Snapshots: Johnson, Crawford, Murray
Jack Johnson‘s not hiding the fact that he asked for a trade in November, but he wanted to make it clear that he’s nowhere near quitting on the Columbus Blue Jackets. In an excellent piece by Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required), Johnson goes into detail on how he would love to stay with his current club, but is just trying to do what is best for his career and family:
This isn’t a situation that’s normal. Most people, when stuff like this happens, it’s because they don’t want to be where they’re at, or they’re not happy with the team, the city, the coaches, whatever. I’m not … this isn’t a case of any of that.
Johnson is perhaps more concerned with future paydays than the average NHL veteran because of the public bankruptcy he had to file in 2014 thanks to debt his parents created in his name. Still, Johnson only wants to show he’s capable of contributing to a winning lineup, and he’ll get that chance tomorrow night against the Dallas Stars when he’s reunited with David Savard on the team’s second defense pairing. Though he remains a possibility for trade, Portzline perhaps put it best on Twitter when asked if Johnson could play his way into a contract: “rule out nothing.”
- Though Scotty Bowman seemed to dispute the report of vertigo-like symptoms for Corey Crawford when he was on Sportsnet radio in Toronto, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times caught up with the legendary coach to clarify his comments. Bowman was just “guessing” at the fact that Crawford has a concussion, and had no confirmation of the diagnosis. Either way, as Lazerus points out, it doesn’t seem like there is a timetable for Crawford’s return.
- If you’re tuning into the Pittsburgh Penguins game and wondering where Matt Murray is, the team announced earlier today that the goaltender will be away from the team indefinitely following the death of his father, James Murray. There was an outpouring of support from media and fellow NHL players as Murray is well-liked around the league. PHR would also like to extend our condolences to the Murray family.
Snapshots: Sweden, Prospects, Coyotes
Sweden has released their roster for the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympic Games, and even though it doesn’t have any current NHL players, it has plenty of league experience. Staffan Kronwall, Viktor Stalberg, Linus Omark and others highlight what should be one of the more powerful teams in the tournament, but one other name is the taking all the headlines.
Rasmus Dahlin, the expected first-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has made the cut and is one of eight defensemen named to the squad. The 17-year old already starred at the World Juniors and plays a regular role on Frolunda in the SHL, Sweden’s highest professional league. There is little controversy over Dahlin’s ranking as the best talent available in this year’s draft, and a good showing at the Olympics will only raise his stock even further.
- Speaking of prospects, Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) released his midseason rankings of those already drafted, and lists Casey Mittelstadt at the very top. The Buffalo Sabres draft pick has had a year to remember, selected eighth overall, starring at the University of Minnesota, being named MVP of the World Juniors and just recently being among the nominees for the Hobey Baker award as the best collegiate player in the country. Though things don’t look good in Buffalo right now, Mittelstadt and others—including #24 on Pronman’s list—will look to turn things around in the near future.
- Despite rumors swirling around the Arizona Coyotes, some closest to the situation aren’t as willing to point to a potential firesale of their top defensemen. At least not Craig Morgan of AZ Sports, who calls some of the recent rumors “baseless” and doesn’t think the Coyotes have done anything to “set the market” or trade Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson or Jason Demers. Morgan isn’t saying that it won’t happen, just that he believes there is little fact in the rumors that have been spread recently. There’s a good reason to believe that Arizona will move some assets before the deadline, but it doesn’t appear like an Ekman-Larsson is imminent or that even a real asking price has been set.
Snapshots: van Riemsdyk, Hutchinson, Dal Colle
Expect James van Riemsdyk to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs all season. That’s what TSN’s Darren Dreger writes in his latest column, positing that he and fellow pending unrestricted free agents Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov, are best used as “own rentals” for the playoff push.
While there are some big numbers floating around for any potential van Riemsdyk extension, he’s continued to play an important role on the Maple Leafs, tying Auston Matthews for first on the team in goals with 19.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson from the AHL for tonight’s game, explaining that Steve Mason has fallen ill and can’t back up Connor Hellebuyck. To make room, the team has placed Adam Lowry on injured reserve. Hutchinson is an extremely interesting goaltender to keep an eye on this year, as he’s headed for unrestricted free agency in the summer. Though he’s stuck in the minor leagues this season due to Mason’s signing, the 27-year old has dominated the AHL with a .942 save percentage and could land an NHL job in the summer. In 99 career NHL games he does hold a .910 save percentage, and could be an excellent backup option.
- New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight has confirmed that Michael Dal Colle will make his NHL debut tomorrow, the second-last player to do so from the first round of the 2014 draft. Only Connor Bleackley, who never signed with the Colorado Avalanche and re-entered the draft in 2016 (going in the fifth round), is left. Dal Colle was selected fifth overall, and still has some real upside to his game, but will have to quickly prove that he’s ready to take the next step.
Evening Snapshots: Slepyshev, Holland
As it was reported earlier, the Edmonton Journal’s Bruce McCurdy believes that Anton Slepyshev‘s availability is a “fire sale” sign that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has displayed for the entire league. McCurdy opines that the Oilers “appear poised to part company with yet another talented young Russian for pennies on the dollar.” Arguments abound for and against such a decision, with the former being that the young forward struggled with injuries and didn’t put together enough “excellent” nights to justify his keep. The latter argument poses that the youngster received an ample chance to display what he could do. Given little to no opportunity on special teams and logging limited minutes, McCurdy writes that the Russian posted impressive numbers during those limited chances–fleshed out further by advanced metrics. To be fair, McCurdy points out that only 40% of the Oilers goals occurred when Slepyshev was on the ice while his “pedestrian” numbers of 1 goal, and 3 points do little to help his case. While it appears to be another young player that the Oilers will ship out, one can only wonder how much longer the front office and coaching staff have before they’re the next to be booted.
- The Detroit News’ Bob Wojnowski guesses that the writing is on the wall for the Red Wings. All that’s left to decipher is who the architect will be for the inevitable rebuild: Ken Holland or someone else. Wojnowski writes that the Red Wings are no longer the elite team that will make a yearly playoff visit, but at least have some hope in the futures of Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Mantha. Wojnowski quotes Holland as saying the Wings will either “stay pat or sell” at the deadline. Holland adds that he’s not in it for a rebuild (something he’s been consistently saying) and his job is to keep the team competitive. But he’s also not naive:
“I’ve been very fortunate to watch some great players on great teams, and I want to do that again. Sometimes your time runs out, but there is a plan, and we’re on our way back. Up until two years ago, we were making moves for the today, we weren’t bad enough to make moves for the future. At some point, you’re gonna pay the piper.”
Whether Detroit chooses to go forward with Holland or someone different remains to be seen. But even the executive who doesn’t want to go through a “painful” rebuild realizes that the days of buying, instead of selling, are over.
Snapshots: USA Hockey, Florida-Boston, Hyka
Recently young Colorado prospect Cale Makar turned down the opportunity to head to Pyeongchang with the Canadian Olympic squad, but as Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports, Troy Terry didn’t hesitate. Terry will be part of Team USA at the Games in the middle of another exceptional season at the University of Denver.
Interestingly, Chambers notes that USA Hockey was hesitant to select two players from the same college program meaning Dylan Gambrell—also having an excellent season with DU, scoring 27 points in 22 games—won’t be heading overseas. Gambrell, a second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks has scored at better than a point-per-game pace since he entered the NCAA.
- The Florida Panthers-Boston Bruins game that was cancelled due to inclement weather recently has been rescheduled for April 8th, extending the NHL season by one day. The original schedule had all teams finishing by April 7th, while the playoffs are set to begin on April 11th.
- Tomas Hyka has been added to the AHL All-Star roster in place of Brandon Pirri, an impressive accomplishment for the first-year player. Hyka was signed out of the Czech professional league in the offseason, and has 23 points in 26 AHL contests. He earned an NHL call-up in December, but didn’t get into a game for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Snapshots: Sbisa, Wennberg, Bonuses
Luca Sbisa hasn’t had a very comfortable season in Vegas so far, suffering several injuries and only suiting up for 24 games. It doesn’t look like it’ll turn around anytime soon, as the defenseman has ruptured a ligament in his hand according to Swiss Hockey News and will be out six to eight weeks.
When healthy, Sbisa has been an effective defenseman for the Golden Knights, using his speed and mobility as a two-way option for the club. With 10 points in those 24 games, he’d almost already matched the 13 points he recorded last season in Vancouver, when he played in all 82 contests.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Alexander Wennberg off of injured reserve, several weeks ahead of schedule. Wennberg was originally given a four to six week timeline after suffering a back injury on December 21st, less than three weeks ago. While it’s not clear if he’ll get back into the lineup on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres, it’s very good news for a team that has seen their center depth stretched awfully thin this season.
- With the All-Star rosters announced today, several players around the league not only got a nice emotional reward, but a financial one as well. As CapFriendly tweets, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Brock Boeser, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin all will receive a $212,500 Schedule A bonus for being named to the squad. Not a bad day at the office.
Evening Snapshots: Seabrook, Red Wings
Early speculation that Brent Seabrook may be a healthy scratch today proved correct. The veteran defenseman and alternate captain of the Chicago Blackhawks was a healthy scratch tonight against Ottawa, showing that head coach Joel Quenneville is willing to do anything to keep his team accountable writes ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. The benching of one of the team’s most successful players is clearly a sign that things in Chicago are not going according to the normal expectations. The Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus reports that “the heart and soul of the team” wasn’t thrilled with the decision, but told Lazerus that once he gets back into the lineup, he’ll “have to be ready to go.” Seabrook has been a solid core of the Blackhawks successful past but his ice-time has been reduced this season and he’s appeared a step behind in terms of foot speed. Though Quenneville said it’s “not easy” to make such a decision, it shows that the team is willing to just about anything to solidify its standing in the West.
- The Detroit News’ Gregg Krupa believes that the Red Wings are just spinning their wheels as they enjoy their five-day break and will not be returning to the playoffs anytime soon, despite a recent four-game winning streak that snapped on Sunday evening. Writing that they’re consistently inconsistent, he adds that the strides of Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Mantha among others is encouraging for a team needing to get younger. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James writes, however, that the Red Wings’ players believe that they can beat anyone and will begin their playoff push in earnest once their break is over. Despite several of the players’ optimism about being in the thick of the playoff race, she points out that it would take “quite the push.” While admitting that the Wings have played better than their record indicates, leapfrogging three teams and being just a point ahead of last year’s pace doesn’t bode well for even the most positive thinkers.
Snapshots: Emelin, Guhle, Schwartz
The Nashville Predators locked up the back half of their defense corps today, inking Matt Irwin, Yannick Weber and Anthony Bitetto to minimum-salary deals. The question now will be about Alexei Emelin, and where he fits into the picture. Emelin is an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the two sides plan on meeting after the season to “discuss things.”
Emelin has been a fine addition to the Predators this season, able to fill in admirably while Ryan Ellis was out for the first half of the season with an injury. Now that he’s back, Emelin’s role is expected to decline though he still provides excellent depth for a potential playoff run. He also could be used closer to the deadline as a trade chip for the Predators, since part of his salary is already being covered by the Vegas Golden Knights.
- Brendan Guhle will make his season debut for the Buffalo Sabres tonight, though a move will need to happen to reduce their roster size before that happens. Guhle is expected to skate alongisde Jake McCabe, in a long awaited return after spending three games with the NHL club during last season. Guhle is an impressive defenseman, capable of taking pucks away in his own end and moving them quickly into offensive chances, and should improve a Sabres defensive unit that has struggled mightily this season. The group of Victor Antipin, Nathan Beaulieu, Josh Gorges, Justin Falk and Zach Bogosian have just 11 points combined, despite totaling 111 games played.
- Jaden Schwartz was having the best season of his career when he went down to injury last month, scoring 35 points in 30 games. The St. Louis Blues’ offense hasn’t been the same without him, but they could get a boost before long. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that Schwartz is out of his walking boot and still on target for a re-evaluation on January 20th, which isn’t as far away for the club as it might seem. After tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers, the Blues have their CBA-mandated bye week and won’t get back into game action until January 16th.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Dahlin, Hajek
The NHL has released their three stars of last week, with Patrice Bergeron leading the way after his four-goal game against Carolina. Bergeron may not be as flashy as some of his contemporaries, but is undoubtedly still one of the very best players in the NHL. Brad Marchand, who played a big part in his linemate’s impressive performance, wasn’t surprised, telling Tim Rosenthal of Boston.com:
It’s pretty impressive.
I think winning the Olympics, winning the Cup, and him being Patrice Bergeron is above that.
Jonathan Bernier of the Colorado Avalanche and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins took home second and third respectively, after their own impressive weeks. With Semyon Varlamov battling injury, Bernier has stepped in marvelously for the Avalanche, who continue to fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Crosby was up to his old tricks with eight points in four games.
- Craig Button of TSN has released his post-World Junior draft rankings, and he won’t be moving Rasmus Dahlin out of the top spot anytime soon. Button calls the 17-year old defenseman “franchise-defining,” and isn’t the only one. Corey Pronman of The Athletic wrote earlier today that Dahlin is “one of the all-time best defense prospects.” While Arizona remains in last place and has the best shot at the first-overall pick, the Buffalo Sabres aren’t far off from taking that title themselves. Remember though, that even the worst team in the league is actually more likely to lose the lottery and move down at least one spot.
- Speaking of impressive defense prospects, Libor Hajek has been traded in the WHL, heading from the Saskatoon Blades to the Regina Pats in exchange for a package of players and draft picks. Regina is hosting the Memorial Cup this season, and is loading up for the tournament. Hajek, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, was impressive at the World Juniors for the Czech Republic and will now join others like Josh Mahura (an Anaheim prospect who barely missed out on representing Canada) and Cale Fleury (a Montreal prospect who was acquired from Kootenay earlier this season) on an imposing blueline.
Snapshots: Olympics, Sergachev, Sanford
Ken Campbell of The Hockey News is reporting that despite no official announcement, CHL players will be allowed to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics. That goes along with what Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted earlier today, regarding Victor Mete and his potential selection to the Canadian squad after the conclusion of the World Juniors.
Nothing has been decided on Mete yet by the Montreal Canadiens, who would have to send him back to junior for the remainder of the year in order for him to be eligible to play in the Olympics. Other potential options for Team Canada would be Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues and even Colorado prospect Cale Makar after his powerplay performance at the junior tournament.
- Mikhail Sergachev played in his 40th NHL game last night, which meant the additional draft picks involved in the trade that brought him to Tampa Bay in the offseason will now be staying put. It also means that Sergachev is one year closer to free agency, as this season now counts as a full NHL campaign. Players can become unrestricted free agents after seven accrued seasons in the league, meaning Sergachev could potentially hit the open market just a few days after his 26th birthday.
- In the wake of a season-ending injury to Robby Fabbri and subsequent long-term maladies for Jaden Schwartz and Jay Bouwmeester during the season, some may have overlooked Zach Sanford‘s absence from the St. Louis Blues roster. The organization sure didn’t, and Sanford was back on the ice skating with assistant Steve Ott yesterday and continues to try and work his way back from shoulder surgery. There’s no clear timetable on when he’ll return, other than the original estimate of five to six months (which puts him somewhere in February or March), but getting back on the ice is a good sign. The young forward, acquired as part of the Kevin Shattenkirk deal last season, comes with excellent potential as a power forward that could fit into the Blues’ top-nine at some point down the road.