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Spengler Cup

Snapshots: MacTavish, Brouwer, Forbort, Avalanche

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Craig MacTavish’s tenure with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL was certainly short-lived as he was let go after eight games with the team.  However, he’ll be back behind the bench next month as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that he will be Canada’s head coach at next month’s Spengler Cup.  The position had initially been offered to Wayne Gretzky but was declined.  Among those that are expected to be named to MacTavish’s staff is Misha Donskov, the Director of Hockey Operations for the Golden Knights.

More from around the hockey world:

  • While Troy Brouwer has been with the Blues for more than a week and recently signed a one-year deal, he hasn’t been given clearance to play just yet. Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the winger is still awaiting his work visa and he can’t suit up until he gets that.  Brouwer was expected to play on Thursday and is hopeful that the issue will be resolved in time for their next game on Saturday.
  • Kings defenseman Derek Forbort recently took part in a full skate with AHL Ontario, mentions Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. He has missed the entire season as he continues to work his way back from a back injury.  It’s a contract year for the 27-year-old who will enter unrestricted free agency for the first time in July so getting back is of particular importance for him.  As for Los Angeles, if Forbort returns to form, he could be one of the more intriguing trade candidates closer to the trade deadline.
  • It appears the Avalanche are getting close to getting at least one of their top forwards back. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that winger Mikko Rantanen could rejoin the team soon as he continues to ramp up his skating while working his way back from a lower-body injury.  The news isn’t as good for Gabriel Landeskog though.  He has yet to start skating after suffering a foot injury last month and will be going to be re-evaluated later this week.

Snapshots: Crosby, Gretzky, Kovalchuk

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby are weighing a decision of whether or not the superstar should get surgery to fix a sport hernia, according to Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Crosby has dealing with it since training camp and aggravated it on Saturday night.

Surgery would take the Penguins’ captain out for at least a month, but that’s a tough proposition given the injuries that the team has already fought through to even keep their head above water. Without Crosby, Pittsburgh certainly wouldn’t have a 10-6-2 through the first part of the season.

  • Wayne Gretzky was offered the head coaching position for Canada at the upcoming Spengler Cup, but has turned it down according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Team Canada, led by Sean Burke, will look at other options that include Craig MacTavish according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
  • Ilya Kovalchuk was at Los Angeles Kings practice today but things remain “fluid” as several reporters have termed the situation. The Kings have looked at trading him in the past, as Jon Rosen points out, but there are several complications including his bonus money due on December 15th.

Predators Notes: Sissons, Burakovsky, Fabbro

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The Nashville Predators have taken another hit up front, announcing today that forward Colton Sissons has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. While it’s unclear when Sissons suffered the injury, he was not in  the lineup when the Predators faced the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The team did not give any timeline for Sissons’ return, but any extended absence will hurt Nashville, who are also still without Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. Sissons has been a key contributor while those two have been sidelined, recording seven goals and nine assists in 35 games, tied for eighth on the team in scoring. Sissons also has a tremendous +17 rating and is an invaluable defensive presence among the forward corps. For the Predators’ sake, hopefully Sissons will return after the minimum ten days on the IR.

  • With yet another starting forward out of commission, Predators GM David Poile may feel even more pressure to land some help via trade. Nashville was already expected to pursue scoring help before the trade deadline to help out their middling offense and was one of the teams speculated to have interest in Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky, who hit the trade block last week. The Capitals are reportedly looking to make a deal that would bring back a player that can help them immediately this season, of which the Predators have options. Pressed into regular action due to the rash of injuries, Miikka Salomaki and Frederick Gaudreau have both played well at times this season and could be of interest to Washington. The team could even be willing to dangle Calle Jarnkrok if they’re high on Burakovsky. The two teams would seemingly be a good fit for a deal, although there still could be lingering feelings from the last time the Capitals traded a young winger to the Predators (see Forsberg-for-Martin Erat).
  • Speaking of reinforcements, Predators fans should be excited to see defensive prospect Dante Fabbro listed on the Team Canada roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup. The team’s first-round pick in 2016, Fabbro has been a productive member of the Boston University blue line for three seasons now and has even evolved into the Terriers’ captain. However, playing alongside pros at the Spengler Cup is the next step for Fabbro and could give the young defenseman the experience needed to step in to the Predators’ lineup later this season. Although Fabbro has another season of NCAA eligibility remaining, he is heavily expected to leave school when BU’s season is over. A strong showing in Switzerland could convince Poile and company that Fabbro is worth signing and playing immediately this year. The young puck-mover could be a nice depth addition for a Nashville team that is looking to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final this year.

NHL Experience Fills Canada’s Spengler Cup Roster

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While most hockey fans are focused on the upcoming World Junior tournament that features some of the best young players from around the world, there is another international tournament scheduled for the end of the month. That’s the Spengler Cup, where high level players that are outside of the NHL come together to show their talents. This year, the Canadian Spengler roster is filled with former NHL players including some who played just last season.

The roster also notably includes Dante Fabbro, a Nashville Predators first-round pick who remains unsigned and playing at Boston University. Fabbro, 20, is used to competing internationally as he suited up in the past two World Junior Championships for Canada, taking home gold and silver medals. The young defenseman could potentially sign with the Predators after his college season ends.

The full roster is as follows:

F Colt Conrad
F Dion Knelsen
F Aaron Gagnon
F Jacob Micflikier
F Torrey Mitchell
F Zac Dalpe
F Andrew Ebbett
F Zach Boychuk
F Adam Cracknell
F Cory Emmerton
F Daniel Winnik
F Dominic Moore
F Matt D’Agostini
F Maxim Lapierre
F Chris DiDomenico

D Simon Despres
D Kevin Bieksa
D Kodie Curran
D Dante Fabbro
D Kyle Quincey
D Patrick Wiercioch
D Daniel Vukovic
D Maxim Noreau

G Zach Fucale
G Jared Coreau

Snapshots: Blues, Bieksa, Bakos

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For fans of the Blues, hoping that the team can turn the season around, as well as fans of other teams hoping for a chance at acquiring their top players, today’s news comes as a welcome change to the status quo in St. Louis. The Blues announced that three players were back at practice today and looking healthy and ready for game action. Alex Pietrangelo, Carl Gunnarsson, and Robby Fabbri all took the ice today and are expected to return to the lineup as early as tonight, when St. Louis takes on the Edmonton Oilers on the road. “Obviously we missed those guys tremendously”, said teammate Patrick Maroon, one of a number of Blues players who spoke about their excitement to have three difference-makers back at practice. Pietrangelo is clearly the greatest addition to the lineup, but Gunnarsson is also a regular on the Blues blue line and Fabbri has struggled with constant injurie issues for parts of three seasons and St. Louis would like to see him stay healthy for the rest of the campaign. At full strength, the Blues do have plenty of talent on paper and could put together a comeback of sorts this season. However, if that doesn’t happen, the team will continue to take calls on nearly anyone on the roster. GM Doug Armstrong won’t trade anyone whose value has dipped, so getting Pietrangelo and company back to health also improves his asking price should he decide to make some moves down the stretch.

  • On a recent appearance on the “31 Thoughts” podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa made it clear that he is not retired. In fact, Bieksa has already committed to play with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland later this month. A strong performance from the 37-year-old could earn him a contract from a contender for the second half of the NHL season. Brian Gionta and Chris Kelly accomplished similar feats after the Olympics last year and Bieksa has the experience and claims to still have the physical conditioning to follow suit. The long-time Vancouver Canuck and Anaheim Duck was unwilling to sign long-term with any team far from his family in California this off-season, but on a half-season deal he will likely be more open to taking the offer that gives him the best chance at an elusive Stanley Cup title.
  • After his time with the Boston Bruins didn’t go according to plan due to an early-season injury and a lack of opportunity, Martin Bakos had his contract terminated last week after clearing unconditional waivers. He’s now on to a new opportunity, as HK Sochi of the KHL announced that they have inked Bakos to a contract for the remainder of the season. Bakos has several seasons of KHL experience on his resume, but this is first time playing for one of the league’s many Russian squads after previous stints with HC Bratislava in his native country of Slovakia, as well as a year in China with the Kunlun Red Star. Bakos only managed to record four points in 16 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, a skilled minor league squad, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on a Sochi roster that lacks much talent up front. Bakos joins recent NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Yohann Auvitu in Sochi, hoping to push for a playoff spot with the team this season.

Prospect Notes: Demko, Makar, Laaksonen

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After the Vancouver Canucks used a second-round draft pick on Thatcher Demko in 2014, following a breakout freshman campaign at Boston College, and he proceeded to improve over his next two seasons with the Eagles, many expected that it wouldn’t take long for him to take over as the starter for Vancouver. Now in his third pro season, Demko has suited up for only one game with the Canucks and continues to sit behind the likes of Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson, who have been far from spectacular in that time. With the Vancouver duo currently combining for a save percentage below .900 and a goals against average over 3.00, this season would seem to be a prime opportunity for Demko to finally break through as an option at the NHL level. However, a concussion in training camp derailed the beginning of the season for the young keeper and he has only recently returned to the net for the AHL’s Utica Comets. The Athletic’s Jason Brough recently caught up with Demko to get an update on how his return from the “scary” injury has gone so far. Demko stated that he really wanted to take his time and ensure he was 100% before returning from the concussion, but feels good now. Demko continued that he has been working closely with the Canucks’ new goalie coach, Ian Clark, and is anxious to get his chance in Vancouver this season. Six games into his season in the AHL, Demko’s numbers aren’t as stellar as they were last season, but as he grows healthier and more comfortable in net, he’s likely to return to that high-level performance. Assuming he does, Demko should have far more than one NHL start on his resume by the end of this season.

  • Colorado Avalanche top prospect and college hockey superstar Cale Makar was invited to play for Team Canada at the Olympics last year, but declined the opportunity. History has repeated itself this year, as The Athletic’s Julie Robenhymer reports that Makar was offered a spot on Canada’s entry into the Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland later this month, but has again passed up the international experience. Robenhymer writes that Makar has opted to work on getting back to full health before the second half of the NCAA season begins in January. With UMass ranked as the top team in the country, they need their top defenseman ready to go as they chase a national championship this season. While the Avs may have liked to have seen Makar in a different context at the Spengler Cup, they won’t hesitate to sign him as soon as his college season is over regardless.
  • One defenseman who may not be so eager to make the jump to the NHL is Buffalo Sabres prospect Oskari Laaksonen. Laaksonen, 19, was a third-round selection by the Sabres in 2017 and is a well-regarded young puck-mover. However, Laaksonen is comfortable staying in his native Finland for the time being, as Ilves has announced a two-year extension with their young stalwart. While the press release included a quote from Laaksonen that he is happy to stay with the team until something happens in the NHL, Buffalo certainly wouldn’t mind if he wanted to log some time in the AHL beforehand and it would help Laaksonen reach to top level much sooner. With Rasmus Dahlin, Lawrence Pilut, and Rasmus Ristolainen all relatively young and seemingly locked in to long-term starting roles, Laaksonen likely sees a lack of opportunity right now in Buffalo. However, he does seem willing to make the move once the blue line opens up somewhat with the Sabres.

Snapshots: Team Canada, Fletcher, Kovar

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Held in the middle of the NHL season, the Spengler Cup in Switzerland is often an afterthought among international events. Yet, Team Canada has put together quite the formidable group to lead their entry into the late December tournament, in pursuit of a fourth consecutive title. Hockey Canada has announced that Sean Burke and Ron Francis will put the Spengler Cup team together as co-GM’s, while Kevin Dineen will lead the selections as the head coach. Not only does that trio have extensive NHL playing careers on their resumes, but each have had success in their off-ice roles as well. Dineen has spent 14 seasons behind an NHL bench, including three as the head coach of the Florida Panthers, and has international coaching experience as well. His assistants, Gordie Dwyer and Mike Kitchen, are no strangers to the job either. Burke, currently a scout for the Montreal Canadiens, is familiar with Team Canada, having served as GM for the 2018 Olympic team, part of the management group for past four IIHF World Championship entries, as well as the GM of the past two Spengler Cup teams. However, it is Francis that sticks out the most. The former Carolina Hurricanes GM is currently considered a candidate for the Philadelphia Flyers’ new vacancy and, should the position remain open through the end of the calendar year, Francis’ efforts to put together a winning Spengler Cup team could be seen as part of his case for the job.

  • Another candidate for the Flyers’ GM vacancy – and perhaps the favorite – is former Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. Fletcher was let go by the Wild this off-season and joined the New Jersey Devils as an executive, but is still held in high esteem by most in the game. Many pundits have suggested that he is the front runner for the job and now TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the wheels appear to be in motion. The Devils have given the Flyers permission to speak with Fletcher, McKenzie says, and reiterates the sentiment that he would be the preferred hire. Although Minnesota was unable to reach the ultimate goal, Fletcher had the team on a six-season postseason streak when he was dismissed and the Wild, currently with the third-best record in the Western Conference, have a core of veteran and young contributors that was by and large put together by Fletcher. The experienced executive would be a more than capable GM for Philadelphia.
  • The Boston Bruins front office may soon be facing a decision, albeit to a much smaller extent. After he appeared to be weighing a return to Europe, Jan Kovar instead finds himself one step closer to his desired destination – another shot at the NHL. The Bruins announced this morning that Kovar, who has been playing with their AHL affiliate in Providence, was up practicing in Boston today. The question remains whether or not Kovar earns a contract with the Bruins, something that Lee Stempniak was unable to do despite ample practice time with the team. Boston is without Patrice Bergeron, but still has David Krejci and has been getting admirable efforts from rookie Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and veteran Joakim Nordstrom in his unnatural position. Yet, the team scratched Sean Kuraly in their last game and is still struggling to get secondary scoring. It may be the exact scenario that Kovar needed to get a second chance after quickly flaming out with the New York Islanders earlier this season.

Los Angeles Kings Fire Coach John Stevens

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The Los Angeles Kings announced that general manager Rob Blake has relieved coach John Stevens of his duties. The Kings have made Willie Desjardins as the interim coach for the rest of the season.

“This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary,” said Blake. “We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John’s time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions.”

Despite picking up a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the victory didn’t do anything to allow Stevens to keep his job as the team remained 4-8-1 in the team’s first 13 games, giving them the worst record in league with the Florida Panthers the only other team that has nine points (although they have played two less games). Stevens, in just his second year as head coach of the team, took the team to the playoffs last year as the fourth-seed in the Pacific Division, but were swept in the first-round of the playoffs as the Vegas Golden Knights exposed their lack of speed.

Los Angeles responded by adding 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk through free agency this offseason and was expected to make a renewed run for a Stanley Cup title with the likes 30-somethings Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty (he’s actually just 28), Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson, Dion Phaneuf and Alec Martinez. The team was expecting some of their young players to step up, but players such as Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have struggled under Stevens’ tenure and haven’t developed into the goal scorers that everyone had hoped for. The team also has been without Quick, their star goaltender, for much of the season and there is no word on how much time he might miss with his most recent injury. Throw in the lack of development of some of their prospects and the team was heading down the wrong path with many of their veterans under contract for three of four more years.

Desjardins, who has 20+ years of coaching experience, has been acting as Team Canada’s men’ head coach, including leading the team in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Korea. He served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, compiling a disappointing 109-110-27 record. He also led Team Canada to gold at the Spengler Cup in December of 2017. Desjardins also served eight years as head coach in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers where he won two championships in eight seasons there.

The team also released fired assistant coach Don Nachbaur from his duties, who served as the team’s assistant since last season. The team has brought in current German National Team coach and former Kings player Marco Sturm. The team did retain assistant coach Dave Lowry.

One has to wonder what Stevens chances will be to get another head coaching position. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers between 2006 through 2009, reaching the Eastern Conference finals once and a second playoff appearance. He has a combined record of 171-148-43.

Helene Elliott was the first to report the coaching change.

 

Minor Transactions: 01/09/18

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The NHL is back in action tonight with seven games on the schedule, including a battle for wild card positioning between Calgary and Minnesota. As always, we’ll keep track of all the league’s minor moves right here. Refresh throughout the day to stay informed.

  • The Belleville Senators have signed Chris Kelly to another professional tryout, after the veteran forward’s appearance in the Spengler Cup. It’s unclear what exactly that means for Kelly’s Olympic bid, but we’ll find out soon enough. The Canadian squad is expected to be released tomorrow, and Kelly is among those in consideration.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have assigned Ondrej Kase and Kevin Roy to the AHL while the team enjoys their mandated bye week. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the pair will suit up for the San Diego Gulls, but will at least remove their cap hits from the Ducks’ roster for the time being. The Gulls do have two home games this week while the Ducks are off, perhaps a good chance for Kase and Roy to keep sharp during the break.
  • Joonas Korpisalo won’t get to relax during the Columbus Blue Jackets two off days, as the goaltender has been sent to the AHL to get in some game action while the NHL club breaks. Matiss Kivlenieks has been recalled in his place to keep the roster compliant, but will be flipped back when the Blue Jackets return to action.

Jarome Iginla Will Not Play In Spengler Cup

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The Olympic dream for Jarome Iginla could be over, as the veteran forward will not be ready to play in the upcoming Spengler Cup according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Hockey Canada has been clear that they want to see Iginla playing at a high level before naming him to a potential Olympic roster, something that doesn’t seem likely to happen.

Jarome IginlaStill, there is an outside chance that Iginla could be a late-season addition to an NHL club. The 40-year old winger wasn’t able to secure a deal this summer, but did look sharp in his 19-game stretch with the Los Angeles Kings after a deadline deal. If it is the end for Iginla’s playing career, it comes with championships at every level except the NHL.

Iginla is a two-time Memorial Cup champion, a gold medalist at the Olympics (twice), World Cup, World Championship and World Junior Championship, and has won a long list of individual awards. He has scored 625 goals and 1,300 points during the regular season, adding another 37 and 68 in a relatively short playoff career. The Stanley Cup eluded him, despite coming within a disallowed goal of it in 2004.

When he was without a contract at the end of the summer most hoped he would suit up one last time for Canada on the international stage, perhaps to bring some luck to what will be a lackluster squad pieced together from leagues around the world. It doesn’t seem like that will happen now, after his hip surgery has kept him out longer than expected.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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