Snapshots: Pominville, Moravcik, Winnipeg
When the Buffalo Sabres take the ice tonight against the Dallas Stars, they will do so without veteran forward Jason Pominville. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News, after speaking with head coach Phil Housley, relays that Pominville will sit out Wednesday night’s contest as a healthy scratch. Some quick research by the Olean Times Herald’s Bill Hoppe indicates that this is Pominville’s first healthy scratch since April 4, 2006 – during his rookie season. Pominville, 36, has been an All-Star and frequent Selke Trophy candidate over his 15 years in the league, split between two stints with Buffalo and five seasons with the Minnesota Wild. So why now is he out of the Sabres’ lineup? Lysowksi writes that the only reason Housley gave was to rest the veteran of more than a thousand games in the second night of a back-to-back and give young Remi Elie a shot. However, Pominville’s streak of one goal and two assists in his past 24 games likely contributed as well. Even though Pominville is on pace to meet or exceed his 34 total points from last season, he has cooled off significantly after a hot start, much like the Sabres overall. His spot in the lineup could be in jeopardy, especially if Elie proves to be the spark that Buffalo is seeking.
- It didn’t take long for defenseman Michal Moravcik to find new employment. Just a day after clearing unconditional waivers and having his contract terminated by the Montreal Canadiens, Moravcik has returned home to the Czech Republic. HC Plzen has announced a contract with the 24-year-old blue liner for the remainder of the season. Plzen is the same team that Moravcik had come up through the system with and was playing for before signing in North America. As such, Morazcik should soon return to the elite form that first caught the eye of NHL scouts. Plzen is surely looking forward to the boost, as the team that also employs familiar names like Jakub Kindl and Petr Straka hopes to make up ground in the standings.
- The city of Winnipeg already hosts the NHL’s Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but it will have yet another tenant beginning next season. The WHL’s Kootenay Ice have decided to move to Winnipeg, as first reported by The Winnipeg Free Press’ Jeff Hamilton. The team is expected to keep the “Ice” moniker and same logo and will soon get to work on a long-term development plan for a new arena and sports complex on the south side of the city. While Winnipeggers already have two good teams to root for, no one in the area is likely to complain about the return of major junior hockey and should be excited to watch presumptive top-15 pick Peyton Krebs lead a young, rebuilding team next season.
Snapshots: Mock Draft, Arizona State, Jokinen
Itching for the NHL Entry Draft already? Several fan bases are, as many teams are beyond a reasonable shot at the postseason as the unofficial second half of the season begins. After a recent rash of mid-season draft rankings were published, NHL.com writers Adam Kimelman, Mike Morreale, and Guillaume Lepage tried their hands at a mock draft of the first round for the upcoming draft. They did not conduct a lottery simulation nor did they try to predict how the playoffs would unfold, so the mock is strictly the current standings inverse. However, each of the trio made their own selections and interesting trends can already be spotted. Of course, all three had the Colorado Avalanche, using the Ottawa Senators’ first-rounder, taking U.S. National Team Development Program phenom Jack Hughes first overall. Regardless of who picks first, Hughes is the unanimous pick to go No. 1 in any scenario. There was also a consensus for Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko going second to the New Jersey Devils and Russian winger Vasili Podkolzin going third to the Los Angeles Kings. However, there was not much agreement the rest of the way. Western Hockey League centers Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach and USNTDP forwards Alex Turcotte and Trevor Zegras went early for all three writers, but no two agreed on the fit for any one team. There was also dissent over the first defenseman taken and where, as Kimelman placed Swedish rearguard Philip Broberg at No. 6 to the New Jersey Devils, while Morreale and Lepage had Canadian blue liner Bowen Byram going No. 7 to the Florida Panthers or No. 8 to the Edmonton Oilers, respectively. One of the biggest surprises was Morreale’s selection of wunderkind goaltender Spencer Knight to the Panthers. While many consider Knight to be the best draft-eligible goalie prospect in some time, no keeper has been taken in the top ten since Carey Price in 2005. The other two writers had Knight at No. 14 to Colorado and No. 24 to the Vegas Golden Knights. Later in the round, opinions differed greatly on OHL defenseman Thomas Harley and hyped overage forward Brett Leason as well. There is still a lot to be decided about the upcoming draft board, not to mention the draft order and the impact of trades, but it is interesting to get a good look at this point in the season as the picture becomes more clear for both the teams and prospects.
- Arizona State University continues to make waves this season in college hockey. In just their fourth year of existence as an NCAA program, ASU is currently ranked No. 17 in the country and could push for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. As AZ Central’s Jeff Metcalfe writes, the play of forward Johnny Walker and goalie Joey Daccord is making all of the difference and beginning to draw national attention. After blanking the immensely talented Boston University Terriers 3-0 on Saturday night, Walker’s two tallies put him in the NCAA lead for goal scoring, while Daccord’s shutout was his NCAA-best seventh of the year. Daccord, 22, was a seventh-round pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2015 out of Cushing Academy and it is beginning to look like the Sens’ late-round waiver on the long-term project could pay off. Daccord is a junior and could be enticed to turn pro this off-season if Ottawa hopes to avoid him becoming a free agent after another year. Walker, 22, went undrafted as a Phoenix native playing in the NAHL and is only a sophomore at ASU. However, that won’t stop NHL teams from trying to pry him away from college to get a look at his near goal-per-game pace at the pro level. A tournament run by Arizona State would only further amplify the status of these unlikely heroes of the collegiate campaign.
- Veteran forward Jussi Jokinen has been unable to find NHL employment this season. The fact is somewhat amazing considering Jokinen played in 14 or more games with four different NHL teams last season. The well-traveled 35-year-old signed a PTO with the Detroit Red Wings this summer, who would have become his tenth different NHL team, but it did not pan out and no one else has come calling. Finally, Jokinen has decided to move on. Finnish reporter Pasi Tuominen reports that Jokinen is set to sign with Karpat of the Liiga in his native Finland for the remainder of the season. Jokinen will be a valued mentor for top NHL prospects like Rasmus Kupari (LAK) and Aleksi Heponiemi (FLA) while with Karpat and may even lead the first-place team to a championship. Regardless, it is highly likely that Jokinen’s days in the NHL are done. The well-liked and respected forward leaves a great legacy behind him in North America, but will surely continue to play overseas for a few years to come.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Nieves, Bieksa
The Canadiens are have indicated to teams that they’re willing to absorb a bad contract to bring in some other assets at the same time, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in an appearance on TSN 1200 (audio link). Montreal projects to finish the season with over $9.7MM in cap room which gives them plenty of flexibility heading into the trade deadline. They made a move like this over the summer when they added winger Joel Armia plus a pair of draft picks for taking on goalie Steve Mason’s deal which was promptly bought out. GM Marc Bergevin has indicated that he’s not going to be in on the rental market so this could be another way to add a piece prior to next month’s trade deadline.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Rangers center Boo Nieves could be a player to watch for heading into the trade deadline. Larry Brooks of the New York Post notes that the 25-year-old will qualify for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer (unless New York finds a way to make the playoffs with Nieves playing every game). With that in mind, it’s likely that the team will look to either extend or trade the pivot before the trade deadline to ensure that they don’t run the risk of losing him for nothing in July.
- Although he has recently started working in the media, unrestricted free agent defenseman Kevin Bieksa hasn’t given up on playing this season. In an appearance on Sportsnet (video link), the 37-year-old indicated that he’s still training daily and is keeping his options open when it comes to potential offers. Previously, Bieksa had indicated that he wanted to remain in the California area but it remains to be seen if he’s open to expanding his options. The veteran last suited up in late December when he participated in the Spengler Cup.
Snapshots: Draft Rankings, All-Stars, Hart
TSN Insider Bob McKenzie is the latest to release his midseason draft rankings, and like all the rest he still has American phenom Jack Hughes at number one. McKenzie’s rankings are based on a survey of anonymous NHL scouts, meaning that if the draft were held today the young center would undoubtedly be the top choice.
It’s the rest of the rankings that bring some intrigue, as McKenzie notes that there is a group of several players that have closed the gap on Hughes at the top of the list. Players like Vasili Podkolzin (#3) and Bowen Byram (#6) are making scouts turn their heads and notice how dominant they can be, en route to potential top-five selections in June. This year’s draft is sure to be an interesting one given the skill at the top, and one that almost no team is going to want to give up a lottery pick for.
- The AHL has made two more adjustments to their All-Star rosters, this time adding goaltender Kevin Boyle and forward Michael Bunting to the Pacific Division group. Troy Terry and Pavel Francouz will be unavailable, a disappointing turn for the Anaheim and Colorado players. Still, the Ducks will now get to watch Boyle suit up while the Arizona Coyotes will have another representative in the form of Bunting, who has 26 points in 27 games for the Tucson Roadrunners when he wasn’t playing in the NHL.
- Anthony Stolarz has done enough to show his health for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and was recalled today by the Philadelphia Flyers, but the player replacing him in the minor leagues will turn some heads. Carter Hart has been sent down over the break so that he can keep playing, but the Flyers will have a decision to make when they return to action. Hart has easily earned a spot in the NHL with his strong play as a rookie, but the team likely wants to get Stolarz some playing time too. They’ll have to work to keep them both fresh down the stretch and see if they are a potential tandem for next season. Stolarz is a restricted free agent while other goaltenders Mike McKenna, Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth are all headed for unrestricted free agency.
Snapshots: Vanek, Carrier, Perry, Eaves
Red Wings winger Thomas Vanek is no stranger to being moved at the trade deadline. It’s undoubtedly part of the reason he pushed for a no-trade clause last summer in free agency and he managed to get one. Although Detroit is believed to be selling between now and the February 25th trade deadline, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press suggests that it’s unlikely that Vanek will be moved as he’s valued as a leader in the dressing room. For his part, the 35-year-old indicated that thought of waiving his no-trade clause simply hasn’t crossed his mind. Vanek has 23 points in 42 games so far this season.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Golden Knights winger William Carrier has missed the last three weeks with what had been called an illness. Today, GM George McPhee informed reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s actually an injury that’s keeping him out of the lineup although he declined to provide further specifics or an idea of how much longer he’ll be out. Despite missing seven games already, Carrier remains the league leader in hits by a significant margin and is averaging just under five per game.
- Ducks winger Corey Perry returned to practice for the first time since suffering a knee injury during the preseason, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. While there is no timetable for his return, head coach Randy Carlyle indicated that he believes Perry is a little ahead of schedule. When he underwent surgery late in September, Anaheim announced that he was likely to be out until early March so that would suggest he’s a few weeks away from returning.
- In the same column, Teaford adds that the Ducks received permission to extend Patrick Eaves’ AHL conditioning stint by two more games. He’s on a Bona Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception Conditioning Loan which is only supposed to last three games or six days, whichever comes first. Eaves has been out of the lineup since mid-November due to a fractured rib and has played in just five NHL games so far this season as well as the past three with AHL San Diego.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Seabrook, Flynn
After all the struggles the New York Islanders have had over the last few years finding a reliable starting goaltender, one can understand why it is surprising to see one of them at the top of the Three Stars list for last week. Robin Lehner, who was left unqualified by the Buffalo Sabres last summer, took home the first star of the week after stopping 65 of 67 shots. Lehner has played himself into a potential extension with the Islanders or a long-term deal on the open market this summer with his .930 save percentage this season for the resurgent Islanders.
Second and third stars went to two forwards on teams out of the playoffs, as Mika Zibanejad and Patrick Kane did their usual damage. Zibanejad is one of the few players on the New York Rangers that seems off the trade block this season given his relative youth and affordable contract, though of course nothing is set in stone at this point. Kane on the other hand is having another incredible season in a lost year for the Blackhawks, with 70 points in 49 games. He too is untouchable, of course.
- Kane also made headlines today for coming to the defense of teammate Brent Seabrook. With the Blackhawks in the midst of another failed season, the scrutiny of Seabrook’s contract – considered by many to be one of the worst in the league – hasn’t gone away. Seabrook, 33, is signed for five more years at a cap hit of $6.875MM, but already appears to be on the decline. His offensive totals have decreased in each of the past two seasons and, while they are on pace to improve this year, his defense has noticeably dropped off in the current campaign. Seabrook has struggled to maintain his previous high level of play and has not been able to avoid criticism, given the price tag on his participation. Yet, Kane fired back at media members after practice on Monday when Seabrook’s name came up yet again during questioning about the performance of Chicago’s core players, NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis writes. Kane argued that Seabrook is underpaid in the eyes of his teammates due to his leadership and locker room presence, calling him the “heart and soul” of the team. Kane’s defense of his long-time teammate may keep the critics of his back for the time being, but if Seabrook doesn’t improve, his contract will continue to be a focal point of the Blackhawks struggles.
- It didn’t take long for Brian Flynn to find a new team. Just two days after clearing unconditional waivers and having his contract terminated by the St. Louis Blues, the veteran forward is on his way to Switzerland. EV Zug of the NLA has announced a one-year contract with Flynn, who is making his first foray into European hockey. Zug is currently the top team in the NLA; however, the team finished second overall in the regular season last year, only to be upset in the first round of the playoffs. Looking to avoid a similar fate, they have brought in Flynn who should make an immediate impact. The 30-year-old has 275 NHL games under his belt, as well as another 137 in the AHL and 153 in the NCAA as a star for the University of Maine. In stops with the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, Flynn showed that he could be a reliable role player, while his collegiate years and AHL stints with the Rochester Americans and Texas Stars also displayed high-end offensive ability. Playing alongside fellow NHL vets like Dennis Everberg, Carl Klingberg, and Raphael Diaz, as well as leading scorer Lino Martschini – who has garnered some NHL attention this season – Flynn should be able to step in and be a difference-maker right away for Zug.
Snapshots: Jarry, Shattenkirk, Red Wings, Chicago’s Goaltending
The Hurricanes have shown an interest in Penguins goalie prospect Tristan Jarry in the past, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With Pittsburgh signing Casey DeSmith to an extension recently, Jarry’s name has come up as a speculative trade candidate between now and the February 25th trade deadline. Carolina’s top two goalies at the moment in Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Hurricanes circle back on Jarry at some point over the next month.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Kevin Shattenkirk has fared better in recent weeks compared to his tough start to the season. With that in mind, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that this stretch may give the Rangers an opportunity to trade him. The 29-year-old hasn’t lived up to his four-year, $26.6MM contract signed back in 2017, one that has two years remaining on it. However, he has been a quality point producer before his time in New York and with teams looking for help on the right side, there may be an opportunity to get out from under his deal (or at least most of it). Shattenkirk has a no-move clause in his deal as well as a 10-team no-trade list.
- While the Red Wings are believed to be likely to move some of their pending unrestricted free agents, GM Ken Holland indicated to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (video link) that he’s open to moving anyone that isn’t part of their young core (which likely includes winger Anthony Mantha plus centers Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou) or future assets such as prospects and draft picks. Detroit wound up making a deal of significance involving a player like that last season when they moved winger Tomas Tatar to Vegas and since they have several other veterans on long-term deals, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to go that route again.
- With Corey Crawford resuming on-ice drills as he works his way back from a concussion, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times mentions that there will be a roster logjam when he’s cleared to return. The team thinks highly of youngster Collin Delia and likely won’t want to return him to Rockford of the AHL while Cam Ward and his no-move clause is also on the roster. Assuming Crawford gets the green light to return before the trade deadline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago ask Ward to consider waiving his clause to accept a trade somewhere else.
Snapshots: Berglund, Stempniak, Niedermayer
Patrik Berglund will not be returning to the NHL this season. He won’t be playing any hockey at all, in fact. A month after the veteran forward was suspended by the Buffalo Sabres for failing to report to the team and then subsequently waived and terminated, Berglund has opened up to the local newspaper in his home town of Vasteras, Sweden. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News dissected that article for North American audiences, filling in the gaps of the strange series of events that led to Berglund’s departure. Playing in his first season in Buffalo following the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the St. Louis Blues, Berglund states that he “lost his passion and joy for hockey”. As a result, Berglund opted not to join the Sabres for a two-game road trip, which earned his suspension and eventually his release. Even though Berglund walked away from more than $12MM in the four remaining years of his contract, he doesn’t regret the decision, saying that his mental health means more than money right now. It is for that exact same reason that he has decided not to resume playing, in the NHL or in Europe, this season. Berglund did express remorse for leaving the Sabres short-handed – even if his termination does help the team long-term – and reiterated that the club and his teammates did nothing wrong. Instead, it simply seems Berglund was so disappointed in his exit from St. Louis that he lost the will to play. Berglund stated that “I hope I can find the joy to play again. Right now, I can’t tell whether I will play again or not. I’m in the process of healing.” A well-regarded two-way forward and only 30 years old, Berglund will have the opportunity to play again somewhere if he so chooses, but it seems that the decision of his next steps professionally is still a ways off.
- Lee Stempniak joined the Boston Bruins on a PTO in training camp this fall, but did not earn a contract. Yet, months later, he continues to practice with the team on a regular basis. At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Stempniak will be earning a contract with the team once rosters expand for the stretch run and postseason, much like how the Bruins added Brian Gionta late last season. Stempniak, 35, is not the player he once was, but surely could have found employment overseas this season if not for the promise of a future payoff with Boston. Stempniak is just a year removed from an 82-game, 40-point season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016-17 and the year before that he recorded 51 points, including ten in 19 games with these same Boston Bruins. With the emergence of Peter Cehlarik over the past week as a good match on the second line with David Krejci and Jake Debrusk, paired with the additional option the signing of right-shot Stempniak would bring, the speculation is that the Bruins could be content with their second-line right wing situation and instead be focused on adding a third-line center at the trade deadline. However, given his familiarity with the roster and determination to return to the NHL, Stempniak could end up being the most valuable piece that the Bruins add in the coming weeks.
- The son of Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer has made his college selection and it will turn some heads. Southern California-native Jackson Niedermayer has opted to stay close to home and has committed to Arizona State University. His current team, the BCHL powerhouse Penticton Vees, announced the decision, adding that Niedermayer expects to play two more seasons with the team before making the jump to the NCAA. Niedermayer, 17, had his season cut short by a hip injury this year, making his NHL Draft stock in his first year of eligibility a question mark. Nevertheless, his hockey genes and previous production at the U-16 level in California could be enough to earn a selection this year. Regardless of his draft status, when Niedermayer joins Arizona State, he will easily be the biggest name to have played for the fledgling independent program that is still gaining its foothold in college hockey.
Snapshots: Prospects, Howard, Pettersson
We’re several months into the first post-draft season for the 2018 class and already several names have established themselves as full-time NHL players. The likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Brady Tkachuk will never really be considered prospects as they have already graduated to the highest level. The rest though were ranked today along with the rest of the NHL prospect landscape by various outlets including Corey Pronman at The Athletic (subscription required) and Craig Button at TSN.
Pronman is especially high on Vancouver draft pick Quinn Hughes, who will likely sign his entry-level contract after Michigan University’s season ends. There’s little doubt that Hughes will be an NHL player immediately, but his absolute ceiling is still yet to be determined. Button meanwhile has a much different view of Hughes, dropping the undersized defenseman to eighth on his board. A pair of Russian forwards lead the way as New York Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov and Florida Panthers pick Grigori Denisenko come in on top.
- Jimmy Howard‘s name has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, with the Detroit Red Wings apparently asking for a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran goaltender. Speculation is likely to continue all the way up to the trade deadline, unless of course the team can come to an agreement in order to keep the pending free agent in town even longer. That’s what Howard is hoping for, as he told John Niyo of The Detroit News that it would be “an absolute honor” to finish his career with the Red Wings and that he feels like he and his family “belong” in Detroit.
- Elias Pettersson skated this morning and is now considered day-to-day, with Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green not ruling him out for Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. Pettersson hasn’t played since getting tangled up with Kotkaniemi in a game against Montreal nearly two weeks ago, but is also supposed to attend the All-Star game at the end of the month. The dazzling forward has 42 points in 38 games and was running away with the Calder Trophy when he went down.
Snapshots: Karlsson, Haula, Lightning, Stolarz
While there has been plenty of talk recently about players potentially signing contract extensions, don’t expect that to be the case between the Golden Knights and center William Karlsson. In an appearance on Fox Sports Las Vegas (audio link), GM George McPhee indicated that there is no push to get a deal done with his top pivot. He noted that both sides came into the season looking for clarity and that they will re-assess the situation over the summer. Karlsson signed a one-year, $5.25MM last summer following a breakout year that saw him collect 78 points, well above his previous career best of 25 so there were plenty of questions regarding whether or not he could duplicate that. The 26-year-old has slowed down a bit with 30 points in 47 games and will once again be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights.
McPhee also commented on center Erik Haula’s status. He noted that his rehab is going well but there is no timetable for his return and they remain unsure if he’ll be able to return this season. Haula sustained what McPhee called a rare injury for hockey players (the exact details are unknown but it pertains to his knee) and has been out of the Golden Knights lineup since early November.
More from around the league:
- The Lightning hope to have forward J.T. Miller back in their lineup sometime during their upcoming three-game road trip, notes Diana C. Nearhos of the Tampa Bay Times. He has missed the last six games due to an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, winger Ryan Callahan is also expected to return during this trip. Head coach Jon Cooper indicated that the veteran re-aggravated something in his upper body (he has missed time with back and shoulder issues) which has caused him to miss the last two games.
- Flyers goaltender Anthony Stolarz took part in a full practice today, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link). He appears to be on track to return following the All-Star break. Stolarz has struggled this season, posting a 3.90 GAA and a .880 SV% in nine appearances but he will give Philadelphia another option between the pipes. They could then opt to waive the recently-acquired Mike McKenna or perhaps return Carter Hart to the minors although that scenario seems unlikely at this point given how the youngster has fared so far. The Flyers carried three goalies earlier in the season and could do that again although they’d need to free up a roster spot first to do so.