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Snapshots: Gagner, Despres, Flyers, Bruins-Red Wings

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Count Sam Gagner among the many of us surprised by his waiver placement and subsequent loan by the Vancouver Canucks. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox recently sat down with Gagner, now re-located to Toronto to play for the AHL’s Marlies this season, and found that the veteran forward “didn’t see it coming”. Just one year into a three-year, $9.45MM contract, Gagner said he was “shocked” that the Canucks had decided to move on so quickly. “I came to camp prepared, I had a really good summer of work, I did well on the [fitness] tests, I thought I played pretty well in pre-season…”, but it was all for naught, as Vancouver decided to move forward with their young players, leaving Gagner as the odd man out. To make matters worse, the Toronto native had just re-located his young family to Vancouver, only to get reassigned to Toronto, where he currently lives with his parents. Gagner has been a serviceable albeit streaky player throughout his playing days, but after this surprising and unfortunate shift in his career, one can only hope that a more permanent solution for Gagner and his family comes around sooner rather than later.

  • TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that veteran defenseman Simon Despres has opted not to sign with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Despres, a former first-round pick and NHL regular with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks, struggled with injuries and was more or less forced out of the league in recent years. After finally returning to full health last season and performing well with the KHL’s HC Slovan Bratislava, Despres expressed an interest in returning to the NHL this year. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned his interest in the relatively new AHL franchise in his hometown of Laval and signed a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens this summer in hopes of landing a two-way contract where he could play in Laval and potentially work his way onto the Habs’ roster. He fell short of that goal, but a one-way AHL contract with the Rocket seemed like the next-best thing. Instead, Lavoie indicates that Despres has chosen the unknown over minor league certainty. He has no plans for the season right now, but won’t be accepting an AHL contract and could certainly entertain offers back in Europe.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced their support group for captain Claude Giroux, naming their alternate captains for the season. Wayne Simmonds, an impending free agent but a fan favorite and respected veteran, will wear the “A” at all times this year. On the road, the elder statesman of the blue line, Andrew MacDonald, will serve as an alternate. Back at home, 2017-18’s breakout star Sean Couturier will be the other alternate. With a substantial number of young players playing key roles for Philly, their leadership corps has an important role to play if the Flyers are to be contenders this season.
  • The Bruins have made things easier for Boston sports fans this Saturday. With the Boston Red Sox eliminating the New York Yankees in the ALDS on Tuesday night, the team moves on to the ALCS to face the Houston Astros with Game One taking place on Saturday night. The Bruins were also scheduled to play on Saturday night, facing the Detroit Red Wings at 7pm ET. However, the team announced that they have re-scheduled the game for 3pm ET to avoid the conflict with the Red Sox game. Head coach Bruce Cassidy recently spoke about his support for the Bruins’ baseball counterparts and the privilege of coaching in a city with so much fan support and success across all four major sports.

Snapshots: Edler, Montreal, Kesler

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The Vancouver Canucks have had an interesting start to the year, with impressive performances from rookie Elias Pettersson but bad losses at the hands of the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. The team has allowed 14 goals in three games, and is busy shaking up their blue line to try to find answers. One player that won’t be taken out of the lineup because of his play is Alexander Edler, but there might be a break-up coming down the line anyway. Edler is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, but has made it clear he wants to spend the rest of his career in Vancouver.

Still, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet points out in his latest 31 Thoughts column, Edler would be an attractive rental piece at the trade deadline for a contender. The 32-year old defenseman is averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time through the first three games and is coming off his most effective offensive season in some time. Friedman notes that the Tampa Bay Lightning has shown interest in the left-hander before, and that “someone” will again even if he’s determined to return to the Canucks in 2019-20.

  • The Montreal Canadiens will face a tough decision in the coming days, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that the team will likely put either Jacob de La Rose or Nikita Scherbak on waivers once the former is back to full health. Both high draft selections, neither player has really found much consistency in the NHL and even their youth can’t get them into the current lineup. Engels believes that both would be prime targets for a waiver claim, given that they still hold some substantial potential. There are obviously other ways out of the roster crunch, but if it does come down to a waiver placement and attempted minor league assignment, the Canadiens could find themselves losing some of their forward depth for nothing in the coming days.
  • Ryan Kesler was on the ice at the Anaheim Ducks morning skate, and even took line rushes between Andrew Cogliano and Kiefer Sherwood according to Josh Cooper of The Athletic. The veteran forward was not expected to return so soon, and head coach Randy Carlyle wouldn’t even confirm that he’ll be in the lineup tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. If he is back to health it’s at the perfect time as the Ducks are without Ryan Getzlaf and are struggling to find much offense up front. An expected Stanley Cup contender, the Ducks have been ravaged by injuries early and could use some good news on that front.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Lundestrom, Luukkonen

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The NHL has handed out the Three Stars of the Week for the first time this season, naming Auston Matthews as the top performer through the first few games. Matthews leads the NHL with eight points through three games including five goals, and has been a huge part of the Toronto Maple Leafs getting off to a 2-1 start. The Maple Leafs have looked shaky in their own end to start the year, but with the firepower that Matthews and John Tavares can provide up front it might not matter on most nights.

Jonathan Toews and Ben Bishop were named to the other two spots, noting a bounce back for both players this season. Toews especially had a down year as the Chicago Blackhawks disappointed in 2017-18, but is off to a blistering start with five goals in his first seven periods and six points total through three games. If the Blackhawks are to return to relevancy this year, they’ll need their captain to be among the best players in the league once again.

  • Speaking of captains not living up to expectations, the Anaheim Ducks were without Ryan Getzlaf today at practice while he deals with a lower-body injury. That meant first-round pick Isac Lundestrom was skating between Andrew Cogliano and Kiefer Sherwood according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, giving the young forward a chance to make his NHL debut later tonight. Lundestrom has been surprisingly polished through training camp, and even at the age of 18 looks like a possible contributor for the Ducks this season. The 23rd-overall pick scored 15 points in 42 games in the Swedish Hockey League last season, and will try to make an even bigger impact in the NHL.
  • The Ducks aren’t the only one with an impressive young prospect though, as Buffalo Sabres draft pick Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has won the OHL Player of the Week award. Luukkonen is playing for the Sudbury Wolves this season as he prepares for life as a professional in North America, and is already 5-0 with a .944 save percentage. Selected 54th overall in 2017, Luukkonen signed his entry-level contract this offseason and is quickly becoming one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. He’ll likely start out next season in the AHL, but the Sabres are hoping for big things from him down the line.

Snapshots: Kempny, Backes, Schmid

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Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny is on the mend. Kempny has yet to play this season due to a concussion – one he doesn’t even remember suffering – after ending up on the receiving end of a high hit from the St. Louis Blues’ Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo was suspended for the Blues’ opening night match-up, but is already back in action for St. Louis. Kempny hopes to follow suit, telling NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he hopes to make his season debut on Wednesday. Kempny practice in full today and was feeling good, but admits the final call will come from head coach Todd Reirden. The Capitals have fared fine without Kempny, winning in blowout fashion against the Boston Bruins before falling in overtime to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, but Kempny would be a welcome addition back to the Washington lineup. The 2017-18 trade deadline acquisition found instant chemistry on the team’s top pair with John Carlson and brings high expectations into the new season.

  • The Bruins bounced back well from their beating at the hands of the Capitals on Wednesday, shutting out the Buffalo Sabres the next night with a rearranged forward lineup. However, WEEI’s Matt Kalman reports that the team is still not content with the play of Sean Kuraly as the third line center. The Bruins gave youngsters Jack Studnicka, Trent Frederic, and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson – all recent high draft picks – the chance to win that job in training camp, but none could seize the opportunity. Kuraly began the year in the top nine by default, but has underwhelmed playing with both Ryan Donato and David Backes and Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork. As a result, Kalman states that the team is prepared to move Backes back to center, a position he has played infrequently since arriving in Boston two years ago, but almost exclusively played during his years in St. Louis. Kalman spoke to head coach Bruce Cassidy, who seemed optimistic about transitioning Backes back down the middle and his fit with Heinen and Bjork. It may not be a long-term solution, but should improve the contributions of the third line while the team continues to evaluate their options. The move would presumably return Kuraly back to the fourth line, where he and Noel Acciari starred last season and should again find success lining up with new additions Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom.
  • New Jersey Devils prospect goaltender Akira Schmid has reportedly had enough of North American junior hockey already, early on in the new campaign. Schmid, a fifth round pick in June, had joined the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes this year after developing in his native Switzerland. However, after failing to win the starter’s job and his first, disastrous appearance  – Schmid allowed seven goals on 27 shots – he appears to be ready to move on. European news source “Sonntagsblick” reports that Schmid is set to return to the SCL Tigers of the NLA in Switzerland, the program in which he developed. Schmid is likely to make most of his appearances with Langnau, the team’s top junior program. The question now, after such a rough experience in North America, is how long it takes Schmid to return. The Devils hope that this setback doesn’t stunt the growth of their promising goalie prospect.

Snapshots: Hamonic, Russell, Seidenberg, Gionta

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When the Calgary Flames recalled Rasmus Andersson yesterday, it was an indication that defenseman Travis Hamonic’s facial fracture, suffered in the team’s opener, was going to cause him to miss some time. However, the team has now officially announced that Hamonic has been placed on injured reserve. The team has labeled his status as week-to-week with no specific timeline for a return. Hamonic suffered the blow in a first period fight with the Vancouver Canucks’ Erik Gudbranson and was forced to leave the contest early. Hamonic has been sidelined frequently in his career, with his 74 games for Calgary last season actually setting a new career-high. Hamonic missed eight games for the Flames in his first season with the team, but spread throughout the season and not more than four at a time. The Flames would be fortunate if this injury only costs Hamonic four games. In the meantime, Andersson, fellow rookie Juuso Valimaki, and veteran depth defender Dalton Prout will be asked to pick up the slack in Hamonic’s absence.

  • The rival Edmonton Oilers are getting one of their top defensemen back from injury, as the team announced that Kris Russell has been activated from the injured reserve. Russell’s injury was never disclosed by the team, nor was a timeline given, making his activation both a surprise and not a surprise at all. Russell traveled with the team to Europe and returns in time for the Oilers’ season opener against the New Jersey Devils in Sweden. Russell will skate with rookie and 2018 first-round pick Evan Bouchard, as he makes his NHL debut. In a corresponding move, Edmonton has returned young puck-moving blue liner Ethan Bear to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Bear has been established as the next man up on defense, so if Bouchard’s early action does not impress and he is returned to junior, expect a prompt recall for Bear.
  • The New York Islanders are keeping defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and forward Stephen Gionta with the team on extended PTO’s, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Both veterans played for the Islanders last season and are familiar with the roster and seem willing to hang around in case an opportunity to officially return arises. Per Gross, head coach Barry Trotz called the pair “long-term insurance”. Seidenberg and Gionta will participate in practice and wait to see how the early season unfolds for the Isles, both in health and performance. Neither veteran has much of a ceiling at this point in their career, but are experienced, serviceable, hard-working pros who could step in if needed and provided some immediate support.

Snapshots: Nylander, Senators, Memorial Cup

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Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs first win of the season last night, the team is still embroiled in a contract negotiation with star forward William Nylander that hangs over the club and draws daily questions from the media. For his part, Nylander hadn’t said much other than the fact that he wanted to be in Toronto for a long time and was letting his agent deal with the negotiations. That was before the season started though, so when he was quoted today by Swedish news outlet Aftobladet it drew quite a lot of attention.

Nylander is training in Sweden and told the reporters that he has still let his agent do all the talking between his side and the Maple Leafs, admitting that he hadn’t spoken to Toronto personally at all. Though Nylander isn’t receiving money that he could be earning had he signed before the season started, he explained that he has to worry about his long-term future in the league and not just what is going on right now. That comes just after team President Brendan Shanahan spoke to the media in Toronto and explained that the team expects their young players to want to win more than make the most money possible, and that leaving some on the table was basically a requirement to keep everyone together. Nylander, as a restricted free agent, has to sign a contract by December 1st or be declared ineligible to play in the NHL this season.

  • The Ottawa Senators are getting ready to open their season tonight, and have added to their scouting staff for the upcoming season. The team announced the hiring of Rob Murphy to the pro scouting group, who brings a wealth of experience along with him. Murphy was most recently the director of scouting for the Buffalo Sabres, and had previously worked with the Senators and Arizona Coyotes. GM Pierre Dorion released an enthusiastic statement on the hiring, explaining that Murphy is “another important step” in the team’s rebuild.
  • While this year’s Memorial Cup will be held in Halifax, the CHL announced that the Kelowna Rockets will host the 2020 tournament that pits the best of the best in Canadian junior hockey against each other. Kelowna will get an automatic entry into the tournament as the host city, and will face off against the WHL, OHL and QMJHL champions for the prestigious trophy.

Snapshots: Waiver Wire, Sundqvist, Burdasov

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With the waiver wire having received a lot of action over the past week or more, don’t be surprised if there is even more significant action on Monday, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli. It’s the last day for a team to place a player on waivers to have him clear prior to teams are asked to submit their opening day rosters on Tuesday afternoon.

So far only the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils have claimed a player when Tampa took forward Danick Martel from the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey took Jean-Sebastien Dea from Pittsburgh, but that could change within the next day or two as teams have been holding off placing some of their top players on waivers. For instance, Toronto must make a decision on a backup goalie and could be placing two goalies on waivers on Monday, including Garret Sparks. Especially with a rash of injuries over the last few days, teams may be looking to fill voids on the depth chart now that their training camp roster has been determined.

  • After taking a hit to the head from Tom Wilson during a preseason game today, St. Louis Blues coach Mike Yeo reports that forward Oskar Sundqvist is “not good,” according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. While there has been no official diagnosis yet, Yeo said he has a couple of upper-body injuries and expects him to be out a while. The 24-year-old had been penciled in as a bottom-six player for this year’s squad, but now may miss a part of the season.
  • NHL general managers may be looking at another possible free agent available to teams next season as NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that one of the KHL’s current points leaders, Anton Burdasov, has expressed interest in trying to make it in the NHL next year when he’s an unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old Burdasov has averaged 16 goals per season in his previous two seasons, but has taken off this year, having already scored eight times in Ufa Salavat Yulayev’s first 12 games.

Snapshots: Canucks, Watson, Olson

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The Vancouver Canucks will not have free agent addition Antoine Roussel in the lineup when the regular season begins. Roussel has been sidelined since the start of training camp due to a concussion, but the hope was that without preseason action, he would have the time and rest to be ready for the real thing. However, in speaking to head coach Travis Green, Ben Kuzma of the Province has confirmed that Roussel will not be ready for the start of the season. Green gave no timeline for his return, only stating that a comeback in time for opening night had been ruled out. Green did add that young goaltender Thatcher Demko has also been dealing with concussion symptoms. He has entered the league’s concussion protocol and there is no word on when he will be ready to play or whether he will begin the season on the injured reserve or in the AHL. Kuzma writes that Demko collided with the Calgary Flames’ Mikael Backlund during last Saturday’s preseason match, but his condition deteriorated to the point of being diagnosed ahead of the Canucks’ next game on Monday night. Considering bottom-six forward Roussel and current third-string goalie Demko have been the only training camp casualties in Vancouver, the team has had relatively good luck. They hope it stays that was as the team needs a healthy and positive start to the season given their struggles over the past few years.

  • Another player missing to star the 2018-19 season in Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson. Watson was suspended for the first 27 games of the campaign for his role in a domestic abuse incident this off-season. Watson pled no contest to the assault charges an the NHL felt that a third of the season was fitting supplemental punishment. However, Watson did appeal his suspension and that hearing with a neutral arbitrator took place yesterday, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.  LeBrun suggests that, unlike in salary arbitration, this decision could take up to a couple weeks. If Watson is successful in his appeal, an unlikely outcome, the arbitrator will choose a new, shortened length that he sees fit. If not, Watson will be eligible to return to the Predators on December 3rd.
  • Quinn Olson, the younger brother of Anaheim Ducks prospect Kyle Olson, has made a decision on where he wants to start his next season. The younger Olson will pass up the major junior route that his brother, a forward for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, took and will instead opt to go the college route. Olson has committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the NCAA’s reigning champion, reports College Hockey Inc. The undersized but effective 17-year-old forward is playing this season for the Okotoks Oilers of the junior-A Alberta Junior Hockey League and could possibly play one more season with the team, but if he continues to score at a point-per-game pace, as he has for much of the last season plus, the Bulldogs will probably try to bring him in next year instead. Olson is a draft-eligible prospect for the upcoming 2019 NHL Draft and is likely to join his brother in an NHL pipeline shortly.

Snapshots: Upshall, Nylander, Hutton

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Although Scottie Upshall was released from his PTO by Edmonton on Monday as his leg injury continues to linger, his time with the organization may not be over just yet.  Postmedia’s Robert Tychkowski reports that the Oilers have offered him the chance to rehab in Edmonton and an opportunity to play with their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield once he gets the green light to return to game action.  Upshall has yet to decide whether or not to take them up on their offer.  If he wants to return to the NHL this season though, it’s likely that he will need to spend some time at the minor league level to show he’s fully healthy.

More from around the hockey world:

  • While shifting the focus to a bridge deal with winger William Nylander might help get him locked up before the season starts, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas stated in an interview on Sportsnet 590 (audio link) that doing so would be a “sub-optimal” He reiterated that both sides’ preference remains to get a long-term deal done although there is still a sizable gap to be bridged.  Dubas also acknowledged that they have received inquiries from other teams regarding Nylander’s availability but emphasized that they are not shopping the 22-year-old.
  • It’s never too early to think about the next college free agent market and 11 teams have already expressed some interest in Miami (Ohio) defenseman Grant Hutton, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Among those teams is Ottawa, as GM Pierre Dorion met with the 23-year-old.  Hutton is entering his senior year and is coming off of a productive junior campaign with 13 goals and 14 assists in 36 games.

Snapshots: Seattle, Fabbri, Dauphin, Letestu

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Another key checkpoint has been reached in Seattle’s quest to be awarded an expansion NHL franchise.  The NHL to Seattle group announced that Seattle City Council unanimously approved their $700MM privately-financed proposal to renovate KeyArena to be the home for the team.  Now with an arena agreement in place and approved, the focus now turns to getting the franchise awarded.  Representatives from the Seattle group are expected to meet with part of the Board of Governors on October 2nd but a full vote on their expansion application isn’t expected until sometime in December at the earliest.

More from around the hockey world:

  • The Blues received a scare on Sunday when winger Robby Fabbri had to leave after one period following a lower-body injury. Considering he has missed the bulk of the last two seasons with ACL tears, some were understandable fearing the worst.  Fortunately, the news isn’t too bad as the team announced (Twitter link) that the 22-year-old is listed as day-to-day with a Grade One groin sprain.  He’s not expected to suit up tomorrow night but could potentially be back by the end of the preseason.  While it’s certainly concerning that he’s missing time already, it could have been a whole lot worse.
  • Coyotes center Laurent Dauphin is getting close to being cleared for contact following offseason knee surgery, notes Craig Morgan of The Athletic (via Twitter). He split last year primarily between Chicago and Arizona’s AHL affiliates but already has 34 career NHL contests under his belt.  If he is available near the start of the season, he could certainly push for a roster spot given their sudden uncertainty down the middle due to recent injuries.  If the team wants to send him back to the minors, he will have to first pass through waivers.
  • Following his release from the Panthers earlier today, unrestricted free agent center Mark Letestu plans to take a few days to assess how rosters are shaping up around the league before determining his next move, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 33-year-old is still a reliable player at the faceoff dot and is only one year removed from scoring 16 goals in Edmonton.  Portzline adds that a return to Columbus where he finished last season is a possibility though it may have to be on a two-way contract.

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