NHL Snapshots: Girard, Flyers Draft, Rosen, Borgman
The Nashville Predators have some defensive issues to worry about with defender Ryan Ellis out for several more months due to knee surgery. However, one issue the team has is a good one as the play of Samuel Girard has impressed everyone. Suddenly, the issue is whether or not to keep him on their roster to start the season.
Girard, a second-round pick in 2016, is just 19 years old, but the gifted offensive defenseman has worked hard to show that he is ready for the NHL now. And with Ellis’ injury, might there be a place for him? The team has used him heavily in the preseason. He has played in all four games, logging more than 20 minutes in each game. According to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean, Girard is making a strong case to stay. His last game on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets with most of their opening-night starters on the ice, Girard played 24:02, second to Roman Josi.
The team is considering keeping him, knowing full well that if they don’t, he’ll return to his junior team and cannot be recalled until after their season is over. The team could also keep him for nine games without burning his first year of his entry-level deal.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers could get a big break from the St. Louis Blues if their injuries continue to mount. The Flyers, who acquired the Blues 2017 and 2018 first-round picks from St. Louis for Brayden Schenn. They used that 2017 pick on Morgan Frost and were expecting a late first-rounder in next year’s draft. However, with some of the injuries that St. Louis has suffered, it will be Philadelphia that reaps the benefits if the Blues see a drop in the wins column. If it were to turn into a top-10 pick, the Blues would get the pick back. Carchidi writes that would be unlikely, however, as the Blues are still a solid team, but the injuries could improve the chances that their pick will be an even better one.
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun writes that at least one of the two Sweedish defensemen pair of Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman are likely to make the team. Both had key moments in Friday’s preseason game and the two little-known blueliners are starting to make a name for themselves. Rosen, 23, is a gifted skater and passing defenseman, coming over from Sweden for the first time, while Borgman, the 2017 SHL Rookie of the Year, is a more physical defensive player.
Snapshots: Drouin, McNiven, Mariners
Jonathan Drouin is getting a crack in the middle for Montreal this season, after the team traded away blue-chip prospect Mikhail Sergachev for him. Center isn’t a position that Drouin has spent much time at in the NHL, but he has obviously been taking notes on those he wants to emulate. Yesterday, he gave Eric Engels of Sportsnet some of his thoughts on the other top centermen around the Eastern Conference. On Patrice Bergeron in particular:
To me, he’s the best center in the league if you’re looking at the all-around 200-foot game. He’s tough to beat. He’s always competing for every loose puck, neutral zone, anywhere—he’s always on it. He’s somebody you hate to play against, and at the end of the day he still scores and produces points without cheating offensively.
The piece is a great read on how other players view some of the superstars in the league, including thoughts on lesser-known stars like Aleksander Barkov and Alexander Wennberg. Drouin will have a lot of pressure to perform in his first year in Montreal, after earning a big extension right away. The former Tampa Bay Lightning pick has all the talent to do it.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled goaltender Michael McNiven from the Laval Rocket to serve as an emergency goaltender tonight. Charlie Lindgren is expected to be dressed for the game, but is coming off a minor injury and the team wants to make sure it has another option. McNiven was one of the first camp cuts last week, and will be spending his year in the minor leagues. Last year for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL, McNiven posted an incredible 41-9-2 record with a .915 save percentage. McNiven went undrafted but earned an entry-level contract back in 2015. This will be the first real season under that deal, as it slid for two years while he finished his junior hockey career.
- The new Portland ECHL team has chosen a name, and it will be familiar to those who were in Maine decades ago. The Maine Mariners are back for the third time, after first debuting in 1977. This new team will be the ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, after the team purchased the defunct Alaska Aces this summer and will join the league next season.
Evening Snapshots: Blackhawks, Faceoffs, Labonte
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned goaltender Collin Delia to the AHL Rockford IceHogs, the team announced today. The roster cut leaves the Blackhawks with 35 remaining players at camp, including 20 forwards, 12 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders. The Blackhawks signed Delia to a two-year entry level deal this summer worth $767K a year. Delia most recently played for Merrimack College in the NCAA, posting a 2.15 GAA and .927 SV% in 21 games. Delia was never expected to make the big team—Corey Crawford‘s backup spot is between Anton Forsberg and Jean-Francois Berube—but will round out the AHL roster for now.
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today in his 31 Thoughts column that the impetus for the faceoff rules crackdown came from the competition committee. David Backes—a committee member—admitted to Boston media that faceoffs have devolved into scrums where the goal is to not lose rather than to win. Players were increasingly crowding the dot and focusing more on holding off the other center until a winger arrives. The tweaked enforcement standards hope to swing the pendulum back to skill-based faceoff wins.
- One of Canada’s most prolific international goaltenders retired this week. Charline Labonte, a three-time Olympic gold medal winner, retired from hockey on Monday. Labonte is probably the most well-known female goaltender outside of Manon Rheaume, and like Rheume, Labonte made her mark early on by playing in the men’s QMJHL. She played two seasons with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL in 1999-00 and 2000-01 before eventually playing for Canada and McGill University. Labonte spent the last two seasons playing for the Montreal Canadiennes in the CWHL, and posted an astounding 1.53 GAA and .934 SV%. There is no doubt that the 34 year-old is leaving the game on a high note.
Snapshots: Islanders, Lipanov, Cramarossa
The Oak View Group submitted their proposal for a new arena at Belmont Park, Elmont today, with the intention of housing the New York Islanders there once completed. Several other proposals are expected to be submitted, including one from New York City FC, the city’s Major League Soccer team.
John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the Islanders’ ownership group was in Detroit to tour the new Red Wings arena, as they continue to try to work out where the team will play in the future. We aren’t expected to get a ruling on which is the successful bid for several months.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Alexei Lipanov to a three-year, entry-level contract. The 18-year old forward was selected in the third round of the most recent draft, and is now playing with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Last year in the Russian junior and minor leagues, Lipanov scored 11 points in 32 games but captained the Russian U18 World Junior team to a bronze medal.
- Joseph Cramarossa was released from his PTO this week with the Calgary Flames, but signed an AHL deal today with the Stockton Heat to continue his professional career. Cramarossa is still just 24 and was selected in the third round in 2011, but has yet to catch on full-time around the NHL. He’ll try to rebuild some of that value in the AHL this year, and prove that he can add more than just a checking role.
Snapshots: Thornton, Gionta, Gelinas, Red Wings
While the Maple Leafs landed one long-time San Jose Shark in winger Patrick Marleau over the summer, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Toronto was among the teams that were pursuing center Joe Thornton and at one time were looking to bring the veteran duo in as a package deal. Thornton’s preference was to remain in San Jose and he wound up agreeing on a one-year, $8MM deal while Marleau wound up receiving both more money and term from Toronto than what the Sharks were offering him. Given where Toronto is with regards to the salary cap, it’s hard to imagine how the duo would have fit in money-wise but the fact that they pursued both of them together suggests GM Lou Lamoriello had something ready if both would have signed.
Other notes from around the league:
- Unrestricted free agent winger Brian Gionta is considering signing an AHL-only deal with Rochester, the minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. While it’s believed he has NHL offers on the table, he’d like to stay close to his family which this would allow him to do while also maintaining his eligibility to suit up in the upcoming Olympics.
- The Canadiens have yet to initiate any sort of contracts with PTO defenseman Eric Gelinas, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. Gelinas is looking to land a spot on Montreal’s back end after turning down multiple offers overseas during the summer. He split last season between Colorado and their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.
- The Red Wings are expecting a trio of veterans to return from injuries, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Niklas Kronwall is expected to make his preseason debut on Thursday after missing time with back spasms while Justin Abdelkader is hopeful to play then as well; he has missed the last ten days with a groin issue. Meanwhile, captain Henrik Zetterberg is slated to play on Friday for the first time as his neck soreness is improving.
Snapshots: McDavid, Polak, Dotchin
Connor McDavid has taken over the top spot on TSN’s yearly player rankings, after an incredible eight-year run by Sidney Crosby. McDavid still only edged the former #1 for the top spot, but will try to start a run of his own this year. Several other players made huge jumps, including Nikita Kucherov who jumped from 27 to 7, and Mark Scheifele who improved 35 spots to crack the top 15.
Two top-10 stalwarts in Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews both plummeted down the rankings after disappointing seasons, but could easily see a resurgence should they should it was more an anomaly than a trend. Check out the entire list, then leave below what you think should have been different.
- Roman Polak won’t play tomorrow night for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but according to head coach Mike Babcock (via James Mirtle of The Athletic) he’s making progress and should still get in before the season begins. Polak is technically on a professional tryout with the team, but it does seem like he would be signed by the team should he show that he’s completely healthy after the terrible injury last year. The Maple Leafs already have several players competing for the last few defensive spots, but none of them save for Connor Carrick are right-handed. Since the Maple Leafs are already going with three lefties in their top-4, having a right-handed option like Polak in a depth role seems prudent, even if he’s not an exciting option.
- Jake Dotchin still hasn’t gotten into any preseason action for violating a team issue, and he told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that “it’s hurting” him. Dotchin was widely expected to start the year in an increased role with the Lightning after an impressive rookie campaign, but every day he sits out is another chance for someone else to make an impression. The young defender has been known to cross the line physically while on the ice, and though there is no report on what he did yet the team is clearly not happy with him.
Snapshots: Duchene, Athanasiou, Vegas, Belmont Park
Matt Duchene has been suiting up in the preseason for the Colorado Avalanche despite continuing trade speculation, and Adrian Dater of BSN Denver has now been told it’s very likely the unhappy forward will begin the year with the team. That does seem like the only option at this point, as a team has still yet to step forward and meet GM Joe Sakic‘s asking price.
Some of the hesitation to pony up for Duchene comes from his disappointing season a year ago, when he scored just 18 goals and 41 points. Those numbers were both career-lows in full seasons, and there has been some debate over whether Duchene can handle top center duties any longer. From all accounts, the 26-year old has looked great in training camp so far as he tries to prove that he can still help turn the tide for any organization.
- Unsigned restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou hasn’t spoken to the Detroit Red Wings in almost ten days according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. St. James says that since a face-to-face meeting on September 16th, there has been “nothing but silence.” It’s starting to look like Athanasiou will not start the season with the Red Wings, despite multiple offers extended from the team. Holdouts rarely end in big raises for players involved in them, and it’s not clear exactly why the two sides are so far apart.
- Jason Pothier of SinBin examined the history of George McPhee when he was the GM of the Washington Capitals, and shows that if he’s operating similarly a trade may be coming in the next few days. McPhee has completed eight trades in the last week before the season in the past, and since there still seems to be too many NHL-level defensemen in town, it could happen once again.
- As expected, there will be at least one other bid for the Belmont Park location is a potential spot for a new New York Islanders’ arena and it will indeed be New York City FC. Jim Baumbach of Newsday reports that the soccer franchise will submit a bid, but it’s actually not the team’s preferred location. We’ve heard before that it could take months to be given a decision, but proposals must be officially submitted by Thursday afternoon.
Snapshots: Lecavalier, Miller, Rodrigues
The Tampa Bay Lightning will retire the second number in their franchise history this season, when they raise Vincent Lecavalier‘s #4 to the rafters on February 10th. Lecavalier, who last played in 2015-16, is the franchise leader in goals and was once the NHL’s youngest ever captain (since broken by multiple players) when he was given the “C” at just 19.
In 1,037 games with the Lightning, the 1998 first-overall pick scored 874 points and led them to a Stanley Cup in 2004. Twice he was nominated for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, including 2006-07 when he led the league in goals with 52. A prototypical number-one center, Lecavalier played an exceptional all around game that combined speed, power and skill. He finished his career with 949 points in 1,212 games.
- Despite spending time in the middle during the preseason, J.T. Miller will be back in his familiar wing position when the season starts, Alain Vigneault confirmed today to a group of reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Vigneault has been impressed with the play of 2017 first-round draft picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, as well as former University of Michigan standout Boo Nieves. While it has been expected for a while that just one of the young players would make the roster with David Desharnais taking the other center role, there is a growing suspicion that both Andersson and Chytil could start the year with the Rangers. That would be quite the turnaround for a team that hadn’t even drafted in the first round for several years.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues was injured this weekend in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs when Andreas Borgman crumpled him into the boards, and will be held out for the time being with a hand injury. Head coach Phil Housley was non-committal when asked if it would linger into the regular season, similar to the way he spoke about Jake McCabe‘s upper-body injury. Both players were expected to be in the lineup for opening night, which now could open spots for some others to start the year in Buffalo instead of Rochester.
Snapshots: Sproul, Giroux, Tryamkin, Benson
Detroit defenseman Ryan Sproul has been given the green light to return to the lineup and will make his preseason debut on Monday, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. Sproul underwent ACL surgery on April 18th, a procedure that typically requires six months to recover from so it appears his recovery process is a little bit ahead of schedule. Had that not been the case, he was a potential candidate to land on LTIR to start the season.
Red Wings GM Ken Holland confirmed to Khan that the team plans to carry only seven defensemen to start the season so right now it appears that the 24-year-old is on the outside looking in at a roster spot despite playing in 27 games with Detroit in 2016-17. Sproul will require waivers in order to be assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- The Flyers will experiment with placing long-time center Claude Giroux on the left wing on Monday night, notes CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. Giroux has spent time at that position earlier in his career but not very often lately. The idea of switching positions might allow Giroux a bit less wear and tear on his body but would also allow someone like Sean Couturier – who has been more of a shutdown player so far in his career – to take on more of an offensive-oriented role.
- Defenseman Nikita Tryamkin’s decision to leave the Canucks to go back to the KHL caught some by surprise. The blueliner told Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko (Twitter links) that a lack of playing time was a big factor in his decision to leave. Tryamkin averaged 16:44 per night last season, the lowest of any regular blueliner in Vancouver. He added that he could see himself back with the team but he won’t discuss that possibility while still under contract to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg; he’s signed there through the 2019-20 season.
- Oilers prospect Tyler Benson will likely start the season on injured reserve but is expected to join his junior team (the WHL’s Vancouver Giants) on October 13th, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. Benson, Edmonton’s second-round pick (32nd overall) in 2016, has yet to skate with the team in training camp and has not been cleared for any contact drills after undergoing double sports hernia surgery over the summer.
Snapshots: Bertuzzi, Leivo, Officiating, McDonald
Red Wings winger Tyler Bertuzzi will be out three-to-four weeks due to tendon inflammation in his wrist, GM Ken Holland told reporters including MLive’s Ansar Khan. That will keep him out of the lineup for the first week or two of the season which should give converted defenseman Luke Witkowski a bit more of an edge on a lineup spot on the wing.
Bertuzzi will likely be headed for season-opening injured reserve which will allow them to prorate his cap hit. Bertuzzi spent 50 days on the NHL roster last season (playing seven games with Detroit) so he will carry a discounted cap hit of nearly $184K on the Red Wings’ books once the season gets underway.
Other news and notes from around the league:
- The Leafs received at least one serious trade inquiry for winger Josh Leivo but placed a high asking price despite his status as a seldom-used player, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. It’s evident that the team still values him having protected Leivo from Vegas in expansion but Toronto’s winger depth is comparable to last season if not stronger. As a result, the 24-year-old is likely to be on the outside looking in at a regular spot in the lineup once again which means there’s a good chance he’ll draw more trade interest in the coming weeks.
- While the NHL continues to crack down on faceoff and slashing violations, the league sent a memo to its officials on Friday to ask them to scale back the calls a little bit, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link). Penalties for both of these are up substantially through the opening week of the preseason. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie clarified via Twitter that the toe on the line standard is what will be relaxed at the faceoff dot.
- Flyers winger Colin McDonald will be out an undisclosed number of weeks due to a lower-body injury, notes Andrew Kulp of CSN Philly. McDonald spent the bulk of last season with AHL Lehigh Valley but was with Philadelphia for a handful of games as well. Accordingly, he will head on SOIR and count on their cap at a discounted rate similar to Bertuzzi in Detroit although his reduced charge checks in at a little over $14K.