Snapshots: Stars Injuries, Bruins, Islanders, MacDermid
The Stars will soon be getting some good news on the injury front. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) that winger Corey Perry is expected to make his season debut on Friday after breaking his foot when he slipped off a step back in mid-September. Meanwhile, winger Blake Comeau is out for another two-to-four weeks as he works his way back from a lower-body sustained in their first game of the season. They’re also close to getting blueliner Roman Polak back as well as Montgomery also gave him a two-to-four week timeline after suffering a fractured sternum in that same game.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Sportsnet’s Mark Spector relays (via Twitter) that he was once told that the Bruins would have interest in bringing center Colby Cave back if he was to be made available. Cave was put on waivers earlier today so now is their opportunity to get him. They are carrying a full 23-man roster at the moment though so a move would need to be made to bring Cave back. Karson Kuhlman is the only waiver-exempt forward among their 14 active forwards.
- The Islanders may once again be without a pair of veterans once again tonight. After missing Friday’s game, Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that center Casey Cizikas is listed as doubtful for their upcoming game against Florida while defenseman Nick Leddy is questionable. Cizikas hasn’t been skating during the week due to an unspecified issue despite stating that everything is fine health-wise while Leddy is also dealing with an undisclosed issue.
- Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, notes Lisa Dillman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The blueliner was injured on Tuesday against Calgary in his first game of the season. Los Angeles has been carrying eight defenders this season so they won’t need to bring anyone up while he’s out.
Snapshots: Hall Of Fame, Point, Greene
The American Hockey League has announced their 2020 Hall of Fame class, which includes Robbie Ftorek, Denis Hamel, Darren Haydar and Fred Thurier. The induction ceremony is scheduled for January 27th. Thurier, one of the first real stars of the AHL, will be honored more than 20 years after he died at the age of 82. When he retired in 1952 he had the most points of any professional hockey player and then subsequently served as a linesman for nearly a decade.
More notes from around the league:
- Not only will Brayden Point be back on the ice tonight for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he’ll be centering what should be one of the most talented lines in the NHL. According to Mark Masters of TSN, Point will skate between Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on the team’s top line, a trio that totaled 318 points last season. That will be quite the task for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are trying to bounce back after losing consecutive games to the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues.
- The New Jersey Devils won’t have captain Andy Greene in the lineup as they try to bounce back against the Edmonotn Oilers tonight. Greene is being evaluated for an upper-body injury and has already been ruled out. The 36-year old defenseman has already been asked to do a little less this season, averaging fewer than 19 minutes a night through the first three games. If that number continued, it would be the lowest number Greene has averaged since 2008-09.
Snapshots: Boyle, Penguins, Stuetzle
After Patrick Marleau ended up signing with the San Jose Sharks after an offseason of uncertainty, heads are now turning to other still unsigned veteran forwards as potential options. Bob McKenzie of TSN reported last night on Insider Trading that Brian Boyle is drawing interest from several teams, and could be signed soon. McKenzie points out that the interested clubs may need to clear roster spots or cap space in order to fit Boyle in.
The 34-year old Boyle actually scored 18 goals last season and has been an extremely versatile player over the years. Able to play both center and left wing, he could give a boost to a club dealing with injuries or one needing a little punch of playoff experience in the lineup. Boyle has played in 114 playoff games over his career, getting to the postseason in each of the last nine years.
- While there has been no indication that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be a club interested in Boyle, they certainly fit into the category of a team needing some more depth at forward. Not only are Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust out long-term, but today both Alex Galchenyuk and Patric Hornqvist missed practice with injuries and are listed as day-to-day. The Penguins lost to the Winnipeg Jets last night and are already six points behind the 4-0 Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. Though there is obviously tons of hockey left to be played, Pittsburgh may not be able to afford such a slow start in a division that should be much more competitive than last year.
- Tim Stuetzle is a name you’ll be hearing plenty over the next several months according to Gord Miller of TSN, who points out the 17-year old forward already has eight points in nine games playing in Germany’s top league this season. Miller suggests he could be a top-10 pick in the 2020 draft, and there’s little doubt that he will be in that conversation next spring. The young forward has effortless speed and offensive skill, but as with so many players around the world there will be questions about his size and ability to hold up in the North American game. One thing to note about Stuetzle’s future is that he was selected 19th overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2019 CHL Import Draft, a team he could potentially end up with if whichever NHL team drafts him wants him over right away.
Snapshots: Pietrangelo, Barabanov, AHL Suspensions
When the St. Louis Blues went out and acquired Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes, only to sign him to a seven-year $45.5MM extension immediately, eyebrows raised around the hockey world. Where exactly did that leave captain Alex Pietrangelo, who plays the same position and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season? Well, the Blues tried to answer some of that question by pairing Pietrangelo and Faulk together for a time, but that didn’t take (though hasn’t been completely abandoned either, as we saw last night), and now there is a report about some recent meetings between the two sides.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that Pietrangelo’s agents met with GM Doug Armstrong yesterday, and reports that the Blues are hoping to use Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s eight-year, $66MM deal as a “baseline” in talks. That $8.25MM average annual value currently makes Ekman-Larsson the fourth-highest paid defenseman in the league behind only Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty and P.K. Subban. Another interesting comparable for Pietrangelo might be Roman Josi, who is also dealing with extension negotiations at the moment with the Nashville Predators.
- One other note from the 31 Thoughts column revolves around Alexander Barabanov, a 25-year old KHL forward that Friedman reports will be scouted in-person by several NHL executives. Barabanov’s ice time has drastically reduced this season, but recorded 46 points in 58 games last year for SKA St. Petersburg. That total put him behind only New Jersey Devils forward Nikita Gusev and ahead of other Russian stars like Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Plotnikov.
- Suspensions came down today in the AHL, with both Hubert Labrie of the Belleville Senators and Paul Thompson of the Springfield Thunder facing two-game bans for incidents on Saturday. In Labrie’s case, his elbow caused Kenny Agostino of the Toronto Marlies to suffer a concussion that will keep him out indefinitely. Thompson meanwhile hit Thomas Hickey of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but the veteran defenseman was back in action yesterday as he tries to fight his way back to the NHL.
Snapshots: Pietrangelo, Ho-Sang, Marleau
Sportsnet’s “Saturday Headlines” segment was filled with interesting information this week, headlined by negotiations between the defending champion St. Louis Blues and No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. The status quo has shifted dramatically over the last two weeks in terms of extension talks between the two sides, as the Blues first acquired Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes and handed him a seven-year, $45.5MM extension and then signed another impending free agent, Brayden Schenn, to an eight-year, $52MM extension. The team would obviously still like to re-sign their captain, but they have significantly more future salary committed now, as well as more security on the blue line in Faulk if Pietrangelo does leave. How that affects contract talks remains to be seen. Elliotte Friedman reports that GM Doug Armstrong plans to meet with Pietrangelo’s Toronto-based Newport Sports agents when the Blues visit the Maple Leafs this week to open up the conversation. Friedman adds that St. Louis’ preferred contract would be similar to that of Arizona Coyotes top defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who signed an eight-year, $66MM extension in 2018. Friedman implies that Pietrangelo would likely be able to beat an $8.25MM salary on the open market. However, a proportional contract to Ekman-Larsson’s based on either this year’s salary cap or next year’s projected salary cap would place that number between $8.5-8.75MM at least, which could be enough to keep Pietrangelo. The real question is whether the Blues can afford that, with nearly $74MM already committed to 17 players next season.
- Joshua Ho-Sang isn’t opposed to playing in the AHL, just doing so any longer for the New York Islanders. At least that’s what Friedman reports that his camp is telling other NHL teams. Ho-Sang has requested a trade from the Islanders and the club is trying to oblige, giving him permission to talk to other teams. Ho-Sang is letting them know that he is willing to do “whatever it takes” to find a regular NHL role, even if that means starting the process in the AHL. This could potentially broaden the level of interest in the disgruntled winger, who may not have the best reputation but honestly seems in search of a fresh start.
- Chris Johnston reports that Patrick Marleau remains “confident” that he will find a home in the NHL this season. The respected veteran had the final season of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs bought out following a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes this off-season, but so far hasn’t been able to find an ideal fit to continue playing. Much of the speculation had him returning to the San Jose Sharks, with whom he played much of his Hall of Fame career with, but the team was not as receptive to a comeback as expected. Marleau maintains that he would like to stay close to his family in San Jose, making Pacific Division rivals like the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights the likely targets. However, given the Sharks’ 0-3 start and early scoring woes, perhaps the team will come calling after all. Marleau continues to work out and stay optimistic for whenever an opportunity does arise.
Snapshots: Phillips, Lafleur, Heinola
The Ottawa Senators announced that they will be retiring the number of longtime defenseman Chris Phillips on Feb. 18, 2020 when the Senators host the Buffalo Sabres. Phillips played his entire 17-year career with Ottawa between 1997 to 2015.
“Chris Phillips personifies all the wonderful things about being an Ottawa Senator,” said Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “He was drafted first overall in 1996, and we all watched him grow into a legendary competitor on the ice and a community leader and family man who has made Ottawa his home. I’m very pleased to announce that the Senators Player Honouring Committee has decided to retire Chris’ legendary number 4. I’m happy that generations of Senators fans both present and future will be able to learn and appreciate one of the greatest players and people in this team’s history.”
Phillips, who was the first overall pick in 1996, played 1,179 games with Ottawa in the NHL, scoring 71 goals and 288 points and served as alternate captain from 2006 until he retired. Phillips will be just the third player in Senators’ history to have their number required. Frank Finnigan and Daniel Alfredsson were the other two.
- NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs reports the good news that Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur was discharged from a Montreal hospital Friday, following quadruple bypass surgery on Sept. 26, and has returned home and is resting in comfort. “My thanks to everyone for their incredible support,” said the 68-year-old Lafleur.
- The Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre writes that with the way Ville Heinola is playing, it’s extremely unlikely that anyone will be able to bump him out of the rotation any time soon. The 18-year-old blueliner, who was the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, can play up to nine games with the Jets before it burns the first year of his entry-level contract. Many believed the Jets were just using Heinola for the first nine games to help fill the void on Winnipeg’s defense while they wait for Dustin Byfuglien to decide on whether he wants to return and the return of injured Sami Niku. However, Heinola is playing so composed on the ice that it could be very possible that he’ll remain with the Jets indefinitely.
Snapshots: Schenn, Pysyk, Palmu
While fans continue to show their consternation over the looming free agency of Alex Pietrangelo in light of the St. Louis Blues’ recent acquisition and extension of Justin Faulk, there is another important roster player scheduled to hit the market in the summer of 2020. Brayden Schenn is on the last season of the four-year, $20.5MM deal signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016, and is in line for a substantial raise if he can rebound from a disappointing 54-point season.
The Blues aren’t waiting around to find out if he can according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the team is “taking a big run” at a Schenn extension. Before his 17-goal 2018-19 campaign Schenn had recorded three straight years of at least 25 goals, even reaching a career-high in points with 70 in his first season with St. Louis. Add in the fact that he was a key part of the team’s Stanley Cup run and is a versatile piece that can play center or wing and you can understand why GM Doug Armstrong wants to lock him up. Schenn only turned 28 last month.
- Another interesting nugget from Friedman’s piece is regarding the New Jersey Devils, and how they have shown interest in Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk. The Panthers have multi-year commitments to Aaron Ekblad (six years), Keith Yandle (four), Anton Stralman (three) and Mike Matheson (seven), making it perhaps a little difficult to retain Pysyk in the future. The 27-year old is in the final year of his current deal and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but is still a valuable piece on the back end that many teams could use.
- The Vancouver Canucks signed Finnish prospect Petrus Palmu to a three-year entry-level contract in 2018, but ended up loaning him back to TPS in Liiga for a good chunk of last season. That appears to be a possibility again, as Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet reports that Palmu is close to signing in Finland once again. It has been evident for some time that the young forward wouldn’t be playing for the Utica Comets this season, but it was not clear where he’d end up. Palmu had 18 points in 29 games for TPS last season and has proven to be a capable player at that level, but standing just 5’6″ he’ll have a tough time contributing in the NHL.
Snapshots: Haley, Liljegren, Sheahan
The New York Rangers made their final cuts today but one name was conspicuously absent: Micheal Haley. The veteran tough guy was in training camp on a professional tryout, but appears to have made the club. Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic has heard just that, though no confirmation has yet come from the club as to what the contract would be. Haley needs an NHL deal to be eligible for the roster, but wouldn’t likely be making more than the $700K minimum salary.
With Haley sticking around, the team decided to send down young forwards like Filip Chytil and Vitali Kravtsov, expecting them to get more out of playing big minutes in the AHL. The duo are integral to the Rangers’ future and will get a chance to really dominate lesser competition in the minor leagues for the first part of the season.
- Speaking of top prospects going back to the AHL, Timothy Liljegren‘s time on the NHL roster might not be very long according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, who points out that the young defenseman likely made it past the final cuts for the Toronto Maple Leafs more because of cap mechanisms than performance. Liljegren is still currently on the Toronto roster but looks to need some more seasoning in the minor leagues before making an impact at the NHL level. The 20-year old was selected 17th in 2017 and had 15 points in 43 games for the Marlies last season.
- The Edmonton Oilers have split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the time being, putting both at center on different lines with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taking up the pivot role on the third group. Spreading out that center depth may be in part due to the fact that Riley Sheahan, who was a contender for that third-line center role, is in the concussion protocol and will be out for at least seven to ten days. Sheahan signed a one-year, $900K contract with the Oilers earlier this month after scoring nine goals and 19 points in 82 games last season split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers.
Snapshots: Rieder, Paquette, Perry
The Calgary Flames are in talks with the agent for Tobias Rieder according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet, after the free agent forward impressed on a professional tryout. Rieder failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers this summer after he infamously scored zero goals in 67 games with them last season. The 26-year old had tallied at least 12 in each of his previous NHL seasons.
After signing Matthew Tkachuk earlier this week, the Flames are in quite the tight financial situation and would need to clear someone else off the roster to fit in Rieder even on a minimum $700K deal. Given that he needed to take a PTO in the first place however, there seems to be a good chance that they could get Rieder through waivers and have him in the minor leagues as some useful depth if they chose to go that direction.
- The NHL has fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette $2,500 for high-sticking Florida Panthers forward Frank Vatrano last night. This the first and only supplementary discipline the NHL has given out during the preseason, something that Vancouver Canucks fans won’t be very happy with after Chris Tierney hit Brock Boeser from behind, resulting in a concussion for the young forward. For Paquette, this isn’t the first time he’s been involved with the Department of Player Safety, but his on-the-edge play is something the Lightning value given the lack of physicality elsewhere in the lineup.
- Corey Perry could need another week before his fractured foot is re-evaluated, meaning he likely won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Dallas Stars reporter Mike Heika notes that things should be more clear tomorrow, but regardless, this is a disappointing start to what was supposed to be a bounce-back season for the veteran forward. Perry was bought out by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer and signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal that could climb all the way to $3.25MM if he hits all of the performance bonuses. In terms of the ones given for games played, Perry needs only 50 to secure a total of $1.25MM.
Snapshots: Lafleur, Snow, Dubinsky
The hockey world held its breath when news broke that Guy Lafleur was heading in for quadruple bypass heart surgery. The Montreal Canadiens were proud to report however that the procedure was a success and Lafleur is expected to make a full recovery. We here at PHR wish the entire Lafleur family the best as they work through the recovery period, and are glad everything went smoothly. The 68-year old is one of the most well-known and successful players in NHL history, scoring 1,353 points in 1,1127 games over his long career.
Here are some more notes from around the league:
- Chris Snow has been named an assistant general manager for the Calgary Flames. The 38-year old Snow has worked with the team for several years as their director of hockey analysis, running their advanced statistics department. He also previously worked for the Minnesota Wild and as a beat writer for both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Boston Globe. Snow will join Craig Conroy and Brad Pascall as assistant general managers for the club.
- When the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that Brandon Dubinsky would be out with a wrist injury to start the year, they explained that his timetable was indefinite. That may mean long-term, according to Dubinsky’s agent Kurt Overhardt, who spoke with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). It is the same injury that Dubinsky dealt with last season.