Evening Snapshots: Kings, Maple Leafs, Avalanche
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Los Angeles Kings seem content to go with goaltender Peter Budaj during the playoff run stretch, reports LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. Kings head coach Darryl Sutter articulated that the upcoming deadline had no effect on injured goaltender Jonathan Quick‘s recovery timeline—the organization will not start Quick earlier than planned just to see if they need to add something at the deadline. This implies that the Kings will not seek additional goaltending help. Overall, the Kings have to be satisfies with Budaj’s performance so far. He’s gone 26-19-3 with a .916 SV% and a 2.14 GAA, and a league-leading 7 shutouts. Budaj, however, has lost 5 of his last six, though peeled off five straight wins—with three shutouts—before that.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brooks Laich indicated to media today that he would like to go to a playoff contender if the Maple Leafs do not plan to use him this season. Laich has spent the entire season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, and has seen other forwards—Josh Leivo and Frederik Gauthier—receive callups to the big league. Part of the reason that Laich remains in the AHL is that the Leafs have been relatively injury-free this year. The organization has had little need for AHL replacements, and as a result veteran players like Laich get left behind. While one cannot blame an organization for wanting to test out its younger prospects, Laich’s feelings are sure to gather sympathy with the front office. The Maple Leafs have already traded away rarely-used forward Peter Holland, and could do the same to Brooks Laich.
- Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov is out for the remainder of the season, the team announced today. Zadorov hurt his ankle today in practice after tangling up with forward Mikko Rantanen. The 21 year-old defensive prospect has 0G and 10A for the Avalanche while averaging just over 19 minutes a night. With Colorado mired in last place—the next worst team is 12 points ahead of them—there is no reason to rush Zadorov back.
Snapshots: Vegas, Howard, Flyers
As the March 1st trade deadline approaches, so does the start of the Vegas Golden Knights capacity to make deals around the league. While he won’t be able to make any moves for active players, he can start shaping the future of the Golden Knights in just over a week. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune caught up with Vegas GM George McPhee and talked to him about the kind of team he’d like to build.
I’ve built high-flying teams in the past, offensive, entertaining teams and would like to do the same thing. What we do with the expansion draft hasn’t been settled yet because until we see the entire universe of what teams want to do, who they want to protect and expose, we don’t know which way we’re going to go.
Indeed, McPhee did build the high-flying Washington Capitals that featured some of the highest goal totals in recent memory. If he constructs the Vegas team the same way, it will be fun to watch at the very least as it likely struggles through its first few seasons. If McPhee wants speed, perhaps a certain Colorado Avalanche centerman who is on the block would be of interest this summer.
- Jimmy Howard, out since before Christmas with a sprained MCL was seen taking shots today before practice by Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. Howard—who turns 33 on March 26th—carries a hefty cap hit and two more years on his contract. While the Red Wings would love to move him for some cap relief, he’ll have to get back onto the ice and prove the start of his season wasn’t a fluke.
- Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tells us that Hall of Fame winger and current Kings’ President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille has taken over as chairman of the board for Eisbären Berlin, a German hockey team that plays in the DEL. While under Robitaille’s leadership, the Los Angeles Kings played in Berlin back in 2011 when the NHL was testing out different markets with regular season games.
- Sam Cardichi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the Flyers and their quickly sinking ship going into the deadline. After benching Andrew MacDonald in a Sunday night win over the Vancouver Canucks, the team is looking to get Michael Del Zotto more ice-time and are still considering their options for the trade deadline. Cardichi includes he thinks the team will be in sell mode come March 1st.
Snapshots: Memorial Cup, Rozsival, Brodin
The Maple Leafs announced the four additions to their Legends Row tonight before the start of their game against the Ottawa Senators. Charlie Conacher, Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich and Wendel Clark will all have statues revealed in the fall alongside the other 10 players.
Brendan Shanahan (via James Mirtle of The Athletic) spoke at the ceremony, saying “it is our sincere hope that we will soon have reason to expand this bench to recognize future Leafs heroes.” One player Leaf fans are hoping will be in that group one day, Mitch Marner, is out tonight and tomorrow with a shoulder injury, forcing the Maple Leafs to shake up their lines. William Nylander is back skating with Auston Matthews, while Connor Brown has been dropped into Marner’s spot.
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tells us that the 2018 Memorial Cup will be held in Regina, Saskatchewan. The CHL tournament is a huge stage for young players to showcase their skills, and the host city is entered automatically. Hopefully for the Regina Pats, Sam Steel will still be with them next season. The 30th-overall pick by Anaheim at the most recent draft has 103 points in 50 games and is still only 18 years old.
- According to Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune, Chicago will be getting a little veteran depth back on the blueline as early as tomorrow. Michal Rozsival, who hasn’t played since January 15th due to a foot injury is set to return to the lineup Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. The veteran of 955 games gives the Hawks an extra body that can be trusted in a limited role. With the team on their way back to the playoffs, they’ll need all the health they can get.
- Just before their game started, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune told us the Minnesota Wild activated Jonas Brodin from injured reserve. Brodin hasn’t played since January 17th, and will be a big addition to the Wild as they look to continue their dominance in the Western Conference. The team has 82 points already, easily pacing the west and seven points ahead of the Blackhawks for first in the Central Division.
- Lou Korac of NHL.com adds that the St. Louis Blues have sent Kenny Agostino back down to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, despite playing well in his short stint. The Blues have Paul Stastny returning and had a roster crunch up front. Agostino will head back to the AHL where he was the league’s top scorer at the time of his call up—and still is. 60 points in 48 games for the former fifth-round pick, who has turned into an excellent playmaker at the age of 24.
Snapshots: Ratelle, Crouse, Fiala
While the Toronto Maple Leafs will reveal some new additions to their Legends Row tonight as part of Hockey Day In Canada, the New York Rangers have also announced that they will raise Jean Ratelle‘s #19 to the rafters next season. The Rangers great is 37th all-time in points in the NHL and spent his best years in New York, scoring 109 points in 1971-72.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 and recently was honored among the NHL’s Top 100 list. It’ll be hard to watch for Boston fans, as some still likely consider him a Bruins legend as well. Ratelle played six seasons at the end of his career for the black and yellow, including five straight 25+ goal seasons from 1975-80. He also spent four seasons as an assistant coach there after his retirement.
- According to Sarah McLellan of AZCentral Sports, the Arizona Coyotes will move Lawson Crouse to injured reserve prior to their game tonight. Crouse has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury. The 19-year old Crouse has stuck around all season in Arizona despite not getting that much ice time. After coming over from the Florida Panthers in the deal that saw Arizona take on Dave Bolland‘s contract, Crouse has just eight points in 49 games this season.
- McLellan also reports that Brad Richardson skated Saturday, and is getting closer to a return. Richardson broke two bones in his leg back in November, and after undergoing surgery has continued to rehab through the season. It looks like he will make it back before the end of the season, though the team would be wrong to rush him as they are already well back of the playoff race.
- The Nashville Predators have brought Kevin Fiala back up from the AHL, where he has 19 points in 22 games. After making short appearances in the NHL the past two seasons, the former 11th-overall pick will try to make an impact this time around. The Swiss-born Fiala is still just 20-years old and has all the tools to make an impact at the NHL level at some point.
Morning Snapshots: Bruins, Penguins, Leafs, Lightning
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Boston Bruins recalled forward Peter Cehlarik from the AHL Providence Bruins this morning, reports the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver. Cehlarik was sent down during the Bruins’ bye week to get more ice time. He didn’t actually play in any games, but practiced with the team and worked on his game. The Slovak prospect has impressed in his short stint with the Bruins, recording 2 assists in his second NHL game. Cehlarik currently has 18G and 15A in 40 AHL games.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned forward Josh Archibald to the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this morning, reports the Post-Gazette’s Dave Molinari. Archibald scored two goals in his season debut with the Penguins on February 11th, but followed it up the next night with no points and only 8 minutes played. The small forward returns to the AHL where he has 11G and 11A in 48 games.
- Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston speculates that Toronto Maple Leaf forward Mitch Marner is out tonight against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs expect prospect Nikita Soshnikov to play tonight, implying that Marner is out of the lineup. Marner suffered a shoulder injury Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and is listed as day-to-day. Soshnikov is coming off an upper-body injury himself, and looks to make the most of his return.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Cory Conacher, reports the Tampa Bay Times Joe Smith. Conacher is lighting up the AHL right now, with 10G and 32A in 41 games. He’s been less productive at the NHL level, recording only 1G and 1A in 7 games. Smith speculates that the recall acts as insurance in case Lightning forward Tyler Johnson cannot play. Johnson missed the last two games with a lower-body injury.
Snapshots: Scouts, Blackhawks, Yakupov
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, but not many teams finding themselves out of the playoff race a team like Colorado is becoming the scouting capital for the NHL. Tonight as they take on the Buffalo Sabres in a rare trip to the North East, teams have come out in full force to watch players like Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. Terry Frei of the Denver Post tweeted out the list of scouts in attendance, and it includes 24 names including three from the Maple Leafs and two each from Montreal, Los Angeles, Columbus, Winnipeg and Calgary.
The Maple Leafs in particular have a strong contingent, sending assistant GM Kyle Dubas down in person. The Maple Leafs are being tight-lipped on the status of Mitch Marner after leaving the game last night, though there have been reports of the amount of cap space the team has opened up prior to the deadline. Don’t forget that Buffalo has struggled this year as well, and have multiple players (like Evander Kane) that would be interesting to teams around the league.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have gotten some reinforcements today, bringing Nick Schmaltz and Tanner Kero up from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL according to Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago. The Hawks have been off since February 11th on their mandatory bye-week, but get back into the swing of things with three games in four nights (and four in six) starting Saturday.
- Former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov is back in the St. Louis Blues lineup tonight for the first time in nearly two weeks. With a career almost completely off the rails it will be interesting to see what happens to him at the deadline, and whether a team makes a play for his upside. Still just 23-years old, Yakupov only has six points in 31 games this season and is barely playing over 10 minutes a night whenever he does crack the lineup. He’s arbitration eligible this offseason, and is a clear candidate to not even be tendered a qualifying offer. His $2.5MM salary is currently way more than he is producing, and the QO would need to be the same.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Lazar, NHL In Sweden
The Carolina Hurricanes could be in a position to make some noise in the trade market.
Young and skilled defensemen are often key pieces in making trades, and the Hurricanes have stocked their system with them over the past few drafts. The club’s last three first round picks have been highly-ranked defenders: Haydn Fleury, Noah Hanifin, and Jake Bean. They have also selected Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce, and Jaccob Slavin in lower rounds.
Because of this depth of solid defensemen, GM Ron Francis told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun that he’s willing to deal from a position of strength to build up other parts of his roster. That could place the Hurricanes as a possible destination for either Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog, seeing as the Avalanche desperately need to improve their defensive core. LeBrun also speculated that Francis could try pry William Nylander out of Toronto, but doubted that the Maple Leafs would have any interest in moving Nylander to improve their blue line.
In addition to the Avalanche and Maple Leafs, LeBrun suggests the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Winnipeg Jets could all have interest in the Hurricanes’ young blue-liners.
Regardless of whether or not the Hurricanes can land a stud offensive player at the deadline, they’re well-placed to make moves over the summer as other teams look to improve their defense.
- Despite rumors to the contrary, Curtis Lazar has not asked for a trade from the Ottawa Senators. Lazar’s agent met with GM Pierre Dorion last weekend, after which the player re-iterated that he wants to stay in Ottawa. After Dorion suggested that Lazar needs to “sink a few ‘four foot putts’,” Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen quoted Lazar as saying even those “almost feel like a home run right now.” The struggling young forward feels that he needs to get back in the lineup and start “feeling good about [him]self.” Lazar has just one assist in 29 NHL games this season, and four points in 13 AHL games.
- Speaking of Ottawa, the Senators will be spending some time outdoors next season, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. Pending NHL and PA approval, the Senators will face off against Colorado in Stockholm twice this coming November. It’s been widely speculated that those could be outdoors. Even if those end up being indoors, Shannon reports that the Senators owner has confirmed that the club has an agreement to host an outdoor game in December 2017. It remains to be seen if that will played at Parliament Hill as part of the celebration for Canada’s 150th anniversary.
Snapshots: Setoguchi, Lazar, Howard, Tropp
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Los Angeles Kings assigned forward Devin Setoguchi to the AHL Ontario Reign today, reports Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News. This is in concert with the Kings’ previous recalls of Adrian Kempe and Paul Ladue. Setoguchi cleared waivers on the 13th but was not immediately sent down to the AHL. Rumors buzzed that Setoguchi would not report to Ontario, but the forward told the Ontario Reign’s web reporter that the story was pure conjecture.
- The Ottawa Senators plan to meet with Curtis Lazar‘s agent J.P. Barry this Saturday, reports the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. Lazar becomes an RFA at the end of the season but both sides hope that a deal comes together before then. The Senators are reportedly listening to teams interested in Lazar, but the asking price is high. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reported that Ottawa is asking for at least a 1st or 2nd for the young forward.
- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard suffered a set back two days ago, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. He will need at least another week of recovery followed by a few games with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins to get up to speed. Howard puts the Red Wings in the precarious position of determining which goaltender the team protects in the NHL Expansion Draft. Before this season, the clear answer was Petr Mrazek. Howard had lost the net and his contract did not align with his performance. This season, however, has Howard performing better than Mrazek, and Detroit now has a much more difficult decision to make.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that they’ve recalled forward Corey Tropp from the San Diego Gulls. Tropp replaces Antoine Vermette who is expected—but not yet confirmed—to receive a 10 game suspension for hitting an official with his stick. Tropp leads the San Diego Gulls in scoring with 12G and 25A in 42 games, and should adequately replace Vermette’s offence.
Snapshots: Hanzal, Capitals, Gallant, Vanek
While the Coyotes and center Martin Hanzal had engaged in contract extension discussions earlier this season (and remains open to re-signing), he has yet to receive an offer from the team, he told Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.
“When I get an offer, I’ll see. I haven’t got an offer yet from the Coyotes. We haven’t talked.”
“Obviously, we’re getting closer and closer (to the trade deadline). So it’s going to be interesting, and I don’t know if they want to move me or not. I have no expectations. I’ll focus on the hockey games and see what happens.”
Hanzal is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July and with Arizona well out of the playoff picture, they’re likely to either sign him or trade him by the March 1st deadline. GM John Chayka’s asking price is known to be quite high with a first round pick plus a quality NHL-ready younger among the elements he’s seeking in a trade.
Elsewhere around the league:
- One team that is likely to be quiet at the deadline is the Washington Capitals, suggests Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. The offseason additions of Lars Eller and Brett Connolly have deepened their forward group so there’s no pressing need to add some depth there like they did last season with Daniel Winnik. Khurshudyan notes that the team could add some more depth on the back end, which we also identified as their top need heading into March in our Deadline Primer.
- The Panthers are granting teams permission to speak with former bench boss Gerard Gallant, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). Gallant has two years left on his contract with the team after being surprisingly let go back in late November. With Claude Julien now off the market, it will be interesting to see if interest picks up in Gallant. If another team does hire him, they won’t owe Florida any compensation as the rule that permitted draft pick compensation was scrapped back in January of 2016.
- After missing Sunday’s game against Minnesota with an ankle injury, Detroit winger Thomas Vanek returned to practice today and is hopeful he’ll be ready to play tomorrow night against St. Louis, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Vanek is having a solid bounce back season after being bought out by the Wild in the summer with 14 goals and 22 assists in 43 games and is widely expected to be one of the more sought after rental players in the coming weeks. However, he suggested that he’s open to sticking around as well: “Could I see myself staying here? Yeah, that would be great but again, it’s a business.”
Snapshots: Tootoo, Barzal, Parenteau
It’s not easy to open up about alcoholism and the effect it has on your life and the people around you. Jordin Tootoo has done just that over the past few years, and again to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. In a stunningly open interview with Kuc that is reminiscent of the piece done by David Pollock of The Hockey News concerning Devin Setoguchi (who cleared waivers today and was sent to the AHL), Tootoo speaks about the past six years of sobriety and how he has changed from a bottle-swigging teenager to a bottle-feeding parent.
A role-model on the ice and off of it, Tootoo has turned from rampant alcoholism onset by the suicide of his brother to clean living and mentoring of younger players of his Inuit background. Those from his hometown of Rankin Inlet in Nunavut, Canada are starting to follow his lead and leave the bottle for a hockey stick instead. The piece is a wonderful look inside a player who has seen pretty much everything in his NHL career, and is now trying to help the Chicago Blackhawks get back to the Stanley Cup finals.
- The New York Islanders might not have performed exactly as expected this season, but even if they don’t make the playoffs—which, after an excellent stretch is far from certain—they have some bright spots in their future. Kelsey Smith of NHL.com checks in on some of their prospects, including two that received some league honors this week. Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock earned player of the week honors in their respective leagues, and the two first-rounders seem like locks to eventually make it to the NHL on a full-time basis. After starring at the World Juniors, Barzal has 54 points (including 46 assists) in just 29 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, while Pulock has 22 points in 27 games from the back-end of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.
- P.A. Parenteau has found a home in New Jersey after being selected off waivers by the Devils just before the season started. The Islanders had signed the free agent winger prior to the year, but decided he wasn’t cut out for John Tavares‘ wing anymore and allowed the Devils to take him for nothing. He’s put up 13 goals and 25 points this year in 53 games and doesn’t want to go anywhere at the deadline. “I want to stay here, they’ve been great to me,” Parenteau told Andrew Gross of The Record, while admitting he understands that his name will surface on March 1st, if not before. Just like last year when Parenteau was in the midst of a 20-goal season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s an expiring contract who can provide goal scoring for almost no money; plenty of teams will be after that at the deadline, if they believe that he is capable of playing a role in their playoff push.