Snapshots: Olympics, Crosby, Paajarvi
When the Olympic groupings came out for the 2022 Games, many pointed to China as a team that is going to be overwhelmed by the competition. As host country, they are given an automatic bid and placed in a group with the U.S., Canada, and Germany. The first two are obviously favorites for the tournament, while even Germany has players like Leon Draisaitl, Moritz Seider, and Philipp Grubauer, talents that China wouldn’t be able to come close to challenging.
It appears as though the absolute mismatch is being recognized. Tariq Panja of the New York Times reports that there is serious consideration being made to dropping China from the men’s hockey competition altogether. Luc Tardif, president of the IIHF, suggests that Norway could take their place if they do move to take China out of the event.
- Sidney Crosby is not yet ready to return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup, but he’s getting closer. The veteran forward won’t be in the lineup when the team plays this evening, but has practiced in full for three days now and was back in his spot on the top line yesterday. Head coach Mike Sullivan told NHL.com’s Wes Crosby that there are no medical clearances keeping his captain from the lineup, just his own comfort level.
- Magnus Paajarvi has found a new team, signing with the Malmo Redhawks for the rest of this season. The 30-year-old spent the last two seasons in the KHL after last playing in North America during the 2018-19 campaign. That year, he scored 11 goals and 19 points for the Ottawa Senators, his highest totals since that exciting rookie campaign in Edmonton. Selected 10th overall in 2009, Paajarvi burst onto the NHL scene with 15 goals and 34 points as a teenager in 2010, only to fizzle out almost immediately and struggle in the years to come. He’ll now return to the organization where he played much of his junior career.
Snapshots: Team USA, Wild, Ghost Pirates
When Stan Bowman stepped away from the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday, he also removed himself from the position of Team USA general manager for the upcoming Olympics. According to Steven Ellis of The Hockey News, that position is expected to go to Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, who had previously been serving as AGM for the team.
Guerin, who had previously been involved in an investigation hailing back to his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was cleared recently by the U.S. Center for SafeSport according to Ellis. (UPDATE: Katie Strang of The Athletic reports that it is not quite that simple, and Guerin has not been cleared of wrongdoing as the case has not even progressed to the level of complainant interviews yet.)
- The Minnesota Wild may be facing a COVID protocol situation, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. The team is waiting for further testing and canceled practice today, as they prepare for their game tomorrow night. Russo believes at least two players are expected to be moved into the protocol, while the Wild are going to recall Kyle Rau, Connor Dewar and Jon Lizotte from the AHL.
- The ECHL has announced their newest franchise, set to join the league in 2022-23. The Savannah Ghost Pirates will start play next season and sport green and black as their primary colors.
Snapshots: Wilson, Three Stars, Cash
Last year, Colin Wilson opened up in a piece for The Players’ Tribune, explaining that he had been dealing with untreated obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his career. He was trying to educate young players on the importance of mental health and the risks that a professional career brought him.
Today, Wilson released an addendum titled “Addiction” in which he fully admits his addiction to drugs, use of Ambien and cocaine, and hopes to spread increased awareness following the recent fentanyl-contributed death of former NHL forward Jimmy Hayes. Wilson’s new piece is a worthwhile–if difficult–read for all sports fans.
- The league has announced the Three Stars for last week, with Kyle Connor taking home top spot after racking up five goals and eight points in three games. The point total was the same for Connor McDavid, who was the week’s second star, while Ilya Sorokin posted an outstanding .971 save percentage with two shutouts to earn third place. Sorokin was the first Islanders’ goaltender to post shutouts in consecutive days as he held the fort while Semyon Varlamov recovered from injury.
- One of the greatest sled hockey players of all time has announced his retirement, as Steve Cash will end his playing days after 16 seasons in goal for the U.S. National Team. Cash has three Paralympic Winter Games gold medals (and a bronze), eight World Championship gold medals, and lost just 16 games in regulation during his more than 150 starts for Team USA.
Snapshots: Blackhawks, Kane, Wedin
It is a quick COVID Protocol turnaround for a few Chicago Blackhawks, well at least two of the three. After missing practice yesterday due to compliance with league protocol, Ryan Carpenter and Erik Gustafsson were back on the ice at morning skate today ahead of their game against the Detroit Red Wings. However, remaining absent was star Patrick Kane, who was also among the protocol group yesterday. The Athletic’s Scott Powers has confirmed suspicions, relaying word from the Blackhawks that Carpeneter and Gustafsson have been removed from the COVID Protocol, but Kane has not. There is no word as to why the trio were initially subject nor why Kane remains, but regardless Chicago will get some reinforcements back but could still be missing their best player tonight. Off to a frustrating 0-4-1 start, the Blackhawks can ill afford to be without Kane for very long. Interestingly, head coach Jeremy Colliton stopped short of ruling Kane out against Detroit, but there will have to be a change to his COVID status within a matter of hours.
- Another team missing a Kane is the San Jose Sharks. Last season’s leading scorer, Evander Kane, is serving a 21-game suspension for violating COVID Protocol by using a fake vaccination card. Given all of the controversy surrounding Kane over the past year though, a 21-game absence is unlikely what the Sharks expected to result from multiple investigations. The big winger will in fact be eligible to return to the team before the end of November. So where does San Jose go from here? The team is off to an incredible and unexpected 5-0-0 start and is playing well, perhaps without Kane’s distraction in the locker room. However, they have little recourse to prevent him from returning to the club. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the Sharks cannot terminate Kane’s contract due to the lengthy suspension nor can they do so as an internal form of punishment due to the findings that led to his league suspension. The CBA does not allow either form of double punishment and the NHLPA would not let it fly. They would be supported by a recent report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, which stated the league never considered termination as a punishment for Kane. While the Sharks may be opne to a reunion with Kane, both Johnston and Friedman note that the team’s reaction has been a mixed bag of support and disdain for the situation and Kane’s coaches and teammates have been non-committal about whether or not they want him back. The team has just over a month to decide how to handle his return.
- Interestingly, a former Chicago Blackhawk and a player once linked to the San Jose Sharks was back on the market this week, albeit briefly. Forward Anton Wedin, who spent the 2019-20 season in the Blackhawks organization, terminated his contract with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk earlier this week. This sparked some speculation that perhaps he would return to North America, even if only on an AHL deal. After all, Wedin made the jump from Sweden to Chicago at 26 and played in four NHL games and recorded 17 points in 31 AHL games. It was by no means a poor season. Wedin, who was only on a one-year deal with the Blackhawks, drew some NHL interest in the 2020 off-season, but ultimately decided to say home in Sweden during the pandemic, totaling 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games with HV71 in his best SHL season to date. Wedin’s name did not appear in any NHL rumors this summer and he signed in the KHL, but after just two points in 14 with Sibir he has moved on. Instead of exploring a return overseas though, Wedin will play out the season in the KHL after signing with Dynamo Moscow for the remainder of the year. Still just 28 and with NHL experience and ability, perhaps Wedin could return to the league in the future.
Snapshots: Olympics, Blackwell, Crosby
Each country participating in the upcoming Olympics had to submit their long list of 50 skaters and five goalies by last Friday. While those lists weren’t made public, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that Canada was granted a special exemption to add a sixth goaltender to their list in Canadiens netminder Carey Price who is currently out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The other five goalies are Darcy Kuemper, Carter Hart, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Binnington, and Mackenzie Blackwood. Canada’s Olympic committee recently announced a vaccination mandate in order to participate which makes Blackwood’s presence on here noteworthy as he is believed to be one of the four NHL players currently not vaccinated. LeBrun mentions that the Devils’ goalie is working through the process of getting that done which should make him eligible to participate in the tournament in February if selected.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Kraken center Colin Blackwell has resumed light skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury that kept him out of training camp, notes Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times. He’s hoping to avoid surgery but it appears he’s still a few weeks away from returning. Blackwell was selected back in expansion after picking up 12 goals and 10 assists in 47 games (all career highs) last season with the Rangers.
- Penguins center Sidney Crosby returned to practice today after missing the last four team skates, relays NHL.com’s Wes Crosby. He indicated that he has yet to go through any physical or faceoff drills which will need to happen before he can return. Crosby, who is working his way back from wrist surgery that carried a minimum recovery time of six weeks, has missed just more than that and hasn’t pegged a target date for him to make his season debut.
Snapshots: Jets, Edmundson, PHF
The Winnipeg Jets are could have additional positive COVID-19 results overnight, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Winnipeg is set to host their home opener tomorrow night against the Anaheim Ducks and already had captain Blake Wheeler ruled out.
If they do lose more players before tomorrow’s game, it’s brutal news for a team that is already off to a very slow start. The Jets haven’t won a game in their first three and have already allowed 14 goals. (Update: Seravalli reports that it might not be as bad as originally feared, as some tests that originally came back as positive have now been confirmed as negatives.)
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is recovering from injury, but he won’t be back with the team just yet. GM Marc Bergevin explained to reporters today including John Lu of TSN that Edmundson is taking a leave from the team to be with his father who is suffering from cancer. Edmundson has not yet played this season.
- The Premier Hockey Federation, formerly the NWHL, has announced a broadcast deal with ESPN that will see all 60 regular season games streamed on ESPN+. PHF commissioner Tyler Tumminia calls it a “significant step” in the league’s history, and gives them an enhanced standard of delivery.
Snapshots: Kravtsov, Thornton, Bertuzzi
The New York Rangers were hoping to convince Vitali Kravtsov to return and play for the Hartford Wolf Pack, but with the disgruntled forward back in Russia, it appears as though that’s off the table. That doesn’t mean there isn’t interest in him around the league though, as Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet tweets that as many as 15 teams have inquired.
Though he doesn’t list all of them, Kypreos does report that the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and Ottawa Senators are among those 15. Inquired is certainly not a trade offer, but it does appear as though the Rangers will have suitors if they decide to move Kravtsov at some point this season.
- The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined Joe Thornton of the Florida Panthers $1,875 for “slashing” Tampa Bay Lightning forward Boris Katchouk last night. While battling for a puck, Thornton completed a cup check on the young Katchouk, sending him to the ice in a heap of pain. The veteran forward received a two-minute penalty on the play and will have to pay a little bit extra for the trouble.
- Tyler Bertuzzi is off to a scorching hot start to the season, with a league-leading five goals in three games. The Detroit Red Wings forward is coming off a season lost to injury and ready to show the league he’s still as dangerous as ever. Unfortunately, that hot start will be put on pause after tomorrow’s game against the Calgary Flames. The Red Wings will travel to Montreal for Saturday’s matchup against the Canadiens, and Bertuzzi confirmed to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he’ll be watching from home. One of the few unvaccinated players in the league, Bertuzzi is unable to travel to Canada without serving a quarantine, so will remain in Detroit while the team goes on the road.
Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Golden Knights, Girard
NHL Central Scouting released their list of “players to watch” for the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft, and potential first-overall pick Shane Wright is one of 23 players ranked as an “A” prospect. The others, which include names like Brad Lambert, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Conor Geekie, and Matthew Savoie, are obviously all names to keep in mind as this year progresses.
Notably, there are only five defensemen and no goaltenders ranked as “A” prospects, with forwards dominating the top of the list this year. The group is also tilted slightly toward North American skaters, with 13 of the 23 coming from this side of the pond.
- The Vegas Golden Knights may have dodged a bullet when it comes to Mark Stone, who won’t need surgery according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic. The Golden Knights captain is somewhere “between day to day and week to week” says head coach Pete DeBoer. Mattias Janmark, meanwhile, is still in the COVID protocol and will not be available tomorrow night. DeBoer expects him to be cleared soon.
- The first three players on each Olympic roster have already been announced, but a few days ago each participating nation also had to submit a “long list” of potential NHL candidates. Though it hasn’t been released to the public yet, at least one name won’t be included. Samuel Girard told reporters including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press that received a call from Canada GM Doug Armstrong, who explained that he did not make the long list. It certainly would have been difficult for Girard to make the team anyway, but his exclusion even from the possible targets shows just how deep the Canadian blue line is.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Faksa, Rust
The NHL has announced the Three Stars for week one of the NHL season, and it’s a throwback to years gone by. Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings takes home the top spot after recording four goals and seven points in two games. The Kings’ captain is off to an outstanding start in his 16th season and currently leads the league in both goals and points.
Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos get second and third respectively, after similarly brilliant starts. That means the best players in the league this week were a trio that has 3,174 games in the league and five Stanley Cup championships. For all the talk the last few years about it becoming a young man’s league, Kopitar, Ovechkin, and Stamkos are still performing at an elite level.
- Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa has escaped suspension for his slash on Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle, but will have to pay $5,000 in a fine for the incident. That’s the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA, but Faksa won’t have to miss any games. Stutzle, who left the game temporarily, didn’t suffer a major injury on the play, which likely kept a suspension off the table. The incident will be on Faksa’s record though, and considered in any future supplementary discipline.
- Bryan Rust is out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury, according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. The Penguins are 2-0-1 through the first three games of the season, first in the NHL despite the absence of several top players. Sidney Crosby won’t play on Tuesday but is approaching a return, and Evgeni Malkin has started a skating program as he continues his rehab. Rust, meanwhile, looks to be out for a little while following his strong start to the season.
Snapshots: Krebs, Robertson, Ho-Sang
As the Jack Eichel saga appears to potentially be nearing a conclusion, there’s now constant speculation about potential destinations and a potential return. While the Vegas Golden Knights have long been named as a potential suitor for Eichel, a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen says that the Knights view top prospect Peyton Krebs as untouchable in any Eichel deal. While the Golden Knights do still have some desirable young pieces available in a trade like defenseman Nicolas Hague, none have the potential upside of Krebs. If Vegas is to get an Eichel trade completed, they’ll likely have to give up a massive amount of draft capital in place of Krebs.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Nick Robertson suffered a lower-body injury in tonight’s match with the Toronto Marlies against the Manitoba Moose, per Marlies head coach Greg Moore. Moore notes the extent of the injury is unknown and that Robertson will be assessed tomorrow. It’s a tough blow to the Leafs organization, which is already dealing with significant injuries in all areas. It’s especially concerning considering Robertson missed the majority of last season due to a knee injury. Toronto undoubtedly hopes it’s not a major injury.
- Another Marlies forward is in some injury trouble as Moore also notes that Josh Ho-Sang was held out with a hip issue, but mostly as a precaution. Calling it a ‘maintenance day,’ it’s a smart choice on the Marlies to not risk any further injury. Ho-Sang will be one of the team’s most important contributors considering his NHL experience, and a notable injury setback could negatively affect his chances of getting an NHL contract with the Maple Leafs later this season.