Snapshots: Bouwmeester, Chabot, Grundstrom
The top team in the Western Conference just got better. The St. Louis Blues, who have an impressive 15-5-1 record already, have announced that they have activated All-Star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester from the injured reserve. Bouwmeester has not yet played this season, sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in training camp, but could be ready to go as early as Tuesday. Bouwmeester has scored 37 or more points in five seasons over his fourteen-year NHL career, though his role with the Blues has been much more two-way than purely offensive since arriving in St. Louis. With Alex Pietrangelo scoring nearly a point per game thus far and youngsters Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson contributing offense as well, a more two-way minded Bouwmeester makes the Blue even more balanced and that much more dangerous.
- With Mark Borowiecki sidelined, the Ottawa Senators announced the recall of highly-touted defensive prospect Thomas Chabot. Many expected Chabot to have a regular NHL role in 2017-18, but he has instead spent his first pro season almost exclusively with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Yet, Chabot has seven points and a -7 rating in twelve AHL games and two points and a +4 rating in three NHL games. The high-end offensive skill that the 2015 18th-overall pick possesses makes his transition to the highest level and easier one and another successful stint in Ottawa could make it difficult for the Senators to return him to the minors, despite their ample blue line depth.
- Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Carl Grundstrom suffered a major knee injury and underwent knee surgery today. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler gives Grundstrom’s rehab time as a wide range of four weeks to twenty weeks, while others see the injury as season-ending. The 2016 second-rounder had five goals in eleven games for the Swedish club Frolunda, whom the Leafs had loaned him to for the 2017-18 season.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Bouwmeester, Eichel, Backes, Borowiecki
The NHL announced their “Three Stars” of the week ending on Nov. 19, with Carolina Hurricane’s Teuvo Teravainen taking top honors after a week in which he led the NHL with five goals and 10 assists in four games. The 23-year-old forward posted his first NHL hat trick against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 13, then had two assists on Nov. 16 against the New York Islanders. He had one assist against the Buffalo Sabres two days later before putting up two goals and another assist against the Islanders Sunday.
Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen and Colorado Avalanche’s center Nathan MacKinnon each received the second and third stars of the week, respectively. Andersen was perfect in two starts for Toronto, stopping 75 shots and helping Toronto to a six-game winning streak, while MacKinnon scored two goals and had five assists in the team’s two wins. The 22-year-old had career highs with four assists and five points in the team’s victory over the Washington Capitals on Nov. 16.
- St. Louis Blues head coach Mike Yeo said the plan is to take defenseman Jay Bouwmeester off injured reserve today and is expected to return to the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. The 34-year-old blueliner has not played yet this year due to an ankle fracture, but should provide a big boost to the team’s penalty killing unit immediately. Thomas also notes that Patrik Berglund will not play versus Edmonton on Tuesday, but is inching closer to a return to the ice after missing the entire season so far after undergoing shoulder surgery.
- Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel looks to have been demoted to the team’s third line at Monday’s practice ahead of their game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to Amy Moritz of The Buffalo News. Head coach Phil Housley placed him with Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pominville. “We’re obviously trying to get things going and switch things up so we’ll see tonight,” Eichel said of the new line combinations. “No message. It’s part of the game.”
- Steven Harris of the Boston Herald writes that just three weeks removed after having part of his colon removed, Boston Bruins’ David Backes returned to practice today in a non-contact sweater. Despite an eight-week prognosis, Backes was skating, shooting and handling pucks. “The doc’s advice (was), if it doesn’t hurt, I can continue to progress and add more workload on,” said Backes. “I haven’t been notified that the timeline has changed at all. So I’m just going to keep putting in the work.”
- Edmonton Sun’s Ken Warren reported that Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki will return to Ottawa after sustaining a viscous hit Sunday from New York Rangers defenseman Brandon Smith that left the Senators’ blueliner momentarily unconscious after he hit the boards. He will be further evaluated once he returns to Ottawa, and could miss significant time as coach Guy Boucher referred to the injury as a concussion.
Snapshots: Price, Girard, Kane, Devils
Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has been out with a “minor” lower-body injury since Montreal’s Nov. 2 game against the Minnesota Wild. Two weeks later, Price hasn’t returned to the lineup. Last Tuesday, it was announced that he would sit out two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) as his injury wasn’t healing as suspected. Then he proceeded to sit out of practice Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the team didn’t practice Sunday. That led Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan to suggest that things don’t seem to be adding up in Montreal.
The scribe writes that this no longer seems like a “minor” injury at all and questions whether it ever was. When Cowan asked Canadiens’ coach Claude Julien about whether there was an update on Price’s condition, his response was, “No.”
No one has said what the specific injury is that Price has sustained and the goalie insists that it has nothing to do with the right knee injury in November two years ago that was also held secret for a large chunk of the season. Cowan suggests the lack of information the team has given out can only lead to speculation, suggesting that maybe the team might be looking to trade Price before his eight year, $84MM extension kicks in next year.
- Mike Chambers of the Denver Post tweets that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard is in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings, meaning that he officially has entered into Year 1 of his entry-level deal. He played five games for the Nashville Predators, and after being dealt to Colorado in the Matt Duchene trade, has played five games for the Avalanche. He would have had to be returned to his junior team before he played in his 10th game had the team wanted to avoid burning the first year of his entry-level deal.
- The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) did a Q&A on Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane and the forward was quick to say that he is well aware of the trade speculation that surrounds him and rather than block it out, he just chooses to focus on his on-ice play. “It’s not going to do you any good or help your case or your team. For me, I just embrace it. I enjoy it. It’s something that you have to be aware of,” Kane said.
- Andrew Gross of The Record writes that the New Jersey Devils have shaken up their lines in practice today, which are expected to go into effect in their game Monday against Minnesota Wild. There will be several changes, but Pavel Zacha, who was a healthy scratch for four of the last five games, is expected to move into the top six, while Adam Henrique is expected to move down to the fourth line.
Snapshots: DeKeyser, Subban, 2019 Draft
Some fans might have noticed this morning when the Detroit Red Wings recalled Brian Lashoff from the minor leagues, that they actually were over the NHL’s salary cap. Even though Lashoff makes just $650K, the team had already used nearly all the extra space provided by Johan Franzen‘s long-term injured reserve stint. Well, the salary cap sleuths at CapFriendly have figured out how they were able to work it. Danny DeKeyser has been placed on long-term injured reserve for the time being, even though he’s expected to return before long (perhaps even this weekend)Reqo.
The Red Wings are playing with fire this season as they push right up against the cap ceiling, and could be forced before long to make a move to get rid of some salary. They already moved Riley Sheahan to clear a few million off the cap, and still they needed to use LTIR again so early on. Luke Witkowski‘s suspension makes it tough, as though he forfeits the salary he would have earned the team does not receive a cap break. Even with the short-term injury to Trevor Daley, the team can’t afford to put him on IR and call up another player. They simply don’t have the money, unless DeKeyser is out much longer than expected.
- Speaking of injured reserve, Malcolm Subban has been activated by the Vegas Golden Knights. The team has sent Dylan Ferguson back to his junior club, happy to have gotten into a game (and earned an NHL paycheck). Subban is a welcome sight for the Golden Knights, even with Maxime Lagace earning the win last night over Vancouver. Lagace has played admirably, but an .864 save percentage still won’t cut it for long in the NHL. Though Subban has little experience himself, most believe he is an upgrade in net.
- Craig Button of TSN has more information on the 2019 draft, giving us an early look at his rankings for the draft still more than 18 months away. Jack Hughes is the easy favorite on top as he continues to cruise through his season with the NTDP, but there are some very interesting others on the list. Bowen Byram is perhaps a surprising #2, but anyone that saw his U17 performance will understand why Button has him here. The 16-year old defenseman is already playing (and playing well) in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, and looks like he’ll have the size and mobility to develop into an all-situations stud down the line. Obviously, projecting 16-year old players is never an exact science and several will see their stock drop off in the next two years. Still, you can make an impression on scouts at this age, like Nolan Patrick did before losing most of his draft-eligible season to injury.
Snapshots: Jagr, Iginla, Tatar
The Prime Time Sports Management Conference, which was held in Toronto the past two days, featured several big names in the world of hockey including Commissioner Gary Bettman, IIHF President Rene Fasel, and of course, Calgary Flames President Brian Burke. With such a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience in one room, the interesting opinions and stories were constantly flowing. Yet, two tales stood out above the rest:
- Burke, unsurprisingly, was the author of one of them. Burke told the crowd that Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla, two future Hall of Famers who seemingly spent the summer with little attention paid to their free agent statuses, were in facts targets of the Flames all summer long. As we now know, Jagr was the end choice, as the 45-year-old signed on in Calgary in early October. Burke stated that the team evaluated and monitored both storied veterans throughout the off-season, waiting to see how things played out. Burke stated that, in the end, the team felt that Jagr had a much stronger 2016-17 season and brought a “charisma” to the team that they desired. It is no surprise that the team considered long-time captain Iginla, but after a difficult campaign where he looked lifeless at times, no one can blame the Flames for instead going with the ageless Jagr. In eight games thus far, Jagr already has a goal and four assists, as well as a +5 rating in Calgary.
- The second intriguing story came from player agent Ritch Winter through sources at the NHL Players’ Association. It seems as though the current contract between forward Tomas Tatar and the Detroit Red Wings came much closer to not getting done than even the arbitration hearing time line indicated. The two sides went to salary arbitration this summer and were one of only a handful of cases to actually go to hearing. Yet, the two sides struck a deal prior to the arbitrator’s award – a four-year, $21.2MM bargain that even includes a no-trade clause beginning next season. Well, according to Winter, the fax from the arbitrator with his binding one-year decision came in to the NHLPA office mere minutes after the contract was signed. A few minutes earlier and any late agreement between the two sides would have been rendered null and void. It would come as no surprise if the Red Wings wish it had. Detroit filed at $4.1MM in arbitration, while Tatar’s side countered with $5.3MM. The eventual contract holds a $5.3MM AAV, meaning anything but an absolute finding for Tatar by the arbitrator would have resulted in a lesser cap hit than what the Wings are paying now. And what of the future? Yes, the long term deal keeps Tatar in Detroit longer, but with seven points in 18 games, the soon-to-be-27-year-old is on pace for the worst full season of his NHL career. The Red Wings may regret their long-term commitment and knowing they were only minutes ahead of a disqualifying decision only adds to the sting.
Snapshots: Free Agency, Soshnikov, Scandella
While all eyes are on John Tavares of the New York Islanders as we get closer and closer to July 1, 2018, Craig Custance of The Athletic examines the impressive list of other top names headed for unrestricted free agency next summer. Custance updates us on the current situations for each one, including interesting notes on several impending KHL free agents.
The most intriguing one out of Russia will once again be Ilya Kovalchuk, who last year wasn’t able to find a deal because of the rights New Jersey still held. Those rights will expire after the season because he’s now 35, making him free to sign with anyone in the league. Custance expects it to take “a multi-year deal in the $6 to 7 million range,” but notes that he is still seen as a potential impact player around the league. Kovalchuk has 20 goals and 36 points in 31 games for St. Petersburg this season.
- Also from The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun speaks directly to Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello about the recent Nikita Soshnikov recall, and how it was partially forced by a clause in his deal that would have allowed him to go back to Russia. Interestingly, Lamoriello tells him that even had Soshnikov been assigned to the KHL the Maple Leafs would have retained the ability to recall him at any time. Instead, the team brought him up and are excited about how he’s played this season in the minor leagues. With 12 points in 14 games for the Toronto Marlies, Soshnikov was arguably their best player so far this year.
- Marco Scandella has been fined $5,000 for slashing Patric Hornqvist last night, the maximum amount allowed under the CBA. It’s not the first time Scandella has been disciplined by the Department of Player Safety, as he was fined and suspended previously for checks to the head. Some New York fans might even be familiar with his slashing prowess (h/t @myregularface) from his days with the Minnesota Wild.
Snapshots: MacArthur, Predators, Matthews, Zajac
Clarke MacArthur failed his physical before the season, and according to GM Pierre Dorion on TSN radio he likely won’t be playing at all this year. MacArthur is not with the team and has moved to Florida, which could signal the disappointing end to a solid career.
MacArthur came back for the Senators just before the playoffs last year, and was an integral part of their run to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. His career was derailed by head injuries, but he was once a consistent offensive producer and reliable top-six winger. In 552 games he scored 304 points. Dorion did admit that they’d look at bringing him back in should he want to play next season, as he’s under contract for $4.65MM per season through 2019-20. More likely he’ll spend the next few seasons on long-term injured reserve.
- The Nashville Predators also have some bad news when it comes to injuries, as the team announced Yannick Weber and Scott Hartnell would each be out several weeks with their respective injuries. While Nick Bonino is back from his injured reserve stint, losing Weber and Hartnell will put some more stress on the Predators’ depth chart. Luckily, the team already relies so heavily on their top three defensemen that Weber’s role shouldn’t be too difficult to fill. While Hartnell is a bit tougher, there are several young wingers ready to step into the situation.
- The New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs could each get a boost to their forward group when they meet on Thursday night, as both Travis Zajac and Auston Matthews have a chance to play. Zajac was back at practice centering the top line for the Devils today, while Matthews was on the ice for an hour with a few teammates despite being given the day off. The Devils and Maple Leafs each have 24 points through the first part of the season, and it should be a good matchup on Thursday especially if both get their top centers back.
Evening Snapshots: Red Wings, Mantha, Slumping Blackhawks
Heading home for a stretch where they play 13 of 15 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill says there is “zero excuse” for not winning tonight writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. After getting pushed around by Calgary Thursday night, Detroit looks to get back on track against a Columbus team mired in a four game winless streak. The goal for the Red Wings are to return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus, and this stretch of hockey with games predominantly at home serves as the best chance to get a good jump on it. Currently sitting 8-8-1, impressive forward Anthony Mantha added that the team needs have at least a .750 or .800 mark during the stretch at home.
- Speaking of Mantha, Khan reports that the goal-scoring forward is developing into a more complete player in his second NHL season. Dogged early in his career for lack of effort, Mantha has risen to the occasion, leading the Red Wings in goals and points through Friday. Blashill says that the 22-year-old is very motivated and is skating harder now than he had previously with the team.
- The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine writes that the Blackhawk faithful are keeping their hopes up that Chicago will turn things around soon. Hine likens the current slump to a “crisis of faith” as they’ve struggled to score goals, registering just 12 goals in the last seven games. The culprit, Hine writes, are the “big money” players not getting on the score sheet regularly. He singles out captain Jonathan Toews (4-6-10), Brandon Saad (6-3-9), Patrick Kane (5-9-14), Duncan Keith (0-8-8), Brent Seabrook (1-4), and Patrick Sharp (2-2) as those players. Kane hasn’t scored in seven games while Saad is goal-less in his last ten games. Head coach Joel Quenneville has been toying with lines, trying to find the right combination to break the scoring drought.
Snapshots: 2019 Draft, Kase, Price
Craig Button of TSN takes an early look at the top prospects for the 2019 draft, and leading the pack is Jack Hughes. We’ve mentioned Hughes before at PHR, but his name continues to come up as a potential first-overall pick in the 2019 discussion. The son of former NHL assistant coach and Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Player Development Jim Hughes, the 16-year old is dominating in the US Development Program after an eye-opening season in Toronto midget hockey.
Hughes scored 159 points in 80 games as the captain of the Toronto Marlboros, and is an elite center ice prospect. Amazingly the Hughes family even has a chance to go top-5 in back to back drafts, as eldest brother Quinton Hughes is an outstanding defenseman eligible to be selected in 2018. He’s playing at the University of Michigan already, where he’s put up five points in eight games.
- The Anaheim Ducks have placed Ondrej Kase on injured reserve to join the rest of their injuries, which brings to mind an interesting case going into next summer. Kase is a pending restricted free agent, and has looked early on this season like he’s about to breakout. As a rookie last year he scored just 15 points, but he already has five goals and eight points in 12 games for the injury-ravaged Ducks. Anaheim has over $60MM owed next season to just 13 players, which is going to make things tough in the summer. Kase, Nick Ritchie and Brandon Montour (among others) are all RFAs, and with the injuries all three have been given more opportunity. That could cost the Ducks as the trio heads into the summer with higher counting stats. Too many good players is never a bad thing, but Anaheim will need to be careful with how they distribute their funds.
- Speaking of injured reserve stints, the Montreal Canadiens have moved Carey Price to their IR list. Price hasn’t played since November 2nd so he won’t be kept out any longer than he needs to recover, as the stint will be backdated to cover the seven-day minimum. While you never wish for injury, perhaps this break will be exactly what Price needs to get his season back on track. In his first 11 games, Price registered a save percentage above .900 just three times. For a goaltender who averaged a .928 mark over the last four seasons, his performance so far this year was shockingly unfamiliar.
Snapshots: Flames, Hammond, Ekman-Larsson
Tanner Glass has cleared waivers and been assigned to Stockton of the AHL, leaving room for the Calgary Flames to activate Jaromir Jagr prior to their game tonight. Glass signed a one-year, one-way deal with the Flames this summer but is at best a 13th forward used in especially physical matchups. It won’t surprise if the 33-year old is back up before long to serve in that role.
Jagr though will jump back into the lineup after a long layoff, and will look to recapture the early success he had found with his new team. The legendary winger’s already exquisite possession numbers were off the charts in his first five games for Calgary, and he should help the team continue their current win streak. Jagr is just 51 games behind Gordie Howe for the most all-time, a record he could break should he stay relatively healthy for the rest of the year.
- Andrew Hammond was clearly a salary dump by the Ottawa Senators in their recent trade, to help even out the salary difference between Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris. Now, James Gordon of The Athletic reports that Colorado will look to flip Hammond somewhere else around the league. Hammond will remain with the Belleville Senators on loan until that happens, but it may not be so easy. “The Hamburgler” as he is so affectionately nicknamed, is owed $1.5MM this season and carries a $1.35MM cap hit. Though last year was a struggle for him before going down to injury, he’s played well early on for Belleville.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson has somehow become the center of much trade speculation, but Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka wants to put an end to that. Speaking with Craig Morgan of AZ Sports, Chayka again said he won’t trade the All-Star defenseman, and revealed “I haven’t had a single conversation about Oilver that has lasted more than five seconds.” Ekman-Larsson is a free agent after next season and would be one of the top names on the market.