Snapshots: League Cancellations, Bjugstad, Hamonic
As the spread of COVID-19 continues around the world, professional sports leagues and organizations are starting to feel the effects. The San Jose Sharks are the first NHL team that is dealing with the consequences, as gatherings of more than 1,000 people have been banned in Santa Clara county. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) examined the situation in full, noting that the possibility exists that the Sharks will play in front of no fans later this month.
It’s not just individual teams feeling the changes though. Today, both the EBEL and DEL, leagues in Austria and Germany respectively, have cancelled the remainder of their seasons, including playoffs. The EBEL also includes teams from Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic.
- It has become routine among the Pittsburgh Penguins this season to expect injury, though one still has to feel for Nick Bjugstad. The forward has suffered another lower-body injury that is unrelated to any prior, and has been listed as “week-to-week” once again according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Bjugstad has played just 13 games this season, scoring two points.
- Travis Hamonic was back at practice in full for the Calgary Flames today, skating alongside T.J. Brodie on the second defense pairing. That suggests the veteran defenseman will return to the Flames’ lineup later this week for the first time in over a month. Calgary is barely holding onto their third place position in the Pacific Division, meaning Hamonic’s return will be a welcome one as they prepare for the stretch run.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Fines, Wisconsin
The NHL has released their Three Stars from last week, and the five-goal man is at the top once again. Mika Zibanejad was always going to be the first star after scoring five goals in a single game (including the OT winner). The New York Rangers center scored seven on the week, giving him a career-high 39 through just 55 games this season.
Second and third place go to two Western Conference stars in Gabriel Landeskog and Leon Draisaitl, who continued their scoring ways with nine and eight points respectively. That means Draisaitl is up to 110 on the season, an incredible feat given he has only played 69 games so far.
- St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been fined $5,000 for his roughing of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist, which resulted in a line brawl between the two teams. Sundqvist tried to lay a check along the boards, but when he missed his left hand (while clutching his stick) came around and hit Boqvist in the face. The amount is the maximum allowable under the CBA, and will affect other supplementary discipline in the future.
- While other college players are starting to sign with teams in the NHL, a few names from the Wisconsin program have yet to make their decisions. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Montreal Canadiens will meet with Cole Caufield over the next week while his colleague Rick Carpiniello adds that the Rangers have been in contact with K’Andre Miller but the prospect defenseman has not yet made a decision.
Snapshots: College Free Agents, Ceci, Perunovich
While we have to way until July to get any free agent action among NHL players, the college season will be ending a little sooner. The end of the line for the best NCAA players means a feeding frenzy for NHL organizations, who will be snapping up talent in the hopes that they can step directly into the professional ranks. With that in mind, Frank Seravalli of TSN breaks down five names who are on the radar.
The top name as expected for most of the season is Connor Mackey, who has drawn plenty of speculation over the years. Seravalli reports that 28 of the league’s 31 teams have shown interest in Mackey, including nine that apparently are willing to sign him to an NHL contract this season—allowing him to burn the first year of the entry-level deal he will be restricted to. Remember, to do that the team must have an empty slot under their 50-contract limit, something that the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning currently do not.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs, who will surely be one of the team showing interest in the college defenseman, are getting back one of their own blueliners. Cody Ceci has been activated from injured reserve, adding some more experience to a group that has very little at the moment. The Maple Leafs have been forced to play Travis Dermott, Rasmus Sandin, Justin Holl, Timothy Liljegren and Calle Rosen all at the same time, a quintet that has 291 games of NHL experience between them. Ceci, for all his faults, has played in 494.
- Speaking of college defensemen, the St. Louis Blues are monitoring one of their own draft picks very closely in Scott Perunovich, who is having another outstanding season for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required) examines the situation and exactly what options Perunovich will have after his year is done. Rutherford points out that there may not be a ton of opportunity right away in St. Louis, which has many speculating about whether the dynamic defenseman will try to find a different destination to start his professional career.
Snapshots: Shanahan, Doughty, Draft Lottery
While the Toronto Maple Leafs have distanced themselves from the Florida Panthers of late and look to have a firm hold on the third playoff berth in the Atlantic Division, the same spot they held last year, most have seen this season as a disappointment for the club. The Leafs have endured an up-and-down campaign and even at their best have never truly competed for the division lead with rivals the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, the Leafs still sit 18 points back of Boston and nine points back of Tampa, who hold a game in hand. Yet, president Brendan Shanahan is choosing to see the positives in Toronto’s season and Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston relays that the Hall of Famer is happy with the direction of his team. “Adversity is something that every NHL team will go through, for all teams and not just ours,” Shanahan said, “and it’s something that you can either meet and grow from or you can use it as an excuse and I like to think that our players aren’t using it as an excuse, certainly not in management or coaching.” Shanahan continued that the team is “never going to [be consistent] all 82 games in a row, but certainly doing it more often than not, and that’s something that our guys are learning and it’s something I’m very confident that they are going to continue to grow at.” Shanahan speaks further about the team, noting how hard it is to sustain success in the NHL, but stating that he is confident that the Leafs can learn to be more consistent to make the most of their considerable talent.
- Another name choosing to be positive in a tough situation is Drew Doughty, whose L.A. Kings face the Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Kings went from perennial Stanley Cup contender to a long-term rebuild quicker than anyone could have expected and Doughty, signed long-term in L.A., would obviously rather be back competing for titles every year. That doesn’t seem likely any time soon though and the veteran is just trying to take things day-by-day. “It’s very hard, but it’s the position I’m in, and I gotta try to stay positive every day, as hard as it is,” Doughty told TSN, “I have to make the best of it and just try to get better every day, both as a team and individually.” Doughty says that he is happy to see the talent of the prospects in the Kings’ pipeline, as well as the team’s numerous picks, and has already seen “flashes” from many of the current young players on the roster. However, no one is expecting a quick turnaround in L.A., Doughty included, so he will have to find a way to stay focused and positive for a while longer.
- One major positive for Kings would be good luck at this year’s NHL Draft Lottery. L.A. dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 last season with the maximum three teams winning the lottery, and they hope for a different result as they currently sit with the second-worst record again this year. The Kings are undoubtedly hoping to move up to the top spot for the chance to take generational winger Alexis Lafreniere. So, when will we know the draft order for June? The Athletic’s Corey Pronman reports that the expectation is that the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery to be held on Thursday, April 9th. This would be the second night of the NHL postseason, which could see the lottery drawing again held in phases throughout a night of playoff action. More will be known soon on the details of this year’s lottery.
Atlantic Notes: Protective Gear, Tatar, Sandin
It was an outstanding start to his North American career for Ilya Mikheyev, who scored 23 points in his first 39 games in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just a few days after Christmas however, Mikheyev’s season was ruined when Jesper Bratt‘s skate blade cut his wrist so bad that surgery was required to repair arteries and tendons in his right arm. The 25-year old forward has resumed practicing recently and could make a return before the playoffs, but his and other injuries like it have made the league take a closer look at protective equipment.
In fact, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the league is delivering equipment to every team around the league and that the Maple Leafs will force their young players to wear wrist protection. It hasn’t just been Mikheyev injured in this way recently, as speeds continue to increase in the NHL so does the damage that skate blades can inflict in the wrong situation. Hopefully the new changes keep players on the ice and out of the surgical unit.
- Speaking of injury, the Montreal Canadiens’ season took another bad turn tonight when Tomas Tatar left their game with an upper-body injury. The team scoring leader will not return, though they are doing just fine without him at the time of this writing.
- Rasmus Sandin is expected to be a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs tonight after some recent struggles, which brings up some interesting questions about his contract status. Sandin has played in enough games to make his entry-level contract kick in, but with just 15 games remaining (after tonight) in the season for the Maple Leafs he may not get to the 40-game threshold that would get him a year closer to unrestricted free agency. The 19-year old defenseman has played in 26 so far, but both Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci are expected back soon, meaning another handful of scratches could keep that number down for the Maple Leafs.
Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.
Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.
- It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Marino, Dumoulin, Kempny
The NHL announced its Three Stars for the month of February and Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl was an obvious choice. The 24-year-old scored 10 goals and 23 points in February in 14 games and his two goals and three points on Saturday, pushed Draisaitl over the 100-point mark in just 65 games, the fastest Oilers to have accomplished that since the 1989-90 season when Mark Messier accomplished it in 62 games. Draisaitl has reached the 100-point mark once before, last season when he notched 105 points in 82 games.
New York Rangers Mika Zibanejad and Boston Bruins David Pastrnak round out the second and third stars of the month. Zibanejad has led the Rangers to 11 February victories by tallying 11 goals and 20 points. The 26-year-old has already tied his career-high in goals scored with 30 and looks to be headed for a career year. Pastrnak scored 10 goals of his own in the month of February, padding his NHL-leading 47 goals. The 23-year-old had four game-winning goals in helping Boston win 11 games throughout the month.
- While not a true contender for the Calder Trophy, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) writes that the Pittsburgh Penguins are just 3-7-1 without rookie defenseman John Marino since the blueliner was hit in the face with a puck and required surgery. However, the scribe does add that Marino and teammate Brian Dumoulin (ankle) are both close to returning, possibly as early as Tuesday, which could be a big boost for the Penguins. Both players were full participants in practice on Thursday.
- Just two years ago, the Washington Capitals traded for Michal Kempny and got an incredible boost from the blueliner for the stretch run. Unfortunately, his play two years later hasn’t been particularly impressive. The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell writes that Kempny and Capitals head coach Todd Reirden had a long conversation about the 29-year-old’s play. Since the Capitals picked up Brendan Dillon from San Jose at the trade deadline, Kempny has seen himself go from the first pairing to the third. “We were honest with each other, all the time — [even] when I [first] got here,” Kempny said. “I told him how I feel, how I felt, and so we had a pretty good discussion and conversation. And I believe it is going to help me be myself, to be Michal Kempny, you know? The one everybody knows. There is no excuses for me. We had a good conversation, and it is going to help me for sure.”
Snapshots: Kubalik, Gostisbehere, Tarasenko, Clutterbuck
The Blackhawks have started preliminary talks about a new contract for winger Dominik Kubalik, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). GM Stan Bowman recently met with Kubalik’s agent while in Prague and the expectation is that they will meet again before the season comes to an end. The 24-year-old rookie has been a pleasant surprise in Chicago this year as he leads the team in goals with 29 and has certainly been worth the fifth-round pick they sent Los Angeles to get his rights last season. Even though he’s only in his rookie season, Kubalik is arbitration-eligible this summer which will only make things that much more complicated. A short-term deal given Chicago’s salary structure is the likely outcome here.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Although Shayne Gostisbehere had been out with recurring knee issues, the Flyers still received some interest in the defenseman leading up to the trade deadline, reports Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. However, GM Chuck Fletcher opted to hold onto the 26-year-old who has seen his offensive numbers fall off considerably this season as he has just a dozen points in 41 games which isn’t a great return on a $4.5MM AAV. Gostisbehere is now healthy but is currently serving as Philadelphia’s seventh defender. However, despite being out of the lineup for now, he indicated that he is happy to remain with the Flyers, the only NHL team he has played for.
- Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko will begin participating in contact drills on their upcoming road trip, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That’s a big development for the veteran who has been out since late October with a shoulder injury. The expectation that he’d return late in the year played a big role in a quiet trade deadline for St. Louis but if he’ll be starting contact drills next week, he could be back a bit earlier than expected which would be a big boost for a team that’s already in the top ten in goals scored this season.
- The Islanders announced (via Twitter) that they’ve activated Cal Clutterbuck off LTIR in advance of today’s game against Boston. The winger has missed more than two months due to a wrist injury sustained just before the holiday break. While he won’t make a big difference offensively, the physical dimension he brings will certainly be welcomed for the stretch run.
Snapshots: Islanders, Stone, D’Aoust
Randi F. Marshall of Newsday is reporting today that New York governor Andrew Cuomo will announce tomorrow the New York Islanders will play any playoff games this season at Nassau Coliseum. Not only that, but the team will also play the entire 2020-21 season at the Coliseum, while waiting for the new arena at Belmont Park to be completed.
That would mean the Islanders’ unfortunate stay at the Barclays Center will end in less than two months. Through all of the frustration and uncertainty, the Islanders have rebuilt their organization and found success on the ice. The team seems prepared to start the era at Belmont off on the right foot.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have lost Mark Stone to a lower-body injury, though it’s not clear for how long. Head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters today that his star forward is still being evaluated, but this couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Golden Knights. On a seven-game winning streak, the Golden Knights have finally established themselves as the leaders in the Pacific Division. Stone is a huge part of that as the team’s leading scorer and best defensive forward.
- The Charlotte Checkers, short on forwards after a busy NHL trade deadline, have acquired Alexis D’Aoust from the Manitoba Moose in exchange for future considerations. The 23-year old D’Aoust has 26 points in 36 games for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen this season, but does have more than 100 games of AHL experience.
Snapshots: Post-Deadline Moves, Thornton, Lindholm
Even though it is referred to as the trade deadline in the NHL, this Monday was not actually that. In fact, teams are still allowed to make basically any move they want, with one caveat—players switching squads will not be eligible for the postseason. With that limitation in place it almost never makes sense for a team to make a trade in the weeks following the deadline but perhaps in one specific situation this year it could.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced earlier today that Jake Muzzin will be out a month with a broken hand, leaving them with a handful of defenders that were almost all playing in the minor leagues a few years ago. Tyson Barrie stands as the only real defenseman with any experience, at least until Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci return down the road. Perhaps the Maple Leafs could break with tradition and acquire a depth defender just to help them for the next few weeks, given their precarious hold on an Atlantic Division playoff spot.
- Speaking of Toronto, the latest edition of 31 Thoughts by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet includes an interesting nugget regarding the Maple Leafs. When examining the Joe Thornton situation and his recent comments about being disappointed he didn’t move at the deadline, Friedman speculates that the veteran forward could find his way to Toronto should he decide the San Jose Sharks aren’t in a position to compete next season. In fact, Friedman believes that the Maple Leafs considered adding him this year, though there were obvious obstacles in the way. In the summer of 2017 when the Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau as a free agent there were plenty of rumors about Thornton joining him there, but will there even be an opportunity for him next season at age-41?
- After leaving last night’s game with an upper-body injury, Hampus Lindholm wasn’t at practice today for the Anaheim Ducks according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Brendan Guhle has been recalled in his absence. Losing Lindholm for any length of time would really test the rest of the Anaheim defenders, perhaps even giving them a chance to see what they have in some of their younger options. The 26-year old logs more than 23 minutes a night for the team, and has 22 points in 55 games.