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RIP

Penguins’ Matt Cullen Fined For Dangerous Trip

November 16, 2018 at 1:38 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

The NHL Department of Player Safety has made a ruling today on an incident that no one has considered ripe for supplemental discipline. Player Safety announced that veteran Pittsburgh Penguins center Matt Cullen has received a $1,000 fine for a “dangerous trip” of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s J.T. Miller in last night’s game. A minimum fine by any measure for a pro athlete, $1,000 equates to 0.0015 of Cullen’s $650K salary or approximately one-eighth of his game check.

The incident in question occurred late in the first period of a 4-3 win for the Lightning. Cullen’s stick appeared to jab Miller in the back of the right leg as he was about receive a pass in the offensive zone, sending the Bolts forward toppling backward. Cullen was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for tripping and Brayden Point scored on the resulting power play for Tampa Bay. Apparently, this was not enough for Player Safety who, while not expanding on their decision, felt that this trip qualified as “dangerous” and worthy of a fine.

Cullen recently voiced his opinion about the NHL’s system of punishing its players, citing his displeasure with the appeals process and the overturned suspension by a neutral arbitrator of rival Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson. Cullen, 42, is a well-respected veteran player who himself likely has a future beyond his playing days with the league or in a front office. Yet, there would be quite a degree of comical irony if he was to appeal his own minor punishment, perhaps even all the way to a neutral arbitrator. Seeing as this fine is relatively random, he may even have a case. Cullen, of course, is unlikely to move forward with an appeal of $1,000 fine unless only to display his own opinion on the redundancy of the NHL’s appeals process.

NHL| Pittsburgh Penguins| RIP| Tampa Bay Lightning| Washington Capitals Brayden Point| J.T. Miller| Matt Cullen| NHL Player Safety

7 comments

Metropolitan Notes: Hayes, Duclair, Folin, Pesce

November 11, 2018 at 1:12 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

While there are plenty of rumors abound about potential trade candidates, the New York Rangers may opt to wait before they make any trades, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, who appeared on NBCSN’s post-game show on Wednesday. While there are rumors that the Rangers could move center Kevin Hayes whenever they want and might consider moving him soon, Dreger said that was unlikely and he can’t picture the Rangers moving Hayes or Mats Zuccarello until after the new year.

“You’re right, it’s still a little bit early,” said Dreger. “But I would have said a month ago that the New York Rangers were more interested in listening to what sort of interest might have been in Kevin Hayes. But the reality is Kevin Hayes is playing pretty well for the New York Rangers right now. There are always teams in the market for centermen, particularly guys who are playing well and are 6-foot-5. So it’s still a little bit early to ramp up the rumors with Kevin Hayes and even Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers. I would say very early in the New Year we’ll be able to identify those specific teams with interest.”

The 26-year-old Hayes, who is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, has three goals and 11 points in 17 games so far this season. While he is still young, there are many among the Rangers’ brass who aren’t sure they want Hayes to be the center-point of their rebuilt franchise and might be better off moving him for more pieces. Zuccarello is also in the final year of a four-year deal and can also be a free agent. The 31-year-old has three goals and 10 points in 15 games.

  • Even though Columbus Blue Jackets forward Anthony Duclair has been impressive this season with seven goals in his first 17 games as he’s currently on pace for a 35-goal season at a minimum $650K. However, many were shocked when Duclair found himself benched during the third period and overtime Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Tom Reed (subscription required). Head coach John Tortorella made his point quite clear. “He’s got to check,” Tortorella said. “He’s got to learn to check.” Of course, Tortorella put the blame on Duclair’s entire line, including Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand. However, it was Duclair’s minutes that were cut into as he played just 5:40, although strangely, he was still given an opportunity to take a shootout attempt at the end of the game.
  • One reason for the Philadelphia Flyers improved play of late is the recent emergence of defenseman Christian Folin, who has impressed Flyers’ brass with his defensive play, especially with his physicality and his willingness to block shots, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (subscription required). The scribe writes that after struggling during the preseason and making multiple gaffs early in the regular season, Folin has come into his own over the last couple weeks. “I really didn’t see him do anything different tonight than what he’s done over the past however many games,” the Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “Fols is a consistent player. He’s reliable in terms of you know what you’re gonna get, and you get those elements at a high level.”
  • Michael Smith of NHL.com reports that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce did not practice Sunday after taking a knee-to-knee hit during Saturday’s game against Detroit and is listed as day-to-day. Pesce, who is in the first year of a six-year, $24.2MM deal ($4.03MM AAV), has been mentioned in potential trade rumors with the Toronto Maple Leafs in a potential William Nylander trade. The 23-year-old could provide Toronto with a cheap, young defensive-minded blueliner who could stabilize any teams’ defense.

Carolina Hurricanes| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dave Hakstol| John Tortorella| NHL| New York Rangers| Philadelphia Flyers| RIP| Toronto Maple Leafs| Uncategorized Alexander Wennberg| Anthony Duclair| Brett Pesce| Christian Folin| Kevin Hayes| Mats Zuccarello| Trade Rumors| William Nylander

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Atlantic Notes: Marner, Matthews, Ozhiganov, Stempniak

October 7, 2018 at 12:39 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

With the Toronto Maple Leafs enduring their drawn-out negotiations with restricted free agent William Nylander, it was suggested recently that Toronto try to negotiate deals with future restricted free agents, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, during the season to avoid similar holdouts next season.

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston on Saturday Headlines, reported that while Marner’s camp sounds uninterested in discussing a contract extension in-season, Matthews camp is open to a deal.

“There were discussions throughout the summer with both Auston Matthews’ camp Mitch Marner’s camp with their extensions. They could’ve done that July 1, but some of those discussions are off,” Johnston said. “Mitch Marner and his camp have called a moratorium on talks throughout the season. They don’t want to see that distraction. I get the sense that Auston Matthews would be willing to work on his extension throughout this season.”

Matthews would be in line for a major contract pay raise as he is likely looking for pay that may even exceed the $11MM that Tavares received this summer. The 21-year-old posted 40 goals in his rookie campaign. That number dropped a little last year when he tallied 34 goals, but Matthews also missed 20 games due to injury last season.

Marner, on the other hand, hopes to get similar money to that of Matthews and The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) believes that Marner is ready to take his game to another level and believes he will easily manage to average a point-per-game after impressing in Saturday evening’s game against Ottawa. If he has an 80-point season, Marner will have posted 210 points in his three entry-level seasons, which the scribe compares to numbers of Jack Eichel, who signed an eight-year, $80MM ($10MM AAV) deal a year ago. That could prove to be quite costly for the Maple Leafs as well.

  • In a competitive defensive training camp battle, the Toronto Maple Leafs determined that defenseman Igor Ozhiganov was a keeper earlier than most. However, what does Toronto have in the 25-year-old defender who came over from the KHL this summer. The Athletic’s Ian Tulloch (subscription required) breaks down the play of the 6-foot-2 defender, who moves the puck extremely well, although there remain questions on his defense. While many KHL imports have struggled with moving the puck, Ozhiganov has had quite a bit of success so far, albeit in limited time, giving hope that he could develop into a solid blueliner. However, he does have Justin Holl breathing down his neck as a potential replacement.
  • NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty, in a mailbag piece, writes that Lee Stempniak, who signed a PTO with the Boston Bruins, continues to remain with the team hoping for a chance to work his way into the team’s lineup. The scribe writes that if youngsters Ryan Donato or Danton Heinen fail to impress in their top-six auditions, the team is keeping Stempniak around as insurance. The 35-year-old, who played 37 games for Carolina last season, said that he would prefer to stay in Boston with his family and will continue to practice with the team for now.

Boston Bruins| Injury| RIP| Toronto Maple Leafs| Uncategorized Auston Matthews| Jack Eichel| Lee Stempniak| Mitch Marner| Ryan Donato| William Nylander

3 comments

Prospect Notes: Rookies, Kyrou, ISS Rankings

October 3, 2018 at 5:51 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

After several years of incredible rookies stepping right into the NHL and making huge impacts, this year looks like it will be no different. Young players all around the league have huge expectations, and Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) took to ranking those who can qualify for this year’s Calder Trophy. Pronman leads things off with Vancouver Canucks phenom Elias Pettersson, and puts another 67 in order before mentioning some other potential call ups.

Pettersson of course is coming off an incredible season in the SHL in which as a teenager he led the entire league in scoring with 56 points in 44 games. That production didn’t slow down in the playoffs, where he scored another 10 goals in 13 games and was named playoff MVP (after already taking that honor during the regular season as well). A World Junior silver was outdone by his World Championship gold, making his one of the most successful seasons ever by a junior-aged player. He’ll try to continue that impressive stretch with a debut for the Canucks this evening.

  • Another name on Pronman’s list, though a little further down is Jordan Kyrou, who will make his debut with the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night. GM Doug Armstrong spoke with reporters including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, and explained that while he expected Samuel Blais and Robert Thomas to push for spots in camp, Kyrou was the one who really impressed and “opened their eyes.” If today’s practice lines are any indication, Kyrou will start on a line with Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn to start the year, and incredible opportunity for the 20-year old winger as he starts his professional career.
  • Looking ahead to draft season, ISS Hockey has released their Top 31 prospects for the 2019 Draft and like everyone else have Jack Hughes in the top spot. Hilariously the scouting service still has Hughes listed at 5’1″ 152-lbs—he’s actually more like 5’10” 170 lbs—but that didn’t stop them from putting him ahead of Kaapo Kakko and Dylan Cozens. The race for second overall seems to be on between those two forwards, but there are several names that could push to get into the conversation before long.

Doug Armstrong| Los Angeles Kings| NHL| Players| Prospects| RIP| Rookies| SHL| St. Louis Blues| Vancouver Canucks Brayden Schenn| Dylan Cozens| Elias Pettersson| Jaden Schwartz| Jordan Kyrou

1 comment

Western Notes: Crawford, Saad, Vilardi, Andrighetto

September 29, 2018 at 5:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks got more good news today as The Athletic Scott Powers reports that head coach Joel Quenneville said that goaltender Corey Crawford could practice with the team as early as Monday.

Crawford who has been out since Dec. 23 of last year with concussion symptoms said earlier this offseason that he likely wouldn’t be ready when the regular season begins as the symptoms have still affected him. That has been the case, but if Crawford is close to returning to practice, that could be a good boost for the team, knowing that he’s not far off to returning to game action, even if its a few weeks into the season.

The 33-year-old Crawford was having a solid season before going down as he posted a 2.27 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 28 games. If he can come back and post anything close to that, the Blackhawks may be able to work their way back into playoff discussions this year.

  • In a separate story, Powers (subscription required) interviewed three NHL scouts about individual players on the Chicago Blackhawks and while there are many interesting comments about different players, two scouts had nothing nice to say about Chicago winger Brandon Saad. “When he’s not playing with top guys, he doesn’t respect who he’s playing and he’s selfish,” a scout said. “He’ll try to carry it himself instead of moving the puck. When he gets frustrated, he shows it with his body language. They have to recognize that and have a talk with him. Whether they put him with one of the big guys, he’s got to have a better attitude.” A second scout was equally unimpressed. “I think Saad is a guy who plays for a contract. I’m not convinced that he’s a guy who plays for you every night.”
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that Los Angeles Kings prospect center Gabriel Vilardi, who has missed the entire preseason after re-injuring his back this summer, was in full gear working out on the ice with head trainer Chris Kingsley. There is no timetable on his return. Rosen added that Vilardi will either start the season on IR or as an injured non-roster player. The 19-year-old still has one year of junior eligibility, but posted 52 points in just 32 games last year with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs and many feel could be ready to take on a key role with Los Angeles if he can put his back issues behind him.
  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver writes that winger Sven Andrighetto will miss two to four weeks with a foot injury. The 25-year-old is trying to force his way into the team’s top-six . He tallied eight goals and 22 points last year in a bottom-six role for the Avalanche.

Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Injury| Joel Quenneville| Los Angeles Kings| Players| RIP Brandon Saad| Corey Crawford

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Training Camp Cuts: 09/20/18

September 20, 2018 at 11:09 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Almost 80 players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday, and today will likely be no different. We’ll keep track of all the changes right here, so make sure to refresh or return to this page throughout the day:

Calgary Flames (per team release)

F D’Artagnan Joly (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Milos Roman (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Dmitry Zavgorodniy (to Rimouski, QMJHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Everett, WHL)
D Igor Merezhko (to Lethbridge, WHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Prince Albert, WHL)
D Merrick Rippon (to Ottawa, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Tyler Benson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Josh Currie (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Joseph Gambardella (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Caleb Jones (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D William Lagesson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Dylan Wells (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Colin McDonald (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F David Kase (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F German Rubtsov (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Mike Vecchione (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Connor Bunnaman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Zach Palmquist (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Reece Willcox (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D David Drake (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Frank Hora (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D James de Haas (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Yegor Zamula (to Calgary, WHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Freddie Tiffels (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Troy Josephs (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Dane Birks (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Joe Masonius (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Anthony Peters (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Justin Almeida (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
F Jan Drozg (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
F Jordy Bellerive (to Lethbridge, WHL)
D Calen Addison (to Lethbridge, WHL)
G Alex D’Orio (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Antti Palojarvi (to Lukko, Finland)

San Jose Sharks (per team release)

F Matt Fonteyne (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jonathon Martin (to San Jose, AHL)
F Colby McAuley (to San Jose, AHL)
F Filip Sandberg (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alex Schoenborn (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jeffrey Viel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Evan Weinger (to San Jose, AHL)
D Michael Brodzinski (to San Jose, AHL)
D Cody Donaghey (to San Jose, AHL)
D Thomas Gregoire (to San Jose, AHL)
G Josef Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joachim Blichfeld (to Portland, WHL)
F Ivan Chekhovich (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Vladislav Kotkov (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
G Max Paddock (to Regina, WHL)

St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic)

F Alexei Toropchenko (to Guelph, OHL)

Vancouver Canucks (per team release)

F Carter Bancks (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Jesse Graham (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Jagger Dirk (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
G Michael DiPietro (to Windsor, OHL)

AHL| Calgary Flames| Edmonton Oilers| NLA| OHL| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| QMJHL| RIP| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Transactions| Vancouver Canucks| WHL Dane Birks| German Rubtsov| Mike Vecchione

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Metropolitan Notes: Beauvillier, Bratt, Svechnikov, Hart

September 8, 2018 at 6:58 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Despite the loss of star John Tavares, the New York Islanders still are coming off a season in which the team was tied for seventh in goals scored. Throw in a Stanley Cup winning coach in Barry Trotz and don’t be surprised if the Islanders are competitive after all this year. While many players will have to deal with the task of making up for the loss of Tavares’ offense, one player that the team is counting on to take that next step will be Anthony Beauvillier, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required).

The 21-year-old found his game in the second-half of his second season last year. After struggling early on last year, posting just seven points in the first 31 games of the season, he was demoted to Bridgeport of the AHL for the five-day break to work on his game. When he came back, his game took off as he scored 17 goals and 29 points in the final 40 games of the season when he was placed on the second line alongside Mathew Barzal.

While his success could have a lot to do with Barzal’s magnificent season, he replaced veteran Andrew Ladd, who scored just seven times in the first half of the season. Staple writes that if Beauvillier can find himself on the top line this year with Barzal and Eberle, the youngster could be in line for a breakout year.

  • Corey Masisak of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt needs a strong camp to prove to the team that he deserves a top-six spot in their lineup this year. After shocking many in the league by winning a spot on the Devils’ roster out of training camp last year, Bratt finished the season with 13 goals and 35 points. Now, the 20-year-old must prove he belongs and can build on a solid rookie campaign. However, the question is whether he can get enough playing time to better this season. Bratt scored 10 points in his first 10 games and then picked up 29 in his first 42 games. However, his offense disappeared on the injury return of Travis Zajac as well as other crippling injuries to Marcus Johansson and Kyle Palmieri. The team also added Patrick Maroon and Michael Grabner at the trade deadline as Bratt was actually often a healthy scratch.
  • It hasn’t taken long for Carolina Hurricanes’ winger Andrei Svechnikov to get a lot of attention. The second-overall pick in this year’s draft hit the ice at the Traverse City Prospects tournament, and the 18-year-old showed off his quickness and readiness to step right into the NHL, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. In two games for Carolina, he’s posted a goal and a couple of assists along with 2017 first-rounder Martin Necas. Despite their compatibility together, the team expects to break up their two rookies when training camp begins, however. “Probably a little harder in the NHL to put the two young players like that together,” Carolina general manager Don Waddell said. “Down the road I can see it, but I think right now [coach Rod Brind’Amour’s] plan is probably to break them up in camp, let them play with some veteran players.”
  • Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect Carter Hart hopes to convince the team that’s he’s ready to make the leap to the NHL and give the Flyers a cure to their goaltending issues, according to NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer. The 20-year-old goaltender dominated juniors for the last two years, and was named the CHL’s Goaltender of the Year for two straight years, a feat no goaltender has ever accomplished before. Of course, winning a job in the NHL would be quite a challenge as most feel he’ll spend the year in the AHL, but if he could do it, he’d have to beat out Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth, Alex Lyon and Anthony Stolarz.

AHL| Barry Trotz| CHL| Carolina Hurricanes| Injury| NHL| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| Philadelphia Flyers| Players| Prospects| RIP| Rookies Alex Lyon| Andrei Svechnikov| Andrew Ladd| Anthony Beauvillier| Anthony Stolarz| Brian Elliott| John Tavares| Kyle Palmieri| Marcus Johansson| Martin Necas| Mathew Barzal| Michael Grabner| Michal Neuvirth| Patrick Maroon

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Central Notes: Seguin, Jets’ Second-Line, Boqvist

August 25, 2018 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

While negotiations continue between Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars, there has been no progress when it comes to locking up the Stars’ star forward to a long-term deal. In fact, in a mailbag edition in The Athletic (subscription required), Sean Shapiro writes that it is unlikely the team and Seguin will be able to reach an agreement on an extension before the season starts, which could put a tremendous amount of pressure on Dallas management, especially if the team struggles in Jim Montgomery’s first season as head coach.

With three coaches in the past three years and a slow start out of the gate, many might feel that Dallas could be forced to consider trading Seguin rather than eventually losing him for nothing like the New York Islanders did with John Tavares this past offseason. However, Shapiro writes that the only way general manager Jim Nill trades Seguin is if he’s on the way out as it would signify that he has failed in his bid to assemble a great team. So, it’s likely Nill and the team will do everything it can, which could include an eventual trade for another top-six player, to help convince Seguin to stay in Dallas long-term.

  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun writes that the Winnipeg Jets will have a battle for their No. 2 center position in training camp this year. While the position was manned at the end of the year by trade acquisition Paul Stastny at the end of the season, the veteran has moved on to Vegas, opening up a competition between Bryan Little, Jack Roslovic and Adam Lowry. Roslovic might have the upper hand as the 21-year-old is an emerging talent after posting impressive numbers in the AHL last year after he posted more than a point a game with the Manitoba Moose, where he scored 15 goals and 35 points in just 32 games, while adding another five goals with the Jets in a limited role in 31 games. The 30-year-old little had a disappointing season that saw him score 16 goals and 43 points, some of the worst numbers of his career. Lowry managed to appear in just 45 games last season after dealing with multiple shoulder injuries, but may also have found his niche as a checking line center.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) examines why the Chicago Blackhawks intend to allow the OHL London Knights to develop Adam Boqvist, their top pick in the 2018 NHL draft. The eighth-overall pick is expected to breathe both talent and youth in a depleted blue line within the next year or two. While he’s not expected to be ready yet to make those contributions, the franchise had multiple options in where they could send him, including sending him back to Sweden, sending him to the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL or back to Sweden for another season. Powers said that returning him to Sweden wasn’t the best option as he only received 7:27 of ATOI with his SHL team, Brynas, last season and while that likely would increase, he would never average 20 minutes a game there. That left two options. They felt that the five-foot-nine, 157-pound blueliner wasn’t ready for the AHL, so that left sending him to juniors. London is a team they have familiarity with as Patrick Kane played there for one  season as well as the fact that the Knights have a top coach in Dale Hunter and Blackhawks’ scout Jim McKellar spent 13 years with the London organization as well, which makes them feel that Boqvist should get plenty of playing time and a chance to further develop his skills.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Dallas Stars| London Knights| OHL| RIP| SHL| Winnipeg Jets Adam Boqvist| Adam Lowry| Bryan Little| John Tavares| Patrick Kane| Paul Stastny| Tyler Seguin

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Devils Notes: Schneider, Hischier, Smith, Hall

August 18, 2018 at 2:59 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

With New Jersey having made a significant jump in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils now must show that they can continue their success after 27-point increase in the standings and their first playoff berth since the 2011-12 season. The team was carried by Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall and a group of young players who had a quick impact on the team.

However, the team accomplished all this with goaltender issues as 32-year-old Cory Schneider had a second disappointing season as he struggled with injuries throughout the year, while posting a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in just 40 games. The team got a great season out of backup Keith Kincaid, who helped the Devils reach the playoffs. However, if the team has any hopes of reaching the playoffs for a second-straight season, the team will need Schneider to be healthy-free and at the top of his game, according to Scott Billeck of NBC Sports.

In fact, there is hope that Schneider can bounce back after two disappointing years as a nagging hip injury was hopefully fixed this offseason when he underwent surgery. He is listed as questionable to start training camp and may miss the early portion of the season while recovering from surgery that has a five-month timeline.

  • In another story, Billeck writes that the team can’t expect Hall to produce at another 93-point season like he did last year. If the team wants to return to the playoffs, they will have to rely on other players to pick up their games. After Hall, the team’s next best scorer was No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier at 52 points, which is a big dropoff. The team will need better secondary scoring. Hischier could provide some of that as Billeck believes that Hischier could become a 70-point scorer in his second year, while the team has to hope that winger Marcus Johansson can bounce back to his 50-point averages after being limited to just 29 games last season.
  • Mike Morreale of NHL.com writes that the team has several top prospects who could complement the team this year if they can prove themselves in training camp as 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith has a chance to earn a spot on a young blue line. He lists the team’s top five prospects, including Smith at No. 1, and while he believes that Smith will likely need another year in juniors, Smith still has a chance to win a spot on an improved, but hardly established blue line. He scored 73 points in 69 games for Spokane of the WHL last season and might be the perfect player to replace veteran John Moore, who left for Boston this offseason. Morreale also writes that the Devils should expect Michael McLeod and John Quenneville to make the teams next year.
  • The Athletic’s Cory Masisak (subscription required) breaks down what the Devils could look like in the 2020-21 season and quickly assumes that New Jersey will lock up Hall to a long-term deal of more than $10MM. Hall has two years remaining on his current deal.

Injury| NHL| New Jersey Devils| Players| Prospects| RIP| WHL Cory Schneider| John Moore| John Quenneville| Marcus Johansson| Michael McLeod| Nico Hischier

2 comments

Stan Mikita Passes Away At Age 78

August 7, 2018 at 3:04 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that legendary forward Stan Mikita has passed away at the age of 78. The Mikita family has released a statement, and an immediate outpouring of condolences came from all around the hockey world. Blackhawks president John McDonough explained what he meant to the team:

Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks. His excellence is illustrated by the team records he still holds today. His passion for the game was proved by the longevity of his playing career. The impact he had on the franchise is proved by fact that Blackhawks fans still wear his jersey to the United Center. On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks organization and our fans, we express our deepest condolences to the Mikita family and all who mourn Stan’s passing.

Mikita played parts of 22 seasons for the Blackhawks, never suiting up for another NHL team during his lengthy career. In 1,396 career regular season games, he registered 1,497 points and took home the Art Ross trophy for leading the league in scoring four times. On two occasions he was crowned league MVP and awarded the Hart Trophy, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. Among the greatest to ever play, Mikita took home the Stanley Cup in 1961 but was never able to repeat as league champion. Still, he eventually donned the “C” as captain of the Blackhawks and still holds the franchise records for games played, assists, points and +/- rating while only trailing Bobby Hull in goals.

Known—perhaps somewhat apocryphally depending on who you ask—as the father of the curved hockey stick, Mikita was an incredible innovator on the ice. His elusive skating and puck skills (not to mention his incredible toughness and work ethic) were imitated and improved upon by generations of hockey players that followed him and his impact on the game is still felt today. Respected, beloved and admired by countless hockey fans, he’ll be sorely missed. Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz explains how it wasn’t just Mikita’s on-ice performance that will be remembered:

There are no words to describe our sadness over Stan’s passing. He meant so much to the Chicago Blackhawks, to the game of hockey, and to all of Chicago. He left an imprint that will forever be etched in the hearts of fans – past, present and future. Stan made everyone he touched a better person. My wife Marilyn and I, joined by the entire Wirtz family, extend our prayers and thoughts to Jill and the Mikita family. ’Stosh’ will be deeply missed, but never, ever forgotten

The writing staff at PHR would also like to extend our condolences to the Mikita family, and our admiration for one of the greatest hockey players to ever suit up.

Chicago Blackhawks| RIP

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