Snapshots: Matthias, Western Playoff Race, Jagr
The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Shawn Matthias for the remainder of the season, the team announced Saturday.
The first sign of trouble was on Wednesday, when Matthias missed practice. He was held out of the Jets’ last game with an upper-body injury. Matthias has eight goals and 12 points in 45 games this season, his first in Winnipeg after signing a two-year, $4.25MM contract in free agency. He split last season between Toronto and Colorado.
Detroit’s second round pick in 2006 has played 524 NHL games, scoring 171 points with Florida, Vancouver, Toronto, Colorado, and Winnipeg.
- With just 11 or 12 games remaining, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the schedules for the Western Conference teams involved in a tight playoff race. Anaheim, Calgary, and Edmonton are within two points of each other, and will likely finish two-through-four in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have a game in hand on both teams, and play the Canucks tonight. Spector gives Edmonton the advantage in home games, strength of opponent, and ease of the final week of the season. Calgary gets the nod for having back-to-backs and getting tired opponents. Anaheim’s biggest advantage comes during a home-and-home series with the Flames in early April; Calgary hasn’t won in Anaheim since January 2004. The next team in the Pacific, Los Angeles, is four points behind St. Louis for the second wildcard spot. At eight points back, they have a slim chance at catching the next three teams, but do get Edmonton and Calgary three times each.
- With two assists last night, NHL legend and Panthers winger Jaromir Jagr passed Gordie Howe for most points scored by a player in his 40s, with 269. The 45-year-old told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel that he’s “going to pass [Howe] for most points after 50.” For the record, Howe had 41 points in 1979-80 a 51-year-old in his return to the NHL after six years in the WHA.
Saturday Snapshots: Tkachuk, Stamkos, Stone
Given his pedigree, it should come as little surprise that one of Matthew Tkachuk‘s strengths is his advanced hockey sense. His father, Keith Tkachuk of course, played 18 seasons in the NHL and scored 538 career regular season goals. As Darren Haynes writes on his Flames From 80 Feet Above blog, the younger Tkachuk displays hockey awareness on par with that of a 10-year veteran as opposed to that of a 19-year-old rookie.
Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan certainly agrees with the sentiment, praising the young power forward’s “gamesmanship, his hockey sense (and) his ice awareness.” Haynes describes a subtle play made by the rookie in a recent win over Dallas in which Tkachuk touched the puck with a high stick and knew if he was the first to touch it that the officials would blow the play dead. Instead, Tkachuk tracked the puck into the offensive zone and waited for a Stars player to play the puck. Adam Cracknell did just that and Tkachuk picked his pocket and moved the puck to Mark Giordano whose shot deflected off of Stars defenseman Dan Hamhuis and into the net.
Tkachuk has tallied 13 goals and 46 points in 67 games this season which represents excellent production for any rookie, much less one just 19 years old and in his first professional campaign. Yet beyond his offensive output, it may be the little things Tkachuk brings to the table that makes him such a valuable contributor to a team that appears poised to make the playoffs.
Elsewhere in the NHL on this Saturday:
- Steven Stamkos, out since November with a knee injury, returned to the ice as a full participant at the Lightning’s Friday practice. While that has to be considered a positive sign in his lengthy recovery, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Stamkos’ return is still not “imminent.” The Lightning, who have surprisingly managed to resurface in the playoff race despite a trade deadline selloff of goalie Ben Bishop along with forwards Brian Boyle and Valtteri Filppula, would certainly welcome a healthy Stamkos with open arms but at this point it appears they’ll have to manage without their captain for a little while longer.
- Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone, who has missed the last week with a lower-body injury, is still considered week-to-week and according to head coach Guy Boucher hasn’t skated while recovering from the leg issue, reports Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. Stone, a terrific forechecker, has tallied 22 goals and 50 points in 63 games this season and is an important cog up front for the Senators. While the loss of Stone certainly stings, his absence has been mitigated somewhat by trade deadline acquisitions Alexandre Burrows and Viktor Stalberg, who have combined for six goals and nine points in the eight games since coming to Canada’s capital. Ottawa, at this point safely in possession of a postseason slot, will continue to look for production from the newest Sens as they work to secure a playoff berth.
Snapshots: Pronger, Goldobin, Aaltonen
When Chris Pronger was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, it marked the end of an outstanding career. Stanley Cup winner, Hart trophy winner, Norris trophy winner, All-Star. Everything was accomplished, and yet something remained—a contract. Pronger was then, and still is now under a player contract with an NHL team, and though he’ll never play a game for the Arizona Coyotes—who traded for his empty contract just days before the Hall of Fame induction ceremony—he was technically a part of their organization. His deal will expire at the end of this season, and there is now something else on his mind for the future.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN writes in his latest column that though Pronger is happy with his current position at the Department of Player Safety, he’d like a chance to apprentice under an established GM in hopes of one day running a team of his own. Pronger reached out to former rival Steve Yzerman to learn what he could about the Tampa Bay Lightning GM’s path to the front office, which included time under Ken Holland in Detroit. Though he had all the physical tools to make him great in the game, it was his hockey mind that made him a legend. As former teammate Jamie McLennan put it in LeBrun’s piece: “His ability to adapt and learn in any situation is what makes [him] special.” Don’t be surprised to see Pronger’s name pop up in a front office as soon as next season.
- It wasn’t just a regular flu for Vancouver Canucks forward Nikolay Goldobin. The young player says that he didn’t eat for five days and has lost fifteen pounds while he’s been out. While he is feeling better, he won’t travel to Edmonton with the team when they take on the Oilers tomorrow night. Instead, he’ll hit the practice rink and try to get back to where he was before falling ill. The 21-year old was acquired in exchange for Jannik Hansen at the trade deadline, and scored a single goal in the three games he played for Vancouver before being kept out of the lineup.
- James Mirtle of the Athletic provides some context for the Maple Leafs newest signing Miro Aaltonen. One source told him that the Finnish forward has a 50-50 shot to play in the NHL, but represents no downside for the team. He’ll be on just a one-year deal, and will play for the Marlies next season if he doesn’t crack the NHL team out of camp. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet adds that Aaltonen is most comfortable on the left wing, an area of need for the Maple Leafs. The team currently only has James van Riemsdyk as a true goal-scoring left winger, with the other three, Zach Hyman, Leo Komarov and Matt Martin, all being better suited to play in the bottom-half of a lineup (despite the fact that Hyman has played on Auston Matthews‘ wing all season). Even in the minor leagues Kasperi Kapanen and Brendan Leipsic, the prospects closest to making an NHL impact both play the right side most often.
Snapshots: 100 Classic, Hornqvist, Malkin
As reported yesterday, the Ottawa Senators will host an outdoor game next year. The “NHL 100 Classic” will be held on December 16th, 2017 to honor the first NHL game played in Ottawa 100 years prior (actually December 17th, 1917). The Senators will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to TD Place, the football stadium right along the Rideau Canal.
Just a few weeks after the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup, TD Place will have extra seating installed to accommodate the extra crowd. The Stadium currently seats 24,000 for football, but expect that to grow substantially. BMO Place in Toronto added more than 10,000 seats for this year’s Centennial Classic, after hosting it’s own Grey Cup earlier in the winter. This will be the Senators’ first hosted outdoor game.
- Patric Hornqvist re-joined the Pittsburgh Penguins at practice today, and is a game time decision tonight against the New Jersey Devils. The winger has been out for the last five games with a concussion, his second this season. An important part of the Penguins forward group, he’ll be welcomed with open arms when he does make his return.
- Hornqvist will be even more important if he can go tonight, due to Evgeni Malkin being held out with an upper-body injury. He left practice early this morning and won’t go tonight, as Mike Sullivan says he’s been dealing with it for a while.
- Ron Hainsey is out on a week-to-week basis, thus the need for Derrick Pouliot this morning. The Penguins just can’t catch a break with their defense corps, and will now need Pouliot and Mark Streit to play even bigger roles than expected down the stretch.
Snapshots: Playoff Format, Sedlak, Lightning
If you’re an Atlantic Division team looking at the current playoff seeding, why would you want to go after the division crown? That’s what Pierre LeBrun wonders in his latest column for TSN. The top Atlantic team will have to face one—most likely the New York Rangers—of the four dominant Metropolitan teams, all of which have more points than the currently leading Montreal Canadiens. That system may need some tweaking argues LeBrun, who suggests going back to the straight divisional playoffs that brewed long-standing rivalries.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like the GMs have much interest in changing the format, with one telling LeBrun “it’s all cyclical. Some years some divisions are stronger.” It may not even matter, as Montreal has dominated the Rangers this season. With a 3-0 record, they are likely looking forward to a first round matchup.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Lukas Sedlak from injured reserve today, as he has healed completely from the oblique strain that’s kept him out for a month. The 23-year old has 12 points in 55 games this season, his first in the NHL. Never much of an offensive player, Sedlak prides himself on his defensive and faceoff success and the analytics show it. The young centerman has been an elite shot suppressor in his first season, exactly what you want from a fourth-line player.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to Brayden Point to lead their team again tonight as Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette remain out. Byron Froese was recalled earlier today and will figure into a lineup that was already missing Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula and Brian Boyle from the start of the year. Point will have to get by a former teammate in Morgan Rielly, who he played as a 15-year old for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL.
Snapshots: Outdoor Game, Fedun, Bonuses
After a report yesterday that the 2018 Winter Classic would be played at Citi Field in New York, there is some more news about outdoor games next season. Tomorrow, according to a report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the NHL will announce a game between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens that will take place at TD Place, the home of the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks. The stadium, which sits in Lansdowne Park right along the Rideau Canal, will host the CFL’s Grey Cup just a few weeks prior and will have expanded seating still installed.
This would be the Senators first time hosting an outdoor game, and just their second appearance in one. In 2014, they were part of the Heritage Classic in Vancouver (where the Sens won 4-2) but will obviously welcome a chance to host their own. Honoring the first NHL game played in Ottawa on December 19th, 1917—when the original Ottawa Senators were in existence—the game is expected to be played around the same date. It will be Montreal’s fourth appearance as a visitor in an outdoor game, though they’ve never hosted one themselves.
- As rumored yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have brought up Taylor Fedun from the AHL today prior to their game in Los Angeles. The team is in the middle of a four-game rad trip, and will not have Justin Falk in the lineup tonight or tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks. Fedun has 25 games with the NHL club this season, recording seven points. A prolific point producer at the AHL level, Fedun has just 37 games under his belt in the NHL and has never been able to find a consistent role.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have used their cap space over the past two years as something of an asset, acquiring bad contracts and burying them in the minors in order to get better returns on transactions. Brooks Laich, Milan Michalek and Colin Greening were all examples of this, and they now find themselves right up against the cap. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes, that may end up costing them at least a few million next season as the bonuses for their young players will be taken as a penalty. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev will all likely max out their Schedule A bonuses this season, and Matthew may trigger a $2MM Schedule B if he finishes in the top 10 for goals. If they decide to be big players in free agency, that Matthews bonus could be a big factor.
Snapshots: Pastrnak, Sabres, Keenan, Wideman
The Bruins and representatives for winger David Pastrnak are interested in getting a long-term contract done instead of pursuing a bridge deal in the summer, reports CSN New England’s DJ Bean. Pastrnak is slated to become a restricted free agent in July and is poised to land a significant raise from the $925K he is receiving this season in the final year of his entry level deal.
Bean adds that Pastrnak’s agent, J.P. Barry, is viewing Sean Monahan (Calgary), Filip Forsberg (Nashville), and Mark Scheifele as suitable comparable players for negotiations. All of those players landed new deals worth at least $6MM last summer. The Bruins should have the room to accommodate a long-term deal on their cap moving forward as well; they have a little over $61MM already committed next year to 17 players per CapFriendly.
Other news from around the hockey world:
- The Sabres are planning to recall defenseman Taylor Fedun from Rochester of the AHL in time for Thursday’s game in Los Angeles, reports Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. He’s expected to take the place of Justin Falk, who has been ruled out of the lineup for at least the next two games. Buffalo is also likely to have winger Hudson Fasching back in their lineup for the first time since late October. The 21 year old has spent the last two months in the AHL after recovering from a groin injury, collecting seven points in 23 games in that span.
- It appears Mike Keenan’s coaching career isn’t over just yet. The 67 year old is slated to become the new head coach of Kunlun of the KHL pending league approval of the contract, notes TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). The veteran of 1,440 career NHL games as a bench boss last coached back in 2015 with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL and won a Gagarin Cup with them back in 2014. Keenan will have plenty of familiar with his team as he is currently serving as an advisor for them.
- The NHL lost its appeal in New York court to vacate an arbitrators’ ruling that dropped Dennis Wideman’s suspension from last season from 20 to 10 games, reports TSN’s Rick Westhead (Twitter link). The league had made its case back in June to try to have the remainder of his suspension reinstated. Wideman was suspended for hitting linesman Don Henderson but it was cut in half by arbitrator James Oldham last March. The NHL dismissed Oldham back in July.
Snapshots: USA Hockey, Vecchione, DeMelo
After several members of the US Women’s National Team extended a message to USA Hockey about their boycotting the upcoming World Championships, the national program released its own statement on the subject. Understanding the frustration of the women who are reportedly given just $6000 each for their Olympic training and participation, USA Hockey stated that they have long supported their female athletes.
The support USA Hockey is implementing in order to prepare the Women’s National Team for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games includes a six-month training camp, additional support stipends and incentives for medals that could result in each player receiving nearly $85,000 in cash over the Olympic training and performance period. The sum is in addition to a housing allowance, travel allowances, meal expenses, medical and disability insurance and the infrastructure that includes elite-level support staff to train and prepare the players.
The statement goes on to explain that the organization was “disappointed” in the player’s demands and will continue to keep dialogue open in hopes they’ll play in April. The players shot back at the release, with captain Meghan Duggan telling Bob McKenzie of TSN it was “incredibly dishonest and misleading”. As McKenzie notes, the two sides seem ready for a battle over their compensation leading up to next year’s Olympics.
- After the Pittsburgh Penguins added Zach Aston-Reese yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping for some help from the college ranks of their own. Sam Carchidi of The Inquirer opines that the team may have interest in both Spencer Foo and Mike Vecchione of Union College. The team is familiar with the school from the years Shayne Gostisbehere spent there, including one season with Vecchione in 2013-14. The pair of undrafted forwards are among the highest scoring in the NCAA, with 59 and 62 points respectively. If the Flyers want to keep pace with what has been a busy Metropolitan Division—the Capitals also inked a couple of forwards earlier this month—they would do well with Vecchione. The 24-year old senior is considered by some even better than Aston-Reese, and ready to step into the NHL right away. Anyone will have to wait for Union’s season to be over though, as they’re still alive in the ECAC playoffs.
- Kevin Kurz of CSN reports that David Schlemko rejoined his teammates in practice today for the first time in nearly two weeks. The defenseman is getting close to a return, but Dylan DeMelo has used the opportunity to show that he’s ready for an NHL role. DeMelo tells Kurz that getting back into the lineup is “definitely a lot better playing than sitting out for seven weeks. I’m just happy to be back in the lineup and [helping] the team win.” DeMelo had surgery to repair a broken wrist in January and only returned to the lineup on March 5th.
Snapshots: Lafreniere, Kerfoot, Sherwood
In the latest edition of Insider Trading from TSN, Bob McKenzie was asked about the possibility of any exceptional status players applying for the CHL next year. Though there aren’t any 14-year-olds applying this year, McKenzie pointed out one player, Alex Lafreniere, that is a lock for first overall at the QMJHL draft and is one to keep an eye on throughout his junior career.
Lafreniere was born in late 2001, meaning he won’t be eligible for the NHL entry draft until 2020. While that is still a long way away, the 83 points in 36 games for the Saint-Eustache midget team was an incredible feat. His talent is obvious, now we’ll see how he takes playing against kids five years older than him.
- The panel also included Darren Dreger, who relates that Alexander Kerfoot may wait out the New Jersey Devils and head to free agency. Though the Devils want to sign him when his season ends at Harvard, he’s just a few months away from becoming free to sign with whoever he wants; he’d become a UFA on August 15th. The former fifth-round pick has 40 points in 31 games this year.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch gives us a note on Kiefer Sherwood from Miami University (Ohio). The undrafted center will in all likelihood head back to college for his junior year despite interest from a handful of teams. Sherwood had 38 points in 34 games this season and just saw teammate Anthony Louis graduate to a deal with Chicago.
Snapshots: Doan, Graovac, Hellberg
Shane Doan will be on all the blooper reels for the next while. The Arizona Coyotes captain is fine after colliding hard with Jakob Chychrun in warm up last night, and missing most of the first period. According to Dave Vest of NHL.com, he team had checked him for a concussion, but ruled that he had just had the wind knocked out of him.
I didn’t know it was him that hit me. I was looking back at [Oliver Ekman-Larsson] and got hit. I had no idea who it was that hit me … I haven’t been hit that hard in a long, long time.
The Coyotes ended up winning a 1-0 game over the Colorado Avalanche in a battle between the worst teams in the NHL. It couldn’t have started in a way more fitting to what was to come, with the next wave of the Coyotes literally checking the old guard out of the way.
- As expected, the Minnesota Wild have officially recalled Tyler Graovac from Iowa of the AHL. After Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reported yesterday that Martin Hanzal was sick with the flu and wouldn’t be with the team for the next two games, Graovac was the easy call up. As Russo points out, it will be interesting to see if Graovac figures into the lineup immediately for one of Jordan Schroeder or Ryan White or if he’s just there for insurance.
- The New York Rangers have sent Magnus Hellberg back to the AHL despite not having two healthy goaltenders at the NHL level. With Henrik Lundqvist out two to three weeks, Hellberg is expected to be the backup behind Antti Raanta for the next little while. The Rangers are off until Friday, but so are the Hartford Wolfpack which makes this move very interesting. It may be just a paper transaction to save Hellberg’s NHL salary for a few days, but either way it will be answered later this week when they make a move to bring someone up.