick has served as an emergency backup already, but has spent most of his season in Tusla.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced they have assigned center Adam Gaudette to the Utica Comets of the AHL as the team expects the return of Josh Leivo, who has been out with back spasms. The former Hobey Baker Award winner spent the early portion of the season with Vancouver, learning as a bottom-line player, but was sent to Utica to get more playing time in. He has been producing in Utica, posting three goal and seven points in seven games, including a two goal, three-point performance on Jan. 5th. He was then recalled after Elias Pettersson went down with his knee injury and scored a goal in his one appearance on Thursday against Arizona.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL now that his conditioning stint is over. The team claimed Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers due to injuries to both Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper. However, with Kuemper healthy once again and the emergence of Adin Hill, the Coyotes would have to keep Pickard around as a third goaltender, which they may not want to do. Pickard struggled in four appearances in Tuscon, despite a 3-0 record, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .889 save percentage.